: , , , , - 28 . Archived Results for Sunday, April 9th, 2017 Older Page 1 Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 01:44:09|Editor: Mengjiao Liu German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) and Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos visit the international contemporary art exhibition Documenta 14 in Athens, Greece on April 8, 2017. Steinmeier and Pavlopoulos inaugurated on Saturday the international contemporary art exhibition Documenta 14 in Athens, praising the initiative to further boost the unity of Europeans through Art. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos inaugurated on Saturday the international contemporary art exhibition Documenta 14 in Athens, praising the initiative to further boost the unity of Europeans through Art. The prestigious exhibition, which was launched in Kassel in Germany in 1955, is held every five years. It is the first time in its history that documenta is co-hosted by Kassel and another European city. The choice of the Greek capital highlights, according to the organizers, two different faces of Europe which can gain from each other. It is no coincidence this year's event was entitled "Learning from Athens". "The European Union is not a perfectly developed organization, but has the ability to keep learning," the German President said opening the exhibition with Pavlopoulos at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, according to Greek national news agency AMNA. "This world is full of ideas and excitement because it is created through dialogue, by viewing the world from different points of view. We should see the world through other peoples' eyes. I am glad that we launch this dialogue with the inauguration of Documenta in Athens," Frank-Walter Steinmeier added addressing the event. "The basic pillar upon which the future and unification of Europe can and should be based on is the European civilization and its global impact. Europe must move forward, Europe must complete its mission. It is an obligation not only towards Europeans, but to the entire international community," Pavlopoulos said, according to an e-mailed press statement issued by his office. "Art unites, art builds bridges, combines contrasts and triggers dialogue," Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou said in her speech. More than 160 artists participate in the exhibition which extends in more than 40 museums, university halls, libraries and open squares across Athens. Visitors can choose between a large variety of music, dance and theater performances, happenings, workshops and permanent art installations until July 16. On June 10 the German leg of Documenta 14 kicks off in Kassel and will run until Sept. 17. According to the artistic director of Documenta 14 Adam Szymczyk participants have already learned a lesson from Athens while working to prepare the exhibition and this is the message they want to send across the world. "What did we learn from Athens? That we all must abandon our prejudices and plunge into the darkness of not knowing," Szymczyk told AMNA before the opening. CHISINAU, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's judicial authorities announced Saturday that 17 persons were arrested in Moldova and neighboring Ukraine in a suspected plot to murder Vladimir Plahotniuc, one of the most influential politicians and businessmen in Moldova. According to police, these people were part of a criminal group that intended to carry out the murder against the media tycoon and businessman who is also the head of the Democratic Party, the main ruling party in Moldova's governing coalition. Eight of the suspects were arrested in Moldova, and two of them are Ukrainians. The other nine suspects were arrested in Ukraine, according to Prosecutor Vitalie Busuioc of the Moldovan Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime. According to Busuioc, the police found four grenade launchers and two pistols with silencer, which could be used in the plot. The murder was ordered by two Moldovans in exchange for 200,000 U.S. dollars, half of the sum was already transmitted, according to Ion Yakimov, head of Moldova's National Investigation Inspectorate. A suspect in the preparation of the assassination could face up to 20 years imprisonment, under the Moldovan laws. Vladimir Plahotniuc, 51, was elected as the leader of the Moldovan Democratic Party in December 2016. Previously, he was member of the Parliament in two terms, and served as First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament between December 2010 and February 2013. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 07:09:48|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump told Congress that his decision to attack Syria was in the interest of the United States, adding that further actions are being considered. "I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interest of the United States," Trump said in a letter to both chambers of the Congress dated Saturday. "The United States will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests," Trump said. Trump stated that informing the Congress of the background and motives behind the decision to attack Syria was in consistent with the War Powers Resolution. The United States on Thursday launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at Syria to neutralize its chemical weapon arsenal, two days after reports of a chemical weapons attack emerged from the battleground in Syria, which the West said the Syrian government should be to blame. Trump's decision raised controversy among U.S. lawmakers and foreign governments, while some supported the punitive move against the Syrian government, others questioned whether it was appropriate to commit such an action of war without authorization from the U.S. Congress and the United Nations Security Council. RIO DE JANEIRO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Six prisoners were killed on Friday during a riot in a prison in Manaus, the capital of Brazil's northern state of Amazonas, local media reported. The violence broke out in the prison of Puraquequara for as yet unknown causes, with the six prisoners being found dead in their cells, Globonews reported. Puraquequara was a part of a series of bloody clashes between two gangs in January, leaving more than 60 prisoners dead. The Amazonas secretariat of penitentiary administration (Seap) issued a statement that the victims included the right-hand man of the leader of the Familia do Norte criminal gang. Authorities also decided to transfer around 20 prisoners from the same unit who had received death threats. On Jan. 1, the prison saw a massive fight between two criminal gangs. Four were killed in Puraquequara while 56 died in the Anision Jobim prison complex, in the same state. The two gangs are in a bitter struggle for control of drug trafficking in the region. The poor and overcrowded conditions at Brazilian prisons are notorious, and the government has received frequent complaints from NGOs and human rights organizations. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 07:19:50|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close MONTEVIDEO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- 24 people have been charged in Paraguay for violence that took place in and around the parliament building in recent weeks, including a police officer who shot an opposition lawmaker in the face with a rubber bullet. A statement from the prosecutor-general on Saturday said that policeman Benito Joel Sanabria had been charged with causing "bodily harm in the exercise of public duty against legislator Edgar Acosta." Acosta, from the Liberal Radical Authentic Party (PLRA), had to undergo reconstructive facial surgery and will be operated on again in the future for the wound he received on March 31, during a protest outside Congress. According to the Ultima Hora daily, besides Sanabria, 16 people were arrested for attacking the parliament building, four for violence against the police, two for attacking a police vehicle, and one for robbery and disturbing the peace. However, so far, nobody has been arrested for the death of a young PLRA militant who was shot dead by police at his party's headquarters on April 1. The violence took place after a group of senators approved, in a secret session, a controversial change to the constitution that would allow President Horacio Cartes to stand for re-election in April 2018. It would also allow former president Fernando Lugo, who was impeached in 2012, to seek to return to power. Paraguay's current constitution prevents presidents from standing for a second term due to fears of a return to dictatorship. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 07:29:51|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The airstrike at Syria ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump was a bid to send a message to U.S. enemies, especially the terror group Islamic State (IS), U.S. experts said. On Thursday, Trump ordered the U.S. military to strike an airbase in Syria with several dozen Tomahawk missiles. The strike occurred after the U.S. accused Syrian government of attacking civilians with chemical weapons on Tuesday. The target, Shayrat airfield, was believed by Washington to be the base from which Syrian warplanes carried out the chemical attack, which killed more than 70 people and wounded scores of others in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. U.S. experts said the action was intended to send a message to U.S. enemies that the new president is breaking from what critics have called the hands-off foreign policy of former President Barack Obama. "The U.S. has a mission in the region of defeating ISIS, stabilizing Iraq and stabilizing the refugee population. The message is stay out of our way," James Carafano, a senior analyst at the Heritage Foundation, told Xinhua. Carafano was referring to the murderous terror group IS, which has carried out brutal attacks in Europe, and has overtaken vast swaths of territory in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly said he would defeat IS, and has reiterated, on numerous occasions, criticisms that Obama has treated IS with kid gloves. Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office, told Xinhua that "the message will be interpreted as 'no more chemical attacks.' However, the Russians, (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad, Iranians and Hezbollah may well up the ante by going all out to increase conventional artillery and bombing attacks on much the same targets." "I hope I'm wrong, but if Trump expects pro-Syrian regime forces to simply take (the attack) and not somehow snub their noses at him, he probably will be disappointed," White said. Indeed, the question many pundits and analysts are now asking is whether the situation will escalate. The Syria strike seemed intended to be a limited one, and occurred late at night when most people working at the base would have gone home for the day. Thus, casualties are likely to be smaller than had the attack occurred during the day, experts noted. But White said the danger of escalation is inherent. "The Russians could increase their own naval presence offshore, air assets and assistance on land, with Iran sending more troops," he said. "If Trump hits them again in reaction to an increased pace of attacks against Western-supported rebels, pro-government forces (in Syria) can be expected to simply hit the rebels even harder-just not with chemicals," White said. He said he doubts Trump would "want to dive in likewise militarily to counter them," he said. Carafano said he doubts the situation will escalate. "The strike was proportional and the U.S. seems to have made every effort to avoid an escalatory confrontation," he said. For its part, Russia condemned the attack. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack "an act of aggression" and said it violated international law. "The Russians will continue to support the Assad (government) because it is in their interests to do so," Carafano said. At the same time, Syria's President al-Assad also condemned the attack, although leaders in the West backed Trump's action. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 07:34:51|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A new study suggests that the system of grid cells, known as the brain's global positioning system (GPS), is more complicated than anyone had guessed. While the brain needs some basic navigational instruments to get around, just like a driver in a car, researchers have found brain cells that are similar to speedometers, compasses, GPS and even collision warning systems. However, researchers with Stanford University report this week in Neuron that human brains map out the world in a more complex way, with some of the neurons in the internal navigation systems look a lot like speedometers or compasses, many others operate flexibly, each one encoding a dynamic mix of navigational variables, like a compass that somehow transforms into a GPS when driving downtown. The project began in 2014, when Lisa Giocomo, an assistant professor of neurobiology in the School of Medicine and member of Stanford Bio-X, and Surya Ganguli, an assistant professor of applied physics, got a Bio-X seed grant to take a closer look at how the brain finds its way around. The same year, a Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of grid cells, specialized neurons that help animals keep track of where they are in their environments. The findings by then were that while some neurons fell within the ballpark of how a grid cell was supposed to behave, most provided only noisy, error-prone navigation, like a GPS on the fritz. That led Ganguli, Giocomo and Kiah Hardcastle, a Stanford Neurosciences Institute graduate fellow, to wonder whether the brain had a way to correct those errors. In 2015, they reported that the brain does have a way: boundary cells, so named because they fire when nearing walls and other landmarks. By tracking neuron firing in mice as the aminals walked around a square box, the Stanford team found that boundary cells help reset wayward grid cells, much like stumbling on a familiar spot helps reorient someone who had been hopelessly lost. In the latest research, looking around at more navigational neurons, the research team found that only a few fit into any predefined category. "There were all these cell types that didn't have a name," Hardcastle was quoted as saying in a news release. "They weren't grid or border, head direction or speed cells, which are the four main types. This started as an extension of previous work, but then it really took a left turn." For example, most neurons that appeared to be grid cells or head-direction cells also tracked speed. Speed cells, meanwhile, were tuned in strange ways: one cell might fire when a mouse moved either quickly or slowly, but not at intermediate speeds. Above all, it was hard to identify any particular set of neuron types, let alone a set that looked like standard navigational instruments. Instead, each neuron seemed to respond a little differently from each other. Notifying that the team did not see grid cells or speed cells or head-direction cells, rather a big continuum, Giocomo said one of the take-home messages of the research is that there isn't a good mathematical model for the brain's navigation system. Existing models make assumptions that simply are not compatible with their results. "We need to rethink basically what the mechanism is." There's a broader issue, she said: the cells of the brain do not necessarily think the way we think, in which case it could be misguided to assume the brain navigates using the same tools, or speedometers, compasses, and so forth as we would. "The variables that the brain cares about may not be the same as the variables that the mind cares about. There may be a discrepancy between those." Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 07:44:53|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close SANTIAGO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Foreign Minister, Heraldo Munoz, highlighted on Saturday the "concrete steps" of the integration "roadmap" approved in Buenos Aires between regional trade blocs the Pacific Alliance and Southern Common Market (Mercosur). Speaking from Buenos Aires, Munoz commented that the roadmap gives a "qualitative jump" forward from the last summit between both blocs in 2014 which produced "no major results." Chile, which currently holds Pacific Alliance's rotating presidency, has been calling for greater integration between the two South American trade blocs for a number of years. The Estrategia de Santiago daily reported that Munoz said trade between EU members represents 69 percent of the area's trade. In comparison, intra-bloc trade only represents 18 percent of the Latin America total. "There is still a long way to go. Trade between the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur is around 34 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. We could do much more," said Munoz. The minister commented that "the regional scenario has greatly improved. Today, we are in tune to move forward in a far more substantive manner with this roadmap." Munoz added that the roadmap was "an important milestone in Latin American integration" as it saw both blocs committed to move ahead with integration "when there is international uncertainty and certain protectionist and nationalist, even xenophobic, tendencies can be seen." A joint declaration by both blocs spoke of a multilateral trading system, and that new cooperation would take place on customs, trade promotion, helping small and medium enterprises, and identifying potential regional value chains. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 08:50:09|Editor: ying Video Player Close By Zhang Jianhua MUANG PHONHONG, Laos, April 9 (Xinhua) -- "This is my office, and also my bedroom," Project Manager Cai Li told Xinhua reporter while pointing at a small tent amid the roar of generator. Located at the construction site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong district in Lao central Vientiane Province, Cai's so-called "office and bedroom" is made from simple bamboo shelves covered by large plastic sheets. There is no working table in her "office" but only a bed, while office equipments and materials were placed on the floor. "We have only electric fan to cool down the heat. I slept only three or four hours a day these days. So fortunately the chef came the day before so we are now able to have good meals," the 50-year-old manager talked about her living conditions at the site. Cai has just arrived at the site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong for one week. "There is no other way because we have to rush to take advantages of dry season in Laos for construction," she said. Chinese companies are speeding up the construction of China-Laos railway after entering its first dry season since the railway construction was officially started on Dec. 25, 2016. It is now dry season in Laos, the main construction period in tropical monsoon climate zone. Specifically for China-Laos railway construction, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for construction before the rainy season. For example, the tunnel must be excavated to a certain depth before the rainy season otherwise high rainfall might cause landslides. China-Laos railway is a major strategic project which was reached and promoted by top leaders of the two countries. Speaking at the construction inaugural ceremony of China-Laos railway in late 2016, General Manager of China Railway International Co., Ltd and Chairman of Laos-China Railway Company Huang Difu said the China Railway Corporation will take the best of its advantages on railway management, technology and resources to lead other enterprises on survey and design, construction and equipment manufacturing among others, as well as cooperate with Lao government and relevant enterprises in order to construct and operate China-Laos railway in a good manner. Huang pledged to resolutely implement the consensus reached by the two governments on railway construction and operation. On the basis of initial results, the company will continue strengthen communication and collaboration with Lao government at all levels, support each other, follow the plan and requirements so as to ensure high standards of quality and schedule, contributing to promoting socio-economic development of the two countries and prosperity of the two peoples. China Railway No. 2 Group Co., Ltd is responsible for the construction of Muang Phonhong section. He Hongsong, head of construction commanding department of China Railway No. 2 Group Co., Ltd told Xinhua that the department held a meeting in early April to launch a campaign of "a 100-day of dry season working competition" to ensure the goal of full construction commence in June. "We need to rush into the site and set up a safe, high quality working manner within 100 days in order to show the construction level of China railway agencies who dare to battle tough working conditions," Huang Ningshu, Party Secretary of the construction commanding department, said. At the same time, the Lao side is also actively promoting the progress of China-Laos railway construction. At the end of March, the import of materials and equipments for railway construction embraced difficulties in Lao customs clearance. Right in early April, Lao government established a working group to approve the tax-free import of materials and equipments as well as set up a special lane for imports of materials and equipments for China-Laos railway construction. Sometimes, villagers living near the construction site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong took their children on motycycles to the site for visit. Keobouphon Xayani (according to pronunciation), a Muang Phonhong villager, told reporter that villagers have been actively coordinating in construction demolition, while the initial construction of the railway has brought benefits to local residents. "It is now easier for villagers to find jobs, while sales of agricultural products are better," the village chief told reporter. The China-Laos railway has a total length of 414.332 kilometers with over 62.7 percent of bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and capital Vientiane. Operating speed on the route is designed at 160 km per hour. Construction of the project is scheduled for five years with investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (5.8 billion U.S. dollars), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest 30 percent from Lao side. China-Laos railway is the first overseas route connecting with the railway system in China, using Chinese technology, equipment and investment. SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Troops of India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire and targeted each other's positions on Line of Control (LoC), dividing Kashmir, officials have said. The two sides exchanged fire Saturday on LoC in Naushera sector of frontier Rajouri district, about 222 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. Defense officials said the exchange started at around 3:45 p.m. local time and went on for several hours. "In yet another incident of cease-fire violation along the LoC, Pakistani forces resorted to heavy firing and shelling in Naushera sector of Rajouri district, targeting our posts," an Indian army official said. "Our troops guarding the LoC retaliated to the firing and gave a befitting reply to them." There were no reports of any casualty or damage on Indian side due to Pakistani firing until last reports poured in. Earlier this week, a similar exchange took place in Digwar sector of adjacent Poonch district. Last year saw a surge in skirmishes on International Border (IB) and LoC between the two countries. Apart from troop casualties, the firing has claimed civilian lives on both sides, besides prompting migrations of residents from frontier areas. Both New Delhi and Islamabad accused each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements. And both sides maintained that their troops gave befitting reply. The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on 720 km-long LoC and 198 km IB in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a cease-fire. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the cease-fire however remains in effect. LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts. Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. With the Midterm Elections less than one week away: What do you consider the top issues that you will be voting on to be corrected by your better representation? Education Crime Big Government getting Bigger Biden /Democrat controlled Spike in Energy Cost Inflation created by Legislation of Majority in Power Gender Reassignment Corrupted Bureaucratic /Service (DOJ, FBI, etc.) Institutions Abortion Discredited Legacy Media Ending the Corruption of Dishonest Politicians Corruptive Influence of Social Media Wide Open Southern Border by Zhang Jianhua VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Lao government set its target of economic development in 2017 at seven percent, one of the highest among regional countries. In an article titled "These Are The Fastest Growing Economies In East Asia In 2017" by Ralph Jennings released on the website of Forbes Magazine in late March, Laos was mentioned in the first place. So, what is the momentum that drive the economic growth of Laos? POSITIVE GROWTH OF OVERALL ECONOMY According to a report by World Bank, despite global economic uncertainty, Laos managed to record economic growth of seven percent in 2016. However, Lao government has to work further on management of macro-economy, commodity price, promote investment and improve business environment, among others. Forecast and judgment are unable to reflect the overall situation of a country and are only based on main aspects of an economy, while the state budget is basic financial plan of an economy and reflects the country's national directions, policy and development situation, as well as maps out the government's directions and activities. Expenditure plan of Laos in 2017 is still based on moderate deficit to drive growth. At the same time, due to imbalance in revenue growth of high spending and low collecting, Laos has emphasized the policy of thrift and fight against extravagance and waste, and ensured the reduction of unnecessary spending in government bodies. Laos has set a target to achieve fiscal revenue of 23.801 trillion Lao kip (some 2.89 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017 with budget expenditures of 32.262 trillion Lao kip (some 3.917 billion U.S. dollars). As a result, the Southeast Asian country is forecast to suffer from deficit of 8.464 trillion Lao kip (around 1.027 billion U.S. dollars), equivalent to 6.52 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). PROMISING PROSPECT FROM ENERGY GROWTH AND ASEAN INTEGRATION Laos is sparsely populated country with total land area of 237,000 square kilometers and a population of around seven million people. On the one hand, Laos has relatively small market and small labor population which is unsuitable for development of processing industry; on the other hand, the per capita possession of natural resources is relatively high with abundance of mineral, hydropower and land resources. According to statistics by World Bank, Laos' GDP grew at an average rate of seven percent over the past decade, with industries using natural resources (mainly water, minerals and forests) contributed one third of the growth. In 2016, Laos' GDP reached 13.76 billion U.S. dollars, poverty rate accounted for about 23 percent of the total population, and life expectancy of Lao people was 66 years old. Lao economy significantly depended on natural resources, causing great suffering for the economy in the past while commodity price declined. In recent years, Laos witnessed little fluctuation in national commodity prices while price of forestry and mineral products increased together with elimination of negative factors. At the same time, the strong development of energy industry has provided great support for the national economic development. The World Bank assessed that the development of energy industry with the operation of a series of new power plants and acceleration of ASEAN integration shall open a bright prospect for Lao economic development while fiscal deficit, trade deficit and foreign debts shall gradually narrow. In fact, the Forbes article also focuses on the above points when mentioning Laos' economy, saying the economy will grow seven percent this year because of investment in the power sector and deeper integration with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The landlocked country of about seven million people is improving its power network to provide electricity to 10 percent of households by 2020 and possibly export it as well. SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION OF "CHINESE FACTORS" Over the past years, the availability of Chinese factors in Laos has significantly increased, which means that the economic ties between the two countries are becoming increasingly close, and there have been a considerable contribution of Chinese momentum in the high development level of Laos in recent years. For example in engineering contract, despite the fact that Laos is a small economy of over 10 billion U.S. dollars, engineering contract value of Chinese contractors in Laos have amounted to 6.71 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, an increase of 30.1 percent over 2015, ranking third after Malaysia and Indonesia among ASEAN nations. In terms of trade, according to Lao state-run media Vientiane Times on Dec. 3, 2016, total bilateral trade between Laos and China would surpass two billion U.S. dollars in the year. Statistics by the Department of Import and Export under Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce showed that in the first nine months of 2015-2016 fiscal year, Laos-China bilateral trade exceeded 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, of which Laos exported some 950 million U.S. dollars worth of goods to China and imported some 570 million U.S. dollars worth of goods from the northern neighbor. China became the second biggest trade partner of Laos after Thailand. Regarding investment, China is the biggest capital sources of Laos. As of May 2016, China invested over 6.7 billion U.S. dollars in 760 projects in Laos, covering a wide range from energy and minerals industry to agricultural and service sector. In addition, it is forecast that there will be not much changes in international economic and domestic socio-economic development situation in 2017 compared to the previous years, while there is no obvious negative factor but plenty of positive factors, especially the construction of China-Laos railway, together with the increase of investment in infrastructure industry. All these are undoubtedly good news for Lao economy. OSLO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian police said they carried out a controlled explosion of what they described as a bomb-like object found Saturday night in central Oslo and detained one suspect. The danger was now considered to be over, but the authorities still did not know what the object was, Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander at the site, told reporters. The suspected man was arrested earlier in the day and taken in for questioning while a large area was cordoned off after the object was found around the Gronland subway station in Oslo. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Jorundland said earlier, adding the object was about 30 times 30 centimeters. The incident came just one day after a truck ploughed into pedestrians on a busy shopping street before crashing into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden, killing at least four and wounding many others. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends a foundation stone laying ceremony of a China-aided hospital with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) COLOMBO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China and Sri Lanka have pledged here to deepen pragmatic cooperation in all fields to further develop the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. The pledge was made when visiting Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng held talks with Sri Lankan leaders. Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited the island country from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. While meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday, Yu said China and Sri Lanka are traditional good neighbors and their peoples have enjoyed long history of exchanges. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 60 years ago, China and Sri Lanka have supported each other on the issues concerning their core and significant interests, with mutual beneficial cooperation bringing substantial benefits to the peoples of the two sides, the Chinese top political advisor said. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with family members of Senanayake, who signed the Rubber-Rice Pact between China and Sri Lanka 65 years ago, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) The leaders of the two countries have jointly mapped out the strategic plans for developing the China-Sri Lanka ties, and the two countries should take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides as an opportunity to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders, maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political trust, connect development strategies of the two countries, jointly construct the "Belt and Road", boost people to people exchanges, consolidate the friendly public opinions in the two countries so as to further push forward the strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides, Yu said. For his part, Sirisena said Sri Lanka and China have enjoyed long history of friendship and friendly people to people exchanges. China has given strong support to Sri Lanka in peace realization and economic recovery, and Sri Lankan people love and respect China, the president said. As the development of bilateral ties has entered a new stage, Sri Lanka will continue to uphold the one China policy and is looking forward to maintaining frequent high-level exchanges, deepen and broaden economic and trade cooperation and strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in international affairs, he added. During his meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday, Yu said the China-Sri Lanka relations have witnessed comprehensive development in recent years with deepening pragmatic cooperation, and positive achievements have been scored in major cooperation projects. Both sides should give play to their own advantages, exploit cooperation potential and jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Yu said, adding that they should also push for the steady development of key cooperation projects including the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota harbor. Meanwhile, China and Sri Lanka should speed up negotiations on the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), and expand their cooperation to new areas such as ocean, tourism and industry capacity so as to achieve mutual benefits and common development, he said. For his part, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is in the process of industrialization, modernization and urbanization, and that his country looks forward to boosting cooperation with China in the fields of trade, finance, ports and transportation infrastructure. Sri Lanka is willing to join hands with China to build the Belt and Road so as to speed up the island country's economic development and boost regional economic integration, the prime minister said. Yu Zhengsheng (2nd R, front), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends the reception marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka with Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Also on Friday, the Chinese top political advisor met with Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, saying that China is very happy to see social stability, economic development and continuous improvement of the people's living standard in Sri Lanka. The CPPCC stands ready to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the Sri Lankan Parliament to make contribution to the development of bilateral relations, Yu said. For his part, Karu said China and Sri Lanka have witnessed close contacts in all sectors and bilateral cooperation has a bright prospect. The Sri Lankan Parliament supports the Belt and Road Initiative, backs the FTA negotiations with China, and expects more friendly exchanges between the two countries, he said. Yu and Karu on Friday also attended the reception marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two hailed the traditional friendship between the two countries. MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Two trains collided Saturday night in western Moscow, injuring some 50 people. According to Russian Railways (RZD) website, a passenger train heading from Moscow to Belarus collided with another train Saturday at 10:16 p.m. local time (2016 GMT) when it made an emergency brake to avoid hitting pedestrians. The two trains derailed and left some 50 people wounded. Russian Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov told local media that 12 people were hospitalized, six of them in grave condition. Over 200 people and 70 pieces of equipment are involved in the rescue operation. MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least nine members of local uprising group were killed after the vehicle they were travelling was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on Saturday, local authorities said on Sunday. Enditem ISLAMABAD, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan military said Sunday that the security forces have seized an explosive-laden vehicle in southwestern Balochistan province. An army statement said that the forces conducted an Intelligence-Based Operation in general area Chaman, along Pak-Afghan border, and recovered 80 kgs explosive laden prepared vehicle on crossing border planned to be used for terrorist activity in Quetta, the provincial capital. Two terrorists also arrested, the statement said. Initial interrogation reveals that vehicle was prepared as IED at the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, the army said. The operation was conducted on intelligence information that a prepared vehicle is coming to Pakistan from Afghanistan for terrorist activity. MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least nine members of local uprising group were killed after the vehicle they were travelling was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on Saturday, local authorities said on Sunday. "Four more fighters of the local uprising group, a government-backed local militiamen, aboard the vehicle were also wounded as a result of the IED blast which occurred late Saturday in Chimtal district," Noor Mohammad Faiz, a provincial health official, told Xinhua. Local people blamed Taliban militant group for planting the IED along the road as the Taliban uses the home-made IEDs to target security forces. Over 200 armed rebels affiliated with the Taliban surrendered to the government in Chimtal, southwestern of provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif city, earlier this month. The violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces over the past two years. Photo taken on April 5, 2017 shows Chinese workers constructing the China-Laos railway's Muang Phonhong station in Laos. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun) By Zhang Jianhua MUANG PHONHONG, Laos, April 9 (Xinhua) -- "This is my office, and also my bedroom," Project Manager Cai Li told Xinhua reporter while pointing at a small tent amid the roar of generator. Located at the construction site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong district in Lao central Vientiane Province, Cai's so-called "office and bedroom" is made from simple bamboo shelves covered by large plastic sheets. There is no working table in her "office" but only a bed, while office equipments and materials were placed on the floor. "We have only electric fan to cool down the heat. I slept only three or four hours a day these days. So fortunately the chef came the day before so we are now able to have good meals," the 50-year-old manager talked about her living conditions at the site. Cai has just arrived at the site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong for one week. "There is no other way because we have to rush to take advantages of dry season in Laos for construction," she said. Chinese companies are speeding up the construction of China-Laos railway after entering its first dry season since the railway construction was officially started on Dec. 25, 2016. It is now dry season in Laos, the main construction period in tropical monsoon climate zone. Specifically for China-Laos railway construction, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for construction before the rainy season. For example, the tunnel must be excavated to a certain depth before the rainy season otherwise high rainfall might cause landslides. China-Laos railway is a major strategic project which was reached and promoted by top leaders of the two countries. Speaking at the construction inaugural ceremony of China-Laos railway in late 2016, General Manager of China Railway International Co., Ltd and Chairman of Laos-China Railway Company Huang Difu said the China Railway Corporation will take the best of its advantages on railway management, technology and resources to lead other enterprises on survey and design, construction and equipment manufacturing among others, as well as cooperate with Lao government and relevant enterprises in order to construct and operate China-Laos railway in a good manner. Photo taken on April 5, 2017 shows a Chinese cook preparing lunch at a temporary camp at the construction site of China-Laos railway's Muang Phonhong station, Laos. (Xinhua/Zhang Jianhua) Huang pledged to resolutely implement the consensus reached by the two governments on railway construction and operation. On the basis of initial results, the company will continue strengthen communication and collaboration with Lao government at all levels, support each other, follow the plan and requirements so as to ensure high standards of quality and schedule, contributing to promoting socio-economic development of the two countries and prosperity of the two peoples. China Railway No. 2 Group Co., Ltd is responsible for the construction of Muang Phonhong section. He Hongsong, head of construction commanding department of China Railway No. 2 Group Co., Ltd told Xinhua that the department held a meeting in early April to launch a campaign of "a 100-day of dry season working competition" to ensure the goal of full construction commence in June. "We need to rush into the site and set up a safe, high quality working manner within 100 days in order to show the construction level of China railway agencies who dare to battle tough working conditions," Huang Ningshu, Party Secretary of the construction commanding department, said. At the same time, the Lao side is also actively promoting the progress of China-Laos railway construction. At the end of March, the import of materials and equipments for railway construction embraced difficulties in Lao customs clearance. Right in early April, Lao government established a working group to approve the tax-free import of materials and equipments as well as set up a special lane for imports of materials and equipments for China-Laos railway construction. Sometimes, villagers living near the construction site of China-Laos railway in Muang Phonhong took their children on motorcycles to the site for visit. Keobouphon Xayani (according to pronunciation), a Muang Phonhong villager, told reporter that villagers have been actively coordinating in construction demolition, while the initial construction of the railway has brought benefits to local residents. "It is now easier for villagers to find jobs, while sales of agricultural products are better," the village chief told reporter. The China-Laos railway has a total length of 414.332 kilometers with over 62.7 percent of bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and capital Vientiane. Operating speed on the route is designed at 160 km per hour. Construction of the project is scheduled for five years with investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (5.8 billion U.S. dollars), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest 30 percent from Lao side. China-Laos railway is the first overseas route connecting with the railway system in China, using Chinese technology, equipment and investment. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 11:50:38|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close SYDNEY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- As the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump were wrapped up on Saturday, a former Australian politician urged the United States to deepen its links with China. Bob Carr, a former Australian foreign minister and director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that Trump would be wise to forge a shared vision with China. "He (Trump) is looking at a world where China is a serious partner," Carr said. "It would be good if Trump chooses to deepen his relationship with China." During their talks, Xi and Trump charted the course and established principles for China-U.S. ties. Both sides launched priority mechanisms of cooperation, agreeing to facilitate the healthy development of two-way trade and investment, to advance negotiations on bilateral investment agreement and to promote pragmatic cooperation in infrastructure and other areas, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.P Carr said it is of great significance for two nations to enhance their trade interactions. "I think their interests can converge here. American businesses have told Trump that they do not want a trade war. They have explained to the administration it would hurt America," he said. "The further opening up of the Chinese economy is going to create opportunities for Americans, perhaps even for their motor industry," said Carr. "...the whole region, the whole region needs a cooperative working relationship between China and the United States," Carr added. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 12:05:40|Editor: Mengjiao Liu Video Player Close BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Jesus Flores, 59, lives in the U.S. rust-belt town of Illinois. Eighteen years ago, just as he became a father, he lost his job. With the added burden of being responsible for a new life, Flores was beside himself with worry about how he would provide for his growing family. Luckily for Jesus, an answer to his problems came in the form of a Chinese automaker. Not long after he lost his job, Wanxiang opened a factory near his home and Flores has been employed there ever since. "My daughter is now going to college. My job at Wanxiang means that she has the opportunity to do that," he said. Wanxiang has acquired many firms on the brink of bankruptcy, Gary Wetzel, CEO of Wanxiang America, explained, in fact, he added, "people would be out of work if not for Wanxiang." While China and job losses are discussed as one and the same by certain parties on Capitol Hill, the reality could not be more different. Chinese companies are opening new plants and hiring people in America -- a scenario largely absent from the rhetoric of some U.S. politicians. Chinese investment in the U.S. outstripped U.S. investment in China for the first time in 2015, according to the Rhodium Group, a New York-based consultancy. It surged to a record 45.6 billion dollars in 2016, triple the amount of 2015. Chinese investment has supported about 104,000 jobs in the United States. In Lancaster County, South Carolina, China's Keer Group is due to complete the second phase of its cotton mill complex later this year. The first phase of the project started operation in 2015, and created 300 local jobs. The company is confident it will create at least 500 local jobs by the end of 2017. "Since 2011, we have had 850 million U.S. dollars of investment from Chinese companies, leading to the creation of over 2,000 jobs. It has had a big impact on our small state," said Amy Thomson, director of international strategy and trade under the South Carolina department of commerce. South Carolina was once the epicenter of the U.S. textile industry. Since the 1980s, however, textile manufacturing had been transferred to Latin America and Asia as producers have sought cheaper materials and labor. "It is interesting that [manufacturing] is coming back by way of China and with it well-paying jobs. We are very appreciative for that," she said. John Ling, president of the Council of American States in China, who brokered the Keer deal, was amazed by how quickly Chinese companies have been able to start their businesses in the United States. "When I was sent to China to open the first U.S. state office in 2005, with the sole purpose of bringing Chinese manufacturing investment projects to the U.S., people would look at me like I was out of my mind," he said. So far, he has brokered Chinese greenfield investment projects worth over 2 billion U.S. dollars into the southeast of America, creating thousands of local jobs. "More and more U.S. states are [increasing] recruitment efforts to [help] land the next Chinese manufacturing project. I believe this would give more leg to a more healthy bilateral economic relationship in the future," he said. With production costs between the two countries narrowing fast, the Rhodium Group estimates that by 2020, Chinese investment in the U.S. could be as high as 200 billion U.S. dollars. Zhu Shanqing, president of Keer Group, admitted that the biggest challenge is how to bridge the culture gap, given their vastly different ways of thinking and doing. When Chinese companies are investing billions of dollars in America, they are also building communities of Americans that will better understand China, said Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. It will work for building a constructive U.S.-China relation in the 21st century, he added. It's unclear if revised Senate Bill 68 would meet objections raised by judges who last month struck down previous merger, former Justice Bob Orr says Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, speaking to the Tuesday committee meeting that passed a revised version of Senate Bill 68. (CJ photo by Dan Way) After two rushed committee meetings Tuesday, Senate Bill 68 seems on its way to quick passage. The floor vote on the measure merging the State Board of Elections and the State Ethics Commission is on Thursday's House calendar.But even if the House moves this bill to the Senate, as expected, the bigger issue for the GOP is whether it would satisfy objections raised by a panel of Superior Court judges. The panel in March struck down a fairly similar measure passed during a December special legislative session, saying Senate Bill 4 violated the separation-of-powers principle in the state constitution. Former state Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr isn't sure that this revised merger will pass court muster.Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said Tuesday the goal is to have the bill passed prior to the General Assembly's Easter holiday recess.Lewis said during debate in the House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law.Orr said what Republicans hope to accomplish in creating a new Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement is "a pretty substantive change" from current law.That Superior Court decision said the way the new board was set up violated the state constitution because the legislative branch would assume too much control over an executive branch function.The three-judge panel said even though the legislation described the new board asthe basic nature of the board is administrative and remained unchanged. The judges cited McCrory v. Berger, a lawsuit brought by former Gov. Pat McCrory against the General Assembly, as a precedent.the ruling stated.The ruling said the new eight-member board was constitutionally flawed because the appointment process gave the governor "inadequate control." All members of the initial board would be appointed by the General Assembly as placeholders. Afterwards, four members would be appointed by legislative leaders, and four by the governor.The three-judge panel said the new board's requirement for a six-member supermajority to take action impeded the governor's control.the ruling stated.Orr said of the changes made in S.B. 68.Among other revisions, the governor would appoint all eight board members, four Democrats and four Republicans. Those nominees would come from a list of six names provided by each state party chairman.Five members would constitute a quorum, rather than the previous six, and only five votes instead of six would be needed to issue a subpoena, summon witnesses, or compel evidence.Board member terms would be two years instead of four, and the executive director would serve a two-year rather than a four-year term.Orr said the governor making all board appointmentsbut it would be up to a trial court to determine if the way those appointments are now proposed meet the McCrory v. Berger test.Orr said.Aside from the legal questions, Orr said he had other thoughts about the manner in which S.B. 68 is being ramrodded through to possibly prevent the matter from landing back in court.Orr said.could be open to criticism, Orr said.Even if there aren't any legal implications of the hasty timetable,Orr said.he said.Another piece of the litigation puzzle would be whether Cooper's legal team believes the changes in S.B. 68 satisfy the concerns expressed in the three-judge panel's ruling.Orr said.Cooper's office did not respond to a request for comment. But he posted an essay on Medium.com saying he would veto the bill if passed and would challenge the measure in court if his veto were overridden.In presenting the bill Tuesday to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law, Lewis said he thinks the measure meets the objections of the court.Lewis said.he said. He noted that the state Ethics Commission now functions with equal numbers, and most of its decisions are unanimous.Even so, he noted that the Ethics Commission and Elections Board have delivered different opinions when they have ruled on similar issues.Democrats grumbled loudly during the committee meeting about the way Republicans introduced the bill. They voted unanimously against it. The bill originally passed in the Senate as a measure encouraging local school boards to create recognition programs for student attendance. That language was stripped out, and the new Election Board language was inserted.said Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham, on Tuesday. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 13:00:45|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, April 8, (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Carl Vinson Strike Group has departed from Singapore and sailed northward to the Western Pacific ocean near the Korean Peninsula, the United States Pacific Fleet Commander announced Saturday. The deployment came amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired another ballistic missile recently, and was viewed as further strengthening of U.S. presence in the region, according to local media reports citing U.S. military officials. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, directed the operation, said a press release posted on the fleet's official website. The strike group, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson as well as several other missile destroyers and missile cruisers, canceled a previously planned port visit to Australia and diverted to the Western Pacific. The Strike Group, deployed from San Diego, California, to the Western Pacific since Jan. 5, participated in numerous bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and South Korean Navy in the past three months. JAKARTA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian police shot dead six suspected terrorists in a gun battle in East Java, a national police spokesperson said on Sunday. National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said the six were members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) cornered in a rice plantation of Tuban regency after attempting a drive-by shooting of two traffic police on Saturday morning. "The attack is an order from Zainal Anshori, JAD leader, as a revenge of his arrest by counter-terrorism police earlier on Friday," Amar said in a statement. Four of the dead have been identified as Adi Handoko, Satria Aditama, Yudhistira Rostiprayogi, and Endar Prasetyo. JAD is an umbrella group of Indonesian extremists that was formed in 2015 and claims allegiance to the Islamic State group. Amar explained the standoff started around 10 am on Saturday when two Tuban traffic police approached a car stopped near their post. "The passengers fired four shots then ran away. Two police missed the shots and informed their colleagues to pursue the gunmen," Amar said. During the chase that lasted several hours, the perpetrators fire several shots, before they get out of the car and flee into the rice field where they were eventually shot dead by mobile brigade and counter-terrorism police. The police seized the suspected car, six firearms, dozens of 9 mm bullets, four cell phones, a two-way radio, knives, and terror-related propaganda material. Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim population has been on high alert over a recent resurgence in radicalism inspired by the extremist group Islamic State. Recent attacks by Islamic State followers have mostly been poorly organized. However authorities believe about 400 Indonesians have left to join the militant group in Syria and they could pose a more deadly threat if they came home. KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 18 militants were killed and eight others injured after the aircrafts targeted Taliban hideouts in Dasht-e-Archi and Chardara districts in Afghan northern Kunduz province Saturday night, an army spokesman in the province, Abdul Khalil said Sunday. According to the official, a Taliban key commander Mawlawi Wahidullah is also among those killed in the raids. The official didn't provide more details. It has merit to mention that the U.S. military stationed in Afghanistan usually conducts drone strikes against armed militants in the militancy-hit country. Mawlawi Wahidullah, according to the official had served as acting governor for Chardara district and his murder could prove a major setback for the Taliban fighting in Kunduz province. Taliban militants haven't commented on the report. KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysian airport was temporarily closed on Sunday after a Malaysia Airlines plane skidded off the runway upon landing. The airport in Sibu of Malaysia's Sawarak state on North Borneo would be close until later Sunday to allow the removal of the aircraft, Malaysia Airlines said in a statement on Sunday. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur skidded upon a late night touch-down on Saturday during heavy downpour, said the airlines. No injuries were reported among the 61 passengers and six crew onboard, it added. "Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines and the airline will extend its full cooperation in the investigation of the incident," said the airlines. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 15:17:28|Editor: ZD People take part in a rally in Istanbul's Yenikapi Square, Turkey, on April 8, 2017. Turkey's political parties held mass rallies on Saturday, a week ahead of a referendum on whether to shift to the presidential system. (Xinhua/DHA/Depo Photos) Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 15:26:01|Editor: An Video Player Close BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reported growing net profits for 2016, despite slowing growth in the world's second largest economy. Average net profits of 1,598 SMEs listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) system reached 21.05 million yuan (3.05 million U.S. dollars) last year, up 26.29 percent year on year. The SMEs, which delivered their annual reports at the end of March, posted an average annual business revenue of 212 million yuan in 2016, an increase of 25 percent, according to NEEQ. Total assets of each company averaged 464 million yuan at the end of 2016, expanding 23.9 percent year on year. SMEs ramped up their spending on research and development, which climbed 8.25 percent year on year in 2016 to 11.58 billion yuan, with strategic emerging industries investing a total 4.03 billion yuan, surging 58.59 percent year on year. NEEQ, also known as the "New Third Board," was launched in Beijing in late 2012 to supplement the main Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses. It is seen as an easy financing channel for small businesses with low costs and simple listing procedures. By the end of 2016, NEEQ listed 10,163 companies. Xinhua| 2017-04-09 16:19:48|Editor: Tian Shaohui A student showcases her prototype of object detector for blind people during the 35th Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair held in Vancouver, Canada, April 8, 2017. About 320 students are qualified to compete with their science projects at the 35th annual Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair. The fair aimed to promote project-based science and encourage youth to conduct research and experimentation in areas of science. (Xinhua/Liang Sen) Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 16:16:07|Editor: Tian Shaohui Video Player Close DUBAI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Middle East airlines witnessed a 9.5 percent demand increase, but the laptop ban and the implications of Brexit are expected to weigh on further growth through 2017, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Sunday. IATA said, globally, the underlying growth rate was estimated at 8.6 percent, just under January's increase of 8.9 percent. Middle East carriers saw their passenger load factor climbing for a fourth consecutive month to 74.3 percent, up 1.8 percentage points over last year. North American airlines' traffic climbed 0.3 percent, which was the slowest among the regions. However, IATA expects new hurdles to growth, globally and in the Middle East in particular. Personal laptops and tablet computers have been banned for six months from March 21 on direct flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the eight countries, namely Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey and Morocco. The UK followed swiftly and imposed similar ban from all airports in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Turkey. The move has sparked an outrage among Mideast carriers and passengers alike. IATA said the potential implications of the Brexit talks on the air transport industry are "significant and the political rhetoric of protectionism and closing of borders is adding to the ambiguity." On March 29, British Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, paving way for two-year negotiations with the United Kingdom's objective to leave the 28 member states bloc. "It's intolerable that governments continue to add to the uncertainties facing the air transport industry by failing to engage airline operational know-how on issues that can damage public confidence, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO. De Juniac added "The introduction of restrictions on the carry-on of large electronic devices was a missed opportunity and the result was a measure that cannot stand-up to the scrutiny of public confidence in the long term." In order to keep affluent and loyal clients aboard, the "Big Three" Gulf airlines Emirates from Dubai, Etihad (Abu Dhabi) and Qatar Airways started to loan laptops and tablets for first and business class passengers on direct flights from their respective airports Dubai International, Abu Dhabi international and Hamad International in Doha to the United States. On the potential spread of these measures by other countries, de Juniac said "Although Australia's measures were also implemented without consulting the industry, they at least demonstrate the potential to mitigate the threat with less disruptive means." Australia did not impose a similar device ban but introduced on March 25 additional explosive detection screening that will be conducted for randomly selected passengers and their luggage. These examinations will also include checks on laptops and tablet devices carried in the hand luggage of passengers. CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were killed and 42 others injured in an explosion inside a church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta on Sunday, Health ministry reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the cause of the blast was not yet known. PYONGYANG, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has finger-pointed U.S. President Donald Trump for aggression against Syria after the U.S. president ordered missile attacks upon a military airfield in Homs on Friday. This is the first time for the DPRK to name Trump directly in its frequent condemnation of the United States. "The Trump administration on April 7 mounted a massive missile attack on an air force base of the Syrian government army under the pretext that it killed civilians by using chemical weapons," said the DPRK Foreign Ministry in a statement issued late Saturday. A spokesman of the DPRK Foreign Ministry called the U.S. attack "absolutely unpardonable" and "an undisguised act of aggression against a sovereign state." "The world clearly witnessed through the recent U.S. military attack on Syria who is disturbing peace," the spokesman noted. "The successive U.S. administrations have perpetrated strikes at those countries which do not have nukes only, styling themselves a superpower and the same is true of the Trump administration," it said. The United States on Thursday launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Syria military base, two days after reports of a chemical weapons attack emerged from the battleground in Syria, which the West said the Syrian government should be to blame. Trump's decision raised controversy among U.S. lawmakers and foreign governments, while some supported the punitive move against the Syrian government, others questioned whether it was appropriate to commit such an action of war without authorization from the U.S. Congress and the United Nations Security Council. Trump has told the Congress that his decision to attack Syria was in the interest of the United States, adding that further actions are being considered. The DPRK is not frightened by the U.S. attack on Syria, the DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent U.S. military attack on Syria is on action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," he said. "What happened in Syria once again taught a bitter lesson that no one should have an illusion about the imperialists and one can defend oneself from the imperialist aggression only when one has one's strength," he added. The DPRK has accused the United States of preparing for special operations to behead its leadership and destroying its strategic nuclear and missile installations and has vowed to stage preemptive strike without warning once it feels appropriate to do so. Nearly $1 billion requested for affordable housing, farmers, small businesses Housing Repairs: $166.6 million to help homeowners with repairs, $63.7 million to repair rental housing, and $15.2 million to repair public housing in Princeville and Lumberton. $166.6 million to help homeowners with repairs, $63.7 million to repair rental housing, and $15.2 million to repair public housing in Princeville and Lumberton. Housing Elevation: $434 million for buyout, elevation and reconstruction of 3,962 properties that flooded during Matthew and are at risk for future flooding. $434 million for buyout, elevation and reconstruction of 3,962 properties that flooded during Matthew and are at risk for future flooding. Agriculture: $92.6 million to cover losses for farmers not covered by the USDA such as livestock, farm equipment, and feed. $92.6 million to cover losses for farmers not covered by the USDA such as livestock, farm equipment, and feed. Public Facilities: $43 million to repair public facilities and retrofit infrastructure like storm drains and sewer lines to prevent future damage. $43 million to repair public facilities and retrofit infrastructure like storm drains and sewer lines to prevent future damage. Small Businesses: $39 million to help 691 small businesses impacted by the storm. $39 million to help 691 small businesses impacted by the storm. Health: $37 million, to support health and mental health services for storm survivors and to help with repairs to health care facilities, child care centers, and social services agencies. Help for Families: Nearly 82,000 households with Matthew-related damage to their homes have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance. Nearly 82,000 households with Matthew-related damage to their homes have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance. Temporary Housing: Approximately 270 families displaced by Matthew continue to live in hotels under a FEMA temporary shelter program, down from more than 3,000 families. Widespread damage to rental properties, including low-income housing, has kept the temporary shelter program open in the hardest hit counties. Approximately 270 families displaced by Matthew continue to live in hotels under a FEMA temporary shelter program, down from more than 3,000 families. Widespread damage to rental properties, including low-income housing, has kept the temporary shelter program open in the hardest hit counties. Roads: The N.C. Department of Transportation has reopened all but 14 of 625 roads that Hurricane Matthew damaged or closed. The N.C. Department of Transportation has reopened all but 14 of 625 roads that Hurricane Matthew damaged or closed. Public Projects: FEMA has approved $42 million for 385 local projects to repair, relocate or replace dozens of heavily damaged public facilities and infrastructure projects, ranging from restoring senior centers and a community ball field to replacing fire stations and sewer treatment facilities. FEMA has approved $42 million for 385 local projects to repair, relocate or replace dozens of heavily damaged public facilities and infrastructure projects, ranging from restoring senior centers and a community ball field to replacing fire stations and sewer treatment facilities. Hazard Mitigation: NCEM and FEMA conducted education and intake sessions in 18 communities that are eligible for financial help to reduce the likelihood of future storm damage, including buyouts. Nearly 2,400 applicants registered by the March 31 deadline for expedited processing; several hundred more applications are expected before the final May 1 deadline. Contact: Ford Porter Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov RALEIGH: North Carolina is asking Congress for federal assistance to help families, businesses and communities working to rebuild from Hurricane Matthew, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today.The formal Congressional request encompasses the state's unmet needs as calculated by state Emergency Management, which is tasked with leading North Carolina's disaster recovery. It includes needs documented by Gov. Cooper's administration, the Council of State, and federal agencies with properties and services in North Carolina. Cooper's administration is working with the state's Congressional delegation, led by Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. David Price and Rep. David Rouzer, to advocate for the nearly $1 billion in additional federal dollars for unmet recovery needs. The new request reflects damage assessments compiled from all 50 disaster-affected counties.Additional federal funds are not guaranteed and state legislators will also be asked to appropriate matching funds and fulfill non-federal requests in support of our efforts to rebuild, Gov. Cooper said.Nearly six months ago, Hurricane Matthew dumped eight to 12 inches of rain across much of eastern and central North Carolina, causing an estimated $4.8 billion in damage. The deadly storm displaced thousands of families and damaged more than 98,000 homes and over 19,000 businesses.Gov. Cooper said.Gov. Cooper's request for $929,403,389 in additional federal assistance includes the following:In a letter to North Carolina's Congressional Delegation, Gov. Cooper wrote, "Even if fully funded, this second supplemental request will not return North Carolina to its pre-storm levels, but it will enable us to restore primary infrastructure and to protect our state's residents, with a priority on housing for those most vulnerable in our communities who have no way to repair or replace homes or businesses even with the help of neighbors and the generosity of charities."The new funding request for hurricane recovery is in addition to approximately $1.4 billion in state and federal funds already dedicated to provide temporary shelter, repair damaged homes, businesses and public facilities, and develop plans to rebuild stronger communities.Those funds are helping North Carolina make progress toward recovery in a number of areas, including: ISLAMABAD, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani army said on Sunday that five militants and one security personnel were killed in a clash in Punjab province. The security forces conducted a special intelligence-based operation in Dera Ghazi Khan district in the early morning and killed five terrorists. During the exchange of fire, an army soldier Kamran was also killed while Deputy Superintendent of the paramilitary force Haroon was injured and evacuated to a military hospital in the region. The operation, which was part of the major anti-terror offensive codenamed Radd-ul-Fasaad or "reject terror", is still in progress, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said. The army is leading the operation across the country along with all other law enforcement agencies. The military said earlier that the security forces have seized an explosive-laden vehicle in southwestern Balochistan province. An army statement said the forces conducted an operation in Chaman along Pakistan-Afghan border and recovered 80 kg explosive laden prepared vehicle on crossing border planned to be used for terrorist activity in Quetta, the provincial capital. KHARTOUM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday announced delay of meetings of joint political consultation committee between Sudan and Egypt which were scheduled to begin in Khartoum on Sunday. "The meetings of joint political consultation committee have been postponed and would not be held on the previously set date due to weather conditions which prevented movement of air traffic," said the ministry in a statement Sunday. "Consultations are underway between the two countries' foreign ministries to fix a new date to be announced once the two sides agree on," it added. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry was scheduled to arrive in Khartoum on Saturday evening to chair his country's side to the meetings of the joint political consultation committee. Sudan on Friday issued a decision obliging Egyptian citizens seeking to enter its territories to obtain entry-visa, namely the ones aged between 16 to 50 years old. The decision excludes women, children and those above 50 years old. In 2004, Sudan and Egypt signed an agreement of the four freedoms, which avails the citizens of the two countries freedoms of work, movement, residence and ownership. Khartoum said it has fully implemented the agreement since it was signed, while Cairo imposes entry-visa on Sudanese aged between 18 and 50 years old. Recently Khartoum complained over an Egyptian decision increasing the stay fees on foreigners, including the Sudanese. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 17:45:32|Editor: Tian Shaohui People gather at the blast site in Tanta, Egypt, on April 9, 2017. At least 21 people were killed and 59 others injured in an explosion inside a church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta on Sunday, the Egyptian Health Ministry said. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 people were killed and 59 others injured in an explosion inside a church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta on Sunday, the Egyptian Health Ministry said. An explosive device was planted in front seat of the church, State-run TV quoted a security sources as saying. Eyewitnesses said the explosion struck the crowd and caused destruction of a wall. The bombing came while the Copt marks the Palm Sunday. The death toll may increase because wounded people are in critical conditions. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered all military hospitals to receive the wounded of the blast. Some 26 ambulances have been deployed at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church, about 120 km north of Cairo, Magdy Awad, head of the Ambulance Authority told Xinhua. The security forces intensified its presence around other churches, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement. The prime minister as well as the interior minister have gone to Tanta. An investigation was launched. Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. At the end of 2016, at least 29 people were killed and 31 wounded in an explosion that targeted the Cathedral of Saint Mark in the Abbasia district in Cairo. Kenyan Principal Secretary of Ministry of Devolution and Planning Josephta Mukobe (3rd R) and Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa (4th R) attend a food donation ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 7, 2017. The Chinese community residing in Kenya on Friday donated 144 tonnes of cooking oil, maize and wheat flour to boost humanitarian interventions for drought victims in nine Kenyan counties. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese community residing in Kenya donated 144 tonnes of cooking oil, maize and wheat flour to boost humanitarian interventions for drought victims in nine Kenyan counties. The Kenya-China Economic and Trade Association, in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Kenya and the Kenya Overseas Chinese Association, extended on Friday the donation worth 160,000 U.S. dollars in aid of Kenya's national drought relief campaign. Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony for the food donation by Chinese nationals, Principal Secretary of Ministry of Devolution and Planning Josephta Mukobe lauded Beijing for timely response to the country's drought which has affected an estimated 3 million people. "We appreciate the kind gesture by Chinese community toward people affected by drought. It is my hope that we will continue to cooperate not just in drought intervention but also in technology and other areas that can help the country develop," Mukobe said. Mukobe noted that the Chinese community living in Kenya was quick to respond to a presidential appeal for emergency food aid for drought victims. She added that Kenya is ready to borrow expertise from China to find long-term solution to recurrent droughts that are linked to climate change. "Our relationship should be a two way traffic, Kenya can learn some lessons from China on how to deal with drought and China can also pick some lessons from our experience on the issue," said Mukobe. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and executives from the Chinese companies operating in Kenya attended the flagging-off ceremony for the latest food donation. Chinese firms and nationals living in Kenya have made a series of food donations to Kenya's drought victims in line with the spirit of solidarity and friendship. Liu said China is committed to lending material and technical assistance to enable Kenya and other African countries deal with drought and other natural disasters effectively. "China is always willing to share its experience and knowhow with African brothers, helping you to develop modern agriculture, upgrade your anti-disaster facilities and build your capacity," said Liu. He added that China will lend support toward development of irrigation, water and grain storage infrastructure in Kenya in a bid to tackle the country's growing food insecurity for the long haul. The Chinese government in March announced donation of 21,366 tonnes of rice, worth 21.8 million U.S. dollars, to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among Kenya's drought victims. Liu said earlier that the rice would be shipped to Kenya soon and would support 1.4 million drought-affected people for one month. Liu disclosed the Chinese government has also contributed 5 million dollars through the World Food Program to Somali and South Sudanese refugees in Kenya. South Sudanese women pray during the National Day of Prayers in Juba, South Sudan, on March 10, 2017. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Friday prayed for forgiveness during national prayers as the war-torn country seeks to heal and reconcile from ethnic divisions caused by the more than three years of conflict. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) JUBA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN top relief official in South Sudan on Saturday called for immediate end to increasing attacks on both humanitarian workers and civilians. Eugene Owusu, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, also demanded that warring parties to the conflict uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians and ensure the safety and security of humanitarians. "These attacks are reprehensible and unacceptable. I call on those in power to take swift action to end the targeting of innocent people in this conflict and to hold those responsible to account," Owusu said in a statement issued in Juba. He said the UN has received reports of outrageous abuses against humanitarians by both state and opposition actors in the past week in Upper Nile, as well as reports of horrific attacks against civilians in Eastern Equatoria. Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2016 shows South Sudan's government troops patrolling in Malakal town, South Sudan. Fresh clashes between government and opposition forces near the northern town of Malakal have killed at least 56 over the weekend, a military spokesman said late Sunday. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) According to Owusu, two serious attacks were carried out against aid workers in Upper Nile since March 31 and in Aburoc, humanitarians were harassed and beaten by members of armed opposition forces, while in Melut, state security officials detained and beat two aid workers before releasing them. "I condemn these attacks in the strongest terms. I demand that the leadership on both sides investigates these incidents with a view to holding the specific perpetrators to account, as well as ending the targeting of humanitarians in the future," said Owusu. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) prepare food at a temporary camp near Juba International Airport in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Jan. 7, 2017. Hundreds of IDPs have been stranded in Juba since December 2016 following the start of a voluntary repatriation program initiated by the South Sudan's government, to resettle people displaced by three years of civil war. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) The humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate with over 3.5 million people having now been forced to flee their homes, including nearly 1.9 million people who are internally displaced and more than 1.7 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries. An average of 2,000 South Sudanese refugees are arriving into Uganda each day, over 62 percent of whom are children, according to the UN. "Humanitarians are in this country to save lives. It is beyond reckoning that they continue to be killed, harassed and abused despite our repeated calls for action," said Owusu. He called on South Sudan leadership to investigate insecurity incidents in Pajok, Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria, where at least 6,000 people have been forced to flee to Uganda and reportedly several dozen have been killed, following an attack by government forces on the town. Suicide attacks hit Somalia's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in the capital city of Mogadishu on July 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Faisal Isse) MOGADISHU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Saturday executed five Al-Shabaab members by firing squad in Bosaso town. Chairperson of Puntland Army court, Abditifah Haji Aden told journalists the five were behind several murders involving senior officials which have been carried out in Bosaso. "The court conducted execution of five Al-Shabaab militant members here in Bosaso town this morning. All of them have been found guilty of killing senior Puntland officials in Bosaso early this year," Aden said. He said that the appeal court sentenced two others to life imprisonment, noting that there are other Al-Shabaab suspects in prisons under Puntland State Administration. The semi-autonomous region of Pntland has been battling Al-Shabaab as its military court sentenced individuals linked to terrorism tough punishments such as death penalty. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 18:50:41|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A fund for assisting the medical treatment of patients with rare disease was initiated in Shanghai Sunday. The fund with starting money of 3 million yuan (435,000 U.S. dollars)was jointly raised by rare disease prevention and treatment institutions in Shanghai and drug firms such as Sanofi. Li Dingguo, chair of the Shanghai Rare Disease Prevention and Treatment Fund, said that the funding would encourage more effective prevention and medical treatment of rare diseases. He said the fund would help pool more financial support and company donations for rare disease patients. "The fund will be primarily used for improving medical treatment for lysosomal storage diseases, which contain some 50 rare diseases of inherited metabolic disorders," Li said. Globally, there are some 6,000 to 7,000 recognized rare diseases. Only a few of them have established medical treatment, such as Gaucher Disease and Pompe Disease. About 60 percent of rare disease patients are children, with 30 percent living less than five years. Li said there has been no epidemiological survey of rare disease patients made in China. "Early diagnosis and treatment can effectively check on the progress of rare diseases and even cure them," said Zhang Huiwen, a doctor with the Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University. She said that it could take years for doctors to diagnose a rare disease, while patients miss the best time for treatment and suffer from inflicted problems leading to mental difficulties, heart problems and atrophied muscle. Prime minister of Sao Tome and Principe Patrice Trovoada (L) shakes hands with Chinese Charge d'Affaires Wang Wei (R) at the international airport of Sao Tome before the departure of the Prime Minster for China. (Xinhua) SAO TOME, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe's Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada will pay an official visit to China from April 12 to 18 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. In an interview with Xinhua prior to his visit, Mr. Trovoada noted that the relationship between the two countries and the Sino-African relationship in general is balanced, honest and sincere. In early 2017, China sent expert delegations to Sao Tome for technical assistance. Trovoada said he was pleased to see "visible results very quickly" in the fields of agriculture, health, energy and education, noting that 55 students from Sao Tome and Principe would study in China. Office building of the Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping) "I believe that the first few months are very positive, that they prove that there is a real political will to work together, to cooperate, and to truly create this relationship of trust and solidarity between the two countries, the two governments, and to [continue] this very long-standing relationship between peoples, " he said. Trovoada's visit will be his first official visit to China, but he has already visited the country on several occasions. "It is a beautiful country, it is a great country. I have visited several cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing. It is a joy to be in a country that I love, of which I love the culture and the cooking," he said. Trovoada noted that it would be very interesting to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and exchange views on China-Africa cooperation and on current issues such as climate, globalization, economic exchanges, trade development and bilateral relations. The visit will also be an opportunity to discuss the bilateral relationship thoroughly with the Chinese Premier, he said. Sao Tome and Principe boasts beautiful beaches and coastlines that are among the best in the world. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping) "China has understood that the African continent needs basic infrastructure, electricity and land, rail, sea and air communications, especially with regional air transport," according to him. "China is a partner who understands perfectly the development issues and the sequence of development, that is a house is built by the foundations, not by the roof. So I think this approach is correct, first basic infrastructure, then industrialization to create products, and then exchange. This knowledge of China is an advantage for the African continent," he said. He further stressed that it was in China's interest to trade, to buy and to sell, and that Africa therefore represented a market that could be of interest to China. Sao Tome and Principe boasts beautiful beaches and coastlines that are among the best in the world. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping) "It means that beyond infrastructure, Africa must also advance in the creation of added values, in the creation of products that can be exported to China, and that Africa also has a consumer base who can consume products from China," said Trovoada. "I believe what President Xi Jinping has implemented from the Johannesburg summit is in the interests of the African people and also in the interests of China," he said. He added that China had a "solidarity" relationship with Africa. "China has always supported us at a time when Africa was completely colonized, and China has helped us to free ourselves, so it is a balanced, honest and sincere relationship," he said. Sao Tome and Principe boasts beautiful beaches and coastlines that are among the best in the world. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping) Finally, he called on the governments of the two countries to learn more about their respective cultures through cultural exchanges, adding the country has already started to exempt visas for all Chinese who hold official diplomatic and service passports while allowing all Chinese who arrive in Sao Tome to get the visa at the airport. "I hope we can create other mechanisms of rapprochement and mutual knowledge," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 19:11:34|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the U.S. attack on Syria failed to achieve its goal in supporting the rebel groups, according to state news agency SANA. The U.S. has failed to achieve the goal behind the aggression, which was lifting the morale of the U.S.-backed terrorist groups after the victories made by the Syrian army recently, Assad said during a phone call he received from his Iranian counterpart, Hasan Rohani. Assad said the Syrian army is determined to crush terrorism on each spot of the Syrian territories. For his part, Rohani, whose country is a main backer of the Assad government, expressed his country's vehement condemnation to the U.S. strike, stressing his Tehran's ongoing support to the Syrian government. Earlier on Friday, the United States targeted the Shayrat air base in Homs with nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles, killing six Syrian soldiers and nine civilians, including four children, and destroying nine Syrian warplanes. The U.S. government said the attack on the air base came in retaliation for the strikes by the Syrian air force on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. Activists accused the Syrian army of firing toxic gas on the town, killing 70 people, while the Syrian army said the strike targeted an arm depot containing toxic gas, blaming the rebels for stockpiling such materials. RABAT, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd Festival of World Sacred Music will be held on May 12-20 in Morocco's old city of Fes, according to the festival's website posted on Sunday. Choosing water as its theme for this year's edition, the 23rd edition of the festival will feature a number of renown traditional artists from all over the world, Abderrafih Zouitene, the President of the festival, said in a note on its website. "This vital choice of theme responds to the need to make the greatest number of people aware of the ecological problems of the planet and upon whose solutions depends the very fate of humanity," Zouitene added. As a guest of honor, "China will present some of its great millennia-old traditions," Zouitene said. Founded in 1994, the Festival was designated in 2001 by the United Nations as one of the major events contributing in remarkable fashion to the dialogue between civilisations. The subtle manipulation of information by technocratic elites is much more insidious than President Trump's impetuous, amateurish tweets Everyone seems to be talking about fake news these days. Enabled by social media, its originators deal in hoaxes and disinformation. The objectives vary, with some wishing merely to sow confusion, others attempting to influence behavior. The intention is always, however, to mislead.Fake news is old. Benjamin Franklin created a fictional story about Indian tribes sending scalps of colonists as a gift to George III in order to drum up hostility against the British. But it seems particularly prevalent in recent decades. Take, for example, Bill Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" and Barack Obama's "if you like your health care plan, you can keep it." Donald Trump creates a great deal of fake news as demonstrated by statements such as "one of the biggest Electoral College landslides in history." These are all essentially lies. They become news because they emanate from presidents' lips.Fortunately, fake news is easy to refute. It is demonstrably false. This may not prevent it from shaping public attitudes unfortunately, but a concerted effort can correct it. This is the goal of fact-checking organizations like PolitiFact and FactCheck.org , whose rectifications are picked up in the mainstream media. The scourge is also, of course, combatted by diverse politics sustained by a truly free press, competitive parties, and separated government powers.The whole brouhaha over fake news got me thinking about this remarkable moment in American history. I find it particularly interesting people suggest George Orwell's 1984 is a parable for today. The novel tells the story of "Big Brother," who subjects the fictional country of Oceania to constant state surveillance and total thought control. Trump's opponents presumably believe he heads a massive government effort to peak into everyone's homes and monopolize the dissemination of information. He might be aggressively deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, but Obama did, too - to the tune of 340,000 deportations annually. The former president established a huge regulatory apparatus - built from existing agencies like the IRS, Department of Education, and Environmental Protection Agency and new ones such as the Federal Insurance Office and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - to scrutinize and threaten businesses, schools, churches, and nonprofits. Obama renewed the Patriot Act and reauthorized mass surveillance by the NSA. His administration's restrictions led many to believe it was the most antagonistic to the press in history. Much of the 1984 analogy is based on the media's belief Trump wants to muzzle them, when, at least to this point, he is Obama-lite and is really just skillfully discrediting them in front of a receptive audience.It is when we move away from simple assertions of fact to questions regarding necessarily more ambiguous interpretations of the world that open and free societies like the United States face greater challenges, That's why I think another of Orwell's novels provides a better allegory of what America might be morphing into.Animal Farm describes how a pig called Napoleon controls the flow of information and manipulates perceptions to brainwash the animals who live there. The approach is subtler than Big Brother. Napoleon doesn't create fake news but rather spins the interpretation of obvious facts in contorted ways. The other animals are free to see everything and indeed speak their minds but are slowly convinced their view of the world is inaccurate and immoral. In a crusade for an absolute truth, Napoleon doesn't present "alternative facts" but, through his zeal and skill, creates a whole new universal understanding of reality. After a few years, his vision prevails. He owns the truth and, unable to oppose him any longer, all the other animals see things his way.Many in positions of power in America today seem to want you to believe all the facts of our complicated world fit snugly into their view of it. They aspire to govern like Napoleon, knowing that the American people and Constitution prevent them from becoming Big Brother.Perhaps Trump is among their number but, if so, he's not alone. Numerous leaders in the media, Hollywood, and academia view the quite unpopular and sometimes reviled new president as an opportunity to establish their vision of the world - a rigidly multicultural society run by a technocratic class that emphasizes equality over liberty - as the "truth." They portray his administration as a purveyor of racism and misogyny, a barbarian nationalism, and "robber baron" capitalism, an interpretation that stretches tremendously but does not irrefutably contradict the facts.A section of the cultural elite is manipulating information, shaping social norms, and exerting subtle pressures to mold public attitudes. In fact, compared to his enemies, Trump comes off as an amateur, impetuously tweeting out fibs and challenging trivial facts, dealing in bits of fake news. Is it him that's in control? MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A Russian official expressed worries on Sunday that the deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group near the Korean Peninsula may push the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to respond hastily. The U.S. Carl Vinson Strike Group has departed from Singapore and sailed northward to the Western Pacific ocean near the Korean Peninsula, the United States Pacific Fleet Commander announced Saturday. The deployment came amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula after the DPRK test-fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday. If Pyongyang sees the deployment as a threat to its security, it may rush into actions in response, said Victor Ozerov, chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on Defense and Security, according to a RIA Novosti report. Ozerov said international law does not prohibit the U.S. navy forces from shipping toward the Korean Peninsula, but its military presence will not be good for maintaining dialogue with Pyongyang. It is even possible that the United States could launch sudden strikes against the DPRK just as it did to Syria, he added. Pyongyang has carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests, incurring worldwide criticism and tighter United Nations sanctions. Related: U.S. aircraft carrier strike group heads toward Korean Peninsula STOCKHOLM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Swedish police confirmed on Sunday that two Swedes, one Briton and one Belgian were killed in the Stockholm truck attack, reports reaching here said. Swedish Television(SVT)quoted police sources as saying that "all deceased are identified, they are two Swedish, one British and one Belgian. And relatives and embassies are informed." Of the four victims, three were killed at Drottningatan in central Stockholm, and one died in the hospital later. A truck rammed into people on a central Stockholm street before crashing into a department store on Friday, killing four and wounding 15 others. SVT reported that currently, ten people are still hospitalized and four of them are in serious condition. In addition, according to reports, Swedish police said the suspect of the attack was sympathetic with extremist groups, and had been denied permanent residency in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 20:21:45|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao Kashmiri people wail over the killing of a youth during his funeral procession in Barsoo Ganderbal, about 45 km north of Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 10, 2017. At least six people were killed and over 36 others injured in firing by security forces, as violence marred the by-poll for the parliamentary seat in Indian-controlled Kashmir's capital Srinagar on Sunday. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) NEW DELHI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and over 36 others injured in firing by security forces, as violence marred the by-poll for the parliamentary seat in Indian-controlled Kashmir's capital Srinagar on Sunday. While two people were killed in Srinagar's Budgam district when security forces opened fire on hundreds of protesters who had stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area, two others died in Beerwah and one each in Chadoora and Narbal areas, officials said. "Security forces deployed in Chrar-e-Sharief area initially fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, but when it did not relent, they opened fire on the mob, injuring over two dozen people, two of whom later succumbed to their injuries," a senior official said. "Similarly, in Beerwah area, two persons were killed when the security forces opened fire to disperse a stone-pelting mob that torched a bus and damaged voting machines in a polling booth," another official said. However, the voter turnout has been very low in Srinagar parliamentary constituency that has a total of 1.261 million eligible voters, officials said. This is notwithstanding the fact that authorities had snapped internet connections for a violence-free poll, amid boycott call by separatists. In Srinagar, the stakes are high for the state's main opposition National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting against ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) Nazir Khan. Some nine candidates are in fray for the seat that fell vacant after PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra resigned to protest the atrocities on people during the agitation after terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani was killed by Indian security forces in July last year. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 20:36:47|Editor: Tian Shaohui People gather at the blast site in Alexandria, Egypt, on April 9, 2017. Eleven people were killed and 35 others were injured in a suicide bombing near a Coptic church in Egypt's Alexandria governorate, Egyptian Ministry of Health said Sunday. (Xinhua) CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people were killed and 35 others were injured in a suicide bombing near a Coptic church in Egypt's Alexandria governorate, Egyptian Ministry of Health said Sunday. The ministry said in a press release that the suicide attack near Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral Church in Alexandria has so far killed 11 people and injured 35 others. State-run MENA news agency reported that a police officer was killed in the attack when he attempted to stop the suicide attacker in front of the church. Right after the blast, police rushed to the scene while ambulances evacuated the victims to nearby hospitals. Earlier in the day, another explosion rocked a Coptic church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta, killing 25 and injuring 78 others. The attacks occurred as Christian faithful observe Palm Sunday, an important feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The prosecutor general ordered swift investigations into both attacks, MENA added. Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. At the end of 2016, at least 29 people were killed and 31 wounded in an explosion that targeted the Cathedral of Saint Mark in the Abbasia district in Cairo. KHARTOUM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday concluded the "Blue Shield 1" air exercise between Sudanese and Saudi Air Forces at Meroe Airbase, some 200 km north of Sudanese capital Khartoum, official SUNA news agency reported. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Commander of the Saudi Air Forces Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Otaibi attended the conclusion of the air exercise which lasted for 10 days. "No doubt that developing the defensive air capabilities in the Arab countries constitutes a deterrent shield against aspirations of the enemies which are tending to control their potentialities and resources," said al-Bashir when addressing the concluding ceremony of the exercise. "This exercise indicates the healthy, deeply-rooted and progressive ties between Sudan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and reaffirms the importance of cooperation and exchange of experiences to build a solid base for uniting the concepts for the sake of Arab solidarity and joint Arab action," al-Bashir noted. Al-Bashir reiterated that Sudan's security is inseparable from the security in the countries of the region and the area, saying "we have worked for building strategic partnerships with the neighboring countries in fields of security and military cooperation and forming joint forces with some countries which have achieved remarkable successes at all security and social domains." He called on the Arab countries to focus on joint work to care for their vital and strategic interests, protect their national borders and maintain their national and regional security through cooperation in all fields, namely the security and military cooperation, to face the standing threats and risks. He reiterated willingness to further enhance his country's ties with Saudi Arabia, saying that the two countries' ties stand on common values and strategic interests with social, economic, political and security dimensions. The Sudanese Air Force participated in the "Blue Shield 1" exercise with a total of 29 fighter planes (Mi-29s, Su-25s, Su-24s and Mi-17s), while Saudi Arabia participated with 18 planes (Typhoons, F-15s and others) A total of 450 military men from the Sudanese Air Force and 250 from the Saudi Air Force took part in the exercise. Sudan has been taking part in the operations of the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Houthi Group in Yemen since March 26, 2015. by Robert Manyara KISUMU, Kenya, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Capturing fish from Lake Victoria in Western Kenya has been Okoth Odhiambo's commercial activity for the past three decades but latest development of fast spreading water hyacinth on the productive waters is slowly taking away his livelihood. "It is impossible to fish in waters where it has fully grown. It's bad news. Just terrible," Odhiambo told Xinhua. Odhiambo is among thousands of the lake-side locals in the Western Kenya staring a threat to their social and economic well-being as fishing is the main source of income which caters for the educational, energy, health and additional food needs. For more than ten years, the water hyacinth, a green weed-like plant, has been thriving on the Lake Victoria waters in the counties of Kisumu, Siaya and Homabay. "Urgent measures need to be implemented to remove this water hyacinth. It is going to swallow the lake and we will not have anywhere else to fish," he said. Odhiambo is convinced that pollution of the waters with solid and fluid waste is the most contributing factor to the emergence and thriving of the invasive aquatic plant. Lake Victoria is a crucial development resource in the Kenyan economy predominantly supporting the country's fisheries sector. Fishermen are crucial to the country's fisheries and aquaculture sector directly influencing the nation's gross economic performance. For instance, available data from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicate that yields from Lake Victoria constituted 90 percent of the total fishery and aquaculture production in 2013. But for the fishermen the future of the lake shared with their fellows from Tanzania and Uganda is uncertain. Okuku Ndiege, chairperson of Beach Management Unit in Siaya County said communities around the lake basin are facing an unpredictable future should the aquatic plant which has invaded many of the beaches in the region continues to flourish. "The first time I saw the water hyacinth in the lake was 1997 and for over the ten years it has caused too much suffering to the people in this region. It invaded and has refused to go," said Ndiege who believes the water hyacinth spread from Uganda. "We are suffering because we cannot fish in the beaches where it is a major infestation. Cows cannot get fresh water from the lake. The community can't get clean water from the lake. The water covered with the hyacinth smells so bad because it's stagnant and deoxygenated," he said. He emphasized the need to executive workable solutions to save the livelihoods of the fishermen. The respective county governments where the aquatic plant is predominantly infesting the waters should collaborate with the national government in financing its manual removal, he said. "The county governments cannot manage it on their own because it is a huge menace. Only if they can partner with the national government. We need to get money and mobilize youth to remove it manually in all the beaches in Homabay, Kisumu and Siaya counties," he said. While this largest lake in the East African region remains a major economic resource for millions of people in the three counties, enforcing multisectoral cross-boundary strategies would restore its purity minimizing introduction of harmful elements such as the invasive plant according to environmental experts. Antony Saisi, National Environmental Management Authority(NEMA) director in Kisumu County, said implementing integrated multisectoral approaches involving communities living along the lake, countries hosting it and those with investments in the nearby would lead to a reduced pollution of the waters. Lake Victoria constitutes of 75 percent of rainwater which carries along nitrates and phosphates, the nutrients encouraging growth of the water hyacinth, said the environmental expert. "For a long time there has been pollution of the lake from agricultural activities upstream. There are more chemicals from fertilizer used ending up in the lake," he said. Also, due to lack of treatment facilities, sewerage from factories has had its way into the lake, he said. "This has increased nitrates and phosphates in the lake creating a conducive environment for water hyacinth to grow," he added. The hyacinth can remain under the water for nearly 40 years before it can sprout which necessities continuous undertaking of research to develop solutions to counteract its dynamics, he said. Although manual removal of the hyacinth is a possible solution, Saisi noted importance of adopting mitigation measures to curb flow of excessive phosphates and nitrates into the lake. Treatment plants and sewerage infrastructure must be set up and maintained within required standards to eliminate any disposal of harmful effluent into the lake. "We must improve on solid waste management, farming and soil conservation to reduce pollution of the lake with phosphates and nitrates," he said. Xinhua| 2017-04-09 21:53:29|Editor: Tian Shaohui People participate in Color Festival in Chicago, the United States, on April 8, 2017. Color Festival, orginated from tradtional Hindu festvial Holi, was celebrated for the beginning of the spring season. (Xinhua/Wang Ping) MOGADISHU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed Sunday in a bomb explosion near the defense headquarters in Mogadishu, reportedly targeting the new army chief. Mohamed Dahir, a senior police officer at the scene, told Xhinua the explosion happened near the military headquarters, killing mostly civilians who were travelling in a mini bus. "We can confirm the death of 15 people now. A vehicle loaded with explosives blew up near the military academy hitting a public service vehicle," said Dahir. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 22:17:07|Editor: An Video Player Close HANGZHOU, April 9 (Xinhua ) -- Alibaba, a dominant player in China's e-commerce, has teamed up with several non-governmental environmental protection organizations to protect water resources in the country. Alibaba Foundation and the organizations formed an alliance Saturday at a meeting on water resources protection and green development, which was held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Members of the alliance include Alibaba Foundation, Friends of Nature, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Green Hunan, and Beijing Green Foundation. At the same time, Alibaba Foundation and Green Hunan, based in central China's Hunan Province, announced to set up a river-guarding center. They plan to have 2, 000 people serving as "folk river chiefs" in the Yangtze River valley in three years. These folk river chiefs will be engaged in reporting issues such as stinky waters, and participate in protection of water sources. The public should be encouraged to take part in environmental protections, said Jin Jianhang with Alibaba Foundation. "We should promote the disclosure of environmental information and make it visual, so that the public at anytime can focus on the environmental issues." Fang Min, director of Zhejiang provincial environmental protection department, said environmental protection requires participation of the whole society. A new pattern led by the government, with coordination of different departments, engagement of all social sectors and public supervision, can be formed through efforts such as cross-sector cooperation and unified actions,and win-win results be achieved, according to Fang. "We hope to work with more organizations to promote the rule of law in the field of environment," said Zhang Boju, secretary general of Beijing Friends of Nature Foundation. In December 2016, China began to appoint "river chiefs" with responsibilities which include resource protection, pollution prevention and control, and ecological restoration. Their performance will be assessed and they will be held accountable for environmental damage in bodies of water under their supervision. Environmental protection and restoration is a top priority of the development plan for the Yangtze River economic belt, which accommodates over 600 million people with about one fifth of China's land. According to statistics of China Environmental Organization Map, there are currently more than 2,000 non-governmental environmental protection organizations across the country. MOGADISHU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people, including Somali soldiers, were killed in a suicide car bomb attack on Sunday near the Ministry of Defense in Mogadishu, reportedly targeting the new army chief. Somalia's state news agency SONNA reported that the suicide car bomb attack left at least 10 people dead and injured more others. A security official, who refused his name to be used for media, told Xinhua by phone that 15 people, including three government soldiers, were killed and five others wounded. "Students and other civilians on a minibus were mostly those died in the suicide car attack. The New Chief of Somali National Army, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Jimale survived from the attack," he said. "No one can identify the number of casualties, bodies of dead bodies into pieces and blood covered the area of the suicide car bomb attack, vehicles were also destroyed and burned," a journalist at the scene told Xinhua by phone. Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the latest suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu. The group said that it killed over 10 government soldiers in the attack. This is the second car bomb attack in a week in Mogadishu. The attack comes as the Somali President changed armed chiefs and declared state of war against Al-Shabaab. Jones Statement On U.S. Airstrikes In Syria Press Release: WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) released the following statement regarding the launch of U.S. airstrikes in Syria: "Regardless of the circumstances, no American president has the constitutional right to commit acts of war against a sovereign nation without approval from Congress," said Congressman Jones. "As clearly stated in the Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war. This is a dangerous precedent for the president to set for the new administration." For additional information, please contact Allison Tucker in Congressman Jones' office at (202) 225-3415 or allison.tucker@mail.house.gov. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 22:36:18|Editor: ZD Robots take part in a soccer match during the 2017 RoboCup in Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province, April 2, 2017. The 2017 RoboCup attracted 418 teams around China. (Xinhua/Zhang Lei) BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China has great potential in applications of artificial intelligence (AI), a senior official said Sunday. "Chinese researchers and entrepreneurs are among the best in the world, with technological innovations and good earnings in the sector," said Liu Lihua, vice minister of industry and information technology. Researchers with Chinese companies such as iFlytek, Alibaba and Baidu participated in the study of the world's leading AI technologies, said Liu, referring to technologies of reinforcement learning, paying with your face and self-driving trucks. A couple of weeks ago, the "MIT Technology Review" listed the above three and another seven technologies as its 10 breakthrough technologies in 2017. AI research started more than 60 years ago and there have been some major ups and downs. The current wave is backed by unprecedented quantities of data and computing power. "While we are just getting started, we have made prominent progress in applying artificial intelligence in smart city and intelligent customer service on automobiles," said Liu. More sectors will see AI applications in the future, he added. Chinese Internet giants are focusing on the development of artificial intelligence and believe the next decades will be a golden age for the industry. "If we define 2016 as the first year of China's artificial intelligence, this year will be the beginning of applications of artificial intelligence in the country," said Liu Qingfeng, board chairman of tech firm iFlytek Co. Ltd. Internet giant Baidu set up a national deep learning technology lab in Beijing in March. The lab gathered AI experts from Baidu, Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. "The Internet is just an appetizer. The main course will be AI. In the future, machines will develop to a point where they can understand humans and their intentions," said Li Yanhong, chair of Baidu, at the China IT Summit in Shenzhen last Sunday. Baidu has invested heavily in machine-aided study, image recognition, voice recognition and driverless vehicles. Another tech giant Xiaomi set up an "Explorer's Lab" last year to research artificial intelligence and will release an "exciting AI product" in the coming six months, according to Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi. "Companies in emerging markets need to offer their consumers a compelling vision so that they not only resolve problems today, but even address problems on the horizon," Lei said. China will make greater efforts this year to implement innovation-driven development strategy, upgrade the structure of the real economy, and improve its performance and competitiveness, according to the government work report issued last month. "We will accelerate R&D on and commercialization of new materials, artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, bio-pharmacy, 5G mobile communications, and other technologies, and develop industrial clusters in these fields," the report read. In May last year, the government made a three-year action plan to develop AI. The industry's market size was 23.9 billion yuan (about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars) last year, and will reach 38 billion yuan (about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. "As the AI era approaches, we should focus on technological innovation, establish industry standards and specifications, forge an industrial ecosystem, and speed up legislation in the sector," said iFlytek's Liu. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 22:42:12|Editor: yan Video Player Close JAKARTA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has condemned the bomb attacks in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Indonesia conveys its utmost sympathies and condolences to the victims and their families who have been affected by this act of terror," the statement said. The Indonesian embassy in Cairo confirmed that there were no Indonesians among the victims. The bombings of two churches in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria left at least 38 dead and over 100 wounded. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Indonesians in Egypt were asked to be vigilant, avoid places that could become targets of attacks and follow the security measures imposed by local authorities. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 22:47:13|Editor: yan Video Player Close VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Tourism injected more than 724 million U.S. dollars into Laos' national budget during 2016, according to the latest data from the Tourism Development Department under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism on Sunday. The revenue generated by tourism in 2016 dropped slightly from the figure of more than 725 million U.S. dollars generated by the sector in 2015. The decrease was partly due to the fact that foreign tourist arrivals to Laos declined in 2016, reported Lao state-run media Vientiane Times. Laos received just more than 4.23 million foreign visitors in 2016, down from 4.68 million foreigners in 2015. Visitors from Thailand and Vietnam, the main sources of foreign visitors to Laos, dropped remarkably by more than 400,000 and 100,000 people respectively. The number of foreign visitors had fallen because Thai authorities have been promoting domestic tours vigorously, encouraging people there to travel within Thailand through promotional incentives. Foreign tourist arrivals to Laos in previous years were also boosted by a large number of Vietnamese workers who entered the country on tourist visas. After governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the regional bloc of which Laos is a member, tightened measures to regulate foreign workers, it is believed that Vietnamese workers were more reluctant to enter Laos, further contributing to the drop, according to the report. Tourism services have also been deemed inadequate in some respects, including the inability of some drivers and tour guides to speak English, which can pose problems when visitors need to get to places. Meanwhile, tour operators have suggested activities and improvements to tourist sites to help promote the year 2018 as Visit Laos Year. Romuald Oziewicz, chairman of the Polish Harbiners Club, shows the badge of his club on April 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu) SZCZECIN, Poland, April 9 (Xinhua) -- " Our parents instilled the love for Harbin in our hearts," Romuald Oziewicz, chairman of the Polish Harbiners Club in the Polish city of Szczecin, said recently. Between the 19th and 20th century, a large community of Poles lived in the northeast of China, particularly in the city of Harbin. A recent exhibition held in the Central Library of the West Pomeranian Province in Szczecin, has brought back the memory of those people and their life with hundreds of documents and photographs. The exhibition "Poles in Manchuria 1897-1949" prepared by the Archives of Modern Records will last from March 23 to April 28 and later be held in Gdansk and Warsaw. Oziewicz was born in 1950 in Harbin and left China together with his family later. He introduced to Xinhua the Polish marks in the city of Harbin. How did the Poles get into Harbin? Oziewicz said around in the year 1897, the decision to construct Chinese Eastern Railway made by then Russia Empire attracted workers of Polish origin. In addition, a large number of Poles fled from Siberia to China. The Polish community coming to Harbin consisted mostly of well-educated intellectuals, said he. Out of around 800 people who went back to Poland in 1949, around 500 lived in Szczcin. That was why the Harbiners Club has been most active here, Oziewicz said. Nowadays, there are around 30-40 active members of the club, some of whom are already the second generation, cultivating the memory of Harbin left by their parents. Oziewicz said many people who lived in Harbin used to say that first they are Harbiners and then Poles. He added that everybody recalled Harbin as a great place to live where local people were warm and friendly. "Now when parents are gone, we have to keep this memory," said Oziewics. Every year the Polish Harbiners Club organizes events and celebrates anniversaries related to the Poles in Harbin. The club members went to Harbin in 2015 at the invitation of the city authorities. They are also planning to take part in the world Harbiners' summit this year. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:32:21|Editor: ZD 25th convoy fleet (File photo) BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The convoy fleet sent by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy rescued a Tuvaluan ship hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday local time. The navy said in a statement that its 25th convoy fleet, which was conducting the escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somali at the time, received report of the hijack of the ship OS35 at around 5 p.m. Saturday. The fleet's vessel Yulin set out for the area immediately. After some reconnaissance and having contacted with the ship's crew, rescue operation started early Sunday morning. A group of 16 members from the navy's special force boarded OS35 and rescued the 19 crew members. The statement said all the 19 crew members were under the protection of the Chinese navy, and soldiers carried out a thorough search of the ship to clear possible security threat. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:32:21|Editor: ZD In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, U.S. navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea, April 7, 2017. (Xinhua/U.S. Navy) MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Iranian presidents in a phone conversation stressed the inadmissibility of "aggressive" U.S. actions against Syria in violation of international law, the Kremlin said in a statement issued on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, called for an objective, unbiased investigation into the chemical weapon incident in the Syrian province of Idlib earlier this week, the Kremlin said in the statement. The two leaders noted the importance of continuing close cooperation in the political and diplomatic settlement of the chronic Syrian civil war, the statement said. In addition, both presidents expressed readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism to ensure stability in the Middle East. Also on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing with members of his administration the possibility of sanctioning Russia and Iran for supporting the Syrian government. Russia and Iran, together with Turkey, are working to arrange a series of peace talks between conflicting sides within Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana. On Thursday, Trump ordered attacks against a military airbase in Syria with dozens of Tomahawk missiles, after the United States and its allies accused Damascus of killing civilians with chemical weapons on Tuesday. But the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the deadly gas contamination was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced and stored by the rebels, after Syrian aircraft bombed the area. Damascus has repeatedly denied possession of any chemical weapons. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:52:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix of 2017 featured a local manufacturer of automotive wheels - Dicastal, part of the Citic Group-strengthen the cooperation with Williams F1 team, as the two parties announced here on Sunday that Dicastal will be the tyre supplier of the top F1 team. Wang Jiong, the vice president of Citic Group, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency that this cooperation not only means a huge step for Dicastal, but also be of great significance for Chinese manufacture industry. "Chinese manufacturers were often regarded as resource-intensive or labor intensive ones, but lack of competitiveness in high-tech products. As one of the stated-owned enterprise, we felt obliged to change the stereotype of Chinese manufactures and try to compete with foreign companies in some high-tech areas," said Wang. "In terms of automobile industry, there is no doubt that F1 is the top of the industry pyramid. Only the very top manufacturers in the world can become the suppliers of the F1 racing events. We set the goal to enter this area in the year of 2010, I told our staff that we should try to work with world top clients, just F1 racing teams." Established in 1988, Dicastal had become the world's leading manufacturer of aluminum wheels. But cooperating with F1 was still a big challenge for them that time as this exciting racing sport has vigorous requirement on auto parts. "Of course it's not easy to meet the F1 standards, we should improve our techniques to compete with our opponents. Speaking of tires, even one gram can make big difference. The best tyre should be as light as possible and also of high quality to be used in the top auto events in the world." Wand continued. Dicastal's efforts were paid back in 2016, as they set up technical partnership with Williams. In their partnership, Dicastal's wheels would go through vigorous R&D (Research and Development) with Williams Martini Racing before on track product testing begins in 2017. When commenting on the partnership, Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal and Commercial Director of Williams said:"Here at Williams, we are always looking for the slightest advantage to edge out the competition, and light weighting is fundamental to that. As an organization, Dicastal's dedication to engineering excellence perfectly matches our own and we look forward to working together." This year during the Chinese Grand Prix, the relationship went further as Dicastal will be the tyre supplier for Williams since 2018, becoming the first Chinese manufacturer to produce any part of F1 racing cars. "Our success comes from years of accumulation and innovation. I hope more Chinese manufacturers enter the high-tech areas in the future and convert 'made in China' to 'created in China', Wang said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:52:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close OSLO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A Russian young man has been charged with illegal dealings with explosive material after police carried out a controlled explosion of what they described as a bomb-like object in central Oslo early Sunday, Norway's police security service (PST) said. The Norwegian police also raised the country's threat level to "probable" from "possible," which is valid for two months, PST head Benedicte Bjornland told a press conference. The 17-year-old Russian citizen, who came to Norway as an asylum seeker in 2010, was taken into police custody with an improvised explosive device in Oslo's Gronland area late Saturday, PST police attorney Signe Aalling said at the same press conference. Police carried out the controlled explosion of what they described as a bomb-like object early Sunday after the object was found around the Gronland subway station in central Oslo late Saturday and a large area was cordoned off. The cordon was lifted early Sunday and the Gronland area resumed normal activities. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:57:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian-Iranian joint operation room in Syria said on Sunday that Syria's allies will strongly respond to any aggression against Syria, adding that the U.S. attack is a dangerous precedent and a violent aggression on the sovereignty of the Syrian state and people. "What America has done in attacking Syria is crossing red lines and from now on we will strongly respond to any aggression by any party and America knows well our capability to respond," said the statement. It added that the allies of the Syrian government will increase their support to the Syrian army following the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base. Earlier on Friday, the United States targeted the Shayrat air base in Homs Province with nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles, killing six Syrian soldiers and nine civilians, including four children, and destroying nine warplanes, according to the Syrian government. The U.S. government said the attack on the air base came in retaliation for the strikes by the Syrian air force on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. Activists accused the Syrian army of firing toxic gas on the town, killing 70 people, while the Syrian army said the strike targeted an arm depot containing toxic gas, blaming the rebels for stockpiling such materials. "The arrogant America hasn't waited any permission and didn't respect the countries in the UN and attacked Syria so blatantly without waiting the results of the investigation in the Khan Sheikhoun case," Sunday's statement said. According to the statement, the allies of the Syrian government are closely following the movement of the U.S. in northern Syria and northwestern Iraq. "They should know that we are aware of their attempts to control that geographic spot, and that makes them illegal occupation forces," it said. "Russia and Iran will not allow America to control the world and will stand in its face with all available power no matter what will happen," the statement concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-09 23:57:24|Editor: yan Video Player Close STOCKHOLM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Sunday vowed to enforce the country's deportations effectively in wake of the Stockholm truck attack, of which the main suspect the police said was a 39-year-old man denied of residence application in Sweden in 2016. According to the Swedish TT news agency on Sunday, the 39-year-old suspect applied for a residence permit in Sweden in 2014. In June 2016, Swedish Migration Board rejected his application and in December he was given a deadline of four weeks to leave the country. However, in February 2017, the police was unable to enforce deportation order as the man was not at the address he registered. Lofven said this made him frustrated and that one must be deported if being rejected of application for a residence permit or an application for asylum. "We need to improve the effect," Lofven told TT, adding that "it is also important for confidence in the system." The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, is current under police custody and is believed as the driver of the deadly truck which rammed into crowd, killing four people and injuring 15 others in central Stockholm on Friday. Swedish paper Aftonbladet reported earlier that Uzbek man had expressed support for the Islamic State (IS) online and was known to intelligence agencies. The State Board of Elections, pictured at a November 2016 hearing. If Senate Bill 68 becomes law, the board would be merged with the state Ethics Commission into a separate body with new members. (CJ file photo) Over Democrats' objections, on Thursday the Republican-controlled House passed Senate Bill 68 , merging the state's ethics and elections boards, along with some lobbying regulations.The bill passed on a 68-42 party-line vote, with the exception of Rep. William Brisson, D-Bladen, the only Democrat who voted with Republicans. The bill now goes back to the Senate for a concurrence vote, meaning it can only receive an up-or-down vote with no amendments.Much of the Democrats' opposition to the bill was based on the lack of a mechanism for the governor to include unaffiliated or independent voters on the new eight-member Elections Board, which would have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.Unaffiliated voters nearly outnumber registered Republicans in the state. As of April 1 , the State Board of Elections reported 2.639 million registered Democrats, 2.046 million registered Republicans, and 2.016 million unaffiliated voters.House Minority Leader Darren Jackson, D-Wake, said unaffiliated voters would be excluded from the election oversight process. But House Rules Committee Chairman David Lewis, R-Harnett, got Jackson to admit during floor debate that unaffiliated voters have no role under the current system Democrats hope to preserve.The measure was introduced to respond to a March Superior Court ruling striking down a similar law passed during December special session. The three-judge panel said Senate Bill 4 violated the constitutional separation-of-powers principle.As Carolina Journal reported earlier , it's unclear if S.B. 68 would satisfy those objections. Lewis and other Republicans insisted it would. Gov. Roy Cooper has vowed to veto the measure if it reaches his desk and to file a lawsuit to overturn it if his veto is overridden. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 00:07:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Hungary underlined the need for broadening mutual cooperation particularly in trade and economic fields, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday. "Both sides have an interest in improvement of parliamentary and economic ties, especially now that conditions are set for increasing trade transactions with Hungary," Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said in a meeting with visiting Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen. For his part, Semjen underlined Iran's capacities to attract investments by Hungarian companies, saying "We welcome broadening of relations in agriculture and new energies." "Hungary remained in Iran's side during hard times of the nuclear sanctions," he added. On Saturday, Iran and Hungary signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in nuclear technology. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 00:37:28|Editor: yan Video Player Close TIRANA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Albania hosted the first Mediterranean tourism fair this weekend bringing together several tour operators from Macedonia, Montenegro, Italy and Greece. Albanian Minister of Economic Development and Tourism Milva Ekonomi attended the opening of the fair, noting that the authorities here aimed at putting Albania into the international calendar of fairs. According to her, the organization of such fair in Albanian capital brought added value to the country's tourism. The fair consisted of 72 stands with about 120 subjects. It came a few days after the Albanian government made the decision to cut the tax on tourism from 20 percent to only 6 percent to promote the development of this sector. The minister told reporters that such decision would also promote services quality as well as boost investments in the sector. Albania has seen a constant growth of foreign tourists as well as the revenues generated from this sector. Last year, around 4.7 million tourists visited Albania while the revenues generated from tourists amounted over 1.5 billion euros (1.59 billion U.S. dollars), the highest figure ever recorded here. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 00:47:29|Editor: yan Video Player Close OSLO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Norway has decided to raise the country's threat level after a homemade explosive device was found in central Oslo and a teen asylum seeker from Russia was charged, the police security service (PST) said on Sunday. The Norwegian police raised the country's threat level to "probable" from "possible," which is valid for two months, PST head Benedicte Bjornland told a press conference. The 17-year-old Russian citizen, who came to Norway as an asylum seeker in 2010, has been charged with illegal dealings with explosive material, PST police attorney Signe Aalling said at the same press conference. The Russian young man was taken into police custody with a bomb-like object in Oslo's Gronland area late Saturday. Police carried out a controlled explosion of the object early Sunday after a large area was cordoned off. The PST, which had taken over the investigation from local police after the controlled explosion, said that the bomb-like object was a primitive improvised explosive charge with limited damage potential. "It is unclear whether the 17-year-old had intentions to carry out a terrorist attack," Bjornland said. The Russian asylum seeker does not admit guilt, according to his lawyer Aase Karine Sigmond. "He is opposed to the police saying that he should have planned a terrorist attack. He is opposed to the Islamic State (IS)," Sigmond told Norwegian newspaper VG. The cordon was lifted early Sunday and the Gronland area resumed normal activities during the day. The incident came just one day after a truck ploughed into pedestrians on a busy shopping street before crashing into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden, killing at lest four and wounding many others. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 01:26:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close MADRID, April 9 (Xinhua) -- On the disarmament of the Basque separatist group ETA, the Spanish government has repeated that the group has to apologize to its victims and announce its definitive disappearance. ETA on Saturday handed a list of eight arms caches to French police in the town of Bayonne in the southwest of France. The Spanish government has described the act as "theater", noting that ETA should help resolve unsolved attacks committed by the group. It said the group will not obtain "any political benefit or concession" as a result of the process. Other political parties, however, such as Basque nationalist group EH-Bildu, or Unidos Podmeos, which were both present in Bayonne, saw the disarmament as a positive step in the direction of ETA's eventual disappearance. Some analysts also saw Saturday's events as a positive step towards ETA's eventual dissolution. Nevertheless, some, mainly on the right of the political spectrum, have remained skeptical about the statement that the 120 firearms and three and a half tons of explosives handed over really constitute all of ETA's arsenal. Some experts viewed the act as more symbolic than anything, given that ETA's capacity to commit attacks has been weakened severely in recent years thanks to the arrest of key members, while the weapons were increasingly old and obsolete. Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl considered the disarmament to be "unilateral" on behalf of ETA and "a great step" forward in the peace process. The site of a violent attack is blocked by the police in Stockholm, Sweden, April 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Shi Tiansheng) STOCKHOLM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Sunday vowed to enforce the country's deportations effectively in wake of the Stockholm truck attack, of which the main suspect the police said was a 39-year-old man denied of residence application in Sweden in 2016. According to the Swedish TT news agency on Sunday, the 39-year-old suspect applied for a residence permit in Sweden in 2014. In June 2016, Swedish Migration Board rejected his application and in December he was given a deadline of four weeks to leave the country. However, in February 2017, the police was unable to enforce deportation order as the man was not at the address he registered. Lofven said this made him frustrated and that one must be deported if being rejected of application for a residence permit or an application for asylum. "We need to improve the effect," Lofven told TT, adding that "it is also important for confidence in the system." The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan is current under police custody and is believed as the driver of the deadly truck which rammed into crowd, killing four people and injuring 15 others in central Stockholm on Friday. Swedish paper Aftonbladet reported earlier that the Uzbek man had expressed support for the Islamic State (IS) online and was known to intelligence agencies. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 02:27:40|Editor: yan Video Player Close KISUMU, Kenya, April 9 (Xinhua) -- His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and the Emir of Qatar H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani are due in Kenya next week as part of efforts to strengthen the good relations existing between the three countries, a government official said on Sunday. Kenya's State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said Al-Thani and Prince Abdulaziz are expected in Nairobi on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Esipisu said several MoUs and agreements are expected to be signed and discussed during the official visit of Al-Thani on Tuesday. "The agreements that will be signed will include the agreement on education, higher education and scientific research as well as the agreement on cultural cooperation," Esipisu told journalists in Kenya's lakeside city of Kisumu. He said the Emir will be accompanied by a strong delegation of business leaders. Relations between the two countries has continued to grow in the last decade. "The State visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen the good relations existing between Kenya and Qatar. We expect that they will strike deals with their Kenyan counterparts at a business forum scheduled for Monday," Esipisu said. The booming economic growth in Qatar provides numerous business and investment opportunities for Kenyans including engineering and construction, subcontracting and supply of food products (Qatar is a net importer of both fresh and processed foods). The economic growth also offers hotel and restaurant businesses and employment of Kenyan youth. He said Saudi Arabia's Minister for Commerce and Investment, Dr Majed bin Abdullahi Al-Kassabi will also lead a delegation of 80 investors and entrepreneurs to Kenya. "The investors have interests in agriculture, energy, construction, transport, healthcare among others," said Esipisu. On Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta will also host Prince Abdulaziz where a number of issues of mutual interest to both countries will be discussed. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are two of the world's largest exporters of petroleum products and have strong economies. "The investors have interests in agriculture, energy, construction, transport, healthcare among others." Esipisu said. He added that Kenya and Saudi Arabia have signed a general agreement on cooperation which touches on economic, trade and investment. Kenyan exports to Saudi Arabia in 2015 amounted to 55.5 million U.S. dollars while imports from Saudi Arabia amounted to 553.1 million dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 04:12:53|Editor: xuxin High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini (L) and Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra attend a press conference at the Algerian Foreign Ministry in Algiers April 9, 2017. Algeria and the European Union on Sunday agreed to set up a mechanism for security consultation in the fight against terrorism. (Xinhua) ALGIERS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and the European Union on Sunday agreed to set up a mechanism for security consultation in the fight against terrorism. Algerian Minister of Maghreb, African Affairs and Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, said this after his talks with visiting High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, in Algiers. "We talked about cooperation between Algeria and the European Union in the fight against terrorism and we have agreed to establish a new mechanism in the field of combating terrorism," Messahel told reporters. "Algeria and the EU are coordinating with various partners in the world (on terrorism) and this is a very important aspect," he noted. For her part, "We discussed security related issues, the stability and peace in the region, and we have discussed the situation in Libya, as we share the same approach given that both of us favor peaceful and political agreement with the participation of all Libyans," Mogherini said. She added that "We have discussed the security situation in Mali and the Sahel region, as Algeria and Europe share the same approach and are working for restoring security and stability in this region." "We have also discussed cooperation between in the fight against extremism and terrorism," she said, adding that "the EU follows with great interest the experience of Algeria in dealing with these issues." High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, arrived in Algeria on Saturday to boost bilateral partnership, as the North African nation and the European bloc have been bound by a twelve year long Association Agreement. Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-10 04:12:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Benghazi's Mayor Ahmad Arebi announced Sunday his resignation due to "rumors that obstruct the work of the municipality." "Lately, while working hard for the interest of the people, there were rumors that aim to obstruct the work of the municipality, in order to replace the mayor of Benghazi," Arebi said in a statement on Sunday. "We began hearing rumors almost daily about replacing the mayor of Benghazi. It is something we do not accept for ourselves of our city Benghazi." Arebi said he will return to his former post as the deputy head of intelligence agency. Arebi was assigned to be the mayor of Benghazi on August 11 by the military commander of the eastern region. In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, U.S. navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter fires a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea, April 7, 2017. (Xinhua/U.S. Navy) MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Iranian presidents in a phone conversation stressed the inadmissibility of "aggressive" U.S. actions against Syria in violation of international law, the Kremlin said in a statement issued on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, called for an objective, unbiased investigation into the chemical weapon incident in the Syrian province of Idlib earlier this week, the Kremlin said in the statement. The two leaders noted the importance of continuing close cooperation in the political and diplomatic settlement of the chronic Syrian civil war, the statement said. In addition, both presidents expressed readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism to ensure stability in the Middle East. Also on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing with members of his administration the possibility of sanctioning Russia and Iran for supporting the Syrian government. Russia and Iran, together with Turkey, are working to arrange a series of peace talks between conflicting sides within Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana. On Thursday, Trump ordered attacks against a military airbase in Syria with dozens of Tomahawk missiles, after the United States and its allies accused Damascus of killing civilians with chemical weapons on Tuesday. But the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the deadly gas contamination was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced and stored by the rebels, after Syrian aircraft bombed the area. Damascus has repeatedly denied possession of any chemical weapons. Contact: Ford Porter Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper today announced leaders for the departments of Revenue and Information Technology.The announcements complete Gov. Cooper's cabinet.Gov. Cooper said.To lead the Department of Revenue, which manages state tax collections, Gov. Cooper has selected Ron Penny.Penny has served as Acting Secretary of Revenue since January 2017. He previously served as chair and associate professor in the Department of Public Administration at NC Central University, and as state personnel director for eight years. Penny's first job after college was in the Department of Revenue mailroom.Penny holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from NC A&T University and a law degree from UNC Chapel Hill and lives in Clayton.To lead the Department of Information Technology, which runs state IT services, Gov. Cooper has selected Eric Boyette.Boyette brings a decade of experience in IT and other management jobs at the NC Department of Transportation, including Chief Information Officer and Acting Commissioner for the Division of Motor Vehicles. In 2016, he was selected Public Sector CIO of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal.Boyette lives in Kenly and is a graduate of Barton College where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Overuse of anti-biotics, the next apocalypse Speaking at the opening of the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of St Augustine West Health Fair at the Sforzata Pan Yard yesterday, Deyalsingh said, the next apocalypse to hit global health was the over use and misuse of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine. He said bacteria, viruses and fungi were becoming resistant to antibiotics in many countries around the world, which could throw us back to the dark ages. If we dont tackle that now by policy intervention, any of you here can die because the antibiotics we currently use would become useless... (it) has placed the world in a very precipitous position. Deyalsingh said he convinced Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the Cabinet to set up an Anti- microbial Resistance Committee, and activities would begin on April 10 with a lecture and consultation at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. We have to get the data which would feed into policy recommendations as to how we intervene now, not 20 years too late, not five years too late, but intervene now to stop the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in human medicine and veterinary medicine. What we are trying to do at the Ministry now, is to turn our health care delivery model upside down from one of treatment to one of prevention and to that end I spent the first year in office negotiating the US$51 million loan through the IDB (International Development Bank) to fight NCDs. Meanwhile, Deyalsingh said the country could be judged internationally by how it tackles HIV/ AIDS, infant and maternal mortality, and NCDs. He stated that 55.7 percent of the population was overweight or obese; that there were 3,440 beds in the nations hospitals to serve a population of 1.3 million; that 370,248 people, many treated for hypertension and diabetes, passed through the Accident and Emergency departments in 2016; and that there were 551, 245 outpatients at clinics, where most NCD patients go to manage their disease. He said part of the push to control NCDs in Trinidad and Tobago was the banning of the sale of sugary drinks at schools, as well as a reduction of the sugar content in some locally made soft drinks and juices. Deyalsingh added that it was necessary to get the population to reduce their addiction to smoking. He found it ridiculous that intelligent, knowledgeable adults chose to smoke and then the State had to provide facilities and treatment for lung cancer. A lot of this is preventable. The solution is not only to build new hospitals but to decrease demand on our overburdened health system. In addition, he said for the past 18 months, infant and maternal mortality rates had decreased across the nation. In fact, he said there were no maternal deaths at the Mt Hope Womens Hospital so far for the year. Also at the fair opening ceremony were St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar, chairman of the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation Paul Leacock, and former Health Minister Dr Emmanuel Hosein. Contact: Sonia Armstrong Sonia Armstrong 252-940-8672 WASHINGTON, NC The next Beau-Fitt session will be a food demonstration and sample session Tuesday, April 11 at 4:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of Building 10 on the Beaufort County Community College campus. Beau-Fitt has enrolled 199 people in the program.Most recently the City of Washington employees joined the effort to make Beaufort County healthier. MDC grant funds helped the college provide 41 city employees with Garmin fit bands. A weekly challenge and leaderboard helps people stay on track with their steps and propels them to walk more and become healthier.Eric Humphries, tai chi instructor, led 40 participants at the most recent Beau-Fitt health and wellness session at the college. Humphries has ten years of tai chi instructional practice and had the group move through various poses and stretches to relax their muscles. The event was attended by folks of all ages. Horst Kohler, former German President (2004-2010), is said to be named to succeed outgoing UN Secretary Generals Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Christopher Ross. Algerian news outlet, TSA, quoted diplomatic sources saying that Horst Kohler will most likely replace the US diplomat Christopher Ross, whose tenure has expired after eight years of mediation that left the status quo unchanged. Kohler will be officially appointed by the new UN Secretary General Antonio Gueterres upon receiving the approval of the parties to the conflict: Morocco and the Polisario, which acts upon the orders of its paymaster and host, Algeria. In this respect, Moroccos le360 portal contacted a diplomatic source, which said, speaking under anonymity, that the former German president, among others, has been proposed to replace Ross. The same source added that Kohlers chances to be appointed UN emissary to the Sahara are higher. The Polisario and its mentor Algeria may object the appointment of Kohler, a politician of the Christian Democratic Union, in view of the realistic stands adopted by European figures concerning the Sahara. The Polisario remembers vividly the statements by Dutch Van Walsum who described the independence option as unrealistic and unfeasible and called for adopting the autonomy as a basis for negotiations. Given his background, Kohler is expected to lead UN mediation in the regional dispute over the Sahara with pragmatism, unlike his predecessor Christopher Ross whose stands reflected connivance with Algeria and a willingness to change the parameters of negotiations. After eight years as UNSG Personal Envoy, Ross left a legacy of failures on the Sahara issue. His term was marred by partial reports, a worn out negotiation process devoid of prospects for progress and biased and unbalanced guidance to the UN. Kohler is an economist by profession. Prior to his election as President, he had a distinguished career in politics and the civil service and as a banking executive. He was President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1998 to 2000 and head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2000 to 2004. From 2012 to 2013, he served on the UN Secretary Generals High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. For Montana Honda & Marine, the addition of Kawasaki recreational motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles is a chance to broaden the business and grow, co-owner James Winchell said last week. The dealer at 2124 Goodman Road in Billings obtained the Kawasaki line last month, nearly doubling inventory of some lines inside the spacious, 25,000-square-foot showroom, Winchell said. Its been good. People are happy to see them here, he said. In its motorcycle line, Kawasaki is best known for the Ninja but also manufactures the KLX and KX brands for motorcross and off-road. Its four-wheel utility vehicles, known as side-by-sides, include the Teryx for recreational use and the Mule brand for industrial and farm work. Winchell declined to say how much the dealer invested to win Kawasaki, noting that hes investing in signs, tools, parts and other equipment. Montana Honda has also hired two new employees to work on the new Kawasaki products. The dealership has 15 total employees, not including Winchells 7-year-old dog, Lina, who is a popular presence there. Outside on the three-acre lot, the dealer also sells recreational boats, including the Tracker line and Centurion surf boats. Montana Honda & Marine acquired the Kawasaki line after Reiters Kawasaki closed in Billings Heights last year. Its the only authorized Kawasaki dealer in the Billings area, Winchell said. Analysts say demand for these recreational vehicles fell off last year, but the industry is poised to grow long term. Locally, of course, Montana and Wyoming have miles of off-road trails to appeal to recreationalists. Sales in Kawasakis motorcycle and engine division fell about 9 percent in 2016 to $1.79 billion worldwide, the Japanese company reported in January. Its Motorcycle and Engine Company is a division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, one of the worlds largest industrial firms. In the United States, the Motorcycle Industry Council reported a 2.7 percent drop in U.S. motorcycle sales last year, according to PowerSports Business, a trade publication. Kawasaki officials attributed their recent drop to a strengthening Japanese yen and noted that sales in developing countries, including the United States, were strong. Also, Global Market Insights, a market research firm, noted that interest in off-road riding is generally increasing. Sales figures for side-by-side vehicles are harder to determine, but, according to PowerSports, buyers are increasingly looking at the vehicles for multiple purposes. For example, farmers may buy them to better travel through their fields during the week, then head to the mountains for recreation over the weekend, according to the trade publication. Within the last year, Winchell said hes seen demand tightened in a tougher economy. Prices for beef, grain and other ag products have fallen, which has led to farmers spending less on equipment. The unforeseen future is our challenge. But weve been a dealer for so long, people know who we are, Winchell said. Montana Honda & Marine has traditionally relied on the steady demand from business and industry for the four-wheelers, Winchell said. The Kawasakis came to the floor just in time: the busy season for the recreation industry started in March and will likely run through July, he said. It gives us a little more recreation options for people, Winchell said. In an industry known for change, Lisa Wyss is making a big one at her Billings West End shop. Wyss has changed the name of her fashion boutique, Meridian Ltd., to Roc House, a reflection of its Rocky Mountain roots blended with a classic fashion-house style at 1025 Shiloh Crossing Blvd., between Bottega and Neecees. I felt like it was a time of new beginnings and a fresh start, Wyss said last week. She added, We wanted a name that sounded a little edgy, sounded like a fun place to go. The switch came about after Wyss contract with Meridian expired, ending an 18-year relationship. Wyss first opened Meridian downtown and later operated two stores at the same time. She opened at Shiloh Crossing in November 2014 and shut down her downtown store a few months later. Meridian sold womens apparel aimed at fashion-forward shoppers looking for trendy wear, according to Wyss. At Roc House, the focus will be the same, but the store will have an expanded selection and brands, she said. All Meridian gift cards will be honored at Roc House, Wyss said. Wyss said she travels to fashion shows on both coasts and has built relationships with designers to select all clothes on her shelves. Roc House is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 652-9999 for more information. A new website, www.shoprochouse.com , is coming online soon. Brewer expanding distribution Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co. has signed an agreement with Intermountain Distributing to distribute its beers in the Billings market. Sam Hoffmann, president of the Carbon County brewery, said the agreement will take effect Monday. This partnership allows me to focus on making great beer and cider, and Intermountain to focus on distribution, which is their area of expertise, Hoffmann wrote in an email. Last November, Hoffmann opened the Last Chance Pub and Cider Mill in downtown Billings, the first of its kind in the city. He said hes self-distributed his beer brewed in Red Lodge for about two decades. Intermountain will distribute in 10 counties: Yellowstone, Big Horn, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Rosebud, Fergus, Petroleum, Judith Basin, Wheatland and Meagher. The firm will also handle Park City. Red Lodge Ales will continue to distribute its own beers in Carbon County and Stillwater County outside of Park City. Spiked Olive moves Spiked Olive shop has moved to 1216 16th St. W. #37, inside the Alpine Village complex. The shop opened at 1313 Grand Ave. in the spring of 2017. The Spiked Olive sells premium olive oils, vinegars and pasta products. According to its Facebook page, the Spiked Olive moved from its old location March 24 and reopened March 28. Business ethics course Associated Employers of Billings is hosting an hour-long webinar on business ethics at noon Wednesday. The course will define workplace ethics, outline potential pitfalls and cover decision-making with an eye on ethics. The cost is $50 for Associated Employers members and $85 for non-members. Call 406-248-6178 or visit www.associatedemployers.org for more information. Montana distillers, brewers head to Japan Seven Montana distillers and brewers are traveling to Japan this month to explore export markets, the states Department of Commerce announced last week. The producers will be at a Montana-branded booth at Wine and Gourmet Japan, a trade show in Tokyo, from April 12-14. There, they will meet with distributors to get products into Japanese restaurants and stores, according to Commerce. The businesses attending are Lewis and Clark Brewing Co. and Gulch Distilleries of Helena, Headframe Spirits of Butte, Bozeman Spirits, Montana Malting and Wildrye Distilling of Bozeman and Whistling Andy Distilling of Bigfork. Haikus from the valley We just got Coldsmoke in Billings, legislators. Dont take it away! EL PASO, Texas Whitney Schieltz didn't grow up knowing she wanted to be a Catholic sister. From the age of 4, she wanted to be an architect and has a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a master's degree in historic preservation from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. However, after graduate school, she met some sisters from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and found a connection to their community. "It was kind of an intuition of this connection with people and really feeling like we shared something in common. My entire life I've known that I wasn't called to family life; I never had a big desire to get married and have children," she said. Talking with two novices who were about her age opened her eyes to the possibility. "Getting to know them and seeing how energetic and hopeful they were and seeing someone who is my age that has my life experiences and has grown up in the society I have grown up in made me see it as a viable option," she said. As they finished celebrating National Catholic Sisters Week, which was March 8-14, nuns and sisters across the country wanted to highlight the worthiness of being part of a religious community. According to nationalcatholicsistersweek.org, there are 47,170 Catholic sisters in the country, many of them representing different and diverse backgrounds, including education, health, first responders, activists and artists. "Catholic sisters don't seek the spotlight," Molly Hazelton, site director of National Catholic Sisters Week, headquartered at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, said in a news release. "Humility is in their DNA. But we know that raising awareness of their ministries can inspire the masses, and that's what we're aiming to do. In a time when there isn't much good news, we need more than ever to hear stories of how they help and heal a fractured country." There are challenges to attracting women to the religious communities, much as there are challenges drawing men to the priesthood. But Sister Janet Gildea, liaison for women religious in the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, says there has been an upswing in both young men and women having more awareness about the possibility of religious life. Gildea said, "Maybe in the past 10 to 15 years, there has been a much greater emphasis in confirmation classes, university campus ministries and national organizations really promoting discerning for young adults. To really say that what you decide to do you with your life as a person of faith means opening up your decision-making processes to God. And that 'what am I called to do' is not automatically falling into a job. It's a much greater awareness among young adults that this is a responsibility they have to discern." Gildea said many young people decide to do a year of volunteer service after college and studies have shown that people who do that are more open to the possibility of religious life. And like Schieltz, today many young people are showing interest in religious life after having life experiences and careers. "We don't take people out of high school anymore. We look for what's been there already in their experience of ministry," Gildea said. "Almost all sisters do further their education or might enter with a particular degree or focus and then through needs of the congregation might do further studies to better serve the people." Schieltz, 29, said she started to feel that she didn't have the personality to be an architect during her classes. "The school I was in seemed focused on making a personal statement ... and I just liked designing things that worked for people. I was focused on user friendliness and functionality. So, there was this discord ...." At about that time, she began wanting to become more involved in working with people. Then she met the Sisters of Charity and a new direction for her life began. Schieltz is in her second year of being an affiliate. She won't become a sister until she enters the second stage, which is that of novice. The whole process, including first vows and final vows, takes about seven to eight years. "This is the entrance into the community. We move out here to El Paso to the formation house in New Mexico and we do ministry in El Paso, and Anapra, Mexico, and just to get the experience of community living and life on the border," she said. Moving to El Paso from Ohio pushed Schieltz out of her comfort zone. She didn't know any Spanish but since then has been trying to learn. And she was hesitant about living in the desert, envisioning being surrounded by rattlesnakes and scorpions. Across the country, the order is known for working on issues of social justice, such as immigration, refugee resettlement and human trafficking. In El Paso, Schieltz spends a few days assisting women at the Villa Maria shelter for homeless women at 920 S. Oregon St. and helps at a health clinic, Clinica Proyecto Santo Nino in the Anapra area in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso. "Within 12 months of being here, I realized I didn't want to go back to Ohio," she said. "I want to stay here now." She has been exploring which ministries she might be able to take part in along the border. And her background still might be put to good use. "The idea of shelters and working with the homeless population took me back to college and making the buildings work for people, not just to make pretty buildings," she said. Dancers in colorful regalia synchronized their movements to the pounding beat of drums and Native songs Saturday at the 49th annual powwow at Montana State University Billings. Jingle dancers wore metal cones on their dresses that chimed as they hopped and stepped on the plastic-covered floor in the Alterowitz gymnasium. As grass dancers leaped and twirled, their fringe flared around them. An estimated 400 dancers participated in the two-day powwow, said Reno Charette, director of American Indian outreach on the MSUB campus. They come from tribes all around Montana, as well as from Oklahoma, Washington state and Canada. There are people who are champion dancers and they follow the circuit, Charette said. The MSUB powwow is on the Montana college circuit, so travelers know they can come to our powwow this weekend and then go to Bozeman the following weekend and be in that powwow. The noon Grand Entry kicked off the start of Saturdays events. A color guard slowly walked around the perimeter of the gym, followed by college officials and the dancers. Also in the mix were a number of foreign exchange students who carried flags representing their countries. One of them, Li Su of China, who is studying political science at MSUB, said Saturday was his first time at a powwow. But this kind of gathering is not unknown to him. We have a country of 56 ethnic groups in my country, so I was familiar with this, he said. They have their own music and their own costumes, so its very different. Dancers came in all sizes, from tiny children to tribal elders. All of them wore intricate regalia often handmade by relatives. Lydia Fallsdown, from Pryor, who came to the powwow with her daughter Kylie Dust and 7-year-old granddaughter Azaylea Dust, sewed all three dresses the trio wore. She learned how by watching her own grandmother bead and sew, and now Fallsdown creates the regalia for her family. Cutting and sewing a silk or buckskin dress might take three to five days, she said. But the beaded accessories could take up to six months. On Saturday her granddaughter wore a traditional elk tooth dress, unique to the Crow people. The significance of the elk tooth dress for the Crow is we had an abundance of elk in our Bighorn Mountains, Fallsdown said. It takes two teeth per elk, so if this was genuine, for a dress with 300 elk teeth youre going to need about 150 elk. The reasons dancers take part in the powwow vary, Charette said, but for the veteran dancers, its probably not for the prize money. At the college powwow our adults are going to win $300 for first place, she said. And $300 is not going to buy you a motel room in Billings for two days and feed your family. So I think its the love of the powwow that drives them. The powwow is also for people to visit with others they only see at powwows, Charette said. It also preserves the culture and passes it down to the next generation. Youll see children at the drum with your parents, she said. You see babies that cant yet walk dressed in regalia or theyre taking their first steps with someone holding their hand. Its also a chance to show off their dance skills. We like to dance for each other, but we also like other people to watch us dance, Charette said. And whats the point of a performance if you dont have someone watching you do it? The powwow gives MSUB students an opportunity to learn new skills, working behind the scenes, she said. About 90 percent of them are non-Native. For MSUB students who are members of the Crow Tribe, the powwow gave them a chance to bring their two worlds together. Sonja Goes Ahead, a senior education major, and Melton Spotted Bear Jr., both of Pryor, were chosen as the head woman dancer and the head man dancer for the event. Goes Ahead, who wore a traditional elk tooth dress, performs Crow style dance. Shes been dancing since she was about 2 years old. Goes Ahead, who felt honored to be named head woman dancer, will graduate this spring. I like to set a positive example for Native American students here, that it is possible to graduate even though it can be difficult at times, she said. Spotted Bear said the powwow was his first time being named head man dancer. Im one of the few that still dances in my family and its a pretty big honor, he said. Spotted Bear, a junior also majoring in elementary education, hopes after he graduates to give back to his community. On Saturday, he wore colorful regalia to dance mens Crow style. Like Goes Ahead, hes been dancing since I could walk. Its a tradition, to separate us from everyone else, Spotted Bear said. This is everything weve got. Once its gone, its gone. H.R. McMaster appearing on Fox News Sunday. Photo: Screencap/Fox News Sunday No matter how anyone spins it, the U.S. cruise-missile attack on the Assad regime last week was both an act of war and by far the U.S.s most direct intervention in the Syrian civil war since it began in 2011. But whether President Trump will use additional military force against the regime, why, and to what end, remains unclear three days after the strike. Last week, Trump himself cited flexibility as his foreign-policy mindset, while others have reported that Trumps foreign-policy doctrine seems to be to refuse to have a doctrine at all. But assuming there was a Trump administration policy toward Syria a week ago, it has now undoubtedly changed, and Trump administration officials Nikki Haley, H.R. McMaster, and Rex Tillerson were sent out over the weekend to try to explain how or how not. Unfortunately, the three officials comments diverged as much as they aligned, adhering to an ongoing trend of policy incoherence coming from the White House. Where they did seem to agree, however, was that the U.S. now wanted, or expected, to see Syrian president Bashar al-Assad removed from power, though it was not at all certain how far the Trump administration would be willing to go to ensure that outcome. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley Says Regime Change Is a U.S. Priority U.N. ambassador Haley indicated on Sunday that, more or less, regime change in Syria is now a priority for the White House following last weeks U.S. airstrike. Appearing on CNNs State of the Union, Haley was asked by host Jake Tapper if regime change in Syria was now the official policy of the Trump administration. She responded in the affirmative, or at least confirmed that removing Assad from power was now among the Trump administrations priorities, which also include, first and foremost, the defeat of ISIS in the region: Getting Assad out is not the only priority. So what were trying to do is obviously defeat ISIS. Secondly, we dont see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there. Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out. And then finally move towards a political solution, because at the end of the day this is a complicated situation, there are no easy answers and a political solution is going to have to happen. But we know, that there is not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime. She then tried to suggest that Assads ouster was more of a general inevitability, not necessarily an outcome of U.S.-led action, remarking that, Regime change is something that we think is going to happen because all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria. Less than two weeks ago, Haley told reporters that, in a shift from the goals of the Obama administration: Our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out. Do we think hes a hindrance? Yes. Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out? No. Another White House official later tried to walk back her comment to CNN, saying that she meant removing Assad wasnt the only goal. Also on Sunday, Haley attempted to explain why President Trump wasnt willing to help Syrian children by accepting them into the U.S. as refugees. Asked by Tapper if she thought Syrian children posed a risk to the American people, Haley responded: Well, Syrian children have to come with Syrian adults. And you dont know. Its hard to know based on the vetting process. And thats unfortunate that we cant find that out. But hopefully well get to the point that we can. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster Says Regime Change Will Be a Group Effort, Unless Trump Changes His Mind Again Asked on Fox News Sunday to respond to Haleys regime-change comments, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster tried to walk her statement back a little: [W]hat Ambassador Haley pointed out is its very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime. Now, we are not saying that we are the ones who are going to affect that change. What we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves, what are we doing here? Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population and using the most heinous weapons available? The former lieutenant general kept trying to reiterate the Trump administrations commitment to defeating ISIS, and suggested that eliminating the militant group would allow Syria to begin rebuilding itself. Host Chris Wallace kept pressing him on the regime change issue, however, and McMaster made it clear that ousting Assad, somehow, was definitely on the table: I think as you saw with the strike, that there has to be a degree of simultaneous activity as well as sequencing of the defeat of ISIS first. What you have in Syria is a very destructive cycle of violence perpetuated by ISIS, obviously, but also by this regime and their Iranian and Russian sponsors. And so, what we have to be able to do is to work together with our allies and partners to help resolve this conflict and the resolution of the conflict will tell each of the elements that you are talking about, Chris, the defeat of ISIS, and then also, it has to be a significant change in the nature of the Assad regime and its behavior in particular. He was then asked whether or not President Trump would use military force to respond to Assad killing his own people with conventional weapons. McMasters response was noncommittal, indicating that, after the chemical-weapons strike, he and other advisers provided Trump with an assessment of what is the degree of agency and control we have over this very complex situation, and that Trump, in response to a mass murder attack, acted decisively. McMaster later added that Trump will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interest of the American people, and it will be our job to provide him with options based on how we see this conflict evolve in this period of time before us, after the strike. In other words, no, its not at all clear if Trump will retaliate against Assad for committing mass murder with conventional weapons, and it will likely depend on the situation and Trumps characteristically impulsive thinking. McMaster also commented on Russias possible involvement in Tuesdays chemical-weapons attack, saying that, I think what we should do is ask Russia how could it be, if you have advisors at that airfield, that you didnt know that the Syrian air force was preparing and executing a mass murder attack with chemical weapons? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Says U.S. Will 'Enable' Syrians to Solve Their Own Political Future Secretary of State Tillerson, appearing on CBSs Face the Nation, also explained that defeating ISIS was the White Houses top priority, but added that: Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria. Were hopeful that we can prevent the continuation of the civil war, and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions. Tillerson, who last week tried to sell the idea that a U.S. military strike on the Assad regime did not signal a change in U.S. policy toward the conflict, maintained that the Trump administration still wants to enable the Syrian people to decide their own political fate, but did not explain how that would actually be possible, considering the overall destabilization of the country, how many Syrians have been killed and targeted by the regime, as well as how many Syrians have fled the country. Instead, Tillerson said that he hoped Syrias allies, Russia and Iran, would choose to work with the U.S. to come up with a political solution. Asked about Senator Marco Rubios recent comment that saying Syrians should decide their own fate was nodding to the idea that Assad was going to get to stay in some capacity, Tillerson responded that, I think thats a regrettable comment on the part of Senator Rubio. Tillerson also blamed Syrias continued possession of chemical weapons on Russia, though he acknowledged that there was no evidence that Russia had participated in last weeks deadly sarin-gas attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. Referencing Russias 2013 promise to ensure the destruction of Syrias chemical-weapon stockpiles, Tillerson remarked that, Russia has failed in that commitment, and the result of their failure has led to the killing of more children and innocents. Oh she's back to blonde now? And what happened to her voice? She should've gone to Mass General for her vocal surgery tbh, that's where Adele went. Reply Thread Link Isn't he gay? Reply Thread Link ONTD is turning into the IMDB boards Reply Parent Thread Link That's always been ONTD hun Reply Parent Thread Link those assholes had to migrate somewhere I guess Reply Parent Thread Link Wh...like actual ASL? Does she know ASL? Or are we talking just general signs? I am confused by this. But it's cute, I guess. Reply Thread Link I'd say ASL because she signs "wrong" in ASL at 1:15 Reply Parent Thread Link i'm asking the same question.. Reply Parent Thread Link probably just see. signed exact english. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm so bad at sign language. I know it comes easily for lots of ppl, but not me. I flip them all around and wanna do them backwards, possibly cause I'm a lefty and am always shown by right handers, Idk? And you have to be really expressive which I am so not. I find it kind of exhausting to be that emotive with my face so yeah idk it just wasn't a great fit to me and I get really frustrated with it. Reply Thread Link i think that's my issue with learning asl as well (i'm a lefty too). my fwb is deaf and has been teaching me some asl here and there and i got really frustrated with how slow i was picking it up. :\ Reply Parent Thread Link My problem may have also been that I was learning see sign (cause that's what they teach in our school district) but tbh I didn't fair any better when I was learning asl. I know a lefty who is great at signing, but idk. I have always had issues with like modeling movements of someone in front of me. I need the person to be next to me so I can see from that pov. For some reason if someone is in front of me showing me, I get confused and that's when I start flipping things around. And then being taught by a righty and that adding to my flipping around confusion doesn't help lol! Reply Parent Thread Link I took two semesters of ASL and ia I'm so bad at being expressive in my face lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I might forever be a kid fascinated by glowing stuff because I totally dig her light up earrings. No to the outfit, the shoes and the socks tho. Reply Thread Link hot couple Reply Thread Link Lol Reply Parent Thread Link I dont like to hear speak since in my mind she is English. Reply Thread Link I always thought she was Australian until recently lmao Reply Parent Thread Link That is sweet Reply Thread Link What is the sweetest thing your significant other has ever done for you? too many things to list. ngl i don't respond well to sweet or romantic acts. i don't want flowers, i don't want jewelry or clothes, or tickets to concerts or spas, or phone calls into the night (our teenage years are past). i like an so to behave normally; work, have confidence in yourself, better yourself & life & mine by extension, be true, etc. i may sound ungrateful, but i've always been thinking big-- eye-opening or life-changing, something very honest. like, you're not going to play your guitar, expecting sex, & think i'm gonna take that as a sweet gesture. Reply Thread Link Reading that comment was a wild ride. Reply Parent Thread Link Damn. It sounds like you think when someone does something nice for you that they're expecting something in return? Reply Parent Thread Link the amount of times i've had a guy hand me a gift & almost immediately tackle me afterward.. idc i have issues now. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oof Reply Parent Thread Link that's sweet but she really needs to stop talking about him like she couldn't live without him, it's not healthy. oh lol idk the sweetest thing mine's done bc he's just generally a v sweet person, but he always brings me back dessert from his job which is cute and always tells me not to worry about him but then I text saying I cut my finger or fell over and he rings straight up like "OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT DO YOU NEED BANDAGES I'M COMING OVER." Edited at 2017-04-09 03:24 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link (One of) the sweetest things my ex did for me was make me an emergency kit for my car lol I know it sounds lame but it's been so fucking useful! He just filled a container with everything you could think of that you might need at any given moment when you're in the car. Bathroom products, first aid products, medicine, scissors, ear plugs, etc literally like a tiny drug store in my car and I use it all the time. So thoughtful <3 Edited at 2017-04-09 03:24 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link I don't think it sounds lame, it was sweet of him to think of that. Especially because it's something so useful. :) Reply Parent Thread Link That is honestly really sweet and very thoughtful. Reply Parent Thread Link Damn.... I like that a lot. Reply Parent Thread Link That is so awesome Reply Parent Thread Link gurllll, why are they your ex?! Reply Parent Thread Link aww thats smart to do lol Reply Parent Thread Link Useful, practical gifts are the absolute best. So much thought goes into them. Reply Parent Thread Link I googled it and she claims the first time it was because bronchitis worsened her condition. Maybe she didn't fully rest after the surgery and fucked it up again? Reply Parent Thread Link All these new girls have shit technique! Katy, Taylor, even Adele has horrible technique. It's a mess and listening to it is painful. Reply Parent Thread Link I always see them straining to hit certain notes and then when I see like whitneys old performances it seems effortless Reply Parent Thread Link So many of them get no professional vocal training until they're too far into their career, because they are amateurs who get discovered or break it big with a single or something like that. By that point they've developed a "sound" full of bad habits and they can't change it. Reply Parent Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link her posts here are better hits than her songs Edited at 2017-04-09 04:48 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Isn't this her first ever boyfriend though? She's said she never had one in the past. Reply Thread Link tbh the best thing an ex ever did for me was leaving me alone when i was trying to finish my exams/essays because i needed to keep my gpa for my scholarship. turns out she was cheating on me at the same time but what can you do Reply Thread Link A major bright spot in the March 2017 American jobs report was the apparent recovery of the mining sector, the employment area associated with oil and gas. The report indicated that 11,000 new jobs were added in the month of March, a further sign that the years-long hemorrhaging of jobs in the energy sector has come to an end. This report comes after February jobs numbers indicating oil and gas employment increased by about 1 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 178,700 people were employed in oil and gas in February 2017. This is the largest number recorded since May 2016, though it is still far off from the industry peak in October 2014, when over 200,000 people were employed in oil and gas. Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics (Click to enlarge) Since October, thirty-five thousand new mining sector jobs have been added to the U.S. economy. This time last year, the sector was shedding jobs at a rate of eighteen-thousand per month. The turn-around comes as prices slowly edge above $50 a barrel. There are hopes that federal changes to environmental regulations, the opening up of federal land and improving price forecasts will all support a new boom in oil and gas production within the United States. This news may help to mitigate negative reactions to reports that some industry CEOs took big pay-days during the energy downturn that hit the U.S. oil and gas industry hard between 2014 and 2016. As their companies filed for bankruptcy, the chief executives of Ultra Petroleum, Seventy Seven Energy and other firms have taken large stock packages and significant pay-offs. Still, the jobs report is good news for the domestic energy sector. Hiring in oil field services is ticking up, as Houston-based Halliburton announced plans to hire two-thousand workers for pressure pumping and cementing in the U.S. The Houston Chronicle has reported an increase in job postings tied to energy and manufacturing. The increase is tied to the growing activity in the Permian Basin and the rising U.S. rig count, now at 943 according to Baker Hughes. The Bakken shale field, which has suffered from a drop in investment and some concerns about long-term viability, has recovered as hiring increases and employers search to fill openings. A year after expectations in the Bakken and Niobara plays, speakers at an industry conference in Denver struck a note of optimism. Related: Oil Heads Higher As Iran And Saudi Arabia Draw On Reserves This comes as U.S. oil exports rise, reaching a record 31.2 million barrels in February 2017. OPEC production cuts, intended to bring up prices, had the knock-on effect of kick-starting US production and fueling a current surge in exports. China has now turned to added U.S. production to replace the drop in OPEC crude, and purchased more than 8 million barrels from American producers in February. But this current surge in exports is likely to be temporary. American exports of natural gas, which have also been growing, are highly dependent on factors governing trends in the global LNG trade. That may worry industry optimists who hope for a strong recovery after a downturn that rivaled the energy depression of the mid-1980s. While many firms went bankrupt as prices fell, other companies stayed on-line through improved efficiency, cost-cutting and automation. Upstream actors and oil service companies cut jobs through automation, allowing them to stay in business. Now, with prices ticking back up and demand improving, its possible that many of the old energy jobs are gone for good, replaced by automated methods or rendered obsolete by changing technology. Related: U.S. Threatens OPEC As Oil Exports Hit Record High There are also concerns that changes to the Jones Act proposed by the Customs and Border Protection Agency relating to off-shore activity would seriously impact job growth in those areas. The American Petroleum Institute has estimated that enforcement changes changing the definition of vessel equipment in the CBPs protocol, would cut 30,000 jobs in the Gulf of Mexico, with a total of 125,000 jobs lost by 2030. For job gains to hold, prices will have to continue improving while demand for U.S. oil and gas abroad grows. That may happen if the federal government stands by its pledge to boost American energy independence and increased production by encouraging investment, approving new pipelines and opening up more federal land for exploration and drilling. In the meantime, proponents of renewable energy can take heart in the fact that solar and wind power continue to add jobs nationwide at a faster rate than oil, gas or coal. By Gregory Brew for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: UP World War I veterans. The Disabled American Veterans Billings Chapter 10 honored the 23 Yellowstone County women known to have served in the U.S. Army, Navy or Marine Corps in World War I. A handsome plaque with these long-forgotten veterans names has been erected on the courthouse lawn. The womens war efforts have been recognized thanks to tireless efforts of Ed Saunders, a Laurel veteran, who spent years researching service records to document the names of women who served in the war. UP Tidier landfill. Billings Public Works Director Dave Mumford announced plans to construct a landfill transfer center next year that will be designed to reduce blow-away trash and to increase operational efficiency. Meanwhile, the city and county are working to improve enforcement of laws requiring that loads be secured en route to the landfill south of Billings. These changes should make the regions biggest landfill a better neighbor. UP Right veto. The U.S. and Montana Constitutions are the laws of our land and there no need to enact another law repeating that fact. Gov. Steve Bullock is right to veto Senate Bill 97, which many supporters testified would protect Montana from Muslim religious law. UP Wolverines return. ZooMontana welcomed two European wolverines to a new habitat constructed with a $50,000 grant from Phillips 66 and donations from Yellowstone Electric, Hardy Construction and other businesses. The wolverines will be on public exhibit within a few weeks in the Night House designed for these fierce, nocturnal critters. 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... The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has asked the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi to be careful. Kweku Baako was reacting to comments Wontumi made after a pro NPP group; Delta Force stormed a Kumasi based Circuit court leading to the escape of 13 of its members. Chairman Wontumi had indicated that the National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaahs description of NPP vigilante group Delta Forces as a criminal group is a clear indication that he (Kan Dapaah) has turned on his party after his appointment. He has cautioned Mr. Kan Dapaah to be mindful of his treatment and utterances towards the vigilante group Delta Forces. Today some NPP members have positions so they talk anyhowespecially Kan Dapaah, he didnt even campaign for the NPP. Where was Kan Dapaah when these boys were campaigning, today he describes them as criminals? If Mr. Dapaah is talking he should be carefulhe claimed he had retired from politics but now he has a position after we won the electionsI want to tell Kan Dapaah that if we have suffered for him to get a positionhe should be mindful how he treats us, Chairman Wontumi said in an interview on Ash FM, Friday. But contributing to a panel discussion on Joy FMs Newsfile programme Saturday, April 8, Kweku Baako said: the Ashanti regional chairman also should be careful. If I were him I would stop talking. If I were the President, I would keep Kan Dapaah at the place. He is doing a lot of good to the partys image and the governments image. Those attacking him; the things they are saying are rather undermining the integrity of this government and especially the President Kan Dapaah National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah had said popular vigilante groups Delta, Invisible and the other forces are not registered and therefore do not exist. Addressing Parliament on Thursday, Mr. Kan Dapaah told the House the security agencies are working to rid the society of such groups. There are no legally registered vigilante groups in this country and for that matter, there are no such groups to be disbanded. However, I think we need to be pragmatic and accept that foot soldiers of the leading political parties are known to constitute themselves into action troops to molest and unleash violence on the peace loving people of this country. Mr. Speaker we need to stop these groups because they have the tendency to degenerate into militant groups that can have serious repercussions on the security of this country. We must not mix criminality with politics, lawlessness must be punished. Government has made it clear through the IGP to deal appropriately with all criminals, he stated. 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 I'm looking to buy 1 truck of RUF as trial order for +/- 70 trucks per year. RUF stamp required. Please quote loaded on truck from your warehouse. 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. Who do you seek for advice when you have money to invest? Do you call up the local farmer, a teacher and a couple of lawyers? Most people use professionals who know markets and can give good advice on trends. I carried Rep. Virginia Courts House Bill 533 on the floor of the Senate. Court, D-Billings, and I have both served on Legislative Audit Committee and agree that the changes in HB533 will modernize the Board of Investments since the makeup of the nine members hasnt changed in 40 years. This board invests $16 billion for the taxpayers each year and has the sole authority to invest our funds. HB533 would require that three of the members have at least five years of investment experience. Some members of the board came to our Senate committee hearing and opposed the bill. There were many reasons, including a belief that not enough people are qualified in the state to serve under the new requirements. I could name 15 people in the Flathead who would meet the experience level and know there are many more across the state. They also claimed there was no reason to change because the current board is doing such a good job. Fluctuations in market conditions are part of every investment picture. Several states with similar assets, however, have outperformed Montana over the past decade. We ranked in the 8th percentile among peers in 2015 but in the 58th percentile in 2016 with the same board membership. Alarming to me is that the board voted last fall to allow investments in hedge funds. The board member who has been opposed to this strategy in the past was absent from the meeting in November. It is also possible that nobody at a meeting would have financial knowledge if the only board member with the background was absent. Forty years ago, the Board of Investments dealt solely with fixed income and domestic stocks. They now invest in a far wider mix of investments including international stocks and real estate. Terms commonly used are merger arbitrage, mezzanine finance, European waterfall and mean variance optimization. I dont think the European waterfall is the same wed like to see on a yearly vacation. Times have changed in the investment world. It only makes sense that we keep up with the modern times and require a third of this board to have background in these complex issues. Our $16 billion depend on modernization of the Board of Investments. Queensbury student volunteers in Florida ONEONTA Ashley Ferraro of Queensbury was one of 11 members of SUNY Oneontas Habitat for Humanity club who spent spring break, March 4-12, volunteering with a habitat affiliate in Vero Beach, Florida. Ferraro, who is majoring in early child/childhood education (B-6) at SUNY Oneonta, spent the first two days working in the Habitat for Humanity Restore, where members of the community donated goods and volunteers sorted through the items, priced them and put them out in the store to sell. The next day, the students helped install siding and shingles on a habitat house under construction. After that, they painted an entire house and shed as part of the countys revitalization project. The trip was part of Habitat for Humanity Internationals Collegiate Challenge Program. Area students make Nichols College list DUDLEY, Mass. Cassandra Rudd of Cambridge and Anna Zibro of Lake George have been named to the Deans List at Nichols College for their academic work during the fall 2016 semester. In order to be included on the Deans List, a student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.2 for at least 12 credit hours and receive no grade below a C+ during the semester. Area student makes Central Penns list SUMMERDALE, Pa. Tracy Patton of Queensbury has been named to the Central Penn College Deans List for the winter 2017 term. Patton is currently majoring in business administration. To qualify for the designation, a student must carry six or more credits and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or better for the term. Local students take alternative break ALBANY Hunter Hitchcock of Chestertown and Jillian Reed of Brant Lake were two of seven students from the College of Saint Rose who spent an alternative spring break in the impoverished Tenderloin district of San Francisco helping to feed thousands of hungry and homeless individuals. The students worked with the GLIDE churchs service-learning program helping in the churchs soup kitchen. GLIDE feeds about 2,000 to 3,000 hungry or homeless people each week. The experience gave the students a close look at poverty, as did a tour of the Tenderloin district with a local resident and community advocate and attending programs run by those who work with the poor. The students departed Albany on March 4 and returned March 10. Fourth-graders help support city K9 Unit WARRENSBURG Warrensburg Elementary School fourth-graders sponsored an Ugly Sweater Competition in December to raise money to support the K9 Unit of the Glens Falls Police Department as part of the schools Make A Difference project. The students created posters and flyers asking students, faculty and staff to wear ugly sweaters in exchange for monetary donations and/or dog treats. The students raised $267 and filled two large boxes with dog treats. In addition, teacher Shari Raymond and her husband Stephen Raymond donated an additional $100 online to the GFPD K9 Go Fund Me page. Officer Jarred Smith visited the students March 16 to accept the donation and to share information about the K9 program and K9 officers Neeko and Phlash. Spring has finally sprung here in upstate New York. I hear temperatures in the mid 70s are coming this week. And I understand it is a week away, but the upcoming Easter weekend looks promising as well. This is the week to complete all the finishing touches on your Easter baskets. Here are some fun tips to save you money while giving great items. Reuse old baskets: We all have some baskets hanging out in a pile in the basement. You dont need to buy a new one every year, especially when it is used once, then not needed again. If you do want to buy a special basket for your child, think about having one personalized and then use it again and again, year after year. Find coupons for candy: If you had the chance, hopefully you stocked up on candy the day after Valentines Day. If you didnt, manufacturers usually release coupons for candy this time of year. I never recommend buying a ton of candy for the baskets. Usually there is a favorite kind or brand. Stick to buying that. This will make the basket more personalized. Fill baskets with things they need: As I said above, spring is here. Time for lighter jackets, capris and maybe even shorts. Give your children some new clothes for the upcoming season. Small treats are great for young children: Think outside the box. Use small things such as sidewalk chalk, slime or silly putty, crafts supplies, bath crayons, Play-Doh, puzzles, etc. If you have older children or teenagers, they need baskets, too. Some great ideas for them would be makeup, bubble bath, body lotions, gift certificates, etc. Just because they dont believe in the bunny anymore doesnt mean they dont deserve a special treat for the holiday. Do a family gift: Because you want to teach your children that it is not about the material items, do a gift basket with special items for the family to do. Make up a mock gift certificate for a day of hiking with the family. We live in one of the most beautiful areas, so get outside and see it. Put in some candy and popcorn and have a movie night. Times like these will be cherished memories for years to come and they cost little or, my favorite, are free! In my monthly class at The Post-Star, I go into detail about using coupons, saving money, finding monthly deals and how they will benefit your family and your pocketbook. There are free giveaways during the class as well. Please join me for my next class at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 24. Feel free to call 518-742-3309 or go topoststar.com/couponclass. Head over to my blog at Making Cent$ About Extreme Couponing to find some great deals around the region this week. Post your questions, comments and deals in the comments section. Church will host dinner, service SALEM The Hebron United Presbyterian Church will host a Maundy Thursday potluck dinner and Tenebrae Worship Service at 6 p.m. Thursday at the newly merged East and West Hebron churches, 3153 Route 30. Bring a dish to share. Dessert and beverages will be provided. Worship with Holy Communion will begin at 7 p.m. Contact the Rev. Laura Mitchell at 854-3729 for more information. Holy Week and Easter worship The East and West Hebron United Presbyterian churches are now the Hebron United Presbyterian Church, or HUPC. Event and service locations will be designated as either HUPC West at 3153 Route 30 in West Hebron, or HUPC East at 6559 Route 22 in East Hebron. All Holy Week and Easter services will be held at HUPC West. The church will hold a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. followed by a Tenebrae Communion service at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Great Easter Vigil will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday. Easter sunrise service and potluck breakfast will be at 6:30 a.m. with festival communion service at HUPC West at 10:30 a.m. April 16. For information or questions, call Pastor Laura Mitchell at 854-3729. Church will host an Easter Vigil GLENS FALLS Christ Church United Methodist will host an Easter Vigil community vespers service at 7 p.m. Saturday at the church, corner of Bay and Washington streets. The service will feature music, readings and prayers oriented around the theme Waiting for the Resurrection Hope for Times of Uncertainty. Christ Church musicians and guest vocalist Gisella Montanez will participate. The service is open to all. Offerings go to the Christ Church pipe organ maintenance and refurbishing fund. The service is the first in a series of four Christ Church community vespers in 2017. Historian will be featured speaker SCHUYLERVILLE Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at the town of Saratoga Town Hall, corner of routes 4 and 29. Devin Lander, New York state historian, will be the program speaker. Lander was previously executive director of the Museum Association of New York, where he worked with historical organizations throughout the state. In other positions, he has been a project archivist for special collections at SUNY Albany and a staff coordinator for the Historic HudsonHoosic Rivers Partnership. He will speak about his current position as state historian, his recent projects and his many goals. The public is welcome. For more information, call 587-2978. Breakfast and sunrise service TICONDEROGA All are invited to Easter morning breakfast at the First United Methodist Church, 1045 Wicker St., on April 16 following the Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at 6 a.m. at Fort Ticonderoga. A tradition for many years, Chef Bunny and crew will be preparing a wide array of breakfast favorites for early risers. The Ecumenical Service will have many area clergy participate and all faiths are welcome. Everyone is advised to wear warm clothing to the service. Donations to the Ticonderoga Area Clergy Association Fund will be received to help those in need in the area. Breakfast will be served to all immediately after the service from about 6:45 to 8 a.m., whether attending the service or not. The menu will include breakfast eggs bonanza, French toast, bacon, sausage, orange juice, hot coffee, tea and cocoa. A free-will donation will be accepted. High chairs and booster seats are available for the younger set for the family-style breakfast buffet. The Easter Sunday Service at the church will start at 10 a.m. Pastor Scott Tyler will lead the family-friendly worship service that will include a childrens message and special music. Communion will be available to all. For more information about the services or the church, call 585-7995 or visit the church website, www.tifumc.com. Performance to honor volunteer SARATOGA SPRINGS The Saratoga Chamber Players will perform at 3 p.m. April 23 at the United Methodist Church, Fifth Avenue and Henning Road, with a program in honor of Dr. David Wasser, who retired after almost 30 years of distinguished and varied service to all facets of the organization. As a longtime board member and volunteer as well as board chair, Wasser could be found housing musicians, making his special almond cookies for receptions and even moving chairs and music stands between pieces. The concert will feature the voice of soprano Charlotte Dobbs with songs by Schubert and Shostakovichs Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok for soprano, violin, cello and piano. The program also includes Schuberts Piano Trio in B flat Major, op. 99 with SCP regulars, cellist Eliot Bailen and SCP Artistic Director/violinist Jill Levy, and with pianist Renana Gutman. All four performers will greet attendees at a Meet-the-Musician reception following the concert. Tickets may be purchased online at www.saratogachamberplayers.org/event/voice-piano-strings-beckon/ or at the door. Cost is $20 for adults; $18 for seniors; $15 for students; and children are admitted free of charge. Yard, bake sale donations sought HUDSON FALLS The Hudson Falls United Methodist Church is now accepting donations for its annual Yard and Bake Sale, which will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. May 5 and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 6 at the church, 227 Main St. To donate or volunteer, contact Tom Albrecht or April Washburn at 798-0338 or aprilw@hilltopconstructionco.com. The sale will benefit the Hudson Falls United Methodist Church renovations. Hadley-Luzerne Alumni Banquet LAKE LUZERNE The Hadley-Luzerne Central School Alumni Banquet will be held June 3 at the Painted Pony Ranch. There will be an all-you-can-eat chicken and rib buffet, Vintage Country Band and a lot of shared memories. Cost is $23 per person. Newsletters have been sent. If you wish to receive one, call Carol Nelson at 696-3729. Applications for grants welcome SARATOGA SPRINGS The Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund is accepting grant applications from eligible nonprofit charities headquartered in Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The grant window is open from April 1 to Sept. 25, according to Mary Gavin, chair of the Community Funds independent advisory committee. Grant information and application forms may be obtained from the Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund website, www.atccf.org/nonprofits. In 2016, the Community Fund awarded $42,270 in Lend-a-Hand grants to 23 local, nonprofit organizations, supporting programs in such diverse areas as veterans outreach, mental health services, wildlife education, homelessness prevention, youth services and the arts. Grant recipients will be announced by the independent advisory committee in December 2017. Draft agriculture plan is released FORT EDWARD The Washington County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board invites the community to a presentation on a newly released guidance document to support and enhance the local farming economy. For the past two years, a steering committee comprised of farmers and ag-related agencies and county representatives conducted research, interviews, focus groups, surveys and public meetings with farmers to solicit feedback on challenges and opportunities to support the countys agricultural businesses. The public also participated in a survey as part of the planning process. A public hearing on the draft Washington County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. April 19 at the County Annex Room (next to Cornell Cooperative Extension) in Fort Edward. The plan, once finalized, will need to be adopted by the AFPB and the Washington County Board of Supervisors. The draft plan can be viewed and downloaded from Washington Countys website, www.co.washington.ny.us/534/Agriculture. The public is encouraged to read the plan and provide any feedback to ASA, the plan consultant. Send comments to Renee at renee@agstewardship.org or mail to ASA, 2531 state Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834. Comments are due by April 30. SARATOGA SPRINGS The Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund has begun to accept grant applications from eligible nonprofit charities headquartered in the Saratoga, Warren and Washington County areas. Grant applications will be accepted until Sept. 25, acccording to Mary Gavin, chair of the Community Funds independent advisory committee. Grant information and application forms may be obtained from the Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund website at www.atccf.org/nonprofits. The Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund was established in 2009 to build an endowment that acts as a perpetual source of funding for nonprofit organizations which improve the quality of life in the community and to assist them in addressing issues of common concern. In 2016, the Community Fund awarded $42,270.00 in Lend-a-Hand grants to 23 local nonprofit organizations. Grant recipients will be announced by the independent advisory committee in December 2017. QUEENSBURY -- A Hudson Falls woman who allowed a drug dealer to sell crack cocaine from her former Glens Falls home with her children present has pleaded guilty to a felony and been put on probation. Sarah A. Fortune, 35, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal nuisance, a felony, for allowing a Glens Falls man to use her home for crack sales. Police said the dealer, Rhondel Jeremiah, compensated her with unspecified valuables. Warren County Judge John Hall put Fortune on interim probation for a year. If she does well, she will avoid a jail or prison sentence and be sentenced to probation. If not, she faces a jail or prison sentence. Jeremiah, 32, pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 6.5 years in state prison. MISSOULA - Here are some morsels you'll learn in the history class of professor Michael Mayer at the University of Montana: The church ladies loved the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. They called him "LLJ," short for "Little Lord Jesus." The minister and civil rights leader plagiarized his dissertation. He loved food, and he struggled with his weight before he was assassinated in 1968. "He wasn't perfect. He wasn't a saint. But he was an important and powerful and effective leader," said Mayer last week to a room with more than 100 students. Mayer has a doctorate from Princeton University, and he's a specialist in the civil rights movement. To learn from him is to learn from a scholar who has deep experience in one slice of U.S. history. In recent years, UM's budget has taken hits since enrollment has fallen, and some students and faculty have denounced departmental cuts and warned against them. But actual cuts aren't the only problem. Departments that have long been acclaimed are feeling the consequences of losses from attrition and a freeze that requires the UM president's approval on any new hires. In the history department, the number of faculty is roughly the same as it was when Mayer first was hired in 1988, some 13 bodies, with one person splitting time with another sector, according to Mayer and department Chairman Robert Greene. But as faculty members retire and the department remains unable to fill positions, enormous gaps in expertise have emerged. For roughly three years, UM has not had a historian of the U.S. West, a faculty member who used to draw stellar graduate students with interest in the West. "Given our location and given the existence of other strong programs on campus like environmental studies and Native American studies, history of the West is really important," Greene said. Greene said the department also is missing expertise in significant periods medieval history, the Renaissance and Reformation and places of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Longtime history professor Linda Frey said students in the department may get more attention than ever, and they still get an excellent education in the fields of expertise available. But the gaps hurt the institution. "This kind of bleeding is affecting the formation of our identity, which is why we've got to stop it," Frey said. Setting UM apart In the tight budget environment at UM, faculty have gone without desk phones and office supplies. But asking a faculty member with expertise in Asian history to teach a class on colonial America doesn't work. "Linda is a very talented European historian. But she can't teach American history," Mayer said. Frey said it would be like asking people in the trades to do each other's jobs: "You, the plumber be an electrician." The breadth of expertise is a hallmark of a flagship research institution. Mayer said the rich knowledge base within programs distinguishes the university from a community college or a junior college. "We weren't trained broadly. We were trained to be specialists," he said. Former President Royce Engstrom pushed global education at UM, but Mayer said it isn't easy to offer students an international perspective with the gaps that exist. Recruitment consequences The holes don't make recruitment easy either, and UM needs more students. When the history department had a historian of the U.S. West in place, it attracted the cream-of-the-crop of students who had an interest in that area. "It was really a major draw for us as far as getting topnotch graduate students from around the country to come to Missoula," said Greene, the department chair. "A lot of graduate students have since gone on to positions at universities across the country." In 2006, when Greene arrived, the department counted some 24 graduate students, and more than half of them were working on research with Dan Flores, then the A.B. Hammond chair and historian of the West. Greene said the department counts probably 20 graduate students at most today, and just a couple are doing work in the West. "The students who are applying are well aware of what universities have strong programs in western history, and they're applying for those programs right now, and we're not one of them," Greene said. "When we get the Hammond professor, I think we'll be back at a position of regional and national strength in that field." Full-time faculty teach all their own general education courses in history instead of farming them out, he said. The history department also is one of the smallest in the United States that grants doctoral degrees. Robert Lambeth, a doctoral student, is focused on Northwest labor history, and he said the hole in the department affects his research. Lambeth chose UM partly because it's close to Spokane, where he has family. The lack of a historian of the West means he relies on another professor for guidance, and that faculty member is spread thin, he said. Lambeth also doesn't have a peer group familiar with the same era. "Ultimately, that takes away from the learning experience and the kind of feedback that people need for their specific research," Lambeth said. Budget pressure across campus Austin Wardlow attends UM because the school was willing to accommodate his needs. "I will gladly disclose this. They were very willing to work with me with my learning disability," Wardlow said. The student who moved to Montana a couple of years ago said professors in the department, such as Mehrdad Kia and John Eglin, have more than met his expectations, and he praised them all: "Across the board, I have been completely amazed by them." But he would choose to take courses in medieval history, and the Renaissance, and Reformation, were they available. Wardlow said his exposure at UM to some areas of history made his interest grow, even if he wasn't originally drawn to them. "I don't think you can put a price on or diminish the value of being able to understand people, society, and how things happen and how they operate," Wardlow said. Professor Mayer said Wardlow isn't alone in wanting to take more courses than UM has available: "When (students) get here, often they find they can't take things they'd like to take, and that's a shame." But budget pressures are strong across campus, and the history department didn't lose faculty from last school year to this one. "At UM, if you've got a finger in the dike, you don't have a leak," Mayer said. 'We've been through this before' Professors in other fields have made the same observations that numbers don't reveal the whole picture when it comes to cuts. Faculty from the School of Journalism outlined the potential losses to their field in November 2015 when then-President Royce Engstrom announced UM would make deep budget cuts likely to affect instructors without tenure. The school was at risk of losing an expert in Native American journalism, a podcast and radio producer who mentored four Hearst winners in three years, and a data analyst whose expertise was sought by other units on campus. In the end, those three faculty members stayed, but UM is facing another overall budget reduction. Meanwhile, the deep employee cuts Engstrom called for didn't take place, and the current president and Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education have called for a trimmer budget given the enrollment slide of some 24 percent since 2010. Current President Sheila Stearns, who holds that job on an interim basis while UM seeks Engstrom's permanent replacement, has said UM needs to move the percent of personnel in the UM budget down several points from more than 80 percent. An increase in fall enrollment would help, but UM officials have said they aren't expecting one yet. Professor Frey said she isn't anticipating a big jump in history majors either, but interest in different fields is cyclical too. "We've been through this before, right?" she said. "Even though we try not to remember it, but it's really true. It will probably go back the other way if we hold on long enough." Shaping future priorities At UM, accreditation is underway, and associate provost Nathan Lindsay said the holes in history do not affect it, but he understands the concern about quality. The most recent program review of history at UM took place in spring 2014, and the reviewer described UM's history department as a model. "There is no doubt that the Department of History at UM has long maintained a tradition of excellence and remains well regarded, on the national level, for its scholarly productivity and teaching accomplishments," wrote Sean Quinlan, of the University of Idaho. At the same time, the reviewer noted the program faced decisions about hires and "the tension between pursuing increased specialization or a broader curriculum." The report suggested the program begin a process of "self-reflection" about its areas of emphasis and how they fit into UM's vision. Faculty still have philosophical differences around that tension, Greene said. "Some in the department here are in favor of trying to get as much geographic coverage as possible, which is important and admirable," he said. "Others I think are focused on trying to build to our existing strengths in political history, religious history, cultural history." He also said with the tight budget, it's a moot point. The overall campus is currently in the midst of several planning efforts, including a program review and strategic plan. Greene said the administration recognizes the need to fill the historian of the U.S. West post and considers it a priority. But the budget will be smaller next school year, and he believes UM may postpone the hire one more year. GLENS FALLS Kimberly Bren, executive director of Greater Glens Falls Senior Center, loves the view from the cupola atop the senior center building, which was built in 1844 as the home of Augustus Sherman. Sherman, she said, supposedly had the cupola built so he could look out at all his vast real estate holdings in the region. Sherman reportedly was the wealthiest man in Warren County in the 1870s, and it was estimated he was worth more than $2 million the equivalent of more than a half-billion dollars today when he died in 1884, said City Historian Wayne Wright. Sherman was an important enough figure locally that the street next to his house, orginally known as Hawkeye Street, was renamed Sherman Avenue, Joseph E. Barnes wrote in his 1990 book Profiles in Banking, about the history of First National Bank of Glens Falls. Sherman, the local banks president from 1858 to 1884, was a self-made man. Early in life he learned the lessons of exhaustive, rough manual labor working with his father in the mingled pursuits of farming and lumbering, Barnes wrote. By age 15, Sherman was hauling horse loads of lumber to Albany by himself, and by age 19 he was operating his own lumber and grist mills. Sherman lived and worked in Luzerne, and around 1840 sold his family holdings and moved to Glens Falls, Wright wrote in a biographical essay. Sherman operated local saw mills and lime kilns and purchased vast tracts of forest land in the Adirondacks, Wright wrote. It is believed he was the first person to own and operate canal boats on the Feeder Canal. Sherman was president of Glens Falls Paper Co. (now SCA Tissue in South Glens Falls), Bald Mountain Lime Co. and was a director of Glens Falls Insurance Co. He was a direct descendant of Roger Sherman of Connecticut, who signed the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution, according to a Nov. 30, 1977 Post-Star report. Dr. Edward Bemis, who operated the Bemis Eye Sanitarium in Glens Falls, also lived in the house at one point after Shermans death, Wright said. 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 CASPER When Mary Walkers husband underwent a joint replacement, he was given a prescription painkiller and joined the tens of millions of Americans taking opiates. Walker is a pharmacist and is currently the executive director of the Wyoming State Board of Pharmacy. But when her husband took the pills to treat his post-surgery pain, he struggled with the effects: The pills were strong, and at one point his lips turned blue, and Mary clapped her hands and used cold water to keep him awake. It didnt occur to Walker when her husband was prescribed the pills that he could be at risk for an overdose and that she might want to be ready with an opiate antagonist, a medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose. Now, she says, if he were to get the pills again, she would have the antidote handy. Such preparedness will be easier for Wyomingites in the wake of a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Matt Mead last month. Senate File 42 allows pharmacists to prescribe opiate antagonists, like Narcan and naloxone, to people who may be filling an opioid prescription, even if the pharmacist doesnt have a relationship with the patient or person receiving the prescription. The bill has received support from law enforcement, lawmakers and pharmacists. Craig Frederick, the executive director of the Wyoming Pharmacy Association, said his organization supported and lobbied for the bill. We see people every day that come into our pharmacies and we realize theres some potential of overdose happening, he said. Most of us know people that have experienced an overdose. We believe that this is a way to prevent unnecessary loss of life. The bill eases access for the medication to first responders, who can receive a standing order for the antagonists from a practitioner, said Walker. She said having the medication in the hands of law enforcement and other emergency response units could have a significant effect in cutting down on overdose deaths. That actually will be where the lives will be saved, she said, noting that the state highway patrol had already expressed interest in having an order written for the drugs. During legislative debate, Rep. Bo Biteman spoke in favor of the bill, noting support from law enforcement and from firefighters like himself. The bill was in large part the work of Rx Abuse Stakeholders, a group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, law enforcement and others who have been working to address systemic prescription drug abuse in Wyoming. Walker is a member of the organization, which started drafting language for the antagonist bill last year. This was something we knew was a gap in Wyoming, Walker said. The drug can come in both an EpiPen-like injector or a nasal spray, officials said. Growing epidemic But the bill also raised existential questions among some here about what role pharmacists should play in combating the growing opioid epidemic ravaging parts of the United States. During the legislative debate, Rep. Jamie Flitner asked why there wasnt more discussion about simply writing fewer prescriptions for drugs like OxyContin. Frederick said some pharmacists wondered if this was just giving a safety net, a get-out-of-an-overdose card, to drug users. Walker added that other practitioners noted that the only other thing pharmacists can prescribe are vaccines. Did opiate antagonists rise to the same level as vaccines? Part of giving pharmacists the power to prescribe the drug was asking them to make a judgement call as to which patients were offered it. Should every person filling an opiate prescription be offered the antagonist? We havent had a lot of pharmacists say, I cant wait to do that, Walker said. It took our board of pharmacy to think about, Is this something pharmacists should do? But as the drug abuse crisis has continued in recent years, she said, it became clear that this was a tool needed to fight the growing epidemic. There remain details to be ironed out: Who pays for the medications is unknown, she said. Currently, Narcan costs about $150 without insurance, Frederick said. The exact rules and regulations for education and the prescription are also in discussion. The Wyoming pharmacy and medical boards will work together to create those rules, Walker said, and her organization has already had two meetings about it. When a patient approaches a pharmacist with a prescription for Oxycodone, the conversation can go a number of ways, officials said. The patient could ask about Narcan, or the pharmacist could tell the person that the medication is available, just in case. Pharmacists may have to identify high-risk patients who are more likely to overdose, Walker said. Those people include opiate-naive individuals who may have never taken the medications before and are unaware of the pills strength or individual effect. On top of that, theres the possibility that family members of possible drug abusers could come to pharmacies with concerns about their loved ones safety. Pharmacists will have to educate whoever picks up the antagonist. That boils down to three points, Frederick said: When to use it, how to use it and what to do after they use it. The last point is critical. Though the antagonist can bring back a person from an overdose, it isnt a cure. Narcan can be effective for as little as 30 minutes, so rushing the person to a hospital is essential. Still, in a rural state like Wyoming, where it can take several minutes for an ambulance to arrive, 30 minutes can mean the difference between life and death. And Narcan can offer new life in more ways than one, said Lisa Hunt, a compliance officer with the pharmacy board. Its another opportunity for that person to get into some kind of a treatment program, she said. A US Navy carrier strike group was moving toward the Korean Peninsula on Saturday as the United States boosts its defenses against North Koreas nuclear ambitions. US Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific, said Commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, he told AFP. The strike group includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson, a carrier air wing, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser. Originally scheduled to make port calls in Australia, it headed instead from Singapore to the Western Pacific Ocean. Trump has threatened unilateral action against the hermit state, a threat that appears more palpable after he ordered a strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack. The US informed Israel of its attack on Syria shortly before it took place and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first leaders to applaud the US move early Friday morning. Netanyahu was one of the first leaders to applaud the US move early Friday morning. He is expected to convene the 10-member security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the situation in Syria. At 6 a.m. Friday, just hours after Trump announced the attack on the Syrian airbase which the Pentagon said played a part in last weeks chemical attack in Idlib, Netanyahus office issued a statement saying that in both word and action, President Trump sent a strong and clear message today that the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated. Israel fully supports Trumps decision, the statement continued, and hopes that this message of resolve in the face of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regimes horrific actions will resonate not only in Damascus, but in Tehran, Pyongyang and elsewhere. The statement was issued even though just over 12 hours earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin had reprimanded Israel in a phone call with Netanyahu, saying it was too early to say who was responsible for the sarin gas attack. During that phone call, Putin according to the Kremlin stressed the unacceptability of making groundless accusations against anyone before a thorough and impartial international investigation. Netanyahus quick praise for the attack led to a conversation Friday morning with US Vice President Mike Pence, who according to the Prime Ministers Office called Netanyahu and thanked him, on behalf of Trump, for Israels strong support for the American action in Syria. During a conference call organized by the Israel Project, Amidror said that Iran bears responsibility for Assads actions, since they and Hezbollah have given him unqualified support over the years regardless of his brutality. Amidror said that Iran supported Assad after his previous use of chemical weapons, and that there is no question that even if they did not have prior knowledge of the attack in Idlib, they are morally responsible. Regarding whether Israel itself will take military action in Syria, as former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin suggested last week, Amidror said that Israel would remain on the sidelines but provide both humanitarian aid to the Syrians, and intelligence assistance to its allies acting inside Syria. We will stay on the sidelines, because our strategic decision was not to take part in this war, he said. If there is something specific that we can do militarily or from an intelligence point of view, Im sure Israel will be willing to contribute to such efforts, adding that Im sure we are active in helping our allies with intelligence. Amidror said that the two redlines that Israel set out remain: that Jerusalem will act in the future, as it has in the past, against the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, and to keep Hezbollah from using Syria as a launching pad for attacks against Israel. North Korea is dipping its toe into situation in Syria. The country on Saturday decried the U.S. military strike against an air base in western Syria, saying the unforgivable attack justified North Koreas growing nuclear weapons program. "The U.S. missile attack against Syria is a clear and unforgivable act of aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn this, a foreign ministry official said on the KCNA news agency . The reality of today proves our decision to strengthen our military power to stand against force with force was the right choice a million times over. The regime of embattled Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has reportedly threatened to fire SCUD missiles at Israel if it carries out any more strikes on Syrian soil. Since the start of the Syrian civil war, Israel is believed to have struck select targets in Syria on several occasions. Most often, the targets were dangerous weapons shipments to the Hezbollah terrorist militia, which is allied with Assad. Israeli forces have also returned fire into Syria numerous times following artillery attacks on the Golan Heights by rebel groups. In a message to Israel reported in the Lebanese outlet Al-Diyar, the Assad regime warned: Syria could retaliate against Israel by firing Scud missiles should the latter strike Syria one more time. Syria is estimated to have upwards of 800 SCUD missiles, each capable of delivering a payload of half a ton of explosives in the best scenario, and chemical warheads in the worst. Most believe Syrias other ally, Russia, would prevent Assad from attacking Israel. But as a last ditch effort to hang on to power, such an attack cannot be easily dismissed. Israel this week officially unveiled a not-so-secret secret weapon it has been working on with the US defense industry for some years. The entry into service of the Davids Sling anti-missile system completes Israels multi-tier missile shield. Already for years the Iron Dome has been protecting southern Israel from short-range rockets and mortar shells. The Arrow system recently went into service to defend Israel against long-range ballistic missiles. It was utilized a week ago to defend Israeli warplanes on a mission over Syria from enemy anti-aircraft. Davids Sling is intended to fill the gap between the Iron Dome and the Arrow by knocking down the type of medium-range missiles of which Lebanons Hezbollah is believed to have tens of thousands. With this multi-tier missile shield in place, Israels enemies are unlikely to do much damage to her, but would not survive a serious Israeli counterattack. And thats why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned during the ceremony for the Davids Sling: Whoever tries to strike us will be hit, those that threaten our existence put themselves in existential danger. Government agents in Sudan are telling the Christians who belong to an estimated 25 churches that their buildings are on government land and they are going to be demolished. Apparently, even if theyre not on the wrong land. Reports of the escalation of the persecution of Christians in the Muslim-majority country come from the American Center for Law and Justice. More than a year ago, ACLJ reported when the Sudanese Air Force dropped four bombs on an Episcopal Church of Sudan complex, destroying the compound. Authorities also bulldozed a Lutheran Church of Sudan building without any warning when local authorities said the church was built on land allocated for business. And government agents destroyed a 600-worshipper Sudanese Church of Christ to take land for low-cost housing. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Jahner hired by CCU Jenna Jahner has been hired as an accountant at Capital Credit Unions main office in Bismarck. Jahner has more than two years of experience in the financial services industry and holds bachelors degrees in accounting and business administration from the University of Mary. Wald qualifies David Wald, Bismarck, has qualified for the Top of the Table, the highest level of the Million Dollar Round Table association of financial professionals. Wald is with Securian Financial Advisors of N.D. Inc. and is an eight-year MDRT member and four-time Top of the Table qualifier. Wald has also been named Securians adviser of the month for March based on production and client service. Brandner on staff Katie Brandner has joined Wagner Financial Services in Bismarck. Brandner has 12 years of financial experience and will have administrative duties. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Mary in business administration. Schnell achieves Ryan Schnell, of Bismarck, was a top-5 producer of PACCO auto insurance, FUMI personal lines and FUMI commercial lines insurance for Farmers Union Insurance during February. Schnell is the insurance agent for CCU Insurance Agency LLC. Promoted, hired One employee has been promoted and two people have joined the staff of EMC Insurance Cos. in Bismarck. Heather Johnson has been promoted to commercial lines underwriter III. Johnson joined EMC in 1999 and holds the associates in general insurance and in underwriting designations. Bob McAdoo was hired as risk improvement specialist for Montana. He has bachelors and masters degrees in occupational health and safety from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and most recently was the safety director for a construction company in Texas. Austin Simonieg is a risk improvement representative for North Dakota. Simonieg earned a bachelors degree in industrial engineering from North Dakota State University and most recently was assistant manager at an auto repair shop. Gerhardt hired Lindsay Gerhardt has been hired as a full-time flightline technician at Bismarck Aero Center. A Beulah native, Gerhardt previously worked in airline ground handling at the Bismarck Airports commercial terminal. Changes at bank Kendrick Calavera has been promoted by American Bank Center, and Justin Bargmann has joined the Mandan staff. Calavera, who joined American in 2016 as a teller, is now a mortgage banking officer. Bargmann is the regional agriculture lead lender for the Bismarck-Mandan area. Bargmann graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agriculture economics. He has agriculture experience in the past 16 years as a loan officer and an insurance agent. Mitzel an agent Stasia Mitzel is a new agent at Keller Willliams Inspire Realty in Bismarck. She is working as a buyers agent. Jones joins Chelsea Jones has joined Century 21 Morrison Realty as an agent. Jones grew up in western North Dakota and has worked in customer service and as a personal banker for Wells Fargo. "War is the health of the state. It automatically sets in motion throughout society those irresistible forces for uniformity, for passionate cooperation with the government in coercing into obedience the minority groups and individuals which lack the larger herd sense." Randolph Bourne (1886-1918) WASHINGTON One hundred years ago, two events three days apart set the 20th century's trajectory. On April 9, 1917, in Zurich, Vladimir Lenin boarded a train. Germany expedited its passage en route to Saint Petersburg known as Leningrad from 1924 to 1991 expecting him to exacerbate Russia's convulsions, causing Russia's withdrawal from World War I, allowing Germany to shift forces to the Western Front. Lenin boarded the train three days after the United States, responding to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and other provocations, declared war. Soon 2 million Americans would be in Europe. They, and the promise of many more, compelled Germany to accept an armistice at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Monday night and the next two nights, PBS' "American Experience" will present a six-hour documentary, "The Great War." Watch it and wince. It covers familiar diplomatic and military events, before and after America's bloodiest battle, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, in which American fatalities averaged 550 a day for 47 days. Woodrow Wilson imposed and incited extraordinary repressions: "There are citizens of the United States ... born under other flags ... who have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life. ... Such creatures of passion, disloyalty and anarchy must be crushed out. ... They are infinitely malignant, and the hand of our power should close over them." His Committee on Public Information churned out domestic propaganda instructing the public how to detect pro-German sympathies. A 22-year-old Justice Department official named J. Edgar Hoover administered a program that photographed, fingerprinted and interrogated 500,000 suspects. Local newspapers published the names of people who were not buying war bonds or otherwise supporting the war. People were fired or ostracized for insufficient enthusiasm. The Espionage Act of 1917 made it a crime to "collect, record, publish or communicate" information useful to the enemy. In Illinois, Robert Prager, a German-American coal miner suspected of spying, was stripped, marched through the streets and hanged. The Washington Post deplored such "excesses" but applauded the "healthful and wholesome awakening in the interior part of the country." Josef Hofer and his two brothers were South Dakota Hutterites whose faith forbade any involvement in war, including wearing a military uniform. They were arrested in March 1918, and a week after the armistice they were sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Arriving at the military prison around midnight, they stood naked for hours in a 17-degree November night. Then they were suspended naked from the bars of their cells, their feet barely touching the ground, refusing to wear the uniforms left in their cells. Fed only bread and water, after two weeks David Hofer was allowed to telegraph to Josef's wife, telling her that her husband was dying. He died the morning after she arrived. Prison guards mocked his corpse by dressing it in a uniform. The U.S. military was the world's 17th largest in April 1917, smaller (less than 250,000) than Romania's, and smaller than Britain's casualties in one battle. America's military became a melting pot for a nation in which one-third of the population had been born abroad or whose parents had been. Forty-three languages were spoken in one Army division raised in New York. One group was ineligible for melting: Printed at the bottom of draft registration cards were these words: "If person is of African descent, tear off this corner." The African-Americans from around the nation who joined New York's 15th National Guard Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, included Leroy Johnston from Phillips County, Ark. He spent nine months in French hospitals recuperating from wounds suffered in the Meuse-Argonne, then in 1919 returned to an Arkansas seething with fears of an African-American insurrection because a returning African-American veteran had formed a union of black sharecroppers. The narrator of "The Great War" says that as groups of white men "roamed the countryside, killing hundreds of black people, a train pulled into the station. A crowd rushed aboard and dragged out four unsuspecting black men. They were Leroy Johnston and his three brothers." After a melee, "the mob shot the Johnston brothers to pieces." The war unleashed a flu pandemic that killed more people in a year somewhere between 20 million and 50 million than the war killed in four years. The flu's victims included Randolph Bourne. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East This isn't San Francisco, New York, or London it's Toronto. And its bid to become the Silicon Valley of the North is now getting a boost from the Trump administration. Because Trump was elected US president partly on an anti-immigration campaign, interest in moving to Canada has skyrocketed. The University of Toronto saw a 70% jump in applications from American students at the end of 2016, according to the Toronto Star and that was before the president began efforts to bar immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries. More recently, after a decision to delay the H-1B visas used by American businesses to hire skilled workers, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeauannounced in March an expedited work-permit process for the same kind of foreign talent. And while London is the world's largest center for financial technology, or fintech, immigration policies are equally uncertain there ever since Britain's 2016 decision to leave the EU. As a result, Canada's startups are seeing a jump in job applications especially from workers in the US. "I've never seen numbers like this," said Roy Pereira, CEO of Zoom.ai, an enterprise-tech chatbot startup. "Engineers wanting to immigrate to Canada from places like India are normal, but I've never seen anything close to the numbers of candidates from the US." His company had 101 candidates apply for a "full-stack software engineering" position in a single month. Of those, 31% were from the US, 22% from Canada, 33% from India, and 15% from elsewhere. "Certainly the geopolitical environment right now and what Trump has alluded to in terms of his new immigration policy and his perspective on H-1Bs I think that has made some people nervous," said Salim Teja, executive vice president of venture at MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto venture program helping position the city as the next great startup destination. Because of its large footprint in the Canadian startup scene, MaRS which says it is the world's largest urban innovation hub and home to 1,000 startups within its venture program across the health, finance, energy, and education sectors is often the federal government's go-to adviser on policy surrounding innovation. And it isn't just home to startups. MaRS, which spans 1.5 million square feet in downtown Toronto, houses 250 larger organizations that lease its space, including outposts for Facebook, Airbnb, and PayPal. "We play an important role in connecting partners to the startup ecosystem those could be international investor partners, those could be international corporate partners," said Teja, who spent six years in Silicon Valley before returning to Canada and helping to build MaRs. "We match incoming talent from both around the world and locally here in the ecosystem to our companies that are growing." Silicon Valley investors One draw for US investors right now is the cheap exchange rate, which takes investment dollars further and makes investments more attractive. Another is the softer competition for deals in the Canadian market, meaning that startup valuations are more reasonable than in places like Silicon Valley. Toronto the fourth-largest city in North America after Mexico City, New York, and Los Angeles, with a population of 2.7 million is relatively accessible from startup hubs like New York and Boston. The city has attracted the likes of Union Square Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Horizon Venture Partners, Azure Capital, Felicis Ventures, and Sequoia Capital, all of which have invested in Toronto companies. Union Square's Fred Wilson recently said in a blog post that Toronto was his firm's No. 3 location for investment after New York and San Francisco. "They're not just coming but they're actually writing checks and investing in companies, and I think that's what drove us to have a record year in VC last year," Teja said. Canadian venture-capital investments hit a 15-year high in 2016 with $3.7 billion invested, according to Thomson Reuters data. Four hundred and fifty-nine Canadian companies closed 571 rounds of financing, a 36% increase over the previous year and something not seen since 2000. It's paying off for MaRS' startups, which are raising money and making significant exits. Bluerock Therapeutics, a stem-cell-therapy company, last year raised $225 million in a Series A round the largest in biotech-funding history, while Highland Therapeutics raised $200 million from Morgan Stanley. As of 2015, MaRS' venture companies had collectively generated $1.3 billion in revenue over seven years, with annual growth of $1 billion projected by 2025. It's not just the startup and VC communities that are growing in Canada larger tech companies are expanding their presence too. Amazon is scouting for retail space in Toronto, Teja said. That company made a big hiring push for its web services in Vancouver last August, posting 1,000 positions, and opened a data center in Montreal in December. Cisco and Microsoft are growing their footprints, and Google Canada organized a conference last year called "Go North" for Canadian startups. Unique flavor Now, according to Teja, the question is: "As this window of opportunity opens up, how quickly can Canada capitalize on this opportunity?" Key to doing that will be developing Toronto's own "flavor of innovation" to enable it to compete in the world in a unique way, Teja said, rather than simply trying to recreate the Bay Area. One way to do that is to create new opportunities as more industries start to overlap with one another. Health companies are becoming tech companies, energy companies are becoming fintech companies. MaRS, with its 1,000 startups across four broad sectors, is well placed to capitalize on that trend. At every step, authorities try to intercept the drugs and apprehend their purveyors. In response, traffickers have developed a variety of inventive ways to obscure their cargos. In August 2016, US border agents uncovered more than 4,000 pounds of marijuana hidden among limes. In two incidents in July, border agents found well over 200 pounds of meth hidden in shipments of jalapenos and cucumbers. But food isn't the only method of concealment. non-exhaustive list of the clever ways traffickers have smuggled drugs. Stuffed chili peppers and fake carrots Drug traffickers have mixed legitimate business with their illicit activities, in part so that the former can conceal the latter. Vaunted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, now awaiting trial in the US, was no exception. He opened a cannery in Guadalajara and began producing thousands of cans stamped 'Comadre Jalapenos,' stuffing them with cocaine, profilebefore "vacuum-sealing them and shipping them to Mexican-owned grocery stores in California." In one instance, according to a court in San Diego, 1,400 boxes of canned peppers, filled with "hundreds of kilos of cocaine," were intercepted at the border. In January 2016, agents in Texas discovered a shipment of marijuana wrapped in orange tape and a concealed within a cargo of carrots. The bust uncovered more than a ton of weed worth a half-million dollars. In October 2016, Customs and Border Protection agents stopped a tractor trailer loaded with a commercial shipment of carrots. Among the carrots, agents found 159 packages of 88 pounds worth of what was thought to be meth. Watermelons, pineapples, and other produce #TBT to some #Coconuts! #CB... @ customsborder In February 2014, just a few days before Guzman was captured for the second time, it was reported that authorities in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, seized more than 4,000 cucumbers and plantains stuffed with cocaine. In another case, a checkpoint in Arizona came across a shipment of marijuana that had been packaged in green plastic with yellow streaks giving the bundles the appearance of watermelons. Authorities on the US-Mexico border have also discovered crystal meth hidden in pineapples. Drugs hidden within food shipments can make it deep into the US. In December 2016, police in Chicago were tipped off to the arrival of a tomato shipment with 54 kilos of cocaine in it drugs with a street value of almost $7 million. Bananas are especially popular Colombia is a major producer of bananas. Colombia is also a major producer of cocaine. Traffickers have seized on that overlap. In September, Spanish police busted a 2,000-pound cocaine haul hidden in a commercial shipment of bananas in the southern city of Sevilla. The bananas don't have to be real, however. In November, Spanish police in the southern coastal city of Malaga and the Mediterranean coast city of Valencia uncovered 37.5 pounds of cocaine just over 15 pounds of it concealed in fake bananas made of resin, with the rest hidden in the flaps of the cardboard boxes the bananas were shipped in. Tamales intercepted Tortillas Salsa US authorities aren't the only ones encountering foodstuffs laden with narcotics In July 2016, Mexican marines in the cartel-war-torn state of Colima intercepted a multiton shipment of cocaine hidden in containers of salsa and bound for Sinaloa state, the home turf of the Sinaloa cartel, from where it would almost certainly be smuggled to the US. Donuts and cakes Some time in late 2014 or early 2015, Mexico soldiers confiscated packages of donuts covered not in powdered sugar but instead "were sprinkled with cocaine," according to BBC Mundo. In late 2013, authorities in San Andres Island in Colombia, a popular tourist destination, found almost a kilogram of cocaine hidden in 12 donuts. Authorities have also found cakes stuffed with amphetamines. Frozen sharks and seafood In 2009, Mexican marines searching a shipment of frozen sharks in Progreso, Yucatan, found packets of cocaine hidden inside the dead fish "one of the strangest discoveries" yet made, BBC Mundo noted. The shipment of doped-up sharks was not the only attempt to conceal narcotics in seafood. According to Radden Keefe, Guzman also made use of fish shipments, hoping the nature of the cargo would turn away prying eyes and noses. Guzman, the Sinaloa cartel boss, packaged drugs "in truckloads of fish (which inspectors at a sweltering checkpoint might not want to detain for long)." Tunnels "The Mexico-US border is like a block of cheese with holes in it, with tunnels across it," author and journalist Ioan Grillo told Business Insider. It's likely that Guzman is responsible many of those tunnels. In the late '80s, according to Radden Keefes profile of Guzman, the Sinaloa boss hired an architect to construct a short passage running roughly 200 feet from an attorney's house in Agua Prieta in the northwestern state of Sonora to a cartel-owned warehouse in Douglas, Arizona. Once that first tunnel was finished, Guzman instructed an associate to call their Colombian suppliers. "Tell them to send all the drugs they can," Guzman ordered. The Sinaloa cartel invested heavily in tunnels from then on, constructing "super-tunnels" furnished with electric lights, motorized carts, and ventilation systems that criss-crossed the US border like veins. Guzman even incorporated tunnels into his various escape routes. They've got skilled engineers making these" tunnels, Grillo said, "people who are qualified engineers, who will reinforce that tunnel, make it big, and have it so you [have] rails on them, with trains, electric lights, air vents. "The border patrol are constantly filling these up with cement, constantly blocking these things," Grillo added. Planes The Sinaloa cartel under the leadership of Guzman emerged on the scene in the early 1990s, moving drugs over a single route into Arizona. It soon expanded into shipping by air, moving cocaine on small private airplanes as well as in luggage on larger flights. I went to the military base of the Mexican army in Sinaloa, in Culiacan, and they had more than 100 light aircraft they'd seized from drug traffickers And these were only the ones they'd seized, Grillo told Business Insider. They actually put them in a military base because at first they had them in the regular airport, and the drug traffickers used to go in and take them back, he added. According to Radden Keefe, Cartel operatives eventually [moved drugs] on their own 747s, which they could load with as much as 13 tons of cocaine. Submarines Narco subs either full-fledged submarines or self-propelled semisubmersibles are one of the most advanced and ambitious methods by which traffickers move narcotics. Traffickers' first forays into undersea transport were humble. They had "crude semi-submersibles at first, then fully submersible subs, conceived by engineers and constructed under the canopy of the Amazon, [which were] then floated downriver in pieces and assembled at the coastline," according to Radden Keefe. "I cannot image what the guys in these submarines are going through, sitting there underneath the ocean in one of these homemade submarines," Grillo said. Submarines of any complexity are a costly undertaking, but the investment was minimal compared to the profits traffickers like Guzman have reaped from just a handful of successfully delivered cargoes. "They're investing tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars in some of these submarines, which, again, is nothing when you see the profits of the cocaine trade," Grillo noted. "I mean, the cocaine trade makes billions and billions of dollars every year." Drones In January 2015, a drone carrying nearly 3 kilos of crystal meth crashed in Tijuana, near the US border. Police said the drone was likely unable to sustain the weight it was transporting. In September 2015, a 26-pound bundle of marijuana, possibly carried by a drone, crashed through a home in Nogales, near the Mexican border. Just have drones have been used to get contraband into the US, people have attempted to use them to get contraband into prisons. A Maryland inmate serving a life sentence for murder and two other men were convicted of conspiring to smuggle drugs and pornography into a prison with a drone in March 2016. Catapults The US authorities have thrown up many barriers to the flow of drugs from Mexico. Guzman and other smugglers, in response, just throw their bundles higher. "We've seen some incredible things, like cartels using big catapults to simply throw drugs over the border," Grillo told Business Insider. "They just put the drugs there and, whoom! over the border fence, and then somebody picks it up on the other side." Catapults have been discovered on multiple occasions, and some of them capable of flinging drug packets 100 meters. The use of a centuries-old piece of technology was especially galling for US officials. "They erect this fence" on the US side, Michael Braun, a former DEA official, told Radden Keefe, "only to go out there a few days later and discover that these guys have a catapult, and theyre flinging hundred-pound bales of marijuana over to the other side." In February, just a few weeks after President Donald Trump he of the vaunted border wall took office, US agents on the border came across another catapult strapped to an existing section of border fence. Two bundles of nearly 50 pounds of marijuana were found near by. Cars Drug traffickers have taken advantage of the millions of cars and trucks that cross between the US and Mexico every year, and inspectors at border checkpoints have found a variety of secret compartments and stashes in automobiles. "Classic trap cars," as Grillo described them, "these cars they build up in these workshops with these great hiding places, hiding drugs inside the gas tanks so that the customs people have to cut it open with a blow torch [in order] to check this thing out." According to BBC Mundo, drugs have been hidden in tires and gas tanks and disguised as parts of the engine. Cars aren't the only machinery used to ship drugs, though. Mexican officials in Progreso, a port city in Yucatan state, found diluted cocaine in the insulating oil being shipped with electrical transformers. The cargo had arrived from Argentina. Statues In January, Customs and Border Protection officials in Cincinnati came across a package from Mexico, labeled "Mexican stone crafts." The package contained a concrete decorative snail statue that an X-ray inspection showed had "interior anomalies." Inside, the agents found just over 53 pounds of methamphetamine. The statue had been sent from Mexico City and was destined for Lawrenceville, Georgia. An Xbox CBP agents stopped a 16-year-old attempting to cross into the US from Sonora, Mexico, in mid-September. A narcotics-detecting canine directed their attention to an Xbox the traveler was carrying, and an inspection revealed 3 pounds of meth worth about $10,000 hidden inside. Sneakers A woman from Ciudad Juarez was stopped on September 5 as she tried to pass through the Ysleta international pedestrian crossing. During an inspection, CBP agents noticed the shoes she was wearing were heavy and that the inner soles were "thick and bulky." After an X-ray revealed an anomaly in the soles, agents probed them, uncovering a white powder that tested positive for cocaine 1.32 pounds in total. The human body As long as people have been moving illicit cargo, they've been moving it on their bodies. The investigation comes after Bloom and her client, Wendy Walsh, called Fox's workplace misconduct hotline, and placed an official complaint against O'Reilly on Wednesday. A recording of the call was also uploaded to YouTube. "Walsh and I officially called in her sexual harassment complaint against O'Reilly to Fox News hotline," Bloom tweeted on Wednesday. "Fox News and O'Reilly have said no one has complained about him on their complaint line. That is no longer true. We have the proof." Walsh was a regular guest on The O'Reilly Factor and was reportedly offered a paid contributor position at the network. After she refused an invitation to go to O'Reilly's hotel suite in 2013, a New York Times investigation found, he did not follow through on securing her a job at Fox News. Walsh is one of several women who have made claims of sexual harassment against O'Reilly. He and Fox News paid out $13 million in settlements to five women who had previously accused the host of harassment, according to the Times. The women's allegations, which the Times found date back to 2002, included complaints of verbal abuse, lewd comments, unwanted advances, and phone calls "in which it sounded as if Mr. O'Reilly was masturbating, according to documents and interviews." Attorneys of Fox News told Bloom they would investigate Walsh's complaint against O'Reilly after she placed a call to the hotline, Bloom told CNN's Brian Stelter. "I'm told that they are taking it seriously, and they are going to do the investigation that's legally required of them," she said. O'Reilly has denied that there is any merit to the allegations against him. He hired crisis communications expert Mark Fabiani, who released a statement to the Times on behalf of his client. "Just like other prominent and controversial people, I'm vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity," the statement said. "In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline. "But most importantly, I'm 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," it continued. The statement also suggested that O'Reilly is a target of harassment claims because of his prominence and the revenue he rakes in for the network helming the top-rated cable news show in the country. His lawyer said in a separate statement that they are now considering legal action to defend O'Reilly's reputation. Despite his denials, O'Reilly and the network have taken a PR hit since the allegations emerged 60 companies have now pulled their advertisements from O'Reilly's time slot. Chris Bevington, an employee of the music streaming service for the last five years, was killed when a truck drove into a crowd in Stockholm on Friday afternoon. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek confirmed Bevington's death in a post on his Facebook page. "It is with shock and a heavy heart that I can confirm that Chris Bevington from our Spotify team lost his life in Fridays senseless attack on Stockholm," Ek wrote. "He has had a great impact on not just the business but on everyone who had the privilege to know and work with him. There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this." Ek went on to say that he is "deeply saddened and upset" that the attack occurred in Sweden. "The only light in this deeply tragic moment is the outpouring of love, compassion and solidarity that we have seen from everyone," Ek wrote. "And that was exactly the kind of person Chris was as well." But it may come as a surprise, even to people who are familiar with the $49 billion global giant, that Monsanto is also the world's largest supplier of vegetable seeds. Most corn and soybeans grown in the US contain the company's patented seed traits. These days, Monsanto's bread-and-butter GMO business is supplemented by its work on non-GMO vegetables, which cleared. On a sprawling campus in Woodland, California, Monsanto chips away at making a juicier melon, a more shelf-stable onion, a tomato that doesn't go limp in shipment, and other foods made using Business Insider recently toured Monsanto's global headquarters of vegetable R&D in Woodland to see how the company is working to create new kinds of produce. In 2016, Monsanto was named the fifth-most hated company in America. Source: taking genes from one species and inserting them into the DNA of another. GMOs are the source of a never-ending debate among food-safety activists with Monsanto at the center. But in Woodland, on a 212-acre campus surrounded by farms, Monsanto is focused on breeding vegetables the old fashioned way no genetic modification required. In 2005, Monsanto paid about $1 billion to acquire Seminis, a leading producer of fruit and vegetable seeds. Together, they formed the world's largest seed company. "It was a natural evolution," says John Purcell, the global head of R&D for Monsanto's vegetables division. Last year, Monsanto's vegetable seed business cleared $801 million in net sales less than one-tenth of its revenue across GMOs, agrochemical products, and farming software solutions. Globally, Monsanto breeds 18 crops, including tomatoes, melons, onions, carrots, broccoli, and lettuce, and has over 2,000 varieties across its vegetable portfolio. People who grow food have long manipulated their crops to get better results. In conventional breeding, farmers cross two parent plants with specific traits, in the hopes of those characteristics passing from parent to offspring through later generations. Today, plant breeders still rely on classic methodologies to develop products that mature on time, last on shelves, look pretty, and taste good. But the process is time-consuming and costly, requiring farmers to plant multiple generations to achieve the desired effects. Over the last 10 years, Monsanto has developed breeding technologies that allow scientists to know what characteristics plants have even before the seed is planted. Much of that progress happens in Woodland. The facility brings together scientists, computer engineers, statisticians, and other talent to find new ways of growing produce. The campus is located less than a 30-minute drive from the state capital, but it might as well be a research facility on Mars. Rows of greenhouses stretch past endless dirt fields. At Woodland, employees field support requests from farmers who buy Monsanto's seeds. "Just like humans, plants can also get sick," says Staci Rosenberger, who leads the plant pathology teams responsible for running diagnostic activities on vegetable crops. In a low-tech lab on campus, Rosenberger cracks open a plastic case of lettuce sprouts. Fuzzy white clusters dot the leaves a symptom of a fungal disease called lettuce downy mildew. The case is similar to ones her team receives when a customer's crops show signs of disease. They send samples to the lab at Woodland in the hopes of altering the crop for resistance. When the samples arrive at Woodland, scientists first identify if it's a known disease or a new one causing the clusters. Then they turn to a database, called the gene bank, to find a variety of lettuce shown to be resistant to the disease plaguing the farmer's lettuce. Hundreds of thousands of seeds are stored in one of several "seed libraries" on campus, which are staffed by two full-time librarians. They are organized by species. Rosenberger's team sends disease-resistant seeds to the farmer, who can breed them knowing that the pairing will be successful. "It's Match.com for lettuce," Purcell says. The company's breeding efforts are both reactive and proactive. They make crops more resistant to disease, but also create new types produce with desirable traits. In 2011, Monsanto gave broccoli an upgrade. Beneforte combines a wild broccoli variety that produces antioxidants in abundance with commercial broccoli to create a nutrient-rich hybrid. Monsanto has also engineered a non-GMO onion that doesn't make you cry, called the The company's first challenge in making a sweeter winter cantaloupe, for example, is figuring out which genes in the melon are responsible for brix, a measure of sweetness. Source: In order to achieve this, Monsanto takes the seeds of one melon variety believed to taste sweeter and the seeds of another melon, thought to be less sweet, as a control. A machine called a seed chipper, a proprietary Monsanto technology, shaves a small slice from each of the two melon seeds. It separates the shells with a blast of air. Source: The seed chips go into trays that contain small beads, which pulverize the material into a fine powder. Then the chips can be read by yet another machine for genome sequencing. The crushed seed chips are transported by machines into tiny wells. A chemical dye that binds to the plant's DNA is added. The material changes color if it turns up the desired trait. Once the trait (which in this example is sweetness) has been mapped in the plant's DNA, Monsanto sends a report of the data to one of 60 vegetable-breeder employees located around the world. They advance the experiment in real life. Jeff Mills, a melon breeder at Woodland, oversees a greenhouse of about 1,200 melon plants. He breeds them with other varieties containing seeds that are expected to produce specific traits based on genetic testing done in the lab. Mills says it takes about seven years to bring a new variety of melon from development to grocery aisles. Incremental changes are key. "There's no such thing as perfect," he says. When a new variety approaches retail launch, it undergoes rigorous consumer testing. Chow-Ming Lee, consumer sensory lead at Monsanto, oversees dozens of taste tests in the US and Europe every year. He gathers 100 to 150 consumers each time. A typical taste-test tray includes several sample cups containing bite-sized pieces of vegetables, a bottled water, a "spit cup," and a clicker for submitting a rating per sample. During a demonstration, Lee found that a sugary grape tomato variety received a "six" from the group. (I voted six because it was tasty, but not so good that I wanted seconds.) A six sounds modest, but Lee says that's a great score for a tomato. "It's not chocolate," he says. While Monsanto pursues innovative work at Woodland, critics worry about its hold on the vegetable seed industry In 2000, Seminis bought several smaller seed suppliers and dropped more than 2,000 hybrids from production. The majority of these varieties were proprietary, so they ceased to exist. 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! Wilson, 28, resides with her employer at Victoria Island while Musa, 25, resides at No. 50, Ibadan Str., Ebute-Metta, Lagos. They pleaded guilty to stealing property and cash worth seven million naira and not guilty on charges of conspiracy and possession of criminal charm. In his judgment, the Chief Magistrate, Mr P. A. Ojo, granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N500, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum on count one and three. Ojo, however, sentenced Wilson and Musa to seven years imprisonment each without an option of fine. He adjourned the case till April 19 for continuation of trial on count one and count three. The Prosecutor, Insp. Roman Unuigbe, told court that the convicts, and others still at large, committed the offences between January and March 3 at 1004 Estate, Victoria Island. He said that the duo stole wrappers, wrist-watches, hand bags, ipad, foreign currencies and also sold the employers Toyota Camry car, all valued at seven million naira. The prosecutor said that Wilson, who worked as a housekeeper for one Aisha Yakubu, invited her boyfriend, Musa to her employers house when she travelled. Unuigbe told court that when the convicts were apprehended at Adamawa, a fetish ring was found in their possession. Even though the patrons and fans were expecting other musicians to pick up the award, Joe Mettle surprisingly broke the deadlock after 17 years. "This is for God almighty, this is for gospel music, this is for Christian and for every gospel musician in this house, I just want to say that the door is open, Joe Mettle said during his acceptance speech. Mettle beat a stiff competition from EL, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, MzVee and Medikal to win the award. Joe Mettle took home two other awards aside the "Artiste of the Year". He won the "Best Male Vocalist" for his song "Onwanwani" and the over-all "Gospel Artiste of the Year". Musah Muniru was arrested on Thursday at around 12:00 am by security officers guarding the palace and when he was search, four ammunitions were found on him. When he was question, according to the Northern Regional Police Public Relation Officer, ASP Yussif Tanko, he gave conflicting account of his mission in the palace. ASP Tanko said: In the early hours of Thursday, around 12:30 am, a man who is now in our custody, Musah Muniru, was found on the premises of the Gbewaa Palace, he was stopped by security officers and searched and they found four ammunition on him. The asked him what he wanted there. At a point he said was looking for somebody, at another point he said he lost his way and found himself at the palace. But you know the palace itself is a no go area especially in the night so he was arrested and taken to the police station. He was taken to court yesterday and he has been remanded to reappear on the fourth of next month and he was charged with being on premises for unlawful purpose and also unlawful possession of ammunition without authority. READ MORE: Fresh tension in Dagbon as man is arrested with ammunitions in Gbewaa Palace According to him, the suspect is a native of Bimbilla who had come to Yendi to attend a funeral. He said he had no idea how he managed to enter the palace. He emphasized that the Abudu family has no remote ties with the suspect. That person is not known to the Abudu family and he doesnt come from Yendi in the first place. I dont see why the Abudu family would want to attempt a thing like that: it is far from the truth, he told Kumasi based Class FM. The Bolinlana palace and for that matter the Abudu family has nothing to do with that and so any attempt to link the person or his activities to the Abudu family is out of place, he said. He further noted that the leader of the Abudu family has been informed about the incident, adding that he fully backs police investigation in how he got access to the Gbewaa Palace. Musah Muniru, 26, was arrested on Thursday at around 12:00am by security officers guarding the Gbewaa Palace and when he was search, four ammunitions were found on him. When he was question, according to the Northern Regional Police Public Relation Officer, ASP Yussif Tanko, he came conflicting account of his mission in the palace. ASP Tanko said: In the early hours of Thursday, around 12:30 am, a man who is now in our custody, Musah Muniru, was found on the premises of the Gbewaa Palace, he was stopped by security officers and searched and they found four ammunition on him. The asked him what he wanted there. At a point he said was looking for somebody, at another point he said he lost his way and found himself at the palace. But you know the palace itself is a no go area especially in the night so he was arrested and taken to the police station. READ MORE: Abudu Royals give government two weeks to renovate old Gbewa palace He was taken to court yesterday and he has been remanded to reappear on the fourth of next month and he was charged with being on premises for unlawful purpose and also unlawful possession of ammunition without authority. In a Facebook rant, A Plus, who backed then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2016 election, threatened that the masses will one day come after all judges and politicians in this country. He said: "This country does not belong to a group who won an election. This country does not belong to the Ghana bar association. This country called Ghana does not belong to politicians. It belongs to everybody who is legally classified Ghanaian. The law say that even drug addicts must be granted bail because they are innocent until proven guiltily. "You declare people wanted. They report themselves to the police station. "You ask them to report to the police station everyday. They abide. You take the case to court. They appear. "Their lawyer and the state prosecutor plead with the judge to grant them bail. The judge says no. They must be remanded. Like how? So that what? And when you talk the judges say the law belongs to them. I'm making it very clear to everyone!!! "This country was built on FREEDOM AND JUSTICE. Not freedom and feeling. Not Freedom and emotions. You can't take peoples freedom just because you went to makola to study law. He reiterated his fullest support to the Delta Force, daring anyone to come and arrest him. "I support the Delta force 100%. HOW many times do we hear politicians and their families are put before the law like they do to the poor man? One day we the people will run after all you judges and politicians and take back our country. READ MORE: Council of State member blames Montie 3 release for Delta Force lawlessness Majority leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, called on parliament on "hold together" and condemn the attack on the court. But he also blasted the minority, accusing them of double standards. He said: But Mr Speaker let us be consistent and let those who have suddenly discovered their voices keep their heads erect. Mr Speaker, we in the NPP will not line up to append signatures to support such bestiality, referring to the action of ex-ministers under the Mahama administration who signed a petition for the release of the Montie 3. On his part, the Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu expressed concern about the negative behaviour of vigilante groups associated with the NPP. We expect the president to go beyond his token intervention and exacting with his full wing and authority as the commander-in-chief to call those masquerading activists who are now engaged in some contemptible act to extend this lawlessness to the court of law, he said. READ MORE: IGP vows maximum security for judiciary Mr Speaker, that is unbecoming of our democracy. We just demonstrated to the rest of the world and Mr Speaker, we do not want the president to make this historically inevitable, that he will preside over a state which is not able to control those hooligans who are engaged in this activities and threatening lives and properties and evening extending it to a court of competent jurisdiction. The risk for millennials to develop one of the most common cancers is on the rise, even as overall rates are declining. The National Cancer Institute estimates more than 135,000 people will be diagnosed in 2017 with colorectal cancer, a combined category of colon and rectal cancers. Thats the fourth-most-prevalent cancer diagnosis expected for the year and one the NCI predicts ultimately will cause the deaths of 50,000 Americans. Though colorectal cancer is most prevalent in individuals ages 55 and older, a study published in February by the NCI indicated those born in 1990 could have as much as double the risk of developing colon cancer compared with those born in 1950. Even worse, the younger generation could be four times as likely to develop rectal cancer. The levels for the youthful cohort have a nasty throwback value -- age-specific risk has grown to levels comparable with those seen in the generation born in about 1890, according to the study. Dr. Israr Sheikh, a gastroenterologist at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, said the findings are part of a body of good evidence that screenings for colorectal cancer should begin in patients younger than the current medical guideline of age 50. Sheikh said the incidence of colorectal cancer has been rising for some time in young adults, particularly for those in their 20s. Most of it has to do with lifestyle, he said. Risk factors for the disease include obesity, diabetes and high consumption of red meats and processed meats, such as hot dogs and bologna. Use of tobacco and excessive consumption of alcohol also can increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer, Sheikh said. Beyond lifestyle, theres also a genetic component to colorectal cancer. Evidence suggests disorders such as Crohns disease and inflammatory bowel disease also contribute to the cancers development. The need for screening is quite essential, Sheikh said. Though there are now multiple options for those looking to get tested for the disease, he described colonoscopies as the gold standard. Younger patients might not be jumping to get their colonoscopies, but Sheikh said they might want to take heed of the symptoms of colorectal cancer. Though seeing blood in feces is one easily visible effect, Sheikh said that doesnt often occur until the disease is well-developed. He said the other, earlier symptoms can include sudden, unexplained weight loss, abrupt changes in bowel movements and loss of appetite. Screening happens at an older age, so were still missing a lot of people, Sheikh said. For younger patients, he said its important to practice healthy lifestyle choices and to take heed of bodily changes. Looking at your symptoms is so important, he said. Thats the best way to prevent colon cancer. Speaking on Radio Gold's "Alhaji and Alhaji" programme Saturday, the controversial Tamale North MP said: I know media men and I am comfortable to refer to them as colleagues who in the past said when their support was needed to champion national courses that it was not their business, and that a government was elected to carry out reforms that will change the lives of the people and the country for better and that is why it has PRs and Communication officers and Ministers to do the job of rallying people together for national courses and it wasnt their business to say anything positive about the government and these are senior journalist that some of us in the profession looked up to." Speaking on Citi FM The Big Issue Saturday, Casely-Hayford said: The law says, this is large scale mining and theyve defined it and criteria in which you can have a large scale mining enterprise. This is small scale mining and its defined very clearly under the small scale mining act. Anybody who doesnt fall under category A or category B is declared illegal. So galamsey has become illegal by default and not by action. Now, somebody should come and tell why the Ashanti Gold Fields and the Newmont among others have the right to be mine and that my small artisanal indigene has no right to be a miner. He has a right to be a miner. This is what he has set out to be his life work, he wants to mine. You cannot tell him, you cannot be a miner you must instead be a farmer. Casely-Hayford continued: I think that the first thing we have to do is to make the so called galamsey legal, legalize it. In legalizing it means giving it a law and also make it very clear that nobody, whether you are a large scale, small scale or galamsey scalebut none of them must be allowed to mine in any of the water bodies. That should be restricted because it is more important for us to have good clean healthy water than to have a law for mining. So they can go out and mine anywhere they want but they cannot mine the water bodies that is out of the question. His call comes after weeks of intense media campaign for government to ban galamsey which is destroying farm lands and polluting the nation's rivers. Last week, the police arrested five Chinese and five Ghanaians involved in galamsey. They have been arraigned before the court. Government has also place a moratorium on licences for small scale mining in response to the media's call for an end to galamsey. On Saturday, the Chinese government in a strongly worded letter warned Ghana that a clamp down on Chinese Miners could spark diplomatic row. The letter, issued by it embassy in Accra said many of the Chinese nationals involved in galamsey are the victims of fraud and blackmail and as such the police needed to deal with cases on an individual bases. We think it is very important that any operation against illegal mining should be carried out in line with Ghanaian laws and international recognized norms, the mass arrest and media hype should be minimized, the cases should be dealt with on individual base and the legitimate rights of the miners should be respected. He reiterated the need for MPs to adhere to the rules and procedures of parliament as well as the code of conduct guiding their work as MPs. The seventh parliament handled a number of public businesses including the State of the Nation address delivered by President Nana Akufo-Addo and the 2017 budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta. MPs also approved 110 ministers and deputy ministers referred to them by the president for consideration. A number of bills such as the Appropriation Bill, Energy Sector Levies(Amendment)Bill and the adoption of budget estimates for the various Municipal Districts Assemblies (MDAs). When the threat to the judges happened, we did not get that support that one had expected because it did not happen and there was presidential support, ministers were supporting the people. And so now I think other people groups are thinking that they have a right to do whatever they choose. So the important thing is for us to take a stand on this issue, he said. Mr Okudzeto also strongly rejected calls by senior National Democratic Congress figures for the Interior Minister, National Security Minister and the Security Coordinator to resign. He criticised the call, saying no investigation has so far proved that any minister has shown negligence. He said: The thing happened yesterday and then today you are saying ministers should resign what is the blame that youve been able to apportion to them. He argued that early congress is in the interest of the party because it will afford it more time to prepare and galvanise the party's support base for the 2020 elections. A party that has suffered this level of defeat with so much internal acrimony and internal pain still in the mind, if we could not take eight years to galvanise that into an electoral victory, I dont see how we can do that within one year or one-and-a-half years, the former Member of Parliament for Lawra/Nandom said on Class FM. Dr Kumbuor is leading a faction of the NDC calling for early congress to elect new executives to steer the affairs of the party. But others, including the National Organiser, Kofi Adams, believe such calls are premature especially when the fact finding professor Kwesi Botchwey Committee is yet to finalise its work. Given all the preparations that are involved, it will mean that by the time you are getting to elect your flag bearer, you will be in 2019, Dr Kumbuor said. Touching on the 2016 elections, the former Defence Minister said his analysis showed the party was going to lose the election, saying I was a bit frightened about the parallels and similarities of 1999 and 2000 which eventually led to our electoral defeat at that time. So there was cause for worry at that time. His said the increasing unemployment situation in Ghana contributed greatly to the partys defeat. According to him, the Mahama administration had gone into an IMF package which the consequences were of very high level austerity. The external environment, you dont always control it. Externally, we had gone into an IMF package which the consequences were of very high level austerity. The austerity hit directly at our constituency, he maintained, adding, There is no way that with the global unemployment, particularly youth unemployment you have in this country, that will not become an election issue. In the peculiar case of Ghana, I saw the percentages of graduate unemployment reach an astronomical level to the extent that an association of unemployed graduates had to be formed to articulate these concerns and that clearly mirrors what exactly was going on in the country. There were many more but they all fed into the package. This was contained in a press statement issued by the Chamber on Sunday (April 9, 2017). The statement signed by the Communications Manager of the Chamber said that Kwaku Sakyi-Addo is leaving the organisation to take on a new responsibility as Chairman of the Board of the National Communications Authority (NCA), the industry regulator. Mr Sakyi-Addo, who is the first CEO of the Chamber, is credited with building the organisation from nothing to its current significant position in the telecommunications industry. Apart from being the advocate for the operators, the Chamber has over the years built a niche for itself as a thought-leader in industry issues. Mr. Sakyi-Addo has contributed greatly to the growing understanding of the telecommunications industry. Commenting on his resignation, Ms. Yolanda Cuba, CEO of Vodafone Ghana and Chairperson of the Governing Council of the Chamber said they were disappointed he was leaving. Kwaku has made a significant impact during his tenure with the Chamber. He has built a strong organization focused on our industrys priorities and advocating effectively on behalf of mobile operators and infrastructure sharing companies across the country. We are naturally disappointed that Kwaku has decided to move on to a new opportunity, but we wish him every success as he takes this next exciting step in his career. Ms. Cuba added. On his part, Mr. Sakyi-Addo said, I am very proud of the work that the Chamber has done in aligning our members around key industry initiatives, driving important advocacy programs and building an enviable industry association. Im grateful to the Governing Council, our entire membership and, of course, the Chamber staff for their support over the last six years. And so it was on a spring day in 2014 that Gindler, in his deep Russian voice, started talking about Vladimir Putin and called the leader a "nano-Fuhrer." His distrust and distaste for Russia's president is shared by many in the community. Gindler immigrated to New York from Ukraine in 1995, a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union. His family didn't have much money and faced persecution as Jews. Today, Gindler abhors policies that to him look like socialism in the US while also hating post-Soviet Putin, who he says suppresses political opposition. Despite all that, Gindler is now a big supporter of a man who often praises Putin and whose campaign has been accused of colluding with the Russian leader: President Donald Trump. "One of them is a democratically elected president with all checks and balances upon him," Gindler said of Trump. "Another one is a dictator with unrestricted power over his not citizens subjects." In this way Gindler is not unique. During the last election, many of the 800,000 Russian speakers in the US embraced Trump out of disgust for the socialist values that made them flee the Soviet republics. Particularly among the generation of immigrants who came to the US in the 1980s and '90s, the tendency to decry Putin's policies as undemocratic while heralding Trump for his "revolutionary" promises persists. In the April primary, Trump earned 84% of the Republican vote in Brighton Beach, an enclave of Russian-Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn nicknamed "Little Odessa." Gindler dismisses allegations that Putin's Russia helped Trump win. He believes Russia was rooting for Trump but didn't do anything nefarious. It was Trump's promise to crack down on immigration from Muslim countries, decrease taxes, and repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act that motivated Gindler to support the Republican. "You shouldn't talk to any Russian-speaking person here in the West and expect any positive words about Putin," said Gindler, a registered independent voter who cast his ballot for Trump in November. Trump's approval ratings have been sinking in the rest of the population, but among Russian-Americans, support for Trump is still largely going strong even as his administration faces ongoing intense scrutiny over allegations of collaboration with members of the Putin administration. Samuel Kliger, director of Russian Jewish Community Affairs at the American Jewish Community, said "many are quite satisfied" with Trump's performance and feel it is the Democrats in office who are preventing him from moving the country forward. Even though both Putin and Trump are conservatives who have waged attacks against the media and have been compared for their "thirst for power" by prominent Russian-American journalists, many of the Russian-speaking Americans who voted for Trump think that the two have nothing in common. Evgeny Finkel, a political-science professor at the Columbia College of Arts and Sciences, said many of the immigrants who came to the US in the 1980s and '90s embrace Republican values of personal and economic freedom because they wanted to escape "anything that smacks of socialism." Putin, he said, still reminds many of the Soviet ideologies, partly because of the government's culture of cronyism and repression of dissenters. Conflicting views Support for Trump and a hatred of Putin "can go together because support of Trump in this population is not driven by love of Russia and not even driven so much by Trumps foreign policy," said Finkel, adding that certain Russian-speaking communities voted Republican for years before Trump came along as a presidential candidate. But as prominent Russian-American journalist Julia Ioffe wrote on her Facebook page, many of the same people who fled anti-Semitism in the former Soviet republics supported a candidate who built his platform on rhetoric and plans many see as discriminatory, such as promises to create Muslim registry. Whether such views from Russian immigrants are contradictory or not, Jonas Kaplan, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, said it is not uncommon for people to hold conflicting political beliefs, sometimes unconsciously. Even when confronted with contradictory evidence about a candidate, most people will choose to ignore or reconcile views that challenge their worldview rather than grapple with the possibility that they may be wrong. When people feel very identified with their political party, its very difficult to change your mind because that means changing your relationships with people," said Kaplan, adding that many people build a strong sense of community around politically like-minded people. When you have small groups of people with similar beliefs, fitting in often matters more than being right. Loyalty to freedom As such, a continuing loyalty to Trump can continue to move in tandem with a deep dislike for Putin among certain members of the Russian-American community. In fact, many now feel unfairly discriminated against as some assume they're pro-Putin. Its an incorrect assumption that because they are Russian and because they voted for Trump, they also support Putin," said Kliger, who believes that many older people voted for Trump because they "wanted some changes for themselves and for the country" rather than out of support for Russia. Of course not all Russian immigrants are anti-Putin. Zoya Conover, an art consultant who moved to Atlanta from Moscow in 1999, called both presidents "hardworking" and said that Trump might now have the chance to do for the US what Putin has done for Russia since taking power in 1999. He wants Russia for Russians," she said. Putin helped quell middle-class discontent, she said, and created a stronger sense of Russian identity since taking power. She wants to see a stronger alliance between the two countries. But even as bills aimed to curb protesting are introduced across the US, the more common view among Russian-Americans is that Putin and Trump are opposites. He takes on a new responsibility as Chairman of the Board of the National Communications Authority (NCA), the industry regulator. Mr. Sakyi-Addo was the chambers first CEO who achieved so much progress for the sector. Commenting on his resignation, Ms. Yolanda Cuba, CEO of Vodafone Ghana and Chairperson of the Governing Council of the Chamber says, Kwaku has made a significant impact during his tenure with the Chamber. He has built a strong organization focused on our industrys priorities and advocating effectively on behalf of mobile operators and infrastructure sharing companies across the country. We are naturally disappointed that Kwaku has decided to move on to a new opportunity, but we wish him every success as he takes this next exciting step in his career. She added On his part, Mr. Sakyi-Addo expressed gratitude to members for key industry initiatives, driving important advocacy programs and building an enviable industry association. The Telecoms Chamber will announce Mr. Sakyi-Addos successor in due course. About the Telecoms Chamber The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication is an industry association and a private initiative by the mobile network operators in Ghana. We are an advocacy institution established to help direct telecommunications policy, legislation and regulation, and pursue research towards the development of telecommunications. READ ALSO:Mobile data subscriptions hit over 20 million in Ghana Punch reports that the incident which is sadly becoming to common for taste, drew a lot of residents and passers-by to the scene as rescue workers worked hard to rescue the man. ALSO READ: Man attempts to commit suicide in Lagos Speaking with Sunday Punch, an eyewitness revealed that the motive behind the man's actions remain unknown. The man reportedly moved very close to the Festac Link Bridge and dived in. The eyewitness said, Many local divers tried to save him. As of the time of this report, Punch was yet to ascertain if the body of the man had been recovered. The spokesperson for the police in Lagos, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, when contacted, disclosed that the command got a report of the incident. He said, I think it was a case of a man who fell into a canal. We are still trying to get more information on it. Umar of Kado Biko village, Abuja, was convicted by the judge, Abubakar Sadiq, as he admitted committing the offence. The prosecuting counsel, Mrs Florence Auhioboh, told the court that one Friday Job of Jabi Lake, Abuja, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station on April 6. Auhioboh said that on the same date at about 4 a.m. the defendant went to Jabi Lake and stole a horse. She said that Umar was apprehend and handed over to the police for further investigation. The prosecutor said that during police investigation the convict admitted committing the offence. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Simdi is facing a two-count charge of robbery and attempt to commit culpable homicide, while the second accused, Stephen is being charged with receiving stolen property. Both men are residents of Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Jos. The Judge, Justice D.D Longji, ordered the suspects to be remanded after the prosecutor, Mrs. Muleng Alex, prayed the court to remand them in prison till the next adjourned date. Alex said that if bail was granted, the accused persons would jump bail or interfere with the police investigation. The judge granted the prayer and adjourned the matter till May 12, for hearing while the accused persons would remain behind bars. Earlier, the prosecutor had told the court that one Esther Ayuba of Jos North Quarters, Tudun Wada reported the matter at the `A Division Police Station on April 21, 2016. Alex told the court that the first accused person accosted the complainant while she was on her way home from work and stabbed her with a knife and robbed her of her recharge cards worth N300,000, in addition to some cash. At about 8.30 p.m., the complainant was returning home from her place of work when she was waylaid and dispossessed of her belongings. She noticed that someone was following her from behind and hastened her steps, but before she knew what was happening, the accused person started stabbing her on the back. He continued stabbing her until she fell down with blood gushing from different parts of her body; the suspect thereafter took her bag which contained recharge cards worth N300,000, and an undisclosed amount of money. The prosecutor said that while the complainant was in pains on the floor, she was able to recognise her attacker (Simdi), who she identified as her landlords son. She alleged that the accused person later sold the recharge cards to one Stephen, who had since been arrested by the police. Alex said that the offence committed by the first accused contravened the provision of sections 1(1 and 2) of the Robbery and Fire Arm special provision Act, CAP R11 of the laws of the federation of Nigeria2004. She added that his actions also contravened section 221 of the Penal Code, while the second accused contravened the provisions of section 5 of the Robbery and Fire Arm special provision ACT. The two were accused of collecting N429, 000 to invest in an online business called MMM. Fojo and Garba are residents of Government Girls Secondary School Malumfashi Quarters and Unguwar Danyawa village in Kafur local government area respectively. According to the separate First Information Reports (FIR) read to the court, Fojo allegedly collected N229, 000 from one Sani Salisu of Unguwar Sodangi in Malumfashi to invest in the scheme. Garba, on the other hand collected N200, 000 from one Adamu Aliyu of Gangarawa also in Malumfashi to invest in MMM. The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Sani Ahmed, told the courts that the accused deceived the complainants with a promise that business would provide 30 percent returns within 30 days. He said that neither the original money nor the interest were returned to the complainants after the expiration of the agreed period. He said that the accused were charged with criminal breach of trust and cheating, offences that contravened sections 312 and 322 of the penal code laws. The two accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Chief Magistrate, Lawal Usman adjourned Fojos case till April 11, while that of Garba was moved to April 18, for mention. Chairman of the party in Anambra, Dr Sylvester Igwilo, made the call while addressing members of some Biafra support groups, who met with UPPs State Working Committee in Awka on Sunday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the support groups included Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN), Bilie Initiative and Customary Government of Biafra. Igwilo advised the groups to shun political alienation of their members, and ensure that they registered and participate in the democratic process in the country. He said that young people had died due to wrong approach adopted by Biafra agitators. He added that the groups had also denied the South-East of fair share of national goods because they did not encourage their people to be enumerated during census and vote during elections. The chairman said that though UPP shared some of the concerns of the support groups, it would not encourage violence or unconstitutional means of expressing grievances. He urged the people to register massively as members as UPP and vote overwhelmingly for its candidate in the Nov. 18 gubernatorial election in Anambra. Igwilo assured that the party would conduct fair and free primaries that would produce the most credible candidate for Anambra people. He assured that the party was not available for moneybags or hijackers that did not share its ideology. Political participation is the surest way to freedom and not violence; you must get your members registered to make them able to vote, so that through the ballot you can speak. UPP believes in ideas and democracy; we do not support the death of young people in the streets and we are saying `no more to that and that is why we want you to be part of this process. UPP will hold credible primaries that will produce the best candidate but he can only win with your votes; so the strategy is to mobilise your members to be part of us and vote, he said. In her remarks, the National Coordinator of MOBIN, Ms Rita Anigbogu, said that their mission was to activate the relationship between UPP and her group in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports that the affected IDPs fled to Cameroon at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state. The IDPs had a week ago, urged the state government to facilitate their return home or they will trek back to Nigeria. Ahmad Satome, Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) told newsmen in Maiduguri that government plans to shelter the returnees in four temporary satellite camps. The issue of the 78,000 Nigerian IDPs is purely a repatriation process, it is just to get them across the Cameroonian border back home. Once they are back we will get them transported to transit camps in Kumshe, Gulumba, Ngoshe and Kirawa where they will feed for a week or thereabout, so they can stabilize before asking them where they want to go, he said. Satome said that IDPs without any place to go would be kept in the camps while those who wanted to return home would be transported home. IDPs without homes or those whose communities are unsafe will be kept in the camps while those who want to return home will be transported home. But for those who wished to remain in Cameroon they will be allowed to stay in accordance with the Geneva Convention, he said. Satome said government was focused on ensuring early return of all IDPs back to their communities especially those in areas liberated by the military. ALSO READ: NPA donates relief materials to Borno IDPs It is true that government is resolute in ensuring all IDPs return home in a dignified manner in accordance to the Kampala convention. But sometimes a lots of uncertainties come in, he said. Satome said that the continued rescue of persons by the military from terrorists enclaves had created new IDPs requiring attention. The intensed pressure by the military on Boko Haram enclaves have led to rescue of new IDPs requiring care. This means that they have to be kept in camps for care and other humanitarian services, he said. A source close to the presidency says Buhari wants to present the report as a scorecard to critics of the war against corruption. The source also said Infact, in several yards across of the country where the EFCC keeps seized vehicles; Range Rovers, Jaguars, Prado jeeps, and expensive cars, we have heard reports of decay. The cars are allowed to rot, leading to massive waste. You will also recall that certificates of occupancy seized from the home of an ex-Governor were found in the market, where some EFCC officials were allegedly trying to sell them. The case is now with the police. According to Daily Post, the President also asked other anti-graft agencies to submit a similar report by Friday April 6, 2017. Some of the agencies include: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ministry of Finance and the Department of State Services (DSS). Speaking while presenting the materials, Managing Director of NPA, Mrs Hadiza Bala-Usman, said that the gesture was aimed at bringing succour to the IDPs who were in need of help.The presentation of these items is aimed at supporting the Borno State Government in taking care of the IDPs.The NPA believes that there is the need to sustain its corporate and social responsible to the society, We have noted with concern, the situation in the North-East and we are here to provide support to the State Government towards the upkeep of the displaced persons, she said.Bala-Usman, who is also a member of the Bring-Back-Our-Girls group, commended the military for rescuing some of the Chibok school girls abducted by insurgents. She expressed optimism that the remaining 195 students of the school still held in captivity, would also be rescued.I am an advocate for the rescue of the Chibok girls and I believe that the military has the capability to rescue our girls.We look forward to the rescue of the remaining 195 girls that have been held in capacity, she said. Receiving the materials, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno commended NPA for the gesture and promised judicious use of the items.He urged other organizations to emulate the gesture by providing similar support. The slain Captain was simply identified as Muhammad. There has been no official confirmation of the killings yet. NAN gathered that the existing presence of the Joint Task Force called Operation Awatse did not deter the militants from operating in the area they were driven away from about a year ago by members of the same task force. NAN also gathered that the militants had struck at Woodland Estate close to Ishawo Creeks and engaged the security personnel, soldiers and the police, in a gun duel. At the end of the gun duel, five policemen and two soldiers were reportedly gunned down by the militants, the source told NAN. It was unclear if there were any casualties on the part of the militants, although security forces were said to have reinforced and stormed the area for reconnaissance and possible counter-action. When contacted, the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP. Olarinde Famous-Cole, said he was still gathering information on the matter adding that a statement would soon be issued. Also, the spokesperson of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Olaolu Daudu said that a statement would be released on the incident later. NAN recalled that, on March 13, 2017, it reported the return of the militants to the area. Residents said they lived in palpable fear. The militants, whose stocks in trade are kidnapping and oil theft, were chased out of the area in Aug. 2016 by the Task Force, after several bloody clashes in the community. Scores of people were killed during the clashes between militants and residents of Isawo community before the joint military task force was deployed in the area. Famous-Cole told NAN in March that the command was re-strategising the security arrangements in the state, including Ikorodu area. ALSO READ:Suspected militants kidnap RCCG pastor in Ikorodu He said more police patrol teams would be deployed in the area, and urged residents to provide useful information on the activities of the hoodlums. The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Fergusson Bobai, told NAN: I dont have any report yet to suggest that militants are back in those areas. But Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has approved the return of swamp buggies to open up the creeks in those areas to enable the security forces carry out in-depth patrols." The swamp buggy is a motor vehicle used to traverse swampy terrain. Buggies are able to move about on dry land, shallow mud, sand, shallow water and deep mud. Ndoma-Egba said this in a congratulatory message issued by Mrs Clara Braide, Special Assistant, Communication Office of the NDDC Chairman made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday. He said that her decampment to the APC would push ongoing efforts to develop the Niger Delta region. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ita-Giwa, a pioneer member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), joined the PDP in 2004. He said Your coming to the APC at this point in our fledgling democracy is a pointer to your sincere commitment to deploy your wealth of experience, with other democrats, for the betterment of your region and the nation as a whole. The NDDC chairman noted that Ita-Giwa joined the APC at a time when politicians of goodwill are moving over to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria via the platform of change. We all are aware of the interesting political story of this great woman of note and how she has been able to galvanise the people of her community to pursue a course that they hold dear in a non-political and non-military way," he added. The Chairman further emphasised: the party can benefit from her immense wealth of experience and tap into her political structure for our partys greater good. She is a good catch. This move is a further endorsement for President Muhammadu Buhari. Elechi, a two time governor of Ebonyi, registered for the APC at his country home in Echialike, Ikwo Local Government Area, in front of national party leaders.The party leaders were in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, for a thanksgiving church service for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari from his ill-health,after which they moved to Ikwo.According to Elechi, he decided to join APC due to his love for Buhari and the current state of the PDP occasioned by its protracted crisis. I knew Buhari 49 years ago when I started the movement for the creation of Ebonyi as he intervened during my arrest with nine other comrades, by officers of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO). I was interrogated while standing for nine hours and he as the Brigade Major in Abakaliki at that time, ordered our immediate release. I thank God for his health as he had favoured the people of Abakaliki and will triumph in his onerous task of rescuing the country from misrule. He is the person Nigerians are waiting for as the Boko Haram and corruption issues could have been indescribable if God had not brought him to power, he said. The former governor said that he was proud of the PDP due to the democratic ideals of its founding fathers, but its present leaders have truncated the ideal. I was elected governor on two occasions under its platform as it used to be the pride of Africa, but was suddenly ravaged by self-inflicted crises and afflictions. In 1983 when I was the Secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Anambra, the budget for the national elections in Anambra and Imo, now South East zone, was N170,000. In 2015, however, the budget for my impeachment was N3billion and this was followed by the distortion and malpractice recorded in the primaries and congresses to elect the PDP candidates. Those who were heavily bribed and intimidated with oaths were elected to participate as delegates as court injunctions were illegally secured to perpetrate these acts Armed security men surrounded peoples homes during the elections, ballot boxes were snatched and all forms of impunity perpetrated, he said. He described the APC as the alternative for Ebonyi people and the Igbo race and thanked the party for offering him and his supporters, a political platform to identify with. Three years ago, I would have attacked anyone who said Ebonyi belongs to APC, but currently, me identify with PDPGod forbid, he said. Dr Ogbonnia Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, thanked Elechi for the decision and noted that President Buhari will be pleased to receive the news. What you did today will never be forgotten in the history of the state as we all should support President Buhari to actualise all his objectives for Nigeria," he added. ALSO READ:NDDC board chairman hails Ita-Giwa for joining APCThe News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that Elechi was the leader of the campaign team when Onu contested Ebonyi governorship in 1999, on the platform of All Peoples Party (APP). Alhaji Kasheem Imam, APC National Leader called on the Igbos to identify with the APC. Mr Emma Enukwu, the APC South East Zonal Vice Chairman, noted that he was in the state on the orders of the National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun to ensure that Elechi registers with the party.NAN reports that APC national, zonal and state leaders attended the thanksgiving service and Elechis declaration. The Senate President made the declaration during an interview with Daily Trust recently. Saraki also accused some powerful people of mis-informing the public. He said There is a lot of misinformation out there. From Day One I took a position, and some very powerful people dont like the position. When you want to know who is loyal to you, it is during your trying moments. Go back two months ago. Who was it who stood up resolutely and said Mr. President will be back and there is no cause for alarm? I dont think a man who is not loyal to you will do that. We know some people who went to London and saw President Buhari, but they just left. They did not say anything. My message to all our partys supporters is that I am committed, that whatever we promised Nigerians, we will deliver. For some of us, this government cannot be allowed to fail. We left one party with our supporters and embarked on this journey. We must be able to go back to them and tell them that that journey was worth it. If God forbid this government fails, what will I go back and tell them? It is in my personal political interest to see that this government succeeds. Recently, a group of youths under the umbrella of the Citizens United for Peace and Stability (CUPS) embarked on a protest to the National Assembly to demand the resignation of Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Fessenheim will cease operations when a new reactor, currently being built at Flamanville on the Normandy coast, "enters service," the decree said. France's nuclear plant operator EDF last month said the Flamanville reactor -- a project that has run into deep problems -- will begin operations in 2019. The closure of the twin-reactor plant at Fessenheim is part of a plan to slash France's dependence on atomic energy. Hollande, who leaves office next month, vowed during campaigning in the 2012 election to close the facility as part of a promise to reduce the share of nuclear in the energy mix from 75 percent to 50 percent and boost the share of renewables. Fessenheim, in operation since 1977, is located on a seismic fault line about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the French city of Strasbourg and about 25 kms southwest of the German city of Freiburg. Its closure has been a campaign target by French, German and Swiss environmentalists for years, as well as an enduring source of friction with Germany. 'Now it's done' France's minister for ecology and energy, Segolene Royal, on Friday had said that the decree would be implemented to meet the 2012 campaign promise. "The decree on #Fessenheim closure has been signed and published this morning," Royal tweeted on Sunday. "It was promised, now it's been done." The conservative opposition has opposed the energy programme, arguing that France's nuclear industry is a guarantor of the country's energy independence and a source of cheap electricity. The French trade unions have also weighed in on the question of Fessenheim, fearing the closure of the plant will lead to the loss of around 2,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, The new European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) reactor, being built at Flamanville alongside two existing reactors, is a novel third-generation design touted as the world's biggest and advanced nuclear reactor. But the project, along with another EPR contract in Finland, has been plagued by delays and technical problems. Construction of the reactor began in December 2007, with an operational start initially scheduled for the end of 2012. Costs have tripled to 10.5 billion euros ($11.1 billion). On March 16, EDF announced that it had begun the test phase of the Flamanville EPR, and this would run until the end of 2018. The reactor will be hooked up to the national grid in the second quarter of 2019, it said. When Oscar learned the truth about his past, in 2011, he was already more than 30 years old. Now, a documentary executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and opening in the United States next week, tells his story more than three decades after the massacre. "This is the most fascinating story I ever heard," director Ryan Suffern, a 39-year-old American who worked for two-and-a-half years on "Finding Oscar," a poignant account of a search for truth and redemption in a country once torn apart by civil war. "Imagine," he told AFP, "if you had a phone call one day and you learn the whole life as you knew it is essentially a lie. That's Oscar's reality. Oscar has dealt with that in a remarkable way." "Here's a decades-long pursuit of justice that's embodied in trying to find this little boy." Oscar survived the murders in December 1982 of his mother, his five sisters, two brothers and 200 other inhabitants of Dos Erres, a hamlet in the Guatemalan jungle. The movie interviews various subjects who for decades investigated what happened during two unspeakable days, when it seemed an entire town in northern Guatemala had been wiped from the map, including a prosecutor who tracked Oscar down and revealed to him the story of his past. Oscar's family were among the more than 200,000 people dead or "disappeared" in Guatemala's brutal civil conflict that simmered on from 1960 to 1996. A living link The massacre in Dos Erres was carried out at the hands of the "Kaibiles," a special army unit trained by the US military to combat communism -- part of a scorched earth campaign waged by then-president Efrain Rios Montt to wipe out a perceived threat from rebel guerrillas. The release of the film produced by Spielberg and Frank Marshall, comes just days after the decision of a judge in Guatemala to order a special trial for genocide against Rios Montt, 90, a former general, for his role in the massacre at the center of this film. Rios Montt in 2013 was sentenced to 80 years in prison for genocide, but Guatemala's highest court overturned the ruling because of a "procedural error." A UN-sponsored Truth Commission documented 669 massacres during the civil war in Guatemala, the overwhelming majority at the hands of the state during the dictatorship of Rios Montt or his successor, Oscar Mejia Victores, who governed from 1983 to 1986. Only a handful of "Kaibiles" have been convicted in connection to the massacre, but each received a sentence of more than 6,000 years in prison. Three others accused in the slaughter are jailed in the US for immigration violations. Several others are believed to reside in the United States. Years of searching The narrative of exactly what happened in Oscar's village of Dos Erres was painstakingly pieced together over time through testimonies from relatives, survivors, forensic experts, a courageous prosecutor, Sara Romero, and even some ex-Kaibiles who received immunity in exchange for their testimony. After years of searching, in 2011 the prosecutor Romero finally tracked down Oscar, who was living as an undocumented immigrant in the Boston suburbs, and revealed his story to him. The young man travelled to Guatemala the following year and met his biological father, a peasant who survived because he was away from the village at the time of the massacre. Oscar has since legalized his status, obtaining a US refugee visa and rebuilding his life. "Oscar is now living his version of an American immigrant dream, with his wife Nidia and his four children," Suffern said. Following its American debut, "Finding Oscar" will be seen in Guatemala later this year, according to Suffern. "A US soldier was killed in action while conducting operations against ISIS-Khorasan in (Nangarhar) Afghanistan," US Navy Captain Bill Salvin said on Twitter, referring to a regional affiliate of the jihadist group. The identity of the soldier, killed late on Saturday, was not revealed. "On behalf of all of U.S. Forces - Afghanistan, I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our fallen comrade," General John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, said in a statement. "We will always remember our fallen comrades and commit ourselves to deliver on their sacrifice," Nicholson added. Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, is a hotbed of IS militancy. US forces have conducted a number of air strikes on jihadist bases in the area since August last year. IS, notorious for its reign of terror in Syria and Iraq, has been making inroads into Afghanistan in recent years. It has attracted disaffected members of the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban as well as Uzbek Islamists. But the group has been steadily losing territory in the face of heavy pressure both from US air strikes and a ground offensive led by Afghan forces. Islamic State's strength in Afghanistan has fallen to 600-800 fighters from 3,000 in early 2016, NATO has said, adding that it killed the top 12 IS commanders in the country last year. The jihadists claimed a deadly assault on Afghanistan's largest military hospital last month, but survivors who spoke to AFP said the attackers chanted "Long live Taliban" in Pashto. Police spokesman Emilian Kayima confirmed that Nyanzi was taken into custody Friday and would appear in court Monday in Kampala on charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication under a 2011 law governing computer misuse. "She kept posting issues, fighting battles on social media which we think does not serve her interests or ours," Kayima said. Last Monday, Janet Museveni said in a rare TV interview that she had "forgiven" Nyanzi, whose work specialises in the study of sexuality in Africa. The academic, whose no-holds-barred work is seen as provocative in some circles of a largely conservative society, had accused the first lady of being "totally out of touch with the reality of the masses". After Janet Museveni said the sanitary pads pledge would not be met on budgetary grounds, Nyanzi began a high profile fundraising campaign on the issue. Social media critic Rosebell Kagumire said that, with Nyanzi's arrest, "I think the government are looking for ways to extend traditional methods of intimidation to online speech. They are trying to control a space they have no ability to control." Maria Burnett, Senior Africa Researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticised the arrest as an attack on free expression. "The arrest and criminal charges brought against Dr. Nyanzi are yet another clear indicator that those who express critical views of the government can face its wrath," Burnett said. Rick Bierman wants people to understand that not everyone who supports a secure border is racist. Thats the narrative he sees perpetuated, and thats why he invited me to sit as his kitchen table on a recent Thursday afternoon. Because of time he spent working in the farm fields around Muscatine as a child, he sees it differently. He wants a secure border because he feels empathy for the people who put their lives at risk to come to the United States to work at any number of jobs that are readily available to an able-bodied, willing worker, papers or not. My concerns are about people getting stuck in the desert and dying, about the murders on the border, drug trafficking. He isnt sure a wall will do the trick. If people are desperate enough, theyll find a way. Id like to see things in other countries so great that they dont need to come here. Theres one simple thing Americans to do to help the immigration problem: Obey the laws we have. Dont do drugs and dont hire people illegally. Rick Biermans grandfather, Bill Bierman, was a sharecropper in Muscatine, mostly growing organic melons and cabbage. He had a way of planting with the phases of the moon, Bierman remembered. Bierman, now 67, was in the fields as an 8-year-old cutting cabbage by hand with a knife. Its back-breaking work (youre bent over all the time) and his grandfather had a hard time finding people willing to do it. Bierman would be in the fields by himself most days. His grandfather would drop him off early in the morning, pick him up for lunch and then return him to the field until supper at 5 p.m. His grandfather sharecropped 25 to 30 acres on Stewart Road and Bierman worked for him for 75 cents an hour, 10 hour days. He couldnt get Americans to do that work, Bierman said. He never worked alongside them, but when his mom and dad took the family for rides through the country, he saw Mexican children his own age out in the fields doing the same work. At some point, Bierman admitted that he wasnt cut out for a life of farm work and he got a job that he loved carrying out groceries. When he graduated from high school, Bierman enlisted in the Vietnam War as U.S. Army Airborne infantry, paratrooper. When he came back to the states, he returned to Muscatine and never thought about leaving. My family and friends are here. Its a nice, quiet town, and it just always felt better coming home than leaving. He worked first for The Hon Company, then for Monsanto as a production technician before taking a buyout in 2001. One of the things I liked about that job was that you could see what you did at the end of the day, he said. Bierman isnt a staunch Republican or Democrat. Like many Iowans Ive met, he takes his responsibility to listen to all candidates from both parties before he caucuses. I vote for both, he said. Thats the only reason I register, so I can caucus. He caucused for Democrat Bill Richardson when he was running against Obama in 2008. In the most recent election, he caucused for Jeb Bush. In November, he voted for Trump. I wasnt too happy about it, but it was more a vote against, than a vote for. Im more interested in politics lately, as Im getting older, he said. I want to see the government headed in the right direction. What does that mean to you? I asked. He said, a balanced budget, as little debt as possible, high employment with good paying jobs and health care. I dont think anyone should suffer. He also worries about overpopulation and its impact on the planet and the economy. We need to figure out a way to make birth control available, he said. Politicians used to talk about it all the time, and now you dont hear much about it. I worry about my grandkids, he said. I dont want to see a future where there are no jobs and a food shortage. In his retirement, Bierman is an avid student of history. He keeps up with current events, and compares them to what hes read or reading about world history. Hes especially interested in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean cultures. Hes always been that way, he said. He read the Iliad three times in junior high and again as an adult. From his study of history hes learned: There are certain civilizations that you can go in with the biggest army and not defeat them. They are guerrillas who just fade into the general population. Like Vietnam, he said, or Afghanistan. Ive written Letters to the Editor about his, he said. Our conversation continued, wide and ranging, from blue collar jobs to trade to treaties. Ricks grandfather was the last generation of the family to farm. Ricks father, Richard Bierman, worked on the linotype machine at the Muscatine Journal for 50 years. So, we talked about that. When I stood up to leave, he said, he was surprised at how much ground we covered. Me, too, I said. It was a good conversation. Budgets are a moral document. They are supposed to reflect the state's priorities. Years ago, we all understood that to develop Iowa's economy and grow its population, we needed to invest in education to build our skilled workforce. We prided ourselves upon fairness and looking out for the state's most vulnerable citizens - seniors, the disabled, and children. We kept a lean budget while making sure these long-term investments were the top priority. It was a moral high-ground understood and agreed to by Republicans and Democrats alike. Today, that bipartisan commitment on the budget has been replaced by one-party control at the state Capitol and blind approval of tax breaks the state cannot afford. Four years ago, the state of Iowa had a surplus of more than $927 million; that is now a $130 million deficit. The deficit is largely driven by uncapped and automatic tax breaks that have increased since Republicans came to power and now top $500 million annually. Those breaks have not produced the economic growth Republicans promised and, instead, have actually slowed the state's economy. We did not arrive at this point overnight. Over the past year, non-partisan budget experts cited warning signs. The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) forecast a slowing economy, shortage in skilled workers, and stagnant wages. But rather than acknowledge these red flags, the GOP pushed forward with a political agenda. They abandoned their steadfast fiscal principles to the detriment of Iowans and the benefit of their donors. As a result, legislative Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad's administration made $120 million in mid-year budget cuts to community colleges, public safety, and law enforcement just a few months ago while leaving their massive tax breaks unharmed. It runs counter to Iowans' sense of fairness and abandons the bipartisan tradition of fending for the state's most vulnerable. Then it happened again. Our state budget experts met in March and said the state was in deficit for the second time this year, cutting revenue another $130 million. GOP leaders responded by saying they would borrow from the state's rainy day accounts to cover the deficit. Most families know this is a careless way to budget. It's like using your retirement savings to pay your credit card bill. Iowa would not be faced with a budget deficit today if the GOP had used common sense. When your property taxes increase and your kid's tuition goes up next year, you are paying for their mistakes. All it takes is a basic sense of fairness and economics to understand wrong from right here. And leaving working families to pick up the tab is wrong. And it isn't just the budget. The Branstad-Reynolds administration has broken major promises that affect your family and mine. They promised to raise family incomes by 25 percent, but instead lowered the minimum wage for 65,000 Iowans. They promised to create 200,000 new Iowa jobs, but instead cut dollars for job training programs. Broken promises that hurt working families. House Democrats believe we need to restore fiscal discipline and embrace economics that make sense for the average family. We should put people and a skilled workforce before corporate tax breaks. We should listen to non-partisan economists instead of donors and special interests. We should only spend what the state can afford. Your family has already been forced to pay for the GOP's mistakes once this year. Does borrowing money to pay for someone else's tax breaks actually help your family? Iowa's health insurance exchange this week became the poster child for self-fulfilling prophecies. In just 72 hours, Iowa's version of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, crumbled under its own weight and the additional heft a Republican White House with no interest in supporting it. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Aetna last week both announced departures from Iowa's exchange in 2018, citing mounting financial losses and continued "uncertainty." That leaves Iowa's exchange with just one provider, Medica, which has yet to make its future intentions known. Wellmark and Aetna represent a majority of the Iowa exchange's total plans. So, now what? What's clear so far is Republicans in Washington have no answers. Obamacare has always been a highly compromised, deeply troubled program. Even proponents of the massive federal program lamented its shortcomings. It's over-reliance on young, healthy populations to subsidize the elderly and sick didn't pan out. Obamacare was costly and clunky. But, by most objective measures, it was relatively successful. Roughly 20 million Americans have health insurance thanks to the ACA. In 2016, national insurance rates reached a record low of 10.6 percent, according to Gallup. That's down from 18 percent in 2013, and it's the working poor -- a population who spent decades one heart attack away from financial ruin -- who benefited most. An imperfect program, for sure. But Obamacare isn't responsible for the country's astronomically high health care costs. Americans pay more and get less relative to the rest of the developed world, according to the World Health Organization. It even slowed the incessant rise of health insurance premiums, concluded the Congressional Budget Office. Republicans spent seven years wasting time on meaningless votes to repeal ACA. It was a go-to foil in congressional districts in every purple district throughout the country. It was "evil," they said. They stoked nonsensical fears about "death panels." President Donald Trump has repeatedly called it a "disaster" without bothering to actually understand it and last month promised to let ACA fail when his party couldn't offer any real solutions. That last bit is the "uncertainty" to which Aetna and Wellmark officials were referring. Trump's promise to starve ACA to death all but doomed an already troubled Iowa exchange. The White House and congressional Republicans, still smarting after last month's failure, spent much of last week in closed-door meetings trying to hash out a replacement to ACA, reported the New York Times. Most of the talks involving the White House concerned placating the GOP's right-wing Freedom Caucus, which killed the party's first attempt at repeal. Proposed concessions included high-risk pools, a downright scam that's failed in multiple states, and the elimination of hugely popular pre-existing conditions protections for consumers. A bill that already turned the noses of the GOP's reasonable center reeks even worse after this week. Flailing is fine for a minority party. Chaos is not acceptable for the majority that's supposed to govern. So, we ask again: What now? Republicans tapped widespread confusion and fear to score political points off Obamacare. They've railed against it without any real solution. They're now actively destabilizing it. And, predictably, Iowa's exchange is quite literally falling apart amid a GOP civil war. The well-being of thousands of Iowans are at stake here. More than 50,000 benefit from taxpayer subsidized policies on Iowa exchange. Tens of thousands of Iowa's poorest rely on the state's already foundering Medicaid system, expanded as part of the ACA and privatized by Gov. Terry Branstad. And the very people who sowed discontent and stoked fears have, so far, proven incapable of picking up the pieces. FARGO -- Sanford Health Plan is suing the federal government for almost $9 million for what it says is a reneged promise to pay to cushion the insurer against hard-to-predict losses from providing coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act, the health reform law often called Obamacare, required qualified health plans that sold health insurance in the governments online marketplace to meet certain standings, including providing essential benefits. Insurers also were required to sell insurance with what is called community rating, basing premiums on the entire pool of customers instead of on individual health risks. Benefits previously subject to copays or other out-of-pocket payments from consumers were mandated to be provided at no cost to the insured. Because of the high degree of uncertainty of providing mandated coverage for new populations, the Affordable Care Plan called upon the government to bolster insurers with programs to help stabilize premiums. One of those programs was a mechanism called risk corridors, a form of insurance for the health insurers. But the Republican-controlled Congress, which tried unsuccessfully to repeal the health law, refused to fund the backup programs, including the risk corridors. To help persuade insurers to participate, the government made guarantees to pay health plans if they incurred costs above a targeted level. Similarly, the insurers would owe the government if costs came in below the level. Despite these express and binding obligations, the risk corridors program -- like the ACA as a whole -- has been the target of subsequent congressional actions designed to impede (the governments) ability to administer the program as mandated by the ACA, Sanford said in its lawsuit, which was recently filed in the U.S. Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. Because Congress never funded risk corridor program as promised by law, participating health insurers incurred billions of dollars of losses in 2014 and 2015. As a result, a number of insurers around the country are now filing lawsuits similar to the suit filed by the Sanford Health Plan. Sanford sustained losses of almost $9 million from selling health insurance in North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. Sanford Health Plan has followed the law and provided high-quality, affordable health insurance, said Cindy Morrison, Sanford Healths chief policy officer. The law and the risk corridors program imposed payment requirements on Sanford Health Plan, which it has met, she added in a statement. It also imposed payment obligations on the government. Unfortunately, the government has not met its payment obligations, and Sanford Health Plan has brought this lawsuit in order to ensure that the government lives up to its end of the bargain. DECATUR If youve been watching television lately, theres a good chance youve seen Gov. Bruce Rauner on screen with a roll of duct tape and a message of blame for Democrats. Thats because more than $85,125 worth of TV ads have been purchased in the television market that includes the Quad-Cities, part of a statewide ad campaign that Rauner says is unconnected to his 2018 gubernatorial hopes. The ads represent a fraction of more than $1 million worth of TV time that has been purchased by an arm of the Republican Governors Association, the Chicago Sun-Times reported March 30. Records show that the organization, State Solutions, purchased 15- and 30-second ads featuring Rauner in the Chicago, Champaign-Springfield, Rockford, Quad-Cities and Peoria-Bloomington markets. In the ads, Rauner brandishes a roll of duct tape and likens it to Democrats solutions for the state budget impasse. Higher taxes, more spending, no real reforms, he said. After decades of ignoring problems, its time someone fixes them. He then touts plans to freeze property taxes, cap spending, create jobs and set term limits for state politicians. Rauner and Democrats have been at odds for 21 months, with each side blaming the other for their inability to pass a budget that spans a full fiscal year. The Illinois House on Thursday voted to tap $817 million to temporarily relieve struggling universities and human services. The ads began airing March 28 and are slated to continue at least through next week on WHBF, WQAD and KWQC, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The records were obtained Friday and may not include all purchases. Those documents describe the ads as non-candidate advertising focusing on the issue of Illinois governmental and fiscal reform, meaning the expenditures are not required to be reported to the states election board. The ads direct viewers to FixIllinois.com. Rauner, who took office in 2015, has denied that the television spots were campaign ads. They are meant to tell Illinois residents about the regulatory and structural changes he believes are necessary for the states economic health, Rauner said. Really, were just trying to communicate with the people of Illinois about whats going on and what were trying to work to change to make things better so we have a better future in Illinois, he said Thursday morning while making a stop in Decatur. Voters arent likely to make that distinction, said Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Theyre tired of campaign ads and political messaging from both sides, and Brune believes theyre ready for the finger-pointing in Springfield to stop. Its really important that both sides come to the table ready to negotiate and compromise, she said. It doesnt seem like thats the attitude at the moment. After an exhausting presidential election, many residents are apt to tune out political ads as soon as they appear, said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He said the TV spots likely wont do much to improve Rauners polling numbers or shift the policy debate. The distinction between governing and campaigning seems to get blurrier and blurrier and this is another indication of that, he said. But, in addition to reiterating his message and appealing to his base of supporters, Redfield said the ads deliver an important message to Democrats considering their 2018 prospects. Part of it has nothing to do with the reaction of the average citizen, Redfield said. Hes doing it because he can do it and theyre trying to show that theyre in a position of strength vis-a-vis the Democrats. Several Democrats have already announced they plan to seek the partys nomination in the March primary election, nomination in the March gubernatorial primary, including state Sen. Daniel Biss, Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, billionaire J.B. Pritzker and businessman Chris Kennedy, who is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Local lawmakers expressed equal puzzlement with the advertisements. State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said she was "speechless" when told how much money was spent on them. She said at a time when places like Webster-Cantrell Hall and Richland Community College are struggling due to a lack of money from the state, it was outrageous for so much to be spent on television ads on behalf of Rauner. I feel (Rauner) needs to stop campaigning the election is well over a year away and present a budget us lawmakers can come together and vote on, Scherer said. When reached Friday afternoon, state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said his main focus was on working to get a budget passed in the General Assembly before the end of May and that he did not think the advertisements would have much effect in the Capitol. He added that he had no real opinions on the money being spent or whether they qualified as campaign ads. (Rauner) has got the money to run the ads, if he wants to run them, he can, Mitchell said. He has a perspective and hes trying to get that point of view out. Along with a tweet on Monday criticizing the advertisement, state Sen. Andy Manar said on Friday that the ads struck him as completely out-of-touch with the issues facing Illinois. Its as if he went to Mars to film these things because they come from a completely different reality than what we are facing every single day in Springfield in order to come to a compromise on a budget, said Manar, D-Bunker Hill. They come from a completely different world. While he said the advertisements would not affect him or his push to pass a budget this spring, Manar said rhetoric like this hinders the ability to negotiate bipartisan deals. It contributes to the toxic, hyper-partisan atmosphere that has been injected into Springfield since Bruce Rauner has taken office, Manar said. He just cannot help himself. He ought to shut off the television, get rid of the phoney baloney, and just govern. For homeowners, one of the hassles of moving is figuring out what to do with the old place. In the case of Rapid City-based energy utility Black Hills Corporation, moving means selling nearly 100,000 square feet of office space in two separate buildings and converging almost 500 employees, spread out among five locations around town, to a soon-to-be completed $70 million headquarters complex located at the intersection of Highway 16 and Catron Boulevard later this year. One of the downsides is moving from a location we have thoroughly enjoyed, said Chief Operating Officer Linn Evans, referring to Black Hills Corporations longtime headquarters building at 625 Ninth St. in downtown Rapid City. I personally have worked in that building for almost 16 years, he said. Commercial realtor Sandra Runde of Keller Williams Realty Black Hills of Rapid City is representing sale of the eight-story, 66,000-square-foot building on Ninth Street and another 36,000-square-foot office and warehouse space at 2828 Plant St. in the Deadwood Avenue Industrial Park. Also packing up and moving will be supply center employees from leased space in the Baken Park Shopping Center and call-center workers from the Vast building on Deadwood Avenue, according to company spokeswoman Val Simpson. A number of employees in the Black Hills Energy Service Center at 409 Deadwood Ave. will also make the move to the new headquarters. Others will remain at the service center to serve utility customers, Simpson said. The Ninth Street building, right next door to the 10-story Turnac Tower, has been part of the downtown Rapid City skyline since its completion in 1970 as headquarters for Rushmore Mutual Life Insurance Co. What was then a small regional electrical utility known as Black Hills Power & Light leased space in the Rushmore Mutual building for a time before company, now known as Black Hills Corporation, bought the building outright in 1990. Black Hills Corporation completed a top to bottom renovation of the building and initially leased several floors to other tenants until finally occupying the entire building several years ago. Runde said possibilities include splitting the Ninth Street tower into retail space on the first and second floor, with offices on the third and fourth floor and perhaps residential space on the upper four floors. The entire building could be devoted to residential space, helping the central business district conform to the citys downtown master plan calling for more than 300 housing units. Runde said the building could go to a single buyer or be sold as a condominium, with separate owners of individual floors, as in the case of the neighboring Turnac Tower, or the First Interstate Bank building at the corner of Omaha Street and West Boulevard. The Ninth Street building property also includes a parking lot for 128 vehicles to the south. Listing price for the building is $7.5 million. Runde said three or four potential buyers have indicated interest in the property, including a local developer. No one has made an offer on it, but there are people actively looking at it, Runde said. Runde said the 36,000-square-feet facility on Plant Street has a natural subdivision. The two-level building, listed at $4 million, was built in 2001 and features 18,000 square feet of finished office space on the main level. The walk-out lower level also has 18,000 square feet, featuring 10,500 square feet of office space and 7,200 square feet of warehouse space. It could easily accommodate 3 or 4 different businesses, she said. Black Hills Corporations growth has been fueled by acquisitions of other electrical and natural gas companies in the midsection of the country since 2004, including the January 2005 purchase of Cheyenne Light and Power from Xcel Energy, a 2006 purchase of Kansas City-based Aquila Energy and the 2015 purchase of SourceGas, a natural gas utility based in Golden, Colo. The additions have taken the old Black Hills Power & Light Co. from about 60,000 customers in late 2004 to more than 1.2 million customers as of 2015, with more than 500 employees now working in Rapid City. It takes more people to support that, so we have been bringing people and adding positions over the past 13 years because of the acquisitions, said Evans. Evans said employees are chomping at the bit to make the move to the new complex, called Horizon Point, set to happen in late November. Runde said if the buildings sell earlier than that, Black Hills Corporation would pay rent until the move is completed. Evans said leaving the familiar neighborhoods of Ninth Street and Deadwood Avenue will be bittersweet, but its time to move on. Theres some great memories. Weve been in those buildings and watched the company grow, he said. (Editor's Note: The above story was corrected to change a reference to the parking lot next to the building on Ninth Street.) Sue Heil has moved her Mona Lisas on Main dress shop. just one door to the east on Main Street downtown. There's way more to the story, however. On April 1, Heil re-opened Mona Lisa's at 613 Main St., formerly the location of Magic Moments Bridal and Formal Wear, which closed last fall. Heil owns the space she just moved from at 615 Main St., and said she has leased it to Broken Arrow Trading Co. based in Watertown. According to the company website, Broken Arrow also has stores in Wall, Keystone, Hill City and Deadwood. The space next door, owned by Rapid City architect Lee Geiger, is serving as a temporary location for Heil's shop, "This is a case of Lee helping out a neighbor," Heil said. Heil said she is preparing to close for good at the end of the summer, and may have to shutter earlier if Geiger finds a new lessee. She emphasized that she will continue to receive new clothing selections through the end of June. It was her dislike of the selection of women's plus-sized clothing in Rapid City that led to her opening Mona Lisas at 615 Main St. in 2009. Heil's daughter, Lisa, also operated her Mona Lisa's Photography studio there as well and has moved to the third floor of the building. Heil said the decision to ultimately close the clothing shop is based on the desire of her husband, Larry, who has cancer, to spend winters in warmer Southern climes. She had initially considered moving to the Rushmore Mall, but said running the shop seven days per week and up to 12 hours a day would be too much for her as the lone employee. "Six days a week is enough, let alone seven," she said. Check out her website, monalisasonmain.com, her Facebook page, or call 605-716-7801 for more information. SD Mines startups Rapid City companies Nanopareil, LCC and VRC Metal Systems were recently recognized among the 40 Best University Start-Ups of 2017 by the National Council of Entreprenurial Tech Transfer in Washington, D.C. Both companies started as research projects at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Nanopareil, LLC uses patented composite microscopic fiber membranes to produce filters for separating biochemicals and viruses during the production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. The technology was the brainchild of Mines professors' Todd Menkhaus and Hao Fong. VRC Metal Systemss cold spray technology, metal powder sprayed at supersonic speeds, provides cost-effective repair of Defense Department weapons systems, including the B1-B bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base, with many more applications being developed. The company, founded in 2013, sprung out of state-funded research on spray-on metal applications led by associate professor Christian Widener at the Arbegast Advanced Materials Processing and Joining Lab at the School of Mines. On April 18-20 officials from both companies will travel to Washington, D.C., for a presentation in front of a group of corporate investors and venture capitalists. The fact that Mines has two out of 40 companies recognized nationwide this year is a real tribute to the faculty involved and the innovation culture we are continuing to build here, Mines President Heather Wilson said in a release. We are very proud of these start-ups and will eagerly watch their ongoing success. Gordmans may stay open There is more optimism that the Rapid City Gordmans' store could remain open after Houston-based Stage Stores, Inc., was the successful high bidder to assume leases on at least 50 of the 100 stores originally set to be closed and liquidated after Omaha-based company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. Stage Stores won the rights to those stores at a bankruptcy auction and announced on Monday 57 stores for which it had designation rights to keep open and operate. Included on the list are stores at the Rushmore Crossing Shopping Center in Rapid City and in Sioux Falls, along with North Dakota stores in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. However, a Stage Stores spokeswoman said negotiations were still underway, so the company was not ready to definitively announce which of those 57 stores will remain open. Payless Shoe not closing Rapid Citys Payless Shoe Source is not included on a list of more than 500 stores the company will close after announcing Chapter 11 restructuring on April 4. Stores in Sioux Falls, Yankton and Brookings are slated to close, however. A full Payless Shoe Source store is in the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City. Payless also operates shoe departments in Shopko and Shopko Hometown stores. Pizza hut to parking lot The former East North Street Rapid City location of Pizza Hut is no more. City communication director Darrell Shoemaker said the vacant building was demolished recently to make way for additional truck and bus parking for the adjoining Wendys Restaurant. County records show the former Pizza Hut building property owned by the Wendys franchisee, Holland Real Estate Co. out of Colorado Springs, Colo. Carmike theaters now AMC Rapid Citys Carmike theatres have been rebranded as AMC and/or AMC Classic theaters. As of March 6, Carmike 10 is now AMC Rapid City 10. Carmike Rushmore 7 became AMC Classic Rushmore 7 on March 7. According to an AMC spokeswoman, the difference in the AMC and AMC Classic brand classification is based on attendance. The AMC brand theaters are also more likely to feature recliner-type seating as well as IMAX and Dolby Cinema sound system capability. The name change also includes theaters in Yankton and Aberdeen and hundreds of theaters in 41 states. Learn about Japanese culture Is your family interested in learning about Japanese culture? Willing to host an exchange student? South Dakota States' 4-H International exchange is looking for host families for this summer from July 22 through August 19. Families who are interested in hosting should be interested in other cultures, enjoy working with youth (12-18), have a child between 12-18 who is the same gender as the exchange students and within 2-3 years (older or younger) of delegate's age. See the attached flyer for more information about requirements and the delegates who will be joining us from Japan. If you have questions, contact: sd4hyouthexchangeprograms@gmail.com or visit states4hexchange.org. Jackley returns to Mines as commencement speaker South Dakota Attorney General and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology alumnus Marty Jackley will speak at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technologys 175th commencement. Jackley has served as both the U.S. Attorney for South Dakota and as the state's Attorney General. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from SD Mines in 1992 and a law degree from the University of South Dakota in 1995. The 2017 Spring Commencement at Mines begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena. The event is open to the public. The commencement ceremony is also streamed live online for those who cannot attend in person. The video can be found at sdsmt.edu/GradVideo. BHSU earns recognition BHSU was recently honored as a 2016 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation, noting the University's commitment to effective forest management. As a celebration of environmental sustainability, BHSU invites the community to a Tree Planting and Care Workshop, Tuesday, April 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., a Bicycle Tree Tour, Wednesday, April 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the Festival on the Green, a zero waste carnival event, Thursday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on campus in Spearfish. Sutton elected Board of Regents president Bob Sutton, a member of the South Dakota Board of Regents since 2013, is the board's new president, succeeding Randy Schaefer, who remains on the board. Sutton is executive vice president of human resources for Avera Health in Sioux Falls. He previously served as regional president and CEO of Avera St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre, president of the South Dakota Community Foundation, president of the South Dakota Bankers Association, and executive director of the South Dakota Association of County Officials. He is also active in public and community service, having chaired the South Dakota Housing Development Authority and South Dakotans for the Arts and as a board member of Junior Achievement of South Dakota. Regents honor student groups The South Dakota Board of Regents recognized student organizations from Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology for their outstanding academic, community, and organizational work. BHSU student groups receiving the special regents awards were: the Award for Academic Excellence for the campus chapter of the South Dakota Education Association; the Community Service Award to the Thompson Diversion Program'; the Award for Organizational Leadership to the The Activity Grants Committee of the Campus Activities Board. Awards for the School of Mines include the Award for Academic Excellence to the American Chemical Society; the Community Service Award for Alpha Omega Epsilon; the Award for Organizational Leadership for The Robotics Team. Social media study Black Hills State University is offering a new certificate in social media following South Dakota Board of Regents approval this week. The social media certificate includes 12 total credits, or four courses, including the requirements of Social Media Survey, Media Law, and two electives from a set list of courses in business administration, mass communication, and outdoor education. Most of the courses required for the new social media undergraduate certificate are offered online, including a new Social Media Survey course offered online for the first time this summer. For more information on academic programs at BHSU, visit BHSU.edu/academics It wasn't very polar, but there was plenty of "plunging" during last week's Polar Plunge event in Rapid City. A fundraiser for Special Olympics, this year's event raised just a little more than $115,000 and saw 454 "plungers." Todd Bradwisch, vice president of the Law Enforcement Torch Run with Special Olympics South Dakota, said it was a record-breaking event: It's the most money raised at a single Polar Plunge in South Dakota, and the most people jumping at a single Polar Plunge event in South Dakota. "It was a beautiful day, great crowd, and just amazing support from Rapid City area crowd," he said. He said last year's event in Rapid City comes the closest; the 2016 event raised $94,015 with 267 people jumping. Bradwisch credited much of the day's success to the venue, Black Hills Harley-Davidson, which provided ample space and an inviting atmosphere. He said the event had bounced from one location to another through the years, but moved to Black Hills Harley-Davidson last year and returned this year. "It's just an absolute great venue," he said. Part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run events to benefit Special Olympics South Dakota, the Rapid City Polar Plunge was organized by the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff's Office and South Dakota Highway Patrol in conjunction with Special Olympics South Dakota. Multiple Polar Plunge events are held throughout the state, usually during cold-weather months. Dubbed "Freezin' for a Reason," the Polar Plunge challenges people to jump into a pool of frigid water. Prospective plungers must raise at least $100 to participate. The money raised goes to support local Special Olympics teams in this case, the Rapid City Flame and the Rapid City Storm and the state program. Anyone can participate, and Bradwisch said this year's event saw a broad swath of community support, from law enforcement agencies to schools, and a strong contingent of local businesses. "It was a huge mixture," he said. "It was great." Hope Center awarded $10K grant A Rapid City organization recently received a $10,000 grant from the South Dakota Community Foundation. The Hope Center, a "drop-in day center" for the homeless and people living in poverty, received the grant last month, according to a release from the Hope Center. We are blessed to receive funding from the South Dakota Community Foundation," Anna Quinn, executive director of the center said in the release. This money will allow us to continue to provide unduplicated and crucial services to an average of 145 people per day who are living in poverty or without homes in the Rapid City community. Local businesses donate to Habitat for Humanity Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity recently received a $6,600 donation from the four Family Thrift Centers and Prairie Market stores in Rapid City. Between Feb. 8-19, the SpartanNash Foundation, which owns the Rapid City stores, hosted a company-wide retail scan campaign in SpartanNash corporate-owned stores in eight states, according to a release from the foundation. Shoppers who visited the stores during the campaign could donate $1, $5 or $10, with 100 percent of dollars raised going to support 79 Habitat for Humanity affiliates, including Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity. In total, the campaign raised $202,350 for the 79 affiliates. The local donation, made on April 4, "will help build hope and affordable housing for Habitat homebuyers," according to the release. As we partner with people who have a crucial need for affordable housing solutions, the SpartanNash Foundations support is building strength, dignity and stability with Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity, Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Scott Engmann said in the release. HOT SPRINGS | A Veterans Affairs official is disputing claims by a whistleblower that plans for a new VA call center that would employ 120 people in Hot Springs were never realistic. According to Matthew Eitutis, executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Member Services Department, progress on the call center is being made. Im excited about moving forward, Eitutus said in a phone interview with the Hot Springs Star late last month. Were going full steam ahead. Eitutus said computers have been brought to the facility and 38 more people have been offered jobs with the call center. On March 10, self-avowed VA whistleblower Scott Davis, an Atlanta public affairs officer for VA Member Services, sent a letter to VA Secretary David Shulkin contending that the Hot Springs call center was more ruse than reality. He further alleged that the plan was the VAs way of creating a good news story about what was happening in Hot Springs, even as the VA has plans to shutter the historic hospital there. That move would lead to the elimination of roughly 300 Hot Springs medical jobs that would be shifted to Rapid City or elsewhere due to the VA reconfiguration of the Black Hills Health Care System. Early in 2016, Davis made claims that the VA Health Resource Center crisis line, aimed at helping veterans contemplating suicide, had left unanswered more than 1 million phone calls from veterans seeking help. Eitutis was in charge of that program at the time. Davis March 10 letter claimed the Hot Springs call center, scheduled to be up and running by early 2017, had stalled. He said that no computer equipment was ever ordered; that the project was mismanaged, creating delays in providing the veterans who were hired for the call center with the equipment they need to do their jobs; and that the VA knew about the problems but did not report them. On March 30, Eitutis finally answered the questions put to the VA by The Star. Eitutis said the call center is going to occupy Building No. 3 where little needed to be done which is now ready to be outfitted with cubicles and workstations. Building No. 4 took more time, he said, and a contract to do the work to make it ready will be put out to bid this month. Eitutis called the renovations minor and said changes to make the building ready for a call center environment and the contract would take less than 100 days to complete. However, when the VA was pitching the call center to the community late in 2016, it described Buildings No. 3 and 4 as essentially move-in ready, that only cabling for computers needed to be run. Eitutis also said that cubicles were in place, and some computers, about 30 of the 60 needed, are now in place. Eitutis said a total of 38 of the 120 positions have been filled so far at the call center, and that another three dozen or so people are candidates. Were in the process of offering them jobs, he said. Meanwhile, recent hires and the 34 previously hired are being trained via special classes taking place, and through the summer. Of those hired, he said 68 percent live within 50 miles of Hot Springs, 79 percent are South Dakota residents and 50 percent are from Hot Springs. The jobs for the call center are still open, and he urged those looking for work to apply online at usajobs.gov. Eitutis said he expected all of the renovation work to be done and all the 120 people hired by mid- to late summer. He said the employees undergo about six weeks of training. Eitutis noted that doing this for 80 additional people will take some time, because the VA likes to invest in their training before actually putting them on a call desk. As Delta Flight 2845 soared west above eastern South Dakota at 7:50 p.m. on July 7, the pilot forewarned the co-pilot about mistaking Ellsworth Air Force Base for their intended destination, Rapid City Regional Airport. You do have to be careful with, ah, Eielson not Eielson, Ellsworth, said Capt. James Evans, because their runways kind of align. The comment, revealed in public documents that are part of an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, did not prevent the pilots from landing at Ellsworth by mistake. Nor did their review of a document in the cockpit that explained the close proximity of the base runway and the intended runway at the airport. Nor did a routine verbal warning from an Ellsworth approach controller who told the pilots, Use caution for Ellsworth Air Force Base located six miles northwest of Rapid City Regional. Nor did an expensive air-traffic control computer system at Ellsworth that failed to issue the warning it should have. In hindsight, the fate of the flight was sealed at 8:39 p.m., while the plane was dropping altitude northeast of Rapid City and the pilots began a left turn. They caught sight of what they thought was Rapid City Regional Airport in the twilight below and took the plane down to it. Both pilots had inklings of their mistake as they descended, they later told investigators. At about 500 feet from the ground, they did not see the type of runway lights they expected. At about 20 feet from the ground, the co-pilot, First Officer Matthew Moeller, noticed the number 13 on the runway instead of the expected 14. As the unlucky number passed beneath the plane, Moeller realized what was happening. OK," he said, "were on Ellsworth. Oh #, Evans replied. (The numerous expletives in the transcript of the cockpit voice recording are replaced by # signs.) Evans considered pulling up, he later said to investigators, but his mind flashed to his training and he decided it was safer to land. The tires hit the runway at 8:42 p.m. and both pilots uttered more expletives before Evans said, All right, tell em. Talk. Moeller went on the radio and broke the news to an air-traffic controller at Rapid City Regional Airport, who had noticed the plane drop off a radar screen moments earlier. Evans addressed the planes four flight attendants and 123 passengers. Well, ladies and gentlemen, youre not gonna believe this, he said over the passenger address system. It was my leg and Ellsworth and Rapid City are directly in line. And I just landed at Ellsworth. So were gonna have to get off the runway, come back around and take off and go over to Rapid City. First time in my career to do that. Two hours and 21 minutes of waiting ensued for the plane's crew and passengers while airmen at Ellsworth followed their protocol, which is well established from at least six wrong-airport landings at the base during the past 20 years. Airmen secured the plane and collected information from the pilots while talks began among Ellsworth, Rapid City Regional Airport and Delta Air Lines. Arrangements were made for a short flight to Rapid City Regional. Amid the bustle, Col. John Martin of Ellsworth spoke about the pilot, Capt. Evans, to Ellsworths tower watch supervisor. He might be hanging it up after this, Martin said of Evans, according to a transcript of radio communications. Delta reported the next day that Evans and Moeller were grounded as pilots. More recently, a Delta spokesman declined to tell the Journal anything about the pilots current status, but the investigative documents made public by the NTSB include extensive biographical information about both men. Evans, the captain of the flight, was 60 years old at the time and resided in Alaska. He had been flying since he was 16 and flew Army helicopters before becoming a commercial pilot. He had flown into and out of Rapid City Regional Airport once before, in 2014. The July 7 trip from Minneapolis to Rapid City was among the first flights Evans had piloted since returning from a monthlong break, during which he used all his vacation time before his planned retirement on Aug. 31, 2016. A transcript of the cockpit voice recording includes colorful language that Evans used throughout the flight. Among the 72 expletives replaced by # signs in the transcript, 62 are attributed to Evans, including many before the landing. The Journal asked NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson why the NTSB scrubs the expletives from transcripts, and whether the scrubbing masks unprofessional conduct in the cockpit. Including the actual expletives spoken by crew members would not add any investigative value to the product, Knudson wrote in an email reply. All of the information relevant to understanding the communications about the accident or incident being investigated is included in the transcript. Moeller, the co-pilot, was 51 years old at the time and resided in Utah. He formerly flew for the Air Force, but he had never flown into or out of Ellsworth or Rapid City Regional Airport. Neither pilot had any record of prior accidents, incidents or enforcement actions, and both tested negative for drugs the day after the Ellsworth incident. No one was injured in the mistaken landing. In an interview with investigators and in a written statement, Moeller was apologetic. While noting that others involved in the landing, including air-traffic controllers, could have done more to help him and Evans avoid their mistake, Moeller blamed himself and Evans and listed several things they should have done differently. In a written statement for Delta, Moeller said, I apologize for any problems or inconvenience our error may have caused our passengers and Delta Air Lines. Evans did not apologize in his written statement. In a phone interview with investigators, he resisted blame. When asked if there was anything he could have done differently to avoid this incident, he stated he has spent a lot of time thinking about the event but could not think of anything he could have done differently, said a written summary of the interview. He felt that the event itself was 'the perfect storm' and that it was a big embarrassment for him. It could also prove embarrassing for Raytheon Co., maker of the air-traffic control system known as STARS, for Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System. The system is included in a $10 million air-traffic control facility that opened at Ellsworth in 2008. An NTSB investigators written report about the July 7 Delta landing at Ellsworth concluded with a finding about STARS. In wrong airport landings, STARS and similar systems should detect that the aircraft is unexpectedly descending to the ground away from the destination airport and generate a minimum safe altitude alert, the investigator wrote, but in this case, no alert was generated. Similar STARS failures have been noted in other wrong-airport landings. The NTSB issued a safety recommendation in 2015 asking the Federal Aviation Administration to fix the problem. But, wrote the NTSB investigator assigned to the Ellsworth incident, a fix will require Raytheon Co. to modify the STARS software. Recent Journal phone and email messages to Raytheon spokespeople were not returned. The failure to issue alerts during wrong-airport landings is one of many problems the FAA and Raytheon have faced while trying to implement STARS in air-traffic control facilities across the nation. The FAA began upgrading to STARS in 1996 with a goal of replacing 172 systems for $940 million by 2005. Cost increases and delays added $1.3 billion to the effort in 2004, and the project is still underway with completion now expected in 2020. Whether or not the STARS problem gets fixed, other changes have already been made at Ellsworth and Rapid City Regional Airport to decrease the likelihood of future wrong-airport landings. At Ellsworth, according to NTSB documents, air-traffic controllers have been directed to ensure that pilots arriving from north of the base on a visual approach to Rapid City Regional Airport have both airports in sight, except for pilots who report being familiar with the local area. Additionally, Rapid City Regional Airport has directed its controllers to refrain from issuing landing clearances to aircraft arriving from the vicinity of Ellsworth until those aircraft have passed the base. Meanwhile, the investigation into the July 7 mistaken landing at Ellsworth is wrapping up, an NTSB spokesman told the Journal recently. A final written report could be released within a few months. The events of July 7 ended with Evans and Moeller taking off from Ellsworth shortly after 11 p.m. with all passengers still aboard and flying east past Rapid City Regional Airport before swinging around for an approach from the southeast. They landed at 11:31 p.m., four hours and six minutes after taking off from Minneapolis and nearly three hours past their expected arrival at Rapid City Regional. Though Evans later resisted blame while talking with investigators, he was apologetic to the passengers during several addresses he made while waiting on the runway at Ellsworth. I cant believe this, Evans said in one of those addresses. In over 30 years Ive never done anything like this." Then he added: "Nice landing. Just at the wrong airport. 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 PIERRE | There is something afoot in Fall River County that goes deeper than whether guns can be carried in the Hot Springs courthouse on non-court days. Presiding Circuit Judge Craig Pfeifle met with the county commissioners Tuesday to explain why he and other judges wanted the decision overturned. He convinced all but one of the commissioners it was in their best interest to backtrack. His argument was that a security and safety assessment should be completed before a decision was made. The Legislature, specifically House Republican leader Lee Qualm, and the National Rifle Association set this in motion. Qualm, of Platte, sponsored a measure during the 2017 legislative session that would have allowed guns in most areas of the state capitol in Pierre. The measure would have applied to people who qualified for an enhanced-carry permit. The permit is available for use in other states. Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard used his veto to block Qualms legislation from becoming law. The House of Representatives failed to override the veto on the final day of session. This year marked the second in a row that Qualm tried this. Qualm added good arguments on his side this year. Among them were Secretary of State Shantel Krebs and State Treasurer Rich Sattgast. They didnt feel safe while working in their Capitol offices. The South Dakota Supreme Court, located in the capitol, has taken to temporarily installing a metal scanner at its courtroom entrance on days when the justices hear cases. Other offices, including that of the governor, allow people to walk in unchecked for weapons. There are 64 county courthouses spread across South Dakota. Many of their histories come with disputes from territorial days. Others come with disputes after 1889 statehood. According to Arthur Rusch, a retired circuit judge from Vermillion and now a state senator, and to Jason Haug, a former state preservationist who most recently works in Minnesota, there were numerous instances when a community raided another to possess the courthouse records. Rusch and Haug detailed this in their book, "County Capitols," published in 2014 by the South Dakota Historical Society Press as volume 5 in the historical preservation series. Unfortunately, county capitols werent designed for modern times. Neither was gun violence. Guns dont belong in our county courthouses and our states Capitol. The trouble is there isnt a common-sense way other than metal detectors to keep the guns out. What we have in South Dakota are open doors. Mostly, that is. Judge Pfeifle cancelled court proceedings twice since the Fall River County commission made its decision. Then he took a possible solution to the commission Tuesday. He volunteered security experts from Pennington County to conduct an assessment. The commissioners took a second look and reversed the March decision they originally made after executive session. What happens next isnt clear. The west isnt still the west, except when it is. April Fools' Day has come and gone, but on the first of the month, I kept marveling at how -- starting even before he ran, continuing through his campaign and certainly since Inauguration Day -- Donald Trump has played us for a fool. Successfully, I might add. After all, we elected him, or enough of us did. Millions of people were and are attracted to his message of hate and ignorance that, combined with justified anger at the establishment. Even though millions more did not vote for him, he and his operators finessed a Democratic candidate who frittered away the huge advantage of being far more qualified, due in large part to her campaign strategists who were in totally over their heads. So Trump took the Electoral College. It may be a quirky American way of choosing our great leader, but with all his rhetorical and Twitterical foolishness, he won fair and square. Or maybe foul and scary, if you count the Russian interference and alleged collusion. The point is that we now have installed a chief executive for whom every day is Fools' Day January, February, March and April Fools' Days, with more to come. Every single day, POTUS and his people bring us what seem to be new practical jokes. Trump's tweets alone display his mind running wild, uninhibited by facts, knowledge or rational thought. The only thing that has rescued the nation from disaster just 70-plus days into his administration is incompetence. Trump and company have managed to botch up nearly all their initiatives. His immigration blockade ran afoul with the courts. The crashing and burning of the hasty, nasty health care package displayed less-than-rudimentary knowledge of the legislative process. So down in flames it went. He's had trouble staffing key spots in the various federal departments under his command, partly because he and his comrades in the White House bunker can't find people to fill the positions. Speaking of comrades (note the clever segue here), perhaps part of the dithering is because Donald Trump and his supporters are genuinely spooked by the accusation that he owes his election to Vladimir Putin. He's probably stunned that his feeble intimidation tactics aren't scaring inquisitors away. His opponents, even some friendlies, are not backing off; the media aren't either; no matter how many times he threatens them and snarls "fake news," the story is not going away. As it continues to unfold, it reads like a trashy political novel, except that it might end up a nonfiction blockbuster, or even a presidency-buster. His greatest hope is to recruit key players to try to block the details from getting out. Unfortunately, the one he has chosen is Devin Nunes. On paper, Congressman Nunes would appear to be a good person for the job. After all, he is (was) chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, which, along with Senate Intelligence, is charged with investigating the Russian connection. Unfortunately, Nunes' blatant efforts to defend Trump have shown that he's such a bungler, he's been called "Inspector Clouseau." Let's fast-forward to the 100th day of Donald Trump's presidency. If Congress and the White House can't come to a budget deal, the government might shut down that very day. There is wide disagreement, particularly with Democrats who are not about to vote to support Trump by providing billions of dollars for his border wall and other policies he has put forth that they consider destructive. That may be the next confrontation, but we can't be sure. The president is always just an instant away from crisis with all his foolishness. With its announcement that it would again raise tuition at South Dakotas six public universities, the Board of Regents continues a trend that either ignores or discounts a new reality in higher education. As costs steadily rise, fewer South Dakotans are going to college in their home state, begging the question of whether they are being priced out of higher learning. At its March meeting in Spearfish, the regents approved a 2.9 percent tuition and fee increase for the upcoming school year, which follows a 5.8 percent hike in 2015. As a result of the latest hike, the average cost of tuition and fees has increased from $7,925 in 2014 to $8,555 in 2017, which continues a 10-year trend of increases that makes college here more expensive than in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. These costs do not include room, board, books, supplies or gasoline money and other ancillary costs. At the same time, overall enrollment has been flat since 2010 and theres been a significant decline in resident enrollment. According to an analysis done by the regents in 2015, the states six public universities lost 4,500 resident, or South Dakotan students, since 2010. Enrollment was also down at the university centers in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, which were created specifically to boost in-state enrollment by increasing access to the system. As a result, enrollment has been treading water since 2010 while regents continue a spending wave by approving new building projects that are largely paid for by the students themselves. The higher education facilities fund, which is used to pay off bond debt, is the recipient of 20 cents of every dollar spent on tuition and fees. But new buildings simply are not boosting enrollment. In 2010, a total of 36,440 students were enrolled in the university system. In 2016, it was 36,531, an increase of 92 over 2015. It is an influx of nonresidents and high school students taking dual-credit courses that have enabled the state to maintain a flat enrollment trend. What is the consequence of fewer South Dakotans attending college in their home state? According to that same 2015 report, it means we will likely not have enough trained professionals to fill key positions in the state someday, which would hamper economic growth. In fact, it is already difficult to retain graduates who in some cases leave college with staggering amounts of student-loan debt, forcing them to look out of state for higher-paying jobs. Despite all of this, it seems the Board of Regents has yet to learn the lessons of the past several years. In announcing the recent hike, the boards executive director, Mike Bush, said the increase will have a direct impact on the quality of the higher education experience and improve student retention. It will have an impact on the student experience, especially when its time to pay the bills or take out another loan. As far as retention or growth in enrollment goes, recent history would suggest otherwise. A powerful blast rippled through a Palm Sunday service at a Coptic Christian church in northern Egypt, killing 25 people and wounding 60 others, state TV reported. The explosive device at St. George Coptic church in Tanta was planted under a seat in the church, where it detonated in the main prayer hall, it said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. News footage showed people gathered at the church, singing prayer hymns. The video then quickly switches to bars as harrowing screams and cries echo in the background. "Everything is destroyed inside the church" and blood can be seen on marble pillars, said Peter Kamel, who saw the aftermath of the carnage. It appeared the explosive device was placed near the altar, he said. Priests and the church choir were among the casualties. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the start of Holy Week for Christians. Social media video showed crowds gathered outside the church shortly after the attack. While it's unclear who attacked the church Sunday, Copts face persecution and discrimination that has spiked since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011. Dozens have been killed in sectarian clashes. In December, an attack at a Coptic church in Cairo killed 25 people. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," rights group Amnesty International reported in March. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population of 91 million. They base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt. Tanta is roughly 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Cairo, in the Nile delta. The attack comes days after President Donald Trump welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Washington and stressed his support for Cairo. Among the topics of mutual concern were terrorism and terror group ISIS. El-Sisi met Saturday with a US congressional delegation led by US Rep. Darrell Issa, the Egyptian government said. The meeting addressed Egypt's counter-terrorism efforts and adopting a strategy to fight terror and encourage religious tolerance and acceptance of others. The attack Sunday drew outrage from religious leaders across the globe. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Cairo this month, where he will meet with various religious leaders, including the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He expressed his grief following the church attack. "To my dear brother his Holiness Pope Tawadros II, to the Coptic church and to all of the dear country Egypt, I express my deep condolences, I prayed for the dead and the wounded, I am close to the families and to the entire community. God convert the hearts of the people who spread terror, violence and dead, and also the heart of who produces and traffic weapons," the pope said. The Archbishop of Canterbury, serving the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, called the attacks "evil" and urged people to pray for the victims. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Sarah Sirgany and Bijan Hosseini contributed to this report This is an interesting opinion from the Texas Supreme Court on citing Wikipedia as a dictionary. The underlying case involves an article in D Magazine titled The Park Cities Welfare Queen. The article purports to show that the plaintiff, Rosenthal, has figured out how to get food stamps while living in the lap of luxury. After publication, evidence emerged that the plaintiff had not committed welfare fraud. She sued the magazine for defamation. The appeals court denied the magazines anti-SLAPP motion in part because it held the term Welfare Queen, as informed by the Wikipedia entry, could be defamatory. The Texas Supreme Court affirms the anti-SLAPP denial, but it also criticizes the appeals court for not sufficiently examining the entire articles gist. Along the way, the court opines on the credibility and validity of Wikipedia as a dictionary. TL;DR = the Supreme Court says dont treat Wikipedia like a dictionary. Apologies for the block quoting, but heres the detail: Wikipedia is a self-described online open-content collaborative encyclopedia. Wikipedia: General Disclaimer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer (last visited Mar. 13, 2017). This means that, except in certain cases to prevent disruption or vandalism, anyone can write and make changes to Wikipedia pages. Wikipedia: About, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About (last visited Mar. 13, 2017). Volunteer editors can submit content as registered members or anonymously. Id. Each time an editor modifies content, the editors identity or IP address and a summary of the modification, including a time stamp, become available on the articles history tab. Jason C. Miller & Hannah B. Murray, Wikipedia in Court: When and How Citing Wikipedia and Other Consensus Websites Is Appropriate, 84 ST. JOHNS L. REV. 633, 637 (2010). Wikipedia is one of the largest reference websites in the world, with over 70,000 active contributors working on more than 41,000,000 articles in 294 languages. Wikipedia: About, supra. References to Wikipedia in judicial opinions began in 2004 and have increased each year, although such references are still included in only a small percentage of opinions. Jodi L. Wilson, Proceed with Extreme Caution: Citation to Wikipedia in Light of Contributor Demographics and Content Policies, 16 VAND. J. ENT. & TECH. L. 857, 868 (2014). These cites often relate to nondispositive matters or are included in string citations. But, some courts have taken judicial notice of Wikipedia content, based their reasoning on Wikipedia entries, and decided dispositive motions on the basis of Wikipedia content. Lee F. Peoples, The Citation of Wikipedia in Judicial Opinions, 12 YALE J. L. & TECH. 1, 3 (20092010). While there has been extensive research on Wikipedias accuracy, the results are mixedsome studies show it is just as good as the experts, [while] others show Wikipedia is not accurate at all. Michael Blanding, Wikipedia or Encyclopdia Britannica: Which Has More Bias?, FORBES (Jan. 20, 2015), https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2015/01/20/wikipedia-or-encyclopaediabritannica-which-has-more-bias/#5c254ac51ccf. Any court reliance on Wikipedia may understandably raise concerns because of the impermanence of Wikipedia content, which can be edited by anyone at any time, and the dubious quality of the information found on Wikipedia. Peoples, supra at 3. Cass Sunstein, legal scholar and professor at Harvard Law School, also warns that judges use of Wikipedia might introduce opportunistic editing. Noam Cohen, Courts Turn to Wikipedia, but Selectively, N.Y. TIMES (Jan. 29, 2007), https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/technology/ 29wikipedia.html. The Fifth Circuit has similarly warned against using Wikipedia in judicial opinions, agreeing with those courts that have found Wikipedia to be an unreliable source of information and advising against any improper reliance on it or similarly unreliable internet sources in the future. Bing Shun Li v. Holder, 400 F. Appx 854, 857 (5th Cir. 2010); accord Badasa v. Mukasey, 540 F.3d 909, 91011 (8th Cir. 2008). For others in the legal community, however, Wikipedia is a valuable resource. Judge Richard Posner has said that Wikipedia is a terrific resource because it [is] so convenient, it often has been updated recently and is very accurate. Cohen, supra. However, Judge Posner also noted that it wouldnt be right to use it in a critical issue. Id. Other scholars agree that Wikipedia is most appropriate for soft facts, when courts want to provide context to help make their opinions more readable. Id. Moreover, because Wikipedia is constantly updated, some argue that it can be a good source for definitions of new slang terms, for popular culture references, and for jargon and lingo including computer and technology terms. Peoples, supra at 31. They also argue that open-source tools like Wikipedia may be useful when courts are trying to determine public perception or community norms. Id. at 32. This usefulness is lessened, however, by the recognition that Wikipedia contributors do not necessarily represent a cross-section of society, as research has shown that they are overwhelmingly male, under forty years old, and living outside of the United States. Wilson, supra at 88589. Given the arguments both for and against reliance on Wikipedia, as well as the variety of ways in which the source may be utilized, a bright-line rule is untenable. Of the many concerns expressed about Wikipedia use, lack of reliability is paramount and may often preclude its use as a source of authority in opinions. At the least, we find it unlikely Wikipedia could suffice as the sole source of authority on an issue of any significance to a case. That said, Wikipedia can often be useful as a starting point for research purposes. See Peoples, supra at 28 (Selectively using Wikipedia for minor points in an opinion is an economical use of judges and law clerks time.). In this case, for example, the cited Wikipedia page itself cited past newspaper and magazine articles that had used the term welfare queen in various contexts and could help shed light on how a reasonable person could construe the term. However, the court of appeals utilized Wikipedia as its primary source to ascribe a specific, narrow definition to a single term that the court found significantly influenced the articles gist. Essentially, the court used the Wikipedia definition as the lynchpin of its analysis on a critical issue. As a result, the court narrowly read the term welfare queen to necessarily implicate fraudulent or illegal conduct, while other sources connote a broader common meaning. See, e.g., Oxford Living Dictionaries, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/welfare_queen (last visited Mar. 13, 2017) (broadly defining welfare queen as a woman perceived to be living in luxury on benefits obtained by exploiting or defrauding the welfare system); YourDictionary, http://www.yourdictionary.com/welfare-queen (last visited Mar. 13, 2017) (broadly defining welfare queen as a woman collecting welfare, seen as doing so out of laziness, rather than genuine need). In addition, and independent of the Wikipedia concerns, the court of appeals overwhelming emphasis on a single term in determining the articles gist departed from our jurisprudential mandate to evaluate the publication as a whole rather than focus on individual statements. A concurring opinion by Justice Guzman amplifies the concerns (FNs omitted): Wikipedia has many strengths and benefits, but reliance on unverified, crowd-generated information to support judicial rulings is unwise. Mass-edited collaborative resources, like Wikipedia, are malleable by design, raising serious concerns about the accuracy and completeness of the information, the expertise and credentials of the contributors, and the potential for manipulation and bias. In an age when news about fake news has become commonplace, long-standing concerns about the validity of information obtained from consensus websites like Wikipedia are not merely the antiquated musings of luddites. To the contrary, as current events punctuate with clarity, courts must remain vigilant in guarding against undue reliance on sources of dubious reliability. A collaborative encyclopedia that may be anonymously and continuously edited undoubtedly fits the bill. Legal commentators may debate whether and to what extent courts could properly rely on online sources like Wikipedia, but the most damning indictment of Wikipedias authoritative force comes directly from Wikipedia: WIKIPEDIA MAKES NO GUARANTEE OF VALIDITY Please be advised that nothing found here has necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information. Wikipedia cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here. Wikipedia is not uniformly peer reviewed. [A]ll information read here is without any implied warranty of fitness for any purpose or use whatsoever. Even articles that have been vetted by informal peer review or featured article processes may later have been edited inappropriately, just before you view them. Indeed, Wikipedias radical openness means that any given article may be, at any given moment, in a bad state: for example, it could be in the middle of a large edit or it could have been recently vandalized. Even if expeditiously remediated, transient errors are not always obvious to the casual reader. As Wikipedia states more pointedly, Wikipedia is a wiki, which means that anyone in the world can edit an article, deleting accurate information or adding false information, which the reader may not recognize. Thus, you probably shouldnt be citing Wikipedia. Apart from these candid self-assessments, which no doubt apply with equal force to other online sources and encyclopedias, a more pernicious evil lurksopportunistic editing. Because [a]nyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles and can contribute anonymously, [or] under a pseudonym, reliance on Wikipedia as an authoritative source for judicial decision-making incentivizes self-interested manipulation. Case in point: a Utah court of appeals recently described how the Wikipedia definition of jet ski provided stronger support for one of the parties in a subsequent appeal than it had when considered by the court in the parties previous appeal. The court observed the difficulty of discerning whether the change was instigated by the courts prior opinion, perhaps at the instance of someone with a stake in the debate. Still, some have argued Wikipedia is a good source for definitions of new slang terms, for popular culture references, and for jargon and lingo including computer and technology terms. Perhaps, but not necessarily. While Wikipedias openly editable model may be well suited to capturing nuances and subtle shifts in linguistic meaning, there is no assurance that any particular definition actually represents the commonly understood meaning of a term that may be central to a legal inquiry. In truth, Wikipedias own policies disclaim the notion: Wikipedia is not a dictionary, phrasebook, or a slang, jargon or usage guide. Whatever merit there may be to crowdsourcing the English language, Wikipedia simply lacks the necessary safeguards to prevent abuse and assure the level of certainty and validity typically required to sustain a judgment in a legal proceeding. Take, for example, the Wikipedia entry for welfare queen, which was first created in November 2006 by the user Chalyres. Since the entry was first drafted, 239 edits have been made by 146 users. But there is no reliable way to determine whether these edits (1) deleted or added accurate information, (2) deleted or added false or biased information, (3) were made by individuals with expertise on the terms usage, or (4) were made by individuals actually representative of the community. As a court, one of our chief functions is to act as an animated and authoritative dictionary. In that vein, we are routinely called upon to determine the common meaning of words and phrases in contracts, statutes, and other legal documents. Though we often consult dictionaries in discharging our duty, rarely, if ever, is one source alone sufficient to fulfill the task. To that end, I acknowledge that Wikipedia may be useful as a starting point for serious research, but it must never be considered an endpoint, at least in judicial proceedings. Wikipedias valuable role in todays technological society cannot be denied. Our society benefits from the fast, free, and easily-accessible information it provides. A wealth of information is now available at the touch of a few key strokes, and a community of Wikipedia editors serves to increase the accuracy and truth of that information, promoting the public good through those efforts. However, in my view, Wikipedia properly serves the judiciary only as a compendiuma source for sourcesand not as authority for any disputed, dispositive, or legally consequential matter. To punctuate her skepticism, Justice Guzmans concurrence displays this screenshot: In a footnote, you can almost hear a sneer as she characterizes the screenshot as Screenshot of unsaved edits to Welfare Queen. NB: Wikipedia is trivially easy to edit, but getting those edits to stick is an entirely different matter. My Thoughts It makes sense not to treat Wikipedia as the authoritative citation source. However, I would make the same declaration about many sources, crowd-sourced or not. Often, a range of sources is required to establish a fact. We especially see the trickiness of treating a single dictionary as an authoritative source, because there are often subtle but crucial differences in dictionaries definitions of the same term. Indeed, Wikipedia self-acknowledges its limits as a dictionary. In contrast, sometimes Wikipedia is an OK citation for the zeitgeist about an issue, where the citation is for the ranges of issues rather than for the truth of any issue. I was a little surprised that the court didnt discuss the Urban Dictionary as an alternative to Wikipedia as a dictionary (it comes up only in a reference in a footnote in Justice Guzmans opinion). What I like about Urban Dictionary is that it doesnt purport to offer a single definition of any term. Instead, it lists a range of definitions ordered by crowd-sourced voting. In my experience, the Urban Dictionary often fills in the gaps in my street lingo much better than any other source, so long as I use it advisedly. Im paying closer attention to courts citations to online dictionaries based on my research for my Emojis and the Law paper. As bad as things are between Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary as online dictionaries, things are much worse with emojis because no credible dictionary is trying to provide definitive definitions of emojis. Eventually, as Ill argue in my paper, well need the equivalent of an Urban Dictionary for emojis to capture their disparate meanings across online subcommunities. Case citation: D Magazine Partners v. Rosenthal, 2017 WL 1041234 (Tex. Sup. Ct. March 17, 2017) SPEARFISH | Gordon L. Campbell, 95, a lifelong resident of the Black Hills, passed away on April 1, 2017, in Rapid City. He was born on April 10, 1921, in Lead to Gordon D. and Gladys (Faulkner) Campbell. He had one younger sister, Margie Tollefson, now living in Green Valley, AZ. In 1939, Gordon graduated from Lead High School. At some time after this, he married Dolores M. Pyne of Lead. Gordon served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, and again in the Army Reserves during the Korean Conflict. Later, he was in the SD National Guard. After returning from the war, he worked for Homestake Mining Company. On July 27, 1959, he married Patricia J. Reichmann in Pierre. They made their home in Lead and later in Spearfish. After 40 years, he retired from Homestake in 1985 as Chief Purchasing Agent in the Supply Department. Gordon loved hunting and fishing. He enjoyed many aspects of the history of the Black Hills and was a member of the Black Hills Historical Society. Most of all, Gordon loved visiting with friends, neighbors, and family over a cup of coffee. Gordon is survived by his three children, Gary (Shell) Campbell, Oakland, CA, Sue Ann (Ken) Sapp, Whitefish, MT, and Joy (Rick) Redfern, Elko, NV. He also has five grandchildren, Deirdre, Michele, Chad, Clay, and Chris, along with seven great-grandchildren. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Margie, and her four children, Jerry, Barry, Bruce, and Sharon, along with their families. Services are still pending and additional information about a Celebration of Life service to be held in September will be announced. Gordon was well-loved by many and will be missed greatly by all. Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Crematory Service of Spearfish. Guwahati : Assam police on Saturday had arrested two more prime accused of the Silapathar incident from West Bengal's Siliguri area, officials said. Assam DGP Mukesh Sahay said that, following intelligence input an Assam police team had managed to caught two prime accused of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) office attack in Silapathar from Siliguri area with the help of West Bengal police. The arrested persons were identified as Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanvay Samiti (NIBBUSS)'s Assam unit president Sahadev Das and general secretary Benimadhab Ray. 'They have been absconding since the incident took place at Silapathar in Dhemaji district on March 6 last,' the Assam DGP said. On the other hand, a local court in Siliguri had sent both to two-day transit remand to Assam police. Assam police has arrested 51 persons including NIBBUSS's national president Subodh Biswas so far in connection with the AASU office attack. NIBBUSS's Assam unit president Sahadev Das is also a High Court lawyer and he contested in the last Lok Sabha poll from the Mangaldoi constituency. On the other hand, Assam police has summoned NIBBUSS's national general secretary Ambika Ray and asked him to appear before police in Guwahati within a week. Guwahati city police commissioner Hiren Nath said that, police summoned the NIBBUSS leader after proved that, the arrested SSP (CID) had provided the investigation information of Silapathar incident to Ambika Ray during a meeting held at a guest house in New Delhi on March 26 last. The police commissioner said that, SSP (CID) N Rajamarthandan had also leaked the info by using Whatsapp. N Rajamarthandan, who also holding the investigating officer of the multi crore rupees Louis Berger bribery scam in Assam, was arrested by the crime branch on April 6 night. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) NUWAKOT: Two persons were killed and two others injured when a minitruck fell off the road in Sisneri of Nuwakot district the wee hours of Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Sudan Neupane (26) of Belkotgadhi Municipality-2 and driver Machhindra Pudasaini (24) of Belkotgadhi Municipality1, according to District Police Office. SP Dev Bahadur Bohara said the two died on the spot in the accident. Sri Krishna Neupane (24) and Rammani Neupane (23) of Belkotgadhi Municipality-2 were injured in the accident. They are undergoing treatment at the Green City Hospital in Kathmandu. The minitruck carrying chickens to Kathmandu had veered out of control and fell 200 metres below the road along the Pasang Lhamu Highway at Hyakule of Kakani Village Council-4 at around 2:45 this morning. The vehicle (Ba 2 Kha 4251) turned into mangled wreckage while chickens worth around Rs 200,000 were killed during the accident.RSS FILE a Reconstructions of a Neanderthal man named aNa, left, and woman called aWilmaa, right, at the Neanderthal museum in Mettmann, Germany, on Friday, March 20, 2009. Photo: AP NEW YORK: You know those snacks that are OK if theyre handy, but not worth the bother if you have to go track them down? Our Stone Age forerunners may have felt the same way about eating each other. Neanderthals and prehistoric members of our own species occasionally practiced cannibalism and explaining that is a scientific challenge. Generally, it has been attributed to factors like starvation, violence between groups or ceremonial practices following a death. Now a new study suggests they were probably not hunting each other just for food. Thats because we are not very nutritious, on a calorie level, compared to large game animals, says James Cole of the University of Brighton in England. Next to a mammoth, even a dozen burly Neanderthals would be slim pickings. Cole presented his argument Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports . He focused on nine previously reported fossil sites where researchers have found evidence of cannibalism, like marks on the bones that indicated butchery. The sites were dated to between roughly 14,000 years ago to more than 900,000 years ago, which falls within the Paleolithic period the study focused on. Five involved our evolutionary cousins the Neanderthals, two involved our own species, and the rest were other extinct members of the human evolutionary branch. His question: How many calories would the bodies at each site provide? To estimate that, he first used previously published data to conclude that eating an average-sized modern-day man could yield up to about 144,000 calories. He then adapted that to the age ranges of the bodies. Even if all the bodies at a site were consumed in a single episode, he concluded, the energy payoff would be no more than what a hunter could get from a single large animal like a mammoth, a woolly rhino or a bear. So why bother with the hassle of hunting your own kind? Youre dealing with an animal that is as smart as you are, as resourceful as you are, and can fight back in the way you fight them, Cole said. Maybe in some cases, our ancestors ate companions who had died for an easy meal, Cole said. But his main point is that usually, the cannibalism was probably driven by some social or cultural factors rather than just nutrition. For example, it may have followed episodes of violence, as in defending territory, he said. Coles paper seems unlikely to revolutionize the field. Two experts, Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley, and Paola Villa of the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder, said they dont know of anybody who has credibly proposed the idea that Cole takes aim at, that our ancestors hunted each other simply as food. The new work does not change our general understanding of human cannibalism, Villa said in an email. But Palmira Saladie, of the Catalan Institute for Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution near Barcelona, Spain, said Coles study will undoubtedly be key in the interpretation of new sites (and) the re-evaluation of old interpretations. To understand why our forerunners sometimes ate each other, she wrote in an email, We still have a long way to go. WARNING for European visitors European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. The Indian Express - April 5, 2017 Earlier this week, senior African diplomats issued a joint statement deploring the spate of recent attacks on African students and citizens in India. Although these attacks had occurred at regular intervals over the years, these diplomats noted that, worryingly, ano known, sufficient and visible deterring measuresa had been taken by the Government of India. Further, the envoys aunanimously agreed that those accumulated attacks against Africansa were axenophobic and racial in naturea . The African envoys said that they expected astrong condemnation from the highest political level (both nationally and locally) of the Government of Indiaa , as well as alegal actions against the perpetratorsa . If these remedial actions were not forthcoming, the African Heads of Missions were considering asking for aan independent investigation by the Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies, and also to comprehensively report the matter to the African Union Commission.a The wording was unusually strong for a diplomatic statement, as witness the use of the words axenophobic and raciala . The strictures were merited. While xenophobia in India has been on the rise in recent years, racism has deep historical roots. Consciousness of skin colour, the marked preference for those of lighter complexion, has long been pervasive in, and endemic to, Indian society. Growing up in Uttar Pradesh, I was often asked why aMadrasisa were so dark; returning south for holidays, I found my aunts and uncles, when searching for brides for their sons, specifying that these must be apaalmadria (literally, the colour of milk, whiteness itself). Everyday racism within Indian society is reflected in such matters as matrimonial advertisements asking for (or demanding) women with fair skin. And it is reflected outwards in prejudice against Africans. Indeed, when he landed in Africa in May 1893, aged 24, Mohandas Gandhi was himself a racist. He saw Africans as backward and lazy, and as greatly inferior to Indians, and wrote about them in these terms. These prejudices he shed, slowly, the longer he lived in the land. In a speech in Johannesburg in 1908 he insisted that the British rulers should give both Indians and Africans aequality with themselves. free institutions and make them absolutely free mena . After his return to India in 1915, Gandhias views evolved further. In his book Satyagraha in South Africa, written in 1924-5, Gandhi argued that Africans had aa perfect grasp of the distinction between truth and falsehooda , adding that ait is doubtful whether Europeans or ourselves practise truthfulness to the same extenta as Africans did. Through the 1930s and 1940s, many African and African-American activists came to consult with him in his ashram in Sevagram, with Gandhi insisting to them (and to his fellow Indians) that athe slogan today is no longer aAsia for the Asiaticsa or aAfrica for the Africansa but the unity of all the exploited races of the earth.a In 1946, Gandhi spoke of the common thread that bound all athe exploited coloured races of the earth, whether they are brown, yellow or black.a The greatest of modern Africans, Nelson Mandela, liked to tell visiting Indians: aYou gave us a lawyer; we gave you back a Mahatmaa . In so generously overlooking Gandhias early racism, Mandela was no doubt mindful of the substantial assistance that India and Indians had afforded the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. At a time when Western democracies were propping up the racist regime in Pretoria, the Government of India gave the African National Congress both moral and material help. In fact, in canvassing global support for their struggle, Mandelaas great mate, Oliver Tambo, was facilitated by the provision to him of an Indian passport by Jawaharlal Nehruas government. Indian patriots and anti-racists were a source of inspiration for freedom fighters in many other parts of Africa as well. The lawyer-scholar, Anil Nauriya, has documented how anti-colonial movements in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and other countries were directly influenced by the Indian example. The recent attacks on Africans in India run counter to this political legacy of support and solidarity. But they are tragically consistent with a deeper history of racism, whereby ordinary Indians are brought up to regard those of dark or darker skin as somehow inferior to themselves. This societal racism has been intensified by a politically induced xenophobia, which stokes a suspicion, and even hatred, of those whose culture, faith, ways of life, and (not least) skin colour is different from ours. There is a familial resemblance between the demonisation of Muslims and Christians across the country, the harassment of students from the Northeast in Bengaluru and Pune, and the attacks on Africans in Greater Noida. Indian attitudes to racism and xenophobia are also marked by a notable hypocrisy. Middle class Indians complain loudly when Europeans and Americans do not give them the respect and honour they think they deserve. They feel insulted when their food, culture and form of dress is insufficiently appreciated overseas. Yet these same Indians act in a contemptible manner towards Africans, making racist remarks about their food, culture, and form of dress (and, of course, skin colour too). The leading scholar of modern nationalism, Benedict Anderson, once remarked that all true nationalists must feel a sense of shame at crimes committed by the country to which they owe allegiance. Anderson was himself Irish by birth, American by domicile, and Indonesian by cultural affiliation, and he was equally unsparing of the crimes committed in the name of Irish, American, or Indonesian nationalism. The recent attacks against Africans, and the failure to prevent and even to properly condemn them, shame both the people and the Government of India. The strong and entirely justified rebuke from the African Heads of Mission in New Delhi is a wake-up call to all Indians, the aam aadmi in the street or the khas aadmi in his ministerial bungalow. Firefighter training Chevron.jpg Firefighters from Jackson, George, and others from Mississippi and Alabama were on hand Saturday for intensive training at the Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula. (Tyler Carter/Gulflive.com) PASCAGOULA, Miss. - For seven years, the Chevron Refinery has hosted fire training for local and regional fire departments to learn about hydrocarbon fires and to receive training for any type of situation they may encounter while battling a blaze. Saturday was no different as fire departments as far as Orange Beach, AL visited the refinery to take part in the training and learn of more efficient ways to combat fires and save individuals. Shane Steele with the Magee Fire Department praised Chevron for doing a good job at offering numerous situations which they can take home with them. "They sure do a good job putting on this school for us to come to," Steele said. "A lot of the things you get to experience here you don't get the opportunity to experience in normal situations. The extra little bit of training they provide here prepares us for the situations that arise that we don't normally train for. Today was a great opportunity to train with world class guys." Volunteer fire training began as a community outreach project in the 1990s, took a break for about 10 years, and resumed in 2010. Props such as old vehicles, gas structures, and a smoke house were on site to prepare the volunteer fire-fighters with different conditions associated with battling fires. The smoke house has been deemed as one of the most difficult props to navigate. Last year, firefighters entered the house on their knees while being led around the home by their man or woman. This year, they have the option to use a thermal imaging camera or "TIC." Per Jason Mason, smoke house coordinator, the TIC is a game changer while allowing firefighters to stick to their core principles when entering establishments. Colton Johnson with the Escatawpa Fire Department is seen walking out of the fire house with the thermal imaging camera in hand. (Tyler Carter/Gulflive.com) "One of the good things about it is that it allows you to scan a room where you can quickly identify where the fire is located so that you wouldn't have to enter that part of either a home or wherever," Mason said. "It can also see in the dark to locate bodies, escaping gases, a temperature gauge to tell you how hot it is in a room - it's just the total package." Chevron Fire Chief Ricky Conerly said he hopes firefighters take away many of the things they learned on Saturday back to their communities, but the number one key he hopes they take away is safety. "The key for us is safety," Conerly said. "We use safety in everything that we do and even though these situations are very dangerous in nature, there is a safe way in managing it. We want them to utilize the skills they are being taught here today gives them the opportunity to manage these dangerous situations if ever confronted by one." Volunteers of Saturday's training have training certifications from Texas A&M, something Conerly and firefighters such as Steele takes great pride in. "This is just a great thing Chevron does when it comes to outreach," said Conerly. "You never know what type of impact you may have on someone and what we have done here today may give these men and women the opportunity to save someone's life." You have permission to edit this html. Edit Close A bomb exploded in a church north of Cairo that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers, killing at least 26 people and wounding 71 others, officials said. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Sky Mirror in Kuala Selangor is one of the latest tourism attractions in Malaysia, but you should know that this attraction only happens twice a month during the full moon and new moon period. This means, if you plan to visit Sky Mirror, you need to check the moon timings before going there. The location of Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor is at Sasaran Beach and is off the coast of Jeram fishing village. There have been many names for this place since being discovered and some call it Mirror in the Sky, Salt Flat of Malaysia or even Salar de Uyuni of Malaysia. Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor Currently, only local Malaysians are heading here to experience this new tourist attraction in Selangor, while some bodies have organised FAM trips to Sky Mirror, hoping to attract neighbouring countries to visit this place. Tours are offered by the locals and also via Facebook (you can search for them), and the price for a day trip here is around RM65 to RM70 per person. This includes the boat trip, packed local lunch, ice-cold water and some snacks. Usually, you are done by around 2.00 PM. Sky Mirror at Sasaran, Selangor. Photo by Ayuh Travel (https://twitter.com/ayuhtravel) What is Sky Mirror? Sky Mirror is a name given to reflect a mirror image of the sky on an island that emerges during the full and new moon periods every month. A sandbank emerges creating an island which is shallow with a few inches of seawater that happens from mid to late morning. The effect creates a mirror image of the sky and any subject standing there and this has attracted thousands of locals here to snap those epic shots. The size of this sandbank island is huge, but you should always check with the tour operator on where it ends, as you would not want any unforeseen incidents by exploring too far away. What to Expect at Sky Mirror? Well, like anything new will attract people, you should expect tons of people on weekends and school holidays during the peak period. This means, there will be loads of people around Sky Mirror, trying to take photos and so on. If you want your clean shot without the people in the background, you need to find a spot away from everyone else. Speak to your tour operator to find out how far you can explore around here. How to Go to Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor? For those driving, Sky Mirror Selangor is located near the fishing village of Jeram, Selangor. You need to drive there and contact the locals about taking a 30-minute boat ride out to Sky Mirror. From Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya, it takes about one hour to one and a half hours to drive to Sasaran in Selangor. A tip is to get here just before 8.00 AM, as the light is best before noon. Use Waze if you are driving and you should pass Kapar after Klang before heading to Jeram. This is also before you reach Kuala Selangor. The trick is to book your boat operator before going here as it can be full when you arrive here, wasting your trip. Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor - Photo by Sue Thang of http://blinkthasn.blogspot.my/ Sky Mirror Tour Packages With the hype of this place on social media, there are also companies organising Sky Mirror Tour Packages in half or full-day trips. An average price for an overnight trip including a night at a local homestay will cost around RM350.00 while for a day trip for those self-driving, it will cost around RM70.00 per person. For the boat trip from Sasaran to Sky Mirror, it generally takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the sea. If it is a choppy day, expect 30-40 minutes boat ride. The boats are also the local medium-sized boats that have life jackets and operated by the locals at Sasaran Village. Conclusion Selangor is the hub of Malaysia where Kuala Lumpur is located inside the state of Selangor and if you fly into Malaysia, you will land at KLIA or KLIA2 which is located in Sepang, Selangor. And for the latest tourist attraction in Selangor, it is no other than the Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor. A US aircraft carrier-led strike group is headed toward the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean Peninsula, a US defense official confirmed to CNN. The move of the USS Carl Vinson is in response to recent North Korean provocations, the official said. As featured on US aircraft carrier-led strike group headed toward Korean Peninsula A US aircraft carrier-led strike group is headed toward the Western Pacific Ocean near the Korean Peninsula, a US defense official confirmed to CNN. 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). "Cruel Techniques, Unusual Secrets" | Main | "Mass incarceration, public health, and widening inequality in the USA" April 9, 2017 Reviewing the "tough-and-tougher" sentencing perspectives of those now leading the Justice Department The Washington Post has this extended new article reviewing a lot of the old tough-on-crime comments by AG Jeff Sessions and his new right-hand man, Steve Cook. The article is headlined "How Jeff Sessions wants to bring back the war on drugs," and here is how it gets started (with one important phrase emphasized at the end): When the Obama administration launched a sweeping policy to reduce harsh prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, rave reviews came from across the political spectrum. Civil rights groups and the Koch brothers praised Obama for his efforts, saying he was making the criminal justice system more humane. But there was one person who watched these developments with some horror. Steven H. Cook, a former street cop who became a federal prosecutor based in Knoxville, Tenn., saw nothing wrong with how the system worked not the life sentences for drug charges, not the huge growth of the prison population. And he went everywhere Bill OReillys show on Fox News, congressional hearings, public panels to spread a different gospel. The federal criminal justice system simply is not broken. In fact, its working exactly as designed, Cook said at a criminal justice panel at The Washington Post last year. The Obama administration largely ignored Cook, who was then president of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys. But he wont be overlooked anymore. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has brought Cook into his inner circle at the Justice Department, appointing him to be one of his top lieutenants to help undo the criminal justice policies of Obama and former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. As Sessions has traveled to different cities to preach his tough-on-crime philosophy, Cook has been at his side. Sessions has yet to announce specific policy changes, but Cooks new perch speaks volumes about where the Justice Department is headed. Law enforcement officials say that Sessions and Cook are preparing a plan to prosecute more drug and gun cases and pursue mandatory minimum sentences. The two men are eager to bring back the national crime strategy of the 1980s and 90s from the peak of the drug war, an approach that had fallen out of favor in recent years as minority communities grappled with the effects of mass incarceration. Crime is near historic lows in the United States, but Sessions says that the spike in homicides in several cities, including Chicago, is a harbinger of a dangerous new trend in America that requires a tough response. Our nation needs to say clearly once again that using drugs is bad, Sessions said to law enforcement officials in a speech in Richmond last month. It will destroy your life. Advocates of criminal justice reform argue that Sessions and Cook are going in the wrong direction back to a strategy that tore apart families and sent low-level drug offenders, disproportionately minority citizens, to prison for long sentences. They are throwing decades of improved techniques and technologies out the window in favor of a failed approach, said Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM). But Cook, whose views are supported by other federal prosecutors, sees himself as a dedicated assistant U.S. attorney who for years has tried to protect neighborhoods ravaged by crime. He has called FAMM and organizations like it anti-law enforcement groups. The records of Cook and Sessions show that while others have grown eager in recent years to rework the criminal justice system, they have repeatedly fought to keep its toughest edges, including winning a battle in Congress last year to defeat a reform bill. If hard-line means that my focus is on protecting communities from violent felons and drug traffickers, then Im guilty, Cook said in a recent interview with The Post. I dont think thats hard-line. I think thats exactly what the American people expect of their Department of Justice. The phrase I have stressed above is the phrase that ultimately matters most for the foreseeable future of the federal criminal justice system. Though the Attorney General and others senior DOJ officials can and will define and shape the basic policies for federal charging and sentencing, it is local federal prosecutors around the nation who really determine how these policies get implemented and who, collectively, have the greatest impact on prosecutorial and punishment practices. And I surmise that a whole lot of federal prosecutors not all, but many and perhaps most embrace the "tough-on-crime" philosophy that AG Sessions espouses more than the "smart-on-crime" mantra that former AG Holder eventually espoused. April 9, 2017 at 11:57 AM | Permalink Comments "Crime is near historic lows in the United States,..." So let's empty the prisons, now? "Your blood sugar is near historic excellent control." So, let's stop your insulin, now? Posted by: David Behar | Apr 9, 2017 6:06:23 PM No, try this: "Crime is near historic lows in the United States...." And federal prosecutions are at 20-year low. So let's increase federal prosecutions now? Posted by: Thinkaboutit | Apr 9, 2017 10:21:18 PM https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/16-6250_cpdg.pdf this is interesting. Doug, did I miss a post you had on this? Posted by: federalist | Apr 10, 2017 12:23:09 PM In my opinion: People that take advantage of others need to be taught a lesson, in reference to drugs - the manufacturers and the pushers should be severely punished. The users have generally chosen the life of drugs and they must be responsible for their actions (theft, killing & ect.) and punished accordingly. No one is above the Law of the Land. Sex trafficking could be handled much the same way. This can be applied to almost every problem the people face. We will always have leaders, some good and some bad - today and in the past we have had many bad leaders and they have not been held responsible. Posted by: LC in Texas | Apr 10, 2017 3:33:36 PM I did not blog about the Perez cert denial, federalist. I believe I was on the road at the time AND it is not quite a sentencing issue. Posted by: Doug B. | Apr 10, 2017 3:56:54 PM Post a comment When you were seven years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut? Perhaps a rock star? Maybe a professional athlete? Or did you want to be just like dad and follow in your parents heroic footsteps doing whatever it is he does? Well, 7-year-old Chloe Bridgewater wants a job at Googlebut she doesnt want to wait until shes grown up. Shes asking for one right now. She first learned of the job opportunity after an inspiring career chat with her father, Andy, a refrigerator parts sales manager in Hereford, England, in which the curious first-grader asked about his job and if there was anywhere else hed want to work, Mashable reported. Thats when he told his daughter about the real-life fairy tale company named Google in a faraway land called Silicon Valley. She was so captivated by the bean bags, slides and go-karts at the California Google campus that her dad suggested she apply to the company. With some help from dad, Chloe wrote a cover letter addressed to google boss asking for a job. A few days later, she received a rare response from the tech companys CEO, Sundar Pichai. In his letter, which wasnt exactly a rejection, but rather a supportive message, Pichai wrote, I look forward to receiving your job application when you are finished with school! He added encouragement for the girl to keep learning about computers, robots and technology, saying, You can accomplish everything you set your mind to. Did it just get a little dusty in here? We love this story for a few reasons: One because the dad encouraged his young daughter to apply to Google. Two, Pichai supporting this young girls STEM career aspirations. Three, and most of alldamn girl, that is a good cover letter. Lots of job seekers have something to learn from you. Because were so impressed by Chloes application, we outlined a few takeaways below you should keep in mind when crafting your cover letter. First, when you begin your cover letter, you should start exactly how Chloe did: State who you are and what you want. Getting straight to the point, she wrote. My name is Chloe and when I am bigger I would like a job with google. For grown up job seekers, though, just make sure to specify which job youre applying to exactly. Then, talk about your accomplishments like how Chloe says her teachers tell her mum and dad she is good in class, especially when it comes to spelling, reading and sums. Also, mention any relevant experience you have. Chloe writes about playing a game where she has to move a robot up and down squares, and points to the future, saying how her dad will buy her a computer one day, which shows shes looking to improve her skills. Her application is also packed with keywords like robots and computers, which can help a resume and cover letter get past an application tracking system, which is a software that processes and sorts resumes, so youll improve your chances of receiving a response from the hiring manager like Chloe did. Employers also like to see that you have a life outside of work. While its great that Chloe likes robots and computers, she also points out that she goes swimming on Saturday and Tuesday. Family is clearly important to her, too, as she mentions her little sister, Hollie, who is 5 and likes dolls and playing dress up. (Maybe Hollie should take a nod from her big sis and start looking at jobs in fashion.) If one thing shines through the most in her application, its Chloes abundant enthusiasm for the company. But shes also very honest when she asks for a job, saying, I dont really know what one of them is, but he [dad] said a letter will do for now. Well Chloe, to name a few, we have jobs for software developers, computer systems engineers and architects available at Google right now. For apparently being the second letter Chloe has ever sent in her life (according to her application, she has only ever sent one other letter, which was to Father Christmas), she hit this one on the mark. For more cover letter tips, you can follow our recipe for writing the perfect cover letter. And if you, too, want to ride on slides and work with computers at Google, weve got hundreds of jobs at the company you can apply to on Monster. 2017 Monster Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. You may not copy, reproduce or distribute this article without the prior written permission of Monster Worldwide. 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. ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- In the wake of President Trump's ordering missile strikes against a Syrian air base, senior U.S. officials appear to be sending mixed signals on the administrations stance toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that there was "no change" in the U.S. military posture toward Syria despite the Thursday airstrike against a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack days earlier that killed at least 87 civilians. The U.S. strike, conducted against the air base from which the U.S. believes the aircraft carrying chemical weapons flew from, was related solely to the chemical attack, Tillerson told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. Other than that, there is no change to our military posture in Syria. The secretary of state said the U.S. priority remains to defeat ISIS. As to the Syrian president, whose government the U.S. blames for the chemical attack, Tillerson told Stephanopoulos that the Trump administration hopes for a political process that will restore stability to Syria and allow its people to decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad. But Trump's U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, seemed to strike a different tone. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government," she told Chuck Todd on NBCs "Meet the Press" on Sunday. We've got to go and make sure that we actually see a leader that will protect his people. And clearly, Assad is not that person. Haley like Tillerson said the U.S. remains focused on eliminating ISIS from Syria. But while Tillerson told ABC the terror group is the United States first priority, Haley said there can be multiple priorities," including ensuring the nation is led by someone who takes care of civilians. National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster addressed the apparent difference in his appearance on "Fox News Sunday," saying, Both Secretary Tillerson and Ambassador Haley are right about this. What Ambassador Haley pointed out is it's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime, McMaster said. But, he added, "We are not saying that we are the ones who are going to affect that change. There has to be a degree of simultaneous activity as well as sequencing of the defeat of ISIS first, McMaster continued. He said a resolution to the Syrian conflict would involve ISISs defeat as well as a significant change in the nature of the Assad regime. This is the first time the United States has acted directly against the Assad regime," McMaster said of Thursday's airstrike. President Trump sent a "strong message to Assad and to his sponsors who are enabling his campaign of mass murder against his own civilians, the national security adviser said. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. In 2014 we warned a drone war was coming. Specifically we said, Drone technology may be the biggest threat to civilized society over the next twenty years. Two months later El Mehdi Semlali Fahtia, a Moroccan national, looked to use a drone to attack a federal building in our home state of Connecticut. Earlier this year, we told you the drone wars have arrived and that an army of good drones will protect us from the bad ones. The challenge is if we need good drones to protect us they need to likely be armed. It looks like the legal framework to allow this to happen may soon be passed. Our home state of Connecticut has a new bill An Act Concerning the Use and Regulation of Drones (see the first page at the start of this post) which effectively bans weaponized drones for everyone in the state except for police officers, permitting them to use drones equipped with tear gas, incendiary and explosive devices and remote deadly weapons. If the law is passed, it will be the first to allow lethal drones to be used by law enforcement. This is a very big deal. It is quite necessary for law enforcement to be able to combat criminal drones which can be used for terrorism and other nefarious activities. Moreover, the military is spending a tremendous amount on drone research they need to be able to detect and destroy them before they carry out their missions. Much of this same technology will filter down to a city near you like it or not. IDA GROVE, Iowa | In a few short weeks, thousands of students across Siouxland will walk across the stage to pick up a diploma, the culminating point for any graduation ceremony. In Ida Grove, the graduation exercise takes place on a Thursday evening, 14 Thursday evenings to be exact. Graduates are honored with a social hour and either a prime rib dinner, or a steak fry. That's the pomp and circumstance observed at GOMACO University, where Dennis Clausen has played "professor" the past 43 years. "GOMACO University is where we train our contractors and dealers that use our equipment," said Clausen, a native of Kingsley, Iowa, who serves as director of training for GOMACO Corporation, a world leader in the manufacturing of concrete construction equipment, the wares that help build our roads, bridges and more. The firm employs 330 in Ida Grove and 10 in Whitney, England. Firms that buy the hulking machines from GOMACO send their mechanics, operators, foremen and surveyors to GOMACO University to learn the ins and outs of operation, troubleshooting and more. Classes run in daylong sessions each Tuesday through Thursday at one of two GOMACO University sites in downtown Ida Grove. "Each week we have a different group of students in," said Clausen, who presided on Wednesday over week 13 of the 14-week schedule. Twenty-four students can lean at the GOMACO University Paving Center, while 50 students can receive instruction at GOMACO University's "main campus," a site that until 1980 was the Iowa Public Service diesel plant. Half of class time is spent in class, while half the time is spent in hands-on instruction. "The true origin of this program began with GOMACO's parent company, Godbersen-Smith Construction, in the winter of 1975," said Clausen, who was there at the time. "In 1976, we leased a service station in Ida Grove and we could fit 18 into that classroom. We bought the old IPS power-generating plant in the late 1970s and in April 1980 we had our last two weeks of class for the year in this building." While the bulk of students attending training sessions at GOMACO U. are from the United States, nearly one-quarter of the student body hails from Canada. Clausen and his staff have also trained customers and dealers from all over the world. A group of four students from Bolivia, for example, attended class in Ida Grove in late February. "Our dealer from Japan comes with four to six customers in the fall," Clausen said. "Those customers are here one week and then they visit a job site in the U.S. for another week." Since 1975, Clausen estimated that 15,000 to 16,000 students have taken classes at GOMACO U. With repeat students coming to Ida Grove for class, the number of those enrolled is likely closer to 20,000. The busiest year at GOMACO University came in 1999, when 850 took classes here. Ten years ago, Clausen took GOMACO's Japanese customers to a farm near Ida Grove for a combine demonstration in the midst of harvest. He then showed the group the grain handling equipment at the local elevator and stepped with the group on the elevator's scale. "At dinner that night, I gave $20 to the person in their group who had the closest guess to our group weight, in kilograms," he said, sharing a laugh at the memory. GOMACO University represents an investment for each company, so class time is serious business. A giant paver with slip forms for paving roads can cost up to $756,000 for a base unit. With various attachments for inserting dowel bars into fresh concrete, for example, that paver can cost up $1.5 million. Operating such expensive pieces of equipment is one thing, doing so with concrete is another. "The product is a perishable product," Clausen said. "It's going to get hard. So, if you have a problem, you have to get it resolved as you may have 100 cubic yards of concrete in front of you and 100 cubic yards being batched and coming your way." "This (school) gives you an idea of what they do out there on the job site," said Bryan Koch, of Road Machinery Supply in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Travis Howland, of Absolute Concrete in Slater, Iowa, said he's been to GOMACO University 14 or 15 times. This week, he spent time learning to troubleshoot, skills that will serve him well upon his return to work. "I also had a great cheeseburger at the bowling alley," he said of his Tuesday night fare at the Hideaway Lounge in Ida Grove. His comment elicited another talking point for Clausen, who remarked that GOMACO University has helped keep people in local motels, restaurants and such for a portion of the past four-plus decades. Students often stay in Ida Grove, Denison or nearby Holstein, Iowa. "We cater the noon lunches here during class," Clausen said. "And on Thursday night, we have a social hour, plus prime rib or a steak fry as they graduate." Many people remember Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling through the more than 6,300 cartoons he produced for such newspapers as the Des Moines Register and the New York Herald Tribune during the first half of the 20th century. Yet the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist was more than simply a guy who was able to boil down the issues of the day in a one-panel drawing. Darling, according to actor Tom Milligan, was a gifted choral director, a talented reporter and, more importantly, a dedicated conservationist who wanted to preserve nature for everyone to enjoy. "Ding is considered by many to be one of the most important members of the modern conservation movement," Milligan explained. "And Ding credited a childhood spent in Sioux City helped him to become aware of the natural world around him." Milligan will be presenting "The Art of Conservation: A Visit with Ding Darling" at 2 p.m. April 15 at the Betty Strong Encounter Center, 900 Larsen Park Road. During the 45-minute performance, Milligan will be "in character" while sharing a conversation with the audience and answering the questions Darling would have. Even though Darling was born in Norwood, Michigan, in 1876, his parents moved the family to Sioux City about 10 years later. "Ding's dad (The Rev. Marc Darling) came to Sioux City to become pastor at the First Congregation Church," Milligan said. "It was in church that Ding discovered a passion for choir music. He was a member of the choir at his dad's church and later became the choral director at Sioux City's St. Thomas Episcopal Church." Darling went to Yankton College before transferring to Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. After graduating from Beloit, Darling was hired as a news reporter for the Sioux City Journal. "Ding worked for the Journal's longtime editor George Perkins," Milligan said. "Most of his reporting was done at the Woodbury County Courthouse." One day, Darling decided to bring a camera to shoot photos at the courthouse. That didn't go over well with county attorneys or any of of the courthouse personnel. Fearful that he'd disappoint Perkins with no art for his story, Darling quickly picked up a sketchbook. (Darling) illustrated the story instead of photographing it," Milligan said. "He began his cartooning career during the six years spent working at the Journal." Still, Darling is best known for his work at the Des Moines Register. His front page editorial cartoons earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 and 1943. However, Darling's work as a conservationist is what truly cemented his reputation. Darling initiated the Federal Duck Stamp program and designed the first Duck Stamp. He was appointed to lead the U.S. Biological Survey (the forerunner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and was one of the founders of the National Wildlife Federation. "In many ways, Ding approached conservation the same way Teddy Roosevelt did," Milligan said. "Both men knew that conservation wasn't a partisan issue and that wildlife policy shouldn't be set be set by politicians." Milligan said he thought Darling would be proud to see more people becoming interested in conservation today. An Iowa-based actor, director, scenic designer and producer for more than 45 years, Milligan has regularly performed as artist Grant Wood and Vice President Henry A. Wallace (both well-known Iowans) in the past. But he always enjoys performing as Ding Darling. "Every actor enjoys it when an audience member says I didn't know this fact about so and so," Milligan said. "Since (Darling) was so multi-faceted, it's easy to overlook his many interests and passions." "That's probably why it's so much fun to play Ding Darling," Mulligan added. "He's a man who was ahead of his time." MACY, Nebraska | The Nebraska Indian Community College is holding two open houses at two of their campuses in the state April 25 and 26. The open house is to spotlight the nursing, carpentry and entrepreneur programs at the college. The first event will be 12-6 p.m. April 25 in the vocational building at its Macy campus at 1111 Highway 75. The second will be the next day at the college's Santee campus, 412 North River Road. SIOUX CITY | On July 12, security officers escorted Timothy Schroeder into a Woodbury County courtroom for jury selection in his first-degree murder trial. It marked not only the first day of Schroeder's trial, but the first in a string of major trials that have put a dent in county budgets and led to extra duty for officers and attorneys. Sheriff Dave Drew and County Attorney Patrick Jennings both said they don't anticipate that added expenses from those trials will push them over budget, but some juggling between line items will be necessary. "The overall budget, we're going to be good. We won't go over," Drew said. Jennings said he's currently 1 percent over his operating budget, but he's confident it will be back in line by the time the fiscal year ends on June 30. "It was a unique year for us," he said. Unique, indeed. It's uncommon for Woodbury County to see four high-profile cases in a year. It's even more uncommon for one of them to end in a mistrial, then be retried nearly 100 miles away in another county. But that's what has happened so far during the 2017 fiscal year, with these cases: -- Schroeder, 31, stood trial for nine days and was found guilty of first-degree murder, going armed with intent and felon in possession of a firearm for the shooting death of Dustin Wilder. -- Isaiah Mothershed, 19, stood trial for nine days in September and October and was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree robbery for shooting a Sioux City police officer, committing a string of armed robberies and firing shots at one of the robbery victims. -- Isack Abdinur, 37, waived his right to a jury trial, and a judge found him guilty of first-degree murder after a three-day trial in November for the stabbing death of Cornelia Stead. -- Elias Wanatee, 48, was charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Vernon Mace. A six-day trial in December ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. The retrial was moved to Council Bluffs, and Wanatee was found guilty of second-degree murder after a five-day trial there. Drew said the five trials cost his department $25,093, most of it in overtime expenses. In most cases four to six officers provide courtroom security throughout the trial and transport the defendant to and from jail. While those officers are in the courtroom, off-duty officers must be called in to fill in for them. In Wanatee's second trial, Drew had the added expense of more than $1,500 for lodging and meals for four officers to stay in Council Bluffs, plus $510 to pay Pottawattamie County for housing Wanatee in its jail during the trial. "The change of venue really cost us," Drew said. For that same trial, Jennings spent $2,500-$3,000 for hotels and meals for the two attorneys who prosecuted the case, plus three nights in hotels for support staff and mileage for witnesses, one of whom was flown in from Colorado to testify. Jennings' budget for witness fees is nearly $6,000 over budget at this point, but other trial-related budget lines project to come in under budget. Jennings and Drew both said savings in other budget areas should enable them to offset the high costs of the trials by the end of the fiscal year. First Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Mark Campbell said the toll the trials has taken on the county attorney's staff outweighs any financial impact. "The problem with major cases is not the budget, it's the personnel time," Campbell said. Attorneys working on murder cases spend hours taking depositions, meeting with witnesses and investigators, and preparing and responding to numerous pretrial motions, all before the trial even takes place. While that preparation is going on, the attorney also is handling several other cases, and other attorneys in the office often are asked to cover hearings for them. "We've been able to keep up. I think the main problem we've had is fatigue of staff," Campbell said. Drew, too, said that asking officers to come in during their time off to fill in for those who are working at trials has an impact. "When we have these kinds of events, it's a strain on personnel," Drew said. It's also part of the job, a duty that Drew said his officers must fill, no matter the cost. "It's costly, but it's all in the interests of justice," he said. To provide that justice, Jennings said, he would never let a potential budget overrun determine how his office prosecutes someone charged with a major offense. "Monetary issues never get in the way of what we do with a case," Jennings said. SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City school district placed John Chalstrom on administrative leave two days after the district's budget chief, through an intermediary, raised a series of concerns about superintendent Paul Gausman's management of the district, according to documents obtained by The Journal. In the documents, Chalstrom accused Gausman of creating a hostile workplace and threatening his job if he shared alternative budget options with school board members outside regular board meetings. In one example, the chief financial officer cited his proposal to further expand an early retirement program that he claimed could have avoided the recent elimination of middle school reading teacher positions. Rather than bring his concerns to the board himself, Chalstrom approached Dan Greenwell, a businessman and frequent critic of Gausman and his administration. After exchanging emails in late January, Greenwell said he and Chalstrom met at the Mike's Saloon restaurant around 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 to go over Chalstrom's concerns. That same day Chalstrom had requested sick leave, with district records showing he left the district offices after 9 a.m. The next morning, Feb. 11, Greenwell met school board president Mike Krysl and vice president Mike McTaggart at Caribou Coffee, where Greenwell detailed the concerns raised by Chalstrom. It included allegations that Gausman used a management style heavy on "manipulation and intimidation," and exhibited "very strong bully behavior." "I indicated that many of the items on John's list could be validated by (school board) members with a proper investigation. Both (Krysl and McTaggart) thanked me for reaching out," Greenwell said in an interview last week. That same day, a Saturday, Greenwell said he emailed a bullet-point summary to the remaining board members. He sent another document, with a more detailed account of Chalstrom's concerns, to board member Paul Gorski. The Journal obtained copies of all the documents, and verified they originated with Chalstrom. On Monday, Feb. 13, the district placed Chalstrom on administrative leave with pay, but did not publicly announce the move. After The Journal asked about it weeks later, a district spokeswoman offered no explanation for the decision, saying she couldn't comment because it involved confidential personnel matters. Chalstrom has repeatedly declined comment, and turned down the Journal's request to be interviewed for this story. In a statement to The Journal Wednesday, Gausman reiterated that "Dr. Chalstroms current status of leave from the district is a personnel matter. I am not able to speak about any items related to personnel matters." In the same statement, Gausman vehemently denied the claims asserted in the documents shared by Greenwell. I became aware of the list of allegations that Mr. Greenwell sent to the board just before mid-February, which coincides with the timeline when Dr. Chalstrom was placed on leave. I have not discussed the list of allegations with Mr. Greenwell or Dr. Chalstrom. I am only aware of these allegations from Mr. Greenwells communication to the board, which board members shared with me. "The allegations prepared by Mr. Greenwell do not in any way reflect who I am as a leader, and the allegations are not true. I will continue to stay focused on the work of moving our district forward; the students, families, and community deserve no less," the superintendent continued. Greenwell on Friday vehemently denied he prepared the list, saying it came directly from Chalstrom. Greenwell stressed that Chalstrom sought him out because of his bulldog reputation for school board oversight. Greenwell emerged as a key district watchdog in 2014, leading a group of parents that successfully pushed for reforms to a standards-based grading system for grades K-6. In September 2015, Greenwell lost his bid for a seat on the seven-member school board. "John noted I had experience as both a CEO and CFO and would understand both the inappropriate management behavior that was being utilized, as well as the important financial details he was not allowed to present. In short, he indicated I had earned credibility," said Greenwell, who was chief financial officer for the former Terra Industries and is currently chief executive of LSB Industries, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based chemical company. Serious concerns In an interview with The Journal Wednesday, school board member Perla Alarcon-Flory said board members are having "very important discussions" about the information Greenwell shared, but didn't characterize it as an investigation. "These are serious concerns and we have to address them... This is not something we are going to brush off or sweep under the rug or anything like that," Alarcon-Flory said. Gorski said publicly discussing the allegations in detail is difficult. "There is a lot of stuff there. It is a situation that the school board has to deal with and, quite frankly, it can't be a public issue," Gorski said. Citing confidential personnel matters, Krysl and McTaggart declined to comment on the allegations, or even confirm they met with Greenwell on Feb. 11. Both expressed their support and confidence in Gausman. School board member David Gleiser said he had no reason to believe that Chalstrom may have been a conflict with Gausman. Two other board members -- Jackie Warnstadt and John Meyers declined all comment, saying the issues involve personnel matters that should not be publicly aired. Possible settlement There are signs Chalstrom, who is paid an annual salary of $140,255 under a contract set to expire on June 30, and the district are headed toward a possible separation deal. The agenda released late Friday afternoon for the school board's regular meeting on Monday includes an item titled, "consideration of agreement with Dr. John Chalstrom." Prior to the 6 p.m. start time for the meeting at the Educational Service Center, the board is scheduled to enter closed session at 4:30 p.m. Among the reasons the board cited, under state law, for the closed meeting is to "evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered." Budget chief Chalstrom's removal from his day-to-day duties on Feb. 13 came as the district entered the crucial final weeks of finalizing a budget for the next academic year. Falling enrollment, rising costs for salaries and benefits and smaller-than-anticipated increase in state aid forced district officials to identify nearly $4 million in budget reductions for fiscal 2018. The biggest chunk of savings was achieved through an expansion of the district's early retirement program. Under the expanded criteria, 50 teachers and other staff opted for early retirement by the end of the current school year, qualifying for additional financial incentives. Thirty-two of those positions will be filled by teachers who are paid a lesser salary. Eighteen positions will go unfilled, leading to projected savings of $2.5 million. Most of the positions left vacant are middle school reading instructors. The early retirement plan was unveiled in November in conjunction with a plan to shift away from standalone reading classes in grades 6-8. The restructuring set off a flurry of protests from parents and other district residents who worried the move would negate strides the district had made in improving reading test scores. In a document Greenwell shared, Chalstrom said the plan the school board adopted was created "solely" by associate superintendent Kim Buryanek. Chalstrom said he suggested to Gausman and human resources director Rita Vanatta that the district instead broaden the number of staff that could qualify for early retirement -- "cast the net, and make reductions accordingly." "Dr. Gausman did not want to 'buy down the veteran staff' and was not receptive," Chalstrom said in the document. "The Management Fund budget could have afforded up to 90 teachers without impacting the levy rate and without impacting programming." At their Feb. 10 meeting, Greenwell said Chalstrom scratched out on three cocktail napkins an expanded early retirement package to deliver additional savings, which would have raised the total to nearly $4.5 million, sparing the reading program. "(Chalstrom) felt the board had not received alternatives to keep the reading plan. Numerous board members have confirmed no alternatives were offered or presented. Plus, he felt that he was unable to approach the board for fear of retribution," Greenwell said. Gausman declined to specifically address Chalstrom's claims regarding the early retirement program. In a statement, though, the superintendent detailed the process used to develop the policy and the reasons for limiting its scope. Working closely with Gausman, Buryanek led the program, which was "developed through a process involving the entire superintendent's cabinet," Gausman said. The goal, he said, was to not cut too sharply into the district's veteran teacher pool, which ranks as one of the most tenured among the state's urban districts. In the adopted plan, the average years of service dropped less than one year, from about 14.2 to 13.6, according to district figures. "To bring that down further, when not required by the budget, would have unnecessarily reduced our veteran and highly valued staff members, who serve our students," Gausman said. There also were financial considerations, he said. "The more staff members who retire through this plan, the more stipends we pay, and we pay those out of local property taxes," Gausman said. No contact? In the documents Greenwell shared with school board members, Chalstrom claimed he was "specifically prohibited from speaking with board members outside of board meetings," "specifically directed not to speak about selected shortcomings in selected programs," and "prohibited from providing the board with a full set of options on various programs." Gausman declined to address those allegations. But in response to questions from The Journal last week, he stressed there is "no policy or protocol that would prohibit a cabinet member from speaking to board members. "It is important to note, however, that the board has one employee: the superintendent of schools," he added. "As the superintendent, it is my job to bring recommendations to the board that are fiscally sound, that achieve the goals in our strategic plan, that respect the goals the board has provided me as their one employee, and that provide growth in student achievement while working through any challenges." Gausman further added, "All ideas are welcomed and considered and, as one might imagine, not all ideas initially discussed make it into the final recommendation of the superintendent." Alarcon-Flory dismissed the notion that more budget options should have been aired, saying the board weighed many good alternatives toward closing the budget gap for the fiscal year that begins July 1. "We sat down and discussed several, several, several alternatives," Alarcon-Flory said. The school board is scheduled to formally adopt the fiscal 2018 budget at its meeting Monday. Gausman, who previously served as superintendent of the West Central School District in Hartford, South Dakota, was appointed superintendent of Sioux City's 15,000-student public school district in 2008. Five years later, he was named Iowa Superintendent of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa. Last month, Gausman emerged as one of three finalists for the superintendent job in the Omaha public school district. He and the other remaining finalist -- Khalid Mumin, the superintendent of Reading School District in Pennsylvania -- later removed themselves from consideration after learning neither candidate had sufficient support from the school board. Chalstrom was selected as chief financial officer for the Sioux City district in 2014 by Gausman, with the guidance of an advisory committee comprised of school administrators and finance experts from the local business community. Prior to coming to Sioux City, Chalstrom served as superintendent of the Cherokee School District for 10 years. He also previously was a high school principal in Clear Lake, Iowa. SIOUX CITY | Bacon Creek Park was packed with patient anglers, playful pups, picnic eaters, playground climbers and prom picture takers Saturday as Siouxland saw its first real spring weather. Thermometers in Sioux City hovered near 80 degrees for most of the afternoon with a slight breeze. "This weather is awesome," Roger Schmit, of Granville, Iowa, said while fishing with his daughter, Destini. "If it wasn't so windy I would be riding my motorcycle, but my daughter doesn't like riding the bike with me so we decided to do this." Schmit said Destini caught a fish that "was spotted and big" within the first few casts, but he didn't have the same luck. "I got snagged my first three casts and broke my line," Schmit shrugged. "... I will probably get a dozen more snags and only a couple fish, but I don't mind. It's daddy-daughter time." Randy Pierce, of Sioux City, also wasn't getting any bites an hour into fishing 100 yards down the lake. "This weather is definitely enjoyable," Pierce said. "I just like being out here even if I'm not getting anything." Pierce said he has been fishing for as long as he could remember and he doesn't take many days off from the sport annually as he also ice fishes on Bacon Creek in the winter. "All you need is a good worm and a hook, and that will do it," he tipped. Bacon Creek's dog park was also crowded with canines. "It's really nice to spend time with other dogs," said Gina Sementa watching her yellow lab, Milo, retrieve a toy she threw into the lake. The Briar Cliff graduate student said she frequently takes the 8-month-old pup to Bacon Creek but Saturday was the first time she had played fetch with him in the lake. She added he has "plenty of girlfriends" at the dog park mentioning a beagle named Stella. "He loves it here. He can smell the other dogs right when we pull in," she said of the park at 5015 Correctionville Road. "He starts whining and scratching to get out of the car. This is his favorite place in the world." The fun in the sun might be cut short Sunday as the National Weather Service says there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. with a high near 71. There is also a higher chance of storms into the night. Monday is predicted to hit 47 and there is also a chance of showers, mainly before 1 p.m. Tuesday is forecast to be sunny with a high near 60. Editor's note: Every other Sunday through the conclusion of this year's session of the Iowa Legislature, Siouxland lawmakers share their Statehouse views. Sen. Bill Anderson, R-Pierson The Senate Commerce Committee held its last meeting on Tuesday. The committee passed several pieces of legislation which will have a positive impact on Iowans all across the state. Two that stand out for me are SF 400 and SF 404. SF 400 requires insurance coverage for applied behavioral analysis for persons living with autism spectrum disorder. State health plans and most large self-insured plans already provide the coverage for this treatment. This bill will help fill the gap for all those families that do not currently have coverage. This piece of legislation passed both chambers unanimously and was signed by the governor on March 30. This was truly a bipartisan effort which will have a positive impact on many Iowa families. SF 404 is known around the Capitol as the "right to try bill." This bill would allow someone to try an experimental treatment as a last-ditch effort to find something that could save their life from a terminal illness. The General Assembly has been working on this bill for several years now. The Senate voted unanimously in favor of this legislation. I believe this is the year we will finally send it down to the governor for his signature. The remaining days of the session will primarily focus on the budget. We received news in March from the Revenue Estimating Conference that revenues were down for the upcoming budget year. Based upon their projections we are going to be required to make significant cuts to the various budget units within the state budget. It is never easy to make these cuts. But based upon Iowas fiscal situation, the only prudent thing to do is to tighten the state budget. Rep. Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City Life at conception was a platform issue of my campaign. Last week, the House Human Resources Committee passed Senate File 471, a bill that limits abortions after 20 weeks and that is similar to legislation in 23 other states. I was initially a no vote. I believe life begins at conception. The uniqueness of the individual their gifts, intellect, personality and physical attributes are largely present in their DNA at conception. This, as a matter of my faith, speaks of a Creator who desires that every individual has a very personal identity and significance. An amendment to this bill was filed by Rep. Sandy Salmon of Black Hawk County. It provided for a mandatory ultrasound and 72-hour waiting period. Studies have shown that once an ultrasound is visualized by mothers, many hearts and minds are changed. A 72-hour waiting period affords mothers time to consult with family, medical and spiritual advisors prior to making this decision. I changed my mind when the mandatory ultrasound and 72-hour waiting period were added. This is a battle that will be won by changing hearts and minds. It will not be won overnight. SF 471 is a step down a path toward recognition that life begins at conception. Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City Budget discussion has picked up the past two weeks, giving signal that the end of this years legislative session is in sight. The states economy has been impacted by low prices for corn and other commodities, but there is no doubt that generous tax breaks and credits have played a role in dragging down the states economy. The terms of this years budget mess are historic. Four years ago, the state of Iowa had a surplus of more than $927 million that is now a $130 million deficit. GOP leaders have responded by saying they will borrow from the state's rainy day accounts to cover the deficit. While one should ask if it is prudent to borrow millions from the reserve accounts when Iowa is not truly in a recession, the more important question to ask is how we arrived here. It did not happen overnight. Over the past year, non-partisan budget experts cited warning signs. The Revenue Estimating Conference forecast a slowing economy, shortage in skilled workers and stagnant wages. But rather than acknowledge these red flags, the GOP pushed forward with a political agenda. Their agenda this year has not been trained on improving life for the average family. Instead, they have made work itself less valuable. The Branstad-Reynolds administration promised to raise family incomes by 25 percent but instead lowered the minimum wage for 65,000 Iowans. They promised to create 200,000 new Iowa jobs but instead cut dollars for job training programs. My comments may seem sharp and partisan to some readers, but I hope you consider how sharp and partisan this session has been. Republican, Independent or Democrat - it should alarm you as a taxpayer to see how fundamentally mismanaged the state budget has become. Sen. David Johnson, I-Ocheyedan Oskaloosa is a long way from Sioux City, about 260 miles. But a recent crisis there looms everywhere, as close to Siouxland as Fort Dodge, in fact. The hospital in the Mahaska County city has closed its inpatient psychiatric care unit. Oskaloosa hospital officials say the geriatric facility is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each year because after completing treatment, patients age 60 and older are not being accepted by long-term care or other residential facilities. Inpatient psychiatric units have also closed in Creston, Fort Dodge, Iowa Falls, Keokuk and West Union. Whats more, under orders from Gov. Terry Branstad, the state shuttered its psychiatric hospitals in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant. Iowas mental health system suffers from its own case of depression, caused in no small part by Iowa Farm Bureau. Keep reading. In 1996, Iowas 99 counties had 99 mental health programs, including services for people with disabilities. That year, the Iowa Legislature put a cap, or limit, on the property taxes that fund MH services. The property levy then amounted to about $114 million. Three years ago, lawmakers took another step designed to improve services by calling on counties to band together into regions. The charge was not just to improve services, but also to expand services where and when needed. Today, MH experts say the regions fall short at least $17 million next year in order to reach the most vulnerable Iowans, who otherwise will end up in our county jails and state prisons or out on the streets. That $17 million aint there, friends, not with the hundreds of millions of dollars already cut from the current budget and next fiscal years spending plan. Farm Bureau doesnt want another $17 million to come from property taxes. But the organization offers no viable alternative. Never has, and in my opinion, never will. Farm Bureau is also demanding that the MH regions spend down their ending fund balances. When those funds are zeroed out, what then? How strange it is. During a time when rural Iowans are under stress, whether from lack of higher wages or from low commodity prices, the states largest farm organization is blind to the gathering storm. Yes, that Pepsi ad was an insult. But if you think it was the worst insult Black Lives Matter suffered last week, then you weren't paying attention. Not that the ad wasn't revolting. Imagine that, three years after the police shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, ignited protests by African Americans sick of seeing their sons and daughters killed without cause or consequence, you turn on the television and see a protest march. Except, it's a curiously color-coordinated crowd carrying curiously color-coordinated signs that say almost literally nothing. "Join the conversation!?" What does that even mean? Then Kendall Jenner, a junior member of the famously vapid Kardashian clan, joins in. She plucks a Pepsi from a convenient cooler. (Because, yeah, they have Pepsi coolers at all the great protests. If you look closely, you can even see one in footage from the Edmund Pettus Bridge -- an Alabama state trooper knocks it over while clubbing an old woman who wants the right to vote. Sigh.) So anyway, Jenner approaches a police line and hands the pop to a cop. He takes a long swig. The crowd cheers. Understanding and tolerance ensue. It was a naked attempt to co-opt the methods and message of Black Lives Matter to sell carbonated sugar water and the internet, predictably, went guano. "If only daddy would have known about the power of (hashtag)Pepsi," tweeted Martin Luther King's daughter, Bernice. Pepsi was forced to yank the ad and apologize. But if many of us were angered and energized by that, comparatively few noticed as, at roughly the same time, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a sweeping review of consent decrees reached by the Obama Department of Justice with police departments around the country. These decrees are agreements for federally monitored reform of training, policy and procedure of troubled cop shops. They are in effect in 14 cities, including Ferguson and Cleveland. Four other cities -- Miami is one -- made agreements to reform without federal oversight. In a memo released last week, Sessions worries about tarring police with the actions of a few "bad actors." Yet DOJ investigations repeatedly found that, far from being isolated events, police abuse -- unlawful stops, searches, harassment and beatings targeting African-American citizens -- were endemic to the very culture of these departments. They were not flaws in the system. They were the system. Sessions also frets over how consent decrees affect the "morale" of these departments. The morale of African-American people goes unmentioned. It is unclear what, if anything, he can do to reverse the agreements. But the very fact that he has placed them under review is an ominous sign that, henceforth, protecting black folks from police excesses will not be a priority. That sobering truth makes even more jarring the sight of Jenner flouncing up to a cop with a Pepsi in hand. Did the last three years not actually happen? Did the primal scream rising from the streets of Baltimore, Ferguson and Any Black Neighborhood, USA, reach human ears or was it just flung into the indifferent ether? The words of 17th-century theologian Matthew Henry seem apropos: "They know not because they will not understand," he wrote. "None so blind as those that will not see." He could have been speaking about Sessions or Pepsi. Once again, in response to black folks' fears, people choose to be ignorant. They choose to be blind. Now African Americans must make some choices of their own. Within the next week or so, Im going to write a letter to one of our elected officials in Washington, D.C. It wont be addressed to Steve King, Donald Trump, Chuck Grassley or Joni Ernst. In fact, this letter wont have anything to do with the current state of American politics. Thats a whole different story. Instead, this letter will be sent to someone who has been arrested more than 40 times. A man who has been on the receiving end of billy clubs, fire hoses and attack dogs. A son of a sharecropper who made history without ever lifting a hand in violence. My note will be a letter of thanks to an American hero. Let me tell you about Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. I regret it has taken me six decades to learn about this incredible man. I was in grade school when men like Dr. Martin Luther King, John Lewis and Hosea Williams were rewriting American history. I was fortunate to be enrolled in a Catholic school staffed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame a group of women who were tuned in to social justice issues in the U.S. in the late 1950s and 1960s. The Sisters taught us that life in small-town Illinois was very different than life in the South. My hometown of 2,500 had one African-American family. Mr. Parsons was the barber. My dad would get his haircut at Mr. Parsons' barbershop, but at no point during those childhood years did I appreciate what it must have been like to be black in a country that considered you a second-class citizen. I vividly remember my 11th birthday. It was Nov. 22, 1963, and around the noon hour we heard from a tearful Sister Mary Andrew that President Kennedy had been killed in Dallas. Within months all hell broke loose in America as the civil rights movement began to take shape. For those of my vintage, you probably remember Chet Huntley and David Brinkley reporting on the race riots in Watts, New York City and Chicago. But ground zero in the civil rights movement was Selma, Alabama. As Bev and I made our way back from Florida last month, we stopped in Selma. Thats where the story of John Lewis began to take shape. We walked across the Edmund Pettus bridge and looked down the hill and tried to imagine the scene John Lewis and Hosea Williams saw on March 7, 1965. The history books call it Bloody Sunday. Alabama state troopers armed with night sticks, whips and tear gas. Racist Sheriff Jim Clark and his buddies on horseback prepping for a fight. Some good old boys flying the Confederate flag and hurling bricks and racial slurs at the marchers. All with the blessing of Gov. George Wallace who watched the event play out from his office at the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery. Nonetheless, the activists, both black and white, marched across the bridge and met the assault without fighting back. Hundreds of protesters were injured and treated by the Sisters of St. Joseph at Good Samaritan Hospital. Lewis was hit multiple times with night sticks and suffered a head injury. This obviously wasnt the first time racial prejudice had crossed over into violence. Lynchings, beatings and racial terrorism were a way of life in most of the deep South. What made Bloody Sunday different was the presence of news cameras. For the first time, the entire country could see bigotry up close and they didnt like what they saw. This was clearly a defining moment in the civil rights struggle in America. A few weeks later the group reassembled, augmented by the presence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and began the historic 54-mile march from Selma to the steps of the state Capitol in Montgomery. As I stood on the grounds of the Capitol I tried to imagine the scene 52 years ago. Although it took President Johnson longer than it should have, he ultimately grew frustrated with seeing these confrontations on the nightly news and convinced Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Most of the men and women involved in the civil rights movement have passed. Great Americans like Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Julian Bond and Hosea Williams are gone. But Congressman John Lewis of Georgia continues to fight the battle. As Mr. Lewis said in Selma back in 1965 When we pray we move our feet." Next week: Steve Warnstadt Jim Wharton, of Sioux City, is a former member of the Sioux City Council and a former mayor of Sioux City. He and his wife, Beverly, have one daughter, Dr. Laura Giese, and three grandchildren. Chapter 13 is still part of the interlude between the sounding of the seven trumpet and the seven bowl judgments ( introduced in chapter 15). In this chapter, Satan the dragon engaged two powerful evil beasts in his desperate effort to destroy God's people and to mock God the Almighty. The dragon, the sea beast and the land beast form an unholy trinity to insult God the holy Trinity, and to deceive people. John saw "a beast coming out of the sea" while "the dragon stood on the shore" . The beast had ten horns with crowns, seven heads with blasphemous names. The dragon couldn't wait to give the beast his power and his throne and great authority. The devil once wanted to hand those things to God's Son, with only one request, "if you will bow down and worship me". But Jesus answered, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ' Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' " The devil failed to tempt Jesus, left Him and waited for this beast out of sea. Jesus used the true useful and powerful weapon, the Word of God to fight the devil and defeated him. John further described the beast: "one of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed." This beast sought to counterfeit the death and resurrection of the Son of God with his recovery from a "fatal wound". Not only this beast made himself looks like a counterfeit, he also "had a mouth like that of a lion" to sound like "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" with authority. The beast got his full power and authority from the dragon only. Since the dragon's power and authority are limited by God the Almighty. There is no way the beast can match his power and authority with that of the Son of God. The Son's power and authority are handed to Him by His all powerful Father. The beast is a parody at his best. But the deluding power of the beast is still powerful enough that it made the whole world astonished and followed him. Those who follow the beast asked," Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" Listen, the worshippers of God claimed, "who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high." The cry offered to the beast is also a parody of praise only rightfully offered to the incomparable God. John points to us that the beast is "given a mouth", emphasizing the special ability to articulate arrogant blasphemy against God. The beast talks bad about God, about heaven, about the heavenly beings. He attacks everything true about God. The beast is a manifestation of Satan. Drawing from Satan's immense intelligence and knowledge of humanity, the beast utters especially appealing words to deceive people, despite their diverse cultures and value system. The beast exercises his authority for 42 months which is the same length of time Jesus ministered on earth, three and half years. The beast is "given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation." But the beast is only allowed to exercise worldwide power for a prescribed time. Not so with Jesus, after Jesus completed His work on earth, He is worshiped by "a great multitude" "from every nation, tribe, people and language" in heaven, now and forever. The beast can not even try to counterfeit this aspect. There is no place in heaven for the beast. His eternal residence is in hell. Even on earth, the inhabitants who worship the beast are not including the people whose names have been "written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." The book of life is a kind of birth certificate, proof of identify or registry of heavenly citizenship. The believers' names are written on it from the creation of the world. Satan can not do anything about this. He definitely can not force the believers to worship the beast, even he threats to kill them. The beast does "make war against the saints and to conquer them." John listed two possible outcomes for believers resulting from the attacks of the beast, into capacity or be killed. In both situations, the believers are to listen and obey God's Word, to have "a ear". And God calls for "patient endurance and faithfulness" on part of His saints in suffering. The believers' souls are safe in God's hand. Satan can only kill their body, not their soul. And even their body will resurrect when the Lord comes. God wants His people to be patient and remain faithful during their great suffering to wait for His final victory. Then John saw "another beast, coming out of the earth." This second beast "had two horns like a lamb." He mimics the true Lamb of God. But he "spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast." This land beast behives like the public relationship officer of the sea beast. It leads people to worship the sea beast. The dragon, the sea beast and the land beast form a counterfeit trinity. This is the way Satan mocks God. The best falsehood is the one closest to truth. Rarely, Satan's deception is obvious, rather it is cunning and subtle, making lies as truth; masquerading a devil as an angel of light. The land beast promotes the worship of the sea beast, calling special attention to its healed wound. He performs "great and miraculously signs" to add credibility to his deceptive message. He evokes awe with his ability to cause "fire to come down from heaven." He orders the people to set up an image in honor of the first beast and then exercises power to "give breath to the image of the first beast." Satanic enablement in the end times could create real miracles to fool the people. The second beast wields Satan's supernatural power upon this image to futher control people, to "cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. False worship is enforced by brute force. He also forced everyone to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead in order for them to buy or sell. The beast adds socioeconomic sanctions to force people's compliance with his evil agenda. Again, Satan and the beasts mock God by counterfeiting the mark or seal placed on the forehead of the believers. Satan's mark on people is the identification of being his slave. God's mark on people is the identification of being His family member, a deposit of future inheritance. Satan can not snatch people from God, but God can save people from Satan's control. Once saved, people prefer to be identified by the name of their Father in heavrn, they resist accenting the beast's mark. We might not know the meaning or the name of the beast behind the mysterious number "666". Number "6" is so close to "7" which used many times to represents perfection in Scripture. But six is not the perfect seven. The number "666" has "6" in all its digits. This could suggests that the false trinity did their best to counterfeit the true One. God will reveal the exact meaning of "666" when time comes. And the time probably is near. This chapter ends with a call for wisdom and insight. We need Godly wisdom to tell what is from the true God, what is from Satan the counterfeit. Wisdom and insight imply the appropriate and timely application of knowledge and truth in our daily lives. Knowledge and truth are from God's Word. Satan's deception is neither of them. The ability to apply them in our lives is God given. We need to rely on God to live in a world where Satan wields ominous power but God wins the ultimate victory. 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The Consumer Bank segment provides consumer banking products and services related to residential first mortgages, home equity lines and loans, consumer credit cards, and other consumer loans, as well as deposits. The Wealth Management segment offers credit related products, and retirement and savings solutions; and trust and investment management, asset management, and estate planning services to individuals, businesses, governmental institutions, and non-profit entities. The company also provides investment and insurance products; low-income housing tax credit corporate fund syndication services; and other specialty financing services. As of March 01, 2022, it operated through a network of 1,300 banking offices and 2,000 automated teller machines across the South, Midwest, and Texas. Regions Financial Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company offers peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis, and additional dialysis therapies and services; intravenous therapies, infusion pumps, administration sets, and drug reconstitution devices; remixed and oncology drug platforms, inhaled anesthesia and critical care products and pharmacy compounding services; parenteral nutrition therapies and related products; biological products and medical devices used in surgical procedures for hemostasis, tissue sealing and adhesion prevention; and continuous renal replacement therapies and other organ support therapies focused in the intensive care unit. It also provides connected care solutions, including devices, software, communications, and integration technologies; integrated patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies to help diagnose, treat, and manage a various illness and diseases, including respiratory therapy, cardiology, vision screening, and physical assessment; surgical video technologies, tables, lights, pendants, precision positioning devices and other accessories. In addition, the company offers contracted services to various pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Its products are used in hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, and patients at home under physician supervision. The company sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent distributors, drug wholesalers, and specialty pharmacy or other alternate site providers in approximately 100 countries. It has an agreement with Celerity Pharmaceutical, LLC to develop acute care generic injectable premix and oncolytic molecules. Baxter International Inc. was incorporated in 1931 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. Genres : Action, Comedy, Crime Starring : Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Renji Ishibashi Director : Takashi Miike Plot Synopsis Beginning with an explosive, six-minute montage of sex, drugs and violence, and ending with a phallus-headed battle robot taking flight, Takashi Miike's unforgettable Dead or Alive Trilogy features many of the director's most outrageous moments set alongside some of his most dramatically moving scenes. Made between 1999 and 2002, the Dead or Alive films cemented Miike's reputation overseas as one of the most provocative enfants terrible of Japanese cinema, yet also one of its most talented and innovative filmmakers. In Dead or Alive, tough gangster Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) and his ethnically Chinese gang make a play to take over the drug trade in Tokyo's Shinjuku district by massacring the competition. But he meets his match in detective Jojima (Show Aikawa), who will do everything to stop them. Dead or Alive 2: Birds casts Aikawa and Takeuchi together again, but as new characters, a pair of rival yakuza assassins who turn out to be childhood friends; after a botched hit, they flee together to the island where they grew up, and decide to devote their deadly skills to a more humanitarian cause. And in Dead or Alive: Final, Takeuchi and Aikawa are catapulted into a future Yokohama ruled by multilingual gangs and cyborg soldiers, where they once again butt heads in the action-packed and cyberpunk-tinged finale to the trilogy. Each of them unique in theme and tone, the Dead or Alive films showcase Miike at the peak of his strengths, creating three very distinct movies connected only by their two popular main actors, each film a separate yet superb example of crime drama, character study, and action filmmaking. War/Peace April 9, 2017 Chris Nineham Trumps attack on the Shayrat airbase in Syria has received plaudits from western politicians and commentators across the board. Liberal pundits, who had nothing but contempt for Trump days ago, are suddenly more respectful after this show of lethal force, even though most would probably accept The Guardian s Jonathan Freedlands caveat that despite this virtuous show of violence, Trump is still not to be wholly trusted. The liberals pleasure at the proof of Trumps attack capabilities is felt even more keenly by the U.S. foreign policy establishment, all strands of which are overjoyed that the President has shown first that he is prepared to take the U.S. back onto the attack, and second that he is coming back under their control. In the words of former NATO commander James Stavridis: With this tactically sound, professionally executed strike in response to significant human rights violations, President Trump shows above all that he is willing and able to take advice from the first-class national security team that he has assembled. The argument, if that is not too strong a word, most widely used to justify the attack is that it will have a deterrent effect on President Assad and so reduce the likelihood of further atrocities. It therefore apparently represents some kind of limited progress for Syrian people. Escalating Tensions in Middle East The chemical attack at Khan Sheikhoun was horrific, and outrage is the only human reaction. But the question is, has Trumps response really helped to limit future killing? Events since have proved the hollowness of this claim. Apart from the fact that the attack will have caused its own horrors the Syrian government claims nine civilians have been killed it has demonstrably escalated tensions in Syria. The Russians, for example, have responded by moving to beef up Syrias air defence systems and upgrade their ability to bring down fighter planes. They have also apparently redirected a Black Sea Frigate armed with cruise missiles to the Syrian port of Tartus. Interventionists on all sides have been emboldened. Inside Syria, calls for more Western intervention against Assad are being made with renewed vigour. In the U.S., Hilary Clinton is following up recent calls for a no-fly zone and attacks on all of Assads airbases with a demand for a broader strategy to end Syrias civil war. This atmosphere is almost certain to lead to an intensification of the fighting, leading of course in turn to many many more civilian deaths. Crucially, it also makes an effective political process the only possible path to peace ever more remote. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in this desperate war. In so far as it has had an impact on the Syrian situation, Trumps attack can only have deepened and prolonged the terrible tragedy of the Syrian people. But the attack raises wider questions, ignored by the liberals. No doubt it can partly be explained by considerations of domestic opinion, including a desire to look tougher than Obama and to allay worries about his relationship with Putin. But the fear must be that more fundamentally, this is connected to a broad shift in U.S. foreign policy. In contradiction to Trumps image as an isolationist, his presidency has been marked by military and rhetorical escalation on many fronts. He has serially provoked China, most recently by his warlike posture to North Korea. He has stepped up U.S. participation in the Saudi war on Yemen, deployed conventional troops in Syria for the first time, ramped up drone attacks across the board, and sharply increased U.S. involvement in the attack on Mosul in Iraq. One of the results has been that according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, in March for the first time, more civilians caught up in the Syrian conflict were killed by U.S.-led coalitions than by Isis or Russian-led forces. Washington foreign policy insiders are cock-a-hoop because for them the missile attack suggests Trump is putting the last vestiges of isolationism and ambiguities about Putin behind him. In the run up to the last election, whatever the different nuances, there was unanimity in the U.S. defence community that Obamas war on terror lite had been a failure and the country needed to take up more offensive stances. Now it looks like the President is fully on board. This doesnt mean there will be immediate follow ups to last Thursdays missile attack. Syria is a quagmire and there are no easy options for the USA. Nor does it mean that Trumps unpredictability has been overcome. Liberal applause for the attack on the Shayrat airbase is particularly contemptible and irresponsible because the attack was ordered by probably the most xenophobic and crazed president in U.S. history. But it does look as if we are entering a worst case scenario, in which a more aggressive foreign policy posture is being fronted up by an impetuous bigot who enjoys shooting from the hip. The final reason for concern is what this means for geopolitics more broadly and how this impacts on Syria and the Middle East. Those who supported last Thursdays strike are blithely ignoring the fact that it brought us one big step nearer to confrontation between nuclear armed great powers. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was no doubt pushing a point when he said the attack took U.S. force within an inch of military clashes with the Russians. But does anyone in their right mind wanted to be reading those kind of quotes in their news feed? And it is clear the tensions are frighteningly real. The suspension of the pact to coordinate air operations sounds technical but its real meaning is that Russian and U.S. forces are now fighting in Syria with more and more conflicting aims, no agreed terms of engagement and no official channels of communication. This was first published by the Stop the War Coalition in the UK. Other reports/resources: A refugee from Ghana has been arrested for dragging a young woman from her tent and raping her while she was on a camping holiday with her boyfriend. The young couple were on a camping trip in the Siegaue Nature Reserve, north of the former German capital of Bonn, when they were approached by a machete-wielding man at about 12.30am on Sunday last week. The boyfriend was forced to watch as the attacker violated his 23-year-old lover. +1 +1 A refugee has been arrested for dragging a young woman from her tent and raping her while she was on camping with her boyfriend at in the Siegaue Nature Reserve (pictured), Bonn The boyfriend, 26, who had also been threatened by the man, contacted police and medical responders took her to hospital. A photofit picture of the attacker led to his arrest on Saturday and DNA testing confirmed his guilt, according to police. He tried to flee when police moved in to arrest him, flinging a rucksack at one officer. Dit schreef ik ruim 20 jaar geleden over Paul Cliteur Het recht om Cliteur te kwetsen Ik vermoed dat het de drie sloten op zijn voordeur zij... This disc has not yet been reviewed. The following information has been provided by the distributor. I'm a sucker for music documentaries. I love when a filmmaker follows a musician around, where we get to see a song or album come to life from scratch, then recorded and performed live, while learning about their background, life as a youngster, and getting involved in their craft. It just fascinates me on every level. When filmmaker Wim Wenders travels into the music documentary realm with legendary musician Ry Cooder, you pay attention, as we all did back in 1999 with Buena Vista Social Club. This is not your typical music documentary though. It doesn't follow an album or artist from humble beginnings to superstardom, nor does it showcase the birth of a new album from a popular band. Buena Vista Social Club was a club in Cuba where musicians went to hang out, play music, and write songs. This club fell into obscurity and became something of myth and legend, however when Ry Cooder traveled to Cuba to record music, he met a lot of these old musicians, including Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Ibrahim Ferrer, and Ruben Gonzalez to name a few, and decided to get Wim Wenders to document them making an album and performing two live concerts, one in Amsterdam, and one in New York City. The results are stunning, as we get to see these old musicians get the recognition they have always deserved, but were unable to, due to the political climate between the USA and Cuba. Through interviews with these musicians, we hear their stories of the music scene in Cuba, their personal tragedies and triumphs, and just how music plays the most important part in their lives. Seeing these musicians work on their music and appreciate the theory and its history is something magical. These musicians aren't making millions of dollars or performing in the latest soda commercial. They are simply performing their music, because of what it makes them and their listeners feel and love the art of music. Later in the film, we get to see them in concert, which is glorious. In New York, playing to the people chanting their names and singing their praises, these Cuban musicians are shocked and take it all in, as they are not used to this kind of reception in their home country. The emotions these musicians conjure up in their songs are real, as evident in this film on stage where Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo are performing together on stage, and she is so moved by all that is around her, that tears fall from her face, where Ibrahim wipes them away. It's little moments like this that make Buena Vista Social Club wonderful and memorable. Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray Buena Vista Social Club comes with a 50GB Blu-ray Disc from Criterion and is Region A Locked. There is a Criterion booklet with an essay by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, along with information on the crew and technical information on the film. The disc is housed in a hard clear, plastic case with spine #866. PRIYADARSHI DUTTA* A new liberalized E-visa regime has come into effect from April 1, 2017. It will bring cheer to citizens from 161 nations around the world planning to visit India. The window period for online applications and period of stay in India have simultaneously been enhanced. The conventional process of granting visas by Indian diplomatic missions, however, will not be discontinued. The system of E-visa has actually evolved over the last seven years. On the New Years Day, 2010 India launched Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) limited to nationals from five countries Japan, Singapore, Finland, Luxembourg and New Zealand. A year the government decided to extend the scheme to nationals to nationals from Cambodia, Laos Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia. The system received a boost after the change in the government at the centre. In order to make travelling to India a seamless experience, the facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) enabled with Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) was launched on September 27, 2014. The TVoA-ETA was different in purport and scope. It was an online pre-authorization of visa given to nationals from 43 countries entering India through nine designated international airports. They could apply for visa over indiavisaonline.gov.in website. The visa could be handed over to them on arrival. It would be a single entry visa valid for 30 days. However, the nomenclature TVoA-ETA was also source of confusion. Many tourists presumed that the visa would be granted on landing at the airport. Some arrived without applying online or procuring one from local Indian Embassy. Therefore a committee of officers from Home Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs and Bureau of Immigration (BoI) was constituted to formulate a new name consistent with the policy. A naming contest on mygov.in threw up e-Tourist Visa the best choice. The scheme was renamed as e-Tourist Visa (eTV) with effect from April 15, 2015. By that time around 1, 10,000 (One lakh ten thousand) visas had already been issued by the government under TVoA-ETA. By the end of 2015, a total of 113 countries had been brought under the schemes ambit. By August, 2016 the number had gone up to 150. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Tourism informed Lok Sabha on February 6, 2017 that the number of foreign tourist arrivals to India for various purposes was 7.68 million, 8.03 million and 8.90 million (provisional) during 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. Of them the numbers of arrivals on e-Visa were 0.39 lakhs, 4.45 lakhs and 10.80 lakhs for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. Tourists from 149 countries availed the e-Visa facility. The union cabinet had decided to liberalize, simplify and rationalize the visa regime on November 30, 2016 with a view to promote ease of business, encourage economic growth and increase foreign exchange earnings. The same was enforced recently with effect from April 1. E-visa has now been Tourist, Business, Medical and Employment categories. New categories like Intern visa and Film visa have also been added. The E-visa facility is now available for nationals of 161 countries for entry through 24 airports as well as 3 seaports (Cochin, Goa and Mangalore) to tap cruise tourists from different countries. Mumbai and Chennai seaports will also be covered under E-visa facility soon. The window period for application under E-visa scheme has been increased from 30 days to 120 days to allow tourists plan their trip better. The stay duration has also been increased from 30 days to 60 days with double entry on E-Tourist and E-Business visa and triple entry on E-Medical visa. For the benefit of the medical tourists separate immigration counters and facilitation desks have been provided at some of the Indian airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad that receive bulk of such tourists. Now nationals from most of the countries can obtain multiple entry visas for tourism and business purposes valid for 5 years period. Business medical visas could be granted within 48 hours of application in urgent cases. Ninety four Indian missions having biometric enrollment facilities started give 5-year multiple entry visas from March 1, 2017. The remaining diplomatic missions will follow the suit in due course. The NDA government appears to made bolder moves in the area than the previous UPA-II government. Things have moved faster on the E-visa issue since 2014. The new visa regime is likely to make India a more favourable tourism destination. It will facilitate the Make in India programme that require multiple business visits by foreign investors. The scheme is also in sync with the vision of Digital India. The move is also likely to reduce the manual load off the diplomatic missions. Their visa windows will, however, remain open to those wanting to apply by offline method. But various countries around the world are also opting for E-visa route. No wonder India has decided to move with the times. * The writer is an independent researcher and columnist based in New Delhi. The views expressed are his personal. Source- PIB *PRIYADARSHI DUTTA The centenary of Mahatma Gandhis first Satyagraha in India is being marked this April. It was undertaken in the erstwhile undivided Champaran district in northern Bihar. He went there in April, 1917 on learning about the abuses suffered by the cultivators of the district, forced into growing indigo by British planters/estate owners. The Champaran tenant, informs Gandhi, was bound by law to plant three out of every twenty parts of his land with indigo for his landlord. This system was called Tinkathia. Agrarian issues rarely formed the part of the political discourse in those days. Even Gandhi was reluctant to commit himself to task in the beginning. But he was so thoroughly persuaded by Rajkumar Shukla, an indigo cultivator from Champaran that he decided to investigate into the matter. Gandhis plan was to carry out an extensive inquiry in the district and demand action based on its findings. It was barely two years that he had returned from his two decade long residence in South Africa. He went to Champaran in his personal capacity, revealing nothing of his association with Indian National Congress. By his own admission, Gandhi was on a humanitarian rather than a political mission to Champaran. Nobody recognized him in the district, located in northern end of Bihar, bordering Nepal. It was practically shielded from the political currents in the rest of India. The local authorities like the Chairman of the Planters Association, Commissioner of Tirhut Division and Police Superintendent did not find his visit welcome. They unsuccessfully tried to dissuade Gandhi from undertaking his inquiry. But Gandhi determinedly began his work from the house of Babu Gorakh Prasad in Motihari, headquarters of the district. While he making a spot visit to a village on an elephant back, a common transport in rural Bihar then, he was served with a court summon. He had been charged with violating Section 144 of Cr. PC. Gandhi received the summons without demur, but refused to leave Champaran. The announcement of his inquiry had already captivated the imagination of the peasants. His popularity skyrocketed as the news of his prosecution broke. On April 18, 1917 when Gandhi appeared in Motihari Court, he found 2000 local people accompanying him. The magistrate was thrown into a tizzy, and wanted to defer the trial. But to his surprise, Gandhi wanted to plead guilty. Gandhi read out a statement, and excerpt from which reads- As a law abiding citizen my first instinct would be, as it was, to obey the order served on me. But I could not do so without doing violence to my sense of duty to those for whom I have come. I feel that I could not just now serve them only by remaining in their midst. I could not, therefore, voluntarily retire. Amid this conflict of duties, I could only throw the responsibility of removing me from them on the AdministrationI have disregarded the order served upon me not for want of respect for lawful authority, but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience. The Motihari trial collapsed. The Lieutenant Governor of Bihar had ordered the withdrawal of case against Gandhi, and the Collector wrote to Gandhi saying he was free to conduct the inquiry. But this small step was giant leap forward in the history of freedom struggle. The country thus had says Gandhi, its first object lesson in Civil Disobedience. It was widely reported in the newspapers, and heralded the advent of Gandhian era. Gandhis method of inquiry at Champaran was based on surveys by the volunteers. The respondents who willingly gave statements should sign the papers or give thumb impressions. For those unwilling to participate, the reasons must be recorded by the volunteers. The principal volunteers in this survey were mostly lawyers like Babu Rajendra Prasad, Dharnidhar Prasad, Gorakh Prasad, Ramnawami Prasad, Sambhusaran and Anugraha Narain Sinha. Two centres were set up at Motihari and Bettiah. The rush had been so great that volunteers were barely able to cope with the work from day to day. During a recording of the statement an officer from C.I.D. was present. Apart from these several villages were visited and hundreds of ryats (tenants) were queried in their homes. Within a month nearly 4000 statements were taken. Planters refused to attend meetings where ryats were present. But some of them met Gandhi in a delegation. They tried to pose that they were benefactors of their ryats and had protected them from the tangle of moneylenders. But ryats had different opinion about them. The Bihar administration grew anxious at Gandhis prolonged stay in Champaran. Thus on June 4, 1917 Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor of Bihar, while receiving Gandhi at Ranchi declared the formation of a formal inquiry committee with Gandhi aboard. But Gait had to concede that Gandhi and volunteers could remain in Champaran and Gandhi would not cease to be an advocate of the ryats. The Champaran Inquiry Committee began its preliminary meeting on July 11, 1917. After several sittings and spot visits, the Committee submitted its final report on October 4. The Government accepted almost all its recommendations to the benefit of the ryats. The principal recommendation accepted was complete abolition of Tinkathia system. It was a major blow to the British planters who became resentful. But they could not prevent the passage of Champaran Agrarian Act in Bihar & Orissa Legislative Council on March 4, 1918. The scourge of coercive indigo plantation passed into history. Gandhis association with Champaran lasted for a year. Towards the end he had got busy with another agrarian Satyagraha at Kaira (or Kheda) in Gujarat. He did not limit his stay in Champaran to indigo issue. He promoted primary education in a poorly literate district by inviting volunteers, who came from as far as Maharashtra and Gujarat. The victory at Champaran established Gandhis repute in Indian politics. *The writer is an independent researcher and columnist based in New Delhi. The views expressed herein are his personal. Source- PIB WASHINGTON Why are Democrats filibustering Judge Neil Gorsuch? Because theyve had enough with the politics of power grabbing and bullying. At the root of this fight is a long-term conservative effort to dominate the Supreme Court and turn it to the political objectives of the right. This is thus about far more than retaliation, however understandable, for the Senate Republicans refusal to give even a hearing to Judge Merrick Garland, President Obamas nominee for the seat Gorsuch would fill. Behind the current judicial struggle lies a series of highly politicized Supreme Court rulings. It started with Bush v. Gore, when five conservative justices abruptly halted the recount of Floridas ballots in the 2000 election and made George W. Bush president. The unsigned majority opinion unmasked (to use the word of the moment) the unprincipled and unmistakably results-oriented nature of the decision with this lovely little sentence: Our consideration is limited to the present circumstances, for the problem of equal protection in election processes generally presents many complexities. Translation: Dont you dare use this case as precedent in any future decisions. Were just doing this to achieve the outcome we want in this election. Bush v. Gore had consequences for the court itself, since Bush got to pick two Supreme Court justices. He chose John Roberts as chief justice. Roberts, its worth noting, went to Florida as a volunteer lawyer advising then-Gov. Jeb Bush, who had a rather large interest in his brothers victory. Can we please acknowledge that few court nominees are pristinely above politics? Later, President Bush filled his second vacancy with Justice Samuel Alito, and he and Roberts were key to two of the most activist decisions in court history on matters central to how our elections work. In 2010, Roberts and Alito voted with the 5-4 majority in Citizens United that overturned decades of law and precedent to widen the gates to big money in campaigns. Then, in 2013, they were integral to another 5-4 decision, Shelby County, that gutted the Voting Rights Act. Many Republican-controlled states rushed in with new laws, including voter ID requirements, that impeded access to the ballot by African-Americans and other minorities. You do not have to believe in conspiracies to see how Shelby County and Citizens United fit together. In tandem, they empowered the most privileged parts of our society and undercut the rights of those who had historically faced discrimination and exclusion. They also tilted the electoral playing field toward Republicans and the right. So lets can all of these original sin arguments about who started what and when in our struggles over the judiciary. From Bush v. Gore to Citizens United to Shelby County, it is the right wing that chose to thrust the court into the middle of electoral politics in an entirely unprecedented and hugely damaging way. And the Republican-led Senate was ready to use any means necessary to hold on to this partisan advantage. When Obama chose Garland for the court, he picked the nominee Republicans themselves had said they could confirm. In 2010, for example, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called Garland a consensus nominee about whom there was no question that he would win Senate confirmation. Hatchs view became inoperative when Garland threatened to break the conservatives 5-4 advantage. Obama took grief from many progressives who saw Garland as too moderate. Gorsuch, by contrast, passes all of his sides litmus tests. During the campaign, Trump added Gorsuch to his roster of potential justices in response to lists from the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. There is nothing moderate about Gorsuch except his demeanor. The demand for a 60-vote threshold is really a plea that Republican presidents put forward choices who can win broad support by reflecting Garland-style restraint. In the coming days, we will hear moans about how terrible filibustering a Supreme Court choice is. Democrats will be dismissed as catering to their base. Justified outrage over the blockade against Garland will be reduced to score-settling, as if those who started a fight should be allowed to recast themselves as pious, gentle peace-lovers when the other side dares to strike back. Its said that with the odds against them in this fight, progressives would be wise to back off now and wait for the next battle. But graciousness and tactical caution have only emboldened the right. Its past time to have it out. From now on, conservatives must encounter tough resistance as they try to turn the highest court in the land into a cog in their political machine. With Freddy Krueger, you had to avoid falling asleep. With Jason Vorhees, you had to avoid going to a camp in the wilderness and possibly Manhattan in the 1980s and with Candyman, you just had to avoid saying his name a few times in a front of a mirror. All of these had plausible ways of avoiding meeting your doom. This goes completely out the window with The Bye Bye Man, which is one of the silliest and worst PG-13 horror films of recent memory. The Bye Bye Man is in fact a boogeyman who can force you to kill whomever, and after a series of hallucinations, a demon dog, and money showing up in some unlikely places, you will die yourself, by just thinking about this Bye Bye Man. Unfortunately for everyone in the film, the words "Don't think it, Don't say it" are written everywhere and said quite often. If you're constantly reminded of this, wouldn't you just think of this Bye Bye Man? Of course you would, but the terrible script here thinks that if you always say those words, then maybe you won't summon the boogeyman. Like Beetlejuice, if you even say the name, he shows up, but doesn't have the wit or charm that Michael Keaton had at all. The film starts off in the 1960s where we see a guy kill a lot of people, but then it cuts to present day where a few college kids move into a creepy old house nearby campus and all hell breaks loose, due to trying not to think it or say it. A lot of this film doesn't make sense at all, but instead the cheap CGI effects just take us to the next silly hallucination where this PG-13 affair tries to scare us, which it doesn't. The dialogue and acting are so deplorable that I've seen better on infomercials. Faye Dunaway shows up out of nowhere to do absolutely nothing, too. The Bye Bye Man is a the product of a rushed, lazy effort by its cast and crew with no real direction or spirit. Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray The Bye Bye Man comes with a 50GB Blu-ray Disc, a DVD copy of the film, and an insert for a Digital Download. The discs are housed in a hard, blue plastic cast with a cardboard sleeve. Aditya Madanapalle IIT Bombay hosted India's biggest robotics symposium, e-Yantra 2017, on 7 and 8 April. Students from engineering college around the country demonstrated their innovative projects. There were keynote speeches and panel discussions from experts and leaders in the industry over the course of the two days. High on the agenda was encouraging robotics startups, getting engineering colleges to solve problems, and developing indigenous technologies. This was the fourth year of the symposium, and instead of first, second and third prizes, the teams were awarded prizes based on different criteria. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Sanstha College of Engineering from Aurangabad and PES University from Bengaluru both won prizes in the "best hardware design" category. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Sansthan College of Engineering showcased Automation for the process of Paper bag Manufacturing System. The robotic system had a number of active suction cups to fold a sheet of paper into a paper bag. The current system used hand rolled paper handles, but the students plan to improve the system and incorporate an automatic mechanism to create the paper handles as well. The process allows for stamping of a logo on the side of the paper bags. PES university from Bengaluru had come up with a glass wall cleaning robot, for use in the glass facades of skyscrapers. The robot uses active suction cups to stick to the sides of walls, and an attached sponge cleans the surface. After cleaning an area, the robot automatically moves sideways and starts cleaning another area. It is only necessary to feed in the dimensions of the glass wall, and the robot automatically proceeds with the cleaning. The project was called Microcontroller Based Glass Wall Cleaning Robot With Slider Mechanism. The "Close to Market" category had two winners as well, Vivekanand Education Societys Institute of Technology from Mumbai, who had come up with a multilingual kiosk for making air travel easier. The device is aimed at users of regional languages in India. The other team to win in the "Close to Market" Category was the Faculty of Technology from the Dharmsinh Desai University in Gujarat, who had come up with a fingerprint authentication system for electronic transactions, which could potentially be used with the Aadhaar database. Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues college of Engineering, Bandra, in Mumbai presented a robotic solution designed to reduce the work load of doctors in hospitals. Robotic Assistance For Tuberculosis Patients, used an RFID system to keep track of patients and dispense medicines. The robot is designed to make rounds of a hospital ward automatically. The team is planning to pitch the idea to hospitals in Mumbai city, after developing the idea further. The team won the award for the "Most Innovative Solution". Rachel Joseph, student of Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues college of Engineering, Bandra from Mumbai said, "Our e Yantra Idea Competition project which got nominated for the Symposium was inspired by the poor conditions of patients in Sewri TB hospital. We designed a simple medibot which dispatches medicines based on the patient rfid, the judges feedback helped us to make the system foolproof." The team from Reva University, Bengaluru won the award for the Best Demonstration and Presentation. The team showcased a portable robot that can be installed in manholes, and automatically cleans and retrieves blockages at the push of a button. The robot is designed to protect human dignity, as a replacement for human cleaners in sewage systems, which is a hazardous occupation. The height and reach of the robot can be modified as per the requirements. Cluster Innovation Center from Delhi won the award for "best algorithm design". The team presented a wearable belt that used a Kinect camera, a Raspberry Pi and a smartphone app to alert the visually impaired about objects and obstacles in the surroundings. The team used a variation of Google's Tensor Flow framework to create an artificial neural network, which was trained to recognise objects that users are likely to encounter. The paired smartphone app can not only alert users of what object is there in the surroundings, but also use depth perception to inform them of how far away the objects are. The system works in real time, and responds to changes in the environment. Dr. Kavi Arya, Principal Investigator, e-Yantra project highlighted the importance of getting the academia deeply involved with the private industry, for the success of the "Make in India" initiative. Dr Arya pointed out that there was a necessity to come up with low cost solutions for Indian problems, as developed economies are not likely to solve the problems that Indians face in their daily lives. Dr. Arya said, "the role of e-Yantra is to empower youngsters with the ability to build machines to solve real problems." Indo-Asian News Service Home Minister Rajnath Singh will launch a "Bharat ke Veer" web portal and mobile application that will enable donors contribute towards the families of soldiers who lost their lives in the line on duty, an official statement said on Saturday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and actor Akshay Kumar will also participate in the function on Sunday. "The donated amount will be credited to the account of 'Next of Kin' of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers and this domain also allows anyone to financially support the bravehearts of his/her choice or towards the 'Bharat Ke Veer' corpus," a Home Ministry statement said. "This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of India. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another account." It added that "Bharat Ke Veer" would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably. IANS Three crew members aboard the International Space Station are packing up their gear for a homecoming on Monday, ending their 173-day mission in space, Nasa said. Expedition 50 crew members Shane Kimbrough, Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko will take a ride back to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft. They are scheduled to land Monday at 7:21 a.m. EDT (4.51 p.m. India time) in Kazakhstan. "Commander Shane Kimbrough, who is returning to Earth early Monday, took it easy Friday aboard the International Space Station. He and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet mainly performed light duty tasks and continued their daily exercise to stay healthy in space," Nasa scientists wrote in a blog post on Friday. "Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, who are returning home Monday with Kimbrough, continued packing the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft that will parachute the trio to a landing in Kazakhstan after a 173 days in space," the blog post said. Ryzhikov, who is on his first mission, will command the Soyuz during its undocking and reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Borisenko and Kimbrough are both wrapping up their second visit to space. Whitson will become station commander for the second time in her career Sunday less than 24 hours before her crewmates undock from the Poisk module. She stays behind with fellow Expedition 50-51 crew members Thomas Pesquet and Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy. Like many genres, the Wuxia Martial Arts sub-genre has its ebbs and flows. When filmmakers are punching out good stories, you have some great movies to watch. When filmmakers fail to find a balance between the fantastical flying swordplay and an emotionally grounded story, they can be a bit of a mess. Director Derek Yee's Sword Master starring Kenny Lin and Peter Ho and produced and co-written by Tsui Hark is a display of the genre's best and worst tendencies. Yen (Peter Ho) is a swordsman, a drifter with intricate and terrifying facial tattoos who roams from one village to the next searching for his equal before he dies from the disease ravaging his body. After defeating his latest foe, he learns there is a far greater sword master out there, Hsieh Shao-Feng (Kenny Lin). After questing to find this master, he learns that the man has apparently died. Distraught, Yen takes up a life as a peasant gravedigger in a small village awaiting his death. Through happenstance, Yen learns that Shao-Feng is alive and well living as a man of peace under the name Ah Chi. As a small child Shao-Feng served the glory of his clan. When his father told him to kill - he did so. After a lifetime of seeing death and blood, Shao-Feng cast off his family name, took the name Ah Chi became a drifter working menial jobs in peace. As he's cast off the family name, he's also cast away his infamous swordsmanship. When Ah Chi's deadly past catches up to him, only Yen can convince his rival to do the right thing and take up the sword once more if he's ever going to reclaim his honor. Sword Master is a stunningly beautiful looking fantasy martial arts film. It features incredible stunt work, amazing cinematography capturing gorgeous scenery (albeit much of it digitally rendered), and an impressive array of characters. The story about dueling swordsmen is an interesting premise as this is a remake of the classic Shaw Bros. film Death Duel. However, the state of the art upgrade of this story doesn't completely translate as well as it could have. It doesn't take long for one to realize that Sword Master was designed with the 3-D market in mind. The opening duel on a bridge complete with CGI scenery and falling snow would be something to see and marvel at in three dimensions. Where the film starts to hit rough patches is when it moves away from the CGI rendered universe into a more traditional, practical world without the blue screen. This world feels real and tangible. Even the fancy wirework fight sequences have a grounded and gritty feel to them. The action and character drama are far more impactful here. Then the action will shift back to the CGI fantasy land and all of the action feels weightless and loses a lot of the excitement. Had Sword Master taken a page from The Monkey King and The Monkey King 2 and kept the film a strict CGI-fueled fantasy, it would have worked. On the flip side of the coin, had Sword Master imitated Benny Chan's more grounded and realistic Call of Heroes and kept the action strictly gritty and grounded in a form of reality, this film would have worked equally well. What stops Sword Master from being truly great is the juxtaposition of these two dramatically different styles. The story and characters have a lot of heart and make this film a worthwhile and somewhat enjoyable experience. If you're a seasoned veteran of the Wuxia sub-genre, you may be able to tolerate the fantasy/reality whiplash easier. Go into this film for the terrific action sequences and the great performances. Peter Ho and Kenny Lin deliver some terrific characters here as the two actors are clearly in their element mixing drama with swift and violent swordplay. Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray Sword Master arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Well GO USA in a Blu-ray + DVD package. Pressed onto a Region A BD-50 disc, the disc and its DVD counterpart are housed in a two-disc sturdy snapper Blu-ray case with identical slipcover artwork. The disc loads to previews for other upcoming Well Go USA releases before arriving at an animated main menu with traditional navigation options. Sadr urges Assad to step down Reuters, Baghdad : Iraq's influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "take a historic heroic decision" and step down, to spare his country further bloodshed. Sadr, who commands a large following among the urban poor of Baghdad and the southern cities, is the first Iraqi Shi'ite political leader to urge Assad to step down. But his call was wrapped in kind words about the Syrian president and condemnation of the U.S. strikes carried out on a Syrian airbase on Friday, in retaliation for a chemical attack on civilians in a rebel-held area of Syria. Sadr said the U.S. strikes would "drag the region to war" and could help "the expansion of Daesh," the militant Islamic State group, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria. Iraq's Shi'ite-led governments have maintained good relations with the Syrian government throughout the six-year Syrian civil war. Sadr is the only Iraqi Shi'ite leader to keep some distance from Iran, a main backer of Assad along with Russia. "I think it would be fair for President Bashar al-Assad to offer his resignation and step down in love for Syria, to spare it the woes of war and terrorism ...and take a historic, heroic decision before it is too late," Sadr said in a statement. Defeating IS is `first priority` in Syria: Tillerson US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the Meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition on the Defeat of ISIS in Washington. AFP, Washington : The top priority for the United States in Syria is to defeat the Islamic State group even before stabilizing the country, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says. Defeating the group and its self-proclaimed caliphate would eliminate not only a threat to the US but to "the whole stability in the region," Tillerson told CBS television's "Face the Nation" program in an excerpt released Saturday. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," Tillerson said in a clip made public on the eve of the Sunday talkshow's air time. "Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria," he said. "We're hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions." The former ExxonMobil chief executive noted that holding such talks would require the participation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime along with its allies. He narrowed his focus on key Damascus ally Moscow, with whom Washington has particularly frosty relations. "We're hopeful that Russia will choose to play a constructive role in supporting ceasefires through their own Astana talks, but also, ultimately, through Geneva," Tillerson said. "If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe-we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process." The top US diplomat insisted he had no concerns about possible Russian retaliation following an unprecedented US strike on a Syrian airfield this week. "The Russians were never targeted in this particular strike," Tillerson said. "It was a very deliberate, very proportional, and very targeted strike undertaken in response to the chemical weapons attack. And Russia was never part of the targeting." Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke by phone on Saturday about the situation in Syria after the U.S. strikes on a Syrian air base, the Russian ministry said in a statement. Lavrov pointed out that "an attack on a country whose government fights terrorism only plays into the hands of extremists, creates additional threats to regional and global security," the Russian ministry said. He also told Tillerson that assertions that the Syrian military used chemical weapon in Idlib province on April 4 do not correspond to reality, the ministry added. It said Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart agreed to continue discussions on Syria in person. Tillerson is expected in Moscow for talks with Russian officials next week. Orientation for life members of Rangamati Red Crescent Rangamati Correspondent : A daylong orientation meeting for life members of the district unit of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) was held at Rangamati Hill District Council conference room on Saturday. Additional District Magistrate of Rangamati District Md Moazzem Hossain was present as chief guest at the meeting, while Saiful Islam Bhutto, vice-chairman of district unit of BDRCS presided over the function. Kriti Sanons scorching hot pictures from Vogue shoot Kriti Sanon, who made her Bollywood debut with Sajid Nadiadwalas Heropanti recently shot with Vogue magazine for their April cover story and her fans dont seem to be getting enough of the pictures. We have seen the actress in a very girl-next-door avatar most of the times, but this time around, a very different side of the actress has been showcased. In all the pictures that were shot in South Africas Mala Mala Game Reserve along with wildlife, Kriti Sanon has managed to set the temperatures soaring really high. The actress has been styled by popular celebrity stylist Anaita Adajania Shroff and the photographer has very well accentuated Kritis beautiful frame in all the pictures. Neymar sees red as Barca let Real Madrid off Neymar was sent-off as Barcelona lost further ground on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga in a shock 2-0 defeat to Malaga on Saturday. Real are now three points clear and have a game in hand despite Antoine Griezmann's classy finish five minutes from time snatching a 1-1 draw for Atletico Madrid earlier at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, Real can now afford to lose to Barca at home in two weeks' time and still have a first title in five years in their own hands. "No matter what the table is like Madrid-Barca is always an attractive game, but winning La Liga depends on winning all the points beforehand," said Barca boss Luis Enrique. "Today we had a very good opportunity and we couldn't take the points." Neymar picked up the first red card of his Barcelona career for two bookable offences as the Catalans were left to rue letting Sandro Ramirez join Malaga for free last summer. Sandro exposed some awful defending from Jeremy Mathieu to sprint clear on goal and slot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post. Malaga also had the better chances of the second-half filled with controversy as Juanpi shot straight at Ter Stegen when clean through. Neymar had been shown his first booking for delaying a Malaga free-kick whilst tying his shoelaces and stupidly charged into Diego Llorente 25 minutes from time to see red. The hosts then had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside when substitute Adalberto Penaranda finished off a flowing counter-attack. College girl hacked to death Staff Reporter : Some unidentified miscreants stabbed and strangled a college girl to death after damaging one of her eyes in Baropaikha village of Dhamrai upazila in Dhaka district on Sunday morning. Locals recovered her tattered body from a maize field near the house in the morning. The victim has been identified as Zubaida Akter, 18, daughter of Joynal Mia, from Baropaikha village. She was a student of XII of Khondokar Delowar Hossain College in Manikganj district, adjacent to Dhamrai. Dhamrai Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Rezaul Haque said that the criminals had gouged one of her eyes, hacked the body with sharp weapons and later strangled her to death. "Zubaida went out of her house after receiving a call on her mobile phone on Saturday evening, but she did not return," the police official said after quoting family members. The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) morgue for the post-mortem, the OC said. A case was filed with the police station in this connection, he said. No power plant at the cost of Sundarbans Staff Reporter : The environmentalists have urged the government not to set up power plant at the cost of the Sundarbans which is a home to rare species of flora and fauna that are already on the verge of extinction. They opined that an adverse impact on the biodiversity of the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the World, will be a irrepayable loss. All For Sundarbans, a civic forum, organised a day-long discussion titled 'Sundarbans: Glory, the Protector, and Risks to its Sovereignty.' The discussion was held in the auditorium of BRAC Centre, Mohakhali, Dhaka on Saturday. The programme was presided by 'All For Sundarbans' Coordinator Rieta Rahman, attended, among others, by Anu Muhammad, BD Rahmatullah, Indian environmental scientist Soumya Dutta, and Tamij Uddin. Expressing concern about the potential damage to the World Heritage Site, BD Rahmatullah said 'We need power, but we must say 'no' to any sorts of commercial project, which is harmful to the Sundarbans. Rieta Rahman said, now we can generate 10,000 MW electricity from solar energy, 10,000-12,000MW from biomass and 4,000-5,000MW from the wind considered well enough to meet our demand for electricity. So, we do not need any coal-based power plant in the country.' Tamij Uddin said 'Today we are speaking about the sovereignty of the Sundarbans. But to me, we are actually indicating it as the sovereignty of the country and the people of Bangladesh.' Noting but political will is a must for protecting the Sundarbans, he added. 'The movement to save the Sundarbans' is not only a move to protect the aquatic resources, ecology, biodiversity, and wildlife in and around the mangrove forest, but also a battle to change the character of the political practice in our country' Tamij Uddin said. Bus, car trapped as Chennai road caves-in A state bus and a Honda City car trapped in a crater after the Anna Salai road caved in near Church Park street on Sunday afternoon. Internet photo TNN, Chennai : An MTC bus and a car plunged into a huge crater that was formed in the middle of the Anna Salai, near Anna Flyover, around 2pm on Sunday. No one was injured. According to Chennai Metro Rail Limited sources, the incident happened due to the impact of a tunnel boring machine which was drilling beneath Anna Salai, a few metres besides the spot where the road caved in. The accident happened around 50 feet from a cave-in that happened a few days ago near the flyover. The Anna Square-Vadapalani bus (25G) has stopped at the bus stop. The driver felt some movement and he thought it was a tyre puncture. When he peeped out, he saw the road caving in. The driver asked the passengers to get down immediately. After the passengers got down, the bus started to sink. A car passing by also got trapped. The car belongs to a Mogappair resident. As the road continued to sink, the police cordoned off the area and diverted the traffic. There was a traffic jam on Kamarajar Salai as Anna Salai traffic was diverted via the main road along the beach. Police cordoned off the stretch from White's Road turning to the foot of the flyover on Anna Salai. Tamil Nadu finance minister D Jayakumar, who visited the spot, told reporters that the accident might have happened due to loose soil. He said, "This is the first time such an accident has happened in Chennai though metro rail work has been going on since 2009. We will use this as a learning experience and all precautions will be taken to prevent such incidents." The minister said work was progressing on a war footing to remove the trapped vehicles and repair the road so that traffic could be restored by Monday evening. Later, the bus and the car were removed from the crater using cranes. 45 dead, 119 hurt in ISIS blasts at Egypt's Coptic churches PTI : At least 45 people were killed and nearly 120 others injured in powerful blasts triggered by ISIS in two churches packed with worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria cities, the deadliest attacks on the minority Coptic Christians in recent years. The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Ma Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, killing 27 people and injuring 78, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Security sources said the primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday. However, others said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The explosion targeted the front rows in the church hall. Among those killed is Samuel George, the head of Tanta Court. Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district, police said. Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel said at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed while 41 others injured in Alexandria's suicide attack. The latest figure puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on churches on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," said the group's propaganda news agency 'Amaq' on its social media accounts. In a statement, the Interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. However, Egypt's Coptic church said Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had left the church just before the blast. Saint Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi condemned the attack and said such terrorist acts will not terrify Egyptians. He also phoned Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences. He ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. The president called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. Egypt also announced three days of mourning. Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, strongly condemned the attacks, calling it an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhar's solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the wake of attacks. The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers." "The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement. The explosion comes weeks before the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an ISIS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. BMET officials' graft in manpower exports Reza Mahmud : A section of dishonest officials at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) are allegedly involved in corruption over workers recruiting abroad. Some deceitful recruiting agencies send unskilled Bangladeshi workers abroad showing them as skilled manpower. They also take extra money from the job seeking workers. Some BMET officials are helping such corrupt recruiting agencies. It poised a huge threat for the Bangladeshi labour markets abroad. The extra costs for the migrating workers also put additional burden on them. A number of workers whom this correspondent talked to pointed out that such burden sometimes dashed their dream of going abroad for jobs. Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, Nurul Islam has given directions to investigate such allegation. Begum Shamsunnahar, the Secretary of the Ministry, will take necessary steps to ensure good governance in the sector, Islam said. When contacted, Jabed Ahmed, the Additional Secretary (Admin) of the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment said, "The Minister has given a direction to investigate such allegations and take proper action. We are investigating the matter." According to the people close to the sector, those recruiting agencies bring visa from Middle Eastern and Far Eastern countries for skilled workers but they supplied unskilled labourers in the name of skilled workers. Some BMET officials are giving certificates and other training documents to the unskilled workers as skilled manpower in exchange for money. They have collected around Tk 15 thousand from each unskilled workers. The errant recruiting agencies are sending ordinary workers under driving visa to Saudi Arabia. Similar incidents of this illegal practice are also found in the cases of Kuwait, Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. At the same time unskilled workers have been sent to Malaysia in the visas of skilled manpower. "Some BMET officials in a nexus with some recruiting agencies are making group visa as individuals. It has given them extra chance to collect money from the workers individually," a worker willing to migrant said. A BMET official said on condition of anonymity that in the case of group visa the BMET cannot do everything about manpower export. The other parts of the processing of manpower export should be cleared from the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment. But in the case of individuals, the BMET is able to serve every necessary documents to the workers, this officials added, pointing out that in such conditions the officials are taking extra money. Besides, the recruiting agencies also wanted to avoid the ministry due to the delaying process. Official sources said if any recruiting agency obtains around 25 visas it is called individual work permit. The work permit above 25 is called group visa. Individual workers are charged Tk 1500 for work certificates from the BMET. Group visa seekers need to pay Tk 2500 for collecting certificates from the ministry. According to law, the recruiting country gives the costs of certificates and other documents. But it is not followed in Bangladesh. As a result, the workers are compelled to bear all of this cost. Workers need to pay Tk 1,65,000 for migrating to Saudi Arabia. But they forced to pay around Tk 6,00000. According to official data, 7,57,731 workers have been recruited abroad in 2016. The number was 5,55,881 in 2015 and 4,25,484 in 2014. This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way. Hannan, 2 HuJI men's execution anytime: Asad Staff Reporter : Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said that there was no legal bar to execute the death penalty on Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) leader Mufti Hannan and his two accomplishes as the President has rejected their clemency pleas. Mufti Hannan and his two accomplices Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul and Delwar Hossain alias Ripon, who had pleaded guilty and sought pardon, have also been turned down on Saturday, he said. "We're taking preparations as per the Jail Code to execute the death sentence as soon as possible," the Minister said while talking to reporters at his office in Secretariat Bhaban on Sunday. He also mentioned that they would be executed between April 11 and April 17. Earlier, in a last-ditch attempt, the trio on March 27 pleaded President Abdul Hamid to spare their lives. Prison authorities forwarded the petitions to the Home Ministry, which was then sent to the Law Ministry. The Law Ministry forwarded it to the President, which has sent it back to the Home Ministry. "There's no threat of militant attack centering the execution of the militant leader," he said in reply to a query. Convicts Mufti Hannan and Bipul are likely to hang at Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur while Ripon at the Sylhet Central Jail, said Colonel Md Iqbal Hasan, Additional Inspector General of Prisons. The Kashimpur High Security Jail and Sylhet Central Jail authorities have already started the preparation to hang the militant leaders. "We have not received any order from the government. We are waiting for the executive order from the Home Ministry to hang them anytime," he said. But Kashimpur Prison's Superintendent Md Mizanur Rahman said that they were yet to receive any order from the Ministry. The primary rehearsal has taken place at Kashimpur Jail, sources at the jail said. On March 19, the Appellate Division upheld the death sentence of Mufti Hannan, Delwar Alias Ripon and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul after hearing the review petitions filed by the three death-row convicts. It released the full text of its verdict on March 21. The culprits were sentenced to death for the assassination attempt on Anwar Choudhury, the then British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, during his visit to the Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in sylhet city on May 21, 2004. The attack killed three people and severely injured Anwar. On December 23, 2008, a Sylhet court sentenced the trio to death and two others to lifetime imprisonment for their roles in the attack. The High Court upheld the sentences in February 2016. Mufti Hannan was also sentenced to death for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombing, in which 10 people were killed. In 2004, the then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a grenade attack while coming out of Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in his hometown Sylhet. The envoy and 40 employees of the Sylhet district administration were injured in the attack Educated at madrasas, top HuJI leader Mufti Hannan hails from Gopalganj and is infamous for being one of the initiators of militant activities in Bangladesh. The HuJIB militant group was formed in 1992 and claims to have carried out at least 14 attacks, killing more than 100 people in the pursuit of "establishing Shariah law in Bangladesh". He is said to be the mastermind of 13 terrorist attacks, including an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life, perpetrated by the banned militant group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJIB). He faces trial for planting a bomb made with 76kg of explosives near the venue of a public rally addressed by Hasina at Kotaliparha in 2000. Hannan has been sentenced to death for the 2001 bombings at Dhaka's Ramna Park on Bangla New Year's Day. On Mar 6 this year, a prison van carrying him from court to Gazipur's Kashimpur prison came under a bomb attack, in what the police say was an attempt to snatch him in Mymensingh. Look to other rivers, not Teesta News Desk : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asserted that Teesta is the lifeline of North Bengal, which can't be taken away. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's talks on the river Teesta on Saturday, she came up with the remarks yesterday, The Hindustan Times reported on Sunday. "There is very little water in the Teesta River, it is our lifeline, the lifeline of North Bengal," she said. Mamata said other transnational rivers could be diverted to attend to Bangladesh's water needs. "Your problem is water, not Teesta. I am willing to look at any alternate proposal to address your issues. There are many other rivers in the area (India-Bangladesh), we can use water from there," she said. On Saturday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said India's support would help resolve all issues, including the Teesta, expeditiously. Any pact on the sharing of water of the river Teesta was yet to be signed between the two nations. On this, Modi said, "I am very happy that the Chief Minister of West Bengal is my guest today. Her feeling for Bangladesh is as warm as my own. I assure you and the people of Bangladesh of our continuing efforts on the Teesta. It's only my government and your government that can and will find an early solution to the Teesta water sharing issue." The Teesta River runs through both Bengals and Bangladesh and if a Treaty is signed it would allow equal share of water. Bangladesh has welcomed Modi's commitment to ensuring an early solution. Modi also acknowledged the Teesta issue to have drawn "greatest attention" with regard to bilateral relations and expressed his "firm belief" that it would find an early solution. The Indian Premier described Teesta to be an important factor for India, for Bangladesh and for India-Bangladesh relationship" while referring to the stake of India's West Bengal state in the matter. During the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Mamata pitched for a fresh feasibility study of three to four smaller rivers in northern part of the State to augment the hydrological flow into Bangladesh. She said instead of just looking at Teesta, rivers like Torsha and Mansai can be tapped for improving the flow of water to northern Bangladesh. "The drought in Teesta is not good enough in the lean season. Sharing the Teesta waters with Bangladesh becomes difficult because that would lead to acute shortage of even drinking water in northern Bengal," Mamata told journalists after meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday. Mamata said the proposal to study the flow of water in other smaller rivers was raised by her during Modi's official lunch for PM Hasina and again during a quiet dinner with her and President Pranab Mukherjee. "I am a well wisher of Bangladesh and I want them to get enough water, but Teesta alone cannot solve their problem because the flow in that river has been affected because of upstream power projects in the hill state of Sikkim, from which the river originates," Mamata told the media on Saturday. Mobile court fines 94 traffic violators in city DMP mobile team fines 94 people who passed through the main road in city ignoring foot-over bridge. This photo was taken from Airport Road area on Sunday. A mobile court here on Sunday fined some 94 people on charges of violating traffic rules at airport crossing in the city. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)'s Uttara Traffic division carried out the mobile court, led by its executive magistrate Moshiur Rahman, as part of its campaign to encourage pedestrians for using foot-over bridges, said Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of North Division Prabir Kumar Ray. During the drive, the mobile court fined the 94 pedestrians Tk 4,700 as they did not use the foot-over bridge while crossing the airport road, he said. They, sometimes, will conduct the drive in every important point to promote pedestrians on the use of foot over-bridge, added Prabir Kumar Ray. Tax-dodging docs to come under NBR net Badrul Ahsan : In the face of widespread allegations over concealment of actual income by the physicians, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has planned to take a number of steps to bring tax dodging doctors under its net and thus to boost revenue collection, sources said. To this effect, NBR has launched a move to develop a database of the city's physicians to ensure proper tax collection. Besides, the revenue collection authority has also mulling a plan to conduct surprise visit to the doctor's chambers to assume their actual income. As part of the initiative, NBR is now compiling information from different sources to bring them under an automation system to ensure the tax compliance of the professionals. Commissioner of the tax zone-10, Apurba Kanti Das, said the tax zone has automated its database using BiTAX (Bangladesh integrated Tax) system. He apprised a meeting of the update on the progress of income tax automation at the tax zone-10 conference room held recently. Senior secretary to Internal Resources Division (IRD) and NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman attended the meeting as chief guest. The tax zone-10 is dedicated for the physicians practicing in Dhaka city. A total of 14,461 physicians are registered with the zone and were submitting annual income tax returns. There are more than 80,000 physicians registered with the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), according to the regulatory body for physicians and medical education. "There are some doctors who do not have even taxpayer's identification number (TIN). Some also showed private visit fee at Tk 500 though they received Tk 1,000 from each patient," said Apurba Kanti Das. Tax officials under the zone have recently brought 120 physicians under tax net and collected Tk 100 million from them, he said. Surprisingly, Indian homeopathic doctors have been found practicing in the country, he said. Speaking at the meeting, the NBR chairman said the tax authority could consider building partnership with the BMDC and other similar registered authorities of the professionals to get data. He said the audit of tax files has been automated under the system, which was a disputed matter. The audit criteria of income tax files will be selected through the system, he added. NBR member Kalipada Halder, also project director of BiTAX under which online income tax return filing system was being implemented, said that some 4,81,712 tax returns have so far been digitized. A total of 5,022 taxpayers have so far opened accounts with online system to file returns online, he said. He said the number of e-TIN holders has crossed 28,03,572 as of Sunday. "It was unexpected. The existing e-TIN system needs to be upgraded to manage the rush of increased numbers of TIN holders," he said. However, NBR member Abdur Razzak said the digitization of the income tax wing was on progress to ensure better services. He said the e-payment facilities for the income taxpayers will be ensured shortly to offer them full-fledged digitized taxation service. Tk 30.85cr fine exonerated Govt asked to provide utility links to Tannery Estate within 15 days Staff Reporter : The Supreme Court on Sunday exonerated the tannery owners, who failed to relocate their factories to Savar from paying Tk 30.85 crore as fine and asked the authorities concerned to provide gas, power and water connections to Savar Tannery Estate within 15 days. At the same time, the court, also asked the 142 tannery owners to pay one-time Tk 50,000 which will be spent for rehabilitation of the tannery workers and staff. A four-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, passed the order following a leave-to-appeal petition filed by tannery owners, seeking reconsideration of the earlier SC order over the payment of Tk 10,000 per day for polluting environment until the relocation of the factories. The court asked the authorities concerned to ensure so that wastes emitted from the tanneries in Savar do not fall into the Dhaleshwari River, warning of taking legal action in case of failure. Advocate Syed Amirul Isalm, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash and Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury stood for the tannery owners. Earlier, on March 30, The Supreme Court ordered all 154 tannery owners to relocate their factories from Hazaribagh area of Dhaka city to Savar by April 6. The court also fixed April 9 for hearing petition on the fines imposed on the tannery owners for not relocating their factories in time. Meanwhile, the utility services like power, gas and water to all the Hazaribagh tanneries were disconnected on Saturday following a High Court order. Earlier on March 6, the High Court directed the government to immediately shut down the Hazaribagh tanneries and disconnect all of their utility services, including gas line, power and water, as they missed several deadlines to relocate their factories to the Savar Tannery Estate. On March 2, the HC directed 154 Hazaribagh tannery owners to pay Tk 306.50 million fine for not relocating their factories to the Tannery Estate in Savar within the given time. On July 18 last, the Supreme Court ordered each of the 154 tannery owners at Hazaribagh to pay the government Tk 10,000 per day as fine for not relocating their factories to the Tannery Estate in Savar. In 2001, the High Court passed an order for relocating the tannery industries from Hazaribagh of the capital. The government extended several times the relocation deadline following requests from the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), the implementing agency of the tannery estate project. However, tanners said that many of their fellow businesses would be able to start production in Savar if the government agencies provide all utility connections within the time fixed by the court. "We are happy of the court's order to provide connections within fifteen days. If such orders would be issued earlier than relocation would happen before." Teesta water sharing is key to friendship with Bangladesh PRIME Minister Sheikh Hasina's much talked about India visit has produced 22 deals and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) including three on defense cooperation but failed to bring about anything positive on long expected Teesta water sharing agreement. Following the footsteps of his ancestors including especially Dr Manmohan Singh's, the Indian Prime Minister Narendranath Modi, has again assured Bangladesh Prime Minister that the issue will be resolved during the lifetime of her government. On the other hand the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been identified as 'key' to resolving the issue has again refused to approve any such deal. Mamata Banerjee had earlier assured Bangladesh during her visit to Dhaka in February 2015 that people of Bangladesh should "keep faith in her to resolve the long standing Teesta issue." Exchanging views with people she also used powerful words like-- "Please keep faith in me", "Don't' worry about it." But this time she has told Bangladesh Prime Minister that there is no water in Teesta to share. However Bangladesh may consider using the waters of rivers like Torsa, Dharala, Jaldhaka, Dhansiri and Mansiri - all within India. "If necessary, the two sides can conduct a joint survey on the availability of water in the five rivers, she said making the issue further difficult. Hence in spite of the two Prime Ministers' high hopes for the future, all efforts appear hanging in uncertainty. Mamata has been consistently opposing the Teesta water sharing. She made her decisions public for the first time in September 2011, when the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came in a state visit to Bangladesh. Mamata not only opposed the Treaty but even refused to come to Dhaka with Manmohan Singh. She blamed the central government for deceiving West Bengal with misleading water share and claimed since the Teesta was the 'life-line' for West Bengal's agriculture, her government would not support or approve any water sharing agreement. Mamata has been maintaining that stand since then and we are not sure whether Modi's hope for Bangladesh that the Teesta issue would be resolved in the lifetime of Hasina government will come true. With his hope nothing has changed. Not only that on the eve of Sheikh Hasina's Delhi visit Mamata in a media interview has repeated her 'no' to the deal. She said if the Modi government try to sign any deal without her consent she would convene the Bidhan Sabha's (State Parliament's) special session to reject and nullify that. Ultimately Mamata has won and the Teesta water sharing files have again gone back to the shelves! It is true, there are widespread speculations in the country's political circles that this entire stance has been an Indian 'game' and Mamata is just playing her prescribed role. But we do not want to tell that. Rather we think the fact must be considered from the point of Bangladesh's national interest. While as the Chief Minister of an Indian state government, Mamata has succeeded to compel the successive Indian central governments to refrain from signing the Teesta agreement, but Sheikh Hasina, as the Prime Minister of a sovereign country has failed to impress the Indian leaders to fulfill their pledge. Water sharing of Teesta is the test of friendship with Bangladesh. When I first picked up this issue of Worlds Of IF, I have to admit that I didn't have high hopes. This hodge-podge collage of a cover simply didn't instill confidence that what I would find inside would be of much quality. Boy was I wrong. The illustrations in this issue are simply delightful. The cover is actually attributed to a specific story, so I guess an artist set out to create what, in my mind, looks like an introduction to microsoft powerpoint. Then again, this was the 60s, maybe this layout was new and edgy back then. Publication: Worlds of IF Issue: March 1968, volume: 18 No. 3 Issue 124 Cover art: Wenzel from Worlds to Kill A quick check in on the space programs of the world tells an interesting story for March of 1968. The Russian space program successfully launched the first soviet computer in to space. This was the Argon 11c. Sadly, it did not survive re-entry. From the Russian Virtual Computer Museum page: The system architecture: single-address computer with parallel processing. The computer structure and architecture were specially developed to minimize the instruction set. The computer included three functionally independent computing units with separate inputs and outputs. The units were interconnected by channels used for information exchange and synchronization. Information was processed in real time. Information input-output was controlled by software. Number representation fixed point. Word length 14 bits, command length 17 bits. Number of instructions 15. Execution times: addition 30 ms, multiplication 160 ms. RAM capacity 128 14-bit words, ROM capacity 4,096 17-bit words. Number of register single-channel inputs for each channel 25; calculating information inputs with capacity of 64 signals 3; register single-channel outputs 40. Types of check program and test. Excited by this quasi successful launch, the Russians promptly shot some tortoises into space, though I'll save that story for another time. As soon as I saw this image, my mind jumped to Vaughn Bode. Sure enough, you can see his signature right there, as if his style wasn't signature enough. I got curious what was happening in Bode's life around this time (he had a very short but incredibly prolific career), so I looked it up. This was published in March of 1968, the next year, he moved to New York where he would meet Robert Crumb and publish underground comics. Pretty cool to imagine that these illustrations were on the cusp of such historic events in the comic world. After seeing the first goofy illustration, then this one, I began to wonder where the women were at. Bode is famous for his little "cheech wizard" and mostly naked ladies. As usual, Virgil Finlay stands out with his incredible work. I could see many of these as murals on buildings. This little illustration isn't attributed to anyone. The lines are somewhat vaguely reminiscent of some of Bode's work that I've seen, and it features a cute little creature and a naked lady like tons of Bode, but the style doesn't quite match up. Who knows, maybe it was a quick sketch, maybe it was a different artist entirely. Our old friends the Rosicrucians are back. they couldn't have been too pleased with this ad placement. that isn't the spine cutting off the print to the right, the entire ad was simply placed at an angle dangling off the edge of the page. 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. PINCKNEYVILLE Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center hosted its 15th annual Family Fun Day at Pinckneyville Fairgrounds grandstand. The event promotes Child Abuse Awareness Month, as well as positive family relationships. Betti Mucha, executive director of Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center, welcome the crowd to Family Fun Day and introduced students of Pinckneyville Junior High School who performed vocal and instrumental music. Families had the chance to tour an ambulance from Pinckneyville Ambulance Service and firetruck from Pinckneyville Fire Department. Inside the grandstand, many organizations set up carnival-style booths, offered information and crafts. One popular stop was to see Professor Play (Scott Palmer) and KellKel (Kelly Nichols). Children could choose balloon creations from Professor Play and have their faces painted by KellKel. Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center offered a bowling game. Children played ring toss at the booth from Perry County Counseling and Five-Star Industries. The Womens Center had a ping pong ball game. Shawnee Alliance, Social Services Division, had information on Shawnee Healthy Families Program, a home visiting program that supports first-time moms from prenatal through age 5, and other services. Perry County Health Department had information and coloring sheets. Pinckneyville Community Hospital also gave away coloring sheets and held a drawing for two baskets. Denise Gielow and Nancy Keller of the hospital talked about the benefits of coloring, especially for adults. We have a lot of patients in the transitional unit, and they get these, Gielow said pointing to coloring sheets. Keller said coloring sheets help reduce stress and help patients relax. Archway Services for Children made Easter egg maracas with children using plastic Easter eggs, corn and plastic spoons. Child and Family Connections of Carbondale hosted an inflatable jump house for children. Sarah Settles, legal advocate for The Womens Center, said she was pleased with the turnout. Everything is kind of geared toward education and knowing where you can come if you are in that situation, Settles said. Mostly education. She added that you never know when information about child abuse or domestic violence will be needed by a friend of family member. Jennifer Tilley of Du Quoin saw the event advertised on Facebook. She and her husband Robbie brought 5-year-old Kolby and 2-year-old Kennedy to play. It seems like a well put on event and something fun for a family to do on a nice day, Tilley said. WEST FRANKFORT A former West Frankfort resident was the victim of an apparent murder-suicide Tuesday in Creve Coeur, Illinois. At approximately 3:55 p.m. April 4, Creve Coeur Police Department received a request to check the welfare of the residents of an apartment in the Village of Creve Coeur. Friends and family had not been able to contact the occupants for several hours and were concerned for their safety. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Jeremy H. Brown, 42, and Billie A. L. Castellano, 34, deceased. The preliminary investigation indicated that Brown apparently shot Castellano, then shot himself in the early morning hours of April 4 at their apartment at 116 S. Thorncrest Ave., Apt A, in Creve Coeur. The apparent murder-suicide ended a violent domestic situation, with both parties sustaining a single gunshot wound to the head. Her sister, Amanda Gilliam, said this is a nightmare for her family. Castellano grew up in West Frankfort and was a 2001 graduate of Frankfort Community High School where she played volleyball and was on the track team. Gilliam called Castellano amazing. "Everybody loved her, and she would do anything for anybody," Gilliam said. Castellano was house manager for Kemp 208 Main Street Grill in Morton. The restaurants Facebook page announced her death saying Billie was a huge part of the Kemp 208 family and we are heartbroken. "When she did not show up at work, her boss at the restaurant called Creve Coeur Police to do a welfare check," Gilliam said. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Union Funeral Home in West Frankfort, with burial in Tower Heights Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. She is survived by her mother, Paula Dodge; three sisters, Gilliam, Jesseka Reynolds and Nicole Krantz; her mother Nicholas Larkin; and her three fur babies, heelers Bella, Max and Loki. A Go Fund Me account, set up to help with funeral expenses, has raised more than $10,000 in three days. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-for-billie. "It shows how many people she had who really cared for her," Gilliam said. Tazwell County Coroner Jeff Baldi is expected to hold a press conference Thursday in Pekin regarding this case. PINCKNEYVILLE Investigators and child-welfare advocates want the public's help in helping children who might be facing abuse or neglect. They want people to call the state's 24-hour Chlid Abuse hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873). But just what happens after that call is made? The calls are received on the hotline, which is managed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Each day, that service receives from 600 to 900 complaints and runs around the clock, all year, said Nora Harms-Pavelski, deputy for child protection for the Department of Children and Family Services, who was once an administrator of the hotline. Of those complaints, 30 to 32 percent result in actual investigations, she said. The trained call-floor worker who answers the call will decide whether there is enough information to take a complaint to open an investigation, Harms-Pavelski said. She said the DCFS is bound by various criteria, such as the age of the child and whether the alleged perpetrator has some relationship to the child; a child, for instance, being abused by a stranger would require a call to law-enforcement, she said. Within 24 hours of a complaint being received and documented, a DCFS investigator starts an investigation, talking to the child and his or her parents or caretaker, Harms-Pavelski said. Part of that investigation includes talking to the child alone, away from the physical presence of his or her parent or the accused adult, Harms-Pavelski said. A DCFS representative will also interview the person who made the initial complaint, Harms-Pavelski said; that person's identity is not disclosed. "The reporter is very important to us," she said. "Within that first 24-hour period, we really want to talk to that reporter, because they may have more information. We want to confirm if the information that we receive was correct." If the allegation involves serious physical or sexual abuse, DCFS steps in immediately, typically contacting its local Child Advocacy Center for assistance with the interview, she said. In the Murphysboro and Pinckneyville CAC offices, for instance, staff interview the child while law enforcement or DCFS representatives look on through a television in another room; they are also able to discreetly talk with the interviewer by asking that person questions, which can in turn be asked of the child, said Betty Mucha, director of the Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center. After the interview, the law enforcement may receive a copy of the tape, which can be included in the file forwarded to the States Attorney if those investigators are seeking criminal charges, Mucha said. If evidence of abuse is decided, the adult charged will be "indicated," Harms-Pavelski said. Depending on the nature and severity of the indication, a person could be listed with the State Central Registry for five to 50 years, Harms-Pavelski said. Inclusion on that registry could impact employment, particularly if the person on that registry is seeking employment working with children. Law enforcement officials do not have access to this registry, but DCFS representatives might share information with them about an individual listed with the registry in the process of an investigation, Harms-Pavelski said. Harms-Pavelski noted that parents or families can appeal any finding against them. If the interviewing was done on behalf of a law-enforcement agency, that information is forwarded to them and they prosecute, as needed, based on the criminal nature of the offense, Harms-Pavelski said. Groups such as the nonprofit Family Defense Center work to represent people who are charged with an abuse or neglect of a child, according to executive director Rachel Ruttenberg. This past summer, that nonprofit settled a class-action lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, challenging what it said was its safety plans policy that violated the civil rights of people charged with abuse or neglect. That agency's claim alleged that DCFS had parents agreeing to put their children into protective custody until an allegation could be proven or disproved. This past year, the Family Defense Center had 500 requests for service, and took on 300 of those cases. Ruttenberg said DCFS should better spend its resources, referencing the number of complaints initially shared with the Child Abuse Hotline, but are then not substantiated enough to move forward. In the past four years, the hotline has received more than 1 million calls, about one in four resulting in a formal report and investigation, according to DCFS's May 2015 "Manual for Mandated Reporters." According to that report, four percent of those investigations resulted in children being removed from their homes. Overall, one of DCFS's goals is to keep the child with his or her family, where safely, possible. "The vast majority of people who have accusations levied against them are indicate of these low-level neglect allegations and thats the vast majority of cases," Ruttenberg said. "So you really start to wonder what is the role of DCFS and how are they managing all of these families that have so many issues and often just need help and support (They) are slipping through the cracks, in terms of the kids who are actually being abused and neglected and how are they getting helped. Americans were told for decades that our nation is poor in energy resources. We were warned that scarcity would lead to a future of higher energy imports from unfriendly regimes and unstable regions, thereby putting our national and economic security at risk. And we were told those energy jobs were gone forever. And then a curious thing happened. After the United States began to develop more oil and natural gas wells, the price of oil, gasoline and natural gas fell. Where domestic oil and gas production was once in decline, new technologies have enabled producers to safely access significant quantities of these resources and increase production year-over-year. The United States also possesses enough coal deposits to last us for more than a century. New technologies have been developed that make it possible to more efficiently produce energy from this coal with far fewer emissions of pollutants. Southern Illinois is uniquely positioned to benefit from this new energy bounty. In addition to significant coal resources, there are vast deposits of shale oil. Unfortunately, there remains opposition by some to any production and use of fossil fuels, including coal. That is a big mistake. Domestic energy production not only reduces our reliance on overseas sources, it employs thousands of Americans in mines and petroleum fields, as well as many more in manufacturing, transportation, construction and technical services. The industry also generates many tens of billions of dollars a year in revenue to state and local governments. These are revenues achieved without raising taxes on already besieged working families and small businesses. While renewable sources of energy have a role to play in our nations energy portfolio mix, they do not contribute to similar gains in employment or revenues. The past Administration imposed costly over-regulations that threatened to harm Southern Illinois jobs and energy production. The tip of the spear in the War on Coal was the so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP). It would have imposed crippling standards on coal plants aimed at putting our remaining coal miners out of business once and for all. The CPP would have killed thousands of jobs, raised utility prices and cost billions to implement. As energy prices increase, the cost of making products rises. Higher operating costs for businesses are reflected in higher prices for consumers, because everything Americans use and produce requires energy, consumers take hit after hit. That is why recent efforts to rein in these burdensome mandates have been met with support from both sides of the aisle. Another bipartisan action recently taken to unbridle Americas energy resources is the overturning of the Stream Buffer Rule, which threatened jobs at coal mines and would have virtually no environmental impact off-site. The rule, which employers in the coal industry have called the single greatest threat to the jobs and family livelihoods of their employees, would prohibit any change to the land and environment near coal mines. The rule would carry with it an annual estimated cost of $81 million and would have devastated an already struggling industry. Like the CPP, this regulation trampled the traditional cooperative relationship between the federal government and the states in jointly regulating environmental protection standards. Legislation to overturn the Stream Buffer Rule passed Congress with bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate and was signed into law last month. As a grandfather of 11, I naturally want to leave my grandchildren with clean air and clean water, which is why I am committed to finding a balance between reasonable environmental regulation and economic prosperity. At a time when American families are struggling to pay the bills and millions are still looking for good paying jobs, better using the resources we already have is not just a moral imperative, it is plain common sense. The public tide on marijuana is turning, and its time for our politicians go with the flow. Two Illinois legislators introduced twin bills in the state House and Senate last month that would make Illinois the first state in the midwest and the ninth countrywide to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana. People 21 and older would be able to possess, grow and buy up to an ounce of marijuana, and businesses would be licensed to sell marijuana products under regulation. Bill supporters estimate legalizing recreational marijuana would generate $350 million to $700 million in tax revenue, which could help ease the budget crisis that has plagued Illinois for years. The two lawmakers who introduced the bills say they hope the legislation will generate conversation, but dont plan to move it forward during the current session. Days after the bills were introduced in Springfield, SIU Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute released a poll showing the majority of Illinoisans are ready for the state to legalize it. Sixty-six percent of voters polled support or strongly support legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Only 31 percent of voters said they opposed or strongly opposed legalizing it. But all of this does not necessarily mean our state is likely to join the pot party any time soon. In rural Illinois outside Cook and the collar counties, the Simon Institute poll found that support for legalization drops to 54 percent. Down here in Southern Illinois, our state representatives werent eager to jump on the wagon. Sens. Dale Fowler and Paul Schimpf both said they were undecided on the bills, with Fowler saying he would seek input from local law enforcement and states attorneys before making up his mind on the issue. State Rep. Terri Bryant said she does not support the recreational use of marijuana. In a March 30 story in The Southern, Jak Tichenor, the interim director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said he expects the legislature to take a little more time to come around to match the publics opinion on recreational pot. ... once you get out of, say, the Chicago metropolitan area and the suburban area, theres still a lot of very conservative attitudes about marijuana and drug use, Tichenor said. Despite our local lawmakers hesitation to support marijuana legalization, the state has begun to walk the path toward it. Marijuana was decriminalized to a certain extent last year when Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill making possession of 10 grams or less a civil offense, punishable by a fine up to $200. Rauner had previously said criminal prosecution of cannabis possession is also a drain on public resources. We couldnt agree more. And by that, we support legalization of recreational marijuana, as long as lawmakers take the time needed seek input from police, states attorneys and social service agencies, like Fowler said. And, dont be afraid to look toward Colorado and what has happened there since it legalized marijuana in 2012. Decriminalization was a great first step. But we urge Illinois lawmakers and our own downstate representatives in particular to continue to look at all the angles when it comes to the issue. Legalizing recreational marijuana at the state level has its challenges, especially in a somewhat uncertain political climate Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said Im definitely not a fan of expanded use of marijuana, and it remains unclear how much federal enforcement of marijuana laws will tighten under the new presidential administration. And as with any addictive substance that could pose health risks, communities will face public health challenges, as we do already for alcohol and tobacco abuse. But we think the good could outweigh the bad. Public tide is turning on marijuana throughout the country, and federal administrations that bring down the hammer on legal pot states will not be sustainable in a culture that accepts pot use more and more every day. The people of Illinois want it. We need the money. Couldnt Illinois be next? US President Donald Trump has warned Pyongyang that "all options are on the table" after North Korea fired a missile over Japan early Tuesday. Tuesday's launch was particularly provocative as it was North Korea's first ballistic missile to fly over Japan. Kim Jong Un's regime regularly fires missiles into the sea between its own territory and Japan. The launch comes as the US and South Korea conduct joint military drills on the peninsula and a day after drills ended between the US and Japan on the northern island of Hokkaido. It also follows a fiery exchange of threats and insults between Trump and the North Korean regime, commenting through state media. "The world has received North Korea's latest message loud and clear: this regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior," Trump said in a statement, taking a more measured tone than in his previous remarks. "Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table." Minutes after the missile was launched, residents in northern Japan received a text message urging them to seek shelter in a strong structure or a basement. "We were awoken by sirens and messages from the government telling us to take cover," one local resident told CNN. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- who had a 40-minute phone call with Trump on Tuesday -- described the launch as a "reckless act." "This launch of a North Korean missile is an unprecedented serious and grave threat to Japan," Abe said after the call, adding that Trump said "the US stands with Japan 100%." "I would like to make the utmost effort to protect the lives and assets of the Japanese people under a strong alliance between Japan and US." What happened? The missile was fired just before 6 a.m. Japan time (Monday 5 p.m. ET), and the launch set off warnings in the northern part of the country urging people to seek shelter. The unidentified missile flew over Erimomisaki, on the northern island of Hokkaido, and broke into three pieces before falling into the Pacific Ocean, about 1,180 kilometers (733 miles) off the Japanese coast. The missile was in flight for about 15 minutes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at an emergency press conference. "There is no immediate report of the fallen objects and no damage to the ships and aircraft," he said. News had still not been broadcast to people in North Korea by Tuesday evening in Pyongyang. The missile was fired from a location near Pyongyang, in a provocative and rare move by the regime. It may have been intended to deliver a message that pre-emptive US strikes on missile launch facilities could land uncomfortably close to civilians. It was the fourth missile North Korea fired in four days -- Pyongyang tested three short-range ballistic missiles, one of which failed, from Kangwon province that landed in water off the Korean Peninsula. South Korea responded by conducting a bombing drill at 9:30 a.m. local time to test its "capability to destroy the North Korean leadership" in cases of emergency, an official with the country's Defense Ministry told CNN. Why Japan? Tuesday's launch is the first time North Korea has successfully fired a ballistic missile over Japan. Various stages of launch vehicles have overflown Japan during Pyongang's attempts to launch satellites into space in 1998, 2009, 2012 and 2016. While the missile flew over Japanese territory, one analyst said it wasn't necessarily intended as a threat to the country. "If they're going to launch to a distance they've got to go over somebody. It looks to me like a risk reduction measure, they want to reduce the populated areas they fly over just in case anything goes wrong," said Joshua Pollack, a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The launch also comes just over two weeks after North Korea threatened to fire a series of missiles in the waters around the US Pacific territory of Guam. The country has not followed through with that threat, but firing a missile over Japan and into the Pacific is in Guam's direction, even if nowhere near the island. David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told CNN that Tuesday's launch shows a new level of confidence from the North Koreans. "It is a big deal that they overflew Japan, which they have carefully avoided doing for a number of years," he said. He added that the country had in the past tested missiles upwards on high trajectories and launched their satellites to the south to avoid firing missiles over Japan. CNN's Will Ripley reported from Pyongyang. Yoko Wakatsuki reported from Tokyo, K.J. Kwon reported from Seoul. CNN's Brad Lendon, Michael Callahan, Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne, Zachary Cohen, Yazhou Sun, Richard Roth and Angela Dewan contributed. ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Sen. Marco Rubio said he is concerned by a Trump administration official's assertion that there is no change in U.S. policy on Syria despite the American airstrike against a Syrian government air base. Rubio, in an interview on ABC's This Week Sunday, responded to earlier comments on the show by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the U.S. priority in Syria is to defeat ISIS. I think that the strategy [Tillerson] seems to be outlining is based on assumptions that aren't going to work," Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. Rather, the Florida Republican said, the U.S. must work to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power before it can hope to defeat ISIS. "There is no such thing as 'Assad, yes,' but 'ISIS, no,'" Rubio said. "This focus that you can defeat ISIS as long as Assad is there is not true. They are two sides of the same coin, The senator continued, As long as Bashar al-Assad is in power in Syria, you will have a reason for people to be radicalized in Syria and that's what's going to happen." He added that other extremist groups operating in Syria could later step in to replace ISIS. "In all this about ISIS, there's an al-Qaeda group growing in strength, this al-Nusra coalition, that are prepared to step into the vacuum left behind by a defeated ISIS. You cannot have a stable Syria without jihadist elements on the ground as long as Bashar al-Assad is in power. Tillerson earlier on This Week told Stephanopoulos that the U.S. hopes for a political process in Syria that could bring stability and allow the country's citizens to determine if they want to keep Assad as president. "The Syrian people will lawfully be able to decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad," Tillerson said. ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Cheryl Nugent has a heart of gold and a love of people and animals that shines through the children's books, novels and poetry she's written. Nugent and her husband, Allen, have lived in Orangeburg since 2004. They moved here from West Virginia after Allen retired from the United States Foreign Service as a charge d'affaires, or diplomatic agent who heads a U.S. Embassy in the absence of the ambassador. For 26 years, the couple traveled all over the world, including Burma, Paraguay, China, Australia, Thailand and Palau, with the U.S. Foreign Service. I worked at every post we went to. Diplomatic life provides endless experiences. Ive performed charity work overseas as a representative of U.S. embassies. From a humble native village to ancient temples, or parliaments and palaces, bustling open air markets, or the relentless beauty of the Pacific Islands, it was all wonderful, Mrs. Nugent said. Meeting native peoples, experiencing different cultures, dining with heads of state, royalty, artists or movie stars, it all provides rich fodder for any writer, she said. Nugent has three published books, The Light from Maggies View and Old Gorge Road, in her Kentbury Mystery Series, along with a childrens book, Amy Knows Best. She is currently working on her third Kentbury Mystery. The very first novel I wrote was Mesmers Child. It is being edited, but the last thing Ive just written and submitted to an agent in California is Lady Joannas Bed, she said. 'Mesmers Child' explores infertility and the desperate things that are sometimes done to have children, while Lady Joannas Bed, is more of a historical romance about a group of young women who discover a secret room with a very special bed in it, Nugent said. They think its nutty, but eventually sleep in the bed and find its for a lot more than just sleeping. Its a very incredible experience. They start doing research and thats when the romance comes in, Nugent said. Writing is something she has done -- and loved -- since she was child, she said. The High Bridge, New Jersey native was editor of her school newspaper. I didnt start seriously writing probably until I joined the State Department in 1976 and wrote freelance for U.S. State Department magazine articles, funny stories that are easy to come by in the foreign countries. All kinds of things happen, Nugent said. In additon, she worked as a staff writer for a small town newspaper, with a focus on human interest stories. I also worked for the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia. I was an assistant to one of the editors, and when they ran seminars for reporters, Id help get that together. I got to meet people from White House correspondents to people who worked for the Sacramento Bee," she said. It was a very fun and educational experience. While with the U.S. State Department, Nugent's service included working as secretary at the ambassadors office in Rangoon, Burma; serving as assistant to the director of the U.S. Commercial Service in Bangkok, Thailand, and as a consular service worker at the U.S. Consulate in China. Joining a Bangkok writers' group made her a better writer, she said. Its membership included the editor of her book, "The Light from Maggies View, which was a finalist for the Rupert Hughes Award for Fiction at a Hawaii Writers Conference. I guess I have that creative gene, or whatever it is you want to call it," Nugent said. "I think we all have a gift, whether youre a wonderful cook or artist, or youre terrific at math. These are all gifts, and its an expression of self. "Writing can be cathartic. Ive written at times when Im upset about something, she said, noting that she once wrote a poem for her friend after the loss of her beloved horse. With fiction, you can do anything you want. Its pretty fun. I was well into adulthood when I actually started saying I was a writer. I used to say a lot of things, but I didnt say I was a writer," Nugent said. "I love writing for children, too. If you can touch that little person or give them an idea, inspiration or make them feel better, its a very heady thing." She added, "I do it (write) because it makes me feel better." Her childrens book, Amy Knows Best, is actually about nutrition and a little girls parents who dont eat right until grandma and grandpa come along and straighten everybody out," Nugent said. Not only are children featured prominently in many of her books, but animals are, too. Theyre the ones that cant speak for themselves: animals and children. They need voices, said Nugent, a past vice president of the Maude Schiffley Chapter of the SPCA in Orangeburg. She and her husband were also the first board members to serve Healing Species, an Orangeburg-based compassion education program that has received national and international attention. Nugent has finished, although not published, several other childrens books, including: Bibi Knows Best, Bubba Did What?," Tombo and the Bees and The Mystery of the Shy Fuzzy Mouse. Her daughter, Dara, has also written a book titled Bob the Brave Earns His Wings, which is based on a true story about Dara taking in a rescue dog from Orangeburg and flying it to her home in Pennsylvania so it could have a better quality of life. Nugent said she is particularly proud of her first published novel, The Light from Maggies View, which she wrote in 10 weeks while living on the island of Palau. The book, which takes place in the 1950s, is somewhat autobiographical as the two young girls who are the main characters in the book represent Nugent and a very dear friend of hers. Kentbury, the town featured in the Kentbury Mystery Series, also represents the couple's hometown of High Bridge, New Jersey. We grew up in this sweet little colonial town in New Jersey, and I took the core of this little town and changed the name and threw a murder in the first of the Kentbury Mysteries. It was nothing like that when I was a child, but I did that with the story, Nugent said. It was a lot of fun. Several of the characters use colorful language, and I got criticized about that. Old Gorge Road, the second book in the series, also includes a murder. Its the same little town, but actually takes place a few years before the first one. Ive had calls and notes from strangers, which is very nice, and they love the fact that Ive painted the area so well and take them back, Nugent said. It takes place in the 1950s, and they loved the way I described locations and eccentric characters and the town was full of them, believe me. She said she has appreciated the loving support and encouragement of her husband, who she has known since the third grade. The couple celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in February. Nugent encourages aspiring writers to continue to write -- not necessarily for fame or fortune, but because they love it. Her books can be found on Amazon. She donates proceeds from the sale of her books to various animal rescue groups. Of her writing, Nugent said, I like happy endings. I dont like the bad guy to win so youre not gonna see that in my books. Youre not gonna find walking dead people and vampires and things like that. I like to think Im writing from the heart," she said. Living all over the world has given her perspective and "empathy to understand why that guy feels the way he does or this woman is struggling with something," Nugent said. "You put that on paper and tell a good story. Lawmakers are considering giving Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Colleges Area Commission control over Denmark Technical College. Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, says hed prefer the governor appoint new Area Commission members for Denmark Tech. But a Senate bill handing control to OCtech could be used if the governor doesnt. Hutto said OCtech was chosen because of its proximity to Denmark Tech, its good reputation and sound footing. "All we are doing is having a contingency plan," he said. Huttos bill originally would have dissolved the Denmark Tech Area Commission and handed control of the college to the State Board of Technical and Comprehensive Education. But the bill was amended to change the governing body to the OCtech Area Commission. The Senate passed the amended version of the bill 43-0 on Thursday. It now has to be passed by the House. Hutto said the amendment was made in order to get the bill out of the Senate and to the House. "I was not able to get the votes out as it was, so I amended it," Hutto said. Some of his Senate colleagues were concerned about having the State Tech Board assume control over a single college out of the state's 16-technical college system. Hutto said the preferred way of moving Denmark Tech forward is having Gov. Henry McMaster appoint new commissioners. Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale county lawmakers have submitted a list of replacement commissioners to McMaster. Former commission chairman Thomas Williams is the only member of the present commission recommended for reappointment. Hutto said the candidates have to be reviewed with background checks and other matters. Lawmakers are working to stabilize the institution, he said. "There is a financial issue and an enrollment issue," Hutto said. Denmark Tech has done an excellent job of educating people in the setting it was in for decades, he said. Even so, "More students in the service area are choosing to go to Orangeburg rather than staying at Denmark Tech." He said the reasons are multi-faceted, but the reality is there. OCtech reacts OCtech Area Commission Chairman John Shuler said he learned of the Senate plan on Thursday. "We are talking with our commissioners," Shuler said. "At this point, we don't know what action we take, or have to take or could take at this point. We have not had a meeting of the whole group." The OCtech Area Commission has been kept abreast of the Denmark Tech situation over the past few months, Shuler said. The Area Commission has not formally been in discussions with Denmark Tech or with the State Tech Board since the issues surfaced earlier this year. OCtechs Area Commission and President Dr. Walt Tobin are concerned about Denmark Tech, Shuler said. "We don't want to see any of our technical schools have to either close or suffer, because they all serve a needed area of the state," Shuler said. Without Denmark Tech, the area served by the college would suffer and most likely so would industrial recruitment. "No one wants to see them hurt in any way, he said. OCtech will try to help in any way it can, he said. "They are our neighbors." Tobin agreed that, "As a sister institution, our job and our role is to help in any way possible." Tobin said he doesnt have any details about the proposal. "All that I know is that the bill was amended and made it to the House, he said. Denmark Tech Commission Chairman Dewayne Ennis declined comment on the bill, saying hes not familiar with the details. "I have not read up everything on it yet," he said. "At this time, I am going to reserve those comments." The bill The bill would require OCtech to set up a committee to study the most effective, efficient delivery of the technical college educational opportunities to Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell counties. The bill would require the committee to report its findings and recommendations to OCtech not more than 120 days after the bill is signed into law. Also under the bill, OCtech would be able to enter into an agreement with a private entity that would provide all services necessary for operating Denmark Techs on-campus student housing. The agreement would have to be entered into with the approval of the State Department of Administration or State Fiscal Accountability Authority. Upon the termination of the agreement, the private entity would surrender the property to the college's board. Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman, who voted for the amended bill, declined to speculate on what may ultimately happen or what he would like to see happen at Denmark Tech. "This was starting the conversation," Matthews said. "We will wait to see if it is the final decision." Matthews noted there is a long way to go before a final decision is reached. "We are just talking," he said, adding he is confident a compromise will be reached at the end. Rep. Lonnie Hosey, D-Barnwell, says he is concerned about Hutto's bill and its potential impact on Denmark Tech. He and Hutto will plan to meet in the near future to discuss the bill and what happens going forward. "I hope the new board that we have appointed to the governor for his approval is put in place as soon as possible," Hosey said. I don't know the process or the status of that at this point." Efforts to reach the governor's office and the State Tech Board officials Friday afternoon were unsuccessful. Hosey says he supports a newly appointed board because it will have the time to study the school's challenges and will be in a better position to move the college forward. Denmark Tech challenges The bill's amendment is the latest development for Denmark Tech, where the Area Commission removed former President Dr. Leonard McIntyre in January. The commission also requested that the State Tech Board send an official to serve as acting president. Dr. Christopher Hall took over the position as interim president. He is the dean of business and public service at Sumter's Central Carolina Technical College. Hall was escorted off of campus after the college's three-member executive committee decided to remove him due his handling of a personnel matter. The move did not sit well with entire Area Commission, which reinstated Hall as interim president and removed Williams as chairman. The Denmark Tech Area Commission replaced Williams with Ennis. Lawmakers have raised concerns about Denmark Tech's drop in enrollment over the years and its struggles to use outdated equipment and software in various departments. Williams has expressed concerns that the State Tech Board may want to close Denmark Tech. State Tech officials have denied any such intent. "Is the Republican party capable of governing?" That question was posed on NBC by Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump's budget director. So far, the answer is no. And until party leaders stand up to their own right-wing purists -- Sen. John McCain once called them "wacko birds" -- the answer will continue to be no. The crushing defeat of the Republicans' health care overhaul is just the latest symptom of a chronic condition that has crippled the House GOP for years. A determined band of about 35 ideologues, calling themselves the Freedom Caucus, has dominated party policy by opposing virtually any initiative that violates their narrow-minded orthodoxy. Their adamant opposition was not the only reason the health care bill died -- it was a poorly drafted, widely derided document that failed to generate public support -- but the Freedom Caucus was the biggest factor in the measure's demise. Former Republican Sen. Judd Gregg summed up the problem facing his party for The Washington Post: "Most of the people who are in opposition to this have never governed, don't know how to govern, and don't want to govern. Unfortunately, Republicans now control the government and have to learn how to govern." They cannot govern if the crazies call the shots. This is a vast and diverse country, comprising countless economic, regional, political, racial, religious and ethnic interests. The only way to govern America effectively is through a spirit of compromise and consensus. But that is the exact opposite of the Freedom Caucus' theology. To them, compromise is betrayal, and consensus is treason. Rep. Ted Poe of Texas resigned from the group after the health care debacle and blasted his former friends on CNN: "There's some members of the Freedom Caucus, they would vote no against the Ten Commandments if they came up for a vote." Another Republican, Mike Coffman of Colorado, said of the caucus: "They vote as a bloc. And so you've got to penetrate that bloc ... We've got to figure out how to do that." Coffman's correct, but that will be very hard to do. For one thing, the Freedom Caucus has been highly successful, frustrating former Speaker John Boehner so badly on issues like funding the government and reforming immigration that he resigned in disgust. Moreover, the group does not exist in isolation. They enjoy the strong support of outside pressure groups, like Heritage Action and the Club for Growth, which reinforce their rigidity and thrive on constant agitation. As a Wall Street Journal editorial noted, "Legislative compromises don't help Heritage Action raise money for its perpetual outrage machine." That "outrage machine" is fueled as well by incendiary talk radio hosts and websites, who swell their audiences and incomes with incessant assaults on the whole notion of accommodation. Caucus members are largely insulated from political accountability because they represent safe districts and have only one fear: a primary challenge from the right. And party leaders have lost many of the traditional tools they once used to keep members in line. Withholding campaign funds as a pressure tactic no longer works, because members today can raise cash directly from wealthy donors like the Koch brothers or individual supporters around the country. And leaders cannot barter votes for "earmarks" -- appropriations that favor projects in a member's district -- because they were banned years ago. So the president and his congressional allies are left with a profound problem. Despite Poe's defection, fragmenting the Freedom Caucus will be very difficult. So what are the options for the rest of the GOP? If they kowtow to the "wacko birds," whatever bills they produce would be far too extreme to pass the Senate. If they defy the caucus, they won't have enough Republican votes to pass anything. Which leaves a third option: working with the Democrats. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, was talking about health care, but his words apply to a whole series of issues crowding the agenda: raising the debt ceiling, passing a budget, reforming taxes, refurbishing infrastructure. "I don't think one party is going to be able to fix this by themselves," Graham told a town meeting. "So here's what I think should happen next: I think the president should reach out to Democrats." Many Democrats, however -- pressured by their own hardliners on the left, and encouraged by Trump's plunging poll numbers -- have decided that massive resistance to Republican rule is their best route to political revival. Still, Mulvaney's question hangs over Washington. If Republicans don't at least try to work with Democrats, doubts about their ability to govern will continue to grow. Congressman Joe Wilson is pleased with President Donald Trump's recent actions. He said he's "very happy about the confirmation of Judge (Neil) Gorsuch" to the Supreme Court. "Sadly, the Democrats were just trying to appoint people who would just rule from the bench and then that denies the people and the media a role in government," he said. Wilson spoke Saturday at the Orangeburg County Republican Party's convention at the American Legion Post 4 building. Judges are to interpret the law, not make law, not write law, he added. Wilson said the Founding Fathers had the right idea in constructing the three branches of government to prevent that from happening. Wilson called the presidents recent decision to strike Syrian military targets the right call. Im celebrating that too, he said. Lines were drawn and clearly its been violated. Wilson said the attack shows that America will have some resolve compared to the past where weve seen such weakness. Sadly under the prior administration, our Army has been reduced to the smallest size its been since 1939, the Navy to its smallest size since it was created in 1916, the Air Force to the smallest size since it was created in 1947, he said. The consequence is disruption all over the world. Wilson said, The rest of the world knows we have a president whos going to respond to protect American families. Thats what its all about. He believes the strike also dispels this whole conspiracy theory that the Russians elected Mr. Trump." If they bought and paid for Mr. Trump, they didnt get a good deal, Wilson said. He supports another attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act if the party decides to push for one. I was supporting the efforts of the president, he said. Im a strong supporter of Speaker (Paul) Ryan. He is a proven, dedicated conservative. Wilson is optimistic for the direction of the country. For the young people here, I feel so good about your future," he said. Orangeburg County Republican Party Chairman Jim Ulmer said he was glad to hear the congressmans positive message. We need to fix health care in this country, we need to defend the shores and need to get the economy going again, Ulmer said. At least our congressmans trying to work on it. 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. When I was walking home from the Kagoshima sluice gate, I saw a sign for what I thought was a small shrine. When I went to look for it, a... By Trend Turkey and Azerbaijan are working to create a second railway corridor that would supplement the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, the Turkish media quoted Turkeys Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Ahmet Arslan as saying. Arslan said that certain preparatory work has already been carried out in order to create the Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan railway. Construction of the Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan railway will provide opportunities to unite Kars with Igdir, Nakhchivan and further with Iran and Pakistans Islamabad, he noted. After the construction of the two railway corridors, the eastern part of Turkey will gain a status of railway hub, added the Turkish minister. Touching upon the BTK railways construction, Arslan said that railway transportation via this route will start in late June. Earlier, the minister noted that the opening ceremony of the BTK railway will be held in late June with the participation of Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The BTK railway is being built on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. Peak capacity of the railway will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, it will serve one million passengers and transport 6.5 million tons of cargo. By Trend Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Next month marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and Azerbaijan, said the Israeli prime minister in his letter. Israel is proud to have been one of the first nations to recognize the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. In the quarter century since, our countries have built a solid relationship based on genuine friendship between the Jewish and Azerbaijani peoples. Azerbaijan is a model of inter-faith and multicultural harmony in an area fraught with religious and ethnic rivalries, he noted. Like you, Israel is a beacon of stability and tolerance in an unstable region. Despite the challenges we face, we have both succeeded in creating thriving economies and vibrant, prosperous and peace-seeking societies. I will never forget the incredibly warm and gracious hospitality you afforded me, my wife and our entire delegation in Baku last December, he said. I believe that the visit greatly contributed to the further expansion of our bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas. The four economic agreements we signed will only help us advance our shared goal of an even stronger partnership. I look forward to continuing to work closely with you in the years ahead and I hope to have the opportunity to welcome you to Israel soon so we can reciprocate your generous hospitality, added Benjamin Netanyahu. By Trend President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Please accept my congratulations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Finland and the Republic of Azerbaijan on 24 March 2017, the president of Finland said in his letter. Over two decades of bilateral cooperation have brought us many common achievements. I am convinced that we will see even more cooperation in the future. Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration, and my wishes for peace and prosperity of your country, Sauli Niinisto added. By Trend Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday, called for expansion of economic relations between the two countries, IRNA reported. During the meeting, the Iranian Parliament speaker said that now the time is ripe for Iran and Hungary to give a boost to bilateral cooperation. Larijani said that the two countries need to promote economic relations, particularly industrial issues. Noting that environmental issues, renewable energies, constructional projects, such as ports and railways, and agricultural sector top the agenda of the Iranian government, the Iranian Parliament speaker said that Iran and Hungary can have positive cooperation on these areas. The Hungarian prime minister, for his part, said that Hungary kept his positive relations with Iran during sanctions time. He expressed hope that interactions between Iran and Hungary will improve in the post-sanctions era. Hungary has always supported Irans interests in the European Union, Semjen said. He underlined the need for the expansion of banking cooperation between the two countries which he said will be to the benefit of merchants of both countries. By Trend Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump discussed the situation in Syria during their recent meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministrys spokesman Lu Kang said on Saturday, Sputnik reported. Xi met with Trump on April 6-7 in Florida, with the talks on Friday lasting for over seven hours, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "During the meeting the two leaders discussed this issue [of Syria]. President of China Xi Jinping clarified the firm Chinese position that the country opposes the use of chemical weapon. He stressed that the main priority for now is avoiding the escalation in the country and protection of the crisis settlement process," Lu said. ?The situation in Syria has significantly aggravated this week. On Tuesday, Syrian opposition forces stated that some 80 people were killed and 200 injured in a chemical weapon attack in the Syrian Idlib province, blaming the Syrian army for the incident. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the attack claimed the lives of 84 people. The Syrian foreign minister has denied the governments involvement in the Idlib incident, saying it had never nor would it ever use chemical weapons on either civilians or terrorists operating in the country. However, on Thursday night, Washington launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Shairat, located in nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Syrian city of Homs. The attack was a response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria's Idlib, which Washington blames on Damascus. By Trend Russian Foreign Minister told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson in a phone conversation that the US attack on Syrian army's airfield plays into the hands of terrorists, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Sputnik reported. The Russian and US top diplomats discussed the US missile attack in Syria. Only terrorists will benefit from the US strikes on the Syrian airbase, Lavrov told Tillerson. "Sergei Lavrov emphasized that an attack on a country whose government is fighting against terrorism is only playing into extremists' hands and creating additional threats for regional and global security," the statement by the Russian ministry read. Lavrov stressed that reports of use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in Idlib are false. Lavrov added that it is necessary to conduct a throrough, impartial investigation into the Idlib chemical attack. "It was noted that it is necessary to conduct a thorough and professional investigation into facts concerning all this situation [the Idlib chemical attack]." Lavrov and Tillerson agreed to continue the discussion of the Syrian settlement during a personal meeting next week during US Secretary's of State visit to Moscow. On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Shairat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai is to host the fourth edition of the Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) in November in Dubai, UAE. The event will be held in collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Emaar Properties and the Project Management Institute (PMI) on November 20 and 21. Making a Difference has been endorsed as a theme of this years event; which will be marked by honouring the winners of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management. Registration in the forum will start on April 10 through the website www.dipmf.ae. Mattar Al Tayer, director general, RTA, said: Organising the fourth edition of the DIPMF culminates the huge successes of the past three editions. Successes are reflected in the scale and level of delegates, international speakers hosted, and vital topics discussed. The forum signals the keenness of Dubai to play a pivotal role in steering the innovation and development drive in the region, and identifying the accelerators of this drive on sound scientific bases at the highest standards and practices. This objective warrants attracting top experts and internationally renowned specialists; which would turn the event into an effective platform for the transfer of knowledge. "It also conforms to Dubai efforts to act as a link in the transfer of expertise, concepts and visions amongst international gurus of various industries; which echoes the identity Dubai as an Arabian city with a global profile." Over the past three years, the DIPMF has cemented its standing as a global platform for rolling out best practices and coming up with creative Project Management (PM) solutions, thanks to the participation of visionary, innovative and intellectual global experts who contributed to the successful delivery of mega projects. Attendees of the last three editions exceeded 4,000 individuals from more than 50 countries. Topics discussed covered management of engineering and construction projects as well as the role of project management in technical, sports, energy, sustainability, future foresight and innovation fields among others, said Al Tayer. Making a Difference has been endorsed as a theme for the fourth edition of the forum. New and important PM topics have been developed such as: The future of PM, Expo 2020 projects, Emergency & Crisis Management, Masterclasses about several core project management competencies including: benefits management, establishing of PM Offices (PMOs), management of project portfolios and programmes, and business analysis. The vorum will host six parallel sessions, four panel discussions, five masterclasses and four keynote speeches. The forum will feature a key session about PM for Youth based on the MoU signed with the Emirates Youth Council. Induction sessions will be held to spotlight the principles of PM, enablers of projects success, and the importance of applying PM practices in various fields. The Emirates Youth Council will organise and manage another youth seminar. Coordination is ongoing with international organisations to host a keynote speech about the management of humanitarian projects in concurrence with the UAEs drive endorsing 2017 as The Year of Giving, added Al Tayer. Laila Faridoon, executive director of the office of the director-general of the RTA and chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the DIPMF, said: The fourth edition of the forum will be marked by recognising the winners of the first cycle of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management with a total purse of about Dh2 million ($550,000). The award provides a platform to discover, encourage, and promote innovation in Project Management, and the adoption of best practice and excellence in the field. The award targets the international community of project management professionals and specialists involved in the management of projects, programs, or portfolios where they can participate as individuals, teams, or organisations. The Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management acts as a motivator for pioneer leaders and teams and proponents of creative ideas from various organisations. It is also viewed as a reference platform for the best creativity practices in PM in a way that contributes to nurturing a creative system in projects. The award is built on sound systems and methodology as well as innovative individuals. The selection of winners is based on two parameters: methodology of innovation adopted in the project, and the impact of this innovation on the deliverables of the project, added Faridoon. TradeArabia News Service Azizi Developments, a leading UAE-based real estate developer, has awarded two construction contracts worth Dh1.7 billion ($462.85 million) to build 35 buildings in the Meydan One development. The contract is for two out of four phases that will be constructed this year, the company said in a statement. KCC Engineering Construction & Maintenance and Actco General Contracting Co were appointed to build the multi-phase project. A signing ceremony was held at the Meydan headquarters last week. And was attended by Mirwais Azizi, chairman of Azizi Developments, and Saeed Humaid Matar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and CEO of Meydan City Corporation. The developer announced the purchase of 186 plots within Meydan One development last February, which are now amalgamated into 76 buildings. Al Tayer said: Our ongoing collaboration with Azizi Developments continues to exceed expectations. Awarding contractors with proven track records like KCC and Actco means that this project is moving forward quickly while still maintaining the highest quality standards. This united effort to make Meydan the number one leisure destination is now showing results and bolstering its position in the region as an exciting location for residential developments and retail projects. Azizi, who signed the contracts, said: Delivering a new community asset that will simultaneously attract people from all over the city and appeal to families is a challenge that we have risen to. We are pleased to appoint these two renowned contractors with the 35-building project to exemplify our line of high-quality, efficiently-designed buildings. The first phase of 18 low- to mid-rise residential buildings will comprise 2,273 units and retail projects in Meydan One. They will be followed by an additional 17 buildings of 2,162 units in phase two. A key design principle will seamlessly interconnect the buildings in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and practically efficient. All of the establishments have been expertly designed to complement the surrounding buildings and landscape, said the statement. The residences encompass studio apartments, one-bedroom apartments, and two-bedroom apartments. The project will attract potential investors with its flexible payment plans for end-users as well as the services offered to fully manage the process of renting out units, added the statement. Azizi Developments upcoming project is located between Meydan and Al Khail Road and is set to become an eminent attraction in Dubai when the first phase opens in 2020. The multi-phase projects will be within close proximity to amenities such as schools, hospitals, hotels and restaurants, the company said. TradeArabia News Service 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 17th edition of Careers UAE, a major annual jobs exhibition for Emiratis, opens today (April 9) in Dubai, UAE featuring scores of public and private sector organisations preparing to meet, select and interview the best Emirati talent. The event will run until April at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). With UAE school and university enrolment set to grow by 4.1 per cent year-on-year according to the GCC Education Industry Report, the talent pool and associated demand for new careers is on the rise. Given that nearly half attendees found employment from attending the event, Careers UAE has positioned itself as the premiere employment fair in the region. Emirati career hopefuls are expected to walk the halls at the three-day fair, organised by DWTC, to meet top exhibitors from companies and agencies both local and international, including the UAE Armed Forces, Emirates Airline, Al Futtaim Group, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Emirates Global Aluminium, Dubai Police and the Dubai Government Human Resources Department. Serco Group, the international service company, will be taking part in Careers UAE this year to find individuals who will embrace the core values of pride, trust, care and innovation, and who are passionate about their careers and country. David J. Greer OBE, CEO of Serco Middle East said: The Middle East is a richly diverse and cultural blend of nationalities and backgrounds from all over the world. Serco Middle East looks to embrace all aspects of this diversity with a clear focus on building a greater presence of UAE Nationals in our leadership roles, while valuing the differences of the 70 nationalities currently employed in the region. He went on to say that, Nationalisation continues to be a strategic imperative for Serco Middle East and we continue to invest in employing, training and developing National employees. We are looking forward to attracting and recruiting educated and ambitious young Emiratis that match our employment ethos, objectives and values. Careers UAE has been designed to wholeheartedly support the vision of the UAEs leadership and provide a broad spectrum of career development opportunities to the brightest talent across the Emirates, said Asma Al Sharif, director of Exhibitions, Exhibitions& Events Management DWTC. This year, the event will host a number of features on the show floor to help UAE Nationals in their search for the perfect role. These opportunities have been created specifically with the needs of millennials in mind, who approach job searching differently to generations before them. We have brought together companies from across the board, with a diverse range of roles in industries such as automotive, aviation, banking, construction, creative arts, education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, IT, retail, and telecommunications among others. Helping job seekers on the show floor, InternsME, the UAEs largest internship job site, and Careers UAE have teamed up to bring young, bright Emirati talent face-to-face with hiring managers from some of the worlds top employers, including Palladium Group, DNV GL and Sephora at the InternsME Talent Hunt 2017. In this speed interview format, perspective employees are exposed to a wealth of potential employers in brief, intense meetings that could end with a contract signing. Mission Possible, a popular feature in 2016, will also return to encourage job seekers to take part in an interactive treasure hunt which will test candidate skills and knowledge from writing CVs to interview etiquette, whilst searching for clues and offering a fantastic range of prizes. Interactive workshops and one to one CV evaluations sessions will be hosted by Bayt.com, the online recruitment portal, while a Youth Circles Forum will outline who to empower the youth to express their opinions on employment in the UAE through a series of discussions. The Womens Empowerment Conference, run in partnership with Hopscotch.ae, will run on Monday 10 April, bringing 150 women to discuss the issues facing working women in the UAE today. Also taking part in Careers UAE will be Gold Sponsors National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Strategic Government Partner Dubai Government Human Resources, Bank Sponsor Commercial Bank of Dubai, Partner UAE University as well as organisations such as Federal Electricity & Water Authority (FEWA), Mashreq Bank PSC and UAE Armed Forces. Careers UAE 2017 is open exclusively to UAE Nationals and HR practitioners. Female job seekers can enjoy ladies only access to the fair from 10:00 to 13:00 on April 10, a statement said. TradeArabia News Service Indian and Chinese navy personnel rescued a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden after the vessel was hijacked by pirates, a report said. OS 35, a bulk carrier, was attacked by pirates last night and the Indian Navy deployed two warships after getting a distress call from the hijacked ship, said The Times of India report. The Chinese Navy also came to the help of the ship while the Indian Navy provided air cover. The PLA deployed 18 of its personnel to sanitise the ship, a senior navy official said in New Delhi. The Dubai Future Foundation is set to collaborate with Haykal Media to launch the Arabic edition of Popular Science magazine, a world-renowned monthly scientific publication founded in 1872. Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, vice chairman of the Board of Trustees and managing director of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: Building the future requires a concerted effort from everyone, particularly from an empowered and knowledgeable young generation. Launching the Arabic edition of Popular Science magazine is a welcomed step in the right direction. The magazine simplifies complex scientific concepts in an effort to disseminate them among young Arabs and inspire them to direct their energy towards innovation and creativity. Popular Science is one of the worlds leading scientific and technological publications and a valuable source of information on the latest breakthroughs. Launching the Arabic edition of the magazine adds to the UAEs mission to spread knowledge. The initiative empowers individuals and engages them in the efforts to build the future, developing their skills and expertise to be effective and future-ready leaders, he added. The United Arab Emirates is inspired and motivated to spread knowledge and innovation to build a better future for the region. Saying that, today the initiative will empower the Arab youth and scientists with cutting edge scientific findings. Abdulsalam Haykal, founder and chairman of Haykal Media, publisher of Popular Science Arabia, stated: By localizing the unique content of one of the oldest scientific journals in the world, we seek to provide the opportunity to Arab readers to access specialized, useful, and trustworthy content in their language. There is a hunger for knowledge in the Arab world, but there are few good quality sources available. Therefore, we see that there is a significant opportunity in investing in this sector over the medium and long-terms. There will also be wide-spanning and valuable impact on development and growth, through encouraging invention and scientific research, and in empowering youths to enter these fields. Haykal added that Popular Science Arabia magazine and website will contain original content from Arab researchers and scientists from the regions best universities and research centers, in addition to translating the original magazines content. We are proud to launch this project in the United Arab Emirates, the land of the new Arab renaissance, Haykal said. We have formed an exceptional partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation, and have found within them a clear vision in line with our own to enrich Arabic scientific content. Popular Science has always been a publication of the world, and that becomes even more true now that there is an Arabic edition, Eric Zinczenco, CEO of Bonnier Corporation, publisher of Popular Science stated. Were thrilled that more people will be able to read about the innovations and discoveries we highlight every day. Popular Science has been translated into 30 languages and distributed in 45 countries around the world, winning more than 58 international awards. In 2014, the number of copies sold in the US reached 1.3 million. Furthermore, the magazine attracts a large social media audience of 3.4 million followers on Facebook, one million on Twitter, and 19,800 on Instagram. Meanwhile, the magazines videos on YouTube were seen by 12 million viewers. Since its original launch, the magazine has published articles from renowned scientists all around the world, including Charles Darwin, William James, Thomas Edison, and Michio Kaku. The magazines content features important topics in sectors of strategic importance and discusses the future of such fields as transportation, health, astronomy, renewable energy, water, education, technology, and the environment. The first issue of the magazine will be distributed on April 16, alongside the launch of the website popsci.ae. - TradeArabia News Service Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East has demonstrated its continued leadership in the digital marketing sphere by picking up three awards at the recent annual Mena Digital Awards, which was held in Dubai, UAE. The brand was recognised for Best Facebook App (Gold Award), Best Use of Digital (Gold Award) and Best Use of Social Media (Bronze Award), said a statement from the company. The regions foremost digital advocates gathered to attend the fourth edition of the awards event to honour the regions finest digital talent and highlight the years best efforts and innovations, it said. The award ceremony followed the successful conclusion of the sixth Digital Media Forum (DMF) held earlier that day, it added. A Gold Award for Best Facebook App was presented to the premium car manufacturer as it broke new ground as the first automotive brand globally to launch a Facebook Messenger Chatbot allowing it to provide a unique real-time customer service experience with quick and easy access to information through question and answer over Messenger. This ground-breaking feature provided additional insights into customer needs, enabling the delivery of highly targeted and relevant curated information to its wide base of followers. A second Gold Award for Best use of Digital and Bronze for Best use of Social media medium budget were also presented. The digital work was recognised for being the first automotive brand in the Middle East to engage customers through enhanced lead ads such as thumb stopping creatives, immersive images and targeted ads based on audience interest creating an individualised customer experience. With the added support of the Messenger Bot, instant communication with customers spurred interest and assisted in generating a 700 per cent increase in the number of test drives booked in 2016. Lennart Mueller-Teut, head of marketing and communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East, said: We are honoured to be recognised for our digital efforts. Mercedes-Benz is dedicated to creating a one-of-a-kind digital experience for our audiences. The awards bear testimony to our determination to transcend the boundaries of conventionality by implementing innovative digital initiatives, he said. The awards are an inspiring platform that spur creativity and encourage competition in the digital world. Our company is pleased to be part of this effort to recognise the regions foremost talent and reward excellence, he concluded. TradeArabia News Service Sanad Academy, UAEs first training academy for remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), along with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCA) recently hosted the first ever awareness campaign about drones for the general public. The event was attended by more than 100 hobbyists, professional and commercial operators from Dubai. Michael Rudolph, head of Airspace Safety, Aviation Safety & Environment Sector, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Yahya Al Zarooni, security officer from Ministry of Defence, explained the rules and regulations, as well as responded to many questions about RPAS/Drone operations within the Emirate of Dubai. Rudolph said: The DCAA has registered over 800 RPAS or drone operators in Dubai and the number is increasing daily. According to the new regulatory framework, every drone operator needs to be registered with the DCAA. As the local Authority, the DCAA wants to ensure that every operator, whether hobbyist, professional and or commercial, operates safely within the rules and regulations of the DCAA, while in the Emirate of Dubai. To address the questions which operators had, ranging from rules, registration requirements, safe areas for drone photography, RPAS/Drone safety and maintenance, we are creating awareness about safe drone operations at every level. Todays initiative, organized by Sanad Academy, and supported by the DCAA, is the first where we are directly interacting with public. Further, education as well as school participation and training programs in this technology will be announced soon. As part of the DCAAs Regulatory framework and in support of Law (7) of 2015, concerning airspace safety and security, as well as the most recent Resolution (4) to this Law, it is mandatory for all operators (commercial and non-commercial) to register their RPAS with DCAA. This is to enable them to operate safely and legally within the Emirate of Dubai. If you purchase a drone, you are required to register with DCAA. We have the regulation, security check and training requirement for the operators, all of which ensures that you fly safely and we keep Dubais skies safe, Rudolph added. Rudolph explained that drone operators can also get third-party insurance for their Drone operations. He also asked operators to ensure that they do not breach privacy laws when they take images and do not fly their RPAS in any way that could endanger people and or property. It is illegal to fly your RPAS over congested areas such as streets, and within 50 metres of a person, vehicle, building structure or overhead groups of people at any height as well as stay well clear of the no-fly zones and all sensitive areas around airports, airfields and all other security and Government Installations he said. Mansour Al Blooshi, chairman of Sanad Air Academy, which has been endorsed by the DCAA to provide for RPAS/Drone training, and or registration, said: We have registered as competent, more than 400 operators and about 80 government entities within the last year. The certification involves both flight training, as well as system checks on the RPAS/Drone for safe operations. The operators are given basic, professional and commercial certification on successfully completing theory, flight test, airworthiness on their RPAS/Drone, as well as a verbal interview on their skillset. A training log is created to monitor the progress of the operator through various levels of instruction. This awareness campaign is the beginning of further awareness sessions for RPAS operators within Dubai. TradeArabia News Service France-based Air Liquide and Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic), Omans national refining company, recently signed a long term agreement for the supply of nitrogen to the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC). LPIC is a new plastics production complex including the countrys first steam cracker Orpic is adding to its existing production facilities, in Sohar industrial port area in Oman. Investing around 20 million ($21.2 million) to build a state-of-the-art nitrogen production unit with a total capacity of 500 tonnes of nitrogen per day, Air Liquide will strengthen its leadership position in a key industrial area to support the growth of its customer Orpic, said a statement from the company. Expected to start operations in the first quarter of 2019, the new nitrogen plant, along with the expansion of Air Liquides existing pipeline network, will supply nitrogen for the customers plastics production complex expanding to a capacity of polyethylene and polypropylene of 1.4 million tonnes per year, it said. Those plastics components are needed for many applications in derived products from petroleums such as packaging industries as well as other industrial applications, it added. The nitrogen production unit will be designed and built by Air Liquides engineering and construction teams using cutting edge technologies and bringing its world class expertise. It will be owned and operated by Air Liquide Sohar Industrial Gases Company. Francois Jackow, member of the Air Liquide Groups executive committee, supervising Africa, Middle East and India, said: We are pleased to strengthen our relationship with a strategic petrochemical player such as Orpic. Our company demonstrates its ability to continue capitalising on its existing assets, such as its pipeline network located in the most dynamic industrial basin of Sohar. With this new nitrogen supply contract, we will support the development of the petrochemical industry in Oman, he said. Christiaan van der Wouden, chief operating officer of Orpic, said: Our organisation is pleased to expand its collaboration with Air Liquide and to secure the highest competitive, reliable and safe supply of nitrogen to the LPIC project, which is critical to the development of a downstream plastics industry in Oman. TradeArabia News Service Most of us, if asked, would opt for a harmonious office environment. Few of us regularly display anger or suspicion in the workplace, choosing instead to hide any negative feelings lest they damage our reputation or relationships. But, according to new research by a London Business School behavioural expert, too many firms have not counted the true cost of keeping the peace at work. Michael Parke, assistant professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School, made the remarks in a London Business School podcast. Parke argues that firms are missing out on some surprising benefits by suppressing negative emotions at work. The usual preference is to display the positive side of our emotions, said Parke. But there are consequences. When someone cant express their true emotion, it prevents them from being their authentic self and can lead to frustration which demotivates them. If politeness and a fake sense of happiness prevail, it can actually create greater social distance between colleagues. Negative emotions have certain benefits, said Parke. Anxiety, stress, frustration, anger can help signal and prioritise problems. A healthy sense of danger, worry or suspicion in small doses can keep people vigilant, particularly useful for organisations that regularly encounter risk, such as the police and security firms. Frustration can be helpful in an organisation that seeks to motivate change, and can translate into more candid feedback between colleagues. Honest expression of negative emotion can encourage creativity and innovation, improve work productivity and even boost growth through conflict, said Parke. Frustration signals to others that there is a problem, which can attract more resources, for instance, which can spur on innovation. But it doesnt come easily. Parke said that the key is in managing negative emotions effectively, at both the individual level and organisational level. In order to do this, however, leaders need to work hard to foster a climate of openness and empower teams to be more honest. Leaders should try to create an authentic, experiential climate, whether it skews to the positive or negative side, Parke noted. This requires a long-term commitment. They need to set the parameters for how and when people open up at work. Importantly, leaders should be ready to deal with these emotions when colleagues start opening up. Candid feedback sessions are a great opportunity to practice sharing authentic feelings, explained Parke. If leaders are willing to commit to the challenge of creating an effective and authentic emotional environment, the pay-off can be considerable. Harnessing both positive and negative emotions can significantly boost creativity and productivity, Parke noted. TradeArabia News Service Almost a third of small business who commit to technology show demonstrable growth, according to new research. The whitepaper launched today (April 9) and titled Tech-Savvy Businesses do it better was commissioned by market and technology leader in cloud accounting, Sage, and conducted by IDC. With over one million new customers following Sage to the cloud in 2016, it is clear that small businesses are beginning to see the advantages of technology. Nevertheless, the research shows that over half (56 per cent) of all small businesses interviewed have yet to adopt digital technologies - preferring to maintain their business with traditional methods, despite the rewards shown in the findings, which include: Automation Drives Innovation: Small business owners that are digitally mature dedicate more time to innovation. 32 per cent of small business that have a significant focus on digitally innovating their business reported growth of more than 10 per cent last year Despite innovation featuring in the top three challenges overall, only 8 per cent of small businesses indicated that they spend quality time on innovation: o Despite innovation featuring in the top three challenges overall, only 8 per cent of small businesses indicated that they spend quality time on innovation; in contrast looking at tech-savvy businesses, this jumps to around 29 per cent. Overall, 79 per cent of small business owners very much enjoy working for their own business; with this percentage rising to 94 per cent among those that use IT very well. Digital Focus Enables Opportunity: With tools to automate and free up time easily available, many small business owners are seeing the opportunity. 57 per cent of the respondents see new digital business models as an opportunity for their business with 1/4 of the total calling it a "significant opportunity". Also, over 57 per cent are focused on digitally innovating their business Getting on Track with Technological Adoption: Some small businesses feel they have fallen a little behind their peers in terms of their use of technology. 13 per cent of business owners feel they are a bit behind their peers in their use of technology with an additional 2 per cent feeling that they are far behind 30 per cent say they need to improve on their IT skills to make full use of the IT tools they have Jennifer Warawa, EVP of Product Marketing, Sage commented: With the stakes high for business owners, Sage are solving for our customers needs with the following outlook. We want to make the cloud a reality for businesses of all sizes, without the need for them to migrate from their much loved Sage business management solution. We want to give our customers mobility choices and enable them to work from wherever, whenever in a way that that suits the way they run their business. Above all, these solutions need to be cost effective and part of the journey that our customers experience as they grow their businesses we dont want growth to be prohibited by difficult choices. Driving a world of Invisible Admin With the research showing high rewards of adopting technology, Sage is on a mission to drive a world where admin is invisible for businesses of all sizes with world class cloud products that free business builders up to focus on what is important to them. This second round of new cloud products releases in 2017 sees us move our customers closer to a professional environment for entrepreneurs where admin is invisible by 2020, freeing up business builders to follow their dreams, said Nick Goode, EVP of Product Management at Sage. We have our foot on the gas and will continue to deliver the solutions to market that our 3 million customers worldwide are demanding. These product launches include: Sage X3 - A business management solution tailored to the needs of demanding, growing businesses. The latest iteration of this cost-effective ERP solution which changes how midsize businesses compete and grow by delivering faster, simpler, and flexible business management is now available across the Middle East. Sage X3 People A powerful, flexible, agile, and yet simple human resource management software with multi-country and multi-language support transforms how businesses recruit, manage and cultivate their workforce by delivering increased people visibility, productivity and engagement, at a fraction of the cost of typical enterprise HR solutions. Sage X3 and Sage X3 People are the preferred Sage products across the region amongst businesses of various sizes and sectors. We are delighted at the increasing acceptance and adoption of cloud computing solutions across the Middle East, and look forward to offering more of our products in the future, said Keith Fenner, vice presidentSage Enterprise Middle East and Africa. TradeArabia News Service The sixth Emerging Airports Forum, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in November, will focus on the Saudi airports development projects along with other GCC and international airports development projects, estimated to value $60 billion. The forum, which will cover markets in Middle East, Indian Sub-continent, Asia Pacific, Africa and Russia-CIS, will feature an exhibition to showcase the capacities and capabilities of the companies and the conference will host over 150 delegates. Over 20 senior decision makers representing civil aviation ministries and authorities, airport development and management companies, airport operators and consultants will do the presentations on their respective airports development projects master plan, investment opportunities and their procurement needs at the forum. The Emerging Airports Forum will be an ideal business networking event to all the airport fraternity members those are involved in design & consult, construction, terminal & hangar construction, airport operations & management, ATC / ATM, ground handling, safety & security, equipment manufacturers and suppliers and service providers to win their market business share, primarily from the highly lucrative Saudi Arabian market and from the emerging markets. The forum will take place from November 29-30 at the Hilton Hotel in Jeddah. - TradeArabia News Service News / National by Stephen Jakes The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provided humanitarian assistance for over 2 million Zimbabweans during the El Nino-induced drought that led to widespread crop failure and left 4.1 million rural Zimbabweans food insecure.In a statement the US Embassy said as the annual harvest approaches, USAID and its partners are reviewing the progress and achievements of a successful drought response and continuing ongoing activities that aim to improve long-term food security for Zimbabwe."The United States stood with the people of Zimbabwe during the drought," said USAID/ Zimbabwe Mission Director Stephanie Funk."USAID's assistance reduced suffering for over 2 million Zimbabweans and ensured that families had the necessary tools to cope with the negative effects of the drought."Since 2015, USAID has responded to the drought with agility and speed to meet the immediate food needs of the most vulnerable people while also building their resilience against future droughts.USAID supported a substantial expansion of the World Food Programme (WFP)'s Lean Season Assistance, which provided a full basket of monthly food rations for the most food insecure people in the hardest hit districts of Zimbabwe. This food assistance also reached hundreds of Zimbabweans displaced by flooding last month.Together with partners including UNICEF and WFP, USAID is providing emergency nutrition for malnourished children and people living with HIV, nutrition and health services, access to safe drinking water, and seeds and livestock support to promote agricultural recovery.This emergency assistance aims to maintain or improve the nutritional status of vulnerable groups, save lives, and facilitate a quicker recovery for struggling communities.During the drought, USAID also dramatically scaled up its two ongoing food security activities, Enhancing Nutrition, Stepping Up Resilience and Enterprise (ENSURE) and Amalima, which aim to address the underlying causes of chronic food insecurity and malnutrition in rural areas. Launched in 2013, ENSURE and Amalima are implemented by consortia led by World Vision and Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, respectively.These activities provide food for pregnant and lactating women and children under the age of 2; help communities repair and create productive assets, compensating workers for their labor; and provide health and nutrition training, improved water and sanitation systems, and training to increase agricultural productivity and incomes.As the drought intensified, ENSURE and Amalima adapted their work to provide additional food rations and assisted communities to create 80 productive assets, including dams, irrigation schemes, and dip tanks, to improve food security over the long-term.These efforts have already demonstrated broad impact. The global acute malnutrition rate among children under 5 actually fell from 4.4 percent in May 2016 to 3.1 percent in January 2017 at the height of the "hunger season." USAID's long-term food security activities are also producing results: the stunting rate chronic malnutrition that impacts children's growth and development has decreased from 32 percent in 2010 to 27 percent in 2015. So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could 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. Date change for fleece blankets The Fleece Blanket Project will meet from 1 to 3 p.m., on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave., in Fellowship Hall. Parking is in back of the church. So far, 347 blankets have been made which have been given to people who are homeless, or are in need of comfort and warmth. Anyone who wants to help is welcome. We are also in need of fleece. We use two yards of printed fleece and two yards of solid fleece for each blanket. If you have any questions, you can contact First Christian Church at 234-8964. Aside from Aprils date change due to Holy Week, the group will continue to meet the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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, gray 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. 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 267-1903 or visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CasperWYGCDC/. 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. DURANGO, Colo. Curled up in a den on an acorn-rich hillside, a hibernating bear and her three fuzzy cubs face increasingly perilous conditions. People in homes 200 yards below constantly tempt them with food this 180-pound sow knows well how to navigate garbage-scented urban smorgasbords in late summer if acorns and berries vanish. But state policy requires extermination of bears repeatedly caught eating garbage. Record numbers are dying. And the dozing bears also feel warmer temperatures near their rocky den that shorten hibernation. Now, near the top of the hill, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife research team with a tranquilizer dart on a 6-foot jab pole is creeping toward them. This den visit is one of the last in a six-year study of black bears in Colorado that challenges core assumptions state wildlife managers have relied on for decades. Rising conflicts with people motivated the CPW study, which will be published this year. Seldom have scientists tracked and monitored so many bears so closely, even analyzing fur to verify what bears ate. The findings are expected to change human efforts to control bears. CPW researchers concluded that increasing bear-human conflicts do not mean the bear population is growing but that bears are adapting to take advantage of urban expansion. This will compel a rethinking of Colorados current approach of boosting bear hunting based on the number of conflicts reported in an area. If bears arent multiplying, heavy hunting could hurt the species. The researchers also found that bears who eat garbage do not become addicted. This clashes with the current belief that has justified a two-strikes policy of euthanizing food-conditioned bears. CPWs team determined that bears use human food when necessary to boost their weight so they can reproduce but switch back to natural berries and acorns when possible. CPW tracking established that rising temperatures around dens and urban development in bear habitat significantly shorten hibernation which means more time for bears to clash with people. And Colorados bear population could decline if current trends and practices continue. In southwestern Colorado around Durango, where researchers studied 617 bears starting in 2011, the female bear population decreased by 60 percent. We could see a ratcheting down of the bear population, said CPW biologist Heather Johnson, leader of the research, who used radio collars and monitored movements of 40 bears at a time. Human development is really expanding, she said. Theres shrinking safe space for these wild bears to be. Colorado officials quickly could end their policy of euthanizing bears in response to the findings, Colorado State University conservation biologist Barry Noon said. However, he said, the key driver of bear populations is going to be the carrying capacity of the environment. And that is going to be related to soil moisture and plant productivity which is directly related to the climate. You cannot change policy overnight on accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising temperatures and changes in precipitation. We will want to be addressing these ultimate factors that are driving wildlife populations. Crew members know B268 as a bear who stays more or less wild, a 5-year-old who gorges on chokecherries, serviceberries and acorns despite living within sight of loaded, green, 50-gallon trash cans sitting near homes at the edge of Durango (pop. 20,000). She is surrounded. Shes got this one ridgeline. Theres houses all around, and shes behaving for the most part the way we want a bear to behave, Johnson says. She has hopscotched around this landscape trying to be a natural bear as best as she can. They also know B268 has not been moving since November. Crouching in snow and ice on the hillside 50 yards from her den, CPW crew members speak in low voices, saying they expect to see perhaps two cubs. Heading into hibernation, B268 weighed 220 pounds, relatively robust. Crew members whisper that they expect B268 will be, like most bears in the study, an easy, groggy target for their tranquilizer dart. She might growl a bit, then slump into a deep torpor at the back of her cave with any cubs, the researchers say. They easily could take measurements, inject ID chips at the backs of any cubs necks and slip off B268s collar to get data it held showing her precise locations every hour this past year. But, as the crew scrambles, rustling through dry oaks and peeking into the den, B268 catches wind. She stirs, as if from a bad dream. Johnson and fellow CPW biologist David Lewis see she had given birth to three cubs, now crawling against her furry belly, hungry for more of her milk. Johnson and Lewis are further surprised to see B268s den has two openings. So much for the easy entrapment. Lewis realizes he has only seconds. He dives forward with the pole. He pushes the tranquilizer into B268s left shoulder. She awakens. Lewis and Johnson stand steady at the front of the den. B268 bolts out the back. She climbs on top of the rocks over the den where, bristling in the sunlight against the blue sky, she jerks her head right and left, looking around. Then B268 bounds away, nearly toppling CPW technician Emily Gelzer. Bear! she shouts. B268 runs uphill, claws churning snow and ice, toward cliffs. She runs about 100 yards, leaving her cubs behind in the den, writhing in still-warm dirt. The researchers watch, worrying theyll lose B268. Meanwhile, the cubs, about 7 weeks old, begin shivering. Johnson improvises, lifting the cubs out of the den and having crew members and observers hold them inside their down coats as she and Lewis look for B268. The cubs squirm and growl, tumbling over one another, squinting in the sunlight, batting the air with tiny claws. For decades, Colorado wildlife managers have been trying to control bears, aiming for peaceful coexistence with people. But theyve lacked and still lack key information: the overall number of bears statewide. Now as Colorados 5.54 million human population expands toward a projected 10 million, rising bear-human conflicts present practical and ethical conundrums. The number of bear-human conflicts, more than 1,200 in 2015, is growing more than twice as fast as the human population by about 4 percent a year. Theres evidence suggesting that bears, like other large carnivores once common in the West, could be aced out in the future. Two decades ago, before Colorados population boom, state wildlife managers counted about 600 bear deaths a year, according to data reviewed by The Denver Post. The number of bear deaths surged to more than 2,000 in 2014. Vehicles kill increasing numbers of bears. Scared cubs sometimes mistake power poles for trees and are electrocuted as they scramble from danger. For our agency, it is a huge issue. It is only going to get worse a lot worse, Johnson said. If bears are denning less, theyre active longer. Theyre interacting with people more. Its going to change the numbers of interactions people have with bears. We should expect our rate of interactions with bears to really increase. CPW officials say they lack info because counting bears, often elusive in remote areas, can be costly. No statewide population survey has been done. CPW leaders have estimated 17,000 bears, based on collection of hair-snag samples and extrapolations. Theyve said the estimate isnt reliable, that bear-counting methods have changed and that, with no consistent counting, state wildlife managers dont really know whether the bear population is increasing or decreasing. Yet Colorado officials have allowed increased hunting, issuing 17,000 bear-hunting licenses in 2014, up from 10,000 in 1997. The CPW researchers determined that, at least in southwestern Colorado, bear-human conflicts cannot be taken as proof of a growing bear population. Johnson said computer plots show conflicts happen because bears wander into cities looking for food when natural foods arent available during dry years, which with climate change is expected to happen more often. Bears are changing their behavior, shifting to forage inside cities when necessary, then shifting back to natural food when that is available, Johnson said. Monitoring data show 80 percent of bears entered Durango during dry summers and feasted without becoming addicted. About 15 percent continued to forage regularly but not exclusively in Durango. Bears can smell food from more than a mile away. Johnson said they have long memories and quickly adapt to obtain food without getting caught. They recognize risks of foraging in cities, but also benefits, she said. During the study, CPW officials worked with Durango officials to put bear-proof trash cans at homes in some neighborhoods. They found that this reduced bear-human conflicts. In areas without bear-proof cans, conflicts increased sharply. This research will go a long way towards taking the guessing game out of how to better manage black bears and reduce conflict, said U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher Stewart Breck, who has focused on carnivore ecology and behavior. The question is whether or not people will listen. Beyond foraging, CPW researchers focused on hibernation. They determined that bears hibernate seven days less for every 1.8-degree temperature increase at their dens. In addition, for every 10 percent increase in overlap of foraging terrain with urban development, hibernation decreased by three days. As the average temperatures in this state increase, Johnson said, we should expect our bears will sleep less. That means bears probably will be more active, leading to more potential encounters with people. The end result? Bears lost out, because even though human food helped them reproduce, fewer were able to survive. From 2011 to 2016, CPW researchers documented a drop in the female bear population to 84 from 200, mostly due to a dry year in 2012 that drove more bears into Durango. The population didnt bounce back. As the tranquilizer takes effect, B268 collapses and tumbles down through snow. Johnson and Lewis scoot her onto a tarp. They put an orange cap over her eyes for protection. They take her pulse and haul her back to a ledge by the den. They insert oxygen tubes in her nose, feeding her air as a precaution as they work over her body. They snip off fur for testing and remove the radio collar. Three months hibernating and the birth of her cubs dropped her weight to 180 pounds. Over the past year, B268 survived mostly by crisscrossing the hillside above the city, but she also popped into neighborhoods and the citys water supply reservoir now and then. Tracking data show she avoided businesses, schools and government offices. The cubs (B599, B600, B601), from this birthplace, likely will hang with their mother until 2018. Sows push cubs away as 2-year-olds when boars swing back for more breeding. The cubs two males and a female will wander up to 50 miles seeking sufficient berries and acorns, unless they become habitual city bears. A young bear must fight off older bears in establishing foraging areas. Their mortality risk will be a lot lower in the wild than in town, Johnson said. The cubs have a 50 percent chance of surviving one year. The CPW team hoists B268 back into her den, laying her on her right side the way she was when they interrupted her hibernation. Johnson strokes her fur and lifts her leg. And she tucks B599, B600 and B601 against B268s belly. Feeling the rising and falling of her breathing, the cubs settle, closing their eyes. B268 licks them and her eyes open slightly as the tranquilizer begins to wear off. And now in the den, protected above the city, theyll be about as safe as bears can be into spring, Johnson says. Its definitely a lot safer than them being out there in the world. LOVELAND, Colo. Cash is a different sort of hunting dog. He's on the hunt for poachers and endangered species, using his specially trained nose to help Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Brock McArdle. One of two nationally certified wildlife law enforcement dogs on the beat with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Cash is part of a pilot program to show how dogs can help sniff out poachers, evidence and the territory of certain species of concern. "He's got a good nose," said McArdle, who is assigned to the Red Feather District in northern Larimer County. Dogs as wildlife officers are not as widespread as canine cops on a traditional law enforcement beat, but they are working in the natural resources capacity in more than 24 states, including Kansas, Indiana, Idaho and California. The Colorado pilot program started with one dog, Sci, in the Colorado Springs area within the last year, and Cash joined McArdle in Larimer County earlier this year. "It's gaining steam," said McArdle. "The whole purpose of this pilot program is to show the benefits of these dogs." So far, the pilot program is completely funded by donations and grants. Bear Point Kennels donated Cash, and his $8,000 in equipment and training were covered by a series of grants from Great Outdoors Colorado, the Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Big Horn Society, Colorado Bowhunters Association, Northern Colorado Pheasants Forever and Operation Game Thief. Also, an internet donation site is set up to help pay for food and medical expenses for both Cash and Sci, anticipated to be about $1,500 per year per dog. Cash is trained to sniff out the scents of 11 commonly hunted species including moose, deer, waterfowl and pronghorn. This skill will help McArdle and other officers find evidence and traces of illegally killed animals during poaching investigations. Cash could help lead officers to evidence, or during checkpoints held in hunting season, he could provide officers with probable cause to search a vehicle. This particular dog, too, is trained to smell the black-footed ferret and the boreal toad, which are species of concern in Colorado. He can help biologists in the field as they survey locations to see how these species are faring in their habitat or in areas they have been introduced. Cash's nose can pinpoint where biologists should look, replacing teams of people simply following a grid in hopes of spotting a species. So this black Labrador, who is about a year old, is part criminalist, part scientist and part ambassador. McArdle will take him into the community for presentations with children and other groups to spread education and awareness about wildlife and the importance of stewardship. Though he's been on the job for only a short time, Cash has already made an appearance at a youth hunting event. Cash, too, may serve as a deterrent to poachers and other criminals, McArdle added. Cash is nationally certified, so he can work in any state, and though the team is based in Northern Colorado, McArdle anticipates helping out when needed statewide and maybe even north into Wyoming. He hopes that as Cash and Sci (who is dually trained as a wildlife dog as well as a traditional law enforcement dog who can help with arrests) show their skills, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will grow the program. But for now, the two will remain on the beat, helping with the protection and management of wildlife. And the hope is that Cash, like his namesake, may leave a legacy. "He's the dog in black," said McArdle. "You know, like Johnny Cash, the man in black." On a cloudy day in mid-March, Amy Helfrick and her family held their beloved dogs as the animals suffocated to death in the Wyoming prairie. The family had wandered onto a small piece of private land surrounded by public land while hiking outside Casper. Their two dogs, a 15-year-old Drahthaar named Abby and 7-year-old Weimaraner named Molly, bit what are called M-44s, cyanide traps made to smell like meat and intended to kill coyotes and foxes. I couldnt believe it. I didnt know what to do. My daughter was screaming and yelling and crying. It was horrible, Helfrick said, choking through tears as she recounted the day. They were gone. Within two to three minutes, they were dead. In the next few weeks, Helfrick transitioned from grief to anger to advocacy. And M-44s, a little-known poisonous device used in predator control, were launched into the national spotlight. Anti-trapping groups called for the poison to be banned, saying the devices kill indiscriminately. Ranchers say they are one of few remaining ways to control coyotes that prey on lambs and calves. Several environmental groups recently filed a lawsuit arguing the poisons are killing endangered species, and one Oregon lawmaker drafted legislation to ban the devices. Helfrick and her family dont want to ban predator control, but they do want to prevent a device that they say can create a minefield out of public lands. Another tool in the toolbox Wildlife Services, the federal agency in Wyoming that uses M-44s, describes the traps as an effective and environmentally sound wildlife damage management tool. Trappers began using them in 1975 to kill coyotes and foxes preying on livestock. The device kills by injecting a sodium cyanide powder into an animals mouth that releases hydrogen cyanide gas when mixed with saliva. Because the poison is metabolized instantly, M-44s are seen as a less hazardous way to kill predators than poisons like the now-banned 1080, which stays in carcasses and once eviscerated populations of predators such as eagles and wolverines. The devices can stand about 5 to 7 inches off the ground and contain a capsule of sodium cyanide that is released by a spring-activated ejector when an animal bites or pulls it. Theyre specifically formulated to target canids, according to the USDA. The number of devices used in Wyoming isnt entirely clear. Wildlife Services, a branch of the USDA that helps control predators such as coyotes and foxes, can place them on some federal, state and private land but does not use them on land managed by the Forest Service in Wyoming. The state Department of Agriculture gives permission to use the devices to either licensed, commercial trappers or private land or livestock owners leasing state land, said Kent Drake, predator management coordinator for the department. He estimates licensed commercial and private users have about 300 M-44s on the landscape at any given time, though that would be the largest number, and typically just in the winter, he said. Wildlife Services, which uses its own trappers, had 253 on public and private land in Wyoming as of Friday, said Mike Foster, state director of Wildlife Services. The number fluctuates daily and is reduced to almost none in the summer. Trappers use them primarily in the winter because snares and foothold traps dont work as well because of frozen ground or drifting snow. The cyanide ejectors also work well in the winter when coyotes and foxes are hungrier and looking for food, he said. Theyre not particularly effective in the summer, Foster said. We try not to use them during the bird hunting season. Thats not to say we dont use any, but as a general rule we try and remove all our equipment then. In the last three years, Wildlife Services in Wyoming has killed 530 coyotes with M-44s, an average of 177 a year. In the last two years, it has removed about 300 red foxes. Someone interested in using them has to take a three-hour training on correct application and needs to follow 26 restrictions by the Environmental Protection Agency, including when and where they can be used and how often they must be inspected. They cannot be used, for example, in national or state parks, or on areas set aside for recreational uses. For ranchers like Peter Camino, who runs sheep in Johnson County, the devices are critical. In 2004, a national agriculture survey found coyotes killed 135,600 sheep and lambs across the country, according to the USDA. Its one of the more efficient controls of canines for coyotes that we have, Camino said. That would be taking another tool away from us to control predators. Number one is hunting them from the air, and the second is M-44. Lawsuits The number of non-target species killed by cyanide traps are limited, Drake said, but he did not have detailed data immediately available. Ive been here eight years, and you can count on your hand how many were lost. I know of one bear, one wolf, and that was taken in an area where there were not known to be wolves at the time, he said. I think theres been a bobcat. As far as dogs taken, very few, these are the only ones I know of besides maybe a ranchers dog they didnt report. The devices are not used as often in the western half of Wyoming, where lands are predominantly public and more endangered species live. And they arent used at all in places where wolves or grizzly bears are known to inhabit, he said. Wildlife Services has killed five red foxes that were not being targeted in the last two years in Wyoming with M-44s, Foster said. He did not know of any endangered species that were killed in the last few years and said three dogs have been killed by them since 2009. The devices that killed the two dogs near Casper were placed by trappers working for the Natrona County Predator Management District, he said. Several environmental groups recently filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior regarding incidental killing of endangered species. This isnt new. These instances have been happening as long as M-44s have been. Theyve been happening for decades, said Collette Adkins, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that filed the suit. Hopefully this will increase the public outrage that these lethal devices are spread across our public lands and landscapes. An Oregon congressman has also drafted legislation to ban M-44 across the country. This is not the first time groups have advocated for the removal of M-44s. The EPA reviewed the poison and decided after a 2007-2009 review that it was not necessary for security reasons to cease the use of M-44s as a wildlife damage management tool. Much of the recent opposition began in early March, when a 14-year-old boy from Idaho was poisoned by the device. He stopped to check one of the traps on federally owned land near his house when the trap exploded. His dog died, and he was evaluated at a hospital and released, according to the Associated Press. While no human has been killed by a trap, people are much more wary after the teen was exposed. The mayor of Pocatello, Idaho, recently called on the Department of Agriculture to remove the M-44 manufacturing plant and storage facility from the city. The continued manufacturing and storage of cyanide bombs in Pocatello places the citizens of Pocatello at unnecessary risk. Although there may be a need for cyanide bombs, the inherent risks to our community greatly outweigh those needs, Pocatello Mayor Brian Bird wrote in a letter. Staying safe M-44s have made Helfrick fearful of taking her dogs, or her daughters, out on public land. While signs are required to be posted at the entrance of land where the devices are used, and near the device itself, Helfrick said no signs existed on the gate they entered to walk onto the public land. They learned later one sign was posted on another gate about 2 miles away. There were also no signs marking the boundary between public and the small parcel of private land, she said. A small red-and-white stake stood about 5 feet from the cyanide trap, but it was short and too close to have prevented her dog from biting the poisonous trap before it was too late, she said. Drake, with the Department of Agriculture, recommends people dont leave their dog off leash on land managed by the state, particularly if the dog tends to roam out of sight. He also recommended people watch for signs and realize the traps might be more common in areas during calving and lambing seasons. If M-44s arent banned, Helfrick would like the public to have a map of their locations to avoid those areas. Ranchers should be able to protect their livestock, she said, but without these types of unexpected dangers on increasingly populated western landscapes. Ninety-five percent of the people I talk to have never heard of them, have never seen them, dont know theyre being used and dont want to be paying for it, she said. Were paying for it through our tax dollars. Marilyn Connor has been executive director at Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions for 14 years and retires this week. The board of directors is hosting a public reception for her from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Casper Country Club so people can wish her well. She moved to Casper 14 years ago from Nebraska to be closer to her kids and to take the job at Hospice. What have you liked the most about your job? I truly love everything about my job. What I love the most is being able to do something meaningful. This truly is a job that you dont do because its a job. Its the only job I can think of, really, where you go home having received far more than you give. Most of the time its not tough emotionally because of the positives you see; being able to help people go through the transition comfortably and peacefully really compensate for the sadness you feel. Every now and then, you work with a family that just tugs at your heart. The worst times, watching our staff struggle, are even tougher for me, and just trying to make it better for the staff. They do an amazing job. There are days when I just dont know how to help them, because they have a lot on their plate. We have a staff of 39. For those unfamiliar, what is Hospice? We help people meet their goals as they enter their end of life journey. Unlike any other health care discipline, we help them not only die with dignity but help them live every moment exactly the way they want to live them. We take the days they have and just pack them full of life. And you have two ways of doing that? We have 18 beds here, so there are 18 people in our Hospice Home, but were really especially proud of seeing more and more people who dont want to use the Hospice Home but want hospice services in their own homes. Weve really strengthened our outpatient service so we can help those individuals whose goal it is to stay home until the very end. We have over 100 volunteers. I would say three-quarters provide direct patient care and the rest answer telephones, run the boutique, sit vigil with those who have no family members and everything in between. Everyone is vital. They are amazing, incredible I cant sing their kudos enough. What challenges face Hospice moving forward? One of the challenges is we have no idea how regulatory changes are going to impact us, and thats always frightening. Hospice is not a money-maker to begin with, so when you have no profit margin, if they cut reimbursement, thats painful. What are your retirement plans? Im moving to Florida with my husband, Hal. The warm weather is very enticing and actually very appealing to us. Its hard to leave Casper. Weve never lived anywhere where there is the spirit of giving, both financially and of peoples time and talents. Weve never lived anywhere where they give the way the people give here. Its very hard to walk away from that. Hospice staffer Rachel McPherson, who arranged the above interview, said that Connor will be working remotely until the perfect director candidate is found. The board and Connor have agreed that she will provide oversight until a new director has been recruited. Over the years, the small grocery stores and shops that served north Casper shuttered. Strip mall churches and thrift shops took their place. This spring, the only two neighborhood stores that offered basic groceries are closing, leaving many residents and nonprofit officials worried that the historic working-class neighborhood will become a food desert. The Loaf N Jug on North McKinley Street has already closed. The north Center Street location will close April 20, a manager said. Locals who could walk a few blocks to grab a jug of milk, a loaf of bread or some lunch meat are not sure what to do instead, and theyre tired of having fewer and fewer options. Community-wise, we dont have much down here. We really dont, said Tom Davenport, a two-decade resident who lives at the end of K Street. Everything has bounced out of here. *** North Casper is on the other side of the tracks, literally, from downtown. Its the oldest neighborhood in the city and home to some of its poorest families. In some ways, the 15-block enclave is closed off from the rest of town. The North Platte River marks the northern border and Interstate 25 the southern edge. Access is limited to three through streets that cross the railroad tracks and tunnel beneath the highway into downtown Casper. The neighborhood has been on the decline for years as city subdivisions, businesses and schools sprawled east, south and west. Chain stores like Target and Walmart are a 10-minute drive. Thats gas and mileage that some people cant afford. Others dont have access to a car, Davenport said. The convenience store closures may seem minor, but they are the latest in a number of changes that have marked the neighborhood recently. Roosevelt High School, visible from Davenports front lawn, moved to a large new facility in the southwest corner of town this year, taking with it more than 100 teenagers whom Davenport used to see plod down to the Loaf N Jug on their lunch hours and free periods. Another school, Lincoln Elementary, moved six blocks east, closer to Beverly Street, a busy thoroughfare that connects the old neighborhood to the rest of Casper. There are gas stations on Center Street, just a block south of the closing Loaf N Jug. But they dont have groceries, Davenport said. They have sodas and snacks, not the basics. Food desert is an official designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. North Casper and the neighboring Old Yellowstone District are the only areas in the city with the label. With a number of low-income residents, food access is a real issue in the neighborhood. Loaf N Jug accepted SNAP benefits, from the federal food assistance program, said Jamie Purcell, director of Food for Thought, a nonprofit based in north Casper that works to decrease food poverty. The organization holds farmers markets year-round. The closings make a difficult situation harder, she said. Its really unfortunate, and its really frustrating, she said. Clearly Loaf N Jug is a business and making business decisions, but oftentimes when that happens there are people that get left in the dust because they werent bringing enough to the table. Corporate headquarters for Loaf N Jug could not be reached by press time. *** Davenport, the K Street resident, said he understands that economics guide the closures, but it doesnt make it easier. People shop at those stores, and they need those stores. He appealed to the Casper City Council, but they cant do anything about private business, he said. Councilman Jesse Morgan said maybe the absence of those stores will open the market for a competitor to serve the neighborhood. Though many see the area as struggling, the new elementary school, the new Boys and Girls Club and the large city park, all on the east side of the neighborhood, show the potential for growth, he said. Purcell hopes thats the case as well. North Casper is the citys best-kept secret, she said. And sooner rather than later it will experience revitalization due to its proximity to downtown and its history, she said. For now, people like Davenport cant do more than watch the changes and count their losses. He was the first customer when the Loaf N Jug near his house opened. His name was written on a dollar bill taped to the register. The workers knew him by name, and he knew them. Davenport has made it a personal mission to spread the word that the store closures matter and that north Casper needs a replacement. The area is home to thousands of people, with many elderly residents who have lived there for years, he said. Its as if the city is moving ahead, with one portion left behind. Its all moved bigger and better, more corporations, not private people, Davenport said. Its going to hurt north Casper really bad. JACKSON Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's season is ending this weekend. But the resort has already turned its attention to the next season of fluffy stuff. The resort has asked Teton County for permission to install an 18-inch water line to pump up the snowmaking for next season. The resort says the addition would take its snowmaking system from 4,000 gallons of water per minute to 6,500 gallons of water per minute. The pipeline would be connected to the resort's primary pump house, on the lower part of the mountain. The utility permit goes before the Teton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. If approved, work is scheduled to start this spring and the new system will be ready to roll by November. CHEYENNE A man charged with killing his former girlfriend and shooting her boyfriend in Cheyenne two years ago has been sentenced to at least 90 years in prison. Daniel Guajardo was sentenced Friday after he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder before he was set to go to trial in December. Guajardo shot and killed Janessa Spencer and wounded her boyfriend after breaking into the woman's Cheyenne home in 2015. Guajardo's attorney had argued for a shorter sentence, saying his client suffers from mental illness. But prosecutors pointed to the severity of the crime and said Guajardo killed Spencer because she ended their relationship. The judge gave Guajardo 45 years to life for Spencer's killing, followed by another 45 years to life for trying to kill her boyfriend. WASHINGTON President Trumps national security adviser on Sunday left open the possibility of additional U.S. military action against Syria following last weeks missile strike, but indicated that the United States was not seeking to act unilaterally to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. In his first televised interview, H.R. McMaster pointed to dual U.S. goals of defeating the Islamic State and removing Assad. But he suggested that Trump was seeking a global political response for regime change from U.S. allies as well as Russia, which he said needed to reevaluate its support of Syria. Its very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime, McMaster said. Now, we are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves ... why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population? After last Tuesdays chemical attack in Syria, Trump said his attitude toward Assad has changed very much, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said steps are underway to organize a coalition to remove him from power. But as lawmakers called on Trump to consult with Congress on any future military strikes and a longer-term strategy on Syria, Trump administration officials sent mixed signals on the scope of U.S. involvement. While Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, described regime change in Syria as a U.S. priority and inevitable, Tillerson suggested that last weeks American airstrikes in retaliation for the chemical attack hadnt really changed U.S. priorities toward ousting Assad. Pressed to clarify, McMaster said the goals of fighting IS and ousting Syrias president were somewhat simultaneous and that the objective of the missile strike was to send a strong political message to Assad. He did not rule out additional strikes if Assad continued to engage in atrocities against rebel forces with either chemical or conventional weapons. We are prepared to do more, he said. The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interest of the American people. Reluctant to put significant troops on the ground in Syria, the U.S. for years has struggled to prevent Assad from strengthening his hold on power. U.S.-backed rebels groups have long pleaded for more U.S. intervention and complained that Washington has only fought the Islamic State. So Trumps decision to launch the strikes which President Barack Obama declined to do after a 2013 chemical attack has raised optimism among rebels that Trump will more directly confront Assad. Several lawmakers said Sunday that decision shouldnt entirely be up to Trump. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the no. 2 Republican in the Senate, praised Trumps initial missile strike for sending a message to Assad, Russia, Iran and North Korea that theres a new administration in charge. But he said Trump now needed to work with Congress to set a future course. Congress needs to work with the president to try and deal with this long-term strategy, lack of strategy, really, in Syria, he said. We havent had one for six years during the Obama administration, and 400,000 civilians have died and millions of people have been displaced internally and externally in Europe and elsewhere. Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed. What we saw was a reaction to the use of chemical weapons, something I think many of us supported, he said. But what we did not see is a coherent policy on how were going to deal with the civil war and also deal with ISIS. Q: Malaysia Airlines recently changed my flight times on a trip from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Phuket, Thailand. The airline contacted me and asked me to accept a new flight, but I couldnt. I asked for a refund. Malaysia Airlines said the refund would take three weeks, but its been more than three months. Can you help me get my $280 back? Alice Bu, Masai, Johor, Malaysia A: The airline should have refunded your fare promptly. According to section 11.3 of its general conditions of carriage thats the legal agreement between you and the carrier youre owed exactly $280. But the fine print deserves to be reviewed. Malaysia Airlines says if it cancels a flight or fails to operate a flight reasonably according to schedule and if no portion of your ticket is used, youll receive a full refund. Virtually every airline has an identical policy, although some carriers will squabble about the definition of reasonable. The important question that comes next is: When? All refunds will be subject to the laws, rules, regulations and government orders of the country in which the Ticket was originally purchased and of the country in which we make the refund, says the contract. But it doesnt say youll get your money in three weeks, three months or three years. And thats a problem. See, Malaysia Airlines can take your money in an instant, thanks to the miracle of credit cards. But when it comes to returning it, the airline can take its time, as many airlines do. It is under no obligation to refund you quickly. True, sometimes it takes a few extra weeks for the money to show up on your credit card. But even so, you should have had your money a long time ago. A brief, polite email to Malaysia Airlines might have shaken something loose. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the airlines executive contacts on my consumer-advocacy site: Cowie Lewis, with West Coast Innovations, demonstrates the silicon sprayers in The Ultimate Showerhead at the SAHBA Spring Home and Patio Show, which kicked off Friday and will run through Sunday at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Associations show are $8. Military discounts are available, and children 12 and under are free. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 8, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 9. For more information, visit sahbahomeshow.com Susan Docherty has been in the saddle as CEO of Tucsons famed Canyon Ranch wellness resort since April 2015. But with the recently announced retirement of Canyon Ranch founders Mel and Enid Zuckerman, she now finds herself the face of the company and responsible for carrying their vision forward. This isnt just a job, its not a career, its making a commitment to honor the legacy of what Mel and Enid created back in December of 1979, Docherty said. The Canyon Ranch post is a change for Docherty, 54, who spent 30 years with General Motors in U.S. and international marketing and sales before leaving in 2013 as vice president of Cadillac and Chevrolet in Europe. She now divides her time between Tucson, Fort Worth, Texas where Canyon Ranch and its major investors are headquartered and Phoenix, where she lives with her husband and daughter. The Star caught up with Docherty on the sun-drenched grounds of Canyon Ranch on Tucsons northeast side, where she discussed how she got here and her plans for the company. Q: After a 30-year career at General Motors, how did you end up heading Canyon Ranch? A: I was recruited by a headhunter. After 30 years in automotive and living all over the world, you learn so much about different cultures, human behavior. I really grew up at General Motors and I wanted to take all the things I had learned about business, about how people look at things and approach things, and all that learning and apply it to a new industry. After I left GM I spent 18 months interviewing in a whole bunch of different industries and categories. What attracted me most to Canyon Ranch was the vision and mission of Mel and Enid Zuckerman, and their goal to transform peoples lives in a setting like this or at our other property in Lenox, Massachusetts, where people have an opportunity to go on this journey and explore what their intentions are for a better life. Q: When did you meet the Zuckermans, and how did the hiring process go? A: This is going to sound strange, but I interviewed for five months. And I think the person who was going to take over the role of CEO of this incredible company, it needed to be the right fit, both to be respectful of what has been built here, but somebody who was going to be committed to help prepare Canyon Ranch for its next 20 years. ... I took that very seriously, so I spent a lot of time driving from Phoenix and Tucson, to meet with Mel and Enid and Jerry Cohen, as well as the investors who are based in Fort Worth. John Goff of Crescent (Real Estate Holdings) has actually been an investor in Canyon Ranch for 20 years. Theres a lot of cycles, up and downs of the economy. Our investors are in this for the long haul, and they want us to take the magic of whats been created here and take that to other locations. Q: Last month, it was announced that a new operator would take over the Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort in Kaplankaya, Turkey, less than a year after you launched there. What happened? A: I need to be honest with you, my heart cries for the Turkish people. I spent a lot of time in my first two years in this role traveling to Turkey, and it just breaks your heart to see whats going on in the country right now. The location is beautiful, on the edge of the Aegean Sea overlooking the Greek isles, but with everything happening there, the tourism and travel industry in Turkey has received a significant blow. Q: What about your Canyon Ranch spas aboard cruise ships and your Las Vegas day spa? A: As of 2016, were on 20 luxury cruise ships, the Cunard, Regent, Oceana, as well as Celebrity, and we provide spa, fitness and wellness offerings on these cruise ships. Its a pretty significant business. And we also have the worlds largest day spa in Las Vegas, between The Venetian and The Palazzo. There, weve got 100 treatment rooms, a huge, fabulous gym and on a Saturday, well do greater than 900 massages. When you think about our Las Vegas business and our at-sea spa business, well do 700,000 customer interactions on a one-year basis. ... For many people, their first experience with Canyon Ranch is at sea on a ship. Then they say Id like a more immersive experience and come here for a vacation, which is great. Were exploring right now further expansion for our At Sea business, we just added two ships last year and I think customers can look forward to seeing us continue to expand. Q: What about other new initiatives? A: Id also like to see at some point a Canyon Ranch family resort. And my rationale for that is, when we talk about creating health habits for people, rather than starting at 20 or 30, maybe we should be starting with younger kids and talking about the value of proper nutrition and just imparting the wisdom that we already know and (help them) think about, What are my intentions, and how do I want to live my life? I think in our future, maybe theres a chance to expand into what Ill call Canyon Ranch Culinary, for instance. (Canyon Ranchs new vice president of food and beverage) has been all over the world and brings all these ideas, and it gives us the opportunity to expand what were offering here, and to think about what wed offer in a standalone restaurant. Its hard work and its really hard to make money, but its a good opportunity from a brand expansion standpoint. Q: Is Canyon Ranch planning to open new wellness resort locations? A: I can tell you what some of our priorities are. We used to be in Florida, but that was unwed by Lehman Brothers and when they went bankrupt it was auctioned. What I like about the state of Florida is, we know that Brazilians, Argentinians and Venezuelans LOVE to come to the state of Florida. So wed like to be there again. So Florida is a priority for me, and the state of California is another priority for us. We have a director of development on the plane, all the time, looking for what we can do. It needs to be, first of all, locations that make sense. When you think of Canyon Ranch in Tucson, and Lenox and even our property in Kaplankaya, its not just a resort, but also the opportunity for real estate (Canyon Ranch Living). Because if you look at our properties, here we have 100 luxury homes, and people who live here have the same access to our offerings, same as our regular guests do. I want a resort where I have enough space to also look at Canyon Ranch Living, because once people see how our resort works, some of them want to live like this on a daily basis. So its a harder puzzle, because there are a lot of hotels out there that are for sale, but they dont have a big enough footprint. ... We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some April 9 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. While some migrants arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border after already paying for their illegal crossing, others must come up with the smugglers fee on their own. And that may lead them to strap on a backpack loaded with 40 pounds of marijuana, turning an illegal crossing in search of work or to reunite with family into one of the more than 2,000 marijuana-related cases handled in U.S. District Court in Tucson each year. Federal court records regularly show people arrested for backpacking marijuana tell Border Patrol agents they agreed to smuggle marijuana in exchange for the smugglers fee, to have the smuggling fee waived, for assistance in crossing the border, or to be allowed to stay in the United States. The Border Patrol does not track how many smuggling arrests involve migrants hauling marijuana to pay for their crossing, but it is something that we see on a daily basis, said Border Patrol spokesman Agent Vicente Paco. In the case of Alberto Ramirez Dominguez, a 47-year-old construction worker from Chihuahua, Mexico, the birth of his third child prompted him to cross the border illegally to look for better-paying work, his lawyer Raul Miranda said at a recent sentencing hearing in federal court. Ramirez and four others were arrested Nov. 4 near Kupk on the Tohono Oodham reservation hauling backpacks loaded with about 180 pounds of marijuana, federal court records show. He told a Border Patrol agent he agreed to carry the marijuana in exchange for a waived smuggling fee and 500 Mexican pesos. Drug traffickers control border crossings and charge people like Ramirez to cross, Miranda told Judge Cindy Jorgenson at the sentencing hearing. When they cant find enough backpackers, they ask people, Miranda said, adding theres always that underlying menace when you run into people from the cartel on the border. Ramirez was arrested for crossing the border illegally several times before, the last coming in 2012. Each time he crossed, he did so to pay for urgent expenses, rather than to live permanently north of the border, Miranda said. Jorgenson sentenced Ramirez to 20 months in prison on a marijuana-trafficking charge, telling him: You need to come up with another plan. For many illegal immigrants arrested hauling marijuana, strapping on that backpack was never part of their plan. It tends to be folks who havent made arrangements in advance, said Erik Breitzke, assistant special agent in charge for the Homeland Security Investigations office in Sells. Drug traffickers dictate where and when illegal crossings occur, he said. Human smugglers arrange crossings through their business relationship with drug traffickers. Migrants normally dont travel with cash for fear of being robbed, so if their family members in the United States havent already paid their crossing fee they must work out a quid pro quo with smugglers and carry a backpack of marijuana, he said. Breitzke didnt know how many of the people who smuggle marijuana in Southern Arizona are illegal immigrants crossing the border for work, but he said they make up a small portion of all smugglers. However, they are easier to catch than professional backpackers who usually are in better physical condition, younger, and know how to avoid the authorities, he said. Deported and threatened Recruiters for drug traffickers wait for migrants as they disembark from buses in Caborca, Sonora, said Manuel Amador Sanchez, 49, a laborer in Nogales, Sonora. And its not just one guy. Theres a lot of them, Sanchez said. Its a mafia. Caborca, and nearby Altar, lie in the heart of what authorities consider a main marijuana smuggling corridor: the area of northern Sonora south of Sasabe and Luke-ville. Sanchez traveled from Guaymas, a Sonoran port city on the Gulf of California, to Caborca about seven years ago. He didnt have the money to pay his way across the border so he accepted the recruiters offer. He and several others were given camouflaged clothes and backpacks loaded with marijuana to carry through the desert near Lukeville. He rubbed his shoulders as he recalled the heavy pack he hauled for six days on a roundabout trek to Phoenix fueled by crack cocaine provided by their guide. Smugglers regularly use stimulants to keep up on the grueling trek through the desert, particularly the over-the-counter pill Sedalmerck, a pain reliever that contains caffeine, said Paco of the Border Patrol. While migrants like Sanchez choose to haul marijuana after arriving at smuggling hubs, interviews and court records suggest a variety of circumstances for making that decision. Some migrants, particularly Central Americans, head to Sonoyta, the Mexican city directly south of Lukeville, knowing they will carry a backpack of marijuana to pay for crossing the border, Breitzke said. Smuggling attempts often come after migrants are deported without cash or their belongings, said David Hill, a volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths who works with deportees in Nogales and prisoners in Texas convicted of immigration and drug-smuggling charges. It reflects the fact that you probably really are dealing with people whose primary aim is just to migrate to the United States, as opposed to experienced smugglers who criss-cross the border, Hill said. They take up la mochila (the backpack) only on a subsequent attempt. Many clients of Walter Goncalves Jr., an assistant federal public defender in Tucson, are tricked by smugglers into hauling marijuana. They are driven to a remote location and told they will be picked up and taken across the border. Instead, a man with a gun tells them they need to smuggle marijuana. Its not like you can just walk out of there, Goncalves said. Breitzke said he has heard claims that migrants were coerced into carrying marijuana, rather than doing it as a way to cover the smuggling fee, but he has never seen those claims substantiated. How it works People have hauled marijuana in backpacks across the U.S.-Mexico border since the 1960s, said Guillermo Alonso Meneses, a researcher at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana. In the last 15 years, organized crime groups in Mexico have diversified to include human smuggling, with coyotes paying taxes to drug traffickers, he said. Ramirezs case is typical of Breitzkes observations and more than 110 defendants in about 60 federal court cases reviewed by the Arizona Daily Star: A handful of backpackers and a guide, all of whom are men, walk across the border south of Ajo, near Sasabe, or in Cochise County. In nearly every case, the men plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana, after a felony charge of possession with intent to distribute is dismissed. Most were sentenced to 6-8 months in federal prison. Nahum Chavez Sanchez, a 29-year-old Honduran citizen arrested in August 2015 near Sasabe with another man and about 100 pounds of marijuana, was one of the few cases reviewed by the Star that included charges of both marijuana smuggling and crossing the border illegally. Defense lawyers said their clients typically are not charged with illegal entry or re-entry, the legal terms for crossing the border illegally. A spokesman with the U.S. Attorneys Office could not clarify why they arent charged for crossing the border illegally. The last gamble On a recent afternoon in Nogales, Sonora, a Honduran man and a friend from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca whiled away the heat under a tree near a migrant shelter. They plan to cross the border east of Nogales soon and walk through the mountains and desert to Tucson. But they want to do it without the help of smugglers, who they cant pay and dont trust. Theyre always saying come with us, well take care of you, said one of the men, who traveled from Honduras several months ago. But they leave people behind. When asked whether they were scared of crossing on their own, the Oaxacan man said: Every way is scary. In recent years, Breitzke has seen a bit of an uptick in migrants smuggling marijuana in lieu of paying a fee as more Central Americans, particularly Hondurans, arrived at the border. The decision to backpack marijuana comes after Honduran migrants have made an arduous trek through Guatemala and Mexico, said Tony Banegas, Honduran consul in Phoenix from 2006 to 2016. With ramped up enforcement on Mexicos southern border and in Central America, just to get out of Honduras is more difficult now, he said. They arrive at the border with no sleep, no food, and worn down, he said. Then they are presented with the option of smuggling. They dont know the implications, he said. They get so far and then heres the last gamble. Higher fees, more backpackers? Smuggling fees depend on how hard you want to work, Breitzke said. If migrants are willing to walk for several days, smugglers charge them about $3,500. If they want to walk a short distance to a vehicle waiting for them north of the border or ask for fraudulent identification, the price can be as high as $12,000, he said. And prices are going up, he said. People still want to cross the border, but crossing is getting harder. In early March, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said human smuggling fees in some mountainous areas rose from $3,500 to $8,000 since November. Kelly attributed rising fees to changes in U.S. policy, such as the detention of apprehended aliens. If smugglers fees to cross rise, then more illegal immigrants could be forced into smuggling marijuana because they cant afford those fees, Goncalves said. Dario Alvarez Navas downfall was a cracked windshield on the 2000 Dodge Caravan he drove to construction sites around Tucson. He used the van to sell workers burritos, tacos and sandwiches. In all the time Ive worked here, the police never stopped me. I drive well, Alvarez Nava said in Spanish on Friday by phone from the Eloy detention center. That was my error having a cracked windshield. When the deputy asked him for his name, he gave a false one because hes in the country illegally and afraid. He was arrested for giving a false report to law enforcement. I had a chance to speak briefly with Alvarez Nava at the Pima County jail because in mid-March, Sheriff Mark Napier had, at my request, begun arranging for me to observe the next handover of an inmate to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Alvarez Nava, 47, happened to be the next one. So on March 31, photographer Mamta Popat and I were there when he went into a changing room wearing his orange jail garb and came out wearing the blue jeans and black T-shirt he had been wearing when arrested the day before. Then two security guards who work for an ICE contractor walked him down a long gray corridor and to the transportation office. They clicked cuffs and shackles on him, then shuffled him out to a white van for the drive to Eloy. This transaction, the handover of local inmates in the country illegally to federal custody, has become one of the key flashpoints in the immigration policies of the new president. The Department of Homeland Security is trying to shame jurisdictions into holding these inmates beyond their release times, to give ICE a longer period to pick them up. The U.S. attorney general is threatening to withhold federal money from cities and counties that wont hold onto inmates for up to 48 hours after their release time. None of that is affecting the usual policies of the Pima County jail, though. When ICE requests a detainer of an inmate in a jail, all that means here is that the jail will let ICE know when it has received word the inmate is to be released. That gives ICE about two hours to send somebody to the jail to pick up the inmate. Thats much, much less than the amount of time President Trumps ICE is requesting. In recent announcements, the agency asked for 48 hours advance notice before an inmate with a detainer is released. Then, the agency wants up to 48 hours more to pick up the inmate. In other words, theyd like up to 96 hours of notice. In Tucson, they dont get anything close to that. The request for 48 hours of prerelease notice is unworkable in most cases at the Pima County jail. Thats because judges order inmates released, or inmates have their bonds paid, without any early warning to the jail. Once they hear an inmate with an ICE hold is to be released, they call ICE to let them know, and the clock starts ticking. We dont think its unreasonable to ask ICE to be there in two hours, Napier told me. Theyre the ones saying were not cooperating. The Trump administration is the ones calling out sheriffs offices, and its frustrating a lot of people. It wasnt Alvarez Navas first time in custody but he is not some sort of hardened criminal. He came to the United States illegally from his home state in the south of Mexico, Guerrero, in 2002, he said. The next year, he was convicted of DUI in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail and 36 months of probation. Thats his only criminal conviction. However, hes been sent back to Mexico four times. The first time, he told me, he was deported from San Diego to Tijuana after it was discovered he didnt have documents to be working construction at a military base. The last time he was officially returned to Mexico, he said, was on Dec. 5, 2012, when he was traveling by his own choice to Guerrero. He was taking a bus from Tucson to Hermosillo, where he planned to take an airplane to Mexico City. At the border, U.S. officials made a point of stopping him, questioning him and processing him out, even though he was going home of his own free will, he said. His attempt to live back home in Guerrero didnt go well, he said. Not long after arriving back in Guerrero in late 2012, he recounted, the local mafiosos kidnapped him, and when he didnt have enough money, they demanded he go to work selling drugs. So he gave up and fled north again, back across the border to Tucson. They dont just shoot you. They torture you to death, he explained, his eyes welling up. I decided Id rather die in the desert than have them torture me in Guerrero. The Pima County jail hasnt freed anyone with an ICE detainer in 2016 or 2017, Napier told me. Thats because ICE agents or its security contractors from the G4S company formerly Wackenhut always make it to the jail in time. But what if they dont? Why would Napier release people who are in the country illegally and accused of a crime? He says his hands are tied by case law. An ICE detainer does not constitute a legal basis to detain somebody, he said. When I asked the Pima County Attorneys Office for its legal reasoning, Tom Weaver, the chief civil deputy, pointed to a list of court decisions from Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Illinois stating that an ICE detainer and an administrative warrant are not sufficient reason for a local jail to hold somebody. As you can see, there have been a number of cases around the country in recent years which have raised doubts about the validity of these holds, Weaver said in an email. As a result, many jurisdictions do not honor the holds and release people when the conditions under which they are otherwise being held (e.g. bond, etc.) are satisfied. But that legal position is not universally held. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb told me his jail will hold inmates who have an ICE detainer past the point when theyre ready to be released, if necessary. But its never necessary to wait anywhere near 48 hours, since the ICE office is just down the street from the Pinal County jail. Thats what the people of Pinal County expect, Lamb said. Theyre not looking for me to put criminals back in the community. Under a Jan. 30 executive order issued by Trump, ICE began in March publishing regular lists of which counties and cities have released inmates despite an existing ICE detainer. Thats what has angered Napier and some other sheriffs. The federal government is shaming them for something that, in their view, they are not legally permitted to do holding people after their release has been ordered. The most recent publication lists jails in New Mexico, California, New York, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas as having released people whom ICE had requested be held. None in Arizona have been listed. Here, thanks in large part to the states robust immigration enforcement infrastructure, they are able to pick up inmates like Alvarez Nava, whose girlfriends daughter covered his $250 bond. The likelihood is, now that hes in federal custody, hell be deported again. But just as likely: Hell scratch his way back again. His girlfriend is here, and for him, Mexico holds only fear. In Mexico, he worried aloud, the mafias are linked, from state to state, ocean to ocean. They talk with each other, he said. Thats why Im afraid to return to Nogales, or to any part of Mexico. Nearing the age of 90, Lowell E. Rothschild recently celebrated practicing law for 65 years and said he has no plans to retire. I love it, says Rothschild, a senior shareholder and a founding partner of the law firm Mesch Clark Rothschild whose career includes being one of Tucsons premier bankruptcy attorneys. What excites him about practicing law is solving peoples problems, said Rothschild, whose practice concentrates on business reorganization and estate planning. Part of being a success is showing people there is a middle ground, and people have to learn to settle and solve things, said Rothschild, who has represented both debtors and creditors in reorganizations. Its complicated, rendering the proper professional services to people. They have problems and it affects their lives. They owe money and they cant pay it, said Rothschild. He now mostly manages about 15 trusts and leaves the courtroom litigation to younger lawyers, who include a former chemist and a mechanical engineer who found their calling in law. Rothschild passes on his knowledge and wisdom to others when they seek his advice. One of those seekers is Douglas H. Clark Jr. I learned law in school, but I learned about practicing law from him, said Clark, looking at Rothschild. He is a father, a mentor, a boss everything. Clark, a shareholder and senior trial attorney with expertise in civil and commercial litigation, said Rothschild taught him common sense, respect, dignity, honesty and being ethical in practicing the law. The firm was founded in 1957, and different partners have come and gone, including the late Alfredo Marquez, who was with the firm for more than two decades. Marquez left when he was confirmed as a federal judge in 1980. Today, the firm at 259 N. Meyer Ave. is housed in two historic buildings one with saguaro-ribbed ceilings. The practice employs 39, including 18 lawyers. In addition to bankruptcy law, the firm handles agricultural and construction contracts, arbitration and mediation, employment issues, personal injury, and health-care compliance and regulation. Three high-profile cases Rothschild reminisced about recently were a company that dealt with a radioactive substance that polluted Tucsons air and water, keeping the one-square-mile city of South Tucson functioning after it faced a multi-million court judgment, and working to ensure that a health center that served poor minority patients stayed open. American Atomics Corp. used tritium, a radioactive substance, to manufacture back-lighting for watches and signs. In 1979, it was discovered that the plant was emitting radioactivity into a central neighborhood and was ordered by the state to decontaminate . The business did not meet its deadline, so then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt seized the tritium, valued at $400,000, said Rothschild, who represented the business in bankruptcy court and had equipment auctioned and developed a payment plan for creditors. South Tucson officials turned to Rothschild to assist in settling negotiations to repay a $3.6 million judgment which climbed to more than $4.5 million with interest to Roy Garcia, a Tucson Police Department officer. Garcia was shot in 1978 by a South Tucson police officer during a multi-agency operation involving a shotgun-wielding man barricaded inside a house in South Tucson. The bullet shattered Garcias spine, paralyzing him below the waist. Rothschild filed a petition for reorganization in federal bankruptcy court to protect residents from a special tax levy. The city continued operating while debts were consolidated and a payment plan was constructed. A settlement was reached in 1984 involving a bond sale and transfer of land. Rothschild and his partner, Michael McGrath, worked to keep the then-El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center open so it could continue caring for primarily poor minority patients. In 1986, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization for the center. El Rio owed $6.5 million in debt and had $3.5 million in assets. One of its major creditors, University Medical Center, agreed to not pursue a $1.5 million lawsuit against El Rio, which remained open during the reorganization. Rothschild proudly mentions that his two grandsons, Nathan and Isaac Rothschild, work for the firm, and their sister, Molly, plans to enroll in law school. His son, Jonathan Rothschild, left the practice to be Tucsons mayor. Lowells daughter, Jennifer, is a paralegal in Denver who works to help inventors get patents. Rothschild, who was married to his late wife, Anne, for 62 years, said he enjoys practicing law and has no plans to stop . The native of Chicago, who moved to Tucson with his mother in 1942 and received his law degree from the University of Arizona through the GI Bill after serving in the Navy, said the community has been very good to his firm and we understand our responsibility to give back. Lawyers in the practice have received numerous recognitions for taking on cases pro bono something that is a must for Rothschild. In addition to pro bono work, Rothschild has lectured on bankruptcy and business reorganization, law practice skills and law practice management to students at the UAs James E. Rogers College of Law. He has presented for the Pima County Bar Association and the American Bar Associations of Arizona, California and Washington. Toni M. Massaro, UA College of Law professor and dean emerita, described Rothschild as a nationally respected lawyer who has given generously of his time and wisdom. She said he has helped students by placing them with mentors. Lowell models professional integrity and genuine love and respect for the practice of law, Massaro said. Rothschild has served on numerous boards including the UA Foundation, as president of the Tucson Airport Authority, the Pima County Legal Aid Society and as president of Temple Emanu-El. My life is full, said Rothschild. OK, readers, heres your quiz of the day: What is the supreme law of the land? What does the Constitution do? The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? You have a minute to answer. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Times up. I suspect most readers know the correct answers. After all, you are newspaper readers. But I also suspect that most people, if randomly asked, would fail in passing the civics test given to naturalization candidates. But Magdalena Majalca knew. Shes 86 years old. On Friday, Majalca, who has lived in Douglas for the past 60 years, became a proud U.S. citizen in a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. District Court on West Congress Street in downtown Tucson. U.S. Magistrate Bruce G. Macdonald administered the Oath of Allegiance to 51 people from the following countries: Bhutan, Brazil, Chad, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Majalca was accompanied by several of her equally proud family members. It was beautiful. It was wonderful, Majalca said after the ceremony, accompanied by her son Luis Majalca, his wife, a sister-in-law and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They were all beaming. They are the reasons Majalca took the oath. In a phone interview a couple of days before the ceremony, Majalca briefly talked about becoming a citizen. She did it for her family, she said. I thought about it for many years, she said over the din of children and the TV. I did it for my grandchildren. She has 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Because of her age, Majalca received an exemption from taking the test in English. U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services allows candidates, who are at least 50 years old and have lived in the country for 20 years as a permanent resident, to take the test in their native language. All candidates, under the age of 65, study 100 questions and are asked 10 questions and must answer six correctly. Those over 65 study less than the 100 questions. All candidates are interviewed by a USCIS officer. Majalca passed her civics test in Spanish. She told the officer administering her exam to ask her all 10 questions because she knew the answers. She memorized the test better than us, said Majalcas eldest son, Reynaldo Majalca Jr. by phone, the night I talked to his mother. His mother initially was reluctant to start the process. But with her familys encouragement, she gained confidence in studying for the exam. It helped that Majalca is a news junkie, said Reynaldo. She was an avid reader and now she watches television news programs (as well as telenovelas such as Los Diez Mandamientos and variety programs like El Gordo y La Flaca) because her eyesight has deteriorated. She passed the test on her first try, Reynaldo said. But Majalca, who was born in Agua Prieta, Sonora, across the border from Douglas, had another reason to become a U.S. citizen. Shes worried about the changing political climate in the country and especially in her border community. Many Southern Arizonans can recall the dark days in 1954 when the U.S. government, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, forcibly expelled more than 1 million Mexicans living in the U.S. without authorization. Through the program derisively known as Operation Wetback, immigration agents and local police conducted sweeps in Mexican barrios and agricultural fields from California to Texas, terrorizing communities, separating families. Even legal residents and U.S.-born Mexican-Americans were sent to Mexico against their will. Reynaldo said his mother remembers those days and is well aware of the political changes occurring and coming under the current administration. The situation has changed a lot here in the Unites States, Reynaldo said. And it will continue to change as Majalca plans to exercise a cherished right. I intend to vote, she said. Oh, by the way, the answers to the above questions are: The Constitution; protects basic rights of Americans; We the People; Chief Justice John Roberts; Bill of Rights; freedom of speech. Tucson has been luring tourists with its sunny weather for years. Now it wants to promote another attraction for out-of-towners: health care. Tucsons major hospitals are collaborating with local government in a new push to entice tourists primarily Mexicans to come here for medical needs. The effort, which officials say is a work-in-progress, follows cities like Houston; Tampa, Florida; and Jacksonville, Florida, which are already luring foreign visitors for care ranging from organ transplants to specialized cancer care. The public-private medical tourism collaboration in Tucson is expected to launch with more specifics during an official announcement Tuesday at Visit Tucson, the regions tourism bureau. The effort will include a website in Spanish and concierge services to help tourists find the health care they need. Tucsons healthcare sector is one of our strengths, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said in a prepared statement. This new association will help promote Tucson as a health care and wellness destination to international visitors. Representatives from Banner Health, the Carondelet Health Network, Northwest Medical Center, Tucson Medical Center, Pima County, Tucson and Visit Tucson are part of the collaborative effort. They are calling it the Tucson Health Association. Officials with Tucson Medical Center, the citys largest hospital, say their vision is to share information with tourists about nonemergency services that are elective. Examples include cardiac, orthopedic (such as total knee replacement) and neurological services, a spokeswoman wrote in an email. Tucson has, among other things, Southern Arizonas only organ transplant site at Banner- University Medical Center , advanced pediatric oncology care at Banner-Diamond Childrens and numerous specialists who treat skin cancer. The target market is Mexican families with enough disposable income to pay for medical care in the U.S., said Felipe Garcia, executive vice president of Visit Tucson. He noted some Mexican insurance will pay for certain procedures in the U.S., though he expects most of the visitors will pay out-of-pocket. Garcia said the effort is collaborative with hospitals and doctors in Mexico and that is how patients will be reached. If your patient needs a certain procedure we have in the U.S., well take care of it in Tucson, do the surgery and then well send the patient back to Mexico where the provider there can take the next step with recovery, Garcia said. Affluent patients Inbound medical tourists who come from other countries to get care in the U.S. are a different demographic from the outbound Americans, including Tucsonans, who go to Mexico for health care. The care that Americans are most often seeking in Mexico is dental, and also some cosmetic, bariatric and orthopedic surgery. Those patients are usually motivated by saving money and spend on average between $800 to $5,000 per patient, said Josef Woodman, CEO of the North Carolina-based Patients Beyond Borders. By comparison, medical tourists coming into the U.S. often have extended stays in hotels and leased apartments. They spend on average $30,000 to $40,000 per patient and they can afford it, said Woodman, who has researched the medical tourism industry for 12 years. He described it as a lucrative and important market. Its a very different demographic. The people leaving for care tend to be folks in the lower- middle class, upper-working class, one condition away from financial trouble. Its all about cost, he said. The people coming in, its about access. They tend to be affluent people from outside Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and also Mexico. Its a much higher acuity patient lung cancer, pediatric patients with complex conditions, for example. About 250,000 to 300,000 people from other countries come to the U.S. for medical care every year, he said. Texas Medical Center in Houston a cluster of nonprofit health providers, including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Childrens Hospital gets 15,000 medical tourists per year, Garcia said. He said Houston is inspiring to the Tucson effort. The former president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, Dr. Robert C. Robbins, becomes new president of the University of Arizona on June 1. Doctor database The effort to market Tucsons health care has been a long time coming, said Teresa Bravo, who is economic development and international projects coordinator for Pima County. She said people sometimes call Visit Tucson asking about medical care here, and until now theres been no coordinated resources to give them. Visit Tucson will coordinate the efforts directly including developing a website and hiring a concierge to connect patients with medical care in Tucson and Pima County. Part of the effort will include collecting data on the kind of care that tourists are getting here, Bravo said. Specific initiatives for the local medical tourism effort will include developing comprehensive data related to medical and wellness institutions in the region, creating a database of doctors and their specialties through the Pima County Medical Society and developing a marketing plan in partnership with health and medical institutions, Pima Countys current economic development plan says. Rothschilds two-year plan for Tucson includes the medical tourism initiative specifically, to build on existing strengths, such as our treatment and research facilities, physicians, medical school, hospitals and integrative medicine providers to establish Tucson as a health care and wellness destination, it says. The new local collaboration plans to market a health care experience tailored to any international consumer. But there will be a focus on the Northern Mexico area, including the nearly 6 million citizens of Sonora and Sinaloa, leaders of the effort say. Eventually, the intent is to also market to Canada, Bravo said. Theres a lot that we need to learn. We looked at other medical clusters in the U.S. and theres not really a model we can duplicate, Bravo said. Well learn and well make adjustments as we go. Pima County and Visit Tucson attended the 2016 World Medical Tourism Congress in Washington, D.C. to learn best practices and begin developing international networks, the countys economic development plan says. Bravo said the new collaboration hopes to track the reasons that foreigners get medical care here, whether its for a particular specialty due to shorter wait times, or another reason. Other communities with excellent medical care like Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas have tried to similarly position themselves as medical tourism destinations. But it usually takes some time for cities and regions to establish and brand themselves, said Woodman of Patients Beyond Borders. Folks tend to go to the brand. They are going to go to a Texas Children or M.D. Anderson or Cleveland Clinic or Mayo. But what Tucson has going for it is geographical proximity, Woodman said. Promoters need a narrative a story they can tell. It could be around a specialty that is attracting people that no other city or region could attract. You cant just have a good medical infrastructure and say, hey, yall come! It takes a while to be recognized. 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. For four Indian tribes that grow melons, wheat, cotton, onions and alfalfa near the Colorado River, fallowing cropland will bring extra money. It will also get the Colorado River Indian Tribes name out as a water player, part of the solution to the Southwests water shortages. And, says Tribal Councilwoman Amelia Flores, its a way to get other cropland into production and to upgrade their irrigation equipment. The tribes are starting a federally financed fallowing program this year to save water for Lake Mead. They are among many looking more closely at fallowing as a way of coping with tightening water supplies. Farmers from the Colorado to the Rio Grande are temporarily leasing water to cities and in a few cases to the federal government. While some of the deals are highly complex, the basic principle is simple. Farmers get money, often to upgrade drill rigs, irrigation works and other equipment. Agencies get water, sometimes for themselves, other times to store in Lake Mead an important reservoir that serves water to Tucson and Phoenix. The practice is at least 20 years old in this region, but has gained steam recently as concerns have grown over the health of Mead due to drought and a long-term water deficit there. Backers say fallowing is an alternative to buy and dry, in which farmland is permanently extinguished so thirsty cities can support future growth. But even temporary fallowing can be controversial. Some farming advocates say it should be done only to help those who buy or lease water rights through temporary shortfalls caused by droughts or other emergencies. At a recent conference and workshop in Tucson, more than a half-dozen farmers, farming advocates and irrigation district officials shared stories, hopes and concerns about fallowing. Fallowing has the potential to be a huge factor in protecting Lake Mead, said Brad Udall, a Colorado State University water researcher who organized the Tucson workshop. Practices also include replacing water-sucking alfalfa with less-thirsty fruits and vegetables and deficit irrigation that reduces or halts irrigation. During recent dry summers, these practices helped keep the Colorado River out of shortage , Udall said. But Dan Keppen, director of the Family Farm Alliance, an advocacy group, said farmers often initially resist fallowing programs, though theyre sometimes forced into them. One of the programs biggest challenges is the divide that fallowing creates in a community. Certain individuals will benefit from the outside money. Those members of a community who rely on having acreage in production are the most affected and have the most anti-fallowing voices, Keppen told a gathering of 375 at a University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center conference. By the same token, sometimes folks feel theyve got to be realistic: We cooperate and stay in business, or we fight and lose. Some examples of fallowing include: The Imperial Irrigation District in Imperial County near El Centro, California, will finish a 15-year program in June in which the San Diego Water Authority has paid its farmers $140 million to keep 50,000 acres out of production and save 1.6 million acre-feet of Colorado River water for urban use. Thats what the Central Arizona Project delivers to Tucson and other Arizona cities and farms in a year. Imperial controls the biggest share of Colorado River water about 3.1 million acre-feet a year. The Colorado River Indian Tribes, based near Parker, Arizona, are starting their three-year, pilot fallowing program financed by the Bureau of Reclamation later this year. Its part of whats called a regional system conservation program in which the feds pay farmers and other water users across the river basin. The four tribes, joint owners of a nearly 270,000-acre reservation, hope to conserve about 15,400 acre-feet per year by fallowing 1,590 acres. The Palo Verde Irrigation District near Blythe, California, is the poster child for farm-to-urban water transfers, said Jack Seiler, a district trustee. Its in the middle of a 35-year deal, ending in 2039, with Southern Californias giant Metropolitan Water District to fallow up to nearly 26,000 acres a year. The Met has bought 7,300 acres of district land. It pays owners of the other fallowed lands $3,170 an acre to enter the program and an annual, escalating fee now at about $800 per acre. In southern New Mexico, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District along the Rio Grande is going through environmental reviews for a major fallowing program to start in 2018. As its planned, farmers and cities in the lower Rio Grande in New Mexico and West Texas would ink forbearance agreements. Farmers wouldnt pump groundwater onto fallowed cropland and would use their surface water on other parcels or lease that surface water to other farmers to use to replace groundwater. Just west of Yuma, Southern Californias Bard Water District is in its second year of fallowing Colorado River water for the Metropolitan Water District. The Met pays farmers $300 an acre and the water district another $100 per acre. At this point, its not known how much water the district has saved. As the programs typically work, farmers can only fallow land that has been in production for a significant percentage of the previous few years before the fallowing starts. They typically dont fallow land every year; its often fallowed two to four out of five years. University of Arizona law professor Robert Glennon, who has written extensively about water issues, sees fallowing as one of many tools to save water. But in researching his 2009 book Unquenchable about water, he found both positives and negatives in fallowing programs. The Imperial water deal with San Diego gave the district money to line many of its irrigation canals and fix the canals headgates, he said. The idea was that once the improvements were made, the district could bring the 50,000 acres it had fallowed back into production. I think thats terrific. You have to have the endgame of keeping rural communities vibrant over the long term, Glennon said. He was less supportive, however, of the Palo Verde-Metropolitan Water District arrangement. The original fallowing deal was a smoking deal for farmers who wouldnt grab this opportunity? but that didnt mean it was good for the Blythe community, he said. The money the districts farmers get each year from the Met was way more than the farmers could make growing alfalfa, Glennon said. But where the lands will be fallowed, the farmers not only lose their jobs, but the John Deere dealers wont have as much equipment to sell. The lawyers and accountants and restaurants lost money, he said. Paula Hayden, the districts fallowing coordinator, said she doesnt think the fallowing has hurt the surrounding communitys economy. The Met put $6 million into a community fund to help the region cope with fallowing. For farms, the fallowing saved quite a few of them because of the $3,170 monthly bonus they got, she said. United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. PATRICIA L. BUTLER, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-17203 Decided: April 07, 2017 Before HULL, MARCUS and FAY, Circuit Judges. Patricia Butler appeals her sentence of 12 months and 1 day, imposed after she pled guilty to one count of theft of government money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 641. Butler argues that the district court plainly erred in not allowing her the right of allocution before imposing her sentence. The district court asked Butler if she wanted to speak during the discussion about acceptance of responsibility. The government, however, concedes error and that, after ruling on that guidelines issue, the district court should have later addressed Butler personally and allowed her to allocute on any subject of her choosing prior to the imposition of the sentence. A district court's failure to accord a defendant the right of allocution at sentencing is reviewed for plain error when the defendant fails to timely object to this omission. United States v. Perez, 661 F.3d 568, 583 (11th Cir. 2011). Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(i)(4)(A)(ii) requires a district court, prior to imposing a sentence, to address the defendant personally and determine whether the defendant wishes to make a statement and to present any information in mitigation of the sentence. Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(i)(4)(A)(ii). Addressing defense counsel, instead of the defendant directly, does not satisfy this requirement. Perez, 662 F.3d at 584. Our inquiry is whether the district court's colloquy with the defendant is the functional equivalent of what Rule 32(i)(4)(A)(ii) prescribes. Id. at 585. In order for us to find functional equivalency, the record must demonstrate that the court, the prosecutor, and the defendant must, at the very least, have interacted in a manner that shows clearly and convincingly that the defendant knew that she had a right to speak on any subject of her choosing prior to the imposition of sentence. Id. All four prongs of the plain error standard are established when a district court failed to comply with Rule 32(i)(4)(A)(ii) and the district court sentenced the defendant to more than the low end of the defendant's guidelines range. Id. at 585-86. Here, as in Perez, the record does not reflect that the district court, the government, and Butler herself interacted in a manner that showed that Butler was given the opportunity to speak on any subject of her choosing prior to the imposition of sentence, not just the limited subject of acceptance of responsibility. See Perez, 662 F.3d 585; Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(i)(4)(A)(ii). As we determined in Perez, all four prongs of plain error review have been established here because the district court failed to comply with Rule 32(i)(4)(A)(ii) and the district court sentenced Butler to more than the low end of the guidelines range. Id. at 585-86. Therefore, the district court committed reversible plain error. Id. at 585-86. We vacate Btuler's sentence and remand for Butler to be afforded the right of full allocution and then for resentencing. Nothing herein speaks to the merits or the amount of the sentence. VACATED AND REMANDED. PER CURIAM: United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. BILLY RAY DOYLE, Defendant-Appellant No. 15-10549 Decided: April 07, 2017 Before CLEMENT, PRADO, and HIGGINSON, Circuit Judges. Billy Ray Doyle, federal prisoner # 45620-177, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. The district court sentenced Doyle to 48 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and he did not appeal. Doyle moves for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP) from the district court's denial of his motion to modify conditions of supervised release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3583(e) and also moves this court to modify certain conditions of his supervised release. By moving to proceed IFP, Doyle is challenging the district court's certification decision that this appeal was not taken in good faith. See Baugh v. Taylor, 117 F.3d 197, 202 (5th Cir. 1997). Our inquiry into an appellant's good faith is limited to whether the appeal involves legal points arguable on their merits (and therefore not frivolous). Howard v. King, 707 F.2d 215, 220 (5th Cir. 1983) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Even if Doyle's challenge to the special condition prohibiting him from possessing a computer or internet connection device without permission of the court were not premature, see United States v. Carmichael, 343 F.3d 756, 76162 (5th Cir. 2003) (internal quotation marks and footnote omitted), he has failed to show that the district court abused its discretion in declining to modify the condition. The district court denied the motion to modify based on the nature and facts of the offense, and Doyle admitted in the district court that he posted an advertisement soliciting companionship on an internet site and that he emailed a photograph of his penis to a male who he thought was 15 years old. Doyle does not address the district court's reasoning or acknowledge the extensive role that the computer and internet played in his offense, nor does he acknowledge that the condition he opposes is one he can avoid with permission of the court, and therefore he has failed to show any reversible error with respect to this finding. Doyle cannot demonstrate a nonfrivolous issue for appeal with respect to the district court's denial of his motion to modify conditions of supervised release. Accordingly, his motion for IFP is DENIED, and his appeal is DISMISSED. See Baugh, 117 F.3d at 202 & n.24; 5TH CIR. R. 42.2. With respect to Doyle's motion to modify conditions of supervised release filed here, he must move for modification in the district court pursuant to pursuant to 3583(e) and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1(c). Accordingly, his motion to modify conditions of supervised release is also DENIED. FOOTNOTES . Although Doyle did not object to the conditions of his supervised release at sentencing, we do not decide whether his claims should be reviewed for plain error because he is not entitled to relief even under the less deferential abuse of discretion standard. See United States v. Insaulgarat, 289 F. App'x 738, 74041 (5th Cir. 2008). A district court abuses its discretion if it bases its decision on an error of law or a clearly erroneous assessment of the evidence. United States v. Castillo, 430 F.3d 230, 23940 (5th Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). STEPHEN A. HIGGINSON, Circuit Judge: Tonight Australian Story follows the progress of drug rehabilitation residents in Perths Shalom House, from new arrivals getting their heads shaved to residents nearing the end of the year-long stay. With Australias illicit drug use escalating and ice at epidemic levels this episode looks at a rehab for drug addicts that is producing surprising results. Shalom House in Perth is a controversial drug rehabilitation centre that bills itself as the nations strictest. Run by former ice addict and drug dealer, Peter Lyndon-James, new residents agree to go cold turkey off their drugs, stop smoking, get their heads shaved, disconnect from family, friends and phones, and go to church three times per week. I spent 26 years hating who I was and I wanted to change but didnt know how to change. Ive learnt how to change. Ive pioneered the way, he said. Lyndon-Jamess supporters include former WA Corrective Services Minister, Joe Francis. Hes come from being a prisoner and drug addict himself. If anyone can change the lives of very, very troubled men, its someone whos been through the bottom of it themselves, he said. The program, which gets no government funding, is proving successful, turning seemingly intractable criminals and addicts into geeks upstanding, productive members of society. Nathan, 26, whos been at Shalom House for two months, began using drugs as a child. Since Ive been here, Ive changed a lot. Ive actually turned completely around and its good. For another Shalom House resident, Brian, it was a trauma that led him to become hooked on drugs. I started smoking meth at 22 after being in the Bali bombing, he said. I got post-traumatic stress disorder, after seeing a lot of death and destruction in the Sari Club. Shalom House founder Peter Lyndon-James was a big drug dealer in Western Australia and was in and out of jail on drugs and guns charges before he found God and Christianity in 2000. He started Shalom House in 2012 to help former drug addicts restore their lives and has seen numbers grow from just a few residents to over 80 in just four years. The rehabilitation centre now has 22 staff. Peter Lyndon-James says residents must pay $300 a week to live at Shalom House and pay for their own rehabilitation, usually coming from their Centrelink payments. We help our fellows completely restore their finances, their relationships. We get everyone of our fellas off Centrelink within eight months, he said. However, Shalom House is not without its detractors, with one former resident Geoff, who dropped out after five weeks, saying it was punitive. Monday 10 April, 8pm on ABC. Help India! By Raqib Hameed Naik, Twocircles.net Jammu: A day after Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) issued an open threat to kill Rohingya Muslim refugees living in Jammu, the statement has sent shockwaves among the refugees living in the Jammu city. Support TwoCircles In a press conference held on Friday April 7, Rakesh Gupta, the president of JCCI had given warning to state and central government to expel the Rohingya and Burmese refugees living in the state and had threatened to start their self-styled movement of killing the Muslim refugees, in case of non-compliance by the government. TwoCircles.net called Rakesh Gupta to know JCCIs side of story behind issuing the open threat. He said, These refugees are a security threat to the state. They are involved in lot of crimes like thefts and drug trade. The Rohingya refugees, he said, are also providing shelter to militants, but was able to substantiate his claims by providing evidence. Importantly, not even a single case of Rohingya refugee providing shelter to militants has come to forefront in the state yet. They are changing the demography of Jammu. If they continue to pour in for the next 10 years, then we will have to migrate like Kashmiri pandits, he added. He further added that the statement was issued just out of frustration and it had no intention to kill the refugees. It was issued only to pressurize the government, he clarified. But in slums of Narwal inhabiting the Rohingya refugees, the fear is visible. The fear had forced most of the refugees, who work as cheap labour force at construction sites to avoid going at work place. We came to know about the statement yesterday evening and everyone is in fear here. No one has dared to step out for work today. The case is already in court, they should have waited for the court to decide, Mohammad Ali, a Rohingya refugee working as a labourer told TCN. Another refugee,Younous AKhtar said, They allege us of doing criminal activities. If they have proof let them show it to us. The police would have arrested Rohingya people if they were involved in criminal activities. They were being targeted, said Younous, because of their religion. If the court or government asks us to leave the country, we will leave, but they must also tell us, where should we go? We wonder why dont they see this issue from a human perspective, instead of using religious lens, he added. The Kashmir Economic Alliance, a body of traders was quick to react to JCCI statement and said, How can you use words like Indentify and Kill in a civilized society and what is preventing the government from filing an FIR into this irresponsible which has come from reputed organisation of Jammu Inc. Why is Jammu Inc resorting to discrimination or is it simply part of the conspiracy to eliminate Muslims from the map of Jammu and Kashmir as happened in 1947, said Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan, Chairman KEA. In February, 2017, J&K National Panthers Party had put hoardings across Jammu asking Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees to leave the winter capital. There are around 1,219 Rohingya families comprising over 5,000 people living as refugee after escaping persecution back in their country. Spread across different areas in Jammu, the refugees live in dozens of slum dwellings. Most of these slums are in abysmal conditions without proper toilets, water facilities, and electricity. The community has been having a hard time since a fire ravaged one of the slums, leaving them with little cover in the biting cold last winters. Recently, the media reported about the government plans to identify, arrest and deport 40,000 Rohingya refugees. Amnesty International India while condemning the government move had retreated that forcing Rohingya asylum-seekers and refugees back to Myanmar would violate the international principle of non-refoulement which is recognised in customary international law and is binding on India that forbids states from forcibly returning people to a country where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations. Help India! By Mushtaque Rahmat for Twocircles.net There seems to be the silent approval of a majority in India to the kind of frenzy and hysteria against Muslims. The other religious minorities are accepted, by majority community as Quasi-Hindu or insignificant as far as their agenda is concerned. The same can never be said for Muslims in India, even though Muslims in India are in no way a monolithic community. There are various shades of it emanating from the regions they live, the language they speak and their food habits. Even their political aspirations and efficacy vastly differ from state to state as their economic condition. Therefore, it is important for RSS and Saffron brigade to demonise and create hatred for them among the gullible mass. The following points are important in understanding how and why Muslims remain at the centre of their attacks: Support TwoCircles Their numbers are quite significant and they are widespread across India. Unlike Sikhs who were majorly confined to one or two states. Although being spread pan India has its own problems for Muslim. It is easy to get masses took them as the perpetrator of all crimes against Hindus in medieval India by twisting historical facts and events. And it is the most successful rallying points as it seeks to obliterate the caste divide among Hindu. Thus it is easy for upper caste Hindus to maintain its sway and say. Actually, this is an era of Dalits appeasement at the hands of RSS and Sangh Parivar. Creation of Pakistan; strangely those who supported and created Pakistan left erstwhile Hindustan and now living in the Islamic republic of Pakistan, all vengeance of those are being directed towards loyal Indians (Muslims). RSS, Sangh Parivar, and Hindu Nationalists will espouse all those issues which will make Muslim feel psychologically inferior and unwanted by state machinery/ majority community. The Yogi Chief Ministers first diktat on assuming office was to close down all illegal abattoir. And it was immediately taken up by foot soldiers of BJP and its affiliates. As if there were no other important issues to deal with in the whole of Uttar Pradesh. In pursuit of its execution, BJP and its allies deliberately allow its cadres, sympathizers to take the law into their hands. It serves two major purposes: such leeway gives immense power to ordinary folks and their empowerment gets satiated. Also, it unleashes fear and humiliation in Muslim populace leaving their reasonable part high and dry economically. Besides the same foot soldiers could be disowned as per convenience terming as fringe element. However, nowadays the title of fringe elements are to be worn as badge of honour. After all, the one-time fringe elements have just been handed over the reign of Uttar Pradesh. The ruling party kept repeating the issue of Triple Talaq as this is the most important issue facing Muslim women of today. As if half of Indian Muslim do not need education, employment, and better health facility! In fact, need of Muslim women is same as that of others. Although it is imperative for Muslims to overhaul their some aspects of divorce, but for sure this is not the only issue where government intervention is needed. It has started with religion and will end with all social elements to the point where Muslim will start questioning their own existence. That will see either religious migration of Muslim to Hinduism or acceptance of Hindu way of life retaining few visages of Islamic practices, like Buddhists, Jain or Sikhs. This will complete the cycle of Hindu chauvinist India. And one should not be surprised by it. Tell-tale sign are everywhere and for everyone to see, only if you are blind or insane. Recently, Rajasthan government has made two significant changes one in academics: claiming Rana Pratap Singh as the winner of Haldi Ghati war against Akbar and the renaming of Akbar ka Qila to Ajmer ka Qila. Interestingly it was Mughals before British rule who have brought a major part of Indian subcontinent under one rule. And RSS /Hindu Nationalists should take Mughals especially Akbar and Aurangzeb as ideal for their Virat Hindustan clamor. Emboldened by the recent victory in UP election, renaming of Aligarh to Harigarh has gathered steam again. There have already been changes made to Aurangzeb road. These are signs of erasing the vestiges of Muslims from the public space. Urdu, although not all Muslims of India speak, has already been declared the language of Muslims only and gradually sidelined from the mainstream. There are few questions which would be interesting to ask: Is majority community really in a state of stupor that they cannot make out the real design of RSS and Sangh Parivar? Or really they have mandated RSS and Sangh Parivar to carry out this in their name? If RSS and Sangh Parivar has its way, they would like to bring in Manuvadi system in which lies inherent fissures/ fault line of cohesive Hindu society. Any country with width and spread like India with so much variation and diversity will find it really difficult to maintain, a monolithic political and social fabric mandated by one religion only, for long. Religion is no guarantee for the creation and sustenance of a country, had this been the case all Arabs from Arabian Peninsula, North Africa to Levant could have only be one country. More so as Arabs, in general, speak same language share similar culture across a vast swathe of land. We have the case of Pakistan splitting in two: Pakistan and Bangladesh despite both being majority Muslim inhabitants. And their foundation was laid on Islam. Nor power and ideology alone can create a country and sustain. We have seen the spectacular downfall of USSR which broke into many countries. The fall of Berlin wall stands as testimony to, the defeat of divisive and exclusive politics, and the victory of unity and inclusiveness. In fact, countries are not made only on one edifice, there goes a lot more than religion, language to coalesce diversity of people to come together and form a country. Freedom, justice, prosperity and equality for all are some of the variables which bind people of different faiths, languages and their shared struggle and journey in the time of high and low. It is a collection of desire to grow together, perform and achieve collective good which makes nations great. For many countries and empire in the past ultimate fall was preceded by injustice and discriminations. Emperors like Ashoka and Akbar with largest territories under their rule has to push forward ideational unity with tolerance and plurality to hold onto and consolidating their empires. Vulnerable segments of nations suffer under divisive, corrosive and exclusionary agendas which, over the time period if not addressed, will lead to disintegration: social and economic and territorial. There could be various explanations for the rise of Saffron brigade and divisive politics which permeates our society today and there will be thousands of ways and means to oppose it and help our people to extricate out of it. However, it must be understood it is a long and arduous journey. It has taken almost hundred years for Hindu nationalist to bloom, it will be another centurys struggle to make it go. Help India! By Dr. Saleem Ahmad for Twocircles.net In the recently concluded election in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP achieved a landslide victory with almost 80.6% of seats and pushed rival political parties to the corner. With this fabulous victory, the right-wing Hindu nationalist party came to power after a long gap of 15 years and dominated, completely, political stage in Uttar Pradesh. Support TwoCircles In this election, Muslim factor was one of the significant factors that have played a very negative role in the defeat of two central parties known as the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP). Basically, this election was contested between the two major groups one is comprised of nationalist Hindus and other Muslims. During the election, PM Modi carefully managed the calculation of votes at the macro as well as micro levels. Interestingly, the BJP had already declared that they do not count Muslim votes in this election to their victory, even the party has not given any ticket to any Muslim candidate, simultaneously, the leaders of BJP also ensured to keep controversial issues such as cow-beef, triple talaq, Uniform Civil Code, Shamsham-Kabristan, love-jihad, issue of the power supply during the month of Ramzan or Diwali, Ram Mandir and etc, at the forefront to consolidate Hindu votes at one side, and therefore, both the main parties could not understand the calculations of the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party. PM Modi has successfully consolidated other Hindu minorities votes against the Muslims community in Uttar Pradesh election. Moreover, the staunch supporters of the SP and the BSP inclined towards the Hindu nationalist party, because, they felt their party leaders are more inclined towards the Muslims instead of their supporters. For instance, both the parties decided to give out partys tickets to the Muslim candidates, apparently, the reactions of the supporters of the SP and the BSP were unenthusiastic and they felt discriminated, and eventually, they decided to cast their votes in the support of the BJP. Furthermore, this election was fought in a very calculated move by the BJP leaders, since, the SP and the BSP did not ponder for a while, why they were focusing unnecessarily on 20% Muslim populations of the state. On the one hand, both the SP and the BSP were engaged to secure Muslim votes in the election, on the other hand, Muslims were contesting elections against their fellow Muslims candidates, and subsequently, BJP got the clear way to go ahead with the consolidated support of the Hindu majorities as well as minorities of the Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, these minorities votes tectonically shifted towards the BJP, that is why the SP and the BSP faced unexpected defeat in the election because of their avoidance of base supporters. In this election, the leader of the BSP, Mayawati, gave almost 100 tickets to the Muslim candidates, which directly undermined to the Samajwadi Party and indirectly caused to shift Hindu minorities votes to the BJP. Therefore, the SP and the BSP have served the crown of victory in a plate to the BJP, and the credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The total number of seats in Vidhan Sabha election, Uttar Pradesh, is 403, and the BJP won 312 seats and its allies have won 13 seats, and the grand total is 325 seats. The coalition of the SP and the Congress has won total 54 seats, the SP got 47 seats and the Congress got 7 seats respectively, and the BSP got total 19 seats, however, the total number of Muslims who have won in this election is 25 seats, the SP got 17 seats, the BSP got 6 seats and the Congress got 2 seats respectively. As discussed earlier, Muslims were the main focus in this election, when the result announced on 11 March 2017, subsequently, the BJP announced the name of the candidate for the post of Chief Minister, Mahant Yogi Adityanath, after long deliberation, who is known for controversial statements directly against Muslims in India. Subsequently, Muslims feel scared from the rising power of Hindutva supported by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). However, I would like to remind you that the same atmosphere was created at that time when Narendra Modi won a landslide victory at the national level elections in 2014. The bias of media also aggravated this apprehension in Muslim community while India is a democratic country and each and every citizen of India has equal rights of opportunity and dignity irrespective of their caste, class, community, region, religion, gender and sex and etc. Since BJP came into power under the leadership of PM Modi, Muslims feel insecure in India, similarly, the newly elected CM, Yogi Adityanath, will also follow the path under the supervision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ban on the slaughter houses has increased the fear among Muslims of the rising power of Hindutva, while India is a secular and multicultural country. For Muslims, the ban has directly seen as an attacked on their rozi roti or employment, a particular Muslim community has been targeted by the newly elected chief minister. Further, Indian Muslims are divided between Shia and Sunni at the larger level, the Shia community represents the minority while the Sunni community represents the majority. Furthermore, Sunni Muslims are divided between Deobandi and Barelvi, and the caste politics is also prevailing among the Muslims in India. In Uttar Pradesh, Sunni Muslims feel secure with the Samajwadi Party and a sizeable Muslims support Bahujan Samajwadi Party; however, the Shia community in India openly supports the BJP against the Sunni Muslims. In this election, Sunni Muslims, especially Muslim women have voted for the BJP, because of the controversial issue of triple talaq, Muslim women expect a positive development in this regard by the PM Modi government. In sum, Muslim factor was one of the significant factors in Uttar Pradesh election and Muslims were playing in the hands of other political parties. In fact, Muslims in India lack leadership qualities in the realm of politics, because of their socio-economic and political backwardness, and therefore, they dont have a strong base for a political party which can address Muslims grievances at the local as well as national levels. There are some small Muslim political parties at the local levels, but they are divided due to disunity among Muslims. If Muslims wish for political benefits, according to their percentage of total population, they have to forge political alliances with political parties according to their issues and demands. The author is Assistant Professor at Department of Political Science, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Galgotias University Help India! By Siddhant Mohan, Twocircles.net Details emerging from the disruption of Church services at Maharajganj on Friday by Hindu Yuva Vahini are pointing to provocation, intimidation, and insult of the Churchs priests and the followers at the hands of the right-wing extremist organisation, even as the police deny any such charges. Support TwoCircles On Friday, a group of around 150 catholic individuals, including 9 people from the US, were detained and questioned after members of Hindu Yuva Vahini accused them of carrying of religious conversion of attendees. Even though the police found nothing suspicious and reports coming out from various media houses are saying the same, supporters of the radical outfit are raising questions over the presence of US nationals in a village of Maharajganj which has no touristic value. But as the Priest of the Church in question, police and local sources claim, the Church was built around 1922 by the Britishers and will complete its 100-year anniversary in a few years. This explains why Catholics from Maharajganj and nearby area visit this Church. While it may not be the best-maintained Church in the district, it nevertheless has historic value, as Father Yuhanna Adam claims. With Good Friday, a sensitive and auspicious occasion for the Christian community on April 14, regular prayers are being held in almost every big as well as small and remote churches of the India and the Maharajganj Church is no different. Talking to TwoCircles.net about the presence of US nationals, Priest Yuhanna Adam said, They arrived from Noida early morning and wished to see the Church because of its historical value. How could I have stopped them or question them? Its a church, so everyone from every community is welcomed here anytime. The prayer started at its usual time around 9:00 AM and many people came to join it, says Adam. Soon after the prayer started, a group of individuals with saffron headbands arrived with the police. Police immediately stopped the prayer and asked everyone to come out from the room, he added. Priest Adam continued, The disruption of the prayer gave them (HYV members) the license to do as they pleased. Since it was not a holy place for them or for the police, they roamed around every corner inside the Church and picked any paper or book that came in the way. He said, You know that every church has a dais that no one touches or gets on except the priest. We have the one too and I deliver a religious speech from that. It is a holy thing. They got onto that dais and they looked it as it was something suspicious. They took all the papers kept in that dais. I dont even know what important papers I have lost? he added. The local police have denied this accusation altogether and said that except questioning and checking papers, nothing else happened at the Church. But police sources inform that members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini members, namely Ganesh Kharwar, Krishnanandan Puri aka Pappu Puri, Manish Sharma, Sheshmani Yadav and others indulged in vandalism and abuse. They were kept harassing and abusing us, said Adam. When we probed further about what they said, Adam added, I understand your need for details, but I cant say the words with which they were calling us. I simply cannot. Adam added, They left no one, including the foreigners who had no job here but to pray. They were to leave after the prayer and did not plan on staying longer. But they were standing there and being questioned by the police on one side and being verbally abused by those goons on another. They had never expected this kind of reaction while visiting an old church located in a remote town of Uttar Pradesh. The Hindu Yuva Vahini people abused the entire crowd, including women. There was one guy from the Vahini, Ganesh Kharwar. He asked an elderly lady why she was in the church. Why she prayed here? She replied that Jesus is very kind. Jesus took care of all her medicines. He cured her. Then Ganesh Kharwar scolded her that there is no such thing as Jesus and these people are fooling you. Then he gave the old women a 100 rupee tender note and told her ab bolo Jai ShriRam (Now say Jai Shriram), Adam said. I dont want to go to talk about what people feel about Jesus and what their or our religious beliefs are, but they were kept asking people in the room that what amount of money they were being offered to get converted to Christian, what gifts were offered to them, they asked ye gora log kitna paisa diya hai (How much money these foreigners have given you)? the priest added. A resident of Noida, who had reached there on the same day with the US nationals, confirmed these claims. Local sources too confirmed the objectionable behavior of the members of the Vahini. It is important to point that before Good Friday, the preceding 40 days see regular prayer sessions up to the day of Easter, which falls two days after Good Friday. The same is being carried out in the Church. The recent events have left Yuhanna Adam, fearing for his life. Since these are the days of prayers and people keep coming here, HYV goons are threatening me every day that if I do not stop my religious conversion activities soon, I would be lynched, the priest added. Ab sabki Ghar-wapasi karani hogi hum logon ko (Now we will have to do Ghar-wapasi[Homecoming] of everyone here) they keep saying this, he said. The local from Noida, who insisted on being anonymous, was also present at the Dadhauli Church where the incident happened. He said, We had gone there just to witness the church as it is a historical monument. We had made a random plan and gone there. But I still cannot believe that such a spree of verbal abuses and accusations took place in a prayer room. People present there were like any other person of religious belief who enjoy prayers. The SHO of Kothibhar Police station, Anand Kumar Gupta, informed that police questioned every individual about the conversion to check if there was any such activity being carried out at the time, but everyone refused. Thomas Thuruthimattam, Bishop of the diocese of Gorakhpur, takes this incident as an indirect attack on religious freedom of the people. He said, We say that this is not direct attack because we do believe in the Indian constitution. The indirect threat is something which goes out of the constitution by people who have representation in the constitution. Ahmed Abd Alkawey/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(CAIRO) -- Egyptian Christians expressed anguish and despair following twin bombings that ripped through two of the country's Coptic churches on Palm Sunday, killing at least 44 people and injured at least 126 others. Chantal Labib, a 24-year-old school teacher, told ABC News that she saw news of the blasts on TV before she went to Palm Sunday services at another church in Heliopolis, Cairo. "Coptic churches are very distinct," Labib said of the often-ancient buildings that have long drawn many tourists in Egypt. From now on, she said, "the shape of the church and the pews [will] remind me of blood and dead bodies." The bombings in Tanta and Alexandria were claimed by ISIS and followed warnings by the extremist group that it would be stepping up attacks against Egypt's Christians. The first blast occurred in the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in Tanta, and the second several hours later in Saint Mark's Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria. The bombings followed a similar recent blast in Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral in December that killed at least 25 and wounded dozens more, many of them women and children. ISIS claims responsibility for 2 bombings in Egypt that killed scores of churchgoers on Palm Sunday All three of the explosions produced gory imagery that was circulated heavily on social media, with some showing mutilated bodies scattered among shards of shattered church pews. Egypt's Christian minority makes up roughly 10 percent of the country's population, according to a recent estimate by the CIA. Many of them are Coptic Christians, a centuries-old sect, while others are Catholic or Anglican. Labib told ABC News that she is wrestling with whether to leave Egypt. "I love my country and was always critical of those who wanted to leave," she said. "My father has been wanting for us to leave for so long and we had the opportunity to move to the U.S., and I was the reason we didn't go." "But now i think that we only live once. Why should I waste my life in a place where I can't even pray?" Nancy Emad 26, a case worker with an international nongovernmental organization who heard the news of the church bombings on her way to mass Sunday in Cairo, told ABC News that she wrestles with whether to leave, but for different reasons. "With every attack I feel like I'm less of an Egyptian, but this is not what will make me leave the country," Emad said. "I can leave for better economic opportunities, but not because my safety or my spirituality is not guaranteed because I will pray whenever I want and wherever I want. No one gets to decide [that] for me." Egypt's Christians were largely supportive of the military overthrow of former President Mohammed Morsi and were vocally critical of his Sunni Musilim organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, with some concerned that their minority community may not be protected under Morsi's rule. On Sunday, some mulled whether the current government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is able to protect Christians. "I dont know if the state could have stopped this," Peter Salib, 23, a student, told ABC News. "Terrorism is unpredictable. For example, the suicide bombing in Alexandria happened on the street before he entered, how could they stop such things?" In the U.S., President Trump took to Twitter to condemn the attacks and voice confidence in el-Sisi, who has been criticized by human rights groups for curtailing civil and political liberties since he took power in 2014. "So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns," Trump tweeted. "I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly." The blasts came at the start of the Christian Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo also condemned both attacks in separate statements. "The U.S. Embassy condemns the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers at Saint Georges Church in Tanta on one of the holiest days of the Christian year," the Embassy wrote of the Tanta attack. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrific attack. We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. The United States stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism." "The United States stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," both statements said. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Boris Johnson the foreign minister consulted the American secretary of state, who advised him not to go to Moscow. Accordingly, The British foreign minister canceled the visit. This cancellation shows the subservient role of the British government to America. It's a sad commentary on a once Imperial power that ruled the world. The American bombing of Syria has crossed lines and can lead to war between Russia and the United States. This is not a far-fetched idea and Donald who once asked the silly question "if we have nuclear weapons why don't we use them?" is a dangerous man. The Russians have referred to this decision as "absurd". This news is reported by BBC Riding piggyback on America The United Kingdom is no longer the power it was. There was a time when the British ruled the entire world and the sun never set over the British Empire. Times have changed and Britain, devoid of colonies is a shadow of its old Imperial power. It is now beholden to the United States to make a mark in world politics. This is the reason that the British ride piggyback on uncle Sam. They thus went out of their way to support the American missile attack on Syria. Lackey of America? Boris Johnson, like a lackey of America, has gone one step further and canceled the visit as well as scheduled meetings with the Russian foreign minister. This was an excellent chance for the UK to play a bipartisan role and try and solve the problem. Unfortunately, the foreign minister has followed the American lead, though many in England have condemned the attack by Donald on the Syrian airfield. The attack was just about 5o% successful as only 23 of the 59 missiles hit the target. In addition, just a few hours after the bombing the Iraqi Air Force jets began operations again against the ISIS. Missing an opportunity Boris Johnson missed an excellent opportunity to make a mark for the UK. In the process, he has seriously jeopardized British security. One is reminded of a statement by Nikita Khrushchev who said that it would require just 5 H-bombs to wipe out England from the map of the world. The British must be aware that the acts of Donald can lead to a military exchange with Russia and in the exchange, the British would be hard put. He would be well advised to follow an Independent course and not tag along with America. Future The USA political apparatus is now dominated by generals who are looking for glory and a war with Russia. The British should be aware of the designs of the American generals. Donald Trump is an unpredictable man and not the best person to follow. Boris Johnson, by canceling his visit has missed an excellent opportunity to try and avert a war with Russia. A nuclear exchange where England is in the forefront is not in the best interest of the UK. England already has its hands full with homegrown radical Islamic terrorism and can ill afford to try to be the world's policeman along with uncle Sam. Seriously? Is the traditional Easter egg hunt in the UK under attack as a strange act of political correctness? In 2016 the event was named Easter egg Trail. This year it is being announced as the Great British Egg Hunt. So, where is "Easter"? Where has it gone? To The Washington Post, a church spokesperson said that church leaders are against this type of re-branding of an event which attracts more than 300.000 children at 250 sites which are owned by the National Trust. Finger-pointing is already ongoing as to who was responsible for removing the reference to Christian Easter. Who was it? The National Trust claims not to know who is responsible for this quite strange re-naming of the most important Christian event, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A spokesperson used an interview with the Telegraph to blame the fiasco on Cadburys board of directors. Spitting on Cadbury's grave? Prime Minister Theresa May told ITV that what the National Trust was doing would be "ridiculous." Archbishop Sentamu of York said Cadbury is insulting Christians and the company Cadbury by re-branding what is an old tradition because the companys founder, John Cadbury, was a devout Quaker who strongly recognized the Christian character of Easter. To "change" Easter would be like to spitting on the grave of John Cadbury," Sentamu told reporters. Cadbury built homes for his workers, "he built a church, he made provision for schools, Sentamu said. It is obvious that for him Jesus and justice were two sides of the one coin. Shocked! Reverend Agnetha who is Head of the Congregation for the Faith of the Christian Universal Life Church, one of the five largest online-churches with real life Bible groups in more than seventy countries, told journalists of CNA that she is deeply shocked by the idea to rename a Christian tradition in a western country. "Our faith is not a product that can be re-branded", she said. "From our Muslim friends, we hear a lot about them feeling insulted about certain issues. Honestly, now I am feeling insulted, my religious feelings hurt and my faith disrespected, I am shocked." The Reverend also explained that only those who have respect for their own culture can develop respect for other cultures. "Being a devout Christian does not mean to take away anything from someone else. It helps me to accept other traditions and religions. Only unity in diversity can there be a path to tolerance and liberty," Agnetha said. Until now, US President Donald Trump has taken Kim Jong-Uns threat of North Koreas reckless advanced nuclear weapons program, including missiles that could reach American ground, as a bluff. But now, hes sent the full force of the US Navy into Korean waters to keep a check on things. This will certainly ruffle Kims feathers and turn the heat up on the tensions between the United States and North Korea, which are already pretty hot, especially considering many people have taken Trumps 60-missile strike on Syria to be a warning to Kim at Pyongyang that he means business and this is what hes capable of. North Korea says Syria strike was intolerable aggression North Korea, in an official statement, denounced Trumps strike on Syria, branding it an act of intolerable aggression that justified their so-called reckless nuclear arms program against the US a million times over. US Pacific Commands spokesman, Commander Dave Benham, announced that the Command had ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group into the waters of North Korea, justifying it as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific. Commander Benham added that North Korea is still the number one threat in that region and surely the focus of this strike force. He listed the reasons for this threat as its missile-testing program, which he described as reckless, irresponsible, and destabilising, and its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. The strike team has rescheduled its port calls following the nuclear threats by Kim Jong-un and his cronies up in North Korea. They were original slated to make a stop in Australia, but now theyre going straight from Singapore to the reaches of the Western Pacific Ocean. Kim is determined to build a weapon capable of nuking America from his home turf This is mainly because Kim claims to be hell-bent on creating a missile capable of bringing a nuclear warhead all the way from safe on North Korean soil to a major US city. Hes thus far undergone five tests in trying to achieve this goal. Pictures taken from satellites seem to indicate hes preparing for a sixth missile test, and these will continue until hes able to bomb the sh*t out of Capitol Hill from his living room. In the meantime, while Kim is still in the development stages of his WMDs against America, Trumps top priority is not North Korea, but rather getting rid of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, according to the American Ambassador to the United Nations. Nikki Haley said that getting rid of him, getting rid of Iranian influence in Syria, and getting rid of Islamic State terrorists across the globe are Trumps top priorities. Haley told CNN there is no peaceful Syria led by Assad. Two EU institutions which will decide on the conditions of release of the UK from the EU announced the first draft negotiating directives. It is visible from those drafts that the British will not be allowed to negotiate. Negotiating directives They show that the British will not be allowed to negotiate the favorable future partnership with the EU before they commit to paying all the bills - and it's about the amount that reportedly reaches 60 billion - resulting from the commitments made when they were full members of the EU. On behalf of the European Council, the first draft negotiating positions were sent by a President of the Council Donald Tusk. The European Parliament, which co-decides on the conditions of Brexit, meaning that any outcome of the negotiations can be blocked by the "veto," leaked the first draft resolution, which should warn the British that the EP will not allow them to enjoy "similar benefits as they had as EU members," after leaving it. Brits are hoping that in these negotiations they can simultaneously negotiate the conditions of the release (including the payment of earlier commitments, for which the British negotiator David Davis does not believe it can be as high as 60 billion euros) and the future relationship of Great Britain as a non-with the rest of the EU. However, the European Council President Donald Tusk yesterday signaled that the British can not get what they want. Only when the negotiations reach sufficient progress on the withdrawal, then and only then we can discuss the framework for future relations -Tusk said yesterday. The priorities of the EU in negotiations with Britain The priority is to ensure that EU citizens who live, work or study in the UK will not be discriminated against, and to avoid a legal vacuum for the company because EU laws will not apply in the UK. Also, the United Kingdom must pay all financial obligations to which they committed while they were full members of the European Union and must find a solution to avoid raising the claim boundaries between Northern Ireland (UK) and Ireland. "Those who celebrate Brexit do not know what awaits them." - said Manfred Weber, the head of the group European People's Party (EPP) in Europarliament. He believes that this is a historical error for Britain, and hopes that Theresa May does not use Britain's unease after Brexit as a political weapon. The EU has on many occasions, he added, made concessions to the British, but now that is over. The Syrian chemical attacks have shaken the world with Assad being blamed for them. It is most likely that this is the case but with Russia backing the Syrian regime and the US launching airstrikes on them, the UK stance has little weight behind it. The UN have ordered an investigation into the attacks to discover what happened but there is little chance of finding anything because Assads regime is supported and sponsored by Russia. Boris Johnson has reacted by cancelling his visit to Moscow stating that it was his priority to bring about a ceasefire through international support adding we deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime." The UKs protest Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State, will visit Moscow after the G7 summit meetings on 10th-11th April. Johnson himself has said he has been in contact with the US and others to organise and coordinate support for an international ceasefire by working on bringing together like-minded people. But at this stage with the missile strikes already taking place by the US and the UK occupied by negotiations with the EU, the weight of the UKs opinion seems to be dwindling significantly. Boris Johnsons cancelling of the visit is seen as more of a protest stance rather than any form of meaningful tactic in terms of diplomacy. In response, the UK based Russian Embassy tweeted: .@BorisJohnson cancelled his visit to Moscow: theatrics for lack of argument? Safer in G7 pack? Listen to our soft power response: pic.twitter.com/PjSa5psT6p Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) April 8, 2017 The Russian Foreign Ministry believe the pretext used by Johnson is absurd. This reaction by the UK isnt seen as anything significant with Russia openly mocking Johnson. Donald Trump met with Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, for two days of talks starting on Thursday. Prior the meeting, tensions were high due to a series of Twitter attacks by the US president on his Chinese counterpart, including two years earlier when Xi visited the US. Trump criticised Obama for rolling out the red carpet whilst China raped American businesses and jobs. However, Trump greeted Xi and treated him to a candlelit steak dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Whilst they met and talked business, cooperation and friendship between the two super powers. Trump had ordered a cruise missile attack on Syria in response to the chemical weapons attack. Trumps reaction to prove beneficial? The attack itself will most likely to become beneficial for the US president because with him attacking Xi and China over their trade deficit with the US. But Xi has been aware that Chinas growth is greater than the USs and it is likely that they will overtake America as the world super power. One of the issues that has been heavily mentioned in the build-up to the summit with China, is the growing threat of North Koreas nuclear armament. There is a significant chance that Trumps reaction to the escalated crisis in Syria, with tensions between the US and Russia growing, could benefit him and his relationship with Xi and China. Whether this was a strategy or an accident remains to be seen. Trump has a record of pressing the red button on Twitter over something he dislikes but this is the first time when he has reacted this way in response to an issue such as this and it was chemical attacks that horribly maimed children that he said had crossed the line. President Xi was in agreement with Trump over the attack and the reaction by the US president could show that he is a strong leader. A developing friendship? The reaction over Syria could prove to have been a key point because recently Trump has stated that he would do something about North Korea, even if it were to be the US alone. With worries over what Kim Jong-Un is planning within the state after further missile tests by the secret state recently. Xi has expressed his concerns over their neighbours. But the Trump administration is deeply mistrusting in the Chinese and they are seen to be economic and business rivals rather than friends; Trump was unusually sedate when offering a handshake to the Chinese president after previous boisterous attempts with other world leaders, matched only by Canadas Justin Trudeau. Xi will be hoping that The Trump administration can help them tackle the problems with North Korea and whilst the talks looked cordial when in public but could have easily have been tense in private. Trump said afterwards I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away however, President Xi stated We have engaged in deeper understanding, and have built a trust further adding I believe we will keep developing in a stable way to form friendly relations. Delicate relationship This could be the beginning of a very interesting relationship between the two largest economies, however, Trump will have to be careful how he tweets in the future and what his administration do to hinder Chinese investment in America. The talks have only begun to repair the damage done by Trump and how he has reacted previously to China and at this stage remain delicate. With China open about their concern over North Koreas nuclear capabilities, they are still reluctant to do anything about their close allies and trade partner. Donald Trump has recently stated that the US would do something about it if China failed to act, this could have a significant bearing on the future relationship with China. The US has sent a strike group to the Korean peninsula, that consists of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser. But will this increase tensions between the secret state and the US? North Korea have recently tested a medium range missile and several nuclear tests, with more expected that could lead to the development of a nuclear warhead that could reach the US. North Korea could test an intercontinental missile despite it being banned under UN resolutions, however, they have frequently ignored these resolutions. An act of aggression? Following military exercises between the US and South Korea, the North Koreans have said they see this as preparation of an invasion. They also state that the move by the US to send a strike group is an "intolerable Act Of Aggression against a sovereign state. They also see this as a legitimate reason to bolster their own military forces. The dangers for the US are the citizens of the secret state because they are fed anti-western propaganda on a daily basis and this act could further legitimise Kim Jong-Uns power and ability to increase their military and nuclear capacity with little to no objections. China have been vocal in their concern of the nuclear programme but are reluctant to isolate their allies and trading partners. Trump has previously stated that if China wont do anything then the US will. The move by the US could strain the relationship with China after recent talks were successful but still highly sensitive. They do not want US military on their doorstep and this move could prove to be the undoing of any formal talks. Furthermore, North Korea will be watching in anticipation over how Donald Trump will react over Syria. Will he send forces into the region, swiftly changing US policy of supporting Assads regime, or will he just send a series of airstrikes? He might even work with the UN and other nations to find a peaceful solution and help create a ceasefire, however, this seems unlikely. The Little Mermaid gets three different adaptations. Its not a secret that Disney is famous for its live-action remakes. After the success of Beauty and the Beast, the studio announced that it will develop several reboots. It is already working on the remake of The Little Mermaid, but Disney is not alone in this race as Universal and Kingsway Productions will release their own versions of the movie. This means at least three The Little Mermaid movies are in the works. The Disney version After the tremendous success of Beauty and the Beast, Disney announced another live-action remake The Little Mermaid. The studio has teamed up with Conglomerate Media and Kingsway Productions for this project. Blake Harris has penned the script, and Chris Bouchard is the director. The cast includes William Moseley, Loreto Peralta, and Gina Gershon. The Disney version of The Little Mermaid is scheduled to be released this December. The studio says the new movie will have some exciting songs. The version of Kingsway Productions A few days ago, Kingsway Productions released the first teaser trailer of The Little Mermaid to create excitement among Hollywood fans. The trailer gives glimpses of the character of Claire Crosby. There are rumors that Sofia Coppola is directing this project, but nothing is confirmed. The studio says that another teaser trailer will be released by the end of this week. We feel that this version would make us forget about Cinderella, Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast. The cast includes Poppy Drayton, Shirley MacLaine, Gina Gershon, Loreto Peralta, and William Moseley. The story is about a young girl Elle, and her uncle Cam. According to The Daily Campus, Kingsway Productions will release the movie this October. The Universal version Just like Disney and Kingsway Productions, Universal has announced its classic The Little Mermaid. According to Sun Herald, Chloe Moretz plays the role of Ariel in this movie. She was previously in the news for her works in The Amityville Horror, and Kick Ass. This time, the actress is going to play a different character so fans have high expectations. The script is written by Richard Curtis, who already penned the stories of Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually. There are rumors that Sophia Coppola will direct this project, but the studio has not confirmed anything. Nothing is known about the plot of Universal's adaptation, but we assume that the movie will be better than the original cartoon. A majority of the Supreme Court has ruled that, despite the existence of no trespassing signs near an unobstructed driveway, police officers warrantless entry onto the defendants property was constitutionally permissible. This matter arose when two investigators went to a different residence after receiving information regarding a pseudoephedrine purchase. One of the individuals at that residence informed the officers that he had given the pills to the defendant, who lived next door and who was in the process of using them to produce methamphetamine. The officers then left that residence and drove down the defendants unobstructed driveway and walked up to his front porch. Upon smelling the odor of the manufacture of methamphetamine when the defendant opened his door, the officers requested consent to enter the residence. When the defendant denied consent, the officers forced entry and discovered an active methamphetamine lab, several inactive labs, various items commonly associated with methamphetamine manufacture, and several guns. Prior to trial, the defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence obtained as a result of the warrantless entry onto his property, claiming that, because he had posted No Trespassing signs near his driveway, the officers entry onto the property without a warrant violated both the United States and Tennessee Constitutions. The trial court denied the defendants motion to suppress. The defendant then proceeded to trial and was convicted by a jury of resisting arrest, promoting the manufacture of methamphetamine, initiating the manufacture of methamphetamine, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. The Supreme Court granted the defendants application for permission to appeal from the Court of Criminal Appeals decision affirming the trial court judgments in order to consider the legality of the police officers warrantless entry onto the defendants property. In the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins, the Court determined that the defendant failed to demonstrate that he had a reasonable expectation that ordinary citizens would not occasionally enter his property by walking or driving up his driveway and approaching his front door to talk with him for all the many reasons that people knock on front doors. Therefore, the Court held, the police officers warrantless entry did not violate the United States or Tennessee Constitutions. Justice Sharon G. Lee dissented from the Courts decision. She concluded that the police had no right to ignore the multiple No Trespassing signs Mr. Christensen posted at the entrance to his driveway and enter the area around his home without first getting a warrant. As a result, the search of Mr. Christensens home violated his rights under the United States and Tennessee Constitutions. Justice Lee wrote that citizens should not have to barricade their homes with a fence and a closed gate, perhaps even a locked gate, to protect their constitutional rights. In Justice Lees view, the ability to prevent the public, including the police, from entering ones home and the land around it should be available to all citizens. The scandal surrounding Donald Trump and his administration continues to dominate the news cycle, with the latest revelation finding that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had been acting as a foreign agent during the presidential campaign. In response to the news, two hosts on MSNBC didn't hold back their thoughts. MSNBC on Trump When Donald Trump pulled off the upset win over Hillary Clinton last November, it was only a matter of time before he decided on who would surround him in the White House. The selection of Michael Flynn raised eyebrows and caused instant backlash, putting even more pressure on the former host of "The Apprentice." After reports uncovered that Flynn had privately met with a Russian offical just a month after the election, tension grew and led to his resignation for not revealing the meeting to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The latest controversy surrounding Flynn is that he registered as a foreign agent during the campaign, and received over $500,000 to lobby for the Turkish government. While the White House denies any knowledge of Flynn's outside dealings, many in the media are pushing back. This issue was highlighted during the March 10 edition of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. "That man (Flynn) was a foreign agent of Turkey, who's been hostile towards U.S. interests for a good part of the Syrian war, and was getting paid at the same time he was delivering a speech trashing Hillary Clinton at the Republican National Convention," co-host Joe Scarborough pointed out. Fellow co-host, Mika Brzezinski, also chimed in, noting that Flynn ironically led the Clinton "lock her up" chant during his speech at the convention. "Donald Trump and all of his public comments have basically acted as if Michael Flynn was persecuted," Joe Scarborough said, referring to the issue as a "confusing situation." Scarborough then went after Mike Pence, who he believes is trying to use the latest scandal involving Flynn to "put a nice gloss and saying that vindicates the presidents decision to fire him." Scarborough continued, stating that if the White House is correct that they had no idea Flynn was a foreign agent, then it is "one of the most extraordinary failures of vetting Ive ever heard of." White House says Pres. Trump was unaware of Michael Flynn's foreign agent work before appointing him https://t.co/FVNaTThpEa pic.twitter.com/cpxW12NEZF CBS News (@CBSNews) March 10, 2017 Mika Brzezinski, who's increased her criticism of Donald Trump in recent days, also didn't hold back, saying, "They have made a joke of the entire transition process." "I dont say that with hysteria," she said, before noting that she simply is speaking out of a "deep sense of concern" due to the fact that "there are people who believe Trump from start to finish and hes not telling the truth." Moving forward Despite the growing evidence exposing the growing scandal in the White House, Donald Trump and his team continue to deny any wrongdoing, while labeling any negative allegations and reports against them as "fake news." Over the last week, the billionaire real estate mogul has attempted to deflect from the issues at hand by pushing unfounded conspiracy theories, with the latest claiming that former President Barack Obama ordered his Trump Tower offices to be wiretapped. Over the last 24 hours, even more fuel has been thrown on the fire of the scandal surrounding Michael Flynn. Not only has the former national security adviser been exposed for communicating with Russian officials, but it's now been confirmed that he had been hired as a foreign agent during the presidential campaign. Spicer of Flynn When the news broke that Michael Flynn had registered with the Department of Justice as a foreign agent, it was uncovered that he received over $500,000 to lobby on behalf of the Turkish government. The news comes less than a month after Flynn for forced to resign as National Security Adviser due to his alleged illegal communication with the Russians only weeks after Election Day. On Thursday night, Vice President Mike Pence was visibly frustrated over the story during an interview on Fox News. When the issue was brought up during the March 10 press briefing with Sean Spicer, it was apparent that the White House was not sure how to handle the news. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer held a press briefing at the White House on Friday, and it quickly turned into a near shouting match when the aforementioned scandal over Michael Flynn was brought up. "This is an issue of judgement over who you guys want in your administration," New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush said to Spicer, while asking about "red flags" involving Flynn. While he was describing the issue involving Flynn, and Mike Pence's reaction, Spicer was quick to cut in. "No...no...no. Before you accuse the vice president of certain things. What he said was that he was not aware of the filing," Spicer said with frustration. "What does this say about the transition teams judgement?" Glenn Thrush asked. "You're asking me forget about the legalisms," Sean Spicer stated, before adding, "Thats what we did!" The two continued to go back and forth over the issue, until Spicer deflected to the next question. Things Get Heated as Reporters Grill Spicer Over Trumps Knowledge of Flynn Being a Foreign Agent https://t.co/Rn6gOl2dFy (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/FjpfiLc7t8 Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 10, 2017 Moving forward As Donald Trump and his administration continue to push back at allegations that the White House is linked to Russia, the media doesn't appear willing to stop digging. Trump has continued to deny any involvement with the Kremlin, and is taking in active role in changing the tune, most recently accusing Barack Obama of wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower, despite not providing any evidence to back up the claim. The United States navy on orders from President Donald Trump launched 59 cruise missiles against a Syrian airfield. The reason given was that the recent nerve attack had originated from this airfield. There is no proof and Syria has denied it. The Russians incensed at the US attack called a Special Session of the Security Council. The Bolivian representative and ambassador to the United Nations Sacha Llorente took the floor and castigated the American action. Llorente in a speech condemned the unilateral action of Donald Trump. He described the action " an extremely serious violation of international law." This is reported by Al Jazeera News Bolivian ambassadors address The Bolivian ambassador made a telling point when he reminded the gathering of the actions of Colin Powel the then US secretary of state who had on 5 February 2003 outdone himself in speaking lies. He showed the members present a photo of Colin Powel with a model of Anthrax. In reality, as proved later there were no WMD with Saddam. This was an act to give the US a chance to attack Saddam and oust him from power. He was hanged later. There is some truth in the assertions of the Bolivian rep to the UN. Much earlier in 1964, President Johnson had engineered the Tonkin Gulf incident to convince the US masses that bombing North Vietnam was essential. Twenty years later the Tonkin Gulf incident was proved as a fake. Omfg. Bolivia, who called today's Syria meeting at the UN, holds up Colin Powell's 2003 picture, saying to remember that ISIS was the result pic.twitter.com/dRxKoSEYlH Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) April 7, 2017 Hitler's adage Hitler and Dr. Goebbles perfected the adage that a lie repeated 100 times becomes a truth. The US, unfortunately, has done this a number of times. The Bolivian rep went on to add "I believe that we must absolutely remember these pictures and that we were told that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and this was the motivation for the invasion. After the invasion, there were 1 million deaths and it launched a series of atrocities in the region." Trump and nuclear option The Bolivian attack on the US has been appreciated by many. There are demonstrations against the action of Trump in America itself and many prominent men and women who had supported Trump have gone against him. There is no support from India the other big player and China also is silent. One wonders what Trump achieved, except derailing the war on the ISIS and setting the stage for a clash with Russia. One remembers the chilling words of Trump during the election campaign "If we have nuclear weapons why don't we use them?" When playing the slots, beware. Make sure you are the only person to push that button or pull that arm as you might just lose out on that fabulous jackpot. This is a lesson learned by gambler Jan Flato, 66, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Fort Lauderdale back in January this year. It turns out he still hasnt gotten over it. Friend pushes button on the slot machine for luck According to The New York Post, Flato played $50 on a video poker Slot Machine with the hope of winning the jackpot of $100,000. He would have, too, if not for his friend, Marina Navarro, 35. Navarro reportedly pushed the button for luck and suddenly the machine lit up like a Christmas tree. The Florida man was naturally thrilled to see on the pay line of the slot machine that he had just won $100,000, but things were not as they seemed. As reported by Fox News, managers at the casino then analyzed the video of the win, only to find that Navarro was the one who pushed the winning button and, according to the casino rules, that made her the winner, not Flato, the poor guy who fed the machine in question. Reportedly all Gary Bitner would say on behalf of the casino was that when it comes to gambling, its the person who pulls the arm or pushes that button on the slot machine, that is entitled to the jackpot. Man denied $100,000 jackpot because woman pushed the button: Law in Florida one who pushes the button gets the loot https://t.co/fEzTcRjIFm The Domains (@thedomains) April 6, 2017 Gambler loses money and a friend In the process Flato has not only lost the cash he fed into that slot machine (and the jackpot), hes also lost a good friend. He says apart from a couple text messages he hasnt heard from her since she walked out of the casino with the jackpot in hand. In fact, Navarro reportedly asked armed security to watch Flato as she left with her winnings. According to Flato, he asked her what she was doing and she just stood up and walked out of the casino. He added that some weeks later Navarro sent him a text message asking him if he still hates her. He says he responded, asking how she could do that to him and she came back with the words, I miss you. As for Navarro, she says her gambling pal got angry when he found out she was getting the jackpot, not him. She said he suddenly went ballistic and began screaming at her in front of everyone in the room. Reportedly another text message from Flato to Navarro was not in the least bit friendly, when he told her that having him as an enemy is not a good thing. As reported by 7News Miami, he then followed this up by texting that they would both see who made a big mistake, and it wouldnt be him. She went on to add that she offered Flato a portion of her winnings, but after receiving those texts she took back the offer. I tell you what..... Shovels....gloves....trash bags. https://t.co/vy1TY3LZRb Ayatollah P (@mrflorida) April 8, 2017 As for Flato, he is still angry about the incident, but is passing on a message of wisdom to any other slot players out there. He says, whatever you do, dont let anyone else touch that button. Dont even ask someone to touch something for luck in the casino because you could be the one to lose out. It was happy families in the Trump administration last week when #Ivanka Trump's children, Arabella and Jospeh, were formally or perhaps not so formally presented to the #Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan at Mar-A-Lago. President Trump was meeting the Chinese powerbroker for the first time and they had a pleasing conversation, and many predict this could be the start of a warm friendship if not on trade then in person. The children meet the Chinese President On Twitter the next day, Trump posted footage of his grandchildren meeting the Chinese royalty, and also talked about the successful meeting. The President wrote that goodwill and friendship was formed, but that it would take time to see if the countries agreed on a satisfactory trade agreement. It was seen as one of the high points of #presidency so far, with its 37 percent ratings and rumors of in-fighting within the Oval Office. And so, back in Washington DC it certainly wasn't happy families between Donald Trump's team of aides and advisors. Word in the Oval Office is that #Stephen Bannon and #Jared Kushner are constantly competing against each other, with leaked stories and revealing off-source quotes to the press that condemn each other or reveal information about the other. Their antipathy has been such an issue that on Thursday as Trump sought clarity on his Syrian strike issue, a highly stressful decision which was ordered just an hour after the Chinese meeting, the President addressed the fractiousness between the two parties. Speaking to his two top aids, #Stephen Bannon and #Reince Priebus, who comprise one side of the conflict, the President told them he was sick of their fighting and their backstabbing against #Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, as well as economic adviser Gary Cohn. Trump was particularly miffed since a lot of this infighting reaches the media. As reported in the New York Times, Trump told them to work it out, as two White House employees revealed. Democrats in Republicans territory Kushner and Gary Cohn, a Wall Street executive as well as a Democrat, have a far different set of beliefs and ideologies from Bannon, who is more right wing and sees himself as the keeper of the #Trump campaign promises and statements. The President is aware of the rift and that it will take hard work and a certain loss of ego to repair the increasing fracture. He is even considering shaking up his staff position and rearranging his inner team, this according the four sources who spoke to the New York Times. In the last few weeks the President has been deciding his course of action with a staff rearrangement in the Oval Office. Indeed he is used to working amidst competing teams of people who all vie for his good graces and his attention, as was evidenced on his television show #The Apprentice that he starred in for many years. Donald Trump thrives in chaos and works in a swift and impromptu manner, changing his mind and taking an almost erratic approach to issues. This sort of management style can confuse and overwhelm his staff, who are all then left to scramble trying to re-orientate themselves in order to thrive. The past week has seen high level decisions and a departure from the security council for Stephen Bannon. There were many other events that made the last week a memorable one: Trump's pick for the #Supreme Court was confirmed, he hosted multiple foreign leaders and also made a decisive military action against Syria as well. His aides have said that it was one of the #best weeks of his presidency, and yet he is tired of reading about his staff bickering with each other and so he fired out a warning shot that things would change under his hand if the staff themselves didn't make those changes themselves. As bethenny frankel prepares for next month's premiere of "The Real Housewives of New York City," rumors are swirling in regard to her love life. Although fans may have to wait for the premiere of the show to learn what is really going on between Frankel and any potential partners, actor Eric Stonestreet has revealed that he is not dating the reality star. During an appearance on "The View" days ago, which was shot in Disney World, Stonestreet was questioned about his relationship with Frankel. In turn, he explained that he had met the Skinnygirl mogul at a party and remained friends ever since. He also applauded Frankel as a "force" and said she is really sweet and caring. Bethenny Frankel weighs in on Twitter After quoting the story and sharing it with her fans on Twitter, Bethenny Frankel explained, "He's available & phenomenal & sometimes lets me tag along as his +1 at fab parties." She also added the hash tag, "Catch." Is Bethenny Frankel dating or engaged to Dennis Shields? Following her split from former husband Jason Hoppy, Bethenny Frankel was linked to a few men, including Eric Stonestreet, Michael "Mac" Cerussi, Marcus Lemonis and Warren Lichenstein. Then, months ago, after Frankel debuted a massive diamond ring, rumors began swirling in regard to a possible engagement to Dennis Shields. Following the speculation into Frankel's possible engagement, news of her relationship with Shields and how it began hit the web. As a People Magazine report revealed at the time, Frankel and Shields have known one another for 25 years and began dating after he split from his former wife. We have a lot of friends in common, and weve been friends for years... Weve both been married and separated, so were a perfect match," Frankel explained to the magazine, citing her divorce from Jason Hoppy. "Like everything else in my life, Im owning it." For more of Bethenny Frankel and her co-stars, tune in to "The Real Housewives of New York City" season nine premiere on Wednesday, April 5, at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV. Has Farrah Abraham gone wild? Years after the release of the "Teen Mom OG" star's sex tape, which nearly got her booted from the MTV reality series, a report claims she may be boozing heavily -- and using prescription pills. On March 10, Radar Online claimed a recent blind item shared by Crazy Days and Nights was written in regard to Abraham's latest antics. The drinking of this 'Teen Mom' is out of control, the blind item explained. Combine that with some pills she was prescribed and her already notorious temper and she was a walking train wreck. Farrah Abraham's name wasn't mentioned in the report but Radar Online insisted that the story was revealed to be about her. In addition, the outlet claimed the reality star has gained around 20 pounds and recently screamed at a fan who pointed it her alleged weight gain. Farrah Abraham is ignoring the report While the "Teen Mom OG" star has refused to comment on the blind item shared against her, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Simon Saran, was reached for a comment and didn't deny the story. Instead, he told Radar Online that he was not sure if he could address the topic. Farrah Abraham's co-stars have a history of drug abuse Although Abraham, 25, doesnt have a history of abusing drugs, the same cant be said for her co-stars. As Radar Online noted, Amber Portwood, who was recently involved in a dramatic fight with Abraham and Saran at a taping of a "Teen Mom OG" reunion special, admitted to struggling with an addition to substances years ago and chose to embark on a 5-year prison stint instead of entering a treatment program to conquer her addiction. Leah Messer of MTV's "Teen Mom 2" also struggled with a rumored drug addiction, which she denied, and spent 30 days at a rehab center in Arizona in May 2015. Farrah Abraham and her co-stars, including Amber Portwood, Maci Bookout and Catelynn Lowell, are expected to return to MTV later this year in a new season of "Teen Mom OG." So far, a premiere date has not yet been announced. Victor Newman has been in the dog house on "The Young and the Restless" many times over the decades. He has so alienated his family that at one point they all testified against him and Victor went to prison. "The Young and the Restless" writers always come up with a plot where Mr. Newman endears himself to his loved ones, they forgive each other and move on. This time however, redemption and forgiveness may not be an option. In yesterday's episode, Victor's son Nick finds out something that makes everything else pale in comparison. Seek and ye shall find Chloe is the one who has been on Nick's radar. He began to suspect that she had not truly forgiven his half-brother for the death of her daughter Delia. He traced her cell phone records, put a tracking device on her vehicle, and found evidence that she was responsible for Adam's demise. Yesterday as Nick was driving, he spots Chloe and once again follows her. She ends up at the air strip where the Newman jet is waiting. Nick has been seeking and now he was about to find out something he did not bargain for. He wanted the truth, but will he be able to handle it? Chloe is pacing back and forth, as if waiting on someone. It's dark and foggy, but through the midst, Nick sees a tall man walk out of the shadows, and begin a conversation with Chloe. It's none other than his father Victor Newman. He and Chloe go inside a building on the property, and the episode ends. The sins of the father A preview for Monday's show has Nick Newman in the building, listening to the conversation between the accomplices. He overhears Chloe telling half the story. She tells Victor that she must flee because Chelsea found out that the two of them set Adam up for murder. In that moment, will Nick put it all together, or will he be in shock that his father is in cahoots with the woman who murdered his son and Nick's half-brother in cold blood? "Young and the Restless" fans know that eventually, the entire truth will come out, and this is when the sins of Victor Newman will catch up with him yet again. In addition to Nick, Adam was also the half-brother of Abbey and Victoria Newman. He once was married to Sharon, who is also the ex wife of Nicholas. There is his widow Chelsea, and Nikki, his stepmom. These family members will be devastated. Not to mention the glee that will come to Victor's nemesis Jack Abbott when he realizes "the moustache" has done it again. Practically the entire town of Genoa City are connected by blood, marriage or business associations. So this reveal will be far reaching. This will no doubt put a strain on his marriage, and be the one sin that Victor cannot atone for with anyone in town. The summit meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Floridas Mar-a-Lago resort concluded without announcement of any major breakthrough with regard to the two burning issues pertaining to North Korea and trade. On the return journey to Beijing, the Boeing 747 plane had to make a stopover at Anchorage for refueling and Xi Jinping decided to use that opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of Alaska and meet Gov. Bill Walker. Fox News reports that Alaskas Gov. Bill Walker, his wife and several dignitaries were at the airport to receive Xi Jinping, his wife and the Chinese delegation. The visit was kept a closely guarded secret till the last minute. There was a fleet of SUVs, limos and other vehicles at the airport to take the visitors on a sightseeing tour that included a stop at Beluga Point to enjoy its scenic beauty. The waters here are home to the endangered Beluga whale. The importance of the meeting Bill Walker was keen to apprise Xi Jinping about various opportunities to develop the resources of Alaska. These are in the fields of oil and gas, tourism, fish, air cargo and industries related to mineral. Walker was confident that he could convince the Chinese President about investments in Alaska. These would not let down the investors but would pay rich dividends. Incidentally, China is a major export market for Alaska. As per U.S. Census Bureau, China had bought goods worth nearly $1.2 billion in 2016. Other markets for Alaska were in Japan (nearly $820 million) and South Korea ($730 million). Fish accounted for 58 percent of exports of Alaska and the varieties are frozen cod and flat fish like halibut apart from frozen salmon and pollock. Exports in other fields were of minerals and ores (approximately 27 percent). How will Alaska gain? Alaska is a natural stopover for world leaders because the airlines use it as a refueling stop. In the opinion of Chris Hladick, the commissioner of the state's Commerce department, the visit by Xi Jinping and the Chinese delegation was a great opportunity that comes very seldom. China was the largest trade partner of Alaska and a face to face meeting always has advantages because it helps to bridge the gaps. He feels that China is a potential market for the coal of Alaska. In a world where competition is tough and intense, every little bit helps. If Bill Walker is able to get China to invest in Alaska, it will benefit both the countries in the long run. At least 15 civilians were killed on Saturday in air strikes of the international coalition in the strongholds of jihadist's so-called Islamic state, announced the Syrian NGO. Aircraft-led coalition targeted the village Hneida near Raqqa, a city that is a mainstay of IS in Syria, announced the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Among the victims were four children, says Sohr, which collects data from a wide network of sources in Syria. "Seventeen people were killed and 12 were injured and the building was completely destroyed," said Mohammed al-Adzeili and added that "the number of victims could grow because some of the injured are in critical condition." Coalition forces began an offensive in November to Raqqa, a city, that is the capital of IS since the jihadist organization started to win in 2014 and occupied large parts of Syria and Iraq . Attack on the city that suffered the chemical attack Sohr reports that the attack was performed with unidentified fighter jets, wounding other civilians in that city, and killing at least one woman. That town is in the hands of rebels. In the beginning of this week, the city carried out a Chemical Attack with more than 80 dead, including thirty children. The United States retaliated with cruise missiles against the Syrian army which is considered responsible for the use of chemical poisons. The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejects such accusations and claims that the poison is not and will never be used. A US military officer announced this Friday that the US soldiers believe that the Syrian regime had "help" in the chemical attack, but did not explicitly accuse Russia, the main ally of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Iran accusing Trump Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused the United States President Donald Trump of helping the "terrorist" groups in Syria, in a speech broadcasted on Iranian state television. "The gentleman who took power in the US reportedly wanted to fight against terrorism, but today all the terrorist groups in Syria celebrated after a US attack," said Rohani not directly naming president Trump. "If you were telling the truth, why is your first action helping terrorists? Why attack the Syrian army in the war against terrorists?" Rohani asked. Iran financially and militarily supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but on Friday condemned the US attack on the air base. Did You Miss Chance The Rapper's Magnificent Coloring World 2? It Might Go To Netflix By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 9, 2017 1:07PM Chance the Rapper performing at Magnificent Coloring Day / Photo: Tyler LaRiviere From reclaiming scalped tickets to leading fans to the voting polls to, you know, giving a million dollars to Chicago Public Schools, Chance the Rapper looks out for his people in Chicago. So fans lucky enough to land a ticket to the Chatham-native rappers Magnificent Coloring Day 2 knew to expect something special, even as they had no idea what to exactly expect. Judging from the torrent of elated, best-musical-experience-ever reaction, they got it. Meanwhile, Chance is keeping a very tight lid on what exactly went down at MCW2. Attendees were bused throughout the day from a pickup point at a North Side elementary school to an undisclosed location, where, according to social media chatter, their phones were held before entering. First rule of #MCW2: you don't talk about MCW2 Second rule of MCW2: YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT MCW2 Kle Shay (@theKleShay) April 8, 2017 It was even more shrouded in mystery than last years hush-hush debutwhich turned out to be an elaborate funhouse/listening party, complete with candy, a bounce house, dancing and coloring. But we get the feeling that those who missed MCW2 in the flesh will yet get the opportunity to experience it, at least secondhand. Rumors that the secret (maybe?) performance will be headed to Netflixprompted by a Chance tweet earlier in the weekonly intensified by the end of Saturday. (Netflix hasn't confirmed anything publicly and did not return a request for comment.) I'm praying that I could get just one person from @netflix to come to Chicago for the next two days Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) April 6, 2017 After a few days of social-media hint-dropping, Chance announced the sequel on Thursday, tweeting that he was only sending invites to the folks who know all the words. (Well let you speculate how that might tie in.) The next morning, a small subset of fans, comprising Chances most rabid Soundcloud listeners, landed their invitation. The 0.001% represents Chance's top fans on SoundCloud who live in the Chicago area, based on a combination of engagement metrics such as listening, likes, reposts and shares on SoundCloud, a rep told Pitchfork. A small portion of remaining reservations was snatched up virtually instantly. A woman from the Philippines became the first person to receive a residence permit designed for foreigners providing housekeeping service in Shanghai's Pudong district, which houses more than 300 Fortune 500 companies and is home to the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Liu Chen, a Chinese American and president of Shanghai Affinity Biopharmaceutical Co Ltd based in Shanghai Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone in Pudong, applied for the one-year residence permit for the housemaid he hired on March 14 and she obtained the permit on Mar 31. "He had worked for many years in Hong Kong, where the housemaid worked for his family. So he felt delighted that the family could bring her along to Shanghai thanks to the new policy," said Chen Lijun, deputy director of the exit-entry administration office under Pudong district police. Statistics from the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau show more than 20 foreign housemaids have received such residence permits in Shanghai, but this is the first case police have made public. She is the first in the Pudong district. The permission for foreign housemaids is one of the measures Shanghai has unveiled since July 2015 to attract talented foreigners as it tries to build itself into a global technological innovation hub by 2030. In the 2015 measures, high-level professionals with permanent resident permits or work permits can apply for a residence permit for their foreign housemaid with materials including an employment contract, financial support statement, personal insurance and health certificate. In December, the policies were eased further. High-level experts from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are eligible to file an application for a housemaid, and the application is open to all foreign experts with a master's degree or above, or those employed by an enterprise in Zhangjiang or the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, institutions of higher education or scientific research, or those whose professional areas are listed by the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau as being helpful to the city's progress in scientific and technological innovation. Each qualified foreign expert can employ one housemaid, who can enter China either with a tourist visa and go to local exit-entry administration office for a residence permit or apply for such a permit at Shanghai's port of entry, Chen said. From left: Charles Foster, Chase Untermeyer and Neil Bush discuss US-China relations in Houston at the 10th National Chinese Language Conference on April 7. MAY ZHOU / CHINA DAILY When US President Donald Trump's granddaughter was singing the Chinese folk song Jasmine to President Xi Jinping and his wife in Florida, children from Houston area schools were reciting ancient Chinese poems and showcasing costumes of different Chinese ethnic groups at the 10th National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC). On Friday, while Xi and Trump were talking about the future of China-US relations, Houston leaders gathered at NCLC to review how local figures have impacted the development of the bilateral relationship since former US president George H. W. Bush was an envoy to China in 1974. Businessman Neil Bush recalled what China was like when he went there in 1975 as a 21-year-old student. "It's amazing for me to see China over the last 40 years evolving into the giant power it's becoming," Bush said. He added that it's equally amazing to walk into a local hotel and see the hundreds of China-born young people who are now in the US participating in the education system, providing bridges for the powerful ties. Chase Untermeyer, former US ambassador to Qatar who served as presidential personnel director in the Bush administration, recalled how the friendship between the senior Bush and Yang Jiechi, then director of China's Foreign Affairs Leading Group Office, began during Bush's trip to Tibet before returning to the US in 1975, how it developed, and how it positively impacted US-China relations later on, even in the most difficulty times. Charles Foster recalled the historical moment he witnessed when Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping put on the giant cowboy hat in 1976 in a small town outside of Houston, and how personal friendship between Bush and Yang resulted in former Chinese president Jiang Zemin's visit to Houston in 2002. While celebrating how far US-China relations have come, Untermeyer said that the challenge of the 21st century in terms of diplomacy is to maintain that relationship. Untermeyer said that the conversation between Xi and Trump in Florida allows the leaders to get the measure of each other, to speak frankly, even bluntly: "Yes, words might get heated, just as people who are genuine friends and partners do. At that I am optimistic." mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com The April 4 chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed many civilians, including children, was an atrocity that shocked the world. Many United Nations members, China included, have called for an independent investigation into who the perpetrator was. But before such an investigation could be carried out, the White House quickly decided by itself that it was the Syrian government army that carried out the attack. On Thursday night, US President Donald Trump ordered the launch of 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Syrian Sharat air force base. While destroying military jets, an air defense system and other logistics facilities, the bombing killed and injured a number of civilians, the governor of Homs told the news media. The bombing has received widespread support from US politicians, including many Democrats. Many also wondered about Trump's U-turn in his views on the Syria issue. In a tweet, Ian Bremmer, a US political scientist and president of the Eurasia Group, called the attack the most popular action Trump has taken to date as president with the US political establishment. Protests also erupted in at least a dozen US cities on Friday afternoon. I witnessed angry protesters outside the White House condemning the US airstrike and deploring the mess it has made in the Middle East, such as in Iraq and Libya. Some cited the March 17 US coalition air strike in Iraq's western Mosul, which resulted in the deaths of as many as 200 civilians. After Thursday's airstrike, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged restraint to avoid any escalation of the situation in Syria. UN members are sharply divided on the issue. While most US allies in NATO have voiced support, the diverse views of the international community are largely missing in mainstream US news media. Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the UN, said at an emergency Security Council meeting on Friday morning that China always stands for dialogue in resolving international conflicts, and all parties must ensure that the situation does not further deteriorate. He called on people to support the UN as the main mediation channel. "Military means will not work," he said. Mounzer Mounzer, Syria's deputy ambassador to the UN, called the US strike a "barbaric, flagrant act of aggression" that will embolden "terrorist groups" to use chemical weapons in the future. He stressed that the Syrian government doesn't possess chemical weapons and isn't responsible for Tuesday's attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Russia called the US airstrike as "aggression" that can only strengthen terrorist groups such as ISIS. In the Friday meeting, Vladimir Safronkov, Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, traded heated words with his US counterpart Nikki Haley. He criticized the US action and double standards used on the Syrian government, the US and US allies. Sacha Llorenti, the Bolivian ambassador to the UN, was among the most outspoken on Friday. He held an enlarged photo of Colin Powell, then-US secretary of state, making a case for a war on Iraq in a 2003 presentation at the UN. Powell's argument was later proven to be based on false evidence. "I believe it's vital for us to remember what history teaches us, and on this occasion (in 2003), the United States did affirm, they affirmed that they had all the proof necessary to show that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction but they were never found never were they found," Llorenti told the UN meeting on Friday. Olof Skoog, Sweden's ambassador to the UN, also said the US missile strike "raises questions of compatibility with international law". Most mainstream US news outlets and pundits, as they did in 2003, ahead of the US invasion of Iraq to deprive Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction, have not questioned whether the chemical weapons attack was indeed conducted by the Syrian army or by other groups. The only question raised was whether it was legal for Trump to order the attack in terms of international and domestic law. Of the five Brookings Institution scholars who posted comments on the airstrike on Friday, only one, Chuck Call, raised the issue of legality, saying "the act reflects a disregard for multilateral organizations and approaches, and its international legal basis remains unclear". Charlie Savage of The New York Times was among the few US journalists to delve into the legality issue. His lengthy article on Friday called the airstrike into question under both international and domestic laws. But such voices are quite subdued in the US, unlike the UN Security Council session on Friday. Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com They spent millions on luxury houses and high-priced cars. And millions more for vacant lots. On one lot, signs in Chinese and English posted on a chain-link fence that surrounds it read: "retail shops for lease" and "partnerships welcome". The houses, the cars, the vacant lots and more are part of what authorities described as an alleged $50 million EB-5 visa fraud, which involves three of China's most-wanted fugitives accused of bribery and other crimes. On April 5, Federal agents raided several locations in the greater Los Angeles area. They searched the office of the California Investment Immigration Fund (CIIF) in San Gabriel, a home in Arcadia, a townhouse in El Monte and a Porsche SUV of the suspects. They sized computers, financial documents and other records for evidence of the alleged fraud. No arrests were made, and Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the US attorney's office of the Central District of California, said on April 6 that no charges had been filed against the suspects at this point. They could face charges of visa fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the federal government. Victoria Chan, an attorney, and Tat Chan, her foreign national father, persuaded more than 100 Chinese nationals to invest a total of $50 million with CIIF and related companies since establishing the business in 2008, according to a search warrant unsealed by the US District Court for the Central District. The court document also named another suspect, Fang Zeng, the father's female companion and a Chinese national. The federal EB-5 visa program requires applicants to make an investment of at least $1 million (or $500,000 in an area designated as rural or high-unemployment) and create or preserve at least 10 jobs for US workers in exchange of the US permanent residency, or "green card". However, instead of legitimately investing the funds into US businesses, the trio either refunded the funds to the EB-5 investors while their petitions were pending in a way to solicit investors, or stole millions of dollars to use for personal expenditures, including buying million-dollar houses, according to a 113-page affidavit filed in support of the search warrants. The investigators found no construction took place at any of the proposed project locations and very few actual full-time American jobs were created. As a result of the fraud scheme, many Chinese nationals obtained US green cards through EB-5 program improperly, said the affidavit. Among Chan's clients were at least three fugitives on China's 100 most-wanted list, charged with crimes like bribery. They were able to obtain green cards based on false information. Xu Jin, listed as No 13 on the list, was director of the Development and Reform Commission in Wuhan, Hubei province. In China, he is accused of "embezzlement, accepting bribes, abuse of power" and faces a maximum punishment of death. His wife, Liu Fang, listed No. 66 on the list, was the deputy director of the Hubei branch of China Life Insurance Company. She is accused of "accepting bribes" and also faces the maximum punishment of death. Another fugitive, "K. L.", as named in the affidavit, used the same purported "new" American employees that were used by Liu Fang in her EB-5 petition. The EB-5 program, which was begun in 1990, has become popular in the last decade. More than 14,000 foreigners applied to make investments in the US through the program in the fiscal year ended Sept 30, 2016, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Most of the visas go to Chinese investors. EB-5 is scheduled to expire on April 28, and Congress is debating whether to keep the program or reauthorize it and make changes to satisfy critics. One lawmaker who wants to end the program is Senators Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. Earlier this year she and Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said in a joint statement: "The EB-5 program is inherently flawed. It says that US citizenship is for sale. It is wrong to have a special pathway to citizenship for the wealthy while millions wait in line for visas." liazhu@chinadailyusa.com 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. Around 50 expats living in Beijing, including diplomats, chamber of commerce personnel, foreign journalists and students, attended a Peking Opera salon staged by the Fenglei (Wind and Thunder) Opera Troupe on April 8, 2017 to get a taste of traditional Chinese opera culture. Expats watch a Peking Opera performance at the Fenglei Peking Opera House in Beijing on April 8, 2017. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn] It was the latest in a series of activities entitled "Beijing Salon Experiencing Beijing" organized by the Beijing Foreign Cultural Exchange Center to give foreigners living in the capital hands-on experiences of the city's charming and unique culture. As the second Peking Opera salon in the series, this one focused on the facial makeup of Peking Opera whereas the previous one, two years ago, focused on the costumes. Song Yan, head of the Fenglei Peking Opera House, told the expats that one possible origin of facial makeup in Peking Opera was the Prince of Lanling of the ancient Kingdom of Qi. "Brave and fierce as he was, he looked quite gentle as a man. So, he painted his face with formidable colors to look daunting to his enemies in battle," explained Song, who is a national-level Peking Opera performer. The facial makeup is an essential part of Peking Opera; different coloring signifies different characters and personalities. Red denotes uprightness and loyalty, white represents evil and craftiness, black is given to characters of sound integrity and gold stands for deities. The expats watched highlights from three operas before they got the chance to paint their own faces and perform on stage following instructions from professional performers. This was the first-ever hands-on experience with Peking Opera for most of the foreigners although some had previously attended some performances, especially since coming to live in Beijing. While Peking Opera, among other traditional Chinese operas, is losing its charm for many Chinese due to the influence of Western culture and the development of Chinese pop culture, it continues to be regarded as a quintessential representation of the real Chinese art by many foreigners. Terho Rajala, counselor at the Finnish embassy in Beijing, said he was fascinated by Peking Operas, including the singing style and the storylines. However, he also addressed concern that, in general, foreigners could not understand the lyrics without a subtitle prompter, which usually did not function properly. Apart from Peking Operas, many expats attending the event said they also knew about Sichuan Opera, mainly for the face-changing tricks unique to the genre. HA NOI Sixty-one foreign-invested enterprises, along with 100 local firms which have high growth rates and provided superior products and services favoured by consumers, received the Golden Dragon Award and Vietnamese Excellent Brands on Saturday in Ha Noi. Initiated in 2001, the awards seek to honour businesses for in their operation and contributions to the economy. In addition, the firms were recognised for actions taken to protect the environment, as well as ensuring the rights of labourers. The organising board said that this year, enterprises which have been in the lead in putting in place policies called for in the fourth industrial revolution, were also honoured. These companies have made great efforts to overcome the difficulties caused by economic crises in the region and the world. They also have strategic plans to improve their competitiveness, while remaining active in international integration. Several well-known names were honoured with Golden Dragon Awards, such as Samsung, Deloitte Viet Nam, Unilever and Honda. Others were awarded the Vietnamese Excellent Brands, including VietinBank, VinGroup, Viettel, Vietcombank, Viettel and Vinamilk. Nguyen Khac Trinh, deputy director of Phuong Linh Company, said a strong brand name has been the precondition for business development amidst international integration. Companies should have new thoughts and technologies, if they want to have a strong brand name, Trinh said, adding that companied need to update their machinery to improve the quality of their products, while reducing their costs to consumers. The annual prize is sponsored by the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency, and the Viet Nam Economic Times, to honour contributions to the nations economy by Vietnamese businesses. This is the 16th consecutive year the awards have been handed out. VNS HA NOI Rent-A-Port Green Energy on Saturday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop wind and solar driven micro desalination, in a bid to solve the problems of salt water harming rice fields in the Mekong Delta region. The agreement was signed with officials from Viet Nams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Rent-A-Port Green Energy is 100 per cent owned by Rent-A-Port NV, a Belgium engineering and investment company, specialising in the development of marine infrastructures and industrial zones. Through its shareholders, Rent-A-Port can fall back on a wealth of in-house experience in the analysis, design, construction, development and management of port, logistics and marine infrastructures, green energy as well as industrial zones worldwide. Under the agreement, the Belgian firm and MARD will set up five demonstration wind-powered water desalination plants, with a total investment of US$15 million, which are capable of providing fresh water for at least 200 hectares of rice fields in five locations across the Mekong Delta region. Each plant consists of two water production units, with a combined peak capacity of 400 cu.m per day. The amount of salt found in the fresh water from the plants would be below 0.1 per cent, making it suitable for irrigation and even drinkable for local people. We are expecting around 250 such plants to be built in the region, as a part of supporting Viet Nam in improving rice production and the livelihoods of the regions farmers. We are also willing to help Viet Nam identify and seek the most suitable financing source for the development of such plants in the Mekong Delta, Marc Stordiau, managing director of Rent-A-Port, said at the MoU signing ceremony. He added that the project was not looking for profits, but will work to help farmers overcome difficulties in growing crops. The project will only use green energies, thus reducing the systems costs, he said. Tran Kim Long, general director of MARDs International Co-operation Department, said the project would support two of Viet Nams important programmes for building new rural models and restructuring. The public-private-partnership in the agricultural sector is expected to take advantage of models and partners who have had success in green growth in other countries, Long added. Since 2008, Rent-A-Port NV, a subsidiary of CFE, part of the large French Concession Group VINCI and the industrial group Ackermans and Van Haaren, have taken over all shares of AIG, to become the major shareholder of the inh Vu Industrial Zone in northern Hai Phong Port City. Rent-A-Port continues to expand it industrial zones, not only in Hai Phong City, but also in Quang Ninh Province, creating the Deep C industrial cluster, which is built over a 3,000 ha. area. Rent-A-Port Green Energys management was the driving force behind the pioneering far shore wind C power farm. This was the first time that wind turbines were built so far offshore (30 kilometres). The total farm capacity was approximately 360 MW. Rent-A-Port Green Energy has also participated in several green power projects in Oman and Belgium. The group has begun investing in green energy for the sustainable development of Viet Nam. These include projects in wind-powered water desalination in the Mekong River Delta and Hai Phong, pioneering in solar energy in north Viet Nam, as well as waste-to-energy modules in inh Vu and Uong Bi City. Rent-A-Port is also looking at developing inland waterway ports that divert traffic from roads to a safer and more ecological route by sea. In November 2016, Rent-A-Port Green Energy and Rent-A-Port Utilities signed an MoU with the MARD on co-operation in wind-driven desalination for agricultural production in the Mekong Delta region. VNS HA NOI The brand logo for the three coastal provinces Thua Thien Hue, a Nang, and Quang Nam was announced late last week in Ha Noi. In February 2014, with the technique support of European Union to the project EU ESRT, the three provinces have signed an agreement on tourism development co-operation. The result was the approvement of the logo, the brand identification icon of three provinces, and also the tourism website The Essence of Viet Nam and www.theessenceofvietnam.vn. The ceremony to announce the logo, held last Friday at Ha Nois Trade Union Hotel, received authorities and representatives from many prestigious hotels and resorts from the three provinces. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, deputy chairman of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, said she hoped this would help unlock Viet Nam s great tourism potential. HA NOI The language and skills exams for Vietnamese workers wishing to work in South Korea will be held this year between June and September, the Department of Overseas Labour Management announced last week. The Employment Permit System (EPS) includes three exams on paper, replacing the computer exams used in previous years. The Korean Ministry of Employment and Labours Human Resources Development Service (HRD) will be responsible for preparing the test, managing and marking it and publishing results. ang Si Dung, deputy director of the Department of Overseas Labour Management, said that of the total recruitment target of 3,600 labourers for 2017, 1,500 will work in manufacturing, 500 in construction, 800 in agricultural production and 800 in fisheries. HRD will select labourers according to their scores, with the threshold being 80 points out of a maximum of 200. For fisheries work, candidates must score 60 or more in the skills exam, after passing a Korean language contest. Dung said candidates who violate the exam rules will be prohibited from taking the test for the next three years. Vietnamese labourers who returned home this year from Korea in accordance with their contracts can take the test. In addition, labourers who worked illegally in Korea after ending their contract but returned home between April and December 2016, can also take this years exam. Previously, the ministry of labor suspended the recruitment of labourers from 58 areas that were home to over 60 illegal labourers in Korea. That suspension has been lifted but the Vietnamese ministry has banned candidates from 51 other areas this year. Over the years, South Korea has accepted about 107,000 Vietnamese citizens to live, study or work there. More than 40,000 found work through the EPS Programme. By the end of 2016, some 16,100 Vietnamese people were working illegally in Korea after completing their labour contract. VNS A NANG Authorities are investigating a Saturday night collision between a cargo ship and a fishing boat just one kilometre off Tien Sa Port. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh inh, commander of the a Nang border security force, told Viet Nam News yesterday that the fishing vessel (QNa 09191 TS) from Quang Nam, was heading to the Tho Quang fishing port when it was hit by a big cargo ship in the sea off the Tien Sa Port around 9pm on Saturday, April 8. The collision caused the fishing vessel to capsize and sink. Three fishermen were rescued by another fishing ship and two speedboats of the a Nang border security force that rushed to the spot soon after receiving an SOS. One fisherman swam to the port by himself, inh said. He said all fishermen were in good heath after the accident. inh said a joint investigation team of the border security force, port authorities, traffic police and shipping agents have been researching trips of all ships docking and arriving at the the Tien Sa port. Captain of the fishing ship, Nguyen Huu Muoi, 50, said a big ship hit his boat on the front right flank, and it sank in just five minutes. We called out for help, but the ship, which we could not identify, did not bother to save us. I called another fishing boat near us for help before jumping into the water. Two of my crew and I were saved by the fishing boat and speedboats from the a Nang border guards, Muoi said. Another crew member, Phan Thanh Phung, swam for an hour and reached the Tien Sa Port. The port receives more than 1,700 ship each year, and at least 800 boats dock at the Tho Quang fishing port. Three tourists died in 2015 after a cruise ship capsized in the Han River. The same year, a fishing vessel with 10 men from Quang Ngai Province was rescued after they were hit by an identified ship. VNS The future looked bleak for Phuoc Tich Villages pottery industry. Thanks to a group of fashion designers, there may be new hope for the ancient craft, Hue Phong reports. In mid-March, Minh Hanh, one of the countrys most prominent contemporary fashion designers, led a group of young, gifted designers to Phuoc Tich, a 546-year-old village on the outskirts of Hue, for a two-day clay workshop. The pottery of this particular village is unique and they produce good quality products. The key is to make attractive designs that can be sold at the market, said Minh Hanh, adding that the fashion designers would use pottery to convey their design ideas. The presence of the showy designers was incongruous against the backdrop of the ancient village, 40 kilometres from the former royal capital city. The sight of the designers, including some celebrities, getting dirty with the sticky clay attracted a lot of attention from the public. Over the course of two days at the villages pottery workshop, the designers were instructed to give facelifts to the pre-made pottery designs. Over almost 16 hours of work on March 16 and 17, the designers sought inspiration to fulfill their assignment before being able to start on their own work. Hard at work: Designer Hien ang works on her kapok flowers creation. VNS Photo Phuoc Buu More familiar with air-conditioning and clean, modern tools, the designers slummed it with their bare hands and dirty clay. Surprisingly, there was a lot of enthusiasm. Even the female designers seemed to have no qualms with getting stuck in and possibly ruining their manicures. Of course, [working with clay] is something unfamiliar to me but I could get used to it. Obviously we came here with a love of art, so the unfamiliarity is no hindrance to our creativity, said Hien ang, a designer from Ha Noi. Hien completed her assignments on the first day by putting additional patterns on unbaked vases, and thus on the second day had the chance to put her creations on terracotta trays embossed with lotus flowers, roses and red kapok flowers. She explained that those were her favourite flowers and the trays would reflect her love of Phuoc Tich pottery. Different designers came up with different methods to turn the rusty pottery items into art works, including cut-outs, embossed patterns or reshaping the items to give them a more artistic value. According to Luong Thanh Hien, manager of the pottery workshop, the usual designs have remained unchanged for years, and so have seen a drop in popularity. We have collaborated with the designers not only to improve the quality of our products, but also to increase public awareness of our village and its pottery heritage, Hanh said. Starstruck: Photographer Sum poses with Miss Viet Nam 2010, Ngoc Han, and her work-in-progress. VNS Photo Phuoc Buu Ngoc Han, for example, live-streamed her work on Facebook, attracting over 10,000 views. Han was Miss Viet Nam 2010 and has a great number of followers on Facebook. She is also working as a fashion designer and was part of the group that visited the pottery village. Hanh explained that the ultimate aim of the working visit was to find a better market for Phuoc Tich pottery. [The members of the group] have shops in Hoi An and Hue and could help selling these items, Hanh said. We hope we can get some good sales thanks to our connections. Products redesigned or crafted by the designers would be displayed at an upcoming festival in Hue for craft villages around the country. Hien, manager of the workshop, said the unbaked pottery would need weeks to be baked and packaged before its ready for presenting at the festival. He said the items could be sold as works of art. No matter what they are, we hope that the designs by the designers will help attract customers to our village and its pottery, he said. The village began to craft potteries in 1470, and enjoyed a period of success during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), when the village was the only supplier for the royal familys pottery. Products included jars, pots and containers used for cooking and storage. Some of the most outstanding works by Phuoc Tich artisans are preserved at the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities. At that time, the villages potteries were also available for home use in the central provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. However, kilns at the village stopped burning in 1967 due to the war and it took the village 12 years to restart the craft. The villagers had to travel long distances to Ha Noi and Binh Duong to learn craft skills from Huong Canh and Lai Thieu artisans, so they could resume production. All 12 earthen kilns at the village, used for centuries, had been ruined, and the villagers had to adopt a gas-operated kiln. Unfortunately the products remained unsold, despite the villagers best efforts. Later in 2010, a project funded by Luxembourg helped to rebuild a wood burning kiln that is a replica of the ancient kilns used by the village. This delighted local potters and they hoped to regain the glory days of their ancestors. Once again Phuoc Tich potters came to study at the pottery facilities of northern and southern localities, including Bat Trang in Ha Noi. The working visit by the fashion designers once again nurtures hope for the villagers, who are still seeking a way to save the craft of their ancestors. VNS You are here: Home A freight train fully loaded with Russian wheat arrived at Manzhouli land port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Saturday. This is the first bulk shipment of Russian wheat to enter China via the land port after the two countries reached deals on quarantine inspection requirements for exporting Russian wheat, corn, rice and soybean to China in December 2015. China's state-owned foodstuff conglomerate COFCO Corp. is responsible for quality control, import and distribution to the Chinese market. COFCO president Yu Xubo said the group plans to import 1 million to 2 million tonnes of wheat from Russia a year. This may increase to 4 million or 5 million tonnes a year in the future, he said. Russia replaced the United States as the world's top wheat exporter last year with 25 million tonnes of exports, according to figures provided by the Russian side. "Compared with ocean shipping, land transport via Manzhouli cuts travel time and costs," said Chen Lixin, Party chief of Manzhouli City. He said China's import of Russian wheat is a new breakthrough in bilateral trade and economic cooperation achieved within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. by Hong Van Surrounded by piles of old engines, motorcycle parts, and scrap metal, Vu Van Dung is hard at work making farming machines. Dung, 55, is a motorbike repairman from the northern province of Ninh Binh, who has successfully created machines for farming work, ranging from water pumps and generators to seedling and vegetable slicing machines. Though engaged as a full time mechanic, Dung helps his wife with farm work every harvest season. After experiencing the hard labour of the fields, he was inspired to put his mechanical know-how to good use and build devices that would lessen the load for his family and friends. Being a farmer means that one has to do hard physical work outdoors, under the scorching sun, in the freezing cold or under heavy rain. So I just felt that I would do something to make their work easier, said Dung. Dung is a native of Yen Mo District, and his curiosity for all things mechanical has been in his blood since childhood. When I was small, I was a playful boy. I had a special interest and had grown a great sense of curiosity with machanical engineering, said Dung. I once even played in a mine and almost died, he laughed. In 1999, I took a three-month motorbike repair course, after trying many other jobs, said Dung. The 55-year-old opened his own repair shop soon after finishing his vocational training and began making machines in early 2010. Pen to paper: After experiencing the hard labour of the fields, Dung was inspired to put his mechanical know-how to good use and build devices that would lessen the heavy load labour for his family and friends. At the beginning, people thought he was abnormal. They said only scientists could invent modern machines and equipment, said Dung. Yet, his multifunctional machine enables a farmer to pump water and transport home harvested rice plants thousands of metres from the field. Normally, farmers would pile up the rice plants on a boat and push it towards the bank, before transporting the plants by hand. In October 2015, Dung successfully structured a seedling machine, after dozens of failed attempts. The machine comprises two major parts a handle and a tray for the rice seedlings. Users just need to control the handle and rice seedlings will be planted automatically in neat rows. Traditionally seeding is backbreaking work farmers have to stand all day long, bending at the waist to sow rice seedlings into the wet soil. The machine can cover one sao (360sq metres) in one hour, which is five times more efficient than a person, said Dung. I ordered a water pumping machine from Dung for our family to use. We also lease it, said Duong Ngoc Cuu, from Yen Mac Village. It is easy to use, as well as light, and very cheap compared to those sold at the market. The seedling machine is small and light, weighing less than 30 kilograms so it can be transported to smaller rice fields, said Cuu. In 2016, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded Dung a certificate for his contribution to the cause of rural development. The multifunctional plowing machine also won an award as runner up in the provinces technology contest, which encourages people in the fields of technology science to push for the application of technology solutions in production and other areas. As well as the seedling machine, Dung made six other contraptions, including a vegetable slicing machine. Almost all of his machines are made with second-hand parts, while the engines are taken from old motorbikes. Dung has now shifted his focus to selling machines and only fixes bikes for acquaintances. Every day, he sells three to four machines. Dung has sold more than a hundred seedling machines since its release in 2015, and hundreds of rice pulling machine since 2010. He has been so passionate and engaged with his workshop. Sometimes he was too absorbed with the designs, missing meals as his project became popular, said Dungs wife, Vu Thi Ngan. One of my machines takes an average of eight months to complete. When I finish a machine, I am overwhelmingly happy as it means I can realise my dream and help farmers, said Dung. Otherwise, I would be suffering from sleepless nights.-VNS By Bach Lien For Hai Thanh, life is a search for beauty in the mundane. Over the last 20 years, the photographer has travelled across the country, snapping scenes of daily life that reveal a simple charm. Recently, in early March, he impressed the public with a range of original street life pictures taken with his smart phone. The exhibition, entitled The Diary, was held at the AIA Viet Nam Insurance Companys Ha Noi office. The exhibition consisted of more than 60 photographs chosen from thousands taken with a smart phone over the last four years. Many visitors were impressed to see funny, and relatable, vignettes in Thanhs images. His candid technique managed to capture scenes that viewers themselves may have seen somewhere, at sometime; the image of a patient and family member sharing a hospital bed in a hospital, or a man carrying a huge paper horse on his bike. The photos depict scenes I witnessed, beautiful places I visited, interesting people I met and spoke with, Thanh said. I want to keep with me the souvenirs of those moments, those people, and I decided to make a diary through smart phone photos. I want let people know what I did during that time, how I lived, where I went. Lets just imagine this exhibition as a personal diary of my own journey, of what has become part of my life. The thoughts and feelings towards these images are all yours. For my part, these are simply an honest autobiography and genuine emotions from the bottom of my heart, now laid open to share with you guys. Cycle of life: A photo of a family on a bicycle. Photo Hai Thanh Graduated from the Industrial Fine Arts University, Thanh (was born o Thanh Hai in 1972) has become well-known, mostly thanks to his photography. He captures the reality of life in Viet Nam. But in contrast with other photographers, he doesnt focus on immense white sand dunes, terraced rice fields bathed in sunshine, the river at dusk and other beautiful landscapes devoid of people. For Thanh, life has always been about people, and the people in his photos are always on the move, always doing something. For a working photographer, the smart phone has become a tool for taking images more efficiently than a professional camera. For me, the smart phone has become inseparable. Sometimes it has become closer than my professional camera. Because it is small and practical, and it put me at ease. When I take photos with a smart phone, I dont spend a lot of time thinking about composition or technique, instead I can focus on the content and the moment, he said. Street photographer, lover of Ha Noi Street photography, which is a genre that records everyday life in a public place, has become a wonderful tool that helps Thanh tells life stories with an abundance of humour, through his own view and experience. He likes getting as close to his subjects as possible, so he can touch their souls and patiently wait for a special moment to reveal itself. Thanh is well known as a contemporary documentary photographer. He has been active in the national and international photography scene, including participating in Indochina Media Memorial Foundation workshops in 2007 and 2010, hosting personal exhibitions Life Stories (2016), On the Move (2008) and 24h (2010) in Viet Nam and France, joining group exhibitions This Day of change (2009) in Japan, and Blow-up (2010) in Cambodia. He has also participated in the series of exhibitions Mobilegraphy (2015), a part of the Everyday Project in New York and Istanbul. A longtime lover of Ha Noi, Hai Thanh gets up early to take photos on the streets of the capital. For him, the perfect moment for street life photos in Ha Noi is in the early morning. If you get up early, and get on the street with a camera in hand, you will see a Ha Noi that is totally different from later in the day, without the noise, smoke, and crowded streets. I am excited to see how one places changes throughout the day. Thanh believes that to take good street photos, one needs passion, patience, and a sense of observation. You can see different things at different moments in the same place. To make sure that you take an interesting photo, you need to come back to one place at several different times. Thanh has built up quite a following in Viet Nam. I see a lot of joy in Hai Thanhs street life photos. He documents life in a positive way, said Vu Thanh Tam, an amateur photographer. I am not an expert in photography, some may say that there are more talented photographers than Thanh But for me, as a person who simply looks at his photos, I see a unique charm that I dont get from other Vietnamese photographers, Tam said. And many years later, we will look at those photos and read the captions explaining where and when they were taken. In that way we can relive a period of time in Viet Nam. VNS by Mai Tien Nghi Here we are! Get off, both of you, please! the motortaxi driver said. Kha was startled. Why did he say both of you? Im the only passenger here... Kha whispered to himself. Please, give the helmet back to me. Now, you both take care of yourselves. Id suggest you both go into the station and get a couchette ticket right away, he said to Kha, who was carefully checking the haversack dangling over his chest with one hand. Once again, the word you both made Kha greatly anxious. He took three banknotes of 100,000 ong out of his breast pocket. As was decided by both of us before, this is the whole amount, neither more nor less, he said, giving it to him. The driver received the sum. Still wavering for a few seconds, he put one piece into his trousers pocket and handed the rest back to Kha. Just one note will do for the consumed fuel. I dont need more, he insisted. Why? Thats such a small charge for a three hour, 150-km trip! Kha exclaimed. My humble effort means nothing in comparison with your sacred deed, dear brother, and then he drove away into the bustling Sai Gon streets. After a few minute, as Kha stood there confused, the driver returned accompanied by a tough guy. This man will help you get a ticket. Just follow him, the driver told Kha. Take care of him, he told the newcomer. You wont have to pay extra, you see. Yes, brother. Compose yourself. I wish a good journey for you both, he told Kha. I must be going now for darkness is coming down, the driver added in a soft voice before leaving. This way, please! the newcomer told Kha. Kha followed suit. Is this guy a go-between? he asked himself. Youre carrying somebodys ashes, arent you? Kha said nothing. Youre carrying that rucksack tightly over your chest, he remarked. Keep it dark or else youll soon be in trouble. Now, just stay here. Ill get a couchette ticket for you, he added. Kha sat down on a fixed seat with the big bag on his lap, even though the adjacent seats remained empty. * * * Dear Brother Can, dont be anxious, Kha whispered to the bag of ashes. In two days, youll reach home to see Mum. Do you know that before dying, Dad looked forward to seeing you? As for Mum, shes been waiting for your homecoming since the day you went south. Poor her, shes been bed-ridden for so many years! When I set off, she said to me, My beloved son, try to bring him home at any cost before I breathe my last breath. Kha remembered that she had unbuttoned her pillowcase to look for its special contents then handed them to him. They may come in useful for Cans homecoming someday. They are all the donations offered to me by visitors during my long stay in hospital together with my minor savings, she told him. No no, Mum. Keep them for your own expenses, he said. I was told that your wife has just sold a big pig then borrowed a lot money to get enough for your planned journeyWhats more, a welcoming party for his return must be predicted. So, accept the whole sum to please me. He seemed hesitated for a few seconds. Well, if Mum has decided so, wed better accept and regard it as a loan, darling. When Cans issue is solved, well pay her back, insisted his wife. Now that my task is almost done. What comes next is your safe homecoming, thats all, Kha whispered. Our familys long cherished dream--which weve held without any news since your departure--may come true, Kha concluded his explanation. * * * Heres your ticket, brother, said the young guy. Air-conditioned Carriage No 5 with its couchette mentioned. The fare is 1.2 million ong. Heres our change, he added. What about your charge? Kha asked him. Oh no no, nothing at all. Just a menial job for your lofty duty! In an hour, the train will leave the station. Before that moment, Ill come back here to help you both get on board. Behaving like a boorish guy, you only invite trouble during the trip. Relax here for a while, will you? As for me, I must earn some bread for my little kids at home, he explained. Surprisingly, they know that Im taking home my brothers ashes, so their support is free of charge. How benevolent they are! Kha said to himself. He went aboard easily, thanks to that young mans instructions. The young railway man in charge of the car cast a suspicious look at Khas rucksack, which was hung tightly over his chest, and then he eyed at Khas unshaved face stained with dust. In his four-bed room there were only two passengers: Kha and an old man on the wrong side of sixty with a pair of spectacles in gold-rimmed frames, a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. When he stepped in, he greeted Kha, observed the whole place, then stared at Khas bag before sitting down on the opposite bed. The train blew a long whistle then started moving. The old man began using his expensive iPhone. Now Kha felt quite at ease. He might take a long, deep sleep. In thirty hours, the train would arrive at Nam inh station. On the way home, well take a cab instead of a motortaxi as an appropriate homage to you, my glorious ex-soldier. Surely, youll be warmly welcome at home, Kha said to his brothers soul. Throughout the night, the train kept chugging. Time after time, street lights pierced into the car through glass windows as the train stopped at a minor station of a certain small township unknown to Kha; he had never gone beyond the border of his native village before. All of a sudden, their door creaked open. Then the station master stepped in. Passengers are requested to show your tickets, please, he announced loudly. The old man gave his ticket to the railway man while he remained touching his big mobile. Kha also took his ticket out of his breast pocket and showed it for him to check. Yet, he did not hold it at once. After returned the ticket to the old man, he said to Kha in a serious voice. Bring your luggage out to work with us, will you? Kha felt greatly confused. Oh dear, false ticket, perhaps! he whispered to himself. But why does he find it false when he hasnt looked at it? Whats the matter? Take all your things out for us to check, urged the station master again in an angry voice. Kha hung his haversack on his left shoulder while his right hand tightly held a small bag of clothes and the ticket. Kha stepped out of the air-conditioned compartment. The station master slammed the door shut and startled Kha. His body trembled violently according to the swing of the train. Sir, heres my ticket, Kha gave it to him. Without looking at it, the station master put it into his pocket. Pointing at the haversack on Khas shoulder, he asked, jerking up his chin. What are you carrying in the rucksack? Nothing but a few kilos of dried tea, Sir. Dried tea! Unbelievable! Tell me the truth. Are its contents a human beings remains? No no, not at all, Sir! If they really are, what do you think? Do you know that such things are strictly banned on the train? Not at all, SirWell, frankly speaking, theyre my elder brothers. Dead soldier? Wheres his letter of confirmation? Here you are, Sir, Kha showed him the death certificate taken out of his pocket. You must get off at the next station. Leaving the train when it only travelled for three hours! A 1,800-km distance to cover with my little sum of money on another vehicle? Impossible! he said to himself. Please sympathize with my poor conditions. Would you mind letting me stay on the train with a fine? Kha insisted. OK, two million ong. Give it to me right now. So I still had a slim chance to pass the check. But how could I afford enough? Kha asked himself. But I havent got enough, Sir. How much have you got? Anyhow, take it out for me to see, quickly. Why so clumsy? Nine hundred thousand ong in all! Kha declared after counting the whole amount. No no, impossible! Just stand here. At the next station, get off. Suddenly, he remembered the money Mum had given him before leaving. He had put it in the outer small pocket of the travelling handbag. At once, he took it out. Heres five more hundred thousand in cash. It was my mothers savings for my ill-fated brother. So the whole sum amounts to one million four hundred thousand, Sir, he added. Alright. Hand it to me then step in immediately. If you let out our secret, youll be punished severely. The train master grasped the money, put it in his trousers pocket then slowly walked away. Kha pulled the door ajar then walked in. Switching off the little bed lamp on the bed table, he lay down on his berth with his haversack on his side. Surprisingly, his old fellow-traveller remained supine, casually playing on his IPhone with his index finger. Brother Can, how disadvantageous! The same as the days you were embattled in the south that you had said in your letter home! Our poor clan! Were too poor to take you home by car properly. Forgive me, brother, Kha bewailed, sobbed and sobbed. Khas complaint made the old man aware of his miserable situation. He looked at the rural youth, shaking his head, then sighed for a while. After that, he was engrossed in his expensive smartphone again. Passengers with food coupons, please go to the dining car for your meal, announced the train loudspeakers. * * * The monotonous sounds caused by the wheels moving heavily on the railway tracks woke Kha. He felt extremely hungry. Since last evening, he had eaten nothing. With only a few small banknotes, inadequate for a few meals, Kha decided to make a phone call to his relatives when the train would reach his terminal station of Nam inh, then have a snack there. The old traveller on the opposite couchette cast a surprising glance at him. Then leaving his mobile at his pillow, he silently opened the door and stepped out. About half an hour later, he returned with two rations of food and two plastic cups. He put them all down on the small table between the two berths. Here are the food for both of you, he said to Kha in a soft voice. It was the first time he had talked to him. Many thanks for your food and drink, Sir. Youre welcome. Now help yourselves to them. No need to stand on ceremony further! he said, smiling. Saying so, he stepped out and closed the door. Obviously, he knows Im bringing home my relatives ashes! Kha whispered to himself. Moreover, he also abides by our custom and culture for the dead by offering food to them. He opened the two packs of food then said his pray God to take his brothers soul back for enjoying the frugal meal. The old mans deed deeply moved him. * * * Kha woke up at midnight. Our trains now on the way to Thanh Hoa City. Passengers should be ready to get off at the station with luggage in hand. Furthermore, in two hours, it will arrive at the Nam inh Station, said the railway loudspeakers. Perhaps, the old man did not sleep at all, because Kha found him busy fidgeting with his phone. When the train began to leave the Thanh Hoa station, the old man slightly opened the door. Again, Kha fell asleep. In his dream he vaguely heard a polite voice echoing near him. Keeping his eyes ajar he realized that it was the argument of the very station master. Whats the matter, Sir? the railway man asked the good old man sitting opposite Kha. Youd better give the money back to the man lying near us right now, said the man with an expensive pair of spectacles. But, which money, Sir? The sum you robbed of him last night, he told the railway man in a resolute voice. However, it was just a fine, Sir. What for? Wheres its receipt? To the best of my knowledge about the railway regulations, such fine cant be made here. Because of his bag of ashes, Sir. Its polluting the environment. Shut up! How do you dare to hurt the soul of a revolutionary martyr? If something may cause pollution here, its your dirty deed. How can you have the heart to take away the honestly-earned money from this poor passenger? But the railway authorities regulations force me to do so. Yet, as a rural man, he doesnt know that order. Meanwhile, you take advantage of his situation to coerce him, he stressed. Hmm, I recorded all your threats last night. Do you want to listen to them? Youd better give the money back to him, right now. Forgive me, please. Ill return it to him immediately. Would you mind not making it a big fuss? he proposed in a nervous voice. OK, do it at once. When the station master went out, the old man shut the door then lay down on his small bed, playing with his IPhone as if nothing had ever happened. A few minutes later, the railway man came back and opened the door. Mr What-DYou-Call-It, allow me to give the money back to you. Forgive me, please, he said in a shameful voice. Kha got up to receive his money then count it. It was the same amount. Nothing was missing, including the small cash. Im very grateful to you, respectful Uncle. Thank you as well, station master, Kha said to both of them. Keep it under wraps, will you? implored the railway man. Then he stepped out quickly after closing the door. * * * The train slowly rolled into Nam inh Station. Kha prepared everything to get off: the travelling bag hung on his chest, his haversack on his side. His new old friend had already got up and put his IPhone in his trousers pocket. Dear Uncle, Im very grateful to you. Thanks for your help, he mumbled. Thats all right, he replied. A safe home trip to you both! Anyhow, the local authorities should have provided you with some expenses for the martyrs homecoming, he criticized. In fact, they told me that wed only receive financial support when they saw brothers remains with their own eyes. No money in advance, you see! As for us, affording such a trip is quite a problem. Hence the trouble you witnessed, Kha explained. Whatever is the case, the matter has been settled. Remember to give your old mother my best wishes! After that, he softly patted the haversack on Khas chest and tenderly said: Congratulations on your safe return! Khas eyes were brimming with tears. Goodbye, esteemed Uncle, he said before getting off. * * * Kha reached home at 5 a.m. that day. All members of his family had stayed awake all night to wait for the momentous event. Bed-ridden for years, his mother managed to get up quickly. She staggered over to him with everybodys support. Embracing the haversack tightly, she said in tears, At last, youve come back home, my beloved Can. Dear me, my son Cans returned home, villagers! Her eyes were blinded by tears then she smiled, her mouth seeming to be ironing the long-standing furrows on her sorrowful countenance. In the solemn atmosphere of paying homage to the martyrs at the local cemetery, Kha delivered a moving speech to thank all those who had made great efforts both in their unlucky previous searches and in the present one after their successful 1,000-km long trips from south to north. The noble comradeship between ex-soldiers and our fellow-countrymans profound feelings are brilliant examples for us to follow in our lifetime, Kha concluded his address. When he finished, the smouldering joss-sticks planted in front of Cans tombstone suddenly burst into flame, thus making its inscription brightly-lit, In loving memory of Mai Van Can. Oh dear, God bless him! said the ceremonial crowd. Translated by Van Minh CAIRO At least 21 people were killed and 59 wounded in Sundays bomb attack against a Christian Coptic church north of Cairo , the Egyptian health ministry said. The blast took place during a Palm Sunday mass at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the city of Tanta about 120km from Cairo , an interior ministry official said. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to the city of Jerusalem . Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt s population of more than 92 million and who celebrate Easter next weekend, have been targeted by several attacks in recent months. Jihadists and Islamists accuse them of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 29 worshippers during Sunday mass in Cairo . The bombing of the church within a compound that also holds the seat of the Coptic papacy was the deadliest attack against the minority in recent memory. A spate of jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt s restive Sinai Peninsula, including the murder of a Copt in the city of El Arish whose house was also burned, have led some Coptic families to flee their homes. About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video in February calling for attacks on the religious minority. Egypt s army is waging a counter-insurgency against an IS affiliate in Sinai, which has claimed scores of attacks against police and army positions. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief helped the military to remove Morsi, defended his security forces in a televised address soon afterwards. "(The attacks aim to) destabilise the fabric of Egypt ... to give the impression that one group isnt protected as it should be," Sisi said at the time. Following Morsis ouster, mobs attacked dozens of churches and Christian properties. Pope Francis is due to visit Cairo this month to show solidarity with Egypt s Christian community. The pontiff will visit the site of the December church attack next to Saint Marks Saint Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral the seat of Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II. AFP People read informations on medical reforms at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2017. Beijing started a landmark reform drive Saturday that will separate drug sales from medical treatment at public hospitals, lower medical expenses and improve services for patients. [Photo/Xinhua] Beijing started a landmark reform drive Saturday that will separate drug sales from medical treatment at public hospitals, lower medical expenses and improve services for patients. As of 6 am, 2,605 Beijing hospitals had switched to a new billing system, which replaced a registration and treatment fee with a higher medical service charge but scraped the previous markup on drugs, which was as high as 15 percent in the old pricing system. The reform is applicable to more than 3,600 medical institutions citywide, while some 1,000 small village clinics are not yet equipped with computerized billing system, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson with Beijing health and family planning commission. At Beijing Children's Hospital, one of the busiest downtown hospitals, dozens of children and their parents at the emergency room shortly after midnight. One father, surnamed Zhang, said he had paid 10 yuan under the local medical insurance program to see a doctor, five times the former fee he had to pay out of his own pocket. "But it was not a big deal," he said. "We are quite happy that medication will be cheaper." A mother who was collecting a prescription for her child commented on the average drop of 10 percent in drug prices. Price changes were also seen across 435 medical services offered at public hospitals and clinics. The reform has reduced fees for the use of certain equipment, such as computed tomography (CT) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), but increased charges for certain medical services that involve a lot of experience, expertise or staff time. According to calculations, the overall medical costs for Beijing residents will remain balanced and there will be no increased burden on patients, said Fang Laiying, head of the Beijing municipal health and family planning commission. "Separating treatment and drug sales will stop over-prescription and help medical practitioners provide better treatment," said Fang. To ensure medicine prices drop, Beijing has mandated transparent drug purchases, choosing suppliers through open bidding and requiring the full disclosure of drug and producer information. Meanwhile, community hospitals and medical institutions have been given the same access to medicines that were once only prescribable by high-level hospitals. 1 2 Next More than 90 percent of Beijing's hospitals have taken action to improve their services since the reform plan was published on March 22, said Fang. WATERLOO Its been called a skateboard, a car and the Batmobile. But really, its one of a kind. Well, almost. Lou Henry Elementary special needs teacher Jessica Stakeys students are among the first in Iowa to try out an adaptive gym scooter. Its so new it is not yet on the market. The scooter, like two others in Iowa, was crafted by an industrial technology class at Webster City High School. Its something that I think has been great in terms of something thats fun and lighthearted, and we, I think, have definitely kind of needed that these last couple weeks, Stakey said. School principal Liz Crowley passed away late last month. While students have had the scooter for only a short time, its already proved more enjoyable than Stakey imagined when she put in a request for it. The scooter is meant to provide a safer alternative to gym scooters four-wheeled, square carts used during physical education classes. Its similarly positioned near the ground, but is larger and has safety padding. Stakey has used it as a motivational tool to get students to finish classwork, and its given students a chance to interact with peers in a more natural way. It can be a great conversation piece as well, and gives them that true friendship versus trying to set up a social time with peers, Stakey said. Its definitely going to impact way more (students) than what I had initially thought, which is amazing. She has six students who could use the scooter, but since its been on campus more than a dozen have asked to use it. I would rather have it used by anyone and everyone than just saying its exclusively for these 12 kids, Stakey said. Stakey plans to start an adaptive physical education class at Lou Henry, where the scooter could get use beyond recess and brain breaks in the hallways. Stakey first learned about adaptive scooters through her connections and social media. A special education teacher she knew at Webster City High School, Amanda Nichols, went to the industrial tech class with a plan for a scooter. After they finished the scooter, Stakey reached out to the industrial tech teacher Ben Jass to get her own. Jass says getting the scooters right took time and effort. He credits Webster City senior Riley Mishler with helping him troubleshoot during construction. Their first attempt, in fact, broke just 10 minutes after students tried it out. So, they went back to the drawing board to make something thats both safe and sturdy. Riley just, he took control of the project, and he did a phenomenal job, Jass said. It just turned out spectacular. They made two scooters for Webster City students and one for Stakeys class. Riley took on building the scooter for Stakeys class. Jass estimated the scooters cost about $100, not including labor, and take about 10 hours to make. The industrial tech class, however, gifted the scooter to Stakeys class. Jass said theyre open to making more. I guess well see as these people use it and then share it with their other special education teachers, their network, and well see what happens, Jass said. Were open to building more and doing more things. We love helping out other students whenever we can. WATERLOO The Board of Education Monday is expected to give final approval to a $163.69 million 2017-18 budget, including a slight decline in overall tax collections. A public hearing on the budget will be held when the board meets at 6 p.m. in the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington St. The board will consider approving the budget later in the meeting. Tax revenues would be $40.98 million for Waterloo Community Schools property owners during the fiscal year starting July 1, down from $41.07 million this year. That amounts to $87,366 less, a 0.21 percent decrease. A 42-cent reduction in the tax rate to $14.98 per $1,000 of taxable value is helping with what could be a reduction in the districts portion of the tax bill for most property owners, assuming their assessed value hasnt increased in the past year. For the owner of a $100,000 home, taxes would drop $19 to $853. Taxes on commercial property of the same value would drop while taxes on similar agricultural land would see a small increase. Commercial property owners would pay $1,348, or $38 less than now, and agricultural land owners would pay $712, $2 more. Among other revenues, the budget includes $81.85 million in supplemental state aid, $411,243 in instructional support state aid, $1.41 million in commercial and industrial state tax replacement, and $11.62 million in other state sources. Districts receive per pupil funding based on enrollment from the prior fall. Certified enrollment dropped by 101 students this fall in Waterloo Schools, but the states budget guarantee ensured the districts spending authority increased by $307,905. In other business, the board will: Consider adopting Earth Comm, Project-Based Space and Earth System Science as the districts ninth grade earth and space science curriculum. Cost of the instructional materials will total $180,097. CEDAR RAPIDS -- Jack Kintzle was part of a welcome wagon in 1985 that cast such a positive light on Iowa it sparked a decades-long friendship between Xi Jinping, who would go on to become Chinas president, and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad now thrusting Branstad and Iowa into the spotlight of U.S.-Chinese relations. Branstad, nominated as U.S. ambassador to China although has not yet been confirmed, has met with Chinese officials a handful of times over the past 30-some years. The relationship has blossomed and the impact has been far-reaching for the state, say officials in business, trade and education. Hospitality laid the groundwork for the good relations, but Kintzle observed a measure of strategy and foresight by Branstad in encouraging the warm, respectful welcome in the midst of the farm crisis. Iowa was going through such a tough time with agriculture, especially farm foreclosures, said Kintzle, 73. Iowa was at a level we needed publicity and we wanted to open doors. I think thats one of the reasons they were treated so well. How many million Chinese are there? I think he saw an opportunity to trade. I think the governor sensed the possibilities. Pending confirmation, Branstad plans to move to Beijing with his wife, Chris, his daughter and son-in-law and granddaughters as he works to enhance the relationship between the two countries, he said during a celebration with Chinese officials during the Lunar New Year earlier this year in Muscatine. Im an old friend of China, Branstad said there. Ive very honored and very proud that Ive had a number of interactions with China and the leadership of China. Weve seen great improvement in terms of exchanges and trade. Exchanges of students is one way to improve personal relationship and friendships. That is critically important to both of our countries and the world. Branstad would step in amid heightened tensions between the United States and China over trade equity, punitive tariffs and how to handle North Korea. Branstad was not scheduled to be at the meeting in Florida this weekend between President Donald Trump and Xi. Kintzle was an Iowa Corn Growers Association director with a farm near Coggon in the summer of 1985 when Xi then a county-level party leader Kintzle equated to a state secretary of agriculture in America toured Iowa farms as part of a small agricultural delegation from Hebei province. Kintzles farm was right off the highway and convenient, so he got a call wondering if the delegation could visit. Soon, a small group of Chinese men wheeled up and spent a few hours inspecting machinery, grain bins and harvesters, then came inside for coffee. At the end, they took pictures together. They go back to China, he becomes president, and I farm for the next 30 years, Kintzle said. I should have bought a lottery ticket. Although, having a president on my farm might be better than winning the lottery. Branstad, then in his first term as Iowa governor, was instrumental in the visit, including hosting a then-unheralded Xi in his office. By the time of the visit, Branstad already had signed an agreement establishing a sister-state relationship between Iowa and Hebei. In 1984, he led a 50-person delegation to Hebei. It was the first of six trade missions Branstad led to China. Branstad next traveled to China as part of a three-country trade mission in fall 1993, marking the 10-year anniversary of the sister-state relationship. We think that one of the things that helped lead to the downfall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe was all the contacts to the West the sister states, the trade missions and the understanding that the people gain from that, Branstad said at the time. I feel somewhat the same way about trade and building relationships in China. We can, hopefully, help push the Chinese state in the direction of more freedom and opportunity for the people as opposed to the old policy of trying to isolate them, he added. The early legwork has made a difference for Iowa. China is the fourth-largest export market for Iowa, with $490.6 million worth of manufactured and value-added goods, according to the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Chinas spending supports 4,000 jobs, and 5,000 young talents are studying in Iowa universities, Hong Lei, consul general based at the Chinese Consulate of Chicago, said during the recent Muscatine visit. I would say because of the sheer fact hes been involved, hes never let go, said Kim Heidemann, executive director of Iowa Sister States. Hes continued to nurture this relationship. He goes to visit, goes to meetings. Hes hosted meetings. The governor has made it a point. Hes simply done things right, especially in the last few years with Xi, and done it in such a way he puts Iowa first. The trips to China and return visits from Chinese officials have continued. Xi returned to visit Muscatine and Des Moines in 2012 for an old friends reunion dinner stemming from the 1985 trip, and 20 Iowans traveled to China that same year for another reunion. Branstad also participated in trade missions in 2014 and 2016. The visibility of Branstads relationship with Xi and Branstads personal involvement has opened doors for Iowa companies, such as West Des Moines-based Hy-Line International. Tom Dixon, director of international sales and marketing for Hy-Line, one of the worlds largest breeders of laying hens, said the company received direct and indirect assistance from Branstads office in forging a relationship between it and the Huayu Group, based in Hebei. Branstad was present at a deal signing in October 2013 between the companies for a breeder housing project in Hebei province. That show of support was important in a later deal in 2016 for a joint venture to distribute Hy-Line chicks in China. The ceremonial nature of the signing, particularly with someone on friendly terms with Xi, carries a lot of influence for local, state and regional officials in China, Dixon said. Dixon is hopeful Branstads agricultural background will help ease restrictions on poultry imports in China, which have been curtailed since the bird flu outbreak in 2015. He declined to be specific, but said it has cost Hy-Line millions of dollars. Weve been working to try to negotiate things with health officials in China, Dixon said. We hope the governor of a large agricultural state could maybe lend influence to motivate or encourage some kind of solution so we can start exporting again. We hope his level of ambassador could facilitate and shed some light on the situation. WAVERLY -- Waverly Police said Scott Barnhouse, 23, missing since Friday, has been found safe. PREVIOUS STORY: WAVERLY Police are searching for a man last seen Friday in Waverly. Scott Barnhouse, 23, is described as a white male with hazel eyes, sandy brown curly hair who wears glasses. He is 510 and around 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white sweatshirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He drives a 2001 Buick Park Avenue with Nebraska license plates 13K225. According to police, his family believes Branhouse may harm himself. Anyone having information about Barnhouses whereabouts is asked to call the Waverly Police Department at 352-5400. Upper Iowa hosts carnival FAYETTE The 2017 Upper Iowa University Carnival is set for 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 22 on the Fayette campus. Carnival rides, vendors, games and prizes are all scheduled to be a part of the free public event. There will be three large midway rides, games and activities for people of all ages, and local vendors and the UIU Greek organizations will host a petting zoo, bounce house, dunk tank, giant ball toss and air-brush tattoos and other activities. Activities also include Junior Visit Day, the UIU Adventure Run at 9 a.m. and the UIU Peacock softball team taking the field at 1 p.m. against Minot State University. Wartburg airs documentary WAVERLY PorchLight Media will present Starving for Attention at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Neumann Auditorium at Wartburg College. The documentary was produced to create awareness about the hidden problem of food insecurity in Iowa. Food insecurity, or the lack of food or funds to acquire food, affects one in eight Iowans. WATERLOO -- Evidence of Waterloo's patriotism sat covered in coal dust in an attic of Veterans Memorial Hall for nearly a century. That is, until someone found what was stored there who had an appreciation for history. Dick Hastings, a U.S. Air Force veteran and a member of the Memorial Hall Commission, had noticed a large collection of file card drawers in the attic at the hall, built in 1915. He rigged up a cargo net to a pulley and lowered the cards from their precarious perch in the attic, above a drop ceiling 20 feet off the floor. It was worth the effort. "When I saw what was on those cards, I knew this was a gold mine," Hastings said. The file card drawers contained tens of thousands of donation pledge cards from Waterloo families who donated multiple times to war bond drives to support the nation during World War I. America entered that conflict 100 years ago this month. For Hastings, a lifetime genealogist, it was like hitting the mother lode. "When I saw how may trays" of drawers and cards there were, "I knew I was going to need help," Hastings said. For the past few years he and a couple of dozen members of the Northeast Iowa Genealogical Society have been cleaning, organizing, documenting and compiling the information from the pledge cards on computer. Some University of Northern Iowa history students have helped. "They were really enthused on this," Hastings said. The cards contain the name, address, occupation and income of those pledging, as well as where they banked, how many people lived in the household and their ages. Most of those pledging, he noted, had incomes of about $20 a week. Some of the writing, in pencil, is faded and has to be read through an electronic magnifier. So far, they've gone through more than 51,638 pledge cards, including multiple pledges from the same family. Hastings would not be surprised if the final tally is 60,000 to 70,000 -- almost double the Waterloo's population at that time, about 35,000. The cards are from several fundraising campaigns, such as the "Over The Top" campaign -- a phrase World War I soldiers used to describe jumping from the trenches to attack. Another was the "Service League Loyalty Census" campaign, in which participants pledged to be "in full sympathy and accord with the objects and purposes of our government and its allies in the preservation of democracy throughout the world." The Genealogy Society has been working in the cards for several years. "They were covered with coal dust, and it took us a year to clean these cards," he said. Soot had accumulated from the days when a coal furnace heated Memorial Hall. "On some of the cards, there's a lot more information," Hastings said. "They wrote on the back if they had a solider fighting in France and what units they were with." Some apologize for not giving more. "Wife and three children. A lot of sickness. Cannot afford more just now," wrote a mailman who lived at 1815 Franklin St. "You can tell who's a lawyer and who's the big shots. They invested a lot more money," Hastings said. A Republican candidate for the Legislature gave the then-massive sum of $300. It's hoped the cards can be used to benefit Memorial Hall. "Eventually, if we ever get done, we hope to open it up to the public, where people can come in and get copies of these cards of their relatives," Hastings said. "We'll ask for a free-will offering that will pay for our expenses and then what's left, we'll split between the Genealogy Society and the veterans hall. Some of it's still in the planning stages." The addresses alone detail city history. Some are on streets that no longer exist -- like in the area where the John Deere Foundry is now located. Downtown was the city's population and commercial center. African-American as well as white families donated as people of both races had loved ones in service. America joined Allied nations Great Britain, France and Russia 2 1/2 years into the conflict and declared war on Germany and other Central Powers nations April 6, 1917. By the time the war ended in November 1918, 4 million Americans served, half of them overseas, 116,000 lost their lives and another 200,000 were wounded. About 115,000 Iowans served and 3,000 were killed or wounded, according to the National Archives. Waterloos Fairview Cemetery contains a circle of World War I soldiers graves around a machine gun of that era. Memorial Hall itself had a captured World War I German machine gun on display in Soldiers & Sailors Park outside Memorial Hall after the war, but it was symbolically melted down for bullets at the onset of World War II. The hall also was used as a makeshift hospital during the influenza epidemic immediately after World War I. Hastings said anyone interested in the war bond pledge card project may call him at (319) 415-1077. What I am proffering applies mainly to Cedar Falls, but Waterloo readers may pick up some pointers. If I were mayor I would advise the council we should rectify an omission from 1981. On Mothers Day of that year a tremendous cloudburst caused rampaging floods about town, from overflowing of the Dry Run Creek, particularly the College branch paralleling 20th and 21st streets. Cars were washed into the creek bed from the UNI-Dome parking lot, basements were flooded, the fire station was flooded and many properties sustained serious damage. In 1982, we developed a master plan for the College branch that included three holding ponds northwest of the Dome, straightening and deepening the channel, replacing the rickety bridges that impeded water flow and adding a bike trail along the creek bank. Only the one holding pond was built. We should renew this plan for the safety of the residents and to provide additional incentive for cyclists to use the trails. If I were mayor, I would unlock the interior doors in City Hall. Currently, even if you have an appointment, you must get permission to see appropriate city employees. Who do you want to see? What is your business here? It is very annoying. The staff does not own the building, and they are our employees. We citizens did not ask to be prevented from moving freely about a building we own. If I were mayor, I would request establishment of a reserve fund for sanitary sewer plant improvements of about $12 million. Why? The EPA constantly bombards us with new demands to further purify output even cleaner than we do now, and I never have seen a plant improvement come in under $10 million. We need to insulate ourselves against unfunded federal mandates, and sewer plants are among their prime targets. There never will be any satisfying that agency, so prepare for it. In our town there are people who cringe at the beating the current administration gives Roberts Rules of Order. If I were mayor, I would set up training sessions so formal meetings are completed orderly and correctly. It saves a lot of future lawsuits. If I were mayor, our business development manager would have an advertising budget of about $25,000 annually. How can we attract manufacturing or professional businesses if we dont let powerful people know we are here? I advocate advertising in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Industry Week, Forbes, Fortune, USA Today and anything else that people may be reading who normally fly over Iowa without knowing anything about the state, or particularly Cedar Falls. I know what these people read. I used to be one of them. Why not advertise something many industries need? Namely, water. We have what is scarce in the western states. Very soon industries out there will be ordered to shut down periodically to conserve water. They cannot survive those situations. And in certain situations we dont have to draw from the aquifer. If an industry needs cooling water, there always is the Cedar River. Add some filtration and viola! We are in business. Industries do tax sanitary sewer plants. Remember the $12 million? We can equip our plant to remove most elements except possibly chromium salts. Industries generating chromium waste will have to precipitate their own waste, but it is a lot cheaper than starving for water. If I were mayor, I would set out on a purely personal agenda of my own. I would go around to the boards of all churches having bell towers and ask them to renew something from my boyhood: Ring the bells at noon and 6 p.m. vespers. I, and perhaps others of my generation, miss the bells of our early years. Somehow, it has become too much trouble to signal that a higher, gentler power may exist over our lives, and I miss that. And, who knows, perhaps in talking to prospective business ventures for our town, we could offhandedly conclude our remarks with Oh, by the way, we are the town that rings its church bells. It might work! Never did I imagine George Orwells 1949 published novel, 1984, would become Amazons bestseller 68 years later. Orwells 1984 depicts living suppressed under a totalitarian regime, similar to Iowas GOP-dominated Legislature controlling Iowas 3.1 million citizens. Iowas governor, 29 Republican senators and 59 Republican representatives have taken on the role of Big Brother, the villain of Orwells historic novel. GOP candidates were mild-mannered while campaigning last fall and espoused Republican Gov. Terry Branstads Smaller-Smarter mantra. However, once elected, Republicans have become puppets to Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, with his kick in the door of government policy (Jan. 9, 2017) where state control now supersedes local control. Evidence is replete the GOPs 2017 legislation evolved directly from the Koch brothers Americans for Prosperity, Bob Vander Plaats The Family Leader, Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators, Iowa Farm Bureau and American Legislative Exchange Council. Iowas 87th General Assembly cant end soon enough, as succinctly expressed by the Des Moines Registers March 12 editorial, the Iowa Legislature has inflicted more damage on this state than anyone would have previously thought possible. Iowas GOP-controlled Legislature has undermined collective bargaining for 183,000 Iowans, expanded gun access to toddlers and authorized a shoot-first mentality, defunded Planned Parenthood despite 77 percent of Iowans supporting funding for non-abortion services, restricted asbestos-related liability lawsuits, curtailed home defect lawsuit statute-of-repose, limited livestock nuisance lawsuits by affected neighbors and legalized fireworks over the objection of law enforcement, veterans and medical professionals. Big Brothers governance proposals include: 1. Limiting worker compensation benefits, despite testimony from John Burton, a Republican economist and worker compensation expert, that there is no need to change Iowas current law. 2. Voter ID bill (HF 516); unnecessary (10 improper votes out of 1.6 million cast; 0.00000625 percent), expensive ($200,000) and discriminatory against minorities, elderly and disabled. 3. Barring cities and counties from enacting locally approved minimum wage increases (HF 295) and trying to dissolve the Des Moines Water Works (HF 316) implies state control is in vogue and local control is taboo. 4. Repealing Iowas nickel deposit on beverage containers; evidence GOP legislators are dancing (i.e., voting) with the ones (i.e. grocery and convenience stores) who brought them (i.e., political contributions) to the ball. 5. $240 million school choice voucher initiative, spearheaded by Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, would take money away from public schools and be given to nonpublic schools; a slap to the face of Iowas 35,000 public school educators. Suffice it is to say many Iowans got hoodwinked by the Republicans 2016 Smaller-Smarter election theme. Kathie Obradovichs March 5 Des Moines Register editorial is a good bromide for disheartened Iowans: Ultimately, we must hold responsible our elected officials for the legislation they approve. If theyre representing someone other than the people in their district, voters should give them the opportunity to find work elsewhere. If you prefer state over local control and policies that discriminate, continue supporting legislators who voted similarly. Inform all future candidates you will only support them if they put we the people before their party and special interest groups and where local control is preferred. The pain being inflicted by Big Brother isnt over; the last day of the 87th General Assembly is scheduled for April 18. I recently stated I will no longer participate in community forums organized by a coalition of groups, including the League of Women Voters. Some on the political left have complained about this; I believe it remains the right decision. I first want to be clear organizations like the League of Women Voters are a key part of our civil society, just like apolitical groups, including the Rotary, Lions Club, Kiwanis, Elks and Shriners and conservative political groups like the Club for Growth and the Iowa Family Policy Center. Civic groups like these, along with churches and families, are the glue that holds our civilization together. While the League of Women Voters is generally a liberal group, I have participated in the forums for several years. I have done this despite the fact the forums are run by Democratic activists; former Democrat legislators have served as moderators, and a former Democrat county chair serves as timekeeper. In the past, I have asked representatives of the forums to consider improvements, to no avail. At the last forum I attended, one of the main topics was collective bargaining laws. The moderator was a representative of a public union lobbying against the changes under discussion. The forum organizers are clearly not providing a neutral environment for discussion. None of that is new; it has been going on for years, but I have continued to participate anyway, because I want to be as engaged with my constituents as possible. But recently the environment at these forums has changed for the worse; liberal activist groups have become disruptive and disrespectful, and unfortunately, in the case of the extreme left, spew vitriol. My presence at this particular forum is a catalyst for that vitriol. This is not an atmosphere for productive dialogue. As a state representative, it is my job to take every opportunity I can to listen to the citizens who elected me, whether they voted for me or not, whether they like me or not, and whether they agree with me or not. One way I do this is knocking on doors: I knock on thousands of doors every year, seeking input and asking for support. If you live in my district, I have probably knocked on your door about a dozen times since I first ran for office eight years ago. Other ways I pursue engagement with my constituents include attending community events and, yes, participating in forums. The Black Hawk County Republicans have held a couple of forums this year; they were upfront about the fact that the forums were Republican in nature, but people with a variety of viewpoints were treated respectfully and civilly. Moving forward, I am hopeful a truly neutral organization like the Rotary or the Chamber Alliance would consider organizing forums. I am also open and willing to work with League of Women Voters leaders and my Democrat colleagues on a better solution. State Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, announced March 24, I will no longer attend public forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters, calling them partisan affairs. Rogers should remember he represents all of his constituents, not just those who agree with him. Voters attend public forums to voice their opinion on pending legislation and explain how it affects them or their organization. So, Walt, let me tell you why Democrats, Republicans and independents who attend these forums are upset. Public education is important to your constituents. Underfunding our schools, directing dollars to school vouchers and away from public schools that educate more than 90 percent of our children causes real concern. Voter identification bills add a hurdle to voting when voter fraud in Iowa is miniscule (10 incidents out of 1.6 million ballots cast or 0.00000625 percent). Mandating what is negotiable in labor contracts with public unions is taking away from local control, especially school boards. Teachers and other public employees are upset because it has a direct effect on their income. Capping workers compensation that supports people who get hurt on the job is punitive. Defunding Planned Parenthood because women can get reproductive health care in other places is irresponsible and untrue. The places you refer to are not prepared for the increase in numbers nor are they available in many rural areas. Defunding an organization that provides birth control and reduces the need for abortion is totally irrational. Not raising the minimum wage while telling local governments they cannot raise it either is another taking of local control. Closing mental health institutions, sending people back to local communities without funding is putting a tremendous burden on local officials. Our jails have become mental institutions by default. Subsidizing private companies that manage Medicaid, who promised to save taxpayers millions of dollars is another ruse foisted upon Iowans. These are but a few issues that have people upset. As a former 12-year elected official, I have also listened to angry constituents and tried to understand their opinion. For you to decide that people who come to a public forum, no matter who sponsors it, are partisan and angry is irrelevant. You ran for office to represent everyone. To do otherwise is to abdicate your responsibility as a public servant. Iowas insurance market could be the canary in the nations coal mine if Congress or President Donald Trump doesnt offer clarity soon on the future of the Affordable Care Act, with millions of people losing coverage, one industry expert said Friday. Two insurers announced last week they will stop selling individual health plans in Iowa Des Moines-based Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield on Monday and Aetna on Thursday. The decisions affect some 57,600 Iowans 21,400 Wellmark policy holders and 36,200 policy holders with Aetna. It also leaves the vast majority of the 50,000 Iowans purchasing subsidy-eligible insurance on the exchange with only one option Minnesota-based Medica. But that insurer is tight-lipped on what it plans to do in 2018, saying Thursday it is evaluating the situation and (its) options. Iowa is a bit different in that its happening so early, said Cynthia Cox, associate director for the program for the study of health reform and private insurance at not-for-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. But it might be the start of many more exits to come. Iowa doesnt show up in any of the health care policy organizations lists of states with fragile markets. States such as Tennessee, Arizona and Oklahoma have had steep premium increases and seen insurers drop out. This goes to show that political uncertainty can make an otherwise stable market unstable overnight, she said. The problem Wellmark, Aetna and other insurers face is not enough young and healthy people are choosing to enroll in plans to help spread out costs. Instead, older, sicker individuals are purchasing the health plans, putting a high concentration of expenses in the individual market. Wellmark said on Monday it lost $90 million through the individual market in Iowa. Theres also quite a bit of uncertainty looming over the future of the ACA. Trump and congressional Republicans have promised to repeal and replace President Barack Obamas signature health care legislation but have been stalled by disagreement over what changes to make. Insurers have said the unpredictability over which rules will be in place in 2018 and over the billions of dollars in government subsidies that make the plans more affordable to millions of people make it difficult to commit to offering insurance. Many have asked the government to extend the subsidies for 2018. This comes as health insurers are preparing 2018 premium rate proposals to submit to federal and state insurance regulators over the next few months. Whether Medica will stay in Iowa is hard to say, Kaisers Cox added. Several states have only one insurance option on the exchange but that insurer typically is the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan, which are more established. Medica is a significant player in Minnesota, Cox noted, and it has expanded into additional markets including Iowa and Kansas. But its not clear if they have capacity to absorb all the enrollees in Iowa, she said. It puts them in tough spot. If Medica were to drop out, there isnt much in terms of a Plan B. Iowans could purchase plans off the exchange without subsidies, but Iowa insurers are pulling out of that market, too. Trump has indicated he will not enforce the mandate or penalize those without insurance. But that is hardly a relief if you are sick and in need of medical care, Cox said. This is warning sign, Cox said. If Congress doesnt act soon ... we can see this happen around the country. Reuters contributed to this story. HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION ST PETER'S SQUARE 9 APRIL 2017 T odays celebration can be said to be bittersweet. It is joyful and sorrowful at the same time. We celebrate the Lords entrance into Jerusalem to the cries of his disciples who acclaim him as king. Yet we also solemnly proclaim the Gospel account of his Passion. In this poignant contrast, our hearts experience in some small measure what Jesus himself must have felt in his own heart that day, as he rejoiced with his friends and wept over Jerusalem.For thirty-two years now, the joyful aspect of this Sunday has been enriched by the enthusiasm of young people, thanks to the celebration of World Youth Day. This year, it is being celebrated at the diocesan level, but here in Saint Peters Square it will be marked by the deeply moving and evocative moment when the WYD cross is passed from the young people of Krakow to those of Panama.The Gospel we heard before the procession (cf. Mt 21:1-11) describes Jesus as he comes down from the Mount of Olives on the back of a colt that had never been ridden. It recounts the enthusiasm of the disciples who acclaim the Master with cries of joy, and we can picture in our minds the excitement of the children and young people of the city who joined in the excitement. Jesus himself sees in this joyful welcome an inexorable force willed by God. To the scandalized Pharisees he responds: I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would shout out (Lk 19:40).Yet Jesus who, in fulfilment of the Scriptures, enters the holy city in this way is no misguided purveyor of illusions, no new age prophet, no imposter. Rather, he is clearly a Messiah who comes in the guise of a servant, the servant of God and of man, and goes to his passion. He is the great patient, who suffers all the pain of humanity.So as we joyfully acclaim our King, let us also think of the sufferings that he will have to endure in this week. Let us think of the slanders and insults, the snares and betrayals, the abandonment to an unjust judgment, the blows, the lashes and the crown of thorns And lastly, the way of the cross leading to the crucifixion.He had spoken clearly of this to his disciples: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Mt 16:24). Jesus never promised honour and success. The Gospels make this clear. He had always warned his friends that this was to be his path, and that the final victory would be achieved through the passion and the cross. All this holds true for us too. Let us ask for the grace to follow Jesus faithfully, not in words but in deeds. Let us also ask for the patience to carry our own cross, not to refuse it or set it aside, but rather, in looking to him, to take it up and to carry it daily.This Jesus, who accepts the hosannas of the crowd, knows full well that they will soon be followed by the cry: Crucify him! He does not ask us to contemplate him only in pictures and photographs, or in the videos that circulate on the internet. No. He is present in our many brothers and sisters who today endure sufferings like his own: they suffer from slave labour, from family tragedies, from diseases They suffer from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike. Women and men who are cheated, violated in their dignity, discarded Jesus is in them, in each of them, and, with marred features and broken voice, he asks to be looked in the eye, to be acknowledged, to be loved.It is not some other Jesus, but the same Jesus who entered Jerusalem amid the waving of palm branches. It is the same Jesus who was nailed to the cross and died between two criminals. 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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 Staying out of debt is easier said than done, I know. However, its something you can do, and its something you should be practicing everyday. As Christians, we are in this world, but we are A startup needs to test an idea quickly. For this, an MVP is created. MVP, Minimal Viable Product a test version of a product or service with a minimum set of functions (up to one or two), which allows you to see the product's value for consumers and the market. MVP is created to test hypotheses and check the viability of the intended product: is it worth developing the project further, what changes should be made? The sooner a startup brings its MVP to market and tests the idea, the better. This article will look at how no-code technology can help founders achieve their business goals. This article will try to cover everything that a founder needs to know about no-code at the initial stage of creating a startup. What is no-code? No-code, zero-code platform is a tool for creating websites, applications, chatbots, and other programs without the need for direct code writing by programmers. No-code is a valuable alternative to traditional development. No-code is confused with low-code, but there is a difference in these terms. Low-code includes no-code and the ability to "finish code", add parts of code and the functionality. A user of a no-code platform usually does not need to know layout, programming languages, or hire a team of programmers. The user of the no-code tool creates an application using a visual block constructor, which he fills with the necessary content and functions, and the no-code platform itself does the processing of requests, compiling the application and other "magic." It generates code using AI and/or contains blocks of code pre-written by programmers. No-code allows the startup founder to create an MVP himself, entrust it to his employee with basic technical literacy and understanding of the project, or hire a no-code developer. Even in the case of hiring a no-code developer, the cost of creating an MVP will be significantly lower than with classical development with programmers. For example, you can read the interview of a startup and no-code developer on our website, who initially worked as a Product Manager and was able to master no-code for his project himself. Benefits of no-code for a startup founder There are the following key advantages for a startup founder in using no-code technology: a large selection of no-code tools, platforms, and their integrations at the moment already in 2022, there are many tools and platforms for creating an MVP, a larger project, or even a finished product on no-code, but few people still know about them, and others are far from all startups and founders use their potential; cost no-code development saves the money by speeding up the development process, not hiring professional programmers or no need to maintain a developer department, monitoring functions and quick bug fixes, avoiding or reducing the growth of technical debt; speed is the main advantage over classical development no-code allows you to build a simple application in a weekend, and a more complex one can be built in a month. In this way, you can test an MVP and even several versions of an MVP very quickly; low entry threshold to master a no-code platform, you often do not need technical education at all, but only an understanding of a company's business processes or product from the inside. In the case of pro-level no-code platforms, technical education is required, but you can get used to it hundreds of times faster than with any programming language. This makes no-code available to almost everyone who wants to work with technology; ease of use no need to write hundreds of code lines just move the blocks and assign links between them. Work on a project can be entrusted to your employee without communicating with a team of third-party developers. You can speak "in your language" without the need to understand the "inner kitchen" of developers; flexibility with the help of no-code, it is easy for a startup founder to add new functionality and new features right during a project or a MVP testing without a significant increase in development costs. Possible disadvantages of no-code for a startup founder As often, any property can be, under certain conditions, both a disadvantage and an advantage. In no-code, many of the benefits with the wrong choice of tool can turn into disadvantages: no-code is not always a budget solution for a project. Sometimes in a no-code development package, you get unnecessary functions and additions (on AppMaster.io you can separately connect the frontend and pay only for the backend or only for those functions that you are using); if you do not understand the needs of your project, then you can make a mistake with the choice of a no-code tool and not be able to implement the necessary functions on it, or it will be too difficult to implement them; often, no-code tools fail to ensure proper data security and contribute to data leakage (but AppMaster.io allows you to host a finished application on any server); no-code tools often do not provide the ability to upload source code or provide uploading in an inconvenient format, which makes it difficult to move to another tool or to your development. You have to choose a no-code tool "once and forever immediately" (AppMaster. io gives you the ability to download the source code. Also, we generate human-readable code and you will not have any difficulties with its transportation); most no-code tools on the market are not suitable for creating a finished product, and there are significant difficulties with scaling the project if the MVP is successful (AppMaster.io is a professional no-code platform and our capabilities allow us to implement and support the finished product and scale it in the future). Forewarned is forearmed. Choose your no-code tool wisely and take full advantage of your choice. Types of no-code platforms Conventionally, all no-code tools can be divided into several types: no-code devices with a low entry threshold (you can create frontend and not very powerful backend on them), integrators that help connect applications and services, and professional no-code platforms (they strive to replace the code completely, provide the ability to create a robust backend and high bandwidth). The basic principle of operation of your MVP and the choice of a no-code platform depend on such a conditional division into types. For example, if you make a simple application like a diary, you can limit yourself to a no-code tool with a low entry threshold and a beautiful design. If your application has powerful potential, high bandwidth, multi-user interface, and works with large amounts of data or real-time data, it is better to choose a professional no-code platform like AppMaster.io or Direcual. If you use several services at once, link them on integrators like Integromat and Zapier. Adalo An easy-to-learn designer with a relatively user-friendly interface. The free version is helpful for learning. The free version contains Adalo watermarks and does not allow you to upload your applications to GooglePlayMarket and AppStore. Beginners often choose this no-code platform to create their first applications with simple logic. Bubble It will take more time to learn Bubble , but the platform allows you to work with the backend, databases, business processes, and layout. There are many plugins. The free plan allows you to master the tool, and you can start developing at the middle rate. The price increase is due to the rise in the number of users. Integromat It is an integrator. Experts talk about it as a simple and affordable platform for linking applications and services. Scenarios can be created personally, or you can use templates. If you need to connect an application with a service not from the Integromat database, fill out the form and connect to its API via HTTP. Zapier This is an integrator for linking applications with each other or with other external services. You can transfer data between thousands of applications. There is a script constructor (one event starts a chain of necessary actions). Directual The no-code platform positions itself for creating MVP applications (Minimal Viable Product, minimum viable product) and full-fledged applications of finished products. Scenarios are the backbone of the platform. Using scripts, you can automate the backend logic of the application, create and combine workflows. The Directual catalog includes out-of-the-box connectors, HTTP requests, webhooks, database listeners, and integration with popular services. AppMaster.io No-code next-generation platform for creating native and web applications on a real backend. Visual drag-and-drop designer, user-friendly business process designer, one-click app publishing to AppMaster Cloud, or integration with any cloud platform. Push notifications, authorization using social networks. Networks, email, and more. Connect applications to hundreds of services or programmatically access them using APIs. The ability to upload source code and documentation in a human-readable format and transfer it to your servers. Documentation auto-generation. Modern and fast language GoLang at the core. No-code perspectives for startups No-code development is gradually gaining popularity around the world. There are already more than 500 no-code tools for creating websites and various types of applications. According to the forecasts of IT world experts, no-code will develop more and more actively and capture parts of the market responsible for medicine, small online business, small business, and all niches where it is possibly necessary to optimize and automate development processes. The mass shift of businesses and their customers online and to gadgets has increased the demand for the fast and inexpensive creation of mobile applications that would work according to a single quality standard and have a simple, understandable, user-friendly interface. Conclusion No-code is visual programming in the form of a constructor without directly writing code. Usually, basic knowledge in development is enough to build applications on no-code. The logic of no-code constructors is intuitive: the application interface is assembled from blocks, icons, buttons, and text which are connected to the database. Usually, you can choose a suitable template or do everything from scratch. Speed and economy are the main advantages of no-code tools. No-code is suitable for creating an MVP, testing an idea or new features in a product, saving time for solving standard tasks. PRO level no-code platforms can provide you with a finished product, an application. If you don't have an account on AppMaster.io yet, join us. After registration, you will be given a free trial period for 14 days, in which all the basic functionality of the platform is available. It will allow you to learn the intricacies of working with a professional-level no-code platform and understand its potential. The Student Ambassadors of the McDonell Area Catholic Schools are trying to enlist the communitys help in turning the entire city blue this May. But it has nothing to do with the schools royal blue and white colors. The ambassadors, a community-oriented service group, partnered with Chippewa Falls High Schools Apollo service fraternity, the Chippewa Falls and Lake Hallie police departments and the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office to Shine Blue for the Badge in support of local law enforcement during Police Appreciation Week, May 14-20. We want the whole town to be lit up blue so the police officers can see we appreciate what theyre doing, McDonell junior Megan Baier said. Theyre out there working late nights to protect us and help out the community. Baier said she, like many of her classmates, didnt realize all the officers do to protect and serve their community. At a lunch with community members the ambassadors held earlier this year, she heard stories from the officers she wasnt expecting. One of the kids in our group lost his dog, and the officer helped him find it, Baier said. Its just simple things like that. I dont think people realize enough how they impact us. Abby Opsal, a junior and member of the ambassadors, sure didnt. She remembers thinking police were just people sitting on the side of the highway making sure people dont go 10 (mph) over. Now, working with them on Shine Blue for the Badge, she realizes how much more they do. Having more of a personal connection with them through this project, it has made me see how much they really are risking to go out there every day, Opsal said. They are just people, too. They dont know if theyre coming home from work every day, though, thats the difference. Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm said just the idea they had to help local law enforcement was rewarding for his department. It means everything, Kelm said. For them to choose us as something they want to support, show the officers they care about them, thats why we got into this profession. The ambassadors have been working since the fall with their coordinator, Mary Jacobson, to create a plan to sell blue light bulbs at various locations in the area. They are working with the police departments as well as local businesses and organizations to put together promotions, newsletters, packaging, finding the bulbs themselves and more to bring this idea to life. It has required a lot of work on the students from both schools, but Jacobson said the community has really pulled together to support them, which was huge for the students to see. We know we have a very supportive community that cooperates well together and is willing to roll up sleeves and get things done, Jacobson said. But students dont always get to witness that, and I think its been kind of a motivator for them. Baier agreed. She remembers feeling overwhelmed at times when work first began on the project. But after getting local businesses to help them promote the project, the law enforcements support and enthusiasm and seeing everything come together, shes less nervous. Its been a long process and at the beginning we were a little bit worried, Baier sad. But with all of the support were getting, were pretty excited to see how its going to turn out. Starting with Springfest at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds on Friday, April 28-Sunday, April 30, they will be selling the blue light bulbs for $6 each, with instructions on how and when to light it. After that, they will be selling at various locations throughout the community until Saturday, May 13. The shifts include several full days and many evenings, including some during school hours. Jacobson knows the kids are busy, so they will also be asking volunteers to help fill 2-3 hour shift slots. Kelm said officers will try to have a presence at the locations as well, or maybe have a vehicle parked if they cant be there themselves. We want this to be successful, not just to support law enforcement, but these kids put a lot of effort into this, and we want them to have a good experience, he said. A complete list of selling locations and hours can be found accompanying this article. For more information, or to volunteer your time, email shineblueinfo@gmail.com or check out the groups Facebook page, www.facebook.com/shineblueforthebadge. The students set a goal to sell 5,000 light bulbs so the community can really turn blue for Police Appreciation Week. But they have a financial goal as well. The focus is not so much to raise money, its really to show support for law enforcement, Jacobson said. But we also want to support the Jason Zunker Memorial Endowment Fund because then our work continues to help other projects. The Jason Zunker Memorial Endowment Fund, in honor of Chippewa Falls police officer Zunker who died while on duty in 2008, is through the Community Foundation of Chippewa County. As the details come together and the project starts turning into reality, Baier and Opsal are more excited to see the end result. Opsal even has a goal for next year already. If this could become an annual thing where we raise our goal to 10,000 light bulbs next year, that would be really rewarding, Opsal said. Their first reward will come the week of May 14-20, when the city of Chippewa Falls shines blue and they see their hard work pay off. For Kelm and his department, hes looking forward to his officers being reminded that entire week of the McDonell and Chi-Hi students commitment. When the officers are driving around at night trying to keep the streets safe, he said, and they see all the blue lights and support ... Its going to be really neat. South Dakota gubernatorial candidates hold rallies ahead of Election Day Throughout campaign rallies in the final week before Election Day, Gov. Kristi Noem and Rep. Jamie Smith spoke to their base and encouraged others to get out the vote. President Chris Dupont Interviewed for ABN Newswire Rouyn-Noranda, April 11, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Explor Resources Inc. ( CVE:EXS ) ( E1H1:FRA ) ( EXSFF:OTCMKTS ) President Chris Dupont, in an interview with ABN Newswire, explains the history of the Timmins Porcupine West (TPW) discovery in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Canada. With the Abitibi Belt host to over 180 Million ounces of historical gold production, the discovery at TPW is potentially the largest deposit found in the last 100 years in Canada. A large undeveloped porphyry system located at the deposit has been calculated to be five times larger than similar historical porphyry systems in this area that have yielded tens of millions of ounces of gold. Speaking with Tim Mckinnon from ABN Newswire, Chris Dupont provides an overview of both the historical gold in the Abitibi, and the current interest in the area by Canada's largest Gold mining companies who are now actively developing massive infrastructure to process ore from the area. To listen to the interview, please visit: http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/87833/exs About Explor Resources Inc. Explor Resources Inc. (CVE:EXS) (OTCMKTS:EXSFF) (FRA:E1H1) is a Canadian-based natural resources company with mineral holdings in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Explor is currently focused on exploration in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The belt is found in both provinces of Ontario and Quebec with approximately 33% in Ontario and 67% in Quebec. The Belt has produced in excess of 180,000,000 ounces of gold and 450,000,000 tonnes of cu-zn ore over the last 100 years. The Corporation was continued under the laws of Alberta in 1986 and has had its main office in Quebec since 2006. A bomb exploded Sunday at St. Georges church in Egypts Al Gharbeyya governorate, killing and injuring dozens. The attack came hours before another in Alexandria that struck St Marks Cathedral. The explosion in Tanta left 25 dead and 71 injured, according to the Health Ministry in Gharbiya. According to preliminary reports in state media, a bomb had been placed inside the church underneath a seat. In response to the attack, an emergency room has been set up by Egypts security departments. Egypts President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi also issued an order for military hospitals to treat all those injured. Meanwhile, Egypts Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni Islamic authority in Egypt, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attack. Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians, said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid. According to the privately-owned newspaper Al-Tahrir, another bomb was found in the same church about a week ago. However, the security forces hindered its explosion. This is the second attack to strike Tanta in less than 10 days. On 31 March, at least 16 people were injured when a bomb exploded outside a police training centre. The explosion comes as Coptic Christians started celebrations for Palm Sunday. This is the second church bombing to strike Egypt in six months. In December, dozens were killed after a bomb struck a chap connected to St Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. ISIS claimed responsibility for the December 2016 attack. Brazilian FC Barcelona forward Neymar might miss the El Clasico against Real Madrid as he mocked the fourth official following his red card verdict in a 0-2 loss to Malaga in the La Liga on Saturday. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano, who booked Neymar for the second time in the match for a rash tackle on Diego Llorente to leave Barcelona down to 10 men for the final 25 minutes, included Neymars barb while walking off into the tunnel in his post-match report, according to the Guardian. This could result in up to three matches being added to Neymars suspension. The Catalans had Luis Suarez out with a two-game ban in the February after the same referee wrote in his report after a Copa del Rey game against Atletico Madrid that the Uruguayan delayed his exit down the tunnel after being sent off. Real Madrid play Barcelona on April 23. At least five persons were killed and 36 others injured as security forces opened fire on rampaging mobs in various parts of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday, as the violence marred polling which saw an abysmally low turnout. Army was called out to help security forces control a rampaging mob which pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the Srinagar constituency. Polling booths attacked with stones, EVMs damaged in parts of Budgam. Polling stopped in parts of Budgam after clashes. Peaceful polling in Kangan, Ganderbal. In Budgam, stone pelting was reported from Hafroo Batpora in Chrari Sharif Assembly constituency, Gooripora area in Beerwah, Dardpora and Soibugh in Budgam and Hayatpora in Chadoora assembly segments, the official told Rising Kashmir. Stone pelting also took place at Nasrullahpora. In Wakura area of Ganderbal Assembly constituency, youths pelted stones at a power development department lineman who tried to rectify a snag at the polling station, which did not have electricity. Security personnel chased the protesters away, he said. Voting for the bypoll began amid tight security, with nine candidates including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in the fray. All the polling stations have been declared as either sensitive or hyper-sensitive, keeping in mind threats from various militant outfits and separatist groups, including the Hurriyat Conference. The seat fell vacant following resignation of PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra, both from the Lower House of Parliament and his party, in protest against the atrocities on people during the agitation in the summer last year in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Dr. Abdullah, who is the candidate of his party and the Congress jointly, will take on the ruling PDPs candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan in a virtual direct contest. Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the situation of elections and campaigning in the state has deteriorated this year. Abdullah said, I have been a politician for 20 years. I have never seen such a bad situation for elections and campaigning in the state. It is the failure of State Government, Centre and Election Commission. NC President Farooq Abdullah and son Omar Abdullah cast their votes in Srinagar. The two leaders strongly condemned the poll violence in the capital. Elections should have been peaceful, this government has failed in giving a peaceful atmosphere for people to come and vote, Farooq Abdullah said. M/s Shirke Company has constructed an illegal building Maitriat Kalina area of Kurla for high ranking officers without BMC permission. The building is now the latest talk of the town, and the reason is despite being illegal building MHADA has already paid 94 per cent cost to M/s Shirke. This was revealed in a query put by RTI Activist Anil Galgali. Shirke Company has been paid 18 crores 83 lakh & 80 rupees so far. Anil Galgali questioned the work ethics of MHADA wherein it was necessary to make inquiries before making the payments for an illegal construction. It was totally overlooked. If the BMC demolishes the illegal construction the cost of which runs into crores, will it be possible to retrieve this amount from Shirke. The Regional Auditor of MHADA Mumbai, in his reply to Anil Galgali s query, has informed that up to 31 March 2017 the total expenditure of high income group 72 houses has been Rs. 20,14,78,000 crore out of which Shirke Company has been paid Rs. 18,83,80,000 crore so far. In a shocking case of misuse of power, 29 illegal floors have been added to construct a 12 floor high-rise building in Kalina, Santacruz-East to provide houses to top bureaucrats of Maharashtra. The building has incidentally been named Maitri (Friendship), signifying the alliance between the powerful babus of mantralaya and one of the biggest contractor of Maharashtra Ms. B.G. Shirke, who has been given the task of construction, said Galgali. The 84 allottees of the building include officials from CM office, Deputy CM office, MHADA, SRA, Housing, Rural Development, Urban Development, Cooperative, Revenue, Anti Corruption Bureau, Public Health, BMC, Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Women & Child welfare, Industries, Information & Technology, Police, Sales Tax and Transport. Deputy Chief Officer of Mumbai Region, Abhimanyu Kale, DCP Sunil Ramanand, Private Secretary to MOS -Housing, Kailash Pahare, Deputy Secretary (Housing) & Additional Collector Dilip Shinde are the 4 promoters of the Society. While A.M. Wajarkar, Additional Collector of SRA are the chief promoter. A brave Maharashtra police, which once known for after Scotland Yards police, unfortunately tops the list for police suicides. Hit by a series of suicides within the force in the last few months, the state police department has decided to use the Armed Forces formula and set up its own unit of clinical and counselling psychologists to help its personnel cope with stress. We talk about police managing the youth, community, state and country. We also expect too much from these people neglecting the fact that they too are human being and have equal or more sufferings than an average common man. Nowadays, for this khaki, mental health is biggest issues. However, its very unfortunate that the state machinery has no time to address these issues. Right now, Mumbai and Maharashtra police needs mental health checkups and workshops to address the depression levels in them. The police department is now waiting for the state governments green signal for its proposal to hire a 100-member team of qualified experts to be deployed in all districts and attached with all special divisions of the police to monitor the squads. Detailed data on police suicides in the city was procured by RTI activist earlier. It is necessary to ensure that police personnel do not turn skeptical when over-smart officers continuously get good postings, whereas good ones get relegated. This leads to discrimination and ridicule in social circles; wives and children of successful officers often boast, which humiliates kin of those who are not been promoted. This makes a sensitive officer vulnerable to suicide. The best way to stop this is to ensure that postings and transfers are done in a transparent manner, with an unbiased committee. They must be based on sound principles of job rotation. Mumbai police is divided in privileged and underprivileged staff, the upper crust of Mumbai police is rich, famous, prosperous and have lavish living whereas low rank hawaldars to police inspector, are living in challenges. Devendra Fadanvis government has no home minister as the portfolio is with him but he is unable to ensure the welfare of the department. One cannot deny that the Police officers are working in poor infrastructural conditions, where they have to deal with a number of issues. Firstly, their senior officers are abusive and treat juniors in a shabby manner. There is long working hours and leave for them is scarce, which leads to bigger problems. After a point, it becomes intolerable and that is when they lose their cool and take such extreme steps. ASI-level officers are usually more frustrated due to their advanced age. By the time they get promoted, they cross 50 years of age. For someone who has not been trained as an officer, to become one at such an advanced age becomes very stressful. Also, an ASI has to grapple with a huge amount of work. This is why, they cannot exert as much as their younger counterparts, and have less patience too. There are several factors, which develop and grow over a period, contribute to the decision. The extreme step comes when a line is crossed and that person is unable to bear the stress. Long working hours, poor working conditions, VIP protection duty, festivals and lack of structural reforms had increased their stress levels. Long-term stress causes depression and suicide. Regular screening for mental health problems during a physical check-up is a must. Depression across age groups in the force is not easily identified and fixed early, which leads to the taking of drastic steps. Easily availability of lethal weapons is also one of the reasons for high suicide trend in police personnel. Department has not carried out structural reforms to tackle such issues. Proper screening of individual cops at the police station should be carried out to fix the tendency of suicide at an early stage. In many cases, it is not only work stress. Depression is also due to personal and family reasons. The tolerance level of personnel has also gone down. The department has come out with an initiative where gyms and yoga classes have been started at police stations. Personnel have been urged to spend time in the gym and at yoga classes to reduced stress levels. Excessive work pressure and failure to accomplish desired professional ambitions may act as a primary or major contributory reason for suicides. Such ambitions could be getting good postings and regular career advancement. Work pressure may be a cause, but the bigger one is humiliation by seniors in the form of day-to-day harassment or punitive transfers and punishment posting for a good officer for many years. Such unbearable humiliation and consistent mental torture foster suicidal tendencies. With blood pressure, sugar, diabetes, depression, obesity, skin disorders Mumbai police also suffering with heart issues and HIV at large. This is high time; government needs to tackle this issue with more sensitive way to build the health and morale of Mumbai police. Most of the population lives with a mental illness, which translates to over millions of people bearing with the rate of suicides, cardiovascular health and several days of productivity lost. However, the gritty view of the state of mental health in India is, to put it slightly, apoplectic. Nearly half of those with severe mental disease arent treated and of those with less severe versions, nearly 9 in 10 go uncared for. Most of the population has mental disorders and 1 in a 5 have emotional and behavioural problems, ranging from mild to severe. This also doesnt begin to account for the extent of counselling that is required. According to the governments estimates, about 1 in 5 people in the country need counselling, either psychological or psychiatric. Depression, most prevalent form of mental illness is estimated to 3 of every 100 in urban areas like Mumbai. The impact of inadequate mental health treatment can be estimatedthough not entirely correlated by its effect on suicide rates. (Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com) ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- A statement released by "the joint command operation center of Syrian allies," a group that includes Russia and Iran, warned the U.S. against further military actions in the war-torn country, following a missile strike on a Syrian air base last week. Referring to its defense of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the group warned that they would support Syria and its people "with all means that we have." "The United States crossed red lines by attacking Syria, from now on we will respond to anyone, including America if it attacks Syria and crosses the red lines," the statement read. "America knows very well our ability and capabilities to respond well to them, [and] we will respond without taking into consideration any reaction and consequences." The statement did not include critical details like what kind of military operation would cross such a red line, or what kind of response would be made on the part of Syria and its allies, but noted that they would work to "liberate" Syria from occupation. "Rest assured that we will liberate Syria from all kinds of occupying forces, it does not matter from where they came to the occupied part of Syria," the statement warned. "Russia and Iran will not allow the United States to be the only superpower in world." The statement warned the U.S. that allies of Syria were "closely and deeply following American forces' moves and presence" in the areas of northern Syria and northwestern Iraq, and that they will "consider them [to be] an occupying force." Russia and Iran have backed Assad in Syrias six-year-long conflict, as has the Shia militia Hezbollah. The United States and other Western countries have thrown their support behind rebels fighting the Syrian regime. The statement follows heated rhetoric from American lawmakers suggesting that Syrian allies like Russia may have had prior knowledge of the chemical attack that took place in Syria last week, killing scores of civilians, including many children. Earlier on Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC News' "This Week" that Russia is "complicit" in the chemical attack in Syria. "Absolutely they're complicit," Schiff told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. "Russian intelligence may not be as good as ours, but it's good enough to know the Syrians had chemical weapons, were using chemical weapons." The question of Russian complicity in the attack also came up in an earlier interview on "This Week" Sunday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Tillerson said he has "not seen any hard evidence" that Russians were involved in planning or carrying out the attack. But the secretary of state said when he meets with the Russian foreign minister this week, he will bring up Russia's obligation under a 2013 agreement to ensure the Syrian government got rid of its chemical weapons. "It agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons, and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me," Tillerson said. "Clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians." Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. U.S. Rep. Ron Kind held a listening session at the Chippewa Valley Technical Colleges Chippewa Falls campus Saturday afternoon to speak about everything from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to the airstrikes in Syria, education and environmental concerns. Chippewa County Board Chairman Anson Albarado shared his concerns with Kind about funding at the county level. Mental health ties into a lot of crime in our area, the meth epidemic in our area and insurance coverage, Albarado said. Cuts in funding mean, to county government, that we have to reduce services or try to do more with less. Kind said he is working with Congress to try to find some common ground in President Donald Trumps budget proposal, which significantly cuts funding for mental health services, to make sure counties such as Chippewa have the resources they need. Donna Albarado, who serves as president of the Cadott School Board, added that of the 238 students at their high school, 100 of them are facing some sort of mental health issue, whether that be depression, suicidal thoughts or drug abuse. One of Kinds proposed suggestions for Trumps budget is to reallocate some of the funding for the military to instead go toward health care and programs such as Medicaid and Badgercare. There are other areas, such as military reform spending, we can look to for cost savings, so we dont have to expect the most vulnerable in our communities to bear the burden, Kind said. Anson Albarado also asked Kind what he, as a representative for a farm-friendly Wisconsin community, would do to make sure local farmers, who rely on illegal immigrants for labor, can stay productive. Kind didnt have an outright answer to that question, but said he would continue to work with Congress to come up with a solution. He added: I dont think building a wall is going to solve immigration concerns. Another concern participant Mary Jo Fleming, and many in the room shared, was centered around climate change. Fleming didnt understand why more people werent paying attention to something so crucial to every single person on the planet. Thats all we have. All these things we want to change are wonderful, but everything we do affects our environment, Fleming said. If we dont have that, we dont have anything. Kind shared her sentiments, noting 60 percent of Washington D.C.s iconic cherry blossoms, which blossomed a month early this year, were wiped out after a snowstorm. He added, though, there are things people can do outside of Congress. The private sector, for example, has been proactive in looking for alternative energy options, enhanced efficiency buildings and vehicles. Which, in fact, falls right in line with Trumps call for more jobs and profitable businesses. Addressing climate change doesnt have to hurt jobs, Kind said. Solar-related jobs are eight times more (available) than mining jobs, he said. This can be a pro-growth, job creating proposition, too, if they want to approach it that way. Kind, who supported Trumps airstrikes in Syria yesterday, said the war there is an example of polarized politics. The U.S. Constitution states Congress is the sole authority of declaring war on another sovereign nation. Kind hopes, moving forward, Trump will come up with a plan of action that includes Congress and a comprehensive strategy. Im not sensing a lot of eagerness from the people I represent for us to get dragged into another long Middle East military confrontation, he said. There was one main theme the Democratic congressman returned to following all these issues: Representatives from both parties need to be communicating. We just need to get in the same room and listen to one another, Kind said. By doing that, we find some overlap and common ground. Its not healthy for us to be behaving in this manner, especially when it comes to military force and loss of life. An ex-Navy SEAL, who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden, has revealed that the al-Qaeda chiefs head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification. Ex-Navy SEAL team shooter Robert ONeill has reasserted his claim that he alone pumped three bullets into Osama, killing the architect of the 9/11 attacks, in a new book. In The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden, the former Navy SEAL Team 6 shooter lays out the details of what went down that night inside the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the New York Daily News reported. While controversy still swirls around ONeills version of the May 2, 2011, raid, much of it centers on his breaking the Special Ops code of silence. ONeill, in his book, makes the gruesome claim that Osamas head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification photographs. In ONeills version, he was trailing five or six other SEALs climbing the stairs to the compounds second floor when Osamas son Khalid appeared on the half-landing with an AK-47. The agents were able to lure Khalid from where he was hiding behind a banister by calling to him in Arabic, saying: Khalid, come here. He shouted in response: What? and emerged from his hiding spot, and was immediately shot in the face, the report said. Once upstairs, the men spread out to search the rooms. In the compound with Osama were three of his four wives and 17 children. ONeill kept his hand on the point mans shoulder. The two were alone on the stairway, convinced that whoever was on the third floor was strapping on a suicide vest for an explosive last stand. ONeill recounts that finally he decided to take action. He squeezed the point mans shoulder, the signal to charge and then burst past the curtain. The point man tackled two screaming women to the floor. Bin Laden stood near the bed, his hands on the shoulders of the woman in front of him. She was later identified as Amal, the youngest of his four wives, the report said. In less than a second, I aimed above the womans right shoulder and pulled the trigger twice, ONeill writes. Bin Ladens head split open, and he dropped. I put another bullet in his head. Insurance, he writes. According to ONeill, the other members of the team rushed into the room only after he placed a 2-year-old boy found covering in a corner alongside Osamas widow on the bed. A harrowing 90-minute flight returned the squadron to camp in Afghanistan. ONeills book comes five years after No Easy Day, fellow SEAL Mark Bissonnettes account of the operation. He agreed to surrender the $6.8 million in proceeds from the book for his use of classified information and violation of a non-disclosure deal. April 6, 2017 In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Cemil Bayik, the co-chairperson of the executive council of the Kurdistan Communities Union, a Kurdish political organization committed to implementing Abdullah Ocalan's ideology of democratic confederalism, and one of the leaders of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), makes clear that a Turkish vote on April 16 in favor of constitutional changes to give the Turkish president broad powers will only lead to instability; that the PKK is not afraid of intensifying the war if the Turkish government continues to refuse to negotiate a peace deal; and why Kurds are central to a peaceful and stable Middle East. Once again, the PKK calls on the international community, particularly the United States, to mediate between the Turkish government and the PKK and to resolve the Kurdish question in Turkey. Bayik, a Kurd from Turkey, was born in 1952 in the province of Elazig. He is one of the founders of the PKK in 1978, and has been the backbone of the PKK ever since. He was appointed as deputy secretary-general, the No. 2 man of the PKK after Ocalan. Being the leader of the People's Liberation Army until 1995 (these days the PKK's military wing is called the People's Defence Forces, or HPG, led by Murat Karayilan) and the director of the Mahsum Korkmaz Academy, the PKK's training camp in the Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, made Bayik one of the top PKK military leaders, as well as an influential party thinker. The text of the interview follows: Al-Monitor: The PKK has not responded as before, neither militarily nor through mobilizing the masses against the arrest of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leaders and the destruction of Kurdish villages and cities. Does it mean the PKK has lost credibility with the people? Why? Bayik: The aim of the government's decision to wage the war on us was to suppress the Kurdish movement for freedom. Unfortunately, the Turkish state is using the most lethal methods in this war. One can gain firsthand knowledge by referring to the February report of the UN Human Rights Commission, which was covered by numerous international media outlets. It clearly points to a mass destruction of cities and the use of excessive force. These are facts that are unfortunately ignored by the world. The PKK has not lost credibility with the masses. In fact, there are continuous breaks from the state. The state attempted to prepare alternative movements during its war to turn away our supporters from us, but people who break away from the state don't join those organizations. Those movements have not shown any results, which is a clear indication that the masses continue to support our movement for freedom. Al-Monitor: How will the PKK respond if the "Yes" campaign wins the Turkish constitutional referendum? Bayik: We will support any constitution that allows more freedom and strengthens democracy, which is our criterion to support constitutional changes. The draft constitution, if approved, will take Turkey in a completely opposite direction, which will benefit neither Kurds nor Turks. Therefore, if the referendum does not pass, it will halt the hegemonic trend, benefit Turkey's democratization and could create new opportunities for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem, for which we have repeatedly called but the Turkish government refuses to commit. However, if the "Yes" campaign wins the referendum, we believe the war which was resumed on July 24, 2015 will intensify. After the failed coup last year, the state of emergency was declared, which is nothing new. We saw the same development after the 1980 coup. We have been engaged in our struggle for 45 years, and various governments of Turkey have failed to suppress our movement. Al-Monitor: You have called the European Union, the United States and the international community several times to mediate a resolution to the Kurdish issue. Have you received any responses? On the other hand, some believe Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may resume talks with Abdullah Ocalan in Imrali if he achieves his dreams of changing the Turkish system. Is there any hope? Bayik: There is no doubt that the Kurdish question is gaining international attention, despite the Turkish government's intensified efforts to downsize our movement. The past political context, which necessitated certain powers to remain silent about the Turkish genocides against our people, no longer exists. Therefore, we call on all global powers to play a positive role and force Turkey to accept peaceful negotiations to the Kurdish issue. We have declared before that if Turkey is ready for a peaceful solution, the government may invite its allies to monitor the negotiations. This is still our approach, which Turkey continues to refuse and its allies have not taken the necessary steps to start negotiations. We are very optimistic that the new US administration, led by Donald Trump, can encourage Turkey to seek a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. We are ready to engage any party that serves peace and stability. In the past, in February 2015, we had accepted the Dolmabahce agreement, which laid the democratization groundwork for Turkey. Unfortunately, Erdogan refused it because of his presidential ambitions. Al-Monitor: Is it possible to restart the peace process with the Turkish state at this point in time? Bayik: The question should be directed at the Turkish government because we are always ready for peace. However, how can you have peace when the government continues to believe that there is no Kurdish issue? The Turkish government is opposed to Kurdish rights even in Syria, let alone in Turkey. Erdogan attempts to show that he is not opposed to Kurdish rights by having good relations with the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] in South Kurdistan [Iraq], but the main aim of his relationship with the KDP is to oppose the PKK. Imagine that entire towns in Northern Kurdistan [Turkey] are demolished; thousands of activists are jailed, including the co-chairs of the HDP. How would these kinds of acts lead to peace? They are forcing us to surrender. The dust may clear, but it will not lead to peace. If the government refuses a peaceful solution, and the international powers remain silent, then we have no choice but to continue our resistance. If a strong resistance manages to defeat the policies of the AKP-MHP [Justice and Development Party-Nationalist Movement Party], the road to democratization will start. Democratization and peace are directly related to each other. There will be no peace, unless Turkey undergoes the process of democratization. Al-Monitor: Recently, the political situation in Syria changed. Turkish-backed rebels withdrew from Aleppo, and afterward the Astana talks started. The Kurds were excluded from the talks, how do you assess those talks? Bayik: Turkey failed to secure the backing of the coalition for its Syria policy. We did not expect lasting peace from the Astana talks. It is impossible to ensure any lasting peace for the Syria issue without including in the talks the Kurds and other minorities that are included in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS). The participants of the Astana talks lack popular support in Syria. They lack social, political and military influence. They are simply foreign collaborators. This is certainly not the case with the parties of the DFNS. They have strong grassroots, with religious and ethnic diversity. They include Arabs, Syriacs, Circassians, Turkmens, Christians, Muslims, Yazidis and others. The DFNS is becoming a strong entity of Syria that presents a new alternative to the problems of the region. Again, we are optimistic that the Americans and Europeans are following the developments in Northern Syria because it will be in everyone's interests to ensure that it is empowered to achieve peace and stability to the bloodshed in Syria. Al-Monitor: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned there have been negotiations between Syrian Kurds and the Syrian regime under Russian supervision. Do you think there will some kind of agreement with the Syrian regime? Bayik: There is no doubt that the mentality of the previous Baath regime makes any solution impossible. The old regime had a centralist character and did not recognize the democratic rights of any communities. The same regime denied the rights of the Kurdish for a long time. Therefore, the struggle of the Kurds in Syria for their rights is in one way the struggle for the democratization of Syria. In that respect, the Kurds are struggling independently from the regime and other forces for the democratization of Syria. They are not after setting up a separate state. Their aim is to establish a democratic system in Northern Syria that is part of Syria. With regard to reaching a resolution with the Syrian regime, it cannot be dealt with in a shortsighted approach. A solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria has not been possible with the regime so far. However, if the regime undergoes democratic changes and adopts a democratic platform for the future of Syria, then we can argue there is a change. If it happens, then a possibility of reaching a solution will emerge. Al-Monitor: The Kurds work with Russia on the one hand and with the United States on the other hand. To what extent can the Kurds keep this strategy? You said many times that third-line strategy of the PKK is successful. This might be true for now; however, can this be sustained? Bayik: The Kurds carry out a very legitimate cause; they are struggling against atrocities. When our leader Abdullah Ocallan was taken captive in Imrali, he stated that "we are carrying out a legitimate struggle. We will explain this to Europe, the United States, Russia, China and to Christians, Jews and anyone." In that respect, anyone can observe the situation in Rojava to witness the legitimate Kurdish struggle, which fosters coexistence of different religious and ethnic groups. Everyone is united against [the Islamic State] and agrees to work on democratizing Syria. The Kurds, with their liberal and democratic approach, are the basis of peace and stability in the region. The SDF will collaborate with any parties that seek a peaceful, stable and democratic solution to the region. Al-Monitor: There is information that the constitutional draft during the Astana negotiations was prepared with the Kurds. Do you support the content of this constitution? Bayik: The Kurds had no role in the draft constitution of Astana. In fact, the draft was criticized by many Kurds because it is not aligned with the Kurdish vision for Syria. The draft pointed to cultural autonomy, but the DFNS is much more inclusive and democratic, so the rights laid out in the draft constitution are insufficient. But when considering the past harsh treatment such as assimilation, genocides, nonexistence that the Kurds faced, having discussions about the rights of the Kurds in the constitution is a positive intention but insufficient. There should be a more democratic approach to the Syrian problem. Al-Monitor: Some people think that Syrian Kurdistan will be an energy line to the Mediterranean Sea and this is the reason why Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia oppose the North Syria Federation. Does Turkey wage an energy war against you? Bayik: Energy could be a factor, but the main aim is the fascist mentality of the Turkish government that opposes the rights of the Kurds. Besides, the Kurds have no aim in taking control of any energy corridors. While the Kurds want a fair distribution of the energy revenues, they are ultimately seeking a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. Al-Monitor: The word "Rojava" has been removed from DFNS, which was objected to by many Kurds. Did the PKK completely support the removal of the word "Rojava"? Does this mean that the PKK wants to end the claims of nationalism and make its own confederal approach dominant over all of the Middle East? Bayik: According to us, the removal the word "Rojava" from the DFNS is not wrong because the federation is not composed of solely Rojava. There are also many Arab cities within DFNS. For instance, there are Shaddadah, Hol and other cities and districts. From this aspect, adding Rojava to DFNS caused wrong impressions. The removal of Rojava from there does not mean denial and removal of the existence of Rojava because DFNS includes Rojava too. If we object to the name of the "Syria Arab Republic" because of the Arab label, how can we label DFNS as "Rojava"? However, Rojava is included in DFNS as an autonomous administration. So, to answer your question about the PKK, removing Rojava from the federation name has nothing to do with the PKK's approach to nationalism. The PKK has no nationalist views. We are a liberal and confederation-seeking movement, based on a democratic nation. The removal of Rojava from DFNS is not because the PKK thinks it is nationalistic. Because everyone knows that the PKK does not have an approach of nationalism. The line of the PKK is a liberal, confederal line; it is based on that line. If DFNS becomes a political entity based on the vision of Abdullah Ocalan, then it will be organized as a democratic society where women, men and all communities live and organize their lives in a coexisting society. Al-Monitor: Trump is looking to work more closely with the Kurds. Are there any new developments in the US perception of the PKK? Bayik: Only time will tell how the US approach to the PKK will develop. Recognizing the decency of coexistence in the Northern Syria Federation which is completely in line with the vision of Abdullah Ocalan but viewing the PKK as an enemy is not a good approach. We must be realistic because there are ideological differences between the PKK and the United States. However, we are witnessing political parties in the United States with different ideologies, debating their differences in the US Congress. We are certain that our political differences can be debated as well. Islamic radicalization is a much bigger threat to the world than the PKKs ideology. Let me be clear that the PKK has no interest in war. We are seeking peace. We are very optimistic that President Trump will play a positive role in encouraging Turkey to return to the negotiation table. We are ready. April 9, 2017 The prospect of US-Russian cooperation to defeat the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda in Syria, a top priority of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, may be on life support following US missile strikes on a Syrian air base April 7. In a letter to US congressional leadership April 8, President Trump said the purpose of the missile strikes on Syrias Shayrat air base was to degrade the Syrian military's ability to conduct further chemical weapons attacks and to dissuade the Syrian regime from using or proliferating chemical weapons. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned that the United States is prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary. Following the US missile attacks, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for restraint to avoid any acts that could deepen the suffering of the Syrian people. Whether the events of the past week serve to strengthen US interests in defeating IS and bolster a Syrian political transition depends on the impact of the US missile strikes on deterring further chemical weapons use; the outcome of US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons meetings in Moscow (he is to head there April 12); and the actions of US regional partners who may see an opportunity to rekindle support for regime change in Syria via proxy forces. First, with regard to chemical weapons, if the Syrian government indeed used chemical agents, and especially sarin, as was first asserted by the Turkish Health Ministry, there is a question as to whether the limited missile strikes are adequate to deter further chemical use by either the Syrian government or terrorist or armed groups who may have that capability. Although the Syrian government denied using or even possessing chemical agents, the US intelligence community assessed with a very high level of confidence, according to Tillerson, that Syrian aircraft from Shayrat air base used chemical weapons, perhaps sarin gas, in Khan Sheikhoun on April 4. The World Health Organization reported that at least 70 people were killed and hundreds affected by the likely use of highly toxic chemicals, and subsequent estimates of casualties have pushed the numbers even higher. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has begun an investigation to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic. An investigation by the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism last year concluded that both the Syrian government and IS had used chemical agents in 2014 and 2015. While the quick response may have served to send a signal of American resolve, especially while Trump was meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping to discuss North Korea, a pause to develop an international consensus and verification on Syrian culpability might have offered, and may still offer, an opportunity for an even more robust response. Second, with regard to Russia, although both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped for a new chapter in US-Russia ties, including in Syria, Tillerson arrives in Moscow this week with the balance tilted toward crisis rather than opportunity. A press statement from the office of Putin on April 7 labeled the US strikes on Syria as an act of aggression and declared that the Syrian army has no chemical weapons. Moscow suspended the US-Russian de-confliction agreement in Syria, increasing the risks of inadvertent military escalation. The United States, via the de-confliction mechanism, had given Russia short warning of the US missile strikes in order to avoid or minimize casualties. Putin has given top priority to re-establishing Russia as a regional power in the Middle East. His backing of the Syrian government boosted his reputation as a credible partner, and he will be loath to lose face. Putin has absorbed the lessons of 2011, when his government acquiesced in a UN resolution authorizing military intervention in Libya, which led to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafis overthrow. Russias ties to Iran have gone from good to even better as a result of Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis visit to Moscow last month, as reported by Maxim Suchkov, and shared solidarity in support of Assad. The Russian president may be considering his own escalatory steps in Syria, such as reinforced military deployments or even a Russian no-fly zone, or the equivalent thereof. The US secretary of state faces a potential buzz saw when he arrives in Moscow. Tillerson, with his experience of difficult and successful negotiations in Russia as CEO of ExxonMobil, may be well-suited for the task of trying to get US-Russia ties back on track. Both countries seek the defeat of IS and terrorist groups; that has not changed. On April 3, the day before the attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Trump had spoken by phone with Putin to condemn the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg and reiterate a shared commitment to defeating terrorism. The two sides can also reiterate and strengthen their commitment to prohibition of the use of chemical weapons, which is essential to send a clear message to both the Syrian government and terrorist groups that may have access to them. Third, there is the matter of whether the administrations strike to deter further chemical weapons use will be interpreted in the region as a sign to resurrect the potential for regime change in Syria via proxy forces. Tillerson hinted at a potential shift on Assad when he said, I would not in any way attempt to extrapolate that [the US missile strikes] to a change in our policy or our posture relative to our military activities in Syria today, while adding that a Syrian political process should lead to a resolution of Bashar al-Assads departure. Just last week, however, Tillerson had said that Assad's status will be decided by the Syrian people. Trump said that his attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much as a result of the graphic and tragic images from Khan Sheikhoun. Bruce Riedel writes that the US airstrikes in Syria will raise expectations in Saudi Arabia, and that the royal family will expect an American strategy to get rid of Assad sooner rather than later. More military strikes against Syrian regime targets and the Iranians are what the Saudis want to see. But aside from money, the Saudis have little to add to a campaign against the Assad regime and its Iranian supporters in Syria, Riedel said. The kingdom is bogged down in Yemen, and the Royal Saudi Air Force has its hands full with bombing the Houthi rebels and the forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saudi air defenses are absorbed in stopping missile attacks on Saudi cities from Yemen. Also, the kingdom has been very averse to using its ground forces either the regular army or the Saudi Arabia National Guard inside Yemen and is even less likely to send them to the more distant Syria. Saudi intelligence is very good at fighting terrorism at home but has no experience in covert military activities like Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. If the cruise missile attack is a one-off and not followed by more aggressive American military action, Riyadh will be bitterly disappointed. It will still cooperate on confronting Iran in the Gulf and in Yemen, but its high hopes that someday, somehow, America will rid Syria of Assad will be again crushed. If the administration is loose in its rhetoric about how far it is prepared to go in Syria in getting Assad out, its words will come home to haunt the relationship with the kingdom. Amberin Zaman explains how the chemical attacks and the US response may be revising calls for Assads ouster, reversing a slow but discernible trend. While most mainstream press accounts continue to refer to the armed groups there as rebels, with its connotation of freedom fighters or liberators, Idlib in fact remains, as we have covered in detail, under the control of a motley crew of Jabhat al-Nusra holdovers, Salafi fellow travelers such as Ahrar al-Sham, and Turkmen and other armed gangs backed by Turkey and others. This column last month explained why Idlib, rather than Raqqa, may be an even more decisive fault line for Syrias future. Al-Monitor has been one of the few publications to regularly cite the 2016 Amnesty International report, Torture was my punishment, which documents the reality, and brutality, of the rule of Sharia by the rebels in Idlib and Aleppo. Those advocating regime change in Damascus should take a hard look at Idlib for insight into possible alternative futures for Syria. Finally, in Israel, Ben Caspit reports that the images of the gas attack in Idlib sparked a reassessment of Israels Syria policy. 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, Caspit writes. And there is another issue, Caspit continues. 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. When the Alabama House Judiciary Committee in July named Birmingham attorney Jackson Sharman to lead the investigation into the impeachment charges against Gov. Robert Bentley, the governor pledged his cooperation "throughout this process." But by the time the report on Sharman's investigation was released Friday, it was clear he believes Bentley failed in that promise, to the point that the governor's lack of cooperation could be another ground for his impeachment. The report cites Bentley's refusal to testify before the committee or provide certain documents, the blacking out of other documents, and legal attempts to thwart the investigation. "In this context, a 'failure to cooperate' can either be direct - as in Governor Bentley's refusal to respond to the authorized document requests of Special Counsel, to the Committee's subpoena or for requests for testimony - or it can be indirect, as by using litigation tactics to delay and frustrate the Committee's attempts to get the facts," the report states. Bentley attorney Ross Garber responded in a statement issued Saturday to the allegations that Bentley was uncooperative. "Governor Bentley cooperated with the investigation. He produced over 10,000 pages of documents," Garber stated. "He was certainly entitled to raise legal issues about the Special Counsel's incredibly broad document demands with the Committee. He did so, but has not yet received any response. His lawyers even offered to work many of these issues out cooperatively with the Special Counsel, but their letters were ignored." The investigation and impeachment proceedings are centered on whether Bentley misused state resources to further his relationship with former adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason and if there were any campaign finance violations. A judge on Friday temporarily blocked the committee from beginning meetings next week on impeachment, but the Alabama Supreme Court on Saturday overturned that order. In separate actions the Alabama Ethics Commission has referred ethics charges against Bentley to the Montgomery District Attorney's Office. The Alabama Attorney General's Office also is investigating the administration. And despite growing pressure to do so, Bentley said Friday he would not resign. Lack of cooperation as grounds for impeachment isn't new, the report states. It draws a comparison to the impeachment hearings for President Richard Nixon. The U.S. House committee investigating Nixon found that "the refusal of the President to comply with the subpoenas was an interference by him with the efforts of the Committee and the House of Representatives to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities," the 131-page report on Bentley states. "The President's defiance of the committee caused the committee to refer an additional article of impeachment, Article III, based solely upon the President's refusal to comply with the subpoena." Not provided Although Governor Bentley eventually produced 12,448 pages of miscellaneous documents, he produced no documents responsive to 20 - of 46 - requests in a Sept. 29, 2016 subpoena, issued after the governor failed to provide certain documents to the House committee. Those 20 requests included: any and all audio or video recordings of any part of any part of any telephone or other conversations between Bentley and Rebekah Mason; the personnel file of Rebekah Mason; lists of any and all email accounts used by Bentley and Mason; complete lists of any and all cell phones or mobile devices (and service carriers, usage, and bills) used by Bentley and Mason; documents related to nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements signed or offered to anyone in the governor's office; documents related to Mason visits to the governor's mansion or Wynfield Estate; and the complete calendars of both Bentley and Rebekah Mason. Among the other documents the report says were requested, but not provided by Bentley, were: documents, electronic data related to formal or informal files maintained within the governor's office related to: Spencer Collier, Rebekah Mason, Jon Mason, Dianne Bentley, Bentley for Governor Inc., Alabama Council for Excellent Government, and companies owned by the Masons RCM Communications, Inc, and JRM Enterprises Inc. The subpoenas also sought, but were not provided, files in the governor's office maintained on any person involved in the investigation or prosecution of former Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, who was convicted last year. Rebekah Mason Other examples of non-cooperation by Bentley - noted in the report - include: The governor produced a series of text messages which were "innocuous and concern routine matters." But investigators received copies of another set of text messages between Bentley and Mason - not produced by the governor but instead from Bentley's ex-wife, Dianne Bentley that had a "clear significance" to the investigation. "Governor Bentley's persistent attempted 'litigation' before the Committee is further evidence, however, of his lack of cooperation." Despite multiple witnesses stating Bentley has consistently used three cell phones, Governor Bentley provided no documents responsive to the Committee's request for a list of his cell phones or mobile devices. The Committee subpoenaed information related to Mason's visits to the Governor's Mansion or to Wynfield Estates but Bentley objected to it as "overly broad, unduly burdensome and harassing." Bentley claimed the Committee's request for a copy of Mason's email account "seeks production of information that is outside of the possession, custody or control of the Office of the Governor." However, other documents he produced to the Committee indicate that Rebekah Mason was in fact assigned a state email account. Bentley, Zach Lee, Director of Federal & Local Government Affairs, Wesley Helton, Director of Legislative Affairs and David Byrne, the governor's chief legal adviser, have declined requests by the Committee to testify. The Committee subpoenaed documents related to the use of state aircraft. Bentley produced the publicly available "State Aircraft Usage" documents for January 2015 through August 2016. However, he has also produced a chain of internal emails that indicate members of his staff routinely review and amend "flight log records" before they are posted to the Governor's website. Documents show after-the-fact red-line edits that were made to the State Aircraft Usage document for the Fourth Quarter of 2015 before it was made public. Such documents and communications were clearly contemplated by the Committee's request but were not provided. Certain documents and emails, including a timeline created by Bentley and Mason, are blacked out. Emails regarding Mason's compensation and text messages between Governor Bentley and ACEGov (Alabama Council for Excellent Government the group said to be paying Mason) are also blacked out. Other documents related to Mason and her company were not provided. Bentley also objected to the Committee's subpoena request for information related to his email accounts saying it "seeks information outside the possession, custody or control of the Office of the Governor." Instead, Bentley routinely used his Comcast email address to send and receive official State communications, including emails marked "Law Enforcement Sensitive," the report stated. "This portion of the investigation is relevant to the Committee's inquiry," the report states. "As illustrated by the FBI investigation of former Secretary of State (Hillary) Clinton during the recent presidential campaign, the use by senior executive branch officials of private or undisclosed email accounts for official or sensitive information can raise significant concerns. Governor Bentley's email accounts should have been identified and responsive emails produced." Cooperation by others Bentley wasn't the only one who hasn't cooperated with the investigation, the report states. A dozen individuals or groups declined to provide documents and/or refused to be interviewed by the Committee's Special Counsel, the report states. Those listed are: Alabama Council for Excellent Government (ACEgov), Bentley, his son Paul Bentley, Governor Robert Bentley for Governor, Inc., David Byrne, Marquita Davis, Michael Echols, JRM Enterprises, Inc., Mason and her husband Jon Mason, Office of the Governor, Mason's company RCM Communications, Inc., Cooper Shattuck, Angella Stalnaker, and Collier Tynes. "Although Special Counsel was able to conduct a fruitful investigation and to assemble a robust record for the Committee's consideration, the record could have been different had different tools been available and had all witnesses, including Governor Bentley, cooperated." A Colbert County man has been sentenced to federal prison for charges of distributing drugs he received in the mail. Vennis Minosa Oates Jr. was sentenced Thursday to eight years and four months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Abdul K. Kallon, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez announced. The charges stemmed from an incident in Jan. 2016, when Oates and his associate Keelan Shuntez Robinson were arrested at the U.S. Post Office in Leighton after they arrived to pick up a suspicious package. Oates, 33, pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Records show police were monitoring the package after a resident at the address listed on the box refused its delivery. The resident said no one named Jeff Hawkins, the package's listed recipient, lived at the address on Marthaler Lane. After the homeowner refused delivery, someone who named "Jeremy" started calling the Leighton Post Office about picking up the package, according to Oates' plea. After the two men were arrested, police opened the package and found one pound of methamphetamine and two pounds of marijuana. Postal inspectors then analyzed inbound and outbound packages with the same destination address as the first package and identified 14 inbound and two outbound packages. Oates packaged large amounts of cash and shipped it to California to pay for the drugs, court documents showed. Oates, of Leighton, was ordered to complete three years of supervised probation after he is released from prison. Robinson, 23, was sentenced earlier this year to one year and six months in federal prison. The Muscle Shoals man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine The Postal Inspection Service, Colbert County Drug Task Force, and the ALEA State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Felton prosecuted. The great social and medical mystery of the early 21st century in America is this: What is killing the white working class? The leading detectives on the case, indubitably, are two Princeton economists who happen to be married to each other, Ann Case and Angus Deaton, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in economics. They in fact were the first to detect the condition. Two years ago they published an academic study that you probably remember because it garnered so much attention. They discovered that from 1998 to 2013, the mortality rate got worse for one and only one demographic group in America: non-Hispanic, middle-aged whites. It was a stunning and disturbing finding because for generation after generation, mortality rates the most basic measure of public health steadily fell for all Americans of all demographic description. Some groups clearly fared better than others; whites have had lower mortality rates than blacks, for example, and still do. But all groups got better year after year except middle-aged whites early in the 21st century. Their death rates from cancer and heart disease, the two biggest killers, declined as with the rest of the population. But they were offset by sharp increases in suicide, drug overdoses (mostly opioids) and alcohol-related liver disease. Deaton and Case called these deaths of despair. The phrase stuck. The Deaton and Case duo published a troubling follow-up paper recently that showed that mortality rates continued to go up through 2015 for non-Hispanic whites, men and women, without college degrees of all ages, not just for the middle-aged. Mortality rates for everyone else continued to move in the right direction for blacks, Hispanics and educated whites. For white Americans without college degrees, deaths of despair are epidemic across the country. Deaton and Case found this to be an American phenomenon, not a white or Western one. In Europe, mortality rates are falling for everyone and even faster for people with less education than for their better-educated compatriots. Deaton and Case have discovered the what in the mystery: opioids, alcohol and suicide. The real mystery is why? The case of the white deaths of despair has taken on a life of its own, like a grand metaphor that could unlock what ails America and even explain the election of Donald Trump. So there has been a natural temptation to come up with vast, metaphoric explanations. One follows the standard explanation of Trumps rise. Because of globalization and automation, employments and wages have declined since the 1980s for a white working-class Americans who previously could expect to earn good livings without higher education. While this might be a pat accounting for why Trump won, Deaton and Case didnt find evidence this caused more disease and mortality. Another take is that the white working class came of age expecting that they would (and should) do better than their parents doing the same kinds of jobs and imbibe in the classic American Dream. That expectation has been dashed by economic reality. Deaths of despair arise from that sense of loss, not just unemployment or underemployment. Historically unprecedented economic inequality aggravates all these wounds. Minorities in America, of course, never experienced even the illusion of economic equality. They never had the same great expectations for the American Dream. And so, these theories surmise, they are not as susceptible to early 21st century deaths of despair. Its like a variant of Bob Dylans line, When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. This is too tidy and vague for me. Deaton and Case are suspicious of single concept explanations. Instead, they propose a tentative, combination theory: For many years, poorly educated white men and women entering the labor market faced worse and worse economic prospects, which triggered a vicious cycle of cumulative disadvantage over the rest of their lives dysfunctions in employment, marriage, religiosity, parenting and social life. In the short hand of social science, the expectation of declining economic capital triggers behavior that diminishes social capital (meaningful connection to family, community, value traditions and institutions). Traditional structures of social and economic support slowly weakened, they write. Marriage was no longer the only way to form intimate partnerships, or to rear children. People moved away from the security of legacy religions or the churches of their parents. With that came illness and the deaths of despair. Minorities, especially blacks, must think yes, obviously when they hear this kind of thinking. White mortality rates might be getting worse, but theyre still better than black mortality rates. Dysfunction in black families and communities was a hot academic topic in the 1960s and a worsening problem today, as are their economic disadvantages. Whether black or white, mysteries like the deaths of despair have not been solved. Politics makes for an especially depressing subplot of the current mystery. In the last election, Donald Trump preyed on losses experienced by the white working class, offered no honest prescriptions and no realistic course of treatment. Instead, Trump and his party exploited the pain of the white working class _ and some better educated, wealthier whites that feel and remember their pain _ and channeled into resentment and anger at blacks, Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants as well as the establishment elite who rig the system. That is a prescription that ensures no one will get better. For the first time, Israeli police block the annual march to commemorate the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948. Nazareth The annual March of Return by Palestinians in Israel , commemorating the Nakba the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in 1948, has been blocked by the Israeli police for the first time in its history. The Nakba Nakba Arabic for catastrophe refers to the creation of Israel on the ruins of the Palestine in 1948 Some 750,000 Palestinians were expelled outside the new state of Israels borders and some 500 villages razed to the ground Palestinians in Israel commemorate the Nakba every year in the annual March of Return, affirming the right of return The police have denied the organisers a permit, saying there is a shortage of officers to oversee the march. But Palestinian leaders in Israel accuse the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu of being behind the decision, in what they believe is the latest move to silence their commemoration of the events of 69 years ago. The Nakba Arabic for catastrophe refers to Israels creation on the ruins of the Palestinians homeland in 1948. Some 750,000 Palestinians were expelled outside the new state of Israels borders, and more than 500 villages razed to prevent the refugees from returning. The march has rapidly grown in size over the past few years, in defiance of increasingly repressive measures from the Israeli authorities. This is clearly a political decision. The government is trying to push a new generation of Palestinian youth in Israel into the corner, to intimidate and silence them. by Yousef Jabareen , a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament It is now the largest commemorative event staged by Israels 1.7 million Palestinian citizens, one in five of the Israeli population. They are the descendants of the small number of Palestinians who managed to avoid expulsion, although many were internally displaced by the Nakba. Organisers had expected some 25,000 people to attend this years rally at a destroyed village in the Galilee. Adalah, a legal centre for Palestinians in Israel, has written to Israels chief law officer, threatening to appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court unless it is reversed. If no permit is forthcoming, it will be the first time the March of Return has not taken place since the event was established nearly 20 years ago. This is clearly a political decision. The government is trying to push a new generation of Palestinian youth in Israel into the corner, to intimidate and silence them, Yousef Jabareen, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, told Al Jazeera. The [Israeli] government expects young Palestinians to forget their identity, their history and their connection to the lands their grandparents were expelled from. But the fact that the march grows from year to year shows that they have not forgotten. And that is what really angers the right wing in Israel. The minority in Israel is the only major group of Palestinians in the region who can still visit the lands of the destroyed villages. Nowadays, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are rarely allowed to enter Israel . The March of Return, noted Jabareen, had gained great symbolic weight for other Palestinians as a result. It offers a chance for elderly refugees to return to their villages, often bringing with them iron keys to homes that no longer exist. In previous years, marchers held aloft signs calling for the right of millions of refugees dispersed across the region to return. The events main slogan is: Israels Independence Day is our Nakba. The event now attracts thousands of young Palestinian citizens, as well as smaller numbers of sympathetic Israeli Jews. Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian and expert on the Nakba, told Al Jazeera: Palestinians have mobilised in large numbers for the march in part because of the growing use of the internet and social media. He added: At the march, they can carry the Palestinian flag and express their collective identity as a national minority. The government sees that as a refusal to succumb to the model of the good Arab. This year the march was due to be held near the ruins of Kabri , a destroyed village northeast of the coastal city of Acre in the Galilee. Kabri was destroyed days after Israel declared statehood on May 15, 1948, and almost all of the villagers expelled to Lebanon . Organisers had hoped to bring an 86-year-old survivor of the expulsion who now lives in Acre. Mohammed Bassem, an Adalah lawyer, told Al Jazeera that the organisers had promised to provide 300 stewards to oversee the march, leaving the Israeli police only to manage traffic on access roads. In these circumstances, it is difficult to see how the event will put a strain on police resources, he said. However, several Jewish communities, located on the villages lands, have publicly opposed the march. They say it would be an insult to the memory of several dozen Jews killed in the area during the 1948 war. Yoram Yisraeli, head of the local regional council, issued a statement to the Israeli media, saying of the march: It will not happen I will not give my hand to the rally. Let the organisers pick a suitable [different] place to mark the Nakba. Pappe said the police had begun imposing increasingly severe restrictions on the march last year and would have found a pretext to deny a permit this year, whatever location had been chosen. The march has always been peaceful. But the police and Israels political elite read any commemoration of the Nakba as equivalent to an act of terror. Any demonstration is seen as a threat, as the start of the next Intifada, he said in reference to two major uprisings by Palestinians in the occupied territories. The police decision follows years of mounting opposition from the Netanyahu government towards any commemoration of the Nakba. In 2011, it passed the so-called Nakba Law , which allows officials to financially penalise any public institution, including schools and civil society organisations, that mark the events of 1948. At by Ilan can carry the Palestinian flag and express their collective identity as a national minority. The government sees that as a refusal succumb to the model of the good Arab.] The culture minister, Miri Regev, has regularly threatened to withdraw funding from any cultural venues, including theatres and cinemas, that host Nakba-related events. Jabareen noted that Regev is preparing to introduce a Cultural Loyalty bill in the next few weeks to strengthen her powers to defund such institutions. Israeli universities have denied permits to Nakba commemorations on campus and suspended students who hold such events. And the Israeli state archive has recently buried away large numbers of documents from 1948 that had been previously made available to researchers. There is a clear trend towards greater restrictions since the Nakba Law, said Pappe. Although Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day on May 15, the day in 1948 that Israel declared statehood, the March of Return is held on the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar. This year it takes place on May 2. Police have told the organisers that they cannot cope with this years march because they will be too busy with Independence Day celebrations held by Israeli Jews. INTERACTIVE: Broken Homes A record year of home demolition in occupied East Jerusalem Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, told Al Jazeera: We have a lot of requests for gatherings and marches on Independence Day and we have to weigh how we can best use our limited resources. According to Adalah, the police have proposed that the march take place on a different date. Mohammed Kayal, a board member of the Association for the Defence of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), which organises the March of Return, said the police were not acting in good faith. We have held the march for 20 years and nothing is different this year, he told Al Jazeera. He noted that Independence Day is a national holiday in Israel, giving most Palestinian citizens an opportunity to participate. Any other day wont work, he said. He added that there were other reasons it was important to stage the event on Israels Independence Day. We have a duty to remind the Israeli public that what they consider to be their independence came at a terrible price, he said. Millions of Palestinians continue to suffer because of those events and are denied the right to return to their lands. According to estimates by ADRID, as many as one in five Palestinian citizens of Israel were forced out of their villages in 1948 by the Israeli army and left internally displaced. Millions more Palestinian refugees and their descendants languish outside Israels borders, in camps across the region. Israel permanently stripped all refugees, including its Palestinian citizens, of the right to reclaim their property under the 1950 Absentee Property Law, said Suhad Bishara, another Adalah lawyer. Kayal rejected additional claims that the march might lead to clashes between Palestinian participants and Jews celebrating Independence Day. The march has passed off peacefully for many years, and there is no reason it wont do so this year, too, he said. Our selected route is not close to the Jewish population and it should not cause friction. Hendala, Sri Lanka Edward de Alwis was born in 1928, the youngest of nine siblings. He was only 14 years old when a public health inspector on a school visit noticed the patches on his face. It was leprosy. It meant the end of the life de Alwis had known. He was taken from his family and quarantined at the Hendala Leprosy Hospital. There were five checkpoints, and 12 policemen who stood guard all the time. You could not escape, he recalls. De Alwis was one of 20 children among 900 adult patients. He tells Al Jazeera that he was initially terrified by the deformities around him leprosy had eaten away noses, fingers and toes; nerve damage to the face and eyelids meant some patients could never close their eyes, even when they were asleep. I just wanted to go home, he says. But he would eventually resign himself to his new life. By necessity, the hospital was self-contained. It had a school with teachers who, like their students, had leprosy. There was a court and a prison on the hospital grounds. There were Muslim, Hindu and Christian places of worship. The Buddhist stupa had been built by the patients themselves in 1895. The leprosy hospital at Hendala was erected in 1708. It is one of the oldest in South Asia and de Alwis is its oldest living patient. Behind these walls, he has lived through a world war and seen Sri Lanka gain its independence from the British. He was here when the countrys ethnic conflict began, and when it ended, nearly 30 years later. De Alwis was also here when heard that the last member of his immediate family died. His parents, brothers and sisters are all gone. Such is the stigma of his disease that his nieces and nephews were never told of his existence. De Alwis is now 88 years old and he has spent more than seven decades in the hospital. He fully expects to live out his life here. Amazingly neither de Alwis, nor any of the 29 patients who still live in Hendala, have leprosy. They are long since cured, but their disabilities are irreversible and some require care for other conditions, such as diabetes. But how, in less than a century, did this place go from having hundreds of patients to having fewer than 30? Evolving treatment Also known as Hansens disease, leprosy is a chronic, progressive infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. It is an ancient disease. Most common in the warm humidity of the tropics, leprosy is a thief. Sensory loss often begins at the extremities. The first to go is an awareness of temperature, followed by the ability to sense light touch, pain and deep pressure. The disease is contagious, and the stigma arises from the extent of the disfigurement and disability it can, and has, caused for hundreds of years. It has always set its sufferers apart: in fact, the Lepers Ordinance, enforcing the segregation of patients from society, was enacted into law in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, by the British in 1901. Up until the 1940s, leprosy was often treated with questionable efficacy by injecting patients with oil from the chaulmoogra nut, says RMSL Rathnayake, the chief pharmacist for Sri Lankas Anti-Leprosy Campaign. When de Alwis was first taken to Hendala, this was the treatment he received. Then came dapsone a drug with unpleasant side effects, but a high success rate. However, when drug resistance to dapsone appeared, the solution proved to be the multi-drug therapy (MDT) that was debuted in Sri Lanka in 1983 and which is still in use today. The MDT comprises dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine a potent combination which promises to eradicate leprosy in six months to a year. In fact, within a few days of being on the regimen, a patient with leprosy is no longer contagious. Thanks to the MDT, Sri Lanka has enjoyed remarkable successes in its fight against leprosy. A social awareness marketing campaign included a range of initiatives. A successful television drama was used to raise awareness on air as part of the plot, a man with leprosy was cured and found love. The government sponsored street theatre and mobile clinics. The message of the social awareness campaign was that leprosy is 100 percent curable, says Jagath Amarasekera, a consultant at the epidemiology unit at the Ministry of Health. The stigma became less and people came for treatment, he adds. Those diagnosed could be sent home to recover, making the system of quarantine outdated. The medicines were made available at clinics around the country thanks to the World Health Organization (WHO), which, since 1995, had been providing MDT free of cost to leprosy patients across the globe. Anything else a patient in Sri Lanka needed, like surgery or physiotherapy, was provided free of charge by the state. Ongoing transmission Fast forward to 2014, when 94 percent of leprosy patients worldwide were found in just 13 countries Sri Lanka among them. Widespread access to MDT has ensured leprosy is no longer a public health problem here this was achieved in 1995, when the prevalence dropped to less than one case of leprosy per 10,000 people. However, the regularity with which new cases are being detected in recent years means Sri Lanka will have to fight hard to cover that last mile. The young remain vulnerable, accounting for eight to 10 percent of the 2,000 new cases the country sees on average every year. This figure is of concern to experts like Dr N Janankan, the National Professional Officer for Communicable Diseases at WHO, as it indicates active transmission. Last year, 11.2 percent of new cases were in children, an increase since 2012, when the figure dipped to a low of 7.64 percent. Children are less likely to be diagnosed in time, and consequently, more likely to develop a disability due to leprosy. Janakan also says that cases have sprung up among internally displaced populations in places like Puttalam in northwestern Sri Lanka. But it is in cities in the western province, among Sri Lankas urban populations, where the highest number of leprosy patients are found. Leprosy awareness champions K Mohammed still remembers the doctor asking him whether he was married. Not yet, Im still single, the then 24-year-old replied. Mohammed was the head of a team of five in a research and development outfit when he first noticed something was wrong with his right hand. He began to have difficulty typing. He was shocked when after several false diagnoses, he was told he had leprosy. I was speechless for hours after I got to know this, worrying about my family and my career, he says. His worst fears would come true over the next few months. Mohammed lost his job and family and friends stayed away. At one point, he felt he had scraped rock bottom. The MTD drugs may destroy the bacteria inside me one day, but what about my ruined appearance, fitness and confidence? he asked. I have become alone. I have lost myself. But after 13 months of treatment, Mohammeds illness is finally under control. In the space of the few decades that lie between him and de Alwis contracting the same disease, medical advances have ensured dramatically different experiences. For months, Mohammed could not find work, and so he was grateful when a local company hired him to be a customer service representative in their showroom. On his doctors suggestion, he did not reveal his medical history to his employers. He lives with uncertainty over what will happen if they or any of his new colleagues find out. Dr M S D Wijesinghe, a Consultant Community Physician with the Anti-Leprosy Campaign, felt the team working on Sri Lankas National Leprosy Strategy 2016 2020 needed to hear from people like Mohammed. After attending the strategic planning meeting, Mohammed felt things could be looking up for patients like him. I understood a broad action plan is being prepared for our well-being, he says. We need champions like Mohammed to come out and speak about their experiences, Wijesinghe tells Al Jazeera, pointing to the stigma as being one of the key obstacles to eliminating the disease. On a practical level, the Anti-Leprosy Campaign has responded to this with a battery of awareness campaigns, training for front-line healthcare workers, improved follow-up through an online database, house-to-house visits and mobile clinics. On an emotional level, however, the stigma has proved harder to shake off, and there are, of course, other challenges. The last mile Mohammed is from a neighbourhood just outside Colombo. Among the patients Wijesinghe treats here, he says many are urban poor. With a lack of adequate nutrition and quality housing, they are vulnerable to the disease and might be unable to stay on the treatment regimen for the entire year. There is also concern about growing numbers of relapses. We see some 40 to 50 cases each year of people relapsing, Wijesinghe explains. This could be because people have not stuck to their regimen as prescribed understandable, considering the long duration or more alarmingly, it could be a sign of multi-drug resistance. The Anti-Leprosy Campaign will be collecting DNA samples from relapsed patients in 2017 to identify whether Mycobacterium leprae has developed resistance to the current MDT. While these challenges remain daunting, the Sri Lankan authorities have set a target of eradicating the disease by 2020. There is some way to go, but the measure of how far the country has come is most noticeable in places like the Hendala Leprosy Hospital. When its last patients have gone, it will no longer be needed. The Lepers Ordinance, which was used to separate Edward de Alwis from his family, has itself fallen into disuse. Experts say the law has fed the stigma around the disease. Wijesinghe hopes to see it repealed very soon, perhaps even this year. He says, simply, It is discrimination. We need to change that. Al Jazeera speaks to Turkish voters about what to expect from the referendum that seeks to empower presidency. Istanbul, Turkey On April 16, Turkish voters will head to the polls to cast their vote in a milestone referendum that will determine how their country will be governed in the future. The constitutional amendments proposed by the referendum would empower Turkeys presidential office by setting up an executive presidential system. The changes are backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) founded by him and far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP). The amendments are opposed by various parties, including the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP). Al Jazeera spoke to Turkish voters about their views on the constitutional changes and what they expect from this referendum. Esma Yurt, 21, student Our constitution is a stiff text made by a military junta who does not understand the language of the people. The constitutional changes will get rid of two military courts, making our constitution a more civil one. I believe it is the right of the president, who will come to power with more than 50 percent of the public vote, to establish his or her own cabinet. He or she will take responsibility for the governments policies, and [will] have moral responsibility for his or her actions. The president will be subject to prosecution for all sorts of crimes, not only treason any more. The executive presidency will reflect the peoples views through social and economic policies executed in an efficient and fast manner. I want young people to carry more responsibility for this countrys future. Therefore, I support the proposed change that seeks to decrease the age to become an MP to 18. Sami Canokakin, 27, social media specialist The government and President Erdogan want to transform how Turkey is governed. I believe these changes, which will change how we are viewed in the world, are against democratic principles. The changes and the referendum are both unnecessary when Turkey has other issues to deal with. It makes our already polarised society further polarised and tense. The bill that is put to referendum is a sloppy one, and I dont believe it is going to live long even if it is passed. We need a No in this referendum, so that the government hears the peoples voice and does not attempt to change the system again. I believe a weak No would make them try again. We need at least 55 percent of the vote. Enes Arslan, 18, student I want a stronger and more stable Turkey. Everything will be better if these changes are adopted. That is the reason why I will vote Yes in the referendum. Western countries support the No vote because they want Turkey to be weaker. They do not want Turkey to get stronger. Even that is enough reason for me to determine the colour of my vote. The West is playing a game on Turkey and we want to spoil that game. Turkey might be divided soon if we dont change this system. The way forward is the new system put in front of us. If we dont take this, Turkey cannot develop. This country got over a coup attempt and we need our country to be more secure. I am happy that two nationalist parties of Turkey, the AK Party and MHP, are in alliance in this referendum. Nermin Kayma, 62, retired teacher I do not understand why this referendum is necessary. The AK Party has been ruling the country for 14 years now. What more do they want? I am going to vote No in the referendum, because I want to live in a republic, not a monarchy. Turkey will lose its democracy if these changes are passed. The Turkish economy is already going down and our freedoms are already restricted. A Yes vote would take both further down. Our freedoms will go down to zero and we will start living in a police state. The country would go backwards. The government should hear the peoples voice in the case of a No vote. This will happen only if they have goodwill and I dont think they do. They will try to change the system again if changes are rejected in this referendum. They will not stop. Izzet Sahin, 65, pensioner I am going to vote Yes in the referendum because of the successful policies and services our administration executed in the past, and for what they will do further for us in the future. We remember the past times, where we did not get any services in terms of healthcare, transportation, etc. Everything is better now. And it will keep improving with the proposed changes. Turkey would lose a great chance of advancement if a No vote comes out of the referendum. We dont want any coalition governments any more. We want stability and a strong government. If the changes are passed, Turkey will be a totally independent country that will express itself better and stronger. It will be listened to, and well-respected, by other countries in the world. Sengul Yidiz, 44, worker I dont want a one-man rule and a president affiliated with a political party. The government is talking about stability all the time. There is never going to be stability in this country without proper democracy and human rights. A No vote will give hope to people of Turkey, make them feel secure and start a trend of positive changes. We hope the government would get the message and not push further to gain more power after the rejection of the constitutional changes. A Yes vote will further weaken Turkish economy, which is very low on real production right now. And we will see days even worse than today. I want people to live side by side as brothers and sisters, respecting each other. These proposed changes will make the country move in the exact opposite direction. Hayati Centintas, 38, cook Turkey is a major country in the Islamic world, which other Muslim countries look up to. The Islamic world is waiting for Turkey to lead them. And I want Turkey to lead the Islamic world and the new system will make it happen. Turkey will be ruled by the majority, not the minorities. People will give the president the right to rule through elections and he will carry out the will of the people with the power provided to this position. A strong, stable government will function as a shield against coup attempts, make the economy stronger and make Turkey attract more investments. People trust this government and want the current environment of confidence to go on. If we dont change the system, there will always be risks of coup attempts. Cevdet Ersal, 59, pensioner A Yes vote would create a kingdom out of this country, where one individual makes decisions for everything. One person will function as the whole government. A president with such powers might make further arbitrary changes in Turkish laws at every level that will immensely affect our daily lives. I dont think the Turkish system is great and I agree that it needs changes. However, we do not need changes for the worse. There are so many people who are normally supporters of the ruling party, but are not backing the amendments. These will vote No in the referendum. This fact should give a message to them. On March 31 at approximately 7pm in Asuncion, several hundred demonstrators managed to break the police cordon that protected the building of the Paraguayan Congress. Agitated by a police crackdown hours earlier, protesters stormed the building and set it on fire. The police chose not to intervene as flames engulfed the Congress. Hours later, the police raided the headquarters of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) in downtown Asuncion without a court order and shot dead one of its youth activists. The excuse of the authorities was that some young men who participated in the riots had assaulted policemen and then hid in the party headquarters. Hundreds were detainees in the operation. Footage of the chaotic scenes from Asuncion went viral on social media, putting the spotlight on the small Latin American country of six million. But what led to the escalation of violence? The legacy of a dictatorship Paraguay emerged from three decades of US-backed military dictatorship in 1989. In 1992 three years after Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner was removed in a coup a new constitution was put in place which limited the presidency to one five-year term. Despite the brutality of the military dictatorship and the peoples desire for political change, Stroessners Colorado Party managed to win every election and retain power until 2008. That year Fernando Lugo a Catholic priest who earned himself the nickname the bishop of the poor for his work in poor communities was nominated by the opposition as their presidential candidate and won, promising to push through a much-needed land redistribution reform. But in 2012 Paraguay was hit by the right-wing wave that swept through Latin America and its president fell victim to what some observers called a political coup the second one in the region following the removal of the president of Honduras in 2009. The PLRA, which initially backed Lugo, colluded with the Colorado Party and managed to impeach the president through a Congress vote. The excuse for the impeachment was a confrontation between landless peasants who occupied land owned by a Colorado Party member and the police, which resulted in the death of 17 people. After the events of 2012, the alliance between Fernando Lugo, the PLRA and a group of different leftist forces fell apart, and the Colorado Partys Horacio Cartes easily won the 2013 presidential elections. Cartes inherited a stable economy with good macroeconomic indicators, but growth was slowing down. He sought to pass a package of reforms focused on stimulating investments, to promote the economic growth and to generate greater security. But the reforms did not bring the promised results and a group opposing the president within the Colorado Party started gaining ground. Midway through his term, Cartes approval ratings dropped remarkably low. He faced two choices: to dominate the internal party process of choosing his successor in the primaries or to generate political support for his re-election and introduce the necessary constitutional changes for that to be possible. The president chose the second option. The dispute over re-election Cartes idea to have the president able to run for a second term was something that all presidents who preceded him since the beginning of Paraguays democracy in 1989 have publicly supported. Like the former President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, who was in power between 2003 and 2008, Cartes proposed to do that by changing the constitution. These changes must be approved by both houses of Congress and put to a vote in a popular referendum in order to be signed into a law. All this requires an alliance of several political forces in a context in which none of them has a majority. This led to an agreement between the Colorado Party, the Lugo-led Guasu Front (or Broad Front in the Guarani language), and one of the internal branches of the PLRA, led by Senator Blas Llano. The last two are seeking to conclude a new alliance between liberals and progressives that replicates the one that brought Lugo to the presidency in 2008. The agreement caused public discord and extreme polarisation swept the Paraguayan political scene. Many opposed the constitutional changes pointing to the recent past when Stroessner was getting perpetually re-elected for 35 years. Public anger did not spill on to the streets until March 31, when the Congress held a secret session to pass the constitutional changes, disregarding internal procedural rules. In response, the branch of the PLRA that did not support the changes, along with its youth wing mobilised its supporters and went out on to the streets. The police was instructed to crack down on the protests which encouraged more people to join them. In the aftermath of the bloody clashes, the lower chamber of the Congress was convened and the constitutional amendment process was temporarily halted. On April 2, President Cartes invited all political forces to an open dialogue in order to reach a political solution. In response, the opposition demanded the withdrawal of the draft amendment. The PLRA eventually quit the negotiations, while the Colorado Party blocked a Congress session trying to dismiss the amendment process. On Monday both Cartes supporters and the opposition called for marches, and confrontations are possible. The events of the coming days promise to define the political future of Paraguay. Ignacio Gonzalez Bozzolasco is a sociologist and professor at the Catholic University of Asuncion. He is also a researcher at PRONII-CONACYT in Paraguay and a PhD candidate at the University of Buenos Aires. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. The widely anticipated summit between the worlds two most powerful men defied all earlier expectations. Instead of a clash of titans, or a newfound bromance between the protagonists, the world witnessed a surreal melange of fine dining with Tomahawk missiles flying into the sky. The Syrian crisis managed partly to overshadow the whole affair. Shortly before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, United States President Donald Trump ordered his generals to punish Syrias Assad regime for an alleged chemical weapons attack against civilians. It was one of those rare moments when the flamboyant American leader decided to rely on deliberate and low-key consultations with military experts, rather than indulging in his characteristic chutzpah and bravado. But Trump and Xi had tough and extensive discussions on a whole range of issues. It seems the superpowers decided to agree to disagree for now, opting for a more institutionalised interaction to manage areas of conflict, particularly on North Korea and trade, and expand areas of cooperation. High stakes For Trump, China has been a favourite punching bag to rally his Jacksonian base. In fact, many would argue that pouncing on the Asian juggernaut was Trumps ultimate launching pad to the presidency. It allowed the controversial plutocrat to reach out to disaffected blue-collar workers in the very swing states, which handed him the presidency, though not the popular vote. The past few weeks havent been good to Trump. Aside from historically low trust ratings, he has been reeling from back-to-back defeats, first on a series of controversial travel bans that were overturned by courts, and later a healthcare bill that was rejected before even reaching the congressional floor. So he was desperate to score some victory which he could brandish on his Twitter account. On his part, Xi, who will confront a challenging leadership reshuffle later this year, was eager to bolster his own credentials at home. He had to exhibit both toughness (to secure Chinas national dignity) and flexibility (to avoid unnecessary conflict with the US). Walking a fine line when dealing with a mercurial, larger-than-life character such asTrump was no easy task. The art of no deal During his presidential campaign, Trump lamented: Were so predictable. Were like bad checker players. Trump promised an art of the deal president, a tough negotiator who will adopt an America first doctrine in his dealing with the world. In fairness, Trump managed to catch his Chinese counterparts by surprise. They planned a heavily choreographed affair, which would have portrayed Xi as a sober, dignified and affable co-equal of the American president. Instead, they had to revisit their assumptions about Trump completely. REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Trump-Xi summit A view from China Trump showed that he was far from a paper tiger, but more of a deceptively flamboyant sphinx with many tricks up his sleeve. It is highly likely that the Syria bombing was part of an elaborate plan by Trump to send a clear message to China that Washington is willing to go it alone and unilaterally if and when necessary. by As one veteran China watcher eloquently put it, Trumps decisive and surprising Syria decision will force Chinese officials to reappraise a figure whom they had come to see as clownish and manageable. It is highly likely that the Syria bombing was part of an elaborate plan by Trump to send a clear message to China that Washington is willing to go it alone and unilaterally if and when necessary. Icebreaker meeting This is particularly relevant in the case of North Korea, which has stepped up its provocative military activities and is on the verge of acquiring the capacity to launch nuclear warheads into mainland America. Trump wants China to step up diplomatic pressure on and squeeze the North Korean regime economically. But China fears the collapse of its ally, which could create a massive humanitarian crisis, leave nuclear and biological weapons unaccounted for, and pave the way for the creation of a powerful, unified Korean peninsula allied with Washington. However, the main bone of contention between Trump, an ardent protectionist, and Xi, a reluctant globalist, is Americas ballooning trade deficit with China, amounting to $347bn. Earlier, Trump declared he wont allow China to rape America in trade relations, making it clear that his policy is to make sure America no longer ha[s] massive trade deficits and job losses. He has threatened to label China as a currency manipulator, review its non-market economy status, and impose tariffs and punitive sanctions against Beijing. Eager to head off a trade war, Xi offered Trump a series of tweetable incentives, including massive Chinese investments that could create up to 700,000 jobs in America; large-scale purchase of US-made aircraft from Boeing; and opening up of automotive, agriculture and consumer markets to US companies. There was neither a joint communique, nor a joint news conference. But both sides agreed to have a long-term dialogue to manage their trade and geopolitical differences. To improve ties with Trump, China is likely to expand sanctions on North Korea. It has already agreed to a 100-day plan for trade talks, which will allow America to address its trade deficit with China. Trump expressed his optimism over a very, very great relationship with Beijing and an outstanding one with Xi, who, in turn, lauded the ability of both sides to arrive at many common understandings and bear our great historical responsibility to develop a stable great power relationship. By and large, the summit ended up as a surprisingly sober and admirable diplomatic icebreaker, holding the promise of more institutionalised dialogue between the two most consequential powers of the century. Richard Javad Heydarian is a specialist in Asian geopolitical/economic affairs and author of Asias New Battlefield: The USA, China, and the Struggle for the Western Pacific. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. At least 15 people are killed in bomb blast near Somalias defence ministry, in an attack claimed by al-Shabab. Somalias new military boss has survived a suspected suicide car bomb attack that has killed at least 15 people, according to police. General Mohamed Ahmed Jimale, who was recently named new chief of defence forces, was travelling with senior military officials on Sunday when the bomb exploded near Somalias defence ministry compound in the capital, Mogadishu. The death toll could rise as a minibus carrying passengers was also destroyed in the blast. When we arrived at the scene, we counted bodies of 15 people. Most of them were severed, Mire Aden, a local police chief, told Al Jazeera. A number of soldiers are among the dead, he said, adding that Jimale had survived the blast. None of the civilians had survived, Aden said. Armed group al-Shabab, which has carried out frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the countrys internationally recognised government, has claimed responsibility for the blast. READ MORE: At least 19 people killed by landmine in Somalia A huge cloud of smoke billowed over the scene and heavy gunfire was heard in the area. The wreckage of the civilian minibus was in the street, with a pool of blood under the vehicle. Burning debris littered the area. Soldiers opened fire in the air to disperse a crowd standing near a car of an electricity company that was destroyed by the powerful blast. What happened here was a painful tragedy, said Abdifitah Halane, a spokesman for Mogadishus mayor, told the Associated Press news agency. There is flesh and blood everywhere, he said looking at the destruction caused by the blast. The latest attack comes days after Somalias President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared a new war against al-Shabab amid a worsening security situation as the group steps up deadly bombings in the capital and elsewhere. At least 19 passengers of a minibus were killed in a landmine explosion on Thursday, hours after Mohamed instructed the army to prepare for a new offensive against al-Shabab. The group has denounced Mohamed, who was elected as president in February, as an apostate and warned Somalis against supporting him. Al-Shabab has been pushed 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. Targets have included hotels, military checkpoints and the presidential palace. Abdirizak Mohamud Tuuryare contributed to this report from Mogadishu Suspect arrested after discovery of explosive device in busy area in Norwegian capitals business district, police say. Police in the Norway have set off a controlled explosion of a bomb-like device found in a busy area in Oslos business district and also arrested a suspect. No damage has reportedly been caused by the device, which was found in a plastic bag near the city centre. The discovery led police to evacuate people from bars and restaurants around an area near the Groenland metro station on Saturday night. A loud blast was heard shortly after the arrival of Oslos bomb squad, witnesses said. The device was destroyed in a controlled explosion, news agency NTB reported citing police. The noise suggested the device might have contained explosives, Svein Arild Jorundland, police commander, said. The device appeared to be capable of causing only a limited amount of damage, police said. A man who might have been carrying the device was detained at the scene and taken in for questioning. The noise from the blast was louder than our explosives themselves would cause, a police spokesperson said, adding that further investigation would be conducted at the scene. Norways police security service, PST, said on Twitter that it had taken over the investigation from local police. The probe is at an early stage but I can confirm that the PST is handling it, Martin Bernsen, spokesperson, told public broadcaster NRK. In neighbouring Sweden, a truck on Friday drove into crowds in Stockholm, killing four people and wounding 15 in what police said was an apparent terror attack. In 2011, Anders Behring Breivik , a right-wing nationalist , set off a car bomb in Oslo that killed eight people and destroyed Norways government headquarters, before going on a shooting rampage that killed 69 people at nearby Utoeya island. President Sisi says three-month emergency law will be imposed after ISIL-claimed blasts at Coptic churches kill dozens. Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says a three-month state of emergency will be imposed after two bomb blasts killed dozens of worshippers in Coptic Christian churches. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for Sundays suicide bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Alexandria and Tanta, in which more than 40 people were killed. A series of steps will be taken, most importantly, the announcement of a state of emergency for three months after legal and constitution steps are taken, Sisi said in a speech aired on state television. Sisi, who in 2013 led the overthrow of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, announced the measure after a national defence council meeting. Under Egypts constitution, the state of emergency must be presented to the House of Representatives for approval within a seven-day period. The emergency law expands police powers of arrest, surveillance and seizures and can limit freedom of movement. Egypt declared a state of emergency in the months that followed the military ouster of Morsi. Part of North Sinai, where ISILs Egyptian affiliate is based, is still under a state of emergency. Earlier on Sunday, a statement by the presidential office said that Sisi had ordered troops be deployed across the country to help secure vital facilities. Tremendous security lapse The bombings were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypts Christian minority, who make up about 10 percent of the population and have been repeatedly targeted by armed groups. Samer Shehata, associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera the attacks show a tremendous security lapse by Egyptian authorities. READ MORE: Egypts Coptic Christians flee Sinai after killings In the last few months, there has been an increased number of attacks on Egyptian Copts, individually, as well as on churches, Shehata said, adding that the church in Tanta received a threat 10 days ago. I do think this represents a lack of seriousness on the part of the state in really securing the Coptic community and places that could potentially be attacked. Anger, fear In Tanta, as security forces cordoned off the church, residents who gathered nearby were unable to hide their anger. Despite the presence of metal detectors, the bomber was apparently able to enter the building without any hindrance. How was the bomb able to enter, while police were outside the church, asked Nagat Assaad, holding back tears. What are the detectors for? We dont want their protection, he told the AFP news agency.There were similar scenes in second city Alexandria after the attack there. Several hours after the attack, a Coptic woman expressed her anger at police blocking access to the church. Whats the use of closing the street now? You should have done it before the explosion! she told AFP. A bombing at Cairos largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded 49 in December, many of them women and children. US diplomat says removal of Syrian president, pushing Iran out and defeating ISIL are Trump administration priorities. A political solution to the war in Syria is not possible with President Bashar al-Assad in power, the US ambassador to the UN has said in an apparent hardening of the Trump administrations position. Defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the removal of Assad are priorities for the US administration, Nikki Haley said in an interview to CNN, which will air in full on Sunday. We dont see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there, she said. The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the US hit a Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assads forces on Syrian civilians. President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries. You pick and choose your battles and when were looking at this, its about changing up priorities, and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out, Haley had said on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries. Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, seemed to take a more patient stance with regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that the administrations first priority is the defeat of ISIL, also known as ISIS. Once the threat from ISIL has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilising the situation in Syria, Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBSs Face the Nation. He said the US is hopeful it can help to bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution. On the ground in Syria, meanwhile, fresh air strikes have targeted the same town that was hit by the recent chemical attack, killing at least 17 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). READ MORE: Syrias civil war explained from the beginning It is not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes on Friday and Saturday in Khan Sheikhoun, but only Russian and Syrian aircraft have been bombing the rebel-held areas of Idlib province. Elsewhere in Syria, at least seven people were killed in air strikes in Eastern Ghouta, near the capital Damascus. Activists say chlorine gas was dropped, choking at least two people. This was also the site of chemical attacks believed to have been carried out by the Syrian government in 2013, which killed hundreds. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. Police fire bullets and shotgun pellets, killing eight civilians during protests against by-election in Srinagar. At least eight civilians were killed on Sunday when security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir opened fire on protesters during a by-election, according to officials. Local rebel leaders had called for a boycott of the vote, which was held to fill a vacant seat after a member of parliament resigned to protest against the killing of civilians during a sweeping security crackdown last year. READ MORE: Mirza Waheed Violence will not end Kashmir conflict State and paramilitary police fired bullets and shotgun pellets as thousands of protesters shouting slogans against Indian rule charged into voting booths in Budgam district near the main city of Srinagar. Protests spread to Srinagar when reports of the first killings came from the Charare-e-Sharif area of Budgam. Waheed Para, spokesman for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), told Al Jazeera eight people were killed in the clashes. Dozens of other civilians and government personnel were also wounded, according to Shantmanu, the states chief electoral officer. Officials said protesters threw petrol bombs and stones, and set voting machines and government vehicles ablaze. More than a dozen polling stations were shut owing to violence. This is a reaction to what is happening in Kashmir, because people are getting killed mercilessly, a young protester in Srinagar, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisal, told Al Jazeera. The youth are coming out to express our anger and dissent in every way possible, he added. Para, the PDP spokesman, said: We regret these killings. It will take some time to bring back a conducive environment in the state. Record low turnout Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the disputed territory in its entirety. Most people in Indias portion favour independence or a merger with Pakistan. Only 6.5 percent of voters on Sunday turned out to cast their ballot, Shantmanu said, 26 percent less than in the last elections held in 2014 and the lowest ever participation recorded in any election in the disputed territory. A 40-year-old shopkeeper in Srinagar, who spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity, said he did not cast his vote because these elections dont mean anything. If any change is to happen in Kashmir, politicians should bring a political revolution of the Kashmir dispute. Ahead of polling, authorities suspended internet services across the Kashmir valley for three days for fear of protests. The Indian government also sent in 20,000 additional paramilitaries to augment the 500,000 soldiers deployed there. Police had also detained hundreds of young people and separatist activists in the run-up to the poll, sources told AFP. The by-election in Srinagar was held to fill a seat in the Lok Sabha, Indias lower house of parliament. A second by-election in the state for a separate Lok Sabha seat is set to take place on April 12 in Anantnag. The results of both polls are expected to be announced on April 15. READ MORE: The doctors treating Kashmiris blinded by pellets Rebel groups in Indian Kashmir have for decades battled with troops and police, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of backing separatist fighters a charge Islamabad denies. Armed encounters between rebels and government forces have become more frequent since the killing of a popular rebel leader by security forces last July sparked widespread unrest. The violence has killed scores of civilians and wounded more than 12,000 civilians and security force personnel. Fahad Shah contributed to this report from Srinagar. Gun battle ends in deaths of six suspects in village near Surabaya after failed attempt to shoot officers, police say. Police in Indonesia say they have killed six suspected members of an armed group after a failed drive-by shooting targeting officers in East Java. Frans Barung Mangera, East Java Police spokesperson, said that after a police chase on Saturday, the six abandoned their vehicle in a village in the Tuban area, not far from the industrial city of Surabaya, and attempted to flee into a plantation where they were all killed in a second gun battle with police. We tried to stop that vehicle, but the vehicle did not stop, Mangera said. By around 5pm we had immobilised all of them, he added, confirming that all six had died during the incident. Those in the vehicle took out weapons and shot at officers. A box of 9mm bullets was found in their vehicle, he said. Police were monitoring the vehicle before the attack, Mangera said, in connection with Fridays arrest of three suspected members of the group Jemaah Anshorut Daulah (JAD), who were allegedly planning an attack on a police station and had bought M16 machine guns from the southern Philippines. Among those arrested on Friday was Zainal Anshori, a senior figure of JAD, an umbrella group of Indonesian fighters that claims allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. JAD, which is on a US state department terrorist list, is estimated to have drawn hundreds of ISIL sympathisers in Indonesia, which has the worlds largest Muslim population. Giving his version of the incident, Rikwanto, Indonesias national police spokesperson, said: When the local police swept through the area, a gunshot was heard. A gunfight took place after and six of the men died. Police arrested one member of the group alive. Police interrogation Rikwanto accused Anshori of orchestrating the planned attack on the police. They had acted on Anshoris order as a revenge of his arrest, he said, citing police interrogation of other arrested fighters. Police said they seized dozens of rounds of ammunition, several firearms, knives, books and a car used by the men. Indonesia has suffered a series of attacks in the past 15 years, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. It has had some major successes tackling violence inspired by al-Qaedas attacks on the US in 2001. However, it has been on high alert over a recent resurgence in activism inspired by ISIL, also known as ISIS. The most serious incident last year was in January when four suicide bombers and fighters attacked a shopping area in central Jakarta. Protesters rally in Budapest against a bill that could close a university founded by American billionaire George Soros. Tens of thousands rallied on Sunday in Hungarys capital, Budapest, in protest of a law that could force a university founded by George Soros, a Hungarian-born American billionaire, to move out of the country. A bill passed in parliament this week by the ruling right-wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a critic of liberal civil organisations funded by Soros, sets new conditions for foreign universities operating in Hungary. Some of the requirements, such as carrying out teaching activities in their home countries, are seen specifically targeting the Central European University (CEU), which was set up by Soros in 1991. The new rules bar institutions based outside the European Union from awarding Hungarian diplomas without a binding agreement between national governments. Universities will also be required to have a campus and faculties in their home country although registered in the United States, the CEU does not have a campus there. The bill still has to be signed into law by President Janos Ader. OPINION: Why is Hungary trying to shut down a university? Protesters filling Kossuth Square outside parliament said they want Ader, from Orbans party, to veto the legislation. Organisers said up to 80,000 people took part in the rally, making it the largest anti-government protest in years. Dont sign it, Jani, the crowd shouted, using a Hungarian nickname for Aders first name. Other chants included A free country, a free university, Orban get out, Viktator! and Europe, Europe. Daniel Berg, a CEU student, told the crowd: There are moments in the career of every politician when they have a chance to prove that they are public servants, that they are not just foot soldiers of their party but statesmen The country where the government closes schools cannot succeed. The English-language CEU has 1,800 students from 100 countries and is ranked in the top 50 universities for political and international studies in the World University Rankings list. These people at the top, they dont realise that we dont live in Russia, but in Hungary! a protester, 23-year-old IT expert Viktor Szakal, told the AFP news agency. We have to show strength with our numbers. Im glad that so many people showed up. Orban understands only the rules of power, and our power comes from our numbers. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs denied in a blog post on Thursday that the CEU was being singled out, saying that irregularities had been found with 27 foreign higher education institutions. Its noteworthy that all of the other institutions have accepted this modest minimal condition of university equality and fairness. Only CEU has protested because the university insists on its unfair privileges, Kovacs said. The legislation has attracted widespread criticism abroad, including from Washington, Brussels and university professors more than 900 academics around the world, including 18 Nobel prize-winning economists, have signed an open letter calling for the proposal to be withdrawn. OPINION: Hungary should be kicked out of the EU Critics see the move as another attack by Orban on Soros, whom he accuses of seeking to meddle in politics and undermine Europe by promoting immigration into Europe. Orban has alleged that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) supported by Soros, including corruption watchdog, Transparency International, and rights advocate, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, are foreign agents working against Hungarian interests. A law expected to be passed in May would force NGOs getting more than 7.2 million forints ($24,500) a year from abroad to register with authorities. Third Fleet says USS Carl Vinson making its way to the Western Pacific Ocean following North Korean provocations. The Pentagon says a group of US warships is headed to the western Pacific Ocean to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula. The strike group, called Carl Vinson, includes an aircraft carrier and will make its way from Singapore towards the Korean Peninsula. The development comes in response to North Koreas reckless, irresponsible conduct, a US navy official said, referring to recent missile tests. US Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific, Commander Dave Benham, spokesperson at US Pacific Command, told AFP news agency. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. In a statement late on Saturday, the US navys Third Fleet said the strike group had been directed to sail north, but it did not specify the destination. The military vessels will operate in the western Pacific rather than making previously planned port visits to Australia, it said. Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since January 5, the Carl Vinson strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea. The US decision comes close on the heels of a US missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting North Korea on notice over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Missile quest Earlier this month, North Korea tested a liquid-fuelled Scud missile which only travelled a fraction of its range. This year North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong-un, have repeatedly indicated that an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Koreas founding president and celebrated annually as the Day of the Sun. 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. The twin church bombings which killed at least 48 worshippers were one of the deadliest in recent memory. Two churches packed with Coptic worshippers have been bombed in Egypt, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens more. The first blast struck St George church in Tanta, a city north of the capital, Cairo. Then a suicide bomber struck outside the main Coptic church in Alexandria, St Marks Cathedral, where Pope Tawadros II had led the service. Worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar. The bombings come just a few weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt. They were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypts Christian minority, who make up about 10 percent of the population and have been repeatedly targeted by armed groups. What is the Egyptian government doing to protect the Christian minority? Presenter: Laura Kyle Guests: Timothy Kaldas Non-Resident fellow at Tahrir Institute for Middle East Politics Ahmed Badawi Senior researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern and North African Politics at the Free University of Berlin Omar Ashour Senior lecturer in Middle East Politics and Security Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter The week began with the Democrats Quixotic and inexplicably stupid effort to block the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and went on to heat up the fevered brows of those who think the Russians colluded with the president. It ended with the multitasking President cheering Gorsuchs confirmation and bombing a Syrian airfield which our military had pinpointed as the takeoff point for the horrible chemical attack on Syrian civilians. Beleaguered Arabs are now calling him Abu Ivanka (Ivankas father) and Trump is hinting he expects to name as many as four more new justices to that court The Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch is a jurist with an impeccable record for fairness who had just years before been unanimously confirmed by the Senate to the Tenth Circuit. Fifteen years ago Senator Schumer weaponized judicial confirmations by changing the procedure from a straight up and down vote, requiring only a majority for confirmation, into a filibuster blockade to preclude the confirmation of Miguel Estrada to the D.C. Circuit Court. Within two years, Schumers tactic would be deployed to torpedo nine more of President George W. Bushs nominees. Predictably, the misuse of the filibuster led to an existential threat to the filibuster itself. To confirm President Bushs embattled judicial nominees, then-Majority Leader Bill Frist threatened the nuclear option, that is, changing Senate rules to ban the use of the filibuster in certain instances. A bipartisan group of senators known as the gang of 14 de-escalated the situation by voting to confirm most of the filibustered nominees, staving off such a fundamental change to Senate procedure. In politics, as in life, what comes around goes around. In 2009, Democrats regained control of the White House and the Senate, and as Senate Republicans blocked Obamas judicial and executive-branch nominees, Democrats quickly grew frustrated with the new era of partisan warfare they had begun under Bush. In November 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid detonated a partial version of the nuclear option, eliminating the filibuster for appointments to the executive branch and lower courts, while exempting Supreme Court nominees from the new simple majority-vote standard. [snip] When Reid invoked the partial-nuclear option, nobody could have known when retribution would come. But anyone who has ever followed McConnells career should have understood that it would come eventually. McConnell, whose memoir is fittingly titled The Long Game, would wait more than three years before moving to end the judicial war once and for all. [/quote[ This time, the Republicans held firm and -- as Reid said he would do if the Democratic candidate won the presidency, McConnell ended by Senate rule the possibility of using filibusters to prevent the confirmation of Supreme Court justices. Oh, the gnashing of teeth on the left side of the aisle. But the move is long overdue. Filibusters themselves are of short-term duration and antidemocratic. Professor Kevin Gutzman explains that in a departure from its original practice, it now has 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. 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. [snip] 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. The Obama Administrations Surveillance of Its Political Opposition The weaponization of the NSAs information gathering likely began long before Donald Trump ran for the presidency. As the Tablet reminded us this week, it evidently occurred as early as 2015 when the Obama administration spied on private conversations between U.S. lawmakers and American-Jewish groups opposed to the Iran deal: At some point, the administration weaponized the NSAs legitimate monitoring of communications of foreign officials to stay one step ahead of domestic political opponents, says a pro-Israel political operative who was deeply involved in the day-to-day fight over the Iran Deal. The NSAs collections of foreigners became a means of gathering real-time intelligence on Americans engaged in perfectly legitimate political activism -- activism, due to the nature of the issue, that naturally involved conversations with foreigners. We began to notice the White House was responding immediately, sometimes within 24 hours, to specific conversations we were having. At first, we thought it was a coincidence being amplified by our own paranoia. After a while, it simply became our working assumption that we were being spied on. This is what systematic abuse of foreign-intelligence collection for domestic political purposes looks like: Intelligence collected on Americans, lawmakers, and figures in the pro-Israel community was fed back to the Obama White House as part of its political operations. The administration got the drop on its opponents by using classified information, which it then used to draw up its own game plan to block and freeze those on the other side. And -- with the help of certain journalists whose stories (and thus careers) depend on high-level access -- terrorize them. [snip] In order to spy on U.S. congressmen before the Iran Deal vote, the Obama administration exploited a loophole, which is described in the original Journal article. The U.S. intelligence community is supposed to keep tabs on foreign officials, even those representing allies. Hence, everyone in Washington knows that Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer is under surveillance. But its different for his American interlocutors, especially U.S. lawmakers, whose identities are, according to NSA protocol, supposed to be, at the very least, redacted. But the standard for collecting and disseminating intercepted communications involving U.S. lawmakers is much less strict if it is swept up through foreign-foreign intercepts, for instance between a foreign ambassador and his capital. Washington, i.e. the seat of the American government, is where foreign ambassadors are supposed to meet with American officials. The Obama administration turned an ancient diplomatic convention inside out -- foreign ambassadors were so dangerous that meeting them signaled betrayal of your own country. [snip] The administration then fed this information to members of the press, who were happy to relay thinly veiled anti-Semitic conceits by accusing deal opponents of dual loyalty and being in the pay of foreign interests. [snip] To make its case for the Iran Deal, the Obama administration redefined Americas pro-Israel community as agents of Israel. They did something similar with Trump and the Russians -- whereby every Russian with money was defined as an agent of the state. Where the Israeli ambassador once was poison, now the Russian ambassador is the kiss of death -- a phone call with him led to Flynns departure from the White House and a meeting with him landed Attorney General Jeff Sessions in hot water. In any event, Susan Rice and Farkas disclosures on unmasking and leaking add fuel to this speculation of widespread years-long abuse of the intelligence agencies capability to spy on us for partisan purposes. Obamas former national security advisor Susan Rice admitted what she had previously denied, that she had in fact unmasked the identities of persons gathered by NSA, reports which on his way out Obama had widely distributed. This week we learned from those who viewed these reports that they were detailed and contained personal information about their lives that had nothing whatsoever to do with national intelligence. This, needless to say, is par for the course for Obama, who owes his rise to the unmasking of salacious details in two of his opponents sealed divorce records. As former CIA station chief Scott Uehlinger charged, Obama turned the intelligence community into a tool of political destruction: Like some binary poisonous reagent, these dynamics combined to foster an environment ripe for political abuse and leakage -- a fairly transparent attempt, from the point of view of any discerning intelligence officer. This weaponization of intelligence for the sake of discrediting the political opposition I have seen in Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Moldova and elsewhere -- sadly, it is now on our shores. The present culture of the intelligence community and the shameless political shenanigans of the Obama administration combined to create this disaster. In earlier times, such a gambit would have failed; CIA leadership famously stood up to the Nixon administration when asked to domestically spy on Justice during Watergate, for example. It seems that today we lack the character and the competence to ensure that the intelligence community honors the trust of the American people. The President, according to reports, now insists on getting raw intelligence reports, not those massaged at the top, perhaps reflecting his understanding of how corrupted these agencies have become. Syria As the President was entertaining Chinas Xi and his wife at Mar-a-Lago, the U.S. struck the airbase in Syria where our military surveillance had observed the planes that dropped chemical toxins -- apparently sarin -- on civilians. While weve grown skeptical of news reports from Arab lands, given the use of local stringers and biased or cowed reporters in that region and the slant of editors of outfits like Reuters, these accounts seem to have been well documented and the Presidents response was proportionate and limited. The Russians were warned to remove their personnel from the base ahead of time, and destruction was confined to aircraft and hangars, not civilians. It was a message reflecting serious purpose and might, not the start of a war. At the conclusion of the meeting, Xi offered to help coordinate efforts to rein in North Koreas nuclear efforts, among other things. In Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, cheers went up. In some parts of the Arab world, the president was dubbed Abu Ivanka (Ivankas father) a measure of respect. (Ironically it appears that the seemingly inexplicable act by Assad was due to his belief in the presss unsubstantiated charges of Putin-Trump collusion which lead him to believe these two were joining forces to oust him.) CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin was obviously flabbergasted when a Syrian refugee praised President Trump and slammed Hillary for her hypocritical cheap shot at the President when she said it was ironic that he would not admit as refugees the children whose deaths he said inspired the bombing: Worse for Susan Rice and John F. Kerrys reputations, they had previously assured us in 2014 -- either because of dishonesty or naivete -- that Obamas lead from behind (red line no red line) do-nothing policies had brilliantly resulted in removing all Assads chemical weapons. Russia The press which had for so long been peddling the Trump-is-in-collusion-with-Putin, (a story so preposterous that lefties like Stephen F. Cohen and Noam Chomsky both ridiculed it) turned on a dime and suggested this was going to lead to war with Russia. In the words of Richard Fernandez: The strike on Syria kicked over a whole anthill of self-deception. The Washington Times noted that "Syria produced a 'ridiculously huge amount' of deadly sarin gas," according to an internal Defense Department memo. "That stockpile, which Obama aides declared was reduced to zero by summer 2014, is back in the news." David Nakamura of the Washington Post tweeted H.R. McMaster's assurance that the Navy's missiles very carefully avoided the tanks of sarin gas to avoid collateral damage. This could only be possible if the US knew the location of all the poison the previous administration had already destroyed. In belated acknowledgement of what must now be obvious the "fact-checking website PolitiFact on Wednesday retracted a 2014 article that found it 'Mostly True' the Obama administration helped broker a deal that successfully removed '100 percent' of chemical weapons from Syria." [snip] Cross off "stooge of Russia". Pencil in "worry about war with Russia". Remove "unwilling to oppose Assad". Insert "may start a new Vietnam". Erase "nuclear Senate option", paste in Neil Gorsuch confirmed by Senate as US Supreme Court justice. The Presidents detractors are riding the loop-the-loop this week. Isnt it fun to watch? Last week, the American College of Physicians (ACP) issued recommendations to address the tragic uptick in drug abuse. Included in the recommendations: ACP supports the implementation of treatment-focused programs as an alternative to incarceration or other criminal penalties for persons with substance use disorders found guilty of the sale or possession of illicit substances. Stakeholders should assess the risks and benefits of removing or reducing criminal penalties for nonviolent offenses involving illicit drugs. Lest one think that the above recommendations refer only to those individuals who are wholly involuntary addicts, having absolutely no control over their drug use and whose culpability may be compared to that of one lacking basic mental capacity, the ACP memo continues: In 2004, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that about 70% of state and federal prisoners reported regular use of an illicit drug and half of the prison population met clinical criteria for substance use disorder. Half of the prison population is surely not in the category of wholly involuntary drug addicts. This gives us perspective of the ACP memos parameters for those whom it classifies as having substance abuse disorders. Hence, the ACP memo addresses not only those who have no control over their drug use, but it includes those who are addicts in a far looser sense of the term. While I (and I hope all others) am all in favor of not penalizing someone for acts that are not at all his or her fault, due to total mental incapacity, such that the acts were fully involuntary, ACP is clearly not limiting itself to this category in its proposal that criminal penalties for drug offenses be reduced or eliminated. Rather, ACP is promoting the reduction or elimination of criminal penalties for those with drug issues that are not fully out of these offenders control. People with drug problems should definitely receive comprehensive treatment no argument there. But to eliminate penalties for drug crimes that are not entirely involuntary is to absolve violators of responsibility, and that is very wrong. Taking a step back, more than half of the worlds hard-core criminals would appear to have legitimate excuses for their actions: acute anger control problems, unusually elevated hormone levels, impoverishment (that compelled them to burglarize), exceptionally misguided childhood education (which taught hatred of certain groups and perhaps preached violence), and so forth. If these factors -- which may very well be present in most criminals -- would be allowed to seriously mitigate offenses, then very few offenders would be incarcerated, society would be largely endangered, and people would be absolved of responsibility for their actions. The Sages of the Talmud and classical rabbinic commentaries view Passover not only as a celebration of the physical freedom attained by the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt over three and a half millennia ago, but also as a celebration of the freedom to abide by the divine moral law and the freedom to rein in ones personal inclination to sin. God instructed Moses to say to Pharaoh, Send forth My nation and it will serve Me (Exodus 7:16); the deeper significance of the Exodus and the eternal message of Passover is that of freedom from bondage to man, so that man can instead be bound to God and can fulfill His Will. One well-known interpretation in Jewish tradition of Pharaohs orders to increase the labor burden on the Hebrew slaves so that they not turn to words of falsehood (by demanding their freedom -- Exodus 5:9) proffers that Pharaoh did not want to allow his slaves the opportunity to think for themselves. Being overwhelmed and unable to focus on ones real purpose and aspirations is the antithesis of the message of Passover and the Redemption from Egypt. Passover teaches that authentic freedom is embodied by self-realization of ones holy mission in life, as part of the overall divine plan. This self-realization means taking ownership of ones actions and engaging in introspection and self-correction, be it with or without the assistance of others. As I walk the streets of New York City and I witness a precipitous decline in the quality of life, mirroring the citys liberal-progressive mayors legislative efforts to reverse decades of improved quality of life under his predecessors, Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg, I am reminded of Passovers lesson of taking responsibility and not abdicating it. Policies which tolerate deleterious behavior and excuse wrongdoing encourage the decline of society -- its that simple. In the Jewish calendar, the holidays of Passover and Shavuos/Pentecost are connected. Passover represents liberation from bondage to forces that impede ones relationship with God, and Shavuos/Pentecost represents the occasion of receiving the Divine Law at Sinai. The period between these two holidays is dedicated to introspection and self-improvement, for one must take responsibility and rein in his or her inclination to sin as preparation to receiving the Divine Law. God is patient and allows time for people to recalibrate and rehabilitate, but if society instead excuses criminality and encourages an abdication of self-responsibility, we are in real trouble. God help us. Avrohom Gordimer serves on the editorial board of Jewish Action magazine, is a staff writer for the Cross-Currents website, and is a frequent contributor to Israel National News and a host of other publications. He is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and the New York Bar, and he is also a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at Coalition for Jewish Values, (http://coalitionforjewishvalues.org/), a national organization that speaks on behalf of what are commonly known as Judeo-Christian ethics the moral voice of the Torah. By day, he works as an account executive at a large Jewish organization based in Manhattan. The views expressed in the above article are solely those of the writer. New York City seriously contemplated seceding from the Union just before the outbreak of the Civil War. The mayor of the city was Fernando Wood, a rakish, charming, and handsome devil. He put his finger to the wind when southern states began to secede and decided NYC should stand with her sorely afflicted southern cousins. But veiled in all the rosy political rhetoric was the hard and pragmatic fact that New York was a central hub of the slave trade, inextricably tied to the Souths cotton empire. Money did the real talking. Wood knew that, as he was a crook who had made a fortune selling public offices and offering immigrants citizenship in exchange for votes. Mayor Wood decided disunion was a fixed fact and on January 6, 1861, he proposed New York City declare its independence. Henceforward, it would be called the Free City of Tri-Insula. Wood proclaimed New York City would make common cause with the South as a sovereign entity. He added the City could deny Federal troops the right to march through the city. Nothing much seems to have changed since Woods era, a time during which Harpers Weekly, reporting in 1857, declared New York under Wood was a huge semi-barbarous metropolis not well-governed nor ill-governed, but simply not governed at all. That is how ungovernable NYC liked it then -- and apparently still does now, having declared itself a sanctuary city; and thus, essentially free of following federal and state laws concerning immigration. Wood sought to establish a slave city within a free state. He almost succeeded. While Wood failed in establishing a city separate from the rest of the USA, some American cities such as San Francisco and Miami have succeeded in so doing. By declaring themselves sanctuaries, dozens of American cities essentially have seceded from the Union and have created an ungovernable archipelago of city states within America. The sanctuary cities have declared themselves above the rule of law and feel free to disrupt the national unity by setting themselves outside the law and federal governance -- all on the basis of supposed compassion for the alien, when it is clear some of the underlying and murky motives include vote getting and cheap labor. The map below indicates the location of sanctuary cites, which comprise an archipelago of blue in a sea of red. One is reminded of Italian Renaissance city-states, which began as towns demanding self-rule and which gradually evolved into city-states encompassing a city, the surrounding towns and countryside. The city-states conducted their own trade, collected their own taxes, and made their own laws. Wealthy families such as the Sforza family of Milan and the Medici clan of Florence ruled with iron fists. No rivalries were permitted. It is not too much to say that almost universally Democratic rule of sanctuary cities such as New York City are nearly as iron-fisted and as effective as that of House of Medici. No rival parties were and now are tolerated, and the citizens of the city are bound hand and foot by the decrees of the Democratic rulers. Patronage ensures continued rule as well as continued corruption, just as the House of Tammany did in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The one way or the highway mentality of todays so-called sanctuary cities has been extended to colleges and universities, which are fast seeing the disappearance of free speech in favor of leftist Newspeak advanced under the banner of transgenderism and sanctuary policies regarding non-citizen students. This is to say nothing of the ideological secession of states like California, which is seeing some call for the entire state to become a sanctuary state. That declaration of intent by some of Californias legislators is also essentially a call for secession from the rest of America. Most certainly, it is a call for police to disregard immigration status as well as a call to shun federal law and the status of its own citizens. The upshot is that sanctuary cities and states are essentially a new confederacy rising in the midst of a formerly United States. Behind the fervor of sanctuary advocates exist crucial ideas similar to those of zealous secessionists of the pre-Civil War era. Basically, those committed to sanctuary cities and states are devoted to the abstract ideas of a new kind of order, a far country not yet actualized. Abstract theory about what a future world should look like is diametrically opposed to the current constitutional order, the checks and balances and the distinction between citizen and non-citizen provided by the present workable, but imperfect system of our Republic. Utopia beckons. In a world in which everybody belongs to everyone else and in which aliens have the same rights as citizens, a dream of the whole world singing in perfect harmony outweighs the nitty gritty realities of real governance. What exists is to be destroyed for the sake of theoretically perfect justice and equality that sanctuary entities will supposedly provide. It is considered better by far to ally ones self and ones cities and states to a new world order without the distinctions boundaries -- one chief reason a border wall is so ardently opposed. We will be better off in a brave new world without borders and without constraints of national laws. Heaven will come down to earth. But utopian abstractions always have a way of failing. That is because the frailties, vagaries and corruptions of human nature are not taken into account in utopian theories. Theory does not match actuality. The idea of another, far country fails in light of societal breakdown and the very real problems of criminality. As Confederate President Jefferson Davis wrote, If the Confederacy fails, there should be written on its tombstone, Died of a theory. The confederacy did indeed die of a theory, but not before the nation was rent asunder and hundreds of thousands died for a doubtful cause. Sanctuary cities and states must die by their theories as well, or the union will die along with them. In one of his most famous speeches, Lincoln noted the continual agitation and roiling of the nation over slavery: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new -- North as well as South. America finds itself in a situation similar to that of the pre-civil war era due to the question of immigration: either the Republic will be united in favor of citizens governed by constitutional law; or it will succumb to the idea of sanctuary lawlessness at the expense of citizens. America cannot have one set of rules for citizens and one for noncitizens without severe damage to her house. She cannot remain divided without endangering her foundations. All people of good will wish to see a just and equitable solution to the immigration problem, one that is right for those who are immigrants and those who are citizens. Sanctuary states and cities, which invite civil disobedience, rejection of the rule of law and insertion of disunity into the body of the Republic, are not the answer. Fay Voshell is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. She holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her its prize for excellence in systematic theology. Her thoughts and opinions have appeared in numerous online publications, including CNS, National Review, The Christian Post, RealClearReligion and Fox News. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com In the history of France, politics and language have often been intertwined. In the past few months, the political use of language has been shown in a new form. A number of French regions, including Paris, have passed rules obliging workers on publicly funded building sites to speak French as their working language. These regions are run by the conservative party, Les Republicans, the party of Francois Fillon, one of the leading candidates in the presidential election. The rule, the Moliere clause, is ostensibly based on language, but in reality it is a political tactic, a call to remove foreign workers and replace them with French workers. Politically, it is an appeal by the Republicans to pander to voters who might be thinking of voting for the rival Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front. The two rivals and other candidates are in the midst of coping with the problems of French identity, national sovereignty, political and economic relations with the European Union and the outside world, and above all immigration and threats of terrorism. For a while in the months of 2016, American voters in primaries of the Republican party were bemused by the abundant choice of 17 candidates. In similar fashion, French voters for the first round of the presidential election on April 23, 2017 are bewildered if not bewitched by the choice of 11 contenders representing a wide range of opinions, and most of whom are likely to get less than 1% of the total poll. French politics is always intriguing, sometimes exciting and turbulent. Perhaps today it has not reached the level, the heights of the 18th-century revolutionary turbulence when the monarchy was ended and replaced by the Republic, and when rival forces, Girondins, Jacobins, and Montagnards, disputed and killed each other. Mighty figures, Brissot, Danton, Marat, Robespierre, Saint-Just, experienced or evaded execution, and the Committee of Public Safety of 11 members controlled life and death until Thermidor, July 26, 1794. The Revolution, among so many other things, gave us a new term terrorism to describe an unpleasant aspect of political behavior. On August 28, 1794 Jean-Lambert Tallien in criticizing the behavior of Robespierre introduced for the first time the word terror into discussion, spoke of it as a habitual, general shiver, an external shiver that affects the most hidden feelings. Indeed, France is still divided over the Revolution and the true Robespierre. Was he an 18th-century version of Stalin or Hitler, or the champion of popular sovereignty? Was he a secular saint or a bloody tyrant, a man who was once incorruptible and became the ideologist of terrorism? Disagreement exists today when the municipal council of Paris in 2011 refused to name a street in the capital as Robespierre. Yet, one of the present presidential candidates, Jean-Luc Melenchon, is heralded by some as the inheritor of Robespierre. One would have thought that stability in France had come and would continue with the creation by Charles de Gaulle of the 5th Republic in 1958. The virtual repudiation today of traditional political parties and establishment figures such as Francois Hollande, Manuel Valls, and Nicolas Sarkozy, shows that consensus on the nature of France is still lacking. Nevertheless, the present presidential candidates echo, to some extent and in different ways, de Gaulles major concern. This concern was de Gaulles nationalist standpoint that he expressed clearly in a letter of March 7, 1966 to President Lyndon Johnson, concerning French withdrawal from participation in the integrated command of NATO and would no longer put French forces at the disposal of NATO. France, de Gaulle said, "intends to recover in her territory the full exercise of her sovereignty." The present presidential candidates may not accept all of de Gaulles perspectives: his advocacy of a powerful presidency, his advocacy of a dirigiste state control of the economy, or his ambiguous feeling towards the United States. But they agree with his insistence on French independence, on national sovereignty, and on control of French borders, though prepared to making concessions as required by political necessity. De Gaulle had shown this by withdrawing French troops and naval forces from NATO command, though they remained as part of NATO, by refusing to allow foreign nuclear arms on French soil, and by arguing for an independent nuclear force instead of a multilateral one. There are similarities between past and present in a number of ways. After de Gaulle took power, opposition parties were weakened for a time. Today, the traditional right and left parties have virtually disappeared as important political factors, the center is not holding, and the establishment is regarded as inept. Present politicians are not concerned, as de Gaulle was, with an independent nuclear force, but many of them are preoccupied with three other factors: national independence as echoed by criticism of the European Union; limiting or ending immigration; and dealing with the Muslim population in France. France faces a crossroad because of the dramatic change in its population resulting from the immigration of Muslims. Since 1967, the proportion of Muslims has increased from 2% of the population to 9%, about 6 million out of the total 67 million population. Figures show that the younger the population in an area, the higher the proportion of Muslims. One estimate of the population in Marseilles is that Muslims account for 25% of the local youth. In a country that is officially laic, Muslims are more religious than the rest of the population: about 42% of them confess to being strictly religious, and want to propagate the faith. France is disturbed by two facts: more than 2000 Muslims in the country have left to join ISIS; and more than 200 French citizens have been killed by Islamic jihadists. One consequence is that the candidates, to different degrees but especially the FN, with its history of anti-Semitism, while expressing concern about Muslims and immigrants, is appealing to the Jewish population and arguing they plan to protect Jews against Islamic fundamentalism. It is a sign of the tumult in French politics that the FN, founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who has been convicted for Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic incitement, is being supported by the Union of French Jewish Patriots, founded by Michel Thooris who is a member of the Central Board of FN. His argument is that Islamist terror attacks form the main threat to Jews in France. Down in Argentina, where tango is king and futbol is the national religion, the ex-first family is back in the news: Former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina was indicted again on corruption-related charges on Tuesday, and this time her son and daughter were also charged in a case involving a family real estate company. The federal judge, Claudio Bonadio, said there was enough evidence to indict Mrs. Kirchner for conspiracy over allegations that businesses rented properties from the real estate company, Los Sauces, in exchange for public works contracts and other favors. For the first time, Mr. Bonadio also indicted the former presidents children, Maximo and Florencia Kirchner, in the case that includes charges of money laundering and negotiations incompatible with public office. The charges could lead to prison sentences of up to 10 years if the Kirchners are convicted. Mr. Bonadio also ordered the freezing of assets of about $8.5 million each for Mrs. Kirchner and her son, and $6.5 million for her daughter. As my friend from Argentina said yesterday, "dios mio where did they get all of that money?" Then he answered his own question: "El sistema. La corrupcion!" The answer is sadly obvious. As my friend said, it's the corrupt system that started many years ago. We call it "crony capitalism" up here, and they call it "el sistema" down there. The allegations include kickbacks involving the renting of rooms in a hotel owned by the Kirchner family. By the way, the name "Kirchner" refers to her late husband, the man she followed in the presidency. The ex-first family has been indicted on fraud and corruption charges relating to public works projects in Santa Cruz Province in southern Argentina. I guess there is always a public works project when we talk about corruption in Latin America. First, there was Evita Peron, although she never became president. Second, there was the second Mrs. Peron, who did become president in the 1970s and resigned over corruption. Third, there is now President Cristina, who is apparently going down with her kids as well. It all makes for some rather remarkable political drama, with President Cristina now tweeting her innocence and calling everything a witch hunt. At least Evita had a Broadway play named after her. They still love her down there! She never became president, and that may have been a blessing. P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. There has been confirmation from UN investigators that the gas used to kill dozens of Syrian civilians in Idib province last week was sarin - a weapon that President Obama and his administration assured us did not exist in Syria's arsenal following the deal with the Russians that supposedly removed "100%" of Syria's chemical stockpiles. Was the naive Obama fooled by President Putin and Bashar Assad? Or was the Obama administration fully aware that their boasts that claimed Syria had no chemical weapons a lie? Evidence suggests it was the latter. Sean Keeley of The American Interest quotes National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster when the Trump aide spoke to reporters following the US strike: And the one thing that I will tell you though, there was an effort to minimize to minimize risk to third-country nationals at that airport I think you read Russians from that but that and we took great pains to try to avoid that. [] And then there were also measures put in place to avoid hitting what we believe is a storage of sarin gas, so that that would not be ignited and cause a hazard to civilians or anyone else. Keeley points out the obvious and cites other evidence of the Obama administration's knowledge that their empty boasts about getting rid of Assad's chemical weapons was false: If this strike was arranged to avoid hitting sarin storage facilities, the question arises: did the Obama Administration know that such depots still existed after its historic deal that supposedly removed all Syrias chemical weapons? The signs point to yes. In Congressional testimony last February, Obamas Director of National Intelligence James Clapper acknowledged gaps and inconsistencies in Syrias declaration, validating reports that Syria was still hiding banned chemicals at undisclosed locations. And on its way out the door in January of this year, the Obama Treasury quietly introduced new sanctions against Syrian officials involved in chemical warfare. Buried in the language sanctioning a particular official was a telling admission: As of 2016, Abbas has continued operating at locations in Syria associated with chemical warfare-related missions. Whether or not the Obama Administration knew of this particular sarin facility, then, they clearly knew that Syrians were still clinging to their stockpiles at several locations. They knew what Adam Garfinkle has been saying all along: that Obamas deal to remove chemical weapons was not a historic diplomatic triumph but an unenforcable sham that the Syrians and Russians never intended to comply with. Meanwhile, the Obama administration looked the American people in the eye and lied: Daily Caller: Former Secretary of State John Kerry stated in 2014 that the Obama administration got 100 percent of the declared chemical weapons out of Syria. Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice commented in January that the president and his team were able to get the Syrian government to voluntarily and verifiably give up its chemical weapons stockpile. At the time, fact-checking site Poltifact reported that the administrations comments were mostly true; however, the site has since re-evaluated its assessment. Either Syria never fulling complied with its 2013 promise to reveal all of its chemical weapons; or it did, but then converted otherwise non-lethal chemicals to military uses. Politifact cites converting "non-lethal chemicals" into weapons. That may have been true with chlorine gas, that President Assad employed several times over the last 3 years. But there are no dual uses for sarin gas, which has been banned by several chemical weapons treatires. This particular aspect of the Obama administration is not being highlighted by anyone outside of conservative media. The media just doesn't seem interested in the fact that the former president used his "triumph" of "soft power" to remove Assad's chemical stockpiles as a demonstration of his superior wisdom while it actually revealed him to be a naive fool. Ed Murray, the gay mayor of Seattle, has been accused of molesting three young boys. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, a nationally famous champion of gay rights and progressive causes, has been accused by three men of having sex with them as children. An unnamed man filed a child sex abuse lawsuit against the mayor on Thursday, alleging Murray "repeatedly criminally raped and molested" him when he was a homeless 15-year-old in the 1980s. The unnamed plaintiff and two other men subsequently gave interviews to the Seattle Times all telling similar stories about a politico in his late 20s and 30s, who befriended street kids, paid them and had his way with them. "Young and curious, D.H. encountered Ed Murray upon the bus and developed a friendly interaction," reads the lawsuit. This quickly turned into a regular negotiation, it reads, with the teen "willing to do whatever Mr. Murray asked for as little as $10 to $20." The plaintiff, now 46, was named only by initials in the lawsuit [link here]. But he gave an interview to the Times, recalling: "He'd be doing certain things, and I'd tell him to stop, and he wouldn't stop." Murray has been a political activist on the issues of illegal aliens and the redefinition of marriage. This year, Murray became a leading voice in the West coast resistance to Trump's agenda particularly the president's promise to target undocumented immigrants. Murray [is also] known for championing same-sex marriage and other gay rights causes. Mayor Murray denies the allegations and plans to run for re-election. It is possible in Seattle that the accusations will only make him even more popular. But the accusation of a prominent gay official brings to mind research that claims that gays are more likely to molest children than heterosexuals, which, if true, again raises questions about having gay Scout leaders and the like. What do you think? Do you think the accusations against Mayor Murray are false? Do you think this case says anything larger about the gay community, or is it just an isolated incidence? Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com. Jews of Cape Town want their government to retake land bought by a Jewish day school and, in place of a new campus, to erect low-cost housing for poor Gentiles right in a suburb that many Cape Town Jews find unaffordable. American Jews direct communal resources to black rights, refugee rights, LGBT rights, women's rights, transgender rights to any right that is not a Jewish right. Rabbis sign a petition to allow Muslim refugees from Jew-intolerant backgrounds into America. Democrat Jews dote on Barack Obama with a hostility to the State of Israel matched only by a friendliness to powers that would do away with that nation. Jews attend a downtown Johannesburg event to hear a BDS panel confuse the Holocaust with self-governing Palestinians growing at a birthrate above the norm. All of the above are trendy causes. They also, one and all, pick on Jews and their outlaw country. All that was thought about Jews in the past has found a home in what trendy movements think about Israel now. The left-wing element is prone to overlook that unlovely aspect. Every year at Passover, we read in the Haggadah: "Go and learn what Laban the Aramean sought to do to our father Jacob[.] ... He sought to destroy everything." Laban has been the paradigm of anti-Semites from time immemorial. Jews parading and protesting with modern Labanites may be tolerable; but when rabbis defend them, willfully forgetting what Laban sought to do to Israel (ne Jacob), such behavior is unfathomable. The counter-intuitive mind of the Jew is uncanny. From the sin of the golden calf onward, Jews have done things that no one can figure out. Did the Almighty create them to be contrary? Probably not, when you hear left-wing elements speak out with clarity and moral conviction. Jacob's kindred were created to be a light unto the world. Working with unlikely bedfellows is not aberrant behavior. On the contrary, they as Jews are doing exactly what they were put on earth to do: stand for values and modes of caring as old as the Bible. In their helter-skelter to get Muslim refugees into America, or to help the poor live in a sought after part of Cape Town, Jews of conscience have no qualms about doing what they do. History and tradition (their word for God in the secular?) marked out the Jews to care for the stranger in their midst. But we are given to believe that the sacred duty is very selective. Caring for the stranger is everything; caring for the Jew is nothing. Kith and kin in parts of Ukraine are caught in crossfire and go hungry; in France, they live, and perish, under dire threat. While Jewish terror victims go unsung, and Zionists on campus are bullied, and the new domain for Laban's kindred is the internet still the gut instinct of Jews for repairing the world is for that stranger out there. Better to give underprivileged people the right to live in a swanky suburb than to allow Jews the right to build a school. Better to worry over a dedicated bathroom for transgender types than to lose sleep over Jewish victims of terror. Better to debate the right of Israel to exist than to debate the right of Palestinians to yet another sharia-ruled fiefdom. Better to lose sleep over the plight of the "other" than to lose sleep over the plight of a Jew. Can no kosher cause hold a candle to the wants and needs of the stranger? Homespun Judaism may have a lot to answer for. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hinted that if the administration wanted further sanctions on Russia for their support ofr Syria's dictator Bashar Assad, he would be open to working with Democrats to make it happen. Washington Times: If [the administration] feel they need additional sanctions, or we can come up with something that seems to enjoy bipartisan support, Id be open to it, Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said when asked if hed support additional sanctions on Russia, The Hill reported. Mr. McConnell added hes willing to talk to Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican, specifically with respect to sanctioning Russia for continuing to support the Syrian president. I think its certainly good that the administrations not lifted any of the existing sanctions, Mr. McConnell told reporters. The Russians are not our friends. I think theyve demonstrated that over and over and over again. While the White House has indicated a willingness to sanction Russia itself, the Trump administration been anything Russia was sanctioned several times by Mr. Trumps predecessor, former President Barack Obama, most recently in January when the White House took action against nine entities and individuals believed to have interfered in last years general election, in addition to expelling dozens of Russian diplomats. Previously the U.S. and European Union both sanctioned Moscow separately after Russia seized territory from neighboring Ukraine in 2014. A bipartisan group of senators floated a proposal earlier this year that would implement new sanctions against Russia, but the bill has failed so far to advance within the chambers Foreign Relations Committee, The Hill reported. Mr. McConnell, meanwhile, is hardly the only Senate Republican to weigh new sanctions in the wake of Tuesdays gas attack. Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, told reporters on Friday that hell be editing a previously introduced bill of his own to address Russias ongoing support for the Assad regime. I want to amend my own bill and add supporting Assad the use of weapons of mass destruction [and] enabling him to do that as a reason he should be sanctioning Putin, Mr. Graham said Friday. There are two considerations when imposiing new sanctions on Russia; will they work and will those who've been sanctioned be able to avoid them. Previous sanctions imposed by NATO and the US targeted the bank accounts of Putin cronies as well as restricting their travel. Other restrictions on energy exports to western Europe and banking restrictions on the Kremlin have impacted the Russian economy. But realistically, what else can be done? We could add to sanctions imposed on Putin's inner circle but the oligarchs are largely impervious to that kind of pressure. Besides, their influence on Putin's actions in Syria is limited. Putin has his own agenda in Syria and what his cronies want is not necessarily the same as what Putin is after. Unless new sanctions can be shown to be more effective than previous ones, it doesn't really make sense to impose them. We ran into the same problem with sanctions on Iran. Eventually, after years of upping the ante, new sanctions lost their bite. But perhaps the effort would be more symbolic than concrete. Putting the Congress on the record in opposing Russia's unwavering support for Assad - even when he commits heinious crimes against humanity - might serve as a warning to Putin that the US is losing patience with Russia and that it would serve Russian interests for Putin to use his considerable influence on President Assad to end the bloody civil war. Membership in the exclusive collegiate honor society Phi Beta Kappa has been a merit badge of exceptional scholarship, and integrity for over 200 years, with John Marshall (William and Mary) Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, admitted in 1780. Seventeen US presidents have been Phi Beta Kappa. John Quincy Adams (Harvard), and Rutherford B Hayes (Kenyon) were members, so too were Martin Van Buren (Union), and Teddy Roosevelt (Harvard). Barack Obama is not a member of Phi Beta Kappa. But Obamas two most significant spokespersons, and aides -- Susan Rice (Stanford), Obamas UN Ambassador, National Security Advisor, and Ben Rhodes (Rice), her deputy-- are both Phi Beta Kappa members. Historians will not define Obamas legacy. Instead his mouthpieces, Rice and Rhodes, have already framed his presidency. Rice and Rhodes symbolize the corrosion in meritocracy, and betrayal of common trust and intellectual high ideals. Of course Susan Rices pattern of incontinent conniving started with her notorious Sunday press show quintet of appearances where her hysterically incompetent testimonial, about how some internet video provoked the Benghazi attack, was demonstrably false. Susan Rice then lied about Syrias Assad abandoning chemical weapons, just confirmed by president Trump tossing a few cruise missiles on Assads WMD airstrip, responding in kind to Assads sarin gas assault on his own people last week. Susan Rice will forever carry the stigma of having slobbered over US Army deserter, and traitor Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, gushing that he served the United States with honor and distinction. Close in tow, Ben Rhodes has bragged about being the architect of disinformation, and outright lying about negotiations for, and provisions in the defective Iran nuclear deal to convince a skeptical public, and deter quashing from a dubious Congress. Both Rice and Rhodes are now embroiled by Rice admitting to abusing covert intelligence in spying on political opponents, including members of Congress, apparently well-oiled tradecraft in the Obama White House, most likely abetted by accomplice Rhodes. Whether Susan Rice will admit to being a congenital liar, or she just repeats her bosss deliberately deceptive talking points having no moral compass, simply proves that Phi Beta Kappa aint what it used to be. Or whats good for Phi Beta Kappa peer Bill Clinton (Georgetown) is good enough for Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes. Well, perhaps Phi Beta Kappa was an occasional arbiter of exceptionalism. After all, Calvin Coolidge (Amherst) was a member. But so was Alger Hiss (Johns Hopkins). My dad's class was among the first to receive their degrees under the "G.I. Bill," from the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering. Indeed, his entire class of June 1949 had served in the military. It seems that the University of Pennsylvania was pleased to take government funding for the veterans' tuitions but did not make it a priority to provide for the veterans' social integration into the campus community (a situation to which the veterans at Moore School were largely indifferent, having their own social system based upon their common experiences). This is reflected in the Moore School yearbook itself. In those days, the Moore School yearbooks were not published professionally, but were put together by the members of the Moore School classes themselves. As noted in the "Foreword" to the yearbook, the pages were typed by the members of the class and reproduced using the mimeographic process. Those pages were interspaced with photographic images reproduced on photographic emulsion paper. Each class member had his own page, which included an epigraph of his choosing. The epigraph chosen by class member Elwood William McMorrow was a Sir Walter Scott parody: Breathes there a man with hide so tough who says two sexes aren't enough? Apparently, there are such men (and women) in the California State Legislature, the principal ones in the California Senate being Toni Atkins, Cathleen Galgiani, Ricardo Lara, Holly Mitchell, Bill Monning, Nancy Skinner, and Scott Wiener, with David Chiu, Susan Eggman, Todd Gloria, Evan Low, Mark Stone, and Philip Ting following suit in the Assembly, Democrats all, shepherding the now pending Senate Bill No. 179. Per the Legislative Counsel's Digest (emphasis supplied): This bill would delete the requirement that an applicant have undergone any treatment and instead would authorize a person to submit to the State Registrar an application to change gender on the birth certificate and an affidavit attesting, under penalty of perjury, that the request for a change of gender is to conform the person's legal gender to the person's gender identity and not for any fraudulent purpose. By requiring the affidavit to be attested to under penalty of perjury, this bill would create a crime, and thus impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the change of gender on the new birth certificate to be female, male, or nonbinary. This bill would delete the requirement that a person have undergone any treatment to seek a court judgment to recognize a change of gender and instead would authorize the petitioner to attest, under penalty of perjury, that the request is to conform the person's legal gender to the person's gender identity and not for any fraudulent purpose. The bill would also specifically authorize a procedure for a person under 18 years of age to petition for a change of gender. This bill would require the applicant for a driver's license or identification card to choose a gender category of female, male, or nonbinary to be included as part of the applicant's description. There are a number of issues and items that lie within the domain of the possible in connection with this legislation, in no specific order: 1. Symptoms of and test results for various diseases, including myocardial infarction, differ according to gender. What would be the gender status of a person who, having attempted to change from male to female (or vice versa) on "gender identity" alone, is admitted to a hospital? Which gender status would be reflected in the patient's chart and records, and on what basis will the hospital bureaucracy determine and deliver the appropriate treatment? 2. It is hardly unheard of for divorced or divorcing parents to use their children as pawns in the anger attending to their differences. What of the use of the new simplified "gender change" legal procedure for such a purpose? 3. What of a convicted male criminal who calls himself female, based upon his word alone, in accordance with the new and simplified "gender identity" standard? To which California correctional institution will he be assigned? If it is a women's prison, then what sort of dangers would be presented to the inmates by his presence there? If a men's'prison, what of his exposure to predatory inmates and staff? 4. If it is a woman who identifies as a man and is in a mens' prison, how would the prison powers-that-be deal with a request for feminine hygiene products when such requests are allegedly problematic even in women's correctional facilities? All of the foregoing entail binary (either male or female) genders. What of the non-binary? 5. How many species of non-binary genders are there? 6. To which prison would a non-binary gender inmate be assigned? 7. What safeguards exist against the potential for fraud described in the preceding imponderables? The obvious answer to Number 7 is that one or more departments of the California state government will be expected to scrutinize the application for the legal gender change. The California government's record on its prevention of fraud by illegal aliens should tell us all what to expect on that score. Kenneth H. Ryesky is a lawyer now based in Petach Tikva, Israel who taught business law and taxation at Queens College CUNY for more than 20 years. The Islamofascist beasts are at it again. Today they blew up St. Mark's Church in Alexandria, Egypt, where the Coptic leader, Pope Tawadros II, had been attending Palm Sunday mass, killing 11. They slaughtered another 25 at St. George's Church at mass in Tantos, Egypt. Writing as catechist whose passion is to teach the children of Beverly Hills all about the great St. Mark (did so last week) and the magnificent St. George (earlier this year) and the glory of Palm Sunday (yesterday) and the fascinating significance of Easter eggs among the Iranian, Middle Eastern, Egyptian and Russian children (yesterday) ... it makes me sick. What a heinous crime on one of the most majestic, wondrous and highly anticipated spiritual days of the Christian calendar, Palm Sunday, one where Egypt's diminishing Christian minority still commemorate in faith as they have been commemorating for 2000 years. The Copts, who are the oldest Christians, have a particular reverence for it. This attack is a direct assault on Christianity and on God himself. Do I have to say this too? It's the work of the devil. It's beyond despicable, I feel such sadness for the good people of Egypt who have had to endure this atrocity. Just as the chemical attack in Syria shocked all of our consciences, this attack in Egypt does the same. It's the work of beastly barbarians acting in the name of some anti-faith that has nothing to do with the good Muslim people we all know. Yes, there are arguments about this, but as I say, this is the work of dark Satanic forces no matter what its perpetrators call themselves. It calls for airstrikes with as much moral clarity as President Trump's airstrikes on Syria earlier this week. That's not practical, unfortunately, but it does show what kind of impact the retaliatory response must have. President Trump just met with President al-Sisi of Egypt this week. The two vowed to strengthen their cooperation in eradicating terror. The Muslim-brotherhood-linked terrorists who likely did this undoubtedly wanted to send a message to Egypt's Christians that while airstrikes might work in Syria, Egypt's terrorists weren't fazed by them. In their contempt, their atrocities would continue because they considered al-Sisi weak. They may actually have wanted to punish him for supporting Trump' airstrikes. Why do I think this? Because of the symbolism of the struck churches' names. St. Mark, the lion of the Gospel, wrote the oldest of the Gospels and Coptic Christians are the oldest of the Christians. The Coptic pope being at the mass was also a factor, but the name Mark is worth noting, too. The attack in Tantos, of St. George's Church, is even more significant: St. George is the symbol of Muslims and Christians alike in Jordan, which supported the anti-terror strikeback raid into Syria. Sisi is weak, and the society he leads is shot through with Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers. That makes it very difficult to root out the perpetrators and more important discourage future terror attacks. The thing that would throw them for a loop would be the negation of any of these assumptions or narratives. Can Sisi make them pay? Can Trump do something unexpected o avenge the innocent in Egypt too? Can the U.S. cooperation with Egypt become extremely effective, perhaps another Plan Colombia, renamed as Plan Egypt? These are all questions for the fallout that will inevitably occur in the wake of these shocking attack. For now, it's impossible to not just mourn the good and holy Egyptian victims. This past Fall, Black Label Trading Company launched a new small batch cigar line called Santa Muerte. Santa Muerte is a figure associated with the Day of the Dead celebrations. These celebrations provide remembrance to those who have passed away. With the Santa Muerte cigar, it also pays tribute to those who are no longer with us. Day of the Dead festivities are typically held from October 31st through November 4th and the first batch of the Santa Muerte was released to coincide with these celebrations. Recently Ive had an opportunity to smoke the Black Label Trading Company Santa Muerte in the Corona Gorda format. 2016 was a year that saw owner James Brown take a major step forward as a cigar manufacturer. The Santa Muerte is another step that Brown and his brands journey take forward as this is another excellent release. The philosophy that Brown has incorporated for both Black Label Trading Company and its sister brand, Black Works Studio has been a small batch less is more philosophy. Back in February 2015, Brown made a bold move as he opened Fabrica de Oveja Negra, his own factory in Nicaragua. This has allowed him to take a more hands-on, intimate approach to his companys work Without further ado, lets take a closer look at the Black Label Trading Company Santa Muerte Corona Gorda and see what this cigar brings to the table. Blend Profile While Santa Muerte utilizes an Ecuadorian Habano leaf on both the wrapper and binder, the filler consists of tobaccos from Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Binder: Ecuador Habano Filler: Nicaraguan, San Andres, Dominican Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Fabrica Oveja Negra) Vitolas Available Santa Muerte has been released in two sizes. Each size is packaged in 20 count boxes. Corona Gorda: 5 1/2 x 48 Short Robusto: 4 3/4 x 52 Appearance The Black Label Trading Company Santa Muerte Corona Gordas Ecuadorian Habano wrapper had a medium brown color with a slight oily sheen. There were some visible wrapper seams and some thin visible veins. Overall I did find this Corona Gorda to be a well packed cigar. The band has a black and white gothic / skull theme. Toward the lower center of the band is the text SANTA MUERTE in white gothic font. Just below that text is the text BLACK LABEL TRADING COMPANY in a smaller gothic white font. Preparation for the Cigar Experience As I typically do, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to remove the cap of the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda. After the cap was clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw of this cigar served up a mix of woody and malt notes. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw At this point I was ready to light up the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda and see what the smoking experience would have in store. Flavor Profile The Santa Muerte Corona Gorda started out with a mix of cream, natural tobacco, nut, cedar and assorted mixed pepper notes. The cream, natural tobacco, and nut became the primary notes early on with the spices receding into the background. The creamy notes definitely gave this cigar a smooth profile. Meanwhile I also detected an addition layer of cedar on the retro-hale. As the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda moved into the second third, the cream and natural tobacco notes still were in the forefront. Meanwhile, the nut flavor now floated between the forefront and background. The cedar component in the background had also increased in intensity. I also still picked up some pepper notes in the more distant background, but the retro-hale saw an increase in the black pepper component. By the last third, the cedar notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. The nut and cream notes had now receded into the background with the pepper. While the pepper remained subtle on the tongue, it was now the main note on the retro-hale. This is the way the cigar experience of the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature. Burn and Draw The Santa Muerte Corona Gorda maintained a straight burn path from start to finish. There was a slight curvature on the burn line early on, but this was remedied with a few touch-ups. Overall, this was a cigar that did not require an excessive amount of touch-ups to maintain its burn. The resulting ash had a light gray color. I also found this to be a firm ash that came off the cigar in clean chunks. Meanwhile the burn temperature and burn rate were both ideal. I commented earlier on that I felt the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda was a well-packed cigar. Sometimes that can tighten up the draw a little too much, but not in this case. This was a draw that was not too tight, but delivered the right amount of resistance in for my liking. The result was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from. Strength and Body My first experience with the Santa Muerte Corona Gorda was about four months ago. At that time I found it to be a bolder cigar. However, some aging did mellow this cigar a bit and now I feel this cigar is in the sweet spot. The Santa Muerte Corona Gorda started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. As I smoked the Santa Muerte, it gradually increased in intensity and around the 3/5 point, it was safe to say that the cigar had progressed to medium to full for both strength and body. During the smoking experience I found the strength and body balanced each other nicely with neither attribute having an edge over the other. Final Thoughts Over the past few years, Black Label Trading Company and its associated brand Black Works Studio has garnered a reputation for delivering some excellent maduro cigars. One could argue that some of the natural releases have gotten overshadowed. The Santa Muerte is a natural Habano offering and it comes through with flying colors especially in the Corona Gorda size. It certainly is a cigar that builds on the story Brown and his brands are creating out of Fabrica Oveja Negra. Finally, its a cigar that seems to be getting better and better over time. This is a cigar I could recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast or a novice looking to graduate to something in the medium / medium plus range. As for myself, this is a cigar I would easily smoke again and its certainly worthy of a box purchase. Summary Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cream, Nut, Cedar, Mixed Pepper Burn: Excellent Draw: Excellent Complexity: Medium Strength: Medium (1st 3/5), Medium to Full (Remainder) Body: Medium (1st 3/5), Medium to Full (Remainder) Finish: Excellent Rating Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy Score: 92 References News: Black Label Trading Company Releases Santa Muerte Price: $8.50 Source: Black Label Trading Company Brand Reference: Black Label Trading Company From our "Anything that happens on planet earth can be blamed on global warming" file comes this laugh out loud theory promoted by climate change hysterics. An article in the Los Angeles Times written by fellows associated with the Energy and Environmental Reporting Project at Columbias Graduate School of Journalism claims that the 1989 disaster that occurred when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground was due - in part - to global warming. The Project is partially funded by foundations connected to the Rockefeller family and George Soros - two of the biggest boosters of the catastrophic global warming theory. The LA Times disavows any influence over the writers of this fantasy piece. But social media exploded in mirth over its conclusions. Washington Times: The story suggested that Exxon should have known that the Columbia Glacier had become unstable as a result of global warming, increasing the risk of iceberg hazards, before the Exxon Valdez crashed into Alaskas Bligh Reef after swerving to avoid an iceberg. What was triggering the glacier to drop icebergs at such a ferocious and ultimately disastrous pace was unclear at the time, said the article. But some scientists, even then, were beginning to look at climate changes role. The Union of Concerned Scientists, a leader of the #ExxonKnew campaign, retweeted the article, calling the Exxon Valdez disaster an early product of @ExxonMobils well-documented legacy actively peddling #climate denial. How was Exxon to know? The article said scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey raised the possibility in 1975 and 1978 of climate-driven iceberg hazards. Then again, there was hardly a consensus: Energy in Depth reported that USGS studies released in 1977 and 1980 said the behavior of iceberg-calving glaciers is apparently not directly related to climatic variations. Roy W. Spencer, meteorologist and principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, was also dubious, calling it quite a stretch to blame the disaster on human-caused global warming. Glaciers naturally flow to the ocean and calve. As long as it snows on them, gravity makes them flow to the ocean no global warming required, Mr. Spencer said in an email. Even if calving increased in the 1980s, the warming in Alaska that abruptly started around 1980 was due to a shift in a natural climate cycle called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), not the result of a slow warming trend due to humans. By the articles logic, anyone can blame basically anything that happens to them on climate change. Did you avoid a puddle when you hit that telephone pole? Sue Exxon! quipped conservative columnist David Harsanyi of the Federalist. Somehow, since 1989, thousands of tankers have been able to ship oil from Alaska to California and avoid hitting the reef, even with the presence of a bay riddled with icebergs that were allegedly caused by Exxon failing to take responsibility for anthropomorphic global warming in 1980s, Mr. Harsanyi said in a Friday op-ed. As you might expect, social media was merciless in their mocking: Blindingly stupid, climate change fan fiction, irrelevant and ridiculous were among the insults hurled at the report, written by students from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalisms Energy and Environmental Reporting Project. Anyone who has ever followed the story knows that the only ice responsible for the Exxon Valdez spill would be the ice cooling the captains many cocktails that night, said Katie Brown of Energy in Depth, which is funded by the Independent Petroleum Association of America. But for anti-Exxon campaigners, no alternate theories (or should we say alternative facts?) are too outrageous to publish. I'm not positing a conspiracy here, but rather like-minded individuals trying to assist the state attorney generals who are going after Exxon for their climate change "denial." The researchers are employing the butterfly effect on steroids to stretch the notion to the breaking point of climate change causing catastrophes. Since this particular theory doesn't appear to have convinced anyone who isn't a full blown climate change hysteric, the damage is limited. But perhaps more importantly, it shows just how far these NGO's and foundations will go to imprint on the public consciousness the hazards of global warming. When the United States defeated and occupied Japan after World War 2, lowering the country's birthrate was a major priority. The conventional wisdom of the day was that overpopulation was a root cause of Japan's military aggression, so measures to reduce the birth rate were a major priority. Abortion was legalized, and a comprehensive propaganda campaign was launched, with media (fully under control of the occupation) depicting large families as unhappy and two children as ideal. Over the course of a few years, the birthrate sharply declined and then continued to decline more slowly. Meanwhile, as the average age rose, so did the death rate, so deaths began to outnumber births, as this chart shows: (The decline in 1966 was due to that year being particularly "unlucky" according to the Japanese zodiac.) Japan's population peaked at just over 128 million and now is declining at an accelerating pace, as fewer young people are having fewer babies. A demographic time bomb is now detonating, with the population projected to decline by one third to 87 million in 2060, with half the population between 15 and 65. The birth dearth is already visible on the streets of Tokyo, where I am currently visiting with AT co-founder Richard Baehr. Very few babies are visible on the streets. Yesterday, we saw only two baby carriages all day, and both of them were like this: Pets, meanwhile, have become big business. This is in upscale pet store very near where we are staying: "Pets always come first." Hmmm. The dogs and cats are adorable. A quick look at the pets section of a bookstore as well as the pet store itself suggests that low-maintenance cats are far more popular than dogs. Meanwhile, it is cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese) season in Japan. Here are the cherry trees in front of a junior high school in Tokyo: And here are the blossoms in Ueno Park, one the prime spots for viewing them. But of course, as with every aspect of human behavior in Japan, there is an etiquette, a set of rules for people to follow. Due to the large number of foreign tourists (esspecially from Asia) visiting Japan lately, the rules are spelled out in Ueno Park: Aside from the sheer beauty of cherry blossoms, the cultural appeal for the Japanese is related to their evanescence: after blossoming for a few days, they fall to the earth a powerful metaphor for the transience of human life. Owing to the accelerating decline in Japan's population, the cherry blossom may prove an unfortunately appropriate symbol of Japan's flowering as an economic and cultural force in the world. The deadly chemical attack on innocent Syrian men, women and children in Idlib, which killed at least 100 and injured 400 was little more than Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad crossing the red line again. It wasn't his first chemical attack, he launched a similar attack in summer of 2013, which left at least 1400 dead, according the opposition sources. At that time, the world stared in disbelief as Assad commit atrocities in Syria without paying a price. This time, things were different. On April 7 the U.S. launched an airstrike on an airfield believed to have been used by his forces to drop chemical bombs on Idlib. It was a clear sign of shift in the U.S. attitude toward his regime. Other nations announced support, too, making the attitude shift more than just unilateralism. President Donald Trump said after the U.S. airstrike: Tonight, I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. The airfield bombed is significant, because it is also used by members of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Quds Force, according to a report from Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic language website. The field has been used for a long time by IRGC to operate not only in Syria but also in Iraq. Since the start of the bloody six-year-old Syrian war, Bashar al-Assad and his allied goons, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, thought that they could get away with anything. They relied on the notion that the international community is too divided to take any firm action against the massacre of innocent Syrian people. So they thumbed their noses at every element of international law. Soleimani was caught on camera many times in Iraq and later in Aleppo walking around unencumbered as if he was a tourist there and not the international thug he was, blacklisted by UN resolutions banning him from traveling. The reaction of the worlds leaders to the attack was a stark contrast to previous years in the Syrian conflict, too. Instead of knee-jerk opposition to Trump, there as almost a consensus about the fact that Assad must face the consequences of his actions; something long overdue. In a joint statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande laid the blame for the U.S. airstrikes on Assads Al-Shayrat airfield solely on Assad. They said: President Assad alone bears responsibility for this development. and His repeated use of chemical weapons and his crimes against his own population had to be sanctioned. The Syrian opposition welcomed the airstrikes with joy and almost disbelief that after so many years of inaction, despite repeated calls on the U.S. to act against Assad regime, the moment finally arrived with the Tomahawk missiles. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council: "The United States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do more, but we hope it will not be necessary." One of the few big exceptions to this moment of moral clarity was in the predictably repellant reaction from Iran. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani strongly defended Assad regimes recent sarin attack on his own people. He blasted President Trump for his decision for airstrikes. Rouhani said in a televised speech referring to the U.S. president: "This man who is now in office in America claimed that he wanted to fight terrorism, but today all terrorists in Syria are celebrating the U.S. attack. He also said: Why have you attacked the Syrian army which is at war with terrorists? Under what law or authority did you launch your missiles at this independent country?" The United States Senate was quick to reciprocate President Trumps action on behalf of the Syrian people by introducing a new bill to ensure further extend measures safeguarding human rights for innocent Syrian citizens. The bill, titled the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act was introduced on April 6 to instruct the Secretary of State to report on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Syria, as well as to authorize assistance for investigations and other credible transitional justice efforts, including a potential hybrid tribunal, in a bid to hold Assad and his regime accountable for their heinous acts. A durable solution to Syrian crisis is something hardly disputable by anyone. The U.S. administration through its UN Ambassador Nikki Haley reiterated again on an interview with CNN on Sunday that a long term solution for Syria with Assad in the picture is not possible to imagine. She also pointed to Assads main sponsor, the mullahs in Iran, as a major obstacle to peace in the war-torn country and the need to end the Iranian regimes influence in Syria. The mullahs influence is something which should not be taken lightly. The Syrian peoples peaceful uprising against the Assads dictatorship in 2011 could have taking a different turn had it not been for the IRGC and Quds Force stepping up in full support of the regime in Damascus. The Assad regime was on the edge in 2013 and outside the capital it had no control over the rest of the country. With the aid of mullahs who spent billions in Syria while their own people at home were hungry, and the inaction of Obama administration by turning a blind eye to Assads crossing its established red line, the Syrian dictator survived. Now it seems that a new plan is unfolding in Washington to stop the genocide in Syria with the U.S. administrations firm respond to Assads use of chemical weapons against his people. The attack may not have a major military significance but it has firm political tone to it. The action no doubt has resonated as far east as Tehran. To put more teeth to what U.S. means in terms of ending Irans influence in Syria, an even more effective step forward would be to expel the IRGC and all its proxies from Syria. It would certainly help with the broader war in the region against Islamic fundamentalism in all its shapes and forms. To get rid of terrorism, get rid of the Iran's proxies. This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later! The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation unveiled a new financial guarantee instrument to assist high-performing charter schools in Houston. Bill & Melinda Gates at the KIPP School, Houston, TexasCharter schools are granted more freedom in curriculum and hiring but typically receive significantly less public funding than conventional district public schools. With no state funding for capital expenses and an inability to issue voter-approved general obligation bonds, charter schools cant borrow money on favorable terms. The Gates Foundations investment will allow KIPP Houston to obtain favorable borrowing terms, saving an estimated $10 million over the 35-year life of the bonds, said the charter networks founder Mike Feinberg. It will also allow the Gates Foundation - whose assets declinedn by about 20% in 2008 - to use their balance sheet to support the causes they care about without having to give the money away. via Wall Street Journal The first bond guarantees will advance Houstons Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, to help its schools secure funding in tax-exempt bonds. The financing is aimed at expanding student enrollment from 4,500 in 15 schools to 21,000 students in 42 schools in the next decade. The Gates education initiative is the first time a private foundation has backed charter school facility bonds at this scale. More reading: Bill Gates Kicks Off Get Schooled Program School Library Journal Viacom To Host Get Schooled Conference and Documentary Premiere Gates Foundation The Influence Game: Bill Gates sway on ed policy NPR ABC News(NEW YORK) -- The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Russia is absolutely "complicit" in the chemical attack in Syria that killed at least 86 civilians, including many children. "Absolutely they're complicit," Rep. Adam Schiff of California told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on This Week Sunday. "Russian intelligence may not be as good as ours, but it's good enough to know the Syrians had chemical weapons, were using chemical weapons." Schiff added that Russia is "better positioned to know, in the sense that they have people on the ground in close proximity working in close concert with the regime. I think absolutely they know what the Syrians are doing." Russia is a key military ally of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against rebel factions in the country's civil war. The U.S. blames Syria's government for the deadly chemical attack on a rebel-held province last week. The Assad government has denied responsibility, and Russia has said that the release of toxic agents happened when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical-weapons arsenal and munitions factory. The question of Russian complicity in the attack also came up in an earlier interview on "This Week" Sunday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Tillerson said he has "not seen any hard evidence" that Russians were involved in planning or carrying out the attack. But the secretary of state said when he meets with the Russian foreign minister this week, he will bring up Russia's obligation under a 2013 agreement to ensure the Syrian government got rid of its chemical weapons. "It agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons, and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me," Tillerson said. "Clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians." Within less than three days after the chemical attack in Syria, President Trump ordered a U.S. missile strike on the Syrian air base where the aircraft which carried the chemical weapons are believed to have flown from. Rep. Schiff told Stephanopoulos, "I think there's a strong moral case ... to make for what the president did" in response to the chemical attack. "But I dont think, George, it should have been done without congressional approval," the lawmaker added. "Do you think Congress could even come close to agreeing on a use of force resolution at this point?" Stephanopoulos asked, referring to the sharp partisan divide. "You know, I do," the Democratic lawmaker replied. "It's certainly not easy ... [But] I think we can come to agreement on a resolution that says the president will have the authority to go after al-Qaeda and ISIS and the Taliban." Such a resolution "forces accountability," Schiff said. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Last week, President Obama named Dr. Rajiv Shah to head Americas US Agency for International Development (USAID). Rajiv J Shah, a medical doctor and health economist now at the Agriculture Department for six months and previously an executive with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will head an important agency whose power has eroded seriously in the Bush Administration. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has placed development as a core part of her foreign policy agenda and has publicly expressed total frustration over finding a 10 months process of finding a high quality leader who could survive the exhaustive confirmation process. Because Dr. Shah is 36 Carothers suggests that he will bring fresh viewpoints to the position and a portfolio of skills, yet does not have the gravitas to suggest the president intends to upgrade USAID to a cabinet-level agency. Dr. Shah has previously been confirmed by Congress, and its expected that he should be approved quickly. To say that the new head of USAID walks into an agency under fire is an understatement. With family roots in India, Dr. Shahs the first person of color to head USAID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The New Mexico State Game Commission met Wednesday in a regularly-scheduled board meeting, holding the meeting for the first time ever in Artesia. Items on the agenda at Central Valley Electric Cooperative included a request for an extension of a lease by the New Mexico Forestry Division on Richards Property in Santa Fe, which was approved. Col. Robert Griego with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) presented the commission with a list of individuals who met the established criteria for the revocation or suspension of their hunting, fishing and/or trapping license privileges, which included 15 individuals for reciprocal revocation under the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. These individuals were revoked by compact member states for committing wildlife violations. Forty individuals who have accumulated 20 or more Violation Points in a three-year period were included in the list. Two individuals had accumulated 20 or more Violation Points in a three-year period. These individuals elected to enter into Stipulated Agreements with the department. A total of 245 violators who have failed to pay a penalty assessment within 30 days of the violation and 369 individuals certified by the Human Services Department as being out of compliance with the Parental Responsibility Act were also listed. The commission approved the revocations and suspensions. Stewart Liley, chief of NMDGFs Wildlife Management Division, presented to the commission final recovery plans for Goulds Wild Turkey and the Gila Monster, pursuant to the Wildlife Conservation Act 17-2-40.1. Liley then presented the commission with proposed changes to the Migratory Game Bird Rule based on information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), recent survey information, public comment, harvest data, and management goals. The proposed amendments focus on increasing the Canada Goose daily bag limit in the Pacific Flyway to four, increasing the Sandhill Crane quota, and potentially creating a new hunt amidst the Middle Rio Grande Valley duck season in the north zone of the Central Flyway, to run from Oct. 4 Jan. 18, 2018. Duck season in the south zone of the Central Flyway would run from Oct. 24 Jan. 28, 2018, and duck season in the Pacific Flyway zone would run from Oct. 14 Jan. 28, 2018. The department has posted proposed changes to the Migratory Game Bird Rule on its website. Input is being gathered from emails and public meetings with interested members of the public. A final proposal to this rule will be developed and presented at the May 2017 commission meeting. Chief of Education and Information for the NMDGF Lance Cherry updated the commission on progress in developing unmanned, primitive shooting ranges on department-owned and potential partnership properties, and presented an update on the Governors Special Hunt Auction and Award Banquet, as well as the New Mexico Outdoor Adventures Hunting and Fishing Show. The commission also received an update on the Albuquerque office complex and the Santa Fe warehouse by Russell Benjamin. Chief Mike Sloane reported to the commission on proposed changes to the Aquatic Invasive Species Rule 19.30.14 NMAC. The State Game Commission adopted changes to the rule last year for the first time since 2009. After a year of on-the-ground experience with the rule, the department is proposing to clarify the language of the rule to make clearer the actions that violate it. The commission says language clarifications will also improve enforcement both by the officer and the courts. The department will post the amendments to 9.30.14 NMAC on its website, and an email notice will be sent to partners requesting comments. A draft of the changes will be presented to the commission at its May meeting, with adoption to be considered at the June meeting. The commission then received a legislative update from Deputy Director Donald Jaramillo, and the meeting was adjourned. Op-ed by Bob Shead The focus of this article is a very complicated but important regional issue in ASEAN the current state of the economic, trade and political relations between the Philippines and the Peoples Republic of China. The election of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 has in fact changed the strategy and effects of this relationship. Last year, this relationship was described by the Huffington Post, as the most toxic in Asia, when Dutertes predecessor, President Aquino was in charge. However, since President Duterte took office last year, he has extended a hand of economic and political cooperation to China, and his official visit to Beijing last October, was an economically productive visit as it was formative in securing investment and credit line pledges that amounted to approximately US$ 24 billion in business and trade deals for the Philippines. RELATED: Pre-Investment and Market Entry Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates However, what has attracted much international economic interest and criticism has been Dutertes position over the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea maritime disputes, where he has recently stated that the Philippines cannot stop China from building military and government facilities on the disputed shoals, although the Hague-based International Arbitration Tribunal ruled in 2015 that the internationally agreed Philippine Maritime Territory must be observed by China. China opposed this decision and has gone ahead in developing these shoals into permanent military and government occupied bases. These actions meant that, under the previous Aquino Government, the Philippines has postponed formal membership in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and has questioned the agenda behind and the overall transparency of its governing structure. Clearly, the South China disputes are defining the overall texture of Philippine-China relations. Additionally, it is estimated that the undiscovered natural gas and oil deposits under the Philippine Maritime Territory may be amongst some of the largest unexplored resources globally. China would obviously like to have control of these resources. However, as shown in the figures below, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries has dramatically increased, despite the political differences, and this is expected to continue. Provided below is a quick overview of the relationship between the Philippines and China (these latest available figures are up to date as of 2015). ECONOMY AND TRADE US$ 1.272 billion in development assistance to the Philippines from China from 2002 until 2013 (not including the results of the recent visit to Beijing as referred to below). US$ 17.646 billion worth of bilateral trade between China and the Philippines in 2015. US$ 6.175 billion worth of Philippine. exports to China in 2015. US$ 11.471 billion in Philippine imports from China in 2015. US$ 1.455 billion in Chinese investments in the Philippines in 2015. TOURISM An estimated 680,000 Chinese visitors to the Philippines in 2016. An estimated 1.2 million Filipino visitors to China in 2016. Tourism from China to Philippines will increase and is a good source of revenue for the Philippines. The figures for 2017 are expected to increase rapidly, and the casino industry is expected to be one of the major beneficiaries. BILATERAL AGREEMENTS Philippines and China 1978 Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement 1979 Cultural Cooperation Agreement, Civil Aviation and Transportation Agreement 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sports Cooperation 2001 Cooperation in Information Industry 2001 Cooperation in the Crackdown on Transnational Crimes 2001 Treaty on Extradition 2001 Pact on Cooperation Against Illicit Traffic and Abuse of Narcotic Drugs 2002 MOU on Tourism Cooperation 2005 MOU on Maritime Cooperation 2005 Pact on Cooperation in Youth Affairs 2007 MOU on Cooperation in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Cooperation, Education Cooperation 2007 Pact on Protection of Cultural Heritage 2008 Pact on Sanitary Cooperation Philippine-China Trade Figures including comparisons with Japan and USA The Philippines posted a US$ 2.31 billion trade deficit in January 2017, compared to a US$ 2.64 billion gap a year earlier, as exports rose more than imports. In December 2016, the Philippines total trade deficit was US$ 2.16 billion. Year-on-year sales increased by 22.5% to US$ 5.13 billion in January 2017, following an upward revised 6.3% rise in December 2016, which marked the fastest rise in three years. Outbound shipments rose by 270.1% for articles of apparel and clothing accessories, by 229.6% for coconut oil, by 104.7% for chemicals, by 66.3% for metal components, by 64.8% for electronic equipment and parts, by 58.8% for other manufacturing, by 27.9% for transport machinery and equipment, and by 10.4% for electronic products. Sales of electronic products, the top export earner for the Philippines increased by 10.4%. In contrast, exports decreased by 24.7% for wood products (including furniture) and by 5% for ignition wiring sets used in all forms of transport vehicles ( including aviation and maritime). Exports to Mainland China increased by 23.6%, while exports to Hong Kong increased by 20.7%, USA by 21.2%, Singapore by 16.8%, other ASEAN countries 19.3%, and EU countries by 82.5%. In contrast, sales to Japan, the previous top export destination for the Philippines, decreased by 6.6%. Imports rose by 9.1% year-on-year to US$ 7.44 billion in January 2017; this was lower than the previously projected increase of 13.8% in December, which resulted in a decrease since October 2016. However purchases increased by 79.7% for transport equipment and iron and steel; by 42.7% for mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials; by 30.6% for cereals and cereal preparations; by 28.6% for miscellaneous manufactured articles; by 24% for telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery; by 23.3% for plastics in primary and non-primary forms; by 13.4% for other food and live animals; and by 11.1% for industrial machinery and equipment. In contrast, imports shrank for electronic products by 16.2% and for transport equipment by 9.5%. Purchases from China, the countrys biggest source of imports, went up by 26.4%, followed by Japan 10.8%, South Korea 19.7%, and ASEAN member countries 16.2%. Purchases from EU countries fell by 27.2% and imports from the US dropped by 6.9%. Japan was the countrys top trading partner in 2015, accounting for a total trade worth US$ 18.669 billion or 14.4% of the Philippiness total trade. Exports to Japan totaled US$ 12.301 billion, while imports were valued at US$ 6.369 billion, posting a trade surplus of US$ 5.932 billion. Electronic Products took the largest share of 30.2% of the total exports to Japan valued at US$ 3.721 billion, followed by Wood products (including furniture) at US$ 2.853 billion or 23.2%. In comparison, majority of the imported products from Japan were Electronic Products at US$ 2.193 billion or 34.4% and Transport Equipment with US$ 962.86 million or 15.1%. China was the Philippines second largest trading partner in 2015 with total trade worth US$ 17.646 billion or 13.6% of the total Philippines-China trade. Exports from China totaled US$ 6.175 billion, while payment for imports was valued at US$ 11.471 billion; this resulted in a US$ 5.296 billion trade deficit with China. From an export viewpoint, the biggest sales to China were Electronic Products valued at US$ 3.388 billion or 54.9% of the countrys exports to China. Other Mineral Products followed with a total value of US$ 683.41 million or 11.1%. Imported goods purchased from China were made up of Electronic Products valued at US$ 2.418 billion or 21.1% of the countrys total imports, with Iron and Steel following at US$ 1.823 billion or 15.9%. The USA was placed third, and accounted US$ 16.491 billion or 12.7% in total trade with the Philippines in 2015. Exports to the USA were priced at US$ 9.023 billion while imports totaled US$ 7.468 billion and this reflected a trade surplus of US$ 1.554 billion. The majority of the exports were Electronic Products valued at US$ 3.557 billion or 39.4% of the total exports to USA and Clothing Articles priced at US$ 1.014 billion or an 11.2% share. Major inward shipments from USA were Electronic Products valued at US$ 3.322 billion or 44.5% of the total. Animal Feed ranked second and was priced at US$ 716.17 million or 9.6% of the total imports from the USA. Benefits and Trade Details following Dutertes visit to China in October 2016 There were massive trade benefits for the Philippines, during the visit last year by President Duterte, as he wrapped up the State Visit to China, securing investment and credit line pledges amounting to US$ 24 billion, or nearly double the initial amount reported. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said, at the time, that the total amount included US$ 15 billion worth of investment projects and US$ 9 billion in credit facilities. Earlier estimates had placed the total trade package at US$ 13.5 billion. There was apparently 17 extra trade deals, with a combined value of US$ 11.24 billion that were signed following the meeting between the two leaders, at an event organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI) and the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI). Amongst these extra deals were the following: The Philippine mining firm Global Ferronickel signed a US$ 500-US$ 700 million deal with Baiyin International Investment Ltd to construct a steel plant, while Greenenergy Development Corp. signed a MOU with PowerChina Guizhou Engineering Corp to develop a 300Mw hydropower plant project valued at approximately US$ 1 billion. Another Philippine company MVP Global Infrastructure Group Ltd with a focus on joint investments with major Mainland Chinese companies who are already operating in Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, also signed large (unspecified) investment deals. The MVP Group also signed an MOU to establish a partnership with China Railway Engineering Corp to build infrastructure investments projects valued at US$ 2.5 billion. There were projects with the Suli Group to invest in cabling manufacturing facilities in the Philippines valued at US$ 3 billion, plus a US$ 780 million contract for the Mega Harbour Port signed with China Harbour Engineering Company to complete a 214 hectare coastline project. RELATED: The Philippines Relationship with ASEAN Conclusion It is obvious that the Philippines is rapidly improving its trading and economic position with the ASEAN region, however with this, it should be noted that there remain many difficult and large social and related issues, that need to be tackled. The Philippine-China relationship remains precarious, and mainly due to the maritime disputes, as yet unresolved, and will of course reflect of the Philippines economy and trade. The current President and his Government do have a good and reputable group of economic advisers behind them and without a doubt the Philippines economy is rising from a previously poor situation. Its trade relations with China remain of great importance, and despite all the issues mentioned above, I suspect will continue to improve, hopefully to the benefit of both countries. About Us Bob Shead is ASEAN Briefings Philippines Correspondent and is based in Manila. He has 25 years experience as a diplomat in Asia. Asia Briefing, a subsidiary of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, the Silk Road & Vietnam. For editorial matters please contact us here and for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click ASEAN Briefing is published by, a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates . We produce material for foreign investors throughout Asia, includingthe. For editorial matters please contact usand for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click here Dezan Shira & Associates provide business intelligence, due diligence, legal, tax and advisory services throughout the ASEAN and Asia. We maintain offices in Singapore, as well as Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, and maintain Alliance offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila as well as throughout China, South-East Asia, India and Russia. 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Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide. An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017 An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017 introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment, and taxation. We also include the latest development news for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each. Human Resources in ASEAN In this issue of ASEAN Briefing, we discuss the prevailing structure of ASEANs labor markets and outline key considerations regarding wages and compliance at all levels of the value chain. We highlight comparative sentiment on labor markets within the region, showcase differences in cost and compliance between markets, and provide insight on the state of statutory social insurance obligations throughout the bloc. The actor however did not confirm if he is playing Corvus Glaive in the highly anticipated superhero mega-movie. The film is slated to release in the US on May 4, 2018. Mumbai: Actor Josh Brolin's Thanos will be joined in Avengers: Infinity War by his comic book second in command, the deadly warrior Corvus Glaive. Actor Terry Notary recently revealed some hints about his role in the movie and if sources to be believed the Warcraft star might play Glaive, reported Digital Spy. "I'm working with Josh Brolin and three other actors, and I'm playing Josh Brolin's right-hand bad guy in the film," he recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't say the name of the character or I think Marvel will sever my head, but I apply those same principles of what it means to drop bullshit and just play a character (that's) truly evil. And it's working. It's truly working." This strongly hints at Notary playing Glaive, with his three fellow actors playing other members of Thanos's crack troops, the Black Order. Avengers: Infinity War will hit the UK cinemas on April 27, 2018, following in the US theatres on May 4, 2018. Jenner's ad for Pepsi had been unanimously drubbed forcing Pepsico to pull it down. Jenner's outing came just two days after the soft drink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. Mumbai: Supermodel Kendall Jenner covered her face from paparazzi as she returned home to LA following the controversial protest-themed Pepsi commercial she starred in. The 21-year-old diva sported a leopard-print coat, a black shirt with leather pants and white sneakers as she arrived at Los Angeles International Airport after spending some time overseas for Paris Fashion Week, reported US weekly. She placed her left hand over her face as her bodyguard escorted her to a car outside the airport. Jenner's outing came just two days after the soft drink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. The commercial showed Jenner ending a riot by offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Many viewers accused the company of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement. 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. Ahmedabad: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and seized three boats off the Gujarat coast, an official said. Three fishing boats from Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol were seized and 18 fishermen sailing on them captured by PMSA late last night from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) Secretary Manish Lodhari told. The captured boats had set sail from the coastal town of Porbandar a few days ago, Lodhari said. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. (Representational Photo: PTI) Ahmedabad: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and seized three boats off the Gujarat coast, an official said on Sunday. Three fishing boats from Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol were seized and 18 fishermen sailing on them captured by PMSA late Saturday night from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) Secretary Manish Lodhari said. The captured boats had set sail from the coastal town of Porbandar a few days ago, Lodhari said. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. Sheikh Hasina offered namaz near Jannati Gate and also recited a prayer for the Sufi saint. New Delhi/Ajmer: Ahead of the Presidential banquet late in the evening in New Delhi and her meeting with the Indian business community scheduled to take place on Monday morning, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning paid obeisance at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here and offered a chadar (shawl) at the grave of the 12th century Sufi saint. The Bangladesh Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Indian business leaders on Monday, and deals worth billions of dollars with Indian business houses could be inked. According to news agency reports from Ajmer, Ms Hasina, accompanied by five Bangladesh ministers in the 26-member delegation, visited Ajmer by helicopter. She reached the shrine 10:30AM, and was received by the officials of the dargahs Anjuman Committee (management committee). She offered prayers for 15 minutes and stayed at the shrine for about an hour. Ms Hasina offered namaz near Jannati Gate and also recited a prayer for the Sufi saint. Khadim Kalimuddeen Chisti gave tabarrukh and a scarf to the Bangladesh PM. The Anjuman committee also gave a welcome address in her honour. Thereafter, she made a brief halt at the Circuit House, and flew out of the city by noon. Among those who accompanied Ms Hasina were minister for liberation war affairs AKM Mozammel Haque, minister of water resources, Anisul Islam Mahmud, and minister of law Anisul Haq. Earlier, she visited the shrine with her family on January 13, 2010. The separatists poll boycott calls were by and large obeyed, with just 80,000 out of 12,61,000 registered voters turning up. Women coming out from a polling station after casting their vote for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir at Budgam in Srinagar. (Photo: PTI) Srinagar: At least eight persons were killed and dozens more injured as the security forces fired on protesters and stone-pelting mobs across Srinagar as the Lok Sabha byelection was held on Sunday. Officials said over 100 security personnel were also injured as violent mobs attacked polling stations and clashed with the security forces along the street, mainly in Budgam district. The separatists poll boycott calls were by and large obeyed, with just 80,000 out of 12,61,000 registered voters turning up at the polling stations. Approximately 6.5 per cent votes were polled, but this is a tentative figure as we are still getting the data, and it may increase, said J&K chief electoral officer Shantanu at a press conference in the evening. The statement issued by the government later quoted the CEO as saying that 7.14 per cent votes were polled. This is the lowest-ever turnout recorded in an election in Jammu and Kashmir since 1996, when the polls to the state Assembly took place after a gap of nine years of turmoil and peak insurgency. As many as 200 incidents of violence were reported from across the constituency, in which six civilians lost their lives and 17 others were injured. Over 100 police and other security personnel were also injured, the CEO said. The authorities later said that eight persons were killed in the security forces action across the constituency. Shantanu added that during the mob violence some EVMs were snatched away. The machines were later recovered, he added, but did not say how. He also refused to answer any questions put by reporters. An alliance of key separatist leaders has called for a two-day general strike in the Valley from Monday to mourn and protest against the deaths. The authorities are contemplating imposing curfew-like restrictions in parts of Srinagr and Budgam as part of precautionary measures, while Internet services were suspended on Saturday night. Witnesses and police sources said irate crowds started shouting pro-freedom slogans, attacking polling stations and booths as soon as polling started at 7 am, forcing the authorities to halt voting in at least 10 polling stations. Security forces burst hundreds of teargas canisters to disperse the stone-pelting mobs. When this failed to work, they fired from rifles and pellet shotguns. Most of the casualties took place in Beeru, Magam, Chadoora, Pakharpora and other areas of Budgam, the sources said. They added all these persons had got bullet and pellet wounds. Dozens of others, including security personnel, were injured in stone-pelting and retaliatory action by the security forces. In the afternoon, violence spread to two other districts as well Srinagar and Ganderbal. The bypoll to the two Lok Sabha seats in the Valley Srinagar and Anantnag were necessitated by the resignations of PDP members, including party chief and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. While Ms Mufti, who was elected from her home constituency of Anantnag in the 2014 election, quit her Lok Sabha seat to fulfill the constitutional requirement following her appointment as CM, her party colleague Tariq Hameed Karra resigned from both the PDP and Parliament in protest against the PDPs alliance with the BJP to form a coalition government in the state. Voting in Anantnag is due to be held on Wednesday. The president of the Opposition National Conference, three-time former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who is seeking election from Srinagar, alleged that the government failed to create a conducive atmosphere for polling. The chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, expressed deep anguish at the loss of lives. She said: I am distressed to know that many of those killed were young boys who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues. She said she had reiterated time and again that peaceful means, not violence, was the only way ahead to get the state out of its present difficulties. This is the time when people of all shades of opinion in the state should come together and help in stopping the cycle of senseless violence and bloodshed, which unfortunately has plagued Jammu and Kashmir for three decades now and left behind a trail of human tragedies, she said. Miscreants started pelting stones on polling booths in some areas of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday morning. Women coming out from a polling station after casting their vote for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir at Budgam in Srinagar. (Photo: AP) Srinagar: 5 youths were killed and several injured when security forces opened fire on a stone-pelting mob that stormed a polling station in Budgam district in this Lok Sabha constituency today, disrupting polling which saw an abysmally low 3.3 per cent turnout till 11:00 am. Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked the building, officials said. Security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two later succumbed to injuries. Those killed were later identified as 20-year-old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad Rather, the officials said, adding both died of bullet wounds. They said BSF, deployed for security of the polling stations, fired live rounds as they were not provided with pellet guns. Violence marred polling in some other parts of the Srinagar parliamentary seat as polling staff and security force personnel were forced to abandon two polling stations in Chadoora assembly segment as they came under heavy stone- pelting by mobs, the officials said. Stone pelting incidents were reported from over two dozen other places across the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal which constitute the Srinagar constituency, the officials said. The voter turnout has been low so far with only 3.3 per cent of the 12.61 lakh electorate exercising their franchise in the first four hours of polling, the officials said. Even in traditionally high turnout areas like Budgam, Ichgam and Maloora, many voters chose to give polling a miss. Researchers said that the changes were a result of genetic mutation in the turtle which are also seen in humans. The turtle can move and function like any other (Photo: YouTube) Beijing: Science has been able to introduce mankind to several weird and fascinating species over the years, and several more are emerging and gaining popularity in the digital age. While animals being mutated may have been portrayed as monsters in movies, a turtle with two heads and six legs is the centre of everyone's attention in China. The mutated creature was found in a fish and flower shop in Chinas Shanxi Province when the owner spotted it after returning from the market with a box of Brazilian turtles. People have been glued to this three-month-old turtle which moves like any other turtle. Researchers from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Medicine and Life Sciences called the condition abnormalities resulting from genetic mutation, something also seen among human beings. People have been flocking to the shop for catching a glimpse of the turtle which has captured everyones imagination. The police had registered a case related to the abduction-cum-murder of the deceased and arrested four men who are relatives of the sisters. Mumbai: The Bombay high court has asked the Dahisar police to grant police protection with immediate effect to two sisters Tejal and Radha who fear that their parents will kill them if they dont begin living with the respective men to whom they were married at the age of three. One of the sisters had married another man last February allegedly against her parents wishes. The husband was allegedly abducted by two men last month and beaten severely. He succumbed to his injuries a few days later. The police had registered a case related to the abduction-cum-murder of the deceased and arrested four men who are relatives of the sisters. A division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Anuja Prabhudesai was hearing a criminal writ petition filed by Tejal Gupta, a resident of suburban Dahisar. According to the petition,Tejal and Radha were married off at the age of three and their family has been insisting that they should join their respective husbands. Tejal claimed that despite opposition from her parents and relatives, she married a man, Brijesh Gupta, in February 2016. On March 23 2017, Gupta was abducted by two persons and badly assaulted. Tejal registered an FIR at Dahisar police station on the same date. However, two days later her husband succumbed to his injuries. Tejal has sought that her sister and her should be provided immediate security as well as transfer of investigation to a police station outside Dahisar. She also sought that her statement should be recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which will be used as evidence when the trial begins. Additional public prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh informed the court that after the death of Tejals husband, four persons all relatives of the woman had been arrested by the police under the Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. She further said that that the police is ready to take Tejals statement under Section 164 of the CrPC before the magistrate. The court then directed the police to provide immediate protection to the sisters and kept the matter for further hearing on May 2. The call centre scam mastermind returned voluntarily from Dubai after lookout notice was issued. Mumbai: Sagar Thakkar, the mastermind of the call centre scam, was sent to police custody till April 13 by a local court on the day he surrendered to the police after his arrival from Dubai. Thakkar is said to have returned voluntarily after he realised that India was set to issue a red-corner notice against him. Thakkar had also travelled to Thailand. He holds a Dubai residency permit and revealed that recently the US agencies tried to get his custody but a board in Dubai ruled that there wasnt evidence to restrain him. Speaking to mediapersons, Parambir Singh, commissioner of police (Thane), said that 25-year-old Thakkar voluntarily decided to come to India and surrendered to the Immigration officers in the country without a fuss when they detained him based on a look out notice issued by the Thane police. Thakkar, has been absconding since October after three call centre owned and run by him in Mira-Bhayander belt were raided and hundreds of employees arrested. Thakkar was accused of operating a multi million-dollar scam, which duped thousands of US citizens. The scam involved call centre employees calling up US citizens posing as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials and accusing them of not paying dues and asking them to immediately deposit a certain fine to avoid arrest. While Thakkar is an Indian national, he also holds a Dubai residency permit and hence escaped to Dubai. He stayed there for sometime and also travelled Thailand, Singh said. He added that Thakkar had been to Dubai recently and was detained by officials based on a red corner notice issued by the United State of America. But a board set up by Dubai government to look into his case ruled that US did not have enough evidence to gain his custody nor was his travel to be restricted. Hence he was let off. He then learnt that India was also in the process of issuing a RCN and wanted to return and co-operate in the investigation, he said. The scam has till date led to the arrest of nearly 400 people and many more are still wanted. Police officers said that during questioning Thakkar gave out two more names, which are being investigated. A man called Tapesh Gupta allegedly ran the operations here in the city. And we are trying to trace him, said Singh. When questioned about how he worked the scam, Thakkar allegedly said that he got into the business after he realised some of his friends were doing it. cops awestruck by thakkars knowledge Dressed in just loose pants and a T-shirt, Thakkar comes across as just another regular youngster. But police officers who are questioning him say that he is very sharp and has immense knowledge about US and Indian laws, policies and data sourcing. He revealed that the call centres were also operating in five other cities beside Mumbai. The scam has its tentacles in various industries including pharma, banking and grants. Police sources revealed that Thakkar had senior police officials in awe of him just an hour into his questioning. He is completely aware of all laws in the country and in US and knows everything about masking data, procuring and hiding his data footprint. He is the one who trained the first batch of people in his first call centre in Gujarat, said a police source. He added that Thakkars sister Reema is still in India and they are trying to locate her. She did not travel with him to Dubai and handled all his accounts. We will question him in detail to get her whereabouts. The source added that while Thakkar ran only the IRS scam, he has given them information about scams being run in the pharma and banking sector. Secret Superstar is a Zee Studios presentation, which is produced by Aamir Khan Productions and written by Advait Chandan. Mumbai: 2017s Diwali has a triple bonanza for the cinegoers. This Diwali, superstar Rajinikanths 2.0 and Ajay Devgns Golmaal Again will have a mega clash with perfectionist Aamir Khans Secret Superstar. Well, we all know the importance of a Diwali release and maybe therefore the film, which was earlier slated to release on August 04, has now pushed its release to Diwali. A report in Bollywood Hungama states, Aamir himself called Rajini Sir and discussed his concerns vis-a-vis Secret Superstar shifting from August to Diwali. Both the actors share a warm bond and it was with Rajini Sirs blessings that Aamir has announced a Diwali release for Secret Superstar. Secret Superstar features the Dangal girl Zaira Wasim. She recently won the prestigious National Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Also, Aamir Khan himself will be seen in the film alongside Zaira Wasim, in an extended cameo. Secret Superstar is a Zee Studios presentation, which is produced by Aamir Khan Productions and written by Advait Chandan. S Nihal Singh has four editorships under his belt, with globetrotting stints in Singapore, Pakistan, Moscow, London, New York, Paris and Dubai. Moscow ended a coordination agreement to avoid accidents involving military aircraft of the two countries over Syria. Donald Trump is not quite 100 days old in his new job as US President, but the world has got to know him as someone who can throw up surprises every day, if not every hour. The United States is renowned as a country of think tanks of a bewildering variety, quick to build doctrines for a new leader. They are all at their wits end trying to anticipate what he will do next. President Trump ordered the firing of 59 Tomahawk missiles to hit a Syrian airbase from where Syrian warplanes supposedly took off to spray nerve gas on civilians in Idlib, killing scores. It had echoes of former President Barack Obamas decision not to retaliate against Syria although it deliberately crossed publicly-declared red lines and upended his own policy of America First foreshadowing his distaste in fighting other peoples wars except to decimate the so-called Islamic State. Second, Mr Trump has seemingly negated his trademark policy of befriending Russias President Vladimir Putin even as Americas security establishment is all worked up over the Kremlins alleged role in influencing the US presidential election. Moscows reaction to the missile strike was expectedly severe, although Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov later indicated a more flexible line. Moscow ended a coordination agreement to avoid accidents involving military aircraft of the two countries over Syria. Thus far, the major actors are assuming that the strikes are a one-off, and US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is visiting Moscow on Tuesday for his first get-to-know trip. The secondary role Britain plays in world affairs was underlined by the cancellation of a Moscow visit by its foreign secretary Boris Johnson. What next? Thats what the world is asking as the Syrian civil war enters its seventh year, with deaths mounting and millions of Syrian people displaced at home or living abroad as refugees. There are no clear answers, even as Russia has organised the evacuation of rebels and their families to safe zones. But Moscow has an obvious responsibility to stop the carnage, given its bolstering of President Bashar al-Assads regime. One of the consequences of the gas attack is that President Trump, who was indifferent to Mr Assads fate in line with his America First credo, now wants his ouster. How it will translate itself into policy remains to be seen. Russia has travelled a long way from the early days of the Trump presidency. Its enthusiasm for the new man in the White House has waned over weeks and months, as the Kremlins alleged interference has become a salient feature of American internal debate, with Mr Trump losing his national security adviser. Mr Putin seems to suggest that the next move is Mr Trumps. These are formative stages of the Trump presidency, but many American experts worry that with his aversion to doctrines and spelling out foreign policy directions, the President relies on instinct, rather than considered policy, to chart out his moves. And the reported tussle between his senior right-wing aide Steve Bannon and son-in-law Jared Kushner further complicates the picture. Judging by the compliments Mr Trump has showered on Mr Putins qualities as a resolute leader, he can tap the goodwill he has created in Moscow to begin a serious dialogue with his counterpart. Mr Tillersons probing this week will indicate if the two nations can get together for meaningful discussions. Ironically, the important get-to-know talks Mr Trump was having with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Florida retreat were overshadowed by the Syria missile strikes. But it gave his visitor an opportunity to size up the new White House occupant, and the optimistic note taken by the official Chinese media after the two-day trip means that Beijing is careful not to annoy the US. Conventional wisdom holds that the worlds fate will be largely decided by the US, Russia and China. After the Soviet Unions breakup, President Putin has asserted his clout by helping President Assad, thus becoming an actor in the Middle East. Further, he annexed Crimea and is supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine to undo the Wests desire to grab Russias important neighbour in the aftermath of Moscows defeat in the Cold War. Much will depend on the chemistry between Mr Putin and Mr Trump and Moscows success in guiding events in Syria to a stage where the carnage can stop before the mind-boggling task of rebuilding a ruined nation can start, if indeed it can remain one nation. President Putin, as the steadier of the two leaders, has a greater responsibility to find a way out. Domestically, Mr Trump has succeeded in temporarily boosting his sagging poll ratings as he has stumbled in making his executive orders barring visitors from largely Muslim countries stick. An even greater embarrassment was his failure to get rid of Obamacare, one of his major campaign promises, through a substitute measure which had to be withdrawn due to opposition within his own Republican Party. In one respect, President Trumps instinct is right, in seeing Russian cooperation as a key to resolving major world problems. But the US agencies probe into Moscows alleged interference in the US election is a continuing distraction, and the bitterness in the two nations relationship is acute. In a sense, it all boils down to Mr Trumps capacity to evolve in his new role. He has set his own rules by bringing his family into the White Houses decision-making process. His daughter Ivanka has got space in the West Wing and her husband Jared Kushner is one of the Presidents key advisers. It is not known whether Mr Trump took inspiration from Indias dynastic politics. Opinion is divided in Washingtons policymaking elite over Mr Trumps capacity to outgrow his realty tycoon and reality TV ways and rely less on instinct than on considered policy. He related his change of heart on Syria in emotional terms, his horror in seeing children choke to death by the chemical attack. Emotions are, however, not the best guide to framing policy. The problem those few short years ago was that the PPP had taken itself out of the running. Its not quite riddle-mystery-enigma level, but its worth revisiting. Specially now that the fling seems to be over. Why did the boys want the PTI to topple the PML-N? The other way round why did the PTI need the boys help? is not very interesting. All ambitious sorts, seeking to vault to the top, need a bit of help. And when it comes to the very top, theres only one institution that can massage results across the board. The Imran Khan question, though, is interesting. Hes always been a maverick. And that makes him dangerous. Plus, he waded into politics when he didnt need to and he didnt stand a chance for years. And when his brand of politics finally did catch fire, its because a surging demographic bolted to his camp, not because they were herded there. All of that to say, Mr Khan is an unreliable partner. If it took ZAB a while and President Nawaz Sharif a decade to grow too big for their boots, Mr Khan was already there. This business of trashing the second to last chief and opposing the last ones Saudi sinecure, its vintage Imran loud, brash and unpredictable. Assuming the boys wanted him as PM, what the hell were they thinking a few short years ago? Helpfully, Mr Zardari has chipped in with a reminder of the first part of the why-Imran argument: as a block to total power for Mr Sharif. In alluding to the PPPs role as kingmaker in the next election, Mr Zardari has harkened back to pre-2013 election politics. The era of Zardari had proved that coalitions work well for the boys needs. A governing party with partners is a governing party that is beholden, on edge and at risk. It keeps the governing party distracted, having to pander to allies needs, and it introduces a fundamental element of uncertainty. Not bound by law to support a government, coalition allies can bring down a government if the incentives and maths are right. The problem those few short years ago was that the PPP had taken itself out of the running. Because, insurmountably, its the PPP and because Mr Zardari had engineered the collapse of the PPP. Mr Khan, though, was ascendant. The twin governments of the PPP at the Centre and the N-League in Punjab had produced the twin spectres of corruption and dynastic politics. Exactly the stuff that Mr Khan had built his political career railing against. If Mr Khan didnt exist, he would have had to be invented. And no invention could have dreamt of coming close to capturing the urban, middle-class zeitgeist as Mr Khan was already doing. The boys had their man. But why did they need a guy their guy to begin with? The Zardari era had already produced a template for cleaving apart national security and foreign policy from the drudgery of running the economy and balancing the books. Even if Mr Sharif returned to power, by himself or astride a wobbly coalition, its not like hed have been able to enact a sweeping agenda. The last four years have pretty much demonstrated that. But Mr Sharif was not Mr Zardari and there begin the reasons for the boys needing a guy, their guy. The glib ones are well-known enough to attract derision. Like BB, Mr Sharif was a threat because he knew the system and wanted to change the system. But unlike BB, Mr Sharif may have had both the will and a path to changing the system. Essentially Mr Sharif was: male, Punjabi, from inside the system, burned by the system, beloved by his people and with the kernel of an idea that could destroy the system. The idea: opening up to India would set in motion a chain of events that may bring the cherished idea of civilian supremacy to fruition. If it sounds high-minded, its not: an opening to India would benefit Punjab first and the most; and civilian supremacy could ensure a generational transfer of power among the Sharifs. Again, thats reached almost folklore status, a myth to be sneered at or cheered on depending on your politics. But theres another side to it. To effect his agenda, Mr Sharif would be unleashing a redefinition of the very idea of Pakistani nationalism. That is the red line. The boys arent implacably and forever opposed to an opening to India in some form or shape. And they arent in principle opposed to sharing power with the civilians. But an opening to India must not and cannot tamper with the idea of Pakistan, of what it means to be Pakistan and Pakistani. And power sharing must be on rational terms; civilians focusing on and improving the civilian side of the State and progressively acquiring the experience to take on bigger issues. For all those things, Mr Khan was perfect. He had no burning ambition. His version of nationalism chimed with the boys. And his domestic agenda couldnt have been scripted better had it been written by the boys: Politicians bad; the people great; hard work and honesty would make Pakistan rise; and everyone should stick to their job and know their place. The bet on Mr Khan didnt pay off. He couldnt deliver and, for now, seems unwilling to follow orders or seek direction. But the dream that caused the bet on Mr Khan as PM surely lives on. And for all of us whose name isnt Imran, that should be the worry. By arrangement with the Dawn The vehicle mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the busy Ahlens department store. A street is cordoned off near the department store Ahlens following Friday's suspected terror attack in central Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo: AP) Stockholm: The suspected Stockholm truck attacker had shown interest in extremist groups and had his permanent residency application rejected in June 2016, Swedish police said on Sunday. "We know that he showed interest for extremist organisations like IS," police chief Jonas Hysing told reporters, adding that two Swedes, one Briton and a Belgian were killed in the attack. The suspect, who has only been officially identified as a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, "applied for a permanent residency permit in 2014," Hysing said. "The Migration Agency rejected it in June 2016 and also decided that he was to be expelled," he added. "In December 2016, he was informed by the Migration Agency that he had four weeks to leave the country. In February 2017, the case was handed over to the police to carry out the order, since the person had gone underground," he said. But police apparently never found the man. On Friday, the suspect is alleged to have barreled a stolen beer truck several hundred metres (yards) down the bustling pedestrian street Drottninggatan in the heart of Stockholm. The vehicle mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the busy Ahlens department store. The motive for the attack is not known. Thousands of people were to gather in central Stockholm on Sunday for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism. US ready to do more as Moscow accuses it of violating law. Damascus, Syria: As many as nine civilians, including four children were killed in the United States missile attack on a military airbase in central Syria on Friday. According to local media reports, five of the civilians, among them three children were killed just outside the base. Media reports say that an American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child. Another seven civilians were also wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, 4km from the Shayrat air base. While, Washington stated it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a barbaric chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime. The US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis. The US and Russia clashed in the UN Security Council over the missile attack on a Syrian airfield, with Washington warning it is prepared to do more as Moscow accused it of flagrantly violating international law with its act of aggression. The 15-nation Security Council met for an emergency meeting on Friday on the situation in Syria following the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles by the US into the Shayrat Airbase. Meanwhile, Britains foreign secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled official visit to Moscow next week, his office announced on Saturday, saying developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally. In Damascus, dozens of Syrian students gathered outside the UN offices to protest the US missile attack. The US missile attack has caused heavy damage to one of Syria's biggest and most strategic air bases, used to launch warplanes to strike opposition-held areas in central, northern and southern Syria. (Photo: AP) Beirut: Warplanes on Saturday struck the Syrian town where a chemical attack had killed scores of people earlier this week, as Turkey warned that a retaliatory US missile strike on a Syrian air base would only be "cosmetic" if greater efforts are not made to remove President Bashar Assad from power. The air strikes on the opposition-held northern town of Khan Sheikhoun, where 87 people were killed in the chemical attack earlier this week, killed a woman and wounded her son, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, an activist collective. Elsewhere in Syria, US-led air strikes killed at least 21 people, including a woman and her six children who were fleeing on a boat across the Euphrates River near the Islamic State group's self-styled capital, Raqqa, the target of a major offensive by US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces, activists said. An air strike on a rebel-held town in the northern Idlib province killed at least 18 people, including women and children, according to the Observatory and Ariha Today, an activist group. It was not immediately clear who carried out the strike. Near the central city of Homs, a bomb exploded aboard a bus carrying workers, killing a woman and wounding more than 20, according to state TV and the Observatory. The chemical attack prompted the US to launch nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian air base early on Friday, which killed nine people and marked the first time Washington has directly targeted Syrian government forces since the war began in 2011. The move was welcomed by the Syrian opposition and its main backers, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but harshly condemned by Russia and Iran, who back Assad and said striking his forces would complicate the struggle against extremist groups. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the US strike should be the start of a renewed effort to end the civil war, which has killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced half of Syria's population. "If this intervention is limited only to an air base, if it does not continue and if we don't remove the regime from heading Syria, then this would remain a cosmetic intervention," he said. He said the best outcome would be a peace agreement that leads to a transitional government accepted by all Syrians, followed by elections in which all Syrians, including those living abroad, could vote for new leadership. For that to happen, he said, "this oppressive Assad needs to go." Iran, which has provided crucial military and political support to Assad, meanwhile called for a fact-finding mission to determine what caused the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun. State television quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying the committee should be impartial and "must not be headed by Americans." Rouhani said "neutral countries should come and assess to make it clear where the chemical weapons came from." Syria's government has denied carrying out any chemical attack, and Russia's Defense Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cancelled a planned trip to Russia because of fast-moving events in Syria. Johnson said the situation in Syria has changed "fundamentally" following the chemical attack and the US response. Johnson condemned Russia's continued defence of Assad "even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians." He had planned to travel to Russia Monday on a trip intended to start a fresh dialogue with Moscow. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meanwhile plans to meet with G-7 foreign ministers in Europe next week before going on to Moscow. Johnson said Tillerson will be able to give a "clear and coordinated message to the Russians." In Damascus, dozens of Syrian students gathered outside the offices of the United Nations to protest the US missile attack, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." University student Ashraf Fadel said he came to denounce "the unjust American aggression against Syria." He added that the United Nations was "created to support America instead of serving the wronged people." In a separate development, activists opposed to the Islamic State group said a US-led coalition air strike hit a boat carrying civilians fleeing across the Euphrates River. The groups Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently and Sound and Picture said the attack killed a woman and her six children. The attack occurred in the Shuaib al-Zeker area, near where US-backed Syrian fighters have been battling IS under the cover of coalition air strikes. Activists and state media said a separate air strike by the US-led coalition on the northern IS-held village of Hneida killed at least 14 civilians, including children. The Observatory said 15 people, including four children, were killed in the air strike. The Sound and Picture group said the air strike hit an internet cafe, killing 14 people. In Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that US President Donald Trump has spoken by telephone with King Salman about the US missile strike on Syria. The news agency reported that during the Friday phone call, the Saudi monarch congratulated Trump for his "courageous decision." Saudi Arabia said the missile launch was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it." The kingdom is among the most vehement opponents of Assad and supports Sunni rebel groups fighting to oust him. The Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia are in a power struggle for regional dominance with Iran's Shiite government. by Loula Lahham The Coptic Orthodox Patriarch is unharmed. So far 11 are dead and 66 wounded. Initial reports indicate a suicide bomber was responsible. Egypts National Defence Council is set to meet. Some call for an overhaul of security measures around churches. Cairo (AsiaNews) Less than two hours after an explosion tore through the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in Tanta, a second blast struck St Mark Cathedral in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, during the Palm Sunday service led by Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II. The church is the traditional seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. Initial reports suggest that a man blew himself up at the entrance of the church, street-side, as the patriarch celebrated Mass at the altar inside. The latter was whisked away to a safe place under tight protection. So far 11 people are dead and 66 wounded. Some policemen are among the casualties, including Adel El-Rakiby, head of the police department in Atarin district. In addition to the church, the blast hit a small building across the street. Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi called a meeting of the National Defence Council. Many people demand an overhaul of security measures around churches. The city of Alexandria has 48 Coptic Orthodox churches, plus those of other rites. by Loula Lahham Cairo (AsiaNews) A bomb ripped through the Mar Girgis (St George) Coptic Church in the central Delta city of Tanta during Palm Sunday service. At least 21 people were killed and 69 wounded, Egypt's Health Ministry announced. The dealt toll is expected to rise. The explosive device was planted under a chair in the main nave, very close to the altar, before the church filled up with worshipers for the liturgy. At least 16 ambulances shuttled back and forth to local hospitals. Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi ordered military hospitals to treat the wounded. Mar Girgis Coptic Church in Tanta (Gharbiya governorate), 93 kilometres north of Cairo, is one of the countrys oldest. Built in 316 AD, it was restored several times. Overall, Gharbiya has 27 churches, four of which are classified as heritage buildings by Egypts Archeology Ministry. The blast occurred as Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in the coastal city of Alexandria. Todays is the second terrorist attack against a Coptic church in recent months. On 11 December 2016, a suicide bomber blew himself up at Cairos St Peters and St Paul's Church, located near St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, killing 28 people, and wounding more than 40 others. For many years, Coptic Christians about 10 per cent of the population have been targeted by Jihadis, especially in the Sinai, where Christians have been killed and forced to flee. Frustrated by the ouster of their leader Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood groups too has tended to use Copts as scapegoats. Last month, Pope Francis announced that he would be in Egypt on 28-29 April to continue the inter-religious dialogue with Al Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest authority. BreitlingsDC-3, which first flew in 1940, is now engaged in a round-the-world tour, with a summertime trip across the U.S. in the flight plan. The airplane, which once flew for American Airlines and the U.S. Army, was bought by Breitling in 2008 and fully restored. At 77 years old, its the oldest airplane ever to undertake a round-the-worldtour, according to Breitling. The airplane launched from Geneva last month, and is now flying across Asia. It will arrive in Anchorage in June, and spend the summer in the U.S., making multiple stops, including Phoenix, Oshkosh and New York. It then will depart from Boston in August to return to Europe by way of Greenland and Iceland. The oldest surviving DC-3 is N133D, the sixth Douglas Sleeper Transport, built in 1936 for American Airlines, according to Wikipedia. The aircraft is undergoing restoration in Punta Gorda, Florida. The owners plan to restore it to Douglas Sleeper Transport standards and full airworthiness. The oldest DC-3 still flying is the original American Airlines Flagship Detroit, first delivered in March 1937. That airplane is owned and operated by the nonprofit Flagship Detroit Foundation, which flies it to airshows around the country. A new company announced plans at Sun n Fun to build a Finnish LSA amphib in Maine. The Atol Avion will be built in Brunswick Landing. A new company called Atol USA has been formed as a joint venture with the Finnish company to build and sell the aircraft in the U.S. Brunswick Landing is the former NAS Brunswick and the Maine government has been marketing it as an aviation industrial park. The Atol Avion is a new design but European approval is expected later this year. The U.S. company hopes for deliveries in 2018. The aircraft looks like direct competition for the Icon A5 at a significantly lower base price of about $160,000. The airplane uses a 100-horsepower Rotax 912iS in pusher configuration. It has a useful load of 600 pounds and clears a 50-foot obstacle off the water in 1,500 feet. It cruises at 106 mph and has a range of 800 miles. The aircraft will also have a warranty linked to an onboard condition monitor that sends reports to the factory. As long as the owner allows the aircraft to keep phoning home and takes care of snags reported by the system, the airplane has a 2,000-hour, 10-year warranty. At the end of either of those cycles, it can be returned to the factory for a full overhaul and the warranty is extended for another full set of cycles. On top of the base price of $160,000 there is a host of options, including skis for winter operation. 9 April 2017 13:57 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan`s Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov has met Minister of Public Administration of Estonia Mihhail Korb, AZERTAC reported. They discussed current state of relations, as well as prospects of future cooperation between the two countries in educational field. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Rain likely. High around 65F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 47F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Pc Keith Palmer, the officer who was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack (Metropolitan Police/PA) The body of the policeman murdered in the Westminster terror attack has been brought to a chapel at the Houses of Parliament. Pc Keith Palmer's coffin was taken through Old Palace Yard, near where he was stabbed to death by extremist Khalid Masood last month. Draped in a police flag, it was taken by hearse to the resting place on Sunday afternoon, where it will stay overnight before his full police funeral at Southwark Cathedral on Monday. A group of officers wearing white gloves formed two lines to meet the vehicle as the coffin was carried inside. Uniformed police lined the edge of the square and crowds of people gathered to pay their respects. The Queen has given permission for the 48-year-old officer's body to rest in Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. It is an honour normally reserved for heads of state and which was bestowed on former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Labour politician Tony Benn. A short private service to receive the body into the chapel will be led by Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin and attended by members of the Palmer family. Four other innocent people were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday March 22, which ended with Masood being shot dead. Andreea Cristea, 31, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Kurt Cochran, 54, and Aysha Frade, 44, died after he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. A woman drops flowers on to a police car near the department store where the attack took place (AP) A woman drops flowers on to a police car near the department store where the terror attack took place (AP) A British father who was killed in the Stockholm terror attack has been described as a "talented, compassionate and caring" person. Chris Bevington, 41, was one of four people who died when a lorry mowed down pedestrians in a busy shopping district of the Swedish capital on Friday. Mr Bevington lived in Stockholm with his family and worked as a director with music streaming service Spotify. His father John Bevington said: "We are all devastated by the untimely and tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris. "A wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many. "The family requests absolute privacy at this incredibly difficult time to mourn his passing in peace." Spotify founder Daniel Ek told of his shock that his colleague had died in a " senseless attack". In a statement posted online he said: " Chris has been a member of our band for over five years. "He has had a great impact on not just the business but on everyone who had the privilege to know and work with him. "There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this. "Whilst this terrible news is sinking in, our primary focus is on supporting the family and loved ones of Chris in any way we possibly can. "I am as deeply saddened and upset as all of you that something like this could happen in Sweden. "The only light in this deeply tragic moment is the outpouring of love, compassion and solidarity that we have seen from everyone. "And that was exactly the kind of person Chris was as well. "We will greatly miss you Chris. Rest in peace my friend." Of the other three people who died two were Swedish, and one was a 31-year-old woman who had been living in Halle, Belgium. The suspected attacker, arrested on Friday, is a 39-year-old asylum seeker from Uzbekistan who had his application for residency rejected last year, according to Swedish police. The force have revealed the man was known to authorities some years ago but as "a more marginal character". At a press conference on Sunday they said he was sympathetic to extremist groups and had been sought by authorities for deportation. Authorities added that they had arrested a second suspect and questioned more than 500 people in the investigation so far. Ten of the 15 victims injured in the attack are still being treated in hospital, four of whom remain in a serious condition. Two of those are in intensive care. One child was injured but not seriously, a spokeswoman for Stockholm County Council confirmed. Following the rampage Sweden's prime minister Stefan Lofven said "everything indicates that this is a terrorist attack" and later vowed he would not give in to attempts to destroy democracy. Theresa May pledged solidarity with the country in the wake of what she described as a "terrible attack" and said "the UK stands firmly by Sweden's side". The latest outrage inflicted on the continent came just two weeks after similar tactics were used to attack London, when Muslim convert Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge. The bloodshed also bore hallmarks of attacks seen in Nice and Berlin last year. Critics accused Boris Johnson of being 'Washington's poodle' after the Moscow trip was cancelled following discussions with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson The United States has been warned it crossed a "red line" with its missile strikes on Syria and faces retaliation in response to future aggression against Bashar Assad. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani said American military intervention was a " violation of international law" during telephone talks backing the Syrian regime. An arm of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a statement it claimed was on behalf of Russia, Iran and its allies, vowing to "reply with force" to any future aggression "in a variety of ways". Boris Johnson will meet counterparts from leading nations in Italy for talks on Monday that will focus on pressuring Moscow to pull out of Syria and ending Assad's grip on power. The US and UK have blamed Russia for being complicit in the horrific deaths of innocent Syrians in last week's chemical attack and the federation is facing the threat of fresh international sanctions over its support for the dictator. Mr Johnson spent the weekend on the telephone to G7 foreign ministers ahead of their two-day meeting in Tuscany and also spoke to key regional players, including the Saudis. He will say that Assad has no future in Syria, Russia must stop supporting the regime and a plan to rebuild the country must be drawn up. Mr Johnson told The Sun US president Donald Trump had shown "a resolve and willingness that has been sadly missing in the last few years" and warned the US could strike Syria again. He added : "We cannot miss this moment. It is time for Putin to face the truth about the tyrant he is still propping up." Mr Johnson has been lambasted for pulling out of planned talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov following discussions with the US. Critics claimed the move left him looking "daft" and as though he "can't be trusted". US secretary of state Rex Tillerson will go ahead with his visit this week to deliver a "clear and co-ordinated" message to the Kremlin. A UK government source said: "The important thing is that this is Britain helping to influence US policy on Syria and Russia , far from being a poodle. "Three months ago Syria wasn't really an issue for them but our push and recent events have made a difference." Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Russia was responsible for "every civilian death" in the Syrian chemical weapons attack, claiming President Putin was to blame "by proxy" as Assad's "principal backer". Mr Tillerson echoed the comments, telling Face The Nation on CBS, the Russians "have played now for some time the role of providing cover for Bashar Assad's behaviour". Russia's failures to rid Syria of weapons stockpiles "has led to the killing of more children and innocents", he said. But asked about the possibility of further intervention, the secretary of state said Washington's "first priority" in Syria was to defeat Islamic State terror group, also known as Daesh. "Once the Isis threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilising the situation in Syria," he said. Some 87 people, including children, are believed to have been killed in a suspected sarin nerve agent strike on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Mr Trump ordered a strike by 59 cruise missiles on the base in America's first direct attack against the Syrian government. US Navy(WASHINGTON) -- The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson strike group is heading back to the waters east of the Korean peninsula after completing a port visit to Singapore. The carrier and three other ships will head there as tensions remain high about North Korean missile tests and a possible underground nuclear test. "Admiral Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, has directed the Carl Vinson Strike Group to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific Ocean after departing Singapore April 8," said a U.S. Navy press release. The release said the strike group "will operate in the Western Pacific rather than executing previously planned port visits to Australia." According to a U.S. official the Vinson, two destroyers and a cruiser received orders this week to head to the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean peninsula. The strike group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) the guided missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57). The strike group arrived in Singapore on April 4 after completing a two-week stay in the waters off the Korean peninsula, where it participated in the annual "Foal Eagle" military exercise conducted by South Korea and the United States. Tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula as North Korea has conducted four missile launches this year and U.S. officials have said it appears another North Korean underground nuclear test could occur at any time. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Stockholm truck attack suspect was an asylum seeker from Uzbekistan who had his application for Swedish residency rejected and was being sought for deportation, police said. Jan Evensson, of Stockholm police, told a news conference on Sunday that the 39-year-old suspect's request was rejected in June 2016 but police could not find him for deportation because he was not at the address he had given. Jonas Hysing, of Sweden's national police, said "we know he has been sympathetic to extremist organisations". Mr Evenssen said police are holding five more people in connection with the deadly attack on Friday and have questioned over 500 others. He said the four victims killed in the attack included one person from Britain, one from Belgium and two Swedes. A second person has been arrested in connection with the attack and is suspected of terrorist offences, including murder, and police are holding f our others. The mayor of Lembeek, in the Belgian city of Halle, says one of the four killed is a 31-year-old woman who was living in his town. Dirk Pieters said: "I met her several times. I know very well her parents. They are very nice people who have lived in Halle for a long time." Mr Pieters added: "I'm shocked after each attack, but when you put a face on a victim and personally know her parents, it's even worse." 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. 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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. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. This website serves as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others body language as well as the projection of ones own nonverbal skills in many different contexts not to advance any political, religious or other agenda. __________________________________ Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION PR Newswire CALGARY, April 9, 2017 CALGARY, April 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific today commemorated the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the ultimate sacrifice made by more than 3,500 Canadians in a military victory that many consider a defining moment in the history of the country. CP put the resources of its entire globe-spanning freight and travel system at the disposal of the British Empire and allies at the outset of the war, contributing not only tracks and trains, but its ships, yards, shops, hotels, telegraph lines and above all else its people. Some 11,340 CP employees enlisted with a stunning 1,116 railroaders losing their lives and another 20 percent wounded before the end of the war. "I salute the thousands of Canadians and CP railroaders who served then and the many men and women of CP who serve their country still," said CP President and CEO Keith Creel. "Many Canadians paid a terrible price for this historic victory at Vimy, and I am humbled and honoured to be part of a company that has contributed so much to protecting the people and values we all hold so dear." During the war, two CP employees received the Victoria Cross the highest award in the United Kingdom for gallantry "in the face of the enemy," and 385 others were decorated for valor and distinguished service. As part of its effort, CP also organized the first battalion of Canadian Overseas Railway Construction Corps (CORCC) to build and run railways through Europe during the war. To learn more about CP's contributions to Canada's war efforts, please click here. About Canadian PacificCanadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. SOURCE Canadian Pacific A flotilla of trawlers has found nothing after combing a swathe of the Atlantic off north-west Ireland for two winchmen missing from a crashed search and rescue helicopter. About 110 boats took part in the hunt for Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith. The Irish Coast Guard's Rescue 116 crashed into the sea about eight miles off Co Mayo after hitting Blackrock Island on March 14 on its return from supporting an operation to rescue a fisherman in the Atlantic. Sean O'Donoghue, of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (KFO), helped organise the coordinated search but said: "Unfortunately, they did not find anything." The intention was to search northwards from Blackrock, covering Donegal Bay and further north. The wreckage of the Sikorsky S-92 has been transported to an air accident investigation facility after being brought ashore. It was lifted from the seabed a week ago. The bodies have been recovered of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, who was pulled from the sea in the hours after the crash, and Captain Mark Duffy, who was taken from the cockpit 12 days later by Navy divers working at depths of 40 metres. Efforts to find the winch team have continued, with searches extending from north Galway and Achill island along Ireland's western seaboard into Donegal Bay and west Donegal. Some pieces of the helicopter's fuselage were found off west Donegal two weeks after the crash. Amazing show of support from our fishing fleet in the search for #r116 #bringthemhome pic.twitter.com/sRtQs4YWUr Kevin Shields (@Kevinshields33) April 8, 2017 Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has taken what was salvaged from the wreckage of Rescue 116 - a large section of the engine, rotor head and gear box - for detailed analysis at its facility in Gormanston, Co Meath. Inspectors revealed a week ago that initial reviews of the black box flight recorder showed there was no indication of any mechanical problems in the seconds before the helicopter hit Blackrock Island and crashed into the ocean. The AAIU is expected to publish a preliminary report on the accident in the coming days. It is believed the tail of Rescue 116 hit rocks on the western end of the island as it returned from supporting a rescue mission to refuel on the Mullet peninsula. There was no indication of any danger moments before the Sikorsky S92 vanished, with the crew's final transmission: "Shortly landing at Blacksod." Boris Johnson will push leading nations to demand Russia withdraws its forces from Syria when he meets counterparts for talks in Italy next week. The Foreign Secretary pulled out of a visit to Moscow just hours before he was due to fly out, attacking Vladimir Putin's continued support of Bashar Assad's regime. Critics accused him of being "Washington's poodle" after the trip was cancelled following discussions with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who will go ahead with a planned trip to Russia to "deliver that clear and co-ordinated" message to the Kremlin. Mr Johnson will call for the G7 to demand Mr Putin pulls his troops from Syria, at two days of talks in Lucca, Tuscany, starting on Monday. Russia has consistently denied that Syrian forces used chemical weapons, insisting the incident at Khan Sheikhoun was caused by a hit on a rebel chemical weapons plant, a claim dismissed by the West. United States officials said Donald Trump "drew the line" over Assad's use of chemical weapons when he unleashed a barrage of cruise missiles on a Syrian air base in retaliation. Iran's president Hassan Rouhani argued the move meant "all the terrorists in Syria are celebrating this US attack". Mr Johnson said developments in Syria had "changed the situation fundamentally" as he dropped out of the planned talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. "We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians," he added. I will now not travel to Moscow on Monday 10 April. My priority is talks w/ my #G7 counterparts about Syria and Russia's support for #Assad Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 8, 2017 "We call on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." In January, Mr Johnson said Assad should be allowed to run for election to remain in power in Syria and warned that Britain may have to ''think afresh'' about how to handle the crisis after failing to live up to its mantra that dictator must go. But sources insisted he has always believed Assad cannot remain in power. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron claimed that Mr Johnson was considered a diplomatic liability. He said: "Is this what taking back control looks like? Our government quick to blindly follow every order from the Trump White House. "Boris has revealed himself to be a poodle of Washington, having his diary managed from across the pond. "It is pretty shameful when even Trump judges you to be a buffoon." An aide to Mr Johnson said: "It is a shame the Lib Dems would rather snipe and be silly when the US and UK are trying to work on a plan to help the innocent people of Syria and stop a devastating civil war." PA A man has died after being hit by a night bus on London's Oxford Street. The collision happened at the junction with Harewood Place on the busy street at around 2am on Sunday, Scotland Yard said. Police and the London Ambulance Service attended but the pedestrian, in his late 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.04am. The driver of the route N98 bus stopped at the scene and has not been arrested. The victim's next of kin have not been informed and formal identification is yet to take place. The Metropolitan Police is appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward. Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8543 5157. PA Authorities have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro on the streets of Caracas amid a week-long protest in Venezuela. The demonstrations in the capital and other cities came a day after Mr Maduro's government barred top opposition leader Henrique Capriles from running for office for 15 years. The ban capped a tumultuous 10-day crackdown that saw pro-government groups rough up several opposition leaders and another seek refuge in a foreign embassy to escape arrest. The protests were triggered by the Supreme Court's decision to gut the opposition-controlled legislature of its last vestiges of power. The move that was later reversed amid widespread international condemnation and even dissent within Mr Maduro's socialist leadership. "Nobody can disqualify the Venezuelan people," an emotional Mr Capriles said from a stage on Saturday as he called on protesters to march to the Ombudsman's office. As the sea of protesters approached the headquarters of state-run PDVSA oil company, they were met by tear gas and rubber bullets. Mayhem ensued, with riot police racing down windy streets, dodging objects thrown from apartment buildings as they deployed to squash the unrest. At least 17 people were treated for injuries, according to Ramon Muchacho, a Caracas-area mayor where the demonstration took place. Around most of Caracas, checkpoints were set up to search cars and frisk bus passengers even miles away from the clashes. As the most dominant figure in the opposition over the past decade, Mr Capriles has been at the forefront of the protests. They are the most combative since a wave of anti-government unrest in 2014, in which dozens of people were killed. The almost-daily churn of events in what the opposition calls an "ongoing coup" by the government has energised and united the normally fractious opposition. While opposition leaders have insisted on peaceful protest, frustration built up over 17 years of polarising socialist rule in Venezuela is running high on both sides. As Saturday's march began, protesters snatched a camera from pro-government state broadcaster VTV, chasing them away from the crowd with kicks and insults. Police made social media posts of mugshots of protesters taken undercover and asked for information on the unidentified "generators of violence". Leaders in the ruling socialist party have accused the opposition of trying to provoke a bloodbath and its own coup. Mr Maduro did not comment on Friday during a state TV appearance about the comptroller general's order against Mr Capriles. But he urged his supporters not to be distracted by tough language coming from "Capriloca", a play on the Spanish word for "crazy". The protesters on Saturday included 26-year-old Victoria Paez, who sported a baseball cap bearing the slogan "There's a Way!" from Mr Capriles' 2012 presidential run against the late Hugo Chavez. "Every day, the government gives us more reasons to leave our homes and protest," she said. While she said she was hopeful the world is beginning to see there are injustices in Venezuela, her father Carlos Paez was more pessimistic. "Unfortunately, if there has to be bloodshed for the government to change, it won't be the first time in history," he said. The protest movement's immediate goal apparently is to force Mr Maduro to call elections. Authorities last year cancelled an opposition campaign to hold a recall referendum on him and no date has yet been set for gubernatorial elections that were supposed to take place last year. The government earlier jailed another major opposition figure, hardliner Leopoldo Lopez. AP Church of the Brethren Newsline April 8, 2017 By Zakariya Musa The largest church denomination in northeastern Nigeria convened its annual conference at its Headquarters in Kwarhi, the first to be held there since the two years since the Boko Haram insurgency overran the area. The Majalisa, the annual conference of Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), was started 70 years ago. This years conference was titled Peace with God. As a peace church heavily affected by the insurgent activities, it is obliged to strengthen the churchs resilience to peace, reconciliation, and encouragement while many of its members return home from displacement. EYN president Joel S. Billi for the first time since his election addressed the conferences participants, about 1,500 from within and outside Nigeria. The highest decision-making body of the 94-year-old church, the Majalisa presents reports and presents awards to the deserving members and pastors. Representatives of the World Council of Churches, the Church of the Brethren in the USA, Mission 21 from Switzerland, and the TEKAN president took part in the historic events. Others included the bishop of the United Methodist Church of Nigeria, the chairman of the Hong Local Government Area, and the Brethren Evangelism Support Trust (BEST). The three-day conference started with a worship service on April 5, where Jay Wittmeyer, executive director of Global Mission and Service for the Church of the Brethren, preached. Guest preacher for the occasion was Philip A. Ngadda, who delivered his sermon based on Romans 5:1-5. In more news from EYN The denominations Agricultural Department has conducted workshops for representatives from farming communities to receive teaching on the importance and how to rear sheep and goats, and to train farmers in soybean production. The expectation is for participants to maximize farm management and production in their respective communities and improve income and livelihood. The effort is sponsored by the Church of the Brethrens Global Food Initiative, and pushes to improve the Muslim and Christian farmers. The soybean production workshop was attended by 18 people, with about 50 percent women in attendance. The EYN Womens Fellowship (ZME) recently held its first Majalisa or annual meeting since the Boko Haram insurgency began. Titled Let us forgive one another (Luke 11:4), the gathering attracted good participation. Over 1,000 women from across the denomination within and outside Nigeria converged on the EYN Headquarters in Kwarhi. The guest preacher was Salamatu Billi, wife of EYN president Joel S. Billi, and the national adviser of the Womens Fellowship. ZME director Awa Moses chaired the meeting and urged women to forgive and remain one reflecting on the text from John 17:21-22. The Ministers Council inducted to-be-ordained pastors in a three-day seminar organized at the EYN Headquarters, Kwarhi, for candidates who were confirmed for ordination into probation and into full ministry. The candidates who were invited from across the church benefited from presentations on numerous related topics, such as Pastor as an Administrator, The Work of a Pastor, Pastors Home, and other practical aspects of ministry. EYN general secretary Daniel Y.C. Mbaya, one of the resource people for the seminar, encouraged the 196 candidates with their wives to be dynamic and effectively absorb the changing world in their pastoral duties. EYN president Joel S. Billi encouraged churches to strategize evangelism work and to be united in preaching the gospel. Even if it means mounting Public Address Systems at a market square, lets preach Jesus, he said. After the Ministers Council the Mens Fellowship of EYN also converged on Kwarhi for an annual three-day conference themed, The Man God Uses. Zakariya Musa is on the communications staff of Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week. Not many people have business cards that specify which planet their office is on. Enrico Palermo is one of them. "I pinch myself everyday," the 37-year old Australian says of his job as vice-president and general manager of The Spaceship Company. Palermo runs day-to-day operations at the Virgin Galactic sister company building spacecraft which all going to plan will soon take wealthy tourists on joyrides into space. "One of the reasons I sit on the shop floor is I look up and there's a spaceship. It is surreal, but this is the new future." US investigators have accused Google of short-changing female employees who do similar work to men. A Department of Labor official disclosed the agency's allegations during a Friday court hearing in San Francisco. Regulators are accusing Google of short-changing female employees who do similar work to men. Credit:Phil Carrick "We found systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce," testified Janette Wipper, a Labor Department regional director, according to The Guardian. The tech giant vehemently disagrees with the charges, which the California company says it had not heard until Ms Wipper's court appearance. There have been few more inspiring sites in my lifetime than thousands of suburban strangers, marching through the suburbs of Brisbane to help their neighbours after the 2011 floods. After Cyclone Debbie, Queenslanders need to come together again, and Australian and their governments need to support those efforts strongly. The repair bill will be in the billions of dollars but, as a Commonwealth, we have the resources. Nationals MP George Christensen has argued for a halt to foreign aid to provide the funds. However, this would unnecessarily shrink our "circle of concern", diminish international governance and damage Australian interests, especially those of farming communities. Many Australians tend to think we spend a huge proportion of our national income on foreign aid. We don't. Currently, we spend about $1 in every $500. That is not extravagant; it is an underinvestment in our own security and prosperity. What do Donald Trump's pyrotechnics in Syria tell us about US strategy under a new president? The US missile attack on Syria's Al-Shayrat air base was a tactic, but is it part of an overarching plan or just an isolated convulsion? "Tactics without strategy" according to the ancient Chinese clan sometimes attributed to Sun Tzu "is the noise before defeat". There is one clear policy element to the strike. It reinstates an important tenet that Barack Obama had thrown away. Labor would retire coal-fired power plants and never fund new ones under recommendations from a Senate committee to be released on Monday, forcing thousands of workers to transition into new jobs while pushing towards and emissions intensity scheme. The recommendations, contained within a Labor-steered Senate select committee draft report into electricity resilience, have been "fundamentally rejected" by the Coalition as part of "a report that is so biased that it could have been written before the inquiry even commenced". The committee recommended the government "stop providing public financing for new coal-fired power plants, noting such public support would not represent value for taxpayer money, violate notions of competitive neutrality and would not be consistent with meeting international emission reduction objectives". The recommendations made by Labor senators Jenny McAllister, Alex Gallacher and Anne Urquhart mark a shift within Labor ranks over the future of coal-fired plants after a March committee stopped short of calling for an outright halt to public funds, noting "that coal-fired power generation will continue to play a significant role over the coming decades". A 12-year-old boy has been charged after an alleged random stabbing in Brisbane's south on Saturday night. Police said a 24-year-old MacGregor man was on the phone outside a Beaudesert Road business in Acacia Ridge just before 8.30pm, when he was approached by a boy, who stabbed him in the back with a knife. Police found a young boy near the scene of the stabbing and later charged him over the attack. Credit:Rob Gunstone The attacker allegedly fled the scene before being taken into custody a short time later. A police spokesman said investigating officers believed the man and boy didn't know each other. The victim was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A man has been left lying on the pavement in the middle of South Brisbane barely conscious after he and another man took on a security guard on Sunday afternoon. Police arrested two men at the scene over what a spokesman described as "a serious assault", which started just after 2pm on the corner of Tribune and Grey Street. A man was left lying on the ground "with his eyes fluttering" in South Brisbane after the assault. Credit:Jim Malo Paramedics took a man in a stable condition to the Mater Hospital, however it was unclear what involvement the patient had in the assault. A witness told Fairfax Media one of the men "was on the ground with his eyes fluttering" after the fight and barely conscious, but thankfully "he got up later". That's it for Melbourne Express today, thanks for joining me. I hope you all got to work safe and dry. For more weather updates throughout the day, following our story by Allison Worrall here. See you tomorrow. It's like watching a Real Housewives episode play out over social media. Queen mummy blogger Constance Hall has been forced to defend herself against allegations of cheating from her ex-husband just a day after claiming their split was amicable. Constance Hall with her ex-husband Bill. Credit:Facebook For once, it wasn't Constance doing the oversharing - her ex Bill Mahon responded to comments on a Facebook post about the couple's split after Hall's blog post, and alleged his ex-wife had been cheating on him for months with a man she had met at a local skate park. "Constance? So you blocked me off your page but not your new lovers that you ran away with. I haven't seen the kids in four weeks. Stop lying about 'I knew this was coming'," he wrote. Los Angeles: The diversion of an armada of American warships from port visits in Australia to the waters off North Korea is designed to give US President Donald Trump a "full range of options" against dictator Kim Jong-un's regime. Mr Trump's national security adviser, General H.R. McMaster, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, signalled on Sunday that the US was preparing to respond to North Korea's aggressive ramp up of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The US Navy's Third Fleet forward-deployed strike group, headed by the supercarrier USS Carl Vinson and supported by guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, was scheduled to visit Australia but it was announced on Saturday they had received orders to re-route toward the Korean Peninsula. "The president has asked to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and to our allies and partners in the region," said Gen. McMaster in an interview on FOX News Sunday. Tanta, Egypt: At least 44 people were killed in bomb attacks on two Egyptian Coptic churches on Palm Sunday that included the seat of the Coptic Pope, the latest assault on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the two church bombings, the group's news agency Amaq said. "A group that belongs to Islamic State carried out the two attacks on the churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," Amaq said. The first bombing, in Tanta, a Nile Delta city about 100 kilometres north of Cairo, tore through the inside of St George Church during its Palm Sunday service, killing at least 27 people and injuring at least 78, the Ministry of Health said. New York: Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is to become the youngest United Nations Messenger of Peace, the organisation's chief said. Yousafzai, 19, will be appointed on Monday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and will help promote girls' education around the world as part of her new role. Malala Yousafzai waves to the crowd at a press conference at the Library of Birmingham after being announced as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in October, 2014. Credit:Getty Images The Pakistani education activist came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus in 2012 as punishment for campaigning for girls to go to school which defied the militant Islamic group's ban on female education. Ms Yousafzai has since continued campaigning on the world stage and in 2014 became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. As the world waits for more information on the Trump administration's Syria policy, life goes on for displaced Syrians at the Kawergosk refugee camp in northern Iraq. Credit:Felipe Dana Gen. McMaster said the United States would take further action in Syria if necessary. "We're prepared to do more. In fact, we were prepared to do more two days ago," he said. "The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interests of the American people." "Nothing is permanent except the temporary": Syrian refugees in their tent at al-Marj. Credit:AP Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said. Gen. McMaster said Russian leaders were supporting "a murderous regime" and their actions would dictate the future of US-Russian relations. "Do they want it to be a relationship of competition and potential conflict," he said. "Or do they want it to be a relationship in which we can find areas of cooperation that are in our mutual interest?" Mr Tillerson stopped short of accusing Russia of direct involvement in planning or carrying out the attack, saying he had not seen "any hard evidence" to suggest Moscow was an accomplice to Assad. But he said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance by rethinking its alliance with Assad because "every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility." There was, however, confusion over US policy on Syria, with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley appearing to contradict Mr Tillerson on the future of Assad. Ms Haley indicated in an interview on CNN's State of the Union that the United States does not see a peaceful political resolution for Syria's civil war as long as Assad remains in power. "We don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there," she said, implying regime change could be necessary. But Mr Tillerson emphasised that the Syrian people would eventually decide Assad's fate. He said the Trump administration's priority was in defeating Islamic State forces in Syria, not Assad. "Our priority is first the defeat of ISIS," Tillerson said, referring to Islamic State. "Once we can eliminate the battle against ISIS, conclude that and it is going quite well then we hope to turn our attention to cease fire agreements between the regime and opposition forces. "In that regard, we are hopeful that we can work with Russia and use their influence to achieve areas of stabilisation throughout Syria and create the conditions for a political process through Geneva in which we can engage all of the parties on the way forward ... It is through that political process that we believe the Syrian people will lawfully be able to decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad." The apparent dissonance did not go unnoticed. Speaking later on Sunday on ABC News, Republican Senator Marco Rubio criticised Mr Tillerson for suggesting that the objective of defeating the Islamic State can be achieved as long as Assad remains in power. "This idea that we're going to get rid of ISIS and then we'll hopefully use Assad and others to come up with a solution ... it's not going to work," he said. "There seems to be a difference between what Ambassador Haley is saying, and what she said last night that Assad really has no future, and what I heard this morning from Secretary Tillerson. "You cannot have a stable Syria without jihadist elements on the ground with Bashar al-Assad in power." In his interview, Gen. McMaster was pressed to reconcile the seeming contradictions between the positions advanced by Mr Tillerson and Ms Haley. "What Ambassador Haley pointed out was, it's very difficult to figure out how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime," he said. "We're not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What we're saying is [that] other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves ... 'why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population and using the most heinous weapons available?' "While people are really anxious to find inconsistencies in those statements, they are in fact very consistent in terms of what is the ultimate political objective in Syria." Asked by Fox host Chris Wallace to explain Mr Tillerson's statements that destroying ISIS is the US priority, Mr McMaster responded: "That's exactly what we're saying." "There has to be a degree of simultaneous activity, as well as sequencing the defeat of ISIS first," he said. "What you have in Syria is a very destructive cycle of violence perpetuated by ISIS, obviously, but also by this regime and their Iranian and Russian sponsors ... and the resolution of the conflict will entail both of the elements that you're talking about." Ms Haley was also sharply critical of Russia for denying Assad's role in deploying chemical weapons in last week's attack. "When this chemical weapons murder happened to so many people, Russia's reaction was not, 'Oh, how horrible,' or 'How could they do this to innocent children,' or 'How awful is that?'" she told NBC. "Their initial reaction was, 'Assad didn't do it. The Syrian government didn't do it.' Latest News Why are property buyers taking so long to purchase? Here are five factors at play Industrial property growing stronger New report reveals market trends National Australia Bank ( NAB ) has expanded the support it provides to brokers and their small business customers.The banks renewed Small Business Offer gives brokers access to the NAB Business Options Loan: a tailored, flexible small business loan of up to $1m with no application fee.Diversifying into small business lending can be a big step for brokers, and NAB will be there to help brokers at every stage in the process, NAB general manager of broker distribution, Steve Kane said.Broker will also gain access to NABs small business toolkit which includes a conversation tool to help brokers have a more informed discussion with their small business clients.The toolkit also comes with a pre-qualifying tool that takes brokers through the different customer information required pending each type of transaction. The tool then informs brokers whether the application meets NABs qualifying criteria for that facility.The pre-qualifying tool is designed to support brokers to have better conversations with their customers around their business lending needs. We know small business customers are time poor, and providing this tool to our brokers will help them provide a quicker response to their customers, Kane told Australian Broker.NAB is well placed to guide brokers through the nuances of the small business lending industry, he continued.We know small business customers see their personal and business banking needs as one, so its important brokers are equipped to discuss all of our different products and services.NAB will also support brokers through a centralised team of business bankers dedicated to originating broker-referred small business lending. These bankers will act as a single point of contact for brokers, coming with a full credit approval authority for the home and business lending needs of these small business customers.We have a team of business development managers and business bankers dedicated to supporting brokers with any enquiries they have from their customers. Brokers have a direct phone and email contact for a business banker who can assist them, Kane said.We want more brokers to consider small business lending as a way to not only grow their own business, but to service more of their customer needs. Latest News Why are property buyers taking so long to purchase? Here are five factors at play Industrial property growing stronger New report reveals market trends A former general manager of a Sydney-based mortgage manager has been found guilty of fraud.Beth Stolyar was convicted of obtaining money by deception after fraudulently amending a loan application with Origin Mortgage Management Services (owned by ANZ at the time) to show false assets, liabilities and income. This inflated the commission she received as part of pre-stated conditions through her employment package, court documents obtained by Australian Broker show.Although Stolyar committed the fraudulent activity in 2005, it was not discovered until 2014. The matter was then reported by her 2005 employer to the NSW Police Force who commenced an official investigation.Stolyar was charged on 19 January 2016 and pleaded not guilty. She was found guilty and convicted in Burwood Local Court before Local Court Magistrate Suzanne Seagrave on 30 March.Stolyar was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $6,250 in compensation to her previous employer. She was also placed under a two-year good behaviour bond commencing on 30 March.If you have any tips, news or updates on this or any other story you feel is relevant to the broking industry, please send an email to [email protected] Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams A new airport is about to open on 44th Street, just west of Times Square. It has 17 gates, plenty of parking, 34 gift stores and, of course, planes taking off and landing day and night. Best of all, a ticket only costs $25. Thats because this airport is the jewel in the crown of Gullivers Gate, a mind-boggling scale model of the world, unlike anything Id ever seen (including that cool model of New York City at the Queens Museum). Buildings the size of luggage, paperclip-high people, dogs no bigger than jellybeans, and hats the size of cake crumbs the place is a riot of minutiae. But equally thrilling is the fact that as you walk though this world in miniature you take a couple of steps to tour Grand Central Station (peering at the 4, 5, and 6 subways underneath), then a few feet later youre in Paris, with a stopover in Rome. Then it is on to Beijing, Buenos Aires, Stonehenge, and Angkor Wat. Can the Pyramids be far behind? Of course not. Theyre right across from the Red Square. And all along the way, jokes and juxtapositions await anyone who looks a little closer: Who is crossing Londons Abbey Road? Four mini mop-topped musicians. And look over there, below sea level: a yellow submarine! The exhibit, the size of a city block, opened on April 6 and represents the work of 600 artists. It is expected to welcome up to 4,000 people real ones, life size daily, and take 90 minutes to walk around. The adult ticket price becomes $36 after about a month of previews, with the place poised to become a Times Square attraction every bit as quintessential as a Broadway show, or hug from a slightly drunk Elmo. And all the while, things are happening, said Gullivers marketing director, Jason Hackett, as he toured me around the world, still being assembled. Lights and bells constant motion its an amazing symphony of interaction. Cars honk and trains toot above the hum of ambient sound recorded in whatever country youre looking at. And then there are 137 different keyholes you can put your key in to make something else happen: Your face appears in the pounding water of Niagara Falls, or a volcano erupts. Whats more, if you want to add yourself as a citizen of the world, you can have an itsy-bitsy 3D print of yourself placed in one of 15 crowd scenes for instance, in front of the Louvre. The day I visited, two sculptors were busy carving a mountain for Guangzhou, China, while boxes of parsley-sized trees were being unloaded into Europe. South America had been held up at customs all the overseas countries were actually made overseas. And Melanie Jelacic, a model maker, was working on the airport. We want it to look very modern, said Jelacic, whod previously created window displays at stores including Macys and Tiffanys. The Gulliver airport is hyper-realistic. That means that in the shops you can see if you squint theres candy, cosmetics, souvenirs, and even a rack of neck pillows. Each pillow is so tiny, smaller than a sequin, said Jelacic. And then there are the Gullivers Gate mugs. Theyre smaller than an ant theyre like the back end of an ant. A lot of the times, if you drop them on the floor, they just disappear. Ive dropped chairs, which are a little easier to find, but I also dropped a tray of vases that just rolled onto the floor and I lost them. Although were talking about a scale model airport, it is still bigger than most Manhattan apartments 2,000 square feet, with 11 workers weaving around each other. Our team has to climb under and over the table, said Jelacic. Thats a knee-killer. Its a big dance trying to stay out of engineering and electricals way. Inside the airport, there will be mini people sleeping in chairs, re-charging their phones, and, of course, racing to catch their planes. To add to the real-feel, the model makers even built an art deco abandoned terminal, surrounded by a pockmarked roadway and dead grass. Meantime, the in use tarmac will be buzzing with luggage trucks, and littered with tire rubber from the planes constantly taking to the sky. Even after the exhibit opens, Jelanic and crew will be adding, tweaking, fixing, perhaps forever. Visitors will be able to watch it change. Which is pretty much how it works in the actual size world, too. Read Lenore Skenazys column every Sunday morning on Brook lynPa per.com HOHHOT - A freight train fully loaded with Russian wheat arrived at Manzhouli land port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Saturday. This is the first bulk shipment of Russian wheat to enter China via the land port after the two countries reached deals on quarantine inspection requirements for exporting Russian wheat, corn, rice and soybean to China in December 2015. China's state-owned foodstuff conglomerate COFCO Corp. is responsible for quality control, import and distribution to the Chinese market. COFCO president Yu Xubo said the group plans to import 1 million to 2 million tonnes of wheat from Russia a year. This may increase to 4 million or 5 million tonnes a year in the future, he said. Russia replaced the United States as the world's top wheat exporter last year with 25 million tonnes of exports, according to figures provided by the Russian side. "Compared with ocean shipping, land transport via Manzhouli cuts travel time and costs," said Chen Lixin, Party chief of Manzhouli City. He said China's import of Russian wheat is a new breakthrough in bilateral trade and economic cooperation achieved within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. Live election coverage: All eyes on PA as voters head to the polls The nation is closely watching PA as it could decide the balance of power in Washington. Check back regularly for statewide coverage updates. State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) presented a check to Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph Kelly for $68,600 for the purchase of a new police vehicle and motorcycle during a visit to the station. Our police put themselves on the line every day to keep our community safe, said Sen. Santarsiero. Dating back to when I was a Lower Makefield Township Supervisor more than... Local dignataries, company directors and employees gathered to mark the official opening of the new Geberit UK head office in Warwick last month. The purpose-built facility on Tournament Fields, is the new UK base for over 150 Geberit staff. Having been based in Warwick for over over years, the move to this larger premises is part of an exciting period of growth for Geberit and Twyford. With a spacious office covering more than 2,000sq m, Geberit employees benefit from a modern and inspiring working environment. The new building also features a 400sq m showroom featuring the new Geberit Bathroom Collection which encompasses bathroom sanitaryware and furniture, Twyford bathrooms, Geberit AquaClean shower toilets, plus the companys sanitary and piping systems displayed within an inspiring environment. A new purpose-built Training Academy offers customers free training modules covering the full breadth of Geberits product ranges. This facility enables installers to benefit from hands-on training, complete with a two-storey installation Tower, encouraging installers to get to grips with the latest piping systems and sanitary solutions, showcasing good and bad plumbing practice. Mark Larden, managing director of Geberit UK and Ireland, said: We have grown dramatically since we moved to the area almost 10 years ago, with the new building marking the beginning of the next chapter of this growth. It is a very exciting time for Geberit and Twyford, our staff and our customers and we are looking forward to what the future holds. Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Warwick said: Events such as this one are important because of what they symbolise for the local community and for a wider audience, in terms of economic stability, growth and opportunities for employment. I wish Geberit every success for the future. Picture caption: L-r: Chris White MP for Warwick and Leamington, Councillor Christine Cross Mayor of Warwick, Karl Spachmann, head of Geberit Group Division Sales Europe, and Mark Larden, managing director of Geberit UK. Everything you need to know for election day in Burlington County advertising may have high reach but when it comes to driving brand impact, it has lesser capability to appeal to the age group of 20-45 years, according to a report by Kantar Millward Brown. According to the findings of the global media and advertising research firm, drives better reach and brand impact among 15-19 age group. " has high reach but has lesser capability to drive brand impact among Gen Y (20-35 age group) and Gen X (35-45 age group). However, it drives better reach and brand impact among Gen Z (15-19 age group)," the report said. According to the report, online videos work as well as TV in driving consideration for the brand among Gen Z and Gen Y but have lower brand impact on Gen X. "Social media has higher reach than online videos among Gen Z but online video advertising has a better brand impact," it added. Kantar Millward Brown India has collated campaign performances of around 50 Indian campaigns and evaluated them. Stressing on a greater synergy between all the mediums, it suggested that TV is still the strongest medium to build reach and salience across generations. "I think there is an opportunity for marketers in India to learn from what is happening else where and not blindly rush in (for social media)," Millward Brown Chief Global Analyst, Nigel Hollis said. He further said: "India spends around 15 per cent of its media budget in digital and is less than elsewhere ... But the question is does it make sense for the brand." The report said that brands will have too re-think their digital presence to emphasise co-creation, authenticity and transparency essential for connecting with generation Z. French technology major is targeting to train each of its 1 lakh employees in the country in digital skills by 2018 as the contours of the outsourcing market undergo radical changes, a top official has said. The company is also ramping up its hiring of freshers and plans to take the number up to 40 per cent of the total hires in a year from the 15-20 per cent now. "We will touch each of our employee as part of the training programme with new skills in digital and cloud. The idea is to make them future-ready," chief operating officer for India Ashwin Yardi told PTI. He said that at 1 lakh employees, the India operations account for 54 per cent of Capgemini's global workforce, and work on the newer digital technologies constitute 30 per cent of the revenue at present. The company makes an assessment where it tests the aptitude of each employee before making him or her go through the best-suited training module, Yardi said, adding that the minimum training is for 8 hours which can go up depending on the module. The company started the programme in early 2016 and has already finished training nearly 60,000 employees. The training is imparted using both classrooms as well as specially-created online modules, Yardi said. There is a stress on online modules which help an employee continue working on the ongoing project while learning newer skills post-work and ensure the company does not compromise on its utilisation levels, he said. The company always had 40 hours of training which was mandatory per year, Yardi said, adding that this was in older "legacy technologies" and the focus now is on newer technologies. Identifying the need to change, all IT majors have been investing massively on training in the past three years. The largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), had in 2015 said it would be training 1 lakh of its employees in a similar programme. Capgemini's India head Srinivas Kandula had recently pointed out to the deep-rooted deficiencies in the IT sector's education system, saying that 65 per cent of the employees in the sector are not trainable. Asked about Capgemini's assessments, and what happens to those who cannot make it, Yardi said those who are unable to cope with can do legacy IT work which still constitutes 70 per of the company's revenue. "There would be a very few who don't have the competence to be in the new system. If they are not, they for some reasons don't have the aptitude or the attitude to be in the new. There is enough work for them to do in the old," he said, but warned that they will be at "risk" five years down the line as they'll become "less relevant" or even "obsolete". Even as many of its peers rethink on outsourcing given rising protectionist tendencies and tepid business outlook, the company is ramping up hiring here and will increase the focus on freshers. "Our decision is based on the overall revenue growth. We are still building the offshore story and there is still a huge amount of appetite in Capgemini," he said. Without giving the absolute quantum, Yardi said it is looking to up the number of hires from campuses to 40 per cent of the total from 15-20 per cent earlier. Yardi said the company has 35 institutes identified as strategic colleges from which it hires, and added that there are 30 others it will be visiting in the new season. The idea for getting the best quality talent is to visit the campuses in the first five days of placements where up to 70 per cent of students get job offers, he said. Jet Airways, Indias second-largest airline by passengers carried, is planning to start direct flights to Amsterdam and Paris as it intends to deepen its partnership with the Air France-KLM group and Delta Air Lines. Mother Dairy's turnover grew by 9 per cent in the last fiscal to about Rs 7,850 crore helped by better sales in value-added dairy products and edible oils businesses. Mother Dairy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), had posted a turnover of Rs 7,186 crore in 2015-16. "Our turnover has increased by over 9 per cent to about Rs 7,850 crore during 2016-17 fiscal. In value-added dairy products and edible oils, our growth was nearly 20 per cent," Managing Director S Nagarajan told PTI. The company sells value-added dairy products like ice cream, curd, paneer and ghee. However, Nagarajan said the company's sales in fruits and vegetables segment remained muted. About 75-80 per cent of the company's sales come from dairy business, he said. The edible oil business contributes about Rs 1,000 crore, while fruits and vegetables add about Rs 600-700 crore. plans to launch new flavours of ice-cream soon as it targets higher growth this fiscal. The company is a major supplier of milk in the national capital region with sales of about 30 lakh litres per day through 800 milk booths. In other cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and UP, it sells another 5 lakh litres per day. It sells fresh as well as frozen fruits and vegetables under 'Safal' brand, while edible oils under 'Dhara' brand. The company also has 400 Safal outlets in Delhi-NCR. Safal outlets are being operated on the franchise model, where the company provides basic infrastructure. has recently established a 25,000 tonnes per year integrated food and vegetable processing plant in Ranchi with an estimated investment of Rs 75 crore. Last month, the company announced up to Rs 3 per litre increase in milk prices in Delhi-NCR and other cities, citing significant rise in procurement rates. Mother Dairy had last increased the prices of poly pack in July 2016 and that of token milk in May 2014. Ahead of the MCD polls, the BJP alleged the government had squandered public funds on lunches at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence last year that cost a whopping Rs 13,000 per person, a charge denied by the ruling party. Demanding the government's resignation, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) had organised two lunch parties last year on February 11 and 12 for 50 and 30 persons respectively which cost over Rs 11 lakh. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal termed the alleged expenditure "mind boggling". "The government is a custodian of public funds entrusted to it by taxpayers in the form of the exchequer. But Kejriwal and his party have been misusing these funds for the last two years for its political needs and purposes," Goyal said. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia denied the allegations saying he had never cleared the file for the expense which was sent to him. "The so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved them. The files have been with the then LG Najeeb Jung's office for the past six months. It seems the LG's office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP," he alleged. He said that the files were being leaked selectively to defame the government ahead of the upcoming MCD polls. "I dare them to release the file in which I have clearly made a note refusing to clear payment," he added. The leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that the catering arrangements for the lunches at Kejriwal's residence were made by a leading five-star hotel. The permissible limit under financial rules is Rs 1,250 per person for hosting a lunch in non-five star hotels, he said. "No codal formalities or financial rules were followed before placing the orders. Two bills were raised by DTTDC for a total amount of Rs 11,04,357," Gupta said, showing the copies of the bills in a press conference. He further said that bill for the lunch on February 11 was Rs 6,23,605 and the cost per plate was Rs 12,472 and price of same plate rose to Rs 16,025 for the lunch organised very next day. It is beyond understanding why the expenditure per plate rose by Rs 3,553 more than 28.50 per centre overnight, Gupta said. "This is a criminal waste of government exchequer by the Kejriwal government. I urge the Lt Governor to order a high-level enquiry into violation of financial rules by the Kejriwal government," Gupta said. An Indian-origin educationist in the UK, who moved to Britain after her marriage with no English language skills, has been named the Asian Businesswoman of the Year in an award ceremony in Birmingham. Faster growth in the aviation sector has put yet another major international airport in the country on the expansion mode with the GMR Group-led Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) initiating plans to expand its capacity starting this year. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls visit to India is expected to provide a crucial leg-up to discussions on a free trade agreement between the two nations. While a final agreement may not be on the cards during the four-day visit beginning Sunday, discussions on tariff reduction and market access in services are expected to move forward. The issues had proved to be major sticking points in the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, talks on which had begun in 2011. Nine rounds of negotiations have been completed to liberalise the trade and services regime, besides removing non-tariff barriers and encouraging investments. The latest round of negotiations took place in New Delhi last September. Two-way trade exceeded $12 billion in 2015-16, a significant fall from the more than $18-billion worth of trade five years ago. India was also Australias 10th largest trading partner and fifth largest export market in FY16. But, compared to this, neighbouring China has become Australias largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $116 billion in 2016. This is the result of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement signed in 2015, which brought down tariffs for Australian beef, wine, fruits and other products entering the Chinese market. Australia is pushing for tariff reduction in dairy, fresh fruit, pharmaceuticals, meat and wines. On the other hand, India wants zero duty on auto parts, textiles and fresh fruit, including mangoes, and greater access in the services sector, a senior government official said. The countries had missed the last deadline to finish talks January 2016 set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australias then PM, Tony Abbott, in September 2014. India had pushed talks on the backburner, keeping an eye on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, of which Australia is a part. But, with RCEP, too, moving slowly, India is keen on finishing the talks. The RCEP agreement involves 10 countries of the ASEAN grouping and six of its free trade partners China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia. Under RCEP, India had earlier offered tariff elimination of 42.5 per cent of all traded goods to Australia, while that country has offered zero tariff on 80 per cent of such goods. For India, the RCEP presents a decisive platform to influence its strategic and economic status in the Asia-Pacific region. Expected to be the largest regional trading bloc in the world, accounting for nearly 45 per cent of the global population with a combined gross domestic product of $21.3 trillion, it will also bring the biggest economies of the region into a regional trading arrangement. During the Australian PMs visit, both countries are likely to sign a number of memoranda of understanding (MoUs), covering a range of areas including defence and security, environment, renewable energy and sports. Prime Minister to Inaugurate Exhibitiion Swachhagraha Bapu Ko Karyanjali"-a Mission, an Exhibition Tomorrow The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the exhibition entitled Swachhagraha Bapu Ko Karyanjali"-A Mission, An Exhibition on the occasion of 100th Anniversary of Champaran Satyagrah tomorrow in National Archives of India (NAI) Janpath, New Delhi. Briefing media persons here today, Shri Raghvendra Singh, Director General, NAI said that this exhibition is a humble tribute to Gandhi Ji on hundred years of his first experiment of Satyagraha in India, in Champaran and is an attempt to sensitize future generations to fulfill Gandhis dream of Swachh Bharat, where societys reflection would be as clean as the thoughts within, of every citizen of India. This digital and experiential exhibition strives to connect the essential principles of Satyagrah Jeevan-Chakra evolved by Gandhi Ji, with the elements of Swachhagraha, the movement. The exhibition will be open for public in NAI campus for one month and later on, it will be taken to other cities of the country as Mobile exhibition. He informed the media persons that the Prime Minister will launch an Online Interactive Quiz" on the occasion which will continue for 30 months till October, 2019.Gandhi Ji was initially reluctant to visit Champaran. Rather, he had hardly knew where Champaran was and was unaware of the conditions of the farmers who cultivated Indigo. Upon his arrival in Patna on 10th April 1917 and thence to in Motihari on 15th April, he immediately realized that his stay there would be a long haul. The drama of Champaran has been succinctly depicted in this exhibition. During his stay, Gandhi Ji delved in detail with the problems of people. Social practices of scavenging, illiteracy, issues covering women and health were found to be the main impediments. These obstacles were common to the political issues that Gandhi Ji confronted. Satyagraha was the weapon he employed to overcome hurdles on both these fronts. The Champaran Satyagraha changed the dynamics of Indian politics, catapulting Gandhi Ji to the forefront of Indias freedom struggle. For the first time, people of India realized the power of non-violence and passive resistance, based on action. Gandhi Jis freedom struggle culminated in Indias independence on 15th August 1947. Though politically independent, India has long since grappled with the same vital issues that Gandhi Ji came face to face with in Champaran, that of health, sanitation, clean water, cleanliness, lack of awareness and education etc. This exhibition is an attempt to link Gandhi Jis core principles of Satyagraha with contemporary issues, a movement to improve conditions through Swachhagraha. The younger generation of India needs to understand its importance. In fact we all need to. Shri Rajnath Singh chairs 11th Standing Committee meeting of Inter-State Council Standing Committee examines in detail various recommendations of Punchhi Commission The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council here today. The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence, Shri Arun Jaitley, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath attended the meeting. The Ministers from states of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan represented these states at the meeting. Senior officers from the Union Ministries and from the state Governments also assisted the members of the Standing Committee in the discussion along with the officers from the Inter-State Council Secretariat.In his inaugural address, the Home Minister said that we share a common desire to take this nation forward and we are fully convinced that prosperity can come only when there is peace and stability. He further emphasized that India, is a nation characterized by unity in diversity, and hence it is important that trust and cordiality form the bedrock for Centre-State cooperation and we rise above narrow sectarian interests to focus on the larger picture of national development. Todays meeting was in pursuance of the decisions of the Inter-State Council meeting held on July 16, 2016. The Punchhi Commission notified in 2005, submitted its report in 2010. The recommendations of the Punchhi Commission, which are contained in seven Volumes pertain to History of Centre-State Relations in India; Constitutional Governance and Management of Centre-State Relations; Centre-State Financial Relations and Planning; Local Self-Governments and Decentralized Governance; Internal Security, Criminal Justice and Centre State Co-operation; Environment, Natural Resources & Infrastructure; and Socio-Economic Development, Public Policy and Good Governance. The various Union Ministries and all the State Governments responded to the recommendations made in the report by providing detailed comments. The comments have been analysed in the Inter-State Council Secretariat. The Standing Committee examined in detail various recommendations of the Punchhi Commission contained in Volume II & III. The Volume II of the report is related to provisions of the Constitution that are concerned with important aspects of Constitutional governance such as role of Governors, deployment of Central forces, federal balance of power, ensuring better coordination between Centre and States and other important issues of Centre-State relations. The recommendations in Volume III of the Punchhi Commission report are related to Centre-State financial relations and cover the subjects of (a) fiscal transfers to states (b) Goods and Services Tax and (c) the Centre-State fiscal relations. The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-State relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. The remaining volumes of the Punchhi Commission recommendations will be taken up in subsequent meetings of the Standing Committee along with the implications of the recent developments in terms of the GST Act, the 14th Finance Commission Report and formation of NITI AAYOG, rationalisation of Centrally sponsored schemes etc. The recommendations of the Standing Committee finalized at this meeting will be placed before the Inter-State Council. Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates Web Portal Bharat ke Veer" Portal enables people to contribute towards family of martyrs The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the web portal and mobile application named Bharat ke Veer" on the occasion of Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) here today. The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing donors to contribute towards the family of a braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of Next of Kin of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. The actor Shri Akshay Kumar was the Guest of Honour during the function.Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rajnath Singh said that he pays heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the safety of nation. He said that each moment of lives of CRPF and CAPF personnel is a test of their courage and bravery. He said that a bullet can hit a soldier physically, but no bullet can defeat the courage and motivation of a soldier. The bravery of CRPF commandant, Chetan Cheetah is an example of it who survived 9 bullets, Shri Rajanth Singh added.The Union Home Minister thanked the actor Shri Akshay Kumar for contributing his ideas to the launch of Web Portal Bharat ke Veer". He said that he is satisfied that this portal will be successful and will act as a motivation to the brave soldiers. He said that Shri Akshay Kumar is a hero for people, but Shri Akshay Kumars real heros are the soldiers of Paramilitary Forces. Shri Rajnath Singh appealed to the nation to visit the web portal and contribute maximum towards the corpus. The Union Home Minister said that CRPF has a multi-dimensional role to play and he is proud of their bravery and valour. He also said that the martyrs family should get a support of minimum Rs one crore and the Government would meet the gaps, if any. He said that 45-50% decline in the LWE incidents, 75% decline in incidents in North-East and decline in terror-incidents in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three years is the contribution of the Forces. The Secretary (Home), Shri Rajiv Mehrishi also thanked actor Shri Akshay Kumar for conceptualizing the idea of this portal and making his contribution to the martyrs families. Speaking on the occasion, actor Shri Akshay Kumar said that this web portal has been designed in a record time of just two and a half months. He said that it will act as a support to the families of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. He said that this will act as a platform for those who want to contribute to the families of the bravehearts, but are not aware of the channel. He thanked the Ministry of Home Affairs for working towards launching this portal The site Bharat ke Veer" will be available on web portal as well as mobile application. This domain allows anyone to financially support the bravehearts of his choice or towards the Bharat Ke Veer" corpus. This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of India. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another braveheart account or to the Bharat Ke Veer" corpus. Bharat Ke Veer" corpus would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior Government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably to the bravehearts family on need basis. On the occasion, the Home Minister awarded Police Medal for Gallantry to the CRPF personnel (including posthumously) on the occasion of Valour Day today. The Valour Day is celebrated in remembrance of an act of unparalleled bravery displayed by a small contingent of CRPF personnel, pitted against a full-fledged infantry brigade of Pakistani Army, trying to overrun their post, at Sardar Post, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat on April 09, 1965. They not only defeated the Pakistani brigade but also killed 34 Pakistani soldiers and captured 4 of them alive. The CRPF successfully defended the post till the arrival of reinforcements. The saga of valour of Sardar Post is a rich source of inspiration to the officers and men of CRPF and befittingly 9th April is observed as the Valour Day". Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Sudeep Lakhtakia, DG (Off.), CRPF, Shri Rajiv Jain, Director, IB, DGs of CAPFs and other senior officers were also present on the occasion. China's official think-tanks countered the Dalai Lama's assertion that Chinese government cannot decide about his successor, saying the next highest monk of Tibetan Buddhism must have the endorsement of Beijing. "The government of the People's Republic of China has proclaimed the power to approve the naming of 'high' reincarnations in Tibet, based on a precedent set by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty," said WangDehua, Co-Director, Centre for South Asia Studies, Tongji University in Shanghai. "In my opinion, it's ridiculous for the to say he changed the centuries-old tradition, because the tradition was already changed in 1959. The central government will definitely support the Dalai Lama's successor if he or she is selected according to Chinese laws and historical rules, and the Tibetan people's will," he told PTI in Beijing. Speaking in Tawang, close to the Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh, the on Saturday said the Chinese government cannot decide who will be the next . "Beijing's bid to name my successor to undermine the Tibetans' cause is 'nonsense'," he said. "As early as 1969, I had said the Tibetan people will decide if this very institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not. If this institution is no longer relevant, it should stop," said the Dalai Lama, who had fled Tibet back in 1959 to take refuge in Tawang. "Nobody knows who or where the next Dalai Lama will be born or come from. Some indication (about his reincarnation) might come at the time of my death, but now there is no such indication," he said, asserting that China has no role in selecting his successor. The Chinese government is yet to react to his comments made from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of Southern Tibet. Shen Dingli, Vice Dean, Institute of American Studies, Fudan University, too said the Dalai Lama has been saying that the tradition of Dalai Lama could end when he passes away. However, his successor has to have China's approval, he said. Since he left Tibet in 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama who turned 81 this year has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor. Considering the political and spiritual influence the Dalai Lamas' had over Tibetans for centuries, China is keen to pick up the successor to the current Dalai Lama to firm up its hold over Tibet, which it kept under tight political, military and administrative control after it took over the area in 1951. China is apprehensive that the Dalai Lama may pick up a successor from Tawang from where the sixth Dalai Lama hailed. While firmly opposing his visit to the Tawang in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular with a diplomatic protest to India for permitting it, China is watching warily about any moves by the Dalai Lama to pick up his successor from there. Statements by local legislators and officials from Tawang that it was the wish of the people that the next Dalai Lama should come from there also caused consternation in China. "According to traditional practice it only happens after death of the Dalai. It is well known that the title of Dalai Lama, which was originally an academic title conferred by a Mongolian emperor under the rule of the (Chinese emperor) Ming government (1368-1644), became a political and religious title after it was recognised by the Qing government (1644-1911)," Wang said. "Since then, the selection of the Dalai Lama has to be supervised and recognised by the central government in order to achieve legitimacy," he said. Commenting on Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu's remarks that "an independent Tibet, not China, is India's true northern neighbour, he said it's against India's long-standing policy and will damage our bilateral relations. Ahead of Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang, a scholar of China's state-run Tibetology Research Centre had said that the Dalai Lama's successor should come from a native place in Qinghai, adjacent to Tibet Autonomous Region. Lian Xiangmin, Director of contemporary research of the centre, told media that Dalai Lama's successor should be from his native town in Tibet and he should renounce separatism and accept Tibet and Taiwan as an integral part of China. Dalai Lama was born in Taktser village, Amdo of Qinghai province and picked up for the high spiritual post when he was an eight-year-old boy as part of reincarnation principle followed under Tibetan religious customs. "On one hand the Dalai Lama says he will live up to 113 years, on the other hand, he talks about succession issue himself," Lin said. "So far there have been 14 Dalai Lamas who have been produced in China. We hope that the present Dalai Lama will live for 113 years old. But if a succession is indeed needed we hope the new one will be produced according to the historical conventions in a traditional way," he said. Outlining conditions for political rapprochement, Lin said the Chinese government has stipulated that the Dalai Lama must give up his pursuit of Tibet independence, stop separatist activities, recognise Tibet and Taiwan as part of China. Before and after he became president, Donald Trump made it pretty clear that he didnt see much value in the United Nations. So when he named as his choice for United Nations ambassador, many wondered whether he was simply shunting a tough critic into a trivial post. In November 2015, when the government announced the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) programme to turn around electricity distribution companies (discoms), there was little hope that it would alleviate the debt and operational burdens of the state electricity boards (SEBs). But, in 16 months, UDAY is emerging as a hero for the power sector, with many companies operating in this space clocking/expected to report good earnings growth. While Power Grid and NTPC may be the biggest beneficiaries of these efforts, others such as Siemens, ABB, Kalpataru, KEC, JSW Energy, CESC and even financiers such as Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) stand to gain. Heres why: Voicing his support for Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari's assertion on triple talaq, Abid Rasool Khan, the chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, today said that one must study Quran and understand it in the proper perspective. Stating that there is nothing wrong in what she has said, Khan said, "It is requirement of the day that we should study Quran, which is a complete way of life for human being specially for Muslims and Quran very clearly with examples and with instances show us how we should conduct ourselves in the day to day affairs, family affairs, how we conduct with neighbours, how we conduct with brothers of other community. How I be a good citizen of this country. All these are clearly explained." "And her being an iconic figure asking the Muslim women to study Quran with the translation who cannot understand Arabic is welcome. And I strongly support her statement and I also retaliate that we should study Quran in Hadis in the proper perspective understand it and if we have any doubts (then) we must talk to the elders of the community, clarify those doubts and practice and propagate it in our daily lives," he added. Talking to the media on the sidelines of a function in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, yesterday, Salma Ansari said that uttering 'talaq' thrice does not amount to divorce and asked the Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics. "If you've read the Quran then you can find the solution there itself. There is no such rule in Quran. They have just made it up. There is no such thing. You read the Quran in Arabic and don't read the translation. You accept whatever the Maulana (clerics) or the Mulla says. You must read the Quran, read Hadis. Just see what Rasool had said," she said. Asserting that women should not blindly follow anyone, she said that women must have the courage to read the Quran by themselves and introspect what's written in it and gain knowledge about it. Meanwhile, commenting on the recent talaq cases in Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh, the chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh said such incidents are extremely unfortunate. "First of all I condemn these types of acts and I strongly ask my community to stand up against these type of things and condemn it and protect the women from such whimsical ways of doing talaq which is illegal arbitrary and not as per Islamic laws," he told ANI. A 38-year-old man, identified as Mohammed Haneef, was arrested in Hyderabad earlier on Friday after he sent a postcard with 'triple talaq' to divorce his wife. The arrest took place a day after his wife lodged a complaint against him. In a similar incident in Uttar Pradesh, a woman was given triple talaq over phone on March 23. The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue 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 the Muslims community on May 11. Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among the 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.) Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Singh Kataria on Sunday denied claims made by the family members of Pehlu Khan, who was allegedly lynched by Gau Rakshaks for transporting cows in Alwar, that he was falsely accused of smuggling cows as he had valid purchase documents. "I am reiterating that he did not have any valid paper. Apart from a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), no one can authorise anyone to transport cows," Kataria told ANI. "There were some people who thrashed him and when the police reached the spot, they ran away. It was the police who admitted him to hospital and on the same day registered the case under 308, attempt to murder. And when he died we converted the case to section 302. We even apprehended four people," he added. An FIR was filed against Khan for illegally transporting cows for slaughter. The FIR states that he did not have valid purchase documents. However, the family members of the deceased stated that the victim showed the attackers the receipt of legally purchased cows, but they continued to thrash them. When asked about the deteriorating law and order situation that has emerged post the incident, Kataria said, "Nothing as such is happening." "Whoever breaks the law, will be punished. He must have transported the cows illegally, hence he was penalised. The people, then, took the matter in their own hands. With the power that I have been conferred with, I will try to take action on both sides," he added. As many as four people have been arrested by the police so far. On Friday, the Rajasthan Government sent a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the Alwar incident after the Supreme Court earlier issued a notice to the government seeking a reply on the matter within three weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will on Monday kick start a three-day trip to Mumbai as part of his 'Invest Punjab' initiative, with a series of meetings scheduled with some of the leading captains of industry and business in the country. The Chief Minister will be accompanied by a high-profile official delegation to meet the who's who of the Indian industry, beginning with Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran on Monday evening. The delegation will comprise State Finance Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, Irrigation and Power Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh, Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Lt Gen (Retd.) Tejinder Singh Shergill, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Raveen Thukral and Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Suresh Kumar. Others accompanying the Chief Minister include Secretary (Political III) Karanpal Singh Sekhon, PSIC and IP Anirudh Tewari, PBIP CEO D.K. Tiwari and PBIP ACEO Shruti Singh. An official spokesperson said the delegation will explore avenues of investment in the state, along with possible collaborations to revive its ailing economy and industry. ICICI Bank Ltd CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, Goldman Sachs Chairman Sonjoy Chatterjee and Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej are the other top business leaders whom the Chief Minister is expected to meet on Monday evening, culminating in a dinner meeting with Arun K Kumar, Chairman and CEO, KPMG India, which is the state's knowledge partner for the Progressive Punjab Campaign since 2013. The highlights of Tuesday's programme include a breakfast meeting with Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambai, besides a post-lunch meeting with Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani. The Chief Minister is also slated to hold intensive discussions with RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka, Hindustan Unilever Ltd CEO & MD Sanjiv Mehta and Mahinder and Mahindra Ltd Chairman Anand Mahindra during separate meetings in the pre-lunch session on Tuesday. Other business leaders who are scheduled to call upon the Chief Minister in the course of the day include L&T Director and Executive Vice President (Power and Heavy Engg. & Defence) Shailendra N. Roy and Hinduja Group Chairman Ashok P Hinduja. The programme agenda also includes meetings with the Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India and an Ashoka University delegation, besides a round-table with industry leaders. According to the official spokesperson, the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder is committed to streamlining the systems in the state to facilitate hassle-free industrial development, while wooing investors, in an industry-friendly environment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and proposed the idea under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana to increase expenditure on the construction of houses in the state to up to Rs. 10 lakh. The Chief Minister said that the project under the scheme seems to be on the right track and people are pleased with the ongoing work. He further said that rural sector is showing positive response towards the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and other schemes. With the launch of Lok Suraj Abhiyan, Singh added that they are trying to identify the problems and listen to the grievances of the people in the state. He further said that the Prime Minister appreciated the efforts made under the Lok Suraj Yojana. In the meeting, the Chief Minister also focused on the necessity of internet connectivity in the far-flung areas like Bastar and Sarguja and asked for the support from the central government. Earlier on Saturday, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister claimed that there is not a single shop in 94 percent of villages of the state. Talking to reporters here after completing the second survey of Lok Swaraj Abhiyan, Raman said his government is taking strict action against illegal liquor vendors. He said the government will very shortly provide stainless steel tiffinbox to the regular MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Gurantee Act) workers. He said he enjoyed the ride on an auto driven by Geeta, one of the 22 women auto drivers in Ambikapur. The project was started by Raman Singh to empower women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court will on Monday take cognizance on the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) few days ago. The CBI had earlier filed a chargesheet against Singh in the case. A day after being booked by the CBI special court in this case, the Chief Minister had 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 added that 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.) The Delhi High Court will on Monday continue to hear the Najeeb Ahmed missing case. Nine students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were earlier asked to appear before a Delhi court in connection with the case. 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 of October 14-15. 27-year-old Najeeb, 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). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has declared a three-month state of emergency after deadly terror attacks in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria. "The state of emergency for coming three months is declared," Sisi said in a televised address, the Sputnik reported. He also announced creation of the Supreme Council on fighting terrorism. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the two attacks on churches in Egypt that left at least 37 people dead and injured several others. "A security detachment of the Islamic State carried out the attacks against the two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," the New York Times quoted an online statement shared by sympathisers and attributed to the militants as saying. At least 26 people were killed in a bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo. Another explosion occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria killing at least 11 persons. The explosions took place when Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, was leading the Palm Sunday mass, local media reports said. The pope, however, has been reported unhurt in the blast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of demonetisation to curb corruption in the country, promotion of cashless economy is doing the round across the nation. 'Digi Dhan Mela' is one such initiative and step to promote cashless transaction and to spread awareness about digital payments in the country. On Sunday, one such 'mela' was held in Imphal in bringing merchants and consumers sharing one platform for common cause. "For the first of its kind in the landlocked state of Manipur, Centre's initiative for digital transactions, 'Digi Dhan Mela' seeks to promote cashless economy through digital mode of transactions at City Convention Centre in Imphal," said Chief Minister N Biren Singh. With an objective to encourage cashless modes of payment to the people of Manipur, State Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajen Gohain graced the event. For promoting cashless payment, various channels was launched at the mela such as RuPay, Aadhar enabled Payment system, Unified Payment Interface, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, Immediate Payment Service, e-wallet and Point of sale machine respectively. Additional Director, Department of Information Technology, N. Deven Singh, said, "It's already happening because we have the common service centers who are taking a lead role in doing this in the rural areas. We have about 700 common service centers; out of this about 300 to 400 are actively pursuing introducing these cashless payments in the rural areas." "Most of the banks have also launched mobile apps to enable consumers to make cashless payments in digital form," Singh added. In endeavors to promote awareness among the consumers and the business community, so far the Digi-Dhan Melas has been held across 100 different cities in the country. Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, said, "I have given my message to the people of the state that we have already started changing ourselves to bring free corruption in the state. And to curb corruption, we have already established anti-corruption cell which attached to my office. So, we can closely monitor to each and every office of the state for transparency and accountability in administration." Around 30-35 stalls from the state and other parts of the country opened to impart knowledge about digital payment. Apart from merchants, young and old alike consumers thronged at the event to get to know how of the initiative and implementing it for hassle frees cashless payments. With such initiative, the state have also produced country's first cashless island known as Karang Island situated in Loktak Lake, the largest fresh water lake in Northeast India. MoS for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, said, "Today, people needs performance, people needs result especially the younger generation. They are not satisfied with merely good words, they are satisfy with the promises alone. We have to establish the faith of the political intercede in our society. And that is possible if only we can be honest, transparent and accountable in our way of dealing with the issues concerning the welfare of the people. Such initiative will uphold the essence of go digital, go cashless theme for PM Modi's vision for 'Digital India'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israel has condemned the bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo, on Sunday in which at least 15 people were killed and 42 others injured. Israel Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the terrorist attack in Cairo was a reminder that Egypt is also under attack by terrorists, local media reports said. "Alongside the sadness and the mourning, we must unite forces with an iron fist against the Axis of Evil and terrorism," she said. Asserting that Israel is a partner in the fight against terror wherever it hits, Tzipi said Jerusalem would extend a hand in order to wipe it out. The Cairo attack is the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population of 92 million and has been repeatedly targetted by the Islamic extremists. In December last year, 25 people were killed by a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral. The ISIS later claimed responsibility for the blast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) World No. 1 Angelique Kerber will face a daunting task against three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to clinch the Monterrey Open title, her first WTA title of 2017, on Sunday. Kerber defeated fourth-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 in Saturday's semi-finals to make it to her first WTA final of this year. On the other hand, seeded second Pavlyuchenkova from Russia defeated third-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 6-4 to set up the title clash against the German. Kerber, a two-time Grand Slam champion who regained the world number one ranking in March as American Serena Williams was sidelined by injury, will look to avenge her loss to Pavlyuchenkova in the 2013 Monterrey final. "I'm happy to be in the finals here in Monterrey for the second time," Sport24 quoted Kerber as saying. The German, who had earlier ousted defending champion Heather Watson in the quarter-finals to set up the last four contest against Navarro, said she is looking forward to playing Anastasia. "I think it will be a great atmosphere out here and I will try to enjoy the final and try to win it, of course," she added. However, Pavlyuchenkova also exuded confidence ahead of the title clash, saying, "I feel like this tournament I've been playing better and better with every match. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five terrorists were killed in a special intelligence-based operation by Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) in Dera Ghazi Khan on Sunday. Pakistan Rangers' (Punjab) Sepoy Kamran was also killed in the exchange of fire between the Rangers and the suspected terrorists, while Deputy Superintendent Rangers Haroon was injured and evacuated to CMH Multan. "Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) conducted a special intelligence-based operation in Dera Ghazi Khan early morning today. 5 x terrorists were killed in area Chhera Thal 40 km south west of Fort Manro. During exchange of fire, Seapoy Kamran embraced shahadat while Deputy Superintendent Rangers Haroon got injured and was evacuated to CMH Multan. The operation is still in progress," said an Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold delegation-level talks with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull during which they will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations. Turnbull arrived in New Delhi yesterday for a four-day visit. This is Turnbull's first visit to India. He will be accorded with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. On Tuesday, Turnbull will visit Mumbai where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table. Cooperation in renewable energy, clean coal and bio-fuels will be high on agenda during his visit. A number of MoUs and agreements are also to be firmed up in the areas of security, environment, sports, science and technology and health. Turnbull and Prime Minister Modi have had substantive meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 in Antalya in 2015 and in Hangzhou in 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre on Sunday received a boost from President Pranab Mukherjee who passionately called on the nation to extend support to the mission of cashless India. He stated that all efforts of the Government will achieve their end only if people were to adopt them pro-actively. The President was speaking on the occasion of the 100th mega draw of lots for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The President further notes that India is on the cusp of a digital revolution, adding that more than one billion Indians have a unique identity number with a biometric identifier which is unique in its own way. "Even countries which are technologically far more advanced than India with comparatively much smaller size population do not have such a system in place," he said. President Mukherjee also complemented the Government on its bold initiatives for promoting the culture of digital payment in the country, and said that it was in line with such bold initiatives that the Parliament made a new beginning in Financial Management through passage of Annual Budget by March 31, 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday welcomed the Election Commission's (EC) move of cancelling the by-elections of Chennai's RK Nagar constituency and said that the poll panel has proved that democracy is alive in the nation. "I thank the Election Commission for reacting to my letter which I have given as a complaint on this issue day before yesterday. This election is not being handled in a free and fair manner that's why the Commission had to intervene. Constitutionally it has been proved that our democracy is alive by this decision," expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa said. She further said that the decision has proved that mafia and money power is involved in this by-election. "I would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the right decision at the right time by making Income Tax raid on the corrupted people and exposing their malpractices. We will get justice through the Election Commission," she added. She also added that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry needs to be taken so that the truth will come out. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Tamilisai Soundararajan also supported the Election Commission's verdict and said the state needs corruption-free . "The Election Commission should conduct the elections only if they assure a free and fair election. If they are unable to do so then let them cancel the elections," she said. She added that the election is a neutral and democratic process therefore it should be carried out in that manner only. "Investigation should be expanded and probed in much deeper way. We want a corrupt free in Tamil Nadu," Soundararajan asserted. By-elections in Chennai's R.K. Nagar constituency, to be held on Wednesday, have been cancelled by the Election Commission a day after cash-for-votes allegations surfaced. The decision came after Income Tax raids in Chennai found money was distributed to voters. The by-elections in RK Nagar became necessary after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who represented it for two terms. Stakes for the by-polls were very high as the results would have been a verdict of sorts in the war between the two rival factions of the ruling AIADMK. The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the petition calling for scrapping of the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. The plea has been filed by a Delhi-based lawyer M. L. Sharma, who has said that the treaty is unconstitutional. The treaty was signed on September 19, 1960 by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan. It is one of the most liberal water-sharing pacts in the world. However, Sharma says the treaty is invalid as it was signed by Nehru and Khan, and that it should have been signed by the President of India. The agreement covers six rivers - the three eastern rivers of Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and their tributaries and the three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and their tributaries. Water from the eastern rivers has been allocated to India, and New Delhi is obligated to let 80 percent water from the western rivers flow to Pakistan. The treaty gives the lower riparian Pakistan more 'than four times' the water available to India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A person was killed after clash broke out between protesters and security personnel on Sunday near polling station in Dalwan Pakerpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam. Petrol bombs were hurled at polling station in Budgam, as voting for by-election to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency began here. Meanwhile, clashes between protesters and security forces were also broke out in Nasrullahpora and Chadoora, leaving four injured. Nine candidates are in fray for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency where more than 1,500 polling stations have been set up for nearly 12.61 lakh voters. Security has been beefed up and internet services have also been shut down ahead of the polling. All the polling stations have been declared as either 'sensitive' or 'hyper-sensitive' keeping in mind threats perceptions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Syria has expressed condolences to families of victims of the deadly attacks in the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Tanta, local media reported. "Syria voices its condolences to the families of the victims and affirms that the terrorist groups that commit these crimes against innocent people in the brotherly Arab Republic of Egypt are the same terrorist groups that target citizens in the Syrian Arab Republic under the support of the US, some Gulf states, Turkey and Israel," the SANA news agency reported citing its source in the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the two attacks on churches in Egypt that left at least 37 people dead and injured several others. "A security detachment of the Islamic State carried out the attacks against the two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," the New York Times quoted an online statement shared by sympathisers and attributed to the militants as saying. At least 26 people were killed in a bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo. Another explosion occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria killing at least 11 persons. The explosions took place when Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, was leading the Palm Sunday mass, local media reports said. The pope, however, has been reported unhurt in the blast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Russian and Iranian Presidents in a phone conversation stressed the inadmissibility of "aggressive" U.S. actions against Syria in violation of international law, the Kremlin said in a statement issued on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani called for an objective, unbiased investigation into the chemical weapon incident in the Syrian province of Idlib earlier this week, the Xinhua reported. The two leaders noted the importance of continuing close cooperation in the political and diplomatic settlement of the Syrian civil war, the statement said. Both the Presidents expressed readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism to ensure stability in the Middle East. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing with members of his administration the possibility of sanctioning Russia and Iran for supporting the Syrian Government. Trump earlier on Thursday ordered attacks against a military airbase in Syria with dozens of Tomahawk missiles, after the United States and its allies accused Damascus of killing civilians with chemical weapons on Tuesday. But the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the deadly gas contamination was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced and stored by the rebels, after Syrian aircraft bombed the area. Damascus has repeatedly denied possession of any chemical weapons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. President Donald Trump is discussing with members of his administration the possibility of introducing sanctions against Russia and Iran for supporting the Syrian Government. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday. The Sputnik reported. Haley told CNN in an interview that Trump and his administration were shown classified information proving that Syrian President Bashar Assad had been involved in the alleged chemical attack against civilians in Syria's Idlib. The United States earlier on Thursday night launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the military airfield in Ash Sha'irat. Trump said that the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib province on Tuesday, which resulted in the death of over 80 people. The Syrian Foreign Minister denied the government's involvement in the Idlib incident, saying it had never nor would it ever use chemical weapons on either civilians or terrorists operating in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council have condemned the attacks on two Coptic churches in north Egypt, stressing the need to bring the perpetrators to justice. "The secretary-general expresses his deep sympathies to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of the Arab Republic of Egypt," said a statement issued here by the spokesman of the secretary-general, the Xinhua reported. "He wishes a quick recovery to those injured and hopes that the perpetrators of this horrific terrorist act will be swiftly identified and brought to justice," the statement added. The 15-nation Security Council, in a separate press statement issued here Sunday, "condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks" in north Egypt, and they expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Egypt and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the government of Egypt and all other relevant authorities in this regard," said the council statement. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the two attacks on churches in Egypt that left at least 37 people dead and injured several others. "A security detachment of the Islamic State carried out the attacks against the two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," the New York Times quoted an online statement shared by sympathisers and attributed to the militants as saying. At least 26 people were killed in a bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo. Another explosion occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria killing at least 11 persons. The explosions took place when Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, was leading the Palm Sunday mass, local media reports said. The pope, however, has been reported unhurt in the blast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal Police have detained four army jawans for allegedly thrashing a civilian and a civic volunteer in Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata. It is alleged that the four jawans who were coming from Malbazar riding bikes, suddenly beat up a common man who was on his cycle. The local police officers came at the spot after receiving a phone call from the victim and on asking the Army men they again started thrashing a civic volunteer named Arijit Biswas. Later, the Nagrakata Police detained all of them. According to the police, they all are belonging from Binnaguri Army camp. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 10 people, including Somali soldiers, were on Sunday killed in a suicide car bomb attack near the Ministry of Defence in Mogadishu, reportedly targeting the new army chief. Somalia's state news agency SONNA reported that the suicide car bomb attack left at least 10 people dead and injured more others. A security official, wishing that he not be named, told Xinhua by phone that 15 people, including three government soldiers, were killed and five others wounded. "Students and other civilians on a minibus were mostly those died in the suicide car attack. The New Chief of Somali National Army, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Jimale, survived from the attack," he said. "No one can identify the number of casualties (as) bodies of (the) dead (were blown up) into pieces and blood covered the area of the suicide car bomb attack, vehicles were also destroyed and burned," a journalist at the scene told Xinhua by phone. Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the latest suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu. The group said it killed over 10 government soldiers in the attack. This is the second car bomb attack in a week in Mogadishu. The attack comes as the Somali President changed armed chiefs and declared state of war against Al-Shabaab. --IANS ahm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the yearly global attention drawn by the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that takes place in Barcelona, India is all set to have its own version this year, for the first time, from September 27 to 29. To be held in Delhi, the congress is expected to see participation by 8 to 10 major countries. The event will be organised by telecom industry body Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) with support from the Department of Telecommunications and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It will be organised at the Pragati Maidan here with a budget of Rs 15 crore. "We felt we needed a flagship event in India. In the West we have the Barcelona event (MWC), in the East there is the Shanghai Mobile World Congress -- but there was nothing of that scale for South-East Asia. This event will serve that purpose," Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, COAI, told IANS. Mathews said countries like Sweden, Israel and the UK have confirmed their presence at the event and active talks are on with the US and Canada for participation. "We are hoping that 8 to 10 major countries will participate in the event. This will become a flagship event for India. It will be an annual event," he added. P. Ramakrishna has been appointed as the CEO of the event. "Modelled after MWC Barcelona, this kind of event in the industry is happening for the first time in India. Preparations for it have been going on for the last six months," Ramakrishna told IANS. The event is for business-to-consumer and business-to-government activities. "We will arrange for free entry of public on the last day of the event," he added. Ramakrishna said the three-day event will witness exhibitions, conclaves and an awards session. An Advisory Committee has been formed to execute the event. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Telecom (the post is vacant at present) and Aruna Sundarajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is the Vice-Chairperson. It also has members from industry, media and other associations to guide the whole project. The exhibition will occupy 20,000 square metres of space that will house 300 stalls. "We expect 8,000 delegates, including exhibitors, to participate in the event. The event will give a 360 degree view of the industry where people from the core industry, original equipment manufacturers and handset manufacturers, among others, will participate," Ramakrishna said. Besides, telecom service providers, various start-ups, companies into artificial intelligence and robotics will also participate. The other associations, which are participating in the event are National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), Internet and Mobile Association of India, Indian Cellular Association, and Internet Service Providers' Association of India. Indian Mobile Congress is also in talks with industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry for participation. K and D Communication Limited, which organises Vibrant Gujarat, is the event manager for this project. (Aparajita Gupta can be reached at aparajita.g@ians.in) --IANS ag/hs/sac/ky (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Upping the ante against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged splurging of public funds on lunches at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also accused the AAP of misleading people about ordering a probe into the matter. "(Delhi Deputy Chief Minister) Manish Sisodia has not set any inquiry in the issue. Tell us who are conducting the inquiry. Tell us when and where was the inquiry set in the issue," Gupta told media persons here. "I want Manish Sisodia to come out in public and inform when and what the Committee was formed to look into the issue. This is a clear case of fooling people and trying to use public money for personal use," said Gupta. "We want the Delhi Lt Governor to set up a judicial inquiry into the issue," said Gupta who has alleged that the Delhi government spent several lakh rupees on two lunch parties at Kejriwal's residence on February 11 and 12 last year hosting nearly 80 people. Ahead of the April 22 polls to the three municipal corporations in the national capital, the BJP has been gunning at the AAP over the issue and has also demanded Kejriwal's resignation. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Kejriwal also needs to explain the appointment of his close family relative Nikunj Agarwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain's daughter in the government in violation of government norms. --IANS rup/and/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and his son, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, cast their votes for the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-poll here on Sunday, that has been marred by violence. Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, the joint candidate of his party and the Congress, and his son cast their vote at Burnhall School in the high-security Sonawar area of Srinagar. Speaking to media, Farooq Abdullah said: "I have faith in God and people. Whatever happens will be known on April 15 (the day of counting)." "We have done our best. If I was not hopeful I would not be standing here in front of your. God willing I will win," he said, and added "There is evidence of the government trying to obstruct voting." Omar Abdullah also hit out at the Jammu and Kashmir government over the by-poll violence. He said people want to go and vote but the environment created was "such that people are not stepping out". He charged the state with failing to provide a conducive atmosphere for voting. "Mehbooba Mufti is responsible for this situation. There is mismanagement," he said. "I have been a politician for 20 years, but I never saw such a bad situation for elections and campaigning," Omar Abdullah said. The comments of the NC leaders came as three persons were killed and several injured in firing and clashes between security forces and anti-poll protesters in Budgam district. Poor voting has been reported in the constituency, with Amira Kadal assembly segment recording just over 2 per cent till noon, Sonawar 1.78 per cent, Batamaloo 1.47 per cent, Zadibal 2.27 per cent, Ganderbal - 4.77 per cent and Kangan 11.26 per cent voting. Protesters damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising franchise in the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat by-poll. Mobs torched a bus and damaged EVMs at some polling stations in Badgam. At least 2,61,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar/Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. --IANS sq-sm-rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian and Chinese navies joined hands to save a Tuvalu-flagged container ship with 19 Filipino crew members which was attacked by pirates late on Saturday night in the Gulf of Aden, an official said here on Sunday. Responding to an alert from UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the Indian Navy deployed its warships INS Mumbai, INS Trishul, INS Aditya and INS Tarkash which were on a mission to the Mediterranean, to help the 21,000-ton bulk cargo carrier sailing from Kelang Port in Malaysia to Port of Aden. Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with the crew, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard. An Indian Navy helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitize" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, a Chinese naval team boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover. They carried out a full search of the vessel and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship under cover of darkness after their attempt to hijack the vessel was foiled. --IANS qn/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A retired college professor, his wife, daughter and a relative were found dead at their home here in Kerala, police said on Sunday. While three bodies were found in a charred condition, another mutilated body was found wrapped in a bag in their home, located a stone's throw away from the residences of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and eight of his cabinet colleagues. The son of the couple, Kedal Jaison, 30, who resides in Australia and was here since some time is reportedly missing. Police are treating him as a suspect. The deceased were identified as Professor Raj Thankam, his wife Jean Padma -- a retired medical superintendent of the General hospital here, their daughter Carol -- a medical student, and aunt Lalitha. Police said the neighbours on late Saturday night saw smoke coming from the house and the fire brigade was alerted. It was only after the fire fighters came and doused the fire that they discovered the bodies. Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham, who visited the crime spot, told media that the bodies were in a decomposed state and it was surmised that they were killed three-to-four days ago. The post-mortem would have to be done at the spot by forensic experts, he added. A relative of the family told media that Jaison had informed them that his parents have all gone for a tour and would not be back for a week. Meanwhile, the police said they had received information that someone was seen running away from the house on Saturday night and they believe that it was Jaison. --IANS sg/sm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea on Sunday condemned the US bombing in Syria as an "absolutely unacceptable aggression" against a sovereign state and said this justifies Pyongyang's further military development. "The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it," EFE news cited a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement as saying. The statement said that North Korea, which regards Syria as an ally, was not surprised that this US military attack was a "warning to us" and that it was another example that "we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions". "The reality is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice," the statement said. The US on April 6 night unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase in Syria in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad regime that left dozens of civilians dead. The cruise missile attack, which took place when Trump was dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida, was not only a warning for Syria but also for China to pressure North Korea to end its provocation, a White House source told The Washington Post on Saturday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said all stakeholders should rise above sectarian interests to focus on the larger picture of national development. Rajnath Singh made the observation while chairing the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council here. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the meeting. Besides, ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan represented their states at the meeting. The Home Minister said all the stakeholders share a common desire to take the nation forward and prosperity can come only when there is peace and stability, a release said. He said India is a nation characterised by unity in diversity, and hence it is important that trust and cordiality form the bedrock for centre-state cooperation. The Standing Committee examined various recommendations of the Punchhi Commission contained in Volume 2 and 3, the release said. The Punchhi Commission was notified in 2005, and it submitted its report in 2010. It made recommendations which are contained in seven volumes The Volume 2 of the report is related to provisions of the constitution that are concerned with important aspects of Constitutional governance such as role of Governors, deployment of central forces, federal balance of power, ensuring better coordination between central government and states and other important issues of centre-state relations. The recommendations in Volume 3 of the Punchhi Commission report are related to centre-state financial relations and cover the subjects of fiscal transfers to states, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Centre-state fiscal relations. "The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-state relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. The recommendations of the Standing Committee finalised at this meeting will be placed before the Inter-State Council," the release said. It said that the remaining volumes of the Punchhi Commission recommendations would be taken up in subsequent meetings of the Standing Committee along with the implications of the recent developments in terms of the GST Act, the 14th Finance Commission Report and formation of NITI AAYOG and rationalisation of Centrally sponsored schemes. The recommendations of Punchhi Commission pertain to history of centre-state relations in India; constitutional governance and management of centre-state relations; centre-state financial relations; local self-governments and decentralised governance; internal security, criminal justice and centre-state co-operation; environment, natural resources and infrastructure; and socio-economic development, public policy and good governance. --IANS mak/pgh/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Norwegian police has said they carried out a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like object" found on Saturday night in central Oslo. The danger was now considered to be over, but the authorities still did not know what the object was, Xinhua quoted Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander at the site, as saying. A suspect was detained for questioning and a large area was cordoned off after the object was found around the Gronland subway station in Oslo. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Jorundland said earlier. "I can not answer (if is a bomb), but it is an object that is about 30 times 30 centimetres -- that is to say there is big potential for damage, but it is of such a nature that we want the bomb group to examine it," Jorundland had said about the object. --IANS sku/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid reports of violence and allegations of booth capturing, over 52 per cent ballotting was recorded in bypolls for two Madhya Pradesh assembly seats -- Ater in Bhind district and Bandhavgarh in Umaria district -- in the first eight hours on Sunday. According to the Election Commission, over 53 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Ater and over 52 per cent in Bandhavgarh till 3 p.m. on Sunday. Several incidents of violence, including clashes between the Congress and BJP activists, were reported from Ater. There were also instances of stone pelting and reports of alleged firing in Ater. Congress candidate from the constituency Hemant Katare accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goons of attacking his car and also of booth capturing. "BJP supporters were indulging in booth capturing and when I tried to prevent them, they threatened me and manhandled me and my driver," he said. State Congress chief Arun Yadav accused the BJP and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of using the state machinery to influence the voting process. He also accused the district administration of turning a blind eye to the complaints of voting malpractices against the BJP. The BJP in turn has accused the Congress of violating the poll model code of conduct and has demanded re-polling in several booths in Ater. State Chief Electoral Officer Saleena Singh, interacting with the media, admitted there were attempts at malpractices in certain booths but asserted that there was no booth capturing. She also said elaborate security arrangements have been made, including deployment of adequate number of central security personnel, in both the constituencies. The Ater assembly seat fell vacant following the death of sitting legislator Satyadev Katare of the Congress, while the by-poll in Bandhavgarh was necessitated after its lawmaker Gyan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha in November byelection last year. The counting of votes in both assembly bypolls would take place on April 13. --IANS and/vd/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Crime Branch of the Odisha Police has begun an investigation into an incidence of communal violence last week in Bhadrak town where the curfew was reimposed till Monday morning. The prohibitory orders in the town were initially relaxed from 8 to 11 a.m. on Sunday. The hours were extended until 12 noon to facilitate people to purchase essential commodities. The curfew was reimposed later and will remain in force till 7 a.m. on Monday, said a police officer. Around 35 platoons of police forces have been deployed across the town to avoid any untoward incident. Chief Minister Patnaik said two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) would be sent to Bhadrak. Patnaik, who attended the Inter-State Council Standing Committee meeting in New Delhi, said that he discussed the Bhadrak issue with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and he has assured the state two companies of the RAF would be sent. Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has begun the probe into the alleged offensive remarks on Hindu deities on social media that led to unrest in the town on Thursday and Friday. "The crime branch probe has started into the alleged offensive remarks and rumours on social media. The Crime Branch cyber cell is investigating the WhatsApp data. The group admins have been asked for providing the data," told Crime Branch Special Director General B.K. Sharma. He also said stringent action would be taken against the persons behind it. On Saturday, the police detained 35 people in connection with the clashes. --IANS cd/pgh/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some protesters were injured when security forces on Sunday fired at demonstrating mobs at three places in central Budgam district of the Kashmir Valley. The protesters damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising franchise in Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat bypoll. Mobs torched a bus and damaged EVMs at some polling stations in Badgam, police said. "Security forces fired at anti-poll mobs resulting in injuries to some protesters," a police official said here. Voting in the bypoll was low during the first three hours after polling started at 7 a.m. Till 10 a.m., 4,403 votes were polled in Ganderbal district, 4,283 were polled in Srinagar district while 7,177 were polled in Budgam district. At least 2,61,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar/Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. --IANS sq/py/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of river activists on Sunday evening held a march to demand action against polluters who have "killed" the Yamuna river. Carrying placards with catchy slogans, the rallyists marched from the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor to the Etmauddaula view point park, raising slogans against the "murderers of Yamuna" which has now been declared a living entity by the Uttarakhand High Court. River Connect Campaign activists said the state and the union governments should pressure the Haryana government to release water as directed by the National Green Tribunal. "Water in the river is necessary to ensure the safety of historical monuments like the Taj Mahal and Etmauddaula and for Agra's water needs, the state government should immediately work on a barrage project so that there is water behind the Taj Mahal," said Devashish Bhattacharya. The visual pollution in the vicinity of the monuments has to be controlled if tourism is to be promoted, added Ranjan Sharma, another activist. Shravan Kumar Singh of the Rivers of the World Foundation said "successive governments have done nothing to save our rivers. Thousands of crores of rupees have been squandered away without discernible improvement in the sad state of the rivers". River Yamuna should be recognised as a heritage entity to restore its past glory, said activist Prashant Pachauri. --IANS bk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Russian young man was charged with illegal dealings with explosive material after police carried out a controlled explosion of what they described as a bomb-like object in central Oslo early on Sunday, Norway's police security service (PST) said. The Norwegian police also raised the country's threat level to "probable" from "possible," which is valid for two months, Xinhua quoted PST head Benedicte Bjornland as saying. The 17-year-old Russian citizen, who came to Norway as an asylum seeker in 2010, was taken into police custody with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Oslo's Gronland area late on Saturday, PST police attorney Signe Aalling was quoted as saying. Police carried out the controlled explosion of the object and the area was cordoned off. --IANS sku/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In one of the worst incidents of poll-violence in the state, at least six persons were killed on Sunday when security forces opened fire to disperse protestors in central Kashmir's Budgam district, where polling in by-election for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat is being held. Three protestors died in Beerwah, two in Dalwan village of the Charar-e-Sharif assembly segment and one in Wathura area, police said. The security forces opened fire reportedly after a mob attacked the polling station in Dalwan village, damaged the EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. "Security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," a police official said. A mob torched a bus and also damaged the EVMs at a polling station in Beerwah as also in Wathura area of Budgam district, the police official said. The voting turnout was a poor five per cent till noon after polling commenced at 7.00 a.m in Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts that fall within the parliamentary constituency. At least 261,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar-Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. The stakes are high for National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting against Peoples' Democratic Party's Nazir Khan. Altogether, nine candidates are in fray for the seat that fell vacant after PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra resigned in the aftermath of the protests following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani last year. --IANS sq-ahm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkey's political parties held mass rallies on Saturday, a week ahead of a referendum on whether to shift to the presidential system. The "yes" campaign led by the ruling Justice and Development Party and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gathered in Istanbul's Yenikapi Square for its biggest rally so far, with the participation of nearly one million people, Xinhua news agency reported. "Is Istanbul ready to say 'yes' on April 16?" the president asked the crowd. Erdogan argued that a "yes" vote will contribute to the Turkish struggle against the Islamic State terrorist group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terror organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union. He vowed that Turkey would fight terrorism in a more effective way under the presidential system. The president also argued that voting "yes" would be the best answer to the country's struggle against Fethullah Gulen, a US-based preacher blamed by the Turkish government for orchestrating a failed coup in July last year. He called for three million Turkish voters living abroad to cast their votes, saying the upcoming referendum will be a breakthrough in Turkey's history. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, appeared at a rally in the northern city of Trabzon. He reiterated his party's argument that the constitutional amendments would restrict the powers of parliament. "If you say 'yes,' you will give the whole authorisation to one person," Kilicdaroglu warned. "So that without any justification, the president will be able to abolish the parliament." Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party also held a rally in Istanbul, calling for a "no" vote in the plebiscite for the sake of peace. The party's 13 lawmakers, including its co-chairs, are in prison over their alleged links to PKK. --IANS sku/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia on Sunday said the cancellation of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's visit to Moscow demonstrates London's lack of understanding of knowledge of events in Syria. "Moscow needs a dialogue with London not more than it (Britain) needs it (Russia)," the Foreign Ministry said. "Judging by the statement made by Boris Johnson, he now has different priorities, namely discussions with G7 counterparts of the situation in Syria and Russian support for Bashar al Assad," TASS News cited a ministry statement as saying. Johnson on Saturday called off a visit to Moscow in the wake of the "Syrian chemical weapons attack". He was set to travel on Monday. Johnson said Britain called on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a "political settlement in Syria". According to Russia, the cancellation of the visit was "evident of the fundamental misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of the events in Syria, Russia's efforts to settle that crisis, and the general objectives of diplomacy". "The decision proves doubts about added value from negotiations with the UK, as on most current problems they do not have own positions or realistic influence on development of international affairs, as it remains "in the shade" of its strategic partners," the ministry said. Britain has fully supported the US for its response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib province of Syria that left nearly 80 civilians dead. The US on April 6 unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase that played a key role in conducting the toxic gas attack. The US as well as Britain blame Russia for being "incompetent" in stopping the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow as planned after the G7 meeting in Italy on April 10-11. Johnson's visit, for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, would have been the first visit by a UK Foreign Secretary in more than five years. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the cancellation meant Boris had "revealed himself to be a poodle of Washington, having his diary managed from across the pond". The government was "quick to blindly follow every order from the Trump White House", he said. --IANS py/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least six civilians were killed and scores injured in firing by security forces as mobs tried to attack some polling stations in Srinagar parliamentary constituency that on Sunday recorded a poor seven per cent voting in a by-poll -- the lowest in the state in three decades, officials said. The by-poll to the Lok Sabha constituency -- spread across three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal -- was marred by widespread violence with police claiming that nearly 200 incidents of violent protests took place in central Kashmir. As the day began with small queues of voters outside polling booths, slogan shouting mobs attacked polling stations in Budgam, damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. Security forces tried to disperse the crowds with warning shots initially and opened fire at them when they didn't relent, a police officer said. Six persons were killed at three places of Budgam district. "The security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," the officer said, alleging that mobs tried to storm many polling stations and destroy EVMs. The seven per cent voter turnout is the lowest in 27 years in the state. The constituency had in the 2014 general elections recorded 26 per cent turn out. The by-poll was the first after the 2016 unrest, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July last. Over 100 people were killed in five months of the unrest -- the worst in six years of the troubled valley. "It was an unfortunate day. Over 100 security personnel were injured. The turnout was 7.09 per cent," Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told media persons. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was the worst poll-related violence he had seen in his 20 years of political career. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen this level of violence in elections in Kashmir," Abdullah tweeted. Abdullah hit out at the state government over the violence and accused Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of failing to provide a conducive atmosphere for voting. "Mehbooba Mufti is responsible for this situation. There is mismanagement," he said. Internet services in the valley were suspended late on Saturday and security was stepped up after separatists asked people to boycott polls. The stakes were high for opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and ruling Peoples Democratic Party's Nazir Ahmed Khan who were the main contestants in the constituency. In all, nine candidates were in the fray. The seat fell vacant after then PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra resigned to protest alleged atrocities on people during the 2016 agitation. --IANS sq-ahm/sar/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She earned the epithet of Bollywood's "jubilee girl" with her string of hits in the Hindi film industry's golden era. But living that stardom in today's paparazzi-driven times is something the enigmatic Asha Parekh doesn't fancy at all. In an interview with IANS over phone from her seven-storey high penthouse in Mumbai, the 74-year-old spoke about her autobiography "Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl", her friends, on being single, her take on film censorship, on lobbying for a government honour, and on the life of film stars today. "I feel it was a nice time when I was part of the golden era. I wouldn't like to be there today because there's too much of media, paparazzi, stress and too much of too many things. Today, there's so much that the stars go through." The hectic life that stars face, and the rush to self-promotion that they compete for, is something she doesn't find attractive. "They have to do promotions, they have to do so many things. It's too much on them. I wouldn't have been able to handle stardom in today's times," said the veteran actress, talking about times when "self-publicity was not as rampant". Having featured in as many as 20 silver and golden jubilee hits in the 1960s and 1970s, the actress had become the blue-eyed-girl for filmmakers and for the audience with her emotive eyes, effortless acting and graceful dancing. She worked as a child actress, before making her big Bollywood foray with the 1959 Shammi Kapoor starrer "Dil Deke Dekho", helmed by Nasir Hussain who later cast her in multiple films including "Teesri Manzil", " Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai", "Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon" and "Caravan". During her prime, Asha worked with directors like Shakti Samanta, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand and leading actors like Dharmendra, Joy Mukherjee, Jeetendra, Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Shammi, but chose to bow out from the screen in the mid-1990s. Was it a premature decision? "It's just that I was getting mother's roles, bhabhi's roles, which I was not interested in doing. I gave it up. Where are the roles for ladies of our age? Where do they have movies which are based on them? Men have been lucky. Mr Amitabh Bachchan has been very lucky. He gets many author-backed roles to perform, so it's good," said Asha, who even directed the TV series "Kora Kagaz" and more. Does she wish to wield the megaphone again? "Hahaha... Let's see, I am not very keen to do anything now. I am feeling very lazy, so I want to laze around and be on my own," said the septuagenarian, agreeing that considering she started young in the film industry, she deserves to rest. She dismissed with a laugh when asked about Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's remark that she lobbied for the Padma Bhushan, and climbed 12 floors to meet him. "How could it be? When I can't climb seven floors to my house, how can I climb 12 floors with a bad back? It's impossible," Asha said. Why would he claim so then? "I don't know... You should ask Nitin Gadkari," she remarked in a jiffy. Interestingly, Asha Parekh has not been all about glamour. She took on significant roles behind the scenes of the male-dominated film industry. She was the first woman to be appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998-2001, a stint as President of CINTAA (Cine and TV Artists Association) and she continues to work for the welfare of film industry workers. Asha, in fact, had attracted a backlash for censor body's decisions regarding "Zakhm" and "Elizabeth" -- and was sometimes even referred to as "dictator" and "Hitler". The hullabaloo over film censorship continues to date. What's her opinion now? "I feel the censor board should be there, and even if people make a hue and cry about it, I feel censorship is very necessary. We need censorship because we may not be talking about films with big star casts... But what about the B and C grade films which come? They are horrible and they have to be censored. That nobody discusses about," said the actress, who strongly feels censorship on what to watch must begin at home. While she believes guidelines must be revised to suit the current times, she doesn't think the censor body must be "too moderate because then filmmakers take too much liberty". Asha keeps herself busy with work related to her hospital, her dance academy and the Film Industry Welfare Trust. She doesn't dance any more, but enjoys watching dancers perform. In her free time, she catches up with her school friends and friends from the industry -- like Helen and Waheeda Rehman -- who she says have always been there for her, even at the time when she was dealing with depression. Asha never got married. Doesn't she miss companionship at this stage of her life? "Companionship is always there, darling. Your friends are always there and you don't miss out on anything else." "Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl" is an autobiography written with film critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, and published by Om Books International. It will be launched by superstar Salman Khan in Mumbai on April 10. (Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in) --IANS rb/hs/ky (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There was much mirth in the during the debate on the four goods and services tax (GST)-related Bills. There was Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale who told the House that he would be visiting the US soon and had sought appointment with US President Donald Trump as the latter leads the Republican Party there. The leader of the blue house in India will meet the leader of the White House, he said, to much laughter. Athawale is a Dalit leader from Maharashtra, and the colour blue has come to represent Dalit assertion. Shiromani Akali Dal member Naresh Gujral counted the positives of GST for Punjab. He said Punjabis live well and love to eat, and if all eateries in Punjab were to cut invoices for all the tandoori chicken that is consumed in the state, Punjab would have a surplus budget. Gujral said GST would ensure that. Lets give President Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt, and assume that he genuinely believes that he was elected to protect American workers. He did promise on the campaign trail to direct the Department of Labour to investigate all abuses of visa programmes that undercut the American worker. But even if that were the stated motivation behind the changes his administration rolled out to the work visa programme recently, their effect is to help American companies, instead. Rajasthan Congress party president raps the government and its supporters of in the name of cow protection and tells Amit Agnihotri his party would dislodge the Vasundhara Raje government in 2018. Edited excerpts: The Indian Congresss humiliating defeat in the recent Assembly elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, is symbolic of the partys present condition. It is going through one of its worst slumps in its post-Independence history, and many digital bytes have suggested a surgical strike on its leadership and a complete overhaul of the party machinery. Data, however, suggest a more nuanced picture. In various Assembly elections since its defeat in the 2014 general elections, the party has actually improved its strike rate in terms of number of seats won per seat contested, although it has contested fewer seats. Not only that, it has also improved its vote share. On his recent visit to Lucknow, a senior executive with an Indian corporate, who frequently tours the city for official purposes, quipped he had experienced far lesser traffic jams this time round compared to his several many in the past months and years. At least 36 people were killed and nearly 140 injured on Sunday in twin ISIS blasts targeting Coptic churches packed with worshippers who had gathered for Palm Sunday mass in Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria, the deadliest attacks on minority Christians in recent years. The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, killing 25 people and injuring 71, according to a statement by the Health Ministry. Security sources said the primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday. However, said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The explosion targeted the front rows in the church hall. Among those killed is Samuel George, the head of Tanta Court. Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district, police said. At least 11 people, including police personnel, were killed while 66 injured in Alexandria's suicide bomb attack, according to a statement by the Health Ministry. In a statement, Interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," said the group's propaganda news agency Amaq on its social media accounts. Meanwhile, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. President El-Sisi ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, strongly condemned the attacks, calling it an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhar's solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the wake of attacks. The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers." "The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement. The explosion comes weeks before the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. At least 45 people were killed and nearly 120 others injured in powerful blasts triggered by ISIS in two churches packed with worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria cities, the deadliest attacks on the minority Coptic Christians in recent years. The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, killing 27 people and injuring 78, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Security sources said the primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday. However, others said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The explosion targeted the front rows in the church hall. Among those killed is Samuel George, the head of Tanta Court. Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district, police said. Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV channel said at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed while 41 others injured in Alexandria's suicide attack. The latest figure puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on churches on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," said the group's propaganda agency 'Amaq' on its social media accounts. In a statement, the Interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. However, Egypt's Coptic church said Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had left the church just before the blast. Saint Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi condemned the attack and said such terrorist acts will not terrify Egyptians. He also phoned Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences. He ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. The president called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, strongly condemned the attacks, calling it an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhar's solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the wake of attacks. The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers." "The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement. The explosion comes weeks before the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an ISIS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five hotel bars in the Aerocity area near the IGI Airport which were shutdown after a Supreme Court order banning sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways, may reopen soon as a Delhi government committee has found they are beyond the distance limit. A four-member committee of the Delhi Excise Department has recommended restoring their licences after it found that these hotel bars fall beyond 500 metres of the national highway. The committee was formed last week to look into grievances of some restaurants and bar-owners whose shops had to shut after the Supreme Court order. Some bar-owners claimed their establishments were beyond the 500-metre limit set by the apex court. They had also made a representation before the Excise Commissioner. Sources said the committee has submitted its interim report wherein it recommends restoration of licences of the five hotel bars. The committee will submit final report in some time as it is yet to verify the claims of some of the affected hotel and restaurants bars. "The Committee again measured distance of affected bars from highway and it was found that they are located beyond 500 metres from the national highway," an official said. The official, however, did not reveal the names of the hotel bars that will soon be able to serve liquor. Sources, however, said these are four-star and five-star hotels. Over 100 liquor vends, restaurant and hotel bars located within 500 metres of national and state highways had been shut down in the city following the court order. Last month, the Supreme Court banned sale of liquor within 500 metres of state and national highways including in bars, pubs and restaurants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telecom infrastructure operation and maintenance firm Ardom Telecom today announced the acquisition of Quanta Towergen for an undisclosed amount. L&T Infra Investment Partners-backed Ardom Telecom Pvt Ltd announced "acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding in Quanta Towergen Pvt Ltd (QTPL)- owned by Quanta Services Netherlands B. V, in turn owned by Quanta Services, Inc...In an all-cash deal." "The acquisition is part of Ardom's strategy to strengthen its fixed energy cost business and is expected to provide Ardom a significant foothold into a fast-growing market," it said in a statement. Ardom Telecom did not disclose the deal size. QTPL provides operation and maintenance services on telecom tower sites. Ardom MD and CEO Ajit Shankar said: "This acquisition is in line with our objective of providing sustainable and reliable clean energy to telecom sites under long term contracts to create value in the company. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian skincare and make-up brand Natio is also looking to double its points of sale to 20 by the end of this fiscal in India while continuing to focus on e-commerce channels to drive its sales. "Online is our main sales channel and we will continue to focus on it. This year, however, we are also looking at increasing our geographic expansion. We plan to double our points of sales to 20 by end of this financial year," Belle Vous Managing Director Divya Thukral told PTI. Natio, which has a exclusive distribution tie-up with Belle Vous, entered India in September 2013. The brand has 10 points of sales in India and sells its products through Sephora, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle and general trade outlets. The company also sells its products through e-commerce players, including Amazon, Flipkart and Nykaa. Belle Vous is also planning to sell Natio products in South East Asia and West Asia. "We have rights for South East Asia and Middle East. We will look entering these countries next months," Thukral said. Natio has over 250 products in skincare, make-up and men's range. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid has rejected mercy pleas of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and two associates, paving the way for their execution for an attack on a shrine that killed three people and wounded the British high commissioner at the time. President Hamid rejected their mercy petitions soon after they sought presidential clemency in a last-ditch attempt to escape the gallows, a Bangabhaban spokesman told PTI. "We have received the presidential decision...We are preparing to execute them any time in line with the jail code," a prison official told PTI. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that preparations are underway to carry out the sentences. According to Bangladesh's legal system, the convicts can seek presidential clemency to save their neck and unless they are pardoned jail authorities could hang them in four weeks time. "The Appellate Division (of the Supreme Court) had reconfirmed their death penalties more than 20 days ago and on receipt of the order and we immediately conveyed to them (the death row convicts)," the jail official said, suggesting that their execution was imminent. On March 19, the Supreme Court reconfirmed an earlier verdict of itself endorsing death penalty of Hannan and the two others for the 2004 attack on the then UK envoy. The then Bangladeshi born British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury narrowly escaped the grenade attack at a shrine in northeastern Sylhet that killed three people, all policemen, and injured 70 others. Anwar sustained minor injuries. The HuJI operatives carried out the attack at the shrine of saint Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet, also the birthplace of Chowdhury, as he went to visit there 18 days into his new assignment in Dhaka. A speedy trial tribunal originally tried the case and delivered its verdict on December 23, 2008, sentencing to death HuJI leaders Sharif Shahedul Alam and Delwar Hossain alongside Hannan. Hannan and seven other kingpins and operatives of Huji were earlier sentenced to death by another court in Dhaka for a deadly 2001 bomb attack that killed 10 people during Bengali New Year celebrations at a public park. Twenty one HuJI men including Hannan and an ex-junior minister of past BNP government are now being tried for another grenade attack on incumbent Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004. The then opposition leader Hasina narrowly escaped the attack that left 24 people dead. HuJI was formed in 1992 by Bangladeshis who took part in the Afghan war against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The US has designated HuJi as a foreign terrorist organization and "specially designated global terrorist" while Indian officials suspected the outfit's links in the Jaipur serial bombings and several other blasts there. Bangladesh has witnessed a spate of attacks on secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Director Kaushik Ganguly, whose Partition-themed movie "Bisorjon" got the National Award for best Bengali film, says the project gives a message that humanity and love remain over and above all religions. "'Bisorjon' talks about the love between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman living in India and Bangladesh respectively. It says humanity is over and above all religion. It says love doesn't follow religion," Kaushik told PTI here. Asked about the significance behind the name of "Bisorjon", the director says, "It is about the Bisorjon (immersion) of love. And we have shot the sequences of real life immersion of Durga idols on Vijaya Dashami day on river Ichhamati in Taki, where the river flows along the boundary of the two countries. "On Vijaya Dashami the border ceases to exist during immersion time and idols from both India and Bangladesh are taken out in boats on Ichhamati for immersion. This is a unique spectacle and we have sought to capture the moment in the film," Kaushik says. Talking about the film's relevance in the present situation in the country, Kaushik says, "I don't understand politics. I believe in airing my views through art. "I wish the film is viewed in both countries, as we are connected by a common language, Bengali. There are many people in Kolkata who have their ancestral homes in then Purbobango (East Bengal). They still converse in the dialect of that place. Same is true for people living on the other side of the border. I wish the film is seen by everyone," he says. Happy that "Bisorjon" will be released on Bengali New Year in India, Kaushik says, "I am keen it is commercially screened in Bangladesh very soon." Bangladeshi actress Joya Ahsan, who had been cast in Srijit Mukherjee's "Rajkahini", plays the Hindu woman in the film, while Bengali actor and Kaushik's "Bastushaap" protagonist Abir Chatterjee essays the male lead. "Abir has portrayed the character of a rural folk and his diction, body language were unbelievable. You will also see a different Joya Ahsan," Kaushik says. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy today said his party had no role in the recent income tax searches on the premises of Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and others. The I-T department has the right to search any body's premises, if it found necessary, he told reporters here. He also appealed to the voters in RK Nagar in Chennai to defeat DMK in the April 12 assembly bolls. DMK and Congress were "involved in several scams" during their regimes in Tamil Nadu and at the Centre respectively, he alleged. On the ongoing agitation by Tamil Nadu farmers in New Delhi demanding a drought relief package of Rs 40,000 crore from the Centre, farm loan waiver and setting up of Cauvery Management Board, Swamy said MPs from the state should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a solution to the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local BJP leader and his supporters clashed with policemen here after they stopped the SUV of the leader's son for using a hooter. According to police, Ankit Tyagi was last evening travelling towards Delhi in his SUV with a hooter on the vehicle and was asked to stop by Inspector Sushil Dubey at Partapur tiraha here. Angry over being stopped, Ankit allegedly misbehaved with the inspector following which policemen forced him into an official jeep to take him to police station, they said. Soon afterwards Sanjay Tyagi, in-charge of BJP's south assembly constituency, reached the spot with his supporters and tried to pull Ankit out of the police jeep during which they had a scuffle with the policemen, police officers said. The policemen alleged that the BJP leader and his supporters slapped the inspector and tore his uniform and that of another officer. The police personnel claimed that they have a video of the incident. However, the BJP leader claimed that the police inspector and other personnel on the name of vehicle checking first misbehaved with his son and then with him. Later hundreds of BJP workers reached Partapur police station and protested against the force. On getting information about the incident, senior police officers reached the spot and pacified both sides. The BJP leader and police personnel lodged cross complaints against each other. However, Ankit was later let off. No FIR has been registered in the matter and a probe is underway in it. Congress state secretary Chowdhury Yashpal Singh said releasing a person who had allegedly assaulted policemen shows that the force acting under the pressure of ruling BJP. Ram Kumar Sangwan, RLD's west Uttar Pradesh in-charge, said the incident has revealed the true face of the BJP which used to attack the Samajwadi Party on similar incidents. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sporadic incidents of stone-pelting were reported in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency where voting for the bypoll is underway, police said. Miscreants started pelting stones on polling booths in some areas of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency this morning, a police official said. He said stone-pelting incidents were reported from Budgam and Ganderbal districts of central Kashmir which are part of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency where polling began at 7 AM. In Budgam district, stone-pelting incidents were reported from Hafroo Batpora in Chrar-e-Sharief Assembly constituency, Gooripora area in Beerwah, Dardpora and Soibugh in Budgam and Hayatpora in Chadoora assembly segments, the official said. He said in Wakura area of Ganderbal Assembly constituency, a polling station was without electricity and as the Power Development Department linemen tried to rectify the snag, some miscreants pelted stones on them. Security forces swung into action and chased away the protestors, the official said. Meanwhile, normal life was affected in the three poll-bound districts of the Valley due to a strike called by separatist groups, who have asked people to stay away from the election process. Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal were shut, while public transport was off the roads, the official said. He, however, said that few private cars were seen plying in these areas. The government has declared a holiday for today in these three districts. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pointed out that the supplementary fund provisions made by the Maharashtra government for the financial year was not required. The report, tabled in the Maharashtra Legislature last week, pointed out that supplementary fund provisions of Rs 35,468.54 crore for the financial year proved "wholly unnecessary." The CAG report on Economic Sector for the year 2015-16 said, "As against the original provision of Rs 2,53,591.80 crore, expenditure of Rs 2,36,066.30 crore was incurred, thereby requiring no supplementary funds. "This also indicated that seeking supplementary provisions was avoidable since the expenditure did not even reach the level of original provision," the report said. "In view of the overall savings of Rs 52,9954.04 crore, the supplementary provision of Rs 35,468.54 crore proved wholly unnecessary," it stated. The report observed that the government had indulged in "rush of expenditure" in the last month of the financial year. According to the Bombay Financial Rules, 1959, rush of expenditure in the closing month of the financial year should be avoided. The report also pointed out that the government made unwarranted and irregular advances from Contingency Fund. Contingency Fund of the State Government is in the nature of an imprest placed at the disposal of the Governor to enable him to make advances to meet urgent unforeseen expenditure, pending authorisation by the State Legislature. It has questioned that out of total expenses from the fund, Rs 77.20 crore were spent on foreseeable instances. The government had spent Rs 32 crore from the Contingency Fund for the purchase of 2,050 sq ft three-storey house in London where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar once lived. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Energy solutions provider CleanMax Solar plans to set up nearly 300 MW of solar capacity, including 100 MW of rooftop installation, this fiscal and will invest around Rs 1,500 crore for the same. "There is a huge opportunity in the sector, not just in the ground mounted solar space but also rooftop projects. We are hoping to install nearly 300 MW of solar capacity in the country in FY 2017-18, which will include 100 MW of rooftop installations," company's Co-founder Andrew Hines told PTI here. Currently, CleanMax has an operational capacity of 80 MW and another 25 MW is under construction. Out of the total operational capacity, two projects of 30 MW each are solar farms in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. "These 25 MW of projects will be commissioned in this fiscal itself. With the additional 300 MW, our total portfolio will reach to up to 400 MW in FY 2017-18," he said, adding the company will have to invest around Rs 1,500 crore to achieve the target. Hines said, many corporates and large institutions are keen on rooftop solar installations. "The rooftop segment is witnessing a good growth. Its cumulative capacity is currently 1,000 MW. Our primary focus on the rooftop installations has been corporates and large institutional clients as it provides a compelling value proposition for them to become sustainable. We own and operate the assets for nearly 20-25 years and supply power to the clients," he said. CleanMax's rooftop business is pan India with projects in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, among others. It has only two solar farms one each in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. "We will be setting up the targeted 200 MW solar farm projects in Karnataka, as the state's policies have made it a favourable scenario for us," Hines added. When asked about the solar tariffs coming down to as low as Rs 3 per unit and whether that is a concern for developers, he said, "the Rewa project in Madhya Pradesh was where the tariff fell drastically is one of a kind. The developers were offered various benefits as well as compensations, so they could manage to keep the prices low." However, he said, though the solar panel costs have come down, the industry is not likely to see such drop in tariffs unless there are incentives and compensations offered to developers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Incidents of robbery at public places are gradually rising with unscrupulous persons finding women a soft target, a Delhi court has observed while upholding the jail term of a man in a robbery case. The court made the observations while dismissing an appeal of a convict against the three-year jail term awarded to him by a magisterial court for robbing a woman of her purse near a temple in south Delhi in 2015. "Incidents of robbery and theft at public places are gradually rising in the society. Such offenders need to be given stringent punishment so that such offences are not repeated in future. "As per the complainant, he was following her from a distance. Such unscrupulous persons like the appellant find women as their soft target," Additional Sessions Judge R K Tripathi said while refusing to interfere with the 2016 order of the metropolitan magistrate (MM). "The punishment awarded to appellant (convict) by the MM is just and adequate. No ground to interfere in the sentence awarded to him is made out. I do not find any merit in the appeal preferred by appellant," the judge said. According to the prosecution, on December 27, 2015 at 10 PM, Laxman snatched the purse of the woman near Lajpat Nagar here. While he was running away, the woman shouted and soon passers-by caught him and handed him over to the police. He was booked for the offence under section 392 (robbery) of the IPC and was sent to three years in jail by a trial court in August 2016. The youth had pleaded innocence and claimed he was falsely implicated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today sought Law Department's opinion on who could order judicial probe to fix responsibility on non-remittance of Provident Fund of employees of PSUs and cooperatives in the union territory. In an urgent message toSendhil Kumar, Law Secretary, she sought the opinion of the department on who can order judicial inquiry on the matter. Bedialso sought the opinion as to who monitors the matter and what remedial measures should be taken to prevent any recurrence. Stating that any diversion of EPF was a criminal offence, Bedi said she believed that people's hard earned money was involved, she said in the message, a copy of which was made available to the press. Bedi had raked up the default issue in a tweet on Friday and had stated as per information available to her from the office of EPFO, there was a default in remittance of Rs 36.23 crore of the workers and staff in various Public Sector undertakings and cooperative societies in Puducherry. After she highlighted the issue, Welfare and Labour Minister M Kandasamy and Parliamentary Secretary K Lakshminarayan told reporters yesterday that the default had happened in previous regimes and it was the responsibility of the managements of the undertakings concerned. The pointed out that the present government has no role at all in the default of remittances'. Bedi in her twitter today said that she was glad "whoever is responsible for the default in remittance of the EPF stands exposed and hopefully will stem the rot and start the recovery'. She also tweeted that 'an exposure is discomforting.But so is facing the truth. Employees will fully have the relief". Bedi who was away in Delhi since yesterday would return to Puducherry tonight. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : An NRI woman devotee has made an offering of golden foot covers (Paaduka) weighing two kg and worth about Rs 61 lakh, at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here today. A Lakshmi from Andhra Pradesh, who has settled down in USA, sent the offering through her parents to the hill temple as a fulfillment of her vow as she was blessed with a child after a decade of her marriage, temple sources told PTI. Her one-year-old daughter was also present with her grandparents at the shrine when the offering was handed over to the temple authorities, the sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot today expressed confidence of his party's win in high- stakes Dholpur assembly by-election, saying people have voted against the ruling BJP and for the alternative in Congress. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has rendered the election a high profile by campaigning there vigorously for days besides getting most of her ministers to canvass intensively in her home turf. Pilot too matched her by holding over 200 public meetings and spending over 18 days in the backward region as a win for the Congress will be a big boost to the opposition party ahead of the state assembly polls later next year. The Congress had suffered a rout in 2012 assembly polls and then complete decimation in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when it did not win a single seat out of 25, but is seen to have recovered some ground under Pilot who led the party to a good show in local elections. A win in the by-poll will be a big boost to him, observers say. "I am confident of a Congress win in the election. People have voted for strengthening the alternative in the Congress and against the BJP government," he told PTI. The by-election was necessitated following disqualification of BSP MLA B L Kushwaha in a murder case and the BJP surprised observers by pitting his wife Shobha Rani as its candidate against Congress veteran Banwari Lal Sharma. The campaigning was marred by trading of allegations between the two parties with the opposition party repeatedly going to the Election Commission against the alleged misuse of the official machinery by the state government. The EC had ordered the transfer of Kushwaha from Dholpur Jail to Ganganagar after the Congress complained that he was virtually canvassing for the BJP from jail. Raje's decision to stay in back Dholpur even after the campaigning was over because of "health reasons" prompted Pilot to accuse her of trying influence voters. All star campaigners, except for local voters, are mandated to leave a constituency once campaigning is over. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 69 per cent votes were cast till 4 PM in the by-election to Dholpur Assembly constituency in Rajasthan. A total of 69.02 per cent polling was recorded till 4 PM, an official in the election office said. The by-election in the constituency began peacefully at 7 AM at 231 polling booths. The voting will continue till 6 PM. A total of nearly 1.91 lakh voters are eligible to cast votes in the bypoll, of which nearly 1.18 lakh are men and 90,000 are women. A total of 15 candidates are in the fray. Apart from BJP candidate Shobha Rani and Congress' Banwari Lal Sharma, 13 other candidates including wife of dacoit Jagan Gujjar, Mamta, are contesting. BJP's Shobha Rani cast her vote at Jamalpur polling booth while Banwari Lal Sharma of Congress exercised his right at Pachgaon polling booth. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje's son and MP from Jhalawar constituency Dushyant Singh and his wife Niharika Raje and Dholpur district collector Shuchi Tyagi also cast their votes at PWD polling booth. Tyagi said adequate security arrangements have been made in the district to ensure that poll is free, fair and peaceful. Paramilitary forces and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) jawans have been deployed at 61 polling booths which were declared critical, the District Collector said. It is for the first time voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines are used in this election. Voting at VVPAT machine is confirmed after seven seconds. Technical faults in the voting machines were reported at few booths which were then rectified, said Tyagi after casting her vote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The TDP government in Andhra Pradesh, an ally of the ruling NDA, today said the central government should not accept the recommendation of a Governor to impose President's rule in any state. Addressing the Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said such a decision was necessary for protecting the federal system in the country. "It has been requested not to accept the recommendation relating to imposition of local emergency under Articles-355 and 356 of the Constitution of India as the same is against principles of federalism," said Ramakrishnudu, who deputised for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He said as regards the role of Governor, it was suggested that one month's time is given to the Governor for giving his assent to a bill or making reference to the President wherever required as against the time limit of six months recommended by the M M Punchhi Commission. He said the recommendations relating to providing a fixed tenure to Governors and their impeachment was not necessary. The minister said as regards fixing eligibility criteria for selection of Governors, it was specifically suggested that retired bureaucrats and judges should have a minimum cooling off period before which they are considered for Governorship. Ramakrishnudu suggested suggested the Standing Committee meetings of the Inter-State Council be mandatorily held at least three times a year. "It was further suggested that the treaty-making powers of Union government, whenever they are impinging on the jurisdiction of states, the state governments concerned should invariably be consulted and any financial loss/burden be compensated," he said. The AP Finance Minister said for assenting a Bill that has been referred to the President, a time limit of three months should be fixed. Regarding the recommendation for creation of more All India Services, he said each state should form its own administrative/developmental services to man the departments of health, education, etc. He said the Punchhi Commission's recommendation relating to equal representation to all states in the Rajya Sabha was against the interest of larger states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat etc. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Odisha, Tripura and Chhattisgarh counterparts Naveen Patnaik, Manik Sarkar and Raman Singh attended it. Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, who are also members of the committee, did not attend the meeting and sent their representatives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Week-long Easter celebrations commencedtoday at the ancient Shrine Basillica in nearby Vailankanni with the "Palm Sunday" procession. The celebrations will end with Easteron April 16. As part of "PalmSunday", priests and others went in a procession carrying palmleaves at Vailankanni, a famous Christian pilgrim centre in Tamil Nadu. Throughout the week, the 17th century shrine would see a stream of pilgrims, wearing saffron saris and loin cloths. Also, several people undertake a "padayatra" to the church from all over the state travelling for days on foot. On their arrival at Vailankanni, they get their heads tonsured as thanksgiving. Several Hindus also take part in the padayatra and Easter celebrations. The events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus are considered holy for the Christians and they celebrate the whole week preceding Easter as 'Holy Week'. Special prayers were held at the New Jerusalem church, Tarangambadi, which is the oldest protestant church in Asia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Though BJP leaders in West Bengal saw nothing wrong in displaying arms during a Ram Navami rally on Wednesday, Union Minister and BJP leader Rajen Gohain today differed saying he did not approve of it. Asked for his opinion on the display of swords and knives during the RSS-backed Ram Navami processions in various parts of the state on April 5, Union Minister of State for Railways Gohain told a press conference that he did not support rallies with arms. Gohain initially denied that the rallies were held with arms, but when asked if he did not consider swords as arms, he said, "It was an improper act." Defending holding of rallies with arms, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha had earlier said, "Sword and knives are not weapons. In many schools and programmes these are used for physical drills. There is nothing wrong in it." An FIR has been registered against West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on the charge of leading a rally with swords on the occasion of Ram Navami in Kharagpur. In the press conference at Ranaghat in Nadia district, Gohain said the problem relating to Teesta water sharing with Bangladesh would be solved within a few days. "It will take some time but the Teesta related problem with the West Bengal CM will get solved within a few days," he said. The long-pending Teesta water sharing agreement remained elusive primarily due to opposition to it by Banerjee who was present with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during launch of new train and bus services between the two countries yesterday. Modi expressed hope that the West Bengal chief minister would eventually support the agreement, Banerjee later met Hasina and suggested taht water of other small rivers which also flow into Bangladesh can be shared. Reminded of the TMC's allegation that the BJP was trying to make West Bengal a second Gujarat, Gohain said, "West Bengal is going to be the second Bangladesh." He, however, did not elaborate on this. Gohain, who was here to hold a closed-door party workers' meeting, claimed that his party would win 80 per cent seats in the next Assembly election. On railway projects of the state, he said, "We have the target to complete the announced projects first. But the West Bengal government failed to acquire required land for many projects for which work got stopped. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A crack team of counter-terror NSG commandos has been permanently based at its newest hub in Gujarat by the central government. This is the fifth hub of the National Security Guard (NSG) in the country after four such bases were operationalised in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai post the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Officials said the new hub, operationalised recently near capital Gandhinagar, has been tasked with securing the entire western flank of the country from Gujarat to Rajasthan. About 100 commandos of the counter-terror and counter- hijack squads of the NSG have been based at the hub, officials told PTI. The commandos are currently operating from a Gujarat Police facility. They were first sent to Gujarat last year in March after Intelligence inputs indicated a possible terror strike in the state and now, the officials said, they have been based permanently there. The facilities at the permanent hub, on a 1.33 lakh sq m land near the Randesan village in Gandhinagar, will be enhanced soon and a proposal to equip the centre with commando training facilities, living barracks and other logistics is in progress, they said. The Centre, a few years ago, had proposed to create the latest hub of the elite black cat commandos force in Gujarat as it shares a 512-km-long land border with Pakistan and has 1,640-km-long coastline. It is foreseen that in case of a terror threat or attack to locations in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the commandos can be airlifted or deployed for action in quick time from here. The nearby hub in Mumbai could supplement its efforts in case the challenge erupts at two-three different locations at one given point of time. The Gujarat government, after handing over the land to the NSG for the hub last year, had said while the market value of the plot is more than Rs 470 crore it is giving it to the Centre at a token cost of just Rs 1. The main garrison for the commando force is in Manesar in Gurgaon, near the national capital. Creating NSG hubs in all the four corners of the country was aimed at rushing in the commandos for any counter-terror and counter-hijack operation in quick time. The response time taken by the commando force for countering the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 had come under criticism and therefore the government had decided to station the commandos at various locations so that crucial time was not lost in transit. NSG was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force to counter terrorist activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) From: (Anonymous) Date: April 9th, 2017 02:22 am (UTC) (Link) Russias Info War on the U.S. Started Russias Info War on the U.S. Started with opening Russian propaganda TV channel "Russia Today" back in 2005. Budget When it was established in 2005, ANO TV-Novosti invested $30 million in start-up costs to establish RT,[13] with a budget of $30 million for its first year of operation. Half of the network's budget came from the Russian government; the other half came from pro-Kremlin commercial banks at the government's request.[42] Its annual budget increased from approximately $80 million in 2007 to $380 million in 2011, but was reduced to $300 million in 2012.[94][2][95] Russian President Vladimir Putin prohibited the reduction of funding for RT on 30 October 2012.[96] About 80 percent of RT's costs are incurred outside Russia, paying partner networks around $260 million for the distribution of its channels in 2014.[97][98] In 2014 RT received 11.87 billion rubles ($310 million) in government funding that year and was expected to receive 15.38 billion rubles ($400 million) in 2015.[99] (For comparison the bigger BBC World Service Group had a $376 million budget in 2014-15.[100]) However at the start in 2015, as the ruble's value plummeted and a ten percent reduction in media subsidies was imposed, it was thought that RT's budget for the year would fall to about $236 million.[97][98] During the year, government funding was increased to 20.8 billion roubles (around $300 million in September).[101] In 2015, RT was expected to receive 19 billion rubles ($307 million) from the Russian government in 2016.[102] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT_(TV_network) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has summoned Principal Secretary (Home) on April 11 in connection with the dismissal of a police constable. The order was passed by Justice Rajan Roy on April 7 on a writ petition filed by a constable Ritesh Kumar Srivastava challenging his dismissal from the service. The constable alleged that he was dismissed from the service on March 15 last year without any inquiry as mandatory in the service rules concerned. Petitioner's dismissal order was passed in connection with a case of embezzlement against him. The court said, "It is high time that the officers concerned stop passing such orders as otherwise guilty personnel go scot-free on account of passing of such orders without complying the requirement of law." It listed the matter on April 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mumbai income tax zone, which contributes a third of the nationwide direct tax collection, has missed the revenue mop-up target for FY17 by a whisker, a department official has said. "The Mumbai zone has missed the target of Rs 2,79,000 crore for financial year 2017 by a wafer-thin margin," an official of the income tax department told PTI here. However, the official didn't give the exact amount which has been collected from the nation's financial capital. Citing the reason for missing the mark, the official said, "We have given refunds by over 30 per cent when compared to the previous year and it was one of the major reasons for marginally missing the target." The Mumbai zone had achieved the revenue collection of Rs 2,48,000 crore in the previous financial year. At the national level, direct tax collections in 2016- 17 stood at Rs 8,47,000 crore, up 14.2 per cent over the last financial year. The department was able to meet the target for financial year 2017 whereas it had missed the mark for pan-India in the previous financial year. Meanwhile, Bengaluru topped the chart in the collection of direct taxes among all the metros for the year, while the national capital saw a marginal growth. In percentage terms, Bengaluru upped the chart with a 21 per cent growth at Rs 90,000 crore, whereas New Delhi's collections inched up by five per cent to Rs 1,10,000 crore. In contrast, Chennai zone grew 18 per cent at Rs 60,000 crore and Kolkata by 15 per cent at Rs 36,500 crore, the official added. Notwithstanding the strain in ties, the navies of India and China carried out a well coordinated operation to rescue a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden which was hijacked by Somali pirates last night. After getting a distress call about the attack on the cargo vessel OS 35, Indian Navy sent warships INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash while the Chinese Navy also responded to the call for help by moving in its missile frigate Yulin. The merchant ship, with 19 Filipino crew members, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the merchant ship registered in the Pacific island of Tuvalu. The two Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared as global terrorist by the UN. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked the Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also complimented the Chinese side. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UK's Maritime Trade Organisation UKMTO that keeps a vigil on movement of the ships in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," the navy spokesperson said. The captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called Bashar al-Assad to reaffirm his support for the Syrian leader in the wake of a US missile strike, Rouhani's office said today. "The nation of Iran will remain alongside the Syrian nation in fighting terrorism and safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity," Rouhani said in the call last evening, according to a statement on the presidency website. He said Western allegations that Assad's regime was behind a chemical weapons attack last week were "baseless" and suggested it was carried out by rebel groups to influence global public opinion. "Terrorists must not be allowed to use such weapons to accuse others and pave the way for actions that are contrary to international law," said Rouhani. Assad said the US missile strikes on a Syrian air base, launched in response to the chemical weapons attack, only made him more determined. "The United States failed to achieve its goal with this aggression, which was to raise the morale of the terrorist groups it supports after the victories achieved by the Syrian army," Assad told Rouhani, according to Syrian state agency SANA. "The Syrian people and army are determined to crush terrorism in every part of Syrian territory." Iran and Russia have been the key backers of Assad and refer to all Syrian opposition groups as "terrorists". "Greater coordination between Iran, Syria and Russia can be very effective in the fight against terrorism. Those who think that by supporting terrorists, they can change Syria's future in their interest, are absolutely wrong," Rouhani said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Income Tax department has summoned Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar, actor- politician R Sarath Kumar and a noted educationist to appear before it here tomorrow in connection with a tax evasion probe. "Yes. It is a normal procedure," IT sources told PTI when asked whether the department has issued summons to the three persons including the Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr M G R Medical University, Geethalakshmi. The health minister, meanwhile, said he would appear before the department tomorrow and extend his full cooperation to the probe. "I have received the summons. I am a law-abiding citizen. So, tomorrow morning I will definitely be in the IT office and give my full cooperation," he said. Yesterday, Vijayabhaskar's father Chinnathambi, and a relative had appeared before the department in Tiruchirapalli in connection with the April 7 searches. Nearly 100 sleuths of the IT department along with security personnel had conducted searches at over 30 locations across the state belonging to the official residence and properties owned by Vijayabhaskar and also at the home of Sarath Kumar in Chennai. The searches on the premises of an associate of the minister allegedly revealed routing of Rs 89 crore for "distribution to voters" in R K Nagar Assembly constituency which goes to the poll on April 12. Vijayabaskar is a prominent loyalist of AIADMK (Amma) faction's candidate T T V Dinakaran for the R K Nagar bypoll and the first state minister to come under the lens of tax men. He is among the key campaigners in the bypoll. Vijayabaskar had slammed the raids by the I-T department saying, "their intentions were not fulfilled." "They have not seized any unaccounted money or documents. Their intentions are not fulfilled by the raids," he had said. The bypoll to the R K Nagar Constituency has been necessitated due to the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha in December 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vice-Principal of an engineering college in Kerala, one of the absconding accused in the case relating to the death of an engineering student in January this year, was arrested from near Coimbatore today. N K Sakthivel, Vice-Principal of the Nehru College of Engineering, was arrested from a relative's farmhouse at Annoor after the latter's mobile phone signals were tracked, police said. He is being brought to Thrissur police club, they said. There are a total of five accused in the case. Nehru Group of Institutions Chairman P Krishnadas and a college official Sajith, son of former Congress minister, K P Vishwanathan, were arrested earlier. Two more accused, Prof C P Praveen and Deepan, are still absconding. Jishnu Pranoy, a first year student of Nehru College of Engineering in Thrissur, was found hanging in the college hostel in January last, following alleged harassment by college authorities. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thrissur that his government and police would everything they can to bring all the guilty to book in the case. "The government will take all steps to get justice for Jishnu's family," he said speaking at a function at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district. The CPI(M)-led LDF government had on April 6 set up a Special Investigation Team to nab the absconding accused in the suicide of Jishnu and had announced a Rs one lakh reward to those giving information about the two wanted men. This action had come a day after Jishnu's family members were prevented by police from staging a fast in front of the DGP's office here. They were forcibly removed from the site and then arrested. The government had come under flak from various quarters, including LDF partner CPI, for the "high handed" police action against the mother of Jishnu and others. As a mark of protest over the police "highhandedness" against Jishnu's family, a state-wide hartal was observed on April 6 in response to a call by the Congress-led UDF and the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An estimated 76 and 78 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the bypolls to Nanjanagud and Gundlupet Assembly constituencies in Karnataka today. "The voter turnout in Nanjanagud was around 76 per cent and about 78 per cent at Gundlupet tentatively at 5 PM," the Election Commission officials said. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha had earlier told PTI that the voter turnout has been "very good" and that the elections have been by and large peaceful. The polls were necessitated in Gundulpet and Nanjanagud following the death of Cooperation Minister Mahadeva Prasad and resignation of V Srinivas Prasad as a Congress MLA after he was dropped from the ministry. Srinivas Prasad is now the BJP candidate from Nanjangud while Congress has fielded Kalale Keshavamurthy, who had contested the 2013 Assembly polls on a JD(S) ticket. In Gundlupet, the Congress has fielded Mahadeva Prasad's wife Geeta Mahadeva Prasad and the BJP, C S Niranjan Kumar as its candidate. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) has decided not to field its candidates for the by-polls and remain neutral. The stakes are high for both ruling Congress and BJP, particularly so for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as he aims to continue his grip over the party and the government ahead of next year's Assembly elections, even as he faces dissidence from the party's old guard. With both constituencies being Congress seats and in his home turf, winning the bypoll has become a prestige issue for Siddaramaiah, who had devoted the last eight days for the campaign crisscrossing both the constituencies. Counting of votes will take place on April 13. On the other hand, for Yeddyurappa too results of these polls are important to have his dominance in the ticket distribution for the next year Assembly elections. The Lingayat strongman who had camped in the two constituencies for the last 26 days for campaigning, also faces dissonance within the party over his "unilateral" style of functioning. A total of 12 candidates are in the fray in Nanjanagud constituency, which has 2,01,815 voters. In Gundlupete, nine candidates are in the fray, where there are a total of 2,00,860 voters. Along with police and home guard personnel, Karnataka State Reserve Police, District Armed Reserve and Central Armed Police Force units or platoons had been deployed for the bypolls, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A tiny village in West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya has banned fishing on a stretch of the Rilang river to preserve its fauna. The fish sanctuary near Rohbah village, about 130 km from here, has helped rejuvenate the fauna which has been depleting over the years. The initiative also got support from residents of 7-8 nearby villages through which the Rilang rolls down. The village, with a population of about 250, was adopted under the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP), a livelihood and rural development project aimed at improving the livelihoods of vulnerable groups in a sustainable manner through improved management of their resource base in a way that contribute to the preservation and restoration of the environment. The villagers say the fish sanctuary, established about five years ago, has helped increase yields of the river. The state authorities too extended support to the fish sanctuary, said a villager. "We have set up 238 community conserved areas in West Khasi Hills and 267 in West Garo Hills of Meghalaya under the project. We initiate project based on the people's need and we utilise their knowledge of conservation," said a project official. The NERCORMP, a joint developmental initiative of the North Eastern Council and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, has been implemented in two districts each of three northeastern states - Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya -- in two phases. The central government extended the project to two more districts in Manipur and three districts in Arunachal Pradesh in the third phase. A proposal has been mooted for the fourth phase of this project to reach out to more and more villages and enable the rural communities to come together and work towards sustainable development in the northeastern region. "With limited resources and time frame, the two phases of NERCORMP was implemented in two districts each in Meghalaya, Assam and Manipur, but not covering all blocks of these districts... There are more villages in abject poverty with only agriculture and shifting cultivation as their main source of livelihood. There is a need for an intervention to uplift the livelihood of the communities residing in these remote villages," according to a project document. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Traders on the MCX platform can check out cotton prices in 'candy' -- a measurement unit other than bale -- from tomorrow as the bourse is launching this facility only for reference. The running cotton futures contract on the MCX platform quotes prices in rupee per bale while there has been demand to display prices in candy as well. One bale is equal to 170 kg while one candy comprises 2.09 bales, or 356 kg. According to sources, the 'reference only cotton contract' will be available for traders from tomorrow on MCX to check prices in candy, but not for trading purpose. So, all other features like 'open interest' will remain blank. This additional feature will help the trading community who deal in candy to better connect with cotton prices at MCX, they said. As far as the existing cotton futures contract is concerned, there will not be any modification in parameters. It may be noted that cotton futures contract on the MCX is one of the most liquid agri-contracts with 100 per cent market share. Its prices have become a benchmark for the cotton industry in India. Corporates such as Louis Dreyfus, Manjeet Cotton, Arvind Ltd, Gill & Company, and SportKing, among others, hedge on MCX. As per the exchange data, the average daily volume in the contract is more than one lakh bales and the contract is actively used by the cotton value chain participants to effectively manage their price risk. In 2016-17, cotton volume increased by 50 per cent to 285.6 lakh bales from 190 lakh bales in the previous year. MCX cotton contract with 25 bales as the trading unit has a basis staple length of 29 mm, with facility to deliver 28 mm-31 mm, that caters to over 75 per cent requirements of the cotton stakeholders in India. It is a compulsory delivery contract with provisions to deliver at designated warehouses across several locations in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stray incidents of violence were reported in the bypoll underway at Madhya Pradesh's Ater Assembly seat with the Congress alleging that its candidate was attacked by the BJP workers and gunshots were fired at him. The Election Commission officials, however, said there was a dispute between the agents of the Congress and the BJP. Meanwhile, the polling in Bandhavgarh (ST) Assembly seat bypoll in Umaria district was progressing smoothly without any untoward incident being reported. Amid incidents of violence, polling is also underway for the bypoll to Ater Assembly seat in Bhind district. State Congress chief Arun Yadav, at a press conference, alleged that, "Seeing its imminent defeat, the BJP has been desperately trying to capture booths." "The BJP workers attacked the Congress candidate from Ater, Hemant Katare. Gunshots were fired at him at a booth in Sankri village. The vehicles of mediapersons were also damaged," he claimed. Yadav also alleged that the BJP was using the administration to affect the electoral process. "At least 40 booth agents were detained by the administration last night. Nearly 35 of them were released late last night when the Congress complained to the Election Commission," he said. The MP Congress Chief further alleged that the ruling party was trying to capture at least 40-45 booths in Ater constituency. However, the Election Commission's state PRO said there was a dispute between agents at Sankri booth in Ater constituency. "There was a dispute between agents of the Congress and the BJP. The district Collector and Superintendent of Police informed that Congress candidate reached at Sankri booth of the constituency. This created the dispute," the PRO said. He said the polling was continuing there in a peaceful manner. "Police fired in the air to control the situation," the state chief electoral officer said at a press conference. Meanwhile, around 25 per cent polling was recorded till 11 AM in Ater. In Bandhavgarh, there was around 25.7 per cent polling till 11 AM, an official said. In Ater, the Congress has fielded Hemant Katare, son of former Leader of Opposition Satyadev Katare, whose death necessitated the bypoll. From BJP, former MLA Arvind Singh Bhadoria is contesting the bypoll. The bypoll in Bandhavgarh seat was necessitated as its MLA Gyan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha in November last year. The main contest in Bandhavgarh (ST) seat is between the BJP's Shivnarayan Singh, son of Gyan Singh, and Savitri Singh of the Congress. The counting of votes will take place on April 13. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Norway's intelligence agency raised the national threat level today after a 17-year-old Russian was arrested on suspicion of placing a homemade bomb in central Oslo. The domestic intelligence agency PST said an attack was now "probable" rather than "possible", because of the risk of a copycat attack after recent assaults in Stockholm, Saint Petersburg, London, Berlin and Nice. The new threat level will be in place for two months. "It's not clear whether the 17-year-old young man intended to commit a terrorist attack," PST chief Benedicte Bjornland told reporters. The teen's lawyer, Aase Karine Sigmond, said her client rejected the allegations, as well as claims in the media that he was an Islamic State (IS) sympathiser. "It was a boy's prank," she told broadcaster NRK. The intelligence agency was trying to determine whether he had acted alone. The incident came after a deadly truck attack that left four persons dead and 15 injured in Stockholm in neighbouring Sweden. The main suspect in that attack, a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, had shown an interest in jihadist groups like IS and had had his permanent residency application rejected, police said today. Norwegian police had earlier announced that they had carried out a controlled explosion overnight Saturday and that they had made an arrest. Police had cordoned off part of Oslo's busy Gronland district and evacuated local bars and restaurants after the device was discovered last evening. The device turned out to be a "primitive explosive device" with the capacity to cause only "limited" damage, said another PST official, Signe Alling. The suspect had arrived in Norway in 2010 with his family, which had sought asylum. He was already known to intelligence circles. "He was cause for concern previously, but we don't want to comment on which milieu he was part of," Bjornland said. Memories are still fresh in Norway of the July 2011 twin attacks perpetrated by rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing near the government offices in Oslo and a gun rampage on the Utoya island. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Narayan Rane today hailed Bal Thackeray, asserting that the late Sena supremo has made him the man he is today. Rane, a former Chief Minister, was with the Shiv Sena for several years before joining the Congress. "Whatever I am today is only because of Balasaheb. The confidence that Balasaheb had in me then, no other leader had. Which-ever party I move to, Balasaheb's place (in my heart) will remain the same," Rane said at an event organised to celebrate his 65th birthday. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, NCP leaders Jayant Patil, Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde were present on the occasion. "When I wanted to become the Mayor of Mumbai, Balasaheb gave me a chance to become a member of the Legislative Assembly. Maharashtra knows Narayan Rane (only) because of Balasaheb," he added. Rane said he does whatever he decides to without getting scared of anybody because he works with honesty and sincerity. "I talk to (Congress chief) Sonia Gandhi and (Congress Vice President) Rahul Gandhi as I used to talk with Balasaheb," he said. Rane also remembered late BJP leaders Gopinath Munde and Pramod Mahajan. He said Gadkari has a bright future and he has the capability to change the face of the nation. "Our (Rane and Gadkari's) friendship is pure. I am in the Congress, yet, Gadkari came (to attend the birthday celebration) because of our friendship. Despite sharing the dais with aggressive leaders of Opposition parties, Gadkari looks unnerved. Only he knows how to put his position in danger to preserve friendships," Rane said. Gadkari said both (of them - he and Rane) have together played the role of an efficient opposition. "Rane came to Mumbai and created his leadership without having any political backing. He is a self-made man. People change when they leave their political party. But Rane never disrespected Balasaheb," he said. "However harsh was the criticism (from Shiv Sena) but he never said anything that would disrespect Balasaheb. Had Rane not left the Sena, politics in the state today would have gone in a different direction," Gadkari said. Shinde said there are rumours of Rane mulling to join other parties but they are unwarranted. "New legislators should consider Rane as an ideal," the Congress veteran said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leander Paes has no reason to "sulk" after being excluded from India's playing squad since he was conveyed in advance that his place was not confirmed in final four, non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi said today. Bhupathi had picked Rohan Bopanna ahead of Paes to play against Uzbekistan and defended his decision. "He deserves the respect after what he's achieved for the country to be given the option to be in the six. We gave him the option and he readily took it. So after that, to sulk about not being in the four was a bit unprofessional," Bhupathi said after India won the tie 4-1. Coming into the tie, Paes had a won a Challenger event in Mexico and joined the Indian team on Wednesday while the rest of the members assembled on Sunday. Bhupathi said when there was space for only one doubles, player, Rohan Bopanna was a better choice. "Like I said in the press conference on Thursday, I am a big believer that we don't require a doubles specialist for the Davis Cup team. As of today, Rohan Bopanna is India's number one doubles player by far," he said. Paes was unhappy with his exclusion. He questioned the selection criteria and left for Mumbai midway into the tie, a decision which Bhupathi termed as "shocking". "I had asked Leander to do fitness test. I mean I am extremely proud of the fact that he won the Challenger. But in the same breath Rohan also competed at highest level, he played against Novak (Djokovic). So, my criteria was not of one or two things, but five, and that included fitness, of course," Bhupathi said. "The six-man squad is to build a team. This (Paes walking off the day after his arrival) is one of the many shocking things that has transpired this week," he said. Bopanna said the captain has said the same thing to all the players, including him. "I think Mahesh said the same thing what he was saying to Leander and me as well. He said he is not going to pick the team till Wednesday. Until the day before, I did not know I was going to be a part of the team and I was here to practice with the team, irrespective of I am going to be fit or not," he said. Bopanna said being part of the team and when two players are making debuts, one needs to stay to make them comfortable and share his international experience with youngsters. "Being part of the Davis Cup team, it is all about supporting and staying there to make comfortable the two debutantes, and also sharing my experience with them. I would like to share it instead of taking back home and keeping it with me," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A retired Pakistan Army officer has gone missing while visiting a Nepalese town on the Indian border for a job interview. The ex-officer, identified as Lt Col (Rtd) Mohammad Habib, has been untraceable since Thursday from Lumbini in Nepal soon after his arrival there. He last contacted his family on Thursday afternoon and since then his phone numbers have not been reachable, the Dawn reported. Habib's family reported his disappearance to the Foreign Office after not having been able to reach him. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammed Nafees Zakari said the ministry has asked authorities in Nepal to look into the disappearance of Habib. The story about the disappearance of the former military officer first surfaced in WhatsApp groups of retired military officers and was subsequently picked up by the media. Habib, who retired in October 2014 and belonged to artillery, was currently employed with a private firm in Pakistan and had posted his CV online in search of employment. Somebody by the name of Mark Thompson had reportedly contacted him both via email and telephone for a job interview in Nepal for which he was also provided an air ticket, the daily said. He departed from Lahore on Wednesday and reached Kathmandu next day from where he immediately flew to Lumbini. "In Kathmandu, the information coming from retired army officers groups and verified by military sources revealed that he was provided a Nepalese cellphone SIM card by one Javed Ansari, who received him there," the daily said. The last message that he sent from Lumbini said that he had reached his destination. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan censor board has banned the screening of Bollywood action thriller "Naam Shabana" over objectionable content after initially allowing its release with some cuts. Last week, the film was allowed to run but a theatre in Islamabad showed it without the mandatory cuts, leading to the ban. "It prompted the censor board to ban the screening of the movie," an official said. He said that some of the scenes related to terrorism were not fit enough to be shown. The officials at censor board were reluctant to allow its screening but the local distributor - Ever Ready Pictures - persuaded them to allow the release after editing. "Naam Shabana" stars Taapsee Pannu and Manoj Bajpayee in lead roles and was initially released in Pakistan on March 31. Pakistan banned the screening of Indian films last year after cross border tension between the two countries. The ban was, however, lifted at the start of this year allowing the screening of Indian films after approval by the censor board. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 42 Indian fishermen and seized seven boats off the Gujarat coast, an official of a fishermen's body said here today. "The fishermen along with seven boats were captured by the PMSA in two separate incidents from near International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) off Gujarat coast," National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI. "While 18 fishermen sailing on three boats were captured late last night, 24 more fishermen were captured along with four boats today. In all, seven boats with 42 fishermen have been captured so far since last night," he said. The seized boats belong to Okha and Mangrol, he added. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Pakistani authorities and 40 boats were seized. On March 26, the PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in the Indian water. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and seized three boats off the Gujarat coast, an official said today. Three fishing boats from Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol were seized and 18 fishermen sailing on them captured by PMSA late last night from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) Secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI. The captured boats had set sail from the coastal town of Porbandar a few days ago, Lodhari said. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan is planning to sell donkeys to China after an investment of Rs 1 billion in its 'Donkey Development Programme', in a bid to attract Chinese investors in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Steps are being initiated to increase the population of donkeys in the province as the animals are highly valued in China for its hide which is used to manufacture medicines among other things, according to an official document. The 'Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa-China Sustainable Donkey Development Programme' worth Rs 1 billion ($9.5 million) is one of the many investment portfolios prepared by the province to attract Chinese investment in its agriculture sector under the ambitious $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Express Tribune reported. The donkey export proposal would be presented to investors during a two-day road show in China this month, it said. "The proposed project will help improve the socio-economic status of donkey-rearing communities by improving the health and production of local donkeys. New technologies will be introduced and work will be done on capacity building of donkey breeders and services they provide," the document reads. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will "develop linkages in order to improve prices of donkeys and enhance the income of breeders and traders," it added. The proposed cost of the project is Rs 1 billion, but the document insisted the scheme will meet "not only its investment cost but also generate a good amount of revenue". Investors will have to construct animal shelters, buildings for semen production, offices and residential compounds for staff, it said, adding they also need to procure the animals and necessary machinery and make arrangements to generate the needed electricity from solar energy. The provincial government will look after utilities and provide technical and non-technical employees for the farms. "The project can be executed through joint venture mutually agreed between the provincial government and the investor. It is also open for state-owned, state-supported and private entities," the document added. The customs department has unearthed a new modus operandi of sending demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes abroad by courier in a bid to get them converted here later. After these high denomination notes were taken out of circulation by the government in November last, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were given a longer window till June 30 to get them exchanged, whereas citizens who were in the country at that time were allowed to deposit the old notes till December 30, 2016. Customs officials have registered a few cases, where demonetised banknotes were sent abroad by courier, and seized over Rs 1 lakh in such notes, a senior official said today. People were found trying to send the old notes abroad by falsely declaring them as articles such as books, he said. "The aim could be to take help of their relatives or friends abroad to get the old notes exchanged with the new ones," the official said. In two cases, couriers were booked from Punjab for Australia and the content inside them was declared as a book. The customs official, who are keeping an eye on outbound parcels at the foreign post office here, found them having demonetised notes. Similar consignments were booked for Korea and the United Arab Emirates containing the defunct notes. "In all, over Rs 1 lakh in old currency notes were seized from these couriers," he said. Such cases have also been registered at foreign post offices located across the country, the official said. After scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, the government had permitted people to deposit them in banks up to December 30, 2016. The RBI has allowed Indian citizens, who were abroad during November-December 2016, to exchange the scrapped notes up to March 31 and NRIs up to June 30. This facility is available at RBI offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Nagpur only. NRIs coming to India are required to come through Red Channel disclosing to the Customs authorities at the airport the amount of the demonetised notes and secure a certificate to be tendered at the RBI at the time of exchange. A 12-year-old boy, who had run away from his home in Haryana, has been reunited with his family by the staff of Kashmere Gate police station, police said today. The boy was found by a policeman, who was patrolling the area, from the inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) yesterday. He seemed lost when he noticed by the policeman, who brought him to the police station. When asked, he gave his address in Rewari city, which later turned out to be wrong after a sub-inspector took the boy there, they said, adding he tried to mislead the police. The policeman then strictly questioned the child, to which he said that he had failed in his exams and was upset. He did not want to go back to his home, police said. The sub-inspector then asked him to share his mother's mobile number and she was contacted. After which, he took the boy to Rewari railway station and he was handed over to his parent. The boy is a resident of Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, they said, adding the boy's parents thanked the police for reuniting them with their son. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Pranab Mukherjee will attend Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagrah's centenary celebrations later this month in Patna, where a host of events have been lined up to mark 100 years of the historic movement. The Bihar government will tomorrow kick off the year-long commemorative celebrations, as it was on April 10, 1917 that Gandhi set foot in the state for the first time. "100 glorious years of Gandhi's iconic Satyagrah movement is being marked through a number of events in various parts of Bihar and the President is slated to attend a function in Patna on April 17," an official source told PTI. Incidentally, Mukherjee had inaugurated the year-long centenary celebrations of the Patna High Court on April 18, 2015. Patna has several landmarks and heritage trails associated with the legacy of Gandhi and his stay in the capital 100 years ago, after he had alighted from a third-class compartment at Patna railway station (then Bankipore station). Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the celebrations, which will later spread to West Champaran and East Champaran (erstwhile unified Champaran district) and Muzaffarpur, among other places. A two-day seminar on the life of Gandhi and other social issues would be the first in the series of events that kick off on Monday. "The President will only be attending the function in Patna for a day. He may visit the Patna Sahib gurudwara," the source said. Incidentally, Patna in January hosted grand festivities to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, with the iconic Gandhi Maidan becoming the focal point of the celebrations. The Maidan (erstwhile Patna Lawn) also is the site of the world's tallest statue of Gandhi, which was sculpted by legendary artist Ram Sutar. A whole host of other activities, from exhibitions to workshops and heritage walks, are lined up from Patna to Motihari (district headquarters of East Champaran) during this period. Gandhi came to Bihar at the invitation of indigo cultivator Raj Kumar Shukla who wanted him to take up the cause of the farmers who were forced to grow indigo by the British. A framed painting showing him alighting from a third-class compartment, put up at the Patna Junction, commemorates his first visit to Bihar's capital. An interesting incident took place that day when Shukla took him to the residence of Rajendra Prasad, a Congress leader and a lawyer who had just started practising at the Patna High Court and went on to become the first President of the country. "Shukla took Gandhi to the house of Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer, he and other indigo-growers had engaged. However,the lawyer was out of town, and judging Gandhi to be of low caste, did not allow him to draw water from the well or use the lavatory in the house," reminisces his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi in his book "Gandhi: The Man, His People and the Empire". Incidentally, an important scene in Oscar-winning biopic "Gandhi" was shot at centuries-old Patna Collectorate, near the Maidan during the 1980s. The Durch-era Record Room was dressed up as the Motihari Jail while the District Magistrate Office was used for the SDO Court scene. It was this episode and the turn of events over the next few years, including the Champaran farmers' movement that would earn 48-year-old barrister Gandhi the exalted moniker of 'Mahatma'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ramkumar Ramanathan put India on course for a clean-sweep against Uzbekistan by outwitting Sanjar Fayziev to give the hosts a 4-0 lead in the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie, here today. Ramkumar had no trouble in dispatching his rival 6-3 6-2 in just 67 minutes in the first reverse singles on the final day of the second round tie at the KSLTA stadium. Left-handed Prajnesh Gunneswaran will now take on Temur Ismailov and if he manages to win, it will be India's first whitewash since February 2014 when they hammered Chinese Taipei. Fayziev struggled to adjust to the bounce and speed of the court while Ramkumar turned it into his advantage. He consistently sent down bouncy serves, enticing errors from his opponent. In his first service game, Fayziev was down 0-40 and was broken when he smashed an overhead volley long and wide on the second breakpoint. Ramkumar quickly ran away with a 3-0 lead with an easy hold and could have been 4-0 up when Fayziev committed three consecutive double faults but the Uzbek managed to hold. A backhand passing winner handed Ramkumar a breakpoint in the sixth game but the Uzbek served well to save that. The Indian also approached the net better in the opening set, easily putting away Fayziev's feeble returns from the baseline. He served out the set in the ninth game. After squandering two break chances in the opening game of the second set, Ramkumar earned a third with a brilliant lob and converted when Fayziev fluffed a volley. Fayziev served better in the following games and returned well but Ramkumar still managed to get another break in the seventh game to open up a 5-2 lead and served out the match in the next game. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fintech company Razorpay is keen on exploring verticals like oil and gas, logistics and education for smoothening the process of business-to-business payments as it eyes profitability by September next year. The MasterCard and Tiger Global-backed company is also aggressively doubling its team across technology and sales to tap into the boom in the Indian e-payments market post demonetisation. "Overall, we have grown at 20X in the past 18 months and we should be able to grow at 7-10X in the next 12 months (FY17-18)...We hope to be profitable by September 2018 at the current growth rate," Razorpay Chief Growth Officer Siddharth Dhamija told PTI. He added that the growth in its business post demonetisation is "sustainable and not a temporary phenomenon". Razorpay's online payment gateway allows Indian businesses to collect payments online through credit/debit cards, net banking and wallets like JioMoney, Airtel Money, FreeCharge and others. Razorpay, which has over 25,000 merchants onboard, counts companies like Videocon Industries, Nykaa, Chai Point, Innerchef, Papa John's, Biryani Blues, Runnr and Nestaway among its clients. It competes with players such as PayU and CCAvenue in India. Digital transactions using debit/credit cards, mobile banking, mobile app BHIM, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System and Unified Payment Interface have witnessed a sharp rise in the country after demonetisation move in November last year. "We have been growing at 3,000 merchants post demonetisation month-on-month... On a daily basis, we process more than 2.5 lakh transactions and we should be touching about half a million transactions in a few weeks hopefully," Dhamija said. Keen to focus on "unexplored territories" like B2B payments, Razorpay is looking at onboarding top 50 companies from verticals like oil and gas, logistics and education, he added. "Apart from startups and e-commerce, now we are seeing a lot of thrust coming from the OTA segment (travel agents) and we are slowly getting into the aviation segment also," he said. The company's investors include entrepreneurs like Flipkart ex-CPO Punit Soni, Snapdeal co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal and Freecharge co-founder Kunal Shah. Asked about expansion plans, Dhamija said the company will double its team to over 150 people from the current 85 by March next year. "We are also looking at going international... We would look at about 12 countries and these are emerging in nature and similar to the Indian market," he said. He added that these include Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar as well as countries in the Middle East and Africa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sergio Garcia, winless in 73 prior majors, shook off a Masters legacy of third-round setbacks to match Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose for the lead entering the final round. Garcia has gone a combined 38-over par to average 75 in 13 prior Masters third rounds. But this time he fired a two-under par 70 to match the best of those rounds from 2002 to join England's Rose in Sunday's final pairing with a great chance at a long-sought dream. "Got to go out there and believe in myself again as much as I've been doing, be patient and don't freak out even if I do something wrong," Garcia said. Rose, the 2013 US Open winner, birdied five of the last seven holes to shoot 67 in ideal conditions to join the 37-year-old Spaniard, this week's only player with three sub-par rounds, on six-under 210 through 54 holes at Augusta National. "I liked my confidence on the greens. They were rolling perfectly," Rose said. "I just stayed with it and everything began to click into gear on the back nine. "You've got to be aggressive at times, but this is a course where you've got to pick your moments. That game plan worked well for me today and I'm sure it will again tomorrow." Garcia could end his major drought Sunday on what would have been the 60th birthday of his idol, the late Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros. "Hopefully he will help me a little bit," Garcia said. "His help is always welcome. Hopefully he helps a little bit tomorrow from up there and tomorrow we'll have something good to celebrate." Asked what advice he thought he might get from Ballesteros, who died of brain cancer in 2011 at age 54, Garcia replied, "Believe in yourself, try to enjoy as much as possible, try to have fun and do your best." Eighth-ranked American Rickie Fowler, one stroke back in third after a 71, hopes to win the first green jacket awarded since the death of his idol, Arnold Palmer, last September. "It would be special," Fowler said. "We're going to go out and give it our all for him." - 'You have to go for it' - =========================== Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion whose back-nine Sunday meltdown last year cost him a repeat crown, fired a 68 to share fourth on 212 with fellow Americans Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman, a co-leader until finding the water at the par-3 16th and making double bogey. If Spieth wins after an opening 75 that had him trailing by 10 shots, it would be the best 54-hole victory fightback in Masters history. "After the first round, I couldn't ask for much better than this," Spieth said. "If you have a chance you have to go for it and pull off the shot. Those are the kind of moments people who win this tournament have on Sunday." Australia's Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, was seventh on 213 with 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa another stroke adrift with England's Lee Westwood and Belgium's Thomas Pieters on 215. World number two Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, shot 71 to stand on 216 and was not confident of a victory that would complete a career grand slam. "I'm going to need to probably play the round of my life tomorrow to have a chance," said McIlroy, who shot 65 in the 2011 first round and 66 on Sunday in 2015. "I've shot low ones here before. My lowest round here, I'm not sure it's going to be low enough." Garcia birdied the fifth and sandwiched a birdie at the par-5 eighth between bogeys but added birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th and parred in, sinking a testy six footer at the last. "Just fighting hard," Garcia said. "I kept fighting with all I had. It's about staying patient. I hit some good shots on the back nine coming in. It was good to see." At 13, Garcia gave a look of despair watching his ball in the air. It appeared to plunk into Rae's Creek but clung to the far bank, allowing him to chip it inches from the pin for a tap-in birdie. "Got a great break on 13," he said. "That was good to see. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Concerned over declining prices of produced domestically due to cheap imports, an RSS- affiliated body today urged the government to impose a 30 per cent import duty on them to help safeguard farmers' interests. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch has asked her to step in while fearing that the country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. It said unless the government imposes customs duty on pulses, the situation may turn worse and farmers would be disinclined to produce more domestically, due to poor productivity and low prices. Manch national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan told Sitharaman that her Ministry has exempted import of from paying the 10 per cent imports duty which has led to large-scale imports at lower prices. Mahajan said the customs duty exemption notification on pulses expired on March 31 and urged the government not to issue a fresh notification for continuing with the exemption. "I take this opportunity to urge you to kindly not pronounce any such notification of exemption from duty, after the lapse of this notification. "Thereafter kindly impose at least 30 percent duty to safeguard the interest of the farmers and for the food security of the nation," he said. The Manch said the exemption of pulses from import duty, done to support domestic supplies and keep prices of pulses low for consumers, does not have relevance now as domestic prices of the commodity have come down. It said it is unfortunate that due to zero duty import of pulse traders have flooded the market with yellow peas. The Manch said this is bound to kill traditional pulses market forever for hotel and restaurant industry, the biggest consumer of the pulse. According to the RSS body, though the government tried to procure pulses from farmers at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), not all farmers could get the benefit of support prices. "As a result, zero duty import of pulses has killed the farmers' income in pulses," Mahajan said, adding that traders are selling imported pulses at comparatively lower prices in the market and pulses are being sold below the MSP announced by the government. "The country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. This is not a prudent approach," he said. The Manch co-convener said the erstwhile USSR suffered due to lack of domestic food supplies and India needs to encourage domestic production of pulses and oilseeds for its food security. Further, he said, importers have created huge processing and warehousing facilities near major ports like refined oil companies. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon today accused Russia of being responsible "by proxy" for the death of 87 civilians killed last week in a suspected chemical weapons attack. "Assad's principal backer is Russia. By proxy Russia is responsible for every civilian death last week," Fallon wrote in an opinion column published in The Sunday Times. "If Russia wants to be absolved of responsibility for future attacks, Vladimir Putin needs to enforce commitments, to dismantle Assad's chemical weapons arsenal for good, and to get fully engaged with the UN peacekeeping progress," he added. Fallon reiterated Britain's position that Assad should quit. "Someone who uses barrel bombs and chemicals to kill his own people simply cannot be the future leader of Syria," he wrote. Assad's future role is a key sticking point - the rebels and their backers demand that he must step down. But Assad refuses to budge. His key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels. "Today we call on all parties to get back to the table and get a deal done," the British defence minister said. "That deal must lead to a representative government in which Assad will play no part". He also once again offered Britain's support to the United States for its decision on Friday to fire 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the airfield located near Homs in central Syria. The move was in response to the suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun which killed 87 people according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. "Given repeated Russian blocking in the UN security council, the US was determined to act," Fallon said, adding President Trump made "the right call by resorting to careful and narrowly focused military action". Russia has criticised the US military intervention as a "gross... Violation of law". It also slammed the British foreign secretary's decision to cancel a scheduled visit to Russia, claiming Britain has "no real influence" internationally. Boris Johnson decided to scrap his visit to Moscow tomorrow, saying he deplored "Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime." He argued it would be best for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to deliver a "clear and coordinated message" to the Russians during his own visit to Moscow later in the week. Saudi Arabia today executed three Pakistani nationals convicted of smuggling heroin, bringing the number of executions in the kingdom to 26 this year. The state-run SPA agency said the three had been found guilty of "smuggling quantities of heroin in their stomachs". It named the three men as Mohammed Ashraf Shafi Mohammed, Mohammed Aref Mohammed Anayt and Mohammed Afdal Asghar Ali. All three are Pakistani citizens. SPA reported 153 people being executed in the ultra-conservative kingdom last year, a number confirmed by London-based rights group Amnesty International. Among those executed was Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a high-profile figure behind a string of Shiite protests in 2011 demanding reform in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Amnesty reported 158 death penalties in the country for 2015, the highest annual rate in the past two decades. Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sean Penn has said ex-film producer and current White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is a "Hollywood wannabe". The two have worked together more than 25 years ago on Penn's directorial debut, "The Indian Runner". Penn described Bannon as "bitter" and "bloated" to website Death and Taxes, reported People magazine. "Bannon was then, as he is now, simply another bitter Hollywood wannabe who went rogue by way of toxic narcissistic iconoclasm. "But, deep in his heart, he's just a conniving hateful bloated punk who despises mankind. And then there are also the bad things about him," Penn said. After Bannon went on to invest in NBC's "Seinfeld" in 1993, a decision that continues to pay off as the show runs in syndication. In 2004, he made a Ronald Reagan documentary, "In the Face of Evil," and reportedly put up USD one million dollars to finance "The Undefeated," a 2011 film about Sarah Palin's political journey. Penn is not the only Hollywood star to take a shot at Bannon as actor George Clooney had told a French channel that, "Steve Bannon is a failed film writer and director. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah today hit back at Digvijaya Singh, who has been attacking the saffron party over government formation in Goa, accusing the Congress of "misusing" the provision of President's Rule in the past. "Digvijayaji look at the deeds of your party! In the history of our country's democracy, the number of governments the Congress has toppled misusing Article 356 (which has provision for the President's Rule), no other parties would have done that," Shah said. He said his party formed the government in Goa through "democratic methods" allowed in the Constitution. "I want to ask Digvijaya Singh whether his party had even elected its leader when legislators under the leadership of (BJP-incharge for Goa) Nitin Gadkari staked claim before the Governor to form the next government," he asked after being felicitated here at a public rally. BJP had won 13 seats in the elections, eight less than its 2012 tally. The party, though finished second to Congress (17), cobbled up an alliance with local parties and Independents. It successfully proved its majority under Manohar Parrikar in the 40-member House eventually. Shah said the Constitution provides that in case of a fractured mandate the party with maximum support can stake claim to form the government. "BJP was the first party which produced support letters of 21 legislators before the Governor," he said. He assured Goans that BJP will give a stable government with coalition partners. "The government will be dedicated to the development of the state," he said. Before taking over as the Chief Minister, Parrikar was serving as the Defence Minister in the Modi Cabinet. Praising Parrikar, Shah said the country will remember him as the "most successful" defence minister who sorted out the vexed One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) issue. "The issue of OROP which dragged for several years was solved by Parrikar within a year which provided solace to the armed forces. Total Rs 8,000 crore was disbursed to the ex-servicemen," he said. The BJP chief also credited Parrikar for "modernisation of the armed forces and surgical strike which established India as one of the powerful nations". "Modi-Parrikar duo has shown to the world that we do need peace with the neighbours but we will not tolerate any insult to our armed forces", he said. Shah said Goa would be a model state under Parrikar's leadership. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor today denied reports that he was joining the BJP. In a Facebook post, he said: "In view of the number of people asking, let me repeat that my convictions are a matter of record and they do not match those of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)". "For 40+years I have spoken and written in defence of a pluralist India with equal rights for all its citizens and communities," Tharoor, also a former UN diplomat, said. "On this, no compromise. Rumours of my joining BJP have been floated periodically with no basis whatsoever. I deny them categorically and without qualification," he said. The Congress MP's clarification comes in the backdrop of a statement by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan that four Congress leaders, including Tharoor, planned to join the BJP. Balakrishnan had said there are reports that four Congress leaders from Kerala are joining the BJP and that KPCC president M M Hassan had said that one of them was Tharoor. However, Hassan denied having made any such remarks when contacted. "When media persons asked me whether the reports about four Congress leaders joining the BJP has come to his notice, I said there is no such thing," Hassan told PTI. "There are no fortune seekers in Kerala like S M Krishna and Jaffer Sharif," the KPCC president said. Tharoor campaigned for the Congress-led UDF candidate for the April 12 bypoll in Malappuram, Hassan said. "When I asked him about such reports, he (Tharoor) told me that it was apropaganda by the BJP," Hassan added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people were to gather in central Stockholm today for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism, as police pursue their investigation into this week's deadly truck attack. Shocked by Friday's attack that left four dead and 15 injured -- for which a 39-year-old Uzbek man is in custody -- Stockholmers mobilised on Facebook, organising a vigil for 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) at the Sergels Torg plaza near where the truck rammed into shoppers. Sweden has been trying to get back on its feet this weekend after what authorities termed a terror attack, the motive for which was still unknown. The method, however, was similar to previous attacks using vehicles in Nice, Berlin and London, all of them claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the Stockholm attack -- the third in Europe in two weeks, coming on the heels of the car and knife assault outside London's parliament and the Saint Petersburg metro bombing. Police have not named the suspected driver of the truck, whom they arrested on Friday evening, but authorities said he was known to Sweden's intelligence service for undisclosed reasons. The man is suspected of speeding a stolen beer truck several hundred metres down the bustling pedestrian street Drottninggatan in the heart of Stockholm. The vehicle mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the busy Ahlens department store. "There is nothing to indicate that we've got the wrong man. On the contrary, the suspicions have strengthened," Swedish police chief Dan Eliasson said yesterday. He said police found a suspect device in the cab of the truck. "A technical examination is ongoing, we can't go into what it is right now... Whether it's a bomb or a flammable device." Six people were taken into custody for interrogation on between Saturday and Sunday in several areas across Stockholm, police said, without adding further details. Ten people, including one child, are still in hospital. Four of them are in "serious condition", health authorities told AFP. Swedish police did not provide information about the identity of the victims, but Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders announced on Sunday morning that a Belgian national had been killed in the attack. An 11-year-old girl, a Swedish national, who was on her way home from school was also killed, her relatives said. In neighbouring Norway on Sunday, police said they had destroyed a suspect "bomb-like" device in the capital Oslo and made one arrest. Friday's attack in Stockholm deeply shocked the usually tranquil Scandinavian nation, which prides itself on its openness and tolerance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Tanzanian woman was allegedly robbed off her bag containing Rs 7 lakh and 6,000 US dollars and the passports of her family members in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area. The incident happened on April 7, the day a German national was robbed and attacked with surgical blades in north Delhi's Kotwali area. The two accused in the German national attack case were arrested yesterday and the robbed items were recovered. Tanzanian national Fatima is here, along with her family members, for treatment of a one-and-a-half-year old child. They were supposed to return to Tanzania last week but since the treatment hadn't ended, they had to extend their stay. The incident took place around 10.53 PM on April 7 when Fatima was returning from the hospital to her hotel on Saraswati Marg in Karol Bagh, police said. When she reached near China Town Hotel, two persons riding a motorcycle came from behind and snatched her purse containing 6,000 US dollars, Tanzanian shillings and around Rs 7 lakh in Indian currency, they added. The bag also had her passport and the passports of three of her family members, said a senior police officer. The family is stuck here without their passports and money, he said. Police have recovered CCTV footage from the area, but the registration number of the motorcycle isn't visible. The woman sustained minor injuries during the incident and was taken to Lady Hardinge Hospital from where she was discharged after first-aid, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To challenge the "anti-India" narrative in foreign media and to report events from the country's perspective to global audiences, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has set its eyes on a high-tech digital platform. The Prasar Bharati board recently approved a report for the creation of a new web-based platform in addition to All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan, whose primary focus is domestic audience. The report has now been forwarded to Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The panel, which was headed by Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash, in its report has advocated creating a "globally respected digital platform advocating Indian national interest". "India is the fastest growing economy and there have been extraordinary steps taken in the area of governance. These can act as a template for many governments. But the western media portrays a picture as if it is a conflict zone which is absolutely bogus. We need to set it right," Surya Prakash told PTI. According to the report of the panel, the new platform would aim to have global opinion-makers, global influencers, Indian diaspora, global academia and think tanks among its audience. According to the report of the committee, the digital platform would focus on South Asia, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, China and Asia-Pacific. It would provide in-depth commentary on areas like global economy, geo-politics, terror, global crises and soft power. The high-level committee has recommended that the new digital body should be created under the Companies Act and has estimated that its annual operating costs would be around Rs 75 crore. According to the ambitious targets being set by the panel, the web-based platform would have a traffic goal of 10 million by its third year of operations which would be taken to 100 million by its fifth year. The panel has also suggested that the new medium should experiment with its content and have a variety of programmes ranging from talent shows, quizzes, travel, adventure, apps and even humour-based shows. A key goal behind the plan to set up a new digital entity is to break free of "stereotypes" about the way India is reported across globally by foreign media. The digital platform would have its own flagship programmes hosted by popular anchors. The digital platform would be initially be in English but to reach out to a larger audience there would be a Spanish as well as a Chinese desk as well. The committee has also advocated the use of latest analytic tools so as to ensure that the content can reach the right audiences. Apart from Surya Prakash, the other members of the committee were Rajeev Singh (presently acting CEO of Prasar Bharati), board members Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Sunil Alagh, journalist R Jagannathan, academic Vamsee Juluri and management expert Ritesh Bawri. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The suspected Stockholm truck attacker had shown interest in extremist groups and had his permanent residency application rejected in June 2016, Swedish police said today. "We know that he showed interest for extremist organisations like IS," police chief Jonas Hysing told reporters, adding that two Swedes, one Briton and a Belgian were killed in the attack. The suspect, who has only been officially identified as a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, "applied for a permanent residency permit in 2014," Hysing said. "The Migration Agency rejected it in June 2016 and also decided that he was to be expelled," he added. "In December 2016, he was informed by the Migration Agency that he had four weeks to leave the country. In February 2017, the case was handed over to the police to carry out the order, since the person had gone underground," he said. But police apparently never found the man. On Friday, the suspect is alleged to have barreled a stolen beer truck several hundred metres (yards) down the bustling pedestrian street Drottninggatan in the heart of Stockholm. The vehicle mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the busy Ahlens department store. The motive for the attack is not known. Thousands of people were to gather in central Stockholm on Sunday for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was to lead the commemorations today for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France, considered a founding moment in his nation's history. Trudeau was to be joined at a ceremony at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial by French President Francois Hollande and Britain's Prince Charles and his sons Princes William and Harry. Around 20,000 Canadians made the journey to the memorial in northern France to mark the centenary of the battle which was one of the defining moments of World War I. Canadian troops fought under Canadian command as a united force for the first time there, defeating the German forces in just three days, although they paid a heavy price with 3,600 Canadians killed and 7,000 wounded. "The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a turning point in the First World War and for Canada, when Canadians acted - and fought - as one," Trudeau said ahead of the commemorations. "At Vimy Ridge, we will mark this great victory, and pay tribute to every Canadian who answered the call to serve." The battle began early on April 9, 1917 and was part of a larger British-led offensive that included Australian soldiers, known as the Battle of Arras, which was a diversionary tactic to assist a major French attack further south. It was the first time that four military divisions from Canada fought together as the Canadian Corps. In bright spring sunshine, the crowd at the memorial site was a sea of red t-shirts, many of them showing the Canadian flag. Ken Piggott, 54, a retired army captain from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, who was wearing full military uniform and a row of medals, said: "Vimy is important because it was the first time that Canadians fought together under Canadian command. It was an important step in shaking off British colonial rule. "For that reason, it is a huge source of pride for me." Many of the crowd were teenagers like Jacob Woodgate, 17, from Thunder Bay, Ontario. He had come in a group from Canada, many visiting Europe for the first time. He said: "It's the most amazing feeling when you walk up to the Vimy site and you see the bomb craters that are still here. It really hits you when you think that some of the soldiers who died were my age." Starting the commemorations earlier on Sunday, Trudeau and Hollande laid the final red metal discs to form a giant poppy in the central square of the town of Arras, called Heroes' Square. The centre of the poppy is formed by a newly-unveiled sculpture of pairs of soldiers' feet by New Zealand artist Helen Pollock. A vast warren of tunnels dug by New Zealand forces was crucial to the victory at Vimy allowing the Canadians to take the German troops by surprise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump has scrapped the tax plan he campaigned on and is going back to the drawing board in a search for Republican consensus behind legislation to overhaul the US tax system. The administration's first attempt to write legislation is in its early stages and the White House has kept much of it under wraps. But it has already sprouted the consideration of a series of unorthodox proposals including a drastic cut to the payroll tax, aimed at appealing to Democrats. Some view the search for new options as a result of Trump's refusal to set clear parameters for his plan and his exceedingly challenging endgame: reducing tax rates enough to spur faster growth without blowing up the budget deficit. Administration officials say it's now unlikely that a tax overhaul will meet the August deadline set by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. But the ambitious pace to figure out a plan reflects Trump's haste to move quickly past a bruising failure to broker a compromise within his own party on how to replace the health insurance law enacted under President Barack Obama. The White House is trying to learn the lessons from health care. Rather than accepting a bill written by the lawmakers, White House officials are taking a more active role. Administration officials have signaled that they want to pass tax legislation with only Republican votes, yet they've also held listening sessions with House Democrats. White House aides say the goal is to cut tax rates sharply enough to improve the economic picture in depressed rural and industrial pockets of the country where many Trump voters live. But the administration so far has swatted down alternative ways for raising revenues, such as a carbon tax, to offset lower rates. Trump, who brands himself as a deal-maker, has not said which trade-offs he might accept and he has remained noncommittal on the leading blueprint, from Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Brady, R-Texas, has proposed a border adjustment system, which would eliminate corporate deductions on imports, to raise USD 1 trillion over 10 years that could fund lower corporate tax rates. But that possibility has rankled retailers who say it would lead to higher prices and threaten millions of jobs, while some lawmakers have worried that the system would violate World Trade Organization rules. Brady has said he intends to amend the blueprint but has not spelled out how he would do so. Other options are being shopped on Capitol Hill. One circulating this past week would change the House Republican plan to eliminate much of the payroll tax and cut corporate tax rates. This would require a new dedicated funding source for Social Security. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Showing exemplary professionalism, a TV anchor read out the breaking news of her husband's death in a road accident in Chhattisgarh staying composed in her moment of grief. Chief Minister Raman Singh has lauded the professionalism shown by the woman, Supreet Kaur. Kaur, an anchor with private TV channel, IBC-24, was reading the Saturday morning's news bulletin when she got to know during a phone-in about her husband's death in a road accident in Pithora area of Mahasamund district, the channel's output editor Anshuman Sharma told PTI. During the phone-in, the reporter mentioned about the SUV (Renault Duster) which met with the accident. According to colleagues of the 28-year-old anchor, she realised it could be her husband as he was supposed to travel in the same SUV, but she kept herself composed and completed the bulletin. "While Kaur was reading the bulletin, the accident news involving the death of three people and injuries to two others, all natives of Bhilai travelling in an SUV, flashed on the screen. "She took details of the incident from a local reporter of the channel during the live phone-in and got suspicious as her husband was travelling in the same area and in the same car," Sharma said. She learnt that she was reading the news live about the death of her husband, Harshad Gawde (30), but she continued with the bulletin and completed it. When she came out of the studio, she confirmed the news and broke down, Sharma said. Kaur has been working with the channel for the last eight years. Gawde and two others Gaurav Sahu and Nishant Wakil were killed on the spot and two others injured when their SUV was hit from the rear end by a truck yesterday morning while they were returning from Saraipali towards Raipur. Later, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed his condolences over the incident and hailed the woman's courage. "I salute Supreet's strength in dealing with her husband's demise with extraordinary bravery and professionalism. May the departed soul rest in peace," Singh said in a tweet last night. Two policemen were killed and another was injured in an encounter with People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) militants in Girijatoli here, police said today. The deceased were identified as the officer in-charge and constable of Bano Police station, Vidyapati Singh and Tarun Biruli respectively. A team comprising personnel of three police stations had rushed to the area late last night after being informed about the presence of PLFI militants who were planning to launch an attack, IG (Operations) Ashish Batra said. When the left wing extremists saw the police team, they began to fire and the security men retaliated. After the gunfight which lasted half-an-hour, the bodies of two policemen were found and one had sustained injuries, Batra said. The militants managed to escape from the spot, the officer said, adding that mobile phones, AK 47 magazines and a diary were seized. An additional force comprising Special Task Force, state's Jaguar and the CRPF have reached the spot and launched a search operation, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two women Naxals, carrying cash reward on their heads, were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said today. Maso Vekko (30) was arrested from Geedam police station area today. Madkami Nande (24) was apprehended from Aranpur police station limits yesterday, a senior police official told PTI. Vekko, a member of military platoon no.16 of Maoists, had arrived at a local hospital when she was held, he said. She was convicted for the murder of two persons at Gumalnar village in 2009. After Vekko was released in 2014, she joined the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and since then has been working with Indravati Area Committee of Maoists, the official said adding she was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh on her head. In another incident, Nande was held while she was trying to escape after an encounter between Special Task Force (STF) and ultras in Mundipara- Nahadi village yesterday, he said. Besides, a 12 bore gun, a machine used in repairing guns and commodities of daily use were also recovered from her possession, he said. Rs 1 lakh was declared for the arrest of Nande, who was active as a member of Malangir LOS (local organisation squad) of Maoists, the officer added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A number of prominent British television journalists from the BBC and Sky are reportedly on an Islamic State hit-list. A website of the dreaded terrorist group is encouraging "lone-wolf" attacks on newsreaders alongside the location of their offices, the 'Daily Star' reported. The newspaper said it has contacted police to alert them about the website and counter-terrorism officers are now looking into the case. "The Islamic State website posts instructed followers to target BBC and Sky newsreaders and posted the location of their offices," the daily said. "Terror bosses went on to instruct fanatics to attack popular tourist attractions. They include Downing Street, Big Ben and, chillingly, Westminster, the scene of last month's terror attack," it adds. Further posts reportedly provided a list of names of British MPs, police stations, government buildings, Army bases, shopping centres and airports. The "terrifying lists" were posted on an "offshoot" of a well-known terrorism website, the newspaper claims. The website had pictures of alleged victims of a coalition bombing in Mosul, Iraq, with the message: "By Allah! We will not forget! Even after some time we will never forget!". Security expert Will Geddes told said that public figures commenting on Islamic State should take security seriously. He said: "Anyone potentially in the public eye talking about IS needs to be reasonably concerned about their safety. Lists like this provide a paint-by-numbers approach to terrorism. It's about giving supporters ideas on who or what to target." The UK's security forces are encouraging any online suspected terror-related information to be reported at gov.Uk/report-terrorism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington's UN ambassador said that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad cannot stay in power after a suspected chemical attack that prompted the first direct US military action against his government. Nikki Haley's comments in an interview airing today came as part of an apparent shift in US policy towards Assad's government after the alleged chemical attack last week on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun that killed 87 people, including many children. Images of civilians suffering the apparent effects of a gas attack, including convulsions, vomiting and foaming at the mouth, provoked international outrage and prompted US President Donald Trump to order a strike on a Syrian airbase. In the interview with CNN, Haley said peace in Syria was impossible with Assad in power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," she told the "State of the Union" programme. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said, adding that Washington was also focused on fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and ending Iranian influence. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted ahead of Moscow talks on Tuesday that defeating IS in Syria remained Washington's top priority. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," he told CBS television's "Face the Nation" being broadcast later Sunday. Tillerson will also press Russia on its failure to prevent Syria using chemical weapons, he said in interviews aired today. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians," he told ABC's "This Week". After years of calling for Assad's removal during former president Barack Obama's tenure, Washington appeared to be stepping back from seeking regime change in Syria in recent weeks. Before the Khan Sheikhun attack, Tillerson said Assad's fate should be decided by the Syrian people, suggesting Washington would not oppose him standing for reelection. But in the aftermath of the attack, Trump ordered the strike targeting the Shayrat air base in central Syria's Homs province with 59 Tomahawk missiles. And his administration informed Congress that it could "take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests". Syria's government has denied any involvement in Tuesday's attack on Khan Sheikhun, suspected to be the second-deadliest chemical weapons attack since the country's war began in March 2011. It killed at least 87 civilians, including 31 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor. Hundreds more suffered symptoms that the World Health Organization said were in some cases consistent with exposure to chemicals that include nerve gas. The nature of the substance used has not been confirmed, and Syria has insisted it would not and has not used chemical weapons. Assad's government signed the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to turn over its chemical armaments in 2013, after being accused of a sarin attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds of people. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then. Syria's closest allies Russia and Iran have defended Damascus against the allegations of chemical weapons use, with Moscow saying a conventional strike hit a rebel depot containing "toxic substances". Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called Assad to reaffirm his support for the Syrian leader in the wake of the US strike, Rouhani's office said on Sunday. Rouhani said allegations that Assad's regime was behind a chemical weapons attack were "baseless" and suggested it was carried out by rebel groups to influence global public opinion. Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke by telephone about "the unacceptable nature of American aggression", a statement from Moscow said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States stepped up pressure today on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning that any further chemical attacks would be "very damaging" to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace in Syria while Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump's top advisers took to today television talk shows to set the stage for a diplomatic confrontation in Moscow this week when US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It will be their first face-to-face encounter since US cruise missiles slammed into a Syrian air base early Friday Damascus time in retaliation for a suspected sarin gas attack on April 4 that killed at least 87 civilians in Syria's northern Idlib province. Tillerson said the chemical attack had been preceded by two others in March. US officials said the presence of Russian advisers at the airfield used to launch the attack raised questions about how they could not have known. Tillerson stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity. "But clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been outmaneuvered by the Syrians," he said on ABC's "This Week." If Syria carries out any further chemical attacks, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to US-Russian relations," Tillerson warned. "I do not believe that the Russians want to have worsening relationships with the US, but it's going to take a lot of discussion and a lot of dialogue to better understand what is the relationship that Russia wishes to have with the US." He said he would call on Russia "to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons, and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me." Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. The US retaliatory strike marked the first time the United States has intervened directly in the Syrian civil war against Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed regime, raising questions about Washington's next steps. "The entire administration was in agreement that this was something that had to be done," Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "This was something that needed to tell Assad, 'Enough is enough.' And this is something to let Russia know, 'You know what? We're not going to have you cover for this regime anymore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Protesters hurling rocks clashed with police firing tear gas in Venezuela's fourth demonstration in a week against President Nicolas Maduro and his government. The rally was marked by anger over a ruling from the leftist government banning opposition leader Henrique Capriles from office for 15 years. Around 4,000 people attended the demonstration yesterday. Capriles narrowly lost the 2013 presidential election that brought Maduro to power following the death of his mentor Hugo Chavez -- father of Venezuela's "socialist revolution." The government move, which the 44-year-old Capriles announced on Friday, effectively prevents him from running against Maduro in next year's general election. Yesterday's violence broke out when protesters gathered in the east of the city changed course at Capriles's request and headed downtown toward the government ombudsman's office. The district -- seat of many government offices -- is a pro-Maduro bastion, and the president's supporters were holding a "cultural, sporting and recreational rally" there. National Guard police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to force protesters back. "They met us with gas and rubber bullets. They insist on siding with the dictatorship but we are going to keep moving forward," said opposition lawmaker Juan Andres Mejia. Masked demonstrators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, said AFP reporters on scene. At least two police officers were hit by the flaming bottles. The initial tally of injuries stood at 17, according to the mayor of one of Caracas's districts. According to Capriles the building where he carries out his political activities was "attacked with bombs" shortly after the demonstration. "What is the order of Maduro? To kill us? If something happens you know who is responsible and what must be done!" he wrote on Twitter. Capriles was also one of the leaders of mass demonstrations against Maduro earlier this week that led to clashes with police. One protester died. "This thing that they just did to Capriles is the product of tyranny," said Adel Rincones, 61, who clutched a sign that read "Venezuela is wounded in the heart with hunger, misery, corruption, dictatorship." Others at the rally held pictures of Capriles. "People are tired of so much corruption, hunger and poverty," said Vanessa Garcia, 37, an optometry student. Protests also erupted in several other cities, including unrest-prone San Cristobal in the west, where masked gunmen reportedly set off explosions, causing demonstrators to flee. State comptroller Manuel Galindo imposed the ban on Capriles due to alleged "administrative irregularities" in his post as governor of the northern state of Miranda. Capriles said that he would appeal the decision and stay in his job as governor, which he has held since 2008. Venezuela's political crisis intensified last week when the Supreme Court issued rulings curbing the powers of the opposition-controlled legislature. The court has consistently ruled in Maduro's favor since the opposition majority took its seats in the National Assembly legislature in January 2016. It drew international criticism for last week's rulings, which seized the assembly's powers and revoked lawmakers' immunity from prosecution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The cast of "The Fate of the Furious" remembered their most favourite co-star Paul Walker at the New York premiere of the movie. Actor Vin Diesel introduced the film by telling the audience that every scene was shot with Walker in mind, according to the Hollywood Reporter Also, present at the screening were Walker's mother and daughter. "We like to say the last one is for Paul and this one is from Paul. We wanted to make the best movie possible," one of the cast members Ludacris told audience. Walker, who died in a tragic car crash in November 2013, was one of the Universal franchise's original actors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Outdoor products firm Wildcraft is targeting doubling sales to Rs 1,000 crore in the next three years, a company official has said. The Bengaluru-based firm will be investing around Rs 350 crore by 2020 for expansion and marketing. "We have concrete plans of taking our business to Rs 1,000 crore in retail sales by 2019-20. We had retail sales of Rs 400 crore last year (fiscal year 2016-17). We are looking at an investment of Rs 350 crore," Wildcraft co-founder Gaurav Dublish told PTI here. This fiscal year, the company is aiming to grow at 35-40 per cent and plans to clock retail sales of Rs 550-600 crore. Wildcraft, which makes backpacks, rucksacks, camping and hiking equipment, among others, entered the footwear and clothing segment two-and-a-half years back and the new segments are contributing significantly to sales. "This year, we will be having two-third of our revenue coming from gear and one-third from clothing and footwear. Within gear, 40-45 per cent comes from backpack and the rest from technical products. By 2020, we are expecting 45 per cent of our business to come from clothing and footwear, which will be spread equally," he said. The company operates 160 stores across 66 cities in the country and will be adding 40 more each year. "We have 160 stores at present, which will become 200 this year. By 2020, we are looking at 300-350 stores," he said adding that each store entails an investment of around Rs 35-40 lakh. It is also planning to establish its presence in the townships with 5 lakh plus population in the next 18 months. "We were earlier looking at 10 lakh plus township, in about 53-54 cities and we have presence in all of them. We are now taking it to 5 lakh plus township, which is 110 (cities). In the next 18 months, we will get into those also," he said adding that 40 per cent of its revenues come from the smaller cities. Online contributes around 12.5 per cent of the sales at present, while this year the company is expecting it to be slightly higher at 14-15 per cent. Dublish said they would look to get aggressive in this space if the model shifts to profitability than discounting. The company spends 5 per cent of its business on marketing and for the next three years, it will be spending Rs 80-100 crore on the same. The outdoor gear and apparel firm is also enhancing global presence and by FY'20 it expects exports to contribute around 10-15 per cent of sales. "In the Rs 1,000 crore retail sales plan, we expect to contribute 10-15 per cent. We stepped out of India 18 months back and started in Middle East. We have started in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal. In Kathmandu, we have our own store and plan to open another one there. In February, we did our first tie-up in Europe. From the revenue side, 6-7 per cent of our business comes from exports at present," he said. It is targeting the tropical belt globally, over the next 3-5 years, since most of its product catalogue is meant for India but would look at more winter products if it enters Northern Europe. "In upper Himalayas, you have temperature and condition, which is similar (to Northern Europe) but we have a limited winter catalogue and we are not very keen on expanding it significantly. If we go to the upper Europe, possibly we will increase that range," he said. On inorganic growth, he said the company is not averse to it and would look at acquisitions if they are R&D-led or in some adjacencies of product lines. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Hyderabad has kicked up a row with his remarks that the heads of "traitors" opposing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be chopped off, drawing criticism from the Congress and getting booked for trying to "outrage religious feelings". T Raja Singh, who represents the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, was heard issuing the threat to those opposed to the Ram temple in Ayodhya in a video of Ram Navmi celebrations shot on April 5 which has gone viral. Hyderabad Police on Sunday registered a case against Singh on the complaint of Amjed Ullah Khan, the spokesman for Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), a local organisation of Muslims. He has been booked by Dabeerpura police under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Police Inspector D Venkanna Naik told PTI. In his complaint, Khan said, "When the title dispute is pending in the Supreme Court, such type of statements by Raja Singh (MLA) is the violation of the Supreme Court. I request to take appropriate action against the BJP MLA Raja Singh to allow law and order to prevail in the city (sic)." In the video, the MLA purportedly says, "The day is not far... The dream of every Hindu of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya (will be fulfilled)." "Recently, a video came on WhatsApp from Uttar Pradesh and someone was saying if Ram Mandir is built in Ayodhya they will create 'tehelka' (chaos) in the entire country. We welcome this. In fact, we were waiting for this day for the past several years so that when you traitors raise your heads, we will behead you," the MLA said. When contacted on Sunday, Singh appeared defiant and said he can give his life for the sake of the Ram temple and "even take the life of traitors who oppose the building of Ram temple". "We will not allow the people who believe in destroying this nation to stay in this country. It is our pledge to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and we will abide by it. We can give our life for Ram temple and even take the life of traitors who oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya," he told PTI. In the video, the MLA was heard saying: "Nobody has the guts to stop construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. A grand Ram Mandir will be definitely built in Ayodhya. I challenge that whosoever tries to stop building a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I will deal with such (a) traitor." Union Minister Uma Bharati had on Saturday said that it was her "astha" (conviction) that the temple would be constructed at Ayodhya. Amid the row, the Congress hit out at the BJP, saying its "mask" has fallen off and that minorities were being "intimidated" under the Modi government. The BJP, however, sought to douse the controversy, saying the Ram temple can be built only with consensus. Party leader Shaina NC said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that there is no space in a free and elected democratic society for people who choose to be the so-called moral custodians. She said action could be taken against the MLA, if required. "We are a disciplined cadre, and if we feel there is need to pull up somebody, I am sure the person concerned will have to bear the brunt," she said. However, the Congress was unimpressed, with its spokesperson Sanjay Jha contending that the BJP cannot wash off its hands by calling those making inflammatory statements fringe elements. "The truth is that there is no fringe anymore. These are mainstream elected BJP leaders either in Parliament or the Assembly... This is a political strategy. This is a manifestation of the most ugliest form of politics," Jha said, adding, "What is happening in Alwar? what happened in Dadri? you can see the kind of reactions happening all over the place where the BJP is currently in government, there is intimidation of the minorities." "I think this is the most crude form of majoritarian politics, and let me assure you, the PM will not say a word, not even condemn it," he added. He was referring to the lynching of a Muslim man on suspicion that he had stored beef in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, in 2015, and the recent fatal attack on another man from the community by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan. The Supreme Court, which is hearing the Ayodhya case, had recently said that the issue should be resolved through talks. By Kevin Yao and Matthew Miller BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of China's insurance regulator is being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations, the country's top anti-graft body said on Sunday, bringing the most senior financial regulator to date into the government's fight against corruption. China's top leaders have pledged this year to address financial risks and asset bubbles. In a brief statement, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Xiang Junbo, head of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) and a member of the central bank's monetary policy committee, was suspected of "serious disciplinary violations" - a phrase that usually refers to graft. It gave no further details. Xiang's name and position has been removed from the CIRC's website, www.circ.gov.cn, although about him remains. As head of the insurance regulator, Xiang oversaw rapid growth of the insurance industry, along with liberalisation of investment rules that provided insurers greater latitude to invest more of their assets at home and overseas. China's insurance assets nearly doubled over the last three years, reaching 15.1 trillion yuan ($2.19 trillion) at the end of 2016. In February, Xiang appeared at a press conference where he vowed the insurance regulator would take more punitive action to punish short-term speculators and reduce long-term risk. Xiang said CIRC wouldn't allow the insurance industry to become "a rich man's club" or hideout for "financial crocodiles". The regulator has intensified a crackdown on risky activity by some aggressive players in the insurance sector, particularly those seen to be engaging in financial market speculation using expensive short-term funds. Xiang, 60, took control of the insurance regulator in 2011 after serving as chairman of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, one of the four biggest state banks. Xiang was previously a deputy central bank governor and vice chief at the National Audit Office. Xiang would be the most senior regulator hauled in during the anti-graft campaign since Yao Gang, a former deputy head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was put under investigation in late 2015 following a stock market crash. ANTI-GRAFT DRIVE President Xi Jinping has embarked upon a sweeping campaign against deep-rooted graft since assuming power in late 2012. His drive is tearing down once-untouchable party, military and business leaders as well as their powerful networks of relatives and allies. Authorities will combat corruption in the financial sector that is prone to risks from bad loans, bond defaults, shadow banking and Internet finance, Premier Li Keqiang said in remarks published on Sunday. "Corruption in the financial sector should be resolutely investigated and punished," Li said in a recent speech posted on the central government's website. "Individual regulators and senior company executives who have embezzled money entrusted to them or illegally colluded with financial crocodiles must be severely punished," Li said. Wang Yincheng, vice chairman of state-owned People's Insurance Group of China, was brought in for suspected corruption in February. Earlier this year, the chief risk officer of Bank Of Communications Co Ltd was expelled from his post for serious discipline violations, and a former Communist Party boss at Bank of Jiangsu Co Ltd was investigated for suspected corruption. ($1 = 6.8978 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Editing by Michael Perry and Christopher Cushing, Larry King) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of China's insurance regulator is being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations, the country's top anti-graft body said on Sunday, bringing the most senior financial regulator to date into the government's fight against corruption. China's top leaders have pledged this year to address financial risks and asset bubbles. In a brief statement, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Xiang Junbo, head of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) and a member of the central bank's monetary policy committee, was suspected of "serious disciplinary violations" - a phrase that usually refers to graft. It gave no further details. As of Sunday afternoon, Xiang's name and position remained on the website of the CIRC, www.circ.gov.cn. As head of the insurance regulator, Xiang oversaw rapid growth of the insurance industry, along with liberalisation of investment rules that provided insurers greater latitude to invest more of their assets at home and overseas. China's insurance assets nearly doubled over the last three years, reaching 15.1 trillion yuan ($2.19 trillion) at the end of 2016. In February, Xiang appeared at a press conference where he vowed the insurance regulator would take more punitive action to punish short-term speculators and reduce long-term risk. Xiang said CIRC wouldn't allow the insurance industry to become "a rich man's club" or hideout for "financial crocodiles". The regulator has intensified a crackdown on risky activity by some aggressive players in the insurance sector, particularly those seen to be engaging in financial market speculation using expensive short-term funds. Xiang took control of the insurance regulator in 2011 after serving as chairman of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, one of the four biggest state banks. Xiang would be the most senior regulator hauled in during the anti-graft campaign since Yao Gang, a former deputy head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was put under investigation in late 2015 following a stock market crash. President Xi Jinping is leading a campaign against corruption that is tearing down once-untouchable party, military and business leaders as well as their powerful networks of relatives and allies. Wang Yincheng, vice chairman of state-owned People's Insurance Group of China was brought in for suspected corruption in February. Earlier this year, the chief risk officer of Bank Of Communications Co Ltd was expelled from his post for serious discipline violations, and a former Communist Party boss at Bank of Jiangsu Co Ltd was investigated for suspected corruption. ($1 = 6.8978 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Kevin Yao and Matt Miller; Editing by Michael Perry and Christopher Cushing) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All cash payments of over Rs 2 lakh for paying loans and credit card bills during the 50-day period post demonetisation will have to be disclosed in the new one-page Income Tax return form. The tax department a few days back notified new Income Tax Return (ITR) forms for filing of returns for the Assessment Year 2017-18 (financial year 2016-17). Besides providing for declaring income, exemption claimed and tax paid, the forms have a new column providing for declaration for any deposit of over Rs 2 lakh in bank accounts made during November 9 and December 30, 2016 after the old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes were demonetised. This column is also to be used for declaring cash payments in excess of Rs 2 lakh for repayment of any loan or settlement of credit card bills during this 50-day period, a senior official told PTI here. The column is an attempt to match the cash deposits made post demonetisation with the annual income, he said. While all credit cards are linked to permanent account number (PAN) of the holder, almost all loans by scheduled banks are also provided on furnishing of PAN. The tax department will collate the data it has of cash payments made in excess of Rs 2 lakh with the returns filed. We want to see if the income profile matches with the cash payments made, he said. The move comes amid concerns of unaccounted cash or black money being used to settle bills after credit cards were used to make heavy purchases. It could also be that black money could have been used to repay loans. Post-demonetisation, the government had provided a 50-day window beginning November 9, 2016 to deposit the junked notes in bank accounts. For those with unaccounted cash, it gave them one last opportunity to come clean by depositing 50 per cent of it as tax and parking another 25 per cent in a zero- interest bearing deposit for four years. The changes made in ITR are an attempt to catch tax evaders, the official said. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had last week told PTI that the new column of cash deposits made during November 9, 2016 and December 30, 2016 was a one-time feature in the ITR and would not be there in the ITR from next year onwards. The ITR, he had said, would evolve or change every year depending on the need. While coming out with new ITRs, the CBDT had also rationalised them and cut down the number of forms to seven from earlier nine. While all taxpayers will have to now mandatorily link Aadhaar with their PAN cards, ITR1 (Sahaj) form has been shortened from 7 page to 1 page to enable filing of returns by people with income up to Rs 50 lakh by July 31. ITR2 is to be filed by individuals and HUFs who do not have income from business or profession and ITR3 is filed by individuals and HUFs having income from a proprietary business or profession. Also ITR 2 and ITR 3 also have a Schedule AL which require assessees to declare their assets and liabilities at the end of the fiscal. ITR4 (Sugam) is filed by those individuals who have opted for income calculation under presumptive income from business and profession. A Harrisburg man is behind bars and facing a multitude of charges after a shooting early Saturday morning in Upper Allen Township. Brian P. Johnson, 32, was charged with aggravated assault, burglary, discharging a firearm in an occupied structure, criminal trespass, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and defiant trespass after the incident police said occurred at 2:11 a.m. Saturday at the Geneva Greens Apartments in the 500 block of Geneva Drive. Upper Allen Township Police said they were responding to an active disturbance report when the shooting occurred. Police said they determined that Johnson was involved in an altercation with several individuals, which resulted in him shooting another man. The other man was transported to Penn State Hershey Medical Center and was in stable condition Saturday. Police said they recovered one handgun and a replica handgun at the scene. Johnson was arrested at the scene and transported to Cumberland County Prison. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth Beckley, who set bail at $100,000 cash, which he was unable to post. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 17. Upper Allen police were assisted by officers from Camp Hill Borough Police, Hampden Township Police and Lower Allen Township Police. Agbor Balla W. Musa The Yaounde based Military Court through the president, Colonel ABEGA, has applied Joinder of Proceedings on the case pitting the State, banned Consortium members and some youths arrested in Bamenda, Buea and Kumba during the heart of the Anglophone crisis. The decision was taken Friday April 7, 2017 on the request of public prosecutor. It took just few minutes of audience for the sad news to be announced to defense team of Barrister Agbor Balla, Dr Fontem Neba and Mancho Bibixy who will now have to be tried alongside 24 other persons. This means that the trial on April 27 will be a general audience where the crimes allegedly committed such as secession, vandalism, propagation of false information, terrorism among others will be held against the 27 persons. The decision according to the defense team will only complicate matters because in a case of Joinder of Proceedings, it is difficult to know who the witness will be and how it will be preceded. The President of the Military Court cited article 6 of the Penal Code which gives the Court the power to do so. The defense team however has 10 days to appeal against it. By Wilson MUSA Successive Australian governments have attempted to improve integration of the two economies but have run into Indian inertia at times. Free trade talks have been ongoing and were expected to accelerate after the then prime minister Tony Abbott set an ambitious 12 month timetable on them, however, they have since bogged down. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. It allowed me to describe cities where power transmission lines and telephone infrastructure are all underground. Where controls are placed on advertising signage and shopkeepers understand that less is more; where one sign that can actually be seen is worth more than an uncontrolled riot of competitive eyesores. Places where a thousand no-standing signs on poles are replaced by a couple of kerbside red or yellow lines. 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 ... Although Tuesday was a beautiful April day to hold an election, the morning started out somewhat stormy in a figurative sense when precinct workers began to call the office of St. Francois County Clerk Mark Hedrick to report that there was something wrong with the poll pads. What at first appeared to be a problem centered at two Bonne Terre precincts soon spread to other voting locations throughout the county. And by the time most of the election results had been tallied Tuesday evening at the courthouse annex, Hedrick was more than ready to call it a night. "I've had one heck of a day and I'm battling an upper respiratory infection on top of it," he said. "What happened was and I'll take the blame for it when we uploaded the poll pads on Saturday, I forgot to push one button. In doing that, it went ahead and threw in some of the November election stuff. "So, luckily we had backups here at the office. We re-uploaded everything into them and got them out as quick as we could. Any precinct close we got them out fast. Any of them far away, it took a while to get them all there, but we finally got everybody up and running." Hedrick praised the precinct workers for keeping what he described as "a hiccup" from becoming a bigger problem. "They noticed it real fast and they started calling in," he said. "So, we were able to tell them what ballot style to give them. That was the only thing that was wrong was ballot style. The voters were all in there and all OK, but they didn't have the right ballot style." According to Hedrick, of the 35,042 registered voters in St. Francois County, a total of 4,237 or 12.09 percent cast their ballots on Tuesday. "That's a normal municipal election turnout," he said. "Sometimes the turnout is even lower than that this one was a little bit higher." While most of the races were decided unofficially by about 8 p.m. Tuesday night, some won't be known for certain until the end of this week. "We have all the results for the filed candidates," he said. "The only thing we don't have are the results for the certified write-ins for Park Hills Ward 4 and (Ward 1). "There were two filed as certified write-ins for Ward 4, which of course was held by Larry Kelly who passed away. We're in the process of counting those votes now. Then there was one certified write-in for (Ward 1) and that's being counted now. We will have the results Friday when we actually do the certification of the entire election. Right now everything is unofficial." And then there's Farmington Ward 3, where not even one candidate filed for the office. "We had to count all the write-ins and there were quite a few," Hedrick said. "It ended up being about three pages of names, so we'll report all that to the city and then the city will handle them from that point on." Also, the city of Bismarck will take the next step in determining what to do about a tie for councilman in Bismarck. Besides the initial problems with the poll pads, Hedrick believed everything else about the municipal election went well and he finished the day handing out what he considered some well-deserved praise. "Thanks to all my poll workers and thanks to all the people for getting out and voting," he said. "You know, this is an important election. This is your local people. This is your schools. This is your cities. You should get out and vote for that." Farmington mayor race Farmington's new mayor will be Larry Forsythe. Forsythe, the Ward I councilman, received 660 votes while Ward III Councilman Dennis Smith received 636 votes. There were five write-in votes. I want to congratulate Dennis on a very nice race, Forsythe said. I want to thank everyone that voted for me. I really feel honored." Forsythe, 58, has served on the Farmington City Council since 1993. He serves as the chair of the Public Works committee. Among the items Forsythe sees as important as he begins his time as mayor are ongoing improvements as the community continues to grow. Weve got a lot of projects going on and weve got a lot more we need to start, and Im just the guy to do it, he said. Forsythe also sees tourism as an important draw for the community and is interested in continuing work to honor the history of the community. Voters also chose Julie McCarver (435) as the new city attorney, beating Kevin Kellogg (395) and Ben Campbell (412). Elected to Ward 2 was John Crouch (341), beating Perry Willmore (108). Elected to Ward 4 was Vanessa Pegram (220), beating Andy Hardy (134). Park Hills mayor race Park Hills will have a new mayor. Newcomer Daniel Naucke received 432 votes while current Mayor David Easter received 284 votes. There were 22 write-in votes. I want to thank my family, all my friends and the people that voted for me in the election, said Naucke. Ill do my best to take the city forward. He said he wanted to take a bit of time to settle in before taking steps toward any changes or immediate actions. I need to look at what the citys been doing and whats going on, he said. Easter had served the last eight years as mayor and prior to that served as councilman for seven years. Reporters Shawnna Robinson, Amy Patterson and Renee Bronaugh contributed to this story. The Lost History Museum is a historic treasure that is not so lost after all. Valles Mines is the third oldest settlement in Missouri and is rich with history. The Frazier family has been overseeing whats left of the Valle Mining property for five generations now. The Lost History Museum Superintendent Steve Frazier said his family has been working and overseeing the mines since the mid-1800s. Thompson Frazier came to America in the 1830s and eventually started a family in Plattin, Missouri, said Frazier. He became a successful farmer and its believed he came to Valles Mines to work his slaves at the mines. He had three sons who ended up working in the mines. Frazier said one of Thompsons sons, Peter, was superintendent of the Valle Mining Company until around 1897, when the job was taken over by his eldest son Francois Augusta, or Gus. He held his position until he died in 1940 and his nephew, David Haverstick, took over. Another of Peters sons, George Frazier, married and had three children, explained Frazier. One of his sons, Dale Frazier, was the superintendent until he retired and another one of Georges nephews, Chester Haverstick, took over. Today, Steve Frazier, the great-great grandson of Thompson Frazier, holds the position. Frazier said he decided to create The Lost History Museum 20 years ago and he doesnt regret it one bit. The museum was being housed in the old Francis Valle home up until recently. My grandmother had a whole bunch of pictures she used to share with me all of the time, explained Frazier. She would tell me who was who and what they did there. That is actually what started the museum and since my family had been there for so long, they had accumulated some of the relics that are in the museum today. Frazier added that some of the mining company stuff was also in storage in the building across the road. He said his great uncle stored a lot of stuff in there. He locked it up and left it in 1939. Whats left of the mining company itself has supplied a few items for the museum, too, said Frazier. When you take over as superintendent of the Valle Mining Company you get a bunch of stuff. I have a building full of old records and ledgers as well. The museum was once housed in a building that was built in 1749 when Francis Valle and his bride, Marie, were given the cabin as a wedding present. One of their sons, John Baptiste Valle, operated a lead mine from there, which is commonly believed to be where The Valle Mining Company was formed. The historic home was added onto to at some point creating additional space for the growing family over the years. The museum has been carefully moved to the general store across the parking lot so the home can be restored. The ladies of the State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve came and helped move the items from the museum along with other volunteers, said Frazier. The home needs general repair and the treasurer of the mining company, along with other board members, who are decedents of the Valles, decided to restore it. All of the items are still on display, but are now in the Old General Store, which is known for when Sam Hildebrand and his men had a shootout with federal troops leaving some dead right there on the front porch. In addition to the museum itself, there are several historic buildings on the property visitors can see. Directly across the street from the Valle house is the Paymasters Shack, which is still standing today. One thing that makes the building so unique is how the door was built. The Paymasters Office has been there since 1830 and it was where the miners would come to stake their claim or pick up their checks, said Frazier. It had been robbed several times and the blacksmith who lived across the road back then made square nails and drove them through the door so they couldnt shoot through the door. To this day the door is still there and its in pretty good condition considering its age. Frazier said they moved three of the historic buildings closer to the museum. The ones that were moved were on the east side of Valles Mines property and when the property was sold we moved them, said Frazier. The buildings moved were the little slave cabin behind the museum, the settlement house down by the artesian well, and the last one was a house that an emancipated slave, Joseph Casey, lived in, which is a long log cabin. One of the structures visitors can see while visiting is a cabin that once was home to Salim Grandjean, a wagon maker and gold miner. An old smelter can also be seen that time has taken its toll on, but Frazier hopes to restore one day. We also recently discovered an old brickyard and there is a miners cabin up the road and the furnace tender's cabin, which is close to the furnace, said Frazier. None of this would be possible without the help of volunteers. Tom Harmon, Eric Werner, Jeremey Bishop and so many others who have helped over the years. A slave cemetery also stands nearby as a grim reminder of the past. Several area families were slave owners, putting them to work in the mines and as house servants. Once slaves were emancipated many came to settle in Valles Mines to find work in the mines. The town was once home to two white schools and one black school. Not only can visitors enjoy a piece of history at The Lost History Museum, starting in March there will be recreation permits available for horseback riding, trail rides, mountain biking, camping, fishing, prospecting and metal detecting. The museum hosts several events throughout the year to help raise money for the upkeep of the property. Since it is privately owned they are not eligible for grants for restoration or upkeep of the historic structures. Frazier just wants to keep a piece of history alive and preserve the rich history of Valles Mines. The Valle Mining Company produced some of the purest lead in the in the world and won a medal at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. 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. 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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 Summaries Turkey's National Pride is Based on Genocide Denial By Sabri Atman During the years of World War I 75% (750,000) of the Assyrian population in the Ottoman Empire was systematically murdered. That genocide of Assyrians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 is a fact, but it has largely been forgotten by the world. Turkey's Violation of Human Rights Must Be Challenged By Sabri Atman (AINA) -- When speaking about the Ottoman Empire and Turkey today, it is not their contribution to civilization that comes to mind. Instead it is human rights violations, confiscation of land and property, genocide and genocide denials that are most frequently discussed in the public discourse. Today's Turkey is still far from being ruled by democratic principles. EU Conference on Nineveh Plains Favors Kurds, Marginalizes Assyrians By Max Joseph (AINA) -- Much has been swirling around on social media about an EU Conference (AINA 2017-06-24) organized by Swedish MEP Lars Adaktusson alongside sponsors such as Demand For Action. No sooner had I heard about it did I also see that it had been boycotted by the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) and the Chaldean Church, together with various other Assyrian parties and organizations, including... Trump's Immigration Order and Christianity By Peter Ahern Debate has raged since President Donald Trump announced his executive order temporarily banning entry to the United States of residents from seven Muslim-majority countries. This involves a temporary halt in the United States refugee program. When it resumes, Christian and other non-Muslim minority groups stand to gain significantly. The Winds of Change Are Blowing in Europe By Peter Ahern (AINA) -- If 2015 in Europe was most memorable for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who traipsed across the continent, 2016 will be marked by the dramatic increase in terrorist attacks at different European locations. Sadly, these two developments are not unconnected. Fords head of research believes we all may have to wait a while longer than some automakers suggest in order to be chauffeured in true fully autonomous vehicles. The American automaker is now developing a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, one that doesnt require a steering wheel or pedals, to be used in a ride-sharing service in the year 2021. However, Ford VP of research & advanced engineering, Ken Washington, says that individual consumers wont be getting those cars until five to ten years after their initial ride-sharing fleet debut, as reported by Autonews. Already this timeline is looking a lot more conservative than the one suggested by CEO Mark Fields, who said that the automaker would come out with autonomous cars by the year 2025. Its really hard to guess and predict the pace of the technology, stated Washington. Our current view is the adoption rates will be relatively gradual. That being said, Washington thinks fully-autonomous cars will undoubtedly be a reality, despite whats expected to be a slow adoption rate. This is not science fiction, he went on to say during a keynote address at the SAE WCX World Congress Experience. This is not a research project. This is something were going to make happen, and others will, too. Ford has already agreed to pay $1 billion over five years to tech startup Argo AI, and is also working with companies like Velodyne (LiDAR maker), 3D-map maker Civil Maps, Nirenberg Neuroscience and machine learning company SAIPS. The revolution in computing is making things possible that was previously unfathomable. We need to be imagining these kinds of futures, added the Ford exec, who then noted that while Silicon Valley tech companies such as Uber, Lyft, Google and Apple are also in the race to develop autonomous cars, theyre realizing that its not as easy as it sounds and that a partnership with an automaker can be very important. PHOTO GALLERY Back in December, Rolls-Royce released the first in a series of short films summing up what the marque is all about. Now its returned with another, and at the same time, revealed a one-of-a-kind custom Wraith designed by a prominent Emirati artist. That multi-media conceptual artist is Mohammed Kazem, who traveled (along what is surely a well-trodden route) from his home in Dubai to visit the home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and create a unique sculpture. The installation is made up of a series of steel numbers and letters piled up in a pyramid, representing the geographical coordinates of the Goodwood factory which is also the focus of the second chapter in The House of Rolls-Royce series. While at the factory, Kazem also collaborated with the Rolls-Royce Bespoke design team to create a unique Wraith commissioned by Abu Dhabi Motors. The special fastback was enhanced primarily inside the luxurious cabin with such upgrades as a hand-painted feature line, a unique backlit clock, and a custom Starlight Headliner that itself took 90 hours to create out of 863 fiber-optic threads and 60,000 individually embroidered stitches. Given the rate at which the Persian Gulf market swallows up custom Rolls-Royces, we dont doubt that the Kazem special will find a buyer in due course and at a considerable premium as well. Check it out (together with the sculpture) in the gallery below, and the short film narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet in the video at bottom. Photo Gallery Video In recent years, buyers of high-end supercars and luxury cars have enjoyed the perks of carmakers offering to paint vehicles in almost any color or shade imaginable. If you have the money, it can be done. Unless youre a Ferrari owner. Approximately one third of new Ferrari models are painted red. Not surprising. Other popular colors include silver, black and white but theres one color the Italian company has ruled off-limits for its customers; pink. While recently speaking to News, Ferraris Australasia chief executive Herbert Appleroth said pink simply doesnt suit the companys ethos. It just doesnt fit into our whole ethos to be honest. Its a brand rule. No Pink. No Pokemon Ferraris! There are other colours that arent in our DNA as well and they are wonderful colours too but some are perhaps more suited to other brands, he said. Ferraris Tailor Made programme allows the brands customers to order personalized creations but compared to rivals such as Porsche and McLaren, owners rarely opt for bold finishes. Photos via Autogespot, DubaiCars PHOTO GALLERY You could have the missing piece of the puzzle that will help the RCMP put someone behind bars. Here are some recent crimes that Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers hope you can help solve by calling our anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), starting with Ktown. CRIME: THEFT OF SNOW BLADE DATE: March 17, 2017 RCMP FILE: 2017-13027 Sometime between March 10th and 17th an acreage on the 17,000 block of Rawsthorne Road in the Oyama area Country was entered. Suspects removed a snow blade and chains from a snow removal tractor parked in the yard. The missing equipment is worth approximately $2000. Photo: Crime Stoppers If you know anything about this crime, or any other crime, call the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net. Your information will be kept confidential and could lead to a reward of up to $2000.00. CRIME: BREAK AND ENTER DATE: March 25, 2017 RCMP FILE: 2017-14500 Between 5:00 p.m. on March 24th and 9:00 the next morning someone climbed the fence at the upper lot of Seca Marine located on Petrie Road in Lake Country. A shrink-wrapped boat was entered and a stereo was taken out of it. Nothing else was taken, suggesting this may have been the work of teenagers. The make, model and serial number of the stereo are unknown at this time. You can help catch these suspects and qualify for a reward by calling Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit our website at www.crimestoppers.net or text to CRIMES (274637), starting with Ktown. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Critteraid in Summerland runs a cat sanctuary, caring for up to 60 felines at a time. Some come rehabilitated from feral colonies, while others are surrendered by owners who cannot care for them anymore. The group is always looking for volunteers at their thrift store in Summerland, donations and of course, forever homes for cats up for adoption. If you are interested in adopting any of the pets featured weekly here, or in volunteering, you can contact CritterAid at 250.494.5057, [email protected] or online. SD73's new board sworn in Kamloops - 4:00 am Photo: Jennings Wire If you want to live a happy life, is it more important to have: a) Freedom of choice? b) Money? If your brain is screaming, The answer is b," then its time to look at some research carried out at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Doctors Ronald Fischer and Diana Boer studied data taken from over 420,000 people from 63 countries spanning 40 years. They were interested in discovering whether wealth, or individualism (the opportunity to make your own decisions) was a greater predictor of happiness? Was the link between happiness and money stronger, or weaker than the link between happiness and freedom of choice? The doctors observed a very consistent and robust finding that individualism was a better predictor of happiness than money was. In other words, people who were given the opportunity to make choices and decisions for themselves consistently ranked their level of happiness higher than those people who didnt feel they had freedom of choice. Having, or not having money, did not necessarily reflect how happy a person was. The research also showed that for subjects who believed money was important to their happiness, that belief disappeared when it was compared to having freedom of choice in their lives. It seems that although money may be something you desire, you dont want it at the expense of free will. Whenever I write about research that is looking at the link between money and happiness, I feel it is important to clarify an important exception. Research repeatedly shows that we need enough money to meet our basic needs to take it off the table, so to speak, but once you reach that point, having more wealth doesnt make you significantly happier. Having the ability to make choices in your life will increase your sense of well-being as long as you dont have too much of it. Not having autonomy or control over your life can cause unhappiness, but so can having too much of it. Being micro-managed, or being left without any guidance are both detrimental to your sense happiness. Too much or too little personal influence will have equally negative effects. Tips to increase your level of choice, and decision making: If you have certain tasks that have been assigned to you, decide for yourself the order you will do them Make decisions that you are happy with, rather than ones based on guilt and obligation Try a new skill or activity you have always wanted to try Set yourself a personal goal, and work toward attaining it Remember that you have the power to say no Tips to decrease your level of choice and decision making: Ask for guidance if you arent sure what you are doing Ask for opinions and advice before you make your decision Find partners, and team members to collaborate with Find opportunities to let someone else make a decision, and take responsibility for it You have a comfort zone when it comes to control and personal influence; the size of that zone isnt the same for everyone, but living in that autonomy comfort zone will definitely increase your feelings of happiness. Living outside it being micro-managed or just set free to figure it out are both detrimental to your sense of well-being. With a little practice, you can find that freedom of choice comfort zone, and use it to your happiness advantage. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in France Saturday, as Canadians prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. As many as 25,000 Canadians will join Trudeau and other dignitaries as they pause in the shadows of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on Sunday to reflect and remember. Millions more are expected to watch and listen by radio and TV, or attend local commemorative ceremonies. Sunday's commemorative ceremony in Vimy is being billed as a chance to mark what has come to be seen as a seminal moment in Canada's history. The two-hour event will include musical and dramatic performances by well-known Canadians such as Paul Gross and Lorena McKennitt, as well as speeches by French President Francois Hollande and Prince Charles. The battle is noteworthy for a number of reasons, including it being the first time all four Canadian divisions fought together during the First World War. The Canadians went over the top the morning of April 9, 1917, Easter Monday, charging out of their trenches toward the strategically important ridge then held by the Germans. Employing a number of revolutionary tactics, including following an slow moving artillery barrage, the Canadians were able to succeed where past British and French attacks had failed by capturing and holding the ridge. But the four-day battle wasn't without heavy cost, as 3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded. Even then, it would be another 19 years, when the iconic Canadian National Vimy Memorial was unveiled in 1936, before the battle would start to become an important part of Canada's national identity. Historians today generally agree that Vimy was not the most important of Canada's First World War battles. Others were bigger, bloodier and more decisive in terms of bringing about an end to the war. But it has taken on a special symbolism for Canada's entire experience during the First World War, which saw it transform from a British colony to a country in its own right. Trudeau is scheduled to visit Juno Beach on Monday, where he will mark Canada's contributions during the Second World War. Photo: Kelowna Joint Water Committee Some residents in Kelowna may need to boil their water after a warning was issued Saturday morning. The South East Kelowna Irrigation District issued a boil water notice after testing found increased turbidity in the source water from Hydraulic Creek. The irrigation district believes melting snow at lower elevations has increased creek flow, causing the increased turbidity. SEKID recommends boiling any water used for drinking, teeth brushing, or rinsing foods for at least one minute. While the notice says they don't know the length of time the boil water notice will be in place for, turbidity will likely trend lower towards the middle of May. To find what addresses are supplied by the South East Kelowna Irrigation District, a search feature can be found here. Photo: The Canadian Press A vessel has run aground near Newfoundland and Labrador. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says that bulk carrier Kure Harbour ran aground in Placentia Bay near Argentia Saturday morning. Larry Crann, a senior response officer with the Canadian Coast Guard, says the ship is stable, the crew is safe and no pollution has been reported. Crann says the vessel was lifting its anchor when strong winds caused it to run aground. He says the 190 metre vessel had no cargo on board and was carrying 580 metric tonnes of fuel. Crann says the ship is registered in Panama and is owned by Hong Kong-based company Pacific Basin Shipping Limited. He says the boat was headed toward Argentia to pick up a load of scrap steel. Crann says the coast guard is on scene to monitor the situation. He says a tug boat has secured a tow line to the Kure Harbour, with a second tug and a pilot boat on standby. The DFO says attempts will be made to free the ship during high tide at around 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts made their way to the CNC building Saturday for the BC Interior Sportsman Show, a consumer trades show for hunters, anglers and anyone who loves the outdoors. This is just the second year the event has been held, but judging from the turnout Saturday, it's become popular with those in the Okanagan. The event includes speakers, exhibitions, demos and door prizes. On Saturday, Hardcore Archery gave demos on archery, while their younger students showed off their skills. On Sunday, Megan Hanacek, a participant on the History Channel show Alone will be giving a presentation. Hanacek spent 78 days by herself in the Patagonia wilderness. If you've ever wanted to be a survivalist you can get some good tips from her, said Rosanne Ting-Mar Brown, the BC Interior Sportsman Show producer. Vendors at the event range from fishing guides to taxidermists to those selling vehicle accessories and firearms. The show wraps up Sunday, and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Photo: The Canadian Press Police in the Norwegian capital of Oslo said they neutralized an explosive device found in a busy area of downtown Oslo late Saturday night and said they had arrested a suspect. Police Chief Vidar Pedersen confirmed that the device, initially described as "bomb-like," was an explosive. The police Twitter account said it had been defused or neutralized. Police would not give any details about the suspect, or further information about the device. Pederson said the device was found on the street just outside the Groenland underground station, and police swept through the area to remove people from bars and restaurants. "Every restaurant was being closed," said 23-year-old Malin Myrvold, who witnessed the scene from a fourth-story window. "You could see cops in heavy armour going in every store and restaurant. "We were trying to see what was going on. The police were screaming at us to get back inside and stay where we were," she added by telephone. Norway was put on high alert after neighbouring Sweden suffered a truck attack in the capital that killed four people and injured 15. The suspect in Friday's attack, a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan, has been arrested. It was unclear whether he was also a Swedish citizen or resident or even how long he'd been in the country. The Norwegian incident happened less than a mile from the government buildings that were damaged in a deadly bomb attack carried out by right wing extremist Anders Breivik in 2011. That bomb and a subsequent gun massacre killed a total of 77 people. Photo: Tracy Lutz-Noel Witnesses say a camper/truck fire on Highway 97C, just outside of Merritt, is causing some traffic slowing. Tracy Lutz-Noel, said she was on her way home to Kelowna with her husband when they saw the fire at about 5:30 p.m. The RCMP is on scene at the location, she said. Castanet will provide more details as they become available. Photo: CTV UPDATE: 9:27 p.m. A search for a group of climbers reported missing along B.C.'s North Shore Mountains has been suspended due to darkness. RCMP Cpl. Adam Koehle said five people were reported missing on Mount Harvey, northeast of the Village of Lions Bay, just before 4 p.m. on Saturday. He said it was unclear whether the climbers had fallen or an avalanche had occurred, and there was no word concerning possible injuries. Koehle added that some of the climbers eventually made their way down the mountain on their own, but an unknown number remained missing. Two helicopters and ground crews from the volunteer group Lions Bay Search and Rescue were leading the search, aided by a helicopter team from North Shore Rescue, however, NRS spokesman Mike Danks said the search was suspended as darkness fell and was expected to resume at first light. NRS had earlier posted on Twitter that it was responding to a "possible code alpha situation," which means an avalanche response. Search and rescue crews have been called to the Lions Bay area after a cornice gave way on Mount Harvey on Saturday. North Shore Rescue said it was responding with Lions Bay Search and Rescue to reports of a possible "Code Alpha," or avalanche, but few details have been confirmed at this time. There were five people in the vicinity of the cornice that let go near Mount Harvey, a pilot at Talon Helicopters told CTV News. With files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Contributed Police east of Toronto have arrested a man wanted in connection with the death of his wife, who was nine months pregnant. Police say the suspect, Nicholas Tyler Baig, 25, was arrested at a residence in Markham Saturday evening. He faces a charge of second degree murder and will appear in court Sunday morning for a bail hearing on the allegation. Officers say they arrived to the scene of an assault at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, where they discovered the body of 27-year-old Arianna Goberdhan. She was found with "obvious signs of trauma." Police say the baby did not survive. Photo: Contributed Canadian aid workers in the Middle East are preparing for an influx of asylum-seekers into already crowded camps, fearing U.S. military action in Syria could drive more people out of the wartorn country. The policy director at World Vision Canada said Saturday that his agency is planning for "a new wave" of people fleeing Syria, out of concern that Thursday's American military intervention could escalate. American warships launched almost 60 missiles at a military air base in central Syria, killing nine people. It marked the first time Washington has directly targeted Syrian government forces since the country's civil war began in 2011. With that in mind, Martin Fischer said, he and his team have to ask themselves a number of questions in order to adjust their contingency plan. "Where could military action escalate? What kind of populations are still in those areas? And if there were some sort of military action, how would that transpire into people moving across the border into various countries?" he said, speaking from Amman, Jordan. "The important thing is to recognize is that if airstrikes happen, it doesn't automatically mean that people just from those areas move, but it instills a sense of fear into people that really, there's going to be more fighting. And that's when they move into neighbouring countries," he added. "The infrastructure for the current situation is there, but if you look at both communities where refugees are outside of camps, as well as inside camps, they're pretty much at capacity," he said. "So if you then have a large influx of refugees, you need to beef up the NGOs' (non-governmental organizations') capacities, but also the host countries' capacities to take these folks in." Photo: transmountain.com A deal reached between British Columbia and Trans Mountain reveals new details about Kinder Morgan's timeline to approve investments for a proposed oil pipeline expansion and requirements to hire local workers. The agreement, signed April 6, says the Kinder Morgan board of directors must reach a final investment decision by June 30 with news communicated by July 2 for the project to go ahead. The project would twin an existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, tripling its capacity and increasing tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet seven-fold. The company said last month the expansion would cost an estimated $7.4 billion, an increase from previous estimates in order to meet conditions imposed by the National Energy Board. The agreement also includes a policy requiring the company to consider hiring B.C. businesses and First Nations first for the construction and maintenance of the project within the province. But local businesses and workers are prioritized only if they meet Kinder Morgan's requirements for safety and expertise, offer competitive pricing and aren't at odds with the company's existing obligations. A statement from the province didn't specify the number of jobs expected, however, Natural Gas Minister Rich Coleman called the agreement unprecedented. A spokesperson for Trans Mountain said in a statement Saturday, "Next steps for the project include arranging acceptable financing and a final investment decision by Kinder Morgan." Apart from the June 30 deadline, the spokesperson said a date has not yet been set for the company's board to reach a final investment decision. Photo: The Canadian Press Parks Canada often promotes the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff as "one of the most scenic drives in the world," but a plan to build a bike path along the route has hit its fair share of bumps in the road. Documents suggest Parks Canada has been rushing ahead with the project after receiving federal money in 2016 with a two-year expiry date. Months before public consultations began, officials discussed when shovels could hit the ground and looked ahead to a "kickoff" event that would celebrate the start of construction. "The agency has lost its transparency and its respect for public engagement," said Alison Woodley, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society national parks program director, who added the project should have never gotten off the ground. "They've got this massive influx of money and now the money is driving the project instead of due public process." Last year's federal budget contained $66 million to develop a 107-kilometre bike trail from the Jasper townsite to the Columbia Icefields along the parkway. The trail, with a total budget of $86 million, could eventually extend all the way to Banff. Cyclists currently hug a narrow shoulder along the highway. Parks Canada is proposing a separate, paved route buffered from the busy road by 10 to 20 metres of trees, but environmental groups say it will damage sensitive caribou and grizzly bear habitat. Public consultations began in January. Environment minister Catherine McKenna is expected to make a final decision based on the results of public feedback and a yet-to-be-completed detailed impact analysis, also known as an environmental assessment. However, documents obtained under Access to Information legislation by researcher Ken Rubin and provided to The Canadian Press suggest that Parks Canada staff have been proceeding for months as if the project is a done deal. In a draft communications plan prepared in August 2016, staff wrote up a timetable for media events that included an event to mark the start of construction, "when Phase 1 of the project is shovel ready," at an undetermined date in 2017. The timetable also includes a ribbon cutting to open Phase 1 the Jasper to Columbia Icefields portion at a undetermined date. "There's a big push to start spending in these first two years as (budget 2016) funding is not available to be carried forward to the third year," say August meeting minutes. Parks Canada spokeswoman Audrey Champagne said in a statement that public consultation and engagement are key priorities. The proposed trail is currently in the conceptual phase and no final decisions have been made, she said. "The feedback Parks Canada receives will be carefully reviewed and used to inform decisions on the overall project," she said. She added that strict development limits are in place to ensure the protection of ecological integrity in national parks. "Parks Canada remains committed to a rigorous development review and environmental assessment process that ensures all development proposals comply with these limits and that a park's ecological integrity is maintained," she said. But meeting minutes suggest the agency has been looking ahead to construction for months. "Engineers cannot wait until the IA process is complete," read minutes from June 2016, referring to the impact analysis. The next month, an action item directed one staff member to determine "how long the IA process will take before ground can be broken." By mid-July, the goal was for construction to begin in May or June 2017. The bird breeding period was a concern, with minutes saying it "could significantly slow down the process and determine how we manage the construction phases." In a status report in August, the project schedule is described as "extremely aggressive and could be considered high risk, however it is listed as medium risk due to the very preliminary state of detailed schedule preparation and analysis." The documents also raise concerns about effects on wildlife. They say sight lines need to be cleared to give cyclists travelling 30 kilometres per hour about four to five seconds of vision ahead, which is "important to avoid human-bear conflicts. "Where sightlines need to be shorter, use signs to ask users to make noise," the documents say. A preliminary analysis also indicated the trail would "overlap with caribou habitat." The House of Commons environment committee expressed concerns in a report last month that Parks Canada's public consultations have become limited to a few weeks of geographically restricted consultations, often after years of closed-door discussions with private developers and once internal decisions have already been made. "Despite repeated questions to numerous witnesses, the committee was unable to determine what process led up to the announcement in budget 2016 of a $65.9 million investment for a new biking and walking trail in Jasper National Park," it said. "More transparency in decision making is required." Photo: CTV UPDATE: 4:40 p.m. A fifth body has been recovered in a hiking disaster on a British Columbia mountain north of Vancouver. Rescue crews found the fifth body at the scene of a snow slide. Martin Colwell says the body was located Sunday afternoon, several hours after the bodies of four other hikers were recovered. Colwell called the incident "a great tragedy," saying the hikers fell 500 metres to their deaths. The hikers were crossing an unstable ledge of snow on Mount Harvey on Saturday when the snow collapsed. A sixth hiker with the group had fallen behind and when he arrived at the summit, the other five had disappeared, leading him to alert police. Over 60 Search and Rescue members from 10 different SAR teams were assisting Lions Bay Search and Rescue on Sunday. Counselling services have been made available to the surviving hiker, families of the victims and rescue workers. with files from The Canadian Press. UPDATE: 1:10 p.m. The bodies of four hikers who fell 500 metres down the north face of Mount Harvey on Saturday were recovered on Sunday, confirmed Squamish RCMP. CTV News broadcast pictures of a body being unloaded from a helicopter at a staging area. "This morning during the search, Search and Rescue crews located four bodies believed to belong to the group of hikers." stated Cpl. Sascha Banks, RCMP spokesperson. "This is not the outcome which we had hoped for. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the hikers and the search and rescue teams in Lions Bay who are still working tirelessly to find the fifth individual." Martin Colwell, with Lions Bay Search and Rescue, said four bodies had been recovered and the search continued for a fifth person at the bottom of Mount Harvey. He said it was unlikely that person would be found alive. They were alerted to the accident late Saturday afternoon, Colwell said. A sixth hiker with the group had fallen behind and when he arrived at the summit, the other five had disappeared, Colwell said. "The tracks were at the summit and there was an obvious sheer break in the snow over the north face," Colwell told reporters at the search headquarters in Lions Bay. He said it appears the group stepped out on the ledge, or cornice, of unsupported snow and it collapsed under them. "It's very dangerous, it's very deceptive," he said, of the snow ledge. with files from The Canadian Press UPDATE: 12:30 p.m. Four bodies were seen being carried out of a helicopter at a staging area near Lions Bay, according to CTV. Officials are saying the victims were swept 500 metres down the north face of Mount Harvey. Martin Colwell, search Manager of Lions Bay Search and Rescue said he expected the mission to be at least partially about recovering bodies, not rescuing survivors. Were not ruling out the possibility that there could be live people at this point. Falling down a slope like that, its unlikely. One has to be realistic, he said. with files from CTV Vancouver. ORIGINAL: 10:45 a.m. Multiple rescue teams are working together to try and locate five hikers who went missing after a cornice collapsed off the peak of Mount Harvey in the Lions Bay area of the North Shore Mountains. Squamish RCMP, Squamish SAR, Lions Bay SAR, North Shore SAR, Coquitlam SAR, Mission SAR, Chilliwack SAR and other agencies have joined together in the search. "This is a large scale rescue effort with multiple agencies working together to find the hikers," said Corporal Sascha Banks. "Conditions were favourable this morning allowing crews to be on ground to continue the search." There is no update on the status of the missing hikers, who were first reported missing just before 4 p.m. on Saturday. Banks said the Squamish RCMP are working the families of the missing people and will provide an update when available. Squamish RCMP are saying an avalanche did occur. Two helicopters and ground crews from the volunteer group Lions Bay Search and Rescue were leading the search, aided by a helicopter team from North Shore Rescue, however, NRS spokesman Mike Danks said the search was suspended as darkness fell and was expected to resume at first light. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... 1. Choose the right Dutch oven for you. A Dutch oven with short metal legs and a flat, rimmed lid is designed for use with charcoal outdoors. The legs keep the pot up and over the hot coals below, while the rimmed lid holds hot coals above. A smooth bottomed Dutch oven with domed lid is designed for indoor use or you can place it on the cooking rack of a gas or charcoal grill. If uncertain which to buy, go for the indoor model you'll likely put it to more use, says Matt Pelton, who outlined the basics of Dutch oven use in his 2013 book, "The Cast Iron Gourmet." 2. Prepare your charcoal, if using. Many Dutch oven afficiandoes start their charcoal and cook atop special metal cooking tables that lift the action up to a more accessible height. Still, you could use a flat, bare patch of dirt, as George and Carolyn Dumler, authors of "Southwest Dutch Oven," used to do. Mark Hansen, author of "Dutch Oven Breads" and a blogger at marksblackpot.com, has set up a 2-foot square of bricks on which to build his fire. Have sturdy, heavy-duty oven mits to handle hot cooking pots and charcoal starters. Advertisement 3. Be flexible, if you like, but be safe. One can use an outdoor Dutch oven indoors and an indoor Dutch oven outdoors with some forethought and a little ingenuity. Just be aware and careful of the features unique to each. Put some sort of baking or sheet pan under the legs of an outdoors Dutch oven so the legs don't get caught in the rack of your grill or kitchen stove. Take care in positioning the legs over a stovetop burner and remember the legs are there when removing the pot from the stove. Outdoors, place an indoor Dutch oven on some sort of trivet or stand if cooking over charcoal. To let the pot come in direct contact with the coals will create hot spots, Hansen says. Advertisement An indoor Dutch oven's domed lid need not prevent cooking with charcoal. Lesley Tennessen of Holiday Hills, Ill., director of the Blackhawk Dutch Oven Cooks chapter of the International Dutch Oven Society, an organization of avid Dutch oven cooks, uses the leftover tin from frozen pie and molds it to the lid. The rim of the pie plate holds the coals in place, she says. Have a trivet to place the lid down on, too, for the lid will be hot. 3. Watch the heat when using charcoal. "If people learn to control the heat they've got it made,'' says Bruce Tracy, author of "Dutch Oven Baking." Put more charcoal pieces on the lid of the Dutch oven than below the pot. Why? Heat rises, he notes. Beginners should go with charcoal briquettes until they get a grasp of how to cook various foods over hot coals, Tracy says. 4. Develop a non-stick strategy. Is your new Dutch oven already seasoned or does it need treatment? Respond accordingly before you begin to cook with it. Some Dutch oven experts insist on never washing the pot with soap; others disagree. Pre-heat the Dutch oven too. "Pre-heated cast iron is much more non-stick then when not pre-heated,'' says Michele Pika Nielson, author of "Dutch Oven Cookout: Step by Step." 5. Biggest mistake in Dutch oven cooking? "Too much heat, almost always and especially with baking,'' Tracy says. "The Dutch oven is so efficient. It is an enclosed heat sponge." Tracy says most coals are good for about 1 hour, which is roughly the longest most recipes will take. Peach pie Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 40 minutes Makes: 8 servings Advertisement Matt Pelton's recipe from "Dutch Oven Pies: Sweet & Savory" (Hobble Creek Press, $12.99) can be made in a 10-inch Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. If cooking over charcoal, place 11 coals in a checkered pattern on the lid and 10 coals under the pot in a ring sticking halfway out from the pan to maintain a 375-degree temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. (If baking the pie in an indoor oven, use that temperature and time too). Pelton recommends using parchment paper strips to lift the cooked pie out of the Dutch oven. Cut two parchment paper strips, 12 inches long by 4 inches wide, fold in half, and set in the bottom of the pot. Cut a parchment paper round slightly smaller than the pot's diameter and set in the bottom atop the two strips, he writes. You will build the pie over the parchment paper. When you cover the pot, make sure the strips are between the lid and the pan before baking. When done, carefully lift the strips to remove the pie. 1 double-crust pie dough recipe, divided in two and rolled out, see recipe (or use your favorite recipe) 5 cups peaches, skinned, sliced, see note 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup flour Advertisement 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Fold one of the prepared crusts into quarters; lift into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Unfold the crust, smoothing the pastry over the bottom and up the sides of the pot. Leave the edges long. Mix the remaining ingredients together; put them in the pie shell immediately. Flatten them out as best you can. 2. If you are making a full shell pie, carefully place the remaining crust on top of the filling. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom crust together to seal, trimming off any excess. (Be careful not to mold the crust to the sides of the pot.) Slice 2 to 3 vent lines in the pastry lid. If you choose a lattice top, cut the lattice into strips; lay them in your preferred pattern, crimping the edges to seal as before. 3. Brush the top of the shell with an egg wash (1 egg and a splash of milk, mixed well). Cover. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. (If baking in the oven, you may need to remove the lid to brown the top crust.) Let the pie rest for several minutes before serving. Note: To remove the skin from the peaches, blanch the fruit in boiling water for 2 minutes. Nutrition information per serving: 598 calories, 25 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 86 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 301 mg sodium, 3 g fiber Advertisement Matt's favorite pie crust Prep: 15 minutes, plus resting Makes: enough dough for a double-crust pie 3 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 to 1 1/2 cups butter-flavored shortening, chilled Advertisement 1 egg, whipped 5 tablespoons cold water 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1. Sift the flour and salt together in a shallow bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter until the pieces are slightly larger than peas. In a separate bowl, whip the egg, water and vinegar together. 2. Create a well in the center of the flour-shortening mix. Pour the liquid in slowly; fold in the flour. Press and gently fold the mix together until it holds its shape. Divide dough into two equal balls. Wrap each in plastic wrap; allow to rest 15-20 minutes. 3. Be sure to use plenty of flour on the surface as you work it or this mix will stick. After dough has rested, roll out each piece until the dough is about 1/8-inch thick and fairly round in shape. Advertisement Nutrition information per serving (for 8 servings): 400 calories, 25 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 36 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 300 mg sodium, 1 g fiber About this recipe In his peach pie recipe Matt Pelton describes making a double-crust pie in a Dutch oven. We opted for a simpler approach, one that can be dished out of the pot, instead of Pelton's more precarious idea. Our dessert was more like a cobbler but with pie dough instead. We skipped the bottom crust, pouring the pie filling directly into the Dutch oven. We then rolled out enough of the dough to create a top crust (rolling it out fairly thick, about 1/4 inch), cutting it into decorative triangles. Those pieces were baked separately, then placed on the baked filling. The pastry pieces could also be baked directly on the filling. Cooking in Chicago Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Chicagoans curious about Dutch oven cooking needn't go it alone with just cookbooks, blogs and video clips for guides. The Blackhawk Dutch Oven Cooks chapter of the International Dutch Oven Society is located in these parts, with members from Chicago, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. "It's camaraderie and the cooking,'' says Lesley Tennessen of Holiday Hills, chapter director. "You share all the food. It's like a giant pot luck." Advertisement The communal aspect of Dutch oven cooking extends back to pioneer days when hungry folk gathered 'round the campfire. Blackhawk Dutch Oven Cooks members try to cook together every month, conducting public demonstrations and going camping together. Tennessen says there are 10 to 12 active cooks in the group, which does not charge dues and is open to everyone. There are also "a lot of people we call tasters or eaters." And that's totally OK by her. "We always need people to eat what we make,'' she adds. Members of the chapter, which is also a part of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society, include scouts, families children are welcome, Tennessen adds campers and people who are just interested in Dutch oven cooking. What do they cook? "My group is a little eclectic,'' Tennessen replies. "Some people like to do appetizers. We tend not to serve chili. We tend to have a lot of chicken and chicken stews. People like to do big, bold things. No one is timid." For information about the Blackhawks Dutch Oven Cooks chapter, visit its Facebook page or the International Dutch Oven Society Web page, idos.org/Chapters/Blackhawk.php. For questions, contact Tennessen at dutchovendiva@yahoo.com. These CTA stations rank among the worst and the best. (Chicago Tribune) On a rainy day, you can smell the Sheridan station on the Red Line before the train doors open. The smell is of wet wood and soggy corn chips, mixed with pigeon guano. Don't let it overpower you or it will add to your vertigo as you look down those steep, narrow stairs. Advertisement Now that the Wilson station on the Red Line is getting a $203 million makeover, "Getting Around" readers picked Sheridan in Lakeview as the grungiest stop on the CTA. "It's old, and while old doesn't mean BAD, it's not old in that charming sort of vintage way, but old in the 'how is this thing still standing' way," said Kristie Lauborough of the Sheridan stop. Advertisement Brenda Butler, who has used the stop for 30 years, tells of trash dropped into the dark spaces along the steps and never retrieved. "The same trash has been there for years," Butler said. The Wilson station north of Sheridan is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year, while the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations are slated for rebuilding as part of the $2.1 billion first phase of Red and Purple Modernization, set to start in late 2018. All of these stations are over a century old, so why isn't Sheridan getting rehabilitated, too? It has not had a major renovation since 1930. CTA spokesman Brian Steele said Sheridan would most likely be part of the second phase of the Red-Purple Line modernization, which is not yet funded. Rebuilding Sheridan will be a "challenge," he said, because it is hemmed in tightly by buildings, and because it is built on an "S" curve. The CTA's Sheridan Red Line station in Lakeview, shown April 7, 2017, has not had a major renovation since 1930. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) The runner-up for cruddiest station is Division on the Blue Line in West Town. The Division station looks like a set for a gangster movie showdown dingy and dank, with pools of standing water caused by leaks in the ceiling, and black water stains on the walls. Steele said the Division stop will be rehabilitated as part of an upcoming stage of the "Your New Blue" project. The phase will include the Grand and Chicago stations, for a total cost of about $40 million. The CTA promises repairs to the walls, escalators, lighting and furniture, among other improvements. Design will begin in 2018, and construction will start in early 2019, Steele said. Readers also had opinions about the smelliest, prettiest and rudest stations on our "L" system. Below are the picks some chosen by readers, some by "Getting Around." Smelliest O'Hare on the Blue Line Advertisement Several readers complained that this stop often smells of urine. I smelled disinfectant. "It's the busiest station along the branch, and we do have crews that regularly maintain it," Steele said. This stop, designed by the architecture firm of Murphy/Jahn, is lovely in a modern way, with curving, glass block walls lit from behind by colored lights. Prettiest Conservatory-Central Park Drive on the Green Line This station was reconstructed in 2001 from architectural components of the old Homan station, built in 1893. The style is Queen Anne, with Victorian gothic elements, painted in greens and white. It is a beautiful station all around, as even the bases of the pillars on the street are decorated with glass-tile flowers. It also has the best view, with the Garfield Park Conservatory to the north and the Golden Dome field house to the south. The Conservatory-Central Park Drive Green Line station, shown June 12, 2009, was picked as the CTA's prettiest stop, with its Queen Anne style and tile-decorated pillars. (Alex Bordens / Chicago Tribune) Coolest ceiling California on the Blue Line The ceiling of the California Blue Line station is covered in resin mosaic tiles depicting water lilies. Called "Harmony of the World" by artist Patrick McGee, the blue, white and golden design makes riders look up, instead of at their feet. The 2015 installation is one of more than 60 pieces of sculpture, painting, tile and other artworks around the system. Most clueless riders Damen on the Blue; Addison on the Red Advertisement Last week, I noted that if people are behaving badly on the Blue Line taking up two seats, talking too loudly on the phone it's a good bet they're getting off at Damen. Several readers agreed, and also suggested the Addison stop on the Red Line, and some Lakeview stops on the Brown. It may be that some riders at these stops are new to city living, and do not know that good public transit manners include moving away from doors and putting your backpack at your feet if the train is crowded. Last week, I spotted a group of young women standing in front of the open doors of a train at Addison, all looking at their phones and not getting on. A harried commuter shooed them onto the train as though they were geese. Chattiest riders Illinois Medical District on the Blue and Polk on the Pink Both of these stops let off near large hospitals, including Rush University Medical Center, so you see many riders wearing scrubs who seem to know each other. You hear a lot of conversations at these stops, and large groups leaving or entering the trains at once. Busiest spot for pigeons Irving Park on the Blue Line Advertisement Set under the Kennedy Expressway, this station is a huge gathering spot for what some city dwellers call "rats with wings." The number of pigeons perched on and above the sidewalk at this station can cause Hitchcockian paranoia, even among bird-lovers. Best spot for earplugs Montrose on the Blue Line All "L" stops set along expressways are noisy, but reader Jon Osada nominated Montrose on the Blue as the worst, because of its location right where the Kennedy Expressway breaks off into Edens Expressway. He's right the "whoosh" of traffic is unbearable after five minutes. I tried asking a fellow commuter how she stands it, but she couldn't hear me. Coolest artwork 18th Street on the Pink Line Set in the Pilsen neighborhood, the 18th Street station on the Pink Line is covered with colorful, Mexican-themed murals temples and gods, farmers in fields, musicians, skeletons and a mourning Madonna. Even the stair risers are painted. The 1998 work is credited to artist Francisco Mendoza, Gallery 37 students and the Mexican Museum of National Art. It is free of graffiti the neighborhood takes pride in the station and does not mess with the art. You can buy a warm churro at the entrance, to eat as you enjoy the murals. Twopassengers pause April 7, 2017, on their way out of the 18th Street Pink Line "L" station, home to colorfulMexican-themed murals credited to artist Francisco Mendoza, Gallery 37 students and the Mexican Museum of National Art. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) Most potential, Part 1 95th Street on the Red Line Advertisement The CTA is spending $280 million on reconstructing the 95th Street terminal, expected to be completed in 2018. It will include the largest public art project in the agency's history by internationally famous Theaster Gates. The new station will provide better access to buses and could also be the starting point of a new branch of the Red Line a 5.3-mile extension from 95th Street to 130th Street, to carry the "L" into an area community advocates call a transit desert. The $2.3 billion project is in the planning phases and does not have a funding source. The Trump administration's 2018 budget proposal does not favor spending federal money for new transit projects. Most potential, Part 2 Garfield on the Green One of the oldest on the system, the Garfield station on the Green Line was first built as part of South Side Rapid Transit's extension to the World's Columbian Exposition in 1892. A $50 million project will restore the original brick station house on the south side of Garfield Boulevard, and add other station improvements, such as extensions to the platform canopies. Construction will start next year and be completed at the end of 2019, with art by Nick Cave, according to Steele. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Most pleasant Francisco on the Brown Line There's a mosaic of hand-cut marble called "Carpet" by artist Ellen Harvey on the walkway into this ground-level station. Set in the bucolic Ravenswood Manor neighborhood, it feels like a stop in a small town. Advertisement Station with a unicorn Forest Park on the Blue Line It's not the fanciest station, but it's friendly and comfortable, with blue tile on the walls, and wide wooden benches. There's an urban version of a unicorn here two pay phones that actually work. There's no phone booth, so Clark Kent can't change into Superman, but you can't have everything. I also got recommendations for best and worst Metra stops, which will be the subject of another column. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 16 Twopassengers pause April 7, 2017, on their way out of the 18th Street Pink Line "L" station, home to colorfulMexican-themed murals credited to artist Francisco Mendoza, Gallery 37 students and the Mexican Museum of National Art. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com Twitter @marywizchicago Kenosha County Sheriff's Deputies escort Andrew Obregon into a courtroom for a hearing, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Kenosha, Wis. Obregon was sentenced to life in proson on April 4 for the killing of Tywon Anderson. (Brian Passino / AP) KENOSHA, Wis. A Wisconsin man who was the subject of a manhunt across parts of that state and Lake County in 2015 after he killed another man has been sentenced to life in prison. Andrew Obregon, 34, pleaded guilty in January to first-degree homicide and other charges in a plea deal with prosecutors under which numerous other charges were dropped. He was sentenced Tuesday. Advertisement Obregon was accused of killing 37-year-old Tywon Anderson over a drug deal in September 2015, dumping his body in a cornfield along County Highway A in Kenosha County and then eluding capture for weeks before being arrested near Winthrop Harbor on Oct. 13, 2015. The manhunt between the discovery of the body and Obregon's arrest resulted in four police chases, and Obregon was accused of stealing several vehicles along the way, police said. On Oct. 12, 2015, the search extended to the Antioch area, where police requested help cordoning off an area around Route 173 and Grimm Road. Advertisement The Lake County Sheriff's Office helped set up a perimeter and provided a K-9 unit in the successful search for the suspect, Christopher Covelli, a sheriff's office spokesperson, said at the time. According to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, Obregon was suspected of stealing a Ford pickup truck from Antioch on or around Oct. 5. Police said that truck was used during a chase the next day in the area of 240th Avenue and 18th Street in Kenosha. The suspect escaped and the vehicle was later recovered on Hoosier Creek Road on Oct. 9, police said. Obregon was accused of stealing three other vehicles and engaging in high-speed chases with Racine and Kenosha police prior to his arrest. Obregon was considered armed and dangerous during the manhunt. News-Sun staff contributed. Police confer at a house in the 9100 block of South Woodlawn Avenue in the Burnside neighborhood April 9, 2017, after two people were shot. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune) Updated 8:50 a.m. April 10, 2017 A 22-year-old man was killed and his father critically injured Sunday morning in the city's Burnside neighborhood after the pair shot each other during an argument over the family dog, according to Chicago police. The shooting occurred around 8:20 a.m. near the 9100 block of South Woodlawn Avenue, police said. Advertisement The men, ages 43 and 22, fought over who was going to walk the dog, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a tweet. The two then shot at each other, Guglielmi said. Both men were shot multiple times, police said. The son was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in serious condition, police said. He later was pronounced dead, according to a police media notification. Advertisement The man was identified as Donald Johnson, 22, of the same place where he was killed, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The father also was transported to Advocate Christ in critical condition. Police recovered two weapons at the scene. Detectives are investigating. nmoreno@chicagotribune.com The Trump administration has failed to fill crucial public health positions across the government, leaving the nation ill-prepared to face one of its greatest potential threats: a pandemic outbreak of a deadly infectious disease, according to experts in health and national security. No one knows where or when the next outbreak will occur, but health security experts say it is inevitable. Every president since Ronald Reagan has faced threats from infectious diseases, and the number of outbreaks is on the rise. Over the past three years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has monitored more than 300 outbreaks in 160 countries, tracking 37 dangerous pathogens in 2016 alone. Infectious diseases cause about 15 percent of all deaths worldwide. But after 11 weeks in office, the Trump administration has filled few of the senior positions critical to responding to an outbreak. There is no permanent director at the CDC or at the U.S. Agency for International Development. At the Department of Health and Human Services, no one has been named to fill sub-Cabinet posts for health, global affairs, or preparedness and response. It's also unclear whether the National Security Council will assume the same leadership on the issue as it did under President Barack Obama, according to public health experts. "We need people in position to help steer the ship," said Steve Davis, the chief executive of PATH, a Seattle-based international health technology nonprofit working with countries to improve their ability to detect disease. "We are actually very concerned." In addition to leaving key posts vacant, the Trump administration has displayed little interest in the issue, health and security experts say. The White House has made few public statements about the importance of preparing for outbreaks, and it has yet to build the international relationships that are crucial for responding to global health crises. Trump also has proposed sharp cuts to government agencies working to stop deadly outbreaks at their source. The slow progress on senior-level appointments - even those, such as the CDC director, that do not require Senate confirmation - is hobbling Cabinet secretaries at agencies across the government. Temporary "beachhead" teams the White House installed are hitting the end of their appointments. The remaining civil servants have little authority to make major decisionsor mobilize resources. An HHS spokeswoman declined to comment on personnel decisions. An NSC official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the administration recognizes that global health security is a national security issue and that America's health depends on the world's ability to detect threats wherever they occur. Trump's NSC does not have a point person for global health security as Obama's did, but global health security is part of the overall portfolio of Tom Bossert, Trump's homeland security adviser, another NSC official said. Global health experts warn that a pandemic threat could be as deadly as a nuclear attack - and is much more probable. A global health crisis "will go from being on no one's to-do list to being the only thing on their list," said Bill Steiger, who headed the HHS office of global health affairs during the George W. Bush administration. He spoke at a panel on pandemic preparedness in early January. He is now part of Trump's beachhead team at the State Department. Next month, the G-20 governments, which traditionally focus on finance and economics, will convene their health ministers for the first time, in part to test coordination and preparedness for a pandemic, according to German officials, who are hosting the summit in Berlin. It's not clear who will represent the United States. In a speech to a security conference in Munich earlier this year, billionaire Bill Gates said a pandemic threat needs to be taken as seriously as other national security issues. "Imagine if I told you that somewhere in this world, there's a weapon that exists - or that could emerge - capable of killing tens of thousands, or millions of people, bringing economies to a standstill and throwing nations into chaos," said Gates, who has spent billions to improve health worldwide. "Whether it occurs by a quirk of nature or at the hand of a terrorist, epidemiologists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year." The projected annual cost of a pandemic could reach as high as $570 billion. Last month, Trump met with Gates at the White House. After the meeting, press secretary Sean Spicer said the two had "a shared commitment to finding and stopping disease outbreaks around the world." Americans are at greater risk than ever from new infectious diseases, drug-resistant infections and potential bioterrorism organisms, despite advances in medicine and technology, experts say. Not only has the total number of outbreaks increased in the past three decades, but the scale, impact and methods of transmission also have expanded because of climate change, urbanization and globalization. The outbreak of Ebola that erupted in West Africa eventually infected more than 28,000 people and killed more than 11,000. MERS has killed nearly 2,000 people in 27 countries. Health officials around the world are monitoring a strain of deadly bird flu, H7N9, that is causing China's largest outbreak on record, killing 40 percent of people with confirmed infections. Of all emerging infectious disease threats, a global influenza outbreak is everyone's worst fear because it could be highly fatal and highly contagious. A particularly virulentinfluenza pandemic that started in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. Today's H7N9 strain poses the greatest risk of a pandemic if it evolves to spread easily from human to human, according to U.S. officials. Last month, several Democratic lawmakers wrote HHS Secretary Tom Price to raise concerns about the nation's ability to respond to infectious disease threats. They also asked about the vacancies and the impact of proposed budget cuts in the event of a flu pandemic. They received no response. "Our whole community is kind of ear to the ground trying to figure out any clues we can discern," said Rebecca Katz, co-director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University's Medical Center. Global health security "is clearly an issue that needs to be taken up by the heads of state," said one European official who declined to be identified because her government does not want to appear critical of the United States. Diseases travel fast and don't recognize borders. In today's connected world, a disease can be transported from a rural village to any major city within 36 hours. "It's not just from travel of people, but birds, too," she said. Referring to Trump's proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico, she added: "You can't build walls to stop birds." Global health security was a top priority for the Obama administration, which launched a partnership in early 2014 to prevent deadly outbreaks from spreading. Experts say the collaboration, known as the Global Health Security Agenda, has raised the political profile of infectious disease threats and strengthened basic public health systems in the countries least equipped to fight epidemics. In Cameroon, the government developed a new emergency operations center able to respond within 24 hours to an outbreak of a highly lethal bird flu last year, removing more than 67,000 birds that had the potential to spread the virus to humans. In 2015, it took the country eight weeks to respond to a cholera outbreak. In Mali, personnel who received epidemiology training began vaccination campaigns the day after detecting a measles outbreak last year. In addition, more than 30 countries have taken part in evaluations to assess their ability to detect and prevent outbreaks, and their "report cards" are made public to spur governments to take action. But the gains made so far are "still fragile and require continued funding until they are strong," according to an internal CDC analysis. The Obama administration committed $1 billion to the program, which is due to end in fiscal 2019. Although it has strong support among global health officials and some Republican lawmakers, the Trump administration has yet to say whether it plans to continue funding the initiative. President Obama also brought up global health regularly in meetings with foreign leaders. Trump has said little since taking office, except for a reference in his inaugural speech about his desire to rid the earth of disease. During the Ebola outbreak, Trump tweeted that health workers should be blocked from returning to the United States, despite advice from the CDC and other experts that doing so would not protect U.S. health and would harm efforts to stop the outbreak. The administration's proposed budget is also problematic, health experts say. If approved by Congress, Trump's request for the current fiscal year would slash the entire $72 million budget for global health security at USAID. And his request for fiscal 2018 calls for a nearly 18 percent cut at HHS, which includes the CDC. The request does propose a new federal emergency response fund intended to allow HHS to respond to emerging public health outbreaks. However, administration officials have provided few details. Many Republican lawmakers have criticized the requests, saying Congress is unlikely to approve such deep cuts to health agencies. "You can have the best people in the world, but if you're slashing the NIH budget by 20 percent, and presumably the same thing to CDC, then I don't care how good your people are, they're not going to be nearly as effective as they need to be," said Rep. Tom Cole, R- Okla., who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education, and related agencies. The health agencies are "the front lines of defense for the American people for some pretty awful things," Cole said. "If the idea of a government is to protect the United States and its people, then these people contribute as much as another wing on an F-35 [fighter jet], and actually do more to save tens of thousands of lives." The Washington Post's Lisa Rein contributed to this story. A South Holland man was killed Saturday night when the motorcycle he was driving collided with another vehicle, police said. Asa Cole, 25, was pronounced dead on the scene of the 7:38 p.m. crash at 170th Street and Dobson Avenue. Advertisement Police were searching for the driver of a silver Honda that was involved in the crash and had fled the scene. Police said Cole drove his black and gray Suzuki motorcycle eastbound on 170th passing several vehicles before crashing into the Honda. Advertisement Witnesses told police the Honda sped off after the accident, but its front bumper was recovered at the scene with the license plate still attached. Police said the plate is registered to an address in Dixmoor. South Holland police and the South Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating. Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. A man who survived a Saturday afternoon shootout that left a Chicago man dead at an Elmwood Park gas station acted in self-defense, police said, adding that no charges will be filed. According to the Cook County medical examiner's office, Ronald A. Morales, 43, was shot multiple times at a BP gas station at 7450 W. Grand Ave. Police said the shooting took place in the area of the gas pumps. Morales was taken to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:34 p.m. His death had been ruled a homicide by the medical examiner's office, but in a news release issued Monday by the Elmwood Park Police Department, police said after an investigation by officers and the Cook County state's attorney's office, no charges will be filed against the other man involved in the shootout. "This was an unfortunate and isolated incident," Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said. "But in the end, it was determined that the individual acted in self-defense. We are happy that no innocent citizens were injured." Advertisement Fagiano said the shooting was not a robbery, not gang-related and not drug-related. "It appears that the initial shot was by Morales," he said. "We don't know the reason why Morales would do that." Advertisement Police said the confrontation took place at the gas pumps around 4:52 p.m. on Saturday. Morales had just exited the convenience store area of the gas station and made eye contact with the other man, who was pumping gas into his vehicle, police said. Morales then reportedly walked over to his vehicle and retrieved his gun, Fagiano said. By then, the man who had been pumping gas was back in his vehicle, but when he saw Morales walking toward him with a gun the man felt he was in danger, so he exited his vehicle armed with his own gun and the two men exchanged gunfire, Fagiano said. Police said the man who survived the shootout, as well as three people who were inside one of the vehicles at the time of the shooting, gave police video-recorded statements. The gas station has six surveillance cameras facing the pumping area and one camera facing the alley to the north of the business. Police credit the gas station's "state-of-the art camera system" with providing them clear footage of the afternoon of the shootout that allowed them to quickly corroborate information they gathered from eyewitnesses on the scene, the man who survived the shootout and the three vehicle occupants. A gas station employee who began his shift Sunday morning said the business had been closed from about 5 p.m. to at least 10 p.m. on Saturday. Andres Becerril, an Elmwood Park resident for the past 10 years, lives in the apartment building across the alley from the gas station. By the time Becerril got home on Saturday, he said markers for bullet casings that had been picked up were on the ground, and there was still police tape at the gas station and officials from the West Suburban Major Task Force were canvassing the area. He said he was glad no one was home at the time of the shooting. "There are four kids who live upstairs, so a stray bullet could have gone straight through," Becerril said. "That shooting [Saturday] sounded like some wild, wild west stuff. And it was in broad daylight and only a few blocks away from the police station. I feel unsafe now." Also on Sunday, Ovidio Monterroso and his three children had stopped at the gas station while on their bicycles to fill their tires with air. Advertisement "I used to live in Elmwood Park, but I don't anymore. But during the time that I lived here, it was always pretty tranquil," Monterroso said in Spanish. "A shooting like that here, that's crazy. I mean, Chicago is right next door, but still." Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Two men trying to escape police in North Chicago led law enforcement officials on a chase south into Lake Forest, where the vehicle caught fire and one of the suspects was captured. Lake Forest Police Commander Craig Lepkowski said his department was alerted by North Chicago police Saturday at 4:15 p.m. that a stolen vehicle, a black Acura MDX, was heading southbound on Sheridan Road and was entering Lake Bluff's city limits. Advertisement Police from Lake Forest and Lake Bluff went to the intersection of Western and Westleigh roads and observed the fleeing vehicle as it turned onto southbound Westleigh Road, where it struck the side of a landscaping truck with a trailer and continued south, he said. The vehicle continued on Sheridan Road and then turned eastbound on McCormick and entered the Villa Turicum subdivision, he said. The stolen vehicle had flames and smoke coming from the undercarriage as it came to a rest in the 500 block of Turicum Road, where the passenger and driver left the car and fled into the neighborhood. Advertisement The Illinois State Police, Lake County sheriff's deputies and police officers from Highland Park, Laker Bluff, Bannockburn and Deerfield set up a perimeter and the passenger was found on a bicycle path bridge adjacent to the Fort Sheridan Reserve Center, Lepkowski said. Tyler M. Miller-Alford, 20, of 1504 Jackson St., North Chicago, was charged with felony obstruction of justice, Lepkowski said. The other suspect had not been captured as of Sunday evening and the police investigation was continuing, he said. fabderholden@tribpub.com Twitter @abderholden Lactation consultant and mother Alisha Gilani passes out breast-feeding signs to other mothers at a protest April 8, 2017, at The People's Choice Family Fun Center in Waukegan. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun) Holding their babies with one hand and signs in the other, a group of mothers staged what they called a nurse-in inside The People's Choice Family Fun Center on Grand Avenue Saturday in protest of an incident that happened there the weekend before. Traveling from as far as McHenry County and Chicago, the 11 moms showed up there in response to a young mother's post about feeling shamed by People's Choice employees for breast-feeding her 8-month-old baby. Advertisement Her post went viral and sparked a slew of comments bashing both the establishment and the mother. It also inspired the women to show up Saturday in support of their right to breast-feed their babies in public, they said. Advertisement Women staging a nurse-in feed their babies at The People's Choice Family Fun Center in Waukegan on Saturday, April 8. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun) Round Lake mother of two Charis Attermeir organized Saturday's nurse-in because she doesn't want mothers to think they're doing something wrong when feeding their babies, she said. "There's nothing indecent or sexual about breast-feeding. It's feeding our baby and we should be able to do it without being shamed," Attmeir said. "If someone has a problem with it, they have the option to look away." Many of the women who showed up Saturday said they saw the post and the nurse-in information on different websites geared toward mothers. The mother who posted about the incident did not attend Saturday's protest, but four of her sisters and her mother did. "My sister didn't want to come because she doesn't want to make this about her. She posted what happened so other moms would know that breast-feeding their baby is not welcome here," said Sarah Evans of Chicago. Evans added that her sister felt harassed that day and only wanted to make sure other moms didn't go through what she went through. People's Choice President John Sarantakis said mothers have always been able to breast-feed their babies at the fun center, and he disputed that his employees shamed the woman after some patrons complained about her. On Saturday, Sarantakis invited the moms to come inside the business and sit. He told them they could leave the literature they brought on Illinois breast-feeding statutes. Advertisement Once inside, many of the mothers breast-fed their infants while sitting at a booth near the entrance. A few mothers talked to management and Sarantakis one-on-one. According to breastfeedinglaw.com, in Illinois breast-feeding is not an act of public indecency and a mother may breast-feed her baby in any location, public or private, where she is otherwise authorized to be. Sarantakis said that in his 33 years in business, no one had ever complained about a breast-feeding mom until the day of the incident. He said the only thing he felt could have been handled better was that he and his employees failed to tell those who complained that the woman had the right to breast-feed her baby in public. "We have nothing against breast-feeding. This is about education, and now we know that this is their right," Sarantakis said. Alisha Gilani said Saturday's protest was the 26th nurse-in she attended in the past year. As a lactation consultant, she said she's been to chain restaurants and retail stores for the nurse-ins, all in support of the mothers she works with who have experienced similar incidents. Advertisement Gilani said the nurse-ins aren't about shaming the establishment, but about educating businesses on the law and the rights that mothers have to breast-feed. "Women who get shamed for breast-feeding don't want to go out in public because they know at some point they're going to have to feed and feel uncomfortable, or they just stop breast-feeding altogether," Gilani said. That could be devastating for their babies, as a mother's milk has antibodies that help their baby fight off diseases, Gilani said. "This (nurse-in) is about keeping babies safe and normalizing it, because moms need to feed their babies when they're hungry," Gilani said. Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun. Waukegan students in the Bravo Waukegan mariachi program practice with guest musician Roberto Martinez before their performance at Waukegan High School on Friday, April 7. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun) A night of mariachi music and folkloric dancing was performed by Waukegan students in the Bravo Waukegan program on the stage of the Trapp Auditorium at Waukegan High School Friday. The more than 150 young musicians of different skill levels and grades in elementary and middle school were dressed for the part of mariachis and poured their heart out for an audience of parents and school members who cheered loudly after each performance. Advertisement The students used their instruments to play traditional songs in Spanish, such as "Cielito Lindo," "La Cucaracha" and "La Bamba." To create their musical performances, kids used violins, violas, cellos, guitars, trumpets, saxophones and guitarrones. Advertisement Little girls with ribbons in their braids and big flowers on the side of their ears twirled around the stage making their vibrantly colored dresses dance while they stomped on the floor to add rhythm to the music. The members of the Ballet Folkloric Tayahua included children and teens. Some performances had children sit on chairs and play softly. Others were upbeat and triggered the audience to join in with claps, whistles and the long-standing mariachi grito, or shout, that accompanies mariachi music. "Mariachi in the schools is one of Bravo Waukegan's signature programs. A Mariachi Festival was long overdue," said Karey Walker, executive director. Friday's 90-minute program was the first of its kind, said Sheila Crotty-Kagan, District 60's enrichment coordinator. It was co-presented by the district and Bravo Waukegan. Children in the after-school program learn to play instruments and songs from teachers and guest instructors. For many the program is an add-on to their orchestra and band classes in school. For Friday's event, students practiced with professional mariachi musician Roberto Martinez, who has worked as an educator and advocate of music education. Martinez was previously a cast member at Walt Disney World's Epcot Theme Park in Orlando. His position as a front-line musician with the renowned Mariachi Cobre allowed him to play for millions of people. Hours before their performance on Friday, groups of students played with Martinez and picked up last-minute techniques that they used on stage. Advertisement He told them that music can open doors for them in the future. "I was able to go to college because of mariachi music. I was able to travel and worked at Walt Disney World for over 30 years. So that's what music can do for you," Martinez told students. In attendance Friday was Pat Sikorovsky, founder of Bravo Waukegan, who received applause and cheers from the audience. Margarette Minor, Bravo Waukegan's new president was also formally introduced. Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun. Third-grade teacher Rose Marie Harring loves shoes, whether she's wearing them or sitting in the oversized high heel in her classroom at Kingsley Elementary School in Naperville. (Jane Donahue / Naperville Sun) Rose Marie Harring may have taught second- and third-grade students in Naperville for the past 16 years, but she says she's done her fair share of learning. "I learn something from them every day," said Harring, who lives in Lisle. "I have learned to be more gentle, how to laugh more and how to be a risk-taker." Advertisement Harring earned a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science and a master's degree in speech pathology and worked as a speech therapist in Missouri and Rhode Island before moving back to Illinois to be near family. When she couldn't find a speech therapist position, she began teaching as an aide and then was hired by Kingsley Elementary in 2001. Her room is filled with activity and mementos she's gathered during her teaching career. Students know she loves to read, shoes of all kinds there's a giant stiletto to sit on and being in the classroom. Advertisement "I am going to miss these kids," Harring said. "They make me smile every day. I have fun with them, watching them grow and change. I am going to miss it terribly." We sat down with Harring to learn more. What and where do you teach? Third grade at Kingsley Elementary School in Naperville. How long have you been teaching? 16 years at Kingsley. What degrees do you have? Bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Did you have a teacher who inspired you? My second-grade teacher Miss Winter definitely inspired me. A boy moved into our class from another school and he was really behind. She put him with me and told me that I was going to be his teacher and I was going to help him. What was your best subject in school? Writing. What was your least favorite subject? Math. Advertisement Funny classroom memory: One day the principal came into my classroom when I was teaching and said, "Mrs. Harring, I need to see you." I was sitting at the overhead projector and I got up and looked at my class and said, "Does it sound like I am in trouble?" The kids nodded. As I was walking out of the classroom, one of the kids leaned over and said to another, "I think it's her hair." What is a perfect day off? Reading, taking the dog for a walk, going for a drive and writing. I have had a poem published and I hope to get more. What advice would you give to a new teacher? Don't be afraid to be real and vulnerable. I've always been as real and vulnerable as possible because I would like (the students) to trust me and I don't think they will if I don't show them that I am vulnerable too. Were you a good student when you were a kid or a bad one? I was good but I was probably mischievous in a quiet way because my dad was a policeman. My friends would dare me to do things and I was one of those kids they knew was good for a dare. If you weren't a teacher, what would you be? Something in music. I played in a steel drum band for 10 years and I loved it. Three words that describe you: Caring, funny and thoughtful. Advertisement Jane Donahue is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Is there a teacher you would like to nominate for a Teacher Feature profile? Send their name and a little information about what makes them a great teacher to ksorensen@tribpub.com. A few dozen peach jars flicker with candlelight on the ledge of the Free Speech Pavilion during Illuminate the Riverwalk: Honoring Sexual Assault Awareness Month on April 1, 2017. (Diane Moca / Naperville Sun) A former student at North Central College organized an event to mark the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April by sharing her story along Naperville's Riverwalk. "Naperville is very affluent, and people think it doesn't happen here," she said during the event at the Free Speech Pavilion. Advertisement It does. And it happens on the North Central College campus too. We know this because of the Clery Act, a federal statute requiring any college that participates in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose information about crime on campus, in some noncampus buildings and on some nearby public property. Universities also must issue warnings and emergency alerts if there is an immediate threat to public safety. Advertisement The act was the result of efforts by Connie and Howard Clery, whose 19-year-old daughter was killed in a violent attack in her dorm room on a Pennsylvania college campus. They believed Lehigh University failed to disclose adequate information about campus safety after Jeanne Clery was beaten, raped and murdered by Josoph Henry, a fellow student. The goal of the act is similar to the goal of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is intended to make students, families and the general college campus community more aware of the potential dangers they face. In the case of rape, that is especially key. Awareness helps make other victims feel comfortable coming forward to report a crime that has historically been underreported because there was a stigma attached, advocates have argued. More awareness leads to more reporting, which means more investigating and more prosecuting. Ultimately, the goal is prevention. Naperville Sun Twice-weekly News updates from the Naperville area delivered every Monday and Wednesday > In the past, North Central College has declined to provide much information on reported sexual assaults, hiding behind the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Last year, the Naperville Sun reported that the college reported 10 sexual assaults between 2012 and 2014. However, college officials refused to divulge information such as the date, time of day, location or description of the incidents. Without a date, Naperville police said they could not even determine whether they investigated any sexual assault reports on the downtown campus. North Central isn't the only school that has wrestled with student privacy concerns when reporting crime. While protecting a student's right to privacy is important, reporting the date, time, general location and nature of an incident without releasing the name of the accused or giving away the identity of the victim clearly is not a violation of privacy. It is information the campus community deserves to know as soon as a crime is reported. Based on what Naperville police have said, it appears to be the only way for the community to determine whether sexual assault reports are even investigated. A number in a box on a form reported to the Department of Education once a year isn't enough. Is that even useful? One in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college, and 90 percent of these crimes go unreported, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Advertisement Awareness efforts such as the one organized by the former North Central student help. So do events such as the crime victims' rights educational event Naperville police organized with the FBI this week at North Central's Wentz Concert Hall. But true awareness requires transparency and cooperation from the institution. Hiding the problem by failing to disclose relevant information makes the community less safe. And it violates the spirit of the law passed to prevent crimes such as the one that killed Jeanne Clery. Esgar: Our rights are on the ballot this Tuesday Google is wading into the battle against online fake news and adding a fact check to its search results. The Californian tech giant announced on Friday that it is rolling out globally a feature in its search and news results that will assess the authenticity of information shown. Google isn't doing this fact-checking itself: Instead, it's relying on respected independent fact-checking organisations like PolitiFact and Snopes to provide the info. So if you search for "27 million people enslaved," for example, a fact-check box will appear at the top of the search results, telling you that PolitiFact says US Senator Bob Corker's claim that 27 million people are trapped in modern slavery is "mostly true." Or in News results, it will stick a "Fact Check" option alongside the standard stories providing more details. In a blog post, Google cautions that this isn't Google passing judgment on a particular claim: "This information wont be available for every search result, and there may be search result pages where different publishers checked the same claim and reached different conclusions. These fact checks are not Google's and are presented so people can make more informed judgments. Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it's still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree." It adds: "As we make fact checks more visible in Search results, we believe people will have an easier time reviewing and assessing these fact checks, and making their own informed opinions." In a Saturday morning interview on CNN, Sen. Rand Paul responds to criticism from Sen. John McCain. "Anybody who wants to talk to Putin about a political settlement and helping Assad go away, anybody who wants to talk about that, myself include, will be called by the McCains of this world a friend of Vladimir Putin. So, as long as we have that kind of stupidity involved in the debate it makes it very hard to get to what President Obama said and what many other thinking people said that the answer in Syria is ultimately a political solution," Paul said to CNN host Michael Smerconish. Watch the full interview: The central government has continued to cut its annual budget for overseas trips, vehicles and receptions this year. Central government departments will spend a maximum of 6.15 billion yuan (891 million U.S. dollars) on the "three public consumptions" in 2017, down 31 million yuan from 2016, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Expenses on overseas visits will reach no more than 1.88 billion yuan, while 3.5 billion yuan was budgeted for the purchase and maintenance of government vehicles and 761 million yuan for official receptions. The MOF said the 2017 budget will give a priority to funding important overseas visits, reception of foreign guests, as well as participation in international meetings. In addition, central departments will need to replace their vehicles with greener cars in line with Beijing's policy on emission reduction, the MOF said. China has long been bedeviled by officials using their expenses accounts to travel in the name of official visits, use work vehicles on personal errands, and enjoy luxurious receptions and accommodation. However, the frugality campaign launched by central authorities is driving down the expenses in a bid to build a cleaner and more transparent government. You are here: Home Thunderstorms and heavy rains are forecast to hit parts of central and southeast China in the next 24 hours, the national observatory warned Saturday. From Saturday evening to Sunday evening, parts of Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces will be lashed by thunderstorms, wild winds or hailstones, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC). The center issued a blue alert, the lowest in a four-tier warning system, for severe convective weather for the above-mentioned regions, predicting precipitation of 20 to 40 millimeters per hour, or even 50 millimeters per hour, in some areas. The NMC cautioned that local governments should take emergency measures against thunderstorms, strong wind and potential disasters, including mountain floods and landslides. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda (middle) visits Beijing Foreign Studies University on March 26, 2016. [Courtesy of Beijing Foreign Studies University] During his interaction with students of Beijing Foreign Studies University on March 26, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda frequently faced similar questions related to the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative : When will Nepal become the part of it? Prachanda wasted no time in expressing his commitment to the initiative, by highlighting its benefits to Nepal, saying: "The Belt & Road Initiative offers tremendous opportunities for collaboration and partnership between Nepal and China. Nepal is in the final stage of concluding an extended MoU on it." In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he reiterated Nepal's readiness to be part of the Belt & Road before a global summit on the issue slated for May 14-15 in Beijing. PM Prachanda has struck an optimistic note about the prospect of Nepal being an active player of the Belt and Road Initiative. All well and good; however, actions speak louder than words. He didn't lift a finger to sign a protocol on it during his seven months in office despite repeated requests from China to start the ball rolling. Now, Prachanda will not be in a position to call the shots as local elections are slated for May 14, when he has to pass the baton to Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, a prime minister-in-waiting, as per their earlier agreement. Given this political fact, his commitment to B&R seems to be more rhetoric than reality. China is not happy after seeing the draft of its protocol shelved in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for almost six months thanks to the dilatory posture of Foreign Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat. He had committed a series of diplomatic gaffes in connection with Nepal's participation in the B&R Initiative. He has visited India five times since assuming his post some eight months ago. When asked why he did not visit China during this period, he dropped an embarrassing clanger by admitting that if he did so, he would have to sign the protocol. This time, Dr Mahat did accompany Prachanda to China; however, he cleverly distanced himself from anything to do with the initiative throughout the visit. It has been widely perceived that "Indian lobbying" is playing a hand in the delay. During his meeting with Prachanda, Chinese President Xi emphasized "strengthening political trust" between the two nations. Perhaps the term "trust" was the key word, implying that the two neighbors should work for mutual understanding and confidence. Nepal-China relations have experienced unusual hiccups with the collapse of the K.P. Sharma Oli-led government, in which Prachanda was the main actor behind it. Visibly, Prachanda failed to pull off a diplomatic coup during his trip, but he strained every nerve to overcome the deficit of trust with his northern neighbor. President Xi has rightly called for boosting relations to the mutual benefits of the two nations. "Friendly ties between China and Nepal are in the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples. The two sides need to strengthen political trust, have more close exchanges and support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns," he said when meeting the Nepalese delegation. Nepal and China have shown willingness to promote cooperation in connectivity, free trade arrangements, agriculture, industrial capacity, energy and post-disaster reconstruction by taking the advantage of opportunities offered by the Belt & Road Initiative. As Nepal is in the strategic location, it will be an active player in the initiative sooner or later. For China, Nepal is the gateway to South Asia, with the potential to be a regional hub. Chinese investors committed to more than 60 percent of the total foreign investment pledged at the recent Nepal Investment Summit in Kathmandu. This investment that will come to Nepal through the B&R channel will be a boon to the cash-strapped Himalayan nation. During Prachanda's visit, China also announced assistance of 136 million rupees (9 million yuan) to Nepal for conducting the local elections. Though it is not a big amount of aid to Nepal, it carries deep symbolic meaning as the country conducts its first local elections in almost two decades. It will be the first milestone in implementing a new constitution and restoring stability. India has not yet welcomed the election announcement, but China has already lent its helping hand to successfully hold the poll. It is a clear indication that China always stands for Nepal's stability, peace and prosperity. Ritu Raj Subedi is an associate editor of The Rising Nepal. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash Russia intends to discuss international counter-terrorism with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his upcoming visit next week, despite clouded Russian-U.S. ties, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov said Saturday. "We have a multitude of topics, among which international counter-terrorism is of great significance," Zakharov told Russia's Rossiya-1 TV channel. "Moscow is ready to cooperate with Washington even at the toughest moment of bilateral relations," she said. The U.S. military fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield in the central province of Homs Thursday, raising tensions for Russian-U.S. ties. "We will listen to what Tillerson has to say (about the U.S. missile strike in Syria). It is necessary to make it absolutely clear that such U.S. military action is unacceptable to us," the spokeswoman added. According to a Pentagon statement, the strike was in response to the Syrian government's chemical attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in the country's northwestern province of Idlib. Noting that the United States has recently launched an investigation into the chemical attack, Zakharov said the U.S. strike on Syria is not in line with its attempts to discover truth about the incident. "They carried out strikes on the hardware that they wanted to inspect. This has absolutely nothing to do with attempts to find out what happened to the chemical weapons," Zakharov said. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Friday the suspension of the memorandum of understanding on the prevention of flight safety incidents in Syria with the United States, which was signed in 2015. Summaries UNHCR Was Ready for Falluja By Bruno Geddo We would like to address some factual errors in the article published today on your website: Fallujah, a Military Success But Humanitarian Failure, Could Signal Catastrophe in Mosul It is a great shame this article appeared without the writer carefully checking the facts. UNHCR, like other agencies, had drawn up contingency plans for Falluja. A Vicarious Letter to Obama From the Assyrian Hostages By Peter Ahern Dear President Obama: After months of despair we have finally felt a flicker of hope on hearing of the raid by your soldiers with Kurdish forces several days ago which released 69 hostages being held by the Islamic state. We know very well what those hostages were going through. Like them we are held in captivity, abused, and face execution. We have been in this situation for months. Is the Pope Standing Up for Iraqi Christians? By Tiffany Tryniszewski While Pope Francis focuses on climate change and normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba, the Christians of Iraq are left with no ally, no protector, and no spokesperson. For the first time in history, Iraq is becoming entirely Islamic. Good Men Must Do Something By Nahren Anweya Benjamin Franklin once wrote, "Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature." It's because of these moral precepts that my parents fled the Ba'athist purge of Saddam Hussein in the hope of providing a better life for my brothers, sister -- and naturally, myself. Hatred is a Disease of Humanity By Joanie Schirm In reading the August 26, 2014 article titled Chaldean Patriarch Appeals to 'Conscience of the World' by Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, I am reminded that the stories of displaced persons in our world never fade. webguy4 said: On the face of it we know two things. Assad did a chemical attack Trump blew up an airfield in response. All the rest is total conjecture with no evidence. Click to expand... No, not quite. Trump blew up SOME **** that was located at an airfield. The airfield is intact and operational.Lets try for a bit more accuracy in your posting. Flash Norwegian police said they carried out a controlled explosion of what they described as a bomb-like object found Saturday night in central Oslo and detained one suspect. The danger was now considered to be over, but the authorities still did not know what the object was, Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander at the site, told reporters. The suspected man was arrested earlier in the day and taken in for questioning while a large area was cordoned off after the object was found around the Gronland subway station in Oslo. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Jorundland said earlier, adding the object was about 30 times 30 centimeters. The incident came just one day after a truck ploughed into pedestrians on a busy shopping street before crashing into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden, killing at least four and wounding many others. Flash At least 15 civilians were killed on Saturday by U.S.-led airstrikes, which targeted areas in the countryside of the northern province of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported. Four children and a woman were among those killed by the airstrikes that targeted the town of Haideh in the western countryside of Raqqa, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Tens of civilians have recently been killed by the airstrikes of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition. Late last month, a U.S.-led airstrike targeted a school housing displaced people in the town of Mansura in Raqqa countryside, killing 33 people, according to the Observatory. The U.S. previously acknowledged the falling of civilian victims as a result of the airstrikes they have been conducting since intervening in Syria in 2014. Flash China and Sri Lanka have pledged to deepen pragmatic cooperation in all fields to further develop the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. Yu Zhengsheng (L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] The pledge was made when visiting Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng held talks with Sri Lankan leaders. Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited the island country from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. While meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday, Yu said China and Sri Lanka are traditional good neighbors and their peoples have enjoyed long history of exchanges. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 60 years ago, China and Sri Lanka have supported each other on the issues concerning their core and significant interests, with mutual beneficial cooperation bringing substantial benefits to the peoples of the two sides, the Chinese top political advisor said. The leaders of the two countries have jointly mapped out the strategic plans for developing the China-Sri Lanka ties, and the two countries should take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides as an opportunity to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders, maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political trust, connect development strategies of the two countries, jointly construct the "Belt and Road", boost people to people exchanges, consolidate the friendly public opinions in the two countries so as to further push forward the strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides, Yu said. For his part, Sirisena said Sri Lanka and China have enjoyed long history of friendship and friendly people to people exchanges. China has given strong support to Sri Lanka in peace realization and economic recovery, and Sri Lankan people love and respect China, the president said. As the development of bilateral ties has entered a new stage, Sri Lanka will continue to uphold the one China policy and is looking forward to maintaining frequent high-level exchanges, deepen and broaden economic and trade cooperation and strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in international affairs, he added. During his meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday, Yu said the China-Sri Lanka relations have witnessed comprehensive development in recent years with deepening pragmatic cooperation, and positive achievements have been scored in major cooperation projects. Both sides should give play to their own advantages, exploit cooperation potential and jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Yu said, adding that they should also push for the steady development of key cooperation projects including the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota harbor. Meanwhile, China and Sri Lanka should speed up negotiations on the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), and expand their cooperation to new areas such as ocean, tourism and industry capacity so as to achieve mutual benefits and common development, he said. For his part, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is in the process of industrialization, modernization and urbanization, and that his country looks forward to boosting cooperation with China in the fields of trade, finance, ports and transportation infrastructure. Sri Lanka is willing to join hands with China to build the Belt and Road so as to speed up the island country's economic development and boost regional economic integration, the prime minister said. Also on Friday, the Chinese top political advisor met with Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, saying that China is very happy to see social stability, economic development and continuous improvement of the people's living standard in Sri Lanka. The CPPCC stands ready to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the Sri Lankan Parliament to make contribution to the development of bilateral relations, Yu said. For his part, Karu said China and Sri Lanka have witnessed close contacts in all sectors and bilateral cooperation has a bright prospect. The Sri Lankan Parliament supports the Belt and Road Initiative, backs the FTA negotiations with China, and expects more friendly exchanges between the two countries, he said. Yu and Karu on Friday also attended the reception marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two hailed the traditional friendship between the two countries. BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a message of condolences to Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf in the wake of Friday's deadly truck attack in Stockholm. In the message, Xi strongly condemned the violent attack, extending his profound condolences to the innocent victims while expressing his sincere sympathy for the injured and families of the victims. Xi said China is ready to enhance cooperation with Sweden and the international community, and make positive efforts to maintain security and stability in the two countries and the world. On Friday, a truck ploughed into crowds on a busy shopping street before crashing into a department store in central Stockholm, killing at least four people while wounding many others in what was suspected to be a terrorist attack. California reaches for the stars wallet:Home to the Mojave Air & Space Port and promising launch companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Orbit, California has a thriving rocket industry. Accordingly, the state is now looking into taxing this vibrant industry, and the Franchise Tax Board has issued a proposed regulation for public comment.The proposal says that California-based companies that launch spacecraft will have to pay a tax based upon "mileage" traveled by that spacecraft from California. (No, we're not exactly sure what this means, either). The proposed regulations were first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, and Thomas Lo Grossman, a tax attorney at the Franchise Tax Board, told the newspaper that the rules are designed to mirror the ways taxes are levied on terrestrial transportation and logistics firms operating in California, like trucking or train companies.The tax board is seeking public input from now until June 16, when it is expected to vote on the proposed tax. The federal government already has its own taxes for commercial space companies, and until now no other state has proposed taxing commercial spaceflight. In fact most other states, including places like Florida, Texas, and Georgia, offer launch providers tax incentives to move business into their areas.Phil Larson, a former Obama White House official who now is assistant dean of the University of Colorado's College of Engineering and Applied Science, told Ars that California is discriminating against rocket companies by doubly taxing them. He also noted that such a tax would impede California's ability to launch climate satellites, which Governor Jerry Brown has said he would do if President Trump cuts the ability of federal scientists to study Earth's climate.Instead of such a tax, Larson said, California should work with industry to develop a system of taxation that encourages investment in the state. "The state could advance a proactive effort in the legislature to make sure that California doesnt end up at the back of the bus in the new space race by supporting a national framework for space innovation," Larson said.LINKY: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...nches/&usg=AFQjCNHgNNbaYsbowZPasKa44BQ5xbMSnQ BEIJING - China's prestigious Peking University will start staff recruitment and student enrollment for its British campus in the city of Oxford in June, according to the dean of HSBC Business School of Peking University Sunday. Peking University signed with the Open University in February to purchase the 15-acre campus in Oxford for 8.8 million pounds ($10 million). This was the first time that a Chinese university has used its own finance to set up and manage a school in a foreign country, according to Hai Wen, dean of HSBC Business School. He said the school would enroll 100 international students when it opens in August 2018. It will coincide with the 120th founding anniversary of the the elite Beijing university. "The timing is monumental. In 1818, China's first foreign-founded school, Ying Wa College, was set up by a British missionary. Now 200 years later, a Chinese university will set up its own school in Britain," he said. Hai said that in recent years, many foreign universities had opened schools in China. Peking University, as one of China's top universities, should play a leading role for Chinese universities to go global. He said HSBC Business School's finance, management and economics courses will feature Chinese business cases to help students become better acquainted with the Chinese economy and reforms. Students will take the first year course in the Oxford campus and the second year at the school's campus in the city of Shenzhen, southern China. Students on the school's Shenzhen campus will be allowed to select elective courses on the Oxford campus. Han Zhenyu. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] From struggling student to attending one of the most prestigious universities, Han Zhenyu's hard work seems to have paid off. And last Sunday, Han Zhenyu wanted to share his learning experience with students and their parents in his hometown of Harbin. The 21-year-old boy is currently in his third year majoring in mathematics at Cambridge University, one of the best universities in the world. It's quite difficult for a Chinese student to get into Cambridge but he's helping seven other Chinese students do just that. However, Han had trouble studying when he was in junior school in Harbin. The heavy learning tasks and the teachers' constant nagging caused him to dislike school. During that period, he learned foreign teaching methods on the internet and thought it would be more appropriate for him. "From my early age, my parents gave me great freedom and respected my personal development," Han told local media. "Therefore, when I told my parents I wanted to study abroad, they supported my decision without hesitation." In 2011, he chose a junior school in Britain to study English and started preparing for the entrance exam for the senior high school. "Before I went abroad, I clearly knew that it would cost my parents quite a lot of money," said Han. "It would be a great challenge for my not wealthy family, so I told myself I must double my effort to study." Han was quite interested in mathematics from an early age, so after he arrived in Britain, his first plan was to practice all the mathematical exercises of the senior high school. Through several exercises, Han found that there was a pattern in the equations. Han Zhenyu (L4) attends the opening ceremony of International Mathematical Olympiad in 2014. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] "Through such exercises, I could receive nothing but wasting time," he said. "I stopped doing such pseudo-work and began to explore the knowledge system of mathematics." After finding a study method that worked for him, it took him just one week to finish all the mathematics courses of senior high school and finished the mathematics course of the first two years of college the following year. He also applied the methods to other subjects and even his life and saw results. In 2012, Han got into Dulwich College, one of the best all-male senior high schools in London. During his two years in Dulwich College, he made a lot of accomplishments in mathematics, which helped him get into Cambridge University in 2014. We can see his brilliant achievements on the website of UK Mathematical Trust, winning seven first prizes and being the first Chinese member of the national team. The seven first prizes made him famous causing many students to ask him for help on math problems. "I quite enjoy being a teacher to help them solve the problems," said Han. "Some of them have become my long-term students. Every week we have a three-hour one-to-one lecture on the internet." "Every time before the lecture, I prepare carefully," he said. "I pay more attention on inspiring their capacities to think and judge." His efforts paid off. With his help, seven of his students got offers to Cambridge, which made him feel quite delighted and proud. "Believe your children can be better because every one of them has limitless potential," Han told the parents. Children should have more opportunities to participate in study tours or other outdoor activities only if their safety is guaranteed, experts said. In developed countries, including the United States and Japan, study tours such as summer camps are key activities and are always the source of unforgettable memories, Sun Yunxiao, chief expert of the China Youth and Children Research Center said at a press conference recently held by China's leading travel agency, CYTS, in Beijing. "But in China, young people are having less opportunity to enjoy such activities and memories because schools and parents are cutting down on these for fear of security issues," he said. In recent years, accidents in which children were killed or injured while participating in outdoor activities, such as study tours or spring outings, have been frequently reported by the media and have raised concerns among parents. Some reduced the length of organizing outings, believing that it is a straightforward way to protect children. Dai Jiagan, standing vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Education, said test-oriented education is also part of the cause for the shrinking number of study tours. "Student workloads are heavy, leaving them little time for traveling, which should have helped children improve their studies by enriching their knowledge and broadening their visions," he said. In December, 11 ministries and commissions, including those related to education, culture, public security, transport and tourism administration, jointly released a guideline stating that study tours would become part of the curriculum system at primary and middle schools nationwide. Young students are encouraged to conduct study tours and the ministries and commissions should work together closely to provide support and ensure the safety of the students, the guideline said. Dai and Sun said they believe this is a great opportunity for study tours to get back on track. Sun said there are 12,000 sites for summer camps in the US, among which 7,000 could offer accommodation. "In China, there are very few such professional camp sites," he said. "I suggest more professional and eminent travel service providers being involved to facilitate study tours while ensuring safety, so that children can enjoy the tours and really benefit from the experience." Gao Zhiquan, vice president of CYTS, said their company, as one under the Communist Youth League, has acted in this direction and has set up a study tour department to cooperate directly with schools and educational institutions by providing study tours, community immersion programs and so on, which are popular among students. "We will try to combine education with tourism in a proper way and find the best-fit paths and activities for the young people," he said. Visitors to Qinglongchang village in Longmen township in Lushan, a county under the administration of Ya'an in Sichuan province, are impressed with local residents' beautiful new houses and the clean environment around them. "Only one year ago, trash could be seen everywhere in the village, with six centralized resettlement areas that were built after the Lushan earthquake," said villager Li Lianqiang. With the epicenter in Longmen, the magnitude 7.0 Lushan earthquake on April 20, 2013 destroyed scattered residences of farmers in Qinglongchang and other villages in the county. With the backing of governments at different levels, 232 centralized resettlement areas with brand-new houses were built for farmers within three years after the quake. But nobody took charge in disposal of trash, public security or settlement of residents' disputes in the centralized resettlement areas, for there were no property management firms. With guidance from the Ya'an municipal and Lushan county governments, each centralized resettlement area started setting up a self-management committee last year. "Each committee consists of three to seven public-spirited members who were chosen from residents of a centralized resettlement area. They are in charge of sanitation, public security, fire prevention and settlement of disputes," said Wu Yaming, deputy chief of the law committee of the standing committee of the Ya'an Municipal People's Congress. To keep the committees operating, the Ya'an municipal and Lushan county governments provide subsidies while residents of the committees pay a certain amount of money. "It's worth paying the management fee, for our village is much cleaner," Li said. Jin Zhaoxiang, 72, of Qiao'aixin village in Siyan township in Lushan, echoed his comment. "Chickens used to walk wantonly and droppings of domestic animals were ubiquitous in the village. Thanks to the self-management committee, the village is very clean," Jin said. According to Jin, members of the committee would visit residents' homes and chat with them to spread information on sanitation. If disputes arise from neighbors, they would invite the neighbors' good friends in the village to visit the neighbors with them, finding the source of the disputes to get a solution. The self-management committee in Qin's village has also organized classes to teach residents cooking, sewing and electric welding skills, which can help them find jobs in Ya'an and outside the city. To standardize management of the self-management committees, the standing committee of the Ya'an Municipal People's Congress formulated the Regulation on Management of Centralized Resettlements. The regulation was approved by the standing committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress on March 29. "The regulation to be implemented on July 20 has clarified the responsibility of the self-management committees as well as management methods of the centralized resettlement areas," Wu said. The regulation was the first local law formulated by the standing committee of the Ya'an Municipal People's Congress after Ya'an was approved by the standing committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress to have local legislative power in December 2015. "It's believed to be conducive to the formulating of local post-disaster reconstruction laws in other parts of the country," Wu said. The 25th Escort Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy rescued a Tuvalu-flagged cargo ship from pirates on Sunday morning in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Navy. The fleet was told on Saturday afternoon by United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which coordinates safe passage for merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, that the freighter OS35, registered in the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, had been hijacked by an unknown number of pirates. The fleet commander immediately ordered the CNS Yulin, a guided missile frigate to approach the OS35, said a news release from the Navy. The Yulin arrived at midnight in the waters where the cargo ship was and sent a helicopter to observe the situation on the OS35. Chinese officers also made contact with the freighter's 19 crew members, who were hiding in a secured cabin. Early Sunday morning, with helicopter reconnaissance, 16 members of the PLA Navy's special task force took a boat to board the Tuvalu vessel and take the crew out of the cabin. The OS35's crew is now under the protection of the Chinese Navy, the news release said, adding that Chinese military personnel searched the ship but no pirates were found. Tourists visit Baiyangdian, the largest freshwater wetland in northern China, in Hebei province's Anxin county. Soaring tourism has been just one sign of huge interest in the locality after it was announced it will be part of Xiongan New Area. ZHAI YUJIA / CHINA NEWS SERVICE Sleepy counties to become economic dynamo for China Xu Linghua, who runs an electrical cable manufacturing company, has never been so busy. He said he has gotten "countless calls" since April 1, and at times has even had to turn off his phone so he can get his work done. The calls are from private equity firms, current and potential partners, and investment companies, all wanting to talk about business deals. His schedule is now packed with meetings with Chinese and overseas visitors. "Previously, many of these same people would not meet with me even if I'd taken the initiative to ask for a meeting," said Xu, chairman of Taidou Cable Group, a company based in Xiongxian county, Hebei province, with sales last year of 560 million yuan ($81.1 million). The change came when it was announced on April 1 that China will establish the Xiongan New Area in his part of Hebei. The area will hold the same national significance as the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area, according to a circular issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. The new area will span three counties Xiongxian, Anxin and Rongcheng at the center of a triangular area formed by Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei's provincial capital, Shijiazhuang. About a week after hearing the news, people in and around the three counties were still having lively discussions about the project and what it might mean for them. Xu described the plans as a "rocket" that will put the company on a development fast track and create a lot of new opportunities. "Previously, many people didn't know Xiongxian at all, so I had to set up a factory in Tianjin to gain credibility. Now, almost everyone in the country knows our small county," he said. Attracting top-quality workers to Xiongxian used to be hard, even though Taidou Cable offered decent salaries, he said. "Due to the lack of workers with expertise in international trade, we don't export much. But the new area will help attract a lot of talent and we plan to expand exports with their help," he added. "I'm also expecting to work with research institutes that set up centers here to upgrade our products." The new area will create a favorable environment for innovation and attract talent to help create a "high ground" for innovation and a new science and technology city, He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, has said. The commission is the top economic planner. Liu Dongchen, a wetland protection official in Anxin, was so excited he wrote a poem to celebrate. "Even if I were Chen Tuan, I would be too excited to fall asleep at night after hearing the news," he wrote. Chen, a Taoist sage during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), was a master at controlling his energies and, legend has it, was able to sleep for long periods. Classmates called and sent messages nonstop on the WeChat service to congratulate Liu after news of the new area was released, he said. "One of my classmates has emigrated to Singapore. He called and said there will be earthshaking changes here (in Anxin) and that he will look for opportunities to come back." The excitement also spread to schools. Gao Chunqing, principal of Zhangzhuang Primary School in Xiongxian, held an assembly about the new area for all 272 students and 16 teachers as soon as school resumed on Wednesday after the annual Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. Calling the planned Xiongan a green, intelligent city and a "world-class starting point", he urged students to study hard to prepare for the "many opportunities" to come. He also warned them that they "will be weeded out as the new area develops" if they fail to equip themselves with enough knowledge. "The focus on Xiongan is global. No matter where you go, people are cheering the news," Gao said. For some people, though, such as seniors, the excitement is also coupled with concern. Zhang Baozeng, a farmer in Anxin's Zhongliu village, for example, said he is worried about making a living after his land is used to build the new area. "As farmers, we didn't get much of an education. We're not able to compete with high-end talent," he said. "I'm 60 and don't have the skills that could help find me a job." Many villagers were also worried they may have trouble adapting to city life or jobs with fixed office hours. Xu said some locals may have "growing pains". Many who were able to go to college left, while most who remain did not go beyond junior or senior high school. They are likely to find that many jobs in low-end, polluting industries will be lost, he said. Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn Joseph Edward Yawson, a student of the University of Ghana, performs Peking Opera in the "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition in Accra, capital of Ghana, on April 7, 2017. The Ghanaian preliminary round of the 16th "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition for college students took place on Friday at the University of Ghana in Accra. Yawson won the overall prize after three rounds of contest in writing examination, spoken Chinese, knowledge about China and Chinese cultural talent. [Photo/Xinhua] The Ghanaian preliminary round of the 16th "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition for college students took place on Friday at the University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra. The Chinese proficiency competition is held annually for non-Chinese college students in various countries to arouse their enthusiasm in learning Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of Chinese language and culture. This year's competition, organized by the Confucius Institute, attracted 10 students selected from three universities in Ghana. Joseph Edward Yawson, a student of the University of Ghana, Legon, won the overall prize after three rounds of contest in writing examination, spoken Chinese, knowledge about China and Chinese cultural talent. For his prize, Yawson received a paid-trip to represent Ghana at the international finals of the competition to be held in China later this year and a six-month Confucius Institute scholarship. The first runner-up, Benjamin Hayfron-Walker, will also visit China to observe the world contest. Yawson was very excited after the contest and told Xinhua that he had set his eyes on the world crown. "Over the years, there have been my seniors who have represented Ghana in that competition in China and they did very well. You talk of someone like Ignatius he was able to get a very good position. So I will set this as a target that I have to be able to bypass him," he said. Hayfron-Walker said he would use the opportunity in China to support Yawson. The Political Counselor of the Chinese Embassy, Jiang Zhouteng, urged the students to serve as bridges to deepen China-Ghana cooperation. 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 LOS ANGELES - The US Carl Vinson Strike Group has departed from Singapore and sailed northward to the Western Pacific ocean near the Korean Peninsula, the United States Pacific Fleet Commander announced Saturday. The deployment came amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired another ballistic missile recently, and was viewed as further strengthening of US presence in the region, according to local media reports citing US military officials. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, directed the operation, said a press release posted on the fleet's official website. The strike group, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson as well as several other missile destroyers and missile cruisers, canceled a previously planned port visit to Australia and diverted to the Western Pacific. The Strike Group, deployed from San Diego, California, to the Western Pacific since Jan 5, participated in numerous bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and South Korean Navy in the past three months. Marys Peak isnt just the highest point in the landscape around Corvallis. Its a living monument to the geological forces that shaped and are still shaping the entire Pacific Northwest. Theres not a lot of places on earth where you can see the whole landscape, where you can see all the elements of a subduction zone, from one spot, said Bob Lillie, a retired Oregon State University geology professor and the author of a new book about the mountain titled Oregons Island in the Sky: Geology Road Guide to Marys Peak. Located 15 miles southwest of Corvallis in the Siuslaw National Forest, Marys Peak rises to an elevation of 4,097 feet above sea level, making it the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range. On a clear day, the summit offers views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountains to the east all key pieces in the regions geological jigsaw puzzle. As Lillie explained on a recent visit to the mountain, Marys Peak stands on the edge of a subduction zone, where two vast segments of the earths crust collide. The Juan de Fuca Plate, which underlies part of the Pacific between Northern California and Vancouver Island, is bumping into the North American Plate. The denser, heavier oceanic crust is plunging underneath the more buoyant continental crust in the process geologists call subduction. As the oceanic plate dives deeper underground, increasing heat and pressure force out hot water, which melts the rock above it to create magma. Some of that molten rock eventually erupts at the surface, gradually building up the High Cascades volcanoes such as Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier. Marys Peak, Lillie said, is composed of rocks that formed far out in the Pacific in the distant past, beginning with a layer of fine-grained lava called basalt that erupted from sea-floor vents about 55 million years ago. Over the next 20 million years, sand and mud were deposited on top of the basalt and compressed into layers of sandstone and shale. Roughly 35 million years ago, this section of ocean floor ran head-on into the North American Plate. At about the same time, magma was rising up through the earlier sea-floor deposits to form a hard layer of gabbro, similar to basalt but harder and more coarse-grained. As the two plates ground together, a portion of this geological layer cake was scraped off the top of the oceanic crust and piled up to form the Oregon Coast Range and the Olympic Mountains in Washington. In this area, however, a chunk of that crust ran into the Corvallis Fault, which further lifted it and thrust it eastward over the Willamette Valley. This is the part we know today as Marys Peak, McCulloch Peak and the hills of the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest. That uplift helps explain why Marys Peak today is the highest point in the Coast Range, but only in part. Like other parts of the range, much of Marys Peak has eroded away over the millennia including about 10,000 feet of relatively soft sandstone and shale. The removal of those strata, however, has left the mountain capped with a 1,000-foot-thick layer of gabbro, which is much more erosion-resistant. Today, a drive from Corvallis out Highway 34 and up Marys Peak Road takes curious visitors past visible examples of all of these rock types, exposed in road cuts, quarries and outcrops at various points along the way. In his new book, Lillie lays out a six-stop itinerary that illustrates the geological processes involved in building up the mountain and tearing it down again. We call it the dynamic duo: uplift and erosion, he said. During a stop at Parker Creek Falls, 6.8 miles up Marys Peak Road from the Highway 34 turnoff, Lillie pulls some rock samples out of his car to make a point. These rocks, he said, holding up chunks of basalt, sandstone and shale collected on the mountain, were probably deposited two to three miles below sea level. Then he turns and points to the waterfall, cascading down a steep slab of dark-colored gabbro on the side of the road part of the hard-rock layer on the mountains upper slopes. You went from two to three miles below sea level to two-thirds of a mile above sea level (today). And you also lost about two miles due to erosion, so altogether five miles worth of rock. Without erosion, youd have Mount Everest. Other stops on Lillies driving tour highlight tilted layers of shale and sandstone, showing how the strata were folded after being uplifted and then thrust eastward along the Corvallis Fault; spherical basalt pillows formed during ancient seafloor eruptions; undisturbed sedimentary layers that remain horizontal after being lifted up from the bottom of the ocean; and a roadcut that exposes a gabbro dike cutting vertically through shale and sandstone. The high point of the trip, literally and figuratively, comes after a half-mile walk from the upper parking lot to the summit of Marys Peak. The hard gabbro cap supports a thin layer of soil, creating the spectacular meadows that erupt in colorful wildflowers in late spring as the snow disappears from the upper slopes. Fringing the meadows are extensive groves of noble fir, a cold-loving species that once grew extensively throughout the region but has slowly retreated to higher ground as the climate gradually warmed since the end of the last ice age. If the weather is good, you can look to the west, gazing out over ridges receding in the distance to the blue Pacific, where the mountain had its birth, then turn your eyes to the east, across the fertile and populous Willamette Valley to the High Cascade summits all visible reminders that the Pacific Northwest is part of an active subduction zone. Lillie, who has made this pilgrimage hundreds of times, likes to ponder some of these things while hes taking in the view from the top. The same geological processes that created this dramatic landscape, he notes, can also wreak great destruction, as in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens or the potentially devastating Cascadia subduction zone earthquake geologists believe could strike the region in the next several decades. You learn to take the beauty with the beast, the good with the bad, Lillie said. The dense forests, open meadows and sweeping vistas of Marys Peak make the mountain a popular destination with all sorts of recreational users, from picnickers and hikers in the summer months to snowshoers and cross-country skiers in the wintertime. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s, thousands of area residents flocked to the mountain each summer for an annual barbecue known as the Marys Peak Trek. And long before that, the peak served the native Kalapuya people as a spiritual refuge, a place for vision quests. Being a high point, its a special place, Lillie said. Its an important part of our history and our culture. But if its to remain an important part of local culture, Lillie said, Marys Peak will need our help. Today, radio towers serving numerous communications networks compete for space on the summit. Growing numbers of visitors threaten to damage the sensitive meadow flowers. And rapidly accelerating global warming, fueled by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, could someday kill off the last remaining noble firs. Thats one of the reasons Lillie wrote Island in the Sky. By helping other people understand the dynamic processes that created Marys Peak, he hopes, theyll be inspired to take action to protect the mountain he loves. You can think about these things on the top of Marys Peak, Lillie said. A place like Marys Peak can make you appreciate there are things worth fighting for. Egyptians gather in front of a Coptic church that was bombed on Sunday in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] CAIRO - At least 25 people were killed and 60 others injured in an explosion inside a church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta on Sunday, the Egyptian Health Ministry said. An explosive device was planted in front seat of the church, State-run TV quoted a security sources as saying. Eyewitnesses said the explosion struck the crowd and caused destruction of a wall. The bombing came while the Copt marks the Palm Sunday. The death toll may increase because wounded people are in critical conditions. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered all military hospitals to receive the wounded of the blast. Some 26 ambulances have been deployed at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church, about 120 km north of Cairo, Magdy Awad, head of the Ambulance Authority told Xinhua. The security forces intensified its presence around other churches, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement. The prime minister as well as the interior minister have gone to Tanta. An investigation was launched. Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. At the end of 2016, at least 29 people were killed and 31 wounded in an explosion that targeted the Cathedral of Saint Mark in the Abbasia district in Cairo. CAIRO - Six people were killed and 31 others were injured Sunday in a suicide bombing near a Coptic church in Egypt's Alexandria governorate, Egyptian ministry of health said. The blast occurred hours after a bombing rocked a Coptic church in Tanta in Egypt's Nile Delta, killing at least 25 people and injuring 60. Egyptians gather in front of a Coptic church that was bombed on Sunday in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] TANTA/CAIRO - The recent terrorist attacks on Egyptian churches in different provinces are motivated by the decline of the Sinai-based affiliates of the Islamic State militant group in the Sinai Peninsula due to massive security campaigns, said Egyptian security and political experts. As the Christian minority worshippers were marking the Palm Sunday in the Muslim-majority state earlier during the day, a blast and a suicide bombing at two churches in Gharbiya and Alexandria province northern Egypt killed at least 44 and wounded over 120. Egypt has been fighting a terrorist wave that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group as "a terrorist organization." Mostly claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) regional militia, the terrorist attacks focused on security forces in restive North Sinai in the beginning, but after massive security raids that killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects, they started to target the Coptic minority in the most populous Arab country. "Targeting Copts proves the failure of terrorists in confronting the security forces in the northern part of Sinai Peninsula. They focused on Sinai in the beginning but their influence and existence eventually declined,"security expert Salah Samak told Xinhua. Egypt's military intelligence chief, Gen. Mohamed Farag al-Shahhat, said during a military-held symposium in February that at least 500 terrorists have been killed since a massive anti-terror campaign, known as "The Martyr's Right," started in September 2015. The military forces in cooperation with the police have recently announced eliminating terrorists at Central Sinai's Mount Halal area, a part of North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. "Despite the terror blasts, terrorism in Egypt in general and in Sinai in particular is declining, which shows success of the security forces in their anti-terror war, and this is why the terrorist moved to target Copts," said the security expert, noting that there is no such a thing as 100-percent security against a suicide bombing in any state across the world. "Those bombers who target churches are marginal members of the terrorist group who have been newly recruited to be easily convinced to kill Christians," he continued, stressing that fresh militant recruits could easily be mislead to kill innocent civilians of other religions. Sunday's blasts have been claimed by the IS, which also claimed the responsibility for a previous church blast in Cairo in December 2016 that left at least 28 worshippers dead, mostly women and children. Mokhtar Ghobashy, deputy chairman of the Arab Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that two church bombings on Sunday came in response to the military operations in Sinai that cleared Mount Halal area of terrorists. "Through the two church blasts, the terrorist groups want to prove that they still exist and that they are able to target different places across the country," Ghobashy told Xinhua. After presiding over a meeting of the country's national defense council later on Sunday evening, President Sisi declared in a televised statement a three-month state of emergency in the Arab country. He also announced the formation of a supreme council for fighting terrorism and extremism in Egypt as per a new law to give it sufficient authorities to do the job. Constituting to about 10 percent of Egypt's Muslim-majority 94 million people, the Copts are believed by experts to be a new target of the terrorist groups as anti-Christian attacks draw world attention to pressure the Egyptian administration. "Sunday's blasts represent one of the episodes of the conflict between terror groups and the Egyptian state and they are meant to largely pressure the Egyptian administration and weaken the country's national unity," Ghobashi told Xinhua. CAIRO - Islamic State was responsible for two church bombings in Egypt on Sunday that killed at least 36 and injured over 100, the group's news agency Amaq said. "A group that belongs to Islamic State carried out the two attacks on the churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," Amaq said. Reuters Meeting with Trump set positive tone for two nations, foreign minister says Talks between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week have set a constructive tone for relations between the world's two largest economies, according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Analysts said Sino-US relations are expected to make progress while maintaining stability as the two countries have a wide range of common interests. During the talks, the first face-to-face communications between Xi and Trump, the two presidents reached consensuses after spending a total of more than seven hours in deep discussion in several sessions, Wang said. The talks took place against the backdrop of mounting uncertainties, given tensions that have been rising in trade, maritime issues and the Korean Peninsula. Both sides agreed that the meeting, which has drawn worldwide attention, "was positive and fruitful," Wang said, adding that the meeting has set a constructive tone for the development of China-US relations, and helped set the direction for collective endeavors. The two presidents shared their state governance thoughts and domestic and foreign policy agendas, and the meeting increased mutual understanding and built good working relations, according to Wang. Xi invited Trump to make a state visit to China this year, and the US president accepted. Wang said they also agreed to remain in close contact through meetings, phone calls and written communications. The two leaders charted the course and established principles for their relationship. Xi said cooperation is the only right choice for China and the United States, while Trump said the US stands ready to work with China to eliminate factors and issues that stand in the way of their relations. China and the US agreed to facilitate the healthy development of two-way trade and investment, to advance negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty and to promote pragmatic cooperation in infrastructure and other areas, Wang said. Both sides plan to make good use of the joint staff dialogue set up to boost military communications, he said, adding that both countries intend to deepen cooperation in law enforcement and cybersecurity, and to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The two sides also initiated a comprehensive economic dialogue and a diplomatic and security dialogue, which make up two elements of the four-pronged dialogue structure they established. The other two are a law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue and a social and cultural issues dialogue. The two leaders exchanged their opinions on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and other regional and global issues. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation at multiple levels in order to make contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, according to Wang. The meeting of the two leaders has achieved the expected goals of enhancing understanding, building mutual trust and highlighting consensuses, Wang said. Su Ge, head of the China Institute of International Studies, a leading think tank in China, said that the meeting has not only facilitated the smooth transition of China-US ties, but also marks a good start for the progressive development of their relations in the new era. For large nations like China and the US, disagreements are natural, and the key is how to handle them, he said, adding that the two countries should uphold the principle of nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect, and cooperation for win-win results. Su Xiaohui, a researcher on international strategy at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the meeting has provided important opportunities for the two leaders to understand each other and gather points of consensus. The talks are of great significance because they are helpful in stabilizing the two nations' relationship, avoiding misjudgments and decreasing uncertainties, she said. Peking University, one of China's top educational institutions, has paid 8.8 million pounds ($12 million) to set up a business campus in the English university city of Oxford. According to media reports, the Chinese university fought off intense competition, including an unnamed Oxford University college, to purchase Foxcombe Hall, which is located just outside the city. Oxford is home to one of Britain's oldest and most internationally acclaimed universities. Peking University HSBC Business School plans to welcome students to its Oxford campus next summer. Oxford University said it knew nothing of the sale and did not have anything to do with the operation, or with bidding for the premises, but didnot rule out that its affiliated colleges may have bid for the property. Foxcombe Hall was built in the 1890s and bought by the Open University in 1979. The Chinese business school, which is based in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province, told The Times newspaper it acquired the property from the Open University after offering "a very tempting price" that left "little room to say no". Students studying at PHBS-Oxford will get the chance to study for one year at the Oxford campus and another year at the Shenzhen campus. Programs that will be taught at the Oxford campus will focus on China's economy, its financial market, and corporate management. Peking University is ranked 29th in the World University Rankings 2016-17 according to London-based publication Times Higher Education. A few Chinese universities now have an overseas campus in the UK. Some schools and universities from outside China also now have a presence on the Chinese mainland.Oxford already hosts the Said School of Business. Last year, the University of Washington and the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing jointly set up the Global Innovation Exchange in Seattle, Washington, which offers graduate technology degrees for students from the United States and China. It was the first time that a Chinese research university had established a physical presence in the US. Classes are expected to begin after the summer. In the UK, Zhejiang University and Imperial College London have collaborated on several research projects, and in 2013 Zhejiang University revealed its plans to set up operations in London. boleung@mail.chinadailyuk.com Les Zaitz has been fighting for access to public records for decades, but the veteran journalist still was surprised by the twists and turns in his most recent fight. Zaitz, the longtime Oregonian reporter who recently left the paper to run the weekly Malheur Enterprise, was seeking records from the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board. The Enterprise, a 1,400-circulation newspaper, was trying to figure out why the board had elected to release Anthony Montwheeler. Montwheeler was released from the state mental hospital in December after telling the board he had faked mental illness for 20 years to stay out of prison following the 1996 kidnapping of his first wife and son. After his release, Montwheeler allegedly killed a different ex-wife in January after kidnapping her in Idaho. He then collided head-on with a vehicle while fleeing police in Oregon, killing the driver. The Enterprise wanted to know more about the case. Zaitz and his newspaper sought public records about the board's decision to release him. The board refused. Zaitz, an old hand at having records requests rejected, appealed to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Rosenblum told the board to release the records, in what Zaitz said was "about the best slam-dunk I've ever gotten" in a records appeal. The board disagreed with Rosenblum's ruling. It hired outside counsel. And then, because of a quirk in state law, the board sued the Enterprise. So on Monday, Zaitz was facing the prospect of raising thousands of dollars for legal fees and actually was getting "terrific results" on that front, he said, which was gratifying. But on Tuesday, in another unexpected twist, Gov. Kate Brown stepped in and ordered the board to drop its lawsuit. Zaitz was grateful for the governor's intervention although the late-breaking story did force the Enterprise to rework its front page on deadline. When I talked to him on Tuesday afternoon, he was just starting to print out some of the requested records. "I've been fighting public records battles for more than 40 years," he said. "This is one of the cleanest and purest results I can recall." But it does highlight an odd and potentially onerous kink in the state's public records law: If a public agency like the Psychiatric Security Review Board has legal concerns over an attorney general's decision on releasing records, the agency has to sue whoever is requesting the records. That's outrageous. To her credit, Brown said that she's directed her staff to find a way to fix that, but it's not clear if a proposal will be ready in time for this session of the Legislature. Zaitz said the law needs to be fixed so that, in disputes like this, we can "put the right disputants in the ring." Brown, who has said she supports " a government that is transparent to the fullest extent permitted by law," has a bill before the Legislature to appoint a public records advocate, someone who would work to mediate disputes over records. It's a good idea, but Zaitz doesn't think such an advocate would have made much of a difference in his case: The Psychiatric Security Review Board, he said, "had no interest in trying to reach a middle ground." In fact, the problem highlighted by the Enterprise's case goes deeper: This is a symptom of a public records law in Oregon that, case by case, has been weakened to the point where it seems more effective at shielding records than it does at keeping them public. When Oregon's public records law was written in 1973, it included 54 state law exemptions. Since then, that number has grown tenfold. The state's public records law, once among the nation's best, now is viewed as a failure. So, while we cheer victories such as Brown's announcement last week, we have much more work ahead to fix Oregon's public records law. It's work that will require focused effort and a consistent message from the state's leaders that Oregon's citizens deserve an open government. (mm) (Photo : Getty Images. ) U.S. auto giant Ford motor is set to introduce its blockbuster F-series pickup trucks in China next year. Advertisement U.S. auto giant Ford Motor is set to unveil its best seller F-series pickup trucks for the Chinese market in 2018. With this move, Ford is apparently trying to cash in on the Chinese government's recent relaxation on the use of pickup trucks in urban areas across the country. The auto giant will enter the unexplored segment of pickup cars with the Raptor F150 series, which is its most basic model in the highly successful F-series model. The company will make more announcements about the model including its price at a special event in Shanghai on Saturday. It will also hand over the first F150 model to a customer during the special event. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Ford's decision to launch its F-series trucks in China comes at a time when wealthy Chinese are looking to buy larger cars. However, the auto company may face a challenge in changing the stereotypical notion among Chinese customers that pickup trucks are not exactly luxury cars or SUV. The U.S. auto giant has tasted a fair amount of success in the world's largest auto market, with the company and its joint venture managing to sell 1.27 million vehicles in the country last year. However, it managed to import fewer vehicles in China in 2016 than in 2015. Last month, the Detroit-based company announced that it would set up a factory in China to manufacture the all-new SUV brand Lincoln. The luxury brand is a big hit in the Chinese market after its sales touched a new high last year. However, at the moment, Ford has no plans of locally manufacturing its F-series trucks in China. All the models will be imported mostly from America, where all F series models have achieved resounding success over three decades. Advertisement Tagsford motor, Ford China, Ford Ranger Pickup Trucks, china (Photo : PLAAF) J-11BS armed with PL-15 LRAAMs. Advertisement China is testing its new PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile (LRAAM) designed to shoot down defenseless U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aerial tankers and airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C) from as far away as 300 kilometers. PL-15 was successfully fired for the first time from a fighter jet (a Shenyang J-16) in November 2016, according to Chinese state-run media. Chinese pundits speculate the PL-15 is a new class of LRAAM on account of its large size, and is the only type in this class so far. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement PL-15 is outfitted with a sophisticated radar seeker and a powerful dual pulse rocket motor, a combination that makes this LRAAM a serious threat to high-value aerial targets such as tankers and AEW&C planes deep behind enemy lines. The rocket motor allows the PL-15 to fly a semi-ballistic trajectory to achieve extra long range. Chinese media said the PL-15 can reach out to over 300 km at a speed greater than Mach 4 (4,900 km/h). The missile's cruising altitude is about 30 km. Its advanced guidance system consists of a two-way datalink and a new active/passive dual mode AESA seeker with enhanced ECCM (electronic counter-countermeasures) capability. Before launch, PL-15 must obtain the target information via datalink from an AEW&C plane; a land-based long-range radar system or a satellite. After the initial ascent stage, the missile uses Beidou / GPS+INS+datalink guidance during mid-course cruising. At the terminal diving stage and in combination with the AESA seeker, the missile may also use an IIR (imaging infrared) seeker to increase its kill probability despite severe jamming. The missile's length (5.8 meters) means it can't be carried internally by the Chengdu J-20 "stealth" fighter. PL-15, however, can be carried externally by Generation 3.5 jets such as the Shenyang J-11 air superiority fighter and the Shenyang J-16 multi-role fighter. Advertisement TagsPL-15 long-range air-to-air missile, LRAAM, aerial tankers, airborne early warning and control aircraft, AESA seeker, electronic counter-countermeasures (Photo : GETTY IMAGES) Please check who you grant loans to. Advertisement A court in China ruled in favor of a man who paid a loan that he never took out. Qian approached a privately-owned bank (whose name was not disclosed) in February 2015 to apply for a mortgage. The bank denied the application, citing bad credit history and told him that he owe them 18,000 yuan through a credit card. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Qian told the bank that he didn't use the said credit card and did not receive a letter from the bank about it. Police investigation showed that a fraudster used Qian's ID in 2008 to get the credit card, accumulating a debt that amounted to 18,000 yuan. Qian really needed the mortgage loan as he already signed a contract with his landlord. He negotiated with the bank and paid 8,200 yuan so he can be granted the loan. He later sued the bank to get his money (8,200 yuan) back and for compensation. He said that it was the bank's fault for not verifying the identity of the loan applicant, putting Qian in a credit blacklist for seven years, but the bank said that the leak of Qian's personal information was his fault. The bank gave Qian 8,800 yuan, the court said. Advertisement Tagsmortgage fraud in China, mortgage fraud, loan fraud, personal information leak, Qian, loan, wrong loan, contract (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) Queen Elizabeth Hospital Advertisement A 45-year-old doctor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a general hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong, was arrested for indecent assault. A 24-year-old male nurse complained of the doctor touching his butt in the hospital staff's changing rooms on Saturday morning. Police said that the doctor was foreign, but they did not clarify if the suspect was a man or a woman. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The hospital released a statement saying that they were "very concerned" and will "fully cooperate" with police during the investigation. They will also offer assistance to the nurse if needed. Queen Elizabeth Hospital is no stranger to headlines. Just last month, one of its neurosurgeon operated on the wrong side of a patient's skull. Fortunately, it was immediately rectified and the patient is now in stable condition. Advertisement Tagssexual assault, doctor sexual assault, indecent assault, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, Weird News, sexual indecency (Photo : GETTY IMAGES) Sleeping pills are fatal to babies. Advertisement A father in Taiwan was charged with manslaughter after unintentionally poisoning his two-month-old daughter to death. The man surnamed Chen grinded a couple of sleeping pills and mixed it into his baby's formula in July last year because he couldn't stop her from crying. The Shihlin District Prosecutors Office said that Chen legally obtained the sleeping pills for him from his doctor, although for a different condition. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The sleeping pills contained FM2 or Flunitrazepam, a drug with strong hypnotic effect and is considered a rape drug in the world. Chen found his baby daughter rigid and unresponsive and rushed her to the hospital, but she was already dead. Police found traces of FM2 in his two-year-old son's bloodstream. Prosecutors said that Chen regretted everything and was not aware that the pills can cause his child's death. The investigation is still underway. Advertisement Tagsbaby died, irresponsible parenting, irresponsible parent, baby dies from sleeping pills, sleeping pills on children, sleeping pills on babies, date rape drug, FM2 (Photo : US Navy) Carrier Strike Group One and the USS Carl Vinson. Advertisement The U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and her Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) have been redeployed northwards from the South China Sea to patrol the Sea of Japan (or the East Sea) off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula. The United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) based in Hawaii said CVN-70 was being sent to waters off North Korea "to maintain readiness" as Kim Jong Un's regime prepares to explode another nuclear weapon. The carrier is escorted by two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers belonging to Destroyer Squadron 1. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The erratic communist nation will also celebrate important national anniversaries over the next two weeks, which should see it launch more ballistic missiles to drive home the message it can deal with any attack by the U.S. similar to the cruise missile strike it launched against Syria on April 7. North Korea on April 15 will celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, the man who ignited the Korean War on June 25, 1950. It will mark the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People's Army on April 25. Both events will be highlighted by massive military parades. "The U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific," said Dave Benham, USPACOM spokesman. "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability." The Vinson CSG last month took part in joint drills with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROKAF) to prepare for any sudden change on the peninsula. These changes might include a collapse of the North Korean regime or an invasion of South Korea by the north. North Korea has been testing medium-range missiles since early 2016 and Kim in January said North Korea had "entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile" capable of hitting the mainland United States. The USS Carl Vinson is the flagship of CSG-1. Units assigned to CSG-1 are the USS Carl Vinson; Carrier Air Wing Seventeen; the Ticonderoga-class cruisers USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) and USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 1. The offensive power off Carrier Air Wing Seventeen rests on its four squadrons of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 strike fighters totaling over 40 jets. The U.S. Navy deployed CSG-1 to the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Feb. 18, a month later than originally expected. The Vinson belongs to the United States Third Fleet with its garrison at Naval Base Point Loma in California. Advertisement TagsU.S. Navy, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), Carrier Strike Group One, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, Korean peninsula, North Korea, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un Editor's note: The latest reports put the death toll of these bombings at 43 (USA Today). Christians in Egypt request our prayers after two churches in Northern Egypt suffered bomb attacks during Palm Sunday services on 9th April. The first bomb exploded inside Mar Girgis (St. George's) Coptic Orthodox church in Tanta, in Gharbiya governorate in the Nile Delta region. The bishopric has issued a list of 26 names of people who died in the attack. According to the Ministry of Health, 71 people were injured. Embed from Getty Images Later during the morning of 9th April, a suicide bomber was intercepted and detonated his device outside St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, six people were killed in this attack and 33 were injured. Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadrous II was presiding over the Palm Sunday celebrations in the cathedral, but he is reported to be unharmed. Christians in Egypt ask us to pray: a. for God's comfort for those who lost loved ones and for full recovery of the injured b. for comfort and encouragement for the wider Christian community and for God's protection over his church in Egypt and over other targets of these kinds of attacks c. that the perpetrators of these violent attacks and the instigators behind them will be found and brought to justice. The above report is provided by Middle East Concern Embed from Getty Images According to CBN, Bishop Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, expressed his condolences in a statement. "While it is still too early to determine responsibility, what is undeniable is the senseless and heartless brutality that can lead a person or people to indiscriminately take innocent lives, especially at the most vulnerable hour of prayer.... Today we suffer with our sisters and brothers who have experienced losses in London, in Stockholm, and as well as those who continue to suffer on a daily basis across the Middle East. We pray for them and their families as well as their suffering and struggling communities," Bishop Angaelos said. Embed from Getty Images CNN reports ISIS is taking credit for the attacks. Heroic police save lives in second attack, according to DailyMail.com. Three officers died at St Mark's Cathedral while preventing bomber from entering church Christian leaders respond to Palm Sunday attacks in Egypt: As we mark Palm Sunday and the entrance of Jesus, the Prince of Peace...we weep & pray for those devastated by the church bombings in Egypt. Eugene Cho (@EugeneCho) April 9, 2017 Pray for Mar Girgis Church in Egypt.Bombed.36 dead."When the world hates you,remember it hated me first." Jesus Jn.15:18 Rick Warren (@RickWarren) April 9, 2017 Islamic terrorists, all religious terrorists, R doing the work of Satan & not God. God will vindicate the senseless deaths of His children. Daniel Akin (@DannyAkin) April 9, 2017 This #PalmSunday two churches in Egypt were bombed by Muslims killing and wounding dozens who had come to worship. https://t.co/unFALKulHZ Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 9, 2017 #CopticChristians killed and injured in attacks today in Egypt as they gathered for Palm Sunday worship. Lord, have mercy. Nadia Bolz-Weber (@Sarcasticluther) April 9, 2017 As you are off to church for Palm Sunday, remember those who did the same in Egypt, only to be killed for their faith. #SundayReminder Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer) April 9, 2017 Christians killed in Egypt today who were gathering to worship on Passover. It reminds me what persecution is and is not. Lord, come! Wendy Alsup (@WendyAlsup) April 9, 2017 Christians are being bombed during one the most important seasons of their year. Will the world care? #ReligiousPersecution https://t.co/MqGGHHnYgf April 9, 2017 Imagine one of the worlds most dramatic landscapessixteen thousand square miles of canyons, channels, waterfalls (one of them ten times the size of Niagara)now all completely dry. What youre imagining is the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington State, a breathtaking memorial to one of the largest floods in Earths history. But writing in National Geographic, Michael Hodges recounts how, when a high school teacher came to that obvious conclusion in 1909, he was laughed out of the room by the scientific community. Looking across the aptly-named Scablands today, its easy to see why 27-year-old Harley Bretz, who had no formal training in geology at the time, saw the work of a flood. But a century ago, earth science was locked in the dogma of Charles Lyells 1830 text, Principles of Geology. Lyell taught that changes in the Earths rocks and soil are the product of processes now in operation, steadily eating at the landscape over millions of years. This theory was a crucial underpinning to Charles Darwins work, published just a few years later. Lyells uniformitarian ideas had gained such acceptance that when Bretz presented his findings about the great flood of Washington State to geologists in the nations capital, he received the closest thing they could give to a flogging. These scientists, none of whom had ever visited the Scablands, called Bretzs hypothesis wholly inadequate, preposterous, and incompetent. Despite taking the time to earn his Ph.D. before publishing his theory, this high-school teacher-turned-rock-hound became a laughing stock among his peers for propounding what amounted to geological heresy. It didnt matter how meticulous Bretzs research was, or how sound his reasoning might be, Hodges explains. He seemed to be advocating a return to geologys dark ages when benighted buffoons explained landscapes like the Scablands as the result of the biblical Flood. Of course, scientists now agree that Bretz was right. During peak glaciation, a wall of ice thousands of feet high dammed up the Clark Fork River, creating Glacial Lake Missoula, a body of water twice the size of Rhode Island. When the glacier retreated and the dam broke, it unleashed one of the biggest torrents in historya flood raging across the Columbia Plateau to the Pacific Ocean, carrying more water than all of the worlds rivers combined. This flood or series of floods carved the now-dry canyons, cliffs, and waterfalls that awed Bretz and puzzled his sadly misinformed critics. With the flood story in mind, it all seems so obvious, writes Hodges. Its almost impossible to see the terrain and not see the floodwaters that shaped it. Why, then, were the experts in Bretzs day so blind? Well because, as National Geographic concludes without a hint of irony, scientists are first and foremost human beings [whore] loathe to change their theories or their minds because of mere data. In fact, many critics of the great Washington flood carried their doubts to their graves, and it took decades for this plain fact to gain widespread acceptance in the scientific community. Now why does this sound so familiar? Is there perhaps another theory that comes to mind which modern scientists are unwilling to questiona theory whose most lucid critics are laughed out of the room and called names? There is. Its called Darwinism. And scientists who dare to question it point to astonishing evidence from biology, astronomy, and geology that suggests an intelligence behind life in all of its complexity. But like Bretz, theyre usually dismissed. And because scientists are human, first and foremost, heretics who question Darwin, like those who questioned Lyell, may have to await vindication by future generations. Ironically, evidenceeven a deluge of itcan take a long time to erode dogma. BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions. John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Publication date: April 4, 2017 Attacks at two Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypts Nile Delta killed more than 40 people and injured more than 100 others during Palm Sunday servicesincluding the one where Pope Tawadros II was worshiping. ISIS claimed responsibility. In February, the Egypt chapter of the Islamist extremists had released a threatening video calling Coptic Christians our priority and our preferred prey. Soon after, about 100 Christian families fled their homes in the Sinai Peninsula amid a string of murders. Reuters reports more details on the bombing in Tanta at Mar Girgis (St. George) Church, which killed at least 27 and injured more than 70. CNN reports more details on the Alexandria bombing at St. Marks Cathedral, which killed at least 16 and injured more than 40. [Before ending its live updates, state media outlet Ahram Online put the final toll from Egypts health ministry at 29 dead in Tanta and 18 dead in Alexandria.] Nader Wanis, director of the Arkan Cultural ... 1 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate By day, Max Bailey is a "brick specialist" at The LEGO Store at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood. But through April 9, the freshman theater major at College of the Mainland embraces his first love as a comedic actor in COM Community Theatre's production of the madcap farce "Moon Over Buffalo." "It's fun to be able to act like a buffoon onstage," said Bailey, 22, who was nominated for a Tommy Tune Award for best supporting actor when he co-starred as Robert Martin, the groom, in the musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" at Clear Springs High School in 2012. A highlight of that performance was Bailey fearlessly roller-skating across stage while blindfolded. Following graduation at Clear Springs High, Bailey said, he took a few years off from acting. "It felt kind of creepy," said the son of Renee Bailey and Michael Grosjean of League City. "I was working, and saving money, trying to figure out what to do with my life. Now that I'm back in theater, life has improved greatly." The actor described Howard, his character in "Moon Over Buffalo," as "very nervous." "He's scared of meeting his fiancee's parents, and when they start fighting with swords, he's scared for his life. He thinks he's going to die!" Bailey said he enjoys acting with the veteran performers in the cast. "They are really fun to hang out with backstage, and it is fun talking to them and getting advice on acting," said Bailey. 'Love it, love it, love it' The play is marked by fast-paced slapstick comedy, swashbuckling swordplay and a show-within-a-show. "I had never done swordplay, but now I absolutely love it, love it, love it," said Candy Howard, 58, who plays Charlotte in the show. "Our director is certified in stage combat; so he taught my leading man and me how to do it correctly and so that nobody gets hurt." Director H. Russ Brown said the play is a mix of mistaken identities, slamming doors and plot twists that tells the tale of Charlotte and George, a bickering, washed-up acting couple reduced to performing onstage in Buffalo, N.Y. Howard is widely known to audiences in the Bay Area, primarily for performing in musicals. "My absolute favorite show, which I've done twice, is 'Hello, Dolly!,'" she said. Howard played the musical's iconic role of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi in 2003 in Friendswood. "I performed very frequently at United Players - I think around 14 shows in the 20 years they were producing shows." She reprised the part in a 2010 production of "Hello, Dolly!" at Country Playhouse (now Queensbury Theatre) in Houston. Howard and her husband, Joe, a retired funeral director, live in Pearland. Tony nods Ludwig wrote the part of Charlotte with Carol Burnett in mind. After starring in "The Carol Burnett Show" on television from 1967 to 1978, she garnered a Tony Award nomination for best leading actress in a play when "Moon Over Buffalo" premiered on Broadway in 1995. Phillip Bosco was nominated for a best-actor Tony in his role as Charlotte's drunken husband, George, who is excited to mistakenly think that Oscar-winning director Frank Capra will fly to Buffalo to scout the couple for a movie. Candy Howard grew up in Texas City, where she graduated in 1976 from Texas City High School. Her maiden name is Corcoran. In 1982, she received a bachelor of music education from the University of Houston, and furthered her education with a master of science from UH-Clear Lake in 1991 and her principal's certification in 1997. "The two loves of my life are working with children and doing theater; so I am thrilled to get to do both," she said. Howard said she's looking forward to seeing what roles she might be trying out for next, when Art Park Players, COM Community Theatre and other Bay Area companies announce their upcoming seasons. In "Moon Over Buffalo," she enjoys acting with COM students. "No. 1, they are high-energy, and they are moldable, like a piece of clay, waiting to be developed," Howard said. "Having a little, tiny part in training them is a big responsibility. You encourage them, you're a good example for them, on rehearsal etiquette, and show etiquette, and being timely." Seasoned actors Brown, who heads the college's theater program and serves as artistic director of COM Community Theatre, said, "We only do age-appropriate casting, so students play characters their ages alongside seasoned actors in older roles." "It's tons of fun," said freshman Zachary Dockal, 19, of Dickinson. "It's not only a great experience for a novice actor to work with experienced actors, but you also make friends with people in the local theater community." Dockal, who was home-schooled before attending college, plays Paul, the stage manager and ex-fiance of Charlotte and George's non-thespian daughter, Roz (Cailey Miller). Roz's current fiance, Howard, is portrayed by Max Bailey, who was nominated for a Tommy Tune Award for best supporting actor when he co-starred as Robert Martin, a roller-skating groom, in the musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" at Clear Springs High School in 2012. Rounding out the cast are Anne Boyd as Ethel, Isabella Delgado as Eileen and William Krause as Richard. Joey Colao is the stage manager, assisted by Daniel "Stix" Atkin. Both of them helped build the set, along with Michael Salas and fellow crew members. Lighting design is by Curt Meyer, who also supervises scenic, prop ad sound designer. COM's technical director, Meyer has served on the Texas Educational Theatre Association's board of directors and is a University Interscholastic League manager and adjudicator for high school one-act play competitions. Costumes were designed by Amanda Bezemek, assisted by Atkin and Kayla Williams. Meanwhile, the director's daughter, Auben Brown, 18, a Clear Brook High School senior, portrays Sally in the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," which will be performed April 6-15 at Pasadena Little Theatre, 4318 Allen-Genoa Road, in Pasadena. "Moon Over Buffalo" will be performed 8 p.m. April 6-8 and at 2:30 p.m. April 9 at College of the Mainland Community Theatre, 1200 N Amburn Road, Texas City. Tickets cost $11-$23. For more information, visit 409-933-8345 or www.com.edu/community-theatre/ Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) has spent the past year unsuccessfully digging out of a growing heap of political trouble related to an alleged affair with a former top aide and allegations that he used public resources to carry it out and cover it up. Now, the governor is faced with the possibility that he could lose his job, go to jail - or both. On Saturday, more than a year after news of the affair broke wide open, the Alabama Supreme Court approved impeachment proceedings in the GOP-controlled state House against the governor. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider his impeachment Monday, based in part on a 3,000-page report the committee's lawyer released Friday that included such scandalous details as "security personnel reported seeing [top aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason] leaving the office with her hair tousled and her clothing in disarray," text messages between the two, allegations the governor threatened to fire or even arrest his wife's staffers for talking about the affair. The full state House could vote on impeachment in another week. Albert Cesare/Associated Press Impeachment isn't the only battle Bentley is facing in the affair fall out. On Wednesday, a state ethics commission found probable cause that the governor broke laws with regard to the alleged affair, like allegedly using campaign funds to cover her legal fees. The Alabama Ethics Commission suggested four potential felony charges against Bentley for the Montgomery County district attorney to consider. As he has from day one of this whole saga, Bentley remains defiant. He told reporters in Alabama on Friday: "I do not plan to resign. I have done nothing illegal. If the people want to know if I misused state resources, the answer is simply no. I have not." But developments these past few days mean Bentley faces some serious consequences for what has, until now, been mostly an eyebrow-raising saga. As Leada Gore, political reporter for AL.com, the largest statewide news organization in Alabama, told The Fix last year: "It's got every part of a scandal you could want." Here are some of the highlights on how we got to this moment and what could happen next: - March 22, 2016: This whole thing broke open. It appeared to start when Bentley fired the state's top cop. That same day, the top cop told AL.com that Bentley had been having an affair with one of his top advisers. In 2014, the fired cop said, Bentley was at a business conference when he apparently dropped his phone. A law enforcement official just so happened to see on the dropped phone a text message of a sexual nature from the governor's married chief adviser, Mason. Bentley, whose wife of 50 years had recently and abruptly filed for divorce, denied any wrongdoing. - March 23, 2016: A sexually explicit phone call between Bentley and a woman he calls "Rebekah" made its way to the media. (Side note: Could have seen that one coming.) The recording was made by his wife, Dianne Bentley, who was trying to ascertain the nature of Bentley's relationship with his top adviser. In the recording, you can hear Bentley talk about putting his hands on her breasts and saying: - - - "Baby, let me know what I am going to do when I start locking the door. If we are going to do what we did the other day, we are going to have to start locking the door." "You know I just, I worry about sometimes I love so you much. I worry about loving you so much." - - - - March 24, 2016: Bentley says this to defend himself: "I love many members of my staff, in fact, all the members of my staff. Do I love some more than others, absolutely." "Wow," I wrote in response. "You know you're in trouble when you say what Bentley just said." Mason resigned from her job. - March 31, 2016: A state accustomed to scandal is officially embarrassed. That's what AL.com's Gore tells The Fix in a must-read interview running down the whole saga: "Everybody's talking about this. This is an embarrassment to the state. I hear that a lot - that he's embarrassed us. And that takes a lot. We have a high tolerance." The rest of March 2016: Republican lawmakers drop Bentley like a hot plate that they accidentally picked up after it had been sitting on the sidewalk at high noon in an Alabama August. Some called for an investigation into whether he used state property to carry out the alleged affair; others wanted to start impeachment proceedings. Republicans had little to lose and a lot to gain in ditching Bentley. As I reported at the time: - - - Republicans are pretty much the only game in town in this deep-red state, so it's not like a Democrat could sweep in and take the governorship when or if Bentley steps down or is recalled. Plus, Republicans have a pretty deep bench they can pull from to replace him. - April 4, 2016: At an unrelated visit to a jail, Bentley publicly asks God to forgive him - but he doesn't say for what, exactly. - April 6, 2016: Alabama GOP lawmakers take the first step to impeach their governor. Bentley is defiant. - February: Longtime Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) is confirmed as President Donald Trump's attorney general, and Bentley gets to pick his replacement. He chooses the state's attorney general, Luther Strange, who was considering investigating Bentley for the whole affair saga. - March 7: Alabama lawmakers in the House Judiciary Committee split 6-6 in a vote on whether to continue investigating whether Bentley used state resources to conduct his alleged affair. They didn't split on partisan lines, but rather, half the committee voted to hold off because it wanted to see what the state attorney general's office was investigating. - Wednesday: The Alabama Ethics Commission said it's possible Bentley broke state laws. The commission didn't provide many details, only to say he may have made an illegal loan to his campaign to cover legal fees for Mason. Through an attorney, Bentley denied any wrongdoing. "The battle goes on," his attorney told the Associated Press. - Friday: A district court blocked impeachment proceedings against Bentley in the state House, agreeing with the governor's legal staff that the proceedings were unfair and did not give the governor enough time to respond to the accusations. - Friday: The House Judiciary Committee's attorney released a 3,000-page report on the affair that claimed Bentley created an atmosphere of intimidation to keep his affair secret: - - - "Gov. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation." - - - - Saturday: The state Supreme Court overturned the district court's block on impeachment proceedings. They will continue as the court looks at the full matter of whether they are being conducted fairly. - Monday: The House Judiciary Committee will begin impeachment hearings and could pass it to the full state House in a week. If Bentley is impeached by the House, he'll have to step down while the state Senate considers the impeachment. (c) 2017, The Washington Post Tuesday-- in 2 days-- is the first of the special elections to replace the members of Congress Trump drafted into his Regime. In this case it's for the Wichita-based seat that was held by Koch Brothers-owned Mike Pompeo. The seat is hopelessly red. Hopelessly. Kansas state Treasurer Ron Estes will face off against progressive Democrat Jim Thompson, who beat the Republican-lite candidate, Dennis McKinney, to become the Democratic nominee. He's been endorsed by OurRevolution. Trump's missile launch into Syria Thursday was, at least in part, probably meant to help Republicans in the special elections. When the 4th district caucused last year the winners were Bernie on the Democratic side and Cruz on the Republican side. Cruz beat Trump 7,963 (58.3%) to 3,012 (22.0%). Bernie beat Hillary 6,588 (69.8%) to 2,846 (30.2%). The general election came along and it was no surprise that Hillary was pulverized, even by Trump. There're 17 counties in the 4th. She didn't come close in any of them. The biggest county is Sedgwick (Wichita) and Trump beat her 104,353 to69,627. The smallest county is Pawnee and Trump beat her 1,904 to 579. Hopelessly red. The PVI is R+14. Romney had beaten Obama 62-36%. Trump beat Hillary 60-33%. and Pompeo was reelected 61% to 29%. He won with 67% in 2014, with 62% in 2012 and when he first ran, in 2010, he beat a relatively well-financed Democrat, Raj Goyle 58-37%. failed radical right-wing extremism-- has woken Kansans up. Thompson touts Brownback's endorsement of Estes on his website's front page. The Kansas Democratic Party has refused to help him, of course; he's not part of their pathetic establishment and he beat their pathetic candidate for the nomination. But he has more grassroots donor than any congressional candidate in contemporary Kansas history. The American Prospect An early poll for Thompson after the conventions selected the nominees showed him losing to Estes 56-32%.not that different from Pompeo's first race. Thompson thinks he can pull off a virtual miracle though, in part because Gov. Sam Brownback's brand of radical right-wing extremism-- dismallyradical right-wing extremism-- has woken Kansans up. Thompson touts Brownback's endorsement of Estes on his website's front page. The Kansas Democratic Party has refused to help him, of course; he's not part of their pathetic establishment and he beat their pathetic candidate for the nomination. But he has more grassroots donor than any congressional candidate in contemporary Kansas history. The American Prospect reported that "a survey of polls across the nation concluded that Brownback now has the lowest approval ratings of any of the nations 50 governors." For the past decade, Kansas voters have elected perhaps the most conservative lawmakers in the country to the statehouse. Led by Brownback, the arch-conservative majority repeatedly and massively cut taxes on wealthy Kansans and, also repeatedly and massively, stripped crucial funding from the government, cuts that particularly decimated the states teetering public school system. That changed last year, when Kansas voters elected more moderate state lawmakers. In the Senate, six Brownback allies lost primaries to more centrist Republicans, and the Democrats picked up a seat as well. In the House, eight GOP right-wingers lost primaries to moderates, and the Democrats picked up 13 seats. The new members, then, are Republicans in the Kansas moderate tradition of Bob Dole or Democrats in the mode of Kathleen Sebelius, rather than Brownbackians suffused with Randian rigidity. Since November, the new lawmakers have made Brownbacks life far more difficult, forcing him to veto bills that would have ended his tax cuts, increased school funding, and expanded Medicaid. The vetoes do not appear to be popular. Last Saturday at a town hall in Olathe, a mixed-income suburb on the far-western fringes of the Kansas City metro area, a roomful of residents yelled and waved red disagree signs at their local statehouse delegation, urging them to override Brownbacks veto of a bill passed by the new, more moderate legislature that would have expanded Medicaid to another 150,000 at-risk Kansans. The states new moderate coalition is not yet veto-proofthe attempted override of Brownbacks Medicaid expansion veto lost by three votesbut may well grow in the 2018 elections. Another factor boosting Thompsons prospects is the politics of Wichita, the states largest city, and one of its most diverse. Its also the only city to send Democratic lawmakers to the Kansas state Senate outside of the populous corridor that stretches along Interstate 70 from Kansas City to Topeka. Wichitas former mayor, Democrat Carl Brewer, who was term-limited in 2015, is planning to run for governor in 2018. At least for now, a hard turn to the left in Kansas, led by the Indivisible groups and others, is more a matter of activism and optics than it is of imminent electoral victories. Pompeos old congressional district could move toward the Democrats by 20 points and Thompson would still lose by double-digits. Republicans are nervous though. Trump and Brownback aren't popular. The Regime dispatched Ted Cruz to Wichita to try to bolster Estes tomorrow and Pence-- NOT Trump-- recorded a robocall on Estes behalf. Paul Ryan's SuperPAC is spending 6-figures on a desperate, last minute negative TV ad blitz on KSN, KWCH, KAKE and KSAS against Thompson. One week after the KS-04 vote, comes the GA-06 election we've been writing about , mostly because it seems more winnable. In fact, Michael McDonald from ElectProject.org pointed out that yesterday was a crucial day for the Ossoff campaign as it was "the only Saturday in-person early voting day. Early voting has gone all his way so far. As of Friday there'd been 17,871 early votes cast and the Democrats-- both in terms of absentee ballots and in-person voters-- were significantly ahead of the Republicans. If Ossoff wins this very red district-- the PVI is R+14, just like it is in KS-04-- Trump's legislative agenda will be in tatters as even more Republican members of Congress flee for their political lives from any association with him. And polls are good for Ossoff . He's way ahead in the first round and match-ups for the second round show him beating likely GOP nominees Karen Handel 42.4% to 41.0% and Bob Gray 44.3% to 42.3%. National Republicans have panicked and are sending millions in SuperPAC money to combat the $8.3 million that grassroots Democrats have sent Ossoff. The newest poll, for WXIA-TV, the local CBS affiliate shows Ossoff with 43% to 15% for Handel, 14% for Gray. 7% for Dan Moody and 5% for Judson Hill the 4 top-tier Republicans. Trump's candidate, Bruce LaVell, is struggling to get to 1% of the vote, an indication of what trump means in GA-06. The poll shows that Ossoffs support is young, educated and affluent. The younger and wealthier the electorate, the better Ossoff will do. Handels support is old and white and Grays support is middle-aged, middle-income and Evangelical. It all comes down to one week from Tuesday. And then on to Montana. 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. An aerial photo shows Thitu Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the East Sea, the Vietnamese reference for the South China Sea. Photo by AFP Warns against ratcheting up tension in the already troubled waters. Vietnam is verifying information that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered troops to occupy uninhabited islands and shoals that the Philippines claims in the East Sea, the Vietnamese reference for the flashpoint South China Sea. In a statement on Thursday, Duterte also said he might visit Thitu (Pagasa) Island in the Spartly Archipelago, over which Vietnam claims sovereignty, on June 12 (the Philippines' Independence Day). Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnams foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday that Vietnam has sufficient evidence to prove its sovereignty over the Spartlys and the Paracel archipelago, another island chain in the Eat Sea. Without permission from Vietnam, any action by other countries on the two island chains is illegal and invalid, she said. Hang also stressed that Vietnam wants to settle all disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means in line with international law, urging parties concerned to refrain from actions that could further complicate the status quo in the already troubled waters. China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Vietnam contest all or parts of the East Sea. This has led to confrontations between China and some of its neighbors over the strategic trade route. On Friday, Philippine defense and military officials sought to clarify their president's comments. The Philippines will upgrade existing facilities on its inhabited islands and reefs in the South China Sea and not occupy new territories, adhering to a 2002 informal code in the disputed waters, they said. "The president's order was very crystal clear. Occupy only the existing areas that we claim," a navy commander, privy to development plans in the South China Sea, told Reuters on Friday. "The Philippines is not allowed to do that, occupy new territories in the Spratly, based on the 2002 agreement," said the navy official. 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. Fundatia de Binefacere Caritas Moldova solicita oferte de pret de la companii cu privire la productia de materiale de vizibilitate AVON LAKE, Ohio - Avon Lake police are investigating two Saturday night burglaries where doors to the homes were kicked down. Avon Lake police are investigating two Saturday night burglaries where the doors to the victims' homes were kicked down. Police were first called about 10:05 p.m. Saturday to a house on Schiller Court, east of Lear Road, an Avon Lake police news release says. The homeowner told police that an unidentified man had kicked down her back door and come into the house. The woman confronted the burglar and he quickly left the house. She told investigators that the burglar was wearing dark clothing and carrying a flashlight, police said. It doesn't appear anything was taken from the house before the homeowner scared the burglar away, Avon Lake Det. Sgt. Reed Reikowski said. About 10 minutes later, officers were called to a house on Bounty Way, north of Walker Road and less than two miles away from the Schiller Court home, the release says. A resident of the Bounty Way house came home and found the front door kicked down. Jewelry was taken from the Bounty Way house, police said. No one was home at the time of the burglary. Avon Lake police believe these burglaries may be connected because of the kicked-down doors and the time frame in which they happened, the release states. Anyone with information related to the burglaries should contact Avon Lake police at 440-933-4567. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate. infant mortality causes point to tough road ahead Cleveland's infant mortality initiative, First Year Cleveland, has just begun digging into the causes behind the deaths of 155 Cuyahoga County infants in 2015. What they've found so far, though, suggest the group may face some serious challenges in reducing the area's perennially high infant mortality rate, particularly among the county's black population. (Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For decades, the infant mortality rate in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County has been among the highest in the state. In 2015, 155 Cuyahoga County babies died before reaching their first birthday, giving the county an infant mortality rate of 10.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, almost double the national rate. The problem is concentrated among black families, where the infant mortality rate is three times that of white babies. During the past few months, leaders of the region's fledgling infant mortality initiative, First Year Cleveland, have been digging through birth, death and medical records to assemble the first local picture of these lost children: who they were, what killed them, and both when and what kind of care their mothers received. First Year Cleveland's mission and vision statement Their preliminary findings suggest that the group, formed 15 months ago and just now settling on a mission statement, faces a long, tough road if it expects to significantly reduce infant deaths in the area. Many questions remain unanswered, including the age, current health and health history of the women who lost babies. Here's what we know. What's killing babies in Cuyahoga County? The major causes of infant deaths in the county are largely the same as those for the state and nation: prematurity and low birth weight, birth defects and congenital anomalies, and sleep-related deaths such as suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Cuyahoga County babies in 2015, though, tended to die more of some causes, including prematurity, than infants in other parts of the state or country and to suffer proportionately less from deaths due to others, such as birth defects. Nationally, birth defects account for a higher proportion of infant deaths than in Cuyahoga County, while prematurity and low birth weight, and sleep-related or sudden unexplained infant deaths account for less. In Ohio, premature and low birth weight deliveries account for the largest proportion of infant losses, followed by sleep-related deaths and then birth defects. Sleep-related infant deaths, which accounted for 17 percent of deaths in the county in 2015, may be the easiest target for quick intervention. In Columbus and Franklin County in central Ohio, sleep-related deaths make up the same proportion of the area's infant deaths. The city's CelebrateOne task force, formed in 2014, has taken aim at the problem as part of its effort to reduce the infant mortality rate by 40 percent and cut in half the death-rate disparity between white and black infants by 2020. So far, those efforts include training, outreach and educational activities, including a chilling PSA aimed at parents (watch below). Cradle Cincinnati, that city's 2013 infant mortality initiative, has also targeted sleep-related deaths with success. These deaths fell by at least 20 percent during the 2013 to 2016 period in Hamilton County. What do we know about the race of the babies who are dying? The infant mortality rate in the black community in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County is extremely high. Cleveland's 2015 black infant mortality rate, at 19.3, is worse than that of Nicaragua. You'd have to go back more than 40 years to find a comparably high rate among babies born to white women in the Cleveland area. Certain neighborhoods with large black populations in Cuyahoga County had even higher overall infant mortality rates in 2015, according to FYC analysis, though the figures are based on small numbers of births and deaths: Bedford (26.2); Warrensville Heights (23.1); and Garfield Heights (23.1). FYC data shows that while about 40 percent of county births were to black women, almost 70 percent of infant deaths were among this population. Preterm births among black women prime area of concern Cuyahoga County, and particularly Cleveland, see women delivering their babies way too early. Cleveland's 2013 premature birth rate of 13.7 percent was among the worst in the nation, according to a 2015 March of Dimes report. Cincinnati (11.8 percent) and Columbus (11.6 percent) also fare poorly on the measure, which is tied closely to race. Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to have a baby born between 16 and 22 weeks' gestation, when survival outside the womb is nearly impossible. That's according to a recent study of six years of Ohio births by Cincinnati researchers published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2015, more than half of the 155 babies who died before reaching their first birthday were born premature, and most of those infants were born so early they had almost no chance of surviving, according to FYC's data. Of the 87 premature infant deaths, 61 babies were black. More than half, 54 percent, of the higher infant mortality rate for black women nationwide is due to their higher infant mortality rate from preterm-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That makes prematurity among black women a big target for any intervention in the Cleveland area. FYC has only started to discuss how they might address the problem, but acknowledged that the region's infant mortality rate won't budge significantly without action. What type of insurance did mothers have? In Cuyahoga County in 2015, about 47 percent of births were to mothers who received their care through Medicaid, the state-run insurance plan for low-income residents. That's higher than the rest of the state (40 percent Medicaid) and the U.S. (45 percent Medicaid in 2010). A disproportionate share of infant deaths locally was among the Medicaid-served population: 101 infant deaths in 2015, or 65 percent of total deaths in Cuyahoga County, were among the Medicaid population. Race and income levels account for a lot of this disproportionate impact among the Medicaid population, according to analysis of infant mortality rates in 2013 and 2014 by the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Adjusting the infant mortality rate to account for demographics, women on Medicaid actually had a lower risk of infant death than the rest of the population in both 2012 and 2013. In 2013, the adjusted risk of death in the first year of life among the Medicaid population was a little more than half that of the non-Medicaid population. Did mothers receive adequate prenatal care? Infants born to mothers who received no prenatal care have an infant mortality rate five times that of mothers who received appropriate prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. Nearly three quarters of women in the United States receive prenatal care in the first trimester, while only 6 percent receive late or no prenatal care at all. There's room for improvement in Cuyahoga County, according to the 2015 data. Less than 70 percent of the 14,844 births recorded were to women who began prenatal care in the first trimester. In Ohio in 2014, the figure was 71 percent. Nationwide, in 2012, it was 74 percent. Cuyahoga County's 2015 prenatal care access figures are roughly on par with those reported in recent years in the state's other urban counties, which also have lower than average rates despite the wealth of healthcare facilities available. Women in Cuyahoga County were also more likely to give birth having received late or no prenatal care -- 8.8 percent did so in 2015, compared to the state rate of 7 percent. That means: Of the 14,844 births in the county in 2015: FYC does not yet know the prenatal care status of the women who lost babies in 2015, though preliminary data on 14 cases reviewed by the MetroHealth System indicates that most received early, high-quality care. "That's key," said FYC Executive Director Bernadette Kerrigan. "We're still just trying to sort it all out." North Olmsted police cruiser.jpg North Olmsted police were told about a fraud involving a debit card. (File photo) Fraud: A North Olmsted man came to the police station March 27 to report two fraudulent charges on his debit card totaling $193. The purchases made over the internet from the Netherlands. The man's bank discovered the suspicious activity and informed the man. Damage to property, Lorain Road: A car parked outside a garage March 26-27 awaiting repairs suffered scrapes and dents that appeared to be caused by another car that may have pulled into the spot next to the victim's car. Criminal damaging, Lorain Road: A man told police that while he was at the city recreation center March 27 between 7:45 p.m. and 9 p.m., he believed someone smashed out the passenger's side front window on his 2014 Chrysler Town and Country van. Nothing was stolen but a cell phone and laptops were in plain view. The doors were locked. No foreign objects were found nearby that might have been used to break out the window. Lost/stolen property, Great Northern Shopping Center: A man told police he believed he dropped an Apple iPhone 7 out of his pocket March 28 while walking through the shopping center parking lot. However, when he went back to look for it, he couldn't find it. The phone is valued at $800. If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comment page. "cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate." 3 schools will use system of 'mastery' Cleveland district trying out approach Teacher Liz Morris discusses a lesson with her students at the Intergenerational School. (paodonnell@plaind.com) Ninive Calegari is CEO of the Teacher Salary Project SAN FRANCISCO -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich and his Office of Workforce Transformation should be commended for the creativity with which they are thinking about the role public educators play in workforce development. He is correct in thinking of Ohio's kindergarten-through-12th-grade systems as the state's primary workforce development programs. Schools ought to prepare students for the jobs they will encounter in industries that are evolving. In his proposed biennial budget, the governor included a pair of recommendations from his workforce transformation partners that have raised some eyebrows in the education world: one, that professional development for educators include some form of private sector "externship" and another, that every public school board include three ex-officio members from the business community. Setting aside the facts that many people who choose to serve on school boards frequently have day jobs in the private sector and many teachers are already working in the private sector in their second jobs as bartenders, driving Uber, or working the aisles at Home Depot, the point of both of these proposals seems to be that the world of education has something to learn from the private sector. That's true, but neither of the proposals will have the transformative effect of a very simple lesson that lies at the heart of successful private sector enterprises: compensation matters. Ellen Sherratt is board president of the Teacher Salary Project In the private sector, if you want someone capable of analyzing the complexities of the changing labor needs of evolving industries and projecting where those labor trends are headed, you scout for that talent and pay the market rate. And if you can't find the person, you adjust the compensation offer until you meet the market demands. In the case of the teaching profession, you're looking for all that, plus individuals who are brilliant pedagogues, who can also plan lessons, engage and motivate children, effectively communicate with adults, collaborate with colleagues, think on their feet, assess learning outcomes and adjust plans to accommodate new data. On top of all that, we'd like teachers to teach citizenship and prepare students to participate in democracy and civil society. And you're telling them that what you'll pay is, in some cases, just enough so they won't qualify for food stamps. Here's a modest proposal: Instead of piling on additional requirements that are intended to somehow transform the existing teaching workforce, what if we paid enough to allow teachers the opportunity to do their best work? Paying professionally would also allow our communities to attract more of the most qualified people to the profession and then develop them in a way that would keep them in the classroom. And with respect to the many talented teachers currently in the classroom, what if we started paying them what our children are worth and retain the educators we need and adequately compensate the great, hard-working teachers who are already there? What if Ohio school districts all paid enough that educators from around the country competed for jobs in Youngstown, Wooster or Lorain? And 20 years from now, legislators in budget hearings were wrangling over how to manage industrial and population growth because the state was known as the place where the best public schools in the nation were producing the most talented workforce in the nation? Since 2005, we've been studying school districts across the nation that are taking an innovative, logical approach to teacher compensation, and doing so with the support of their business communities. Time and again they find the same thing: Paying teachers better and in smarter ways attracts and retains the kind of teaching force that delivers a return to the community. The most striking example of this comes from the charter community. New York City's TEP Charter starts teachers at $125,000 annually (without the benefit of private fundraising). Studies show that over four years, students there showed dramatic gains in learning. Districts as different as Helena Public Schools in Montana and District of Columbia Public Schools in our nation's capital found that when they raised starting salaries and potential career earnings, their pools of prospective teacher recruits became more competitive. This is hardly surprising. In fact, it follows exactly what the private sector has long known about talent attraction and retention. In their work analyzing the teacher recruitment pipelines in other nations, McKinsey & Company consultants note quite simply that pay matters. So, as legislators engage in this important work of revising the governor's proposed budget, the question to ask isn't how can we get teachers to pay more attention to private sector needs nor to take on externships. What we'd advise asking is: How can we use private sector strategies to get more of the right teachers here? Ninive Calegari is CEO of the Teacher Salary Project and Ellen Sherratt is its board president. The Teacher Salary Project, based in San Francisco, is a nonpartisan organization that aims to elevate the status of the teaching profession. Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue) just below. ************** cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate. PARMA, Ohio - Bruce Hyde and William Funk, both of Parma, were two of seven students from Cuyahoga Community College named to the All-Ohio Community College Academic Team, which comprises top students at the state's two-year schools. Bruce Hyde The All-Ohio Academic Team recognizes student excellence in academics, leadership and community service. Fifty-one students from across the state were selected for this year's team on the basis of their outstanding records. Tri-C had more students named All-Ohio than any other school. Hyde is studying computer programming and development at Tri-C and expects to earn his associate degree in May. He plans to transfer to Tiffin University to study business while continuing to take classes at Tri-C through an academic partnership between the schools. After earning his bachelor's degree at Tiffin, he intends to pursue a master's degree while continuing his career at MetroHealth System in information services supporting the health care provider's electronic medical record application. The first-team All-Ohio Academic Team honoree from Tri-C's Western Campus also earned two national academic honors this spring. He was named a Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Gold Scholar and a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Guistwhite Scholar. He and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting his first child. William Funk Funk graduated from Tri-C in December with an Associate of Arts degree before taking a semester off to care for his grandmother. He intends to transfer to a four-year university in the fall to pursue a bachelor's degree in linguistics. He wants to teach language and language acquisition after he completes his higher education.The first-team All-Ohio Academic Team honoree kept involved at Tri-C's Western Campus, assisting with the Japanese Culture Club, English as a Second Language program and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter. He was also part of the inaugural class at the College's Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center. Away from campus, he has volunteered with the City of Parma and Cleveland Metroparks to clean local parks. He also given time to the American Legion and Soka Gakkai International-USA. First-team honorees will receive $1,000 scholarships, while second-team members get $500 scholarships and third-team members $250. A recognition program for team members will be held in Columbus on April 20 during Community College Month. "cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate." When it comes to stocks over the next few months, one strategist is telling investors to look beyond the Trump administration and at the market's fundamentals instead. The so-called "Trump rally" has seemed to cool off as stocks sit near all-time highs, but have generally traded in a range since the end of February. On that note, Eaton Vance's chief equity investment officer, Eddie Perkin, told CNBC that if investors look even deeper, the Trump rally may not be because of President Donald Trump after all. "If we look at how the markets performed in the first quarter of the year, the stock market overall was very strong and I think a lot of people are attributing that to the Trump rally," Perkin said last week on CNBC's "Futures Now." However, "if you look at the underlying stocks and sectors that worked, it was actually the stocks that had lagged previously," he added. Following the November election, investors had their eyes on a variety of sectors that they believed would benefit under Trump's pro-business and deregulation-based policies. Financials and materials, for example, were two of the hottest "Trump trades" in the first few months out of the election. Yet now, financials have slumped and are sitting almost flat from the start of the year, and materials have actually faded away from their year to date highs and are trading sideways. Instead, technology and health care have become two of the best-performing sectors. A '2018 story' Health care, which has been in the spotlight due to stalled repeal and replace in Washington, is up over 7 percent year to date. Meanwhile tech has rallied nearly 12 percent in 2017. Tech stocks were expected to come under pressure as Trump aimed to target the H-1B visa hiring tool. T he surge in both these groups leads Perkin to point out that the supposed Trump trades are not what have been driving the market this year. So what should investors be looking at to get a read on the market? Perkin actually believes that earnings growth will be the biggest factor moving stocks and will set the markets up for the "2018 story." Analysts are predicting a second quarter straight of improved earnings, with Thomson Reuters IBES saying that if all earnings meet estimates, the S&P 500 Index would see 10 percent growth. "I think the bull case for stocks is you've got a bit of earnings growth this year, and then you've got an inflection upward in 2018," said Perkin. "If that doesn't come through, then I'm a little reluctant to bet on further multiple expansion from here." Perkin does believe, however, that should the Trump administration manage to pass a tax reform bill, then the markets will likely head higher off the news. For the latest headlines and a peak at what's coming up on our "Futures Now" shows, sign up for the brand new "Futures Now" newsletter at: http://www.cnbc.com/futuresnowemail/. Now that President Donald Trump has scrapped online privacy rules imposed on the likes of AT&T , Comcast and Verizon , some advocates who seek greater protection of consumers' personal information are turning their attention to the states. Lawmakers in at least three capitals Maryland, Minnesota and Montana are weighing new restrictions on the way internet providers and other companies can collect and share their customers' sensitive data, including their web-browsing histories, with advertisers. Under President Barack Obama, the Democratic-led Federal Communications Commission in Washington last year advanced rules that would have required broadband providers to obtain customers' permission before selling their information. But Republicans in Congress voted this month to scrap the FCC's previous order, and Trump signed the measure on Monday. That's a major victory for the telecom sector, which also opposed the privacy rules but it has prompted privacy advocates to turn their attention to the states in the hope that local leaders can rein in the industry. "Congress was doing this to add to the profit of the telecom industry, [and] I think it really rubbed people the wrong way," said Michelle de Mooy, the director of the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a D.C.-based consumer group. For now, that's why she and others are trying to "focus on the states and [make] sure they are crafting good solid legislation that will survive a challenge," de Mooy said, should telecom companies later try to sue. Some privacy advocates will take their case today to the Maryland General Assembly, where lawmakers are holding a hearing on a bill that would penalize internet providers that don't obtain "the consumer's express and affirmative permission" to sell or transfer personal data, particularly for advertising. Making the case for reform is Laura Moy, the deputy director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University Law Center. In testimony, she said that consumers might share information with internet providers but "do not expect ISPs to collect, retain and use that information to make money off of them." There and elsewhere, however, telecom giants don't favor state action. AT&T and Verizon also plan to testify in Maryland today, though they did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Yet one of their leading trade associations, USTelecom, said in a statement to Recode that the FCC and its sister agency in Washington, the Federal Trade Commission, already are competent cops of the beat. "Individual state efforts that deviate from a strong, consistent federal privacy framework do not fit with how consumers traverse the global internet and are more likely to harm consumers and internet innovation than help," a spokeswoman said. In Montana, meanwhile, local lawmakers inserted into their 2018-2019 budget a rule that blocks internet providers from winning state contracts if they don't obtain customers' consent before selling their information. Minnesota lawmakers took action at the end of March: Their draft law, too, takes aim at local providers that aren't seeking consumers' affirmative consent. Citing the effort to overturn the FCC's rules in Washington, one local pol said his colleagues should be "outraged at the invasion that's being allowed on our most intimate means of communication." Maryland, Montana and Minnesota are not alone in pursuing online privacy legislation: Other states, like Illinois, have taken aim in recent months at other potential threats to consumers' information, such as the way companies collect data about a smartphone owner's location. In the nation's capital, meanwhile, lawmakers including Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who unveiled his own reform bill Thursday. "Americans should not have to forgo their fundamental right to privacy just because their homes and phones are connected to the internet," Markey said in a statement. By Tony Romm, Recode.net. CNBC's parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Recode's parent Vox, and the companies have a content-sharing arrangement. Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com. Martin S. Fuentes | US Navy | Getty Images The U.S. military has ordered an aircraft carrier group to move closer to the Korean Peninsula in response to recent provocations by North Korea, a U.S. defense official said Saturday. Adm. Harry Harris ordered the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group to travel north from Singapore to the Western Pacific Ocean, Pacific Command said in a news release. The U.S. official said the strike group will provide a show of presence in the region. North Korea since March has twice carried out ballistic missile tests in defiance of United Nations resolutions. North Korea has conducted five suspected nuclear tests, including two last year. watch now watch now UK Defense Minister Michael Fallon Getty Images Britain said on Sunday Russia bore responsibility by proxy for civilian deaths in Syria last week caused by a poison gas attack that Washington says was carried out by the Moscow-backed government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. At least 70 people died in what the United States says was a chemical weapons attack in rebel-held Syria. The attack prompted the United States to fire 59 cruise missiles into a Syrian air base from which it said the attack was launched. Damascus and Moscow denied Syrian forces were behind the gas attack but Western countries dismissed their explanation that chemicals leaked from a rebel weapons depot after an air strike. watch now Russia has warned that the U.S. missile strikes could have serious consequences for the region. The missile strikes catapulted Washington into confrontation with Russia, which has advisers on the ground aiding its close ally Assad. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon criticized Russia's support of Assad, describing the chemical attack as a war crime that happened "on their watch". "By proxy Russia is responsible for every civilian death last week," Fallon wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper. watch now Spotify Founder and CEO Daniel Ek said an employee died in Friday's terror attack in central Stockholm, Sweden. In a Facebook post published Sunday, the CEO said, "It is with shock and a heavy heart that I can confirm that Chris Bevington from our Spotify team lost his life in Friday's senseless attack on Stockholm." Bevington was an executive with the streaming music giant, which is headquartered in Stockholm. Ek said the company's primary focus is supporting "the family and loved ones of Chris in anyway we possibly can." Swedish police launched a manhunt in Sweden's capital Friday for a suspect who rammed a truck into a department store in a likely act of terrorism killing four people and injuring 15 others. Earlier Sunday, police said they had brought in seven people over the apparent terrorist attack at Stockholm's busy Drottninggatan shopping district, according to Reuters. -- NBC News contributed to this report. Swedish police said on Sunday that the suspect in the Stockholm truck attack was known to have expressed sympathies with extremist organisations, including Islamic state. Police also said that the suspect had sought and been denied permanent residency in the Nordic country and was wanted for deportation. "We know that he showed sympathies for extremist organisations, among them IS," police official Jonas Hysing told a news conference. Meanwhile, Swedish police have arrested a second person in relation to the deadly truck attack in the capital and a court has appointed the person a legal representative, a court official said on Sunday. Four color trial notes of the Palestine Currency Board are among the lots in Dix Noonan Webbs auction closing in late April. The 50-pound note, shown here, is rarely seen in the marketplace, according to the auction house. Four rare Palestinian bank notes issued under the British Mandate in 1929 are highlights of the Dix Noonan Webb paper money auction being conducted by the firm in London on April 24. All four notes are dated Sept. 30, 1929, and are color trial notes from the same private consignor. The rarest of the group is a 50-pound note issued by the Palestine Currency Board, which is almost impossible to find as an issued note but is occasionally available as a specimen note. DNW says there is no record of a 50-pound color trial note being on the market in recent years and it is expected to bring 30,000 to 40,000 or $37,400 to $49,870 at current exchange rates. The 10-pound note is estimated at 12,000 to 15,000, the 5-pound note at 8,000 to 10,000, and the 1-pound note at 6,000 to 8,000. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Color trials are the stage before specimen notes are issued. At the color trial point, the design of the note has been finalized and the authorities must decide on the colors to be used. Color trials are much scarcer than specimen notes. Another botched release from the United States Mint: Inside Coin World: The release of the Congratulations set adds to the narrative that the U.S. Mint needs to overhaul its approach to limited-edition releases. The first paper money issued under the British Mandate for Palestine was dated Sept. 1, 1927. The notes in the auction are from the second series. The 50-, 10-, and 5-pound notes depict the Tower of Ramla or Ramleh, while the 1-pound note shows Jerusalems Dome of the Rock. Britain was given a mandate to administer Palestine by the League of Nations in 1922. Previously the territory was part of the Ottoman Empire, which collapsed following its decision to side with Germany during World War I. Britain ended the mandate in May 1948 after the United Nations decision to partition Palestine and create the State of Israel. The entire sale of 874 lots, also with items from Iran, South Africa, the United States, and the Commonwealth, is open for viewing and bidding here. Pictured at the James H. Cohen & Sons bourse table in 1981 at the American Numismatic Association convention in New Orleans, left to right, are James H. Cohen; Steve Cohen with son Barry; James father, Joseph Cohen, with Steves son Alan. Steve and Barry are still in the family business. James H. "Jimmie" Cohen, who established James H. Cohen and Sons in New Orleans in 1958, spent more than seven decades as a professional numismatist. James H. Jimmie Cohen, who spent more than seven decades as a professional numismatist and once owned one of the four original 1861 Confederate States of America half dollars, which he kept as a pocket piece, died March 28 at age 91. Mr. Cohen established his own firm, James H. Cohen & Sons, at 319 Royal St. in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1958, 12 years after he married. As a young boy, Mr. Cohen worked with his grandfather, William Feldman, in his grandfathers antique business, Feldmans Antique Emporium, founded in 1898 at 437 Royal St., where James H. Cohen & Sons is now. Mr. Cohens father, Joseph, also worked at the Emporium. The James H. Cohen & Sons business specializes in rare antique weapons, coins, and paper money. Mr. Cohen, according to the firms website, purchased his first coin collection for his own business at auction for $100. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Mr. and Mrs. Cohen operated the business from the 319 Royal St. location for 20 years, until expansion and opportunity allowed relocation in 1978 to the 437 Royal St. site where his grandfather had established his own business 80 years before. According to the James H. Cohen and Sons website, The Cohens two young sons, Steve, then nine, and Jerry, six, began working in the store soon after it opened in 1958. After school and on weekends, the boys talked to customers who were often amazed at the youngsters expert knowledge of the stores inventory. When the boys were not in school or working at the store, Jimmie and Beverly took them on the road to trade shows across the country, instilling in them the history and eye for detail of rare and remarkable relics of another age. Another botched release from the United States Mint: Inside Coin World: The release of the Congratulations set adds to the narrative that the U.S. Mint needs to overhaul its approach to limited-edition releases. Eventually, Steve left the business to attend law school and practice law for a few years, but found nothing in the practice of law that made him want to give up working in the family business. Jerry has never spent as much as a day working anywhere else. Jimmies grandson, Barry, who also grew up behind the counter at Cohen and Sons is the newest member, and the fifth generation, to join the family business. Mr. Cohen believed he was catapulted onto the national numismatic scene when an elderly customer brought into the coin shop in New Orleans, while at 319 Royal St., a coin identified as one of four 1861 Confederate States of America half dollars struck at the New Orleans Mint. The current location of Mr. Cohens storefront is not far from the Mint structure, which currently houses the Louisiana State Museum. How the elderly customer came into possession of the Confederate half dollar that he sold to Mr. Cohen is not known. Researchers surmise that the coin, after its production, was originally presented in April 1861 to John Leonard Riddell, appointed melter and refiner of the New Orleans Mint, a position confirmed by President John Tyler following an internal Mint dispute. Riddell later became postmaster for the city of New Orleans. Mr. Cohen reportedly carried the half dollar around in his pants pocket, checking it, according to his firms website, at least 20 times a day. Details are murky as to when Mr. Cohen acquired the coin and when he sold it published accounts differ somewhat. Mr. Cohens firms website suggests he sold the coin for a sizable five-figure sum circa 1964. Another account suggests it was traded in the early 1970s for a complete set of 1915-S Panama-Pacific International Exposition commemorative coins with original copper frame. In either instance, the half dollar wound up in the possession of Lester Merkin. Merkin sold the coin privately for an undisclosed sum on June 21, 1971, to collector Henry P. Kendall, according to provenance research. Eventually graded and encapsulated Proof 40 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., the Confederate half dollar was sold as part of Kendalls collection in the Stacks Bowers Galleries March 26, 2015, sale for $646,250. Mr. Cohen served as the general chairman in 1972 in New Orleans for the American Numismatic Association Anniversary Convention. Mr. Cohen was appointed to the U.S. Assay Commission in 1975 by President Gerald R. Ford, and appointed by Gov. Mike Foster to serve on the Louisiana Commemorative Coin Advisory Commission to design the 2002 Louisiana State quarter dollar. Mr. Cohen served during World War II in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Mr. Cohen is survived by his wife of 70 years, Beverly Steckler Cohen, 90, who will continue in the operation of James H. Cohen & Sons; two sons, Jerry and Stephen; and two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Graveside services for Mr. Cohen were held March 30 at Beth Israel Cemetery in New Orleans. Memorials are suggested to Congregation Beth Israel, 4004 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, LA 70002, or the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Foundation, P.O. Box 2558, Houston, TX 77252-8037. New Book on Assyrian, Greek, Armenian Genocide Published (AINA) -- A new book titled Genocide In The Ottoman Empire - Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923, edited by George N. Shirinian, has been published by Berghahn Books. The editor is executive director of the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, a division of the Zoryan Institute. His publications include Studies in Comparative Genocide and The Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Ottoman Greek Genocide: Essays on Asia Minor, Pontos, and Eastern Thrace, 1913--1923. The book is a result of an academic conference held on May 10-11, 2013 and hosted by the prestigious Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois (AINA 2013-05-18). According to the editor, when "one sees what is happening in Turkey right now, how Turkey is dealing with its own minorities, the type of language that the President of Turkey is using in regards to non-Muslim Europe, it all reflects the same narrow, ethno-religious nationalism that prevailed there 100 years ago. It is being used today by the President of Turkey to mobilize masses to fulfill his political objectives. In fact, the non-Muslim groups combined, including Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Jews, now make up only around 100,000 of Turkey's population, as opposed to 4.5 million in Ottoman Turkey before the Genocide." The final years of the Ottoman Empire were catastrophic ones for its non-Turkish, non-Muslim minorities. From 1913 to 1923, its rulers deported, killed, or otherwise persecuted staggering numbers of citizens in an attempt to preserve "Turkey for the Turks," setting a modern precedent for how a regime can commit genocide in pursuit of political ends while largely escaping accountability. While this brutal history is most widely known in the case of the Armenian genocide, few appreciate the extent to which the Empire's Assyrian and Greek subjects suffered and died under similar policies. The Young Turks believed that a policy of "Turkey for Turks" would solve their political problems, thus they adopted an ultra-ethnic, nationalist attitude towards non-Turks. "This attitude may be compared to the attitude of ISIS today. Driven by extreme Sunni radical Islamic nationalism, they draw on religious fanaticism and use it to stir up those who are susceptible to kill Christians, Yezidis, and even other Muslims who are not Sunni," says Shirinian. This comprehensive volume is the first to broadly examine the genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks in comparative fashion, analyzing the similarities and differences among them and giving crucial context to present-day calls for recognition. It is also one of the rare books which investigates the fate of the Ottoman Christian people during World War I as a whole, as not only Armenians, but Greeks and Assyrians were also targeted by the genocide carried out by the Young Turk's Ottoman Government. In the shadow of World War I, the Young Turk's aim was to exterminate the entire Christian population. Citing the US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, "The Armenians are not the only subject people in Turkey which have suffered from this policy of making Turkey exclusively the country of the Turks. The story which I have told about the Armenians I could also tell with certain modifications about the Greeks and the [As]syrians. Indeed, the Greeks were the first victims of this nationalizing idea ... It was probably for the reason that the civilized world did not protest against these deportations that the Turks afterward decided to apply the same methods on a larger scale not only to the Greeks but to the Armenians, [As]syrians, Nestorians, and others of its subject peoples. In his introduction, Shirinian sheds light on the reasons why the history of the genocide was not studied considering the fate of all Christians groups as whole and as an integral part of the Ottoman history. ISBN 978-1-78533-432-0 $69.95/49.00 Published February 2017 Following the introduction by Shirinian, the book contains 14 chapters prepared by notable genocide scholars, including three by Assyrians, followed by an extensive bibliography and index. Contents Introduction by George N. Shirinian PART I: CONTEXTS Chapter 1. The Background to the Late Ottoman Genocides; George N. Shirinian Chapter 2. Convulsions at the End of Empire: Thrace, Asia Minor, and the Aegean; Dikran Kaligian Chapter 3. Assyrians in the Ottoman Empire and the Official Turkish Policy of Their Extermination, 1890s-1918; Anahit Khosroyeva PART II: DOCUMENTATION AND EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS Chapter 4. Considering Genocide Testimony: Three Case Studies; Paul Bartrop Chapter 5. The Assyrian Issue 1914-1935: Australian Documents and Press; Stavros Stavridis Chapter 6. American Women, Massacres, and the Admiral: Deep in Anatolia during the Turkish Nationalist Revolution; Robert Shenk Chapter 7. Found in Translation: Eyewitness Accounts of the Massacres in Nicomedia as Reported by Greek Journalist Kostas Faltaits; Eleni Phufas Chapter 8. The Destruction of Smyrna in 1922: An Armenian and Greek Shared Tragedy; Tehmine Martoyan PART III: LEGACIES AND INTERPRETATIONS Boone County voter turnout estimate drops ahead of election Election turnout is expected to be lower than anticipated compared to estimates in October, Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said. On March 30, Nikki Haley, the United Statess ambassador to the United Nations, said: our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out. Today, she will say: Theres not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime. Haley speaks for Americas Government and its President. What has happened in less than a fortnight indeed, in a single day to cause him to U-turn not only on Assad, but on the foreign policy approach on which he fought the Presidential election? The obvious answer is the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons in an attack on Khan Sheikhoun. But it has used them before in 2013, with effects no less horrific than last weeks. That time round, Trump tweeted President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your powder for another (and more important) day! Why the change? It may that the solution lies in the turmoil within the Presidents administration. Evidence of a power struggle is all over the media daily, the main protaganists being Reince Priebus, Trumps Chief of Staff; Steve Bannon, his Chief Strategist, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. Priebus is a chip off the Republican establishment; Bannon a force for Breitbart-style politics, and Kushner (together with Ivanka Trump, the Presidents daughter) essentially a centrist. One report today claims that Preibus has told Bannon and Kushner to bury the hatchet. Another suggests that the Ivanka helped to persuade her father to change his mind on Syria. Both could be true. Or neither. All that is certain is that public feuding and briefing of this intensity so early in a presidency is unusual if not unprecedented and that having such incompatible worldviews near the top is uncommon, too. One version of events is that this is the way that Trump likes to work, and that these inconsistencies and contrarieties are not so much harmful as actually helpful to him. The logic of this position is that those around him scrabble in a Darwinian struggle for his ear and heart, while he soars above them making his eventual decisions in the unpredictable and intuitive way that marks him. Perhaps that view is right. But if so, it ought to give Conservative MPs pause for thought. As we write, they are in their constituencies or working elsewhere or on holiday until the Commons resumes on April 18. This morning, they will be reading what the rest of us are reading: namely, that the Government is swinging behind the long-held view in parts of Westminster and Whitehall that there must be regime change in Syria. Assad must go, Michael Fallon writes in the Sunday Times (). Boris Johnson has called off his planned visit to Moscow, and is reported now to be fronting the familiar policy of seeking to work with Russia to dump Assad, which Downing Street and the Foreign Office are reviving. This approach envisages America and the G7 putting pressure on Russia to join them and, in turn, put pressure on Syrias regime to dump Assad. Under this plan, he would presumably be shuffled off to a villa somewhere by the Black Sea, while a government of national unity is formed in Syria, consisting of moderate rebels, elements of the present regime and mainstream Muslims (who are represented in both groups, along with religious minorities in the last one). The jihadists would be frozen out altogether. This is not a perfect scheme, since Assad and some members of his regime would presumably escape trial for war crimes, but this is not a perfect world. What matters most is bringing peace and security to horror-engulfed Syria, which this proposal would have a chance of doing. However, those Tory MPs will have ponder the same problem that you have already spotted: namely, that it has been pushed before, and Russia has rejected it. Perhaps it will be different with Trump rather than Barack Obama in the White House. But maybe it wont. And perhaps Trump himself doesnt have the patience to work away at trying to make it happen in any event. It may be that he will mull military options instead. Conservative MPs will ponder the history of military intervention in Iraq and more recently in Libya or should do. They will ask whether it would be wise to back action which could see the evils of the Assad regime replaced by the evils of a jihadist one. For after all, the latter would be the most likely beneficiaries of Assad simply losing the present war, rather than being replaced as part of a negotiated peace. The Sunni jihadists in Syria stretch from ISIS through Al Qaeda affiliates to others who change names and allegiances so fast that it is almost impossible to keep up with them. Theirs is the ideology that inspired 7/7, the murder of Lee Rigby, the recent attack on Westminster Bridge, the terror assaults in Paris and Belgium and last Fridays murders in Sweden. They are the immediate threat to our national security, not the growth of Iranian power abroad. If the answer to our question of who is in charge in the White House is an impulsive president with no consistent plan, Tory MPs will want to reserve their options. At present, our Government and others seem to be seeking to channel his energies into a plan that has every advantage bar the one of being clearly deliverable. Its worth trying again. But given Trumps unpredictability, and British governments history of tagging along with America, for both good reasons and bad, they should be picking up their phones and making their concerns known to the whips. Web and mobile apps are now a dime a dozen as more ventures join the rush to roll out the next killer app. According to AppBrain, there are nearly 2.8 million apps on the Android market to date. Search for a particular interest or functionality and there is likely a dozen or so web and mobile apps that would pop up. The volume and pace of app creation lead to a sizable percentage of poorly developed apps that almost a quarter of users abandon them after first use. What is worse, these bad apps can leave users exposed. A study by Codified Security found that 40 percent of published apps leave vulnerable backdoors that can be exploited by attackers. These vulnerabilities can leave user data exposed or allow malicious actors to gain access to computers and servers used in testing and development. Related: How Do Google, Apple and Others Stack Up When It Comes to Protecting Your Privacy? The competitive nature of the industry demands ventures to ship software quickly. However, shoddy coding and careless testing can leave the venture and its users exposed to cyberattack risks with potentially disastrous ends. The issue becomes even more pressing as new technology trends such as the wider adoption of financial technology and internet of things (IoT) devices is set to bring forth a new wave of apps and services. Security must be at the center of all tech startup activities. 1. Threats are rampant. 2016 had no shortage of high profile cyberattacks that involved large tech companies, internet infrastructure providers, banks and government institutions. But, for every big name company, there were numerous other smaller organizations that also suffered attacks. Among the top threats that persist today are ransomware, distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) and data breaches. Ransomware are consistently identified by security firms such as Kaspersky as top threats to organizations. Ransomware are malware that encrypt a computer or networks files. Attackers then demand ransom from victims in exchange for a chance of getting their files back. DDoS attacks seek to deny access to a website or service by overwhelming its server with traffic. The biggest DDoS attack on record happened last year when DNS provider Dyn was hit. The outage also affected popular sites and apps that were under Dyns network such as Netflix, Spotify and The New York Times. Among these attacks, data breaches pose the real threat to end users. Stolen confidential information are commonly shopped around to criminal entities in the dark web. Data containing personal, financial or proprietary information can return a profit when sold in the black market. Sites and apps that store customer information are prime targets for such attacks. Related: We Scored High on This Cybersecurity Quiz. How About You? 2. Getting attacked is costly. Any form of downtime or disruption is costly for any business. Network security solution Incapsula estimates the cost of downtime caused by DDoS attacks to an ecommerce site to average $40,000 per hour. Other attackers also perform DDoS attacks for ransom knowing that companies may be willing to pay in order to avoid the costs of downtime. An IBM and Ponemon Institute study says that each stolen record costs the company $158 each in damages. Getting hit by a data breach can heavily impact a companys valuation as well. The sale price of Yahoo! has dwindled since its disclosure of past massive data breaches. Verizon asked for a $3$350 million discount after the data breaches were publicized. As for ransomware, while attackers may only ask for $722 on average, getting locked out critical files can be catastrophic for organizations that do not have backup systems in place. There is no assurance access will be restored even if the ransom gets paid. Beyond the outright financial impact, businesses also risk loss of customer trust and reputation when hit by cyberattacks. For a startup, such fallout can sink the whole venture before it even gets off the ground. Related: The Worst Hacks of 2017 -- So Far 3. Tech startups should have higher standards. Businesses get exposed due to a variety of reasons. Non-tech startups are especially vulnerable. Often without dedicated personnel to oversee the proper use of IT resources, it is common for computers and networks to be left unsecure. Lack of training on fundamental IT security practices also leave staff vulnerable to social engineering attacks such as phishing which in turn pave the way for more serious attacks. Tech companies should know better. If they intend to market themselves as experts with superior products, they should be making security a critical part of their work. A good portion of tech startups effort is involved in product development so ensuring that their software is secure is vital. Mirai, the malware responsible for a number of massive DDoS attacks last year, exploits unsecure IoT devices and use them to carry out attacks. Many of these devices, which include IP cameras and network devices, were poorly designed and lacked security features that could have prevented Mirai infections. Leaving out security in the product design and making product development shortcuts can have serious consequences. The Codified Security also revealed that the app vulnerabilities are often due to careless coding. Developers may leave out information in their published code such as server credentials. As some apps use the same server instances when they go live, access to those servers can ultimately compromise all server data which, by that time, may already include customer information. Related: 4 Easy Ways to Protect Your Company From a Cyberattack Making security a priority So how can tech startups mitigate these risks? For developers, security should be a fundamental consideration in the software design. Code should be vigilantly reviewed in order to track vulnerabilities which can be exploited. It is critical to subject all software to intensive QA. Testing and should not be skipped in favor of accelerating shipping or launch dates. Organizations should perform security audits to identify vulnerabilities in their operations. Educating staff regarding the best practices ensure that IT resources are used in a secure manner and that no company or customer data get compromised. Tech ventures should also be implementing security measures to cover other business activities especially those that involve customer data such as sales and marketing. Customer information should be held in the strictest confidence. Startups owe it to their customers to safeguard the privacy and security of those who entrusted the company with their business. Related: 3 Reasons Why IT Security Must Be a Top Concern for Tech Startups OPCDE 2017 In Dubai To Bring Together Cyber Security Experts 'Downright Creepy': Internet Entrepreneurs Weigh in on Repeal of Internet Privacy Rules Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Close to a billion people smoke cigarettes daily, meaning there are more smokers today than at any other time in history. This startling figure is easily accounted for: As the global population rises, so too does the number of smokers. In the past 25 years, the percentage of people who smoke has dropped by 25 percent. O anlar kameraya iste boyle yansd Say what you like about Donald Trumps rocky start as leader of the free world, but he should be congratulated for taking swift military action in response to President Assads use of chemical weapons. By sending Tomahawk missiles to obliterate the al-Shayrat air base from which Syrian air force jets launched their sickening Sarin gas attack last week Trump succeeded at a stroke in doing what Barack Obama had so abjectly failed to do: enforce his own ill-advised red line warning of 2012 over the use of chemical weapons. To the astonishment of the worlds nations and none more than Russia Trump jettisoned the narrow, nationalist America first rhetoric of his campaign and did what any US president, including Hillary Clinton, would have done strike fast and hard against a regime that thinks it can commit war crimes and break international law with impunity. It was one of the greatest foreign policy U-turns of all time from a president who once told the American people we should stay the hell out of Syria. 'Donald Trump should be congratulated for taking swift military action in response to President Assads use of chemical weapons' Trumps strike against Assad for using Sarin was, I believe, entirely the right thing to do. No regime should be allowed to violate the Chemical Weapons Convention to which Syria and Russia are signatories without consequences. It is one of the pillars of international arms control. But did Trump do the right thing for the wrong reasons? Did he hit Syria because he was emotionally carried away by the sight of choking babies? Or did he want to look a resolute and decisive Commander-in-Chief in contrast to what he considers Obamas dithering? Or was he trying to divert attention from the charge that he and his advisers are beholden to the Russians, an accusation that might yet force him from office and is being investigated by the intelligence agencies and Congressional committees? Possibly it was a combination of all three. In short, the jury is still out on whether the Syrian raid was an impetuous flash-in-the-pan or the beginnings of a new Trump approach to world affairs. Certain things are clear. Not only has Trump put Assad and President Putin on notice that further use of chemical weapons could invite similar massive retaliation. He has also seized back the strategic initiative in the Middle East from Russia. We must not forget that to much preening and self-congratulation, Russia brokered a deal with Assad in 2013 to remove Syrias chemical weapons. We were told all stocks had been removed. It was something of a diplomatic triumph for Putin, who was seen as the grand master of the geopolitical chess board. Trump (pictured on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida) praised his military on Saturday morning for its performance in launching nearly 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air force base in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack But with authorship of that agreement came responsibility for its integrity and full implementation. No wonder Moscow has been spitting with rage. It has either been played for a fool by Assad or been caught red-handed, colluding with him in his use of hidden stockpiles of Sarin. Putins Syria strategy is in utter ruins. His reputation is tarnished, his prestige damaged. He has had to sit on the sidelines and watch the US Navy fire cruise missiles in a number and concentration of which he can only dream. Russias humiliation only adds to the delicacy of the diplomatic task that now confronts Trump. However deserved a punitive strike it may be, it is no more than a short-term fix unless harnessed to a long-term political goal. In Syria that goal is, as it has always been, a ceasefire followed by an internationally guaranteed peace agreement involving a transition of power in Damascus that removes Assad from the scene (after the latest Sarin attack there is no way the international community can accept him as the legitimate ruler of Syria). And all this needs to be negotiated without detriment to the campaign against the Isis caliphate in Iraq and Syria. What is new in this situation of almost incalculable complexity is that Trump now has far more leverage than Obama ever enjoyed or even wanted. We wait to see if he can use this in the interests of peace in Syria; whether an international statesman can emerge from the chrysalis of chaos that has beset his administration since his inauguration in January. It is a tall order against a background of White House infighting, the shambolic collapse of healthcare legislation and the growing disenchantment with Trump inside the Republican Party, including the Senate and House of Representatives. The faith of Trumps true believers has been shaken by the Syrian intervention and by the dawning awareness that he favours tax cuts that will overwhelmingly favour the rich. 'The Russians will probably try to work off their frustration by giving him a hard time' It is hard to see how international relations can be quarantined from this disorder. Much depends on the skills of the three grown-ups who deal with abroad Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defence Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser Lieut Gen HR McMaster and whether Trump will let them get on with building a coherent foreign and security policy strategy a Trump doctrine if you like. They will have the encouragement of most of the worlds nations, including Britain, France, Germany, Turkey and the Sunni-Arab powers of the Middle East, all of whom have strongly supported the strike against Syria (Turkeys support will have stuck in Putins craw since he has been assiduously courting President Erdogan). Can a statesman emerge from the chrysalis of chaos? It is a unique and doubtless gratifying moment for Trump to receive the plaudits of countries such as these. Now he and his advisers must keep up the momentum. The first priority is to find out whether there is still some way of working with the Russians, without whom no Syrian deal is possible. By coincidence, Tillerson will be in Moscow this week. The Russians will probably try to work off their frustration by giving him a hard time. My advice to him is to keep calm and carry on. Be patient. The Russians need you more than you need them. After the bombing of the St Petersburg metro, Moscow has the strongest possible incentive to work with Washington against terrorism. A pragmatic understanding over Syria is perfectly possible. We have to hope that Tillerson, this diplomatic novice, will be equal to a task that will demand both finesse and tough talking. But, thanks to his president, he will at least be speaking from a position of strength. On Friday morning the United States Navy launched 59 cruise missiles on behalf of Al Qaeda Now we have definitely moved from being a post-war world to being a pre-war world. Madness and folly are loose again. Consider first that early on Friday morning the United States Navy launched 59 cruise missiles on behalf of Al Qaeda. If this is not bad enough for you, note that the President of the United States did not even bother to pretend that he was seeking United Nations cover for what he did. Note next that in the same week our Prime Minister, Theresa May, made a duty visit to pay homage to the medieval despots of Saudi Arabia, who kindly buy our warplanes and bombs, and are currently using them to savage effect in Yemen. And President Trump was playing host at the White House to the head of Egypts military junta, General el-Sisi, whose security forces undoubtedly massacred at least 600 protesters (probably many more) in the streets of Cairo in August 2013. And then mark that the pretext for this bizarre rocket attack was an unproven claim that President Assad of Syria had used poison gas. Yes, unproven. The brutality of Sisi and the Saudis is beyond doubt. They didnt use gas, but our leaders outrage at Assads alleged gas attack looks a little contrived if they keep such company. Also what happened to the rules of evidence? Many people have written, spoken and now acted as if the charge was proven. Why the hurry? Now, Mr Assad is not a nice person. I have been writing rude things about his bloodstained and wicked regime for years. But he is not insane. He knows that the use of poison gas is the one thing that will make the USA intervene against him. They have said so. He is currently winning his war against Islamist fanatics, with conventional weapons. He had even finally got the USA to stop demanding his dismissal. Five days before the alleged attack five days! Americas UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, announced: Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out. The President of the United States did not even bother to pretend that he was seeking United Nations cover for what he did So why would he do such a thing, and throw away all his victories in a few minutes? It makes no sense of any kind. As you ponder this, can I explain something about the place where the gas attack is said to have happened? No independent Western journalist could go there. He or she would be killed or kidnapped within hours. Any report which comes from that region is filtered through people who you never see in the film that does get out. I have met men like them on my travels. I would not want to offend them. These are the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, alias the Al-Nusra Front, alias Al Qaeda, the Syrian opposition which we in the West have been supporting for several years. Yes, thats right, the people we have been helping are not Liberal Democrats or Girl Guides or Quakers. No, they are the same movement which destroyed Manhattans Twin Towers. The only big difference between them and Islamic State is that we drop bombs on Islamic State. And we drop bombs on behalf of Al-Nusra/Al Qaeda. Ive noted here before how these people have publicly kidnapped, killed and even sunk their teeth into the entrails of dead enemies. But in this case, another small detail may make you wonder about what you are being told. In some reports of the alleged atrocity, a supposed British doctor, Shajul Islam, was quoted or shown on the spot, described as a volunteer treating victims in hospital. Actually, he shouldnt really be called a British doctor. He was struck off the British medical register for misconduct in March 2016. The General Medical Council wont say why. And in 2012 Shajul Islam was charged with terror offences in a British court. He was accused of imprisoning John Cantlie, a British photographer, and a Dutchman, Jeroen Oerlemans. Both men were held by a militant group in Syria and both were wounded when they tried to escape. Shajul Islam, it was alleged, was among their captors. Shajul Islams trial collapsed in 2013, when it was revealed that Mr Cantlie had been abducted once again, and could not give evidence. Mr Oerlemans refused to give evidence for fear that it would further endanger Mr Cantlie. Mr Oerlemans has since been killed in Libya. So the supposedly benevolent medical man at the scene of the alleged atrocity turns out to be a struck-off doctor who was once put on trial for kidnapping. Does this change your view at all? It takes a couple of minutes to find this out if you look. But only one major Western news outlet, The Times, has put two and two together. Why is that? Its for the same reason that we are in this mess. We wish to fool ourselves and are good at it. Search and rescue team members, along with civilians, remove the debris as they try to locate survivors in the Syrian captial, Damascus, after an Assad airstrike The once-wealthy and powerful West is falling to bits. It is bankrupt and increasingly at the mercy of people who have begun to demand something in return for their trade and their loans. It is all very sordid, and bodes ill for the future, but I would mind it less if we admitted what we were doing, rather than pretending these wretched events were some sort of noble act. Technology will enslave us all... just like Scarlett Had I been a teenage boy, I would probably have appreciated Scarlett Johanssons new film Ghost In The Shell more than I did. I dont enjoy ultra-violence, or even the sight of Ms Johansson got up as a robot pictured as much as I would once have done. But I was intrigued to see that the future world in which this film is set is once again in a place of gloom and decay, much like now but worse. Scarlett Johansson plays The Major in Ghost in the Shell. I dont enjoy ultra-violence, or even the sight of Ms Johansson got up as a robot pictured as much as I would once have done There are gangsters and sordid bars, people smoke, everyones crammed into hamster-cage flats in inhuman megacities. People still drive cars. Ever since Blade Runner and Alien, and also in Minority Report, new technology is not seen as a road to happiness, liberty or prosperity. I used to think this was pessimistic. Now I think theyve got it about right. Politicians belong in cattle class Why should politicians have special aeroplanes to waft them about the place? Of course, the heir to the throne should take priority over a mere Premier when it comes to allocating RAF jets. Air Force One has given them all delusions of grandeur. Monarchs need to be grand. Ministers dont. Politicians should travel just like the people they represent. Most especially they should be made to endure the futile humiliation of airport security, and the realities of railway privatisation. I miss my last blue passport, sadly stolen, with its parade of blurred visas from Warsaw Pact states and my Moscow Residence Permit for a very grand address. But I dont think theyll ever bring it back as it was. It was a survivor from a statelier age. The best we can hope for is a weedy, blueish plastic booklet, all too similar to the miserable things we have now. To comment on Peter Hitchens click here Her Majestys Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is not a minor figure, at home or abroad. It is the post held by Lord Palmerston, Anthony Eden and Ernest Bevin. Donald Trumps Oval Office could fit into Boris Johnsons majestic Whitehall chamber several times over. And, wayward as he may be (as were many of his forerunners), Mr Johnson is not a minor figure in the politics of the United Kingdom, which itself remains a major economy and a significant military and diplomatic power. So we are entitled to wonder what is going on when Mr Johnson abruptly cancels a long-planned visit to Moscow, at a crucial moment, while his US equivalent, Rex Tillerson, flies to the Russian capital on a hastily arranged mission. Boris Johnson cancelled a long-planned trip to Moscow Britain has interests of her own, not always identical to those of the US. Our relations with the Kremlin are badly in need of repair. The cancelled meeting was to have been the first high-level contact between the two countries since 2012. Also having taken no part in the attack on Syria which has so angered the Russians this country is perhaps better placed to keep communications alive at such a time than any US envoy. Of course we are Washingtons friend, in good times and bad. But we should avoid either being or appearing to be subservient to our most important ally. The problem of Russia is probably the greatest facing the Western powers. It has much to do with the current confrontation over Syria and the survival or otherwise of President Assad. While we have been supportive of President Trumps missile attack on a Syrian air base, Mr Johnson took an independent line last Thursday, saying it was important to try to get a UN resolution condemning Assad before any unilateral action was taken. As it turned out, Mr Trump decided to go it alone. The Government has been supportive of President Trump's missile attack on a Syrian air base These differences may prove to be significant in the weeks to come, as the US decides what to do next. Serious doubts remain about what exactly happened in Khan Shaykhun, scene of the gas attack. As yet there is no independent verifiable evidence of who was responsible, or precisely what munitions were used, and there is bafflement about Assads motives. What did he hope to gain which made up for the real risk of US retaliation? Russias attempted explanation may be fanciful and incredible. But that does not mean rebel claims are necessarily accurate either. Russian forces are still present in Syria, and President Putin is not abandoning Assad. This makes any deepening of American or other Western action against him highly complicated. There is a real risk of direct clashes between Western and Russian forces. Syria unlike Serbia, Iraq or Libya has sophisticated modern air defences supplied and maintained by Moscow which make any intervention much more dangerous than any we have attempted since the end of the Cold War. There is a serious argument for a proper UN-sponsored investigation of Khan Shaykhun, and for keeping all possible channels open to Moscow. Let us hope that at least Mr Johnsons visit to Moscow is rescheduled very soon. Until Americas cruise missile attack in Syria, President Vladimir Putin was celebrating a new era, a historic concord between his Russia and President Trumps United States. The master of the Kremlin expected the outcome to be a carve-up, a new division of the world into recognised spheres of interest. Trump was supposed to acquiesce in the victory of Russias client, President Bashar al-Assad, using any means he chose to crush his enemies in Syrias civil war. There have been mirror fears in Europe, shared by British military and intelligence chiefs, that a withdrawal of American support for Nato might open the way for Putin to fulfil his long-held hopes to regain Russian mastery of the Baltic states, perhaps also of Ukraine and Belarus. And if that scenario has alarmed US allies in Europe, Russian hopes of it have also been riding high. Opening salvo: The USS Ross fires a tomahawk land attack missile at Syria from the Mediterranean Sea Yet these fears and expectations have vanished in the pillars of smoke rising above the Syrian airfield where Trumps cruise missiles landed. The Russians are bitterly angry. They feel confused and even betrayed by an American whom they had started to think was just like their own big chief. Questions they want answered are: was the Tomahawk attack a spontaneous gesture, responding to the use of chemical weapons? Or are the Americans starting a whole new game in Syria, aimed at removing Assad and installing a rebel regime? It appears that nobody in Washington has told them, because nobody knows. Think of Putin as a rottweiler an attack dog in whom the Russian people take pride. They seem heedless, even if they know it, that he is probably the richest man in the world, with a vast though effectively unspendable fortune stolen from his people, cached in nominee bank accounts from Zurich to Hong Kong. He has presided over the wrecking of the Russian economy, his countrys isolation from the rest of the world by sanctions. Think of Putin (pictured) as a rottweiler an attack dog in whom the Russian people take pride Yet Russians applaud the manner in which he has defied the world, and especially the Americans, to seize Crimea, support separatists in eastern Ukraine and prop up Russias client regime in Damascus. Putins rule relies on his image as a strong man. The frequent topless photographs of him wielding a sporting rifle or riding a horse through vast wildernesses symbolise the new czar. The one thing the president cannot afford is to be seen to fail, to lose, especially on a battlefield. That is why he views Trumps airstrikes as a personal affront and will now be striving to identify some means of redressing it by hitting Western interests somewhere in the world. The British Government has probably made matters worse by the stridency of its backing for the American action, followed by cancellation of the Foreign Secretarys visit to Moscow. Theresa May wants to win points in Washington by standing four-square beside Trump. It was probably unavoidable for her to express formal backing for the missile attack on Friday, as did many other world leaders. An image provided by the Russian Defence Ministry shows a hangar at the Shayrat airbase after it was hit by US strike on April 8 Thereafter, however, it would have been smart to wait for the US government to explain its new policy for Syria if it has one before rushing to lay explicit blame on Russia for the chemical attack. It is a good rule of diplomacy to leave a cornered enemy a way out, unless you intend to go to war with him. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has broken this by publicly denouncing the Russians. Few of us doubt that what he said is true that Assad would have gone to perdition years ago but for Putins backing. But it was unnecessary for a British minister to be so explicit. A second good rule is to keep talking. Putin is a repellent man who constantly seeks to make mischief for the West: Russian computer-hacking during the US presidential election was only the least of his activities. It is time that people in Britain and across Europe awoke to the fact that while we would like to be friends with the Russians, they make it almost impossible not to regard them as foes. The Russians are bitterly angry. They feel confused and even betrayed by an American in Donald Trump (pictured) whom they had started to think was just like their own big chief But they are a fact of life. We must live with and talk to them. A friend who has spent a lifetime studying East-West relations observes that it is a tragedy, at a time when diplomacy is badly needed, that we have a buffoon as Foreign Secretary. Buffoon or not, however, it would have been better to allow Boris Johnsons trip to Moscow to go ahead rather than inflict a childish snub by cancelling it. A plausible reason for the decision is that if he went, Johnson would not have known what to say. The Russians would have asked: what is the Wests new policy towards Syria? He would have been obliged to bluster and frolic as if once more a guest on BBC TVs Have I Got News For You. Unfortunately, the more likely reason for the cancellation is even less impressive: that Downing Street is pathetically eager to please the Americans, even though Trumps own Secretary of State flies to Moscow on Wednesday. Mrs May should know her history and ought to recognise that never, during or since the Second World War, has the United States done Britain reciprocal favours. The two nations interests often coincide. But Washington will never toss us a bone merely because we sit up and woof nicely. The indispensable next step, which can only be taken in Washington, is for the Trump administration to explain its position on Syria to the Russians and the world. It is hard to exaggerate the difficulties: if the US says that it is now determined that Assad must go, a headlong confrontation with the Russians beckons. Putin has staked too much on the dreadful Syrian leader now to abandon him. But if the Americans say that their Tomahawk strike was merely a one-off protest against the use of chemical weapons, they are left looking foolish, and the British Government more so. No sane person disputes that Assads sarin gas strike was an atrocity for which the Russians bear ultimate responsibility. But if we want a major showdown with Putin, we should carefully choose the time and place rather than lunge out impulsively, as both Washington and the British Government have done over recent days. Advertisement When an expectant mum approached newborn photographer Sandra El-Ayoubi about doing a floral shoot, she hesitated. Flowers have never been part of the former high school teacher's aesthetic, which is filled with cosy fabrics, neutral colours, and a rustic ambiance. 'I'm not a big floral girl, so when she came to me with the idea, at first I was cringing,' Sandra told Daily Mail Australia. Pphotographer Sandra El-Ayoubi will be the first to admit she's 'not a big floral girl', but she put her own spin on this gorgeous rose-inspired shoot Sandra, 36, was a high school teacher for nine years before she made her late-entry into the world of photography She decided to follow her childhood passion and take the leap after she had her second child and began taking pictures again 'But I wanted to put my own flavour to it. She brought the flowers with her and I said I'd try my best to make it happen.' And that's exactly what the Sydney mother did, arranging a beautiful photo of the newborn baby girl nestled in her mother's neck as flowers float above their heads. It is just one example of the unique perspective Sandra has been able to provide to newborn photography since her late entry into the career. The 36-year-old was a high school teacher for nine years before she decided to follow her childhood passion and take the leap into photography. 'When I had my second child, I realised I was never completely happy teaching,' Sandra said. 'I started taking photos of my children and the love for photography came back again.' Sandra realised she wasn't completely happy teaching, bought an SLR camera and decided to pursue photography seriously Sandra began taking pictures of everything she could when she first began, from fashion to children and families But it was after taking pictures of her best friend's newborn baby that Sandra realised what she loved to photograph most Sandra bought herself an SLR camera and began taking pictures of everything she could, from fashion to children and families. But it was her pregnant best friend that would help Sandra realise what she loved to photograph most. 'She had the baby and then asked if I wanted to take pictures,' Sandra said. 'I had no idea what I was doing, but once I did that first photoshoot I fell in love with the entire idea of it. I just fell into my element.' Sandra fell 'totally in love with newborn photography' and at the moment is exclusively taking pictures of the precious tots. 'Just look at them, can you get a more rewarding job than working with a baby?' she said. 'I get to play with real-life dolls on a daily basis, and get paid for it.' Sandra fell 'totally in love with newborn photography' and at the moment is exclusively taking pictures of the precious tots 'They're so calm and it just helps me be a calm person dealing with them day in and day out,' she said. 'It's beautiful thing' Sandra loves being able to freeze those early days for parents to look back on forever, something she didn't get to do when her own two sons were newborns 'Just being able to get these images and being able to freeze those moments in time for the parents to look back at these memories is priceless'. It was something Sandra didn't get to do for her own children, as newborn photography wasn't a 'big thing 10 years' ago. 'I really want to give parents what I didn't get with my kids,' she said. There are plenty of hurdles photographing newborns, namely poo and pee, but dealing with babies has actually helped Sandra become more serene. 'They're so calm and it just helps me be a calm person dealing with them day in and day out,' she said. 'It's beautiful thing.' It no doubt helps that Sandra's studio is designed to be 'cosy and newborn-ready', always at a nice 27 degree temperature with baby Mozart playing in the background. There are plenty of hurdles photographing newborns, namely poo and pee, but dealing with babies has actually helped Sandra become more serene It no doubt helps that Sandra's studio is designed to be 'cosy and newborn-ready', always at a nice 27 degree temperature with baby Mozart playing in the background In the last five years, Sandra has never done the same set up twice - making sure each session is unique for each baby The real challenge, Sandra said, is making sure each session is unique to each baby. 'In the last five years that I've worked, I've never done the same set up twice,' she said. 'No baby has an image that looks the same to someone else's.' 'Trying to keep that level of creativity that high is extremely challenging.' But Sandra is constantly finding inspiration all around her, and from her clients - like the aforementioned flower-loving mother. 'It's helped me possibly explore that avenue a little bit more.' Damian Hirst's latest exhibition features a total of 189 works he produced at a personal cost somewhere in the region of 50million I'm in a gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice, bobbing about in front of a giant statue of a horse being strangled by a serpent. There is a man in the middle of this unholy mix, about to have his head swallowed by the creature that is poised for all eternity with mouth ajar, fangs at the ready. As a motif for what lies ahead, it has a certain resonance. The statue, The Fate Of A Banished Man (Rearing), is guarding the entrance to the Palazzo Grassi, where today the Greatest Show On Earth if the headlines around the world are to believed opens to the public. The artist responsible for the hoohah is of course Damien Hirst, the bad boy of Britart, worth an estimated 250 million, who has placed his head into jaws of the art critics once more in a bid to prove he's still the man with the Midas brush. A decade in the making, the show is seen as a gamble on the grandest of scales to bolster his flagging reputation. The art world, like the fashion world, has notoriously fickle tastes. No one knows that better than the man who has helped house the Hirst extravaganza in his two Venice palazzos French fashion billionaire Francois Pinault, owner of a string of luxury brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. So I've been sent here to see if the Hirst reboot is more Primark than Prada. Despite being initially banned, I manage to talk my way into the private view on Saturday afternoon (the security men are every bit as ferocious as those outside a Dior catwalk show, all walkie-talkies, mahogany tans and giant sunglasses). When I leave the gallery, I am more puzzled than ever about what motivates a man to produce 189 works at a reputed personal cost of 50 million and an entire decade of his time. My overwhelming feeling is that I have just been to a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show. Hundreds of craftsmen were enlisted to toil away on Hirst's behalf on items such as this medusa head, worth 3.23million, which kept breaking His fake coral pieces are embellished with worms, creepy crabs and sea creatures and make you feel as if you are scuba diving It's all very colourful, glitzy and embellished, and everyone is mwah-mwahing and clapping, but would you actually want to wear it? The exhibition, entitled Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable, is based around a fantastical (and fictional) story. The Unbelievable, visitors are led to believe with fake bits of video footage on tiny screens, is a vast wreck, discovered off the coast of East Africa. The concept for Hirst's exhibition is a fictitious shipwreck that sank artistic treasures to the bottom of the sea A cracked hull was all that remained of a ship once owned by Cif Amotan II, a former slave who amassed a fortune. He bought treasures, and loaded them aboard the Apistos (a word that translates from the Koine Greek as 'unbelievable'), their destination a purpose-built temple. The ship foundered, so Hirst's story goes, 'to the realm of myth and spawning myriad permutations of this story of ambition, avarice, splendour and hubris'. The collection lay undisturbed for two millennia, before being discovered and hoisted to dry land and, subsequently, to Venice for the Biennale. Just one problem. It's a shipload of crock. How on earth did Kate Moss's visage get down to the bottom of the sea, or Mickey Mouse and Pluto, or characters from Transformers all among the supposed treasures? It's brilliantly accomplished (the marble shrouds have such realistic wrinkles I want to straighten them) but all rather hollow. I once asked Tracey Emin why, if she was stuck for the odd million, she couldn't just quickly paint something, or rustle up another carving of her cat, Docket. 'It doesn't work like that,' she told me. 'You have to have something to say.' Her art was introspective. She mines her soul. Unlike Hirst, who mines anywhere he can dig up diamonds, emeralds, gold. The exhibition, which is showing in Venice, is the culmination of a decade-long effort to re-establish Hirst's flagging reputation There is an 18m tall statue in one courtyard, a Buddha made from one enormous piece of jade and a silver room, which is when, for me, it all became a bit 'ground-floor of Harrods'. There is a marble head with two rare emeralds as its eyes (the natural flaws act as irises), and lots of skulls, which don't bring to mind death and finality and time, as they are supposed to if the rather mixed reviews in the arts pages are to be believed. No. I kept picturing Johnny Depp in his pirate garb; all we needed was a parrot and Keira Knightley. I'm afraid Hirst's oeuvre is now so diluted, it resembles a glass of Ribena (children will love this exhibition, with its mix of gore and wonder and scale). But there were some highlights. I enjoyed his fake coral pieces, embellished with worms, creepy crabs and sea creatures. The colours are so vibrant you feel you are scuba diving, but it can't touch the real thing for beauty. I loved, too, the small, solid gold animals and a giant clam shell that looked so real I wanted to stroke it. The idea of showing a sculpture of a woman in three stages as a relic, after restoration, and in perfect reproduction is clever, but reminded me of me, before and after my facelift. My favourite of all, though, were the drawings the crowd were speaking in Italian, but I kept hearing the name Michelangelo, over and over. But as I moved from room to room, I was left wondering whether Hirst's wealth has left him so isolated from reality he can only think about his bank balance (all the pieces will go into storage once the exhibition closes, after that, limited edition copies will go on sale). My belief is that art is like a diamond or a pearl: it needs pressure and grit to make it perfect. While there is much to admire, not least the work of hundreds and hundreds of craftsmen who have been toiling away on Hirst's behalf (the 3.23 million Medusa kept breaking), I kept coming back to one awkward question. Is Damien the only man on earth who hasn't heard the phrase: 'Size doesn't matter'? He shot to fame with his stunning bohemian girlfriend after the couple shared explicit details about their sex life on Instagram. But behind closed doors, Byron Bay artist Mitch Gobel has been battling an alcohol and drug addiction. The 27-year-old - who documents his quirky lifestyle alongside his girlfriend Sally Mustang - has revealed how he turned to drugs and alcohol in his darker years. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the young man - who boasts more than 200,000 followers - has opened up about his whirlwind battle. Despite being on a path to sobriety after turning his home into a rehab, Mr Gobel has admitted he was still struggling to overcome his addictions. The New South Wales man said he wanted to speak out publicly about the issues weighing down on his seemingly perfect life on social media. Byron Bay artist Mitch Gobel who shot to fame with his stunning bohemian girlfriend Sally Mustang has opened up about alcohol and drug addiction The 27-year-old - who documents his quirky lifestyle alongside his girlfriend - has revealed details of the vices he turned to in his darker years His darkest point came at the age of 24 when he found himself using drugs up to five days a week - and then spending half of his week in bed recovering. 'At the height of my using, I was doing four days on drugs, sometimes five, then three or four days in bed recovering, I'd be a ghost of a human, just useless - no emotions, no energy, no love,' he explained to FEMAIL. 'I'd lay in bed for a few days until I felt better and then repeat the process all over again. It was the darkest time of my life, I just couldn't get my s*** together. 'I did that for about seven months straight and I didn't create [art] at all while I went through this phase.' He started drinking from the age of 15 - and it wasn't until his 19th birthday when he tried drugs for the first time. 'I put off doing drugs for so long because I knew I would like it, I was the last of my social group to do it,' he said. However, since then, his life has fallen into the grips of drugs and alcohol as he tried desperately on multiple occasions to beat his habits. 'Before realising I had a real problem with addiction, I simply considered myself as someone with no self-control,' he said. His life went from bad to worse when he tried to overcome his addictions on his own. 'I was foolish to try and overcome this on my own - I am the problem, I can't blame anyone else and I let myself get away with relapsing too easily,' he said. 'I cringe when I think about how bad I was and although I've come a long way since then, still everyday I wake up and tell myself that I'm not going to drink. 'But more or less everyday for the last eighteen months I've drank or consumed narcotics.' Despite being on a path to sobriety after turning his home into a rehab, Mr Gobel has admitted he was still struggling to overcome his addictions The Byron Bay artist said his girlfriend and family have been a huge support in his recovery Sally Mustang is a model, yogi, artist and blogger who leads a bohemian lifestyle in Byron Bay After seeking help from different avenues, Mr Gobel said he would still relapse. 'I've done self help seminars, seen hypnotists and gone to different support groups in Melbourne and Byron,' he said. 'The support groups are great, they always helped me to the extent that I'd walk out feeling so strong that I figured I didn't need to go back. 'I'd stay sober for a week or two, sometimes three. But then I'd relapse and the cycle of denial would start all over again, until I got low enough to take myself back for help.' Mr Gobel revealed the depths of his addictions, where his problem was so bad at one stage, he hardly remembered half of what he published online. 'I once saw a meme "Write drunk, edit sober" and I've stuck by that religiously for many years,' he said. 'Half of what I've published online I hardly remember writing. It's a huge part of what I do and I put a lot of value on being able to express myself like this. 'So now I have to adjust and re-create myself to express myself as confidently as I used to. This applies not just to my writing but to every aspect of my life which I've never really done sober.' The Byron Bay couple are known for their intimate photographs and posts on Instagram Looking back at his darker days, Mr Gobel said he is determined to end his addictions for good Looking back at his darker days, Mr Gobel said he is determined to end his addictions for good. With his recovery on track, Mr Gobel said he is currently attending a support group twice a week after turning his home into a rehab. 'Getting help was the first sign of light for me,' he said. 'And although it's a battle I've fought for three years since and am obviously still fighting, getting help from support groups have been the source of my advancements in recovery. 'Plus I have the support of Sal and my Mum, who has flown up from Melbourne to be here until I'm straight. 'The house is obviously dry and has basically been converted into a rehab, I feel really safe here. I'm putting a lot of energy into my art and just staying around home until I find some more clarity.' His life went from bad to worse when he tried to overcome his addictions on his own - but the young man said he is determined to end his problems for good Mr Gobel said his art has also helped him turned his life around - and he believed by speaking publicly about his addiction would help him stay sober Mr Gobel said his art has also helped him turned his life around - and he believed by speaking publicly about his addiction would help him stay sober. 'I'm very particular about what I put online, a lot of people have a window into my life through Instagram and I knew that by putting myself on the line like this I'd scare myself into committing to my recovery,' he said. 'This is my last resort and the support I've found in social media, my friends and family since finally speaking out about my issues is huge motivation for me to get through this. 'Social situations are my main trigger for drugs so I don't know how I'm going to hold myself in those situations, for now I'm honestly just avoiding them and focusing on my health. 'Being held accountable for my actions is what's pulling me through. Mr Gobel - who is now a week sober - hopes by telling his story, he would encourages others dealing with an addiction to seek help. 'For anyone out there feeling like they have no control over their drinking or drug use, once you really want to change, I suggest you seek a local support group,' he said. 'I've come such a long way from where I was a few years ago. I'm a week sober now and I'm really excited about the future, but it's hard.' Emma Betts has tragically died after she lost her battle to melanoma at the age of 25. The founder of Dear Melanoma was given just three months to live after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma when she was 22 years old. The cancer-stricken woman, from Brisbane, had defied the odds when she fought against the terminal disease for the past three years. But on Saturday night, her life came to an end after the 25-year-old died peacefully, with her husband Serge and parents Leon and Tamra by her side. Emma Betts (pictured) has tragically died after she lost her battle to melanoma at the age of 25 Her distraught father Leon has taken to her Facebook page to break the tragic news about his daughter's tragic death to her 20,850 followers Her distraught father Leon has taken to her Facebook page to break the tragic news about his daughter's tragic death to her 20,850 followers. 'All good things must come to an end,' he wrote on Sunday morning. 'At around 11:40 last night [Saturday] Emma peacefully passed away with Serge, Tamra and I at her side. 'I think my Mum summed things up rather succinctly... Emma achieved so much in 25 years, just imagine what she would have achieved if she lived to a ripe old age!' The family has vowed to continue her work by running her social media accounts and blog for her devoted followers. 'Now I want to make one point very clear...this is not the end of Dear Melanoma, nor Love, Emma,' he continued. 'Over the last couple of months Tamra and I have been in intensive training under Emma's stewardship. 'And we are ready to assume the reins to continue Emma's efforts to raise awareness of the risks of Melanoma and to raise funds for Melanoma research. 'Maybe too late for Emma, but there are a lot of people that Emma still wants to save...this is her legacy and we will honour it. 'I have no doubt that with the support our family, friends and 20,000 plus Dear Melanoma followers we can make a difference...a big difference.' The 25-year-old died 'peacefully' on Saturday night, with her husband Serge by her side The young woman defied the odds when she fought against the disease for three years But on Saturday night, her life came to an end after the 25-year-old died peacefully Ms Betts (pictured with her husband Serge) was volunteering in East Timor three years ago when a stranger pointed out an unusual mole on her shoulder Ms Betts was volunteering in East Timor three years ago when a stranger pointed out an unusual mole on her shoulder. After her diagnosis, Ms Betts decided to start her blog to document her daily struggles and start 'a conversation about cancer'. Covering everything from the plans she had for her death, her support for the 'dignity to die' cause and her fear of leaving her husband behind, her blog offers a raw and honest account of living with cancer. 'While it's tough writing the posts and I get quite upset, seeing the comments and reading how it has impacted people makes me feel like I'm actually doing something for myself, as well as other people,' Ms Betts said at the time. During her three year battle, Ms Betts achieved more than she ever thought possible - from marrying her husband Serge and buying a house to starting her own business and raising over $100,000 for the Melanoma Institute. Advertisement The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have joined politicians in northern France to mark the centenary of a defining First World War battle. The royals, each wearing a Remembrance poppy, began their visit on Sunday afternoon by visiting a preserved tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park on the site of the historic battle near the town of Arras. They later joined French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a ceremony to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Their visit comes as the Queen sent out a public message paying tribute to the Canadian troops who 'stood far from home together with their allies in defence of peace and freedom'. Scroll down for video Prince William paid his respects during a ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, along with the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry The royals, who each wore a Remembrance poppy, visited the Vimy Memorial Park near the town of Arras on Sunday William and Harry were joined by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial Replica biplanes performed a flypast during the ceremony, which honoured the sacrifices of Canadian forces and their British counterparts during the Battle of Vimy Today's service, staged at a memorial on the battlefield, honoured the sacrifices of Canadian forces and their British counterparts at the four-day battle in 1917. The ceremony, which began with The British, Canadian and French National Anthems, was also attended by Governor General of Canada David Johnston who tweeted: '100 years after the Battle of Vimy we gather once again on-site to never forget.' Vimy Ridge, a decisive victory for the Allies against Germany, was important in the development of Canada's national identity as four military divisions from the nation fought together for the first time as the Canadian Corps. The battle, which began early on April 9 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive, featuring Australian troops, known as the Battle of Arras which was a diversionary move to help a major French attack further south. Sombre occasion: The royals began their visit by visiting a preserved tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park - on the site of the historic battle near the town of Arras Lest we forget: Charles and his sons are given a tour of some of the conflict's trenches that were reconstructed a few years after the end of the First World War The royals are shown around the trenches before the service, which honoured the sacrifices of Canadian forces and their British counterparts at the four-day battle in 1917 Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry visit the tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park before the ceremony on Sunday afternoon The royals were seen listening intently as they were shown around the trenches by one of the guides at the site The battle, which began early on April 9 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive, featuring Australian troops, known as the Battle of Arras A guide from the memorial park showed Charles, William and Harry around the trenches before the commemorative service THE BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE Vimy Ridge was a decisive victory for the Allies against Germany. The battle is cited as being momentous in the development of Canada's national identity, with four military divisions from the nation fighting together for the first time as the Canadian Corps. The battle, which began early on April 9 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive known as the Battle of Arras. This was a diversionary attack to help a major French offensive further south. Nearly 3,600 Canadian soldiers lost their lives during the battle. Advertisement During the ceremony today Charles, President Hollande and Mr Trudeau all spoke and laid wreaths at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial which honours all those from the Commonwealth country who died fighting during the First World War. In his speech, the Prince of Wales said: 'Canadians displayed a strength of character and commitment to one another that is still evident today. 'They did not waver. 'This was Canada at its best; the Canadians at Vimy embodied the True North Strong and Free."' William and Harry - who have both served in the armed forces - each laid a pair of boots. The boots are some of the first of thousands that will be placed at the site by Canadian and French youth - representing almost 3,600 Canadians who died during the battle. The royals toured the trenches and battlefield at Vimy Memorial Park before taking part in a service later on in the day Poignant: William lay boots and poppies of remembrance at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial during the ceremony The royals took a moment to reflect during the service, which marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge Harry lay boots and poppies at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial to pay tribute to soldiers who lost their lives during the battle L-R: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and family, French President Francois Hollande, the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry pose for a photograph The royals, along with Mr Trudeau and Mr Hollande, attended the service at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on Sunday Harry, William and Mr Trudeau all paid their respects to the fallen soldiers as they arrived at the ceremony on Sunday During his speech, the Prince of Wales said: 'Canadians displayed a strength of character and commitment to one another that is still evident today. They did not waver' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a speech to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Before the ceremony Charles and his sons toured some of the conflict's trenches that were reconstructed a few years after the end of the First World War. The service today attracted an estimated 25,000 visitors including over 10,000 young people who will have flown in for the commemorations from Canada. In the evening, the royal trio will attend a reception and meet young Canadians who attended the ceremony, athletes who have taken part in Harry's Paralympic-style Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women and veterans, and military personnel from some of Charles' Canadian regiments and military units. Harry, joined by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, spoke animatedly as the group were given a tour of the Vimy Memorial Park ahead of the cerermony The pair, who were both wearing a Remembrance poppy, took a tour of the trenches before the service began Harry and William chat to Justin Trudeau, his wife Sophie and son Xavier, right during their visit to the trenches and tunnel. They later came together for a ceremony President Hollande (far left) the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (far right) with wife Sophie Gregoire at the commemorative ceremony Charles looked equally delighted to meet the Canadian Prime Minister as royals, politicians and dignitaries joined forces to pay tribute to fallen troops in France this afternoon Charles was seen talking to Mr Hollande as they arrived at the battlefield, while Harry spoke to Mr Trudeau's wife Sophie The Prince of Wales arrived at the service alongside David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and President Hollande French President Francois Hollande, right, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walk in the Canadian WWI military cemetery in Vimy, northern France before the ceremony Trudeau and Hollande visit the graves at the Canadian WW1 cemetry. The battle was a costly victory for Canada, but one that helped shape the former British colony's national identity Packed schedule: The royals will later attend a reception and meet young Canadians who attended the ceremony, as well as athletes who have taken part in Harry's Invictus Games Royal Canadian Mounted Police stood to attention as Charles, William and Harry, along with Mr Trudeau and Mr Hollande, walked past Charles, bottom right, said of the historic battle: 'This was Canada at its best; the Canadians at Vimy embodied the True North Strong and Free"' William and Harry both laid a pair of boots, some of the first of thousands that will be placed at the at the site to represent almost 3,600 Canadians who died during the battle Packed schedule: Later, Mr Trudeau (left will join the royals at a reception to meet military personnel from some of Charles' Canadian regiments and military units A moment of reflection: Back home, the Queen sent out a message praising the heroic soldiers at Vimy, while admitting there would be 'difficult memories of loss and of suffering' The ceremony at the Vimy Memorial Park attracted an estimated 25,000 visitors Prince Charles, William, and Harry were sat in the front row as the service took place Prince Charles and Mr Trudeau both spoke during the service at Vimy on Sunday The Canadian Prime Minister and French President both laid wreaths at the memorial The royals visited the trenches on the site of the Battle of Vimy earlier in the day Charles, William and Harry were given a tour by a guide at the Vimy Memorial Park Mr Hollande and Mr Trudeau, along with his wife Sophie Gregoire and son Xavier, visited the Vimy Memorial Park The Canadian Prime Minister was taken on a tour of the trenches, along with his wife and son Mr Trudeau was at the battlefield to pay tribute to the Canadian servicemen who lost their lives during the conflict War veterans and members of the Canadian delegation salute during the service marking the centenary of the battle Cadets were seen shielding their eyes from the sun as they looked towards the Canadian National Vimy Memorial Soldiers march past boots placed on the lawn to commemorate the lives of those who died during the conflict Military personnel stand to attention as replica WWI biplanes perform a flypast during the commemorative service Replica WWI biplanes flying over the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, near the town of Arras, on Sunday The flypast took place during the ceremony, which paid tribute to the servicemen who sacrificed their lives during the war The planes flew past the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which honours all those from the Commonwealth country who died fighting during the First World War Thousands gathered for the service at the battlefield on Sunday, with many flying in from Canada to be there Over 10,000 young people flew from Canada to France in order to attend the commemorations on Sunday afternoon Speaking ahead of today's event, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'Today, 100 years ago, British, Canadian and Australian troops served together with enormous courage and sacrifice, with thousands losing their lives in the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. 'The Battle of Arras saw the largest amount of Scottish units ever to have fought together, demonstrating once again their significance and contribution to the British Army, whilst the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment in Canada's history. 'The power of Allied force is as relevant today at it was in the spring of 1917, continuing to make the world a safer and more secure place.' Series two of The Crown hasn't even aired yet, but news of a significant character for series three has already been confirmed. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is set to have a starring role in the Netflix drama after it was revealed that creator Peter Morgan knows exactly when the now-wife of Prince Charles is set to appear. Producer Suzanne Mackie shared the news at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, where she spoke about the popular drama on the panel. Scroll down for video It has been revealed that Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (pictured in Rome earlier this month) will feature in the third series of Netflix drama The Crown in series three Young love: Chalres and Camilla in 1975. The Duchess' role, which is yet to be cast, has already been mapped out by creator Peter Morgan, who knows 'exactly' when she will appear Producer Suzanne Mackie (far right) revealed the news at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival over the weekend. She appeared with star Claire Foy (left) and director Phillip Martin 'Peter's already talking about the most wonderful things,' Suzanne said as she discussed the news alongside star Claire Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II, and director Phillip Martin. 'You start meeting Camilla Parker Bowles in season three,' she added. 'We have to be honest, season three and four are being mapped out.' Camilla and Charles first met in the early 1970s, but she went on to marry her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, while Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981. Camilla and Andrew later divorced in 1995 and in the infamous interview with Martin Bashir, Princess Diana spilled the beans on Charles' close relationship with Camilla, saying: 'There were three of us in that marriage'. Camilla and Charles married in 2005, some thirty years after they first met. Her role in the drama has already been planned according to The Crown's creators It wasn't until 2005 that Charles and Camilla were married in a civil ceremony, 30 years after they first met with Camilla taking the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall. The first series of The Crown, which also starred Matt Smith as Prince Phillip, opens with Queen Elizabeth ascending to the throne after her father King George VI died. It follows the journey of the 25-year-old monarch battling to rule the country along with a love story arc between Princess Margaret and Captain Peter Townsend and ended with ended with Prime Minister Winston Churchills resignation. Series two of The Crown started shooting last October, with Michael C. Hall and Jodi Balfour recruited to portray President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy. The plot arc in which the Dexter actor and Final Destination 5 actress feature concerns a visit the Kennedys made to London in June, 1961. Mackie added of the second series, which is expected to air in November: 'It has a different flavour. It feels like the sixties are with us and it has a slight shock of the new.' Director Phillip Martin added: 'The first season happened in a bubble; I think that Elizabeth and Phillip and Margaret are all in a world and everybody is in some ways supportive of them. 'And I think in the second season the world comes crashing in.' Evil rapist Josef Fritzl still believes he will 'go free' from prison despite being jailed for life for horrific crimes against his daughter, according to a journalist who has been following his case for years. In a new Channel 5 documentary, Mark Perry, who has remained in touch with Fritzl's solicitor, reveals the Austrian has dreams of carrying on with his normal life. Perry first broke the story of the 'house of horrors' in 2008, when it was discovered that Fritzl, now 82, had imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth, now 51, as his sex slave for 24 years and fathered seven of her children. Josef Fritzl pictured during his 2009 trial in St. Poelten, Austria. The then 73-year-old was jailed for life for his crimes, but new reports suggest he believes he will one day walk free 'Fritzl is still in prison of course, and he still dreams of coming free,' says Perry, appearing on Fritzl: What Happened Next. 'Thats what the solicitor told me. He still thinks hell come free one day, go fishing and, and carry on with life.' British-born Perry, who has lived in Austria for 50 years, works for the biggest national newspaper the Kronen Zeitung, and first met Fritzl when he told police that Elisabeth had run off to join a sect aged 18. The second time Perry came face-to-face with Fritzl was 24 years later when it emerged that he had kept his daughter in a windowless basement cellar he had specially constructed and repeatedly raped and abused her. 'She must be a brave woman, a strong woman. I think she lived for her own children,' Perry says. 'Thats what kept her and let her not surrender. I think that was the thing.' Elisabeth, pictured as a young girl, endured years of horrific abuse at the hands of her father who is now languishing in jail - but has spoken of his hopes to be a free man one day Journalist Mark Perry, who has lived in Austria for 50 years, is in contact with Fritzl's solicitor who says the evil rapist still believes he will 'go free' one day and dreams of going fishing Immediately before Fritzl's trial began, Perry explained how the man appeared: 'His eyes were cold and piercing. No remorse, no compassion, for anyone on earth but himself. No tears. Nothing. 'It was normal procedure. Just like he was going to the doctors or somewhere else... No remorse. No compassion for his daughter. No compassion for his grandchildren who of course, his own children.' Fritzl fathered all seven of Elisabeth's children and kept three of them with him and his wife Rosemarie, who was oblivious to what lay beneath her home. She thought the three children had been abandoned by Elisabeth after Fritzl convinced her that their daughter had ran away and the evil rapist masqueraded as the children's grandfather. Fritzl covers his face during his trial in 2009. Perry observed: 'His eyes were cold and piercing. No remorse, no compassion, for anyone on earth but himself. No tears. Nothing' It was the critical illness of Elisabeth's 19-year-old incest daughter Kerstin in April 2008 which finally heralded the end of the secret cellar and its inhabitants. Under pressure from a terrified Elisabeth, who warned that Kerstin would die unless she received medical attention, Fritzl took her to hospital, bringing the gruesome story to light and attracting massive media interest. Fritzl was found guilty in 2009 of murder over the death of one of Elisabeth's babies, as well as incest, sequestration and 3,000 counts of rape. He was jailed for life. The most recent reports about Elisabeth say she lives with her six surviving children at a secret location in Austria, and she has never spoken publicly about her ordeal. Police released photos of Fritzl's basement, a concealed network of tiny windowless chambers. Elisabeth had been sealed in when she was 18 and her mother reported her missing When Elisabeth's story emerged after her appearance in hospital with her daughter, police raided the house (pictured) and discovered the labyrinth below Perry adds: 'The best solution, I think, is leave them in peace. Let the little children who, who will be grown up now - actually, teenagers - let them live their life in peace. '[The] big impact of course on their little souls and hopefully theyll grow up to live a life as normal human beings and put their granddad behind them. 'Perhaps visit him, perhaps being told once later in life... but of course I dont think Fritzl will live to see them.' Fritzl: What Happened Next airs Thursday 13th April, 10pm on Channel 5 Although the idea of crystals might conjure up visions of flower-power hippies communing with the universe, these mystical stones are having something of a renaissance with not a whiff of incense about the 2017 version. In fact, crystals were feted by different cultures for thousands of years before the peace and love generation hijacked them in the Seventies. Greek soldiers would rub crushed haematite over their bodies in preparation for battle, convinced this would make them invincible. Egyptian princesses used crushed lapis lazuli and malachite as eye make-up in the belief it would bring them physical beauty and spiritual insight. Crystals are among the most ordered and stable matter in the universe, remaining the same over millions of years Their stability means their ability to maintain this frequency and transmit energy is used in all sorts of ways Its believed that this ability to keep things ticking in harmony is why crystals have such healing powers when it comes to our wellbeing And there is science behind crystals enduring popularity. Crystals are a particular form of mineral with a molecular structure that is a fixed, regularly repeating geometric pattern. Because of this, crystals are among the most ordered and stable matter in the universe, remaining the same over millions of years. The reason why this is important is because like everything on Earth, crystals vibrate at a specific frequency. Their stability means their ability to maintain this frequency and transmit energy is used in all sorts of ways, from ensuring watches keep time thanks to the quartz in them to helping run computers: the silicon in silicon chips is a crystal, too. Its believed that this ability to keep things ticking in harmony is why crystals have such healing powers when it comes to our wellbeing. Heres how to use crystals and their different frequencies to bring your life back into balance. AMETHYST FOR RESTORATIVE SLEEP This crystal is known to bring inner peace and protection thanks to its tones of light to dark purple. Such shades evoke a sense of calm, making it a powerful aid to meditation and the perfect crystal to place on your bedside table to promote relaxing energy for a good nights sleep. In biblical times, it was believed that amethyst could induce powerful dreams and visions. Amethyst is known to bring inner peace and protection thanks to its tones of light to dark purple. Such shades evoke a sense of calm, making it a powerful aid to meditation and the perfect crystal to place on your bedside table to promote relaxing energy for a good nights sleep. In biblical times, it was believed that amethyst could induce powerful dreams and visions HOW TO USE IT: As well as placing amethyst on your bedside table or under your pillow, sometimes, if Ive been having challenging dreams, Ill also place amethyst stones under my bed at each of the four corners (which creates a sort of grid that ensures the whole bed area is covered) to help restore protective energy to my dreamworld. But one of my favourite ways to create a relaxing environment for sleep is to make my own pillow spray. Fill a small glass spritzer bottle with water, add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and a couple of small chips of amethyst. Spray this on your pillow and your bedlinens for sweet dreams. CLEAR QUARTZ FOR ENERGY AND FOCUS With its beautiful, colourless transparency, clear quartz is known as one of the master crystals of the mineral kingdom. When the Ancient Greeks came across quartz in the mountains, they believed it to be eternal ice sent from the heavens. A pure crystal with no other mineral inclusions, it helps to bring the energies of clarity and focus particularly useful when you need to make a decision. Its also a powerful amplifier of energy, making it a wonderful crystal to help boost vitality. I often carry a piece of clear quartz with me to meetings to help me stay focused. With its beautiful, colourless transparency, clear quartz is known as one of the master crystals of the mineral kingdom. A pure crystal with no other mineral inclusions, it helps to bring the energies of clarity and focus particularly useful when you need to make a decision. Its also a powerful amplifier of energy, making it a wonderful crystal to help boost vitality. I often carry a piece of clear quartz with me to meetings to help me stay focused HOW TO USE IT: You can use clear quartz as part of a ritual to boost your energy. Start by making your space clutter-free. Spritz a zesty and energising fragrance on your hands and breathe it in. Then light a yellow or gold candle the bright colour will help boost energy. Close your eyes and visualise each step of your day ahead and get a clear picture of what youre going to do with the extra energy youre cultivating. Think about the impact it will have on you and those around you. Take the quartz in your hand and say out loud something that feels right to you. I use the words: I open up and welcome the energy available to me. Finally, look at the candle flame, close your eyes and imagine that flame is flickering inside you. With each flicker, feel the flame burning away worries, tiredness, tension or limiting beliefs, allowing energy to circulate freely around your body and mind. Then, whenever you need energy during the day, think of that inner flame. CITRINE FOR ABUNDANCE Because of the iron within it, citrine reflects the colour yellow, energising everything that is touched by its light. Its also associated with abundance and prosperity. Because of the iron within it, citrine reflects the colour yellow, energising everything that is touched by its light. Its also associated with abundance and prosperity. HOW TO USE IT: Think about the one area of your life that you think is lacking money, health, relationships, happiness, time, fulfilment and write this word at the top of a piece of paper. Close your eyes and think about that word, noticing what feelings come up. Pay close attention to any fearful thoughts, nervous energy or sinking feelings. Take a deep breath and, as you exhale, give yourself permission to let go of these abundance blockers. Now write down on your paper how you would act differently if you knew deep down you had as much money/health/happiness/time/love as you need. With a piece of citrine in your hand, visualise the things youll do with the abundance available to you, feeling the joy associated with this abundance. Make one commitment to something you will do in the next 24 hours as a result of this abundance. Finally, place the piece of paper in the soil of a plant, and place this plant in an area of your house that you dedicate to abundance, so your dreams can manifest as the plant grows. ROSE QUARTZ FOR LOVE AND BEAUTY This beautiful pink stone is known as the stone of love and associated with the heart. It radiates calming energies of compassion and nurture, and is particularly beneficial if youve been hurt in love. In Ancient Egypt, women would add powdered rose quartz to their beauty creams, believing it would bring them eternal beauty. This beautiful pink stone is known as the stone of love and associated with the heart. It radiates calming energies of compassion and nurture, and is particularly beneficial if youve been hurt in love. In Ancient Egypt, women would add powdered rose quartz to their beauty creams, believing it would bring them eternal beauty HOW TO USE IT: Buy a piece of rose quartz and use it to apply your face cream. I use a palm-sized, smooth and flattish stone to massage cream into the skin, helping blood flow and bringing a glow back to the skin. When the weather is hot, I keep my rose quartz tool in the fridge overnight so that in the morning it refreshes my skin and helps tighten my pores. MOONSTONE FOR POWERFUL SERENITY In India, moonstone was a popular wedding gift because it was seen as a sacred stone. The moon is traditionally associated with female energy, so I use it when I want to tap into my feminine energy powerful but serene. In India, moonstone was a popular wedding gift because it was seen as a sacred stone. The moon is traditionally associated with female energy, so I use it when I want to tap into my feminine energy powerful but serene HOW TO USE IT: Use moonstone during a full moon as a way of taking stock and letting go of anything that doesnt help you. To do this, prepare a moon bathing infusion from one cup of pink Himalayan rock salt and one cup of fresh or dried petals. Mix them in a bowl with a moonstone and leave the bowl where it catches the moonlight. The next day, place the contents of the bowl, except for the moonstones, in a muslin bag, run a bath and add your moon-infusion bag to the water. Light some candles and spend the time relaxing, rejuvenating and re-centreing yourself. The Inner Beauty Bible by Laurey Simmons and Louis Weinstock is published by Harper Thorsons on April 20 at 14.99. To order a copy for 11.24 (25 per cent discount) visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640. P&p is free on orders over 15. Offer valid until April 17, 2017. Zelda reads all your letters but regrets that she cannot answer them all personally I'm stuck in a loveless marriage My marriage is like a prison. My husband is cold, distant, moody, belligerent and we have not made love for at least ten years. He says he doesnt want to have sex with me, but has had at least five affairs. The first one was when our children were little and the last one ended recently. He just brushes it under the carpet with no effort to make amends. He watches porn and has no-strings-attached sex with people he meets on dating websites. He has an extremely well-paid job, but is cruel and dictatorial and controls all the money, so I have none to shop, socialise or contact a lawyer. He is sociable and our friends like him, but they have no idea what he is really like. I did have a tit-for-tat affair, but unfortunately we fell in love and disentangling from that was difficult. My husband found out and, although I had only slept with this man twice, was furious and said that what I had done was much worse as it involved affection, whereas his affairs were purely about sex. I am utterly stuck and need some help. What a horrible situation for you. I am so sorry. Your husband is controlling, abusive and does not love you. His behaviour is appalling and you need to find a way to end the marriage. He feels free to find sexual relationships elsewhere, but does not want to make love to you, which is selfish, cruel and damaging to your self-esteem. Revenge affairs are generally not a good idea as they only make the unfaithful spouse feel more justified about their own betrayal. Research shows that two thirds of men are happy to have sex without any feelings of love, whereas two thirds of women would only have sex if they loved someone. Sadly, I suspect he is only staying for financial reasons and possibly because of the children. I fear that the longer you stay with him, the worse he will treat you. Contact Lawyers Online (lawyersonline.co.uk, 0844 346 3635) for advice and to find a solicitor in your area. Providing there are assets (and your husband is clearly wealthy), you could start divorce proceedings and then recover the legal costs from him later. Why is she so thoughtless? What can I do about my tactless sister-in-law? She told my 14-year-old daughter, who has acne, that she had some nice skincare products for her and that she would bring them over for her birthday. But she never spoke to me about it and I feel as though she went behind my back. She had no idea I was trying to sort it out anyway. I have been able to get her a treatment from the doctor which has helped, but there is still scarring. Then the present arrived two months late, which really upset my daughter as she had been longing for it. I was so cross. It sounds as if your sister-in-law has good intentions, but is thoughtless and has gone about this situation in the wrong way. I can understand that you are cross, but hopefully with a little gentle guidance on your part she will get it right in the future. Start by thanking her for thinking of your daughter and trying to help. Tell her gently that, while youre both grateful for her care and concern, you would appreciate it if she could run things like this past you first, as it is a sensitive issue. Tell her about the steps you have already taken and how the medication from the GP has helped. You cant change the past, but if a present is promised again and she doesnt seem to be following through with it, you could phone her and explain how much your daughter is looking forward to it, and perhaps ask whether she has forgotten. Your tact will hopefully make up for her lack of it and you can avoid falling out. Our separation has rocked me Ive been married to my lovely wife for 17 years. A few months ago, however, she said that she only loved me as a friend and was going to move out. She is now living on her own and I see her once a week. We still get on, but on a different level. I adore her and hate what she has done. We had a loving relationship and this ordeal has broken me. I have recently retired, but still do some work. She is 14 years younger than me, works in a stressful job and has health problems. I think all of this has rocked me and I am not handling it well. I hope the pain will ease. Any ideas? To lose the woman you adore is incredibly painful I am so sorry. Sadly, it seems that, although she loves you, she does not love you enough to want to stay in the marriage or have a sexual relationship with you any more. It sounds as if it came out of the blue. This may be a hard thing to consider, but could she have met someone else? Talk to her about this and ask her if she could at least tell you why she left. Without an explanation, it is much harder to let go. Tell her how devastated you are and ask if she would agree to joint counselling with Relate (relate.org.uk) to help you understand and accept that the marriage is over. If she wont, go on your own to help you get through this. It is hard and takes time, but you will eventually recover and the pain will ease. In the meantime, build up your social life as much as possible see friends and family and take up new activities. When you are ready, you will fall in love again. If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk We were discussing my move to London. Him moving in. With me. Id wake up every morning and hed be there. Me: You know all those Vogues you took upstairs and put in a cupboard? (Id got my Vogues out of storage, at great expense, in time for the appointment with the dealer. Despite the fact my collection, from the autumn of 1977 to the present day, was complete, with many duplicates, and every single supplement, and had been up for sale on Ebay for 1,250, the dealer would only go to 700; I told him this wasnt like Antiques Roadshow at all. He told me he would put lots of issues straight in the shredder. I told him this was vivisection, and to bugger off. After he left, David was assigned the task of putting them in the spare bedroom.) David: Yes? It took me ages. With lots of rests. Me: They are the only things I will be taking to London. Along with my 1,000-plus books. It will be easier for you coming down the stairs rather than going up. Thats gravity for you, he replied. He watches far too many Brian Coxes on catch-up. I decided to make a rental offer on a house near Victoria Park in Hackney. The owners are fine with the puppies. Id lived in the area, just off London Fields, for 11 years, so know I love it. David had never heard of Victoria Park, has never seemed to venture north of the river, so we arranged to meet for dinner in the local pub, The Crown, on Wednesday night, so that he could get some idea of the area. Hes already been to see the house, and loved it. My plan was to walk the puppies in the park before dinner as an experiment, just to see if they could break it. (This last line plagiarises Dodie Smith, author of The One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Her two spotted puppies were so boisterous, she wrote in her memoir: Id like to take them down to the shore but Im afraid they might damage the sea.) I figured we could split the rent 70/30, and split utility bills and council tax down the middle. I would save a fortune, not travelling up and down from Yorkshire. I wouldnt be so exhausted. I could get some semblance of a normal life back. Then, the next morning, he sent me a text. Hi Liz. Im worried you will lose the house, waiting to talk to me tonight. If your decision is based on me contributing to the rent, I have to say I just dont have it. I cant sublet my flat, and I dont want to give it up, as Ive been homeless before, when my marriage broke up, and I cant risk that again. Anyway, its only 500 a month. Ill help where I can. I am so sorry and I understand if you want to call it off. Us, that is. x I really have no idea why the people in my life think its my job to pay for them to live in lovely houses. I texted back: It never works when one person pays for everything. Ive done it before, and it leads to resentment on both sides. I arrived at The Crown, two dogs in tow. This was their first visit to London. Victoria Park was locked so I had to walk them by the side of a busy road. We sat at a table. David arrived, having investigated the area. I love it, he said. Ive been in Gails Bakery, seen Broadway Market. It would be exciting to live in that house. Mini started becoming restless, and climbed on to the head of a woman at the next sofa. She took off up some stairs, and David dashed after her. She had an accident, right by a table of four. David cleaned it up. Not a good start! Not at all! I kept saying to the poor people dining, Im really sorry. Shes very sensitive! We had dinner. With drinks, two courses, the bill was 110, including tip. I tried to instigate our face-to-face about the cost of moving in together. How much are your utilities? I asked him. Well, I wouldnt stop my council tax. I wouldnt stop the other utilities either. Theyre not much. The old me would have just taken the hit, paid for everything, just as Ive always done. But him living in my new house like a giant pet would be weird. I would start to boss him around, snap at him. Im only human, though most people think Im made of steel. He wants his safety net; Id have to pay for it. I am sitting opposite oncologist Professor Justin Stebbing, one of the worlds leading researchers into novel cancer treatments, particularly immunotherapy, and talking about the future of healthcare. Suddenly, he swings his computer screen round to show me a late Victorian painting of a man in a frock coat leaning tenderly over a sick baby. Thats my favourite picture, he tells me. The concept of LMC (londonmedicalconcierge.com) is to give patients and their families a quick, direct route to experts across a range of physical and mental conditions For Professor Stebbing, The Doctor by Sir Luke Fildes epitomises connectivity between doctor and patient a word he uses often because he believes passionately that, alongside scientifically based treatment, the doctor-patient relationship is the bedrock of healthcare. He tells me this to explain why, as well as a crowded NHS list and his personal ambivalence about private medicine, he works at Leaders in Oncology Care, a private clinic, and is now supporting a startup called London Medical Concierge (LMC). Oncologist Professor Justin Stebbing LMC is the brainchild of mother-of-four Kirsty Ettrick, following the death of her husband Neil from cancer. After his diagnosis in 2014, Kirsty spent hours every night researching and calling experts worldwide to find the right medical pathway. The search led Kirsty to Professor Stebbing, who recognised that giving up was never an option for us. Sadly, Neil died in late 2014. The concept of LMC (londonmedicalconcierge.com) is to give patients and their families a quick, direct route to experts across a range of physical and mental conditions. I wanted to lift the burden for people in a similar situation to mine, says Kirsty. When she approached Professor Stebbing for help, he agreed immediately. This enables doctors to treat patients as we would like our own families to be treated. The problem with the NHS is the lack of speed. LMC can help in stressful circumstances by making a diagnosis quickly. IMMUNOTHERAPY: THE FUTURE OF CANCER TREATMENT Our immune system is the bodys fighting force that protects us from diseases, including spotting and destroying cancer cells. Sometimes, however, the immune system does not detect the cancer cells and they develop into tumours. Immunotherapy reawakens a patients immune system to fight cancer. Research is going on worldwide into the mechanism of the immune system and tumour development and also testing new immunotherapy treatments. Professor Stebbing believes immunotherapy will become the backbone of cancer treatment, used in different combinations with chemotherapy or even combining one form of immunotherapy with another, which is exciting. Advertisement Among the services LMC offers is fast-track second opinions, something that resonates with many people as you have no legal right to a second opinion on the NHS. According to NHS Choices, You can ask your GP, consultant or hospital unit for a second opinion and a healthcare professional will consider your circumstances and whether one is needed. A key stipulation for both Kirsty and Professor Stebbing was that LMC should come at a price that is accessible to many people. An initial treatment plan by a team of leading experts to rapidly identify the most appropriate specialist is 195, plus VAT (the specialists fee is separate). More than 100 top health professionals are signed up and often see patients within 48 hours. Our care doesnt end after patients pay us, emphasises Kirsty. After the appointment we check to see how it went, and patients can call us at any time. I would not hesitate to use this service myself and suggest it to family and friends. Glaucoma increased pressure in the eye is one of the biggest causes of preventable sight loss, but 300,000 people in the UK dont know they have it. Early detection can save sight, so the International Glaucoma Association (glaucoma-association.com) has teamed up with Vision Express to encourage everyone to have a regular eye test. Research shows that nearly four in ten people put off an eye test due to concerns about the cost, which is usually between 20 and 25. Research shows that nearly four in ten people put off an eye test due to concerns about the cost Vision Express is offering a free full eye test in store to YOU readers who download a voucher from www.visionexpress.com/free-eye-test-you from today until midnight on 16 April. The voucher is redeemable in all UK Vision Express stores until 31 May. The voucher can only be obtained from visionexpress.com/free-eye-test-you and must be printed out to present in store. Eye test appointments are subject to availability; booking in advance is recommended. One voucher redeemable per person. Full terms and conditions on the Vision Express website. Email your questions to sarah@sarahstacey.com. Always consult your doctor if you have a medical problem THE STORY Diana Jager is clever, competitive and strong-willed, a surgeon who is good at her job and has the grudging respect of colleagues. But she is also vulnerable after being outed as Bladebitch, the anonymous author of an outspoken blog about sexism in the medical profession. She ends up losing her post at a prestigious London hospital and moving to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands to continue her career. She is 40, single and bitter about the way she has been treated. Then she meets Peter younger, good-looking, sensitive and apparently ignorant of her controversial past. Within six months, they are married. Within a year Peter is dead, the victim of a road accident. It seems like a tragic end to a touching romance, but Peters elder sister isnt convinced and enlists the help of an investigative journalist to discover what really happened. Did Diana kill her husband? As the evidence mounts against her, we embark on a rollercoaster of twists and turns, which leads to a startling conclusion. A gripping, complex and classy crime novel. A compelling read which takes in love, marriage, sexism and murder THE TASTER As the trial proceeds, the court will hear how a driven woman acted out of the oldest and sincerest of motives: to be with the man she was destined for It has taken time, but I have come to realise I must make my peace with what I have done. I need to take ownership of it. I need to forgive myself, because nobody elses forgiveness matters. In the end, regardless of how my actions are judged, I know that this is about love. THE AUTHOR Chris Brookmyre, a former journalist, has established himself as one of Britains leading crime writers since his debut novel was published 21 years ago. He says the ability of surgeons to use a scalpel on patients suggests there is something psychopathic about them, a view which is reflected in Black Widow. Chris writes exclusively about the background to the novel at youreadinggroup.co.uk, where you will also find suggested topics for your own book club discussion. Buy the book and save 25 per cent Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre is published by Abacus, price 7.99. To order a copy for the special price of 5.99 until 14 May, go to you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; free p&p on orders over 15. When author Joanna Moorhead travelled to Mexico to meet her mysterious cousin, celebrated artist Leonora Carrington, she found a woman whose story was more surreal than her art It started on a far-fetched whim that took my family by surprise. I was 43 and the mother of four children aged between four and 14. My husband was, and still is, a BBC journalist with a big and busy job. I was domestic manager, social secretary, on-duty parent. The idea that I was about to disappear to Mexico on my own, on the trail of a cousin who had gone missing from our family 70 years earlier, sounded improbable in the extreme, and I dont think anyone thought it would actually happen. The moment I knew it would came with a phone call on a crackly line, from a woman called Eva who ran an art gallery in Mexico City. One of the artists she represented was Leonora Carrington, toast of the countrys cognoscenti, a reclusive and mysterious figure and someone who, I had already been warned, it was almost impossible to get to see. There were stories of journalists who had travelled across the world, only to be turned away on her doorstep. Leonora at her home in Mexico with her cousin Joanna around 2009 I am a journalist, but I am also a member of the family she had bailed out on. (My father was her first cousin, and my grandparents and her parents had been close.) But hardly anyone in my family had seen Leonora for decades. After running away to Paris in 1937 she had journeyed on, via a series of adventures, to Mexico, but she had pretty much cut her links to us so what were the chances of her agreeing to see me? Well, said Eva. She hasnt said no. If youre going to be in Mexico City anyway, she says you can phone her. No promises; shell see how she feels. Shes 89 she isnt always up to visitors. If youre going to be in Mexico City anyway? said my husband. How likely is that? To be fair, it wasnt on my usual beat the 319 bus route in South London but I had been on a mission ever since a chance meeting a few months earlier with a Mexican art historian who had told me that the cousin missing from our family for all these years was now the most famous living artist in her adopted country. Ive already booked my flight, I told my husband. Ill only be away a fortnight. Youll manage. As a child Id sometimes heard Leonora mentioned, but her story had a whiff of scandal about it and was shrouded in secrecy. Her parents my great aunt Maurie and her late husband Harold were very wealthy and their only daughter (she had three brothers) wanted for nothing materially: she went to prestigious schools and came out as a debutante in 1935. Her parents hoped she would marry well. However, what I now discovered after Googling her tale was that she had run away with a man who was not only a few years younger than her father, but twice married: the charismatic surrealist artist Max Ernst. Before she left, she had one final showdown with her father; the two never met again. Now, seven decades on, I was fascinated by Leonora, and determined to find her. In London I installed a temporary au pair, wrote copious notes for her about the childrens idiosyncrasies, and packed my suitcase. It was the autumn of 2006. The only time I almost faltered was when saying goodbye to my youngest. But why are you going? she asked tearfully on the day of my flight. I told her the truth. Im not sure, I said. But I know this is something I have to do. Twelve hours later, I was looking out of a plane window at a patchwork of roads, lined with colourful houses in different shades of yellow, red and blue. As the plane bumped down I was nervous: what if Id come all this way only to be turned away? The taxi lurched through fume-filled, crowded streets; horns blared, street vendors shouted, neon lights flashed. At my hotel the receptionist pointed along the main road in the direction of where Leonora lived. And then, because I had been told to call her in the morning, after 10am, there was nothing to do but sit in the bar and try my first tequila, which arrived with a separate shot of tomato juice. I sipped my drink and I wondered why this mysterious cousin had ended up 5,000 miles and light years from the Lancashire where we had both grown up. The next day, at one minute past 10am, I dialled her number. The phone was answered almost immediately; the voice was deep and slow like a mans, but I knew at once it was Leonora. Would you like to come straight over? she asked. An hour later, I was ensconced in Leonoras kitchen; there I remained for the rest of my trip, and, in some ways, I have been there ever since. As a child Id heard Leonora mentioned, but her story had a whiff of scandal Her house was oddly out of step with the Mexico around it the street was sunny and colourful, but Leonoras house was cold and dark with a flagstone floor. Only much later did I realise that it was her piece of Lancashire, re-created in Central America. All around us was her work not paintings, because shed had to sell those to keep things together, but studies for paintings and sculpted figures. Leonora had lived in Mexico for many years, but from her upper-class English accent to the postcards of the royal family taped to the cupboard doors, she was still resolutely one of us. She had me hooked from the moment I set eyes on her a small, bird-like figure with grey hair piled up on her head and piercing blue eyes just like those of her cousin, my father. When she smiled her face lit up, so that for a while she was as beautiful as she had been back in 1937 when Max Ernst met and fell in love with her. She said she was neither surprised nor unsurprised that I had come to find her: she had lived through too much to be surprised by anything these days. And around her kitchen table, through many afternoons and evenings, she told me her tale; it was more thrilling than any I had heard, and more surreal than her art. She had met Max, she explained, at a dinner party in London and, though it had been a mutual love at first sight, it was far from the kind of match of which her parents would have approved. Apart from his age and previous marriages he was an artist not a line of work that the Carringtons considered desirable for a son-in-law. But with Max, Leonora knew she had the chance to escape from the conventions of a family that stifled her artistic ambitions. So she ran away to Paris to join him at the heart of the surrealist movement, where their close friends included Picasso, Dali, Duchamp and Miro. The love story of Leonora and Max was played out against the rise of Hitler and the fall of France. Events separated them when the German Ernst was interned as an enemy alien after the invasion of France and Leonora suffered a breakdown and was sent to a Spanish asylum. Eventually, though, she escaped from everything that had tied her down: her family, Europe and even Max and the surrealists, whom she feared would always see her as a muse rather than an artist in her own right. She ended up in Mexico, surrounded by friends who, like her, had fled Europe. One, a photographer called Chiki Weisz, became her husband and they had two sons. She built a rich and fascinating life in Mexico, first painting quietly then, towards the end of her life, being honoured by her adoptive country for her work. Over the following years, on my many visits to Mexico, Leonora shared not only her story with me but her philosophy: her way of making life meaningful and surviving it. She had immense resolve and achieved something many of us dream of but few manage: she had lived her life without fear. She had lived as she wanted to live as an artist who was true to her own spirit, caring little for the expectations of others. Leonora let nothing stand in her way: there are consequences when we make difficult decisions, she told me, but, just as importantly, there are consequences when we toe the line. Staying in England and marrying a rich man might have seemed an attractive, even easy path, but Leonora knew it would never make her happy it was laced with conventions she considered meaningless and would have prevented her from pursuing what mattered most to her. For me, the easy path would have been to take a fleeting interest in Leonora and then forget all about her, but then I would never have known this fascinating woman and her friendship. The most important thing Leonora told me, during the many afternoons we spent together, was that safety, under any circumstances, is an illusion. Being alive means not being safe and it is only when we realise the truth, which is that every decision we take involves risks, that we can truly expand our lives. Leaving the comfort of her advantaged home and family, moving to live in a Europe at war, fleeing to Mexico and saying goodbye to her fortune, all this seems foolhardy on one reading, but to Leonora the risks of staying in her family, of being stifled and crushed by their narrow ambitions for her, were far greater. And in Mexico, there was real penury: her husband was not wealthy and the family only got by through selling Leonoras paintings, sometimes barely managing to survive. Leonora had left her first family, but her second her husband and her sons were at the centre of her life, and she was always interested in my daughters, one of whom (Rosie, my eldest) accompanied me on one trip to Mexico, and went on to study art history at least partly inspired by that meeting. Visiting Leonora meant that I was sometimes away for weeks at a time and, while the girls didnt particularly like having an au pair, I felt they were learning something very important, which is that mothers need to follow their dreams, too. I believe the mum they got back was a little bit different from the mum who went away; because adventures change us in significant and lasting ways. Like all inspirational people, Leonora never settled for second best. By the time I knew her, art history had already recorded the most exciting years of her life her time with Max Ernst in Paris and the South of France but Leonora had not allowed that period to define her. She realised that the secret to a more fulfilled life is to never allow yourself to slumber into a comfort zone, and the way to make the best of ourselves is to go on pushing, even as we get older maybe even especially as we get older. So in her 50s she upped sticks and moved to the US, spending much of her time there for the next 25 years. She lived in a basement flat in New York, on her own and often without much money, being curious and exploring the city and, of course, painting. In the US and in Mexico she was involved in feminism, designing posters for the womens liberation movement in her adopted country, and going to rallies in the US. Leonora did what many of us dream of: she lived her life without fear By the time I met Leonora she was in her late 80s, but she never seemed like an old woman. She was vibrant, connected, witty and engaged, and she carried on working to the very end of her life. When she couldnt see well enough to paint she turned to sculpture; today one of her funny, thoughtful pieces, How Doth The Little Crocodile, stands on a street in the centre of Mexico City. Now, a decade on from meeting Leonora, I can hardly believe I was bold enough to take the leap into her world. But every day, I am grateful that I did. Because in Mexico I found not only Leonora, I also found myself. She infected me with her spirit. She taught me that time is short, even in a long life, and that we must make careful choices. Above all, she taught me that the most important voice to listen to is the one inside my heart; because that is the voice that tells me what I should do with my one precious life, and what is possible. The full story of Leonoras life and Joannas friendship with her is in Joannas book The Surreal Life of Leonora Carrington (Virago, 20). To order a copy for 16 until 23 April, visit you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over 15 Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com Q I usually wear foundation all year round but for summer I would like to try a primer that gives some coverage. Is that possible or could you advise on options? A With the plethora of products around, we find a lot of women are a bit confused about how they work. Primers go on cleansed skin on top of moisturiser and before foundation. They create a smooth canvas for the foundation (aka base), help it to stay true and also to last. For more information follow Beauty Bible online here or on Facebook and Twitter Primers may contain different colour pigments, for instance Clinique has a range of options that target, eg, redness or discoloration Superprimer Face Primer Evens Discolouration, 21. Using one of those should mean you don't need so much concealer and can use a lighter base. So in that sense they give a little bit of coverage but probably not as much as you are used to. Like most of the big brands, Clinique offers a straightforward primer too. In the beauty steal range, Maybelline is today launching a Baby Skin Primer, 7.99, which promises to help vanish pores. If you are splurging then Guerlain Meteorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer, 36, is just fabulous at brightening dull skin. Foundation-wise, we are big fans of Giorgio Armani. Sarah is currently using Luminous Silk Foundation, which is light as a feather but gives enough coverage and you can layer it. Jo favours long-wear, high coverage Power Fabric Foundation, 40, which still has a lightweight finish and is good under lights, she finds. For the dewiest finish, she is a long-term devotee of By Terry Terribly Densiliss Foundation, which is a brilliant hybrid of base and serum, a real investment at 78.50 but worth it, Jo promises. For beauty steal foundations, we would try brands such as Maybelline (Dream Flawless Nude Foundation is 8.99), or Kiko more expensive at 18.90 for Liquid Skin Second Skin Foundation, 18.90, but it contains skin nourishing hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and resveratrol. Finally, make up artist Jenny Jordan often suggests looking at cosmetics by Mii. Their Absolute Face Base, comes in at 26.50, in five shades that blend into skin tone to give a natural glow. Beauty Bible loves Jurlique Limited Edition Rosewater Balancing Mist, 45 for 200ml. Dewy. Quenched. Vibrant. We could continue with the superlatives about this wonderfully, naturally tea rose-fragranced facial mist from Jurlique. As we said only recently, we haven't often got the point of a product like this. But this is so blissful to use, plumping up skin while refreshing it and great for 'reviving' fading make-up, mid-afternoon. Jurlique Limited Edition Rosewater Balancing Mist is so blissful to use, plumping up skin while refreshing it and great for 'reviving' fading make-up, mid-afternoon Jurlique use a specific rose harvest from their Australian biodynamic farm each year (it's just outside Adelaide), so each year's edition is different. This deluxe edition of their global No.1 bestseller is definitely our favourite yet. The generous-sized bottle also comes in special packaging created through a partnership with Australian painter Belynda Henry, who stayed on the Jurlique farm as inspiration for a series of fab paintings there's another appearing on an upcoming products that we'll be previewing to you shortly. For us, this is staying desk-side till it's spritzed its last. For more information follow Beauty Bible online here or on Facebook and Twitter The attacks on Africans in Greater Noida again remind us of the racism latent in Indian society. To understand Indian racism, we need to understand two aspects of it: our notions of whiteness, and our obsession with an abstract notion found on matrimonial websites: 'moderate template'. Besides these, perhaps it's not surprising that a society, which already has hierarchical prejudice built into its core - caste - will also practice other forms of discrimination. Former BJP MP Tarun Vijay appeared on Al Jazeera earlier this week and discussed the race issue in India To a Caucasian, Indian racism is laughable because we are dark-skinned ourselves. It's a case of the kettle calling the pot black. But the self-image that Indians have of themselves is something else. We perceive ourselves as being the perfect shade of white - the most perfect shade ever invented by god. The self-hatred about our skin colour is so ingrained, we delude ourselves into thinking we are whiter than the whites. Palash Krishna Mehrotra, author This was evident in the response to former BJP MP Tarun Vijay's comments on a news channel: 'If we were racist why would we have the entire south... Why do we live with them? We have blacks, black people all around us.' Absurd as this was, the indignant response to it also smacked of racism. One could argue that Vijay's comment was a statement of fact: south Indians are dark-skinned. Why should one take offence to that? Because the implication is that north Indians are not 'black'. The truth is that eastern Uttar Pradesh is crawling with black natives too. A serious issue then degenerates into a how-black-is-black argument, where Indians of various shades are fuming: I'm black but not as black as you. Two Nigerian nationals studying in Greater Noida were thrashed with steel rods, dustbins and sticks by a mob near Ansal Plaza for over an hour as a series of mob attacks targeted African students in northern India To make sense of Indian racism, how about this: We are racist towards whites too. This is because the Indian thinks that his complexion is the right shade of white. Pankaj Mishra, in his travelogue Butter Chicken in Ludhiana, writes about a white traveller being harassed at Delhi's ISBT: 'Dekh bandariya ko, (see the monkey)' says an Indian, squatting on his haunches, while puffing on a bidi. Caucasians are pink and that is not kosher white as far as Indians are concerned. We Indians have invented the most democratic racism in the world, which targets whites and blacks equally. Indian brownness, aided by fairness creams, is the just-right amount of whiteness. Caucasians are pink and that is not kosher white as far as Indians are concerned. Palash Krishna Mehrotra, author Now, for the argument from 'moderate template'. On sites like Shaadi.com, candidates are looking for matrimonial matches of a 'moderate template'. Moderate means: vegetarian, non-smoking, non-drinking. It's also about how you look. Indians don't experiment with the way they look. Walk the Indian streets and you'll be among the swarming moderate-template hordes. Wave after wave of 'regular- looking' Indians. This carries over into our popular culture. The hairstyles of Bollywood heroes haven't changed much over the years. A society with unwavering faith in the moderate template, finds anyone who looks different to be an object of ridicule. It could be their hair, skin colour, clothes. A country of more than a billion expects an unreasonable homogeneity of appearance from its citizens. None of this is imposed by laws or the government. It's just the way we are. Point fingers, giggle and laugh at anyone who is not of moderate template. The 25-year-old Kenyan woman was attacked when she was on her way home Be it an Indian, a ruddy-faced 'bandariya' or an African. I've been a victim of racial violence in London. I've been pushed down in the Notting Hill Carnival and called a 'brown sh**t.' I've lived in the International Students House on Delhi's Mall Road with African students. I've seen the casual racism they endure every day. The ISH is behind the Mansarovar hostel, from the balconies of which Bihari students would routinely chant 'kaloo, kaloo', in between brushing their teeth in the morning. The racism of Delhi landlords is different. Posh localities like Defence Colony don't welcome Africans. It's unsaid racism. Africans live in 'lal doras', cheaper neighbourhoods where the landlords don't have an option because moderate template Indians don't want to live there. This has led to the mushrooming of ghettos like Humayunpur, where young people from the Northeast and Africa live side by side, sometimes even cohabiting. There's a bustling yet laid back liveliness to the place, in the shops, eateries and trendy T-shirt and guitar shops open till late, that can only happen in a neighbourhood where people from different cultures have made it their home. A few years ago, I had a job teaching at a posh boarding school for boys. One day a student, about 16, came up to me and said: 'Sir, these blacks are only good for two things: running and rapping.' Notting Hill Carnival, London, celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture in the UK This same kid is now grown up and living in America, where he thinks he is the perfect shade of white. The self-hatred about our skin colour is so ingrained, we delude ourselves into thinking we are whiter than the whites. Except that we are not, and when we're the butt of anti-immigrant sentiment in the West, maybe we understand a little bit of what it feels like to be on the receiving end of prejudice. It's the truth about prejudice: if you have one, it's likely you have a bunch of others festering inside of you. No matter how vigorously you scrub yourself, the hatred within shows on your face. The writer is the editor of 'House Spirit: Drinking in India', published by Speaking Tiger Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, signed an historic deal today The smell of the India-Bangladesh friendship has been wafting out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchens lately. Nearly three dozen head chefs are intricately de-boning fish, adding spices to the gravy, making the steamed bhetki or coconut prawns that much more enticing. In 1996, Sheikh Hasina famously sent hilsa for then Bengal CM Jyoti Basu before the Ganga water-sharing treaty was signed. Then in 2010 and 2016, she sent hilsa for CM Mamata Banerjee and in 2013, regaled President Pranab Mukherjee with a stunning meal spread. This time, however, there was no hilsa, since India and Bangladesh has made it illegal to catch and sell 'juvenile hilsa', or the fish weighing less than 500g. March and April is small hilsa season. However, this relationship has a much stronger element than culinary diplomacy. It is the mutual admiration between PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Hasina, the robust majority with which they rule, and their similar views on security and development which underline the ties. While 22 pacts are already on the table, and much more is happening on the sidelines, there is one area in which we do not need all that bonhomie. India and Bangladesh do not need a 'friendly' border. This time, however, Sheikh Hasina offered no traditional hilsa, since India and Bangladesh has made it illegal to catch and sell 'juvenile hilsa', or the fish weighing less than 500g Both parties have a lot to lose from a porous line dividing our geographies and affecting our security and politics. India has for decades complained about illegal migration and smuggling of cattle, fake notes, arms and narcotics, and ISI-backed terrorists getting a grand gateway in the east. We haven't done enough to stop it though. But now elections in many states are being fought on these issues. Cow politics, for instance, has gripped India, and rampant smuggling of cows from all over India to Bangladesh and its fallout in the heartland and border states can't be politically ignored. Bangladesh's concerns are equally crucial. The Mamata government's patience with Islamists with an eye on the state's growing Muslim vote is proving disastrous. India and Bangladesh do not need a 'friendly' border. The unfinished fence travels 2,634 km along the border between the South Asian nations The Burdwan blast of 2014 exposed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB) extensive network in Bengal and the anti-Hasina activities it carries out from Indian soil The Burdwan blast of 2014 exposed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB) extensive network in Bengal and the anti-Hasina activities it carries out from Indian soil. Terrorists linked to the July 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka were tracked to Kolkata. Such is the ease with which the most wanted Jamaatis and terrorists of Bangladesh slip into Bengal and get warm sanctuary. This is at a time when Hasina is ruthlessly cracking down on terror, choking its financial arteries by overhauling the once Jamaat-run Islami Bank, watching out for signs of indoctrination from villages to plush private university campuses. She would surely not want the 4,068.7 km border to be a walk in the lawn for these elements. There has been progress along Tripura and Mizoram - Chittagong Hill Tracks on the Bangladesh side - where fencing has been done Of the 3,284.5 km supposed to be fenced, 2,634 km of fencing has been completed so far. There has been progress along Tripura and Mizoram - Chittagong Hill Tracks on the Bangladesh side - where fencing has been done. India has also allowed Bangladesh to use our border roads to build forward posts and other infrastructure, making it difficult for insurgent groups that camped in the forests to function. In Meghalaya's Dawki, a key forward post is being built. BSF sources say human trafficking and smuggling has ebbed. Border haats or local markets, a new joint initiative, is reducing the need to smuggle basic goods. The flow of fake notes, sent into India mainly through Malda in Bengal, had stopped after demonetisation. However, fudged Rs 2,000 notes have started surfacing. Cattle smuggling is still a raging issue, unconfirmed figures putting it at around 60,000 a day. Bangaldesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, signed an historic deal with India as the South Asian giants bid to deepen ties The BJP and RSS have brought up the issue of demographic change, alleging that Bengal's Hindu population has dipped by eight per cent because of illegal migration from Bangladesh. While the two nations must work towards easier visas, a lot more cultural exchange and tourism, our borders should be watertight. A friend rings the bell and comes in through the door. They don't need to break in from the window. The writer is Managing Editor, Mail Today In the world of egg donors, the hazards are real: from nausea and kidney failure to even death. But that hasn't stopped a growing number of women in Delhi-NCR who are looking at egg donation as a means of making a few extra bucks or as a go-to option in their hour of crisis. Twenty-two-year-old Archana Tiwari (name changed), a resident of Gurugram, told Mail Today that she donated eggs in the first week of March and is willing to undergo the procedure again in the future. A growing number of women in Delhi-NCR who are looking at egg donation as a means of making a few extra bucks or as a go-to option in their hour of crisis 'My husband is a labourer and we have two kids. So we needed money. 'Initially, I thought of becoming a surrogate mother, but then I came to know about egg donation, which was less time consuming and more financially rewarding,' said Archana. 'Surrogacy takes at least 15 months; compared to that egg donation was easy.' Her friend, 26-year-old Rekha Goyal (name changed) went to donate eggs after her three-year-old daughter fell ill. 'My husband is a tailor at a ready-made garment factory in Udyog Vihar and does not earn much. While in the West, egg donors sign a contract with the client or a hospital, here it's mostly the middle man who calls the shots and acts as a bridge between the donors and hospitals According to sources, a hospital pays Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 to a middle man who takes his cut and hands over anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 to the donor, depending on their negotiation skills 'There was no other way I could have arranged money for my daughter's treatment,' said Rekha who came to know about egg donation through Archana. So how does the transaction happen? While in the West, egg donors sign a contract with the client or a hospital, here it's mostly the middle man who calls the shots and acts as a bridge between the donors and hospitals. A willing egg donor must first take shots of drugs for nearly three weeks to suppress her natural cycle. She is then injected with hormones to stimulate her ovaries. Recipients of eggs are not entitled to get information about the donors as per in vitro fertilisation (IVF) guidelines, according to investigations conducted by Mail Today This is followed by ultrasound tests to confirm if the eggs are ready and another round of hormone injection to induce ovulation. Finally, on the donation day, a surgery is performed on the donor under anaesthesia, where a needle is used to retrieve the eggs. According to Diane Tober, a medical anthropologist and filmmaker who produced Perfect Donor, a documentary on how young cash-strapped women are recruited to donate eggs, up to 30 per cent of the donors experienced some form of health complication, including varying degrees of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHS), a medical condition which in extreme cases can lead to death. Some of the other related symptoms include bloating, weight gain, nausea and in severe cases, blood clots and kidney failure. There are also no standardised rates for the eggs here. It's the middle man again who decides how much an egg donor will eventually get. According to sources, a hospital pays Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 to a middle man who takes his cut and hands over anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 to the donor, depending on their negotiation skills. Up to 30 per cent of the donors experienced some form of health complication, including varying degrees of OHS, a medical condition which in extreme cases can lead to death 'I got Rs 20,000 in advance, which I spent on the treatment of my daughter,' said Rekha. 'In the last two years, I have donated eggs seven times. 'My husband has no objection to it. But we have kept it a secret from our neighbours.' Kapashera in southwest Delhi, Dundahera village in Gurugram as well as nearby Sikandarpur, Manesar and Sohna are some of the areas where egg donors are in abundance. Most of these regions have a large number of factory labourers who look at egg donation as a means to supplement their income. While there are guidelines that stipulate that hospitals should arrange egg donors through certified banks, the reality on the ground is something else. Sources say that in several cases the hospitals with IVF facilities themselves contact middle men for eggs. Harish, a middle man active in Kapashera, said that after striking a deal with the hospitals, the women undergo a medical procedure for 15 days at home. 'We charge hospitals to the tune of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 for the eggs. Half of that money goes to the donors. 'Once a donation happens we cannot use the same donor for the next two-and-a-half to three months to avoid health complications. 'The interval also helps to generate healthy eggs,' said Harish. Recipients of eggs are not entitled to get information about the donors as per in vitro fertilisation (IVF) guidelines, according to investigations conducted by Mail Today. However there is a huge demand for young women from states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in the age group of 20 to 30 years due to their desirable fair complexion. A large number of women from Mewat, including college students, are also coming forward to donate eggs. 'I have over 50 donors who are in regular touch with me from Delhi and Gurugram,' said Harish. 'I keep rotating these women for egg donation to various IVF centres.' It is estimated that there are 200 IVF centres in operation in and around the National Capital Region with 25 of them situated in Gurugram alone and these centres handle close to 1,000 cases per month. Running a start-up is hard work, with long working hours, a thin work-life balance and high levels of passion and stress. But is it tougher when you have a spouse for a co-founder? The recent, very public separation of former spouses and co-founders - Sandeep and Radhika - from ShopClues makes it seem so. However, partners in business and in life from three successful start-ups tell us that implicit trust and knowing each other inside out gives their ventures a big advantage. But they have cardinal rules to play by: Divide work based on skills and interests, and unwind often. Swati and Rohan Bhargava set up cash back and coupon site CashKaro in 2013 CashKaro Friends from the prestigious London School of Economics and later husband-wife, Swati, 33, and Rohan Bhargava, 35, left London's investment banking world and flew back home to set up cash back and coupon site CashKaro in 2013. They have since come to be known as the top cashback site among internet users. The journey has been marked with long working hours, sometimes stretching up to 18 hours a day. But, in business and in life both have benefited from their collaboration, they say. 'If I held a regular job and he was an entrepreneur on his own, I would have thought he was insane and that he was never going to spend time with his wife. 'But we understand it's part of the passion and we enjoy it together,' says Swati. Rohan says the venture has also brought them closer because they spend so much time together. 'Even if we fight, it cannot continue for long because we have to work together and communicate. 'When we start communicating, all the anger fizzles out.' Swati is the face of the Gurugram-based company and is in charge of marketing, social media and industrial relations, while Rohan takes care of product and technology. CashKaro, which enjoys the backing of Ratan Tata who invested an undisclosed sum in 2016, give discounts to users who shop online on other sites via their site. Shubhra Chadda started Chumbak with her husband, Vivek Prabhakar, in 2010 Chumbak Shubhra Chadda, 37, had the idea of starting Chumbak as she sat staring at their fridge decorated with magnets from their many travels. 'I realised there were no souvenirs or products that truly represented India,' she said. After much research, she and her husband Vivek Prabhakar, 39, set up Chumbak as the quirky, colourful brand of souvenirs known for their Indian-ness. This was in 2010. Now, they have developed the Bangalore-based brand into a home decor and accessories chain. They have complementary characteristics, know each other well and have the same vision for the brand. The couple, who tied the knot in 2004, feels that's what makes them tick. 'Vivek loves change and is constantly challenging the status quo - he wants to achieve a lot in our lifetime, and it's a lot of his restlessness that has made us grow at this exponential rate. 'I, on the other hand, take my time to accommodate to changes,' says Shubhra. Anand Shahani and Mehak Sagar launched Wed Me Good just after their own wedding in 2012 Wed Me Good Apart from bringing marital bliss to Anand Shahani, 30, and Mehak Sagar, 30, the hassles they went through preparing for their wedding in 2012 also gave them an idea - to start Wed Me Good, a wedding planning portal that brings together vendors, professionals and couples. Almost two years after they got married, the couple decided to venture into the Rs 100,000 crore wedding industry. 'With my background with running a successful blog and Anand's background in business we felt this would be a great match' says Mehak. While Anand takes care of business, revenue and strategy, Mehak looks after content and marketing. A clear demarcation of roles is crucial, they feel. 'If you don't set your roles separately then there will always be a tendency to meddle into each other's areas, which is not what you want to do as a couple. 'But that's never good professionally,' says Mehak. However, the very same qualities can take a toll on personal lives and you have to find a middle ground, she says. A trip to the City of Joy can send even a hard-boiled Delhiite on a happy high. But when 40- year-old Rishabh Kumar (name changed) told his family members in the Capital that he had spent Rs 25 lakh (31,334) within a week of stay in Kolkata and asked for a similar amount, they took him to a psychiatrist. A specialist at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) told them Rishabh was suffering from bipolar disorder, which triggers mood swings that last days if not weeks at a time. when 40- year-old Rishabh Kumar (name changed) told his family members in the Capital that he had spent Rs 25 lakh (31,334) within a week of stay in Kolkata and asked for a similar amount, they took him to a psychiatrist (file pic) Rishaba blew Rs 25 Lakh in Kolkata Patients will be irritable or have an elevated mood consistently for several days in a row or longer. These periods are then followed with distinct periods of normal mood or depressed mood. Rishabh had spent Rs 25 lakh just on his travel from Delhi to Kolkata, his hotel accommodation and generous tips of Rs 2,000 and above each time he felt 'happy and high'. 'It is a brain disorder that develops when depression is not treated properly,' Dr Nand Kumar, professor of the psychiatry department at AIIMS, told Mail Today. 'He was brought to us when his family members suspected some behavioural problems in him.' Bipolar depression is the 'depressive' half of bipolar disorder, also known as 'manic-depressive illness'. Sources say some VIPs and senior bureaucrats who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder also allegedly underwent treatment at AIIMS. The causes are not clearly understood, but both environmental and genetic factors play a role. Many genes of small effect contribute to risk. Environmental factors include a history of childhood abuse, and long-term stress. Treatment commonly includes psychotherapy, as well as medications such as mood stabilisers and anti-psychotics. 'Rishabh had contributed much to his business and so his family was satisfied with him,' Dr Kumar said. 'His state of mind was of such extreme happiness that he booked business flight tickets, stayed at top five-star hotels, boarded Mercedes taxis and gave Rs 1,000-Rs 2,000 as tips to drivers, waiter and other helpers.' Rishabh was admitted to the psychiatry unit of AIIMS for about three weeks. Doctors say he is now responding well to the medicines and his condition is improving. Dr Samir Parikh, director of the mental health department at Fortis Hospital, said, 'This year for World Health Day, the theme is Depression: Let's Talk. 'It's time people start to get open in recognising this prevalence of depression as now the leading cause of ill health and disability across the world and to eradicate the stigma. In India, 1 in every 5 people over the age of 40 suffers from depression at some point, states the World Health Organisation 'At the same time, talking about one's own feelings is also essential for our own emotional and psychological well being.' In India, 1 in every 5 people over the age of 40 suffers from depression at some point, states the World Health Organisation. Tripti Mishra, a PhD scholar who had bipolar depression for many years, said: 'I am working as a lecturer and placement adviser in a college. 'I have always shared my story with my students so that they understand there is much more in life beyond academic success. 'We should be aware and open to accept that depression is natural health problem and there's nothing to be shy about.' Kirti Chakra recipient, Rakesh Rana, is in jail, forcing his wife, Saroj, to step up. The retired lieutenant colonel landed in trouble after being accused of duping 542 people with promises of prime plots through his NGO but now he is lodged in a Bhubaneswar jail. Now, Delhi Police has received fresh complaints against him and his wife who is allegedly the new boss of the cheating business with retired and serving army personnel as the victims. Rakesh Rana was arrested in January 2016 from Delhi on the charge of duping people of over Rs 30 crore. His wife, Saroj, has allegedly taken up the helm of the NGO Sources say the website (http://www.swo.co.in/) of the NGO Sainik Welfare Organisation India (SWOIndia) is allegedly still luring people by promising lucrative land deals under Giringaput Mouza in the Chandaka area of Odisha. Cops from Delhi Police's economic offences wing (EOW) are yet to act against the site despite a flurry of complaints. Rakesh Rana was arrested in January 2016 from Delhi on the charge of duping people of over Rs 30 crore. Based on previous complaints, Bhubaneswar police conducted a raid in the Capital and took him in custody. Sources in the EOW told Mail Today that as many as 25 complaints have been received by them but none of them have been converted into an FIR. It was learnt that more than 30 complainants who are serving or retired army officers invested lakhs in the project and have approached police. The complainants then went to court and during a hearing this month, when Delhi Police was supposed to submit a status report, the officials were asked to register a case as soon as the preliminary investigation is over. 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 When contacted, a top EOW official said: 'We have received the complaints and are examining them case-by-case. We hope to reach a conclusion soon.' Sources close to the investigation said as soon as Rana went behind bars, his wife became the NGO's director. 'She also has the power of attorney in her name. Not only her, but Rakesh Rana's father-in-law has also become active and is luring the army men to invest in the project,' they said. One of the complainants, Purushottam, 31, is in the Army. He said he invested around Rs 6.5 lakh in the project but later realised that he was conned. Purushottam lives in Palam Village area of Delhi. For the past few months, he has been visiting the EOW office to get the complaint converted into an FIR. Another complainant serving in the Army, requesting anonymity, said: 'Delhi Police did receive my complaint against Rakesh Rana, Saroj Rana and their company, but no action has been initiated against them. The SWOIndia web page was still up and running at the time of writing 'Rather, I am being questioned by the officials and quite often they would call me to the EOW office to submit evidences to prove the allegations.' Mail Today tried to contact Saroj on the phone numbers provided on the NGO's official website, but she remained unavailable. Rana and others had floated the NGO, SWOIndia, at Dwarka in Delhi. They launched a land scheme spread over around 27 acres at Giringaput Mouza by the name Defence Intercity Vatika Association in 2011. They promised to hand over the plots to 542 current and former defence personnel by June 2012 with valid documents of registration, mutation and conversion. But the accused neither provided the land nor returned the deposited amount. SWOIndia was promoting the Bhubaneswar project through Brookson Infrastructure Private Ltd managing director Purna Chandra Panda, who was arrested by the EOW on August 2, 2015, and the NGO's project liaison officer Pradipta Kumar Barik was providing him assistance. Barik was also arrested by the EOW in September 2015. Members of Hindu Yuva Vahini stage a protest in Kushinagar Police stopped a church event attended by more than 150 people, including 10 American tourists, in Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh after the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) alleged that religious conversion was being carried out. The event was stopped after the youth brigade, set up in 2002 by Yogi Adityanath, filed a complaint against Yohannan Adam, pastor of the church, accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity, a charge the pastor denied. Dathauli SHO, Anand Kumar Gupta, said no prior permission was taken for the meeting, which was held ahead of Good Friday. 'We stopped the prayer meeting after a complaint was registered. A probe is underway and appropriate action will be taken if the charges are found to be correct,' he said. Dathauli falls in Maharajganj district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It borders Gorakhpur, the Lok Sabha constituency represented five times by Adityanath before he took over the reins of the state. Gupta said mass was held there quite often, but as this time foreigners were involved, the HYV suspected that conversion was going on. Controversial Hindutva chief minister of Uttar Pradesh created the HYV group in 2002 The US tourists, including a few women, were let off after police checked their travel documents. A US embassy spokesperson said, 'We are aware of news reports concerning this incident. The protection of American citizens overseas is our highest priority.' The spokesperson didn't elaborate due to privacy concerns. HYV leader Krishna Nandan, who surrounded the church with his supporters on Friday afternoon, said that the presence of US nationals indicates that innocent and illiterate Hindus were being converted by missionaries who lured them with money to change their religion. The HYV members dispersed after police promised a probe and adequate action even as the church authorities dismissed allegations of conversion. 'The charges are absolutely baseless. The people were attending a prayer meeting voluntarily. We prayed. Nothing else was done,' pastor Adam said. The Hindu right wing has been at loggerheads with Christian missionaries, accusing them of converting people through coercion and allurement. Several Hindu organisations have conducted 'ghar wapsi' or homecoming of such people, which minority groups say is a couched term for re-conversion. A week into their new academic session, students in some of Delhi's government schools are being asked to study from second-hand torn books with pages falling out while others are staring at walls as they have no books to study from at all. The grim condition of some government school students is sure to give BJP and Congress an issue to target AAP over ahead of the civic polls. While the Delhi government officials initially claimed to have printed and distributed textbooks of all subjects in north and east Delhi, they now said are furthering the deadline of delivering books by April 20. Delhi students are forced to learn from second hand books that are torn with pages missing, and that is if they get books at all, as AAP extends deadline for distribution (file pic) Parents and school monitoring committee (PSMC) members, appointed by Delhi government, have also been asked to collect the data on book delivery and present it in order to get redressal when they approached Deputy CM Manish Sisodia Thursday. Amzad Hussain, PSMC vice-president, said he has now been asked to get the details from schools across Delhi. 'Deputy CM took it as a surprise to the fact that the government schools are not getting books,' Hussain told Mail Today. Jyoti Mahore, the parent of a class 6 student in Trilokpuri's government school, questioned the usability of already-used and worn-out books. 'Why is my daughter being asked to study from a book which is already filled and has pages coming out of it?' she asked. 'It is difficult for us to bear the cost of getting the books repaired when our monthly income is not above Rs 6,000. 'I am also told by my child that he will not go to school because he will be punished,' said Jahara, another parent. The situation remains grim in the schools of south Delhi as another principal denied distribution of books in her school. 'We received the book on Friday and will distribute it on Monday,' said Poonam Tandon, principal of a government school in Moti Bagh. Atishi Marlena, education advisor to Sisodia, told Mail Today: 'In order to ensure that parents do not have to bear the extra cost, we have asked our school principals to replace the old books with fresh sets of books which are expected to be delivered in schools between April 15 and 20.' The first three female officers commissioned to fly fighter aircrafts in the Indian Air Force have now entered their second phase of training where they are learning the tricks of aerial combat at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. 'The three lady officers have now entered their second phase of training and they are learning air to air combat and air-to-ground combat tricks on the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft at the air base,' IAF officials announced. The trio of flying officers, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh, was commissioned into the air force last year after they had successfully completed their initial basic training at the air force academy in Telangana. The trio of flying officers, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh, was commissioned into the air force last year after they had successfully completed their initial basic training IAF officials said the officers will be trained to fire armament from their planes during the third stage of training which will again be held on the Hawk trainer aircraft. They are part of an experiment to include women officers as fighter pilots by the government and the future of women as combatants would depend on the success of these ladies in the coming times. The decision was taken by the Defence Ministry to allow women in the air force as part of the five year experiment in October 2015. The Navy and the Army are yet to allow women in combat as they are dealing with a lot of operational, social and logistics issues in opening avenues in war fighting for them. After the completion of their third stage training at the same air base, the three officers would be deployed in operational front line squadrons of planes such as the Su-30 and the Mirage 2000 where they would be involved in daily operations. They will have to fly close to 150 hours on the Hawk trainers before they are allowed to graduate on the actual fighter planes. The IAF is the first defence force to allow women to serve on the front line in India In the batch after the three ladies opted for fighter flying, none of the female cadets in the next batch have opted for the fighter stream. A few women cadets have opted for helicopters while one or two have chosen the transport aircraft. The defence ministry is in the process of making a comprehensive policy for the induction of women in combat and opening more avenues for them in the forces and trying to look for answers for some of the legal and social issues it may face in the future regarding them. The issues being discussed include the reaction of authorities in case of an affair between a female officer and a jawan along with the family support system for the women in case of a long deployment away from the place of posting. Defence forces are of the view that the avenues for officers in Army and Navy should be opened only after these issues are sorted out and the services are given the answers on how to react in a particular situation. The navies of India and China carried out a joint operation Sunday to rescue a merchant ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian defence ministry said. After receiving a distress call on Saturday night, the Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who had locked himself in a strong room along with the rest of the Filipino crew. 'An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel... to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board,' a statement from the defence ministry said. Somali pirates began staging attacks on ships in 2005, disrupting major international shipping routes and costing the global economy billions of dollars Emboldened by the helicopter cover and on receiving the all-clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. They searched the ship and confirmed that the pirates had fled overnight. A boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship then arrived on the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the rescue operation. Masked Somali pirate Hassan stands near a Taiwanese fishing vessel that washed up on shore after the pirates were paid a ransom and released the crew (file pic) 'It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe,' the statement added. The bulk carrier, OS 35, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates on Saturday night. The Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. Indian Navy personnel conducted a search of the merchant ship after the rescue operation Naval warships INS Mumbai & Tarkash were called into action The joint action comes amid a recent strain in ties following the Dalai Lama's visit to the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China claims as its territory. Somali pirates began staging attacks on ships in 2005, disrupting major international shipping routes and costing the global economy billions of dollars. At the peak of the piracy crisis in January 2011, 736 hostages and 32 boats were held. Faulty designs and inadequate safety measures have turned major arterial roads in the national Capital into virtual deathtraps, a recent study of the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) found. Over 1,500 people were killed in various accidents on Delhi roads in 2016. Experts believe were it not for heavy congestion, the fatalities would be much higher. 'A large number of road projects in Delhi lack the safety norms,' Dr S Velmurugan, head of the traffic engineering and safety division at CRRI, told Mail Today. Faulty designs and inadequate safety measures have turned major arterial roads in the national Capital into virtual deathtraps, a recent study of the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) found A speeding car that crashed on the DND flyover causing traffic congestion 'Delhi has 33,000 km of road network, out of which the arterial ways measure about 1,800 km of road-length. 'These arterial routes accommodate nearly 80 per cent of Delhi's traffic and thus proper road design and safety measures become very important.' Unfortunately, said the CRRI official, recent post-operational safety audits on two of the busiest arterial roads in the city Dwarka flyover and Sarita Vihar underpass proved their worst fears right. In its audit of Dwarka-Palam flyover, which reports nearly 30 grave accidents every year, the CRRI pointed out that the road-owning agency had completely ignored design and safety standards, leaving motorists vulnerable to fatal accidents. The CRRI findings noted that apart from five sharp curves, that are the biggest engineering fault on the two-km long flyover, safety measures like cautionary signs, pedestrian facilities and speed-calming measure are also missing. The flyover has claimed over 150 lives since it was built. A city court had even termed the flyover a 'man-made death trap' in its observation. 'Most long stretches designed for non-stop smooth traffic flow in the Capital have basic design flows,' said Velmurugan. Highway to HELL: Car accident with a damaged Jeep and a small Chrysler in Delhi In the safety audit of the Sarita Vihar underpass in southeast Delhi, which caters to a whopping 30,000 vehicles every hour, the CRRI team came to the conclusion that pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles were left to the mercy of fast-moving traffic. Velmurugan, who supervised the audits for both projects, said nothing could be done change the sharp curves on the Dwarka flyover but traffic calming measures and large cautionary signs could bring down the accidents significantly. The expert also suggested strict enforcement and prosecution of speeding vehicles on the flyover. More loss The Dwarka flyover and the underpass were designed to provide better connectivity to the traffic coming from western and eastern parts towards south Delhi. But in gross violation of prescribed safety designs, the two arterial pathways have caused more loss than ease, the CRRI report said. Dwarka flyover caters to a heavily built-up area and provides access to about 11 lakh people residing in Dwarka, which is locked between a railway line, the Najafgarh drain and airport. Sarita Vihar underpass is located close to the confluence of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and hence caters to a sizeable amount of traffic emanating from the arterial roads of NCR townships namely, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida. The underpass and flyover connects strategically important locations like Ashram, Badarpur and Noida. Eventually, a six-lane flyover was constructed by the Delhi Development Authority in Ashram-Badarpur direction in the year 2000 to facilitate signal-free movement of traffic on NH-2. The audit report points out that the cycle tracks created at the Sarita Vihar interchange facility were left completely dysfunctional forcing the cyclists and other non-motorised vehicles to merge with the normal traffic. This created a messy situation and increases the risk of fatalities. Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal is accused of throwing a camera in a crowd and injuring a 23- year-old man Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal found himself at the centre of a controversy after he allegedly grabbed the camera of a photographer and threw it into a crowd of revelers, hitting a 23- year-old man. The incident took place at Privee nightclub located in a five-star hotel in Lutyens' Delhi at around 3.30 am on Sunday. Rampal was invited as a special guest by the night club owner and the incident took place while he was performing a DJ set on stage. The victim, Shobhit, alleged that a photographer was continuously clicking photographs of Rampal during his performance. 'Probably irked by the continuous flashes, Rampal took the camera from the photographer and threw it onto the floor. 'The camera broke into pieces. I was sitting on the other side and one of the pieces reflected from the dance floor and hit straight on my forehead,' Shobhit claimed. The victim, an automobile dealer in north Delhi, had gone to the night club with a couple of friends After the incident, Shobhit reportedly demanded an apology from the actor, which the latter refused. Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal found himself at the centre of a controversy after he allegedly grabbed the camera of a photographer and threw it on the crowd hitting a 23- year-old man 'Even the night club owner did not apologise,' he said. 'Instead, bouncers of the club took me and my friends outside and thrashed me. 'They threatened us to leave the place or face dire consequences,' Shobhit alleged. The victim and his friends then lodged a police complaint. One of Shobhit's friends also alleged that the night club owner was flouting norms and serving liquors to guests below 25 years of age. 'We have received a complaint, in which the complainant has leveled certain charges against actor Arjun Rampal. 'We have taken the CCTV footage of the incident and are investigating the matter. No FIR has been registered so far,' said RP Meena, additional DCP, New Delhi. 'He threw a camera flashlight in the crowd hoping that someone will catch it. But it hit a man named Shobhit on his head. 'He didn't sustain any grievous injury, but in the medical examination that was carried out, it has been found that it is a lacerated wound,' a senior police officer told PTI. The incident took place at Privee nightclub located in a five-star hotel in Lutyens' Delhi at around 3.30 am on Sunday Meanwhile, Rampal has claimed that the incident was untrue. Taking to Twitter, Rampal said he had no clue from where the news of him injuring the person came and he has not assaulted anyone. 'Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Man!! Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews,' Rampal tweeted. Mail Today repeatedly called Rampal, but he refused to answer questions on the incident. Rampal also posted an update of his arrival in the Capital on Instagram hours before the party. 'Delhi get ready for an epic night at #prive. The set is ready and we gonna make it very special. #prive #tonight #tunes #parrrtyyyyyy,' the actor had posted. A top City regulator is under growing pressure to quit amid raging questions over a massive fraud on small businesses. John Griffith-Jones, 62, chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority, has been accused of a conflict of interest as his investigators probe a possible cover-up at failed bank HBOS. Staff at the lenders turnaround unit in Reading deliberately destroyed small businesses, spending the proceeds on luxury holidays and sex parties with prostitutes. The scandal cost HBOS 245m, and Lloyds, which now owns it, has set aside 100m to compensate the entrepreneurs whose livelihoods were ruined. Concern: John Griffith-Jones was senior partner at HBOSs auditor KPMG when the fraud took place The criminals behind the fraud were jailed in February, and the FCA is now examining who knew what at the bank. But campaigners are deeply concerned by the role of Griffith-Jones, who was senior partner at HBOSs auditor KPMG when the fraud took place. Accountancy giant KPMG gave HBOS a clean bill of health when the fraud gang was operating from 2003 to 2007. Critics believe this makes it impossible for the FCA to be balanced and his resignation has been demanded by SNP MP George Kerevan, who chairs Parliaments business banking group, and Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld, whose force investigated the case. And last night, Lord Myners, a former City minister, joined the chorus of concern, warning the scandal exposed the cosy links between big businesses and the organisations meant to hold them to account. It might not be a sensible idea to put, as the chairman of the FCA, someone whos essentially an insider, he said. KPMG has audited a string of scandal-hit businesses, including the Co-op Bank, which nearly collapsed after a 2013 accounting scandal. Griffith-Jones was made KPMGs joint European chairman in 2007. He left in 2012. An FCA spokesman said: John Griffith-Jones was not involved in the auditing of, nor had any role in the wider relationship with, HBOS while a partner at KPMG. While chairman of the FCA, John recused himself from the report into the failure of HBOS and he has no role in the enforcement investigations into HBOS. David Dingle, chairman of cruise giant Carnival UK, has mixed views on the prospects for his industry after Brexit. A dramatic expansion of UK trade beyond Europe could be a huge boon for British shipping, he argues. At the same time, stricter border controls after Brexit could provide a major headache for cruise passengers, hopping on and off ships at European ports. With 10 million people a year holidaying on more than 100 cruise ships, Carnival is the worlds largest cruise operator. Fears: David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK has mixed views on the prospects after Brexit Delays at British and European ports would mean far higher costs for its European arm, especially for Carnival UKs P&O Cruises and Cunard brands, whose ships include the Queen Mary 2 and Britannia. Dingle says: If people are going to have extended immigration inspections, particularly when their cruise comes back to port, it means that theyre going to take much longer to get off the ship and go home. This means we cant turn the ship around as quickly as we normally would. Our port stays would get longer and that gets very expensive. Equally we cant have our passengers in every European port taking hours to get ashore off the ship. For example, every Monday, our German brand AIDA arrives in Southampton, bringing more than 3,000 German passengers, all very keen to get ashore as soon as possible and do tours to London, Bath, the New Forest and so on. We cannot have a situation where its taking hours and hours for them to get ashore. That would be completely unacceptable and unnecessary, so we absolutely have to get that resolved. We want to make sure these people dont have any worries about being able to continue to work in the UK Dingle is also chairman of Maritime UK, the trade body for the nations shipping industry. More than any industry, maritime has a unique role to play in making Brexit a success, he says. Its a global carrier of goods and people which transcends international boundaries. Collaboration between Maritime UK and the Government is a way to make sure that the interests of the cruise industry in respect of Brexit are being looked after. He adds: I think its probably a little too early for hope to turn into absolute confidence, but you have to believe that Europe should be able to see Britain as a major trading partner, particularly if Britain has the ability to reach out to the rest of the world and be a hub in terms of trade. German cruise ship AIDA arrives in Southampton, bringing more than 3,000 German passengers every week If you assume that the PMs goal of frictionless trade can be achieved, and lets hope it can be, then we can trade with Europe on the one hand and be more agile in our trade with the rest of the world because we are seeking bilateral agreements rather than having to seek agreement with 27 other member states. Dingle is speaking a few days after returning from a Maritime trade mission to China where he sees opportunities. He says: China is the most rapidly growing cruise market, growing at 30 to 40 per cent a year, which means ports in China and Japan are suddenly opening up. Likewise, the India cruise market is developing fast, which is great for the southern India ports. But following the Brexit vote, Dingle is concerned for the European citizens who work for Carnival at its Southampton base. We want to make sure these people dont have any worries about being able to continue to work in the UK and Im hopeful that will all be resolved quickly, he says. Such concerns aside, the cruise industry has been enjoying a renaissance. Around 5 per cent of all Brits who take an overseas holiday go on a cruise. As a result, 1.9 million cruises are sold every year. Ten years ago it was probably half that, says Dingle. Ever the optimist, he points out that slow but steady growth is actually good for the cruise market from an economic perspective, as only a small number of places build new ships so the market cant be flooded with new capacity, which keeps the industry very profitable, avoids price wars and makes us a very attractive business. Security has become an increasing issue in the travel industry. Carnival ships are no longer stopping at Turkey, Tunisia or Egypt and they take on armed guards when sailing through the Suez Canal. Renaissance: Around 5 % of Brits who take an overseas holiday go on a cruise Were probably being ultra-sensitive, says Dingle, but people come on cruises because they feel safe there. Our concern is when they go ashore. But as some destinations fall off the list, others such as Israel and most recently Cuba come back on, so we just roll with it, says Dingle philosophically. And he believes the cruise industry is largely unaffected by another travel trade talking point school holiday pricing. When the Supreme Court ruled last week that parents were not allowed to take their children out of school during term-time, fresh fury erupted over the perennial issue of holiday prices which are typically far higher during school holidays. Father-of-two Dingle says: We dont have such an extreme difference between pricing during the summer holidays and the rest of the year as package holidays just 5 or 10 per cent. So its not the case that families would think they are being penalised by being overcharged in the summer. Dingle takes holidays on the companys cruise ships and enthuses about a trip on the Queen Victoria he took with his wife last year. He says: We had a marvellous cruise from Venice to Athens. There were four lovely ports of call, including Albania which Id never been too before. I was pleasantly surprised what an amazing country it is. People there are hugely positive about the future of their country and they really want to be part of Europe. Britain, meanwhile, is heading in the opposite direction. Dingle declines to reveal how he voted, saying: Everybody has their own personal view, but the time for tears for joy or sorrow are past us. We need to move forward. Brexit has done nothing to dampen demand for cruising and, in fact, the opposite seems to be the case, he declares. Then he adds cautiously: However, that could just be coincidence. Sally Faulkner has shared footage of her son and daughter playing in a Beirut safe house, on the one year anniversary of the botched child abduction that saw her, Tara Brown, and the 60 Minutes crew put behind bars in a Lebanese jail. Just over a year ago, the Brisbane mother snatched her daughter Lahela, six, and son Noah, four, from the streets as they walked to school with their grandmother. Ms Faulkner on Thursday posted a video of one of her children playing with toy cars, drawing with coloured textas, and eating cookies at a safe house - one of the last times she saw them. Lahela and Noah were returned to their Lebanese father, Ali Elamine, a day later and Ms Faulkner was put in a Beirut prison with Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew. Scroll down for video Sally Faulkner is pictured with her ex-husband Ali Elamine and their children Lahela and Noah before things turned sour Ms Faulkner and 60 Minutes presenter Tara Brown are pictured being released from a Lebanese prison on April 20, 2016 Ms Faulkner shared footage of her son Noah playing with toy cars In an emotional Facebook post, Ms Faulkner said the last year had been 'hell'. 'This time a year ago I was about to be arrested and was about to go to jail for doing what any parent would do given the circumstances,' she said. 'Lahela and Noah were about to be so cruelly taken away from their mum again. 'Although this past year has been hell, I want to take the time to say thank you to all those who stood by me and all those who supported me. Without you I wouldn't be in the fighting spirit I am in now. 'To my family and close friends, I love you ... So much respect and appreciation for you all.' Lahela was drawing with coloured textas in the footage Ms Faulkner shared on Thursday, from one year ago today In an emotional Facebook post, Ms Faulkner said the last year had been 'hell' Tara Brown is pictured with 60 Minutes producer Stephen Rice as they arrive at Sydney International Airport on April 21, 2016, after the botched child abduction Ms Faulkner, Tara Brown and other 60 Minutes crew were put behind bars in small concrete cells in Beirut. The mother was warned she could have been jailed for up to 20 years, and the television crew were told they faced kidnapping charges. Adam Whittington of Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI) was behind bars for three months, and provided bank statements showing Nine Network paid $69,000 for the abduction attempt. Mr Whittington claimed CARI was paid a total of $115,000. Ms Faulkner is pictured with her daughter Lahela before things went wrong for the Brisbane mother Lahela and Noah now live with their father in Lebanon Sally Faulkner snatched the children off a Beirut street with a 60 Minutes crew on this day last year Nine Network reportedly paid Mr Elamine US$500,000 in the fallout Nine Network reportedly paid Mr Elamine US$500,000 in the fallout. Ms Faulkner and Brown were released from prison after a little more than two weeks, and played with Lahela and Noah at a playground before they returned to Australia shortly after their release. She signed over parental custody rights and has not seen her children since. Ms Faulkner has a baby boy to her new husband, Brendan Pierce. The Brisbane mother is pictured with her two children when they were younger Mr Elamine is pictured with Lahela and Noah in Lebanon after the drama Mr Elamine is pictured with his six-year-old daughter and four-year-old son Twenty years ago Irena Hatfield was charged with shooting dead her yachtsman husband Chris as he slept in front of the television at their home at Maroubra, in Sydney's south-east. After a sensational trial in which the couple's extramarital affairs made national headlines, she was acquitted of murder and walked free. In a candid interview with Daily Mail Australia, Ms Hatfield - who now runs a boutique art gallery in Sydney's inner city - revealed she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years ago, and decided to set her own 'exit date'. But when she later discovered the diagnosis was wrong, Ms Hatfield drew up a bucket list which she is making her way through ticking off. 'I feel blessed... I don't believe in God, but maybe it was a miracle,' she said. Irena Hatfield, pictured in her Surry Hills studio, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 12 years after being acquitted of murdering her husband Chris Irena and Chris Hatfield on their honeymoon in Bali in 1983, two years before Chris was shot dead Irena and Chris Hatfield kissing after winning a drinking competition in Bali on their honeymoon in 1983 Ms Hatfield, who suffered sexual abuse as a child, has been utterly terrified of not being in control of her life for most of her colourful 69 years. Being accused of murdering her husband 12 years after his death left her feeling helpless but she was floored when told in January 2012 she had Alzheimer's disease. Unwilling to be a burden on her family, she feared she would finish her days in a nursing home, squandering her daughters' inheritance. She planned to kill herself on September 20, 2013. Then after two years believing she was suffering dementia, the grandmother of four was told she did not have the disease. Instead of feeling anger at the misdiagnosis she is as happy as she has ever been. 'That's what being at peace is all about; when you're no longer wanting, you're just there,' she said. 'It's when you stop wanting that you're really happy.' Ms Hatfield has since embarked on trips New Orleans and Morocco and taken a Caribbean cruise. She has snorkeled in Montego Bay in Jamaica, ridden camels in the Sahara Desert and swum with dolphins at Cozumel off Mexico. She bought a Cartier watch in the Cayman Islands and a midnight blue Porsche Boxster she spotted online. And now she has opened a boutique inner city art gallery in the front of her Surry Hills home. Irena Hatfield pictured in her boutique art gallery My Art Hub Two years after being told she had Alzheimer's disease, Irena Hatfield learnt the diagnosis was wrong Irena Hatfield has opened a boutique gallery in Surry Hills where she sells works by herself and her friends Ms Hatfield thought she was happy three decades ago before her husband Chris was shot dead. She had married him two years earlier 'for lust and lifestyle'. 'He was a lot of fun to be with,' Ms Hatfield says. 'Not only was he good-looking, he was very passionate and a great lover. I suppose because he had a lot of experience.' Irena Hatfield married Chris Hatfield, pictured in Hawaii in 1982, for 'lust and lifestyle' Chris Hatfield, pictured at the helm of his pink yacht Powder Puff in 1984, had sailed in the Sydney to Hobart race Irena Hatfield and her husband Chris on the day she graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Education in Fine Arts On the night of April 19, 1985, Ms Hatfield and her two daughters from her first marriage had been sleeping upstairs while Chris was crashed out on the lounge in the family's home. Shortly after midnight, when Ms Hatfield went down to check on her butcher husband she found him dead. Chris had been shot with a .22 calibre weapon four times in the right temple and once in the chest. Ms Hatfield was soon a suspect but there was no solid motive or evidence of her having committed the crime. 'We live a normal married life,' she told detectives. 'We have had our bad times and teething problems - mainly in the first year - but we were just settling down and things were going nicely for us.' Chris Hatfield pictured asleep at a party in 1983 on the couch where he shot dead two years later Chris Hatfield pictured three years before he was murdered in Hawaii on a family trip in 1982 The teething problems included Irena's many affairs. Convinced Chris was cheating on her, Irena had flings with Grant the radio announcer, Bruce the American, Robert the German and Malcolm, a fellow school teacher. 'All that had finished well before Chris died,' Ms Hatfield says. 'We were trying to have another child. What I did before, I had stopped, and I think he had stopped too.' No one was charged with Chris's murder and Ms Hatfield got on with her life. Twelve years later, when Ms Hatfield was director of the Lismore Regional Art Gallery, her law student lover Atticus Busby, about 14 years her junior, told police she had confessed. A court room scene sketched by Irena Hatfield when she was on trial for murder in 2000 A sketch by Irena Hatfield of Crown Prosecutor John Kiely, SC, when she was on trial for murder in 2000 A supporter's note handed to Irena Hatfield in court when she was on trial for murdering her husband Mr Busby said Ms Hatfield had told her in May 1996: 'I shot him. Pow, pow, pow, pow. One for me, one for my mum and one for each of my daughters.' She was charged with murder in June the next year. Mrs Hatfield did not give evidence before a jury when the case came to court in 2000 but told a pre-trial hearing she had told Mr Busby something like 'I shot him, I killed him' because 'that is what would turn him on'. 'During times of intimacy we would enter into role play and those sorts of things would be said during sex,' she said. After a six-week trial a jury of seven men and five women found Ms Hatfield not guilty. Irena and Chris Hatfield embrace after winning a drinking competition while on honeymoon in Bali in 1983 Irena and Chris Hatfield putting on a show for drinkers at a Bali pub on their honeymoon in 1983 Ms Hatfield returned for a while to her job at the art gallery, wrote a book about her life, then moved back to Sydney in 2002. The next year she bought and began renovating a terrace in Surry Hills. 'That became a big change in my life,' she says. 'That was a full stop. I was building this little nest just for myself. I was setting myself up for retirement, I felt.' She even threw out her 'beautiful cedar four-post bed', which marked the end of her 'promiscuous life'. 'It had seen a lot of action,' she says. 'I had a lot of fun in that bed. It still brings back good memories. 'I can't imagine getting older and not having wonderful things to smile about.' Irena Hatfield, pictured in her Surry Hills studio, returned to painting after being cleared of Alzheimer's disease Irena Hatfield, pictured in her boutique art hub at Surry Hills, is selling works by herself and her friends Irena Hatfield pictured with a drop mitre saw she bought to make frames for her finished artworks In 2005, Ms Hatfield briefly ran a small gallery in the terrace devoted to erotic art. An encounter with a first cousin from Germany at wedding led to a friendship and Gerhard moved into her home. 'We got on really,' Ms Hatfield says. 'It wasn't a sexual relationship as such. It was more companionship. Probably more like brother and sister. 'But we did sleep together in the same bed and we did fool around.' Ms Hatfield, who was born Irena Dobrijevich in Germany, soon moved there with Gerhard and the pair married so she could gain residency. 'I hate to use the word but it was a marriage of convenience. We weren't going to be having children at our age.' Irena Hatfield pictured on her bed below a nude portrait of her painted by former lover John Taranto Irena Hatfield has this nude portrait of herself painted by former lover John Taranto hanging above her bed One of three portraits of Irena Hatfield painted by her former lover John Taranto hanging on her bedroom wall The couple settled happily in the village of Bissingen, where Ms Hatfield's mother had grown up. 'We would take a Sunday drive to buy chocolates and cheese in France.' But after two years, Ms Hatfield was missing her children and grandchildren. 'I just really felt that I didn't want to be with Gerhard for the rest of my life.' Back in Surry Hills, Ms Hatfield started an affair with a trumpet player called Bill. 'He had the most perfect penis,' she says. 'It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. 'It was a perfect package in my opinion. And I'm a connoisseur.' That relationship ended and Ms Hatfield became increasingly concerned about her forgetfulness. A neurologist diagnosed Alzheimer's disease in January 2012. In a story commissioned for Senior's Week, Ms Hatfield wrote what happened next. 'I couldn't absorb what he had said. My brain was numb from overload. I was trying to process everything all at once but couldn't.' Irena Hatfield in the courtyard of her art hub in inner-city Surry Hills Irena Hatfield returned to painting after being told she had been wrongly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease Not willing to live with dementia, Ms Hatfield began planning her 'exit' and writing a bucket list. First was an August 2012 trip to New York with her daughters where the trio visited all the big museums and took in Broadway and jazz shows. Back home, Ms Hatfield read up on euthanasia and decided on an overdose of pills as her 'exit' plan. 'I had to do it all on my own,' she says. 'I couldn't share it with anyone because of the way the law is. That was hard. First she wanted to finish a book about her years on Elcho Island in the Northern Territory, where she had established an Aboriginal Art Centre in the 1990s. The book, White Woman, Black Art, took longer than planned to write and her planned exit date passed. Pictured are two works by Irena Hatfield for sale in her Surry Hills gallery Irena Hatfield has been reading the newspapers for blind people on Sydney radio station 2RPH Two years after her Alzheimer's diagnosis, family and friends expressed increasing doubts to Ms Hatfield that it was right. She saw another neurologist who told her she did not have the disease. Ms Hatfield does not blame the original diagnosing doctor and just wants to enjoy her new lease of life. 'I'm just grateful I don't have it,' she says. 'I have a reason to live. 'I tried to come to terms with it all, that I now had a future. Now what? I thought "well, what would I really like to do?".' First she began painting. Then took a trip to New Orleans, with a friend. A cruise on the Mississippi was followed by too many cocktails on Bourbon Street, where she 'smooched' a black musician. 'He was a sexy man, too'. Next came a Caribbean cruise, followed by Morocco Casablanca, Marrakesh, the Sahara Desert then last year Ms Hatfield took the Indian Pacific train from Adelaide to Perth. Irena Hatfield swimming with a dolphin on the Mexican island of Cozumel Irena Hatfield riding a camel in the Sahara Desert during her recent trip to Morocco Irena Hatfield pictured riding a camel on a trip that including Casablanca, Marrakesh and the Sahara Desert She took a Western Australia road trip camping in the Kimberly, patting a shark off Cable Beach and feeding dolphins at Monkey Mia - then back to Surry Hills. Ms Hatfield's latest project is a by-appointment-only boutique gallery called My Art Hub in Crown Street where she sells her own works alongside those of friends. Her last relationship, with Rob the auditor, finished 18 months ago. 'I've been on my own ever since,' she says. Irena Hatfield has bought herself a midnight blue Porsche Boxter because she always wanted one Irena Hatfield outside her Surry Hills home with her midnight blue Porsche Boxter As for what happened to Chris Hatfield, his widow believes the murder was most likely 'some kind of crime of passion'. 'It would be in my interest for that to be solved,' she says. 'I think I'm the only one alive that still gives a damn.' Meanwhile, Ms Hatfield is happy driving around in her Porsche, spending time with her grandchildren and running her little gallery, where she takes no commission. 'Our life is finite,' she says. 'Why would you waste any part of your life?' Chukwuemeka Ekwonna, 27, (pictured in this unndated booking photo) allegedly paid a 15-year-old for sex and then took back the money at gunpoint A Washington, DC, police officer is facing a string of charges in Maryland after authorities say he paid a 15-year-old girl for sex and then took back the money at gunpoint. Anne Arundel County police said 27-year-old Chukwuemeka Ekwonna of Glenn Dale, Maryland, was arrested Thursday at his home in the 7500 block of Lake Glen Drive. Ekwonna was charged with armed robbery, assault, third-degree sex offense, reckless endangerment, prostitution and a weapon offense. He was denied bail by District Court Judge Eileen A Reilly, who said the charges against the former officer are 'incredibly disturbing, to say the least' and that he could pose a 'danger to the community', the Capital Gazette reports. Court documents show the unidentified teen recently told officials that she was robbed by a man she met through the social media app 'Tagged' and offered her $80 for sex. They met in person on January 9 at the Quarterfield Crossing Apartments in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and after they had sex, she says the man, later identified as Ekwonna, pointed a gun at her and demanded his money back. The former Washington police officer met the unidentified teen in person on January 9 at the Quarterfield Crossing Apartments in Glen Burnie, Maryland (pictured) Ekwonna of Glenn Dale, Maryland, was arrested by Anne Arundel County police Thursday at his home in the 7500 block of Lake Glen Drive (pictured) Authorities in Washington say Ekwonna, who has worked with the Metropolitan Police Department for 14 months, was fired Friday. Ekwonna and his father, Harrison, worked with the DC Department of Corrections, Fox 5 reports. They were sued by an inmate in August 2013 for allegedly using excessive force. The case was settled in February when the city agreed to pay the inmate $20,000, according to court records. The first wife of real estate heir Robert Durst has been officially declared dead 35 years after she was last seen. A New York judge set the date of death for Kathleen Durst at Jan. 31, 1987, exactly five years after her 1982 disappearance from Westchester County in New York. The ruling from Surrogate's Court in Manhattan was dated March 24. It was first reported in the New York Post. Robert Durst was the lead suspect in the disappearance of Kathleen Durst in 1982 Robert Durst has long been suspected in the death of his wife who was 29-year-old at the time but he was never criminally charged. Durst pleaded not guilty to the murder of his close friend Susan Berman and has said he had nothing to do with the disappearance of his wife, whose body has never been found. Kathleen's strange disappearance was featured on the HBO docuseries 'The Jinx' along with Berman's murder and the killing and dismemberment of Durst's Texas neighbor. In the final scene episode of the show, Durst is not aware his microphone is on when he says: 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.' He was extradited to California to be tried for Berman's murder in 2016. On February 14, 2017 prosecutors questioned whether or not Durst called the dean of the New York medical school and had someone pose as his wife in 1982 to say she could not make her doctor's appointment. Robert Durst appears in the Airport Branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court after pleading not guilty to murdering Susan Berman Kathleen Durst was declared dead in March of 2017 with her date of death as Jan. 31, 1987. Now, her family can pursue a civil case against Robert Durst The 73-year-old Durst is charged with murder in the 2000 killing of Berman in Los Angeles. She was killed execution-style, allegedly because of what she knew about the unsolved death of Durst's spouse two decades earlier. Berman reportedly was planning to speak with investigators about Kathleen Durst's suspected slaying. The declaration of death for Kathleen Durst allows her siblings to pursue civil litigation against Robert Durst. Australia is at risk of invasion from China's growing military might and other foreign superpowers, a doomsday theorist has warned. Former U.S. Army Intelligence officer James Wesley, Rawles, who has a comma in his name, believes the land down under is vulnerable because of its isolation. The self-proclaimed 'survivalist' also believes the world could one day plunge into meltdown from an over-dependency on technology. And in the event of apocalypse, the U.S. author is wagering Darwin is the safest bet for survival. A self-proclaimed ''survivalist' believes society may plunge into meltdown because of an over-dependence on technology - and Darwin is Australia's safest city Doomsday 'survivalist' James Wesley, Rawles, who has a comma in his name, believes Australia could be invaded by China 'Australia is vulnerable to invasion. This is because of your geographic isolation and relatively small military,' he told Daily Mail Australia. He said the devastation of bombing raids at the hands of the Japanese military in 1942 laid bare Australia's exposure to attack. 'You came very close in World War II. In the next fifty years you could be at risk of a similar state of affairs with China. They're showing strong territorial ambition.' He said China's military is held back by their navy but that was tipped to change. 'They a large army, but relatively small navy. One day they will build the transport, bolster their submarines. Then things will be very different.' His comments come as China scales up its involvement in the fierce territorial disputes of the contested South China Sea. Mr Rawles said he believed Darwin (pictured) was the ideal location for Australia to descend upon to survive an apocalypse (Stock Image) The US author said Australia could be in danger of invasion from China's growing military might (Chinese aircraft carrier fleet on the South China Sea) The superpower recently completed the construction of three military bases on artificial islands in the region, according to a US think tank which monitors activity in the area. The islands are hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland and are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, but China sees them as vital to protecting the strategically important sea routes to and from its ports. Despite Darwin being virtually on the doorstep of these boiling tensions, Mr Rawles believes it is the perfect place to descend on if society crumbled. 'There's plenty of rainfall because of the tropical climate but there's very light population density overall,' he said. 'You need water. A lot of other survival needs can be improvised, but you cant improvise water.' Mr Rawles said the bombing of Port Darwin during WWII in 1942 (pictured) showed Australia's vulnerability to attack Darwin is Australia's closest locale to the boiling military tensions of the South China Sea 'As well as the environmental conditions, it's also remote from population centres, so it's probably the safest.' But the Top End isn't just an attractive foothold for doomsday preppers. 'Because Darwin connects Australia by a national highway system, it would be also be valuable to an invading army.' In 1942, Japan pounded Darwin and Broome in a devastating wave of raids that claimed 900 lives, 77 aircraft and several ships. With this history - and the infestation of crocodiles - it could be argued Darwin it is an odd choice for survival. Then again, if Armageddon does come to pass, it's probably best to keep our options open. A fan of This Morning has come up with a very cheeky way of celebrating his two favourite daytime TV hosts. Matty O'Hagan, 19, spent three hours in a tattooist's chair getting inked with the smiling faces of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. Mr O'Hagan, a merchandiser from Thornaby, Teeside, got the tattoo after his flat-mate Lee Crane had Ant and Dec inked on his rear. Matty O'Hagan, 19, spent three hours in a tattooist's chair getting inked with the smiling faces of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield He said: 'It took an hour-and-a-half on each cheek, so three hours in total, and was sore in a couple of patches but it was all worth it in the end,' according to The Sun. He added: 'I've got quite a few tattoos already but they're all pretty terrible - including a couple of "mum" ones.' Tattooist Steve Bell said: 'It's by far the strangest request I've ever had. Where does it all stop?' Last year Mr O'Hagan's flatmate Lee Crane, 28, decided to get Ant and Dec inked on his backside after being showed a photo of the pair recreating the famous spaghetti eating scene from Disney classic Lady and the Tramp. Mr O'Hagan (centre), a merchandiser from Thornaby, Teeside, was inked by tattoo artist Steve Bell (left). Also pictured, studio manager Peter Wilkinson Jordan Murphy, from Newton Abbott, Devon, was another person who opted for a very bizarre tattoo choice. The 21-year-old got Donald Trump's face on his leg next to the infamous phrase 'grab her by the p***y'. He described the inking as 'a bit of fun', but admits his partner Lauren Freer is less than impressed. Mr Murphy paid 40 for the tattoo at The Fleet St Tattoo Collective in Torquay. It was inspired by the recording of the US president released during his campaign in which he spoke about his interactions with women. Three black bear cubs were found trapped inside a highway rest stop bathroom in Canada. The cubs, thought to be three months old, were found in the bathroom at 11pm on April 1 by a motorist at a Trans-Canada Highway rest stop in Alberta. 'We don't know how long they were in there. They're healthy but obviously a little stressed out,' Parks Canada spokesperson Christina Tricomi told the Edmonton Sun. These three black bear cubs were found trapped in the bathroom by a motorist at a Trans-Canada Highway rest stop in Alberta Parks staff don't know how the cubs became locked inside the bathroom located about three miles away from the west entrance of Banff National Park or how they became separated from their mother. They've checked cameras at a nearby underpass - there are no surveillance cameras at the rest stop - and spent two days patrolling the area but couldn't find their mother, Tricomi said. Until they do, staff are looking after the cubs, who require bottle feeding, to minimize human interaction with the animals. No one knows how the cubs, thought to be three months old, became locked in a bathroom similar to this or how they became separated from their mother The bathroom's located about three miles away from the west entrance of Banff National Park If they can't find their mother, the cubs will go to a zoo or rehabilitation center until they can return to the wild. Clio Smeeton, who runs a wildlife rehab facility at the Cochrane Research Institute west of Calgary, Canada, told CBC News that it's important for the cubs to eventually return to their natural habitat because the species has lost its 'genetic biodiversity'. Tricomi said black bear cubs typically stay with their mother for a year after their birth. Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby could be banned from returning to Indonesia once her parole ends on May 27. The convicted drug smuggler, who has spent the last 12 years in Bali, will be banned for at least six months from returning but that could extend to a lifetime, the Daily Telegraph reports. It leaves her relationship with Indonesian boyfriend Ben Panangian in doubt. Panangian, a former inmate Corby met in Kerobokan prison, was spotted spending time with the Australian this week and is a frequent guest at Corby's Kuta residence. Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby could be banned for a lifetime from ever returning to Indonesia It leaves her relationship with Indonesian boyfriend Ben Panagian (left) in doubt The 39-year-old will be given a letter of freedom and sign her parole book for the final time on May 27. She will then be deported back to Australia immediately as she committed a crime in Indonesia. But boyfriend Panangian, faces significant challenges to remain with Corby in Australia given his prior offences. Panangian has been convicted and jailed twice, including an arrest in 2014 for alleged possession of marijuana, making the chances of him getting an Australian visa very slim. A spokesman for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told the Daily Telegraph that there would be no special leniency for Corby's partner and that normal process would apply. Panangian has been twice convicted and jailed for drug offences making his case for visa to be with Corby difficult The 39-year-old Corby will be deported back to Australia on May 27 after she signs her parole book for the final time Corby was released from the notorious Kerobokan Prison in February 2014 after serving nine years for couriering 4.2 kilograms of cannabis. She met Panangian during her time in prison, where the two would see each other at the prison church, and their relationship continued after Panangian served his sentence. However the two have remained tight-lipped about their relationship in public When asked by a judge about the nature of his involvement with the Australian during a court appearance back in December 2014, Panangian replied: 'I know her just as a friend', the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Corby has remained tight-lipped about her relationship with Panangian, and is facing an uncertain future with him once she returns to Australia Pauline Hanson has removed an ad for homestay accommodation at a house she owns in Queensland, after it was revealed she had not declared her interest in the property. The home - a one-bedroom cottage on a 60-hectare property in Coleyville - had been advertised for $110 a night on a site registered to the One Nation leader, which listed her partner Tony as the contact, the Sunday Telegraph reported. A farmstay cottage (pictured) located on Senator Pauline Hanson's Queensland property had been advertised on an accommodation website registered to the politician The one-bedroom cottage was being advertised online for $110 a night The self-contained cottage came with reverse-cycle air conditioning and a sofa-bed extra guests could use for an additional fee of $25 a night The website had said the accommodation boasted views of 'rolling pastures' and came with reverse-cycle air conditioning, a microwave and a sofa-bed which extra guests could sleep on for an additional fee of $25 a night. An accommodation business registered with ASIC in March, 2015 names 'Pauline Hanson' as the business holder. Her parliamentary register of senators' interests lists two houses in Coleyville, described as residential. It does not list the accommodation business. James Ashby, the chief of staff to Senator Hanson (pictured), said she no longer accepts guests for a cottage located on her Queensland property The accommodation website, which has since been removed, boasted the cottage had views of 'rolling pastures' Federal politicians must declare real estate 'and the purpose for which it is owned', 'registered directorships of companies', 'partnerships', 'shareholdings in public and private companies' and 'family and business trusts and private companies'. Senator Hanson's chief of staff, James Ashby, said once she was elected to Parliament in July last year she ceased accepting guests for the cottage. 'It's no longer used for commercial purposes,' Mr Ashby said. He added Senator Hanson had been unsuccessful in having the cottage removed from a local tourism website. A baby boy died after a midwife switched off a heart monitor alarm warning that his life was in danger 16 times during his birth. The baby would have survived were it not for the failure to follow basic medical procedure, a Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed. Yet neither the midwife nor a colleague who also failed to heed the monitors warnings has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) while the hospitals probe into the death was carried out behind closed doors and has been dubbed a cover-up by the family. Failed by his carers: A snap of Rupert in hospital as he struggled for life The horrific case is just one example of what experts warn is the commonplace inability of midwives to use life-saving machines competently. Rupert Sanders would now be a four-year-old bundle of joy for his parents, Lauren and Robert. But the life was choked out of him in the womb when the placental cord caught around his neck. That squeezed and narrowed the cord depriving him of oxygenated blood. Midwife Carol Marston should have picked up on warnings from the bedside cardiotocograph (CTG) machine that Rupert was struggling and called an obstetrician for help. Instead, she repeatedly cancelled the machines alarm in the mistaken belief there was nothing wrong. Fellow midwife, Anne Mather, also failed to spot the looming catastrophe. Rupert was born in an extremely poor state at troubled Stafford hospital in 2012 and died three days later. In February, West Yorkshire coroner David Hinchcliff raised concerns after another baby boy, Maxim Karpovich, died in similar circumstances at a different hospital. He wrote to medical leaders: This inquest, and many others previously, have caused me to note that midwives and obstetricians lack the core skills to interpret CTG tracings. Rupert's parents Lauren and Rob. Lauren chose to go to Stafford, where she did not work, to be a normal birthing mum, said Mrs ORafferty, adding: Its the worst decision she ever made' Ruperts midwives have been sanctioned by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), but only after a concerted campaign by his family. The parents remain so traumatised by the loss of their child they do not want to talk publicly. But Mrs Sanders mother, retired teacher Andrea ORafferty, 58, told The Mail on Sunday: From the beginning to end, the whole thing smacks of a great big cover-up. They all hoped it would just disappear. The NMC is meant to uphold public confidence in the profession. But who would look at whats happened here and think the midwifes been told off and thats enough? I cant believe anybody could fail so extraordinarily in their care, and be allowed to continue to practise. First-time mother Lauren, then 27, was admitted to the labour ward at Stafford hospital at 2.25pm on December 23, 2012, after her waters broke the previous day. That evening, Mrs Marston, now 46, and Mrs Mather, now 60, started their shifts. Mrs Mather was meant to be Mrs Marstons buddy, checking her decisions. Everything was progressing normally, but at 10.30pm Mrs Marston neglected to check the CTG machine, as she was meant to do. Fifteen minutes later, Ruperts heartbeat dipped the first sign of trouble. At 11.30pm the midwife checked the machines paper trace, classifying it as suspicious. Mrs Mather confirmed her analysis. At that moment they should have called a doctor, as protocols dictate. Neither did. Experts later said their analysis was wrong Ruperts heart reading was actually pathological from 10.45pm, meaning he was at risk of permanent injury or death for more than two hours until his birth at 1.06am on Christmas Eve. NMC documents state: The alarm on the CTG sounded nine times in the last 30 minutes before the birth, yet this itself did not seem to alert either you [Mrs Marston] or Mrs Mather to the need to inform a doctor. The alarm was cancelled each time. Mrs Sanders also a midwife told the NMC it sounded 16 times in total. She said: The alarm sounded 16 times but it was silenced and no doctor was called. I will forever bear so much guilt that I did nothing to stop this from happening, but I did not know it was happening. An obstetrician told the NMC that if a timely caesarean had been carried out at around 11.40pm then Rupert would have survived. Mrs Sanders mother, who was at the birth, recalled: There was a very relaxed atmosphere in the room at the time. I am convinced that both midwives were utterly unaware of what was happening. They didnt give any cause for concern, or Lauren would have jumped on it. She put her trust in the hands of fellow professionals. But they failed. Lauren chose to go to Stafford, where she did not work, to be a normal birthing mum, said Mrs ORafferty, adding: Its the worst decision she ever made. Disciplined: Carol Marston at the NMC hearing In the weeks afterwards, Lauren and Rob assumed something catastrophic but unavoidable had happened in labour. But 15 months later, following the happy birth of daughter Betsy by caesarean, she asked Stafford hospital for Ruperts birthing notes. Besides the errors themselves, she learnt the hospital had quietly carried out a Serious Incident Review. It then passed the matter to senior midwife Wendy Carroll, a local midwifery supervisor who happened to be friends with Mrs Marston. She did not deem it necessary to involve the NMC, merely recommending both women underwent remedial training. Mrs ORafferty said: They had a friend investigating a friend. You cant have that! If it hadnt been for Lauren asking for her notes, all this would never have come to light. After learning of the internal reviews, Lauren swiftly referred both Marston and Mather to the NMC. After the NMC hearings two weeks ago, Mrs Marston was given a five-year caution. She was given credit for being open and honest about her mistakes and taking responsibility for them. Mrs Mather received an 18-month interim suspension. She said she was full of distress, remorse and sadness for the baby and recognised the devastating effect on his family, but the hearing panel concluded she lacked insight into her failings. Both have quit midwifery Mrs Marston switched to nursing a year after Ruperts death, while Mrs Mather has retired. Medical negligence lawyer Emma Rush of firm Irwin Mitchell said the experience had left Ruperts parents questioning the transparency of the internal hospital review process, while the NMCs decision has left them distraught. She added: They wanted to ensure that this could not happen again and that important lessons would be learned from the mistakes made. The signs are not encouraging. In February, coroner Mr Hinchcliff wrote to the heads of the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists about the death of baby Maxim. In that letter and in another, sent weeks later in relation to the death of a third baby, Billy Wilson, he recommended mandatory pass or fail testing of use of CTG machines by midwives and doctors before they could be allowed to work on labour wards. In a written submission to Billys inquest, Mr Hinchcliff quoted a midwifery expert who had said that it was commonplace that student midwives can qualify and become registered [to work] without this essential training. Professor Philip Steer, an obstetrician and expert witness, said there was no formal assessment of competence in CTG interpretation in most NHS hospitals, and on-the-job training was the norm. CTG training courses that did exist tended to be supported by charities such as Baby Lifeline, he said. In my opinion, the problem needs to be tackled in a much more systematic way. Louise Silverton, director of midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said interpreting CTG traces was not an exact science. And a recent study pitting computerised CTG assessment against that of healthcare professionals failed to find any meaningful difference in birth outcomes between the two. Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the organisation responsible in 2012, has been disbanded. Karen Meadowcroft, director of midwifery at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which took over the site, renamed County Hospital, said: The maternity service at County Hospital has changed immeasurably. The Womens Health Centre offer an excellent service. An NMC spokesman said: The old system of midwifery supervision was not adequate for public protection. The risk of a midwife being investigated at a local level by individuals known to them has now been removed. Mrs Marston did not comment when approached by The Mail on Sunday. Mrs Carroll also declined to comment. Mrs Mathers husband Duncan said: She has been hugely emotionally affected and distraught. She was not unaffected by what went on and these events contributed to her early decision to retire. Basque separatist group Eta has begun surrendering its weapons to French authorities. The group handed over the locations of eight weapons caches in a ceremony in the southern city of Bayonne yesterday. French police officers stand near a hideout used by Basque separatist guerrillas ETA in Saint Pee sur Nivelle, southwestern France, Saturday, April 8 French police officers open a weapons cache in Saint Pee sur Nivelle, south western France French interior minister Matthias Fekl said it was a major step towards peace. Eta militants killed more than 800 people in a 43-year campaign as they tried to carve out an independent country straddling parts of France and Spain. They declared a ceasefire in 2011 but did not disarm. Mr Fekl said the weapons caches contained firearms, explosives and ammunition. French interior minister Mathias Fekl at a press conference about ETA's disarming (Basque acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) at the Hotel de Beauvau, the Ministry of the Interior, in Paris on April 8 Turned down: Thandeka Xhakaza is now studying in Bulgaria Hundreds of straight-A British students are being denied the chance to train as doctors in the UK despite a crippling national shortage of medics in the NHS. Top-performing teenagers are being shunned by leading universities while the NHS continues to recruit thousands of foreign doctors to plug a staffing crisis. Official figures reveal that 770 students with three grade As or higher at A-level were rejected by medical schools last year due to a controversial Government quota system. The Government says it takes 230,000 to fully train each doctor in the UK because of the higher costs of delivering medical education, and critics claim the number of places available at universities is capped to save taxpayers money. That means one in five of straight-A students failed in their application to study at a British medical school last year, according to university applications body UCAS. As a result, some of the brightest British students are having to train abroad after failing to get into UK universities. Yet almost 6,000 foreign doctors were hired in the UK last year, despite the fact overseas staff are four times more likely to be struck off for blunders than British counterparts. A House of Lords NHS Sustainability committee last week warned in a highly-critical report that the NHS was too reliant on foreign staff. Committee chair Lord Patel said: It is a farcical situation where the best A-level students are being told they cannot train as doctors in the UK when we are facing a major crisis in the NHS. We are not training enough doctors and the ones we are are leaving the NHS in their droves. One in five of straight-A students failed in their application to study at a British medical school last year We cannot go on like this. We need to own our ability to train doctors. This is the biggest problem facing the NHS. Experts say the Governments pledge to boost the number of UK-trained doctors by 1,500 will be insufficient to tackle the manpower crisis. Harrison Carter, of the British Medical Association, said: The Government has failed to train enough doctors to meet growing patient demand, leaving the NHS facing crippling staff shortages. It takes at least ten years to train a doctor, but with the NHS at breaking point and patients waiting too long, we need more doctors now. MPs have warned there is a shortage of 3,000 doctors on A&E wards, while other experts have said four-week waiting lists to see a GP will soon become the norm. Thandeka Xhakaza, from Bath, told yesterday how she had to move to Bulgaria to study to be a doctor after being rejected by four British universities last year, despite achieving three A-level As in biology, chemistry and physics. Miss Xhakaza, who aspires to be a brain surgeon, said: It is absurd. There are 300 other British students at my university in Trakia and a further 1,000 more in the capital Sofia. UK universities were allowed to recruit just 6,071 medicine students last year, even though the General Medical Council (GMC) registers 13,000 doctors each year. To train as a doctor in the UK, students need to pass a medical degree that takes five years. This is followed by a two-year foundation course, and then three years GP training, or five to eight years in other speciality areas. The GMC says 30,778 doctors currently come from the EU and other countries in the European Economic Area, while 72,402 were trained elsewhere outside the UK. One in three doctors in Britain comes from abroad, but last year foreign-trained medics made up 72 per cent of those struck off. Chief Keef left his green Lamborghini on the streets of Miami Beach as police detained the rapper after a possible drug deal. The 21-year-old was filmed by a passersby being pulled out his expensive hot rod by an officer and being sat on the side of the road after a traffic stop in Miami Beach on Saturday. Police put handcuffs on the hip-hop star after Chief Keef's friend in the passenger seat, allegedly hopped out of the bright green vehicle and started talking to people in another car. Miami Beach officials saw the interaction and believed it was a drug transaction and detained five people for questioning. The rapper has not been officially booked or charged yet. Rapper Chief Keef was detained by Miami Beach police on Saturday after the officers believe they witnessed a drug deal happen (pictured) The 21-year-old rapper was filmed being pulled from his bright green Lamborghini, which can cost up to $275,000, and put in handcuffs Chief Keef, whose real name is Keith Cozart, has not been officially booked or charged yet Witnesses told TMZ that there had been marijuana found in at least one of the cars at the scene. Chief Keef, whose real name is Keith Cozart, was detained along with his cousin, rapper Tadoe, according to a witness who filmed the incident. Police were possibly drawn to the scene by Chief Keef's flashy ride, a bright lime green Lamborghini with suicide doors, which can cost anywhere from $180,000 to $275,000, depending on the make and year of the car. He has been posting several shots of the car, along with several other luxury vehicles on his Instagram account. This is hardly the musician's first brush with the law. In late January, the rap star was arrested in connection to a violent home invasion of music producer Ramsay Tha Great who claims he was badly beaten and robbed at gunpoint with an AK-47 by the rapper and his crew. Witnesses said there had been marijuana found in at least one of the cars at the scene Chief Keef was detained along with his cousin, rapper Tadoe (left), and three other suspects, according to a witness who filmed the incident He has been posting several shots of the car, which can cost anywhere from $180,000 to $275,000 depending on the make and year, on Instagram (pictured) The Chicago man was accused of assaulting his former music producer and was arrested by Los Angeles police. Chief Keef allegedly robbed the producer of a Rolex, rings and $1,600 in cash, while being armed with an assault rifle on January 19. Ramsay Tha Great said in the video that he was woken up by someone at his door and Chief Keef and another man who was armed with an assault rifle, pushed their way inside his room. The rap star was arrested at his Los Angeles home (pictured) in connection to a violent home invasion of music producer in late January. Ramsay Tha Great (right) claims he was badly beaten and robbed at gunpoint with an AK-47 by the rapper and his crew They began hitting him in the face and stole some of his belongings, according to the producer. He promised from his hospital bed that he would see the rapper in court and would 'take everything' from him. The rapper's first tangle with the law came at just 15-years-old when he was arrested and charged for delivering and manufacturing heroin in Chicago, a Class X felony. Marina Navarro, 35, won a $100,000 jackpot at a Florida casino that her former friend believes is rightfully his. Though he claims to have paid for the fateful spin, Navarro was the one to physically press the button Two former friends have fallen out after winning a $100,000 jackpot at a Florida casino because of where the chips fell. When Jan Flato, 66, was gambling at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Fort Lauderdale when he told his companion Marina Medvedeva Navarro to push the button for him 'for good luck'. When the reels spun to reveal the winning numbers, Jan was ecstatic, until he tried to collect his money - and clerks told him the hefty jackpot was rightfully Navarro's. Since then, the two have been in a furious row over the winnings. 'Upstairs, the eye in the sky says she technically touched the button, so we have to pay her,' Flato told the Miami Herald of the January 31st incident. A spokesperson for the casino confirmed that after surveillance footage showed Navarro, 35, pressing the button to launch the reels, she became the rightful owner of the jackpot. 'The person who pushes a slot machine button or pulls the arm is the person who wins the jackpot,' said Seminole spokesman Gary Bitner. Flato, however, says he paid the $50-a-spin on the Double Top Dollar machine, and used his gambling card to do so. Scroll down for video When Jan Flato, 66, was gambling at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino when he told his companion Navarro to pull the lever for him 'for good luck' 'I said, "Marina, what are you doing?" and she gets up and walks out,' Flato said, according to WSVN. Navarro later disputed this claim, saying that it was her who funded the fated spin. The married mortgage broker who lives in Aventura, Florida,claims she originally planned to share the jackpot with her friend, but after he began threatening her, she changed her mind. When the $50,000 check and another $50,000 in cash was handed over to Navarro, her companion did not take the loss lightly. The married mortgage broker who lives in Aventura, Florida,claims she originally planned to share the jackpot with her friend, but after he began threatening her, she changed her mind 'Jan, all of the sudden, went ballistic. He started screaming in front of everybody,' she told the Herald. She claims he also sent her a number of aggressive text messages, one of which read: 'Having me as an enemy... Not good.' She responded to him several weeks later, asking if he still hated her. Flato reportedly texted her back asking, 'How could you do that to me?' She claims he also sent her a number of aggressive text messages, one of which read: 'Having me as an enemy... Not good' The 66-year-old moved to Aventura from Las Vegas a few years prior to help care for his elderly mother. Navarro maintains that her former friend is now trying to ruin her reputation, but Flato says he simply wants to raise awareness for the seemingly unfair rule. 'I'm a hard-working professional and [Flato] is playing with my honor,' she said. Her personal Facebook page has been flooded with hateful comments from users who caught wind of the story. Navarro's personal Facebook page has been flooded with hateful comments from users who caught wind of the story One man named Lee Bradbury commented on a number of her posts calling her a 'gold digging piece of s***'. Another speculated that Flato got 'played' by Navarro and was 'trying to schmooze his way into her pants'. Flato, who added he first met Navarro at the high-roller room at Gulfstream Park in 2015, said he simply wanted 'everybody to know what happened so it won't happen to them.' He continued: 'I've played slots all over the country and never had a problem like that. Even the people handing out the money said: 'This isn't right.' Kite-fighting contests which have caused death and serious injury in India and Pakistan are being held in Britain, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found. In the deadly sport, competitors try to cut down their opponents kites typically flying at five times the legal altitude limit using lethal glass-coated lines. Earlier this year, one such mid-air duel in Kent ended in near-disaster when a kite became wrapped around a helicopter carrying four people. Its razor-sharp cord damaged the rotors, windscreen and tail fin. The collision happened between 1,000ft and 1,500ft and is being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). By law, kites are not allowed to fly above 196ft. Kite-fighting contests which have caused death and serious injury in India and Pakistan are being held in Britain, a Mail on Sunday investigation has foun In the deadly sport, competitors try to cut down their opponents kites typically flying at five times the legal altitude limit using lethal glass-coated lines It didnt bring us down but we were very lucky, said the pilot. Next time it could be fatal. There was a similar incident in June involving a light aircraft at Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. Popular across South Asia, the sport featured in Khaled Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner set in Afghanistan. Numerous fatalities and injuries led to kite-fighting being banned in Pakistan and parts of India, where last year two children died in separate incidents at the same festivities. The razor-sharp lines, known as manja, cut their throats as they watched competitions in Delhi last year. A motorcyclist was also killed. More than 100 people were also hospitalised with kite-fighting injuries during a two-day festival in Gujarat. The Mail on Sunday has established that a number of kite-fighting clubs hold competitions in the UK on beaches. It is understood another one is planned for Kent this week. Charlie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said: The authorities need to look closely at the information uncovered by The Mail on Sunday and take urgent action. It is of real concern that a member of the public could get hurt or worse. We cant have a situation where peoples lives are put at risk. Sachi Goel died after her throat got slit due to a kite string in New Delhi last year And Alok Goel, whose three-year-old daughter Saanchi was one of the two children killed in India, said: Perhaps people dont realise the dangers. I appeal to the British Government to ban the sport immediately. Last August his daughter was with her mother Neha, watching Indias independence day celebrations when a manja line fell from the sky. Mr Goel said: The line wrapped around her throat. Before she could say anything, she started bleeding profusely and died within minutes. One UK kite-fighter, who belongs to a team in East London, said members order kites and the lines from Lahore in Pakistan. The spools cost 65, with up to 2,300ft of line. The incident in Kent on February 19 involved a twin-engine Bell 206 helicopter flying along the coast near Sandwich. The pilot said: I saw a kite close to me and took avoiding action. I thought it had become untethered. When I landed, I discovered the damage to the rotors, windscreen and tail fin. The marks to the top of the fin showed that if it had made contact inches lower, it would have hit the tail rotor. That would have put me in trouble, as loss of tail-rotor control is a serious emergency in a helicopter. A CAA spokesman said: This is the first time we have received a report relating to fighting kites. We take all reports seriously. Louise Harris, 24, is a Cambridge-educated wannabe popstar from Harpenden who has compared the Just Stop Oil campaign to that of the Irish rebels' fight for independence from the British and once said she was like a prisoner of war. This morning she cried on the gantry over Britain's busiest motorway as she declared: 'You might hate me for doing this. I'm here because I don't have a future.' But despite her warnings about the future of the planet, her Facebook page shows her posing next to a 2009 Fiat Punto, which runs on unleaded. Just Stop Oil opposes petrol cars so much its members smash petrol stations to prevent people refueling and blockade refineries. She also appears to be at the wheel - or a passenger - in the same car in a number of other social media posts, including this year when she has been taking part in Just Stop Oil protests, despite it running on petrol. Miss Harris compared her yellow Punto to the vehicle made famous by The Inbetweeners, because it has a red door. In one post where she stands next to her Fiat she says: 'I am officially Number 1 fan of this show f**k you other wannabes. Unfortunately it DOESN'T have a tape deck'. Today Miss Harris was among 23 people arrested by the Met Police and colleagues at Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire, after shutting down the M25. The demonstrator - who posts songs on YouTube including a slickly edited music video called 'Dating me is like a Cambridge term'. The lyrics include: Dating me is like a Cambridge term. By the fifth week you are completely burnt out emotionally destroyed and suicidal'. An international equestrian centre is to be built on the site of the razed Calais Jungle once the biggest unofficial refugee camp in Europe. Natacha Bouchart, mayor of the port town in northern France, said she was keen to see it set up as soon as possible, and that it should be of competition standard. It will mean horses and elite riders from all over the world using the now-abandoned land, which until last October was a vast shanty town housing up to 8,000 UK-bound migrants. An international equestrian centre is to be built on the site of the razed Calais Jungle once the biggest unofficial refugee camp in Europe Natacha Bouchart, mayor of the port town in northern France, said she was keen to see it set up as soon as possible, and that it should be of competition standard Ms Bouchart, of the conservative Republicans party, lobbied for the Jungle to be destroyed because it was bringing misery to local residents. Its occupants mainly from war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea were dispersed across France. The French authorities now have a zero-tolerance policy on asylum-seekers camping in the Calais area to try to reach Britain. But about 1,500 are still found in the port and Channel Tunnel areas each month. Calais council said meetings were being held about the new equestrian centre, to be built on the south of the old Jungle site. A teenager who was allegedly raped by a stranger in a dark alleyway has spoken of her horrific ordeal and revealed how she escaped her alleged attacker. The 19-year-old Dutch backpacker was walking to her apartment in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills just before midnight last Friday after a night out with friends. Just metres from home, she realised she was being followed by a man who asked what she was doing and if she had a boyfriend, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. A 19-year-old Dutch backpacker who was allegedly raped by a stranger in a dark alleyway has spoken of her horrific ordeal and revealed how she escaped her alleged attacker When she replied 'yes' and continued walking, the man allegedly grabbed her by the throat and said: 'Shut up or I will kill you, I will rape you'. She decided her only way out of the terrifying situation was to play along - so she agreed to go home with the stranger, hoping he would let go of her throat. 'I screamed the lungs out of my body... I was so lucky. I didn't know if he had a knife, I was so lucky I was close to home,' she told the paper. Just metres from home the teenager realised she was being followed by a stranger Her housemate came to her aid after hearing her screams and the alleged attacker fled the scene. On Wednesday, police arrested and charged a 22-year-old man with aggravated sexual assault, deprive liberty and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 'About 11.55pm on Friday 30 March 2017 a 19-year-old woman was sexually assaulted on Christie Lane, Surry Hills, by a man not known to her,' a police spokesman said. The woman was allegedly raped on Christie Lane (pictured) in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills 'The incident was reported to police from Surry Hills Local Area Command, who commenced an investigation. 'Following inquiries, about 4.50pm on Wednesday 5 April, police arrested a 22-year-old man on Salisbury Road, Camperdown.' The man did not apply for bail and was formally refused in Central Local Court on Thursday, the Herald reported. The Queen is displaying controversial ivory artefacts in a new exhibition on her Sandringham estate in a move that will infuriate Prince William. The historic objects include intricate carvings, a clock cabinet and a gong hanging between two elephant tusks. They are on public view to mark the 70th anniversary of Indias independence. Most items were gifted to the Royal family by Indian nobility in the 19th and early 20th Century before the ivory trade made elephants an endangered species. Scroll down for video The Queen is displaying controversial ivory artefacts in a new exhibition on her Sandringham estate. Pictured, an intricately carved ivory box But the display at Sandringham House museum is unlikely to impress wildlife campaigner William. He reportedly wants all 1,200 ivory items in the Royal collection to be destroyed, despite many being seen as important and historic works of art. He has also publicly called for an outright ban on the abhorrent selling of any ivory product, even if it is historic. It is also likely that Prince Charles will disapprove after reportedly asking for all ivory at his Clarence House and Highgrove homes to be removed from sight in recent years. But the exhibition suggests that the Queen and Prince Philip have a more relaxed view about displaying old ivory pieces. The display at Sandringham House museum is unlikely to impress wildlife campaigner William. Pictured, ivory tusks with a gong The museum on the 20,000-acre Norfolk estate was opened in 1928 to house King George Vs collection of big game trophies and can be visited by the public between April and October. For years, it had a trophy room with stuffed lions, a tiger and cheetah skins, tusks and rhinoceros and antelope heads. But the hunting memorabilia was removed in 2015, soon after Prince William, who lives two miles away at Anmer Hall, denounced the illegal trade in ivory, rhino horn and endangered animal parts. One regular visitor to the museum said: It was a surprise to see so much ivory in the new show. It must be embarrassing for William and Charles, but it shows their views are not always in line with those of the Queen. A notice explaining the new exhibition says all the artefacts are from the private collections within Sandringham House on an Indian theme including some played with by Royal children. The exhibition suggests that the Queen and Prince Philip have a more relaxed view about displaying old ivory pieces The UK has a ban on the trade in unworked ivory of any age and is consulting on an outright ban on all modern-day ivory products. But the Government wants to continue keeping it legal to trade in worked ivory, such as ornaments and works of art, if they date from before 1947. Primatologist Jane Goodall revealed in 2014 that Prince William had told her he would like to see all the ivory owned by Buckingham Palace destroyed. Williams call for a complete ban on ivory trading, regardless of the age of items, has been opposed by the British Museum, which said there was no public benefit in controlling the display or movement of ivory antiques. A Sandringham spokesperson said: It is our understanding that items on display comply with existing regulation. However, where there is a genuine doubt, the relevant item will be removed. Theresa May faced embarrassment last night after secret plans for Britains post-Brexit trade policy were revealed after being photographed on public transport Theresa May faced embarrassment last night after secret plans for Britains post-Brexit trade policy were revealed after being photographed on public transport. The Mail on Sunday has obtained pictures of private Government briefing documents for diplomats telling them to stop working on environmental issues, such as combating ivory poaching, to concentrate on striking new commercial deals. The documents also reveal the Foreign Offices fears about the economic and political risks of Brexit and its determination to keep a tight rein on Liam Foxs International Trade department. The sensitive documents were photographed as one of Dr Foxs officials prepared to give a private briefing session to British diplomats last month. They show that during the session, our envoys were told that trade and growth are now priorities for all [diplomatic] posts youll need to prioritise developing capability in this area. As part of this, economic security-related work like climate change and illegal wildlife trade will be scaled down, with only some diplomatic posts still expected to carry out such work. The diplomats were also told the Government was developing detailed plans to mitigate the potential risks to economic and political interests that may arise. This may mean re-tasking posts and securing more resources, particularly in the EU, where we are already deploying additional officers. SNAPPED 1: The Government official writes out the remarks of senior officials, calling for the Foreign Office and Department for International Trade to work together to avoid turf wars SNAPPED 2: The behind-doors briefing for British diplomats tells them that efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and climate change are to be scaled back in favour of striking trade deals Last night, anti-Brexit politicians and animal welfare campaigners reacted angrily to the leak, saying that issues such as ivory poaching should not be sacrificed. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: The rhino and the rainforest will pay the price for Theresa Mays hard Brexit. This springs entirely from her free choice to leave the worlds most lucrative market, which independent experts predict over the next 15 years will cost Britain up to 200 billion. Because she is desperate to fill this black hole of her own making, she is prepared to cut deals and principles with any far-flung leader around the world, however dodgy. Our wildlife and areas of wilderness will pay the price for the Conservative Brexit Governments economically illiterate decision to leave the single market. You cant have a hard Brexit and a sound environment. This leak shows the shabby backroom deals Theresa May is pimping around. A spokesman for Traffic, which campaigns against the illegal wildlife trade, said: Political change may mean some shifting of priorities, but the UKs leadership in addressing international wildlife crime has had a global impact and it should remain a priority. As these two try... The Foreign Office's Tim Hitchens and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson If the UK wants to be in the driving seat, it is essential we channel resources to support actions to end the poaching crisis. The leak is the latest to hit Mrs Mays Government during the Brexit process, including turf wars between Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Dr Fox over who should lead trade deal negotiations. Last year, a high-level order from Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood to Ministers demanding the leaks should stop was itself leaked to The Mail on Sunday. ... To reign in these two. Antonia Romeo, the DIT's new Permanent Secretary, and Secretary of Trade Liam Fox The key speaker at the diplomatic briefing was Tim Hitchens, the powerful head of the Foreign Offices Economic and Consular department, who was previously our ambassador to Japan and assistant private secretary to the Queen. Dr Foxs official was photographed on the 0722 Putney to London Waterloo train as he wrote up comments by senior Whitehall officials. Under PS comment short for private secretary, a high-ranking civil servant the official writes that the Foreign Offices strategy team were keen on emphasising the need for FCO posts to work closely with DIT, a further sign of the suspicion which has grown up between the two departments. Under Permanent Secretary the most senior official in the department the aide notes the huge change which has taken place in the nine months since the referendum. Antonia Romeo took over as the DITs Permanent Secretary at the end of March, shortly after the note was written. The documents also reveal the envoys were given a sense of the conversations going on about trade and growth after Brexit to allow them to understand the Economic Diplomacy priorities and the implications for your post. They were told it was an exciting time to be working on economic diplomacy, and they had a crucial role to play... in implementing our approach to prosperity. A spokesman for Dr Fox denied there had been a security breach, saying: These are unclassified documents which had been prepared for a Foreign Office event. A Foreign Office spokesman said: The UK is a global leader in tackling the illegal wildlife trade and a key part of worldwide efforts on climate change. Our commitment to both issues is as strong as ever. A new row broke out over the bloated aid budget last night, after the Foreign Office revealed that British taxpayers money has been spent on projects such as training for tribal chieftains in Central Africas Cameroon and the Solomon Islands paralympic team. The controversy came as figures released last week revealed that the foreign aid bill jumped by 1.2 billion last year. It now stands at a record 13.3 billion. The increase at a time when budgets at home for hospitals and schools are under intense pressure came after an upward revision in the estimated size of the British economy. A new row broke out over the bloated aid budget last night, after the Foreign Office revealed that British taxpayers money has been spent on projects such as training for tribal chieftains in Central Africas Cameroon and the Solomon Islands paralympic team Under a target introduced by former Prime Minister David Cameron, Ministers are committed to sending 0.7 per cent of our national income overseas every year. Although the lions share of the money is spent by the Department for International Development, about ten per cent is handed out by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). According to a list released by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons department, in the year up to 2016 it dished out money to more than 1,500 overseas projects. These include developing the rugby skills of disadvantaged youngsters in South Africa and building links between creative industries in the UK and Peru to increase the appetite for collaboration. The costs ranged from a few hundred pounds such as the 608 given to the Solomon Islands paralympic squad in the Pacific up to hundreds of thousands for projects, such as 221,912 to help the energy efficiency of Brazilian industry. Critics of the aid budget noted that a number of the projects were designed to help old people overseas such as a 5,000 scheme to reduce age discrimination despite the intense pressure on social care budgets in this country. Nearly half of councils have reduced the Meals On Wheels scheme for the elderly since 2010, due to budget cuts. The controversy came as figures released last week revealed that the foreign aid bill jumped by 1.2 billion last year. Pictured: The Department for International Development Other projects mentioned on the FCO list include helping the Albanian police to improve their media handling of major crime incidents, including through a study visit to Manchester, promoting engagement on judicial ethics in the repressive African state of Eritrea, and thousands of pounds on developing the technology to harness the energy potential of waste cooking oil in Indonesia. One of the reasons why the foreign aid spend has jumped so sharply is that under new European Union accounting rules, the value of the black economy, such as drugs and prostitution, was included for the first time. It meant that the Foreign Offices share of the aid budget increased by 121 million. The Mail on Sunday has long campaigned to reduce the 0.7 per cent target. Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said: I am sure that each of these projects has its own merit, but there is just not the political support for spending these vast sums of money. The problem is the rigid 0.7 per cent target, which means we are forever trying to find new ways to spend the money. We need to abandon that target. An FCO spokeswoman said: The FCO works to deliver the 2015 aid strategy to tackle global challenges in the national interest. FCO projects address issues such as conflict reduction, increasing stability, promoting human rights, mitigating climate change and promoting democratic and economic reforms that create more prosperous societies as well as new markets for UK businesses to trade with and invest in. This is firmly in Britains interest. Advertisement A stunning display of brightly coloured lights illuminating Australia's southern skies have been captured by an amateur photographer, in a timelapse video showcasing the rare and spectacular phenomena - the Aurora Australis. The mesmerising collection of yellow and pink lights were taken over Mushroom Reef in Melbourne, along the Mornington Peninsula by Philip Dubbin, who is an IT worker by day. Inspired, as it lit up a clear and starry sky above an ocean, the 53-year-old was left astounded by its sheer beauty. 'Watching the aurora is such a relaxing but awe-inspiring sight, especially on a calm and clear night - though we don't get the bright colours by eye unless its a huge storm,' he said. Dubbin's video also managed to show shooting stars, streaking across the night's sky. Described as the southern hemisphere's version of the Northern Lights, the 'Southern Lights' occurs when electrically charged electrons and protons speed up across the Earth's magnetic field lines and 'collide' with neutral atoms in the top layer of the atmosphere. The result releases the beautiful multicoloured lights as seen in these dazzling pictures. The rare and dazzling collection of lights, known as the Aurora Australis were captured on Mushroom Reef in Melbourne Taken by IT worker Philip Dubbin, the mesmerising lights illuminated the starry sky above the ocean Of the experience, Dubbin said: 'Watching the aurora is such a relaxing but awe-inspiring sight, especially on a calm and clear night - though we don't get the bright colours by eye unless its a huge storm' A shooting star was even captured by the 53-year-old, pictured here streaking across the pink sky The lights are regarded as the southern hemisphere's version of the Northern Lights, colloquially refereed to as the 'Southern Lights' The rare phenomena occurs electrically charged electrons and protons speed up across the Earth's magnetic field lines They then 'collide' with neutral atoms in the top layer of the atmosphere with the end result releasing these beautiful multicoloured lights Angie's List has pulled advertising from Bill O'Reilly's show just two days after refusing to join the boycott following sex harassment allegations made against the Fox News host. The Indiana-based online company were one of the few advertisers to publicly say on Wednesday they would not pull their ads from The O'Reilly Factor. But a spokesperson for Angie's List told the IndyStar late Friday that they would no longer be advertising on O'Reilly's show. They declined to comment further. It comes after the company, which provides paid subscribers with crowd-sourced reviews of local businesses, faced backlash from customers who vowed to cancel their membership. Angie's List has pulled advertising from Bill O'Reilly's show just two days after refusing to join the boycott following sex harassment allegations against the Fox News host 'I just emailed Angie's List and said I will not renew my account as long as they advertise on O'Reilly's show. Join me,' wrote one woman on Twitter. And another woman stated: 'Wow if women can't support each other that says something! Just cancelled Angie's List after 3 years #angieslist #GrabYourWallet' Early Thursday, the company's stock took a quick and steep dip in the first hour of trading, going down to 5.85 after starting the day at 5.92. Angie's Lis was started back in 1995 by Angie Hick and William S. Oesterle. Only seven national advertisements ran during O'Reilly's show on Thursday after nearly 60 companies dropped their sponsorship. A staggering number of companies pulled advertising from the show after a report in the New York Times on Saturday revealed O'Reilly had settled five harassment claims made against him for $13million. The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News can feature as many as 40 advertisements on an average night, but the program experienced a drastic drop given this week's controversy. A spokesperson for Angie's List told the IndyStar late Friday that they would no longer be advertising on O'Reilly's show. They declined to comment further Angie's List, an Indiana-based online company started by Angie Hicks (above), were one of the few advertisers to publicly say they would not pull their ads from The O'Reilly Factor Gone; Members of the service took to social media after learning the news to announce they were terminating their memberships The seven national advertisers to stick with the program included: The Laser Spine Institute, Rosland Capital, Coventry Direct, Life Credit Company, 1-800 Beaches, Ring and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. The mass exodus began on Sunday night when Mercedes Benz announced it was reassigning their ad buys to other slots, and it snowballed from there. Among those who are currently boycotting are six major car companies (Mercedes, BMW, Hyundai, Lexus, Subaru, Mitsubishi), five insurance and money management companies (Allstate, Esurance, Amica Insurance, T. Rowe Price, Pacific Life), a pharmaceutical behemoth GlaxoSmithKline, and accounting firm H&R Block. It is not known how many spots these companies had been planning to run, but in the case of H&R Block it was likely a sizable chunk given that they inundate the airwaves with commercials in the two weeks before taxes are due in April. The New York Times report last weekend claimed that close to $13 million had been paid to five women who accused O'Reilly of inappropriate behavior in the workplace: Rachel Witlieb Bernstein, Andrea Mackris, Rebecca Gomez Diamond, Laurie Dhue, and Juliet Huddy. Donald Trump became embroiled in the scandal earlier in the week when he called O'Reilly a 'good person', and said he shouldn't have settled. He added: 'I dont think Bill did anything wrong'. 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 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' Diamond, one of the women who accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment, slammed the president by tweeting: '@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. It was Mackris' lawsuit that made headlines when it was settled back in 2004 by the network for a formerly undisclosed sum which over the weekend was revealed to be $9million. In her complaint, Mackris claimed she had been sexually harassed by O'Reilly and detailed their phone sex conversations in which he allegedly listed off his female conquests. It was seven years until the next woman received a settlement, with Diamond being handed an unknown amount from O'Reilly himself according to multiple sources after confronting him with a recording of comments he had made to and about her while she worked as a host on the Fox Business Network show 'Happy Hour.' The payout was so secretive that 21st Century Fox was not even aware of what had transpired between the two parties until last year, when it was revealed during an internal investigation into sexual harassment claims being brought against Ailes. 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 Diamond claimed the president's comments eroded the credibility of women making the sexual harassment allegations Donald Trump called O'Reilly a 'good person' after a NY Times report revealed the Fox News host settled four cases of sexual harassment and one incident of verbal abuse for total of $13m Laurie Dhue, who worked as a reporter on the television show Geraldo at Large and was the host of Fox Report Weekend for eight years between 2000 and 2008 also received a payout after accusing Ailes and O'Reilly of sexual harassment. She received $1million over the summer from the network, shortly after she announced her plan to write a tell-all book. Fox News also settled with Huddy for $1.6million back in September after she claimed that O'Reilly had tried to pursue a sexual relationship with her while she appeared on the network as a guest on his show. Huddy stated that O'Reilly would repeatedly call her at home in Long Island and once tried to kiss her, which caused her to fall over as she pulled away from the host. Soon after she stopped being asked to appear on O'Reilly's program. Both Dhue and Huddy's stories had been reported before, but it was not known Dhue had complained about O'Reilly's behavior in addition to Ailes. Coming forward: Andrea Mackris, who it was revealed last weekend received a $9million settlement from O'Reilly, and her lawyer Benedict Morelli in 2004 (above) The network also struck deals with Laurie Dhue (left) and Juliet Huddy (right) in 2016 for more than $1million each 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 The fifth settlement, which happened first, came back in 2002 after O'Reilly reportedly screamed at junior producer Rachel Witlieb Bernstein, who left soon after with a settlement. That incident did not involve sexual harassment. In a statement released over the weekend regarding the Times report, 21st Century Fox 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.' Fox News referenced the 21st Century Fox statement when asked for comment over the weekend. Banned property developer Craig Gore threw trophies into a marina at a newly-opened restaurant in tropical far north Queensland, leaving a woman in hospital. During a theatrical marketing meeting on a Tuesday night in late March, big game fishing competition trophies were hurled into the water at the Waterfront Restaurant at the Hinchinbrook Harbour and Resort at Cardwell, which is between Cairns and Townsville. He picked up about seven trophies that had been displayed in the restaurant, The Sunday Mail reported. However, no customers were present during the theatrics which about nine staff members witnessed, Daily Mail Australia has learned. Craig Gore threw seven trophies into the water at a restaurant in far north Queensland The fishing trophies were hurled into Hinchinbrook Harbour during his dinner tirade A waitress, Michelle Allen, said he picked up trophies from big game fishing competitions, which former owner Keith Williams had sponsored. 'He was saying 'Toss them over the side, I don't want to see them any more',' she told News Corp Australia. 'He said 'We'll throw them in the drink'.' Bec McCall, who had helped to throw a trophy into the water, required stitches after a metal fish from it caught the inside of her elbow. The trophies were retrieved from the marina the next day. The restaurant had just been taken over by new management, and new owner Lucas Dando said not everyone was happy at his plans to open seven days a week for 100 hours. The trophies were thrown into the water during a marketing meeting on a Tuesday night Craig Gore photographed with former Queensland premier Peter Beattie in September 2004 'We just think we can make it better. It was a beautiful resort but things have to start again and start fresh so there's no point trying to revitalise the old,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday. Mr Gore works as a consultant for the resort's new managers and was reportedly upset the company had cut ties with millionaire Keith Williams who had developed the previously named Port Hinchinbrook. Mr Gore, a 2007 BRW Rich List entrant with an estimated worth of $200 million, was banned from the financial services industry in 2015. The injured woman was treated for her arm injury at Tully Hospital and later transferred to Townsville Hospital. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, who was fatally shot outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 A former colleague of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, who was fatally shot outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984, claims he knows who killed her. In an interview with the BBC Radio 4 programme The Reunion, former PC John Murray said Miss Fletchers killer was still alive and may yet face justice. He added: I know who the killer is. I dont think it would be prudent to say publicly who it is, but I will say this to him, if he is listening: his day will come soon. Miss Fletcher was shot from inside the embassy in St Jamess Square as she helped to police a demonstration opposed to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Her death in Westminster Hospital sparked an international outcry, with feelings of anger exacerbated because diplomatic immunity prevented the killer being prosecuted. After the shooting, police laid siege to the building for 11 days before all staff were deported and the British Government broke off diplomatic relations with the country. An honour guard of WPC's as Yvonne Fletcher is borne into Salisbury Cathedral for her funeral service by colleagues from Bow Street Police Station, London The identity of the gunman, who, as well as killing Miss Fletcher, wounded ten other people, has never been revealed. In the BBC interview, Mr Murray recalled that he and Miss Fletcher had been sent to the demonstration only at the last minute and that he had accompanied her in an ambulance to hospital. The Reunion will be broadcast on Radio 4 today at 11.15am. Addressing the House of Lords last week on the dangers of hard Brexit, Baroness Angela Smith Labours leader in the Upper House came to a sudden, spluttering halt. Sorry, [cough], I think Ive swallowed one of the moths thats been flying round the Chamber, she gasped, gulping down a glass of water. Ye gods have ardent Brexiteers now even enlisted the animal kingdom to silence their critics? Labours leader in the Upper House Angela Smith The mystery of no-show Sajid Theresa May boasted there were no no-go areas for her party as she launched the Tories local election campaign in Nottinghamshire last week. But there are still no shows. Where was Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid, whod normally be expected to attend? Officially, he was in Finland investigating rough-sleeping. Unofficially, Sajid is still being blamed by No 10 for newspaper stories about plans to concrete over the green belt and was not encouraged to attend Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid David Camerons volte-face from passionate EU Remain campaigner to ardent Brussels sceptic who cant even stand the sight of federalist emblems such as the EU flag will confuse Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan. Before Duncan eventually backed Remain in the referendum, the then Prime Minister privately implored him: Alan, you cant vote Leave. If we do that, itll be at least two years of non-stop Euro-w**k. On that at least, Dave was spot on. With Labours poll ratings at rock-bottom levels not seen since the Michael Foot era, youd expect Jeremy Corbyn to be losing sleep with worry about his partys fate. Not a bit of it. I dont get stressed, the Labour leader told Dogs mole. I dont see the point. Thats not sangfroid, Jeremy, thats simply not caring enough. As coffee was served in his Commons office last week, Corbyn took one sip and glumly told his visitors: Hmmm. Its not my wifes coffee. Quite right, too, says Dog. The Mail on Sunday revealed in 2015 that luxury Cafe Mam coffee beans sold by Corbyns third wife, Laura Alvarez, were produced by poverty-stricken Mexican farmers. A jolly amusing farce The mood at a meeting between MPs and Commons expenses watchdog IPSA went from bad to worse after Scottish Tory Alberto Costa asked about claiming for journeys. Did you say jollies? replied IPSA chairman Ruth Evans. Cue uproar from politicians convinced she was poking fun at past expenses scandals. IPSA insiders insist she had misheard Albertos thick accent. After the Brexit vote, Commons chiefs extended a staff loan scheme, for rail season ticket purchases and the like, to cover a new area: helping foreign workers at Westminster cover the cost of applying for UK citizenship. Sadly, not even talk of a return of the blue British passport is proving much of a lure so far only three Commons staff have bothered to apply. After spending several nights on the cold streets of New York City, two male models teamed up to build a home disguised as a dumpster for a homeless man who showed them kindness. Damian 'Dean' Cummings moved into a tiny hidden home ten months ago in Soho after meeting Shane Duffy, 37, and America's Next Top model contestant Phil Sullivan, 28, in February 2016. The two met the 39-year-old when they posed as homeless men, looking for a worthy recipient to sponsor for their charity. Cummings took the models under his wing, pointing out places to sleep, how to find food and even shared some of his blankets with them. In return, Duffy and Sullivan decided to build him a semi-permanent home and spent $1,500 on creating a safe place Cummings could call his own, equipped with solar panels and USB ports. Scroll down for video Damian 'Dean' Cummings (pictured) has been living out of a tiny home in New York City disguised as a dumpster since June 2016. Two male models decided to build the home for the homeless 39-year-old Trinidad native after he showed kindness to them The $1,500 'dumpster' (pictured) is four feet wide, four feet tall and a little over six feet long. It is outfitted with wheels, lights, a safety lock, two USB ports, a window and solar panels Shane Duffy, 37, (left) and America's Next Top model contestant Phil Sullivan, 28, (right) met Cummings when they posed as homeless men in February 2016, looking for someone to sponsor. Cummings gave them pointers and shared blankets with the men and they decided to help him by building him a home The man behind the idea was Duffy, who works as a contractor. He told the New York Post: 'I noticed all of the dumpsters attached to buildings. Then it dawned on me what if the home was hidden?' Cummings moved into his new digs, which is four feet wide, four feet tall and a little over six feet long, in June 2016. It is outfitted with wheels, lights, a safety lock, two USB ports, a window and solar panels. Currently, the wooden shelter is parked at Spring and Wooster streets, in Soho, Manhattan. Cummings said to the news outlet: 'I've been ecstatic. Sitting in there feels like you are actually in a home.' Currently, the wooden shelter is parked at Spring and Wooster streets, in Soho, Manhattan (pictured before the structure was there) The Trinidad native, who has been homeless for the past seven years, said his home is disguised so well that people often try to throw trash away in it. He added: 'A lot of people come by with big bags on their shoulders and try to throw them out. 'Its really funny. One time I laughed a little too hard, and the guy was like, "Hello?"' For Cummings, it is more than a warm place to sleep. It allows him to safely lock up his belongings so he doesn't have to lug it around with him when he goes to work. Originally, Duffy and Sullivan thought the makeshift home would only last a week before Cummings was discovered and booted. The only incident occurred two months ago when the Sanitation Department showed up at his 'dumpster' step and told him to keep the area clean. Duffy (left) came up with the idea as disguising the home as a dumpster. He and Sullivan (right) are pictured in February 2016 when they lived on the streets of New York City for four days Originally, the makeshift home was suspected to last only a week before Cummings was discovered and booted. The only incident occurred two months ago when the Sanitation Department showed up at his 'dumpster' step and told him to keep the area clean But the models aren't done with Cummings yet. They have set up a fundraising page, in hopes to secure a permanent roof over their friend's head. They are also are helping the man secure job and trying to get his official documents so he can work legally. Cummings said: 'I had put my [immigration] status in my familys hands.' He was told by officials that they had sent his paperwork letters to a family member's home, but he never received it. Cummings said he appealed to a state senator to get the paperwork but never heard back. Cummings doesn't panhandle so he earns money by doing odd jobs, such as pick-up construction work or making deliveries for local restaurants. He acknowledged that revealing his secret home could force him to the streets again, but he is ready to take that risk to raise awareness and help others. Duffy said he is willing to help the city build more units, as his and Sullivan's charity foundation I Am Supported wants to do more to help homeless people. The largest-ever gathering of British police officers will assemble in London tomorrow for the funeral of Westminster attack hero PC Keith Palmer The largest-ever gathering of British police officers will assemble in London tomorrow for the funeral of Westminster attack hero PC Keith Palmer. Upwards of 5,000 men and women from every force in the UK are expected to line the route to Southwark Cathedral for the service, which starts at 2pm. Changing cubicles are being provided for the officers, who have been advised not to wear their uniforms when travelling to the funeral. An estimated 40-50,000 members of the public are expected to join them in paying tribute to the murdered constable. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said the response had been incredible. He added: The public are as appalled by what happened as the police. At times they can be our biggest critics but when something like this happens they come together with us, because they dont like someone hurting one of their own. Scroll down for video I cant recall an occasion like this in regard to the number of officers who will be there, but we must not lose sight of the fact that it is a family funeral. It is for Keiths family and we have made sure we have done everything his wife wants because, first and foremost, it is for her to mourn her husband. Unarmed PC Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death in the terror attack on March 22, when he tried to stop Muslim extremist Khalid Masood running into the Palace of Westminster armed with two knives. Masood killed four others before being shot dead by an armed officer. Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea has ramped up its nuclear weapons program, much to the concern of the U.S. military A U.S. Navy strike group will be moving toward the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean peninsula as a show of force, a U.S. official told Reuters on Saturday, as concerns grow about North Korea's advancing weapons program. Earlier this month North Korea tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its range. The strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson will make its way from Singapore toward the Korean peninsula, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity. 'We feel the increased presence is necessary,' the official said, citing North Korea's worrisome behavior. In a statement late Saturday, the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet said the strike group had been directed to sail north, but it did not specify the destination. The military vessels will operate in the Western Pacific rather than making previously planned port visits to Australia, it added. This year North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as 'the Day of the Sun.' In response, a U.S. Navy group led by the USS Carl Vinson (pictured in a file photo) will be heading towards the Korean peninsula from Singapore as concerns grow that Kim Jong Un is advancing his country's nuclear arsenal, it was revealed on Saturday Earlier this week U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Florida, where Trump pressed his counterpart to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program. Trump's national security aides have completed a review of U.S. options to try to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. These include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbor. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritizes less-risky steps and de-emphasizes direct military action. Trump spoke with South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday, the White House said on Saturday in a statement which did not mention the strike group. Earlier this week U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Florida, where Trump pressed his counterpart to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program Trump warned last week that the policy of 'strategic patience' with this maverick regime was over. 'If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will,' he declared bluntly. Trump pressed Xi to rein in his bellicose ally, which depends on China for almost all its food, trade and energy. And bombing Syria during the Mar-a-Lago summit sent an unambiguous signal: the new President is prepared to use pre-emptive force. This shows why sober folk such as Park are fearful. 'We are being held hostage,' he said. 'North Korea has about 20 nuclear weapons and if the US failed to destroy them all, they would retaliate with nuclear or chemical weapons.' He believes Kim the world's youngest head of state seeks to reunite Korea under his thumb through invasion, confident in knowledge the US will not dare respond unless prepared to trigger a nuclear holocaust. Tensions between the two Koreas, stuck on a strip of land dangling from eastern China, have made this one of the world's most explosive flashpoints for decades. Now experts fear time is running out to solve the deepening crisis. 'If they continue to develop nuclear capability and create missiles that can reach the United States, that changes the calculus for us,' one US diplomatic source told me. The mother of Tyson Benz, pictured, said that her son's girlfriend is 'solely responsible' for his suicide, after he hung himself when the girl faked her own death using social media The mother of an 11-year-old boy who killed himself after falling victim to a cruel prank has said that his 13-year-old girlfriend was 'solely responsible' for his suicide. Katrina Goss is seeking charges against the girl after her son Tyson Benz hung himself when his girlfriend convinced him via social media that she was dead. Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese said he 'didn't disagree' with Goss's allegations, and confirmed that the girl texted Benz, faking her own suicide, hours before he took his own life. 'She was mean to him, controlled him, and took advantage of him, even after I repeatedly told her to leave him alone,' Goss said. 'He was the happiest, most joyous child until he met her,' Goss told BuzzFeed News. Katrina Goss said Thursday that she found her son, Tysen Benz, hanging by the neck on March 14 in his room after seeing social media posts and texts that his 13-year-old girlfriend had killed herself. He died in an Ann Arbor, Michigan hospital on Tuesday from his injuries. Katrina Goss said Thursday that she found her son, Tysen Benz, hanging by the neck on March 14 in his room after seeing social media posts and texts that his 13-year-old girlfriend had killed herself Goss said the girl and some of her friends orchestrated the prank. 'I don't know what possessed her to do such a weird prank. It's a twisted, sick joke,' she said. A friend of the two children, Avery Mitchell, said that the unnamed girl plotted the hoax to see if Benz 'really loved her and he took it the wrong way.' 'She didn't mean to hurt him [because] they loved each other,' Mitchell said. The unnamed girl is being charged in Marquette County with telecommunication services-malicious use and using a computer to commit a crime, Marquette city police Captain Michael Kohler said in a news release. The first charge is a misdemeanor which carries a six-month sentence in the state of Michigan. Using a computer to commit a crime is punishable by a year in prison. Goss said that after seeing posts about his girlfriend, Tysen replied over social media that he was going to kill himself. Even then, she said, those involved in the prank didn't tell an adult. 'She did a prank that made it look like she killed herself and used other friends and their [social media] accounts to make it look like she killed herself,' Goss told the New York Post. 'So, he believed her and said, 'I'm going to kill myself.'' Goss described her son as an athlete, comedian, friend, brother and all-around amazing child. Goss said that after seeing posts about his girlfriend, Tysen replied over social media that he was going to kill himself. Even then, she said, those involved in the prank didn't tell an adult Things started to go wrong when he bought a cellphone from a friend behind her back and started 'secretly dating' the older girl against his mother's wishes. Goss said that she was '100 per cent' against the relationship between the two, because of their age difference. She never met the girl, who other students called his girlfriend, but said she saw her several times while picking up and dropping off her son at Bothwell Middle School. She called the prank 'controlling, harassing and manipulative.' 'I'm quite angry,' Goss said. 'I feel like, yeah, they're young and all that, but I feel like when you're 13, you're completely knowledgeable of your choices and you know right from wrong. You can make your own choices. I do feel like she took advantage of a younger boy to control and manipulate him. 'I don't feel like it should be taken lightly. She should be held legally responsible for this horrific prank,' she said. Facebook users began to post tributes to the young boy when news broke of his death Tysen Benz's mom Katrina Goss paid tribute to her young son on Facebook, left. She described him as an athlete, comedian, friend, brother and all-around amazing child 'The whole thing happened in about 40 minutes,' Goss said. 'He was fine and then I found him. I don't know what she said she did to herself.' Tysen was rushed to an area hospital and later transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, near Detroit. 'Social media harassment, bullying and pranking is a huge issue,' Goss added. 'The way it's used nowadays, kids are desensitized to social media and it really does hurt people.' Weise added that the tragic incident serves as a lesson for parents to be more vigilante of their children's communications online, and hopes that the charges against the juvenile will put others 'on notice' for their activity online. 'What happens in the digital and social media world also impacts the actual world we live in. Reckless comments that rise to the level of criminal behavior need to be put out there so there's accountability.' A funeral will be held on Tuesday for Tysen. For readers seeking support, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or by clicking here. Border Force authorities have arrested a married couple after the pair were found attempting to smuggle a precursor agent for ice worth $7 million. Officers discovered the substance hidden inside heat packs and satchels of milk powder when the two arrived at Sydney International Airport from Vietnam on Thursday. Police found 7.7 kilograms of the substance, in the form of a pink or orange powder, which tested positive for pseudoephedrine. Authorities say this amount could be used to produce around 75,000 hits. Border Force authorities seized 7.7 kilograms of a precursor agent to the drug ice at Sydney Airport worth $7 million The precursor agent, which is most commonly found in cold and flu tablets, was found on the pair during a targeted baggage search. The 51-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were taken to Mascot Police station and were charged with importing a border-controlled precursor. The Taiwanese nationals were refused bail and face a maximum of five years' imprisonment, a fine of $180,000 or both. Regional Commander NSW Tim Fitzgerald praised the efforts of the Australian Border Force saying officers were on high alert for any illicit drug importations into Australia. 'This interception is the result of our officers' constant vigilance in ensuring that illicit products do not enter into Australia and make their way onto our streets,' he said. A married Taiwanese couple were arrested by authorities after they were caught smuggling the agent inside heat packs and milk powder satchels This latest bust comes only a week after Federal Police seized $300 million worth of meth hidden inside metal gates as they were smuggled into Melbourne from China. Three Vietnamese men attempted to collect the drugs from the shipment but were promptly taken into custody, charged with a string of importing offences. 'The ABF is constantly on alert at Australia's borders and we continue to use intelligence and specialist detection techniques to combat the threat of illicit drug importation on a daily basis,' Regional Commander Fitzgerald said. Alec Baldwin has doubled up and set his sights on both Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly as he impersonated the Fox News host interviewing the President on Saturday Night Live. The sketch involved Baldwin's O'Reilly interviewing Trump after a week in which the Fox News host was plagued by sexual harassment allegations. 'I'm a big fan. Mr President, you look even better on TV,' O'Reilly told Trump. Baldwin's commander in chief hit back: 'I see a lot of myself in you, Bill.' The fake O'Reilly then thanked the president for coming to his defense earlier in the week when it emerged the host had settled the harassment claims for $13 million. Trump had tweeted his support for O'Reilly saying the Fox News host had done nothing wrong. Scroll down for video Alec Baldwin has doubled up and set his sights on both Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly as he impersonated the Fox News host interviewing the President during Saturday Night Live 'Thank you for coming to my defense even though no one asked you to,' Baldwin's O'Reilly said. 'You even went as far as saying "Bill O'Reilly did nothing wrong".' O'Reilly asked the president what his support was based on, to which Trump replied: 'A hunch. A loose hunch.' O'Reilly continued: 'You are not familiar with the facts of the case?' 'Im more familiar with this case than, say, health care. But I didnt look into it much, no. I was busy being super presidential by bombing Syria,' Trump told him. Baldwin's O'Reilly then thanked Trump again for his support. 'I appreciate your support on behalf of all women and thank you, Donald Trump, for promoting sexual assault month,' the host said. Prior to the interview with Trump, Baldwin mocked the TV host's 'scandal', which had caused him to lose almost 60 sponsors from his O'Reilly Factor show. 'Apparently some women have come forward and accused me of offering them exciting opportunities here at Fox News,' he said, making light of the claims made by former female employees. He then thanked his only remaining advertisers: 'Dog Cocaine,' a drug for horses called 'Eliquis,' and the movie 'Chips.' The sketch involved Baldwin's O'Reilly interviewing Trump after a week in which the Fox News host was plagued by sexual harassment allegations and almost 60 advertisers dropped sponsorship of his show Baldwin's O'Reilly also made reference to the Fox News host losing almost 60 sponsors from his O'Reilly Factor show. The sketch joked that his only remaining sponsors included an ad for dog cocaine Baldwin's O'Reilly thanked his only remaining advertisers: 'Dog Cocaine,' a drug for horses called 'Eliquis', and the movie 'Chips' Baldwin had earlier reprised his impersonation of Trump during SNL's rather lackluster cold open to sum up the president's 'amazing' week, including his decision to launch US missiles at Syria. The episode kicked off with Trump at a town hall meeting in Kentucky to speak with voters who elected him to the White House. 'I just had an amazing week, folks. I met with leaders from China, Egypt, and Jordan. Gorsuch was confirmed, the media is saying nice things and nobody is talking about Russia,' Baldwin's Trump told the crowd. 'Wow, what a difference 50 tomahawk missiles can make.' Baldwin's commander in chief then started asking local residents if they liked that he had 'bombed Syria.' While many agreed they were happy about the missile strike, they wanted to ask Trump about issues relating to Obamacare, jobs and minimum wage. The local workers from Kentucky told him they supported him on his quest for more American jobs, but they didn't just want to work in coal for the rest of their lives. 'I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you all work in coal for the rest of your lives,' Baldwin's Trump told the Kentuckians. 'In Trump's America, people work in two places: coal mines and Goldman Sachs.' Alec Baldwin reprised his impersonation of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live to sum up the president's massive week, including his decision to launch US missiles at Syria Baldwin's commander in chief then started asking local residents if they liked that he had 'bombed Syria' The residents went on to ask about Obamacare, minimum wage and other concerns but Trump's response was to promise to axe everything. 'We're going to get rid of it,' Trump said of health care. 'You're going to get rid of my health care? Like, all of it?' the supporter said. The fake Trump responded: 'All of it, gone.' 'That's why I came here. You people stand by me no matter what. It's like you found a finger in your chili but you still eat the chili anyway because you told everyone how much you like chili,' he told the crowd. 'You still love Trump?' he asked. 'Remember, I'm one of you.' Comedian host Louis C.K. returned to the SNL stage giving an opening monologue that addressed race and the animal kingdom. 'Why did the chicken cross the road? Because there was a black guy walking behind him,' he started off his monologue. He quickly explained the chicken then felt bad for being racist. 'Don't be upset, this is not a racist joke. The chicken was racist, he was definitely racist, but that's chickens,' he said. A U.S. military Special Forces soldier was killed while conducting an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. In a tweet issued Saturday, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said the soldier was mortally wounded during an operation in the Nangarhar Province. The soldier's name hasn't been announced and no other information has been released. In a tweet issued Saturday, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said a soldier was mortally wounded during an operation fighting an ISIS group in the Nangarhar Province The unnamed soldier was a special forces operator, U.S. Navy Captain Bill Salvin told Reuters separately. The circumstances of the service member's death were unclear and Salvin said more information could be released later. This was the first U.S. soldier casualty in Afghanistan in 2017 for the Resolute Support mission, NBC News reported. Islamic State's offshoot in Afghanistan, known as the Sunni jihadist group's so-called Khorasan Province, is suspected of carrying out several attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslim targets. This was the first U.S. soldier casualty in Afghanistan in 2017 for the Resolute Support mission. Pictured: File photo of soldiers fighting in the country U.S. officials say intelligence suggests Islamic State is based overwhelmingly in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar province. Estimates of its strength in Afghanistan vary. U.S. officials have said they believe the movement has only 700 fighters but Afghan officials estimate it has about 1,500. The Afghan Taliban, which is trying to overthrow the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, is fiercely opposed to Islamic State and the two have clashed as they seek to expand territory and influence. A Christian man claims a group of Muslim teenagers of Middle Eastern appearance ripped off his silver Greek Orthodox necklace during an alleged attack on a Sydney train. Mike, who did not wish to give his full name, said five teenagers physically attacked him and his girlfriend as he rode on a train between Campsie and Bankstown, in the city's south-west, on Tuesday afternoon. 'They ripped the cross off me, threw it to the ground, they said 'f**k Jesus, and then said they said 'Allah' after that,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday. This is the Greek Orthodox crucifix necklace which was ripped off Mike's neck on the train The alleged attack broke the necklace chain, which Mike's mother had given him as a teenager The 30-year-old father said one of the teenagers had bumped him as he spoke on the phone shortly after 3pm. Mike alleges two of the other youths then began assaulting him by pushing him into a seat, destroying his Ray Ban sunglasses and ripping from his neck his silver crucifix, which his mother had given him when he was 14. Two female teenagers, who he said were of Arabic appearance, also allegedly hit his girlfriend. 'I have a child. I was thinking about her when I was getting attacked,' Mike said. 'I thought I was going to die. The next victim might not be so lucky, they might be killed or seriously injured.' Mike, who suffers from depression as a result of a previous work injury, said he was now too traumatised to wear a crucifix in public or ride on a train. 'I'm too traumatised now, actually. Too many people are too scared to do anything about it,' he said. 'It's not just an attack on me, it's an attack on what I believe in and every Christian out there is getting attacked as well.' The alleged attack happened on an afternoon train travelling from Campsie to Bankstown Mike claims he was attacked on a Waratah train which had CCTV cameras on board Baptist reverend George Capsis, who is a family friend of Mike, claimed there had been a spate of attacks on Christians in south-west Sydney, adding he had told his parishioners in Croydon to be wary. 'This country is nominally Christian, you shouldn't have to hide your crucifix or your faith,' he said. 'I was just off the cuff saying to them, "If it looks as though there could be trouble, hide the cross for the time being. You've just got to be sort of practical".' The 70-year-old former Cronulla Sharks chaplain, who has been a Baptist minister since 1980, said the attacks on Christians by Muslims appeared to be a recent phenomenon in Sydney, with four attacks in six months. 'You can't blame all the Muslim people, they just want to live as peacefully as they can,' he said. Baptist reverend George Capsis says there has been a spate of attacks on Christians in Sydney The 70-year-old Baptist church reverend George Capsis says Christians needed to be wary 'You do tend to get younger fellas who, they might not know quite where they belong anymore and they sort of react like this.' NSW Police have confirmed that are investigating an 'alleged religiously-motivated' attack on a Sydney train by an 'unknown' number of males. 'The incident has prompted police to remind the community that any bias-motivated crime will not be tolerated,' they said in a statement. 'The NSW Police Force takes all reports seriously and those who are found to commit such offences will be dealt with appropriately before the courts.' Mike said five transit officers were present during the alleged assault but none of them intervened on the Waratah train which had CCTV cameras. However, Sydney Trains said its transport officers were not authorised to intervene in assaults. A woman is forced to live in a single sealed, toxin-free room and sleep on the bathroom floor as she is allergic to almost everything in the outside world. Amelia Hill, nicknamed 'woman in a bubble', lives as a prisoner in her own Adelaide home and is struggling to survive as her health worsens. The 41-year-old says she suffers disabling allergic type reactions that can last from hours to weeks ever since she was exposed to termite spray when she was 15 years old. Amelia Hill, 41, (pictured) has been plagued with extreme sensitivities since she was 15 following an exposure to termite spray. Ms Hill's (pictured) health has taken a turn for the worse and she is struggling to pay for her expensive medical bills She says she sometimes experiences 24-hour non-stop loops of 'symptomatic mayhem' that causes her immense physical pain, rashes, fatigue and can leave her unconscious. And even something as simple as the waft of a cleaning agent can send her into a dizzying symptom relapse, which she says closes her windpipes and almost kills her. Ms Hill spent years without a concrete diagnosis and suffered her inexplicable symptoms alone while doctors labelled her a hypochondriac. She was finally diagnosed at the age of 33 with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Electrohypersensitivity. The former fashion designer worked with luxury brands and was even appointed editor of a magazine at the age of 21. But by the time she was 30, Ms Hill's crippling hypersensitivity reached its peak and stopped her from realising her dreams as she was forced to accept she would never regain her health. Despite her efforts, the outside world often permeates Ms Hill's sealed room, and her condition has deteriorated to the point where she says she can no longer hold her body upright, her respiratory muscles are weak and she struggles to breathe. She says the smallest triggers cause her physical pain and overwhelming fatigue. On on occasion, a neighbours chemical-based cleaner drifted in through vents and windows and made her airways close up. It left her shaking in the corner of the room, drifting in and out of consciousness. Ms Hall must furiously type her blog posts on her mobile before her phones electrical field wreaks havoc with her hypersensitive body. 'It was horrific,' Ms Hill recalls in her blog. 'When the landlord switched the shower water from rain water to main water, my body rejected that too. 'My mum then carted in bottles of twice filtered water and bathed me from a bucket. Sleeping in a newly vacuumed house sent me to the emergency room.' The 41-year-old lives in a single, sealed room that shields her from the toxins of the outside world Ms Hill uses the power of words to cope with her lonely existence, and tells her legion of supporters that she is not ready to give up hope WHAT IS EHS? Electrohypersensitivity or EHS is a physiological condition. It is characterized by neurological and immunological symptoms that noticeably flare or intensify upon, or following expose to: -Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) -One or more of the types of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) found in the modern environment Symptoms include: Concentration problems, memory lapses, aches or pressure in head, throat and chest, unsteady balance, dizziness, altered heart rate, ringing in the ears, excessive fatigue, numbness or pain in affected areas, sleep disturbances, eye irritation, red skin blotches and eczema. Source: WEEP initiative Advertisement Living in long-term isolation in a glass-home on Adelaide Hills is a lonely life for Ms Hill as she cannot have visitors and is forced to eat from a rotation of only seven foods. Her body rejects almost everything that healthy people take for granted: books, magazines, furniture, clothes, computers, television, wifi, perfume and even people. Despite doing everything in her power, the crippling condition has ravaged her body and she says she will only become sicker without urgent medical help. Her illness means she cannot visit a hospital and medical bills have piled up as she fights her symptoms. Ms Hill's friend Jenny Buttaccio set up a Gofundme page to help raise money for in-home specialist visits, treatments and essential medical equipment. So far the page has helped raise over $12,000 for the 'woman in the bubble'. Ms Buttaccio said: 'Amelia confided in me that she has started to lose hope, and she's feeling scared for her life. She doesn't want this to be the end of her story. She still has so much more to give. Her crippling condition means exposure to other people makes her very hill, so medical professionals must visit her at home 'Unfortunately, it breaks my heart to report her health has taken a turn for the worse. No one is sure why she has deteriorated so dramatically.' Ms Hill details her illness and how it affects her life in her blog, which she uses to educate others about her rare and debilitating condition. 'Stripped bare of all potential triggers, my single room existence equalled a tiled floor and a small fold out bed. All my possessions went into storage,' Ms Hill wrote. The designer-turned-blogger must sleep on a tiny bed in her bathroom because of her hypersensitivity to dust and bedding 'I spoke to people through a glass wall. Days were sent immobilised in a bed or chair. My mum became my full-time carer. Its been a stark, austere existence.' But Ms Hill uses the power of words to cope with her lonely existence, and tells her legion of supporters that she is not ready to give up hope. 'Even within the paradigm shattering scenario of serious illness, you will discover some things so profound, that they have the potential to reshape your entire perspective, your world and even your destiny,' she said. Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Hill for comment on her current condition. The former Navy SEAL Team Six soldier who claims he killed Osama bin Laden has penned his detailed account of how he took down the al-Qaeda leader in a new book. Robert O'Neill stands by his controversial claim that he was solely responsible for death of the 9/11 mastermind in his memoir, 'The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden'. And in the book, O'Neill makes the gruesome claim that bin Laden's head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification photos - which were never publicly released. The decorated veteran has faced harsh criticism for his decision to speak out about the fateful night at the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May of 2011. Robert O'Neill stands by his controversial claim that he was solely responsible for killing the al-Qaeda leader in his aptly titled memoir, 'The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden' In impassioned detail, he describes the mission, which began with him trailing at least five other Navy SEALs up the stairs to the second floor of the leader's compound, which they believed to contain bin Laden, three of his four wives, and 17 of his children. They then spotted bin Laden's son, Khalid, who was armed with an AK-47. CIA Intelligence informed them that once they found Khalid, Osama would be at the floor above them, the NY Daily News reported. In 'The Operator,' O'Neill goes on to describe a number of the nearly 400 missions he participated in during his time with the Navy SEALs, which earned him two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars with Valor The agents were able to lure Khalid from where he was hiding behind a banister by calling to him in Arabic, saying: 'Khalid, come here.' He shouted in response: 'What?' and emerged from his hiding spot, and was immediately shot in the face. O'Neill writes that once the agents reached the third floor, they all spanned out to search the various rooms. The point man with O'Neill walked in front of him, and at one point shot a shadowed figure that poked out from behind a curtain. He recalled the moment he realized it was time to take action. 'I'm f-----g done with waiting for it to happen,' he thought, as he gave his point man the signal to charge, and they burst through the curtain they had just shot at. They then tackled two women to the ground who were inside, and laid eyes on the United States' most wanted enemy - Osama bin Laden - cowering behind his youngest wife Amal. The 18-year-old girl was later identified to have been they shadowy figure they shot at from behind the curtain, and she took the bullet to her calf while protecting her 43-year-old husband. 'In less than a second, I aimed above the woman's right shoulder and pulled the trigger twice,' he said. 'Bin Laden's head split open, and he dropped. 'I put another bullet in his head. Insurance.' The moment was initially impossible for O'Neill to comprehend - he had to be told by another soldier that he had just killed the man who killed nearly 3,000 people in New York and Washington nine years before. In impassioned detail, he describes the mission, which began with him trailing at least five other Navy SEALs up the stairs to the second floor of the leader's compound, which they believed to contain bin Laden, three of his four wives, and 17 of his children When the medical examiner saw the corpse splayed open in a body bag, she remarked that she was 'out of a f*****g job'. O'Neill's book comes five years after a memoir written by his fellow Navy SEAL Mark Bissonnette, titled 'No Easy Day,' in which he recounts his own interpretation of the events. Bissonnette surrendered the $6.8 million in revenue from the book due to the publishing of classified information, and violation of a non-disclosure agreement. In 'The Operator,' O'Neill goes on to describe a number of the nearly 400 missions he participated in during his time with the Navy SEALs, which earned him two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars with Valor. Another notable case was the abduction of Captain Richard Phillips by Somali pirates, which was the inspiration for a motion picture featuring Tom Hanks. The reality was far from the Hollywood remake, as O'Neill recounted the gruesome gunfight in which one assailant's head was cracked open 'like a melon dropped on a cement floor,' he writes. The moment was initially impossible for O'Neill to comprehend - he had to be told by another soldier that he had just killed the man behind the largest threat to his nation The mission peaked at a mosque, when a US Ranger launched three missiles into the building. 'When we got in there ... bodies were flung everywhere, sliced and diced. It was pretty bad,' O'Neill said. 'But the thing that haunted me wasn't so much the gruesome sight rather, it was sound, a sound like water pouring out of a spigot.' The sound was blood gushing from a severed arm. O'Neill retired from the Navy SEALs in 2012, following a difficult stint within the public eye. He found himself viewed unfavorably by his fellow SEALs, and rumors circulated that he was bragging about his role in bin Laden's death. Though he claims to be uncomfortable in the public eye, he made a career for himself as a motivational speaker after revealing his identity as bin Laden's killer to the Washington Post in 2012. Though he claims to be uncomfortable in the public eye, he made a career for himself as a motivational speaker after revealing his identity as bin Laden's killer to the Washington Post in 2012 In 2015, he became a frequent contributor for Fox News on military matters. 'I'm confident this all happened for a reason,' he writes at the end of his memoir, which will reportedly be published on April 25. He continued: 'I'm committed to making the most of it.' An Islamic leader who made controversial comments about hitting women has described his remarks as a 'slip up'. Keysar Trad, President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said an angry husband could beat his wife as 'a last resort' in an interview with Sky News presenter Andrew Bolt in February. Mr Trad, who is also founder of the Islamic Friendship Association, has now spoken further about the now infamous comment in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. Scroll down for video Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Keysar Trad, pictured with his wife Hanifeh (centre) and one of their daughters (left), said controversial remarks he made about hitting women showed 'how I slip up' Mr Trad (right) said violence towards women 'is a last resort' after Andrew Bolt (left) quoted a verse from the Koran on Sky News He said his interview with Mr Bolt showed 'how I slip up'. 'I couldn't find a rock big enough to crawl under after that. To me, violence is not a resort at all - you don't do it,' Mr Trad said. 'I take the blame, I'm not blaming Andrew. I said something that wasn't intended. Not only do I pay the price, my religion pays the price.' Mr Trad made his controversial comments after Mr Bolt quoted a verse from the Koran, saying: 'It is permissible for him [the husband] to beat her [the wife] light with his hands.' Keysar Trad (right) said a husband could buy his wife flowers and chocolates before he resorted to 'using your hand' Mr Trad was criticised in February for comments remarks he made on The Bolt Report Mr Trad is pictured (left) with former immigration minister Philip Ruddock (right) 'If you come home and you are really, really angry. We've seen many men act violently towards their woman,' Mr Trad said. 'This verse is saying really, is playing on the psychology of the man saying violence is a last resort.' Mr Trad went on to say husbands first needed to consider gifts like flowers or chocolates. In September last year, Mr Trad said he had been writing love poetry to woo women to find a second wife after his spouse of 30 year gave her blessing for him to find another partner, although his nine children reportedly aren't supportive of the move. Mr Trad's wife, Hanifeh, 52, told The Sunday Telegraph that while her husband could 'get married, have affairs', 'it doesn't happen'. 'That part of his brain is flawed. It's waffle. He's whistling and he doesn't know why. He's just getting attention. I don't think less of people who live in this situation. But the way he talks about it, nobody would want to marry him,' she said. The family of a British millionaire who was murdered in Spain three years ago are still battling to get his body sent home because the killer has the power to block it under Spanish law. Pretty Slovakian Mayka Kukucova, 26, was jailed last year for breaking into Andrew Bush's home on the Costa del Sol in April 2014 and shooting him dead in front of his stunning new Russian girlfriend. Mr Bush, 48, was buried in Spain in 2014 but his family have since been trying to get his remains repatriated. His daughter Ellie, 22, told the Sunday People: 'We've now appealed to get dad's body back seven times but we're still not allowed to bring him home as Kukucova is mounting appeals. 'She keeps appealing on different circumstances, so it is delaying everything including us being able to bring him home.' Infatuation: Kukucova (pictured) became enraged when the millionaire jeweller nicknamed the 'King of Bling' dumped her and began dating an even younger woman The Bristol-based jeweller was killed in front of his new lover, 24-year-old Maria Korotaeva, at his home near the holiday resort of Estepona. Ms Korotaeva (pictured), who now lives in Tenerife, gave evidence at the trial, along with Mr Bush's daughter Ellie, and his sister Rachel Kukucova shot him with a .38 revolver on April 5, 2014. Ellie told the trial Kukucova stalked her dad after they ended their two-and-a-half year-long relationship in November 2013. She also accused the Slovakian beauty of assaulting him during a family holiday to Dubai and then ruining his computer by running it under a hotel tap. Ellie told the Sunday People: 'I don't understand what evidence there is they can still take from his body. It's tearing me apart. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. I just want it to be finished now.' She says she wants a proper funeral in Bristol with all his friends and relatives wearing his favourite colour, white. Kukucova fled the crime scene in Mr Bush's Hummer and dumped it at a nearby beachside car park before returning to her homeland with a new boyfriend who flew to Madrid to meet her. She was extradited to Spain after handing herself in and claiming the revolver went off during a violent struggle after he attacked her and pointed the weapon at her. A jury rejected her claim she acted in self-defence and out of 'insurmountable fear'. They accepted prosecutors' claims she stayed in the villa for two days, slept in his bed while waiting for him and flew into a jealous rage after seeing him arrive with his new love. Rages: Ellie told the trial Kukucova (pictured) assaulted her father during a family holiday to Dubai and then ruined his computer by running it under a hotel tap Mr Bush, who made his money in the jewellery trade, had originally employed Kukucova in one of his shops in Bristol. The pretty blonde is in prison in Granada after being moved from a jail near Malaga following a fight with another inmate while on remand awaiting trial. Mr Bush's ex-wife Sam Mason (pictured) said the family and their daughter were 'devastated' by his death An Indian news presenter found out about her own husband's death when she was reading a breaking news report on live TV. Supreet Kaur, 28, was reporting the Saturday morning bulletin for news channel IBC24 in Chhattisgarh, eastern India. She delivered a breaking news report about a car crash and speaking with a reporter on the phone who gave additional details. While the reporter didn't identify the three victims by name there were enough details for Kaur to realise her husband, Harshad Kawade, had been killed. She knew he had been travelling on the same road, at the same time with four friends in the same type of car identified in the accident - a Renault Duster. But brave Kaur maintained her professionalism and continued to read the headlines for another ten minutes - before breaking down in tears off camera. Colleagues were full of admiration for the way the 28-year-old mother of one handled the situation. Kaur was presenting the Saturday morning bulletin for Indian news channel IBC24 when news of the accident broke There were enough details from a reporter at the scene for Kaur to quickly realise her husband had been killed in the accident One editor told the Indian Express: 'It speaks volumes about her sense of duty and professionalism that she continued and kept calm for another 10 minutes. 'The moment the cameras were off she began calling her relatives and broke down. She left for the accident site after that. Despite the realisation Kaur continued diligently reporting the news for another ten minutes. When she was off the air she broke down in tears 'Kaur has worked with us for nine years and is one of the most popular anchors in the state. We stand with out colleague in pain. ' Another colleague told the Hindustan Times: 'She is an extremely brave lady. We are proud of her as an anchor, but what happened today has left us in shock.' Viewers on social media were also full of praise for the way Kaur composed herself. A man in his 30s has been killed after being hit by a nightbus on Oxford Street in the early hours of the morning. Police and ambulances were called at 2am on Sunday but he was pronounced dead at the scene just four minutes later. He was hit by the N98, a night bus heading towards Holborn, just outside the flagship John Lewis store on the famous London shopping street. A man in his 30s has been killed after being hit by a bus on Oxford Street in the early hours of the morning. Stock image of a night bus The driver stopped after hitting the pedestrian and is now helping police with inquiries. He is not under arrest, the Met Police confirmed today. Officers now want to speak to witnesses at the scene, which is a busy night spot in central London and often still busy at 2am. A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'Police were called at 2am...to reports of a collision between a Route N98 bus and a pedestrian. 'Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended the scene and found a man, aged in his late 30s, injured. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:04am. 'His next-of-kin have yet to be informed. Formal identification and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course. He was hit by the N98, a night bus heading towards Holborn, just outside the flagship John Lewis store on the famous London shopping street 'The bus driver stopped at the scene. They have not been arrested and are assisting police with their enquiries. 'Detectives from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating. 'Despite the collision occurring in the early hours of the morning, there would have been a number of people in the vicinity at the time and detectives are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.' Police are on the hunt for a man who approached two children near a park and took them to a grocery store - only to return them later in the afternoon. The Middle Eastern man first spoke to the children, aged six and seven, as they stood on a road in Riverwood, southern Sydney, at about 1pm on Sunday afternoon. After a brief conversation, he took them to a local grocery shop and bought a number of items before taking them to a nearby home. Police are on the hunt for a man who approached two young children near a park and took them to a grocery store - only to return them later in the afternoon. They have released images A short time later, the man took the children back to where he had abducted them and left on foot. Officers from Campsie Local Area Command have commenced inquiries and would like to speak to a man that may be able to assist their investigations. He is described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, 175cm tall with short black hair. He was last seen wearing a dark coloured jumper and dark shorts. Anyone with information that may assist is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. Teachers at a west London school are confiscating pupils' games consoles from their homes in a bid to enforce good behaviour. King Solomon Academy, in Marylebone, said parents came to teachers asking them to ban the devices. Headmaster Max Haimendorf said parents can agree to have the consoles taken from their home or to give it to staff at school. Pupils at King Solomon Academy are having their games consoles confiscated by their teachers from their homes. Headteacher Max Haimendorf (pictured) said parents had approached him about taking the devices from the children He told the Sunday Times: 'Where specific children have said, 'I have been up late playing PlayStation' or 'up late on the Internet', there definitely have been circumstances where they have been clearly exhausted in classrooms.' The school stress the importance of forming close ties with parents. On the academy's website, it reads: 'Strong links between home and school are vital, as by working together our pupils education will be more successful. 'We believe in the power of our community and the importance of the relationships we forge with our parents.' Mr Haimendorf's initiative has been praised by former head of Harrow School Barnaby Lenon. Parents can agree for the teacher to confiscate the devices at home or they can hand the consoles in at school. Pictured, King Solomon Academy in Marylebone In Mr Lenon's book Much Promise, he says the move to ban consoles should be introduced at more schools around the country. Last week, Mr Lenon said boys need firm discipline and are being let down by fathers who want to act as their best friends. Mr Haimendorf has previously made it compulsory for pupils to take part in an orchestra. Mr Haimendorf's initiative has been praised by former head of Harrow School Barnaby Lenon who said last week that children are being let down by fathers wanting to be their best friend He told the BBC in 2015: 'The knock-on conversations, opportunities and experiences our pupils get has really broadened their perspectives.' When he was appointed as head of King Solomon Academy at the age of 30, he became the youngest headteacher in the country. Pupils at King Solomon Academy are in school from 7.55am to 4pm and have an enforced 30 minutes of reading time in the middle of the day. A jail housing some of Britain's most evil killers has been offering them the chance of chemical castration in an effort to thwart their despicable urges. Frankland jail in Durham has instituted a new scheme which allows some of Britain's most depraved inmates to undergo a form of chemical castration to sate their desires. According to Professor Don Grubin, the programme was established at the prison because it houses some of the nation's most high risk sex offenders. Soham murderer Ian Huntley was jailed for killing Holly Wells and Jessic Chapman in 2002 Levi Bellfield, pictured, was convicted of the murder of Milly Dowler who went missing in 2002 The new scheme is being offered to inmates at HMP Frankland in County Durham, pictured Levi Bellfield and Ian Huntley are both detained at HMP Frankland, although according to the Sunday People, neither of the deviants have signed up to the course. Commenting on the type of prisoners detained at Frankland, Professor Grubin said: 'Their level of sexual arousal is so high that they find it difficult to engage in psychological treatment programmes. 'In others their level of arousal may be the cause of them getting themselves in trouble in the prison.' Ian Huntley was convicted of the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Bellfield was sentenced to life for the murder of Milly Dowler. The scheme is run, according to the Sunday People, by NHS England and the National Offender Management Service. Professor Grubin added: 'The principle is to enable sex offenders to better manage their sexual arousal and behaviour. It is run on medical grounds and not as a risk management - although reduction in risk is typically a beneficial side effect.' The University Challenge favourite who has sparked a nationwide meme frenzy has claimed he does not feel like an 'object of desire'. Eric Monkman has set social media ablaze since debuting his iconic frown, bellowing voice and razor-sharp intellect on the BBC two quiz show last year. Despite receiving marriage proposals and declarations of love, the 29-year-old insisted he does not believe people are 'seriously obsessed' with him. University Challenge favourite Eric Monkman, who has sparked a nationwide meme frenzy, has confessed he does not feel like an 'object of desire Despite receiving marriage proposals and declarations of love, the 29-year-old claimed he does not believe people are 'seriously obsessed' with him He has become so popular that retailers have even created mugs and T-shirts with his face on them 'I certainly don't think of myself as any object of desire. I assume people are being ironic, not serious. I think they're just trying to be funny,' he told The Telegraph. Monkman admitted even his long-term - and long-distance - girlfriend Jiang Na, a professor of law at Beijing Normal University, was baffled by the attention he was getting. 'She doesn't really see much that's happening [to me] from China, so she only knows what I tell her. She thinks it's a bit strange,' he said. The Canadian Economics graduate, representing Wolfston College, Cambridge, has had endless memes crafted around him. They cover everything from his animated facial expresions to his hair and even his pristine collar. Explaining his signature blue jumper and shirt look, he said: 'I wore the same outfit for every recording because it was one fewer thing to think about.' He has also sparked the hashtag 'Monkmania', and had fans declaring him a 'modern-day hero'. Some have fallen in love with his intense grimaces during the show, which he said was a sign of 'intense concentration, not anger'. Eric has set social media ablaze since debuting his iconic frown, bellowing voice and razor-sharp intellect onscreen last year 'I am surprised that so many people think I am angry. I am generally not an angry person, and my mannerisms are a result of intense concentration, not anger,' he told Cambridge News. 'I like to bring this concentration to every activity I participate in that requires it, whether it is taking a note at my old job or playing on a televised quiz show.' He has become so popular that retailers have even created mugs and T-shirts with his face on them. Despite his obvious prowess on University Challenge, Monkman admitted he did not always feel so confident. The son of two doctors, he confessed that he was the 'odd one' in his family as he does not 'handle blood well'. The Canadian Economics graduate, representing Wolfston College, Cambridge, has had endless memes crafted around him He has also sparked the hashtag 'Monkmania', and had fans declaring him a 'modern-day hero' Monkman, who lives back home in the Canadian town of Oakville since graduating with a Masters in Economics last year, is now within touching distance of Monday night's final. His one-time opponent Bobby Seagull, captain of the Emmanuel College Cambridge team, admitted they were so close, Eric could one day be the best man at his wedding. 'Im very good friends with Eric, if I ever get married one day, [Eric Monkman] is a top contender to be my best man,' he told GQ magazine. 'When I first met Eric I was sort of in awe, how does this man know so much! That would have been around late 2014, early 2015.' The best friends came head to head in last week's tense semi-final - with Seagull admitting he was nervous about competing against Eric. 'We knew we were up against an opponent who really lived on the edge,' he confessed. Monkman captained his team from Wolfson College, Cambridge to a 170 to 140 victory over Emmanuel College, led by Bobby Seagull. His one-time opponent Bobby Seagull, captain of the Emmanuel College Cambridge team, admitted they were so close, Eric could one day be the best man at his wedding Eric has gathered a cult following for his passionate answers and bellowing voice, but faced a stiff challenge from Bobby Seagull (pictured right) during the tense semi-final Twitter delighted in the eccentricity on display with all the University Challenge contestants Some wondered if the pair couldn't team up to help run the country Hyperbole abounded as Twitter users made #UniversityChallenge trend Monkman revealed the close friends hugged after the tense quiz show Monkman led from the front throughout the half-an-hour programme, hosted by Jeremy Paxman. He quickly helped Wolfson to become the dominant team, despite a late rally by Emmanuel - and Bobby Seagull's dapper suit. Even Jeremy Paxman looked disappointed to have to bring the general knowledge bonanza to an end. He said to both teams: 'I will say only that you guys - all of you, of whatever gender - are very, very clever.' The battle of the boffins was widely celebrated on social media. Karl Cunliffe posted on Twitter: 'If the government steps in and makes Monkman and Seagull pay per view they might be able to clear the national debt.' Mark Emyln Evans posted: 'SEAGULL vs MONKMAN tonight on University Challenge is bigger than Alien vs Predator and Batman vs Superman COMBINED' Criticized for his low-profile diplomacy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with a leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. And, he's set for an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's alleged U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. Tillerson, according to the Sunday Times, will confront Russia with evidence that it had knowledge of last week's deadly Sarin gas attack and sought to cover it up. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the Meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition on the Defeat of ISIS in Washington President Donald Trump (right) is joined by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida Since taking office in February, the former Exxon Mobil CEO has admittedly shunned the spotlight and the press. Yet, Tillerson was surprisingly visible during last week's announcement of the response to the gruesome chemical attack, fielding questions from reporters on and off camera, and then being pictured in an official White House photo seated next to President Donald Trump as they heard the result of the 59 cruise missiles that struck a Syrian military base. Tillerson was a prominent fixture during the most important foreign policy period in Trump's young presidency: a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that coincided with the strikes against Syria. He was by Trump's side during his meetings with Xi and spoke publicly multiple times to address both issues. It was Tillerson who delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had 'failed' to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) walks with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida 'Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement,' he said. On Sunday, he will make his first network television interview appearances. In one of those interviews, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Bashar Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule - something Moscow adamantly denies. In that interview airing Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hadn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. Then he heads to Europe to gather with the foreign ministers of the other Group of 7 nations before venturing on eastward to become the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Moscow - and possibly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The criticism from the foreign policy establishment's left and right that has dogged his tenure is dying down. Tillerson had faced questions about whether he understood that his new position meant he was now the face of the United States to the world, that he had to answer no longer to a small group of top shareholders but to more than 320 million Americans. The secretary of state must be 'the spokesman for American foreign policy,' said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official during George W. Bush's presidency who is now a professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. 'This is the administration's first crisis but it won't be their last by a long shot, so he's going to have to get used to this.' Joining Trump at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Tillerson was supposed to focus on the informal summit with Xi. Instead, he was thrust to the forefront after photos of the bodies piled in heaps in Idlib, Syria, dramatically altered the agenda. Only a week earlier, Tillerson had alarmed U.S. allies by indicating the U.S. was no longer interested in pushing for Syrian President Bashar Assad's removal from power. In the hours leading up to Trump's decision to order the strikes, he was among the most forward-leaning of Trump's top aides in suggesting the U.S. would deliver an 'appropriate response.' He challenged Russia publicly in a way Trump appeared to be scrupulously avoiding and said of Assad early Thursday: 'It would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people.' After the cruise missiles crashed down in Syria, Tillerson was calm and commanding in a question-and-answer session with journalists. Cohen, a vocal conservative critic of Trump's foreign policy who has chided Tillerson for his reticence, said he saw Tillerson growing into the job. 'I suspect you'll see more of him as he grows more comfortable in dealing with the press and in his relationship with the president and the administration's national security team,' Cohen said. The challenge will be greater in Russia's capital this week. He is arriving at a fragile point in U.S.-Russia relations, where he will have to confront the Kremlin's anger over the missile strikes in Syria along with suspicion at home that Moscow may have even been complicit in the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack. Senior U.S. military officials have said they are looking into whether Russia provided drone surveillance and helped Syrian forces try to cover up what they'd done. Beyond Syria, there are disputes over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Tillerson carries to Moscow the weight of FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's alleged interference in last year's presidential election. The Trump campaign's possible ties to the presumed Russian meddlers are also being probed. 'This is going to be Tillerson's biggest test to date,' said Julianne Smith, a National Security Council and Defense Department official under President Barack Obama. She is now a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. 'He's been getting poor reviews across the national security establishment, tons of questions about whether he has the intellect, the stamina, the courage to really take this position and fly with it and really soar.' One early interpretation of Tillerson's not-so-public diplomacy was that he would have a diminished role under Trump. Although aides vehemently denied that Tillerson had been sidelined, the impression was left of a man uncomfortable in his job. The events of the past several days seem to have stanched such suggestions, and his increasingly public persona seems to reflect a greater confidence. When he goes to Russia, keeping a low profile would likely be impossible, even if it were his goal. A deceased body has been found in Western Sydney Parklands near Doonside. Police have confirmed to Daily Mail Australia there are officers currently on site in bush land near the corner of Richmond and Doonside Road. It is understood the deceased, found at about 4.40pm, is a man. A man's body has been found in Western Sydney Parklands, near Doonside A crime scene has been established and a number of officers are combing the area. Multiple police vehicles are parked at the crime scene, and one is stopped outside the Parklands. A spokesperson for NSW police says the circumstances surrounding the man's death are 'unclear'. Advertisement Britain enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far yesterday, marking the beginning of a scorching three months ahead that could see highs of up to 86F (30C). It was the hottest April day since 2015, with the mercury soaring to 78F (25.5C) - hotter than parts of Australia and even higher than the 71F (21.4F) that prompted a national rush to beaches and parks on Saturday. It marks the start of a three-month heatwave, which will see the mercury rise above 80F and a much dryer climate than usual, the Met Office predicts. Fire chiefs have even issued warnings that the hot and dry weather has turned the countryside into a tinderbox after huge fires in Devon and Suffolk. It could even lead to hosepipe bans and food shortages, with farmers worrying that they may not be able to irrigate their crops. But Easter Saturday is set to be a washout, with rain over much of the country. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, marking the beginning of a scorching three months ahead that could see highs of up to 86F Buster the bulldog cools off with an ice cream in Bournemouth on what has been the hottest day of the year so far It was the perfect day to try and get some colour on the skin as summer approaches, with women across the country pushing aside straps to enjoy the sun. Pictured are people in Greenwich Park yesterday Brighton beach, pictured with its iconic pier in the background, was an obvious destination for many in the south coats city A young woman applies some suncream to her fella at the War Memorial Park in Coventry, West Midlands In Rugby, Warwickshire, a young woman poses for her boyfriend taking a picture at Caldecott Park this morning Londoners flocked to the capital's green and open spaces, such as Green Park (pictured), to catch the strong sun rays Anyone planning to train would have found it a tough day for a run, perhaps too warm for t-shirts in St James's Park yesterday The hot weather, pictured in London, marks the beginning of a scorching three months that could see highs of up to 86F These two people enjoy a post-work-out rest in the sunshine in Greenwich Park, which offers a fantastic view over London It's already a day to work on the tan, with these gentlemen enjoying some time out next to the Thames this morning However, yesterday's hot weather is coming to an abrupt end today, when they could drop an entire 17F (10C) to levels more common for this time of year. In northern areas of Scotland, the weather is likely to break, with forecasters warning of wind and rain. Simon Partridge, Met Office forecaster, said: 'Air from Greenland is introducing cooler temperatures. In parts of the country, it will be 10C colder tomorrow [Monday] than the day before, which is amazing when you consider that the average temperature in some of these places is around 12C. 'Rain has already arrived north west Scotland and Northern Ireland, and will creep down across the north west of England and even the midlands and Wales - though it will be very patchy in these places and perhaps only over the hills. The weather is changing, with the temperature dropping to more average levels for this time of year over the next few days A couple sunbathe on the pebbles of Brighton beach, Sussex, which was packed with people enjoying the weather yesterday Further north in Loch Lomond, the picnic blankets are down and the barbecue is on at the secluded waterside spot yesterday Taking it easy, these people enjoy what could well be the start of a three-month heatwave of hot and dry weather until the end of June, Met Office forecasters say It's a day to relax in the sunshine for these people in London, where thousands have gathered in green spaces across the city Taking a selfie with the beautiful blue sky in the background on Bournemouth's new ferris wheel in Dorset yesterday This family are enjoying the sun with a trip on a mock-fire boat on the boating lake on Redcar seafront in Cleveland 'But although it will be cooler than what we have had, it will still be a little bit warmer than average and there will be some decent dry and sunny spells.' Yesterday's UK high was set in Cambridge, and it was also the hottest day of the year in Wales, where it reached 69F (20.8) in Usk. Government weather forecasters have predicted the above-average temperatures over the coming three months in a briefing to Government officials. Considerably hotter than average temperatures are nine times more likely than much cooler than average, at 45 per cent versus 5 per cent. London enjoys the hottest day of the year yesterday, with temperatures peaking at 25C in the South East Greenwich Park was packed with people sitting on the grass, eating picnics and enjoying basking in the sun yesterday It has already hit 68F before midday in London, pictured, but the temperature is set to climb further until around 5pm There was a rush to the coast yesterday, with beaches usually deserted in April filling up with people enjoying the sun after forecasters predicted the hottest day of the year. Pictured is Sidmouth in Devon In Sidmouth, Devon, dog walkers and holidaymakers enjoy a stroll at the bottom of the burnt orange cliffs yesterday June has seen highs of 80F to 88F in each of the past five years, Met Office records show. And rainfall is tipped to be slightly lower than normal, the Met Office said, reducing the risk of showers dampening BBQs. The sizzle ahead is due to hot air expected to arrive from the tropics, Africa and the Mediterranean, Government forecasters said. GOOD NEWS FOR GLASTO AND THE LONDON MARATHON The upbeat forecast is a boost for Brits planning for events including: The London Marathon on April 23 The FA Cup Final on May 27 Whitsun half-term from May 27 to June 4 The Epsom Derby on June 3 Trooping the Colour on June 17 Royal Ascot from June 20-24 Glastonbury festival from June 21-25 Advertisement Warm seas plus high pressure - which brings warm and dry conditions from late spring - will also boost the mercury. Tourism chiefs will expect a tourism boom as Brits enjoy more day trips and staycations to lap up the warm weather. The Met Office three-month forecast is being briefed to the Cabinet Office, councils, transport bosses and businesses. The forecast says: 'For April-June, above-average temperatures are more probable than below-average. The probability of the warmest category of temperatures is 45%. The coldest category is 5%. 'Warmth is being observed in many regions that are sources for air travelling to the UK. There is a slight increase in the likelihood of anticyclonic conditions. Sea surface temperatures around the UK are above normal. 'This increases the chances of warmer-than-average temperatures through the period. 'Below-average precipitation is slightly more probable than above-average.' However, the hot and dry weather has sparked countryside blazes in rural areas and fire services are now warning that it has turned the countryside into a tinderbox. The lack of rain means the slightest spark from a tossed-away cigarette butt to an ember from a beauty spot barbecue can set light to the undergrowth, chiefs warned. Pictured is someone looking down onto a glorious sunrise from the Cow and Calf Rocks near Ilkley, West Yorkshire Pictured yesterday are boats in the early morning mist on the River Frome near Wareham, Dorset The sun emerges from behind the lighthouse on Bass Rock early this morning, where thousands of gannets fly across the face of the sun from their nesting sites on the huge volcanic island in the Firth of Forth The red sun rises over the horizon above the sea at South Shields lighthouse on what is due to be a scorching day, the hottest of the year so far A person enjoys the view at sunrise of the Cow and Calf Rocks, a famous beauty sport near Ilkley, West Yorkshire People take advantage of the sunny weather at Loch Lomond, enjoying some watersports on the unusually hot April day Yesterday will be the hottest day of the year so far, marking the beginning of a scorching three months that could see highs of up to 86F. Pictured are runners in Birmingham, making the most of the early-morning sun Temperatures across Britain are set to reach around 86F, which is more than double the average for this time of year. Pictured is a cyclist in Birmingham Even the predicted downturn in the fine weather this week will not help as relatively little rain is forecast and it will quickly be swallowed up by the spring burst of growth in plants and grass. It will take weeks of rainy weather to turn things round and that's not on the cards. Dozens of firefighters from across Cornwall have been battling a huge weekend blaze which has swept across Bodmin Moor. They raced to the famously-named Brown Willy hilltop tor after alarmed locals reported columns of smoke hundreds of feet high billowing into the sky. Flames ripped across eight acres, destroying the nests of skylarks and other birds and killing rare insects and snakes which had no time to escape the inferno. Dozens of firefighters from across Cornwall have been battling a huge weekend blaze which has swept across Bodmin Moor They raced to the famously-named Brown Willy hilltop tor after alarmed locals reported columns of smoke hundreds of feet high billowing into the sky Other areas of Britain have also been hit - in Suffolk, firefighters were called to blazes at Rushmere Heath (pictured) on the outskirts of Ipswich and to heathland in Lowestoft yesterday evening Crews from Delabole, Padstow and Wadebridge had to use 4x4s to reach the remote moorland and they had to exhausting tasks of smashing the gorse with beater brooms to form a 'dead zone' to stop the flames leaping across. Other areas of Britain have also been hit - in Suffolk, firefighters were called to blazes at Rushmere Heath on the outskirts of Ipswich and to heathland in Lowestoft. The Rushmere fire destroyed about 1,000 square metres of gorse, said a spokesman, who added it is not unusual to get heathland fires in the summer, but it is less common to get major blazes like this before Easter. The continuing dry weather may create drought problems for farmers if restrictions are placed on the amount of water they can use. This year's dry winter and the long-range forecasts are worrying the farmers who have been warned by the Met Office that early indications suggest the spring could be dryer than normal. Britain is predicting a roasting summer, with highs up to 30C expected to boost UK staycations and events such as Glastonbury. Pictured is a dog walker in Birmingham The hot weather has brought out runners already, pictured in Birmingham, and is said to be the start of a scorching three months until the end of June On the hottest day of the year, walkers enjoy the view from the bank, but the weather could well break later on, with rain expected to start in north west Scotland and creep south overnight It's feared restrictions on how much water farmers can take to irrigate their crops could be imposed by the government if there is no prolonged wet spell over the next few weeks. Essex was the driest county in the country in February and Suffolk's temperature was notably above average. Since then, the eastern region of England has had below average rainfall, with March providing 84 per cent of the long-term average amount, and the Met Office predicts below average rainfall between April and June. WARNINGS FROM FIRE CHIEFS AMID HEAT Fire chiefs in Cornwall warned how even a 'carelessly discarded cigarette' can lead to a huge fire after the blaze over the weekend. Issuing the advice on its website, bosses urge: Do not discard cigarettes in the countryside. Only light fires or barbecues in designated areas. Build fires at least 10m downwind from vegetation, tents and caravans, and build them on a patch of bare earth. Ensure the fire collapses inwards when it burns. Do not leave fires unattended. Never use petrol or paraffin on a fire. Do not put batteries, aerosols or other gas cylinders on the fire. If you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately. Don't attempt to tackle fires that can't be put out with a bucket of water - leave the area as quickly as possible. Advertisement National Farmers' Union (NFU) national water resources specialist Paul Hammett said they were keeping a watch on the situation. 'The mild weather has brought some benefits for farmers in East Anglia, with excellent soil and weather conditions for spring planting. 'Farm reservoirs are also generally full but the dry and mild conditions mean that irrigation is likely to start two to four weeks early in some areas. 'We are monitoring the situation and working closely with organisations including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Environment Agency, the Met Office and water companies. 'We're also encouraging farmers to register for Environment Agency updates covering local prospects for irrigation and local monthly water situation reports. 'We will have a much clearer picture from late April onwards, as crops grow and take up soil moisture.' The Environment Agency has described summer prospects for water resources availability for spray irrigation in the east of England as 'moderate', with a dry autumn and early winter causing a delayed start to groundwater recharge. Andrew Blenkiron, estate director at the Euston farmland estate near Thetford, said it had been a dry period for him, with only five inches of rain over the key four winter months, and relatively low river flows as a consequence. This had limited the extraction allowed, but, as the estate now had two reservoirs to cope with the problems associated with being in a 'dry' region, the estate had been able to mitigate against the effects. They had already been irrigating the early potato and the onion crop, with a special 'glue' applied to the onion crop to retain the moisture. The early irrigation was a one in five year occurrence, he said. If the dry spell continues, then farmers without their own supply of stored water would be the ones who are hit, he warned. It would be a headache for him if the low rainfall continued into next winter. 'Anybody who takes surface water or river abstraction through the summer, they are potentially going to be restricted. 'The impact will be on those people who have got river-only abstraction.' A spitfire shot down over France in 1944 has flown for the first time since the Second World War after a 3 million restoration. The NH341 took part in 27 combat missions between June and July 1944 and was flown by nine pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force's 411 (Grizzly Bear) squadron. Pilot John Romain flew the historic aircraft over Duxford, Cambridge, after a 30-month restoration project, which was declared a 'huge success'. A spitfire, which was shot down over Caen, France, in 1944, has taken to the skies for the first time since the Second World War. It took 30 months to restore the NH341, costing 3 million Elliot Styles, a spokesman for owners Aero Legends, said: 'John has got the engineers to make a few adjustments to trim NH341's ailerons which will improve her stability in flight. 'We will be launching NH341 again over the next couple of days to complete further air testing.' The NH341 Spitfire, which took off from Duxford, Cambridgeshire, flew 27 combat missions between June and July 1944 before it was shot down near Caen in France. The plane took off over Duxford, Cambridge, and the flight was deemed a 'huge success'. Between June and July 1944, the spitfire took part in 27 missions and was flown by nine pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force's Grizzly Bear squadron The French Resistance helped Canadian pilot Jimmy Jeffrey return to his unit - having first taken him to a nearby town for a hair cut and to buy some cheese. But three years ago, the badly damaged fuselage was bought by Keith Perkins, of Aero Legends, a firm that allows the paying public to fly in vintage planes. It's taken 30 months for specialist craftsmen and engineers to restore the fighter to fly once more. Martin Overall, historic flying Project manager who oversaw the restoration, said: 'The plane came to us in July 2014. It was in a very poor state because it had been shot down and crashed quite hard. 'I have both enjoyed and cursed these challenges throughout the 30 month restoration. 'It is fantastic that individuals now have the opportunity to experience this awesome machine.' The aircraft was due to take off in March but a carburettor issue halted its maiden flight. The plane was knocked out of the sky when Canadian pilot Jimmy Jeffrey was returning to his unit. Members of the French Resistance took Mr Jeffrey to the nearest town and gave him a haircut and some cheese before they helped him back The Spitfire NH341 had remained in France until Aero Legends Ltd bought it in 2011. Aero Legends owner Keith Perkins said he was 'totally unaware' of the plane's history before he bought it. Flt Lt Bruce Whiteford flew NH341 more than any other pilot and he had his wife Elizabeth's initials and name painted on the plane. The Spitfire was displayed at the Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie at Bayeux in 1996 and later displayed at the Juno Beach Museum. Huw Edwards, Fiona Bruce, Kay Burley and Dermot Murnaghan are reportedly among a list of high-profile news presenters on a 'kill list' found on an Islamist website. The ISIS-run website suggests its followers target the BBC and Sky newsreaders and even gives details about where they work. Also named on the list is Victoria Derbyshire, who has battled back after a fight with breast cancer. Kay Burley (left), Huw Edwards (centre) and Fiona Bruce (right) were reportedly on the list of targets on the ISIS-run website Counter-terrorism officers have now been alerted to the website. Security expert Will Geddes told the Daily Star Sunday: 'Anyone potentially in the public eye talking about IS needs to be reasonably concerned.' The website also identified the Glastonbury music festival in June as a potential target. Ed Sheeran, Radiohead and the Foo Fighters are headlining this year's festival and 150,000 music fans will head to Somerset to see dozens of other big stars, including Katy Perry and Craig David. Dermot Murnaghan (pictured, left) during a jovial exchange with the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (right). Murnaghan is among those targeted by the website The website urged supporters to hit targets in Britain in response to Coalition air strikes against ISIS targets in the Iraqi city of Mosul and carried the warning: 'By Allah! We will not forget! Even after some time we will never forget!' The website identifies obvious targets, including Downing Street and Big Ben as well as shopping centres, airports, Army bases and police stations. Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said earlier this week they had taken steps to prepare themselves for a terrorist attack on the airport, which is routinely patrolled by armed police officers. Hundreds of lives were saved by a quick-thinking security van driver who drove his van directly into the path of the rampaging lorry, forcing the terrorist to lose control and crash. Heroic Santiago Cueva, 27, was sitting in his van outside the Ahlens department store in Stockholm on Friday when he saw the hijacked lorry racing down the street, mowing down everything in its path. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he said that his first thought was to protect the Swedish parliament, which was just 500 metres down the road from the scene of the attack. Santiago Cueva (left and right) was sitting outside of Ahlens department store in Stockholm on Friday when he saw the hijacked lorry racing down the street, mowing down everything in its path His actions caused the attacker to crash into Ahlens instead, killing one British person, one Belgian and two Swedes People have been seen gathering at the department store today and leaving tributes for the victims 'First I saw the lorry smash through lamp-posts, benches and flowerpots. Then I saw people flying into the air, he said. I felt certain that the lorry was going to continue down Drottninggatan straight towards Parliament. The drivers aim was clearly to continue down the entire street and hit Parliament. What I do remember most clearly is the noise. There was a loud noise coming from the lorry, the sound of thuds as it hit people, and it just kept growing and growing. It was unpleasant to hear and unpleasant to see. In an act of astonishing bravery, Mr Cueva accelerated his van directly into the path of the speeding lorry. I was not scared,' he said. 'It was actually a strange feeling when it happened. The lorry was coming towards me and all my focus was on helping protect people in some way. So I drove my van in front of it in order to stop it from getting any further. The heroic driver crashed into the lorry after he realised it was heading for the Swedish parliament building and was aiming to kill hundreds of people Speaking exclusively to the MailOnline, Mr Cueva said: 'Iwas not scared. It was actually a strange feeling when it happened. The lorry was coming towards me and all my focus was on helping protect people in some way' This was the route the terrorist took when he crashed into the department store on Friday As a result, the lorry was unable to continue its murderous route and was forced to veer headlong into the department store, where it came to a stop and caught fire. The driver must have panicked and lost control, Mr Cueva recalled. The lorry bounced back and forth before it hit the department store. I think the terrorist may have let go of the steering wheel. I am certain that he wanted to continue to kill more people and reach Parliament. After the lorry smashed into the Ahlens department store, Ecuador-born Mr Cueva, who moved to Sweden in 1996, jumped out of his van to help the wounded and dying. 'I got out and ran to help people, he said. What I saw was awful. I saw people who had been hit and dead people. A woman was lying by the truck with several people trying to help her. 'There were many parents who couldn't find their children and they refused to leave, even though the truck caught fire. 'Me and a couple of security guards agreed that we needed to get people out of there. We didn't know how uncertain the situation was. We all felt that we were trying to make an effort to save people in case there was a bomb in the lorry. Everything happened so quickly. I dont think the people around there knew what had happened. There were bodies lying on the ground and people screaming, but many people just stood there trying to take pictures and film with their mobile phones while we were trying to get them to run away from the scene. The terrorist was able to escape from the scene of the atrocity by hiding among the panicked crowds, Mr Cueva said. There were so many people around, he told MailOnline. The police were on the scene almost immediately. You should know that the driver was actually inside the department store after the crash. I believe he walked into the store and hid among the crowd that was running away. I think that was how he escaped. Armed police were seen outside Central Station in Stockholm after reports of a second incident Swedish flags were seen flying at half mast yesterday following the brutal attack Thousands of people have left flowers outside of the shopping centre today as the nation grieves Neither me or any other security guards saw him leave and I think it was the same for the police officers. In the days since the attack, Mr Cueva has been haunted by the horrific sights he witnessed. There are lots of thoughts going through my mind, he said. Lots of details keep playing like videos in my head. Theres a lot that needs to be processed, but it is a horrific feeling to see so many innocent people getting injured and killed. He is particularly disturbed by the thought that he missed death himself by a matter of minutes. One thing I keep thinking about is that me and a colleague had lunch before we went to the department store, and stayed for 10 minutes longer than we should, he said. Had we not stayed that bit longer, we would have been walking in the middle of the street when the lorry came. Those 10 minutes might have saved my life. Mr Cueva is receiving support from his family and friends, who are very proud of his actions, he said. However, he is modest about his heroism that day. I dont consider myself as a hero, he said. It was my duty. I was wearing a uniform and people look up to someone who wears a uniform. Not in the same way as a policeman, but they listened to me when I told them to leave. At least it feels good that I tried to do something about it. A military buff who bought a tank on eBay for 30,000 could not believe his eyes when he found 2million in gold bars hidden inside. The five gold bars, hidden in the diesel tank, are believed to have been looted by Iraqi soldiers during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Nick Mead, 55, runs Tanks-a-Lot on a site in Helmdon, Northamptonshire and was restoring the Chinese-made T54 tank to add to the collection of 150 military vehicles. Nick Mead (pictured left) and mechanic Todd Chamberlain with the tank. They found the gold inside the diesel tank, which they had just removed Nick Mead (pictured) bought the tank after spotting it on eBay. He found the gold hidden inside the diesel tank The vehicle was restored by previous owner Joe Hewes, 23, who replaced its tracks and fixed its engine without ever discovering the valuable booty inside. Mr Mead had traded an Army lorry and an Abbot self-propelled gun for the tank. He had found machine gun ammunition while stripping it down and feared guns might have been stored inside the fuel tank. Mr Mead and his mechanic Todd Chamberlain were filming the operation because they feared they might find weapons and wanted to be able to prove where it came from in case any awkward questions were asked. But instead they pulled out the bars, which weighed five kilos each. An Iraqi T-72 tank rumbles down a road near Baghdad in 2003, prior to the invasion by a US-led coalition. Many of Saddam Hussein's tanks were left behind in Kuwait after British and American forces liberated the country in 1991 (file picture) The Chinese-made T54 tank was sold on eBay for around 30,000 by Joe Hewes, pictured, who bought it 'ruined' and restored it Although made in China, the tank design is a copy of a Soviet Russian model, and Mr Hewes had to use a Russian PDF and 'guess work' to get the engine running again Mr Chamberlain told The Sun: 'We didn't know what to do. You can't exactly take five gold bullion bars down to Cash Converters without questions being asked, so we called the police.' He added that a quick calculation estimated the worth of the gold at 2million. Mr Mead said: 'We know it is definitely an Iraqi tank and our theory is the gold is from Kuwait but we don't know. 'When we found it, we were all laughing and joking and deciding what we were going to spend the money on. 'My sister wanted a Land Rover and I would buy a Rolls Royce Phantom and chop the back off to make a pick-up truck.' The exact history of Mr Hewes' tank is unknown but an inspection revealed it is a Chinese copy of the Russian T-54 design and manufactured under the designation Type 69. It was built in the early 1980s and has just 1507 miles on the clock. The vehicle was first bought by the self-taught mechanic, who has been restoring military vehicles for seven years. He purchased the vehicle without a working engine and tracks but managed to get the tank running again. 'I saw it advertised and I had this idea of doing a 'From Russia With Love' experience where people would come and drive three Russian tanks. 'I always keep an eye on military vehicles on EBay, I check it once every three days. I often sell tanks on EBay and I buy from there too. Mr Mead bought the tank after trading it for an Army lorry and an Abbot self-propelled gun (pictured) 'It is unusual to get one of these now, they range from around 10k to 60k. I did well buying it for 30k.' Meanwhile two officers from Northamptonshire Police took the bars away for investigation and handed him a receipt which is now being kept in a safety deposit box in London. It is thought inquiries will be made in Kuwait to see if the gold can be matched to any bullion which was stolen during Iraq's invasion in August 1990. 'It's all very much up in the air at the moment,' Mr Mead said. 'It's very early days and I'm not sure what will happen yet.' He added that he was unsure if he would receive a 'finders' percentage. But Mr Mead does not seem bothered that 2million might have just slipped through his fingers. He said: 'The chances of us keeping it are very slim. 'I've had quite a few strange phone calls. 'I got a call from one person claiming to be a colonel in the British Army saying it was his. 'It's really good fun to have found it. It certainly is interesting.' A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said they could not comment 'for operational reasons'. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said the 'power of Allied force' is as relevant today as it was in 1917, as world leaders gathered to mark the centenary of a defining First World War battle. Sir Michael, who will attend the event in France commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge, said national armies which work together were 'continuing to make the world a safer and more secure place.' The ceremony will honour the sacrifices of Canadian forces and their British counterparts at the four-day battle of Vimy Ridge. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has praised the 'power of Allied force' ahead of an event marking the centenery of Vimy Ridge, a decisive First World War battle Justin Trudeu and Francois Hollande arrived at the event today to mark the four-day battle of Vimy Ridge, where almost 3,600 Canadians died The Prince of Wales, France's President Francois Hollande and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be among those attending. Mr Trudeau and Mr Hollande took part in a poppy ceremony in Arras square this morning as part of the centenary event. The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry will also join their father at the event which is being staged at a memorial on the battlefield in northern France, near the town of Arras. Vimy Ridge, a decisive victory for the Allies against Germany, was important in the development of Canada's national identity as four military divisions from the nation fought together for the first time as the Canadian Corps. The battle which began early on April 9 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive, featuring Australian troops, known as the Battle of Arras which was a diversionary move to help a major French attack further south. The Defence Secretary said: 'Today, 100 years ago, British, Canadian and Australian troops served together with enormous courage and sacrifice, with thousands losing their lives in the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Pictured, Francois Hollande and Justin Trudeau at a poppy ceremony in Arras, France. The battle was a costly success but helped shape the national identity of Canada Pictured, Francois Hollande speaks with a woman during the poppy ceremony. They will also lay wreaths at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial 'The Battle of Arras saw the largest amount of Scottish units ever to have fought together, demonstrating once again their significance and contribution to the British Army, whilst the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment in Canada's history. 'The power of Allied force is as relevant today at it was in the spring of 1917, continuing to make the world a safer and more secure place.' Last month, Justin Trudeau said: 'The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a turning point in the First World War and for Canada, when Canadians acted - and fought - as one,' Trudeau said last month. Princes William and Harry will each lay a pair of wooden feet at the memorial, representing the Canadians who died in the battle. Thousands more will be placed by Canadian and French youth 'At Vimy Ridge, we will mark this great victory, and pay tribute to every Canadian who answered the call to serve.' During the ceremony Charles, President Hollande and Mr Trudeau will all speak and also lay wreaths at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial which honours all those from the Commonwealth country who died fighting during the First World War. William and Harry - who have both served in the armed forces - will lay a pair of boots, some of the first of thousands that will be placed at the site by Canadian and French youth - representing almost 3,600 Canadians who died during the battle. Later, Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry will meet athletes who have taken part in the Invictus Games and military personnel from some of Charles' Canadian regiments and military units Before the ceremony Charles and his sons will tour some of the conflict's trenches that were reconstructed a few years after the end of the First World War. In the evening, the royal trio will attend a reception. They will meet young Canadians who attended the ceremony, athletes who have taken part in Harry's Paralympic-style Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women and veterans, and military personnel from some of Charles' Canadian regiments and military units. A British woman is adopting a Ugandan child that was placed in her arms at just two days old when she was working in an orphanage on her gap year. Emilie Larter was just 22 years old when she became the baby's sole carer when his mother died from bleeding after the birth, leaving seven children behind. He was so young when she died, that he had not been fed and didn't even have a name, so they named him Adam. Scroll down for video Emilie Larter was just 22 years old when she became the baby's sole carer when his mother died from bleeding after the birth, and she now plans to adopt him With no-one else to look after him, she changed his nappies and woke up in the night to feed him, and later extended her trip by two months to stay with him He was so young when she died, he had not been fed and didn't even have a name, so they named him Adam (pictured) With no-one else to look after him, she changed his nappies and woke up in the night to feed him, and later extended her trip by two months to stay with him. When she returned to Britain, she could not forget about him and soon returned to Uganda, where she got a full-time job as a teacher in order to care for him. She is now trying to legally adopt him and hopes to bring him back to Britain, saying: 'I cannot imagine a future without him.' However, she has lost her job as a teacher and is now trying to crowdfund in order to raise the money needed for the expensive process. She has already raised 4,500 on the page, on which she tells the touching story of how she met Adam and the lengths she will go to to stay with him. Writing on the page, she pleads: 'I need the money to finish the adoption process. Lawyer fees, court fees...it all adds up. I no longer have an income to be able to pay for this as I had originally intended. Staying in Uganda, Miss Larter did everything for the baby boy and built such a strong bond with him that she could not bear to leave him When Miss Larter (left) returned to Britain, she could not forget about him and soon returned to Uganda, where she got a full-time job as a teacher in order to care for him 'I am asking for your help to ensure we are not separated again. In the New Year, I hope so desperately to legally become Adam's mum.' Miss Larter, who had just graduated from university, had planned to do more travelling when she finished two-months of volunteering for the children's charity. But a dramatic turn of events then told her that 'life had a different plan for me,' she writes. 'It was just another morning at the children's home; changing nappies, playing with children, organising the staff.. when we received a phone call. 'Several people had been trying to contact us. They told us a newborn baby was in desperate need. We got ready quickly and were on our way to Butagaya. 'When we arrived, we realised there was a burial going on. A lady had died, leaving behind 7 children. The youngest was a baby boy; he was just 5 days old. 'His mother had died due to excessive bleeding after birth. He had not received any breast milk or formula and there was no one able to care for him. His mum left this world before even giving him a name. She is now trying to legally adopt him and hopes to bring him back to Britain, saying: 'I cannot imagine a future without him.' This was the community where Miss Larter had been working in Uganda 'We took him in and I became the little one's sole carer. The sleepless nights were down to me, but they were no bother. I felt privileged to do it. 'I extended my stay. I stayed with him for almost two months. We named him Adam. I didn't do much but never a day went by where I was bored. I could sit and watch him for hours.' Miss Larter went home for her graduation but then flew back out to Uganda and spent another four and a half months with him. She then flew back in April 2015 for a close friend's wedding and took on some casual work because she had run out of money, but visited Uganda again in June. Returning home again, she took a full-time teaching job but would 'leave the country the minute the school holidays began' and fly to Uganda to see him. But 'these short visits were not enough', she said, so she began the process of becoming his foster parent, which you must do for a year before legally adopting a child in Uganda. The law requires that the foster parent lives, with the child, in Uganda for that time and Miss Larter got a job in an international school, intending to fund the process herself. However, she later lost the job and is now being supported by her parents, launching the crowdfunding campaign in the hope of eventually taking him home. The determined teacher now hopes to raise enough to bring him back to Leigh, in England, where she is from. Just two days old when his mother tragically died from bleeding after childbirth, Miss Larter took on the role After seeing him grow from a newborn into a happy child, Miss Larter said 'I hope so desperately to legally become Adam's mum' She added: 'Not only does he make me smile every day, but I have heard nothing but good reports on how he has been doing at nursery school. Since I have been back, he is happy, cries less and has grown a lot. 'I cannot imagine a future without him in it. I was planning to reside here and save up to adopt him before being able to return to the UK. 'There are very limited positions for expats out here and despite searching, I have not yet found any options. 'My incredibly supportive parents hope to help me to remain out here until I am able to return with Adam. 'But first, I need the money to finish the adoption process. Lawyer fees, court fees...it all adds up. I no longer have an income to be able to pay for this as I had originally intended. 'I am asking for your help to ensure we are not separated again. In the New Year, I hope so desperately to legally become Adam's mum.' To donate to the campaign, click here. Shocking footage has emerged of Colorado police officers body slamming a 22-year-old sorority girl as they arrested her outside a bar. Michaella Surat was thrown to the ground outside Bondi Beach Bar in Fort Collins on Thursday night after allegedly hitting one of the officers. Police had been called to the bar amid reports of a fight involving the Colorado State University student's boyfriend. She became involved as she tried to pull him away from the scene. Scroll down for video Michaella Surat, 22, was thrown to the ground on camera by police in Colorado after allegedly striking an officer outside a bar Another reveler captured the moment Surat was floored by the officers on camera. The footage shows her tussling with the police officer who held her forearms in his hands. In one motion, he twisted her arm down forcing her to flip on to her stomach and hit the ground. Shocked bystanders gasped as Surat hit the floor. She then tried to get back to her feet, rising to her knees before being forced down again by the same officer and his colleague. The footage was uploaded to social media, sparking criticism from users who accused the police of being excessively forceful. The Colorado State University student was thrown headfirst on to her front as shocked onlookers watched Police arrested the 22-year-old for third degree assault and obstructing a peace officer. She was released from county jail after posting a $1,750 bond The bodycam footage of Surat (above) being thrown to the ground will be investigated. But Fort Collins Police has backed their officer's conduct 'She's like 90 pounds. Poor girl!' said one shocked user while another said of the police: 'Not cool'. It has been viewed more than 8,000 times across Instagram and Twitter since being uploaded to the official Bar Stools accounts. Fort Collins Police stood by the officers' treatment of her, claiming it was standard for a suspect accused of assaulting an officer. 'She remained at the scene, at which time she physically obstructed and struck an officer,' a spokesman told The Coloradoan. Body-cam footage taken by the officers will be reviewed as part of an investigation into the incident. Surat was booked into Larimer County Jail but was later released after posting $1,750 bond. She was charged with third degree assault and obstructing a peace officer. She will appear in court on Wednesday. A teenager is dead after plunging two stories from the roof of a private school during a dangerous game of capture the flag. The identity of the 17-year-old boy who fell from the roof of the Denver Academy in Colorado on Friday night has not yet been released, but school officials say he was not a student at the private day school. Police were called to the school around 8.15pm to respond to the boy's fall. The mother of one of the teens at the scene said that the boys were playing 'capture the flag' on the roof of the school, and the boy died after misjudging the distance between two buildings and jumping, according to KDVR. Police are seen responding to Denver Academy on Friday night. A 17-year-old fell while jumping between buildings at the school during a game of capture the flag School officials confirmed that the dead teenager was not a student at the private day school The Denver Academy is seen in a file photo. The dead teenager was not a student at the school, but had enrolled at Arapahoe Community College, a friend said The boy was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, and by Saturday night police said he had died. The mother of the friend said the dead 17-year-old had recently started classes at Arapahoe Community College. The death is considered accidental and police are not investigating it as a crime at this time. 'There is no criminal nexus to it,' Denver Police Department spokesman John White told the Denver Post. 'Its our belief at this point that it was an accident.' Police said Saturday that the dead teenager's identity would be released by the coroner, though they did not specify when. The Denver Medical Examiner's Office was closed on Sunday and did not respond to calls from DailyMail.com. Parts of Victoria are bracing for flash floods as wild weather battered the state across the weekend with snow falling in some areas. A severe weather warning for most of the state has been issued with damaging winds, heavy rain and more snowfall expected to last until Monday evening. Geelong and Ballarat received more than the monthly rainfall average for April in just 12 hours. Scroll down for video Dark skies above Melbourne as the city receives heavy rains and strong wind A large part of the state has been issued with a severe weather warning through Sunday and Monday Central Victoria is predicted to receive the most rain, while Melbourne could receive up to 60mm and hail. Snow has been reported in Falls Creek, Mount Buller and Mount Hotham. Snow fell across Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Mount Buller The wild weather is expected to improve on Tuesday, according to Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michael Erson. 'The low pressure system will move away on Monday evening so by Tuesday those warnings should have been cancelled for the state, and the rainfall and winds will have eased significantly,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Mostly dry conditions are expected on Wednesday and Thursday as the next high-pressure system moves across the state.' Falls Creek tweeted their experience with snowfall as temperatures dip below zero Snow hit parts of Victoria as temperatures plummet and more snow is expected through Sunday night Meanwhile, bleak conditions are forecast for the start of the working week in areas of NSW, following a storm that ravaged Sydney Sunday night. The short and sharp thunderstorms left 900 homes without power and disrupted the local train network, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. A low over Bass Strait generated showers and rainfall, mostly along the ranges and coast along the Victorian border which will stick around over Monday. 'Heavy falls exceeding 60mm over the Snowy Mountains are possible tomorrow, with rainfall increasing during the afternoon and evening,' a BoM forecaster told DMA. 'Strong south to southwesterly winds are also associated with this system, with fresh winds over the southeast Monday and Tuesday, the strongest winds expected over central parts of the Tablelands Monday afternoon'. Cloudy conditions sit atop of Kiama as a crowd gathers at an event Sunday afternoon The bleak weather stood over the festival punters 120km from Sydney's main centre The ominous clouds didn't make a difference to revelers who stuck through under the clouds She said the worst of the weather should ease by Tuesday. She said Sydney can expect partly cloudy conditions Monday, with a small chance of an afternoon shower and fresh southwesterly winds. Storm clouds gather over Sydney on Sunday night A severe weather warning has been imposed for some parts of NSW Windy and partly cloudy conditions will continue Tuesday with southwesterly winds along the coast. A shower or two has been predicted for Sydney on Wednesday. Former Auburn Mayor Salim Mehajer attracted attention from all corners of the globe for his lavish wedding in 2015, which included a closed street and four helicopters. It was followed by a very public break up less than a year later which saw his wife, Aysha Learmonth, return to live with her family in NSW's Illawarra region. But while the 31-year-old is adamant the pair have split, Salim was seen wearing a ring on his wedding finger to a charity ball hosted by his sister on Sunday night. Scroll down for video Needed an accessory? Salim Mehajer was seen wearing a ring on his wedding finger on Sunday night Dressed in a silver suit jacket and dark pants, the property developer was seen with a jeweled ring on his wedding finger. When the couple first split, it was reported Salim had sent a barrage of text messages to her, and begged her to return. But Aysha recently told Daily Mail Australia there was 'no confusion' when it came to their split. Covered in bling: The ring accompanied a glittering silver watch and a chain bracelet All smiles: The disgraced former Auburn Mayor appeared comfortable with his choice of accessories, despite his estranged wife Aysha recently telling Daily Mail Australia there was 'no confusion' when it came to their split The Mehajer family and their guests stepped out at Paradiso in Sydney dressed to the nines on Sunday for a good cause. Mary, sister to disgraced Auburn Mayor Salim, held a charity ball called Sparkle of Hope in support of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation. Guests paid up to $160 for an individual seat, for a night of sparkle glitz and glam in support of sick children. Kat Mehajer was present with her husband Ibraham Sakalaki. The pair are expecting their first child and Kat was eager to show off her growing bump From fishtail ball gowns to a sequin kaftan top, and Salim's silver suit jacket, the attendees certainly met the dress code. The guests appeared to be in great spirits as they entered the ritzy venue, with many stopping to pose for cameras. Mary, 18, enticed would-be ticket buyers with guest speakers, a fashion show and an auction. Two female guests rocked a glittery look for the event, with one in a fitted, shiny gold dress and the other in a rose sequinned kaftan top Guests paid between $120 and $160 for their seats at the charity ball, called Sparkle Of Hope She boasted on the event page 'some of the most desired jewels' would be on offer, as would designer clothing and 2017 team signed jerseys, likely from the Parramatta Eels, who sponsored the event. The controversial Miss Lebanon winner encouraged her guests to bid in the auction by likening an attendee's battle for a necklace to a child's battle for life. 'Remember to put up a strong fight to win your items of desire, just as the children fight every day to win their battles with life-threatening illnesses and diseases,' she wrote. Guests were invited for a night of 'sparkle glitz and glam', and they certainly dressed to match the theme The couple may have bid in the auction, where 'some of the most desired jewels' were on offer, alongside 2017 signed team jerseys and designer couture 'Lets come together and celebrate these children and their lives with drinks, great food, fabulous atmosphere and of course, family and friends.' Tickets came in three tiers: Ruby, which sold for $120 a seat, Pearl, which cost $140, and Diamond, which cost $160. Sponsorship tiers were similarly named, and ranged from $7,000 to $15,000 according to a brochure for the event shared on Salim's Instagram page. Companies that chipped in to the event include Knafeh, F45, the Western Sydney Wanderers and Mehajer Bros, a family owned property development company. Another woman chose a sparkling gold gown for her night at the Paradiso in Sydney on Sunday One guest avoided sparkles and wowed the crowd in a fitted red two-piece instead Salim's cheery entrance to Sunday night's event may have been a shock to many, as the 30-year-old was last weekend charged twice with assault and once with larceny. The 30-year-old was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and larceny over an argument with a taxi driver outside the Star Casino early on Sunday morning. Mehajer allegedly stole the driver's Eftpos machine and mobile phone before he was arrested in Darlinghurst last Sunday morning. When he was released from Day Street Police Station on Sunday afternoon, it was just hours until he was charged again following an altercation with a television reporter. He is due to face Downing Centre court on April 26. Australian journalist Mike Willesee has dedicated a quarter of his life to investigating claims of inexplicable miracles of Jesus Christ in a bid to prove that God exists. The former skeptic turned devout Catholic first shone to stardom as a young political reporter for the ABC in the 1960's, earning a reputation as a fearless interviewer. But for the past 20 years Willesee has shrunk from the public spotlight, spending his time researching bizarre stories of 'spiritual encounters' across South America. In an episode of Channel Seven's Sunday Night, the 74-year-old took a look inside some of the Catholic Churches' most debated and polarising 'so-called miracles.' Australian journalist Mike Willesee has spent 20 years investigating claims of so-called miracles within the Catholic Church Willesee investigated a cheap plaster statue said to have wept tears of blood (pictured) in Bolivia. He said DNA tests revealed human blood was present on the statue Willesee began with the 'bleeding Host of Buenos Aires' - the case of a discarded consecrated communion wafer that was said to have turned into blood and flesh. The defiled host, meant to symbolise Jesus' body in the religious sacrament, was found by a woman at an Argentinian church in 1996. Over 20 years later, the priest who was originally given the fleshy communion declared that it was 'strange and supernatural' when questioned by Willesee. An atheist forensic pathologist who was not told the nature of the case found traces of skin after testing, while a separate professor asserted it was human heart tissue. Moving north to Bolivia, Willesee next sought to look into whether a cheap plaster statue of Jesus actually had tears and blood pour from it for two decades. Thousands of parishioners have flocked to the church in Cochabamba since a female parishioner made the remarkable claim in 1995. Video footage online appears to show tears falling from the statue, while believers point to unverified reports that an Australian lab found human blood in the tears. 'Despite my personal and professional skepticism, I came here to see if this could somehow be happening,' Willesee said. 'I saw a statue of Christ with a face partially covered with what appeared to be dried blood. But as for tears and bleeding, I saw what I expected to see, which was nothing. But the locals had seen otherwise and they claimed it truly was a miracle.' Willesee also looked into 'the bleeding Host of Buenos Aires'- the case of a discarded consecrated communion wafer that was said to have turned into blood and flesh The defiled host, meant to symbolise Jesus' body in the religious sacrament, was found by a woman at the Argentinian church in 1996 Willesee interviewed the original owner of the statue, Sylvia Arebalo, who told him she believed the statue had since cried between 800 to 1000 tears in 20 years. A three-dimensional scan found the statue had 'not been tampered with', while countless tests across the globe of the dried blood on the statue came up with the same result - human blood, mysteriously without a DNA result. Another blood-stained wafer, this one from a cartel-ridden region in Mexico, was tested by the Australia Institute of Forensic Medicine, and found to have belonged to a woman. 'The inability of 20 years of scientific research seeking clear answers to the other so-called miracles underlines the depth of this mystery, which means to me, this case is not closed,' Willesee determined in his closing remarks. The former skeptic turned devout Catholic first shone to stardom as a young political reporter for the ABC in the 1960's, earning a reputation as a fearless interviewer But viewers were not so open, taking to social media to slam Channel Seven for the 'bizarre' report, which some considered far-fetched and 'comical'. 'Judging from the tweets there will be about 5 viewers left by the end of this report. Bizarre,' wrote Michael. 'God: ' hmm.. Answer prayers of parent whose child has a brain tumour or make a statue weep.. Decisions,' tweeted Jane. 'This is nuts! You need the DNA of "Jesus" in the first place to compare it with the collected DNA to draw a conclusive conclusion?,' questioned Jay. A three-dimensional scan of a statue said to have wept bloody tears found it had 'not been tampered with' From left to right: John Brendan Zitting, Karen Blackmore Zitting and John A. Zitting died in a plane crash Friday The president of a construction company and his family died when a small plane crashed in a field in rural Oregon. John A. Zitting, 42, of Thousand Oaks, California, his wife, Karen Blackmore Zitting , 37, and their son John Brendan Zitting, 17, were headed to Eugene to visit the University of Oregon Friday, The Oregonian reported. Around 11am, a driver called 911 to report the wreck, which took place off from Peoria Road in Harrisburg. The father was president of TruNorthe LLC, a construction management company in California. The pilot, who also died in the crash, was Mark Gregory Aletky, 67, of Acton, California. He worked at TruNorthe. 'They were great people,' Sean Sullivan, marketing director for TruNorthe, told the Oregonian. 'His son was going off to college and that's why they were going to Oregon,' Sullivan added. John A. Zitting (left with wife Karen) was the president of the construction company TruNorthe. The plane was flown by Mark Gregory Aletky (right), a full time employee John A. Zitting Karen, Blackmore Zitting, and their John Brendan Zitting all died in the crash along with pilot Mark Gregory Aletky The younger Zitting, a senior at West Lake High School in California, was also considering the University of Arizona and other schools, Sullivan said. The son was the couple's only child. The cause of the crash is not yet known, but the area was experiencing heavy winds at the time and dark clouds loomed over the scene. The plane was just ten miles away from the Eugene Airport when it went down. Gusts up to 30 miles per hour were reported that morning, The Register Guard reported. He added that authorities had notified the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will conduct their own investigations into the crash. The plane was reportedly a Piper Malibu, which is a single engine plane that can hold up to six people. The family was on their way to visit the University of Oregon for John Brendan Zitting, a high school senior Advertisement Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among world leaders and royalty who commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on Sunday in France. Trudeau was joined by Francois Hollande at a ceremony in the town of Arras before a visit to the Canadian WWI Cemetery in Vimy and a tour of the trenches with his wife Sophie Gregoire and their nine-year-old son Xavier. The family was later seen mingling with British Princes William and Harry who had also flocked to the region to mark the occasion. Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the start of the historic battle which saw the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fight together for the first time in the war and triumph over the Germans after a bloody, four-day siege. The battle is considered pivotal in cementing Canada's position as a nation and force of its own. Trudeau honored it as such on Sunday with a thoughtful statement about the occasion. Scroll down for video Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shares a laugh with Prince William as they walk with his son Xavier, wife Sophia and Prince Harry through the Vimy Memorial Park in France on Sunday Prime Minister Trudeau and Prince Harry chatted animatedly as they made their way through the Vimy Memorial Park They later took their seats behind Francois Hollande for a ceremony to commemorate the battle's 100th anniversary. Governor Genera of Canada, David Johnston, sat next to the French president Prime Minister Trudeau poses for a photograph with his wife Sophie Gregoire, their son Xaviver, French President Francois Hollande, Governor General of Canada David Johnston, his wife Sharon (third right) and Princes Charles (center), William (second right) and Harry (right) 'One hundred years ago, on a gentle slope in France, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought for the first time as one. They were ordinary yet extraordinary men, from all corners of the country: Francophone, Anglophone, new Canadians, Indigenous Peoples. 'On Easter Monday, April 1917, battling through snow, sleet, and constant machine gun fire, they broke through an impregnable fortress and achieved a historic victory. They succeeded where other armies had failed but at a great cost. Nearly 3,600 Canadians lost their lives. Over 7,000 more were wounded. 'The Battle of Vimy Ridge remains one of the bloodiest battles in Canadas history. 'Despite these losses, Canadian bravery and ingenuity won the day and led to one of the most decisive victories in the First World War. The innovative fighting techniques used so effectively by our soldiers at Vimy Ridge would contribute to the final Allied victory a year and a half later. 'Many of the soldiers wearing the Canadian uniform that day were immigrants to this country. People of many languages and backgrounds, representing every region in Canada, fought for the values we hold so dear: freedom, democracy, and peace. In the words of one veteran: We went up Vimy Ridge as Albertans and Nova Scotians. We came down as Canadians. 'Today, as we gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, we remember the thousands of Canadians who gave their lives far from Canadas shores. We pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of a pivotal battle that has left an indelible mark on our history. Trudea honored the anniversary with a statement on Sunday in which he described how the battle forged Canada's identity as a nation Trudeau, Hollande and Mayor of Arras Frederic Leturque wrote messages on red discs symbolizing poppies to leave at memorial in Place des Heroes The leaders marched local children with them to leave their messages at the art installation as crowds watched on Prime Minister Trudeau places his disc among hundreds of others at the Place des Heroes in Arras Victory Medal-Poppy of Peace is the name of the installation erected in Heroes Square to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle. It was created by New Zealand artists Helen Pollock and Tony Mcneight Prime Minister Trudeau mingled with local families in the square after the disc-laying ceremony on Sunday The Canadian Prime Minister obliged one eager fan with a selfie at the Poppy of Peace Ceremony in Arras 'And we thank every Canadian who has answered the call to serve for their selflessness and sacrifice. Lest we forget.' Trudeau and Hollande first took part in a ceremony in the Place des Heroes in Arras where they laid red discs with messages of commemoration written on them with two local girls. He also mingled with others who had gathered for the occasion and posed for a selfie with one eager soldier. Trudeau also visited the Canadian WWI Cemetery in Vimy where he and Hollande strolled between headstones somberly. Thousands of soldiers, many of whom were Canadian, are buried at the site. The pair stopped at one grave to lay a tender hand on it in respect before moving on to the trenches where they were joined by his wife Sophie and their son Xavier. The Prime Minister earlier attended a ceremony in the City Hall. He flew to France with his family on Saturday ahead of the events Prime Minister Trudeau and President Hollande shake hands after signing the Livre d'Or guest book in the town hall in Arras The pair were then treated to a tour of the trenches and tunnel with Trudeau's wife Sophie and their son, nine-year-old Xavier The family all wore poppies for the occasion. Xavier was dressed smartly in a shirt and blazer while Sophie was stylish in a cardigan and black, beige and white dress Prime Minister Trudeau and his wife are shown through the Vimy Memorial Park on Sunday They were smartly dressed and both wore poppies in honor of the occasion. Trudeau took to Twitter after the ceremony in Arras to tell followers what he had written on his poppy disc. 'In memory of the soldiers who served with courage in WWI, we left messages of gratitude for their sacrifice at Place des Heros in Arras,' he explained. Of the cemetery, he said: 'From different backgrounds, walks of life and corners of the country - they came together to serve.' Celebrations will take place throughout the day in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was instrumental in shaping Canada's strength as a nation. Some 10,000 were killed in the brutal fighting. Justin Trudeau and Francois Hollande walk between headstones at the Canadian WWI Military Cemetery in Vimy Mastermind host John Humphrys has been pictured kissing his new girlfriend, who is 21 years his junior. The presenter, 73, and Sarah Butler-Sloss, 52, shared a peck after enjoying a sun-soaked dog walk on Saturday and went into a house together. John and Sarah, daughter of supermarket billionaire Lord Sainsbury, have reportedly been dating for 'several months' and are enjoying each other's company 'immensely'. Mastermind host John Humphrys has been pictured with his rumoured new girlfriend Sarah Butler-Sloss, who is 21 years his junior The presenter, 73, gave Sarah, 52, a peck after they enjoyed a sun-soaked dog walk on Saturday and went into a house together John and Sarah, daughter of supermarket billionaire Lord Sainsbury, have reportedly been dating for 'several months' and are enjoying each other's company 'immensely' Photos taken in the UK show Sarah walking up a quiet residential street with her dog and a group pf friends. She beams as she is greeted by John and leans in for a kiss, before following him into a house. The duo, who reportedly share a passion for the environment and current affairs, were dressed casually in jeans and sweaters. 'They have a huge amount of shared interests,' a source told The Mirror. 'Both are incredibly successful and they enjoy each other's company immensely.' John, who is known as BBC's Rottweiler, often grills politicians on Radio 4's Today show. Sarah beams as she is greeted by John and leans in for a kiss, before following him into a house Photos show Sarah walking up a quiet residential street with her dog and a group pf friends They are then followed by a group of friends into the unknown property He also launched his own charity, the Kitchen Table Charities Trust, to help fund projects in poor countries, while Sarah set up prize fund Ashden in 2001 to support sustainable energy projects around the world. Sarah, whose father is reportedly worth 1.3billion, is separated from her writer and theatre director husband Robert, 54, who she has two children with. Robert is the son of retired senior judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, who stepped down as head of a probe into child sex abuse saying she was 'not the right person' for the job in 2014. Lady Butler-Sloss had been under pressure to quit from MPs and victims worried about her family links. Humphrys previously dated Observer columnist Catherine Bennett, 15 years his junior, in 2010, and said: 'She is my new partner. He previously dated Observer columnist Catherine Bennett, 15 years his junior, in 2010 John with his former partner News 24 presenter Valerie Sanderson and their son Owen in June 2000 'Well, I've known her for two years, so not that new. It's um... whatever you say just sounds soppy doesn't it?' His admission came after he was pictured with his hand on her knee during a night out. 'It's very nice,' he added. 'Rather pathetic, isn't it?' His first wife, Edna Wilding, with whom he had grown up children, died from cancer in 1997. Humphrys then dated Val Sanderson, 49, the mother of his 16-year-old son Owen, who is a News 24 presenter and former Today producer. He had a reverse vasectomy to become a father again with her after a gap of three decades. A refugee from Ghana has been arrested for dragging a young woman from her tent and raping her while she was on a camping holiday with her boyfriend. The young couple were on a camping trip in the Siegaue Nature Reserve, north of the former German capital of Bonn, when they were approached by a machete-wielding man at about 12.30am on Sunday last week. The boyfriend was forced to watch as the attacker violated his 23-year-old lover. A refugee has been arrested for dragging a young woman from her tent and raping her while she was on camping with her boyfriend at in the Siegaue Nature Reserve (pictured), Bonn The boyfriend, 26, who had also been threatened by the man, contacted police and medical responders took her to hospital. A photofit picture of the attacker led to his arrest on Saturday and DNA testing confirmed his guilt, according to police. He tried to flee when police moved in to arrest him, flinging a rucksack at one officer. It turned out that the backpack was stolen from a barbecue party shortly before the rape occurred. The rape was one of the most high-profile sex attacks laid at the door of refugees since the migrant crisis began, prompting hundreds of tips from the public. The 31-year-old asylum seeker was arrested in Siegburg after a walker recognized him from the police wanted poster. King George VI had MI5 spy on his older brother Edward VIII because of fears he supported Adolf Hitler and was secretly passing information to the Germans. Edward abdicated in 1936 after being refused permission to marry his lover, American divorcee Wallis Simpson, and visited Germany the following year, where they were charmed by Hitler. The couple had gone to Germany against the wishes of the British government and King George began to suspect his brother might be plotting with the Nazi leader. The Duke of Windsor (centre, left) is greeted by Hitler during his ill-advised visit to Germany in 1937, a move which triggered the suspicions of his brother and the secret service Archives which have been unsealed after 80 years show that wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was furious when he learned the Duke and Duchess of Windsor had tried to persuade several influential Americans to put pressure on President Roosevelt to keep the US out of the war in Europe. Professor Richard J Aldrich, who has unearthed new documents, told the Sunday Express: 'The Duke and Duchess of Windsor imploring important Americans not to join the war on Britain's side, it's astonishing. It's close to treachery actually.' Several historians have speculated that if Germany had invaded in Britain they would have used Edward as a puppet monarch, restoring him to the throne he had been forced to give up. Robert Harris's novel, Fatherland, has Edward resuming the throne and George fleeing to Canada. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor fell (pictured, left) fell under suspicion after Edward visited Germany in 1937 (right). It remains unclear if he was politically naive or treacherous The rogue royals went to live in France in 1939 but were brought back to Britain just before the war started and MI5 kept a close eye on them. In a documentary, Spying On The Royals, shown on Channel Four tonight, it emerges that the FBI also 'targeted, tailed and tapped' the couple on the orders of FDR. The Duke of Windsor's own bodyguard, Chief Inspector Storrier, was paid to report back on anything suspicious. He at one point described the couple as being 'very fifth column'. When King George V (pictured, left, on Armistice Day in 1934) died he was succeeded by his eldest son Edward (far right) but he abdicated in December 1936 and his brother George (standing next to him) was on the throne throughout the Second World War In 1940 Edward was given the post of Governor of the Bahamas in an attempt to keep him out of harm's way. Prof Aldrich, who carried out the research with fellow historian Dr Rory Cormac, said FBI boss J Edgar Hoover had described Mrs Simpson as 'violently German'. The FBI even feared she was sending secret messages to German diplomats in New York by sending her clothes from the Bahamas for dry cleaning. After the war the couple moved back to France and lived in Paris until his death in 1972. His widow died in 1986. It has never been proved they were actually guilty of treachery or were simply politically naive about Hitler. A gravedigger accused of taking photos of decomposing bodies and showing them off to his friends may not face any punishment due to a legal loophole. Brett Mackay, an employee at Cheltenham Cemetery, in Adelaide's north, quit after the explosive allegations came to light midway through last month. He is accused of taking pictures of human remains - including decomposing bodies, skulls and bones - and parading them in social situations, The Advertiser reported. Police continue to investigate the incident, but multiple legal sources claim there is little authorities will be able to do under archaic South Australian burial laws. Gravedigger Brett Mackay (pictured) is accused of taking photos of decomposing bodies and showing them off to his friends He is accused of taking pictures of human remains at Cheltenham Cemetery (pictured), in Adelaide's north, and parading them in social situations 'It doesn't seem that there's any specific legislation (to cover it) and if that were the case then any old common law offence would apply,' Barrister Graham Lang told the Advertiser. 'I suppose an adventurous prosecutor could think about charging it as offensive behaviour but it might be a bit of a stretch with the common law definitions of offensive behaviour.' Under the Burial and Cremation Act, human remains must be treated with 'dignity and respect' - with legislation stating a person must not damage a corpse. There is nothing to specifically address a person taking photographs of a corpse. Planning Minister John Rau ordered an 'urgent and detailed report' from the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority late last month to discern exactly what the allegations were. It is understood the haunting allegations surfaced after an anonymous tip off to Crimestoppers. Police continue to investigate the incident, but multiple legal sources claim there is little authorities will be able to do under South Australian law After news of the incident broke, heartbroken mourners flocked to the cemetery to ensure their loved ones had not been tampered with or defiled. The Adelaide Cemeteries Authority released a statement confirming Mr Mackay was no longer employed by Cheltenham Cemetery. 'Police are investigating the matter and we are cooperating fully with their inquiries. 'We thank our community for your patience while police investigate this matter. Two Marines have been punished as part of the investigation into 'revenge porn' Facebook sites featuring servicemen and women. The non commissioned officer and a junior enlisted service member were demoted in pay grade, received 45 days of military restriction and 45 days of additional punitive duties, Military.com reported. The Marines, who are stationed in Camp Pendleton, California, were punished for derogatory comments made about their superiors on a social media page called 'United States Grunt Corps' on April 5. The pair was punished the same day following their violation of the 'Uniform Code of Military Justice.' Scroll down for video Punitive action was taken against two Marines who made derogatory comments about their superiors on social media. Their action came to light through an investigation into allegations of 'revenge porn' posted on social media. Pictured: Marine Corps General Robert Neller testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 14, 2017 A 30,000-member private Facebook group, Marines United, came to light and while it was taken down, officials said the photos might have been moved to another site. The military said the investigation now involves all armed forces. Pictured: A screenshot from a site The comments came to light during an investigation into illicit social media activity among Marines including a private Facebook group, Marines United. Posted in the 30,000-person group were nude photographs of women including current Marines and other service members were posted without their consent. The page has since been taken down, but officials say the photos may have simply migrated to another private site. Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller told lawmakers in March that he believes approximately 500 of the 30,000 listed members of Marines United have viewed the photographs. An ongoing investigation into the affair has brought to light at least 27 individuals who could be subject to prosecution, of whom 15 are active-duty military. This comes as Congress members are pushing senior military leaders to take more aggressive action to prevent and punish inappropriate online activity by service members. And the military has said that a weeks-old investigation into nude photo-sharing by Marines online now involves all the services and has expanded to other websites, including a Tumblr page that has pornographic photos of people in various military uniforms. 'It's time to get serious about this,' Representative Jackie Speier told the military officers during a hearing of the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee in late March, where they outlined what is being done to improve social media policies. Speier said a social media policy isn't enough, because the problem is 'cultural rot' that has spread and thrived within the military. 'This is about service members deliberately trying to degrade, humiliate, and threaten fellow service members. 'They encouraged stalking, distributed stolen intimate photos, and have reduced their comrades to a collection of parts,' she said. Marine Lieutenant General Mark Brilakis, deputy commandant for manpower affairs, said the Corps is weighing regulations to prohibit the knowing and wrongful disclosure of an intimate image. He said they are looking at expanded ways to discharge service members guilty of online misconduct. Victims of the alleged 'revenge porn' scandal include former Private Kally Wayne and bartender Kelsie Stone. Wayne said she was harassed every day after her ex-boyfriend allegedly posted their sex tape on the private Facebook group. Stone said that after she broke up with her Marine boyfriend in 2016, she soon received a text from a friend containing screenshots of nude photos of her that had been posted to the page. They were allegedly posted by her ex-boyfriend, to whom she had sent the photos to while they were still dating. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has stated America's main focus in Syria is still the defeat of ISIS, despite an attack on Bashar al-Assad this week. Tillerson made the comment during his first round of television appearances on Sunday morning since taking the job. 'I think its important we keep our priorities straight, and we believe the first priority is the defeat of ISIS,' he told CBS' Face the Nation. 'By defeating ISIS, and removing their caliphate, we (will) have eliminated or at least minimized a threat not only the United States but to the whole stability in the region. Scroll down for video Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has stated America's main focus in Syria is still the defeat of ISIS, despite an attack on Bashar al-Assad this week Tillerson made the comments during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS on Sunday morning 'And once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria. 'We are hoping we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and then we can bring parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions.' He then continued: 'Clearly that requires the participation of the regime, with the support of their allies, and were hoping Russia will choose to play a constructive role in supporting ceasefires ultimately through Geneva. 'We hope we will have the position to begin a useful political process.' Tillerson made the comments after the US carried out missile strikes on Syria earlier this week. Pictured is a Tomahawk missile being launched In the interview, the secretary of state went on to say Russia was not targeted by the strike earlier this week. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule - something Moscow adamantly denies. Tillerson's comments came as he prepared to travel to Europe to gather with the foreign ministers of the other Group of 7 nations before venturing on eastward to become the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Moscow - and possibly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Beyond Syria, there remain disputes over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Tillerson carries to Moscow the weight of FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's alleged interference in last year's presidential election. The Trump campaign's possible ties to the presumed Russian meddlers are also being probed. Pictured are Syrian Democratic fighters - who are backed by the US - near Raqqa in February 2017 Fresh Express has recalled its Organic Marketside Spring Mix from Walmart stores in the Southeastern United States after customers found a dead bat in one of the packages. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two customers had eaten some of the product before finding the decomposed creature in a 5-ounce clear container. On Saturday, Fresh Express issued a recall of the products that were sold in a clear plastic container. Fresh Express announced a recall of a "limited distribution" of its prepackaged Organic Marketside Spring Mix, after two people from Florida found a bat in one container The production code was G089B19 and it had a best-if-used-by-date of April 14 on the front label. 'Upon receiving notification, both Walmart and Fresh Express food safety and rapid response teams, in close coordination with regulatory authorities, acted immediately to review all relevant records, launch an intensive investigation and initiate product removal and recall procedures,' Fresh Express said. CDC officials said the salads were only distributed to Walmart stores in the Southeast. 'Two people in Florida reported eating some of the salad before the bat was found. The bat was sent to the CDC rabies lab for laboratory testing because bats in the United States sometimes have been found to have this disease. The deteriorated condition of the bat did not allow for CDC to definitively rule out whether this bat had rabies,' the CDC said on its website. The CDC said transmission of rabies by eating a rabid animal is uncommon and the virus doesn't live long outside of the infected animal, but anyone who thinks they may have eaten one of the salads that had animal products should contact their local health departments. The bat was sent to the CDC after it was found in a bag of salad in order to test whether or not it had rabies (file picture) Due to the animal's decayed condition, the CDC couldn't immediately rule out whether this particular bat carried rabies. The two people who are known to have eaten the contaminated salads began post-exposure rabies treatment as a precaution, but 'report being in good health,' according to the CDC. Health officials said anyone who purchased one of the salads should return it to the place of purchase. These salads went to Walmart stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia as well as Florida. There is now more Russian naval activity in Europe than at any point in the Cold War, a top US and NATO military officer has warned. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATO's Allied Joint Force Command in Naples and commands US forces in Europe and Africa, said Russia's strident maneuvers could leave the West at a disadvantage. She warned that when 'you think about what happens when they move forces around, you look at the alliance and they end up splitting and distracting the view of the alliance.' Warning: Admiral Michelle Howard, a NATO and US leader, has warned that Russia's increasing prominence in European waters may cause division and distraction among allies En route: Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich (seen in 2016) on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Howard said if countries focus solely on their shores they will lose sight of the big picture 'We're seeing activity that we didn't even see when it was the Soviet Union. It's precedential activity,' Howard said during a missile defense conference on Saturday. 'Theyre a global navy, I understand that. But the activity in this theater has substantially moved up in the last couple of years.' At the start of the year Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, was deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. It has since returned to Russia for a planned two-year refurbishment. But on Friday Russia deployed its Admiral Grigorovich frigate to the sea to stand guard over the Tartus Port, from which the USS Porter and Ross launched an air strike on a Syrian airbase. It's not just the Mediterranean that has seen appearances by Russian ships: The country has stepped up patrols in the north Atlantic and Arctic region, Howard said. And it has significant out-of-area submarine deployments around Europe, as well as increasing submarine movement in the Black Sea, she said. That creates a risk that NATO members will focus only on the Russian ships at their borders rather than creating a cohesive, unified strategy to deal with the wider picture, she said. Howard's comments came amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Russia and the US after Washington launched 59 cruise missiles against an air base in Syria in retaliation for a deadly toxic gas attack that killed scores of people. Deployed: The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, was deployed in the Mediterranean until recently. Russian ships have also been in Atlantic and Arctic waters Howard said the Russian naval maneuvers had been matched by increased persistent cyber attacks by Moscow, and a steady number of unprofessional 'fly bys' by Russian aircraft of US and other allied vessels at sea. There have also been appearances by Russian spy ships in international waters near the US, such as one spotted near the coast of Delaware in February. Four Russian planes also buzzed the USS porter that same week while it was stationed in the Black Sea. Ties between Moscow and the West have been strained since Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. NATO has built up physical forces in Poland and the Baltic states to build up a deterrent and underscore the strength of the alliance. But US and European officials are also increasingly concerned about what they describe as Moscow's use of propaganda and cyber attacks to influence Western elections. Russia denies Washington's claim that Moscow sought to influence the US election, and views NATO's buildup of troops in Europe as a provocation. Howard said members of NATO had rallied to increase their capabilities and send a clear signal about the strength and resolve of the alliance. She hailed a recent agreement by Germany and Norway to build new submarines together as a sign of increased cooperation and said she would welcome further efforts by European partners to pool resources. The general manager and a personal trainer at an Equinox gym who were shot by a disgruntled ex-employee have died. General manager Janine Ackerman, 35, and Marios Hortis, 42, passed away in hospital from their injuries after Abeku Wilson, 33 walked into the Coral Gables, Florida, fitness facility and opened fire. Wilson then turned the gun on himself during the horrifying murder-suicide in front of members. Police say Wilson was fired earlier in the day for his workplace violence. Local 10 News said Ackerman was the manager who let him go. Scroll down for video Janine Ackerman (left) and Marios Hortis (right) were fatally shot at an Equinox in Coral Gables by an angry ex-employee Abeku Wilson, 33, opened fire inside the Equinox Fitness Club in Coral Gables on Saturday afternoon. The gunman was a disgruntled trainer who was fired just hours earlier The gunman is believed to have been fired and escorted off the premises, the Miami Herald reports. But then he came back a few hours later with a gun and started firing. In an email to members, an Equinox spokesman paid tribute to Ackerman. They said she was 'a kind and caring soul, a person we all loved and will deeply miss. They also remembered Hortis. The statement added: 'His generous spirit and warm demeanor made him an always welcome presence in our world, one that will sorely be missed.' Both were taken to the hospital in critical condition after the shooting, but died during treatment. Janine Ackerman worked in several hotels including the Fontainebleau before working at Equinox where she was hired in 2015 Ackerman worked her way up from hourly jobs at hotels to becoming the supervisor of VIP services at the posh Miami hotel the Fontainebleau. She received a masters degree from Florida International University with a degree in hospitality management. Phil Goldfarb, the president of the Fontainebleau told the Herald: 'The entire team at the Fontainebleau is devastated at this senseless loss.' 'She was warm and caring, and she was an expert at guest service. Thats why she excelled at what she did' Ackerman worked at other hotels in the Miami region as well. After being hired in October of 2015, she was promoted from assistant manager to general manager of the Coal Gabels Equinox in August. A witness saw Ackerman on the floor unconscious and said Hortis was bleeding heavily but was conscious following the shooting. Wilson was found dead on the scene when authorities arrived. The shooter turned the gun on himself after shooting Janine Ackerman and Marios Hortis Wilson was a fitness model as well and was born in Boston and lived in Miami. He turned the gun on himself after the shooting EQUINOX STATEMENT TO MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES Our entire Equinox family experienced a terrible tragedy yesterday when a former trainer walked into our club in Coral Gables and shot two members of our team. We are deeply saddened to inform you that our General Manager, Janine Ackerman, and our Fitness Manager, Marios Hortis, both passed away as a result of their injuries. Our sense of loss is too profound for words. Janine was 35 years old and had been a member of our Equinox family for nearly two years. She was promoted to General Manager of our club in Coral Gables last August. She was a kind and caring soul, a person we all loved and will deeply miss. Her memory will never be forgotten. Marios Hortis, 42 years old, was with Equinox for more than six years. He was mortally wounded when the shooter entered the club, and died as a result of his injuries. His generous spirit and warm demeanor made him an always welcome presence in our world, one that will be sorely missed. Our love, prayers and condolences are with both families during this terrible time. The collective Equinox community will always keep Janine and Marios in our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy. Our most important priority is the safety and security of our team and our community. We will always do everything in our power to ensure that safety in every way possible. Advertisement A helicopter from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue landed on the field of Coral Gables Senior High School and transported the wounded to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. Wilson was considered one of the most popular trainers at the gym, according to the Herald. He was usually clean shaven but some of the witnesses who saw him Saturday morning noted he looked disheveled. He was a fitness model who appeared in various print brochures. He was born in Boston and lives in Miami. People wait to be let back into the Shops at Merrick Park after the shooting Saturday The location of the shooting was along South Lejeune Road in Coral Gables City of Miami and CIty of Coral Gables police officers work the shooting scene at the Shops at Merrick Park One person at the gym told the Herald he knew the shooter and saw him moments before the shooting and didn't seem to be acting abnormally. Witnesses at the nearby Soul Cycle heard several gunshots. A woman named Anais Michelle tweeted she was at the mall at the time of the shooting and posted a video of people hiding in the storage room. Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Zabaleta said the location of the shooting was along South Lejeune Road. Carl McKno, 39, was jailed after he left his lover in 25,000 of debt. He posed as a firearms officer for Thames Valley Police and emptied the pair's joint bank account A conman who tricked his lover into thinking he was a police officer and left her in 25,000 debt has been jailed. Delivery driver Carl McKno, 39, from Lancashire, masqueraded as a cop during a year-long relationship with Debra Jeffries, 49. He told the mother from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, he was awaiting a hefty payout after losing his job before telling her he was a Thames Valley Police firearms officer. Oxford Crown Court heard McKno, who lived in Debra's home, convinced his victim his wages were going into their joint account. But instead the fraudster fobbed her off and used her cash to clear his own debts. Debra only discovered McKno was 'playing her along' when police revealed he had never worked in the force's firearms department. The mother recalled feeling sick when the news began to sink in, despite initially refusing to believe the shocking revelations. In a statement read to the court, she said: 'The happiness was completely and utterly destroyed in an instant when I received a visit from the police at work. 'It has left me heartbroken and betrayed. I have been left feeling embarrassed and ashamed that I could be taken in and manipulated to believe such a level of lies.' McKno was jailed for 20 months on Thursday after admitting theft, posing as a police officer and fraud by false representation. Judge Maria Lamb said: 'What you did was a terrible thing to do to another human being, let alone a woman who was in a relationship with you. 'This was an elaborate and sustained deception. You became tangled in a web of lies that you created. 'If you had told her the truth at any point, she could have at least taken steps to minimise her loss. McKno was jailed for 20 months on Thursday after he admitted theft, posing as a police officer and fraud by false representation. Debra only found out he was 'playing her along' when police revealed he had never worked in the force's firearms department 'The shock of your lies and the discovery of the extent of your betrayal have been as damaging to her as the loss of the money that you took.' The court heard that McKno claimed he lost his job after taking time off for stress and said his employer agreed to a 38,000 out-of-court settlement for unfair dismissal. Prosecuting, Alexandra Bull said that as a result Debra began spending on her credit card, believing the payout would clear the bill. McKno then claimed he joined Thames Valley Police on a fast-track basis at its Kidlington HQ and returned home to celebrate with a bottle of champagne. On one occasion, McKno took 1,800 from a joint account and claimed it had been fraudulently transferred to India. Debra defaulted on her mortgage and built up debts and unpaid bills The fraudster, who said he previously worked for Lancashire Police, scoured the web to find information about the role which he used to dupe Debra, it was said. As well as stealing Debra's cash, McKno borrowed money from her parents and pinched her TAG Heuer watch, pawning it for 400. On one occasion, he rinsed 1,800 from a joint account and claimed it had been fraudulently transferred to India, creating a fake document to back him up. The victim defaulted on her mortgage and missed repayments and chalked up debts and unpaid bills - all while paying for McKno's lifestyle. Defending, Gordana Turudija-Austin said McKno did not want his partner to brand him a failure and let his 'little white lie' snowball out of control. The father, who has since moved back home to Preston, Lancashire, felt 'almost relieved' when he was outed by police, the barrister claimed. Ms Turudija-Austin said McKno believes he is in line for a promotion and wants to repay his victim. She said: 'He thought he would be able to fix everything if he got another job but the reality was he simply could not find a way out and his lies finally caught up with him.' A hearing to determine how much cash he should repay is set for August 3. A teenager charged with murdering a service station worker in a possible ISIS attack reportedly bragged about scrawling words in blood before stabbing another man. Two 'radicalised' boys, 16 and 15, were charged over the fatal stabbing of student Zeeshan Akbar, 29, at a Caltex station near Canberra early on Friday morning. Counter terrorism arrested the two teenage boys after they allegedly stabbed the service station worker to death and wrote 'IS' in blood on the front window. Just hours after the alleged murder, 20-year-old Sankalpa Mahatara was allegedly stabbed when he stopped to give the boys a lift, the Daily Telegraph reports. Scroll down for video The victim of the deadly service station stabbing has been identified as Pakistani student Zeeshan Akbar, 29 One of the teenagers charged with Mr Akbar's murder reportedly bragged about scrawling words in blood before stabbing another man. Pictured is the service station window, which was covered up by police after the word 'IS' was written on it in blood Just a few hours after the alleged fatal stabbing, 20-year-old Sankalpa Mahatara (pictured) was allegedly attacked after stopping to give the boys a lift. He is now in hospital recovering Mr Mahatara, who is recovering in a Canberra hospital, told the Daily Telegraph the alleged killers 'looked like helpless little kids' on the side of the road in need of a lift. 'So one of them then opened my door and they wanted me to drive them somewhere I was talking to them and stuff and he seemed really aggravated. He was saying he wrote down stuff I didn't understand what he was saying.' 'He (the teenager) pulled out the steak knife and it had blood stains on it, and his friend had a hammer.' The two boys were allegedly involved in a crime spree leading up to the fatal attack - bashing a man with a tyre iron during a break-and-enter, before attacking another with a beer bottle in a Queanbeyan park. The pair also allegedly stabbed a second man - Mr Mahatara - in a Queanbeyan street about 6.20am on Friday before fleeing in a silver Ford Falcon A fatal stabbing of a service station worker may have links to terrorism, after two teenage boys were arrested following an alleged crime spree The Joint Counter Terrorism Team have been brought in to investigate the deadly attack. It was claimed by 2GB that the attack was inspired by ISIS Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said in Sydney that it appeared the boys' 'modus operandi' suggested the stabbing was 'indicative of a terrorist attack'. 'Certainly there was physical evidence at the scene which does go to our view that this might be an act of terrorism. The boys have each been charged in Parramatta Children's Court with murder, robbery, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated entering of a dwelling with intent and aggravated car theft. They were arrested in the ACT on Friday morning and extradited to NSW on Saturday. They did not apply for bail via video link and it was formally refused by the magistrate at the Parramatta Children's Court on Sunday ahead of their next court appearance in the same court on April 11. Mr Akbar was described as 'an incredibly kind-hearted person and very down to earth' and had been very close to achieving Australian citizenship Both of the boys are known to police for a range of other types of offences, but the 16-year-old alleged attacker is currently the main focus of inquiries according to Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn. It's alleged the duo went into the service station at 11.45pm on Thursday, where a struggle ensued with the attendant who received a number of stab wounds, they then smashed windows to make their escape. The teenagers allegedly fled the scene with the cash register and other goods from the store. 'It doesn't need to be said, but it doesn't get more serious than this,' Monaro Police Superintendent Rod Smith (pictured) said following the arrests Floral tributes outside the Caltex service station, where Pakistani national Zeeshan Akbar was brutally stabbed 'It doesn't need to be said, but it doesn't get more serious than this,' Monaro Police Superintendent Rod Smith said. 'It's an absolutely horrific series of events, and we'd just like to reassure everybody that there are two people that we believe are involved, and both of those people are currently in custody.' 'We received another report of another stabbing in Stornaway Road, Queanbeyan where a man was stabbed in the abdomen,' police said on Friday morning. 'He is currently in a serious but stable condition at the Canberra Hospital.' Ms Burn said the motivation behind the rampage was unknown. Police have alleged that the two teenagers attacked a second man just hours after the stabbing at the Caltex service station in Queanbeyan The Joint Counter Terrorism Team have been brought in to investigate the deadly attack on a 29-year-old Forensic services investigate the scene, as counter terrorism police take over the case 'All we know again is that there are very, very serious crimes and we've got all the resources that we can possibly put into this.' 'This investigation is in its infancy. We are also looking at number of other incidents involving an attempted robbery at a bottle shop in the ACT, an attack on a homeless man in Queanbeyan, an assault at a unit in Queanbeyan and later an attack where a man was stabbed and his vehicle stolen. The pair had not come to the attention of counter-terrorism police before, she said. Shortly after the incident, police attempted to pull over a silver Ford Falcon Sedan, which led to a police chase, which crossed state lines from NSW to the Australian Capital Territory. Mr Akbar was a Muslim, a club member of Haig Fawkner Cricket Club and was also 'responsible for his family's financial needs' The two teenagers were arrested following a police chase across the NSW state border into the ACT. Authorities are looking to extradite them to NSW Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sent his condolences to the family of the victim, adding that he had spoken to AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin and the circumstances of the incident merited the involvement of the JCTT. 'The police will have more to say about it but the involvement in this crime of two males, two youths is shocking,' he told media in Sydney, while addressing the situation on the US missile strikes on Syria. The teenagers were taken to the ACT watch house after their arrest, with NSW Police seeking to extradite them to NSW. PR maven Roxy Jacenko has broken her silence on her husband's prison brawl, saying inmates are prone to having 'altercations' behind bars. Oliver Curtis was put into 24-hour lockdown last month, following a fight with another inmate at Cooma Prison in NSW who 'ranted at him'. Appearing the Today Show on Monday, Jacenko confirmed her husband was 'okay' following the brawl and said verbal altercations were normal. 'Who doesn't have altercations? I have had a fair few of them,' she said. Scroll down for video Convicted insider trader Oliver Curtis, pictured in June last year, was put into lockdown for 24 hours after getting into the fight in prison (pictured after his arrest) Appearing the Today Show on Monday, wife Roxy Jacenko confirmed her husband was 'okay' following the brawl and said verbal altercations were normal 'People argue, people have issues. It is what it is'. Curtis was jailed for insider trading in 2016 and reportedly stood up to another inmate who was 'ranting' at him last month, according to The Daily Telegraph. A third inmate stepped in to mediate the situation, and all three were given 24 hours in their cells - unable to use the yard or shower, according to the newspaper. It is a change for the Sydneysider, who is reported to be quite popular among the inmates, and has honed his physique in the Cooma prison gym. 'He is pretty popular and the inmates have even given him a nickname, Adonis, because of his ripped muscles,' a source told the Telegraph. Last year, prison sources told Daily Mail Australia there was concern for Curtis' safety and a fear he was being targeted by other inmates demanding money for protection. 'They reckon he might be being stood over, but he hasn't reported anything,' the source said. Curtis is the husband of PR maven and Sydney socialite Roxy Jacenko (pictured) 'Who doesn't have altercations? I have had a fair few of them,' Jacenko told the program Prison sources have previously disclosed to Daily Mail Australia there were concerns Curtis would be 'stood over' for money by other inmates Cooma Correctional Centre houses inmates with a high-profile or those at a higher risk of prison bashings. Curtis was jailed for conspiracy to commit insider trading in June 2016, and will be behind bars for a minimum of one year. The earliest he can be released will be on good behaviour, on June 23. In October, he attempted to appeal his short sentence, with his legal team claiming his guilty verdict was 'unreasonable or cannot be supported by the evidence'. Prosecutors argued their agreement was very clear and it was not necessary to prove an offence had occurred for a jury to find Curtis guilty of conspiracy. His appeal was dismissed in a brief judgement at the NSW Court of Appeals on December 16. A takeaway worker is lucky to be alive after allegedly being stabbed in the back by a 12-year-old 'smiling' boy in an unprovoked attack in Brisbane. Matt Yang was merely doing his job on Saturday evening when he was unexpectedly attacked from behind. The employee at Stir Fry Express was taking a telephone order outside the store around 8.30pm when a military style knife was plunged into his back. A 12-year-old boy was arrested by police nearby, according to 7 News. Scroll down for video Matt Yang was unaware of the severity of the attack when the knife plunged into his back Although the wound may look small, doctors have told Mr Yang that if the knife had gone in any further, he could have died Police arrived on the scene moments after the attack at the Acacia Ridge restaurant. The victim, who originally thought he had been hit by a stone, was in disbelief when finding out the true nature of the attack. 'I couldn't believe even now, it's a kid you know, hit me, attacked me' he recalled. Doctors have told the unsuspecting victim that if the 28cm knife had gone any deeper, he could have died. The victim had only been in the country a matter of months before the attack, after arriving in Australia to study. Mr Yang was taking a telephone order when he was stabbed outside his place of work, Stir-Fry Express in Acacia Ridge Restaurant owner Grey Wang witnessed the attack by a 'smiling child' and offered a chilling account of the stabbing. 'He just go like this (acts out) to put in his back, and it's very deep.' 'The chef which is also working in here, pulled the knife out of his back, and then all the blood comes out and we called the ambulance and police,' he explained. He also recalls how the boy told his colleague to 'watch his back' just before fleeing from the incident. The 12-year-old boy remains in custody and will face the children's court on Monday. Iran and Russia have threatened to hit back if the US follows up on its air strike in Syria last week, ramping up tensions in the Middle East. It comes after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cancelled a trip to Moscow and prepared a new diplomatic offensive against Russia. He is also set to urge the Russians to pull their forces out, something which would involve a major loss of face for President Putin. Eighty-nine people, including 33 children, died on Tuesday after a nerve agent was used in an attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria. Syrian Armed Forces chief of staff Ali Abdullah Ayyoub (centre, left) visited the al-Shayrat airfield near Homs to inspect the damage caused by 59 US cruise missiles Abdul-Hamid Alyousef holds his children, Ahmad and Aya, who died when a nerve agent was released in their home town of Khan Sheikhoun The Assad regime has denied it was responsible and the Russians have claimed it was a 'false flag' incident carried out by jihadists who want to stir up tensions between Russia and the US. President Trump infuriated Moscow when he authorised an airstrike on a Syrian air base on Friday, which killed at least six people. British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said today it was the 'right call' for the Americans to bomb the air base as retribiution for a 'barbaric, immoral and illegal' act by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who he described as a Russian 'proxy'. But in a joint statement the Russian and Iranians said: 'We will respond to any aggression'. The Sun reported that a joint command centre in Syria said: 'What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.' The nerve agent attack happened in Khan Sheikhoun, in rebel-held territory and the US fired missiles at al-Shayrat airfield in response Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier condemned 'flagrant US aggression on Syria' following the Tomahawk strike on al-Shayrat. While Russia's support for the Assad regime dates back to the 1970s and 80s when Bashar's father, Hafez, was a stalwart supporter of the Soviet Union and an implacable enemy of Israel, Iran's support is based on religion. Assad is from the Alawite minority and has long nursed fears of a rebellion by the Sunni majority and has welcomed the support of Iran, an overwhelmingly Shia Muslim country which also has reason to fear Sunnis. Boris Johnson has pulled out of a visit to Moscow in the wake of the Syrian chemical weapons attack saying 'we deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime' Boris Johnson, who was due to visit Russia tomorrow for talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said yesterday: 'We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime'. He called off the visit at the last minute after a midnight phone call with US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, which led to accusations by Russia that Britain had no independent foreign policy. Lavrov spoke to Tillerson last night and he reportedly told the American 'that an attack on a country whose government is fighting against terrorism is only playing into extremists' hands'. Scroll down for video 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 Mr Johnson said: 'We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians,' he said. 'My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April.' Mr Johnson then called on Russia to do 'everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated'. But Alex Salmond, the SNP's foreign affairs spokesman, said Johnson's move made him look him 'some sort of Mini Me' who cannot be trusted to hold his own talks withLavrov. Salmond said : 'Boris Johnson just looks daft. What is the argument for not going ahead with a visit? Rex Tillerson is going on Wednesday so it can't be that we have moved to a Cold War position of no talking whatsoever. 'The idea the Foreign Secretary can't be trusted because he might pursue his own line or have an independent thought or crossover what the Americans are going to say just makes him look like some sort of Mini Me to the United States of America.' But the Sunday Telegraph claims Johnson is trying to persuade Tillerson to move back to the original plan for regime change in Damascus. Johnson's visit would have been the first visit by a UK foreign secretary in more than five years. It comes as Britain gave full backing to the dramatic US missile strike on a Syrian air base in response to Bashar al-Assad's 'barbaric' chemical attack - with Theresa May having given her blessing to Donald Trump before it happened. Mr Johnson attacked the Kremlin and said he would instead focus on building support with allies to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Syria People inspect the Great Mosque, damaged during the Assad regime's airstrike, in Arbin town in Damascus, Syria A U.S. Navy image shows the USS Ross (DDG 71) firing a tomahawk land attack missile at the Syrian air base Advertisement The most expensive warship ever built has been put through its paces for the very first time. The US Navy revealed Saturday the first of its new class of the USS Gerald R. Ford has headed out to sea off the coast of Virginia. The new aircraft carrier embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems. The $12.9 billion carrier departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News after more than a year's delay and cost overruns. The USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power on Saturday Construction on the Ford started in 2009. It was supposed to finish by September 2015, with costs at $10.5 billion. But there were issues with the carrier's advanced systems and technology, including aircraft landing equipment and power generation. The ship is currently undergoing builder's trials. It will return to port in Virginia before embarking again for 'acceptance trials,' which are conducted by Navy inspectors. The opening test comes almost an entire year after 'poor or unknown reliability issues' were identified in a memo last year. The new aircraft carrier embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems The $12.9 billion carrier departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News after more than a year's delay and cost overruns Construction on the Ford started in 2009. It was supposed to finish by September 2015, with costs at $10.5 billion. It is pictured on Saturday The ship is currently undergoing builder's trials. It will return to port in Virginia before embarking again for 'acceptance trials,' which are conducted by Navy inspectors EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE USS GERALD R. FORD About 5,000 shipbuilders have been involved in the construction of the Navy's most expensive warship. The USS Gerald R. Ford will weigh almost 100,000 tonnes - or as much as 400 Statue of Libertys. The ship has a five-acre flight deck, and holds 4,660 personnel and 75 aircraft, and was designed completely using 3D computer modelling. It can reach speeds upwards of 30 knots (about 34 mph), and has more than 10,000,000 feet of electronic cable built in. There are two other ships in the Ford class: the USS John F. Kennedy and a new USS Enterprise - expected to be commissioned in 2020 and 2025 respectively. The total cost for the three vessels is estimated to be more than $43 billion. The giant warship is 1,106-foot long and will be capable of launching 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, while appearing almost invisible to radar detectors. The USS Gerald R. Ford will replace the USS Enterprise, which was in service from 1962 to 2012. The ship is able to launch so many airstrikes - one almost every six minutes - because the deck uses electromagnetic force to propel the jets forward. It is a similar method as used on roller coasters. Advertisement A military memo dated June 28 detailed just how the issues plaguing the carrier would impact it. 'These four systems affect major areas of flight operations,' Defense Department Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Michael Gilmore wrote to Pentagon and Navy weapons buyers. 'Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78s ability to conduct combat operations. 'Based on current reliability estimates, the CVN-78 is unlikely to conduct high-intensity flight operations at the outset of a war.' Susan Ford, who serves as the ship's sponsor, breaks a champagne bottle against a plate welded to the hull during a ceremony in 2013 It's not the sort of thing you'll see on your afternoon trip to Tesco. A shopper in South Africa was left with a severe case of the chills when she reached into a supermarket fridge - and ended up grabbing a twelve foot python. The woman's screams alerted manageress Martie Esnouf who ran to find the woman yelling 'SNAKE' as she pointed into the dairy section of the chiller. The unsuspecting shopper reached into the yoghurt aisle - and pulled out a 12ft snake The shocked manageress saw the African rock python curled up, seemingly fast asleep, among the yoghurts and milk cartons. She immediately called for staff to help tackle the snoozy snake. A local snake catcher was called to tackle the African Rock Python which can grow to over 20 feet in length and crush its unlucky victims to death. He pulled out all the yoghurts and dairy items from the freezer until he could see the python's full length and a colleague brought a sack to put it in. A local snake catcher was called to tame the African Rock Python - luckily it was hibernating A terrified worker at the Spar shop in Komatipoort, eastern South Africa, can be seen standing behind the snake catcher with a mop for protection. The snake catcher told staff that the cold-blooded snake's organs had shut down in the chilled fridge and that it was in a state of near hibernation and safe. He lifted it out of the fridge and took it away for observation for 48 hours to let it warm back up and will release it safely in the Kruger National Park. The snake charmer explained the cold-blooded animal's organs had shut down in the fridge Manageress Martie Esnouf said:'I don't know it got in there but it could have come in through the roof or the drains and it ended up in the shop fridge. 'We have a lot of bush behind the shops and there are lots of snakes in there. We were telling people not to panic and reassuring them that it was safe. 'The last thing we wanted to do is hurt it and it will be released safely in the wild'. The African Rock python is non venomous and crushes its victims in its coils until it dies from suffocation or heart attack and then slowly swallows it whole. Donald Trump has condemned the deadly terrorist attacks on churches in Egypt but says he's confident President Al Sisi will 'handle situation properly'. At least 38 people were killed in the suspected suicide bombings at Coptic Christian services on Sunday, Egypt's state television reported. Today President Trump offered his condolences, tweeting: ' So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great....confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly.' Donald Trump (left) has condemned the deadly terrorist attacks on churches in Egypt but says he's confident President Al Sisi (right) will 'handle situation properly' President Trump offered his condolences, tweeting: ' So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great....confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly The leaders are on good terms after Trump invited Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to the White House last week in a meeting that symbolizes the Egyptian president coming in from the cold, after years of being kept at arm's length by Washington. Hands clasped, shutters clicked and a Middle Eastern autocrat called Trump 'Your Excellency' three times as the U.S. president welcomed him to the Oval Office on Monday. Trump's predecessor Barack Obama actively shunned el-Sisi, who overthrew Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi in a 2013 coup. Speaking through an Arabic translator, el-Sisi had praised Trump's 'unique personality' and pledged his help in fighting the ISIS terror army. 'We agree on so many things,' the U.S. president said. '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 first attack struck worshippers at a church in Tanta, outside Cairo. The second blast detonated outside the front doors of a church in Alexandria after three hero police officers prevented a suicide bomber from accessing the building. According to Egyptian General Tarek Atilya: 'The explosion took place in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass.' Witness Nabil Nader said: 'I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained.' CBC showed footage from inside the church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. More than 38 people have died in both attacks with in excess of 100 injuries. A second blast happened outside a church in Alexandria killing 11 people and injuring a further 66, Egypt's health ministry has confirmed. More than 38 people have been killed in today's blasts in Tanta and Alexandria which have been claimed by ISIS ISIS has claimed responsibility for today's attack which targeted churches in Tanta and Alexandria At least 38 people have been killed after two explosions targeting Coptic Christians in Tantra and Alexandria today Priests saying mass in the cathedral in Tantra were sprayed with blood after the device exploded in the church's front row In the second blast, a suicide bomber approached the church and detonated his vest after being stopped by police. Three officers died after they prevented the killer from getting into the church and causing greater bloodshed. Coptic Pope Tawadros II had said Mass in Alexandria before the explosion. ISIS has claimed responsibility for today's attacks. The attacks have been condemned by a series of world leaders. Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted: 'We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today.' Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, 'cursed' the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. Gormez added: 'The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven.' Emil Edward Salib, pictured, was injured when the device exploded inside the church in Tanta during today's service The dead and wounded were removed from the scene in Alexandria on stretchers in the aftermath of the attack At least 11 people were killed in the second attack which hit the northern port city of Alexandria World leaders have condemned today's attacks which have claimed the lives of at lead 38 people and wounded 100 Germany has condemned the bombing of a Coptic church in Egypt and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement Sunday that 'the aim of the perpetrators, to drive a wedge between people of different faiths living peacefully side-by-side, mustn't be allowed to happen'. Even Hamas in Gaza have condemned the double bombings. Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said 'Hamas wishes safety, security, stability and prosperity for Egypt and its people.' Israel has sent its condolences to Egypt following the deadly bombing at a church in the Nile Delta, north of Cairo. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said 'the world has to come together and fight terrorism everywhere'. Christians make up around 10 per cent of Egypt's population and have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists. The service was being broadcast live on Egyptian television when the blast happened Viewers saw the blast happening live on television before the video feed cut out Pope Francis decried the deadly attack, just weeks before his planned visit to Cairo. The pontiff expressed his 'deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation', and said he was praying for the dead and wounded in the attack. Word of the bombing came as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God `to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons'. The pope's remarks on the church attack came after he remembered the victims of the Stockholm attack Friday night. Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week that culminates on Easter Sunday, commemorates the day Christians believe Jesus entered Jerusalem and was welcomed as the messiah, only to be crucified five days later. A video showed the victims of today's atrocity lying on the ground after the terrible blast Three police officers died in Alexandria as they prevented a suicide bomber from accessing the Coptic church A father of three who was preparing for his wedding day was shot and killed in his Minnesota home on Thursday. Jacob C. Glover, 28, of West Fargo, was allegedly murdered by his boss and best friend, Neil James Johnson, 25, from Moorhead, Minnesota. Johnson is currently in the Clay County jail awaiting charges on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death. Jacob Glover, 28, from West Fargo died after being shot multiple times inside his Minnesota home. His boss and best friend is the suspect Neil Johnson, 25, of Moorhead is being held in the Clay County Jail and will be charged Officers arrived at Glover's home shortly after the shooting to find him in a neighbors driveway. Cops found the suspect's handgun, which had been fired several times. A statement from police described the victim and suspect as 'acquaintances that had a dispute-argument.' The gunman 'was supposed to be Jacob's best friend,' said Glover's fiancee, Ashley Dowling, said in an interview with the Forum of Fargo. He was also Glover's boss at Don's Car Wash in Fargo. Jacob Glover, left, was due to marry his fiancee Ashley Dowling. The couple had three kids Neil Johnson lives at home with his wife and kids. Police say he got into a fight with Jacob Glover who was found in the neighbors drive way after being shot. He was also Glover's boss Several witnesses inside the home were brought in for questioning. Multiple rounds were fired inside the home and police canvassed the area. Writing on Facebook, Ashley explained how things had recently unraveled in her life. 'This is one of the hardest things i have ever had to deal with. I loved Jacob with my entire body heart and soul he was my rock. Jacob isn't a bad man no matter what you hear he just got lost mixed into the wrong guys at work. 'I finally thought in my life it was my turn to finally meet someone and have a complete family to be loved the right way but he was taken from me. I just don't know how to go on without him but i will figure it out he will guide me..my angel..i love you babi to the moon and back always and forever till i see you again babi i will always be yours,' Ashley wrote online. Khalid Masood was named as the person responsible for the Westminster attacks Westminster killer Khalid Masood was a public contact for a website which published extreme material, it has been claimed. Masood was listed as a person to contact at the website calltoislam.com, which has now been deleted. The website previously published sermons, which were available last week, slammed Christians and Jews for their 'greed, jealousy and fornication' and urged worshippers to 'make ready . . . steeds of war to threaten the enemy of Allah,' according to The Sunday Times. Masood's contact details, including his phone number, were listed on a sticker attached to a leaflet for the Luton Islamic Centre mosque, which had a link to the website. Another sermon on the website, issued by Imam Abdul Qadir Baksh, said: 'Brothers and sisters, it is high time you all woke up and understand this government is creating a form of Islam in this country . . . which not just integrates with the disbelieving society but simulates it. 'At the moment the buzzwords are 'integration', 'the wider community', 'breaking down barriers' and so on. In the end it will be concentration camps, massacres and plunder.' Above is the Luton Islamic Centre mosque, which was had a sticker from calltoislam.com, which Masood was a contact for Metropolitan policeman Keith Palmer (left), Spanish teacher Aysha Frade (centre) and US tourist Kurt Cochran (right) were also victims of the attack Andreea Cristea, the woman who fell into the River Thames, died this week. Leslie Rhodes (right) also died Farasat Latif, a trustee of Luton Islamic Centre, previously told the Guardian that when he worked with Masood at language school Elas UK in 2010 to 2012, he 'did not fit' as a 'potential extremist in any way, shape or form'. However, he did say he previously had a 'troubled life' with 'violent crime' but after a stint in prison he wanted to be a 'better person'. Mr Latif told the paper he was 'distressed, angry and sickened' after hearing that Masood was responsible for the attacks, which killed five people. US tourist Kurt Cochrane, 54, Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 44, and Keith Palmer, 48, a Metropolitan policeman who was stabbed by Masood, died at the scene. Retired window cleaner Les Rhodes, 75, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, both died in hospital. Emergency services gathered outside of the Parliament gates after policeman Keith Palmer was stabbed Today was the funeral for PC Keith Palmer. Above pallbearers are seen preparing to carry his coffin into the palace of Westminster Thousands of tributes have been left outside of Parliament for those who were killed When he was approached for a comment about the leaflets, he told a reporter to 'p*** off', according to The Sunday Times. The Luton Islamic Centre mosque, which describes itself as following the salafi tradition of Islam, has previously condemned the terrorism attack in Paris and the Tunisian massacre. A personal blog, under the name of Abdul Qadeer Baksh, who identifies as chairman of Luton Islamic Centre, previously published leaflets which said 'terrorism and violent extremism is strictly prohibited in the religion of Islam'. They feature a 'Call To Islam' logo. In a statement issued to the media, Quadeer Baksh, chairman of the Luton Islamic Centre, said the trustees 'strongly refute' the 'ridiculous allegation that Khalid Masood was a public contact person' for the mosques web site. He added: 'Masood never attended our mosque; the sticker with Khalid Masoods name and number on the leaflet was deliberately placed there. 'Masood left Luton in 2012 and never to returned. It is beggars belief that the Luton Islamic Centre, or any centre for that matter, would display leaflets with stickers attached, bearing the name and number of an infamous killer. 'On the Friday following Masoods murderous rampage in London, the entire Friday sermon at the mosque was dedicated to condemning this attack. 'Contrary to [The Sunday Times'] claims, Luton Islamic Centre does not have a public contact person for the web site. The contact details of our web site are displayed online and consists of an email (info@calltoislam.com) and not a telephone number. Khalid Masoods name has never appeared on our website.' Advertisement Supercars worth millions of pounds brought London to a standstill as a secret club of self-confessed 'boy racers' held a procession through the heart of Westminster in tribute to the victims of last month's terror attack. A gold-plated Bentley, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari were among the glamorous vehicles that were driven in unison past the Houses of Parliament. The procession was organised by the Piccadilly Boy Racers, a group which has previously caused chaos in the capital as pedestrians and tourists stop the high-end sportscars in their tracks to take photos and selfies. Ahead of the event, the club of businessmen and entrepreneurs told MailOnline it wanted to speak up' against terrorism and 'bring people of all race and religion together as a symbol of peace, love and unity'. As the motorcade passed the Palace of Westminster - from where Khalid Masood launched his murderous rampage that killed six - the drivers got out of the vehicles for several seconds to lay bouquets of flowers. Scroll down for video A Bentley and a Lamborghini come to a stop outside the Palace of Westminster as several other supercars line up behind them The Piccadilly Boy Racers stop for a photo before laying flowers in tribute to those who lost their lives last month Supercars worth millions of pounds brought London to a standstill as a secret club of self-confessed 'boy racers' held a procession through the heart of Westminster in tribute to the victims of last month's terror attack A gold-plated Bentley, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari were among the glamorous vehicles that were driven in unison over past the Houses of Parliament A police officer asks the driver of one supercar to move on as those inside prepare to lay flowers at the Palace of Westminster Several police officers could be seen remonstrating with the drivers to move their vehicles as passers-by flocked to take photographs of the brightly-coloured procession The club is run by brothers Kash and Shabs Ahmad, from Ilford, Essex, who only let those with high-end supercars join the group The road was brought to a standstill for several minutes as the drivers and their passengers got out of their cars to lay bouquets of flowers Several police officers could be seen remonstrating with the drivers to move their vehicles as passers-by flocked to take photographs of the brightly-coloured procession. However organisers said conversations they had with police were amenable and officers even helped them to carry out their tribute. The club is run by brothers Kash and Shabs Ahmad, from Ilford, Essex, who only let those with high-end supercars join the group. Shabs told the MailOnline: 'Following recent attacks in Westminster which cost the lives of innocent civilians as well as PC Keith Palmer, we felt it was only right to pay our condolences and show our love by standing united to oppose the atrocious acts of violence. 'We felt that being British Muslims with a platform, we wanted to speak up against such acts and bring people of all race and religion together as a symbol of peace, love and unity. '[We want to] recognise the efforts of the Met Police, emergency services and the nurses and doctors who ran across Westminster bridge from St Thomas to assist. 'This is something which touched our hearts as my brother Kash is a sufferer of Crohns disease who very nearly lost his life in 2012. 'The doctors at St Thomas saved his life and it was on that very bridge he learnt how to walk again after suffering from paralysis from below the waist. Any one of us could have been a victim that day.' In an interview with MailOnline last year, Kash, who runs car company Kream Developments with his brother Shabs, denies that the group are 'flash'. Unarmed PC Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death in the terror attack on March 22, when he tried to stop Muslim extremist Khalid Masood running into the Palace of Westminster armed with two knives As the motorcade passed the Palace of Westminster - from where Khalid Masood launched his murderous rampage that killed six - the drivers got out of the vehicles for several seconds to lay bouquets of flowers The club of British Muslim businessmen and entrepreneurs told the MailOnline it wanted to speak up' against terrorism and 'bring people of all race and religion together as a symbol of peace, love and unity' Crowds of tourists stopped to take pictures of the cars, which included this white Porsche, as the drivers pulled over next to the Houses of Parliament A police officer was seen radioing in as several of the high-powered vehicles lined up beside the Palace of Westminster Shabs Ahmad, 33, poses with his Nissan GTR before driving it around central London with other motorists in the capital The procession comes on the day that the body of PC Keith Palmer, the police officer killed protecting Parliament by Masood, was placed inside the Palace of Westminster ahead of his funeral tomorrow He said: 'When we were young it was our ambition to be "boy racers" now we are men, we have achieved that and are proud we can afford these kind of cars.' The procession comes on the day that the body of PC Keith Palmer, the police officer killed protecting Parliament by Masood, was placed inside the Palace of Westminster ahead of his funeral tomorrow. PC Palmer will rest for 24 hours in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, before he is taken to Southwark Catherdral at 2pm on Monday for a full police funeral. The honour, which requires the consent of the Queen, is normally reserved for heads of state and senior politicians such as Baroness Thatcher and Tony Benn. Unarmed PC Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death in the terror attack on March 22, when he tried to stop Muslim extremist Khalid Masood running into the Palace of Westminster armed with two knives. The largest-ever gathering of British police officers will assemble in London for his funeral. Upwards of 5,000 men and women from every force in the UK are expected to line the route to Southwark Cathedral for the service. Changing cubicles are being provided for the officers, who have been advised not to wear their uniforms when travelling to the funeral. An estimated 50,000 members of the public are expected to join them in paying tribute to the murdered constable. This is the real-life story of a Nazi-killing kid who fought in the woods of Lithuania with other Jewish vigilantes during the Second World War. Benjamin Levin was just 14 when Nazis swept into Vilnius, Lithuania in July of 1941, herding him and his family into a ghetto with the town's other Jews. Levin, now 89 and living in Ossining, New York, is the last surviving member of a Jewish vigilante group called the Avengers, which fought the Nazi occupation from hidden bunkers in the woods. 'We dont talk about this anymore, but its alive inside,' Levin told the New York Post. 'The moment I start to think about this, it comes more and more memories.' Benjamin Levin is seen kneeling lower left in this photo of the Avengers, a Jewish vigilante group that fought Nazis from the woods outside Vilnius, Lithuania during WWII German troops swept into Vilnius in July of 1941, ousting Soviet occupiers. The Lithuanian capital is roughly halfway between Berlin and Moscow, as seen on the map above Levin by his own admission grew up with a 'wild streak', started smoking by age eight and ran around the streets of Vilnius with young hooligans. Hero; Benjamin Levin now lives in upstate New York and is the last surviving member of a Lithuanian Jewish vigilante group who battled the Nazis But his father, Chaim, was a well-connected, prosperous merchant who owned a gourmet food store. A lover of German culture, Chaim at first dismissed reports coming from Germany of violent crackdowns on the Jewish population. 'My father was a big believer in all things German,' Levin said. 'He thought it would all blow over.' But the family heard enough information to go into hiding as initial massacres began in Vilnius, though they eventually ended up living in the ghetto established in the city's old town. Levin's youth and street smarts helped him slip past troops in and out of the ghetto though, helping partisans in the city and in hiding elsewhere maintain contact. Nazi crackdowns were frequent though, with surprise deportation raids often coming on Jewish holidays to further demoralize the surviving population. A procession of cars is seen following Adolph Hitler through the streets of Memel, during his 3 hour triumphal visit, after Lithuania was forced to cede the city to the Germans in 1939 Jewish partisans fled like these pictured fled into the woods after German troops overran Vilnius and began rounding up Jews for executions and deportations On one such raid, Levin was forced into hiding with a group of others when a baby's incessant crying threatened to give up their hiding spot. He looked on in horror as the baby's father swiftly grabbed an overcoat and smothered the baby's face. Levin's small size and stealthiness made him indispensable to the vigilantes on sabotage missions 'I think they killed the baby,' he said. 'I saw a lot of things. I saw very noble people become animals. And very plain people become noble. And my mother warned me that there would be worse to come.' Levin's older brother Shmuel was about 18 when he scraped up the money to buy a gun and ammunition, which was the price of admission for joining the Avengers, a Jewish vigilante group based out of the woods near Vilnius. In the autumn of 1943, as violence in the ghetto mounted, Levin decided to join him, and slipped out of the city to live bunkers buried in the woods. But Shmuel, he discovered, had died just a day before on a mission. Young Levin's small size and stealthiness made him indispensable to the vigilantes on sabotage missions, which targeted train tracks and bridges to slow the movement of German troops and stall transportation of Jews to concentration camps. But it was a rough life, living off berries and mushrooms and drinking scummy pond water, Levin recalls. In one ambush, he survived a 'hurricane of bullets' that whizzed overhead, likely missing him because he was so short. Damaged buildings in Vilnius, Lithuania are shown. Levin slipped in and out of the city on behalf of the Jewish partisans, bringing back food and information to their forest base Nazi soldiers surrender on the Eastern Front of World War II. The Avengers helped Soviet troops retake the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius in the summer of 1944 He doesn't remember how many Nazis he killed or injured, but his vigilante activities were so extensive that, 70 years after the end of the war, there is still an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Lithuania. When Soviet forces swept into Vilnius in the summer of 1944, Levin's Avengers helped them liberate the town. Nazi collaborators were rounded up and shot on the spot. 'We didnt keep prisoners,' he said. 'There was no discussion. It was a normal thing.' Levin's parents did not survive the war, after they were killed by a 'greed janitor' while hiding out in a forest house. Levin immigrated to Israel after the war, where he met his wife Sara. The couple and their two children moved to Long Island, New York in 1967. Sara died two weeks ago. At the funeral, Levin told his son 'It looks like its my time now.' Levin used so many fake identification documents during the war, that he forgot his actual birthday. So his family picked a Jewish holiday on which to celebrate it. Levin will turn 90 on Monday, the first day of Passover. Former Fox News commentator KT MacFarland has been kicked out of her role as deputy national security adviser by her newly appointed boss Lt General HR McMaster. She is the third close Trump ally to be removed from the National Security Council after Steve Bannon was ousted on Wednesday and McMaster's predecessor, Lt Gen Michael Flynn, resigned in February. McFarland, 65, will now become the US ambassador to Singapore, an insider told Bloomberg. Heading out: Ex-Fox News commentator and close Trump ally TK MacFarland will be dropped as deputy national security adviser in the coming weeks, White House insiders claim Shake up: Change is yet another shake up since Lt Gen Michael Flynn (left) quit in February. His replacement, Lt General HR McMaster (right), is restructuring the NSC MacFarland took over the role on January 20, at the beginning of the Trump administration, and had told The Hill in February that despite Flynn's departure she was going nowhere. 'I just met with the president and he asked that I stay on. I'm thrilled to do so,' she said. But in two weeks, the insider says, she will be moving on to the tiny but economically powerful city-state of Singapore. The source spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to discuss personnel moves. MacFarland's ousting has been described as a promotion, according to USA Today, as Singapore is a noted ally of the US. The paperwork is still being written up. McFarlane's now-former colleague, deputy national security adviser Dina Powell - a former Goldman Sachs executive - will remain in the position, the source said. This is the latest in a string of shake-ups within the White House, just four months into Trump's presidency. They come as his administration continues to deal with the fallout from claims that his aides were communicating with Russia. Allies: MacFarland (second from left, in January) is expected to become Ambassador to Singapore. Her fellow deputy national security adviser, Dina Powell, will remain on staff In January Flynn stepped down after it emerged that the had been involved in meetings with Russian officials prior to Trump taking over. He claimed that 'inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information' as he departed. His replacement, McMaster, has been given carte blanche to remake the department as he sees fit. That meant curtains for Bannon's time as a national security insider. The right-wing media boss was dropped from the National Security Council on Wednesday, amid rumors that Jared Kushner had issued a series of leaks against him. Dropped: MacFarland, Flynn and - as of Wednesday - Steve Bannon (pictured) have all been dropped from the NSC. Rumors abound that Bannon's position in the White House is shaky It was reported Saturday that the pair had had a sit-down meeting to smooth their troubled relationship, at the demand of chief of staff Reince Priebus. And although he remains an adviser to Trump, he's also been blamed for the failure of two of key proposals: Trump's Obamacare replacement and the travel ban, which he drafted. That means he's liable to lose his job - as is Priebus, who is struggling to tamp down the incessant in-fighting - insiders told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Ex-Goldman Sachs employee Gary Cohn, one of Trump's economic advisers and a supposed candidate for Priebus's job, denied the claims, telling the journal: 'Reince is leading our team effectively.' In another change, McMaster has reduced the responsibility held by homeland security expert Tom Bossert. Oliver Whiting, 37, escaped jail after he took dozens of innocent pictures from the Facebook accounts of female friends and posted them online A revenge porn website is holding innocent victims to ransom by demanding payment to take down explicit photographs. Victims whose pictures were stolen and doctored have been left devastated after they were published on the site. But police have told them they are powerless to act after the US-based website demanded $50 (40) to take down each picture. Last week Oliver Whiting, 37, escaped jail after he took dozens of innocent pictures from the Facebook accounts of female friends and posted them online. He even posted pictures of his half-sister, Charley Hough, taken in her school uniform when she was only 16 and asked users of the site how much they would pay to rape her. In some he photoshopped their faces on to the naked bodies of porn stars and invited men to leave abusive messages. Most of the disturbing posts on the site are far too offensive to publish but in one he fantasised about choking her and spitting in her face, and breaking her nose while shes screaming. In a period of just eight months Whiting posted 1,162 separate messages or photos on the website. His victims burst into tears when he escaped jail and was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Hastings Magistrates Court. He had previously pleaded guilty to 11 offences of making offensive postings, contrary to the Communications Act 2003. But it emerged the US website has refused to take down the pictures of the victims despite being approached by police and informed they were the subject of criminal proceedings in the UK. Website bosses have demanded victims pay $50 for each picture they wish to have removed. In one photo still on the website Nikki Elliott, 26, of Eastbourne, East Sussex is pictured with her two-year-old daughter, Olivia. Website bosses have demanded victims pay $50 for each picture they wish to have removed. In one photo still on the website Nikki Elliott (pictured), 26, of Eastbourne, East Sussex is pictured with her two-year-old daughter, Olivia She was devastated the picture is still online, and said: Anyone can still go online and see it. It makes me feel sick to think about it. I cant believe the website is demanding money to take down these pictures. It freaks me out to know the pictures are still there and there are people out there who can still see them. Whiting offered to contact the website but doesnt have money to pay the $50 per picture fee. An earlier victim, Charlotte White said: I think its dreadful. He posted pictures of me urging men to rape me, get me pregnant and rape me again until I miscarried. He did this despite knowing I had miscarried. I cant believe the pictures can still be seen by people. I think it is shocking really. Conservative MP for Eastbourne, Caroline Ansell, expressed serious concerns over the caution and met with Sussex Police Her mother Teresa Weir said: I cant believe the pictures are still up. They have all suffered enough but the fact these pictures can still be viewed is horrendous. At the hearing in Hastings District Judge Teresa Szagun said: The fact that pictures are still on that website is extremely troubling and adds to the ongoing distress. The case caused a furore last year when Whiting was only cautioned after posting pictures of four female friends. Conservative MP for Eastbourne, Caroline Ansell, expressed serious concerns over the caution and met with Sussex Police. She also read out an open letter from Miss Elliott in the House of Commons highlighting the damage to victims. The case was later re-examined and he was charged with 11 offences against Miss Elliott and Miss Hough, 22. Yesterday Mrs Ansell said: Its absolutely appalling these pictures remain online because it is so devastating for victims and an outrage to justice. We must get tough on dealing with this growing problem because having these images posted ruins lives for years and is plain wicked. Sussex Police said they could not remove the website or its posts as it is outside the UK jurisdiction. The Daily Mail attempted to contact the US-based website but the administrators hide behind a privacy wall. More than 500,000 of public money has been handed to a pro-abortion activist to write a book about the history of abortion in Britain. The Arts and Humanities Research Council gave 512,000 to Professor Sally Sheldon to write a 'biographical study' of the 1967 Abortion Act. Professor Sheldon is a trustee of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the largest provider of abortions to the NHS, whose executives have consistently called for abortion to be as freely available as contraception. The law professor at the University of Kent was an architect of the private member's bill to allow abortion to be carried out without legal restrictions for any reason up to birth put forward by the Labour MP for Hull, Diana Johnson, last month. The Arts and Humanities Research Council gave 512,000 to Professor Sally Sheldon to write a 'biographical study' of the 1967 Abortion Act She has been campaigning for abortion on demand for more than 20 years, has backed the termination of pregnancy on the grounds of the sex of the foetus, and is a key figure in the new We Trust Women campaign by BPAS to decriminalise abortion. Professor Sheldon aims to present the results of her two-year taxpayer-funded study to Parliament in April 2018. She will also produce teaching packs for schools and a website for schoolchildren as part of the project. Yesterday critics condemned the grant to Professor Sheldon as a major public subsidy for arguments in favour of abortion on demand at a time when the legal status of abortion remains a matter of acute political sensitivity. Robert Flello, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South and co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group, said: 'Given that Diana Johnson has paid tribute to this woman, it would be amazing if the project was a fair and balanced account. 'If public money is going to be used to fund work that is not only going to be a book but is going to fund materials going into our schools in support of pro-abortion propaganda then it is an utterly outrageous use of public money. Robert Flello (left), Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South and co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group, said he hopes the book will be 'a fair and balanced account'. Maria Caulfield (right), Conservative MP for Lewes, also raised concerns about the funding 'I would demand that the government department funding this put a stop to it and asked some very serious questions of how this situation could arise.' He added: 'At a time when people are not being able to get access to wheelchairs, when people are having hospital appointments delayed, to have public money squandered in this way is just disgraceful.' Mr Flello said opinion polls revealed the public wanted abortion to be more tightly regulated and that there was an appetite for a reduction in the upper time limit even to the European average of 14 weeks or less. Professor Sheldon has called the 1967 Act which made abortion lawful with the approval of two doctors but prohibits abortions after 24 weeks unless the foetus has a disability 'a remnant of the attitude of a previous age'. She has recruited three other academics to take part in her study, two of whom have publicly defended sex-selective abortions. Maria Caulfield, Conservative MP for Lewes and a former medical researcher, said: 'I welcome all types of medical research but my concern is that this money has been donated and will be used to fuel an argument that won't necessarily be impartial.' The Arts and Humanities Research Council is a funding body distributing taxpayer cash provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The quango's grants have included a payment of 50,000 for a Sheffield Hallam University study that recommended scrapping the terms 'ladies' and 'gents' from public toilets in case they offended transgender users. A Florida father has been arrested after letting his 13-year-old son drive his car into a canal with his younger brother on board. Martin Martinez III was riding round with his two-year-old brother in the car at around 6pm on Friday, when he sped through a stop sign in Lehigh Acres, near Fort Myers, in the sunshine state. The 13-year-old attempted to turn right but lost control, and the Toyota Camry ran off the road and rolled over down an embankment until it landed in a canal. A Florida father has been arrested after letting his 13-year-old son drive his car into a canal with his younger brother on board Martin Martinez III attempted to turn right but lost control, and the Toyota Camry ran off the road and rolled over down an embankment until it landed in a canal Florida Highway Patrol said that Martin was able to save his little brother from the submerged vehicle which was rapidly filling with water, NBC reports. Incredibly, while neither boy was wearing a safety belt at the time, both escaped without major injury. Track marks (left) show where the teen lost control and went off the road before landing in the canal. His father Martin Martinez Jr., (right in his mugshot) has since been arrested and charged with child neglect Incredibly, while neither boy was wearing a safety belt at the time, both escaped without major injury They were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, but released with minor injuries. On investigation, police found that the boy's father, Martin Martinez Jr., had given his son permission to drive. Martinez Jr. was arrested for child neglect and is currently being held on $5,000 bond. Police are investigating if cyber-bullying pushed a Pennsylvania high school freshman to take her own life. A student named Julia who attended Spring-Ford High School in Limerick, Pennsylvania died by suicide Thursday night. Grief counselors at Spring-Ford High School were available for students Friday and Saturday. Police have not publicly identified the victim but there are multiple fundraising pages to support her family that name her. The victim was a freshman at Spring-Ford Senior High School. Grief counselors were available Friday and Saturday ABC 6 News reports the student apparently received a vulgar text message which included a part that said: 'no one care about you.' The station said the rest of the text message is too horrific to publish. It was not clear what relationship the alleged bully had to the student. In another possible indication of bullying, a picture posted on social media of a classmate's Snapchat appears to show a student thanking Julia for giving them a 'free vacation' as a result of her death. Julia was an active member at Christ's Church of the Valley, a non denominational church. The freshman was an active member of Christ's Church of the Valley (right) according to Pastor Melissa Flora (left) Pastor Melissa Flora told Fox 29: 'She would come here every single Sunday and volunteer in our children's programming in our elementary age group.' The place of worship held a vigil Sunday to honor the teen. At the regularly scheduled service for high school students grief counselors were available to talk. Several students reportedly left school early after the news of Julia's death broke Friday. Superintendent Dr. David Goodin said: 'We just want kids and adults to know that there are people available. So don't be afraid to reach out because people are waiting to reach back.' Police are releasing more details in the coming days. The church announced there will be a student led vigil on Tuesday night. Her funeral will be held on Friday. For readers seeking support, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or by clicking here. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway applauded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's controversial decision to hold open Justice Antonin Scalia's Supreme Court seat. McConnell's move allowed President Trump, and not President Obama, to get a new justice on the bench. 'So what happened this week, with the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch and the fact that Leader McConnell did a masterful job for over a year in keeping that seat open and shepherding Judge Gorsuch through,' she said on Fox News' MediaBuzz. Conway's comments rub more salt on the Democrats' festering wound, which began last year when President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in March. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway praised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's tactics that allowed her Republican White House and not President Obama to get a Supreme Court pick Kellyanne Conway (right) talked to Fox News' Howard Kurtz (left) and said President Trump should get credit for not bringing up President Obama's failure in Syria when he addressed the nation on his decision to launch a missile attack McConnell and other Senate Republicans mostly refused to meet with Garland, considered a moderate choice for the liberal president, and basically ran out the clock. Now, tomorrow, Trump will officially get his first Supreme Court pick as the conservative Gorsuch is slated to be sworn in after Republicans changed the Senate rules so only a majority of senators were needed for a key procedural vote. 'I think that's the thing that will impact generations and it should not be an afterthought, it should not be a footnote, on what has been an incredibly strong week in presidential leadership,' the top Trump aide added as she talked to Fox's Howard Kurtz. Kurtz pointed out that Trump's Syria strike was likely to blame for Gorsuch's confirmation to not receive top billing in the news. But Conway was complaining about the number of palace intrigue stories being written, which point to a brewing battle between the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his chief strategist, Steve Bannon. 'I think none of that helps the president and so I am always very protective of that,' Conway said. 'I also think it's a waste of brain space and talk time because 30 or 40 years from now people may not remember any of our names, but they certainly will know who Justice Neil Gorsuch is and by then he will have made a huge mark on American jurisprudence as somebody who has fidelity to the Constitution and is an originalist and at age 49 was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court,' Conway went on. Conway also wanted her boss, President Trump, to get a pat on the back for not pointing out President Obama's failure in Syria when he spoke about his decision to send missiles into the country. 'I thought it was incredibly important to note that the president's address to the nation and indeed the world, Howie, was nonpartisan,' Conway told Kurtz. She brought it up again, seconds later, noting how she hadn't heard anyone make this point 'in the punditry this weekend.' 'The other thing that was missing was a partisan rebuke of the previous administration,' she said. 'Everybody knows Syria was, by and large, a failure under the previous administration, but this president did not need to note that.' 'He is looking forward,' she added. The top White House aide also signaled that the Trump administration wouldn't be changing its policy of taking Syrian refugees, noting how Syrian children 'come in with Syrian adults.' Kurtz pointed out that Trump had previously opposed military intervention in Syria and suggested that the missile strike, while applauded by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, may have baffled the president's supporters as well. Conway suggested that Trump didn't back out of a campaign promise because 'he said he would consult with his generals and by that he means literally his generals, but also his national security team,' she said, referencing comments Trump made during the campaign in which he said he would surround himself with military experts. 'He's now the commander-in-chief,' Conway said. Toxic chemicals used to fireproof sofas and mattresses have caused a surge in thyroid cancer, experts warn. Flame retardants are feared to be making families ill after being exposed to them through household dust. Although the chemicals have been widely restricted, experts warn the measures do not go far enough. Toxic chemicals used to fireproof sofas and mattresses have caused a surge in thyroid cancer, experts warn (Stock image) It comes after the Government was repeatedly warned of the potential dangers of the chemicals by the civil servant for furniture fire safety policy. Terry Edge, who quit the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy last year after his proposals to restrict all flame retardants were rejected, said: Flame retardants are causing thousands of cancers and other illnesses, with children particularly vulnerable. Thyroid cancer cases have leapt by 74 per cent in the last decade in Britain, with US researchers blaming the rising rates on flame retardants. After analysing household dust and taking blood samples from people with thyroid cancer, the scientists from Duke University found the patients had a high exposure to flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). These were banned in 2004 but are still in the homes of people with furniture bought before that time. The cancer patients also had higher levels of TCEP, a flame retardant banned 16 years ago. Thyroid cancer cases have leapt by 74 per cent in the last decade in Britain, with US researchers blaming the rising rates on flame retardants (Stock image) Both chemicals are linked with cancer because they interfere with hormones. DecaBDE, the most widely used of the PBDE chemicals, is not banned but highly restricted. Dr Heather Stapleton, whose work will be presented at the International Symposium on Fire Retardants in York, told the Sunday Times: The chemicals are released as household dust and enter our bodies on our food and hands, with the highest levels in children. Brominated flame retardants are linked with learning problems, low sperm counts and difficulties in becoming pregnant. They have been used in sofas, mattresses and carpets. A spokesman for the National Bed Federation said DecaBDE is set to be banned within two years. A Defra spokesman said: We will continue to push for further controls. The former boyfriend of a computer scientist who went missing eight years ago was charged with her murder on Friday. Police arrested Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz, 51, in Washington DC on Friday for the murder of Pamela Butler who has not been seen since 2009. The 47-year-old worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and the pair met online. She was pronounced dead by a judge last July but her body has never been found. Detectives reopened the investigation into her appearance in February. It is not clear what prompted them to arrest Rodriguez-Cruz, a former military police officer, last week. Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz, 51, was arrested on Friday for the murder Pamela Butler, 47, who has not been seen since 2009 Surveillance footage taken on the day she vanished showed the pair going inside her house together but only Rodriguez-Cruz was filmed leaving with bags in his hands, according to police. 'We saw them go inside together. He was seen leaving. She was never seen again,' acting D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told The Washington Post. The man had a history of domestic violence when he began dating Butler, WUSA-9 reports. He was questioned after her disappearance in February 2009 but has always maintained his innocence. Butler's family however say they 'knew' he was guilty of killing her but that police never had enough evidence to charge him. 'At least we know that we got the person that did it at this point. It doesn't make it any better for us but it helps,' Derrick Butler, her brother, said. Pamela was reported missing after she failed to show up to a Valentine's Day dinner with her mother in 2009. Cruz was filmed on surveillance footage entering Butler's home in Washington DC (above) with her. He was later filmed leaving with bags in his hands but she was never seen again Butler's family say they always suspected the man who she had met online. He always protested his innocence, claiming that he went to the house with her but that she broke up with him and the bags he was carrying contained his belongings Family went to her house a week later to find mail piled up in the doorway. Both of her cars were parked in the driveway and her home alarm system had been turned off. She was last seen entering her home on February 12. She sent an email early the next morning but was never heard from again. Her brother previously told Fox that the sheets had been taken off of her bed and that important work documents had been left out, neatly organized in her office. Her car keys, purse and cell phone were also missing from the home. The computer technician had set up a sophisticated home surveillance system with cameras fixed on all of her doors. Her brother said he believed she was murdered in the house and that her body was removed through a window which was found unlocked and with the blinds up when police searched the property in 2009. A former Miss Montana beauty pageant winner who now teaches special education has landed in hot water over a string of snarky tweets making fun of her students and their parents. Sheridan Tihista, 2013's Miss Montana winner and now a middle school special education teacher in West Fargo, North Dakota, was stung Friday by a group of 'concerned parents' who mailed over 20 pages of her printed tweets to a local news outlet and school officials. The Twitter dossier, sent anonymously to ABC affiliate WDAY, includes tweets referring to the mothers of autistic students as 'monsters' and mocking students for seeking 'attention'. Sheridan Tihista, 2013's Miss Montana winner and now a middle school special education teacher, is in hot water over snarky remarks about students and parents on Twitter An anonymous group of self-described 'concerned parents' sent dozens of printed pages of Tihista's tweets to a local TV station on Friday, highlighting ones they found offensive 'My tweets may have been distasteful, but don't illustrate what kind of educator I am,' Tihista said in a statement The teacher did not use her full name or face on the profile, and may have considered it an anonymous place to vent 'My tweets may have been distasteful, but don't illustrate what kind of educator I am,' Tihista said in a statement to the affiliate. The teacher did not use her full name or face on the profile, and may have considered it an anonymous place to vent. The bio to the now-deleted account read: 'just another teacher trying to hide from her students on social media. if youre a student, go away.' Tihista set her Twitter account to private on Friday, and later deleted it, but several of the mean tweets were captured by the broadcaster before the account was shut down. In one post, she showed a text exchange with someone asking for 'attention' for Christmas, adding the comment 'Basically all my students.' Another tweet joked about accidentally typing 'monsters' when she meant 'mothers', adding the hashtag #samething. The teacher made special education part of her platform as Miss Montana In this tweet, she showed a text exchange with someone asking for 'attention' for Christmas, adding the comment 'Basically all my students' School officials said they weren't aware of the tweets until receiving the anonymously mailed packet. A district spokeswoman told WDAY that officials would review the material and discuss it with Tihista, who teaches at Liberty Middle School, before deciding whether disciplinary action is warranted. The teacher made special education part of her platform as Miss Montana. 'I have also been in the home where a disability is always prevalent and I have seen what it means to be autistic, or just different",' she wrote in her platform statement. 'I love walking into a classroom, creating a candid and safe environment, and by being a resource to the personal questions students have about disabilities.' US officials are keeping a keen eye on a Russian complex nestled on the edge of a volcanic crater in Nicaragua. The center, which is believed to be a satellite station, has been built near the Laguna de Nejapa in Managua - the capital of the Central American nation. The Washington Post reports the local government described the complex as, 'simply a tracking site of the Russian version of a GPS satellite system', but not everyone is convinced it isn't something more sinister. 'Clearly theres been a lot of activity, and its on the uptick now,' a US official and expert on Central America, told the newspaper. US officials are keeping a keen eye on a Russian complex (pictured) nestled on the edge of a volcanic crater in Nicaragua Other officials said there are concerns the hub could be a 'dual use' facility, meaning it could house equipment and workers with the ability to conduct electronic surveillance against American citizens. A guard is seen walking in front of the gate at the US Embassy in Managua From where the compound is located, it offers those who are based there a clear view of the US Embassy about 10 miles away in the heart of Managua. One local spoke about the type of people working at the GPS center. 'I have no idea,' she told the Times, when asked about rumors it was a spy center, before adding: 'They are Russian, and they speak Russian, and they carry around Russian apparatuses.' The increase in activity is the latest in a growing string of similar upticks by Putin's government in recent years - including sending troops into Crimea, backing Ukrainian separatists, and the country's involvement in Syria and Iraq. Security experts, according to the Times, believe this could be different however, as it could be a direct response to American activity in Eastern Europe. And while the US is not entirely alarmed, it is on alert - and acting accordingly. A new State Department chief appointed to the landlocked country was moved there from the Russian desk. Pictured is an image via Google Maps showing what appears to be the center being used by Russia The center has been built near the Laguna de Nejapa in Managua - the capital of the Central American nation From the Russian compound the US Embassy (pictured) in Managua, Nicaragua can be seen In recent years, Russia has given the Nicaraguan government hundreds of buses to be used for public transportation. Some are pictured Other American officials, the Times reports, who have recently been sent to Nicaragua speak Russian or have experience in the former Soviet state. The US and Russia have a long and complicated history with Nicaragua, as the Soviet Union backed rebels during the Cold War to overthrow the American-supported dictator, Anastazio Somoza in 1979. The CIA was quick to respond at threw its weight behind rebels known as 'contras' - who fought against the Soviet-friendly Sandinistas. In the war that followed, tens of thousands were killed. A soldier washes a Russian T-55 tank during a military parade in Managua September 3, 2014. Russia has sold the country tanks in recent years Russia's war ship Admiral Chabanenko sails off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua in December 2008 And in recent years, Russia has worked in the country to reestablish its foothold, which largely disappeared after the Soviet Union fell. Putin's government has donated everything from wheat to buses to Nicaragua - support which was seen by many intelligence officials as an attempt by the Russians to have a military presence in the heart of Central America. It has also sold tanks and other military equipment to the Nicaraguan government. The Times reports experts on the country and believe there are about 250 Russian military personnel currently stationed there. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union backed a rebel group that was trying to overthrow a leader who had the support of the US A statue of former president of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, is pulled from its base by Sandinista guerrillas in 1979. Somoza was backed by the US, and the Soviets support the guerrillas Juan Gonzalez told the newspaper America and other countries nearby are right to be worried about just what Russia is up to. 'The United States and countries of the region should be concerned,' Gonzalez - who was deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs under President Barack Obama - said. 'Nicaragua offers a beachhead for Russia to expand its intel capabilities and election meddling close to the United States.' He was, in the words of his own catchphrase, our old mate. Brian Matthew, who has died at 88, was a cheerleader of the older generation for 50 years, ever since the BBC told him in 1967 that he was too elderly to join the newly created Radio 1. The broadcasters longevity seemed to irk trend-chasing BBC bosses who gave him the shove repeatedly over the decades. Brian Matthew (pictured with The Beatles in the 1960s), who has died at 88, was a cheerleader of the older generation for 50 years Their ageist attitude failed such was Matthews popularity among his millions of fans, dubbed the avids, that he kept being reinstated by popular demand. The guillotine keeps coming down, he once joked, but its never quite reached my neck. Even when Radio 2 chiefs announced in January, quite callously and dishonestly, that by mutual agreement he was giving up his weekly Sounds Of The Sixties show owing to ill-health, Matthew refused to go quietly. Mutual agreement? he snorted. That was totally untrue. Balderdash! Indeed, the Beeb seemed in such a hurry to get rid of him that it prematurely announced his death last week, three days before he died in hospital though that error stemmed from a mistaken tip-off by a member of his family. He was born in Coventry in 1928, the son of musical parents, and made his first broadcast in Germany while doing his National Service in the Army, aged 20. Joining the British Forces Network, he broadcast for nine months from Hamburgs Musikhalle: future BBC stars Raymond Baxter and Cliff Michelmore were colleagues. The broadcasters longevity seemed to irk trend-chasing BBC bosses who gave him the shove repeatedly over the decades A brief spell as an actor included a stint at the Old Vic where he met his wife Pamela. But in 1954 he was working as a milkman when he landed a job as a trainee announcer on the BBCs Light Programme. Three years later he became the regular announcer for comedy series Take It From Here. Soon he was presenting the BBCs only pop music programme, Saturday Skiffle Club, which quickly attracted five million listeners. The skiffle boom faded, but Matthew ran Saturday Club for more than ten years. He interviewed The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, but his most famous and popular guests were The Beatles. Matthews schoolmasterly tone and quick wit dovetailed with the Beatles sense of humour. Other friends included Cliff Richard (a lovely, gentle man) and Dave Davies of The Kinks. Princess Margaret was also a fan. Television audiences knew him through ITV pop show Thank Your Lucky Stars. The Beatles were regular guests but he didnt get on well with the Stones. They were peculiar and vulgar, and they certainly werent friendly. Despite his huge experience and reassuring air, he was removed from Saturday Club and the Sunday morning pop show Easy Beat in 1967 dumped on Radio 2 in slots with names such as Late Night Extra. Yet wherever he was hidden, listeners sought him out. He once explained the secret of his technique: Never talk down to your audience. Treat them as friends. They probably know more about the subject than you do' From 1978 he presented arts show Round Midnight although the BBC still treated him shoddily. A week before Christmas in 1989 he received a letter from a producer, telling him his services were no longer required. After a listener rebellion, within months he was back with the Saturday morning show Sounds Of The Sixties. Now in his 60s himself, he was the voice of that era. He held that job for 27 years ending every episode with a sign-off that was almost a challenge to the powers-that-be: This is your old mate Brian Matthew, saying thats your lot for this week, see you next week. Following a health scare last November, he was replaced by Tim Rice. Matthew said: I was waiting for them to ask me back, but they never did. I admit Im a bit of an antique, but thats never seemed to matter until now. The avids responded by boycotting Rices show and starting an online petition to reinstate the man with the warmest voice on radio. But in February he bowed out with a farewell show, telling listeners he had enjoyed every minute in this chair and was saddened to leave. He once explained the secret of his technique: Never talk down to your audience. Treat them as friends. They probably know more about the subject than you do. New Mexico has passed a law said to be the first of its kind, banning 'lunch shaming.' Governor Susana Martinez signed the 'Hunger Free Students Bill of Rights' on Thursday, forbidding school districts from singling out the children of delinquent parents in order to shame them into paying overdue school lunch fees. Lunch shaming has gained notice elsewhere recently, with a child in Arizona reportedly being stamped on the wrist with the words 'Lunch Money' in order to convince parents to pay up, and others elsewhere made to work off their parents' debt with chores around school. Other schools use the 'cheese sandwich' method, giving kids with an unpaid tab a cold slice of cheese on bread instead of a hot square meal. New Mexico has become the first state to ban 'lunch shaming' with a new bill signed Thursday Some school districts have been known to use stamps, like this one reading 'I need lunch money,' to shame kids' parents into paying up unpaid school lunch debt Experts say practices like those can lead kids to skip meals altogether, and punish them for the delinquency of their parents. New Mexico's new law forbids shaming kids over unpaid lunch bills, such as with wristbands or hand stamps, forcing them to do chores to work off meal debt, and requires schools to provide a USDA reimbursable meal to any student that requests one. The bill drew praise from anti-poverty activists, who said it was the first of its kind in the nation. 'No child should be forced to wipe down cafeteria tables or throw away a meal because of a debt,' said Jennifer Ramo, executive director of New Mexico Appleseed, in a statement. 'Children whose parents or caregivers owe money for school lunch will no longer have to miss meals or face public embarrassment in front of their peers,' Ramo added. A 2016 survey by the School Nutrition Association found that three-quarters of the 1,000 school districts surveyed had unpaid student meal debt. The median amount of debt per district was $2,000, but unpaid lunch debt for some districts ran as high as $4.7 million. Iran has called on Syria to 'make Americans regret their attack' after Russia warned Donald Trump there will be a military response if the US strikes at Assad again. President Hassan Rouhani accused the US of not acting 'within international frameworks' before condemning America's surprise bombardment of a Syrian airbase. It comes after both Russian and Iranian forces warned Trump they would retaliate with military action if the US President launched more strikes against Bashar al-Assad's forces. Rouhani said: 'Americans have never acted within international frameworks, and one instance is the sanctions they impose against Iran, unreasonably considering themselves as the world's leader. 'The Syrian people and army must give a response (to the US) that makes Americans regret their attack.' Scroll down for video Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (pictured today) has accused the US of not acting 'within international frameworks' before condemning America's surprise bombardment on a Syrian airbase Russian and Iranian forces warned Donald Trump (pictured arriving at the White House on Sunday) they would retaliate with military action if he launched more airstrikes on Syria Russian President Vladimir Putin met with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani in Moscow on March 28 The fallout comes after President Trump ordered airstrikes (pictured) on a Syrian airbase in the first direct attack by the US against Assad Rouhani called his critics 'smoke machines, disseminating black smoke everywhere' and also criticised the United States for imposing sanctions on Iran. Last night, in an ominous threat raising the prospect of war, Iranian and Russian forces said the US President had crossed a 'red line' with his missile attack. 'From now on we will respond with force to any breach of red lines and America knows our ability to respond well,' the military chiefs said in a joint statement with militant group Hezbollah. The Russian Embassy in London suggested on Sunday night there could be 'real war' if Moscow is presented with an ultimatum over Syria. But UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will lead a push on Monday for Russia to face tough new sanctions unless it withdraws its support for Assad. At a G7 meeting in Italy, Johnson will call for Moscow to be threatened with isolation from the international community and a raft of economic punishments. Johnson also insisted the US could carry out further strikes against the Syrian regime over use of chemical weapons. Russia was kicked out of the club of industrialized nations, formerly the G-8, after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and assistance for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. But the prospect of being allowed back into the elite club is also expected to be held out as an incentive for cooperating. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the US will stand up to anyone who commits crimes against humanity. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini (L), US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C) and Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano arrive to attend a ceremony at the Sant'Anna di Stazzema memorial - Tillerson said the US will stand up to anyone who commits crimes against humanity Speaking today, ahead of a Group of 7 meeting in Italy, Tillerson said: 'We rededicate ourselves to holding to account any and all who commit crimes against the innocents anywhere in the world.' During a visit to a site of Nazi atrocities in Italy during World War II, Tillerson said Sant'Anna di Stazzema 'will serve as an inspiration to us all.' The Nazis killed more than 500 civilians in the village in 1944. As tensions escalated: The Kremlin mocked Britain for having 'no real influence on the course of international affairs' after Mr Johnson cancelled a planned trip to Moscow; UK's Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Russia was responsible for 'every civilian death' in Assad's chemical weapons attack on his own people; America warned Moscow it faces a 'relationship of competition and potential conflict' unless it stops supporting Assad's 'murderous regime'; The White House told North Korea it should take US missile strikes against Syria as a warning that America is prepared to take military action against countries which break international agreements. Despite the looming threat of war following the decision to launch airstrikes, Trump made his way on to his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday - marking his 16th visit to one of his own courses since he became president. During the election campaign, Trump said that as president he would probably never see his own golf courses again because he'd be too busy working. He also repeatedly attacked Barack Obama's golf trips and vacations for at least five years during the previous administration and begged the former president not to attack Syria back in 2013. Rouhani (pictured) has called on Syria to 'make Americans regret their attack' after Russia warned Donald Trump there will be a military response if the US strikes at Assad again Trump gave a thumb's up after arriving on theSouth Lawn last night onboard Marine One Trump managed to play some golf on one of his own courses before returning to Washington Trump, pictured, authorized the strikes on the Syrian airfield while at his Mar-a-Lago estate President Trump called to congratulate the commanding officers on the Syrian missile strike from aboard Air Force One (above) with National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster The commanding officers of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Ross and USS Porter received phone calls from Trump following the Syrian missile strike But in the early hours of Friday morning, President Trump himself ordered airstrikes on a Syrian airbase in the first direct attack by the US against Assad. The onslaught of 59 cruise missiles followed a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria which killed 87 civilians, including many children. A joint command centre of Russia, Iran and Islamist militant group Hezbollah warned America they would not allow further attacks on the Syrian regime. In a statement they said: 'What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.' The phrasing appeared to be a mocking reference to Barack Obama's warning in 2012 that Assad should not cross a 'red line' by using chemical weapons. President Donald Trump visited one of his own golf courses in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday for the 16th time in his brief presidency Trump (pictured Sunday leaving Mar-a-Lago) is far outpacing his predecessor Barack Obama, who he repeatedly criticized for playing golf while he was president In 2013, Trump urged Obama not to attack Syria, before criticizing him for playing golf In a further sign of increasing tensions, the Russian Embassy in London responded with anger to claims the G7 Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and America could today agree to slap Putin with the threat of sanctions unless he pulls his troops out of Syria and ends his support for Assad. In a series of provocative tweets on its official account, the embassy suggested that if Russia were given an ultimatum, the outcome would be either, 'war of clowns, war of muses, a conventional war or a mix of the above'. The Russian Embassy in London responded with anger to claims the G7 could agree to slap Putin (shown) with the threat of sanctions It added: 'If G7 ultimatum to Russia brings us to real war, what is your trust in @realDonaldTrump as a wartime leader & @BorisJohnson as his lieutenant?' Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last night said the US had made a 'strategic mistake' by attacking Syria. He made clear he was not intimidated by claims the airstrike was a warning that America was willing to target other countries. Tehran has been a key backer of Assad in Syria's six-year civil war. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave the field in the face of threats. Former American officials created Daesh [Islamic State] and the current leaders are reinforcing it,' Khamenei said. Trump administration officials yesterday blamed Russian inaction for enabling the deadly poison gas attack against Syrian civilians last week. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Syria was able to execute the attack, which killed scores of people, because Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in the country. White House national security adviser HR McMaster said Syria's 'sponsors', Russia and Iran, were enabling Assad's 'campaign of mass murder against his own civilians'. In an ominous threat raising the prospect of war, Russia and Iran said the US President had crossed a 'red line' with his bombardment on the forces of Bashar al-Assad (shown) Crew members at the launching of the Kazan, a Project 885M Yasen-class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine, at the Sevmash shipyard He said the US would take further action in Syria if necessary. 'We're prepared to do more. The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interests of the American people,' he told Fox News. Mr McMaster said Moscow was supporting 'a murderous regime' and its actions would dictate the future of US-Russian relations. 'Do they want it to be a relationship of competition and potential conflict,' he said. 'Or do they want it to be a relationship in which we can find areas of co-operation that are in our mutual interest?' Last night a US strike group led by an aircraft carrier steamed toward the Korean peninsula as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the strikes against Syria carried a message for any nation operating outside of international norms. 'If you violate international agreements if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken,' he told ABC TV. Mr McMaster said it was 'prudent' to send the strike group, criticising North Korea as a rogue, nuclear-armed nation engaged in provocative behaviour. Harvard will change the final lyric to its almost two-century old alma mater because it's no longer 'inclusive', according to university officials. The 'Fair Harvard' anthem has been used at university commencements and other major events since it was written in 1836, but now the university is changing its tune. Plans were announced on Wednesday by the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging, an initiative launched in September by Harvard President Drew Faust, for a competition to change the anthem's last line 'till the stock of the Puritans die' in order to reflect inclusiveness. Harvard (pictured) will remove the word 'Puritan' from its almost two-century old alma mater because it's no longer 'inclusive', according to university officials Danielle S Allen, Harvard government professor (left), co-chairs the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging, an initiative launched in September by president Drew Faust (right), that's sponsoring the competition to change the final lyric to its alma mater 'Fair Harvard' 'Puritan' is a reference to the English Protestants who founded Harvard, Fox News Insider reports. 'Fair Harvard' Lyrics Fair Harvard! we join in thy Jubilee throng, And with blessings surrender thee oer By these Festival-rites, from the Age that is past, To the Age that is waiting before. O Relic and Type of our ancestors worth, That hast long kept their memory warm, First flowr of their wilderness! Star of their night! Calm rising thro change and throv storm. Farewell! be thy destinies onward and bright! To thy children the lesson still give, With freedom to think, and with patience to bear, And for Right ever bravely to live. Let not moss-covered Error moor thee at its side, As the world on Truths current glides by, Be the herald of Light, and the bearer of Love, Till the stock of the Puritans die. Advertisement 'We are looking for the best poetic expression that the Harvard community can offer,' Danielle S Allen, Harvard government professor and co-chairwoman of the task force, told The Boston Globe. The anthem's theme is the commitment to the pursuit of truth, said Allen, and the final line makes the claim that that goal is only achievable to a specific ethnic group. 'The last few lines of the final verse do a wonderful job of connecting the student journey to the schools mission,' said Allen. 'But in fact, the pursuit of truth is for everybody.' Allen's group is also asking the university community to come up with a new way to sing or perform the anthem, whether it be through rap, spoken word or a choral tune. Such a variant wouldn't displace the original, but would serve as an 'endorsed alternative', according to the task force's website. 'Lets see what the community puts out there,' said Allen. 'Lets take old things that we admire, and have some fun with them.' This isn't the first time the anthem's text has changed. A similar contest took place in 1998 to make the lyric 'thy sons to thy jubilee throng' gender-inclusive. Allen hopes changing the alma mater's final line will similarly make students feel like they are part of the university community. A shooting in the middle of a Melbourne road has left a 40-year-old man and a 37-year-old man injured. The men were walking along Woonah Street in Chadstone around 5am when they were shot by an unknown person, Victoria police said. They were each hit by a bullet in their lower body and have been taken to Alfred Hospital. Scroll down for video A shooting in the middle of a road in Chadstone, Melbourne, road has left two men, aged 40 and 37, injured The men have been taken to Alfred Hospital to be treated for their injuries They are reported to be in stable condition. Police were seen searching through the cars of shocked residents as they headed off to work on Monday morning, according to 7 News. Neighbours said they didn't hear any commotion at the time. Shots were reportedly fired on Woonah Street at 5am A crime scene is being established on Woonah Street and the Victoria State Emergency Service has been called in to help preserve evidence because of the heavy rainfall in Melbourne. 'The investigation is in its early stages and the exact circumstances surrounding what has occurred is being looked at,' a Victoria police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. Police are asking for anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers. General: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis pictured in 2013 in Baghdad speaking to reporters about reports of chemical weapons For those of us who covered the build-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there is a terrifying sense of deja vu as another 'Coalition of the Willing' gears up to launch a potentially devastating wave of shock-and-awe in the Middle East. That is certainly one worst-case interpretation of the comments made yesterday by the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Confirming a remarkable U-turn in the Trump administration's stance on Syria, she said that removing President Bashar al-Assad was now a 'priority'. Fourteen years ago we heard similar shrill calls from political leaders for regime change in Iraq, a country that whether or not it used chemical weapons on its own people posed no discernible threat to the national security of our own. We now know the intelligence reports on Iraqi 'weapons of mass destruction' were fabricated. The spin and lies used to dupe us were scripted for the simpleton in the White House, George W. Bush, and his smooth-talking British underling Tony Blair. And we know that the authors of the nonsense they peddled were neo-conservative war hawks determined to invade Iraq at any cost. The legacy of that illegal war continues to cause almost unimaginable mayhem and bloodshed throughout the region. Lt General: National Security Adviser HR McMaster with President Trump Confirming a remarkable U-turn in the Trump administration's stance on Syria, US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said removing President Bashar al-Assad was a 'priority' It gave rise to Islamic State and its self-declared Caliphate, which has brought the carnage of their global jihad not only to the Middle East but to the streets of Britain, Europe, the US and beyond. It is shocking, therefore, that so many are taking as gospel the word of politicians, military officials and experts about the identity of those who were behind last week's chemical weapon attack in the Syrian province of Idlib. Once again we have in the White House a hugely inexperienced and inarticulate president with zero foreign policy knowledge. He is desperate, as was George W. Bush, to rescue himself from historically abysmal poll numbers at the start of his presidency. Most terrifyingly, Trump is, like Bush, surrounded by hot-headed military hawks in his National Security Adviser Lt General HR McMaster, his Defence Secretary General Jim Mattis, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. They are the ideological heirs of the architects of the Iraq invasion under Bush, whose military interventionist agenda Trump has suddenly adopted despite railing against it on the campaign trail. Hawk: Secretary of State Red Tillerson These men are unrepentant about the Iraq catastrophe and are just as determined as their predecessors to wreak havoc in the Middle East, come what may. Their overriding goal: to re-establish unrivalled military and economic American hegemony in the region and to send an aggressive message to another potential flashpoint area of the globe, North Korea, and its ally China. It is no coincidence that Steve Bannon, Trump's chief strategist and who, until last week, was being described as the 'second most powerful man in America', was removed from the National Security Council on the very same day Trump turned on Assad with a vengeance. Bannon, champion of the 'America first' isolationist doctrine, was fiercely anti-war and determined to bring to an end once and for all America's reckless military interventionism in the Middle East. He was removed at McMaster's behest. Trump is now reliant more than ever on his son-in-law and closest aide, Jared Kushner, who is said to favour intervention in the Middle East. It is no surprise that McMaster is reported to have been 'cosying up' to Kushner in recent weeks. If more evidence were needed, just see how neo-con senators who have repeatedly called for an invasion of Syria, such as John McCain and Lindsey Graham men who had treated Trump as the devil incarnate before he launched missiles at Syria are suddenly heaping praise on him. The fact is that Trump needs their support to push through his domestic agenda, meaning he's hostage to their foreign military interventionist goals. Against this background it is imperative that the world discovers the truth, whether these men are peddling a fiction about Assad and chemical weapons in the same way their fellow neo-conservatives did about Saddam Hussein. Once again we have in the White House a hugely inexperienced and inarticulate president with zero foreign policy knowledge The sobering reality is that we have no concrete evidence that Assad personally ordered the use of sarin or, more to the point, that sarin itself was used at all. Aside from vague claims from the Pentagon, for which it has provided no proof, the Western media has based its accusations almost exclusively on the results of an autopsy conducted on three of the victims by doctors in Turkey. And that single fact should give enormous cause for alarm. For Turkey has, in the past, clandestinely supported Islamic State. It is still openly supporting 'moderate' Islamist rebel groups in Syria, who claim to have monitored the chemical attack and will gain most if the accusations against Assad are accepted as truth and America intervenes militarily. More to the point: since the outset of the Syrian civil war, Turkey's Islamist president has consistently called for regime change in Syria. There is, of course, the possibility that the rebels themselves carried out the attack to win world sympathy and drag the West into the war. Many justifiably roll their eyes when this scenario is raised, since it so often leads straight into the realm of internet conspiracy theories where everything is the result of a 'false flag' attack carried out by clandestine CIA agents. However, it should not be dismissed out of hand entirely. After all, these Islamist rebels opposing Assad have been fighting on the front lines of one of the most brutal civil wars the modern world has witnessed. The fact is that Trump needs their support to push through his domestic agenda, meaning he's hostage to their foreign military interventionist goals They have routinely committed the most horrendous human rights violations against both their military opponents and civilians, and now they are in retreat and desperate. Moreover, through their propaganda channels, they falsely claim, on an almost weekly basis, that they have been the victims of Assad-orchestrated chemical attacks, in order to garner support and publicity in the West. Even if they were not responsible, some experts on the Syrian conflict allege they certainly have access to chemical weapons. And if they were to stage a similar atrocity to that which occurred in the town of Khan Sheikun last week for which Assad's regime would be blamed they can be sure that Western intervention, to their advantage, would follow. On the other hand, Assad may well have been responsible. But why on earth would he have launched such a provocative attack so soon after effectively being given the green light to stay in office by Washington just days earlier, when an official said that US policy was to concentrate on ISIS rather than on the Damascus government? There is a counter-argument that is perhaps just as convincing. Could it be that, since he believed he was finally free of the threat of Western military intervention, he unleashed the full horror of his chemical arsenal as a way of terrifying his enemies into submission and thus hastening the end of the war? Or was it not Assad at all, but an anti-Assad faction within his regime that gave the go-ahead for the attack? In short, there are too few facts and too many question marks. We need to be absolutely sure of what happened and who was responsible before further military intervention is even contemplated, let alone launched. If not, we risk another Iraq or worse. John R Bradley is the author of four books on the Middle East. The astonishing array of ancient statues and artefacts was supposedly lost when a huge ship sank in the Indian Ocean, 2,000 years ago. This priceless cargo would still be gathering barnacles if Damien Hirst hadnt dispatched divers to salvage it, at great personal cost, then spent a decade painstakingly restoring it for public display. Well, thats the story the con-art master (who amassed his reputed 215 million fortune by persuading oligarchs and sheiks to pay vastly inflated sums for his pickled sharks and rotting cows) has concocted to promote his comeback exhibition, Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable. Damien Hirst's exhibition is called Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable. Seabed salvage: A picture of statues being rescued But it is all complete tosh a myth designed to ramp up the hype surrounding the lavish show, which is said to have cost him 50 million to create and opened in Venice yesterday, and doubtless to up the asking price for its 190 pieces when they eventually go on sale. Among the highbrow art critics at last weeks preview, the Guardians expert was one of the few who seemed impressed. Gazing at a coral-encrusted nymph, he told me the exhibition marked an extraordinary return to form for the fallen wunderkind of the Britart movement. But his counterpart on the Daily Telegraph lambasted the phoney display from the deep. It was kitsch masquerading as high art . . . a spectacularly bloated folly, he wrote, venturing it might finally scupper Hirsts career. And The Timess Rachel Campbell-Johnston said the absurd show should be dumped at the bottom of the sea. As for this untrained observer, I felt like I had been trapped in a huge ornamental fish-tank. Either that, or I had wandered on to the set of The Little Mermaid. But it was an X-rated version, with a double-G cupped woman wrestling a Hydra who is, on close inspection, not a naked Egyptian goddess but that very modern model, Katie Price, and a monstrously endowed, 60ft tall demon scratching his posterior. Hirst evidently thinks it all a hoot, but I found room after room of statues indulging his lewd, middle-aged laddish humour rather juvenile. And I suspect many punters who will pay 20 until December to gawp at colossal, fossil-studded nymphs and leviathans, corroded weaponry and boulder-sized gold nuggets (which look suspiciously like scrunched-up chocolate wrappers) might share my misgivings. It is said to have cost him 50 million to create and opened in Venice yesterday. Mickey Mouse art: One of the coral encrusted exhibits in the Venice show Hirsts exhibition features huge photos and a video of the salvage operation. He even invited a favoured journalist to witness a dive off the coast of Zanzibar patently choreographed in which sculptures of a 9ft tall drummer and a bronze lion appeared to be rescued. Despite all this, it would take a very gullible visitor to fall for his fishy yarn. Its quickly apparent the spectacle is Hirsts idea of a cosmic joke. Unless, that is, ancient sculptors created the first images of Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and weaponry makers embossed their swords with Sea World. The truth behind what is surely Hirsts most audacious money-spinning confidence trick is that many of the items in his ancient treasure trove were manufactured by technicians in his production factory in Gloucestershire. As for the bronze works, they were cast in the nearby Pangolin Editions foundry run by Rungwe Kingdon and his wife Claude Koenig, who have fashioned many of Hirsts pieces down the years. Some of these items were then submerged in seawater until the metal oxidised and turned green and they gathered layers of coral. It was a secret project going back years maybe as many as ten, one of Hirsts staff told me last week. They made these objects, put them in the sea, and then retrieved them. She didnt know where they were sunk. But given Hirsts ties to North Devon he has business interests in Ilfracombe, and his estranged partner Maia Norman (mother of his three sons) lives in nearby Combe Martin theres a suspicion some were bathed in the briny off the South-West coast. Showman: But will Hirsts new gamble pay off? This isnt to accuse Hirst of dishonesty, for he has stopped short of claiming the display is genuine urging us to suspend our scepticism and indulge his fantasy. Or as he says: Myth or fact whatever you want to believe. But why has the 51-year-old artist who looked decidedly edgy last week as he arrived to oversee the final touches to the exhibition gone to such elaborate lengths to create his grand illusion? Why has he invested the best part of a decade and a chunk of his fortune to stage the biggest art show in recent memory, in collaboration with his friend, Christies owner Francois Pinault, who has given over both his cavernous canal-side galleries, the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, to Treasures From The Wreck? It is certainly a bold gamble, for there is no bigger stage from which an artist can fall. Oliver Barker, chairman of Sothebys Europe, likens it to Elvis coming back to play Las Vegas. Yet art experts agree it is a calculated gamble one Hirst knows he must take if he is to restore his reputation for outrageous and shocking innovation. A reputation tarnished by a series of scalding reviews, most recently for his woefully inept painting, and his Schizophrenogensis exhibition (which was an unoriginal reprise of his famous medical cabinets filled with pills and syringes). And there is the financial imperative, always important to Hirst, who as one writer said, has a touch of the Arfur Daley about him, and has confessed his obsession with material wealth. No one is suggesting Hirst is on his uppers hes the worlds wealthiest artist and has interests in a string of commercial enterprises operating under the secretive umbrella of his Jersey-based holding company, Science Ltd. The December 2015 records for one of these companies, which produces his artwork and manages his business affairs, reveal it paid its highest-earning director presumably Hirst 900,000 in payments, 180,000 more than in the previous year. He also has fabulous homes in Mexico and Thailand, plus several in Britain. They including a 34 million, Grade I-listed mansion overlooking the boating lake in Londons Regents Park (where he recently angered heritage watchdog Historic England with his extension plans) and a 14th-century Gloucestershire manor house, where he indulges his bizarre fixation with death. Its floors are made from gravestones, skeletons decorate the wood panelling and every book on the shelves has death in its title. 'The Diver', a 5m high bronze statue by British artist Damien Hirst which, if the artist is to be believed, was recovered from the Indian Ocean Hirsts main residence is a relatively modest house in South-West London, which he shares with his sons Connor, 21, Cassius, 16, and Cyrus, ten. Presumably his latest model girlfriend, 26-year-old Katie Keight, still lives with him, too, though the pair havent been sighted together since January. Perhaps middle-aged Hirst is a tad tame these days. The hell-raiser, whose favourite pranks included cutting a hole in his trouser pocket and tricking friends into touching his genitalia, kicked drink and drugs nine years ago. He now lives healthily, practising yoga, swimming in his indoor pool and working out in his gym. So, no, he isnt short of a million or two. That said, given his troubled background (the product of a brief holiday romance, he was raised on a Leeds estate and got in trouble for shoplifting), he may be very sensitive to the prospect of his wealth being reduced. For one thing, his selling power has fallen considerably since its peak in 2008, when he pulled his great entrepreneurial masterstroke, bypassing galleries to auction a large number of works at Sothebys. It netted him 110 million, on the very day Lehman Brothers bank fell victim to the credit crunch. That year, one of his trademark spin-paintings, a 7ft-square canvas with a skull in the centre, sold for 668,450. Last month, when it was resold, it fetched 449,000. Gargantuan: The 60ft Demon With A Bowl at the Pinault Collection in Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice There are any number of similar examples to indicate his work has depreciated in value not least because he has saturated the market with mass-produced copies by his 150-strong staff. At the last count, there were 6,000 Damien Hirst paintings and sculptures, and 2,000 drawings in circulation. Meanwhile, Hirsts prestigious gallery at 36 New Bond Street selling everything from 46,000 tiles adorned with dead butterflies to 250 rolls of wallpaper decorated with his familiar coloured spots has closed. It is not known why he took this decision, but rents have risen steeply in that exclusive area. His direct sales-point is now in a much less salubrious former workshop in Vauxhall, London, which he has converted into a gallery, restaurant, cocktail bar and warehouse. When a Mail reporter visited the gallery last week, it was empty except for the attendants. Hirsts grandiose plans to diversify into the home-building business have also hit the buffers. Through his property company, Resign, he had hoped to revolutionise the living standards of ordinary folk in Ilfracombe by building 750 affordable, high-spec houses powered by solar panels and concealed wind turbines. But after spending 2 million on land, planning fees and environmental consultants, he pulled out last year because none of the nine construction firms he approached to work with him believed the scheme could turn a profit. Prices are said to start at 400,000 for smaller pieces, rising to 4 million for larger and more elaborate sculptures Damien put his money where his mouth is. He wanted to build the very best homes for young workers and families, says a North Devon Council source. But basically, the response from builders was: Stick to the posh art, well do the houses. Resign has now struck a deal with property developer Intox to take over the scheme, so at least Hirst seems likely to claw back a big chunk of his investment. For a temperamental artist, however, the failure of this philanthropic venture has doubtless come as yet another chastening and stressful experience. All this may help to explain Hirsts apparent determination to cash in on the publicity surrounding the Venice exhibition. Not long ago, I understand, he sent sales representatives to the Italian city, seeking orders for his recently released work. (According to a well-informed source, they found business dismally slow). Despite the insistence of exhibition organisers that it is an artistic project, not a commercial venture, and that there are no current plans to sell the 190 pieces when it closes it might also explain why efforts are quietly under way to find buyers. Wealthy collectors have apparently been wooed by reps with iPads showing images of the pieces that might go on offer. Prices are said to start at 400,000 for smaller pieces, rising to 4 million for larger and more elaborate sculptures. To leading curator Julian Spalding, who has run several major British galleries, it sounds depressingly familiar and tacky. The smoke and mirrors are working their magic. He is setting the art world abuzz again Hirst began as a con-artist and is ending as a mythmaker, cooking up a phoney past to disguise the fact he has no future, he told me. His treasures really are unbelievable a spoof stunt to get people talking about him again. [Artists such as] Rembrandt had something profound and lasting to say. If you had a Rembrandt on your wall, you want to keep on looking at it. Hirsts work is just an empty marketing ploy, and the longer it stays on your wall, the more money you will lose. David Lee, editor of the respected art magazine, The Jackdaw, agrees: If this is the best he can do, Hirst is in trouble. His items look strangely feeble to me. The kind of thing that would appear in a childrens film. It is not even an original idea. There is an underwater sculpture museum in Cancun, Mexico. It will be interesting to see whether he can inject some longevity into his failing career with this exhibition, but I doubt it. Wounding words. But Damien Hirst wont care one iota. The smoke and mirrors are working their magic. He is setting the art world abuzz again. And soon, tycoons with little taste and fathomless bank accounts will doubtless start bidding ludicrous sums for his factory-made treasures from the deep. When anti-terror police searched Stockholm for clues about terror suspect Rakhmat Akilov, they were pelted with stones by hostile gangs of youths. Officers had entered the suburb of Tensta, home to thousands of migrants from Islamic countries and increasingly under the stranglehold of strict fundamentalism. It is where Swedish women say they feel unsafe and, as in other migrant-filled suburbs, street posters showing female images are often torn down by patrolling groups of male Muslims who scrawl the word whore over them. Migrant melting pot: Groups of men with luggage gather at Stockholm railway station This is the melting pot where Akilov is thought to have once lived and still had contacts, but the deep anger at the polices arrival there will not have surprised officers. Tragically, a liberal country renowned for its generosity for more than half a century to those seeking refuge from war, poverty or oppression is now paying the price for its tolerance. For many migrants, such as Akilov, are not assimilating. Instead, they are forming a parallel society where the hatred of the police, the subjugation of women and the norms of a strict Islamic life are commonplace. In Sweden, large numbers of asylum seekers are automatically given housing and benefits, yet many cannot work because they speak Swedish poorly and have only had rudimentary schooling. With little to do, they have become easy targets for extremists who recruit for Islamic State. The fact is that, for years, the Swedish government has opened its borders to almost any foreigner who wanted to join the 9.5 million population. At the peak of the 2015 migration crisis, 163,000 migrants arrived claiming asylum from chaotic war-ridden countries, such as Akilovs Uzbekistan, with zealously-held religious values and cultural traditions radically different to those in free-thinking Sweden. It is telling that if you type the word asylum in Arabic into an internet search engine, Sweden comes out as the top result. The effect of such uncontrolled mass migration is that the population is the fastest growing in the EU. For many migrants, such as Akilov, are not assimilating. File picture of mourners in Stockholm It has accepted one in seven migrants (the vast majority asylum seekers) entering the EU in recent years, more per capita than any other member state. One small Swedish municipality near Stockholm, Sodertalje, took in more Iraqis seeking refuge around the time of the Iraq war than America and Britain combined. But Swedish officials did not make certain they knew where the arrivals were really from, or the true reason they wanted to settle. Of the asylum seekers admitted in 2015, 80 per cent did not have any identification papers so it was almost impossible to find out who they were or whether they had terror links. Another 40,000 were let in who did not ask for asylum. They simply disappeared and have not been traced by the authorities. The result is a dramatic demographic change and clash of cultures. Once quiet inner-city suburbs such as Tensta are turbulent with night-time riots commonplace, a distaste of police widespread, and order dangerously near breakdown. Shockingly, only 494 of the 163,000 who arrived as asylum seekers here at the height of the migration crisis in 2015 had, by last summer, found jobs or contributed to the economy. Into this dangerous vacuum has come hardline Islam, propagating discontent, particularly among young unaccompanied men. The Muslim Brotherhood, which promotes a conservative brand of Islam, has got a deep foothold in Sweden and more people are turning to it. Controversially, native Swedes are told to accept this without question. A TV advert made by a government-backed charity recently urged people to realise that Sweden will never be what it once was and to find a way to live side by side with the newcomers. With little to do, they have become easy targets for extremists who recruit for Islamic State. Pictured: Stockholm on April 9 Called The New Country, the ad showed smiling faces of different races and ethnicity. And it proclaimed: New Swedes will claim their space and bring their culture, language and customs and it is time to see it as a positive force there is no way back. However, the respected economist Tino Sanandaji, who has an Iranian-Kurdish background, recently described whats happening in Sweden as being quite disastrous. He said: This is an irreversible social experiment that no wealthy state has ever attempted. There are almost no ideas or visions over how this can be solved. You cant combine open borders with a welfare state. 'If you offer generous benefits, and anyone can come and use these benefits, a very large number of people will try to do that. Its just mathematically impossible for a small country like Sweden to fund that. Yes, Swedish society is changing fast. It has been described as the rape capital of Europe. Sex assault figures, although not broken down by ethnicity because doing so is against the law, are rising. Last year, reports of such incidents went up by 13 per cent, yet fewer than one in five cases were solved. This depressing outcome is believed to be because of a reluctance in migrant communities to co-operate with police said to be a legacy of bad experiences with officialdom in their birth countries. One recent crime involved a 30-year-old woman sexually assaulted by two Afghan migrants who then posted video footage of the two-hour attack on Facebook and sent it to their friends. Snippets of an official police report published last summer said revealingly: In cases where the crimes were carried out by offenders in a larger group in public places (pop festivals, for instance) and in swimming pools, the perpetrators have been mainly youngsters who have applied or recently received asylum. As a result, state schools once the envy of the free world have been forced to advise girl pupils not to wear short skirts or walk home alone because of the danger they will be sexually attacked for perceived immoral behaviour. Tragically, a liberal country renowned for its generosity for more than half a century to those seeking refuge from war, poverty or oppression is now paying the price for its tolerance Bizarrely, bowing to the new values, the head of a secondary where a girl was raped by two migrant classmates sent her to a new school and welcomed the perpetrators back, saying they were the real victims. Only last week, in a sharp illustration of beleaguered Sweden, a private Islamic school was criticised as disgusting by the Swedish prime minister for segregating boys and girls as young as six in a country where mixed-gender classes are the norm. According to demographers, in 15 years time, the population explosion fuelled by uncontrolled migration will mean that indigenous Swedes will be in a minority. This is because the birth rate among migrants is faster than indigenous Swedes and, until recently, they could bring their families in to join them. In an effort to pull up the drawbridge, successful asylum cases are now subject to review after a few years and family reunification is more difficult, making Sweden less accessible and less attractive to migrants. The country tightened its borders following the Stockholm attack. Too little, too late? Earlier this year, there was an episode which showed how the countrys authorities have buried their heads in the sand over the effects of their immigration policies. A senior police officer called Peter Springare posted his thoughts online. Describing his week, he said: This is what Ive handled from Monday-Friday: rape, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, rape-assault and rape, extortion, blackmail, assault, violence against police, threats to police, drug crime, drugs, crime, felony, attempted murder, rape again, extortion again and ill-treatment. Suspected perpetrators; Ali Mohammed, Mahmod, Mohammed, Mohammed Ali, again, again, again Christopher what is it true? Yes a Swedish name crept in on the edges of a drug crime. Mohammed, Mahmod Ali, again and again. Countries representing all the crimes this week: Iraq, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Somalia, Syria again, Somalia, unknown, unknown country, Sweden. It is telling that if you type the word asylum in Arabic into an internet search engine, Sweden comes out as the top result Half of the suspects, we cant be sure because they dont have any valid papers. Which in itself usually means that theyre lying about their nationality and identity. H e added: Now, were talking just my municipality. And these crimes take up all our investigations capacity. Inevitably, he was immediately investigated for possible hate crimes but no action was taken. Recently, I was standing in the early morning on the streets of Gothenburg where in 2013 Sweden allowed the first amplified Muslim call to prayer at a mosque. It was not difficult to see how the cracks in society are appearing. This is the second biggest city where the Swedish authorities admit Islamic State is actively recruiting among thousands of newly arrived young men. I saw well-wrapped up Swedes running to get on buses and trams in the snow to go to work. They were watched by scores of north African and Middle Eastern youths sheltering from the weather in the local mall and smoking relentlessly at the entrance, throwing their butts into already overfilled bins. They had little to do with their day and that can lead to social problems. As Syrian asylum seeker Maher, 30, who arrived in 2015 and lives in a migrants hostel nearby, told me: Sweden has welcomed us. But it is not enough to give us pocket money and somewhere to sleep. Everyone needs more than that to be content. For example, in the big port of Malmo, when the authorities bought 268 apartments with taxpayers money to allocate to newly-arrived migrants, locals said it was unfair as they have to wait three years for similar accommodation. Yet nothing changed as the townsfolk were ignored. Whether the Swedish government (which has so fervently encouraged mass migration for decades) will now, after the Stockholm attack, accept the mistakes it has made, is another question. A young man's love for his furry friend has gone viral after he braved a frozen river to save the pup's life. The video from Alberta, Canada shows the french bulldog Cosmo struggling in the icy water, as his owner Duncan McIver sprints to his rescue. The harrowing incident was caught on camera by chance, with local news crews on the scene to report on ice safety when the scene unfolded. Camera crew in Alberta, Canada captures man leaping into frozen pond to save his dog. pic.twitter.com/uJnWkjNVsB ABC News (@ABC) April 9, 2017 The video from Alberta, Canada shows the french bulldog Cosmo struggling in the icy water, as his owner Duncan McIver sprints to his rescue 'As soon as the ice broke, I just went right in,' dog owner Duncan McIver told CTV Edmonton. 'I think most people would do the same for their dog.' The footage shows McIver falling through the ice as he crosses the water to save Cosmo, who desperately tried to keep his head above the surface. The footage shows McIver falling through the ice as he crosses the water to save Cosmo, who desperately tried to keep his head above the surface McIver, soaked with freezing water, was able to rescue Cosmo and handed him off to an onlooker after a local news reporter happened to be on the scene and phoned authorities Angela Jung, a reporter for CTV called police to the park while reporting on a recent increase in ice rescues in the area. 'It's a split second thing,' McIver continued, speaking on his lack of hesitation. 'You're not just going to let him die, right?' An investigation was launched after a three-month-old baby was reportedly abused and found with super glue around his mouth and had a fractured skull. An infant from Kennett, Missouri, was brought to a hospital with severe injuries, including bruising on his face, arms and legs, facial swelling and blood around his nose, on Monday. The baby boy also had a fractured skull and super glue around his mouth, and showed signs that were 'consistent with abuse', as investigators learned the child's mother would leave him for long periods of time, according to a police report. Officials from Missouri and Arkansas are now investigating the matter after the child was first taken to a Blytheville, Arkansas, hospital before being prepped to be flown to Memphis for further treatment, it was reported on Wednesday. Scroll down for video An infant from Kennett, Missouri, was found with a fractured skull and super glue around his mouth on Monday. He was prepped to be flown to LeBonhuer Children's Hospital in Memphis (pictured) for treatment The child was under the care of a juvenile baby sitter when the child's aunt checked in on the boy and discovered him to be in poor condition, reported WREG-TV. Kennett, Missouri is only a few miles away from the state border of Arkansas. When the concerned relative crossed over into Blytheville, Arkansas, to take the child to a hospital, the investigation was able to be made in both states. There was an assault call made to the police on Monday about the child's condition from the hospital. When contacted by Blytheville police, the mother said she would go to the hospital but she never arrived. Officials in Arkansas and Missouri launched an investigation after his multiple injures were 'consistent with abuse'. Investigators learned the child's mother would leave him for long periods of time. Pictured: File photo of super glue As of Thursday, there were no arrests made and Kennett police released a statement that only said their criminal investigations unit was looking into the case, reported Action News 5. Speaking to WREG-TV, a spokesperson with the Memphis Child Advocacy Center said she was not able to speak about the case but gave advise on how to report similar situations. She said: 'Other parents are overwhelmed. Other parents that may be leaving their kids with people who are unequipped or overwhelmed and so we wanna be sure everyone is looking out. ' Kennett police said it would not release the condition of the child, and said it was a 'no publicity' case due to the current investigation. Russia has said Britain has 'no real influence' as Boris Johnson called for Moscow to face 'complete international ostracisation' unless Vladimir Putin removes his support for the Syrian regime. Mr Johnson at the weekend faced claims he was Washington's poodle after he agreed to pull out of a planned visit to Moscow following discussions with the US. Russia said the cancellation 'once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues.' The British have 'no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining 'in the shadow' of their strategic partners,' it added. 'We don't believe we need dialogue with London more than (London) needs it (with us),' it said. Russia slammed Brtain after Boris Johnson cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow over its support for the Syrian regime, claiming Britain has 'no real influence' internationally Boris Johnson will today lead calls for Russia to face complete international ostracisation unless Vladimir Putin removes his support for the Syrian regime The statement added there was a 'fundamental misunderstanding or ignorance of what is happening in Syria and Russia's efforts to resolve the crisis.' Mr Johnson pulled out the visit so the G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and America can agree a joint plan, which will then be delivered by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson instead. At a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy, the Foreign Secretary will demand the Kremlin is slapped with sanctions unless it agrees to the removal of Bashar al-Assad within months. Yesterday Mr Johnsons aides claimed he himself had taken the decision to abandon the meeting, so they could deliver a clear and co-ordinated message to Moscow. Whitehall sources last night said Mr Johnson was pushing for the group to agree sanctions against Russia if they continue to support a regime that gasses its own people. One source familiar with the discussions said: Very punitive sanctions on Russia for Syria is one option being considered. Punishments being discussed include economic sanctions and further isolation from the international community, including the threat that it will not be allowed to re-join G8 group of nations. In 2014 Russia was suspended from the group of leading economies, to which it was admitted in 1998, over the annexation of Crimea. AMERICAN U-TURN ON REMOVING DICTATOR The US ambassador to the United Nations claimed yesterday that removing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is a priority, little more than a week after she and the Trump administration indicated the precise opposite. We know theres not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime, said Nikki Haley. If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, its going to be hard to see a government thats peaceful and stable with Assad. On March 30 Miss Haley had said that the White House had ditched the Obama policy of seeking regime change in Syria. Interviewed on CNN yesterday she added that getting Assad out is not the only priority as the US was obviously trying to defeat Islamic State, too. Asked if Mr Trump would order more air strikes, she said: If he needs to do more, he will do more. Her comments were at odds with the far more cautious remarks of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said it would be left to the Syrian people to decide Assads fate. Mr Tillerson, who will be in Moscow tomorrow for talks, said the first priority was to defeat Islamic State before stabilising Syria through negotiations. Advertisement A Foreign Office source said: The plan we want is Assad gone from Syria, there is no future for him, we need to work out how to do that. So there will be a timeline hopefully for Assad to go, or a commitment from the G7 that there is no future for Assad. Mr Johnson wants to see a plan under which Putin agrees that Assad needs to go, removes Russian troops from Syria, and helps to rebuild the troubled state. A government source denied claims Mr Johnson had been pushed into cancelling his trip to Moscow because he was not trusted by America. He said: The important thing is that this is Britain helping to influence US policy, far from being a poodle, three months ago Syria wasnt really an issue for them but our push and recent events have made a difference. But Russia said it showed Britain has no real influence. The cancellation once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who dont have their own position on the majority of current issues, the foreign ministry said, adding that Britain remained in the shadow of its partners. It said there was a fundamental ignorance of what is happening in Syria and Russias efforts to resolve the crisis. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Russia was to blame by proxy for Assads chemical weapons attack because it was the Syrias principal backer. Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir Michael said, however, Russia must be part of the solution. He also reiterated his support of Mr Trumps cruise missile strike in the early hours of Friday, saying it has sent a strong signal to the Syrian regime to think twice before using gas in the future. Mr Tillerson echoed the comments, telling CBS TV that the Russians have played now for some time the role of providing cover for Assads behaviour. But asked about the possibility of further intervention, he said Washingtons first priority in Syria is to defeat Islamic State. For baby elephant Enkesha, it was a devastating injury that could have ended her short life. Poor Enkeshas trunk was almost completely severed after she was caught in a poachers snare in Kenyas Maasai Mara reserve. And vets knew they had to act fast if they were to save the one-year-old elephant. They performed a three-hour emergency operation to reconstruct Enkeshas damaged trunk and stop any dangerous infection setting in. Scroll down for video Sedated: Enkesha being transported to safety shortly after she was found The animal at the elephant orphanage with her badly wounded trunk in February Enkeshas trunk was almost completely severed after she was caught in a poachers snare in Kenyas Maasai Mara reserve That was just two months ago, and the operation was a success. The deep gouge that could have killed Enkesha is now barely visible as she rolls around happily in the mud. Rob Brandford, of David Sheldrick Wildlife Trusts Elephant Orphanage, where the elephant is being cared for, said: She has surprised everyone. Her condition was extremely serious. And DSWT chief executive Angela Sheldrick added: Enkesha was spotted with a snare tightly wound around her trunk. She was in severe pain. The mobile vet unit darted the baby and removed the snare using wire cutters. They found her trunk had nearly been severed with just a small portion attached. The elephant today with her wound almost healed Muddy marvel: Enkesha enjoys a wallow in the mud The operation took place the next day, with three Kenya Wildlife Service vets working to reconstruct her trunk. It was the first operation of its kind. She can now pick up twigs, lift her trunk and attempts to throw dust over herself. Charlie Mayhew of Tusk, the conservation charity supported by Prince William, said: This story contrasts the horror of the all too frequent indiscriminate snaring by poachers in Africa. Now thats something to trumpet about, Enkesha. This is the distressing moment a 10 foot great white shark fights for its life after being washed up a beach in California. The sharp-toothed fish was spotted writhing around in the shallow waters in Santa Cruz on Friday evening. Beachgoers soon gathered around to capture the marine animal on their phones, with some standing just a few feet from the gasping predator. Too close for comfort? A great white shark washed up on a beach in Santa Cruz, California, on Friday evening with the event attracting dozens of people Video footage captured by a local resident, Mark Shawtz, shows the shark helplessly rolling around on its back before righting itself. With its mouth open, it then fights for breathe with its razor-sharp teeth on display. A man is seen getting very close to the great white shark as he attempts to capture the moment on his camera phone. He paddles into the water and crouches down to get a good shot. The shark appears unable to move from the spot, with its back fin seemingly stuck in the sand. Distressing: Video footage captured by a local resident, Mark Shawtz, shows the shark helplessly rolling around on its back before righting itself Animal experts soon arrived on the scene. Two attempts were made to take the shark out to deeper waters but it was later found dead further down shore. Sean Van Sommeran, the executive director of the Pelagic Research Shark Foundation, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that it was unclear what had happened to the shark. Recalling the incident, he said: 'Something was wrong with the shark. Two attempts were made to take the shark out to deeper waters but it was later found dead further down shore Vets are currently investigating the cause of death but it's suspected that the shark was blighted by a fishing hook or nervous system infection 'The shark lost energy after hours spent flailing ashore and in shallow water. 'It was upside down as we tried to get it to deeper water. A healthy shark wouldnt do that.' The creature was loaded on to the back of a pick-up truck by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and taken to a lab for a necropsy. Vets are currently investigating the cause of death but it's suspected that the shark was blighted by a fishing hook or nervous system infection. Van Sommeran said there have been more than 100 shark deaths already this year in California. Great white sharks are considered 'vulnerable' by the World Wildlife Fund, meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. The species has rapidly declined over recent years rare due to years of being hunted for their fins and being snared by commercial fishing nets. She is currently making her stage debut in a six month tour of theatrical production Not Dead Enough. And Laura Whitmore brought a spring vibe to the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, Scotland, as she left her performance on Saturday. The presenter turned actress, 32, donned a bright ensemble as she smiled at cameras following the show, which also features Eastenders' Shane Richie. Scroll down for video Mellow yellow: Laura Whitmore brought a spring vibe to the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, Scotland, as she left her performance on Saturday The Irish presenter pulled off a casual look, showcasing her slender pins in a pair of black skinny jeans. Teaming it with a slash-neck yellow jumper, she added a rock chic touch in a leather jacket. Later on she changed into a yellow shirt dress with brown boots, posing alongside a houseboat. Chilled: Later the presenter turned actress, 32, changed into a yellow shirt dress with brown boots, posing alongside a houseboat 'With this old chestnut on Speirs Wharf. It's a yellow kinda day,' she wrote alongside the snap. Laura takes a prominent role as Cleo Moray in the new play from bestselling author Peter James, Not Dead Yet. Speaking to the Irish Independent about her feelings towards mortuary assistant Cleo, Laura said: 'Peter (James) has created a strong character in Cleo Morely and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the role. Understated: The Irish presenter pulled off a casual look, showcasing her slender pins in a pair of black skinny jeans Relaxed: Teaming it with a slash-neck yellow jumper, she added a rock chic touch in a leather jacket 'Before I trained in journalism, I studied drama and played some great roles. I have been waiting a long time to return to acting and for a great role like this to come along, so I can't wait to get on stage.' Directed by Ian Talbot, Not Dead Enough finds Grace attempting to solve a perplexing murder while dealing with the disappearance of his own wife. Chatting to Good Morning Britain presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in January, Laura and co-star Shane were quizzed about the play - but attention quickly shifted to their onstage kiss. (Posing with Rebecca Eastham) donned a bright ensemble as she smiled at cameras following the show, which also features Eastenders' Shane Richie Discussing the romantic relationship between the two characters, Shane joked: 'I hate it. I have to kiss her, Im forced to kiss her!' A giggling Laura was then asked if she switched career paths from TV presenter to actress in an attempt to lock lips with Shane. 'Thats pretty much it,' she quipped. 'Ive been auditioning for EastEnders and everything, and now finally I got cast with you.' She announced her engagement to Sean Ogilvy, 41, on Friday and now Erin Molan is sharing her good news with close friends. The 33-year-old celebrated with pals including Darryl Brohman and Lisa Greenberg at Pazar Food Collective in Sydney on Saturday night. She captioned the image, 'lovely celebrating our special news with special friends' and added a series of kisses. Joy: She announced her engagement to Sean Ogilvy, 41, on Friday and now Erin Molan is sharing her good news with close friends In the photo, the journalist is wearing a simple black outfit and her hair in a ponytail. She has her arm around her policeman beau and looks absolutely delighted in the aftermath of her engagement. The day before Erin shared a closer look at the personalised engagement ring which is said to be worth a whopping six figures according to its makers House of K'dor. The stunning piece of jewellery certainly doesn't lack any sparkle, consisting of a 'rare 2.2carat oval cut' centre stone surrounded by three carats of smaller diamonds set upon an 18k white gold band. Check out that sparkle!The Channel Nine star spoke of the 'very blingy' piece of jewellery on radio on Friday morning, admitting she's been overwhelmed by its beauty The Channel Nine star spoke of the 'very blingy' piece of jewellery on radio on Friday morning, admitting she's been overwhelmed by its beauty. 'He's done so well. I seriously can't stop looking at it,' the blonde beauty told WSFM101.7's Jonesy & Amanda. The Canberra-born journalist also revealed her husband-to-be had also added a very personal touch by inscribing his initials on the inside. Eye-catching: A closer look at the ring shows the ornamental design consisting of a centre oval stone surrounded by smaller pave-set diamonds He did well: 'There's little S's on the inside for Sean, so it means if it doesn't work out between us, I can't use it for anyone else,' she joked 'There's little S's on the inside for Sean, so it means if it doesn't work out between us, I can't use it for anyone else,' she joked. Erin confirmed the news of her engagement on Thursday night during an episode of the Footy Show. 'It happened last night and I'm really happy,' she told her co-stars, who showered her with applause while confetti was dropped into the audience. She followed up by posting a selfie on Instagram, gushing about her beau. Confirmed! The Canberra-born journalist shared the exciting news on The NRL Footy Show on Thursday night, showing off her impressive piece of jewellery 'Last week the love of my life pre-wifed me...' the reporter captioned her makeup-free selfie. 'I can finally let myself go,' she joked, adding: 'Couldn't be happier. Luckiest girl in the world xxx.' Erin's relationship with her homicide detective fiance since it was confirmed last March, with the stunner admitting it's 'for life'. It's fast approaching 10 years since she left Summer Bay for a career in radio. And Kate Ritchie hasn't ruled out making a return to TV. The 38-year-old actress said that while Home And Away she will always have a place for Home And Away in her heart, she's convinced herself that she and the soap opera don't fit together anymore. Back to the Bay? Kate Ritchie hasn't ruled out making a return to TV since leaving Home And Away almost 10 years ago 'It's a lovely compliment that there is an assumption Sally Fletcher could rock back up to run the high school whenever she felt like it, but I'm not so sure,' she said in a report by The Daily Telegraph. After leaving Home And Away in 2008 she made the big leap into radio, as well as dabbled in some other TV dramas such as Cops L.A.C and Underbelly. In 2014, she was made co-host alongside Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold on Nova's afternoon drive show and has made that her career focus. Summer Bay days: She said, 'It's a lovely compliment that there is an assumption Sally Fletcher could rock back up to run the high school whenever she felt like it, but I'm not so sure' Finding her voice: She was recruited as a co-host for Nova 96.9's radio drive show alongside Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold Kate said that while acting has been a big part of her life radio has taught her to find her voice and trust in it. Even with the success of her radio gig, she hasn't ruled out making a return to TV. 'I haven't auditioned for a while now but I am always reading new scripts,' she told the publication. Return to TV: But even with the success of her radio gig, she hasn't ruled out making a return to TV and said that she still reads scripts 'It is something at the forefront of my mind and thankfully Nova have always been incredibly open to me keeping my foot in that door should the right thing present itself,' she added. Despite all the career success she said that being a mother has been her biggest achievement. After marrying former NRL star Stuart Webb in 2010, she gave birth to their daughter Mae Webb 2014. Things are hotting up in the Court of the Sun King. Right from the start, the BBC drama Versailles caused controversy with its X-rated depiction of shameless bed-hopping by Louis XIV and his courtiers. But now, as the show returns, its being slammed as pornography for scenes more explicit than ever before including a five-in- a-bed sex scene. Menage a cinq: A shocking scene in the new series of BBC drama Versailles shows the Duke of Orleans laying in a ornate bed alongside four nude men Explicit: The show has been criticised by Norman Wells, of the Family Educational Trust, who said it was more pornography than period drama The shocking moment shows an all-male orgy in which the kings brother Philippe, Duke of Orleans, is joined by his lover the Chevalier de Lorraine and three courtiers, all nude. Elsewhere the king, played by British actor George Blagden, is seen dallying naked with his mistress, Madame de Montespan (fellow British star Anna Brewster). Even the trailer for the show doesnt pull any punches, featuring male and female nudity, and the Sun King inviting viewers to a court dominated by corruption, darkness, temptation and murder. Critics have accused the BBC of pandering to the lowest common denominator and being irresponsible in showing the French series at prime time, starting on BBC2 at 9.30pm on Friday, April 21. Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: The BBC may choose to refer to Versailles as a period drama, but a programme featuring such sexually explicit scenes is quite simply pornography dressed up under another name. Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: Its TV junk food that is playing to the lowest common denominator and it has little to say in terms of history. But historian Lucy Worsley approved of the show which is made in English. Looks familiar: Jenna Coleman as Victoria (pictured above) wore a dress eight times across a variety of costume dramas Seeing double: Amber Eattie as Lady Jane (left) and Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth I (right) both wore the recycled dress THE FROCK THAT'S NEVER OFF OUR SCREENS Its the dress that has made history, appearing on our screens eight times across various costume dramas. Last year, the gown was seen in ITVs Victoria on Jenna Coleman as the Queen attending a fancy-dress ball. Anne-Marie Duff wore it as Elizabeth I in the BBCs The Virgin Queen in 2005, while it appeared four times in The Tudors on Jane Seymour, an extra, the Kings mistress Bess, and Frances Queen Claude. The website Recycled Movie Costumes also spotted it on Lady Jane Grey in CBBCs Sarah Jane Adventures: Lost in Time in 2010, and 2008 drama La Dame de Monsoreau. Advertisement She said: They can take their clothes off and swing from the lampshades if it will get viewers interested in the baroque era, which is quite a hard sell. In the new series, a paranoid Louis orders the French nobility to up sticks to his beloved Versailles so he can keep a closer eye on them. But this grand relocation serves only to exacerbate existing rivalries, and very quickly these tensions lead to violence and murder. The shows risque content has not deterred some of Britains brightest stars from joining the cast. Greta Scacchi star of White Mischief plays scheming Madeleine de Foix. Playing her ambitious son Gaston is rising star Harry Hadden-Paton, who played the hapless Herbert Pelham, husband of Lady Edith Crawley, in Downton Abbey. The BBCs decision to screen a second series, from French broadcaster Canal Plus, will raise eyebrows given that series one was so controversial. That reportedly contained 36 X-rated scenes. The shows historical adviser, Mathieu Da Vinha, said: A producer told me nowadays a TV series has to have a sex scene or violence every 15 minutes, although this was not a specific rule. The BBC said: 'Versailles is an established series shown after 9pm on BBC2 and its content is nothing beyond the expectations of a post-watershed UK television audience.' She was recently called out by a swimwear designer for appearing in an InStyle Magazine cover shoot. And it seems Amy Schumer isn't letting the so-called body-shaming comments get her down. The 35-year-old comedienne apparently responded to the controversial comments on Saturday by posting a series of photos to Snapchat of herself in a plethora of swimsuits. Hitting back: Amy Schumer, 35, apparently responded to controversial comments about her Instyle photo shoot on Saturday by posting a series of photos to Snapchat of herself in a plethora of swimsuits Her first picture showed the Trainwreck star hoisting a paddle while frolicking in a forest green strapless top with teal and green bikini bottoms. The next shot depicted the television star walking down the beach in another strapless top as well as horizontally-striped bikini bottoms. She then appears in a red two piece as she enjoys a bit of paddle boarding. In the following series, she gets poses for several shots in a few different violet two pieces. Surf's up! Her first picture showed the Trainwreck star hoisting a paddle while frolicking in a forest green strapless top with teal and green bikini bottoms Relaxing: The next shot depicted the television star walking down the beach in another strapless top as well as horizontally-striped bikini bottoms Nice balance: She then appears in a red two piece as she enjoys a bit of paddle boarding A simple full body shots displaying a white striped bikini was next. Finally she got a bit more playful, and included several snaps of her jumping into various bodies of water, each time in a different swimsuit. At the end of the slideshow she included what looked to be a professional photo of herself in a black bodysuit which featured numerous sheer panels. Favorite color? In the following series, she gets more up close and personal with the camera, posing for several shots in a few different violet two pieces Nothing fancy: A simple full body shots displaying a white striped bikini was next Look out below! Finally she got a bit more playful, and included several snaps of her jumping into various bodies of water, each time in a different swimsuit Fierce: At the end of the slideshow she included what looked to be a professional photo of herself in a black bodysuit which featured numerous sheer panels She accompanied the glam shot with the caption 'I feel great. No haters can f with my baseline.' The initial controversy was ignited when swimwear designer Dana Duggan commented on the latest InStyle Magazine cover, which depicts Schumer in a plunging white one piece. 'Come on now! You could not find anyone better for this cover? Not everyone should be in a swimsuit,' she wrote on Instagram. The Huffington Post quickly followed up with the designer, who clarified her comments and notably did not back away from them: 'Im tired of the media and publications trying to push the FAT agenda. Its not healthy and its not pretty. What is wrong with featuring healthy and fit cover models?' Mark Seymour has had an illustrious 30 years of songwriting under his belt and now the Aussie icon is releasing a new album. The new album, Roll Back The Stone, includes reworked Hunters and Collectors classics including a version of Throw Your Arms Around Me that includes a new verse welcoming refugees and immigrants. The 60-year-old, who as been a vocal opponent of Pauline Hanson, tells The Daily Telegraph, 'That verse was inspired by that spate of handheld videos which came out with people yelling s*** on buses and trains which were real full-on. Busy man: Mark Seymour has had an illustrious 30 years of songwriting under his belt and now the Aussie icon is releasing a new album 'I found them incredibly unnerving I decided to write this verse about 'you can ride on my bus anytime'. I think it was a line one of these punters used when they posted one of those videos,' he says. Mark is also heading on tour, with dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane in July. It comes after Mark's Iconic Aussie rock band Hunters and Collectors was urged by PETA to change their name to discourage people from 'killing defenseless animals'. Ashley Fruno, The Australian associate director of campaigns for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote to the band personally. Fighting for their rights: Ashley Fruno (pictured) The Australian associate director of campaigns for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote to the band personally 'We feel sure that it was never your intention to promote the killing of intelligent, sensitive, and defenseless animals,' Ashley's letter began. She continued, 'But your name may nevertheless make hunting seem appealing to your fans'. 'Nearly 300,000 Australian waterbirds face an agonising death during hunting season, which opens in Victoria and Tasmania next week,' she wrote. Protests: Ashley is an outspoken campaigner for the animal rights organisation and has stripped off for the cause at protests in North Korea and Thailand Plea: 'We feel sure that it was never your intention to promote the killing of intelligent, sensitive, and defenseless animals. But your name may nevertheless make hunting seem appealing to your fans' Ashley's letter began Ashley concluded, 'As your Adelaide reunion show is coming up, now is the perfect time for a band namelift.' 'Changing its name would be a win-win situation for the band', Ashley was quoted as saying on the site. She added: 'The name would no longer be synonymous with animal suffering, and the move would help persuade people to aim for less violent hobbies.' Vin Diesel says that his relationship with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is misunderstood, amid new reports of searing tension between the A-list action heroes over professional differences during last summer's filming of The Fate of the Furious. 'I don't think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way,' the 49-year-old actor, who's played Dominic Toretto in the mega-successful street-racing series the past 16 years, told USA Today on Saturday. Murmurs of problems between the film stars sprouted last summer after the normally-upbeat Johnson, 44, took to Facebook to grouse about his experience filming the forthcoming installment in the action anthology. Forces collide: Vin Diesel, 49, (R) told USA Today Saturday that he and Dwayne Johnson (L) are 'in a weird way' close, amid multiple reports of problems between the powerful stars during the filming of The Fate of the Furious The wrestler-turned-actor wrote in the August 8, 2016 post: 'My female co-stars are always amazing, and I love em. My male co-stars however are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others dont. The ones that dont are too chicken s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.' Diesel addressed the simmering controversy to days later on his Instagram account in an equally-cryptic post, saying: 'Give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything.' Speaking to the newspaper, Diesel said that 'some things may be blown out of proportion' in his interactions with Johnson, noting that he didn't believe Johnson's 'intention' was to kickstart a war between the two. All good? Diesel, who's also a producer in the action movie series, downplayed tensions with Johnson that reportedly stemmed from his on-set behavior. He was on the promotional trail in Berlin earlier this week 'I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, hes Uncle Dwayne,' said Diesel, who's also a producer on the franchise. 'I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne. 'I protected Dwayne more than hell ever know. And it doesnt matter. He doesnt have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and thats me.' Despite Diesel's efforts to douse the flames, multiple outlets have touched on the perceived hostility in the dynamic between the actors, stemming from professional differences. Social media spat: Issues between the actors surfaced online last summer when Johnson called out 'candy asses' filming The Fate of the Furious One TMZ report indicated that Johnson was frustrated with some of Diesel's on-set maneuverings, notably his work schedule, as he didn't want to start shooting until after 10 a.m. A source told the New York Post that Johnson 'thinks Vins disrespectful - and he is,' adding that the A-list star, with his sweltering career, 'was the only one who could legitimately stand up and bust' on Diesel for the perceived slights. The paper noted that while Johnson was conspicuously absent from promoting the movie March 29 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, despite previously promoting two of his other films at the Sin City convention: Baywatch and Jumanji. A source told the paper that 'Johnson and Diesel cant stand to be in the same place at the same time anymore' amid simmering tensions from filming. The Fate of the Furious opens in theaters April 14. Leverage: Insiders told the NY Post that Johnson, with his fame and riches, was virtually the only star on set in position to speak up about his issues with Diesel's conduct Nikki Phillips is a TV star, a model and is currently preparing to welcome her first child. But still three months away from its July due date, it seems her bub is already leaving her with restless nights. The 33-year-old revealed to The Daily Telegraph she was 'struggling' with the news she'd be having a boy after she already picked out an 'amazing' girl's name. Shock: TV star Nikki Phillips was 'shocked' to learn she was having a baby boy, revealing she had already picked out an 'amazing' girl's name Expecting a baby boy with jewelry designer hubby Dane Rumble, the genetically blessed couple have been left with the daunting task of coming up with a name they like more than the one they had picked for a daughter. 'We had a girls name 100 per cent picked we didnt fight about it we both agreed and said thats amazing. And then we found out it was a boy and were really struggling [with names],' she revealed. 'We have two we really like but we will come up with a shortlist of five, as we have to meet him before we decide.' The New Zealand-born beauty also revealed that because she didn't take her husband's surname in marriage, the bub's middle name will be Phillips. 'Have to meet him': 'We have two we really like but we will come up with a shortlist of five, as we have to meet him before we decide,' the 33-year-old added Excitement! The New Zealand-born beauty is expecting her first child with jewelry designer Dane Rumble (L), after they met in Bali in 2014 Nikki met Dane in Bali in 2014 at a Jamiroquai gig of all places, the whirlwind romance and eventual desire for kids overshadowed by the model's Cervical cancer diagnosis. With the cancerous cells finally removed, the blonde bombshell and her hunky hubby immediately set their sites on starting a family, but it was far from an easy task. 'Weve watched everyone with children and I love my husband so much he was okay if we couldnt have kids but all I thought about was if I can get half of his genes with my baby well I feel incredibly blessed,' she said. So it's no surprises that when they found out they were expecting six months ago, the baby was heralded as somewhat of a miracle. Overshadowed: Their desire for kids was overshadowed by Nikki's diagnosis of Cervical cancer Gone! With the cancerous cells finally removed, the blonde bombshell and her hunky hubby immediately set their sites on starting a family, but it was far from an easy task The life-changing news has even inspired designer Dane to pick up the guitar again so he can sing to the baby she told the publication. Nikki gushed over the fact that the baby reacts when his dad plays guitar or puts his hands on his mum's belly. The New Zealand Next Top Model guest judge has been craving fruit and Nutri Grain she added, before admitting she's been having crazy dreams of what the baby will look like. Luckily, the blonde bombshell and her handsome hubby will find out in three short months. Supportive: 'Weve watched everyone with children and I love my husband so much he was okay if we couldnt have kids,' she revealed 'Blessed': 'All I thought about was if I can get half of his genes with my baby well I feel incredibly blessed,' she added Charlize Theron flashed her black bra and panties at the Manhattan premiere of The Fate Of The Furious at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday. The 41-year-old Oscar winner rocked an ultra-sheer turtleneck LBD (likely Dior) with fishnets and matching suede thigh-high boots selected by stylist Leslie Fremar. Make-up artist Francesca Tolot made sure the South African stunner was ready for her close-up, while hairstylist Enzo Angileri secured her braided ponytail extension. Scroll down for video Gladiator goddess: Charlize Theron flashed her black bra and panties at the Manhattan premiere of The Fate Of The Furious at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday Kilt cutie: The 41-year-old Oscar winner rocked an ultra-sheer turtleneck LBD (likely Dior) with fishnets and matching suede thigh-high boots selected by stylist Leslie Fremar Glam: Make-up artist Francesca Tolot made sure the South African stunner was ready for her close-up, while hairstylist Enzo Angileri secured her braided ponytail extension In the eighth Fast and Furious installment - hitting US/UK theaters next Friday - Theron plays seductive cyber-terrorist Cipher. F8's formidable ensemble includes Jason Statham, Kristofer Hivju, Kurt Russell, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, and Dwayne Johnson. The Fate Of The Furious marks the first of the franchise to be filmed since the death of star Paul Walker, who was killed age 40 in a fiery car crash in 2013. 49-year-old Vin (born Mark Sinclair) was 'definitely not complaining' when he locked lips with Charlize, whom he said 'enjoyed it' on the set. Hitting US/UK theaters next Friday! In the eighth Fast and Furious installment, Theron plays seductive cyber-terrorist Cipher Start your engines! F8's formidable ensemble includes (L-R) Jason Statham, Kristofer Hivju, Kurt Russell, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, and Dwayne Johnson Having a ball! Vin looked like he was enjoying himself at the star-studded premiere 'Oh my god, yeah! A kiss cannot lie, lips don't lie. No, they didn't. She owned it,' Diesel - who plays Dominic Toretto - told USA Today on Wednesday. '[Director F. Gary Gray] shot that every which way but loose. Charlize Theron is not a bad kissing partner to have. There are worse things that can happen to you.' On Saturday, the SAG Award nominee sported a black lather jacket with white jeans alongside his castmates Tyrese, Nathalie, and Ludacris. Love scene: 49-year-old Vin (born Mark Sinclair) was 'definitely not complaining' when he locked lips with Charlize, whom he said 'enjoyed it' on the set Diesel - who plays Dominic Toretto - told USA Today on Wednesday: 'Oh my god, yeah! A kiss cannot lie, lips don't lie. No, they didn't. She owned it' He continued: '[Director F. Gary Gray] shot that every which way but loose. Charlize Theron is not a bad kissing partner to have. There are worse things that can happen to you' On Saturday, the SAG Award nominee sported a black lather jacket with white jeans alongside his castmates Tyrese, Nathalie, and Ludacris Meanwhile, the single mother-of-two embraced 49-year-old Statham, whom she also acted with in The Italian Job with, which was also directed by Gray in 2003. The British action star - who plays Deckard Shaw - adoringly gazed upon his pregnant fiancee Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who will welcome their first child this year. The expecting English model - turning 30 this month - showcased her bump in a single-strapped navy maternity gown selected by stylist Cher Coulter. Reunited: Meanwhile, the single mother-of-two embraced 49-year-old Statham, whom she also acted with in The Italian Job with, which was also directed by Gray in 2003 Parents to be! The British action star - who plays Deckard Shaw - adoringly gazed upon his pregnant fiancee Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who will welcome their first child this year Still leggy! The expecting English model - turning 30 this month - showcased her bump in a single-strapped navy maternity gown selected by stylist Cher Coulter Also dazzling Radio City Music Hall were F8's casually-clad heartthrobs The Rock (who plays Luke Hobbs) and Eastwood - who wore a Fay - jacket (who plays Eric Reisner). Tyrese Gibson, 38, decided to go formal for the festive event, opting for a classic tuxedo. 38-year-old Michelle looked luminous in a silver strapless gown featuring a train and sparkly stilettos. It was a refreshing look on the SAG Award winner, who plays tough-as-nails Letty 'Ortiz' Toretto in the testosterone-loaded movies. Brawny bros: Also dazzling Radio City Music Hall were F8's casually-clad heartthrobs The Rock (who plays Luke Hobbs) and Eastwood who wore a Fay jacket (who plays Eric Reisner) Always a hit: Tyrese Gibson, 38, decided to go formal for the festive event, opting for a classic tuxedo Metallic mama: 38-year-old Michelle looked luminous in a silver strapless gown featuring a train and sparkly stilettos Chic: It was a refreshing look on the SAG Award winner, who plays tough-as-nails Letty 'Ortiz' Toretto in the testosterone-loaded movies Elsa Pataky - who plays Elena Neves - looked pretty as a peach in her strapless pencil dress and chrome pumps selected by stylist Samantha McMillen. 28-year-old Nathalie - who plays Ramsey - was heavenly in a white leggy gown, matching feathered shawl, and black platform stilettos picked by stylist Cher Coulter. She accessorized with some sparkling jewelry in the form of an Alexis Bittar bracelet and an Eva Fehren ring. Emmanuel's Game of Thrones castmate 38-year-old Kristofer - who plays Rhodes in F8 - attended the premiere with his similarly redheaded wife Gry Molvr Hivju. Chris Hemsworth's wife: Elsa Pataky - who plays Elena Neves - looked pretty as a peach in her strapless pencil dress and chrome pumps selected by stylist Samantha McMillen English rose: 28-year-old Nathalie - who plays Ramsey - was heavenly in a white leggy gown and black platform stilettos picked by stylist Cher Coulter, with jewelry by Alexis Bittar and Eva Fehren Belle-style yellow gown: Emmanuel's Game of Thrones castmate 38-year-old Kristofer - who plays Rhodes in F8 - attended the premiere with his similarly redheaded wife Gry Molvr Hivju Young talent: Eden Estrella, 13, who plays agent Luke Hobbs' daughter seemed to enjoy herself on the red carpet in a black sparkly number, which she paired with white tights and black booties Father and daughter: The rock couldn't help but embrace his on-screen progeny Eden Estrella, 13, who plays agent Luke Hobbs' daughter seemed to enjoy herself on the red carpet in a black sparkly number, which she paired with white tights and black booties. Orange Is the New Black's Jackie Cruz bared her back in a silver long-sleeved mini-dress and thigh-high black suede boots selected by stylist Philippe Uter. Empire's Serayah McNeill took the plunge in a zippered dress and PVC boots (chosen by stylist duo Wayman + Micah) alongside rapper Ohana Bam. Long PVC boots were also worn by costume designer June Ambrose, while IMG Model Hilary Rhoda got leggy in a latex LBD under a pink silky blazer. Flaca! Orange Is the New Black's Jackie Cruz bared her back in a silver long-sleeved mini-dress and thigh-high black suede boots selected by stylist Philippe Uter Tiana! Empire's Serayah McNeill took the plunge in a zippered dress and PVC boots (chosen by stylist duo Wayman + Micah) alongside rapper Ohana Bam New trend? Long PVC boots were also worn by costume designer June Ambrose, while IMG Model Hilary Rhoda got leggy in a latex LBD under a pink silky blazer Television host Maria Menounos, 38, made a typically stylish statement thanks to a large black fur overcoat, which she paired with a black skirt and top combo. Brit Terri Seymour, 43, turned heads in a clingy black frock that featured sheer material down the side and sleeves. Singer Remy Ma, 36, got racy in an olive drab jumpsuit with checkered panels and matching checkered pumps. Model Mia King stunned in a tight midnight blue slip dress with a royal blue furry overcoat. Camera ready: Television host Maria Menounos, 38, made a typically stylish statement thanks to a large black fur overcoat, which she paired with a black skirt and top combo Eye-catching: Brit Terri Seymour, 43, turned heads in a clingy black frock that featured sheer material down the side and sleeves In the spirit: Singer Remy Ma, 36, got racy in an olive drab jumpsuit with checkered panels and matching checkered pumps Blue babe: Model Mia King stunned in a tight midnight blue slip dress with a royal blue furry overcoat Two's company: Charlize seemed in great spirits as she cosied up to Ron Meyer, the President and CEO of Universal Studios at the after party for the premiere Leggy ladies! Nathalie Emmanuel dazzled in a floor length cream gown as she cosied up to Orange Is The New Black's Jackie Cruz Camera ready: The ladies looked sensational as they beamed for the cameras Loving life: Nathalie seemed chirpy as she cosied up to Kristofer Hivju on the night Terrific trio: Nathalie cosied up between Donna Langley - Chairman Universal Pictures - and Jeff Shell -Chairman Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Curly girlies! Both Donna and Nathalie wore their glossy locks in loose ringlets and opted for neutral make-up palettes to accentuate their natural beauty Here come the boys! Jason Statham and Ludacris cut dapper figures in their sharp suits All-smiles: Scott Eastwood reached out for Josh Ostrovsky Car-ry on: Their was a sports car on display at the bash He's best known for being a hairstylist to the stars. But it appears Joh Bailey is feeling embarrassed and ashamed after he was reportedly kicked out for his bad behaviour and sacking the groom, who is his employee, back in March. After initially denied giving employee Tom Cole the sack, it seems Joh is falling flat after a text message apparently showing he did in fact fire the groom on his wedding day, according to a message received by The Daily Telegraph. Stylist to the stars: Joh Bailey was reportedly kicked out of his employees Balinese wedding for his bad behaviour during the ceremony and sacking the groom The hairstylist attended the intimate nuptials of his employees Mariah Rota and Tom Cole at the beachfront resort of Atas Ombak Villa. He went to the wedding with his partner, as well as a younger male companion. Joh reportedly arrived to the ceremony late and lit up a cigarette as the bride made her walk down the isle. Newlyweds: He attended Tom Cole and Mariah Rota's wedding with his partner, as well as a younger male companion The ceremony: Joh reportedly arrived to the ceremony late and lit up a cigarette as the bride made her walk down the isle The salon owner is said to have sat himself at the end of the kids' table at the reception and after speeches pulled Mariah aside to have a word with her for not being mention enough in the speech. That is when her husband Tom and his mother intervened asking Joh and his friends to leave. Apology: He sent Mariah a text message apologising for his behaviour Bailey told the publication that he had been set up and denied sacking Tom on his wedding night. However a screen grab of apparently a message from Joh to Mariah shows him apologising for what happened. 'Mariah I do know how you feel. I cannot say how SORRY I am. I so didn't mean it. I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to sack Tom. I love you guys. 'I unreservedly apologise. I gave you a second chance once. Now I'm asking you to do the same for me. If I could make it all go away I would, but I can't. I'm so ashamed, can we meet when I get home? I want to talk to both of you? I was horrible & that's so not me.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Mariah Rota and Joh Bailey for comment. Tattoo-loving Jemma Lucy shared her latest inking on Instagram on Friday and it looks a lot like a certain glamour model who used to go by the moniker Jordan. The Ex On The Beach star first met Katie Price in 2011 on Katie's modelling show Signed By Katie Price in 2011. The stars became firm friends before a huge bust-up which left the women trading insults in the press, making Jemma's choice of daubing mystifying. Scroll down for video Uncanny: Lucy showed off her new tattoo of Katie Price on Instagram on Friday. The racy inking - the figure on the right - shows Katie nude lying on her back with her arms folded across her tummy The reality star already has an etching of the model on her arm which shows Katie clad in a bikini with her legs spread and her hands behind her head. The new image is on Jemma's leg and shows a nude large-breasted woman with her hand folded in front of her tummy. Her long hair flies around her face, apparently whipped by a wind and her cheekbones are razor sharp. The depiction certainly looks very like Katie Price. Tattoo lover: The Ex On The Beach Star is adding to her collection of inkings But why Jemma? The choice of tattoo is mystifying considering Jemma has spent years insulting the star and called her a 's**g' on Twitter as recently as January But the choice is astonishing considering that just a couple of months ago Jemma was accusing the CBB star of ruining her romance with Stephen Bear. The Ex On The Beach star launched a foul-mouthed Twitter tirade at Katie Price in January. In a series of explosive tweets Jemma called Katie a 's**g' and a 'c***'. She wrote: 'Apart from the fact youre a s**g STILL trying to turn people against me! Tough split: Jemma accused Katie of secretly texting Jemma's lover at the time Stephen Bear and ultimately ruining their romance 'Ive got all the messages !!!!! C***.' She went on to accuse Katie of secretly texting Bear and meddling in their relationship, ultimately causing them to break up. 'Cant believe u text bear warning him off me and s**ging me off u old Hag,' she typed. 'hope u had dub cheating on all your bfs [boyfriends].' Quite why the feisty star would choose to get a tattoo of the woman who she believes ruined her relationship remains a mystery. Reality couple Stephen Bear and Charlotte Crosby have been virtually inseparable since confirming their romance. And it seems the Ex On The Beach star really can't stand to be without his Geordie Shore girlfriend, after she helped him board his plane to Australia so they could stay together as long as possible. The 27-year-old appeared tired and worn as he landed in Sydney on Friday without the beauty. Without his girl: Reality star Stephen Bear appeared tired and worn as he landed in Sydney on Friday without his Geordie Shore girlfriend Charlotte Crosby The Shipwrecked star sported a pair of grey shorts as he walked through the airport, teaming them a bright yellow and black shirt. With an autumn chill hitting the air, he donned a deep red jacket that featured white trim along the arms and a small Butterfly logo over the chest. Carrying his documents and a bottle of water in one hand, he wheeled a large black suitcase with the other. Casual and comfy: The Shipwrecked star sported a pair of grey shorts as he walked through the airport, teaming them a bright yellow and black shirt Need some help? His arrival appeared a more relaxed affair than his departure, where he was said to have had issues boarding the plane. Party time: Stephen seemed to have recovered from the flight later in the day, enjoying a wild night out as he piled into a limousine with a bevy of beauties His arrival appeared a more relaxed affair than his departure, where he was said to have had issues boarding the plane. Charlotte, 26, reportedly had to help the reality star on his flight, although she stayed behind in New Zealand. Stephen seemed to have recovered from the flight later in the day, enjoying a wild night out as he piled into a limousine with a bevy of beauties. Not one to miss out on the fun Charlotte also got dolled up and hit the clubs, with the two declaring their love for each other the following morning. Reality star: Starring in Ex on the Beach, Celebs Go Dating and his new tattoo-themed production, Stephen is no stranger to the reality TV realm Tattoo duo: Charlotte and Stephen are in Australia to promote their new show from MTV called Just Tattoo Of Us Charlotte and Stephen are in Australia to promote their new show from MTV called Just Tattoo Of Us. They recently enjoyed a romantic trip to the Caribbean, where the duo packed on the PDA by the pool. Their trip also came after his disastrous appearance on Celebs Go Dating where he caused controversy with his outrageous antics before he was later axed after confessing he was already 'seeing someone'. Carrie Bickmore has been inspirational and resilient since tragically losing her husband Greg Lange to brain cancer in 2010. But earlier this week, her The Project co-host Waleed Aly caused her to burst into tears with a question that was far too close to home. During an interview for The Daily Telegraph, the 36-year-old broke down as she admitted to longing for the day when the cancer that took her husband would be cured. Break down: Waleed Aly caused The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore to burst into tears when he brought up her late husband Greg Lange in a recent interview Recounting Carrie's decision to wear a beanie promoting her brain cancer charity during her 2015 Gold Logie speech, 38-year-old Waleed struck a nerve. 'Watching you onstage in what was typically a glamorous dress wearing a decidedly unglamorous beanie on your head... I was like OK, this is a historic moment,' he said. He praised his cast mate and dear friend for finding the courage to speak for the first time about her late husband's cancer, fighting through the heartbreak to use the speech to raise awareness for the horrific illness. Struck a nerve: Recounting the 36-year-old's decision to wear a beanie promoting her brain cancer charity during her 2015 Gold Logie speech, 38-year-old Waleed struck a nerve Fighting: He praised her for finding the courage to speak for the first time about her late husband's cancer and use the speech to raise awareness for the horrific illness Greg Lange (pictured) tragically lost his battle with brain cancer in 2010 'If you'd asked me as a little girl what I thought my life would be like, I would never have thought [starts to cry], I would never have thought it would be anything that it has been.' At that moment, overcome by sadness and perhaps shocked by her cast mate's ability to become vulnerable and open up, she stared at the ceiling for a few moments before she could look Waleed in the eye. 'You've made me bloody cry,' she confessed. The moment: 'If you'd asked me as a little girl what I thought my life would be like, I would never have thought [starts to cry], I would never have thought it would be anything that it has been,' she said Look what you did! 'You've made me bloody cry,' she confessed, as Waleed apologised profusely Her co-host apologised profusely as she admitted that she rarely pauses to reflect on the tragedy because it makes her upset. Later in the interview, she admitted she struggles striking the right balance between her family life and her job as a TV presenter. The beauty says she's often overwhelmed by a pain in the pit of her stomach at work - as she yearns to be at home with her young daughter Evie. Balancing act: Earlier, she admitted she struggles striking the right balance between her family life and her job as a TV presenter She confessed to realising that she needed more time with her family, not just for their sake, but for her mental health. Carrie's worries about spending enough time with children Evie, 2, and Oliver, 9, and partner Chris Walker manifest themselves in a peculiar way. The broadcaster told her co-host that she constantly wonders what fears other mothers have - the only thing that gives her 'solace'. She says she's often overwhelmed by a pain in the pit of her stomach at work - as she yearns to be at home with her young daughter Evie Small talk: And as the show she's become synonymous with - The Project - prepares to broadcast it's 2,000th episode, she opened up to co-host Waleed Aly Proud parent: Carrie's worries about spending enough time with children Evie, 2, and Oliver, 9, and partner Chris Walker manifest themselves in a peculiar way Admitting to the extent of her fears, she told Waleed she often catches herself peering into other parent's cars, and upon seeing an empty baby chair, wonders if they're feeling the same pain and guilt she is not for not being there constantly. Carrie began her career as a newsreader at a Perth radio station before landing a job co-hosting a show with Andy Ross on Nova. Her big break in television followed in 2009 when she began hosting The Project - originally known as The 7pm Project. TV times: Carrie's big break in television came in 2009 when she began hosting The Project - originally known as The 7pm Project Glittering career: Three Logie awards have been reward for her work on the show, and Carrie says she still cares as much about the public's opinion of her as she ever has done Three Logie awards have been reward for her work on the show, and Carrie says she still cares as much about the public's opinion of her as she ever has done. But as the show approaches a significant milestone, the TV presenter did concede that she's not able to please everyone, but insisted she had discovered that it's more important to be content with her own actions than worrying about what other people will think. Michelle Rodriguez made a star's entrance on Saturday night at the New York City premiere of The Fate of the Furious at Radio City Music Hall. The 38-year-old bombshell looked amazing as she walked the red carpet in a shimmering strapless silver gown. The sexy San Antonio native was impeccably made up, with her black tresses pulled back, rounding out the lavish get-up with a pair of silver sandal heels and ornate diamond earrings. Star presence: Michelle Rodriguez, 38, looked amazing Saturday night at the New York City premiere of The Fate of the Furious at Radio City Music Hall Fashionista: Always hailed for her diverse gamut of couture, Michelle was sleek in silver on the spring evening The Machete Kills beauty, speaking with The TODAY show on Tuesday, said her 'favorite part of the' filming process in the eighth installment of the action series was shooting in Cuba. 'It was nuts because Cuba got so much attention after Obama implemented some leisure ... loosened up some laws and stuff to allow back-and-forth entry,' she said. The Girlfight beauty said she noticed major digital - and social - differences in the lifestyles stateside, and in the Caribbean island nation. Cheery: The gorgeous actress was in great spirits at the Gotham debut of the film, the eighth in the series Poised: The talented actress struck a confident pose as she made her entrance in the famed facility 'The culture there is so amazing; when people aren't obsessed with technology, you start to see a little bit more of human interaction,' she said. 'You see guys hugging and kissing the old ladies in the street, tons of activity in the coffee shops, people dancing, everywhere you go people socializing and looking each other in the eye when they talk. 'It was refreshing! I just love it.' Double duty: In addition to The Fate of the Furious, Michelle also stars in the current theatrical release, The Assignment In the televised chat, the brunette beauty, who's played Letty Ortiz Toretto in every installment of the film anthology since 2001, said she couldn't have foreseen the franchise's ensuring success, initially signing on thinking that a role in the film 'would be fun.' She said: 'I had absolutely no idea how this would be received,' adding that she's 'really grateful that it's lasted so long and that it's gotten so much love around the world.' The Fate of the Furious opens in theaters April 14. Michelle also stars in The Assignment, which is in theaters now. Dream team: Michelle (far R), seen here in The Fate of the Furious, has been a staple of the series as the character Letty In February, he mistakenly landed his single-engine Husky plan on a taxiway in Orange County - a near miss with an American Airlines Boeing. And on Saturday, Harrison Ford chose to fly commercial instead of sitting in the pilot's seat. The 74-year-old actor was seen arriving at LAX with his wife Calista Flockhart and son Liam. Keeping it casual: On Saturday, Harrison Ford chose to fly commercial instead of sitting in the pilot's seat The actor arrived in charcoal slacks with a matching T-shirt, adding sunglasses. Calista, 52, wore a cream jumper with a white blouse beneath it; the actress sported loose locks and a makeup free face. Their son Liam, 16, kept it casual in a T-shirt and dark bottoms; Calista adopted him when he was an infant. Harrison was seen pushing their luggage on a trolley inside the Los Angeles airport. Ready: The actor arrived in charcoal slacks with a matching T-shirt, adding sunglasses Family vacation: The 74-year-old actor was seen arriving at LAX with his wife Calista Flockhart and son Liam Harrison and Calista began dating in 2002 before tying the knot in June 2010. On February 13, Harrison had a flying mishap while piloting his single engine Husky plane in Orange County, California. The movie star narrowly missed a passenger plane, which carried over 110 people; he was supposed to land on runway 20-L at John Wayne Airport but instead landed on a taxiway. Heading on a trip: On February 13, Harrison was flying his single engine Husky plane on a taxiway in Orange County, California Low key: The movie star narrowly missed a passenger plane, which carried over a 100 people Harrison, who holds a private pilot's license, had asked Air Control following landing: 'Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?' Last month, it was revealed that the star will not have to undergo remedial training or lose his license or face a fine. NBC News reported that the Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor was happy with the outcome of the FAA investigation. Looking good: The movie star was seen heading to the terminal with his wife, son and a family friend (pictured) Actress and dancer Chelsea Brown who was best known for her work on the hit Australian soap E Street has died at age 74. The star passed away on March 27 after a battle with pneumonia. Chelsea was in her hometown Chicago at the time of her death, having relocated back to America in 2002. Talented: Actress and dancer Chelsea Brown who was best known for her work on the hit Australian soap E Street has died at age 74 The actress, who was originally born Lois Brown, found strong success in Australia after moving here in the 1970s. After joining the cast of E Street in 1990 she met her husband Vic Rooney, with the two starring on the show as Abbey Rossiter and Ernie Patchett. She exited the show in 1991 when her character was killed off in a car explosion. It wasn't the only Australian production she starred in either, going on to act in the 1997 film Welcome to Woop Woop and ABC television series Grass Roots. Illness: The star passed away on March 27 in her hometown of Chicago after a battle with pneumonia Partners on-screen and off: After joining the cast of E Street in 1990 she met her husband Vic Rooney, with the two starring on the show as Abbey Rossiter and Ernie Patchett In her early acting days, Chelsea appeared as a regular on American sketch comedy show Laugh-In, starring Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. During her time on the show she starred alongside a bevy of performers, including Ruth Buzzi, Alan Sues, Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn. In 2006 she attended a cast reunion at the Cabaret Theatre in Uncasville, Connecticut. Executive producer on the show George Schlatter confirmed her death in an interview Wednesday, according to The New York Times. Comedic roles: In her early acting days, Chelsea appeared as a regular on American sketch comedy show Laugh-In, starring Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. Reunion: In 2006 Chelsea (back left) attended a cast reunion at the Cabaret Theatre in Uncasville, Connecticut, alongside fellow star Lily Tomlin (centre) 'Funny and sexy': Executive producer on Laugh In George Schlatter, said he was impressed by her talent when they met at an audition for NBC special Soul He reportedly spoke about their first meeting, when Chelsea auditioned for the NBC TV movie Soul. Impressed by her acting and dancing abilities, he chose to cast her for the second season of Laugh In, claiming; 'The fact that she was black was incidental.' 'The fact that she was cute and funny and sexy was what hit me right away' The star took a break from work after the death of her husband in 2002, when she relocated back to Chicago. But she returned to the screens once more with one final project in 2015, appearing as Patsy-Ann Noble in TV Mini-series Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door. Her steamy magazine spread with fiance DJ Rukus for the January issue of Elle Australia was a hit with her fans. And this time Shanina Shaik has shared some of her favourite outtakes from the beachside photo shoot with her followers. The 26-year-old posted a series of snaps showing behind the scenes extras. Teenage fever: Shanina Shaik has shared some of her favourite outtakes from the beachside photo shoot with her followers The pair appear happy as the pose together under a stone arch that's dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. She captioned the post: 'Teenage Fever,' adding love heart, star and a couple emoji. In another snap the lovebirds look playful as though they are goofing around with each trying to work out their next pose. Shanina flaunted her trim pins in a burnt orange mini-skirt and went bra-less in a mustard top. Hot couple alert! Shanina flaunted her trim pins in a burnt orange mini-skirt and went bra-less in a mustard top. While DJ Rukus showed off his abs going topless wearing only black cropped skinny pants and a fedora hat While DJ Rukus, whose real name is Gregory Andrews, showed off his abs going topless wearing only black cropped skinny pants and a fedora hat. Australian stylist, model and photographer Margaret Zhang who commented: 'You two.' While an excited fan wrote: 'Omg omg omg this is everything ' Gorgeous: Shanina Shaik took a more demure turn by posting a simple selfie to Instagram Last week Shanina Shaik posted a simple selfie to Instagram. 'Mahalo Hawaii,' wrote the supermodel, before adding the hashtag: '#goodvibez.' Shanina's display comes just days after she flaunted her VERY pert derriere in a G-string on Snapchat. The beauty, accompanied by a group of pals, took to the social media platform to show off her incredible curves to the world. One clip shared to her Snapchat saw Shanina relaxing on a white towel with her killer curves on display. When on vacation! Shanina took to Snapchat on Thursday, drawing attention to her very pert derriere in a skimpy bikini, while on holiday in Hawaii A skimpy neutral-hued bikini drew attention to her toned derriere and slender waist. Sweeping her signature dark locks into an effortless style, Shanina appeared to go makeup-free, allowing her natural beauty to shine through. Another clip shared to the model's Snapchat story, saw a very shapely derriere in prominent view. Antics: Another clip within Shanina's Snapchat story saw a very shapely derriere in prominent view What appeared to be either a hand print or scratch was visible on the bare flesh. Appearing very much in a playful mood, Shanina added peach and monkey face emojis. The moments captured to Snapchat come as Shanina celebrates reality star Nicole Williams' hen's vacation in Hawaii. Rebel Wilson has had a bad few days and while she hasn't said why, she did take to Instagram to thank the man who lifted her spirits, none other than Jake Gyllenhaal. In a post shared on Sunday, the 37-year-old showed off a sketch hand drawn by the 36-year-old actor, who's Broadway play, Sunday In The Park With George, she had attended that evening. Rebel captioned the picture, which appeared to be of a woman in period costume, 'Well this really cheered me up after a crap couple of days and was very moving. Thanks mate! Rebel Wilson has had a bad few days and while she hasn't said why, she did take to Instagram to thank the man who lifted her spirits, none other than Jake Gyllenhaal 'Thanks Jake Gyllenhaal, and the amazing cast of Sunday In The Park With George. I will treasure this sketch'. On the sketch Jake had written, 'Anything you do, let it come from you, then it will be new'. Rebel has been on the set of Pitch Perfect 3 in recent weeks, and celebrated her 37th birthday last month in a very unusual way. Rebel participated in a bizarre birthday stunt featuring attack dogs. Gift: In a post shared on Sunday, the 37-year-old showed off a sketch hand drawn by the 36-year-old actor On stage: Rebel attended Jake's Broadway play, Sunday In The Park With George Talented! Jake is known for movies but has lately dabbled in theatre To celebrate her special day, the actress was excited to be mauled by stunt dogs on the set of Pitch Perfect 3. She took to social media to document the experience, writing: 'My most hardcore stunt yet. I'm going to be attacked by dogs.' Willing to perform her own stunts, the How to Be Single star was seen getting dressed in a large suit with sleeves to protect her from the dog's sharp teeth. 'My most hardcore stunt yet': Rebel celebrated her birthday by being attacked by dogs on set of Pitch Perfect 3 In the video, she flailed her arms and shook her legs as she let out a scream while defending herself from two German shepherds. She later showed the process of getting dressed in her protective suit that she claimed 'weighs like 80 pounds.' Rebel has previously performed her own stunts, with a video emerging from the Pitch Perfect 3 set of Rebel kicking a stuntman in the groin. New movie: Rebel has been on the set of Pitch Perfect 3 in recent weeks There is a reason there is a about leaving one's hat one. Candice Swanepoel sizzled for a daring photo shoot on Saturday, stripping down to just a pair of jeans and a hat. The 28-year-old new mom shared a series of Instagram behind-the scenes snaps of her saucy shoot in New York. You can leave your hat on: Candice Swanepoel sizzled for a daring photo shoot on Saturday, stripping down to just a pair of jeans and a hat The Angel dared to bare, going topless and wearing just a pair of light blue Baldwin Denim jeans. Despite having a baby just six months ago, the model has slimmed down so much that there was a gap between her back and the jeans' waistband. More impressive still, as the star sat perched on a chair her stomach was not just flat but her obliques were defined as well. Candice posted a series of three shots of herself hamming it up on the chair. Oh la la: The Angel dared to bare, going topless and wearing just a pair of light blue Baldwin Denim jeans Someone call a plumber? Despite having a baby just six months ago, the model has slimmed down so much that there was a gap between her back and the jeans' waistband On one snap, Candice said she was glad to be back in front of the camera: 'Fun day with my homies. Missed you all! #bluejeanbaby.' Aside from her jeans, the model wore her go-to hat at the moment which is a leather biker's cap. Candice wore the hat atop of her long golden locks which fell in soft waves. The hat has been an outfit mainstay for the last month for the beauty and recently she shared an Instagram of herself wearing it while holding baby Anaca. 'So grateful': Last week the model posted a video of her six-month-old Anaca Last week the model posted a video of her child saying: '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 [sic].' At the end, she chucked in the hashtag: '#mamaeorgulhosa,' which when separated out into the Portuguese words 'mamae orgulhosa' translates to 'proud mama.' Candice shares the boy with fiance and fellow model, Hermann Nicoli, whom she'd begun dating a decade prior after they met in Paris when she 17. Saturday Night Live mercilessly poked fun at the controversial Pepsi commercial which starred Kendall Jenner. In the most obvious skit of the night, the director of the commercial is seen minutes before the 'tone-deaf' ad was set to film, when he gets a call from his sister. But when he starts to explain his vision, he quickly gets cold feet when he realizes nobody is going to see it the way he does. Ouch: SNL slayed THAT Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial on Saturday Solution: The much-derided original showed Kendall Jenner diffusing a police stand-off with a can of soda 'It's an homage to the resistance, there's this huge protest, like Black Lives Matter, and everybody's marching, right?' he explains on the phone. 'And they get to these police officers, and you think its going to go bad cause there's like a stand off and then... Kendall Jenner walks in! 'And she walks up to one of the police officers and she hands him a Pepsi. And that Pepsi brings everybody together! Isn't that like the best ad ever?' After listening to his sister's remarks, which cannot be heard to the audience, he concludes, 'Sort of tone deaf?' Excited: In the most obvious skit of the night, the director is seen minutes before the 'tone-deaf' ad was set to film, when he gets a call from his sister Nope: But when he starts to explain his vision, he quickly gets cold feet when he realises nobody is going to see it the way he does Uh-oh: His enthusiasm turns to panic as he tries to convince anyone who'll listen that the ad is 'celebrating these cultures' The director's enthusiasm turns to panic as he tries to convince anyone who'll listen that the ad is 'celebrating these cultures' - and not reinforcing stereotypes. With horror setting in, he asks to speak to one of his neighbors on the phone - 'a black one'. 'Don't even touch it? It would be insane to touch it? Okay. Don't even show police?' he repeats back. 'What would you do if you were in my situation? Just run to my car?' Check: The director insists he is not reinforcing racial stereotypes, and the skit replicates images shown in the Pepsi commercial Don't touch it: 'It's an homage to the resistance, there's this huge protest, like Black Lives Matter,' he tries to explain However, there is one person who thinks the concept is a good idea: Kendall Jenner, played by a blonde wigged Cecily Strong. 'Gotta go I'm on the set of my Pepsi commercial,' she tells a friend on her phone. 'I stop the police from shooting black people by giving them a Pepsi. I know! It's cute, right?' The skit finishes with the Pepsi logo, tweaking their 'Live For Now' slogan to 'Live And Learn'. Behind it: However, there is one person who thinks the concept is a good idea: Kendall Jenner, played by a blonde wigged Cecily Strong Important call: 'Gotta go I'm on the set of my Pepsi commercial,' she tells a friend on her phone. 'I stop the police from shooting black people by giving them a Pepsi. I know! It's cute, right?' Zing: The skit finishes with the Pepsi logo, tweaking their 'Live For Now' slogan to 'Live And Learn' The SNL crew also squeezed in one final dig at Kendall during the weekend update, when Colin Joust reported on a Romanian 18-year-old who had sold her virginity to a Hong Kong businessman for $2.5million. 'Making it the second worse thing someone has done for money this week,' he jibed, along with an image of the Pepsi-clutching Jenner. Elsewhere on the show, which was hosted by Louis CK, Alec Baldwin once again returned as Donald Trump, as well as an uncanny impersonation of Bill O'Reilly, even interviewing himself at one stage. Last laugh: The SNL crew also squeezed in one final dig at Kendall during the weekend update, when Colin Joust reported on a Romanian 18-year-old who had sold her virginity to a Hong Kong businessman for $2.5million Burned: 'Making it the second worse thing someone has done for money this week,' he jibed, along with an image of the Pepsi-clutching Jenner She the model and actress who recently dropped highly anticipated beauty line Equal Beauty. But it looks like Jessica Gomes won't be slowing down anytime soon amidst engagement rumours to boyfriend, Australian actor Xavier Samuel. Speaking to Sunday Life she revealed the hard work she did to launch beauty range, which is exclusive to David Jones. Model looks: Jessica Gomes recently dropped highly anticipated beauty line Equal Beauty The 32-year-old revealed that she did plenty of research on South Korean beauty brands to perfect her own line. 'I have worked with a lot of beauty brands there and I found their technology for skin car was very cutting edge,' she told the publication. The Sydney-born Perth raised beauty created products for men and women that are perfect for travelling with the aim of keeping skin hydrated and protected. Loved up! She said she won't be slowing down anytime soon amidst engagement rumors to boyfriend, Australian actor Xavier Samuel Hard work: Jessica did plenty of research on South Korean beauty brands to perfect her own line On the flip side, her personal life - in particular her blooming relationship with 33-year-old Australian actor Xavier Samuel. While remaining coy about the relationship, it seems to be going so well she doesn't have time think about wedding bells. 'I'm so busy I couldn't even think about that at the moment. It's been so nice to have a solid personal life among all the craziness,' Jessica said. Hydration and protection: 'I have worked with a lot of beauty brands there and I found their technology for skin car was very cutting edge' No wedding bells just yet! While remaining coy about the relationship, it seems to be going so well she doesn't have time think about wedding bells She is currently basing herself in Los Angeles with her actor beau to be closer for more film work and opportunities. Aside from enjoying being surrounded by fellow creatives, Jessica said she is enjoying the lifestyle the west coast boasts and 'being able to get up in the morning and go for a hike or drive to the beach.' The Sport Illustrated model next film project is the soon-to-be released Once Upon A Time In Venice alongside Bruce Willis. Her reality TV beau Stephen Bear was spotted making his arrival into Australia on Friday. And true to form, following close behind was Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, who touched down at Sydney Airport on Sunday. The 26-year-old looked fresh-faced upon landing, after hopping a flight from New Zealand. Scroll down for video Bare-faced beauty: Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby touched down at Sydney Airport on Sunday Charlotte dressed down for her flight, donning pale pink sweatpants and a sheer white t-shirt. She teamed the look with a pair of comfy ivory sandals, which matched the crisp white suitcase she pulled alongside her. The English starlet wore her sun-kissed locks in a messy bun, with strands falling around her face as she walked. Embracing a natural look, the Big Brother contestant opted to go makeup-free, accentuating her outfit with a simple gold bracelet and sparkly rings. Casual clothes: Charlotte dressed down for her flight, donning pale pink sweatpants and a sheer white t-shirt Pale theme: She teamed them with a pair of comfy ivory sandals, which matched the crisp white suitcase she pulled alongside her Messy hair, don't care: The English starlet wore her sun-kissed locks in a messy bun, with strands of her falling around her face as she walked Charlotte appeared relaxed and carefree as she strolled through the airport, carrying a phone and what looked to be a recent purchase in her hand. She also brought a Burberry inspired bag with her, placing it on top of her suitcase as she walked. On display was the fish tattoo her boyfriend Stephen had given her, which she revealed to the world on Thursday. Make-up free: Embracing a natural look, the Big Brother contestant accentuated her outfit with a simple gold bracelet and sparkly rings Reality series: The sun-kissed star is in Australia alongside her partner to promote their new show from MTV called Just Tattoo Of Us. Goodie-bag? Charlotte appeared relaxed and carefree as she strolled through the airport, carrying a phone and what looked to be a recent purchase in her hand The reality star is in Australia alongside her partner to promote their new show from MTV called Just Tattoo Of Us. Stephen arrived ahead of his girlfriend, landing on Friday look worse for wear after he was said to have had issues boarding the plane. Charlotte reportedly had to help the reality star on his flight, before staying behind in New Zealand. Loved-up: Stephen arrived ahead of his girlfriend, landing on Friday look worse for wear after he was said to have had issues boarding the plane Partying without her: The Ex On The Beach star appeared to have recovered from the flight later in the day though, enjoying a wild night out as he piled into a limousine with a bevy of beauties Stephen appeared to have recovered from the flight later in the day though, enjoying a wild night out as he piled into a limousine with a bevy of beauties. But not one to miss out on the fun Charlotte also got dolled up and hit the clubs, with the two declaring their love for each other the following morning. They recently enjoyed a romantic trip to the Caribbean, where the duo packed on the PDA by the pool. They've been married for six years and share three young children. And it seems Chris Hemsworth, 33, and wife Elsa Pataky, 40, are as smitten as ever as the pair put on an affectionate display at the beach, late last month. The duo took their twin sons to a local beach in Byron Bay where they are based, and could be seen hugging one another as they relaxed seaside. Scroll down for video Going strong: Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky are as smitten as ever as the pair put on an affectionate display at the beach, late last month Model and actress Elsa showcased her incredibly toned figure in a pink string bikini and appeared to be makeup-free. The Spanish beauty - who is known for films including the Fast and Furious franchise - wore her blonde locks out and a black hat. Australian star Chris meanwhile, showcased his incredibly ripped physique wearing black board shorts and a camouflage-print cap, going shirtless. Beach love: The duo took their twin sons to a local beach in Byron Bay where they are based, and could be seen hugging one another as they relaxed seaside One hot mumma! Model and actress Elsa showcased her incredibly toned figure in a pink string bikini and appeared to be makeup free Thor blimey! Australian star Chris meanwhile, showcased his incredibly ripped physique wearing black board shorts and an army print cap, going shirtless The pair could be seen watching their three-year-old sons, Tristan and Sasha, who were wearing blue wet suits. Their boys were swimming in a shallow pit of water as they looked on. The pair also share a daughter, India Rose, four. Chris recently returned to Australia and relocated to Byron Bay permanently with his young family, after living in Los Angeles for almost a decade. Apple of his eye: The pair could be seen watching their three-year-old sons, Tristan and Sasha, who were wearing blue wet suits Down Under: Chris recently returned to Australia and relocated to Byron Bay permanently with his young family, after living in Los Angeles for almost a decade Last year, Chris told the Today Show that he 'loved' living in the US, but it never felt 'like home.' 'LA, I loved it, it was great being there with the opportunities with work, [but] it didn't feel like home,' he said when asked what he looks forward to most about arriving back in Australia. 'Instantly, when I get off the plane, I'm back,' he added. He added that choosing to live on the coast was similar to how he grew up 'Which I think is essential to what we want to give [the children].' Glad to be back: Last year, Chris told the Today Show that he 'loved' living in the US, but it never felt 'like home' A relaxed lifestyle: He added that choosing to live on the coast was similar to how he grew up 'Which is I think is essential to what we want to give [the children]' Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon enjoyed another day on a Miami beach alongside a female friend just hours before hitting the stage with his bandmates. The 58-year-old was larking around in the surf with his holiday companion on Saturday, who he was pictured with again on Tuesday in yet another chilled out, swimsuit-clad day on the shore. He has been married to supermodel Yasmin Le Bon 52, since December 27, 1985. They were last pictured together at the BRITs in February 2016. Scroll down for video Rocking it: Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon enjoyed another chilled out day in Miami alongside a female friend just hours before hitting the stage with his bandmates Simon showed off his age-defying frame as he joined his pal on the beach ahead of Saturday's gig at the San Francisco Masonic. Sporting just a pair of black trunks, the star looked to be having a wonderful day, as he peeled on a pair of goggles while immersing himself in the water. Adding some superstar touches to his simple ensemble, he wore a blingy watch before later pulling on a pair of sunglasses. The brunette beauty accompanying Simon showed off her sensational figure in a simple black bikini with a wraparound top and low-slung bottoms. Bikini-clad: The 58-year-old was larking around in the surf with his holiday companion on Saturday, who he was pictured with again on Tuesday in yet another chilled out, swimsuit-clad day on the shore Together: He has been married to supermodel Yasmin Le Bon 52, since December 27, 1985. They were last pictured together at the BRITs in February 2016 She later clutched a wine glass while the couple enjoyed what appeared to be a tapas selection before wrapping herself in a white towel and giggling away. MailOnline has contacted a representative for Simon for comment. Amber and Simon have three daughters together, Amber, now 28, Saffron, 26, and Tallulah, 23. Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper in 2012, Simon gushed about his love for his beautiful wife. He said: I wake up in the morning and for ten minutes or so I just get to look at her peacefully sleeping. That's kind of all you need to know about me. Chilled: Simon showed off his age-defying frame as he joined his pal on the beach ahead of Saturday's gig at the San Francisco Masonic Hot bod: The brunette beauty accompanying Simon showed off her sensational figure in a simple black bikini with a wraparound top and low-slung bottoms I guess I'm very lucky that I picked somebody really bl**dy good in the first place. She's great fun, fantastic, beautiful and we laugh all the time. It's not always easy at all. But I really want to stay married for life. People are led to believe that if it's not perfect then just ditch it and change it these days. That's a f***ing mistake. Simon famously spotted Yasmin in a magazine in 1984 and fell for her instantly, despite still being in a relationship with his then longtime girlfriend, model-turned-actress Claire Stansfield. He tracked her down for a date via her modelling agent. Strutting his stuff: I guess I'm very lucky that I picked somebody really bl**dy good in the first place. She's great fun, fantastic, beautiful and we laugh all the time. It's not always easy at all. But I really want to stay married for life' Beach day: Simon famously spotted Yasmin in a magazine in 1984 and fell for her instantly, despite still being in a relationship with his then longtime girlfriend, model-turned-actress Claire Stansfield. He tracked her down for a date via her modelling agent Last year, Yasmine admitted that behind the facade of her gilded life, she sank into the depths of despair finding herself in a dark place and ultimately suffering a breakdown. In a candid interview with The Mail on Sundays You magazine, she said the drip feed of life took its toll when the three daughters she has with Simon were teenagers. She described how she would hide in the bathroom and cry when the strain of juggling motherhood with her demanding career proved too much. Laid back: She later clutched a wine glass while the couple enjoyed what appeared to be a tapas selection before wrapping herself in a white towel and giggling away Way back when: In a candid interview with The Mail on Sundays You magazine, she said the drip feed of life took its toll when the three daughters she has with Simon were teenagers She explained: Nobody can tear your heart apart within a couple of words like [your children] can I had been a punchbag for a long time and it was having an effect. That whole emotional drain pushed me over the edge... I was in a dark place. Asked if she was going through a breakdown, Yasmin said: Yes, I have been at that level, absolutely. But she said nothing terrible triggered her dark mood but explained: I needed to address things in my past I hadnt really dealt with. They're one of the biggest bands in the world. And Twenty One Pilots thrilled fans in Perth on Saturday, when they performed their hits live in concert. The American group - made up of vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun - wore bright red suit jackets and balaclavas as they hit the stage. Scroll down for video Hitting the stage: Twenty One Pilots thrilled fans in Perth on Saturday, when they performed their hits live in concert They also wore white shirts with black ties and suit pants, with long red socks. One fan took to Twitter to say how much she loved the show, writing: 'Honestly, the best show I've ever seen. The effort they put in is unbelievable. Well done guys.' The band are in Australia after having performing in New Zealand, last month. Standing out: The American group - made up of vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun - wore bright red suit jackets and balaclavas On the road: The band are in Australia after having performing in New Zealand, last month While Down Under, Josh enjoyed diving with sharks in Sydney. Taking to Instagram to share a shot of himself underneath the shark, he joked: 'My mom told @sharkdivextreme that if I got hurt swimming with sharks I couldn't come back to Australia again. they did a real nice job and I will come back.' Tyler also enjoyed a trip to a zoo in Melbourne, and can be seen posing next to the adorable animal on Instagram. His wife Jenna Joseph captioned a shot: 'Tyler stepped in kangapoo (sic). Well worth it.' Playing tourist: While Down Under, Josh enjoyed diving with sharks in Sydney The group are known for hits including Stressed Out, Ride and Heathens, with former members being Nick Thomas and Chris Salih. Last year, the pair told Rolling Stone that they can see themselves still being in the band in years to come. 'I'm looking forward to Josh being 60 years old doing a backflip off the piano,' Tyler said. He added: 'I think that once we get older, we'll have so much fun making fun of the fact that we're too old...I just can't wait to grow old with our fans.' After last week's dramatic dinner table fight on The Real Housewives of Sydney, Lisa Oldfield quickly bonded with co-star Athena X Levendi. And on Sunday night's explosive new episode of the show, the pair strengthened their alliance after they were both left uninvited to fellow Housewife Victoria Rees' ritzy charity auction. Athena- who is married to jeweler Panos Levendi- donated a $3500 diamond necklace to be auctioned off at the event, but still didn't score an invite leaving Lisa fuming on her behalf. Scroll down for video 'Leave the dirty work to me': Lisa Oldfield was left to plot revenge after her and ally Athena were left off Victoria's guest list on Sunday's dramatic episode of Real Housewives of Sydney 'I'm plotting my revenge for you as we speak,' Lisa told Athena over the phone. 'Leave the dirty work to me.' Athena was also outraged by Victoria's seeming lack of gratitude at her expensive donation, slamming her as 'an ungracious user' and 'despicable, horrible, [and] uncouth'. It appears that Lisa and Athena did indeed extract their revenge, with socialite Lizzie Buttrose crashing Victoria's star-studded auction at the climax of the episode. 'An ungracious user': Athena was outraged that Victoria would accept her donation of a $3500 necklace and then not invite her to the charity auction The other Housewives speculated that the pair had sent Lizzie on their behalf to cause a stir at the auction, hosted by celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey. Lizzie- who is the niece of TV icon Ita Buttrose- confronted Victoria asking why her two friends Lisa and Athena were not invited. 'You're the rudest person I've ever met in my life, you're hideous!' Lizzie yelled, with Victoria accusing the socialite of being drunk, in a particularly dramatic moment. Confrontation: Socialite Lizzie Buttrose crashed Victoria's auction, reportedly on behalf of Lisa and Athena Trouble: Victoria had to confront Lizzie in a particularly intense moment 'She's a scrag!' remarked another of the Housewives, as they all made fun of Lizzie's hair, which Victoria stated 'looked like dreadlocks'. Meanwhile, it appeared that Lisa and Athena were elsewhere together, taking to Instagram to upload a selfie with the provocative caption, 'Queens don't compete with hoes'. Causing a scene: All eyes were on Lizzie as she upended Victoria's event Star-studded: Celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey was auctioning off the goods on behalf of Victoria Revenge complete: Athena and Lisa took to Instagram to share a photo with a provocative caption Earlier in the episode, Lisa hosted Athena as well as fellow Housewives Matty and Melissa at her palatial home on the Northern Beaches. The outspoken wife of politician David Oldfield was seen in her kitchen, making cocktails with her pet carpet python wrapped around her shoulders, which shocked the other Housewives upon arrival. A show full of snakes! Lisa's pet carpet python kept her company as she made cocktails Not impressed: Matty and Melissa arrived at Lisa's home and were confronted by the pet python Talk soon turned the huge fight on last week's episode, which ended with Athena revealing to the others that she had been violently abused by her father when she was a child. The show then cut to the other three stars- Victoria, Krissy and Nicole- who took a day trip on a private yacht on Sydney Harbour, where Athena's outburst was the topic of hot conversation. New alliances: Victoria joined Nicole and Krissy on board a private yacht, where talk turned to nutcase 'I dont know if I believe her,'Victoria said of Athena's claims, before conceding that she may be telling the truth. 'Everythings for attention. Everything is about 'look at me', 'listen to me'', Victoria said, continuing her feud with Athena. She also labelled Athena and Lisa 'nutcases', setting up new drama for next week's episode where the Housewives fly to Singapore. Their marriage has been plagued with rumours of strife. Yet Mark Wright is adamant all is well in his and Michelle Keegan's camp as he spoke to The Sun's Fabulous magazine about their seemingly perfect romance, in which he admitted the couple will have kids one day. The 30-year-old former TOWIE star admits he initially found watching his wife in sex scenes 'awkward', yet now revealed he helps the former Coronation Street actress in her steamy on-screen moments - even giving her helpful tips and directions. Scroll down for video Still in love: Mark Wright is adamant all is well in his and Michelle Keegan's camp as he spoke to The Sun 's Fabulous magazine about their seemingly perfect romance, in which he admitted the couple will have kids one day Mark, who soared to fame in TOWIE's 2010 inauguration, began dating the former TOWIE hunk, 29, in late 2012 before heading up the aisle in a blissful ceremony at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk on 24 May 2015. Despite their idyllic romance, a match made in TV heaven, speculation had been rife for some time that Michelle had split from her husband after failing to wear her ring in several snaps, but it's reported she had kept the diamond in a safe place. Thankfully, the happy couple sneer in the face of the rumours as he explained: 'Im in love with my wife. People wont stop saying we are splitting up until Michelle gets pregnant. We do want to have kids but in our own time, not just yet.' Of her sex scenes, the cheeky star revealed: 'I actually give her tips and say things like: "Why didnt you close your eyes that would look more real." I know that its just acting and there are 50 people in a room telling them to do this and do that and its not at all sexy.' Loved-up: The 30-year-old former TOWIE star admits he initially found watching his wife in sex scenes 'awkward', yet now revealed he helps the former Coronation Street actress in her steamy on-screen moments - even giving her helpful tips and directions Truly putting to bed the rumours of trouble in the romance, the star gushed lovingly about how beautiful he finds the star - both with and without make-up. Speculation had been rife for some time that Michelle had split from her husband of 12-months after failing to wear her ring in several snaps, but it's reported she had kept the diamond in a safe place. A source told The Sun: 'Michelle left her wedding ring at home in her safe because she was scared of losing it while filming.' It had been rumoured her marriage to Mark was on the rocks after the actress was spotted without her wedding ring in a series of selfies while filming Our Girl in South Africa. Stunner: Truly putting to bed the rumours of trouble in the romance, the star gushed lovingly about how beautiful he finds the star - both with and without make-up Our Girl: The situation was only worsened by a previous story from New! magazine that claimed the Heart presenter was concerned when fans linked Michelle to her handsome actor Ben Aldridge, who Michelle stars alongside in the upcoming drama Mark however insisted he was the one to suggest she left the eye-popping diamond at home due to the huge sentimental value of the jewel. The situation was only worsened by a previous story from New! magazine that claimed the Heart presenter was concerned when fans linked Michelle to her handsome actor Ben Aldridge, who Michelle stars alongside in the upcoming drama. Michelle had innocently shared a group picture with some of the cast at their read through which was captioned: Me and some of the boys at our cast read through for Our Girl 2! X But a representative for Mark told MailOnline: 'It's a completely fabricated and made up story written by people desperate for content.' Stephen Belafonte has finally broken his radio silence on his divorce battle with Mel B, insisting that he will fight for custody of his kids. The 41-year-old American producer has been embroiled in a toxic battle with the former Spice Girl since she filed for divorce on March 20 after 10 years of marriage. Having cited 'irreconcilable differences', the Leeds native, also 41, has since been granted a temporary restraining order against Belafonte, alleging a litany of abuse throughout their marriage. Scroll down for video Having his say: Stephen Belafonte has finally broken his radio silence on his divorce battle with Mel B, insisting that he will fight for custody of his kids (Pictured holding daughter Madison alongside step daughters Angel, nine, and Phoenix, 18 in 2015) Now talking to the Sunday Mirror about the divorce battle, Stephen has admitted that he is ready to fight for his children after Mel asked for full custody of their five-year-old daughter Madison. He told the publication: 'They are the only things that matter to me.' Although declining to give his version of events, he vowed that his children were the only thing that were important to him during this time. He divulged: 'Im going to have to get off the phone because family court frowns on that. It is in the hands of my lawyers, My kids are the only thing that matter to me.' Despite having daughter Madison with Mel, he also acted as step-father to her two other girls, Phoenix Chi, 18, from her relationship with Jimmy Gulzar and nine-year-old Angel with film star Eddie Murphy. Ready: The 41-year-old American producer has been embroiled in a toxic battle with the former Spice Girl since she filed for divorce on March 20 after 10 years of marriage (Pictured together in 2016) The LA native also is father to 13-year-old Giselle, who he welcomed with former partner Nicole Contreras. His frank admission comes after lawyers for Mel B have been granted a court order barring her estranged husband from releasing any sex tapes or photos of the America's Got Talent. The order was issued in court on Friday after Mel claimed the nanny Belafonte allegedly got pregnant while she worked for the couple was holding the sex tapes hostage, TMZ reports. New documents filed by Mel's lawyers claim that when she left their home after filing for divorce last month, Belafonte locked 12-15 boxes filled with his estranged wife's possession in a storage facility in Los Angeles. The boxes contain photos of her deceased father and her Spice Girls memorabilia. Stepping out: Mel B stepped out in Los Angeles on Friday as her lawyers got a court order barring her estranged husband Stephen from releasing sex tapes or photos of the ex-Spice Girl Belafonte has allegedly refused to reveal the location of the locker, which is being held under the name Lorraine Gilles - the German nanny accused of having an abortion following an affair with him. 'He [Stephen] has admitted to me that our former nanny, Lorraine Gilles, maintains possession and control over the media such that I could never have anyone locate the tapes so as to obtain and destroy the same,' Mel claims in the court documents. 'I believe that Lorraine Gilles and [Belafonte] are acting in concert to deprive me of my personal belongings by either destroying or disseminating said belongings.' Mel's lawyers argued in court that Belafonte has been threatening to release the tapes to destroy her reputation and career. In the past: Mel filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years last month. They are pictured above in 2015 with her daughters Angel (left) and Phoenix Chi (right) as well as their child together, Madison The judge ordered Belafonte not to release any sexually explicit material of his estranged wife, but he has not yet ruled on Mel's request for him to turn over the location and combination of the locker held in Gilles' name. Meanwhile Belafonte claims in court documents filed Friday that his wife blindsided him with the allegations he was trying to extort her with the sex tapes, TMZ reported on Friday night. His lawyers say he was close to settling their court issues before Mel brought up the allegations when she surprised him with a request for a restraining order. Mel made explosive allegations about their former nanny in court papers when she filed for divorce from the producer last month. Back then: Mel B claimed in court papers that the nanny Belafonte allegedly got pregnant, Lorraine Gilles, was holding the Spice Girls' sex tapes hostage in a storage locker in LA She claimed Belafonte got Gilles pregnant and even suggested 'all three [of them] live together' with the new baby. The nanny was paid allegedly 'paid $300,000' to have an abortion, according to the filing. The papers also included a catalogue of abuse against Mel allegedly at the hands of Belafonte over their decade-long marriage, according to TMZ. She claims Belafonte's alleged abuse included 'punching' and 'choking' her, 'splitting her lip' and 'pushing her down on a carpet'. Worrying: Court papers filed previously included a catalogue of abuse against Mel allegedly at the hands of her husband during their decade-long marriage In the papers, Mel claims that Belafonte also forced her to 'participate in sexual intercourse with him and random women.' The former Spice Girl suggests that during their marriage, she was coerced into trysts that he secretly recorded and later used as ammunition against her, threatening to release as sex tapes 'if she tried to resist the threesomes'. He is also alleged to have shown his wife little sympathy as her beloved father Martin lost his battle with cancer. TMZ claim the film producer allegedly told her to 'Suck it up. If he's going to die, he's going to die.' Then: Lorraine Gilles, pictured with Mel's husband Stephen Belafonte, is the nanny identified in court papers submitted by the former Spice Girl as she divorces him Happier times: Mel B's lawyers argued in court that Belafonte has been threatening to release the tapes to destroy her reputation and career Concern: Mel's appearance on the X Factor back in 2014, sparked concern among fans with Belafonte taking to Twitter to deny he was a 'wife beater' Stephen denied his estranged wife's claims, telling TMZ on camera: 'I haven't heard these allegations. You know what my comment on this is, as this is the mother of my children? 'I'm really really distraught my brain how this is going to affect our children (sic), and the depths that she's gone to. That's it. I'm shocked at those allegations and that's what it is. 'I think someone's set me up to look like a bad guy. Obviously you saw my house got raided and nobody found anything. It's accusation after accusation. But we'll have our day in court. 'And we have children. If anyone knows our children, we have beautiful children. They're on social media. Why do this? 'We were friends two weeks ago. And now all of a sudden the team gets around and now it's got to be this.' Belafonte filed his official response to her divorce petition this week and has asked that she pay his lawyer's fees. The film producer is asking for spousal support, the documents show, although no figure is stated. The filing also reveals the former couple disagrees on their separation date - him claiming it was March 1 and she December 28. Season three of The Bachelorette is set to begin filming soon and as fans continue to speculate who the next star will be, Keira Maguire has jokingly thrown her hat into the ring. The 2016 Bachelor babe took to Instagram on Sunday where she complained about single life before joking to fans that she hopes to find love on this year's Bachelorette. A meme shared by the 31-year-old read: 'Me: why is everyone together and I'm single ... Also me: declines every date, takes 3-5 business days to reply, never smiles, cannot parallel park.' Scroll down for video Joking around: Keira Maguire, 31, took to Instagram on Sunday where she bemoaned single life before telling fans in jest that she hopes to find love on this year's Bachelorette She captioned the image: 'Except I Always Smile & I am an Amazing Parallel Parker .... Totes going to be Bachelorette 2017 #justsaying.' Fans instantly began asking whether or not she was serious. '@keiramaguire Are u going to go on the Bachelor? Again,' one follower wrote. Not happily single: Keira shared this meme with her Instagram followers Slender beauty: Keira was a breakout star on The Bachelor last year Undateable? Earlier this year, the stunning blonde declared herself undateable after a tucker trial on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here saw her eat a slice of pizza topped with algae, chicken hearts and liver paste Another fan excitedly declared: 'year made if she becomes bachelorette 2017.' Earlier this year, the stunning blonde declared herself undateable after a tucker trial on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here saw her eat a slice of pizza topped with algae, chicken hearts and liver paste. 'I'm never going to get a boyfriend again,' she moaned. 'I'm never going to get a boyfriend again,' she moaned The Bachelorette speculation comes days after fellow I'm A Celebrity star Tegan Martin, 24, was forced to deny whispers that she will be returning to reality TV as the star of this year's Bachelorette. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, the former Miss Universe Australia hit back at claims she was in talks with producers to front the Channel 10 dating show, which is currently in its final stage of casting. 'I'm flattered they would want me to be in that position. But I am definitely not going to be the next Bachelorette as I have a partner and I'm very happy,' she said. 'I am definitely not going to be the next Bachelorette as I have a partner and I'm very happy': Tegan Martin, 24, denied whispers that she will be returning to reality TV as the star of this year's Bachelorette Indeed, the blonde bombshell was seen kissing and cuddling her boyfriend Sam Croke late last month as they enjoyed a date at Coogee beach. When quizzed about how her boyfriend reacted to the Bachelorette rumours, Tegan said: 'He's great about it, he just says, 'Babe, all publicity is good publicity.' Keeping in the headlines? When quizzed about how her boyfriend reacted to the Bachelorette rumours, Tegan said: 'He's great about it, he just says, 'Babe, all publicity is good publicity' Rumour mill: Last month, the same publication reported that former Miss Universe was in talks with the producers of the show 'He knows what the industry is like and he's not jealous at all and that is so attractive to me because when you have the amount of attention that I have in this industry, you need someone supportive and he's just perfect. Last month, the same publication reported that former Miss Universe was in talks with the producers of the show. But her representative Benji Hart denies such possibility stating the blonde beauty is 'still very much in love' with her current beau rugby player Sam Croke and 'would not be appearing' on the show. She's found her Mr Right! But her representative Benji Hart denies such possibility stating the blonde beauty is 'still very much in love' with her current beau rugby player Sam Croke and 'would not be appearing' on the show A Network Ten spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Australia's next Bachelorette has not yet been chosen, and casting is currently underway.' 'We look forward to announcing her identity to the public later this year.' Meanwhile, fans of the dating show format are gearing up to watch Georgia Love's jilted ex Matty Johnson embark upon his stint as the Bachelor. Talk of a Downton Abbey movie has been circulating for months. However, the show's most prolific star Dame Maggie Smith has no interest in taking the TV hit to the big screen. During an on-stage interview at the British Film Institute (BFI) on Saturday, the 82-year-old admitted she believes a Downton Abbey movie would be a step too far for the hit period drama. Scroll down for video Not enthused: Dame Maggie Smith admitted she believes a Downton Abbey movie would involve 'squeezing' the hit period drama 'dry' in an on-stage interview at the BFI on Saturday Dame Maggie brought the witty Dowager Duchess to life over six series of the period drama, which proved a bankable success in the United States. Speaking at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival in London, Dame Maggie snubbed the rumoured movie, saying: 'I think it's squeezing it dry, do you know what I mean?' The Harry Potter star, who boasts decades of experience on stage and screen, told a riveted audience that she also thinks the acclaimed series' complex and long-running plotlines are too 'meandering' to work in a 90 minute silver screen format. She added: 'I don't know what it could possibly be. It's too meandering.' Not reprising the role: The octogenarian legend does not see herself reprising her role in show creator Lord Julian Fellowes' film adaptation - unless she is in a coffin Words of wisdom: The Harry Potter star, who boasts decades of experience on stage and screen, told a riveted audience that she also thinks the acclaimed series' complex and long-running plotlines are too 'meandering' to work in a 90 minute silver screen format And even if Lord Julian Fellowes' film adaptation goes ahead, the octogenarian legend does not see herself reprising her role - unless she is in a coffin. Dame Maggie added: 'I could croak it, and it would just start with my body.' The star also discussed the incredible level of recognition the series to which the series exposed her, despite already having enjoyed a long and successful career. International success: The star also discussed the incredible level of recognition the series to which the series exposed her, despite already having enjoyed a long and successful career Dame Maggie explained that while she was happy to sign autographs for excited children who thought she was Professor McGonagall, her Harry Potter alter ego, she was less pleased by selfie requests from excited, adult, Downton fans. The star said: '(Children) are charming. Truly. If they want an autograph or photograph - fine. It's the big people who should know better.' Her other Downton stars have been much more keen on a film revival, however. Not amused: Dame Maggie explained that while she was happy to sign autographs for excited children who thought she was Professor McGonagall, her Harry Potter alter ego, she was less pleased by selfie requests from excited, adult, Downton fans Just last month Jeremy Swift, who played loyal butler Septimus Spratt, revealed news of the film's continued gestation. Speaking to ITV's Lorraine, the 56-year-old actor admitted: 'Its supposed to be filming this year but it hasnt been locked down yet.' He continued: 'And with the young ones - Michelle Dockery and people like that - have flown off into the world and are away doing American pilots and things like that... we need to get everyone together!'= Screenwriter Julian Fellowes added fuel to the fire back in January, when he told the Daily Mail 'we are all hoping it will happen', and suggested a script was in the pipeline. He said: 'It hasnt been confirmed or commissioned but we are all hoping it will happen. Thats all I know. 'Obviously I have been thinking about it because if they suddenly give the go-ahead I dont want to be completely caught standing. But I wouldnt take it as more than that.' They have put on an incredibly united front ever since they rekindled their romance last February. And Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor seemed stronger than ever on Saturday as they enjoyed a sweet lunch date in a sunny London. The beauty, 27, appeared utterly relaxed as she enjoyed a romantic stroll around Notting Hill hand-in-hand with her beau, 30 - who proceeded to feed her frozen yogurt during their lunch date later on. Scroll down for video Besotted: Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor seemed stronger than ever on Saturday as they enjoyed a sweet lunch date in a sunny London The designer kept things casually chic for the outing in loose-fitting ripped jeans and a delicate lace camisole top. Millie fully embraced the weather by flashing plenty of sun-kissed skin in the spaghetti strap top, before adding trendy rounded shades to heighten the summery vibe. Leaving her hair loose and adding simple Converse trainers to her feet, the former Made In Chelsea star seemed more than comfortable as she strolled around the city hand-in-hand with her man. The lick of love! After a year together, the pair proved their feelings were as strong as ever as they began to feed each other ice-cream while they soaked up the sunshine Meanwhile Hugo matched her sunny exterior in a loose-fitting checked shirt and shorts as the duo stopped for frozen yogurt during their outing. After a year together, the pair proved their feelings were as strong as ever as they began to feed each other ice-cream while they soaked up the sunshine. Hugo and Millie appeared completely infatuated with each other - having recently returned from a holiday to Dubai together. Jet-setters: Hugo and Millie appeared completely infatuated with each other - having recently returned from a holiday to Dubai together (above) Hugo had jetted to the location alone to promote his newest Taylor Morris sunglasses collection, but Millie had sweetly surprised him by arriving a few days later. However the pair have now returned to London where they are no doubt spending plenty of quality time in their new apartment together. The beauty took to her Instagram page in February to inform her 1.3million followers that she has moved in with her boyfriend of one year. Reunited: Millie first dated Hugo in 2011 on Made In Chelsea, yet their relationship was brutally cut short when she discovered he slept with her best friend Rosie Fortescue Millie shared a snap of the couple from the Fashion Film cocktail party, sponsored by River Island - adding the caption: 'My roomie'. Millie first dated Hugo in 2011 when they first made their names on E4 show Made In Chelsea, yet their relationship was brutally cut short when she discovered he slept with her best friend Rosie Fortescue. The heiress had previously been married to rapper Professor Green for two-and-a-half years, before they divorced in February 2016. Alex Mytton has been spotted getting close to a mystery blonde while his girlfriend Lottie Moss was nowhere to be seen yet Tweeted about her choice in men. The 26-year-old Made In Chelsea star, who has been dating supermodel Kate's sister since October last year, had enjoyed an all-day drinking session with Gary Lineker's son George before hitting Raffles nightclub on Thursday. Following what appeared to be a heavy day, the famous pair continued the party into the wee hours as Alex was spotted placing his hand on the stunning blonde's derriere as they reportedly headed back to his Chelsea home. Scroll down for video Too close? Alex Mytton has been spotted getting close to a mystery blonde while his girlfriend Lottie Moss was nowhere to be seen Alex appeared to have an extremely eventful day on Thursday as he hopped around his resident west London to hit up an array of trendy hotspots. Kicking off the festivities, the reality star joined his pal George at MIC hotspot The Bluebird Cafe before heading to The Phene pub while rounding out the night at Raffles - a club Alex frequents with girlfriend Lottie. As they hopped into a cab at the end of the night, the handsome star was spotted with a stunning blonde who wowed in leather trousers and a crop top. Appreciative Alex appeared to grope her posterior before he later headed home alongside George and another stunning blonde while piling into the apartment to round out the heavy day of partying. Up close and personal: The 26-year-old Made In Chelsea star, who has been dating supermodel Kate's sister since October last year, had enjoyed an all-day drinking session with Gary Lineker's son George before hitting Raffles nightclub on Thursday Homeward bound: Following what appeared to be a heavy day, the famous pair continued the party into the wee hours as Alex was spotted placing his hand on the stunning blonde's derriere as they reportedly headed back to his Chelsea home Out out: Alex appeared to have an extremely eventful day on Thursday as he hopped around his resident west London to hit up an array of trendy hotspots Cheeky! As they hopped into a cab at the end of the night, the handsome star was spotted with a stunning blonde who wowed in leather trousers and a crop top Hometime? Appreciative Alex appeared to grope her posterior before he later headed home alongside George and another stunning blonde while piling into the apartment to round out the heavy day of partying Rounding it out: Earlier on, George and Alex appeared bleary-eyed while larking around outside a pub after which the duo sat on the floor while George later slumped against a lorry Earlier on, George and Alex appeared bleary-eyed while larking around outside a pub after which the duo sat on the floor while George later slumped against a lorry. While Alex was out on the town, Lottie took to Twitter to pen: 'Genuinely shocked and worried about my capability of picking men x'. Alex's representative declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. Lottie's spokespeople have been contacted. Last month, Lottie and Alex were seen in the midst of a shouting match after his 'drunken behaviour' at a nightclub event, with an emotional Lottie overheard screaming, 'It's done' as he was ejected from the bash. Worried: While Alex was out on the town, Lottie took to Twitter to pen: 'Genuinely shocked and worried about my capability of picking men x' Say when... MailOnline has contacted representatives for Alex and Lottie for comment Trouble in paradise: Last month, Lottie and Alex were seen in the midst of a shouting match after his 'drunken behaviour' at a nightclub event, with an emotional Lottie overheard screaming, 'It's done' as he was ejected from the bash Off we go: The group seemed in happy spirits as they continued the party Hands on: The images will no doubt devastate Lottie Gentleman George: The superstar offspring held a door open for one of the revellers Up up and away: George seemed to struggle to keep his trousers aloft despite sporting a belt Off we go: The group appeared to be having a wonderful night That was then: Video content shows Lottie wiping away tears on the dancefloor before things escalate and she is seen telling Alex to leave the party, at the doors Video content shows Lottie wiping away tears on the dancefloor before things escalate and she is seen telling Alex to leave the party, at the doors. According to a source speaking to MailOnline the reality star arrived at the venue by himself at 6.30pm already 'very drunk' and was forced to drink two bottles of water by security before they would allow him into the venue. A source told MailOnline: 'Lottie arrived around 7.30pm and they had a huge fight at the bar soon afterwards. Alex was very inebriated and kept trying to pick Lottie up... 'Both of their sets of friends were trying to calm Alex down and sober him up. She walked away from him with friends crying about 8.30pm and went to the girls' toilet. Taxi! According to a source speaking to MailOnline the reality star arrived at the venue by himself at 6.30pm already 'very drunk' and was forced to drink two bottles of water by security before they would allow him into the venue Upsetting:A source told MailOnline: 'Lottie arrived around 7.30pm and they had a huge fight at the bar soon afterwards. Alex was very inebriated and kept trying to pick Lottie up...' Sad times: 'Both of their sets of friends were trying to calm Alex down and sober him up. She walked away from him with friends crying about 8.30pm and went to the girls' toilet' Upsetting: 'Alex continued to pursue Lottie, grabbing her and trying to put his arm around her but she wasn't impressed. They had another big fight about 9.30pm and Alex was removed from the venue' All well: Later on Sunday, a representative for Alex insisted that the couple were 'very much together,' in spite of the volatile argument. They had a boozy row but they are still very much together. Lottie has flown to New York on a modelling job today [Sunday]' Childish: 'I like to go and get hammered and I behave like a child,' he continued. 'So she has to look after me' Age gap: In a recent interview with Closer, Alex spoke about the couple's age gap which is indeed sizable, as he said: 'She's young too. She's seven years younger that me but it's weird because she is more mature than me' 'Alex continued to pursue Lottie, grabbing her and trying to put his arm around her but she wasn't impressed. They had another big fight about 9.30pm and Alex was removed from the venue. 'Lottie came to the door to tell Alex to go home, before shouting: "Leave, you need to sort it out... No Alex! I'm done, it's done"'. Later on Sunday, a representative for Alex insisted that the couple were 'very much together,' in spite of the volatile argument. They had a boozy row but they are still very much together. Lottie has flown to New York on a modelling job today [Sunday].' Boozy: The moments leading up to Alex Mytton's antics have been revealed, as the star was pictured on an all-day drinking session with George Lineker on Thursday Al fresco: The reality star was seen slumped on the ground during his boozy day out with Gary Lineker's son George Two's company: Inside the Bluebird, Alex had been seen chatting animatedly with a pretty brunette, leaning in close to catch her every word Intense: The star seemed enthralled by the conversation they were having Cosy: The pair were chatting away animatedly on the outing Loving life: He seemed in great spirits on the outing Out and about: The bleary-eyed reality star had been enjoying a day at MIC hotspot The Bluebird Cafe before he ended up resting on the pavement with his pal Fun in the sun: The pair were seen making the most of the warm weather All together now: They were joined by a host of pals on the night Steady on: One friend placed a supportive hand on George's shoulder Off he goes: Alex was seen heading away from the bar as he continued his night out Loving it: The group huddled up close as they spoke outside the bar Two of a kind: After leaving the upmarket eatery and bar, George was seen propping himself up by a nearby removal truck That's pants! George was seen dropping his head whilst his trousers were pulled down to expose the top of his underwear Drinks up: Alex continued to keep the drinking going as he rested by a delivery trucj Spirited: The pair seemed full of energy on the outing Look out: The duo waved their friend over to join them on the night Round two: After the Chelsea hotspot, Alex and George headed to The Phene pub while rounding out the night at Raffles - a club Alex frequents with girlfriend Lottie Chirpy: The duo were seen talking with door staff before heading inside All in: The group were let in by the doorman as they continued the drinking session Cosy: George wrapped an arm around his pal's shoulder as they huddled outside In a recent interview with Closer, Alex spoke about the couple's age gap which is indeed sizable, as he said: 'She's young too. She's seven years younger that me but it's weird because she is more mature than me. 'I like to go and get hammered and I behave like a child,' he continued. 'So she has to look after me'. In February, Alex was forced to take to Instagram with a rather grovelling Valentine's message, after presumably leaving girlfriend Lottie Moss unimpressed with his 'drunken antics'. The Made In Chelsea star posted a snap of the model's recent Bvglari campaign, joking that she 'hated him right now'. 'Happy Vals day to this absolute banger!! @lottiemossxo! She hates me right now for being a complete p**s head last night but it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without some form of hatred/argument would it!' Alex wrote in the sweet post from the city's trendy meatpacking district. All smiles: A great time seemed to be being had by all Down he goes: Gary rested on the ground outside the bar Negotiations: The pair were seen chatting to the bouncer as they debated whether to head inside or move on with the evening Moving on: The duo were spotted heading away from the upmarket bar Cosy: George chatted to a female companion who joined them on the trip Fun times: The guys seemed in great spirits as they chatted outside Looking on: Their female companion didn't seem best pleased by the goings on Cheers! The trio seemed to be sharing just the one beer between them on the night Graham Norton's ex-boyfriend has claimed the star's desperation for fame was the reason behind their split. Scott Michaels, 52, who dated the chat show host, 54, for five years, believes the star sacrificed love to further his career, but insisted there are no hard feelings between the pair. He told The Mirror: 'I dont miss being in Grahams world but I have no doubt his determination to be famous ended our relationship.' Scroll down for video Split: Scott Michaels, 52, (L) dated Graham Norton, 54, for five years, but believes the star sacrificed love to further his career (pictured the year of their split in 2000) Scott split from the Irish presenter in 2000, after five years of dating and having moved to London from America. The couple fought for 18 months to get Scott a visa, as they had to gather testimonials and evidence to have their relationship recognised by the Home Office. The attraction between the pair was instant, with Graham revealing in his autobiography that they sneaked off to an alley to have sex on the day that they first met in 1996. Single: Scott and Irish presenter Graham split in 2000, after five years of dating and after Scott had moved to London from America to work on their relationship However, as Graham's career began to flourish, Scott admitted that a strain began to form within their relationship. 'I got upset that he was the one being loved by everyone and getting invited to exciting things,' he explained. 'There were long days and nights when he just wasnt around.' Scott - who runs a celebrity gravestones tour in Los Angeles - admitted that in his desperation to stop the relationship falling apart, he booked the pair in for couples counselling. Battle: The couple fought for 18 months to get Scott a visa, as they had to gather testimonials and evidence to have their relationship recognised by the Home Office Despite his efforts, the romance was not to be, and the pair went their separate ways, with Scott moving back home to Los Angeles. The pair ended things amicably, even teaming up to sell kiss-and-tell stories on Graham, which earned Scott 7000. Explaining why he went along with it, Graham later told The Independent: 'For fun. Not enough people have sold stories on me. They should, because there are some awfully good ones out there.' The tour operator admitted that they have been in contact since, however, as he received a sweet email from the star after he learned of the death of his mother. Exhausted all options: Scott - who runs a celebrity gravestones tour in Los Angeles - admitted that in his desperation to stop the relationship falling apart, he booked the pair for counselling Scott added that he was concerned Graham could struggle to find a new man if his career continues to come first. He explained: '[Graham] might find someone he likes but the difficult part is finding someone who will fit into his lifestyle.' MailOnline have contacted Graham's representatives for comment. Concerned: Scott added that he was concerned Graham could struggle to find a new man if his career continues to come first Graham's last serious relationship was in 2015 with marketing consultant Andrew Smith. Speaking a year after the split, he admitted he was yet to move on with another man, explaining: 'Ive been on dates But Im not dating anybody.' The revelation came after he admitted during a chat with his Radio 2 show co-presenter Maria McErlane that he would prefer to live alone for the rest of his life. He asserted: 'You have your own rules as you get older. I would prefer to live alone for the rest of my life rather than live with towels that were folded incorrectly. 'Petty is important. Thats why marriages break up. Marriages dont break up because of big things.' Their convoluted relationship has left fans scratching their heads. And Marnie Simpson is only set to confuse things further as she took to Instagram on Sunday to share an adoring tribute to her ex-boyfriend Lewis Bloor, with whom she is on platonic holiday to Dubai. The 26-year-old Geordie Shore star shared a snap, in which many fans believed them to be naked, as she revealed the trip was designed to 'salvage a friendship' although she insisted they have not got back together. Scroll down for video Out and a pout: Marnie Simpson is only set to confuse things further as she took to Instagram on Sunday to share an adoring tribute to her ex-boyfriend Lewis Bloor, with whom she is on platonic holiday to Dubai Marnie and Lewis embarked on a romance after their appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in August last year, and enjoyed a number of dates and holidays together since leaving the Borehamwood mansion. However their relationship was rocked when footage emerged of the Essex hunk kissing another girl in bed, after a wild night out on Valentine's Day. Marnie took to Twitter to confirm their split hours after the clip emerged, writing: 'Didn't really want the whole country to know but looks like that didn't last long . Happy Valentine's Day to me. U f***ing scumbag.' After many public woes, the couple appear ready to reconcile their friendship as Marnie shared the sweet selfie of swimsuit-clad former couple. Better days... The 26-year-old Geordie Shore star shared a snap, in which many fans believed them to be naked, as she revealed the trip was designed to 'salvage a friendship' although she insisted they have not got back together She added a caption on the snap reading: 'What a lovely holiday I've had. Dubai has been amazing and exactly what I needed a long break after everything this year... 'Just to set the record straight this was a holiday for me and lewis to get away from all the stress and salvage some sort of A Friendship. A friendship we lost along the way. We're not back together and that's not what this holiday was about... 'It was to talk and get to a good place again as we both have big places for each other in our hearts and despite the hard times and damage we still have a bond like no other and always have a great time in each other's company... 'Even if it's just as Mates, and that wont change regardless of our situation, Just because we're not a couple doesn't mean we don't love other as I think we always will deep down, I'Thank you Dubai you've been the cure PS . We both have A BATHING SUIT ON'. Oh dear... Last month, Lewis confirmed to The Sun that he cheated on the star during their romantic trip to Barcelona in September, yet in a statement to MailOnline, the stunner denied claims she 'deserved' the treatment Last month, Lewis confirmed to The Sun that he cheated on the star during their romantic trip to Barcelona in September, yet in a statement to MailOnline, the stunner denied claims she 'deserved' the treatment. The former TOWIE star previously batted off her claims that he sneaked out of bed on their first ever couple holiday to hook up with another woman - yet his latest revelation illustrates the reports are true. In the wake on the split, Marnie took to Snapchat to reveal she was contacted on Instagram by Lewis' secret holiday flame who revealed she did "everything but, in the hours after he waited for Marnie to fall asleep to sneak out. With the claims seemed so bold they appeared to stun fans, it seems the couple's cheerleaders will be further bewildered to discover the story was true - although Lewis denies there was anything but kissing. Happier times: The former TOWIE star previously batted off her claims that he sneaked out of bed on their first ever couple holiday to hook up with another woman - yet his latest revelation illustrates the reports are true Speaking to The Sun, Lewis explained: 'Wed been out in Barcelona and I couldnt sleep, Marnie was asleep in the hotel, and Im thinking: "F*** this, I dont wanna be in this relationship". 'So I went down to the beach and at 5am as the sun was coming up there were a couple of girls down there who I got talking to and I ended up kissing one of them. 'We went back to their room to have a little party, we ended up kissing in bed but that was it, anything about us almost having sex is rubbish.' After lashing out at her ex, Marnie later admitted they had formed a friendship ahead of their trip to Dubai. She's enjoying a blossoming new romance with disgraced former policeman Dean Gibbs. And Cheryl Maitland, 25, appears to be more smitten than ever with the former drug dealer. The Married At First Sight star was pictured cuddling up to her beau on Instagram on Sunday, as he affectionately placed his hand on her thigh. Scroll down for video Smitten: Cheryl Maitland, 25, certainly appears to be enjoying the honeymoon phase of her relationship with former drug dealer Dean The happy couple looked smitten as they posed side-by-side in the loved-up snap. '[love] this one,' she captioned. The busty reality TV star showed off her famous assets in a plunging lace halter dress and nude figure-hugging skirt. Content: Last month, the Melbourne tradie told Daily Mail Australia that he and Cheryl are on cloud nine Dean, 30, kept it casual in a black T-shirt and jeans as he proudly clutched his stunning girlfriend. Last month, the Melbourne tradie told Daily Mail Australia that he and Cheryl are on cloud nine. 'Cheryl and I are very happy together,' he said. Loved-up! Cheryl shared another beaming snap with Dean last week The couple, who recently went Facebook official, often share loved-up snaps on social media. Last week, Channel Nine personality Cheryl shared a particularly loved-up snap of the couple, captioning the cute snap: 'days like this make me miss you more.' In the image, the busty bombshell from the Gold Coast cuddled up alongside Dean at Melbourne's popular Japanese restaurant Mr. Miyagi. Missing you! The 25-year-old Gold Coast beauty captioned the cute snap 'days like this make me miss you more' As is often the case, the beauty exposed her very ample assets in a nude-coloured halterneck gown. Meanwhile, Dean exposed his cursive neck tattoo and a glimpse of his ripped chest in a tidy blue button-up. The convicted drug dealer turned licensed plumber turned to face Cheryl, an undeniably smitten expression plastered upon his stubbly face. Much better! The personality's Instagram followers flocked to support the new couple, with many believing the ex-con was a much better match Better than Andrew! 'Looks more a gentleman than that other joker,' one fan commented, referencing her disastrous relationship with Andrew on Married At First Sight Likewise, his reality star girlfriend offered the kind of smile that would appear extremely hard to fake. After a disastrous on-screen relationship with TV 'husband' Andrew on Married At First Sight, the personality's Instagram followers flocked to support the new couple, with many believing the ex-con was a much better match. 'Looks more a gentleman than that other joker,' one fan said. Sentenced: Dean was sentenced to a year in prison for drug trafficking, which was wholly suspended for two years, and initially faced up to 15 years in jail Picking up on the plumber's undeniable happiness, another offered: 'So happy for you! Loving the way he looks at you.' Dean was sentenced to a year in prison for drug trafficking, which was wholly suspended for two years, and initially faced up to 15 years in jail. Responding to criticism when news of her beau's past broke, Cheryl shared an Instagram message: 'I think it needs to be said that everyone is their own person and can do as they please and if it has no direct impact on your life then shut the f*** up and keep your opinion to yourself. She is a wildly successful swimwear designer. And Elizabeth Hurley proved she is her own best advertisement on Sunday as she took to Instagram to share a stunning slow-motion video in which she larked around on the beach in a leopard print bikini. The 51-year-old actress looked incredible in the clip in which she frolicked around, while the camera effect meant that every inch of her frame was highlighted. With her toned body and ageless beauty, Elizabeth certainly doesn't need to recruit the services of other models to advertise her eponymous swimwear line. Instead the ageless beauty keeps her social media feeds clogged with stunning snaps as she strips down to various states of undress. On Thursday, she took to Instagram once again to share yet another clip of herself - this time looking sensational in a skimpy white bikini. In the GIF, she is seen blowing kisses at the camera as she stands on the golden sands of a tropical beach while wearing the barely-there, bejewelled number, which she revealed has been named for her 'beautiful friend' Elle Macpherson. Wahey! Elizabeth Hurley proved she is her own best advertisement on Sunday as she took to Instagram to share a stunning slow-motion video in which she larked around on the beach in a leopard print bikini Playing around: The 51-year-old actress looked incredible in the clip in which she frolicked around, while the camera effect meant that every inch of her frame was highlighted Jumping around: With her toned body and ageless beauty, Elizabeth certainly doesn't need to recruit the services of other models to advertise her eponymous swimwear line Unsurprisingly, the show-stopping upload racked up more than 10,000 likes in just two hours as hordes of fans gushed over the stunning images. On Tuesday, the brunette beauty treated fans to another seductive beach snap, showcasing her impressive figure in a plunging navy swimsuit. The 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. Lip service: Elizabeth shared a clip of herself blowing kisses at the camera while wearing a skimpy white bikini on Thursday Name: In an accompanying caption, the British beauty revealed that she named sizzling two-piece - from her eponymous swimwear line - for her supermodel pal Elle Macpherson 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. Looking good: On Tuesday, she treated her fans to another seductive beach snap, showcasing her impressive figure in a plunging navy swimsuit The screen star pouted in the snap which showed off her pert bust in a skimpy tangerine halterneck bikini top. Elizabeth 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. Ahoy there! Earlier this week, the star looked sizzling in the saucy selfie as she posed in a tiny tangerine bikini top 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. The mum-of-one has been enjoying spending some quality time with her 15-year-old son Damian recently. Elizabeth shared a touching selfie with Damian on Monday with the pair enjoying a long country walk together. Mother and son time! Elizabeth shared another selfie, this time taken during a long country walk with her 14-year-old son Damian 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 had a six-week break from EastEnders following 'concerns' about his behaviour. But now Danny Dyer has reportedly ditched boozing and partying with his pals after his break and has knuckled down to work on the soap's Elstree set instead. The Sunday Mirror reported that the 39-year-old is also spending more time with his family after the mother of his three children, Jo Mas, 'cracked the whip'. Scroll down for video Back on track? EastEnders star Danny Dyer, 39, has reportedly ditched boozing and partying with his pals after his break and has knuckled down to work on the soap's Elstree set instead The feisty actor recently returned to work after more than a month away in South Africa. He has also returned to his 39-year-old partner of 25 years, Jo Mas. The couple have three children together - Danni, 18, Sunnie, 10, and three-year-old Arty - and a friend OF Danny's told the paper the star was told he needed to knuckle down and focus by Jo. Back home: The fiesty actor recently returned to work after more than a month away in South Africa (pictured with his wife Joanna Mas, in March 2016) The friend said: 'It's outrageous, we haven't seen Danny for ages. He's gone very quiet. He doesn't see us anymore because he's so focused on EastEnders. 'He said he couldn't do any more partying like he used too.'. The pal said Jo had 'cracked the whip'. Lasting love: Jo and Danny have three children together - Danni, 18, Sunnie, 10, and three-year-old Arty - and a friend Danny's told The Sunday Mirror Jo told the star he needed to knuckle down Danny, who plays Mick Carter, is set to return to screens in June after a shock short-term exit from the show. The Queen Vic landlord was written out of the soap temporarily when he received a call that his daughter Nancy had been hit by a car in Bulgaria. She had been injured during a holiday with her boyfriend Tamwar; and naturally, Mick was on the next flight to be by her bedside, along with son Johnny. Gone for a while: The Queen Vic landlord was written out of the soap temporarily when he received a call that his daughter Nancy had been hit by a car in Bulgaria And although a dose of South African sunshine appears to be exactly what the star needed, some EastEnders fans have found the storyline behind Danny's brief exit frustrating. Fans either seemed to be devastated by the actor's forthcoming absence or found the whole scenario funny, knowing what was going on with Danny in real life. 'Still laughing at the rushed tacked on for Danny Dyer. You can see it wasn't even rehearsed!' one person remarked on Twitter. 'They had to think of a quick exit!' someone else chimed in. 'What was that random scene on EastEnders tonight with Danny Dyer! I know he is having a break but really how random!' came a third Twitter user. But fans may be appeased later, as the star is set to return and is apparently hard at work at getting his scenes in top shape. Back at it: Fans may be appeased later, as the star is set to return and is apparently hard at work at getting his scenes in top shape They arrived in France earlier this week to begin filming the sixth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise. And Tom Cruise and Sean Harris embarked on a particularly exciting day on Saturday, as they teamed up to shoot a chaotic car chase on the streets of Paris. The famous 54-year-old, known for performing all of his own stunts, was seen behind the wheel of an old-fashioned BMW as he tore round Bercy for the daring scenes - with Sean, clad in a strait-jacket, joining him in the front seat. Scroll down for video Follow that car! Tom Cruise and Sean Harris shot a chaotic car chase on the streets of Paris for Mission Impossible 6 on Saturday Tom, who has taken the lead in the five other Mission Impossible films, looked back to his best as he embarked on the dramatic scenes with ease. Clad in his character's trademark dark bomber jacket and jeans combo, the actor looked effortlessly cool as he wandered the set and smiled at fellow crew members between takes. Later getting back to business, he was seen performing a number of stretches before taking to the wheel and shooting the car chase for the action flick. Like a pro: Tom, who has taken the lead in the five other Mission Impossible films, looked back to his best as he embarked on the dramatic scenes with ease Casual: Clad in his character's trademark dark bomber jacket and jeans combo, the actor looked effortlessly cool as he wandered the set Gearing up: Later getting back to business, he was seen performing a number of stretches before taking to the wheel Tearing around the Paris streets, the episode is then made more exciting for fans after the car appears to collide en route - causing the bonnet to fly open. Only adding to the drama was Harry Brown actor Sean Harris, who then emerged from the broken down vehicle in a strict strait jacket, adding to the excitement. The Top Gun star will reprise his role of special agent Ethan Hunt in the newest installment, due for release in 2018. Dynamic duo: Embarking on the action-packed chase, the pair begin to tear around the streets of Paris in an old-fashioned BMW Oops: However the episode is then made more exciting for fans after the car appears to collide en route Dramatic: Only adding to the drama was Harry Brown actor Sean Harris, who then emerged from the broken down vehicle in a strict strait jacket, adding to the excitement It's getting hot in here! Sean kept hydrated while in his bulky strait-jacket outfit as he sipped on water between takes While most details of the new film remain unknown, it has been reported thrill-seeker Tom will perform the biggest stunt seen to date in his career. Skydance Media CEO David Ellison told Collider: 'What Tom is doing in this movie I believe will top anything thats come before. It is absolutely unbelievablehes been training for a year. 'It is going to be, I believe, the most impressive and unbelievable thing that Tom Cruise has done in a movie, and he has been working on it since right after Rogue Nation came out. Its gonna be mind-blowing.' Comeback kid: The Top Gun star will reprise his role of special agent Ethan Hunt in the newest installment, due for release in 2018 Big moment? While most details of the new film remain unknown, it has been reported thrill-seeker Tom will perform the biggest stunt seen to date in his career Mystery: Skydance Media CEO David Ellison told Collider of his big stunt: 'It is absolutely unbelievablehes been training for a year' Hot stuff: Tom later removed his jacket as he filmed scenes in the blazing sunshine Although the original Mission Impossible is now 21 years old, the Oscar nominee hardly looks any different from then, making him still the top man for the job. However Tom and Sean star in the film alongside a whole host of other big names, including Alec Baldwin, Superman star Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg and The Crown's Vanessa Kirby. InTouch Weekly reported earlier this year that Tom was instrumental in casting stunning co-star Vanessa for the role, after seeing her on The Crown. Big names: Tom and Sean star in the film alongside a whole host of other big names, including Alec Baldwin, Superman star Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg and The Crown's Vanessa Kirby He's a fan: InTouch Weekly reported earlier this year that Tom was instrumental in casting stunning co-star Vanessa for the role, after seeing her on The Crown Leading man: Although the original Mission Impossible is now 21 years old, the Oscar nominee hardly looks any different from then, making him still the top man for the job A source told the magazine that 'Tom flipped for her work' on Golden Globe-winning series, where she played Princess Margaret. 'He told the other MI producers that he had to have Vanessa for a crucial role in the franchise's sixth instalment,' the insider added. 'He's blown away by her endless charm and energy.' As well as Paris, filming is also set to take place in London and New Zealand. He recently confirmed that he suffered a heart attack in January. But Antonio Banderas, 56, looked the picture of health as he attended a church ceremony with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 37, in Malaga on Sunday. Taking part as a penitent in the Lagrimas and Favores brotherhood in a Palm Sunday procession, the Spanish actor seemed in good spirits on the outing. Scroll down for video Happy and healthy: Antonio Banderas, 56, looked the picture of health as he attended a church ceremony with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 37, in Malaga on Sunday He seemed delighted to be by Nicole's side during the ceremony, pulling her in for a quick kiss. The Spy Kids star was dressed traditionally for the outing in white robes, whilst Nicole opted for a demure dress and cardigan. The outing came shortly after Antonio revealed that he had three stents implanted to widen the narrowed arteries in his heart after the scare in January. Pucker up: He seemed delighted to be by Nicole's side during the ceremony, pulling her in for a quick kiss Demure: The Spy Kids star was dressed traditionally for the outing in white robes, whilst Nicole opted for a demure dress and cardigan Cheerful: Taking part as a penitent in the Lagrimas and Favores brotherhood in a Palm Sunday procession, the Spanish actor seemed in good spirits on the outing He also admitted he had suffered heart rhythm problems before being rushed to hospital near his Surrey home while exercising. The Desperado star confirmed: 'I suffered a heart attack on January 26. It was a benign attack, it hasn't caused any permanent damage and now I'm in a recovery period. 'It's something that happens every day to a lot of people. I didn't hide it, but I didn't want it to receive more importance than those suffered by other people.' On the mend: The outing came shortly after Antonio revealed that he had three stents implanted to widen the narrowed arteries in his heart after the scare in January Chirpy: The star seemed in great spirits on the outing as he chatted with the others Attributing his problems to the stress he had put his body under for almost four decades with his work commitments and constant travelling between his bases in the States and his native Spain, he said: 'I'm now reviewing a lot of things.' Antonio sparked further concern last month when it emerged he had travelled to a medical centre in Geneva to treat reported chest pains. He later insisted he had made the visit as part of a routine check-up. MasterChef's George Calombaris recently made headlines when it was revealed he underpaid staff at his Melbourne restaurants by a whopping $2.6 million. And according to The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday, former staff of the TV personality say they weren't underpaid by mistake, contrary to claims stating otherwise. They say they had to work upwards of 50 hours a week, without overtime and correct penalty rates and that the company simply turned a blind eye to what was happening. Scroll down for video Feeling the heat! According to The Sydney Morning Herald , former staff of TV personality George Calombaris insist that they weren't underpaid by mistake According to one worker, staff were put on salary so Made Establishment could avoid forking out any extra costs to staff and skip overtime. 'Managers were always rostered on a Sunday to avoid penalty rates,' they said. Another added: 'From my perspective, I find it very hard to believe it was accidental' and that staff were still not getting paid overtime. Speaking up: According to one worker, staff were put on salary so Made Establishment could avoid forking out any extra costs to staff and skip overtime The Sydney Morning Herald reports Made Establishment denied the claims, and that the Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating. Meanwhile, Channel Ten has rubbished claims that Masterchef's ratings could suffer due to the underpayment scandal. The network stood by its star chef, arguing that 'it is ridiculous and illogical' for the 38-year-old's payment troubles to affect the ratings of the long-running show, news.com.au reported. George's Made Establishment was advised by the Fair Work Ombudsman more than 18 months ago that 162 staff across three Melbourne restaurants were being underpaid. 'It is ridiculous and illogical': Channel Ten rubbishes claims that Masterchef will be impacted by scrutiny of judge George Channel Ten told News Corp Australia that the George had the 'full support' of the network, adding that the restaurateur was already taking steps to rectify the underpayments. 'George Calombaris and his team at Made are dealing with the incorrect payments made to employees to ensure every affected employee receives their full entitlements,' a spokesperson said. Media analyst Steve Allen also told the website he didn't believe Masterchef would suffer because of George's underpayments. Supported: Channel Ten told News Corp Australia that the George had the 'full support' of the network He cited the controversy around My Kitchen Rules' judge Pete Evans and his paleo lifestyle, which have not impacted the Channel Seven show's ratings. 'It would have been a disaster in a couple of weeks or during the early run of MasterChef Australia 2017 but it has been well handled by expediting it now,' Steve said. George was forced to apologise after his restaurant business underpaid staff by a whopping $2.6 million. George's Made Establishment was advised by the Fair Work Ombudsman more than 18 months ago that 162 staff across three Melbourne restaurants were being underpaid. But underpaid staff had to wait until Monday to receive their full entitlements. Paying up: MasterChef host George Calombaris (pictured) has been forced to apologise after his restaurant business underpaid staff by a whopping $2.6 million The business, which confirmed the underpayments through internal and external analysis, put the matter down to 'historically poor processes.' George told staff he was 'devastated by what had happened' and 'was so sorry we have messed up and let you down'. 'We received a heads-up from FWO [Fair Work Ombudsman] more than 18 months ago, which should have resulted in us fixing our systems sooner,' he said in an email to staff on Monday. 'Regrettably, our attention to detail at that time wasn't at a level it should have been but we now have a CEO and Human Resources Manager in place, supported by good processes and systems to properly support the business. Employed: Some of the underpaid staff were employees of Melbourne restaurant Gazi (pictured) Another venue: Of the 162 staff who were underpaid a total of $2.6 million, some were employees of Hellenic Republic (pictured) 'We are truly sorry for the impact this has had on our incredibly hard-working, talented and dedicated staff.' Staff affected were employees of Made Establishment restaurants The Press Club, Gazi and Hellenic Republic, while those at the group's chain Jimmy Grant's were not impacted. In the same email, the chief executive of Made Establishment and the board of directors said the business should have acted quicker to rectify the issue. 'Regrettably, concerns around our payroll system were brought to the business's attention more than 18 months ago by the Fair Work Ombudsman and further investigation by us at this time should have uncovered the problem and allowed the business to act with more speed and focus to sort it out,' the email said. The business also said about half the affected team members were found to have been paid a higher base salary than they were entitled to but all employees had not receive overtime payments owed. Those higher salaries will not be lowered, the business said. He had his first prom invite rejected. But that didn't stop Sacramento teen Albert Ochoa from attending his high school prom - he simply reached out to Kylie Jenner instead. The high school junior became an instant legend among his peers on Saturday night when he surprised them all by turning up at Rio Americano's prom with the reality star hanging on his arm. 'You go dude!' Kylie Jenner accepts rejected teen's invite to high school prom... making him an instant legend 'Imagine rejecting a prom date & the guy that asked you takes Kylie,' his friend Humberto wrote on Twitter. 'Shout out to Albert Choa for that comeback.' 'You go dude!' added another friend. Videos shared online showed the moment the handsome teen walked into the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento, California with the brunette beauty, causing total chaos. As his fellow students flooded social media with incredulous reports of the 19-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashian star's presence, Albert took her onto the balcony for a slow dance. It's Kylie! The high school student became an instant legend among his peers on Saturday night when he surprised them all by turning up at Rio Americano's prom night with the reality star hanging on his arm Real deal: The pair were being filmed by the reality star's ever-present cameras, for a future episode of KUWTK It's Kylie! The teens were mobbed as they walked into prom together As his gaping pal's watched and Snapchatted from below, he strutted his stuff with the beauty, who wore his white floral corsage on her arm. And it seemed his celebrity guest made Albert an instant legend at his school. Even his first choice of date - who turned him down - seemed to be having regrets. Her sister Syd Duhney wrote on Twitter: 'kylie jenner for reals went to rio prom tonight with the guy my sister turned down.' And she explained her sister hadn't disliked Albert, but rather: 'she turned him down bc it was her friends older brother but STILL.' 'What a dude!' As his fellow students flooded social media with incredulous reports of the 19-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashian star's presence, Albert took her onto the balcony for a slow dance Newly single Kylie had certainly made an effort for the big night, having skipped her own prom after dropping out of high school to be home schooled. Dressed in a pink satin dress, slashed to the waist, the teen was the very vision of a prom princess. She posted a Snapchat of her outfit as she relaxed aboard a private jet on the way to Sacramento, accompanied by her ever trusty BFF Jordyn Woods. And that's how you do prom: As his gaping pal's watched and Snapchatted from below, he strutted his stuff with the beauty, who wore his floral corsage on her arm Having a few regrets: Albert had been turned down for prom by his first choice of date The pair were being filmed by the reality star's ever-present cameras, for a future episode of KUWTK. While he didn't post to social media himself, Albert reposted a series of videos and congratulatory comments on his page. 'Kylie is at our prom!' The high school students flooded social media with comments On Sunday, Kylie was back on social media with a sultry shot of herself posing with damp tousled hair and a gray top pulled down over one shoulder. The teen also modeled black sweatpants with red stripes and put on her best pout for the camera as her hair fell over one eye. She didn't identify where she was but the location appeared to be the back entrance to a commercial building. Working it: On Sunday, Kylie was back on social media with a sultry shot of herself posing with damp tousled hair and a gray top pulled down over one shoulder Out and about: She also shared more Snapchat shots of herself riding in a car with BFF Jordyn She won for Best Actress for her role in Dreamgirls. So it's no wonder Amber Riley was beaming as she hit the red carpet at the Olivier Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London on Sunday. The 31-year-old star made a showstopping appearance in a blue sequined gown before slipping into a bright red chic number. Scroll down for video Winner! Amber Riley was all smiles as she won Best Actress for Dreamgirls at the Olivier Awards on Sunday Showstopper! The 31-year-old stunned in a blue sequined gown as she made her grand entrance at the ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London The former Glee star flashed her ample decolletage in the eye-catching dress which included a see-through cutout panel. She wore her silky raven tresses in soft curls which flowed effortlessly past her shoulders. Amber added extra sparkle to her floor-length number with Aspreys Rose Petal earrings, Ribbon Ring and pave diamond ring. Iconic! Amber won for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls which kicked off in November 2016 and will wrap in October 2017 at The Savoy Theatre in London Brilliant in blue! The multi-talented star stood out from the crowd in the floor-length beaded gown with sheer neckline The Dancing With The Stars alum opted for a smokey matte eye with thin black liner, rosy blush and pale pink glossy lip. Amber currently stars in Dreamgirls which kicked off in November 2016 and will wrap in October 2017 at The Savoy Theatre in London. She's cast as the role that won Jennifer Hudson an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her portrayal of Effie Smith in the 2006 musical drama. Sheer beauty! Amber flashed her ample decolletage in the eye-catching dress which included a see-through cutout panel Honored! The former Glee star made a showstopping appearance at the star-studded ceremony where she won her award Amber co-stars alongside Liisi LaFontaine who plays Deena Jones and Asmeret Ghebremichael as Lorrell Robinson. Dreamgirls is also up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Adam J Bernard, Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Costume Design and Best New Musical. The Let It Shine co-host and other cast members are set to perform at the awards ceremony. Picture perfect! The Dancing With The Stars alum posed with the other cast members of the Dreamgirls musical Flawless! The raven haired beauty opted for a smokey matte eye with thin black liner, rosy blush and pale pink glossy lip and added sparkle with Aspreys Rose Petal Earrings Amber recently performed a song from the production last December at the Royal Variety Performance in London in the presence of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Dreamgirls originated on Broadway and opened in December 1981 at the Imperial Theatre. It won six Tony Awards from 13 nominations and star Jennifer Holliday, 56, won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Powerful performance: Amber currently stars as Effie Smith in Dreamgirls which kicked off in November 2016 and will wrap in October 2017 at The Savoy Theatre in London Exciting entertainment! The Let It Shine co-host and other cast members are set to perform at the awards ceremony; pictured December 2016 Modelling is the family business. And it's clear Kaia Gerber will follow in Cindy Crawford's footsteps, with the teen looking her mother's double as she relaxed in St Barts with her family on Sunday. It was hard to ignore the striking resemblance between the 15-year-old and her superstar mom, who once dazzled in similarly red hot suit back in the nineties. Second generation stunner! Kaia Gerber clearly takes after mom Cindy Crawford, appearing like the spitting image of her supermodel parent while vacationing in St Barts Flashback: It was hard to ignore how much the 15-year-old beauty looked like her supermodel mama Cindy, especially from the model's classic 1992 exercise tape cover Kaia rocked her scarlet swimsuit with model poise, embracing the suit's retro glamour as she splashed and took a dip in the ocean. In her flashback inducing ensemble, the new face of Marc Jacobs fragrance appeared nearly identical to her mom's early nineties look from her popular exercise tape. The supermodel offspring's clearly takes after her mother, showing off finely arched brows and camera-ready cheekbones that could only be an intergenerational gift. Already a pro! The new face of Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance rocked her scarlet suit with model poise, clearly not ruffled by the waters Fun and games: Still a kid, Kaia enjoyed the waters with some girlfriends as the splashed and laughed together At the beach, mom Cindy proved that she's still as stunning as ever, sporting a blue bikini that perfectly showed off the 51-year-old's timeless body. Husband Rande Gerber - co-founder of Casamigos Tequila - was there also, taking in the sun and sand while wearing a pair of swim trunks and ditching his shirt to get a tan. Still a kid, Kaia had fun playing around in the ocean with some girlfriends, even climbing atop one pal's shoulder for a piggyback ride while beaming. Timeless: Cindy still looked stunning at 51, showing off her lean form in a blue bikini Beauty from both sides! Kaia's also attractive father Rande Gerber joined them on vacation, looking trim in swim trunks and no shirt It's clear that Kaia's got what it takes to be one of fashion's next It Girls. The Los Angeles-born beauty signed with IMG Models back in 2015 - when she was a mere 13-years-old. Her first job was even earlier, first stepping in front of the camera for Young Versace at the age of 10. And Kaia isn't Cindy and Rande's only beautiful baby. Son Presley, 17, has also done his fair share of modeling, appearing in Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana's men's fashion week presentations. She broke down in tears on TOWIE this week when she was told her chances of having a baby naturally would be limited. But Gemma Collins put her worries aside to put on a stunning display on the way to filming for her Easter Ball. The 36-year-old was certainly the hostess with the mostest as she brought a touch of Hollywood to the Essex pavement, strutting along in vertiginous ebony heels and looking healthy and glowing. Scroll down for video Bringing the sunshine: Despite her heartbreaking news Gemma brought the sunshine in a yellow kimono dress teamed with killer heels Her curvaceous figure, honed from her recent weight loss, was draped in a sunshine yellow belted kimono dress with silver detailing. The reality star's platinum locks were styled in a bouffant bouncy blow dry with her sparkling eyes hidden behind Jackie Onassis style shades and a beaming smile on her face. Gemma made sure she took a walk on the wild side as the cheery hue of her dress descended into sex kitten with a leopard print detail on the hem. Smile: Gemma flashed her pearly whites at waiting snappers as she headed to TOWIE filming for her Easter Ball Breezy: Gemma made sure she took a walk on the wild side as the cheery hue of her dress descended into sex kitten with a leopard print detail on the hem. A bronzed Essex spray tan with a natural glow and peachy lip gloss set off the summery look. Proving there were no sour grapes between the pair, Gemma's ex Charlie King made a dapper addition to the party at the Old Regents Ballroom in Corringham, Essex. The 31-year-old looked suave as he posed up in a navy fitted shirt teamed with a grape tartan jacket. He completed the look with azure skinny jeans and matching trainers. Friendly relations: Gemma's ex Charlie King also posed up for waiting snappers in an eccentric tweed jacket teamed with a navy fitted shirt and skinny jeans Read more: Looking good: Charlie looked casual, cool and a bit preppy as he made his way to the glittering reality show extravaganza After her heartbreaking baby news, Gemma appeared on Loose Women, discussing her struggle to have a child and the crippling loneliness she feels. She vowed that 'nothing will stop me' in her quest to become a mother, admitting that her best friend has now offered to be an egg donor after discovering her plight. Gemma had previously revealed that she's been making great efforts to become a mother - by slowly shedding weight to boost her fertility. She's made a name for herself in one of the raunchiest shows on television. But Game of Thrones star Charlotte Hope perhaps didn't mean to reveal quite so much of herself as she arrived at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London on Sunday evening. The stunning actress suffered an accidental nip slip as she hit the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington in a very daring white dress. Stunning star: Game of Thrones star Charlotte Hope perhaps didn't mean to reveal quite so much of herself as she arrived at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London on Sunday evening Charlotte, who played Myranda in the global hit GoT, looked gorgeous in her white gown. But the plunging neckline and the fact she decided to go braless meant the star flashed a little more than she wanted when she turned to the side. British actress Charlotte is busy making a name for herself on stage and screen. As well as her small role in GoT, she has appeared in the 2014 Oscar nominated film The Theory of Everything, while last year she starred in Buried Child on stage in London. Oops: The stunning actress suffered an accidental nip slip as she hit the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington in a very daring white dress Harry Potter And The Cursed Child leads the nominations for this year's Olivier Awards with a record breaking eleven nods, the most ever for a new West End play. The sold out plays nominations include best director, best new play and outstanding achievement in music. In the best actor category, Jamie Parker, who plays Potter in the sequel to JK Rowlings books, is up against Buried Child actor Ed Harris, Travesties star Tom Hollander and six-time winner Sir Ian McKellen who received his Sheridan Smith has been nominated for best actress in a musical for her role in Funny Girl and paid tribute to her father, who died in December from cancer when she heard the news. Rising star: British actress Charlotte is busy making a name for herself on stage and screen, playing Myranda in the global hit GoT Former Labour MP Glenda Jacksons role in King Lear sees her up for her first Olivier since 1984 in the best actress category. Jackson will go up against former Doctor Who actress Billie Piper, who has received rave reviews for her performance in the title role of Yerma, The Glass Menageries Cherry Jones and Hedda Gablers Ruth Wilson. In the musical categories, Groundhog Day, which opened on Broadway last month, has received eight nominations while Andrew Lloyd-Webber, as a composer, collects three nods for three separate shows, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar and School Of Rock The Musical. Julian Bird, executive producer of the Olivier Awards said: In a year of global change, the nominees for this years awards demonstrate London theatres ability to challenge our perceptions, stir our emotions, and entertain us. From new British plays and musicals, to reinventions of well-known titles, the Oliviers proudly celebrate an extraordinary range of acting and creative talent. She reached the final of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing last year. And Louise Redknapp, 42, danced her way onto the red carpet for the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London, on Sunday. The TV queen turned heads when she put her eye-popping cleavage on display in a floral gown at the star-studded event. Scroll down for video Busty! Louise Redknapp put her ample assets on display in daringly low floral dress neckline on the red carpet for the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London, on Sunday The WAG - who married Jamie Redknapp in Bermuda in 1998 - stunned onlookers with the daring V-cut neckline of the glamorous gown which teased her ample assets. But that wasn't all Louise was revealing on the red carpet as the stunning dress - decorated with intricate flowers - showcased her phenomenal figure. On trend, the Strictly Come Dancing finalist teamed the floral dress with a matching mini cape. The mother looked every inch of glamour as she sashayed down the steps in her stylish attire. What a tease: The TV queen stunned onlookers with the daring V-cut neckline of the glamorous gown which teased her ample assets Letting her hair down, the London native wore a tousled look as her brunette locks cascaded down her shoulders in a sea of curls. She opted for defty smoky-eyed makeup and a light pink lipgloss finish which brought out the colour of the flowers on her gown. Not to take any attention away from her outfit, she carried a simple black clutch bag filled with all of her must have items for the glitzy night out. Exposed: But that wasn't all Louise was revealing on the red carpet as the stunning dress - decorated with intricate flowers - showcased her phenomenal figure Eye catching: The footballer's wife opted for defty smoky-eyed makeup and a light pink lipgloss finish which brought out the colour of the flowers Harry Potter And The Cursed Child leads this year's Olivier nominations with eleven nods, the most ever for a new West End play. The sold out plays nominations include best director, best new play and outstanding achievement in music. In the best actor category, Jamie Parker, who plays Potter in the sequel to JK Rowlings books, is up against Buried Child actor Ed Harris, Travesties star Tom Hollander and six-time winner Sir Ian McKellen who received his Sheridan Smith has been nominated for best actress in a musical for her role in Funny Girl and paid tribute to her father, who died in December from cancer when she heard the news. Showstopper! The Always & Forever hitmaker was joined on the red carpet by other high profile celebrities including Game of Thrones' Charlotte Hope and Claire Sweeney Former Labour MP Glenda Jacksons role in King Lear sees her up for her first Olivier since 1984 in the best actress category. Jackson will go up against former Doctor Who actress Billie Piper, who has received rave reviews for her performance in the title role of Yerma, The Glass Menageries Cherry Jones and Hedda Gablers Ruth Wilson. In the musical categories, Groundhog Day, which opened on Broadway last month, has received eight nominations while Andrew Lloyd-Webber, as a composer, collects three nods for three separate shows, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar and School Of Rock The Musical. Co-written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, who is up for best director, The Cursed Child is also nominated for best set design, best lighting design, best costume and best sound. Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione in the play, is shortlisted for best actress in a supporting role while the productions choreographer, Steve Hoggett, is also nominated. In the best supporting actor category, Anthony Boyle, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, will face competition from Rafe Spall who is nominated for his performance as sinister Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler. It was a message fit for a queen. Saturday, The Princess Bride lead Cary Elwes sent a touching birthday greeting to co-star Robin Wright for the starlet's 51st birthday. The English actor sent his wishes with a darling flashback Instagram of him and the on-screen Princess, which he captioned, 'Happy Birthday Robin. You were a princess when we met, and now you're lovelier than any queen.' Scroll down for video Royal wishes: Cary Elwes took to Instagram on Saturday to share his birthday wishes to The Princess Bride co-star Robin Wright, who turned 51 on Saturday Once upon a time, the duo played star-crossed lovers Westley and Buttercup in the 1987 action-adventure-romance-comedy classic. In the image, Cary looks handsome and fresh-faced while Robin dons her iconic red dress from the feature. Besides the thespians, you can see a chair reserved for director Rob Reiner. The London-born talent invited his followers to 'join me in wishing her the very best' while tagging the actress. Crushing co-stars: Both stars admitted they swooned over each other while filming The Princess Bride, which the birthday girl said 'obviously' added to their 'on-screen chemistry.' Above, Robin is pictured at the 2016 Emmys (l) while Cary is seen in March in LA (r) Disappointingly, the House Of Cards starlet did not respond to her former co-star online. Elwes hasn't been shy about his crush on the Dallas-born beauty. In 2014, the Twister star wrote a memoir about the making of famous film which was titled As You Wish. In the book, he recounted his first meeting with the then 21-year-old Texan. 'It was as if I were looking at a young Grace Kelly, she was that beautiful,' he wrote. On set confessions: Wright confessed she was 'smitten' with the English actor while Elwes said meeting Robin was like 'looking at a young Grace Kelly'. 'I couldn't concentrate on much of anything after that first encounter with Robin,' the star continued. It seemed that the feeling was mutual. 'I was absolutely smitten with Cary,' Wright confesses in the book, 'So obviously that helped our on-screen chemistry.' The Princess Bride celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall. Billie Piper was in tears when she was announced Best Actress while Harry Potter and the Cursed Child worked its magic to scoop an impressive nine winning titles at the 2017 Olivier Awards on Sunday. The Best Actress looked the belle of the ball in a glamorous cocktail style gown when she accepted her award at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London. Pleased as punch, the 34-year-old actress had a winning smile as she triumphantly showed off her trophy in the winners room at the star-studded event. Scroll down for video Revealed: Billie Piper won Best Actress as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child scooped NINE awards at the 2017 Olivier Awards, the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London, on Sunday The West End success was noted for her show-stopping performance in Yerma at London's tiny Young Vic theater. The sold-out show tells the story of a desperate woman who desires a child and goes to unthinkable lengths that are not without consequences. The proud mum - to eight year-old Winston James, and four-year-old Eugene Pip - who played the leading female role thanked her children as she accepted the award. She's a winner! The Best Actress looked the belle of the ball in a glamorous cocktail style gown when she accepted her award Cosy: (L-R) Denise Gough, Best Actress winner Billie and Andrew Garfield posed in the winners room at The Olivier Awards 2017 She said: 'This doesn't really mean anything to them at the moment, but maybe it will one day.' Speaking backstage in the press room the giddy star gushed: 'Before they announced it I couldnt feel my hands and feet. The competition is so tasty and you never know which way its going to go, so I didnt want to be presumptuous.' She paid tribute to double Academy Award winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson, who she beat to the prize, saying: 'Glenda is so awesome, so I dont think she minds too much.' Meanwhile Sheridan Smith - 35, for Funny Girl at the Savoy theatre - lost the Best Actress in a musical title to Amber Riley for Dreamgirls at the same theatre. The Funny Girl star had dedicated her fourth Olivier Award nomination to her late dad Colin after he died from cancer last year. Cosy: Sheridan Smith (pictured R with Ruth Wilson L), who dedicated her fourth Olivier nomination to her late dad Colin, lost out to Amber Riley for Best Actress in a musical But it was the sold-out West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that stole the show. The highly sought after play won an astounding nine awards including best actor, supporting actor and sound. Nominated for 11 different awards, the J.K Rowling adaption worked its magic on the night. Magic: Dressed up to the nines Jamie Parker was delighted when he was named Best Actor for his leading role in West End success Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Team spirits: Jamie and Noma Dumezweni, who played Hermione Granger in the same play, congratulated each other on their awards Jamie Parker was named Best Actor for his role as Harry Potter while Anthony Boyle, as Scorpius Malfoy, and Noma Dumezweni, as Hermione Granger, were named as the best supporting actor and actress respectively. John Tiffany was announced as the Best Director as the production was named best new Virgin Atlantic play. Gareth Fry also was credited for best sound, Katrina Lindsay was named for best costume design and Christine Jones scooped Blue-i Theatre Technology award for best set design. All smiles: Tracy-Ann Oberman (L-R), Noma, with co-star Anthony Boyle and Amanda Holden Winners Room were in high spirits as they enjoyed each other's charming company Pleased as punch: Christine Jones was happy when she was annouced as the winner of Blue-i Theatre Technology best set design Meanwhile, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour running at the National Theatre won best comedy. It tells the coming-of-age story of Catholic girls who arrive in the small town of Edinburgh, Scotland with twenty four hours to kill. Rotterdam was credited for its excellence as it won the Affiliate Theatre award. The play running at Trafalgar Studios 2 tells the story of girl who wants to come out as a lesbian and her girlfriend who wants to start living as a man. Win: Mark Wigglesworth donned a black tuxedo complete with a bow tie when he accepted his outstanding achievement in opera Olivier for his role of conducting Don Giovanni and Lulu Statement: Preeya Kalidas (L), looking glamorous in a glitzy beige gown, and Mark posed in the winners room Best opera was handed to the London Coliseum production Akhnaten - which takes audiences back to ancient Egypt as the narrative tells the fate of the Divine ruler in a dramatic three-act show. Mark Wigglesworth looked very dapper in a black tuxedo complete with a bow tie when he accepted his outstanding achievement in opera Olivier for his role of conducting Don Giovanni and Lulu. The highly anticipated Oliviers celebrate the best of London theatre, opera and dance. Star-studded event: The highly anticipated Oliviers celebrate the best of London theatre, opera and dance She tied the knot with Tom Ackerley at a secret ceremony in December in Byron Bay. And now a magazine has claimed that Margot Robbie, 26, is 'expecting her first child' and may have been 'pregnant at the wedding'. According to NW magazine an insider told the publication: 'It's so exciting - although she's not really showing yet, so not many people have cottoned onto the news.' Maybe baby? Reports have surfaced that Margot Robbie, 26, is 'expecting her first child' and may have been 'pregnant at the wedding'. 'Given how far along we think she is, there's definitely a chance she was [pregnant] at the wedding. We're expecting an announcement any day now.' In the past, The Wolf of Wolf Street actress has been very open of her love for children admitting: 'I want tons of children. I grew up in a family of four [kids], so that sounds like a good number. And according to the insider, Margot is very clucky. Pregnant at the wedding? An insider said: 'Given how far along we think she is, there's definitely a chance she was [pregnant] at the wedding. We're expecting an announcement any day now.' They added: 'Margot's always going on about how cute Tom's nieces and nephews are and she hates having to to give them back. She's totally clucky and beyond ready [for her own].' Daily Mail Australia have contacted her management for comment on the claims. The Critics Choice award-winner has completely thrown herself into work since marrying boyfriend of two years Tom in Byron Bay late last year, working on I Tonya - a biopic about disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding. The role saw her wear around 9kg of padding, which would easily hide any signs of pregnancy. Clucky: They added: 'Margot's always going on about how cute Tom's nieces and nephews are and she hates having to to give them back. She's totally clucky and beyond ready [for her own].' The smitten couple first met in 2013 on set of Suite Francaise and have been together ever since. She previously shared her plans to relocate back Down Under when the couple have children. 'He loves Australia ... he says, 'I don't know why anyone leaves Australia,'' she told The Project last year. US-made armoured vehicles bearing markings of the US Marine Corps are seen on a road north of Raqa in northern Syria on March 27, 2017 At least 15 civilians, including four children, were killed in a suspected US-led coalition airstrike on Saturday near the Islamic State group's Syrian bastion Raqa, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17 people were injured in the strike on Heneyda, and that the death toll could rise further because several of the wounded were in serious conditions. The Britain-based group said the strike was suspected to have been carried out by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Heneyda is around 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of the city of Raqa, the target of a major operation led by a Kurdish-Arab alliance of fighters and backed by the US-led coalition. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have for months been advancing towards the city in the north of the country, hoping to encircle it before launching a final assault. Map of the Raqa region of Syria showing areas controlled by the IS group and the positions of US-led forces Its forces last month seized the Tabqa military airport from IS, and have entered the complex of the key Tabqa dam, after being airlifted behind jihadist lines by US forces. They continue to battle for the town of Tabqa, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Raqa, with clashes ongoing on Saturday, the Observatory said. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson pictured during his joint press conference with his Greek counterpart on April 6, 2017 after their meeting at Athens' Foreign Ministry Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow next week, his office announced Saturday, saying "developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally". "My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April," said Johnson, who was due to travel to Moscow on Monday. "We deplore Russias continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians," added Johnson. He then called on Russia to do "everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated". "I discussed these plans in detail with Secretary Tillerson," Johnson said, adding that the US foreign minister would still visit Moscow as planned following the G7 meeting to "deliver that clear and co-ordinated message to the Russians." Johnson expressed his support to the United States on Friday after it fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat airfield near Homs in central Syria. The move was in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun earlier in the week which killed at least 86 people according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Russia, one of the main backers of the Assad regime alongside Iran, condemned the US strike, denouncing a "flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression". "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," Tillerson said in a clip from CBS' "Face the Nation" The top priority for the United States in Syria is to defeat the Islamic State group even before stabilizing the country, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says. Defeating the group and its self-proclaimed caliphate would eliminate not only a threat to the US but to "the whole stability in the region," Tillerson told CBS television's "Face the Nation" program in an excerpt released Saturday. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," Tillerson said in a clip made public on the eve of the Sunday talkshow's air time. "Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria," he said. "We're hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions." The former ExxonMobil chief executive noted that holding such talks would require the participation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime along with its allies. He narrowed his focus on key Damascus ally Moscow, with whom Washington has particularly frosty relations. "We're hopeful that Russia will choose to play a constructive role in supporting ceasefires through their own Astana talks, but also, ultimately, through Geneva," Tillerson said. "If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe -- we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process." The top US diplomat insisted he had no concerns about possible Russian retaliation following an unprecedented US strike on a Syrian airfield this week. "The Russians were never targeted in this particular strike," Tillerson said. "It was a very deliberate, very proportional, and very targeted strike undertaken in response to the chemical weapons attack. And Russia was never part of the targeting." Daria Kasatkina of Russia, seen in action during the Australian Open, in Melbourne, in January 2017 Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko will both be battling for a first WTA title when they meet in the final at Charleston on Sunday. Latvia's Ostapenko out-lasted 11th-seeded Croatian veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, while Russia's Kasatkina rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Germany's Laura Siegemund. "It's nice. Finally I made the final," Kasatkina said. "Don't know what will happen tomorrow. Never have been in the final. So we will see." After dropping the opening set, Kasatkina dominated the rest of the match, reeling off one run of nine games before converting her fourth match point after two hours and 20 minutes. Siegemund took a medical timeout in the third set for treatment on her right thigh and said a pair of lengthy matches took a toll on her. Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko will be playing in her third career singles final at Charleston, having lost in the title matches at Quebec in 2015 and at Doha last year "I just couldn't move anymore. The week is a long week, and I'm a really fit player but she just started giving me no pace at all," Siegemund said. "I just started to miss here and there like this, my serve started to go down. Very frustrating for me because I was playing really well and it was like someone unplugging my energy." Ostapenko, who ousted former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals, will be playing in her third career singles final, having lost in the title matches at Quebec in 2015 and at Doha last year. Ostapenko survived eight double faults, but converted seven of her 13 break point chances against Lucic-Baroni. Ostapenko, who like Kasatkina is 19 years old, had to conquer her own emotions to get past Lucic-Baroni after failing to take advantage of her chance to serve out the match in the second set. Lucic-Baroni produced a welter of winners to break Ostapenko for 5-4 and held on to force the third set. "I actually was quite emotional in the second set when I was 5-3 up and I couldn't finish the set, but she liked when I was emotional," Ostapenko said. "It kind of gave her confidence till then. "In the third set I was just trying to be calm because I think it was tougher for her because I didn't show any emotions, and it helped me, so I won the third set." Michael Douglas produced "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the first movie in 40yrs to sweep the "big five" Oscars, best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay Their once rocky relationship is closer than ever, but Michael Douglas has revealed dad Kirk still harbors one grudge -- being snubbed for his son's Oscar-winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The younger Douglas was just 29 when he earned his place among Hollywood's elite as the producer behind the first movie in 40 years to sweep the "big five" Oscars for best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. Kirk, now 100, had starred in the Broadway version and even handed the movie rights for the iconic 1975 drama to his son, but was shocked when he was passed over for the role of convict Randle McMurphy in favor of the younger Jack Nicholson. Michael, 72, told a Q&A in Hollywood on Saturday how his father's plans to adapt the moderately successful 1963 play based on Ken Kesey's novel had foundered after a number of years and he was about to sell on the rights. "I say, 'Please, Dad, don't sell the project. It's a great project. So let me take it and run with it and I'll try to get it set up as a production and for you to play the part,' and Dad said, 'Okay great,'" Douglas recalled. "Here's where Kirk's and my story digress. On his version, yeah sure, Michael gets the project, takes a year, sets it all up and doesn't cast me in the part. If he were here right now, it's the first thing he'd want to tell you." - Too old - Actor Kirk Douglas was shocked when he was passed over for the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" produced by his son Michael Douglas told Turner Classic Movies presenter Ben Mankiewicz, who was hosting a discussion on the actor's glittering career, that he remembers one key part of the story differently, insisting he wasn't to blame for his dad's rejection. "It was about 20 years since Dad did the play on Broadway, his career's changed a little bit, and our director Milos Forman was like, 'Kirk's a little old for the part.' I said 'Yeah,'" Douglas said. "Dad's version is that I rejected him. I said, 'Since when did the producer have casting control? That was the director.' It was my first time out." "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" tells the story of a felon who fakes insanity to avoid a jail term and finds himself in a psychiatric hospital in Oregon where the patients live in fear of the malevolent ward supervisor, Nurse Ratched. McMurphy is considered to be 79-year-old Nicholson's career-defining role, although Forman only considered him after trying unsuccessfully to secure Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando and Burt Reynolds. Several actresses -- including Anne Bancroft, Geraldine Page and Angela Lansbury -- were considered for Nurse Ratched, before Louise Fletcher was hired. It was the first movie since "It Happened One Night" (1934) to sweep the "big five" Oscars -- a feat that has only been matched once since, by "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). "I like to tease my father because I gave him half of our producing deal and he made more money off that movie than any movie he ever made," Douglas laughed. - 'You were terrible' - Jack Nicholson played the role of convict Randle McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," shocking Kirk Douglas who was passed over for the part Now a Hollywood icon, Michael Douglas was a TV actor -- a job considered very much less illustrious than big screen acting at the time -- on crime series "The Streets of San Francisco" when he took on his debut producing role. He went on to win another Oscar -- this time for best actor in "Wall Street" (1987) -- and became one of the most bankable stars in the world through a series of roles in cinematic hits including "Romancing the Stone," "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct." Douglas described speaking to his father, ever the taskmaster, after his very first performance, as a messenger in a college production of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," and being told: "Michael, you were terrible." "He was so relieved. He said, 'Thank God I don't have to worry about my son going into this business,'" Douglas remembered. The actor said he suffered crippling stage fright in his early years and would keep a waste basket at the side of the stage in case he needed to throw up. "Finally, a couple years later, Dad came back and he was wonderful. He was busy in his career but he saw most of my shows and he said, 'You were okay -- you were good.'" President Trump has asked advisers to be ready with a list of 'options' to put an end to North Korea's nuclear threat. Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster said on Sunday that the Commander in Chief has put his security team on notice as a U.S. carrier strike group heads for the region. He did not say what options Trump will be presented with, though many believe pre-emptive strikes will be among them. Scroll down for video Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster confirmed Trump has asked his advisers to be ready with a list of options to take out North Korea's nuclear threat McMaster's comments came as Navy chiefs confirmed that the Carl Vinson carrier strike group is being diverted to the Korean peninsula McMaster, himself an adviser to the White House, described the decision to redeploy the USS Carl Vinson to the Sea of Japan as 'prudent' given North Korea's 'pattern of provocative behavior.' Speaking to Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace about the deployment, McMaster said: 'It's prudent to do it, isn't it? 'Presidents before and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the peninsula. 'The president has asked [us] to be prepared to give us a full range of options to remove that threat.' The news comes after Trump launched cruise missiles against Assad in Syria last week, the first time the US has directly targeted the regime during the conflict. North Korea denounced Trump's attack as an act of 'intolerable aggression' and one that justified 'a million times over' its push toward a nuclear deterrent. On Saturday Admiral Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, redirected the USS Carl Vinson strike group from Singapore to an area due east of the Korean Peninsula. It is not known what measures will be presented to Trump, though many expect pre-emptive strikes to be included (pictured, USS Carl Vinson) North Korea has carried out two tests of long-range missiles this year (pictured), and is believed to be preparing for another nuclear test The Navy said the strike group 'will operate in the Western Pacific rather than executing previously planned port visits to Australia.' The moves come a week after Trump warned China that he is willing to go it alone in 'solving' the North Korea issue. While the President did not make it clear what that solution would look like, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has since insisted it does not involve removing the Kim regime. 'That is not our objective and so the whole reasons underlying the development of a nuclear program in North Korea are simply not credible,' Tillerson told ABC. He said the United States expects China, the main ally of North Korea, to do more to rein in the regime in Pyongyang. 'They have indicated that they will, and I think we need to allow them time to take actions,' Tillerson said. Kim Jong-un has said he is determined to develop a weapon capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States Trump signaled a hard-line stance against North Korea during his meeting with Chinese premier Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago last week (pictured) Asked if the development of a long-range ballistic missile would mark a red line for Trump, Tillerson said: 'If we judge that they have perfected that type of delivery system, then that becomes a very serious stage of their further development.' Xi Jinping, the Chinese premier, was at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night when Trump launched strikes against the Shayrat airbase in Syria. Tensions between North Korea and its neighbors have escalated in recent months as Pyongyang pushes ahead with its quest to develop inter-continental ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the mainland United States. Earlier this year Kim Jong-un test-fired several missiles which flew around 310 miles before dropping into the Sea of Japan. Last week the regime test-fired another missile, though it flew only around 60 miles before suffering a malfunction and exploding. Pyongyang has also staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year, and satellite imagery suggests it could be preparing for a sixth. Intelligence officials have warned that Pyongyang could be less than two years away being able to deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental United States. Deported US military veterans, swept up by changes in immigration laws, include veterans of US wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan Miguel and Esperanza Perez stood outside Chicago's immigration courthouse, clutching an American flag folded into a triangle in a gesture of respect. The flag once flew over a US military base in Afghanistan, where the couple's son Miguel Perez Jr served two tours in a Special Forces unit. The 38-year-old was now jailed, and at the mercy of an immigration judge inside the courthouse. The military veteran, a legal permanent resident, was subject to deportation after being convicted of a drug crime. Had he been a citizen, he simply would have served his prison time and been released. But now he was trying to avoid becoming one of the hundreds of US military veterans, all honorably discharged, to be similarly deported. Perez thought he had automatically become a naturalized citizen when he joined the military -- a common misconception among immigrants enlisted in the US armed forces. Enlistees qualify for expedited naturalization, but they still have to apply and go through the process. Some are unaware of the requirements, and others cannot comply -- because they are serving in foreign lands. Still others have been victims of bureaucratic bungling. Convicted in 2010 for the manufacture or delivery of more than two pounds (one kilogram) of cocaine, Perez was sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was remanded in custody by immigration authorities last year after being granted early release from prison. In Perez's case, his family hoped their son's military service would mitigate his crime and convince the judge to let him stay. "I hope today I bring home my son," Esperanza Perez said before a cluster of television news cameras outside the courthouse. "My son is my hero, is your hero." She was optimistic that the judge would consider the mental scars of war that drove her son to drug use, and the potential dangers he could face in Mexico, with its drug cartels. But it would take weeks for the judge to rule in March and for the Perezes to learn whether their son could come home. - 'Your life is over' - Deported US Army veteran Hector Barajas runs a group home in the border city of Tijuana to help other deported veterans On the other side of the US-Mexico border, Hector Barajas lives the life Miguel Perez Jr is trying to avoid. Barajas, a 40-year-old US Army veteran, was deported to Mexico in 2004. He had pleaded guilty to shooting at a car. When he first arrived in Mexico -- a country he had not seen since he was seven -- Barajas said his first thought was that his "life is over." "You have to come to grips with the reality," he said. Barajas now runs a group home in the border city of Tijuana to help other deported veterans. About 30 of them have lived there at one time or another, most in their 60s and 70s. "Part of our job here is to support them, help the guys get their IDs, help them find jobs, so that they can adjust to their lives down here," Barajas said. The vets are waging legal battles to return to the US -- a process that can take years, with no guarantee of success. "A lot of them have had a hard time coping," Barajas said. "It's very hard to accept the reality that we might be here for a very long time." US laws, perversely, allow deported veterans to return when they are dead -- for burial in a US military cemetery. - Aggravated felonies - A common misconception among immigrants enlisted in the US armed forces is they automatically become naturalized citizens on joining, but many face deportation The ranks of deportees include veterans of US wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. No one has an exact count, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has tracked down nearly 300 of them. They were swept up by changes in immigration laws, implemented in the mid-1990s, that greatly expanded the types of crimes -- known as aggravated felonies -- that trigger the mandatory deportation of legal permanent residents. An aggravated felony can be any crime of violence with a sentence of a year or more, including domestic abuse and gun possession without a permit. "It's a long list," that also includes minor drug convictions, said Evelyn Cruz, a law professor at Arizona State University and an expert on immigration law. Aggravated felonies tie immigration judges' hands. No matter the extenuating circumstances, such as military service, deportation is mandated. "An aggravated felony... is a death knell to their case," said Bardis Vakili, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU. - Perez's fate - And so it was for Perez. Weeks after his parents stood in front of the Chicago immigration court pleading for their son's release, he was ordered deported. "The thing that seems unjust to me is that he was not illegal," Miguel Perez Sr said after the deportation order. "He entered legally and had the right to citizenship." For now, the younger Perez's fate rests with elected officials -- a clemency petition with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and a request that Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, herself a veteran, intervene. Neither has indicated what they will do. With Perez still in detention, bills before Congress to help deported vets might be his last hope. So far, none has been passed into law. Thousands of liquor outlets in India were forced to closed on April 1 after a Supreme Court ruling which barred the sale of alcohol within a 500-metre (1,600-foot) range of a highway When Shailja Singh headed to her favourite bar for a post-work beer this week she found it shut, victim of a Supreme Court ruling that has stopped India's burgeoning alcohol and leisure industries in their tracks. Thousands of liquor outlets were forced to close on April 1 after the order, which barred the sale of alcohol within a 500-metre (500-yard) range of a highway. The ruling was meant to curb drink driving on India's roads, the world's deadliest, but has also shut down many bars, restaurants and hotels that serve tourists and office workers like Singh. Fortunately for the 23-year-old, only half the bar-and restaurant-filled area in Gurgaon, a satellite city of New Delhi, is affected. In a sign of the ruling's arbitrary impact, the bars that fall just outside the 500-metre range are open, meaning she won't have to go far to get a drink. The court ruling was meant to curb drink driving on India's roads, the world's deadliest, but has also shut down many bars, restaurants and hotels that serve tourists and office workers But for the businesses affected, the problem is not so easily solved. "This is one of the most regressive steps that I've seen," said one investor in a pub forced to go dry. "The prime minister is talking about improving the ease of doing business. But first tell us can we do business to begin with? What are we telling foreign investors -- overnight your investments can go?" said the investor, who asked not to be named. - No beer at Beer Cafe - Children cycle in front of a closed liquor shop near a national highway on the outskirts of Amritsar in northern India India's expanding middle class has made it a sparkling market for the alcohol industry. In 2016 India alcohol sales were worth $40 billion, making it the eighth largest market by value globally. It is expected to grow by six percent on average annually for the next four years, according to a Euromonitor International estimate. "The liquor players, the tourism industry, they all had a strategy in place when they set up their businesses and then this verdict came in," said an analyst at a Mumbai brokerage who asked not be named. "This was completely unexpected and they will have to restrategise." Share prices of listed alcohol makers have already been hit. United Spirits, which makes Black Label whisky and Smirnoff vodka in India, saw its shares fall by around nine per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange in the days immediately after the ban, despite a rising market. Hotel and bar operators have also been affected. Shahira Khan, assistant brand manager at The Beer Cafe chain of bars, said business was struggling. "Earlier on normal weekdays we would get around 200 people each day. On weekends, around 250 people would walk in. Now we are hardly getting anyone," she told AFP. "After all, why would people come in? There is no beer at The Beer Cafe." Staff at a luxury hotel in Jaipur, a popular tourist destination in northern India, said they'd had several cancellations after they were forced to stop selling alcohol because the property falls within 500 metres of a highway. The manager of the Chokhi Dhani said one group of Russian tourists were incensed when they were told they couldn't get a drink. "We tried telling them that it was a court order and we couldn't do anything about it but they were obviously not pleased," hotel manager Nupur Jain told AFP. "They complained about how it spoiled all their plans and that they'd come there to have a good time." - Highways reclassified - State governments and entrepreneurs have begun finding creative ways around the 500-metre limit. Some states like Punjab have begun reclassifying highways as local roads to escape the ban, according to media reports. Meanwhile some shopping malls and bar complexes are reportedly rerouting customers to a different entrance to increase their official distance from the road. India has the world's deadliest roads with nearly 150,000 people killed in 2015, according to the ministry of road transport and highways. Of those, 6,755 deaths were due to drunk driving. The government has proposed more stringent sanctions for drunk drivers including fines of 10,000 ($154) and a jail term. For the angry pub investor whose business has been wiped out, that is the solution. "Instead of saying the law will be more stringent on anyone caught driving drunk, you're saying let's not sell alcohol. This is like saying there are rapists out there so women should not go out," he said. "What kind of a society are we living in?" PepsiCo's ill-fated "Moments" advertising spot was quickly pulled with an apology after being vilified for trivializing the "Black Lives Matter" movement Recent high-profile advertising missteps by Pepsi and skin-care company Nivea underscored anew Madison Avenue's awkward relationship with racial diversity at a time when the United States is becoming less white. PepsiCo's ill-fated "Moments" spot, featuring model Kendall Jenner, was quickly pulled with an apology after being vilified for trivializing the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Nivea also apologized and withdrew an ad for a deodorant after its "White is Purity" pitch was embraced by white supremacists. Social media had a field day with the botched campaigns, which seemed to suggest scant progress from the white male bubble of the 1960s depicted in the popular television series "Mad Men." "Between Nivea's 'white is purity' ad and Pepsi's 'Black soda matters' ad, I think it's time to open my 'Ask a Black person' consulting firm," comedian Travon Free said on Twitter. In fact, data shows a diversity deficit in a sector that both reflects and molds public sentiment. Only 4.1 percent of advertising industry employees in the country are African Americans, well below their 13.3 percent of the overall population. Latinos account for 12.3 percent of the industry, compared with 17.6 percent of the population. Nearly half of respondents among advertising employees said the industry was "terrible" or "not great" at hiring diverse professionals, with another 25 percent describing it as "mediocre," according to a survey released last September by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. The trade group's outgoing president Nancy Hill made publicly calling out "racist and misogynistic behavior" her New Years resolution for 2017. "I have realized given the current climate in our country and our industry, that doing that privately is tantamount to condoning the behavior," Hill said in a column on a marketing industry website. "Others involved need to know that this industry does not tolerate this kind of thinking and its resulting behavior any longer." Some major advertisers, such as Verizon, General Mills and Hewlett-Packard have threatened to fire firms that aren't diverse enough. - Pepsi misfires - The demise of the Pepsi spot has especially provoked intense discussion throughout the industry. The company is led by Indian-born chief executive Indra Nooyi, a vocal proponent of diversity. A poll by PR Week showed 40 percent on respondents blamed the debacle on lack of diversity or diversity of thought, while 25 percent said it reflected an overzealous approach to attracting millennials and 13 percent blaming the fact that it was made by Pepsi's in-house creative team and did not involve an outside firm. The spot follows Jenner as she is stirred from a fashion shoot by a handsome Asian cellist to join an unspecified but peaceful street protest with people of all ethnicities, including African American street dancers. The two-and-a-half minute short film culminates with Jenner handing a Pepsi to a handsome grinning police officer, a move that draws wild applause from the crowd, including from a hijab-wearing photographer who nods in agreement as she records the moment. The spot spurred instant ridicule, most witheringly from Bernice King, who posted a picture of her father, Martin Luther King, being apprehended at a civil rights march by police. "If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi," King wrote on Twitter. - History repeating? - Kelly O'Keefe, a professor of brand strategy at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the spot was shockingly heavyhanded in its constant hawking of cola. It reflected a "cloistered view of the world and distorted view of diversity," he said, adding that the spot has dominated discussion in class this week. Jake Beniflah, executive director of the Center for Multicultural Science, thought the ad was a spoof when he first saw it because of the omnipresence of the product and in its creation of "utopian" world where every race is shown. "Perhaps they thought diversity on camera was enough, but obviously it wasn't," Beniflah said. "In fact, it backfired." For Judy Davis, a marketing professor at Eastern Michigan University, the controversy stirred memories of Barbara Gardner Proctor, one of the women she profiled in her book, "Pioneering African American Women in the Advertising Business: Biographies of MAD Black WOMEN." Proctor was fired in the 1960s from a large firm when she refused to work on a campaign that showed black women clamoring in the street for a hair product. The ad was a tasteless allusion to the civil rights movement, she said. "It was the same kind of trivialization of a serious social movement and taking that to promote some brand," Davis said. "You would think in 2017 things would be different. But here we are seeing some of the same problems that were present 50 years ago, and I think that's pretty amazing." Indonesian police personnel patrol during a raid on the home of a terror suspect in East Java province, in 2016 Indonesia's police shot dead six suspected IS-linked militants in a gunfight on Java island over the weekend, a police spokesman said on Sunday. Seven men drove up to a traffic police post on Saturday and fired shots at the officers. Nobody was injured but a car chase ensued. The seven men then abandoned their vehicle and fled into an agricultural area in Tuban, in East Java. "When the local police swept through the area, a gunshot was heard. A gunfight took place after and six of the men died," said national police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name. Police arrested one member of the group alive. Police claim the attackers were part of the of IS-linked Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) network, which has been blamed for a series of recent attacks in Indonesia including one in Jakarta last January. Numerous recent IS-linked plots in Indonesia have been botched or foiled, with analysts saying that many of the country's militants lack the capacity to launch serious attacks. Indonesia has suffered a series of Islamic militant attacks in the past 15 years, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. A sustained crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks but the emergence of IS has proved a potent new rallying cry for radicals. Ford is among big US corporations forgoing the annual face-to-face encounters with shareholders in favour of virtual links via audio or video Big US corporations have identified a new strategy for managing irate investors at annual shareholder meetings: Going virtual. This year, about 250 companies are expected to convene their yearly investor tete-a-tete via audio or video, up from 155 in 2016 and just 26 in 2012, according to investors communications firm Broadridge. The set of companies forgoing the face-to-face encounters includes number-two US automaker Ford and energy giants ConocoPhillips and Duke Energy. "We take very seriously the trust that our shareholders place in our leadership team," said Bill Ford, Ford's executive chairman. "The virtual nature of this year's meeting will enable us to increase shareholder accessibility, while improving efficiency and reducing costs." Duke Energy also defended the practice, saying the format would permit chief executive Lynn Good "to answer more shareholder questions, either during the meeting or afterward through a web posting," according to a press release. But not everyone is persuaded of the nobility of intent. "What's really going on is that corporations are trying to hide -- from shareholders, from protesters, from anyone trying to hold them accountable," said Marni Halasa, founder of protest consulting firm Revolution is Sexy, who has previously criticized large banks. Duke shareholder Danielle Fugere of the non-governmental organization "As You Sow" added: "We do not believe it is in the company's interest to insulate itself from the interested public." The group has proposed a shareholder resolution to require the company to report on the public health impacts of its use of coal. - Avenue for individual investors - New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who oversees investments under the city's $170 billion public pension system, has declared war on virtual meetings, sending a letter to almost 20 companies demanding they go the traditional way. "It's one of the great markers of American enterprise - whether you own one share or a one million, you can speak at a company's annual meeting," Stringer said. "Except now, in this interconnected world, companies are using technological tools to whittle away at investors' rights and hide from accountability." But the companies rebut this point, with Ford saying "any pertinent questions that cannot be answered during the meeting, due to time constraints, will be answered and posted online." Virtual meetings became possible following changes in law in a number of US states, including Delaware, where many companies are based. The annual events are not usually a major occasion for the biggest shareholders, who are typically in an ongoing dialogue with corporations. But the annual meeting has traditionally offered a unique forum to the individual investor who lack the clout of large institutional investors. By going virtual, big companies can avoid sometimes pointed criticism over shareholder pay, their environmental performance or any number of controversial matters. Calpers, which oversees pension and health benefits for some 1.6 billion people in the state of California, joined smaller shareholders in decrying the trend. Calpers backs physical meeting that are accessible remote investors via technology. Some companies, like Microsoft, have employed this hybrid style. "Companies should hold shareowner meetings by remote communication (so-called 'virtual' meetings) only as a supplement to traditional in-person shareowner meetings, not as a substitute," Calpers said, adding that the technology "should facilitate the opportunity for remote attendees to participate in the meeting to the same degree as in-person attendees." Australia's regional processing centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea Asylum-seekers sent by Australia to a Papua New Guinea camp will be resettled there if they are not offered a place in the United States, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Sunday. Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to enter the country to offshore processing centres in PNG's Manus Island and Nauru, blocking them from resettling in Australia. The conservative government has instead worked to relocate those found to be refugees within PNG or to third countries such as the United States and Cambodia. The push to move the more than 800 refugees on Manus has sped up with the camp due to close down after a PNG Supreme Court ruling last year declared that holding people there was unconstitutional and illegal. "There are officials from the US, both Homeland Security and State Departments, looking at each individual case at the moment," Dutton told Sky News, without stating how many refugees might be accepted by Washington. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton He said those who miss out are "staying in PNG, that's the arrangement as it currently stands". "If people have been found not to be refugees, then the expectation is that they will be returned home." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is in Port Moresby for talks with his PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill, would not comment on whether refugees would be moved to the Nauru camp, which currently holds 380 men, women and children. Only 36 refugees have taken up the option of staying in PNG, Dutton said, with others reportedly citing safety fears as a reason for not wanting to settle in the Pacific country. Successive Australian governments have sought to stem waves of boat migration by people from war-torn countries, using harsh policies including turning back the vessels. A resettlement agreement with Phnom Penh struck in 2014 was criticised after only a few refugees made the move. The US resettlement agreement hit global headlines earlier this year after President Donald Trump reportedly lambasted Turnbull during a phone call and attacked it as a "dumb deal". Canberra has long defended its policy of denying asylum-seekers resettlement in Australia, saying it has prevented deaths at sea. Afghan policemen search a passenger at a checkpoint A roadside bomb killed nine policemen and wounded four others outside their checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday, in the latest casualties ahead of the spring fighting season. The bomb exploded Saturday when police entered a Taliban stronghold they had retaken in Chimtal district in Balkh province following an operation led by the powerful provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion, but it comes amid rising insecurity in Afghanistan. The Taliban are soon expected to announce their annual spring offensive. "Nine local policemen were martyred and four others sustained injuries in an IED explosion in Chimtal district," local police spokesman Shir Jan Durrani told AFP. "All the victims were taken to the hospital in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif," Durrani said. Noor Mohammad Faiz, head of the civilian hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif, confirmed the casualties. The country is bracing for an intense fighting season in the spring after the failure of repeated government attempts to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban. Afghan forces, already beset by record casualties, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back the insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. Afghanistan last year also saw the highest recorded civilian casualties caused by pressure-plate IEDs in a single year, the United Nations said in its annual report in February. Bangladeshi Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (HUJI) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan (C) is escorted by police after a court appearance in Dhaka, in 2014 A top Islamist extremist under sentence of death has lost his last hope of avoiding the gallows after Bangladesh's president rejected a mercy plea, an official said on Sunday. Bangladesh's highest court last month upheld a 2008 death sentence on Mufti Abdul Hannan and two associates for an attack on a shrine that left three people dead and injured the British high commissioner at the time. Last month the trio wrote to President Abdul Hamid seeking clemency. "But the president has rejected all three mercy petitions," his press secretary Joynal Abedin told AFP. Jail authorities would now go ahead with the executions, deputy inspector general of prisons Touhidul Islam told AFP. Authorities have not announced a date but the executions are expected sometime this month. Hannan headed the Harkat-ul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI) group. The attack on the British ambassador in 2004 was among the most high-profile of a series of assaults by the group across Bangladesh in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The decision to reject clemency comes just weeks after militants attempted to free Hannan by hurling bombs at police vans as police transferred him between prisons. By the time Hannan was arrested in late 2005 more than 100 people had been killed in attacks by HuJI on a church, secular gatherings and mosques used by Islam's minority sects. Bangladesh has suffered a spate of attacks on secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities in recent years. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility in some cases but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has pinned the blame on local outfits. There has been a resurgence of Islamist extremist attacks in recent weeks, with at least three being claimed by IS. The fatalities included the head of intelligence of an elite security force tasked with tacking Islamist militancy across the Muslim-majority country. Police and army commandos have arrested scores of suspected extremists and killed more than 60 people since an attack on a Dhaka cafe last year that left 22 dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on April 9, 2017 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel remained committed to treating war wounded from Syria and reaffirmed his support for last week's US air strike in the neighbouring country. In comments at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu did not specify whether those injured in last week's suspected chemical attack in Syria would be among those treated in Israel. Israeli media reported that a proposal to do so had been met with objections from some government and security officials due to logistical difficulties, with the location far from Israeli territory. Israel has treated more than 3,000 war wounded from Syria in what it describes as a humanitarian gesture. It says it treats whoever makes it to the demarcation line between the two countries regardless of affiliation, though Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Israel of supporting "terrorists" who oppose him. A number of analysts say the policy also has a strategic goal of portraying Israel in a positive light. "Israel is caring for wounded Syrians as part of a humanitarian effort," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to do so." Netanyahu spoke again of his support for last week's US missile strike against a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province. It was Washington's first direct military action against Assad's government. Israel has sought to avoid being dragged into the six-year civil war in Syria, but acknowledges carrying out air strikes there to stop what it says are deliveries of advanced weapons to its enemy Hezbollah, which is backing the Assad regime. Egyptian Coptic Christians attend a Friday Mass at the Virgin Mary church on May 16, 2014 in Cairo's Road al-Farag district Egypt's Copts, targets of an apparent church bombing north of Cairo on Sunday, are the Middle East's largest Christian minority and one of the oldest. Making up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 90 million, the Coptic Orthodox form the largest Christian denomination in the Muslim-majority country. Here is a recap of their history, their status today and recent attacks against them. - 'Dawn of Christianity' - The Copts trace their history to the dawn of Christianity, when Egypt was integrated into the Roman and later the Byzantine empire. The word "Copt" comes from the same root as the word for "Egyptian" in ancient Greek. The community's decline started with the Arab invasions of the 7th century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim. Several churches and monasteries in Egypt are built on sites Copts believe were visited by the Holy Family. The Bible says Joseph, Mary and Jesus sought refuge in Egypt after Christ's birth to escape a massacre of newborns ordered by King Harod. - Copts today - Copts, represented in all social classes, are present across the whole country, with the strongest concentration in central and southern Egypt. Most adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, headed since 2012 by Pope Tawadros II. A minority is divided between Coptic Catholics and various Coptic Protestant branches. Tawadros, who succeeded pope Shenuda III, was chosen by a blindfolded altar boy picking his name from a chalice, according to tradition. The Catholic Copts, who form part of the Church's eastern rite, have been headed by patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak since 2013. The Vatican says some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010. Copts are represented in all social classes across Egypt Poorly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from many posts in the justice system, universities and the police. Authorities often refuse to issue building permits for churches, arguing it would disturb the peace with their Muslim neighbours. - Deadly violence - Egypt's Copts have been the target of several deadly attacks since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. On January 1, 2011, more than 20 people died in the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church in Egypt's second city, Alexandria. In March the same year, 13 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Copts in Cairo's working class neighbourhood of Moqattam, where around 1,000 Christians had gathered to protest over the torching of a church. In May 2011, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead in the Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba, where two churches were attacked. That October, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed after the army charged at a protest in Cairo to denounce the torching of a church in southern Egypt. The 2013 ouster of Mubarak's elected Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi after just one year in power sparked further attacks against Christians. Pro-Morsi Islamists accused the Christian community of supporting his overthrow. They pointed to the appearance of Tawadros alongside President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on television in July 2013 as the then army chief, also surrounded by Muslim and opposition figures, announced Morsi's removal. The next month, security forces used deadly force to break up two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo. The following two weeks saw attacks against more than 40 churches across the country, according to Human Rights Watch. Amnesty International later said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged, with at least four people killed. In December last year, a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 29 worshippers during a Sunday mass in Cairo. A spate of deadly jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula in February prompted some Coptic families to flee their homes. About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video calling for attacks against the minority. Egyptian Coptic Christian men walk at a cemetery on January 6, 2013 in the historical part of Cairo Pope Francis is set to visit Cairo late this month for talks with the grand imam of the capital's famed Al-Azhar mosque and to show solidarity with Coptic Christians. The Sudanese (left) and Saudi flags fly side by side during a joint air force drill at the Meroe airbase on April 9, 2017 President Omar al-Bashir said a joint Saudi-Sudanese air force drill that ended Sunday had boosted relations between the countries, two years after Khartoum broke ties with Iran. For years, Khartoum's Islamist regime maintained close relations with Riyadh's arch-rivals in Tehran. But as sectarian divisions in the region escalated with the conflict in Syria, Khartoum allied with Riyadh. In 2015 it said it would take part in a Saudi-led military intervention in nearby Yemen against Iran-backed rebels. "The air force drill showed that relations between Sudan and Saudi Arabia are progressing," Bashir said during a ceremony at the Meroe air base, 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Khartoum, to mark the end of 12-day drill. Officials said the first ever joint Saudi-Sudanese air exercise was intended to boost the two air forces' operational capacities and promote cooperation. Sudan took part in the exercise with more than two dozen fighter planes including MiG-29s and Sukhoi jets, defence officials said. Saudi Arabia sent F-15 fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons. Bashir said the Sudanese military was playing a "key role" in improving Khartoum's ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir salutes during a joint Sudan and Saudi Arabia air force drill at the Marwa air base on April 9, 2017 "As Sudanese security is connected with that of countries across the region, we are building military and security cooperation with our neighbouring countries," said Bashir, who wore a military uniform for the ceremony. Analysts say warmer ties between Riyadh and Khartoum serve both countries. Sudan is keen to ease its international isolation and Saudi Arabia is looking for avenues for investment to reduce its dependence on oil. Saudi fighter pilots are set to stage an air show in Khartoum from April 10 to 12. Campaigning for Algeria's May 4 parliamentary elections got off to a muted start on April 9, 2017 Campaigning for Algeria's May 4 elections got off to a muted start Sunday, with the public showing little interest in the poll despite government efforts to persuade disillusioned voters to participate. Over the coming three weeks, 12,000 candidates will compete for 462 seats in the People's National Assembly, with 23 million Algerians registered to vote. But in Algiers, few parties posted candidate lists on the boards reserved for them. Many people walked past hoardings without a glance. "Every time, we are promised wonders and marvels, then: nothing," said Fatma Zohra, a widow who said she is struggling to provide for her three children. The cleaner in her fifties said she is unlikely to vote. "I don't have time for that. I work at a company in the morning and in private homes in the afternoon," she said. Analyst Rachid Tlemcani predicted a "morose" election campaign and the lowest turnout in the country's electoral history, blaming "the economic and political situation and the fact that the public is fed up". Government-sponsored advertisements play in a continuous loop on television in a bid to attract a larger turnout than about 43 percent for the last legislative poll in 2012. But Tlemcani says the public is tired of quarrels between political parties. "Once elected, candidates disappear completely," he said. "Voters are not idiots." Algeria's parliament has been dominated since independence in 1962 by the National Liberation Front (FLN), which ruled in a single party system until the early 1990s. Today, with its coalition ally the Rally for National Democracy (RND), the FLN has a majority of seats in the house. Observers say they are likely to keep their majority after other parties said they would boycott the polls. In the last election, Islamist parties hoped to ride to victory on top of their movement's achievements during the Arab Spring uprisings. But they registered their worst score since Algeria's first multi-party poll in the early 1990s. This year, they have merged or formed alliances in order to increase their chances. Between them, Algeria's political parties have scheduled no fewer than 1,826 rallies across the country by the last day of campaigning on April 30. Whether that brings out the vote is yet to be seen. "Supporters of the ruling parties will vote," said Mohamed, a trade unionist. "So if we want to turn things around, we must vote." An Iraqi Christian resident of Qaraqosh attends Palm Sunday service at the heavily damaged Church of the Immaculate Conception on April 9, 2017 Members of Iraq's Christian minority celebrated Palm Sunday in the country's main Christian town of Qaraqosh for the first time since it was retaken from the Islamic State group. Hundreds of faithful gathered inside the town's burnt out Immaculate Conception church for mass before starting the traditional Palm Sunday march, a procession during which palms are carried to commemorate Jesus's entry to Jerusalem. "Thank God, we are returning to our towns and churches after two years," Abu Naimat Anay, an Iraqi priest, said inside the church, which is Iraq's biggest and where jihadist inscriptions were still visible on the walls. The archbishop of Mosul, Yohanna Petros Mouche, speaks during mass on Palm Sunday in Iraq's main Christian town of Qaraqosh on April 9, 2017 Qaraqosh, with an overwhelmingly Christian population of around 50,000 before the jihadists took over the area in August 2014, was the largest Christian town in Iraq. It was retaken by Iraqi forces late last year as part of a massive offensive to wrest back the nearby city of Mosul from IS but it remains almost completely deserted. The area is now considered safe and the Palm Sunday mass and march were secured by the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, an Assyrian militia. Speakers playing hymns were set up near a large cross recently erected at the entrance of the town. A giant cross built by volunteers stands at the entrance of the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, on April 9, 2017 The archbishop of Mosul, Yohanna Petros Mouche, moved back to the town last week but it needs to be extensively rebuilt and basic services restored before displaced Christians can return en masse. - 'We will stay' - After the Palm Sunday service, he praised the high turnout and told AFP: "This is a message of trust and hope to our neighbours." When the Islamic State jihadists took over Mosul, the country's second city, the Christian minority there was told to convert, pay tax or face death. Iraqi Christian residents of Qaraqosh attend a Palm Sunday service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on April 9, 2017 "Honestly, this makes the heart happy and sad at the same time, because we were torn away from our birthplace and this kind of devastation we didn't even see during the wars of the 80s and 90s," Aby Naymat Anay said. Many of the more than 120,000 Christians believed to have fled their homes when IS swept across the region less than three years ago moved in with relatives or into camps in the nearby autonomous region of Kurdistan. "There is a mixed feeling but sadness dominates. We fled to Arbil and we are not back yet," 62-year-old Yusef Nisan Hadaya said, referring to the Iraqi Kurdish capital. Iraqi Christian residents of Qaraqosh attend a Palm Sunday service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on April 9, 2017 The celebration in Qaraqosh already had a sombre mood when news broke among the faithful that IS had attacked two churches in Egypt, killing at least 38 people. "The Christians are persecuted, but no matter how much they target us, our belief in God is great and we will stay here because we are not outsiders, we are the owners of the land," the archbishop told AFP. Myanmar soldiers and members of a rescue team carry the body of a passenger after a ferry sank in the Nga Wun River in Pathein with at least 20 dead Rescuers Sunday found more bodies from a boat accident in western Myanmar that has now claimed the lives of at least 30 people, most of them guests returning from a wedding. The boat, called "Silver Star" in Burmese, sank Friday evening in a river near Pathein, a port city west of Yangon. It was believed to be carrying around 60 passengers when it collided with another vessel in the dark. Rescuers pulled 21 bodies from the river on Saturday and have since discovered more victims. "We got nine dead bodies, three men and six women, today," a police officer at Pathein police station told AFP, asking not to be named. It is unlikely there are many more victims to be found. On Saturday evening a local MP said nine people were missing. Local media photos showed frenzied scenes as rescuers worked throughout the early hours of Saturday to wheel stretchers away from the river and lay bodies onshore. Fatal boat accidents are common in Myanmar, a poor country with rudimentary transport and weakly-enforced safety regulations. Vessels ferrying people along the coastline and rivers are often dangerously overcrowded, and accidents can have staggering death tolls. It can also take several days for all bodies to be retrieved. Last October 73 people, including many teachers and students, drowned when their overloaded vessel capsized in central Myanmar on the Chindwin River. Around 60 people died in March 2015 when their ferry sank in rough waters off the western state of Rakhine. Lebanese Red Cross members wheel a baby in an neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) into an ambulance during clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern coastal city of Sidon, on April 8, 2017 The toll in two days of clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon rose to five on Sunday, medics said, as local factions worked to implement a security plan. Clashes erupted in the camp late Friday as Palestinian factions participating in a joint security force begun deploying throughout the area in the southern city of Sidon. They came under fire from a local Islamic extremist group in part of the camp, prompting clashes that Lebanese and Palestinian medics said Sunday have now killed five people and wounded at least 30, mostly civilians. Among the dead were two civilians, two members of the joint Palestinian security force and one member of the extremist group, the medical sources said. The fighting has prompted security measures outside the camp, which Lebanese security forces do not enter by long-standing agreement. An adjacent highway has been cut and patients moved from the Sidon governmental hospital next to the camp. Palestinian officials in the camp called Sunday on remaining members of a group led by a local extremist to surrender with their weapons. And around noon, the intensity of the clashes decreased after earlier fighting that sent clouds of black smoke up from the camp. Ain al-Hilweh is home to multiple armed factions, and has been plagued by intermittent clashes between them as well as against smaller extremist groups. Lebanon's army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps, where security is managed by joint committees of Palestinian factions. Ain al-Hilweh is home to some 61,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 who have fled the war in Syria. Forensics experts collect evidence after the Islamic State group bombing of a Palm Sunday service at the Mar Girgis Coptic church in Tanta on April 9, 2017 Coptic Christian worshippers in Egypt spoke of horrific scenes on Sunday after a bomb ripped through their church during a service, mangling bodies and destroying pews. "There was a violent explosion near the altar," Edmon Edward told AFP. "Suddenly everything became black, people flew over each other," he said. He had been attending Palm Sunday mass at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta with his brother Emil, who stood with a white bandage wrapped around his head, when the attack claimed by the Islamic State group happened. The explosion killed at least 27 people, and was followed hours later by a second bombing at a church in Alexandria, which killed 17. At the church in Tanta, icons of Christ and St George looked down on a tangle of destroyed pews and congealing blood on the floor tiles. "I head the blast, and then I saw a woman run barefoot with her face oozing blood," said a taxi driver who asked not to be identified. Crowds outside the Mar Girgis church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta after a bomb blast on April 9, 2017 In hospital, a wounded witness told state television: "I just felt fire grabbing my face. I pushed my brother who was sitting next to me and then I heard people saying: 'explosion'." Nabil Nader, 65, who lives opposite the church, spoke of the attack's aftermath and said the first three rows of pews in the church were destroyed. "I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained," he said. "The father of a friend of my son was in the front row," he said, his voice breaking with anguish. "We found only his shoe." Nearby, a man held up a burned prayer book and a traditional braided palm-leaf crucifix, stained with blood. "They came to pray and they died," he said. "The victims were destroyed," said Mohammed, a nursing student helping at the hospital were the victims of the attack were taken. "Some are broken up inside. Some are completely burned," he said. - 'Oh Lord, have mercy' - Police sirens wailed incessantly around the city as ambulances ferried victims to hospital. Security forces cordoned off the church, but residents who gathered nearby were unable to hide their anger. Forensics experts collect evidence after the Islamic State group bombing of a Palm Sunday service at the Mar Girgis Coptic church in Tanta on April 9, 2017 Despite the presence of metal detectors, the bomber was apparently able to enter the building without any hindrance. "How was the bomb able to enter, while police" were outside the church, asked Nagat Assaad, holding back tears. "What are the detectors for? We don't want their protection." There were similar scenes in second city Alexandria after the attack there. Several hours after the attack, a Coptic woman expressed her anger at police blocking access to the church. "What's the use of closing the street now? You should have done it before the explosion!" she said. Dozens of Copts gathered near the scene, brandishing wooden crosses and chanting "Oh Lord, have mercy". Shards of glass littered the street and pavement outside the door where the suicide bomber activated his explosive belt. Hussein, a salesman in a shop opposite the church who witnessed the Alexandria blast, said he was "blown over by the shockwave" and fell to the ground. Egypt's Copts, who have suffered repeated deadly jihadist attacks, say they feel abandoned and discriminated against by the authorities in the predominantly Muslim country. But despite their fears, the Christians of Tanta said they are determined to defend their faith. "We're Christian and we will stay Christian," one woman said in a defiant tone. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claims Russia has been "incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been outmaneuvered by the Syrians" The United States stepped up pressure Sunday on Russia to rein in the Syrian regime, warning that any further chemical attacks would be "very damaging" to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace while President Bashar al-Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump's top advisers took to Sunday television talk shows to set the stage for a diplomatic confrontation in Moscow when US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives Tuesday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It will be their first face-to-face encounter since US cruise missiles slammed into a Syrian air base early Friday Damascus time in retaliation for a suspected sarin gas attack on April 4 that killed at least 87 civilians in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun. In Tehran, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States had made a "strategic mistake," and vowed that Iran "will not leave the field... in the face of threats." And a joint operations center in Damascus that includes Iran, Russia and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants threatened reprisals. "We will react firmly to any aggression against Syria and to any infringement of red lines, whoever carries them out," it said in a statement carried on the website of Al-Watan, a newspaper close to the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, US-led coalition forces and Syrian rebels thwarted a significant Islamic State group attack on their base near the Jordanian border Saturday. The coalition said the attack on the At-Tanf Garrison, a remote outpost used by elite US and British forces, was a complex one involving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, followed by a ground assault and suicide vests by up to 30 IS fighters. - Damage to relations - Tillerson said the chemical attack was preceded by two others in March. The presence of Russian advisers at the airfield used to launch the attack raised questions about how they could not have known about Syria's chemical weapons. Tillerson stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity. "But clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been outmaneuvered by the Syrians," he said on ABC's "This Week." "Absolutely they're complicit," said Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "Russian intelligence may not be as good as ours, but it's good enough to know the Syrians had chemical weapons, were using chemical weapons." If Syria carries out any further chemical attacks, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to US-Russian relations," Tillerson warned. "I do not believe that the Russians want to have worsening relationships with the US, but it's going to take a lot of discussion and a lot of dialogue to better understand what is the relationship that Russia wishes to have with the US." He said he would call on Russia "to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons." Russian and American militaries in Syria Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. The US retaliatory strike marked the first time the United States has intervened directly in the Syrian civil war against Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed regime, raising questions about Washington's next steps. - 'Enough is enough' - "This was something that needed to tell Assad, 'Enough is enough.' And this is something to let Russia know, 'You know what? We're not going to have you cover for this regime anymore,'" Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Just days before the chemical attack, Haley and Tillerson both had indicated that removing Assad from power was no longer a US priority. But Haley suggested there has been a shift in US thinking. "In no way do we look at peace happening in that area with Iranian influence," she said. "In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government." Tillerson, on the other hand, stressed that the air strike had the limited aim of deterring further use of chemical weapons. "Other than that, there is no change to our military posture," he said. While he did not rule out the future use of military force, Tillerson said the US administration was mindful of "the lessons of what went wrong in Libya when you choose that pathway of regime change." - First priority - Both Tillerson and H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, said defeating the Islamic State group remained the administration's first priority, with the strategy for stabilizing Syria a longer-term political effort that could involve Russia. "It's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation from the Assad regime," McMaster said on "Fox News Sunday." "We are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. (What) we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions," he said. "This is a great opportunity for the Russian leadership to reevaluate what they are doing." VIMY, France (AP) - An ocean away from home, spilling their blood on a remote ridge in the muddied battlefields of northern France a century ago, many would argue that Canadians earned the right to become a nation here. Vimy Ridge has become much more than a speck on a French map, even much more than a famous World War I battle. In a fledgling nation looking for a sense of self, trying to set it apart from British rule, the battle provided everything it needed - the vision of an underdog beating the odds, a show of courage, resolve and unity. "It made the Canadian Corps think it could do anything. It made the soldiers believe that they were really good soldiers, better than anybody else. They had done something that the British and French were not able to do," said Professor Jack Granatstein, a Canadian military historian. Canadian Mounted Police practice marching in front of black boots, representing the fallen, at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to visit the fertile countryside of France, where any hill with a view was fought over with a blind determination costing thousands of lives in World War I. He will be joined by other dignitaries, including Princes Charles, William and Harry. British and French forces had tried for a long time but failed to take Vimy Ridge. The Canadians succeeded on April 9, 1917, battling through snow and sleet to push out the Germans, who had long held the strategic post. The Canadians came and succeeded, yet at the price of 3,600 dead and over 7,000 injured. In the grand scheme of the war, it amounted to little. "It did not win the war. It did not change the course of the war. It moved the Germans back several kilometers, but that was it," Granatstein said. For Canada though, it meant everything. "In one day - in fact in one morning - these civilian volunteers from a small country with no military tradition were expected to do what the British and French had failed to do in two years," Pierre Berton wrote in his 1985 book, "Vimy." It would take more than a year to finally budge the front line and start pushing the Germans back. The Canadians, ever more emboldened after Vimy, played their part and even were among the signatories to the Versailles Treaty. Among the string of war monuments reaching from the North Sea to Switzerland, Vimy stands out as perhaps the finest. With its surging pale columns reaching skyward, it stirs the soul. Yet statues of the Weeping Woman and two mourners, and the list of 11,285 soldiers posted "missing, presumed dead," makes it a solemn pilgrimage site. The Vimy memorial, a revered national symbol, is on the back of Canada's $20 bill to this day. ___ Gillies wrote from Toronto. Dave Rising contributed from Berlin Canadian soldiers and Canadian Mounted Police practice marching in front of black boots, representing the fallen, at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Canadian soldiers stand in a line in front of a black boot with a red poppy, representing the fallen, at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Canadian soldiers and Mounted Police practice marching at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Canadian soldiers practice marching in front of black boots, representing the fallen, at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Black boots with a red poppies, representing the fallen, are placed on a wall and the ground at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Two Canadian Mounted Police ride their horses toward the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Canadian soldiers practice marching at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Canadian soldiers and Mounted Police practice marching at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France on Friday, April 7, 2017. Commemoration ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the memorial to honor Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Two men in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province each face up to 100 strokes of the cane after neighbors reported them to Islamic religious police for having gay sex. Marzuki, the Shariah police's chief investigator, said Saturday that if found guilty, the men will be the first to be caned for gay sex under a new code implemented two years ago. Residents in a neighborhood of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, reported the men, aged 23 and 20, to police on March 29, said Marzuki, who goes by a single name. In this Monday, March 20, 2017 photo, a Sharia law official whips a man convicted of adultery with a rattan cane in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Two men in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province each face up to 100 stroke of the cane after neighbors reported them to Islamic religious police for having gay sex. Marzuki, the Shariah police's chief investigator, said Saturday, April 8, that if found guilty, the men will be the first to be caned for gay sex under a new code implemented two years ago. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda) He said the men had "confessed" to being a gay couple and that this was supported by video footage taken by a resident that has been circulating online. It shows one of the men naked and visibly distressed as he apparently calls for help on his cellphone. The second man is repeatedly pushed by another man who is preventing the couple from leaving the room. Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to practice Shariah law, which was a concession made by the national government in 2006 to end a yearslong war with separatists. A Shariah code implemented two years ago allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including gay sex. Caning is also a punishment for adultery, gambling, drinking alcohol, women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers. Marzuki said residents in Banda Aceh's Rukoh neighborhood were suspicious of the two men because they often seemed to be intimate, and had set out to catch them having sex. "Based on our investigation, testimony of witnesses and evidence, we can prove that they violated Islamic Shariah law and we can take them to court," Marzuki said. Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but a judicial review being considered by the Constitutional Court is seeking to criminalize sex outside marriage and sex between people of the same gender. OSO, Wash. (AP) - Authorities in Washington state say a road has been closed and some evacuations were recommended near a slow-moving landslide close to the site of a massive deadly slide northeast of Seattle in 2014. Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said Friday that people who noticed cracks on a road near Oso this week called officials. She says a state geologist who went to the area about 1.5 miles west of the 2014 slide found several sites where significant cracks in the slope indicated movement. Geologists are calling it a "reactivation of small portion of a previous landslide," Ireton said in a news release. The March 2014 mudslide killed 43 people. Ireton says a one-mile stretch of a state highway has been closed as a precaution until at least Saturday when geologists can continue inspecting the area. Specifically, occupants of 11 homes have been asked to evacuate. Other area residents are being updated on developments through the night. Ireton said there had been no injuries or property damage. BALTIMORE (AP) - A federal judge has approved an agreement negotiated under the Obama administration to overhaul the troubled Baltimore police force, sweeping aside objections from the Trump Justice Department. President Donald Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, promptly warned that the agreement may result in "a less safe city." U.S. District Judge James Bredar signed the so-called consent decree Friday, a day after a hearing to solicit comments from Baltimore residents, calling the plan "comprehensive, detailed and precise." FILE - In this March 27, 2017, file photo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. An agreement negotiated under the Obama administration to overhaul the troubled Baltimore Police Department will go ahead despite objections from the Trump administration. Sessions is warning that the consent decree may "result in a less safe city." (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) He denied a request to delay the signing to give the Trump administration more time to review the agreement. At Thursday's hearing, a Justice Department attorney expressed "grave concerns" about the plan, aimed at rooting out racist practices. The consent decree was negotiated during the closing days of the Obama administration after a federal investigation found rampant abuse by Baltimore police, including unlawful stops and use of excessive force against black people. The investigation was prompted by the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken during a lurching ride in the back of a police van, where he had been left unbuckled, his hands and legs shackled. Gray's death touched off the worst rioting in Baltimore in decades. In a memo made public earlier this week, the Trump Justice Department signaled that it may retreat from the consent decrees that have been put in place in recent years in such cities as Cleveland; Ferguson, Missouri; Miami; and Newark, New Jersey. Sessions said in a statement Friday that the Baltimore agreement shows "clear departures from many proven principles of good policing that we fear will result in more crime." "The decree was negotiated during a rushed process by the previous administration and signed only days before they left office," Sessions said. "While the Department of Justice continues to fully support police reform in Baltimore, I have grave concerns that some provisions of this decree will reduce the lawful powers of the police department and result in a less safe city." The Justice Department can appeal the judge's decision, but it would have to show the judge made an error or abused his discretion. That would be difficult to prove, said Jonathan Smith, a civil rights attorney in the Obama Justice Department who oversaw negotiations with troubled police departments. Justice Department lawyers also could try to modify the consent decree, but the burden is high, requiring them to show there has been a substantial change in the facts or the law, Smith said. City officials, including Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, have voiced their support for the agreement. Mayor Catherine Pugh disputed the notion the decree will hurt the fight against crime. "I believe that it makes Baltimore safer," she said. "I think by building and training our police officers in ways to de-escalate violence, to work with our communities, to have cultural diversity training and have the right kind of tools they need to know what they can do in certain areas of our community ... I think it's improved policing." The homicide rate in Baltimore immediately spiked after the riots over Gray's death, leading some residents to accuse officers of taking a hands-off approach for fear of increased scrutiny. The soaring crime rate has not relented. In the first three months of 2017, the city recorded 79 homicides, compared with 56 for the same period the year before. Baltimore's agreement calls for additional training for officers and discourages them from arresting people for minor offenses such as traffic infractions or loitering. It also says officers can no longer detain someone simply for being in a high-crime area. Following Gray's death, the department began undertaking some reforms, including outfitting officers with body cameras and updating the use-of-force policy. Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore police union, has complained that the agreement was rushed and that the union wasn't involved enough in the negotiations. The national Fraternal Order of Police said it was disappointed by the judge's decision to move forward. "But Baltimore officers will endeavor to give the citizens of Baltimore the best public safety service possible given the constraints imposed upon the department by the decree," said Jim Pasco, the senior adviser to the group's president. ___ Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman contributed to this report from Washington. FILE - In this Tuesday, April 4, 2017 file photo, Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis speaks at a news conference at the department's headquarters in Baltimore, 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. Hundreds of Baltimore residents are expected to show up to offer commentary, critiques and recommendations regarding a proposed agreement to overhaul the city's troubled police force. A judge on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, denied a request to delay the hearing, calling the Trump administration's request a "burden and inconvenience." (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Six suspected Islamic militants killed in a standoff with police were planning to attack police officers in Indonesia's East Java province to seek revenge for the arrest of a radical leader, authorities said Sunday. The men were cornered in a village in Tuban district on Saturday after attempting to shoot a traffic police officer who was approaching them when he saw their car stopped at the roadside, said national police spokesman Rikwanto. The six refused appeals to surrender during a standoff that lasted several hours and were fatally shot by police, said Rikwanto, who goes by a single name. On Friday, counterterrorism police arrested three suspected militants who were allegedly planning to attack a police station in East Java. Among those arrested was Zainal Anshori, a senior figure of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, an umbrella group of Indonesian extremists that claims allegiance to the Islamic State group. Rikwanto said that Anshori had orchestrated Saturday's planned attack. "They had acted on Anshori's order as a revenge of his arrest," said Rikwanto, citing police interrogation of other arrested militants. Police said they seized dozens of rounds of ammunition, several firearms, knives, jihadi books and a car used by the men. Muslim-majority Indonesia has carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since the 2002 Bali bombings by al-Qaida-affiliated radicals that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. A new threat has emerged in the past several years from Islamic State group sympathizers. WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Hundreds of Polish postal workers have noisily marched through downtown Warsaw to demand higher pay and better work conditions. Chanting "Thieves" and "You cannot fire us all," they walked from the main post office to the office of Prime Minister Beata Szydlo to demand a 1,000 zlotys ($250) monthly raise. "Postal employees earn subsistence wages, some 2,100 zlotys ($500) a month. The work is poorly organized and they are overburdened. This has to change," said Jakub Zaczek with an organization defending employee rights, ZSP. Post office workers walk through the downtown demanding higher wages, in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, April 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) The protesters demanded that more people be employed to help share the workload. Similar protests were organized in Warsaw and other Polish cities last month. There has been no government reaction. Trump advisers: US seeks to fight IS and oust Syria's Assad WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's national security adviser on Sunday left open the possibility of additional U.S. military action against Syria following last week's missile strike but indicated that the United States was not seeking to act unilaterally to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. In his first televised interview, H.R. McMaster pointed to dual U.S. goals of defeating the Islamic State group and removing Assad. But he suggested that Trump was seeking a global political response for regime change from U.S. allies as well as Russia, which he said needed to re-evaluate its support of Syria. "It's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime," McMaster said. "Now, we are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves ...Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population?" After last Tuesday's chemical attack in Syria, Trump said his attitude toward Assad "has changed very much" and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said "steps are underway" to organize a coalition to remove him from power. But as lawmakers called on Trump to consult with Congress on any future military strikes and a longer-term strategy on Syria, Trump administration officials sent mixed signals on the scope of U.S. involvement. While Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, described regime change in Syria as a U.S. priority and inevitable, Tillerson suggested that last week's American airstrikes in retaliation for the chemical attack hadn't really changed U.S. priorities toward ousting Assad. ___ Suicide bombers kill 44 at Palm Sunday services in Egypt TANTA, Egypt (AP) - Suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing 44 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage at the government that led the president to call for a three-month state of emergency. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the violence, adding to fears that extremists are shifting their focus to civilians, especially Egypt's Christian minority. The attacks in the northern cities of Tanta and Alexandria that also left 126 people wounded came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit. Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic church who will meet with Francis on April 28-29, was in the Alexandra cathedral at the time of the bombing but was unhurt, the Interior Ministry said. It was the single deadliest day for Christians in decades and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo church in December killed 30 people. ___ 10 Things to Know for Monday Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday: 1. U.S. AIMS TO FIGHT ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS, OUST SYRIA'S ASSAD Trump's national security adviser stresses that Washington isn't seeking to act unilaterally to remove the Syrian president from power. 2. SUICIDE BOMBERS KILL 44 AT PALM SUNDAY SERVICES IN EGYPT The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the violence, adding to fears that extremists are shifting their focus to civilians, especially the nation's Christian minority. ___ Suspect's status as failed asylum-seeker saddens Stockholm STOCKHOLM (AP) - Swedes questioned their country's welcoming immigration policies with pride and pain on Sunday after learning that an asylum-seeker from Uzbekistan was allegedly behind the truck rampage that killed four people, Stockholm's deadliest extremist attack in years. The Swedish capital was slowly, but resolutely, regaining its normal rhythm as details about the 39-year-old suspect in the attack emerged. Police said he had been ordered to leave Sweden in December because his request for a residence permit was rejected six months earlier. Instead, he allegedly went underground, eluding authorities' attempts to track down and deport him until a hijacked beer truck raced down a pedestrian street and rammed into an upscale department store on Friday. "It makes me frustrated," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told Swedish news agency TT on Sunday. The suspect, who has been detained on suspicion of terrorist offenses, was known known for having "been sympathetic to extremist organizations," Jonas Hysing of Sweden's national police said. ___ Tillerson's Russia trip highlights emergence from shadows WASHINGTON (AP) - Criticized for his low-profile diplomacy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with a leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. And, he's set for an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. Since taking office in February, the former Exxon Mobil CEO has admittedly shunned the spotlight and the press. Yet, Tillerson was surprisingly visible during last week's announcement of the response to the gruesome chemical attack, fielding questions from reporters on and off camera, and then captured in an official White House photo seated next to President Donald Trump as they heard the result of the 59 cruise missiles that struck a Syrian military base. Tillerson was a prominent fixture during the most important foreign policy period in Trump's young presidency: a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that coincided with the strikes against Syria. He was by Trump's side during his meetings with Xi and spoke publicly multiple times to address both issues. It was Tillerson who delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had "failed" to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement," he said. On Sunday, he made his first network television interview appearances. In one interview, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Bashar Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule - something Moscow adamantly denies. ___ New York derailment highlights US infrastructure concerns When a train jumped the tracks this past week at New York's Penn Station, the seemingly minor accident led to a cascade of exasperating delays for hundreds of thousands of commuters. When a flood forced authorities to condemn a one-lane, century-old bridge in rural Ozark, Missouri, it was no less frustrating for the residents and business owners cut off from their shortest route into town. The two episodes highlight a reality about the U.S. transportation system - it is aging, congested and so vital that when things go wrong, big and costly disruptions can result for which there is no quick fix. Though President Donald Trump has promised a $1 trillion infrastructure-rebuilding program, not all of that may go toward transportation. Even then, it would fall well short of the many trillions needed to fix the country's web of roads, bridges, railways, subways and bus stations. The commuter train in New York derailed because of a weakened railroad tie. No one was seriously injured. But the incident shut down eight of the station's 21 tracks, disrupting Amtrak service in the Northeast from Boston to Washington, as well as delaying commuter trains in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut for the better part of a week. ___ Hawaii LGBT couples seek equal access to fertility treatment HONOLULU (AP) - Sean Smith and his husband paid more than $20,000 for a fertility procedure when they decided to have a child using a surrogate mother. They did not know at the time that if they were a heterosexual couple, they might have saved that money. Now, Smith and other members of Hawaii's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are lobbying for equal access to the financial help married, heterosexual couples enjoy under state law. They are pushing legislation that would require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization for more couples, including making Hawaii the first state to require the coverage for surrogates, which would help male same-sex couples who must use a surrogate. "Now that marriage equality is the law of the land and is accepted, now let's turn to family building, and let's figure out how we fix all these inequities that exist," said Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve, a national organization that advocates for access to fertility treatments. Hawaii is one of eight states that require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization, a costly procedure where a doctor retrieves eggs from a woman, combines them with sperm from a man and then implants an embryo into a woman's uterus. ___ Music legend Chuck Berry remembered in rock 'n' roll style ST. LOUIS (AP) - Family, friends and fans paid their final respects to the rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry on Sunday, celebrating the life and career of a man who inspired countless guitarists and bands. The celebration began with a public viewing at The Pageant, a music club in Berry's hometown of St. Louis where he often played. Hundreds of fans filed past Berry, whose beloved cherry-red Gibson guitar was bolted to the inside of his coffin's lid. "I am here because Chuck Berry meant a lot to anybody who grew up on rock n' roll," said Wendy Mason, who drove in from Kansas City, Kansas, for the visitation. "The music will live on forever." Another fan, Nick Hair, brought his guitar with him from Nashville, Tennessee, so he could play Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" while waiting in line outside. After the public viewing, family and friends packed the club for a private funeral service and celebration of Berry, who inspired generations of musicians, from humble garage bands up to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The service was expected to include live music, and the Rev. Alex I. Peterson told the gathering they would be celebrating Berry's life in rock 'n roll style. ___ Sergio Garcia wins the Masters, ends drought at the majors AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Sergio Garcia finally showed he has what it takes to win a major, and he has a green jacket to prove it. Needing his best golf on just about every shot in the final hour at the Masters, Garcia overcame a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff Sunday for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro - 70 - before winning one for the first time. Garcia got rid of the demons and the doubts with two big moments on the par 5s - one a par, the other an eagle - in closing with a 3-under 69. It was never easy until the end, when Rose sent his drive into the trees on the 18th hole in the playoff, punched out and failed to save par from 15 feet. That gave the 37-year-old Spaniard two putts from 12 feet for the victory, and his putt swirled into the cup for a birdie. He crouched in disbelief, and shouted above the loudest roar of the day. ___ Female athletes get a trio of wins in equality fight In a matter of days, female athletes around the globe scored a trio of wins in their fight for equality after decades of work. The U.S. women's national soccer team struck a new collective bargaining agreement with their federation, ending more than a year of at times contentious negotiations, with players seeking comparable compensation to the men's national team. It followed the U.S. national hockey team's deal with USA Hockey after players threatened to boycott the women's world championships over wages. The quest for better pay and conditions even extended across the Atlantic to Ireland, where the women's national soccer team there threatened to sit out of an exhibition match this week. "It's pretty incredible what the women's hockey team did and they were courageous in their fight. There were differences between our battle and their battle, but they were inspirational," U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe said. "For us and them, we were able to inspire other teams." PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried Sunday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports. FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2017 file photo, a man watches a TV news program showing photos published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper of North Korea's "Pukguksong-2" missile launch, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said it proves that its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) The airstrikes, announced shortly after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up dinner at a two-day summit in Florida last week, were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country's long civil war. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent U.S. military attack on Syria is an action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," the report said, adding that the North's "tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force as its pivot" will foil any aggression by the U.S. "We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the U.S. evermore reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force," it said. North Korea has long claimed that the United States is preparing to conduct similar precision strikes against its territory or even launch an all-out invasion. It claims its nuclear weapons are a necessary deterrent to the U.S. military threat. Washington denies it has any intention of invading the North. Tensions have been even higher than usual over the past few weeks because annual war games between the U.S. and South Korean militaries are underway. The exercises this year are the biggest ever and have included stealth fighter training and other maneuvers that are particularly sensitive to North Korea. For its part, the North test-launched a ballistic missile just ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting and has been rumored to be preparing for a possible nuclear test. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty. North Korea considers Syria an ally. But unlike Syria, experts warn that North Korea has a means of striking back if provoked. Along with its rapidly advancing nuclear and long-range missile capabilities, the North has its artillery and short-range missiles trained on Seoul, the capital of U.S. ally South Korea and a city of more than 10 million people. FILE - In this Friday, April 7, 2017 file image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea as the United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for a gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians earlier in the week. North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said it proves that its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via AP, File) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - It's been seven years since Poland lost its president in a plane crash in Russia. His twin brother, who effectively runs the Polish government today, remains in mourning, only wearing black suits and black ties in public - and determined to punish those he blames for the crash. The identical and inseparable Kaczynski twins Lech and Jaroslaw were in the Polish public eye for half a century - childhood actors, then advisers to President Lech Walesa, then rising to become president and prime minister simultaneously. Tragedy struck when President Lech Kaczynski died in a plane crash on April 10, 2010, along with his wife and 94 others, many of them top members of Poland's political and military elite. They were flying to an airport near Smolensk, Russia, to pay tribute to some 22,000 Polish officers killed in the Katyn massacres by the Soviet secret police during World War II. FILE - The April 10, 2016 file photo shows Law and Justice leader, the twin brother of former President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, Jaroslaw Kaczynski delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the sixth anniversary of the crash of the Polish government plane in Smolensk, Russia, that killed 96 people on board including Kaczynski and his wife Maria. It's been seven years since Poland lost its president in a plane crash in Russia. His twin brother, who effectively runs the Polish government today, remains in mourning, only wearing black suits and black ties in public - and determined to punish those he blames for the crash. Jaroslaw Kaczynski has used his position as leader of Poland's ruling party to direct state bodies to try to debunk official findings that the crash was an accident. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File) Poland will mark the anniversary of the crash Monday with state observances. Seven years later, Jaroslaw Kaczynski still thinks many questions surrounding the crash need to be answered, not the least by Russia, which has refused to return the wreckage and the plane's flight recorders, and Donald Tusk, the then-Polish prime minister who is now one of the European Union's top officials. Kaczynski has used his position as leader of the ruling Law and Justice party to direct state bodies to try to debunk official findings that the crash was an accident. Early on, Polish investigators concluded the crash was an accident resulting from several factors, including pilot error and heavy fog. His supporters, often Catholic and generally older, see Kaczynski as a brave defender pursuing the truth. Opponents see him as a dangerous promoter of conspiracy theories for which no evidence has ever surfaced. The continuing quest is also deepening Poland's isolation in Europe, evident last month when the government's objections to the re-election of Tusk as president of the European Council failed. Kaczynski accuses Tusk and his allies of not doing enough to clarify all facts surrounding the crash and of failing to ensure proper security for the flight of a president who was in an opposing political camp. Some of his accusations have been strong, of Tusk somehow colluding to make the accident happen. Tusk has denounced the accusations as absurd, saying at first they could be attributed to Kaczynski's deep grief, but later calling them a "nasty" and "cynical" ploy for power by a party without any other political ideas. Even in 2014, when Tusk was still prime minister and Kaczynski led the opposition, he said, "What Jaroslaw Kaczynski is doing with the catastrophe is already a problem for the whole state." Along with his brother and sister-in-law, a large swath of the ruling elite perished in the crash, including the head of the central bank and the army's chief of staff. That a patriotic president was on a mission to honor an atrocity inflicted by Moscow only deepened a sense of continued Polish suffering due to Russia - a country that Jaroslaw Kaczynski has called "cursed earth." "I lost a twin brother," Kaczynski, now 67, said months after the disaster. "You need to have one to understand what kind of loss that is." While his loss elicited widespread sympathy, Kaczynski's opponents have grown extremely critical of what they, like Tusk, see as is a cynical use of the tragedy for political gain. Anti-government protests will take place on the sidelines of Monday's state ceremonies. Opponents say they will also protest the country's overall political direction, which they decry as anti-democratic. The Polish government, now 17 months in power, has come under international censure for steps that have eroded the system of checks and balance on the government. While Kaczynski holds no government post, he is widely considered the real power behind both the prime minster and president, whom he both chose. The main anti-government protest, which is being organized by civic rights group Obywatele RP, will rally in defense of constitutional freedoms and against "an emerging Catholic-nationalism in Poland, which we see as very close to fascism," said Pawel Kasprzak, one of the organizers. Since the Law and Justice party took power, a new investigation into the plane crash has been launched, which cost 3.6 million zlotys alone in 2016 ($900,000), leaving an opposition party to ask state auditors to review whether the expense is justified. But government officials say the concerns are real and they must press on. "The longer you hide the wreckage, the longer you hide the black boxes, the more you make Poles aware that you are complicit in this catastrophe," Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said Thursday. Last week prosecutors said a new analysis of the evidence has found that two Russian air traffic controllers were guilty of "deliberately causing an air traffic catastrophe," helped by a third official in the tower at the time. The allegations were rejected by Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman. In the past, Law and Justice officials have suggested the Russians created fake fog or placed an explosive device on board. They also are horrified by the sloppy way the Russians carried out the autopsies, with body parts mixed up in the wrong graves, and have ordered exhumations of most of the victims, also in search of new evidence. Authorities recently revealed they discovered three hands in one grave. Bereft of the person who was closest to him, Jaroslaw Kaczynski now visits the presidential palace in Warsaw on the 10th of each month to honor the Smolensk victims. "The truth about Smolensk is close," Kaczynski told flag-waving supporter last month, the 83rd time he marked the day. CAIRO (AP) - The Latest on the bombing of two churches in Egypt (all times local): 9:45 p.m. The U.S. State Department is condemning in the strongest terms what it calls the "barbaric attacks" on Christian places of worship in Egypt. A man sits on a bench outside a church after a bomb attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egypt, Sunday, April 9, 2017. The attack took place on Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week leading up to Easter, when the church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta was packed with worshippers. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Bombs at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt killed more than 40 people and wounded about 100 others on Palm Sunday. The Islamic State group is claiming responsibility for the explosions. In a statement Sunday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the U.S. expresses its condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wishes a quick recovery to those injured. Toner says the U.S. "will continue to support Egypt's security and stability in its efforts to defeat terrorism." ___ 9:20 p.m. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called for a state of emergency for three months after two suicide bombings killed scores of Christians in two church attacks on Palm Sunday. El-Sissi accused countries he didn't name of fueling instability in Egypt, saying that "Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organizations that tried to control Egypt." The army chief-turned-president hasn't detailed the legal measures needed to declare the state of emergency but according to the Egyptian constitution, the parliament majority must vote in favor of the state of emergency. Egypt declared a state of emergency in the months that followed the military ouster of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi when his supporters staged mass demonstrations that descended into violence. -__ 8:15 p.m. Israeli security officials have asked Israeli tourists in the neighboring Sinai peninsula in Egypt to return home immediately. Israel's anti-terrorism office issued the recommendation on Sunday, citing what it said was a heightened alert level and twin church attacks that killed dozens of Christian worshippers. The order recommends that all Israeli tourists in the Sinai return home immediately. It calls on families of travelers who stay in the Sinai to alert their loved ones of the risks. It also calls on Israelis planning trips to the Sinai to cancel. The Sinai has traditionally been a popular destination for Israelis - especially during the upcoming Passover holiday. But Israel has urged its citizens to avoid the area in recent years because of Islamic militant activity. ___ 5:30 p.m. President Donald Trump is joining in the international condemnation of the church bombings in Egypt, and he says he is "so sad to hear of the terrorist attack" against the U.S. ally. Trump says in a tweet Sunday that he has "great confidence" that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, "will handle the situation properly." The Palm Sunday attacks on Coptic Orthodox churches in the Nile Delta city of Tanta and in Alexandria took place less than a week after Trump welcomed the Egyptian leader to the White House. The two had reaffirmed their commitment to working together to fight radical groups such as the Islamic State group. The attacks killed more than 40 people and injured dozens. ___ 5:20 p.m. Egyptian television channels are broadcasting CCTV footage they say is of a suicide bomber responsible for one of Sunday's church bombings. The two clips show a man wearing a blue sweater draped over his shoulders approach the main gate to St. Mark's cathedral in Alexandria, before being turned away and directed toward a nearby metal detector. The man then passes a female police officer chatting to another woman and enters the metal detector before an explosion engulfs the area. ___ 4:30 p.m. Turkey has condemned Sunday's attacks on churches in Egypt. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, "cursed" the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. "The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven," Gormez said in an official statement. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also published a statement denouncing the attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, which killed at least 26 people. "We convey our condolences to the bereaved families and the whole people of Egypt," the statement said before a second attack hit an Alexandria church, killing at least 11 people. ___ 3:15 p.m. Egypt's Interior Ministry says a blast at a church in Alexandria was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm the entrance before being stopped by police. The ministry said three policemen were among those killed in Sunday's attack, without providing an overall toll. The Health Ministry said 11 people were killed and another 35 were wounded. It was the second of two attacks on Coptic churches that were packed with worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday. The first, in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, killed 26 people and wounded around 70. The Islamic State group claimed both attacks. ___ 3 p.m. The Islamic State group has claimed the bombing of two Egyptian churches in separate cities, which killed at least 37 people and wounded around 100. The claim was published by the militant group's Aamaq news agency. It provided no further details. The extremists have claimed previous attacks against Egypt's Coptic minority, and had recently vowed to step up attacks against Christians, who they view as an ally of the West in a war against Islam. ___ 2:40 p.m. Germany has condemned the bombing of a Coptic church in Egypt and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement Sunday that "the aim of the perpetrators, to drive a wedge between people of different faiths living peacefully side-by-side, mustn't be allowed to happen." He spoke after a bomb went off at a church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens. Another bomb went off hours shortly thereafter at a church in the coastal city of Alexandria, killing at least 11 people and wounding 35. No one immediately claimed either attack, but Islamic extremists have repeatedly targeted Egypt's Christian minority in the past. An Islamic State affiliate based in the Sinai Peninsula claimed an attack on a Cairo church in December that killed around 30 people, and vowed more attacks on Christians. ___ 2:35 p.m. Gaza's Hamas rulers have condemned a church bombing in Egypt's Nile Delta. In a statement Sunday, the Islamic militant group described the attack as "a crime." Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said "Hamas wishes safety, security, stability and prosperity for Egypt and its people." The explosion in the town of Tanta killed at least 26 people as Coptic Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday. Barhoum spoke before a second blast at a church in the coastal city of Alexandria killed 11 people and wounded dozens. Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 after ousting forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Its relationship with neighboring Egypt has declined after the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Hamas has been attempting to improve ties with Cairo. ___ 2:30 p.m. Israel has sent its condolences to Egypt following the deadly bombing at a church in the Nile Delta, north of Cairo. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says Sunday that it wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded as well. It says "the world has to come together and fight terrorism everywhere." Israel has grown closer to the Egyptian leadership over shared interests in the region, including Iran's growing influence. The bomb ripped through a church in the town of Tanta that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers. Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt's population, and have been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. ___ 2:20 p.m. Egypt's Health Ministry says an explosion at a church in the coastal city of Alexandria has killed 11 people, and wounded at least 35 others. It appeared to be the second attack targeting Egypt's Coptic Christians, after a bomb in a church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta killed 26 people and wounded more than 70. The ministry said the explosion went off at Saint Mark's Church in Alexandria, where Pope Tawadros II had earlier celebrated Palm Sunday. No one immediately claimed either attack, but Islamic extremists have repeatedly targeted Egypt's Christian minority in the past. An Islamic State affiliate based in the Sinai Peninsula claimed an attack on a Cairo church in December that killed around 30 people, and vowed more attacks on Christians. ___ 1:15 p.m. French President Francois Hollande has expressed solidarity with Egypt following a deadly bombing at a church in the Nile Delta, north of Cairo. In a written statement after Sunday's attack, Hollande says "one more time, Egypt is hit by terrorists who want to destroy its unity and its diversity." He says France "mobilizes all its forces in association with the Egyptian authorities in the fight against terrorism," and offers condolences to the families of the victims. The bomb ripped through a church in the town of Tanta that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers. Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt's population, and have been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. __ 12:30 p.m. Pope Francis has decried a deadly attack on a Coptic church in Egypt during Palm Sunday celebrations, just weeks before his planned visit to Cairo. The pontiff expressed his "deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation," and said he was praying for the dead and wounded in the attack. Word of the bombing came as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." The pope's remarks on the church attack were handed to him on a piece of paper after he remembered the victims of the Stockholm attack Friday night. The bombing killed 25 people and wounded another 71, according to Egyptian officials. ___ 11 a.m. An Egyptian official says a church bombing north of Cairo has killed 21 people and wounded another 38. Magdi Awad, the head of the provincial ambulance service, confirmed the toll from the bombing of a church in Tanta that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers. No one immediately claimed the attack. Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt's population and have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists. ___ 10:15 a.m. Egypt state media says a bomb has gone off in a church in the Nile Delta, causing casualties. The MENA news agency attributed the report to unnamed Interior Ministry officials, who provided no further details. The explosion took place in the town of Tanta as Coptic Christians were marking Palm Sunday. Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's population and have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists. Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Relatives and onlookers gather outside a church after a bomb attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egypt, Sunday, April 9, 2017. The attack took place on Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week leading up to Easter, when the church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta was packed with worshippers. (AP Photo/Ahmed Hatem) VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis on Sunday decried a deadly attack on a Coptic church in Egypt during Palm Sunday celebrations, just weeks before his planned visit to Cairo. The pontiff expressed his "deep condolences" to the Coptic patriarch, Tawadros II, calling him "my brother," to the Coptic church and "all of the dear Egyptian nation," and said he was praying for the dead and injured in the attack that occurred just hours earlier as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) The pope's remarks on the church attack were handed to him on a piece of paper after he remembered the victims of the Stockholm attack Friday night. The Palm Sunday celebrations in St. Peter's Square were held under tight security, with streets surrounding St. Peter's Square blocked to traffic and security search of the faithful entering the square. The pope and cardinals in red robes led a solemn process clutching elaborately braided palm fronds as they walked through the throngs, followed by the papal blessing of palm fronds and olive branches. The processions recalls the bittersweet nature of Holy Week, with the faithful clutching simple palm fronds and olive branches to commemorate Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem only to be followed later by his death on a wooden cross. In his homily, the pope remembered the suffering in the world today, citing those who "suffer from slave labor, from family tragedies, from diseases ... They suffer from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike." After his traditional Sunday blessing, the pope circled the square in the pope mobile to greet the faithful. Faithful fill St.Peter's Square as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Cardinals hold palm leaves as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis kneels in prayer as he celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Cardinals hold palm leaves as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Two Swiss guards stand in front of St. Peter's Basilica prior to a Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Faithful holding palm leaves and olive branches are silhouetted as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Cardinals and priests hold palm leaves as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Cardinals hold palm leaves as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Panama's youths hold a cross in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Panama City will host the next World Youth Day in 2019. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd past a Slovenian flag after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Faithful fill St.Peter's Square as Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis kneels in prayer as he celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Pope Francis has blessed palm fronds and olive branches in St. Peter's Square at the start of Holy Week celebrations. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli media say police have questioned another billionaire as part of a corruption probe involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel 2 TV says police grilled British businessman Poju Zabludowicz on Saturday about alleged presents he provided Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. The investigation, dubbed "File 1000," reportedly concerns claims that Netanyahu improperly accepted lavish gifts from wealthy supporters, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP) The Netanyahus are said to have received more than $100,000 worth of cigars and liquor from Milchan. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. Zabludowicz owns several assets in Israel and has been friendly with Netanyahu for decades. Police have questioned Netanyahu four times concerning his ties with Milchan and other top executives in media and international business. Netanyahu may have to resign if indicted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP) PARIS (AP) - France's interior ministry said it has expelled a Swiss Islamic preacher with extremist views to his home country. The ministry said Hani Ramadan was arrested Saturday in Colmar, in eastern France, as he was taking part in a conference, and police escorted him to the Swiss border. It said Ramadan is "known in the past to have adopted a behavior and made comments which pose a serious threat to public order on the French soil." In 2002, Hani Ramadan was banned from teaching in a Swiss school because he had publicly defended the stoning of adulterers. He is the brother of Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan. The pair are grandsons of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's now-banned Islamist group. HONOLULU (AP) - Sean Smith and his husband paid more than $20,000 for a fertility procedure when they decided to have a child using a surrogate mother. They did not know at the time that if they were a heterosexual couple, they might have saved that money. Now, Smith and other members of Hawaii's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are lobbying for equal access to the financial help married, heterosexual couples enjoy under state law. They are pushing legislation that would require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization for more couples, including making Hawaii the first state to require the coverage for surrogates, which would help male same-sex couples who must use a surrogate. In this Friday, April 7, 2017, photo, provided by Sean Smith, Smith, left, and Kale Taylor, right, pose for a photo with their son, Charlie Taylor, while on vacation in St. Louis. Smith and Taylor paid more than $20,000 in Hawaii for a fertility procedure when they decided to have a child using a surrogate mother. They did not know at the time that if they were a heterosexual couple, they might have saved that money. Now, Smith and other members of Hawaii's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are lobbying for equal access to the financial help married, heterosexual couples enjoy under state law. (Courtesy of Sean Smith via AP) "Now that marriage equality is the law of the land and is accepted, now let's turn to family building, and let's figure out how we fix all these inequities that exist," said Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve, a national organization that advocates for access to fertility treatments. Hawaii is one of eight states that require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization, a costly procedure where a doctor retrieves eggs from a woman, combines them with sperm from a man and then implants an embryo into a woman's uterus. But Hawaii's mandate applies only to married heterosexual couples because it covers the medical intervention only if a woman uses sperm from her spouse, leaving the LGBT community and single women behind. "At the end of the visit, I would be going into the office and pulling out my credit card, and other people are probably just walking out and insurance is picking up the tab," Smith said. "We had to borrow money, refinance a second mortgage, and I'm sure there are people who don't even explore the option because the expenses are too great." The measure pending in the Hawaii Legislature removes requirements that the egg and sperm come from a married couple and includes surrogates among the people to be covered. No other state has included surrogates in their laws, Collura said. "It is definitely groundbreaking," Collura said. "And it's an often-overlooked way that people choose to build their family, and it should not be left out. It's great to see that Hawaii is taking the lead." Kaiser Permanente Hawaii opposed the measure, saying the medical provider and insurer does not perform in vitro fertilization with donor eggs or surrogates because of complex legal issues and medical risks. The company asked lawmakers to remove egg donors and surrogates from the bill, saying requiring coverage of additional procedures would raise costs for the company and its customers. A similar measure in Hawaii failed in previous legislative sessions. But aside from Kaiser, the bill has seen little opposition this year. A broad coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and the Democratic Party of Hawaii are working with LGBT groups to push for change. The proposal passed the state Senate and is up for a vote in the House this week. Maryland had a law that also excluded same-sex couples until about a year ago, when the Legislature changed the provision so it no longer required using a husband's sperm. That helped lesbian couples, but gay men were still left out because the law didn't cover surrogates, Collura said. Most state mandates limit insurance reimbursement to a certain number of in vitro fertilization trials or allow coverage only after years of infertility. Some states also allow religious or small employers to get out of the requirement. "We need to change these laws," Collura said. "We need to update them and make them so that they are no longer discriminatory." WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on developments in the aftermath of the U.S. airstrikes in Syria (all times EDT): 10:45 a.m. President Donald Trump's national security adviser is describing U.S. goals to defeat the Islamic State group as well as oust Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) as somewhat "simultaneous." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., center, speaks to reporters following a briefing on Syria on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) H.R. McMaster says there is no contradiction between comments by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who says IS must be defeated first, and Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who contends that getting Assad out is a priority. McMaster says "there has to be a degree of simultaneous activity as well as sequencing of the defeat of IS first." He says Trump's missile strike was meant as a "very strong signal to Assad and his sponsors" that the U.S. will not stand idly by, and that Russia should now reconsider support for the "murderous regime." McMaster spoke on "Fox News Sunday." ___ 10:30 a.m. Sen. Lindsay Graham is calling for as many as 6,000 more U.S. troops to fight the Islamic State group. The South Carolina Republican also wants additional penalties imposed on Russia for what he calls Moscow's "aiding and abetting" of Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) in the use of chemical weapons - and for Russian meddling in the 2016 American election. Graham tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the additional troops would "attract more regional fighters to destroy" the militants. Graham isn't saying where the Americans would be sent. The Syrian opposition has reported that Assad's forces have begun flying again from an air base struck last week by U.S. missiles, and Graham says Assad is telling Trump - "F ... you' - by resuming those flights. WASHINGTON (AP) - Criticized for his low-profile diplomacy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with a leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. And, he's set for an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. Since taking office in February, the former Exxon Mobil CEO has admittedly shunned the spotlight and the press. Yet, Tillerson was surprisingly visible during last week's announcement of the response to the gruesome chemical attack, fielding questions from reporters on and off camera, and then captured in an official White House photo seated next to President Donald Trump as they heard the result of the 59 cruise missiles that struck a Syrian military base. Tillerson was a prominent fixture during the most important foreign policy period in Trump's young presidency: a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that coincided with the strikes against Syria. He was by Trump's side during his meetings with Xi and spoke publicly multiple times to address both issues. FILE - In this March 22, 2017, file photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the Meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition on the Defeat of ISIS in Washington. Lambasted for his low-key diplomacy, Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with his leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. He now takes on an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's alleged U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File It was Tillerson who delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had "failed" to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement," he said. On Sunday, he made his first network television interview appearances. In one interview, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Bashar Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule - something Moscow adamantly denies. Tillerson said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hadn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. Then he headed to Europe to gather with the foreign ministers of the other major industrialized nations before venturing on eastward to become the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Moscow - and possibly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The criticism from the foreign policy establishment's left and right that has dogged Tillerson's tenure is dying down. Tillerson had faced questions about whether he understood that his new position meant he was now the face of the United States to the world, that he had to answer no longer to a small group of top shareholders but to more than 320 million Americans. The secretary of state must be "the spokesman for American foreign policy," said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official during George W. Bush's presidency. "This is the administration's first crisis but it won't be their last by a long shot, so he's going to have to get used to this." Joining Trump at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Tillerson was supposed to focus on the informal summit with Xi. Instead, he was thrust to the forefront after photos of the bodies piled in heaps in Idlib, Syria, dramatically altered the agenda. Only a week earlier, Tillerson had alarmed U.S. allies by indicating the U.S. was no longer interested in pushing for Assad's removal from power. In the hours leading up to Trump's decision to order the strikes, Tillerson was among the most forward-leaning of Trump's top aides in suggesting the U.S. would deliver an "appropriate response." He challenged Russia publicly in a way Trump appeared scrupulously to avoid and said of Assad early Thursday: "It would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people." After the cruise missiles crashed down in Syria, Tillerson was calm and commanding in a question-and-answer session with journalists. Cohen, a conservative critic of Trump's foreign policy who has chided Tillerson for his reticence, said he saw Tillerson growing into the job. "I suspect you'll see more of him as he grows more comfortable in dealing with the press and in his relationship with the president and the administration's national security team," Cohen said. The challenge will be greater in Russia's capital this week. Tillerson is arriving at a fragile point in U.S.-Russia relations, where he will have to confront the Kremlin's anger over the missile strikes in Syria along with suspicion at home that Moscow may have been complicit in the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack. Senior U.S. military officials have said they are looking into whether Russia provided drone surveillance and helped Syrian forces try to cover up what they'd done. "I think that there will be a lot of answers that come out of that meeting. And I think that's when the president will make his decisions," said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." Beyond Syria are disputes over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Tillerson carries to Moscow the weight of FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election. The Trump campaign's possible ties to the presumed Russian meddlers are also under scrutiny. "This is going to be Tillerson's biggest test to date," said Julianne Smith, a National Security Council and Defense Department official under President Barack Obama. When he goes to Russia, keeping a low profile would likely be impossible, even if it were his goal. ___ Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Julie Pace contributed to this report. In this April 6, 2017, photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, walks with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. Lambasted for his low-key diplomacy, Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with his leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. He now takes on an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow this week under the twin clouds of Russia's alleged U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) CAIRO (AP) - Sunday's bombings of two Coptic churches in separate cities claimed by the Islamic State group are the latest attacks on Egypt's embattled Christian minority, increasingly targeted by IS and affiliated militants. The Copts have long been a favored target of extremists - they were struck with a similar church bombing just weeks before the country's 2011 Arab Spring uprising, and Islamic militants gave them a particular focus during a crackdown on them in the 1990s - but the past five months been particularly bloody. U.S.-based think tank the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy said the attacks brought the total number of sectarian incidents against Copts to 26 in 2017, with a total of 88 killed including those at a major church bombing in December. This frame grab from video shows an ambulance outside Saint Mark's Cathedral following a suicide bombing that killed several people, just after Coptic Pope Tawadros II finished services, in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Bombs tore through two Egyptian churches in different cities as worshippers were marking Palm Sunday, both claimed by the Islamic State group. (AL-MASRY AL-YOUM, via AP) Following are major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians over the past year: April 9: Twin bombings, at least one by a suicide bomber, hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people were killed and scores of worshippers injured on the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II in Alexandria's St. Mark's cathedral. February: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by Islamic State militants. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. The Islamic State group affiliate in Egypt releases a video vowing to step up attacks against the Christian minority, describing them as their "favorite prey." It showcased a December attack on the church adjacent to Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral, which claimed the lives of 30 worshippers. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo claimed by IS kills 30 people and injuries dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. The high death toll serves as a grim reminder of the difficulties of Egypt's struggle to restore security and stability after nearly six years of turmoil. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs 27-year old Coptic Christian Fam Khalaf to death in the southern City of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumor spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The mother of the aforementioned man was stripped naked by the mob to humiliate her. JERUSALEM (AP) - A former Arab Israeli lawmaker has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. An Israeli court on Sunday accepted a plea bargain between Basel Ghattas and prosecutors. Under the deal, Ghattas admitted to slipping the phones and SIM cards to Palestinian inmates during a prison visit. As part of the deal, Ghattas, a member of the Joint List of Arab parties, agreed to resign from parliament last month. Ghattas is to report to prison in July. He must serve two years, plus pay a $33,000 fine or serve an additional four months. FILE -- This Dec. 26, 2016 file photo, shows Arab Israeli lawmaker Basel Ghattas in a magistrate court, in Rishon Lezion, Israel. Ghattas, a former Arab lawmaker has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. An Israeli court on Sunday accepted a plea bargain between Basel Ghattas and prosecutors. As part of the deal, Ghattas, a member of the Joint List of Arab parties, agreed to resign from parliament last month. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File) Arabs make up about one-fifth of Israel's population. While holding citizenship rights, they often face discrimination and are sometimes viewed with suspicion for identifying with Palestinians. SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Hundreds of people have gathered in Macedonia's capital of Skopje to protest a recent spate of stray dog poisonings in several cities around the country. The sight of dozens of stray dogs dying in Skopje alone last month has alarmed conservationists and animal welfare groups. Radmila Pesheva from the "Anima mundi" protection group warned Saturday that poison is freely available at the market and demanded that authorities regulate its sale and punish those poisoning stray dogs. The protest against the poisonings was held Sunday in downtown Skopje. The poisonings began about a month ago after a 4-year-old boy died in hospital several days after being attacked by stray dogs near the town of Kicevo. After the boy's death, there were heated calls in social media to eradicate stray animals. Terry Flanagan closed in on a money-spinning unification showdown after beating Petr Petrov on points to successfully defend his WBO lightweight title for the fifth time at the Manchester Arena. After claiming a 116-112, 120-108, 118-110 victory on the judges cards, Flanagan will now hope to land a high-profile clash with either Ukrainian star Vasyl Lomachenko or Anthony Crollas recent conqueror, Jorge Linares. Terry Flanagan takes on Petr Petrov in the WBO World Lightweight Championship He would go into any such contest having learned much from his gruelling battle against the Russian, who has been around the top level since losing a brave challenge to Marcos Maidana in 2011. Petrov certainly gave Flanagan problems in the early stages but the Manchester mans sharper work began to prevail and he visibly rocked his opponent with a stiff one-two in the ninth round. Petrov was clearly not going anywhere, and continued to bull forward into the last in a vain attempt to convince the judges that he had done enough to wrest the title from the home favourites hands. Earlier, Liam Smith claimed a controversial victory over domestic rival Liam Williams after the Welshman was withdrawn before the beginning of the 10th round due to a serious cut to his eyelid. Williams appeared to be winning the bout, which was nominally for the WBO interim super-welterweight title, although Smith did not win it as he scaled two points over the limit at Fridays weigh-in. The premature ending after an engaging contest led to protests from Williams corner that the bout should have gone to scorecards because the injury was caused by an apparent head-butt. Liam Smith takes on Liam Williams in the Super-Welterweight Championship match At the time of the ending Smith had appeared to be clawing his way back into the contest after the sharper and brighter work of his previously unbeaten opponent saw him build up a commanding lead. Promoter Frank Warren admitted he wanted to see an immediate rematch although it remains to be seen whether the WBO will sanction Smith again after his failure on the scales. Asked about a rematch afterwards, Warren said: Theres got to be. It was a great fight Liam Williams started well and Liam Smith was coming back at him when it was ended. Ryder Cup team-mates Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia share the lead heading into the final round of the Masters after a dramatic third day at Augusta National. Rose, who became the first English winner of the US Open for 43 years at Merion in 2013, carded a third round of 67 to finish six under par, with halfway joint leader Garcia shooting 70. Rickie Fowler was a shot off the lead after returning a 71, with 2015 champion Jordan Spieth another stroke back alongside compatriots Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman. Tweet of the day This is Jordan Spieth's fourth Masters. It's the first time he doesn't hold the 54-hole lead. He's 2 back. Let that sink in for a second. Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) April 8, 2017 Shot of the day Jordan Spieth found himself in the pine straw under the trees on the par-five 13th, a position similar to that from which playing partner Phil Mickelson played a brilliant shot on his way to the title in 2010. Spieth could have been forgiven for playing safe, but smashed a long iron on to the green from 230 yards and narrowly missed the eagle putt. Round of the day Rose was one over par for the day after seven holes, but birdied the par-five eighth and picked up five more shots coming home in a back nine of 31. The resulting 67 matched his lowest score in the Masters. Quote of the day Sergio Garcia Jose sent me a beautiful message on Wednesday night, and you know, he has a good touch when it comes down to those things. It really meant a lot. Garcia reveals he received a message of support from two-time winner Jose Maria Olazabal. Statistic of the day Best score to par in 3rd & final rounds of majors, since 2012: Rose -34 Fowler -22 Spieth -19 All 3 are in the last 2 groups tomorrow Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 8, 2017 Toughest hole Justin Rose For the first time this week the first hole was not the toughest and even gave up six birdies. The 18th played the most difficult in round three with Justin Rose making one of just five birdies, with 16 bogeys and two doubles leading to an average of 4.283. Easiest hole Charley Hoffman hits to the 13th hole during the third round of the Masters Unsurprisingly it was a par-five which played the easiest, with the 13th regaining its title from the opening day. Although there were no eagles, compared to two on the 15th, 24 of the 53-strong field made birdie, with just three bogeys recorded for an average of 4.604. On the up Sunday at #TheMasters ... It would've been Seve Ballesteros' 60th birthday. A good omen for Sergio seeking his first major? pic.twitter.com/DyCE8QZQ39 PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 9, 2017 References to the late Seve Ballesteros, who would have celebrated his 60th birthday on Sunday. Garcia is looking to join Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal as Spanish champions at Augusta. On the slide Phil Mickelson Phil Mickelson began the day with birdies on the first two holes before making a mess of the short third, hitting an iron off the tee into a bunker and even duffing a pitch a rare occurrence for someone with his short-game skills. The 46-year-old dropped three more shots on the front nine as a 74 dropped him out of contention to become the oldest ever Masters champion. The United States has been warned it crossed a red line with its missile strikes on Syria and faces retaliation in response to future aggression against Bashar Assad. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani said American military intervention was a violation of international law during telephone talks backing the Syrian regime. An arm of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a statement it claimed was on behalf of Russia, Iran and its allies, vowing to reply with force to any future aggression in a variety of ways. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has welcomed US strikes on a Syrian airfield last night, saying they were 'limited and appropriate'. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) April 7, 2017 Boris Johnson will meet counterparts from leading nations in Italy for talks on Monday that will focus on pressuring Moscow to pull out of Syria and ending Assads grip on power. The US and UK have blamed Russia for being complicit in the horrific deaths of innocent Syrians in last weeks chemical attack and the federation is facing the threat of fresh international sanctions over its support for the dictator. Mr Johnson spent the weekend on the telephone to G7 foreign ministers ahead of their two-day meeting in Tuscany and also spoke to key regional players, including the Saudis. He will say that Assad has no future in Syria, Russia must stop supporting the regime and a plan to rebuild the country must be drawn up. USS Porter firing a tomahawk land attack missile from the Mediterranean Sea Mr Johnson told The Sun US president Donald Trump had shown a resolve and willingness that has been sadly missing in the last few years and warned the US could strike Syria again. He added: We cannot miss this moment. It is time for Putin to face the truth about the tyrant he is still propping up. Mr Johnson has been lambasted for pulling out of planned talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov following discussions with the US. Critics claimed the move left him looking daft and as though he cant be trusted. Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike...... pic.twitter.com/3nUzrdiGzX President Trump 45 Archived (@POTUS45) April 7, 2017 US secretary of state Rex Tillerson will go ahead with his visit this week to deliver a clear and co-ordinated message to the Kremlin. A UK government source said: The important thing is that this is Britain helping to influence US policy on Syria and Russia, far from being a poodle. Three months ago Syria wasnt really an issue for them but our push and recent events have made a difference. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Russia was responsible for every civilian death in the Syrian chemical weapons attack, claiming President Putin was to blame by proxy as Assads principal backer. I will now not travel to Moscow on Monday 10 April. My priority is talks w/ my #G7 counterparts about Syria and Russia's support for #Assad Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 8, 2017 Foreign Secretary statement on Moscow visit: https://t.co/lJTAbinK8X Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 8, 2017 Mr Tillerson echoed the comments, telling Face The Nation on CBS, the Russians have played now for some time the role of providing cover for Bashar Assads behaviour. Russias failures to rid Syria of weapons stockpiles has led to the killing of more children and innocents, he said. But asked about the possibility of further intervention, the secretary of state said Washingtons first priority in Syria was to defeat Islamic State terror group, also known as Daesh. Some 87 people, including children, are believed to have been killed in a suspected sarin nerve agent strike on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Mr Trump ordered a strike by 59 cruise missiles on the base in Americas first direct attack against the Syrian government. Egypts president has called for a state of emergency after suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing 44 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage at the government. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the violence, adding to fears extremists are shifting their focus to civilians, especially Egypts Christian minority. People gather outside the church after the bomb attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta (Ahmed Hatem/AP) The attacks in the northern cities of Tanta and Alexandria that also left 126 people wounded came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit. It was the single deadliest day for Christians in decades and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo church in December killed 30 people. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for a three-month state of emergency late on Sunday night. The army chief-turned-president also sent elite troops across the country to protect key installations and accused unidentified countries of fuelling instability, saying Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organisations that tried to control Egypt. People gather outside the church after the bomb attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta The attacks highlighted the difficulties facing Mr el-Sissis government in protecting Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypts population. Where is the government? screamed an angry Maged Saleh, who rushed to the church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta where his mother escaped the carnage. There is no government! People clean up debris the explosion at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria The first bomb exploded inside St Georges Church in Tanta, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78, officials said, overturning pews, shattering windows and staining the whitewashed walls with blood. Video from inside the church broadcast by CBC TV showed people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. A few hours later, a suicide bomber rushed toward St Marks Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, killing at least 17 people and wounding 48. CCTV images showed a man with a blue sweater tied over his shoulders approaching the main gate to St Marks and then being turned away by security and directed toward a metal detector. He passed a female police officer talking to another woman, and entered a metal detector before an explosion engulfed the area. The Health Ministry said six Muslims were among the dead in Alexandria. Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church leader, had held Palm Sunday services at the cathedral, but his aides said he had escaped unharmed. Evil attacks at St George's Tanta Egypt. As we come to Easter pray for victims, the justice of the cross, hope & healing of resurrection Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) April 9, 2017 The timing of the attack raised the question of whether the bomber had sought to assassinate him. Pope Francis, who is due to visit Egypt on April 28-29, marked Palm Sunday in St Peters Square by expressing deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation. IS said in a statement two Egyptian suicide bombers named Abu Ishaq al Masri and Abu al Baraa al Masri carried out the church attacks and vowed to continue attacks against Christians. What happened is a dangerous indicator that shows how easy it is to attack a large gathering of people in different places, said researcher Ishaq Ibrahim with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. The body of the policeman murdered in the Westminster terror attack has been brought to a chapel at the Houses of Parliament. Pc Keith Palmers coffin was taken through Old Palace Yard, near where he was stabbed to death by extremist Khalid Masood last month. Pc Keith Palmer, the officer who was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack Draped in a police flag, it was taken by hearse to the resting place on Sunday afternoon, where it will stay overnight before his full police funeral at Southwark Cathedral on Monday. A group of officers wearing white gloves formed two lines to meet the vehicle as the coffin was carried inside. The coffin of Pc Keith Palmer passes a police guard of honour (Isabel Infantes/PA) Uniformed police lined the edge of the square and crowds of people gathered to pay their respects. The Queen has given permission for the 48-year-old officers body to rest in Westminsters Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. Officers lining Old Palace Square pic.twitter.com/T1OOhFOoVZ Rachael Burnett (@ReporterRachael) April 9, 2017 It is an honour normally reserved for heads of state and which was bestowed on former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Labour politician Tony Benn. A short private service to receive the body into the chapel will be led by Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin and attended by members of the Palmer family. Floral tributes to the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack outside the Palace of Westminster Four other innocent people were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday March 22, which ended with Masood being shot dead. Andreea Cristea, 31, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Kurt Cochran, 54, and Aysha Frade, 44, died after he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. A British father who was killed in the Stockholm terror attack has been described as a talented, compassionate and caring person. Chris Bevington, 41, was one of four people who died when a lorry mowed down pedestrians in a busy shopping district of the Swedish capital on Friday. Mr Bevington lived in Stockholm with his family and worked as a director with music streaming service Spotify. His father John Bevington said: We are all devastated by the untimely and tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris. A wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many. The family requests absolute privacy at this incredibly difficult time to mourn his passing in peace. Chris Bevington was among the victims of Friday's terror attack in Sweden Spotify founder Daniel Ek told of his shock that his colleague had died in a senseless attack. In a statement posted online he said: Chris has been a member of our band for over five years. He has had a great impact on not just the business but on everyone who had the privilege to know and work with him. There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this. Whilst this terrible news is sinking in, our primary focus is on supporting the family and loved ones of Chris in any way we possibly can. Of the other three people who died two were Swedish, and one was a 31-year-old woman who had been living in Halle, Belgium. The suspected attacker, arrested on Friday, is a 39-year-old asylum seeker from Uzbekistan who had his application for residency rejected last year, according to Swedish police. The force have revealed the man was known to authorities some years ago but as a more marginal character. At a press conference on Sunday they said he was sympathetic to extremist groups and had been sought by authorities for deportation. Authorities added that they had arrested a second suspect and questioned more than 500 people in the investigation so far. A woman drops flowers onto a police car near the department store Ahlens following a suspected terror attack in central Stockholm Ten of the 15 victims injured in the attack are still being treated in hospital, four of whom remain in a serious condition. Two of those are in intensive care. One child was injured but not seriously, a spokeswoman for Stockholm County Council confirmed. Following the rampage Swedens prime minister Stefan Lofven said everything indicates that this is a terrorist attack and later vowed he would not give in to attempts to destroy democracy. Theresa May pledged solidarity with the country in the wake of what she described as a terrible attack and said the UK stands firmly by Swedens side. PM spoke with the Prime Minister of Sweden today, to express her condolences for the terrible attack in Stockholm https://t.co/pKf14RLrVz UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 8, 2017 The latest outrage inflicted on the continent came just two weeks after similar tactics were used to attack London, when Muslim convert Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge. The bloodshed also bore hallmarks of attacks seen in Nice and Berlin last year. The sacrifice of First World War Canadian soldiers who helped forge peace in Europe and a national identity for their country has been praised by world leaders at a ceremony. The Prince of Wales described the efforts of Canadian troops who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, launched 100 years ago to the day, as setting an extraordinary example of selflessness for our future generations. While Canadas prime minister Justin Trudeau said: The burden, they bore. And, the country they made. The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have arrived for the Battle of Vimy Ridge commemorations #Vimy100 pic.twitter.com/n3bwkpptLa The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 9, 2017 Because this, too, is why were here. Why we remember. Charles told thousands of Canadians gathered along with Frances president Francois Hollande and other dignitaries that: The long shadows of the thousands who fell here still touch us today. French President Francois Hollande (centre) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right) visit the tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park (Tim Rooke/PA) The battle is fundamental in the history of Canada as on a snow-swept French hillside four military divisions from the nation attacked together for the first time as the Canadian Corps, and their bravery in breaking German defences earned them the respect of the world. Empty boots at Vimy Memorial Park (Steve Parsons/PA) The battle, begun on April 9 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive, featuring Australian troops and Scottish regiments, known as the Battle of Arras, which was a diversionary move to help a major French attack further south. Cadets wait for the Last Post to be played at Vimy Memorial Park (Steve Parsons/PA) Delivering part of his address in French Charles added: We honour those who served so gallantly, and who gave so much. Their loss inspires us to do all in our power to prevent such senseless loss from ever happening again. The event was staged in the shadow of the towering Canadian National Vimy Memorial built on Hill 145, the highest point of Vimy Ridge captured by Canadian and British troops after four days of fighting. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit the tunnel and trenches at Vimy Memorial Park in France (Steve Parsons/PA) Among the guests was the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry who laid the final pair of thousands of boots left at the monument to symbolise the 3,598 Canadians killed in the major operation. 100 years later, we remember the Battle of Vimy Ridge #Vimy100 https://t.co/guV2OAyWdV pic.twitter.com/TpCV4cQypq Veterans Affairs CA (@VeteransENG_CA) April 9, 2017 In his tribute to his countrymen who fought and died on Vimy Ridge Mr Trudeau told the thousands attending the ceremony in blazing spring sunshine: But this monument is also symbolic of Canadas birth and our enduring commitment to peace. As I see the faces gathered here, veterans, soldiers, caregivers, so many young people, I cant help but feel a torch is being passed. One hundred years later, we must say this, together. And we must believe it: Never again. TRH hear more about the history of the Battle of Vimy during a tour of the Vimy trenches #Vimy100 pic.twitter.com/LvzkaVubaB The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 9, 2017 In his speech Mr Hollande made a veiled criticism of far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen who has been promoting an anti-immigrant, nationalist agenda. The president said: Those that fought at Vimy tell us that nationalism only leads to war and that fundamentalism only leads to destruction. Their Royal Highnesses meet guests following today's #Vimy100 commemorative service in France. pic.twitter.com/CAOmHybr4f Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 9, 2017 Earlier the Queen had sent a message to the people of Canada telling them it was everyones duty to remember the sacrifices of their countrymen who served in the 1917 battle. When they left the ceremony with Mr Trudeau and the French president, William and Harry were mobbed by Canadians, youth groups, military veterans and relatives of Vimy Ridge troops. BAYONNE, France, April 8 (Reuters) - Basque militant group ETA has handed a list of eight arms caches to the French police through intermediaries, sources close to the matter told Reuters on Saturday. The surrender of its weapons is expected to end the group's more than four decades of armed struggle that gained it notoriety as one of Europe's most intractable separatist movements. The hidden caches could include about 130 handguns and two tonnes of explosives, according to French anti-terrorism experts. The orchestrated handover in the French city of Bayonne will not dissolve the group, which declared a ceasefire in 2011 after killing more than 850 people during a campaign for an independent state in northern Spain and southwest France. (Reporting by Claude Canellas; writing Bate Felix; editing by Jason Neely) ATHENS, April 8 (Reuters) - Greece's coastguard said on Saturday that it had uncovered an international ring that transported large quantities of drugs from Albania to Italy using high-speed boats. The coastguard's drug-fighting unit said it had arrested five Albanians and two Greeks and seized 1.5 tonnes of unprocessed cannabis and two speedboats, estimating that the ring had made "many millions of euros". The months-long investigation, in cooperation with Italy's Guardia di Finanza, found that the ring purchased large volumes of drugs in Albania and transported then on customised high-speed vessels to the shores of Italy, the Greek coastguard said. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; editing by Alexander Smith) MADRID, April 9 (Reuters) - A Russian computer programmer, Pyotr Levashov, has been arrested in the Spanish city of Barcelona, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Madrid said on Sunday. Russian television station RT reported that Levashov was suspected of being involved in hacking attacks linked to alleged interference in last year's U.S. election. He was arrested under a U.S. international arrest warrant, RT reported on its website, citing Spanish police. The embassy spokesman declined to give details on the reasons for Levashov's arrest. The Spanish police and interior ministry were not available for comment. Spanish authorities notified the embassy of Levashov's arrest on Friday, the spokesman said. The U.S. government has formally accused Russia of hacking Democratic Party emails to help the campaign of Republican President Donald Trump. The U.S. Congress is also examining links between Russia and Trump during the election campaign. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly denied that Russia tried to influence the election. In January, Spanish police arrested another Russian computer programmer, whose name was given as "Lisov" and who was wanted by the United States under an international arrest warrant. (Reporting by Angus Berwick; Additional reporting by Alexander Winning in Moscow) By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 9 (Reuters) - NASA's Peggy Whitson, soon to become the most experienced U.S. astronaut in terms of time spent in space, assumed command of the International Space Station on Sunday as two Russian crew members and an American prepared to fly back to Earth. For Whitson, 57, it was her second stint in charge of the $100 billion station, a multinational project overseen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian space agency Roscosmos. On April 24, Whitson will have spent more time in space than any other American astronant, surpassing the current U.S. record of 534 days held by NASA's Jeff Williams, 59. She already held records for the most time spent in space by a woman and for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman. "She will set another record at this moment," the departing U.S. commander, Shane Kimbrough, said during a Sunday change of command ceremony aired on NASA TV. "She becomes the first two-time female commander of the International Space Station." Kimbrough and Russian crewmates Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko were scheduled to wrap up a 173-day mission on Monday, with a parachute landing in Kazakhstan at 7:21 a.m. EDT (1121 GMT). Their replacements, NASAs Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, were due to arrive on April 20 at the station, which is in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The U.S. and Russian space agencies last week agreed to extend Whitsons mission by three months to fill in as the new crew's third member. Russia is reducing its station cadre from three to two members until its new science laboratory is launched next year, the head of Roscosmos said at the U.S. Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week. Whitson flew to the station in November with Russias Oleg Novitskiy and France's Thomas Pesquet. The men were scheduled to fly back to Earth without Whitson on June 2. She was due to return to Earth in September with Fischer and Yurchikhin, having amassed a career U.S. record of more than 665 days in orbit. Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, with 878 days in orbit, is the worlds most experienced space flier. (Editing by Frank McGurty and Jonathan Oatis) By David Morgan WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. military strikes against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons are a warning to other nations, including North Korea, that "a response is likely" if they pose a danger, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday. As a U.S. Navy strike group headed toward the Korean Peninsula, Tillerson said China agrees that action is necessary to address North Korea's nuclear arsenal, following last week's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Asked if Friday's strikes against Syria were a message to North Korea, Tillerson told ABC's This Week: "The message that any nation can take is, 'If you violate international norms, if you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken.'" "In terms of North Korea," he added, "we've been very clear that our objective is a denuclearized Korea peninsula." In a separate interview, Tillerson told CBS' Face the Nation: "President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken." Trump will soon review options for removing the "threat" posed by North Korean missiles, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said on Sunday. North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as "the Day of the Sun." Reuters was first to report on Saturday that the Navy strike group Carl Vinson, whose flagship is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of that name, will make its way toward the Korean peninsula from Singapore as a show of force after Pyongyang tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile this month. "It's prudent to do it, isn't it?" McMaster said of the deployment on Fox News Sunday. "This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime, and President Xi and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said. A U.S. national security review of options on North Korea include economic and military measures. But they lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its neighbor. (Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by James Dalgleish and Sandra Maler) MEXICO CITY, April 9 (Reuters) - Mexico's government on Sunday condemned the acts of violence that have taken place in Venezuela in recent days, which damaged public buildings and the offices of banned opposition leader Henrique Capriles. "Mexico calls on all parties to refrain from resorting to violence or provocation and resolve their differences through peaceful means," the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. Protesters clashed with security forces during protests in Venezuela on Saturday after a ban on Capriles breathed life into a fractured movement and fueled the first sustained anti-government demonstrations since 2014. Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate and current Miranda state governor, on Saturday said his headquarters in Caracas had caught fire after tear gas was thrown inside. He was seen by many as the opposition's best chance in the presidential election scheduled for 2018, but on Friday was banned from holding political office for 15 years. Mexico's foreign ministry underscored the "importance of achieving in the short term a national political accord that will allow Venezuelans to recover democratic normalcy." Earlier this week, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto received leading Venezuelan opposition activist Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, in a policy shift that reflects Mexico's increasing assertiveness against the government of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. Mexico's position reflects deep concern about the humanitarian crisis caused by food and medicine shortages in Venezuela, as well as the Supreme Court's recent short-lived decision to take over the powers of the country's opposition-controlled Congress. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Sandra Maler) By Charlotte Greenfield and Aaron Bunch WELLINGTON/SYDNEY, April 10 (Reuters) - As China's middle class develops its taste for imported food and drink, fresh produce suppliers in New Zealand and Australia are topping up nature's bounty with anti-counterfeiting technology in a bid to protect their growing business from fakes. Suppliers of goods from fruit to wine and lamb are teaming up with makers of tracking systems, codes and powders to combat fakes that cost the global food business billions of dollars. As tech tools become cheaper, services like China's popular WeChat smartphone app are also being deployed, offering consumers a free scanning ally to work out what's on Chinese store shelves. Smaller players like meat company Silver Fern Farms and Synlait Milk have tapped local tech firms like Dunedin's Oritain, which measures food isotopes as a checkable 'fingerprint'. But Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is also in on the act with a pilot Blockchain-based tracing system, signing up Kiwi dairy giant Fonterra and Australian vitamin supplier Blackmores as partners. "We see the Australian and New Zealand markets setting the tone for the rest of the world when it comes to integrity, safety and quality of food supply chains," said Maggie Zhou, Alibaba's Australia and New Zealand managing director, in comments published to mark its project launch at a late March Canberra ceremony. "It was a natural decision to pilot a programme here." Dislodging counterfeit food, now a well established business of its own, presents no small challenge. Fraud costs the global food industry an estimated $40 billion a year, Alibaba said, citing research conducted by Michigan State University. In China, $1 billion in counterfeited goods was seized in 2014, according to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition. "Categories that are faked so regularly are the (fresh produce) ones where New Zealand and Australia are strong," said Mark Tanner, director of Shanghai-based China Skinny, a firm that advises Western businesses operating in China. But firms in Australia and New Zealand are prepared to go to increasing lengths to protect sales they rely on for growth. New Zealand's total exports to China have quadrupled to NZ$12 billion ($8.62 billion) since 2007, most of them being food and beverage products. Australia agriculture exports to China were worth around A$10 billion ($7.67 billion) in 2016, double the amount five years earlier. QUICK RESPONSE Widespread use of apps like WeChat, owned by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, and developments in technology like machine learning have made it easier and cheaper for smaller tech firms to develop anti-counterfeiting technologies. That lower cost base has brought what tracking systems that were previously solely in the realm of multinational giants like HP and Walmart within reach of the small to mid-level firms that are the backbone of the food and drink business in New Zealand and Australia. Oritain charges customers NZ$300-700 per isotope test product, while for from around NZ$200 a month, Auckland-based Trust Codes supplies a machine-learning algorithm that can pull data from consumers' phones in China when they scan a product's encrypted Quick Response, or QR, packaging code. At Auckland manuka honey firm Oceania Natural, Chief Executive Walker Zhong said he used his knowledge of Chinese consumers' shopping, social media habits and liking of convenience in building Oceania's own scanning system at a cost of NZ$1 million. Backed by a Chinese insurer, Oceania Natural's tool revolves around WeChat - which Zhong knew Chinese consumers would already have on their smartphones - sending an alert if the scannable code on product has been used before, indicating in one step whether it's genuine. "China consumers...they don't like to use two steps or three steps to verify your product is genuine," said Zhong. Pitfalls remain. Packaging can be tampered with, or even faked, and that many exports like meat are still sent to China in bulk shipments without any packaging for consumers at all. "The only real way of knowing is testing the actual product," said Sam Lind, operations director at Oritain. "We're at the whim of counterfeit packaging just like anyone else." ($1 = 1.3928 New Zealand dollars) ($1 = 1.3034 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in WELLINGTON and Aaron Bunch in SYDNEY; Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook in SYDNEY; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) By Marton Dunai BUDAPEST, April 9 (Reuters) - Hungarians rose up in one of the largest protests against the seven-year rule of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday, protesting against new legislation that could force out of the country one of its top international universities. The Central European University (CEU), a school founded by U.S. financier George Soros, could be forced to leave Hungary after a bill passed in Parliament this week by Orban's Fidesz party set stringent, new conditions under which it must operate. The bill has led to criticism from hundreds of leading academics worldwide as well as from the U.S. government and the European Union. The protest drew some of the largest crowds against Orban's seven-year rule, with organisers estimating attendance around 70,000. The crowd marched across a bridge over the river Danube and filled the square outside Parliament, which was defended by several lines of police, some in riot gear. Thousands of people, mostly students, stayed on after the main protest for an unannounced march on the building of the Education Secretariat, then on to the headquarters of Fidesz, where where they chanted anti-Fidesz slogans before, with numbers dwindling, they blocked Oktogon square, a busy intersection in central Budapest. Though passionate, the protest remained peaceful throughout. Hungarian President Janos Ader must now sign the bill by Monday to make it law. The protesters said they wanted to convince Ader to reject the bill and refer it to a constitutional review. "What do we want Ader to do? VETO," the crowd chanted. "Free country, free university!" "The government wants to silence pretty much everyone who doesn't think the same as them, who thinks freely, who can be liberal, can be leftist," protest organiser Kornel Klopfstein, a PhD student at the University of Bielefeld in Germany, told Reuters. "According to the government one of the centres of these people is at CEU... We should stand up for academic freedom and for CEU." The students sat down on the pavement and chanted slogans like "Here is the end, Viktor", or "Fidesz is dirty". CRACKDOWN ON DISSENT The government has been tightening up on dissent in other ways as well, proposing tighter rules on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which will have to register with authorities if they have a yearly foreign income of 7.2 million forints ($25,000). The rules are admittedly targeting organisations funded by Soros, a Hungarian-born American financier who for decades has given away billions of dollars of his fortune to support causes of a liberal "open society" worldwide. The Hungarian premier has often vilified Soros, whose ideals are squarely at odds with Orban's view that European culture is under an existential threat from migration and multiculturalism. Orban has often said NGOs are doing Soros' bidding. "The government is always looking for someone to fight with, and Soros seems like a perfect person for this because he funds NGOs in Hungary and he funds CEU as well," Klopfstein said. CEU Rector Michael Ignatieff has said the school would continue operations as normal and demanded that the law be scrapped and additional international guarantees of academic freedoms be added to current legal safeguards. The U.S. State Department will send diplomats to Budapest next week to address the CEU crisis, said Ignatieff, who spent several days in Washington to lobby the U.S. government, lawmakers and the media. "They want to completely undermine and eradicate what remains of civil society," Bara Bognar, a 40-year-old finance professional, told Reuters. "This is the first protest I have ever participated in. There is a level at which you must be present, so here I am." "The method, the lack of dialogue, the efforts for years to annihilate all democratic institutions, this cannot be the future of us nor our children." (Editing by Hugh Lawson and Sandra Maler) The China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation engaged in the extension work on the Matara-Beliatta railway line has sought police protection after a man who broke into the room of one of its employees had slashed him with a knife before getting away on Saturday morning. Project manager Gu Feng said the company was seriously concerned about the safety of its 2,300 employees of whom 380 were Chinese. He said the employees had been attacked by villagers and underworld gangsters even on previous occasions. Mr. Feng said the gangsters often demanded fuel and those who ignored their demands were assaulted and that the guards from the private security firms were unable to deal with the gangsters. The latest incident occurred about 4.00 am on Saturday when a 31-year old employee, Zhang Fei who heads the team of surveyors was suddenly woken up to find a stranger in his room. As there is hi tech survey equipment valued at more than Rs.3.5 million in his room he immediately grappled with the intruder. On hearing the commotion within the room his co-workers broke open the door and came to his assistance by which time the assailant had slashed Mr. Fei with a knife in a failed attempt to get away, Mr. Feng said. The man is suspected to have entered Mr. Feis room through a window. He was admitted to the emergency ward of the District General Hospital, Matara and had been working on the project since its inception in 2013. The assailant was overpowered and handed over to the Matara Police who are conducting further inquiries. (Priyan de Silva) The sun coming directly above Sri Lanka and a drop in winds had caused the excessive heat in most part of the country, the Department of Meteorology said today. A spokesman told the Daily Mirror that the nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun was overhead today were Bangadeniya, Wariyapola, and several other areas in the North Western Province. The sun will be over Sri Lanka till April 15 this year according to the department. However, the department also said that Sri Lanka was not affected by the heat wave hat was sweeping across the Indian subcontinent. On March 30 Indian media reported that at least five people had died in its Maharashtra State as a result of the heat wave, where the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Average maximum temperature in several parts of Sri Lanka has increased up to 35 degree Celsius, with Polonnaruwa reporting a temperature exceeding 36.1 Celsius. Temperatures in Jaffna, Ratnapura and Vavuniya were at 35 degrees, while it is 33 C in Colombo at present. The Meteorology Department predicted fair weather in the coming days. However the Department forecast that thunder showers could be expected at a few places in the Western and the Sabaragamuwa Provinces and in the Galle and Matara Districts particularly after 2.00 p.m. (Yohan Perera) With Sri Lanka staring at one of the worst droughts in the last four decades, India has provided an emergency assistance of water and rice to the Island country. The government has already handed over eight water bowsers to the Sri Lankan authorities and the consignment of rice would be delivered soon. In response to a request from the Government of Sri Lanka for drought relief assistance, Government of India has announced the decision to provide 8 water bowsers and 100 metric tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka. The supply of these items is in the nature of emergency assistance to augment relief measures undertaken in the wake of severe drought faced by Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament in a written reply. The lorry-mounted water bowsers were given to the Government of Sri Lanka on March 21. India has always been among the first to respond to requests from the neighbouring countries in times of crisis. The current gifting of the water bowsers and rice is part of that policy, Swaraj added. Sri Lanka is suffering from the worst drought in 40 years with over a million people facing acute water shortages. The Island country has experienced prolonged dry season with some districts having 60-70 percent less rainfall. The local wells and reservoirs are running dry. The harvest of rice is going to be hit due to water shortage and the prospect of rice shortage later this year is looming large. The Sri Lankan government has also taken slew of measures to contain the fallout of the rice shortage. It has already waived off taxes on rice imports and is expected to increase rice imports to meet the demand at home. Water shortage has also compounded problems for the energy sector of the country that depends on hydro-power.(Indian Express) Ajahn Brahmavamso, also known as Ajahn Brahm, left an indelible impression in my mind. He has my greatest respect and Ive learnt so much from him. Im going to devote todays article to some of the wondrous stories recounted by Ajahn Brahm and his teachings on loving kindness in my own words, which I will share with you here. The story of the king cobra- I heard this story while listening to one of Ajahn Brahms talks. He related how a group of monks were seated in a circle, meditating in the forests of Thailand. The Thai jungles were infested with snakes, king cobras among them. Suddenly a king cobra appeared. It made a beeline towards the head monk and raised its hood, put out its venomous tongue and was ready to strike. This cobra was ready to strike when the head monk raised his hand and started gently stroking the cobras head. And miraculously enough, the cobra lowered its hood and left the group of monks. This is a true story which goes to show the power of loving kindness. The head monk had so much loving kindness in him that even the cobra could feel it and was moved by it. Then theres the story of the thief who broke into a temple. Once inside, he broke the donation box and started emptying the money into his pockets. The Abbot arrived and the thief pointed his gun at him, ready to shoot. The Abbot gently asked the thief not to be afraid. He said, please take all of it. You must be hungry. Theres some food over there, please take it. The thief immediately ran to the food and stuffed his pockets with it before leaving. After some time, he was arrested and put in jail for other crimes. Many years later, the same thief returned to the temple. He was a changed man. He met the Abbot and said, Many years ago, I came to steal money and food from the temple. But I could never forget your kindness to me. All that time in jail, I kept remembering it and thats what sustained me. My sanity. Today Ive come to steal your love and kindness. This story is yet another incident of the power of loving kindness. It can truly change people. Theres yet another story with supernatural undertones. At NASA, one of the main computers stopped working. Top engineers and technicians in the US tried their utmost to repair the computer but nothing worked. Finally, one of the staff remembered that there was a Buddhist monk (not Ajahn Brahm- another monk) nearby and asked him to come to NASA in the hope that the computer would repair itself when the monk chanted. The monk arrived and did so. Sure enough, the computer started working! Ajahn Brahm recounts how one day when he was in his teens, his father said to him, son, the door of my house is always open to you. Ajahn Brahm wasnt sure what exactly his father meant but as he matured, he realised what his father wanted to say was, son, the door of my heart is always open to you, no matter what you do in life or who you become. And Ajahn Brahm was to apply his fathers loving words to his own future and make a huge impact on other lives. We could all be like this, opening the door of our hearts, especially to our loved ones and to all of life. Ajahn Brahm recounts a story of a bad toothache which was giving him immense pain. He tried meditating but was unable to because he was in so much pain. Finally, after nothing worked, he opened up his heart to the pain and said to himself, Pain, the door of my heart is open to you. He kept experiencing the pain without rejecting it. And sure enough, the pain lessened and eventually left him. In life, one should not only have loving kindness in the present but also in the past and future. Its important to forgive oneself for ones past. To accept oneself and embrace oneself. Its important to accept all that has happened. One should practice loving kindness and remember the good things that happened in the past. When coming home after a days work, forgetting what went wrong at work and remembering all that went right is worthwhile. This however does not mean that we should entirely ignore what went wrong. However, its important to bring the good things home to your spouse rather than the unpleasant things. We must learn from the past and from our mistakes and not think about the people who wronged us. Its important to forgive others. Forgiveness leads to freedom and to happiness. It is senseless to want to hurt for hurt caused. It just perpetuates suffering. Anger, according to the Buddha, is temporary insanity. Its important to have metta for oneself as well as for others. Its important that compassion is directed at the correct place. Its not about you or me. Its about us. Compassion for oneself without compassion for others is not enough. Compassion for others without compassion for oneself is not enough. The door of my heart should be open to all beings. I need to have compassion for myself so that I can be of greater help to other people. Metta can be associated with all religions. The heart is where loving kindness comes from. Loving kindness is embracing the diversity of human beings. Human beings are not perfect. According to the Buddha, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that cannot be forgiven. Having a positive outlook for the future is important. Whatever happens to us, we should deal with it in a positive way. Always hope for the best without giving into despair. Life is a bundle of experiences. How we react to each situation is what matters. Normally we react with attachment, aversion or ignorance. If we just experience life as it unfolds and be mindful from moment to moment, thats what matters. Its also important to have a sense of gratitude in life. To live with grace and harmony with whatever is happening. Above are some of the teachings Ive learnt from Ajahn Brahm. I hope theyll be of great value to you too. With Metta, Namali. Last weeks main international story should have been the most anticipated meeting of the two global heavy weights, President Trump and President Xi. Many global leaders and analysts were keen to see how the two men both at their zenith of power, yet having quite different world views would interact and the fallout that may define global relations for years to come. This landmark meeting was overshadowed by key developments in Syria. Syrias conflict has a generative dynamic to it, it is drawing more and more actors both state and non-state like a gigantic magnet. The Syrian town of Khan Seikhoun in the Idlib province, which is the last remaining main Syrian rebel stronghold after the crushing defeat they suffered in December 2016 at the hands of Syrian Armed Forces backed by Russian military was the site of a major chemical attack last Monday. The images that came out of the aftermath of dead children painted a gruesome picture. While there was no clear evidence on how the attack unfolded, the Western narrative was that it was an attack carried out by Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad regime. Russia took a clearly defiant stance against this popular view point. Trumps unilateral strike on Syrian air facility violates international laws, it undermines the United Nations Security Council, which are both symbolic of what may be coming in the near future with a marginalized or weakened United Nations system. A United States that once again ignores global norms, not keen to work through global institutions as the United States Ambassador to the UN, Nimratta (Nikki) Haley hinted that the US would not overlook unilateral responses. Reminds one of the Bush era undermining of the United Nations and signals American unilateralism in global affairs Yet, the US missile attacks surprised some, intrigued many and was puzzling for the American voters who thought Trump was more interested in fixing problems at home as he himself was warning Obama not to intervene in Syria. Trump had been a critique of President Obama for even making the infamous redline comment when Obama hinted he would use force against Syria in a similar chemical attack that was allegedly carried out by Syrian forces against a rebel held neighbourhood in eastern Damascus in 2013. What does President Trump seeks to achieve in this unprecedented move of burning 60 million US dollars at one go by firing a million dollar-a piece missile solution 59 times? The consequences and implications maybe as follows. Firstly, the non- interventionist America narrative goes down the drain or some call it the death of America first policy, as Trump blamed his predecessors, including George W. Bush, and Obama of unnecessary US involvement in global conflicts which led to serious financial implications at Home. The strike represents a United States that is ready for unilateral military strikes on perceived adversaries are a chilling addition to already instable international security architecture. The worlds is witnessing geo political rivalries, populist nationalisms and significant Asian militarization and Asian rivalries. Secondly, the missile strikes bring Americans into a direct confrontational path with the Russians who had been involved in a large military campaign to support the Assad regime. Even during the presidential run up in 2016 Trump advocated non intervention in Syria, when Hillary Clinton called for no fly zones to be established on Syria skies. Some analysts argued if Clinton was to become the President, she would start the World War III with Russia hence was happy Trump won. Yet, Trump seems to ending his bromance with Putin prematurely, by taking the United States into a possible confrontation with Russia or by immersing in the conflict can lead to an unnecessary prolonging of the conflict resulting in more violence and regional instability. Thirdly, the strike took place when the Chinese President was in his state visit to the United States, after coming from Finland, where he assured Finland of deep ties with China. Finland is already feeling the heat from a resurgent Russia. The US strike on Syria may seem as a stern warning to China about Trumps intentions to project a more aggressive American foreign policy when it comes to the use of force. This may have unintended consequences as with many American security policy blunders from creating the current chaos in the middle east to being the handmaiden of ISIS terrorism that emerged from the fragile states of Iraq and Syria. The Middle East (ME) and North African regions are going through significant crisis since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict. Syria is a tragedy that may create a defining rupture in global politics of the 21st century. Syria is the second fault line to weaken the existing global order, 9/11 was the first. With nearly more than 50% of its population uprooted, half a million deaths, nearly 5 million refugees that have fled the country, these refugees themselves are creating tensions within the region as well as far as Western Europe and northern America and even in Asia. They seem to be creating social concerns throughout many regions and leading to radicalization and militant attacks. Last week also witnessed lone wolf terror attacks in Sweden and Russia, the metropolis of Stockholm and St. Petersburg the sites of attacks. Both these attacks were carried out by individuals of Uzbek and Kyrgyzstan origins which is a sign of radicalization in the Central Asian regions that are affecting European security. These lone wolf attacks are all driven by inspiration from ISIS. The ISIS phenomenon itself is a result of state failure in the ME, mainly of Iraq and Syria. Even Trumps right wing nationalist friends in the European circles were stunned, Marine Le Penn tweeted, Trump is wrong about thinking of military intervention in Syria. Nigel Farage shared similar sentiments. The big question is why the United States get involved directly in a conflict which had minimal national interest values, the war was good from an American perspective. It dragged all American enemies into a war that depleted each others resources. Hezbollah and Iranian military are heavily involved in fighting for Assad, many senior Hezbollah leaders and some Iranian generals killed. Russia is spending a lot of money and bleeding in Syria. Al-Qaida affiliates and ISIS fighters are fighting and dying thus all these deaths, destruction are from an American national interest perspective not a bad outcome. Trumps decision to strike Syria may have come from some recent domestic and international political compulsions from growing criticisms from his own support base about not getting things done. The unprecedented nuclear option taken in the US Senate to confirm the conservative Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Judge to escalating revelations of Russian links with the Trump campaign and family business. It also signals the infighting raging within the Whitehouse between Bannon group and Jared Kushner loyalists. The world is heading towards a game of thrones scenario, where populist uprisings, geo political confrontations and an American foreign policy that seems to mirror the impulsive nature of its new leadership is creating global trajectories that is becoming harder to predict and adjust. The choices for small powers like Sri Lanka are getting complex and challenging our diplomatic thinking radically. Do we have the strategic insight to comprehend these sudden changes in global politics? How well can we navigate such turbulence? These are questions that will dominate our foreign policy makers in time tom come. Has Sri Lanka thought about the strategic security implications of this complex world, do we have a strategy to cope with the expansive geo political rivalry not just of United States and China but of China, India, of Saudi Arabia and Iran. All these countries have good relations with Sri Lanka but how are their power projections affecting us. Have we considered ethnic religious relations in Sri Lanka from a security dimension? While reconciliation is core to healing old wounds how do we deal with things like new forms of radicalization? Radical extremism is an alarming by product of systematic state failure and geo political rivalries among Islamic nations have we as a nation started to map these threat scenarios? These question need serious strategic considerations. If ignored, will make us all pay a heavy price. The Writer is a Director, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET OWNER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER-D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FORTISSIMO CO. 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Read More Phoenix New Media Limited provides content on an integrated Internet platform in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through two segments, Net Advertising Services and Paid Services. It offers content and services through PC channel, mobile channel, and telecom operators, as well as transmits content to TV viewers, primarily through Phoenix TV. The company, through its website, ifeng.com, provides various interest-based content verticals, such as news, finance, video, automobiles, technology, entertainment, military, real estate, fashion, and sport; and offers interactive services, including comments posting and user surveys. Its mobile channel consists of ifeng News, a news application that provides newsfeeds and other contents in the form of text, image, live streaming, and video; ifeng Video, a video application, which offers video news, live broadcasting, Phoenix TV programs content, etc.; i.ifeng.com mobile Internet website; and digital reading applications. In addition, Phoenix New Media Limited offers mobile newspaper, mobile video, and mobile game services, as well as wireless value-added services. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. Phoenix New Media Limited is a subsidiary of Phoenix Satellite Television (B.V.I.) Holding Limited. While Albemarle County staff members are more optimistic about the countys future financial situation than they were last year, 499 internal review requests on property assessments have been filed. When the budget initially was presented in February, Doug Walker, interim county executive, said revenues were better than what had been anticipated, specifically the assumptions that staffers had made on changes in assessed value of real estate. We were anticipating a 1.8 percent increase; what we actually got was a 2.9 percent increase, Walker said. That in itself translates to a total change ... from last year to this year of $4.5 million. Now, in addition to that, were also experiencing growth in construction, new construction and land divisions, and that is another $3.3 million. Other revenue categories also are performing well, he said, and much of the consumer-driven activity is up over the previous year. Other local taxes including sales, business and prepared food and beverage taxes are up 4 percent over the current-year budget. Personal property tax revenue also increased, by 11.8 percent. Last year, then-County Executive Tom Foley and Lee Catlin, assistant county executive, both said the 2016 average reassessment increase of 1.84 percent fell short of the 2.2 percent rise that was first projected. During the FY17 budget process, the Board of Supervisors approved a 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate. There is no proposed tax rate increase this year. While there has been less community turnout at budget meetings this year than in the past, some supervisors have said that their constituents are concerned about their assessments. Average values for residential properties increased 1.2 percent for those up to 20 acres, 2.2 percent for those between 20 and 100 acres and 4.3 percent for those of 100 acres or more. Urban residential properties saw a 4.2 percent increase on average. Commercial property saw an overall increase of 2.3 percent. Multi-family units, such as apartment complexes, increased by 4.8 percent. It is very difficult to estimate the change in assessed values from year to year due to the many factors that affect them, so it is not unusual to have actual changes differ from an estimate made a year earlier, Peter Lynch, county assessor, said in an email. According to information provided by county spokeswoman Jody Saunders, 499 requests for assessment appeals were filed by the due date of Feb. 28. Of those, 46 were for commercial properties and 453 were for residential. In 2016, the county received 177 such requests, 64.5 percent fewer than for the current year. At the end of the review process, 114 assessments were reduced, 35 had no change and 28 were increased. Saunders said 2016 was the only year for which the county has data on internal reviews. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia compiles a data survey on tax rates of all localities in Virginia. In 2015, according to the survey, Albemarle had zero appeals filed internally to the assessors office and 173 appeals filed to the Board of Equalization. Because the centers data survey is voluntary, author Stephen Kulp said localities might not respond to certain questions. There are two main paths a property owner can take to appeal an assessment: filing a review request with the assessors office and then, if they disagree, moving on to the Board of Equalization; or going directly to the equalization board. This year, according to information from Saunders, there were 14 direct requests to the equalization board. In 2016, 49 appeal requests were made to the board overall. The number of requests does not directly correspond to the number of parcels in question. For example, the 49 requests the Board of Equalization received in 2016 were for 271 parcels owned by 23 different taxpayers. There may be multiple parcels in a single request if they are related economic units, such as 180 condo units run as an apartment complex, Saunders said in an email. The assessors office utilized a new computer system for this years assessments, but a frequently-asked-questions section on the countys website says, this system change, however, would have no appreciable effect on your valuation. Even with the positive economy in the county, Walker said staff members are watching things at the state and national levels. We are not certain, for example, what changes might be ahead of us with regards to the Affordable Care Act, Walker said. Our local economy is performing well. Right now, the projections from the state and feds are a little less clear for us, he said. We want to be vigilant in our effort and be cautious about not over-committing. Summaries The First Assyrian Workers From Turkey in Germany By Abdulmesih Barbraham Wurzburg, Germany (AINA) -- The 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement (German: Anwerbeabkommen) was officially celebrated in many cities across the country end of October 2021. In his speech at the state commemoration event in Berlin, Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, addressed the invited guests, stating that "You helped building up Germany -- You have enriched... US Attorneys May Have Violated Constitutional Rights, Immigration Law in Prosecuting Assyrian Lawyer By Ashur Shirsha Chicago (AINA) -- In September of 2014, Attorney Robert DeKelaita was indicted for helping a handful of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) asylum seekers obtain asylum. The government, represented by the US Attorney's Office, alleged that the means used to obtain asylum for the handful of the witnesses chosen to testify against DeKelaita was fraudulent. Conference Expropriates Assyrian Christian History, Denies Assyrian Identity (AINA) -- On May 4-5 the Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq and the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO) organized a workshop titled Christianity in Iraq at the turn of Islam. Its aim was to discuss important institutional changes for Christians in areas of the collapsed Persian Empire and retreated Byzantine Empire which were conquered by Muslims. The Unethical Prosecution of an Assyrian Attorney On January 2, 2018, Judge Goldsmith from the federal court in Michigan ordered the release of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) Christian detainees who had been held for deportation. In his decision, the judge cited that the country conditions in Iraq precluded the possibility of returning the refugees to their homes safely. German Recognition of Armenian, Assyrian Genocide: History and Politics By Miryam A. Abraham Berlin (AINA) -- By an overwhelming majority, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed a symbolic and long overdue resolution on Thursday, June 2, 2016, recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman government as a genocide. Congressman Tom Garrett's bill, the President-elect Release of Tax Return Act, requiring an incoming president to release his tax returns prior to taking office, is a weak political stunt. Garrett's performance of this stunt is a disingenuous attempt to appear responsive to his constituents. At his recent sham town hall, Garrett said he doesn't care about the 45th president's tax returns. Constituents replied that we do, so Garrett responded by filing a bill. The bill in question does not require the 45th president to release his tax returns at all. Nor does it require any candidate to release tax returns early enough for voters to make an informed decision about whether the candidate could use the presidency to enrich himself or herself. The current iteration of the bill is pointless, and an insult to Garrett's constituents. Will constituents fall for this stunt? I doubt it. Genevieve Lyons, Charlottesville The first time the two women talked, the younger one was 18, homeless and pregnant not with her first baby, but her second. The next time life brought Sahra White and Donna Hart together, almost 13 years had passed. There were tears once more, but this time from joy as White shared how well shes done in life, thanks to the help she got from Hart. The two also got the face-to-face meeting they never had. Even though Hart regularly offered words of encouragement to the desperate teenagerand helped her find a job and apartmentthe two always talked on the phone. Each time they arranged to meet, life always got in the way, White said. It broke my heart because I really felt like I needed to meet her in person and let her know the positive effect she had on me. Life gave her that chance last week. The two embraced, smiled at each other, talked about the past and hugged again. Then, they said a few more words and repeated the process. White recounted how grateful she was that Hart, as director of Birthright of Fredericksburg, saw the potential in the young woman. Hart lined up the assistance she needed to get established and take care of her family. Hart was amazed by the level of detail White recalled. You have a great memory, Hart said. You never forget the people who help you, White responded. At rock bottom Now 30, White remembers well the bus ride that brought her to Birthright, an agency that helps women with unplanned pregnancies. She was 18 and recently graduated from Courtland High School. She had gotten pregnant at 16, had a boy and was seven months pregnant with a baby girl. Some in her family said she was following in the footsteps of her mother, who was 15 when she had the first of her 14 children. White said her mother abandoned her soon after she was born, and her father and stepmother took care of her. They loved her very much, she said, but they couldnt shake their drug addiction, and both died on the streets of Brooklyn. An aunt brought White and her siblings to Virginia. When White got pregnant the first time, relatives said shed never graduate from high school, that shed spend her life on welfare. Even after she got her diploma, White wondered if their predictions might be true. By then, she had no friends or family to turn to, and the local agencies she had visited didnt have room in their programs for her. I was literally at rock bottom, she said. She filled out paperwork at Birthright, which provides an assortment of services for pregnant women. It has no political or religious affiliation and is funded by donations from individuals and churches. Hart was its director in fall 2004, when White arrived, and she called the teenager later that night. From that day forward my life changed for the better, White said. You never judged me Birthright used donations from local groups to get White and her babies into an apartment. The agency also provided diapers and clothes, a car seat and blankets. Regularly, White would call Hart, when she was feeling down or overwhelmed. You never judged me, you never said you didnt have time to talk, White remembered. That year, White was one of about 1,200 women the agency helped. Birthright averages about 800 cases annually these days, from 13-year-old girls to middle-aged women who are not financially stable and cant believe they could possibly be pregnant, Hart said. Birthright offers counseling, maternity and baby clothes and referrals for housing, medical resources or legal help. The local agency has about 35 volunteers. That makes them even more awesome, that they do all that on their free time, White said. Where I came from White later had a third baby. She and her childrenDior, 13, Sarai, 12, and Nakya, 9lived in the apartment Birthright initially secured for White for nine years. By then, White had saved enough to buy her first home, in Salem Fields in Spotsylvania County. She also put herself through college and earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Strayer University in 2014. Many times over the years, she juggled two jobs with her growing familys busy schedule. It wasnt unusual for her to work all day, spend time with her children, then take them to an overnight sitter while she worked a night shift. Anytime things got rough, and I thought about giving up, White said, I always remembered where I came from. She worked with youngsters in day care and troubled youth at a regional facility. She found her calling with senior citizens, and she worked for a business that provided non-medical assistance to the elderly. Word started to spread among her customers, and she decided to start her own business, Sahras Senior Day Out. She wants to help older people get out for activities and appointments, to visit relatives or go out to lunch. As she looked around for an office, she saw a vacant space, called the contact number listedand got connected to her past. Glad to do it White asked about the office space and was sent to the property owners voicemail. She immediately recognized the voice on the recording, and tears filled her eyes. It was Donna Hart. White left a message, and when Hart called back, the two initially talked about the office. Then, White asked if Hart had ever worked with Birthright, and the past came spilling out. Hart told White it was her birthday, and that hearing from her was the best gift she could have gotten. When the two met on Monday, at the office off Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania, they laughed about the emotional reunion over the phone lines. That was the best cry I ever had on my birthday, Hart said. I know, I havent cried like that in a long time, White added. Its not unusual for women to return to Birthright years later and thank the volunteers for helping them over rough patches. Grandmothers, too, will tell workers they wanted their daughters to have abortions, but are so glad Birthright offered another option, as the grandchildren have become the apple of their eye, Hart said. Hart said she was thrilled to see how well White is doing, and that shed love to meet Whites children. Hart has a granddaughter about the same age as the baby that Birthright provided a car seat and diapers for. Then, Hart joked that the womens roles might reverse in the decade to come. I can see how this is going to turn out, Hart said. In about 12 years, Ill be calling you for help, and you can take care of me. Ill be glad to do it, White said. We certainly would not acknowledge the practice, but employing someone with a name that is not Anglo Saxon or European and is Islamic in nature is a serious no, no. We just dont want the hassle, not only do we hate Muslims but we fear them. What if they suddenly turn during employment, they are bombs waiting to go off at any second. Thanks to the actions of a few Islamic fundamentalists, all Muslims in the West are now tainted as potential terrorists. It does not matter how much they try to integrate, theyre still Muslims, you get fair skinned Muslims too, theyre even more dangerous to us because it just confuses us even more, an employer who wished to remain anonymous revealed. There are still some areas of London where Muslims like to flaunt their religion by wearing burqas and their assorted garments advertising their staunch belief system, however they are the brave ones, who have no hope of employment, are spat at on a daily basis and are hated with vehemence. What is the solution to this ongoing problem? There is naturally a preponderance to follow the politically correct route, where there are smiles up front but not behind the scenes, it is a certainty that when at home or amongst trusted colleagues, the hatred for Muslims rages. Religion is obviously the great divider of humans, and the only viable solution would be to eviscerate the different factions and unite the remaining human race under one banner, this could only be achieved after a massive culling. Deeply religious people are blind to other opinions, they are blind to different strands of thought, to literature, to factual scientific knowledge. The Jesus nut is just as bad as a the Islamic nut, because they cannot see beyond their blinkers, they have been programmed from an early age, they are immoveable. Which form of programming is the most efficient, Islamic or Christian? This is the one hundred million dollar question, where the Christian kills clinically utilising high technology from thousands of feet above, the Islamic kills from below brutally with a rusty blade. They both still murder and maim, but one is removed from the mess, and the other is so dedicated to their cause they can taken an old kitchen knife and do the dirty deed from anywhere. I would therefore say, the level of programming by the Islamic faction is infinitely more dangerous, because the Christians have to utilise high end expensive technology to kill, not every man or woman has access to that, whereas the Islamic person is capable of killing in any situation for their religion. Their programming from birth is infinitely more powerful than the rather loose Christian ideology, which allows more freedom of exploration of thought. The Islamic side, in this era, is more rigid and controlled, and any wavering of thought/speech/actions is punished with death, an observer of religion told no one in particular. You wont find any comedians or entertainers joking about Islam in any way for a very good reason, as John Cleese mentioned recently. One can be jocular about Christianity but when it comes to Islam, there are no jokes..just death sentences. You certainly dont want that if youre on stage trying to make people laugh. The loss of humour, intellectuality and reasoning are the by-products of fundamentalism, where innovation, science and literature are thwarted, subdued and snuffed out like a candle in the darkest of nights. And thus, we have the final curtain, where separation is an inevitable conclusion. For many there was never really a mixing anyway, but the untold story of division. LONDON - England - The Bank of England is set to begin "printing money" in a bid to boost the failing economy after its rate-setting committee unanimously agreed that there was no other option under the current circumstances. We have already earmarked thousands of acres of rainforest in Brazil which will be needed to be processed to make more money for the Bank of England. After the last estimate we may be talking about 3000 square miles of forest because the amount of money needed to plug the black hole in Britains finances is so f*cking huge, Sir Ranulph Fludgecow, head of the the nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) told Mervyn King, the Banks Governor. According to Brazilian officials there may be a slight delay in the purchase of the forest area in Brazils central Amazonian basin, however efforts are being made to clear the area of indigenous Indians who populate the forest. Friends of the Earth and Save the Amazon have been outraged at the news of the deforestation plans and have put in an appeal to parliament which will probably be quashed immediately. Under quantitative easing, the Bank will simply print more money to boost the money supply. Under Gordon Browns care the economy has gone from bad to worse so this is a last-ditch attempt to somehow dig us out of this unholy mess. When he was Chancellor, Gordon decided to turn a blind eye to what was going on with the banks. He also wasted trillions of pounds on useless projects when he finally shoehorned his way into power. His policies have been an utter disaster to the UKs economy and he has left us no option but to just print more sterling which will devalue the pound even further. Say goodbye to your pensions, your savings and any money you ever had because soon you will be going around with a suitcase full of money to buy a cup of f*cking coffee, Sir Ranulph added. LONDON - England - Mervyn King, the Bank of England's chairman, announced today, that he will give everyone in England and Wales 10,000 cash so as to kick start the ailing economy. The Royal mint has been working overtime for the past few weeks printing up billions of pounds to fill the economic black hole left by years of negligent rule by the previous chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. Called, Quantitative Easing the idea is to print so much money that the pound sterling will be practically worthless. But look on the bright side at least we would have a lot of cash in our pockets. Good News Every citizen in England and Wales will receive 10,000 cash from the Bank of England. You can do as you wish with the 10,000. You can buy a mars bar with it or a lollipop, you may even be able to stretch yourself to buying a packet of crisps as well. Because of devaluation, your 10,000 is equivalent to 60 pence a year ago, Mervyn King said from his plush Mayfair residence. There may even be plans by the government to drop the money from the air but this idea may have to be shelved because of Health and Safety concerns. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwes president, yesterday commended the Bank of England on its actions with a message of solidarity for mirroring his countries economic success. WASHINGTON DC - USA - The American economy is losing its hardness and getting flaccid once again, that is according to top economists afraid of a major default after talks between Obama and Boehner broke down. Obama has a serious problem. Hes got a Boehner in his back telling him how to do his job and meddling with his debt addictions. Some people like to take Viagra to get a Boehner, Obama likes to pass on that and go for the default, Nancy Pelosi, former house speaker told the Washington Times. Aldridge Dimebag, a Wall Street economist tried to explain the situation on Bloomberg today: America is a few days away from defaulting and creating a massive full scale economic crash because right-wing nutters are meddling with the frickin debt-ceiling, or something like that. I just think the proverbial is gonna hit the fan if something is not done before the Asian markets open on Sunday. Every day, the parallels between the 1930s and 2011/12 are getting increasingly similar. 2008 was like the 20s Wall Street crash, what were going to have now is possibly something akin to the 1930s crash. Not sure about the war situation, but that could escalate too. Its going to be the last fight for the worlds dwindling resources. The players? Well, China, Russia and the U.S, of course, a geo-political global analyst told Newsweek magazine. No one knows where president Barack Obama is at the moment, but he better get his shit together some time soon or were all going to get it. He likes nothing better then to come into the Treasury at Horse Guards Road and choke anyone that is in his way. Weve gone through four secretaries, six personal assistants and a cleaning lady already this month. He just grabs their neck and starts choking. Exactly what hes doing to the British people with taxes, a worker at the Treasury, who wished to remain anonymous, disclosed to the Telegraph. Britain, to George Osborne is a long tapering neck ripe for the choke, and with huge increases of taxation, national insurance, food and fuel costs, the British people are having the life choked from their collective neck. You have to work for 280 days in the year in the U.K. before you pay off the taxation and make any money for yourself. There is actually no point in trying to work or earn a high income because 66.6 per cent of your income will be taxed and given to the freeloaders at the bottom. What is the point in working hard in Britain if all your money is taken away from you? There is absolutely no impetus to better yourself and be successful. Just think, your hard earned cash which you have striven for, nearly killed yourself earning, is just taken from your pocket and given to some chav living in a million pound taxpayer funded house where they live the life of Riley, a bankrupted, ex-business man living in a cardboard box under Waterloo Bridge, told the Evening Standard. It is not just the high-earners who are punished in modern day Britain. Anyone on a low income is taxed at the basic rate of 40.2% including National Insurance contributions. So when youre working your 5.25 per hour job cleaning the shit out of some poor O.A.Ps arse, think to yourself how you are really working for 3.15 per hour and that you are going to have to work for 70 hours a week just to be able to feed yourself. Fuel tax is now 93% of the price, and to fill a mid-size car up will cost you 130. Food costs have risen to such a level that people are starving and going without food for days. You can see these poor people in impoverished areas, just staring into supermarkets and restaurants, longing for a decent meal or just some morsel to tide them over for the day. What about the roads? Driving them these days on Englands rat packed highways, you can see the seething hatred in everyones eyes, and all it takes for a white van man to go psycho is some poor bastard waiting 2.5 milliseconds longer at the lights when they go amber. Englands roads are full off psychopathic nut jobs waiting to flip a fuse in their dangerous weapons they call vehicles, as they rev their engines waiting to crush anyone in their path. The prisons are now overflowing with rioters, and soon there will be no more room for any more, as there will surely be more riots if the Chancellor keeps up with his strangle hold on the economy. I think the hierarchy want there to be riots because they have their bunkers to languish in for the next thirty years if need be. They will survive at all costs, because they know that the system is untenable right now. Theres nothing that can be done with the system, and no politician can fix it. They now have enough technology and level of information to discard everything else. Also, there is no way you can sustain a working British society with no resources, especially when you are getting huge influxes of poor Eastern European and African immigrants into Britain every day. Millions of people are granted free passage to come to the U.K., use its resources like the NHS and benefits, straining the already overloaded, overcrowded resources. Were only a small island, Russell Frost, 53, an unemployed man from East London told the Evening Standard. As George Osborne squeezes harder and harder on the neck of Britain, he can see the veins bulging and he clenches his teeth to choke the life out of the economy. He does not want enterprise, he wants death, he wants riots, you and I are not worthy for him. Britain needs nurturing, not strangulation. BRUSSELS - Belgium - In a last ditch effort to save the European project, China stepped in last night with its vast cheque book and bought the whole lot. Business is business, and when you have deals like this going, youre not going to stand around, are you? Xin Xam Long, Chinese Finance Minister, told Xinhua news network. As portfolios go, owning the EU is one small step for the Chinese to owning the world. The Americans, who owe $4 trillion to China are also ripe for the picking, and if they dont pay back every cent, the Chinese will make them pay one way or another. You dont f*ck around with Uncle Chin. You pay up or he comes along with his goons and they stick a chopstick so far up your ass that you can make dim sum out of your tonsils. These guys dont take no for an answer, plus they have a huge army, almost three or four times the size of the US army. Oh, I hear you saying that they have inferior weapons compared to the hi tech stuff the US has, well, youre wrong. The Chinese have been spending the money they make on manufacturing cheap plastic junk to the West on upgrading weapons, and their spies sure like American science labs like Los Alamos and other so-called secret facilities. They probably know more about our weapons than we do, Pentagon official, Charles Fitz, told the Washington Times. As Nicolas Sarkozy was on bended knee yesterday begging Chinese premier, Hu Jintau, for assistance to the EU debt crisis, the Chinese knew that Chairman Mao would have approved highly of the situation and would have urged China to move with haste to procure the purchase of the EU lock stock and barrel. In China, we have an old proverb: For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill and so, the great cloak of our esteemed Chairman reaches over the European plains and takes everything he can. Remember, that what is happening now, was planned 40 years ago, and by the looks of it, its all going exactly as it should, a Chinese politburo official told Chinese state television on Wednesday. The rigid economic policies of the ECB are being utilised to bring the world into another Great Depression and will probably tip the globe into a Third World War as resources dry up and nations become more and more desperate for finance. The ECB is the key instrument for the death of the worlds economy and will be the precursor for the annihilation of millions of people in the coming war. If people do not have food to eat, they riot. Look what is happening in Greece, where mothers are abandoning their children in back alleys and retired old men shoot themselves in Syntagma Square. Even though only 4% of Greeks pay income tax, this is still no way to treat them. This is what happens when the ECB makes such stringent economic policies that kill off eurozone countries. Once the eurozone countries are ruined by the ECB, then the knock on effect spreads across the world. If the ECB started QE tomorrow, stock markets worldwide would rise by 60% and wealth would be created once again. Instead, the rigid policies of the ECB will be the cause of Europes next war, and when you have China and Russia entering the fray, you know that we will have all out war. Everyone can thank the ECB for that one, professor of economics, Ronald Welterweight, from Cambridge University told the BBC. Political commentator Arthur B. Waldon recently wrote in the Times: One must understand why the ECB needs global war, because the politicians and bankers who came up with the EU are too big-headed to back down from the failed project. Therefore, it is better to go to total war and clean out the unwanted populations before re-commencing the EU project without all the detritous and noise. Only then will the EU project have a chance of succeeding. One cannot create a system like the EU under the current conditions because the ingredients are bad. Once the PIIGS are dumped, they can make the perfect omelette, they will just need to crack a few more eggs to do it and dump the rotten ones in the dustbin. The EU has already had a huge influx of undesirables, and these are not wanted by the EU hierarchy. They will be purged, and once that is complete, the EU will rise from the ashes again. The EUs collectivist fascistic social system also incorporates Marxist ideologies as well as those of Hegel and numerous eugenicists throughout history.. Ideally the EU state should be a scientific dictatorship where populations are controlled with the use of sterilisation, microchipping and genetic modification. This dream by the fathers of the EU may have to wait 50-60 years to accomplish; until the populations are reduced and the eugenics programs are rolled out. By that time there will be a North American union, and Russo-Chinese union and the rest will be a wasteland where the surviving populations will be forced to survive in very poor conditions. Once the war is over, we will build the EU as it was correctly envisioned. The current populations are now defunct, and we have no use for them anymore. The coming Post-Consumerist age will embrace science, efficiency and total control. Unfortunately for the plebeians, they will be sacrificed to achieve the EU goal. It is a small price to pay for the Great Work, for which we have been waiting and preparing for for hundreds of years. We have through industrialisation come to the technological place where the consumerist is no longer a viable model. With food shortages, reduced pensions, reduced jobs, huge increases in food and fuel costs, they are slowly getting the message, Jens Luhrmann, a German EU politician revealed in the Die Zeit newspaper. ATHENS - Greece - The world economy and EU is preparing for another Greek election in six weeks, then one after that, and one after that as well. It is true to say that every six weeks we have an election in Greece, where we say that the world economy is being held ransom by a bunch of strutting apes. In reality Greece accounts for a mere 2% of the EUs GDP, but this is neither here or there, it is a wonderful distraction to what is really going on, like financial f*cking Armegeddon by kicking the can down the road every time, Alexi Sliltheratis, a Greek political commentator told the Aegean Herald last night. The Greek farce is an altogether amusing circle of events where one faction is ousted every six weeks, then another is introduced promising great things, then the same people who were first ousted are re-elected. Rinse and repeat, and keep prolonging the misery of ordinary Greeks while you are at it. Thanks to this ludicrous farce, it is not only the ordinary Greek people who are suffering because Greece is not removed from the Eurozone, but the rest of the worlds economy suffers as well due to the vast increased market volatility. By the time this is over, your pension should be worth about fifty quid, if youre lucky, seeing as it is all linked to the stock markets. The longer the madness of a Greek euro is prolonged, the worse the final result will be. Thanks to the bungling contemptible oafs who claim to be looking after the eurozone, we will all be stuck in this mess until the final chaotic denouement. See you all in six weeks time, and six weeks after that, and that, and that NICOSIA - Cyprus - Many civilisations have passed through this tumultuous tiny crop of land over history. Could this small rock in the Mediterranean be the final death knell for the EU's ill fated euro monetary project? The Assyrians first took the island in 721 BC from the primitive hunter gatherers, and then the Egyptians in 570 BC then later on by the Persians around 545 BC. After a long succession of civilisations over history the tiny little island is still divided and now claimed by the modern Greeks after their attempt of mass genocide in 1964 and 1974 on the minority 18% Muslim population subsequently thwarted by the UN and Turkish army. There has never been a nation or civilisation that has managed to hold on to the islands indefinitely and this is why its sheer volatility within the region is an important factor for the eurozone currency and ultimately the world economy. Contagion The EU led by Germany has asked for a bank levy on the crooked Greek Cypriot banks brimming with laundered cash from the Russian Mafiosi. The Troika thought they would have their pound of flesh via a 10% forced taxation on all bank accounts, but they underestimated the nature of the Greek Cypriots, who do not like to pay tax let alone a levy on their savings. Furthermore, by crossing the Russian mafia, you will incur the wrath of Putin and his network of Russki thugs and hit men. Does the EU need the hassle of this hornets nest? Better for Merkel to drop this one like a hot potato, take the loss and move on. The only slight drawback to dropping Southern Cyprus from the eurozone would be Greece maybe causing a scene. This may be a good excuse to drop them as well and cut the losses there. As for Italy and Spain, it would be better for the ECB and Merkel to put all their efforts into keeping them in the EU and not waste anymore precious euros on the profligate states who are just a cash black hole with no industry or will to cooperate. Aye, weve finally cracked it. Forget the poond sterling, or the euro, looky what we got here, Salmond said pointing to a counter decked out with deep fried mars bars in batter. The new currency will be used in different denominations, for example, one very large battered mars bar would be worth four battered mars bars. There are also smaller battered mars bars which could be used for smaller purchases. Youse can go in a shop noo and buy a deep fried battered mars bar with a deep fried battered mars bar. But dont forget, if youre holding a load of battered mars bars, you might actually get battered by someone and your stash stolen. Remember to keep your new Scottish currency safe, maybe in your stomach, Angus McFenster, the newly appointed Chancellor and Treasurer of Scotland told local news stations today. FERGUSON - USA - W.Florissant Drive received some important celebrity help the other night, Kim Kardashian, to be precise. TMZ reports that Kim Kardashian was at the Ferguson riots the other night and protected hundreds of protesters with her buttocks. The tear gas cannisters were coming over the top, then whoom, a big umbrella thang went over us. First we didnt know what it was, but we found out it was Kim Kardashians butt, and she was catchin those cannisters in her ass crack. When they piled up, all she had to do was clench her cheeks and the cannisters flew back to the police. We was cheerin and pattin that thang like it was our saviour, Krupp Johnsons, a protester on South Florissant, Ferguson revealed. Ferguson police chief, Enos Strate, warned Kardashian to stop shielding the rioters: One thing fer shure, good thang she didnt eat no beans that night, coulda ignited them gases into a big ol explosion. The Kardashians, who only date African Americans, are great supporters of the civil rights movement and Kims panties have now been interned in the African American Museum of Heritage in South Central Los Angeles. LONDON - England - The spate of celebrity apologies on social networks and other media have increased by over 35% in the last three months says an internet research company. Online apologies by celebrities and politicians were up by a staggering 35% since September the Office of Internet Statistics has revealed. Were getting more snivelling celebrities and even some former politicians making these grovelling internet apologies after theyve made a faux pas on some social network site or been recorded by a member of the public on their mobile phone or been caught evading tax. Unfortunately, with the advent of social sites like twitter and facebook, the general public has had to endure some of the inane rantings of celebrities who feel the need to voice their opinion, Niles Gruberstein, an analyst and chief researcher at the OIS revealed. PR agency, Benoire Mathers Liorres have given some of their celebrities advice on dealing with certain sections of social media and the more traditional media: We advise our celebrity clients to get off all social media. If they value their celebrity status, even F rated celebrities have no business on there. It simply confirms to the public that these celebrities are vacuous morons addicted to faux adulation and greed. Just get off. If you need to make an announcement get about thirty people to read it before it is released because many of these celebrities are incapable of the intricacies of dealing with the public. Additionally, do not apologise. I never saw a good politician apologise for anything, and celebrities should follow that lead. Always deny, deny, deny, even if youre caught red handed. Politicians get away with that technique all the time. Thats what I advise my clients to do. LOS ANGELES - CA - Los Angeles has been lost to the gaudy Beckham invasion. Much like Hitler's entrance to Paris on June 23rd 1940, Los Angeles was lost in a similar fashion as the Americans surrendered to the Beckhams without a fight. There is horrific news that Los Angeles and subsequently the whole of America was lost yesterday. People were on the streets bemused, silent and lost. How could this happen? There was no fight, there was no defence. The people of Los Angeles have surrendered without a single shot being fired. A once great city now reduced to a gaudy cheap trailer park of nouveau riche tackiness. Last night it emerged they planned their entrance after watching film of Hitlers triumphant Paris arrival in 1940. A source close to the Beckhams said: Victoria and David know theyre the biggest thing to hit America since processed cheese. They saw footage of Hitler entering Paris then and wanted their entrance to emulate that. 1940 was the terrible year when Hitler strode into Paris uncontested. The French surrendered without a single shot being fired. This time, the Americans are the surrender monkeys with the Sieg Beckhams taking Los Angeles without a fight. Adolf Hitler in Paris June 23 1940 Several countries around the world successfully resisted the assaults over the years from the crass bling merchants but America after sustained attack was lost. Spain was also lost but was recently liberated after many years of struggle and civil war resulting in the loss of millions of souls to the deadly Beckham advertising machine. Victoria Beckham in Los Angeles July 14 2007 Victoria Beckham who looks like an unsmiling simian poshtitute fascista, wore some very expensive clothes as she saluted her new followers whilst snorting her upturned nose in the LAX airport entrance hall. The trembling boys voice of David Beckham addressed the crowd with an appreciative tone, he then followed his wife to the bling-mobile which with gold plated door handles and diamond encrusted window switches would make the most gaudy and crass rapper blush. They were then driven to their LA blingquarters where the command operation will begin in earnest. LOS ANGELES - CA - The Guinness World Record for the most Emergency workers to attend a single incident was set last night in the Hollywood Hills near Studio City. In true American overkill style, a crazed woman was stretchered off and taken away for mental evaluation by 438 paramedics all simultaneously lifting the stretcher into a single ambulance. The incredible feat was also recorded by 2543 TV stations and attended by 28 helicopters, 154 fire trucks as well as 325 LAPD police vehicles setting multiple records. The quiet gated community street was so full of Guinness World Record holders that it may go down as the most Guinness World Records broken in one area simultaneously. Code 5150 The paramedic record involved 438 paramedics from three counties converging on the street. The crazed woman was then stretchered for a massive 20 meter distance to the ambulance and took an amazing 2 minutes 37 seconds. The previous record of 197 paramedics and 229 police, emergency workers attending a single incident standing since 2003 at the Neverland Ranch was shattered yesterday. We never seen so many flashing blue lights in one goddamn place! I was in the act of teabagging my old lady when the proverbial hit the fan. It ruined our evening, one of the angry and agitated neighbours said from his luxury villa next door. It is true to say that some people are not too happy about having their evenings ruined by mass Guinness World Records being conducted under their very noses. LONDON - England - Last years celebrity perfume season is well and gone. The Daily Squib reports exclusively with our resident experts on the wonderful fragrances on offer. Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and J-Lo are among the many celebrities who have launched their own fragrances. But what does one of the worlds top perfumers make of celebrity smells? Daly Squib reporter Jane Constantine takes notes as she sniffs out the best and the worst. Already we have enjoyed the scent of Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, J-Lo, Sir Cliff Richard, Danielle Steel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Celine Dion, P-Diddy, Jade Goody, Naomi Campbell, Mel C, Mel B, Marilyn Manson, N-Sync, Jordan and Peter Andre and that timeless classic, Forever Krystle, by Dynastys own Linda Evans. The arrival of Intimately Beckham, twin scents for David and Victoria, was akin to the arrival of backed up urine after a long night of getting pissed on cheap vodka. The Beckhams stale smell of a Gentlemans urinal in Picadilly was one of last years biggest sellers David Beckhams InStinkt sold out last Christmas. The nose Roja Ponce is a nose, one of the worlds finest perfumers. Who better to sample the recent fragrant celebrity offerings? Sitting in his little perfumerie in the lofty heights of Harrods, he surveys the clutter of bottles before him. He begins with Intimately Beckham. Davids fares well: The urine, the residue is actually rather good: stale tobacco, stale beer. It has an acrid note in it. Its a potentially nice smell if youre a frequent cottager like me. It has character, especially that distinct Armitage Shanks saveur, he says. With better ingredients it would be a very, very interesting scent. Alas, Victoria falls short of her husband: Jesus Christ, mutters Ponce. Its a transparent anal burst of colour on my palate. Quite soft in the background and the gaseous exchange is quite fresh diarrhoea, methane and a hint of stale urine. What it fundamentally lacks, he says mournfully, is volume. Still, Lady V fares better than Naomi Campbell. Im sure Ive seen that in my local sex shop, he says archly, of Campbells undeniably phallic bottle. Thats where I get my vibrators. He inhales deeply. Thats gorgeous. Its exceptionally old-fashioned. Powdery cocaine, with white speckles of fecal matter, anal lube, old mans ejaculate, something urinary and, ultimately, coconut. It is, he decides, the most sensual, but he offers a word of caution: This would make me feel physically sick with adoration if I were sitting next to someone wearing it. Jade Goody celebrates the success of her perfume at her retreat in Magaluf Jade Goodys Shhit rates little better. This is a fragrance that takes its inspiration from a sweaty Working Mans Club. It has this big soiled y-front shit stain theme running through it, and on top something to freshen it up. Like lavatory bleach and a large Klingon Dingleberry swinging restlessly? A wonderful essence of clotted blood and semen soaked tampons. What Britney Spears Curious loses in nose-wrinkling offensiveness, it gains in blandness: To me, it smells like a smell, not a perfume. It is a chemically-enhanced, white trash intoxicant, cigarette-stained Cheetos and skid marks on her soiled panties when she wears them of course. For me, it is an odour that has very little personality. It is, he concludes, taking hillbilly to a very extreme level. And what of the fragrance name? Curious is a very good name, he observes, but there is nothing to be curious about. Paris Hiltons eponymous debut fragrance is equally insipid and, like all the other fragrances gathered here, owes more to the public lavatory and cheap industrial cleaners than to perfume. And so to Mariah Carey. Quarter pounders with cheese and aromatic gherkins and a trail of putrid urine speckled with the smell of a menstruating woman. Whoever made it has been heavily inspired by the fragrances from McDonalds and Burger King. Ponce is not immediately certain who Mariah Carey is: I dont know the appeal of the woman, but I think she could make a lot of money out of this, because the juice is very commercial. Mariah proudly displays her perfume at the official launch in New York Ponce has kind words for Sarah Jessica Parkers Lovely. This is pretty, he says immediately. Enema set to 11, with fresh effluent from a tramps arse hole and traces of sweetcorn behind it. With better ingredients, he maintains, Lovely could have been a classical fragrance. It is a prime example of the current perfume trend. And finally, to J-Lo, Glow. Its a very simple fecal note, Ponce says. In a funny way, its a little bit old-fashioned, and the smell is reminiscent of a greasy Hispanic hair product schlepped onto the head. It was J-Lo who kickstarted the celebrity perfume revival (which first began back in 1991 with Liz Taylors White Bird Droppings). Why does Ponce think Glow proved so popular? I dont know why. Maybe because of her wonderful talents as an actress and songwriter. BAGHDAD - Iraq - After winning a record 55 million from chump, Sir Paul McCartney, ex-glamour model, Heather Mills and the most hated person in the world. Lady Mucca, is to escape Britain and live in Baghdad. The most hated woman in the British Isles and Western world is to either move to Iraq or the Far East. It has taken the hated ex-glamour model two years to acquire a 55 million windfall for her three year marriage to Sir Paul McCartney. The greedy stumptress is already planning her next marriage to the next sucker she can dupe, possibly a rich Arab. Shes already looking for her next conquest and is not content with her 55 million. Shes going for the full century the big kahuna 100 million, one of her friends told the Daily Squib this weekend. Sunni Triangle mansion Because of her hated status as one of the biggest gold diggers around, Heather will be living in the Sunni triangle in Baghdad. She was only granted permission by the Americans to live in the most volatile and inhospitable place in Iraq after much legal wrangling and pleading by Heathers lawyers. A quiet Sunday afternoon in Ramadi The Sunni Triangle is a densely-populated region of Iraq to the northwest of Baghdad that is inhabited mostly by Sunni Muslim Arabs. The roughly triangular areas corners are usually said to lie near Baghdad (on the east side of the triangle), Ramadi (on the west side) and Tikrit (on the north side). Each side is approximately 200 kilometers long (125 miles). The area also contains the cities of Baqubah and Mosul and Samarra and Fallujah. Major Johnsons whose patrol regularly goes through the area told the Daily Squib, We at first consulted tribal leaders on the issue of where to put Ms Mills in Iraq. Every area rejected her on the basis that they detest Heather Mills as much as anyone in all Western countries. The Sunni Triangle has no such qualms about hosting someone like Heather because between the mass shootings, car bombs, bullets ricocheting, RPG attacks, IEDs and having your door kicked upon by crazed US Marines they have other things on their mind. Heather Mills will be allowed to transport the bags of money she nefariously acquired into the barricaded Sunni Triangle compound and there she will live for the rest of her life.The former Saddam Hussein bunker where Heather will spend the rest of her days will be guarded by 24 hr security not to keep people out but Ms Mills in. One of her long suffering relatives has told the Times: She wont stay in the UK. She knows everybody hates her here and she does not care. Now that shes got her money she would leap at the chance to get away from it all and take her daughter Bea with her. I think shell go abroad and then just slowly fade away into obscurity. One can only hope. Driving to the White House last Tuesday, former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner said she was filled with a sense of awe following a path used by many past presidents. Unfortunately for the former Olympian, she ran over a party of tourists killing three people on the way at 15th Avenue and Hamilton Place, but because of her celebrity status and official invitation, was allowed to continue her journey to the East Wing of the White House. I was doing my makeup in the mirror when I heard a crunching sound. Dang, another car accident. I had just run over some tourists, but I was so excited and the nice policeman recognised me and waved me on, especially when I showed him the golden Bath House invitation, Jenner said. It is such a hallowed ground so to speak, Jenner said. I was greeted at the White House by Michelle and Barack, they told me that I was home now, amongst my own people, and I was welcome. Jenner describes attending the Obama invitation as the dream of a lifetime. It is something you can tell future generations and my children who I mysteriously fathered, Jenner said. Being invited by the president of the United States and his transgender wife to the White House is a great honour something that I will always cherish. A U.S. Marine Corps band greeted Caitlyn Jenner as she entered the White House. Gay cadets from the various military academies, hand picked by Barack Obama personally, were in each room to guide and assist Jenner with makeup tips and one even showed her to the ladies room, Jenner said. Michael showed me his dresses, and his straps that he uses to hide his manhood. We compared outfits, and she said its all about putting forward an illusion. I asked her how she fooled the public for so long before being outed by Joan Rivers? She said, its no big deal, no one believed Joan anyway and the special doctor fixed things after for Rivers. This was a celebration, Jenner said. This was a party for me and Michael, Barry and the kids. Caitlyn Jenner, despite having male chromosomes and a male bone structure still has not had the full de-masculinising operation where doctors will remove his male genitals completely, but neither has Michael Obama, so the two were like birds of a feather during the visit and got on like a Frisco bath house on fire almost inseparable. LONDON - England - Simon Scowell, Piers Moron and some dozy bint pick a winner out of the talented British knife-wielding thugs on display. Simon Scowell, who is making another 100 million pounds from his latest talent show Britains Got Stabbing, has chosen this years winning teenage knife crew for Britain. Also sitting on the panel is the disgraced ex-newspaper editor Piers Moron. Over the past six weeks they have whittled down the finalists from 400,000 hopefuls and after coming this far the finalists truly deserve their accolade. The stage is set and the raw flesh on show is truly astounding. Britains Got Stabbing gets off to a spectacular start when three people are savagely stabbed in the audience. The blood trickles down the studio steps and even reaches the stage where the main stabbing display takes place. Up first for the final night are the Bracknell crew who are a very talented bunch of twelve year olds. They show their prowess by completing an egg and knife race in under three minutes, the finale of their presentation culminates in taking out an old ladys kidney with the precision of a trained surgeon whilst calling her a slag. Their tools of choice are sharpened kitchen knives borrowed from their homes. Bracknell crew third place Second place goes to the Leeds crew who can drink Aldi Wine by the gallon and gut unsuspecting pedestrians by the bus load. They manage to drink 25 cartons of cheap wine each and still are able to stab with precision. One of the crew, Lee Feral, 14, plunges a 7 inch blade into a camera mans back and removes his liver. The Leeds crew then throw the still spitting liver into the jubilant audience as Simon and Piers applaud fiercely. Their wondrous presentation ends with the camera mans bloodied twitching torso projectile vomiting over the audience as he slumps to the floor dead as a dodo. The audience laps it all up and cheers them off stage to rapturous applause. The Leeds crew and Aldi wine list second place Finally we come to the first prize winner and Scowell with his fellow judges applaud furiously at the spectacle. Its the Enfield Massive, and they know their stuff. They show off their sparkling new Argos kitchen knives, which of course are made in China and are as blunt as a rusty old bread knife. The bluntness of the blades are demonstrated on one of the shows researchers when he is set upon by the whole Enfield crew and slowly gutted in 8 minutes 34 seconds. His entrails are then thrown on the floor where the Blue Peter dog from the adjoining studio laps them up hungrily. Enfield Massive and the winners of Britains Got Stabbing Simon Scowell applauds furiously at the sight because not only have the Enfield Massive carved the poor researcher up but he is still alive such is the precise knife-work of the crew even with a blunt instrument. Kevin, 13 and Lee, 15, spot another opportunity to show off their superior carving equipment by embedding the knives deep in Piers Morons back. This wonderful act brings the house down in frenzied applause replete with standing ovations and severed limbs being thrown in celebration onto the stage as a show of approval. This genius denouement is applauded by all and Simon Scowell gives it a full thumbs up. Piers Moron is also applauding wildly and still attempts to flash his smarmy fake smile despite having six large kitchen knives embedded deep in his back, the blood gushing out of him arcs up like a curious fountain of claret and sprays members of the audience much to their delight. The Enfield crew win the 100,000 and have now been granted the additional accolade of performing in front of the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Britain sure has a lot of talented stabbing teens this year and The Daily Squib is very proud to be part of this great nations talent pool of blood. MIAMI - USA - Casting directors working for the new Scarface film currently in production are talking with Amy Winehouse's managers and are excited at the prospect of having her in the $45 million adaptation. The new Scarface movie is an adaptation of an Oliver Stone script which he penned whilst wacked out on cocaine back in 1981. Say hello to my little friend I wrote this script during my bad years. I needed the money and was asked to do a job about the drug trade and gangsters. I myself was doing huge amounts of cocaine during that period as was everyone else in the industry. Brian [De-Palma] approached me last year and asked if I could incorporate that script with the British pop star Amy Winehouse. I didnt know who she was at first but after checking out her picture on google I immediately agreed to the project, Stone told Empire magazine. The soundtrack will revisit the electronic eighties kitsch of Giorgio Moroder but with Amys f*cked up slurring vocals included. We wanted someone who looked and talked the part. Amy Winehouse fits like a glove, Jose Rodriguez, one of the casting directors for the movie told Empire magazine. There are even rumours of surprise cameo appearances from Al Pacino himself, as well as gore and violence expert, Quentin Tarantino who is tipped to appear in another spectacular chainsaw scene. You know what? F*ck you! How about that? Scarface with Pacino was hardcore, but the movie with Amy Winehouse will make the first film look like a nuns tea party in a convent. We had a preview screening for a few scenes last week in the studio and many in the audience were visibly sick, some even vomited into their popcorn. Weve also had to utilise automatic projection machines because no projectionist could last for more than three minutes watching that movie. Amy is going to win us an Oscar for this for sure. Ive never seen Quentin Tarantino actually scared for his life, he spent a night with Amy Winehouse for research purposes the dude was crying like a baby at the end of the night, Stone added. The new film starring Amy Winehouse is set for release in August of 2009 and will be distributed by Miramax. HARARE - Zimbabwe - This year's annual Mr Ugly contest has come to a crashing end with a certain Mison Sere tipping the scales in ugliness. I am honoured and tearful to have won the competition, and it is an even greater honour to be presented my prize of 850 Trillion Zimbabwe dollars (12.42) by our supremely ugly leader, Robert Mugabe, Mr Ugly, Mison Sere said after the competition. Sere is planning great things with his winnings, one of which is buying a rubber dinghy to cross into Europe and escape Zimbabwe next summer. Shabba Ranks was not available for comment. LOS ANGELES - USA - The King of Pop has been earmarked to return to our screens as a zombie in the new Thriller music video which will be a modern remake of the 1984 hit. This time around Michael Jackson, otherwise known as Wacko Jacko, is to be featured in the 2009 remake of Thriller as a zombie throughout the whole video. John Landis of American Werewolf in London fame is also set to return to the directors chair even though he is currently suing Jackson for millions of dollars worth of unpaid royalties. Im suing Michael at the moment for loss of earnings, but we still speak to each other on the set. The other day I slapped Michael on the back and part of his nose fell off and onto the floor. We like to joke and have fun. The son-of-a-bitch owes me millions and he better pay me my moth*rf*ckin money or I will tear him a new a**hole! Back From the Grave For the role, Jackson will not be required to have any special zombie makeup but will just turn up on set as is. The rest of the zombie cast all have to spend six hours each day putting on makeup and special prosthetics. Jackson has been spared this time consuming task and is glad to be in the enviable position of just turning up, shooting scenes, then retiring to his trailer to play with the children. Were all so jealous of Mikey, I mean the guy just turns up and he fits right in with the scene. The original Thriller music video had Jackson as a zombie for only a small part of it. This time he is going to be a full time zombie because he is just so realistic. The other day, John Landis, our director wanted pieces of flesh to fall off some of the zombies faces. It was a nightmare scene for the special effects guys and we spent half the day trying to sort the scene out. So, John sends for Michael in his trailer. He turned up and filmed the scene. Boom! Done! There were parts falling off Michaels face like we never seen before. Frankly the guys a genius, assistant director, Billy Ray Duke, told Screen Magazine. Jackson fans all over the world have been awaiting the new Thriller remake with feverish anticipation. LOS ANGELES - USA - Ex-model and author of 33 books, Katie Price, has been having daily botox doses injected into her brain cavity to prepare herself for a new reality show in the jungle. The famous British author, Katie Price, who has penned over thirty books but never actually read them, has been receiving daily botox injections into her brain cavity from one of Hollywoods most sought after celebrity plastic surgeons. The pioneering technique was developed solely for celebrity trash who are addicted to the botulism injections that destroy their faces irreversibly. I developed this for the stupid f*cks who come to my surgery who have more money than sense. This limey broad with rock hard balloons for t*ts and a set of lips that look like sausages comes into my office and asks for more botox in her already bloated face. I just see dollar signs and a way to give this broad some of the karma she deserves back, like defacing herself so she looks like a mushroom head. Well, I came up with injecting botox into her skull with an IV drip linked up to a monster f*cking pump, Doctor Corey Hymen, told the LA Times. The botox was pumped into Katie Prices brain sometimes twice a day in an effort to rejuvenate her youthful thought process, at least that is what the doctor told her. Her IQ borders on the retarded anyway, so I told her that injecting botox into her frontal cortex and cerebellum, could in effect increase her low intelligence levels to that of a dog or a cat. She just handed me more cash and I plugged the syringe straight in. Once that sh*t sets, her tiny brain is gonna be like f*cking concrete, the foul-mouthed surgeon added. Katie Price was very happy with the procedure and grunted unintelligibly whilst waving her breasts around wildly on the flight to Australia to start another stint of Im a Celebrity yesterday. TRIPOLI - Libya - He's always got his hands up in the air as he shuffles around mumbling incoherently. Now the mystery could be finally solved. Could Colonel Gaddafi be rock star, Ozzy Osbourne's long lost brother. Theyre both mad as hatters and like nothing better than to mumble, but is that where the similarity ends? Observers of Colonel Gaddafi have been astounded at the stunning similarities to Brummie rock star Ozzy Osbourne. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw Gaddafi up on the wall gesturing at some fake supporters in Green Square last week. I mean it could have been an Ozzy concert. I was half expecting the chords of Mr Crowley to start chiming in, Melody Maker journalist, Schiet Bagg, reported in his weekly column. Ozzys family and old friends from Birmingham say they remember a Libyan carpet salesman calling on the Osbournes about nine months before a child was born in 1942, who was then given up for adoption. Of course these are just rumours, but you never know. Speaking from Los Angeles, Sharon Osbourne was eager to begin talks with the colonel: Well have to do a few preliminary tests on him first. Like Ill put a live bat in the room and see if the colonel manages to rip its head off with his dentures. Im getting Ozzy to fly out to Tripoli next week, you never know, Gaddafi might also give us a few of his billions. HAIFA - Israel - There are fears that a much touted fashion show in a kibbutz could be cancelled after fashion designer John Galliano's sudden changes to the show. We had already arranged the show but were wondering why Galliano suddenly changed everything so that the models were dressed in Nazi gear resplendent with fabulous swastikas and SS uniforms, Karl Gunther Schweinhund, one of the designers stage hands, told Israeli fashion magazine, Shalom Paris. The fashion show is meant to commence in a few days but could be cancelled, Israeli officials at the kibbutz have said. We know this is fashion but since when has a model goose stepping around a stage wearing a Hitler moustache been in good taste? Im all for couture but this is outrageous. Its bad enough that the size zero models all look like concentration camp victims but when Galliano said that he wanted the models on the catwalk to throw raw pieces of bacon into the crowd, this is where we drew the line, Chaim Bodenheimer, one of the organisers for the fashion show at the Ariel Sharon Kibbutz, 43 kms from Haifa, told Haaretz on Monday. LOS ANGELES - USA - According to a new dossier released by a Beverly Hills court, movie star and serial philanderer, Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to cohabit with ugly women. The uglier they are, the more horny I get. Say if they look like matrons, Russian shot putters or female weightlifters, I just cant help myself. I have to have them, Schwarzenegger confessed to an American tabloid newspaper on Tuesday. Schwarzenegger is so enamoured by ugly chicks that he wants to make a new film about his obsession and is touting a script around Hollywood. My wife, shes ugly, but I wanted even more. I want to see warts with hairs growing out of them, female moustaches and shoulders that you can land an aircraft carrier on. Give me Barbara Bushs hanging stringy teats and prune skin over any luscious, pert breasted nubile young floozy any day. If they have hunchbacks, shit, that turns me on so much it does not bear thinking about. You havent lived until youve dined at the altar of one of these chicks. Just make sure you pick the sweetcorn out of your teeth afterwards, Mr Schwarzenegger said at a recent fundraising event in Studio City. The former governor, who has fathered fourteen children with an assortment of Mexican maids and cleaners, is currently being divorced by his wife for $230 million. Our profit projections will exceed all expectations when we release Amys album next week. I just put out a purchase order for a new Aston Martin, Herb Suge, chief A&R man at Island records told Billbored magazine. It is well known within the music industry that artists untimely deaths are a huge opportunity to capitalise on their demise by increasing sales of albums and merchandise. Back to Black reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in March 2008, almost a year after it debuted, spending 78 total weeks on the chart. It has sold 2.3 million to-date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Record executives think that they can shift millions more units after Winehouses death. It happened with Michael Jackson, he sold more albums in death than when he was alive. In fact, him living was a hindrance to record sales. Same thing with Winehouse, as a piece of software, she was troublesome whilst still alive. It is common knowledge that record companies actively encourage artists to ingest as much drugs and booze as possible. The more, the better, because it is great for sales, especially when these products finally get to their intended destination, Earl Jenkem, CEO of Anus Records, distributor for Winehouses music in the US, said from his Hollywood mansion. Robert Peston, a musicologist for Phonogram said: People keep saying that Amy Winehouse was a genius or slightly talented. I beg to differ, you see, the people have been conditioned to accept mediocre sub-standard pap for so long that they got accustomed to it. The old adage comes to mind, feed people enough shit and thats all they know. I would not call some dead cat wailing as genius. I call Django Reinhardt and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart genius. The word genius is used too much these days, because people have lost the bar, as it is lowered lower and lower every year. This person will not be remembered in ten years time. Real geniuses are remembered for eternity. It was just crappy mediocre r&b trash sung by a little Jewish girl with a drug problem, nothing more, nothing less. So please, stop using the genius adjectives to describe something it aint. The music biz is not known for its kindness to artists while alive, record companies make huge profits off their workhorses until they have had all of their life force spent, then the artists repertoire is the sole property of the record company, making for an even more lucrative eternal pay day for the companies and publishers. LONDON - England - Police chiefs all over the world were fearing for their organisations today after a spate of uncontrollable dancing consumed their officers over night. We have seen police forces reduced to nothing but moving masses on the streets unable to conduct proper policing activities against criminals because they are too busy getting down to the funky music. We need to halt this terrible craze or criminals will simply get the wrong message. Theyre meant to fear the police, not laugh at them, Chief Detective Inspector, Dennis Gredham, of the Metropolitan Police told the BBC. Officers across London have reported irresistible urges to dance whilst on duty. I was just about to go back to the station to do some more paperwork when I got the desire to dance. I couldnt help myself, I was gyrating my hips and waving my hat around with absolutely no control over myself. I am ashamed to say that I did not complete anymore paperwork or wasting time in the cafeteria that day, PC. James Matlock, recalled. The problem is so widespread that American police forces are on immediate dance standby in case any of their officers decide to start grooving on the beat. Speaking from Atlanta, Georgia, Officer John Asshoe, told WKZDFR news: We got an executive order in case any officers start busting out some intense dancing moves on the street. They cant help themselves, and I have to say, I had to dance yesterday during a jay walk situation, the guy got away but after I finished dancing I shot him up three blocks away. I was just lucky that time, I know of worse situations where the bad guys really did get away. LONDON - England - Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson has been sentenced to death by a BBC sponsored vote and will be executed first thing on Monday morning. Hes a gonner, poor bastard, well grant him his last wish, then it will be farewell to the car worshipping loud mouth git, Director general of the BBC, Ogilvie Hyams, announced. Mr Clarkson, will be led out into the famous courtyard of the BBC building in White City, where a group of old grannies and simpering, easily offended poncey Radio Times readers, as well as striking public sector workers will get out some pea shooters and shoot Mr Clarkson. The shooting gallery will be flanked by hundreds of angry striking overpaid public sector union bosses, who will jeer at Mr Clarkson and wave wads of taxpayers cash at him. It should be an all together interesting televisual feast, and I am sure our viewers will love the spectacle of Mr Clarkson being humiliated by a bunch of overpaid, useless, public sector c*nts, an overpaid, useless, BBC sub-sub-manager of paperclips and staplers, said from his luxury taxpayer funded Notting Hill flat. Pick any film you may have watched in the 70s and 80s and chances are that the recent Hollywood release is a remake of the same film, except now you will have some nameless, faceless, actor embellishing it with their wooden charms. Scripts are stripped down to their basic shells and all goodness from previous films are ejected. You cant have a remake without some casting couch new flavour of the month plastic actor or actress stumbling across the screen jumping all over the place. Each of the many characters is disconnected from the audience; you dont care what happens to a single one of them. The roles could just have easily been filled with robots or androids. Maybe stick some CGI in there, with all action scenes rendered on green screen, slap in some 3D effects and your remake of a remake of a remake is ready to be forced in front of cinema audiences who now, unfortunately, do not know any better, Film critic, Freddy Luger, told Hollywood Week magazine. Is it no wonder that the internet is filled to the brim with sites showing these so-called Hollywood films for free. These films are such throw-away products that they are not even worth paying to go and see. You would have to be a very sad character to actually go to a cinema and pay some of your hard-earned cash to fund these monstrosities. I would rather have my eyes shaved with a rusty razor then go and see any movies that come from Hollywood these days. Like occasionally, Ill fast forward through one of the movies for free on the internet to see how bad it is. Can you imagine the shame one would feel if they admitted that they had actually parted with money to see a new release let alone helped to fund even more of that crap? I dont think I could look into anyones eyes afterwards, Bill Dean, an internet user told Yahoo news. ISTANBUL - Turkey - The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has been recruited to star in the remake of director, Alan Parker's 1978 film set in a Turkish prison, Midnight Express. According to her agent, the Duchess is very excited about the role and will even spend a whole year in a Turkish prison to see what its really like. Speaking at a hotel along the Bospherus, she said: Well, Ive been in a Turkish bath once before, and Ive been to a few Turkish orphanages, but the thought of going to a Turkish prison really excites me. I wonder if the cell has room for all of my Louis Vuitton bags? Because of Fergies desperation for funds, especially with a 6.5 million credit card bill she cant possibly ever pay back, she jumped at the chance to star in the film when there were no other takers. Turkish prisons are said to be some of the worst in the world, and the original Midnight Express film depicted scenes of torture, brutality and deprivation that has coloured the view of Turkeys human rights record ever since. Oliver Stone, who wrote the original screenplay, has been drafted in for the remake, but director Alan Parker will give it a miss this time instead, director Eli Roth has stepped into his boots. Sticking Fergie into a Turkish prison has been the wish of many people, especially some prominent members of the royal family, mentioning no names, of course, a palace aide told the Times. Speaking from the MI6 studios in Los Angeles, Joel Ephraim, one of the producers on the project detailed some plot elements: Throughout the film, Tom will be fighting like hell to keep Katie Holmes married to himself so as not to reveal his homosexuality. Weve also got a great cameo role for John Travolta, he comes in towards the end and its like both of them ride into the sunset together afterwards oh shit, spoiler alert. You know, like Brokeback meets the Lone Ranger meets Hostel, or maybe a fucked up version of Batman and Robin. Go see the movie, it is so intense, you will fuckin love it. D-meter madness Actress Katie Holmes will be seen escaping the clutches of Cruise and the Church of Scatology handlers from the cults compound in the desert. One particular scene really got me. These Scatologists are brainwashing Katie, trying to make her believe that she is in a regular marriage with a straight man, and believe me, she really wants to believe. Theyre trying so hard that the poor broad is bleeding out of her eyeballs. Dangling used underpants in her face and shit. We got Cruise and Travolta slapping her around under an interrogation lamp talkin about Kretins and Klingons invading her mind and other such nonsense. Time is running out, if Cruise and Travolta do not do something quick, the world will know the truth about their fake marriages. Meanwhile, Kelly Preston is in another room getting the same treatment as Holmes. At one point in the scene it was really quite poignant Cruise gets a marker pen and draws a beard over her face. He just keeps shouting, Why cant you be like this? over and over and over. She finally escapes, I wont tell you how, but she is awarded a medal for lasting five years, Ephraim said. Mission Impossible 6 will be the defining movie out of the whole MI franchise, and audiences will finally see revealed, what they always knew about Tom Cruise. I saw the test screening and people came out traumatised. This movie needs to be seen, not only for Toms sake but every ones, Mr Ephraim, told reporters outside the studio yesterday. Mission Impossible 6 will be out next week. PYONYANG - North Korea - The Communist state has revealed that they were the ones who implanted the Gangnam Style onto the South Korean nation. Gangnam style is North Korean psychological warfare on the South and its working. Anyone who does that shit just looks ridiculous and we have made the South Koreans look like complete imbeciles, a senior North Korean psy-ops operative revealed to the Korean Central Broadcasting System yesterday. Millions of people in South Korea, as well as the rest of the world, are now doing the Gangnam Style, and this has caused concern in uninfected nations. Kim Jong Un, the new North Korean leader has applauded his operatives on an amazing brainwashing operation that has extended further than he ever dreamed about. The Gangnam is often used in North Korean gulags to brainwash and re-educate citizens who have strayed from the path of Communist North Korea. Once you do the Gangnam Style, we can ask you to eat a dog poo off the sidewalk and you will. It is a form of brainwashing and mind control that is impossible to break away from, another North Korean official revealed. VIRGINIA - USA - Retired General Petraeus is going to star in the next James Bond feature film set to open next year. The new film is set in Benghazi, Libya, and features a top ranking US General who is caught in a love triangle whilst being monitored by agencies meant to be on his side. The thing is, Petreaus is balls deep in some serious Bond girly. No, were not talking Pussy Galore, but a hot biographer called Miss Broadwide who has a penchant for getting an all in session under the Generals desk whilst shes telling other Mata Haris to back off, executive producer, Domingo Espada told Empire magazine. The majority of the film features just email conversations and huge scenes that would make even Roger Moore blush. The Bond films title has also been debated by the screenwriters and producers. The latest instalment in the Bond franchise will be released next year. LOS ANGELES - USA - One of the stars in the new Tarantino film that is taking the American box office by storm is the secretive news aggregator journalist, Matt Drudge. Quentin Tarantinos latest revenge flick is a tour de force of the usual violence found within a Tarantino film, but having a journalist like Matt Drudge in Django Unchained was crucial to the plot line. Django Unchained is one of my usual revenge flicks where I take a genre of cinema, put Samual L. Jackson in it, steal as many scenes and characters as I can from as many movies as possible, slap in a moral revenge stance to the plot line, Samual L. Jackson anyone? Then smack in the usual cool one liners gracing all my movies and the same ol 50s LA surfer Spaghetti Western guitar music with some stinkin Mexican burritos, all mixed in a big f*cking bucket full of hardcore gratuitous violence Matt Drudge and n*gger words and dont forget even more frickin Samual L. Jackson. Its like Kill Bill meets Inglourious Basterds meets thousands of B movies and thousands of B movie characters slapped into one then stripped through a meat grinder and deposited out as a patty to be grilled and served up in a motherf*ckin bun to the audience who will eat up that Royale with cheese like its the best shit hoppin thing this side of Mulholland Drive, Tarantino said from his Hollywood hills mansion on Wednesday. Matt Drudge was chosen out of hundreds of actors because of his love for Barack Obama and the lovely things he says about African Americans on his news aggregation site. I met Matt at a diner in Studio City, and I saw him across the way and all he was saying was the n word literally every five seconds. I had to hire him right there and then without an audition. I told him I was doing this epic revenge movie where a black man gets revenge on whitey and the slave trade, and he was going to be one of the people who gets it. At first he laughed and declined the role but when I told him he could say the n word on screen hundreds of times without getting into sh*t and paid for it, he agreed immediately, Tarantino recalled. LAS VEGAS - USA - Prince Harry is set to do his third tour of Las Vegas his entourage has revealed to the tabloid press. Its back to snorting vodka shots, naked pics of my ginger nuts and $30,000 per night suites with lines of coke on the plexi-glass tables and plenty of totty to take pics of me to distribute all over the social networks, the errant prince told local Las Vegas news outlets on Thursday. Its business as usual for prince Harry. Expect to see loads of photos of the naked prince humping Vegas bimbos and trying to hide under a scuffed straw hat in the pool. His third tour of Las Vegas should last another 48 hours before the palace shuts the whole thing down again. Im worried for Harry but I am sure hes going to go all in and do us proud, Prince Charles said yesterday. Harrys dad was said to proud of his son too, and extended his good wishes to his son. Good luck prince Harry on your third tour of Las Vegas from the Squib team. KIEV - Russia - With all this Russian expansionism going on in the former Ukraine and all over Eastern Europe, there are serious fears that the world's drivers could soon be driving like they do in Russia. Russian driving is equivalent to downing two bottles of vodka, a handful of Temazepam, a bag of cocaine and 16 cans of Red Bull all at once, Igor Stansvski, a driver from Moscow revealed. Russian road deaths are amongst the highest in the world, and soon theyll be exporting their death rate to our roads as well. Looks like from now on well all be driving around with dashcams playing crap Russkie electro music and shouting Blyat! and Opa! at every opportunity. SURREY - England - Veteran Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson is set to embark on a journey to film the motherload of episodes. As part of next months Top Gear special in Africa, Jeremy Clarkson, he of the epitome of political correctness, will officially open an exact replica of ancient Rome, which has been built in an African village 200 Kms from Harari, Zimbabwe. The creation was engineered by 42-year-old Mgbkwe Mbokwa, who recreated the city of Rome piece by piece after reading a book about Rome twenty years ago. Two thousand years ago, ancient Rome had aquaducts, vast structures, magnificent architecture and a system of highly advanced government. The Romans had underfloor heating, baths, bridges and sophisticated machines like catapults and cranes powered by slaves, they also had a fully functioning drainage system which directed sewage out of their homes, and under the streets. These were all things we Africans can only wonder at today, Mbokwa told the BBC program. Clarkson was said to be excited about visiting the Roman recreation: I cant wait to visit the recreation of Rome. Me and the boys, will be driving our bulldozers straight through the fucking lot of it. Aint technology great? People who never read the Daily Squib are twice as likely to die than those who read it everyday, a major study has shown. Researchers at the Lewinski Institute in Poland claim guidelines which advise people to steer clear of any form of satire, especially the tripe vomited from the Squib, may be harming the population, particularly in countries like Britain. Exposure to articles from the Daily Squib is often cited as a cause of a curious form of maladjustment and provocation. The media currently recommends avoiding overexposure to extreme forms of satire to prevent any form of actual consciousness. But the new research, which followed nearly 50,000 men and women over 10 years, suggests that readers who stay away from the Daily Squib are at increased risk of stupidity and are twice as likely to die from any cause, including getting run over by a milk float on a beach. Satire exposure advice which is very restrictive in countries with low satirical Squib intensity might in fact be harmful for your health. The mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of Squib exposure as compared to those with the highest Squib exposure habits. It is thought that a lack of satire may be to be blame. Granted, reading the Daily Mail, and such is almost akin to satire, but its not meant to be. Thats meant to be real, for fucks sake. Prof Zbgfgi Dzpjkn, Professor of Satire at St. Bungos, University of Prattel, said: The findings support the consensus that the ideal amount of satire exposure for Northern Europeans is a little, rather than zero. As the authors comment, our bodies need satire to make essential decisions, which can help us resist some mainstream controlled media news sources conditioning people to believe propaganda. Those who normally avoid the satire are advised to take Daily Squib supplements. The research was published in The Journal of Satire, but then pulped after being deemed as too dangerous, however we have recovered some of the material for your perusal and ultimately health. Live long and prosper, as some pointy eared git once said. THE HOOD - USA - It's a good thing that America's ghettoised cities are full of happy people all having a good time. The American hood, is a dangerous place, but what about some crazy pranksters who dared to make mischief by provoking some very aggressive people down in the hood? To put it mildly, it is lucky that these kids got out alive. The action is almost akin to baiting dangerous animals in the savannah planes, although the backdrop this time is a concrete jungle. We dont advise this type of behaviour in the hood, were scared and rarely venture there ourselves, and were police officers, Officer Dean Richardson, for the New York Police Department told ABC news. I needed something to do, you know like something real, the former Hollywood actor said from Baghdad International airport. Shia is not sure which Shia brigade to join but he has devised a cunning plan. Im gonna go into the Sunni triangle wearing a paper bag on my head with the words Shia For Hire! and if that dont do it nothing will. Gee, Im so bored already no coke in this town and the chicks wear black cloths all over their heads. UPDATE Tuesday: Shia Labeouf has been captured by the Al-Nusra Nusradin Nusra Jihad Brigade in Western Baghdad and something gruesome will probably happen to him soon. No one really seems to care though. Speaking from St Marys hospital in Whitechapel, the Minister for Health announced the introduction of the new NHS ambulances that will quicken the rollout times for hospitals and make more beds available. The new ambulances will pick patients up, take them to hospitals where they will be given lethal doses of drugs and denied food and water, then after they have hopefully expired, they will be delivered by the ambulances straight to freshly dug graves. You cant say that the NHS does not believe in cost efficiency now can you? Were light years ahead of the American health model, the Health Minister, Mike OBrien, told reporters at an impromptu press conference. No more waiting lists What can the Americans be worried about? Dont they want a healthcare system like ours where you can be jumping about in your bed one minute and sentenced to death in another? Surely, they must be bonkers, raving lunatics. The one-stop solution for the new look NHS was hailed as a much needed boost for Labour in the Commons when Health Secretary Mike OBrien announced the overhaul after last years draft white paper. Now if you call for an ambulance and are in dire need of assistance we can be with you within five minutes from anywhere in the UK and have you six feet under in less than fifteen minutes saving thousands of pounds per patient in administrative costs, hospital staffing costs and maintenance. MIDDLESBROUGH - England - New statistics from the British Institute of Medical Natal Research Centre has revealed that the number of babies born in Britain still drunk has decreased by more than 3 percent. Leading experts who have been keeping records on Britains birth rate and practices since 1945 have revealed the slight decrease in the rate of babies born drunk in Britain in 2010. Social scientists have been debating the new findings with great zeal. Binge Birthing We have seen a remarkable decrease in babies born drunk in England and Wales. In some areas of the country, there was an incredible drop of over two percent. So in real terms, we are talking a year on year decrease to only 128,000 births of alcoholic babies per annum. We have hypothesised that the change may be due to the price of alcohol increasing slightly this year that caused British mothers to shun the booze slightly. Either way, this is shocking news and we are very happy to release our findings to the general public. Professor Giles Hinkleman, who oversaw the study has stated that the institute is still collating data therefore it may be awhile until the full picture is known. Hospitals are used to seeing babies born drunk. So it has been with great interest that we have seen a slight increase in babies actually being born sober in the UK. Can you imagine the socio-economic ramifications of this statistic? This is insane, the fabric of British society is being threatened from the core by these findings, Ronald Beasley, a researcher on the project told New Scientist magazine. Yellow-headed blackbirds are perhaps the easiest birds to identify around Elko. Not only do they have black bodies, but bright yellow heads and large white patches in the upper surface of their wings, seen as they fly. They can be identified with eyes closed. All a person needs is hear the sound of a squeaky gate, emphasized since yellow-headed blackbirds perform this call with all the gusto they can manage. Spring is officially here when two species of blackbirds arrive. Red-wing blackbirds arrive first, during March. Groups of red-wings also take over my bird feeder, at least until the yellow-heads arrive. Red-wings are a bit more debonair. Their black wings carry red and white chevrons and their call is more musical, usually described as okalee. Both species of blackbirds winter in the southern U.S. or Mexico. They arrive in Elko and stick around feeders for a few weeks, waiting for area marshes to open up. These early groups are usually all males, including a few immature males. They are eager to stake out breeding territories and get the major fights over with before the females arrive. The larger yellow-headed blackbirds stake out their breeding territories in the center of a marsh, where reeds rise from the waters surface. Red-wings use the same marsh but are relegated to its edges, where the water is shallower. The females of both species construct basket nests above the water and hanging from reeds. Yellow-heads display from the top of a reed. As the males sing, they hold their wings away from the body to show off the white wing patches. They also stretch out their bright yellow heads. Red-wing males do much the same display but they can also expand the wing epaulettes into large, brilliant red patches. They sometimes also display and sing as they drop out of the sky onto a reed, holding the wings in a bowed shape to show off the epaulettes. As red-wing males feed along the edge of a marsh, their epaulettes barely show. However, when two male approach each other, even although they seem to ignore each other, both sets of epaulettes expand. As they move away from each other, the epaulettes shrink until they all but disappear. LOS ANGELES - USA - Forget about needles in your face, the cosmetic industry has now discovered the perfect solution for the botox generation. It used to be the preserve of the wealthy, crass, banal celebrity set the botox injections that make the creases on your face harden like concrete but now cosmetic surgeons have found an alternative method of treating their celebrity clients. The botox milkshake treatment however does not come cheap, and at $56,000 per 100 ml cup, is at the moment out of the reach of ordinary people. The price of the Botox Milkshake will come down after awhile and become more accessible to the rest of the population, cosmetic surgeon, Francois Guilleme, told CBS news. Fountain of eternal youth Celebrities who are addicted to botox injections on their faces have clambered for the new treatment. I think its great innit? I have a botox shake every morning now and my face is like concrete, much like my tits. I feed some to my pet gorilla, Alex Reid, and we even put it in our cornflakes in the morning. I still have botox injections because I enjoy the hands-on feel of having the botulism injected under my facial skin, British celebrity, Katie Price told the Mirror newspaper. The botox milkshakes are so effective that they preserve skin and flesh to give the recipients complexion an almost flawless sheen. Some of my clients are now over 85 years old but they look like 35. The only slight drawback is that some of them cannot make any facial expressions anymore, some of them cannot move their lips to speak either which with some celebrities is actually a god send if you ask me. Others have permanent smiles stuck on their faces or grimaces and have a hard time getting out of them, Doctor Guilleme added. TEXAS - USA - Health researchers at the Donald Rumsfeld Drug Research Institute have come up with a solution to the growing obesity problem in America. Everyone who has a constant aspartame drip administering high dosage levels at all times will not have any problems with sugar cravings, Doctor Arnold Kovalic, told NBC news about the new program. According th the medical journal in which the new treatment was published, the aspartame drips will be portable and able to be transported with the patient wherever they go. As long as you dont take it down a water slide you should be OK but there are some people who could not handle going down a water slide without craving a bucketful of glazed donuts, Dr Kovalic added. The Department of Health has already put in an order for millions of the drips and soon America could be overflowing with people walking around dragging a drip. You ever seen Day of the Walking Dead? Thats what it will be like. You got these fat obese people ambling around with vacant looks in their eyes, a drip in one arm and a cell phone in the other clicking away. This is modern America folks, get used to it, a critic of the aspartame treatment told Reuters news agency. Currently low doses of aspartame used in most foods in America are a major cause of cancer. Chicago resident, Jim Beamer, 62, was trying to sign on to the Obamacare web site for the twenty eighth time when his heart went into cardiac arrest. His wife Dorreen, 59, was very upset about the whole episode. He kept trying and trying and trying. Then he went blue and started cussing which was totally out of character for him. Finally he just fell onto the computer screen. He never got that Obamacare. Widowed Mrs Beamer, being a good Democrat, says she forgives Obamacare for the untimely death of her husband. DETROIT - USA - America's Knockout game comes to one of the country's most blighted city's Obamacare hospital. The bankrupt city of Detroit was host to a knockout game deluge that hit the local hospital. The only remaining doctors and nurses left in the hospital could only watch as a number of people tried to get their Obamacare but were told to pay an enormous deductible charge and some who thought they signed up online were told their insurance was not valid. I gotsa gibsme sum Obamacare. I need xray but they said I gotta pay fo dat shiet! Aranja Johnsons, 43, a sick mother of 12 and Obama voter told MSNBC. The knockout games committed by young people have been hitting all over the USA and this is the first time they are being played in hospitals. BRADFORD - England - Cottage pie? Lamb chops? How about some Beef Wellington or a Bedfordshire clanger, well it's all Halal now and that means you're a Muslim. If you eat Halal meat you are adhering to the Muslim religious laws, therefore be a good Muslim now, do eat up your food, thats a good chap, Abdul Al-Haq, a Pakistani Muslim from Britains Good Cuisine Guide revealed today. In fact its hard to find any meat in the UK now that is not Halal. Hamza Khaleeq Elsingham, the UKs Minister of Food, reveals that eating Islamic food is good for you: You will feel closer to Allah every day. Dont forget to eat up your greens also, of course you can still have your mushy peas and gravy. Some English citizens are however having second thoughts about the Halal meat, Beresford Smith, an accountant from Cricklewood, who is a devout Christian, told the Daily Mail: I ate my cottage pie last night for dinner. In the morning, I noticed a large bushy beard had grown on my chin. I then had this irresistible urge to kneel on my carpet and pray to Allah. By 11am I was at Tescos looking for four more wives, my current wife Deirdre was not too happy about it, shes a vegan. LONDON - England - As the unelected imposter in chief prepares to leave Downing Street for the last time, the country is bracing itself for the many years of pain and 'austerity' that will be needed to repair itself after thirteen years of hurt and unbearable misery. Labours scorched earth policy of destruction is nearly over thank god and even though most of the people will give a sigh of relief at the disgraceful exit of the worst PM and government in the history of Britain, there will have to be the final realisation that the people will have to suffer for many generations to try and claw the country back from the trillion pound deficit left by Labour. Labours legacy is one of destruction; of utter disdain towards the people of Britain; of complete waste of our resources; of ridiculous levels of irresponsibility with regards to immigration and the economy. Gordon Brown has endangered the British people with his asinine nonsensical policies. Thirteen terrible years of Labour have created a land bereft of hope. The thousands of laws created by Labour curbing human behaviour; introducing millions of CCTV surveillance cameras to watch us; letting criminals and murderers run riot in our streets and opening the borders to anyone who wants to abuse the welfare system. Under Labour, there are families who have never worked since 1997, they have instead just enjoyed the myriad of welfare benefits and lived a life of leisure at the expense of the taxpayer. Because of Labour, every one who has a job, has to work for 196 days before they make any money for themselves. The punitive Labour tax system stifles all work, business and employment. No wonder there are millions of families who choose not to work and are paid 50,000 per annum to play video games and get drunk under Labours policy of welfare waste. Forget about the BNP wanting to throw all the Muslims out of Britain, theyre all talk. Labour has started two wars against the Muslims and is murdering them in cold blood everyday. Labour is not just talk like the BNP, they are actually out there invading and murdering innocent people in their own countries. And all of that because Blair wanted to look big next to America. How many thousands of civilians and brainwashed troops have died needlessly because of Labour? How much blood has been shed for no reason at all apart from to serve the egos of Labour politicians. The day of the champagne socialist is over; there was never any equality with them anyway as they flew in first class and guzzled pork pies in their Jaguars. Gordon Browns legacy is one of ultimate failure, of ruin and of imbecilic obtuseness. He is just stupid, and by shoehorning himself into the role of PM he has taken Britain to the brink of complete collapse. It will take many generations to clear up this mess created by Gordon Brown. He said the other day that he wants to work for charity when he is finally ousted as PM. Please tell me what charity will have him? Donations will dry up and their reputation will be tarnished forever. Good riddance fucker and thanks for absolutely nothing. God spoke to a religious believer today in a supermarket aisle somewhere in Darlington. The following is an exact copy of what God said to the man. Hello I am God. Thank you for believing in me with blind unfaltering faith. Yes, its me, dont drop the can of sweetcorn you are now holding, just listen. I have chosen you to speak with. You must not listen to that awful Dawkins fellow or that Fry fellow or scientists, or atheists, or anyone with any logic. Theyre obviously going to burn in the fires of hell. I mean, they speak reason, with factual scientific analysis, mathematics, physics, chemistry, astro-physics, computer science, engineering, whereas my flock believes in fairy tales written by simple men who didnt even know what bacteria was when they concocted those books to control millions of people and make them do things for them. Do you know why I like people like you? People that do not ask questions when a priest asks them to pray. Its your unflinching dedication to being a follower, youre a sheep and the shepherd can say, God wants you to go off this cliff, and you do it without question. You were indoctrinated from a young age to not question, to be pliant, even when the paedophile priests took you behind the vestry and asked you to do those things for Jesus. You were also so agreeable to me when you were told to go into battle, to preserve your faith. The fact that the commander who ordered the suicide mission over the trench was dining on a vast banquet with dancing girls fellating him at the time is neither here nor there. Come, come, my child. I am your God. I want you to believe in me, I want you to have faith in me, without question. When you are vulnerable this is when the church people pounce on you, they make you feel better, and thats when we have you lock stock and barrel. My church also is a place for the community to congregate, this is a natural human desire to be a part of a group, and I like that a lot. The fact that you pray to me is neither here nor there, human gatherings are therapeutic and wholesome affairs for whatever the reason, especially if singing nice songs of blind faith. Gods church needs money my fellow, and you have given ever so generously. Thank you. Just look at the Catholic branch, cloaked in gold, emeralds, diamonds, with billions in the bank and riches beyond any materialistic thiefs dreams. They are sincerely doing Gods work by taking the pliant flocks hard earned cash and putting it in their coffers. I am so proud of them. We must also not forget the American branch who serve me, theyre making absolutely millions of dollars from all believers, especially those wonderful TV evangelists. Your blind faith in the afterlife is a very good way for leaders and people in power to make you accept your meagre existence while they dine off your riches. I want you to continue to believe in me with blind faith. You must read the book every day and believe every word your sheep eyes glance upon. You must believe the earth is only a few thousand years old and dinosaurs never existed, and Jesus walked on water, healed lepers and rose up into the sky. You must believe in all manner of rhubarb as I am your God and I exist. Now without much ado I must must get back to your deepest subconscious. I will only appear in times of strife. But alas, when you die, your brain and consciousness will die too. Oops, did I say that? Sorry to break the news to you, but once you are brain dead thats it. Nothing.. NEVADA - USA - It seems the credit crunch has also not been very kind to the owners of the original warehouse where the moon landings were filmed; as the huge 95,000 sq foot warehouse has finally been put up for sale. Buzz Aldrin recalls the moment during filming when his spacesuits visor suddenly flipped up and a bluebottle fly landed on his nose: We had just filmed the bit when Neil said those historic words, when I had a major malfunction on my goddam spacesuit. We had to do about six takes before we got it right and it didnt matter how much aircon they had on it was so hot I fainted three times from heat exhaustion. People dont realise how heavy and cumbersome those suits were in the earths gravity. Its like walking around with 400 pounds of lead on you. If we were in a weightless situation it would have been totally different though. Ever since that fateful day on July 20th 1969, the secret warehouse where the moon landings were filmed have remained empty because of secrecy laws pertaining to the sensitive nature of the whole moon landing operation. NASA, however, finally relented to the crisis in government funding and has had to put the massive warehouse on the market. This is some prime piece of real estate right here. Were talking about making this into a casino or an amusement park or even a place where they can hold rock concerts. Were still not sure how much the warehouse will go for but we could be talking as little as $4 million. Now, thats what I call a piece of history right there. I know developers who will bid for this and go crazy for the opportunity of a goddam lifetime, Eli Horovitz, a real estate agent from Las Vegas said. The warehouse was finally decommissioned in 1972 after the last manned moon landing. The property auction for the moon landing warehouse will be held on August 15 of this year at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. This is your chance to own a part of history. The earth is heated by the sun when it is day time and in the night it is cool because the sun is on the other side of the earth. This is the secret of climate change, and whats more, we have discovered that this process has been happening since the earths beginnings. Isnt that incredible? professor Michael Hunt told the New Scientist magazine. Climate experts all over the world who have been commissioned by governments to create a charging system so that all humans have to pay even more taxes to breathe the air have all however discounted professor Hunts findings. Do not listen to professor Hunt, hes a ****! First we had Global Warming but that fizzled out because the masses just did not take to it. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with Climate Change. Now, you cant come up with a better idea than that to reduce the population. It was genius I tell you, climate expert, Von Braun Himmler said at a Fabian society meeting on Tuesday. Professor Hunt was also quoted as saying: Sometimes the earths atmosphere gets cooler and other times hotter. Sometimes these periods of hotness and coolness last for thousands of years and sometimes for millions. The earths climate changes all the time, therefore the big boys who pay my funding have come up with an amazing scam to f*ck the people over even further. Although it is the robber barons who, from time immemorial, have been digging up and plundering the earths resources to the point of exhaustion so that they could make themselves very very rich, are now saying that the ordinary humans are the problem. The same people who are the biggest polluters and destroyers of the earths resources are now saying that you are the burden on the environment. You exist, and that is bad enough for the climate. The masses are the problem for the elite and that is why theyve thought up this climate change scam. They know full well that the climate has been changing since the Big f*cking Bang, but theyre saying now that climate change only started a few years ago and you and I should be taxed and exterminated off this earth because of their greed and hypocrisy. They will now use the climate change scam to shut down the human race once and for all. The human population is now a severe embarrassment to the elite controllers. I know what they are saying at the top because I have to meet these reptiles every day and say yes to them as they get closer every second of the day to their ultimate mission and dream. Unfortunately for professor Hunt, after divulging the climate change revelations, he was taken from his family home in an unmarked car two days ago and has not been seen since. STOCKHOLM - Sweden - More people should be encouraged to use mobile phones a new independent study has concluded. Long term mobile phone users live longer and have increased brain function, according to a two decade-long study. The report, to be published later this year, has reportedly found that heavy mobile use is linked to increased life expectancy and higher intelligence. Talk More Live Longer Doctor Emile Munchausen of the Stockholm Institute of Science said: We have found after the twenty year study that having large doses of microwave energy directed into the skull is entirely beneficial to the recipient. When the brain is technically microwaved like that every day, the users intelligence levels increase because of the altering of braincells. We therefore encourage populations to increase use of the mobile phones and to use them for longer periods as well. Doctor Munchausens study utilised 12,800 people in 13 countries funded partly by the World Population Control Organisation and all mobile phone companies. The WPCO has also funded other research like: How cigarette use is good for you and are also supporters of the world famous Eat More Junk Food Day. Preliminary results of the inquiry, which were looking at whether mobile phone exposure is linked to better health, have been sent to a scientific journal. The study also found increased health of populations who live near mobile phone masts. In the UK alone there are millions of these masts which pump out large doses of health giving microwave energy. We encourage the worlds increasing populations to talk for longer periods on these cell phones. You can spend hours on the phones and you will be increasing your health. Dont forget parents, the younger your child is, the better it is for them to talk on their portable phone, a NOKIA spokesman said about the study findings. The findings are expected to put pressure on the Government to encourage even more use than they have already been doing which has always insisted that mobile phones are safe and good for you. OXFORD - England - He is regarded as the most famous entity in the universe but last night God admitted he could not be sure that Professor Richard Dawkins does not exist. God told an audience of Oxford students, that he preferred to call himself a believer in Dawkins rather than an unbeliever in the theories of the great Dawkins. God appeared out of a spark of lightning and sat at the head of the table in dazzling white robes sporting a white flowing beard that looked as if it had been freshly trimmed. God was taking part in a public dialogue at Oxford University at the end of a week which has seen bitter debate about the role of religion in public life in Britain. The discussion, in Sir Christopher Wrens Sheldonian Theatre, attracted attention from around the world and the known universe, as well as alternate universes and heaven. God said that he was 6.9 out of seven sure of his beliefs. I think the probability of a Dawkins existing is very very low, he added, before disappearing in a flash of thunder to rapturous applause from the assembled students. KENTUCKY - USA - Scientists at the Fry University of Kentucky have come up with an incredible discovery that may revolutionise how we visualise some atoms. Were calling this thing the Jesus atom. I know thats not very imaginative, but by heck it looks like the Lord Jesus is looking right out at you. When we saw this with the electron microscope we just got down on our knees and started praying right there. This is proof that God is real and even science cannot escape that fact, Rod Elridge, one of the scientists on the project told local Kentucky news. Already across America, Christian evangelists and Republican politicians have picked up on the new find. This is proof right there that Jesus is our Lord and saviour. By the gospel of Jesus, by the word of God, by the holy light of Christ, I want to say to you all that we have found the true God particle. Send your donations in right now we need to do more Jesus scientific research in the name of the Lord. Five dollars is good, ten dollars is better, but fifty and above and you will see the light of heaven in your soul and buy me a new Ferrari in the name of Jesus. God bless Jesus, we have found you in science. They can no longer tell us that you never existed or that science disproves religion, Pastor Gerald Pedopumper, from the Johnsons Jesus Baptist church in Pepper Lake City, Nashville told WKNJS radio Wednesday. The scientists at Fry University of Kentucky used a microscope that incorporates new aberration-correction technology that focuses a beam of electrons on a spot smaller than a single atom more sharply and with greater intensity than previously possible. This allows information previously hidden in the background, or noise, to be seen. It also provides up to a hundredfold increase in imaging speed. The new Jesus atom is however quite an unstable atom and scientists were weary about maybe splitting one. If we split a Jesus atom, we could open up the window to heaven or hell. I dont think we want to take that chance. Especially not so close to Christmas time, Mr Elridge said. MOSCOW - Russia - NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden could get sanctuary on the moon, a Russian billionaire has told Russia's state news service. In a remarkable admission by Russian billionaire, Volkov Volkovic, Edward Snowden will have his own moon base built so that he can spend the rest of his life relaying little bits of information about all that spying thats been going on recently. This will certainly be one momentous footstep for man, as Mr Snowden will be relaying the important information from a place the Americans cant get to, Mr Volkovic told the TASS news agency on Wednesday. The moon base will be outfitted with a very large transmitter and Snowden will enjoy all the mod cons of a celebrity whistleblower. LONDON - England - With an extra 37 billion bill from Brussels for the EU money pit, PM David Cameron is vowing to pay every penny to his EU masters. David Cameron was today detailing the extra 37 billion the EU is asking Britain to pay, which does not include the measly 1.7 billion bill the EU ordered Britain to pay out of nowhere last month. Well, maths was not my key subject at school, however I have got Georgie boy to tot the numbers up. Hmm, lets see, I think its 38.7 billion pounds now. Id be delighted to write a cheque out on behalf of British taxpayers to the European Union for that small amount. We certainly do not need that money, weve got a surplus here, the NHS is doing very well and our welfare spending is tiny. We dont have any road projects planned, or massive pot holes, we dont have schools funding to deal with or housing problems, Mr Cameron said from Number 10 Downing Street. LONDON - England - No-one is to face charges after the 16-month cash-for-honours police inquiry. Four people were arrested, including two of Tony Blairs aides, during the 1m probe confirming honours were given in exchange for party donations. Prime Minister Gordon Brown Order of DeMolay said it was right that police had investigated the very serious allegations and that he had ..nothing to do with what Tony got up to. But he said he hoped the official announcement expected later would bring to an end months of speculation. Order of DeMolay Speaking to reporters in Paris, where he is discussing Darfur with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Brown said he wanted to move ahead now and brush this one under the carpet like the others. Tony Blair: I got away with murder again you fools Former prime minister Tony Blair 3 Degree Master Mason and Labour fundraiser Lord Levy Grand Elect Mason are expected to make statements later after the champagne reception which will be held at Londons Savoy hotel. The Squibs political editor Robert Robinson, who is not a Mason or anyway connected to any Masons, says Scotland Yard is preparing to make a public defence of its officers after attending the head Masonic Temple in an undisclosed location somewhere in London. Serious allegations brushed under the carpet Assistant Commissioner (soon to be Sir) John Yates of the Metropolitan Police and Scottish Rite Master Elect of Nine who led the inquiry has said from the outset his officers were simply doing their jobs by being seen to be investigating serious allegations albeit with certain codes and handshakes understood to be given forthwith thus resolving issues relating to disapearing funds anonymously deposited. He was backed by Chris Fox, a former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, and Grotto MOVPER who told the Daily Squib: Im confident that John Yates Master Elect of Nine and his team will have done everything they possibly could to get to the bottom of the allegations. When someone makes an allegation like that the police service have to be seen to take it seriously. Downing Street adviser John McTernan, Order of the Eastern Star who was among those questioned, told the Squib: Its a massive relief for everybody involved in this that at last a line can be drawn under it and we got away with it thanks to our friends in high places. Damn murky Asked if he might consider taking action against the police he said: The police, in my experience, were scrupulously fair in the way they treated me and I believe they did the same with my colleagues. I dont have any question about the way police conducted this investigation and they performed perfectly as instructed. I think everybody in politics wishes it had been done faster, because ultimately, for the public, it just looks a bit mucky and murky and I dont think anybody whos involved in politics actually genuinely believes that anybody at a senior level in any of the major parties is involved in anything dodgy in relationship to this. Snigger. Lord Levy: I think my face says how I feel you silly mugs ha ha ha Mr Blairs chief fundraiser Lord Levy, his director of government relations Ruth Turner Daughters of the Nile and Labour donor Sir Christopher Evans Knight of Brazen Serpent were all seen to be arrested as part of the false inquiry into whether people were nominated for peerages in return for donations to political parties. Mr Blair, who was questioned three times as a potential witness, became the first sitting prime minister to be interviewed by police in the course of a mock criminal inquiry. He is expected to make a statement later when he gets the time, as is Lord Levy. Speaking earlier to reporters outside his Mayfair home, a beaming Lord Levy said: I think my face says how I feelyou silly mugs, whilst laughing with an audible sneer. He then got into his Rolls Royce and sped off into the distance still laughing hysterically. Brown paper envelope reform Deputy Labour leader and Jobs Daughter Harriet Harman said it would not be right to comment on the decision, but said a lot of changes had been made in political funding. After the allegations, we did change the law to make sure that undisclosed loans, as well as brown envelope donations, have to be disclosed and made public only if it suits a Ministers needs. This whole affair has diminished politics and politicians in the eyes of the public Sir Menzies Campbell Liberal Democrat leader Q&A: Cash-for-honours Weve got further discussions going on with the other political parties to make further changes in bungs and backhanders. And were going to reform the House of Lords. Tory leader David Cameron, Intendant of the Building, diplomatically said he would wait for the official announcement by the CPS before commenting but said it was up to the police to decide what to investigate. Scottish National Party MP Angus MacNeil (not of the order), who made the original complaint to Scotland Yard, told the Daily Squib the outcome of the investigation was quite extraordinary. He said: Weve had an investigation going on for the past 16 months, there have been 6,300 documents at the end of that given by the Yard to the Crown Prosecution Service at a cost to the taxpayer in excess of 1.9 million. Politically instigated The Yard liaised with the CPS through all this, and now it seems the CPS are trying to tell us its all a wild goose chase. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the whole affair had diminished politics and politicians in the eyes of the public. Its done great damage to our already damaged political system. Tony Wright MP You have to deal with the question of public confidence. I think you have got to be totally transparent, you have got to ensure that the regulations that you have are properly enforced, and of course you have to have reform of the House of Lords and, in my view, sensible state support for political parties. But Labour MP Tony Wright, chairman of the Public Administration Committee, told the Squib the investigation had been a disaster for the taxpayer and a disaster for the political system. He added: Its done great damage to our already damaged political system. Our system is pretty flawed and dirty anyway. It needs eternal vigilance but basically political issues need to be resolved by the political system and not with brown envelopes. LONDONISTAN - England - Mayor Boris Johnson is on a mission to clean out South Londonistan, and the other day he was pictured deep in enemy territory. Today, were in search of insurgents deep in the South of Londonistan. The Mayor of Londonistan, Boris Johnson, has decided to do things himself, a Kalashnikov, no helmet and a gut full of Chardonnay. This is where Jihadi John comes from and Im going to sniff that little twerp from his hole faster than you can say amo, amas, amat, the Mayor told awestruck Fox news reporters. Most of the civilians in South Londonistan have now disappeared. Many have fled across the last standing bridge to North Londonistan but some, unfortunately, have died in the clashes. Once airlifted in to the LZ somewhere near Streatham to the strains of Wagner, Rambojo, armed with an assortment of weapons including a .50 cal machine gun continued to clean out the dilapidated areas leaving many in his path no more than pieces of mince meat. Its as if hes posing for when he becomes prime minister, a member of public said cheering on Rambojo. There was, of course, no comment from David Camerons office. LONDON - England - A-Level grades this year set another record and were up from 2006 where the 'A grades' were 98%. The year 2007, however, smashed all previous records with only 5 pupils failing in the whole country. Gordon Brown today praised the A-level results the government has created. Never before have we seen such amazing intelligence and it is all down to the Labour commitment to education. Young people in the UK are achieving even higher grades than anywhere in the world or at any time in the history of education. Only five people in the whole of the United Kingdom failed to gain an A grade on the A-Level exam this year. This is a wonderful day for Labour spin, but a sad day for legitimate qualifications. Since Labour has come into power the standard of A-Levels has dropped to such a low level that many private schools are considering dumping the dumbed down qualifications for a rival qualification that will test pupils properly. The current A-levels were watered down by controversial reforms to A-levels seven years ago which split the exam into six bite-sized units examined in stages throughout the course, with potential for repeated resits. The Labour government has thus created a false grade system where even the thickest students can take the exams and get A grades. Not only have the A-Level exams been dumbed down to the level of a low-intelligence test, but the pass marks for A grades in the A-level have also been lowered so more students reach the A threshold. In the 50s up to the late 80s, A-levels involved students be tested by sitting exams and writing actual essays. A pass mark for an A grade was substantially higher than todays mickey mouse qualification. The result of the Labour governments spin operation on the A-levels is that there are a large number of people leaving school with A grades who are actually not qualified in their chosen subjects. Ross from Liverpool is very happy that he got 4 A grades for his A-levels and is applying to Cambridge University Universities have a very hard time because they are receiving students who are deficient in basic grammatical and mathematical skills, let alone the higher knowledge base that should be attained at A-Level. The further avalanche effect thus extends to employment where the new A student graduates are illiterate, ineffectual and just plain deluded at their false qualifications. Despite the majority of graduates all having A grades at A-Level, universities are now having to re-train students in the basics because of the inferior education levels that they have received. The A-level is now synonymous with deception, dishonesty, Labour spin and fabrication. Thanks to the Barnett formula you will get much more than the rest of the UK handed to you on a silver platter, and the best part of it is that the English taxpayers have to pay through the nose so that you can live a life of Riley. With North sea oil pretty much worthless at the moment, and the fields nearly dry, it is only natural that the Scots look to rich England to plunder their resources. Aye, the English, we want you tae pay for everything, and were going tae bleed you scunners dry. Not only that, we want a say in your parliament so we can dictate to you bags of puss what goes on in your neck of woods. Hows about that for a kick in the nads. Now bend over and get ready for ma boot, Scottish MP, Angus McJockstrapp told BBC Scotland. NEW HAMPSHIRE - USA - Barack Obama is being groomed to be the first black President of the United States of America. He is being instated to take the fall for George W Bush's disastrous tenure as President. American Election Race Special Barack Obama is set to be the first black (African American) President of the United States of America and fall guy for the many years of destruction committed by George W Bush and his cronies on the US Constitution, economy, US world standing and internal affairs. George W Bush has ruined America and his perpetual wars of terror on the rest of the world have caused irreparable damage that may never be fixed thats why were bringing in this boy Obama to take the fall, a representative from the Pentagon told the Daily Squib on Friday. The American people who have large daily doses of intense fear pumped into their homes constantly via the Fox News Network of Terror and other government controlled media outlets are all backing Obama 110%. House Ni**er Former Secretary of State, House Ni**er and Uncle T*m, Colin Powell was on hand to support Obama in Iowa. Powell was mostly noted for his role in being told to lie by his keepers to the UN about Saddams WMD program which was supposedly capable of attacking the western world in 15 minutes. Anacondi Condoleeza Rice is another prime example of a masters puppet. Her holders have given her leave to buy expensive shoes and have meetings to discuss further meetings for more meetings where she can act like she knows shit like her massa. Shaquanda Wendell, a 39 year old housewife from Philadelphia, makes a valid point about how she views the new Secretary of State. Someone needs to find Condi a man or something, she be going round and causing the death of millions of people in the world because she dont have a man and is angry and shit. There must be a man somewhere that can please her and stop her wanting to destroy the planet. Is there a man out there who can be with Condi so we can all live in peace? What Shaquanda probably does not realise is that a man cannot take the place of what Ms Rice really wants. Taking the Fall If we need someone to take the fall because of our illicit profiteering, greed, lies, illegal unconstitutional practices, torture and corruption we put one of them in charge for awhile, John Thompson, a senior GOP representative, was quoted as saying from the Wyoming Republican caucuses this week. When George W Bush leaves office, he will be hailed a hero by the American people and Republican guard. Obama will then be placed into office to take the can for dubyas horrific mistakes. Bush Legacy What kind of a situation would fall guy Barack Obama inherit? A $2.8 TRILLION price tag for the disastrous Iraq imbroglio with no end in sight, a $9.7 TRILLION national debt, increasing unemployment, a sub-prime mortgage fiasco that has destabilised the worlds economy, a damaged US worldwide standing, a weak currency, perpetual US made wars with no exit strategies, monstrous trade deficit of $740 TRILLION and an infrastructure buckling under the strain of incompetence and waste, 60,000 US soldiers injured and over 5,000 deaths in Iraq alone, a destabilised Middle East with millions of innocent civilian deaths and displaced peoples, US foreign policy that has brought the world to the brink of WW III. What better scapegoat to complement these elements of imminent destruction? Enter Barack Obama. BALTIMORE - USA - The Star Spangled Banner was certainly not playing when the locals came out to play yesterday, at one point even going as far as to rob an RT reporter of her bag. The locals of Baltimore were filmed shopping for RT reporters and seem to have bagged one of their bags. Its just another day in Obamas America. The Russians were just getting a taster of what its really like to be swarmed by a pack of young people', Enus McFarlaine, Deputy for the Baltimore Police told CBS local. The packs of young people caused another riot, with some converging from all over America in a well-organised operation. LONDON - England - Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced new Labour laws to reduce violent crime in the British Isles. The breakthrough laws will also reduce police paperwork and increase efficiency within the law and enforcement sectors. Under the new laws espoused by the Home Office, teens who commit their first murder will be cautioned and then given an on-the-spot fine of 20.00. If the teens do not have the money upfront they will be reprimanded and required to pay the fine in instalments. Two strikes and youre out Only when British teens commit murder twice will there be any grounds for a court appearance which may eventually lead to prosecution and possible jail time. Courts in England and Wales have welcomed the Home Secretarys decision and commended Ms Smith on freeing up valuable court time so they can continue prosecuting more motorists in England and Wales for minor driving offences. The Labour think tank which pioneered the groundbreaking law has also been commended by the Prime Minister. Gordon Brown will be discussing the new murder laws in next weeks cabinet meeting with a view to implementing them within six months. Jacqui Smith, who was also responsible for the introduction of ASBOs (Anti Social Behaviour Orders) and ABCs (Anti Social Behaviour Contracts), was not available for comment because she was down her local kebab shop with an armed escort getting some extra chilli sauce on a chicken doner. Violent crime statistics in the UK are now at a three year low with only 450 murders per day in Manchester alone. The rest of the UK has also seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime because of Labours recent crime fighting initiatives. Our supreme unelected leader, Comrade Brown, spoke to the Workers Nation yesterday from the Westminster Duma broadcasting centre. Comrades, Red Army and Red Navy men, commanders and political instructors, men and women workers, men and women collective farmers, intellectuals, brothers and sisters in the enemy rear who have temporarily fallen under the yoke of the capitalist brigands, our glorious men and women guerrillas who are disrupting the rear of the bourgeois invaders! On behalf of the British Government and our Bolshevik Labour Party I greet you and congratulate you on the anniversary of the great Socialist Revolution Vision of Change. Comrades, I have instructed Comrade Darling to create a Peoples Bank for the Proletariat of Britain. Every worker and citizen will have the honour of being part of the nations large debt mountain. Every worker will shoulder the burden of our workers struggle. I have put aside 110 billion for now to be paid by every worker in our great nation a mere 4000 of debt for each citizen to enjoy. Work hard my brothers and sisters in the next 100 years you may one day pay off the debt. The immense debt which has been gifted to the people of Britain is equivalent to the entire budget of the NHS or 30 pence on income tax. Workers from all over Britain will be increasing production in the factories from tomorrow to pay for our wonderful burden to the party. Proles and workers who heard of the news were delighted to carry on the workers struggle and celebrated by shouting out the name of our glorious leader Comrade Brown in Politburo Square all of yesterday. After the singing and dancing ended some shareholders from the bourgeois capitalist previous incarnation of the old system Northern Rock were publicly hanged by their necks to rambunctious cheers from all present. Notice: B68572 INGSOCK Long Live the Bean! LONDON - England - Without the Lib Dems thwarting the Conservatives at every turn, movement towards the Brexit door is becoming more apparent. As Juncker downs another breakfast pint of cognac, he will naturally half pick up a newspaper schlepped on his tray by his servant, and through his sozzled, blurred eyes make out some headlines here or there. Yes, the bargaining chips are out, the Britishers are threatening Brexit and whats more, they are making it look rather serious this time. This Cameron fellow, what, what? He wins an election and he means business. On the one hand, the Grexit looms as the Greeks blackmail the Schaubles out of Frankfurt, and the Brits, who have successfully avoided another Marxist Labour government have taken the reins of their own destiny. The facts are this, there is no free will in the EU. There is no sovereign control over a nations respective economy. If the UK embraced its Commonwealth past, and opened the doors to global trade, it could still exist within the European trade area but set free on a worldwide stage and be free to make its own laws. What the EU wants is a very simple thing. It wants the British to seal their own doom by voting to stay in the EU, and by doing this, the Brits will eventually be integrated into the eurozone currency, ditching the Pound Sterling and becoming a placid zone controlled by others and essentially irrelevant. Bargaining is a game best played with a good hand, and Britain has a good hand to play, whereas the EU is a crumbling chaotic Grexiting edifice stuffed with over paid seemingly useless unelected officials with unlimited perks, bribes and free gourmet luncheons. Juncker, his hands now shaking as another jug of cognac is placed on his tray, wants an EU army, and when it comes to war with whoever he chooses, he wants your sons and daughters to be drafted into the EU army. Smiling, Juncker drinks from the jug, remembering his youth in the Hitler Jugend, those were the days, one Reich, Ein Volk. Reform the EU? Nein, nein, nein! That is out of the question. Ratification by 28 nations, controlled heavily from one central control point, is an impossibility. There is no free will in the EU, you only do as you are told. As for Cameron, he still wants to stay in the EU, for the sake of business, however, freedom would bring even more business, because to conduct big deals, you cannot have shackles upon your person, and ridiculous EU diktats thwarting your every move; bogged down in red tape and bureaucratic nonsense. The whole thing could go tits up anyway, as the SNP have infiltrated parliament and are now threatening MPs with head butts and wedgies if they dont get their way. And what of the EU immigrants, hundreds of thousands streaming across the channel daily into the tiny island of Britain? Well, if you are pro-EU, prepare to not have an NHS in a few years, prepare to not have a place for your child in your local school, prepare to sit in your car for hours in the traffic hell, prepare to wait at the bus stops for hours as the fifth loaded bus drives past, and the fucking underground? Forget about it, the underground will be a thing of the past, because the mass of people in the tunnels will become a hazard, a danger to public safety. There is no room left. SALFORD - England - THE BBC could be forced at gun point to be neutral during the in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. BBC news studios will have trained armed adjudicators attending during and leading up to the EU referendum, ministers have revealed. The proposed amendment to the EU Referendum Bill, tabled by a group of Labour and Tory backbenchers, would see the corporation monitored by an armed impartiality adjudicator. The new, independent impartiality adjudicators would be armed with Heckler & Koch sub machine guns and on standby inside BBC news rooms to act immediately on any accusation of bias within the BBC. Tory MP John Kalashnicough said: The independent adjudicators are highly trained in impartiality and marksmanship, all it would take for a BBC newsreader would be a wrong word here or there rooting for the EU. Bang! Of course, we will make sure the screens are blanked out so the audience does not see what happens. A BBC spokesman said: The BBC is already committed to impartiality under the terms of its Charter and editorial guidelines, *cough* Bu-u-u-u-ll-sh-i-t! After the BBC spokesman said that, he was summarily taken to the back of the studio and executed. London - England - After a wonderful drubbing at the polls, Labour has been firmly whipped by the nations voters in local elections. There were jubilant scenes in all cities around England and Wales today as the rotten morose government of Gordon Brown was firmly bum f*cked with a red hot poker. Labours worst defeat in 40 years Standing on a soap box outside speakers corner was the victorious Boris Johnson accompanied by a harem of hot totty. Through the dark clouds up above, there was a sudden parting and a shaft of light graced the assembled crowd. There were joyous cheers from all as the news slowly filtered through the crowds of Labours defeat. First off I want to thank the Daily Squib for showing their amazing support. Without their wicked newspaper stories this incredible victory would never have been able to materialise. I have to say though, my old chums Gordon Brown and Red Ken pretty much gave me this victory on a silver platter. What with the huge taxes, u-turns, indecision, Northern Wreck, the 10p fiasco, losing data discs, stealth taxes, fuel tax hikes, more fuel tax hikes, bins, cctv spying, cronyism, bendy buses, uncontrolled violence, stabbings, murders and shootings. Wot, wot, innit. Happy faces in London were once again here, as people gathered in their local neighbourhoods and sang songs of joy. The trees and grass which have been grey for so long were suddenly lifted from their dull deathly stupor, people were astounded to see the grass turning green again and trees blossoming. The people of England were not the only ones who were happy, some actually heard birds chirping their songs of pleasure for the first time in many years since Labour rule. It has been as if a great veil has been lifted over the nation, from the grey morose hopeless vision of Gordon control freakery to something resembling colour. Alas but for how long? Even though Gordon Brown has witnessed a 76% vote against Labour, he knows he still has two years of morose leadership left to complete under his unelected premiership. People still have two years left of Labour increasing taxes to unbelievable levels never before seen. Gordon detests the proles and will now punish them even further for their insolence in defying his Era of Change, Lib Dem MP Roger Barker told Daily Squib reporter Arnold Finklestammerererer today. El Gordo MacBean has made a pledge to actually listen to the electorate. Is he listening now that they have told him to F*ck off? One can only hope that the Labour hell may end in two years time. Until then, people will just have to bite their lip whenever the morose monotone drone of comrade Gordon Brown graces our screens. WASHINGTON DC - USA - The Daily Squib's political pundit and master wordsmith, Connor McPhucker plays with the ultimate in election campaign questions. I have been firmly entrenched in Capital Hill for the past three months and things have really heated up in the American election race. Weve had all sorts of smouldering piles of steamy shit being deliberately thrown into the tumultuous whirring fans of political insanity. Is the new white vote the new black? Fashionistas all over the world know that black is the cool thang and is the measure of all that is in. Its cool to be a Negro again, fashions change. Hillary went wrong big time by saying that black people were not cool. Hell, that is one major hang up she has and makes the Clintons look real bad. I used to think they was cool, Bill got the black vote but not that wife of his. Shes trying to play black people against themselves and divide them. Obama is a uniter she aint, Shaquanda Ordell, 56, from Chicago told us. Indeed the white voter is the new black, Obama is the uniting spirit who has captured a new demographic which has not been registered before. Obama is the new America, the new frontier of youth, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor. How can Hillary compete when even the Ku Klux Klan are endorsing Obama? Barack Obama has survived everything that has been thrown at him by the Clintons. To their dismay the shit has not stuck and furthermore, they seem to have run out of ideas on what else they can throw at him. The feeling is that Hillary Clinton is playing the age old game of divide and conquer. With this strategy she hopes to clean up after the race war she has created reaches its zenith. Unless the Clintons really dig deep and find that certain skeleton in Obamas closet that really sticks, this may be her roll call to push off once and for all. News came this week that Hillary has even resorted to funding her on campaign because no one else is willing to continue bankrolling her. Liberal white voters have had the U.S. media and their political experts also egging them on to prove that they are not racist by voting for Obama. Whatever happens in the next few weeks will be the deciding factor in an altogether entertaining primary race that has gripped America and the rest of the world. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama has offered Hillary Clinton a job as the White House intern when he becomes president of the United States. After winning the much-coveted nomination for the Democrat party, Barack Obama has extended an olive branch to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by offering her the position of White House intern once he gets into the White House. Political analyst, Alma Spunkmeyer writing in the Washington Daily Chronicle thinks that Mrs Clinton will be disappointed at not getting the Vice President job, but will be glad to be back in the White House anyway. Throughout the last four months there has been much back-biting and bad blood between the two candidates but this gesture from Obama is seen to be the catalyst that will heal the wounds that have been inflicted during the primaries. You never know, she may even be able to pay off some of the money she owes. Interns do not really get a salary but she can always do favours for White House staff and maybe earn some pocket money. Im not sure though if she will be able to claw back the $30 million campaign debt though, a senior White House staffer was quoted as saying on the Drudge Report. Hillary will be required to attend special meetings at the White House but will not be allowed to wear a blue dress. She will also be responsible for keeping the White House cigars fresh and in good supply for staffers. LONDON - England - Supreme unelected leader, Comrade Gordon Brown, has today announced that all traitorous terrorists to the Soviet British state will have their sentences reduced from 65 years to 42 years. With our great Soviet liberties of freedom there are many who think that the 120 million cctv cameras, DNA databases, microchipping, surveillance of all telephone and email correspondence, information databases, fingerprinting, scanners, biometrics, microchipping and indefinite incarceration in gulags is not enough to ensure our Soviet democracy and freedom. Our kind and fair great leader of the Soviet State of Britain has announced today that instead of being detained for 65 years, as is customary for anyone who disobeys the great Soviet state, there will be a holding period of only 42 years in a gulag. We, as a free country, must uphold the tenets of Soviet Bolshevik freedom in Britain today. I understand that 65 years of hard-labour in a gulag for anyone deemed an enemy of the Soviet state was too harsh and therefore I have been ordered by our great leader to reduce the sentencing to 42 years. The enemies of the Soviet Bolshevik State of England will not thus win a victory against our liberties and freedom, Comrade Jacqui Smith, Commissar for ABCs and ASBOs outlined at a special Westminster duma meeting on Friday. Thought-crime is also a punishable offence and anyone who harbours bad thoughts or plans on undermining our great Soviet father, Comrade Brown, will be despatched immediately to one of the thousands of gulags situated in sector 101 Northern Britain. Our supreme unelected leader has outlined in his ten year Age of Change plan to increase gulag numbers to one million so as to contain any dissent of the states great workings. British Soviet prole populations were ecstatic at hearing the news that the jailing period of 65 years has been reduced to 42 years. There were celebrations in sectors 34 57 and an extra chocolate ration of one bar was released by our great unelected master Gordon Brown. We also have news of the bourgeois lickspittle traitor to the Regime of Soviet Change, David Davies. Yes, comrades, he has been despatched to a gulag in Haltemprice and Howden where he will be incarcerated for 42 years of hard Labour. Notice: B64221 INGSOCK Long Live the Gordo! LONDON - England - Vast reserves of oil have been discovered in Harare close to dictator, Robert Mugabe's palace. On hearing of the wonderful news, George W Bush and Gordon Brown have despatched an invasion force to remove Mugabe from office. Addressing congress from a televised conference recorded in the Oval room, George W Bush described the imminent threat posed by Zimbabwes weapons of mass destruction. Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Zimbabwe regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised, Mr Bush said in his speech. The US president also stated that Mugabe was trying to build nuclear missiles that could hit the Western world in 45 minutes. We know for a fact that there are weapons there. Zimbabwe has chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, Mugabe has continued to produce them, he has existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be activated within 45 minutes against the west, There are also purported to be tonnes of yellowcake uranium under Mugabes palace situated 45 km west of Harare as well as multiple mobile missile launching sites manned by Al Qaeda members dotted around the capital. Vice President, Dick Cheney added: Simply stated, there is no doubt that Robert Mugabe now has weapons of mass destruction. Shock and Awe Robert Mugabe poses an immediate threat to the United States of America. I have ordered our forces to strike decisively and with great precision. We will eliminate the imminent threat to our country and return the oil reserves to their rightful owner the USA. The presidents speech was received with rapturous applause and cheer from the assembled Fox News crew in the White House oval office. Fox news anchor, Bill OReilly was seen to wet his spandex trousers with delight at the news of another war. Liberation The Zimbabwe oil find is said to be approximately three trillion barrels worth and would supply the US with enough oil until September. If we invade by next week we can be drilling and pumping the oil by week two, a Halliburton employee told Fox news. The people of Zimbabwe who have suffered for many years are said to be happy that the US has finally come round to invading them and getting rid of the vile dictator Mugabe. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Barack Hussein Obama is all set to make the White House the Black House when he becomes president of the United States of America. Barack Obama is going from strength to strength and is so confident of winning the presidential race that his campaign supporters and team are even talking about some of the minor changes they will introduce to the White House once they are instated. cracker Michelle Obama has already chosen the new colour for the Black House once they are voted in, and she reiterated the point emphatically to New Yorker magazine last week: Its time the Honky House got a new lick of paint, and were gonna make sure that this time round its going to be a good colour and not that pale soulless white sheeiit. For hundreds of years the White House has had a whitewash whiter than white colour, but soon there will be a nice lick of black paint over the pale grand facade of the building. Were still discussing whether it should be matt black or gloss black over the presidents Washington residence. I say gloss because atleast that will reflect some kind of light, Jill Gassburger for the Washington Obama campaign branch said at a congressional meeting on Tuesday. Time for change Obama, who has even been endorsed by American white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan is touted as the new uniter in a land of economic and racial chaos. McCain should be dead by the time the election comes around. I cant see him lasting until the end of September, maybe October. That means Obama will be the next President and he has had orders from Michelle that a new lick of paint is going to go up when they move into the Black House, a senior Obama campaign advisor advisor told us. There is talk of introducing good wholesome food to the Black House. Levi Seacer, who is the chef chosen by the Obamas, told the Times: George W Bush eats greasy ass food like cheeseburgers, freedom fries, corndogs, pretzels and is even still learning to read and form words with Alphabet Soup which he finds great fun. But were going to change the cuisine that is served in the Black House to good ol wholesome soul food and none of that dubya trash; foods like country fried steak, chitlins, hog maws with rice and greens, corn bread and chow chow. Hmm hmmm, dang good cooking. MOSCOW - Russia - General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, who is in charge of all the nuclear missiles in Russia as well as all strategic nuclear tactics, talks to the Daily Squib about his favourite Vodka tipple. General Anatoly Nogovitsyn answers directly to the most powerful man in Russia, Vladimir Putin. We have arranged an interview with the General in his offices deep within the hallowed halls of the Kremlin. The high ranking General is the man who presses the red button that can bring about the total annihilation of every living creature on earth 10,000 times over. We are here on this clandestine mission to talk about the Generals favourite vodka. I mean who else to ask about vodka than the highest ranking General in Russia? In Russia, it is perfectly acceptable to be totally drunk pretty much all the time. Being employed in a high risk job is no constraint to the pleasures of pickling your liver with vast amounts of vodka every day. Flying in to Moscow this morning on Aeroflot, half the flight crew were so pissed that they could barely push the trolleys along the aisles and the captain coming over the tannoy was so sloshed he forgot which city we were landing at. Nuclear 12th Main Directorate of the Defence Ministry It is then no surprise that General Anatoly Nogovitsyn greets us in his office with a few remnants of upchuck still trickling down his collar and over his medals. Ive seen some drunks in my time having been in the reporting business for thirty years, however, coming to Russia makes what Ive seen look like childs play. It takes a true connoisseur to know their Pyatizvyozdnaya from their Belenkaya, and by Jove the General knocks back a gallon or two of each without even a whisper of discomfort let alone a violent grunt as is customary amongst seasoned alcoholics. In Russia we have a saying Why drink water when you can drink Vodka?' the General retorts as he knocks back the pitcher of Kubanskaya hes got stashed away in a cabinet under his desk. We have many nuclear missiles in Russia, they are kept in old Cold War era silos and are not even guarded any more. Who is to say that one day an electrical fault occurs in one of the launching mechanisms which are not maintained because of underfunding from the Kremlin. Who is to say that Poland or Georgia is not wiped off the face of the earth? Who is to say that I do not order an attack on Poland tomorrow and start World War III? I ask the General what he thinks about Poland allowing the new US missile shield to be built on their territory. The General stands up immediately and utters a large vodka burp, he marches to a file cabinet behind his desk and opens it taking out a bottle of Zubrowka. This is Polish vodka, it taste like piss water. You taste? he asks visibly angry. I decline the offer so the General glugs the lot down in one go, then displays his displeasure of Polish vodka by throwing the empty bottle out the fourth floor window. What about Warringtons finest? No, were not talking about the tax dodging junk food swilling junkie Kerry Katatonic, were talking about Vladivar, an originally brewed vodka from the UK. The General takes a sniff at the triple distilled British brew, takes a firm gulp then spits the lot out over me. Do not give me water again! The English call this vodka? By the testicles of St. Seraphim I have never tasted such putrid water. The Russian General then smashes the British distilled vodka bottle over his attache cum translator who cowers in the corner at all times throughout the interview. We leave the interview in fear for our lives as the General stumbles around his office looking for his Kalashnikov. The security of Russian nuclear stocks has been a constant international headache since the demise of the Soviet Union. In 1997, the late general Alexander Lebed, an esteemed vodka connoisseur, surprised and alarmed the world when he announced that Moscow had lost track of more than 100 suitcase-sized nuclear weapons. DENVER - Colorado - Two people have been arrested in connection with a possible plot to kill U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. One of the suspects told authorities they were going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a rifle sighted at 750 yards. Police arrested 62-year-old Jefferson Williams of Arkansas after he was spotted driving erratically near Denver, where Mr Obama is due to speak at the Democratic Party convention later today. The other person tried to jump out of the back of the pick-up truck when stopped by the police and is identified as Diane Rodham, 60 of Arkansas and is the girlfriend of Williams. Officers recovered two high-powered rifles with scopes, a final notice demand for debt payments, a US election primaries campaign leaflet, camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, wigs, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and 440 grams of the drug viagra. Police alerted federal officials because of heightened security surrounding the Democratic convention. Jefferson Williams posing with the rifle he was caught with (inset) his girlfriend, Rodham The Secret Service, FBI, ATF and the joint terrorism task force are all investigating the alleged plot. The U.S. Attorneys Office has scheduled a news conference for later today. The U.S. Attorney in Denver said it does not believe there is a credible threat to Obama or the convention despite evidence to the contrary. MANCHESTER - England - Gordon Brown's thirtieth political relaunch came off as a huge success this time. The ill fated unelected PM has staked his claim to be the only man to steer Britain through tough economic times saying: "This is no time for a novice." In a speech to Labours conference, unelected leader of the Labour party said the Tories could not be trusted to run the economy because of their boom and bust policies. He also pledged to include free nurseries for children from the age of two nationally thus lowering the age for state indoctrination. And in a surprise move, Mr Brown was introduced to delegates by wife Sarah. After his wife introduced him onstage to a great fanfare, he also took a swipe at politicians who use their families to gain media coverage, saying: My family members arent props theyre people. Mrs Brown was then carried off stage by a burly minder and put behind a curtain at the back of the auditorium. He told Labour rebels it was their Soviet duty to focus on the challenges facing the country rather than internal party rows about his failing unelected leadership. The theme running through the speech was repetition and repetition of repetition of well rehearsed lies from many years of Labour rule as he pledged to create a Britain of fair chances for all and fair rules applied to all, of course excluding high ranking party members, fat cat energy bosses, Labour donors and rich oligarchs sheltering in Britain. He highlighted a 300m plan to offer free computers and internet access for more than a million unemployed low income families on benefits to enable them to surf social networking sites and internet naughtiness all day and night. Mr Brown also hailed Labours latest crackdowns on benefit cheats and crime by giving them free computers and free motivational safari trips to Africa. The dole is a Labour institution. We have created a benefits culture in Britain where there is no more impetus to work. And let me be clear about the new Labour policy on crime; taking action on the causes of crime will never mean actually going after those who perpetrate it. Fairness demands that we carry on punishing innocent motorists and petty criminals whilst letting the real criminals get away with murder. Mr Brown also pledged to increase surveillance on all UK citizens and increase taxation to even higher levels to pay for his empty promises. Tory novices He also launched an attack on the Conservatives, saying they could not be trusted to run the economy. I am all in favour of apprenticeships, but let me tell you this is no time for a novice, Mr Brown told delegates to loud applause. The comment was seen as an attack on Tory leader David Cameron but it was also seen by some pundits as a coded warning to would-be supporters of David Miliband, who has been at the centre of leadership bid speculation and was seen at the conference cowering in a pool of his own urine. This was denied by ministers Jacqui Smith and Geoff Hoon who both blamed the media for stirring up leadership talk and hailed Mr Browns rousing speech. Schools Bilderberging Secretary Ed Balls, the prime ministers left testicle, said he believed Mr Browns critics within the party were already having second thoughts after a very united conference. You will tow the party line. You will support our unelected leader. There will be no dissent. All party traitors will be found out and will be neutralised, he said. No apology Foreign Secretary David Miliband who has dismissed as hearsay a BBC report from Rajesh Mantranjani that he was overheard saying he went as far as he could in his own speech without it being seen as a Heseltine moment said Mr Browns was an excellent speech and that he was truly ashamed that he had ever doubted Mr Browns unelected leadership. And Labour backbencher Ian Gibson, who said earlier this week that Mr Brown needed an Obama moment said: It was absolutely brilliant. He delivered it humbly but with a passion we have only ever witnessed in Soviet era Russia. Dave Penisse, general secretary of Union, said Mr Brown had put clear yellow water between Labour and the Conservatives and had put the Tories back in their box. But shadow chancellor George Osborne who was singled out for criticism in the speech said Mr Brown had retreated to the far left to save his job. There was nothing really new in the speech no apology for the mess hes got the country into and no new ideas that show us how hes going to get us out of it, he said. A divided government and a weak prime minister are the last things that the country needs at a time of crisis. FREETOWN - Sierra Leone - Preparations are underway for the biggest celebrity adoption of the century, when Angelina Jolie will adopt the whole nation of Sierra Leone. The grandiose preparations were underway today for the most wondrous celebrity adoption of the century and maybe even all of time. We are honoured to be adopted by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and all of this week we have declared a cease fire of the indiscriminate shooting of civilians and looting for blood diamonds stopping effectively immediately. There will be a makeshift parade through Freetown when she visits to inspect the people she has adopted. Hopefully this adoption will calm her and Pitts ego down a bit, although I doubt it very much, Minister of the Interior, Zainab Bungle Bora told Reuters. The wonderful announcement was made yesterday through Jolie and Pitts PR company, UNICEF. Celebrity adoptions have accelerated within the last few years with Jolie and Pitt leading the way, they have already acquired a brood of 23 orphans who all live in the humble environs of Beverly Hills and the Cote DAzur. Madonna was next in line, and adopted from Africa as well. Since then many celebrities have been clamoring to adopt something for the mantlepiece and the Hello magazine full page spread. Huge f*cking egos With the advent of celebrity adoptions there has also come a less welcome practice like sending orphans back after the PR has died down. This is the sad face of the celebrity auction returns circuit. Sometimes you dont get what you paid for or you get bored and the easiest thing to do is to send the merchandise back and get a new one or your money back. In August of this year Paris Hilton tried to adopt a boy from Zaire but was refused on the grounds that he would be traumatised for life if he were to stay in direct contact with such a brainless, useless waste of space like Hilton. A distraught Paris Hilton was seen buying up another Chihuahua the next day to ease her pain. Celebrity lifestyles are usually very intense with many parties to attend, film premieres and the jet set lifestyle we all dream about. After the agent has arranged for the adoption, some of the celebrities get bored and this is why we get returns. Its like sending back a jumper youve worn for the last month back to M&S and getting a full refund, says Jane Simpleton of the RKX PR company in London. Let us hope there are no returns this time with Jolie and Pitts massive adoption. The price for the Sierra Leone adoption came in well within budget at a cool $15,000 but sadly excludes all the diamond mines which are still under the ownership of local gangster leaders and De Beers. Sierra Leone, under the ownership of the Jolie and Pitt partnership, is however assured a long and prosperous future. Speaking from the Westminster Duma, comrade Darling announced the changes in taxation for the masses with his usual high-pitched squeaky voice: VOLGA GAZ Comrades, I have partaken in the age old trick of giving with one hand and taking with the other. Indeed, comrades, this is a trick which I have learnt from my master mentor who I follow at every point, of course I am talking of the one and only supreme unelected comrade Brown. I give you a tiny VAT cut, then I add on fuel duty, I give you all such delightful gifts, like huge income tax rises and National Insurance rises to keep you all warm in winter. Indeed, fellow citizens and workers of the great Old Labour Soviet party, we are reverting to our true roots, our red core of Soviet hardship and toil, of Comrade Browns 10 year plan in the New Era of Change. Fuel tax under the Soviet Labour regime makes up 74% of the price of petrol. Everytime you fill your Trabants and Ladas up comrades you can rest assured that you are helping the Soviet states Industrial ten year plan. 1 trillion debt There was further good news from Comrade Brown when he spoke of the trillion pound taxpayers bill which is yet to come: Comrades, workers, Bolshevik warriors and proles, I am also announcing the wonderful tax bombshell that will slowly come into fruition. Yes, comrades, soon all taxes will increase at an even higher rate than they ever have and all of this purely because I like you all so much. Remember to work hard comrades, because instead of working six months of the year to make any profit for yourself you will now be working nine months in the year to make any profit. There was also even further good news when the capitalist vile dogs were all ordered to leave Britain or pay 45% income tax. The vile capitalist scum who worked hard for their money should be punished severely. This is why I plan on increasing their income tax to such a high level and redistributing their money to people who really need it like benefits cheats, alcoholics, druggies, wasters, hoodies and peasant scum with twenty kids and no jobs. It is the Labour creed which has created a benefits culture in this country where people are rewarded for scrounging off the state and those who work hard to support themselves are punished hard. WARSAW - Poland - Around 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane gas will be added to the Earth's greenhouse effect from the December 1-12 meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UNFCCC said. Staging a global forum on climate change is a dilemma, as it adds to the very problem it is trying to solve. That estimate is based on a turnout of 8,000 people, but as of Sunday 10,657 people had registered for the talks. Poland, which is hosting the meeting, plans to offset the total emissions resulting from the conference once a final calculation has been made, the UNFCCC said. Every member will have to pay $4.25 per cubic foot of gaseous exchange from their orifices. The amount of hot air spouted from delegates will be measured and logged. The key element is to monetize the environment and create an effect that resembles enviro-fascism. The populations of the world are now a major problem and we are now racing to find a solution to humans who are not worthy of reproducing with their junk genes. Through elements like chemicals in food and water we reduce the population slowly, however we need to speed up the process with possible outbreaks of bird flu or other epidemics, a member of a leading think tank told Reuters. Under offsets, anyone emitting carbon can invest in a scheme that mitigates the pollution by the same amount. If you speak a lot of hot air like the delegates will be doing and talk a load of bullshit that is totally meaningless then there is good reason to believe that this may cause further climate change. Typical projects involve introducing more poisons into the human food chain, water and air. We will also add more phthalates into plastics used for containing drinking fluids to further depopulate the masses through infertility. The only way to introduce a global scientific dictatorship is through the perceived introduction of a new threat for the masses. In this case, however, the masses are a major threat to the elite controllers and will have to be culled, the expert added. The Poznan talks are a stepping stone to a new global control system utilising the perceived threat of climate change, scheduled to be concluded in Copenhagen in December 2009. Global warming is said to be caused by the suns rays coming towards the earth and warming the surface. As a result, Earths surface is warm during daylight hours and cools off during the night. The earth has been heating and cooling for millions of years and will thus continue to do so for millions more. Most greenhouse gases come from the burning of oil, coal and gas from Al Gores house located in America. Emissions from Mr Gores house have been measured by scientists to be so high that he will only be able to offset his carbon footprint by 2054. GAZA - Palestine - An Israeli blitzkrieg of bombs has reduced the pieces of rubble that already occupy the tiny strip of land into smaller pieces of rubble and even some bits of sand. The Israeli honoratioren have decided to bomb Gazas plentiful rubble pile into smaller pieces again. Commandant Mosher Treblinka told CNN news: This is a friedenssturm, a blitzkrieg on the rubble in Gaza resulting in a holocaust of huge proportions. We felt that their piles of rubble were too large so we decided to bomb them into even smaller pieces of rubble. I have also ordered the Panzergruppen from the East, South and West to attack tomorrow so they can blow up even more pieces of rubble. We will crush the Gaza rubble into dust under our Panzers. It is our erbhofe that we pummel these rocks into dust. Israeli Verfugungstruppe officers and the awaiting Arbeitnehmerschaft will then be mobilised once the incursion is completed and all the remaining rubble that has escaped being crushed will be sealed and returned to Israel where it will be crushed into fine dust by industrial machinery. Unsere Ehre heisst Treue How dare they have big pieces of rubble in Gaza. This is a disgrace. We will set up more camps for the displaced untermenschen away from our populations and without any decent amenities or essentials like food or water. It is imperative that they are left to die whilst we guzzle our plentiful food and water supplies. The untermenschen are an unzuverlassige elemente and should be approached with extreme caution, the commandant added. Later on in the day during the prolonged carpet bombing of the Gaza dust and rubble there was a brief moment of rest so that the head of the Israeli army could address the people and bring volksgemeinschaft to the nation. LONDON - England - George Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning to history and was not meant to be used as a manual for policy in modern day Britain. If George Orwell was alive today he would be demanding the Labour government pay him for infringement of copyright. Numerous Labour ministers have now been caught espousing the book that brought Big Brother into the fore. Gordon Brown, Jacqui Smith, Ed Balls and many others in the cabinet, as well as the backbenchers all read George Orwells 1984 on a regular basis. The Labour hierarchy also conduct courses in Northern England under the utmost secrecy where they are instructed on how to act like the party official characters in 1984. In fact, the whole Labour system of government now mirrors Orwells nightmarish depiction of a totalitarian state gone wrong. The amount of brainwashing that is meted out to the masses is astounding. I am sure even Orwell would be truly astounded at the levels of spin and propaganda spouted by Labour, Robert Carnarvon a prominent member of Whites club in St James told the Daily Squib. Labour has during its tenure perfected the doublespeak technique as well as increased surveillance to such a level that thoughtcrime is now regularly punished. The amount of bureaucracy and surveillance during Gordon Browns reign has even surpassed the levels of Stalins Soviet Russia and Cold War era East Germany. As soon as anyone walks out of their door in todays Britain they are filmed on average about 450 times during the course of their day by the millions of surveillance cameras put up by the Labour regime. You are also tracked on every communication whether it is computerised or telephoned. They even have microphones in public areas listening to conversations as well tracking every transaction anyone ever makes. Fingerprinting in schools is now being introduced as well as tracking vehicles with special GPS chips. Living in Labours grey Stasi nightmare Britain where you have to take out a second mortgage to buy a loaf of mouldy bread is equivalent to living in a prison. One can of course find comfort in the thought that the people have voted for this party twice and will vote for them again because the level of brainwashing amongst the masses is so high that they actually do not know anything else, they do not know what freedom is, there was never really any freedom in Britain anyway but what we have now is tantamount to a technique of total absorption of all thought by the plebiscite thus incorporated into a mass control system utilised by a government obsessed with lies, hypocrisy, cronyism, sleaze, surveillance, gross over taxation, waste, greed and control freakery, Mr Carnarvon added. Moshe Rabin, a property developer from Tel Aviv is licking his lips at the prospect of building more real-estate in Gaza. We meet him in a luxurious air conditioned office in the Herzliya district. Welcome my friend, welcome. We have many new penthouse apartments for you in Gaza. At the moment they are off-plan but we hope to start construction once we bulldoze away the bones and rotting carcasses of the Palestinian women and children. You will never know or realise that you are living on what was once the land of a disenfranchised people. Indeed you can say the same of much of what is Israel today, it used to belong to the untermensch and our wonderful bulldozers have simply erased them from the land completely. I know what you are thinking my friend, yes, you are thinking that we are no better than the Nazis who tried to erase us from the earth in WW2. Well, there is a profound difference my friend, they spoke German, we speak Hebrew. Thats the only difference though, Mr Rabin, laughs hysterically as he rubs his hands incessantly eager to get down to business. We pretend to be interested in the seafront Gaza properties and his eyes light up like beacons when we pronounce we might purchase more than one apartment. Mr Rabins smile is however wiped off his face after we make our excuses and leave his luxurious office eager to get away from his carrion smile. Real Estate opportunities in Gaza are a major issue for the Israeli government who see gold amongst the rubble and decapitated corpses of Gazas children. The Israeli territories which have already been forcibly occupied are not enough for the developers anymore. With greed comes even more greed, and the developers have tasted money and are thirsting for more. The only problem is the Palestinian people who will have to be bombed out and murdered in cold blood. As media exercises go, we Israelis are supported by the West 110% even with our genocidal activities, but you do get the odd politician from a Western country who actually says something against Israel once in awhile. That politician usually loses their job immediately afterwards so it is not a good career move. The same also applies to journalists who dare not utter any words against the Israelis, lest they lose their jobs as well. Even bombing a UN controlled school and killing 45 women and children in Gaza is brushed under the carpet because Palestinians are not actually considered as humans, much like the Jews were not considered as humans during WW2. They are sub-human fodder, they are considered by us Zionist Nazis as only worthy of death and not worthy of life. This is why we will take even more of their lands and push them into the sea once and for all. We cannot tolerate their smell or even their presence from many miles away, an Israeli Colonel for the IDF told CNN during a press conference. Just like the concentration camps of Nazi occupied Poland in the second World War, there are many who choose to turn a blind eye to the plight of the Palestinian people who have suffered immensely for many years under the brutal Israeli regime. Auschwitz, Treblinka, BeAAec and Lublin were ignored by the populations living around them as well, it was as if these places were non existent even during their busiest moments. The similarity is astounding with Gaza, a cesspool of a ghetto lost under a sea of Israeli bulldozers and Panzers daily crushing the bones and rotting carcasses of dead Palestinians whilst all around is silence. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Preparations are under way for Klan members from all over the United States to join Obama on stage for his presidential inauguration ceremony on Tuesday January 20th 2009. Ever since the Ku Klux Klan endorsed Obama back in February 2008 during the election race, there has been a light shining down on his soul. We know how much the Klan has been a big part in Obamas election and entrance into the White House. Do you think he could have done it without the KKKs help? Hell no! Obama needed the Klan to get in and they helped him. It was the first step they ever took and they went for it. Im so proud of those boys. They may be from down South and as thick as pig shit but they sure as hell know how to make people take notice. Obama wants to thank those boys and gals for everything they done for him, without them Obama would be a broken man like John McCain sitting in a darkened room slappin some mush into his mouth and moaning like a big baby, John McCormack, a senior organiser for the Obama inauguration told Fox news yesterday. Ku Klux Klan members from all over America will attend the ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. The no-expenses-spared Obama Inauguration will cost US taxpayers $230 million and will go down in history as one of the most extravagant wasteful ceremonial displays in a time of major national recession. Klan leaders will be asked to join Obama in between musical acts including a banjo recital by famous Country star Ol Man Richardson from Kentucky. We wanted to bring a burning cross to the ceremony as a symbol of the Klan but the idea was canned purely for safety reasons. We all been staying at the Holiday Inn over here watching NASCAR and we now got all our boys here. We put a lot of work and money into getting the boy into the White House. He done us proud, Imperial Wizard, Ronald Edwards said last night speaking from his DC hotel room. America has certainly moved on. It was only 20 years ago when blacks were segragated from whites and lynchings were still rife in the deep South. LOS ANGELES - USA - Black is in vogue right now. You've got the first black president, Barack Obama, the first black Grand Prix winner, Lewis Hamilton, the most in-demand black actor, Will Smith and the world's most successful black golfer, Tiger Woods. And then there's Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is said to be currently seeking to to get back his blackness because of the current popularity of black celebrities, politicians, sportsmen and women. These are hard times for Michael. He cant help feeling like he made the wrong decision by undergoing the intensive whitening treatment all those years ago. Now that black people are really coming into their own Michael has been left by the wayside and is fearful of being left behind, Michaels spokesman, Ed Hurlahee, disclosed on an MTV program yesterday. Black is the new black The bankrupted Michael Jackson may now have to stay white because he has run out of cash to reverse the de-colourization process he went through in the 80s. Jackson spent millions with skin whitening treatments in the 1980s and he does not have the cash to reverse the process. In fact, the process of trying to bring back Michaels blackness may be detrimental to his health doctors and physicians have already disclosed to him. Michael is said to be very sad he is now a whitey and does not have any chance of coming back in the current black climate. Every celebrity and top person is now black. Michael is white. Now thats a big problem for him and his backers, a spokesman for Michael Jacksons hard pressed PR company was quoted as saying on Friday. Looks like Michael is going to have to wait for awhile until he attempts to make his come-back if ever. It is almost certainly correct that he regrets his fateful decision all those years ago. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Barack Hussein Obama boarded his presidential plane with his wife Michelle today for the first time. The new president boarded the Air Force One jet for his first presidential journey to New York to discuss the new stimulus package with high end members of Wall Street. Suffice to say, President Barack Obama likes his new ride. Its the stone groove my man, he told House Democrats Friday in an after-dinner speech here. Thank you for giving me a reason to use Air Force One. Yall should see the hubcaps on that mahfugga! The president spoke after a 31-minute maiden voyage on the specially outfitted Pimp My 747 that will be his airborne home and office for the next four years. Obama is in da house. Yall fasten yo seatbelts it gonna be a bumpay ride mahfugs, Captain Leroy Simpson was overheard shouting over the intercom as everyone got settled in for the ride. Moments before taking off from Andrews Air Force Base, Obama visited the press cabin in the rear of the plane to show reporters his Air Force crew launch jacket, his name stitched on the breast. What do you think about this spiffy ride? Can you feel the suspension? he asked reporters. Its not bad. The flight from Andrews Air Force Base, was a brief one. Just time enough for an onboard meal of some fried chicken and fries, according to aides. Obama was clearly impressed finally to have the full experience. The purpose of his maiden journey outside Washington was to push his economic rescue package through Congress, a telling choice for a president who took office after Bush brought the country to its knees. Hes saying that hes willing to go anywhere and talk to anybody in order to get a recovery and reinvestment plan that moves this economy forward, press secretary Bobby Cribbs said. LONDON - England - In these hard times of recession and unrest, many have been returning to the church, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor says. According to the Archbishop of Westminster, the economic downturn has brought many back to the church. Theyre coming back in droves. The unholy flock are returning. Alas, for the wrong reasons though, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OConnor said. In our church alone weve had 3 gold crosses, 6 silver collection plates and even the pipes from our organ removed its happening all over the UK im afraid. Last week in the Cambridge parish of Reverend Felcher, church goers happily stripped the whole roof of all its metal sheeting and tiles leaving the church naked in the torrential rains and snows of late. All over recession Britain, church goers have been returning to the church and taking what they like. Weve never been so popular, albeit for the wrong reasons, Arch Deacon, Lionel Paedo of St Fiddlers Church in Grimsby told the Church Times newspaper. Senior members of Comrade Browns government politburo office in Whitehall have disclosed crucial data about the further destruction of the British system of wealth so as to enable complete Sovietization. Speaking from Whitehalls politburo offices, senior analyst, Comrade OBrien, revealed the extent of Gordon Browns war on the proletariat and bourgeois classes: Our supreme unelected commander in chief, the one-eyed supreme eyeball and seer of all, the unchallenged visionary of the New Era of Change and saviour of the Worlds Soviet Global Control Systema, has once again excelled in his plan to reduce the wealth of the people further and bring them to their knees. The people of Britain will be reduced to eating from rubbish bins and living in cardboard eco-boxes thanks to our Sovietization collectivist dream. Comrade Brown, who is responsible for the biggest economic downturn the world has ever seen, is having so much fun with the destruction of the British capitalist economy that he now has uncontrollable giggling fits when at his desk signing 42 year detention warrants. We must congratulate him on his efficient technique in destroying peoples lives and spreading more misery around than Stalin or Lenin could ever have wished. The holocaust that will come will dwarf their regimes and make them look like Mickey f*cking mouse. Capitalist houseprices have already fallen 21 per cent from their peak, but further Sovietization should ensure they will slump further by up to 55 per cent if the over-correction in prices is as bad as in the early 1990s, according to the Central Politburo Office. That would leave 60 million Britons in negative equity when their house is worth less than their mortgage. This will enable more repossessions by the Soviet banking system led by Northern Red Rock and the Lloyds Bolshevik Bank, so that the state will rightly own everything. There will be no self-ownership under Labours Soviet Britain. We will have an equal society where everyone will live in poverty and misery and where personal wealth will be a thing of the past. The capitalist scum who do not obey the new system will be taken away and re-educated in one of comrade Browns eco-gulags, Comrade OBrien added. Under the proposals, everyones rectum will emit a constant heartbeat revealing their location, speed and direction of travel as well as gaseous emissions. The EU officials behind the plan believe it will significantly reduce the need for other means of surveillance which are not cost effective or efficient enough. European bureaucrats will also be able to monitor rectal congestion and carbon emissions directly from every citizens orifice. A consortium of manufacturers has indicated that the router device could be installed in all rectums as early as 2013. However, privacy campaigners warned last night that a European-wide anal tracking system would create a system of almost total surveillance. Details of the Associated Rectal Security Eye (ARSE) project, a 360m EU initiative backed by high ranking EU bureaucrats and the telecoms industry, will be unveiled this year. But the Daily Squib has been given unpublished documents detailing the proposed uses for the system. They confirm that it could have profound implications for privacy, enabling citizens to be tracked to within a millimetre more accurate than current satellite navigation technologies. The rectal implantation device is a 4 X 4 inch box which will relay important information straight to Brussels and Whitehall and even Google. If you eat a sprout too many or let off more methane than your weekly carbon emission allowance you could be fined or even worse ordered to attend a re-education eco-gulag somewhere in Northern Britain. All it takes is one pea too many and we will know about it, Johanne Scheisse, an MEP for Thoughtcrime told the Squib. Its OK, this is for your own safety The device inserted into the rectum will also be able to emit an electric shock into the anal sphincter nerve if any citizen is found to be doing anything against the law or having a Thoughtcrime against any part of the EU state. The European commission has asked governments to reserve radio frequency on the 5.9 Gigahertz band, essentially setting aside a universal flush frequency on which ARSE technology will work. The Department for Surveillance said that plans to make installation of the technology mandatory was accurate and will include implantation at birth or adulthood. However, those involved in the project describe the UK as one of the main state backers. Surveillance officials in the UK have also hosted trials of the technology by inserting the boxes into volunteers who were forced to participate. There is nothing to worry about Paul Shitstain, who manages ARSE, said: The new system will be the future of control systems ensuring the public are surveilled at every moment of their lives remember we are implementing these measures for your own safety so there is nothing to worry about, he said. Citizens can also be reprimanded for speeding offences or running in unauthorised walking zones. The boxes that will be surgically implanted into the rectum will emit electric shocks varying from mild to very strong depending on the level of crime against the state committed by each individual. The data collated by the boxes would be picked up by detectors at the roadside, in the home and mobile phone towers. Data will also be sent to control centres that manage citizens, enabling a vastly improved system to monitor and control humans. A controller will know where all citizens are, what they have eaten, what their mood is and even where they are headed, said Shitstain. Once we know all this data we can mete out the necessary punishments if needed. If one was to look at history, it is peppered with division. Each nation state standing today was once many divisions, principalities, until a unitary catalyst brought the nation together as one. Naturally, the divisions within each nation state still exist to some extent, however, these divisions are dampened to accommodate the greater united nation. The same applies to all global nations today, where individual nationalism is being slowly dampened, to accommodate the coming global government and currency. There will be a time of metamorphosis, however this change will bring about a symbiotic relationship incorporating a lesser role for nationalism and a greater role for the New World Order within a sustainable coherent framework. Naturally, there are many hurdles to pass before such an all encompassing unity prevails across the globe, as there are still some nations within the global community who are out of the loop, for example N. Korea and Iran, to mention a few. By reaching a common goal globally there may be a coming together through a common enemy, or environmental incident of great magnitude. If a rogue alien ship were to land in a country today, then send out attack forces across the globe to every human city, this event in itself would create immediate unity amongst the global community, but this is just a fictional scenario. Lets look at the unity in the United States created by the Pearl Harbour-esque event of 911. After September 11, 2001 there was mass unity and empathetic solidarity across America. It was an us and them dialectic course amplifying nationalism within the United States almost overnight. People were lining up to join the military, waving U.S. flags at every turn and agreeing to any governmental law curtailing freedom without question. When 2003 came along and the call was to go to war in Iraq, there was little or no resistance from the American people, especially with 911 footage being beamed into living rooms on a daily basis. The same principle technique could easily be utilised across the globe either through a common enemy scenario or through other slower means. Through mass forced migration, where millions of people enter previously closed countries at a high rate of speed, there is a jolt of realisation for many that there is a whole world out there, and that other people and cultures reside outside of their borders. This initially negative effect is a very useful technique in inoculating the indigenous population of their privilege. The West seems to feel that they can make up 8% of the global population yet use up 60% of the earths resources. Not only will nationalism have to be watered down before global government and one world currency is installed, but so will religion, as some forms of religion seek to dominate and alienate others. There will have to be a point where a single world religion will be introduced and incorporated for the whole global community superseding all previous incarnations. That is not to say that all other religions would be banned, but they would be either incorporated or dampened suitably to make way for the complete global/universal scientific technical allegiance. Inclusivity not exclusuvity. Once complete global unity is achieved, either through peaceful techniques or through military, each nation will be allowed to keep some national identity, but it will be heavily controlled, and monitored. Linguistic differences between previous nations will also be steered towards a singular global language yet allowing previous languages to continue on a lesser scale. Nationalism, multiple religions all polarising techniques will eventually disappear through generational breeding during the new epoch of technological supremacy leading onto the coming singularity. Artificial Intelligence, will no doubt bring new questions for humanity, and those who make the evolutionary leap to enhancement will further divide the populace, however these are theoretical points left for the future. Next week : Universalism Beyond Globalism LANGLEY - USA - The Central Intelligence Agency plans on showing Barack Obama some of the interrogation techniques they employ first hand after he exposed them in memos last week. Last week, Mr Obama released four memos, running to 126 pages, written by officials in President George W. Bushs administration and containing explicit details of the CIAs methods of extracting information from al-Qaeda suspects between 2002 and 2005. We feel this here boys gone too far. He be trying to expose us for our torture practices. Here in Langley Virginia and all over the world we pride ourselves in our secret dungeon hellholes where we can enjoy the leisurely pursuit of torture without the fear of being exposed to the liberal bleeding heart do-gooder crowd. For fucks sake folks, whats better? Do you want some brainwashed Jihadi operative to fulfill his mission of destruction on the American public so that we can take away more of your rights and freedoms? We let a few through for that purpose but there are some unruly ones out there who are not controlled by us, Michael Hymie, who retired in March as CIA chief, told Fox News. Even though Obama is the President of the United States, according to CIA operatives and controllers high up in the chain of command, he is now a ripe candidate for Gitmoization a term denoting the imprisonment without trial and subsequent daily torture of the subject. We could even send BamBam to Abu Ghraib. We got some great facilities there for waterboarding and of course our time honoured speciality electro-shock treatments that will make his testicles smoke, were talking literally burst into flames like some chargrilled pepper steak a la medium rare, a senior CIA operative told a laughing Fox reporter. Gary Brezhnev, a former CIA officer who led the agencys paramilitary team that searched for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, told The Daily Squib that his former colleagues were horrified by Mr Obamas actions. Torture was an everyday occurrence employed by members of the Bush administration and this is why Obamas so-called curbs have caused so much outrage. You cant just take away torture from the CIA, its like taking away the pope from the Catholic church. The goddamn CIA was built on torture. Weve been careful to outsource the serious stuff to dungeons in Egypt and Pakistan where they use drills and clothes irons, so weve been diligent in keeping a low profile and now this? Obamas going to have to pay for exposing our shit. You dont cross us and live and we dont care who the hell you are. Now that the CIA are adament about showing some retribution towards the president, political commentators have all been waiting on who will make the first move. Some are speculating that Obama could preempt any kidnapping CIA personnel with his own bodyguards but others are claiming that the CIA are too smooth an operation to fail in capturing Obama and torturing him. Sources say the entire British Royal family have been preparing for the invasion of Normandy for two weeks now and will complete their mission some time in June, although the exact date is yet to be announced. I got a call from Lizzie a few weeks ago, she said the midget frog bastard Sarky had snubbed her for the D-Day commemoration and that Scottish one-eyed bad-luck-merchant, who has already ruined the country enough, was going to take her place as ambassador for good ol Blighty. Well, she was positively fuming and ordered me to get the Royal landing craft ready. Prince Harry and William will be attacking from the air and have both borrowed some top notch aircraft from the RAF. Andrews going to be there too as well as Charlie boy. That French surrender monkey, Sarkozy is going to get a bloody nose over this if its the last thing we damn well do. Were even going to send in a few Gurkhas to give Brown a deserved thrashing, Colonel Saunders of the Third Regiment Light Brigade Division told the Sun newspaper. The plan is to land on Utah beach, march up to the podium where that slimy little French man, Sarkozy, will be showing off to the Yanks and give him a bloody nose. According to palace rumours, the Queen has even requested that Sarkozy is hung up by his testicles but everyone will have to wait and see what happens. Once Sarkozy has been strung up, the Queen will either set Prince Harry or Princess Anne onto him. He better wish its the former because Anne is known for her venomous bite and her hissing, it has been said, she can make her victims run away in abject terror just from the very sound, Colonel Saunders added. BRUSSELS - Belgium - British National Party leader, Nick Griffin is spearheading a schools project which could have all British schools using only BNP crayons in art classes. Speaking from his new luxury, taxpayer-funded apartment in Brussels, MEP Nick Griffin outlined his new plan for British schools. Were introducing the new BNP crayons to schools in Britain. Instead of a set of colours there will only be one colour allowed in the new BNP packs. Yes, youve guessed it white will be the only colour allowed. Our reporter then asked Mr Griffin how anyone was supposed to draw with just a set of white crayons. Listen, we aint going to have any coloureds in the packs of crayons. These will be white only crayons and you can still see what you draw when you put the paper under a light and skew the page a bit. It sort of shines a bit, something to do with the wax. Whites only will be permitted. No more impure colours will be allowed to mix with the purity of our white crayons ever again. This recent BNP crayon directive should come into force by next week when all schools in the British Isles will be ordered by the new EU Fascist commission to enforce the ruling as standard. image sepang b3ta DETROIT - USA - America's wasteland, the city where there is such devastation, is to finally get the Obama makeover. Officials for Obamas city makeover team were in a jubilant mood today because they have one of their first jobs coming up the city of Detroit. Were going to do the Obama makeover for this city right here. OK, now look in that direction over there. What do you see? Yep, thats right, shacks, burnt out buildings, burnt out cars and rows of empty homes with repo signs outside. Well, after we do the Obama makeover this shit aint going to be here anymore. OK boys bring out the dozers! Ed Hurlahee, senior Obama City Makeover Tzar announces on Fox News. The plan is to bulldoze all of Detroits 143 square miles leaving only one building standing the GM building. Once the bulldozers have completed their job, the rubble will be crushed and in some cases dynamited into little pieces. We needed expert advice on bulldozing whole cities, so who better to ask then the Israelis. Weve flown over a contingent of Israeli experts because theyre so efficient in bulldozing and erasing whole Palestinian cities and towns, Mr Hurlahee added. The team of bulldozers, which number over 20,000, will bulldoze and dynamite their way through the whole city in less than half an hour. There may be a few people left in Detroit but we will give them ample time to leave, he said. According to Obamas appointed city planners, if you stand on the General Motors Renaissance Center tower in the middle of Detroit and look out for ten miles in each direction, all you will see is crushed rubble. It will be a vast improvement to what is here in Detroit at the moment, say officials. KABUL - Afghanistan - You would think us Brits would have learned a thing or two from the first Afghan war fought from 1839-1842. You just cant win against these buggers. If theyre not shooting at foreigners, theyre shooting at themselves. Its in their blood. Dont forget about the terrain as well, its a situation where certain defeat is guaranteed. Our commanders have been foolish with being suckered into this invasion again, look what happened to the Russkies? We did not learn in Iraq either, Sir John MacFraser told an MOD hearing into the state of the conflict on Friday. During the retreat from Kabul in 1842, the British retreating troops were massacred at the Gandamak pass. They had left Kabul with 16,500 men, but only managed to reach Jalalabad with less than 40 men. One of the only surviving members, Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company was hailed as the only European to have survived the massacre. They just never learn It seems the futility of the second Afghan campaign has still not been absorbed by the egotistical and foolish hierarchy who have no understanding of history or of indigenous peoples. The stupid morons who ordered British troops into Afghanistan are simply doing this for their egos and nothing else. There is nothing to gain in this campaign and they will just pass the buck onto the next administration who will probably carry on with it. Foolish pride has thus far not solved anything in the rugged terrains and cold mountain passes of Afghanistan, where the Brits are sitting ducks to the huge IEDs and ambushes. The only way we can win this war is if we nuke the whole of Afghanistan and start again, or kill every man, woman and child one by one. Thats not going to happen is it? Sir John MacFraser added. Whitehall has finally backed down and ordered thousands of shiny new helicopters from Russia says a key government insider. Gordon Brown has finally backed down to the immense pressure to buy more helicopters. There is only one slight problem. Theyre not for the army in Afghanistan but for Labour ministers to be evacuated from the crowds of people who want them dead. Gordon will have his own private helicopter and will spirited away to his dacha in Scotland somewhere, the Whitehall insider revealed to the Daily Squib. Army chiefs were said to be red with fury at the news that Labour ministers and peers were going to utilise the much needed helicopters earmarked for Afghanistan. Those bloody cowards may think they can nick our helicopters but were going to have the last laugh. Weve got a few surface to air missiles that should solve this issue once and for all. No amount of chaff will stop what weve got, Major General Jannett told the Daily Squib. No one knows where the disgraced Labour government and ministers will go but as long it is outside the UK, the British population can rest assured that they will not be seen for many decades or hopefully ever again. No one knows much about the new EU president who was hailed as the new unelected EU leader today but the information gleaned about him is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in terror. This guy makes pope Benedict look like a boy scout. Mr Van Rompuy is said to have secret catacombs underneath his dwelling in the Belgian countryside where he indulges in all manner of deviancies. He is reputed to be part of a secretive society that indulges in activities that author Dan Brown would love to write about in his books. He is certainly the right unelected man to head the EU communist state which now dictates all laws in Britain and controls it economically, Peter Holbrook, an economic analyst for Deutsche Bank told the BBC. Fourth Reich Many who were watching the screens as this evil paedo clown was installed, shrieked with utter fright at his face and some even had to turn away when the cameras showed his awful features. Certainly, this new unelected EU leader makes my skin crawl. Whenever they show him on screen, its as if theyre clawing long nails on a blackboard such is his repulsive state. God knows what manner of perversions he has been party to and will continue to commit under the auspices of the oppressive EU presidency. I pray for his victims that theyre suffering is not prolonged. God help us all, Martina Kalashnikov, 23, a resident of Liverpool said after reports of the new unelected EU presidency was announced. WASHINGTON DC - USA - This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, president Barack Obama, is sending more than 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to continue the War of Terror. Barack Obama sure deserves his Nobel Peace Prize, huh? Hes sending more troops to Afghanistan, Tatum Halstead, a political commentator on Capitol Hill told CNN. It seems that George W Bushs War of Terror is continuing unabated under the new regime of Change. Mr Obama doesnt even have a valid birth certificate so how did you expect any word that he uttered to be true in any way? Just deal with it you idiot sheeple who voted for another liar, a senior Pentagon official said at a recent press conference. A Nobel Peace Prize spokesman speaking from Oslo, Norway said: President Obama was chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize for this very reason. Hes going to continue the invasions, ransacking, indiscriminate bombings of innocent Muslims and mutilation of poor brainwashed American cannon fodder. What better way of peace can that be? Its like shooting fish in a f*cking barrel. Someone once said to me that a war is when two sides actually fight with relative equal armaments, well this aint a war, these people that America invaded are sitting ducks ready for the slaughter. I love this sh*t man. Next year were going to give the Nobel Peace Prize to some other killer, or maybe Barack Obama again, he can have the prize two years in a row if he keeps up the bloodshed. President Obamas press secretary, Ari Goldberg issued a quick statement: Were offering the Afghan people our new Healthcare system. This is when we shoot them dead in their homes thus saving them from life threatening illnesses. If thats not worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize I dont know what is? LONDON - England - The GENESIS PROJECT, a leading UK Think Tank, has come to the conclusion that nuclear fallout around the world is a small price to pay and is preferable to 1.6 billion Chinese people breeding and polluting the atmosphere further. What do the Chinese contribute to the world apart from cheap shoddy trinkets that break after the first touch, mass pollution and horrible human rights dictated by evil robotic brutality? The barbarity and hideousness of the Chinese regime is an afront to decent human civilisation and should be stamped out. America should nuke China once and for all and neutralise this parasite on the earths surface and environment. Without the complete obliteration of this menace we will all sooner or later be overrun. The problem is not Islamic fundamentalism, it is China, and if the American leadership had one ounce of honour and bravery, they would nuke the Chinese immediately, professor Gareth Higgins, senior research fellow for the institute said. The Chinese authorities have been stockpiling nuclear weapons for some time and have increased their military capability a thousand fold thanks to the profits gained from being the worlds premier junk goods manufacturer. The Yangtze river is a symbol of what China has done to the environment The vast swathes of land in China dedicated to producing cheap, dangerous junk products for the West are all produced by slave labour. The Communist regime is the workhorse for greedy ruthless Western businesses who exploit Chinese slave labour to make huge profits. If we for one second consider the amount of pollution created by China in one day, or the hulking pollution spouting ships that deliver their poisonous payload to our Western shops, we would be appalled that it is allowed to carry on. While you buy your cheap trinkets and useless material objects, just think to yourself how you are supporting a China that is not only the biggest polluter on earth but the most incursive threat to the West. Their sole raison detre is conquest, and believe you me, they have the Western world firmly in their sights. We are an easy target for these godless parasites who will overrun us like termites. I put it to you, those of you who have one ounce of intelligence left in your brains: the threat from the Middle East is minimal compared to what will come from the Far East. Whats a few nutty Islamic fundamentalists when youve got 1.6 billion people all working in tandem against you and the earth? the professor added. Lee Pellin, another co-author of the report, said that the problem of the increasing Chinese populations would get a lot worse in the next ten years, a problem that would have to be addressed sooner or later by world leaders. Pellin said other factors would also be considered. For example, Chinas planned incursion into Taiwan, which could be the precursor for strategic nuclear conflict against China or maybe a more effective virus that could deal with the problem more efficiently and safely. DOVER - England - Sixty immigrants who were caught trying to escape Britain on a boat, were detained today, says the Home Office. We have detained a group of sixty immigrants who were trying to escape Britain, Deputy Secretary of Immigration, Dean Ross, told the Daily Mail. The immigrants, who were all receiving state benefits, said that conditions in Britain were so awful that they were trying to flee to the war-torn West African country of Angola. One of the immigrants pleaded with the Home Office to let them go: We are begging the Home Secretary to let us go. I would rather live in a war-torn poverty stricken country than in Britain. We just want to go back to our homeland away from this awful miserable place. The immigrant detainees rioted after they were told that they would have to stay in the U.K but order was restored after promises by the Border Control that their case would be reviewed in 6 years time. Until then they will be detained in Dagenham, North East London. BERLIN - Germany - Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence that may change history regarding the dead Fascist leader, Adolf Hitler. In a remarkable turn of events, archaeologists have come across what is believed to be Hitlers moustache in a disused warehouse in East Berlin. We found his moustache in an old brown envelope with a little note next to it. The note explained that before Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide on 30 April 1945, the Fuhrer asked his attache to snip it off and preserve it. The note did not explain why, but was signed by Wolfgang Reitmeister, who has been documented as being one of the officers who poured petrol over the Fuhrers body after his death, one of the archaeologists told New Scientist magazine. Preliminary carbon dating and DNA tests were completed last week with some very positive results. The data has been matched with Hitlers remaining relatives of which there are many still alive. Professor Arnold Horovitz, who came across the moustache, says that the Fuhrers top lip adornment should be displayed in Israel as a warning to the world of how one moustache could cause so much damage. His moustache is dangerous. Maybe it possessed Hitler, and took over his soul and he committed all those evil deeds. I myself have seen the power of that moustache, when a few days ago I swear I saw it twitching in the envelope in front of me, the professor said, voicing his concerns about the historic relic. The moustache is currently being held in a vault in Switzerland and is guarded by a dedicated team of security professionals. Even former American president, George W Bush, has spoken of his interest for the item: If only I could put it on my top lip. My precious-s-s! Holy Jesus..the sheer power of it all! LONDON - England - Hollywood producers are clamouring to sign up former prime minister Tony Blair to star in the movies after seeing his amazing performance at the Chilcot Inquiry. Moses Rosenblatz, Harvey Goldenbaum and Jimmy Smith, are the top Hollywood producers all jostling to sign up Tony Blair for roles in upcoming Hollywood productions. I saw him at the Chilcot Inquiry, he was absolutely astounding. You can forget all the Shakespearean actors, forget American greats like Bobby De Niro, forget Olivier or Oldman, even Daniel Day-Lewis. Tony Blair made them look like pupils in a motherfucking school play. The sheer theatrical force of Tony Blair brought a shiver down my spine. He was a tour de force of animated wonder performing to his audience like a seasoned pro, at one stage I even thought there was a piece of ham up there in the Chilcot Inquiry. What an actor, he exuded purpose with such dexterity that I sincerely thought he actually believed what he was saying, Mr Goldenbaum told the Hollywood Times. Jimmy Smith broke off filming the latest 3D blockbuster extravaganza featuring red aliens to say this: Mr Blair was the consummate showman. During the breathtaking performance he would at times stare into space or some kind of far horizon emoting tension and intensity to the audience, then he would seize up and engage the audience with a cool steady gaze, whilst seemingly reading from an imaginary script and calmly relaying his lines. He held the audience in the palm of his hand, slowly winding up the tension, then releasing to a fine denouement that frankly had me in tears. Hes a master illusionist, it was like watching a macabre opera, a terrible deceit was committed by this man and he got away with it grinning like Lucifer. I want this guy in front of a fuckin blue-screen pronto. Mr Blair was seen to exit the Chilcot performance and was grinning triumphantly as he was driven away in his chauffeur driven Bentley to one of his many mansions. He has been nominated for two Oscars, one for best supporting act and the other for best actor in a theatrical performance. With Britains deficit looking to be worse than Greeces after it was revealed that the government borrowed 4.3 billion even after receiving tax receipts last month, the gravity of the situation is slowly dawning on the rest of the country. War People are slowly waking up to how Mr Brown deceived the country by racking up huge debts, selling off the UKs gold reserves at the bottom of the market and making awful decisions that have effectively bankrupted the UK twice over. Plus the population are slowly realising that the cost of everything is rising at quite a sharp rate now. Petrol in the UK is now on average 7.50 a gallon and is set to rise even further in the near future. Even with Mr Brown raising fuel tax to 93% of the price the gov. have to borrow huge amounts of money to keep the behemoth cost of the NHS and benefits system going. There is only one conclusion to this horrible situation we are all now in, yes, the country is heading for a precipitous fall if someone does not stop Gordon Browns spending. Someone needs to stop him and his destructive ways, but who? Is there anyone left who can stop this scorched earth gorilla from breaking up Britain and sending its already poverty stricken people into further famine and poverty? Alas, I do not think so. The damage by this awful mendacious malicious monster Brown has been allowed to continue for so long now by his cowardly party, who I might add are a bunch of weak enablers, that there will soon be horror and rioting in the streets because of him. Maybe this is what he wants, his New World Order must first create chaos before order, the ultimate plan to whittle out the old way and people, to bring on thirty years of riots. The Fabian Socialist elites have already factored the riots in to their equations. They will be living in specialist luxury colonies in Montenegro while the riots continue unabated, sipping their champers as they watch the latest news bulletins. This is the reality my friends, so one must be prepared for these eventualities, because once the food gets too expensive, the people will need to eat. If there is no food, what are they going to do? a Westminster political commentator told the Squib. The Centre for Policy Studies reveals that the real national debt is 1,340 billion, which is 103.5 per cent of GDP. This figure includes all the public sector pension liabilities such as pensions, and Private Finance Initiative contracts e.t.c (Northern Rock liabilities). The reality of the situation is that Britain is now paying a weekly sum of billions on interest payments for the debt Gordon Brown has created. Where is the money for these debt payments coming from? From your pockets, mes amis, the taxpayer is footing the bill for these interest payments and there is no benefit to our nations economy for them. It would be best for Mr Brown to retire to his bunker for now. He has done his job of ruining the UK. All he has to do now is wait for the rioting to begin and sit back, get one of those DVDs that Obama gave him in a box set and think of other things. He will be kept informed from time to time of what is going on on the surface but otherwise, he will sit there smiling in the darkness and twitching uncontrollably at his great success as Britains greatest leader. Heres to dreaming of Eco Towns. REYKJAVIK - Iceland - It has been discovered that a contingent of Unite union members had made a trip to the volcanic island just before its surprise eruption last week. This volcanic ash disruption of the airlines had something fishy about it and thats why we decided to investigate, Bernard Morgan, a British Airways senior manager told an emergency meeting last night in London. British government officials were also shipped over to Iceland to see the damning evidence that has grounded the whole airline industry as well as British Airways. There are serious questions to be asked. Why did a team of thirty Unite union members transport 450 tonnes of high grade explosive to the crater of the volcano last week under cover of darkness? Why did they then flee the country soon after the massive eruption? Why have investigators found Unite union manuals at the bottom of Eyjafjallajoekull volcano? Geological scientists and volcanic experts were said to corroborate the allegations that the eruption could have been caused by sabotage. According to leading experts, the Stratovolcano could easily be ruptured by a large explosion freeing up the immense pressure build up from below. Looks like the Unite union will do anything to ground British Airways, and if that means taking out all the other airlines too, well, there you have it. The evidence is damning to say the least, they somehow engineered the volcano to erupt. Lets say that they gave it a helping hand. We will make sure that they are brought to justice and punished to the full extent of the law for their crimes, Mr Morgan vowed on Friday. Unite union officials at their head office in Grimstye, North-East England, refused to comment on the serious allegations yesterday. CHICAGO - USA - American chat show host, Oprah Winfrey has been arrested on suspicion of being a Russian spy for over 30 years, the FBI has disclosed. Ms Winfrey was arrested late yesterday evening in the world famous Harpo studios where she films her Oprah series. We have detained Oprah Winfrey on suspicion of passing US recipe secrets, celebrity gossip and sob stories featuring disadvantaged families to the Russians. Things like how to make a great Pecan pie, and what Tom Cruises pre-show scientological exercises are. Ms Winfrey was arraigned today and will be held at an undisclosed location until we review her case, Special agent Dean Cloggs, of the FBI told CNN. In a statement, the US Department of Justice said that Oprah Winfrey had been living under an assumed name. Her real name is Ivana Tolstak and she hails from Kozhukhovskaya, a Moscow suburb. According to FBI files, Ms Winfrey also drinks copious amounts of vodka everyday and it is this trait that gave her away. We just followed the vodka trail and it led straight to Oprah. Im not shitting you, she downs about two or three bottles of Streletskaya a day. She was caught covertly relaying sensitive information to Russian agents with the use of advanced steganography software to encrypt messages and hide information on public websites. Our agents also uncovered notes on how to interrogate her celebrity guests on the shows and dont forget the cash we found in her luxury apartment. Yes, we found over $500 million in cash stuffed under her mattress along with launch codes for US silos holding nuclear missiles all over America. Dang, its a good thing we got to her before she caused all out war, Mr Cloggs said. Millions of Americans were in mourning today after the terrible news was revealed: I cant believe she was a Russkie spy. Hell, she was so nice and loving. Every day Id watch her shows. If shes a traitor, they should put her in an electric chair on her own goddamn show. God bless America, long time Oprah fan, Amy Lou Dumper, from Chicago told CBS. NEW YORK - USA - Judie Belcher, 6, has vowed to ceremonially burn the same book that George W Bush was reading on the fateful day he did nothing whilst the Twin Towers were attacked by a covert agency. Georgie was reading My Pet Goat while Americans were jumping to their deaths from the WTC. He didnt seem bothered much when one of his agents came and told him that the WTC was under attack. He just carried on as if nothing was happening. They didnt even scramble one jet that day, Judie Belcher, 6, said in front of her first grade class. This is why at 3pm (EDT), the little six-year-old is going to ceremonially attend the book burning of My Pet Goat at the 911 Ground Zero site. She and her classmates have been flown in from the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County especially for the book burning occasion. Remote control Its like those WTC buildings were demolished from the inside. It was a controlled demo. Like also, what happened to the 757 that smacked into the Pentagon? They didnt even find a wing over there, and there was a tiny hole like some kind of missile entered and smashed through 40 layers of reinforced concrete and steel. Who has that kind of technology? Dumbfuck towelheads sure dont, another pupil said. Whilst the religious zealots fight amongst themselves at Ground Zero, those who really perpetrated the atrocity are happy the blame has been completely shifted to Islam; a useful bogeyman since the demise of the Cold War. Collateral damage I read the Project for the New American Centurys Rebuilding Americas Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century piece written in September 2000, it said they needed a new Pearl Harbor to rouse the American people so they could go to war again. Well, bang, September 11 2001 happened, and catch an Arab by his toe, we went to goddamn war thanks to Bush Jnr, Billy Batts, 8, from the same school told his class during the plane trip up to New York. At least someone is asking questions. Could it be that some first grade students in America have more insight than most of the ridiculously brainwashed jingoistic moronic adults aping around the country and airwaves waving their nonsensical religious books around? COLORADO - USA - Tea Party candidates who scored big on Tuesday's primaries are saying that it's all down to not liking coffee much. Its all down to our hatred of coffee. If we even see one of those coffee selling outlets that are f*cking everywhere, we go yeuch! its absolutely disgusting. Like the colour of dirt brown, and the smell makes me want to barf. It aint like a good cup of tea thats for sure. Maybe a nice Darjeeling or Ceylon, Arthur OConnelly, a Tea Party organiser told CNN after his candidate won the primaries in La Junta, Colorado. You cant feed your family on Hope or coffee for that matter, can you? another Tea Party supporter told Fox News. All over America there has been a mass rejection of coffee and an embracing of the golden refreshing cup of chai. America needs strength in leadership, decisiveness, and most of all a strong cup of f*cking tea. Barack Obama is about as weak as a cup of lukewarm dirty dishwater coffee. We Americans dont want that. Besides, when was the last time you drank a good cup of tea made by socialist? Exactly! Mr OConnelly added. LIVERPOOL - England - Comrades! First we had Stalin Brown, now we have Kable Marx. They were brought to us to impoverish the bourgeoisie once and for all and to spread their stolen riches to the proletariat and workshy. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, there is no more Mr Bean, Stalin Brown or Balls, but Comrade Vince Kable Marx is now in the house to dole out even more punishment to the rich bastards who actually work to earn their money. These people, if you can call them that, stole all their money from the poor by working hard. Thats why theyre rich. It is my job as Impoverishment Secretary to pauperize them to levels never before seen. We need to make it so that the welfare generation are actually richer than people who actually work for their money, Comrade Kable Marx told a delegation of Marxist followers at the Lib Marx conference in Liverpool yesterday. Comrade Kable Marx is committed to the destruction of the economy and capitalist business world. Since coming into office after Comrade Brown was ousted, he has proposed a multi-tier approach in reducing the wealth of the people of Soviet Britain. I aim to impoverish every facet of the economy. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Lib Marx revolution. The benefits driven indolent plebes have nothing to lose but their playstations. They have a world to win. Workshy of all countries, unite! Capitalism is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks. After I finish with you lot, youll be so poor that youll be begging for Comrade Brown to come back, Comrade Marx told the delegates whilst gurning inanely and drooling over the podium. Comrade Kable Marx was then led away from the podium as applause rang down from the audience of Marxist revolutionaries. BASILDON - England - Prison governors have made the extraordinary claim that jails could be forced to shut if Secretary of Justice Ken Clarke, imposes new directives forcing inmates to work. Mr Clarks plan to make every prisoner work a 40-hour week in prison could soon have Britains prison system completely empty claim the governors. No one would want to go to jail then. It would be a nightmare situation for them; its like a holiday camp now with video games, tv, internet, drugs, classes, days out and constant recreation. Can you imagine if they had to work a 40-hour week in jail? Lee Sparnes, governor for Brookespan prison in Wigan told the Telegraph. Currently, the UK is the most workshy country in Europe with six out of ten people out of work permanently and receiving state benefits, therefore, to make prisoners work a 40-hour week will be tantamount to war in some parts of the country. Kevin Grimes, a 24-year-old career criminal was disgusted at the new prison rules proposed by Mr Clark: I went to prison to escape work. Now they want us to work in prison? I really, really, really dont want to go to jail now. Some inmates at Wormwood Scrubs prison protested last week after hearing the news, by boycotting the prisons upcoming Halloween party, which is held every year at a cost of 45,000 to the taxpayer. MUMBAI - India - The Pentagon recently announced that 45 U.S. naval destroyers and over 350 jet fighters and bombers are to escort President Obama when he visits the country next week. The ten day India trip is going to cost the U.S. taxpayer nearly two trillion dollars. To be more precise, were talking in the region of $200 million per day and were not even including the secret service bill right there, Amy Thompson, senior budget director at the Pentagon told the Herald Sun. Obamas trip to Mumbai will last all of ten days and is set to become the most expensive visit a head of state has ever achieved in the whole of history. Forget about any trip by Queen Victoria, the Sultan of Brunei or any Saudi King. First off, they dont have 45 battleships following them around. We know it is totally unnecessary, but were Americans, were democrats and also we get one term to do this shit, so were going to have our fun before the whole shit house goes up in flames, Jonah Fetherline, Obamas press secretary told the Herald Tribune. According to reports within the sprawling city of Mumbai, all beggars and untouchables will be taken off the streets for the trip and put into a container ship off the coast. The roads will have to be cleared of cows and other assorted livestock for the 240 vehicle presidential entourage and a steel perimeter has been built up containing the city for three whole days. Surveillance aircraft will be watching the city, street by street, inch by inch, and even the coconuts from the trees will be removed in case they are used as weapons against the ailing lame-duck president. FLORIDA - USA - Eighteen year old Carmella Sanchez has been diagnosed pregnant after a sensual TSA pat-down, that some say went a little too far. Carmella Sanchez, 18, was travelling from Florida to a nunnery in Boston when she went through the TSA checkpoint. I want to dedicate my life to Jesus and this is why I want to go and become a nun. My dreams have now been shattered because Im pregnant. They took my virginity and that was meant for Jesus alone, a distraught Sanchez said in tears from a medical facility in the airport. TSA spokesman, Marvin Haggler, told Fox News: We had to check for explosives. Maybe one of our screeners got a little too enthusiastic. Were looking into getting him a promotion anyway. What you going to do about it? Were above the law. Ms Sanchez was given a lift to her gate and put on another plane after missing her original flight. COVENTRY - England - Julian Assange is said to be training to be a plumber, CIA analysts have claimed in a leaked document on Friday. The disillusioned WikiLeaks boss, Julian Assange, wants to start his own firm of plumbers, CIA analysts have claimed after many setbacks with his previous venture. If youve got a leaking sink, toilet or your boiler packs up in the dead of winter. Give WikiLeaks a call. For no extra charge, well also tell you while were fixing your leak that the Americans were not very fond of Gordon Brown and Hillary Clinton is a lying lizard, Mr Assange said whilst filming a promotional video for the new project. The new WikiLeaks plumbing service will only initially service the Coventry area but they hope to branch out nationally within the year, as long as Assange is not extradited to Sweden to serve time for fabricated stories concocted by certain unnameable governments. The thing is she dont know her geography. If she tried to hit North Korea or Iran she might blow France up. We aint too fond of those snail eating surrender monkeys, but still it could be a problem. Say if she wants to nuke Yemen or Pakistan, what happens if she nukes Italy or Wisconsin? Shit, thered be hell to pay then, Rosco Bloomer, a military analyst for Lockheed told the Senate hearing. Finger on the button The U.S. hierarchy is already making preparations for Sarah Palins presidency when she wins the upcoming election in 2012. If we have a full scale nuclear war she needs to know her countries better. Thats why were getting her an atlas so she can put it on her desk and maybe sometimes look at it. You never know, she might learn something. I doubt it though. I seen more brains in an old shoe, one of her campaign managers, Dwight Peabottom, said at a recent press conference. A recent dig in the northern part of the old city walls of Nazareth has uncovered incredible evidence that throws light onto the lives of the three wise men who travelled from far and wide to visit baby Jesus in his manger. We couldnt believe our luck when we stumbled across the tablets and scrolls in a cave just 50 metres from the old city walls. What we found out is quite incredible information revealing that the three wise men who visited Jesus were actually pretty stupid and were a bunch of bumbling fools. They werent wise in the least, and couldnt brainstorm themselves out of a paper bag even if they tried, Dr. Roger Meakin, senior theologian and archaeologist during the dig revealed. When it came to tasks like simple arithmetic, spelling and logic, the three wise men were considered as sub-par and severely challenged. We found out that they werent magicians, or magi more like bad illusionists. At one merchants party, they tried to perform the famous rabbit out of a hat trick. Someone didnt tell them that they had to have a cloth over the table to disguise an assistant stuffing the rabbit in the hat. When they brought the special gifts to Jesus, they at first couldnt find the manger where Jesus was staying even though there was a great big whopping star directly above the barn, and not only did they not find the barn at first, they were side-tracked to a local whorehouse in Beersheba, where they gave all the gifts they were meant to give to Jesus away. This is sadly the reality of the whole bible story that can only be revealed today, Dr. Meakin revealed. Archaeologists and theologians are still studying the scrolls to see if they can find even more information from them. Yesterday, the Vatican and Anglican churches welcomed the new findings however baffling they were, but see the new find as a positive note in an altogether mysterious chapter of the bible. Britons enjoy paying some of the highest tax rates in the world a leading Think Tank has revealed. British people love taxation according to the research, and next year they will have to work for more than five months before they start to make a single penny for themselves within the whole year. Its all part of the joy of living and working in the UK. I am so happy that I have to work for five months in the year so that the taxman can give it away to the feckless idle scroungers and chavs who choose to live the life of Riley on benefits and bogus disability payments. I bust my arse day in day out at work so that they can enjoy themselves, play their ps3s, have lots of benefit babies, drink booze and take loads of drugs. They get all their NHS medicine for free, free gym vouchers, free accommodation, free repairs to their buildings, and free transport, Tony Munter, a painter and decorator from Middlesborough told the Sun. By encouraging the poor sub-class Neets and work-shy to breed with massive increases in benefits, the Coalition government is changing the nations demographics, because they are punishing the previously affluent, educated classes. The people who are breeding en masse are the sub-culture, benefits cheats, criminals and work-shy. But who can blame them? Would you want to work under these taxing conditions? Their numbers are growing daily because we are encouraging them to breed by increasing their benefits. Of course, those Britons who are educated, from good families and hard working are discouraged from breeding, and are in fact punished financially for doing so. They too will join the unemployable on the scrap heaps of mass unemployment, a permanent dustbin of inequity, where the good jobs are taken only by the ones in control of the picking. We are of course doing this so that the population of Britain is thus dumbed down to levels of indecency and social regression never before seen, a Whitehall population controller told the BBC. The British are famous for their stiff upper lip and the mass taxation of their pay is proof that they really do have a stiff upper lip and maybe a stiff lower lip as well. We love getting taxed. Its like a form of punishment for us, because as you all know, we love to be punished in the UK. If they tried to increase tax like this anywhere else in the world, there would be riots and mass upheaval. Over here, they just take a sip of tea, bend over the table and wait with anticipation for the next rogering session from the taxman. Its like a British tradition, being taxed is like being fucked, Esther Grantham, a housewife from Leeds added. Its not only direct taxation which is so fervently enjoyed by the British, Brits also seem to enjoy indirect taxation as well. Fuel taxation is so high in the UK that it makes up 89% of the price, and the cost of groceries has increased by over 150% in a single year. Americans moan about paying $5 per gallon, well how about paying $25 in the UK? There would be some serious gun play then. Education tax is estimated at 9,000 per annum for new university students which will most definitely leave many thousands without any form of higher education in the future. The increase in VAT to 20%, and major increases in business taxes will thwart any form of business in the UK and should reduce the UKs GDP by over 23%, when many businesses leave the UK permanently. You need to take out a second mortgage to buy a loaf of bread, but forget about driving your car to the store to get it, another happy Brit said today from his freezing, bleak flat in Brixton. The Coalitions Happiness Index has never been so high. Gordon brown must be laughing into his smelly haggis at the very thought. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that America's main export of 'State sanctioned terror' is doing very well, especially in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. Regime Change is a nice phrase, but we all know that its really state sanctioned terrorism backed by the CIA. Weve been doing it for years and were damn good at it. With Egypt, we pretend to back the ruling despot Hosni Mubarak, who we installed in the first place, but we also back militant leaders who want to take over. We did the same in Iraq, Tunisia, Iran and pretty much all of South America, Mrs Clinton said at a recent press conference. White House spokesman Ari Fleischner said: Were bringing Freedom to the Middle East. You know, on the end of a gun barrel. They now have more Freedom to kill themselves and that can only be a good thing. Remember folks, a dead towel-head is a good thing, and you heard it right from the White House. U.S. sanctioned terror has had a colourful history and has been instrumental in bringing terror, murder and mayhem to hundreds of countries worldwide. We dont just export peanut butter and awful sitcoms, were experts in creating unrest around the world. We sell these people the weapons, then we start the fire, and then we sit back in our armchairs, break out the popcorn and Schlitz and watch it live on Fox, Earl Huberstench, a political commentator said on his weekly radio show. There have been some murmurs and noises from lame duck president Obama, but hes been more interested in cowering under the desk in his office in the Oval room to do anything of any importance. Whenever I go into the Oval room I try and find Barry. I say Hey man where are you? then I hear a noise from under his desk. Hes down there, his teeth chattering and hes scared shitless, he doesnt know what to do. Vice President, Joe Biden, told CNN. LAS VEGAS - USA - The 'un-birthers' movement is gaining momentum nationally across America and are now claiming that Barack Hussein Obama might not have ever been born at all. Theyre called the un-birthers and they think that Barack Hussein Obama was never born in the first place. We dont believe the president exists and whats more, we dont know whos in charge of the United States right now, Ronald Jeremiah, an un-birther from Chicago told CNN. The new un-birther movement has taken the internet and media by storm, and all of today there were constant Drudge report headlines with the latest un-birther news about Obamas non-existence. Whos Barack Obama? Forget about Honolulu or Kenya, we dont think there is such a thing as Barack Obama. We think that he never existed or was born. Were not looking for a birth certificate because you cant have one if youve never existed and do not exist right now, or at anytime in the past or future. If he had existed, there would be no cause to think that he exists in this dimension or in another dimension, whether we adopt the principles of particle physics or string theory or whatever crazy ass theory some guy from MIT comes up with. Who knows? Here, have another cream soda, Professor Elohim Bandersnatch, head of the un-birthing movement, said in a recent address at Capitol Hill. One thing that sadly does exist however is Donald Trump. LONDON - England - Everyone in the UK is going to be happy, the Conservative/ Lib Dem government has vowed, with civil servants being ordered to get to work in making Britain's population see things in a different light. You may look over there and see a grey council estate with cctv cameras everywhere, chavs and hoodies hanging around vandalising everything and beating people up, but if you put these special government issue rose-tinted glasses on, all of that is gone. Its a bloody miracle. Im so happy now. Ive got a job, I can pay my bills and am even able to heat my home in the winter, Roz Blanchard, 47, an unemployed woman from Lambeth told the BBC. The new government initiative from Whitehall will issue every person in Britain with the special rose-tinted glasses as well as a pack of happy pills so that people will be happy and not realise they are being shafted by insane levels of tax, no jobs, hugely expensive food, petrol and overcrowded cities laden with millions of illegal immigrants, Eastern European gangsters, chavs and hoodies. Im much happier now. I take my Soma and I put my rose-tinted glasses on and relax. I dont see what I used to see. Life is much easier now because I dont know or care about whats happening around me. In fact, I want to know who you are and what youre doing interviewing me? Cecil Dinklewaithe, 65, from North Yorkshire said whilst being interviewed on Sky news. Some Whitehall officials even suggested frontal lobotomies for the majority of the population but the idea was eventually dumped after concerns it would be a huge burden on the already strained NHS. Speaking from Whitehall, a faceless civil servant said: If the general population were all given lobotomies, people would be a lot happier because they wouldnt actually know who they were, or anything else. I think that would be a marvelous idea, however, due to cost restraints we have had to dump the idea. OSLO - Norway - There were cries of disbelief over the whole Western world and media when a crazed gun rampage and bomb was not committed by a Muslim terror organisation. The Western media was scrambling to change their headlines as it transpired that the latest terrorist atrocity was committed by a Christian right-wing fundamentalist. Drudge headlines screamed that it was a Muslim atrocity, as did all the other American mainstream news outlets, especially Fox just after it was initially reported. Its got to be the Muslims. We need another round of hatred against them, it has been cooling off as of late. America has made Muslims the new Jews and we need to carry on with the campaign to destroy them. Oh, how I miss Georgie, a foaming at the mouth Bill OReilly said on his Fox news show. People all across the world are still in major shock that such an atrocity could be committed by a Christian. Well we only murder people from 30,000 feet using unmanned drones and cruise missiles. Thats safe and clinical. What this chap has done is way too personal. Its not becoming of the removed way we commit mass murder in those countries where the darkies live, Anthea Brunscombe, from Hampshire, England told the BBC. George W. Bush, who now lives in a Texas convalescent home for retired war criminals, said: I just got off the hotline to Dick and I ordered an attack on Sweden. We must stop these terrorists. Remember, either youre with us or with the terrorists. Sweden and Norway, I think theyre somewhere in Yurp I heard. Uh, I need my meds. They have nuc-u-lear WMDs and yella cake, or was it poundcake? The reporter had to tentatively tell the former president that he was not in office anymore and was met with a bemused look from Mr Bush. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Former President Barack Hussein Obama is going to be the first black president featured on a new set of dollar bills which Congress and the Engraving office have recently approved. Speaking from Capitol Hill, the former president said that he was truly honoured to be featured on the new zero dollar bills that will be printed. My fellow Americans and Kenyans. I am truly honoured to have my face on the new dollar bills that will come into circulation from next year. Please remember, whenever you spend your hard earned cash, how I have served our great nation. When you try and pay your rent, or buy some food to eat, when you try to fill your car with gas, take a long look at my face on that bill, and think about how I have consistently spent your cash, for nothing. What did you get out of my spending? Think to yourself, is your life better now? What about that change, can you feel the change? Well, with todays prices, I doubt you will have much change left in your pockets. Thats for sure. The Secretary of Treasury, Larry Fleischman, has already conducted preliminary meetings with the BEP regarding the new Obama zero dollar notes and they should come into circulation. Ordinary Americans were generally enthusiastic about the announcement that the new zero dollar bills with Obamas head plastered all over them would soon be available. Fredo Carmine, 37, an electrician from New Jersey said: What the fuck? Now I gotta look at the mouli when Im paying for everything. Its like a double kick in the meatballs. Look at this frickin shit, I cant even afford to buy my kid candy. What the fuck am I gonna tell my little Johnny? Obama ruined our fuckin economy and spent so much money that daddy cant afford to even by you a stick of candy. Bullshit! This is my 911. Me. There are no need for planes to hit buildings here, I just turned up to work at the White House, and thats all it took, Obama said smiling before cutting his birthday cake. To complete the final move to complete state dependent socialism, the capitalist system must be destroyed, and this is what Obama is doing so well, he must take away Americas dependence on consumerism, on waste, and lastly on the so-called American Dream. Not everyone, however, is angry with Obamas spendthrift ways. He still has massive support from stalwarts like Oprah Winfrey and ordinary black Americans who are loving the destruction meted out onto whiteys empire. Trevon Manding, 45, an unemployed man from Chicagos East side, told Ebony magazine: Lets see how whitey likes the ghetto. Our boy Obama giving some of that payback time for four hundred years of slavery. They built their empire off the backs of the negro, worked him into the ground, whipped his ass till it bled. Now we got one of our own in the White House, hes taking away what the white man cares so much about, their huge stolen wealth and their dumb ass military. We truly love Obama for what he has done to America. Every cook out, every house, were talking about how much we love Obama. White folk got fooled by voting for this player, he played them real good and now its payback time. We got the last laugh, enjoy the ghetto, we been living in it for years, now its your turn. The myth that the world was ever out of recession was perpetuated by the controlled media outlets, but the plain truth is that this is a depression created by bankers and the elite, and will take 20 to 30 years to get out of, if ever. Jules Sperme, a researcher at Washingtons policy research institute of research, said: People dont realise that the systems created through the centuries are not sustainable anymore; mainly due to mass migration, huge increases of populations, and unfettered globalisation. Therefore, one must accept that if the system is not sustainable, and is strained beyond repair, it must be destroyed. The survivors of the coming destruction will be the architects of the next civilization, they will inherit the new world, as the consumerist one is destroyed and upgraded to that of a low population scientific society. Something that philosophers and writers like Bertrand Russell and Aldoux Huxley were writing about in their books in the 1930s and countless others before that were dreaming about. The general population, who pitifully voted Obama in, were hypnotized and they are the harbingers of their own destruction. If I voted for Obama I would be so ashamed of myself right now. You might as well stick a gun to your head, burn your house down and dump your family in a ditch. These people are the ones who brought destruction to America. The people who voted for this guy should be shunned from society and expelled as outcasts because they have collectively brought us down to the level that will spell the end of America. a man who did not vote for Obama told CNN. As the debt ceiling was raised to increasingly impossible heights on Tuesday, a $239 billion spike on Thursday took up 60% of the funding, which means that the $14,694 trillion limit is already dangerously close to being breached. The many other variables that will also contribute to the continued destruction are the 3.7 million Americans who are about to lose their unemployment benefits after their 99 weeks of eligibility are up, as well as the continued turmoil in the eurozone where U.S. banks are entrenched as well. Maybe soon the vast prairies of America will once again see their true indigenous inhabitants reclaiming the lands that were stolen from them so cruelly, the bison will be roaming, and the tipis gracing the destroyed ruins. WASHINGTON DC - USA - An increasingly desperate Barack Obama has ordered twelve witch doctors from Kenya to be flown to the White House, CNN has reported. Obama is so desperate that hes turning to voodoo to get the U.S. economy back on track, a Treasury employee told CNN. The White House was tonight being prepared for the arrival of the witch doctors, who will utilise many different techniques and materials for their special rituals. Help From the Old Country They been doing this stuff for thousands of years so they know what to do. Were bringing in some goats and chickens and putting them in the East room. I told em to watch out though and not get any blood on the carpet, a White House aide said. According to anthropological experts, the voodoo practitioners will all try to bring the U.S. economy back from the brink of certain destruction, but even if they fail, they will still get paid, much like real economic advisers and so-called experts. Were hoping for the Dow to rise by at least 600 points, depending on how many chickens are sacrificed, one of the witch doctors revealed just before leaving Nairobi international airport yesterday. Unfortunately for Mr Obama, this is the last chance he has to make things work after he was caught sleeping on the job whilst a major economic meltdown happened right under his nose. Obama is using American taxpayers money to fly these guys from Africa to Washington for three days, feed them and pay them. This just beggars belief, John Bullwark, a senior GOP representative from Texas told Fox news. President Obama, who was attending his 50th hip hop shizazoe hizzoe bash yesterday, was not available for comment. LONDON - England - A leading think tank has come up with a very effective way of completely eradicating Britain's feral youth problem in one fell swoop, it has revealed in a white paper delivered to parliament this morning. The uncontrollable feral youths across Britain could all be forced into compulsory sterilization programs, as an effective solution to Britains feral population problem. The Optimum Population Institute, led by Professor Reginald Cartwright proposes that the feral breeding problem could be eradicated within one or two generations, simply by sterilizing the useless eaters and burdens on the welfare system. Once the sterilization program is underway, there will be no need for a welfare system ever again, because the feral scum will have been bred out of the gene pool. If you need a licence to drive a car, you should have a licence to have kids. These creatures are breeding like rats even though they cannot afford to look after their kids, or even have the sufficient IQ or education to do so. They are a burden on society and are useless, they do not deserve life let alone breeding more low IQ feral sub-humans into the world. By erasing these people from the gene pool, we are simply cleansing the world of these vermin, who cause untold misery to themselves and others purely by being alive, the study concluded. At current levels within the socialist system of Britain, social housing has been built amongst residential areas where humans live. Once the sterilization program is implemented, these eyesores on the landscape would be demolished and replaced with parks and open spaces where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. The health service would be freed up of dealing with the feral drunks and druggies that inundate its wards constantly, and they could get back to dealing with people who need treatment for real illnesses once again. Crime would drop remarkably as the thugs would simply not be around any more, of course, there would be sporadic elements here and there but nothing like now. Prisons would also be half empty and trillions of pounds would be saved on housing criminals. The think tank also suggests an independent body separate from government to determine the criteria for breeding licences. The body would be a multi-ethnic, classless, non-political body that would prevent any form of racist agenda by supremacists or otherwise. Families would thus be created purely on merit, affluence, education and would only be allowed to breed after a series of rigorous tests. During the interim period of sterilization, the feral classes would have to be removed from public view and taken to special holding areas offshore, where they will be entertained and fed until they expire of old age. Within two generations, once the feral chaotic classes have died off, there would be less misery and populations would be happier. Britains resources could once again be sustainable and there would be plenty of wealth, jobs, pensions and healthcare for everyone. The British taxpayer would thus save trillions of pounds which would otherwise be wasted on nothing. With these people alive, they do nothing for society, they are a burden on everything. They cause untold misery to others and themselves by living. The world will be a lot happier without them, the professor concluded. If implemented into law, the legislation for mass sterilization of the feral classes could be completed as early as 2017. DURHAM - England - The record A-level A grade passes this year prove that exam boards allowing the use of SMS text language in examinations have been directly instrumental in raising the national pass rate to 99.9%. A lot of these kids cant read or write standard basic English, so we were forced to integrate mobile phone text lingo, or SMS shorthand, into the curriculum, which is the only way these people can communicate now. Some of the students are only conversant utilising pictures and diagrams and cannot even use SMS texts, Deacon Aylesbury, head of Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations board was recorded as saying in last weeks edition of the Education Times. Thousands of Britains youth now have the coveted A* grade and are all applying to top universities. I cant read or write, in fact Ive never actually read a book. I just turned up to the English literature exam with my stolen mobile phone, innit, Kevin Chesney, 18, who got three A** grades for his A-levels, told the Daily Mail. Graders for the A-level exams say they also allow candidates to draw pictures to try and describe events that occurred in history or to describe literary classics like Shakespeare and Chaucer. We regularly get candidates who can only communicate with stick figure drawings and scribbled smudges. It is quite challenging to find out what these people are trying to communicate, but it certainly can be done. Were getting some really gifted candidates being marked and we have only had one chap who failed this year because he was too busy looting a supermarket to attend the A-level examination, Laurence Demister, an adjudicator and A-level marker told the BBC. BRUSSELS - Belgium - In a remarkable war of words that had EU technocrats bracing for trouble, French prime minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, reduced the British PM, Cameron, to tears after telling him to back away from denigrating the euro and even tried to bar him from important EU meetings. Sarkozy stood on a chair and was able to look David Cameron in the eye as he pointed his fingers at him telling him to back off. Cameron was surprised by the vicious assault by the miniature EU despot, who has fallen under the fascist spell of the EU so much. Ive never seen Cameron scared before, but it seems the French midget has got more balls than him. Cameron was later seen crying in a corner, as an attendant brought a glass of French sparkling water to him. My guess is, he needed a cognac more than a glass of tepid sparkling water. Poor bastard, an EU observer at the meeting recalled. With the EU dangerously close to collapse, the fascistic dream of a Fourth Reich could be over unless the unelected eurocrats come up with another plan to bring the fasci rods even closer than they already are. The architect of the EU Jean Monnet said: Europes nations should be guided towards the super-state without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation. It seems that his words are slowly ringing true as the people are excluded from any votes or say in the matter of the EU constitution or laws. We, the unelected eurocrats and technicians know best. Please, sit back, surf your Facebook pages and watch your X Fuctor, Come Dancing programs. Do not bother your dumbed down fucktard minds about such trivialities as totalitarian states taking away all of your rights or cleansing re-education camps coming soon in the near future, a faceless EU politician told Frances Le Figaro newspaper. BRUSSELS - Belgium - The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, showed off his new hat yesterday on the eve of a historic EU treaty. Mr Sarkozy, has adopted the Pickelhaube helmet and will be wearing it at all times. How do you like my new at? Ve vill destroy ze Ros Boeufs for daring not to join our special club. You think you can hide across the Channel? Vell, mes amis, your days are numbered, Mr Sarkozy said to rapturous applause from the assembled unelected EU technocrats. Nicolas Sarkozys Vichy government is under increasing pressure from Germany to pressurise Britain to join the failing eurozone. Ve vant the British to wear the Pickelhaube too. Zey must adopt this or ve vill destroy their economy and financial district sooner or later, Mr Sarkozy said. WASHINGTON DC - USA - President Barack Obama has come a cropper in the bedroom after his teleprompter broke down causing another massive fight with an angry Michelle Obama. The tele-hiccup occurred two nights ago and relegated Mr Obama to the White House couch in the East Room after a spat with his angry wife. According to White House insiders, the president was taking orders on what to say to Michelle in the presidential bed, when his teleprompter blinked shut. The president was naturally lost for words and started stuttering madly. The First Lady was not amused by the performance and threw Barack out of the bed ordering him to sleep on the couch in the East Room. When White House officials arrived in the morning for a meeting, they found the president sprawled out on the White House couch in his pyjamas and no sign of a teleprompter. He was immediately brought a new one and the meeting started. Unfortunately for Mr Obama, his teleprompters have been malfunctioning frequently as of late. Some say it could be a Russian, Chinese or Republican plot to unseat the president and cause him distress. Extra secret service men have now been drafted in to guard each machine, and extra maintenance staff are also on 24 hr standby. We got teleprompters in every room of the White House. Two days ago it broke down in his bedroom just as he was about to bone Michelle, and yesterday, the presidents teleprompter broke down in the toilet. He had to yell for help because he could not remember what to say about asking for a new toilet roll. Its really that bad, and its way worse when we have to travel. You try wheeling that thing around all over the place and up six flights of stairs, White House aide, Ari Fleischer, told CBS news. BRUSSELS - Belgium - They have their own currency, they have their own central bank, and they have their own flag. Of course, the next step is for the EU to get its own cohesive military. The new EU Reich needs its own army badly, they have to leave NATO and create an exclusive EU military. The EU has instituted a policy of coordination the total alignment of all EU individuals and institutions with EU goals. Culture, the economy, education, and law all has come under EU control. Extensive propaganda has been used to spread the EUs goals and ideals. We will need our own EU uniforms, our own EU helmets and our own EU guns. This is the natural step for the European Union. Integration of all eurozone nations into one military, Field Marshall, Constantine Rummel, told Euronews. So, what would the new EU army look like? The uniforms would be an amalgamation of Italian, French and German military dress, but there are serious considerations in applying the suave military dress of Germanys greatest military power, the Nazis. German uniforms during World War II were suave and immaculately designed creations, as were the efficient weaponry designed by German engineers and scientists of the time. Certainly, we would get Hugo Boss to come up with updated creations this time, but keep the integrity of the Third Reich bringing it into the Fourth Reich, Sturmfuhrer, Gunther Hauser, told French paper, Le Figaro. European Union military cohesion will be the ultimate form of solidarity bringing the fasci rods together and strengthening the political union of all EU nations against the threat of Russia. The EU Panzers will be a formidable force on any battlefield, flanking and smashing the enemy without mercy. We want to show the world how great the EU is and that we are not a pushover, we are invincible and will last for thousands of years. The thousand year EU Reich will rise up and show the power of the European stock to the world. Effectively, we are the New World and America, China and Russia have to look to our assimilation of millions of people and bow to our ultimate economic and military power, EU Foreign Minister, Konrad Adenauer, told the EU Times. Integration of all EU nations into the European Union must be all encompassing spiritually, militarily, financially and politically. ATHENS - Greece - The Greek government lied to get into the eurozone, then they spent all their subsidies, and now they threaten to pull the plug on their creditors after bankrupting the country. We have a gun to the world economys head and we will pull the trigger because we will not pay back a cent of what we owe our creditors. What do we have to lose by a messy default? But you do, Greek Finance Minister, Evangelos Porkos, told German TV channel ZDF. Greece on Tuesday threatened to default on payments to any bond investor that does not accept its crazy demands. No one pays tax in Greece so how are the creditors going to get the money owed to them? There is no manufacturing industry, and what used to be a lucrative tourist spot under the drachma is now an overpriced euro trap for the few tourists who do accidentally buy a holiday in Greece. In effect, Greece is holding a gun at the head of the worlds fragile economy because they know very well that they have nothing to lose by a messy default, only Spain, France and Italy will be sucked under with them, taking the rest of the eurozone and the world. Who wants to do business with scorpions like that? They lie to get on the table, then they take as much as they can, then they say theyre not going to pay back a centime, Louis Quatorze, a French politician told the French parliament on Tuesday. Greece is demanding banks, pension companies, hedge funds and others that hold about $260 billion in Greek bonds to trade them for new notes worth less than half the face value and taking huge cuts with no guarantee of ever being paid back anyway. The Greeks have nothing to lose by defaulting now because even after twenty years of Austerity they will still owe billions in an unsustainable system and ailing economy. If Greece carries out its threat, you can kiss your pension, investments, house price and everything else goodbye, because were all going for a world depression just because some hard headed arses said they wouldnt pay back the money they used up. Just dont forget to take out a massive short on the euro all the way to the bottom, John Latrine, an economist working for Credit Suisse told Reuters. SCUNTHORPE - England - Just when you thought things couldn't get any lower in Britain, a family has been discovered living in the country who does not claim thousands of pounds on benefits and state handouts. The family has been effectively ostracised from their estate and had to flee with their lives, after actually working and not sponging off the government with benefits scams. This is a very sad state of affairs. This family are a detriment to our society, they have shamed themselves by being self sufficient and actually working for a living. Its disgusting that such a thing could happen. We need to hunt them down and make an example of them. One of them is actually partially disabled as well and not on Incapacity, an angry resident of the Grubly sink estate in Scunthorpes Grimspit neighborhood, told reporters of the Daily Mail newspaper. A national manhunt is underway for the family and there are even calls for deportation. In the UK state funded aid is a normal way of life with benefits officers falling over themselves to give people thousands of pounds in state aid. I havent worked in years. Ive got 3D 5K TVs in each room of my four bedroom end of terrace stucco mansion. I get 4,500 per week in benefits and never have to pay any tax or NHS, gym, cinema. We get a car allowance of 26,500 per year and my eight kids get free safari trips to Kenya, all on the taxpayer, except there aint many of those around anymore, innit, Julia Mucker, 46, told the Sun newspaper. Living on benefits does certainly have benefits, especially when you can take three holidays in a year, enjoy the rolling hills of Umbria in Italy, or the beaches of the Cayman Islands. We just got back from our usual jaunt down to Tuscany. We hired a villa there and stayed for two months. The wine is fabulous, really special stuff, but we brought our cans of Specialbrew because me and the kids wanted to get totally mullered, Mrs Mucker added. LONDON - England - The Prime Minister has secured the recovery of the United Kingdom with the final legalisation of all drugs today. The historic moment of the legalisation of drugs brought traffic to a standstill across the country as thousands of motorists stopped in the streets to honk their horns and show their appreciation of the landmark ruling. Ive never seen anything so beautiful. Every man and woman and child got together in the streets hugging each other, John Swiddle, 43, a carpenter from Harlow, Essex told the BBC. There was true happiness as the decriminalisation of class A drugs finally was brought into reality and people started to rejoice in the streets. The Treasury is also rejoicing today as the VAT that will be added to the Class A drugs will ensure Britains economic recovery many times over. It is estimated that drug tax could bring the Treasury over 2.8 trillion pounds per annum, not including other revenue streams like taxation of drug suppliers and other periphery industries. It is not only great for the governments tax receipts but also good for the eradication of drug dealers and drug gangs that have blighted our cities for so long. From now on, Britain has entered the 21st century where citizens will be given the choice of what they want to do. If you want to inject heroin, smoke opium, make hash brownies or snort cocaine, then you will be free to do so. If you want to take an LSD tab or some peyote, please do, you will love it, and as long as we get the value added tax, then we will be happy to see you smoke that Camberwell carrot, Prime Minister, David Cameron told ITN news on Thursday. Just as there is an alcohol limit when driving a motor vehicle or operating complicated machinery, so too will there be new laws drafted in that will deal with safety issues. Naturally there will have to be elements of safe use for workers who are in positions of responsibility. We cant have aeroplane pilots, for example, chasing the dragon whilst flying to Adis Abbaba, or bus drivers smoking crack pipes in between stops. That kind of thing will, of course, have to be regulated, as already alcohol is regulated to some degree, Ernest Penderwatt, a civil servant working on the new drug legalisation white paper told the Economist magazine. The Chancellor, who is at the forefront of the new drug legislation, was not available for comment today as he was too busy staring at the beauty and intricate cosmological composition of a water droplet coming down his window pane in his study. BRISTOL - England - It's that time of the year again where all the papers put up pictures of the cream of the crop A-level totty jumping for joy in fields with pieces of paper in their hands. According to all the newspapers, these young fair skinned nubile ladies have just passed their A-Level examinations. You might as well put up a picture of a young filly licking the head of a vanilla ice cream as she delicately flicks the succulent white fluffy substance all over her tongue winking her eye at you. Its certainly a welcome moment in the year when the A-levels come along, thats for sure. Beats looking at pics of some poor f*cker who just got their legs blown off in Afghanistan, retired Colonel Samuel Treblinka, told the Daily Telegraph. Another avid newspaper reader said: I certainly commend the newspaper editors every year who post these pics of young ladies fresh from studying, passing their exams. As they twirl in the fields clutching their papers against their straining blouses, their innocence is captured for a second, of course before they are tossed into the cruel world of university or unemployment. Such is the cruel nature of life to see these beautiful young white women, so full of promise displaying their soft lithe bodies to everyone. They are stars for an A-Level moment. Who shall be chosen next year to be photographed and become instantly famous? I am sure they await the moment when the press photographers turn up on exam result day. Just dont let the wife catch you salivating over the pictures or youll be in the f*cking dog house. More A-Level goodies next year. Yum. KABUL - Afghanistan - NATO has noted a huge surge in numbers of Afghans who want to enlist in the Coalition controlled Afghan army. They train us to shoot, then they pay us, and then the icing on the cake, wait for it, we get to shoot them, a joyous Afghan army recruit said whilst waiting in line for his NATO machinegun at Kabuls main army recruitment centre. The Americans have noticed a massive surge in interest to join the Afghan army by the locals. Its like a dream come true for them folk. We give them guns, pay them, and then they get to bag a few of us when were not looking. Its like the highest honour for these Afghans to go out in a blaze of glory killing five or six US servicemen each time. They are heroes in the villages and surrounding towns, Special Sergeant, Lewis Kowlowski, for the US Marines told CNN before being fatally shot by an Afghan recruit later on in the day. Every day there are reports of Americans being shot to death by Afghan army recruits, and the shootings will probably increase exponentially as Afghans keep deluging the Afghan army as recruits. Ive never seen anything like it. Were getting thousands Afghans wanting to join each day. You ask em why they want to join the Afghan army. Some of them aint too clever because they will blurt out to shoot Americans, so we let them go quick, but they just come back next day and change the line to shoot Taliban, Afghan army recruiter, Al Hertyu, told CNN. WASHINGTON DC - USA - Romney's sad attempts at bronzing up with a fake tan sadly went awry as his election loss is testament to how much the Hispanic vote is important in North America. Fifty thousand Hispanic people turn 18 every month in America leaving dreams of another Republican government coming any time soon floundering in the dust like some lonely border town. Romney tried to put on his fake tan and wear a sombrero but it aint going to fly. The Hispanics are an integral part of the American population explosion. They are hard working people with a huge impetus to breed, and breed, and breed. While the predominately white Republican demographic is not breeding, and losing their foothold in North America, the Hispanics are increasing their population daily. The population explosion combines elements of the Catholic religion, family values and desire to spread their population far and wide, a population expert at the University of Deleware, Professor Ron Jablinski, told CNN. In a country where it is not even necessery by law to show ID at a polling station, one only has to realise the possibilities of artificially skewing the numbers for your candidate; this coupled with the massive mobilisation of the Hispanics is a surefire winning technique. The Republicans will have to wait for another four years to unleash their secret weapon, and only then will they possible get in again. LILONGWE - Malawi - Rufus Brantnimes used to live in Paris enjoying all the trappings of wealth, but since the EU's austerity drive he lost everything. Today he lives in Africa and says he has never been happier. Who needs the Palace of Versailles or the Roman Coliseum? I live in a shack now and I do not have anything apart from a few boxes, an old tyre, and a tin of sardines, Brantnimes told Paris Match magazine. Every day Brantnimes travels for miles to fetch water and carries it back to his corrugated iron home. He is lucky because many do not even have a solid roof over their heads but live in mud huts. People are happy here, they have nothing yet they still have something. In the West people have everything, yet they still have nothing. Over here I have met the happiest gentlest people and I am astounded at the hospitality by these people. In Paris if you ask someone for help, you will be lucky to get spit in your eye. Austere Europeans are flocking to Africa because things are so bad in the EU. According to Brussels, 60,000 Europeans sell what little they have left every day and journey to deepest Africa to make a new life for themselves. GAZA - Gaza Strip - As Israel prepares for a ground invasion on the tiny Palestinian enclave, Israeli generals are already portioning off the bits of rubble they will acquire once the U.S. funded tanks roll in. We are going to get the Palestinian rubble and bones and put them in a big rock crusher to make sand out of it. Maybe one day Gaza could be a beach or a holiday resort where retired Jews can wile away their days over the crushed bones and rubble of Palestinians, Shimon Ben Kelev, one of the IDF generals told Haaretz news service. It seems that every few years there is a cyclical element to the action, the frustrated Palestinians who are blockaded in their ghetto fire a few improvised fireworks across to their occupiers. In essence this is similar to the Warsaw ghetto where the hapless Jews would sometimes fight back at the Nazis who contained them in their ghettos and suppressed vital medicine and food. Another general in charge of the imminent attack, Moshe Harah, said: We have seventeen Abteilungsfuhrer battalions and as the Bataillonskommandeur, I will direct the Blitzkrieg with brutal lightning force. Women, children, dogs, chickens, whatever it will be Ausschreitungen. They will be crushed under our Einfall and will be Eingeschlossen from all sides. We will push them into the sea away from the ghetto and the remaining Palestinians will drown like f*cking rats. OAXACA - Mexico - People all over the world are rushing to buy the 2013 Mayan calendar before the Mayan apocalypse starts tomorrow on the 21st December 2012. I just bought my copy of the 2013 Mayan calendar and cant wait to flick each page over every month of next year, Darla Sentermin, a college student from Canterbury, England told the BBC. In France, there were thousands queuing up for hours to buy the 2013 Mayan calendar. I am optimistic that I will be able to use my 2013 Mayan calendar even though I might not be around tomorrow, Julien Poncie, from the French city of Strasbourg, told local radio stations. A Russian man who had built a bunker in his Moscow suburb apartment in preparation for the coming Mayan apocalypse tomorrow said: I bought the 2013 Mayan calendar as a way to remind myself of what days would come after the apocalypse has happened. LONDON - England - An unnamed woman who suddenly burst into fits of colourful racist language on an underground train yesterday has claimed she was simply reading a newspaper out aloud. The woman who attended Snaresbrook crown court today has refuted calls of racism because she was simply reading out excerpts from a daily newspaper which is readily available on news stands the length and breadth of Britain. According to reports, the woman was seated in one of the underground carriages passing through Finsbury Park on the Victoria line when she flew into a rage and started calling people [email protected], [email protected]@ers and Muslims and other racist words before telling everyone in the carriage to go back home. After we arrested the woman and took her to the station, she simply took out a copy of the Daily Mail newspaper and continued to read it out aloud. We then warned the defendant that anything she said could be used against her in a court of law and after hearing her reciting even more racist language from the newspaper we arrested her for a second time. The woman kept on reading the offensive material until we took the copy of the Daily Mail away from her and passed it around all the officers inside the police station, PC Bill Plebb, told the Daily Mail newspaper. The case is currently ongoing. CALABASAS - USA - Fifteen heavily armed priests from two neighbouring churches in a small town have been involved in a massive shoot out lasting for over five hours and involving over thirty police officers. The two evangelical churches have been involved in a religious dispute for four years and it finally culminated in a huge gunfight yesterday lasting over five hours and involving thirty officers from the Californian towns police department. Residents of the El Encanto area said they saw flashes of muzzles going off and priests in their outfits running and shooting wildly at each other. In the name of Jesus, cant these people stop the shooting for a few minutes already? I need to get to work, Al Gomez, a janitor at the local High School told local news. Half way through the shooting, police cars arrived at the scene and tried to stop the two church factions but were instead embroiled in even more gunplay. Officer Bill Jenkem told WKRTC news: We eventually stopped the shooting when someone got a model of the Virgin Mary and started walking with it around the church. The priests put their automatic weapons down and started praying to the statue. American churches are heavily armed places with one church in Texas even having a 50 calibre anti-aircraft gun emplacement in the car park. WASHINGTON DC - USA - First lady, Michelle Obama has been involved in a White House fracas that has caused some friction in the presidential household. Michelle Obama has already been responsible for countless members of the White House staff to leave in abject disgrace after falling out with the First Lady. I seen her throw knives in the kitchen if the chitlins aint cooked right. I was washing some collard greens and she didnt think I did it right, nigga crazy! I left after that! Jaeneisha Latonga, an ex-White House cook revealed. While Barack Obama acts like a jumped up dictator above ground, in the White House kitchens, the staff despair at the female dictator who is prone to bullying and thuggery of the highest order. I was cooking the Obamas they favourite meal, hogs maw, chitlins, ham hock, corn bread, cockscombs wit rice and beans, hmm, hmm when she came in and started shouting at me that I aint cookin it like her mama cooked it. I said bitch cook this and threw a bowl of chicken feet at her. I never seen eyes like that, I gots thrown out with the trash without pay, shiiet! Edna Jackson, a cook who is now working for a downtown Washington DC restaurant recalled. The Obamas like to have their food cooked the right way or there is hell to pay. When it come to soul food you gots to do it right but what da Obamas doin is actin like communisses. This aint no Marxiss? This aint no Stallin show huh? Theys got to get wit treatin they staff right. Ima have to go git anutha zone, anutha massa cuz this sucks. Stop wit da dictatin an shieet! an anonymous White House kitchen worker said yesterday. This year the White House kitchen has gone through thirty seven cooks already, up 15% from the same time last year. VATICAN CITY - Italy - Pope Benedict XVI left in a puff of sulphurous smoke yesterday as he was standing on the balcony of St. Peter's basilica as thousands of worshippers witnessed the amazing event. Before tens of thousands of people under clear blue skies, Pope Benedict XVI suddenly disappeared as his physical body and soul were finally recalled from whence they came. Cheers filled St. Peters Square as Benedict disappeared suddenly just leaving a smell of sulphur. National flags fluttered alongside banners bearing the simple word Grazie, or thanks. He was taken back from where he came from. I saw lighting and fire as the great Papa disappeared in a puff of acrid sulphurous smoke. Im all choked up from the smoke actually and cant breathe very well so I might have to get medical help, Adrianna Lermoustine, told Italys Rai Uno. It was one of the largest crowds to turn out for Benedict in the colonnaded piazza since he was brought up from the catacombs to head the papacy nearly eight years ago. The 85-year-old pope, seated under a canopy on the steps of the grand basilica, responded in several tongues sometimes speaking gibberish and with different voices to the crowds chants of joy and praise before he was reclaimed. I feel so sad to see him go. But our loss is his gain. Praise be to the horned one, a 76-year-old retired Mafia hit man, Vitorio Comicci said from the event. TEXAS - USA - It had to happen sooner or later. A man who was shooting his Ar-15 semi-automatic machine gun wildly in a wooded area says he shot president Obama's long lost birth certificate from a tree. I was just emptying clip after clip in all directions. I love doing that, and I saw a piece of paper flutter down from the trees, Earl Waskowitz, 43, from Janeville said of the amazing find. Theres only one problem though, the birth certificate has so many holes in it now that forensic document experts may have a hard time piecing the pieces together. President Obama, who was busy meeting the British PM in Washington today, did not comment about the find but maybe this is one time he will be happy about gun play. LONDON - England - Comrade Cameron and the Mumsnet Commissariat have ordered all proles to stop looking at previously legal carnal images and videos on the internet. Comrades, Ill let you all into a secret, when Im home alone, I like to dress up in old Victorian dresses and pretend my name is Mary Whitehouse. But Im your leader so Im allowed to do that. From now on all proles will be disallowed from watching anything saucy on the now Soviet controlled internet. Only members of the Houses of Parliament and House of Lords, Soviet local council staff and Whitehall Soviet civil servants, as well as hypocritical Daily Mail staff and readers will have that privilege. Cor! Look at the jugs on er. I am at this moment surfing the internet, excuse me while I go and bash my Menshevik, Comrade Cameron said whilst supposedly addressing the nation last night. Comrade Cameron, in addition to banning all previously legal online rudeness, is going to increase the schools LGBT programming of primary school children as well as celebrate the glorification of gratuitous hardcore violence in all its forms in the media. The supreme leader says that it is imperative that the state corrupts our children from a young age in schools and not at home on the internet. As the Soviet Coalitions diktats go, this one is fairly simple. Any prole caught jockeying off in the internets will be detained and taken from whence they live, probably in the early hours of the morning, to an undisclosed Soviet detention re-education facility somewhere in sector 101 (Northern Soviet England) where they will be purged of all their un-Soviet ways. Comrade Cameron, sometimes called Comrade Whitehouse, also encourages family members to report other family members, or work colleagues, of any internet naughty stuff viewing to the state for which they will be handsomely rewarded with an extra two ounces chocolate ration per annum. State family control is a necessery function of the Soviet system and from now on all parenting will be dictated to the proles by the state. BALTIMORE - USA - Anyone who follows the regular reports of the predominantly black flash mob robberies in America, will see how the American media is stuck between a rock and a hard place with regards to how they report these crimes. Jensen Butler a media analyst for a Baltimore news agency has revealed some insights into the wave of U.S Flash Mob Robberies committed by young people sweeping the nation. Under the tenure of president Obama, we have noticed a marked increase in racial tension and these types of flash mob robs; which usually entails a group of twenty to thirty black teenagers converging on a retail store all at once, then taking as much as they can from the shelves and walking out without paying. This is something that strikes fear into any retail store owner because it cannot be controlled. By the time the police come, usually half-an-hour later, they are all gone. The brazen crime, has no qualms about closed circuit television, and the black teens seem to revel in being filmed committing their flash robberies. What is even more odd, is how the media portrays these crimes. The gangs of young people and teen mobs are actually African Americans and anyone in America who hears these news reports knows exactly what theyre talking about. The U.S. media, by using the moniker of young people or teenagers to describe mobs of African American teens committing crimes, does discriminate against all teens of other colours and races. What the term is in fact doing, is lumping teens of all colours with that of black teens, so therefore all young people are looked upon in a negative light as something to be feared. As for law abiding black teens, unfortunately for them, they are also seen in a negative light as well because of the actions of some of these young people. The American media obviously has strict regulations under the Obama regime to not report the news in a factual manner, but to gloss over it in a public relations exercise that actually does more damage to journalism than if events were reported correctly. These are essentially guerrilla tactics used to terrorise store owners and people in general, like a mini riot. They organise quickly through some form of social media, then hit the store, then disperse quickly. Law enforcement cannot do anything about them, and this is why it is such an effective way of conducting operations on retail stores. Whats more, these young people are supposedly invisible, as the media refuses to even mention their appearance. Its a perfect crime because they have impunity to continue at their will, a security analyst in Chicago revealed. LONDON - England - The current EU apathy and malaise that has entrenched Britain can only be described as a hypnotic sickness, that 70 years after the end of the Second World War, Britain's certain defeat is imminent. The Second World War was fought for nothing, and Britain never defeated Germany. Those soldiers in WW2 fought and died for absolutely nothing, and the bravery of the British people throughout those trying years have all but been lost to Germany now. The English have all but capitulated to their great enemy, for what was once their foe is now their master, they have won the economic war without one single shot and now they are the ones dictating our laws, our economic policy and our lives. As David Camerons great great grandfather, Emile Levita would have said, the job is done, John Smith, one of the only remaining Englishmen in his hometown said Friday. Cambridge historian, Bradley Wigmore has a less abrasive tone: One has to first understand that the first two wars were financed by British and American banks, they financed the Nazis and their military build up. The purpose of the two wars was simply to divide and conquer. It is a very simple concept, through the instrument of war one can speed through changes that need to be made to conquer opposing nations. By the use of nationalism as a tool, one can play two sides together to increase the velocity of global change and assimilation. We have to understand that the controllers think in 100 year increments, most every day people can only barely think 5 years ahead. States, multi-national companies and the people above the State, plan in 100 or 200 year increments. Hitler himself was thinking in 1000 year increments with his 1000 year Reich. Well, to get to the point, those two world wars (battles) were simply the precursor for the United Nations and EU. Britain supposedly won the battles, they were a token, but the war has definitely been won by Germany and the EU. Britain will still exist in small form, but its cultural heritage and union will be a thing of the past. Nationalism will be punished, as it is now on almost a daily basis. You are EU now not English or British. The EU has achieved more though non-military means than Hitler ever hoped to achieve. Hitler was simply a pawn in a much bigger game. WASHINGTON D.C. - USA - President Barack Obama today categorically denied he has ever eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone calls. Speaking at a White House press conference, the U.S. President emphatically denied that he had auditory relations with Angela Merkel. I cant even speak German, and there were certainly no blue dresses with unsightly crusty stains on them. Hell, if Michelle finds out Ill get a good whooping, the President of the United States said. The president also denied any prior knowledge of the NSA and told cameras I dont even know what the NSA is? I know what NWA is but the NSA is something I draw a blank with. Looks like president Obama has escaped a rather delicate situation and can now relax with the other minor problems dogging his tenure, like the new Obamadontcare health system. LONDON - England - The GeoPolitik Think Tank has come up with an interesting solution to the current EU debacle and stand-off that is consuming European politics at the moment. Is Britain in or out of the EU? Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder seems to think that cutting Britain loose from the Communo-fascist EU bloc would be a good thing. A prominent British think tank seems to think along the same lines as the unelected EU technocrats. Full assimilation of the EU in a non-democratic fascistic pseudo-communist state is being held back by Britain. There are many variables to the current malaise in Brussels over the stalwart British resolve to keep away from an entity that strips nations of sovereignty and financial freedom. Therefore, if the EU, controlled from Brussels and powered by Germany, will not stop meddling with Britains financial hegemony it is a viable alternative to create a new EU controlled from London, England. This would be the true European Union as Britain is at the centre and top of the world in finance, although not technically located on the European mainland, it is central to complete global unity, Jason Argo, one of the geo-policy architects in the think tank told the BBC. Naturally upon hearing of the proposals made by the British EU policy think tank, unelected EU officials in Brussels were up in arms steadfastly rejecting any thought of Britain ruling over them. The European Union is at a crossroads and judging by the daily propaganda blasted out in Britain by the controlled press, they are desperate to brainwash the pliant British public in to throwing away their British sovereignty further by embracing complete EU integration. Once Britain is fully integrated into the EU black hole thats it for them. They are a defeated nation. We have already flooded their borders with EU citizens and completely changed their country, it is only a matter of time before their weak politicians, like that lap dog Cameron force the British to accept defeat once and for all. We will not need one single Panzer or Blitzkrieg for our victory, Mr. Schroder barked at a recent EU meeting. ALEPPO - Syria - Al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Syria who reportedly admitted beheading a rebel fighter by mistake are now being taken to court by the man for unlawful beheading, Syrian news reports claim. I just want my body back, the beheaded man told an Al Qaeda affiliated news service in Syria. The man is also demanding a full compensation package which could run into millions of Dinars if the case goes ahead. For now, the mans head is languishing in a fridge freezer and attempts to sew his head back onto his body have been unsuccessful. Mahmoud Al Jizzeera, one of the rebels involved in the beheading explained how sorry the team were for chopping the head of the wrong man off. It was a mistake anyone could make. We were told to behead a man with a beard holding a gun and shouting Akbars every two seconds. Just take a look around, youd be hard pressed to find anyone else, Mahmoud Al Qitira, another jihadist rebel leader exclaimed. In a bid to ramp up his prospects for reelection, David Cameron was today outlining a new scheme that will ensure some votes from someone out there at least in the coming general election in 2015. Cmon mate I need some votes from someone. Thats why Ive got this new EU immigrant deal going that looks like it will not be enforceable but will please some easily fooled idiots who may vote for me. Were still going to be the dumping ground for every beggar from here to Bucharest but there you go, Ill get a second term and what happens after that, who gives a shit? Only three months till we get full benefits? No problem, we come in, get registered, then go home for three months for a holiday, then come back again. Easy. After were finished with your country, you wont have anything left, a jubilant beggar from Romania told the BBC. Camerons desperate scramble to placate a British population fearful of being further overrun by hordes of even more EU citizens from some of the poorest, most deprived former Soviet bloc countries in the European Union is an obvious pre-election piece of elasto plaster on an already festering wound on Britain. The damage has already been done. President Barack Hussein Obama has told CNN that he is itching to bring in martial law so he can stay in power forever. You know like those Middle Eastern tyrannies the U.S. meddles with, I actually admire those guys and thats why I have censored the media so much, increased the stasi police and have anyone I dont like taken away permanently. But, and this is a big but, its just not good enough, I want more, I want it all, the jovial president said during the CNN interview. The president then added: During the government shutdown I was pushing those dumbass veterans for a very good reason, but they didnt crack. I think theyre too scared. Now my flagship Obamacare website is another tactic, we all know that thing aint gonna be ready until 2018. How much can these idiots be pushed before they realise how much Im laughing in their faces? Cmon fools, you ever gonna wake up? Obama is now hoping for the next government shutdown post February 2014 which he estimates may be the final crack in the will of the people. The next debt ceiling will mean EBT shutdown, social security and Medicare stopped. How about taking your money from your bank account to pay off the debt I created? Maybe the people may get the message then, although well have to see, Obama said laughing hysterically. Former UK prime minister, Gordon Brown has praised president Barack Obama for doing the exact things he did when he was in power turn everything into shit. Speaking in Washington D.C the former PM was on a visit to Americas capital to visit his compatriot but was then told Obama was still in Hawaii on holiday. I am sorry to have missed my little friend Obama. He is Americas Gordon Brown. I taught him everything he knows about the reverse Midas touch. As you all know everything I touched turned to shit and I took Britain to the very edge of an abyss. So too is my protege Barry Obarmy, taking America to the precipice with his crazy little socialist projects and what not. Anyway Obama I left youse a wee lil haggis in the White House so you can enjoy it with your wife and children when you all come back. You must be having a great time in Hawaii, I hope youre spending as much taxpayer money as you can. Oh reminds me of the good old days. Ah, memories, like a festering turd ambling down the side of a toilet bowl. Enjoy! The Pussy Rioters were freed a few hours ago and have vowed to continue Pussy Rioting in the new year. We are ever so pleased to have been released from our prison cells. As a Pussy Rioter we on occasion even thought about indulging in a bit of Pussy Prison Riot fun but we didnt want our sentences extended. It aint worth the trouble, one of the Pussy Riot girls said. LONDON - England - Why is mass migration good for the UK and the EU? A British think tank has come up with some thoughts about the positive nature of super states and how genetic mixing is beneficial to human existence, economically as well as socially. The No Borders think tank has revealed an alternative view to the mass EU migration into the UK we are currently seeing today. To have a truly global world, there must not be any borders or nationalism. Migration therefore should be encouraged because it encourages diversity and mixing of human genetic DNA. To have a nation with one homogeneic genetic structure is destructive in the long run. This is why, for example the UK, which used to be staunchly nationalistic inherently racist nation, is a prime example of how populations can be altered irreversibly for the better. The EU, has done an excellent job in the destruction of the traditional English population, but from the destruction will come a new race of EU citizens, a vast melting cauldron of genetic diversity which is needed to further the EU agenda, professor Miles Ainsworth, told the BBC. The professor added: Economically, the EU is a master of the UK. It has engineered a super state which has clandestinely appropriated a sea of change unrivalled in British history. As for political concepts like democracy, these are ideologies that will be phased out completely later on. There is no need for such a fake premise as democracy, as the concept never really existed in reality anyway. The EU is overt now, and as time goes by, they will restructure the UK completely. For the better, of course, because the EU includes and does not exclude. Russia will be the next target, because that has to be assimilated to propel growth to even higher levels. EU leaders must not make the same mistakes as previous attempted conquerors, like Napoleon and Hitler, no, the EU must bide its time and complete the task slowly and surely utilising economic technique as well as social technique, but once the great prize of Russia is assimilated, the EU will be untouchable globally. It will no longer be a European Union but a World Union as it spreads its wings further and further finally joining with China who hold the same values, and if the United States is still around so too will they be assimilated. Your new religion will be the EU. MICHIGAN - USA - Global warming activist Al Gore has sadly disappeared into the polar vortex and is still missing. There is something to be said about divine intervention, and it has finally happened with global warming enthusiast Al Gore being sucked into a freezing polar vortex somewhere in the Midwest. According to one of Gores assistants he was somewhere between Muskegon and Kalamazoo when the polar vortex swallowed the Democrat ex vice president into the freezing vortex. Gore was out in the wilds looking to find some evidence of global warming. There was only one witness to the terrible tragedy, Lewis Dunce, 53, a beet farmer who watched from his shack told local news stations about the tragic vortexing accident. The winds were crazy wild. I saw that man, he was dressed in shorts, a Hawaiian shirt and sandals, looked like he had a sun hat on as well and sunglasses. He was walking through the snow and winds and then that was it, he just flew up into the sky with all the snow and ice. Must be that global warming huh, that sure puts the pig meat in the fire! LONDON - England - Paying car insurance is a costly affair, but do not despair, there are ways to get around the problem, so you will never need to do it ever again. Lets see, its that time of year again when you get penalised for minor traffic infractions, denting other vehicles and smashing your car through someones hedge row all resulting in a massive insurance premium hike. Dont bother yourself with such twaddle, simply follow some of these tips and you wont ever have to pay for motor insurance again in your life. 1) Have your vehicle registered in either the EU or anywhere else outside the UK. You wont need car insurance or be liable for any penalty points ever again. 2) Drive a stolen car. Naturally, we do not condone such actions but no insurance will be needed for this, although if youre caught by one of the millions of traffic cams around you could be in the shit. 3) If you have a car, sell it immediately. You will never have to pay for car insurance again, no more road tax, MOT, insane fuel prices or rip off repair costs. As of yet walking or taking public transport does not need a licence, but things could change any day as the hard up government and greedy corporations seek even more ways of fleecing the public. 4) Get a scrap piece of paper, draw a few pretty pictures on it, then scribble the words car insurance on the top. Voila, you now are insured. You can add as many years of motor insurance as you wish. If youre stopped by the rozzers simply hand over the document, and dont forget to smile. 5) Become a member of the royal family, high ranking member of parliament, secret service, celebrity chef, BBC hierarchy or anyone else deemed important. You will never have to pay for anything ever again, let alone poxy car insurance. MANCHESTER - England - It has not rained for weeks in England and Wales and people are getting a tad desperate about the drought blighting Britain. The Environment Agency has announced another drought warning in England and Wales the BBC confirmed today. We havent had a drop of rain for bloody ages. If this goes on all the reservoirs will dry up in Britain, Jim Peterson, a worker for Melcham council in Surrey revealed. There is a strict hose pipe ban in place and households have been told to flush the loo only once a week. Doris Huckley, 64, complained bitterly to the Sun newspaper about the bans in place. How ma meant to wash me air? This is ridiculous, havent seen water for weeks. Im praying for it to rain. Forgotten what it was like to have a bath. Me lawns all dry, and Ive been in the same clothes for weeks. Rain, rain where are you? Hopefully it will rain soon, but otherwise be careful with the water usage, every drop counts. SEVASTOPOL - Ukraine (Russia) - The planes carrying hundreds of libtards from the Obama administration on a mission of Obamacare landed this morning in the Crimea and were met with thousands of Russian troops. An emergency team of libtards left the airport in Washington D.C. yesterday morning, MSNBC host, Bozo Limprist, said from his show. The libtard team are armed with all sorts of things to stop the Russian soldiers in the Ukraine. Were going to reason with these brutes holding guns. Put down the weapons you might shoot someone. Its dangerous. Also you brute Russians need more styling, what is this cammo stuff youre wearing? Its so unfetching, I believe a nice v neck, some designer glasses and Jack Kerouac book under your arm would be more fashionable. These Russians need to open a few more pot shops in Crimea, then they could relax a little better, and dont forget your Kool aid you Russian war people with guns, drink up and you can be just like us, Mr Limprist, told his audience on MSNBC. No one told any of the Obamamites that if it wasnt for U.S. and EU meddling in Kiev, the Russians would not have invaded the country. TEXAS - USA - George W. Bush, the former president of the United States has spoken against the Russian invasion of the Crimea, Ukraine. Former US president George W. Bush has spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Vladimir Putin has invaded a strategic oil and gas pipeline nation because he says his people were in danger. Yeah, but where are the WMDs? At least I had a better excuse, huh. Mr Bush is currently working on a new series of paintings depicting Iraqi babies that were born deformed from depleted uranium. I like to remember my legacy. Because of me over a million humans lost their lives and millions more were displaced. Iraq is a free land now where everyone is safe in the knowledge that they could get shot or blown up at any time, the former president said from his studio. LONDON - England - The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, was kidnapped from his Westminster flat in a spectacular dawn raid this morning by a number of Primary School teachers the BBC is reporting. CCTV pictures released by the Metropolitan police show about thirty female teachers bundling into Goves flat, dragging him out by his legs into the street, then throwing him head first into a school minibus and driving off at speed. Detective Constable, Wilfred Rizzla, has put hundreds of officers on the streets searching for the popular Education Secretary. As we all know Michael Gove is a much loved individual nationally and we are at a loss as to how and why this kidnapping could have occurred. Hopefully he will not be tortured whilst in captivity, or have his head dunked in a bucket of dog mess. MOSCOW - Russia - President, Vladimir Putin, is currently moving his troops away from the Ukrainian border, or so he claims. Im only ordering a temporary move away from the border, because the Swiss bankers have gone and told the Yankee swine where my stash is kept. I thought it was hidden well enough but they seem to have located it. Now, there will be a temporary reprieve, but once I get my money to a safe zone, then it will be back to business, a rather worried Putin told the Duma on Wednesday. Turning the screw Things were bound to get a little personal, and Obamas advisers certainly have done the trick with this one. Putin can console himself that he has managed to make Obama look like a rank amateur, however next time Vlad, move the money out first. LONDON - England - British politicians have been watching with awe and a certain amount of jealousy at the way Turkish voters are treated by their politicians. Well, its no secret that we would so, so much want to do the same in Britain, but it would sort of go against all the laws we have here in this country. Maybe we could rustle up a few changes to the law in the next parliament session, an admiring Conservative MP for Bridleswaide, Arthur Cone, told the BBC. The photograph of a Turkish politician kicking a downed flailing voter was shown in parliament yesterday, and the sounds of admiration emanating from the British MPs confirmed to news crews that such behaviour is truly desired and respected. Well, come the next election, quite a lot of MPs will themselves get a good kicking, in the UK and most probably in dictatorial Turkey. OSLO - Norway - The fall of Iraq's second largest city to Al Qaeda fighters has precipitated calls for President Obama to get a second Nobel Peace Prize. President Obama is tipped to get his second Nobel Peace prize for the fall of Mosul by Al Qaeda fighters in Iraq, Henry Drawber, a Nobel Peace prize judge revealed today. Mosul, is Iraqs second largest city, home to one million people, and it was overrun by Al Qaeda today. With Obama giving up half of Ukraine, and now Iraq, we definitely think hes up for the peace prize. Im going to smoke that fat joint Obama sent over from America, where he is the chief dealer now. Since president Obamas inauguration the world has seen less war, less economic hardship and more war within the fake resurgence in the global economy. The president won his first Nobel Peace prize because ARIZONA - USA - Millions of poor South Americans are being welcomed with open arms into the United States thanks to an Obama Amnesty on Immigration. The thousands pouring over the border every hour are being greeted with free housing, Obamaphones, and free health care thanks to Obamas generosity. We got food for all yall, anything you want. Go tell all your other poor friends, family, banditos anyone. You all can come here, its the land of dreams. You get a house, food, free health care, and safety, a U.S. border guard told a group of 8,000 children streaming over the Arizona border. Opening the borders of America means Obama has brought unity to the North and South American continent. The president, who was attending a luncheon at the White House today praised the progress in his open border policy. I was on the phone to Zuckerberg and I said, we need to open the borders show some Obamalove. There is now no border in the United States. This is progress and will be good for America because were flooding the country with even more poor people. But, thats okay because the U.S. taxpayer can pay for them all, as long as everyones paying their Obamacare taxes, we do not have a problem. You should all be happy about my love for everyone in South America and Mexico. You are all welcome. I love you all. YORKSHIRE - England - Tony Blair is pleading for a second land invasion of Iraq by British and American troops. An Iraq veteran asked a very important question to Tony Blair today after the ex PM revealed he wants Britain to send troops to Iraq again. Why dont you send your sons and daughter to Iraq? former tank Commander, Captain Mark Braithwaith, who served with the British armoured tank division, and lost both his legs, told the Army Times. Tony Blair and other politicians were strangely quiet about that particular question. The elected by the people EU president, Jean-Claude Juncker is proposing the Houses of Parliament be made into a shopping centre, reminiscent of Brent Cross. It is with great pleasure, that as full power is aligned with Brussels, you English swine will have no need for your Houses of Parliament. The EU will instead demand you build a faceless concrete monstrosity over the ruins of Pugin and Barrys masterpiece. Maybe you can have some of your former politicians scrubbing the toilets, we want them clean when we come over to spend our taxpayer expenses. Clean up my pisse, Cameron you snivelling batard! Juncker said whilst sipping a jug of cognac. WASHINGTON D.C. - USA - As the world gears up for the first female U.S. president, a think tank of anthropological experts reveal some thoughts on the present and future. The death of patriarchy is nearing its final step, as socio-political movements within the western world shift the power base from men to women overtly. Destabilising the masculine is a tried and tested method in reducing power in societies, as the female takes over the reigns, men will be marginalised, reduced to ogling from the side lines. For the past two decades misandry has been encouraged in all forms of media, where men have been denigrated purely for being men. The war on men has also been a cause celebre for the destruction of the family in all of its traditional biological forms. Where women in the past were the mothers, sisters, wives keeping families together, this no longer exists. The West must therefore prepare for increased societal changes that will promote homosexuality and misanthropy. Extreme feminism will make it a crime to enjoy the pleasures of the female form as their goal is to subvert human nature and emasculate all men. Hillary Clinton, once she is voted into office, will bring her skewed Alinskyite, aggressive feminist fervour as well as her deep seated hatred of men to the fore, her hatred for her husband deep down, is rooted in many of his dalliances. She will punish men as a whole for that, it is in her soul. Purging of the masculine, is an altogether effective technique in destabilising society so that humans can be weakened and controlled more easily due to societal breakdown. Strong societies are led by strong men and yielding strong women, this is not the case any more in the west. Western controllers like to display their supposed inclusive facade sometimes, with the first black president, and then the first female president. One must not forget the covert power is there to project diversity, whatever will work at that time will work for their own ends. The counter to all of this Western emasculation, is of course the East, which is now the masculine power. Where the West has promoted homosexuality and feminism, the patriarchal masculine side is exemplified in countries like Russia and areas like the Middle East. When it comes to war, the laws of nature have a myriad of strands that cannot be quantified simply, however the next conflict will determine the way the singular global governing force lies. With the underlying male and female characteristics of biological nature, the advent of AI systems and robotics, will in itself cause a challenge to the male and female concept, possibly eradicating these elements of biology completely. LONDON - England - Poor Julian Assange, the Wikileaks fugitive has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for two whole years on trumped up charges concocted by angry people in government. Here are five novel ways Julian Assange can exit the Ecuador embassy in London, which is heavily guarded by British policemen. 1) At midnight Julian goes to the roof of the embassy where he enters a rocket. This high powered jet rocket propels him over the stratosphere and is an exact replica of an Intercontinental ballistic missile except for minor modifications and a human compartment. Once over the Ecuadorian jungle a parachute is deployed bringing Assange back to earth with a soft landing. A homing beacon will alert a rescue team which will arrive quickly before Assange is eaten by wild jungle animals. 2) In the last two years of incarceration Julian Assange may have been tunnelling under the embassy. If the Palestinians can do it in Gaza why not Assange? He has cutlery, maybe a spoon, and he could have been disposing of the soil by some ingenious plan like putting it in his pudding after meals or dropping it out the window onto a policemans head. 3) On the hour of his exit from the embassy, 10,000 exact replicas of Julian Assange turn up in the street. What are the cops going to do, arrest every single one of them? 4) Julian Assange gets a sex change on the NHS and becomes Julia Assange, therefore he/she is not liable for any trumped up charges as she is a different person to Julian Assange. This one could be painful for the poor fellow, especially if the meat and two veg have to go. 5) Julian Assange invents a teleport machine where his particles are transported to a remote location far away from the Ecuador embassy in London. 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!) Vietnams campaign to become a member of the IGF began in mid-2016 with a performance tour of artists from the Viet Bac Theatre at the 33rd World Cultural Festival in Voiron city, France. The artists also performed at street festivals and schools and made a good impression on French audiences. At IGFs plenary meeting on March 31st , CCV Director Nguyen Thanh Vuong outlined Vietnamese folklore, saying Vietnam needs to preserve, promote, and diversify its traditional culture and make it a passport to global integration. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son noted that Vietnams culture is a blend of the diverse cultures of 54 ethnic groups. Vietnam has had 11 intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO, including Quan Ho folk singing, Hue Royal Court Music, and the Gong Cultural Space of the Central Highlands. Ambassador Son said The Culture Centre of Vietnams IGF membership will enhance dialogue and mutual understanding between countries. The Union will contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultures and folklores. IGF President Dorel Cosma said Vietnams membership will contribute to IGFs success. IGF membership enables Vietnam to access information, engage in folklore projects, and share the folklore museum network with other IGF members. Vietnam can also receive financial and technical support from other countries and invite foreign artists to perform at local events. Company currently employees over 10,000 people across its various manufacturing facilities and outlets. New Delhi: Footwear and apparel firm Woodland plans to add up to 120 exclusive outlets across India by the end of 2018 as it also gears up to enter Japan and South Korea. Currently, the company has 600 exclusive outlets apart from presence in 5,000 multi-brand stores in India. "We plan to open up to 120 exclusive company-operated outlets across India by end of 2018 apart from growing our presence in multi-brand outlets," Woodland Managing Director Harkirat Singh told PTI. The company is also planning to foray into Japan and Korea as part of the expansion plans, he added. "We are planning to go to Japan and Korea in a year's time. We are already present in South East Asian countries, in CIS countries and in the Middle-East and African countries," Singh said. When asked about revenues, Singh said: "We clocked revenue of Rs 1,200 crore in the last fiscal year and we are looking for a growth of 15 to 20 per cent going forward." The company, which produces most of its products in-house, is also looking to add to its employees strength as part of its growth plans. "As we grow with opening of more stores and strengthening the segments that we are in, we will also be adding to our workforce," Singh said without sharing details. At present, footwear constitutes the biggest segment for the company followed by apparels and accessories. The company currently employees over 10,000 people across its various manufacturing facilities and outlets. There are 21 public sector banks, post merger of six lenders with SBI, in the country New Delhi: The finance ministry has asked the heads of public sector banks to finalise the modalities for timely implementation of the next pay revision from November. There are 21 public sector banks, post merger of six lenders with SBI, in the country. They together employ about 8 lakh people. In a communication to CEOs and MDs of the state-owned banks, the ministry advised them to initiate the steps for smooth conclusion of next wage revision of the employee within the time-frame. "However, it is seen that several banks are yet to proceed in the matter," it said, requesting the PSBs to "look into the matter and conclude the next wage revision prior to the effective date of November 1, 2017". The wage revision of public sector bank employees takes place every five year. The last revision was effected in November 2012. In the last wage negotiation between PSU banks employee unions and bank management, Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had settled at 15 per cent hike. Recently, Banks Board Bureau chief Vinod Rai had made a case that the compensation package across the board of public sector banks needs to be improved. "Maybe, we are not able to do much with the fixed part of compensation package but (with) variable part we are hopeful that in the next financial year (2017-18), we will be able to introduce a far more attractive package which do have bonuses, ESOPs and other performance linked incentives as part of the package," he had said. Rai has also suggested that managing directors of the public sector banks should be appointed for minimum 6 years. At the national level, direct tax collections in 2016- 17 stood at Rs 8.47 trillion, up 14.2 per cent over the the last fiscal. Mumbai: The Mumbai income tax zone, which contributes a third of the nationwide direct tax collection, has missed the revenue mop-up target for FY17 by a whisker, a department official has said. "The Mumbai zone has missed the target of Rs 2.79 trillion for fiscal 2017 by a wafer-thin margin," an official of the income tax department told PTI here. However, the official didn't give the exact amount which has been collected from the nation's financial capital. Citing the reason for missing the mark, the official said, "We have given refunds by over 30 per cent when compared to the previous year and it was one of the major reasons for marginally missing the target." The Mumbai zone had achieved the revenue collection of Rs 2.48 trillion in the previous fiscal. At the national level, direct tax collections in 2016- 17 stood at Rs 8.47 trillion, up 14.2 per cent over the the last fiscal. The department was able to meet the target for fiscal 2017 whereas it had missed the mark for pan-India in the previous financial year. Meanwhile, Bengaluru topped the chart in collection of direct taxes among all the metros for the year, while the national capital saw a marginal growth. In percentage terms, Bengaluru upped the chart with a 21 per cent growth at Rs 90,000 crore, whereas New Delhi's collections inched up by 5 per cent to Rs 1.1 trillion. In contrast, Chennai zone grew 18 per cent at Rs 60,000 crore and Kolkata by 15 per cent at Rs 36,500 crore, the official added. Further details regarding the assault are awaited. Mumbai: Arjun Rampal, who was last seen in Sujoy Ghoshs Kahaani 2,has been accused of assault in Delhi. The actor allegedly got angry after a photographer clicked a picture of him, upon which the actor snatched his camera & threw it away which hit the complainant injuring him, reported ANI. An official complaint was filed in Delhi later on against the actor. According to the complainant, the incident took place in a five-star hotel. Arjun will next be seen in Ashim Ahluwalias Daddy. The film is a biopic based on the life of infamous gangster-turned-politician, Arun Gawli. Further details regarding the assault are awaited. Tran Thi My Hanh, Deputy Director of Hapros Ho Chi Minh City branch, said that the company wants to study customers interest and demand during its first participation in the event, while seeking partners to expand cooperation in the import and export of Halal products. Some of Hapros products like candies and spices, along with cashew nuts, lotus seeds and taro from other Vietnamese businesses were highly valued by international visitors. Counsellor of the Vietnam Trade Office in Malaysia Nguyen Son Ha said the Halal market has immense potential for Vietnamese businesses, especially agricultural product exporters. The office will continue to support local businesses in entering Malaysias halal market, he pledged. The MIHAS is a large-scale showcase on foods and services of Muslim-standard. The showcase drew 580 businesses from 33 countries and territories this year, including those from ASEAN, the Middle East and Europe./. New Delhi: After the nation woke up to the news of Arjun Rampal assaulting a youth at a five-star hotel here, the actor has come up with a clarification, defying the news. He took to Twitter to state, "Not assaulted anyone." "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan?Man!!Where do people make this news up from?Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews," he tweeted. For the unversed, as per information, the actor, who was playing the DJ console the hotel last night, was peeved when a photographer tried to click his pictures. He then snatched his camera and threw it towards the audience on the dance floor, injuring Shobit badly. According to Shobit, "I went for a Saturday night party. Arjun Rampal was playing the DJ console. He suddenly threw a camera towards the audience, which hit me." "I don't know why he threw the camera. The incident took place at around 3.30 am. I have complained, but the police have not taken any action. No FIR has been registered till now," he added. The film is slated to release in the US on May 4, 2018. Mumbai: Actor Josh Brolin's Thanos will be joined in Avengers: Infinity War by his comic book second in command, the deadly warrior Corvus Glaive. Actor Terry Notary recently revealed some hints about his role in the movie and if sources to be believed the Warcraft star might play Glaive, reported Digital Spy. "I'm working with Josh Brolin and three other actors, and I'm playing Josh Brolin's right-hand bad guy in the film," he recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't say the name of the character or I think Marvel will sever my head, but I apply those same principles of what it means to drop bullshit and just play a character (that's) truly evil. And it's working. It's truly working." This strongly hints at Notary playing Glaive, with his three fellow actors playing other members of Thanos's crack troops, the Black Order. Avengers: Infinity War will hit the UK cinemas on April 27, 2018, following in the US theatres on May 4, 2018. Mumbai: At the launch ceremony of the dating app in the city, Hrithik Roshan, who is the brand ambassador of the product, said, "While endorsing any brand, I check the relevance of the product and my contribution through it to the society." One knows what kind of contribution is he going to give to the society by associating with this dating app. However, when the time arrived to get real, the handsome hunk flew away even before anyone could bombard him with his relationship status questions. Its nice to see the recently divorced heartthrobs association with the dating app. Now, the question unanswered remains, 'Will Hrithik, who is now single, ever use the dating app to mingle again?' Jenner's outing came just two days after the soft drink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. Mumbai: Supermodel Kendall Jenner covered her face from paparazzi as she returned home to LA following the controversial protest-themed Pepsi commercial she starred in. The 21-year-old diva sported a leopard-print coat, a black shirt with leather pants and white sneakers as she arrived at Los Angeles International Airport after spending some time overseas for Paris Fashion Week, reported US weekly. She placed her left hand over her face as her bodyguard escorted her to a car outside the airport. Jenner's outing came just two days after the soft drink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. The commercial showed Jenner ending a riot by offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Many viewers accused the company of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement. Mumbai: The cast of The Fate of the Furious remembered their most favourite co-star Paul Walker at the New York premiere of the movie. Actor Vin Diesel introduced the film by telling the audience that every scene was shot with Walker in mind, according to the Hollywood Reporter Also, present at the screening were Walker's mother and daughter. "We like to say the last one is for Paul and this one is from Paul. We wanted to make the best movie possible," one of the cast members Ludacris told audience. Walker, who died in a tragic car crash in November 2013, was one of the Universal franchise's original actors. Her first chance to face the camera in Malayalam was along with Mohanlal for an ad film. Even when acting in that less-than-a-minute video, Priyanka Agrawal had not expected that she would land in a Malayalam film with Mohanlal as the hero. Now with the Major Ravi-directed 1971: Beyond Borders, that has happened. It was in September that I got a call to the film, begins the actress. My first ad film in Malayalam was directed by Priydarshan sir. And it was Priyan sir who suggested my name to Major sir, who was looking for a north Indian actress to essay the role of a Pakistani girl, she recollects. Priyanka attended the audition before getting selected for the role. As I said, I acted as Pakistani woman in two getups. One was as the wife of Pakistani Lieutenant Colonel Muhammed Akhram Raja essayed by Bollywood actor Arunoday Singh. In the film set against the backdrop of 1971, I also appear as a 65-year old woman in a scene that shifts to the current period, says the actress. I was overwhelmed when I got the call to act in a film with Lal sir. But sadly, we had no combination scenes. Now I am looking forward to get more roles in Malayalam as well as Telugu. I am getting many offers, says the model-turned-actress who hails from Mumbai. Quizzed about her confirmed project, she says, As of now, I am committed to a Bollywood project which will start rolling in September. The film will be produced by Eros. I am not free to divulge more. Ernakulam: Days after the Supreme Court clamped down on alcohol being sold near highways, bar owners with establishments within 500 metres of the national highways have been worried about going out of business over the instructions. But there are few who arent worried at all as they have found creative ways to ensure that their bars dont have to shut shop. According to a news portal, the owner of Aishwarya Restrobar in Keralas Paravoor built a maze which is around 300 metres long leading up to the entrance of the bar. This serves the purpose of allowing owners to clearly state that they are no longer within 500 metres of NH 17. While it remains to be seen how someone will find their way out in case they are too drunk, the idea is a definitely an innovative solution to a problem which has bar owners worried. A police team later went to the house and shifted the partially decomposed bodies of the woman and kid to Chengalpet GH for post mortem and arrested Loganathan for murder. Chennai: A 43-year-old building contractor allegedly hammered his second wife and 2-year-old son to death after a quarrel on Friday morning and later on Saturday surrendered to Guduvancherry police. The incident took place in Ayyancheri near Oorapakkam in Kancheepuram district. According to the police, the man, identified as Loganathan, had married Deepthi (29) a native of Bengal, four years ago after a love affair, with the permission of his first wife and the women were living in different houses. Deepthi was working in a beauty parlour. Loganathan started fighting with Deepthi because of her friendly nature and interaction with people. He suspected infidelity and picked up a quarrel on a regular basis. On Friday, after a fight, he hit Deepthi and their son Ronak with a hammer and murdered them. He later went to work and slept in the same house after he returned. On Saturday, he went to work and only at around 8.45 did he surrender to the Guduvancherry police. A police team later went to the house and shifted the partially decomposed bodies of the woman and kid to Chengalpet GH for post mortem and arrested Loganathan for murder. Hyderabad: The Special Operations Team of Shamshabad raided sand transporters and nabbed five persons. Tractors loaded with sand were recovered from them on Sunday. The accused were identified as Sami Kistaiah, Misani Ravi, Sodipet Ravi, Nagani Ramesh and Mani Satyam. The arrested persons were unemployed in summer. They planned to smuggle sand from Shabad area. We recovered the tractors carrying the illegally transported sand and arrested them, said sub inspector N. Sridhar Reddy. A case was booked under Section 379 (theft) of MMDR (Minerals and Mines Development and Regulations Act and the PDPP Act (Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act) and the culprits were remanded. Guwahati: The Assam government on Sunday announced a draft population policy which suggested denial of government jobs to people with more than two children and making education up to university level free for all girls in the state. This is a draft population policy. We have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference in Guwahati. Any person getting a job after meeting this condition will have to maintain it till end of his service, he added. For employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and others government benefits, this two-children norm will be applicable. Besides, all elections such as panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the state election commission will also have this norm for candidates, Sarma said. Sarma, who is also the Education minister, said the policy also aims to give free education to all girls up to university level. We want to make all facilities free, including fees, transportation, books and mess dues in hostels. This step is also likely to arrest the school dropout rate, he added. Sarma further said the proposed population policy will seek to debate on increasing the legal age of marriage from 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. If anybody has child marriage then he will be ineligible for government job, the minister said. The policy will also seek stringent laws to prevent violence and sexual abuse of women, he added. Besides, a proposal for providing incentives is also included for poor persons, who take care of their elderly parents. The policy will also care for the adolescents. We will work for public awareness and reach out through religious leaders, NGOs, parliamentarians and media in this regard, Sarma said. The policy proposes to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre, he added. The minister also said he will consider including a provision for giving 50 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and elections. Till July, we will seek public suggestions. Then it will go to the Assembly for debate and adopting a resolution. We have to go step by step and we are in no hurry. This is the long-term thing that BJP had promised in the Vision Document, Sarma said. Service rules of 48 departments will have to be amended for adopting the proposed policy, he said, adding it will take at least three years and he will be happy if the policy takes the final shape by next Assembly polls in 2021. We want to move from primarily a medical-led policy to a socially responsible policy. We want to have a behavioural change and there will be policy incentives. Assams current population is 3.12 crore as per 2011 Census and it increased by one crore from 2001, Sarma said. In a meeting with the Japanese official in Tokyo on April 7th, Thang, who is on a visit to Japan, appreciated the Japanese Governments assistance for projects to improve the water environment in HCM City. Illustrative image (Source: VNA) He said HCM City is suffering from severe impacts of climate change, adding that many areas in the city are flooded whenever there is rain or tide. According to Thang, HCM City is home to over 1,000 projects invested by Japanese enterprises with a total investment of over USD355 billion. For his part, Keiichi Ishii stressed that his country wants to continue cooperating with HCM City in projects to upgrade and develop infrastructure, including those on water supply and drainage. The same day, the Vietnamese official paid a courtesy visit to Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio, who expressed his belief that HCM City will continue to be an attractive destination for Japanese investors in the time ahead. Thang affirmed that HCM City attaches special importance to relations with Japan, hoping that Japanese firms will increase investment in the city./. New Delhi: Indian and Chinese Navies on Sunday rescued a merchant ship off the Gulf of Aden, which had been hijacked by pirates. Indian Navy warships INS Mumbai, a guided missile destroyer, and INS Tarkash, a Russian-built guided missile frigate were the first to respond to the alert sent out by the United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), said an NDTV report. The UKMTO was monitoring the movement of the merchant ship sailing between Kelang in Malaysia and the Port of Aden. The Chinese, Italian and Pakistani Navies also responded to the alert, said the report. But the Indian Navy warships deployed a helicopter and raced to the merchant ship after establishing direct communication with the ships crew. The crew were hiding in the citadel of the ship, an enclosed location meant for protection from pirate attack. After the Indian Navys action, Chinese special forces also moved in for the rescue operation, and boarded the bulk carrier to sanitise the ship of pirates. However, no pirates were found on board, said the report, indicating that they had fled as the two Navies responded to the distress call. The NDTV report added that the Chinese Navy had thanked their Indian counterparts for the mission. Ahmedabad: Like Hindu society which abolished practices like child marriage, dowry and sati, Muslims should mull over putting an end to the triple talaq divorce system, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday. Naidu said it is high time that the Muslim society should introspect and have a healthy discussion on the triple talaq issue in order to give justice to their women. "Triple talaq is not allowed and everybody knows it, yet there are few people who are doing injustice with Muslim women. It's high time that the Muslim society should witnesses change," Naidu told the media here. "Like the Hindu society changed a lot, we abolished child marriage, dowry, sati. I believe that there should be a healthy discussion in the Muslim society regarding this issue and that they should chalk out a solution," he added. The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue 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 the Muslims community on May 11. Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among the Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. Meanwhile, Naidu while commenting on the Ram temple issue said the government hails the Supreme Court's order in the regard, adding it is to be seen how amicably both sides can churn out a solution. "The Supreme Court has asked us to amicably decide over the matter. It is a very good thought, but till what extent this matter can be discussed to churn out a solution is yet to be seen," said Naidu The apex court had earlier described Ram temple as a ''sensitive and sentimental'' issue and called for an amicable settlement of the dispute by all concerned parties. Earlier on March 21, the apex court had suggested an out-of-court settlement in the highly vexed case. The top court had set March 31 as the deadline for all parties involved to present their stance on the issue. While most of the parties including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP have welcomed the apex court's suggestion, the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) had rejected the idea. New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the path of Jainism can be an antidote to terrorism, the "biggest challenge" facing the world, as it completely rejects violence which is the foundation of terrorism. Non-violence is the path as well the goal of the Jainism, he said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir while noting that this makes the faith relevant in these times when terrorism is affecting the entire world. The Home Minister also expressed his disagreement with the view that Jainism, whose followers have been granted the status of a minority in India, is distinct from Hinduism. He said while non-violence is a "subject" in Hinduism, Jainism has dwelled deeply into it and done a "PhD". He did not think that it is separate from Hinduism, he said. The faith's followers may be few in number but their belief is strong, he said, holding that its core principles are scientific. Singh said Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Maurya empire, followed Jainism and was the first king to unite the nation. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also spoke on the occasion and urged people to follow the path shown by Lord Mahavir. Several other BJP leaders, including Union minister Kalraj Mishra, also addressed the event. Chennai: The Income Tax department has summoned Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, actor-politician R Sarath Kumar and a noted educationist to appear before it Chennai on Monday in connection with a tax evasion probe. "Yes. It is a normal procedure," IT sources told PTI when asked whether the department has issued summons to the three persons including the Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr M G R Medical University, Geethalakshmi. The Health Minister, meanwhile, said he would appear before the department tomorrow and extend his full cooperation to the probe. "I have received the summons. I am a law-abiding citizen. So, tomorrow morning I will definitely be in the IT office and give my full cooperation," he said. Yesterday, Vijayabaskar's father Chinnathambi, and a relative had appeared before the department in Tiruchirapalli in connection with the April 7 searches. Nearly 100 sleuths of the IT department along with security personnel had conducted searches at over 30 locations across the state belonging to the official residence and properties owned by Vijayabhaskar and also at the home of Sarath Kumar in Chennai. The searches on the premises of an associate of the minister allegedly revealed routing of Rs 89 crore for "distribution to voters" in R K Nagar Assembly constituency which goes to the poll on April 12. The Election Commission on Sunday said that it would decide on Monday whether the bypoll should be cancelled, after examining the reports said by IT officials. Vijayabaskar is a prominent loyalist of AIADMK (Amma)faction's candidate T T V Dinakaran for the R K Nagar bypoll and the first state minister to come under the lens of taxmen. He is among the key campaigners in the bypoll. Vijayabaskar had slammed the raids by the I-T department saying, "their intentions were not fulfilled." "They have not seized any unaccounted money or documents. Their intentions are not fulfilled by the raids," he had said. The bypoll to the R K Nagar Constituency has been necessitated due to the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016. Chennai/ New Delhi: By-elections in Chennais RK Nagar constituency may be cancelled, Election Commission officials said on Sunday according to a report. An NDTV report, quoting sources, said that after a cash for votes scandal surfaced on Saturday, allegedly implication the Sasikala faction of AIADMK, EC will decide on Monday whether to cancel the bypoll. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and other EC officials will take the decision after they examine reports sent by Income Tax officials from the state and Centre. On Friday, IT officials said that they had seized documents showing transaction details of Rs 89 crore, allegedly linked to the RK Nagar poll expense of AIADMK candidate TTV Dinakaran. Raids across Tamil Nadu on Friday, including at the residence of Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, had unearthed the documents. Seven senior AIADMK leaders including chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy, who are members of election working committee of AIADMK (Amma), had been tasked with distributing money to voters, and targets had been set for the same, said IT officials. As per the available documents, the 256 booths and the total 2.63 lakh voters were divided among CM Palanisamy, school education minister K A Sengottaiyan, Rajya Sabha MP Vaithiyalingam, forest minister Dindigul S Srinivasan, electricity minister P Thangamani, local administration minister S P Velusamy and finance minister D. Jayakumar and accordingly money, running into crores of rupees, was divided for distribution. While Rs 13.13 crore was listed against Sengottaiyan with 37 booths for him to handle, CM has 38 booths with 13.27 crore listed against him. A sum Rs 11.13 crore is listed against Vaithiyalingam with 33 booths, while Srinvasan had 36 booths to take care and Rs 12.83 crore is listed against him. The documents showed Rs 12.67 crore listed against P. Thangamani him and 37 booths are given to him for handling. S. P. Velumani has 42 booths and Rs 14.91 crore listed against him while Jayakumar had 33 booths with Rs 11.68 crore listed against him. Health minister Dr C Vijayabaskar was working under SP Velusamy, a document showed. A senior I-T official said that a report on the document showing distribution of money to voters has been passed to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi through the Central Board of Direct Taxes. "Similar documents were seized from the house of Vijayabaskar, MLA hostel room and a lodge in Egmore during raids. Vijayabaskar had admitted it and signed the document seized from his residence," IT official said. The minister had also tendered an apology for using his driver to throw away certain documents and handed over the same documents later to the I-T investigators. Income tax officials believe that the money distribution was almost over because they had been doing it systematically with 7 ministers in control. The income tax official said that they would certainly investigate the sources of money. New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday strongly pitched for an all-India law against cow slaughter and asked the vigilante groups to obey the law while espousing the cause of protecting the animal. "We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country," he said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir here. The RSS chief said the work of cow protection should be continued by obeying the law. "Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause and the law must be obeyed," he said. He claimed that the threat perception from these Bangladeshis and Rohingyas who are criminals has been increasing. (Photo: AFP) Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has been clouded by a new controversy which is fraught with dangerous ramifications and could generate mistrust and hate between its Hindu-majority Jammu and Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley regions. Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) president Rakesh Gupta on Friday told a press conference in the winter capital that if the government fails to deport all Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar and Bangladeshi nationals from Jammu within one month and book the people on whose land these foreigners have settled under the States stringer Public Safety Act (PSA), it would launch an identify and kill campaign against them. He said there was no wrong in taking such action against these people as they were involved in drug trafficking and other criminal and anti-social activities. He claimed that the threat perception from these Bangladeshis and Rohingyas who are criminals has been increasing. He said, These settlers are criminals and drug traffickers, who were disowned by their own country and we seek their deportation because the JCCI is committed to protect the interests of the people at large in the State as a part of social corporate responsibility. He added that neither the J&K government is signatory to any United Nations treaty nor Article 370 allows illegal foreign settlers for any permanent settlement in the State. Earlier Gupta had said the presence of these refugees in Jammu was part of a sinister campaign by unseen forces to change the demography of the region by settling a Muslim population from foreign lands. But it is his identify and kill threat that has evoked sharp reaction and condemnation by the political, social and trade organizations in the Valley. They have alleged that these Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugees are being condemned in such fashion and even threats openly issued to them on false and fabricated grounds only because they are Muslims. Asked Muhammad Yasin Khan, the chairman of Srinagar-based Kashmir Economic Alliance, How can you use words like identify and kill in a civilized society and what is stopping the government to file an FIR into this irresponsible statement which has come from a reputed organisation of Jammu Inc? He said if JCCI feels unsafe because of few thousands Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims, why it was silent over the issue of West Pakistan refugees. Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) while condemning the "vigilantism" of JCCI and its president said the "identify and kill" policy should apply to the West Pakistan refugees as well. "KCCI strongly condemns the statement made by the president of JCCI wherein he threatened to identify, catch and kill Rohingya refugees in Jammu. The statement is uncalled for, irresponsible and divisive." It added, "The KCCI warns that same could be applicable to the West Pakistan refugees as well. Instead of involving itself in activities beneficial for the trade and commerce, JCCI has taken upon itself the role of vigilantalism. It urged the JCCI to immediately withdraw the statement or ready to face consequences." Identical statements have been issued by several other organisations in the Valley. Independent MLA and leader of regional Awami Itehad Party (AIP) Sheikh (Engineer) Abdur Rashid on Saturday filed a complaint in Srinagars Raj Bagh police station seeking registering an FIR against various office bearers of the JCCI including its president Gupta. The complaint seeks action as warranted under criminal law against JCCI for spreading terror and threatening peace of Jammu province. Rashid said, The harsh language and death threats given by JCCI office bearers to Rohingya Muslims is yet again a strong evidence to believe that the state administration has nothing in its control and law of the land is subservient to these communal and radical forces. He alleged that the threat to Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees is actually part of a deep conspiracy to create communal tension in Jammu region with well crafted goal. He warned the government of dire consequences if communal forces including office bearers of JCCI are not arrested and taken to task. He also alleged that Rohingya refugees are being harassed for only being Muslims. If their being non-state subjects matters so much to these communal forces why should not they demand expulsion of (erstwhile) West Pakistan refugees and those thousands living in temporary shelters in Kashmir during springs and summers and also those thousands of families illegally settled in Jammu, he asked. But Gupta defended himself and said that it wont be an offence to deal sternly with such criminals and drug traffickers as they have illegally come to Jammu. It is high time that the people at large should also shoulder and share responsibility of the security forces and deal with these people as the situation demands. He also said that the JCCI is aware of the fact that Jammus district administration has initiated the process to identify the settlers and the Union Home Ministry too has asked for details from the State government on the issue but we feel that is not enough to deal with the looming threat and we will not take it lying down till they are deported. Government sources said that there are 5,817 registered Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals often referred to as Bihari Muslims in Jammu region. However, local groups on the basis of the number of juggies they live in believe their number has crossed 10,000 mark. A Jammu lawyer Hunar Gupta who is a member of the BJPs legal cell and standing council for the Central government recently filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the J&K High Court seeking identification and deportation of Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims from Jammu. While senior advocate Sunil Sethi who is also chief spokesman of the BJP in J&K is appearing in the PIL along with Gupta, two other lawyers Shah Faisal and Fidel Sebastian have moved an application before the court, pleading that they be heard before an order is passed in the PIL which also seeks directions to the government for shifting all illegal immigrants of Myanmar and Bangladesh to any other state as no refugee camp has ever been declared either by the state of the UN in Jammu and Kashmir. Mumbai: In his interrogation, call centre scam mastermind, Sagar Thakkar, has revealed that many of his counterparts ran scams in the pharmaceuticals, banking and grants sectors. Explaining the grants scam in detail, he said that this was operated mostly from Russia and China. In this, the call centres would call up citizens from English-speaking nations, including the USA, and inform them that they had won a certain sum under a scheme or policy and for the same they needed them to deposit an initial sum and divulge their account details. The Thane police arrested 25-year-old Thakkar early on Saturday morning after he surrendered to the immigration authorities in India. He is said to be the mastermind behind a multi million-dollar scam that duped thousands of US nationals by making them pay huge fines to fake IRS employees. According to sources in the Thane police, Thak-kar is revealing details about numerous scams not just in India but also in various parts of the world. Officials said that he told them of scams in the pharmaceuticals, banking and grants sectors that are prevalent in countries like Phili-ppines, Russia, China, Pakistan, South America and Africa. He told us that a grants scam is rampant in China and Russia, which invo-lves call centre employees calling up people pretending to be government employees. They would then tell them that they had been granted a certain amount under some scheme. After the person believed them, they would ask them to deposit a certain sum to avail of them as government fees, said a police official. India has about 230 operational fighters although just half is available for operational flights at any given point of time. New Delhi: In a startling saga of compromises made on the safety and capability of India's frontline fighter aircraft besides posing danger to the life of pilots, it has come to light that at least 18 of brand new Sukhoi 30 MKI had been fitted with already-used and secondhand engines. "It was noticed while checking the recordsthat AL 31FP engines fitted in certain aircraft was in Cat B condition at the time of inspection / delivery to Indian Air Force (IAF)," said a report encapsulating the findings that have been accessed by this newspaper. The IAF's frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI is a multipurpose twin-seater supersonic fighter aircraft which is powered by two AL-31FP aero engines. While this fitment of Cat 2 (category B) or secondhand engines into brand new Sukhoi 30 MKIs was done at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) facility at Nashik "without the knowledge and approval of the defence ministry", what is surprising is the acceptance of such aircraft by the IAF. "Certain aircraft with one new and one old engine were wrongly accepted by IAF and the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance. As these arrangements were not in tune with contractual provisions, it should have been rejected by IAF and DGAQA. In any case, IAF should have obtained approval from MoD for accepting aircraft with one second hand engine. Sukhoi 30 MKI has two AL 31FP engines Pehlu Khan who was allegedly beaten to death by Gau Rakshaks in Alwar in Rajasthan.(Photo:DC/File) Jaipur: Three of the arrested in Alwar lynching case were students, who had allegedly attacked and killed a Muslim man who was transporting cows. According to a report in The Indian Express, there were students, a college physical training instructor, a popular accounts teacher, a gaushala caretaker, a local strongman, and a nurse at the same hospital where the victims were hospitalised among the arrested. However, the main accused is still on the run. Pehlu Khan and a few others were on their way to Haryana from Jaipur when the 'vigilantes' stopped two of the vehicles in Behror on Jaipur-Delhi national highway and thrashed five persons on Saturday. Earlier, Khan had named 6 people -- Hukum Chand, Navin Sharma, Jagmal Yadav, Om Prakash, Sudheer and Rahul Saini -- among those who had attacked him. Police have so far arrested Vipin Yadav, 19, Ravindra Yadav, 30, Kalu Ram Yadav, 44, Dayanand, 40, and Neeraj, 19. Dayanand and Neeraj, who police said were the most violent of the assaulters, were arrested on Saturday. Police teams are also looking for the other accused involved in the incident. They belong the group of people of Gau rakshaks who attacked vehicles transporting cows, including Khans, in Alwar of Rajasthan on April 1. Five people travelling in two vehicles were assaulted, leaving Pehlu Khan dead. All the arrested have been identified in the video clippings, said Alwar SP Rahul Prakash. We have identified dozens more and will soon announce a reward of Rs 50,000 on them. Police investigations so far havent revealed any previous cases of the accused or the arrested. Williams' rookie driver Lance Stroll wasn't able to complete a single lap of the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. He was taken out in turn 10 by a collision with Force India's Sergio Perez that left Stroll beached in the gravel run-off. The car was cleared under a virtual safety car, but Stroll had to watch the rest of the race from the pit wall. "Unfortunately, Lances race ended very quickly after being hit from behind at Turn 10," confirmed Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe. "It was a shame after his strong qualifying result yesterday." "I was hit from the rear at turn 10 and that was the end of my race," said Stroll. He added: "I was in front, knew the corner was mine and had to turn in eventually. "I got hit and then the car was broken, most likely with a puncture and damaged suspension. "It was just unfortunate as that was my race over," he sighed. The clash was reviewed by the race stewards but no further action was taken. That suggested that whatever blame for the incident was to be had was shared equally by both drivers. Despite his early exit from the race, Stroll was determined to look on the bright side of his first Shanghai weekend. "While today was difficult, we have some positives to take out of this weekend," he insisted. "The qualifying was good, even if the race was not what we wanted. It's still early days and there are a lot more opportunities. "I am now looking forward to Bahrain next weekend, and that is what I am concentrating on now," he added. GALLERY: All the pictures from Sunday in Shanghai Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter If you do not have a good grasp of journalistic principles, you are bound to flounder in doing a sting operation, which is a tightrope walk on journalistic ethics. Where Mangalam television erred seriously was in the misrepresentation of facts. Its story claimed that Transport Minister A. K. Saseendrans conversation aired by it was with a housewife. Confident of the success of its manipulation, CEO Ajith Kumar told another TV channel later that his reporters were not involved, only to be forced to make a retreat later. He admitted that it was a sting operation by its staff member. It is also notable that the reporter concerned did not present the story herself as done in legitimate sting operations. Besides, the part of her dialogue with the Minister was edited out. Apparently, the channel was not keen to probe further to find out whether the Minister would be willing to misuse his office and grant undue favours for sexual favours. Going by details that have come out, it was just a honey trap, and what we get is a glimpse of a side of the Ministers character that, at best, raises questions of propriety and morality. Its prime purpose was to tickle and create a sensational debut for the channel. There was little legitimacy for the story. Professionalism was absent. The judicial enquiry ordered by the government is a fair attempt at fact-finding though one cannot be optimistic about what ultimately would happen to the recommendations of the judicial commission, given the history of such commissions. (Reports of several commissions are gathering dust at the Government Secretariat.) Considering the importance of freedom of the Press and larger interests of media and society, it is better for the government not to use the police to probe the issues until the judicial commission submits its recommendations. However, police investigation into specific and credible complaints from individuals need not wait. When media coverage of ISRO spy case peaked, Ajith Kumar had faced some critical questions in a TV programme about media coverage of the case. His puerile explanation was that news reports are called stories in English. That translates into Kadha (fiction) in Malayalam. What we do are stories, he asserted. But such gross ignorance of the basics did not prevent his being elected president of Trivandrum Press Club. Till now, there has been hardly any peer pressure on journalists in the capital city if they breached journalistic ethics. While the majority of journalists in the city are not grossly unethical, many will not mind some favours from those seeking publicity, in disregard to guidelines issued by the Press Council of India. (This is the personal opinion of the author) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The freedom to have the drink of ones choice is not the only factor that prompts a tourist to visit a destination. These days it is potential carbon footprint a destination could leave behind that has become the chief determinant that influences top corporate clients to offer business to high-end hotels and resorts. Compliance with responsible tourism norms is no more an option for hotels and resorts in the state, it has become a business necessity. A big corporates decision to hold a convention or mega event in our property depends on the potential carbon footprint that their event or convention or stay would generate. The lesser the better, said a senior official at Vivanta by Taj. Carbon footprint is a measure of the greenhouse gases emitted by a particular activity, organisation or individual. In the case of hotels, it refers to the environmentally sustainable practices adopted by a hotel. It could be the use of solar power or the use of recycled paper bags or effective garbage treatment or amount of raw materially sourced locally or all of them. The higher the number of environmentally sound measures put in place in a property, the lesser the carbon footprint. With a large chunk of business now coming from Meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, top-end hotels have no choice, but to go in for responsible tourism initiatives like local procurement and solar power. Nearly 20 hotels and resorts in Kovalam, for instance, have opted to procure their raw materials from local units. The number is 15 in Kumarakom. Even individual clients have suddenly turned discerning. Our IT clients from Bangalore invariably ask us about potential carbon footprints, said Mr Vancheeswaran of Wayanad Tourism Organisation. A top tourism official said that the plan is to convert the entire state as responsible tourism-compliant. The stumbling block, however, has been the lack of a standard model to assess potential carbon footprint. But the World Travel and Tourism Council has now evolved one called Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative. The aim of HCMI is to develop a common language which will provide clarity to customers who would like to understand their carbon footprint. Chhatarpur: A newborn girl in Khajuraho town of Madhya Pradesh has been diagnosed with a rare medical condition with her heart beating outside the body. This rare medical condition occurs in 8 children per 10 lakh births. The baby born with the rare congenital medical condition has been shifted to AIIMS in New Delhi for treatment, an official said on Sunday. "The girl was born on April 5 at Khajuraho Health Centre in the district. She has a rare congenital medical condition called Ectopia Cordis (heart abnormally located either outside of the thorax)," Chhatarpur district hospital's civil surgeon Dr R S Tripathi told PTI. The newborn's father Arvind Patel works as a security guard at a world heritage site in Khajuraho. Chhatarpur Collector Ramesh Bhandari said the girl was first referred to a hospital in Gwalior where the doctors advised that the baby be taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. "The doctors at Chhatarpur had earlier referred the newborn baby to Gwalior. The doctors in Gwalior further referred her to AIIMS, Delhi. The baby's treatment would be carried out with financial assistance under the state government's Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana (CM's Child Heart Treatment Scheme)," Bhandari said. He also said that divisional commissioner and Gwalior district Collector are monitoring the case and all possible help would be extended to the family. "Two doctors were sent along with the baby, who was shifted to AIIMS New Delhi yesterday," Bhandari said. According to the Chhatarpur civil surgeon, this rare medical condition occurs in 8 children per 10 lakh births. "This is the second case of Ectopia Cordis in the district during the past one decade. The occurrence of this rare medical condition is eight per 10 lakh births. The first such case was reported in the district about five years back," Dr Tripathi said. He said that Ectopia Cordis is a congenital malformation in which the heart is abnormally located either partially or outside the thorax. It results from a failure of proper maturation of body wall formation during embryonic development. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. (Representational Photo/File) Ahmedabad: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and seized three boats off the Gujarat coast, an official said on Sunday. Three fishing boats from Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol were seized and 18 fishermen sailing on them captured by PMSA late Saturday night from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) Secretary Manish Lodhari said. The captured boats had set sail from the coastal town of Porbandar a few days ago, Lodhari said. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. Recently, Speaker V Vaithilingam and Bedi had locked horns over the removal of Puducherry Municipal Commissioner Chandrasekharan. (Photo: File) Chennai: DMK on Sunday hit out at Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's style of functioning and alleged that she was creating operational pressure on the administration right from the day she assumed office. Party working president M K Stalin said Bedi's action of issuing orders to officials on her own over issues that come under the purview of the Assembly Speaker would create confusion among government employees. "Though a Governor does not have the responsibility to answer people, the Chief Minister has the responsibility to answer as they are the ones who voted him to power", he said. The DMK leader said the Lt Governor, instead of posing a 'hurdle' to the functioning of the government, should work for the welfare of the people. He said it was unfortunate that Bedi had created an 'extraordinary situation' where an all-party delegation planned to meet the President and Prime Minister to complain about her style of functioning. "Like Governors of other states, she (Bedi) should work as a guiding force. It is not right on the Governor's part to ignore the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers." Recently, Speaker V Vaithilingam and Bedi had locked horns over the removal of Puducherry Municipal Commissioner Chandrasekharan. He had been put on compulsory wait by the Speaker, but it was later revoked by Bedi. Chandrasekharan was removed from the post on an order by the Speaker over a privilege motion raised by the opposition AIADMK. Boudh (Odisha): In a terrible man-animal conflict, two persons died and another sustained grievous injury when they were attacked on Saturday by three wild bears in Bhagamunda forest Odishas Boudh district, reports said on Sunday. All the three prowling bears were also killed in the conflict. Reports said Brahma Bhoi (50) along with son Pitambar Bhoi (12) and his neighbour Jogendra Bhoi (36) of Kanthisar-Bhaliapada village had on Saturday morning gone to Bhagamunda forest for collecting firewood. While collecting firewood, a female bear with its two cubs pounced upon the 12-old Pitambar. When Brahma came to rescue his son, he was also attacked by the marauding bears. Jogendra Bhoi, who was collecting firewood at a distance, rushed to the rescue of the father and son duo. The bears also did not spare him. Although the bears died on the spot, Brahma and his son died minutes later due to profuse bleeding. Suspecting something amiss in the delay in return of Brahma, his son and Jogendra to their home till the evening, villagers of Kanthisar-Bhaliapada went to the jungle to look for them. They found the father and son duo dead while Jogendra was writhing in pain. The villagers along with forest officials rushed him to local district headquarters hospital. His condition is stated to be critical. Local Madhapur forest ranger Bharat Bhoi said the two cubs were around 20-day old and their mother was a full-grown adult. When the cubs are below one-year-old, their mother does not allow anyone around them and behaves very violent. Suspecting that her cubs could face some danger from the strangers, she might have attacked them, said Bhoi. According to forest department officials, the family members of the deceased and the injured would be provided compensation as per the law. New Delhi : Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will arrive in New Delhi on Sunday for a four-day visit. Cooperation in renewable energy, clean coal and bio-fuels will be high on agenda during his visit. A number of MoUs and agreements are also to be firmed up in the areas of security, environment, sports, science and technology and health. A high-powered delegation from the education sector will also be accompanying him. This will be the first visit of Turnbull to India. However, Turnbull and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have had substantive meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 in Antalya in 2015 and in Hangzhou in 2016. The visiting leader will be accorded with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Later there will be delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Modi and Turnbull. On Tuesday, Turn bull will visit Mumbai where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table. Union minister Prakash Javadekar presents the Pragna Bharati Award to Sateesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, during the inaugural session of Pragna Bharatis Silver Jubilee celebrations at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Hyderabad on Saturday. Union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Nirmala Sitaraman are also seen. (Photo: Deccan chronicle) Hyderabad: BJP leaders are clamouring for Lok Sabha tickets in the state though scheduled general elections are two years away.They are confident that the Modi wave will prevail even in the 2019 general elections and they will easily romp home. Some even dream of becoming Union ministers like Bandaru Dattatreya.Sources in the BJP say that several leaders have already thrown in their hat for various Lok Sabha constituencies and the race for tickets is growing intense by the day. Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, presently represented by Mr Dattatreya is the most sought-after. Among the aspirants are TS BJP president K. Laxman, BJP Floor leader in the Assembly G. Kishan Reddy and BJP national general-secretary P. Muralidhar Rao. Another constituency in demand is the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency which is being eyed by MLC N. Ramachander Rao, MLA N.V.S.S. Prabhakar etc. The reason? It has a sizable Brahim population! Senior BJP leader Baddam Balreddy is eyeing the Chevella seat while Indrasena Reddy is keen on Bhuvanagiri or Malkajgiri. Among the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in TS, BJPs focus is on 10, including the ones the party had won in the past and the ones like Medak, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar and Hanamkonda, where it fancies its chances. The BJP is also trying to make inroads into Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency presently represented by MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and win it using the Uttar Pradesh model. Nalgonda, Bhuvanagiri, Adilabad, Khammam and others are also on the partys radar.BJP wants to focus on both Lok Sabha and Assembly seats for the 2019 polls. To ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins a second term and achieve two-thirds majority, BJP needs Lok Sabha seats. The party is confident of a huge win in the 2019 general elections, a senior BJP leader told DC. He added, Almost all senior leaders, including legislators are now eyeing Lok Sabha seats. Some even dream of Cabinet berths. Clamour for MP ticket will ease demand for MLA tickets. Many upcoming leaders will get tickets. The party has planned series of meetings with national-level leaders in Lok Sabha constituencies. As part of this strategy, Union minister Prakash Javadekar attended the Bhuvanagiri Lok Sabha constituency booth-level workers meet on Saturday. Hyderabad: The chances of the Telangana government convening a special session of the Legislative Assembly to pass the Muslim quota Bill before the TRS plenary meeting look remote. The party leadership is busy making arrangements for the plenary to be held on April 21 in Kompally, on the outskirts of the city, to elect the party president. This will be followed by a public meeting in Warangal on April 27 to celebrate the 16th Formation Day of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. With the BJP making it clear that it will oppose religious reservations, the TRS leadership wants to discuss the issue in its plenary meeting and take a call on how to go about it since it is not possible to include Muslim quota in the IX Schedule of the Constitution without the support of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The TS government wants the Centre to include Muslim quota in the IX Schedule, as was done in the Tamil Nadu reservation Bill, to give legal protection for reservations above the Supreme Court prescribed limit of 50 per cent overall reservation. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised in the Assembly on March 27 that the Muslim quota bill will be passed within a week. However, there has been no progress on this issue even after two weeks were over. Though the Budget session of the State Legislature concluded on March 27, the State Assembly has not been prorogued so far with the purpose of convening a special session to pass the Muslim quota bill. Donald Trump is not quite 100 days old in his new job as US President, but the world has got to know him as someone who can throw up surprises every day, if not every hour. The United States is renowned as a country of think tanks of a bewildering variety, quick to build doctrines for a new leader. They are all at their wits end trying to anticipate what he will do next. President Trump ordered the firing of 59 Tomahawk missiles to hit a Syrian airbase from where Syrian warplanes supposedly took off to spray nerve gas on civilians in Idlib, killing scores. It had echoes of former President Barack Obamas decision not to retaliate against Syria although it deliberately crossed publicly-declared red lines and upended his own policy of America First foreshadowing his distaste in fighting other peoples wars except to decimate the so-called Islamic State. Second, Mr Trump has seemingly negated his trademark policy of befriending Russias President Vladimir Putin even as Americas security establishment is all worked up over the Kremlins alleged role in influencing the US presidential election. Moscows reaction to the missile strike was expectedly severe, although Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov later indicated a more flexible line. Moscow ended a coordination agreement to avoid accidents involving military aircraft of the two countries over Syria. Thus far, the major actors are assuming that the strikes are a one-off, and US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is visiting Moscow on Tuesday for his first get-to-know trip. The secondary role Britain plays in world affairs was underlined by the cancellation of a Moscow visit by its foreign secretary Boris Johnson. What next? Thats what the world is asking as the Syrian civil war enters its seventh year, with deaths mounting and millions of Syrian people displaced at home or living abroad as refugees. There are no clear answers, even as Russia has organised the evacuation of rebels and their families to safe zones. But Moscow has an obvious responsibility to stop the carnage, given its bolstering of President Bashar al-Assads regime. One of the consequences of the gas attack is that President Trump, who was indifferent to Mr Assads fate in line with his America First credo, now wants his ouster. How it will translate itself into policy remains to be seen. Russia has travelled a long way from the early days of the Trump presidency. Its enthusiasm for the new man in the White House has waned over weeks and months, as the Kremlins alleged interference has become a salient feature of American internal debate, with Mr Trump losing his national security adviser. Mr Putin seems to suggest that the next move is Mr Trumps. These are formative stages of the Trump presidency, but many American experts worry that with his aversion to doctrines and spelling out foreign policy directions, the President relies on instinct, rather than considered policy, to chart out his moves. And the reported tussle between his senior right-wing aide Steve Bannon and son-in-law Jared Kushner further complicates the picture. Judging by the compliments Mr Trump has showered on Mr Putins qualities as a resolute leader, he can tap the goodwill he has created in Moscow to begin a serious dialogue with his counterpart. Mr Tillersons probing this week will indicate if the two nations can get together for meaningful discussions. Ironically, the important get-to-know talks Mr Trump was having with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Florida retreat were overshadowed by the Syria missile strikes. But it gave his visitor an opportunity to size up the new White House occupant, and the optimistic note taken by the official Chinese media after the two-day trip means that Beijing is careful not to annoy the US. Conventional wisdom holds that the worlds fate will be largely decided by the US, Russia and China. After the Soviet Unions breakup, President Putin has asserted his clout by helping President Assad, thus becoming an actor in the Middle East. Further, he annexed Crimea and is supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine to undo the Wests desire to grab Russias important neighbour in the aftermath of Moscows defeat in the Cold War. Much will depend on the chemistry between Mr Putin and Mr Trump and Moscows success in guiding events in Syria to a stage where the carnage can stop before the mind-boggling task of rebuilding a ruined nation can start, if indeed it can remain one nation. President Putin, as the steadier of the two leaders, has a greater responsibility to find a way out. Domestically, Mr Trump has succeeded in temporarily boosting his sagging poll ratings as he has stumbled in making his executive orders barring visitors from largely Muslim countries stick. An even greater embarrassment was his failure to get rid of Obamacare, one of his major campaign promises, through a substitute measure which had to be withdrawn due to opposition within his own Republican Party. In one respect, President Trumps instinct is right, in seeing Russian cooperation as a key to resolving major world problems. But the US agencies probe into Moscows alleged interference in the US election is a continuing distraction, and the bitterness in the two nations relationship is acute. In a sense, it all boils down to Mr Trumps capacity to evolve in his new role. He has set his own rules by bringing his family into the White Houses decision-making process. His daughter Ivanka has got space in the West Wing and her husband Jared Kushner is one of the Presidents key advisers. It is not known whether Mr Trump took inspiration from Indias dynastic politics. Opinion is divided in Washingtons policymaking elite over Mr Trumps capacity to outgrow his realty tycoon and reality TV ways and rely less on instinct than on considered policy. He related his change of heart on Syria in emotional terms, his horror in seeing children choke to death by the chemical attack. Emotions are, however, not the best guide to framing policy. Force India enjoyed a second successive run in the points with Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon following each other to close out the last two spots among the top-ten finishers. The first few laps were a complicated affair which both men negotiated without any drama, save for a miscommunication mishap between Ocon and the team's pitwall. Sergio Perez rued a poor start to his day after a slow launch off the grid and a contact with Lance Stroll's Williams which luckily did not lead to terminal consequences, although the contact did require a tyre change. "It feels great to come away from an entertaining race with some more points," said the Mexican. " The start of the race was not easy because I made a very poor start and lost five or six places before turn one. "As soon as I dropped the clutch, I went into wheel spin. I recovered some places during lap one, but then there was contact with Stroll in turn ten, which gave me a puncture. I dont think he saw me on the inside because he didnt give me any space. "You can always look back on the strategy and see things you could have done better, but I think we finished where we deserved in terms of car pace. "Its another great result for the whole team and our twelfth consecutive race in the points, which is a special achievement." Esteban Ocon's performance was also to be commended after the Frenchman charged all the way up from the rear of the field to tenth. The Frenchman was happy overall with his race but still felt he had perhaps left a few points on the table. "Finishing the race in the top ten is a good recovery, but I still feel I could have been a couple of places higher up," said Ocon. "We had the correct strategy and started the race on the right tyre, but on lap two there was a misunderstanding with the team and I drove all the way down the pit lane without stopping for tyres. "I was not supposed to come in and it cost me at least 15 seconds. It was a result of the confusion of those early laps, when everyone was diving into the pits. "Its a shame to lose time like this, but in the end we scored a point and thats a positive. The car felt quite good today and finishing in tenth shows we can make a good improvement on Sundays." GALLERY: All the pictures from Sunday in Shanghai Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter One market, one rate much like the European common market was how the Goods and Services Tax was envisaged. Considered the most radical tax reform since 1991-92, when the era of economic liberalisation set in, it involves a revolutionary change and promises transparency and less corruption. It was an ambitious and near-impossible dream, given Indias huge size and multi-layered society. So the fact that there are four tax slabs instead of one common rate has created scepticism in some circles on the promise of one rate, one market. The gap, for instance, between the rich and the poor is so enormous in India that, ironically, it would be iniquitous and undemocratic to have one rate. There is also a need for clarification on where the tax will be imposed. If it is to be on the supplier, then if there are multiple sources of supply, will they be taxed at all sources? It may be noted that Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has pledged that there wont be any need for multiple registrations. He has also assuaged fears over the arrest powers given to GST inspection officials. The fears of corruption and arm-twisting are not entirely unwarranted, as taxpayers have been terrorised earlier by sales tax and other authorities. Neither the government nor the GST Council can be blamed for how the ultimate GST, with different tax slabs, turned out. Given this backdrop, it is puzzling why it was decided to bring bidi, the poor mans smoke, under GST for health reasons. If this was the reasoning, why was pharmaceuticals included in the demerit list? It involves peoples health and is in the interests of affordable healthcare, which is high on this governments agenda. There appear to be a few contradictions here, and since Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have the final word on contentious issues, one hopes he will look into all valid grievances. Mr Jaitley had reportedly sought industry feedback, but obviously seems to have overlooked these, or didnt think them worth discussing. Perhaps Mr Jaitley didnt want GSTs rollout, which has taken 16 long years to materialise, to be delayed further. Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh withdrew his amendment on the Rajya Sabha being denied a chance to discuss the GST in the interest of getting it off the ground. The rollout day has been set as July 1, 2017, instead of September as earlier thought. Bringing the GST into operation will be challenging as there is a lot of nitty-gritty yet to be resolved. As they say, the devil lies in the detail. Apart from the four market rates, for instance, which has attracted considerable criticism, one calculation shows the tax rate can go up to 55 per cent in certain cases. This needs clarification. The racist comments by former BJP MP Tarun Vijay, a former editor of Panchajanya, the RSS Hindi weekly, were ironically to deny that there was racism in India. Why did he want to deny the undeniable, in a land where the pigmentation of peoples skin varies through several shades of alabaster white to ebony black, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari? In trying to explain away the attack on Africans in Greater Nodia, Mr Vijay lumped together all those living south of the Vindhyas in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra/Telangana and Kerala: We have black people all around us. Mr Vijay was not just showing ignorance, but also reopening a North-South divide that has been Indias bane for long. Wading further into a sensitive subject, Mr Vijay said Indians worship black deities like Krishna. This is a clear case of foot-in-mouth disease, to which BJP members have been somewhat more susceptible. No one can help the colour of skin he/she is born with, even if some tan under Indias unforgiving sun while others experiment with skin-lightening creams that are being sold much to the chagrin of those who view the race issue with a fair mind and detest fooling people who have been led to believe white is superior. Racial biases exist in all societies, and there is more of it in India than we would like to accept. By talking about it, another politician has only betrayed his mindset, while exposing the reality that it exists. More important is to take steps to rectify the situation. Corrective education must begin in our schools. Anticipated curbs to the H1B visa policy have been a cause of great concern across IT hubs in the country. The US draws the largest share of local IT exports and issues some 85,000 visas to Indians each year. Industry leaders are attempting to assuage the widespread unease and maintain that the curbs will have a far worse impact on the US ecosystem than that of India, still a provider of high-skilled, affordable labour to a nation that is simply not skill-ready to meet the challenges ahead. Two leading voices from the IT industry say that the downturn, if that, will only be temporary, and that the Indian IT sector will simply bounce back as it has done in the past, stronger than before. The greatest innovation for the Global IT industry came in the early 90s when Indian IT companies disrupted their traditional onsite model with an innovative and cost-effective Global Delivery Model. The Global delivery model was a huge disruption in a high-cost, talent-starved industry and global corporations quickly latched on to it. The Indian software export industry today is around $ 120 billion in revenues, employing more than 4 million people with a street value of half a trillion dollars. The IT industry's success story is not a straight line. The Y2K provided a great opportunity for it to penetrate global corporations while expanding its revenue base. The dot com bubble perpetuated by the internet companies impacted its growth but lasted only for short period of time. In the meantime, US went through a couple of recessions with the 2008 financial crisis being the biggest. The industry also overcame several technological shifts by quickly adopting new technologies and retraining its work force. The Indian IT industry used every crisis as an opportunity to re-invent and re-establish itself as a formidable player in the global software space. Today, it is a mighty, dominant force in the global outsourcing industry with more than 60% market share. The industry is facing several headwinds today, of which some are structural. The whole world is going digital at a rapid pace. Newer technologies like cloud, mobility, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, etc., are redefining how global corporates consume and spend on technologies. While the global corporations still spend a substantial amount of money on legacy software, the incremental shift in spending on new technologies is humongous. This is a structural change and the industry needs to take several steps, both internal and external, to be relevant in the new digital era. There is also a big shift globally towards protectionism and anti-globalization. The recent elections in Brexit and US reflect those sentiments, which affect the free movement of people across geographies. In an era of high-income disparity, populist governments are focused on creating high paying jobs in their local economies even at the cost of free trade and globalization. Without doubt, United States is the largest market for Indian IT companies. Three recent developments in that market had increased the uncertainty for Indian IT companies. One, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced stricter measures to detect and avoid visa abuse cases, which include onsite inspections without notice and providing an easier mechanism for employees to file complaints. They also issued a memorandum detailing a merit-based immigration process requiring employer to justify that the application is for specialty occupation, which is a pre-requisite for applying for H-1B visa. The onus is purely on the employer and not on USCIS. Around a dozen pieces of legislations have been introduced in congress to curb the alleged mis-use of the H-1B visa, which has bi-partisan support. The high decibel US presidential campaign rhetoric on this matter and the fact that the new Attorney General himself is a big critic of H-1B visas adds to the uncertainty. Large customers will try to avoid being a subject matter of President Trumps early morning tweets and could postpone their outsourcing decisions. All these could impact the velocity of business for the IT industry in India. It is not only US; countries like UK and Singapore have recently introduced similar restrictions. Not to be forgotten that UK is the second largest market for Indian IT companies. Every crisis creates an opportunity to re-invent and succeed. The IT industry had seen several disruptive changes in the past and succeeded. There are several things they can do to come out of the current crisis. Build a more offshore centric model - There is lack of tech talent in the US and in the last two decades the whole software ecosystem had moved to countries like India. Just like China had become the worlds manufacturing hub, India had become the global services hub for the software industry. It will be highly difficult for US to re-create such an ecosystem in the short term. Dont forget that the unemployment rate in the technology industry in the US is one of the lowest today. Indian IT industry today works on an onsite/offshore ratio of around 30:70. With the technology and tools available today, this ratio can easily move to 10:90. Of course, it will have an impact on the top line but it will result in a healthy bottom line. Also, it will make the model much more competitive and hence could increase the volume of business to Indian companies. Hire only global talent for global markets - Indian IT industry should hire more local talent in all the markets they operate. All this while, they had chosen the softer option - sending people from India. They should change their hiring and work culture practices to suit a global work force. Even though, they had taken several steps in the past they are still not successful in managing efficiently a global work force. Read: Visa curbs may not be such a bad thing! Focus on automation - Today, automation is a very big theme in the industry. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bots becoming more mainstream, the industry can move from being a labor intensive to more automated, tech-driven model with lesser people. Most of the services like Maintenance, BPO, etc., are prone to high levels of automation. After all, President Trump can only regulate the number of people entering US but he cannot stop the bots sitting in the cloud helping American corporations. Build front end consulting and digital businesses aggressively -Today, the CIOs of large corporations are confused with all the noise around digital and its impact on their businesses. While their current systems have lots of legacy software, they dont want to miss the digital future. Indian companies need to build the front end consulting with industry and technology experts who can guide the CIO on disruptions in their industry while at the same time help them adopt the right digital technologies. I think, Accenture is one company, which had got this model right with a healthy mix of consulting, traditional and digital services. The challenge for large Indian IT companies is to handle this disruption seamlessly while being in the public markets where investors are focused on quarterly growth and profits. They need to accept and acknowledge their transition from a "growth stock" to a "value stock" and return excess cash to shareholders. They need to articulate well the disruption and their strategies to mange it with resultant impact both short term and long term to all stakeholders. They need to re-purpose the work force to be more relevant in the new digital era. They need to focus more on building a global work force with high engagement levels. Success is the biggest enemy to challenge the status quo and change. There are not many precedents for an industry to disrupt its own successful business model and emerge as winners. If Indian IT companies can pull through this disruptive change they will be a formidable force for many years to come. Looking at their track record there is a high degree of probability that they will succeed. 10 things you didnt know about the h1b visa U.S authorities have tightened the norms for hiring computer programmers, putting a squeeze on Indian IT companies over the issue of H-1B visas. The Trump administration has issued a stern warning to American firms as they began applying for skilled-worker visas on Monday. Indian IT workers typically snag more than 50 percent of the H-1B visas that are up for grabs, with petitions usually outnumbering the quota available. 1. H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows employers based in the United States to employ foreign workers. This is valid initially for three years and can later be extended up to six. For such a visa, the company concerned must offer a job to an employee and then apply for the H1B visa with the US Immigration Department. 2. Every year, on April 1, US immigration authorities open a fresh cap for H-1B visa applications. Applicants can legally apply for an H-1B visa on the first weekday in April. Allotment is done on a lottery basis. 3. Applications for this years batch of visas opened on April 3, with quotas and allocations for the controversial program essentially unchanged. 4. The US has an annual cap of 85,000 for H-1B visas, including 20,000 for foreign workers with advanced degrees from the US. 5. The H-1B visa application fee, originally, was $325. Another $500 was added as Prevention and Detection Fee and $1,500 per visa application as Employer Sponsorship fee for employers with 26 or more employees. 6. In 2016, there were 236,000 applications for just 65,000 available visas. 7. Although there is no allotment quota for any country, however, a total of 6,800 are usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens in keeping with their free trade agreement. 8. Indian IT companies like HCL, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, and L&T Infotech are among the major users of H-1B visas. Big US employers of H-1B include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, Accenture, Syntel, Apple, etc. 9. The changed visa norms will impact the Indian IT companies in general and computer programmers in particular. The latter will feel the heat first as merely obtaining a computer degree may not be enough to get an H-1B visa. 10. Spouses of US immigrants on H-1B visas could lose their right to work. As per norms, H-1B visa holders can bring immediate spouse and children under 21 to the United States under the H-4 visa category as dependents. This move will affect thousands of Indians who are living there in the US on H-4 visa. Almost 72 percent of all the H1B visas issued by the US worldwide went to Indians. A group called Save Jobs USA filed a lawsuit, which is in a federal appeals court, the Department of Homeland Securitys did not have the authority to create a new employment visa category. The writer is former CFO, Infosys Rather than broadening its social base of support, many have argued that the way the government has run in the last four years is indicative of its catering to a limited social constituency, alienating powerful social groups and interests. The last few weeks have made many observers of government and politics in Karnataka believe that everyone who is politically relevant and everything that is politically significant is linked to Nanjangudu and Gundlupet! The State Assembly by-elections has become such an obsession for the government, ruling party and the principal opposition that all other governmental/political activity seems to have come to a virtual standstill. During the last few days, the Chief Minister and leading State ministers have made the two constituencies their base. The State BJP President who is a Member of Parliament has preferred not to attend the Lok Sabha session but be grounded in Chamarajnagar district overseeing the party campaign in the two constituencies going to the polls. What makes these by-elections where voters in two constituencies choose their representative for the State Assembly today, become so critical for the politics of the state? Why has anybody who is somebody in Congress and BJP in Karnataka, shifted base to Nanjangudu and Gundlupet? Why are these by-elections so critical and why are political parties and leaders investing so much time and energy in these campaigns? Its simple. This is veritably the semi-final elections before the finals the Assembly polls of 2018 and all semi-finals set the tone, pace and tenor of a grand finale. It may be useful to set the context by outlining what has caused the by polls. In Nanjangud, the sitting MLA Srinivasa Prasad, who was a Minister in the Siddaramaiah government, resigned his seat on quitting the Congress party on being dropped from the Ministry. He, now, is the BJP candidate seeking the approval of his voters for his actions of switching political parties. Interestingly, the Congress candidate is the one who had contested against Srinivas Prasad in the 2013 polls as the JD(S) candidate! So the key contestants in Nanjangud are the same as in the 2013 polls, though they now don different party symbols! The question would then be, are the voters today deciding on which party they prefer or which candidate they favour? In Gundlupet, the death of a senior Congress Minister has caused the by-poll and the party has fielded the wife of the deceased MLA. The BJP on the other hand has fielded the candidate who lost the 2013 Assembly elections. In that sense, nothing significant has changed in terms of the nature of the electoral contest in both Nanjangud and Gundlupet. However, if one were to look at the context of the electoral competition, there is a significant difference between 2013 and 2017 and this merits elaboration. The Congress government has completed four years of its term and would be commencing its final twelve months very soon. Any defeat in the by-elections would be a huge loss of face for the ruling party as these were both seats that had ruling party legislators. A defeat in even one of the seats, would place them on the back-foot. Over the last four years in power, one has been witness to frequent display of disunity in the party and leaders speaking in multiple voices. Rather than broadening its social base of support, many have argued that the way the government has run in the last four years is indicative of its catering to a limited social constituency, alienating powerful social groups and interests. The Congress as a party has been pushed to the backburner with those in government being more keen on the exercise of power rather than on strengthening the party and its support base. Its by-election performance would be an indicator of whether the party and government have worked in sync or are pulling in opposite directions. The two by-elections have seen a rare unity demonstrated in the party with all factions, and leaders coming together in their collective interest to ensure victory. After its victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP sees itself to be on the upswing and hopes that the by-elections results would further boost its electoral prospects in the next Assembly polls due next year. For BJP State President, B S Yeddyurappa, the by-elections has become a prestige battle and in a sense, a test of his leadership skills. The first major electoral competition he has faced after taking over the state party leadership, he hopes that the by-election results would strengthen his position in the party at the state level and indicate to the central leadership of the party that they took the right decision in entrusting him with the leadership at the state level. Given the strong undercurrents of dissent in the state unit of the party, a good performance by the BJP in the by-polls under the leadership of Yeddyurappa would, he believes give him an edge in the leadership sweepstakes. The decision of the voters in Nanjangud and Gundlupet are likely to have far reaching ramifications across the state and have important implications for the two national parties. The Chief Minister and the BJP President have much at stake in these by-elections as it is a referendum on their leadership. With this round of by-elections the countdown to the state assembly elections has clearly begun. What the decisive, compelling and devastating Narendra Modi victory in Uttar Pradesh has done is to pave the way for the inauguration of Indias second republic. This signifies a historic departure from the value systems and mores of public life that flourished since 1950. More, it green-lights the entrenchment of a new code of conduct, written or unwritten, in the running of the state and simultaneously offers official encouragement for the spread of the imagined social values of the Hindu majority that parade under the shorthand of Hindu culture, an expression given currency in recent decades for which eminent Hindu religious scholars and experts are hard put to find cogent meaning. In addition to this, there is a further angle that ties up with the promotion of political Hinduism. This involves the manipulation of the system, specially the police and the judiciary, to condone extremist political actions of the kind that have been flagged as Hindu terrorism, and scuttle trials in such cases, as we have seen the National Investigation Agency attempt to do in recent times. Unlike the French case, when the countrys Constitution was radically altered to usher in the present fifth republic under Charles de Gaulle in 1958/59 in the crucible of Algerian decolonisation and weak parliamentary governments in metropolitan France, the second republic in India may just see a soft launch no formal alterations to the basic structure (of being a democratic republic) for the time being, but a gradual ideological and political whittling down of the fundamental notions of an equal citizenship (and a reflection of this changed state of affairs in the daily life of the nation). This is a sustainable model. Since the inauguration of the Modi regime in 2014, a series of extraordinary saffron-oriented small violent eruptions have occurred, most frequently taking the form of cow-nationalism and attacks on churches. These showed blatant disregard for the very notion of the rule of law and have occurred in all parts of the country, with the protagonists being generally associated with Hindutva outfits and victims being members of the minority communities or dalits. There is no record of serious consequences being visited on the perpetrators, giving the impression of a quiet sanction being accorded to such a project from the side of the executive. It needs to be said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seldom fails to make the right noises. From a public forum he has sharply criticised the gau-rakshak vigilante brigades, calling them patrons of gorakh-dhandha (irregular activity) and urged legal action against them. However, it is striking that while the poor Muslim man Akhlaq was killed in his Dadri home on Delhis outskirts on the false charge of keeping cows meat in his kitchen, when a leader of the killer brigade died of the chikungunya illness shortly thereafter, the Hindutva outfits in the area held condolence meetings and received the public patronage of Union minister Mahesh Sharma. Mr Modi continued to tolerate him in his council of ministers and expressed no displeasure. There is a clear feeling in saffron quarters by now that the PMs admonitions on the social front are meant just for the record and are not meant to be taken seriously. As the PM, Mr Modi enjoys enormous constitutional authority. Also, he is feared by BJP-RSS cadres across India and held in awe by them after the stupendous election wins he has delivered. If the PM wants, he can put an end to law-breaking in any form and send Hindutva vigilantes running for cover. But that is not his inclination, evidently. In India, we are living in a historically-altered phase. This is not a matter of change of governments, a change of Prime Ministers, or the defeat of the Congress the most coherent symbol of the first republic and that partys long-term decline as a political machine. It needs to be understood that the BJP, the political front of the RSS whose credo is Hindu Rashtra and not democratic India, is a new type of party in our political system that has come to power in a dramatically impressive fashion winning a massive majority in Parliament and in the countrys largest state, besides controlling half a dozen other state governments. This is a party which prides itself on projecting a religious ethos that is convenient only to the countrys Hindu majority, and that is the feature that distinguishes it from all other parties in the country. In 1947, a post-colonial India emerged at the end of a long-drawn non-violent struggle in which all religious communities and caste and language groups of India were involved. To the RSS, this meant nothing. The Hindutva parent outfit had shunned the national movement. In its eyes, the governments that came after the defeat of the British Raj were not Hindu governments as they did not privilege the countrys Hindu majority. In its reckoning, the countrys first Hindu government has come into being for the first time under the leadership of Mr Modi. This makes the present conjuncture a special moment for the RSS and the BJP. For them, a new dawn has broken. A dream of a Hindu Pakistan is today possible. So long as the BJP has a comfortable majority in Parliament and controls a large number of states, it does not need to show its hand and can carry on with the existing Constitution while making policy changes that enable the further rise of Hindutva as well as its entrenchment, e.g. through the educational system just as they did in Pakistan under Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. At the level of form, all would seem to be well even as the ideological and political erosion of the values of citizenship are made daily occurrences. Gandhijis portrait can continue to hang in the Prime Ministers Office room though his spirit would have long left it. The only foreseeable problem for the saffron camp is that the entire edifice rests on one man. Indias fundamental social structure and psychology has not changed, although there are rumblings at the margins, which made the rise of the BJP possible. As such, remove Mr Modi from the equation and the BJP looks just as hollow or vulnerable as any other party. In light of this, is 2019 already in the bag? Probably. But elections are a game that rest on social forces coming together or staying apart. The transition to the second republic cannot be completed if BJPs act comes unstuck in the next Lok Sabha election. UW scientists are combining theory with experiment to try to understand how life could arise from lifelike chemical reactions under the right conditions. If we find many different chemistries supporting lifelike reactions, we can expect more origins of life elsewhere in the universe, says botany Professor David Baum. On a lab benchtop, a handful of glass vials taped to a rocker gently sway back and forth. Inside the vials, a mixture of organic chemicals and tiny particles of fools gold are begging a question seemingly beyond their humble appearance: Where did life come from? Combining theory with experiment, University of WisconsinMadison scientists are trying to understand how life can arise from non-life. Researchers at the UWMadison Wisconsin Institute for Discovery are conducting experiments to test the idea that lifelike chemical reactions might develop readily under the right conditions. The work addresses some of the deepest mysteries in biology, and has implications for understanding how common life might be in the universe. David Baum, chair and professor of botany at UWMadison and a Discovery Fellow at WID, thinks the earliest life might have relied on a primitive metabolism that originally started on mineral surfaces. Many central reactions in modern cells rely on iron-sulfur catalysts. This reliance on iron and sulfur could be a record stamped into cells of the environments where metabolism itself first evolved. Baum is testing this idea by turning to iron pyrite, a mineral of iron and sulfur better known as fools gold. Together with Mike Berg, a graduate student researching the origins of life, Baum is mixing microscopic beads of iron pyrite with a source of chemical energy and simple molecular building blocks. As vials of this mixture rock back and forth in the lab, small groups of chemicals bound to the mineral surface might aggregate and start assisting one another in producing more chemicals. If so, theyre likely to spread to other iron pyrite beads, colonizing new surfaces. When Berg transfers some beads to a fresh vial, the chemical groups could continue to spread. Generation after generation, vial after vial, the most efficient and competitive chemical mixtures would colonize the most iron pyrite. This is selection. Like natural selection, which has created the diversity and complexity of life on Earth, selecting for the colonizing ability of these chemical groups may reveal lifelike chemical cycles capable of changing over time. The view that Ive come around to is that lifelike chemistry may pop up relatively easily in many, many geological settings, says Baum. The problem then changes. Its no longer a problem of will it happen, but how will we know it happened? Theyve gone through more than 30 generations so far, and are looking for any sign of change over time, whether that is heat generation, energy consumption or the amount of material bound to the beads. Baum and UWMadison microbiologist and WID systems biologist Kalin Vetsigian published a paper last year that outlined the experiments, which are based in part on the principle of neighborhood selection. Normally, natural selection operates on a population of individuals. But the scientists proposed that even though no well-defined individuals exist in the chemical mixtures, the molecular communities that are best at colonizing new surfaces will prevail, and likely get better over time. Successful traits of the community as a whole can be selected for and passed on. This community-level selection could have taken place before there were individuals with traits that were both heritable and variable, says Vetsigian. If you have good communities, they will persist. The project recently received $2.5 million in funding from NASA. Baum is the lead investigator of the research, which includes Vetsigian, UWMadison chemist Tehshik Yoon, and collaborators from seven other institutions. Cells need the kinds of metabolic reactions that Baum studies to produce energy and the components of more complex molecules. They also need a way to store information. All living cells pass on their genetic information with DNA. But UWMadison professor of chemical and biological engineering and WID systems biologist John Yin is exploring alternative ways to store and process information with simpler molecules in an effort to understand how information storage could evolve without cells or DNA. Taking a cue from computer science, Yin is working with the most basic method of encoding information, binary. In place of electronic bits, his ones and zeros are the two simplest amino acids, glycine and alanine. Using a unique form of chemistry, Yin is drying out mixtures of the amino acids to encourage them to join together. Were seeing reproducibly different strings of alanine and glycine under different kinds of conditions, explains Yin. So thats a first hint that in some ways the product is a way of representing a particular environment. Yins group is working on the technically challenging task of reading these sequences of amino acids so they can keep track of the molecular information. The Yin lab eventually hopes to discover groups of chemicals that can build off this molecular information to reproduce themselves. For both Baum and Yin, selectable systems require these cycles of chemicals able to make more of one another, what Yin calls closing the loop. Closing the loop in the lab is likely to be difficult. Only experimentation will tell for sure. Yin, Baum and Vetsigian are interested not only in how life on Earth got started, but how it could get started anywhere. If lifelike chemical reactions and molecular information are readily produced in the lab, that could change the calculus of how common life might be on other worlds. If we find many different chemistries supporting lifelike reactions, we can expect more origins of life elsewhere in the universe, says Baum. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Germany faces criticism from some of the web's biggest names over plans to weaken encrypted communication and fine social media sites for hate speech. The Internet Society, which represents tech giants, academia and nonprofit organisations, says giving law enforcement "back doors" to break encryption is a bad idea. Its CEO, Kathy Brown, says encryption was "a vital tool for securing the digital economy, and for creating trust." Her comments Thursday come as Germany hosts a digital innovation summit for the G-20 countries. Germany's interior minister has called for security agencies to get powers to break encryption. The government also approved a bill Wednesday that would impose heavy fines on sites that fail to swiftly remove illegal content. The Internet Society says companies aren't best equipped to judge what is illegal. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Technology is advancing at a fast pace, making it possible for the human race to gain immediate gratification. In a first, a financial commissioner (FC) court in Haryana headed by senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka has ordered that summons in a partition suit to be served by WhatsApp. The summoning process is typically made through an electronic forms like e-mails or fax but never through a chatting app. Thus, this is the first time such a thing has taken place. Khemka, a senior Haryana bureaucrat who holds the court of financial commissioner to device disputes related to revenue laws in the state, passed the order while hearing a partition related to three brothers of Aurang Shahpur village of Hisar, an online report read. Satbir Singh had a dispute with his brothers Ramdiyal and Krishan Kumar over partition of family property in the village. Ramdiyal received the summons but it could not be served on Krishan as he had shifted to Kathmandu. Therefore, his mobile number was used as a means to connect with him through WhatsApp. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Researchers at Adobe Systems have posted a spectacular video demonstrating the manner in which artificial intelligence can be used enhance everyday selfies. Powered by Adobe Sensei, a sophisticated technology that combines artificial intelligence and machine learning, the retouching enhancements provided by the new software make it a fully-fledged magic wand. In Adobe Creative Cloud, the developer's comprehensive collection of online tools, Adobe Sensei is already working miracles with its capacity to create elements that do not figure on the original photo by analyzing neighboring pixels. The recently posted video offers a spectacular demonstration of how users of the software can rework the form and position of a face by simply moving a finger on their smartphone touchscreens. Other features include the option to modify background depth of field for a blurred effect, or change the angle of view to create a more flattering portrait. Last but not least, users also have the option of cutting and pasting photo styles from one image to another. In the future, these functionalities may be included in certain products of the Adobe Creative Cloud range to enable users to intelligently retouch selfies before sharing them on social networks. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The US government withdrew an administrative summons that customs agents had sent the company in March demanding the records. An attempt by US authorities to identify an anonymous critic of President Donald Trump on Twitter has set off alarm bells among Democratic and Republican lawmakers and civil liberties advocates fearful of a crackdown on dissent. Twitter Inc on Friday succeeded in beating back a demand for records about a Twitter account called ALT Immigration (@ALT_uscis), which pokes fun at Trump's immigration policies and appears to be run by one or more federal employees. The US government withdrew an administrative summons that customs agents had sent the company in March demanding the records. But the government backed away only after Twitter filed a federal lawsuit accusing it of violating the First Amendment's protection of free speech. Customs agents could still continue the investigation using some other methods, civil liberties attorneys said. Although authorities retreated, the case has laid bare the broad power of the US government to demand information from technology companies, sometimes with no oversight from the courts and often with built-in secrecy provisions that prevent the public from knowing what the government is seeking. The summons that Twitter received came from agents who investigate corruption and misconduct within US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Even after it was withdrawn, some lawmakers had questions about the agency's actions. "CBP must ensure that any properly authorized investigation does not disregard the rights to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution," two Republican US senators, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Mike Lee of Utah, wrote in a letter on Friday to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. The senators asked whether the agency would ever ask a private company to divulge private records about a customer based solely on "non-criminal speech." Senate Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon called for an investigation of whether customs agents had violated a law by retaliating against an internal critic. The Department of Homeland Security plans to respond directly to the senators, an official said on Friday. FORMIDABLE RANGE There are two primary ways the US government can obtain information from internet companies without a judge's approval using a law known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, according to experts in privacy law. Agencies with enforcement power, such as the Internal Revenue Service, can issue administrative subpoenas demanding user records. Prosecutors can also ask grand juries investigating a crime to issue a subpoena. An aggressive agency, for example, might demand information about a Twitter account that used an agency logo on the grounds that it is deceptive, said Georgetown University law professor Paul Ohm. Similarly, a prosecutor could ask a grand jury to issue a subpoena based on the idea that a federal employee, suspected of criticizing the administration anonymously, was misusing government resources. "It doesn't take a brilliant legal mind to think of hypotheticals," Ohm said. Further, such subpoenas are usually kept secret, making them more difficult to challenge. Some other government tools, such as a national security letter, are intended to be used for narrow purposes related to counter-terrorism investigations. But they do not require judicial approval either, instead relying on internal safeguards. Challenging such demands is difficult and often requires deep pockets, attorneys familiar with such orders said. "It's important to keep in mind how formidable the government's range of investigatory powers is," said Andrew Crocker, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for digital rights. In the case of ALT Immigration, Twitter said it was not bound to keep the summons a secret, and the company informed the account holder of the government demand. That person then found legal representation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Esha Bhandari, the ACLU staff attorney representing the dissident, said she thinks the speed with which the government withdrew its summons - less than a day after Twitter sued - means the customs agents will cease investigating, but she cannot be sure. "It's impossible to predict, of course, but I'm hopeful that this really is a recognition that people have the ability to speak online including in ways that are critical of the government," Bhandari said. The Department of Homeland Security has not said what its plans are for the investigation. After Trump's inauguration in January, anonymous Twitter feeds that borrowed the names and logos of more than a dozen US government agencies appeared to challenge the president's views on climate change and other issues. They called themselves "alt" accounts. Twitter has declined to say if it has received any other government demands to reveal such anti-Trump critics. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Norwegian police has blocked a large area in central Oslo and detained one suspect on Saturday night after finding a bomb-like object, police said in a tweet. The man who has the status of a suspect has been arrested and taken in for questioning after the subject was found in Gronland in Oslo, police told public broadcaster NRK. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander at the site, was quoted as saying. "I can not answer (if is a bomb), but it is an object that is about 30 times 30 centimeters -- that is to say there is big potential for damage, but it is of such a nature that we want the bomb group to examine it," Jorundland told NRK. The rules were built on a record of more than four million comments, and demonstrated that a free and open internet is at the very heart of our American democracy, Advocates of landmark net neutrality rules on Friday blasted Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai's plans to roll back the Obama era legal framework. Reuters and other outlets reported late Thursday that Pai told major telecommunications trade groups of his plans Tuesday to replace 2015 net neutrality rules with voluntary agreements to adopt open internet principles. The 2015 rules prevented broadband providers from giving or selling speedy or so-called fastlane access to some internet services over others. Pai, a Republican appointed by President Donald Trump, opposes the rules approved by the FCC which gave the agency strong legal control over broadband providers, treating them much like utilities. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, said if the reports are accurate "we are gearing up for a battle that could eviscerate the widely supported open Internet protections." The rules "were built on a record of more than four million comments, and demonstrated that a free and open internet is at the very heart of our American democracy," she added. Chris Lewis, vice president at Public Knowledge said Pai could "give dominant cable and telecommunications companies what their DC lobbyists have dreamed of for years: voluntary net neutrality rules where consumer protection is no more than trust your cable or internet provider.'" The FCC declined to comment. Pai wants to introduce new regulations under which internet providers like AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc would voluntarily agree in their terms of service to not obstruct or slow consumer access to web content. The move would allow the Federal Trade Commission to enforce compliance with the new rules. Internet providers do not oppose net neutrality principles, but opposed the decision to reclassify internet service under a law that subjects them to potential utility style regulation. Pai is expected to unveil his proposal as early as April 27, with an initial vote planned for either May or June, sources told Reuters. The proposal would be open for public comment before the FCC could finalize it. The Internet Association, the trade group that represents major internet companies like Alphabet Inc, Facebook Inc, Netflix Inc and Microsoft Crop, and strongly supports net neutrality, will meet with Pai on Tuesday, a person briefed on the matter said. The group declined to comment. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Relatives and onlookers gather outside a church after a bomb attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egypt. (Photo: AP) Cairo: President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency in Egypt following twin church bombings that killed dozens of people in two cities today. Sisi announced the "state of emergency for three months" in a defiant speech at the presidential palace after a meeting of the national defence council. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the church bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Alexandria and Tanta in which at least 44 people were killed. Jaryal had died after he was taken to the hospital. (Photo: Facebook) Washington: Vikram Jaryal, the Indian who was shot down by two masked robbers on April 6 was on a holiday in the US, when he was killed. He had plans to go to England for a merchant navy examination. He contacted his family on April 5 and told them hed be coming home in a few days. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the 26-year-old from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, worked as a clerk in an AM-PM gas station in his friends store, in Washingtons Yakima city. He was there for two days before two robbers fatally shot him. Jaryals elder brother Inderjit, was the first family member to learn about the murder. He added that Jaryal and his friend had served in the merchant navy and that he was going to take an exam to qualify as a second mate. The family has asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to ensure early release of Jaryals body. Inderjit also said that the Indian consulate in San Francisco was in touch with them. The victims father was quoted as saying, We still cant believe he is no more. I wish he had not gone there. His mother is in a state of shock. Swaraj tweeted saying that the investigation agencies in the US were working to get the guilty arrested. Jaryal had died after he was taken to the hospital. The police said, The victim was able to tell officers what happened when they arrived a few minutes later; but tragically, he died a short time later at the hospital. Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since January 5, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy. (Photo: AP) Washington: The Pentagon says a Navy carrier strike group is moving towards the western Pacific Ocean to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests and continued pursuit of a nuclear program have raised tensions in the region, where US Navy ships are a common presence and serve in part as a show of force. On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader, Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact on North Korea and other issues. The US Pacific Command directed the carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, according to a Navy news release. The carrier group includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, with support from several missile destroyers and missile cruisers. Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since January 5, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea. The ranks of deportees include veterans of US wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo: Representational/AFP) Chicago: Miguel and Esperanza Perez stood outside Chicago's immigration courthouse, clutching an American flag folded into a triangle in a gesture of respect. The flag once flew over a US military base in Afghanistan, where the couple's son Miguel Perez Jr served two tours in a Special Forces unit. The 38-year-old was now jailed, and at the mercy of an immigration judge inside the courthouse. The military veteran, a legal permanent resident, was subject to deportation after being convicted of a drug crime. Had he been a citizen, he simply would have served his prison time and been released. But now he was trying to avoid becoming one of the hundreds of US military veterans, all honourably discharged, to be similarly deported. Perez thought he had automatically become a naturalised citizen when he joined the military -- a common misconception among immigrants enlisted in the US armed forces. Enlistees qualify for expedited naturalisation, but they still have to apply and go through the process. Some are unaware of the requirements, and others cannot comply -- because they are serving in foreign lands. Still, others have been victims of bureaucratic bungling. Convicted in 2010 for the manufacture or delivery of more than two pounds (one kilogram) of cocaine, Perez was sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was remanded in custody by immigration authorities last year after being granted early release from prison. In Perez's case, his family hoped their son's military service would mitigate his crime and convince the judge to let him stay. "I hope today I bring home my son," Esperanza Perez said before a cluster of television news cameras outside the courthouse. "My son is my hero, is your hero." She was optimistic that the judge would consider the mental scars of war that drove her son to drug use, and the potential dangers he could face in Mexico, with its drug cartels. But it would take weeks for the judge to rule in March and for the Perezes to learn whether their son could come home. On the other side of the US-Mexico border, Hector Barajas lives the life Miguel Perez Jr is trying to avoid. Barajas, a 40-year-old US Army veteran, was deported to Mexico in 2004. He had pleaded guilty to shooting at a car. When he first arrived in Mexico -- a country he had not seen since he was seven -- Barajas said his first thought was that his "life is over." "You have to come to grips with the reality," he said. Barajas now runs a group home in the border city of Tijuana to help other deported veterans. About 30 of them have lived there at one time or another, most in their 60s and 70s. "Part of our job here is to support them, help the guys get their IDs, help them find jobs so that they can adjust to their lives down here," Barajas said. The vets are waging legal battles to return to the US -- a process that can take years, with no guarantee of success. "A lot of them have had a hard time coping," Barajas said. "It's very hard to accept the reality that we might be here for a very long time." US laws, perversely, allow deported veterans to return when they are dead -- for burial in a US military cemetery. The ranks of deportees include veterans of US wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. No one has an exact count, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has tracked down nearly 300 of them. They were swept up by changes in immigration laws, implemented in the mid-1990s that greatly expanded the types of crimes -- known as aggravated felonies -- that trigger the mandatory deportation of legal permanent residents. An aggravated felony can be any crime of violence with a sentence of a year or more, including domestic abuse and gun possession without a permit. "It's a long list," that also includes minor drug convictions, said Evelyn Cruz, a law professor at Arizona State University and an expert on immigration law. Aggravated felonies tie immigration judges' hands. No matter the extenuating circumstances, such as military service, deportation is mandated. "An aggravated felony... is a death knell to their case," said Bardis Vakili, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU. And so it was for Perez. Weeks after his parents stood in front of the Chicago immigration court pleading for their son's release, he was ordered deported. "The thing that seems unjust to me is that he was not illegal," Miguel Perez Sr said after the deportation order. He entered legally and had the right to citizenship. For now, the younger Perez's fate rests with elected officials -- a clemency petition with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and a request that Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, herself a veteran, intervene. Neither has indicated what they will do. With Perez still in detention, bills before Congress to help deported vets might be his last hope. So far, none has been passed into law. The accident took place late last night when the bus, carrying 35 people, rolled over in a road in Shahe city. (Photo: Representational/AP) Beijing: Three persons have been killed and many others injured in a tourist bus accident in China's north Hebei province. The accident took place late last night when the bus, carrying 35 people, rolled over in a road in Shahe city. Two passengers were killed on the spot and another died in a hospital later, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The condition of injured passengers was stable. North Korea has long claimed that the United States is preparing to conduct similar precision strikes against its territory or even launch an all-out invasion. (Photo: File) Pyongyang: North Korea has vowed to bolster its defences to protect itself against air strikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the air strikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried Sunday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports. The air strikes, announced shortly after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up dinner at a two-day summit in Florida last week, were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country's long civil war. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent US military attack on Syria is an action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," the report said, adding that the North's "tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force as its pivot" will foil any aggression by the US. "We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defence to cope with the US ever more reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force," it said. North Korea has long claimed that the United States is preparing to conduct similar precision strikes against its territory or even launch an all-out invasion. It claims its nuclear weapons are a necessary deterrent to the US military threat. Washington denies it has any intention of invading the North. Tensions have been even higher than usual over the past few weeks because annual war games between the US and South Korean militaries are underway. The exercises this year are the biggest ever and have included stealth fighter training and other manoeuvres that are particularly sensitive to North Korea. For its part, the North test-launched a ballistic missile just ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting and has been rumoured to be preparing for a possible nuclear test. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty. North Korea considers Syria an ally. But unlike Syria, experts warn that North Korea has a means of striking back if provoked. Along with its rapidly advancing nuclear and long-range missile capabilities, the North has its artillery and short-range missiles trained on Seoul, the capital of US ally South Korea and a city of more than 10 million people. Myanmar has rejected the accounts collected by UN investigators in the Bangladesh refugee camps, who said the crimes could amount to ethnic cleansing. (Photo: AP) YANGON: The UN children's agency UNICEF has called on Myanmar's government to release Rohingya children detained as part of a sweeping military campaign in Rakhine state. More than 600 people were arrested in an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the north of the restive state. The operation was launched after deadly attacks by militants on police posts in October. Rohingya escapees in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 70,000 have fled, gave UN investigators accounts of beatings, torture and food deprivation inside the jails. Minors are among those detained. UNICEF's deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said he had given the country's de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi details of around a dozen youngsters being held in Buthidaung prison. "There are some children that are detained in prison, so those are the cases that we're raising," he said late on Saturday at the end of a brief trip to Myanmar. "Any child that's detained is an issue for us." Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi and Myanmar's army chief both recognised "that there's an issue here" but made no firm committment for their release, he added. Government spokesman Zaw Htay declined to comment when contacted on Sunday. The UN Human Rights Council has agreed to send a mission to Myanmar to probe allegations that troops and police raped, killed and tortured Rohingya in their months-long campaign. Myanmar has rejected the accounts collected by UN investigators in the Bangladesh refugee camps, who said the crimes could amount to ethnic cleansing. "I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening," Suu Kyi said in an interview with the BBC last week. Myanmar's police and the military have both launched separate probes to investigate the deaths of at least eight people in custody in northern Rakhine. UN rights envoy for Myanmar Yanghee Lee said some 450 people were being held in Buthidaung prison when she visited in January, most without access to lawyers or their families. Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of more than one million Rohingya, who are vilified as illegal "Bengali" immigrants and forced to live in apartheid-like conditions even though many have lived in the country for generations. A group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has claimed the October attacks, which it said were intended to defend the rights of the persecuted minority after years of worsening conditions. Forsyth said there was a growing recognition among both Myanmar's civilian government and army that depriving Rohingya children of opportunities had bred militancy. "The reality is if you don't address these issues particularly for these communities then it will come back to haunt them, which is partly what has happened," he said. Police Chief Vidar Pedersen confirmed that the device found on Saturday night, initially described as 'bomb-like' was an explosive. (Photo: AP) Stavanger: An explosive device found in a busy subway station in the Norwegian capital forced police to evacuate late night bars and restaurants, but officials said the device was neutralised and a suspect arrested. Police Chief Vidar Pedersen confirmed that the device found on Saturday night, initially described as "bomb-like," was an explosive. The police Twitter account said it had been defused or neutralised. Police would not give any details about the suspect, or further information about the device. Pedersen said the device was found on the street just outside the Groenland underground station, and police swept through the area to remove people from bars and restaurants. "Every restaurant was being closed," said 23-year-old Malin Myrvold, who witnessed the scene from a fourth-story window. "You could see cops in heavy armour going in every store and restaurant. "We were trying to see what was going on. The police were screaming at us to get back inside and stay where we were," she added by telephone. Norway was put on high alert after neighbouring Sweden suffered a truck attack in the capital that killed four people and injured 15. The suspect in Friday's attack, a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan, has been arrested. It was unclear whether he was also a Swedish citizen or resident or even how long he'd been in the country. The Norwegian incident happened less than a mile from the government buildings that were damaged in a deadly bomb attack carried out by right-wing extremist Anders Breivik in 2011. That bomb and a subsequent gun massacre killed a total of 77 people. The police arrested a 17-year-old and his mother from an address linked to the 39-year-old suspect from Uzbekistan. (Photo: AP) Stockholm: Swedish police officers, who attempted arresting Stockholm terror suspects, were pelted with stones by a group of youths on Friday night. According to a report in The Daily Mail, a group of people attacked them near Rinkeby in Stockholm. The area is part of the 'immigrant no-go zone', a term used by President Trump to refer the region in a speech in February. The police arrested a 17-year-old and his mother from an address linked to the 39-year-old suspect from Uzbekistan. It is believed that he was registered under that address. But the arrested denied any connection to him and were let off as there were no proven charges against them. The police team also included a Muslim officer, Abdallah Ahmed, said, To terror I want to say one thing, in pure Swedish: go to hell. My thoughts go to those affected in every way, on social media. He urged people, to not only pray for Sweden but also defend the country against terrorism. Ahmed posted a picture of the anti-terrorism team armed with weapons, accompanied by the Swedish flag. First trainload of Russian wheat arrives in China A photo taken on April 8, 2017 shows the first freight train loaded with Russian wheat at Manzhouli land port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo: nmgnews.com.cn] HOHHOT - A freight train fully loaded with Russian wheat arrived at Manzhouli land port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Saturday. This is the first bulk shipment of Russian wheat to enter China via the land port after the two countries reached deals on quarantine inspection requirements for exporting Russian wheat, corn, rice and soybean to China in December 2015. China's state-owned foodstuff conglomerate COFCO Corp. is responsible for quality control, import and distribution to the Chinese market. COFCO president Yu Xubo said the group plans to import 1 million to 2 million tonnes of wheat from Russia a year. This may increase to 4 million or 5 million tonnes a year in the future, he said. Russia replaced the United States as the world's top wheat exporter last year with 25 million tonnes of exports, according to figures provided by the Russian side. "Compared with ocean shipping, land transport via Manzhouli cuts travel time and costs," said Chen Lixin, Party chief of Manzhouli City. He said China's import of Russian wheat is a new breakthrough in bilateral trade and economic cooperation achieved within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. David Rachline, Le Pen's campaign manager, later tweeted that a separate group had clashed with police outside the venue. (Photo: AP) Paris: Violent clashes broke out both inside and outside a venue in the Corsican city of Ajaccio that was supposed to hold a rally by French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. According to French television BFM TV, Corsican nationalists arrived at Le Pen's rally on Saturday and clashed with her far-right supporters before being evacuated by security. The disturbance delayed the start of Le Pen's program by an hour after it was moved to another venue. David Rachline, Le Pen's campaign manager, later tweeted that a separate group had clashed with police outside the venue. He was critical of the security arrangements. Le Pen is among the leading contenders in France's two-round presidential vote. The top two-vote getters on April 23 will go into a presidential runoff on May 7. n this file image provided on Friday, April 7, 2017 by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo: AP) Beirut: Warplanes on Saturday struck the Syrian town where a chemical attack had killed scores of people earlier this week, as Turkey warned that a retaliatory US missile strike on a Syrian air base would only be "cosmetic" if greater efforts are not made to remove President Bashar Assad from power. The air strikes on the opposition-held northern town of Khan Sheikhoun, where 87 people were killed in the chemical attack earlier this week, killed a woman and wounded her son, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, an activist collective. Elsewhere in Syria, US-led air strikes killed at least 21 people, including a woman and her six children who were fleeing on a boat across the Euphrates River near the Islamic State group's self-styled capital, Raqqa, the target of a major offensive by US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces, activists said. An air strike on a rebel-held town in the northern Idlib province killed at least 18 people, including women and children, according to the Observatory and Ariha Today, an activist group. It was not immediately clear who carried out the strike. Near the central city of Homs, a bomb exploded aboard a bus carrying workers, killing a woman and wounding more than 20, according to state TV and the Observatory. The chemical attack prompted the US to launch nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian air base early on Friday, which killed nine people and marked the first time Washington has directly targeted Syrian government forces since the war began in 2011. The move was welcomed by the Syrian opposition and its main backers, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but harshly condemned by Russia and Iran, who back Assad and said striking his forces would complicate the struggle against extremist groups. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the US strike should be the start of a renewed effort to end the civil war, which has killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced half of Syria's population. "If this intervention is limited only to an air base, if it does not continue and if we don't remove the regime from heading Syria, then this would remain a cosmetic intervention," he said. He said the best outcome would be a peace agreement that leads to a transitional government accepted by all Syrians, followed by elections in which all Syrians, including those living abroad, could vote for new leadership. For that to happen, he said, "this oppressive Assad needs to go." Iran, which has provided crucial military and political support to Assad, meanwhile called for a fact-finding mission to determine what caused the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun. State television quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying the committee should be impartial and "must not be headed by Americans." Rouhani said, "neutral countries should come and assess to make it clear where the chemical weapons came from." Syria's government has denied carrying out any chemical attack, and Russia's Defense Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cancelled a planned trip to Russia because of fast-moving events in Syria. Johnson said the situation in Syria has changed "fundamentally" following the chemical attack and the US response. Johnson condemned Russia's continued defence of Assad "even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians." He had planned to travel to Russia Monday on a trip intended to start a fresh dialogue with Moscow. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meanwhile plans to meet with G-7 foreign ministers in Europe next week before going on to Moscow. Johnson said Tillerson will be able to give a "clear and coordinated message to the Russians." In Damascus, dozens of Syrian students gathered outside the offices of the United Nations to protest the US missile attack, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." University student Ashraf Fadel said he came to denounce "the unjust American aggression against Syria." He added that the United Nations was "created to support America instead of serving the wronged people." In a separate development, activists opposed to the Islamic State group said a US-led coalition air strike hit a boat carrying civilians fleeing across the Euphrates River. The groups Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently and Sound and Picture said the attack killed a woman and her six children. The attack occurred in the Shuaib al-Zeker area, near where US-backed Syrian fighters have been battling IS under the cover of coalition air strikes. Activists and state media said a separate air strike by the US-led coalition on the northern IS-held village of Hneida killed at least 14 civilians, including children. The Observatory said 15 people, including four children, were killed in the air strike. The Sound and Picture group said the air strike hit an internet cafe, killing 14 people. In Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that US President Donald Trump has spoken by telephone with King Salman about the US missile strike on Syria. The news agency reported that during the Friday phone call, the Saudi monarch congratulated Trump for his "courageous decision." Saudi Arabia said the missile launch was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it." The kingdom is among the most vehement opponents of Assad and supports Sunni rebel groups fighting to oust him. The Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia are in a power struggle for regional dominance with Iran's Shiite government. Egyptians load a body onto an ambulance near a church in Alexandria after a bomb blast (Photo: AFP) Cairo: At least 45 people were killed and nearly 120 others injured in powerful blasts triggered by ISIS in two churches. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on churches on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, said the groups propaganda news agency Amaq on its social media accounts. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered military deployments to protect vital and important infrastructure after the bombings. President Sisi... has decided to order the military to deploy protection units to guard vital and important infrastructure in all the republics provinces, a statement from the presidency said. In a statement, the interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. However, Egypts Coptic church said Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had left the church just before the blast. Saint Marks Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, security forces dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. Dhaka: Bangladesh's opposition leader Khaleda Zia has accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of "selling out" the country to India to translate into reality her "dream of staying in power for life", hours after New Delhi and Dhaka signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence. "Hasina dreams of remaining in power for life. She has done many things for this. She kept nothing for the country, sold everything," Zia, former prime minister and the chief of main opposition outside parliament Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a party programme Saturday night. Zia's comments came hours after Hasina, who is in India on a four-day visit, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed signing of 22 pacts in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear. Though the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement remained elusive, Modi conveyed his government's commitment for an "early solution". "It seems that she (Hasina) will sell the rest of the country... (but) the world history says no one could get away after selling a country," she said. After holding comprehensive talks with Hasina, Modi announced a new concessional Line of Credit of USD 4.5 billion for the neighbouring country and an additional assistance of USD 500 million to help its military procurement. Zia, 71, and Hasina, 69, are known as the 'Battling Begums' for their bitter rivalry that has poisoned Bangladeshi politics for nearly three decades. Earlier on Saturday, BNP termed signing of the defence deal an "extreme betrayal with people and the country" with the party's spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claiming that the development will expose Bangladesh's security system to India. "Our security and existence is now at stake following signing of the MoUs," the BNP spokesman said. Ruling party Awami League's general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader urged BNP not to make any comment without knowing details of the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between India and Bangladesh. "There is nothing in the deals which could be concealed as it is the age of technology," the Minister said. Meanwhile, political analysts said BNP took the opportunity to make visible its presence in the political arena as its boycott of the 2014 elections largely eroded the moral of the party activists and supporters, even losing a chance of becoming a strong main opposition in Parliament. Hasina last month accused BNP of pursuing a "double- policy" on India after it expressed negative speculations over possible deals to be signed during her India visit. "It was Khaleda Zia who gave an undertaking of selling gas to India and came to power in 2001 (sacrificing Bangladesh's interest)... So anti-Indian words do not match in their mouth," Hasina had told a function of her Awami League. In the past, Hasina has criticised Zia for repeatedly seeking time from court appearance in graft cases, saying Zia lacked the courage to face courts as she was guilty deep down. Graft charges have been brought against Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case which accuses her of embezzling 31.5 million Bangladeshi Taka (USD 4 lakh). No deadline has been set for introduction of Sharia or interest-free banking in India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. The RBI had earlier proposed opening of "Islamic window" in conventional banks for gradual introduction of Sharia- compliant banking. Responding to an RTI application, the RBI said it has not taken any step to introduce Islamic window in banks for gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant interest-free banking in India. "RBI has not set any deadline for introduction of interest-free banking," the central bank said in response to the RTI query filed by PTI. However, on the instruction of the central government, an Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) set up in RBI has examined the legal, technical and regulatory issues for introducing interest-free banking in India and has submitted its report to the government, it said. The RBI had in February last year sent a copy of the IDG to the Finance Ministry. "In our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner," the central bank had told the Ministry in a letter. In late 2008, a committee on Financial Sector Reforms, headed by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, had stressed on the need for a closer look at the issue of interest-free banking in the country. "Certain faiths prohibit the use of financial instruments that pay interest. The non-availability of interest-free banking products results in some Indians, including those in the economically disadvantaged strata of society, not being able to access banking products and services due to reasons of faith," the committee had said. Notwithstanding the strain in ties, the navies of India and China carried out a well coordinated operation to rescue a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden which was hijacked by Somali pirates last night. After getting a distress call about the attack on the cargo vessel OS 35, Indian Navy sent warships INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash while the Chinese Navy also responded to the call for help by moving in its missile frigate Yulin. The merchant ship, with 19 Filipino crew members, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the merchant ship registered in the Pacific island of Tuvalu. The two Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared as global terrorist by the UN. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked the Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also complimented the Chinese side. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UK's Maritime Trade Organisation UKMTO that keeps a vigil on movement of the ships in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," the navy spokesperson said. The captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, he said. Notwithstanding the strain in ties, the navies of India and China carried out a well coordinated operation to rescue a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden which was hijacked by Somali pirates last night. After getting a distress call about the attack on the cargo vessel OS 35, Indian Navy sent warships INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash while the Chinese Navy also responded to the call for help by moving in its missile frigate Yulin. The merchant ship, with 19 Filipino crew members, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the merchant ship registered in the Pacific island of Tuvalu. The two Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared as global terrorist by the UN. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked the Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also complimented the Chinese side. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UK's Maritime Trade Organisation UKMTO that keeps a vigil on movement of the ships in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," the navy spokesperson said. The captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, he said. "Freedom fighters had laid down their lives singing Vande Mataram. The Constitution had given recognition to national anthem and national song in 1950 but it was not recited in Parliament for 45 years. "While Vande Mataram was recited on November 23, 1992 and Jan Gana Man on November 24, 1992. We all should respect the recognition given by Constitution to them (national anthem and national song)," Naik said while addressing the annual day function of a college in Sitapur. The Governor also emphasised that there should be no discrimination between girls and boys. "As a Chancellor of universities I have found that 65 per cent of gold, silver and other medals were bagged by girls," he added. Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Maurya said those who are creating controversies over the singing of Vande Mataram must not do so. "And, if at any place there is any initiative to start the practice of singing Vande Mataram, it should be encouraged," he said. "Vande Mataram symbolises countless tales of sacrifices made by our countrymen," Maurya added. Vande Mataram -- the national song of India is a poem composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1870s, which he included in his 1881 novel 'Anandamath'. The first two verses of the song were adopted as the national song in 1937. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had yesterday hit out at those refusing to sing the national song, saying it reflected their "narrow mindedness". "Some people are saying that we will not saying Vande Matram... we want this country to move ahead in the 21st century and the matter of dispute is that we will sing Vande Matram or not... this is a matter of concern," he had said. "We will have to find a way out to overcome this narrow mindedness," Adityanath added. His remarks came against the backdrop of Samajwadi Party corporators protesting against a proposal to make singing of the national song compulsory at commencement of proceedings of a meeting of Allahabad municipal corporation. The recent incident came days after municipal corporations in Meerut and Varanasi too witnessed similar ruckus over the issue. Amid the row over 'Vande Mataram', Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today said everyone should respect the recognition given to it, while state's deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya held that any effort to encourage singing of the national song should be encouraged. The Trump administration is planning to roll out its first concrete measures against China on trade, administration officials said, hardening its position towards Americas largest trading partner just as President Donald Trump welcomed President Xi Jinping of China to his seaside club for their first face-to-face meeting. Sometime after Xi leaves the US, these officials said, Trump plans to sign an executive order targeting countries that dump steel into the US market, an aggressive measure aimed mainly at China. It is unclear exactly what the order would do or how harsh it would be, but it would be designed to begin to make good on Trumps promise during the campaign to redress Chinas huge trade surplus with the US. In addition, an official said, the White House is moving out a senior economy policy official, Andrew Quinn, who had helped negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, former President Barack Obamas signature trade initiative. Quinn had become the subject of a battle between two camps in the White House: economic nationalists, who wanted him out, and more mainstream backers of free trade, who defended him. Taken together, these developments constituted a potentially significant victory for the hard-liners, coming off a string of setbacks in their efforts to persuade the president to deliver on the most combative anti-free-trade planks of his presidential campaign. But the ultimate outcome of this policy debate is still far from clear, several officials said. Trump does not plan to confront Xi with the most aggressive of his campaign threats: a 45% tariff on Chinese goods. Nor is the US likely to designate China a currency manipulator, something he promised to do as a candidate. Holding back those moves suggests Trump is also heeding the more moderate voices among his advisers, who argue that the US cannot afford to ignite a trade war with China. The nativist and nationalist forces certainly have influence, said Nicholas Lardy, an expert on the Chinese economy at the Peterson International Institute for Economics. But it looks like its dwindling rapidly. Lardy said anti-dumping cases on steel were mostly symbolic, since US imports of steel from China accounted for only a few percentage points of the trade deficit. The Obama administration filed multiple anti-dumping cases with the World Trade Organisation. Still, the pitched battle over trade policy, on the eve of Trumps meeting with Xi, injected an unpredictable note into an encounter that has been billed mostly as a get-acquainted session for the two leaders. Trump made it clear the informal setting would not prevent him from confronting his guest with the chronic imbalances between the US and China. We have been treated unfairly and have made terrible trade deals with China for many, many years, he said to reporters on Air Force One. Thats one of the things we are going to be talking about. Xi arrived in Florida, stepping off his Air China flight into the humid air of Palm Beach. On Thursday evening last week, he attended a formal dinner at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate. A series of meetings were scheduled for Friday morning, followed by a working lunch. Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson greeted Xi and his wife, who walked on a red carpet, flanked by an honour guard carrying flags of both countries. Trump, who arrived from Washington later, greeted Xi in an arrival ceremony at front steps of the estate. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Tillerson said the US president was prepared to demand an economic relationship that is fair on both sides and said the chief goal of the nations trade policy would be fashioned after his America First credo. To that end, he said, we will pursue economic engagement with China that prioritises the economic well-being of the American people. For weeks leading up to this meeting, China has served as a kind of proxy for Trumps advisers to play out their clashing worldviews. The hard-line contingent led by Trumps chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, and the director of the National Trade Council, Peter Navarro squared off against the more traditional group, which included two former Goldman Sachs executives, Gary D Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, and the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. The latter, one official said, has gravitated in recent days towards a tougher line on China. Bannon, officials said, pushed hard for the removal of Quinn, a special assistant for international trade, investment and development. Conciliatory gesture In a conciliatory gesture, the two countries are expected to announce they will continue to hold an annual high-level dialogue on strategic and economic issues, which began during the George W Bush administration and continued under Obama, though there has been some talk of elevating the session to the level of Vice President Mike Pence. Among the sensitive topics that may come up is American concern about the possibility that Chinese investors might seek to purchase the nuclear power business of Westinghouse Electric Co. Westinghouse, once a symbol of Americas leadership in nuclear energy, was forced to file for bankruptcy in late March, in the face of mounting losses. Though many of its wounds were self-inflicted a disastrous deal for a construction business proved too costly broad market and industry forces have also changed the economic calculus for nuclear energy. US officials are profoundly concerned about the potential national security implications of a purchase of Westinghouse by interests with ties to the Chinese government, including the danger that a sale could deliver sensitive nuclear secrets to that nation. Polling for the byelections to Gundlupet Assembly constituency had been by and large peaceful on Sunday. In a stray incident, police personnel resorted to caning to disperse crowds at a polling booth while technical glitches in the Voter Verified Paper Audited Trial (VVPAT) units in a few booths delayed the voting process. Voting was delayed by an hour due to technical problems in the VVPAT units at Terakanambi, Terakanambihundi, Bheemanabeedu, Madahalli, Maleyuru, Kadaalamadahalli, Kodihalli and Kaggala villages. Voting was also delayed at Raghavapura village due to problems in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). VVPAT units at government higher primary school at Terakanambi village developed a technical snag half an hour after voting began. Officials tried another VVPAT unit but even that did not function causing an hours delay for voters to cast their votes. 2 injured in mild caning A heated exchange of words between Congress and BJP workers of a particular community was reported from near the polling booth at Government Higher Primary School in Gundlupet town. Police rushed to the spot and resorted to mild caning to disperse the crowd. Mubarak and Sadiq were injured in the incident. It also started raining forcing many to leave the booth and take shelter elsewhere. Later, a group of Congress workers burst crackers and shouted slogans against police personnel. Candidates cast votes While Congress candidate M C Mohanakumari cast her vote at Halahalli, BJP contestant C S Niranjan Kumar cast his vote at a booth in Chowdahalli. MP R Dhruvanarayan cast his vote at Heggavadi village. Elderly woman dies An 80 year-old woman identified as Devamma died after returning home from the polling booth at Hangala village in Gundlupet taluk. Devamma had not been keeping well and had turned weak. As per her wish, the family members carried her to the polling booth to enable her to vote for her favourite party. As soon as she returned home, she collapsed and died, family members said. Over 200 people and 70 pieces of equipment are involved in the rescue operation.[Photo: Chinanews.com] MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Two trains collided Saturday night in western Moscow, injuring some 50 people. According to Russian Railways (RZD) website, a passenger train heading from Moscow to Belarus collided with another train Saturday at 10:16 p.m. local time (2016 GMT) when it made an emergency brake to avoid hitting pedestrians. The two trains derailed and left some 50 people wounded. Russian Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov told local media that 12 people were hospitalized, six of them in grave condition. Over 200 people and 70 pieces of equipment are involved in the rescue operation. The 28th Arab League summit held in Jordan on March 29 exposed, once again, the weakness of this potentially powerful bloc of 22 states. The Leagues current troubles stem from deep differences on the war in Syria. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the other Gulf states support insurgents seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Jordan and Lebanon want to see him stay in power until the war ends and the country is stabilised. There is also a growing uneasiness among Arab leaders over the stalled Saudi-led war in Yemen which is devastating West Asia's poorest country and drawing in other Arab actors. While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became a main contributor of troops early in the two-year campaign, Khartoum has recently deployed 6,000 fighters from the notoriously brutal Janjaweed militia to Aden port to back up the UAE contingent, adding Sudan to the coalition. Since King Salman bin Abdel Aziz succeeded his more cautious half-brother Abdullah in 2015, the kingdom has sought to assume political leadership of the region, a role asserted by Egypt under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser not only won over the Arab public from the Gulf to the Atlantic but also became a founding father, along with India's Jawaharlal Nehru, of the Non-Aligned Movement. Until Salman took the throne, Riyadh had been largely satisfied with securing less ambitious objectives through checkbook diplomacy, although the Saudis did wage war in Yemen during the 1960s. Saudi Arabias incompetent intervention in the war in Syria and failure to defeat Yemeni rebels should demonstrate that the kingdom is unfit to lead the Arab world. Nevertheless, King Salman and his favourite son, Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad, have been encouraged to embark on further deadly and destructive adventures. Instead of reining them in, the Arabs have given the Saudis carte blanche. The summit adhered to Riyadhs agenda by condemning foreign interference in Arab affairs without naming Sunni Saudi Arabias arch rival, Shia Iran. While Turkey was asked to withdraw its forces from Iraq, nothing was said about Turkish tanks and troops occupying strategic territory in northern Syria. Turkey is, after all, allied with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the campaign to oust Assad using jihadi militias, including Islamic State and al-Qaeda offshoots. Other external powers interfering in Arab affairs include the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Belgium, and Israel. Like Turkey, they are on the same side as the oil-rich Saudis. Reconciliation between Riyadh and Cairo was achieved at the summit. This was signalled by an invitation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to visit the kingdom. al-Sisi secured this goal by warning non-Arab powers against seeking confessional or territorial domination. His use of these words were intended to warn Iran that it would face a united Arab world if it continues its intervention in Syria, Iraq, and, allegedly, Yemen. Iran is providing troops to reinforce the Syrian army in its battles with a range of insurgents. Iran is the closest ally of the Shia fundamentalist-dominated regime in Baghdad and it is accused of backing Shia rebels in Yemen. Egypt forgiven Relations had been strained by Egypts support for Assad and for failing to hand over to Saudi Arabia the strategic Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir claimed by Riyadh. Egypt had also called for lifting Syrias suspension from the League. The Saudis responded with a six-month suspension of oil shipments to Egypt. According to Saudi Aramco, oil deliveries will resume shortly. Egypt is forgiven, for now. Palestine was the one issue on which there was no disagreement. The Arabs called for the revival of serious and productive peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and reaffirmed the Arab commitment to the emergence of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. They also urged for action on last Decembers UN Security Council resolution 2334, branding as illegal the Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and demanding a halt to all settlement activity. If the Saudis are serious about assuming leadership, they should have been more assertive on Palestine. They could have revived their 2002 peace plan which proposed full Arab relations with Israel in exchange for full Israeli withdrawal from Arab territory occupied in 1967. By demanding international and Israeli adherence to this plan, the Saudis and the summit would have made it clear that continued Israeli colonisation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank land Palestinians demand for their state must halt as it makes peace with Israel impossible. The Arab leaders, represented by 15 heads of state, and seven senior ministers, urged the US not to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, where 86 missions are located, and warned Israel against taking unilateral steps in Jerusalem. During the election campaign, Republican candidate Donald Trump had pledged to move the embassy, a long-standing demand of Israel and its powerful US friends. Unless Saudi Arabia, as the Arab worlds aspiring leader, makes Arab opposition quite clear and, perhaps, suggests sanctions, Trump is unlikely to pay attention. Mangaluru Customs Commissionerate has achieved record revenue collection of Rs 1,648.27 crore in 2016-17, over 21% increase compared to revenue in 2015-16. In the last eight years, the Commissionerates revenue has gone up by 320%. Commissioner Dr M Subramanyam said the trade facilitation initiatives taken by the department over the past year includes inter alia Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade, unaccompanied baggage module in Electronic Data Interchange, Authorised Economic Operator, with an aim of reducing the dwell time and transaction costs for the trade/public. To further facilitate the trade and to resolve issues expeditiously, meetings of the Customs Clearance Facilitation Committee were held with the representatives of the departments/agencies involved in customs clearance process as also the members from trade and industry. The facilitation is 70.56% for bills of entry (for imports) and 83.57% for shipping bills (for export). Further, the time attributable to customs clearance is just 6.71% for import bills and 19.52% for export bills, out of the total time taken for completion of import and export procedures. As regards passenger facilitation at Mangaluru International Airport during the last year, out of the total passengers, 97.62% of the passengers opted for green channel, he said. He said the Commissionerate has received an encouraging feedback from passengers, travel agents and other stake holders about the utility of online customs guide for international passengers launched this year. This guide is an interactive platform for obtaining detailed information about the rules and eligibility of a passenger arriving into India (http://customsmangalore.gov.in/baggage). The efforts undertaken by this Commissionerate to mobilise additional revenue by way of recovery of arrears, monitoring of export promotion schemes, project imports, scrupulous verification during assessment, anti-smuggling measures etc has yielded substantial results to the tune of Rs 20.54 crore. The newly-created Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) and Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) have substantially contributed in detection of commercial frauds and anti-smuggling activities, he added. Last financial year, the officers of Customs at the Mangaluru International Airport detected 152 smuggling cases valued over Rs 5.45 crore. Out of these, 22 cases are of smuggling of gold in various modes and forms of concealment, totally weighing 11.60 kgs and valued at Rs 3.44 crore. In 16 cases, assorted foreign currency equivalent to Rs 1.57 crore was seized from passengers going abroad. In the remaining 114 cases, officers seized 1,737 cartons of foreign made cigarettes, 13.94 kg of tobacco and 1,400 pouches of gutkatotally valued at Rs 44.48 lakh, which were being attempted to be smuggled into the country during 2016-17. The department has also mopped up revenue of Rs 7.46 crore by disposing of seized and confiscated goods. The Commissionerate is taking concerted efforts towards getting certification by the Bureau of Indian Standards to further improve and sustain quality of services delivered to clients, the Commissioner said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought more funds from the Centre for the development of Uttar Pradesh. Attending the eleventh inter-state council meeting here, which was chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Adityanath sought the funds especially for upliftment of the backward eastern and Bundelkhand regions, which was also a poll promise of the BJP during the recent Assembly polls. In his inaugural address, the home minister pitched for peace and stability to fulfill the common desire to take this nation forward. A group of womens rights activists from across the country has demanded the dismantling of the anti-Romeo squads in Uttar Pradesh and termed it as unconstitutional and illegal. They said that the actions of such squads not only violated privacy of the citizens but also amounted to moral policing. In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, around a dozen womens rights and social activists expressed serious concern over the squad and said the police and self-styled vigilantes were using the squads to terrorise and persecute young couples. Surely it is not the way to protect and make the women feel safe.....these squads are attacking the womens ability to take decisions and progressive thinking. What is disconcerting is that these squads decide what is moral...they are picking up Romeos on the basis of doubts, said activist Madhvi Kuckreja. Another activist Arundhati Dhuru called the squads illegal and unconstitutional. Such squads are illegal and against the constitution, which you (Yogi) have pledged to protect, she said. The activists said that safety and security of the womenfolk could not be ensured through such squads. Women will feel safer if the police act on their complaints and crackdown on the goonda elements, the activists said in the letter. Anti-Romeo squads must be immediately scrapped and action should be taken against the vigilante groups, who are harassing the couples in the state, they demanded. The letter was signed by social activists from different parts of the country. The anti-Romeo squads, set-up by the UP government to catch eve-teasers, have come under attack after reports of public tonsuring and punishment of the youth, who were caught while roaming with their girlfriends. RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday conceded that his family owned the land on which Patnas biggest shopping mall was coming up, but said that there was no scam as claimed by the BJP. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had said that when Lalu Prasad was Union railways minister, industrialist Harsh Kochar was given two railway hotels one in Ranchi and the other in Puri (Odisha). In return, a property in Patna, around two acres was transferred in February 2005 to Delight Marketing Private Limited, whose director was RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta, Lalus key aide. Lalus children Tej Pratap, Tejaswi Yadav and Chanda Yadav were later made directors of the company. Later, in November 2016, the company was renamed as Lara Projects Private Limited (The la and ra from Lalu and his wife Rabri Devi). Every charge that Sushil Modi levels against me cannot be a scam. The land transfer has been done in a legal manner and all taxes are duly paid, said Lalu, accompanied by Prem Chand Gupta. Gupta, however, did not answer why his company transferred all the shares to Rabri Devi and her children. I am grateful to Lalu that he has conceded how he purchased land worth several hundred crores for merely a few lakhs. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should take cognisance of how Lalu and his family had been involved from Chara ghotala (fodder scam) to Lara ghotala (Lara Projects scam), Modi said. The BJP leader also demanded that Nitish sack Lalus two sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap immediately from the Cabinet, and that Lalu disclose all his benami properties. Or else, in the days to come, I will expose how Lalu has acquired huge properties in illegal manner. The Centre has proposed to give degree granting powers to the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). In a draft bill, it has also proposed to declare the council as an institution of national importance for promoting quality in research and training in the field of education. The council shall have the power to grant degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions under this act, which shall be equivalent to such corresponding degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions granted by any university or council established or incorporated under any other law for the time being in force, draft of the NCERT Bill, 2017, stipulates. The council, which currently functions under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), was set up by the government in 1961 as an organisation under the Registration of Societies Act to assist and advise the central and state governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education. According to the bill, the HRD minister will head the NCERT as its ex-officio president while the HRD ministrys school education department secretary, the University Grant Commission chairman (UGC), the Central Board of Secondary Education chairman and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan commissioner will be its ex-officio members. The administration of the states and Union Territories will be represented by their education ministers as ex-offico members of the council.The HRD minister will also head the executive committee as its ex-officio president. The executive committee will function as the governing body of the council. The minister of state for HRD will be its ex-officio vice president while the ministrys school education department secretary and the UGC chairman will be its ex officio members. Four vice chancellors The council will have four vice chancellors, who will be nominated by the Centre, as its ex-officio members. The National Institute of Education, New Delhi; Central Institute of Educational Technology, New Delhi; Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal; Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer; Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal; Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar; Regional Institute of Education, Mysore, and North East Regional Institute of Education, Shillong are the major constituent units of the NCERT. Burying their intense military rivalry, the Indian and Chinese navies came together and repulsed a major piracy attack on a bulk carrier along the Gulf of Aden over the weekend. All the 19 Filipino crew members on board MV OS 35, a Tuvalu-registered merchant vessel, are safe. The development comes at a time when India and China are engaged in a major war of words in the wake of the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh. On Saturday night, after receiving distress calls from the bulk carrier, Indian Navy ships INS Mumbai, INS Tarkash, INS Trishul and INS Aditya which were passing through the Gulf of Aden on their way to the Mediterranean, were the first to respond to the SOS. The Chinese, Italian and Pakistani naval ships also responded to the call. The ships rapidly closed in on the merchant vessel by the early hours of Sunday, the Indian Navy said in a statement. The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel, who, along with the crew, had locked himself up in a strong room on board (citadel), as per the standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook an aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board, the statement read. Emboldened by the Indian Navys helicopter cover, and on receiving the all-clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night. Subsequently, in a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese navy ship went on board the merchant vessel, while the Indian naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that the 19 crew members are safe. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for bombing two Egyptian churches as worshippers gathered to mark Palm Sunday, killing at least 43 people. The attacks, said to be the deadliest on the Coptic Christian minority in recent times, followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks before a planned visit by Pope Francis to show support for Egypts Christian minority. The first bombing struck the Mar Girgis church in the city of Tanta, north of Cairo, killing 27 people, the health ministry said. I just felt fire grabbing my face. I pushed my brother who was sitting next to me and then I heard people saying explosion, a wounded witness said in hospital. Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another blast rocked Saint Marks church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service. Sixteen people, including three police officers were killed in that attack, which the interior ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when police prevented him from entering the church. At least 78 people were wounded in Tanta and 40 in Alexandria, the health ministry said. Officials denounced the violence as an attempt to sow divisions in Egypt, and Francis sent his deep condolences to Tawadros. IS claimed that its squads carried out both attacks, in a statement by its self-styled Amaq news agency published on social media. There were bloodstains on the floor of the church in Tanta, next to shredded wooden benches. State television reported that the interior minister sacked the provincial head of security and replaced him after the attack. On March 29, the Mar Girgis churchs Facebook page said a suspicious device had been found outside the building that security services removed. Worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking Jesuss triumphant entrance to Jerusalem. Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypts population of more than 92 million and celebrate Easter next weekend, have been targeted by several attacks in the recent months. Jihadists and Islamists accuse Copts of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. The bombing of the church within a compound that also holds the seat of the Coptic papacy was the deadliest attack against the minority in recent memory. The Election Commission on Sunday night cancelled the bypoll in the R K Nagar constituency in Tamil Nadu over the use of cash to bribe voters. There were rumours that the byelection would be cancelled following cash seizure by IT authorities. Further, a document that reportedly contained details of how nearly Rs 89 crore was used to bribe voters has also emerged in the media. According to the document, which was projected in the media soon after the raids were conducted at the residence of state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, the AIADMK (Amma) faction currently led by T T V Dinakaran had given a sum of Rs 89.65 crore to several senior ministers for distribution among voters in the high-profile constituency. Vijayabaskar is said to be close to jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikalas nephew Dinakaran. State Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni, deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha and special Election Commissioner for R K Nagar bypoll Vikram Bathra rushed to Delhi for an emergency meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi. Earlier in the day, poll panel sources told DH that authorities are expected to take a decision after scrutinising the reports submitted by the IT officials, who on Friday conducted searches at more than 30 places across the state, including the residence of Vijayabaskars assistant, and seized more than Rs 5 crore. Today, election officials are busy in monitoring the development of the byelection in Srinagar... Therefore, the meeting with regard to the R K Nagar byelection is expected to be held either on Sunday evening or Monday, an EC official said. The IT department on Sunday also issued summons to Vijayabaskar and actor-politician Sarath Kumar to appear before it on Monday to explain some documents that were seized from their houses. The JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday said he has no plan to hold talks with party rebel MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan in order to end differences with the rebel leaders of the party. I have nothing to do with him (Zameer). We (party leaders) will neither invite him for talks nor is there a need for him to approach us, Kumaraswamy told reporters on seeking to know whether he was planning to hold talks with the rebel MLA. Zameer has himself said in the past that the JD(S) is like a factory that produces leaders. People are aware of everything about him and they will give appropriate reply to all those who are talking lightly of the party, in the next Assembly polls in the state, he added. Kumaraswamy said he has decided to camp in Hubballi for one week to hold meetings with the party workers. A list of probable candidates to contest the next Assembly elections will be prepared. The JD(S) will field its candidates from all the 224 Assembly constituencies, he added. He said that the Congress leaders L R Shivaramegowda and Suresh Gowda, both former MLAs from Nagamangala in Mandya district will be joining the JD(S) on Monday in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy encouraged cross-voting Zameer Ahmed Khan accused Kumaraswamy of encouraging the party MLAs to vote in favour of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections held last year. He said he is ready to swear on the god in this regard. Eight JD(S) MLAs, including Zameer, cross-voted in favour of the Congress. The JD(S) subsequently suspended these MLAs. The suspension of one the MLAs, K Gopalaiah, was later revoked after he tendered an apology. Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson [File photo: Chinanews.com] The U.S. Carl Vinson Strike Group has departed from Singapore and sailed northward to the Western Pacific ocean near the Korean Peninsula, the United States Pacific Fleet Commander announced Saturday. The deployment came amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired another ballistic missile recently, and was viewed as further strengthening of U.S. presence in the region, according to local media reports citing U.S. military officials. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, directed the operation, said a press release posted on the fleet's official website. The strike group, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson as well as several other missile destroyers and missile cruisers, canceled a previously planned port visit to Australia and diverted to the Western Pacific. The Strike Group, deployed from San Diego, California, to the Western Pacific since Jan. 5, participated in numerous bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and South Korean Navy in the past three months. Firing incidents were reported from at least two places after Congress and BJP workers clashed during the bypoll in Madhya Pradeshs Ater Assembly seat on Sunday. The state electoral office dismissed reports of booth capturing. Two more Special Armed Forces (SAF) companies (nearly 200 personnel) have been pressed into service at Ater. In Ater, the final voter turnout stood at 58.90%, while in Bandhavgarh the figure was at 67.16%, an EC official said. The firing incidents were reported from two places. The security personnel fired in the air at Sankri village booth to avoid a clash between the BJP and Congress workers. Another incident of firing was reported near booth number 172 (Goarkala), State Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh Salina Singh told reporters at a press conference. The incident of firing took place one kilometre away from booth number 172 and as of now more details of this incident are awaited, said Singh. She denied any booth-capturing in Ater and Bandhavgarh. There was no booth capturing incident reported from Ater and Bandhavgarh. All the booths in Ater were declared sensitive. We spoke to the state DGP. After these incidents, we have called two additional SAF companies from Morena to strengthen the security arrangements, she added. When asked about allegations by the Congress that gun shots were fired at its candidate in Ater Hemant Katare at Sankri village booth, Singh said that there was a dispute between booth agents of Congress and BJP. The Congress candidate stayed for a long time inside the booth. This deteriorated the situation resulting in a clash between the polling agents. The police had to fire in the air to control the situation. Some vehicles were also damaged during this clash, she added. Singh said that both the Congress and BJP candidates were provided additional security. The voter turnout on Sunday for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat plunged to a low of 7.14%, the worst figure in nearly 30 years of the electoral history of Jammu and Kashmir. Worse after 1989 In the 1989 Lok Sabha polls, when the insurgency in Kashmir had just begun, polling of 5% was recorded as militants had threatened to kill anyone exercising their franchise. The situation was so bad that only National Conference candidate Muhammad Shafi Bhat had filed the nomination. Bhat was the last person in Indias electoral history to be elected unopposed to the Lok Sabha. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu, while talking about the polling turnout, said that Sunday was not a good day. In the 1996 Lok Sabha polls, when elections were held in the state after a hiatus of seven years, the authorities claimed that 43% polling had taken place. However, the claims remained questionable given the situation prevailing in Kashmir at that time. Separatism factor A political expert, talking about the reason for such a turnout said, The separatism and the election boycott call are among the major factors responsible for the low voter turnout during the Parliament polls. Besides, people dont relate themselves with Parliament elections but in assembly elections they come out to vote for redressal of governance-related grievances. The chinks in the security plan of the Jammu and Kashmir government for the byelection in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency were exposed on Sunday when rampaging mobs vandalised dozens of polling booths in the Budgam district. Sources told DH that security agencies were expecting more trouble in Srinagar city than in the rural Budgam district, which during the 2016 unrest had by and large remained peaceful. The security plan was pre pared keeping militant attacks in mind. Though there were apprehensions of stone pelting, it was never thought that mobs could overrun the security of the polling booths, they said. Pertinently, Srinagar had witnessed three militant attacks in a row last week, inflicting causalities on the security forces, which prompted them to expect terror attacks rather than stone-pelting mobs on election day, sources said. Due to the space constraints, the sources said, make shift polling booths made of tin sheets were set up at many places. These polling booths became soft targets for the stone pelters. As a majority of the additional companies of paramilitary forces, which were supposed to arrive in Srinagar ahead of the polls, got stuck due to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the security plan had its chinks, they said. CRPF spokesman in Srinagar Buhvaish Chaudhary said that the additional CRPF companies couldnt reach Srinagar on time as they were stranded en route. Unexpected scale A senior police officer said, though we had inputs of separatists mobilising stone pelters, we didnt expect this scale of violence in the rural areas of Budgam, and added that security arrangements had been made after assessing the vulnerability of the areas. Of the additional CRPF companies on polls duty, 76 companies has been deployed in Srinagar, 30 in Ganderbal and 62 in Budgam district. An good voter turnout was recorded during byelection from the two neighbouring Assembly constituencies of Nanjangud in Mysore district and Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar district on Sunday. An estimated 77.56% of the electorate cast their votes in the Nanjangud (SC reserved) constituency while 87.10% of voters exercised their franchise in Gundlupet. The election was largely peaceful. The Congress and BJP workers had heated exchanges near the Government Higher Primary School in Gundlupet town. The police rushed to the spot and resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Two people were injured in the melee. Devamma (80) died after returning home after casting her vote at Hangala village in Gundlupet taluk. Some villagers of Mahadev Nagar in Nanjangud boycotting the polling initially, stating that no political party has taken steps for the development of the village. They were later convinced to cast their votes. The counting of votes will be held on April 13. Technical glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from a few places and the same were addressed by the authorities. Voter Verified Paper Audited Trial (VVPAT) units were used with the EVMs for the first time in Karnataka during the Sundays bypolls, coveing all the boths in both the constituencies: 236 booths in Nanjangud and 250 in Gundlupet. It is a straight contest between the ruling Congress and the principal Opposition BJP in both the constituencies with the JD(S) not fielding its candidates. The bypoll for the Nanjangud seat was necessitated following the resignation of the Congress MLA V Srinivas Prasad. He quit his Assembly membership after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dropped him from the Cabinet while reshuffling his council of ministers in June 2016. Later, Prasad joined the BJP and contested the bypoll as it candidate. Unable to find a suitable candidate from its ranks to take on Prasad, the Congress inducted local JD(S) leader Kalale N Keshavamurthy and fielded him as it nominee. He had lost to Prasad in the 2013 Assembly polls. Gundlupet witnessed a byelection following the death of its MLA and the then Cooperation minister H S Mahadev Prasad at a resort in Chikkamagaluru in January. The Congress gave the ticket to his wife M C Mohana Kumari (Geetha Mahadev Prasad) while the BJP fielded C S Niranjan Kumar, who was defeated twice by Mahadev Prasad. Mohanakumari cast her vote at Halahalli and Niranjan Kumar at a booth in Chowdahalli. Ballot paper hangover? Though it has been several years since EVMs replaced ballot papers, the Election Commission officials had put up notice in front of polling booths, which read: Ballot papers should be dropped only into the ballot box, it should not be taken out. Three auto-rickshaw drivers are accused of fatally stabbing a 30-year-old co-professional as he refused to buy them cigarettes at Old Bagalur, northeast Bengaluru, on Saturday night. Muzammil, Wahid, Tabarak and Mohammad Ali, all residents of Bagalur Layout, were chattering away at Old Bagalur around 1.30 am. Ali was asked to buy cigarettes from a pushcart, but he refused. The three men got enraged and picked a fight with him. When Ali retaliated, they ended up stabbing him to death. They later drove off in their auto-rickshaws. The inspector of the jurisdictional KG Halli police station said they had definite leads about the suspects and would hunt them down soon. A man claiming to be the son of a senior police officer reportedly slapped a traffic inspector as he tried to book him and his friend for speeding, drunk-driving and obstructing a law-enforcement officer. M A Mohammad, the inspector of Airport traffic police station, was checking motorists for drunk-driving at Doddanekkundi, southeast Bengaluru, in the early hours of Sunday. Around 2.45 am, the police control room received a call that two men carrying lethal weapons were on the prowl at a nearby traffic junction. The control room alerted Ramachandra B, the inspector of the jurisdictional Mahadevapura police station. It also sent a message to Mohammad since he was not far from the said location. The two inspectors, along with other police officers, rushed to the spot but there was no trace of the armed men. They were about to leave when a man approached them, saying two unidentified men had taken away his motorcycle. He gave the registration number of his motorcycle. Mohammad contacted the control room and gave the motorcycles number. Just then, the inspector saw a motorcyclist trying to speed at the sight of the policemen. The sleuths lunged at him and pinned him down. The man, identified as Alok (30), tried to get away by saying his father was a gazetted officer. When police asked him to produce the motorcycles documents, he got into an argument with them. Police subjected him to an alcometer test and he was found to be drunk. His motorcycle was confiscated and he was asked to collect it from the police station. Alok panicked and called up a friend named Priyanshu, requesting him to come to his rescue. Priyanshu reached the spot quickly and confronted the police for confiscating Aloks vehicle. The inspector warned Priyanshu of booking if he obstructed him. Priyanshu then claimed that his father was a senior police officer, and said police could not book him or his friend. Mohammad ignored him and registered a case. Priyanshu got angry and slapped him in the face. Constables caught him down as he tried to flee. The men, both from Bihar and employed at a private firm in CV Raman Nagar, have been booked under IPC Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty). They were produced before a magistrate who remanded him in judicial custody. A 24-year-old suspected thief died in police custody in Sampigehalli, northeast Bengaluru, early on Sunday. Ramappa alias Ramesh, from Chikkaballapur district, was picked up by police near Nagavara signal on Saturday night after he reportedly tried to run off with the mobile phone of a person. Pravin, a resident of Sampigehalli, was near the Nagavara signal around 9.30 pm when Ramappa approached him with a request to lend him the phone to make an urgent call. Pravin obliged him. But Ramappa tried to run off with the phone. Pravin raised an alarm, and a crowd went after Ramappa. The suspect panicked and climbed a hoarding pole. Police reached the spot after being informed, and managed to talk Ramappa into climbing down. He was later brought to the Sampigehalli police station, and booked for snatching the mobile phone. Ramappa complained of uneasiness and was taken to the general hospital in Yelahanka around 11.30 pm. The duty doctor said his basic parameters were normal but he was under the influence of alcohol. Ramappa was brought back to the police station and kept in the lockup. At 1.45 am, he complained of uneasiness again and was taken to the nearby Sai Clinic. But since the ECG facility was not available there, he was shifted to Regal Hospital but it was too late. He died on the way. Ramappas parents alleged that he had succumbed to custodial torture, and demanded a probe into his death. They said two constables had interrogated Ramappa and he had vouched for his innocence. The incident embarrassed the police top brass which was quick to hand it over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A CID team visited the police station, and questioned local police officers as well as Ramappas family. A CID officer said the cause of death would be known once the probe got over. The Chinese embassy and Chinese firms based in Kenya on Friday donated food supplies worth 160,000 US dollars to drought victims in Africa. The humanitarian action came one week after the Chinese government pledged over 20 million dollars in food relief. A herdsman is trying to feed cattle some water in Kenya. [Photo: Xinhua] Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Liu Xianfa, said Chinese people are always standing side by side with Kenyans, noting that China has already donated 500 million shillings (4.8 million US dollars) in humanitarian aid to Somali and Sudan refugees who live in Kenya. Kenya is among several countries in the horn of Africa, including Somalia and Ethiopia, experiencing a crippling drought. The disastrous weather has put people and livestock at risk. President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought a national disaster, appealing for assistance from Kenya's development partners. It's estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that some 2 million people in Kenya has been affected by the crippling drought. [Photo: Xinhua] Other than much needed donations, good news are looming in the horizon. The long awaited rain season appears to be finally underway, though it may be late relief for farmers in the country. Kenya is among several countries in the horn of Africa, including Somalia and Ethiopia, experiencing a crippling drought. [Photo: Xinhua] Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 9 By Anvar Mammadov Trend: Expansion of exports and imports, as well as transit cargo transportation, is the most priority direction in the development of relations between Estonia and Azerbaijan, Kaupo Reede, director of the Economic Development Department of the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, told Trend. He said that both countries have great opportunities to achieve these goals. "First of all, we see great potential for cooperation between our ports," Reede said. "Our delegation in Baku also included the management of the Paldiski Northern Port, which has the status of a free economic zone since 2011. We know that Baku is also creating a free economic zone in the port of Alat, and our representatives arrived in Baku to expand cooperation in this area. At the same time, we are interested in expanding transportation by rail." He also noted that Estonia is very interested in cooperating with Azerbaijan in the field of technologies. "We are very interested in everything related to the e-government, and we are studying all opportunities for cooperation in this area," Reede said. "Besides, we have a great potential for cooperation in the field of engineering." To date, the Azerbaijani investment to Estonia stands at about $300,000-$400,000. In turn, Estonia has invested about $1 million in the economy of Azerbaijan. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Estonia was $541,130 in January-February 2017, 2.2 times more compared to the same period last year, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 9 By Khalid Kazimov Trend: Iranian President has harshly criticized the recent US airstrike on a military airbase in Syria. The president in the meantime slammed those regional officials who backed the US missile attack on Shayrat airfield in western Homs province, IRNA news agency reported. Rouhani questioned how the US President Donald Trump can make a decision to launch missiles at a sovereign country in the Middle East from its warships while he has not obtained any permission form the UN and its security council or even the US congress. Has anyone granted America with the right to lead the world? Has anyone elected the US as the worlds policeman? he said. Unfortunately, todays world is not the world of law, the president added. He further lashed out at those regional officials who backed the US attack on Syria. Why do you encourage the invader and oppressor? Why do you confirm disorder? he stated. Donegal town was buzzing all day Saturday with tractor runs, 450 cyclists taking part in the Spring Sportive and a fun day for all the adults and children in aid of Animals in Need in the Parish Centre. This event attracted hundreds of children throughout the day doing all the things that we ourselves used to do as children. One thing that caught my eyes was Lauren Gallagher, a student of fine art doing the most intricate face painting. After a few gentle hints I just said why not and gave it a go and ended up with quite a transformation - most people remarked that it enhanced my appearance greatly! I decided to carry out a social experiment and took off around the Diamond, Main St and visited many of the shops. Many pretended that they didn't notice and carried on conversations as if I looked like his all the time while others praised the initiative which highlighted the charity. I heard the blowing of horns around the Diamond and out of nowhere came a bridal couple, Siobhan McGlynn from Laghey and Conor Rooney in their limousine. The car ground to a halt and here I was in the middle of this beautiful couple looking like Bobo the clown. If I make the wedding album then that will be a first, but it was lots of fun and special thanks to the happy couple and to all involved in the various activities in Donegal town at the weekend for their great sport and the many comments! Singing and television star Daniel ODonnell has urged locals as well as tourists to Donegal to make the most of what the county has to offer in terms of wonderful scenery, fantastic facilities and a whole host of things to do. Speaking on Friday in Ionad Teampall Chroine where he and his wife Majella launched the superb Dungloe Tourism Booklet, the singing star said that while we often think as locals we know what our own area can offer, we can sometimes glaze over it and he wants everyone to get the best out of Donegal, whether on holiday or living locally. There is an awful lot to see, enjoy and explore here. I always loved being here and I love coming back here. The scenery and more is fantastic, but for me its also the people. It doesnt have to be a big thing - for the best part of 50 years now I have been playing Whist in Kincasslagh Hall every Tuesday night and I can tell you, if you havent been to the Whist in Kincasslagh Hall on a Tuesday night, you dont know what you are missing, he said to a chorus of laughter and quickly added the cards are secondary to the fun we have, although I can be fairly crabbed when I lose! Majella ODonnell, who jointly launched the booklet, said she had be coming to the Rosses for 15 years now and she distinctly remembers being awe struck by the beauty of the place on her visit: We were on a bus and we pulled over at a place called Bells Brae and the view was incredible, we looked out to Arranmore, Cruit and I fell in love with the place. The team at Dungloe Ionad Teampall Chroine under the new leadership of Helena McClafferty, hosted the launch of the bilingual Dungloe Tourism Booklet. Other speakers at the very well attended launch were Seamus O Gallachoir, Oifigeach Cultuir agus Teanga Udaras na Gaeltachta, who funded the brochure; Breege Ward, who was involved with the brochure and the Rosses Walking Weekend committee - whose weekend was jointly launched with the brochure; Inga Bock Rural Recreation Officer at Donegal County Council, all of whom extolled the facilities available in the area and the importance of people, local and tourists alike, making the most of the various trails, walks and other attractions. Last week, threatening weather put the state on notice twice on Monday and Wednesday as the forecast of heavy storms caused many Alabamians great anxiety. None of those storms, however, were as anticipated as one threatening to break on Friday the release of a 124-page report on an impeachment investigation of Gov. Robert Bentley from the House Judiciary Committees special counsel. This follows a previous report from the Alabama Ethics Commission that concludes there is ample reason to believe the governor may have violated ethics and campaign finance laws. The Ethics Commission has forwarded its findings to the Montgomery County District Attorneys office. Bentley, who was urged to resign the governorship by Senate President Del Marsh earlier this week, held a press conference on the steps of the Capitol early Friday to say he had no intention of resigning, taking the opportunity of skewering those taking pleasure in shaming him and his family. Moments earlier, he had filed for a restraining order to stop the release of the report. A hearing took place before Montgomery Circuit Judge Roman Shaul, who said he was inclined to allow the report to be released; Shaul, however, later recused himself from the case, which is now in the hands of Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin. The report, which was eventually released late Friday, had many in the halls of government believing its contents will be an embarrassment to the state so much so that on Friday afternoon, House Speaker Mac McCutcheon also urged Bentley to step down. Those fears were confirmed the report paints a picture of a desperate Bentley with a Shakespearean obsession with the idea that audio recordings of conversations between him and Mason existed, and his heavy-handed use of state resources in an attempt to intimidate those he thought were responsible, and locate and/or quash the recordings. (Resignation is) the only way to avoid taking our state on a long, painful and embarrassing journey whose ending is likely already known by all of us, McCutcheon said. I told the governor this face to face in his office this morning. Gov. Bentley is finished, and should do the right thing by the people of Alabama. If the report contains even a smattering of truth, Bentleys occupation with his personal drama has diminished his willingness and ability to perform the job he was elected to for quite some time. The painful details of the report make him further ineffective. Impeachment hearings scheduled to begin Monday were temporarily halted by an injunction from Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin Friday, but the Alabama Supreme Court stayed that ruling Saturday afternoon, clearing the way for hearings to proceed April 10. One thing is indisputable any shame or embarrassment that may come of this scandal is caused by Bentleys own actions and decisions, not those of any nameless others who may take pleasure in it. The people of Alabama deserve better. Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 9 By Khalid Kazimov Trend: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has pledged its continuing support for Damascus in the ongoing crisis in the Arab country. Speaking to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad over phone on April 9, Hassan Rouhani said that the recent US airstrike on a military airbase in Syria has violated international law and the Charter of the United Nations, IRNA news agency reported. In his turn, Bashar al-Assad said that the US attack has made his government more determined to defeat terrorists. Back on Friday, dozens of US missile hit Shayrat airfield in western Syrian province of Homs in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town. Tehran, Iran, April 9 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: The Iranian Parliament has declined a draft bill that would authorize private broadcasting in the country, Mehr news agency reported April 9. Irans only broadcasting organization the IRIB has been the sole owner of television channels in Iran so far, despite private demands for non-governmental channels to be authorized. The bill that was rejected today also included a part that proposed to turn the management of the IRIB over to a board of trustees. The IRIB chief is made through a direct decree by the Supreme Leader. The bill had been introduced by the Hope Parliamentary Group, the reformist faction of the Parliament which was the hope of reform-minded voters who chose its members over a year ago. 21:54 (GMT+4) At least 17 people were killed, and 47 injured in an explosion near a church in Egypt's Alexandria, RIA Novosti reported. 16:04 (GMT+4) An explosion took place near a church in Egypt's Alexandria April 9, RIA Novosti reported citing the Egyptian state television. Two people were killed and 21 injured in the explosion, Egypts ONTV reported. The explosion was carried out by a suicide bomber, according to preliminary information. Egyptian media said that Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and all Africa may have been inside the church during the attack. He was not harmed. 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Pope Francis and the World Council of Churches have condemned bombings that have killed at least 43 people at two Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday, one of the most important days on the Christian calendar. The terror group that calls itself Islamic State, or Daesh, claimed responsibility for the two attacks on April 9, which also injured more than 100 people, Reuters news agency reported. The second attack singled out the seat of the Coptic Pope Tawadros II in Alexandria and it occurred a week before Western and Eastern Orthodox Christians are to celebrate Easter, the feast commemorating the death and rising from the dead of Jesus. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Egypt later this month. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared three days of nationwide mourning after the bombings and stated thath once legal measures were completed a three-month state of emergency would come into force. The first bombing, in Tanta, a Nile Delta city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Cairo, ripped through the inside of St. George Church during its Palm Sunday service, killing at least 27 people and injuring at least 78, the Ministry of Health said. The second, a few hours later was by a suicide bomber in Alexandria, hit Saint Mark's Cathedral, the historic seat of the Coptic Pope, killing 16 people, including three police officers, and injuring 41, said the ministry. Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims in remarks to Catholic faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray with him following Palm Sunday Mass. POPE TAWADROS II "To my dear brother, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, to the Coptic Church and to all the dear Egyptian nation I express my deep condolences. "I pray for the dead and the injured, and I am close in spirit to the family members [of the deceased and injured] and to the entire community." Francis went on to pray, "May the Lord convert the hearts of the people who are sowing terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make and traffic weapons." WCC general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit expressed profound sorrow and offered condolences and prayers for the families of the victims, for the wounded and for all the people of Egypt. He encouraged Egyptians to stand firm and united through the many trials and tribulations that continue to threaten. Tveit said, "In the face of this brutality, the human family, all people of faith and of good will, must stand together to recommit to respecting and caring for one another, to protecting one another, and to preventing such violence." Tveit said, "In the face of this brutality, the human family, all people of faith and of good will, must stand together to recommit to respecting and caring for one another, to protecting one another, and to preventing such violence." The WCC appealed to the Egypian president, to religious leaders and to governments across the region " to act swiftly and boldly to safeguard the fundamental religious rights of worshippers of all faiths." It urged them "to ensure security in the face of violence and to guarantee justice for all people. Places of worship representing many different faith traditions have been targets of violence by extremists." Tveit said, "Government action must be matched by solidarity among Muslims, Christians and people of all faiths as they interact at the local level and together denounce any violent attack." In Egypt, Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni Islamic authority in Egypt, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attack. Christians, who make up 10 percent of 91 million mainly Muslim people in Egypt have faced attacks and harassment before. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," rights group Amnesty International had reported in March. "In these difficult and challenging times the WCC calls particularly on religious and national leaders to support the people in Egypt as they affirm life and engage in countering negative trends through peaceful means, such as proactive engagement in dialogue and partnership between Christians and Muslims in Egypt and throughout the world." A bombing at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded 49 in December, many of them women and children, in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Christian minority in years. (Wikimedia Commons/ White House photographer)Donald Trump with wife Melania, during his oath-taking as U.S. President. U.S. President Donald Trump has selected a Christian conservative and ex U.S. Army flight surgeon Mark Green to succeed former "out" homosexual U.S. Army Secretary Eric Fanning. Ex-Army officer and West Point alumnus Mark Green is said to be Trump's top nominee for the post that is currently held by Fanning, reported The Tennesean. Green was part of the Army's special operations team that took former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003. He left the Army in 2006 and went to build and become CEO of AlignMD, a medical staffing firm until 2016 when it was acquired by American Physician Partners. He is currently a senator in the Republican Party for the state. The nomination comes as a surprise as Green is said to eye Tennessee's governor post in 2018. While his nomination by the president would still require approval from the Senate, his confirmation for the post would keep him out of the running for the 2018 gubernatorial race. Meanwhile, news of his nomination was met with apprehension by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), the country's biggest network of LGBT military spouses and relatives have expressed their worry over the conservative Christian's impending appointment. "We are deeply concerned over reports that Mark Green will be nominated as Secretary of the Army," AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack told LGBT Weekly. "Green has made a shameful political career out of targeting LGBT people for discrimination. All soldiers and their families, including those who are LGBT, should have confidence that the Secretary of the Army has their back and is working for their best interest," she added. Broadway-Mack recalled the senator's former tirades against the LGBT community, which deems him as someone who "cannot be trusted to ensure all those who serve have the support they need and deserve." In January 2017, Green file the SB 127 bill that states, "A government entity shall not take discriminatory action against a business entity on the basis of the internal policies of the business entity, including, but not limited to, personnel and employee benefit policies that are in compliance with state law." Many believed the bill was targeted at the LGBT community and the Human Rights Campaign group denounced it. Fanning, whom Green will replace as Secretary of Army, is the first openly gay person to hold the post. Fanning was appointed by then-President Barack Obama in 2016. To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. The number of civilians killed by the US-led coalition airstrike in the Syrian northern province of Raqqa has risen to 20, with children among the casualties, Sputnik reported Saturday. Earlier in the day, Syrian SANA news agency reported about ten casualties. According to the Al Masdar media outlet, the US-led coalition bombed Hanida village to the west from Syria's Raqqa. At least 20 civilians were killed including four children. The US-led coalition is currently carrying out airstrikes near Raqqa to support the offensive of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against Daesh. The Rage of Euphrates operation aimed at liberating Raqqa from Daesh, which seized the town and proclaimed it as own capital in 2014, was launched in November 2016 by the SDF. Acting under the mandate of the 1973 War Powers Resolution bill, US President Donald Trump submitted a written explanation to Congress for Saturdays missile strike in Syria, Sputnik reported. "I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive," Trump wrote, The Hill reported. The letter, addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), also stated that, "The United States will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests." Addressing the nation on television immediately following the US airstrike, Trump said, "Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital, national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons." He also said "there can be no dispute" that Syrian government forces had launched the chemical attack, an assertion that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to deny. Obeying the mandate of the Nixon-era War Powers Resolution, a president must submit the justification for ordering the use of force within a 48-hour time period. WHO UNICEF and the World Bank are working closely with health authorities to keep Yemen polio-free and curb the spread of measles SANAA, 8 April 2017 In an effort to keep Yemen polio-free, nearly 5 million children under the age of 5 have been vaccinated in a nationwide campaign covering all governorates in the country. The campaign was supported by a partnership between the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO launched in February 2017. Despite intensifying violence in Saada governorate, more than 369 000 children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years were immunized against measles a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease - and over 155 000 children under the age of 5 were vaccinated against polio. Thousands of dedicated health workers, health educators, religious leaders and local council officials played a key role in mobilizing their communities to maximize the immunization campaigns reach. Thanks to their support, high-risk groups, such as internally displaced persons and refugees, have also been vaccinated. WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank, are working closely with health authorities to keep Yemen polio-free and curb the spread of measles, said Dr Nevio Zagaria, WHO Representative in Yemen. This partnership provides continuous support to national health authorities to increase vaccination coverage for vulnerable children across Yemen. Before 2006, measles was one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years old in Yemen. But several measles campaigns supported by WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank have succeeded in drastically reducing child deaths from the disease. The 2 year-long conflict in Yemen has all but destroyed the countrys health system, including the national immunization programme to protect all children from preventable diseases. WHO and UNICEF have provided sustained support for the programme, along with other essential health services for children, including: Delivering fuel, generators and solar-powered refrigerators to keep vaccines at a constant cool temperature, Support for transferring vaccines from national and governorate cold rooms to local health facilities and vaccination teams. Every minute, the situation of Yemens children gets worse. It is unacceptable that children in Yemen are dying of preventable diseases. This is why, together with partners, we are sparing no effort to save more lives, said Ms Meritxell Relano, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. The World Bank is committed to investing in childrens health, which is a vital investment in the countrys future, through working with our UN partners in Yemen and strengthening the local health institutions, said Ms Sandra Bloemenkamp, World Bank Country Manager for Yemen. Immunization campaigns are critical to keep Yemen polio-free a major priority for WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank and to help minimize the risk of poliovirus being imported into the country. Vaccination is one of the safest and most cost-effective health interventions to protect children from potentially fatal and debilitating diseases. About WHO WHOs goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world. Working through offices in more than 150 countries, WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people. Together we strive to combat diseases infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and noncommunicable ones like cancer and heart disease. We help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink and the medicines and vaccines they need. For more information about WHO Follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube About the World Bank The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Its mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. Established in 1944, the World Bank Group has more than 10 000 employees in more than 120 offices worldwide. For more information about the World Bank Follow the World Bank on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube About UNICEF UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube For more information contact: Tarik Jasarevic World Health Organization +41 79 367 6214 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Ebrahim Al-Harazi The World Bank +1 202 855 1565 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Swangin Bismarck UNICEF Yemen +967 712 223161 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tamara Kummer UNICEF Regional Office Amman +962 797 588 550 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Manannan to cover Heysham sailings after Ben delay Tonight's sailing to Heysham will be operated by the Manannan following a lengthy delay to the Ben-my-Chree's crossing. The Ben was due to leave the Lancashire port for Douglas at 2.15pm, but is now expected to depart at 11pm, not arriving back in the Isle of Man until 2.30am. The Steam Packet Company says the delay is due to a technical issue with the vessel. Passengers booked on the 7.45pm crossing to Heysham will now depart on the Manannan at 10.45pm, and are asked to check in at least an hour beforehand. The return sailing at 2.15am from Heysham will depart as schedule, but will be operated by the fastcraft. A car bomb that exploded outside a military base in the Somali capital on Sunday has killed at least 15 people, Reuters reported. The death toll could rise as a minibus carrying passengers was destroyed in the blast. "At least 15 people mostly civilians died in the blast," Major Hussein Nur, a military official, told Reuters. "We do not know the exact figure of casualties. All the people on board the ruined minibus perished. Soldiers and other private security guards also died," he said. The European Union and China are expected to formulate a joint political statement to the United States, seeking to protect free trade from the intended protectionism of the Trumps administration. At the same time, the European Council adopted a conclusion document at the beginning of March stressing that trade relations with China should be strengthened on the basis of a shared understanding of reciprocal and mutual benefits. Currently, the EU-China bilateral relations are governed by the hope that the Trump shock could lead to opportunities to improve the business environment for European companies operating in China. However, last year was a turning point for the worse in EU-China economic relations as two new trends gained importance in Europe that Beijing has not yet successfully addressed. First, the European discourse on the EU-China trade is now dominated by the voices calling for screening incoming Chinese investment. They generally mirror concerns regarding Europes long-term economic development in face of the ambitious Chinese industrial plans. Chinas direct investment in the old continent went up by 77 per cent last year to 35 billion (US$37.3 billion), including the acquisition of advanced technology assets. The current trend pushing for investment screening stems from the perception that there is not an even playing field when it comes to the investment environment in China. Second, there is a growing concern in the EU regarding a possible linkage between Chinese investment and political influence. The question is still largely theoretical as no one knows how much influence Beijing is gaining in Central and Eastern Europe through its 16+1 framework created in 2012 by China and 16 countries in the two regions. The European Commission nevertheless stepped in the contract granted to a Chinese firm to upgrade the Belgrade-Budapest railway, thus sending a powerful signal that China needs to work with the EU. The possible deterioration of the US-China relations and the possibility that China policy will no longer be on the agenda of the transatlantic dialogue present an opportunity to upgrade the EU-China economies relations. Donald Trumps changes in US trade policy will likely make relations with Europe and Eurasia even more strategic for China. It is also an opportunity for Europe to act as the balancing power between the US and China in case the US trade policy will indeed become revisionist and/or if China becomes a status quo power in relation to the world trade. Trump Trade Reset Gives China and Europe Opportunity to Rebalance Relations Commentary by Mathieu Duchatel European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). (The Commentary can be downloaded here) Hi! We are a family, currently living in Scotland, but my wife has accepted a job with a firm in Abu Dhabi and she is travelling there to start working later this month (April 2017). The company is providing residence visas for us. The plan is wife gets settled with and for the first few weeks / months whilst she is there, she gets familiar with the place / researches places to live longer term / look at schools for our 5 and 7 year olds etc, and we all move over once we know for sure it's for us. I would need to work over there soon after we move. How difficult / easy would it be, given our situation, for me to get a visa to work freelance for myself? It would be as a Personal Trainer. That would be my ideal - to work for myself (I managed this when we became expats in Singapore for a few years) - but the other option I would have would be to become an employee of a local gym. Would this option be much easier in terms of visas? Hi all, Guys, I would like to know when does the time starts getting counted for the citizenship. Does it start from the first entry after PR Visa or once someone had moved permanently? I believe one need to stay 3 years in the four-year duration. Let's say I first visited in JAN 2017 and then later in JUNE 2017 made the final move. So does the period of JAN-JULY will count in the four-year duration or will the four-year duration will start once I would have made the final move in June 2017? Kindly share your experience and thoughts regarding this matter. Thanks and Regards I am trying to apply for a NOC A job - 2175 (Web Designer) and I keep getting a "Profile Ineligible" message and I have no idea what I am doing that's causing it to be the case. It cannot be my language scores because I meet CLB7 as required for NOC A jobs. My IELTS scores are: L: 7.5 R: 7.0 W: 6.5 S: 8.5 The test was done in mid 2016 so it's still valid. I worked from mid-January 2015 till the end of February 2016 so I have the required 1 year of experience. So I am completely lost as to what's saying I am ineligible. EDIT: could it be my education? I've just finished 8 years service in the British army (as a searcher in the Royal Engineers) I've recently moved to Dubai looking for work! I've had no luck, does anyone have any suggestions or any websites/contacts that would greatly appreciated. thanks! So back on Feb 12th I was terminated from my company and given 1 months notice simply due to the company running out of money and could no longer afford me. Fine... They said they will keep my visa on for as long as needed but this was probably so they could buy some time before paying me the end of service. As of today they still owe me my final months salary and my end of service money and said they will pay it to me when money starts coming in and as of now they have paid me 20% of what they owe me in total. I now want to cancel my visa but in order to do so I have to sign a document with DMCC to say I have received all my end of service money and whatever is owed to me in general. I will not sign this until I have all the money. The issue I have now is that I am now leaving the UAE in mid May and it doesn't look likely that all the money owed to me will be paid by then and I refuse to sign that document. So my question is what happens if I just leave the UAE without canceling my visa? I will not let my ex employer know that I am leaving as I want them to know that I am still here as I have already threatened to report them to DMCC which triggered the 20% payment. Russia's UN envoy accused the United States on Friday of violating international law by carrying out military strikes in Syria. "The United States attacked the territory of sovereign Syria. We describe that attack as a flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression," Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the Security Council. The council was meeting in an emergency session after the United States launched a barrage of missile strikes on a Syrian air base in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack. France and Britain said the US response was "appropriate" and laid the blame on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Eighty-six people including at least 27 children died in the suspected attack on Tuesday in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in Syria's Idlib province. Results from post-mortems performed on victims point to exposure to the deadly sarin nerve agent, according to Turkish health officials. The council meeting was called by Bolivia, which also branded the US strikes a violation of international law. Bolivian Ambassador Sacha Lorenti said the United States had behaved like "investigator, attorney, judge and executioner" in Syria. "This is not what international law is all about," he told reporters. Search Keywords: Short link: Leforgeron said: My understanding is that you have to live in France for the majority of the days in a year to be a french resident for tax puposes for that year. Therefore you cannot be a tax resident of two different countries with respect to the same year. Doesn't it follow from that that all your income for that year is taxable by your country of tax residence for that year (since you are not paying taxes on it anywhere else)? Click to expand... Actually, no. If you read through the IRS Pub 54 carefully, you'll find a sentence in there that admits that it is possible to be "tax resident" in two countries (or more) at the same time. Also, don't forget that not all countries tax based on a calendar year.Technically speaking, as a US citizen, you are ALWAYS "tax resident" in the US - at least until you renounce. So most Americans living overseas are already tax resident in two places (and must report worldwide income in both tax "residences").In France, your tax obligation dates from when you moved to France (i.e. took up residence), so if you moved mid-year, then you only owe a worldwide declaration of income from that date. In the US, there is the notion of being a "dual status" alien - resident for part of the year, and non-resident for the other part. This usually applies to someone just arriving or who departed during the year.And, the way taxes work in France, it's actually a good idea to declare your French income, even if you only moved to France in the month of December. Having an avis d'imposition can come in remarkably handy for so many administrative functions - even if the tax due amount is 0. (And the fact that you have to wait until August or September of the next year to get your assessment paper makes it very practical to own up to any stub period.)Cheers,Bev Sometime last year, I emailed you regarding letters written in 1938 by my late mother-in-law (Marjorie Jordan) mentioning The Cave cafeteria in the basement of the Menger Hotel. (I think it was the Menger.) As we continue to sort through her many treasures, we have come across a couple of Fiesta San Antonio programs from 1949 and 1950. Both are in good condition, and we hate to just toss them if there is some place where we can send them for safekeeping. If you can identify such a place, we will be happy to deliver them. Dan Williams, Charlotte Readers might remember that Marjorie Jordan and her husband were treated to a post-honeymoon dinner at the Caveteria (covered here Feb. 13, 2016) in the basement of the Gunter Hotel by W.C. Hankins, head of their alma mater, Alamo Business College (Feb. 6, 2016). They must have enjoyed some of our citys other unique social opportunities, because what you found are formal invitations to Fiesta and to one of its older surviving events, the Pilgrimage to the Alamo. These invitations included reproductions of original paintings, chosen in an annual competition for a few years in the late 1940s and early 50s. The invitations were mailed from the early 40s onward by the Fiesta San Jacinto Association (now Fiesta San Antonio Commission) to members of participating organizations, sponsors and other prominent residents. As Fiesta events go, its an unusual one short, quiet and sober, recalling the intent of the first Battle of Flowers parade in 1891 to commemorate the decisive Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836, that won Texas independence. From the earliest days of the Pilgrimage, the Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) was involved, first as hosting custodian of the Alamo and later as organizer of the event. The DRT counts the first Pilgrimage in 1918. Theres an announcement in the Jan. 24, 1926, San Antonio Express of a new Fiesta event, a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Alamo sponsored by a new organization, the Texas Cavaliers, now best known for presenting Fiestas annual River Parade. At the time, the mens group planned to keep alive the memory of Texas pioneers by a series of pageants, plays and speeches and by staging the Pilgrimage to the Alamo each year during Fiesta week. Made on foot unlike the Cavaliers horse tournament the Pilgrimage was to be established as an annual event. The Cavaliers didnt remain attached to it for long; first Pilgrimage Chairman Ralph Durkee of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce is often referred to as a founder of the event, and responsibility for the event soon passed into the hands of the Fiesta association, which worked closely with the chamber. In its second year, the Pilgrimage assumed the format that it would stick with for more than two decades. Scheduled near the opening of Fiesta, the Pilgrimage featured 5,000 schoolchildren carrying flowers, hothouse wreaths and sprays, vying with bouquets of wildflowers gathered from vacant lots, says the Express, April 23, 1927. Once the flowers were laid at the Shrine of Texas Liberty, students, representatives of the Army (and) patriotic, fraternal and civic societies stood in Alamo Plaza as orators appealed for emulation of the Alamo heroes. One was then-Gov. Dan Moody, who started a long tradition of governors heading the procession. ROTC drill teams marched, and high school bands played to the throngs that filled that historic square, says the San Antonio Light, April 21, 1927. Around the time of the documents you found, the Pilgrimage continued to be a simple, dignified rite, says the San Antonio Light, April 18, 1950, with some new elements, such as a twilight start time, formation at Municipal Auditorium and performances by college choirs. Gov. Allan Shivers carried a wreath at the head of a parade comprising members of 100 organizations and gave a speech, as did Pilgrimage Chairman Angus Cockrell and Fiesta San Jacinto Association President Hollis Bridgman. You and I cannot be too humble as we stand before this great shrine, Shivers told an audience of 25,000. Pilgrimage sponsorship changed in 1960 from the Fiesta association to the DRT, in recognition of the fact that the DRT are custodians of the Alamo, says the Light, Jan. 26, 1960. The Fiesta San Antonio Commission, as it was known by then, granted the DRT $400 for the event (compared with $9,000 for the Battle of Flowers Parade). Participating organizations were expected to bring their own flowers, and flower sponsorships were encouraged. A new tradition arose, of donating Pilgrimage flowers to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Your 1949 Pilgrimage invitation must be a beauty. As described in the Light, April 1, 1949, it was a handsome gold and green (with) a color plate of James Frazers painting, Maj. Robert Evans, a master of ordnance thought to be the last survivor of the Alamo, along with a history of the Pilgrimage and Fiesta, a Fiesta schedule and a list of Fiesta association officers. Both of your Fiesta items would be a welcome addition to the Fiesta San Antonio Commission Records in the UTSA Libraries Special Collections or to the DRT Collection started by the Alamo Mission Chapter; Ive forwarded contact information so you can make arrangements. The Pilgrimage remains a memorial tribute to the Alamo heroes and the heritage of Texas, says Sharon Skrobarcek, president of the DRTs Alamo Mission Chapter, which still presents the event. The procession now departs from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Tobin Center and walks silently to the Alamo. Simultaneously, Skrobarcek says, an authoritative voice intones the names of the Alamo defenders from inside the Alamo walls. Following the procession and placing of the wreaths on the Alamo greensward, a brief memorial service takes place. The Fiesta military coordinator delivers an address, and the sounding of taps ends the ceremony. This years Pilgrimage to the Alamo will be held at 4 p.m., April 24, in Alamo Plaza. According to the invitation emailed by the Alamo Mission Chapter, floral tributes will be presented by commanders of five services, to honor Texas heroes and all who have worn the cloth of our nation in defense of freedom, followed by a brief program in recognition of the heroes of the Alamo and todays military. historycolumn@yahoo.com Twitter: @sahistorycolumn Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Every Friday, Cindy Castillo endures eight-hours of chemotherapy treatments that leave her exhausted and aching to the bone. It hurts so much, said Castillo, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2015. You dont want to do anything. You just want to lie down and be in the dark. But Saturday morning, Castillo dragged herself out of the darkness, donned a pink survivor crown, and headed to the Komen Race for the Cure at the Alamodome, where she waded through a crowd of 15,000 people and was welcomed with hugs and cheers from her friends. Seeing all these people, it lifts me up, a beaming Castillo said. For 20 years, San Antonios chapter of Susan G. Komen, a foundation based in Dallas that raises money for breast cancer research, treatments and screenings, has offered a tangible way to help people suffering from a disease that kills 40,000 people in the United States every year. It affects everyone and it affects every walk of life, said Debra Acosta, the events registration chairwoman. It doesnt matter if youre rich or poor. The races are a fundraising engine for Komen, and local organizers hope the 20th anniversary brings a boost in excitement and donations for a worthy cause. But in recent years theres been less money to spend on breast cancer initiatives. Komens Race for the Cure in San Antonio raised $2.2 million six years ago. Then the groups leaders in Dallas sparked a nationwide controversy in January 2012 by trying to drop funding for breast cancer screenings by Planned Parenthood. The effect was immediate. Fundraising in San Antonio dropped by nearly $400,000 to $1.8 million in the spring of 2012. Donations shot up to $2.4 million in 2013. But since then, fundraising stalled again. In San Antonio, Komen raised $1.8 million from the 2014 race and $1.5 million from the 2015 race, according to the most recent publicly available financial statements for the nonprofit organization. Race organizers say fundraising from last years race dropped even more to $1 million. Acosta said its not clear whether the Planned Parenthood controversy was behind the decline in fundraising, especially since there was a spike in donations in 2013. People are stretched really thin, Acosta said of potential donors. We still raise money but I think we have to find something to kick it up a notch. Most of the funding stays in San Antonio and is channeled to organizations such as the University Health System, which oversees a mobile mammography unit to reach and screen low-income women who lack healthcare services. On Saturday, organizers said 15,000 people attended this years race. Thats a smaller crowd than the 18,000 who attended in 2016. But they raised more money than last year nearly $1.3 million. For Sonia Veliz, one of Castillos friends who showed up Saturday to support her, the races offer a concrete way to do something to help a friend who desperately needs it. Its a way to show the love, to show the support, to show that shes not alone, Veliz said. And it helps people like Veliz who often feel powerless to lift the burden for loved ones suffering from cancer. You cant say, I know how you feel, said Veliz. There was no shortage of men at the event. They were there for support and as cancer survivors. Breast cancer strikes men as well as women, though it is less common. Its hard to understand what someone goes through when they have cancer, said Fidel Lucero, who was there to support his sons mother-in law. A lot of husbands out here are supporting their wives. Komen races are made of teams who band together to raise money. In one section of the parking lot where joggers prepared for the race, 50 members of Team Tamster gathered for Tamie Bocanegra, 36, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at the age of 22. Its the toughest thing Ive ever had to go through, Bocanegra said, tears welling up in her eyes. I won this fight. jtedesco@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Most were farmers, laborers, peasants and fishermen in the Canary Islands when they answered a petition from Spanish King Philip V to settle the far-flung provinces in New Spain. To counter French encroachment, the king had been urged to send 400 families 200 from the Canary Islands or Galicia, Spain, or Havana, Cuba, and 200 more from what is now Mexico to populate the missions in Texas. There already were inhabitants at San Antonio de Bejar, a presidio established in 1718, on the San Antonio River. There was a mission, too, San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo), founded May 1, 1718, four days before the presidio. Four other missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada were relocated from what is now East Texas to this area. The four missions, still active Catholic parishes, are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with the Alamo. It would take more than a decade before the prospective settlers, some with families, would board a ship in 1730 from the Canary Islands for New Spain. The majority of the islanders were from Lanzarote, the fourth-largest of the Canary Islands, said Dr. Alfonso Chiscano, a native of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands and a longtime San Antonio resident. More Information Online More: Photos at ExpressNews.com See More Collapse Why they chose to leave their country for a largely uninhabited hamlet halfway around the world can be explained by the dire conditions in the Canary Islands during the 18th century, said Chiscano, a retired cardiothoracic surgeon and faculty member at UT Health San Antonio. There was no water to grow crops, no rain to speak of, and people suffered from hunger and epidemics, said Chiscano, one of five co-chairs of the Tricentennial Commission responsible for putting on a massive celebration in 2018 marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio. In 1721, famine forced many residents of Lanzarote to move to Tenerife or Gran Canaria. In September 1730, a volcano erupted. The eruptions continued for six years, destroying many homes and villages, Chiscano said. On March 27, 1730, the emigrants sailed to Cuba on the first leg of a trip that would take them nearly a year. Two months after arriving in Havana, they left for Veracruz, the most important port in New Spain. It was there that two of the men from the Canary Islands died. The longest and most daunting part of the trip, from Veracruz to Texas, began Aug. 1, 1730. The 55 immigrants, making up 16 families, arrived in the presidio of San Antonio de Bexar on March 9, 1731. The Canary Islanders were to receive land, livestock, seed and the title of hidalgo, the lowest level of noblemen. They would also receive 300 pesos from the Spanish crown for one year. Heeding the advice of presidio commander Juan Perez de Almazan, the Islanders, or Islenos, began planting crops and building houses. A few months after their arrival, the villa and municipal government began to take shape. Typical of Spanish design, the villas church and government buildings were laid out around the Plaza de las Islas, now Main Plaza. In July 1731, Perez de Almazan appointed the men who would form the new government. Juan Leal Goraz, who had acted as unofficial leader during the arduous trip to Texas, became the first mayor and alderman. Serving with him were Juan Curbelo, second alderman; Antonio Santos, third alderman; Salvador Rodriguez, fourth alderman and vice mayor; Manuel de Nis, fifth alderman; Juan Leal Alvares, sixth alderman; Antonio Rodriguez, public lands administrator; and Vicente Alvarez Travieso, sheriff or constable. Francisco Jose de Arocha, the only one of the Islenos who could read or write, was city secretary and notary public. Arocha often was called by members of the council to sign their names on documents. Arocha was so indispensable that he was turned down every time he tried to resign during his 26 years in office. In a November 1730 letter, Juan de Acuna, Marquis de Casafuerte and Viceroy of New Spain, wrote that the appointees were to hold municipal office for life. The resignation of Arocha, who claimed that he was near death, was finally approved by the council in 1757. The viceroy declared the colony a city to be known as the Villa de San Fernando. It also would be the capital of the New Spain province of Texas. Official documents, orders and reports that make up the Bexar Archives reflect what was occurring in the province under Spanish rule. There were daily struggles and challenges, from frequent Indian raids to quarrels with other Islenos. One such quarrel led to Juan Leal Goraz, the mayor, spending six months in jail. There also were clashes with other townsfolk over apportionment of water and land and crop failures because of extreme temperatures or plagues. In October 1745, the council ordered residents of the Villa de San Fernando to comply with notices to report to do whatever they may be told for the construction of a new church. Failure to do so would result in a fine of 25 pesos and 15 days in jail. Hopeful that the king would provide funds for a new church, construction had been put off for years. Mass was being celebrated at the mission church, part of which is down and the other part ready to fall, the council said. A church begun a few years earlier that was financed by the residents and the soldiers had been left unfinished because of lack of funds. It was never completed. The cornerstone for the church of San Fernando was laid in 1738. Construction was completed 12 years later. The church, built west of Main Plaza, was used by Mexican troops led by Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna during the March 1836 Battle of the Alamo. San Fernando would become a cathedral in 1874, when the Diocese of San Antonio was formed. More than two centuries later, it remains the center of Catholic life in San Antonio. Descendants of the Islenos would live under Spanish rule until Mexicos hard-fought 11-year effort for independence ended successfully in 1821. The names of the original Islenos may not be widely known, but their many contributions are still evident today, including music, government, Spanish law and new methods of agriculture. The Islenos descendants have commissioned statues representing those hardy settlers in Main Plaza as a reminder of their sacrifices. Fundraising is underway for the artwork; the descendants hope to have it installed as part of the tricentennial celebration next year. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NUEVO LAREDO A peaceful demonstration Saturday morning of about 500 Cuban migrants hoping to call attention to their plight in Mexico quickly escalated when a large group moved the protest to the international bridge. Many have been in Mexico since January, when President Barack Obama ended their privileged migrant status, and have grown restless. Mexican soldiers armed with rifles turned them back, but a dozen slipped past the soldiers in a second wave, only to be told by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that the bridge was closed to them. What if I want to turn myself in and ask for asylum? one man asked. The law has changed, you have to go back, a CBP officer responded before escorting the Cuban man to the Mexican side of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge. That reaction is contrary to CBPs repeated claims that Cubans still are permitted to pursue asylum and stay in the United States until the asylum request is processed if they express a fear of returning to their native country, just as those from Central American countries can do. CBP is not turning anyone away, the agency said earlier this year. In a statement released Saturday, the agency said the same thing when asked why the agent sent the Cuban back to Mexico. The statement said the agency has not changed any policies affecting asylum procedures but did not address the discrepancy. In the days leading up to the demonstration, many of the more than 1,000 Cubans stranded on the Mexican side of the border since Obama ended the wet foot, dry foot policy have grown increasingly frustrated that President Donald Trump has yet to make his policy regarding the islanders clear. Hence, Saturdays march, organized largely through social media. On Saturday morning, Reinier Aguila Esquivel, a 34-year-old contractor from Camaguey, held a sign that read the Cuban people want to help make U.S.A. great again. He listened intently as a pastor told the Cubans that while their future in the United States was uncertain, they have to avoid trouble to be allowed to stay in Mexico while they wait for Trump to take action. A couple of hours later, Esquivel sat in the middle of the pedestrian bridge. I want an answer, he shouted at U.S. immigration officials, who were urging him to go back to Mexico. We have a right. Just a few months ago, Cubans were streaming across this bridge under a decades-old provision of the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act. Thawing relations between Washington and Havana in late 2014 set off a wave of migration. Nearly 100,000 men, women and children made U.S. landfall before the wet-foot, dry-foot policy ended, even as thousands of Cubans still were in transit. Hundreds have made it to Nuevo Laredo since and they continue to arrive. In the beginning, they lingered near the pedestrian bridge to Laredo, hoping for a reversal of fortune. As days bled into weeks and then months, the hapless migrants fanned out across the city, taking refuge in churches, migrant shelters, hotels and apartments. Eventually, the flow of humanitarian assistance ran dry, and they were left to fend for themselves. Starting a restaurant These days, the Cuban diaspora work odd jobs, or have conjured them from sheer will. Some work in construction and maquiladoras, others work the graveyard shift as security guards or even make tortillas. Lourdes de la Torre, a 49-year-old accountant from Camaguey, went one step further and helped open a restaurant. A year ago, I never would have imagined this, De la Torre said of Restaurant el Cubanito. It certainly wasnt my plan. But after the church groups stopped bringing them food there was nothing to eat. De la Torre pooled her money with others lodging in the Hotel Don Antonio to buy food. The hotel manager, Jesse Hernandez, 35, offered them the kitchen. De la Torre sleeps on the floor of a room shared with six others, and the evening meals were something to look forward to. But Hernandez, a Mexican national who recently was deported from the United States and stumbled into his management position at the hotel, saw an opportunity. He found a hole-in-the-wall location with just enough space for counters along the walls. The restaurant employs five, offering Cuban-style shredded beef, fried bananas, black beans and rice. It has become a curiosity around town. On Saturday, Hernandez and De la Torre opened a second Cubanito down the street from the first. The money isnt much, De la Torre said, but its enough to survive. Still, the restaurant is only a temporary diversion for De la Torre. She landed in Mexico in January, following in the footsteps of her daughter, who a year ago arrived pregnant in Laredo. Her grandson was born in Houston, and her daughter is on the fast track to becoming a legal resident under the old pro-Cuban policy. If the opportunity arises, De la Torre said she, too, will leave for Texas. But if (Trump) says no to us, De la Torre said, then Ill decide what to do next. Staying in Mexico Protests aside, the only serious discussion regarding Cubans has focused on what Mexican authorities intend to do with them all. In February, Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco Cabeza de Vaca suggested federal immigration authorities remove them from his state. Instead, it now appears that many will be allowed to stay. Mexicos National Immigration Institute on Friday announced that 588 Cuban migrants in Nuevo Laredo will receive residency permits. The first group of 273 Cubans will soon get theirs, which also will allow them to work legally. The news surely came as relief for some, but there are many who have been reluctant to apply for such a permit, fearing it could hurt their chances of being admitted into the United States. Father Giovanni Visoto, director of Nazareth migrant shelter, has tried to disabuse them of this notion. But they hold fast to the belief that Trump eventually will let them into the United States, despite all evidence to the contrary, the priest added. Trump is trying to remove immigrants from the country, and keep others from getting in, Visoto said. But the Cubans continue with their dream. Visoto rattled off attempts to wake them from this dream, such as the time federal officials proposed transferring them to Guadalajara to wait out the humanitarian visa application process. They declined, Visoto said. His shelter houses 80 Cubans in a location set up as a temporary space for 140 migrants and deportees in transit. Anticipating a greater number of deportees coming in from the U.S., Visoto has declined to take on more of the Cubans. When they arent playing domino or gossiping, the Cubans at the Nazareth shelter spend hours searching social media for the latest developments concerning their plight. One recent day, rumors of a policy change on the horizon stirred dozens to set up camp in Juarez Plaza, a block from the international bridge. It mattered little that weeks before there had been an attempted mass kidnapping of Cubans in a nearby hotel. They were warned that this dangerous stretch of cartel-controlled border was not to be tested, Visoto said. They set up camp nonetheless, refusing to budge for three days. In Cuba, they had lived under an oppressive regime, explained Esquivel. To reach the U.S.-Mexico border many had walked through jungles after being crowded in rickety boats. They sold possessions, leaving nothing for them to return to, and many were robbed on the journey across 10 international borders. You think sleeping in a plaza scares me? Esquivel said. No. Little pay, lot of stress In the evening, as people return from work to a rundown hotel, the aroma of frying onions and chicken soon fills the air. The rooms are supposed to have air conditioners and televisions, but not all of them work. Those who have taken up residence here bought hot plates and appliances to cook their own food and drink their own coffee. The long days of uncertainty weigh heavy, Esquivel said. He has fallen into depression. His appetite is gone. One day last week he ran his fingers through his thick hair. When he looked at the palm of his hand he was startled to find strands of hair. Its the stress, he said. For a time Esquivel worked at a construction job, but the $11 he earned per day hardly was worth the effort, he said. Emilio Gonzalez, 59, has taken on a leadership role among his stranded countrymen. They all want to reach the United States, he said, but everyone should have a backup plan should that fail. The advice is not the answer Esquivel wants to hear. When the wet-foot, dry-foot policy ended, he already was in Honduras. He had sold his house and everything he owned for $3,500 to make the trip. Ive lost everything. Theres nothing to go back to, Esquivel said. I dont know what Ill have to do to get to the (U.S.) one way or another Im going in. anelsen@express-news.net Two members of the Hasm and Lewaa El-Thawra militant groups have been killed in a shootout during a police raid in Beheira governorate, while five others were arrested in another police raid in Alexandria, Egypts interior ministry announced on Saturday evening. In an official statement, the ministry said that it raided several hideouts belonging to the terror groups in the three governorates of Alexandria, Menoufiya and Beheira, resulting in several deaths and arrests. The hideouts were used to train group members in the use of weapons and the manufacture of explosive devices, and for the storage of weapons and materials used in manufacturing operations, the ministry said. The statement referred to several attacks planned by the groups, including one foiled operation to plant of a bomb beside Raml police station in Alexandria on 17 March. The militants also planned to assassinate a number of police personnel, conducting one successful assassination in Beheira, said the ministry. The two militant groups, Hasm and Lewaa El-Tharwa, are officially designated as a terrorist group, having claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks on security forces and planned assassinations of public figures over the past year. Earlier on Saturday, MENA news agency reported on the police raids, saying that two militants were killed in a shootout with security forces at a farm in Beheira governorate, following a tip-off to police that the premises were being used to manufacture explosives. According to MENA, the militants fired at security personnel when they detected them on the property, prompting the security personnel to return fire. MENA also reported on the five people arrested for alleged terrorist attacks in the coastal city of Alexandria, citing the interior ministry statement. The statement said that automatic weapons and ammunition were found in the hideouts, along with components used for manufacturing explosive devices and reports on planned targets. Militants have conducted deadly attacks against security personnel in Cairo and other governorates in recent years. Search Keywords: Short link: President Donald Trumps decision to launch a cruise missile strike on a Syrian airfield last week has been cheered in many quarters as an overdue U-turn from the Obama administration's more cautious approach to the long civil war. But even those who endorse the decision wonder if its a one-off strike good for a headline or part of a larger vision that aims to check the bloody regime of Bashar Assad and eradicate ISIS. Observers say theyre reassured by Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and see their influence on Trump to take quick action after Syria killed more than 70 men, women and children in a chemical weapons attack on Tuesday. I think this was a multifaceted strike that may be reflective of the kind of thinking that you're going to get out of both Mattis and H.R. McMaster, said retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman, who was Air Force chief of staff. Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper agreed, saying: I think (Trump) acted on his instinct. To the degree he thought it through, it was the thinking that McMaster, Mattis and Tillerson would have provided to him. Whether Trump has a clear strategy for Syria is unknown. But one thing is true the president is enforcing the very policy he once opposed, when he urged then-President Barack Obama to act with restraint after imposing a red line in the wake of a 2013 Syrian chemical attack. If the U.S. attacks Syria and hits the wrong targets, killing civilians, there will be worldwide hell to pay, Trump wrote in a Sept. 2, 2013, tweet. Stay away and fix broken U.S. Trumps dramatic reversal reportedly driven by his reaction to images of children killed in the chemical attack has revived a long-dormant conversation of what the United States might do differently in Syria. The discussions among those familiar with Obamas policy and the civil war circle around the presidents surprising action as well as whos gaining influence in his young administration and what it means. Advocates of the attack welcome it with a caveat that it must be followed by a coherent strategy. Those with the most to lose if the strike indicates a far more intrusive American policy in Syria reacted badly to the attack. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev denounced it in a Facebook post, saying the attack put Moscow and Washington on the verge of a military clash. Iran and Syria, too, condemned it, while most U.S. allies were supportive. Whether it sent a message of a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy to North Korea is anyones guess, but former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley didnt expect much from it. I dont think its necessarily going to change the fundamental dynamic. Kim Jong-un sees nuclear weapons as an insurance policy and I dont think thats going to change his calculations, said Crowley, author of the new book, Red Line: American Foreign Policy in a Time of Fractured Politics and Failing States. Stephen Sestanovich, the State Department's ambassador-at-large for the former Soviet Union, said the decision could force a reset in how Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders view Trump. The strike on Friday left many governments suddenly feeling the need to recalibrate. After all, maybe theyd underestimated this guy, said Sestanovich, senior fellow for Russian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Putin, in particular, surely wondered whether the U.S. is now going to make more trouble for him than he expected. GOP support, dissent Trumps order drew bipartisan support at home and some dissent in GOP ranks. Establishment Republicans rallied to back the president, echoing a refrain about his success in showing Americas strength. But some ardent conservatives who believe in Trumps stated America First philosophy felt betrayed by the president and were fearful he may take further military action. Under the headline, This Isnt the Foreign Policy Trump Campaigned On, American Conservative journal editor Robert Merry wrote: It may be too early to tell for sure, but Donald Trump is looking more and more like a phony. Former Marine Angelo John Gage, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, got wide attention online with a video contending that Trump was being duped about Syria by the mainstream media. We have no interest in Syria. We have no interest anywhere in the world. We need to focus on our own country. You know why a lot of us voted for you? Because youre supposed to be the no-war candidate, Gage said. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, lauded the president for sending a message to rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran, to Putin and Russia, who have long taken advantage of the impression that United States was retreating from the world stage and world leadership. This an opportunity for the White House to engage with the Congress to lay out a comprehensive strategy and then to seek support not only from Congress on a bipartisan basis but also on the part of the American people, Cornyn said. I look forward to President Trump making the case to the American people, making the case to Congress about what further military action should be taken, if any, he said. Echoed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: I think for Putin and, for that matter, bad actors across the globe, the only thing they respect is strength. But Cruz, interviewed Friday on Fox News, spoke cautiously about what might lay ahead. And he rejected the call by hawkish Senate colleagues to establish a no-fly zone in Syria as a means to press the campaign against Assad, saying: There are some folks in Congress that want to see us in protracted military involvement in Syria. I think that would be a mistake. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress sought to thread a needle, condemning Assad while at the same time demanding clarity in the presidents policy and a congressional role going forward. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, called the strike a proportional response from Trump to Assads chemical attack even though it was a major reversal to what the president had espoused before. If he plans to escalate our military involvement, however, he must come to Congress for a specific authorization for use of military force. Our troops and their families deserve an open debate and clear objectives before we put them in harm's way, Cuellar said. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett said Trump may find that, like health care, Syria is complicated. If this is just one strike, which it apparently is, then it leaves a defiant war criminal in place, said Doggett, D-San Antonio. If its multiple strikes, he may be involved in what already is a long and horrendous civil war. Finding the right path is the trick. Van Riper noted that Obama negotiated a deal with Moscow and Damascus to do away with Syrias chemical weapons after the British and Congress refused to support his call for a red line with military action. He went on to say there is nothing in Syria that justifies American intervention not even ISIS, which isnt an existential threat to the United States. They are an existential threat to the Syrians, certainly were and could be in the future to the Iraqis, he said. Crafting a real policy based on multilateral discussions is a complicated task that involves reaching out to countries that include Iraq, Jordan, other Persian Gulf states,Turkey, Europe, Russia and Syria. But no one is yet certain if Trumps attack order was impulsive or strategic, said Christopher Swift, adjunct professor of national security studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Turkey, a NATO member, wants a Syria free of Assad, but its own military efforts to oust Assad have stagnated, said Selim Sazak, a Turkish national and nonresident fellow at the Delma Institute, an Abu Dhabi-based think tank. Ankara also has had a historically tense relationship with Russia, he said, noting their air forces have clashed. Dismissing the missile strike as smoke and mirrors, Sazak said: Even for a very well-educated, well-organized administration, this would be a very difficult call. This is an administration that doesn't even know how to deal with the most mundane of issues. How are they going to deal with Syria? Swift, too, doesnt believe the administration has a strategy. The reason I am very skeptical of the notion that the Trump administration has a strategy in Syria is that they have not provided a vision of what favorable terms of peace would look like, he explained. Fogleman, a widely respected former Air Force chief of staff, said those who think the president was driven by an impulsive, emotional response to the chemical attack probably are off-base. I think that this was something where there was a very deliberative process, he said, adding it likely was well-coordinated among the militarys key players. It reflects not some knee-jerk reaction, but a pretty well thought out action in response to somebody who had been violating international norms. Developing end game Critics of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, who long have maintained there never was a strategy to win them, would welcome a strategy with an end game. But one commander who led troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Longoria, proposes something short of that a sustained air campaign. The goal would be to destroy Assads air force, which delivered the banned chemical weapons thought to have included sarin gas. He said the campaign could be conducted within the 60 days the War Powers Act grants a president discretion to conduct military operations without congressional approval. I think it sends a very clear message, said Longoria, a Houston native who led all close-air support teams during the Iraq invasion. You have have been confused before in a past administration, what were willing to do, but lets make it clear were willing to do it, and were not going to take anything off the table. But were not going to try to change the world. Were not going to invade your country, he continued. Were not going to do those things, but we will do something in a very lethal, precise manner, that causes you to re-think the provocative nature of your actions, whether youre Russia or North Korea. But thats not enough for Van Riper, a former commander of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who wrote a paper three years ago on Americas failure to craft strategies since the end of World War II. It comes back to that cliche: What happens next? he said. You just draw yourself in more and more until there is a national policy in the Middle East in Iraq and Syria, and until theres a grand national strategy these sort of localized ideas, limited ideas, dont fit into any general scheme. sigc@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Manuel Medina cut his teeth in the public political arena back in 1996 as a volunteer, when Victor Morales, an unknown Texas schoolteacher, was campaigning for the U.S. Senate in a white pickup. He was one of those young college students who came to help me. I told everyone I had no money, but he said, I believe in what you are doing, Morales recalled. Manuel became kind of my right-hand man. He was very instrumental, along with others, on that incredible journey, said Morales, a Democrat who drew 2.4 million votes in his failed effort to dislodge Sen. Phil Gramm. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Medina, by then a savvy, successful international political consultant, was in the middle of a bare-knuckle presidential race in Panama. Along the way, he had switched candidates, prompting complaints of betrayal and dirty tricks. But on May 3, 2009, his client, supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli, won going away. More Information Manuel Medina Age: 47 Occupation: International political consultant who also owns a call center in Panama that employs 150 people. Chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party since 2012. Education: Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. Master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Family: Wife, Janeth, daughters Michelle Marie and Sara Sophia. See More Collapse It was the first time that a third-party candidate ever won the presidency, and it was by a landslide, Medina said, brushing aside criticism from Martinellis opponents. Medina burst on the local scene in 2012 when he replaced Choco Meza as the Bexar County Democratic Party chairman. Now, he is a party candidate, running a brash mayoral campaign as the anti-establishment maverick, committed to ridding City Hall of what he claims is corruption and insider dealing. Its a pay-to-play system. The candidates get contributions. The special interests get special favors and the taxpayers get stuck with the bill, is one of his oft-repeated mantras. In his first run for public office in the U.S., Medina brings an outsiders critical perspective, an immigrants compelling life story and proven success as a businessman. He faces incumbent Mayor Ivy Taylor, Councilman Ron Nirenberg and 11 other candidates for the seat. In 2005, four years before he became a U.S. citizen, he lost a legislative race in his hometown of Torreon, Mexico. He told the San Antonio Express-News he ran mainly to get clients for his political consulting business. The disclosure raised questions about his current campaign, which he entered by stating on his application that he lived continuously for 24 years in Texas. To become a naturalized citizen in the U.S., an applicant with a permanent residency green card must have lived in the United States for 30 months of the previous five years. Medina earlier pledged to spend $250,000 of his personal wealth in the race, and claims to be the only candidate whos both financially and politically independent. In his campaign finance disclosure last week, he said he loaned another $100,000 to his campaign. As mayor, I will be accountable to you, not to the city manager, not to the special interests, not to the lobbyists, he said at a recent forum. He promises, if elected, to take swift action against a city administration that he says serves business interests and insiders over the public. On May 6, well have a new mayor and on May 7, well begin the process of finding a new city manager, he said in a recent interview. The first thing Ill do is sit down with Sheryl Sculley to negotiate the terms of her buyout, he said, while also acknowledging such a dramatic scenario is more figurative than literal, since removing the city manager would require a majority vote of the City Council. Born in Torreon, Medina came to the United States with his mother at age 3, crossing the Rio Grande into McAllen. He said he grew up in the U.S. without realizing his unauthorized immigration status. He became a U.S. citizen in 2009. Along the way, he earned degrees at the University of Southern California and at the University of Texas at Austin in electrical engineering, but it was in politics that he found his calling. Married with two young daughters, Medina lives in The Dominion, and his family is featured on the glossy cover of the April edition of the neighborhood magazine. But Medina makes no apologies for his exclusive home address. I wasnt born in The Dominion, but I worked hard and studied hard, and got there as fast as I could, he quipped at a recent forum. He and his wife, Janeth, also own about a dozen rental homes around the city, with all of the property listed in her name. Over the past two decades, Medina has fashioned an international career as a political consultant and campaign manager that he says took him to Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. He also worked on races in Puerto Rico and around the mainland. Among the recognizable office seekers he named as past clients in the U.S. are former Gov. Bob Graham of Florida, former U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards of Waco, former Texas state Rep. Juan Garcia, Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo and former U.S. Rep. John Salazar of Colorado. Dark portrayal of the city An energetic, engaging campaigner, Medina is running as much on what he opposes as what he supports. Hes against the $3.4 billion Vista Ridge water project, calling it a waste of money. He opposes the citys $850 million bond issue in May, insisting it is larded with goodies for special interests. He also opposes toll roads and smart electric meters for CPS Energy customers. He favors making San Antonio a sanctuary city, providing more city support for VIA Metropolitan Transit and he endorses state Senate Bill 2, which would allow voters to hold a recall election if property taxes increase by 5 percent. He also advocates hiring more police officers, having an elected city ethics watchdog with enforcement powers, direct election of the SAWS board, doubling down on solar and other alternative energy sources, and creating mechanisms to freeze property taxes. One of his pet projects is a commuter train connecting Austin to San Antonio, and then going on south to Monterrey, Mexico. The Lone Star Rail District has proposed the commuter line to Austin for years, at an estimated cost of $2 billion to $3 billion, but the idea has gone nowhere. We will have a specific route and a specific timetable. It will be financed by grants and loans so its not a burden to taxpayers, he pronounced at a recent forum at Trinity University. But beyond the specific issues, Medina is running on a dark, almost Trumpian, message of a community in crisis. On the campaign trail, he portrays San Antonians as suffering from poverty and rising taxes, runaway crime and economic class divisions, and from the chronic neglect of a city government of overpaid managers and misplaced priorities. Today, we have seniors on the South Side afraid to come out at night. We have people on the West Side getting mugged in broad daylight. People are being taxed out of their homes. Were seeing the effects of poverty. Were at the boiling point, he warned at a recent forum. His forceful message has struck a chord, even if some of his alarmist claims, such as that San Antonio is one of the most dangerous cities in America, and is also the most economically segregated city in America, are both demonstrably false. Austin, not San Antonio, is the most economically segregated large metropolis in America, according to a recent study by the University of Torontos Martin Prosperity Institute. San Antonio ranked third and Houston fourth in that 2015 report. And despite a 61 percent increase in homicides last year to bring the murder rate to 10 per 100,000 residents, San Antonios rate still ranked 32nd among large U.S. cities for 2016, according a February report by The Economist. St. Louis, with a murder rate of 62 per 100,000 residents, topped the list. Tea party support His supporters and endorsers span the political spectrum, from tea party regulars, whom he once described on Univision as radical terrorists, to the African-American Political Alliance to the San Antonio Police and Fire Pensioners Association. Republican Carlton Soules, a former city councilman, is firmly on board. Medina is running as head of a local party that is again muscular and ambitious, having won 47 of 51 county races last fall, including all 16 countywide races. Straight-ticket voting and a turnout that favored Hillary Clinton in the county helped boost Democrats. Hes very smart. Hes inclusive and hes very good to people. Ive been a volunteer at the Bexar County Democratic Party headquarters for five years, and I have even seen him help seniors who claim they were being overcharged for their cable (television), said Gloria Uribe, a party precinct chair. He has revitalized the Democratic Party in Bexar County, and the election results prove it, she said. Improbably, tea party regular Jeff Judson found he has some common ground with Medina, even if they are miles apart on some issues. He believes that the city best serves the people by carrying out its core functions: An adequate police force, adequate fire and EMS, adding road capacity as opposed to light rail. Hes very skeptical about HOV lanes and toll roads. Its just common sense, he said. As to Medinas complaints about corruption at City Hall, Judson agrees in part. The system he describes is exactly how I would describe it and its what many people believe. There is soft corruption, a self-serving cycle, he said. Past clients also speak well of him, including former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, now a Bexar County justice of the peace, whose House campaigns were twice managed by Medina. Im a judge so I cant endorse anyone, began Rodriguez, who went on to say only good things. I think its what we need. In the past weve kind of gone with the flow, and ultimately the status quo. A lot of people are fed up with that and want change. Medina brings both a partisan approach and sharp elbows to a mayoral race that by tradition and city charter is supposed to be nonpartisan. Henry Flores, a political analyst, said he is not the traditional mayoral candidate. Most of the time, they would have either experience on the City Council or in neighborhood associations. Manuel Medina comes from the political party network, which is very different, said Flores, who supports Ron Nirenberg. You can tell because he speaks a lot of partisan jargon and vocabulary. And in the early part of his campaign, he was speaking about general things, like alleviating poverty, things youd hear in a partisan congressional campaign, he added. A mayor and city council cannot alleviate poverty. All they can do is patch it up to a certain extent, he said. Attacking opponents Despite admonitions from monitors at mayoral forums to avoid personal or political attacks, Medina is not above throwing a rib shot or two in front of an audience. At a recent candidates forum at the Blue Skies of Texas, a retirement community that caters to former Air Force personnel, he provoked a pointed response from Nirenberg after questioning the ethics of some of the councilmans citizen appointees. Im sitting next to someone who spent a career putting career politicians in office, responded Nirenberg, referring to Medinas many establishment clients. In a Monday appearance on Univision with the other two candidates, Medina hammered Taylor from the get-go as lacking courage, vision and leadership. The No. 1 responsibility of the mayor is to keep us safe, and all we hear from her are excuses, he declared, as Taylor declined to engage. After decades of running political campaigns from the stage wings, Medina now is front and center as the candidate. And at times its been a rough adjustment, in part given his habit of making dramatic assertions that dont hold up under scrutiny. With Medina, even familiar facts seem to change for no reason. For example, until recently, he repeatedly claimed to employ 500 people in his call center in Panama. But during an interview last week, the figure dropped to 150. Two weeks earlier, during a visit to his hometown of Torreon, he told Mexican reporters that Trumps presidency and uncertainty about NAFTA had caused a 21 percent drop in tourism in San Antonio. City tourism officials say the claim is baseless. In fact, motel occupancy is headed up this year. Panama controversies Over two decades as a political consultant, Medina likely made his biggest impact and much of his money in Panama, but it did not come without controversy. After supporting rising political star Juan Carlos Navarro in successful races in 1999 and 2004 to be mayor of Panama City, in 2008, Medina signed up for Navarros run for the presidency. The relationship fractured after Navarro lost in the party primary and Medina jumped ship to work for Ricardo Martinelli, the opposition candidate. An angry Navarro denounced Medina in the press for allegedly stealing proprietary campaign material. He also accused Martinelli of hiring traitors and deserters. Medina shrugs it off, saying he took nothing that belonged to Navarro. Contacted recently, Navarro declined to comment on the episode. After the election, and through Martinellis five-year term that ended in 2014, Medina says he continued to do political work for both Martinelli and the government. He also acknowledged his company Medata was part of a consortium that received sizable government contracts to operate 3-1-1 call centers. Medina, however, says he was only a small player in the deal and was not being rewarded for political work done for Martinelli. But the controversies did not cease. Early in his five-year term, Martinelli was accused of launching secret campaigns to discredit and spy on political opponents. Medinas name appeared twice in newspaper articles about this issue. The first time came in 2009 when Benjamin Colamarco, an opposition figure, accused Martinelli of hiring Medina to develop a campaign of judicial terrorism to neutralize opposition figures. Five years later, Medina was described in another article as being the bag man for payments made to workers at a call center allegedly used by Martinelli to generate damaging political attacks through social media and by phone. Medina said he was aware of Martinellis unsavory activities, including the use of Israeli spyware, but denies having anything to do with it. I just did political work for him. The dirty tricks were coming from people outside, particularly from Colombia, he added. Now in Miami, ex-President Martinelli is fighting extradition to Panama to face a range of corruption charges, from kickbacks to bribery, as well as claims that he illegally spied on 150 opposition figures. Medina said that while many of the ex-presidents associates already have been questioned and detained in Panama, no one has come knocking on his door. And, he said, hes not losing any sleep over the prospect. Not one time has Manuel Medinas name appeared in any investigation, he said. jmaccormack@express-news.net Port San Antonio will soon boast a 90,000-square-foot building that the city hopes will attract cybersecurity companies to the region. The $20 million facility, just blocks away from the headquarters of the 24th Air Force, is the first part of an initiative known as Project Tech and represents another effort by San Antonio to harness the regions military presence to boost its growing cyber industry. The 24th Air Force, part of the U.S. Cyber Command, employs more than 1,000 cyber warriors at its national headquarters on the port campus, where it has been since 2009. San Antonio is also home to the 25th Air Force, located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland across from the port, and the National Security Agencys Texas facilities a few minutes to the north. Civilian companies have built near military cyber sites such as Fort Meade in Maryland and in San Antonio in search of government contracts and experienced cyber experts. Private companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics and Radiance Technologies have opened facilities at Port San Antonio. In the past year, three cybersecurity companies moved there as contractors to the 24th Air Force and other military clients. A fourth company, Fidelis Cybersecurity, works with private-sector medical and aerospace companies. The city is banking on Project Tech attracting more companies specializing in nonmilitary contracts. The building is envisioned as a campus space for civilian and military cyber professionals to make connections. Theres a lot more to the idea than a building, Chris Cook, director of the trade group CyberTexas Foundation, said at the groundbreaking last week. Its meant to be an innovation center, a technology showcase. No tenants have agreed to lease yet, port CEO Roland Mower said. The port previously said construction would begin once the building was 40 percent pre-leased. What changed? Port San Antonios existing office space is near full occupancy, a spokesman said. In the past 18 months, about 30,000 square feet has been occupied, leaving the port with less than 40,000 square feet open, spokesman Paco Felici said. The port is in talks with eight to 10 companies, Mower said. He said he expects tenants to sign on later in the year, as the building shapes up. The building should be finished by March. A City Council vote Thursday will decide on $1.5 million from the citys capital expense funding to pay for public infrastructure improvements for the site. Mower noted that companies may be able to access $1.8 million allotted by the city to entice cyber companies. Project Tech will have both secure and nonsecure office space. Mower said the building will have infrastructure that will allow secure, classified meetings. The city already hosts a cyber tech center downtown with Geekdom, which is also home to the Build Sec Foundry incubator, but Project Tech will provide space for security companies that work with classified material and prefer to be away from the city lights. Theres a huge demand for conference space at the classified level, Cook said. A groundbreaking last week for the center comes 100 years after pilot Eddie Stinson and three others flew the first flight from Kelly Field. Over the next century, the field became Kelly AFB and then Port San Antonio and JBSA-Lackland. Speakers at the groundbreaking reflected on the ports search for new industry after the closure of Kelly AFB in 1995. When Kelly closed nearly 20 years ago, it would have been unimaginable that the former Air Force base would find new life, and create thousands of new jobs, across such a wide spectrum of industries, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who served as mayor between 1991 and 1995. Councilman Rey Saldana said San Antonios recruitment of Toyota was an example of what may happen with cyber in San Antonio. The Project Tech building will help expose children at local schools to the cybersecurity industry, Saldana said. This is a long-term play, Saldana said. We intend to build a new generation of 21st-century workers, and in this case, youve got to have the chicken before the egg, This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate With a two-fisted grip, animal control expert Shannon Sims hoisted a 10-foot, 20-pound rusted chain at a Texas Senate hearing recently as an example of a restraint hes too often seen attached to dogs in San Antonio. Sims, chief Animal Care Services field operations officer, testified about dogs that are inhumanely tethered as he spoke in favor of Senate Bill 1090, which would make the unlawful restraint of a dog a criminal offense. These are the type of chains that were finding on animals, Sims said. Extremely heavy and these animals live on these chains for their entire existence. I think this bill will definitely help us better enforce this and do right by the animals. The bill was approved by the Senate committee and could be considered by the full Senate as early as Monday. The House companion bill, House Bill 1156, passed its committee, too, but has not yet been scheduled for a full House vote. Sims told the Senate committee that current law regarding restrained animals is unenforceable and is often perplexing for animal control officers. Under the proposed bill, an owner who leaves a dog tied up outside would be required to provide adequate shelter in an area that allows the dog to avoid standing water, has shade from direct sunlight and access to potable water. The bill also would prohibit the owner from using a chain or any restraint with weights attached or any restraint that causes pain or injury to the dog. To be legal, a restraint would have to be at least 10 feet long or five times the length of the dog, whichever is greater, and must be attached to a properly fitted collar or harness. Exceptions to those requirements would be allowed if the dog is restrained at a public camping or recreational site while the owner and dog are engaged in training, or the owner and dog are shepherding or herding cattle or livestock. In your opinion, do we need to be sending people to jail for this? Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, asked Sims, who replied the idea is to seek compliance, not retribution. With this bill, it doesnt have to get to a level where we have to send individuals to jail, Sims said. We can capture it before it gets to that criminal, felony type of cruelty situation. The problem is with our unenforceabilty of the current one, he said. We cant get involved until it escalates to that point. I think when were talking about tethering, I think this new bill actually allows us to get it before it turns into felony cruelty. Sims said first-time offenders would be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, with fines ranging from $300 up to $1,200. A repeat offender would face a Class B misdemeanor. ACS field operations supervisor Aimee De Contreras said ACS officers have seen restrained dogs whose life didnt extend beyond a circle of dirt at the end of a chain. She and Sims explained that the chances of an unlawfully restrained dog biting is higher because so much is out of their reach. Everything is a tease or temptation, Sims said. When they get off of the chain they want to fulfill temptations theyve had all those years. De Contreras said one of the most dangerous conditions theyve encountered is tethered dogs with embedded collars. This is a condition where owners strap a collar on a pup, never loosening it as the dog grows, so the collar sinks into the animals neck, causing painful wounds. Not everyone is on board with the proposed bill. In a letter, the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance called the legislation a direct attack on Texas hunting dogs and working dogs. The organization said if passed, the measure would be the death knell for many large, tethered dogs that are impossible to contain. Theyre almost three times (more likely) to bite than an animal thats socialized, De Contreras said. The bill about restraints isnt the only measure seeking to protect dogs that is before the Texas Legislature. State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, is sponsoring SB 188, which would extend protection to good Samaritans who seek to rescue domestic animals trapped in a vehicle. The person would be immune from civil liability for damages resulting from entering a vehicle by force to save the animal if the person first checked to make sure all the doors were locked, calls 911 and stays with the animal under first responders arrive. The bill, which had a hearing Thursday, also would make it a crime for an owner to leave a domestic animal in a vehicle without adequate ventilation or in life-threatening heat or cold. You cant be completely pro-family without also looking after the pets, Uresti said. While I've been an advocate for abused children my entire time in the Legislature, my advocacy for animals started as a child bringing home stray dogs on the Southside. Sims said caring for a pet is a lifetime commitment and needs to be taken seriously. If you dont have time to invest in an animal, Sims said, then dont get one. vtdavis@express-news.net As Egyptian Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, two deadly blasts at Tanta's Mar Girgis Cathedral and Alexandria's St Mark's Cathedral killed and injured dozens in the deadliest attack on Copts in years Ahram Online provided live updates on the deadly attacks at the Mar Girgis Cathedralin Tanta and the St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria which killed and injured dozens of Egyptian Copts on Sunday morning. ----------- 20:15 We will close our live updates here. 20:00 A funeral will be held for the victims of the Mar Girgis Cathedral bombing in Tanta at 10pm today, Ahram Online has learnt. 19:15 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: "Todays senseless attacks targeted churchgoers attending Palm Sunday services, which mark the Sunday before Easter and the start of Holy Week for Christians. Let us remember that the palm branches used in services around the world today are a symbol of peace. Canada stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Egypt and the Egyptian people, and we offer our full assistance to the Government of Egypt in this difficult time. Far too often, religious groups around the world suffer persecution and discrimination at the hands of violent extremists. Canada strongly condemns these cowardly acts of terrorism. As an international community, we must stand united in our efforts to stop those responsible and to fight against hate by embracing the values of diversity, inclusion and peace. 18:45 President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a decree ordering the armed forces to help the police in securing vital facilities all over the country. President Donald Trump has said that the US strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Egypt, hours after the US embassy in Cairo released a statement denouncing the Tanta blast.I have great confidence that President Al-Sisi will handle situation properly, Trump tweeted. El-Sisi met with Trump in the White House last week, in the Egyptian leaders first formal visit to Washington. Trump has said his Egyptian counterpart is doing a fantastic job. 17:45 Egyptian state television has broadcast two pieces of footage that appear to show the suicide bomber outside the Alexandria cathedral. The footage, from the churchs security cameras, shows a man with a blue sweater slung over his shoulders attempt to enter the cathedral, and being directed to pass through a metal detector first. The man enters the detector briefly, then takes a step back and the screen is filled with smoke. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, "cursed" the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. "The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven," Gormez said in an official statement. 17:15 The Egyptian presidency has announced three days of national mourning in light of the attacks. 16:15 Death toll from attack on Mar Girgis Cathedral, Tanta, reaches 29, with 71 injured, according to a health ministry official in Gharbiya governorate. 15:20 Al-Ahram Arabic news website reports that Gharbiya governorate security chief Hossam El-Din Khalifa has been relieved of duty after the church attack in Tanta left dozens dead and injured on Sunday. 15:17 The health ministry updated the death toll in the attack on the Mar Girgis Cathedral in Tanta to 27. The number of injured stands at 78. This puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45. 15:00 Death toll in Alexandria cathedral bombing reaches 18, Health Minister Ahmed Emad tells ON TV news channel. 14:50 The IS group claimed responsibility, through their social media affiliate accounts, for Sunday's churches' explosions in Egypt, which left at least 36 dead and dozens injured in both Nile Delta's Tanta and the coastal city of Alexandria. 14:30 Egypts interior ministry has issued a statement about the Alexandria attack: they say a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church, but the security force assigned to protect the cathedral stopped him,. The interior ministry also said that Pope Tawadros was inside the cathedral leading the prayers in the Palm Sunday service, but that he was not harmed in the attack. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. 13:59 The casualties from the attack at Alexandrias St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral have reached 11 dead and 66 wounded after the suicide bombing in the vicinity of the cathedral, according to a new update from the Health Ministry. 13:56 French President Francois Hollande has expressed solidarity with Egypt following the deadly bombing at the Mar Girgis Cathedral in Tanta that left 26 people killed and 72 others injured, AP reports. In a written statement after Sunday's attack, Hollande said, "One more time, Egypt is hit by terrorists who want to destroy its unity and its diversity." He said France "mobilizes all its forces in association with the Egyptian authorities in the fight against terrorism," and offers condolences to the families of the victims. 13:56 According to Al-Ahram Arabic, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city. 13:50 The US embassy in Egypt condemned the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers at Mar Girgis Cthedral in Tanta on one of the holiest days of the Christian year. The United States stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism, the Embassy said in a statement on Sunday. 13:47 Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek has arrived at Tantas Mar Girgis Cathedral. 13:41 The Tanta Coptic Orthodox Bishopric has published the names of 22 victims of the Tanta church attack. So far, the names released by the Church are all those of men. Among those killed in the Palm Sunday service attack in Tanta is Samuel George, the head of Shebin Al-Kom Court. According to Al-Ahram Arabics correspondent in Tanta, Mohamed Mabrook, the explosion at the church targeted the front rows in the church hall. 13:30 The death toll from the deadly blast in the proximity of Saint Marks Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria has reached six, with 33 injured, the health ministry announced. Al-Ahram Arabic websites reporter in Alexandria said that three policemen are among the dead, including Emad El-Rakiby the head of the police department in Atarin district. 13:20 A suicide bomber is believed to be behind the Tanta church explosion, a security source in Tanta told MENA, adding that police are currently examining the remains of a suspect found at the scene. 13:05 At least two were killed, 21 injured in explosion at the Saint Mark's Church in Manshiya in Alexandria, state TV reported. A suicide bomber has detonated explosives outside Saint Marks Church in Alexandrias Manshyia district, Angelious Izhaq, the secretary of Pope Tawadros told ONTV. Izhaq confirmed that the Pope, who is in Alexandria for Palm Sunday service, was unharmed. 13:00 A suicide bomber has detonated an explosion outside Saint Marks Church in Alexandrias Manshyia district, Pope Tawadros secretary Angelious Izhaq told ON TV. 12:54 Eyewitnesses in Alexandria told Ahram Online that an explosion has been heard near Saint Marks Church in Manshyia district near downtown Alexandria. 12:44 Lebanese Prime Minister Saad El-Hariri condemned the attack through his official Twitter account, expressing his condolences to Egypt and the victims of the attack, which he described as "an attack on the values of all religions". Meanwhile, Jordanian government spokesperson Mohamed El-Momeny descried the "horrible terrorist attack", saying that it is intended to undermine stability and cause sectarian strife in Egypt. He stressed his country's support for Egypt in fighting terrorism. The foreign ministries of Qatar and Bahrain have also issued statements condemning the attack, expressing their condolences for the victims, while rejecting violence and terrorism. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also issued a statement condemning the attack, according to Extra News channel, expressing to El-Sisi the solidarity of the Palestinians with the Egyptian people. 12:30 Catholic Pope Francis has decried Sundays deadly blast during Palm Sunday celebrations, just weeks before his planned visit to Cairo, AP reported. "My deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation," the pontiff said, adding that he was praying for the dead and wounded. Word of the bombing came as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." 12:28 President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack on Sunday, according to state TV. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. 12:45 According to Al-Ahram Arabic correspondent Mohamed Mabrook in Tanta, there have been minor confrontations between security personnel and the families of victims seeking to enter the scene of the bombing to check on their relatives. An informed security source said that security services believed a suicide bomber to be behind the attack, according to Mabrook. The security source added that a severed head believed to belong to the suicide bomber was being inspected. 12:35 The health ministry in Gharbiya says the death toll in the Tanta church attack has risen to 25, and puts the number of injured at 71. 11:55 Security forces have started to question eyewitnesses about the attack, while securing surveillance cameras in the area in order to view video footage, with a view to quickly identify the attackers, a security official told Al-Ahram Arabic news website. 11:40 Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, strongly condemned the attack, calling it an outrageous crime against all Egyptians. This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilization, the Islamic body said in a statement, adding that the aim of this cowardly terrorist bombing is to destabilize the security and stability of our dear Egypt and the unity of the Egyptian people. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhars solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the face of terrorism and his great confidence in the ability of the security forces to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice. 11:35 Egypts Prime Minister Sherif Ismail is heading to the scene of the attack. Egypt is determined to eliminate these terrorist groups, cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan told state-owned TV channel Nile Live. 11:33 Political forces and activists have made calls for donations of blood to help the victims of the attack. Health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed told state-run TV that donations of blood are welcome, with one blood bank in Tanta and another in Cairo accepting donations. 11:21 The official Twitter account of Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman says: Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians #united_on_PalmSunday 11:15 Khaled Megahed, the spokesperson for the ministry of health, told state TV the number of killed stands at 21 and 69 injured. Hospitals continue to receive the injured. 11:00 The General Prosecutor orders the formation of a prosecution team in Tanta to inspect Mar Girgis Cathedral and conduct initial investigations, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. 10:53 Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi orders the opening of military hospitals to treat those injured in the Tanta attack, according to Sky News Arabia. 10:48 The Ministry of Health says the death toll in the Tanta church explosion has risen to 21. 10:42 The explosion occurred in the main prayer hall of the church, with an explosive device planted under a seat, a security official told Al-Ahram Arabic website. Sixteen ambulances were sent to the scene of the explosion, with 40 injured people transferred to hospital. 10:35 A security source told Egyptian state TV an explosive device was planted inside the church. ---------- An explosion ripped through the Mar Girgis Cathedral in the central Delta city of Tanta on Sunday morning as parishioners attended a Palm Sunday service, leaving dozens killed and many more injured. Dozens were killed and injured in the blast, the Health Ministry said. The explosive device was planted in the church before detonating, causing deaths and injuries, a security official told the state-run news agency MENA. The explosion occurred as Christians across Egypt mark Palm Sunday at the start of Holy Week, which concludes with Easter Sunday on 16 April, during which Christians celebrate the Resurrection. This is the second major deadly attack on a Coptic church in the past five months. On 11 December, 2016, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the St Peter and St Paul Church in central Cairo during prayer services, leaving 28 dead and more than 40 wounded. The Islamist State group claimed responsibility for that attack. Search Keywords: Short link: Arjun Rampal has landed himself in a controversy as a cameraman has accused the actor of misbehaving and thrashing his camera right on his face, injuring his forehead in the melee. According to ANI, the incident occurred around 3:30 AM at a 5 star hotel in Delhi. The cameraman was clicking pictures of Arjun and the actor thrashed the camera and it accidently hit his forehead. Not taking things lightly, the cameraman straight away headed to the nearest police station and filed a complaint against Arjun Rampal. "Complaint of assault filed against Arjun Rampal in Delhi, according to the complainant the incident took place in a 5 star hotel. Arjun Rampal allegedly got angry after photographer clicked pic & Rampal snatched his camera & threw it which hit the complainant injuring him." Tweeted ANI in three parts. The complainant added, "Incident happened at 3.30 am, I don't know why Arjun Rampal threw camera at me. Police not cooperating at all: Shobhit, Victim." We will now have to wait and see what Arjun Rampal has to say about the whole incident. Will he deny the allegations or will he apologise for the misconduct to the cameraman? Also, this is not the first time a Bollywood celebrity has assaulted a cameraman. Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt have had their fair share as well. Also, we hope celebrities to behave well while in public and assaulting a cameraman for just doing his job is not the right thing. If they're annoyed and need privacy, all they could do is just ask them to stop clicking and move aside. We're sure the cameraman respect their privacy as well. Constitution Capital, a Boston and New York-based alternative asset management firm focused on the North American middle market, added Steven Shekane and Jonathan Williams to the firms credit team. Mr. Shekane has joined Constitution Capital as a Managing Director bringing over 16 years of industry experience, having most recently worked as a senior investment professional and a founding member at Morgan Stanley Credit Partners. At Morgan Stanley, he was responsible for the origination, execution and portfolio monitoring of privately-negotiated middle market credit investments. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Credit Partners, Mr. Shekane was a Vice President in Morgan Stanleys North American Leveraged & Acquisition Finance group. Mr. Shekane previously worked at Banc of America Securities, Paribas and The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Mr. Williams has joined Constitution Capital from Silicon Valley Bank, where he served as a Senior Associate focused on the origination, structuring, underwriting and monitoring of senior debt financings to growth-oriented companies. FinSMEs 09/04/2017 Oberfields, a Delaware, Ohio-based manufacturer and distributor of concrete masonry and hardscape products, received a subordinated debt and equity financing from Graycliff Partners LP, an independent investment firm focusing on middle market private equity and mezzanine investments. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The investment supports the recapitalization of the business to support growth opportunities and the buyout of The Anderson Group LLC. Led by Bruce Loris, President & CEO, Oberfields is a regional manufacturer and distributor of a broad range of concrete masonry and hardscape products, including standard gray and architectural block, segmental retaining walls, pavers, precast products and hardscape and masonry accessories. FinSMEs 09/04/2017 In Mani Ratnams Kaatru Veliyidai, desi Top Gun VC (Karthi) and doctor Leela (Aditi Rao Hydary) meet in Srinagar and instantly fall in love. On the surface, it seems to be the proverbial match made in heaven he is rugged and macho, she is ethereal and compassionate. Scratch beneath the surface and you realize that VC is both physically and emotionally abusing Leela. One moment he is wooing her and in the next he is twisting her arm in front of his course mates and humiliating her. Yet, she stays by his side. A male friend of the lead couple wonders why does Leela go back to VC even though he mistreats her. He is told its love. The director equates violence with passion and love. VC is passed off as troubled and brooding when in reality he is simply an abusive creep. But this is a Mani Ratnam film where love is all encompassing so Leela and VC live happily ever after. The abuse is conveniently sidelined. Compare this to the HBO mini-series Big Little Lies that just ended. Based on the novel by the Australia writer Liane Moriarty and adapted by David E Kelly and Jean-Marc Vallee, Big Little Lies is about a clique of mommy frenemies whose kids are classmates at picture perfect Californian suburb. If Kaatru Veliyidai has gorgeous snow-covered mountains of Kashmir as a background, Big Little Lies is set in sun-kissed multi-million-dollar mansions with panoramic ocean views. Like VC and Leelas seemingly perfect love story, Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) are the perfect couple. Parents to two sons, they are good looking, successful and so in love. Except Perry is an abusive husband. From controlling Celestes schedule to pushing her around, beating her and raping her, Perry demonstrates all the traits of a classic abuser. Like VC, Perry is possessive and domineering. Both men regularly make apologies and promises to change but never do. While Celeste dabs on concealer to cover up her bruises, Leela tries to defuse the situations with a smile. The degree of abuse might be very different but there is no denying that Leela and Varuns relationship is toxic. Not toxic enough to show as physical bruises but signs of an abusive relationship arent always as obvious. Some time it could be subtle like the time VC calls Leela to the registrars office to get a marriage license and then forgets about it or mistreats her parents in front of her. Like Leela, Celeste is an intelligent, independent woman. It takes her a while to admit that she is in an abusive relationship but when she does, she figures out an exist strategy. In Kaatru Veliyidai, Leela also leaves VC but ultimately she forgives and goes back to him. Since it premiered in February, Big Little Lies has prompted a stealth public awareness campaign about domestic abuse and martial rape. Instead of airbrushing the horrific violence in Celeste and Perrys marriage, director Jean-Marc Vallee chooses to linger until its impossible to ignore it. Kaatru Veliyidai could have been the progressive film that triggered a conversation about emotional or physical abuse in relationships; instead it normalises it. There is a moment of terror on Leelas face as VC boasts to his friends about her being his girl. That moment is lost when she cloyingly professes her love to him in the next scene. And, the romanticisation of violence continues. Najeeb Ahmad, a first year MSc student of Biotechnology, was beaten up on 14 October, 2016 by a group of people in Mahi-Mandavi hostel after an alleged scuffle, and he mysteriously disappeared the next day. It is for the first time that a student from a central university has disappeared, leaving no trace. It has been argued by Student Islamic Organisation, YFDA and many Left leaders of the campus like Shehla Rashid that an ABVP mob assaulted Najeeb because of his Muslim identity, and that there seems to be an Islamophobic atmosphere in the campus. This argument raises serious questions as JNU has been a fort of mainstream Left politics and student activism (CPI, CPM, CPI[ML]) and some other smaller, clueless yet more voluble Left organisations. If a residential campus dominated by Left wing parties, famed for their self-professed secularism, witnesses such brutal attacks by Islamophobic mobs, then who is responsible for the attacks, and, more importantly, for Najeebs disappearance? The standard answer to such questions from the Left leaders is that ABVP has grown in strength and that Muslims are not feeling safe in this campus. However, on closer scrutiny, this answer seems unsatisfactory as the Left rhetoric, which claims itself to be secular, enjoys hegemony in this campus in terms of number as well as academic respect. If we probe deeper, it turns out that Left rhetoric has been inherently anti-Muslim as well, and has been frequently sprinkled with hate speeches and outlandish caricaturing of Islamic faith. And we are not referring here to informed or uninformed discussions about womens status in Islam and their freedom or triple talaq or caste among Muslims, issues which are highly contested in the diverse world of Islamic theology itself. Innumerable scholars of Islam are arranged against each other on all of these fronts. We will focus on statements and opinions about matters which are far more fundamental to Islamic faith, and how the treatment of these issues tend to alienate the already victimised Muslim youth of this nation. Najeeb, for instance, was a religious youth, and subscribed to a particular strain of Barelvi Sufism according to the frequent Facebook posts he shared about the great Sufi Ghaus-e-Azam. Let's demonstrate this kind of rhetoric with examples. Harsh Vardhan was an office bearer, and currently a member of All India Students' Association (AISA), a Left wing student organisation. In this Facebook post, he claims that some Muslims are terrorists at least partially because of their religion, and that there are tangible defects in their book (Quran) which apparently encourage them towards violent activities. This gentleman has not read or understood the scholarly work linking geo-politics and terrorist acts, let alone critiquing the loose and ambiguous category of terrorism, but one would expect that a basic historical reading of Quran. Its reception among Muslim masses across centuries and continents could have been cited as evidence. This statement is a generalisation which seems to claim that reading Quran can lead you to terrorism. This is a blanket stereotyping of the whole community, and an Islamophobic statement. However, many AISA activists decided to defend this post as an example of rational discussions and free speech. Shehla Rashid, in one of her posts, decided to explain to us what hate speech is by giving an example where she used a derogatory word for Muhammad, and claimed that this statement does not amount to hate speech. Part of the problem is that logic is not the forte of these thinkers, because if one knows a little bit of Islam, then one would realise that there is a consensus that Muhammad is the primary human model in the Islamic faith. Hence, the criminal category which was associated with Muhammad in this post would implicitly mean that Muslims, the followers of Mohammad, are being put into the same category. Aligarh Muslim University Students Union reacted, and one cabinet member Ghazala Ahmad lodged an FIR against Shehla for hate speech. The JNUSU and Left intellectuals jumped in to defend Shehla Rashid, and all of a sudden, the AMUSU was termed a regressive campus, to the extent that Ghazala was called a puppet in the hands of a patriarchal AMUSU. Another childish post, which is symptomatic of the general Islamophobia current in left circles, lashed out at Islamic feminism. A student of Modern History, and an AISA cadre should know better, as there is no dearth of academic scholarship of the resistance of Muslim women in the secular as well religious domains throughout the last century produced by Muslims as well as non-Muslims. Sadly, that is not the case. The term 'Islamic feminism' has been used for more specific and difficult projects of women scholars of Islam who seek to foreground the different and complementary nature of Islamic knowledge through womens perspectives, which sometimes leads to the radical abandonment of Victorian family model altogether. The other objectionable part is where Mohammad has been charged with schizophrenia, which is a direct attack on Muslim identity and faith. We don't know how a historian can diagnose the medical condition without original sources. What was surprising was that some Leftist scholars defended this post as an example of rational thinking. Our last example is the most troubling one. This is the category of fake news, which as a rule will include all the news about the supposed fatwas. First of all, a clarification is needed: A fatwa is a non-mandatory legal opinion given only by a registered Mufti to any seeker of ethical standards of Islamic faith. The clarification is important, because it might seem to an untrained reader of these newspapers that any call towards violence by any bearded Muslim can be called fatwa. This is what the fatwa has been reduced to in popular imagination. The president of JNU Teachers Association Ayesha Kidwai shared this on her timeline: This fake news piece is originally two years old, but was shared by her on Sunday, despite the fact that for two years, all the major news organisations like The Huffington Post, The Guardian etc have pointed out that it is fake news. The Grand Mufti himself clarified that he didnt issue any such fatwa. The issue here is not whether we agree completely with the Grand Muftis vision of Islam, which is hotly contested among Muslims of all shades, but that these intellectuals cherrypick every suitable headline which seems to denigrate some Muslims. We do not intend here to target these individuals, and divert the discussion to the presence of a few bad apples. We think that these posts are representative of ingrained anti-Islamic bias in the Left rhetoric in general. It is for this reason that many Muslim students from marginalised regions are often misled into thinking that their Muslim identity and Islamic faith and individual practice is necessarily at odds with high sounding ideals of the Leftist parties which are upheld in academic terms in the campus. Through their hostile rhetoric and peer pressure, the liberal Left here mocks and shames the Muslim youth for their Islamic faith, and wants to impose an ideal code of conduct and mode of thinking for the students. At the same time, it helps in pandering to their Islamophobic base as well. The authors are research scholars in Modern and Contemporary History at Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Thiruvananthapuram: A retired college professor, his wife, daughter and a relative were found dead at their home in Kerala, police said on Sunday. While three bodies were found in a charred condition, another mutilated body was found wrapped in a bag in their home, located a stone's throw away from the residences of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and eight of his cabinet colleagues. The son of the couple, Kedal Jaison, 30, who resides in Australia and was here since some time is reportedly missing. Police are treating him as a suspect. The deceased were identified as Professor Raj Thankam, his wife Jean Padma a retired medical superintendent of the General hospital here, their daughter Carol a medical student, and aunt Lalitha. Police said the neighbours on late Saturday night saw smoke coming from the house and the fire brigade was alerted. It was only after the fire fighters came and doused the fire that they discovered the bodies. Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham, who visited the crime spot, told media that the bodies were in a decomposed state and it was surmised that they were killed three-to-four days ago. The post-mortem would have to be done at the spot by forensic experts, he added. A relative of the family told media that Jaison had informed them that his parents have all gone for a tour and would not be back for a week. Meanwhile, the police said they had received information that someone was seen running away from the house on Saturday night and they believe that it was Jaison. It is a commonsensical notion to assume that misogyny arises out of regressive mentalities, especially if it supports patriarchal structures embedded within repressive families, castes, religions and the all-encompassing nation state. Within university spaces like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), or inside anti-right activist circles, these regressive mentalities are seemingly curtailed; after all, these spaces are imagined as progressive bastions against fascism. These spaces are also imagined to be liberated zones for women. The notion of free love and sexual permissiveness is often taken to be one of the measures of freedom and liberation from repression. Of course, a love-jihad and anti-Romeo-squad toting Sangh Parivar will label such permissive freedom as anti-national (anti-Hindu?) degeneracy. For example, during the media-generated antipathy for JNU last year, JNU was caricatured as an orgiastic place with dustbins overflowing with used condoms. Those who cherish the progressiveness of JNU mocked these caricatures and wrote witty paeans defending the campus against Sanghi trolls. It came as a rude shock, therefore, when in August last year, there was a rape on campus. The defendant in that case uttered every cliched victim-blaming phrase: the charge is false, political rivalry, elections are coming, ideological differences, but she went to his hostel. These statements belied the progressive boasts of a campus. On gender issues, the boundary line between different ideological formations gets hazy even though they claim to have very different perspectives on gender. For example, leftists claim to uphold free sex while rightists argue for nari shakti within Indic culture in which sex must be seen as a duty-based action. For the left, the absence of restraint is cherishable; for the right, subsuming oneself to the family (and by extension, the nation) is the goal. But there is one crucial similarity: both the left and the right are silent on gender issues within their organisations, and both imagine that sexism and misogyny are problems faced only by "other" ideological groups, not themselves. For example, the Durga Vahini affirms the natural weakness of women and insists that the need for feminism is a very Westernised idea. On the other hand, even if leftists do not censure sexual relationships among its members, the claims of free sex are made redundant in the case of intimate partner abuse. The abuse perpetrated by Kumar Sundaram is a case in point. Although activist circles such as those of leftists (but not restricted to them) claim to be trailblazers of feminism who have amply addressed gender issues, they leave the persistence of masculinity unquestioned. While questions of anti-right politics are discussed, issues of gender and sexuality are never talked about. Thus, it will be expected of progressive activists to condemn how Hindutva demeans women and robs her of her agency. But there will be near silence on how male members of a progressive political group interact with women members: do they make body-shaming comments? Do they make sexual innuendos about women? Do they respect the consent of a woman when entering into a sexual relationship with her? Do they respect her bodily and sexual autonomy? Do they know the difference between sexual intimacy and sexual abuse? Do they make sexually coloured remarks to women belonging to rival political groups (university student groups, for example)? Do organisations prioritise the creation of safe spaces within them? Are claims of harassment taken seriously? Are women permitted to express the feeling of being violated? Addressing these uncomfortable questions is a prerequisite to ensure that activist circles do not become havens of sexism. The entitlement of masculinity is the prime reason which helps explain why gender issues are always externalised as its not our problem. Patriarchy naturally lends a privileged position to male members and leaders of any group; this leads to asymmetrical power relations between male and female members, especially if the former are in positions of authority within the group. Within progressive activist circles, most men wear feminist credentials on their sleeve; in fact, they are politically correct about feminism and women in general. But owing to the fact that activist groups encourage the aura of masculinity, political correctness does not actually translate into gender sensitivity. Hence, when an accusation of abuse or harassment is made, the womans experience is belittled. The offender can get away with denying the accusations even in the face of proof. If the offender chooses to issue a public apology (as Kumar Sundaram did), he is hailed as an exemplar of courage. Masculinity and sexism within progressive collectives have been allowed to persist because the questions on gender issues are always under-prioritised to make way for discussions about issues which actually matter or are larger concerns. Under the pale of male domination, a progressive group tom-toms its secular-liberal-leftist-anti-national labels and assumes that it is innately free from sexism. It presumes that it is a safe space for women by virtue of being a progressive group. The difficult task of actually establishing that safe space is not considered at all, while self-introspection on the part of the activist group is regarded paltry and unnecessary. Often, incidents of sexual harassment are hushed up, for fear that rival political groups or even the right-wing will cite these cases to cast disrepute on the activist group. Indeed, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members throw about the name of "Anmol ratan" with relish, since it adds grist to the Hindutva mill against JNU. But this cynical use of cases of sexual harassment in order to guilt-trip rival political groups is not restricted to the Hindu Right alone. Leftists insist that Ambedkarites are sexist and vice-versa. The cacophony of blame and counter-blame drowns out the voices of women struggling to make themselves heard and precludes possibilities of actually creating feminist accountability inside activist circles. The first step towards addressing these concerns is to recognise that gender issues (even within organisations) are as important as other issues. Cases of sexual harassment and intimate partner abuse must be regarded as proof of the lack of safe spaces for women, and that we urgently need to create safe spaces for women. Cases of sexual harassment must not be seen as embarrassing things that need to be hushed up. Progressives must not stop at preventing harassment alone; even everyday, seemingly mundane acts of sexism must be called out and corrected. Progressive political activists must stop using the right-wing as an alibi to save themselves from being reprimanded and questioned on gender issues. Heba Ahmed is a research scholar in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), currently in her first year of PhD at the Centre for Political Studies New Delhi: Hundreds of kilometres of national and state highways in states like Maharashtra, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and others have turned into local, municipal or district roads, just a few days after a Supreme Court order banning liquor sale along highways. Most states have not specified any reason for changing the categories and some have even denied that the step has been taken in view of the Supreme Court verdict. Yet, most of the decisions have come in the wake of the 31 April order of the Apex Court, lending it the shape of a nation-wide trend. Last week, the Maharashtra government okayed proposals from three municipal corporations to classify highways passing through their areas to city roads, while Himachal Pradesh re-notified 16 state highways as major district roads (MDR). Maharashtra state PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil said that the government had received proposals from Jalgaon, Latur and Yavatmal municipal corporations seeking de-notification of the highways which were okayed. The West Bengal government 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 31 March. The state government did not give any specific reason for the denotification which covers stretches along all the 16 state highways. Uttarakhand took a similar decision with its cabinet allowing denotification of state highways located in the areas of local civic bodies and re-categorised them as other district roads saying highway specifications were coming in the way of their maintenance and expansion. The argument did not cut ice with the opposition Congress which claimed it was just a "pretext" for helping liquor trade which is a major source of revenue. Some road stretches were denotified in Rajasthan while the Punjab government also denotified the bypassed stretches of seven state highways and turned them into a part of the city roads. Officials of both Punjab and Rajasthan governments said that the denotified roads were only bypassed stretches. Meanwhile, in Goa, the Manohar Parrikar government faced heat from some opposition leaders who demanded that he come to the rescue of the tourism industry in the state. The AAP demanded that the state government work towards getting state highways de-notified wherever legally feasible. "India is a vast country...Goa is a tourist state, we need some relaxations. But I am not going to denotify highways," Parrikar had said at an event. Union road, transport and highways ministry officials in Delhi said they had received "several requests" from different states to convert National Highways to district roads apparently to protect revenues. Officials said they had received peculiar requests to de-notify national highways at a time when the Centre plans to take the length of such roads to 2 lakh km from the existing about 1 lakh km. The ministry has received a request in writing from the union territory of Daman to de-notify some of its NH stretches while other states also expressed interest but were yet to sent proposals in writing. Meanwhile, in several places people protested attempts to relocate liquor vends in their localities. Following such protest, the Uttar Pradesh government said that it would not allow shops which are have to relocated following a Supreme Court order banning sale of liquor along highways to come up near religious places, schools or populated areas. In Maharashtra, police had to foil a bid by anti-liquor activists to march towards residence of a minister. The activists alleged that he had played a role in the state government's move to denotify the highways. Ravindra Gaikwad is all set to fly via Air India on 10 April, ANI tweeted. According to the news agency, the Shiv Sena Member of Parliament will take its first flight after Air India along with all major Indian airlines put an indefinite ban on him from flying for assaulting an Air India staffer. The ban on Gaikwad was lifted on Saturday following a direction from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad will fly with Air India tomorrow; his first flight after flight ban on him was lifted. pic.twitter.com/oi3V6JCytM ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 Gaikwad has been at the centre of the "flying ban" controversy after he allegedly attacked and misbehaved with an Air India staffer. Gaikwad was flying on an Air India flight from Pune to Delhi, when he hit airline's duty manager Shivkumar with his slipper several times when the latter urged him to deplane after the lawmaker refused to do so once the plane landed at Delhi airport. "The MP turned violent, broke the duty manager's spectacles, tore his shirt and hit him with slippers several times," airline sources said. Gaikwad, carrying a business class ticket, insisted on taking the airline's early morning flight AI-852 from Pune to Delhi, which is an all-economy class. This led to an argument with the airline employees in Pune and an assault on the manager by the MP when the aircraft landed in Delhi. The Shiv Sena leader was barred from flying via the state carrier following the incident. The airline had also cancelled his return ticket to Pune from Delhi. And along with Air India other major Indian airlines had barred him from flying and sought an apology from Gaikwad. Gaikwad, however, refused to apologise and even gave interviews saying, saying "kaahe ka pashchaataap (what is there to repent)?" "I will not apologise...he (AI Manager Sukumar) should come and apologise... then we will see. A 60-year-old man should also know how to behave," he had said after the incident. The first-time lawmaker also said he had made the Parliament "proud" when asked if his act has brought shame to the temple of democracy. After the airlines refused to buzz, Shiv Sena went on to obstruct the functioning of Parliament and even threatened Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The party had also announced that it would boycott the NDA meeting if the ban was not lifted by 10 April. Nestled in the contravened alleys and a cluster of tightly constructed houses in downtown Srinagar, is the deserted polling booth at Malikyar, Fateh Kadal area of Srinagar, where 29 people out of 576 people have voted till Sunday afternoon. It is a frightening sight! Every person moving towards the alley leading to polling booth, which otherwise is a library and community marriage hall, is mocked and locals counting every person entering the booth. The mood at this polling booth is reflected on almost all the polling stations in Srinagar and Budgam area. The huge queues of voters were missing from the almost all the parts of the Srinagar city, and here at the Malikyar polling both in old town of Srinagar, the question was not how many people will vote, but who dared to come first. At 6:45 am, 15 minutes before the polling was to start, almost a dozen people came and wanted to vote, but we told them to go back and come at 7:00 am. They stayed in the courtyard till 7:00 am, voted and left immediately, presiding officer, Suhaib Ahmad, told Firstpost. As the lanes leading towards Malikyar polling station remained deserted, people peeped through their house. A pin-drop silence in the surroundings made things only worse for the polling staff inside. Stray dogs roamed in groups and three CRPF soldiers remained alert to keep an eye on every moving object in the vicinity of the polling station. Are we in the main Srinagar, a paramilitary forces soldiers guarding the polling both asked this reporter. I have not seen more than 30 people since morning. The fringes of the old town of Srinagar have traditionally been the supporter of National Conference but who is going to benefit from the nearly deserted polling station of Srinagar city this time, no one knows. If there are seven voters who took the risk of voting for National Conference. These are people who did not get afraid when militancy was at its peak, so how would they get afraid this time, Nazir Mir, who stood outside the polling both number 31-C in Khanyar area, told Firstpost. The polling was held under tight security as the election commission had deployed more then 15,000 additional para-military forces for the first phase of parliamentary by-polls to ensure peaceful polling in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, which is spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal. The unprecedented security arrangements were made after militants carried out three attacks in Srinagar in last two weeks in the summer capital. I have given election duty four times but this is the toughest one I am seeing, a women polling officer, said inside a booth in the old town of Srinagar. Violence was reported from all the three districts after the protests broke out in Budgam district, four people were killed during the clashes after hundred of youth came out to protests against the polling. One youth was injured in Dalwan village of Chrar-e-Sharif in Budgam district he later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Earlier, two youths were killed in clashes near the polling stations in Dalwan and Rathsun villages of the district. The angry youth entered a polling station and started beating the polling staff in Khan Sahab area of Budgam were two staff members, both teachers, on poll duty were injured and shifted to hospital. Clashes were also reported from other places of the Budgam district were twenty protesters were hit by pellets in Soibugh village of central Kashmir. Two polling stations were closed after witnessing heavy stone pelting in Khag tehsil in the same district. Till 1.00 pm Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency saw 4.98 percent votes were cast out of total electorate of 1261395. By 1.00 pm 62891voters had exercised their right to vote. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shantmanu said that fourteen EVMs were either damaged or snatched by mobs during by-polls through out the three districts. The Jammu and Kashmir government has snapped the internet service in three districts falling under the Srinagar parliamentary constituency. Around 46 votes have been polled at out polling till 4:00pm. Now the question is how will we go back home in the evening, Suhaib Ahmad, the returning officer, said. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday met Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Conservation Minister Uma Bharti and assured her of all support and cooperation from the state government in cleaning up the Ganga. "The largest stretch of the river passes through Uttar Pradesh and hence it is even more the responsibility of the state to keep the river clean," he said, while underlining that for success of the 'Namami Gange' project, it is necessary that its tributaries are also cleaned up. The entire machinery of the state will now have to work on a war footing for this purpose, Adityanath said, stressing on the need of holding meetings of heads of the development blocks, members of the local Panchayats and village heads of districts on the banks of the river so that the cleaning up of the Ganga is take up in a mission mode. Uma Bharti said that in absence of support and cooperation in the past regimes in Uttar Pradesh, the 'Namami Gange' project was not achieving the desired results but now that the present government is headed by a dedicated saint like him, she was sure that the Ganga cleaning would be a success. Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Conservation Secretary Amarjeet Singh said at the meeting that under the 'Namami Gange' project, 19 projects worth Rs 2,900 crore were being run in Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gadhmukteshwar, Kannauj, Bulandshahr and Vrindavan through which capacity to purify 391 MLD of water would be created. Of the 19 projects, four projects in Allahabad have been completed while work is underway on the rest. Other than this, works worth Rs 4,348 crore are proposed in the state, he said. while suggesting that the proposed works be completed on priority basis. Following this, the chief minister directed officials to ensure completion of these projects within the fixed timelines by strengthening the infrastructure and arranging for necessary facilities. He also said that the District Magistrates concerned should also be involved so that there are no hurdles in the works. Singh also said that because of the leather industrial units in Kanpur, Unnao and Banthra, there was a lot of pollution and added that they should be treated as a cluster and pollution controlled at these places. At this, the chief minister said that a decision has already been taken by the state government to shift out leather industry units out of Kanpur and Kannauj in a phased manner, which will contribute in a big way towards the success of the mission. I fell in love with Puducherry (formerly, Pondicherry) at first sight. The sleepy town is one of the biggest tourist attractions in India because of Auroville, and a wonderful study of contrasts of the Tamil and French cultures. The town itself is divided into what the locals call 'the Tamil part' and the colonial part of Puducherry, which transports you to a town that is best suited in a romance novella. My hotel, a restored traditional Tamil style house near the beach was full of young tourists, almost all of them foreigners and almost all of them dressed in baggy cotton patiala style pants (I was later told that they are called elephant pants, and seem to be a must for every foreign traveler here). A couple from New York staying in the next room tells us that they have come here because they have heard so much about Auroville. Auroville and the Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry are the reasons that bring the majority of the tourists here, but I later discovered that the small French town has a lot more to offer other than the Aurobindo Ashram-Auroville spirituality package. As I strolled through White Town, the french colonial part of Puducherry, you cannot help but look in awe at the hues of yellow, blue and pink houses that line the perpendicular, sea facing part of the town. I came across a cafe called Eat My Cake! which promised to offer a authentic french experience. As I entered, I was greeted by the smell of chocolate and fresh bread. The tiny pink and yellow cafe was opened by three french women just a year ago and offers a different menu everyday. The owners told me how everything about the small cafe is, 'made by women, and run by women.' Their tie-up with a local NGO helps employ women and empower them by making them learn skills like cooking and baking. Also, the coffee is freshly brewed and the ingredients are organic and locally grown. It was a fascinating thing to learn that Puducherry, which welcomes a large part of foreign tourist population, also hosts a large number of restaurants that promise you fresh, organic locally grown food to go with 'the wellness trend'. As my friend and I order an item from the day's menu, Chicken Liver Bagel and a coffee pot in the terrace cafe, I find it interesting to note that food in Puducherry, and everything else for the matter, comes at its own relaxed pace. Not that its a bad thing, but just a fascinating concept to sit and actually savour food for 4 to 5 hours rather than in Mumbai, where we come from. My friend noted that how our restaurant meals in the city of dreams were always rushed, we were always handed the bill as soon as we ordered dessert. The laid back pace of the town was the biggest luxury we indulged in. After over wonderful meal, we strolled through the Promenade (Puducherrys only sea facing, Marine drive-esque boulevard) in the afternoon, we were mesmerised by how other people around us were sitting at the shoreline indulging in the activity of doing nothing. For us, the looking at the sea for hours at the peaceful town was a welcome break from elbowing people out of the way to get into a local train in Mumbai. We came across an antique shop during one of our strolls. Located near Les Space in White Town, the nameless store housed antiques that were as old as the time when the French started colonising the place, and each and every piece had an interesting piece of history attached to it. This is why I recommend walking over taking a cycle or a bike, because there is so much to see in Puducherry. Each building is unique, and seems to have a history. The town is best taken in, slowly, walking through the streets at a glacial pace staring at the beautiful Franco-Tamil pieces of architecture. Or if you are in the other 'Tamil' part of town, just looking at the old world charm of the city and seeing it transport from a city in Europe to a forgotten era in India in a matter of kilometres. Coming to the reason we were on the trip the food. The variety of food is one of the best things that Puducherry has to offer, and even if you do not include the fascinating cuisines of Auroville there is a lot that can be sampled. One of the most unique cuisines is the Creole cuisine of Puducherry. The french-tamil fusion cuisine was also influenced by the Dutch and Portuguese colonisers. Creole food is more Indian than french while french cuisine is all about cooking and savouring each item individually, Creole food is more of an Indian curry and rice variety. One of the best places we sampled creole was at Le Dupleix in White Town. The best dish hands down was Rasam Aux Crevettes (Rasam with shrimp served French style). Moving on to a different kind of fusion a small cafe called Kasha Ki Asha specialises in giving the picky tourist a literal mix of both the cuisines and overs yummy samplings like Pizza Dosai. The cafe, opened in 2013 by an American woman, Kasha, runs on the same principle as Eat My Cake! it started out as an initiative by Kasha to help and empower women. The best part about the cafe is the beautiful boutique that is a part of the terrace cafe. Now comes the time to satisfy the sweet tooth. The french brought with them the art of the yummy desserts, and it has stayed. One of our walks through the town landed us in a bakery that called Baker Street. Being huge Sherlock fans ourselves, we went into the bakery that promised 'an authentic french experience' and were transported to what might have been a bakery in France. Whether it is a simple chocolate cake or a piece of expertly crafted chocolate, 212 Baker Street suprises you with the variety of desserts it stocks. And if you want your fill of the best Tamil cuisine, Puducherry hosts excellent restaurants that serve, what is in my opinion, the best rasam in the world. Try out restaurants like A2B Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Surgure where the crowd will be a mix of Indian tourists tired of sampling pastas and wine, and foreign tourists keen on trying the local cuisine and fascinatingly trying to eat dosa and rice plates with their hands. When we went to Surguru, we were seated with two tourists from London, who were watching YouTube videos about how to eat rasam rice with their hands before getting to the real act itself. Why were they here, and not in a French cafe that serves organic food, I asked. The girl, a backpacker who was visiting India for the first time said that French cuisine was passe for them, and the only reason they went to the cafes was to use the free Wifi. 'Spicy Indian food' was more fascinating. That was the time it struck me, what's a novelty for me is 'the plain old' for them and vice versa, and Puducherry works well in balancing both sets of tastes. Puducherry might seem like a small, sleepy town that only houses the Aurobindo Ashram and its offshoot shopping experiences, but it is more than that. If you are looking at a long, peaceful getaway or a short escapade from the city life and the thought of Goa makes you cringe, Puducherry is just a hop, skip and jump away from Chennai airport (3 hours by bus). The town is a novelty in itself, if not the food, or the shopping that gets you, just strolling through the pink, blue and yellow houses around town are fascinating in itself and make you feel like you are in a movie. From a few hundred feet as the aeroplane nears touch-down, the view is spectacular. Long bars of white sand trace the outline of the island. Waters of teal blend with turquoise, turquoise mixes with azure which turns deep cobalt in the vast ocean. From above, a carpet of emerald green covers the island. Whiffs of salty ocean air fill the plane cabin. You may be a resident of a bustling sea-side metropolis familiar with such aromas but there is something inviting in the sights, sounds and smells of Zanzibar that promises to be a memorable adventure taking you back in time to its torrid past, letting you dive in its colourful waters and lulling you to slothful indulgence. Zanzibar is an archipelago about 40 km off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. It consists of two main ear-shaped islands that look like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle: Zanzibar, the main island housing the capital city with its historic center of Stone Town and Pemba, known as the green island due to its hilly terrain and lush greenery. A good vacation can start with a hassle-free visa process, where winding queues for in-person interviews are not mandatory. But if your idea of a great vacation is simply booking a flight and showing up at the destination, Zanzibar should be on top of your list. The visa is on arrival and the one terminal airport is small enough for you to get through immigration before Usain Bolt crosses the 1oo meters tape. Driving out, the view of the beautifully clear ocean water is never too out of sight. Close to the airport, the roads could be bumpy with sand from the beaches filled in them but they get better as you navigate the short distance of 5 km to the center of Zanzibar City or to any of the hotels dotted along the many beaches around the island. There is a mix of hotels to choose from Zanzibar being one of the older cities in Africa, there are historic hotels that have been renovated recently, new posh ones but also plenty of budget accommodations. Many of these will have a room with a view of the vast blue expanse of the ocean or the shoreline of the Tanzanian coast. We checked into a gorgeous airy accommodation right on top of the ocean. From the comforts of a spacious balcony that had a swing to take in the balmy currents, we watched beautifully crafted dhows with crisp masts gently sail with the winds. Dhows are a ubiquitous part of the seascape here. They transport most of the essentials and people from one part of the island to the other. Some scholars suggest that dhows are an import from India many centuries ago when traders began to settle in Zanzibar. But with Zanzibar having been shaped by many hands, it is difficult to assert such appropriations. Try getting on a dhow, nonetheless, to get a feel of life in slow motion. The most obvious thing to do for lunch while on an island is to have some fresh seafood like lobster, clams and oyster. Zanzibar has many excellent restaurants that serve fresh seafood from the catch in the morning and it goes well with light couscous washed down with coconut water. The other certain thing to do while on an island is to sleep off the lovely seafood. It is muggy to be walking around so siesta doesnt do any harm. As the sun begins to lose its intensity, it is a good time to check out the many curio shops in the old part of town that stock all kinds of Africa inspired souvenirs, from masks to beautifully painted portraits of Masai tribesmen. By the time evening winds down over Zanzibar, youd feel the need for quick refueling stopover. The best seat in town to watch the African sunset is from the historic Africa House hotel. It offers bang-on view of the sun drowning in the ocean. With a sprawling desk and a fully loaded bar made out of ageless teak, it is a place where every traveller worth his salt gathers to soak their parched throats with a cold beer or a cocktail and behold the everyday spectacle of sunset. Sometimes if there is a sporting crowd, there is so much revelry the evening could be mistaken as New Years Eve until the dark of the twilight takes over. Yes, it is a touristy spot where none of the locals hang out but is filled with sun-tanned foreigners out to calm their nerves but it is a beautiful experience to have a cold sundowner with a bunch of strangers taking in a natural phenomenon. Zanzibar was put on the map by the tradelines between the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. Thus it came to be a melting pot of Persians first who were joined by Indians, and later by Malays, Chinese, Arabs, etc. This mix of people continue to Zanzibar their home. They came together as traders and merchants dealing mostly in many coveted spices like the cloves, pepper, cash crops and ivory. Later in the 1600s onwards when Zanzibar fell in the hands of the Omani sultanate, slave trade was rampant with slaves being caught in large numbers and transported for the Arab rulers and Europeans. Much of this history can be experienced today on foot by walking around Stone Town. From the Sultanates residence of the Palace of Wonders, the Old Fort built to guard the city in 1700s from European invasions, Old Dispensary that a wealthy Indian trader built to the Slavery memorial, large part of the old town is preserved for tourists to get an understanding of what it must have been like in the past. The lanes in Stone Town are narrow and full of colourful houses with large wooden door that have nails on them. They now house spice shops of merchants from India selling everything from rugs to artefacts to spices and nuts. It is great to strike up conversations with several of them about their ancestry, how was it growing up on an island, do they have family back in India. If an Indian could go on a vacation abroad and still travel back in time before Independence, it would be possible only in Zanzibar. But apart from travelling back in time, you could also travel down in space. Space that is fluid and blue. Zanzibar offers some fantastic dive sites in the world. And it is easy to book a scuba package or snorkelling one from many dive centers that operate along the islands. The boat ride to Pemba offers some good diving too schools of dolphins, octopuses, parrot fish, groupers, corals of incredible shapes, sizes and colours, it is a great sport that the whole travelling party can try. Zanzibar has a bit of everything for everyone for the history buff, the adventurer or a leisure seeking traveller. It has seen explorers like David Livingston set sail and come back to its shores to proclaim it is the most beautiful place on the earth. So take a cue from Billy Joel who sang: Ive got the old mans car, Ive got a jazz guitar, Ive got a tab at Zanzibar, Tonight, thats where Ill be BJP MLA from Hyderabad Raja Singh has landed the party in a controversy yet again. Singh on Friday threatened to behead those who were against the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. "To those who warn of dire consequences if Ram Mandir built, we were waiting for you to say this so we can behead you," The Times of India quoted the BJP MLA as saying. This is not the first time that Raja Singh has made inflammatory remarks. In December 2015, he warned of a lynching like that of Mohammad Akhlaq's in Dadri. "We warn them against a Dadri-like incident in Telangana. We can both give our lives and take life for the sake of protecting the cow," the report quoted him as saying last year. In July 2016, Singh in a Facebook post had justified the thrashing of Dalits by cow vigilante groups in Una, Gujarat. "Jo Dalit gai ke maas ko le ja raha tha, jo uski pitai hui hai, woh bohut hi achhi hui hai (The assault on the Dalits who were taking the cow and cow meat was a very good thing to happen)," he said. Singh had also condemned the media and political leaders who had criticised the assault on Dalits. He had said that many members of the community had dedicated their lives to the cause of "gau raksha" and extended support to gau rakshaks who took it upon themselves to teach the "galeez" (filthy) Dalits a valuable lesson. According to Singh, such Dalits malign the name of others in the community, who are patriotic and religious. On Saturday, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had said that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was a matter of belief for her and she was ready to go to jail for it. "Ram Temple is a matter of belief for me and I have immense pride in it...if I have to go to jail for it I will go, if I have to hang myself for it I will do it," the firebrand BJP leader, who was part of Ram Temple movement, told newspersons after meeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. With inputs from PTI The snow lay thick. Vehicles struggled to get past each other on the narrow, hilly road from the national highway to Sadiwara village. A crowd had gathered around a Maruti van that had slipped into a roadside ditch. Knots of pheran-wrapped people headed to the village mosque for Friday afternoon prayers. Right outside the home of the man who was the National Conference candidate for the 2014 Assembly elections, a knot of young men said they would boycott the by-election on 12 April for south Kashmirs Anantnag seat. They are by no means the only ones. Right across south Kashmir, boycott seems to be a major factor. In the past, the National Conference often depended on a boycott to see it through to victory. This time, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party will be best placed to win the south Kashmir seat if the boycott is very successful. Thus, the roles are reversed as Kashmir prepares for by-elections for two seats in Parliament. Various factors As things stand, the turnout is likely to be low for a variety of reasons. One, people are, by and large not very inspired by current politics. In particular, they barely know or respond to the ruling partys candidate for the Anantnag seat, Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis brother Tasaduq. Other factors are no less important. Not only is there a boycott call from the various 'Hurriyat' leaders, militants have announced that they will wreak violence during the polls and engage in retributive attacks against those who vote. So, fear is a second factor. Third, many in south Kashmir feel an emotional need to stay away from the poll process out of solidarity with many who were blinded or killed by security forces during the agitations that followed the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani last July. The weather too, is likely to contribute to low turnout. There has been heavy snowfall since Wednesday night, and a lot of rain over the past few weeks. Disillusionment Disillusionment with politicians will contribute to low polling. South Kashmir has been the stronghold of the ruling PDP for at least a decade. However, most people there are upset with the PDP. Its coalition with the the Hindutva-based BJP is a major factor, its mishandling of last years uprising another. The lack of performance, empathy, and even visibility of party MLAs adds to that. A group of young voters in the vicinity of Devsar said they used to be PDP activists but do not even intend to vote this time. They said that Sartaj Madani, Mehbooba Mufti's uncle, who was been given the number two position in the party since she took over, has done nothing for them. Madani lost the 2014 elections from Devsar. Further north, people in Pulwama district are contemptuous of their even more high profile MLA, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu. He is never visible or accessible, they say, and has done nothing for them. The situation is not much better for the Congress, Tasaduqs main challenger. Several traditional Congress supporters, including some Gujjars, say they will not vote this time. "What is the point?", they typically ask with cynicism. People in the belt from Anantnag to the Jawahar Tunnel speak highly of the responsiveness of MLA Mohammed Amin Bhat, but have little regard for some other party leaders. Nevertheless, if more votes are cast in Congress strongholds of Shangus and Dooru than in other parts of south Kashmir, the Congress, which is supported by the National Conference in south Kashmir, could win. Farooq Abdullahs populism Boycott will also be a major factor for the Srinagar seat in central Kashmir. But there, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is likely to win either way. The National Conference, much more than other parties, has a dedicated cadre, many of whom would defy a boycott call, particularly in pockets dominated by certain ethnic or sectarian minorities. To cement that advantage, Abdullah has gone out of his way in recent weeks to speak supportively of militants and stone-pelters. Along with his trenchant criticism of the ruling PDP-BJP coalition, this will surely help him to tap into the dominant separatist sentiment of the time. So, for the first time in three decades, the boot is on the other foot: a boycott will help the PDP, at least in south Kashmir, rather than National Conference. Even in the 2008 Assembly elections, Omar Abdullah came to power owing to National Conference victories in Srinagar, about the only place where there was a substantial boycott. A substantial turnout in Srinagar would surely have prevented Omar from taking power that year. Separatists called for a 2-day strike from Monday in Jammu and Kashmir to protest the death of 6 persons during voting for Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll. In one of the worst incidents of poll-violence in the state, at least six persons were killed on Sunday when security forces opened fire to disperse protestors in central Kashmir's Budgam district, where polling in by-election for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat is being held. While two persons each were killed Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief, Beerwah and Chadoora areas of Budgam district and one person died in the district's Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. Another person was killed in Barsoo in Ganderbal district. The security forces opened fire reportedly after a mob attacked the polling station in Dalwan village, damaged the EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. The security forces opened fire reportedly after a mob attacked the polling station in Dalwan village, damaged the EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. "Security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," a police official said. A mob torched a bus and also damaged the EVMs at a polling station in Beerwah as also in Wathura area of Budgam district, the police official said. The voter turnout in Srinagar had been just 5.52 percent till 2 pm. Four youths have been killed so far after security forces fired at violent mobs disrupting polling booths across the parliamentary constituency. Meanwhile, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting the bypoll to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, on Sunday claimed that the PDP-BJP government had failed to provide a conducive atmosphere for peaceful election after clashes erupted during polling. "The election should have been peaceful. That's what elections are. People have to show their presence and support to whoever they want to. That is the first and foremost thing about the freedom of this nation. (With inputs from agencies) Political wisdom with the right perspective from rural folk, I have found most times, is the best. Sample this from M Subbayan in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, 360 kilometres from Chennai. "Over 270 farmers have died in Tamil Nadu since October but no one cares. We asked for Rs 25,000 as compensation per acre. They gave us Rs 5,465 per acre. Today, for one vote in the RK Nagar by-election, we hear they are giving Rs 15,000. This is democracy. When votes are available for sale, why would they care for us?" asks Subbayan. He knew all about what was happening in RK Nagar, thanks to his friends in Chennai. Even if they did not tell him, Subbayan would know: Because you cannot find a single MLA or an AIADMK leader of consequence in any district. Everyone is camping in Chennai, having been made in charge of streets and lanes of RK Nagar, to ensure TTV Dinakaran wins. In effect, there are two Tamil Nadus today. RK Nagar and the rest of the state. The countryside is reeling under the worst drought in 140 years. The statistical shocker aside, the optics of a Tamil Nadu withering away is only too obvious to anyone who steps out of Chennai. No longer are the people in rural Tamil Nadu crying out for water for irrigation, this summer they only want drinking water. What makes it worse is the feeling of humiliation. The fact that 150 of their brethren, dressed in no more than a loincloth are protesting since mid-March at Jantar Mantar is household news in these parts. They are aghast that their protest has not moved the powers-that-be in Delhi enough. This, despite every attempt to catch media and public attention by clutching rats and snakes in their mouth, shaving off half their heads and moustaches. All they are asking for is their legitimate share of Cauvery water and a loan waiver. But there is immense gratitude for what the farmers are doing in Delhi. In Thanjavur, I meet Karthikeyan, whose brother Ganesan died in January after his paddy crop dried up on his four acres of land, leaving him gaping at a debt of Rs 2.75 lakh. Kartikeyan says the Centre's don't care attitude will mean the next generation will not touch farming with a barge pole in Tamil Nadu. "With great difficulty, those few farmers went to Delhi. If a farmer does not work even for a single day, it is loss of money for his family. These farmers have sacrificed their income and gone in the hope that the government will help,'' says Kartikeyan. Not everyone shares Kartikeyan's optimism. Karnan's wife, Manimeghalai, who helped him on the farm, reached for the noose on the intervening night of 18 and 19 January. This was after their crop on 2 acres of land, on which the couple had sown paddy and pulses, dried up. She simply awoke at midnight, let the goat loose and used that rope to hang herself from a tree outside their hut. Karnan lives in Tiruvarur, which is former chief minister M Karunanidhi's constituency. I ask him if he voted for the DMK. He nods. But farmers have been trained to believe their job is only to vote and not to expect anything in return. When he goes to attend protest meetings, he hears leaders berating Karnataka for not releasing Cauvery water. The more distanced the villain of the story, the more remote are the chances, farmers like Karnan believe, they will get any help. The loan documents and reminders from banks are a burden of despair. It weighs down Anthony Ammal, whose 42-year-old husband Anthony Das collapsed on the field in Nagapattinam district, leaving behind a loan of Rs 4 lakh on the family's head. Every piece of jewellery the family owned has either been sold or pawned with the moneylender. Anthony Ammal fights back her tears as her three children look on. Helplessness is a constant in these parts. "The moneylender comes and makes a noise. Even last Sunday, he came and created a ruckus. I said I will try to return it,'' says Anthony Ammal. She has the responsibility of her elderly mother-in-law and mentally handicapped sister-in-law as well. The moneylender's threats and abuse in the presence of neighbours reduces self-respect to a stranger. Anthony Ammal's two daughters have already been pulled out of private school and put in to a government school. When crisis knocks at the door, quality education for the girl child is the first casualty. Anthony Ammal's dry 2.5 acres, even if she wants to sell, won't fetch a buyer. With no water in the Cauvery and the Northeast monsoon failing in 2016, the land in rural Tamil Nadu has no takers in the realty market. Since farmers are at the forefront of the agitation, the mistake governments, civil society and the media make is to treat it only as an agrarian crisis in the narrow sense. It is a rural crisis to which a serious lack of governance has contributed in a significant measure. "There is nothing more disgraceful for a country that even in this day and age, people are so desperate that they are forced to take extreme measures,'' says Jayaprakash Narayan, Founder of Foundation for Democratic Reforms. "What is the farmer's biggest expenditure outside of agricultural operations? It is on health care and education. Officially, you have free education but why are the poorest people from rural areas compelled to spend lot of money on private schooling? Because the government has abdicated its responsibility and the people no longer believe that the government needs to provide quality education free of cost. Likewise, no one believes that quality healthcare will be available at a government health facility.'' The contrast hits you the moment you step into RK Nagar. Where free money and TASMAC liquor flow 24x7. The run up to the by-election on 12 April is like festival time as political parties convert themselves into clandestine at-your-doorstep ATMs. There is death here too. The victim's name : Democracy. New Delhi: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrived here on Sunday on a four-day India visit during which he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on ways to boost ties in key areas including defence, security, energy and trade. However, the much-anticipated economic pact between India and Australia will not be inked during his visit. According to External Affairs Ministry, the two countries are likely to sign a number of MoUs covering a range of areas including defence and security, environment, renewable energy, sports and trade. It will be Turnbull's first visit to the country after assuming office in 2015. India is also likely to raise the issue of security of Indians in Australia in the wake of incidents of attacks on some of them. Ahead of his visit, Australia's High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu had clearly said that the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) will not be signed during the trip. "Negotiations are underway but the pact will not be signed," Sidhu had said. The talks for CECA were launched in 2011 and during the visit of former Australian PM Tony Abbott in 2014, the two sides had expressed the hope that the pact would be inked by the end of 2015, a deadline which has already been missed. However, the Indian side has reiterated its commitment to the free trade pact. Some of the sticking points in the negotiations include India's high tariff structure for dairy and agri products as also Australian wine. On the much-delayed supply of uranium from Australia to India, Joint Secretary (South) in the External Affairs Ministry Jaideep Mazumdar had said Australian parliament had cleared a legislation for the supply of uranium to India last year and now "commercial negotiations" for it are going on, indicating that there was no firming up of any such pact so far. While there is interest in Australian companies to be part of India's nuclear market, there are concerns in that country over safety regulations in India. Australia has about 40 percent of the world's uranium reserves and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes of the yellowcake annually. Meanwhile, Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham, who is accompanying Turnbull on the visit, said Australia will showcase its international education, training and research offerings during the visit to help it in its goal of upskilling 400 million people by 2022. "Australia is willing and well-placed to help India with its education aspirations, including its goal of upskilling 400 million people by 2022," Birmingham said. In India, Birmingham will have bilateral meetings with Minister for Human Resource and Development Prakash Javadekar and with Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Pratap Rudy. Cairo: At least 45 people were killed and nearly 120 others injured in powerful blasts triggered by ISIS in two churches packed with worshippers celebrating Palm Sunday in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria cities, the deadliest attacks on the minority Coptic Christians in recent years. The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, killing 27 people and injuring 78, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Security sources said the primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday. However, others said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The explosion targeted the front rows in the church hall. Among those killed is Samuel George, the head of Tanta Court. Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district, police said. Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel said at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed while 41 others injured in Alexandria's suicide attack. The latest figure puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on churches on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," said the group's propaganda news agency 'Amaq' on its social media accounts. In a statement, the Interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. However, Egypt's Coptic church said Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had left the church just before the blast. Saint Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi condemned the attack and said such terrorist acts will not terrify Egyptians. He also phoned Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences. He ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. The president called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. Egypt also announced three days of mourning. Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, strongly condemned the attacks, calling it an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhar's solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the wake of attacks. The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers." "The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement. The explosion comes weeks before the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on 28-29 April. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 85 million. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an ISIS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. SIDON, Lebanon A member of the Palestinian Fatah faction was killed in factional clashes at the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Sunday, a Fatah official said, as fighting that has killed at least four people, raged for a third day.At least four people have been killed and dozens more people wounded in the latest round of fighting, pitching Fatah and other Palestinian groups against hard line Sunni Islamists known as the Badr group. Fatah is led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Clashes have erupted intermittently in recent months in Ain al-Hilweh. The latest round began on Friday when a joint security force grouping the main Palestinian factions met resistance from Badr fighters as it tried to deploy in the camp. Mortar bombs have been fired in the most recent clashes, some of the most ferocious between the sides to date.Lebanon's Palestinian camps mainly fall outside the jurisdiction of the Lebanese security services. There are some 450,000 Palestinian refugees living in 12 refugee camps in Lebanon. (Writing by Tom Perry. Editing by Jane Merriman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Washington: US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday said there is no political solution to the conflict in Syria until President Bashar al-Assad is out of power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley told CNN in an interview airing on Sunday. The Indian-origin diplomat's remarks came days after the US on 6 April unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase in a retaliating for the Assad-led government's alleged chemical weapons attack that killed nearly 80 persons in Idlib province. Haley on Friday told a special session of the UN Security Council that the US was "prepared to do more" in Syria and that it was Washington's "vital national interest" to stop the use and spread of chemical weapons. According to Haley, the Assad regime has committed atrocities on innocent Syrian civilians multiple times. "It just -- if you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." Syrian Deputy UN Ambassador Mounzer Mounzer denied the country's use of chemical weapons, stating at the UN session that Syria "would never use such weapons in any of its operations against armed terrorist groups". Haley reiterated her statements about further actions in Syria in her interview to the CNN. "If he needs to do more, he will do more," Haley said when asked if Trump would order more strikes. "So, really, now what happens depends on how everyone responds to what happened in Syria, and make sure that we start moving towards a political solution, and we start finding peace in that area." Haley said she thought a regime change would occur because "all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria". Haley noted that ousting Assad was not the US's only priority. "So, there's multiple priorities," she said. "It's -- getting Assad out is not the only priority. And so what we're trying to do is obviously defeat the IS. Secondly, we don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there." "Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out, and then, finally, move towards a political solution, because at the end of the day, this is a complicated situation." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday about the situation in Syria, a longtime Russian ally. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called the US strike "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law". In a joint operation, the Indian navy and its Chinese counterpart on Sunday rescued a a bulk carrier ship OS35 off the coast of Aden which was suspected to have been hijacked by Somali pirates on Saturday. The latest pirate attack followed a string of attacks after years of calm. Bulk carrier OS35(Flag Tuvalu) hijacked by Pirates in Gulf of Aden. INS Mumbai &Tarkash in area diverted 2render assistance @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/z2x12bUVkm SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 9, 2017 .@SpokespersonMoD All crew in citadel. Master of OS 35 has requested for IN assistance to sanitise the ship.Indian Navy Anytime, Anywhere,Everytime pic.twitter.com/QBuLAT3mE7 SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 9, 2017 Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with his crew members, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard, as per stand operating procedures. An Indian Navy helicopter taking off from INS Mumbai carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitise" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, an 18-member Peoples Liberation Army Chinese Navy team from its warship PLA-CNS Yulin boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover for the massive 171-metre long X 28 metres wide, 18-year-old bulk carrier. The Chinese team carried out a full search of the ship along with the crew and ascertained the pirates had escaped under cover of darkness after their hijack attempt was foiled due to timely rescue operations mounted by international maritime forces in the vicinity. The captain of the Tuvalu-flagged ship expressed his gratitude to the Indian Navy, while both Indian Navy and the Chinese Navy thanked each other for the successful joint high seas operation on the critical maritime corridor. Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private company Dryad Maritime Intelligence had confirmed the hijacking on Saturday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website it had received a notification earlier on Saturday from a vessel in an area in the Gulf of Aden that was under attack and may have been boarded "Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise extreme caution," UKMTO said, without giving more details. 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. Earlier this month, officials said Somali pirates had seized a small boat and its 11 Indian crew members as the vessel passed through the narrow channel between Socotra Island and Somalia's coast. In March, Somali pirates hijacked a Comoros-flagged oil tanker, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012. They later released the vessel and its Sri Lankan crew without conditions. Pirates later seized a fishing trawler, which Somali authorities warned could be used for further piracy. Piracy off Somalia's coast was once a serious threat to the global shipping industry. It has lessened in recent years after an international effort to patrol near the country, whose weak central government has been trying to assert itself after a quarter-century of conflict. In December, NATO ended its anti-piracy mission off Somalia's waters. But frustrations have been rising among Somali fishermen, including former pirates, at what they say are foreign fishermen illegally fishing in local waters. With inputs from agencies Moscow: Russia on Sunday said the cancellation of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's visit to Moscow demonstrates London's lack of understanding of knowledge of events in Syria. "Moscow needs a dialogue with London not more than it (Britain) needs it (Russia)," the Foreign Ministry said. "Judging by the statement made by Boris Johnson, he now has different priorities, namely discussions with G7 counterparts of the situation in Syria and Russian support for Bashar al Assad," TASS News cited a ministry statement as saying. Johnson on Saturday called off a visit to Moscow in the wake of the "Syrian chemical weapons attack". He was set to travel on Monday. Johnson said Britain called on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a "political settlement in Syria". According to Russia, the cancellation of the visit was "evident of the fundamental misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of the events in Syria, Russia's efforts to settle that crisis, and the general objectives of diplomacy". "The decision proves doubts about added value from negotiations with the UK, as on most current problems they do not have own positions or realistic influence on development of international affairs, as it remains "in the shade" of its strategic partners," the ministry said. Britain has fully supported the US for its response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib province of Syria that left nearly 80 civilians dead. The US on 6 April unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase that played a key role in conducting the toxic gas attack. The US as well as Britain blame Russia for being "incompetent" in stopping the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow as planned after the G7 meeting in Italy on 10-11 April. Johnson's visit, for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, would have been the first visit by a UK Foreign Secretary in more than five years. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the cancellation meant Boris had "revealed himself to be a poodle of Washington, having his diary managed from across the pond". The government was "quick to blindly follow every order from the Trump White House", he said. By launching cruise missile attacks from its warships in the eastern Mediterranean on coastal locations in Syria, America has entered the six-year-old Syrian civil war. The central question which gnawed at the Obama administration remains before the three-month-old Trump adminstration: How do end the civil war in Syria? Do we have the power and more importantly, real influence, to achieve this end? At one level the American attack is in response to the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons, which is clearly against the United Nation Convention, which Syria signed. But then, Syria has used chemical weapons before and the Obama administration did nothing, except to publicly condemned the act. The Assad regime used Barrel bombs, which are terribly destructive and which contain chlorine gas, an agent outlawed by the UN convention on chemical weapons. Obama did not engage militarily in Syria was because he thought air or naval attacks would not do anything to alter the situation on the ground. And simply put, action on the ground aka putting American boots on Syrian soil, was too horrifying a thought. The American people saw the plight of their soldiers in Iraq. The fight took a lot of American blood and treasure and the end result was almost nothing. Trump, when not in power, was against involvement in Syria. In fact, he sympathized with the Assad regime, which was fighting the Islamic State. Now, he has involved himself militarily in Syria. Is this a one-off thing, confined only to missile strikes? If so, then it is of very little military and political significance. At most, the Assad regime may restrain itself from using chemical weapons but will still use repressive methods against dissidents and rebels and will draw even closer to Putins Russia. It is hard to foresee the Congress authorising greater American involvement in the Syrian conflict. The US president has the lowest approval rating of any commander-in-chief in the post-war years. Besides, on most issues international and domestic Russia, NATO, China, healthcare and corporate taxes Trump, before and after the election has eaten his words. America will not put troops on the ground in Syria. The quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan were enough for their people and Congress. And unless you commit to boots on the ground, your ability to decisively influence the Syrian conflict remains minuscule. Aerial bombings, as the French have been doing is Syria in recent years, has not produced a real change on the ground. US-Russia relations have reached rock bottom. All the post-election talk of Trump allying with Russia in a war against the Islamic State has disappeared. In fact, the Russia-America relationship today reminds one of the Cold War years. Russian warships are now positioned against American ones in the eastern Mediterranean. The firing of the American cruise missiles took place when the president was dining with the visiting Chinese leader; he probably saw it on television. The Trump administration has also retreated on its earlier stand on China. Before the election, he said he would stop the rape of the American economy by China Now, Trump is satisfied that China will reduce the American trade deficit. The American strike on Syria will also set back its relations with the country that matters most in the Syrian civil war: Iran. After tortuous negotiations, in 2015, the US along with Russia, Britain, France and Germany reached an agreement with Iran on the amount of fissile material it could produce. Western countries hoped that Iran would help in reaching a settlement on Syria as it is an important supporter of the Assad regime. Trump was dead set against the nuclear agreement with Iran; he had threatened to abrogate it if he came to power. Now that hope of an Iranian role to bring about peace in Syria is dashed, Iran must view with alarm the American attack on Syria. America does not realise that a Shia Iran could be a great ally of the West in its fight against the Islamic State. Make America great again, Trump's election winning slogan, sounds hollow. America simply does not have the power to order the world around. Obama understood this well and thus chose to exercise Americas leadership in partnership with others: Europe, Japan, Australia and India. On the Middle East issue, he realised that short of outright war, he could not do much. Terrorism is a beast which cannot be humbled by force alone. The author is a Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi As rescuers scrambled to deal with the aftermath of this morning's deadly explosion at a church in Tanta, another bomb was reported in the Alexandria cathedral with rising fatalities and injuries The death toll rose to 17 and the number of injured to 40 in an explosion at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Manshiya district of Alexandria on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry. A suicide bomber detonated an explosion outside the church, Angelious Izhaq, the secretary of Pope Tawadros, told ONTV. Izhaq confirmed that the Pope, who is in Alexandria for Palm Sunday services, was unharmed. Saint Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The IS group claimed responsibility, through their social media affiliate accounts, for Sunday's churches' explosions in Egypt, which left at least 36 dead and dozens injured in both Nile Delta's Tanta and the coastal city of Alexandria. Correction: Death toll was revised from 18 to 17 after official confirmation Search Keywords: Short link: Wall Street money managers are paid based on how much money they have under management, and unfortunately for them, that figure could decline sharply over the next 20 years. Baby boomers have tucked $10 trillion aside for their golden years, and the first wave of baby boomers are turning age 70.5, triggering required minimum distributions from their 401(k) plans and traditional IRAs. A whole lot of money According to the Census Bureau, 40.7% of American households have money in defined benefit plans, including 401(k)s and 403(b)'s and 28.4% have money saved in IRAs. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. A significant amount of that money belongs to the 76 million aging baby boomers that are already in -- or fast-approaching -- retirement. According to a recent PWC survey, about half of baby boomers have retirement savings of at least $100,000, and roughly 15% of them boast accounts valued at north of $500,000. Overall, boomers have $10 trillion saved in retirement accounts, according to Bank of New York Mellon Corp. And, therein lies Wall Street's problem. As baby boomers saved for retirement, rising assets under management allowed Wall Street to bank years of big fees. Since the average expense ratio for funds managed in a 401(k) is 1%, the industry is collecting about $100 billion per year in fees from the$10 trillion in retirement accounts. Unfortunately for money managers, money that's held in tax-deferred accounts, like 401(k)s and IRAs, can't grow tax-free indefinitely (money in a Roth IRA can, but that's another story!). The IRS requires that money held in tax-deferred accounts like these starts being withdrawn in the April following the year in which the account holder turns 70 1/2 years old. The amount that gets withdrawn every year is based on average life expectancy, and typically, that translates into a mandatory 3.5% withdrawal rate in year one. Assuming a 3.5% withdrawal rate and $10 trillion in assets, $350 billion in fee producing assets under management could disappear annually once all boomers hit the mandatory withdrawal age.At a 1% fee, that works out to a $3.5 billion revenue headwind for the industry. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Up for grabs It's tempting to think that money withdrawn from these accounts will simply flow back into taxable investment accounts, however, the reality is that most withdrawals will likely be spent on day-to-day living and healthcare costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average age-65 or older household spends about $44,664 per year, and given that the average person receives about $16,320 inSocial Security benefits, baby boomers are already relying heavily on their savings. Retirees wallets are likely to get even emptier as they get older, because according to Fidelity Investments, the average 65-year old retired couple spend $260,000 on healthcare during retirement, plus another $130,000 on long-term care in retirement, if it's needed. Clearly, cash-strapped baby boomers are bad news for money managers hoping to convince retirees to invest withdrawals in a taxable account. What's the play Some money will end up in taxable accounts, but it's the asset managers who are managing high-net worth clients that will recapture the lion's share of those reinvestments, not those serving tapped-out main street investors. As a result, companies like Goldman Sachs could do better than fund families like Janus. Withdrawals could also be bad news for passive investments, such as S&P 500 index funds. Over the past thirty years, many investors have concentrated a lot of their wealth in low-cost index funds, and while that's still a smart strategy, a shift back to active investing could occur if withdrawals come predominately from these index mutual funds and index ETFs. If so, then savvy stock pickers could do best. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Todd Campbell has no position in any stocks mentioned.His clients may have positions in the companies mentioned.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Falling victim to a scam can be embarrassing, frightening, and financially devastating. Unfortunately, sophisticated scam artists know whom to target and how to use psychological tricks to get countless smart, hardworking people to part with their cash. How many people fall victim to scams? Far more than most people realize. Just one specific type of trick -- called an impostor scam -- led to 406,578 complaints to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2016 alone. Impostor scams prompted the second-highest total number of consumer complaints to the FTC, with only debt collectors causing consumers more trouble. This was the first time more people alerted the FTC to impostor scams than to identity theft. Because impostor scams are cleverly designed to play on your fears, it's hard to avoid falling for them. If scams were easy to avoid, consumers wouldn't have suffered $744 million in losses from fraud in 2016. The seven tips below can help you keep yourself safe and avoid losses. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Know the common tricks Impostor scams begin when a scammer calls, sends an email, or sends a letter. The scam artist pretends to be someone they aren't so they can convince you to send them cash or give them your personal information. Scammers usually pretend to be someone in a position of authority or a family member in dire trouble. Common tactics are used again and again by thieves who know what kinds of correspondence prompt people to send money. Some of the most common impostor scams include: The IRS impostor scam: You get a call and are told you owe back taxes. You're threatened with fines, fees, arrest, or deportation if you don't wire money immediately. You get a call and are told you owe back taxes. You're threatened with fines, fees, arrest, or deportation if you don't wire money immediately. The "government agent" impostor scam: Someone from "the government" calls with great news: You've won a lottery. You just have to wire taxes and fees first in order to collect your payment. Someone from "the government" calls with great news: You've won a lottery. You just have to wire taxes and fees first in order to collect your payment. The "debt collector" impostor scam: You get a call or a letter alerting you to the fact you've been sent to debt collections. The letter might look like it comes from a law firm or from a court. It will warn you of dire legal consequences if you don't quickly wire money. You get a call or a letter alerting you to the fact you've been sent to debt collections. The letter might look like it comes from a law firm or from a court. It will warn you of dire legal consequences if you don't quickly wire money. The grandparent impostor scam:Your "grandson" or "granddaughter" calls in desperate trouble. They're trapped somewhere and need you to wire cash right away so they can get home. They definitely don't want you to tell Mom and Dad. All these scams have two things in common: a sense of urgency and a claim that something bad will happen if you don't pay up. If you're told there's a problem your cash can solve, think twice about giving in to the fear the caller tried to instill in you. 2. Do an internet search before sending cash When an impostor scam is being operated, scammers don't just target one person; they'll call thousands of people and present the exact same scenario. This works to your benefit, because these scams make the news. If you've received an email, letter, or phone call alerting you to a situation that requires you to send money or provide personal information, take to the internet and type the scenario into a search engine. You may immediately find warnings about a scam that is sweeping the nation. It's unlikely that your grandson is trapped in Canada at the exact same timethere's a major scam going on where people pretend to be grandkids trapped in foreign countries -- so if that scenario comes up in your search, you'll know you were targeted by a trickster. 3. Protect your social-media accounts Impostor scams are most effective when the caller seems to have information about you and your family. Your "grandson" may know the names of his mom, dad, and siblings. The "debt collector" may have details about where you live, where you work, and the car you drive. How do scammers get this info? Often, you unwittingly give it to them by sharing your life on social media. Your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other accounts provide lots of details. Scammers use this personal information to convince you they know who you are. To reduce the chances that your social-media information will be used against you, consider making your accounts private so only friends and family can see what you post. If you must have public profiles and pages, be cautious about the personal information you provide and be aware that others could use your data to trick you. 4. Don't trust caller ID When a scammer calls and tells you they're from the IRS, Health and Human Services, or another government agency, your caller ID may show that the phone call actually is coming from the federal government. The problem is that the caller ID may not be correct. The Federal Trade Commission warns that caller IDs can be faked. Scammers make calls look as if they are coming from official sources, even though the call may be coming from anywhere in the United States, or even from outside the country. Although you shouldn't trust caller ID to prove a call is legitimate, write down the number if you suspect you're being scammed. The FTC might be able to use it to trace the party who is committing impostor crimes. 5. Tell the caller you'll call back A perpetrator of an impostor scam wants you to provide your personal information or commit to sending money during the firstphone call. But you don't have to let the call you received be the only contact. Tell the caller you'll call back, hang up, and go online to look up the official number of whoever was supposedly calling. If the call came from the "IRS," go to the IRS.gov website to find contact details. If the call was from your "bank" or a "law firm," call back a number you find on the company's official website. If the call was supposedly from your grandchild, call the number you have stored under their name -- and if you don't have one, call their parents. Whoever you get on the line can tell you whether the call was legitimate. 6. Never, ever send funds via wire transfer It's extremely unlikely that there's a legitimate situation that would require you to wire money. If you owe someone cash, there should be multiple ways to pay -- including sending a check in the mail. A wire transfer isn't a common payment method, and in fact, the FTC categorically states: "The government will not ask a consumer to wire money, and it is illegal for telemarketers to ask you to pay by wire." Scammers prefer wire transfers because the money is difficult to trace and virtually impossible to recover. If you're asked to send money via a wire transfer, this is a likely scam. Just don't send it. 7. File a complaint with the FTC If you get a call you think is a scam, let the FTC know by filing a complaint at ftc.gov/complaint. The FTC won't help you to resolve your specific situation, but it will provide information about steps to take if you suspect a scam. The FTC will also record your complaint to track patterns of criminal behavior. The information you provide could help others avoid becoming victims. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Teresa Kersten is an employee of LinkedIn and is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors; LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft. Christy Bieber has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Top White House aides Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner met and agreed to "bury the hatchet" over their differences, a senior administration official said on Saturday, in a bid to stop infighting that has distracted from President Donald Trump's message. Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, and Kushner, an influential adviser and Trump's son-in-law, met on Friday at the request of White House chief of staff Reince Priebus who told them that if they have any policy differences, they should air them internally, the official said. The development at the president's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, came at the end of what has been a relatively smooth week for Trump. Trump ordered airstrikes against Syrian targets that drew praise in many parts of the world and staged an error-free summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, complete with his wife, Melania, wearing a red dress to symbolize the main color of the Chinese flag. Priebus' message to Bannon and Kushner was to "stop with the palace intrigue" and focus on the president's agenda, the official told Reuters. Both aides left having agreed that it was time to "bury the hatchet and move forward," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Four former advisers to the president said Trump is accustomed to chaos in his decades-long career as a real estate developer but that even he has grown weary of the infighting. "He's got a long fuse for that kind of thing," said one former adviser. "I imagine he has gotten tired of this." The White House dismissed persistent talk that Trump might be on the verge of a staff shakeup. "The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the president's aggressive agenda forward," spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said. The Trump White House has been a hotbed of palace intrigue since he took office on Jan. 20. But the drama has intensified after the failed effort to get healthcare legislation approved by the House of Representatives and the rocky rollout of an executive order attempting to temporarily ban citizens of six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. Bannon, former chief of the conservative news organization Breitbart News, has been at odds with Kushner and Gary Cohn, the head of the White House National Economic Council, an administration official and the four former advisers said. The former Trump advisers said Kushner, husband of Trump daughter Ivanka Trump, is trying to tug the president into a more mainstream position, while Bannon is trying to keep aflame the nationalist fervor that carried Trump to his unexpected election victory on Nov. 8. Bannon is getting some of the blame for the administration's early stumbles because, one former adviser said, "The president demands results." In what was viewed as a sign of Bannon's declining influence, he was removed from his seat on the National Security Council this week. Administration officials said this was done at the urging of national security adviser H.R. McMaster, with whom Bannon had clashed. Some of the former Trump advisers said Priebus is at fault for not gaining control of the feuding and said Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive, would be a candidate to replace him. Priebus is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and bucked many in his party by putting the weight of the RNC behind Trump when it was clear he would be the party's presidential nominee. "Reince is chief of staff," said a source familiar with the issue. "He's not going anywhere." Republican strategist Charlie Black, who has known Trump for 30 years, said he did not think a shakeup was imminent and that Trump's White House reflects his traditional approach to running his business. "He's always had a spokes-to-the-wheel management style," said Black. "He wants people with differing views among the spokes." Bill Daley, a former White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama, who got pushed out in a shakeup himself after roughly a year into the job, said it appears that inside the Trump White House there's a struggle for "the soul and brain of the president." (Reportimg by Steve Holland in Florida and and Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler) Ryan Crocker, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria, said on Sunday that retaliation by Russia or Syria over the U.S. airstrikes last week would be insane. We all know what the differentials of power are here. Our power is overwhelming. They would not like to see it applied, and I dont think theyll take that chance, Crocker told Maria Bartiromo during an interview on Sunday Morning Futures. In the wake of the airstrikes on a military base in Syria after a deadly chemical attack on civilians, Russia announced it was suspending cooperation of its communication link with the U.S. that protects pilots flying missions over the war-torn country. I think that is a major mistake on the part of Moscow theyre actually putting their own forces in greater jeopardy, Crocker said. It would be to Moscows benefit to have these basic lines of communication. So they will lose more than we will. Crocker, who served as ambassador to Syria from 1998-2001, praised President Trump for his handling of the situation in Syria and for moving a Navy strike group toward the Korean peninsula, as tensions with North Korea intensify. This week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Crocker said he hopes the U.S. will take a more aggressive position with Russia. When they accuse us of violating Syrias sovereignty, we should be right back in their face saying they are protecting and abetting a mass-killer who uses chemical weapons, Crocker stated. A Georgia special election what some are calling the opening salvo of the battle for control of the House of Representatives -- has laid bare conservative infighting as it pits establishment Republicans against those aiming to show loyalty to President Donald Trump. National Republicans, nervous that they could lose a traditionally conservative suburban district in Atlanta where Trump underperformed, see any upset in the 6th district race as something that will embolden the Democrats ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel was the initial GOP favorite among the 18 total candidates vying to replace Tom Price, who resigned to serve as Trump's health secretary. Now Handel finds herself targeted with a six-figure attack ad from the conservative Club for Growth, which is casting her as just another big-spending politician. Washington-based Club for Growth has endorsed Handel's rival Bob Gray. The wealthy technology executive models his pitch after Trump, pledging to be a "willing partner" for the billionaire president. In one TV spot, Gray dons hip waders and literally drains a swamp, a reference to Trump's catchphrase. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TAKE HEAT ON OBAMACARE Meanwhile, all 11 Republican candidates are looking up at Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old Democrat who has raised at least $8.3 million. The eye-popping figure affirms Ossoff as a focus of the disparate anti-Trump movement around the country. He's also got an army of volunteers that even includes actress Alyssa Milano, who helped woo voters to early polling locations. All 18 candidates from both parties will appear on one April 18 primary ballot, with polls suggesting that Ossoff will lead the first round of voting. Republicans are aiming to keep Ossoff below the majority required to win outright, forcing a two-person runoff basically a Republican v. Democrat general election on June 20. Around the country, Democrats will look in 2018 to reverse Republicans' 237-193 House majority, and Georgia's 6th district is a model for suburban areas that could determine House control. Earlier this year, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it was putting full-time organizers on the ground in 20 GOP districts as part of a strategy it calls March Into 18. National Republicans and their aligned political organizations frame Ossoff, a former congressional staffer turned investigative filmmaker, as an inexperienced, ambitious climber certain to be a "rubber stamp" for House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. The leading spender is the Congressional Leadership Fund, backed by Speaker Paul Ryan. The PAC has plowed at least $2.2 million into Georgia. But the Republicans actually in the race have yet to turn their full attention to Ossoff, and none of them can match his money advantage, including multimillionaire candidates spending their own money. The national Republican Party isn't taking sides, but has 15 staffers in Georgia and a paid advertising campaign encouraging the district to "vote Republican." Party officials say they want to stoke Republican turnout to drive up the majority threshold Ossoff would need to win a primary outright. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Saturday to allow lawmakers to move ahead with an effort to oust Gov. Robert Bentley, who is fighting to stay in office amid fallout from an affair with a top aide. Bentley will face impeachment hearings beginning on Monday. The state Supreme Court reversed a short-lived victory for Bentley when a judge on Friday blocked impeachment proceedings. After the high court's ruling, the House Judiciary Committee quickly announced plans to proceed with hearings on Monday. The 74-year-old Republican has been engulfed in a sex scandal since recordings surfaced in 2016 of him making suggestive remarks to a female aide before he and his wife of 50 years got divorced. Bentley vowed to stay in office despite calls for his resignation. He stood on the state Capitol steps on Friday and acknowledged making personal mistakes but maintained he did nothing to merit his removal from office. "I do not plan to resign. I have done nothing illegal, Bentley said. If the people want to know if I misused state resources, the answer is simply no. I have not. The Supreme Court justices asked for briefs on the matter to be filed by Monday. "It's disappointing to hear the committee will plow forward while the Supreme Court is considering the case. We have no idea what the committee has planned for Monday or who its witnesses will be," Bentley's lawyer, Ross Garber said. Special Counsel Jack Sharman said the committee's position was that it is free to proceed with the hearings. "I want to thank the members of the Alabama Supreme Court for quickly acting on our appeal and recognizing, what a circuit court judge didn't understand, that there are three branches of government and the Alabama Legislature is free to conduct its business as prescribed in the state constitution," House Judiciary Chairman Mike Jones said in a statement. The committee, following a week or so of hearings, will make a recommendation to the full House of Representatives on whether Bentley should be impeached. The Alabama Ethics Commission on Wednesday found probable cause that Bentley broke ethics and campaign law and referred the matter for possible prosecution. Sharman wrote that Bentley encouraged an "an atmosphere of intimidation" in his administration to keep his romantic relationship secret and sent two state law enforcement officers to try to track down and retrieve a recording of a sexually-charged phone call he made to a woman presumed to be Mason. "Gov. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation," the report to the House Judiciary Committee which was publicly released on Friday said. The governor's lawyer called the report an "amalgam of hearsay rumor and innuendo." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday took perhaps the most aggressive Washington stance on the countrys simultaneous effort to defeat ISIS and solve the Syrian crisis -- calling for more U.S. troops in the terror fight and suggesting President Trump already has broad authority to order missile strikes on Syria. The South Carolina Republican and military hawk is calling for as many as 6,000 more U.S. troops to help defeat the Islamic State terror group in the Middle East. You need more American troops to accelerate (ISIS) demise, Graham told NBCs Meet the Press. You train the opposition to go after [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. That's how he's taken out by his own people, with our efforts. Thousands of U.S. troops are already in Syria and Iraq to help regional forces in the fight to defeat ISIS. Graham also argued Sunday that the United States is relying too much on the Kurds in that region to defeat ISIS and that additional U.S. troops would attract more regional fighters in that effort. Graham spoke several days after Trump unilaterally ordered a missile attack on a Syrian airbase in response to Assads deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians and as the Trump administration tried to explain its foreign policy. National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster told Fox News Sunday that the president is taking simultaneous action in defeating ISIS and ending the 6-year-long civil war in Syria to oust the Assad regime, which has caused a humanitarian crisis. Graham also suggested that Trump has the authority, without authorization from Congress, to send in additional troops and hit Assad again for using chemical weapons. He already has that authority, said Graham, who acknowledged that his position doesnt have widespread Washington consensus. I think the president has authorization to use force. Assad signed the chemical weapons treaty ban. There's an agreement with him not to use chemical weapons. National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster on Sunday left open the possibility that President Trump will take further military action in Syria, but made clear the president wants a political solution to the Syrian crisis. We need to do everything we can, McMaster said on "Fox News Sunday." We need some kind of political solution to that very complex problem. He spoke several days after Trump authorized the U.S. military to fire 59 missiles on an airbase in central Syria, in response to Syrian President Bashar Assad launching another chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians, including children. McMaster also made clear that Trump wants a worldwide response to Assads action that would include Assad allies Russia and Iran. Im not saying we are the ones to effect that change, he said. Russia and Iran somehow think its OK to align with a murderous regime. He also said Sunday that the administration will try to simultaneously change the Assad regime and destroy the Islamic State terror group, entrenched in Syria, in an attempt to clarify Trumps foreign policy. There has to be a degree of simultaneous action with some sequencing, McMaster said. He also argued the overarching message is that Trump responded to Assads aggression against civilians when former President Barack Obama failed to make good on such a promise in 2013. This is the first time that the U.S. has acted to the atrocities of the Assad regime, he said. The president will make whatever decision he thinks that is best for the American people. President Trumps top officials moved Sunday to define the administrations foreign policy -- saying the Syria air strikes haven't reversed their stances on ISIS and other world issues but made clear the president will act in the best interest of Americans against unchecked threats and aggression. Our priority in Syria, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told CBSs Face the Nation. That really hasnt changed. Still, Tillerson made clear that the 6-year-long effort to end the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad hinges on defeating the Islamic State terror group, which has strongholds in Syria and Iraq. I think the president has been quite clear. First and foremost, we must defeat ISIS, Tillerson said in making his first Sunday talk show appearances since becoming the countrys top diplomat. He spoke several days after Trump ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airbase from which Assad earlier last week apparently launched a chemical attack on civilians living in rebel territory, killing a reported 87 people. Tillerson also said the United States wants to solve the Syrian crisis through international coalition, after the administration, in the days before the attack, suggested that removing Assad was not a priority. His comments also come ahead of his trip next week to Assad-ally Russia, where hell meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and perhaps President Vladimir Putin. The missile strikes and Tillersons remarks Sunday also appear to send a message to any nation operating outside of international norms. Tillerson didn't specify North Korea, but the context was clear enough. "If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken," he told ABC's "This Week." There was little doubt the missile strikes would be seen in Pyongyang as a message. The North has long claimed that the U.S. is preparing some kind of assault against it and justifies its nuclear weapons as defensive in nature. Tillerson was critical of Russia immediately after the U.S. airstrikes Thursday in Syria but made clear Sunday that Russians were not the target. After last Tuesday's chemical attack in Syria, Trump said his attitude toward Assad "has changed very much." And Tillerson said "steps are underway" to organize a coalition to remove him from power. But as lawmakers called on Trump to consult with Congress on future military strikes and a longer-term strategy on Syria, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley described regime change in Syria as a U.S. priority and inevitable. Meanwhile, Tillerson suggested that the airstrikes hadn't really changed priorities toward ousting Assad. Pressed to clarify Sunday, National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster said the goals of fighting ISIS and ousting Assad were somewhat "simultaneous" and that the objective of the missile strikes were to send a "strong political message. "We are prepared to do more," McMaster said on Fox News Sunday. "The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interest of the American people." McMaster also made clear that Trump wants a world-wide response to Assads action that would include Russia and Iran. A top Senate Democrat and Republican differed Sunday on Trump having used executive powers to attack the Syrian government but agreed that Congress must be included in further actions. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Senates No. 2 Republican and a member of the chambers Intelligence committee, told Fox News Sunday that Trump needs to come to Congress before committing troops. It is required, he said. It also makes good sense before we commit our military and our men and women in uniform to any sort of conflict. They deserve the support of Congress on a bipartisan basis. Trump sent a letter Sunday to Congress that explained why he acted, the details of the attack, asserted his constitutional authority to act and affirmed his efforts to keep Congress informed. Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox on Sunday that no congressional authority exists for going against Assad, so there is no authority to use force. The president has some inherent (constitutional) power, Cardin said. But as he consulted with us by notice on this attack, it's incumbent upon him to consult with Congress. And if there is going to be use of force in a continuing basis, he needs the authorization of Congress. Reluctant to put significant troops on the ground in Syria, the U.S. for years has struggled to prevent Assad from strengthening his hold on power. Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday called for as many as 6,000 more U.S. troops to fight the Islamic State. The South Carolina Republican told NBCs "Meet the Press" that the additional troops would "attract more regional fighters to destroy" the militants. But he didnt say where the Americans should be sent. The Associated Press contributed to this report. French President Francois Hollande has expressed solidarity with Egypt following a deadly bombing at the Mar Girgis Cathedral in Tanta, Gharbiya, north of Cairo that left 26 people killed and 72 others injured. In a written statement after Sunday's attack, Hollande says "one more time, Egypt is hit by terrorists who want to destroy its unity and its diversity." He says France "mobilizes all its forces in association with the Egyptian authorities in the fight against terrorism," and offers condolences to the families of the victims. The bomb ripped through a church in the town of Tanta that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Search Keywords: Short link: The U.S. Navy's Carl Vinson carrier strike group has been ordered to cancel planned port visits in Australia and move to the Western Pacific, just four days after the rogue state of North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast. Officials with U.S. Third Fleet announced Saturday night that the San Diego-based strike group, which just completed a four-day port visit in Singapore, will now sail north and "report on station" in the Western Pacific. Multiple outlets reported that the ships would be positioned off the Korean peninsula. "U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific," Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for PACOM, told Military.com in a statement. "Third Fleet ships operate forward with a purpose: to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," he said. The carrier Vinson, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Wayne E. Meyer and Michael Murphy, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain were all ordered to the Western Pacific, according to the Third Fleet announcement. The strike group deployed in January and has spent much of its deployment in that region, participating in bilateral exercises with the Japanese and South Korean militaries as well as patrols in the South China sea. U.S. officials initially said North Korea's April 4 test was of a Pukguksong-2, or KN-15, medium-range ballistic missile, a solid-fueled ballistic weapon with an estimated operational range of up to 800 miles. North Korea first tested the missile in mid-February, firing it 310 miles into the Sea of Japan in what the country hailed as a successful launch. But Reuters cited White House sources who said the April 4 launch was of a liquid-fueled Scud missile, which has a much shorter range. The most recent test came just before President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida April 6 and 7. Ahead of the meeting, Trump delivered a stern warning to both China and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, telling the Financial Times in an interview that the U.S. was willing to act unilaterally to counter North Korean aggression if necessary. "China has great influence over North Korea," Trump said in the published interview. "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." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also made comments that seem to indicate a showdown with North Korea is in the offing. On March 17, during a trip to Seoul, South Korea, he rejected the prospect of negotiations with the country over its missile program, saying the U.S. "policy of strategic patience had ended." Following the recent North Korean missile test launch, Tillerson released a bizarrely blunt 23-word statement, seemingly indicating an unwillingness to discuss the country's missile activities any further. "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." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Police in Missouri said Sunday that they had arrested a man suspected of abducting a 12-year-old girl he met online. William Dela Cruz, 22, was arrested in Wentzville, Mo. after authorities issued the alert for Apple Briscoe, of Blue Springs. Briscoe's aunt told Fox 4 Kansas City that her niece was found unharmed in a diner in St. Louis. "They have one guy in custody and the other one ran," she told the station. Investigators are still looking for William Dela Cruz's 24-year-old brother Jason and the silver 2015 Nissan Versa with Maryland license plate number 6CK5071 Briscoe was seen getting into Saturday night. Police said they believed Briscoe was in danger when they issued the alert. Click for more from Fox4KC.com. A teenager was critically injured during a dangerous game with friends in southeast Denver late Friday night. Saturday night, Denver Police confirmed the boy died from his injuries. Police were called to the Denver Academy near on East Iliff Avenue near South Colorado Boulevard around 8:15 p.m. Friday after a teen boy fell from the private schools roof. Update:#DPD investigation at 4400 E. Iliff. Juvenile male now deceased. Denver Coroner will release identity of victim. Incident accidental. Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) April 9, 2017 The mother of a boy who was with the teen said the victim is 17-years-old and just started classes at Arapahoe Community College. Police said the coroner will release the identity of the victim and classified the incident as "accidental." According to the friend, a group was playing "capture the flag" on the roof Friday night and jumping from building to building. During one jump, the victim misjudged in the dark how far the ledge on the next building was and plummeted two stories down, hitting his head in the fall. We received a phone call from the victim's friend who had reported that his friend had a fall and had hurt himself, said John White, a spokesman for Denver Police. Police initially called this a death investigation but have since updated that information saying the boy was in critical condition. The prognosis does not look good, White said at the time. Saturday, police were back at the scene, still investigating the fall and the circumstance surrounding it, though they said they do not suspect foul play and that this was just a terrible accident. None of the boys involved are students at Denver Academy. Read more from FOX 31 Denver. A car occupied by nine teenagers refused to stop for a police officer and then a short time later crashed into a tree in Kansas early Sunday, killing the driver and the front seat passenger. The other occupants were injured in the crash which occurred around 5 a.m. on a residential street in Lenexa, police said. They were being treated at area hospitals. The two teens who were killed were 14 or 15 years old. The driver was not old enough to legally drive, Lenexa police spokesman Danny Chavez told FoxNews.com. He said the injured were 14, 15 and 16. Officer Chavez said the vehicle was a Mitsubishi sedan. We do believe the vehicle was over-occupied, he said. Police believe the vehicle was speeding when the car left the road and hit the tree. The cause of the crash was under investigation. There were no obvious indications of alcohol in the vehicle, Chavez said. The Shawnee Dispatch reported that a Lenexa officer on patrol tried to stop the vehicle for driving without headlights about 4:34 a.m. The officer told his dispatcher that the car was going about 80 miles an hour, the paper reported. Seconds later a supervisor contacted the officer. Im at 50, theyre going about 90, the officer replied, according to the paper. The supervisor then told the officer to disregard or abandon the pursuit. The officer came upon the crash scene about a minute after that, the Dispatch reported. Chavez told FoxNews.com that investigators were still trying to determine who the vehicle belonged to, where the teens had gotten it and where they were coming from and where they were going. The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, Carl Vinson, previously scheduled for a port call in Australia has reversed course and currently is heading back to waters off the Korean peninsula following recent provocations from North Korea. The carrier group includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, with support from several missile destroyers and missile cruisers. Last month, the USS Carl Vinson strike group had participated in annual military exercises with the South Korean military that North Korea regards as rehearsal for invasion. In a show of defiance, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the ocean off Japan last month. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. began bringing in equipment for the long-planned deployment in South Korea of a missile defense system, known as THAAD. The Pentagon continues to see signs North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test, following two last year. Officials are concerned that the country could one day place a nuclear weapon atop a missile, which could reach the United States. On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader, acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. The U.S. Pacific Command directed the carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, according to a Navy news release. April 15 is the 105th birthday of North Koreas founding president, and considered the biggest holiday of the year in Pyongyang. North Korea has launched a number of ballistic missiles recently into waters off Japan, sparking international outrage. This week, President Tump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where North Korea was expected to be at the top of the agenda, before Trump ordered 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Syria. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Syrian state media says President Bashar Assad has spoken with his Iranian counterpart following last week's U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the strike on Friday a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty and affirmed his country's support for Assad's government. Assad accused the U.S. of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. The U.S. says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout the six-year civil war. A former Arab Israeli lawmaker has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. An Israeli court on Sunday accepted a plea bargain between Basel Ghattas and prosecutors. Under the deal, Ghattas admitted to slipping the phones and SIM cards to Palestinian inmates during a prison visit. As part of the deal, Ghattas, a member of the Joint List of Arab parties, agreed to resign from parliament last month. Ghattas is to report to prison in July. He must serve two years, plus pay a $33,000 fine or serve an additional four months. Arabs make up about one-fifth of Israel's population. While holding citizenship rights, they often face discrimination and are sometimes viewed with suspicion for identifying with Palestinians. Lord Mandelson was branded a traitor on Saturday after he urged EU chiefs to screw Britain in Brexit talks. The ex-Labor minister claimed it would be absolutely impossible to strike a deal because Theresa May has the wrong attitude. And he declared: One can only advise the Europeans one thing forget Britain and take care of your own interests. Lord Mandelson showed where his true loyalties lie in an astonishing interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit. The Brexit-bashing peer a former EU trade commissioner is in line for a 34,600-a-year [$42,000] pension from Brussels after swearing an oath of loyalty to European institutions. Click for the full story in The Sun. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Some 70,000 people are attending a Budapest rally in support of a local university founded by American billionaire George Soros that is seen as a target for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's illiberal policies. The Hungarian-born Soros founded Central European University in 1991. Amendments to Hungary's higher education law approved this week could force it to close or move. The law requires CEU to change its name and open a campus in the United States. Protesters gathered outside Parliament on Sunday want President Janos Ader to veto the legislation. CEU is accredited in New York state and in Hungary and students can earn degrees valid in both countries. The university currently enrolls over 1,400 students from 108 countries. Orban's plans for an "illiberal state" contrast with Soros' "open society" ideal. Three Egyptian police officers were killed when a suicide bomber they had prevented from entering St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria blew himself up. The dead officers including policeman Ahmed Ibrahim, Brigadier General Nagwa El-Haggar, and Emad El-Rakiby, the head of the investigation department of Atarin district, the interior ministry said in a statement. 15 other people were killed in the attack. A man wearing an explosive belt approached the cathedral in the Manshiya district of Alexandria on Sunday morning to enter, but the forces securing the cathedral stopped him, the interior ministry statement added. The suicide bomber then detonated the bomb outside the cathedral, killing at least 18 and injuring 40 people, according to the health ministry's latest statement. Angelious Izhaq, the secretary of Pope Tawadros, who was conducting a service at the cathedral on Sunday morning, confirmed to ONTV channel that the pope was unharmed. Earlier on Sunday morning a deadly blasts took place at Tanta's Mar Girgis Church, during a Palm Sunday service. The total death toll from both attacks stands at 45. St. Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Search Keywords: Short link: Fallen hero Keith Palmer is tonight resting in the very place he died trying to protect, ahead of one of the biggest gatherings of British police officers in history. The 48-year-olds body has been taken to the Palace of Westminster ahead of his funeral tomorrow a rare honor that requires the consent of the Queen. More than 5,000 police men and women are expected to line the road to Palmer's funeral, joined by up to 50,000 members of the public in a touching service for the fallen cop. But officers have been warned not to wear their uniforms if attending the service, to be held at Southwark Cathedral at 2 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) on Monday. Instead, changing cubicles have been provided for officers wanting to pay their respects to their colleague. Palmer was killed when deranged Khalid Masood ploughed through crowds on Westminster Bridge, killing five innocent pedestrians before stabbing the experienced cop outside the Houses of Parliament. Click for more from TheSun.co.uk. North Korea vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes similar to the ones President Donald Trump ordered on Friday against a Syrian airbase. North Korea called the strikes "absolutely unpardonable, saying they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried Sunday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. The official spoke under anonymity, which is common in KCNA reports. Advisers said Trump was outraged by heartbreaking images of young children who were among the dozens killed in the Syrian chemical attack and ordered his national security team to swiftly prepare military options. Trump made it a point to address the media about the Syria strike at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida just moments after dining with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. Trump has said that if China doesn't exert more pressure on North Korea, the United States will act alone. The immediate focus after the strikes was on Russias reaction, which was not happy with the strikes and spoke in defense of Syria. The attention has since shifted on to the next move by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent U.S. military attack on Syria is an action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," the report said, adding that the North's "tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force as its pivot" will foil any aggression by the U.S. "We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the U.S. evermore reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force," it said. North Korea considers Syria an ally. But unlike Syria, experts warn that North Korea has a means of striking back if provoked. Tensions have been higher than usual because the annual war games between the U.S. and South Korean militaries are underway. The exercises this year are the biggest ever and have included stealth fighter training and other maneuvers that are particularly sensitive to North Korea. On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader, acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. The Pentagon announced on Saturday that a Navy carrier strike group was moving toward the western Pacific Ocean to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests and continued pursuit of a nuclear program have raised tensions in the region, where U.S. Navy ships are a common presence and serve in part as a show of force. Along with its rapidly advancing nuclear and long-range missile capabilities, North Korea has its artillery and short-range missiles trained on Seoul, the capital of U.S. ally South Korea. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Egypt's president called for a three-month state of emergency Sunday after at least 44 people were killed and more than 100 more were injured in two Palm Sunday suicide attacks at Coptic Christian churches, each carried out by the ISIS terror group. Sunday's first blast happened at St. George Church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, where at least 27 people were killed and 78 others wounded, officials said. Television footage showed the inside of the church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. A second explosion which Egypts Interior Ministry says was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm St. Mark's Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria -- left at least 17 dead, and 48 injured. The attack came just after Pope Tawadros II -- leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria -- finished services, but aides told local media that he was unharmed. At least three police officers were killed in the St. Marks attack, the ministry told The Associated Press. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks via its Aamaq media agency, following the group's recent video vowing to step up attacks against Christians, who the group describes as "infidels" empowering the West against Muslims. 'CHRISTIANS ARE OUR FAVORITE PREY,' ISIS SAYS The blasts came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi accused unnamed countries of fueling instability in the country, adding "Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organizations that tried to control Egypt." El-Sisi ordered the immediate deployment of troops to assist police in protecting vital facilities across the country. El-Sisi did not immediately detail the legal measures needed to declare the state of emergency but according to the Egyptian constitution, the parliament majority must vote in favor of the state of emergency. President Donald Trump tweeted that he is "so sad to hear of the terrorist attack" against the U.S. ally but added that he has "great confidence" that el-Sissi, "will handle the situation properly." The two leaders met at the White House on April 3. The State Department issued its own statement condemning the attacks, which it called "barbaric." "The United States will continue to support Egypt's security and stability in its efforts to defeat terrorism," the statement said. "Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up," provincial governor Ahmad Deif told the state-run Nile TV channel, Sky News reported. The attack in Tanta was the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar the leading center of learning in Sunni Islam condemned the attacks, calling them a "despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents." Across the street from St. George, neighbor Susan Mikhail, whose apartment has a clear balcony view of the church and its front yard, said the explosion violently shook her building midmorning, at a time when the church was packed. "Deacons were the first to run out of the church. Many of them had blood on their white robes," she told The Associated Press. Later, the more seriously wounded started to come out, carried in the arms of survivors and ferried to hospitals in private cars, she said. Pope Francis decried the bombings, expressing "deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation." Word of the attacks came as Francis was holding Palm Sunday services in St. Peter's Square. Both Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement ruling neighboring Gaza also condemned the bombings. Turkey also condemned the attacks. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, "cursed" the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. "The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven," Gormez said in an official statement. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also published a statement denouncing the attack on St. George Church. "We convey our condolences to the bereaved families and the whole people of Egypt," the statement said before a second attack hit an Alexandria church. The bombings add to fears that Islamic extremists who have long been battling security forces in the Sinai Peninsula are shifting their focus to civilians. A local Islamic State affiliate claimed a suicide bombing at a church in Cairo in December that killed around 30 people, mostly women, as well as a string of killings in the restive Sinai Peninsula that caused hundreds of Christians to flee to safer areas of the country. The group has threatened further attacks. A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training center in Tanta, which wounded 16 people. The group, believed to be linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood,has mainly targeted security forces and distanced itself from attacks on Christians. Egypt has struggled to combat a wave of Islamic militancy since the 2013 military overthrow of an elected Islamist president. Read more from SkyNews. The Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Authorities are searching for poachers who killed a rare one-horned rhinoceros over the weekend in the forests of southern Nepal and cut off the horn. Forest officer Nurendra Ryal said it was the first killing of a rhino in the Chitwan National Forest in nearly three years. Soldiers and forest rangers were scouring the forests and nearby areas for the people who shot the rhino. The dead rhino was discovered on Saturday. The forest located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, and bordering India is protected by the government and guarded by armed soldiers. Nepal has been working to increase the number of one-horned rhinos in Chitwan National Forest. Pope Francis on Sunday decried a deadly attack on a Coptic church in Egypt during Palm Sunday celebrations, just weeks before his planned visit to Cairo. The pontiff expressed his "deep condolences" to the Coptic patriarch, Tawadros II, calling him "my brother," to the Coptic church and "all of the dear Egyptian nation," and said he was praying for the dead and injured in the attack that occurred just hours earlier as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." The pope's remarks on the church attack were handed to him on a piece of paper after he remembered the victims of the Stockholm attack Friday night. The Palm Sunday celebrations in St. Peter's Square were held under tight security, with streets surrounding St. Peter's Square blocked to traffic and security search of the faithful entering the square. The pope and cardinals in red robes led a solemn process clutching elaborately braided palm fronds as they walked through the throngs, followed by the papal blessing of palm fronds and olive branches. The processions recalls the bittersweet nature of Holy Week, with the faithful clutching simple palm fronds and olive branches to commemorate Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem only to be followed later by his death on a wooden cross. In his homily, the pope remembered the suffering in the world today, citing those who "suffer from slave labor, from family tragedies, from diseases ... They suffer from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike." After his traditional Sunday blessing, the pope circled the square in the pope mobile to greet the faithful. A tank fanatic got a new model in a 30,000 [$37,000] trade-in and found more than 2million of gold bullion hidden in the fuel tank. Nick Mead, 55, discovered the five gold bars in the Russian T54/69 while restoring it to add to his collection of 150 military vehicles. He and mechanic Todd Chamberlain were filming themselves prising open the diesel tank in case they found munitions and needed to show it to bomb disposal crews. CLICK TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE TANK. Instead, they pulled out the bars, weighing up to 12 pounds 5kg apiece. Todd, 50, said a quick calculation suggested they were worth in excess of 2million [$2.5 million]. He added: We didnt know what to do. You cant exactly take five gold bullion bars down to Cash Converters without questions being asked, so we called the police. Nick runs Tanks-a-Lot, giving petrolheads the chance to drive any of his tanks on his farm in Helmdon, Northants. Click to read the full story in The Sun. Sunday's bombings of two Coptic churches in separate cities claimed by the Islamic State group are the latest attacks on Egypt's embattled Christian minority, increasingly targeted by ISIS and affiliated militants. The Copts have long been a favored target of extremists -- they were struck with a similar church bombing just weeks before the country's 2011 Arab Spring uprising, and Islamic militants gave them a particular focus during a crackdown on them in the 1990s -- but the past five months been particularly bloody. U.S.-based think tank the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy said the attacks brought the total number of sectarian incidents against Copts to 26 in 2017, with a total of 88 killed including those at a major church bombing in December. Following are major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians over the past year: April 9: Twin bombings, at least one by a suicide bomber, hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people were killed and scores of worshippers injured on the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II in Alexandria's St. Mark's cathedral. February: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by Islamic State militants. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. The Islamic State group affiliate in Egypt releases a video vowing to step up attacks against the Christian minority, describing them as their "favorite prey." It showcased a December attack on the church adjacent to Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral, which claimed the lives of 30 worshippers. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo claimed by IS kills 30 people and injuries dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. The high death toll serves as a grim reminder of the difficulties of Egypt's struggle to restore security and stability after nearly six years of turmoil. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs 27-year old Coptic Christian Fam Khalaf to death in the southern City of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumor spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The mother of the aforementioned man was stripped naked by the mob to humiliate her. An American special forces soldier has been killed in a combat operation against Islamic State extremists in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Sunday. "The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar Province" in eastern Afghanistan, Navy Capt. Bill Salvin said in a message on the official Twitter account of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. The soldier was a special forces operator helping Afghan forces battle ISIS militants and was killed in the Achin district of Nangarhar province. The circumstances of the death were unclear and Salvin said more information could be released later, Reuters reported. The Pentagon said the soldiers identity would be released pending notification of next of kin. The ISIS terror group has a growing presence in eastern Afghanistan, where it has battled both Afghan forces and the much larger and more powerful Taliban. Insurgents killed at least 13 Afghan security forces in separate attacks, officials said Sunday. Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the governor of the northern Balkh province, said a roadside bomb killed nine security forces and wounded several others the night before in the Chimtal district, where they were waging an ongoing operation against the Taliban. He said five insurgents have been killed and dozens wounded. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on two Egyptian churches on Palm Sunday which have killed at least 44 people. The militant group announced responsibility for the two bombings via its news agency Amaq on social media. The two attacks, the first inside St George's Church in Tanta and the second at the perimeter of St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, killed at least 44 people and injured over 100, the largest coordinated terrorist attack targeting Egyptian Christians. The group had previously claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that targeted St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Cairo in December which killed at least 25 Christians, most women and children. In February, the group released a video in which it vowed to carry out more attacks on Egyptian Christians, describing the attack on St Peter and St Paul's Church as "just the beginning. The same month witnessed an exodus of hundreds of Christian families from North Sinai following several militant killings targeting the community. In March, the founder of IS-affiliated group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, Salem Salma El-Hamdeen, also known as Abu Anas El-Ansari, was killed by Egypt's armed forces in an airstrike. The military announced recently that it had taken full control of the Mount Halal area, which was considered one of the key centres of terrorist activity in Sinai. Correction: death toll revised from 45 to 44 following official confirmation Search Keywords: Short link: next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week that leads up to Easter. Crowds of faithful gathered at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved palm fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem. Clergy and worshippers took part in the procession next to the newly restored tomb of Jesus. A Greek team has just completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was entombed and resurrected. A 12th-century building sitting on 4th-century remains, the Church of the Holy Sepluchre is the only place where six Christian denominations practice their faith at the same site. A rational inquiry into the "Tutsi Genocide" and its declining currency as an export - TFR-INFO By Didas Gasana February 3, 2016 Something of fundamental importance happened last week in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abbeba. At the AU summit of heads of states, the AU peace and security commission's proposal to send AU peace keepers to Burundi was... http://www.france-rwanda.info/2016/02/a-rational-inquiry-into-the-tutsi-genocide-and-its-declining-currency-as-an-export.html?utm_source=_ob_share&utm_medium=_ob_twitter&utm_campaign=_ob_sharebar Judy Zummo, like many other retirees these days, never really stopped working. She just started the next chapter, in more ways than one. With the publication of her first childrens book, Henry and Hinky Meet the Little Pirates, which was 30 years in the making, Zummo is not so much reinventing herself as she is fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a writer. The book follows the adventures of two dogs, who follow a rabbit trail underground to the land of the Little Pirates. Zummo majored in English and minored in math, an unusual combination to most of us. She taught both subjects in New Kent, King William and Spotsylvania county schools. There was even a stint in between as a mortgage broker. But writing was always her dream, she says, ever since winning a poetry contest in the eighth grade. The idea for the book came from Zummos daughter Tonya, now a surgeon in Prince William County. As a child, Tonya had imaginary friends named Honey and Hinky, dogs who had all kinds of adventures. She even created the villain, the frog Sneet. When Zummo discovered a wall colored in green crayon, Sneet did it. Zummo wrote the manuscript when Tonya and her sister Andrea were still children, but was told at that time that she needed to find an illustrator. So the project remained uncompleted for years. Zummo would eventually find her illustrator, Rebecca Russell, through her exercise class and a mutual friend. Russell, who owns Creative Studio: Fun With Art on Harrison Road in Spotsylvania County, was a dream to work with, says Zummo. Russell came to Zummos house in Locust Grove, dubbed the Z Ranch, to take pictures of her two dogs. From there, the two collaborated, with Russell calling to tease out details of Zummos vision for the characters while adding her own interpretation. With most major publishing houses today, the author and illustrator dont know each other. The publisher buys the manuscript and contracts with its own illustrators, who are given free rein in their work. Russell cant imagine doing that. It was Judys baby, she says. I needed to find out what she wanted. Russell contributed her own touches, helping to flesh out the characters underground. She used a mix of watercolor, acrylics, gel pens and markers to complete the illustrations. Zummos Mary Kay director helped her find a publisher. High Tide Publications of Deltaville is owned and operated by Jeanne Johansen, who keeps her sailboat in the same marina as the Zummos. Johansens company specializes in Virginia authors older than 50 who are publishing their first book. I think its so important to support these authors, many of whom have the talent but may not know how the technology works today, says Johansen. She started her company after her own publisher, a North Carolina company, ripped her off. I sold 5,000 copies of my novel and received a check in the mail for $1.26. High Tide Publications illustrates the changing world of publishing and the new opportunities created by a world that can be both local and global at the same time. As a legitimate, on-demand publisher, High Tide will pay for a small run of copies that are produced in North Carolina. The authors first book can then be sold in stores, online or offered for free on Amazon to Prime members, who can borrow it. High Tide receives a royalty from the loans, which is split 50/50 with the author. For any publishing company, the first book usually establishes the authors name, says Johansen, and the reach of Amazon accomplishes that goal for High Tide. The second book typically will not be available to Prime members to borrow, thus generating more profit for the author. However, Johansen say she is not in the business for the profit. There are things I could do to increase profit margin, like print my books out of the country or reduce the authors share of the profit, she says, but my primary goal is not making money. Im here to help authors. And Zummos husband, Michael? He provided the encouragement all these years, telling her, Judy, you need to do something with your book. While she continues to substitute teach in the Orange County Public Schools, Zummo is at work on a sequel to Henry and Hinky, collaborating again with Russell. She also has an idea for another book about a dog. Virginia House of Delegates elections in the Fredericksburg area are rarely nail-biters. Most of the Republican incumbents easily win re-election, and some have gone unopposed in recent years. But thats not deterring a host of challengers, both Democratic and Republican, from vying for state House seats representing the Fredericksburg region. Political primary candidates had until the end of March to file with the state Department of Elections. The primary is June 13. All other office-seekers, including independents, have until June 13 to declare their candidacies. Here is a roundup of the local House of Delegates candidates to date: 2ND DISTRICT Two Prince William County Democrats and a Republican from Stafford County are vying for the areas most competitive district, which includes parts of Stafford and Prince William. Mark Dudenhefer, RStafford, who is not seeking re-election, narrowly regained the seat two years ago after losing his first re-election bid in a close race. The only Republican candidate is Laquan Austion, a government relations employee for Lyft Inc. Democratic contender Jennifer Carroll Foy is a public defender and adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College while her primary opponent, Josh King, is a Fairfax County deputy. 28TH DISTRICT A crowded field of candidatestwo Democrats and three Republicanshope to succeed House Speaker Bill Howell, RStafford, who is retiring after three decades in public office. The 28th District includes parts of Fredericksburg and Stafford. The Democrats are Joshua Cole and Karen Hyland. Cole, who lives in Stafford, is the minister of music at Union Bell Baptist Church and a behavior aid for Mending Fences in Richmond. Hyland, a Fredericksburg resident, is a public affairs officer with the Navy Reserve and senior director of political and civic programs for BP. She also co-owns J. Brians Tap Room in downtown Fredericksburg. The Republican candidates, all of whom live in Stafford, are Paul Milde, Susan Stimpson and Bob Thomas. Milde is Stafford Board of Supervisors chairman and owner of Closet Interiors Plus. Stimpson is a former Stafford supervisor who unsuccessfully ran for the same seat two years ago in a bitter primary contest against Howell. Thomas is a Stafford supervisor and owner of Capriccio Software, a federal contractor. 30TH DISTRICT One Democrat has filed to run against Del. Nick Freitas, RCulpeper County, in the district that includes Orange and Madison counties and parts of Culpeper. Freitas, a senior capture manager for KeyW, ran unopposed in 2015. Democrat Annette Hyde, a yoga teacher from Madison, will challenge him in this years general election. 54TH DISTRICT Longtime incumbent Bobby Orrock, RCaroline County, faces a GOP primary challenge from Spotsylvania County resident Nick Ignacio. Ignacio owns Strong Students Lawn Care and Electronic Threat Alert. Orrock, a part-time teacher in Spotsylvania, has not faced a general election challenger since 2011, when he won with a whopping 73 percent of the vote. Democrat Al Durante, a retired teacher who chairs the Spotsylvania Democratic Committee, will challenge the districts GOP primary winner. The 54th District includes parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline counties. 55TH District Nobody has filed yet to run against Del. Buddy Fowler, R-Glen Allen. Fowler easily held onto his seat in the 2015 election, when he defeated his Democratic opponent with 60 percent of the vote. The 55th District includes parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline. 88TH DISTRICT Del. Mark Cole, RSpotsylvania, will have at least two opponents in the general election. The incumbent, who is the deputy county administrator in Spotsylvania, ran unopposed in 2015. His Democratic opponent, Steve Aycock, is the former executive director of the Fredericksburg Area Baptist Network. He retired in 2015 and is now the associate pastor for missions at Real Life Community Church. The other candidate, Gerald Anderson, received the Green Partys nomination. He is an adjunct chemistry professor at Germanna Community College and a part-time project manager for BENMOL Corp., an engineering and environmental services firm in Alexandria. The 88th District includes parts of Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania. 99TH DISTRICT Two Democrats are competing to unseat Del. Margaret Ransone, RWestmoreland County. Ransone, director of sales and marketing at Bevans Oyster Company, has run unopposed since 2011, when she defeated her Democratic opponent with 69 percent of the vote. The two Democrats vying for their partys nomination are former QVC Germany CEO Francis Edwards of Lancaster County and Colonial Beach resident Vivian Messner. The 99th District includes King George County and parts of Caroline. Caressa CameronJackson returned to Massaponax High School to speak with students as part of MHS DECAs Kindness Is Contagious Campaign. CameronJackson is a 2005 graduate of Massaponax and was crowned Miss America in 2010. She addressed students and spoke about both the importance of being kind and the impact that a single act of kindness can have on someones life. CameronJackson shared personal stories from her high school experiences. Her message truly resonated with the students, and she left them with some advice, Be kind, show kindness, it makes a difference. Pope Francis condemned a deadly blast at a church in Egypt and said at a Palm Sunday Mass that the world was suffering from wars, terrorism and "interests that are armed and ready to strike". Francis, who has not made any direct public comment on the current Middle East crisis, said the Mass as international tensions increased following the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base, which the Pentagon says was involved in a chemical weapons attack that killed 87 people. While the pope, who is due to visit Egypt April 28-29, was celebrating the Mass for tens of thousands of people, the Vatican received word of the blast that killed at least 29 people and injured 70 in a Coptic church in the Nile Delta. "I pray for the dead and the victims. May the Lord convert the hearts of people who sow terror, violence and death and even the hearts of those who produce and traffic in weapons," he said in hastily prepared comments at the end. The blast was the latest assault on a religious minority that has increasingly been targeted by Islamist militants. Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week that culminates on Easter Sunday, commemorates the day Christians believe Jesus entered Jerusalem and was welcomed as the messiah, only to be crucified five days later. Search Keywords: Short link: WHEN Americans hear talk of oil imports and energy trade, we cannot help but think of the Middle East. For those of a certain vintage, the Arab oil crises of the 1970s left an indelible imprint. But perception is often not reality. Our biggest energy trading partners are not members of OPEC; they are, in fact, none other than Canada and Mexico, and that is to our advantage. North America has become an energy superpower unto itself where the energy trade is producing market efficiency, spurring investment in all three nations and improving energy security. Trade with Mexico does not just benefit Mexicos economy, but also our own. Continuing to engage and improve energy trade relations with Mexico will not only further important energy liberalization in Mexico, but also increase our own energy security as well. The energy minister of Mexico, Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, recently announced that $70 billion of foreign investment capital has been committed to Mexicos energy industry in 2017, with an additional $30 billion likely. The $100 billion of outside investment marks a major turnaround from four decades of Mexican law and policy that promoted a nationalized and insular energy industry. This is a chance for the United States to truly partner with both of its North American neighbors to improve energy accessibility, efficiency and security. The United States currently exports energy to both Canada and Mexico. To Canada, the United States sends some crude for refining, which is then returned to the United States for transportation and use. The United States and Canada also share interconnected electrical grids, and a multitude of pipelines. To Mexico, the United States exports natural gas and refined petroleum products like gasoline and diesel while still importing crude oil. Recently, thanks to the shale revolution, the U.S.Mexico energy trade relationship has undergone a dramatic change. Historically, our energy trade has been dominated by Mexicos sale of crude oil to the United States. Today, that is no longer the case. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. energy exports to Mexico are now more than twice the value of imports. In 2016, the value of U.S. energy exports to Mexico was $20.2 billion. The value of U.S. energy imports from Mexico was just $8.7 billion. Energy trade with Mexico is a boon to the U.S. economy and is poised to be even more beneficial. Now, for the first time since its 1938 nationalization, Mexican energy operations are open to foreign investmentincluding from the United States and Canada. Mexican oil production peaked in 2008, and has steadily declined since then due to a lack of government investment. In 2014, Mexico began liberalizing the industry with new laws permitting foreign energy companies and private, domestic companies to invest in and participate in all aspects of Mexicos energy industry starting in 2015. The Mexican government says this policy is already succeeding, most notably with the major foreign investments planned for this year. This influx of foreign (and private, domestic) capital is desperately needed to revive Mexicos energy industry and improve the economy. Mexicos energy liberalization is also a boon for U.S. and Canadian energy companies, which now can bid on oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Other North American companies are also preparing to build pipelines to facilitate the freer movement of oil and natural gas to and from Mexico. Technology and capital from experienced U.S. and Canadian firms will help develop new oil and gas resources in Mexico and improve existing operations there. The liberalization of the Mexican energy industry is an opportunity for skilled labor and brainpower from all three countries. It adds jobs and wealth in U.S. and Canadian cities, as well as in Mexico itself. Further cooperation between the United States, Mexico and Canadian energy industries and mutual investment in Mexican energy development will bring economic growth for all. However, this will only happen if we recognize and value our North American energy partners. Ellen R. Wald teaches Middle East history at Jacksonville University in Florida. She wrote this for InsideSources.com. Spotsy schools need more transparency Checks and balances are an integral part of American government. In Spotsylvanias school system, this concept of checks and balances has virtually disappeared. The role of the school administration is to seek resources for the system and the School Boards job is to put a budget in place that meets the needs of students and employees of the Spotsylvania public schools. Taxpayers must be vigilant to ensure the school administration and School Board are acting for the needs of the community. Since 2012, the salary of the superintendent has jumped from $170,000 to $195,000. This does not include a $10,000 vehicle allowance, raised from $6,000 from 2014, or other perks. Teachers have a proposed 2 percent cost of living adjusted increase this year. Teachers are vital to our community. Their role in our classrooms is as important as, if not more than, the role of the superintendent. We must make sure there are constant and equal pay raises across the board. Jeff Branscomes April 1 article [Spotsy School Board chair disputes allegations of wasteful spending] talks about accusations about the School Board made by active members of the community who follow the budget closely. This issue would have been avoided altogether if the School Board were more clear and transparent with the public about its budget. This November, we will have a chance to change the composition of the School Board so it is more transparent and looks out for taxpayers and public school employees. Its time to stop pointing fingers, acting immature and blaming others. This does not help area kids in any way. Rabih Abuismail Spotsylvania Christians must walk the walk, not just talk Regarding your March 26 edition, I was especially intrigued by the letter, Religion costly, not needed for goodness. I am not sure how it will be perceived by other readers, but as for me, I say kudos to Brother Harry Chipman for having the courage to broach the subject. Ron Reagan, son of the late president and self-described unabashed athiest, is a spokesman for the Freedom from Religion organization. The groups main concern is that while our Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, saw fit to separate church and state, the religious crowd has taken it upon themselves to impose their religious beliefs upon everyone else. Our current vice president, for example, is one of those religious fanatics who continue to insist the gays can be cured by praying over them. Mr. Pence, as governor of Indiana, sought passage of a law that would require women having an abortion to bury or cremate the fetus. I have a few souls like this in my own extended family. People who tend to talk in parables and when backed into a corner in an argument start spitting out Scripture quotes like an evangelical Pez dispenser. They talk the talk, but they dont walk the talk. Theyre Christians in name only. In actuality, theyre hypocrites. Reminds me of a refrain from an old country song: Youre shining your light now / and shine it you should. / But youre so heavenly-minded / that youre no Earthly good. And please note that I did not say that I was an atheist. Will Ross Bealeton 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. MPs call for stiffer and swifter penalties for terrorist acts following bombings in Tanta and Alexandria Suicide attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria triggered sharp reactions in Egypt's parliament the House of Representatives. While parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the attacks are the sort of "black terrorism" that aims to shed the blood of all Egyptians, the legislative and constitutional affairs committee said it will meet Monday to discuss how the Criminal Procedures Law should be amended to help avert terrorist crimes. In an official statement, speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the group that claimed responsibility for the two attacks is a barbaric movement that aims to distort the face of Islam and spread chaos and bloodbaths in all of Egypt. "These two terrorist attacks, in addition to the one that hit the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo last December, are part of a grand conspiracy that aims to destabilise Egypt and disrupt its strong national unity," said Abdel-Aal. "It is clear that terrorist groups seized preparations in all of Egypt to celebrate Palm Sunday to launch their criminal attacks against Coptic Christians. "They want to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians, but I am sure that these incidents will only lead to reinforcing national unity," said Abdel-Aal, vowing that parliament will do everything possible to stem the tide of terrorist crimes and safeguard Christian Egyptians," Abdel-Aal added. Figures released by the Ministry of Health said the two deadly blasts that hit two Coptic churches in the Nile-Delta city of Tanta and in Alexandria have so far left at least 44 dead and around 100 injured. Head of parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa said the committee will meet tomorrow to review proposed amendments of the Criminal Procedures Law in a bid to stem the tide of terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the Coptic Cathedral last December, a majority of MPs said the Criminal Procedures Law should be amended to stiffen penalties on terrorism crimes and help cut trials of suspected terrorists short. Other MPs proposed that the country's 2014 Constitution be modified to allow suspected terrorists stand trial before military courts. MPs said military courts proved highly effective in fighting terrorist crimes in the first half of the 1990s. An official statement by the pro-government "Support Egypt" parliamentary bloc said the new terrorist attacks on Coptic churches should move the government and parliament to discuss the amendments of the Criminal Procedures Law as soon as possible. "I made contacts with head of the legislative and constitutional affairs committee and we agreed that we should begin discussing the amendments tomorrow," said head of the bloc Mohamed El-Sewedi. The statement said the attacks on Coptic churches clearly come after President El-Sisi made a "successful visit to the United States and after the number of foreign tourists visiting Egypt increased in recent months." "What we should all so Muslims and Christians is stand united in order not to give terrorists any chance to disrupt the country's national unity," said the statement. Deputy parliament speaker El-Sayed El-Sherif told reporters Sunday that the government has not so far submitted amendments of the Criminal Procedures Law. "After terrorist attacks hit the Coptic Cathedral last December, it was agreed that these amendments should reach parliament by January," said El-Sherif, adding that, "judicial authorities are still revising the amendments and we hope that they will finish them very soon." Deputy parliament speaker Soliman Wahdan told reporters that MPs should take the initiative of amending laws necessary to fight terrorism. "MPs proposed that suspected terrorists face military trials and tougher penalties and so we should not wait until the government submits amended laws in this respect," said Wahdan. Mohamed El-Ghoul, deputy head of parliament human rights committee, said "Senior leaders affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and other related terrorist groups who are currently in jail or who are currently living in Turkey and Qatar were able to send messages to their followers in North Sinai, instructing them to mount terrorist attacks against Christians." "I wonder why anti-terror laws were not amended to help fight these legislative loopholes and guarantee a quick trial of terrorist elements," said El-Ghoul. El-Ghoul said the attacks on Coptic churches demonstrate that a lot of money is still being channeled from countries like Turkey and Qatar to fund terrorist crimes in Egypt. "We see that terrorist cells by different names still have the money and financial resources necessary to mount their attacks, and without drying up these sources it will be quite difficult to defeat terrorism in Egypt and other places anytime soon," said El-Ghoul. Search Keywords: Short link: Germany, Turkey and Gaza rulers Hamas condemned two church attacks in Egypt that left dozens dead and injured in the Nile Delta city of Tanta and the country's second-biggest city Alexandria on Sunday. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, "cursed" the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. "The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven," Gormez said in an official statement. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also published a statement denouncing the attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, which killed at least 27 people. "We convey our condolences to the bereaved families and the whole people of Egypt," the statement said before a second attack hit an Alexandria church, killing at least 17 people. Germany Germany has condemned the bombing and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement Sunday that "the aim of the perpetrators, to drive a wedge between people of different faiths living peacefully side-by-side, mustn't be allowed to happen." Hamas In a statement Sunday, Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas described the attack as "a crime." Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said "Hamas wishes safety, security, stability and prosperity for Egypt and its people." Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 after ousting forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Its relationship with neighboring Egypt had deteriorated after the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Hamas has been attempting to improve ties with Cairo. Correction: Death toll was revised to 44 instead of 46 following official confirmation Search Keywords: Short link: The Uzhhorod Council of the Corvallis Sister Cities Association is hosting a group of Ukrainian professionals who work with children with disabilities and the council is seeking community partners for the visit. Specifically, the local organizers are looking for nongovernmental organizations that provide services to children with disabilities. The visit, part of the Open World program, is intended to help professionals working to improve the care of Ukrainian children with disabilities. The delegates arrive from Ukraine on April 28 and will be in Corvallis until May 7. The Zonta Club of Corvallis will host an event open to the public featuring the delegates at 7 p.m. May 3, in the public meeting room of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave. Contact Pete Bober at boberp@peak.org or Alice Rampton at alice.rampton@gmail.com for more information about the visit. President Donald Trump has said that the US "strongly condemns the terrorist attack" in Egypt, hours after two churches in Alexandria and Tanta were hit by blasts on Palm Sunday. I have great confidence that President [Abdel-Fattah] Al-Sisi will handle situation properly, Trump said in a tweet. Deadly blasts at Tanta's Mar Girgis Cathedral and Alexandria's St Mark's Cathedral, where Pope Tawadros II was leading a service, killed over 40 people and injured more than 100 people in the deadliest attack targeting Copts in years. Earlier on Sunday, the US embassy in Egypt condemned the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers at Saint Georges Church in Tanta on one of the holiest days of the Christian year. The United States stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism, the embassy said. Egypts president visited Washington last week in his first official visit to the US as head of state, returning to Cairo on Friday. Trump said this week that he was "very much behind" El-Sisi, who he said has a great friend and ally in the United States. Search Keywords: Short link: Rhine in Flames : This years theme is flower power Bonn The fireworks in the Rheinaue on 6 May will be a reminder of the Summer of Love in 1967. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken California dreams and songs about love will shape the traditional giant fireworks display in the Rheinaue on Saturday 6 May. Half a century after the legendary Summer of Love in the United States, the organisers of Rhine in Flames are looking to Flower Power and the music of the late sixties. The theme and programme for the most visited open-air event in Bonn was presented yesterday by Udo Schafer, director of Tourismus and Congress GmbH, along with representatives of the main sponsors, those in charge of music and some of the bands. The Beatles classic All you need is love will open the 31st edition of the firework display at 11.15pm. Let the sunshine in and California dreaming will then keep up the happy mood. Nicole Solbach, from the Eitorf pyrotechnic manufacturer Weco, promised these songs would be accompanied by three-dimensional suns and magical pictures created from Italian cylindrical shells with a diameter of 20 centimetres. To finish, Joe Cocker will accompany a colourful flower carpet complete with showers of gold in the sky over the Rheinaue. The fireworks will be lit from a 40 metre high working stage on which a total of 18 employees will install the fireworks and other pyrotechnical effects. Before the spectacular finale, a total of 40 groups on three stages will ensure a great spring feeling among the tens of thousands of visitors on the Friday and Saturday. Bonners are being encouraged to become co-creators of the festival for the first time. Residents, clubs, groups of friends and particularly school classes are being called on to participate with creative lighting along the Rhine and delight the 13,000 guests on the 45 boats. Schafer is envisaging shimmering, illuminated flowers, peace signs or placards in psychedelic colours being brought to the riverbanks or to prepared areas. There are a large number of prizes on offer, including a four-day school trip to the source of the Rhine in Switzerland. 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. Cherokee County Historical Museum The Cherokee people have in their legends a story of a long-ago ancient race on the lands their ancestors moved into. These prior people did not come out in the light, had eyes that could see in the dark. Their skin was white. And they had built ancient structures in the area. One such thing that might be attributed to them is the Judaculla Rock in North Carolina with writing that still cannot be understood. Wikipedia: In his 1902 Myths of the Cherokee, ethnographer James Mooney described a "dim but persistent tradition" of an ancient race who preceded the Cherokee in lower Appalachia and were driven out by them. Accounts often describe this race as having white skin and credit them with building the ancient structures in the area. The earliest recorded mention of this race appears to be in Benjamin Smith Barton's 1797 book New Views of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America. Citing the authority of Colonel Leonard Marbury, Barton wrote that "the Cherokee tell us, that when they first arrived in the country which they inhabit, they found it possessed by certain 'moon-eyed-people,' who could not see in the day-time. These wretches they expelled." Barton suggested these "moon-eyed people" were the ancestors of the albinos Lionel Wafer encountered among the Kuna people of Panama, who were called "moon-eyed" because they could see better at night than day. The Kuna people of Panama (mentioned above) have a good deal of albinos among them. One in 145 people in the tribe are born with this unusual "albinism" that makes their skin and hair pale. Geneticists later determined that a gene on a strand of DNA known as Chromosome 15 caused the type of albinism common among the Kuna, which gives only minimal pigmentation in skin and hair. Rather than pink eyes common in albinos with no pigmentation, the Kuna albinos have blue or brown eyes. More about Kuna: Kuna people are reported to have the highest incidence of albinism in the world. According to Kuna legend, the albino people are called moon children and are given the responsibility of shooting arrows at the full moon. Since the moon controls the tide, and Kuna people live on small atolls, theyve interpreted the presence of albinos as a gift from the gods to protect them from rising tides. It is reported that the incidence of male albinos in their culture is higher and they are discouraged from breeding among the population and put to tasks that involve being indoors. Interestingly, this makes one wonder about these past histories of light-haired/light-eyed tribes like the moon-eyed people of North Carolina. Was it possible albinism cropped up among these pockets of population where they interbred and continued the mutation because others feared breeding with these night-dwelling people? Could it have encouraged a variation in humans within regions, a variation that was a natural gene mutation and not a different branch of man? Depending on who looks at the hair in the picture above (Kuna albinos)- these children are blond or red haired. Female brunettes in our culture who have gone blond know this process of stripping the hair color. You end up with this strangely yellow-orange hair until they put the dye in to make it the blond shade they wanted. Anyone with brown hair from the 70s remembers that "Sun-In" hair product did the same thing, depigmented, but not fully. The red and blond giants reported around the world might have been just minimally pigmented genetically. Not red or blond, simply minimal pigment (perhaps adapted to a northern climate over thousands of years). And, that would mean the very way they lived was different to avoid the painful light on their eyes and skin. These past civilizations might have indeed been night-seekers and hence their desire to mine for copper a valid one - it gave them a task and a trading price that was worthy while ensuring their work was done in darkness. The giants were reported to have valued seashells greatly. And, why not? They would trade for something they could not collect themselves that represented the sun and the tides - tides run by the very moon they were named after, the moon-eyed people. Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/30/158715/tropical-sun-is-deadly-foe-for.html#storylink=cpy Interestingly, the Lenni Lenape and Paiutes tell tales of driving out giants, just like the Cherokees did with the moon-eyed people. They all report a race of people here before them who were advanced and had civilizations and technology. And, a people that (like the Cherokee) said they drove them from the land. The moon-eyed people were said to be pale-skinned with pale hair, beards, and blue eyes, and hid underground to avoid the light. They lived within the round dwellings and emerged at nighttime. Interestingly, red-haired giants reported in the west were found hiding in caves. The Cherokee legend says they drove these moon-eyed people west. Did these light-sensitive pale beings find comfort in mounds underground and caves? Is there any chance such a population still exists? The Dakota tribe of the Mandan had people living in round earth lodges. Some explorers believed there was evidence among the tribe of breeding with the Norse because of light skin and hair and blue and gray eyes. Where were these traits of light hair, skin and eyes coming from? Was there a prolific breeding population of Norse all around the world or was there another breeder with these features spreading around the earth and creating these characteristics? Interestingly, the "moon-eyed people" were reported to "see better at night than day," something repeated often about today's Bigfoot population, as well as red and white hair among them - nighttime trekking, hiding in caves, and extreme squinting reaction to light. How does all this correlate? Well, we have ancient giant bones, we have giants in our woods now. We have reports of red and blond haired giants with advanced technology, and physical proof of some oddities among native tribes in the Americas that spit out blue eyes, blond hair, and red hair. We have reports of hieroglyphics and use of copper metals by early people around the world in completely different locations showing that somehow they had a common influence on their construction, metallurgy, language and textiles. There seem to be many mysteries throughout our world and one of the greatest ones is the findings of red and blond-haired giants around the world. They defy what we thought we knew of "evolution." Why were the giants found inside of mounds and caves? Perhaps because they sought shelter within. Were they some form of albinism involving the Chromsome 15? Was that passed down through breeding in the general population of mankind? Could something that was dominant for their people, be recessive for us? The one other potential missing piece to this puzzle is the Neanderthal and Denisovans people. Did they really go extinct or is that the history that early archaeologists surmised and completely inaccurate? Did they evolve alongside us, sometimes breeding until the two branches of man did not breed well? Did these people evolve with fair hair and eyes? Did they evolve to be tall because their sloping head and different brain structure make their very pituitary system different than ours? There are so many numerous possibilities, but it all seems to lead back repeatedly to tales of giants in almost every culture, findings of their bones, and reports of them having fair hair and eyes often times around the world, doing metal work and using hieroglyphs and living in dark cave-like places. Another interesting finding is that the people of the South Pacific Islands who have blond hair (a fair percentage), did not get the blond trait from Europeans ( LINK ). So, what archaic man might have given it to them? Well, their people have traces of Denisovans DNA which could have carried a blond gene. This is something continuing to be studied. The Solomon Islands and South Pacific Nations have an impressive percentage of the population with blond hair and genes show it did not come from European blonds. All these pieces come together in to a history that might shock and surprise us - alien DNA manipulation, nephilim, Atlanteans OR something quite natural but defies what we thought we knew, like early mariners and explorers who bred around the world or perhaps a race of people who evolved alongside Homo sapiens. The mystery continues and inquisitive paranormal geeks will not give up searching for answers. You know this para-geek will be on top of these possibilities. The UN Security Council has condemned the bombings of two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt Sunday, calling the attacks "heinous" and "cowardly." The two blasts at Tanta's Mar Girgis Church and Alexandria's St Mark's Cathedral, where Pope Tawadros II was leading the service, killed over 40 people and injured more than 100 in the deadliest attack targeting Copts in years. A statement by the council urged all member states to cooperate with the Egyptian government in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the statement added. Egypt's National Defense Council is currently convened, presided by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, to discuss the consequences of the attacks. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he will impose a state of emergency countrywide for three months, following attacks on churches in Tanta and Alexandria on Sunday. In a televised address, he said that the state of emergency will come into effect "once legal and constitutional measures are completed." "This is only to protect our country and prevent any targeting of its capabilities," Sisi said. He also announced the establishment of a new body, the Supreme Council to Combat Terrorism and Extremism, which will be provided with wide-ranging authority according to laws yet-to-be issued. The council will be responsible for adjusting all aspects of amending religious discourse and facing extremist ideas in the country, the president said. The Egyptian president addressed the nation on Sunday night after 48 people were killed in twin attacks that targeted churches in Alexandria and Tanta that morning. Shortly after a meeting of the national defence council which he presided over, Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency would be imposed "upon completion of constitutional procedures". "I will never say those killed were Christian; they are Egyptians. Remember in July 2013, I requested an authorisation to face possible violence and terrorism, I was talking then about a longtime war," the president said, citing his speech as defence minister and army head following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. "Our condolences to all the Egyptian people, I will not say our Christian brothers, our condolences to all Egyptians. "What is happening now is another attempt to destroy our country; there were economic decisions, terrorist attacks, other acts of hostility against you and you still hold up," Sisi added, addressing the people of Egypt. He also called on the international community to punish countries supporting and aiding terrorism. "These terrorist attacks have been targeting all elements of the Egyptian state, including the army, police judiciary, but you, the Egyptian people, did a great job in face of this fascist terrorism, we must remember that, and never let anything disrupt our social fabric." Sisi, who spoke in a solemn tone, also said that the attacks are in response to recent military successes against terrorism in Sinai. "We succeeded in Sinai, they [terrorists] hit in another region, we will target in them in that region, they will hit in another one, that is the reality of war against terrorism, but I say to Egyptians to hold up, resist, and we are capable of facing challenges, defeating evil and terrorism and continuing building our country". Addressing the Egyptian media, Sisi urged all outlets to be "credible, responsible, and aware" when covering news and images related to such incidents and bear in mind not to hurt the feelings of the victims by broadcasting their deceased relatives' images "all day long". At the end of his speech, Sisi urged the security apparatus in the country to find and bring those responsible for the attacks to justice as soon as possible. Search Keywords: Short link: Military Strikes Target ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 8, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 14 strikes consisting of 65 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 14 engagements against ISIS targets: -- Near Tabqah, seven strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed four vehicles, three fighting positions and two tactical vehicles; and suppressed nine ISIS tactical units. Strikes in Iraq In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 51 engagements against ISIS targets, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and damaged a tunnel. -- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed four mortar systems, two fighting positions, a supply cache, a vehicle bomb factory, an ISIS-held building, and a front-end loader; damaged two supply routes; and suppressed 14 ISIS mortar teams and five ISIS tactical units. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said. The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Boss Listens to Concerns of T-45C Pilots, Extends Operational Pause Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170408-01 Release Date: 4/8/2017 9:38:00 AM From Naval Air Forces Public Affairs SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF), is visiting T-45C training commands across the fleet April 6 to April 8 to address recent concerns. Shoemaker is visiting Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, Texas, NAS Pensacola, Florida, and NAS Meridian, Mississippi, to talk face-to-face with instructor pilots (IPs) and student pilots about their physiological episodes (PEs) experienced in the cockpits of T-45C training aircraft. Shoemaker will listen to their concerns and communicate the ongoing efforts to tackle the problem. On Friday, March 31, roughly 40 percent of flights in the T-45C training commands in Meridian, Pensacola and Kingsville were canceled because of the operational risk management (ORM) issues raised by local IPs. "Our instructor pilots were implementing a risk management practice we require they do prior to all flights," Shoemaker explained. "It was important for me to come talk with my aviation team members and hear their concerns as we work this challenging issue together. We ask a lot of our pilots, and we owe it to them to ensure they understand we are doing everything we can to fix this problem and that they have access to top leadership." "This will remain our top safety priority until we fully understand all causal factors and have eliminated PEs as a risk to our flight operations," Shoemaker continued. "The NAE [Naval Aviation Enterprise] has been directed to expedite solutions for PEs and to prioritize those efforts." Engaging with aircrew face-to-face at their home stations is only the most recent in a series of activities undertaken by CNAF and the NAE to deal with PEs. Even before the concerns were raised by the pilots, CNATRA had scheduled expert engineers to visit the training sites and educate them on the ongoing efforts to fix the machines, and to enable the engineers to hear pilot feedback directly. The Navy implemented an operational pause for its T-45C fleet Wednesday at the direction of Shoemaker in response to the T-45C pilots' feedback about the potential for PEs. That operational pause has been extended to allow Naval Aviation Leadership time to review the engineering data and developing a path forward for the fleet that will ensure the safety of its aircrew. "We have the right team of NAVAIR [Naval Air Systems Command] program managers, engineers and maintenance experts in conjunction with Type Commander Staffs, medical and physiological experts immersed in this effort working with the same sense of urgency to determine the root causes of PEs," Shoemaker said." To tackle this as effectively as possible, we are using an 'unconstrained resources' approach to the problem, meaning we have not been nor will we be limited by money or manpower as we diligently work toward solutions." As far back as 2010, NAVAIR established a Physiological Episode Team (PET) to collect data, investigate occurrences of PEs and coordinates with technical experts to identify and develop solutions based on root cause determinations. Naval Aviation has provided training and encouraged reporting of PEs since the development of the PET. Finding the causes is a challenging problem on a complex, highly sophisticated platform. Though the number of components and configurations of the aircraft make finding "smoking guns" difficult, Naval Aviation has continued to implement multiple lines of effort across over the past couple years to mitigate the risks. Naval Aviation requires pilots train in the simulator using a Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device to improve aircrew recognition of physiological symptoms related to hypoxia. The improved On Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) material, known sieve bed (filter) material has been installed in all T-45, and new oxygen monitors are being fielded as part of an operational test in Pensacola. Sorbent tubes, devices that detect contaminants in breathing gas air, are also are being provided to pilots and, as soon as our inventory supports, will be required on every flight to help ensure we capture any PE event that might yield clues to the contamination agent. Other mitigating efforts in place include: refinements to aircrew procedures; improved maintenance practices and procedures for better system reliability; releasing Air Frame Bulletin (AFB)-794, which changes inspection intervals to improve the rate of component failure detection; procurement of a cockpit pressurization warning system. In one of his many previous messages to the Force, Shoemaker explained that, "Our aviators must be able to operate with confidence in our platforms and in their ability to safely execute their mission. To help ensure we eliminate this risk, collection and reporting of event data and your continued leadership is critical." For more information on physiological episodes on F/A-18 and T-45C naval aircraft, please refer to the Statement Of Lieutenant General Jon M. Davis, Deputy Commandant For Aviation And Rear Admiral Dewolfe H. Miller III, Director Air Warfare And Rear Admiral Michael T. Moran, Program Executive Officer, Tactical Aircraft Before The House Armed Services Committee Tactical Air And Land Forces Subcommittee On Naval Aviation Strike Fighter Issues And Concerns March 28, 2017: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/AS/AS25/20170328/105788/HHRG-115-AS25-Wstate-MillerD-20170328.pdf NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump briefs Congress over Syria airbase attack Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 12:29AM US President Donald Trump has warned of further military actions in Syria while notifying the Congress of bombing a Syrian airbase a day after the attack. The United States "will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests," said Trump in a letter addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday. In the letter, he also gave the specifics of a Friday attack in which he ordered US warships in nearby Mediterranean waters to launch a missile strike against al-Shayrat airbase in Syria's Homs province, which Washington alleged was the base from where a chemical attack in Idlib was launched on Tuesday. "I directed this action in order to degrade the Syrian military's ability to conduct further chemical weapons attacks and to dissuade the Syrian regime from using or proliferating chemical weapons, thereby promoting the stability of the region and averting a worsening of the region's current humanitarian catastrophe," he said. Syria has categorically denied carrying out the purported gas attack, with Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem stressing that the Idlib airstrike had targeted a depot, where terrorists stored chemical weapons. Trump added that he "acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as commander in chief and chief executive." He also noted that he was informing Congress in accordance with the War Powers Resolution, which mandates that the president inform Congress about military actions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US drone strike leaves two dead in southwestern Yemen Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 5:40PM At least two people have lost their lives when a US unmanned aerial vehicle carried out a strike in the southwestern Yemeni province of Bayda. Yemeni security sources, who were speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that the drone strike had hit a motorbike carrying two people, suspected to be al-Qaeda members, in Sawma'ah district of the province the previous evening. The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of the chaos and breakdown of security in Yemen to tighten its grip on the southern and southeastern parts of the Arab country. The US carries out drone attacks in Yemen and several other countries, claiming to be targeting al-Qaeda elements; but, local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks. The Pentagon says it has carried out over 70 airstrikes in Yemen since February 28. The drone strikes in Yemen continue alongside the Saudi military aggression against the impoverished conflict-ridden country. Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an unsuccessful attempt to reinstate the regime of Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Saudi Arabia, and to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement. The Riyadh regime has, however, failed to reach its goals despite going to great expense. On Saturday, Saudi fighter jets carried out 14 airstrikes against al-Malahit area in the al-Dhahir district of Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or the extent of damage. Saudi jets also pounded Kahboub area of southwestern Lahij Province on four occasions, with no words on possible casualties available. Separately, Saudi military aircraft launched three aerial attacks against al-Jar area of Abs district in the northwestern province of Hajjah, located approximately 130 kilometers northwest of the capital, Sana'a. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands of Serbians protest against election of premier as president Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 5:6PM Thousands of anti-government protesters have rallied in the Serbian capital city of Belgrade to protest against election of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as the country's next president. On Saturday, over 10,000 protestors, moved from outside the government headquarters in central Belgrade to demonstrate on major boulevards. Most of the demonstrators were students who were joined by labor union members and representatives from the police and the army. The protesters chanted slogans like "There are lots of us!" and "Vucic the thief, you stole the elections!" "People are hungry while those at the top are enjoying themselves," one banner read. The police union chief, Veljko Mijailovic, who was addressing the crowd, hailed the "major coalition of the army, police and the people." On April 2, Vucic won the presidential election in the first round with a clear majority, garnering 55 percent of votes. He is scheduled to take office in late May. Since last Monday, protests have been held in Belgrade and several other Serbian cities. Opposition groups say Vucic exploited the media, and resorted to voter intimidation and bribes to win the race. The main election rival, ex-ombudsman Sasa Jankovic who came second in the vote with 16 percent, has voiced support for the protests, but urged participants to keep the rallies non-violent. Jankovic said on Saturday that protestors were unhappy with the "injustice of the autocratic regime which threatens Serbia with dictatorship." Vucic, who wants Serbia to join the European Union, has denied all the allegations against him. "Everyone (has) the right to express their opinion. I do not have a problem with that. It is just important that everything happens absolutely democratically and calmly," he has said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands Protest In Belgrade Against Vucic For Sixth Day RFE/RL April 08, 2017 Thousands of students have demonstrated against Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's decisive win in a presidential election, claiming major irregularities in the campaign, including stifling the media, voter intimidation, and bribes. For a sixth straight day, the students gathered in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on April 8 to protest Vucic's victory at the polls, where he garnered 55 percent of the vote on April 2 to win the presidency outright over 10 other candidates. With music blaring in the background, the demonstrators blew whistles and banged pots as they taunted Vucic by calling him a thief and a tyrant while accusing him of stealing the election. The number of protesters swelled in front the Serbian government's headquarters as hundreds of policemen and soldiers, who were holding a separate rally over low wages and poor living standards, joined the students. "The times when politicians would turn the army and police against its people are over. The army, the police, and the people are in one place today," Veljko Mijailovic, the head of the police union, told the crowd. Victory hands the 46-year-old Vucic and his Progressive Party, which has a majority in parliament, control over the entire legislative and governing process, and some critics have warned that could push the Balkan country back into the autocracy symbolized by former leader Slobodan Milosevic during his decade in power. Once an ultranationalist, Vucic's rise to prominence in recent years came after he reinvented himself as a reformer who is committed to Serbia's drive toward European Union membership. He has craftily strengthened his party's position through the ballot box, calling and winning two early parliamentary elections since 2014. While he once opposed integration with the 28-country bloc, he now pledges to prepare the nation of 7.3 million people for EU accession by 2019. The protesters see Vucic as an autocratic leader and the Serbian Progressive Party as corrupt. They have called for the government, along with top officials from the public broadcasters RTS and RTV, the Central Election Commission, and the regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, to step down. With reporting from RFE/RL's Balkan Service, AP, and dpa Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-vucic-protests -continue-belgrade/28418094.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Son-In-Law Failed To Disclose Meetings With Top Russian Officials RFE/RL April 08, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law failed to disclose contacts with top Russian officials when he applied for a security clearance this year, his lawyer has said. The New York Times first reported Jared Kushner's failure to report meetings with the Russian ambassador to the United States and the head of a Kremlin-owned bank that is the target of U.S. sanctions. The omissions by Kushner, who is one of Trump's closest advisers, come at as the FBI and several committees of Congress are investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible Kremlin ties with the Trump campaign. Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, said the omissions were due to an "administrative error" that occurred during the rushed period before Trump's inauguration on January 20. "There was no intent to obscure any foreign meetings, including those with Russia," she said. Kushner last month volunteered to answer questions from U.S. congressional committees that are investigating the contacts between Russian officials and Trump associates. Kushner's lawyer said his failure to disclose his meetings with Russian officials occurred because a draft of Kushner's security-clearance application was mistakenly submitted to the government "prematurely" without complete information on January 18. Gorelick said the application was later amended to include this statement from Kusher: "During the presidential campaign and transition period, I served as a point-of-contact for foreign officials trying to reach the president-elect. I had numerous contacts with foreign officials in this capacity.... I would be happy to provide additional information about these contacts." When applying for a security clearance, applicants are asked to disclose details about their interactions with foreigners, including the names of all the foreign government officials the applicant has had contact with over the past seven years. In some cases, people can lose their security clearances and jobs for not properly disclosing their contacts with foreigners. In addition to meeting with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak at Trump Tower in December 2016, Kushner met with Sergei Gorkov, a graduate of Russia's spy school who now heads the Russian state-owned bank Vneshekonombank. Vneshekonombank is a target of U.S. sanctions imposed in 2014 in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine. It is controlled by members of President Vladimir Putin's government, including Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, and has been used to bail out oligarchs favored by Putin and to fund pet projects like the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Kushner has said he did not discuss sanctions with Gorkov, while Gorkov has declined to comment on whether sanctions were discussed. With reporting by AP and New York Times Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-son-in-law-kushner- failed-disclose-meeting-top-russian- officials-kislyak-gorkov/28417685.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Terms Of 'Union' With Russia Dominate South Ossetian Presidential Election Liz Fuller April 08, 2017 On April 9, an estimated 33,000-40,000 voters will go to the polls to elect the next de facto president of Georgia's breakaway Republic of South Ossetia, which is recognized as an independent state only by Russia and three other countries. The vote marks the culmination of an acrimonious three-year standoff between incumbent President Leonid Tibilov, who is seeking a second term, and parliament speaker Anatoly Bibilov. The two have long espoused different approaches to the time frame for possible incorporation of the region into the Russian Federation. Tibilov, 65, a former KGB head, is widely believed to enjoy the backing of Moscow, which effectively bankrolls the region. Russia has channeled billions of rubles into rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during its brief August 2008 war with Georgia. Between 2008 and 2011, much of that money was embezzled, allegedly with the connivance of then-regional leader Eduard Kokoity. Of the nine potential candidates who declared their intention of registering for the ballot, only three finally succeeded in doing so, the third being KGB officer Alan Gagloyev. Gagloyev, 37, has been alleged to have ulterior motives in seeking office, such as furthering his own business interests. Construction-company owner Amiran Bagayev and Alan Kozonov, a doctor and member of the minority Unity of the People parliament faction, reportedly failed to submit the required number of signatures in their support. Kokoity, too, was refused registration as a candidate, on the grounds that he failed to meet the requirement -- which he himself had insisted on imposing -- that candidates must have been resident in South Ossetia for at least nine months of each of the 10 years preceding the ballot. Kokoity mobilized his supporters to protest that ruling, insisting that the Interior Ministry had deliberately falsified his residency records, but the Supreme Court upheld it, whereupon Kokoity accused Tibilov of falsifying his property declaration and demanded he step down. Tibilov condemned those protests as a deliberate bid to destabilize the situation and force a postponement of the vote. In a public address on March 30 he appealed to Kokoity, recalling his earlier "services to our people," to channel his energies into "the development of our independent state." Kokoity, however, publicly urged his supporters the same day to vote for Bibilov. On Joining Russia The primary bone of contention between Tibilov and Bibilov is whether, when, and how South Ossetia should become part of Russia. Even before the May 2014 parliamentary elections in which it garnered 20 of the 34 mandates, the One Ossetia party of which Bibilov is chairman had called for holding a referendum on the unification within the Russian Federation of South Ossetia and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania on which it borders. Bibilov has lobbied single-mindedly for such a referendum ever since. Tibilov, however, although paying lip service to the prospect of eventual unification of the divided Ossetian people, has repeatedly warned of the inevitable negative reaction by the international community should Russia seek to incorporate another disputed territory in the wake of its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Instead, he advocates the dual policy of seeking to strengthen South Ossetia's quasi-independent status while pursuing greater rapprochement with Russia. That disagreement came to a head in May 2016 when, after a shouting match in parliament, the two men agreed to postpone holding a referendum on the issue until after the 2017 presidential ballot. Contentious Campaign During the election campaign, Bibilov has switched to questioning and disparaging Tibilov's claims of having presided over a more effective campaign of reconstruction development than was achieved under Kokoity. In an interview with Kavpolit.com, Bibilov implicitly accused Tibilov of tolerating corruption and cronyism, obstructing judicial reform, and indifference to the problems of the population at large. He alleged that "the corrupt clan system" that he claims has taken root in South Ossetia constitutes the sole obstacle to the unification of South and North Ossetia. Tibilov's backers retaliated by pointing to major contradictions between Bibilov's statements as parliament speaker and his election campaign rhetoric, while Tibilov himself made the point that in the three years since his rival's party won the parliamentary elections, the legislature has not adopted a single anticorruption law. Then, in late March, Bibilov thwarted the broadcast of a televised debate between candidates by rejecting the seat in the studio allocated to him. Tibilov apparently underestimated support for Bibilov even before Kokoity came out in his support. In February and early March, it was reported that budget-sector employees were being pressured to attend a meeting in support of Tibilov's reelection. The state-controlled media have published a series of Soviet-style panegyrics by public figures extolling Tibilov. In late March, when Tibilov visited the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz, where many of the estimated 10,000 citizens of South Ossetia who fled during or since the fighting of August 2008 still live, Republic of North Ossetia head Vyacheslav Bitarov called on them to vote for Tibilov. It may have been in response to that appeal that Bibilov's campaign staff have arranged to deploy 100 election observers at each of the two polling stations in Vladikavkaz to thwart anticipated multiple voting using fake passports. Bella Pliyeva, who chairs South Ossetia's Central Election Commission, on April 6 categorically excluded the possibility of falsification at polling stations in North Ossetia, the state news agency RES reported. Still Undecided An opinion poll in mid-March quoted by Kavpolit.com registered 24 percent support for Tibiliov, 15 percent for Bibilov, and just 4 percent for Gagloyev, with over 50 percent of respondents as yet undecided whom to vote for. Russian experts predict that neither will garner the minimum 50 percent of the vote needed for an outright first-round win, and will face off in a runoff vote. Concurrently with the presidential vote, the South Ossetian electorate will also be required to participate in a referendum on whether the official designation of the Republic of South Ossetia should be modified by adding the wording State of Alania. That initiative originated with Tibilov, and is intended to serve two purposes. First, to underscore the strong ethnic and historic ties between the region and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. And second, to counter rival claims from representatives of other North Caucasus republics (primarily the Ingush and the Balkars) to be the location of the kingdom ruled by, and/or direct descendants of, the medieval Alans. According to an opinion poll quoted last week by the state news agency RES, 83 percent of respondents intend to vote in the election and 66 percent will approve the proposed new name for the region. The Georgian leadership has denounced both the presidential ballot and the referendum as illegal, and the referendum as a Russian-orchestrated provocation. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus-report-south -ossetia-presidential-vote/28418230.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press Russia on its failure to prevent Syria's use of chemical weapons in meetings this week in Moscow, he said in interviews aired Sunday. Tillerson stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity in a suspected sarin nerve gas attack April 4 that killed at least 87 civilians in Syria's southern Idlib province. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians," Tillerson said in an interview with ABC's This Week program. Tillerson meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, just days after the United States fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in retaliation for the chemical attack. It was the first time the United States has intervened directly in the Syrian civil war against the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally al-Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. "Part of the discussions when I visit Moscow next week is to call upon Foreign Minister Lavrov and the Russian government to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me." If Syria carries out more chemical attacks, he said, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to US-Russian relations. "I do not believe that the Russians want to have worsening relationships with the US, but it's going to take a lot of discussion and a lot of dialogue to better understand what is the relationship that Russia wishes to have with the US." At the same time, Tillerson and other top US officials made clear that the US objective was limited to deterring further chemical attacks, and not the start of a campaign to oust Assad. "We're asking and calling on Bashar al-Assad to cease the use of these weapons. Other than that, there is no change to our military posture," he said. "I'm hopeful that we can have constructive talks with the Russian government, with Foreign Minister Lavrov and have Russia be supportive of a process that will lead to a stable Syria." Search Keywords: Short link: Belgium Halts Flights Over Syria Because of Suspension of Air Safety Memorandum Sputnik News 23:20 08.04.2017(updated 02:42 09.04.2017) The Belgian Air Force temporarily suspended flights over Syria because of the suspension of a memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria by Russia. BRUSSELS (Sputnik) The Belgian Air Force temporarily suspended flights over Syria, where the country is taking part in the US-led military operation against the Daesh terrorist group, because of the suspension of the memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria by Russia, the Premiere radio broadcaster reported on Saturday. Belgium's Defense Ministry spokesperson did not confirm that the decision was linked to suspension of the memorandum, pointing out that the flights "were halted until the new instructions," according to other media reports. Russia suspended the memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria with the United States on Friday following the deadly US missile attack on the Sha'irat airfield. On Thursday night, the United States carried out a missile attack on Ash Sha'irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs, claiming, with no evidence provided, that the chemical attack on Syria's Idlib was allegedly launched from that airfield. According to US Department of Defense, a total of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched during the attack. Homs Governor said that seven people were killed five soldiers and two civilians from the village, located near the airbase. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, two Syrian soldiers were missing, four were killed and six injured. The Syrian armed forces said the strike killed ten Syrian soldiers. Earlier on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the US missile attack on the Syrian military airfield violated the international law. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Ossetia to Ignore US Position Amid Republic's Presidential Elections Sputnik News 21:33 08.04.2017 South Ossetia will not pay attention to the reaction of the US Department of State on the upcoming presidential elections in the republic, President Leonid Tibilov said on Saturday. TSKHINVALI (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, the US Department of State refused to recognize the results of upcoming elections in South Ossetia, noting that Washington sticks to the position that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are integral parts of Georgia. "Of course, not everyone agree with what is happening. We are free and we enhance our independence, sovereignty by ourselves, and if someone's oversea patrons are against elections in South Ossetia, against the renaming of South Ossetia, we will not pay attention to it," Tibilov said at a meeting with a delegation of observers from Nagorno-Karabakh. Tibilov noted the republic's authorities did the utmost to ensure safety and security during the elections and the referendum. Presidential elections will be held in South Ossetia on April 9 together with a referendum on renaming the republic to the Republic of South Ossetia-the State of Alania. The candidates for the position of the republic's leader are incumbent South Ossetian President Tibilov, parliamentary speaker Anatoly Bibilov and Alan Gagloyev, State Security officer. The breakaway republic of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. In August 2008, Georgia launched a military offensive against South Ossetia. Trying to protect local residents, many of whom had Russian citizenship, Russia sent troops to South Ossetia and engaged in a five-day war with Georgia. As a result, Russia managed to expel Georgian troops from the breakaway region and recognized independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tbilisi does not recognize the republics' independence and considers them part of Georgia. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Strike Group Heads Toward North Korea By VOA News April 08, 2017 The U.S. Navy is sending a strike group toward the Korean Peninsula to bolster the U.S. presence there and send a message to North Korea, which this week conducted a ballistic missile test despite U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such launches. The Carl Vinson Strike Group was making a port call in Singapore and was scheduled to sail for Australia when U.S. Pacific Command ordered the ships to sail north instead. "Third Fleet ships operate forward with a purpose: to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific," Commander Dave Benham, director of media operations for the U.S. Pacific Command Third Fleet told VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb. "The No. 1 threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability." The strike group includes its namesake aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, as well as three guided-missile destroyers. North Korea defies warning Pyongyang has repeatedly defied international warnings about conducting missile launches and testing nuclear devices. This year North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as "the Day of the Sun." While U.S. President Donald Trump has not set out a clear strategy for dealing with the isolated nation, he has criticized the past administration's U.S. policy of "strategic patience," in the face of North Korea's ongoing efforts to develop long-range nuclear strike capability. Trump has also called on China, one of the few nations with strong ties to Pyongyang, to take stronger action to curb those nuclear ambitions. Earlier this month, Trump suggested the U.S. might take action unilaterally if China wasn't willing to do more. "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will," Trump told The Financial Times April 2. "China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they won't. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone." US, China in agreement Trump reportedly discussed North Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two met this week in Florida. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the two leaders agreed that the issue of Pyongyang's arms buildup has reached a very serious stage, however there were no details of what action either nation might take to curtail the program. Trump's national security aides have completed a review of U.S. options to try to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. These include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbor. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritizes less-risky steps and de-emphasizes direct military action. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb and Reuters contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Key al-Shabab Commander Killed in Somalia By Mohamed Olad Hassan April 08, 2017 Al-Shabab commander Bashe Nure Hassan was among several militants killed Saturday during an attack in Kuday, in the southern Somali region of Jubaland, Somali military officials said. Mohamud Ahmed Hersi, a senior Somali military commander in the region, told VOA that joint troops from the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and the Somali National Army were responding to an attack by the militants on a Somali base. "The militants were remobilizing to attack our base in Kuday," but with support from the KDF, "we managed to pre-empt their offensive," Hersi told VOA's Somali service. He said three militants were killed during the attack, and "among them was Bashe Nure Hassan, who was in charge of the militants' surveillance, logistics and supplies in the area." Hersi said there were no casualties among the Somali or Kenyan troops. Hassan, who was born and raised in the area and joined the terrorist group several years ago, was thought to be among the senior-level al-Shabab military commanders in the region. Somali military officials think he led major attacks on the Somali bases and those of the Kenyan troops in the region. In a statement, KDF public affairs officer Colonel Joseph Owuoth confirmed the attack and the killing of the al-Shabab commander. "Al-Shabab commander Bashe Nure Hassan was one of those killed. Three AK-47 rifles, 11 magazines, a satellite phone and 290 rounds of ammunition were captured during the mission," Owuoth said. Kuday, a small island 130 kilometers southwest of Kismayo port town, was once al-Shabab's stronghold in the region, used as a key base for logistical and operational work and as a launching point for attacks in southern Somalia. In March 2015, KDF soldiers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somalia troops captured the island from al-Shabab, but since then, the troops have been coming under frequent attacks by militants. Before joining AU peacekeepers, Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia in October 2011, after militant cross-border attacks and abductions, including the kidnapping of two Spanish women who were working for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders at the Dadaab refugee camp. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Somalia Court Executes Five Militants for Murders of Officials By Mohamed Olad Hassan April 08, 2017 Five al-Shabab militants convicted of murdering senior officials in the north eastern Somalia town of Bossaso have been executed by firing squad. The men were sentenced to death in February by a military court in Bosaso port town, the commercial hub of Puntland, Somali federal member state. The court said the men were involved in identifying possible targets, and carrying out assassinations against officials. Abdifitah Haji Adam, Chairperson of Puntland military court, told VOA Somali Service that the court found the suspects guilty and gave them the death penalty two months ago. "The men were al-Shabaab members. They were behind assassinations that happened here in Bososo, including the killing of the director of Puntland State presidency and the General Attorney of the army. They included murderers and accomplices. The court found them guilty and sentenced them to death in February, and today the sentences have been carried out," said Adam. Group's leaders targeted Al-Shabab, a terrorist group that emerged amid Somalia's years of chaos, once controlled large swathes of South and Central Somalia. U.S. drone strikes killed some of the group's top leaders, weakening its military power in south and central Somali, causing some of its fighters to spread north to the Puntland mountainous areas to set up bases. The group still is capable of carrying out frequent suicide bombings and assaults on Somalia's hotels and military targets, proving to be more resilient than expected. In Puntland, the militant group recently assassinated dozens of government officials, including the attorney general of Puntland Military Courts, AbdiKarim Hasan Fidiye, third deputy commander of Puntalnd Police Forces, and the director of the Presidential Palace. President Donald Trump recently gave the U.S. military more authority to conduct offensive airstrikes on al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia. Journalist sentenced Meanwhile, a court in Hargeisa, the capital of Somalia's breakaway northern territory of Somaliland, has sentenced journalist Abdimalik Muse Oldon to two years in prison. The journalist was arrested two months ago for meeting Somalia's new president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo in Mogadishu. The court said Oldon was charged with "engaging in anti-national activities, spreading "false" news and disturbing public order." The chairman of Somaliland's independent human rights group based in Hargeisa, Guled Ahmed Jama, who is also the defense lawyer of the journalist has described the sentence as unfair and unconstitutional. "The journalist did nothing against Somaliland and meeting with someone supporting is not constitutionally illegal. We see the sentence as "unfair" and we are appealing," the attorney told VOA. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US naval strike force deployed to Korean peninsula Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 1:51AM A US aircraft carrier-led strike group has set course for the western Pacific Ocean close to the Korean peninsula amid growing fears over the North's weapons tests. According to the US's Pacific Command, the strike group, dubbed Carl Vinson, has set sail for the Western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday. "We feel the increased presence is necessary," said an unmanned official who was speaking on condition of anonymity. The strike group will be operating in the Western Pacific until further notice instead of partaking in a series of previously planned Australian port visits. Last week, North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan just days after it warned the global community of retaliation over sanctions. The test came after US President Donald Trump threatened unilateral action against Pyongyang over its missile tests. Last month, two high-ranking US intelligence officials claimed that North Korea is capable of killing millions of Americans by launching a nuclear attack. In February, North Korea also simultaneously launched four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which landed close to Japan. In August, it also successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile some 500 kilometers off the coast of Japan, in a move which the North's leader Kim Jong-un hailed as the "greatest success." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Majlis Podcast: Spring Brings Violence, Confusion To Northern Afghanistan Bruce Pannier April 09, 2017 With the dreaded annual Taliban spring offensive expected to start in earnest any day now, there are many nervous people on both sides of the Central Asia-Afghan border. The situation in northern Afghanistan is already more alarming and far more confusing than it was in the spring of 2016. Adding to the anxiety, the Taliban recently published a map showing what they claim is territory in Afghanistan where they have influence, and while the Taliban is known to exaggerate its situation, some believe this map is fairly accurate and this site explains the color key. To attempt to shed some light on the murky state of affairs along the Central Asia-Afghan border, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel, to discuss which groups are present in northern Afghanistan and the extent of their influence, or control in the region. Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From New Jersey, Bill Roggio, the editor of Long War Journal, who was earlier embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan, joined the Majlis. From Prague, we were happy to welcome back Amin Mudaqiq, the director of RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, who has great knowledge of events in Afghanistan. And I've been following the situation in Afghanistan for a while so I jumped in with comments of my own. First, the Taliban map that showed areas the group says it controls and areas that are contested to varying degrees. Tahir broke that down, reminding us that there are more than 400 districts in Afghanistan and the Taliban claims to have 34 districts under its control, says 167 others are contested, and has a significant presence in 52 more districts. Roggio said much of the map corresponds with what he has been seeing. "I think it was pretty accurate as far as the security situation in areas we could see the reason I find it credible is not because it matches with the information that I currently have, but there are large areas of Afghanistan where they're saying, 'Look, we don't control any [of this] territory.'" Mudaqiq agreed the Taliban has spread its influence across northern Afghanistan since spring 2016 but cautioned that "if control means to hold it [territory] as well, then the Taliban's claims are really exaggerated; but if control means the presence, yes, the Taliban have a presence in almost 50 percent of the country and even 60 percent in the east and south [of Afghanistan]." And Mudaqiq said even with that estimate, "they [the Taliban] are there as long as there is no Afghan or coalition, ISAF, or NATO forces there." IS Presence, At Least In Name The Taliban is not the only militant group present in northern Afghanistan. Mudaqiq said one of the big reasons for the deterioration in the security situation in northern Afghanistan is "the increasing presence of Daesh [the Islamic State militant group]." Mudaqiq recalled that earlier this year militants set fire to Sufi shrines in the Darzab district of Jowzjan Province, which borders Turkmenistan. "People in Darzab who were arrested by Daesh, and they [later] escaped, they claim that Daesh has a big presence there," he said. And Roggio pointed out there are fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in northern Afghanistan, but on which side they are fighting is still unclear. "A large segment of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015, so the group split and it's debatable how much joined the Islamic State and how much stayed loyal to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban," he said. Mudaqiq noted that even among those claiming to be from IS there are divisions within Afghanistan, and that neither is like the IS groups in Syria and Iraq. "We have two kinds of Daesh, which are very different from each other. We have Daesh in [the eastern province of] Nangarhar, which is mostly made up of the Pakistani Taliban who lost control in their own area [of Pakistan]," he said. "On the other hand, you have Daesh or IS in northern Afghanistan who are only using the name of Daesh to survive." Outside Actors There is also the question of who outside of Afghanistan is helping whom. U.S. military commanders and Afghan officials have recently expressed concerns about Russia's connections to the Taliban, which may even include arming the militants, an accusation Russia denies. Roggio said, "What I think is happening here is the Russians are reading the tea leaves in Afghanistan and they've determined that the U.S. and NATO is losing this war and that the Taliban are going to have a presence." Roggio explained that if this is true, Russia is playing a dangerous game. "The Taliban are allied with numerous jihadist groups including Al-Qaeda, which has a far more significant presence when you put together Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as the satellite jihadist groups that are operating with the Taliban [and] these groups have been a threat to the Russians in the form of the Caucasus Emirate," he said. An influential former Afghan mujahedin commander from the days of the Soviet occupation, Mohammad Ismail Khan, in early March accused Turkmenistan of aiding militants in northwestern Afghanistan, a charge Turkmen authorities quickly denied. But Mudaqiq said, "Turkmenistan has a kind of history in dealing with extremist groups, in dealing with the Taliban, just to save and protect their own boundary," and he recalled that when the Taliban took over most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s the Turkmen Consulate in Herat Province, which borders Turkmenistan, continued to function. Mudaqiq said that last year "some of the members of the National Assembly were complaining in Faryab [Province] and Jowzjan [Province] that some of the Taliban injured were also taken to Turkmenistan and they were treated there." The situation is likely to become even more violent and confused in the coming months. The Majlis discussed this and other issues, including comments from Mudaqiq about reports of militants "freely moving between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan through Tajikistan." Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/majlis-podcast-northern-afghanistan- central-asia-violence-confusion/28419321.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, US Agree to High-Level Military Consultations to Avoid Close Calls Sputnik News 00:40 09.04.2017 Following their summit in Palm Beach, Florida, the leaders of China and the US agreed to establish a new channel for top-rank military communication in order to avoid unwanted military accidents. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to establish a new conduit for direct military communication to avert unnecessary military accidents and minimize military confrontation. The military branches of both countries should also "improve the existing notification mechanism on military action and the code of unexpected encounters between their navies and air forces," XI said, China's Xinhua news agency reports. Such unexpected encounters do occur now and then, as in 2016, when China's navy captured a US naval reconnaissance drone, leading to a few days of tension. The news comes in the wake of the US missile strike against Syria that was launched while Xi was visiting Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. "[Xi] stressed that the main priority for now is avoiding the escalation in the country and protection of the crisis settlement process," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said after the attack, adding that the Chinese leader opposes the use of chemical weapons. The US strike came as a response to an alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Media analysts point out that one of the key points of tension between the US and China is the issue of North Korea, whose nuclear program has "reached an urgent stage," according to White House officials. China is believed to be a silent supporter of North Korea, despite officially joining the international sanctions, experts say. The attack on Syria is perceived by many as a signal to Xi that the US is ready to resort to force to find a resolution to the ongoing issue of North Korean weapons testing. According to John Park, a specialist on Northeast Asia at Harvard's Kennedy School, Xi could have used the situation like a poker player: watching Trump closely and making conclusions about how he would act under pressure. And while Trump's muscular message is likely to be perceived by Xi with a certain degree of skepticism, there is one thing Xi has surely noted. "This shows how low a bar there is for the use of military force," Park said. If that is the reality, then the direct communication channels will surely come in handy. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Empire Strikes East: US Navy Sends Its Warships to Korean Peninsula Sputnik News 10:01 09.04.2017(updated 10:07 09.04.2017) A US naval strike group is on its way to the western Pacific Ocean in a bid to provide its presence near the Korean Peninsula amid concerns over Pyongyang's missile tests, media reports said. The US Navy's Carl Vinson Strike Group is set to be deployed to the Korean Peninsula amid growing fears related to Pyongyang's missile program, according to media reports. The strike group reportedly comprises the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser. The Guardian quoted US Pacific Command spokesman Commander Dave Benham as saying that the strike group's deployment to the area comes as "a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the western Pacific." "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," he said. The deployment comes after the United States, South Korea and Japan agreed to strengthen military ties to counter a North Korea threat, in a trilateral deal that was clinched on Friday. The sides condemned Pyongyang's recent missile launch, stressing that the North Korean program posed a serious threat to regional security. On Wednesday, North Korea reportedly launched a ballistic missile from Sinpho, South Hamgyong province, in the direction of the Sea of Japan. Since the beginning of 2016, Pyongyang has carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests, prompting worldwide criticism and the UN Security Council tightening its sanctions against North Korea. Earlier, media outlets said that the US National Security Council handed over a report to President Donald Trump to cite possible responses to Pyongyang's nuclear tests, including the return of nuclear weapons to South Korea, where elements of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system is already being deployed. THAAD, which South Korea agreed in 2016 to be deployed on its territory by the end of 2017, with the stated aim of countering threats from North Korea, serve as one of the main irritants in Beijing-Seoul ties. On March 8, components for the THAAD system began to arrive in South Korea as Seoul wanted the system to be deployed rapidly in response to the threat from North Korea's ballistic missile tests. China and Russia have repeatedly showed their objection to the deployment of THAAD, arguing that their real aim was to deter the strategic weapon systems not only in the Korean peninsula's North, but primarily in China's hinterlands and Russia's Far East regions. Meanwhile, Viktor Ozerov, head of the Russian Upper House's Defense and Security Committee, told Sputnik that sending a US Navy strike group to the shores of the Korean Peninsula might push the leadership of North Korea to make rash actions. "In the event that Pyongyang sees a threat to its security in the US Navy carrier group, it might push the North Korean leadership to take more hasty measures," Ozerov said. He added that the US forces might even carry out a strike on North Korean military facilities. "Such a risk hasn't been ruled out. The US strike on the airbase of the Syrian armed forces, which was not unanimously condemned by the UN Security Council, was explained [as a reaction to a] threat to US national security, and North Korea may be perceived in Washington as an even bigger threat," Ozerov said. He stressed that the United States carried out strikes on Syria's airfield using alleged chemical attack in Idlib as a pretext, despite the fact that Syria was a part of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. "North Korea did not sign the convention on chemical weapons prohibition. It might provoke Trump's strike on North Korea," he added. On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Islamic militant-controlled Syrian province of Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. According to Homs Governor Talal Barazi, the attack killed five people and injured seven others. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Police arrest man suspected of carrying out Stockholm truck attack Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 6:42AM Police in Sweden have arrested a man in connection with a recent deadly attack in the country's capital, where a truck rammed into a department store, leaving four people dead and 15 others injured. "One person has been arrested on suspicion of terrorist crimes through murder," said Karin Rosander, a spokesperson for the Swedish prosecutor's office, on Saturday. The truck had plowed into a crowd outside the busy Ahlens department store on the central street of Drottninggatan in Stockholm on Friday. The driver fled the scene, and security forces launched an operation to find him and other potential suspects, leading to the arrest of the one individual. According to police, the arrestee is a 39-year-old man of Uzbek origin that "matched the description" of the suspected Police said later on Saturday that the arrestee is likely "the culprit" of the attack, i.e. the driver of the truck. Swedish media said the Uzbek suspect was a supporter of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group but police have yet to confirm that assertion. The deadly assault was Sweden's first but was the latest in a series of similar attacks with vehicles elsewhere in Europe, including the southern French city of Nice, the German capital of Berlin, and the British capital, London. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has called the Friday assault "a terror attack." "Terrorists want us to be afraid, want us to change our behavior, want us to not live our lives normally, but that is what we're going to do. So terrorists can never defeat Sweden, never," he said. 'Explosives found' Meanwhile, Swedish broadcaster SVT, citing multiple unnamed police sources, said security forces had found a bag of explosives in the truck that was used in the Friday attack. Expressions of Sympathy World politicians have condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims. United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and voiced sympathy for the victims' families, saying, "We hope that those responsible for the attack will be swiftly brought to justice." European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the Friday incident was an attack against all member countries of the European Union (EU). "An attack on any of our member states is an attack on us all." German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said his country stood with Sweden "against terror," and offered sympathy for those involved in the attack. French President Francois Hollande also expressed his "horror and indignation" at the attack, saying, "France expresses its sympathy and solidarity with the families of the victims and all Swedes." British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet that he was "deeply concerned by shocking incident in Stockholm," adding that, "Britain's thoughts are with the victims, their families and the whole of Sweden." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also called the attack "terrible news" and said, "Our thoughts go out to the victims and survivors." In a Twitter message, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was "closely following the attack in Stockholm," adding that, "Condolences to the victims and best wishes for recovery to the wounded. We stand by your side Sweden." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address An Uzbek man suspected of ramming a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people, had expressed sympathy for Islamic State and was wanted for failing to comply with a deportation order, Swedish police said on Sunday. Thousands gathered in the spring sunshine near the site of Friday's attack to show support for those killed or injured when a hijacked beer delivery truck hurtled down a busy shopping street before crashing into a store and catching fire. The Uzbek man was arrested several hours later. "The suspect had expressed sympathy for extremist organisations, among them IS," Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, told a news conference, using an acronym for the ultra-hardline militant group. Two of those killed were Swedes, one was a British citizen and the other from Belgium, Hysing said of the attack, which echoes the earlier use of vehicles as deadly weapons in Nice, Berlin and London. Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State, but there has been no such claim yet for the Stockholm assault. The Stockholm suspect, aged 39 and from the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, applied for permanent residence in Sweden in 2014. However, his bid was rejected and he was wanted for disregarding a deportation order, Hysing said. Police had been looking for him since Sweden's Migration Agency in December gave him four weeks to leave, but security services had not viewed him as a militant threat. Sweden's prosecution authority said a second person had been arrested on suspicion of having committed a terrorist offence through murder, but police said they were more convinced than ever that the Uzbek man was the driver of the truck. Another five people were being held for questioning after raids and police said they had conducted about 500 interviews. Police across the Nordic region went on heightened alert after the attack and in neighbouring Norway police set off a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like device" in central Oslo on Sunday and took a suspect into custody. FLOWERS AND DEFIANCE Although nine of the 15 people injured remained in hospital, two in intensive care, Stockholm began to return normal on Sunday with the removal of police barricades along the Drottninggatan street where the attack took place. Hundreds of flower bouquets covered steps leading down to the square next to where the truck ploughed into the Ahlens department store, with more piled up under boarded-up windows. Only yards from the scene, thousands of people gathered in the Sergels Torg square in a show of unity as heavily armed police stood guard and a police helicopter hovered overhead. "I want to show I'm not afraid to go out," Eva Udd, a 55-year-old nurse who had joined the demonstration with a friend, said. "I usually never go to things like this, but this just felt so very important." Husam Kranda, a Libyan living in Sweden for the past five years and now working as translator, was among the multi-ethnic gathering which underlined Stockholm's cosmopolitan inhabitants. "We believe it's our duty to come here and show our support for the Swedish society," he said. "I know it's a difficult time, there is a lot going on within Swedish society and internationally. But today is not about that, it's about showing support for our neighbours and our beloved ones." He was joined by his wife from Uzbekistan, Irana Mamedova. "I really feel ashamed [of] that man, because this country give him everything, this country give him peace," she said of the Uzbek suspect. "He is a monster." Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, addressing a Social Democratic party conference in the western city of Gothenburg, said Sweden would never be broken by acts of terror. "We will hunt down these murderers with the full power of Sweden's democracy. There will be no compromises," he said. Sweden, a nation of 10 million inhabitants, has long taken pride in its tolerant liberal society and been among the world's most welcoming nations to immigrants. But some Swedes are having second thoughts after more than 160,000 people, many from Syria, applied for asylum in 2015. The Ahlens store cancelled a planned half-price sale of smoke-damaged goods and apologised after a storm of protest on social media that this would be disrespectful to the victims. Search Keywords: Short link: Sweden Confirms Uzbek As Driver In Deadly Truck Attack, Device Found In Vehicle RFE/RL April 08, 2017 Swedish authorities have said that a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan has been arrested in connection with a deadly truck attack that killed four people in central Stockholm a day earlier and that they are examining a device found in the vehicle. Chief Prosecutor Hans Ihrman said on April 8 that the suspect was detained in a northern Stockholm suburb on April 7 after police earlier circulated a picture of a man wearing a gray hoodie in connection with the investigation into the attack on Drottninggatan using a hijacked beer truck in what Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called an "act of terror." "We have found something in the truck, in the driver's seat, a technical device that should not be there. I cannot say at this stage that this is a bomb or some sort of flammable material," Swedish police chief Dan Eliasson told a news conference. "Whether it is a classic bomb or a fire device or something else is subject to technical analysis," he added. Reuters reported that a court-appointed lawyer, Johan Eriksson, met with the suspect on April 8. He declined to give further details about his client. Anders Thornberg, head of the Swedish Security Service, said the man, whose name has not been released, had shown up last year in intelligence reports, "but we did not see any links to extremist circles." The attack has shocked the Nordic nation of 10 million, which has little violent crime and been largely immune from any major terror incidents even as it has kept an open door for immigrants. Generous welfare benefits helped attract more than 160,000 asylum applicants, many from Syria, in 2015, with about 55 percent of claims accepted, according to Sweden's Migration Agency. However, that began to change in 2016. Amid growing concern over the cost of accommodating so many newcomers and public opinion showing increased hostility toward immigration, tougher rules were implemented. Those new rules, along with lengthy processing times and the offer of payouts to migrants who voluntarily returned to their country of origin, cut the number of applications by about half in 2016. "Those of us who want to help are many more than those who wish to harm us," King Carl Gustaf, who cut short a trip to Brazil to return home after the attack, said in a televised speech from his home at Stockholm's palace. "Sweden is, has long been, and will continue to be a safe and peaceful country." Sweden will hold a minute of silence at noon on April 10 to mourn the victims of the attack. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which mirrors similar incidents, claimed by Islamic State, in Nice, Berlin, and London over the past year where vehicles were used as weapons. Police said border security had been tightened and traffic on the Oresund Bridge, which links Denmark and Sweden, had been limited. Citing police sources, Swedish broadcaster SVT reported that police had detained a second man but police declined to comment on whether they arrested any additional suspects in the attack. "There can be other people who are associated with him, but we do not know that at the current time," Stockholm police spokesman Lars Bystrom said. Ihrman said the suspect should face a pretrial-custody hearing before midday on April 11 or be released. The stolen truck traveled for more than 500 meters along a main pedestrian street before it smashed into a crowd outside the upscale Ahlens department store at around 3 p.m. Stockholm's Karolinska hospital said on April 8 that six of the 15 people wounded in the attack had been released while eight adults and one child were still in hospital. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and BBC Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/sweden-arrested-suspect- stockholm-attack/28417792.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Uzbek Man Is Main Suspect in Swedish Truck Killings By VOA News April 08, 2017 Flags flew at half-staff across the Swedish capital Saturday as police sought further details about a 39-year-old Uzbek national suspected of ramming a stolen truck into an upscale shopping hub, killing four people and wounding 15 others. The suspected terrorist was previously known to Swedish intelligence services, but authorities said he was not a part of any ongoing investigations. "Nothing indicates we have the wrong person," Dan Eliasson, head of Sweden's national police, told reporters Saturday. "On the contrary, suspicions have strengthened as the investigation has progressed." Eliasson also said investigators still did not know whether others were involved in Friday's attack. "We cannot exclude this," he said, while noting "clear similarities" to a March 22 truck attack in London that killed two civilians and a police officer near Parliament and wounded 40 others. But unlike the London attack, which was claimed by Islamic State extremists, there was no such claim for the Stockholm killings. Photos taken at the scene Friday showed the vehicle was a truck belonging to beer maker Spendrups, which said its truck had been hijacked earlier in the day. Witnesses said the truck went straight into the entrance of the Ahlens Department Store on Drottninggatan, the city's biggest pedestrian street, sending shoppers screaming and running. Television footage showed smoke coming out of the store after the crash. Following the attack, Stockholm's central train station was evacuated and nearby buildings were locked down for hours. Police said they had increased security at the country's borders. Sweden's King Carl Gustaf expressed his condolences for the victims and their families in a brief statement. "We follow developments but as of now our thoughts go to the victims and their families,'' he said. The king cut short a visit to Brazil on Friday to return home. A number of European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and London Mayor Saddiq Khan, released statements indicating their solidarity with Sweden. "One of Europe's most vibrant and colorful cities appears to have been struck by those wishing it and our very way of life harm," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "An attack on any of our [European Union] member states is an attack on us all." French President Francois Hollande voiced his "horror and indignation" over the assault. Paris' Eiffel Tower went dark for five minutes Friday to honor the victims of the attack. In neighboring Finland, President Sauli Niinisto called the attack a "maniac act of terror," while Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said it was a cowardly attempt "to subdue us and the peaceful way we live in Scandinavia." The U.S. State Department also condemned the attack, adding, "Attacks like this are intended to sow the seeds of fear, but in fact they only strengthen our shared resolve to combat terrorism around the world." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Basque Separatist Group Surrenders Arms, Effectively Ending Nearly 50 Years of European Conflict By VOA News April 08, 2017 The Basque separatist group ETA has relinquished its last caches of weapons, effectively ending one of the longest conflicts in contemporary European history. The International Verification Commission (IVC) confirmed Saturday that the militant group gave French authorities a list of the locations of 12 weapons caches. "We are disarming one of the longest-surviving armed groups in the world," Ram Manikkalingam, a mediator with the IVC, told reporters in the southwestern French city of Bayonne. Saturday's handover was handled through a series of intermediaries and celebrated by hundreds of people with a morning ceremony in Bayonne. The weapons stockpiles could include 130 handguns and two tons of explosives, according to French authorities. ETA, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government, has been blamed for the deaths of more than 850 people since the late 1960s in its push to carve an independent homeland out of territory in northern Spain and southwestern France. The group has been weakened by attrition and a string of high-profile arrests in the late 1990's and 2000's. The last known murder victim of ETA, an acronym for the phrase "Basque Homeland and Liberty," was a French police officer killed in Paris in 2010. The arms handover comes years after the separatists declared a unilateral cease-fire in 2011, but they refused to surrender or lay down their remaining weapons. While the handover does not mean the end of the group as a political entity, it will end nearly a half-century of political violence in Western Europe. Spain has expressed doubt, though, that ETA has disclosed all of the details about it weapons caches. Spain also has resisted negotiations that would allow dwindling members of the outlawed group or their supporters to gain legal political status in the Basque region. Spain has demanded ETA's full dissolution, but the group has refused, in part out of allegiance to the hundreds of members who remain imprisoned in Spain. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Blast hits church in Egypt's Alexandria, kills several people Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 11:36AM At least 16 people have been killed and 41 others injured in a bomb blast that hit a church in Egypt's northern city of Alexandria, the country's Interior Ministry says. Egypt's officials say the casualty figure may rise as some of the injured are in critical condition. According to a report by Egypt's state television, the explosion has been caused by a bomber, who set off his explosives at the site of the attack. A nearby house has been also destroyed in the blast. The blast occurred a few hours after another bombing, which rocked a Coptic church in Tanta in Egypt's Nile Delta, killing at least 26 people and injuring 71. Later on Sunday, the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group released a statement through Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with the terrorist outfit, claiming responsibility for both church bombings in the Arab country. The UN Security Council has condemned the bombings at two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt, describing the attacks as "heinous" and "cowardly." The Security Council issued a statement on Sunday, urging all member states to work with the Egyptian government in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the attacks. According to the statement, the Security Council "expressed its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Egypt." "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," it added. Egypt has been facing violence due to terrorist attacks across the country in the past years with Takfiri militants taking advantage of the turmoil caused in the country after its first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted by the military in July 2013. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Separate Blasts At Egyptian Churches Kill 36 RFE/RL April 09, 2017 Two Coptic churches in Egypt have been hit by explosions that have killed 36 people. The attacks came as Christians observed Palm Sunday. A blast killed 11 people and injured 35 in front of a church in Alexandria, Egypt's Health Ministry said. Egypt's Coptic Church said Pope Tawadros II had attended Palm Sunday Mass there, media reported. The blast on April 9 occurred several hours after a bombing rocked another Coptic church in Tanta in Egypt's Nile Delta, killing at least 25 people and injuring 60. The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the bombings. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," the group's self-styled Amaq news agency said in a statement published on social media. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the start of Holy Week for Christians. Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's population and have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," Amnesty International said in March. A bombing at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded 49 in December. Pope Francis, who is due to visit Egypt later this month, condemned the deadly attack while expressing his "deepest condolences" to all Egyptians and to the head of the Coptic Church. The pontiff said he was praying for the dead and wounded in the attack. He asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence, and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, condemned the attack, calling it a "despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents." With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and CNN Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/egypt-bombing- coptic-church/28419140.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Explosions Target 2 Coptic Christian Churches in Egypt By Edward Yeranian April 09, 2017 Two bomb attacks struck Coptic churches in Egypt as worshippers flocked to church for Palm Sunday services, killing nearly 40 people in Tanta and Alexandria. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the blasts. Coptic church-goers and rescue workers picked through the debris inside the St. George Coptic cathedral in Tanta, north of Cairo in the Nile Delta. Pews were broken and overturned and bloodstained clothing and body parts were strewn on the ground. Eyewitnesses say an explosion took place near the church altar as worshipers recited prayers on Palm Sunday. which begins the Christian Holy Week. Victims of the blast were taken to several nearby hospitals and residents of Tanta were urged to donate blood. Dr. Amjed Abdel Raouf, Dean of the Tanta Medical College, says doctors are doing their best to care for victims of the blast: He says that more than 60 wounded people were taken to two government hospitals. He said some victims had suffered burns and others were being treated for shrapnel wounds. Alexandria attack A second explosion occurred hours later outside the main Coptic cathedral in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. Police indicated a suicide bomber struck outside the church. A Coptic church spokesman said the head of the church, Pope Tawadros III, who was conducting Palm Sunday services inside the church, may have been the target of the attack. People in the streets outside the church scattered in all directions following the bomb blast, shouting and screaming as they ran. U.S. President Donald Trump, on Twitter, said he strongly condemns the blasts. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both church bombings. Egypt's Mufti Shawki Alam condemned the group and insisted those that belong to IS are "not authentic Muslims." He called the group a "criminal, terrorist group, by all measures" and insisted that Egypt is "at a critical point in the life of our nation and that everyone must exert more effort to put an end to extremist ideology and errant interpretations of Islam. In Rome, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, condemned the bombings. Sources close to Pope Francis told Arab media he has not canceled plans to visit Egypt, later this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Kicks Off Construction of its Biggest Amphibious Assault Ship Sputnik News 17:04 08.04.2017 The Chinese Navy has launched construction of its new generation amphibious assault ship, the 075 Landing Helicopter Dock, the South China Morning Post reported. The 075, larger than any other amphibious assault ship in service with the Chinese military, is being built by Shanghai-based Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. According to the report, the vessel will be able to carry helicopter capable of attacking enemy ships, ground forces and submarines. The construction was launched amid the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has also intensified naval patrolling near Taiwan amid "strained ties" with the island government, according to the report. Previously, smaller amphibious assault ships have been deployed to Fiery Cross Reef and other artificial islands in the South China Sea, including the 071 20,000-ton vessel. "Construction of the Type 075 ships will take two more years. The first vessel may be launched as early as 2019 and put into full service in 2020," a source said. The 075 is expected to have a displacement of 40,000 tons, making it one of the world's largest ships of this type. It has a length of 250 meters and a beam of 30 meters. It can reach speeds of up to 23 knots (42.6 kmh). The vessel is believed to dock at least 30 armed helicopters, with four helicopter elevators on the flight deck. For comparison, the United States Navy's new America-class amphibious assault ship has a displacement of 43,745 tons and can carry various attack helicopters and the F-35B VTOL fighter jet. The Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong noted that the Type 075 ships are comparable to the capabilities of the US Navy's previous class of amphibious assault vessels, the Wasp-class. "China has so many giant warships, including four Type 071 amphibious vessels and two aircraft carriers, but its vertical landing capability is still limited due to a lack of the largest helicopter dock vessels. The launch of Type 075 will let the navy become the world's No 2 powerful navy after the US," Wong told the South China Morning Post. In recent years, the Chinese navy turned from a small fleet into a formidable force aimed at gaining dominance in the Pacific. In the 1990s, Beijing launched several projects of advanced submarines, destroyers, frigates and corvettes. In 2012, China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was commissioned. The ship was originally laid down as a Soviet multirole aircraft carrier under the name Riga and then Varyag. China bought it from Ukraine for $25 million. Currently, Beijing is developing its own aircraft carrier program. By 2020, the Chinese naval forces are expected to receive several domestic-built aircraft carriers. On April 23, China is due to launch its first domestic-built aircraft, the 65,000-ton Type 001A. It will be launched on the 68 anniversary of the PLA's Navy and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the launch ceremony. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Analysis: Beijing, Surprised by US Strike on Syria, Ponders Timing By Pei Xu April 08, 2017 Chinese President Xi Jinping, widely known as a cautious man who dislikes surprises, arrived at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate for their first face-to-face meeting well-prepared to deal with all the tough issues the U.S. president might throw at him. Those issues ranged from the $310 billion U.S. trade deficit with China to the recalcitrant North Korean regime whose nuclear and missile programs Trump insisted Beijing must help rein in or not. Taiwan, Tibet, and China's military expansion in the South China Sea also loomed large. Well-prepared as Xi might have seemed to China watchers, he was apparently surprised when the U.S. military got an order from their commander-in-chief to launch Tomahawk cruise missile attacks on Syria in retaliation for the Assad regime's alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Shortly after the dinner concluded Thursday night, 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired from two U.S. Navy destroyers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The strike reportedly left the Chinese president speechless. No comment from Xi So far, the Chinese president has not reacted to the unilateral military action against Syria. His official comment issued Friday ignored the strike: "President Trump made excellent preparations for our country's representatives and gave us a warm reception. I believe that with the passage of time we will make efforts to bear our great historical responsibility for promoting the development of Sino-US relations, to create prosperity for both countries and their people and to uphold global peace and stability." Back in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday made a comment that did not appear to support the strike itself: "China supports the relevant United Nations agencies that conducted independent and comprehensive investigation into all cases of the likely use of chemical weapons. All the concerned parties should strive to maintain the hard-won process of a political solution of the Syrian issue." Before Xi arrived in Florida, Trump had warned he was prepared to go it alone to remove the Pyongyang threat of its nuclear and missile programs should China fail to rein in the situation. Many observers including those who are pro-Beijing, interpreted his remarks as bluster. But, at the daily press briefing in Beijing on Friday, when asked whether the United States was sending a signal to North Korea with the strike on Syria, Hua said: "We believe a solution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through peaceful talks will best benefit all parties' interests. China is willing to go on and make efforts with all parties to seek the denuclearization of the peninsula, and maintain the peace on the peninsula." The Chinese media, tightly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party headed by Xi, has so far downplayed the U.S. missile attacks, instead focusing on the positive points of the meeting. The official Global Times, a publication affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party's newspaper People's Daily, was one of the few media outlets that reported on the strike. A few hours after the Tomahawk missiles hit their targets in Syria, the Global Times published an article saying, "Trump quickly decided to strike the Assad regime in order to show his authority as the U.S. president. He wanted to prove that he dared to do what (former President) Obama dared not do. ... He also wanted to show to the whole world that he is not merely a businessman and that he is not hesitant to use U.S. military power when necessary." The Xi government, its top advisers, and government-controlled media have for months been telling the Chinese that Trump is a businessman president who can be easily placated with commercial favors. This report originated with the VOA Mandarin Service NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Top Diplomat Tillerson Claims China Ready for 'Action' on North Korea Sputnik News 22:16 09.04.2017(updated 22:42 09.04.2017) Reacting to continued North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear weapons testing, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has affirmed that, following recent talks between Beijing and Washington, China has stated that it is prepared to move. Detailed by Tillerson on Sunday, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at Trump's Florida resort last week to discuss, among other topics, ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "President Xi clearly understands," Tillerson clarified, "and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken," according to The Guardian. A full US Navy strike group, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, has been diverted from Australia to the Western Pacific, in what many are calling increased vigilance on the part of the US, as North Korea continues to test newer, and more deadly, weapons in the region. US Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham, in commenting on the repositioning of the carrier strike group to waters near North Korea, said, "The No 1 threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability." HR McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, was quoted as saying that the carrier and its consort of military vessels had been repositioned near Pyongyang because, "it is prudent to do it." Many Republican members of Congress welcomed the more forceful stance against North Korea, but there was disagreement in the Democratic ranks. Foreign relations committee member senator Ed Markey (D-MA) expressed the feeling of many, suggesting that an increased US military presence in the region will result in "an escalation of tension that could lead to nuclear war." According to a Friday report by NBC, the US National Security Council has suggested to Trump and his advisors that nuclear weapons could be returned to South Korea, or that an assassination could be staged to take the life of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang continues to be a thorn in the side of the US and its regional allies, and North Korea remains unrepentant, refusing to modify its nuclear weapons program or come to the negotiating table. According to the state-sanctioned North Korean news outlet KCNA, a foreign ministry spokesperson for the government of Kim Jong-un said, "Swaggering as a superpower, the US has been picking only on countries without nuclear weapons and the Trump administration is no exception." "The reality of today shows that we must stand against power with power and it proves a million times over that our decision to strengthen our nuclear deterrence has been the right choice," the North Korean spokesperson said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Wants Options to End North Korea Nuclear Threat, Security Aide Says By Ken Bredemeier April 09, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump has asked officials to give him options for removing the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday. As a U.S. Navy strike group steamed toward the Korean Peninsula to send a message to North Korea, McMaster told Fox News, "This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime. ... So the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and our allies and partners in that region." McMaster described the U.S. decision to send the Carl Vinson Strike Group to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific as "prudent." He said that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at their summit in Florida last week that Pyongyang's "provocative behavior" developing nuclear weapons was unacceptable. "Presidents before and President Trump agreed this is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the peninsula," McMaster said. North Korea has been trying to develop a long-range missile carrying a nuclear warhead that is capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, a distance of about 8,000 kilometers. It has staged five nuclear tests so far and could be preparing a sixth. North Korea last week conducted a ballistic missile test in spite of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such launches. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, without directly naming North Korea, told ABC News, "If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken." The Carl Vinson Strike Group was making a port call in Singapore and was scheduled to sail for Australia when the U.S. Pacific Command ordered the ships to sail north instead. "Third Fleet ships operate forward with a purpose: to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific," Commander Dave Benham, Director of Media Operations for the U.S. Pacific Command Third Fleet, told VOA. "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," Benham said. The strike group includes its namesake aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, as well as three guided-missile destroyers. Pyongyang's reaction Pyongyang has repeatedly defied international warnings about conducting missile launches and testing nuclear devices. On Sunday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry official was quoted on state-run media as vowing to step up the country's defenses to protect itself from airstrikes like the U.S. carried out against Syria last week. The unidentified official told the Korean Central New Agency the airstrikes were "absolutely unpardonable," and proves Pyongyang is justified in having nuclear weapons. While Trump has not set out a clear strategy for dealing with the isolated nation, he has criticized the administration of former President Barack Obama for its policy of "strategic patience," in the face of North Korea's ongoing efforts to develop long-range nuclear strike capability. Trump has also called on China, North Korea's strongest ally, to take stronger action to curb those nuclear ambitions. Unilateral action? Earlier this month, Trump suggested the U.S. might take action unilaterally if China wasn't willing to do more. "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will," Trump told The Financial Times on April 2. "China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they won't. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone." Tillerson said that Xi, at his summit with Trump, signaled a willingness to do more to rein in North Korea. "They have indicated that they will and I think we need to allow them time to take actions," Tillerson said of China. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The opera will resume its activities in Cairo, Alexandria and Damanhour on Wednesday 12 April Cairo Opera House has declared three days of mourning across all its venues, after bomb attacks on two Egyptian churches killed at least 45 people on Palm Sunday. The opera house announced on social media that it has suspended all activities at its venues in Cairo, Alexandria and Damanhour. The facilities will reopen on Wednesday. One of the attacks, carried out by a suicide bomber, targeted the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. The second targeted St George's Church in Tanta. Both have been claimed by the IS militant group. 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: India Looks Set To Buy Malaysian MiG-29s In Cost Effective Purchase Sputnik News 08:52 08.04.2017 The Indian government has decided to send a team of the Indian Air Force to examine the MiG-29 fleet, which is being replaced by Malaysia, for its use. It will be a value purchase for the Indian Air Force which is short of hundreds of fighter jets since the cost of upgradation is expected to be minimal. New Delhi (Sputnik) The Malaysian government has planned to replace the MiG-29 fleet because it is 20 years old. Defense sources told Sputnik that an expert committee will be sent to Malaysia very soon for the purpose. Earlier this month, the Indian and Malaysian Prime Ministers envisaged greater defense co-operation between the two countries including purchase of MiG-29. "There is a possibility too that India will buy our MiG 29 aircraft for refit. We reciprocate by accepting spare parts for our Sukhoi aircraft program," Prime Minister Najib Razak told the media the end of a six-day visit to India on April 5 as quoted by Bernama news agency. Malaysia had bought 16 MiG-29s from Russia in 1995 but due to limited hours' training, lots of life is still left in six MiG-29s which are operational in the Royal Malaysian Air Force. India expects that with limited upgradation, the MiG-29s can be available for service for the next two decades. The cost of the upgradation is also expected to be low. "Malaysia is a friendly country. India has for years supported training of Malaysian pilots by positioning MiG-29 instructors. India has also supported the maintenance of these aircraft and provided spares. India is quite conversant with the technical state of these aircraft. They may also come relatively cheap," said Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra, the team leader of the MiG-21 upgrade project in Russia in the late 1990s. The upgradation of the Indian Air Force's 67 MiG-29s is nearing completion with 90 percent of indigenous spare parts. "India has an ongoing program for MiG-29 upgrade. We will thus be able extend it to these Malaysian MiG-29 aircraft," Chopra said. The Indian Air Force is facing a severe shortage of aircraft to fight a potential two-front war with Pakistan and China. Recently, India has signed deal to procure 36 Rafale aircraft from France but deliveries of the aircraft would only begin in September 2019 and is expected to be completed by April 2022. Further, 123 indigenous LCA Tejas will also be inducted by 2024 only. The current strength of the Indian Air Force is 34 squadrons with 18-20 aircraft per squadron, far below the required strength of 42 squadrons suggested by the Indian parliamentary panel for defense for two front wars. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's Navy flotilla departs for Oman IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Iranian Navy flotilla departed for Oman on Saturday to attend a joint maritime rescue drill in the South Sea and north of Indian Ocean. Commander of Iran's First Naval Zone Admiral Hossein Azad referred to the heavy traffic of ships in South Sea and the Indian Ocean and highlighted their roles in improving the conditions of maritime economy. Azad noted that providing security of the ships and preparing their rescue is necessary. This year, Oman hosts one-week long joint maritime rescue drill in the South Sea and the Indian Ocean, aimed at providing security of the region, he said. The official said that the Iranian flotilla, attending the drill, consists of Iran's Sabalan destroyer, Lavan logistic warship, SH3D helicopter and Falakhen navy ship with the capacity of 1000 crew members. 9191**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, Oman to hold joint naval drills in Indian Ocean: Commander Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 4:45PM The naval forces of the Islamic Republic and Oman will hold five-day joint rescue and relief drills in Iran's southern waters and the northern areas of the Indian Ocean, an Iranian commander says. An Iranian naval flotilla, comprising Sabalan destroyer, Lavan logistic warship and helicopter carrier, SH3D helicopter and Falakhan missile-equipped warships, left Iran for Oman on Saturday to take part in the drills, the commander of Iran's First Naval Zone, Rear Admiral Hossein Azad, said. He added that it was imperative to improve security in Iran's southern waters and the Indian Ocean given their geographical significance in maritime economy and busy traffic of ships and oil tankers. "The naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the neighboring country of Oman will draw plans and stage joint maneuvers to this effect," Azad said. Iran and Oman have so far held several naval relief and rescue drills aimed at enhancing readiness for providing relief services, conducting rescue operations, improving the level of regional cooperation and exchanging experience. Iran Navy dispatches fleet to Kazakhstan for 1st time The Iranian Navy also on Saturday dispatched a flotilla to the Kazakh port city of Aktau for the first time, the commander of Iran's fleet of warships in the northern province of Gilan, Admiral Ahmadreza Baqeri, said. The 'Peace and Friendship' flotilla consists of Damavand destroyer and Peykan missile-launcher destroyer and plans to stay in Kazakhstan for three days, he added. He emphasized that the fleet would convey Iran's message of peace and friendship. The Iranian naval personnel and commanders on board the fleet are scheduled to visit Kazakhstan's military and historical sites and hold talks with the country's naval officials. In recent years, the Iranian Navy has increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers. In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been also conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries. Iran's Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tanker ships during its missions in international waters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FM Zarif hails Iran's nuclear achievements IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, April 9, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday hailed Iran's nuclear achievements as a source of pride. Writing on his Instagram page, the foreign minister said Iran began more than 42 nuclear projects over the past two years which came into stream by the end of the last year (March 20). Elaborating on Iran's recent nuclear achievements, Zarif referred to the beginning of gas injection into the advanced centrifuges, unveiling stone centrifuges designed to be used in the oil industry which he said Iran is one of the three world countries producing such centrifuges, and the inauguration of the most advanced production line of radio medicines in the thern province of Alborz. On Sunday (April 9), Iran celebrated National Nuclear Technology Day in a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's nuclear chief Ali-Akbar Salehi and Foreign Minister Zarif. Hailing the courage and prudence of President Hassan Rouhani and knowledge of Mr. Salehi in conducting the nuclear talks, Zarif said that the motto of "Nuclear energy is our inalienable right" has turned into a technical, legal and diplomatic reality. 9341**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On National Day of Nuclear Technology and in Rouhani's presence; 2 AEOI achievements unveiled, 3 nuclear centers start operation ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Sun / 9 April 2017 / 12:36 Tehran (ISNA) Iranian president Hassan Rouhani attended the ceremony of the National Day of Nuclear Technology on Sunday and unveiled two achievements of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). During the ceremony in which representatives and ambassadors of other countries took part, making and testing active magnetic bearings and high-temperature condensate RG pump for Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant are the two achievements of the organization. Rouhani also ordered three nuclear-technology-related centers: Center for producing and developing cyclotron-produced radiopharmaceuticals in Alborz province, Center for industrial irradiation in Qazvin province, and project for uranium ore grinding and concentration in Saghand Mineral Complex. Rouhani also visited the exhibition on the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's achievements and was briefed by the managers and experts of the country's atomic industry about the latest achievements and advancements in Iran's nuclear technology. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some 260,000 Iraqis freed since west Mosul operation began: Cmdr. Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 4:17PM Some 260,000 civilians have been freed from the clutches of Daesh terrorists ever since government soldiers, supported by fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, launched an operation to retake the western part of Mosul, the commander of Iraq's Federal Police Forces says. Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat made the announcement on Saturday, adding that Iraqi forces had also killed 512 extremists. A total of 77 snipers were among the slain militants, Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network reported. The high-ranking security official further noted that Iraqi soldiers had destroyed 256 car bombs in addition to 162 motorbikes rigged with explosives. He added that government forces had regained control over 61 areas, noting that 12,000 people had already returned to their homes in liberated areas west of Mosul. Iraqi forces uncover Daesh tunnel south of Mosul Meanwhile, Iraqi army soldiers discovered a network of tunnels as well as ammunition in Mosul in their military operations to fully liberate the country's second largest city. Captain Jassim Mohamed of Nineveh provincial police force said the discovery was made at al-Koliyat neighborhood in the southern flank of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad. Daesh executes 50 civilians in western Mosul Furthermore, Daesh extremists executed 50 civilians in the Ras al-Jadah district of western Mosul. A local source, requesting not to be named, told al-Sumaria television network that the terrorists had killed the victims on charges of "collaboration with government forces." Iraqi army soldiers and popular fighters have made sweeping gains against Takfiri elements since launching the operation to retake Mosul last October. The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 10 militants killed in gun battle with Pakistani police in Lahore Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 1:19PM Pakistani police say at least 10 militants have been killed in a gun battle in the eastern city of Lahore, just a few days after a bomb attack rocked the city, killing several people and wounding nearly 20 others. According to a statement released by Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department, the incident occurred in the early morning of Saturday, when security forces were taking five arrested members of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terrorist group, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, to recover an arms cache and a hideout, both belonging to the group, but they came under attack by nearly 10 militants, who freed the captives. Among the freed suspects was Anwarul Haq, the group's key handler of Lahore's Mall Road blast on February 13, in which at least 14 people were killed. Based on Haq's information, security forces had managed to arrest a number of his accomplices. Police called for reinforcements and encircled the area, forcing the militants to surrender. However, the militants started shooting at police. In the ensuing fierce gun battle that lasted for half an hour 10 militants were killed, including Haq. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had claimed responsibility for February's attack in Lahore along with a number of other terrorist assaults, including an Easter Day bombing in the city last year that claimed the lives of over 70 people in a public park. Saturday's skirmish came three days after the militant group attacked a van carrying census staffers in Lahore. Six people were killed in the assault and 19 others were injured. Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province, has been the scene of several attacks since February this year. In mid-February, a powerful bomb exploded among people participating in a protest rally by Pakistani chemists and pharmaceutical manufacturers near the provincial assembly in the city, killing over a dozen people. Two bomb explosions also rocked Lahore later in February and claimed the lives of at least six people. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia deploys missile-armed ship to Syria after US attack: Source Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 5:38AM Russia has reportedly sent a missile-armed frigate to its naval base in Syria's Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus following a recent US missile strike against an airbase in the Arab country. An informed military-diplomatic source in Moscow told Russia's TASS news agency on Friday that the Admiral Grigorovich, a Russian Black Sea Fleet's frigate, was due to arrive in the Mediterranean later on the day. "The Russian ship armed with cruise missiles Kalibr will visit the logistics base in Tartus," the source said. The 4,000-ton warship's presence off Syria's coast would depend on the situation, but "in any way it will last more than a month," the source added. The Russian ship was deployed to Syria after taking part in a joint exercise with Turkish ships in the Black Sea. Early on Friday, US warships in the eastern Mediterranean launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield in Syria's Homs Province, which Washington alleged was the origin of a suspected chemical attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria's Idlib Province earlier this month. Washington has not provided any evidence to support the accusations, prompting criticisms from many countries and international intuitions for choosing to take unilateral military action hastily and without proof. The strike drew the praise from anti-Damascus militant groups as well as the parties long viewed as their staunch supporters, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and their Western allies. Syria has categorically denied carrying out the purported gas attack, with Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem stressing that the Idlib airstrike had targeted a depot, where terrorists stored chemical weapons. Damascus denounced the US assault as a "blatant aggression" that killed up to 15 people, including civilians, and caused "significant material damage." Russia-US ties also hit a new low following the military strike, which was condemned by Moscow as an act of "aggression against a sovereign nation" and a violation of international law. Following US's unprecedented offensive, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that Moscow was suspending the 2015 air safety agreement with Washington aimed at avoiding mid-air collisions during their military missions in the Syrian airspace. Hours later, a US-led coalition spokesman confirmed that Russia had notified the alliance of its intent to halt the deal. Russia has secured its Syrian bases in Hmeimim and Tartus with S-300 and S400 missile defense systems. Syria's S-200 air defense systems have been restored with Russia's help, TASS reported, adding that those complexes are also deployed to provide protection for the Russian military in eastern Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Admiral Grigorovich Missile Frigate Rejoins Russia's Task Force in the Med Sputnik News 12:16 08.04.2017(updated 15:15 08.04.2017) The Russian Black Sea Fleet's frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, returned to the Mediterranean after participating in drills in the Black Sea. The ship rejoined a Russian naval force deployed in the region. Recently, the Admiral Grigorovich was involved in the Russian-Turkish PASSEX naval exercise in the Black Sea. "The Admiral Grigorovich frigate under the command of Captain Anatoly Velichko joined the Russian permanent naval force in the Mediterranean Sea," the Black Sea Fleet's press office reported Friday. It is expected that the frigate will visit the Russian naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus. The ship will operate in the region in accordance to the changing military situation. In early-March, the Admiral Grigorovich replaced the Smetlivy frigate as part of the Russian naval task force in the Mediterranean. The ship carries eight Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, a Shtil-1 missile self-defense system, an A-190 100-mm artillery system, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes. It can also dock a Ka-27 (or Ka-31) helicopter. The Admiral Grigorovich is the lead ship of project 11356. It was commissioned on March 14, 2014 and entered service with the Black Sea Fleet in June 2016. The frigate participated in the operation of the Russian naval group in Syria led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying missile cruiser. Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from the warship on terrorist targets in November 2016. After Moscow had started the reduction of its combat group in Syria, the Admiral Kuznetsov naval group had been the first to sail back. A group of Russian warships headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, accompanied by the Pyotr Veliky battle cruiser, the Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov anti-submarine destroyers, the Admiral Grigorovich frigate and support vessels participated in the mission. Over two months of the operation, Russian naval aviation destroyed 1,252 terrorist targets in Syria. Currently, the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean includes at least six warships and three or four support vessels. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US missile operation against Syria clear aggression IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Chief of staff of Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart General Valery Gerasimov on Saturday condemned US missile operation against Syria and called it decisive violation against an independent state and underlined that fight against terrorism will continue and intensify. General Baqeri also offered his condolences on the occasion of recent terrorist incident in St. Petersburg and wished success, honor and health for the Russian nation, government and armed forces. In the conversation, the two top generals condemned US missile attack against Syrian military air base and called it decisive and clear violation against an independent state, which by pre-planned program with the aim to slow down the trend of the Syrian army and its allies' victories and strengthen morale of terrorists and their supporters. The two sides also underlined firm intention of Iran and Russia in fight against Takfiri terrorists and added that this confrontation will continue and intensify. They added that the two countries believe Syrian proposal to hold an inspection and research by a neutral group to find out the truth of horrible incident of Khan Sheikhoun and declare it for world public opinion. The top generals underlined continuation of cooperation between Iran and Russia with the Syrian government until the full defeat of terrorists and their supporters. 1391**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Several bodies operating under Egypt's Ministry of Culture announced a three-day suspension of their activities A number of Egyptian cultural institutions across the country have declared three days of mourning on Sunday, after bomb attacks on two Egyptian churches killed at least 45 people and wounded scores more. Among the culture ministry's departments that announced the complete suspension of their activities across venues are the Cultural Palaces Sector, the Theatre Sector, and the Cultural Development Fund. Earlier on Sunday the Cairo Opera House announced it had suspended its activities in Cairo, Alexandria and Damanhour for three days. The facilities will reopen on Wednesday. The office of the Egyptian presidency has also announced three days of national mourning. One of the attacks, carried out by a suicide bomber, targeted the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. The second targeted St George's Church in Tanta. Both have been claimed by the IS militant group. 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: UNSC holds emergency meeting on US missile attack in Syria IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- United Nations Security Council's emergency meeting on US recent missile strike in Khan Shyknun region near Idlib in northern Syria kicked off in New York on Friday. "The United Nations Security Council met at 1130 EDT (1530 GMT) on Friday to discuss U.S. cruise missile strikes on Syria, diplomats said," Reuters reported in a Friday twitter message. US missile attack on Syria has prompted many criticisms all over the world. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a Friday statement appealed to parties involved in the Syrian conflict for restraint to avoid adding to the suffering of Syria's people. President Hassan Rouhani reacting to US recent strike on Syria urged people of the world to reject US aggressive policies. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also twitted, 'As the only recent victim of mass use of chemical weapons (by Saddam in the 80's) Iran condemns use of all WMD by anyone against anyone.' "US aids Saddam's use of CW against Iran in 80's; then resorts to military force over bogus CW allegations: 1st in 2003 and now in Syria, "he added. 'Not even two decades after 9/11, US military fighting on same side as al-Qaida & ISIS in Yemen & Syria. Time to stop hype and cover-ups." US' first aggression on Syrian Army's positions under Donald Trump began on Friday morning (local time) by launching 59 missiles at Shayrat Airfield in Homs province. According to foreign media reports, two US warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired 59 Tomahawk missiles intended for a single target - Shayrat Airfield in Homs province in western Syria, the US Defense Department said. The missile attack was carried out without permission from UN Security Council and the US Congress. 9376**1771 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zarif sees US missile attack very perilous fallacy IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday strongly condemned the US missile attacks to Syrian and called the move as a very perilous fallacy running counter to international rules and regulations. Zarif made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen in Tehran on Saturday. During the meeting, Zarif said Tehran welcomes expansion of all-out relations and cooperation with Hungary in energy, transportation, education, tourism and public communications. Expansion of relations between the two countries and the European Union is very promising and Tehran calls for expansion and deepening of such relations, Zarif said. During recent visit of Hungarian premier to Iran, the two sides reached some very good agreements, he said. To further consolidate and broaden cooperation in the economic sector, the role of private sectors as well as banking cooperation is of prime importance, Zarif said. Referring to expansion of terrorism and extremism in the world, Zarif said to deal with the danger of extremists all should spare no efforts to promote dialogue in order to attain more understanding among religions and this helps restore international security. Such talks is a cultural necessity and this should be regarded as a security perquisite, Zarif said. Referring to recent developments in Syria, he said two very significant developments occurred one killing a number of Syrian people due to use of chemical weapons which was very painful for us and we always condemn such moves and the second development was the US missile attack to Syria which was against international rules and regulations and should be regarded as a dangerous fallacy. Syria had already been disarmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, but failed to disarm terrorists, he said. Syrian government has never been equipped with Sarin chemical gas, but the terrorists have been, he said, adding that on the other hand, there was no need for Syria politically, military or even rationality to use chemical weapons and in a word they had no chemical weapon. In the recent months, the Syrian army was in good situation and the opposition forces were in a distressed situation, he said. The US measure not only was against international rights, but it had another grave mistake and that is taking action without doing investigation, he said. This will prepare grounds for terrorists to misuse such chances in the future and when feel weakened, they will commit such measures and leave room for interference of others in the conflicts, he said. If the terrorists feel that through raising one accusation, the US will take action, we should wait for repetition of such catastrophes, he added. Hungarian deputy prime minister, for his part, thanked the hospitality of the Islamic Republic of Iran and called the two sides relations promising and called for expansion and deepening of such relations. Expansion of cooperation in various sectors mainly in the economic and banking sectors, he said the two sides have signed good agreements during the visit of Hungarian prime minister to Iran and exchange of visits between the two sides officials helped implement mutually agreement signed between the two countries. Hungarian banks are to support joint venture investments in energy and transportations, he said. Syrian crisis should be resolved through dialogue, he underlined. 1430**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi king congratulates US for attacking Syria with missiles Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 10:13AM Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has called US President Donald Trump to praise in person Washington's recent missile strike against a Syrian army air base. During the phone conversation on Friday, King Salman congratulated US President Donald for what was said to be his "courageous decision," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Meanwhile, a Saudi Foreign Ministry official told the SPA that the kingdom "fully supports the US military operations against military targets in Syria." Trump's missile launch was the right response to the Syrian government as the international community has failed to put a halt to Damascus' actions, the official further claimed. Early on Friday, US warships in the Mediterranean launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield in Syria's Homs Province. Damascus denounced the US assault as a "blatant aggression" that killed up to 15 people, including civilians, and caused "significant material damage." Saudi Arabia was among the first parties to speak out in praise of the Friday attack, expressing full support for the American military strike. Riyadh, which has long pushed for the ouster of the Syrian government, stands accused of supporting anti-Damascus Takfiri groups both ideologically and materially. Takfirism, which is a characteristic of many terrorist groups operating in the region, is largely influenced by Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is a member of the US-led coalition, which has been conducting air raids against what are said to be Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. Last February, Saudi Arabia offered for the first time to send ground troops to Syria to fight Daesh. "The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition (against Isis) may agree to carry out in Syria," said military spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri in an interview with al-Arabiya TV news. The Saudi bid was a source of tensions with former US president Barack Obama. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US looking into possible Russian role in Syria chemical attack: Officials Iran Press TV Sat Apr 8, 2017 5:54AM The United States is looking into whether Russia had a role in this week's suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, which provoked a massive US military strike, Pentagon officials said. The Pentagon was "carefully assessing any information that would implicate the Russians knew or assisted with this Syrian capability," a senior military official told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday. At least 80 people died in Tuesday's chemical explosion in the town of Khan Shaykhun, which Russia and Syria said was caused by an airstrike on a militant-controlled depot. The US, however, accused the Syrian government of ordering the attack, a charge Damascus has strongly rejected. Syria turned over its entire chemical stockpile under a deal negotiated by Russia and the US back in 2013. Pentagon officials claimed that Syrian forces were possibly assisted by Russia, or at a minimum Russia failed to rein in the Syrian government's action, the Associated Press reported. They said Russia had an aviation unit at al-Shayrat airfield, where the US said the chemical attack originated, and had "chemical expertise in the country." The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, further said an unmanned aircraft belonging to either Russia or Syria was spotted hovering over the site of the chemical incident after it happened. The drone reportedly returned to the same area later in the day, just before a hospital - where victims were being treated - was bombed. "About five hours later, the UAV returned, and the hospital was struck by additional munitions," one official said. The officials said they suspected the strike on the hospital may have been an effort to destroy evidence of the chemical attack. President Donald Trump, who said he had a change of mind about Syria after the chemical attack, ordered the US military to take out the airfield by cruise missiles. Upon the order, the US military launched 59 Tomahawk missiles against several targets on the airbase in Homs province in the early hours of Friday. The missiles were launched from the USS Porter and USS Ross destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Syrian government decried the "US aggression," and said the military attack would only bolster the position of terrorists in the country. The Kremlin also said Russian President Vladimir Putin regarded the US strike as "an aggression against a sovereign nation" conducted under an "invented pretext." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rights Group Says Two Air Strikes Kill At Least 35 Civilians In Syria RFE/RL April 08, 2017 The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 35 people were killed in two separate air strikes in Syria with forces on the opposing side of the country's civil war suspected in each attack. The Observatory on April 9 said at least 18 people were killed in an air strike by unidentified warplanes in Syria's rebel-held Idlib Province, near the site of a suspected chemical attack carried out by government forces. The planes responsible for the air strike were not immediately identified, but the attack came four days after the suspected chemical weapons attack was blamed on Syrian government forces. Syria denied carrying out the chemical attack. Syrian forces and their Russian allies have been targeting rebel-held Idlib Province in the past. The Observatory said at least five children died in the April 8 air strike and that the toll is likely to rise. Civil defense officials put the number at 19 killed and 22 wounded. Meanwhile, the Observatory on April 8 said suspected U.S.-led coalition warplanes hit an Internet cafe in the IS-held village of Hneida on the outskirts of Raqqa, the de facto IS capital, killing at least 17 and injuring 12. A U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is preparing to launch an attack on Raqqa, the last major IS stronghold in Syria, and is in the process of encircling the city. IS fighters, who captured wide swathes of territory in 2014 in Syria and Iraq, are being pushed back on multiple fronts, including in northern Syria. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 300,000 people since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with antigovernment demonstrations. The United States and Turkey support rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while Russia and Iran back Assad. IS fighters, opposed by both sides, have also entered the fight. With reporting by dpa and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-raqqa-chemical -russia-us-/28418844.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Allies Rally Behind U.S. After Syria Strikes, Kremlin Continues Condemnation RFE/RL April 08, 2017 Allies have rallied around the United States after it vowed to continue to pressure Syria following U.S. missile strikes in the war-torn country, as Russia continued to condemn the operation as illegal and "an act of aggression" against an independent country. While the Kremlin, North Korea, and Iran all slammed U.S President Donald Trump for his decision to launch a barrage of missile strikes on a Syrian air base on April 7, many countries voiced support for the United States for its reaction to a chemical-weapons attack by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces that killed dozens of men, women, and children. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who condemned Moscow's continued support of Assad, said on April 8 he had canceled a scheduled April 10 visit to Moscow as developments in Syria "have changed the situation fundamentally." The official Saudi Press Agency reported that King Salman, whose country has been a strong opponent of Assad, congratulated Trump in a phone conversation for his "courageous decision" and a correct response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it." Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, went as far as saying the U.S. missile strikes would only be "cosmetic" unless Assad was removed from power. Turkey has been a strong backer of the Syrian opposition in the six-year-long conflict. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is supposed to visit Russia next week, said he was "disappointed" but "not surprised" by Russia's angry reaction to the missile strikes. "I'm disappointed in that response from the Russians because it indicates their continued support...for a regime that carries out these kinds of horrendous attacks on their own people." Tillerson said on April 7. "I find it very disappointing, but sadly I have to tell you not all that surprising," he added. Trump said the attack was intended to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons against civilians in a deadly incident this week. The Pentagon said the Shayrat air base, which was partially destroyed by the attack, was the one used by Syria's air force to launch a nerve-gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, killing at least 86 people. Reuters quoted U.S. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard as saying on April 8 that the strikes had destroyed the means to deliver chemical weapons from that base, and that the U.S. military was ready to carry out further strikes if needed. Trump officials on April 7 signaled new sanctions would soon follow the missile attack earlier in the day, and that the Pentagon was even looking into whether Russia had a role in the chemical-weapons attack that prompted Washington to launch 59 cruise missiles in its first-ever assault against Assad's regime. Moscow has said the strikes violated international law and that it would suspend lines of communication with the U.S. military in Syria and help Syria increase its air defenses against future attacks. Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, spoke by phone on April 8 to discuss the situation in Syria following the attacks, TASS reported. "Sergei Lavrov underscored that an attack on the country which government battles terrorism merely plays in extremists' hands and creates additional threats for regional and global security," TASS quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying. Lavrov also spoke with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel by phone, where he stressed the U.S. reasoning for the strike was "unconvincing" and "untrue," TASS reported. North Korea said on April 8 that it condemned the missile strikes as "an unforgivable act of aggression" that showed its decision to develop nuclear weapons was "the right choice a million times over," while Iranian President Hassan Rohani called for an impartial probe into the alleged chemical attack in Syria. "We are asking for an impartial international fact-finding body to be set up...to find out where these chemical weapons came from," Rohani said as he condemned the U.S. missile strikes as an "aggression." Tehran is Assad's main regional ally. With reporting by AP, AFP, Interfax, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-us-allies-back-- strike-russia-iran-condemn/28418377.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson 'Disappointed' By Angry Russian Reaction To Syria Strike April 08, 2017 U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he was "disappointed" but "not surprised" by Russia's angry reaction to this week's U.S. missile strikes in Syria. Moscow denounced the barrage of missile strikes on a Syrian air base on April 7 as an "act of aggression" and violation of international law, and said it would suspend lines of communication with the U.S. military in Syria and help Syria increase its air defenses against future attacks. "I'm disappointed in that response from the Russians because it indicates their continued support...for a regime that carries out these kinds of horrendous attacks on their own people." said Tillerson, who will travel to Moscow for his first official visit next week. "I find it very disappointing, but sadly, I have to tell you, not all that surprising," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump said the attack was intended to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons against civilians in a deadly incident this week. The Pentagon said the Shayrat air base, which was partially destroyed by the attack, was the one used by Syria's air force to launch a nerve-gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, killing at least 86 people. On April 8, Iranian President Hassan Rohani called for an impartial probe into the alleged chemical attack in Syria. "We are asking for an impartial international fact-finding body to be set up...to find out where these chemical weapons came from," Rohani said as he condemned the U.S. missile strikes as an "aggression." Tehran is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main regional ally. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-secretary-state- tillerson-disappointed-not-surprised -angry-russian-reaction-us-m issile-strikes-syria/28417687.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lavrov to Tillerson: US Attack in Syria Plays Into Terrorists' Hands Sputnik News 20:59 08.04.2017(updated 03:19 09.04.2017) Russian Foreign Minister told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson in a phone conversation that the US attack on Syrian army's airfield plays into the hands of terrorists, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The Russian and US top diplomats discussed the US missile attack in Syria. Only terrorists will benefit from the US strikes on the Syrian airbase, Lavrov told Tillerson. "Sergei Lavrov emphasized that an attack on a country whose government is fighting against terrorism is only playing into extremists' hands and creating additional threats for regional and global security," the statement by the Russian ministry read. Lavrov stressed that reports of use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in Idlib are false. Lavrov added that it is necessary to conduct a throrough, impartial investigation into the Idlib chemical attack. "It was noted that it is necessary to conduct a thorough and professional investigation into facts concerning all this situation [the Idlib chemical attack]." Lavrov and Tillerson agreed to continue the discussion of the Syrian settlement during a personal meeting next week during US Secretary's of State visit to Moscow. On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. A number of states, including Australia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom have already expressed their support for the attack, while Russia called the US actions in Syria an aggression against a sovereign state based on an unjustified reason. On April 4, Syrian opposition claimed Tuesday forces loyal to President Bashar Assad had used a chemical gas on people in the northwestern province, killing nearly 80 and injuring 200. Assad argued his government has no chemical weapons after agreeing to have them destroyed in 2013. He also ruled out having used chemicals against own people. Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Pentagon and the US State Department have failed to prove the existence of chemical weapons at the Syrian airfield struck by US cruise missiles. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Prime Minister Lauds US Attack on Syrian Airbase - Reports Sputnik News 20:57 08.04.2017(updated 21:10 08.04.2017) Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim supported the US decision to carry out a missile attack against Syria's airbase during phone talk with US Vice President Mike Pence, local media reported Saturday citing a source at Yildirim's office. ANKARA (Sputnik) According to the Anadolu news agency, Yildirim reportedly also noted the necessity to draw more attention to establishing Trump-proposed safe zones in Syria, aimed at guaranteeing that civilians in that area would not be targeted by any party in Syria's civil war. On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. A number of states, including Australia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom have already expressed their support for the attack, while Russia called the US actions in Syria an aggression against a sovereign state based on an unjustified reason. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he welcomes the US missile strike on a Syrian airbase, but does not consider it to be sufficient. The US missile attack claimed the lives of 10 people, an officer of the Syrian Armed Forces told Sputnik. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attack left two Syrian servicemen missing, four killed, and six suffering severe injuries from the fire. Homs Governor Talal Barazi said earlier on Friday that at least two civilians from a nearby village and five Syrian servicemen were killed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Fails to Prove Existence of Chemical Weapons at Syrian Airfield - Russian MoD Sputnik News 16:02 08.04.2017(updated 18:26 08.04.2017) The Pentagon and the US State Department have failed to prove the existence of chemical weapons at the Syrian airfield struck by US cruise missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. The Russian military said that Moscow believes that sending experts is the only way to obtain evidence of the alleged use to presence of chemical weapons at the Syrian airbase attacked by the US. "After 24 hours after the US Navy warships launched a massive strike by cruise missile on the Sha'irat [airfield in Syria], neither the Pentagon, nor the US State Department have presented proof of the presence of chemical weapons there," ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Media representatives who visited the base as well haven't found any chemical weapons there, Maj. Gen. Konashenkov added. "The airfield was visited by dozens of mass media representatives, by the local administration, firefighters, police, not to mention Syrian servicemen. Neither depots, nor ammunition containing chemical weapons have been found at the Sha'irat [airbase]. Everyone who has been at the airfield don't wear gas masks and feel absolutely well." "A question arises: what has again been demostrated to the US president as the alleged proof of the chemical weapons' possesion in a state disliked by Washington and who did it [presented the "evidence]?" "Thus, the only way to receive objective evidence of the alleged possession of chemical weapons at the Sha'irat and demonstrate it to the world is to sent there a commission of experts," he said. He added that the same thing was done in the Syrian city of Aleppo by Russian specialists after militants had used chemical weapons. "Any specialist of the reliable even for the US Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) knows that the precursors left from the combat poisonous substances cannot be hidden even after months and years after they had been stored [in a place]." On Thursday night, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat, located about 25 miles from the city of Homs. Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. On April 4, Syrian opposition claimed Tuesday forces loyal to President Bashar Assad had used a chemical gas on people in the northwestern province, killing nearly 80 and injuring 200. Assad argued his government has no chemical weapons after agreeing to have them destroyed in 2013. He also ruled out having used chemicals against own people. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Air Base Hit by US Missiles 'Operational Again' By VOA News April 08, 2017 Syrian warplanes have resumed flights from an airbase targeted in Friday's U.S. cruise missile attack, according to a provincial governor who said the base was operating from what he described as "a first phase." The comments from Homs provincial Governor Talal Barazi, reported Saturday by Reuters, came just hours after the Syrian government said the U.S. missile attack on the Shayrat airbase had caused extensive damage. Barazi did not offer further details, and the Pentagon referred questions about conditions at the airbase to the Damascus government. Monitors from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said Syrian warplanes were able to take off from the base Friday and struck rebel targets in eastern parts of the province. It was not immediately clear whether planes from Shayrat participated in strikes Saturday that killed at least 18 civilians near the small city of Sheikhoun. That city was hit early this week by chemical weapons that authorities say were fired either by Syrian or Russian warplanes, sparking an international outcry and the U.S. cruise missile retaliation three days later. The Observatory said the Saturday strikes may have been carried out by Russian warplanes, which began backing Syrian military operations last year. Trump: runways not primary targets U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the missile strikes on Shayrat after rescue workers said at least 100 people were killed and hundreds of others injured in the chemical strikes at Sheikhoun. Trump later suggested on Twitter that the Shayrat runways had not been the primary missile targets. He did not elaborate, other than to note that runways are easily and quickly repaired. A U.S. Navy admiral said the missile strikes had destroyed the ability of the Syrian military to launch chemical strikes from the base. Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, told Reuters U.S. forces are prepared to carry out further strikes if needed. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly denied using chemical weaponry in its fight against rebels seeking to topple the Damascus government. Idlib under rebel control Idlib province is largely controlled by a rebel alliance that includes al-Qaida-linked fighters who have battled to oust the Damascus government for most of the past six years. Idlib's rebel population has swelled in recent months, largely because of a series of agreements with Damascus allowing rebels safe passage to the province from other areas of the country. The province remains a primary target of Syrian and Russian jet fighters. In related developments, Syria's state news agency SANA said Saturday that hundreds more Syrian rebels and their families have left the last opposition-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs, under a Russia-brokered deal granting them safe passage to other areas of the country. Saturday's evacuations are the fourth set of rebel withdrawals from Homs, under the deal brokered in early February. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson Heads to Moscow Days After US Missile Strikes in Syria Anger Russia By Nike Ching April 08, 2017 U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Moscow on April 12, just days after the United States launched missile strikes on a Syrian airbase in response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack that killed civilians. Officials say the top U.S. diplomat will urge Russia to rethink its continued support for the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. Britain's foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said on Saturday he had canceled a visit to Moscow that was scheduled for April 10. "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally," said Johnson in a statement. Secretary of State Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Wednesday, after he attends the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Italy from April 9 to 11. The State Department did not respond to VOA's inquiry on whether Tillerson's Moscow trip has been changed or canceled since the U.S. military strikes. Analysts say Washington needs the diplomatic follow-up, though, after the military action. The top U.S. diplomat, known as a man of few words, had harsh comments for Russia, which Washington blamed for failing to rein in its ally, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has been simply incompetent," said Tillerson on Thursday night. He was referring to the Kremlin's failure to prevent the Assad government from allegedly conducting a poison gas attack that killed scores of people in rebel-held Idlib province. In 2013, the Syrian government agreed to surrender its chemical weapons under the supervision of the Russia government. Prior to the recent gas attack, Tillerson said Assad's future would be decided by the Syrian people. After the attack, he took aim at Assad's government and Russia's support for him. Experts said the U.S. military strike could complicate Tillerson's diplomatic mission to Moscow, and that an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the future of Assad also is possible. "For sure this means further immediate bumps in the bilateral relationship," former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told VOA. He said despite the fact that the missile strikes were quite limited and Washington had warned Moscow ahead of time so that Russian soldiers would not be in danger, Moscow's reaction was rather strong. Herbst, now director of the Atlantic Council's Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, said Russia's decision to suspend the de-confliction mechanism, which is intended to avoid accidents, was not well considered. "While de-confliction serves the interest of both U.S. and Russian, it is more important to Moscow" because U.S. conventional forces are far superior and "Russian forces are more at risk in case of an incident," said Herbst. "The strikes undoubtedly change the tone of the conversation, given the de-confliction protocols, between Russia and the U.S. have been suspended in Syria," Michael Kofman from Center for Naval Analyses told VOA. Professor Doga Ulas Eralp of American University in Washington told VOA on Friday that Tillerson "now has to scramble to broker a deal" that would allow a sustainable coordination mechanism between the two countries "if the U.S. is determined to escalate its military engagement in Syria." Middle East Institute scholar Daniel Serwer told VOA the military strikes "shoot the Syria agenda item to the top." The key question is whether Tillerson can get something going with the Russians on a political solution in Syria," he added. Former U.S. officials say the Syrian chemical attack is a major challenge to the nascent relationship between the Trump administration and the Kremlin. "It is vital that the U.S. corrects course and that the current administration moves quickly from a set of alarming and ignorant comments to having a real policy and strategy for managing and mitigating Putin's negative impacts on world peace and security," said former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer. Alexei Arbatov, director of the Center of International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, told VOA's Russian service that while the U.S. missile strike in Syria complicates U.S.-Russian relations, "the reaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry thus far has been quite restrained, and it is not rejecting the possibility of agreements and cooperation with the United States." While Washington is willing to work with Moscow in areas of practical cooperation, the State Department said Secretary Tillerson will make it clear the U.S. is committed to holding Russia accountable when international norms are violated. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US missile strikes against Syria strategic mistake: Ayat. Khamenei Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 2:34PM Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the recent missile strikes by the US military against a Syrian army air base were a "strategic mistake." The Leader made the remarks in a New Year meeting with senior commanders of Iran's Armed Forces on Sunday. "What the Americans did was a strategic mistake and error and they are repeating the [same] mistakes as their predecessors," the Leader said. "Former American officials created Daesh [terrorists] or helped them, and the current officials are also strengthening Daesh or a group similar to it," the Leader added. Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei warned that the threat posed by such terrorist groups would backfire on Americans in the future, adding, "Europe is currently in trouble for the wrong step that it took for bolstering Takfiris, and [European] people are not secure at [their] homes and on the street, and America is repeating the same wrong step." The Leader then noted that the Americans were quite apt to committing crimes and acts of aggression as they had already carried out such measures in other parts of the world. Ayatollah Khamenei said some Western countries fully supported the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, during the eight-year imposed war against Iran (1980-88), adding that "hypocrite" European governments, which are now claiming that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, gave tons of chemical weapons to Saddam to use them in attacking the Iranian city of Sardasht and the Iraqi city of Halabjah. Ayatollah Khamenei also warned against the enemy's plot to undermine the morale of the Iranian officials, nation and the Armed Forces, saying that the enemy was trying to create a feeling of weakness among Iranians through psychological tactics. However, the Leader stated, the Islamic Republic has proved that it would not succumb to any unfounded remarks and wrong measures taken by enemies, and the Iranian officials and people, who believe in the Islamic Revolution, would not yield to threats due to their trust in God. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, Syria military top brass discuss US strikes in Syria Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 1:48PM The military brass of Iran and Syria say the US missile strikes against a Syrian airfield will fail to bear any fruit, stressing that terrorists and their allies are on the verge of final collapse. In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri and his Syrian counterpart, General Ali Abdullah Ayoub, said the US attack was aimed at boosting the morale of terrorists and their defeated allies. Baqeri strongly condemned US airstrikes against Syria as "a blatant aggression against an independent and sovereign country" and a breach of international law. "The terrible chemical incident in [the Syrian town of] Khan Shaykhun was a suspicious incident and a plot against the Syrian government and nation," he added. Like Syria and Russia, Iran also believes that it is necessary to conduct a field investigation into the chemical attack by an impartial group, he added. At least 86 people were killed in a gas attack in Khan Shaykhun in Syria's Idlib Province. Anti-Damascus militants and Western countries rushed to blame Syrian government for the incident without providing any evidence to support their accusations. The Iranian military official further stated that the US missile attacks on Syria were an attempt by the White House and its allies to promote aggression and revive terrorists. Baqeri emphasized that the Iranian nation and Armed Forces were confident that the Syrian government and people would ultimately emerge triumphant against the Takfiri terrorists backed by arrogant powers. The Syrian military official, for his part, commended Iran's support for his country's government, nation and army in their fight against terrorists and their sponsors. He added that the US airstrikes had strengthened the motivation of Syrian popular fighters and army forces to defeat terrorists. Using the Idlib tragedy as a pretext, US President Donald Trump ordered the country's warships in the Mediterranean to carry out a missile attack on Syria. They launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield in Syria's Homs Province early on Friday. Baqeri also held a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov, on Saturday. The two sides said the pre-planned US missile strikes against the Syrian airfield were a blatant attack on an independent country with the purpose of hindering its recent military gains and boosting the morale of terrorists and their allies. Baqeri and Gerasimov also expressed their countries' resolve to fight Takfiri terrorism and vowed to step up anti-terror operations in cooperation with the Syrian government until the complete defeat of terrorists and their allies. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Regime change in Syria a priority of Trump administration: Haley Iran Press TV Sun Apr 9, 2017 4:26AM The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is one of the priorities of the Trump administration. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley said in an interview with CNN, which will air in full on Sunday. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad," she stressed. "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen." The ambassador, however, emphasized that defeating the Daesh (ISIL) terror group was still a top policy goal in Syria. The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the US military launched a massive missile strike against a Syrian airbase in the early hours of Friday. President Donald Trump said the operation was in response to a suspected chemical attack this week, which Washington has blamed on the Assad government. "You pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this, it's about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had told reporters on March 30. Syria and Russia said the chemical explosion in Idlib, which left more than 80 people dead, was caused by an airstrike on a militant-controlled depot. The missile strikes on al-Shayrat airfield in Homs showed the lack of any coherent foreign policy by the Trump administration, according to international relations experts. That has also been evident in conflicting statements by administration officials. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took a more measured tone with regard to the Syrian government on Saturday, saying the administration's first priority was the defeat of Daesh. Once the threat of Daesh was dealt with, "I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria," Tillerson said in an interview with CBS that will air in full on Sunday. The top diplomat said Washington hopes it can help bring parties together to negotiate a political solution to the conflict. "If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process," Tillerson said. Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Russia on Tuesday for two days of talks. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow expected "explanations" over the airbase attack. Members of Congress have demanded that the Trump administration develop a broader strategy for Syria and consult with lawmakers on any military action. US reduces airstrikes after missile attack The United States has been conducting airstrikes against purported Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US-led coalition, which has largely failed to fulfill its declared goal of defeating Daesh, has repeatedly been accused of targeting Syria's infrastructure and killing civilians. Following the airbase attack, the US has greatly reduced the airstrikes as commanders assess whether the Syrian government or Russia plan to respond, the New York Times reported, citing US officials. The precautionary move was taken as Russia threatened to suspend the communication channel with the US military established to avoid midair incidents in the skies over Syria The Pentagon for now is flying patrol missions over Syria with F-22 jets, officials said on condition of anonymity. They said if the US military can determine that Syria and Russia will not follow their sharp criticism of the missile strikes with military action, it could quickly increase the pace of the air campaign. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address West Steps Up Pressure On Russia Over Syria, Assad Allies Threaten To Respond To 'Aggression' RFE/RL April 09, 2017 The United States and Britain kave stepped up pressure on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Damascus's allies vowed to respond to any "aggression" against Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in an interview with ABC's This Week program aired on April 9 that in meetings next week in Moscow, he will call upon the Russian government to live up to a 2013 agreement that was intended to strip Syria of its chemical-weapons stockpiles. "It agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons, and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me," said Tillerson, who is to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on April 11. Tillerson's comments come amid international outrage over an alleged chemical air strike on April 4 that Syrian activists say killed 86 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib Province. Moscow and Damascus claim that the toxic gas was released when strikes by government forces hit a rebel weapons depot, an assertion the United States and others reject. In response to the attack, the United States fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on April 7, drawing condemnations by Russia and Iran, which have given Assad crucial diplomatic and military support throughout Syria's six-year-long civil war. Washington's allies voiced support for the U.S. action, the first time the United States has intervened directly in Syria's conflict. Tillerson made clear that the U.S. objective was limited to deterring further chemical attacks, saying, "Other than that, there is no change to our military posture." The secretary of state stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity in the attack, but said that "they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians." If Syria carries out more chemical attacks, he warned, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to U.S.-Russian relations." Meanwhile, a joint command center made up of the forces of Russia, Iran, and militias supporting Assad said the U.S. strike crossed "red lines." "The aggression against Syria oversteps all red lines," said a statement published by Al-Watan, a newspaper close to Assad's government. "We will react firmly to any aggression against Syria and to any infringement of red lines, whoever carries them out." Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States made a "strategic mistake" by attacking Syria, state news agency IRNA reported. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave the field...in the face of threats," Khamenei warned. Also on April 9, Syrian state media reported that Iranian President Hassan Rohani affirmed his support for Syria's government in a phone call with Assad. The Syrian leader was quoted as accusing the United States of trying to boost the morale of "terrorist groups" in Syria. Damascus refers to all Syrian opposition groups as "terrorists." The Iranian president dismissed reports that Assad's forces were behind a chemical attack as "baseless," according to a statement on the presidency website. "The nation of Iran will remain alongside the Syrian nation in fighting terrorism and safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity," he added. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Rohani condemned "aggressive" U.S. actions against Syria in a phone call. Both presidents "noted the inadmissibility of U.S. aggressive actions against a sovereign state in violation of international law," an April 9 statement said. It added that Putin and Rohani called for an "objective, impartial" investigation into the incident and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation to fight terrorism. Russia also hit out at British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's decision to cancel a visit to Moscow, scheduled to take place on April 10, citing developments in Syria. The move "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The British have "no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining 'in the shadow' of their strategic partners," it added. Johnson earlier said that instead of traveling to Moscow, he would now be going to Italy for a Group of Seven (G7) meeting on April 10-11 to build coordinated international support for a cease-fire in Syria. He argued it would be best for Tillerson to deliver a "clear and coordinated message" to the Russians during his own visit to the Russian capital. Johnson said in a statement that Britain deplored "Russia's continued defense of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians" and called on Russia to "do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria. Writing in the Sunday Times, British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon blamed Russia for "every civilian death" in the "barbaric" chemical attack. Fallon wrote that the Kremlin was responsible "by proxy" as the "principal backer" of Assad's government. "In the past few years, they have had every opportunity to pull levers and stop this civil war," he wrote. "Russia must show the resolve necessary to bring this regime to heel." With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, the BBC, TASS, and Interfax Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iran-backs-syria-assad- after-us-missile-strike/28419213.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain Blames Russia For Syria Deaths RFE/RL April 09, 2017 British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has blamed Russia for "every civilian death" in last week's "barbaric" chemical attack on a town in Syria that killed dozens of men, women, and children. Writing in the Sunday Times, Fallon said the Kremlin was responsible "by proxy" as the "principal backer" of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He described the gas attack as a war crime that happened under Russia's watch. "In the past few years, they have had every opportunity to pull levers and stop this civil war. Russia must show the resolve necessary to bring this regime to heel," Fallon wrote. It comes after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had canceled a visit to Moscow scheduled to take place on April 10, citing developments in Syria, where an alleged chemical weapons attack prompted the United States to launch missile strikes. "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally," Johnson said in a statement issued on April 8. "My priority is now to continue contact with the United States and others in the run-up to the G7 meeting on April 10-11 -- to build coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process," the statement said. Johnson added, "We deplore Russia's continued defense of the Assad regime even after the chemical-weapons attack on innocent civilians." Johnson called on Russia, a key Assad ally, "to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized Johnson's decision, saying it showed a lack of understanding of events in Syria. The Russian ministry said the cancellation "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues." The British have "no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining 'in the shadow' of their strategic partners," it added. Western countries have blamed Assad's armed forces for the airborne attack dispersing what appeared to be a nerve agent on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, killing more than 86 people. Syria's government has denied responsibility. The United States struck a Syrian air base with dozens of cruise missiles early on April 7 in response to the alleged attack. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and the BBC Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/uk-blames-russia-syria- civilian-deaths/28419097.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Envoy to UN: Trump Will Strike Syria Again if Necessary By Ken Bredemeier April 09, 2017 The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is suggesting if President Donald Trump needs to carry out more military strikes on Syria, he will. "He will not stop here," Ambassador Nikki Haley told CNN on Sunday. "If he needs to do more, he will." But Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave mixed signals on the priority of removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley said. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad. "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said. But Tillerson said defeating Islamic State is still the paramount U.S. goal in Syria. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight," Tillerson told CBS's "Face the Nation." "And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," an acronym for Islamic State fighters. "Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated," Tillerson said, "I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria." The top U.S. diplomat added, "We're hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions" between the Assad government and various rebel groups trying to overthrow the Damascus regime. Syria resumes airstrikes On Saturday, Syrian warplanes resumed flights from an air base targeted in Friday's U.S. cruise missile attack, according to a provincial governor who said the base was operating from what he described as "a first phase." The comments from Homs provincial Governor Talal Barazi came just hours after the Syrian government said the U.S. missile attack on the Shayrat air base had caused extensive damage. Barazi did not offer further details, and the U.S. Defense Department referred questions about conditions at the air base to the Damascus government. Monitors from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said Syrian warplanes were able to take off from the base Friday and struck rebel targets in eastern parts of the province. It was not clear whether planes from Shayrat participated in strikes Saturday that killed at least 18 civilians near the small city of Sheikhoun. That city was hit early last week by chemical weapons that U.S. authorities say were fired by Syrian warplanes, sparking an international outcry and the U.S. cruise missile retaliation three days later. Russia says that a conventional airstrike hit a rebel depot containing "toxic substances." The Observatory said the Saturday strikes may have been carried out by Russian warplanes, which began backing Syrian military operations last year. Trump: runways not primary targets Trump ordered the missile strikes on Shayrat after rescue workers said at least 100 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded in the chemical strikes at Sheikhoun. Trump later suggested on Twitter the Shayrat runways had not been the primary missile targets. He did not elaborate, other than to note that runways are easily and quickly repaired. A U.S. Navy admiral said the missile strikes had destroyed the ability of the Syrian military to launch chemical strikes from the base. Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, told Reuters U.S. forces are prepared to carry out further strikes if needed. Assad's government has repeatedly denied using chemical weaponry in its fight against rebels seeking to topple the Damascus regime. Idlib under rebel control Idlib province is largely controlled by a rebel alliance that includes al-Qaida-linked fighters who have battled to oust the Damascus government for most of the past six years. Idlib's rebel population has swelled in recent months, due largely to a series of agreements with Damascus allowing rebels safe passage to the province from other areas of the country. The province remains a primary target Syrian and Russian jet fighters. In related developments, Syria's state news agency SANA said Saturday hundreds more Syrian rebels and their families have left the last opposition-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs, under a Russia-brokered deal granting them safe passage to other areas of the country. Saturday's evacuations are the fourth set of rebel withdrawals from Homs, under the deal negotiated in early February. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan: 'Europe Will Answer for Their Treatment of Turks Following Referendum' Sputnik News 21:54 09.04.2017(updated 21:59 09.04.2017) Turkey will soon hold the Europeans to account for their unfair treatment of the Middle-Eastern country, Turkish Presidet Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday at a rally in Izmir promoting an upcoming nation-wide referendum which would dramatically increase his powers. "I expect a high turnout of Turkish citizens living in European countries. Turkish expats have regularly faced injustices and pressure in Europe. But the Turkish people will soon call [those countries] to answer for what they have done. After the April 16 referendum, Turkey will bring Europe to account," President Erdogan said at a rally in the western Turkish city of Izmir. Relations between Turkey and the European Union have deteriorated significantly in recent months due to the refusal of several European governments, including the Netherlands and Germany, to allow Turkish ministers to hold campaign meetings with local expat communities ahead of the Turkish referendum on constitutional amendments, which if passed would significantly expand President Erdogan's powers. Erdogan compared the authorities in Berlin with Nazis and branded Amsterdam as "Fascists, Nazi remnants". Turkey and the European Economic Community (the EU's predecessor) signed an Association Agreement in 1963. Ankara applied to join the community in 1987. Formal talks on Turkey's accession to the EU started in 2005. In March 2016, Ankara's candidacy received a boost after it signed a migration deal with the European Union. However, talks have been repeatedly suspended due to various obstacles, including the European Union's objections regarding the clampdown by the Turkish government on those suspected of ties to organizers of the failed coup in July 2016. On March 25, as EU officials celebrated the supranatioanl union's 60th birthday, Erdogan said Turkey could hold a referendum on whether it actually needs to further strive to join the bloc. On March 17, Erdogan urged Turks living in Europe to have five children and reach prosperity, as they are "the future of Europe." On April 2, Erdogan told his supporters that the EU does not want to welcome Turkey in its ranks because "it is a Christian union". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian President Signs Ukraine-NATO Cooperation Program for 2017 Sputnik News 19:13 08.04.2017 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's press service announced on Saturday that he signed the program of Ukraine's cooperation with NATO in 2017. KIEV (Sputnik) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the program of Ukraine's cooperation with NATO in 2017, which provides for the development of political dialogue and comprehensive practical cooperation, Poroshenko's press service said Saturday in a statement. "President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree 'On Approving the Annual National Program under the Auspices of the Ukraine-NATO Commission in 2017,'" the statement reads, adding that the program has been significantly updated and improved. The statement says that the program includes measures on reform implementation in state security, defense and other spheres of major importance, as well as on fighting corruption and decentralization. The aim of these reforms is to advance Ukraine toward NATO standards. Additionally, the program provides for further development of the political dialogue between Ukraine and NATO, as well as building comprehensive and practical cooperation with NATO in order to "strengthen Ukraine's defense, and capabilities to counter continued Russian aggression." Moreover, NATO's support for Ukraine is expected to be enhanced through the implementation of the Comprehensive Assistance Package, endorsed during NATO Summit in July, 2016. In January, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said this year's program would be focused on defense and security issues, and Ukraine would be able to use the resources provided by the NATO member countries under the program. In December 2014, Ukraine canceled its non-aligned status, confirming its intention to join NATO. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said a referendum on NATO membership would be held by 2020. Despite Kiev's aspirations to become part of the alliance, NATO officials have repeatedly stressed that the country needs to implement a wide range of reforms before pursuing bloc membership. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address People, Pets & Pilot is the annual signature fundraising event for the Luncheon Pilot Cub of Danville to help those with brain related disorders and disabilities in the community. The club is part of Pilot International, a charitable and educational organization. The club supports a variety of organizations in the area including Project Lifesaver for both the Danville and Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office; a special project funding for Danville Speech and Hearing Clinic, Danville-Pittsylvania County Community Services, scholarships for students in the Autism Program at Averett University, the Autism 5K; and the Arc of Southside. To participate in People, Pets & Pilot residents can register to have a professional 11x14 wall portrait taken (valued at $169) with a pet by award-winning photographer, Rachel Bowen of Photography by Rachel for $25! I am very honored to be the photographer for the People Pets & Pilot fundraiser this year, Bowen said. Even more so knowing that the money raised is going to help people with brain injuries and disabilities. Someone I deeply care for is in a nursing home now, because of severe brain damage sustained in a motorcycle wreck. He was a part of my life for many years and it is so hard to see someone who was so full of life confined to a bed and unable to have a normal life. I feel like God brought this opportunity to me so that maybe I can help spread the word and raise money for this cause. Since the purpose of the event is to raise money, the Luncheon Pilot Club of Danville will display the pictures at the Danville YMCA, from Oct. 9-22. During this time, the community will vote in cash for their favorite picture. The winner is determined by the picture that raises the most amounts of tax deductible cash votes and the winner gets a prize. For more information and to register, contact Melanie Vaughan, (434) 709-0695 or email, karma50@gamewood.net. 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! We'd pre-announced it almost a year ago and now the news is official: in 2018 the SBK will travel to Argentina, for the first time in its history. Hosting the round will be the brand new Villicum Circuit, still under construction, located in the province of San Juan. The Argentinian designer and architect Leonardo Stella, who has planned a track that will be 4. 2 kilometres long, with 19 corners of which 11 left-handers and 8 right-handers. The new track is located along the symbolic Route 40, a road 5000 km in length that divides Argentina and offers various tourist attractions along its route. With this addition to the calendar, Argentina will become the 26th country to host a SBK weekend. If it all goes to plan, the track's international homologation will be confirmed later this year and the production-derived bikes will race at the new facility for 3 years. Interestingly, the news was confirmed today, while the MotoGP is racing at Rio Hondo, also in Argentina. Carmelo Ezpeleta is pleased about the news: knowing that the SBK will race in Argentina is great news - declared the Dorna CEO- and a big step forward. Soon Argentina will have both the MotoGP and the SBK, proving that the local people's passion for bikes is strong and well established. Red Bull's drivers admit it will take time for the team to get close to the top two teams in 2017. If the pecking order was unclear after Melbourne, the 1.5 second gap from the new Red Bull to the much-faster Mercedes and Ferrari is now fairly obvious in China. But the biggest worry is that Red Bull does not really know what the problem is, with a lack of both grip and Renault engine power both obvious. "We're not going to make this up overnight," Max Verstappen said in Shanghai. And Daniel Ricciardo, 'best of the rest' behind the two Mercedes and Ferraris in qualifying, agreed: "We need a few really good upgrades. "I feel better in the car and it was easier to set up, but I'm still too slow. "The balance is good and I can attack, but in the end we are missing 1.5 seconds. "I said in Melbourne that we need more rear grip, but I'm afraid that here we're also missing front grip. We can no longer say that it's the setup -- at most there are two more tenths there. "We're missing much more than that," said the Australian. Verstappen continued: "We have no balance between slow and fast corners, we need more grip, and we lack power. "This is not a job from one race to another. And it will be difficult to catch up because the others are moving forwards too with these new rules." So Ricciardo agrees that Bahrain will also be a tough weekend for Red Bull. "Bahrain is only in a week and there's not much going on between here and there," he said. And Verstappen warned: "In 2016 we didn't start perfectly, but we did know what to do." Red Bull's situation has surprised the entire paddock, and not just because part-time designer Adrian Newey is a renowned expert at making the most of new rules. "They invented these rules," Mercedes' Toto Wolff is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport, "so it is a surprise to us that they are so far away." (GMM) You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Winston-Salems Ssalefish Comics has plans to open a second location at 1622 Stanley Road in Greensboro. Located near Best Buy and the Carmike 18 cinemas, the Greensboro store marks a new opportunity for Ssalefish founder Bret Parks as well Stephen Mayer and Jay Ewing, former employees of Greensboros Acme Comics. Mayer and Ewing will be stepping into the roles of co-owners of the Ssalefish Greensboro store. Aside from comics and graphic novels, Ssalefish Greensboro will also specialize in collectible statues and figurines, props, tumblers, keychains, magnets, other novelties, posters and more. Parks, Mayer and Ewing are planning a soft opening from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for Free Comic Book Day on May 6. Regular store hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For information, visit www.ssalefish.com. Polish Jewish history expert to give lecture Greensboro College will present the ninth annual Schleunes Lecture at 7 p.m. April 18 in the Hannah Brown Finch Memorial Chapel on campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. The speaker will be Karen Auerbach, an assistant professor in the history department and Stuart E. Eizenstat fellow in the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Auerbachs topic will be A Window on Warsaw: Integration and Its Obstacles in Poland after the Holocaust. A reception and book signing will follow in Lea Center in Main Building, adjacent to the chapel. Auerbach researches Polish Jewish history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her first book, The House at Ujazdowskie 16: Jewish Families in Warsaw after the Holocaust, is a history of Jewish families who were neighbors in an apartment building in Warsaw after the Holocaust. The Schleunes Lecture is presented annually through the generosity of Richard and Jane Levy of Greensboro in honor of the eminent Holocaust scholar Karl Schleunes, now retired from UNC-Greensboro and an adjunct faculty member at Greensboro College. For more information, contact Mike Sistrom at sistromm@greensboro.edu. Bob Garner to talk about Southern food Bob Garner, a food writer as well as a commentator for UNC-TVs North Carolina Weekend, will talk about his adventures as an ambassador for Southern food traditions at 7 p.m. April 20 at the Sunset Theatre, 234 Sunset Ave. in Asheboro. Garners appearance is free and open to the public. He is also a barbecue expert and pitmaster, and serves as the Minister of Barbecue Culture at The Pit Authentic Barbecue restaurant in Raleigh. For information, call (336) 318-6803. Reidsville Police Department investigators recovered the car of an Eden man wanted for first-degree murder. Michael Ray Hutson is wanted in the death of 61-year-old Terry Wayne Hagwood, a news release from the Reidsville Police Department stated. Officers have released few details about the homicide. At 7:30 a.m. Sunday, officers received a tip from police in Danville, Va. that Hutson's vehicle was located across the state line. Officers said they transported Hutson's black GMC Envoy to the Reidsville Police Department. At 9 a.m. Rockingham County Sheriff's deputies received a report that Hutson had possibly been spotted. Witnesses saw Hudson walking north on the railroad tracks in Ruffin, officers stated. He was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket, a black beanie, blue jeans, a black backpack and glasses. He is still considered armed and dangerous. Trump is bad because hes rich. Did Democrats quit buying lotto tickets? Do actors in Hollywood not put walls up around their homes? Is it bad to live in a gated community but not want a gated country? If immigrants are welcome freely, can they live in Susan Ladds home or Allen Johnsons? If the Russians turned the election, who in Greensboro was contacted? I dont go cuckoo for Kennedys. JFK was a good president, his brother died a social justice warrior and his other brother became one of the U.S. Senates most powerful liberals. But others from that political dynasty are clearly lesser lights, especially the second generation, for reasons good and bad. When Hearst Connecticut Media broke the news that Ted Kennedy Jr., a state senator representing Branford and the third generation of Kennedys, was considering a run for governor, my reaction was mostly meh. But Im interested, and Ill be more interested, if the senator continues to connect dots that seriously need connecting with respect to business, politics and the environment. Even if he never runs (he denies that he is interested), Kennedy can leverage the still-potent power of his family name to bend future trend lines toward the convergence of free enterprise and energy independence. Kennedy introduced earlier this year a carbon-tax bill. That got the attention of the business community, as does every bill that might raise taxes. But, as I noted in a recent column, the bill is actually a clever redistribution scheme that takes money from the front end and gives it back on the back end so we all have reason to use less energy, but the energy that we do use helps fund green programs, like conservation and renewables. It may end up even subsidizing small businesses hoping to green up and grow. There are losers, of course, as there are losers whenever business history turns a page. Fossil fuels owned the past, but the future belongs to renewables. Bloomberg reported last week 55 percent of new global capacity came from clean energy, as the cost of renewables keeps falling. Our state needs to get in on that action, as the outrageous cost of electricity is a huge hurtle for businesses, especially small ones doing the lions share of job creation. If passed, the carbon-tax bill would go into effect only if similar bills are enacted in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. That would ensure a level playing field on which regional businesses can compete. But Connecticut is already behind. Despite having some of the best offshore winds in the world, we have not moved aggressively to harness that free resource. A five-turbine wind farm is now online near Rhode Islands Block Island. A deal is pending for Maine to sell wind power to Connecticut. That is fine in the short term, but long term, we should put turbines in the near-idle ports of Bridgeport, New Haven and New London. The state is moving that way. A small nudge from a Kennedy couldnt hurt. Meanwhile, Kennedy is connecting the small-business-friendly carbon tax to another proposal thats friendly to free enterprise, in this case Connecticuts farmers. He wants to establish a program to burn the gas from cow manure to produce electricity. Virtually the same process is taking place in two anaerobic digestion facilities in Southington. Only instead of gas from excrement, they burn gas from rotting food. More facilities are supposed to be on the way. The poop project is good policy and good politics. It would generate clean energy, lower energy prices, create a cheap pathogen-free byproduct and dispose of unwanted waste that pollutes waterways and fouls the air. And it would forge an alliance between camps normally at odds: farmers, power companies and regulators. Indeed, Kennedy appears sensitive to rural politics in ways his Democratic colleagues might not be. He linked the fate of the states environment with that of its agriculture Wednesday when he told the New Haven Register: We need to cut through the red tape, streamlining and simplifying Connecticuts permitting process to accelerate this technology and save our farms. Hes right. Red tape is the problem. It took five years for state regulators to clear the first anaerobic digestion facility. It opened in December. The states goal, in 2011, was to recycle 60 percent of Connecticuts 500,000 annual tons of food waste by 2024. I presume theres tons of dung out there. If we want to exploit this plentiful resource, were going to need to speed up capacity. There appears to be progress, but perhaps not enough to avoid sending the wrong message to the business community: Government hinders more than helps. We cant afford to reinforce that view, because without a proactive government forging alliances between camps normally at odds, our economy and environment will suffer. Luckily, Kennedy seems to know that. John Stoehr is a lecturer in political science at Yale University. He can be reached at johnastoehr@gmail.com. Jarret Liotta / For Hearst Connecticut Media The treats of yesteryear and the work needed to make them will be the subject of the next family workshop series hosted by the Westport Historical Society this weekend. Local chefs Ramin Ganeshram and Mia Wiggers will teach aspiring colonial chefs to create the marzipan hedgehogs that would have been quite familiar in the 18th century. Children will get a turn to churn butter and complete other domestic tasks that would have occupied Connecticut colonists in the 1700s. Our celebrity-centric culture waits eagerly every year for the Oscar-Grammy-Golden Globe-Emmy spectaculars. And it is not just to see who wins, but also to catch a glimpse of what the stars are wearing as they preen on the red carpet for all the world to see. We are accustomed to searching the best- and worst-dressed lists that come out the mornings after these showy affairs; with hundreds of people to cover, the star-by-star analysis tests both the critics vocabularies and their diplomatic skills. After all, how many ways are there to describe beautiful or elegant, and how many euphemisms can one create that express What were they thinking? This year, however, one sharp-eyed editor of S thought he spotted a mens fashion trend that had gone unnoticed by the TV commentators: Men were stylin with eyeglasses. And sure enough, photographs from those nights revealed that more and more actors were donning glasses instead of tinted contact lenses or the old Hollywood favorite, aviator sunglasses. GQ magazine, a longtime arbiter of mens style, said this years Golden Globes gala was a spectacle of handsome glasses. That trend is visible on the East Coast, as well. Maria Fernanda Ruiz, manager of Oliver Peoples new eyewear store on Greenwich Avenue, says men coming to her store consider eyewear jewelry for the face. Men are embracing eyeglasses and sunglasses as a fashion accessory, Ruiz says. I think men at times feel more limited as to what and how many accessories they can wear, so the idea of eyewear as a way of expressing their fashion sense is increasingly popular. More male shoppers are leaving Oliver Peoples with multiple frames, according to Ruiz. Men like efficiency, so when they stop by the store, they want to cross off both eyeglasses and sunglasses, she says. Also, a few men have bought glass frames with clear, nonprescription lenses, meaning it is also fashion, not ophthalmology. Oliver Peoples does not chase fashion trends, but focuses on quality and classic styles, she says. The dapper gentleman is likely to go for our OMalley or Gregory Peck eyeglasses. These are classic tortoise shell acetate frames with a roundish shape. The trendy hipster is more likely to sport the Finley Esq. style, a clear acetate frame, while the financial class seems to prefer the Bernardo or OPLL style frames, whose architecturally driven design gives off a more modern vibe, Ruiz says. Contact lenses have been used to enhance eye color or even change it completely. With brightly colored eye frames, men can add a dash of color to their face, as well. Ready to expand your eyeglass collection to reflect a more confident fashion sense? You might consider heading to the website of Warby Parker, an American eyewear brand started in 2010. By answering four to five questions about your head size and shape, the shape and color glasses you prefer, you are shown a handful of frames that meet your criteria. The company will send you five frames to try free. If you work in Manhattan, Warby Parker has brick-and-mortar stores in SoHo, Grand Central, the Upper East Side and the Meatpacking District. If you want to change your eyewear look, but want to make sure you get a pair that fits your head as well, it is best to become familiar with the size information included on frames, usually along the inside of a temple arm or inside the nose bridge. The most important consideration is the eye size, expressed as a two-digit number from 40 to 62; next comes the bridge size, a two-digit number from 14-24; third is the temple size, expressed as a number from 120-150. Other markings may be model numbers or manufacturers information, which can be ignored. Eye size, according to experts, is the most important of the three dimensions, and you can safely go up or down on a number and still get a good fit. So now you have an additional accessory to add to your power wardrobe and a whole new series of questions to ask your friends: Do these glasses go with this suit? How about the tie, does it clash with the frames? Or, do these glasses make my face look fat? The worrying never ends. Bob Horton is a columnist for the Greenwich Time and a regular contributor to Sunday Arts & Style. GREENWICH -- There is a swelling undercurrent of 20-somethings from all over the globe absorbing Greenwich culture and caring for its children. Hollace Shantz, a local au pair specialist, has a group of about 25 au pairs she works with almost weekly to discuss differences in cultures, miscellaneous questions and to give advice. And before they, arrive she helps families and young adults abroad get to know each other to find a good fit. Parents are just spread so thin these days, Shantz, 45, said. Between running their kids to thousands of activities, its hard. Parenting takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of time and patience. But looking back at the journey shes taken through her life, the Greenwich native said its both unexpected and natural for her to become a LCC, or local childcare consultant, for Cultural Cares Greenwich au pairs. When Shantz was a teenager, her parents sent her to France for three summers. The shock of living in another culture was a hard step for her to take initially, she said. When I was 13, my language skills were really poor, and really I was so sad and so home sick, said Shantz. It was part of a whole program, but ... back then you had to make a collect call at the post office to call your family. When I was 15, I went to a different program, she said. I was that much older, my language was that much better, and it was an international program. I'm still really close friends with some twins from Hungary. We just did everything together -- we went to the beach, we went to the classes, we had a great time together. More Information Hollace Cole Shantz can be reached at hollaceshantz@gmail.com See More Collapse Shantz attended Greenwich Country Day School. Among the friends she made was Katy Gray. Now the two are mothers and both living in Greenwich, both sending their children to their alma mater. Gray said she is not surprised that Shantz is helping young au pairs acclimatize to Greenwich. How thoughtful she is to those girls and families, Gray said. You know its a very serious thing to have someone come live in your house for a few months, or a year and to help with your children ... Shes always been a thoughtful person. Shantz went to Duke University for German and accounting after high school, and then New York University Stern School of Business for an MBA in accounting and finance. Her educational path led her to banking across the globe, but her last stop before returning to Greenwich was Geneva -- where she was a vice president of Citibank and also hired her first au pair. She said that since she experienced different aspects of the au pair system herself from being a stranger in a strange land and a parent who entrusted her childrens safety to an au pair she can relate to her clients and au pairs better. I understand for the au pairs, the friendships you create when you go overseas, because you rely on each other ... you become that much closer that much faster, she said. Most of the au pairs in her program speak English at an advanced to near-native level, she said, but adjusting to the culture and being away from home are struggles she can help them with. Looking back on her first au pair experience, Shantz has only positive memories. It was a homerun, said Shantz. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. And she was your classic au pair profile: She was 20, she was Hungarian, she had studied primary school education and early childhood education and she wanted to become a kindergarten teacher. And she is a kindergarten teacher today, Shantz said. She probably had more patience than I did. Shannon McGregor, 19, has been working in Greenwich as an au pair for seven months. She came from Australia. Hollace is amazing, McGregor said. Seriously. She helped me find out all the information and my Connecticut drivers license (and) drove me and three other au pairs to Boston last month. But if there is a case where the match is less than ideal, Shantz is there to offer another perspective, either through the eyes of a Greenwich parent or through the eyes of a young adult learning about a new country. For that very reason, what Holly is doing is very important, her next-door neighbor, John Nelson, 73 said, because this is not an easy community to get parachuted into. There are a lot of type As here and a lot of people who will take advantage. When Nelsons three daughters -- now 36, 38 and 40 -- were children, he had au pairs. Nelson said he wasnt sure he could have raised the girls without them. But these were different days, he said. Au pairs didnt come through agencies. An au pair, it was really in loco parentis. We were their parents here. They were a part of the family. There werent the same rules as there are now and it was kinder, gentler world in the 70s and early 80s. E: jturiano@greenwichtime.com; T: @jturianoGT; IG: @greenwichgreen Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday wrote a letter to the prime minister highlighting the plight of 26 Indians, including 16 Malayalis. Published on 2017/04/09 | Source 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. Advertisement 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. Japan and Thailand now top the list with more than 10 percent of respondents each. They also ranked first with the largest numbers of bookings for this year. The U.K., France, Italy, and New Zealand were all in the top 10 amid growing interest in long-haul travel. The China National Tourism Administration last month banned so-called zero-dollar shopping tours to Korea and prevented Chinese cruise liners from visiting Korean ports. Read this article in Korean Published on 2017/04/09 | Source The Seoul Metropolitan Government will build a new visual landmark at the entrance to the capital from Incheon International Airport reminiscent of the famous Hollywood sign. Advertisement At present, there are signs that read "Seoul Welcomes You" at three major entryways into the capital. They were put up in 2011 but criticized for lacking both aesthetic appeal and punch. The new visual structure will consist of the capital letters SEOUL and shamelessly copies the Hollywood sign in the Los Angeles hills set up in 1923 and designated as a cultural landmark in 1973. The Hollywood sign stands 13.7 m tall and is 106.7 m long. The Seoul letters will stand 15 m tall and stretch for around 100 m. The most likely location is along the riverside expressway in Mapo. Ahn Kyu-cheol an advisor to the city government in charge of the project, said, "There were suggestions to create a different structure like the 'Haechi' or mythical animal representing Seoul's cultural heritage and tradition, but we decided to go with the English sign due to uncertainties over which symbol people would agree on". The sign will be completed by October at a cost of W1 billion (US$=W1,126). Published on 2017/04/09 | Source The average annual salary of women who work for Korea's top 10 business conglomerates stands at just 62 percent of what male workers there earn, conglomerate tracker Chaebul.com said Wednesday. Advertisement Women earned on average W54.22 million last year and men W87.57 million (US$1=W1,126). Female staff at Samsung made the most money with W72.78 million, which comes to 72 percent of the W101.18 million their male counterparts made. At Hyundai Motor, women earned W66.21 million, also 72 percent of their male counterparts' earnings. Things are much worse at Lotte and GS, where women earn less than half of their male counterparts' wages. Female Lotte staff earned W25.36 million last year, a mere 41 percent of what men made there, though retail floor staff and confectionery production line workers are Typically Women, which weights the figures towards low-income earners. It is less clear why at GS women workers made only 47 percent of what their male counterparts earned at W28.9 million. By company, Hyundai Motor paid women the best at W75 million a year or 79 percent of men's earning -- the smallest gap among the top 10 conglomerates. The conglomerates employed 498,464 men, 3.7 times more than the 133,235 women who work there. Read this article in Korean SUPREME COURT ALLOWS HAWAII STATE HOSPITAL DECISION TO INVOLUNTARILY MEDICATE MICHAEL LAWRENCE TO STAND News Release from State Attorney General, Apr 6, 2017 HONOLULU Attorney General Doug Chin announced that the Hawaii Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the further appeal of an order authorizing the Hawaii State Hospital to involuntarily administer psychotropic medication to Michael Robert Lawrence. In 2002, Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the custody of the Hawaii health director for the 1999 murder and dismemberment of a vacuum cleaner salesperson on Oahus North Shore. Lawrence was also prosecuted in 2008 for assaulting a Hawaii State Hospital physician while in custody. In 2013, the Hawaii State Hospital moved for a court order authorizing the involuntary administration of medication to Lawrence after he refused to accept medication. Lawrence appealed the court order to the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, which affirmed the court order on November 30, 2016. Tuesdays decision by the Hawaii Supreme Court not to hear a further appeal ends this litigation. Attorney General Doug Chin said, When Lawrence refused all psychotropic medications and continued to engage in threatening behaviors, the state hospital correctly moved for a court order for Lawrences safety and the safety of others. The statute authorizing involuntary medication was written exactly for these situations. A copy of the April 4, 2017 order from the Hawaii Supreme Court and the November 30, 2016 decision by the Intermediate Court of Appeals is attached. # # # 2001: Michael Lawrence, on trial for the murder of vacuum salesman Melchor Tabag Election Day 2022 live updates: Officials brace for array of disruptions Polling places are open! President Biden says democracy is on the ballot. So is his record. Live midterm election updates as voters cast their ballots. My friend Dorothy Lewis-Griffith Shuford always has an interesting story to tell me. Her own life as an international concert pianist ranks high on the intriguing scale. Even now, shes planning a trip to the Czech Republic, where she hopes to employ a 62-piece orchestra and record Sergei Rachmaninoffs Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Then there are the recollections of her life as the wife of Conover industrialist and philanthropist Adrian Shuford Jr., who died in December 2000. Ill never forget Dorothys description of Adrian upon their first meeting at a dinner at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone. This gorgeous man was on my right, she shared. They married a year later just down the road in Blowing Rock. Most recently, Dorothys been talking a lot about a friend shes known since her youth in High Point. His name is David Astor Dowdy, and Dorothys on a mission to bring recognition to him, especially now that Parkinsons disease has robbed him of his mobility and, to a great degree, his ability to speak. His hands are frozen, described Dorothy, which is especially tragic since they are the hands he used for decades as a pharmacist in High Point, and, more importantly to Dorothy and Davids other friends, the hands that created nearly 50 incredibly lifelike sculptures housed inside and outside of various institutions and businesses as well as in private residences around North Carolina. He said its a God-given gift, Dorothy said about Davids innate artistic ability to sculpt in a classic style many achieve only after rigorous training. David had no training. Yet, he fashioned likenesses with such skill that his busts and figures are displayed on university campuses, including his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; alongside historic buildings; and in parks, churches, and museums. David sculpted regular folks in his community as well as the famous, such as former Sen. Jesse Helms, whose bust was unveiled while past British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was visiting the Helms Center in Wingate; Alexander Graham Bell observing a modern-day telephone lineman harnessing planet earth with a cable; and Abraham Lincoln. Like Dorothy, Davids longtime High Point friend Perry Keziah (now deceased) was enthralled with Davids natural ability and took it upon himself to shine the spotlight on David by submitting an article to Our State magazine. The periodical published the story, About Face, in March 2002. Part of its subtitle suggested, You dont have to have a degree to turn clay into bronze. In preparation for the article, Perry interviewed David and wrote a short biography, going back to Davids 1930s and 40s school days when he became interested in drawing. His elementary school teachers saw his talent and encouraged him. His hopes of moving on to painting were dashed, however, when he realized he was color-blind. No reason to give up on sculpting, though. Perry wrote, His early experimentations with sculpture were with modeling clay and Ivory soap, and he recalls sculpting dogs and a bust of Julius Caesar for Latin class in high school. In the late 1950s, however, he opened the eyes of his family to his creative talent when he sculpted a bust of his father. Perry continued, It was on a family trip to Florence, Italy . . . in 1966 that the sculpturing fires were really kindled. He saw and became fascinated with the works of Michelangelo . . . Working in clay, David created scaled-down reproductions of Michelangelos The Deposition and, later, the Italian masters Rondanini Pieta. Before long, David had a reputation about town for more than his pharmacy and business skills; organizations and individuals began commissioning him to sculpt. In the late 1960s, wrote Perry, the High Point Memorial Hospital Guild commissioned him to create a bust of Albert Schweitzer, which was donated by the guild to the North Carolina Museum for the Blind. Today, the Schweitzer bronze sits in the lobby of the Duke University eye clinic . . . on loan from this museum. Some years later, Davids pastor asked him to sculpt a bust of 18th-century theologian John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement. David was reluctant at first; he hadnt sculpted in quite a while and didnt feel up to the task. The pastor persisted, and David acquiesced, asking the reverend to assist him in finding suitable likenesses of Wesley. Before long, First United Methodist Church in High Point possessed a David Dowdy. David told Perry he appreciated the nudge from his pastor because it got him sculpting again. After Perrys interviews with David and the Our State article, David produced one of his most widely heralded works, Plank Road Foreman, a bronze statue of a man working on the 19th-century plank road that went through High Point. The sculpture was unveiled in 2004. A nearby marker reads, The Plank Road Foreman was the idea, creation and labor of love of High Point native son, David A. Dowdy, Jr. Through his careful research of the era in North Carolina's history that produced the Plank Road, Mr. Dowdy has sculpted a timeless reminder of the great vision shown by our City and State in this early example of economic development. Completely self-taught in this medium of expression, High Point's widely acclaimed sculptor has generously contributed to his hometown all of the labor and artistry for this magnificent statue. Perry called David a remarkable treasure of the Old North State. Dorothy agrees, and now she has taken up where Perry left off. Shes hoping to consolidate Davids body of work into a book or an exhibit or both. Im looking forward to seeing what she comes up with. And, Im looking forward to the next Dorothy Lewis-Griffith Shuford story. Share story ideas with Mary at marycanrobert@charter.net. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ Bhopal The present dalit students vs Jiwaji University, Gwalior administration row is not an isolated incident. Tension had been building on the campus since BJPs massive victory in 2014 Lok Sabha elections when right wing organization ABVP allegedly started dominating the varsity campus. Two of the five dalit students who started observing indefinite fast since Saturday to protest university administrations denial to allow them to hold a programme ahead of Ambedkar jayanti and alleged misbehavior with them by two professors were admitted to a private hospital on Thursday when their condition deteriorated. While shouting Hume chaahiye azadi and Hum lekar rahenge azadi, dalit students said they had been facing injustice for the past three years and they wanted freedom from castiest mindset of the administration and suppressing of democracy on the campus by right wing organization like ABVP and RSS which are openly recruiting members. However, the university administration alleges the students agitation was influenced by protest of Kanhaiya Kumar on JNU campus and Rohith Vemulas suicide at Hyderabad University. These dalit students want an overnight publicity and their act amounts to anti-national activities. The trigger point was a seminar organized by ABVP in the university in September 2014. Students were asked to attend the seminar compulsorily. When some dalit students refused to follow the diktat on the ground of their ideology the ABVP workers allegedly misbehaved with students. The dalit students alleged no action was taken against ABVP workers. On the contrary they were being harassed for quite sometime in the name of membership drive of ABVP and RSS. They were also targeted for availing reservation in government jobs and scholarships on the university campus. The university administration allegedly reduced the scholarship of SC/ST students. Students fought for three years and had to move the high court, Gwalior bench too to get full scholarship. What added fuel to fire between the two sides further was alleged attack by BJYM workers on JNU professor Dr Sunil Kumar Suman during his programme in Gwalior in February 2016. A good number of dalit students were attending the programme when the attack took place. After this programme, whenever the students supporting BJYM spotted us they yelled at us. For the past one year, they are calling us anti-nationals and the university administration has no problem with them, said another student Ray Singh. In February this year ABVP workers reached the venue of a programme organised by Student Federation of India (SFI) and asked the participants to chant Bharat mata ki jai. On refusal the ABVP workers went on the rampage. Earlier, we were known as dalit and now they have put the tag of anti-national on us for shouting slogans like Hume chahiye azadi and carrying the photo of Rohith Vemula, said a dalit student Suman. Refuting all the allegations, ABVP organizing secretary of Gwalior Vipin Gupta said, The students have insulted our teachers and thats why we are supporting administration. They are anti-nationals because they are carrying pictures of Rohith Vemula and shouting slogans like Kanhaiya Kumar. Last year, they attended a programme of JNU professor Dr Sunil Kumar Suman. They are trying to project themselves a hero and us a villain, that too in the name of Dr BR Ambedkar. We organize a programme every year Baba Sahebs birth anniversary but nobody stops us, said Gupta. Gupta also blames the vice chancellor Sangeeta Shukla saying she could have controlled the entire situation efficiently but she didnt handle the whole issue properly. These students are spoiling the environment of the university by shouting anti-national slogans. During protest, they were carrying photo of Rohith Vemula. This is a sign that they wanted to mount undue pressure on the university. We wouldnt allow such indiscipline in the university. The choice is clear for students either they pursue education or do politics. Both the things are not possible at the same time, said Sangeeta Shukla, vice chancellor. The allegation that varsity administration is siding with a particularly group is baseless. The posters on RSS membership drive were pasted by someone without any permission. It didnt mean that we are in favour of someone, she said. ------- ---- EXPERTS QUOTE In the appointment of professors politicians play an important role and in return it become compulsory for professors to support the ideology of one party. Same is happening in Jiwaji University, Gwalior. In the absence of qualified teachers, the students energy is not being channelized in a proper way. The political parties are taking advantage of the situation. -Prakash Singh Bishen, a retired vice chancellor of the University. A Delhi man on Sunday morning filed a complaint against Arjun Rampal, accusing the Bollywood actor of injuring him with a camera flash on the dance floor of a five-star hotel, police said. No FIR has been registered as police had sought some clarifications of the medical report of Shobhit, a resident of Shalimar Bagh in northwest Delhi. He suffered a head injury when Rampal while playing the DJ snatched a photographers camera flash and threw it towards the dance floor, Shobhit said in the complaint filed with the Connaught Place police station. He was dancing with a friend. A complaint has been filed against the actor. (Hindustan Times) Shobhit suffered injury to his head and started bleeding. He then called the police control room (PCR) around 4am and informed us about the incident, a police officer said. A police team took Shobhit to a nearby government hospital, which discharged after primary medical care. A photographer started taking pictures when he saw the actor playing the DJ, said the officer. Constant camera flashes upset Rampal, a former model, who allegedly snatched the camera and hurled the flash towards the dance floor, the officer said, quoting the complaint. The 44-year-old Rampal, who is based in Mumbai, left the central Delhi hotel after the incident. Rampal was entertaining the guests by throwing various items towards them, New Delhi deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) BK Singh said. The actor also hurled a camera flash and it unfortunately hit one of the guests, Singh said. Shobhits medical examination report said he had a lacerated wound. We have requested the doctors to clarify if the wound comes under the grievous category. Their final opinion is awaited, he said. The current development has a sub leased area run by a privately owned and managed company in the name of Privee. It has no connection or relevance to Shangri-Las - Eros Hotel, New Delhi which is a separate management company, a spokesperson said. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Sonakshi Sinha has played some strong characters in her films. Her voice is just as strong when it comes to speaking out against the pay gap between major male and female stars in Bollywood. Pay gap a situation where men get paid more for doing the same jobs that women do is an issue around the world. Bollywood is no exception. If theres one thing that Sonakshi wants to change in the industry, it is this. The only thing I can think of changing in Bollywood right now is the pay disparity, because were working in this day and age where films revolving around women are being made, says Sonakshi. The actor has been the female lead in women-centric films such as Akira (2016) and Lootera (2013). In the past, actors such as Anushka Sharma, Shah Rukh Khan, Radhika Apte and Kareena Kapoor Khan have also spoken out against unequal pay in the film industry. The 29-year-old Sonakshi feels that if a female actor can carry an entire film on her own, she should be given the remuneration she rightfully deserves. If a filmmaker shows that kind of trust in a woman, and if she brings the returns [on investment], you can and should give her the pay that you give to the men, says Sonakshi emphatically. In the recent past, Sonakshi has spoken about feminism and done photo shoots to spread her belief in the movement. Although she feels strongly about it, the actor clarifies that she never took the first step to endorse the concept. Feminism is something that usually comes up in conversations. Its not something for which I have specially given an interview; I have always been asked a question and given a reply, says Sonakshi. But she hopes to translate her feminist leanings into concrete action, stating, If you feel strongly about anything,then it shows in your actions, in how you behave, and in your opinions. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dear Doctor, I use coconut oil to massage my penis. I wanted to know if doing so regularly can harm my penis. Sex experts across the globe are used to receiving such absurd questions. Most would send mail like these to the trash folder. But not Dr Mahinder Watsa. Why? he responds. Its better you use the oil to massage the scalp, it might improve your thinking. With such dry humour in his responses, its no wonder that 93-year-old Dr Mahinder Watsa has so many fans. His column, Ask the Sexpert, in one of Mumbais best-selling tabloids is a rage, and he has a cult following on social media. Doctor funnybone People often make much out of my column. They find my answers funny. Well, it is because the questions I field are sometimes hilarious. I dont sit and try to come up with a funny answer, says Watsa. If a guy asks me if it is safe to pour lemon juice in his girlfriends vagina after sex, because he has heard that acidic substances can prevent pregnancy, what can you say to that person? The first thought that crosses my mind is whether I am talking to a bhelpuri vendor here! I mean, really? Squeezing nimbu down there! What is he thinking? Dr Watsa is one of the stars of the newspaper. There are readers who buy the paper just to read him, says Meenal Baghel, editor of Mumbai Mirror. Watsas column has been part of this tabloid since it launched in 2005. According to the editor and the brain behind Ask the Sexpert, although there were sex and relationship columns in womens magazines, Dr Watsas was the first daily column in an Indian newspaper that addressed readers queries about sexual anxieties. His unique style is his own and according to Baghel, it came as a bonus. All I was looking for then was a credible person who could give sound medical advice. I had neither read any of his earlier columns nor met him. The tone and the wit are all his and were there from day one. Since I know him, I realise its a reflection of who he is as a person, she says. Until Ask the Sexpert, Indian media rarely (if at all) used words like penis and vagina, says Baghel. Such is the squeamishness associated with sex that often families will have code names for these body parts. One of the main reasons for Dr Watsas immense popularity is that he tackles these questions with great calm, wit and humanity. Crucially, he never judges those who write in, she says. The beginning Before joining forces with Baghel, Watsa was writing a health column for a Bombay-based magazine called Trends, which was later rechristened Femina. The year was 1972. Along with questions related to normal coughs and colds, I used to get queries related to sexual issues. Many of these were written by soon-to-be-married young girls. Many of them were victims of sexual abuse; girls who were molested by their relatives or some fake godman while growing up, who were now scared of getting into physical relationships with their husbands, says Watsa. In some cases the problem was so serious that the girls contemplated ending their lives. I realised that I couldnt brush them under the carpet; their questions needed to be answered. That was the beginning of Watsa the Sexpert. At that time, there were people writing columns that aimed to address sexual problems, but the tone was generally sombre and even preachy. And what they wrote was filled with medical jargon. It is important to be on the same level as the person asking the question so that you can relate to their problems, says Watsa. You cant sit on a high pedestal and give sermons. The person you are providing the solution to must understand what you are talking about. Thats how he realised he needed to take a personalised approach. Here, more than approaching the problems as a doctor, you need to approach them as a counsellor. And I started doing just that, albeit with a touch of humour, Watsa says. The fine balance Unlike the question we quoted at the beginning of this story, most of the queries in Watsas mailbox are related to serious issues. Though his answers might often seem to tremble on the brink of the frivolous, they always stay firmly on the side of the person who wrote in. We read all the questions with the same seriousness, but often after that serious read, it occurs to us that the person who wrote it wants some fun out of it. So we play along and reply accordingly, says Watsa. But hes very serious about the basis of his column: a non-judgemental attitude. As a counsellor, you cant let your beliefs and superstitions cloud your vision. Suppose a homosexual asks about oral sex and that upsets you great deal, it is still your job to answer his queries in the best possible way, he says. However, there are some questions do infuriate this calm, grandfatherly man. I often get this query from men: I am getting married. How will I know if my wife is a virgin? Now, you either have faith in her, or spoil your first night with her thinking about such irrelevant things. I dont think such questions require serious answers, says Watsa. And some questions are just plain weird. For instance, Watsa once had to deal with a person who was scared to have sex because he feared his penis would get entangled in his wifes pubic hair, and be throttled. This might sound funny, but it was actually a serious question. So I suggested that he buy a pair of scissors and clip the hair. Simple! You need to know which question to approach how, and that somehow comes naturally to me, says Watsa. The dark clouds Watsas column also annoys some of the seriously prudish. There have been a few FIRs from people who believe, misguidedly I feel, that the column promotes obscenity, says Baghel. We are fighting these cases in court. Dr Watsa, given his age, has been a real trooper dealing with cops and courts. But Watsa says that if not for the brave heart Baghel, his column might have been canned long ago. Previously, at least three magazines stopped my columns midway because they thought they were too risque. They said the way I approached the questions hurts peoples sexual feelings. The mindset was different, he says. And Indias attitude to sex really hasnt changed since 1972, when he first became a sexpert, and now, he adds. Today, the column has gained a fan following. But to say India and its mindset about sex have changed will be a stretch. India is like a khichri. You have all sorts of things in a mixed and mashed state. People who live 50 kilometres away from Mumbai have a very different mindset from people we know here in the city. So it all depends on which India we are referring to, he says. Follow @ananya1281 on Twitter From HT Brunch, April 9, 2017 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A rickshaw puller and his associate, who were accused of attacking and robbing a 19-year-old German in north Delhi on Friday night, have been arrested, police said. Rizwan alias Irfan and Rajkishore were arrested on Saturday evening from Brahmpuri area of Shahdara, deputy commissioner of police (north), Jatin Narwal, said. The stolen itemsa wallet containing Rs 9,000 cash and a cell phonehave been recovered, police said. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who had sought a report after the incident, praised the Delhi police in a tweet. The two accused wanted for attack on German national have been arrested. Good work by @DelhiPolice. @rajnathsingh @LtGovDelhi, the minister tweeted. The two accused wanted for attack on German national have been arrested. Good work by @DelhiPolice. @rajnathsingh @LtGovDelhi. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 8, 2017 Benjamin Janis Scholt, the German, was attacked near the Geeta Colony flyover at around 10.26pm on Friday by the two men after he hired a rickshaw from Chandni Chowk Metro station to Kashmere Gate bus terminal from where he was planning to board a bus to Amritsar. But instead of taking him to the bus terminal, Rizwan, the rickshaw-puller, took him towards Yamuna Khadar area under the Ring Road loop. On the way, he picked up Rajkishore, saying he will be dropped off on the way. They kept on roaming around and when the tourist asked him where he was taking him, the rickshaw-puller replied in English saying, I am taking you to the right place, a police officer said. They took Scholt to a secluded spot beneath the Geeta Colony flyover where they attacked him with surgical blades, causing injuries to his face and elbow. However, Scholt, who is trained in martial arts, fought back his attackers forcing them to flee after abandoning the rickshaw. The two accused managed to snatch his wallet containing around Rs 9,000 and his cell phone. Scholt then climbed the flyover and stopped a passing car, whose occupant, a fitness instructor from Noida, rushed him to a hospital and helped him file a police complaint. The rickshaw was seized from the spot, but it didnt belong to the accused. Police traced its owner, questioned him and got clues about the accused but didnt find their full address. However, they questioned locals and the accused were found and nabbed after a chase in Brahmpuri area. It is suspected that the accused deliberately targeted Scholt as he is a foreigner and is unaware about Delhis roads, police said. Further investigation is underway. Rizwan had previous criminal involvements as well. He was earlier arrested twice in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. Police said Scholt is in India on a tourist visa. He has been visiting various places since last month and is staying at a guest house in Laxmi Nagar area here. Police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in south-east Delhis Govindpuri area on Holi. Mantram, police said, had been on the run for last one month. The matter came to light after a man filed a complaint saying his daughter was missing. We were noting down details of the girl, when she walked towards the house in a semi conscious state. She was immediately admitted to AIIMS as she complained of abdominal pain. During treatment, we were told that she was sexually abused. Her statement was then recorded, said Romil Baaniya, DCP (south-east). The girl told the police that she was playing in a nearby park, when Mantram approached her and told her to accompany him. He took her to an unknown place in a white Gramin Seva vehicle and sexually assaulted her. Following her statement and result of the medical examination, a case of rape was registered. Following the girls inputs, the police checked all the Gramin Seva vehicles were checked, and a massive exercise was undertaken to identify the scene of crime using the land marks conveyed by the victim. Seven to eight localities were identified and a door-to-door survey was conducted. This exercise continued for 15 days. All the factory workers were verified and drivers of all the Gramin Seva vehicles operating in the route were examined. Thereafter, a poster for identification of the suspect were also published in the area, Baaniya said. With the help of local intelligence, the police team zeroed in on Mantram and the scene of crime was established. An informer tipped off the police that the man worked as a labourer at Paratha Point in Nehru Place and was not seen after Holi. The beat staff and investigating teams gathered human intelligence and raids were conducted at several places. Mantram was then arrested. Further investigation in the matter is underway, Baaniya said. Motor Licensing Officers (MLOs) across the Capital are in a fix over registering BS-III fuel compliant vehicles that were sold on or before March 31. The problem officers are facing is regarding proof of the date of sale of vehicles that are primarily two-wheelers. Due to the confusion, MLOs have not registered any BS-III compliant vehicle between April 1 and April 7. Almost 60% transactions on sale of two-wheelers are done in cash. In such a case, it has become extremely difficult for us to verify the actual date of purchase of the vehicles as there is a possibility that dealers could make back-dated invoices, said an MLO on condition of anonymity. On the other hand, vehicles sold through electronic payment or financing schemes can be easily cleared as the transaction can be verified at multiple platforms. With no yardstick to follow while issuing registrations to such vehicles, the transport department is going to write to the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) seeking clarity on the issue. Sales Tax payment delays registration Nearly 1,000 BS-III fuel compliant vehicles sold in the last three days, including March 31, havent been registered by the state transport department. Most of these vehicles are those sold by non-self registered dealers who cover 50% of the two-wheeler market share. EPCA has allowed only those vehicles to be registered whose sales tax also has been paid by March 31. While self-registered dealers can easily pay the taxes online, others have to make the payment by visiting the motor licensing offices, another MLO said. The future of 994 two-wheelers and commercial vehicles is stuck in the limbo. Besides, there are also 20-25 self-registered dealers who are facing difficulty in getting their sold inventory registered as they claimed customers partly paid them through cash on March 31 and the remaining amount was paid later through e-payment modes. On March 31, the EPCA observed that auto dealers were resorting to fake sales of BS-III models to circumvent the ban on their registration from April 1. The issue came up during a meeting of the Supreme Court-appointed body involving officials of Delhi and NCR states and representatives of the auto industry. Dealers are selling BS-III vehicles to their relatives in bulk. Basically these fake sales are being done to ensure that they can be registered when they are resold to customers, an EPCA member had said. However, the state governments had assured the panel that circumventing the ban was difficult and that the existing registration mechanism was nearly foolproof. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is contesting in more than 200 wards during the April 23 municipal elections, will use April 14, the birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar, for intensifying its campaign. Ambedkar, who was born on April 14, 1891, is considered as an idol by the BSP. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati will address a gathering of party workers at Delhis Talkatora stadium on that day instead of holding a rally. She (Mayawati) will not address any rally, but we have arranged a meeting where party workers and candidates will be present. The date has not been decided yet, but it will be around the birth anniversary of Ambedkar ji, said CP Singh, Delhi president of BSP. BSP will plan its campaign around the birth anniversary and will organize meetings during the week-long celebration. The celebration will continue for the entire week and this will be our campaigning strategy, said a BSP leader. Delhi BSP president CP Singh said the party will not be weighed down by its past failures. Whatever the result of the Uttar Pradesh elections, we are ready to contest in full strength during the civic body polls, he said. The party was a key player in the Capital during the last civic body elections and was the third major contender after the BJP and Congress. It won 15 seats in the 2012 municipal elections, with over 10% vote share. A source said BSPs strongholds were Muslim-dominated areas as well as places in Outer Delhi. In the 2008 assembly elections, the BSP won the Badarpur and Gokalpur seats, and came second in Narela, Badli, Deoli, Tughlakabad and Babarpur. The party also secured 10,000-30,000 votes in 40 other seats. However, the BSPs successes was before the AAP entered the scene in 2013. The BSPs vote share dipped from 14.05% in 2008 to 5.35% in 2013, and further plunged to 1.3% in the 2015 assembly elections after that. During both the 2013 and 2015 assembly polls, it did not even win a single seat. Singh, however, claimed that he was not worried. Voters gave AAP a chance in the last assembly elections. But now they are tired of all the three parties the BJP, Congress and AAP. We will give them a viable alternative, he said. However, another BSP leader admitted, on the condition of anonymity, that the partys chances of making an impact in the municipal polls were slim given its poor showing in the last few elections. Making things worse was its sordid performance in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, where it managed to bag just 19 seats. ENDS SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Going back to its time-tested method, the Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday plastered the city with posters and billboards, posing a direct question to the citys voters Dilli ki baagdor kisko? (Who would you like to hand over Delhi to?) Arvind Kejriwal or Vijender Gupta? The message, sources said, was an attempt to keep the discourse of the April 23 civic polls restricted to issues related to the citys municipal corporations. The AAP is making all efforts to keep the fight local beside making it a direct face off between Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta. The party had resorted to a similar strategy during the 2013 and 2015 assembly elections too. In 2013, Kejriwal was pitted against the then Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit. In 2015, the party came up with similar posters, asking voters to choose between the then AAP national convener Kejriwal and the then leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party had later named former IPS and a prominent face of India Against Corruption movement, Kiran Bedi, as its chief ministerial candidate in the last leg of the campaign. AAP leaders said the electorate needs to be clear about their choices during any election. Pitting Kejriwal versus Gupta was an attempt to harness maximum premium out of the political capital Kejriwal has accrued after emerging as one of the top leaders in the city. The AAP chief has also made a big electoral promise of waiving house tax if his party is voted to power in the MCD. Let the people decide whether they want a change of guard in the MCDs under the leadership of Kejriwal, or want more of the same. Do they want the same old kind of MCD governance that Vijnder Gupta represents or they want a Arvind Kejriwal model of clean governance, said a senior AAP leader. BJPs Gupta, however, termed the AAP posters and billboards as a gimmick that reflected Kejriwals paranoia. He also challenged Kejriwal for an open debate on the real issues and the performance of the BJP-ruled MCDs and the Delhi government. The poster shows how insecure the chief minister has become. He should resort to fair play at least in the posters. He has put a smiling picture of himself, but a distorted one of mine. On the performance front, I challenge him (Kejriwal) to hold an open debate on our respective agendas, Gupta told HT. Gupta was once the chairman of the standing committee of the unified MCD. In 2013 assembly elections, he had contested against Arvind Kejriwal and Sheila Dikshit from the New Delhi seat. Contrary to AAPs strategy, the BJP riding high on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to bring issues such as nationalism and partys electoral surge in other parts of the country at the centre of the civic body poll discourse. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A final-year student of Delhi Universitys Hansraj College had a narrow escape on Saturday night as the plaster on his hostel room ceiling fell on his bed. This is not the first time such an incident has happened in the college hostel in north Delhi. The incident occurred between 9.30 and 10 pm on Saturday in room number 40 of the hostel. The student escaped unhurt because he was sitting on the chair placed a little away from his bed and studying. The portion of the ceiling, which collapsed was on the side where I place my pillow and sleep. Fortunately, I was studying at my desk and not sitting on the bed. Had I slept early on Saturday I would have been badly injured, said the student, who did not want to be identified. He has already submitted a complaint to the hostel warden, which has been forwarded to the principal of the college. The bed on which the plaster fell. The student says that this is not the first time such an incident has taken place in the hostel. Last year also, a similar incident had happened in another room. That time the chunk which fell was not very big but it has happened in the past and no repairs have taken place, said another student of the college. Officiating principal of the college, Rama Sharma, said that the portion of ceiling collapsed because of the cracks that had developed. I have spoken to the contractor and sought a report from him, said Sharma. Teachers and students hope that action is taken to repair the infrastructure in the college and hostel, which they say is crumbling. Last year, at Daulat Ram College another constituent college of the Delhi University four students were injured after the ceiling of a classroom collapsed. Following the incident, students and teachers held a protest against the governing body of the college demanding renovation of the college and better infrastructure. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The New Delhi Municipal Council has launched a crackdown on beggars outside Connaught Places Hanuman Mandir after receiving numerous complaints of harassment from shoppers and visitors. The eviction drive, officials said, was launched 10 days ago with the help of Delhi Police. It first started in areas around Hanuman Mandir and State Emporia Complex located on both sides of Baba Kharak Singh Marg. The joint teams of NDMC and Delhi Police have so far removed 300 vagabonds, beggars and drug-addicts, who had made pavements and subways near the temple and State Emporia Complex their home, said a senior Delhi police official. As many as 50 of them, who refused to leave and indulged in violence were taken into preventive detention under sections 107 and 151 of CrPC. They were later let off after a warning, said RP Meena, additional deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi). Social activists working for the homeless, however, said that the drive will have a temporary impact. Homeless people are booked and arrested, but never rehabilitated properly. Therefore, they return to the same places where they were putting up before such drives, said Sunil Kumar Aledia from centre for holistic development (CHD), an NGO that works with the shelterless. Sadly, the politicians use the homeless people only for votes. They do nothing for their welfare after elections, Aledia added. According to officials, joint raids are being conducted every day during the morning and evening hours. Apart from NDMC and police officials, paramilitary personnel have also been roped in to maintain law and order during the raids. We normally start around eight in the morning and raid four to five areas near Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Bangla Sahib Gurudwara for next two hours. The drive will continue because some of the drug addicts and beggars return despite being asked not to, the officer said. Officials said that their operation will cover other areas in and around Connaught Place. NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar said that areas around Hanuman Mandir and the State Emporia Complex witness huge footfalls of tourists as well as residents. There have been complaints about nuisance and menace created by such people. So joint raids are being carried out, Kumar said. The Delhi education department has asked private schools to update the admission status of children under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category on a daily basis till April 15. April 15 is the last date for admission of children in the EWS/DG category. The Right to Education (RTE) Act mandates private schools to reserve 25% of the seats for children in the category and provide them free schooling. The Directorate of Education (DOE) issued the directive after some parents complained that certain schools were denying admission to their children, despite the government allotting schools to them under RTE Act. Parents complained that schools refused admission on unjustified and frivolous grounds like the online application had details of only one parent. The DOE told the schools that they cannot demand money from the parents for uniform, books and other materials to EWS category children. A number of complaints have been received from the parents of EWS/DG category that many of the private schools are still refusing to provide free books, uniform and writing materials. You are once again directed to provide the free materials and not demand any money from the parents, said the circular from the department. As per rule, the schools are to provide these materials, which would be later reimbursed by the government. For schools built on Delhi Development Authority land, the government gives R 1,500 per year and for others it gives around R 1300 per month. However, the private schools say that the amount given by the government is not enough and every year parents complain of denial of these facilities. On different occasions, the matter has also reached the High Court and schools have been individually directed by the court to follow the rule. A group of doctors in the city joined hands on Sunday to fight against Cerebral Palsy, a disease that occurs because of a neurological disorder. The initiative is significant as every three out of 1,000 children in Haryana suffer from some form of neurological disorder. The matter needs serious attention, said the doctors at a panel discussion held at a rehabilitation centre in Sector 42 on Sunday. According to the data put out by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 10% of the global population suffers from some form of disability. In India, 3.8% of the population is affected by disabilities. Whats even more worrying is that nearly 15-20% of the physically-disabled children in India suffer from Cerebral Palsy. In Haryana, stroke is seen as one of the leading causes of disability and death. A 12-year-old girl from Iraq,who has been suffering from Cerebral Palsy since she was 8-months-old, was administered a drug during the panel discussion. Dr Sumit Singh, consultant neurologist, Artemis Hospital, highlighted the role of rehabilitation and drugs in management of adult spasticity, which is known as Cerebral Palsy when it affects children. Soon, India is going to be the stroke capital of the world. To tackle the problem, we have developed a systematic unit to provide complete care for the patients to recover, Singh said. The condition leads of stiffness and contraction of some muscles . The doctors said that this impairs the normal body movement. They blamed the condition on lack of enough oxygen in the body at the time of birth. Dr Ashu Rohatgi, consultant neurologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital threw light on spasticity management in paediatrics, saying, As it is a neurological disorder, we have a very important role to play in guiding the patients and helping them deal with the disease, Rohatgi said. Dr Vipul Shandilya, medical director of Delmira Rehabilitation Services, demonstrated a live injection procedure and said that children and adult could be completely cured if provided with constant medical attention. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The state police has asked the Haryana cow service commission, the agency looking after issuance of identity cards to genuine gau rakshaks, to pay verification fee for the persons shortlisted to get the ID cards. The Haryana Gau Seva Aayog (cow service commission), constituted in 2012 and notified in January 2013, has prepared a list of around 200 gau rakshaks across the state eligible for ID cards and sent it to the police headquarters in Panchkula for verification. The decision to issue ID cards to gau rakshaks considered genuine was taken by the state government in August last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke out against those posing as gau rakshaks and disturbing law and order. The cards were to be issued by the commission. Read more: Gurgaon gau rakshaks say they were shot at while chasing cattle smugglers With the need to verify the background of every person to be shortlisted for the ID card, the process is taking a long time. Bhani Ram Mangla, chairman of the commission, said shortlisting the candidates was an uphill task and the commission took the help of local leaders for background verification of candidates. We had sent the list to the state police, but last month the police informed us that we need to pay Rs500 per person for character verification. I have written to the director general of police to waive off the fees as issuing ID cards is a government task, Mangla said. Dharmender Yadav, president, Gurugram Gau Raksha Dal, said, There is no official word on the ID cards, but the activists are working in coordination with the local police. However, ID cards will ease our job a lot. As far as the verification fee is concerned, the commission or the individual candidates can pay the same. A senior police official said character verification fee is as per government norms and has to be paid for. Clashes on the issue of smuggling cattle for slaughter have increased since the state enforced the cow protection act, known as the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015. Under the Act, cow slaughter is punishable in the state with rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine of Rs1 lakh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 40-year-old journalist was allegedly assaulted at the office of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA around 8:30pm on Saturday. The police has filed an FIR against political worker Praveen Sharma and an unnamed accused. Police said victim Anil Arya, in his complaint, has said that he visited the office of BJP MLA Umesh Aggarwal in Sector 5 on Saturday where he got into a heated argument with the men, who threatened and assaulted him. Around 10:30am on Sunday, Arya filed a complaint at the Sector 5 police station. Many journalists also gathered at the police station in his support to condemn the incident. A FIR has been registered against unknown persons under IPCs sections 323, 506 and 34. The investigation is still underway and we require a medical test report. We have asked the victim for the same. We will verify the facts with people who were present at the spot of the alleged crime, said inspector Vijender Yadav, Sector 5 police station. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hundreds of parents from Gurgaon took out a peaceful march on Sunday morning at Jantar Mantar protesting against the unreasonable fee hike and illegal charges imposed by various prominent private schools across the country. Several parents associations in the city have served an ultimatum to the state government and given them seven days to roll back the fee hike, failing which they will further intensify the protests and even burn effigies of the chief minister, education minister and other officials. The protesting parents handed memorandums to the OSD (officer on special duty) of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar at Haryana Bhawan and OSD of the president at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The protesters, including students from nine states, gathered outside Jantar Mantar in the morning and marched towards Rashtrapati Bawan. They carried banners and placards demanding a rollback of the hiked fee and action against the erring schools. We have been protesting for last many months and will not sit silent now. If our demands are not met, we will move court. We are taking legal advice and have given enough time to the government and agencies. We will not give up the fight till the fee hike is rolled back, Ramesh Rana, president of The All India Parents Forum for Education (AIPFE), said. More than 700 parents from Gurgaon took part in the protest along with their children, saying they did not get any positive response from the government. The AIPFE members demanded that the government enact a new law to give statutory status to The Fees and Fund Regulatory committee (FFRC). The body was formed under Section 158 A- of the Haryana School Education Act and comes under the authority of the divisional commissioner of Gurgaon. We successfully raised our voice at Jantar Mantar against various school managements of NCR. Parents shared their views, experience, and problems related to education costs. We submitted memorandums to officials at Haryana Bhawan and Rashtrapati Bhawan, Yashesh Yadav, a parent, said. The parents have been running from pillar to post in a desperate bid to get the fees reduced. However, there has been no response from authorities despite more than dozen protest across the city. We will submit a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week and will burn effigies of Union HRD (human resource development) minister Prakash Javadekar, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and education minister Ram Bilas Sharma in Delhi, Sandeep Vats, a parent. Tripti Singh, the administrator of Facebook forum, Gurgaon School for Better Education, said, There is no clarity on education guidelines and the officials responsible are not aware of the steps that they can take against these schools. They do not have the authority to pursue cases of arbitrary fee hikes. We have no idea who to turn to for help. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The district administration has asked the pub/bar owners to submit their affidavits by Monday so that any lingering doubts on whether their establishments fall within 500 metres of state or national highways are erased and proper measurements could be taken to enable them to carry on with their trade or shift elsewhere. Hardeep Singh, deputy commissioner Gurgaon, held a meeting on Saturday with excise officials and gave the directive. Singh had earlier formed two teams, but on the direction of chief secretary of Haryana, the teams have been combined. Now, the combined team will comprise officials from such agencies as the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), PWD, town and country planning and B & R department, excise, police, and the revenue department. We have asked the affected pub/bar owners to submit affidavits so that we can start measuring the motorable distance from Monday. The state is already suffering huge revenue losses due to the Supreme Court order banning the sale of liquor within 500 metres of state and national highways. We will comply with the order and will do justice to all those affected by it, Singh said. The excise department has already started receiving the requests from pub and bar owners for measurement. We have started receiving requests from the affected pub/bars to measure the (motorable) distance and we will start doing that from Monday, HC Dahiya, deputy excise and taxation commissioner(West), said. Read I Gurgaon highway liquor ban: List of restaurants hit and those that arent A committee has been formed to enforce the Supreme Courts ruling. Though, the committee members had visited CyberHub, Sector 29 and Sohna Road on April 1 and stopped the sale of liquor in pubs and bars falling within 500 metres of state or national highways. However, the pub/bar owners alleged that nowhere in the order is there an explicit mention of lounges, pub, bars, and hotels. We have spoken to the members of NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India), who are looking into the matter. They are in touch with the ministry concerned for further clarification on this. Till then, we can only wait and hope for some relief, Ashwini Choudhary, director, Soi 7 Group, said. The directions referred to are the ones mentioned in a judgment on December 15, 2016, and there is no reference to hotels, bars, and restaurants. Accordingly, there was no occasion to seek any clarification as the Supreme Court as it did not say that hotels, restaurants, and bars fall within the ambit of this judgment. These are only passing references and not legally binding, Rahul Singh, head of the Haryana chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said. The excise officials had taken note of the inventory and seized the liquor in stock at these watering holes. The stock is now in the custody of the excise department. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Is suicide-streaming the new selfie? Shocking as it may sound, the trend of people live-streaming their last moments on the earth points to a desire to be remembered and maybe even admired, in a morbid way after death. The recent case that has both shocked and fascinated the nation is that of Arjun Bhardwaj, the 24-year-old, who, on April 3, checked into a posh hotel suite, and live-streamed his suicide on Facebook. In the footage, one can see him taking the final steps, as he says, Ok, I dont think I can record this while doing it. But f*** it, okay cool... See you guys on the other side. And then he jumped off the 19th floor of the hotel. A screengrab from Arjun Bhardwajs live stream video. (Youtube) Just a day after this, Bigg Boss Kannada winner and actor-filmmaker Pratham streamed a video after consuming sleeping pills. In the video, he said, Anything that I do is being wrongly projected. I cannot take it anymore. This will be my final Facebook Live video and sorry if I have hurt anyone. Thankfully, he was saved. Highlights Those suffering from personality issues might have a lot of anger and resentment in them. They might also be attention-seekers in some way. When they get very disturbed, they end their lives in a dramatic way. For them, that act becomes a statement. They die with the hope that their story will go into the newspapers; people will talk about them and watch their video. Suicide is supposed to be a lonely affair, a desperate choice made by people who feel deserted by the world. Then how does one interpret Bhardwajs bravado in the final moments of his life? He smoked, drank, and gave a suicide tutorial online actions that amazed people far more than the suicide itself, since Bhardwaj was also reportedly depressed and addicted to drugs. Psychologist Dr Pulkit Sharma says, Most people commit suicide because theyre depressed and hopeless. They do it silently in a closed room. But those suffering from personality issues might have a lot of anger and resentment in them. They might also be attention-seekers in some way. When they get very disturbed, they end their lives in a dramatic way. For them, that act becomes a statement. Even while ending their life, theyre happy that theyre making a kind of statement to the world. They die with the hope that their story will go into the newspapers; people will talk about them and watch their video. Live-streaming of suicides may be new to India, but quite a few cases have already been reported from the West. In March, an 11-year-old boy from Michigan took his life after his girlfriend faked suicide on social media. In January, aspiring Hollywood actor Frederick Jay Bowdy shot himself in the head and live-streamed it on Facebook. In the same month, a 14-year-old Miami girl live-streamed her suicide. Last December, a 12-year-old Georgia girl hanged herself and live-streamed it. Dr Sharma says that theres a certain larger-than-life element to such acts. Its a masterstroke for becoming known, maybe to become immortal as they die, he says. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An Air India pilot has been grounded for three months after he tested positive in the mandatory pre-flight alcohol test, minutes before operating a flight to Abu Dhabi from New Delhi. The pilot was rostered to fly the Air India Express IX 115 Delhi to Abu Dhabi flight, which was scheduled for departure from Indira Gandhi International Airport at 8:50pm on Saturday. The pilot who was on deputation with AI Express tested positive in the pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test. Since this was the first time he has failed his test he has been grounded for three months, an Air India source said. Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink, 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him or her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight. Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breathlyser test is required to be taken off flying duty and his or her licence is suspended for three months. In case of a repeat offence, the licence of the crew member is suspended for 3 years. However, despite strict provisions, DGCA sources say pilots failing the breathlyser test is a common occurrence. We suspend anywhere between 1-4 pilots every month for this offence, a DGCA official said. As per data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in Parliament last month, this is the second-most common air safety breach committed by crew members, with violations related to breathalyser testing increasing from 49 cases in 2015 to 61 in 2016 -- a jump of 24 per cent. In fact, Air India pilots were the top violators in 2016 with the national carrier registering 24 cases, followed by Indigo with 9 cases and SpiceJet with 7 cases. Recently, a senior official of Air India, Captain AK Kathpalia, was suspended for 3 months by the DGCA for allegedly skipping the breathalyser test before a flight. He was subsequently removed from the post of Executive Director, Operations. However, he was later appointed to the post of Director (Operations) in Air India Ltd for a period of five years, in a decision taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. This move has been opposed by one of the pilot unions for his dubious track record. After the recent squabbling in social media by some party members, Odisha chief minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik will meet his Parliamentarians here on Monday. In the party meeting, a rare event for Patnaik in Delhi, the CM is expected to give a pep talk and ask people to desist from making public comments about party affairs. The meeting also assumes significance in the backdrop of the BJPs increased interest to expand its footprint in the coastal state where the BJD is in power since 2000. It is significant that Naveen babu will meet us in the partys office in Parliament. We expect to hear some clear message, said an MP. Recently, senior party MP Tathagata Satpathy targeted a party MP on Twitter even as he spoke about the rising threat from the BJP to BJD in Odisha. His tweets had seen mixed reactions in the party even as Union minister Jual Oram claimed that BJD lawmakers are in talks with the NDA leadership to join BJP. BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy said, The party chief may ask if any MP has anything to say about the party affairs. In the last few months, the BJD has, slowly but steadily, also stepped up its ante against the BJP. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Villagers allegedly pelted stones at the car of the Congress candidate and police vehicles in Madhya Pradeshs Ater during an assembly bypoll on Sunday. Six vehicles including that of Congress Hemant Katare and two police cars -- were damaged, source said. The incident took place at Sankri polling booth where Katare reached to check on reports of booth capturing by BJP candidate Arvind Bhadorias followers. An additional police force was rushed to the area to control the situation. Polling is being held in Ater in Bhind district and Bandhavgarh (ST) seats due to a bypoll that grabbed headlines following reports that a malfunctioning electronic voting machine had apparently switched votes to the BJP. This is the first time a paper trail for the EVM known as Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT is being used in the state. Katare alleged there was an attempt on his life when he tried to prevent booth capturing. However, the spokesperson of chief electoral officers office, Pralay Shrivastava told media persons in Bhopal that there was no attempt of booth capturing. State Congress president Arun Yadav alleged massive rigging. More than 400,000 voters in these two constituencies are expected to exercise their franchise at more than 550 polling stations, mostly in rural areas. Arvind Bhadoria from BJP and Hemant Katare from Congress are the main contenders in Ater while BJP candidate Shivnarayan Singh and the Congress candidate Savitri Singh have locked horns in Bandhavgarh. Leader Opposition in state assembly Satyadev Katare who represented Ater seat died of cancer last year whereas Gyan Singh -- who was a minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet and represented Bandhavgarh -- was elected to Lok Sabha in a by-poll to Shahdol seat. The bypolls in Madhya Pradesh were already marked by controversy after the Congress alleged earlier this month that the BJPs lotus symbol was printed multiple times through paper audit at a media demonstration. The Election Commission didnt find any anomaly or tampering with the EVM during the demonstration. However, the EC shifted the collector Ilayaraja T on the ground that he failed to clear the pre-loaded data in the EVM before the demonstration. The superintendent of police Anil Kushwaha was also shifted. The row erupted after a purported video of an EVM trial showed the paper trail attached to it generating a receipt for the BJP when state chief electoral officer Saleena Singh pressed the button for the Samajwadi Party candidate. Read more| Bypolls LIVE: Four killed in Srinagar violence; reports of faulty EVMs in Jharkhand, MP, Himachal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Throwing a direct challenge to the Mamata Banerjee government to act on its threat of taking legal action against people holding processions with arms, the Diamond Harbour unit of BJP on Sunday welcomed its leaders on dais, including state president Dilip Ghosh, with a machete. Justifying the act, Ghosh said during his speech, We are not scared of her threats of legal action. Well carry weapons that our Hindu gods have. These are not weapons, but symbols of valour. Why only jail, Dilip Ghosh is even ready to be hanged. But before you manage to send him to jail, several of your MLAs and MPs are going to join BJP. The public gathering was held at Diamond Harbour in South 24-Parganas district, about 40 kilometres from Kolkata. Several hundred supporters came rallying from several places, carrying swords, sickles and scythe and chanting Jai Shri Ram. Ghosh was quite evidently responding to chief minister Mamata Banerjees threat that her government would take legal action against people carrying weapons in processions. A day after Ram Navami celebrations, the West Midnapore district police had booked Ghosh for carrying a sword during a procession in Kharagpur. On Sunday, asserting that he will continue displaying weapons, Ghosh said, Dilip Ghosh was born with a sword and will continue to have swords. Ghoshs Sunday remarks came following his comment on the eve of Ram Navami that the controversy over Ram Navami celebration was nothing but a battle between Ramzadas and Haramzadas and that people criticising display of weapons on Ram Navami should be kicked out of the borders on Bangladesh and Pakistan. Chief executive officers (CEOs) of five IT firms are set to take their message against marine pollution and global warming to a new level with an underwater conference in the Arabian Sea on Monday. At the 30-minute conference near the famous beach resort of Kovalam, the CEOs will take a pledge to protect the ocean and marine life. Armed with scuba gear and other gadgets, the CEOs will descend at least six to seven metres into the sea for the conference. After the meeting they will take a pledge and sign a memorandum to protect ocean and marine life. They will also release a logo as part of their ocean love campaign. For the underwater conference, the CEOs have been training for the past week. Their underwater conference assumes much significance in the wake of a recent global report that termed seas near Mumbai, Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the most polluted in the world. The report also said most of the plastic and other debris in the sea originate from inland. Besides affecting marine biodiversity, pollution poses a big threat to people who live close to the sea, said the report prepared by three eminent world bodies. Read more: Sea near Mumbai among the most polluted in the world: Global study Sea pollution is rising at an alarming level. Our endeavour is to make the public aware of the dangers posed by littering especially the unscientific disposal of plastic, said Raja Gopaal Iyer, CEO of Uday Samudra Group, one of the main organisers of the event. Iyer will also participate in the underwater meeting. After the conference, details will be posted on the Facebook page of the Kerala Tourism Department. I am really excited. I hope such attempts will help send a right message, said Hema Menon of UST Global, one of the participants. Other tech firms include Neologix and SKHF, two IT firms based in Thiruvananthapuram Technopark. Kerala Tourism, Kovalam Surfing Club and Swacch Bharat are co-partners. Iyer said on World Ocean Day on June 8, a club will be launched (Beach and Marine Environment Protection Club) roping in many hotels on the beach stretching from Kanyakumari to Kasargode. At least 40 hotels have joined the club. We will regularly clean beaches and river fronts to ensure that litter wont enter seas, he said adding that after gauging its success the club will cover the entire coastal belt of the country. While the CEOs meet is unique, it is not the first time such an event will take place. In October 2009, the Maldives government made an attention-grabbing plea for climate change action by holding the worlds first underwater cabinet meeting. According to a recent report of the World Economic Forum at least 12.7 metric tonne of plastic end up in the sea each year and by 2050 there could be more plastic in the sea than fish. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Tamil Nadu state bus and a car had a narrow escape on Sunday after a portion of Chennais arterial Anna Salai road caved in and trapped them in a giant crater. According to local reports, the bus and a Honda city car were trapped in the crater after the main thoroughfare suddenly collapsed near Church Park street around 1:30 pm. Initial reports suggest that around 35 people were inside the bus, and several sustained minor injuries. The injured were taken to Royapettah Government Hospital for treatment. No casualties were reported. According to one witness, the crater formed while the bus was stationery and passengers were disembarking from it. The road caved in slowly. Perhaps, that is why people were able to escape unharmed, he said. Metro officials told reporters that the soil under the stretch of the road could have loosened due to tunnelling work. According to local media reports, the Metro Rail work in the area has been temporarily suspended. Police officials have cordoned off Anna Salai. The Chhattisgarh Police on Sunday arrested a driver who had, allegedly, a day earlier rammed his truck into an SUV, killing three people, including the husband of an anchor who broke the news of the accident live on television. The driver, who was on the run after a stoic Supreet Kaur earned all-round praise for her professionalism and the video of the news bulletin went viral, was arrested from Rajnandgaon, police said. Kaur who works with Chhattisgarhs private IBC-24 channel kept her composure during Saturday mornings live news bulletin, as a reporter phoned in details of an accident in Pithaura area of Mahasamund district. The reporter said three of the five people travelling in the SUV, a Renault Duster, were dead. Though he did not identify the dead, there was enough for Kaur to realise it could be her husband. He, too, was to travel in a Renault Duster on the same route and at the same time with four others. The 28-year-old Kaur held herself together, completed the bulletin and left the studio before allowing herself to cry. Salute Supreets strength in dealing with her husbands demise with extraordinary bravery and professionalism. May departed soul rest in peace, chief minister Raman Singh tweeted, expressing grief over the incident. State Congress president Bhupesh Baghel also hailed Kaurs courage. We are standing with her in this difficult situation. She has set an example for journalism and professionalism, said a colleague. The last rites of Kaurs husband, Harsad Kawade, will be performed on Monday. They married a year ago. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A polling booth in trouble-torn Kashmir witnessed serpentine queues of voters on Sunday while rest of the valley witnessed violence and poll boycott. From early morning old and young, men and women, decked up in traditional phirans (rob), were seen queuing up at booth number 47 in Kathi Wangat in Kangan. By 10am already 200, out of the 997, votes were cast at the booth. The booth is under Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is contesting the seat that fell vacant after the resignation of Peoples Democratic Partys Tariq Hameed Karra during last years unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. At least six people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters as multiple-polling stations in other parts of the constituency were attacked by stone pelters. The violence affected the overall voting percentage which in some booths was below 1% in the first two hours. Electorates at Wangat say happenings in rest of the valley dont affect them. We are not Kashmiris we are Paharis. We will exercise our franchise as out vote is sacred, said 76-year-old Mahommad Yaqub. Traditionally a NC bastion, Wangat had elected the partys candidate Mian Altaf in 2014 assembly elections. The residents, most of who say they are originally Pathans from Khyber-Pastoon belt of Pakistan, claim allegiances to Mian, who comes from a family of a saint and is now a landlord of the area. So they will vote for his partys candidate. The electorates said they were voting for a change. ``The PDP-BJP government has given us nothing. We have to produce Aadhaar card for everything. We dont even get ration if we dont have it. To make an aadhaar card, we have to forgo one or two days wages, said another voter Mohammad Sulieman. However, some villages in the area complained that masked men have occupied polling booths and are not letting voters to enter. A group of villagers from Chak Kasnabal said they wanted to vote, but some people did not allow them in. Like rest of the valley, booths in other parts of Kangan area too registered poor voter turnout. I have never seen such a hostile atmosphere since the inception of militancy in the valley. Security arrangements are not inadequate and voters are not feeling confident to vote, Altaf Hussain, NC MLA from the area told HT. But even in this Kathi Wangat village generation gap is evident. While the older generation is committed to vote, the youngsters mostly school going children are not immune to happenings in the rest of the valley. The children who are yet to get the right to vote as yet say unlike their elders they are not excited about election process. ``What have we achieved by voting? When I grow up I will never vote, said a teenager, whose father is a polling agent of a political party. Many young children endorsed this teenagers discontentment. ``When we are living in Kashmir we are Kashmirs. Pahari is our identity, but we are also Kashmiris. They kill our brother, so why should we vote, said a class 9 student. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Patanjali Ayurved Limited promoted by yoga guru Ramdev, have decided to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to market array of herbal products developed by the DRDOs Life Sciences wing - Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). The DRDOs Life Sciences head Sashibala Singh and a couple of scientists on Saturday met Ramdev and Acharya Balkhrisha, managing director of Patanjali. The two sides decided to ink an (MoU) soon. Life Sciences is one of the seven wings of the DRDO. The DRDO primarily develops weapons, missiles and other electronic products for the armed forces. In the last few years, it has also started working on health products with high nutritional values. The DRDO is seeking to leverage Patanjalis wide reach to market its herbal products. Patanjali has wider network in the country and therefore we think DRDO will benefit with the former in taking its products to the masses said Sashibala Singh. This will be the second such deal between the two. Two years ago the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had signed a transfer of technologies (ToT) deal through a non exclusive license with yoga guru Patanjali Ayurved for five of the seabuckthorn based products such as seabuckthorn beverage, seapricot beverage, herbal tea, seabuckthorn oil soft gel capsules and seabuckthorn jam. According to DRDO, seabuckthorn has high nutritional values and is a good food supplement as it has very high anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. Patanjali which began operations in 2006, is already an FMCG major with an annual turnover of R 5,000 crores which it intends to double by the end of this fiscal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Election Commission cancelled the RK Nagar by-elections scheduled for April 12 after evidence of rampant corruption and bribery came to light following a series of high profile raids by the Income Tax Department, sources said on Sunday. The Commissions decision will mean that the hotly contested elections to former chief minister J Jayalalithaas constituency, which was heading for a fierce fight between the splinter factions of the AIADMK and the DMK, will now take place at a later unspecified date. The Election Commission (EC)s decision came after tax authorities reportedly unearthed a large-scale bribery scandal to swing an election that might determine the ruling partys future. Documents seized by the income tax department during raids on state health minister Vijaya Bhaskars house on Friday purportedly show the Sasikala faction of the AIADMK gave Rs 4,000 to every voter in the north Chennai locality that was the home constituency of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The papers leaked to the media purportedly show the Sasikala-led AIADMK faction giving more than Rs 89.5 crore to seven ministers for distribution among RK Nagar voters and that they were allegedly given a target of 224,145 voters to bribe. Further documentation also reportedly point to rampant corruption and the transfer and posting processes of the state, as well as illegal tie-ups with private education institutions. This is not the first time that bribery has led to elections being postponed. During the 2016 assembly elections, the poll panel cancelled elections in Thanjavur and Aravakuruchi assembly seats, citing large-scale bribing of voters. The bypoll was being seen as a battle of supremacy between the two warring AIADMK factions that want to establish their control over the party, and crucially, lay claim to the iconic but now frozen two-leaves symbol of the party. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The government has cancelled nearly a crore of fake job cards in the MGNREGA scheme, plugging a major source of fund leakage in one of the worlds biggest employment guarantee programmes, officials have said. The scheme, launched under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, ensures employment to the rural population through one job card to each family. By removing 9.3 million job cards, the officials said, the number of fake beneficiaries stuck off from the scheme was more than 31 million. Officials said the cancelled job cards amount to more than 14% of the active households engaged in the job scheme, launched by the previous Congress-led UPA government. The Narendra Modi government, which stormed to power in 2014 with the promise of rooting out corruption, has been trying to ensure that social scheme benefits are more target-oriented, thus narrowing the scope of fraud. It has also linked LPG subsidy and school midday meals to Aadhaar, so that the government could ensure that funds go only to the beneficiaries. Officials said the need to clean up the MGNREGA scheme was felt after rampant leakage of funds and diversion of money was reported from several states. We have done a house-to-house survey to check the authenticity of MGNREGA workers. We have focused on two things: migration and death of job seekers. In the job cards, we look at Aadhaar numbers, photos of beneficiaries and details of payments, said rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha. The job scheme had even become a bone of contention between the Congress and the BJP, with the latter accusing the Congress of plundering government money in a ill-conceived scheme. After coming to power, the BJP decided to revive the scheme and also to clean it up. As the government renewed its focus on the rural and farm sectors, Modi directed officials to ensure transparency and accountability on MGNREGA. The highest number of fake job cards, 21.67 lakhs, were cancelled in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh while in Uttar Pradesh, 19.4 lakh cards were scrapped. Among the big states, fake cards have not been found in Telangana so far. The job card holds the key to not only securing a job but also payments. Every job card holder is entitled to employment under the act. In the initial years of MGNREGA, there were reports of rampant corruption as the process was mostly manual. Fake entries were made in job sheets to divert funds, job cards existed in non-existent names. In many cases, people held multiple cards in a bid to draw added benefits. For the past one year, the rural development ministry had embarked on a mission to clear the muster rolls of all fake cards by shifting to an electronic muster roll of beneficiaries and pushing the aadhar-based payment system. The government, however said it might still be a long way to ensure a full-proof system in MGNREGA. We have to update the masterroll and conduct surveys regularly. It is not a one-time job, said joint secretary Aparajita Sarangi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vikram Jaryal, who was shot dead allegedly by two masked robbers in the United States, was to go to England to write a promotion exam for merchant navy but decided to take a holiday first, his family said. The 26-year-old, who hailed from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, had joined his friends convenience store in Washingtons Yakima city two days before he was gunned down on April 6. Vikram was to undertake the examination after signing off his current assignment. However, he postponed it to the end of the year and instead obtained a tourist visa to the US for a short vacation, said elder brother Inderjit, who was the first to be told about his brothers death. Vikram and the store owner had served in the merchant navy, Inderjit said, adding his brother was to take an exam to qualify as a second mate. Vikram spoke to his family on April 5 and told them he was having a good time and would be home in a few days. We still cant believe he is no more. I wish he had not gone there, said his father, subedar (retd) Parshottam Singh. His mother, Poonam, is in shock. The family has requested external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to arrange for early release of the body. India was coordinating with investigation agencies in the US to get the guilty arrested, Swaraj tweeted. Indian consulate in San Francisco was in touch with them, Inderjit said. They said Saturday and Sunday are holidays so the death certificate and other formalities can be completed only on Monday, he added. Vikram, who worked as a clerk at AM-PM gas station, was behind the counter when the incident happened. On 6 April two miscreants entered the shop at 1.30 am. They snatched cash from victim and shot on his chest. This resulted in his death, Swaraj tweeted, adding Vikram came to the US 25 days ago. Jaryal was taken to the hospital where he later died. The victim was able to tell officers what happened when they arrived a few minutes later; but tragically, he died a short time later at the hospital, police was quoted as saying by the NBC Right Now channel. Her heart is literally beating outside her body. This newborn girl with a rare congenital medical condition called Ectopia Cordis (heart outside body) is battling for her life in Bundelkhands Chhatarpur district, 331 km north east of Bhopal. Her anxious father is running from pillar to post for her treatment. According to medical experts the occurrence of this freak case is 8 per 10 lakh births. Her father Arvind Patel lives in Khajuraho and works as a private security guard at the world heritage site Khajuraho temple. After my marriage to Prem Kumari, all my family was happy when we were having our first child. On April 5 around 3.26 am at Khajuraho Primary Health Center my wife gave birth to the girl child who was having her heart outside. The doctor referred us to Chhatarpur district hospital but did not give us anything in writing, he told HT. Patel said at Chhatarpur district hospital, his wife was admitted at child and maternity ward but not much could be done there to help the baby. The doctors there told us that for treatment we have to take the child outside and her treatment will be very expensive and cost around Rs 25-30 lakh. My elderly father who was with us became ill due to tension and next day we came back to Khajuraho, helpless. Patel said later he received a call from the district hospital informing that the child will be referred to Gwalior. So on Friday evening we left for Gwalior where she was admitted at Gajraja Medical College, he said. He said he came back from Gwalior to meet Chhatarpur collector to seek help for her daughters treatment. I am from a poor family and cannot afford expensive treatment, medicine, different check ups and so on, he said. Dr SK Gupta from Khajuraho Health Center told HT that the baby had her heart outside her body which is known in medical science as Ectopia Cordis . After the delivery she was referred to SNCU Chhatarpur district hospital .It is a very rare disease and for the first time it has been reported in Khajuraho, he said. Dr RS Tripathi, civil surgeon, Chhatarpur district hospital told HT that they had referred her to Gwalior Medical College, given the rarity of the medical condition. We sent the family in our ambulance on Friday and she has been admitted in Gwalior, he said. The infant was eventually referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal. Ramesh Bhandari, collector Chhatarpur told HT government aid would be provided to the infant according to the treatment process. The girl has been referred from Gwalior to AIIMS on Saturday. She will be taken there in an ambulance. We are monitoring the case and all possible help will be extended to the family, he said. What is outside heart or Ectopia Cordis? According to medical experts, Ectopia Cordis is a congenital malformation in which the heart is abnormally located either partially or outside the thorax. It results from a failure of proper maturation of body wall formation during embryonic development. The outside heart can be found along neck, chest or abdomen. Its occurrence is 8 per million births and though successful surgeries have been performed, mortality rate remains high. Warships from India, China and Pakistan operated jointly in the Gulf of Aden to rescue a merchant vessel attacked by Somali pirates on Saturday night. The Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier (OS 35) was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the Yemeni port city of Aden when it was hijacked by the pirates, the latest in a string of attacks after several years of silence Bulk carrier OS35(Flag Tuvalu) hijacked by Pirates in Gulf of Aden. INS Mumbai &Tarkash in area diverted 2render assistance @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/z2x12bUVkm SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 9, 2017 Immediately after receiving an SOS from the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted two of its warships -- INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash -- in the direction of the merchant ship. The two warships were part of an Indian fleet of four vessels heading for an overseas deployment. The Indian warships contacted the captain of the merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board, the navy said in a press statement. Chinese, Pakistani and Italian warships that were in the vicinity also reached the spot. The Chinese navy sent a team of 18 men to sanitise the 178-metre merchant vessel, with the Indian Navy providing the communication link and air cover with its helicopters. The Chinese navys Yulin guided missile frigate also took part in the operation. On receiving the all-clear signal, some crew gradually emerged from the strong room and searched the ship and confirmed the pirates had fled at night, the statement said. The merchant vessel sailed to safety due to a joint effort, Indian Navy spokesperson captain DK Sharma said. There was a lull in the Gulf of Aden for some time but now the pirates seem to be active again. Earlier this month, they seized a small boat and its 11 Indian crew as the vessel passed through the narrow channel between Socotra Island and Somalias coast. In March, Somali pirates hijacked a Comoros-flagged oil tanker, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012. They later released the vessel and its Sri Lankan crew without conditions. Piracy off Somalias coast was once a serious threat to the global shipping industry. It has lessened in recent years after an international effort to patrol near the country, whose weak government has been trying to assert itself after a quarter-century of conflict. In December, Nato ended its anti-piracy mission off Somalias waters. But frustration has been rising among Somali fishermen, including former pirates, at what they say are foreign fishermen illegally fishing in local waters. (with agency inputs) . An 18-year-old youth from Patiala died in a road accident in Australia two days ago and his family has sought the help of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to bring his body home for the last rites. Vishal Mahant had died after being hit by a truck in Australias Melbourne city on Friday. The victims father Jaspal Das Mahant said they received a phone call from a relative in Melbourne informing him about his sons death. He said Vishal was on his way home when a truck rammed his vehicle, killing him on the spot. Mahants family friend Pardeep Singh said Vishals family, through tweets, sought the Swarajs help in bringing the body. Vishal had gone to Australia two-and-half-year ago on a student visa, and was working at a relatives store. Meanwhile, former MoS for external affairs Preneet Kaur visited the family of Vishal in Patiala and expressed her condolences to the bereaved family. She also assured all help in bring the body. (with agency inputs) LATEHAR Hundreds of passengers aboard Gomo-Barwadih passenger train in Jharkhand escaped unhurt on Sunday after the electric engine of the train caught fire just before it reached Mahuamilan railway station on the Coal India Chord (CIC) section of the East Central Railway (ECR). The driver and assistant driver were also reported to be safe. Firefighters, who were rushed to the spot from Latehar, brought the fire that was spreading to nearby bogies under control after an hour. Pradeep Shahdev, an eyewitness who was present at the station, said: First, I saw flames coming out of the railway engine as soon as it stopped. Soon, passengers travelling in the train started jumping out of it. I am fortunate that I escaped unhurt. I fear the worst would have happened if the train had not stopped in time, said Suresh Singh, a passenger of the train. Mahuamilan is 45 km from the Latehar district headquarters. The incident which took place at 5.10 pm disrupted movement of trains on this section. The burning engine of the Gomo-Barwadih passenger train in Jharkhand. (HT Photo) More than a hundred trains, mostly freight trains, pass through the route daily. Tori station manager Ashok Kumar who rushed to the spot along with railway police personnel refused to comment on the fire. Railway officials suspect a short circuit may have sparked the fire. The engine of the train was completed destroyed in the fire. Four members of a family were found dead inside their house in a posh locality in Thiruvananthapuram early on Sunday, police said. While three bodies were found in a burnt state, another was cut into pieces and kept in a bag at the multi-storeyed house in the posh locality near Cliff House, the official residence of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and some of his cabinet colleagues. The incident came to light after locals noticed thick smoke emanating from the house in the wee hours of the day and alerted the police. Preliminary investigations revealed that it was a case of murder, police said adding the bodies were about three days old. IG Manoj Abraham said of the four bodies found in the house, three were charred. Only a scientific probe would reveal further on the matter. Police have also received information about the accused, he said. Police suspect the bodies to be of retired resident medical officer Jeen Padma, her husband Rajathankam, their daughter Caloline and a relative Lalitha. The couples son Kedal, said to be working in Australia and had recently come home, was missing after the incident. Police have launched a manhunt for him. Locals said the couples daughter, pursuing her medical studies in China, had come home on a vacation recently. RJD chief Lalu Prasad, on Sunday, brushed aside as false and malicious a volley of allegations from BJP leader Sushil Modi, about irregularities in land deal for an upcoming mall in Patna. But he did admit that his family had secured the ownership of the land on which the mall was being built, by taking over the company that previously held the property. This was done by floating a limited liability partnership (LLP) firm renamed as LARA, acronym for Lalu and Rabri. Prasad also admitted that his wife, former chief minister Rabri Devi, and his two sons, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Forest minister Tej Pratap Yadav, were directors in the firm. The two became partners in the firm when their mother transferred her shares to them shares out of love. I contradict the charge that my daughters, Ragini and Chanda, are also directors in the firm, he said. Prasad said the land had been allotted to Meridian Construction for development of the mall on profit/space sharing model, as per an agreement. My family, owning the company that holds the land, has given the property to Meridian Construction, which will bear the construction cost of the mall, as per an agreement. The allegation that my family bought the land at a throwaway price is baseless, he said. The RJD chief, who was addressing a press conference, tried to give point by point rebuttal of charges levelled by BJP leader Modi. Prasad said the land, at Saguna Mor in western Patna and measuring two acres, came in possession of his wife Rabri Devi in 2005, in lieu of sale of her shares in Delight Marketing, owned by RJD leader and former union minister Prem Gupta, at face value of Rs 100 per share, as per Income Tax rules. The RJD chief got agitated when asked about Modis charge that he had amassed wealth despite professing to being a champion of social justice. Is it wrong to do business? Why cant my children and family engage in commercial ventures, Prasad asked. He said the value of the land has appreciated considerably over the years owing to the progressive hike in circle rates and escalation in market price. Earlier, BJP leader Modi had also alleged that a tender of Rs 90 lakh had been awarded by the Patna zoo authorities to the promoters of the upcoming mall, for supplying soil, owing to alleged pressure fromPrasads elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who is also Bihars forest minister. In this context, Prasad said: Modi is no longer talking about this as he knows this is false. The soil was never given to Patna zoo but sent to Phulwari sharif and Danapur graveyards. The RJD chief also rejected Modis allegation that Prasads family had got the land at Saguna Mor in 2005 in lieu of by awarding to businessmen Kochars contract for two railway Yatri Niwas hotels, at Puri and Ranchi, when Prasad was railway minister in the UPA-1 government at the centre (2004-09). Modi has a habit of cooking up cock and bull stories. The land was purchased by Delight marketing in 2005 whereas Kochars got the contract through their highest bidding, in December 2006, that is, much later, the RJD chief said. Prem Gupta, a sitting RJD MP, said his company was a family run firm since 1981 and had acquired the said land in 2005 by purchasing it from businessmen Kochars, after land ceiling clearance. Thereafter, he transferred the firm through sale of shares to Rabri Devi. But Gupta did not say at what price the deal was clinched. Earlier, BJPs Modi had alleged that the land transfer deal was done by floating a shell company at a total price of Rs 4 lakh, whereas the estimated value of the property was around Rs 200 crore and of the upcoming mall, Rs 750 crore . The RJD chief rebutted Modis allegation that the companys take over was not mentioned in IT returns of the parties concerned. Immediately after the RJD president s press meet, Modi said all the points he had raised were vindicated, as Prasad had admitted that by making an investment of around Rs four lakh, his family had come to own the property worth Rs 500 crore. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India and Bangladesh have been negotiating the elusive Teesta river water-sharing pact for close to two decades now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi rekindled hope for the early signing of the pact yet again after meeting his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday. But West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee changed the narrative again, insisting that instead of Teesta, the Centre should look at other river systems to share water with Bangladesh. And this would further muddy the water on issues related to water sharing between India and Bangladesh. The ties with Bangladesh have been on an upswing recently driven by closer cooperation in a host of sectors such as security and settling a niggling border dispute. But the inability to ink Teesta pact will make it difficult for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to keep the momentum in ties with India for a variety of reasons. Since water is a state subject, the Centre cannot do much about Teesta so long as Mamata Banerjee does not play ball. Water sharing pacts are very difficult to arrive at. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers but there is only water sharing pact that exists between them - the Ganges water-sharing treaty of 1996. No important water-sharing treaty has been signed in the world in this century, indicating how increasing water stress is making sharing and cooperation more difficult, said strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney, author of the book, Water: Asias New Battleground. Apart from the complex nature of water sharing negotiations, the Teesta has become a political and emotional issue in Dhaka. Not sealing the pact after it was ready for signing in 2011, sets up Sheikh Hasina to be charged with giving too much to India for too little in return. Oh, Teesta! a front-page headline in one of Bangladeshs leading newspapers Daily Star screamed in June 2014, coinciding with the visit of Modi to Bangladesh. Thin river to continue reminding Bangladesh about prolonged sufferings inflicted by India, the paper had commented. Of late, Dhaka has been complaining that the flow of the Teesta is thinning alarmingly. Dhaka says that the average flow of the Teesta in the last ten days of March, which considered a lean season, was 315 cusecs in 2015 compared to 550 cusecs during same period in 2014. But West Bengal also complains that there is not enough water while objecting to the water sharing pact. We dont know anything about the new proposal from West Bengal chief minister. Nothing has been formally conveyed to the Centre, said a government source. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The BJP will hold a brainstorming session with its allies in the national capital on Monday a grand show of unity and also a first of its kind by the entire National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after wresting power in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for about 50 leaders from the BJP and its 31 allies to discuss his governments achievements and challenges. This event will showcase NDAs expanse and its increasing clout in Indian politics, a BJP functionary said. we have seen geographical, political and ideological expansion in last three years. The Narendra Modi government completes three years in May. The Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah has invited presidents of all the partner parties including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) in Tamil Nadu, the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, and the Naga Peoples Front of Nagaland. Barring assembly elections in Bihar and New Delhi, the BJP had a dream run after the 2014 parliamentary polls. The party and its allies are in power in 17 states, including Uttar Pradesh, which it won with a three-fourth majority this March. BJP chief ministers rule 13 states. Despite having the big-brother status in the NDA, we have cared for our allies. The Monday event is a reflection of our commitment for a harmonious relationship with our partners, the BJP functionary said. The meeting will attempt to bury differences and put up a united face. Vibes from the Shiv Sena have been cold since the BJP won most seats in the 2014 assembly elections in Maharashtra and the latest ban by most airlines on its parliamentarian, Ravindra Gaikwad, for slapping an Air India official has strained relations further. The Sena has last week even threatened to boycott the NDA meet if the ban on Gaikwad was not lifted before Monday. Modis dinner diplomacy comes ahead of the presidential elections in July, when President Pranab Mukherjees term ends. Recent electoral victories have given the BJP the edge, but it still depends on its allies to get its nominee elected to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The dinner aims to take the fizz out of the Oppositions effort to stitch an alliance against the NDA before the 2019 general elections. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi last week met senior leaders of communist parties to explore possibilities of a united fight against Modi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday launched a website, described as a brainchild of film actor Akshay Kumar, to help donors contribute to families of paramilitary personnel killed in the line of duty. Akshay Kumar was present at the launch of the website called Bharat ke Veer or Indias Bravehearts that will be powered by State Bank of India and hosted on the server of the National Informatics Centre, said a CRPF statement. The function was held on the valour day of the CRPF. The website can also be accessed through a mobile application. Around two months back, Kumar had met Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the central paramilitary forces to offer his services to develop a web platform or mobile application for collection of money for families of security personnel who get killed in the line of duty. The website will provide details of a verified bank account of a member of the dead personnel to those interested in donating whatever amount they can. The bank account details will remain on the application till the account gets Rs 15 lakh. Speaking at the occasion, home minister Rajnath Singh said if a paramilitary jawan dies in action, the compensation to the family should not be less than Rs 1 crore. Praising the bravery of men in uniform, the home minister said they rescue even those who threw stones to them in reference to rescue work carried out by the CRPF and army in Jammu and Kashmir. According to paramilitary officials, as of now, the compensation from all sources, Centre and state governments and ex-gratia from the force comes to around Rs 60 lakh. The home ministry also congratulated Kumar for winning national award for the film Rustom. Kumar said his idea of getting a website made was to engage the entire 125 crore population of the country with the personnel in uniform so that anyone could contribute and feel proud by helping the families of such troops. People marrying before attaining the legal age for matrimony and couples having more than two children will not be eligible for Assam government jobs strict sanctions that the state plans in its new population policy. The country has a two-child norm, which is rarely followed strictly. Child marriage is banned in India and violation of the legal age 21 for men, and 18 for women attracts punishment whenever such incidents are caught. As part of legislative measures, the policy proposes that the minimum age for marriage must be made compulsory to receive government facilities such as jobs and services, said state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, unveiling details of the policys draft on Sunday. The policy, which is part of the ruling BJPs vision document for the state, is viewed as the partys attempt to control family sizes of Bengali-speaking Muslim immigrants. Most of these people, suspected to have emigrated illegally from Bangladesh, have large families and are mainly settled in chars or shifting sandbars of the Brahmaputra. Illegal immigration from Bangladesh is an emotive subject in Assam, which went through a long and bloody anti-foreigner public protest in the 1970s and 1980s. Embers from that fire flare up even today. The 2011 census says Assam, which has a population of more than 31 million, witnessed the highest increase in Muslim population from 30.9% in 2001 to 34.2% in a decade. Hindus comprise 61.47% of the population but nine districts are Muslim majority. The 2001 census put Assams population at 26,655,528 of this, 17,296,455 were Hindus and 8,240,611 Muslims. A decade later, Hindus numbered 19,180,759 while the Muslim population rose to 10,679,345. According to a 2012-2013 annual health survey, many districts in Assam have recorded high incidents of child marriage, with Dhubri bordering Bangladesh recording more than 15%. A growing number of scholars believe underage weddings are common in poor households, who cannot or arent aware of family planning and this trigger multiple pregnancies. They say strict controls are needed to prevent population growth spiraling out of control. The Assam governments draft policy seeks to increase the punishment for child marriages from imprisonment for two years to four years in jail. Public feedback will be sought before the draft is adopted as a resolution in the state assembly and made into laws. People will be asked if parents of more than two children or anybody marrying before the legal age should be barred from becoming members of urban and rural civic agencies. The policy says there will be incentives for those who stick to the two-child norm, and discouragements such as no maternal leave for women having a third kid. Many laws, those in the concurrent list, will need the Presidents approval. It is a huge task as we will need to bring about seven new laws and amend service rules of all departments, Sarma said. He called the policy revision necessary for social reforms, and clarified that the courts would decide if the proposed sanctions infringed human rights. The minister said courts have to decide if it was humane for parents to have more than two children when they cant provide their basic needs. We are not in a rush. We will go through the entire process and want it to be in place before the term of our government expires in 2021, Sarma said. He dismissed allegations that the draft may have been released before the states pachayat polls with the motive to gain political mileage. Assam will become the second state in the country after Rajasthan to have rules separate from the national population policy of 2000. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Indian Armys mules could soon be a thing of the past with the force working on a proposal to deploy all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in mountainous areas to ferry weapons, ammunition and stores. It is also exploring the possibility of using drones to support its high-altitude deployments. The armys animal transport (AT) units, consisting of sturdy mules, are currently assigned the responsibility of supporting some of its remote outposts located at heights of up to 19,000 feet. An army report has highlighted the need to deploy ATVs in the northern and eastern sectors to assist swifter movement of stores and equipment through rugged terrain. If the army has its way, such vehicles could replace mules in two years. Mules serve the army in large numbers and played a crucial role during the 1999 Kargil war. Construction of roads and tracks in these areas is time consuming and requires massive effort in terms of reconnaissance and surveillance, construction equipment and subsequent maintenance, mandating a complete revision of operational plans in a specific sector, said the Army Design Bureau (ADB) report, making a strong case for exploring other options such as ATVs and drones. In two back-to-back reports, the ADB has listed 78 problem areas that need to be addressed to provide the best protection to frontline soldiers and develop new weapons and systems for battlefield triumphs. A mule can carry only 40kg load. The army has to find smarter solutions to transport stores in high altitude. A mix of ATVs and drones will allow us to carry more load at a swifter pace, said Lieutenant General Subrata Saha, who retired as the armys deputy chief on March 31. The ADB reports to the deputy chief. An initiative of the Modi government, the ADB was set up last August to promote research and development and act as a bridge between the force and the private sector to meet the armys requirements. At present, the troops operating in rugged areas are required to traverse vast distances on foot, which imposes time penalty and exposes troops to undue fatigue, said the 119-page report on Future Core Technologies and Problem Statements. In the absence of roads in forward areas, it is important that the mobility of the troops is enhanced by providing some variant of ATVs. The army has done some innovation at the local level with the use of rope ways and modified load carriers but the methods have only been partially successful. On why the problem needs to be solved on priority, the report said, During active operations there is a need for small teams to deploy rapidlyNeed for air-portable, light-weight, ATVs is felt to speed up the movement of these troops with their stores and equipment. Not more than 35% of the total agriculture loan is directed to small and marginal farmers though they hold more than 70% of the countrys farmland, banking sources said. A large number of these farmers still take loans from money-lenders and not from the formal banking channel, resulting in farmers suicide and distress. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh decided to waive off crop loans of up to Rs1 lakh of small and marginal farmers in the state, as part of its poll promise. However, bankers said many distressed farmers might not even benefit from this move. Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel, while announcing the monetary policy, said, Waivers undermine an honest credit culture... It leads to crowding out of private borrowers as high government borrowing tends to impose an increasing cost of borrowing for others, Patel said. According to a State Bank of India report, the total outstanding credit by the scheduled banks in 2016 for agriculture sector stood at Rs86,241.20 crore in Uttar Pradesh, with average ticket size of Rs1.34 lakh. Opposition parties and farmers demand loan waiver and compensation for crop failure in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (HT File Photo) Finance minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Union Budget on February 1 increased the total agriculture loan target by Rs1 lakh crore to Rs10 lakh crore for 2017-18. While the state-owned banks have managed to meet agriculture loan targets set by the government every year, the chunk of the low interest credit goes to the rich farmers. Waiving off loan amounts can bring in short term relief but there has to be a strategy in place to ensure that loans reach them and their dependence on money lenders in minimised, a senior public sector bank official, who did not wish to be identified said. Efforts should be made so that the farming community is covered by formal banking system so that they can easily avail of crop loans, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, chief economic adviser, SBI group told HT. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A sub-inspector and a policeman were killed in a gunfight with a rebel group, the Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI), late Saturday in Jharkhands Simdega district that falls in the so-called Red Corridor. Bano police station in-charge Vidhyapati Singh and his team of four guards stormed a house in Mahabuang village in Bano block, around 165km west of the state capital Ranchi, in the night after they were alerted about the presence of PLFI second-in-command Guddu Gope, police said. As he came face to face with the rebel commander, Singh asked him to surrender but Gope opened fire with an AK-47, injuring Singh and district constabulary jawan Raju Biruli. Our OC (officer in-charge) did not fire first as there were women in the house, Simdega superintendent of police Rajiv Ranjan Singh said. Gope managed to flee under the cover of darkness but a gunfight broke out between his men and the police team. The area was cordoned off and more personnel rushed to the site. Guns fell silent around midnight after the rebels fled the area. SI Singh and Biruli were taken to a local hospital but were declared dead. The sacrifice of the two men would not go in vain and the PLFI would pay a very heavy price for the assault, SP Rajiv Ranjan Singh said. The PLFI is the second biggest Left wing extremist group after the CPI (Maoists) that is active in the western districts of Jharkhand, parts of neighbouring Odisha, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The two killings are a departure from the way the PLFI operates. Unlike other hardline Left outfits active in these parts, the group had so far avoided a direct confrontation with security forces. Senior police officers have rushed to Simdega to take stock of the situation. An offensive against PLFI would be launced soon, sources in the police headquarters said. An ex-soldier-turned-rebel, 41-year-old Dinesh Gope founded the group in 2003. The group, say police, are hired guns who kidnap, murder and extort money. He, however, told HT in an interview last year that he was leading an armed rebellion against landlords and upper-caste people to bring justice and equality to villages where the government was not invisible. PLFI runs a few schools for poor tribals in Jharkhand and Odisha. Dinesh Gope enjoys Robin Hood-kind of standing in some villages but police say its the fear of his gun that forces villagers to side by him. The Supreme Court has constituted a panel of two senior advocates to reduce the mounting number of pending cases and cut short the discomfiting delay in their disposal by various high courts across the country. The order appointing senior advocates Shyam Divan and CU Singh was passed last week by a bench of justices J Chelameswar, AM Sapre and AK Roy. The bench wants to proceed state-wise, and as a pilot project has taken up Allahabad high court where 9.24 lakh cases are pending highest among all the HCs of which 3.09 lakh cases are over 10 years old. As on June 30, 2016, 40.54 lakh cases were pending in the 24 HCs, which are grappling with 44% shortage of judges. SC asked the registrar of Allahabad HC to submit particulars of the criminal appeals pending, institution and disposal statistics of last 10 years, average time taken to decide appeals, identified causes for the delay and steps taken to tackle the causes. This information has to be furnished within four weeks. The panel will then scrutinize the data and then outline specific recommendations. The court issued the directions while it was hearing a bail application of an undertrial in a murder case. The applicant had approached the top court against Allahabad HCs decision rejecting his plea for release until the court decides his appeal challenging the trial court verdict convicting him in the case. The petitioners lawyer Dushyant Parashar persisted with the court to direct a time-bound hearing in his clients case because the appeal was pending before the HC for 10 years. Although the bench rejected the bail plea, it ordered the HC to complete hearing his case within four months. But, in view of the concern expressed by Parashar the bench initiated the unique exercise. The court clarified that selection of the HC was not an indication of any deficiency in its functioning but was an ongoing endeavour on the top courts part to address the issue. This is not the first time the SC has taken the task to accelerate the justice delivery system. But, what makes this exercise different is that the top court wants to ascertain court-specific redressal process with the assistance from lawyers. Undue and unjustified delay in the redressal processes initiated by litigants violates their constitutional secured right to fair and speedy justice, the court noted in its order. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The controversial pellet guns made a return to Kashmir on Sunday, the day Srinagar parliamentary constituency went to bypoll, claiming one life and injuring scores. Of the seven people killed in the polling-day violence, one succumbed to pellet injuries while others died of bullet wounds as security forces retaliated on violent protesters. Director general of state police SP Vaid told HT, One death was due to use of pellet gun. A senior doctor at the District Hospital, Budgam said that most of the 28 injured brought to the hospital had suffered pellet injuries. The block hospitals within Budgam district also recorded large turnout of pellet victims. The block medical officer of Soibugh in the district said 15 locals had suffered pellet injuries. Of them one was hit in the right eye. A senior district health official corroborated the police count, saying of the scores injured by pellets, one had succumbed to his injuries. A senior doctor at Srinagars SMHS hospital said at least 13 persons with pellet injuries in different parts of their bodies were brought there. The use of the non-lethal weapon in Kashmir drew international condemnation by rights groups and called for restraint. Hospital figures show that more than 6,000 people have suffered pellet wounds with at least 1,100 eyes injuries in the unrest that began on July 8, 2016, after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Amnesty International in its annual report described pellet guns as inherently inaccurate and indiscriminate and said that at least 14 people were killed due to the weapon in last years unrest. Even as the spiralling violence that was witnessed during the unrest had ebbd of late, the use of the weapon continued in emerging law-and-order situations in the Valley. At least eight youths were partially blinded due to pellets earlier this year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Officials in Madhya Pradesh are flummoxed after the National Green Tribunal received a petition filed by Lord Hanuman demanding the closure of a local mine that damaged the Hindu gods statue and compensation of Rs 1 crore. Devendra Bhargava, a resident of Guna in northern Madhya Pradesh, told HT he filed the petition last week at the NGTs central zone branch in Bhopal in the name of Hanuman, the presiding deity a local temple damaged by explosions carried out at stone mines in the area. An ancient temple of Hanuman sits at Piprouda Khurd in the area but over the years, cracks have developed on the idol because of regular blasts at the mine sites. I Hanuman, son of Anjani, request the NGT to shut the stone mine located near my ancient temple as the regular blasts in the quarries led to cracks in my idol. The blast in the quarries should be stopped and the deep quarries should be filed with rubble. Bhargava said his lawyer told him that an idol of god would be considered as an individual by court. The petition, however, left the district administration surprised. Guna district magistrate Rajesh Kumar Jain said he came to know of the petition but hadnt received any document. Mining of stone has been taking place here for the past 25 years. If I am called for a hearing, I will inform Lord Hanuman about it. But Bhargava is not happy with just closing down the mines. In the petition, compensation has also been demanded for damages caused to the idol. I lodged complaints to authorities against the adverse effects of blasts on the idol several times but every time they paid no attention to my complaints. Hence, I was left with no option but to file the petition at NGT. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Much to the relief of the Left Democratic Front government, the family members of Jishnu Prannoy who were on fast for the last five days called off their stir on Sunday following the intervention of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and other leaders and arrest of a key accused in the case. Jishnu was found hanging at Nehru College of Engineering and Research, a private college in Thrissur, on January 6 after being allegedly harassed by college authorities who said he was copying from another student during an exam. His parents, who are protesting for the last three months, have alleged their son was murdered by the college authorities after he questioned some of their actions and that the police were going slow in the case. Read | Jishnu Prannoy suicide: Kerala police arrest parents seeking justice In the wake of the CM Pinarayi Vijayans assurance and request of many leaders we are calling off the fast. We hope we will get justice at least now, said Vishnus uncle Sreejith announcing the decision. Earlier CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran and many other leaders called on fasting relatives requested them to end the stir. When parents came to meet the state police chief on last Wednesday, they were forcibly removed at the gates of DGP office and injured in police action triggering widespread criticism. The state observed a shutdown the next day protesting the police action on bereaved parents who were crying for justice. The embarrassed state government had to put out advertisements in local media on Saturday justifying the police action and details of action-taken report. Meanwhile, the third accused in the case Sakthivel, vice-principal of the Nehru Engineering College in Pampady in Thrissur district, was arrested from a farm house near Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. First accused Krishnadas, chairman of the Nehru Group of Educational Institutions and second accused Sanjith Viswanathan had secured anticipatory bail but five others were absconding for last three months. Three Indian men were killed and another critically injured when a truck rammed a car at East-West Highway along the Hetauda Narayanghat road stretch in south-west Nepal. The three were killed on the spot on Saturday night when the truck, en route to Hetauda from Narayanghat in Chitwan district struck the car, according to district police office, Makawanpur. Two of the deceased have been identified as Nitesh Kumar Singh, 39, and Sanjaya Kuma Sharma, 45, of Sitamani, India. The identity of another man is yet to be ascertained, said deputy superintendent of police Bamdev Gautam. The injured, identified as Ram Kumar Sharma, is undergoing treatment at a medical college based in Chitwan. His condition is reported to be critical. The police have detained the truck driver and impounded the vehicle. The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to emulate the successful Amma canteen model of Tamil Nadu, where heavily subsidised nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner is made available to the economically weak people. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to sit through a presentation on Annapurna Bhojnalayas by labour department officials on April 12. Labour minister Swami Prasad Maurya and urban development minister Suresh Khanna are expected to give finishing touches to the scheme that seeks to provide breakfast for 3 and lunch for as little as 5. The BJP-ruled Rajasthan also has a similar scheme going where it provides breakfast for 5 and lunch and dinner for 8. The scheme could be launched from Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad and Gorakhpur, say officials. In all, the government plans to run about 200 such subsidised meal canteens throughout the state. The labour department is working round the clock to ready the presentation. During its presentation before the chief minister, the urban development department is also expected to put up a proposal about opening of cow sheds (gaushalas) in each UP district. The government has already launched a crackdown on illegal slaughter houses. The urban development department that also governs the municipal corporations, which grant licences to slaughter houses and meat shops, is also expected to ready a proposal to regulate the meat shops. No illegal slaughter houses or meat shops would be granted licence. However, our government wont target those who comply with norms, Khanna said ahead of his departments presentation. Meanwhile, the excise department, too, is readying a proposal to make changes in the excise act. The department plans harsher penalties, including capital punishment, to those who sell or manufacture illicit liquor. Chris Gayle would love what Kings XI Punjabs Manan Vohra had to say about the Holkar Stadium pitch here after their win over Rising Pune Supergiant. The KXIP opener hinted that anything less than 200 is below par here. (IPL 2017 Full coverage) The tall Jamaican, who opens for Royal Challengers Bangalore, is yet to do justice to his pyrotechnics in the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL). And a small ground like that in Indore would just be the perfect platform for him to set the stage on fire. Gayle, who has hit five centuries since he joined the IPL bandwagon in 2009, failed to score at a consistent rate in 2016. His scores in two matches of the 2017 edition are 32 and 6. The West Indies batsman has the record of scoring IPLs highest individual score 175*. But that was long back in 2013. In mundane form, and a batting wicket in front, Gayle would certainly be eager to go for the kill. He needs 25 more runs to be the first batsman to score 10,000 T20 runs. Kedar Jadhavs 69 off 37 balls against Delhi Daredevils helped Royal Challengers Bangalore immensely in the absence of key players. (BCCI) Bowlers challenge The task is easier said than done as Kings XI Punjab bowlers gave a good account of themselves in their opening match against Rising Pune Supergiant. The likes of Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Swapnil Singh and Axar Patel restricted the Steve Smith-led side to below 165 and set the base for a brilliant win. Marcus Stoinis also did well and Punjab are likely to persist with him against Bangalore as well. Apart from Gayle, they will have to contain Kedar Jadhav, who looks to be in perilous form. His 37-ball 69 helped Bangalore win their opening match against Delhi Daredevils. Also, Bangalore captain Shane Watson has the ability to blow away any opposition singlehandedly whether it is with the bat or the ball. The absence of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and KL Rahul has affected last seasons runners-ups batting, but young Indian batsmen like Mandeep Singh would want to utilise this opportunity. Spinners role Like Kings XI Punjab, Bangalore too has some exciting Indian bowling talent in Yuzvendra Chahal, Pawan Negi and Iqbal Abdulla. Coupled with the likes of Tymal Mills and Watson, they seem to make Bangalore bowling really robust. It was due to their superb show that Bangalore could defend a low score of 157/8 against against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday. However, when the format is T20 and the opposition has batsmen like Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, the Bangalore bowlers need to pull up their socks even more. Both batsmen played out devastating knocks in the middle overs as Punjab chased down a 164-run target against Pune with ease. At the top, Hashim Amla and Wriddhiman Saha started steadily but could not maintain the tempo. Against Bangalore, which despite the absence of Kohli and De Villiers are not short on batting ammunition, Punjab would want all its batsmen to fire to notch up as many runs as possible. With both Punjab and Bangalore starting off with wins, Indore is getting ready for an equally exciting contest. The tickets have been sold out as one of Indias latest Test venues gears up for another exciting T20 contest. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mohammad Khalid, a dairy farmer from Nuh district, met Pehlu Khan last week at the weekly Saturday pashu hatwara (cattle market) on Ramgarh road in Jaipur. Khan, a fellow dairy farmer from Nuh, made his last purchase at the market on April 1, and was attacked by gau rakshaks in Alwar on his way home and died a couple of days later. He asked me if I was buying a cow. I told him I was and he then asked me how much the seller was asking. I said he was asking for Rs 70,000 but I was willing to pay Rs 62,000. He advised me to seal the deal at Rs 65,000 and bid goodbye, says Khalid, sitting at the dusty market with hundreds of cattle and their buyers. The traders at the fair are seething with resentment against gau rakshaks and police. Most of them are victims of harassment, extortion and even assault by cow vigilantes, and Khans death has only reinforced their anger. The attack on Khan has badly affected the business . Babu Lal (35), a local resident of Chawand Kamand who says more than 10,000 people come to the market to buy or sell cattle. This week hardly 1000-1500 people turned up, he says. Narendra Bhator, a trader from Madhya Pradeshs Ujjain, says he has been coming to the market with his father for a long time. I was attacked by gau rakshaks in Tonk in April last year. If police hadnt intervened, they would have killed me, he says. Gau rakshaks, he said attack the moment they see someone transporting cows. They accuse us of transporting cows for slaughter. I am a Hindu, why would I take cows to a slaughterhouse?, he asks. Govind Singh (50), from Bassi who was at the market to sell cattle, says: Last week too I came here to sell a cow and a calf, but I had to take them back as there were no buyers. The number of buyers has decreased after the UP government banned illegal slaughterhouses and this week, following the attack on the dairy farmer, there were very few buyers. Khalid, a bearded skullcap wearing man, says the gau rakshaks single out Muslims. Lynch me if I transport cows for slaughter. Lynch my children too if I do the same, he says. I feed my children by dairy farming. Azharuddin, a trader from UPs Mathura, says he supplies cows to Vrindavan, Barsana, and Govardhan, and yet faces harassment.I have letters from the Hindu religious leaders and gaushalas, but nothing deters them, he says. To save myself, at times, I call the Hindus religious leaders and make them speak to the gau rakshaks, he says. Raju, a Jaipur resident at the market who too goes by one name, says gau rakshaks have a rule. If you are transporting cows, theyll attack you. If you are transporting buffaloes, theyll extort money from you. On an average, the cattle market generates business worth Rs 2-2.50 crore every week, but now it has come down by more than 50%, an official of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, who does wish to be named, says. A trader from Chomu, says, Cattle are illegally transported from Rajasthan to other states. They never come back so the cattle population in the state is dwindling. Hearing this, fellow traders lose their calm and surround the man. Do not tell utter rubbish. Rajasthan has the best cattle so the animals are taken from here, says an agitated Nemichand Choudhary from Sikar. He brings out his cow from the shed and shouts. Look at this beauty. It is priced at Rs 1 lakh. It gives 20 litres of milk every day. Why would I sell it to a slaughterhouse? A fellow trader says that the cows are costly and buying them doesnt make business sense for butchers. Slaughtered and sold as meat, they wouldnt fetch half the money. The JMC issues permits to people who transport cattle from the market. For taking cows out of the state, transporters need permission from the district collector, says Sidharth Mahajan, the collector and adds that he has authorised the sub divisional magistrate to issue the permits. Baldev Ram Bhojak, Amer sub divisional magistrate, however, says that he no knowledge about the permits. The JMC must be issuing the permits but I have never issued any. The celebration of Ram Navami with unprecedented fanfare and display of weapons has earned the Bengal unit of BJP a great deal of media coverage, mostly critical, and almost all major vernacular news outlets have accused the party of trying to vitiate the socio-religious culture of the state. Dilip Ghosh, BJPs state unit chief, however, is enjoying this negative publicity and is confident that their social media teams are able enough to take the positive message to every household. Let them be critical of us. We never got mainstream Bengali medias support anyway but now they can no longer ignore us. You see, they are reporting my speeches every day. And as of taking our real message to the people, our social media teams are working hard and we have quite a strong social media team, Ghosh told HT. Ghosh himself has been at the centre of majority of the controversies. From championing the idea of display of weapons and a show of the Hindus strength and calling the controversy of Ram Navami celebration as a battle between Ramzadas and Haramzadas to commenting that people criticising the display of weapons on Ram Navami should be kicked out of the borders on Bangladesh and Pakistan Ghosh has been dominating the headlines most for his remarks attracting widespread criticism. Read: Sangh Parivar organise unprecedented Ram Navami celebration across Bengal The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh veteran, who had also led the Bengal unit of Hindu Jagran Manch, however, is least bothered with the negative propaganda. Rather, they are happy that the medias all-out criticism of the saffron brand of hard-line Hindutva is making the BJP vs all polarisation sharper. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh participated in a rally on the occasion of Ram Navami in West Bengal. (HT Photo) The mainstream media did not report on communal riots in many places across the state, including those in Kaliachawk, Kanchrapara and Dhulagarh, until our people flooded the social media with the real story. Its good that Bengali medias true character is getting exposed and people are getting to see that it is only BJP that represents the interests of the Hindus, Ghosh said. There are many to certify that saffron propaganda has started dominating discourses on such social media channels as Facebook and WhatsApp. The propaganda mostly comprised opinion pieces or research work stressing on Bengali Hindus proximity with the Hindi heartland against its cultural bond with Muslim-majority Bangladesh, explaining why Bengali Hindus need to unite against Muslim aggression and how the Left, the Trinamool and the Congress all are anti-Hindu. According to public health researcher and blogger Ipsita Pal, people expressing strong pro-Hindutva and anti-secular opinions have entered every possible forum for free discussion and changed the discourse and many of them with fake profiles. She is also one of those behind the web portal guruchandali.com, which has about 42,000 members. The portal is known for encouraging free expression and maintaining minimal moderation policy. Read: BJP Bengal chief, others booked for carrying swords We are principally against banning and tried to stretch the boundary of freedom of expression as far as possible. But finally we had to announce a ban on hate speech. Besides, there are a few thousand membership requests pending and a few hundred are estimated to be from fake profiles, she added. Trinamool Congress, too, has identified increasing saffron propaganda on social media as a potential threat but is yet to decide on any policy to counter it. We are taking time. We do not want to hurt the sentiments of the majority Hindus while combating the Hindutva propaganda. The chief minister is discussing the issue with people from various ranges. In general, our leaders and workers are spreading the message of peace and communal harmony through social media, a senior Trinamool Congress minister said on the condition of anonymity. Such Left Front leaders as CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra and the leader of its parliamentary party in the state Assembly, Sujan Chakraborty, have several times expressed concerns of increasing saffron influence in social media. We have not drawn any specific policy to counter the saffron propaganda but we are stressing on spreading the message of communal harmony and raising peoples socio-economic issues, Chakraborty said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It is a challenge for the opposition parties to take on Trinamool Congress in its stronghold of Kanthi Dakshin assembly seat. Polling remained over all peaceful in the constituency on Sunday. After Dibyendu Adhikari MLA became the member of Loksabha from Tamluk, he resigned from the state assembly. This led to by poll in the seat. Trinamool Congress here pitted Chandrima Bhattacharya, former minister of the state, as candidate in the Contai South assembly segment. Peaceful polling continues and people are coming out to vote. Everyone knows who will win here. It is a question of who will come second which everyone is keen to know. People are with Mamata Banerjee, said Bhattacharya, speaking to media persons. The two challengers to Trinamool Congress are Uttam Pradhan of the left front and Sourindramohon Jana of BJP. They too sounded confident, though leveled allegations against the ruling party. Hoodlums on motorbikes are roaming around since last night. This morning some of our workers were also beaten up, said Jana pointing fingers at thee ruling party. The BJP candidate had alleged that their workers have been beaten up at Daudpur and three were taken to a local hospital. Jana also alleged that in some areas ruling party workers prevented BJP workers from entering polling booths. Overall the polling remained peaceful in Kanthi Dakshin assembly seat. (HT Photo) Till 5 pm, 65.64% polling was recorded in Kanthi Dakshin. In the last assembly election, the left front was in the second position in the seat and BJP had bagged about 8.76% votes against only 3.29 % in the 2011 assembly election. This time we have seen a good response from the people during our campaign. If the voters cast their votes according to their will then it will be in our favour, said the BJP candidate. The assembly consists with 8 gram panchayats and Contai municipality. Only one gram panchayat is controlled by the left and the other bodies are with Trinamool Congress. There are over 2.7 Lakh voters and 258 polling stations in the assembly seat. Like BJP, the left front is also hoping that in the by election votes will go against Trinamool Congress and it will come in their favour. People have witnessed the real character of Trinamool Congress and BJP. They have understood that no one of them will do any good for the common people. We are sure to get the favour of the people in the election, Uttam Pradhan said. But Trinamool Congress is sure about their win. There is no any doubt for the win of our candidate. She will win with the margin of more than one lakh vote, claimed Dibyendu Adhikari, Trinamool Congress MP and party strong man in the area. And the administration had taken all the steps for a peaceful election. Beside 6 company central forces more than a thousand state police were deployed for the polls. Seven model booths were also arranged and those were controlled by women poling officials. Results will be declared on April 13, after counting. The script of the recent brawl that took place at The Wine Company in Gurgaon seems all too familiar. The customers and restaurant staff get into a fight on a petty issue, in which restaurants property is damaged, and both parties end up getting injuries. The next morning, a blame game begins in the virtual world, with everything getting blown out of proportion on social media. Clearly, the culture of hooliganism in the streets of the Capital has found its way into the restaurants, which are supposed to be civilised spaces. But can Delhis culture be blamed for this fiasco? These incidents certainly would not have happened in cities like Bangalore or Mumbai. It seems something is in Delhis air, that these things keep happening, says chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who is the owner of the restaurant Lavaash. A restaurant is a place for the civilised to socialise but The Wine Company incident highlights that this is clearly no longer the case. To prevent these situations, call the cops. Blaming the restaurant and the owners and demanding the closure of the restaurant is not the solution. Megha Kohli, head chef at Lavaash, also recently got into a tiff with guests. She says, There was a birthday party going on at the restaurant. The bar was shut. However, the guests kept asking for alcohol and we went out of our way to serve them. But when the restaurant was about to close, the guests got extremely rude and abusive and they didnt let us close for the night. Its disappointing that grown men can stoop to such level. The hospitality industry needs to come together and make the customers realise that we serve because we want to. If they think that by paying money, they will make us their slaves, then they are wrong. Is the guest always right? There was a time when the hospitality industry followed the golden rule: The guest is always right. But that doesnt seem to be the case now. The guest is not always right. But you have to respect and listen to the guest, says chef Manish Mehrotra, owner of Indian Accent. If there is a disagreement between the management and the guest, then it needs to be solved in a professional and a polite manner. What happened at The Wine Company was horrible. Its a frightening situation. It seems even the tiniest bit of misunderstanding triggers a violent response in Delhi. But blaming the restaurant or the owner is not the correct way to go about it. Mostly, the owner is not there to monitor the staff. There are CCTVs to monitor, but in certain situations when things go out of hand, then even CCTV cant help. Multiple incidents like the one that happened in Gurgaon have taken place in the past. And they seem to be increasing in frequency, leaving the hospitality industry on edge. The number of guests who are rowdy have increased, no doubt. Its getting difficult to deal with aggressive guests. But, no matter how bad the incident is, we should never end up physically assaulting a customer. We deal with them by either calling the police or showing them the door in a polite manner, says Sumit Goyal, owner of Gastronomica. Peaceful resolution required There are times when people go berserk for petty reasons, resulting in customers and the staff taking out their frustration on each other. But it should never be allowed to escalate to the point of violence, feels Goyal. To counter such volatile situations, where guests go on a rampage, restaurants have been taking precautions. From CCTVs, hiring verified and educated bouncers, to training the staff on how to resolve conflicts peacefully with guests, we do everything we can to avoid fights, states Umang Tewari, owner of Junkyard Cafe and Junction. But at times, things go out of control and no amount of preventive measures help. So, the hospitality industry is on edge because we are being blamed for the fiasco, rather than the individual who started it. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Members of the fishing community in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have said that almost 80,000 fishermen had taken to illegal sand mining over the past five years as an alternative livelihood because of a significant drop in fish catch. According to NGO Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishthan (SEAP), high levels of water pollution and rampant destruction of mangroves, wetlands and fish culture ponds in the MMR had led to a drop in catch. Locals who struggled to make ends meet were swayed away by the sand mafia to pull out sand illegally for quick money, said Nandkumar Pawar, head, SEAP. In my complaint to the state government, I have highlighted the fact that similar to compensations for natural calamities such as droughts and floods; fishermen need to be compensated so that they can move out of this illegal profession. He added that labourers were hired mostly from Vada and Jawad in Palghar district. Several come from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand for employment opportunities. Fishermen from Gaimukh, Mandve, Kemnidive, Kharbao, Kolshet, Kalher, Kasheli, Waghbil and others, all mostly in Thane and Palghar district, act as the mafia and allocate 12 labourers on each of their boats, said Pawar. On an average, each boat can store 7,200kg of sand, which the labourers first identify from a distance. Once the coast is clear, they use ropes and small buckets to quickly pull up the sand from creeks, rivers and even close to the sea shore. It is collected and transported to the heads, who send it to industries for construction purposes, he added. The state government, in accordance with the national guidelines for sustainable sand mining has appointed district level committees to control illegal sand mining. These committees, headed by district collectors, also have members from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and police in coastal districts. On Saturday, the Thane collector, MMB officials and Sumaira Abdulali from Awaaz Foundation inspected sites to for illegal sand mining at various locations in Thane district. Sand excavating machinery, sand storage pits, jetties and huge piles of sand were spotted at various locations during the inspection. Raids will be carried out in the coming weeks under the supervision of the Thane collector, local police and MMB officers, said a local MMB officer who accompanied the group. Last Wednesday, 300 employees from various departments, including revenue, civic body, MMB and the police, carried out a raid in Kalyan and recovered 26,000 tonnes of sand. Abdulali wrote to the chief minister on Sunday, highlighting the need for better policies to tackle the problem and ensuring safety of officers carrying out raids. On Saturday, we were unprotected as the sand mafia surrounded us. There was no back up or protection, she said adding, The state has to use modern technology to implement policies that can track the extraction, transport and use of this sand. Letting district level officers shoulder responsibility, when they have no training or protection, is a severe shortfall on part of the government. Officials from the Konkan divisional commissioners (KDC) office said that even though committees were present at the district level, the manpower was less. We witness nearly 15 cases a month from different districts. There is lack of manpower and infrastructure for crackdowns in the state, which automatically makes teams liable to attacks, said Bhausaheb Dangade, Konkan deputy commissioner (revenue). There are no boats to enter deep creeks or river areas, where the work is carried out. State government officials said that the responsibility to reduce sand mining was solely upon the district collector. Permissions for legal sand mining are taken from the district collector, who is responsible for mining laws. If there has been an increase in such cases, we will pull up the collectors from every district to take stock of why these cases are on the rise, how many raids have been made and action will be taken against them if they fail to make their stand, said Satish Gavai, principal secretary, state environment department. Also read: Illegal sand mining continues in Raigad district SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The demand for loan waivers for distressed farmers in the state has created further trouble for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government, as Opposition parties have decided to intensify their agitation over the issue. The parties will begin the second phase of the Sangharsh Yatra (struggle march) on April 15. This time, the protest march will be four days long, starting from Buldhana district of Vidarbha region, a BJP stronghold, and will conclude at Nashik on April 18. The march will cover around 1000-km, and party leaders will interact with farmers along the way. The Opposition feels that the issue can weaken the BJPs stronghold in rural Maharashtra, as farmers are distressed due to various reasons including fallen prices of agricultural commodities in the markets, unseasonal rains, and hailstorms, among other things. Following the suspension of 19 legislators from the Opposition in the state Assembly on March 22, six parties united for the first time to organise the Sangharsh Yatra, demanding loan waivers across districts where farmer suicides are rampant. The Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Republican Party (Kawade) and United Janata Dal came together to give the movement some impetus. Following The Uttar Pradesh (UP) governments decision to waive loans worth Rs 36,359-crore for farmers, Opposition parties have now mounted further pressure on the state to grant a Rs30,000 crore loan waiver for farmers in Maharashtra. This is not the end. The protest march will continue in phases till July. The roadmap for the march is ready. We might continue the agitation after that too. A decision is yet to be taken, said a senior Congress leader privy to the development. The first phase of the seven-day Sangharsh Yatra concluded on April 4 in Panvel, near Mumbai, after covering 1,500-km and visiting most of the sensitive districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada, where farmer suicides are the highest. After the protest march ended, the state government announced a slew of schemes under its Unnat Sheti, Samruddha Sheti (upgraded farming, prosperous farming) initiative. Moreover, the chief minister initiated direct interaction with farmers, which will be telecasted on DD Sahyadri, the government-owned Marathi TV channel, over two episodes. The first episode was aired on Sunday and the second episode will be telecasted the next Sunday April 16. The final day of the protest march saw participation from NCP president Sharad Pawar, who said that the movement will be intensified by organising more rallies. Pawar also accused the Fadnavis government of not keeping its waiver promise made in the run up to the state Assembly polls in 2014. Shiv Sena chief, Uddhav Thackeray, also said that the state government should follow in the footsteps of the UP government and waive off the farmer loans. Following this, Devendra Fadnavis has asked the finance secretary of the state to study the UP model on the basis of which loan waiver was declared. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An 18-year-old student got injured after a large part of a Bandra hostel room ceiling fell on him on Sunday. The student residing at Bandras J J Hostel was sleeping when the incident took place and received stitches on his head and back. The incident took place around 3:30am on Sunday, and he was sleeping right under that portion. We all woke up on hearing a loud thud followed by his screams, said a fellow resident of the hostel. The injured student, Vaibhav Marathe is a second year student of Government Technical College. We informed our warden and rushed him to a nearby hospital, he added. At the time of going to press, no police complaint had been filed. Members of Yuva Sena have taken up this matter. We will ask Directorate of Technical Education to shift students to a hostel with better facilities and begin repairing this one soon, said Sainath Durge for Yuva Sena. READ MORE Narrow escape for Delhis Hansraj College student as plaster from ceiling falls on hostel bed Delhi: Ceiling falls on students at DU college during class hours, 5 hurt SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bringing a 2016 Bollywood flick Dolly ki Doli from the reel world to the real world, a woman robbed her husband and her in-laws a day after she started living in their home. Satpal Sharma, 28, had married Puja in a simple ceremony on April 4 in a Gajraula temple and had brought her home in Ghaziabad. However, the woman made off with jewellery from the house. The incident has left the victims family shocked. They were told that the 25-year-old woman had no parents and only a brother, who had attended the couples marriage. Satpal is the eldest of three siblings and was unmarried. The marriage proposal was brought to us by a person known as Maharaj, of Pilkhuwa. He approached Satpal and called him to Gajraula, where he fell for the woman after seeing her, and married her two days later, on April 4. He was told that she had no parents and he offered to tie the knot in a simple ceremony at a temple, Shravan, Satpals brother, said. We were happy and celebrated the homecoming of the bride. Some religious rituals had to be performed on Pujas first day in the home before she could move into her husbands room. However, even on the next day, she asked to stay in my room instead of staying with Satpal. I hesitated but allowed her. When I got up late in the night, I saw that she was not there. Upon searching, we found that the jewellery and other valuables missing from the cupboard, Rinki Sharma, Satpals sister-in-law, said. Puja was adamant that we show her the pictures of their marriage but the albums had not arrived. She also prepared the dinner despite our elders objecting to it, she said. The family said that the food prepared by Puja tasted bitter and was thrown away. However, Satpal and my father ate it fully. We suspect that she had laced it with a sedative as my brother and father slept till late morning and did not get up despite telling them that Puja was missing. She probably ran off with the jewellery, Shravan said. The family tried to trace Maharaj but his phone remained switched off. The news spread the locality and the family has remained indoors since. We sent our team to speak to the family. We will try to trace the middleman who brought in the alliance and also the runaway bride. It is also possible that they could have been a part of a gang that duped people in such a manner. We will investigate the incident, Haridayal Yadav, station house officer, Murad Nagar police station, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Noida: Parents whose children study in various prestigious schools in Noida came together on Sunday to demand immediate rollback of fee hiked by these schools recently. They also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demanding a mechanism to check arbitrary hike in school fees. Over 400 parents, under the banner of All Noida School Parents Association (ANSPA), assembled at the Noida Stadium at 11am to chalk out a strategy to deal with the issue. They also formed a human chain at the stadium and marched to the camp office of the district magistrate (DM), Gautam Budh Nagar. ANSPA president Yatendra Kasana said the parents handed over the memorandum to city magistrate, Ramanujan Singh, on Sunday afternoon. The memorandum is addressed to the chief minister and was to be sent to him through the district magistrate. However, as the DM was not present at the time, we handed it over to the city magistrate, who has assured us of action in the matter in two days, he said. The parents have also demanded that as the state government has created a draft bill on fee regulation in schools and has sought 100 days to finalise it, the parents also be given the same time, he added. Some parents have not deposited the hiked fee, and as a result, some schools have struck the names of the students off the rolls. We demand that the parents also be given 100 days till the government comes up with a new act on school fees. Such schools should allow students to continue their studies till the time a final decision is taken. The schools too should not press for increased fee, he said. ANSPA vice-president, Vikas Bansal, said the meeting with the city magistrate was fruitful and he assured the parents of action. The city magistrate said he will call a meeting of school principals and take up the matter with them. Meanwhile, the district magistrate has also called us at 11am on Monday at his office in Greater Noida to discuss the matter in detail, he said. The city magistrate could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. The worst criticism by my media friends about what I said was Tarun Vijay says, south is Black, we live with them, hence (we are) not racist. One may keep denying it but the damage is done. It becomes completely irrelevant to question how I could have said this when Tamil and the glory of the South is a part of me. Witnessing such anger against me is akin to watching my own death helplessly. But I regret the moment when in an effort to counter an onslaught on Indians for being racist I tried to say we are weaving a fabric of togetherness -- different people, colours, shades, and religions, but we live as one. It came out as suggesting just the opposite. This is indefensible and for this I sincerely apologise. But, what about the many commentators? Arent they behaving like those who prescribe death by stoning for blasphemy? That I invoked Gandhi, Mandela and King to guide us and urged the panelists not to spread poison is lost in the din. Whether the perpetrators of the violence on Nigerians or the discussants on channels and social media missionaries, we are increasingly resorting to the vocabulary of revenge. There is no denying that we are becoming a fair and lovely consumer society. Those who sell and promote such products must be booked for creating divisions in society on the basis of skin-colour. Matrimonial ads too expose our obsession with fairness. It suggests some sort of mental disorder which leads to wanting fair and beautiful bahus for sons. Nationalism doesnt mean denying the malaise -- it means acceptance and finding corrective measures. Each election proves that considerations of caste carry more weight than merit and performance. Yet we tend to deny this. We speak of a harmonious , well-knit Indian society. But, Dalits are still not welcome in many areas of decision-making. The crowd that hurled stones at me in Uttarakhand, enraged over the entry of Dalits into a temple were educated government employees and college students. The parents who objected to Radhamma in Kolar because she was a Scheduled Caste woman who was cooking school meals for their children were educated. I took up this case. The main opposition to the Thiruvalluvar statue at Haridwar came from priests and the sadhus. The number of tribal and Dalit editors and bureau chiefs in the media can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet, we deny that there is a hidden bias against them. The challenge is to change this mindset rather than deny its existence. We, as Indians, have woven a fabric of racial harmony through the ages. All races merged into one Indian identity. Ugly behaviour based on caste or cultural differences cant be termed racism. The Thiruvalluvar statue may have been opposed in Haridwar but governments of different political persuasions in Punjab, Himachal, UP, Bihar and J&K readily accepted Thirukurals greatness. Shouldnt that figure in our public dialogue on ending discrimination? Godavari Pushkara is as important to us as a visit to Rameshwaram and Guruvayoor. For each incident of discrimination, there are a million stories of inclusiveness. We fail to read highlight them because they dont make for a good story. Thats exactly what I told Al Jazeera. The case of violence against Nigerian students hit the headlines after the unfortunate death of Manish Khara, reportedly from a drug overdose. Mob frenzy is often fuelled by perceptions, not facts. How do we treat this malaise? We shouldnt go into denial mode, but accept there is a problem and look for a solution. We are indebted to our African friends as I have always said -- we sent a Gandhi to them and they returned a Mahatma to us. Creating a media sensation over such an issue will create more hurt than heal. The best succour to me in this critical time has come from those I hardly knew. Dravida society embraced me as one of their family. Their incessant calls, tweets and Facebook support have assured me that whatever trash comes out in the media, Tamil annai never deserts her children. (Tarun Vijay is a former BJP MP) Rural development and panchayati raj minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa on Saturday suspended a block development and panchayat officer (BDPO), two panchayat secretaries and three sarpanches of villages falling under the Attari block of Amritsar district for alleged embezzlement of Rs 42.13-lakh grant. The minister had ordered a probe after the alleged embezzlement was brought to his notice on March 29. The inquiry conducted by Amritsar district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) held former Attari BDPO Tejinder Singh (now Bhikhiwind BDPO), panchayat secretaries Bhupinder Singh and Satpal Singh and sarpanches Sawinder Singh of Basarke village, Amandeep Singh of Kotli Nasir Khan and Manjit Kaur of Dauke villages guilty of embezzling funds meant for construction of toilets in the villages. Read more | Panchayat secy moved Rs1.3 crore funds to shell firm accounts: Probe The probe in this case was kept pending due to political reasons. When I got to know about it, I immediately suspended those involved in the scam. The Amritsar Rural superintendent of police has been instructed to register an FIR against the accused, said Bajwa. The Amritsar DDPO had allotted Rs 50 lakh for construction of toilets in Basarke, Kotli Nasir Khan and Dauke. During the inspection conducted by junior engineers (JEs) Jatinder Singh and Kamaljeet Singh, it was found no toilet was constructed. The probe report mentioned that only Rs 7.8 lakh were found in the accounts of village panchayats, while remaining Rs 42.13 had been withdrawn. Sources said the three sarpanches belong to former Akali minister Gulzar Singh Ranikes camp. He faced defeat from Attari in the recent assembly polls. This is only one example how the SAD men embezzled the grants meant for development. Not even a single penny was spent anywhere. I have received many complaints in this regard from other constituencies as well, said Bajwa. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday registered a case against a Chandigarh based company and three of its directors for allegedly cheating the Punjab National Bank (PNB) of over Rs 1,300 crore, an official said here. The case has been registered against Kudos Chemie Ltd, Chandigarh, and its three directors Jitendra Singh, Kabir Sodhi and Gurmeet Sodhi, under several offences including criminal conspiracy and cheating. The case was registered following a complaint by PNB that the three directors along with several unknown persons siphoned off Rs 1,301 crore from the bank by siphoning off the credit facilities availed by them using false and fabricated documents. The CBI also conducted raids in Chandigarh and Mohali area in connection with the case. (With agency inputs) The Punjab and Haryana high court has summoned Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Lalit Siwach for the second time in the past three months and put his Chandigarh counterpart on notice over the civic bodies failure to take steps to rid areas in the peripheries of stink. The HC bench of justice Amit Rawal categorically conveyed to Siwach that since the MC failed to take action as per the courts direction he should remain present otherwise will have to face drastic steps as MCs act of not taking action was contemptuous. The high court was hearing a petition filed in February by a Saketri resident Pradeep Singh who had claimed pitiable condition of the village, saying septic water was running through his house. After he filed the petition on February 15, the Panchkula deputy commissioner and Siwach were summoned for March 3 and the court asked them to file a status report on five issues on April 3. The petitioner informed the court that no steps were taken in this direction. The issues included implementation of ban on plastic bags, number of garbage bins installed in each sector and details of process of collection and disposal and the budget allocation for road repair and details of material used and steps taken to prevent the spread of diseases like malaria, chikungunya and dengue. The deputy commissioner filed an affidavit detailing steps being taken but the MC failed to file a status report, claiming that the official who was to sign the report was away. HUDA TOO GETS NOTICE The petitioners counsel told the court that some sectors of Panchkula, even as they in municipal limits, are still being maintained by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), but the MC is collecting house tax. The high court was also told that HUDA was turning a blind eye to illegal commercial activities in certain areas. The HC put the HUDA administrator on notice and sought response by April 19. BENCH TAKES SUO MOTU NOTE OF STENCH IN SUKHNA CHOE The bench also took a suo motu notice of stench emanating from the Sukhna choe in the vicinity of Kishangarh on IT Park road and sought response from the Chandigarh MC commissioner. Justice Rawal observed that while travelling toward IT Park on the way he had come across a waterbody/Sukhna choe whereby the dustbins kept by the civic body were overflowing with garbage. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid the meteorological departments warnings of a hotter summer this year comes the bad news the tricity comprising Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar is staring at a major water crisis this time. While the authorities in Chandigarh have been making tall claims of making 24X7 water supply from this year, the ground reality is that the city residents will have to grapple with a huge shortfall of water supply. Even as the administrations of the three cities have taken steps such as banning watering of lawns and washing of vehicles using running water, this is unlikely to be of much help. Official sources say that the failure to plan for the future is the reason why the tricity has reached this situation. In Chandigarh, the southern sectors, which are densely populated, are likely to be the worsthit, especially those living on the upper floors. IN UT, 24X7 WATER SUPPLY STILL A FAR CRY Officials in the municipal corporation reveal that at present, Chandigarh is short of 29 million gallons daily (MGD). This is equivalent to 45 lakh litres or 2.25-lakh buckets. The city receives 87 MGD water against a demand of 116 MGD, a shortage of 29 MGD. Of the supply, 67 MGD are received from the first four phases of the Kajauli waterworks with the rest coming from tubewells. The work on the phases 5 and 6 of the Kajauli waterworks is in progress and we are hopeful that the city will get extra 35 MGD water by the next summer and residents will be getting 24X7 water supply, said Chandigarh MC commissioner B Purushartha. As far as the underground leakage is concerned, under the smart city project, we will have smart distribution system and will upgrade all water pipes and plug the leakages, he said. MOHALI BANKING ON GOVT NOD FOR AUGMENTATION PROJECT SAS Nagar needs 25 MGD water to meet its requirement. However, the city is getting only 15 MGD water, say officials.MC commissioner Rajesh Dhiman said, We are focusing on the optimum utilisation of the amount of water available with us. We have already started a drive to check water wastage and teams have been constituted to make surprise visits. The district is banking on Punjab governments approval of the 60 crore water supply augmentation project. The funds sanctioned for this will be used to upgrade two existing water treatment plants, which need replacement, said the official. PANCHKULA NO EXCEPTION EITHER The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), that looks after water supply in Panchkula, is currently supplying 22-24 MGD water to city. But as the summer approaches, the consumption will increase to 28-30 MGD in peak summer. The shortfall is to the tune of 6 MGD. The problem is severe, especially after supply from the rain-fed Kaushalya dam, which is built on the Ghaggar river near Pinjore, has nearly gone dry as the dam touches its threshold limit and cant supply water to city any longer. HUDA chief engineer Preet Mohan said, We have sufficient sources to supply adequate water. Even if water supply from the Kaushalya dam gets exhausted, we have enough tubewells installed in the city to take care of the rising water demand during summer. We will run them for longer hours to ensure minimum hassle for city residents. REASONS BEHIND THE SCARCITY The increase in demand and failure to increase the supply proportionately are the main reasons behind water scarcity. In Chandigarh, the work for laying pipelines for the phases V and VI from the Kajauli waterworks (the main source of water) remained held up for nearly a decade until it began in October last year. In SAS Nagar, many sectors are yet to get canal water and most of the water supply is met by tubewells. Last year, the civic body had decided to install more tubewells and boosters. That is yet to happen. #Moon-NK dogs Moon returns to state two dogs gifted by N. Korea's Kim Former President Moon Jae-in returned to the state a pair of dogs that he had been in custody of since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave them as a gift in 2018, Moon's side and ... #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... As the governments of adjoining states have nearly failed to manage their patients, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is planning to train the faculty of medical colleges of neighbouring states. The idea was floated by a Dr MR Dogra, professor, Advanced Eye Centre, PGIMER to Dr Jagat Ram, director PGIMER recently. The director has agreed to the concept and has said that the institute will start working on the proposal, said Dr MR Dogra. Talking about the increasing patient load, Dr Dogra said, On commencement of the Advanced Eye Centre in 2006, nearly 250 cases were examined daily, but today the number has surged to 2,000 cases per day and the number is ever increasing. He added, No public hospital in the north India expect Delhi runs a retina clinic. As a result, I end up examining more than 500 patients daily. The load will intensify further, if no concrete steps are taken. PGIMER witnesses an increase of nearly 2 lakh patients annually. Majority of cases are referred from adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and adjacent states. Even those cases are being referred which can be operated in primary hospitals. The doctors posted there are not properly trained and are hesitant to take up the treatment, he said. To ensure that PGIMER is relived of the undesired load, Dr Dogra suggested that a three to six month training programme should be initiated by PGIMER for the faculty employed in the medical colleges of neighbouring states. Once the faculty of medical colleges is trained in treating complicated cases of various specialty areas, the faculty in turn can train their students. By this, patient referrals can be checked to some extent, he said. Training of faculties is very common in south India, but the practice is lacking in North India. PGIMER will only have to make arrangements for boarding and lodging of such professors, he said. The doctor has also suggested that the PGIMER should increase the number of sponsored seats from adjoining states. Every state sponsors few doctors for superspeciality training in PGIMER. These seats should be increased, so that more number of doctors from the region can be trained, he added. Earlier, Dr Jagat Ram, director, PGIMER had also suggested that he will start training programmes for doctors from adjoining states to check unwanted referrals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Vidya Balan, whose film Begum Jaan, shot in Dumka is set to release on April 14, on Saturday said she wont mind acting in a Nagpuri film if the script appealed to her. I am a hungry actor. If I get a good script, I will work in a Nagpuri film, for sure, she said during an event in Ranchi. Nagpuri is one of the largely used local dialects in the Chhotanagpur region of Jharkhand. Several Nagpuri films and music videos have been shot in the state with local actors, but failed to appeal to viewers outside Jharkhand. Today, the Nagpuri film industry, also known as Jhollywood, is struggling for a national identity and has failed to compete with other regional film industries in the south and neighbouring West Bengal. Balan was here along with producer Mahesh Bhatt and film director Srijit Mukherjee to promote Begum Jaan, which is a remake of Bangla film Rajkahini, and revolves around the lives of prostitutes during the India-Bangladesh partition. Begum Jaan is the first commercial Bollywood film made under the Jharkhand film policy, 2015. Overwhelmed by the hospitality in Jharkhand, the trio also shook a leg with tribal dancers to nagada and maandar beats on the Soochna Bhawan campus in Ranchi. Mahesh Bhatt lauded the Jharkhand governments promptness and initiatives in making filmmaking hassle free in the state. If you want to work with momentum, go to Jharkhand, he said, thanking chief minister Raghubar Das and his team for facilitating film shooting here. Director Srijit Mukherjee said the states film policy is a godsend for him. Rajkahini too was shot at the same location, but Jharkhand was still framing its film policy then. Our set was in the open, and the state government provided foolproof security to ensure there were no untoward incidents, Mukherjee said. Under Jharkhands film policy 2015, a Hindi language film shot in Jharkhand would be given 25% subsidy in the total cost or maximum Rs 2 crore subsidy, officials said. The state has also identified a 200-acre plot for its proposed film city in Patratu, around 45 km from capital Ranchi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Popular cine star Vidya Balan launched the promotion of her upcoming film, Begam Jaan, in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi taking a ride in an auto driven by a female driver from Birsa Munda Airport to her hotel. Accompanied by director Srijit Mukherjee, producer Mukesh Bhatt and other costars, Balan arrived in Ranchi in the afternoon and dodged the crowd at the arrival gate by boarding an SUV. However, a little away from the airport, she got down from the SUV and boarded a pink auto with the owner, Silwanti Bhagat, in the drivers seat. Around 20 pink autos, all run by women, had come to the airport to receive the cine star. It was a moment filled with nostalgia and suffused with emotions for the women auto drivers as they got the invite from the makers of the film to participate in the films promotion parade. The excitement was palpable among them since morning as they cleaned their vehicles came neatly dressed ignoring their daily passengers. Yesterday (Friday) we got a call from a person speaking on behalf of Mahesh Bhatt, the popular director, inviting us to attend the promotion rally. We couldnt say know as it was a lifetime opportunity to give a ride to film stars from Mumbai, said Renu Devi, president, Ranchi Pink Auto Association. She recalled how last year, Mahesh Bhatt rode a pink auto while in Ranchi and announced that he would make a film on them. The Pink Auto Association of Ranchi was formed on February 4, 2014, with a cluster of women hitting the road with their pink colour autos to storm the male bastion. These women auto drivers became popular among passengers in a very short span of time. For Mahesh Bhatt, it was a unique experience riding the pink auto. In order to promote their freedom on wheels, he decided to associate them with Begam Jaans promotion tour. He kept his promise on Saturday. She (Balan) is very sweet both in her looks and words, said Silwanti, cherishing the rare moment. I couldnt believe my eyes when she ran and got into my auto. It took time for me begin the conversation and she treated me very well through the three-kilometre-long drive, she added. Begam Jaan was extensively shot at Nandini village in Dumka where a huge set was created for the films shooting. Balan and the entire crew spent a few weeks in the far northern district and were impressed by the scenic beauty of the place. While returning after the shooting got over, she sang paeans to Jharkhands huge potential in filmmaking and had promised to return soon during the films release. The film is slated for release on April 14. Balan plays the lead role of a brothels madam set in the backdrop of late Indian independence period of 1948. Supermodel Kendall Jenner covered her face from paparazzi as she returned home to LA following the controversial protest-themed Pepsi commercial she starred in. The 21-year-old diva sported a leopard-print coat, a black shirt with leather pants and white sneakers as she arrived at Los Angeles International Airport after spending some time overseas for Paris Fashion Week, reported Us Weekly. #kendalljenner #itgirl #itstyle A post shared by The It Style (@theitstyle101) on Apr 8, 2017 at 9:37pm PDT She placed her left hand over her face as her bodyguard escorted her to a car outside the airport. Jenners outing came just two days after the softdrink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. The commercial showed Jenner ending a riot by offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Many viewers accused the company of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement. Follow @htshowbiz for more This time, comedian Lilly Singh was not amused. As the Indo-Canadian YouTube celebrity went to the Indian Consulate in Toronto for a visa for a book tour in India starting later this month, she was given a three-month business visa, instead of a travel document for a longer term. Miffed at that, and at rude behaviour there, she tweeted a complaint to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj directed Indias High Commissioner in Ottawa Vikas Swarup to address the matter, while tweeting back to Singh: Let me see what best can we do for you. On Saturday, Swarup, also the celebrated author of Slumdog Millionaire, contacted Singh on Twitter: Please send me your contact particulars on my official twitter handle. Happy to be of assistance. Given the directions from the minister, officials are looking at a longer-term visa for Singh, who has often travelled to India in the past. In an emailed response, Swarup said the minister has asked Lilly Singh to contact me. I am waiting for her to do so. We will try our very best to resolve her visa issue. While visas to India are usually handled by an outsourcing agency, the 28-year-old Singh visited the consulate in Toronto. Less than satisfied with the result, she used her considerable social media heft (2.24 million followers on Twitter; over 11 million subscribers on YouTube) to make her point. First, she tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: For travel to India, the consulate makes acquiring a visa the most difficult task. I hope one day @narendramodi can remedy this. Its sad. During that tweetstorm, she said she did love India but the consulate was literally the worst place on earth. Then to Swaraj: just a kind note to make you aware that the consulate of India in Toronto is extremely difficult and unprofessional. In between, she said she received a lesser visa with more documentation than ever before and that she was told she would get a one year visa. That was of course when staff wanted a picture though. The Indian consulate replied that an emergency business visa based on your documentation, was issued in about 1 hr, and asked her to email them about the specific difficulty. Singh, who is among the highest-grossing YouTube stars in the world, will be touring India, covering Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. Her book has already reached the top spot on the non-fiction bestsellers list in Canada. Meanwhile, as Indian officials scramble to deal with the visa affair, she may have lived up to the title of that book, How to be a Bawse: A Guide To Conquering Life. Police in the Norwegian capital of Oslo said they neutralized an explosive device found in a busy area of downtown Oslo late Saturday night and said they had arrested a suspect. Police Chief Vidar Pedersen confirmed that the device, initially described as bomb-like, was an explosive. The police Twitter account said it had been defused or neutralised. Police would not give any details about the suspect, or further information about the device. Pedersen said the device was found on the street just outside the Groenland underground station, and police swept through the area to remove people from bars and restaurants. Every restaurant was being closed, said 23-year-old Malin Myrvold, who witnessed the scene from a fourth-story window. You could see cops in heavy armour going in every store and restaurant. We were trying to see what was going on. The police were screaming at us to get back inside and stay where we were, she added by telephone. Norway was put on high alert after neighbouring Sweden suffered a truck attack in the capital that killed four people and injured 15. The suspect in Fridays attack, a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan, has been arrested. It was unclear whether he was also a Swedish citizen or resident or even how long hed been in the country. The Norwegian incident happened less than a mile from the government buildings that were damaged in a deadly bomb attack carried out by right wing extremist Anders Breivik in 2011. That bomb and a subsequent gun massacre killed a total of 77 people. An air strike killed 18 civilians including five children in Syrias northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. The monitoring group updated its earlier death toll of 15 for the strike on Urum al-Joz, saying three more people had died of serious injuries. It said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes, which operate in support of the Syrian government. The observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and is regularly targeted by both the Syrian government and its Russian ally. Earlier this week, a suspected chemical attack hit the town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, killing at least 87 civilians, including 31 children. Much of the international community accused Assads government of responsibility for that attack, though Damascus involved responsibility. The Khan Sheikhun strike prompted Washington to take its first direct military action against Assads government, with missile strikes against a central air base on Friday morning. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. A joint command centre made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the US strike on a Syrian air base on Friday crossed red lines and it would respond to any new aggression and increase its support for its ally. The United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on Friday from which it said a deadly chemical weapons attack had been launched earlier in the week, escalating the U.S. role in Syria and drawing criticism from Assads allies including Russia and Iran. What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well, said the statement published by the group on media outlet Ilam al Harbi (War Media). U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meanwhile, blamed Russian inaction for helping fuel the chemical weapons attack it had reacted to, saying Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. He said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with Assad because every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility. PUTIN, ROUHANI SPEAK Russian President Vladimir Putin and Irans Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive U.S. actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said on Sunday. The two leaders also called for an objective investigation into an incident involving chemical weapons in Syrias Idlib and said they were ready to deepen cooperation to fight terrorism, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. Syrian army forces had been losing ground across the country until Russia intervened militarily in September 2015, propping up Assad and protecting its own interests in the region. Assad has also drawn heavily on foreign Shiite militias sponsored by Iran, led by Lebanons Hezbollah group, for his most important gains since the Russian intervention. The joint command centre also said the presence of U.S troops in northern Syria where Washington has hundreds of special forces helping the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to oust Islamic State was illegal and that Washington had a long-term plan to occupy the area. The regional alliance said the U.S. cruise missile strikes on a Syrian base which Washington said was involved in a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians would not deter their forces from liberating all of Syrian territory. Many Syrians opposed to Assads rule consider Lebanons Hezbollah and Iranian-backed troops as occupiers seeking to drive out mainly Sunni Syrians from the areas they live in. They hold Iran and its allies responsible for the displacement of millions outside the country. They also see Russia as a foreign occupier whose relentless aerial bombardment of rebel-held areas has led to thousands of civilian casualties. Some accuse Moscow of applying a scorched-earth policy that targets hospitals, schools and residential areas more than frontlines to break the resolve of the anti-Assad insurgency. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency in Egypt following twin church bombings that killed dozens of people in two cities on Sunday. Sisi announced the state of emergency for three months in a defiant speech at the presidential palace after a meeting of the national defence council. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the church bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Alexandria and Tanta in which at least 44 people were killed. The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks ahead of a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for the countrys Christian minority. At least 78 people were wounded in Tanta and another 40 wounded in Alexandria, the health ministry said. Egyptian officials denounced the violence as an attempt to sow divisions in the country, while Francis sent his deep condolences to Tawadros. IS claimed that its squads carried out both attacks, in a statement by its self-styled Amaq news agency published on social media accounts. Images broadcast by private television stations showed bloodstains smearing the whitewashed walls of the church in Tanta next to shredded wooden benches. The explosion took place in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass, General Tarek Atiya, the deputy to Egypts interior minister in charge of relations with the media, told AFP. I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained, said Nabil Nader, who lives in front of the Tanta church. The worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem. - String of attacks - Prime Minister Sherif Ismail also condemned the attack, stressing Egypts determination to eliminate terrorism. The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, an influential Sunni Muslim authority, said it aimed to destabilise security and... the unity of Egyptians. Egypts Copts have endured successive attacks since Morsis ouster in July 2013. More than 40 churches were attacked nationwide in the two weeks after the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo on August 14, 2013, Human Rights Watch said. Amnesty International later said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged, adding that at least four people were killed. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as then army chief helped remove Morsi, has defended his security forces and accused jihadists of attacking Copts in order to divide the country. In October 2011, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed after the army charged at a protest outside the state television building in Cairo to denounce the torching of a church in southern Egypt. In May that year, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead in the working-class Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba where two churches were attacked. A few months earlier, the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church killed more than 20 people in Egypts second city of Alexandria on New Years Day. Labour pains are scary enough. But imagine if they hit you at the worst possible moment 42,000 feet above the ground, trapped in a metal box speeding through the air, with no doctor to help and no hospital bed to find comfort in. That was the ordeal faced by expectant mom Nafi Diaby, who was 28 weeks pregnant and travelling on a flight from Guineas capital Conakry to Istanbul via Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, when her baby girl decided it was time to enter the world, according to a BBC report. Fortunately for her, she was surrounded by heroes. The cabin crew and others passengers of her Turkish Airlines flight leapt into action, and helped Diaby give birth to her daughter. A delighted flight attendant welcomes the extra passenger. (Turkish Airlines) The mother gave birth while standing, and we received help from several other passengers, Bouthayna Inanr, one of the flight attendants, was quoted as saying by The Sun. The baby was named Kadiju. How could such a momentous event not be celebrated? Turkish Airlines later tweeted pictures of the beaming cabin crew - as well as the captain - posing with little Kadiju, with the caption, Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew! Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew! pic.twitter.com/FFPI16Jqgt Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) April 7, 2017 Both mother and baby were received by ambulance at the Ouagadougou airport and are reported to be in good health. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A retired Pakistani Army officer has gone missing for the past three days from near Nepal-India border while visiting Nepal for a job interview, Pakistani media reports said. Retired Lt Col Mohammad Habib is feared to have been abducted, the reports said, citing Pakistani charge daffaires Javed Imrani in Kathmandu. Following a complaint from his family, the Pakistani embassy requested Nepali foreign ministry on Sunday to help find Habib. An official at Nepals foreign ministry said it has forwarded the request to the home ministry. Habib last contacted his family on Thursday afternoon and since then his phone has not been reachable. The colonel, who reportedly retired in October 2014 and belonged to artillery, was later employed with a private firm in Pakistan and had posted his resume online in search of employment. He had landed in Kathmandu on Thursday via Oman Air and was received by one Javad Ansari at the airport and left for Lumbini the same day. After reaching Lumbini, he made a phone call to his family from a local mobile number which was switched off immediately after the call, reports said. He was reportedly offered a job for UN in Lumbini and approached by one Mark Thomsan from a London-based number. But this number also turned out to be fake. According to the embassy, Habib had applied the job through a website and after he went missing, the website and twitter handle of the recruitment website were suspended. The mobile number that was made to offer the job also turned out to be fake, it said. Habibs family reported his disappearance to the Pakistani foreign ministry after being unable to get in touch with him. Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the Pakistani embassy is in contact with the local authorities. Nine policemen were killed and five injured when the vehicle they were travelling in was struck by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistans Balkh province, officials said on Sunday. The blast took place near Alborz mountain in Chamtal district on Saturday when the police entered an area they had retaken from the Taliban, TOLO News quoted an official as saying. Two of the five injured were in critical condition. An ex-Navy SEAL, who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden, has revealed the al-Qaeda chiefs head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification. Ex-Navy SEAL team shooter Robert ONeill has reasserted his claim that he alone pumped three bullets into Osama, killing the architect of the 9/11 attacks, in a new book. In The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden, the former Navy SEAL Team 6 shooter lays out the details of what went down that night inside the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the New York Daily News reported. While controversy still swirls around ONeills version of the May 2, 2011, raid, much of it centres on his breaking the Special Ops code of silence. In ONeills version, he was trailing five or six other SEALs climbing the stairs to the compounds second floor when Osamas son Khalid appeared on the half-landing with an AK-47. The agents were able to lure Khalid from where he was hiding behind a banister by calling to him in Arabic, saying: Khalid, come here. Read | Pakistan will not free doctor who helped US find Osama bin Laden He shouted in response: What? and emerged from his hiding spot, and was immediately shot in the face, the report said. Once upstairs, the men spread out to search the rooms. In the compound with Osama were three of his four wives and 17 children. ONeill kept his hand on the point mans shoulder. The two were alone on the stairway, convinced that whoever was on the third floor was strapping on a suicide vest for an explosive last stand. ONeill recounts that finally he decided to take action. He squeezed the point mans shoulder, the signal to charge and then burst past the curtain. The point man tackled two screaming women to the floor. Bin Laden stood near the bed, his hands on the shoulders of the woman in front of him. She was later identified as Amal, the youngest of his four wives, the report said. Read | US government releases final batch of Osama bin Laden documents In less than a second, I aimed above the womans right shoulder and pulled the trigger twice, ONeill writes. Bin Ladens head split open, and he dropped. I put another bullet in his head. Insurance, he writes. According to ONeill, the other members of the team rushed into the room only after he placed a two-year-old boy found cowering in a corner alongside Osamas widow on the bed. A harrowing 90-minute flight returned the squadron to camp in Afghanistan. ONeills book comes five years after No Easy Day, fellow SEAL Mark Bissonnettes account of the operation. Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned the brutal killing of eight people in Kashmir in firing by Indian security forces as violence marred the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat by-poll, which it dubbed as a sham. The Pakistani Foreign Office issued a statement after eight people were killed in firing by Indian security forces as unprecedented election-day violence marred the by-poll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat which saw the voter turnout plunge to an all-time low of 7.14 per cent. Rampaging mobs took to streets in scores of places across the Lok Sabha constituency straddling Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists. Mr Sartaj Aziz strongly condemned the brutal killing of 8 youths, including a 12th grade student by Indian forces today when they opened fire on peaceful demonstrators protesting against the sham Indian parliamentary elections, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The Foreign Office said that the abysmally low voter turnout, which it claimed of being below 6 per cent, was a tangible indication that the Hurriyat leadership and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have categorically rejected the sham elections. The Foreign Office said the elections cannot be an alternative to the right to self-determination promised to the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the numerous UNSC resolutions. The statement alleged that India continues to deny fundamental human rights to the people of Kashmir. The Foreign Office stated that despite Indian state terrorism and repression, the steadfast resolve displayed by the Kashmiris sends a clear message to India that they remain undeterred in their goal for realisation of the right to self determination. We call upon the international community to urge India to put an immediate end to the ongoing bloodshed of innocent Kashmiris and behave as a responsible member of the international community by honouring its commitments to hold a transparent, free and fair plebiscite under the auspices of the UN in accordance with the UNSC resolutions to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people, the statement said. Recent Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds levels seen during the Cold War, a top US and NATO military officer said, voicing concern that the distributed nature of the deployments could end up splitting and distracting the transatlantic alliance. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATOs Allied Joint Force Command in Naples and commands US naval forces in Europe and Africa, said Russia had clearly stepped up its naval actions in recent years although the size of its navy was smaller now than during the Cold War era. Were seeing activity that we didnt even see when it was the Soviet Union. Its precedential activity, Howard told Reuters in an interview late on Saturday during a missile defence conference. Howard cited a wide range of activities, including Russias deployment of its Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, increased patrols in the north Atlantic and Arctic region, significant out-of-area submarine deployments, and submarine movement in the Black Sea. Theyre a global navy, I understand that. But the activity in this theatre has substantially moved up in the last couple of years, Howard said. She said there was a danger that members of the NATO alliance would focus on the area of interest closest to them, while losing sight of Russian activities in other areas. When ... you think about what happens when they move forces around, you look at the alliance and they end up splitting and distracting the view of the alliance, she said. Howards comments came amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Russia and the United States after Washington launched 59 cruise missiles against an air base in Syria in retaliation for a deadly toxic gas attack that killed scores of people. Howard said the Russian naval manoeuvres had been matched by increased persistent cyber attacks by Moscow, and a steady number of unprofessional fly bys by Russian aircraft of US and other allied vessels at sea. Ties between Moscow and the West have been strained since Russias annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. NATO has built up physical forces in Poland and the Baltic states to build up a deterrent and underscore the strength of the alliance, but US and European officials are also increasingly concerned about what they describe as Moscows use of propaganda and cyber attacks to influence Western elections. Russia denies Washingtons claim that Moscow sought to influence the US election, and views NATOs buildup of troops in Europe as a provocation. Howard said members of NATO had rallied to increase their capabilities and send a clear signal about the strength and resolve of the alliance. She hailed a recent agreement by Germany and Norway to build new submarines together as a sign of increased cooperation and said she would welcome further efforts by European partners to pool resources. Swedens prosecution authority said on Sunday a second person had been arrested in connection to the deadly truck attack in Stockholm suspected of a terrorist crime through murder. District Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist ... made the decision on the arrest, the prosecution authority said in a statement. The suspect was arrested on a lower degree of suspicion. Chinese government has reduced the budget for officials heading overseas on work, holding receptions for dignitaries in the country and using allotted vehicles for authorised tasks in its latest effort to strengthen the ongoing frugality campaign. In China, overseas trips, vehicles and receptions are known as the three public consumptions and have long been three ways for officials to splurge sanctioned budgets. The purse strings for the three heads, however, are being tightened for 2017 as the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping prepares for the five-yearly party Congress later this year. China has long been bedeviled by officials using their expenses accounts to travel in the name of official visits, use work vehicles on personal errands, and enjoy luxurious receptions and accommodation, the state-controlled China Daily newspaper said in a report. Of course, the sanctioned budget is still huge despite the cut. The Central government departments will spend a maximum of 6.15 billion yuan ($ 891 million) on the three public consumptions in 2017, down 31 million yuan from 2016, the state media reported quoting the finance ministry. Expenses on overseas visits will reach no more than 1.88 billion yuan, while 3.5 billion yuan was budgeted for the purchase and maintenance of government vehicles and 761 million yuan for official receptions, the newspaper reported. The ministry said the cut is expected to help streamline expenditure and channelise the budget for important overseas tours, reception of foreign guests and replacing old, polluting government vehicles with newer ones with strict emission controls. The anti-corruption and frugality campaign has been Xis signature crusade since early 2013, soon after he took over as CPC general secretary. The anti-graft rules included a ban on red-carpet receptions for officials and use of public vehicles for private affairs, reduced meetings, avoided traffic disturbances such as road closures, and ordered austerity in official meals, travel and housing. The CPCs anti-graft agency said late last year that nearly 200,000 party and government staff had been punished for violating frugality rules in the past four years, many who had held senior positions. They were involved in more than 146,400 cases, about one-quarter of which involved the use of public vehicles and dining out on public funds, the China Daily report said. Responding to Russias claim that the US missile strike on a Syrian airbase wasnt very effective, President Donald Trump has explained as to why the runways were not attacked and remain undamaged. Trump took to his Twitter page to say, The reason you dont generally hit runways is that they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)! This comes two days after the Russian defence ministry informed about the total damage inflicted by the airstrike. Syrias military said seven people were killed and several wounded. Six Syrian air force planes undergoing repairs at the base were destroyed, but the runways were undamaged, the Guardian quoted the Russian defence ministry saying after the attack. Images released by the Pentagon showing post strike areas of impact did not note any damage to the runways. As many as nine civilians, including four children were killed in the United States missile attack on a military airbase in central Syria on Friday. While, Washington stated it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Trump called a barbaric chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime. The US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis. A US Navy carrier strike group was moving toward the Korean Peninsula as the United States boosts its defences against North Koreas nuclear ambitions. US Pacific command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific, said commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, he said. The strike group includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson, a carrier air wing, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser. Originally scheduled to make port calls in Australia, it headed instead from Singapore to the Western Pacific Ocean. The North has carried out five nuclear tests - two of them last year - and expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth. US intelligence officials say Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States. On Thursday and Friday, US President Donald Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks during which he pressed Pyongyangs key ally to help curb the Norths nuclear weapons program. Trump has threatened unilateral action against the hermit state, a threat that appears more palpable after he ordered a strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack. The head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which provides missile detection and defense for the region, said she was extremely confident of US capability to intercept a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) bound for America from the North. But General Lori Robinson expressed concerns for the type of ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine that Pyongyang said it successfully tested in February. Amidst an unprecedented pace of North Korean strategic weapons testing, our ability to provide actionable warning continues to diminish, Robinson said in written testimony to senators. The United States is playing the terrorism game, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday during his first phone talks with his US counterpart Rex Tillerson since the US air strikes on Syria last week. A country which battles against terrorism is just playing the terrorism game, and creates regional and global security threats, Lavrov warned Tillerson, according to a Russian foreign ministry statement. Lavrov also reaffirmed Russias position that accusations that the Syrian regime had launched a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun last week are not in line with reality. The United States on Thursday fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from warships in the Mediterranean at the Shayrat airfield near Homs in central Syria. The previous day US President Donald Trump said pictures of the Khan Sheikhun victims in agony, had an enormous impact on him. Saturdays phone call was the first between the top diplomats of Russia and the US since the strikes on the Syrian airfield. US secretary of state Tillerson is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday for two days of talks. On Friday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow expects explanations, during Tillersons visit, for the US air strike on the Syrian airbase For his part, Tillerson on Friday said he was disappointed by Russias reaction because it indicates their continued support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. An American soldier was killed during operations against the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan late on Saturday, the US military said in a statement posted on Twitter. A US soldier was killed in action while conducting operations against ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan, US Navy Captain Bill Salvin said, referring to a provincial affiliate of the jihadist group. The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in (eastern) Nangarhar Province. More information will be released as appropriate, Salvin was quoted as saying by the official Twitter account of NATOs Resolute Support mission. Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, is a hotbed of IS militancy and American forces have conducted a number of air strikes on jihadist bases in the area since August last year. IS, notorious for their brutal reign of terror in Syria and Iraq, has been making inroads into Afghanistan in recent years. They are known to be comprised of disaffected Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, as well as Uzbek Islamists. But the group has been steadily losing territory in the face of heavy pressure from both US air strikes and a ground offensive led by Afghan forces. Islamic States strength has depleted to 600-700 fighters from 3,000 in early 2016, NATO has said, adding that it killed the top 12 IS commanders in Afghanistan last year. The jihadists claimed a deadly assault on Afghanistans largest military hospital last month, but survivors who spoke to AFP said the attackers chanted Long live Taliban in Pashto. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said the recent US missile attack on a Syrian air base was a strategic mistake. The Americans action is a strategic mistake, as they are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors, Khameneis official website quoted him as saying. As Europe is now facing the threat of terrorists, the US will not stay away from this threat as well, he added. The US fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat air base in central Syria at dawn on Friday, saying the strike was intended to deter the Syrian government from using chemical weapons. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Thursday said the recent Syrian air strike on a rebel-held town in Idlib Province in northwestern Syria struck a rebel depot containing chemical materials, and denied that the air force used toxic gas during the attack. Chance the Rapper quietly held his Magnificent Coloring World 2 event in Chicago today. The event was announced just yesterday, and unlike last years inaugural party, invitations to this years once in a lifetime experience were only given out to a very select group of fans the top 0.001%. The Coloring Book rapper partnered with SoundCloud in order to identify such devoted members of his fanbase. Though little is known about what went down today, a few of the avowed attendees said that there were cameramen at the event who seemingly worked for Netflix. And it turns out that Chance went on Twitter on Thursday to solicit Netflix to send a representative to Chicago, writing, Im praying that I could get just one person from @netflix to come to Chicago for the next two days. Netflix hasnt confirmed its presence at the event nor has Chance, and a hasty deal would have had to occur for the streaming site to agree to turning the intimate show into an official flick. Still, one would think that Netflix would be interested in partnering with the 23-year-old Chicagoan, who was recently included in Fortune magazines list of the Worlds Greatest Leaders. Below are some social media reactions from those lucky enough to be a part of the Magnificent Coloring World 2 experience. Chris Brown and Lil Wayne have been revealed to be under investigation for their ties to Harrison Cuban Harry Garcia, the self-proclaimed CEO of the Purple Drank, reports the Miami Herald. Garcia a Miami-based music producer is currently on trial for federal drug charges, as he is accused of organizing dozens of pharmacy robberies in South Florida. On Thursday, during the third day of testimony, federal authorities revealed they are investigating a $15,000 wire transfer made from Brown to Garcias account in 2016. Garcia had sent a screenshot of the wire transfer to a female friend, said authorities, and he reportedly told her that Browns payment was for Drugs lean and sh-t. Authorities also revealed evidence of drug-related text messages, retrieved from Garcias phone, involving Lil Wayne. Ill shoot u some trees, Garcia allegedly wrote to a do-boy, following up with, Its for Wayne. An agent also testified that Garcia admitted to selling Wayne a lot of narcotics upon his initial arrest in October. Garcias relationships with both Brown and Wayne have been well-documented on his Instagram page, which has over 34,000 followers. Using the handle muhammad_a_lean, he posted photos of himself with both artists. Photo evidence of Garcia traveling with Brown to countries like Spain and Albania was shown to the court on Thursday. Garcia also appeared in Young Money artist HoodyBabys music video for his Cut It Freestyle. It was Garcias Instagram page on which he posted pictures of cash, drugs, and guns that first earned him the attention of federal authorities, who suspected him of using his Instagram to sell drugs, most notably large amounts of prescription cough syrup. He was first arrested for selling drugs to an informant whom he charged a total of $4,530 on two separate occasions. He was arrested again in December for his alleged racketeering role in the series of pharmacy burglaries. Garcia has testified that his Instagram photos of drugs and other contraband were, more or less, all for show. I had an image to portray, to boost up my followers, he said in court. I guess its just the music industry. Lean Soulja Boy has pleaded no contest to felony guns charges stemming from a December police raid which led to his arrest. The rapper, who was facing up to 4 years of jail time, will serve 5 years of probation and 240 days of community labor, according to TMZ. Under the conditions of the probation, Soulja will not be able to possess any deadly weapons or replicas, including toy guns. The rapper will be able to travel internationally for reasons related to his career. However, he will have to clear any trips with his probation officer. In January, it was reported that the weapons found in Souljas house included a Mini Draco AR-15 and another gun that was said to be stolen from a cop car. Police raided the rappers house after receiving a Crime Stoppers tip related to threats Soulja was making online. The weapons in his house violated his probation at the the time (not to mention, possession of an assault weapon like the Draco is entirely illegal in California). Soulja Boy A handful of local community organizers and activists are holding a vigil tonight for victims of Syria's six-year war after a chemical bombing in the country earlier this week. The hour-long vigil will be held at Bagby Park, at 415 Gray. The event will start at 7 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's government fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some of the thousands of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro who poured into the streets of Caracas amid a week long protest movement that shows little sign of losing steam. The demonstrations came a day after Maduro's government barred top opposition leader Henrique Capriles from running for office for 15 years. The ban capped a tumultuous 10 day-crackdown that saw pro-government groups rough up several opposition leaders and another seek refuge in a foreign embassy to escape arrest. The protests were triggered by the Supreme Court's decision to gut the opposition-controlled legislature of its last vestiges of power, a move that was later reversed amid widespread international condemnation and even dissent within Maduro's normally disciplined socialist leadership. "Nobody can disqualify the Venezuelan people," an emotional Capriles said from a stage Saturday as he called on protesters to march to the Ombudsman's office downtown. As the sea of protesters approached the headquarters of state-run PDVSA oil company, they were met by a curtain of eye-scorching tear gas and rubber bullets. Mayhem then ensued, with riot police racing down windy streets, dodging objects thrown from tall apartment buildings as they deployed to squash the unrest. At least 17 people were treated for injuries, according to Ramon Muchacho, a Caracas-area mayor. Around most of Caracas, checkpoints were set up to search cars and frisk bus passengers even miles away from the clashes. As the most dominant figure in the opposition over the past decade, Capriles has been at the forefront of the protests, the most combative since a wave of anti-government unrest in 2014, in which dozens of people were killed, many at the hands of security forces. While opposition leaders have insisted on peaceful protest, frustration built up over 17 years of polarizing socialist rule in Venezuela is running high on both sides. Leaders in the ruling socialist party have accused the opposition of trying to provoke a bloodbath and its own coup. Maduro didn't comment Friday during a state TV appearance about the comptroller general's order against Capriles. But he but urged his supporters not to be distracted by tough language coming from "Capriloca," a play on the Spanish word for "crazy." The protest movement's immediate goal apparently is to force Maduro to call elections. Authorities last year cancelled an opposition campaign to hold a recall referendum on Maduro, and no date has yet been set for gubernatorial elections that were supposed to take place last year. The government earlier jailed another major opposition figure, hardliner Leopoldo Lopez. With both seemingly out of the running, the government may be trying to manipulate the electoral playing field to leave the opposition with less viable options should the government bow to pressure and call elections, analysts said. "However, it is a risky strategy that will probably backfire," Eurasia Group said in a report Friday. "The opposition is clearly fired up and this will further their cause." Imagine a life of service with barely adequate pay and thin retirement benefits - it's not one many of us would embrace. But lucky for most across our state who have been educated in a public school classroom, thousands upon thousands chose such a life when they made the decision to teach. With the state's health care plan for retired teachers in precarious financial condition, and a Legislature that has yet to fully address the problem, that decision now likely seems like so much folly. The failure also is a disgraceful statement about lawmakers' priorities. Since 1986, teachers have been making monthly payments into a health care plan set up by the Legislature to be available upon their retirement. That plan, TRS-Care, is going to fail without legislative action. The impact on retired educators will be severe. "When I decided to retire I knew financially it was going to be tight but doable," one retired teacher told us. The 20-year Houston ISD veteran noted that if the Legislature doesn't step up and keep her health insurance affordable, she will need to go back to work full time or to materially reduce her standard of living. Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, has shown leadership in acknowledging the problem. But the bill proposed by Huffman in the Senate, S.B. 788, is a disingenuous half measure that will barely keep the plan alive while devastating the financial condition of some retired teachers, or worse, leaving many without any health care at all. The House budget is better for teachers but doesn't fix the underlying shortfall. In other words, regardless of which budget version ultimately passes, Texas' 262,000 retired teachers who have dedicated themselves to educating our students will likely pay higher deductibles and potentially have to accrue new medical debt year after year. In addition, they'll have to live with uncertainty as to whether the Legislature will step up again in two years to make sure they have affordable health care in retirement. TRS-Care is facing a $1 billion shortfall. Huffman's bill will increase state funding by approximately $311 million, including an increase in state base funding of .25 percent. The remainder of the shortfall, though, falls onto retirees. This amount of state funding is inadequate to keep the plan affordable. Here's why lawmakers' math doesn't add up: Approximately 56,000 teachers with roughly 22,000 dependents have retired after decades of service, are under age 65 and have not yet qualified for Medicare. The average annuity payment for a retired teacher is $2,035 month, before federal income tax. Under the Senate plan, the proposed deductible for the TRS-Care plan would rise from around $400 to $4,000 for an individual. Prescription medication is also subject to the deductible, as there is no prescription drug coverage with this proposal. It's hard to see how retired teachers living on a pension will be able to afford health care under a system where their deductible is the equivalent of two full months of their benefits, not to mention their premiums. The budget plan the House passed Friday has clearly made TRS Care a funding priority by making $500 million available for the program. Lawmakers in that chamber are willing to use the state's savings account - the so-called Rainy Day Fund - to live up to their promise to retirees. While premiums are sure to rise and benefits certain to decrease under the House plan, it's not clear how much. Some Texas lawmakers may view the state's large uninsured population as more a matter of individual hardship than public responsibility. That is not the case for individuals who have served as public employees based on state commitments for some level of retirement security. Lawmakers are fond of talking about their favorite teachers and how they made a difference in their lives. Talk is cheap. We all know that medical care is not. The Legislature should live up to its promise and provide affordable care for some of our state's most honored citizens, its teachers. 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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. supertramp via Getty Images If you can work and talk at the same time, you might be a good fit for Elmsdale Landscaping. The Nova Scotia company recently posted a hiring ad on Facebook that seems to have connected with a lot of managers and employers. "Please do not apply if you oversleep, have court often, do not have a babysitter everyday, have to get rides to work later than our work day begins," the ad states. Advertisement Getting regular flat tires is also an instant deal-breaker. Prospective employees can look forward to competitive wages and health plans, but will have to "remember to come back to work after lunch." If you're interested in applying (and are willing to take advice after your first day), here's the ad: It definitely hit a nerve. "I'm stealing this for next time I'm hiring," joked one Facebook response. Advertisement Laura Coupar from Elmsdale explained to CTV News that because the company relies on small crews to work together, one absence can affect the whole job. So far, the landscaping firm has received 200 applications. Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Also on HuffPost: A woman who unexpectedly gave birth on a Turkish Airlines flight is now a proud mom to a healthy, baby girl thanks to the immediate help of the crew. On Friday, Nafi Diaby was flying from Guinea to Istanbul via Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso when she went into labour shortly after take-off, BBC reported. Advertisement The cabin crew noticed that a woman passenger named Nafi Diaby, [who was] 28 weeks into her pregnancy, was suffering childbirth pains, Turkish Airlines said in a statement. They promptly responded to assist her childbirth during the flight. #WOW A woman gives birth on Turkish Airlines flight from Conakry to Istanbul with the help of cabin crew. Pics: @anadoluajansipic.twitter.com/KlqiOuoXr1 Ragp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 7, 2017 Diaby welcomed her daughter, Kadiju, at 42,000 feet in the air. The mother gave birth while standing, and we received help from several other passengers, flight attendant Bouthayna Inanr told The Sun U.K. The crew then proceeded to celebrate Kadijus birth by taking sweet photos together. Turkish Airlines shared the images on Twitter. Advertisement Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew! pic.twitter.com/FFPI16Jqgt Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) April 7, 2017 Once the plane landed in Burkina Fasos capital, the mom and baby were rushed to hospital to be kept under observation. Turkish Airlines later reported that Diaby and her newborn are doing well. On social media, many wondered what the babys nationality would be on her birth certificate considering she was born mid-flight. This is a tricky question because the truth is that it depends. Alastair Bonnett, a professor of Social Geography at Englands Newcastle University, states that in some instances, if you are born on a plane, you become the nationality of where the plane originated. For example, if your flight departs from Norway, you become Norwegian. Advertisement However, thats not the only factor to consider. Theres also which nation you were born over and your own parents nationality. In the U.S., for example, if you are born over the countrys waters or airspace, then you become a U.S. citizen, CNN reports. Diabys story also had many wondering what the rules were for flying while pregnant. @TurkishAirlines I heard other airlines don't let 7m+ pregnant ladies on board. Did that rule change? How many months was she? Glad to see baby & mom r safe. H. Y. (@yediteddy) April 7, 2017 While every airline is different, Turkish Airlines website states that expectant moms between 28 to 35 weeks pregnant need a doctors note that specifically states, There is no particular reason for the patient not to fly. Anyone 36 weeks and over are barred from flying. These rules are actually a lot stricter than Canadian airlines, who dont have as many restrictions. According to Baby Centre Canada, there are only restrictions around the last month of pregnancy (meaning 35 to 40 weeks), but many recommend moms-to-be check in with their doctor before flying, regardless of their due date. Also on HuffPost Moms' First Photos With New Babies See Gallery ASSOCIATED PRESS 'It's our culture.' How many times have I heard that statement in reference to excusing violence against women. Domestic violence being dismissed as 'part of the culture.' Describing women as second class citizens, is 'just the way it is.' Sexual harassment, 'it's our culture,' they say. Culture. Always used as an excuse to abuse. As I have travelled around the world on behalf of my women's rights organization Project Monma investigating violence against women, I have noticed that violence and discrimination against women is almost always justified under the name of culture. It's a way of dismissing critics and allowing men to continue with their regimes of domination and control over women, unquestioned and unchallenged. Advertisement Rarely, when the same types of violence are perpetrated against men, are they justified as culture. Instead it's called murder, abuse, discrimination, genocide. Yet the most horrific forms of violence and discrimination could occur against women and girls and it is dismissed with a casual shrug of the shoulders. 'That's the way things are,' they will say. And everyone will accept it. On my first trip to the northern Iraq I went to investigate honour killings with Project Monma. It was explained to us how women and girls can be killed for any perceived sexual transgression. One Kurdish man for example, explained how a young girl in his village was shot by her father, simply because she was seen talking to a man in the street. Women should not have any sexual relation with a man outside of her husband. Should she go against this cultural rule, then culturally, her family would need to kill her to restore the family honour. This is their culture. In Lebanon I sat with a group of young men, all originally from Lebanon but had grown up in various parts of the Gulf. I was in Beirut investigating violence against Syrian women and we were discussing sexual harassment. I had been recounting the many stories I had heard of Syrian women being sexually harassed by Lebanese men, however the men in the room seemed unconcerned. I then recounted one of my own stories of being surrounded and threatened by a group of men in Kuwait and all of the men burst into laughter. 'This is our culture,' declared one of the Lebanese men with a smile on his face. In Mauritania I went with Project Monma to look into the phenomenon of slavery. Up until 2007, Mauritania's descent based slavery system was legal. If you're a Harratin woman in Mauritania and you give birth to a child, that child will then too become a slave. The white Moors, as they call them, are traditionally the slavery owners. For female slaves, rape, discrimination and the possibility of being jailed for sex outside of marriage, even in the case of rape, are all realities. It was explained to be me by one ex slave that it is considered an honor, for the white Moors to have a slave. Advertisement This is their culture. In Gabon a woman explained how it is hard for women to work in Gabon because the sexual harassment is so bad. This is how things are in Gabon, she said. A friend in South Africa explained how there wasn't much point in girls becoming educated because even if you have an education, you will still be sexually harassed at work. That's how it is in South Africa, she said. In Morocco a man explained how he chose not to sexually harass women, but was criticised by all of his friends for not doing so. Men are expected to sexually harass women in Morocco, he explained. In Senegal, a man laughed when I brought up sexual harassment, 'well that's everywhere,' he said. His laughter and lack of concern did indeed indicate that sexual harassment was everywhere, another aspect of Senegalese culture, no doubt. Throughout the world men dismiss women as being capable to work in certain jobs, which is often argued to be related to culture. Throughout the world men justify hitting their wives as it is the 'way they do things.' And throughout the world women are expected to dress in a certain way or face the consequences, harassment and rape. How women should be dressed is of course directly related to 'culture.' What to know before you vote today Building project proponents appeal to potential voters outside the polling place in Dalton on Saturday afternoon. Wahconah Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Building Feasibility Study DALTON, Mass. Nearly 75 percent of those voting in the Central Berkshire Regional School District on Saturday cast ballots to move the district forward in the process of renovating or replacing Wahconah Regional High School. The question was whether the district should spend $850,000 on a feasibility study to look at options for the 56-year-old school. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will reimburse the district for between 50 and 54 percent of the cost of the feasibility study, according to district officials. The same reimbursement rate from MSBA would apply if and when the district decides to move forward with any building project. On Saturday, 1,761 voters turned out to decide on the feasibility study, and the margin was 1,313-448 in favor. The question passed by overwhelming margins in five of the district's seven towns. Only Cummington voted against the study, by a margin of 48-22. In Peru, it was a dead heat, 65-65. In each of the other towns, the question passed by at least a 2-to-1 ratio. In Dalton, the district's largest town and home of the high school, the vote was 774-178. In the other four towns where the question passed, the margins were: Becket, 108-38; Hinsdale, 171-83; Washington, 80-12; and Windsor, 93-24. The Wahconah Building Project Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 4:30 to discuss next steps in the process. During the feasibility stage, which is directed by the MSBA, districts engage with architects and engineers for up to 18 months to look at options for building, which officials say is deteriorating, outdated and inadequate to meet the needs of a 21st century high school. 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 }} Everyone has their own little manners self-promotion, but James Patterson's seems particularly bold. Though he may be the world's best-selling author, Patterson recently raised a few eyebrows in the literary world when the promotional material for his latest book, The Black Book, seemed to quote none other than the man himself. Underneath a giant red headline reading, "Patterson at his best", his quote reads: "I think The Black Book is my best work in 20 years. Better than Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls." It's certainly strange whichever way you frame it, though Patterson has always been open about the fact he employs co-authors on his books, expanding upon a narrative framework provided by Patterson, who then either personally rewrites or provides notes on their drafts. Still, the author's praise for his own book elicited a fair amount of besument from several prominent authors, including Stephen King, who has in the past labelled Patterson's work as "terrible". There's certainly one takeaway to be had here: don't let Hollywood find out about any of this. 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 }} Emma Stone has cemented herself as the nicest actor in Hollywood after replying to the high school student who invited her to prom. Arizona-based teenager Jacob Staudenmaier invited the star to prom in a viral video which saw him recreate the opening scene from La La Land. Stone has since responded, with Staudenmaier telling Good Morning America she had contacted him directly. He read out her response: Jacob, thanks for making the greatest proposal I have ever received. I cant tell you what an honour that was and how much I smiled through that entire beautifully orchestrated video. Im in London working, but I hope you have the best time at prom, and Im grateful you thought of me. Stone capped the message with: Thank you. P.S. I do see Gosling around the eyes. Love, Emma in reference to his far-fetched lyric which saw him sing he looks like her La La Land co-star. The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Show all 12 1 /12 The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Anne Hathaway The 32-year-old actress said she has already experiences job rejections because of her age. Now I'm in my early thirties and I'm like, 'Why did that 24-year-old get that part? I was that 24-year-old once. I can't be upset about it, it's the way things are, she told Glamour. EPA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Helen Mirren On news that Maggie Gyllenhaal had been turned down for being too old, aged 37, to play a 55-year-old mans partner: Its f***ing outrageous. Its ridiculous. Honestly, its so annoying. And twas ever thus. We all watched James Bond as he got more and more geriatric, and his girlfriends got younger and younger. Its so annoying. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Maggie Gyllenhaal Gyllenhaal revealed she was told by a Hollywood producer that she was too old, aged 37, to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man. It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made feel angry, and then it made me laugh, she said at the time. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Meryl Streep Meryl Streep has helped fund an all-female screenwriters group called The Writers Lab to encourage more women to pen Hollywood scripts. She previously told Vogue in 2011: Once women pass childbearing age they could only be seen as grotesque on some level. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Emma Thompson The actress said she thought Hollywood is still completely s*** when it comes to treating women equally to men. When I was younger, I really did think we were on our way to a better world. And when I look at it now, it is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women, and I find that very disturbing and sad. EPA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Elizabeth Banks Banks said she was driven from acting to directing due to the lack of roles for older women in Hollywood. "[Industry sexism] drove me to direct for sure. I definitely was feeling that I was unfulfilled and a little bit bored by the things that were coming across my desk. I mean look at Gwyneth Paltrow who has her Oscar [for Shakespeare in Love] and played fifth banana to Iron Man, she told Deadline. PA The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Viola Davis I had never seen a 49-year-old, dark-skinned woman who is not a size 2 be a sexualised role in TV or film. I'm a sexual woman, but nothing in my career has ever identified me as a sexualised woman. I was the prototype of the mommified role, she told The Hollywood Reporter. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Liv Tyler The Lord of the Rings actress said she only get cast in roles where she is treated as a second class citizen at the age of 38. When youre in your teens or twenties, there is an abundance of ingenue parts which are exciting to play. But at [my age], youre usually the wife or the girlfriend - a sort of second-class citizen. There are more interesting roles for women when they get a bit older, she told More magazine. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Cate Blanchett The actress famously called out sexism on the red carpet at the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards. When a camera operator scanned her up and down, she said: Do you do this to the guys? In her Oscar acceptance speech for Blue Jasmine, she reminded the film industry that movies with leading women can still be successful. And thank you to... those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films, with women at the centre, are niche experiences. They are not -- audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people. Gareth Cattermole/Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Ellen Page Asked if she had ever encountered sexism in Hollywood, Page told The Guardian: Oh my God, yeah! It's constant! It's how you're treated, it's how you're looked at, how you're expected to look in a photoshoot, it's how you're expected to shut up and not have an opinion, it's how you... If you're a girl and you don't fit the very specific vision of what a girl should be, which is always from a man's perspective, then you're a little bit at a loss. Getty Images The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Zoe Saldana The actress says she refuses roles where she has to play the generic girlfriend, wife or sexy bombshell. "It's very hard being a woman in a man's world, and I recognised it was a man's world even when I was a kid. It's an inequality and injustice that drove me crazy, and which I always spoke out against and I've always been outspoken, she told Manhattan magazine. Getty The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood Charlize Theron The actress spoke to ELLE about negotiating equal pay for the Snow White and the Huntsman sequel: "This is a good time for us to bring this to a place of fairness, and girls need to know that being a feminist is a good thing. It doesn't mean that you hate men. It means equal rights. If you're doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way." Andreas Rentz/Getty Images Stone won Best Actress Oscar for her role of Mia Dolan in Damien Chazelle's hit musical which (eventually) got beaten to the top prize by Barry Jenkins' acclaimed drama Moonlight. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices 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 Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hundreds of children have been injured while having to be physically restrained in special schools, new figures reveal. An investigation led by BBC Radio 5 live found some pupils were pinned face down on the floor and others were strapped into chairs. Others suffered broken bones while one pupil was reported to have had their head covered with a spit hood. There were around 13,000 restraints reported, resulting in at least 731 injuries over the past three years in schools designed for children who are disabled or have special learning needs. Those involved in the investigation said less than a fifth of local authorities were able to provide the data, however, with most responding that they didnt keep the information. The true number of injuries caused by restraint in special schools is likely to be far higher, they said. According to the BBC, only nine out of 153 local authorities in England provided figures to respond to a Freedom of Information request. Of those that did, there were 6,262 reports of restraints, resulting in 360 injuries in the past three years. 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 In Scotland, 17 out of 32 local authorities provided data, reporting 4,383 restraints and 157 injuries, and in Wales, 11 out of 22 local authorities provided data, reporting 2,182 restraints and 214 injuries. No information was held by the Education Authority of Northern Ireland. Department for Education guidelines state reasonable force can be used to keep pupils and staff safe in school, as well as prevent damage to property or prevent disorder. What is reasonable is down to the judgement of the teacher, depending on individual circumstances Using physical force as a punishment is illegal. Speaking to the BBC, Jacqui Sherlock from the Challenging Behaviour Foundation said it was particularly shocking that violent restraint was being used in special schools in an age when so much was known about how to resolve poor behaviour without the need for physical intervention. Stand Up To Racism protest in Croydon The first thing thats important to understand is that all challenging behaviour happens for a reason, she said, but for young people with learning disabilities and autism, many dont develop the kind of behaviour skills that other children do. So if a child is lashing out at another child in the classroom, it may seem that it has come from nowhere, when actually its because that child is distressed and they know if they act out they can be removed from the situation. If the reason for their behaviour is better understood, then there will be no need for intervention. We have even been made aware of one case of a spit hood being used, she added, which is controversial enough when used with the police or in Guantanamo Bay, let alone with a particularly vulnerable child. Mark Oldman, head of Millgate School, a special school in Leicester, said restraint was sometimes necessary in a tough working environment. The best job in the world? Show all 7 1 /7 The best job in the world? The best job in the world? Flying, best job in the world style Ben Southall The best job in the world? Ben's old office Ben Southall The best job in the world? Just another day at work Ben Southall The best job in the world? Since island life, he's travelled all over the world Ben Southall The best job in the world? Along with girlfriend Sophee, he's travelled across the globe Ben Southall The best job in the world? Just taking a tea break Ben Southall The best job in the world? Ben and Sophee are travel partners for life Ben Southall Ive been physically attacked; pupils have attempted to hurt me or members of staff, he said. Ive been bitten, spat at; Ive been run at with an axe. But as their teacher, I have a responsibility to keep them safe, and sometimes that means using restraint. You have to be able to trust [school staff] to make snap decisions in some very difficult circumstances. I would say that 99.9 per cent of the time, we get it right. Sir Stephen Bubb who led a previous investigation into the abuse of patients with learning disabilities and autism at Winterbourne View near Bristol said the findings were scandalous and very dangerous. What is happening in local authorities is extraordinary, he said. Restraint appears to be widespread, but how do we know whether physical restraint is being used as a punishment, which is actually unlawful? A Government spokesperson said: The protection of children is of the utmost importance and any instances of restraint being used inappropriately must be reported. Reasonable force should only ever be used under strict circumstances and to prevent pupils from hurting themselves or others. We are updating guidance on reducing the need for restraint for children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and mental health difficulties. This will help special education providers, including special schools, support children and young people with challenging behaviour, to prevent risks and ensure they are protected. We expect to consult professionals, parents and carers on the new draft guidance shortly. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices 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 Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One of Englands best performing academy schools has taken to confiscating Xboxes and PlayStations from pupils homes in order to improve exam results. According to King Solomon Academy (KSA) principal, Max Haimendorf, mobile phones and games consoles were taken away by the school on occasions with parental consent. The measure was introduced to encourage good behaviour and improve grades, he said. Recommended Pokemon Go used in classrooms to help autistic children What has happened more than once is that the parent has come into the school and said, I do not want my child using this. I want you to keep it until are better behaved, he told The Sunday Times. Parents would then either agree to a symbolic confiscation by the school or bring in the device to hand it over to staff. Where specific children have said, I have been up late playing PlayStation or up late on the internet, there definitely have been circumstances where [they] have been clearly exhausted in classrooms, Mr Haimendorf said. The west London school came top of league tables in 2015 for achieving the best GCSE results of any non-selective school in England. 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 Last year, 93 per cent of KSA pupils achieved five GCSEs above a C grade, including English and Maths, despite being in one of the poorest areas of Westminster borough. Nearly 60 per cent of pupils at the school have been eligible for free school meals a common indicator of poverty in the past six years. The school has been previously noted for its strict approach to learning; pupils at KSA study from 7.55am to 4pm each day, followed by two hours of homework or detention time. If homework is missed, a text message is sent to parents to inform them. Girl found 'living wild with monkeys and behaving like a primate' The academys policies have been praised by former Harrow headmaster Barnaby Lenon, who singled out KSA as a model for other secondary schools in his forthcoming book. Having worked in a boarding school most of my life, I was always confiscating games consoles if boys were spending too much time misusing them and not doing their homework, or staying up late to play games and getting too little sleep, he said. The link between video games and poor behaviour is one that has been widely debated an Oxford University study in 2015 found children who played on games consoles for more than three hours a day were more likely to be hyperactive, get involved in fights, and appear less interested in school or learning. Others argue teachers should work to include gaming within classroom-based learning, however, in order to engage children using a medium they already enjoy. Games Workshop founder Ian Livingstone argues that children could learn valuable skills from playing video games in school, telling The Sunday Times that if people could park their prejudices against some of the 18-rated games that are not meant for children anyway, they would realise the educational benefits of games such as SimCity, Minecraft and Pokemon Go. Why cant learning be fun? When we are young we learn through play and when we grow up we still enjoy play, he said. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices 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 Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Single-sex schools are failing in their legal duties to accommodate transgender pupils, according to leading charities that specialise in supporting transgender children. Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids UK, told The Independent a growing number of same-sex schools are refusing to admit transgender pupils, despite this being discriminatory under the Equality Act 2010. Campaigners are now calling for greater education on trans issues both as part of teacher training and the national curriculum. Recommended London girls school lets pupils identify as male or gender neutral Some schools are discriminating against a cohort of society that has already received a great deal of prejudice, said Ms Green. Parents are telling us that schools are refusing to allow their pupils to come into schools or access facilities. Recently we worked with a girl who had transitioned from male to female and had wanted to get into an all girls school, but was refused admission because they said she was biologically male, she added. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for a school to discriminate against a pupil, or a potential pupil, because of a protected characteristic such as gender reassignment. The Act does not require someone to undergo medical treatment, one only has to propose to undergo gender reassignment, which could potentially include social transitioning, such as being called by another name. Ms Green said that although a lot of schools were devoting significant time to understanding gender diversity with encouraging results, others were struggling to keep pace with the increasing number of out transgender pupils. LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russias antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT propaganda allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this crime since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty We often get schools that dont have any knowledge of what they should be doing, she said. Its down to the schools leadership. You can have schools that are a mile down the road from one another that are at opposite ends of the scale. One is amazing and the other is awful. One transgender pupil who attended an all girls school told The Independent that a lack of awareness of trans issues within schools had negatively affected his own experience: I knew something was not quite right from the age of about 14, but I didnt realise I had gender dysphoria until I was 16, said the student, who wished to remain anonymous. I ignored it because it was scary and confusing. It took longer to realise what was wrong because I was not aware of it even as a possibility. I can remember once in class, aged 15 or so, we watched a film about a little boy who thought he was a girl, but that was coincidental. I cant remember if there was any subsequent discussion, it just made me extremely anxious, he added. Fay Weldon says trans people become women 'for the fashion or the clothes' Labour MP and member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Tracy Brabin, admitted the picture remained mixed. One school, she said, had been exemplary, changing names on registers and accommodating changes in bathroom usage and games lessons. Sadly that is not true of all schools. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) found that 91 per cent of trans boys and 66 per cent of trans girls experience bullying and harassment. The last thing these young people need is their school a place of safety taking an unsupportive position, said Ms Brabin. Ms Brabin said that problems often arose from a lack of knowledge around the law and gender reassignment. She called on schools to take the initiative to inform and educate, adding that the ECHR must provide greater clarity on the law. Campaigners are calling for the Government to be firmer in ensuring both schools and their pupils are educated on LGBT and trans issues. Recommended New Zealand school abolishes gendered uniforms Dr Jay Stewart, CEO of Gendered Intelligence, a charity that works with young trans people, told The Independent that sex education was too heteronormative and that LGBT and trans issues were still seriously underrepresented on the curriculum. Last month, the Government tabled amendments to the Children and Social Work Bill, which will make relationships and sex education mandatory in all secondary schools in England, but are yet to decide on how LGBT and trans issues will fit into curriculum requirements. Earlier this week Stonewall, the UKs leading LGBT and trans rights group, published its five-year plan to achieve equality for trans people. Dominic Arnall, Head of Projects and Programmes at Stonewall, said: If a child transitions while attending a single-sex school, they should be able to decide whether to remain at their current school or transfer elsewhere and their decision should receive the full support of the teaching staff involved. In February St Pauls Girls School in London introduced a gender identity protocol, allowing pupils to use boys names and wear boys clothes should they wish to, but the school maintained that it was only able to educate students who are legally and physically female. The concerns raised by activists echo those made by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers at a conference last April, which declared that single-sex schools were ill-prepared to accommodate transgender pupils and voted to lobby for better training on the issue for school staff. An Ofsted report in 2013 found 40 per cent of schools required improvement or were deemed inadequate in their provision of sex and relationship education. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, the only NHS centre for children and adolescents with gender-identity issues in England and Wales, received 1,419 referrals in 2015-16, up from 468 just two years previously. 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 }} Russell Brand has filmed himself gatecrashing Katie Hopkins LBC radio show during a live broadcast. The comedian posted footage on Twitter, saying he was hoping to lure the Mail Online columnist who he dubbed "Hatie Kopkins" back to humanity. Hopkins apologised to a caller, Paul from Croydon, who she was interviewing about the Swedish terror attack saying Russell Brand has just burst into the studio asking if we're live. She then directed him towards a microphone and told him to have some sense of diplomacy. Dont be so rude. Poor Paul here was just making an important point, she said Would you mind leaving my studio and I will deal with you after, you naughty child?. Brand, crouching next to presenter Majid Nawas, who was due to take over within minutes as Hopkins programme was ending, apologised to Paul but said Hopkins had invited him in. Hopkins denied this, saying her hand gestures were telling him to keep out. She then was heard asking the producers to cut Brands microphone and handed over to the news bulletin. Later she tweeted at Brand, who was recording his own radio show in the building, did your mother ever tell you to knock? 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 }} An image shared by thousands of an incensed English Defence League member head to head with an apparently calm but disdainful counter-protester has perfectly encapsulated Birminghams response to a march by the far-right group. Only around 50 members of the anti-Muslim organisation turned up for a demonstration that was largely met by mild irritation and bemusement by people in the second city. And one picture seemed to sum up the general reaction in a part of the country renowned for its multi-cultural history, the nonchalant defiance and calm amusement of the female protester in direct contrast with the visible anger and hatred on the EDL supporter's face. The image has been widely shared on social media, with many noting the stark difference in their expressions. I love this photo. Look at how helpless, clueless and raging the EDL pr*** is. Look at how in control, calm and cool-as-f*** she is, said one. Ian Crossland EDL leader sh** his pants and shouted for cops to intervene when confronted, said an anti-fascist activist. The past vs the future, noted freelance reporter James Doleman. After the EDL announced it would be holding a rally in Birmingham on Saturday, a local mosque opted to counter the far-right groups antagonism with a best of British tea party. The party at the citys Central mosque, which saw the building decorated with union flag bunting, was open to all and attended by people from across Birmingham. EDL protesters were significantly outnumbered by their counter-activists. While the EDL rally attracted around 50 people, an estimated 300 guests attended the tea-party. The mosques chairman, Muhammad Afzal, said: We are just holding this event to show EDL that Birmingham is a peaceful city and we are all united irrespective of colour, race or religion. 10 things immigration has done for Britain Show all 10 1 /10 10 things immigration has done for Britain 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Mini The 1959 classic, that is, perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design, a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring. Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis, who was an asylum seeker. His family, Greek, fled Smyrna when Turks invaded this borderland in around 1920, and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic. He went on to create that most English of motor cars, the Morris Minor, as well as the Austin-Morris 1100, all much loved products of his fertile imagination. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marks and Spencer Once upon a time there was no M&S in Britain, difficult as that may be to believe. We have one Michael Marks to thank for our most famous retailer, and he was a refugee from Belarus, arriving in England in about 1882, and soon after set off to flog stuff around Yorkshire. He eventually teamed with Thomas Spencer to create the vast business we know today. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Thunderbirds And many other TV shows created, funded and otherwise produced by that largest of larger-than-life characters, Lew Grade (also a world class tap dancer). The man who dominated commercial television gave us memorable entertainment such as The Prisoner, the Saint and brought the Muppets to Britain (a sort of fuzzy felt wave of immigration), as well as puppet shows where you could see the strings. All this from a penniless Jew from Ukraine, born Lev Winogradsky, who escaped the pogroms in Ukraine with his family in the 1890s. His nephew Michael Grade has also done his bit for British television. Rex Features 10 things immigration has done for Britain The House of Windsor Or the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until George V prudently rebranded the family during the First World War. Well, our royals are a pretty German bunch, as well as having various types of French and other alien blue blood coursing around their veins. Twas ever thus. There was William the Conqueror, Norman French, who certainly broke the immigration rules; William of Orange, a direct import from Holland; the Hanoverian King Georges, the first barely able to speak English; Queen Victoria, who married a German, Edward VII, who couldnt stay faithful to his wife, a Danish princess; George V wed another German princess; Edward VIII married an American (though she hardly visited England and prompted his emigration and exile); and the Queen is married to man born in Corfu. The embodiment of the British nation, to many, but one thinks of them as quite multicultural really. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain I Vow To Thee My Country Our most patriotic hymn was the product of a man named Gustav Holst (pictured), born in Cheltenham, but of varied Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, who adapted part of his suite The Planets to put a particularly stirring and beautiful poem to music, just after the Great War. As the second verse has it, there's another country/I've heard of long ago/Most dear to them that love her/most great to them that know. Imagine if the Holst family had been kept out because the quota on musical European types had been reached. Creative Commons 10 things immigration has done for Britain Curry and Cobra Chicken Tikka Masala is, so they say, a dish which not only the most popular in Britain but specifically designed to cater for European tastes. For that we probably have to thank an Indian migrant, Sake Dean Mahomed, who came from Bengal to open the first recognisable Indian restaurant, the magnificently named Hindoostanee Coffee House. History does not record if a plate of poppadoms and accompanying selection of pickles and yoghurts were routinely placed on the table for new diners, but we do know that we had to wait until 1989 to taste the ideal lager for a curry - Cobra. That brew was brought to us by Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria, a Cambridge law graduate who hailed from Hyderabad. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain That big red swirly sculpture at the Olympic Park Or Orbit, to give it its proper name, the work of Anish Kapoor, who arrived in 1973 from India and had the artistic imagination to fill a power station. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Sun Love it or hate it, and many do both, this has been a symbol of much that is successful and a lot that is awful in British journalism since its inception in 1969. In its turn it spawned the Page 3 Girl and some nastily xenophobic headlines. All the stranger when you consider its creator was, of course, Rupert Murdoch, born 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marxism OK, Karl Marxs philosophy was not much of a gift to the world, but for a while it seemed like a good idea. Though we might not dare admit it, Marxism still has a few insights to offer to anyone wanting to understand the workings of capitalism, though too few to excuse everything that was done in its name. Born in Germany spent much time in the British museum and the British pub, buried Highgate Cemetery. Oddly, his ideas never really caught on in his adopted homeland. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The NHS They came from many, many backgrounds, including Ireland, the Philippines, east Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, as they still do, but the contribution of the black nurses who came to the UK from the Caribbean to heal and care for is a debt of honour that must be recognised. It so sometimes forgotten that it was Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health (1960-62), who campaigned to recruit their skilled nurses to come and work over here. One abiding legacy we can thank Enoch for. Getty Images Local Labour MP Liam Byrne said the simple civility of the tea party, which saw a mixed crowd enjoy tea and cake in the sun, was able to counter the divisive message of the EDL rally. He told guests: This is how we protest by celebrating the quiet miracle of a normal life and the things that we love most about our city and our country. Getting together as friends, getting together as neighbours, breaking a bit of Victoria sponge and having a cup of tea. That is a potent, powerful message that we will send to those who seek to divide us. In the end, the rally - condemned by the leaders of the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups on Birmingham city council - ended with no serious disorder. Despite the low attendance, there was heavy police presence, including riot vans, in the town centre. While the EDL demonstration had originally been arranged to take place in the East Midlands, it was moved to Birmingham city centre after the Westminster terror attack to highlight what the group describes as a "continued increase in Islamic terrorism" linked to the city. 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 }} A man who froze his sperm more than two decades before having twins with his partner has claimed a world record. The Scottish musician, who did not want to be named, had his sperm frozen when he was 21, before starting chemotherapy treatment for cancer, as doctors warned him he would become infertile. After his sperm had been kept in cold storage for 26 years and 243 days, his partner underwent in-vitro fertilisation in 2010. Recommended Scientists have found a surprising use for sperm Its quite a big deal for a woman to take that on, he told The Times. The couple gave birth to a girl and a boy the following year. He was 47, and his partner was 37. Now 54, he knew he held a world record, but did not want to go public. 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 The previous world record holder, Alex Powell, had had his sperm frozen for 23 years and the story was reported around the globe. He was also about to undergo chemotherapy. But the musician learnt he could be listed anonymously in Guinness World Records, and he agreed to speak to one newspaper to highlight how long sperm can be frozen and then used to produce healthy children. For people going through chemotherapy, they should keep hope, he said. Marco Gaudoin, director of the GCRM medical clinic where the treatment took place, said that frozen sperm could theoretically be stored indefinitely. Melissa Etheridge reveals that she asked Brad Pitt to donate sperm The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority claims sperm can be frozen for more than 40 years, but that not all sperm survive the process. It has to be frozen for at least six months before it can be used for treatment, to screen the donor for infections. 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 chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt is calling on Theresa May to be open to a plan helping British people who want to retain EU citizenship after the UK leaves. Writing exclusively for The Independent, Mr Verhofstadt sends a clear and direct message to the Prime Minister that he wants the European Union to make a generous offer to people in the UK angry at losing EU privileges. In response to his article a government spokesman has now said that Ms May and Brexit Secretary David Davis are actually ready to "discuss" any proposals that are put forward. The European Parliament has already cemented into its formal negotiating guidelines its intention to explore what a potential offer to Brits might look like, with ideas including allowing them to opt in to a form of associate EU citizenship. In his article, Mr Verhofstadt underlines the EUs willingness to agree a quick reciprocal deal guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in Europe, but he then moves on to the separate issue of offering rights to people in the UK who he calls British Europeans. He cites the resolution passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday which notes that many UK citizens have expressed strong opposition to losing the rights they currently enjoy and commits the EU-27 to examine how to mitigate this. The ex-Belgian prime minister writes in his piece: I fought hard in the parliament for this provision to be maintained and hope in the coming months to continue to push for such an offer from the EU to British Europeans. The European Union will defend its interests in discussions with the British Government, but I also believe it is important the European Union is generous and open to British citizens. Guy Verhofstadt addresses parliament ahead of vote on EU negotiation red lines He adds: I hope any such steps will be viewed openly by Theresa May. The Independent first reported European proposals last year to offer Brits associate citizenship of the EU, an idea which was then personally championed by Mr Verhofstadt. The proposals began life as an amendment to a report by liberal Luxembourg MEP Charles Goerens, promising Brits who live and work across borders a way around the disruption caused by the Leave vote and young people looking to live in the EU more choice over where to move. Despite some Brexiteers taking a dim view of the idea, seeing it as an attempt to undermine a clean break from the EU after Britain leaves, the government responded positively. A spokesman told The Independent: "Securing the status of UK nationals in the EU and EU nationals in the UK, on a reciprocal basis, is a top priority for us as we enter into negotiations. We welcome the fact that our European partners are also prioritising this and will be seeking the earliest possible agreement on this issue. "As for future arrangements, these will be subject to discussion. Naturally we will discuss any ideas that are put forward." Mr Verhofstadts article also followed Michael Howards claim that the UK would go to war against Spain if it felt the sovereignty of Gibraltar was threatened, words Ms May later refused to condemn. 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 The Tory grandee reacted after European Council President Donald Tusk placed a note in the EUs draft negotiating statement that suggested Spain could veto any Brexit deal affecting the status of the British territory. Mr Verhofstadt writes in his piece: Within days of Article 50 being tabled we were reminded of the important role the EU has played in unifying European nations, when some who should know better compared Gibraltar to the Falkland islands and suggested the British Prime Minister would be justified in taking military action against Spain, despite the fact that no one threatened the sovereignty of Gibraltar. Yes, it is inevitable that the EU will now support the economic interests of Spain and the Republic of Ireland in any forthcoming discussions about the EUs external borders, but in the coming years the EUs interest will be to secure peace on our continent, not stoke division. Mr Verhofstadt went on to pour cold water on Ms Mays plans to secure access to the single access to specific sectors, like finance firms in the City of London or the automotive industry. Brexit: Theresa May on trade, security and the single market He added: As the Parliaments Brexit text also makes clear, any future economic agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom must not contain piecemeal or sectorial provisions regarding preferential access to the single market. This is not punishment, it is an inevitable consequence of the UK Governments decision to leave it. Instead Mr Verhofstadt suggest the deal brokered between the EU and Ukraine could provide an appropriate framework for a special future relationship with Britain. The Strasbourg parliaments formal negotiating guidelines will now feed into the overall mandate handed to chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier after a meeting of the European Council on April 29. 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 }} Diane James, who led UKIP for just 18 days after Nigel Farage quit, has said she is considering running for Parliament as a Conservative. Ms James told Buzzfeed she thinks UKIP could be a party without a purpose once Brexit has been completed and suggested the party may have reached its sell-by date. Ms James is the latest high-profile UKIP politician to desert the party following the defections of former MP Mark Reckless back to the Tories and of the partys only sitting MP Douglas Carswell who announced last month he would become an independent. Recommended Tory defector Mark Reckless quits Ukip to rejoin Conservatives She said she would stand for the Conservatives if they had a manifesto that I could sign up to, and they gave me a reasonable chance ie, if that seat was capable of being won. Im not going to waste my personal political capital and value being told to go and fight, for instance, Sadiq Khans old seat in London, she added. The Bedford-born politician said she would only stand in a seat that she has some personal connection to because she is fed up with seeing people parachuted in. Key Faces of UKIP Show all 11 1 /11 Key Faces of UKIP Key Faces of UKIP Nigel Farage Getty Key Faces of UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Migration spokesman Steven Woolfe addresses supporters and media personnel in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP Robert Kilroy-Silk, former television presenter and newly elected member of the European Parliament for the UK Independence Party (UKIP), shows a placard against the European Constitution in front of the Houses of Parliament Getty Key Faces of UKIP Mark Reckless, Director of Policy Development addresses party members during the UK Independence Party annual conference at Doncaster Racecourse Getty Key Faces of UKIP Gerard Batten MEP poses with protesters outside parliament Creative Commons Key Faces of UKIP Diane James gives an address at the UKIP Autumn Conference in Bournemouth Getty Key Faces of UKIP Douglas Carswell MP speaks to party members and supporters during the UK Independence Party annual conference Getty Key Faces of UKIP Suzanne Evans, Deputy Party Chairman of UK Independence Party (UKIP) speaks during the launch of UKIP's election manifesto Getty Key Faces of UKIP Peter Whittle, the UK Independence Party Member of the London Assembly, is interviewed in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP MEP Mike Hookem during a visit to Concept Metal Products & Co Ltd Getty Key Faces of UKIP Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party speaks at a Say NO, Believe in Britain debate at Carn Brea Leisure Centre in Pool near Redruthon Getty The former local councillor said suitable seats would include Health Secretary Jeremy Hunts Surrey constituency and others in Kent and Bedfordshire because of their proximity to her. MEP Ms James comfortably won last summers contest to replace Mr Farage, who stood down in the wake of the Brexit vote. But she had quit within a month, prompting a bitter battle which saw Paul Nuttall elected leader. She issued a statement at the time saying it was clear she did not have sufficient authority, nor the support of all my MEP colleagues and party officials to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign. People have said I was a failure, she said. It's a chapter in my life Im glad was over and done with so quickly. I campaigned hard to become leader, but fundamentally it wasnt going to happen because at that point in time I could get absolutely nothing through in terms of modernising and professionalising the party. She admitted party in-fighting was a factor in her hasty departure and said she thought there was a coup, although she did not pinpoint the source. Yes, I think there was (a plot against her). Its hard to point a finger. She said it was made clear to her that any attempts to change the governance of the party would be blocked. Soon after stepping down as party leader Ms James quit UKIP altogether but has remained in the European Parliament as an independent MEP. With all British MEPs to be made redundant once Brexit has concluded exactly as UKIP wanted Ms James said she is hoping to stand for Westminster at the 2020 election. At the moment I would agree it sounds like political opportunism but Im just saying that at this time I want to make it to be abundantly clear I want to stand for the House of Commons, she said. She said it was most likely she will stand as an independent, but said she would consider standing either as a Conservative or for a new alliance. But she said there is no chance of her standing either for UKIP or for the Labour Party because that would stretch their credibility and my credibility. In the wake of Brexit, UKIP is appearing to implode with high-profile members deserting it and former chief donor Aaron Banks announcing his intention to set up a new Patriotic Alliance movement. Ms James said she would not want to fight an election on an anti-immigration platform and hopes that other issues will be at the top of the agenda by 2020. I hope Brexit doesnt dominate by 2020. I dont think that in three years time the focus will be on the sort of issues which coloured the election and European elections and the referendum. People will have dealt with that one. Ms James has stood for Parliament previously, coming second in the Eastleigh by-election in 2013 for UKIP with 27.8 per cent of the vote. She was also selected by UKIP to contest the North West Hampshire seat, but stood down for personal reasons. 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 }} Senior Conservative MPs are demanding Theresa May impose a five-year ban on unskilled immigrant visas, arguing the focus should be on young, unemployed UK citizens. Leave Means Leave, a hardline pro-Brexit group that wants to leave the EU single market and take control of the UKs borders, is advocating a new points-based immigration system, combined with work permits, to bring down net migration to 50,000 per year half the Governments current target. The group, which includes at least 30 Tory MPs and Lords including Owen Paterson, Dominic Raab and Gerald Howarth, said in a statement: Brexit is not about splendid isolation its about re-engaging with the world, without our wings clipped by the European Union. Steven Woolfe, an independent member of European parliament who represents the campaign, told LBC radio that the philosophy of the report was to put Britain first in language similar to that of US President Donald Trump to reduce the numbers over five years and bolster the number of staff for the Migration Advisory Council. The former Ukip spokesman, who quit the party after an altercation in Brussels sent him to hospital, said in a statement on the campaigns website: This new British Working Visa System will deliver on the will of the electorate. It wont mean pulling up the drawbridge, as we will continue to encourage the best and the brightest to migrate and settle here. But by introducing strict controls, an annual cap and a five-year freeze on unskilled migrants, it will reduce net migration year on year, lessen the strain on our public services and help build a more cohesive society. It will be a system fit for 21st century Britain. There would be no cap on highly skilled workers entering the country under the plan, which encourages more UK citizens to work for the NHS. A working visa would only be granted to someone with a job offer, who is sponsored by a company in the UK and has a minimum salary of 35,000. An immigrant would also have to take out a five-year private insurance plan to prevent them using the NHS until they are qualified settlers. Critics of those who wish to cap immigration say the UK relies on an influx of both skilled and unskilled workers in industries that suffer a shortage of labour, such as social care, and that current unskilled workers have faced exploitation and discrimination, working for less than the minimum wage. Sir Michael Caine reveals why he voted for Brexit The news comes after The Independent and Open Britain launched a joint campaign for the Government to abandon its target to lower net migration below 100,000 a year. Anna Soubry MP, leading supporter of Open Britain, said the plan would not reduce immigrant numbers. "Thats because we still need people from the EU and other parts of the world to come to Britain and help make our economy even stronger," she said. She added: "Migrant workers contribute to our economy and to British culture we should be welcoming them in the traditional spirit of British tolerance. Leave means Leave clearly dont understand why British business relies on migrant workers. The Leave Means Leave report said the UK ideally would not guarantee permanent residency for EU nationals who came to the UK after Article 50 was triggered on 29 March, although they said it would be wrong to apply this rule retrospectively and asked the PM to apply a cut-off date for EU nationals this month. The campaign also wants to ban new immigrants from gaining any benefits for at least five years, and only if they pay a set level of taxes during that time. Pat McFadden, leading supporter of Open Britain, said: "The Prime Minister faces a choice. To go down the road advocated by this kind of plan, or to take a more realistic and honest approach to the Brexit negotiations on immigration and other matters." 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 Shetland Islands could become an overseas territory if Scotland votes for independence, a former Tory chancellor has said. Lord Norman Lamont, who ran the Treasury between 1990 and 1993, has argued for the islands to sever ties with the Scottish mainland and have a similar relationship with the UK as that of the Faroe islands and Denmark. The Faroes are an archipelago in the Arctic circle between Scotland and Iceland which are technically part of Denmark but have autonomy over their own domestic affairs and opted out of EU membership when the Danish joined in 1973. Speaking in a podcast for The Shetland Times, the Conservative peer said a Faroese-style option should be available for the islanders if Scotland votes to leave the UK. Lord Lamont, who was born in the islands' main town of Lerwick, said that many Shetlanders were already independent in spirit and many felt they had more in common with Norway than Scotland. He said they would be able to support themselves from the revenues of the substantial oilfields in their territorial waters. The islands, which are slightly closer to Norway than Scotland, voted overwhelmingly against Scottish independence in 2014 with 64 per cent of voters saying No. 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 Lord Lamont, who supported Brexit but is opposed to Scottish independence, said: If a majority of Shetland islanders thought that was a sensible thing . . . it should be pursued if Scotland were independent. I think looking for a Faroese-type devolution would be a perfectly legitimate thing to ask for. He insisted he was not just trying to stir it up and it has always seemed to me to be an idea that was likely to rear its head again in the event of Scottish independence. Recommended This is what Scottish independence could actually look like In the run-up to the first referendum Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael, who was then Scottish Secretary, said the Shetlands may reconsider their place in Scotland in the event of a Yes vote. He said then Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond should not take for granted that Shetland oil would remain Scottish after independence. Lord Lamont said he remained opposed to the idea of a second referendum so soon after the first. He said: Referenda ought to be occasional. You cant just keep testing public opinion until you get the answer you want. 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 UK Government plans to water down regulations surrounding climate change and illegal wildlife trading in an effort to help secure post-Brexit trade, civil service documents have reportedly revealed. Tim Hitchens, the director general of economic and consular affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), will say in a speech later this month that the UK must change its focus to carry out Prime Minister Theresa Mays vision of the country as a great, global trading nation. You have a crucial role to play in posts in implementing our new approach to prosperity against the huge changes stemming from last years Brexit vote, the notes seen by The Sunday Times read. Trade and growth are now priorities for all posts you will all need to prioritise developing capability in this area. Some economic security-related work like climate change and illegal wildlife trade will be scaled down. A changing focus would reportedly make it easier for the UK to sign deals with Africa and Latin America. The speech will take place on 26 April at a conference called Prosperity UK, sponsored by think tanks Legatum Institute and Open Europe. The documents were contained in a folder belonging to a senior civil servant at the Department for International Trade, and were photographed by a passenger on a train. They also expose tensions between that department and the FCO, which are in the same building. Some senior civil servants have expressed frustration that Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, is more focused on signing tariff-free trade deals around the world than rolling back regulatory burdens. 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 Critics of Brexit and the Conservatives said they were concerned that the UK Government is planning to use its sweeping powers to determine which of the thousands of EU acts will be repealed and which will be maintained under UK law. Trevor Hutchings, WWF Director of Advocacy, said the Government's commitment to the environment and to ending the illegal wildlife trade "must not be open to negotiation". The Government promised in its manifesto and in the recent Great Repeal Bill White Paper to leave the environment in a better state for future generations," he said. "These documents - if genuine - fly in the face of these commitments, undermining government credibility." Gina Miller, the woman who won her case at the Supreme Court and forced Ms May to consult Parliament before triggering Article 50, has threatened further legal action if the Government does take advantage of the so-called Henry VIII clause to make those changes. Meanwhile, Ms May set off this week to tour the Gulf Cooperation Council and has already visited Donald Trump in the US to ensure trade deals after 2019. Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, told The Times: This Government, not satisfied with delivering the greatest act of economic act of self-harm in history, is now threatening to disregard climate change and threaten the future of our planet. This leaked document shows that the government is now grubbing around for any idea and any principle it seems is up for sale. 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 }} Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is to declare a three-month state of emergency after Isis attacks on two Coptic churches kill at least 43 people. Twin bombings during packed services at churches in the cities of Alexandria and Tanta came as worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday the start of the most holy week in the Christian calendar. The first attack in the St George's church in Tanta, north of Cairo in the Nile Delta, killed 27 people and wounded at least 78 more. The second explosion came later at St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria the historical seat of Christianity in Egypt killed a further 16 and wounded 31 just after the Coptic Pope, Tawadros II, finished services. Mr Sisi did not say what legal measures he would use to invoke the state of emergency but under the Egyptian constitution a parliamentary majority must vote in favour of it. He accused countries he did not name of fuelling instability in Egypt, saying "Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organisations that tried to control Egypt". The former army chief previously declared a state of emergency in the months following the ousting of the democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 when his supporters staged mass demonstrations that descended into violence. Ever since Mr Sisi's government has cracked down on dissent and declared Mr Morsi's party, the Muslim Brotherhood, a terror group. Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Show all 10 1 /10 Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian prepares for the first Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christian soldiers attend the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier holds his weapon during the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier lights a candle Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Egypt's Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber had tried to storm the entrance of St Mark's but was stopped by police. Three of the victims in the Alexandria attack were police officers. Roman Catholic Pope Francis denounced the attack which came a week before a scheduled trip to Cairo. He expressed his "deep condolences" to his "brother" Pope Tawadros who was unharmed in the blast and the Coptic church. He said he was praying for the dead and the wounded as he marked Palm Sunday in Rome. He asked God ''to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons". Isis later claimed responsibility for both attacks with its propaganda arm, Amaq, claiming the bombers had used suicide vests. The group had recently warned it would step up attacks on the Egyptian Christian community which makes up around 10 per cent of the population. A local Isis affiliate group claimed a suicide bombing at a church in Cairo at the end of last year which killed around 30 people, mostly women, as well as a string of killings in the restive Sinai Peninsula which has caused hundreds of Christian to flee. The country has struggled with the growing problem of Islamic extremism since the military coup. In 2015 Isis blew up a Russian metrojet flight over Sinai killing all 224 people on board and wrecking the country's tourism industry. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} Top Democrats including Bernie Sanders and Tim Kaine have accused President Donald Trump of lacking the authority to bypass Congress and launch missiles at Syria. Mr Trump ordered the launch of 59 cruise missiles at a military target in response to Bashar al-Assads alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians and the USs first direct attack on the country. Yet Democrats and Republicans have called the move a mistake on the Sunday morning round of political talk shows and pointed to planes which are still taking off from the Al Shayrat airbase that was targeted by the US. This is a horror show, said Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Yes we have to get rid of Assad...But we cannot do it unilaterally. He said he supported a political solution but said that: I do not believe the president has the authority to launch missiles. He added: Lets get some consistency from this President. Lets get Congress involved in this debate. In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: US missile strike against Syria In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The United States military launched at least 50 tomahawk cruise missiles at al-Shayrat military airfield near Homs, Syria, in response to the Syrian military's alleged use of chemical weapons in an airstrike in a rebel held area in Idlib province EPA In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Shayrat airfield in Syria Getty Images In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., after the US fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Syria's President Bashar al-Assad Reuters His remarks followed differing views on Syria from top Trump administration insiders the same day. While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said there would be no change in the US stance towards Syria, US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said that there would be no peace until Assad is gone. Former Vice Presidential candidate and Virginia senator Tim Kaine also said on Sunday that the President should have sought approval from Congress. "We are a nation where you're not supposed to initiate military action, start war, without a plan that's presented to and approved by Congress," he said. Republican senator Lindsey Graham said Assad was playing the President. Heres what I think Assad is telling Trump by flying from this base: F you. Lindsey Graham says Assad is sending 'F you' message to Donald Trump Mr Trump has remained adamant that the air strike was necessary to protect the US. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons, the President said from his Mar-a-Lago estate. In a letter to Congress, Mr Trump said the US would take additional action, as necessary and appropriate. He also thanked Congress for their support. I directed this action in order to degrade the Syrian military's ability to conduct further chemical weapons attacks and to dissuade the Syrian regime from using or proliferating chemical weapons, thereby promoting the stability of the region and averting a worsening of the region's current humanitarian catastrophe, the letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan read. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps grandchildren have serenaded the Chinese President with a traditional folk song in Mandarin. Ivanka Trumps two oldest children, Arabella and Joseph Kushner, performed the song and recited poetry for Xi Jinping during the leaders first meeting at President Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Arabella Kushner, the five-year-old daughter of senior Trump advisor Jared Kushner and Ms Trump, has been learning Mandarin since she was a toddler. Ms Trump, the Presidents third child who is said to be his favourite, shared a video of the private concert held at her fathers opulent 126-room resort. The children can be seen singing as their mother stands next to them and Mr Trump and Mr Xi stand opposite watching and smiling. We wanted to make you feel at home, Ms Trump can be heard saying in the clip. Very proud of Arabella and Joseph for their performance in honour of President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuans official visit to the US! Ms Trump captioned the video which has since been retweeted to Mr Trumps 27 million followers. 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 This is by no means the first time Arabella has performed in Mandarin. A clip of the young girl reciting Chinese poetry went viral in China shortly after Mr Trump won the election. Her mother is said to be the most popular of the Trump family in China. Ms Trump, a former executive of the Trump Organisation, is known as baifumei white, rich and beautiful in the country and much of the Chinese public believe she has softened her fathers confrontational and aggressive approach to the country. Mr Trump and Mr Xi shook hands and flashed smiles during their meeting at the Presidents Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach. The leaders of the worlds two biggest economies then formally posed with their wives, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, on the steps before having dinner. Ahead of the dinner, Mr Trump said he and Mr Xi already had had a long discussion and had developed a friendshi, and then quipped: I have gotten nothing, absolutely nothing. During his presidential campaign and since moving into the White House, Mr Trump has taken an aggressive posture toward China, calling Beijing a tremendous problem and claiming lopsided trade deals with China shortchange American businesses and workers. Last week, the President tweeted that he expected his meeting with Mr Xi would be very difficult. Tensions between Mr Trump and the worlds second-largest economy have been raised in recent weeks as flashpoints have emerged on a number of occasions. 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 }} Fox has reportedly been using Donald Trumps infamous pussy grabbing audio recordings to teach people about harassment in the workplace. A 21st Century Fox employee said there was an audible gasp in the room after the media company broadcast the presidents widely condemned Access Hollywood conversation with Billy Bush which was leaked last Autumn. According to the employee, towards the end of a one-hour seminar last Tuesday, a photo appeared on the big screen which included President Trump, Bush, and actor Arianne Zucker from the 2005 Access Hollywood tape. In the widely-circled footage she is referring to, Mr Trump can be heard bragging about groping and making unwanted advances on women. Speaking to Access Hollywood host Bush, Mr Trump boasts about making a pass at a married woman before noticing the soap opera actress Arianne Zucker who he then lewdly objectifies. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her," Mr Trump said. "You know Im automatically attracted to beautiful I just start kissing them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star they let you do it. You can do anything [] Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything". After the Access Hollywood footage was unearthed, Mr Trump initially attempted to dismiss the obscene and degrading comments as nothing more than "locker room" banter but later issued a scripted 90-second long apology for the remarks. Nevertheless, when probed about the comments during the second presidential debate, Mr Trump repeatedly described them as locker room talk. According to the Hollywood Reporter, 21st Century Fox, a network which has been criticised for its overly favourable coverage of Mr Trump, has been using the leaked tapes in seminars for the past few months. The seminars are said to be led by a human resources executive with a focus on preventing harassment, discrimination and retaliation at work. 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 "They went through the scenario of the tape, why it was harassment and why it's something you should report," the employee explained. "There was an audible gasp in the room, like, 'Can you believe this is happening?' Trump was defended on Fox News after that tape came out.... Someone joked about getting fired for harassment and wondering if the defence could be, 'We were only told a behaviour was bad once in a seminar,' but Fox News said it was 'just locker room talk' over and over again." A number of popular Fox News personalities, including Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro, defended Trump in the wake of the leaked tape. Whats more, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes was forced to resign last summer after fellow Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson, filed a lawsuit against Mr Ailes, alleging that he did not renew her contract after she refused sexual advances from him. Carlson and others alleged that Mr Ailes engaged in a pattern of workplace harassment. A recent New York Times expose reported lead Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly and his employer had paid five women $13 million to settle allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate conduct by Fox News' highest rated host. According to the unnamed employee, a human resources executive joked during the harassment seminar that the department handled all of Fox except Fox News, so the presentation could not include any information about Mr Ailes or Mr O'Reilly. A Fox spokesperson declined to comment on whether Mr Trump was included in the harassment presentation. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US Department of Labour has accused internet giant Google of not paying women employees the same as men. The agency found systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce, according to Janette Wipper, a Labour Department regional director. The Departments regional solicitor Janet Herold said the agency has received compelling evidence of very significant discrimination against women in the most common positions at Google headquarters. Recommended Why you need more than data to close the gender pay gap Google strongly denied the claims and criticised the Department of Labour for not revealing how it had collated its data and said it was the first time that company had heard of such accusations. Every year, we do a comprehensive and robust analysis of pay across genders and we have found no gender pay gap, Google said in its statement. The company took to Twitter to defend itself, insisting it had closed the wage gap between men and women across the world. The findings come after the same Government agency sued the internet company in January, accusing the company of not handing over information on employee pay for an audit. Google said it was withheld for privacy reasons and the requirements were too broad. Undeterred, the Government agency asked the court on Friday to compel Google to turn over the required information to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. 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 OFCCP works with companies that do more than $10,000 worth of business with the government per year, and prohibits discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. The OFCCP has argued that handing over the information does not interrupt Googles business, and is encouraging the kind of inquiry into gender diversity that the company has spoken about itself and in which it has invested $150 million. Of Googles 70,000 workers, nearly one third of them are women. Only 19 per cent of its tech jobs are carried out by women. The Labour Departments wider probe into a lack of gender equality in Silicon Valley resulted in a lawsuit against Oracle earlier this year, which claimed that white male workers earn more than their female and non-white counterparts for comparable work. 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 young great white shark has died after becoming stranded on a beach in California. The 8ft fish washed up in the shallows in Santa Cruz and biologists fear it may have contracted a bacterial infection that is known to be killing other species of shark. On Friday evening, at about 6.30pm, the great white became trapped on a shallow reef at Pleasure Point, a popular surfing spot, KSBW8 reported. It was visibly injured and remained stuck despite a rescue attempt by the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation. Police ordered bystanders away from the predator as crowds gathered. Researcher Sean Van Sommeran told the station: "We were able to get the shark upright and in the water. It just kind of turned around. It was aimless." The outgoing tide revealed the shark's fate on Saturday morning. A team of veterinarians will now examine the carcass to discover why the shark died, with results expected by Monday. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps National Security Council has even fewer familiar faces following the third forced resignation in less than four months. Deputy national security adviser KT McFarland has been asked to step down and will become US ambassador to Singapore, as reported by Bloomberg. The departure of the 65-year-old former Fox News host, who said in an interview that Hillary Clinton was so worried about her Senate candidacy in 2006 that she sent helicopters to her house, comes after two other high-profile moves. Recommended Bannon threatened to quit over NSC removal Stephen Bannon, Mr Trumps chief strategist who appointed himself as a permanent member of the council, was asked to leave this month. Reports circulated that Mr Bannon, former executive at right-wing platform Breitbart, was being pushed out after failing to implement his two key proposals the Muslim travel ban and the disastrous failure of the Obamacare replacement plan. He has also reportedly experienced a widening rift with Mr Trumps trusted son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser and above Ms McFarland, was forced to resign in February after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his phone calls with the Russian ambassador. The shake-up came as Lieutenant General H R McMaster replaced Mr Flynn and set about reorganising the council over the past two months. Sean Spicer defends Steve Bannon sitting in on national security council meetings Dina Powell is still the deputy national security adviser, and has an office very close to Ivanka Trump. The NSC section of the White House website is blank, saying: Check back soon for more information. Government critics have praised the departure of Ms McFarland, describing her as a crony of Mr Flynn. Prior to her appointment in February, she worked under several other administrations including Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, and has had more experience than some of her colleagues. She was condemned, however, for peddling conspiracy theories and engaging in Islamophobic rhetoric. After the Brussels terrorist attack, she said: Theyre [Muslims] taking advantage of our reluctance to hurt their feelings and thats why I think political correctness is getting people killed. 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 }} People in Oregon might be surprised what they are being asked to vote for or against at the next state election. Republicans have proposed to scrap the 172-year-old ban on duels for public officials in an attempt to highlight how many arcane laws are still upheld by the state constitution. They decided that it would not be very civil if two members of the legislature disagreed and then shot each other on the front steps of the provisional capitol, Republican Senator Brian Boquist said at the first committee hearing. Recommended JK Rowling hints famous duel will take place in Fantastic Beasts 5 If his proposal, known as Senate Joint Resolution 44, passes both houses in the state Senate, the people of Oregon will have the final say, rather than the Governor. Under the current constitution, Article II, Section 9 states that anyone who offers, accepts, or knowingly participates in a challenge to fight a duel ... or who shall agree to go out of the State to fight a duel, shall be ineligible to any office of trust, or profit. The rule came into effect in 1845, more than four decades after US Vice President Aaron Burr shot dead the first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton after a bitter rivalry. Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Show all 12 1 /12 Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Protesters hold up signs and flags to show solidarity with House Democrats after they staged a sit in over gun-control laws on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 23. 2016. Andrew Caballero/AFP/Getty Images Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC A lone protester wears tape printed with the U.S. flag on her mouth while attending an open hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence where intelligence chiefs, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, testified at the U.S. Capitol February 25, 2016 in Washington, DC. Clapper said that the group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, has become a greater global threat than al-Qaida ever was. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) waves to supporters along with House Democrats after their sit-in over gun-control law on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Supporters of House Democrats taking part in a sit-in on the House Chamber shout encouragement from outside the U.S. Capitol on June 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Democrats, have maintained control of the House chamber since this morning demanding a vote on gun control legislation. Pete Marovich/Getty Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Democrats walk out on the East Front on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., after their sit-in over gun-control law, June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC A poster for the gun-control law support is left on the ground on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (R) applauds as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (L) waves to supporters along with House Democrats after their sit-in over gun-control law on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Supporters of House Democrats taking part in a sit-in on the House Chamber shout encouragement from outside the U.S. Capitol on June 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Democrats have maintained control of the House chamber since this morning demanding a vote on gun control legislation. Pete Marovich/Getty Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (R) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) (L) walk out with House Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., after their sit-in over gun-control law, June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Democrats walk out on the East Front on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., after their sit-in over gun-control law, June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC U.S. House Democrats walk out on the East Front on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., after their sit-in over gun-control law, June 23, 2016. Yuri Gripas/Reuters Protests call for stricter gun-control laws in Washington DC Protesters hold up signs and flags to show solidarity with House Democrats after they staged a sit in over gun-control laws on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 23. 2016. Andrew Caballero/AFP/Getty Images The outdated law might be removed but other antiquated laws would remain, such as mandating who can sell stationery to local government, as well as references to slavery and titles for members of family nobility. Mr Boquist said a better solution would be to scrap all of these old laws. Lawmakers proposed and failed in the 1970s to update the entire document, including the banning of duels. The only person to give a public testimony against the resolution was local lawyer and spokesman for the Oregon Progressive Party, Dan Meek. He argued that the resolution would effectively allow modern-day lawmakers to have duels, and pointed out the costs associated with printing the resolution on millions of ballots. The proposal is in the early stages of making its way through the state government. It must be dealt with by the initial policy committee or be referred to a special committee by 18 April, otherwise it will not pass. The bill moved a lot quicker in 1845. After being introduced by committee member Jessie Applegate, the Governor signed it within half an hour. Agencies contributed to this report. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is risking "millions" of lives by deploying an aircraft carrier strike group near the Korean peninsula, a congressman has warned. Democrat Ted Lieu of California also claimed the "risk of harm to US troops" had "significantly increased" in the last two days, citing the naval deployment and missile strikes on Syria following the alleged chemical attack in Idlib province earlier this week. The US Navy has sent the 100,000-ton USS Carl Vinson, along with its support ships, to the western Pacific as a show of force amid fears over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programmes. Recommended US sends aircraft carrier strike group to Korean peninsula This year North Korean officials, including dictator Kim Jong-un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be imminent, possibly as soon as 15 April, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as "the Day of the Sun". Since January the Carl Vinson, one of the US' so-called "super-carriers", has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea. Mr Lieu, who is a colonel in the US Air Force reserves, said on Twitter: "Note to @POTUS: Unlike Syria, N. Korea has nukes & can rain down artillery on S. Korea. You mess up and millions can die on Korean Peninsula. "In the last 48 hours, @realDonaldTrump significantly increased the risk of harm to US troops in Syria and South Korea. "#TheScaryThingIs what happens if N. Korea does another missile test after this show of force by US? Does @realDonaldTrump strike N. Korea?" In January Mr Lieu introduced a bill to the House that would prevent President Trump from making a "first-use" nuclear strike without congressional approval. After the US bombed Syrian military targets earlier this week North Korea said the strike "proves our decision to strengthen our military power to stand against force with force was the right choice a million times over". Last month the repressive state declared it was ready for war with the US. Its foreign ministry said: "The nuclear force of [North Korea] is the treasured sword of justice and the most reliable war deterrence to defend the socialist motherland and the life of its people. We have the will and capability to fully respond to any war which the US wants. "If the businessmen-turned-US-officials thought that they would frighten us, they would soon recognise that their method would not work." In March, Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State, said military action against North Korea was an "option on the table". Mr Trump's highest-ranking foreign policy advisor said during a visit to South Korea he would bring an end to the policy of "strategic patience". Instead, the US will explore a range of military options, alongside diplomatic, security and economic measures. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty However, when President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Florida this week, Mr Trump pressed his counterpart to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear programme. Increasing pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbour forms the main thrust of a national security review completed by Mr Trump's aides in relation to North Korea. The US' options include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and urging China to do more. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritises less-risky steps and de-emphasises direct military action. Additional reporting by agencies 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 Trumps daughter persuaded him to strike targets in Syria, according to reports of a diplomatic memo. A cable briefing to Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson by Britains ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Darroch said Ms Trump was influential in bringing about the bombings, those who saw the memo said. It claimed Mr Trump was genuinely shaken by pictures of more than 80 who died in a Sarin nerve gas attack that were broadcast on cable television, according to The Sunday Times. Sources who read the message said the first daughter's position on the atrocity was a significant influence in the Oval Office. Ministers were told it meant the administrations reaction was stronger than expected. Sir Kim reportedly pointed to a tweet sent by Ms Trump in which she announced she was heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack. Marking a striking U-turn from the anti-interventionist stance Mr Trump took during his campaign, on Friday he ordered the firing of 59 cruise missiles at a military target in the war-torn country. Reports said the barrage of Tomahawk missiles, fired from two US Navy vessels located in the Mediterranean Sea, targeted Al Shayrat air base in the central city of Homs, from which Syrian aircraft staged Tuesdays chemical weapons attack. In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: US missile strike against Syria In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The United States military launched at least 50 tomahawk cruise missiles at al-Shayrat military airfield near Homs, Syria, in response to the Syrian military's alleged use of chemical weapons in an airstrike in a rebel held area in Idlib province EPA In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Shayrat airfield in Syria Getty Images In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., after the US fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Syria's President Bashar al-Assad Reuters After the missile strike, Ms Trump wrote on Twitter: The times we are living in call for difficult decisions. Proud of my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against humanity. The military campaign has been praised internationally as well as by Democrats and liberal media outlets. 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 }} US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he had "no conversation" about Mexico paying for Donald Trump's border wall when he met the country's top diplomat. In an interview with NBC News, Mr Tillerson was asked whether he made it clear the US expects Mexico to pay for the wall during his meeting with Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray. "We had no conversation about that issue," the Secretary of State said. Recommended Huge drop in Mexico border crossing arrests since Trump took office "We have had very productive talks around actions that can be taken to slow and stem and discourage transmigration of people coming from central America through Mexico and entering the United States. "And in fact, the level of immigration, illegal crossings from Mexico... has dropped dramatically. "So I think Mexico is quite pleased and we've had a number of discussions with them on now we'll work together to make further progress." 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 During the US presidential election, Mr Trump promised Mexico would pay for his "big, beautiful wall." When asked further about whether it was US policy to make Mexico pay for the wall, Mr Tillerson said: "It's just not part of our discussions between the foreign minister and myself. "We were also talking to organise an even greater effort around transnational crime and counter-narcotics to stem the flow of narcotics that flow into the United States and the flow of weapons from the United States into Mexico that supports the cartels. "So we're really focused on working at very high levels to address some of these problems and challenges that are really in the interest of both of our countries to make progress on." Donald Trump's Mexico wall: At what cost, and how long? There has been a huge drop in the number of people arrested crossing the Mexico border into the US since Mr Trump took office. The Trump administration has sought to take credit for the decline, with the White House issuing a statement to say Mr Trump's "commitment to securing our border and supporting law enforcement is already showing results." However, those working in shelters and experts on migration said it will take several more months to judge whether any drop-off is long lasting, and others think the real "Trump effect" was pushing fearful people to move up their journeys and get to the US before he took office. 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 US Navy aircraft carrier is being sent towards the Korean peninsula, amid growing concerns over North Koreas nuclear weapons programme. The 100,000-ton USS Carl Vinson and its support ships will sail to the western Pacific Ocean, a US official said. It comes after North Korea tested a liquid-fuelled Scud missile which only travelled a fraction of its range earlier this month. On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Koreas leader, acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. The strike group will make its way from Singapore toward the Korean peninsula, according to the official, who was not authorised to speak to the media and requested anonymity. We feel the increased presence is necessary, they said, citing North Koreas worrisome behaviour. In a statement late on Saturday, the US Navys Third Fleet said the strike group had been directed to sail north, but it did not specify the destination. The military vessels will operate in the western Pacific rather than making previously planned port visits to Australia, it added. This year North Korean officials, including dictator Kim Jong-un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as 15 April, the 105th birthday of North Koreas founding president and celebrated annually as the Day of the Sun. Earlier this week President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Florida, where Trump pressed his counterpart to do more to curb North Koreas nuclear programme. Mr Trumps national security aides have completed a review of US options on that front. These include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbour. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritises less-risky steps and de-emphasises direct military action. Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since 5 January, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea. 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 After the US bombed Syrian military targets earlier this week, in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, North Korea said the strike proves our decision to strengthen our military power to stand against force with force was the right choice a million times over. Last month the repressive state declared it was ready for war with the US. Its foreign ministry said: The nuclear force of [North Korea] is the treasured sword of justice and the most reliable war deterrence to defend the socialist motherland and the life of its people. We have the will and capability to fully respond to any war which the US wants. If the businessmen-turned-US-officials thought that they would frighten us, they would soon recognise that their method would not work. AP/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 }} British police investigating the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive cup of tea in London have revealed they were also poisoned in what they think was a Russian-backed attack. Officers from Scotland Yard were sent to Moscow to investigate the men suspected of poisoning Mr Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and critic of the Russian government. Former detective inspector Brian Tarpey, who led the investigation, said members of his team were poisoned during a visit to the prosecutor generals office. Window still seeking justice for Alexander Litvinenko ten years on In the Channel 4 documentary Hunting the KGB Killers, Mr Tarpey says: I had a cup of tea and we left. I started to feel uncomfortable; not wanting to put too fine a point on it, I had the sh**s. We were probably poisoned with something like gastroenteritis. I think there was a deliberate ploy to weaken us physically because we were the decision makers in the team. The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? Show all 8 1 /8 The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26381.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26382.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26384.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26385.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26386.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26387.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26388.bin The Litvinenko files: Was he really murdered? 26389.bin The Russian embassy declined to answer questions regarding Mr Tarpeys claims, The Sunday Times reported. The inquiry into the murder of Mr Litvinenko found his death was probably sanctioned by Russian president Vladimir Putin. 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 }} Norwegian police have detonated an explosive device found outside a busy underground station in central Oslo. Officers evacuated late-night bars and restaurants near the Groenland underground station as bomb disposal experts rushed to the scene. Authorities later said the device was neutralised and a teenage Russian suspect arrested. "The noise from the blast was louder than our explosives themselves would cause," a police spokesman said, while adding that further investigation would be conducted at the scene. Police cordoned off a large area around a station after finding what they described as a 'bomb-like' device, in Oslo, Norway (AP) The device had appeared to be capable of causing only a limited amount of damage, the police said earlier. "Every restaurant was being closed," Malin Myrvold, who witnessed the scene from a fourth-storey window, told the Associated Press. "You could see cops in heavy armour going in every store and restaurant. "We were trying to see what was going on. The police were screaming at us to get back inside and stay where we were." Norway's security service said a 17-year-old Russian citizen was arrested for explosives found at the subway. The country's chief prosecutor said the bomb suspect was arrested on suspicion of handling explosives. Security service head Benedicte Bjornland said it was unclear if the teen had plans to carry out an attack with the homemade device. Mr Bjornland said intelligence services were aware of the youth, who is an asylum-seeker from Russia who arrived in Norway in 2010. He also alleged the youth was part of "extreme Islamism" circles in Norway. "It is likely that that attacks in France, German, Great Britain, Russia and Sweden can create a copycat effect in Norway with people with Islamic sympathies," Mr Bjornland added, listing of the locations of extremist attacks that have devastated Europe in the last year. The Norwegian police force raised its national threat assessment after the discovery of the improvised explosive device. The risk of an attack in the coming months was raised from "possible" to "probable," Mr Bjoernland said. 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 father Chris Bevington was one of four victims killed in a truck attack in Stockholm. A statement from his father John Bevington said: We are all devastated by the untimely and tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris. A wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many. The family requests absolute privacy at this incredibly difficult time to mourn his passing in peace. Mr Bevington worked as a director with music streaming service Spotify and was based in Stockholm with his family. Chris Bevington, 41, a British father who was killed in the Stockholm terror attack, has been described as a 'talented, compassionate and caring' person (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) (FCO) Of the other three people who died, one was Belgian and two were Swedish. Swedish police spokesman Jonas Hysing told a news conference the suspect was an asylum seeker who had sought and been denied permanent residency in the Nordic country and was wanted for deportation. Police also confirmed he had expressed sympathies with extremist organisations including Isis. We know that he showed sympathies for extremist organisations, among them IS, Mr Hysing said. The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan was arrested on suspicion of murder and terror offences hours after the massacre. In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Stockholm truck attack In pictures: Stockholm truck attack 3 people dead when a truck crashed into Ahlens department store in central Stockholm, Sweden Rex In pictures: Stockholm truck attack People were killed when a truck crashed into department store Ahlens on Drottninggatan, in central Stockholm Reuters In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Special Police forces work at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Woman is assisted at the scene after a truck crashed into an Ahlens department store in Stockholm Rex In pictures: Stockholm truck attack A policewoman in a gas mask operates at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack People react at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Rex In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Reports say three people have died after a truck crashed into an Ahlens department store in Stockholm Rex In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Armed police operates at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack People react at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Emergency services close to the scene of an incident in Drottninggatan, a street in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden Lasse Gare/PA Wire In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Passers react at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack People killed in incident when a truck was driven into a department store in central Stockholm Reuters In pictures: Stockholm truck attack Police officers work at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Getty Images In pictures: Stockholm truck attack A general view shows a Ahlens department store after a truck reportedly crashed into it, at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm, Sweden EPA In pictures: Stockholm truck attack A view of a street after a truck reportedly crashed into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden EPA Police earlier confirmed they found a suspicious object that could be a bomb or an incendiary device in the drivers seat of the lorry and were analysing it. The attacker hijacked a lorry belonging to the Swedish brewery Spendrups and used it to ram people in a pedestrianised street before crashing into the Ahlens department store. People gather at a makeshift memorial near the point where a truck drove into a department store in Stockholm, killing four and injuring 15 (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images) The lorry was left partially embedded in the store after the attack, which killed four people and wounded 15 others. Police have arrested a second person and a court has appointed the person a legal representative, a court official said. She said lawyer Johan Akerman was the legal council appointed. Police also said roughly five other people of interest to the investigation remained in custody. 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 }} Isis has claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks on Coptic Christian churches in Egypt which have killed at least 36 people. A group that belongs to Islamic State carried out the two attacks on the churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, the groups news agency Amaq said. Over 100 people were wounded in the attacks. Explosion in Tanta Church in Egypt wreaks havoc and deadly destruction In the first, a bomb exploded at Saint George church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing at least 26 and wounding over 70. Later, a second blast in front of a church in Alexandria killed 11 people and wounded 66, the health ministry said. The group recently released a video vowing to step up attacks against Christians, who it describes as infidels empowering the West against Muslims. Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Show all 10 1 /10 Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian prepares for the first Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christian soldiers attend the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier holds his weapon during the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier lights a candle Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters An Isis affiliate claimed a suicide bombing at a Cairo church in December that killed around 30 people, mostly women, as well as a string of killings in the restive northern Sinai that caused hundreds of Christians to flee to safer areas of the country. The Sinai-based Isis affiliate has mainly attacked police and soldiers, but has also claimed bombings that killed civilians, including the downing of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai in 2015, which killed all 224 people on board and devastated Egypts tourism industry. 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 and Iran have warned the US they will respond with force if their own red lines are crossed in Syria. Following Fridays cruise missile strike on a Syrian airbase, in retaliation for the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun earlier in the week, the alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a joint statement threatening action in response to any breach of red lines from whoever it is. What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well, the groups joint command centre said. Syria missile strike: Trump calls on 'all civilised nations to end the slaughter and bloodshed' US President Donald Trump said the strike on al Shayrat airbase, near Homs, with some 60 Tomahawk missiles was representing the world. The base was allegedly used by Syrian forces to conduct the attack, which killed more than 70 people. On Sunday the UKs Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, demanded Russia rein in Mr Assad, claiming that Moscow is responsible for every civilian death in Khan Sheikhoun. Sir Michael said the attack had happened on their watch and that Vladimir Putin must now live up to previous promises that Mr Assads chemical weapons had been destroyed. Experts have dismissed Russias claim that a rebel chemical weapons facility caused the deaths. Britain, the US and France accused Mr Assads regime of gassing civilians in the opposition-held town, but Damascus claimed it destroyed its toxic stockpiles following an international agreement struck in 2013. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says UK backs US airstrikes on Syria The Russian defence ministry put out a competing version of events claiming 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. The joint command centre also said on Sunday the missile strike would not deter it from liberating Syria, and that the US military presence in the north of the country amounted to an illegal occupation. Mr Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani have called for an objective investigation into the chemical attack. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that Moscow had failed to carry out the 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach Show all 10 1 /10 US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach US Marine soldiers patrol during the US-South Korea joint Exercise Operation Pacific Reach in Pohang, South Korea. North Korea is vowing tough counteraction to any military moves that might follow the US move to send the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group to waters off the Korean Peninsula AP US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach South Korean soldiers take part in the Operation Pacific Reach joint logistic exercise in Pohang, South Korea Reuters US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach North Korea is vowing tough counteraction to any military moves that might follow the US move to send the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group to waters off the Korean Peninsula AP US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach South Korean marine soldiers stand guard during the US-South Korea joint Exercise Operation Pacific Reach in Pohang, South Korea AP US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach A US Marine takes part in Operation Pacific Reach joint logistic exercise in Pohang, South Korea Reuters US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach A US Marine takes a position during a Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS) exercise as part of a joint defence exercise at a beach in Pohang Getty Images US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach South Korea and the United States kicked off a combined distribution exercise focused on integrating the two sides alliance logistics capabilities, in Pohang, 260 kms southeast of Seoul Getty Images US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach South Korea and the United States kicked off a combined distribution exercise focused on integrating the two sides alliance logistics capabilities Getty Images US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach A US Marine walks past a military vehicle during a Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS) exercise as part of a joint defence exercise in Pohang Getty Images US/South Korea joint exercise Operation Pacific Reach US Marines gather at a beach during a Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS) exercise as part of a joint defence exercise in Pohang, 260 kms southeast of Seoul, South Korea Getty Images The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russias part to achieve its commitment to the international community, he said on ABCs This Week. Mr Tillerson is expected in Moscow in the coming days for talks with Russian officials. He stopped short of accusing Russia of being directly involved in the planning or execution of the attack. But he said the US expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with Mr Assad because every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} A nasty hardliner known for being a member of the 1988 Death Commission which oversaw the massacre of thousands of political prisoners has just thrown his hat into the ring in the Iranian elections. He poses a threat to the supposedly moderate President Rouhani (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Michael J Foxs dad in Teenwolf a werewolf, for sure, but a relatively cuddly one). In the run-up to 19 May, the press will be teeming with analyses of the merits of the rivals for the role of president in the Islamic Republic, and the consequences each might herald. The painful truth is that it really doesnt matter in fact, recent history proves that the struggle in Iran is not about hardiners versus reformists. A better way of looking at developments would be to see it as a struggle between hardliners and reactionaries. All Iranian politicians are hardliners that is, they subscribe the Khomeinist principles of Islamic Republic (Ayatollah Khomeini toppled Irans monarch in 1979 and remains today the single biggest inspiration to Islamists across the world). Russia, Assad and Iran asked 'Is there literally nothing that can shame you' by US ambassador Twenty years ago, as New Labour was promising things could only get better in the UK, Mohammad Khatami, who like Blair won a landslide victory, was doing the same he was the great white hope of a generation of young Iranians whose children are now growing up in a country recently described by the US as the worlds biggest state sponsor of terrorism. And guess what? That states power is presently more awesome than ever. Iran is a backer of Hamas and Hezbollah and has been key in keeping Bashar al-Assad in position in Syria this year, though Donald Trumps attack on a Syrian airbase has, if nothing else, bruised Irans imperial tentacles. But to see why it doesnt matter who is elected president in Iran this year, we need look no further than the BBCs Today programme. A broadcast it made last Monday suggests that the BBC takes its cue on reporting on Iran from the Foreign Office which, along with the Lord Lamont-led British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce, at the moment is dancing with joy at revived ties. On 3 April, the Today programme marked a year since London mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Iran, separated from her baby daughter, forced into solitary confinement, refused medical attention and largely ignored by the UK Government, which, to the astonishment of her husband, has so far failed to publicly condemn her five-year prison sentence under dubious charges. Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Show all 18 1 /18 Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Photographer Olgac Bozalp captures street style in Iran Today did not bring in any Foreign Office officials or even the Mayor of London who invited thousands of Iranians to Trafalgar Square last month nor did it include the voice of Tulip Siddiq, a vocal critic of Government inaction in Nazanins case. Instead, the producers in their wisdom invited a spokeswoman from Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffes employer Thomson Reuters Foundation, the media charity. And the key question she faced didnt concern the British Governments silence surrounding Nazanins detention but whether or not Nazanin really was a spy, as Iran has insisted she is. One of the presenters responded to my criticism raised in an email by suggesting I should try to contact Boris Johnson as he wont talk to us, as if Boris were the only person who could be challenged on this issue. Their failure to fully investigate the case or to more fastidiously target Government ministers in their analysis felt like a betrayal. Its hard not to feel like the BBC was trying to avoid rocking the boat with Iran, just as our key governmental figures have been doing. And that summarises exactly why it doesnt matter whether Rouhani or his opponent wins the May elections. The UK is already tiptoeing around the state, and trying its best to appease and ignore. This will continue, no matter what the outcome and no matter whether a British citizen is being held on spurious charges in its prisons or not. 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 }} Since the UK referendum on European Union membership, I have received thousands of letters from UK citizens angry that their European identity is being taken from them against their will. From a 15-year-old in the South West of England upset with his parents and grandparents for voting to leave because he hoped to study in Germany, to a 90-year-old man who survived the Blitz in London, but still believes that, for all its failings, the EU has a fundamental role in cementing peace in Europe. Within days of Article 50 being tabled we were reminded of the important role the EU has played in unifying European nations, when some who should know better compared Gibraltar to the Falkland Islands and suggested the British Prime Minister would be justified in taking military action against Spain, despite the fact that no one threatened the sovereignty of Gibraltar. Yes, it is inevitable that the EU will now support the economic interests of Spain and the Republic of Ireland in any forthcoming discussions about the EUs external borders, but in the coming years the EUs interest will be to secure peace on our continent, not stoke division. As Theresa May made clear, these issues will be solved by jaw-jaw and not war-war. The draft guidelines of the European Council on Gibraltar made clear that any future agreements concerning Gibraltar will need Spain and the UK to agree. This is a statement of the obvious, not a threat to the sovereignty of Gibraltar. It was with great sadness this week that MEPs debated Brexit in Strasbourg. Discussions in the coming months will be tough and at times, intense. The scale of the talks ahead are unprecedented, but there is unanimity among MEPs that our priority will be to prioritise the rights of citizens. Brexit talks: PM welcomes Tusk to Downing Street This means moving quickly to agree a reciprocal deal on the rights of UK citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK. As the European Parliaments Brexit resolution adopted this week makes clear this agreement must be subject to the principles of reciprocity, equity, symmetry and non-discrimination. Any degradation of the rights linked to freedom of movement, including discrimination between EU citizens in their access to UK residency rights before Brexit day, would be contrary to EU law. After much debate within the European Parliament, the parliaments resolution also notes that many citizens of the UK have expressed strong opposition to losing the rights they currently enjoy as European Union citizens and proposes that the EU 27 examine how to mitigate this within the limits of Union primary law. I fought hard in the parliament for this provision to be maintained and hope in the coming months to continue to push for such an offer from the EU to British Europeans. Recommended The fantasy of closed borders after Brexit is finally unravelling The EU will defend its interests in discussions with the British Government, but I also believe it is important the EU is generous and open to British citizens. I hope any such steps will be viewed openly by Theresa May. Why am I campaigning for this? Because for over 40 years we have worked as closely as partners. While I have often disagreed with the European policies of British leaders, I deeply valued the UKs contribution to the European project, in particular the British role in building the EUs single market, which, for now at least, stretches from Liverpool to Bucharest. Leaving this single market will have consequences, because of course, it would be incoherent and grossly unfair for full members of the EU club to be asked to give a third country a better deal than they have themselves. 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 As the Parliaments Brexit text also makes clear, any future economic agreement between the EU and the UK must not contain piecemeal or sectorial provisions regarding preferential access to the single market. This is not punishment; it is an inevitable consequence of the UK Governments decision to leave it. MEPs this week overwhelmingly backed the idea of a UK-EU association agreement. I hope the recent comprehensive association agreement between the EU and Ukraine could provide an appropriate framework for a special future relationship. On 21 December 1954, after tough negotiations, the French diplomat Jean Monnet and the British Conservative Duncan Sandys, Churchills son-in-law, signed an association agreement between the UK and the European Coal and Steel Community. This association agreement functioned until the UK joined as a full member state in January 1973. Brexit really will mean turning the clock back. Guy Verhofstadt is the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator Rockall was previously at the centre of an ownership dispute between Ireland and the UK Brexit could reignite an age-old controversy over ownership of an isolated Atlantic islet off the Donegal coast. Rockall is under 300 miles from Scotland and Ireland's western extremities. The pudding-shaped remnant of an extinct volcano was the subject of Irish rebel ballads and diplomatic tussles over the surrounding fisheries and oil-rich sea bed. Its sovereignty was finally settled in Scotland's favour in 2014 after being sparred over for decades. Some in Ireland fear the UK's exit from the EU could cause Britain to "pull up the drawbridge" on international use of the area. Jane Morrice, a former European Commission representative in Northern Ireland, warned: "It could also raise the age-old controversy over ownership of Rockall which was more or less resolved between the UK and Ireland in 2014. "The fact that the rocky outcrop in the North Atlantic is claimed by the UK as part of Scotland could make it a small but serious point in future negotiations." She said talks over fishing rights would involve a complicated agreement with the potential to make or break the Northern Irish fishing industry. Eamon O'Cuiv, Fianna Fail's island affairs spokesman from Galway in Ireland's west, said: "In the event of a hard Brexit, there is a strong desire by many in the UK fishing industry to 'pull up the drawbridge' and push for a ban on non-UK fishing fleets fishing in UK waters so that the currently shared fishing zone will be the UK's and the UK's alone." Ireland has never attempted to seize Rockall but it has made claims for some of the potentially lucrative sea bed around it up to 500 nautical miles from shore and known as Hatton-Rockall. The claim has been agreed with the UK but rejected by the Faroe Islands, another territory which declared an interest in the marine outpost. Sean O'Donoghue, CEO of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation on the west coast of Co Donegal, said ownership of the actual rock would not be in dispute but Brexit would create an access issue. "We can fish at the minute in Rockall as we have fishing rights there but when the UK leaves they will no longer be part of the Common Fisheries Policy and there will have to be some detailed discussions around the fisheries which are very difficult to resolve. "The limits won't be under discussion and Rockall pales into insignificance in terms of some of the other areas in terms of access to UK waters." The UK claimed Rockall in 1955 when a party of Royal Marines planted the Union Flag on it. Ireland, which is 270 miles away, disputed its ownership but this was resolved in Scotland's favour in March 2014 when exclusive economic zone (EEZ) limits were published following an investigation by the United Nations. Scots adventurer Nick Hancock spent 43 days on the remote rock in 2014. The starting point for any exporting business is to get an honest assessment of how well prepared the business is for Brexit. Stock image The triggering of Article 50 on March 29, was a watershed moment for Irish companies and represents one of the largest structural changes in the global marketplace. For Ireland, the impact of Brexit could be profound. More than 37pc of the exports of Enterprise Ireland-backed companies go to the UK and the exposure in certain sectors - such as food, construction and timber - is significant. It is essential for Irish companies to use the period of the negotiations to prepare for the new world order, post Brexit. If we wait until the new trading arrangements become known, we risk losing hard-won global market positions. For Irish businesses, this means changing our business development plans and charting a different course towards new, more diverse export markets. There are many questions that Irish SMEs need to consider in the context of Brexit, including their overall business strategy: logistics and supply chains; approach to currency-risk management; impact of potential costs such as tariffs; recruitment administration costs and visas; regulation and compliance; financing and the approach to entering new markets. The starting point for any exporting business is to get an honest assessment of how well prepared the business is for Brexit. To assist, Enterprise Ireland has developed a 'Brexit SME Scorecard Tool' - a starting point to help companies, and management teams, to begin to develop a Brexit response plan. This online diagnostic helps companies to self-assess their level of preparedness for Brexit across six business pillars including business strategy, finance, sales and marketing, operations, innovation, and people and management. The output is a report in a scorecard format that highlights the business's level of preparedness against best practice. It also contains a range of suggested actions and information, Enterprise Ireland services, seminars and supports. Approximately 200 companies have already used the Brexit SME Scorecard to start their planning journey. Some companies are engaging with our teams around the globe to develop new markets. Many realise that new markets will require different products or product modifications and we are helping them to make the necessary changes. Others are addressing competitiveness issues. Innovation will be a key response to weathering the Brexit challenges and will drive our competitiveness. Companies must innovate, adapt products and services for new markets and invent new processes and products, which will be essential to maintain profitability and ultimately support economic growth. Enterprise Ireland will lead a major drive to increase the innovation capabilities and competitiveness of Irish companies through increased R&D funding and LEAN programmes. Furthermore, we will help more Irish companies gain access to international markets with the aim of increasing exports outside of the UK by 50pc by 2020. There is much speculation about what the end game will be - a hard Brexit, a soft Brexit or somewhere in between. None of us know what the outcome of the final negotiations will be. One thing is clear - we must act now, to make the smoothest possible transition to adapt to the new trading conditions. I would encourage Irish businesses to complete the 'Prepare for Brexit Scorecard' to assess their Brexit exposure as a first step to developing and implementing a plan of action. Julie Sinnamon is chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, which has launched the Brexit SME Scorecard to help Irish companies' asses their level of exposure to Brexit. Visit www.prepareforbrexit.ie Our Irish weather has turned out to be a real Jekyll and Hyde affair this spring. It's as if we needed reminding that no matter what plans we make, nature will always have the final say. The good news is that it now appears to be getting back to some semblance of normality. The arrival of spring always reminds me of how deeply privileged we as farmers are to work hand in hand with the natural world. It really does bring a special reality and understanding of nature to our everyday lives, something which our city cousins never seem to fully appreciate. I must confess that I occasionally become quite impatient and annoyed with two diverse groups of non-farming people who appear to be totally unaware of this special empathy and understanding farmers have with nature. On one hand we have the somewhat greedy business, scientific and technology experts who would wish to totally dominate the natural world for seemingly selfish monetary gain. At the other extreme we have the self-styled environmental radicals who continually preach down to us from their quasi political ivory towers. Getting back to the everyday reality of farming, I had to wait much longer than I had expected for some fine weather to allow me clean up after February's remedial work on the grove and hedges. Unfortunately, the first of these days clashed with the racing from Cheltenham, so I wasn't that disappointed when it rained on St Patrick's Day as it afforded me the opportunity to enjoy the racing - including of course a great Irish win in the Gold Cup. As the rain didn't arrive until that afternoon I was also able to use the few dry hours on St Patrick's morning to finish levelling off the tractor ruts around the shed, caused when getting the slurry out in February. As things transpired it was well worth the small amount of damage caused by the slurry tanker as the response from the slurry has been really good. The few fine days preceding St Patrick's Day also allowed me - and I'd imagine many others - to let off some cattle and while I didn't let that many out, it certainly did make a big difference to my silage supply. After a week of heavy rain followed by sleet and snow I had little option but to put these cattle back into the shed; luckily a quick improvement in the weather saw them going back out the next day. I'm afraid, as usual, these Friesian cattle looked pretty miserable leaving the shed, but they have since shown a remarkable improvement in spite of the weather. I never cease to be amazed at what nature and grass can achieve. I continue to find that 'storing' cattle on silage over the winter and finishing them on grass during the summer months works well for me, especially if we don't get too many dry spells during the summer. The recent very wet weather did take its toll with some ground literally turning into a muddy mess. However, it will recover and, as the saying goes, I have little choice but to get over it. The changeable and cold weather also meant that growth continues to be slow in the fields I grazed into late autumn. However, with the arrival of April and the longer evenings, every day now makes a huge difference. Temporarily curtailing my stocking rate by delaying the letting-out the rest of my cattle should sort out any grass supply problems I have - that is as long as my limited supply of silage doesn't run out. Continuing negative reports on the future of the beef sector suggest that some things never change. I have always found cattle farming to be a bit of a balancing act with the bottom line always being about curtailing expenses as much as possible. It struck me recently that we should be very grateful to the many people, especially our politicians, who for decades have been trying their very best to cheer us up in the beef sector. As well as seemingly never-ending announcements of new, but unfortunately mostly "phantom" beef markets, they also promoted many exciting and glamorous awards and prizes for our more progressive, but perhaps sometimes slightly gullible, beef producers. I feel that we should also express our indebtedness to the many people, paid and unpaid, involved in our various farming organisations who give so much of their time helping and advising beef farmers. Unfortunately, and in spite of all their dedication and hard work, annual income figures in the sector would suggest that their endeavours for the most part have been totally futile and utterly in vain. I find it inspiring, however, that in spite of the deep frustration these people must surely experience, they stoically insist on continuing with their endeavours. John Heney farms at Kilfeakle, Co Tipperary. Enterprise Ireland boss Julie Sinnamon has issued a fresh appeal for businesses to act to mitigate the effects of Brexit. Writing in today's Sunday Independent, Sinnamon said that businesses "must act now" to make the smoothest possible transition. "For Ireland, the impact of Brexit could be profound. More than 37pc of the exports of Enterprise Ireland-backed companies go to the UK and the exposure in certain sectors - such as food, construction and timber - is significant," Sinnamon writes today. "It is essential for Irish companies to use the period of the negotiations to prepare for the new world order, post Brexit. "If we wait until the new trading arrangements become known, we risk losing hard-won global market positions." Enterprise Ireland has launched a new online tool - the 'Brexit SME scorecard' - to help companies assess their exposure to the potential negative consequences of Brexit. Sinnamon said 200 companies had already used the tool, which measures businesses' preparedness across six areas: business strategy, finance, sales and marketing, operations, innovation, and people and management. Sinnamon said the State body would look to "help more Irish companies gain access to international markets with the aim of increasing exports outside of the UK by 50pc by 2020". "Innovation will be a key response to weathering the Brexit challenges and will drive our competitiveness," she added. "Companies must innovate, adapt products and services for new markets and invent new processes and products, which will be essential to maintain profitability." CityJet executive chairman Pat Byrne said the airline "looks forward to developing a mutually fruitful working relationship with IALPA". (Stock picture) Irish airline CityJet is ceasing its engagement with trade union Unite regarding a row over pilots' conditions, and has said it will deal with a different union from now on. The carrier said that a recent ballot of its pilots had thrown up an "overwhelming majority" saying the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA) should be their representatives. The move comes after the Labour Court issued a recommendation that an independent assessor examine CityJet's books as part of the row with Unite. That is now set not to proceed. "This was not a directive by the Labour Court, but their suggestion as to try to move things forward with Unite. However, as events have subsequently overtaken us with IALPA securing a mandate from the vast majority of our pilots, we have no option but to engage with IALPA in dialogue. We have advised the Labour Court of this development," a spokesman for CityJet said. CityJet executive chairman Pat Byrne said the airline "looks forward to developing a mutually fruitful working relationship with IALPA". Unite and the airline have been in a bitter battle in recent months, with strike action threatened but eventually deferred. Kieron Branagan said the company was developing a large R&D centre in the city of Dalian in China, working alongside its parent (Stock picture) Irish travel software business OpenJaw is embarking on an ambitious expansion plan which will see it target a doubling of its workforce to 450 and an increase in annual revenues to more than 40m over the next three years. A listing of the business in Dublin and London is likely to be explored by the company's Chinese parent thereafter, OpenJaw chief executive Kieron Branagan told the Sunday Independent. OpenJaw was acquired by Chinese aviation IT firm TravelSky for just under $40m last year and provides software designed to help airlines sell ancillary products alongside tickets. Its software also helps facilitate customer loyalty programmes. Branagan said the company was developing a large R&D centre in the city of Dalian in China, working alongside its parent. "We see tremendous growth in Asia, tremendous growth in the domestic Chinese market around airlines. "At the moment we're live with four Chinese carriers including Hong Kong, and we've another four in development." "It gives us a tremendous increase in revenue and profitability as you go into 2018. I think TravelSky are very interested in the listing of the business once we're at a particular point, ie the magnitude is there, we have the revenue, the profitability and the growth path," he said. "Everything that we're working on today is geared towards transforming the business into being a much more significant operation... after the three-year period I think it's definitely something that Travelsky are considering." Funding for the expansion plan will come from a mix of the company's profits and investment from its parent. The company is looking to develop its offerings in the areas of mobile and big data. A major area of focus is growing in China, where the aviation industry is growing fast. "In China mobile is everything... in everything that we need to build mobile capabilities for the Chinese market. "Retailing is a little different in China and I think maybe it's just a little bit further ahead than in the West. We need to add new retailing models," Branagan said. "Big data has always been a focus for us because we generate a lot of data on the platform...there's a well of data that we can leverage using big data techniques, and ultimately that will help airlines sell more to their customers." Prior to the purchase by TravelSky, OpenJaw was bought by Canadian firm Guestlogix in late 2014 but was later sold on after Guestlogix ran into trouble with lenders. Branagan departed the business after the Guestlogix deal but came back as chief executive when OpenJaw was sold to TravelSky. He and other OpenJaw senior figures brought a legal case against Guestlogix seeking payment of certain sums associated with the 2014 acquisition. The case was settled. Clients of the business include Cathay Pacific, British Airways, and Iberia. The company has offices in Dublin, Galway, Madrid, Krakow and Hong Kong. Our baby daughter suffers from eczema. Doctors have advised us to use steroid creams to treat the condition. My husband and I are very wary of using the creams on our daughter's skin when she is so young. We have recently started to use herbal medicine to treat her eczema. If our daughter's eczema turns into a lifelong condition, we want to make sure we are on a private health insurance plan that offers good cover for herbal medicine. Does private health insurance typically cover herbal medicine? Aine, Ashbourne, Co Meath Irish Life Health is the only private health insurer which offers money back on herbal medicines. It provides cover for 'alternative medicines' on several of its day-to-day plans. Health Plan 13 is a competitively-priced plan for children, costing 373.90 per annum. With Health Plan 13, you can claim back 35 of the cost of a visit to a medical herbalist - up to a maximum of seven visits a year. Another good option is 'Be Fit 3'. This plan costs 471.40 a year for a child under the age of 18. With this plan, you can claim back 40 of the cost of a visit to an alternative medicines practitioner (such as a medical herbalist) - up to a maximum of seven visits a year. Ways to pay hip consultant I have a hip problem and have been seeing a consultant for treatment. I am called back to see him every two months to see if my hip problems are any better - sometimes I am called to my consultant's private rooms and other times, I am called to the public clinic. For some time, I had never been asked for a fee but recently, my consultant has asked me to pay 100 to see him in his private rooms. I am a pensioner on social welfare so I don't have much money. I have private health insurance - but it doesn't cover consultant fees. Are there any private health insurance plans which fully cover consultant fees? Tom, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 While there is no plan on the market that fully covers all consultant fees, there are many plans which cover a certain amount of consultant fees. You don't necessarily have to move providers either. VHI's PMI 25 11 plan costs 1,586.06 and it offers 100 back per consultant visit - up to a maximum of 12 visits per annum. The inpatient cover (cover for overnight stays in hospitals) is very strong on this plan also. However, this plan has restricted cover for a list of 22 orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures in private hospitals. A hip replacement is on this list of 22 procedures so if you are in need of a hip replacement and intend on going privately, this plan only offers 80pc cover, leaving you to foot 20pc of the bill. Irish Life Health's Be Fit 3 plan costs 1,495.70. It gives a full refund on the first two consultant visits over the year - and a 50pc refund on all subsequent visits. Be Fit 3 also has restricted cover on certain orthopaedic procedures when carried out in a private hospital. There is a 2,000 co-payment applied on these procedures - which means you must pay 2,000 towards the bill. Laya Healthcare's Complete Simplicity plan costs 1,433.72 and offers 50pc back on consultant fees. While there is no shortfall on orthopaedic cover on this plan, there is a shortfall on the cover for overnight hospital stays if getting certain 'special procedures' in the Blackrock Clinic and The Mater Private. Claiming tax relief on course My private health insurance covers some of the cost of an antenatal course which I attended before I had my baby. I sent the receipt for that antenatal course into my insurer when making a claim for maternity benefit. I asked my insurer to send the receipt back to me once it had processed my maternity claim as I had been planning to claim tax relief on the portion of the bill which was not covered by my insurer. However, my insurer didn't send the receipt back and when I followed this up, my insurer told me that it discarded the receipt. Can I still claim tax relief on the portion of the antenatal bill not covered by my insurance? Eimear, Bray, Co Wicklow The Revenue Commissioners never asks for receipts when submitting a Med 1 form. However, you are told to hold on to receipts for up to six years after you make the claim in case they come looking for them. In this case, if Revenue requested a receipt, you should contact your provider and request a 'Statement of Claims' - which would be sufficient for the Revenue. Baby blues over hospital bill I was admitted to hospital for observation the night before my baby was born. My waters broke early the next morning and our baby was delivered before lunchtime. I was in hospital for four nights in total. My insurer is only covering the three nights and I'm facing a big bill for the fourth night as a result. Do insurers typically only cover three nights' accommodation in hospital when you go in to have a baby? Naomi, Naas, Co Kildare This is an unusual case and I would need more information on your level of cover to understand why the claim is not being fully paid. Maternity cover is a minimum benefit and therefore should be covered on every policy regardless of the age or gender of the policy holder. There are three maternity options in hospitals - public, semi-private and private. If you choose to go publicly, it is fully funded by the State. This includes GP appointments, pre-natal appointments and ultrasounds. You will be in a public ward in a public hospital and you cannot opt for a private room at the time of birth if you are a public patient all along. So even if you have private health insurance but choose to be treated publicly, you are not then entitled to a private room in a public hospital after you have given birth. So really it does not make a difference whether you have private health insurance or not should you choose to be a public patient. Semi-private treatment is only available in Dublin hospitals. You would attend a consultant's team in a private clinic in a public hospital. You may have some of your appointments with your GP - an arrangement known as combined care. You may have a semi-private room but this is subject to availability. Most plans on the market cover the cost of the room (which is 813 per night) and the delivery. You would pay the consultant directly for your pre-and post-natal appointments. You may be able to redeem some money back on certain plans - this amount varies, depending on the plan. If you choose to go privately in a public hospital, you will choose your own consultant and pay them directly. Your appointments would all be with this consultant. You may avail of a private room in a public hospital but again this is subject to availability. Most plans cover the cost of the room (1,000 per night) and the delivery. If deemed medically necessary by a consultant for the hospital stay to be longer than the typical three-night stay, then the insurer should always cover this cost. Some reasons this wouldn't be paid is if you haven't served your maternity waiting period (which is 52 weeks) - or if you were placed in a private room and your policy only covers semi-private accommodation. Barbara Sheahan is head of health insurance with healthinsurancehelp.ie **************** Email your questions to lmcbride@independent.ie or write to 'Your Questions, Sunday Independent Business, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1'. While we will endeavour to place your questions with the most appropriate expert for your query, this column is not intended to replace professional advice. I'm an enthusiastic European. In fact, I'm about as Europhile as you can get. I'm probably one of the few people left who likes the idea of a United States of Europe. But I sometimes despair at the way we're hoodwinked by the European Commission. This June, we're supposed to see the biggest advance in consumer protection law in a generation: the end of mobile roaming fees across the EU. And boy, are we slapping ourselves on the back about it. Last week, the European Parliament triumphantly announced that it had overcome the "final hurdle" to herald "the end of roaming" across the EU. But wait. There's a 'but' the size of Estonia. The new law lets you make calls and send texts without extra fees - but it makes an exception for data. You read that right. The new EU law for 'roam like home' allows operators to keep charging you massive extra sums for data. While we all slept, our mobile operators persuaded the European Commission that customers don't need to use Facebook, Google, Gmail, Snapchat, YouTube or Netflix as much when we're on holidays. So the Commission, the Parliament and the Council (which is made up of our national governments) have agreed that a token amount of our data when abroad should be plenty for us. It means that many Irish people will now only get a tiny fraction of their domestic data allowance when travelling across the EU. And if you go over your new crappy EU data allowance, you'll be hit for new roaming charges of almost 10 per GB, which the Commission says will gradually decrease over time. It's little short of a sell-out. And it is astonishingly disingenuous of EU commissioners, aided and abetted by MEPs and a huge chunk of the media, to claim that EU citizens now won't have roaming bills from June. "No operator with a 20 per month contract is required to provide more than 5.2 GB of data when the customer is roaming while travelling in the EU as of June 2017," a Commission spokesperson told me when I asked about this restriction. "It is about what can be considered fair behaviour by the customer." And what about the supposed principle of 'roam like home'? Wasn't that what this whole law was supposed to be about? "I would accentuate the fact that on average the Irish travel abroad 11 days per year and out of the Irish who travel at least once a year abroad, they spend on average 19 days abroad and not necessarily in the EU," said the spokesperson. Whatever about the Commission, which are professional civil servants trying to reach solutions, how can MEPs still claim that roaming fees are now abolished? Is it possible that such people still think of phone calls and SMS texts as being 'the main' things a phone is for? If so, what century are they living in? Do they not have any friends or family that communicate primarily, even exclusively, over WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook? Can they possibly believe that data is a 'perk'? The Commission argues that excluding data from the strict 'roam like home' principle was necessary because of wholesale charges that operators charge each other. It also says that the amount of data that ordinary phone customers will be allowed to use free when roaming will gradually increase over the next three years. But even here, it's hard to take the Commission at its word. As I type, Irish mobile operators are planning to rewrite their terms and conditions in an attempt to limit EU roaming data to as little as 1GB, even after the June 15 'roam like home' introduction date. Indeed, Three Ireland has already provoked an investigation by the telecoms regulator, ComReg, in relation to its State plan to separate data allowances into 'core' and 'benefit' categories. If it gets away with this, it can argue that its 'core' data allowance (that can be relied on when roaming) is only 1GB, while its 'service benefit' allowance at home remains 60GB. Will the Commission stop this happening? It says it will, but will the mobile operators have a word in its ear first? It's not like telecom operators need any more encouragement to present too-good-to-be-true claims. Right now, there are probably thousands of Meteor customers under the false impression that they can roam worry-free in the EU. Meteor itself gives this impression on its website where the various plans are advertised. However, look at the small print and it says the "free EU roaming" is limited to 1GB, which is between 3pc and 10pc of its domestic data allowances. To put this into context, 1GB of data is about half a day's use of Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram at best. It's utterly insufficient. Some argue that people shouldn't be relying on mobile data in the first place, but should be seeking out wifi hotspots. But this misses the point of the new EU law entirely. At home, you have an unlimited wifi hotspot for your phone - your dwelling's home wifi. Abroad, reliable wifi hotspots are much harder to find and are often not free. This is exactly when you rely on mobile networks to continue your ordinary life. This is the entire rationale for the concept of 'roam like home'. This is why it is so disappointing to know the Commission has done a deal to severely limit our roaming abilities. Why do they continue to claim that roaming charges are to be abolished? Was the lure of a great slogan just too attractive to resist? Don't EU Commissioners understand that such half-truths make people more cynical and not more pro-Europe? I love Europe. It's a bastion of civilisation and, I think, part of the solution to the world's problems rather than the cause. But I can't be the only one to despair at the pathetic way in which it tries to sell half-cocked measures. Puzzles: Kirsty is taking a leaf out of Jessica Fletcher's book in Murder, She Wrote Living in an apartment building is passive-aggressive warfare. Over the years, some very intense, silent skirmishes have broken out in my building. The first emerged when someone pasted sheets of A4 paper all over the foyer shaming "the letter box thief living amongst us". It seemed the thief had stolen a birthday present from someone's postbox, and the intended recipient was mad - real mad. They threatened to call the guards to finger print the scene of the crime, and expose the culprit once and for all. A few weeks later another note was posted in the lift giving out about parties being held at ungodly hours. "Some of us have work in the morning!!!!!!!" they scribbled angrily. "Be considerate!!!" When I returned home that night, I found the sign had been torn to shreds and hurled on the floor. Needless to say, I was enjoying the drama of all of this immensely. It was a fantastic spectator sport, and allowed me to invent elaborate backstories about everyone living in the building. Why is apartment 25 so noisy? Did that man in the lift really have a curious gait, or was he Ireland's very own Keyser Soze? Are that couple in the basement swingers? Or murderers? Or both? The tiny glimpses into each others frustrated lives created a wonderful Whodunnit atmosphere. I felt like Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, but instead of solving murders, I was trying to figure out who had stolen birthday cards, or dumped three empty bottles of Buckfast on my landing. As the months rumbled on, so did the dramas - there were typed letters from management asking tenants to stop letting strangers into the building, Post-it notes with accusations of bin rummaging, and a letter warning against the danger of leaving food out for seagulls. "They are flying pests!" Another note tacked in the lift politely asked residents if we could all refrain from urinating in the stairwell. Video of the Day (We have a lot of Airbnb-ers passing through and I like to think/hope that was directed at them). I was happy watching all this play out until recently, when I went from being spectator to participant, and had to leave a note of my own. It was, I thought, a perfectly reasonable request; asking my upstairs neighbours if they could not play trance music at 3am. I got a reply pushed under my door the following day, with a number and a brief message telling me to "text if there's a problem". So the next time I did just that. I pressed send and waited for the message to deliver - I could literally hear it arrive as the music dipped when it landed. There was a pause and then a message pinged back. "I'm not here," it said. "But I can hear you," I responded. "Not me. I'm not here," they repeated. I went upstairs and knocked on the door. I could hear music pulsing out from the frame but no one answered. So I returned to my bed and after much tossing and turning and cursing I eventually fell asleep. This has now been going on for a few months. I text, they say they're not there, and round and round we go. It's a curious dance. I haven't figured out my next move yet. But if there is one thing I have learned from my fellow aggrieved neighbours, it's that counterinsurgency is a war of attrition. So I'll invest in some heavy-duty ear plugs and fall asleep while asking myself that eternal question: 'What would Jessica Fletcher do?' How Pepsi united us all with its faux-pas liberalism Expand Close Panned: Kendall in that Pepsi ad / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Panned: Kendall in that Pepsi ad Panned: Kendall in that Pepsi ad There are roughly a gazillion articles, and think pieces about fake news and alternative facts swirling around the internet. This week, another type of fakery came to the fore - fake woke-ness. To 'be woke' or 'stay woke' is to remain aware of injustice in society, especially racism. The phrase is a part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and last year made the Oxford Dictionary's 'Word of the Year' shortlist alongside Alt-Right, Hygge and Adulting. As far as advertising agents are concerned, 'Staying Woke' is also a great marketing tool as it creates a lot of traction online. So perhaps it was inevitable that one day, Pepsi's creatives would crowd into a boardroom and start brainstorming about millennials and the Kardashians and protests ("all the kids are doing it these days!") before coming up with that universally panned and swiftly pulled Pepsi ad. The one where Kendall Jenner single handedly ends racial inequality by handing a cop a can of fizzy cola. The onslaught started almost immediately. One of the first to criticise it was Piers Morgan who labelled it "stupefying diabolical. Absurd, PC-crazed" and "virtue-signalling". I'm not a big fan of Morgan, but in this instance he was absolutely right. The ad was loud but crass, and very, very hollow. It also seemed to typify a strain of liberalism motivated by bragging rights. I think we all know someone like this. Very vocal but a little shaky on detail - the minute you quiz them they start barking out old arguments - about Trump's hair or what a dose Katie Hopkins is. When the ad provoked, what I think marketing execs term "a complete shitstorm", I contacted Dr Kehinde Andrews - who lectures in Black Studies at Birmingham University to see what he made of it. He thought it typified the condescending attitudes the extreme left can have. "Like the Rock Against Racism concerts," he said. "This idea that a white saviour can come in and stop black people's problems." But Dr Andrews wasn't offended by the ad. "How could I be? I thought it was an SNL sketch," he said. The ad will surely go down as Pepsi biggest marketing gaffe. (Aside from that time it set Michael Jackson's hair on fire in 1984). While the ad itself fell flat - some good came of it. It seems to have united the left, right and everyone in between; we all agree it was total and utter pants. TOPS Panti bliss - the tv series Move over Mrs Brown. Gingham Everywhere at the moment, from table cloths to trousers. FLOPS Melania Trump's First Lady portrait Expand Close First Lady portrait: Melania / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp First Lady portrait: Melania There's airbrushing and then there's this. The phrase 'Mompreneurs' From the people who brought you #GirlBoss - mums who are entrepreneurs. Saturday Night Live can't seem to get enough of Alec Baldwin and his pitch-perfect Donald Trump impression. So much so, in fact, that they asked the actor to tag in to play another despised figure on the show at the exact same time, as Baldwin delivered his very best impersonation of Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly as he interviewed himself as Trump. 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 O'Reilly recently found himself defended by Trump, with no apparent intel on the subject, after it came to light the anchor has faced numerous accusations of sexual harassment from female colleagues over the years. The allegations resulted in several companies pulling ads from The O'Reilly Factor, though SNL's take on the controversy assured viewers several brands were sticking fast, namely "Dog Cocaine" and a pill described as "Cialis for horses". Baldwin's O'Reilly admitted that he'd made headlines recently, as "women have come forward... and accused me of offering them exciting opportunities here at Fox News." He then brought on his surprise supporter, who he insisted was "unimpeachable on all female issues"; the sketch indulging itself in a little fourth wall breakage when Trump told O'Reilly, "I actually see a lot of myself in you, Bill." Baldwin's Trump also appeared on the show's cold open, addressing crowds at a town hall meeting in rural Kentucky, attempting to gain support for the recent US missile strike against Syria while revealing to the crowd his plans to cut many of the government services and benefits upon which they rely. 'How does it feel?" asked the excited journalist from the Associated Press. "How does what feel?" replied Frank McCourt. "To have won the Pulitzer Prize for Angela's Ashes of course," came the reply. It was 20 years ago today that the two telephones in a room of the Charles Hotel in Boston starting ringing off the hook. "Frank was on one phone and I was on the other. It was chaos. I remember the second call came from the press in Ireland. We just sat on the bed taking calls one after the other," recalls McCourt's widow Ellen. Within minutes, a local TV crew had tracked down the Limerick-born writer. "They literally started knocking on the door of our modest hotel room. We had to let them in. They conducted the interview with Frank there on the bed. It was a whirlwind," recalls Ellen. On the same day, Frank collected his award at a special lunch, jazz legend Wynton Marsalis won the Pulitzer for music. Two decades on, the small glass Pulitzer Prize itself rests in a cabinet in the McCourt home in New York. "It's actually a lot smaller and underwhelming than you'd think - but when Frank won it, well, it was such a huge deal - everyone wanted a piece of him," says Ellen who was Frank's third wife; they married in 1994. It was with gentle encouragement from Ellen that Frank decided to put a memoir of his 'miserable Irish upbringing' together. "He'd already told most of the stories in Angela's Ashes to his students. Some of those stories had been turned into one act plays. So the book had been percolating for years. We just decided that the time had come to actually put them down on paper and within 13 months of starting the book, he'd created something so special." Angela's Ashes had become a bestseller around the world by the time Frank was awarded the Pulitzer Prize on April 8, 1997. Focusing primarily on his childhood in Limerick, the book told of Frank's impoverished upbringing, of his father's alcoholism and the fact he "chose the bottle over the baby". Of a damp, grey, poor Limerick where some children barely had shoes or enough food to eat and where disease, referred to as 'the consumption', reigned. Video of the Day Frank also wrote of how his mother, Angela, was forced into a sexual relationship with her cousin Laman Griffin so she and her children could stay under his roof. "I think that aspect of the book was the most difficult for Frank to write. I remember he actually asked his brother Malachy (a renowned Irish-American actor) if he should include that (the story of his mother and Lama Griffin) in the book, and Malachy said 'of course he must' as that was a pivotal part of the story," recalls Ellen. But in Limerick, some criticised the book and disputed Frank's factual recollection. They believed he'd painted an overly-bleak picture of their city. I recall being on a bus in Limerick city at the time Angela's Ashes came out and overheard two women lambast its 'vulgar' content. "It's terrible what he wrote about our beautiful city," said one. When I asked what passage of the book annoyed her most, she replied: "Oh, I haven't read it. No, no, I couldn't read something filled with so many mistruths." Ellen McCourt told Review it was only after the book had been turned into a movie that a minority in Limerick voiced their disapproval. "When it was there on the big screen, I think some people thought it portrayed their city in a negative light. A lot of people wanted to deny such an amount of poverty existed in the lanes of Limerick and away from the big houses and wealthier areas. Frank had always told me about the famous 'Irish begrudgery' and here it was." By the time McCourt won the Pulitzer Prize, Angela's Ashes was already flying off the shelves - especially in the US. In late 1996, the movie rights had already been optioned, but still, winning the most cherished prize in literature had a massive impact on his life. "Of course his profile increased dramatically. The day after it was announced he'd won, he had to rush up to New York to be on the Today Show on NBC. Everyone wanted to hear him speak," says Ellen. Angela's Ashes made McCourt a millionaire. The great irony, of course, was that recounting stories of poverty could lead to monetary success decades on. "Just as well this happened late in life or else I would have blown it all on booze and fornication," he joked back then. Maggie, Frank's only child - who he had with his first wife Alberta Small - said in an article in the Limerick Leader last year: "When he won the Pulitzer Prize, we were all amazed and kind of incredulous. I think we always knew that he was inordinately talented, but I didn't expect it. "When Angela's Ashes came out, it changed his life because it was healing for him. There were so many things that he had not reconciled in himself, or healed himself from the darkness of his past. I don't think he expected that people would have that kind of reaction to the book." In Limerick the reaction varied but Una Heaton, curator of the Frank McCourt Museum, says Angela's Ashes has brought millions of people to the city over the last two decades. "Every year we get thousands of visitors to the museum here in Leamy House, Frank's former school, in Limerick's Georgian quarter. They come from all over, especially America. Like every year we get 5,500 people coming on specific tour packages from the States especially for the Frank McCourt experience. They'll visit the award-winning museum and spend three nights in the city," explains Una. The visitors will even go on a tour of the Treaty City led by local guide Michael O'Donnell - stopping by the site of the St Vincent de Paul where Frank's mother Angela pleaded for rations of food and clothing, to Souths' Pub where his father, and later Frank himself, frequented and the church where a young Frank made his first Holy Communion. "Frank's honest account of his upbringing here in Limerick was such an important social commentary for the city," said Una, adding: "It educated many about the hardships faced by the poorest in our society. I feel so fortunate that I got to know Frank well and see, first hand, what a humble, witty and special man he was." In July, eight years after Frank's death in 2009, Angela's Ashes: the Musical, will play at the Lime Tree theatre in Limerick before moving to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin. We're told its an 'uplifting story of hope, fortitude and family'. And the musical is also set to tour the West End and Broadway. "The story endures and that's largely down to Frank's amazing writing ability and his wit and humour even in adversity," Ellen McCourt tells Review. "Angela's Ashes resonated with people. For many, it was very familiar, painfully vivid and a very important literary work. "It helped people, and it was those positive reactions which meant more to Frank than any Pulitzer Prize or award he was ever given." A young man has died at a leisure centre in Armagh. It happened on Friday night at the Orchard Leisure Centre. Local reports suggest it happened after the man had been swimming. It is understood staff at the Orchard Leisure Centre tried to resuscitate the young man at the scene. He was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police said they attended the sudden death of a man in his 20s and that the death is not being treated as suspicious. The Ambulance service confirmed they attended on Friday night to the report of a man collapsed just after 9.25pm. The Health and Safety Executive said it had been informed of the incident and investigations were underway. A spokesman said: HSENI have been informed of an incident in Armagh and is in discussion with the local council about the circumstances. The Orchard Leisure Centre was closed on Saturday. Sinn Fein councillor Darren McNally said the whole community is in shock following the incident. He said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. "The whole community is in shock." SDLP councillor Maella Campbell said her thoughts and prayers were with the family of the young man and the staff who tried to help him at the time. She paid tribute to their work and said they were "traumatised" at what had happened. In a statement Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council said they were "deeply saddened". It said: We are deeply saddened that a young man died in Craigavon Area Hospital in the early hours of this morning following an incident at the Orchard Leisure Centre on Friday evening (April 7). This is devastating news and our deepest, most heartfelt sympathies are with his family at this time. "All relevant authorities were immediately notified by the council and the PSNI has confirmed that it is not treating the death as suspicious. "The centre will remain closed until further notice. A 14-year-old boy in Derry left school at break time and tried to buy a Russian sub-machine gun and 100 rounds of ammunition via contacts made on the 'dark web', it was alleged in court yesterday. Ballymena Magistrate's Court yesterday heard that the child was detained during a police operation at a retail park, in Coleraine, Co Derry, on Thursday morning. A detective said the child had allegedly tried to give 150 cash to a police operative for the ammunition and felt he could purchase the gun. The PSNI detective told the court: "Speaking to the operative, the defendant had stated that his intention was to intimidate a third party." He appeared in court accused of attempting to possess a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. The offences are alleged to have occurred between March 27 and April 7 this year. During an interview with police, the accused named a Jamaican man who he said asked him to collect blank ammunition and a deactivated gun. He said he ordered these through a selling platform on the dark web. The accused told investigators he was to collect the deactivated gun in a few days, the detective constable said. She added: "It was, in fact, a live gun and live ammunition." The detective added: "The account provided was somewhat unbelievable. He provided an account that he was purchasing a gun for a male that was a Jamaican national living in Northern Ireland who he was friendly with on Facebook." None of his Facebook friends matched the name given for the 40-year-old friend. A defence lawyer said there was no evidence presented surrounding what his client's intent was, and described police assertions as "guesswork". The judge released the accused on bail of 500 and with conditions including not possessing any internet-enabled device. The brother and sister of Rescue 116 winch operator Ciaran Smith were among a group of 400 people who took part in a search for the missing helicopter crew members yesterday. Orla and Sean Smith were on one of the 120 boats and fishing trawlers that scoured a 1,000 square mile area off the west coast. Expand Close Sean and Orla Smith, whose brother Ciaran is missing, board a fishing boat to join the search at Ballyglass, Belmullet, Co Mayo Photo: Keith Heneghan / Phocus / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sean and Orla Smith, whose brother Ciaran is missing, board a fishing boat to join the search at Ballyglass, Belmullet, Co Mayo Photo: Keith Heneghan / Phocus Local fishermen joined forces with the Irish Underwater Council, RNLI, Navy and the Coast Guard but the co-ordinated search failed to find any trace of Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby. This Tuesday will mark the fourth week since Rescue 116 went down near Black Rock, 12km off the Mayo coast. A preliminary report on the crash is imminent. The area around Black Rock island remains key to the search with the Marine Institute's underwater remotely operated vehicle working through last night searching for the missing bodies. Locals from nearby fishing communities have not ruled out a second extensive search of the area with the hope that the bodies have yet to surface. A Coast Guard spokesman said the search will continue today. He said: "Area surveillance will go on using our own Coast Guard helicopters or Air Corps assets with surface searching by RNLI and the Navy ship LE Ciara, shoreline searching by Coast Guard volunteers and Civil Defence volunteers and the sub-surface work that is being conducted by marine institute specialists in conjunction with the Garda and the Air Accident Investigations Unit on board the Irish Lights vessel the Granuaile." The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has urged anyone "with secrets about where the IRA's 'Disappeared' victims are buried", to come forward. Archbishop Eamon Martin held a special mass for the families of the Disappeared on Palm Sunday at St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh. The Disappeared refer to people who were abducted, murdered and secretly buried by the IRA during the Troubles. Archbishop Martain said that there are trustworthy people within society and the Church that can "accept and sensitively share information" in the absence of formally established mechanisms. Twelve of the 16 bodies on the official list of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR) have been recovered. But the remains of Joseph Lynskey, SAS-trained Captain Robert Nairac, Seamus Ruddy and Columba McVeigh are yet to be found, despite years of extensive searches. Archbishop Martin said there was an urgent need to develop truth-telling mechanisms about the past violence. He added: There must be so many people walking around today who know in their hearts that the information that they have locked down inside them is capable of unlocking the uncertainty and grief of families. The hunt has been led by the ICLVR, a body set up by the British and Irish governments during the peace process to obtain information in strictest confidence that may lead to where the bodies are buried. Archbishop Martin added: For our part, we need to find a mechanism of truth and information retrieval which will allow more of these people to come forward so that many more families can be set free from the agony of waiting and wondering, why? Even in the absence of a formal mechanism, I am confident that there are trustworthy people in society and in the churches who would be willing, and could be empowered and enabled, to accept and sensitively share information in this regard. During his sermon, Archbishop Martin acknowledged that many people are tormented with anguish and uncertainty about what happened during the Troubles. "There are people on all sides who carry secrets - memories of their own involvement in the deaths and injury of thousands of men, women and children," he said. "In some cases they pulled the trigger, planted the bomb, blindly followed orders or gave the command for death or punishment. In other cases they willingly drove a car, kept watch, spread fear, collected money or information, sheltered combatants, colluded or covered up, destroyed evidence or intimidated witnesses. "These were awful, terrible times." The 'Remembrance Wall' showing the names of all those who died during the Easter Rising has been vandalised at Glasnevin Cemetery. Picture Fergal Phillips The 'Remembrance Wall' showing the names of all those who died during the Easter Rising has been vandalised at Glasnevin Cemetery. 9/4/17 Picture Fergal Phillips The 'Remembrance Wall' showing the names of all those who died during the Easter Rising has been vandalised at Glasnevin Cemetery. 9/4/17 Picture Fergal Phillips Vandals have thrown buckets of paint over the remembrance wall erected in Glasnevin Cemetery last year to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising. The memorial wall is a tribute to Irish and British military and civilians who lost their lives during the 1916 Rising. Paint was thrown on the wall, which is officially called the Necrology Wall, on Saturday night. Gardai in Mountjoy are investigating the incident after being alerted early Sunday morning. Expand Close The 'Remembrance Wall' showing the names of all those who died during the Easter Rising has been vandalised at Glasnevin Cemetery. 9/4/17 Picture Fergal Phillips / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The 'Remembrance Wall' showing the names of all those who died during the Easter Rising has been vandalised at Glasnevin Cemetery. 9/4/17 Picture Fergal Phillips The Glasnevin Trust, which operates the historic graveyard, has issued a statement describing it as "an act of callous vandalism". "Glasnevin Trust is currently engaging with the gardai on the matter and will not be commenting further at this time," added the statement. Without distinction between the two nationalities, the wall lists the names of everyone who died during the 1916 conflict, in chronological and alphabetical order. It was unveiled last year during an interfaith ceremony led by President Higgins. However, protests against the inclusion of deceased British military on the wall disrupted the beginning of the ceremony as people rallied outside the cemetery holding republican flags. A youth (15) was arrested for a public order offence during the ceremony when he threw a firework at the wall. Supporters of Housing Minister Simon Coveney believe he could increase his chances of becoming the next Fine Gael leader if he secured the public support of Finance Minister Michael Noonan. Senior Fine Gael figures who are backing Mr Coveney said offering Mr Noonan another year in the Department of Finance could result in a public show of support from the minister. It is also understood Mr Coveney has secured the support of Health Minister Simon Harris which is being viewed as a major coup in the leadership race. Mr Harris will not publicly back the Housing Minister until Taoiseach Enda Kenny finally steps down as Fine Gael leader, but Mr Coveney's supporters believe they can rely on his support during the campaign. Kate O'Connell, a rising star in the party, is also understood to be now backing Mr Coveney and will play a key role in his leadership campaign. Her allegiance to the minister pits her against her Dublin Bay South constituency colleague Junior Finance Minister Eoghan Murphy, who is Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar's campaign manager. Mr Noonan is still a popular figure among the party membership despite being embroiled in a number of controversies in the past year. He has refused publicly to back any candidate in previous leadership elections as he believed it was inappropriate for a former leader to support another contender. However, sources say a public show of support by Mr Noonan for Mr Coveney in the leadership contest would be a "game-changer". "Since Michael hasn't publicly backed a leadership contender before it would be extremely influential - particularly with the membership. "Most people suspect Mr Noonan will vote for Coveney but if he did it publicly it would be big," the source said. Another supporter close to Mr Coveney's campaign team said the proposal had not been officially discussed but said it was an idea that should be given consideration due to Mr Noonan's standing in the party. "Simon and Michael haven't met but it is something that we could look at it." A source close to the minister yesterday insisted Mr Coveney had held no formal discussions with Mr Noonan or his campaign team on such a proposal. "It's not something he is for or against and it's not something he has thought about," the source said. "It's not factored into his plans at the moment." Mr Noonan's experience in Brussels could be key in the early stages of Brexit negotiations over the coming years. However, leaving him in the Department of Finance would reduce the number of ministries available to the next Taoiseach in a Cabinet reshuffle. Mr Noonan is also seen as part of the Fine Gael old guard and a close confidant of Mr Kenny, and some TDs believe he should not be part of the next Cabinet so as to make way for the next generation. It has long been speculated that Mr Noonan would step down from Cabinet when Mr Kenny resigns as leader. However, neither politician has ever publicly indicated that this would be the case. Before the last General Election, Mr Noonan told constituents in Limerick that he wanted to oversee two more budgets should he be re-elected. In the past year, Mr Noonan has been in the spotlight over his involvement in the controversial sale of Nama's Project Eagle loan book. He has denied he or his officials acted in anyway inappropriately during the sale process despite a finding by the Public Accounts Committee. He has also faced questions over his knowledge of the Grace scandal, which saw a young girl abused while in foster care. Mr Noonan has vehemently denied he was involved in any wrongdoing. It still remains unclear when Mr Kenny will step down as Fine Gael leader. He had promised to update his party following his St Patrick's Day visit to Washington last month. But on his return, he indicated he wanted to oversee the early stages of the Brexit negotiations. Some in the party believe he will set out his intentions by the end of this month and clear the way for a leadership contest during the summer recess of the Dail. The water charges controversy dramatically escalated on two fronts yesterday as Fianna Fail threatened to block the election of a new Fine Gael Taoiseach, and new details emerged of a still-thriving bonus culture at Irish Water. In an email to Fianna Fail TDs and senators yesterday, the party leadership warned it would not facilitate the election of a new Fine Gael Taoiseach unless the "confidence and supply" deal between both parties was honoured on water charges. This amounts to the most overt pressure yet on Fine Gael to facilitate legislation to implement the Oireachtas water committee's recommendations on water charges. Fine Gael is now expected to increase legal pressure to torpedo the report at committee stage this week. The dramatic escalation in the political row between both parties - in effect, a Fianna Fail threat to bring down the Government with Enda Kenny possibly still Fine Gael leader - comes as this newspaper also reveals details of lucrative bonuses paid out to Irish Water staff as recently as last month. Read More Irish Water suspended the bonus scheme in late 2014, following a public backlash. But now payments over and above salary have been made to each staff member and gold-plated health insurance packages have been made available to executives and their spouses. Car allowances and specially funded fitness instructors are also among the perks enjoyed at Irish Water. Today's revelations are likely to reignite public disquiet at Irish Water and fuel opposition to water charges. The bonus details emerged under the Freedom of Information Act as tensions between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have ratcheted up to an unprecedented level. Fianna Fail's new position, a threat to oppose the election of a new Fine Gael Taoiseach, comes as the Sunday Independent reveals that just last month all 675 staff at Irish Water each received a bonus payment of almost 5,000 on average, or 3.2m in total. On top of that, 11 senior executives each received blue chip health insurance cover for themselves and their spouses, worth more than an additional 5,000 a year. Read More It has also emerged that 22,328 has been spent on providing specialist fitness lessons for staff who avail of an in-house gym at Irish Water. Gym classes are said to be mandatory to comply with "health and safety regulations". Overall, 32 Irish Water staff earn more than 100,000. A new company car, worth 41,998, was also purchased last year for the company's managing director Jerry Grant, and eight members of the senior management team also receive an annual car allowance of 10,500. The bonus culture at Irish Water still exists even though water charges have been suspended and are on the verge of abolition. The Sunday Independent has seen an email sent yesterday to Fianna Fail TDs and senators which effectively targets Housing Minister Simon Coveney and Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar, front runners to succeed Enda Kenny, who has stated his intention not to lead Fine Gael into the next election. The email was written by Fianna Fail Environment spokesman Barry Cowen but, crucially, was sent from the office of Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. It stated: "It is important that we are all aware of the party's position on this issue." Fianna Fail believes the Fine Gael leadership contest is undermining the Oireachtas water committee's attempts to reach a deal on water charges. The committee will meet again on Tuesday in an attempt to sign off on a majority-agreed report. In the Fianna Fail email, Fine Gael is accused of "bad faith" and of "macho posturing". Read More But for the first time, Fianna Fail also explicitly threatens not to facilitate the election as Taoiseach of a new Fine Gael leader to succeed Kenny. The email stated: "Both of the ministers campaigning for their party's leadership would be well advised to understand that this behaviour means that Fianna Fail will require full confirmation of Fine Gael's intention to honour its commitments under the confidence and supply agreement before facilitating any potential changes to government personnel and roles." In effect, this means that Fianna Fail is demanding that the Government facilitates the passage of legislation to implement the committee's recommendations on water charges. However, the report will need to be passed by a majority to proceed to the Dail. The possibility remains that the committee will split 10-10 and the report may fall. However, Housing Minister Coveney has said he would refuse to introduce legislation which he believed to be contrary to EU law. Yesterday he reiterated this position. Mr Coveney has written to the committee's chairman Senator Padraig O Ceidigh, outlining a series of concerns on the final recommendations contained in the report as to their compliance with European law. The chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, Martin Heydon, has also written to O Ceidigh, urging him to appoint an expert in EU law to examine the report's recommendations. Mr Heydon said: "While conscious that the report of the committee will guide legislation and is not a proxy for the legislation itself, we know the committee members would not wish, knowingly or inadvertently, to make recommendations to the Oireachtas that run contrary to our EU obligations. "We are anxious to ensure that the advice be sought from counsel with expertise in European environmental law, a wide breadth of experience in conducting cases before the European courts, and extensive experience in conducting cases involving matters of public law and major public importance." Read More However, in his email to Fianna Fail TDs and senators yesterday, Mr Cowen stated that Fianna Fail policy on water charges was "financially, environmentally and legally sound". He wrote: "We have had many problems with Fine Gael's behaviour and have already signalled to Fine Gael our extreme annoyance at breaches to the spirit and letter of the agreement. However, the handling of water in recent weeks has brought this to a head. "Instead of working constructively with others, Fine Gael has sought to escalate problems and has spoken through the media rather than through direct contacts. "On a mounting series of occasions, they have acted in clear bad faith. It has increasingly seemed that they have been trying to wreck the process rather than make a constructive contribution." Cowen said Fine Gael's claims on the legality of the committee's recommendations are "directly contrary to the independent legal advice received by both the committee and Fianna Fail". He added: "They are now demanding that an opinion be sought which backs up their assertions. Judgment first, evidence later." Mr Cowen also accused Mr Coveney of taking a position not to allow government resources help find a way of implementing a "strategic approach different from Fine Gael's policy". He said: "The macho posturing and media-focused strategy of recent weeks is one thing - but the ongoing attempt to frustrate the process is a clear and definite breach of Fine Gael's commitments. "Fine Gael faces a choice - it can either be constructive or it can go further along its destructive route." Cheers: Michael Noonan would like to be able to raise a glass on Good Friday Well, it's that time of the year again. Yes, in the great Irish annual tradition, a debate will once more rage for the next few days about next Friday, when the pubs are shut and the city centre becomes a ghost town. It also happens to be a Friday when many people will be paid but they won't be able to enjoy a well earned meal with a bottle of wine, or meet a few mates for a drink. Should we even really care anymore? After all, haven't we heard all the arguments before? In fact, I imagine even the most ardent supporter of the Good Friday ban is sick of talking about it at this stage. Oh wait, hang on - are there even any ardent supporters of this ridiculous and archaic law left in Ireland? After all, even the clergy seem either indifferent to the ban, or actively oppose it. In the wake of Michael Noonan's interview with his local paper in Limerick a few weeks ago, when he came out against the ban, several priests in his area agreed with his views. Fr Joe Young, chaplain with the city's Brothers of Charity, admits that the restriction is: "Completely and utterly pointless... People should be allowed to make up their own minds about whether they drink alcohol on the day." This was a view echoed by several of is clerical colleagues. When you look at it from the perspective that even the Church thinks the ban is pointless - you can get a drink in Vatican City next Friday, after all - then surely that is a screamingly obvious sign that this piece of legislation, from 1929, belongs in our dim and distant past. The Vintners Federation, not surprisingly, is also against the ban, and a study from DCU last year estimated that the prohibition costs the publicans about 30m and leads to excise losses for the government of somewhere in the region of 6m. These are all moderately interesting points, but they aren't really crucial to the issue at hand. Because this isn't about drink. It was never about drink. It's about control. It's about our supposed elders and betters deciding that they know what's best for the little people and then forcing everyone else to conform to their whims - simply because they can. It's an authoritarian impulse, a mixture of hubris, incompetence and a complete lack of understanding of human nature. To put the burning issues of our society into some sort of rational context, we live in a country where a criminal gang have publicly announced that they are going to go all Keyser Soze on their rivals and wipe out the Hutch family and anyone close to them in one fell swoop. There are swathes of the country where the elderly are literally - and justifiably - afraid for their lives while in their own homes. So you might think our woefully inept Minister for Justice has more important things on her mind than enforcing a 90-year-old law which nobody seems to support or even want. Well, if you thought that, you'd be wrong. During a recent meeting with publicans, she dismissed the idea of revoking the legislation because, as she so primly put it, such a move would 'send out mixed signals' about the government's approach towards drinking. According to Nanny Fitzgerald: "Removing the Good Friday prohibition risked being interpreted, and portrayed, as a lowering of the government's commitment to tackling a serious national problem." It was classic Official Ireland arrogance. Nobody cares about the government's 'commitment' to drinking because nobody cares about this government. They have failed, in so many ways. They are a lame duck. But the devil is in the detail. The only people you 'send a message to' are your kids. That's exactly how the elite members of our society look on the rest of and that's how they have always looked on us - errant children who are too lumpen and dull, too stupid to make our own choices. Basically, they think we're thick and only useful for a few votes every few years. They think we are not as smart, not as cultured, not as educated and, fundamentally, not as enlightened as they are. They think that we can't be trusted to make our own decisions, so they will gladly accept the burden of making our decisions for us. Does any of that sound familiar? Because it should. Essentially, the likes of Fitzgerald and her smug, pursed-lipped brethren are the people who have replaced the Church as our self-appointed moral guardians; the oh-so-wise ones who have decided that while they may pay lip service to the autonomy of the adult, they don't mean it. Not really. We have simply replaced the belt of the crozier for a secular simper. The faces may be different, but that disgusting authoritarian impulse runs deep in this country. Let's put it this way, half the people we see wagging their fingers at us on a daily basis about what we drink or eat, or even say, would have been priests or nuns in a previous generation. They've just modified their language. If Nanny Fitz is so concerned about our nation's drinking, why not just ban pubs? Or, y'know, she could solve the gangland crisis? Sorry, that was crazy talk. For a moment, I forgot what country we live in. Many in this country town will eat fish on Good Friday - though whether they fancy a bit of battered cod and chips, rather than deference to religious dogma is debatable (Stock picture) Many in this country town will eat fish on Good Friday - though whether they fancy a bit of battered cod and chips, rather than deference to religious dogma is debatable. Yet even when Lent was almost law, plenty had heathen hearts. Which emigration exacerbated by exposing them to godless ways. Or so seems to be the case in a tale from Eddie Lenihan's collection The Devil Is An Irishman, about the conflict between superstitious spirituality and progressive pragmatism experienced by an emerging modern Ireland. It is set in a tightly-knit community in Galway during the 1920s, where folk make their living from the sea. Except on Fridays. "That's the day Our Saviour suffered for us... it wasn't worked in our father's time, and it won't be worked in ours either." As Lenihan wryly notes, "outsiders shrugged at these quaint notions, those merchants with contracts to fill fretted, and even the local priests were prepared to intervene and negotiate a dispensation. But the ancients of the Claddagh were immovable". Until Sean O'Duinnin - "the pride of the village" - hungers for adventure and heads to the British big smoke where he heeds his mother's advice to "mind your religion..." even if he went no further than the church door and could hardly see the priest, let alone hear him. He thrives, thanks to hard work and "his native Galway gobbiness". Plus he never drinks "to stupefaction like other lonely Irish bachelors". Years slip by, until one day Sean seeks shelter during a sudden downpour in Highgate Cemetery. He is horrified when lightning illuminates a grave bearing his name, especially "in an English - worse, a London - graveyard!" It's enough to make Sean finally head home, where his savings buy a big boat that employs everyone. Which means happy days - though Sean bullies them into working on the supposedly sacred one of Friday. But the community adjusts, until "the matter of Friday fishing as a topic of conversation, even of casual reference, was by now long a thing of the past; people no longer even questioned why they had ever held such a foolish, nonsensical belief". But there are limits, for the crew refuse to fish on Good Friday. Sean is furious and jumps at the offer of a sinister stranger to do the entire crew's work. Sean is delighted when he nets the biggest catch of his life. Until he discovers the even bigger catch is his life. For the stranger is the devil - and Sean's soul is his wages. Thankfully, the crucifix that Sean's long-suffering mother gave him scares off Satan. And while there is sympathy when Sean loses his boat, "most felt that right had triumphed". And so "there was no more Friday fishing... the clergy read it most thoroughly from the altar as the devil's own work. And for once they had the complete support of the people". Though perhaps a few pagans - peeved at losing the freedom to work on Friday - took the devil's side and privately pointed the fish finger. Premium Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so. Premium Ian ODoherty Opinion Toxic Tory leadership debate reminds us they couldnt give a damn about Ireland And then there were... How many is it again? Oh, yes, and then there were three. After an initial 11 hopeful (and, some might say if they were feeling less than charitable, hopeless) Tory leadership candidates, its now down to the final three as we reach a sort of X-Factor-style finale. Next week, it will be exactly 10 years since RTE broadcast a television documentary I made on the property market. The programme suggested that we were in grave danger of a sharp house price crash and it examined what a financially traumatic event like that might look like. It was watched by over half-a- million people and it divided opinion. Many vested interests, from politicians to estate agents and economists, lambasted it for being "negative", "irresponsible", "perversely irresponsible" and "talking down the economy". Media commentators variously described me on TV as "politically motivated", the "boy who wanted to cry wolf", a "loose talker who costs jobs" and the man who "wrecked the property market". The truth was that exactly 10 years ago we were on the cusp of a massive economic disaster. Most of us didn't realise it. Many were unprepared to even contemplate it. As we know, the scale of the collapse was truly frightening. Around 500,000 people lost their jobs. One third of a million households would be in negative equity by 2012. The banks would collapse at a cost of 62bn (net cost around 32bn, still one of the most expensive in the world for our size). The country would need a 60bn bailout from the Troika within four years. With so much pain, you would think this society had really learned the right lessons from it. And in some ways we have, while in other ways we continue to fail. House price inflation has surged in the first three months of this year. Many will be worried when they see the asking price for new sales in Dublin was on average 19,000 higher in March than it was before Christmas. House prices nationally are up 9pc on the year while Dublin prices are higher again at 10.2pc. A loosening up of bank lending limits, the Government's help-to-buy scheme and a fear of further rises have contributed to an acceleration in house price rises. It is deeply ironic that rents in Dublin are now 15pc higher than they were at the peak of the boom a decade ago, while house prices remain around 30pc cheaper. Someone who bought a house in Dublin in 2013 to rent it out has seen its value go up by around 65pc. Meanwhile, Dublin rents are 65pc higher than in 2010. So if you bought a house in Dublin to rent out in 2013 for 300,000, it is worth about 195,000 more. You can charge about 40pc more in rent and sell the house three years from now without paying any capital gains tax. At those rents, why would you? But there is an obvious human and social cost to this. People are handing over massive percentages of their income in rents or racking up significant mortgage debt to get on a property ladder, which increasingly feels like it will continue to go up. And there are economic costs and dangers too. The housing crisis is a significant threat not only to our citizens' quality of life but to our attractiveness and competitiveness as a place to work and do business. There are stories now of people paying 400 per month for a bed in a room in Dublin. This will undermine our economy's ability to attract inward investment. It will stifle achievement as some people will never make it to university because their parents cannot afford city rents. Long commutes eat away, not just at people's productivity, but at their quality of life and their health. Ultimately, wage demands will increase, the economy will become more expensive and less competitive. However, the more immediate question on everybody's lips is, are we heading for another boom/bust? Today's rapid house price gains are not being driven by the same things. The brakes have been put on excessive bank borrowing, firstly by the banks themselves and also by the Central Bank. For example, 10 years ago, private sector credit was growing at close to 30pc per year. Today, net credit has been shrinking as Irish people pay down more debt than they take out. There are early signs of that changing now, but it is nowhere near the levels of the past. A decade ago, the banks were using money borrowed on the wholesale international markets to fund the consumer splurge. Traditionally, banks used their deposit base to fund lending - but in the noughties, that all spiralled out of control. Ten years ago, banks had customer deposits worth less than 60pc of the loans they had issued. In some cases, like PTSB, banks had lent out three times what they held in deposits. Today, across the banking network, deposits held in the banks are equal to around 80pc of the loans issued. This is a much safer model - but is still below the 82pc figure of 17 years ago. There are still genuine risks in the system. For example, a decade ago, property-related loans accounted for around 64pc of outstanding loans. That figure is roughly around the same levels today. But this is because of legacy property loans rather than new ones. For example, there were only 24,000 new mortgages lent last year. Those legacy bad debts are still hanging around and pose a risk for banks, but nothing like they were five years ago. The banks will no longer do large-scale 100pc mortgages or lash out consumer loans of tens of thousands to practically anybody. In 2006, 30pc of mortgages were for 100pc of the value of the house. So that is all different. However, there are real factors which will continue to drive up house prices and rents unless active measures are taken to counter them. Population growth is one. By 2030, some 65pc of the population will live within 25 miles of the east coast. By 2040, there are expected to be an additional one million people living in Ireland. More immediately, rising house values are taking large numbers of people out of negative equity. This is a very positive development for many struggling families who got caught up in the buying frenzy of the last boom. They have either been trapped in starter homes, or even ended up becoming reluctant landlords as they tried to move on from the mistakes of the boom. Those people are now finally getting out of their small apartments and looking to trade up to more suitable family homes. They are ready to become buyers again, for the first time in perhaps 11 or 12 years. At the end of 2012, there were around 314,000 households in negative equity according to the ESRI. Accelerating house prices may eliminate negative equity entirely by next year. Lessons have been learned in relation to banking and regulation. Lessons have also been learned by many consumers who are still scarred by their financial experiences of the last eight years. The real danger in all of this is whether our politicians have learned the lessons. The enormous human, social and economic value of having relatively cheap housing, whether rented or acquired, has not been grasped. The solutions are actually obvious. Implementing those solutions involves making some tough decisions but not impossible ones. The Central Bank did the right thing with its mortgage cap but it was heavily criticised at the time - not least by politicians who wanted to row back on it. After easing up on the rules, the Government still went ahead with a help-to-buy scheme that stimulates demand in the short term but does nothing for supply in the short term. The Government needs to get builders building in more cost- effective ways. High-rise should be considered, especially in parts of Dublin. There should be more brownfield sites used for building houses in cities. The State is likely to make a profit of around 2.3bn on the wind-up of Nama. As a taxpayer, I think it would be better for Nama to break even, and that 2.3bn be used to roll out large numbers of affordable properties. According to some estimates there are close to 6,000 Airbnb properties up for short-term rent in the Dublin area. The Government needs to deal with professional landlords using apartments for short overnight Airbnb stays, as it would free up properties for renting. A review has been promised on building costs. It should be speeded up and its recommendations implemented quickly. Rapidly rising house prices and rents are only good for a handful of people. Unlike a decade ago, our current rising prices are based on thin volumes and are not being fuelled by excessive borrowing - for now. House prices are not sitting on the edge of a cliff as they were a decade ago. But we can't afford to get it wrong again. Ten years ago our national debt was 37bn. Today it is about 180bn. The warning signs are telling us that we still haven't solved our housing crisis. Our leaders didn't listen the last time. They have to this time. I remember the day she came to Dublin. Although I was considered a friend and had known her for nearly 20 years, I made a point of watching from a distance. That was June 19, 2012 and Aung San Suu Kyi was the toast of the liberal world. Bono spoke of how her Irish supporters were "humbled, grateful at the fact one of your first trips overseas, you have chosen a small rock in the north Atlantic". I knew then that she had metamorphosed from being an international icon of human rights to a political leader. Free from house arrest and at the head of the National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi was contesting for power. Hence the distance. As a journalist it was my job to stand back and subject her words and deeds to scrutiny. For the next year or so, Aung San Suu Kyi was feted from capital to capital, much as Nelson Mandela had been when he was released from prison over two decades before. In an age of cynicism the world clamoured for the vivid light of idealism. Until it all went spectacularly wrong. Let me first go back to a beginning. I was newly arrived in Asia when she was released from her first period of house arrest in July, 1995. My previous job had been in South Africa where I reported on the transition from apartheid to multi-racial democracy. It was this privileged posting that would create the bond with Aung San Suu Kyi. On the day she was freed I was at home in Hong Kong. I quickly applied for and was given a tourist visa to Burma. In those days BBC journalists were banned. Arriving in mildewed and dilapidated Rangoon, I went straight to the gate of her residence on University Avenue and walked among the joyful crowds and the military intelligence goons who photographed all who came and went. I scribbled a note asking for an interview and inserted my business card, pushing it through the gate to one of her minders. Late that night, asleep in the colonial grandeur of the Strand Hotel - I was after all posing as a tourist - my phone rang. A voice said simply: "The Lady will see you." The following morning we had our first meeting. She was bright eyed, bubbling with energy and immersed in happiness. There was a rush of questions - mostly from her. I discovered that she had followed my reporting from South Africa and was keen to know how Mandela and the ANC had managed the peaceful transition from white rule. I spoke of the compromises that were necessary, about the generosity of vision of Mandela and the pragmatism of FW de Klerk. In her sitting room she showed me the large portrait of her father, the assassinated founding father of Burma, General Aung San, whose image dominated the space just as he defined her sense of destiny. In her lost father, Aung San Suu Kyi, saw the stolen hopes of the Burmese, and she was determined to fulfil his legacy. Hers would be a country based on the rule of law and social justice. Whenever we met in the years that followed she would constantly stress to me the need for patience in politics and her determination to reach out to the army. Her father had, after all, founded the Burmese army. Aung San Suu Kyi was the most intellectually curious public figure I had ever met. She read widely - novels, poetry, non-fiction works on economics and social change - and always had a list of questions to ask about the world outside Rangoon. Looking back, I see the period after her first release from house arrest as a brief shining moment. It seemed as if anything might be possible. But the more she asserted herself in the years that followed, the more nervous the military became. Not that she was radical or provocative. It was just the mounting evidence of her popularity, her connection with the multitudes in the cities and beyond that terrified the thuggish military overlords. They switched out the lights again. Back she went into house arrest and there she stayed until 2010. With a small number of colleagues, I would go back to Burma undercover while she was locked away in her house by the lake on University Avenue. They were fearful times. We never dared to show the faces of those we interviewed. It would have meant instant retaliation against them and their families. Out in the countryside, and especially in ethnic minority areas, the army raped and pillaged as it pleased. This was a regime which locked up comedians and silenced writers. In 2007 Buddhist monks staged protests which almost became a revolution, and the regime cracked down with killings, torture and jailing. Through it all there were dedicated human rights activists in the West who kept the story of Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi before the world. In this process the legend was forged. There was an admiring movie and her books became best sellers. I wrote the foreword for one of them. The three defining words of her ambition for Burma were "freedom from fear". Back in 1990 she wrote that "concepts such as truth, justice and compassion cannot be dismissed as trite when these are often the only bulwarks which stand against ruthless power". I thought of those words when I met her last week. I thought too of my first visit to Rakhine state and the Rohingya ghetto in the capital Sittwe. It was late evening and we had gone to speak with victims of ethnic cleansing, driven from their villages in the rural hinterland. The ghetto was ringed by police and there were barbed-wire blockades. I entered a mosque where evening prayers were taking place. A man detached himself from the group and scribbled something on a small piece of paper. He came over and handed it to me. "Dear Sir," he had written, "please save us from the tyranny of the government and the Rakhine." The place was crammed with the frightened and dispossessed. There were thousands more on the floodplain outside Sittwe, languishing in camps where malaria flourished and the very young and old succumbed to disease in the monsoon rains. I saw the burned villages, heard the accounts of murder at the hands of sectarian mobs, and listened to monks spout the toxic rhetoric of Buddhist chauvinism. I saw ethnic cleansing in Rakhine. I know it when I see it. As it happens I am writing this article on the 23rd anniversary of the Rwandan genocide when good men and women did nothing to prevent the destruction of a targeted minority. I was there. I will never forget it. And when I see this monster stir anywhere in the world I get a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. After Rwanda I wanted to believe we had learned a lesson and that the good would not stand by. But I was wrong. We would not see the same scale of slaughter, or the vast conspiracy that killed up to 800,000 people, but the abdication of moral responsibility was widespread when the butchers rode out again in Darfur and Syria and many other places in the two decades since Rwanda. Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to accept that what is happening in Rakhine state amounts to ethnic cleansing. This is despite the evidence of numerous witnesses, human rights organisations and journalists. Not surprisingly the question of the Rohingya dominated our interview this week. I have seen what happens when she is confronted by an aggressive interviewer. The shutters come down. The answers are short. Nothing is revealed. I am an advocate of a different style of encounter. With her especially, a quiet, patient questioning is always a wiser course. Certainly as a journalist it is not my job to campaign or lead the charge for any group. But it is my responsibility to call things by their proper name. We have now the situation where journalists are banned from visiting the affected populations in Rakhine unless they are invited on a government-organised trip, and invitations and trips are very rare. Another reminder of the bad old days is the ban on the proposed United Nations human rights mission to Rakhine. This is the same United Nations whose special envoy worked to have Aung San Suu Kyi released from house arrest. The report by Amnesty International asserting ethnic cleansing has been dismissed by the Suu Kyi government. Yes, that is the same Amnesty International which presented her with the 'Ambassador Of Conscience' award in Dublin. I told Aung San Suu Kyi that I believed what I had seen in Rakhine was ethnic cleansing. I asked her if she worried that she would be remembered not as a global icon of human rights but as the Nobel Laureate who failed to stand up to ethnic cleansing in her own country. "It is not ethnic cleansing," she said. It was more complicated, a narrative of two communities pitched against each other, Muslims killing other Muslims who cooperated with the authorities, a violence caused by poverty. Condemning one side or the other would only inflame matters. Poverty is, I agree, a big part of the issue but that can be managed. Extremist local politicians and monks need not be allowed manipulate that poverty when wiser voices could challenge them. I had thought that after such a robust interview she might have been hostile. But no, we chatted about Rakhine and the world at large for 20 minutes or so before she went back to work in her office. I believe that nothing will change her mind on the Rohingya. For somebody so intellectually curious she is proving remarkably inflexible when faced with facts that challenge her world view. Despite the atrocious conditions being experienced in Rakhine state, she refuses to visit. I cannot think of another democracy where the most powerful leader would not lend their personal stature to help bring peace on the ground. This is not because the army refuses to allow her. Her public explanation is that she trusts the responsible people in Rakhine to manage the situation. Perhaps. But a refusal to be seen to do what the UN and human rights groups ask is certainly key to her decision. Aung San Suu Kyi understands well that her international support has drained away. It is hard to imagine Bono or Amnesty organising a welcome concert for her in Dublin now. This is a price she is willing to pay for doing what she believes is right. But it is also very risky. What happens if the military turns against her once more as she tries to edge them out of politics? Her strength is among the ethnic Burmans who make up nearly 70pc of the population. They will not worry what she does or doesn't do or say about the Rohingya. To the people of the slums and rural villages she is still 'The Lady'. There are many things we shed with the passing of years. Hopes, illusions and certainties can all get blown away in the fire of experience. Politics demands all sorts of compromises, as Nelson Mandela knew well. But he also knew the virtue of speaking out when it was hardest to do so, when facing down the rage of his own people and placing his own moral stature between them and vengeance. I saw this when he publicly came out to plead for peace and tolerance after his friend, the ANC military leader, Chris Hani, was murdered by white racists in 1993. It was there too in the courage of the Hutu Prime Minister of Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, murdered by extremists in the early days of the genocide because she dared to stand up for a hated minority. That was leadership. That was greatness. It is what is desperately needed in the hell of Rakhine state. Fergal Keane is a BBC Special Correspondent and this exclusive interview was carried out for BBC News Amy Huberman arriving on the red carpet for the IFTA Awards 2017 at the Mansion House, Dublin. Picture: Michael Chester Amy Huberman arriving on the red carpet for the IFTA Awards 2017 at the Mansion House, Dublin. Brian O'Driscoll took to Instagram to congratulate his wife Amy Huberman for her win at last night's IFTAs. Some of Ireland's best actors gathered at Dublin's Mansion House for the awards ceremony, with Huberman taking home the award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama for her role as lawyer Tara in Striking Out. While the mother-of-two was joined on the red carpet by her younger brother Mark for the event, the former Ireland captain was sure to publicly congratulate his wife for her win. Sharing a photo of Amy holding her award, O'Driscoll said: "Well done to my super talented wife Amy Huberman on her IFTA17 win this evening. Very proud hubby." 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 actress also marked the occasion with an Instagram post, expressing her thanks to everyone included in the night. "Wanted to say a mahoosive thank you to IFTA Academy for last night! To Dirty Fabulous Vintage for this floaty 1940's vintage number and Jenny Vander Vintage for the neck piece, Sarah Keary Makeup and Joanne Kelly Hair for the head and Mum and Dad for the little brother. Westbury Dublin for the sleeps (minimal coz of dancing). "And the local chipper for what's about to happen today." 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 IS were targeting Coptic Christians. Islamic State attacks on two Egyptian churches have left at least 37 people dead and dozens wounded. Both attacks targeted Coptic Christians 26 were killed in Tanta and 11 died in a second attack in Alexandria. Egypts Health Ministry said the second explosion went off at Saint Marks Church, where Pope Tawadros II had earlier been attending mass. Both attacks occurred on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, as followers of the faith prepare for the Easter week ahead. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks via its Aamaq news agency. Pope Francis condemned the bombings, expressing deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation. Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. [File photo] The Thai language edition of the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was released Friday at the parliament building of Thailand. The book contains 79 speeches, talks, interviews, notes and letters of the Chinese leader between November 2012 to June 2014. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said during the release ceremony that Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had earlier asked his cabinet to read the book. "I believe that to be a great leader, one has to be a good reader, good thinker, good speaker, good writer and good doer, and I found President Xi has achieved all of them after I finished reading this book," he said. Wissanu noted that the book is highly valuable for Thailand, a country making its own strategy and reform as a new constitution was promulgated on Thursday. "The book is very unique as it tells the governance of a country and also President Xi's great insight, foresight, as well as his philosophy of governance," Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, president of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, said at the ceremony. Pornpetch added that it is great that the book is translated into the Thai language as Thai people need to study China, a major economy in the world and a country of long history. The Thai edition of the book is published by the Matichon Group, and its General Manager Thakoon Boonpan also recommended it to Thais as it will help them understand China better and can apply Xi's thoughts into their real work. Pinij Jarusombat, chairman of the Thai-Chinese Cultural and Relationship Council, told Xinhua that not only politicians and officials should read the book, but students and all Thais should learn from China through it. Seubpong Changboonchu, a Chinese language teacher in Chulalongkorn University and translator of the book, said it is worth reading as the book can act as a bridge for Thai-Chinese exchanges. According to Seubpong, the book was first printed in Thailand in September 2016 and now has been printed twice in the country and has very positive feedback from the market. The book was already translated into 16 languages and has a distribution of over 6.2 million copies around the world, according to Jiang Jianguo, chief of China's State Council Information Office. The release ceremony was hosted by the State Council Information Office of China, China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the Chinese Embassy and organized by China's Foreign Language Press and Thailand's Matichon. A child dubbed Mowgli Girl after she was discovered in a forest in Northern India exhibiting signs of a feral upbringing was not raised by monkeys, Indian officials have said. It had been reported the girl had been discovered by forest rangers, who said she had been living with monkeys in a nature reserve in Uttar Pradesh. The girl was unable to speak or walk, and could only move around crawling on all fours. One forest ranger told The Associated Press that the girl was naked and was very comfortable in the company of monkeys. When they tried to rescue the girl, they were chased away by the monkeys, he added. Africans being attacked by roaming mobs in India However, forestry officers have since said it would have been impossible for the girl to go undiscovered for so many years in a forest which is regularly patrolled. Its not possible that a girl could spend years in the forest, and no member of staff or hundreds of cameras installed for security and animal census notices her, regional officer Gyan Praksh Singh said in a statement. Indian authorities now believe the girl, who appears to have severe mental and physical disabilities, may have been abandoned by her carers. Dr DK Singh, the chief medical officer of the hospital where she has been receiving treatment told The Guardian: In India, people do not prefer a female child and she is mentally not sound, so all the more [evidence] she was left there. Since being admitted to hospital, the girl has learned to walk standing upright and has been eating solid food. The rapid improvement in her condition appears to indicate she was raised by humans rather than animals, doctors say. She is still not able to speak, but understands whatever you tell her and even smiles, Dr Singh said. Indian police are searching for the childs family members, but no one has so far come forward. People lay flowers near the crime scene, near the Ahlens department store, in central Stockholm the morning after a hijacked beer truck plowed into pedestrians on Drottninggatan and crashed into Ahlens department store on Friday, killing four people, injuring 15 others. TT News Agency/Anders Wiklund/via REUTERS An 11-year-old schoolgirl was feared to have been one of four people killed in the Stockholm attack after an Islamic State-inspired terrorist conducted a deadly rampage with a hijacked lorry. On Saturday the child's desperate relatives appealed for help in finding her after she failed to return home from school. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close People killed in incident when a truck was driven Friday April 7 2017 into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Jessica Gow/via REUTERS Emergency personnel load a person into an ambulance, centre, at the scene after a truck crashed into a department store injuring several people in central Stockholm, Sweden (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP) A police officer in a gas mask attends the scene as crowds look on after a truck crashed into a department store injuring several people in central Stockholm, Sweden, Friday April 7, 2017. (Jessica Gow, TT News Agency via AP) The truck is believed to have been hijacked from a brewery company Photo credit: Getty images/Jonathan Nackstrand A truck have crashed into a department store Ahlens at Drottninggatan in the central of Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Andreas Schyman/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN. NO COMMERCIAL SALES. Three people killed in incident when a truck was driven Friday April 7 2017 into a department store in central Stockholm Photo: TT News Agency/Andreas Schyman/via REUTERS Police corden off street where truck rammed into shoppers Photo: REUTERS Central Station was evacuated Photo: TT News Agency/Anders Wiklund/via REUTERS Emergency personnel load a person into an ambulance, centre, at the scene after a truck crashed into a department store injuring several people in central Stockholm, Sweden, Friday (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP) People killed in incident when a truck was driven Friday April 7 2017 into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Noella Johansson/via REUTERS Handout photo taken with permission from the Twitter feed of Lasse Gare of emergency services close to the scene of an incident in Drottninggatan, a street in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. PRESS ASSOCIATION People killed in incident when a truck was driven Friday April 7 2017 into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Noella Johansson/via Prime minister Stefan Lofven makes a statement after people were killed when a truck crashed into department store Ahlens on Drottninggatan, in central Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Thomas Johansson/via REUTERS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People killed in incident when a truck was driven Friday April 7 2017 into a department store in central Stockholm, Sweden April 7, 2017. TT News Agency/Jessica Gow/via REUTERS No one knows anything, she is just missing, said one of the girls relatives. The youngster often enjoyed passing the shops on her way home from school, they said. She usually always travels at that time, and that is a natural place for her to be. She knows the area well and it is a normal place for her to be on a daily basis," they added. On Saturday police took DNA from her home to help identify any remains found. With four people dead and another four fighting for their lives, Sweden's Royal family joined hundreds of mourners at the site where the beer truck crashed into the crowded shopping street. The country's Crown Princess Victoria laid roses on the ground yesterday and wiped away a tear. "We must show a huge force, we must go against this," she said. One of the injured, 83-year-old grandmother Papusa Ciuraru, has spoken of the kindness of strangers who carried her to a hotel for treatment after she was injured in the path of the truck. She has undergone surgery in St Gorans Hospital after her leg was crushed by a concrete bollard. When I was laid there I thought that everything was over, she told Swedish media. People around me just screamed, I thought that there was a war going on. I tried to pick myself up and run, but there was a large stone over my leg. There was an idiot who drove a lorry down Drottninggatan. He ran over those ugly concrete lions. But thankfully he didnt get me. Two people came up to me, one had a bike, but just left it to one side. They picked me up and carried me to Hotorget and took me into a hotel where I received treatment. I was surprised and they stayed to help me. I thought that everyone would run past me and save themselves." She was one of 15 people injured and last night 10 still remained in hospital. Witnesses say the terrorists appeared to target children as it zigzagged along the pedestrianised street as they saw buggies flying through the air. It swerved from side to side. It didnt look out of control, it was trying to hit people, tourist Glen Foran said. It hit people, it was terrible. It hit a pram with a kid in it, demolished it. Television footage showed hundreds of shoppers and office workers fleeing the scene after the lorry careered down the pedestrian precinct, killing a dog and crushing flowerpots and litter bins as it went. We stood inside a shoe store and heard something and then people started to scream. I looked out of the store and saw a big truck, Jan Granroth told Aftonbladet. Faisal Khan, whose brother and his family were killed in a terror attack in Kabul three years ago, was on his way to buy a dozen roses to put on his sister-in-law's grave to mark her birthday when the attack happened. "I heard a loud noise followed by men and women screaming," he said. Luckily he was not a good driver. It felt to me like he did not have experience driving such a large vehicle. This guy really wanted to cause a lot of damage. Omar Mirza was working in a shop as the truck stuck and said he watched a woman die in a man's arms shortly afterwards in front of him. Shopper Therese Walther, 30, was in clothes store Zara when she saw the truck hit a girl. "It was coming as fast as hell," she said. "It ran straight over a girl." Employees in Zara led her and dozens of others to its cellar for safety and locked the doors. Staff at department store Ahlens, which the truck crashed in to, were being offered counselling following Friday's attack. Last night mourners had made a wall of colorful flowers on the aluminum fences surrounding the scene and left teddy bears and messages of love for the victims. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] People lay flowers near the crime scene, near the Ahlens department store, in central Stockholm the morning after a hijacked beer truck plowed into pedestrians on Drottninggatan and crashed into Ahlens department store on Friday, killing four people, injuring 15 others. TT News Agency/Anders Wiklund/via REUTERS Emergency services work at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at in central Stockholm Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images Swedish police have arrested a second person in relation to the deadly truck attack in the capital and a court has appointed the person a legal representative, a court official said on Sunday. "Police have arrested a person and we have appointed a public defender," Helga Hullmann, judge at the Stockholm District Court said. She said lawyer Johan Akerman was the legal council appointed. Police arrested a 39-year-old Uzbek man on Saturday on suspicion he was the driver of the truck that killed 4 people and injured a further 15. Earlier today, a Briton was confirmed among the people killed in the Stockholm terrorist attack, Swedish police have said. Four people died and dozens were injured when a lorry mowed down pedestrians in the heart of the Swedish capital on Friday. Of the other three who died, one was Belgian and two were Swedish, according to police. The suspected attacker was an asylum seeker who had his application rejected, Stockholm police said. He was sympathetic to extremist groups and had been sought by authorities for deportation, according to police. A Swedish police spokesman told a press conference: "All four deceased are now identified and family to the deceased are notified. "There are two Swedish citizens among the deceased and there are two foreign citizens among the deceased and the countries' embassies are being contacted as we speak." Asked which countries the foreign citizens were from, another representative from the police said: "Belgium and England." In the lead: Emmanuel Macron is the favourite to win the election run-off Back in what now seems like another lifetime I lived for a very happy 18 months in France's second largest city, Lyon. The night Francois Mitterrand became the first-ever left-wing President of France to be elected by direct vote of the people, I was on Lyon's splendid Place Bellecour to witness the very exuberant celebrations which continued until dawn. In May 1981, that new dawn promised "a people-centred France," and I believed I would live in Lyon for ever. But something called life intervened, a brief return to Ireland led through no fault of mine to a job in a local paper, and as these things happen, I have only been in Lyon a handful of times in the ensuing years. And through those decades, French politics has gone through many changes. Just a few days ago I was back in Lyon. Seated on a cafe terrace and drinking from a tall glass, close to Cathedral St Jean in Lyon's 15th century splendour, as a host of submerged memories came flooding back. I watched various canvassing teams go through the motions for the presidential election which kicks off a fortnight from tomorrow. The canvassers' low-energy approach typified a campaign which has yet to fire. On paper there are 11 candidates but realistically only five are deemed to be in any kind of contention. In practice everyone sees it as a neck-and-neck contest between the centrist Emmanuel Macron and the Front National's Marine Le Pen. Bookmakers and financial markets are sleepwalking their way, along with the entire political and media apparatus, to an election expected to give a small jolt to the system with the one increasingly known only as "Marine" taking more than a quarter of the vote. The firm expectation is that she will lose a run-off, due a fortnight later on May 7, by roughly 60:40 to the other front-runner Emmanuel Macron. The thing I notice is that, asking French friends how they will vote, can in many cases lead to the conversation quickly pivoting to Toulouse's failure to surprise Munster at Thomond Park in the European rugby cup. For many mainstream French voters it's not cool to admit the attractions of the Front National. Anger at economic globalisation, worries about extremist violence and scepticism of the European Union are key political themes in France right now. And these are rich seams for Marine Le Pen. Back in my long-time-ago Lyon idyll, her formidable father Jean-Marie Le Pen was largely a figure of fun. His far-right Front National, which he founded in 1972, was for cranks and extremists, and his dismissal of the Nazi Holocaust as a "detail of history" excluded him from the mainstream. In the intervening four decades France has not become more intolerant. But Marine Le Pen has tacked her party into the mainstream, tapping into the current malaise of discontent with establishment politicians prevalent in France and across the western world. She has also been helped by the near-complete collapse of the French left. Last Tuesday, all 11 candidates, nine men and two women, faced off in a cumbersome televised debate. There were flashes of conflict between the two frontrunners. Asked how they would create jobs in France which has had an unemployment rate of about 10pc for several years, Macron talked up his pro-free market views. Le Pen trumpeted her support for economic protectionism. Macron pledged to cut business taxes, and unwind France's tight labour regulations. But in a France which still prizes social dialogue, he promised to facilitate cooperation between unions and employers to help create jobs. Le Pen essentially wants France to follow Britain's example and leave the European Union. She has proposed a tax on businesses which hire foreign workers. "Without 'clever protectionism', we are going to watch jobs being destroyed one after another," she said during the television debate. That is all very bad news for Ireland as it would spell the end of the EU as we know it. The majority of Irish politicians will hope the French establishment has no need to abandon its smug politician assumptions. But Le Pen, now aged 48, is a seasoned political battler who took on her own father and eventually had him expelled from the party he set up. On television this week she went on the attack against Macron, who is deemed her chief rival. He is aged just 39, and like the outgoing French President, Francois Hollande, has never previously even stood for elected office. Macron was President Hollande's finance minister for two years but has eschewed socialist principles in favour of free-market economics. "You do not present yourself as new when you are using 50-year-old ideas," Le Pen told him disparagingly. And Macron hit back with a clear reference to her father's extremist heritage. "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," he retorted. Neither was he afraid to flourish his Europhile credentials saying he had the EU "in his heart". He also laid great stress on the need for EU reform with France working the old Paris-Berlin axis. But the French people are living in a state of emergency since the first of several deadly terrorist attacks in 2015. By now bands of armed soldiers sporadically patrolling the streets of Lyon pass without any remark from ordinary citizens. Le Pen wants to reinstate France's national borders to prevent potential attackers from entering the country. She has pledged to boost the military budget and advocates the closing of up to 100 mosques where she believes "radical Islam" is now preached. Macron has vowed to continue French military operations in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. He has also promised to recruit 10,000 extra police officers to help boost security. Political ethics, or the so-called "moralisation" of French public life, is part of the election rhetoric. It is not clear how deeply this resonates with ordinary voters. True, the original election front-runner Francois Fillon of the successor to the Gaullist grouping, these days called "Les Republicans", has been seriously harmed by corruption allegations. He has been formally investigated for claims that he paid his wife and children vast sums of taxpayers' money for political support work they allegedly never did. Fillon has used a lot of energy denying any wrongdoing. Polls have pushed him into third place - but with an interesting chunk of the vote around 17pc. Similar allegations against Le Pen and her National Front party about the alleged misuse of European Parliament funds have so far not carried the same political impact. Now the focus has moved to what will Fillon's voters do in the second round. If they were to support Marine Le Pen in any numbers another dangerous political assumption could bite the dust early next month. US President Donald Trump's decision to intervene in Syria, sweeping aside the efforts of his predecessor to keep the US out of the conflict, will reverberate far wider than issues of chemical weapons alone. The strikes sent a powerful message that use of these deadly weapons won't be tolerated, but they risk fuelling a new escalatory cycle in the civil war and pulling the US, slowly but surely, deeper into the fighting. At first glance these missile strikes appear largely symbolic. Not only was Russia - and therefore Bashar al-Assad - warned, but the Tomahawk cruise missiles took out a number of Syrian fighter jets without destroying the airport's runways. New Syrian combat missions were being flown from the same base the very next day. Mr Trump reinforced this interpretation by emphasising that the key aim - beyond the self-evident desire to show strength at home - was to ensure that Assad refrained from further use of chemical weapons. However, the US is likely to have unleashed far more than it anticipated, particularly given the lack of any meaningful political strategy to follow the military attacks. Once the US wades in, it rarely succeeds in containing its own ambitions, let alone those of its allies. In the context of a brutal six-year conflict driven by zero-sum ambitions on all sides, this is a heady cocktail. On the ground, and across the region, the warring parties will be betting on renewed US intervention. The air strikes thus risk re-energising all parties for intensified war at a moment when some were hoping for a denouement given widening fatigue and an overdue acceptance that Assad will not be militarily defeated. The rebels, long intent on drawing the US into the conflict on their side, already see these initial strikes as the thin end of the wedge. They, and their regional allies, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, will do all they can to draw Washington in deeper. Assad and his key backers, Iran and Russia, will in turn double down on their own positions. They will certainly not fold in response to the US show of force, with Assad's position on the ground stronger than ever. The regime in Damascus remains committed to total military victory. Much will now depend on whether or not Mr Trump is able to hold back and transmit a clear message that the US will take no further military action. But he will face intense pressure to escalate US involvement, having tied his own credibility to the outcome. Despite efforts by UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson to tie the G7 to a co-ordinated response, the odds are stacked against any new political process without the buy-in of Russia and Iran. Mr Trump is increasingly defining himself in opposition to Barack Obama - this response to the use of chemical weapons being the clearest example - and he will struggle to resist escalating the United States' involvement as he seeks to differentiate himself from the perceived weakness of his predecessor in shaping an outcome in Syria. Julien Barnes-Dacey is a senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations Tuesdays, 2-5 p.m. and Thursdays, 1-4 p.m. Continues through Dec. 22 Michael Victor II Art Library 1 NW Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield Downtown Free and open to the public Books & Authors The new downtown location of the Michael Victor II Art Library is ready for patrons to explore, relax and check out books. Our specialized library collection features over 3,000 books about art and film, most of which are not available at other central Illinois libraries. The library is located on the second floor of the Broadwell Pharmacy Building on the corner of Washington and Fifth streets. Check out the online catalog and call the office for curbside book checkouts! 2175232631 Police found a 'bomb-like' device and sealed off a busy street in Oslo A bomb squad officer at the scene in Oslo (NTB scanpix/AP) A 17-year-old asylum seeker from Russia was arrested on Sunday in connection with an explosive device found near a busy underground station in Norway's capital that police defused before it detonated, authorities said. The youth was detained on suspicion of handling explosives, but investigators do not know if he planned to carry out an attack with the homemade device, Signe Aaling, chief prosecutor for Norway's PST security service, said. Ms Aaling described the explosive as "a primitive improvised explosive device with limited damage potential". "PST is now working on finding his intentions and find out whether others are involved," she said. The youth was not identified, but security service head Benedicte Bjornland said Norwegian intelligence was aware of him. He is an asylum-seeker from Russia who arrived in Norway with his family in 2010, Ms Bjornland said. Ms Bjornland also alleged the youth was part of "extreme Islamism" circles in Norway. He was arrested based on a tip from the public, Ms Bjornland said without elaborating. "It is likely that that attacks in France, German, Great Britain, Russia and Sweden can create a copycat effect in Norway with people with Islamic sympathies," Ms Bjornland said, listing the locations of extremist attacks that have devastated Europe in the last year. "The attacks demonstrate how easy such attacks can be carried out, and prove to others that it is possible to make something similar," she added. The teenage suspect's lawyer, Aase Karine Sigmond, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK her client denies wrongdoing and had distanced himself from the Islamic State group. "We are talking about boyish stupidities," the lawyer told NRK. The teen, who lives in Oslo, is scheduled for a pre-trial custody hearing on Monday. The discovery of the explosive on Saturday night, found on the street just outside the Groenland underground station, prompted police to evacuate late bars and restaurants in the Norwegian capital. The Oslo explosive was found less than a mile from the government buildings that were damaged in a deadly bomb attack carried out by right-wing extremist Anders Breivik in 2011. That bomb and a subsequent gun massacre at a Norwegian island killed a total of 77 people. Norway was put on high alert after neighbouring Sweden suffered a lorry attack in Stockholm on Friday that killed four people and injured 15. The risk of a significant attack striking the country was raised on Sunday to "likely" for what intelligence officials said would be a two-month period. AP French prosecutor of Bayonne Samuel Vuelta Simon, third right, stands near a hideout used by Basque separatist guerrillas ETA in Saint Pee sur Nivelle, southwestern France (AP Photo/Bob Edme) Almost 3.5 tonnes of explosives and arms have been found in eight arms dumps identified by the Basque separatist group ETA, according to French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. The group provided a list of arms caches under its promise to completely disarm by today. ETA, a group which has killed more than 850 people in its attempt to gain independence in northern Spain, declared a ceasefire in 2011 but did not disarm. In a statement, Mr Cazeneuve welcomed the move: "It's a decisive step towards the end of Basque separatist terrorism." The group was founded in 1959 in rebellion against General Francisco Franco and quickly became known as one of Europe's most notorious separatist groups. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the arms cache move signalled the "definitive defeat" of ETA. He reiterated the group could expect no government favours as a result. Expand Close Basque pro independence politician Juan Mari Olano gives a thumbs-up while attending a rally following the announcement of disarmament by armed separatists ETA in Bayonne April 8, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent West / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Basque pro independence politician Juan Mari Olano gives a thumbs-up while attending a rally following the announcement of disarmament by armed separatists ETA in Bayonne April 8, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent West Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan TD also welcomed today's act of arms decommissioning. "Todays act of decommissioning by ETA marks a significant and welcome step in the disbanding of a terrorist organisation which inflicted great suffering on people in fellow EU member states and has no place in the European Union. Democracy and dialogue are the only legitimate means of resolving political differences. "While I welcome todays positive development, we must never forget the victims of terrorism; those who have died and those whose pain will continue beyond todays announcement." The Spanish government called on the rebels to "ask forgiveness from its victims and disappear". Representatives of the self-appointed Peace Artisans, acting as mediators in the disarmament process, said ETA surrendered 120 firearms and three tons of explosives and ammunition. "We hope that with this the movement can move forward to a long-lasting peace in the Basque country," activist Mixel Berhokoirigoin said. He said Peace Artisans were deployed at each location until French authorities take possession of the weapons. The International Verification Commission said in a statement that the list of caches given to them by the Peace Artisans group "was immediately conveyed to the relevant French authorities, who will now secure and collect ETA's arsenal". The caches are in south-west France, a region historically used as a support base by ETA. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Bayonne to celebrate the peace. Additional reporting by the Press Association The Kremlin said in a statement that Hassan Rouhani spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin by phone (AP) Russia and Iran have renewed their support for the Syrian government, saying the US missile strike violated Syrian sovereignty but failed to boost the morale of "terror groups" in the war-torn country. In a phone call with Syrian president Bashar Assad, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called Friday's strike a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Mr Assad accused the US of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. A statement carried on the military media arm of Hezbollah condemned the American strike in much stronger language, saying it had "crossed red lines" and vowing to "reply with force" to any future aggression "in a variety of ways". The Lebanese militant group has invested thousands of fighters in the defence of Mr Assad's government. The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard of "shared operations room" between Russia, Iran and allied forces. There was no comment from Russia or Iran about the statement. The Kremlin said in a statement Mr Rouhani also spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin by phone. "Both sides noted the inadmissibility of aggressive US actions against a sovereign state in violation of international law," the statement said. "Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani spoke in favour of an objective, unbiased investigation of all the circumstances of the chemical weapons incident on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib." Mr Rouhani said the US strike would not affect Iran's Syria policy, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not withdraw in the face of similar aggressions. "What the Americans did is a strategic mistake and offence. "They are repeating the offence of their predecessors," Mr Khamenei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Mr Assad throughout Syria's six-year civil war. It has organised several Shiite militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Mr Assad's government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. The US says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. US secretary of state Rex Tillerson denied in an interview on CBS's Face The Nation that the strikes signalled an overhaul of American policy, saying its priority remained to defeat Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The strike was the first time American forces targeted a Syrian government installation in the course of the war. US Treasury officials say they are preparing sanctions in response to the chemical weapons attack, although the Syrian government is already buried under US and EU sanctions. Mr Tillerson will meet with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow later this week. Moscow has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government and has defended it against claims of chemical weapons use in front of the UN Security Council. A Syrian Sukhoi jet took off from the Shayrat airbase targeted by the volley of US strikes, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel reported on Sunday, saying repairs to the base began within hours of the attack. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu played down concerns of a rift with Russia over Ankara's support for the strike, saying Turkey was committed to the cease-fire mechanisms it has developed with Russia for Syria. Turkey provides military support to some of Syria's opposition forces. But he said Turkey could not "remain silent" on the Syrian government's chemical weapons use, and insisted Moscow work with Ankara to establish a transitional government in Damascus. "We want to continue our efforts with Russia in the Astana process in terms of measures to increase trust and establish a cease-fire," he told reporters in Antalya, according to the Anadolu state news agency. In the days after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Turkey provided the Syrian Civil Defence search and rescue outfit with 50 protective kits for responding to chemical attacks, and trained them in their use, Anadolu said. AP New York, Apr 5(Just Earth News): The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday expressed its support for the efforts of President Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic (CAR) to restore State authority as well as for the African Union-led mediation initiative to find a political solution to the situation in the crisis-torn country. In a Presidential Statement issued on Tuesday, the 15-member body renewed its support for CAR President Touadera and welcomed his significant role to stabilize the country, promote peace and reconciliation, advance plans for disarmament, enable long-term development, and build the capacity of state institutions and basic service delivery, with the support of regional and international partners. The Council also acknowledges the African Initiative for a Peace and Reconciliation Agreement between the Government and all armed groups in the CAR, which is aimed at sustainably promoting reconciliation and inclusive governance. On the security front, the Council expressed concern at the ongoing clashes between armed groups, in particular around Bambari in the Ouaka prefecture, and, most recently, in Bakouma in the Mbomou prefecture, which have caused heavy civilian losses and significant population displacement. The Council strongly condemned violence perpetrated by armed groups and their attempts to forcefully gain control of territory and resources, and urged all armed groups, in particular FPRC and UPC, to immediately stop all violence and honour their commitment to the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process. The Council also renewed its support to the Secretary-Generals Special Representative Parfait Onanga-Anyanga and to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in the implementation of its mandate. Recalling the UNs zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, the Council urged all authorized non-UN forces to take adequate measures to prevent and combat impunity for sexual exploitation and abuse by their personnel. Photo: OCHA/Gemma Cortes Source: www.justearthnews.com 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 Seldom do we come across love stories that fill our hearts with hope. Those we watch on the big screen always come with disclaimers - the most hurtful one calls the narrative fictional. But the stories that come our way in the real world are the tales that we really give special attention to. These stories are not only weaved with love but companionship, respect, sacrifice, and promise. The subjects of each love story detailed below show us earthlings what it takes to love their partner - even if it means that their vows are continued in the ever after. 1. Couple married for 71 years dies four minutes apart from each other Even though Vera and Wilf Russell were at separate care facilities when they died, they bid the world adieu together. 93-year-old Mr. Russel breathed his last at 6:50 am and four minutes later, Mrs. Russel passed away after being told of her husband's death. facebook Their grand-daughter said that Mrs. Russel was broken-hearted and was waiting for him to go. Mr. Russel had moved into a care home for the elderly only a few months ago. He was suffering from dementia and had failed to recognise his wife on her trip to his facility. The couple had met when they were teenagers and spent a glorious 71 years together. They made love last a lifetime. Now, in death, they will make eternity last. 2. Acid attack survivors to marry and spend their lives together That's the beauty of love - it can blossom even in tragedy. A human rights event in Mumbai last year brought together two acid attack survivors, Aarti Thakur and Prashant Pingle. Prashant's proposal came at a time when Aarti was still coming to terms with her attack where her former landlord and three of his accomplices had thrown acid on her for rejecting their marriage proposal. mumbai mirror Prashant, on the other hand, had been a victim of a similar attack while trying to save his sister from her stalker. But for him, it was love at first sight when he saw Aarti. Prashant's proposal helped Aarti cope with her trauma. The couple will wed in June this year and start their lives anew. In grief, they found happiness and forged a promise to wear each other's baggage with pride. 3. Woman marries paramedic who saved her life after brutal attack A love gone terribly wrong doesn't necessitate the end of hope. It's possible to find love again just like Melissa Dohme did after nearly losing her life to a terrifying attack by her former lover. She married her saviour, Cameron Hill, who had saved her life after she was stabbed 32 times by her ex-boyfriend. Five years ago, every first responder had thought that Dohme wouldn't survive the attack. But Hill felt something different. Pess Photo He felt that he would see her again. After attending luncheons with the first responders and Hill, Dohme told her mother that Hill was going to be her next boyfriend. Both knew they were falling in love with each other and a six-hour-long phone conversation later, they knew they had. 4. Tibetan monk gives up his monkhood to marry his childhood love Love can endure the toils of time and space. Also, there is no greater joy to marry your friend. Tibetan monk, Karmapa Thaye Dorje has held true to both these tenets and has renounced his monkhood to spend his life with his friend of 19 years, Rinchen Yangzom. KARMAPA.ORG Explaining his decision, his website quoted Dorje and read, "I have a strong feeling, deep within my heart, that my decision to marry will have a positive impact not only for me, but also for the lineage. Following the wishes of my parents, and having had time to reflect, I deeply feel that I am being true to both myself and the lineage. Something beautiful, something beneficial will emerge, for all of us." Dorje became the 17th Karmapa of the Karma Kaygu when he was 11 years old. He will continue to dispense his role as the Karmapa minus the religious duties. 5. Guy takes three years proposing to his girlfriend via love letters A relationship isn't real if it lacks the passionate resolve of creating a forever love. Tim Chee became aware of his wish to marry his then girlfriend, Candice, very early on in their relationship. And because he wanted to make his proposal extra special, he spent three years penning it down in love letters. Candice Catherine/ Ann Marie Yuen Photography Tim wrote 14 letters in total, where the first initials of each love note spelled out 'Will you marry me'. Candice said yes and the couple is now happily married. 6. Couple married for 78 years are still going strong Being in love is one thing and being lucky in love is another. Meet Betty and Morrie Markoff, the elderly who have been married for 78 years (they married in 1938!) and are still deeply in love. Or better, in 'care' of each other. 'Love' is a lesser word for Morrie. For him, 'care' goes deeper. For Betty, "tolerance and respect" are the secrets to a healthy relationship. Karsten Thormaehlen via the Guardian The centenarians have literally outlived everyone but are no way close to complaining. They are a happy bunch of 100-year-olds who brushed off death when Morrie almost passed away from a heart attack. Betty had saved his life by dialling 911 in time! Well, there's no breaking these two. 7. Couple makes sewer their loving home Home is where the heart is and this Colombian couple found theirs in a sewer. NTD.TV Former drug addicts, Maria Garcia and her husband Miguel Restrepo met during the Pablo Escobar regime and for 22 years have called a drainage system their home. Abandonment by family and friends forced the two to take shelter in a sewer but they never complained for they had each other. Come hell or high tide, love is all about being together and Garcia and Restrepo are living up to it with all their heart. 8. Less than three feet tall, the world's shortest couple conquers all God has made a soulmate for each one of us and this couple is living proof of that faith. Measuring less than three feet tall, Paulo Gabriel da Silva Barros and Katyucia Hoshino met online nearly 11 years ago. And here they are, happily married and conquering the world, one achievement at a time. rex The two have been verified by the Guinness Book of Records for being the world's shortest couple but the two are living life in their own right. While Paulo is a legal secretary, Katyucia is an owner of a beauty salon. The two suffer from two different conditions of dwarfism but their lives are as normal as any other couple out there. They have faced discrimination but together they are a force to reckon with. 9. An English girl and an Indian boy overcome their language barrier Love can transcend regions and languages so beautifully, it almost amazes us to see people of different faiths making their relationship work. So when Becca learned Hindi for her Indian boyfriend, Akshay, it almost felt as if this was a 'match made in heaven'. Facebook/Becca C It's heartwarming to listen to Becca speak a different language so fluently. The duo had been dating for over four years now and their love seems to be growing only stronger. Love has the power to do so when you know you have found your person. Falling in love is easy but keeping it alive requires hard work. Follow your hearts, people. These lover-bearers wouldn't want you to lose hope. The Kapil Sharma Show is going through a rough phase, one of the worst, Indian television shows has ever seen. Twitter The comedy show has been staggering its way in TRPs ever since Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar and Chandan Prabhakar have walked out. And the latest to join them is none other than, Navjot Singh Sidhu, although his reasons are completely different. Twitter/ Kapil Sharma FC Sidhu, who has been busy with his political rallies in Delhi, is unable to cope up with his mid night shoots in Mumbai. Also, ace comedian Kapil Sharma is busy with his upcoming movie Firangi and has been trying to shoot as many episodes as possible with his left over artists. Well, this resulted in Sidhu skipping the Sonakshi Sinha Noor episode. Weather this will become a regular affair or not, we can't tell, but we are definitely missing the original gang. Tapsee Pannu starrer Naam Shabana which released last Friday has been banned by the censor board in Pakistan. Still from the movie Just after a day of its release, the movie came into the limelight for showing terrorism. In order to avoid the theme of terrorism which could badly reflect on Pakistan, the board decided to stop the running of the film in theatres. Poster One of the cinemas in Islamabad screened the movie with parts that were edited by the censor board, a source revealed to The Express Tribune. The officials monitoring the movie then stopped the screening of the movie right there and then, the source further added. #NaamShabana has not been able to make a mark... Riding on high expectations, the biz grew over weekend, but was low on weekdays... taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) April 7, 2017 #NaamShabana Fri 5.12 cr, Sat 6.37 cr, Sun 7.27 cr, Mon 2.54 cr, Tue 2.50 cr, Wed 1.80 cr, Thu 1.58 cr. Total: 27.18 cr. India biz. taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) April 7, 2017 The movie, however, has not fared well, in India as well. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Naam Shabana has not been able to make a mark despite riding on high expectations. Naam Shabana stars Taapsee Pannu and Manoj Bajpai in lead role and was released on 31st March 2017. Whether its the rich western world of Europe and America where millions of refugees have landed in hope of asylum, or the South-East Asian countries like Malaysia, and Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have entered from Buddhist Myanmar, the world is witnessing a refugee crisis far intense than ever before. AFP Although India has decided to deport nearly 40,000 Rohingyas, who illegally entered India from Myanmar and Bangladesh borders, but on the other hand, India is home to nearly 3 lakh refugees from 30 odd countries. Apart from refugees from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh, India also houses refugees from rich western countries like the US, UK, France, Germany and Australia. Nearly three lakh refugees live in India PTI According to the latest available data which was presented by Minister Of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in March 2016, a total of 2,89,394 refugees living in India (as on 31/12/2014) from 28 different countries which also included stateless people. This the number of refugees living in India legally and doesnt include the numbers of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in India. Most belong to Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bangladesh and Pakistan Since Independence, Indias has seen lots of tension in its neighbourhood which has resulted in a large number of people flooding in India which now forms a large chunk of refugees that India have. According to the data provided by the government, India houses most refugees most Sri Lanka following the Tamil problem and Sri Lankan civil war. India currently houses over a lakh (102467 to be precise) refugees from the Island nation. PTI Similarly, Tibet, which later becomes one of the reasons of Sino-India war in 1962 is another neighbouring land from where nearly 60,000 (58155 as per the data). The people from Pakistan (8799) and Bangladesh (103817) have also come to India to seek refuge. Though the number of Bangladesh refugees staying illegally is much higher, but the number of refugees staying legally isnt quite less either. They are entitled to have facilities at far with other foreigners living in India When the incumbent minister was asked about the facilities these refugees are entitled to, the government stated, Long term visas are granted to such foreigners based on the existing guidelines after due security verification etc which permits them for facilities at par with other foreigners such as- employment in the private sector, undertake studies in any academic institution etc, says the government. Can India help in Syrian refugee crisis? AFP No exactly. Because India isnt signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol, the main reasons why most of the European countries which are not allowing refugees on their land are obliged to welcome them. Despite not being the signatory of accord India houses a handful of Syrians because they came via The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As far as refugees from conflict zones are concerned India has people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan and Myanmar. TN, Delhi, Uttrakhand house majority refugees Tamil Nadu (10,2478), Delhi (10161), Uttrakhand (11768) and Chhattisgarh (62890) are among the top states and UT where a maximum number of refugees are located. Chandigarh (1) and Goa (3) have least number of refugees living there. Non-Muslims who entered India illegally were given refugee status and later offered citizenship A large numbers of non-Muslims have entered India following the religious upheaval in their own countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Most of them have entered India. PTI Notification F No 25022/50/2015-F.I dated 07/09/2015 under passport (entry into India) Act, 1920 and Foreigners Act, 1946 have been issued by the ministry to regularize the entry and stay of persons belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered India on or before the 31st December 2014, answered the government in parliament when asked about the status of religious minorities entered India from neighbouring countries. In April 2016, the government offered citizens to people who migrated from Bangladesh and Pakistan under special provisions. No matter how difficult situation is there across the world, people look up to India with hope. India, in turn, always helps them with great concern. India and Bangladesh have signed 22 pacts after a meeting between Prime Ministers of both the countries. PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, signed major pacts that are likely to boost the relations between south Asian neighbours. PTI Here are five major developments that took shape of pacts between India and Bangladesh: 1. India announces $8 billion financial assistance as loan India announced a concessional credit line of $4.5billion for the completion of development works in various sectors in Bangladesh. India will also give additional $500 million to Bangladesh to buy military equipment. In total, India has announced financial assistance of $8billion in credit to Bangladesh over the last six years. The two countries will soon have a bus service between Kolkata, Khulna and Dhaka. A new passenger train service from Khulna to Kolkata through Petrapole in India and Benapole in Bangladesh was finalised. A rail link between Radhikapur and Birol for running goods trains was also announced. PTI Nuclear energy deal India-Bangladesh have signed three defence sector pacts in form of an umbrella framework which caters to different aspects of defence cooperation. Three other pacts have also bee signed which will cater to the Bangladeshs civil nuclear energy needs which includes setting up nuclear power units. Diesel pipeline India has signed a pact with Bangladesh according to which India would finance a diesel pipeline from Numaligarh and Parbatipur. India's oil companies will also ink agreements to supply high speed diesel to Bangladesh. Education The two countries signed Memorandum of Understand (MoU) between University of Dhaka and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India which work for educational cooperation and cultural exchange. Another MoU was signed between University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh and Jamia Milia Islamia. A 55-year-old woman was murdered by her live in partner at their house in South-East Delhi's Okhla on Thursday night. The accused, identified as Chandrapal, told cops that the woman never gave him importance and always did what he opposed. According to the police, Chandrapal had an argument with the woman before he attacked her. Representational Image After attacking her, Chandrapal fled towards the railway tracks near his locality, but was chased and caught by a police team. The woman, Munni Devi (55), was a divorcee and had eight children, six of whom were married and two lived with her, said police. "The accused said that he often tried to make Devi understand things but she refused to listen to him. He was left with no option but to kill her," said Romil Baaniya, DCP (southeast). Devi, a sanitation worker, was a native of Mathura and had divorced her husband six years ago. Police said that Chandrapal and Devi started living together five years ago at a rented apartment in Okhla Industrial Area. Around a month ago, Munni's uncle came from her native village to live with her. All was okay between the two, until a woman visited their house a few days ago to meet Munni's uncle. Representational Image "Chandrapal told us that his brief interaction with the woman was not liked by Munni. It resulted in them having frequent quarrels over the past few days," said the officer. On Friday evening, Devi served dinner to Chandrapal, but he refused to eat. That led to a heated argument between the couple during which he allegedly picked up an axe and struck her five times. When other members of the family raised an alarm, Chandrapal fled towards the railway tracks nearby. While some locals kept a track on his location, one of them called the police. A police team arrived at the crime spot and was directed towards the direction in which Chandrapal had fled. He was later arrested, and the axe used in the murder was also recovered. A nine-year-old girl has filed a legal case against the Indian government for failing to take action on climate change, highlighting the growing concern over pollution and environmental degradation in the country. Dr Barkat In the petition filed with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a special court for environment-related cases, Ridhima Pandey said the government has failed to implement its environment laws. "As a young person (Ridhima) is part of a class that amongst all Indians is most vulnerable to changes in climate, yet are not part of the decision-making process," the 52-page petition said. The petition called on the tribunal to direct the government "to take effective, science-based action to reduce and minimise the adverse impacts of climate change". reuters The tribunal has asked the Ministry of Environment and the Central Pollution Control Board to respond within two weeks. A spokesman for the Ministry of Environment told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they would respond as directed by the tribunal. India is home to four of the 10 worst ranked cities in the world for air pollution. Along with China, India is accounted for more than half the total number of global deaths attributable to air pollution in 2015, according to a recent study. Despite several laws to protect India's forests, clean up its rivers and improve air quality, critics are concerned that implementation is poor, and economic growth often takes precedence over the environment. reuters Flash floods and landslides in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, where Ridhima lives, killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless in 2013. The devastation affected Ridhima, the daughter of an environmental activist, said Rahul Choudhary, a lawyer representing her. "For someone so young, she is very aware of the issue of climate change, and she is very concerned about how it will impact her in future," he said. "She wanted to do something that can have a meaningful effect, and we suggested she could file a petition against the government," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Ridhima is not the first child in India to take the government to task over inaction to protect the environment. reuters Last year, six teenagers filed a petition with the NGT over air pollution in New Delhi which has the worst air quality in the country. India is taking some action to mitigate the damage. As a signatory to the Paris agreement on climate change, it is committed to ensuring that at least 40 percent of its electricity is generated from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030. In her petition, Ridhima asked the court to order the government to assess industrial projects for climate-related issues, prepare a "carbon budget" to limit carbon dioxide emissions, and create a national climate recovery plan. "That a young girl is doing so much to draw the government's attention is something. We hope the case puts some pressure on the government to act," said Choudhary. India and Bangladesh have signed 22 pacts after a meeting between Prime Ministers of both the countries. PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, signed major pacts that are likely to boost the relations between south Asian neighbours. Read more PTI Here are other top stories of the day: 1) This BJP Leader Threatens To Behead Those Who Oppose Construction Of Ram Temple In Ayodhya PTI The chorus for building a Ram temple is growing within the BJP as more and more outrageous public utterances by party workers suggest. The latest such utterance came today from Raja Singh, a BJP legislator from Hyderabad. Read more 2) Following The Footsteps of Jayalalitha's Amma Canteens, UP CM Adityanath's 'Annapurna Bhojanalya To Serve Lunch At Rs 5 BCCL Taking cue from late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithas Amma Canteens, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is all set to launch his own canteens, providing food to the less privileged at just Rs 5. Read more 3) Canada Has Just Ruled That Bosses Cant Force Women To Wear High Heels At Work Anymore! Representational image In a welcome move, companies in Canada cannot force women to wear high heels at work anymore. Canada's British-Columbia province announced that companies can no longer force such rule on women. Read more 4) Rescued 'Mowgli Girl Gets A New Name And A Shelter Home In Lucknow BCCL After being called 'mowgli', 'Van Durga' and 'Puja', the 'Jungle girl' was named for the fourth time. At her new shelter home in Lucknow, she was named 'Ehsaas', on Saturday. Read more 5) Demonetisation: Indians Are Sending Old Notes To Their Relatives Abroad To Exchange Them By June 30 Representational image The customs department has revealed a new modus operandi wherein people are sending demonetised currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 abroad in a bid to get them exchanged later. Read more In August last year, IAF's first women pilots began their simulation training on the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer at the Bidar air force station (AFS) in Karnataka, and after 4 months, they were commissioned. Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth & Mohana Singh A sig. milestone for India, they were the 1st women combat pilots to be inducted in @IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/Zge05HspXP Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) March 8, 2017 So, when Indian Air Force zeroed in on three potential women trainees - to train them as combat pilots - at the Air Force Academy near Hyderabad, a revolution began. Extending their journey, the three women pilots have entered their second phase of training where they are learning the tricks of aerial combat at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. 'The three lady officers have now entered their second phase of training and they are learning air to air combat and air-to-ground combat tricks on the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft at the airbase,' IAF officials announced. TOI Flight cadets Avani Chaturvedi of Madhya Pradesh, Mohana Singh of Rajasthan and Bhawana Kanth of Bihar, were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at a combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal. They have successfully completed their initial training at the Air Force Academy in Telangana. According to Air Force officials, their training agenda and said that the officers will be taught to fire armaments from their planes, at the Hawk trainer aircraft. The program is part of the Indian government's aim to include women officers as fighter pilots and the future of women combatants will depend on these three ladies. PTI This decision was taken by the Defence Ministry back in October 2015, as part of the five-year experiment. The Navy and Army are yet to demonstrate any such agenda for women, as they find themselves shackled with operational, social and logistics issues. After full completion of their training, the three officers will be deployed in operational front line squadrons of planes such as the Su-30 and the Mirage 2000, and be involved in everyday operations. FE They will also fly for 150 hours on the Hawk trainers before they complete their training. In the batch after these three female fighter pilots, none of the female cadets have opted for the given stream. A few have picked helicopters while one or two have chosen the transport aircraft. The ministry is now in the process of writing comprehensive policies for women in combat and how they can help them grow! The Supreme Court order for the closure of the wayside liquor shops seems to have hit some of the IMFL outlets run as part of the canteen services of the defence forces, in the state. The state excise department slapped closure notices on the liquor outlets of the unit run canteens (URC), which are managed by the NCC, in Thrissur, Kottayam and Kollam as well as Naval canteen at Kochi. BCCL The Golden Palm Canteen at Palakkad which comes under the Area Headquarters, Chennai and the military canteen at Pathanamthitta under the station headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram had stopped selling liquor from April 3. According to the officials in charge of the canteen, the excise officials served the closure notices to those liquor outlets without any prior notice. They said the membership in these canteens range from 5,000 to 20,000. BCCL Meanwhile, the ex-servicemen have come out in protest against the closure of the liquor outlets in the military canteens. They said they welcomed the SC order's basic spirit which was to curb the rising road accidents. However, it was clear that the IMLF outlets in the military canteens could not lead to any rude and negligent road behavior as they sell liquor to serving and retired personnel of the most disciplined military force in the country. "Liquor is being served as a 'ration privilege' to serving and retired personnel in these canteens and they are not accessible to the public," said K R Gopinath, the district president of the Kerala Ex-service League. "We feel humiliated and neglected by the civil administration with their interpretation of the Supreme Court order. We are sure the Supreme Court will not give a directive which will be detrimental to the interests of the serving and retired defence personnel in the country," he said. BCCL "The ex-servicemen feel that the authorities should have sought a clarification from the Supreme Court before slapping the closure order," Tony Cherpu, president of the Ex-servicemen League said. The state president of the Ex-Servicemen League, Brigadier G Anandakuttan said the issue would be taken up with the national leadership of the organization and through them with the armed forces headquarters. The canteen managers have communicated to their headquarters in New Delhi on this development. Some of the canteen managers are trying to open a new entrance to the IMFL outlets so that they would be able to abide by the distance norm set by the Supreme Court. Major Ashok Tara was assigned yet another crucial mission just a day after 93,000 Pakistani troops led by General AAK 'Tiger" Niazi had surrendered to Indian forces after their famous "dash for Dacca" during the December 1971 war. Already awarded the Vir Chakra in the Battle of Gangasagar a few days ago, 29-year-old Tara was told to rescue Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's wife and family, which included his 24-year-old daughter Sheikh Hasina and her child. TOI The family was being held hostage by a dozen trigger-happy Pakistani troops at a fortified house in the Dhanmandi area, just 20 minutes away from the Dacca airport. Tara, accompanied by only three soldiers, managed the task with sheer pluck and presence of mind, without a drop of blood being shed on either side, to the Bangabandhu family's eternal gratefulness. On Saturday, 46 years later, Colonel Tara (retired) was among those who shared the spotlight with PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina at the "Sommanona Ceremony" here to honour the 1971 war martyrs. BCCL "Sheikh Hasinaji was very happy to see me and my wife Abha. She told Modiji that I had helped rescue her and her family all alone, without any weapons," said Tara, speaking to TOI after the ceremony. India, incidentally, lost 3,843 soldiers in the swift 13-day war that reduced Pakistan to abject helplessness and led to the liberation of Bangladesh. But among all the bravehearts, Tara has a special personal connect with the first family of Bangladesh. On that wintry day in 1971, Tara and his three soldiers drove to Dhanmandi, only to be stopped by a nervous crowd before they could reach the house where the family was imprisoned. Wikimedia Pointing to a scorched car stopped in its tracks, with its driver dead inside, the people told Tara it was extremely dangerous to proceed ahead. Taking stock of the situation, even as the Pakistani soldiers trained their machine guns and rifles at him, Tara left his own weapon with his soldiers and went ahead on his own to the house. The Pakistani soldiers, who it is believed had instructions to kill the entire family in the event of any contingency, warned him he would be shot if he came any closer. Using a mix of Punjabi and Hindi, Tara tried to convince the Pakistani troops, who had lost communication with their superiors, to lay down their arms amid nerve-wracking moments. "They had no idea that the Pakistani army had surrendered, Dhaka had fallen and the war was well and truly over," said Tara. K Asif "I told them an unarmed Indian officer would not be standing in front of them if that was not the case," he said, even pointing to some Indian helicopters flying overhead to underline his assertion. The stand-off finally eased, with Tara assuring the Pakistani soldiers that they would return to their families unharmed. The Bangabandhu family emerged unscathed, and the rest is history. In June 2012, PM Sheikh Hasina conferred the "Friend of Bangladesh" award on Tara, who was commissioned into 14 Guards in the Indian Army in 1963 and retired as a Colonel in 1994. After a successful hip replacement operation at the Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad last February, Afghan youth Abdul Kahar is all set to fly back to his home town Paktika. BCCL It was two years ago that a bullet pierced Kahar's hip after he was caught in a crossfire between extremists and Afghan security forces. He arrived in India after a fellow Afghan told him the Osmania General Hospital in the city would treat him. His father, Abdul Razaq, speaking in Urdu with a thick Pashtun accent says that both are indebted to the city for its kindness and the government which paid for Kahar's treatment through the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "It is not a small thing to spend thousands of rupees on us strangers. The people of this city have been very kind," he says. BCCL Kahar and Razaq wish to express their gratitude to the Telangana government before they leave. "Afghanistan jaane se pehle hum iss hukoomat ko shukriya kehna chaahte hain (We want to thank this government before we leave for Afghanistan)," Razaq says. Responding to the Afghan's request for a meeting, municipal administration and urban development department minister K T Ramarao said that it would be a 'delight' to meet the Afghans before they leave. Owing to the ridiculous fear towards the Muslim community, China has introduced new restrictions in the far western region of Xinjiang, in a campaign against Islamist extremism. Touching extreme measures, China introduced some ridiculous measures, prohibiting "abnormally" long beards, the wearing of veils in public places and refusing to watch state television. dailystar Xinjiang, the homeland of Uighurs, a traditionally Muslim group is the region where these rules have been enforced. The rules that come across as desperate measures to handle sprouting fear has already given birth to several clashes in the region. The Chinese government has blamed Islamist militants and separatists. CNN But some of the rights groups from the region blame the repressive policies as one of the major causes of the unrest in the region. The new law also bans not allowing children to attend government schools, not abiding by family planning policies, deliberately damaging legal documents and marrying using only religious procedures. The rules have further demanded all the workers to dissuade those who fully cover their bodies, including veiling their faces. As a result, these people will be restricted from entering all the public places and will be reported to the police. maierandmaierphotography These restrictions have been approved by the Xinjiang lawmakers and have been posted on their official website. Among many other bans that are already fully functional in China, the new ones add no glory to the ludicrous list. In reality, they are a testament to the dictatorship and tyranny in the region. Indian and Chinese navies joined hands to save a Tuvalu-flagged container ship with 19 Filipino crew members which was attacked by pirates late on Saturday night in the Gulf of Aden, an official said here on Sunday. BCCL Responding to an alert from UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the Indian Navy deployed its warships INS Mumbai, INS Trishul, INS Aditya and INS Tarkash which were on a mission to the Mediterranean, to help the 21,000-ton bulk cargo carrier sailing from Kelang Port in Malaysia to Port of Aden. Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with the crew, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard. An Indian Navy helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitize" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. PTI/Representational Image Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, a Chinese naval team boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover. They carried out a full search of the vessel and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship under cover of darkness after their attempt to hijack the vessel was foiled. The Syrian WMD Show Was Trump's Production By Moon Of Alabama April 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - The "chemical attack" at Khan Sheikoun was fake and a show, though some people in there were probably real victims of war. This video for example, of doctors and patients in emergence rooms was theater , taken over a longer time period. The main presenter was a well-known Takfiri but with links to British services. The whole show was perfected, by specialists one would think, to fit for U.S. screens. The male "victims" were clean shaven, despite living in al-Qaeda land. They even had two blond "Syrian" kids in there (vid) to convince the racists that "revenge" was needed. Dilbert creator Scott Adams, one of the few who understood Trump's persuasion style and predicted his win, remarks : It is almost as if someone designed this tragedy to be camera-ready for President Trumps consumption. It pushed every one of his buttons. Hard. And right when things in Syria were heading in a positive direction. ... Im going to call bullshit on the gas attack. Its too on-the-nose, as Hollywood script-writers sometimes say, meaning a little too perfect to be natural. This has the look of a manufactured event. ... So how does a Master Persuader respond to a fake war crime? He does it with a fake response, if hes smart. The response by the U.S. was not completely fake but as small as it could be. The base was warned and had been evacuated. All movable and valuable stuff had been taken away. The attack was even smaller than planned. Russia says only 23 out of 59 cruise missiles hit the base. The others were shot down by air defense or diverted by Electronic Counter Measures. The Pentagon insists that all 59 hit. But the pictures and video from the base only show damage to 11 aircraft shelters. Additionally one radar, one missile launcher and a fuel depot were hit. That effect is too small for 59 impacts. The base was in use again 12 hours after the strike. The attack on it was not really serious. Adams makes it look as if Trump did not sign off on the whole stunt before it happened. As if it was made for Trumps consumption. Why does he think so? Does he believe the CIA bureaucrats would not ask for a direct order from the president before launching such a risky operation? The pictures and scenes were not constructed for Trump's consumption. They were constructed for consumption by the "western" public. They followed Trump's persuasion style. The same style he used during the campaign and that let him win. Trump had several reasons to create such an incident . This was a stunt to his liking. It was his production. The blond children allowed for his Beautiful babies were cruelly murdered ... punch line. Trump proudly produced and presented to you: "Trump the President". The whole show was designed to let Trump look strong and presidential and to get rid of the "Russia Gate" nonsense the neocons ran against him. The prospect of stopping those attacks was an offer he could not refuse. Here a tweet of mine sent on the evening before the attack was launched: Moon of Alabama @MoonofA Prediction: If Trump now commits to war on Syria the anti-Trump "Russia spies" campaign will immediately stop. Ransom paid, hostage released 8:23 PM - 6 Apr 2017 Those who warned that Trump would launch a new world war now laud him for nearly doing so: Editorial boards of NYT, WaPo, WSJ, USAToday, DailyNews, SJ Mercury News, Houston Chon & Chicago Sun Times all endorsed Trumps Syria strikes. "Russia Gate" is - for now - forgiven and forgotten. The NeverTrump-ers laud the strike and want more of them, ever more war and "regime change" in favor of al-Qaeda's rule. More strikes may well come. The precedent has been established. Whenever al-Qaeda in Idleb comes under pressure and needs help we will see another fake "chemical attack". Will Trump follow up on those? Or will he manage to set aside the outrage that will follow such "attacks" when it does not fit his plans? Was this a one-time show? Or will Trump serialize it? No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The open Syrian, Iranian and Russian response will be an intensification of the operations in Idleb. They will smash the "rebels" there by air and push more troops into that direction. The Russian organized flight coordination over Syria has been called off. Belgium already said its airforce will no longer take part in any U.S. "coalition" operation over Syria. Others will follow that example. An asymmetric response elsewhere will follow later. U.S. forces in the wider region better watch their backs. Some people have wondered why the Chinese criticism of the attack at the UN Security Council or during Xi's meeting with Trump was rather mild . The Chinese believe that the best that can happen to them is a United States bogged down in further Middle East calamities. If the U.S. is busy in Iraq, Yemen and Syria it will have fewer capacity to mess up North Korea or seek a conflict over this or that atoll in the South China Sea. I can not blame them for that position. Bonus: A truly journalistic highlight in U.S. news coverage of our time is this recommendation by CNN: Jake Tapper @jaketapper For more on Syria follow @AlabedBana 4:59pm 4 Apr 2017 Do it! Be informed! Follow the 7 year old daughter of a Syrian Takfiri in Turkey. She can not understand, speak or write English but knows the depth of international relations. Her producers will let her look more intelligent that Tapper will ever be. (For background on that M.I.T./MI-6 child exploitation see here .) 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 Here are 45 times Trump said attacking Syria was a bad idea and might start World War III . "We should not be focusing on Syria. You're going to end up in World War III over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton. Home Syria: Trumps Bush-Obama WMD Remix By Ulson Gunnar April 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " NEO " - The United States finds its increasingly clumsy, circular foreign policy looping back once again to accusations of weapons of mass destruction being inexplicably used against a civilian population, this time in Syrias northern city of Idlib currently serving as the de facto capital of terrorist organizations including various Al Qaeda affiliates, most notably the US State Department designated foreign terrorist organization, al-Nusrah Front. The allegations have already been used for a rushed US attack on Syrian forces, without any formal investigation or approval from the United Nations. There are several serious factors being intentionally omitted from this quickly evolving US-driven narrative, including: While the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa serves as the defacto capital of the Islamic State, the northern city of Idlib serves as the defacto capital for all remaining Al Qaeda affiliates in the country; The Syrian government is already winning nationwide using much more effective, conventional tactics and weapon systems. Syria is also under immense scrutiny, thus using chemical weapons would be an egregious tactical, strategic, political and military blunder, serving no purpose besides to incriminate the government and invite US-led foreign intervention; The US has already prepositioned troops in Syria, increasing their number recently and expanding the scope of their operations. It is not a coincidence that they were placed there to exert greater military force against Damascus, and now suddenly have a pretext to do so; The US has a long and sordid history of arraying false accusations against targeted states, specifically regarding the possession or use of chemical weapons and; Militant groups the US and its allies are currently arming, funding, training and providing aid to, have been caught staging serial chemical weapon attacks or fabricating evidence regarding alleged attacks that never took place. US-Backed Groups Already Implicated in Chemical Attacks in Syria The allegations of the most recent attack come from the same chorus of US-European backed organizations, fronts and media platforms that have repeatedly made similar accusations over the past six years, none of which have been verified with evidence, and with several instances being exposed as staged by militant groups themselves fighting the Syrian government. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, who exposed plans to use militant groups associated with Al Qaeda to overthrow the Syrian government as early as 2007, would publish another report in 2014 titled, The Red Line and the Rat Line , which would explain: In 2011 Barack Obama led an allied military intervention in Libya without consulting the US Congress. Last August, after the sarin attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, he was ready to launch an allied air strike, this time to punish the Syrian government for allegedly crossing the red line he had set in 2012 on the use of chemical weapons. Then with less than two days to go before the planned strike, he announced that he would seek congressional approval for the intervention. The strike was postponed as Congress prepared for hearings, and subsequently cancelled when Obama accepted Assads offer to relinquish his chemical arsenal in a deal brokered by Russia. Why did Obama delay and then relent on Syria when he was not shy about rushing into Libya? The answer lies in a clash between those in the administration who were committed to enforcing the red line, and military leaders who thought that going to war was both unjustified and potentially disastrous. Hersh would continue by explaining: Obamas change of mind had its origins at Porton Down, the defence laboratory in Wiltshire. British intelligence had obtained a sample of the sarin used in the 21 August attack and analysis demonstrated that the gas used didnt match the batches known to exist in the Syrian armys chemical weapons arsenal. The message that the case against Syria wouldnt hold up was quickly relayed to the US joint chiefs of staff. The British report heightened doubts inside the Pentagon; the joint chiefs were already preparing to warn Obama that his plans for a far-reaching bomb and missile attack on Syrias infrastructure could lead to a wider war in the Middle East. As a consequence the American officers delivered a last-minute caution to the president, which, in their view, eventually led to his cancelling the attack. Hersh would also reveal that intelligence assessments from within the US itself noted that militant groups, not the Syrian government, were the most likely culprits behind serial chemical attacks unfolding across Syrian territory: The DIA paper went on: Previous IC [intelligence community] focus had been almost entirely on Syrian CW [chemical weapons] stockpiles; now we see ANF attempting to make its own CW Al-Nusrah Fronts relative freedom of operation within Syria leads us to assess the groups CW aspirations will be difficult to disrupt in the future. The paper drew on classified intelligence from numerous agencies: Turkey and Saudi-based chemical facilitators, it said, were attempting to obtain sarin precursors in bulk, tens of kilograms, likely for the anticipated large scale production effort in Syria. The Syrian governments use of chemical weapons, when its efforts to restore order across the nation are already successfully being executed using far more effective conventional means, and as it does so under the scrutiny of an international order led by the US eager to justify the direct use of US military might against Damascus would be absolutely inexplicable. Omitted Evidence, Familiar Lies The US-European media sources attempting to ratchet up the narrative implicating the Syrian government have conveniently left out whatever motive would have been behind this pointless, ineffective, and provocative use of chemical weapons the UN itself has already confirmed the government turned over years ago. And if Hershs narrative regarding former US President Barack Obama attempting to rush to war based on falsified information sounds familiar, it is because his predecessor, former US President George Bush did likewise in regards to the invasion and protracted occupation of Iraq. A million would perish due to Americas war with Iraq, based on what is now verified as intentionally falsified intelligence built upon the same collection of US-European backed organizations, fronts and media platforms now being used against Syria. Playing the part of Bush-Obama, is current US President Donald Trump, who, like Bush-Obama ran on a platform of reversing dangerous and unpopular US foreign interventions, but who is now entirely backtracking on campaign promises and has become merely the latest to take up the regime change torch. Trumps Turn to Carry the Regime-Change Torch The Associated Press in an article titled, Trump has strong words after Syria attack but what next? , would attempt to claim: 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 Syrias embattled leader and former President Barack Obama for the countrys 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 Obamas own red line. With US troops already prepositioned in Syria, Russia reeling from US-organized mobs in the streets and US-Persian Gulf sponsored terrorism unfolding beneath them in its metro systems, the latest alleged sarin attack is most certainly yet another staged event, just as was exposed and described by Seymour Hersh in 2014. Trump, like Obama and Bush before him, has omitted any substantial evidence implicating the Syrian government, and like his predecessors, he is attempting to rush the nation and its allies into a course of action before evidence and reason can be applied to unraveling the events surrounding this latest incident. Also omitted from the Trump administrations rhetoric, as well as that of voices across US-European media, is the fact that Idlib is the defacto capital of Al Qaeda affiliates. In other words, the US is attempting to rush into action in defense of one of the last remaining, and now endangered bastions of Al Qaeda in Syria. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter With US missiles already sailing into Syrian military targets and as the US attempts to stampede the world into further action, even notoriously dishonest propagators of US propaganda, including the Associated Press, have aired doubts about the latest attack. In APs aforementioned article, it also states: 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 Assads military. Chlorine isnt a banned chemical substance, though it cannot be used as a weapon of war. AP also claims that witnesses saw Syrian and Russian jets engaged in the alleged attacks. Russias motivation for deploying chemical weapons across a battlefield it has utterly frustrated Americas agenda upon defies logic and reason. A US-sponsored, staged attack, however, makes perfect sense and fits well into a pattern of deceit, murder and mayhem that has punctuated virtually all aspects of modern American foreign policy. Even as the repercussions of American deceit versus Iraq continue to unfold in cities like Mosul, the US appears poised to predicate another entire war and the destruction of another entire nation on tales of weapons of mass destruction. Ulson Gunnar , a New York-based geopolitical analyst and writer especially for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook . 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 Lest we forget: U.S. 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime' January 29, 2013 : Leaked emails from defense contractor refers to chemical weapons saying 'the idea is approved by Washington' Here are 45 times Trump said attacking Syria was a bad idea and might start World War III . "We should not be focusing on Syria. You're going to end up in World War III over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton. Why would Assad attack civilians not military? Its simply irrational U.S. Senator Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page The Spoils of War: Trump Lavished With Media and Bipartisan Praise For Bombing Syria By Glenn Greenwald April 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Intercept " - In every type of government, nothing unites people behind the leader more quickly, reflexively or reliably than war. Donald Trump now sees how true that is, as the same establishment leaders in U.S. politics and media who have spent months denouncing him as a mentally unstable and inept authoritarian and unprecedented threat to democracy are standing and applauding him as he launches bombs at Syrian government targets. Trump, on Thursday night, ordered an attack that the Pentagon said included the launching of 59 Tomahawk missiles which targeted aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars. The governor of Homs, the Syrian province where the attack occurred, said early this morning that the bombs killed seven civilians and wounded nine. The Pentagons statement said the attack was in retaliation for the regime of Bashar Assad using nerve agents to attack his own people. Both Syria and Russia vehemently deny that the Syrian military used chemical weapons. When asked about this yesterday by the Globe and Mails Joanna Slater, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged an investigation to determine what actually happened before any action was contemplated, citing what he called continuing questions about who is responsible: But U.S. war fever waits for nothing. Once the tidal wave of American war frenzy is unleashed, questioning the casus belli is impermissible. Wanting conclusive evidence before bombing commences is vilified as sympathy with and support for the foreign villain (the same way that asking for evidence of claims against Russia instantly converts one into a Kremlin agent or stooge). That the Syrian government deliberately used chemical weapons to bomb civilians became absolute truth in U.S. discourse within less than 24 hours even though Trudeau urged an investigation, even though it was denied in multiple capitals around the world, and even though Susan Rice just two months ago boasted to NPR : We were able to get the Syrian government to voluntarily and verifiably give up its chemical weapons stockpile. Whatever happened with this event, the Syrian government has killed hundreds of thousands of people over the past five years in what began as a citizen uprising in the spirit of the Arab Spring, and then morphed into a complex proxy war involving foreign fighters, multiple regional powers, ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Russia. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The CIA has spent more than a billion dollars a year to arm anti-Assad rebels for years , and the U.S. began bombing Syria in 2014 the 7th predominantly Muslim country bombed by Obama and never stopped. Trump had already escalated that bombing campaign, culminating in a strike last month that Syrians say destroyed a mosque and killed dozens . What makes this latest attack new is that rather than allegedly targeting terrorist sites of ISIS and Al Qaeda, it targets the Syrian government something Obama threatened to do in 2013 but never did. Leading Congressional Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi quickly praised Trumps bombing while raising concerns about process. Hours before the bombing commenced, as it was known Trump was planning it, Hillary Clinton who has been critical of Obama for years for not attacking Assad appeared at an event and offered her categorical support for what Trump was planning: WATCH: Hillary Clinton said U.S. should attack Assad's airfields hours before missile strike. More: https://t.co/BQ6AEMNpZh pic.twitter.com/GtiAjJE7sK NBC News (@NBCNews) April 7, 2017 The Trump White House is preliminarily indicating that this was a limited strike, designed to punish Assad for his use of chemical weapons, rather than a new war to remove him. But such aggression, once unleashed, is often difficult to contain. The Russian and Iranian governments, both supportive of Assad, have bitterly denounced Trump for the attack , with a Putin spokesman calling it a significant blow for U.S.-Russian relations. Russia already announced retaliation in the form of suspending cooperation agreements. Even if it is contained, there are endless implications from Trumps initiation of military force against the Syrian Government. For now, here are ten critical points highlighted by all of this: 1. New wars will always strengthen Trump: as they do for every leader. The US Provided Cover for Saudi Starvation Strategy in Yemen By Gareth Porter April 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Truth Out " - As Yemen's population has teetered on the brink of mass starvation in recent months, the United States has played a crucial role in enabling the Saudi strategy responsible for that potential humanitarian catastrophe. Both the Obama and Trump administrations have prioritized the US's alliance with the Saudis and their Gulf allies over the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis under imminent threat of starvation. Although the UN agencies have offered no public estimate of the number of Yemenis who have died of malnutrition-related conditions, it is likely that the figure is much higher than the estimate of 10,000 killed directly by the Saudi-coalition bombing. United Nations agencies have estimated that 462,000 Yemeni children under five years of age are already suffering severe acute malnutrition, putting them at serious risk of death from starvation and malnutrition-related disease. The Saudi coalition has pursued a war strategy of maximizing pressure on the Houthi resistance by destroying agricultural, health and transportation infrastructure and by choking off access to food and fuel for most of Yemen's population. The United States has enabled the Saudis to pursue that strategy by refueling the Saudi-led coalition planes bombing Yemen and selling the bombs. Equally important, however, the US has provided the political-diplomatic cover that the Saudis need to carry out this ruthless endeavor without massive international blowback. The Trump administration has gone even further in supporting the Saudi strategy. Whereas the Obama administration opposed a Saudi-led coalition offensive to regain control over the main port of Hodeidah and the rest of the Red Sea coast, saying it would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the Trump administration has clearly given the green light to the Saudis to launch that offensive. Furthermore the commander of Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, has called Yemen a "vital interest" of the United States, arguing that anti-Iranian forces must be in control of it to prevent Iranian threats to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. That argument, which conjures a wholly artificial threat to commercial traffic through the Strait, clearly implies active support for the Saudi strategy of recapturing Hodeidah and choking off all access to food for the portion of the Yemeni population under the control of forces loyal to the Houthi and to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. But the Obama administration had already acquiesced to a series of moves by the Saudi-led coalition to impose ever-tighter restrictions on the population's access to food, fuel and medical supplies. A coalition of Houthi rebels and troops loyal to former President Saleh had driven the US- and Saudi-backed Saudi-supported President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi from power in 2015, and he ultimately escaped from Aden to Riyadh. The Saudis sought and obtained the support of the Obama administration for a war to reinstall the Hadi government by force. But the Saudi-led coalition advance soon stalled, as the Houthi-Saleh forces demonstrated their mastery of guerrilla tactics. So the Saudis started to rely on a strategy that deprived the population in the Houthi-Saleh area of control of food and fuel. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The administration's permissive stance toward the Saudi war strategy was evident from the beginning of the war. When the United Nations Security Council was negotiating the April 2015 resolution on Yemen, the original text circulated for discussion included a requirement for "humanitarian pauses" in military operations, but after the Saudis and other coalition members objected vigorously to the language, it was dropped from the final text, according to journalist Sharif Abdel Khouddous . The Saudi coalition quickly revealed the essence of its strategy in Yemen: to impose extreme hardship on the population in Houthi-controlled governorates. The strategy included not only bombing raids that targeted Yemen's fragile infrastructure for transportation, food production and medical care, but a naval blockade, ostensibly to prevent any arms from reaching Yemen, but also clearly intended to limit severely the population's access to foodstuffs and fuel. Even in peacetime, Yemen is dependent on imports for 90 percent of its staple foods as well as virtually all of its fuel and medical supplies. The consequences of the blockade on the nutrition and health of the civilian population were bound to be devastating. Oxfam-America humanitarian policy adviser Scott Paul testified to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in January 2017 that, after imposing a naval blockade, the Saudi-led coalition had begun to withhold or delay permission for major commercial and humanitarian vessels to berth in Yemen ports. The coalition held up approval of the delivery of such shipments for weeks, and food often spoiled. "By setting up an arbitrary and onerous regime," Paul told the Commission, the coalition created a "de facto blockade" preventing food, fuel and medicine from reaching the population. The climax of the blockade strategy was a series of airstrikes on August 17, 2015, that destroyed all of the cranes used to unload container ships at the main commercial port of Hodeidah, Yemen's only port capable of receiving such ships. The strikes also destroyed an entire World Food Program warehouse, one of the berths, the port authority warehouse, the port control building and the customs building. By February 2016, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as a result of the Saudi blockade was already worse than Syria's. The UN Security Council had a series of meetings about humanitarian access in both Syria and Yemen, and the members of the Council agreed that resolutions should guarantee humanitarian access -- the ability to get food and other humanitarian assistance -- to those in need in both countries. But once again, after the Saudis intervened with the United States and its European allies to oppose such a resolution on Yemen, the idea was dropped . In mid-2016 the Saudis and the Hadi government began planning a much more drastic form of pressure on the population in the Houthi-Saleh-controlled North: eliminating the last institutional barrier to starvation, the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY). The CBY, which was located in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, was playing a key role in providing a minimum of liquidity in the society. It was paying the monthly salaries of 1.2 million people on the government payroll, the vast majority of who were still loyal to former president Saleh and are now fighting the Saudi-led coalition forces alongside the Houthis. It was also financing the commercial shipments of food and fuel still arriving at Hodeidah and other ports. The international financial institutions -- with the support of Western governments, including the United States -- understood the crucial role of the CBY as an "economic truce" between the warring Yemeni parties that was a necessity to avoid a complete humanitarian catastrophe. But in early July Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr of the Saudi-backed government in Aden explicitly criticized that "economic truce" indicating the intention to bring it to an end. And on August 6, bin Daghr accused the CBY of having used its funds to finance the Houthi-Saleh war effort and called on banks and financial institutions holding large Yemeni foreign reserves to cut off relations with the CBY. The bank's governor, Mohammed Awad bin Humam, a highly respected technocrat, wrote a letter to President Hadi denying the charge and proposing that the IMF send a reputable accounting firm to verify his staff's management of the bank's accounts. In a press briefing on September 1, IMF press spokesman Gerry Rice endorsed bin Human's proposal and confirmed that the CBY had played "a crucial role in facilitating minimum levels of import of basic food items, fuel and medicine" over the previous 16 months and had "averted an all-out humanitarian crisis." But in mid-September the Hadi government went ahead with its plan to name a new governor of the Central Bank, who would serve in Aden, which was under Saudi coalition control. An unnamed Western diplomat harshly criticized the move to Reuters, calling it an effort to "weaponize the economy by preventing the central bank access to funds abroad." The Hadi government promised that the relocated CBY would continue to maintain the bank's role in providing liquidity and financing imports. In fact, none of Yemen's civil servants have been paid since the Sanaa-based CBY was cut off from Yemen's foreign currency reserves abroad, further increasing the number of Yemenis who can no longer purchase food. Oxfam humanitarian affairs adviser Scott Paul recalled in an interview that Obama administration officials had told him that they had informed the Saudis that they disapproved of the Hadi government's decision. But the administration said nothing about the move publicly, signaling that it had decided to accept the move. "The idea that the administration should tell the Saudis that Hadi had to back off his replacement of the Central bank governor was never going to fly," said Paul. Obama was unwilling to override Saudi policy because of his administration's firm commitment to the alliance with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies. In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 9, 2017, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Dafna Rand recalled that the administration's policy toward Yemen had reflected "unconditional support for the coalition," because of what she called "our deep loyalty to our allies" and their aims in regard to Iran. That "deep loyalty" primarily reflects the overriding US interest in military relations with the Saudis and their Gulf allies. The Saudis and Qataris control the major US bases in the Arab world, such as the naval base in Bahrain -- a Saudi client state -- and the air and ground bases in Qatar. Moreover the Saudi-led coalition had accounted for $130 billion in US arms sales during the Obama administration alone, generating crucial foreign revenues for major arms contractors and more lucrative future jobs for senior military officers. So it should come as no surprise that the Pentagon has been the main driver in the US policy of supporting the Saudi strategy of starvation. In August 2016, the Saudis bombed a bridge that the Obama administration had put on a list of targets that were not to be hit, because it was crucial to getting humanitarian goods to population centers in northern Yemen. But the administration did nothing in response. In fact, the Pentagon openly declared its disinterest in which targets the Saudis and their Gulf allies were actually hitting. A spokesman at the Central Command told journalist Samuel Oakford that the US refueled the coalition's jets without regard to the target or whether and how it had been vetted, and that if the Saudis decided on more bombing targets, the command would refuel more missions. The United States shares responsibility with the Saudi-led coalition for the Yemeni deaths from starvation that will result from the Saudi war strategy, because of the coalition's dependence on US logistical and political-diplomatic support. But the Pentagon and the Central Command are already actively diverting attention from that shared guilt by focusing media attention on what they claim is a new threat from Iran. The result will be to compound the US guilt for mass starvation in Yemen. Gareth Porter is an independent investigative journalist and historian writing on US national security policy. His latest book, Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, was published in February of 2014. Follow him on Twitter: @GarethPorter . Home Donald Trump Is An International Law Breaker By Colonel W. Patrick Lang April 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Donald Trump's decision to launch cruise missile strikes on a Syrian Air Force Base was based on a lie. In the coming days the American people will learn that the Intelligence Community knew that Syria did not drop a military chemical weapon on innocent civilians in Idlib. Here is what happened: The Russians briefed the United States on the proposed target. This is a process that started more than two months ago. There is a dedicated phone line that is being used to coordinate and deconflict (i.e., prevent US and Russian air assets from shooting at each other) the upcoming operation. The United States was fully briefed on the fact that there was a target in Idlib that the Russians believes was a weapons/explosives depot for Islamic rebels. The Syrian Air Force hit the target with conventional weapons. All involved expected to see a massive secondary explosion. That did not happen. Instead, smoke, chemical smoke, began billowing from the site. It turns out that the Islamic rebels used that site to store chemicals, not sarin, that were deadly. The chemicals included organic phosphates and chlorine and they followed the wind and killed civilians. There was a strong wind blowing that day and the cloud was driven to a nearby village and caused casualties. We know it was not sarin. How? Very simple. The so-called "first responders" handled the victims without gloves. If this had been sarin they would have died. Sarin on the skin will kill you. How do I know? I went through "Live Agent" training at Fort McClellan in Alabama. There are members of the U.S. military who were aware this strike would occur and it was recorded. There is a film record. At least the Defense Intelligence Agency knows that this was not a chemical weapon attack. In fact, Syrian military chemical weapons were destroyed with the help of Russia. This is Gulf of Tonkin 2. How ironic. Donald Trump correctly castigated George W. Bush for launching an unprovoked, unjustified attack on Iraq in 2003. Now we have President Donald Trump doing the same damn thing. Worse in fact. Because the intelligence community had information showing that there was no chemical weapon launched by the Syrian Air Force. Here's the good news. The Russians and Syrians were informed, or at least were aware, that the attack was coming. They were able to remove a large number of their assets. The base the United States hit was something of a backwater. Donald Trump gets to pretend that he is a tough guy. He is not. He is a fool. This attack was violation of international law. Donald Trump authorized an unjustified attack on a sovereign country. What is even more disturbing is that people like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and NSA Director General McMaster went along with this charade. Front line troops know the truth. These facts will eventually come out. Donald Trump will most likely not finish his term as President. He will be impeached, I believe, once Congress is presented with irrefutable proof that he ignored and rejected intelligence that did not support the myth that Syria attacked with chemical weapons. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter It should also alarm American taxpayers that we launched $100 million dollars of missiles to blow up sand and camel shit. The Russians were aware that a strike was coming. I'm hoping that they and the Syrians withdrew their forces and aircraft from the base. Whatever hope I had that Donald Trump would be a new kind of President, that hope is extinguished. He is a child and a moron. He committed an act of war without justification. But the fault is not his alone. Those who sit atop the NSC, the DOD, the CIA, the Department of State should have resigned in protest. They did not. They are complicit in a war crime. Colonel W. Patrick Lang is a retired senior officer of U.S. Military Intelligence and U.S. Army Special Forces (The Green Berets). He served in the Department of Defense both as a serving officer and then as a member of the Defense Senior Executive Service for many years. He is a highly decorated veteran of several of Americas overseas conflicts including the war in Vietnam. He was trained and educated as a specialist in the Middle East by the U.S. Army and served in that region for many year. http://turcopolier.typepad.com/ 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 Lest we forget: U.S. 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime' January 29, 2013 : Leaked emails from defense contractor refers to chemical weapons saying 'the idea is approved by Washington' Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page Aliko Dangote celebrates his 60th birthday today, so we have decided to share some facts you never knew about Africas richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. His business is presented in a lot of countries. As of January 2015, Dangote had an estimated net worth of US$18.6 billion.He made his fortune is cement, sugar and flour. In April 2014, months before oil prices plunged, he announced $9 billion in financing from a consortium of local and international lenders to construct a private oil refinery and fertilizer and petrochemical complex in the country. In August 2014 he said he would invest $1 billion in commercial rice farming and modern rice mills. His publicly traded Dangote Cement is also grabbing new markets in Africa, with $750 million in new plants planned for Kenya and Niger. His net worth tumbled from $25 billion in February 2014 as a result of a weaker Nigerian currency and a drop in demand for cement. He made his first fortune more than three decades ago when he started trading commodities with a loan from his powerful uncle. Here are few of his financial secrets : 1. He once worked for someone Dangote worked for his uncle, Sani Dangote. He served his master diligently. He acted in accordance to the statement which says if you must lead, you must serve. It was while working for his uncle that he gathered experience, skills and confidence. 2. He took a loan to start his business Aliko Dangote started his business with the NGN 500,000 loan he took from his uncle/master. He approached his uncle in 1977 and told him about his plan to establish a business outfit and his uncle gave him the loan to start the business. However, he was given a three-month-deadline and he repaid the loan in three months. 3. He kicked off his business by trading in commodities Sugar, rice, pasta, salt, cotton, millet, cocoa, textile and vegetable oil were the commodities he started his business with. He was importing these commodities into Nigeria. 4. He developed a strong distribution network Since production is not complete until the goods reach the final consumer, Dangote developed a strong distribution channel that made his goods delivered faster than his competitors goods. 5. He leaped from importation to manufacturing After some years in his importation business, Aliko Dangote transformed into a producer of products he was importing. In one of his statements, he revealed that changing from an importer to a manufacturer has so far been his best move. The move produced Dangote Group, an organization that controls over 13 companies. 6. He built a brand Dangote built a vibrant brand for his business. He corroborated this during an interview by saying to succeed in business, you must build a brand and never destroy it. One competitive advantage I had when I ventured into manufacturing was my brand (Dangote), which I diligently built in the course of my trading. 7. He sells cheap quality products In his mission to gain the loyalty of his customers, Dangote started selling his competitive products at cheaper rates compared to his competitors rates. 8. He had a big breakthrough Dangotes networking skills and ability to make unprecedented connections made him record the major breakthrough he needed for the prosperity of his business. His break through emerged when he acquired the license to import cement. 9. He works pretty hard As an astute businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote spends most of his time strategizing and brainstorming on how to grow his business. Reports have it that he sleeps by 2:00 am and wakes up by 5:00 am everyday. Can you beat that? 10. He obeys the laws of the land Unlike other cunning businessmen, Dangote is an upright man as far as abiding by the rules and regulations governing the ethics of business are concerned. He keeps his credit records as well as his tax records tidy and he preaches that business should be done as stipulated by the regulatory bodies. Source: ( Naija.com ) The 2018 national population census proposed by the Federal government will cost an estimated N272bn, according to the Director-General of the National Population Commission, Dr. Ghaji Bello. Bello told a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria in New York that the Federal Government was expected to fund the exercise by only 51 per cent while the international donor community would fund the remaining 49 per cent. The submission we have made to the Federal Government is in the region of N272bn. But the good thing is that that the N272bn is not for one single year. It is spread along a four-year tenure. Theres pre-census activities, that is the preparation; the actual census proper itself and the post-census enumeration activities. So maybe you are looking at an average of maybe N40bn in the first year, another N100bn during the actual census itself and then the balance during the last year. But the beauty again is that not all the resources are normally provided by the government of the federation. The international community does come in and supporters like EU, USAID ; from the previous record that we have, the ratio is 51 to 49 per cent. The 51 per cent is provided by the Federal Government while the 49 per cent is provided by the international donor community. Therefore, it is something that once government makes a proclamation, then it means that the country is ready and the international community will come and support the government, he said. Bello also said there was the need for the government to leverage on the international community to help with the necessary assistance, adding that this would go a long way in defraying the cost. Normally, there is no country that does census on its own and more so, it is a very capital-intensive activity. Funding is important because we have to demarcate. There is an exercise that is called Enumeration Area Demarcation which is supposed to be the foundation or the building block of census. And that is supposed to be carried out in every hamlet, every village, every local government, every household and then the entire nation. That is normally a costly exercise, very expensive. And of course, up till now we have only been able to do 74 local governments out of 774. It means we have done only 10 per cent. So for us to be able to do the remaining 700 local governments, it means there is a lot of work to do. Essentially we are on track; we have the capacity in-house but again there are quite a number of things, unless you are funded, you wont be able to move forward, Bello said. According to him, census will enable the government to have correct data about its citizens in order to aid proper planning. That planning means you are going to optimise in terms of your allocation of resources to those sectors that really need that intervention. Census has implication for trade, for manufacturing and for security because we will have the biometrics of every Nigerian. Then it means making life easy for security outfits like the police, EFCC, ICPC and the military because you can monitor even the scene of crime from the data that you have collected. So serious countries actually collect data and it is the data that they use in order to govern their society, he said. (NAN) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 33-year-old Nigerian who was travelling to Indonesia, for having narcotics with him at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Another man identified as, Lotachukwu Umeme, who was holding a Cote d lvoire International passport bearing the name Grou Bi Clauvis, was also arrested while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Indonesia. After he tested positive for narcotic ingestion, 89 wraps of narcotics found to be methamphetamine weighing 1.205 kilogrammes were recovered from him, said in a statement on Saturday. Ahmadu Garba, the NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, said preliminary investigation conducted by the agency revealed that the suspect hails from Anambra State with the name Umeme Lotachukwu Fabian. He attended Boys Secondary School Onitsha where he graduated in 2007. After his secondary education, he started selling clothes at Onitsha main market before he travelled to India in search of greener pastures in 2013 and returned to the country in 2015. He also had an identity card claiming he is from Abidjan, Mr. Garba said. Mr. Umeme, while under observation at the airport, excreted 89 wraps of narcotics that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.205kg. According to the NDLEA, the suspect said he was offered the sum of $5,000 to smuggle drugs to Indonesia. I am the only son of my parents. I wanted to invest the money in my clothes business and also commence preparation for my marriage in a bid to settle down, Mr. Umeme said. He also said he was not aware that drug trafficking attracts capital punishment in Indonesia. Muhammad Abdallah, the NDLEA Chairman, while expressing satisfaction with the arrest, promised to investigate the identity falsification by the suspect. He said, This is a very dangerous development as the suspect could have been consigned to the gallows under a false identity. Mr. Abdallah warned that those contemplating drug trafficking must endeavour to avoid acts of criminality and have respect for the sanctity of their lives. Drug cartels can be very daring in their manipulation but we are poised to counter their devices. The agency shall carry out a comprehensive investigation into this case in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, Mr. Abdallah said. The NDLEA said the suspect would be charged to court soon. Source: ( Premium Times ) The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, has debunked the news making the round that two persons have died of from cerebrospinal meningitis, CSM, in Lagos. The Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control had on April 7, released statistics of States that have recorded deaths of the disease in the country with Lagos having two deaths. The statistics also indicated that three cases have been recorded in the state so far. A statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Adeola Salako on Sunday quoted the commissioner as saying that the report was false and capable of causing undue panic. The report carried by some newspapers and online platforms is untrue and does not represent the reality of the situation in Lagos State as at today. For the avoidance of doubt, there are two main types of meningitis. The epidemic prone meningitis, which is referred to as Cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), is caused by a bacteria called Neisseria Meningitides. Its occurrence is seasonal or cyclical, depending on the level of herd immunity and climatic conditions. The second type of meningitis is Non-Epidemic Meningitis, which is usually caused by a virus or other bacteria, but not by Neisseria Meningitides. The Non-epidemic meningitis occurs without any seasonal pattern or periodicity, Mr. Idris was quoted as saying. The commissioner said that a Disease Surveillance Notification Officer in the Lagos Island Local Government, had sometime in March reported nine suspected cases of meningitis from Massey Street Children Hospital with two deaths. He said, however, that none of these was confirmed as due to CSM. Although, all the nine cases presented with clinical features of meningitis at that hospital, laboratory tests proved that they were either due to Haemophilus influenza or Streptococcus pneumoniae and not Neisseria meningitides. The ministry was also notified last week of a three-year-old boy, presenting clinically as meningitis at a registered private facility in Lagos, but the laboratory investigations did not confirm CSM. The blood culture yielded no growth but the urine culture yielded Klebsiella and not meningococcus; the patient is already responding to treatment. None of these cases, presented with a history of recent travel to any area with an outbreak of meningitis and neither were visits from such areas recorded with the aforementioned cases. Mr. Idris urged the public to observe a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene as a preventive measure against the outbreak of the disease. He said that such hygiene measures should include washing of hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly. Also, avoid direct contact with the discharges from an infected person and covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. It is strongly advised that people should avoid overcrowding in living quarters, provide cross ventilation in sleeping and work-rooms and other places where many people come together. People should get vaccinated with CSM vaccine when they travel to areas where meningitis outbreaks have been reported. Mr. Idris said people should support the government efforts in its resolve to prevent the spread of the epidemic to the state. Such support, he said, should include by reporting suspected cases to the nearest public health facility. There is no need to panic; we will continue with our surveillance activities, constantly review our records and brief the public from time to time. In Borno, the state government said on Sunday that in spite of the extremely hot weather in the state, it had yet to record any case of cerebro-spinal meningitis Haruna Mishelia, Commissioner of Health, told the News Agency of Nigeria that such a development was heart-warming and an indication that proactive measures taken, had been effective. We ensured that the state is prepared to respond to any outbreak, especially bearing in mind that we share borders with Niger Republic and the increased population movement, as well as the large concentration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). I called an emergency meeting of all health partners on Monday, to discuss the issue and ensure that the state is adequately prepared. Various technical groups were reactivated and responsible agencies identified. The rapid response team will meet weekly to review the update situation in the state, he said. The commissioner said that based on the outcome of the meeting, a number of actions were taken to prevent the disease from spreading to the state. Mr. Mishelia said surveillance teams had also been set up to monitor development in all parts of the state. Source: ( Premium Times ) Daughter of United State s of America President, Ivanka Trump has backed her dads decision to launch attack on Syria. Donald Trumps decision to bomb Syria in the wake of a chemical attack against civilians has been met with mixed receptions but Ivanka is firmly on her fathers side. She took to Twitter to express her pride at her fathers decision. The times we are living in call for difficult decisions Proud of my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against humanity https://t.co/yV0oJuC9dE Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 7, 2017 President Trumps attack on the Al Shayrat military base was in response to a sarin gas attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun, which left more than 80 people dead including at least 30 children and 20 women. Source ( Linda Ikeji ) An eye witness, Mr. James Ibri, told the News Agency of Nigeria that five gunmen came in a blue Audi car and picked Odu-Orji away as he stepped down to eat in a restaurant. Ibri said that the gunmen dropped their car and ordered the Commissioner into his Prado Jeep and drove away with him. At around 12 pm today, I was in front of one restaurant waiting for a friend when the Commissioner for Water Resources stepped down and was approaching the restaurant. Before he could get into the restaurant, some well-armed men numbering about five came in a blue Audi, parked their car by the road side and ordered the Commissioner into his car and drove away. Those guys were kidnappers because they wore mask to hide their faces, he said. ASP Irene Ugbo, the State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to NAN in a telephone interview. Ugbo said, We have received a complaint about the abduction of the Commissioner for Water Resources. He was kidnapped and taken away in his Prado Jeep today. We have deployed our men from the command and those from the intelligence department to all routes in the state with a view to release him. As we speak, all check points are thoroughly manned by our men to ensure that he is released safely. The Borno State Government has said, it is ready to evacuate 78,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back home from Cameroon. The affected IDPs fled to Cameroon at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state. The IDPs had a week ago urged the state government to facilitate their return home or they will trek back to Nigeria. Ahmad Satome, Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) told newsmen in Maiduguri that government plans to shelter the returnees in four temporary satellite camps. The issue of the 78,000 Nigerian IDPs is purely a repatriation process, it is just to get them across the Cameroonian border back home. Once they are back we will get them transported to transit camps in Kumshe, Gulumba, Ngoshe and Kirawa where they will feed for a week or thereabout, so they can stabilize before asking them where they want to go, he said. Satome said that IDPs without any place to go would be kept in the camps while those who wanted to return home would be transported home. IDPs without homes or those whose communities are unsafe will be kept in the camps while those who want to return home will be transported home. But for those who wished to remain in Cameroon they will be allowed to stay in accordance with the Geneva Convention, he said. Satome said government was focused on ensuring early return of all IDPs back to their communities especially those in areas liberated by the military. It is true that government is resolute in ensuring all IDPs return home in a dignified manner in accordance to the Kampala convention. But sometimes a lots of uncertainties come in, he said. Satome said that the continued rescue of persons by the military from terrorists enclaves had created new IDPs requiring attention. The intensed pressure by the military on Boko Haram enclaves have led to rescue of new IDPs requiring care. This means that they have to be kept in camps for care and other humanitarian services, he said. Satome said however that government was resolute in moving IDPs who were interested in going back to camps close to their homes. He said, I think it is unwise to keep 2,000 IDPs from Ngala in Maiduguri when you have about 200,000 others in Ngala town. I think that the best thing is to move those willing to camps in their respective areas from where they can gradually move home. Source : ( Pm News ) Former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi has explained how the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly plotted to kill him while he was in detention for over eight years. Mr. Bamaiyi, who is now a retired lieutenant general, was detained in October 1999 and charged for the alleged murder of the late publisher of the Guardian newspaper and former Internal Affairs Minister, Alex Ibru. In his book, Vindication of a General, Mr. Bamaiyi alleged that the Obasanjo administration was not satisfied with his arrest and detention based on trumped up charges that were orchestrated by some individuals in the military, but made efforts to eliminate him. While I was in prison, efforts were made to ensure I did not come out alive, Mr. Bamaiyi said in the 252-page book launched in Abuja a fortnight ago. A clear case was an attempt to kill me with a lethal injection while I was admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). A friend from Abuja called to advise me not to accept any injections. He had been present when it was decided, and money was made available to give me a lethal injection. I took the advice and never had any injection while in LUTH. The former army chief also alleged that efforts were made by the office of Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, to ensure he died in prison as all professional advice and recommendations of specialists were rejected. He said, After thorough examination of my ailment, LUTH recommended my going abroad for treatment, and the presiding Judge Oyewole gave a court order for me to travel. The DPP did not obey this court order but subjected me to further tests at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and sent one of their staff to see how I was examined. Their results were the same as those of LUTH. The DPP, with wicked intentions, refused this report, and I had to be taken to a private diagnostic centre, Redmed, for another test and examination, where it was clearly stated that no centre in Nigeria could diagnose my ailment. Mr. Bamaiyi explained that the DPP was left with no option but to allow him proceed for treatment at the Welcare Hospital in Dubai. He stated that he provided funds for flight tickets, medical treatment, and accommodation for his wife and the consultant who took him to Dubai where he was hospitalised for five months before returning to Nigeria. The former army chief said when he returned to Nigeria, it was clear to him that the other accused, namely James Danbaba, J.B. Yakubu, Hamza Al-Mustapha and Rabo Lawal were not ready for trial. He said as a result of the development he advised his counsel to pursue a separation for his trial which the other accused overwhelmingly opposed. WHY I WAS ARRESTED Mr. Bamaiyi claimed he was detained because the then Obasanjo administration feared he would overthrow it. As soon as Obasanjo took over, General Abubakar and some of his people told Obasanjo that if I were left free, I would overthrow General Obasanjos government. This did not surprise me because, while we were in service, General Abubakar set up a secret investigation of certain people during the Abacha rule. I had not been told, although some soldiers in the army, like Sgt. Rogers, were invited for investigation. When I had to replace my security officer, I asked Capt. Najaja to replace Capt. Bature, who was assigned to the USA. General Abubakar said Najaja was being investigated. He realised his mistake and kept quiet. I did not bother myself about the investigation because I knew I was not in any way involved in any criminal acts. I am aware that General Abacha drew the attention of his security chiefs because we complained that we were not providing security to Nigerians. The former army chief said Mr. Abubakars committee completed its assignment and gave clean bills to all those questioned. He said when Mr. Obasanjo took over, some big shots of the Peoples Democratic Party decided that, based on the report, he (Bamaiyi) had control of the army and should be arrested. The government looked for avenues to arrest me, he said. They started by checking Army account to see if I had stolen money. They spoke to the Director of Army Finance and Accounts (DAFA), Maj. Gen. Omosehi, who told them he had never worked with an officer who believed in accountability like I did. They felt disappointed. The government wanted to take my personal house at Asokoro. The NSA, General Gusau, talked to Mr. Daboul, a friend of mine who had built the house for me. He told Gen. Gusau of our agreement that I would pay for the house over ten years. This saved my house. Mr. Bamaiyi said when everything to nail him failed, the Obasanjo administration decided to revisit their investigation. According to him, Messrs. J.B. Yakubu and Najaja were forced under duress to implicate him and that gave the government the opportunity to start looking for him. The army chief, who said he shunned all entreaties from many people to run away from the country, said in October 1999, Mr. Gusau told his (Bamaiyi) younger brother, Danladi Bamaiyi, that he (Gusau) wanted to see him (Ishaya Bamaiyi). He stated, When I got to Abuja, I went to see General Gusau. He told me an investigation was on and that Commissioner of Police, Danbaba, said I had authorised him to issue a weapon with which Mr. Alex Ibru was shot. I asked him, as COAS, would I need any weapon from the police. I told him I did not know anything about it and did not believe Danbaba would have said that. He directed me to go and think about it and see him on 13 October 1999. I told him I had nothing to think about. General Gusau told me I was under arrest and directed Comd Brigade of Guards, Brig. Gen. Alex Mshelbwala, to take me to a place prepared to detain me, which turned out to be my guest house while I was COAS inside Fort IBB. Source: (Premium Times) Two lives where lost while several others where left injured as a fatal accident occurred on Saturday claimed along the Abeokuta Siun Sagamu expressway. According to an eye- witness report, he said the auto crash, which occurred around 3:45pm in front of the Police ICT College located few metres away from Kobape village, involved three cars and an Abeokuta-painted Toyota Carina taxi cab marked (Ogun) ABG 810 XA. Other cars involved included a Toyota Siena car with registration number APC 929 HU; a Nissan Pathfinder Jeep with registration number (LAGOS) KJA 311 CW as well as an unregistered Toyota Corolla Tokunbo car. The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Public Relations Officer, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the multiple auto crash to journalists attributed the cause of the multiple auto crash to speed on the part of the driver of the Toyota Sienna car. He said the driver of the Toyota Sienna car which was coming into Abeokuta, lost control of the car, skidded off its lane, with burst rear tyres, and crashed into the three other vehicles going outward Abeokuta to the Sagamu inter-change axis. Mr. Akinbiyi said the two victims died on the spot, while other commuters sustained varying degrees of injuries in the crash. He said a three-day old baby was rescued alive notwithstanding that her father and one other person died. The mother sustained legs injuries. The Agencys spokesperson said the rescue team of the agency evacuated nine victims to the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Idi Aba in Abeokuta, while good spirited Nigerians assisted in evacuating other unspecified numbers of victims who were critically injured to the State Hospital in Ijaye, Abeokuta. President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a celebatory message to the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote who clocks 60 years today. In a statement by the presidents spokesperson, Femi Adedina, he said, President Buhari joins the business world, Dangotes friends and family in congratulating the Forbes rated richest African and black man for his patriotism and kind heartedness in always making sacrifices to safeguard the health of the nation, most remarkably the polio and Ebola interventions. The President believes the global business mogul remains a shining example of the virtues of choosing entrepreneurship from an early age, treading the path of diligence, perseverance and continuous learning to build some of the worlds largest manufacturing and distribution companies, with household names in Nigeria and beyond. As Dangote clocks 60, President Buhari commends the humility, simplicity and cosmopolitan outlook of the entrepreneur who defies ethnic and religious persuasions in extending support to the poor and vulnerable, providing employment opportunities without discrimination, while inspiring and mentoring young Nigerians to greatness. The president acknowledged Mr. Dangotes role in bolstering the economy through continuous engagement and counseling of governments on best practices in promoting the ease of doing business. He prays that the almighty God will grant Dangote more wisdom, good health and longer life to serve his country and humanity, Mr. Adesina concluded. Also, a former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, also congratulated Mr. Dangote who clocks 60 on April 10, describing him as an inspiration to many people. In a letter to Mr. Dangote personally signed by him, Mr. Tinubu commended the business mogul for his boldness and bravery in taking the business risks he took, which he said have now paid off. The All Progressives congress chieftain said Mr. Dangote has broken all business barriers and is now helping to industrialise Africa, with the operations of his Dangote Group in 17 African countries and beyond. In the letter dated April 9, 2017 and released in a statement by his Media Office, Mr. Tinubu said: Your life has been an inspiration to many. From a lowly background, you rose to the top by dint of hard work and perseverance. The boldness and bravery you demonstrated in taking the business risks you took have paid off. You have shown that with resilience, we can always convert risks and challenges to opportunities. Today, you are that African man that has broken all barriers. With operations in over 17 African countries including Nigeria, the awesome Dangote Group you established is helping to industrialise Africa. You have made people and made lives a lot better through the employment opportunities you have created and your other humanitarian activities. I wish you many more years in life. I pray that Allah grants all you need to continue to impact the lives of many more people. Source: ( Premium Times ) According to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he has said that the United States is playing terrorism game in Syria. He said this on Saturday during his first phone talks with his US counterpart Rex Tillerson since the US air strikes on Syria last week. A country which battles against terrorism is just playing the terrorism game, and creates regional and global security threats, Lavrov warned Tillerson, according to a Russian foreign ministry statement. Lavrov also reaffirmed Russias position that accusations that the Syrian regime had launched a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun last week are not in line with reality. The United States on Thursday fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from warships in the Mediterranean at the Shayrat airfield near Homs in central Syria. The previous day US President Donald Trump said pictures of the Khan Sheikhun victims in agony, had an enormous impact on him. Saturdays phone call was the first between the top diplomats of Russia and the US since the strikes on the Syrian airfield. US Secretary of State Tillerson is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday for two days of talks. On Friday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow expects explanations, during Tillersons visit, for the US air strike on the Syrian airbase For his part, Tillerson on Friday said he was disappointed by Russias reaction because it indicates their continued support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. AFP The scandal between Apostle Johnson Suleman and Stephanie Otobo doesnt look like one that might be ending anytime soon. This is because Stephaine has released new evidences in Canada where she granted a new interview with Canada- based Worship Media where she released her statement of account detailing alleged transfers from Mr. Suleman. In the video, Ms. Otobo, who says she was an ex-mistress of the cleric, alleged that Mr. Suleman transferred N900,000, N200,000, and N1 million to her account on three different occasions. She also disclosed that the cleric sometimes transferred the money himself. In the no-holds-barred interview, Stephanie also narrated that she met Mr. Suleman through a friend who got married in 2015. She added that her friend gave her Mr. Sulemans contact after she asked her how she knew the person she married was meant to be her husband. Ms. Otobo also said her friend told her that a pastor in Nigeria (Mr. Suleman) revealed to her that her then fiance is her rightful husband. Narrating how their paths crossed, Ms. Otobo revealed that Mr. Suleman asked for her BBM pin after she contacted him when she flew into Nigeria in April 2015. She added that after the cleric saw her photos, he asked for more. She said Mr. Suleman then proceeded to ask her to be his girlfriend. Ms. Otobos allegations against the controversial cleric has not enjoyed the support of her parents. PREMIUM TIMES recently interviewed her mother, Bukky, at her Sapele, Delta State base. The light-complexioned woman said during the interview that she travelled to Auchi to beg Mr. Suleman because lawyers had manipulated her daughter. Apart from veiled references to the matter during church services, Mr. Suleman has not publicly reacted to the allegations in the media. His publicist, Phrank Shaibu, has however issued several statements denying the alleged illicit affair with Ms. Otobo. Ms. Otobo was recently re-arraigned by the police for alleged blackmail, threat to life, conspiracy, and intent to steal from Mr. Suleman. She was arraigned alongside her associate, Wisdom Godstime, before Magistrate Kikelomo Bukola-Ayeye of the Tinubu Magistrates Court in Lagos. Ms. Otobo and her co-defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were granted bail in the sum of N100,000 each. The case was then adjourned to April 27 for commencement of trial. This development comes a week after Ms. Otobo formally filed a petition asking the police to investigate multiple allegations against the preacher. In a letter to the Lagos State Police Commissioner, she accused Mr. Suleman of illegal procurement of abortion, threat to life, and attempted murder. Ms. Otobos petition came days after she told journalists at a press conference that her relationship with Mr. Suleman ended after the preacher began to insist he wanted a sexual activity that involved a threesome. Source: ( Premium Times ) Despite efforts by Nigeria troops and also the federal government to put an end to the menace of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, the terrorist group has continued to attack. Eight persons were slaughtered by suspected Boko Haram in a village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Saturday. According to a eye witness report identified as , Mohammed Abubakar (who is a neighbour of one of the slain persons, Abba Gana Terab), nine persons in a pick up van went in search of firewood for sale at a village near Molai where they met the prowling Boko Haram soldiers. Abubakar said they did not take to the advice of the residents of Molai that Boko Haram always prowl the area for victims who they often slaughtered. He said: They were warned by the villagers of occasional activities of insurgents and went ahead to search for firewood. They were met by the insurgents who slaughtered them and burnt their corpses. He said: One of the nine was lucky to flee from them and able to recount their ordeal to the people who went in search of the corpses of the slain eight. He lamented that one of the dead is a neighbour whom we held funeral for before the 7pm prayers. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) The United Kingdoms Foreign and Commonwealth Office has sent warnings to its citizens living in Nigeria and those planning to travel to country to be more vigilant during the Easter period. There have been pockets of suicide bombings in the North-East. The British Foreign Travel Advice, which was updated on Friday night, stated, Summary and Terrorism section: you should be particularly vigilant around the Easter period. It then provided an updated list of possible places that could be targeted by terrorist attacks in the country. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to: Borno; Yobe; Adamawa; Gombe; riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states within 20km of the border with Niger in Zamfara State. The FCO also advises against all but essential travel to: Bauchi; Zamfara; Kano; Kaduna; Jigawa; Katsina; Kogi within 20km of the border with Niger in Sokoto and Kebbi states; Jos City in Plateau State; Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau; non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states; and Abia State, the office said. It noted that there was a continuing high threat from terrorism, adding that most attacks occurred in the North-East, particularly in Borno (including central Maiduguri and along access routes into the city), Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states. The British government warned that major towns and cities remained particularly at risk, including Kano, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) At the end of 2016, Belgium introduced new legislation, giving all companies that are engaged in the cross-border relocation of assets, migration or restructuring the right to elect for the deferred payment of exit taxation (whenever triggered by such transactions). Under Article 5 (the provision on exit taxation) of the ATAD, such deferred payment regimes must be available to the companies of any EU member state. Under the ATAD, choosing the deferral option implies that the exit tax can be paid in instalments over five years. Although ATAD provides that its exit taxation rules must apply in the member states from January 1 2020, Belgium already offers this deferred payment regime for transactions carried-out from December 8 2016 (the date when the law was published in the Belgian Official Gazette). The Belgian legislator probably realised that further delay was not an option because the former regime, which provided for a one-off payment of the tax upon exit, was not compliant with the EU freedom of establishment rules, as interpreted by CJEU case law (National Grid Indus and DMC cases). Transactions qualifying for the deferred payment regime The option for the deferred payment of the exit tax is available for the following types of transfers and reorganisations: The transfer (relocation) of assets/business from a Belgian permanent establishment (PE) to the companys head office, or to another PE of the company, in another jurisdiction. To qualify, the head office or the transferee PE must be established/located in another European Economic Area (EEA) member state (not including Liechtenstein). Under Belgian domestic law, the transfer (relocation) of the assets of a Belgian PE, as well as the transfer of the business carried on by the PE, to the foreign head office or to a PE outside Belgium is, in principle, assimilated to a realisation of the assets/business, resulting in (exit) taxation of latent gains or goodwill. Under the new legislation, the company can now opt for deferred payment of the exit tax on such gains/goodwill, provided the intra-company relocation of assets/business is carried out within the EEA. Liechtensteins exclusion is because Belgium has no treaty with Liechtenstein on mutual assistance for the recovery of tax claims; The transfer by a Belgian company of its place of effective management (real seat) and/or its registered office to another EEA member state (not including Liechtenstein). Under Belgian legislation, a transfer of the real and/or registered seat to another jurisdiction is, in principle, assimilated to a deemed realisation of assets and thus triggers (exit) taxation on latent gains and goodwill. However, roll-over relief is available for intra-EU transfers to the extent that the assets remain effectively connected to a Belgian PE. Under the existing roll-over provision, no relief is available if the corporate seat is transferred to a non-EU EEA member state irrespective of whether or not the assets remain invested in a Belgian PE, which seems an unjustified difference in treatment. The Belgian legislator, however, did not extend the scope of the roll-over relief provisions, but only introduced the option for deferred payment. If exit taxation is triggered as a result of the transaction (either because the assets do not remain connected to a Belgian PE, or because the corporate seat is transferred to a non-EU EEA member state), then an election can be made to defer the payment of the exit tax, provided the assets remain connected either at the migrating companys head office or in a PE in another EEA member state (not including Liechtenstein); and An outbound cross-border merger or (partial) division resulting in a Belgian companys assets being transferred to an absorbing/receiving company established in another EEA member state (not including Liechtenstein). For cross-border reorganisations, similar rules apply as those for cross-border migrations (see above). If the merger or partial division is not tax-neutral, either because the assets transferred in the transaction do not remain connected to a Belgian PE or because the absorbing/receiving company is established in a non-EU EEA member state, a deferred payment election can be made, subject to the same geographical restriction, i.e. the assets must remain within the EEA, not including Liechtenstein. No deferred payment regime has been provided for the situation in which a Belgian company transfers (relocates) assets from its head office in Belgium to a PE in another EEA member state. This can be explained by the fact that it is, in principle, accepted (by the tax authorities and ruling commission) that such transfers are not assimilated to a taxable realisation of the assets and, therefore, are not subject to exit taxation. The Belgian tax authorities seem to take the view that the capital gain to be realised later, on actual disposal of the asset, does not qualify for treaty exemption to the extent that the gain had accrued prior to the intra-company relocation. As a result, Belgium, in principle, retains the right to tax the transferred (relocated) asset and, therefore, arguably, is not required under Article 5(1)(a) of the ATAD to impose exit taxation upon the intra-company relocation. Modalities of the deferred payment regime Election for the deferred payment regime implies the right to pay the exit tax resulting from a qualified transaction in five annual instalments. This option does not, in principle, result in late payment interest being due, provided the annual instalments are paid on time. In addition, the Belgian tax authorities cannot make this facility subject to a guarantee from the taxpayer, unless they are in a position to demonstrate a real risk that the outstanding balance will not be recovered. Following the ATAD, the Belgian legislation provides that the outstanding balance becomes immediately recoverable in certain events. Remarkably, this will be the case, according to the legislations wording, in the event that all or part of the assets are disposed of, or transferred outside the EEA. By adding that even disposal/transfer of part of the assets (potentially a minor part) could have this effect, Belgian legislation seems to go further than the ATAD. If interpreted strictly, then arguably, this rule has a disproportionate effect. Remaining uncertainties and restrictions Belgium implemented the deferred payment rules under Article 5 of the ATAD on time. While the new rules largely comply with ATAD, they seem disproportionate in providing that the deferred payment facility is discontinued (also) in the event that only part of the assets is subsequently disposed of, or transferred outside the EEA. On a strict interpretation, this disproportionate effect may substantially reduce the effectiveness/success of the deferred payment facility. Finally, it is important to note that the new provisions only deal with outbound transactions, meaning that the existing rules for inbound relocation of assets, migration and reorganisation remain unchanged. As these provisions generally provide that the assets enter the Belgian tax jurisdiction at their pre-transaction foreign book-value, i.e. without a step-up in the tax base being granted, Belgian legislation is still not ATAD-proof for inbound situations. By Ivo Vande Velde and Thomas Aertgeerts, Tiberghien Belgium, local partner at WTS Global Ivo Vande Velde, Tiberghien Belgium, local partner at WTS Global Tel: +3227734000 ivo.vandevelde@tiberghien.com www.tiberghien.com What Is Vesting? A vesting schedule is an incentive program for employees that gives them benefits, usually stock options, when they have contractually fulfilled a specified term of employment with the company. The benefits can also be other assets, such as retirement funds. Vesting is a way for employers to keep top-performing employees at the company. A vesting schedule is also commonly used in inheritance law and real estate. Key Takeaways When an employee is vested in employer-matching retirement funds or stock options, she has nonforfeitable rights to those assets. The amount in which an employee is vested often increases gradually over a period of years until the employee is 100% vested. A common vesting schedule is three to five years. 1:34 Vesting Understanding Vesting In the context of retirement plan benefits, vesting gives employees rights to employer-provided assets over time, which gives the employees an incentive to perform well and remain with a company. The vesting schedule set up by a company determines when employees acquire full ownership of the asset. Generally, nonforfeitable rights accrue based on how long an employee has worked for a company. One example of vesting is seen in how money is awarded to an employee via a 401(k) company match. Such matching dollars usually take years to vest, meaning an employee must stay with the company long enough to be eligible to receive them. Vesting within stock bonuses offers employers a valuable employee-retention tool. For example, an employee might receive 100 restricted stock units as part of an annual bonus. To entice this valued employee to remain with the company for the next five years, the stock vests according to the following schedule: 25 units in the second year after the bonus, 25 units in year three, 25 units in year four and 25 units in year five. If the employee leaves the company after year three, only 50 units would be vested, and the other 50 would be forfeited. For some benefits, vesting is immediate. Employees are always 100% vested in their salary-deferral contributions to their retirement plans as well as SEP and SIMPLE employer contributions. Employer contributions to an employees 401(k) plan may vest immediately. Or they may vest after several years using either a cliff vesting schedule, which gives the employee ownership of 100% of the employers contributions after a certain number of years or using a graded vesting schedule, which gives the employee ownership of a percentage of the employers contribution each year. Traditional pension plans might have a five-year cliff vesting schedule or a three- to seven-year graded vesting schedule. Just because you are fully vested in your employers contributions to your plan does not mean you can withdraw that money whenever you want. You are still subject to the plans rules, which generally require you to reach retirement age before making penalty-free withdrawals. Employees are always 100% vested in their own contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Special Considerations Vesting is common in wills and bequests and often takes the form of a set waiting period to finalize bequests following the death of the testator. This waiting period before vesting helps reduce conflicts that could arise over the exact time of death and the possibility of double-taxation if multiple heirs die after a disaster. Startup companies often offer grants of common stock or access to an employee stock option plan to employees, service providers, vendors, board members, or other parties as part of their compensation. To encourage loyalty among employees and also keep them engaged and focused on the company's success, such grants or options usually are subject to a vesting period during which they cannot be sold. A common vesting period is three to five years. Update 6.50pm: The row between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael over water charges is escalating, with Fianna Fail's Barry Cowen threatening not to facilitate the election of a new Fine Gael Taoiseach. Mr Cowen is insisting that the government bring in legislation in line with an Oireachtas committee report which recommended scrapping the charges and allowing refunds. The Dail must vote on the committee's recommendations within one month. Former Minister Noel Dempsey says his stance is clear: "I believe that people should pay for their water, they should especially pay for water that they use and abuse and anything that I have seen, and this argument has been going on for the past few days, seems to be every side trying to disassociate themselves from asking people to pay for water and I think it just doesn't work." Update 11.45am: Fianna Fail's Barry Cowen has confirmed he sent a letter to colleagues, effectively warning his party will pull the plug on government unless Fine Gael ratify recommendations to scrap water charges, writes Juno McEnroe. The ominous email, sent to Fianna Fail TDs and senators yesterday, suggests that election of a new Taoiseach under Fine Gael will be blocked unless a report on water by a committee is implemented. The threat relates to the latest row between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail over water charges and the impasse over the final report on their future, due to be signed off on by an Oireachtas Committee this week. Fine Gael want an excess charge and new homes metered and argue that Fianna Fail reneged on a deal to vote on and recommend these measures for the report. Barry Cowen emailed colleagues yesterday-from party leader Micheal Martin's office-where the party's housing and water spokesman made a fresh threat to collapse the government. Fine Gael is close to deciding on a new leader to replace Enda Kenny, a situation where the Dail would have to vote on and give support to the new Taoiseach. Fine Gael needs Fianna Fail's support to get the numbers for such a vote. Mr Cowen's email said: "Both of the ministers campaigning for their party's leadership would be well advised to understand that this behaviour means that Fianna Fail will require full confirmation of Fine Gael's intention to honour its commitments under the confidence and supply agreement before facilitating any potential changes to government personnel and roles. "We have had many problems with Fine Gael's behaviour and have already signalled to Fine Gael our extreme annoyance at breaches to the spirit and letter of the agreement. However, the handling of water in recent weeks has brought this to a head. "Instead of working constructively with others, Fine Gael has sought to escalate problems and has spoken through the media rather than through direct contacts. "On a mounting series of occasions, they have acted in clear bad faith. It has increasingly seemed that they have been trying to wreck the process rather than make a constructive contribution." Mr Cowen confirmed to Newstalk's Ivan Yates this morning that he had sent the email, adding that if Fine Gael did not implement the water report's recommendations that there is no point in us hanging around waiting for a leader for Fine Gael. Earlier: The row over water charges has escalated again. The Sunday Independent reports Barry Cowen has written to Fianna Fail TDs and Senators to outline the new position. The letter, sent from Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's office, says the party won't support the election of a new Fine Gael Taoiseach unless the 'confidence and supply' deal that's propping up the minority Government is honoured in relation to the charges. It follows last week's collapse of a compromise at the Oireachtas committee that was tasked with recommending how we should pay for our water. Fine Gael and Labour are claiming Ireland will face massive EU fines if some form of charge isn't introduced. Boris Johnson has pulled out of a visit to Moscow in the wake of the Syrian chemical weapons attack saying "we deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime". The Foreign Secretary was due to visit Russia on Monday for talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov, which would have been the first visit by a UK foreign secretary in more than five years. But Mr Johnson attacked the Kremlin and said he would instead focus on building support with allies to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Syria. "We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians," he said. "We call on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." Mr Johnson had originally planned to fly out to Moscow at the end of March, but rescheduled the visit in order to attend a meeting with Nato counterparts, including US secretary of state Rex Tillerson. Russia has condemned US missile strikes on an airbase at Shayrat as an act of "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law". Mr Tillerson will still go ahead with a visit to Moscow to deliver a "clear and co-ordinated" message to the Russians, Mr Johnson said. "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally," he said. "My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run-up to the G7 meeting on 10/11 April - to build co-ordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process. "I will be working to arrange for other like-minded partners to meet and explore next steps soon, too. "I discussed these plans in detail with Secretary Tillerson. He will visit Moscow as planned and, following the G7 meeting, will be able to deliver that clear and co-ordinated message to the Russians." Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron claimed that Mr Johnson was considered a diplomatic liability. He said: "Is this what taking back control looks like? Our Government quick to blindly follow every order from the Trump White House. "Boris has revealed himself to be a poodle of Washington, having his diary managed from across the pond. "It is pretty shameful when even Trump judges you to be a buffoon." An aide to Mr Johnson said: "It is a shame the Lib Dems would rather snipe and be silly when the US and UK are trying to work on a plan to help the innocent people of Syria and stop a devastating civil war." The driver of a lorry that was hit by a fast train at a railway crossing in Poland has been charged with causing a traffic catastrophe. Lidia Sieradzka, from the Prosecutor's Office in Opole, said the driver could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Russia and Iran have renewed their support for the Syrian government, saying the US missile strike violated Syrian sovereignty but failed to boost the morale of "terror groups" in the war-torn country. In a phone call with Syrian president Bashar Assad, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called Friday's strike a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Mr Assad accused the US of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. A statement carried on the military media arm of Hezbollah condemned the American strike in much stronger language, saying it had "crossed red lines" and vowing to "reply with force" to any future aggression "in a variety of ways". The Lebanese militant group has invested thousands of fighters in the defence of Mr Assad's government. The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard of "shared operations room" between Russia, Iran and allied forces. There was no comment from Russia or Iran about the statement. The Kremlin said in a statement Mr Rouhani also spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin by phone. "Both sides noted the inadmissibility of aggressive US actions against a sovereign state in violation of international law," the statement said. "Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani spoke in favour of an objective, unbiased investigation of all the circumstances of the chemical weapons incident on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib." Mr Rouhani said the US strike would not affect Iran's Syria policy, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not withdraw in the face of similar aggressions. "What the Americans did is a strategic mistake and offence. "They are repeating the offence of their predecessors," Mr Khamenei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Mr Assad throughout Syria's six-year civil war. It has organised several Shiite militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Mr Assad's government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. The US says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. US secretary of state Rex Tillerson denied in an interview on CBS's Face The Nation that the strikes signalled an overhaul of American policy, saying its priority remained to defeat Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The strike was the first time American forces targeted a Syrian government installation in the course of the war. US Treasury officials say they are preparing sanctions in response to the chemical weapons attack, although the Syrian government is already buried under US and EU sanctions. Mr Tillerson will meet with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow later this week. Moscow has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government and has defended it against claims of chemical weapons use in front of the UN Security Council. A Syrian Sukhoi jet took off from the Shayrat airbase targeted by the volley of US strikes, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel reported on Sunday, saying repairs to the base began within hours of the attack. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu played down concerns of a rift with Russia over Ankara's support for the strike, saying Turkey was committed to the cease-fire mechanisms it has developed with Russia for Syria. Turkey provides military support to some of Syria's opposition forces. But he said Turkey could not "remain silent" on the Syrian government's chemical weapons use, and insisted Moscow work with Ankara to establish a transitional government in Damascus. "We want to continue our efforts with Russia in the Astana process in terms of measures to increase trust and establish a cease-fire," he told reporters in Antalya, according to the Anadolu state news agency. In the days after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Turkey provided the Syrian Civil Defence search and rescue outfit with 50 protective kits for responding to chemical attacks, and trained them in their use, Anadolu said. - AP A US Navy strike group is moving towards the Korean peninsula in a show of force aimed at North Korea. The battle group is making its way from Singapore toward the western Pacific Ocean. Battle of Shallow Ford DAR Chapter to meet The Battle of Shallow Ford, Daughters of the American Revolution, will meet at 5:45 p.m. Monday at the Gemeinhaus on Bethabara Road in Bethabara Park. The Gemeinhaus uses only natural light, so the meeting will begin there with a private tour. After the tour the meeting will move to the Visitors Center to conclude the program. Park at the Visitors Center. Anyone interested in the DAR chapter is invited to attend. Military officers club to meet The Military Officers Association of America will meet Tuesday at the Clubhouse at Bermuda Run Country Club, 324 Bermuda Run Drive, Advance. A social time with a cash bar will begin at 6:15 p.m. The cost is $20 and includes dinner. For reservations, call Warren Boyer at (336) 407-2374. Jay Phelps, a former officer in charge of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, Arlington National Guard, will talk about his duties and experiences. He also served a tour of duty providing security at the White House. All active-duty military officers, former officers and Reserve and National Guard officers and retired officers, as well as guests, are invited. Information sessions for cat foster families The Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation will hold an orientation for people interested in being foster caregivers for kittens and cats waiting for a home. The program will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at AARF, 311 Harvey St. For more information, visit www.aarf animals.org. Sons of the American Revolution meeting The Bethabara Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution will meet Thursday at the South Fork Community Center, 4403 Country Club Road. There will be a social hour at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7 pm. George Sage, a retired postmaster and chapter member, will talk about Benjamin Franklins role in the creation of the U.S. Post Office or Revolutionary Post. Sparta radio club to hold license classes The Sparta Amateur Radio Club will offer a General Class Amateur Radio License course. Sam Burgiss, a licensed amateur radio operator and veteran instructor, will teach the classes. The course is offered at no cost to the participants and will be focused on the needs of the students. The course will consist of four sessions and will begin at 6 p.m. April 24 at the Alleghany County Public Library, 115 Atwood Street, Sparta. For more information or to register for the course, call Burgiss at (865) 659-3035. Foundation accepting grant applications The Yadkin County Community Foundation is accepting grant applications. Funds are available for nonprofit organizations that serve general charitable needs in Yadkin County. Applications and information are available at nccommunityfoundation.org. The deadline for submitting applications is noon April 18. For more information, contact Colby Martin, the NCCF regional director at (828) 358-0030 or cmartin@nccommunityfoundation.org or visit nccommunityfoundation.org. Guardian ad Litem volunteers needed The Forsyth County Guardian ad Litem program is accepting applications for volunteers to be advocates for foster children. Training is provided and classes will begin April 22. For information or to apply, go to www.volunteerforgal.org or call (336) 779-6650. greeNest to have fundraiser sale greeNest, a nonprofit organization that helps people move from homelessness into sustainable housing, will have a sale with such items as furniture, accessories and artwork. The sale will be from 8 a.m. to noon April 29 at 1015 Northwest Blvd. ReadWS needs volunteers ReadWS needs volunteers for its Reading Parties. The parties are a parent-oriented seminar that teaches parents and children reading improvement strategies in a fun atmosphere. Parents can then use the strategies at home. After a training session, volunteers will help one to two times per month. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, contact Tonya Nealon at (336) 723-4391 Ext. 1507 or Tonya@readws.org. Heartstrings to hold conference Heartstrings will offer a conference for medical professionals and community members who help support bereaved parents. Practicing Hope: Best Practices in Caring for Parents Experiencing Fetal and Infant Loss will be held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 5 in Winston-Salem. Continuing education credits will be available. The cost is $50. Registration is required and can be made by calling Cheri Timmons at (336) 335-9931. The registration deadline is April 28. For more information, visit www.heartstringssupport.org. PFAFFTOWN David Weppners curved, inflexible, arthritic fingers prevented him from learning to play guitar, yet he strums a dulcimer, thanks to his teacher Judy House. Due to the arthritis, I cannot play chords, Weppner, 82, said. My fingers just dont work that way. Judys instruction has enabled me to play the melody line of many tunes arranged for the dulcimer. I dont have much pain; I dont have much flexibility. I just stroke back and forth. As long as I do this, I can play. When at age 80 he began to play the dulcimer, he had trouble holding the pick. Sometimes as he strummed, the pick would drop into the strum hole of the dulcimer or fly out onto the floor, he said, and it was difficult and time-consuming for him to pick it up. I settled for wrapping my right thumb and forefinger in double-faced 3M tape. I did that about 9 months, then I just wrapped the pick. That worked. It is easy and what I do today. Weppner has been taking lessons every other week from House, a dulcimer teacher, workshop instructor and performer. She watches and listens as he strums the strings. Thats really good, David, she said. That was a great slide you did. I like the sing of the strings, Weppner said. A unique challenge Weppner had always wanted to play guitar, but never had anyone who could teach him. When a 98-year-old friend from the YMCA offered to let him play his guitar, Weppner found that his severe arthritis made that impossible. Because of arthritis in my hands, my fingers are parallel to the strings instead of across them, he said. I gave that up quickly. His friend Joel Gendelman, who plays guitar, said that his wife Louise Dunn plays dulcimer, and suggested that might be an alternative. They loaned him a dulcimer in 2014. For his 80th birthday, they gave him the instrument. And then they connected him to House. That was very kind of them, Weppner said. I picked a tune out of my memory bank I learned when I was between 4 to 5 years old from a babysitter that came to the house, You are my sunshine. I wanted to play it primarily for me. The occasion was our sons wedding. It was a surprise. Weppner said House has been patient as theyve figured out ways to compensate for his arthritis. I teach a lot of fingering, House said. David cant do that. Hes constantly sliding. As further proof of Houses teaching ability, Weppner recalled that in 8th grade, after several weeks in music class, his teacher took him to the principals office and asked him to take Weppner out of her class. I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do. My do, re, me was flat. I could not grasp the notation structure, despite a couple of brief private sessions with the teacher. I was slowing her teaching efforts down because I was unable to participate. I dont read music. I still cant totally. I can read quarter notes, half notes and full notes. Mostly I go by the frets and how I feel about the piece Im playing. House admits that its been challenging to work with Weppner, and his determination is inspiring. I am not trained to work with special needs, she said. When some of her other students whine about their difficulty learning to play, she tells them about Weppner. David never whines. You would never say I cant do that if you could see what hes overcome, House said. Sometimes she rewrites music so that he can play a tune. We are always on the search for something he can do. If everybody had his determination, wed all be in Carnegie Hall. Kind of blossomed House, a graduate of Campbell University, has taught preschool through graduate level classes in North Carolina. Shes always had music in her life. At age 9, she learned to play the flute, then piano. She has played and performed ever since, in marching bands, gospel quartets and dulcimer ensembles. She received her first mountain dulcimer in 1995. Dulcimer is like a subculture, she said. Its in the underground. Nobody on the surface knows a lot about it. Winston-Salem has an enormous number of dulcimer players. You just dont know that. We have a higher concentration of certified dulcimer teachers than anywhere in the country. In 2010, she was asked to teach mountain dulcimer in the continuing education department at Forsyth Technical Community College. The class has continued to meet since 2010 with most of the original students still together. There are two additional levels of ongoing classes. House is a graduate of the first class for Teaching the Mountain Dulcimer from Dulcimer U at Western Carolina University. In 2014, she joined the Dulcimer U staff. She has also been a presenter at dulcimer festivals in North Carolina for the past four years. House said she would never have expected to be doing what shes doing now, after she retired from teaching. It just fell in my lap, she said. It kind of blossomed. In addition to teaching dulcimer, she leads workshops and performs in festivals, and shes part of Cantabile-Jubilee, a trio of dulcimer musicians including Carol Crocker and occasionally Houses husband, Kirk. She enjoys leading the Camel City Strummers and the Triad Dulcimer Players, which evolved from the 2010 class at Forsyth Tech. Shes also written five books, with the sixth underway. Her curriculum, Dulcimers in the Schools was created for teachers and their students in grades 3 to 8. The materials were field tested in third and 3rd and 4th grade classes in Clemmons and have been presented at the 2015 NCMEA Conference in Winston-Salem. The dulcimer is indigenous to the United States, House said. It should be taught. North Carolina folk music easily ties in with social studies, she said. Its a new instrument, only a couple hundred years old. Were still discovering what it will actually do. Its kind of exciting to be on the front end of this instrument. I want to push the envelope. I let it whine, and it lets me know when I get it right. Together, House and Weppner practice tunes like Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes and Buffalo Gals. Im not fast, but Judy says you can always go faster, but sometimes you cant go slow enough, Weppner said. Speed is the last thing you acquire. Most of the tunes are short, so if you play it fast, its over with. So I linger awhile. Weppner picked up his dulcimer, placed it across his lap and prepared to play America the Beautiful. Lets do it one more time, House said as she joined him with her own dulcimer. OK, so one, ready, go. JURIST Guest Columnist Ali Khan discusses the potential deportation of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, and international documents and treaties prohibition on state actions like deportation Threats of deportations are evolving into a global phenomenon as nativism, racism, and xenophobia sweep the world. All over the world, nations are turning against foreigners, particularly against the most vulnerable populations such as refugees, migrant workers, and undocumented immigrants. For example, Pakistan is forcing millions of Afghan refugees born in Pakistan to go back home. Myanmar is persecuting the Rohingyas, an unwanted religious minority, pressing them to leave the country. Saudi Arabia has been expelling migrant workers after consuming their labor for years. Right-wing Europeans wish to oust even legal immigrants from North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. The United States has escalated its campaign to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants. This commentary focuses on the potential deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, including six million of Mexican national origin, the largest group of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. These immigrants live in mortal fear of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents picking them up from work, school, home, hand-cuffing them, putting them in buses and planes, and discarding them out of a country they have made home for years, if not decades. A Mexican man leaped off a bridge and killed himself after being deported. This cruel expulsion is justified under the popular label of illegal aliens and under the rhetoric of removing rapists and criminals. Law against Deportation International law in the form of human rights, international criminal law, the humanitarian law of war, regional compacts including the Charter on the Organization of American States, treaty provisions of state constitutions, and universal norms identified in scholarly treatises, all endorse, directly or indirectly, a simple principle that deportation is a crime against humanity. The Nuremberg tribunals stated in unambiguous terms that enslavement or deportation of a population is a crime against customary international law, as in the Nuremberg Case xiv-xv (1971). Further, Nuremberg Principle IV(b) provides that the deportation to slave labor of civilian populations of or in occupied territory constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity. Building on the Nuremberg principles, more recent international treaties and scholarly treatises reaffirm that deportation is a crime against humanity, even if committed in peace times, and even if the deported population is not shipped to slave labor. In addition to apartheid, disappearances, torture, and enslavement, Article 7 of the Rome Statute [PDF] of the International Criminal Court lists deportation or forcible transfer of population as crime against humanity. Article 4 of the 4th Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights states: Collective expulsion of aliens is prohibited. In the United States, courts have reaffirmed the principle that deportation of civilian populations to slave labor is a crime. See Iwanowa v. Ford Motor Co., 67 F.Supp.2d 424, 444-45 (D.N.J.1999). Time is ripe for the US courts to reconsider the deportation of settled communities. This commentary offers the concept of adverse citizenship derived from the prohibition against deportation as a crime against humanity. Discussion Several arguments may be offered to challenge the thesis that US deportation of undocumented immigrants is a crime against humanity. First, it might be argued that forced expulsion of only citizens/legal residents could be a crime against humanity and, therefore, the prohibition does not cover undocumented immigrants. Second, the United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute or a party to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Protocols [PDF]. Third, no US court has ruled that deportation of undocumented immigrants is contrary to the US Constitution, much less a crime against humanity. In fact, federal immigration laws allow deportation of undocumented immigrants, and removal of some illegal aliens under expedited procedures. To cap these arguments, one might point out that if deportation of undocumented immigrants were to be a crime against humanity, nations will surrender their sovereignty to alien invaders. These arguments have some merit under the US notion of sovereignty, as the distinction between legal and undocumented immigrants lays at the heart of US immigration law. But see, The Extinction of Nation-States. Yet, in the case of settled communities, the legal/illegal distinction is elusive, if not abusive of fundamental rights and liberties. With respect to undocumented communities, the US enforces its deportation laws in an arbitrary, cruel and unusual manner, in fits and starts, using the threat and actual removal as an instrument of mental torture, which itself is a crime against humanity. The so-called undocumented immigrants in the United States are living in plain view of the federal government and enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Congress, and the White House. They are not hiding in caves or mountains. They live and work in big cities and farming towns, in almost all states. Many speak their own native languages, and some undocumented immigrants speak not a word of English because they live in places that once belonged to Mexico and later conquered by the US through wars. It is no secret that millions of undocumented immigrants have been residing in the US for decades, giving birth to at least one, if not two, generation of US citizens. The US itself is conflicted over the future of undocumented immigrants. In 2013, a bipartisan senate bill proposed to provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants on the theory (affirmed by the Congressional Budget Office) that such a path could reduce the deficit by $700 billion in 20 years. Some congressional bills instruct the Secretary of Homeland Security not to disclose the identity of undocumented immigrants brought as children to the ICE. Some proposed policies aim at deporting only those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, and not others. Only extreme demagogues advocate removing all undocumented immigrants, a task that no one believes can be accomplished. Adverse Citizenship Settled communities with no documents acquire a right to adverse citizenshipa concept I offer for the courts to consider. Somewhat similar (though not exactly) to the common-law doctrine of adverse possession, it might be forcefully argued that undocumented immigrants living for years in the United States, paying taxes, and the federal government having full knowledge of their undocumented status, acquire a right to US citizenship. Such undocumented communities are no different from early colonists who entered America and acquired land and citizenship through adverse possession. Regardless of legal origin, families and communities settled in various states have been participants in promoting the economy and welfare of the United States. A settled Mexican family is no different from a settled Scottish, Czechoslovakian, or Slovenian family. Uprooting settled families, separating children from parents, tearing apart spouses from each other, can no longer be defended under the prevailing norms of human dignity, equal protection, and due process. Deportation is a crime against humanity. Much like genocide, even deportation of part of an undocumented community is a crime against humanity. No notion of sovereignty may be asserted to defend wholesale or partial genocide, apartheid, disappearances, or deportations. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed a law that allowed about four million undocumented immigrants to regularize their status. Since 1986, Congress has passed seven amnesty statutes to confer potential citizenship on undocumented immigrants. These amnesties are consistent with international law against deportation and support the concept of adverse citizenship. President Trumps policy decision to deport undocumented immigrants is a crime against humanity, particularly with respect to families who have settled in the US for long periods of time, have established homes, or have minor children. It is irrelevant whether these residents entered or stayed in the US illegally. Deportation of a settled family or community is a violation of right to life, right to family, right to property, right to privacy, and numerous other rights protected under customary international law, human rights treaties, due process, and fundamental legal principles that sustain the concept of law. If the US fails to enforce its immigration laws for years and allows families to lay their roots, the balance of equities shifts in favor of resident families to claim adverse citizenship. Through laches, the US loses its power to remove undocumented immigrants openly living, working, and paying taxes for decades. Ali Khan is a professor of law at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and Founder of Legal Scholar Academy, which provides expert analysis of international affairs involving Muslim nations and communities. Suggested citation: Ali Khan, Deportation as a Crime Against Humanity, JURIST Academic Commentary, April 7, 2017, http://jurist.org/forum/2017/04/ali-khan-deportation-crime-against-humanity.php. Eugene Owusu [profile], the top United Nations humanitarian official in South Sudan, called on the government and opposition [report, PDF] of South Sudan on Saturday, to ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers in the country. The plea comes after a week that saw both armed opposition forces and state security officials detain and beat up aid workers. Reports also suggested the government forces had attacked a town, killing several dozen people, forcing more than 6,000 people to flee to Uganda and forcing others to hide in the bushes around the town. Owusu called the actions reprehensible and unacceptable and called on both sides to stop targeting innocent parties immediately. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [official website] estimates that [UN report] more than 3.5 million people have been forced out of their homes, 1.7 million of which have fled to the neighbouring countries. At the moment, an estimated average of 2,000 refugees from South Sudan is arriving in Uganda every day, the majority of which are children. South Sudan [JURIST feature], which was officially recognized [JURIST report] as an independent nation in July 2011, has spent much of its brief history as a nation in civil war. On Friday, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) [official website] expressed alarm at the deteriorating condition of South Sudans security, as both governmental and opposition forces have been attacking civilians. In March, the Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said [JURIST report] that there is a need to establish courts and bring prosecutions against those who have committed rights abuses throughout the nations conflicts. In December, the UN Security Council voted against a weapons embargo on South Sudan. In September the UN announced, and South Sudan accepted, an increase in UN peacekeeping forces [JURIST report] in the nation from 14,000 to 18,000 in an attempt to stop civilian killings, sexual assaults, and destruction of both public and private property. Following the United States missile launch in Syria earlier this week in response to a chemical weapons attack, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres [official website] on Friday called for restraint [statement] in handling the situation in Syria. Calling the Syrian governments use of chemical weapons abhorrent, Guterres emphasized the need for accountability but said any resolution must be done within existing international law [UN News report] so as to avoid deepen[ing] the suffering of the Syrian people. This statement comes after the US launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Airbase in response to the Assad regimes alleged use of chemical weapons in the Idlib region. Amidst increasing military action, the result of which is a crumbling of Syrias ceasefire agreement from December 2016, Guterres expressed his belief that there is no other way to solve the conflict than through a political solution. Syrian military officials called the US missile launch a blatant act of aggression. The war in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] continues to have a devastating impact, particularly in the war-torn region of Aleppo. In February, according to HRW [advocacy site], the Syrian government conducted [JURIST report] coordinated chemical attacks on rebel-controlled portions of Aleppo. The same month, more than 13,000 prisoners were hanged [JURIST report] in extrajudicial executions over a 5-year period at Saydnaya prison. Last Wednesday, The UN Security Council conducted emergency talks on Wednesday regarding an alleged chemical attack in Syria that killed numerous civilians [JURIST report]. Following that on Thursday evening, the U.S. military attacked Syria-government airfield with 59 Tomahawk missiles [CNBC News]. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley [profile] told CNN in an interview set to air Sunday that removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [Al Jazeera profile] from power in Syria is one of the top priorities of Donald Trumps administration. Haley said that it was hard to see a peaceful and stable Syria with Assad as president [CNN report], based on his action and the current situation in Syria. The sentiment was supported by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who on Sunday said in an interview with ABC news [ABC report], that once the threat of ISIS had been reduced, the US would focus on stabilizing the situation in Syria. The comments from the Trump administration signal a new course in the foreign policy regarding Syria. A week ago, Haley and Tillerson said that the US was not working towards unseating Assad, and that such a decision should be up to the Syrian people. The change in direction comes in response to reports that Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, which President Trump said had crossed a line with him. The war in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] continues to have a devastating impact, particularly in the war-torn region of Aleppo. In February, according to Human Rights Watch, the Syrian government carried out [JURIST report] coordinated chemical attacks on rebel-controlled portions of Aleppo. On Wednesday The UN Security Council met for emergency talks regarding an alleged chemical attack in Syria that killed numerous civilians [JURIST report]. On Thursdays, in response to the chemical attaks in Syria, President Trump ordered a missile attack [BBC report] on a government controlled air base in Syria. The Venezuelan government announced on Saturday that opposition leader Henrique Capriles [Twitter profile] has been banned from holding office for 15 years by the Venezuelan state comptroller. The ban, which was imposed [VOA report] for alleged administrative irregularities during his time as the governor of Miranda and misuse of donations from the British and Polish embassies, would bar Capriles from opposing current President Nicolas Maduro [Twitter profile] in the upcoming presidential election. In addition to the alleged misconduct during his time as governor of Miranda, Capriles has also been accused by Venezuelan officials of inciting violence during protests against President Maduro. The ban continues a trend of targeting political dissidents in Venezuela. In response to this ban, thousands of Venezuelans protested [BBC report] in Caracas after an already week-long protest against the government. Venezuela has been in the throes of political unrest since the December 2015 election. In November the National Assembly postponed a symbolic trial of in an effort to ease political tension in the nation [JURIST report]. In October the National Assembly voted to open criminal impeachment proceedings [JURIST report] against Maduro, alleging that he manipulated the constitution to remain in power. That same month the Assembly also declared [JURIST report] that there is a breakdown of constitutional order and that the government had staged a coup by blocking an attempt to remove Maduro from power. In June government officials asked the Supreme Court to deny a referendum [JURIST report] to remove Maduro proposed by opposition leaders. In April Venezuelas opposition-led parliament approved [JURIST report] new referendum rules. In March the Supreme Tribunal of Justice ruled that the Venezuelan national assembly may not review the appointment of 13 justices [JURIST report] to the high court by the Socialist Party. I was asked earlier this year to make a presentation to the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission about George E. Johnsons qualifications for admission to the Hall of Fame. It was an easy task. Quite simply, he was an amazing person. Johnson was a state engineer before becoming the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation Districts first general manager and chief engineer. He was born in 1885 at Wymore, left home at age 10 to work at his uncles foundry and graduated from high school at age 15. At age 21, Johnson graduated from college with degrees in civil and electrical engineering. The commission is considering 12 Hall of Fame nominations. It may but is not required to select only one for induction, and inductions occur only once every five years. To be considered, a person must have been born or spent a significant portion of his or her life in Nebraska and died at least 35 years ago. Primary consideration is given to contributions in public affairs, arts, sciences and professions. Commission members will use three public hearings in July at sites around Nebraska to gather more information about the candidates. If a nominee is selected, the announcement will be on Aug. 2 at the Capitol in Lincoln. Johnson was perhaps best known as a principle architect of what then was commonly known as the Tri-County Project. He became interested in Tri-County in 1915 when Charles McConaughy and George Kingsley spoke to him about it. Johnson advised them about how to gain project approval and helped to secure passage of Senate Bill 310, which created Nebraskas public power districts. He left the state engineers post in 1923 to pursue other interests, including working without compensation on the proposed Tri-County Project. Johnson formally became the projects chief engineer and general manager in 1935. The effort to build the project tested the perseverance of Johnson and the other Tri-County founders, but it eventually was approved in 1935 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Nebraska Sen. George Norris of McCook, who championed creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), also played a significant role in gaining funding approval for the Tri-County Project, which was his little TVA. The projects 28 lakes include Nebraskas largest, Lake McConaughy. Irrigation water is delivered to 111,000 acres and another 310,000 acres are documented to benefit from groundwater recharge from the CNPPID system. The projects four hydropower plants have a combined generation capacity of 113 megawatts, and there are more than 500 miles of canals, laterals and pipelines from North Platte to Minden. Several of Nebraskas largest tourism and recreation attractions are within the system, including Lake McConaughy and Johnson Lake south of Lexington. Nearby are two of the original three hydroplants that also were named in Johnsons honor. The project is an engineering masterpiece, so my remarks to the Hall of Fame Commission could have concentrated entirely on Johnsons role with CNPPID. However, his other achievements include: - As state engineer from 1915-1923, he supervised improvements to more than 3,000 miles of state roads and highways, and laid out the plans for the state highway system. Most Nebraska roads were designed for horse-and-buggy traffic. Johnson convinced federal officials that matching funds should be used to help build state highways, a process still in use today. - Also as state engineer, he supervised construction of the new State Capitol building. - He spent considerable time from 1941-1943 convincing the U.S. Department of Defense to locate defense plants and munitions factories to Nebraska, including the factories at Mead, Grand Island, and Hastings. - Johnson also persuaded DOD to locate airfields at McCook, Kearney, Lincoln, Harvard, Fremont and Scottsbluff to train World War II military pilots. He believed that Nebraskas challenging, varied weather would provide better training than pilots would receive in fair weather southern states. - He also built the our states first alcohol (ethanol) plant and one of its first radio stations, and was one of the first Nebraskans to fly airplanes for business. Johnson was a master builder who forever changed Nebraskas landscape. His own words reveal his dedication to his state. I have always loved Nebraska! It is a wide-open land with a big sky. It is a land where a man can use his muscles and stretch his brain. It is a land where a boy can dream the great American Dream and see it come true. I have traveled it many times, border to border, by auto and airplane. I have farmed its soil and pioneered the use of surplus farm crops to make gasohol. I helped build its beautiful State Capitol building; and its highways, bridges, dams, canals and power plants. Yes, Nebraska is a wonderful land of golden opportunities. Do you wonder why I love it so much? Tim Anderson is a public relations adviser for Holdrege-based Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. SMITHFIELD Jeremy Hansen doesnt like to talk about his artwork. As a professional artist, he prefers to express himself through his painting and to let the art do the talking. I say this all the time because art is visual. Im always trying to create something visually that I cant talk about verbally. Then people are like, Hey, talk about it. Its like, thats exactly what I cant do. Thats why I paint, he said. With more than 2,000 pieces of art sold, Hansen has made a career out of creating and selling his paintings. But before he traveled the country selling his work, he was a high school kid who painted houses. All through high school I painted houses for a guy. That was my summer job, Hansen said. Then even after high school in college, I still helped that guy in the summer. At college, I started my own house painting deal, so me and my brother and my friends, we just painted houses after school in college to make money. Hansen graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1997 with a bachelor of fine arts with an emphasis in painting. Before he started his career as a professional painter, he created signs for a sign company. Hansen has worked with other forms of art, including sculpture and metalwork, but he always returns to painting. I guess Im a painter at heart, he said. He began his professional career as an artist in 2000 by traveling to small art festivals to sell his work. I always wanted to be a professional artist, but it was kind of hard to figure out what to do, he said. I started by doing smaller art festivals around like Kearney Art in the Park. From there, I bloomed out to bigger shows, Lincoln, Omaha, and then bigger shows. I applied to the top shows. They are all juried, so you have to send in slides, and you have to send in a little statement. They look at your slides, the jurors. Its pretty competitive. There could be 1,500 to 2,000 people who apply for maybe 120 spots, 150 spots, and they only take so many painters, maybe 10 to 15 painters. So out of the whole country, Im applying for 15 spots, he explained. Recently, Hansen has been getting into the top art shows, such as Cherry Creek Art Festival in Denver and La Quinta Arts Festival in La Quinta, Calif. At the shows, Hansen sets up a tent with his work on display for the weekend event. At one point, Hansen was attending 25 shows a year, but he has scaled it back to an average of eight art shows in a year. The shows are often a family affair for Hansen, his wife, Cristal, and their two children, Addison, 11, and Bishop, 7. The family recently attended a show together in Palm Springs, Calif. Its fun. Ive let them (his children) put up stuff at shows, and theyve both sold a handful of stuff at shows, Hansen said. Selling his own art at the shows is one of the harder parts of being a professional artist for Hansen. I dont like being a salesman. It would be nice if they could just sell on their own, but it doesnt work that way, he said. With the hit to the economy in 2007, Hansen had to strive even harder to sell his work and be a better salesman. I had to learn to talk about it more. People want to connect. You had to really work sales hard, follow up really become more of a salesman than an artist, he said. Even though Hansen has had success across the country selling his art, he continues to live and work in Smithfield where hes surrounded by the nature that originally inspired his work. When I was in high school and college, it was all landscapes. This stuff kind of started, I started splattering flowers in the foreground of the landscapes. Then I blew up the splatter, basically, he said. I took that little section and just made it bigger. Hansen considers his work expressionism because subject matter, such as flowers, is still visible in the paintings, and it all comes from his imagination. Expressionism you are painting an expression of imagination from mind. Then its not completely abstract, because theres form; you can see flowers or nature and leaves. Its not completely abstract, but its abstracted, he said. Prep time often takes longer than the actual painting itself, which often only takes Hansen about an hour to create. Preparing a painting and the business aspect of the business usually takes up more time, Cristal said. He is the kind of person that is always working. You think artist, and you think, Oh, you just paint. But there is getting ready for shows and doing the business side of things. Its a lot of work, she said. His most recent style of work features watercolors, and each piece takes him about 30 minutes to paint. Its a little ghost-image type instead of full-on paint, and then you pour acrylic resin over the top, and thats what makes it super shiny, he said. Hansen has clients throughout the U.S., but a variety of his paintings can be viewed in central Nebraska, and he never forgets where he has artwork on display. Theyre all over the place. The Younes Center in Kearney has like five huge ones. MONA has some for sale in the gift shop in Kearney, he said. Some of his most recent watercolor pieces have already been sold to a new medical center in Kansas City, and he is busy creating more for an upcoming show in May. Hes won a number of awards at art festivals and shows over the years, but he keeps them stashed away. The awards dont matter, he said. Hes more interested in continuing his career doing what he loves. So far, Ive been able to make a living do it, but you never know, he said. (Its) a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. An officer stands guard as police cordon off a large area around a subway station on a busy commercial street Saturday night, April 8, 2017, after finding what they described as a "bomb-like" device, in Oslo, Norway. The official police Twitter account said one man has been arrested and Police Chief Vidar Pedersen said police were working to disarm it. (Fredrik Varfjell /NTB scanpix via AP) FILE - In this Wednesday, March 29, 2017, file photo, Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland speaks at the Women's Empowerment Panel, at the White House in Washington. McFarland, top national security adviser to President Donald Trump, is in line to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore. McFarlandAos impending move was confirmed Sunday, April 9, 2017, by a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hasnAot been made public. The post requires Senate confirmation. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017, after the U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria Thursday night in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Stay up to date with all the Dover news with our weekly email, as well as getting all the latest breaking news delivered directly to your inbox If you want to make some extra money and to declutter the house then car boot sales are an easy way of ticking off both these tasks. What's more, you might even be able to get your hands on some lovely antiques or collectible item. Although it's only early in the year, some boot fairs have already revealed when and where they are due to take place in 2019, for those of you who love waking up early and netting yourself a bargain. Mum2mum markets in Kent where parents can bag cheap branded toys, clothes and prams With the warm weather we have been experiencing recently, many of us like to have a wander around our local car boot sales. But sometimes, it's difficult to know where to go. Kent Live has compiled a list of these car boot sales from CarBootSale.org, where they are and when they are open. Before you head out or start planning, make sure to contact the organisers listed to check the boot sale is going ahead, as factors like bad weather can easily cancel planned events. Addington Boot Fair Where: Meadow-Crest Farm, London Road, Addington, Nr West Malling, ME19 5AR When: Every Saturday at 7am (sellers welcome from 6.30am). Season: March - August Seller fee: 10 Entry fee: 50p More information: Contact JPM Fairs on 07795 967609 or email joemccarthy1@btinternet.com . Ashford Boot Fair and Stall Market Where: Ashford Market, Monument Way, TN24 0HB When: Saturday and Sunday from 8am (sellers pitch up at 7.30am). Season: All year round Seller fee: 10-14 Entry fee: Free More information: Contact Ashford Cattle Market on 01233 506219 or 01233 506 247. Toilets and refreshments are available on this site. Charity Boot Fairs 2019 Where: St Mary's College Playing Field, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2PG When: Every Saturday, sellers set up at 7am, buyers from 7.30am. Season: April - September Seller fee: 10 cars, 12 vans Entry fee: Free More information: Contact Joy Austin on 07746626687 or email charitybootfair@yahoo.co.uk Hythe Cricket & Squash Club Boot Fair Where: St Mary's College Playing Field, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2PG When: April 14, May 5, June 2, July 14, August 4, September 8. Gates open at 6.15am Seller fee: 10 cars, 12 vans or cars with trailer Entry fee: Free, car parking 1 More information: Contact 01303 267 458 for more details. Big Family Country Boot Sale Where: Fox Hounds Lane, Southfleet, DA139LH When: From 10am on the below dates (all Sundays) March 3, 2019 March 10, 2019 March 17, 2019 March 24, 2019 March 31, 2019 April 7, 2019 April 14, 2019 Seller fee: 11 cars, 16 vans Entry fee: 2 - car park, 1 after 11am More information: Contact Ron Mulock on 07929 847405 or email info@boot-sales.com . Park Wood Langley Boot Fair Where: Park Wood Langley, Sutton Road, Maidstone, ME15 8RD When: Every Sunday from 7am, buyers from 7.30am Season: April - October Seller fee: 10 Entry fee: 1, children go free More information: The boot sale is organised by PWLCBS, who can be reached on 07841 458 067 Greenfields Boot Fair, Anthony's Way Where: Anthony's Way, Wainscott, Strood, ME2 4UX (Access via Upnor Road) When: Sunday, May 26 Monday, May 27 (bank holiday) Sunday, June 2 Sunday, June 9 Sunday, June 16 Sunday, June 23 Sunday, June 30 Sunday July, 7 Sunday July, 14 Sunday July, 21 Sunday July, 28 August, Sunday 4 August, Sunday 11 August, Sunday, 18 Seller fee: 10 car and vans, 15 large vans, trailers 5, extra large pitches 20 Entry fee: Free More information: Call 07432 789414 for information, or contact Mark on 07811 022987 Greenfields Boot Fair, Beechings Field Where: Beechings Field, Cornwallis Avenue, ME7 2DH (Near McDonald's) When: Selected dates between April and August, these have not yet been made public Seller fee: 10 car and vans, 15 large vans, trailers 5, extra large pitches 20 Entry fee: Free More information: Call 07432 789414 for information, or contact John on 07732 708025 Hop Farm Boot Fairs Where: The Hop Farm, Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood TN12 6PY When: April: 6/7/13/14/19/20/21/22/27/28 May: 4/5/6/11/12/18/19/25/26/27 June: 1/2/8/9/12/16/22/23/29/30 July: 6/7/13/14 August: 3/4/10/11/24/25/26/31 September: 1/14/15/21/22 October: 1/2/12/13/19/20/26/27 Season: April - October Seller fee: 10.00 a pitch for a van or a car, stalls at 1pm and must trade until 3pm at the earliest Entry fee: For public entry it is 1 per adult before 2pm and 0.50 per adult after 2pm More information: For enquiries please contact the organiser, Mrs Pennell on 07807358042. During some event weekends at The Hop Farm, the boot fairs take place at Badsell Rd, 5 Oak Green, TN12 6QU. For those dates not at The Hop Farm, please call Mrs Pennell. Car Boot Sale (Great Chart Playing Field) Where: Great Chart Playing Field, Chart Road, Great Chart, TN23 3AE When: Every second Sunday of the month from 8am (sellers welcome at 7am) Season: May - September Seller fee: 8 - Car, 10 - Van, 2 extra for trailer Entry fee: Free More information: Contact Great Chart Playing Field Association on 01233 427407 or email gcpfa@barkercomputersolutions.co.uk . Church Street Boot Fair Where: Church Street, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1PF When: The last Saturday and Sunday of every month during season Buyers welcome from 7.30am, sellers at 6.30am Season: April - September Seller fee: 10 - Cars, 15 - Vans Entry fee: 1 per car More information: Contact the Lions Club on 07742 979717 or email contact@whitstablelionsclub.org.uk Dane Court PTA Where: Dane Court Grammar School, Broadstairs Road, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2RT When: Every second Saturday 6am for sellers, 6.30am for buyers. Season: April - September. No boot fair in August. Seller fee: 7 - Car, 10 - Van Entry fee: Donation More information: Contact Lois Gadd on 07968 687145 or email lois@ramsgatebrewery.co.uk . There is a Farmers Market on the same day from 8:30am inside the school. Dover Car Boot Sale Where: East Kent College Car Park, Dover Town Centre When: Monthly on a Sunday from 10am (sellers pitch up at 9am) Season: Year round Seller fee: 10 Entry fee: Free More information: Contact Dover Car Boot Sale on 07484 689921 or email dovercarboot@gmail.com . Mobile number is for is text only. All sellers must pre book. New Romney Cricket Club Boot Fair Where: The Pavilion, Station Road, New Romney, TN28 8LQ When: May 5 June 9 July 14 August 18 September 8 September 22 Gates open 6am to sellers, 7am buyers Seller fee: Cars 5, vans 7 Entry fee: Donations accepted for off road parking Leysdown Boot Fair Where: Leysdown Road, Leysdown, Sheppey, Kent, ME12 4RB When: Every Sunday during season, gates open 6.30am. First boot fair to be held on Sunday, March 3. Season: March - September Seller fee: 10 car and vans, 15 vans Entry fee: Free entry to visitors More information: Call Henry Cooper on 01795 510887, 07907177588 or 07787822727. Drapers Mills Thanet Lions Boot Fair Where: Drapers Mills Primary School, College Road, Margate, CT9 2SP When: Fortnightly on a Sunday, Sellers set up at 7.30am, fair opens at 8am. Season: April - September Seller fee: 7 Entry fee: Donation More information: Contact Thanet Lions on 0845 8339532 or email contact@thanetlions.org.uk . Toilets and refreshments are available. For firm dates, visit their website. Flamingo Park Giant Boot Fair Where: Flamingo Park, A20 Sidcup By Pass, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 6HL When: Weekly on a Sunday, Sellers set up at 9am, fair opens at 9.30am. Season: April - August Seller fee: 10-18 Entry fee: 1.80 More information: Contact Flamingo Park Giant Boot Fair on 02083091012 or email acents88@yahoo.com. Licensed bar, no booking necessary. KT Bootfairs Herne Bay and Whitstable Bends Where: Whitstable Road, B2205, Herne Bay, CT6 8BH When: Weekly on Sunday and on Bank Holidays. Sellers pitch up at 8.30am. Season: April - October Seller fee: 5 Entry fee: 50p Parking Per Car More information: Refreshments and toilets are available. Contact Craig and Fiona Martin on 07533 443776 or email Mrcraigmartin@aol.com . This is a field boot fair so it is weather dependent - please do not hesitate to call for confirmation. Due to weather, they may start earlier or later in the year and also finish on a different date to the one advertised. New Sunday Market, West Wickham Where: The Swan, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 0NJ When: Fortnightly on Sunday. Sellers pitch up at 11.30am. Buyers welcome from midday. Season: March - October Seller fee: 10/20 Entry fee: Free More information: Call 07901712602 or email austintaxiclub@yahoo.co.uk. Booking advised. Staplehurst Market and Boot Sale Where: Station car park, Staplehurst Station, TN12 0QR When: Every Sunday, sellers pitch up at 6am, buyers welcome from 7am Season: All year round Seller fee: 5 per car. Entry fee: Free More information: Contact Bates the Market Butchers on 07925526045 or email allenaatkins1945@gmail.com. Tilmanstone Bootfair Where: Barville Road, CT15 5BQ Dover, Ken When: Every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, gates open to all at 6am. First boot fair on April 7. Season: April - October Seller fee: 10 per pitch Entry fee: Free More information: Click here for the latest updates. *Have we missed your event? If so drop an email to lauren.macdougall@reachplc.com or provide details in the comments below. 30 Shares Share Theres a clear culprit in the rising drug overdose death count in Massachusetts the synthetic opioid fentanyl. More powerful and more deadly than heroin, fentanyl has sparked a new set of survival rules among people who abuse opioids. About 75 percent of the states men and women who died after an unintentional overdose last year had fentanyl in their system, up from 57 percent in 2015. Its a pattern cities and towns are seeing across the state and country, particularly in New England and some Rust Belt states. Fentanyl may be especially lethal because its strong, its mixed with other drugs in varying amounts unknown to the user, and it can trigger an overdose within seconds. It happens so fast, like instantly, as soon as you do the shot, said Allyson, a 37-year-old woman who started using heroin in her late teens. In the past, [an overdose] was something that you saw happening, like, you could see the person start to slow down, their color would start to turn blue, and then they would go out, within 10 minutes or so, Allyson said. With fentanyl, theres no progression, no time to seek help. Now its instant, she said. Allyson leaned back in a chair at the AAC Needle Exchange in Cambridge, Mass., and tugged the hood of her gray sweatshirt down to her eyes. Kaiser Health News agreed not to use her full name or the full names of any people in this story who buy illegal drugs, to protect their privacy and future prospects. Allyson is a regular client at the needle exchange, where manager Meghan Hynes urges everyone to carry naloxone, the drug that reverses an overdose. Hynes, who has become very skilled at CPR, uses her naloxone kit to revive someone every few weeks. Recently we had a guy leave the bathroom and all the color just drained from his face, like immediately, and he just turned blue, Hynes said, describing a typical fentanyl overdose. Ive never seen anyone turn blue that fast. He was completely blue and he just fell down and was out not breathing. Hynes bent over the man to pump his heart, but she couldnt. He was hit with wooden chest, a side effect of fentanyl that may be increasing the death toll. Your chest seizes up. You literally have paralysis, and thats obviously really dangerous because if someone needs CPR, you cant do it, Hynes said. And in this situation it spread, so he had lockjaw and his mouth was only open a tiny, tiny bit. And so I could hardly even do rescue breathing for him. Breathing for overdose patients is critical because brain cells can die after five minutes without oxygen. Hynes revived the man on the floor with naloxone, which she urges all of her clients to carry. Thats one of what she calls smart use rules that she is trying to get the people she trains to follow in this era of fentanyl. Others are to stick to a dealer you know and trust, and to use with a buddy, making sure your buddys OK before you inject. Theres also the idea of a test dose, taking a small amount before the full shot. But its really hard to tell these days, even if you do a tester shot, Allyson said, because the grains of fentanyl that could kill you arent mixed uniformly in a bag. Thats a lesson she learned one death-defying night a few months ago. Allyson, who is homeless, spent the night in a tent with a friend. She woke up and used the last of a bag from the day before to get herself going. And I actually said to my friend, I said, Wow, I cant believe I only saved myself this much. It was a very small amount, like a third of what I did the night before, Allyson said, shaking her head. I overdosed on it. The friend had enough naloxone in the tent, which was far from a road or hospital, to bring Allyson back from the dead. Fentanyl is an opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. Theres a legal, Food and Drug Administration-approved version. But labs in China are churning out cheap versions of fentanyl that dealers are selling on the streets mixed with fillers, heroin or other drugs. Buyers have no idea how much fentanyl they are getting or how much risk they are taking with every injection. So, these days, drug users who frequent this needle exchange program assume theres fentanyl in every bag they buy. Most of us know that thats what were getting, said Sean, who started using heroin more than 20 years ago. And if you dont believe it, youre living in a fairy tale world. Theres no reliable way for drug users to test the contents of bags bought on the street. Eddie relies on taste. Its slightly bitter, but its mainly sweet if its fentanyl. If its heroin, you can tell right away because its got a bitter taste and its a long-lasting aftertaste, Eddie said. I will not put anything in my arm before I taste it. Eddie and Allyson say they try to avoid fentanyl. But when their last dose of drugs starts to wear off, theyll take anything to avoid withdrawal, which they describe as the flu on steroids with fever, vomiting, diarrhea and high anxiety. It literally feels like your skin is crawling off. Youre sweating profusely, Allyson said. Your nose is running, your eyes are running. And thats all you can focus on. You cant think. Some drug users seek fentanyl because its a more immediate rush and intense high. But Allyson doesnt like it. She says a fentanyl high fades much more quickly than heroins, which means she has to find more money to buy more drugs and inject more often, which exposes her to more risk. When fentanyl fades, she and Eddie say, they are more likely to take other drugs. Youre getting a fast rush but it doesnt last, so people are mixing, Allyson said. At 37, Allyson is having experiences most Americans dont face until much later in life. As of two days ago, 30 people that I know have passed away. Basically my entire generation is gone in one year. Allyson said. Its the fentanyl, definitely the fentanyl. Older drug users who have been through other epidemics say this moment with fentanyl is the worst theyve seen. Addicts are dying, like, every day. Its crazy, man, said a man named Shug, twisting a towel in his hands, his eyes filling with tears. Nobody seems to give a damn. Shug is grateful for the needle exchange facility, which hasnt lost anyone to an overdose. But on the streets outside, the death toll keeps rising. Martha Bebinger is a reporter. This article originally appeared in Kaiser Health News. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 102 Shares Share As the civil war in Syria shows no signs of de-escalating, worrisome evidence points towards the deployment of chemical warfare with banned agents recently, resulting in almost a hundred deaths with more than a quarter of them children. Chlorine and Sarin gas are primarily being implicated. Here are ten facts to know about Sarin gas and how it works. 1. Historically, Sarin was used for bioterrorism by members of Aum Shinrikyo, a radical religious cult group in Japan, in 1994 and 1995 that collectively poisoned 6500 people on the subway. In 1998, Saddam Hussein used it against Iranians and Kurdish people. The Syrian government was implicated in an attack on civilians in 2013 that killed 1400 people. 2. Sarin is a clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid that transforms into gas and spreads insidiously over long distances to cause damage to the nervous system (thus the name nerve gas). It was accidentally discovered by Germans as a pesticide that seriously poisoned the four scientists who developed it. It is also known as GB. 3. Sarin gas can get absorbed into the body from breathing the air and through the skin and eyes. Liquid Sarin can mix easily with drinking water. Food can get contaminated with Sarin. Occasionally it can linger in the clothes of those exposed and spread easily. The fact that Sarin can cause damage in so many different ways adds to its lethality. 4. Sarin is heavier than air and sinks to lower levels over the ground. Children are more susceptible to Sarin because they are closer to the ground, have smaller bodies, faster breathing rates, immature organ systems, and highly permeable skin. 5. Sarin gas is more potent than liquid and symptoms appear within seconds of exposure to the gas but may take hours with the liquid form. Since it is odorless, victims are unaware of its presence, just like carbon monoxide. Deaths are mostly due to respiratory failure from inhaling the gas. 6. The lethal dose of Sarin is about 0.5 mg. It is approximately 500 times more lethal than cyanide. 7. The effects of Sarin are quite similar to organophosphorus poisoning from other pesticides, though much more severe. It inhibits an enzyme in the body called acetylcholinesterase, which is responsible for the breakdown of certain stimulant neurotransmitters. This causes a cholinergic hyper-stimulation state with unopposed high levels of these neurotransmitters in nerves and muscles. 8. Symptoms include watering of the eyes, runny nose, excess sweating, drooling of saliva, cough, chest pain, rapid breathing, pain in the eye, nausea, diarrhea, and headache and can progress to altered mental status, muscle weakness and twitching, blood pressure changes, seizures, paralysis, and eventually death. 9. The treatment of Sarin poisoning is three-pronged: decontamination, respiratory support, and antidotes, all three to be done simultaneously. Once exposure has occurred it is best to change clothes, wash eyes and body quickly with large quantities of soap and water, pack the clothes in double plastic bags to seal its spread, move out from the area, and go to the highest area possible (since Sarin sinks to the ground). Emergency medical care in a hospital is critical. The best antidote is pralidoxime, but due to its cost and lack of easy availability, atropine can also be used. Pralidoxime was found to be effective even 6 hours after exposure and recovery is quick. Supportive measures include aggressive intravenous hydration and diazepam. Personal protective equipment for the rescue units is fundamental and vital. 10. Long term and subclinical effects of Sarin are not clear. In the Japan attack 8 percent victims suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder 5 years later. Psychological symptoms were common in victims of both attacks in Japan. Repeated small exposures may or may not cause symptoms that are overt. Tanu S. Pandey is an internal medicine physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 138 Shares Share 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. A sub-intern is what you call a fourth-year medical student on an advanced rotation. It is a month-long 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. 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? 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. 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 is an internal medicine resident. This article originally appeared in STAT News. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Two students from Loreto Kilkenny were among the seven runners-up in Action Aids National Speech Writing Competition this year. Emma de Bruin and Ella Brennan narrowly missed out on the top prize, after a lot of hard work. The competition final was held in the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) this week. Nine finalists delivered their speeches in front of a panel of judges: Alan ONeill, CEO, Mens Development Network; Winifred Ikhine Akinyemi of Irish Aid; Elaine Prendeville, Editor, The Magazine at The Sunday Business Post; and Seona McLoughlin, Coordinator of the Irish Consortium of Gender Based Violence. This is my third year being involved in the ActionAid Speech Writing Competition and again I am truly impressed by the standard of speech writing and delivery of all the participants, said Rodney Rice, ActionAid Ireland chairman. Emma and Ella both showed a very high degree of skill and analysis and very narrowly missed out on being announced winners. Over 100 students entered the competition, aged 14 to 17, from over 30 schools across the country. Emma and Ella narrowly missed out on the winning prize. Their speeches focused on womens rights in development. SEOUL, April 10 (Reuters) - Foreign investors extended their buying spree of South Korean bonds for a third straight month in March, though the pace of purchase slowed compared to February, official data showed on Monday. Bond holdings by foreign investors rose by a net 2.6 trillion won ($2.29 billion) in March, well behind the net 5.2 trillion won in February, which was the biggest jump since 2009, data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed. Demand was strongest from Asia, as investors in the region purchased 1.4 trillion won worth of debt. Investors in the U.S. bought 0.4 trillion won, and those in the Middle East snapped up 0.3 trillion won worth of South Korean bonds. By category, foreigners net increased their holdings of monetary stabilization bonds(MSB) by 2.9 trillion won, while they offloaded 0.3 trillion won of treasury bonds. ($1 = 1,133.4300 won) (Reporting by Cynthia Kim) By Marton Dunai BUDAPEST, April 9 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Hungarians protested in central Budapest on Sunday against new legislation that could force the Central European University (CEU), a school founded by U.S. financier George Soros, to move out of the country. A bill passed in Parliament this week by the ruling right-wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a critic of liberal civil organisations funded by Soros, targeted CEU by setting numerous new conditions under which it must operate. The bill has led to criticism from hundreds of leading academics worldwide as well as from the U.S. government and the European Union. Hungarian President Janos Ader must now sign the bill by Monday to make it law. The protesters said they wanted to convince Ader to reject the bill and refer it to a constitutional review. "What do we want Ader to do? VETO," the crowd chanted. "Free country, free university!" "The government wants to silence pretty much everyone who doesn't think the same as them, who thinks freely, who can be liberal, can be leftist," protest organiser Kornel Klopfstein, a PhD student at the University of Bielefeld in Germany, told Reuters. "According to the government one of the centres of these people is at CEU... We should stand up for academic freedom and for CEU." The government has been tightening up on dissent in other ways as well, proposing tighter rules on non-governmental organisations, which will have to register with authorities if they have a yearly foreign income of 7.2 million forints ($25,000). The Hungarian premier has often vilified Soros, whose ideal of an open society is squarely at odds with Orban's view that European culture is under an existential threat from migration and multiculturalism. Orban has often said NGOs are doing Soros' bidding. "The government is always looking for someone to fight with, and Soros seems like a perfect person for this because he funds NGOs in Hungary and he funds CEU as well," Klopfstein said. CEU Rector Michael Ignatieff has said the school would continue operations as normal and demanded that the law be scrapped and additional international guarantees of academic freedoms be added to current legal safeguards. The U.S. State Department will send diplomats to Budapest next week to address the CEU crisis, said Ignatieff, who spent several days in Washington to lobby the U.S. government, lawmakers and the media. "They want to completely undermine and eradicate what remains of civil society," Bara Bognar, a 40 year old finance professional, told Reuters. "This is the first protest I have ever participated in. There is a level at which you must be present, so here I am." "The method, the lack of dialogue, the efforts for years to annihilate all democratic institutions, this cannot be the future of us nor our children." (Editing by Hugh Lawson) You can now donate to Kiwiblog Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. By Park Hyong-ki Cho Young-tae Korean teenagers will be heading toward a disastrous future with a tougher job market if the country continues to make them walk the same path as their parents did, demographer Cho Young-tae said. Young people here have always, in general, been brought up the same way study hard, go to a private institution after school, learn what everyone else is learning, take an exam and go to a prestigious university. Then, they should get a job at a conglomerate. This has resulted in an oversupply of overeducated people with no unique set of creative skills that could be useful in the job market. Unless Korea deals with this fundamental problem in its education, mentoring and parenting systems, youth unemployment will get much worse than it is today. The youth joblessness rate stood at over 12 percent last February, a record high. To make matters worse, the population of young people is decreasing really quickly, while that of the elderly aged over 65 is rapidly increasing. The changing demographics will further tighten the job market, and weigh down on productivity and consumption. Cho said a new strategy is urgently needed. "We made a terrible mistake by implementing a series of ill-considered policies to address these concerns. And young adults today are paying the price for it," Cho said. "We cannot go back and fix it. Unfortunately, the young will have to endure the pain. But there is still hope for our teenagers and children. We need to help them take a different path for the future." Cho, who is a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health, is one of Korea's leading demographers and the author of "Determined Future," which is about Korean demographics. He has consistently advocated that Korea should not approach and try to solve its demographic problems with welfare and fiscal policies. Lower taxes for working couples and more childcare centers will not help boost the number of newborn babies, which is expected to fall below the threshold of 400,000 this year. Cho has suggested maintaining a population replacement of above 400,000 because that level will be able to at least sustain the local market. "Our changing demographics are not a matter of welfare or tax problems. Korea needs to approach these from a diverse point of views from education, the economy, statistics and business among others," Cho said. "Korea needs a special unit or agency that can exclusively come up with demographic policies like in the United States and Europe." Beginning in 2020, Korea's demographics will change a great deal. That is when those born in the mid-1990s will enter colleges, which will start to face financial difficulties due to the decreasing number of students because of the low birthrate. Korea will see an undersupply of students and oversupply of schools, Cho said, adding, "Practically every student will be able to enter college. So there is no need for private education." In 2026, Korea will be a super-aging society with more than 20 percent of its population consisting of the elderly. In 10 to 15 years from now, the number of newborn babies will fall to around 150,000. Jobs will be tougher to get because the next generation will not only have to compete with artificial intelligence (AI), but also with the growing number of older people who will seek to postpone their retirement amid increasing social costs. "The decrease in the birthrate will inevitably produce a tougher environment. Against this backdrop, do you still want to raise your kids, run our schools the same way and implement the same welfare and education policies?" Cho asked. Three alarms Before finding potential solutions for the next generation, society needs to be aware of three alarming statistics, Cho said. First, the number of newborns fell to 406,000 last year. This year, it will fall below 400,000 and will continue to shrink no matter what. Second, the number of singles surpassed that of four-member households in 2015. Last but not least, more than 80 percent of the population lives in big cities, and more than 50 percent of the population aged 20-49 lives in Seoul. The first two statistics foretell that the local market will get smaller. Koreans' consumption patterns will change amid the reduction of family size. They will favor smaller things like apartments and automobiles. No longer will roads be filled with family sedans, and the value of apartments will fall. Historical data show that the overall real estate prices here moved in tandem with those of large apartments. When they fall amid lower demand for large apartments, prices of small apartments for singles will drop too, even though demand for them increases, Cho noted. Also, the population of the young concentrated mostly in Seoul poses a risk to the rural economy. The young who moved to Seoul from rural areas have mostly pushed back marriage and having kids due to increasing living costs. "The rural economy is facing near collapse as the young mostly want to relocate to Seoul. The Seoul government has to take this matter seriously," Cho said. Possible solutions The next government must work with the private sector to help the labor market become more flexible, and create more entry-level jobs. At the same time, its education sector should get rid of its aging and rigid college entrance exam system, and make that flexible too. "We need to allow a flexible system enabling anyone to go to college anytime after they work," Cho said. "Also, a flexible labor market will enable the old to come back to the workforce after they reach their retirement age with a smaller paycheck. We cannot have the next generation bear all the financial burden to support the elderly to receive their pension." Korea should encourage the young to work in agriculture and develop it with bio or nanotechnology by giving them free land where they can do so through trial and error. "This could save the rural economy. Otherwise, Korea should declare the end of its agriculture, and that it will from now on import everything for our food," he said. It needs to start building networks with governments in developing markets and create a path enabling the young to secure jobs overseas. Cho also suggested that parents should no longer force their kids to study at private institutions, but help and guide them to study subjects that can make them unique. "They need to study something and become unique so that no one else, even including AI, can follow," he said. By Nam Hyun-woo Woori Bank plans to launch investor relations (IR) events in Europe in the first half of this year to attract institutional investors, an official of the Seoul-based lender said Sunday. CEO Lee kwang-goo will lead the events. The move is aimed at raising Woori's share price and to help the state-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC), which wants to sell some of its stake. In December, KDIC sold its 29.7 percent stake in Woori to seven entities at 2.4 trillion won ($2.11 billion) to retrieve taxpayer money poured into the bank as a bailout after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. KDIC still holds a 21.4 percent stake and plans to sell 18.4 percent. Last December's successful deals have been attributed to Woori CEO Lee's IR trips to the U.S., Japan and Europe early last year, which led to strong share prices. "After the IR events in 2016, the stake of foreign investors in Woori increased from 20 percent to 25 percent," the official said. Woori believes a further rise in its stock price will boost its bid to sell its remaining government-owned stake. The stock closed at 13,900 won Friday, up 18.2 percent from its December block sale price of 11,763 won. Market watchers expect the shares will eventually rise up to 17,000 won, because its net interest margin (NIM) is likely to be stable while costs are projected to be contained. "Woori is expected to post a net 480.1 billion won profit in the first quarter this year," Hana Financial Investment analyst Han Jung-tae said. "The bank's NIM is rising and the expansion in loans is steady. " After the block sale late last year, the new board members set its dividends at 400 won per share, which meets market expectations." Han added that Woori's plans to shift to a holding company system would help to boost its performance and stock prices further this year. The KDIC will set the selling schedule depending on share prices. By Kim Bo-eun The welfare ministry on Friday permitted the city's disputed plan to financially assist young jobseekers. Under the plan, set to begin in June, the young aspirants will receive support for costs of private classes and test fees to get jobs. The city will provide 5,000 Seoul residents aged 19 to 29 with 500,000 won ($440) in monthly allowance for six months. The welfare ministry, which earlier opposed the project, approved it based on revisions made by the city government. The city has narrowed down the pool of applicants to those in middle- and low-income families. Recipients will need to take part in career exploration and skill training programs, and the financial support will only be provided for job-seeking activities such as tuition for private academies or exam fees. The city also plans to monitor how the financial assistance is being used and achievements made from the support. The monitoring will focus on keeping records of employment rates and how many times the recipients have taken tests and interviews for job openings. In November 2015, the city proposed a plan to provide 500,000 won a month to 3,000 unemployed people in Seoul aged 19 to 29. At the time, then-Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan referred to the plan as a "populism-based welfare project," and pledged the central government would prevent its implementation. The government filed a complaint to halt the budget the city government drew up for the project, which the city council passed. In January 2016, the city said it would negotiate the project with the central government, and submitted the plan to the welfare ministry in March. However, the ministry disapproved the plan, citing that the standards for recipients were not clear, and that the money was being provided for purposes other than job-seeking. The ministry said it would approve the plan if the city complemented these shortcomings. But in August the city pushed forward with the plan, providing 500,000 won in allowance to 2,831 youth under a pilot project. The ministry took measures to cancel the plan. Afterward, the city submitted its revised plan in January this year, which the ministry finally approved last week. Because the plan was nullified by the welfare ministry, the project will have to be restarted from scratch. Marriage immigrants take part in a session offering tips on being a parent of a child in school, at a multiracial family support center in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo. / Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family By Kim Bo-eun The number of marriage immigrants in Korea has increased over the years, totaling 238,161 in 2015, according to the interior ministry. By nationality, Vietnamese immigrants took up the largest portion of marriage immigrants (27 percent), followed by Chinese (21 percent) and Korean-Chinese (19.7 percent). Over the years, the government has systematically assisted marriage immigrants, through multiracial family support centers and hotlines, helping them learn Korean and obtain the necessary information on their immediate needs such as acquiring nationality and employment. A 2015 survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family shows 63.9 percent of marriage immigrants and naturalized Koreans are employed, which is higher than the average of Korean nationals. However, the majority of them perform simple labor, followed by service work. Low wages, long working hours and language barriers are some of the difficulties experienced by immigrant workers. The same survey shows over 30 percent of respondents lack friends and acquaintances they can discuss their difficulties with regarding work and child care or enjoy leisure and pastimes together. Meanwhile, compared to the same survey conducted in 2012, the respondents said their Korean language ability improved, but still experience greater difficulties due to loneliness and raising their children and educating them. The data indicates that marriage immigrants are in need of better long-term jobs, beyond immediately earning money for the family, as well as friends and social connections with whom to share their lives and concerns. The 2015 survey showed the most sought-after government services were references to job openings, followed by assistance for their children's studies. To address these needs, the gender ministry-affiliated multiracial family support centers across the nation in 2015 started offering programs for marriage immigrants to help them map out their future, assist them in drawing up detailed plans and provide information on local government services. The centers provide guidance for women depending on their needs _ whether it is as job seekers, school parents or members of the local community. They offer the immigrants opportunities to explore fields they are interested in and visit related institutions. The women are also introduced to successful women in each of the fields, enabling them to get advice from them. As of February, 5,129 women have taken part in the programs offered at 217 centers nationwide. "The program aims to assist marriage immigrants who are experiencing difficulties in adjusting to life here, raising their children and seeking stable jobs," said Yun Kang-mo, director at the ministry's multiracial family policy division. "We will work to increase participants and strengthen the programs so that more marriage immigrants can stably settle here." Eleven confiscated dinosaur fossils from Mongolia have been returned to the Mongolian government, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Sunday. The Mongolian government said it would lend the fossils to Korea and the cultural property authorities of the two governments would conduct research on them and display them here. Among the fossils are a skull and rib bones of the carnivore Tarbosaurus, which inhabited Asia 70 million years ago. Tarbosaurus fossils have only been found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert. The academic value of the pieces is highly notable, a researcher at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said. The fossils were dug up from the Gobi Desert by Mongolians and smuggled into China, with smugglers deceiving immigration bureau authorities by putting the bones in multiple boxes and claiming they were Mongolian tents. The fossils were brought to Korea in May 2014, after a Korean smuggler purchased them for 467 million won ($411,000). However, a disagreement over the rights to the fossils broke out in February 2015 among smugglers here and they filed complaints against each other with the prosecution. The prosecution confiscated the fossils and conducted an inspection with Mongolian investigation authorities and cultural heritage experts. Because the earth on the bones showed they were from the Gobi Desert, the prosecution decided to return them to Mongolia. It is the first time for Korea to return illegally acquired cultural property to the government of another nation. The USS Carl Vinson supercarrier arrives at a port in Busan, 15 March. The Carl Vinson U.S. Navy Strike Group, which includes the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), is moving toward the Korean peninsula to provide a 'show of force' against North Korea in the wake of North Korean ballistic missile tests and reported increased activity at North Korea's nuclear test site. / EPA-Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye The U.S. Donald Trump administration must have prior consultation with Seoul before taking any confrontational actions concerning North Korea, including launching a preemptive strike, South Korean politicians said. The politicians, including presidential candidate Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said Seoul is directly involved in the North Korean issue, noting that any actions taken by Washington will have a direct impact on the Korean Peninsula. The demand for prior consultation comes amid tensions following the surprise U.S. missile attack on Syria on Thursday night, which was seen as a powerful message to rogue states, such as North Korea and Iran, that the U.S. can take military action against them at any time. The U.S. also signaled during its summit with China on Thursday and Friday that it would continue a hard-line policy on Pyongyang unless the Kim Jong-un regime changes its attitude. "South Korea should be the owner of North Korean issues and take the lead in dealing with them rather than letting neighboring countries such as the U.S. and China manage them," Moon told reporters, Saturday, referring to the outcome of the summit talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "The U.S. is talking about various possibilities regarding its confrontational actions on the North. The U.S. must consult with South Korea before whatever measure it takes," he said. Moon added that it is improper to hastily interpret Washington's references to various possibilities as an indication of the will to use military force. The conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) spokesman Jeong Jun-kil also said, "The U.S. should keenly consult with South Korea that has a direct stake in security issues of the Korean Peninsula." The salvaged Sewol ferry, 1,089 days after its sinking, arrives on land on Sunday. The ship's weight of more than 17,000 tons, heavier than anticipated, has been delaying the salvage process. / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan The salvaged Sewol ferry, which sank killing more than 300 passengers in 2014, was moved on to land at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, the government said. It took 1,089 days to bring the wreck onto land. The transfer began at 9 a.m. after completing the final test for the operation, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. About 600 module transporters carried the 6,800-ton vessel from a semi-submersible transport ship to a dry dock. The ferry, carrying mostly Danwon High School students, was on its way from Incheon to Jeju Island, when it sank off the southwest coast near Jindo Island in April, killing 304 people. Six hundred modular transporters, maneuvered under Sewol, carry the ferry from the semisubmersible recovery ship to a dry dock at Mokpo New Port in South Jeolla Province, Sunday. / Yonhap Search inside ferry to begin to recover victims' remains By Lee Kyung-min Salvage workers finally moved the Sewol ferry to a dry dock from the semisubmersible recovery ship on Sunday, 1,089 days after it sunk in the waters off the southwestern island of Jindo, government officials said. They started the transfer at 1 p.m., using hundreds of modular transporters to roll the vessel onto a dry dock at Mokpo New Port in South Jeolla Province. It took about 10 hours to complete the move. It came 18 days after the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries ran test operations on March 22 to raise the ferry that had been kept underwater for nearly three years since sinking on April 16, 2014. The decision to move the ferry followed a successful final test operation of the transporters a day earlier. "As we confirmed that the transporters worked without posing safety issues, we decided to move the ferry when the tide is at its highest," said Lee Cheol-jo, a ministry official overseeing the salvage operation. After the ship was moved to the dock completely, salvage workers turned the ferry about 90 degrees to have the ferry's hull face the sea. The 90-degree turn on the deck followed an adjusting process to ensure the weight is evenly distributed on the transporters, Lee added. With the ferry's hull facing the sea, the passenger compartment will also face the temporary campsite of the families of the nine missing victims set up on the dock. The 600 transporters, divided into eight rows _ 60 of two and 80 of six _ to support the ferry that weighed more than 17,000 tons, lifted the ferry without any major problems late Saturday. The ministry initially said 456 transporters would be used, but added 144 more, following concerns that the 6,800-ton ferry containing mud and seawater will require much more support. As the ferry has been secured on the dock, the recovery crew will initiate a search of its interior, focusing on the third and fourth decks where the nine victims are believed to have stayed. "First, we will make sure the ferry is safe for the crews to enter," Lee said. "Sterilization and other measures are under consideration." Twenty experts including officials from the Coast Guard and firefighters will conduct search operations. National Forensic Service officials will be on standby to treat the recovered materials. The special committee investigating the ferry will collect evidence to determine the cause of the sinking. Camera-equipped robots and drones may be used in the process. Meanwhile, an underwater search is ongoing inside the 200-meter-long, 160-meter-wide, three-meter-high fence set up earlier in the seabed at the point where the Sewol had been lying. "More than 30 divers, in teams of two, began their work at 12:25 today. They will hand-search the area using a small shovel. Sonar radar will be also used," Lee said. With the primary object of the search being the remains of the unrecovered victims, underwater operations will continue for at least two months. All searches will be recorded by cameras on the helmets of the divers. By Choi Ha-young Hong Joon-pyo Liberty Korea Party presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo, nicknamed "Hong-rump" after U.S. President Donald Trump for his outspokenness during the party primary race, now has another nickname "Korean Duterte." He is becoming the talk of the town with his harsh words against critics and political opponents. Some say this is one of his campaign strategies to boost a low approval rating as a presidential runner, but others say his use of foul language and his rude attitude in public often annoy people. The South Gyeongsang Governor earned the new nickname based on Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte following an argument with popular news anchor Sohn Suk-hee from JTBC. During an interview with Sohn, Hong wagged a finger in Sohn's face a rude gesture while defending himself after receiving a question about his ongoing bribery trial. Hong then sarcastically said, "I know you are on trial, too, Dr. Sohn. But you are still hosting this show." Questioned about a possible deal for single candidacy with Rep. Yoo Seong-min, a candidate from the Bareun Party, the governor said, "Search what I said on the internet. I don't want to talk about that anymore." The host looked baffled by Hong's rudeness. After the show, Hong said he sent a text message to Sohn, "I'm sorry for what I did to you today." He also later told reporters, "I think I gave excitement to viewers of that show. Wasn't it entertaining?" This is not the first time he has dismayed voters. "Former President Roh Moo-hyun killed himself after taking a bribe," he told reporters in February, against the presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, Roh's longtime friend. About his own bribery allegation, he said he will "kill himself" if it turns out to be true. "Trump won the election because he spoke to people feeling suffocated, in a simple and clear way. But Hong is just threatening people," Professor Choi Chang-ryul of Yongin University said, criticizing Hong's logical leaps and distortion to divide the nation by ideology. "I think he is using the term leftist' and rightist' instead of liberal' and conservative' on purpose, to intensify an ideological conflict," Choi said. Hong has defined Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party presidential nominee, as a "half leftist" and Moon as a "leftist." His attitude is also raising concerns among conservatives. Rep. Yoo's camp said in a statement, "Hong's behavior will influence conservative voters to turn their backs on the conservative parties. He is actually helping Moon." In opinion polls, Hong's approval rating has hovered around 10 percent, which is far behind the liberal contenders Moon and Ahn. By Kim Rahn Hong Joon-pyo Hong Joon-pyo, the presidential candidate of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), stepped down from his South Gyeongsang Province governor post on late Sunday, the deadline for public officials to resign to run in the presidential election. But the timing of his resignation is controversial, because he deliberately delayed it until the deadline to prevent the province from having a by-election to fill his vacancy, possibly because the chance of a liberal candidate's victory in the by-election is high. Even before he became the LKP nominee, he openly said, "If I become the candidate, I'll quit the governorship. But there will be no by-election. I will prevent it from happening." According to the law, public officials who want to run in the presidential election must leave their posts 30 days before the election _ April 9 this time. And if the by-election to fill their posts is to be held, their resignation should be reported to the regional election offices by that day, too. Then the by-election will be held on the same day as the presidential election. But the prosecutor-turned-politician took advantage of a legal loophole _ he resigned nearly at midnight of April 9, Sunday, making the regional election office unable to receive the report of his resignation on that day. Without a by-election, the province will have no governor for 14 months until the next local election in June 2018. Regarding why he wants to block the by-election, Hong said the poll would cost the provincial government, which has just finished paying debts, 20 billion won to 30 billion won. He also said it would cause a series of resignations by provincial councilors, lawmakers and mayors within the province who wish to run in the by-election. But political critics commonly view that the conservative Hong has concerns that a liberal candidate may win the by-election and the huge financial burden to the region for by-election expenses may damage his own presidential popularity with the residents. Other political parties and regional civic groups denounced Hong's move, saying it will cause 14 months of an administrative vacuum in the province and infringe on the residents' political rights. "The person who majored in law is playing with the law," said Rep. Yoo Seong-min, presidential candidate of the minor conservative Bareun Party. "He is depriving 3.4 million South Gyeongsang Province residents of their political rights and suffrage, while he is enjoying his own right to run in the presidential election." A liberal civic group in the region also filed a complaint with the prosecution for dereliction of duty and abuse of power. "It is unacceptable in a democratic country to block the by-election by misusing the law. Hong is deliberately abusing his authority to violate the political rights of the residents," the group said in the complaint. By Choi Ha-young Hong Seok-hyun Media mogul Hong Seok-hyun suddenly resigned from the JoongAng Media Network chairman post on March 19, feeding speculation he may jump into politics with the ambition to run in the presidential election. But political pundits commonly say his chances are slim considering his age of 67 and lack of public awareness. Also, for that bid, it was better for him to join a parliamentary party or start a new one, both moves unlikely considering the tight schedule before the poll slated for May 9. Under such circumstances, it seems he is instead eyeing political leverage by cooperating with those opposing the presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). After his resignation, Hong, who headed the nation's second-largest newspaper JoongAng Ilbo and cable channel JTBC, contacted former five-term lawmaker Kim Chong-in, a vocal critic of Moon, and former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan. "I listened to Kim's remarks in support of a coalition government," Hong said on March 29 after meeting with them. On April 5, Kim declared his presidential bid as an independent, making clear his intention to form an alliance against Moon. However, the plan doesn't seem to be going as well as he would like: Kim's presidential bid has failed to impact the electoral landscape, with his approval rating standing at a scanty 1.2 percent according to a Realmeter poll released Thursday. "The next administration most likely led by Moon will not have a place for Hong," political analyst Hwang Tae-soon said. Moon, with a huge campaign team full of high-profile figures, already vowed to recruit a prime minister from the Jeolla region to embrace his opponents there. Also, Hong's views on reform through social integration clash with those of the leading contender who calls for thorough reform against deeply rooted evils. Yoon Tae-gon, a senior political analyst at The Moa Agenda & Strategy, is also skeptical of Hong's challenge. "If Hong seeks a role in the centrist group with Kim, they need to cooperate with Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party or Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party. However, both are unlikely to accept such interference." Instead, Hong can contribute by building a sound think tank for bipartisan policymaking and nurturing talent, political commentator Choi Young-il said. This is in line with Hong's email to JoongAng Media Network staff members upon his resignation. "I've decided to do something meaningful for the future of Korea," he said, envisioning a think tank along with former ministers, ranking officials and experts with on-site experience. Hong, an uncle of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong, has engaged in social issues. Especially, JTBC played a crucial role in unseating former President Park Geun-hye by obtaining a tablet computer containing physical evidence to prove her confidant Choi Soon-sil meddled in state affairs. Amid the swirling scandal leading to Park's impeachment, the conservative media group kicked off a project named "Reset Korea," dealing with pressing issues such as justice, youth unemployment, job creation, social unity and peace around the Korean Peninsula. Despite the newspaper's conservative editorials, Hong has shown a liberal stance toward unification and diplomacy. Hong previously served as the nation's ambassador to the United States, and liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun once tapped him as a candidate for U.N. secretary-general. However, he has a few hurdles to clear before entering politics: namely, his family background and a previous bribery scandal. His father Hong Jin-ki, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul's best friend, was a well-known pro-Japanese collaborator and associate of dictatorial former President Syngman Rhee. In 2005, he had to quit his ambassador job following an allegation that he and some Samsung officials attempted to provide illegal political funds to then-conservative presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang, and his desire to become the U.N. chief disappeared. "In addition to his blot in history, he is a hyper-elite, which is a weakness for a public politician here to be," Choi added. By Kim Hyo-jin With just one month left before Koreans take to the voting booths on May 9, it is still unknown who will become the president. Experts say the tables can be turned multiple times during the period. They say conservative voters' choices, parties' fielding unified candidates and the financial burden of election expenses can be the variables. For now, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who long enjoyed an unbeatable lead, is recently being closely chased by Ahn Cheol-soo of the rival People's Party. With no serious conservative challengers as a result of the downfall of the conservative parties along with former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, people are to whom conservative voters throw their support. In the wake of the scandal, conservative voters initially supported former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon. As he dropped out of the race, they moved to acting President Hwang Hyo-ahn, who said he would not run for election; then to South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung, who lost to Moon in the DPK's primaries. Now they seem to opt for Ahn, as many conservative voters with the "anybody but Moon" stance will look for ways to keep Moon out of Cheong Wa Dae, analysts say. Ahn's support rate jumped to 35 percent last week from 19 percent of the previous week, according to Gallup Korea poll, closely chasing Moon, 38 percent. And 42 percent of conservative respondents said they would vote for Ahn, compared to 22 percent for Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and 5 percent for Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party. It is yet to be seen whether the conservatives will keep supporting Ahn. If he keeps rising and maintaining the two-way competition with Moon, analysts say, they may do so to prevent dead votes. But if Moon regains the lead, they may leave Ahn. It also remains to be seen if Ahn, Hong and Yoo can form some kind of alliance against frontrunner Moon. However, the possibility of an anti-Moon coalition led by Ahn is decreasing as Ahn's support alone is increasing. The centrist politician also cannot risk losing support from the liberal side of the political spectrum by joining hands with conservative candidates. Instead, Hong and Yoo may seek alliance without Ahn to unite the conservatives. Considering election expenses, Yoo's alliance with Hong or Ahn could be possible. According to the National Election Commission, only when a candidate gains over 15 percent of votes in the presidential poll, his or her campaign expenses will be fully recovered with a national subsidy, and those with over 10 percent, half of the cost will be covered. Those who earn less than 10 percent get nothing back. Yoo has suffered low single-digit support rate while Hong's is at around 10 percent. By Joschka Fischer BERLIN Decades after the end of the Korean War and the partition of Korea, the conflict on the Korean Peninsula remains one of the most dangerous and intractable problems of our time. And today it is more dangerous and seemingly intractable than ever. The North Korean regime is a remnant of the Cold War a Stalinist dinosaur that has survived to the present day, whereas South Korea has rapidly become an economic and technological power in the region. And China, North Korea's most important ally and only financial backer, has pursued an increasingly successful modernization policy. These developments have left the North Korean regime isolated and justifiably fearful for its future. So, to ensure that its brutal dictatorship survives, the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, led by the Kim clan, hit upon the idea of developing nuclear weapons and the systems needed to deliver them. To date, all diplomatic and technological efforts to prevent North Korea's nuclear armament have failed. It is only a matter of time until North Korea has nuclear-armed missiles that can reach South Korea and its capital of Seoul, Japan, and even large cities on the West Coast of North America. The United States, for its part, has installed a missile-defense system in South Korea. And the Trump administration, like administrations before it, views North Korea's pursuit of intercontinental missiles capable of reaching San Francisco or Los Angeles as a justification for war. If the color scale used today for terror threat levels were applied to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, it would show a shift from orange to red. With time for a diplomatic solution or even containment of the crisis quickly running out, the situation is coming to a head. That is because the current drama is playing out in an extremely sensitive strategic location. South Korea and Japan both important players in the global economy and close US partners are under immediate threat, whereas China and Russia, North Korea's two northern neighbors, are global nuclear powers with their own interests in the dispute. China, in particular, views the Korean Peninsula in terms of strategic security. Chinese leaders have not forgotten that Imperial Japan attacked Northern China (Manchuria) from the Korean Peninsula in the 1930's, or that it was US troops' approach toward the Yalu River on China's border that prompted Chinese intervention in the Korean War, in the early 1950's. Since then, China has been North Korea's quasi-protector, and the US has protected South Korea, not least by keeping a large military deployment in the region even after the Cold War ended. Without that American military presence, war most likely would have returned to the region; or, at a minimum, Japan and South Korea would have developed their own nuclear deterrent. A military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula could lead to a nightmare scenario in which nuclear weapons are used, or even to a larger clash between nuclear-armed global powers. Either scenario would have serious consequences beyond the immediate geographic vicinity. And yet North Korea's concerted push to develop nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles means that a continued wait-and-see policy is no longer a serious option. So, what will US President Donald Trump do? A series of recent visits to the region by senior American officials suggests that the new administration is treating the situation on the Korean Peninsula as a serious threat. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel was visiting Trump in Washington earlier this month, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his first official trip to East Asia, following Secretary of Defense James Mattis's trip to the region in February. When he was in South Korea, Tillerson was anything but reassuring. He spoke of an "immediate threat," declared an end to former US President Barack Obama's "policy of strategic patience," and said that "all options are on the table" including military action. Tillerson's harsh language could be justified if it leads to a negotiated solution among the US, China, and North Korea. But what if that doesn't happen? Nuclear or conventional war on the Korean Peninsula would carry incalculable regional and global risks. In fact, if one considers those risks carefully, one realizes that all options are not on the table: diplomacy, despite all of its difficulties, is the only solution. A diplomatic solution, however, can be achieved only if the US and China cooperate closely and do not repeat past mistakes. For example, the Trump administration would do well not to pursue an overly aggressive policy toward China in the South China Sea, in light of the burgeoning crisis on the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, China's leaders need to ask themselves how much longer they intend to provide unconditional support to the North Korean regime which is completely dependent on Chinese supplies rather than putting pressure on it to cease its provocations. To avoid a military conflict, China and the US will need to agree on a joint approach and move toward reviving the Six-Party Talks with North Korea. It is becoming increasingly clear that, even under a Trump presidency, the US cannot simply shirk its role as a stabilizing power on the world stage. And for China to prove that it, too, can be a stabilizing power in the twenty-first century, it will have to do its part to resolve the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate. China's THAAD behavior to give peek into outcome Despite the absence of the usual trappings for talks involving big powers, the Mar-a-Lago summit between the United States and China is better seen as exploratory, so its success or failure will be determined by post-summit acts. For now, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping went home, calling their meeting a draw. Trump personally informed Xi of the Tomahawk attacks in Syria, showing his willingness to act on his pre-talk threat of dealing with the nuclear-armed North Korea alone, if he has to. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson repeated Trump's threat after the summit that ended without a press conference or joint statement. From Xi's point of view, it was a relief to be spared embarrassment from his first encounter with the unpredictable Trump. Xi said that he has built trust with Trump, giving his consent to Trump's assertion that the North's missile and nuclear threats are a serious problem. Xi also defused the trade surplus issue, equally as tricky as dealing with the North, by agreeing with Trump on a workable framework. There are two touchstone tests to come. The first is about China's future stance on South Korea's decision to bring in the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interceptor against the North's missile threats. Trump told acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn that the THAAD issue was raised during the summit. China has been harassing Lotte for providing a deployment site and boycotting Korean cultural and other products, claiming its radar system is aimed at spying deep into its territory. Experts believe China is using the THAAD card to gain leverage over the U.S. in their grand game for regional hegemony. So any letup in China's pressures could be taken as a sign Xi is taking Trump seriously and the two sides can work together on bigger issues. The second touchstone regards the North's sixth nuclear test. Satellite photos show Pyongyang has prepared for the detonation, which can make for a hydrogen bomb test that would lend credibility to its self-claimed nuclear-state status. If the North presses ahead, the likelihood is that Trump will put Xi on the spot. This could lead Trump to go for a "secondary boycott" that punishes Chinese firms for transacting with the North, inflaming the two superpowers' trade war. Although there is a near consensus that the Trump government can't use military options against the North for fear of enormous collateral damage, Trump would be put under pressure to disprove he would be as toothless as his predecessor, Obama, was. Short of preemptive attacks, the U.S. can gather its strategic assets closer to the Korean Peninsula to put the North on the defensive and reduce China's arbitrary right of way. That would mean that their summit was a failure of trust of the two leaders, leading to a dramatic confrontation. By Tong Kim This column begins with a positive note about President Trump's first meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The summit was overshadowed by the U.S. strike on Syria in retribution against its use of chemical weapons. The attack was carried out Thursday night after Trump hosted a dinner for Xi and his delegation. However, the two-day meeting between the two big powers with the most powerful influence on the Korean Peninsula ended with an agreement to build a good working relationship to work together on North Korea, as well as on other vital issues of mutual interest. No specific details of the talks on the Korean issue were made available. "We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," Trump said after the morning's meeting. "We will be making additional progress. The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away." Xi also spoke positive words. "We have engaged in deeper understanding, and have built a trust a preliminary working relationship and friendship ...we will keep developing in a stable way to form friendly relations For the peace and stability of the world, we will also fulfill our historical responsibility." Trump reciprocated, "I agree 100 percent." It does not appear that Trump and Xi reached any breakthrough on the Korean issue. We will soon hear more about the discussions of the two leaders over the two most pressing issues: the North Korean nuclear and missile programs, which continue to advance to an ICBM capability to strike the continental U.S. and the U.S. trade deficit of $350 billion from China, which Trump wants to rectify to help the American worker. There are many other important differences between China and the U.S. They include the South China Sea, THAAD deployment to South Korea, territorial disputes, freedom of navigation, regional stability, fighting ISIS and the Syrian issue, creation of a new global economic order for free fair trade, and issues of human rights and democracy in China. The American attack on Syria must have had an impact on the Chinese. After Trump ordered the attack, he informed Xi Jinping of his decision during the dinner that night, although there was no consultation with Moscow. However, the Russians in Syria were informed of the U.S. plan of attack through a deconfliction agreement designed to avoid accidental clashes or unintended casualties. Trump's attack on Syria, as it was an about-face from his long-held position on Syria, even at the risk of straining relations with Russia, could connote to the seriousness of the U.S. military option on North Korea. Trump said recently, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." It was interpreted as the U.S. resolve to go alone on North Korea if China does not help, and as the U.S. willingness to impose a secondary sanction against Chinese banks helping the North Korean weapons program. However, despite increasing talk in the media of a possible preemptive strike against the North as a solution to the nuclear issue, it seems there is a solid consensus in the Washington establishment as well as in the Trump White House that such an attack would be too risky of North Korean retaliation. The North has a nuclear weapon and enough conventional firepower to destroy South Korea's capital city of Seoul and its neighboring areas with 25 million people within hours. Yet, this does not diminish the usefulness of the preventive threat of a military strike. The Trump presidency is going through multiple foreign policy issues, while divergent moving parts and tools are still being assembled and policy directions are still evolving. Some are concerned about Trump's inconsistency or unpredictability in rhetoric and action. However, so far Trump has been helpful to the efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. First, by making it a top priority, and second, by seriously considering all options, including pressuring China. Watching the Sino-American summit this time, many Koreans were concerned if their fate would be determined by big powers as it was by Yalta. It was not. South Korea will have more voice when they elect a new president next month. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's planned visit to Korea is also good news. What's your take? Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com. By Yoon Sung-won Samsung Electronics' high-end laptop computer Notebook 9 Always received the top ratings among all 15- to 16-inch laptops in an evaluation in the U.S., Sunday. U.S. consumer magazine Consumer Reports gave the 15-inch Samsung laptop 77 overall points to make it the top laptop computer on the chart. Apple's Macbook Pro and Hewlett-Packard's Spectre followed with 74 points. According to Consumer Reports, the Samsung laptop earned the high score especially for its high portability, thanks to its light weight and long battery life, as well as for its performance. It weighs only 1.18 kilograms, compared to 2 kilograms for the 15-inch Macbook Pro. Its ergonomics and display also received good reviews. Samsung Electronics unveiled the Notebook 9 Always model during the Consumer Electronics Show this January and has released it in the U.S. market. Its 15-inch LCD supports full high-definition resolution. The high-end model can have an external graphic processing unit installed on request. Its battery is capable of running for more than 12 hours per charge and can be recharged not just with a laptop charger but also with smartphone chargers or external battery packs for handsets, according to Samsung Electronics. Another Samsung laptop, Notebook 9 NP900X5, grabbed the fourth spot, and Lenovo's Yoga 710 took fifth. Despite laptop computers having continued to lose their luster to large-sized smartphones and tablet computers, some models with high performance and portability have retained their market demand. The latest Macbook Pro has had a solid presence in the high-performance laptop market thanks to its design and graphic processing capabilities. According to international market researcher IDC, 28 percent of laptops sold between 2013 and 2016 were 15-inch models, followed by ones with displays smaller than 13 inches with 25 percent. This shows that 15-inch models have been the most popular size. By Park Jae-hyuk Novartis seems to be running the risk of being removed from the Korean market over a bribery charge involving its executives and employees unearthed early 2016. According to industry officials, Sunday, Korean health authorities consider imparting punitive measures on the multinational drug maker so that its drugs including blockbuster anticancer drug Glivec will not be covered by health insurance. Prosecutors searched the Swiss pharmaceutical giant's Korean office last year over allegations of offering kickbacks to doctors. It illegally gave money to doctors in 2011 as well, in exchange for more prescriptions of its drugs. The alleged bribes given to doctors between 2011 and 2016 have totaled about 2.6 billion won ($2.28 million). Six Novartis executives have been indicted without detention and legal proceedings are now underway. Aside from the trial, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety imposed a three-month sales suspension on nine Novartis drugs in February and fined the company 200 million won. Given that the suspension is not applied to the products which are already supplied to retailers, however, the Korean government seemingly considers taking more stringent measures. If a drug has substitutes, the Ministry of Health and Welfare can keep it off the health insurance reimbursement list for a year for the first violation of the anti-bribery law and can exclude it forever for the second offense. The two-strike rule, which was introduced in 2014 to deal with widespread kickbacks among drug companies and hospitals, would deal a severe blow to Novartis whose 18 of 41 drugs related to the breach have alternatives including Glivec. Suspended drugs would struggle to find demand because non-reimbursed drugs are very expensive. If patients want to keep using these drugs, they have to pay the total costs and would pay more for a specific drug in case there are viable alternatives. Experts point out that Novartis would lose its presence in the Korean market if the government imposes the disciplinary steps just as it has vowed to do. But the Seoul administration would also have to agonize over the two-strike rule mostly because of complaints regarding Glivec. Although more than 30 alternatives are available in Korea, about 60 percent of chronic leukemia patients are using the product for its effectiveness and certified safety. So those who suffer from leukemia have opposed the punitive step on Glivec. Last Tuesday, an organization of leukemia patients delivered a document to the health authorities to show the concerns of patients over the issue. They said the patients may become innocent victims of the government's possible measure. The government vowed to adhere to its no exceptions principle, but also said it will continue to seek advice from experts. Todays infants may gasp in wonder 20 years from now at tales of how humans once were trusted to drive cars. They may also be shocked that humans once were trusted to pick stocks for investment portfolios. The soaring popularity of index or passive mutual funds in the last few years has dealt another blow to the ranks of traditional actively managed funds the ones with human portfolio managers who are supposed to ferret out the best stocks and beat the market average return. Despite the roaring bull market since 2009, the number of actively managed U.S. stock funds has shrunk from 3,466 in 2006 to 2,957 now, according to the Investment Company Institute, mutual funds trade group. Advertisement Charles Ellis, one of the best-known chroniclers of the investment management business, believes that this is the beginning of the end for active management. His 2016 book, The Index Revolution: Why Investors Should Join It Now, pulled no punches. The long-term performance numbers are sobering enough. In the 15 years through 2016, the vast majority of actively managed funds that own a diversified portfolio of U.S. big-company stocks trailed the indexes they were supposed to beat. Just 25.3% of those funds gained more than their index, according to Morningstar Inc. The winning percentages were similarly low for funds that own shares of mid-size U.S. companies (20.5%) and for funds investing in emerging-markets stocks (36.4%), among others. But Ellis says its worse than it looks, in part because the data dont capture funds that performed so poorly they were liquidated before even 10 years had passed. In an op-ed he wrote in the Financial Times in January, Ellis said the reality was stark: Actively managed funds are not beating the market. The market is beating them. The industrys future, he said, is grim. Why, then, do investors still keep $4.8 trillion in actively managed U.S. stock mutual funds, and many trillions more in actively managed stock, bond and hedge funds worldwide? Inertia clearly plays a large role: Its easier for investors to stay where they are than move their money. Also, selling an investment that isnt in a tax-sheltered account can create what Wall Street likes to call a tax event (i.e., a taxable capital gain). But active management survives for other reasons. For one, performance data dont adjust for risk. If a fund manager earned slightly less than the funds index over a given period, but took much less risk of loss with the portfolio, investors may judge that shortfall to be well worth it. When you consider the risk factor, the conventional wisdom that active always underperforms passive is not true, said Brian Reid, chief economist at the Investment Company Institute. Marlene and Werner Roestel, retirees who live in Granada Hills, have built an investment nest egg made up of active and passive mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and individual stocks including Boeing Co. and healthcare firm Becton Dickinson & Co. Were not really trying to beat the market, Marlene Roestel said. Instead, she said, the couple wants to be very diversified, minimize their risk of loss and earn cash dividends. They also enjoy the challenge of investing. Its kind of a hobby for us, Roestel said. When youre retired you have more time for this. Basic human nature also keeps some investors actively engaged in the market rather than handing their money to passive funds. I like thinking I can beat them, said lifelong Los Angeles resident Jeff Bruce, 74, who owns stocks including Apple Inc., Home Depot Inc. and American Water Works Co. I try to be buy-and-hold, Bruce said. But his attitude is theyre not necessarily mistakes just because they lose. Even Vanguard Group, the premier index mutual fund manager, contends that theres a place for active funds in investors portfolios. In fact, of Vanguards $4 trillion in fund assets, about one-third are in actively managed funds. Were strong believers in active, said Joseph Brennan, Vanguards global head of equity indexing. What we believe is you should be implementing them both, active and passive, with low-cost funds. One of the active-management industrys most famed funds is the $52-billion-asset Vanguard Primecap fund, based in Pasadena. The portfolio, which primarily invests in well-known stocks including Microsoft Corp., Southwest Airlines Co. and Wells Fargo & Co., has trounced the Standard & Poors 500 index over the last 15 years, gaining 9.7% a year to the S&P indexs 7.2%. Part of that success is owed to Primecaps low management fee. A funds management fee is taken directly from the portfolio each year to pay the managers, thereby reducing investors return. Primecaps fee is 0.39% of fund assets. By contrast, investors pay about twice that much at the average U.S. stock fund. Matthew Raab, a 28-year-old accountant in Los Angeles, has accumulated some cash savings that hes hoping to invest in the next year. He is aware of the arguments for low-cost passive funds, but said hes open-minded to active funds despite their higher fees. Its not a deterrent for me if theyre earning their keep with better performance, he said. But Raabs generation lacks high-profile stock pickers such as Peter Lynch, who scored spectacular gains managing Fidelitys Magellan Fund in the 1980s. He achieved almost rock star status with baby boomers in that era, and persuaded many small investors that the market could be beaten. Today, one easy way for actively managed funds to boost their investors returns would be to slash management fees. Relentless competition drove down the average U.S. active-fund fee incurred by investors from 1.01% in 2000 to 0.78% by 2015, according to a Morningstar study. But the average passive fund fee also has fallen, from 0.26% to a mere 0.18%. The result is a 0.60-percentage-point fee gap between the two. On every $1 trillion in active-fund assets, that amounts to $6 billion in income to fund managers. The industry says it is working to cut fees faster, particularly on fund shares in retirement savings accounts. But Russ Kinnel, director of fund manager research at Morningstar in Chicago, said fund companies overall are wary of starting a price war. They dont want to call attention to themselves. Particularly in the case of fund companies that are publicly traded, and have their own shareholders to serve, they dont want to be cutting fees before they absolutely have to, Kinnel said. But if cash continues to pour out of active funds, that tipping point may be fast approaching. business@latimes.com Whenever small investors have been pitched a financial product that promised to enrich them with little effort or expense, historically the smart response has been to turn and run. There has been one shining exception over the last four decades: low-cost mutual funds that aim to do nothing more, or less, than generate the average return of the entire stock market, or a specific market sector. These passively managed or index funds have delivered as they said they would and have shamed many actively managed U.S. stock funds, the majority of which over the long run have failed to exceed or match the average market return after deducting their fees. Advertisement Passive funds were relatively slow to catch on with individual investors in the 1980s and 90s. But over the last few years, Americans have poured record sums into the funds, including those that replicate the Standard & Poors index of 500 big-name U.S. stocks. In that same period, investors have yanked record amounts from actively managed funds. The result: Conventional U.S. stock mutual funds that invest passively now hold $1.9 trillion in assets, triple what they had in 2007. Add in the $1.7 trillion in U.S. equity exchange-traded funds, another type of index portfolio, and the total in passive funds accounts for 42% of all U.S. stock fund assets up dramatically from 24% in 2010 and just 12% in 2000. The explosion in passive funds growth has left some of its devotees almost giddy. Mark Hebner, who founded Index Fund Advisors in 1999, has made it his lifes work to persuade people what a fools errand it is to try and beat the market. His Irvine company devises portfolios of passive stock funds for investors. Imagine my joy after 18 years at this, Hebner said. Its finally sinking in with investors. His firm directs $3 billion in client funds. At index fund titan Vanguard Group, total investor assets topped $4 trillion this year. Investors sent Vanguards stock and bond funds an astounding $277 billion in new money in 2016. Most of its major fund rivals, including Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton Investments and the American Funds, saw net cash outflows as more investors sold than bought. Passive investing has seized the high ground, and it aint giving it back, said Russ Kinnel, director of fund manager research at Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. But even as small investors reap the many benefits of indexing, the passive-fund juggernaut also is raising concerns. Some experts liken it to a new market bubble as investors pile on with U.S. stocks at record highs after an eight-year bull run. Much of the migration to index funds has been led by fee-only investment advisors, such as Hebner, who have embraced the idea of using low-cost passive funds to build diversified portfolios for individual investors. The rise of automated robo-advisors also has boosted demand for passive funds. The advisors investing style then becomes the active portfolio component, said Brian Reid, chief economist at the Investment Company Institute, mutual funds trade group. How advisors pick index funds, and how often they alter the lineup of funds, will determine the portfolios performance for better or worse. Its a shift from the mutual fund providing the active management to the advisor providing it, Reid said. The passive fund industry is betting that many more individuals will be drawn to that simplicity in portfolio construction. That might include Jim Quinn, a 76-year-old Palos Verde Estates retiree who has long owned well-regarded actively managed funds including Oakmark Select and Dodge & Cox Stock. Would he consider moving everything to passive funds? Ive definitely thought about it, Quinn said. His current stock strategy is dabbling here and there, he said. But as the passive fund business balloons, it raises risks for the stock market that many small investors may not understand: Passive investing makes the market less efficient meaning, less honest. This concern is rooted in the very nature of passive funds: They buy stocks without considering the fundamentals. In classic financial theory the market sets the correct price for a stock at any given moment based on the buy and sell decisions of informed investors. But when money flows into conventional index funds, they must buy the stocks in their index regardless of the underlying companies financial health or outlook. Of course it distorts things, said Rob Arnott, who has pioneered a fundamentals-based form of indexing at Research Affiliates in Newport Beach. Price discovery, the term for research that gets to the heart of a stocks relative value, is diminished as fewer and fewer investors care about the fundamentals, Arnott said. Yet he and other experts doubt that the rise of passive investing has seriously undermined market efficiency. The U.S. stock market is worth $26 trillion, but only about 25% of that is owned by passive funds, Vanguard estimates. The rest is controlled by active managers at mutual funds, pension funds, banks and other institutions, or is in the hands of individuals. Joseph Brennan, global head of equity indexing at Vanguard, said there may be a theoretical limit to how large passive investing can get before compromising the free-market pricing mechanism. But its probably closer to 80%, he said. Its certainly well north of 50%. Passive investing inflates already-hot market sectors. Most major stock indexes, including the S&P 500, are capitalization weighted. So the greater a stocks market value, the more influence it has over the indexs moves. It also means that, as cash pours into index funds, the funds must invest most heavily in the stocks that already are the markets largest names. Today that means shares of tech stars such as Amazon, Apple and Facebook. Index giants such as Vanguard dont dispute this. But they argue that the point of passive investing is to own the market as is not to judge it. Inigo Fraser-Jenkins, a market strategist at investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein, caused a stir on Wall Street last year after writing a report calling passive investing worse than Marxism because it can steer investment away from important new ideas. Arnott in 2005 developed his own style of indexing to compete with capitalization-weighted indexing. Known as RAFI, for Research Affiliates Fundamental Index, the system weights stocks by certain standards, such as companies sales growth and net worth. The goal: Keep the index focused on stocks that are judged to be values. To succeed in investing you have to buy what others fear and loathe, Arnott said. The idea behind RAFI is to trade against the markets biggest bets to focus on whats unloved. About $130 billion in fund assets index using RAFI rules. Hebners company invests via the mutual funds of Dimensional Fund Advisors, an index fund manager that also favors the idea of trying to tilt toward value. Dimensional oversees about $460 billion in assets. But to index purists, any system that is biased against the markets biggest companies is trying to beat the market and therefore isnt passive. Passive investing could be a bubble that will eventually pop. This is perhaps index investors worst fear, though not necessarily Wall Streets fear: Could the recent torrent of cash into index funds suddenly reverse? Index investing has been an increasingly easy choice since 2009, because most major stock gauges have been rising with few interruptions. If many investors who have poured into index funds have been chasing performance, what will they do if the big gains stop? Passive investing is marketed as a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy. But Hebner acknowledges that its so hard to get people to let go of the gambling mentality. If their investments turn cold, its human nature for people to want to shift money to whats hot. Because the S&P 500 has posted such strong returns since 2009, and because stock prices relative to earnings are historically very high, many Wall Street pros expect the index to struggle over the next five to 10 years. That could give actively managed funds a chance to woo investors back, if the funds can show better stock-picking prowess. There is a natural equilibrium, said Salim Ramji, head of U.S. wealth advisory at fund titan BlackRock Inc. As more money moves to indexing, there should be more ways for active managers to add value and beat indexes. Dan Wiener, head of Newton, Mass.-based Adviser Investments, which manages $4 billion in mutual fund accounts for clients, said that any time you have losses or low returns in the indexes, people are going to start looking at active. The next severe bear market will test new index investors pain threshold, Wiener said. He notes that the S&P 500 lost nearly 57% in the 2007-09 bear market, and index fund managers didnt intervene to lessen the decline because that isnt their job. They expected investors to ride it out. Its a reminder, Wiener said, that if you think indexing is a panacea, youve got another thing coming. business@latimes.com Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. Last week I mentioned how the conversation that had popped up around the new Ghost in the Shell and that exchange of ideas definitely seems more important, creative and productive than the movie itself. This week The Times own Justin Chang and Jen Yamato published an incisive conversation about the ongoing issue of whitewashing, whereby Asian actors and stories (or those of any culture that doesnt easily default to white casting) are simply recast and reframed via any number of common excuses. Advertisement As Yamato put it, The filmmakers behind these properties, nearly all white men, are forcing white preference and white privilege into the spotlight and blaming it on a system that necessitates bankable white stars. The more these movies bomb while others like Get Out flourish, the more these excuses get exponentially more tedious. Our recent screenings of Gifted and The Lost City of Z were real successes. In particular, the Q&A with Lost City director James Gray was something of an epic treaty on the importance of cinemas past, present and future. (Really!) Keep on the lookout for future events at events.latimes.com. Colossal Filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo has been a favorite among those on the film festival circuit for a few years. His latest, Colossal looks to break him out to a bigger audience. The film stars Anne Hathaway as a young woman struggling to move her life forward as she returns to her hometown and revives a relationship with a man who never left, played by Jason Sudeikis. And when two monsters mysteriously appear in South Korea, there is an unexpected connection. For The Times, Justin Chang wrote that Vigalondo has fashioned a sly, winking homage to Godzilla and other kaiju in the Asian monster-movie canon, and hitched it, in ways both ridiculous and intuitive, to a story about a major American screw-up trying to get her life back on track. Writer-director Nacho Vigalondo, left, with actors Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis of Colossal. They were photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at the 41st Toronto International Film Festival last year. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) For the New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, Mr. Vigalondos film is nowhere near as ambitious or as rigorous as Jordan Peeles Get Out, but it shares that movies interest in using horror movie tropes to unlock heavily defended areas of social unease. Starting out as the portrait of an irresponsible woman, Colossal turns into a critique of male self-pity, as Glorias problems collide with, and are overwhelmed by, Oscars sense of aggrieved entitlement. Most reviews seemed to focus more on Hathaway, even positioning the film as some kind of comeback. At MTV, Amy Nicholson wrote, Hathaway must be thrilled to have her best showcase in years. She commits to roles like a boozehound ordering a row of shots, even when the parts dont deserve her. They often dont. Her zeal is intimidating, and her earnestness can seem embarrassing when we prefer our stars to act like they tumbled out of bed and into the spotlight. At Vulture, Kyle Buchanan wrote about why its not cool to hate Anne Hathaway Anymore, sentiments that were echoed in an unexpectedly personal interview with the actress by Rich Juzwiak at Jezebel. As Hunter Harris put it in her own piece for Vulture, saying of Hathways character that Colossal never begs us to like Gloria is the key to understanding its point: This woman doesnt have to be quirky or funny to deserve our empathy or the mens respect. Their Finest Womens roles in cinema and society also becomes the centerpiece of Their Finest, the new film from Danish director Lone Scherfig. Among the producers on the film is Amanda Posey, who worked with Scherfig on An Education as well as John Crowleys Brooklyn, and anyone who liked those two films would do well to see Their Finest as well. The new film tells the story of an English film production during World War II and the struggle of a female scriptwriter (Gemma Arterton) to be taken seriously. In his review for The Times, Kenneth Turan called the film a treat that has something on its mind, a charming concoction that adds a bit of texture and bite to the mix. Genial and engaging with a fine sense of humor, it makes blending the comic with the serious look simpler than it actually is. Gemma Arterton of Their Finest. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) For the AP, Lindsey Bahr says it is a movie about making a movie, specifically a glossy propaganda film meant to bolster morale in Britain in the darkest days of the Second World War. It is also very much a movie-movie. Good-looking, finely acted, and well-told, director Lone Scherfig (An Education) has made a charming, witty and romantic gem. It is Shakespeare in Love in World War II. The Times Jen Yamato spoke to Arterton, Scherfig and Posey about the movie and how its female-driven story on-screen was reflected in its production as well. From a creative instinct, you find the interesting stories in the untold stories and the untold stories are often womens stories, Posey said. Just as Gemmas character fights to tell the ordinary womens story, thats what, behind the camera, we were trying to tell as well. Gifted Something of an upbeat tear-jerker, Gifted, directed by Marc Webb, is about a little girl (Mckenna Grace) being raised by her uncle (Chris Evans) who becomes the center of a custody battle after she turns out to be a math prodigy. The cast is rounded out by Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer and Lindsay Duncan. In his review for The Times, Justin Chang called the film crisply directed by Marc Webb from an agile, acerbic script by Tom Flynn, Gifted initially displays the kind of disarming precocity that feels well suited to its subject.... And for a while they attempt to avoid the pitfalls of excessive earnestness and melodramatic hand-wringing that can attend this particular sub-genre. At the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips likewise gave the film a mixed review, calling it a mashup of Proof, Kramer vs. Kramer and Little Man Tate while saying everyone involved with Gifted no doubt intended a sweet, affecting, sincere and, as manipulative heartwarmers go, relatively low-key affair. But virtually no one involved appears to have remembered what human or human-adjacent behavior should feel like, scene to scene. Easier said than done. What the film may ultimately be remembered for is that Slate and Evans had a very public personal relationship in the time since the films prodcution, but that had cooled by the time of its release. Slate gave an extremely honest interview to Jada Yuan at Vulture about it. I dont mind talking about him at all. Hes a lovely person, she says. I dont know. It feels like such a huge thing. Last year was a giant, big year for my heart. Ive never, ever thought to keep anything private because thats not really what Im like, and now Im learning those things, and theyre weird, kind of demented lessons to learn. Your Name A huge hit in its native Japan, the animated film Your Name., directed by Makoto Shinkai, is something of a body-swap young-adult coming-of-age romance. The film had a brief qualifying run last year and picked up the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.s prize for best animated film. Reviewing the film for The Times, Justin Chang called the film an animated epic of love, death, time and destiny while going on to note the sweetness of Your Name. never descends into the saccharine, just as the storys topsy-turvy silliness never undercuts its fundamental seriousness. For the New York Times, Manohla Dargis added how the film shifts from a comedy of confusion into a deeply moving meditation on nation, history, catastrophe and memory. Its a touching, soaring switcheroo. At Vulture, Emily Yoshida wrote Shinkais latest, which broke box-office records in Japan last year, brims over with ideas, its synapses firing faster and faster as its initial body-swapping scenario is bound up with notions of time, memory, and loss. Its a film not just about the connection between a boy and a girl, but the way each of them connect to and relate to their world through their own eyes and each others. Its only barely a romance, bypassing much of that familiar territory to explore something much more intimate and strange. In the New York Times last year, Motoko Rich interviewed Shinkai and asked him about his attention to ornate, minute details, to which he responded, I pay attention to the things that nobody else is looking at. In daily or everyday life, I am so impressed with tiny details, like when I look up at a street lamp falling on the street, it seems to have meaning or so much information in it.... The world has created everything perfectly. Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter: @IndieFocus. Pivoting off what the White House considers a successful U.S. missile strike in Syria, the Trump administration sent a not-so-subtle message Sunday to North Korea: Dont risk being next. With growing signs that Pyongyang may be preparing a sixth nuclear test, a U.S. aircraft carrier strike force near Singapore was diverted north toward the Korean peninsula, President Trump spoke to leaders in Tokyo and Seoul, and senior administration officials made pointed note of the full range of options available to counter threats to the United States or its allies. The sudden flurry of action centering on North Korea comes on the heels of Trumps summit in Florida on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders publicly played down their economic and political disputes and addressed their common interest in reining in North Koreas mercurial leader, Kim Jong Un. Advertisement Pyongyang has repeatedly warned that it aims to test an intercontinental ballistic missile or conduct another underground nuclear test. Analysts say one could come as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Koreas founding president and celebrated annually as the Day of the Sun. The spotlights turn from Syria to North Korea carries benefits as well as risks for the Trump administration, now nearing its 100-day mark. With a limited but decisive response to Syrian President Bashar Assads alleged use of banned sarin nerve gas on Syrian civilians, Trump won plaudits from previously skeptical U.S. allies in Europe, as well as from some of his harshest critics at home. But even as Trump basked in generally favorable reviews of the first direct U.S. military strike aimed at Assad, the president and his lieutenants seemed far less eager to engage knotty longer-term policy questions about the grinding multi-sided Syrian war, now in its seventh year. With North Korea, the underlying issues are just as complex, but the threat of a nuclear conflict or even a devastating conventional military attack on South Korea and Japan makes the stakes far higher. Perhaps mindful of parallels that could be drawn over defiance of international norms, North Korea denounced the U.S. missile strike on Syria as intolerable, and reiterated its own right to self-defense. The U.S. Navys Third Fleet, in turn, publicly announced that the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and a strike force that includes two missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser were being diverted north from scheduled port calls in Australia to maintain readiness and presence in the western Pacific. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham told reporters. North Korea has a long history of defying United Nations resolutions and other attempts to prevent it from developing nuclear arms in conjunction with its growing ballistic-missile capabilities. Kims government has conducted five underground nuclear tests, two of them in 2016, and is working to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles that ultimately could deliver a warhead to U.S. territory. If we judge that they have perfected that type of delivery system, then that becomes a very serious stage of their further development, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday on ABCs This Week. At closer range, Japan has been rattled by North Koreas repeated recent test-firings of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in its direction, the latest just two days before Trump sat down with Xi. That test came a month after Pyongyang simultaneously launched four medium-range missiles into the ocean in what it said was proof it could hit U.S. military bases in Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seeking assurances of U.S. protection, was an early visitor to both the White House and Trumps Florida resort Mar-a-Lago. On Sunday, the White House announced that Trump had spoken by phone with Abe about Syria and a range of regional issues, including the threat posed by North Korea. A similar phone call took place Friday with South Koreas acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the White House said. Adding to the barrage of cautionary language aimed at Pyongyang, Tillerson framed the Syria missile strike as a more general warning against international outliers, even those whose actions did not pose a direct security threat to the U.S. If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken, he said. The White House national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, cited a pattern of provocative behavior on North Koreas part. This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime, he said on Fox News Sunday. McMaster said that Trump had asked aides to prepare a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and to our allies and partners in the region. North Korea, for its part, denounced what it called Washingtons reckless moves toward war, according to a statement carried by its official Korean Central News Agency. laura.king@latimes.com @laurakingLAT ALSO Chinas President Xi gets an awkward front-row seat to U.S. military might Syria crisis tests Trumps plan for a new world order Can the U.S. defend against a North Korean missile strike? In one case, Los Angeles County paid more than $6 million to a woman who had been raped by a sheriffs deputy during a traffic stop. In another, it took more than $7 million to resolve multiple lawsuits after deputies in West Hollywood mistakenly shot two hostages, killing one and seriously wounding the other. Those payouts from 2016 helped drive a dramatic increase in the cost of resolving legal claims against the L.A. County Sheriffs Department during the last five years, according to records reviewed by The Times. Advertisement The countys annual payouts have jumped from $5.6 million to nearly $51 million over that time. The judgments and settlements often involved allegations of serious misconduct against law enforcement officers, including sexual assault, excessive force, shooting unarmed suspects and wrongful imprisonment. Many of the payouts stemmed from incidents that stretched back several years and were settled after working their way though the legal system so they dont necessarily reflect current deputy conduct. But attorneys, government officials and law enforcement experts say the increase nevertheless reflects growing distrust of law enforcement and the intense public scrutiny of how officers use deadly force. The numbers are pretty shocking. Lael Rubin, a member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, on the $50.9 million in legal payouts last year Jurors are now less likely to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt and more likely to award larger sums to plaintiffs, driving up the cost of judgments and emboldening attorneys to seek larger settlements during negotiations, experts said. The social climate of today has had an important impact on trials and outcomes, said Steven H. Estabrook, litigation cost manager for the Los Angeles County counsels office. Higher awards and higher costs are getting more common. The 42 cities that contract with the Sheriffs Department have had to pay millions of dollars more to help cover settlements. The result is that cities are finding it harder to obtain insurance to cover law enforcement litigation, and some local officials say the county should pick up more of the costs. The numbers are pretty shocking, said Lael Rubin, a former L.A. County deputy district attorney and a member of the countys Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. Figures show that the number of lawsuits against the Sheriffs Department has declined since the 2014 resignation of Sheriff Lee Baca and the election of Sheriff Jim McDonnell later that year. Baca was recently convicted of obstructing a federal investigation into corruption and brutality in county jails. There were 132 cases filed against the Sheriffs Department in the fiscal year that ended in June 2016, including 59 excessive-force complaints and 18 involving shootings. Thats a drop of about 25% compared with the 2012-13 fiscal year, county data show. Rubin said it would take time to see whether ongoing reforms within the department will have a significant impact on legal costs down the road. McDonnell said in an interview that hes concerned about the steep rise in litigation costs. This is money that could be spent to help the community, the sheriff said. He attributed the increase in part to increased public attention on police use of force after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a black teenager, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014. Still, McDonnell said, some of the incidents involve serious misconduct, and hes made it clear to deputies that such behavior will not be tolerated. Everything we have done from Day One is designed to provide deputies with expectations of their behavior, McDonnell said. But L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman, who monitors the department, questioned whether the agency has properly staffed its internal affairs unit, which investigates deputy misconduct. Two years ago, Huntsman said, the unit had 42 sergeants. Now, he said, it has 27. The result is a discipline system that neither deputies nor the public have confidence in, and for good reason, Huntsman said. It needs to be fixed. The costs of judgments and settlements resulting from alleged deputy misconduct were tallied in a report by the county counsels office that covered the last five fiscal years. During the period from 2012 to 2016, 75% of the judgments and settlements for Sheriffs Department-related cases involved cases of excessive force, according to the countys report. One night in April 2014, deputies responded to a report of an assault at a West Hollywood apartment complex. Inside, Alexander McDonald had pulled a knife and slashed a friend, Liam Mulligan, in the neck. Bleeding, Mulligan ran out of the building, followed by another friend, 30-year-old aspiring TV producer John Winkler. Deputies mistakenly believed Winkler was the assailant and opened fire. Winkler died of gunshot wounds. Mulligan was shot in the leg. Then-interim Sheriff John Scott later called the case a deputys greatest nightmare. The county paid Winklers mother $5 million and $2.5 million to Mulligan. Those payments were made last year. L.A. prosecutors investigated the shooting and determined that there was no basis for criminal charges against the officers. Officials did recommend that the deputies involved receive additional training. Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor and former Florida police officer, said the national debate over policing in the last several years is affecting litigation costs. It hasnt been a very good time for police departments across the country. attorney David Ring, who represented a woman who sued after being raped by an L.A. sheriffs deputy Increased use of video by officers and bystanders means more evidence of misconduct winds up in civil court, he said. And jurors are more likely to doubt an officers version of events when it is not supported by video, he said. Many more members of the public are more skeptical of the police, he said. Attorneys who sue law enforcement agencies agreed that the national interest in police misconduct over the last few years has had a significant impact on legal judgments and settlements. But they said the outcomes still boil down to the actions of officers and how juries view that behavior. It hasnt been a very good time for police departments across the country, said attorney David Ring. Ring represented a woman who sued after she was raped by a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy during a 2010 traffic stop in Palmdale. The deputy, Jose Rigoberto Sanchez, pleaded no contest to rape under color of authority and soliciting a bribe. He is serving a nine-year prison sentence. At Sanchezs sentencing, the victim told him, You essentially murdered a part of me, and Ill never get it back. Her lawsuit was settled for $6.15 million an amount paid by the county, the departments contract cities and their insurance carrier. Ring said government agencies have taken bad cases to trial rather than settling, resulting in costly legal defeats. His firm handled a lawsuit that resulted in the largest payout against the Sheriffs Department last fiscal year to the family of Alfredo Montalvo, an unarmed 29-year-old who was killed when deputies fired 61 shots after a brief 2009 pursuit in Lynwood. Deputies said they opened fire as Montalvo reversed toward them after crashing his car. But the plaintiffs argued that his car was wedged between two other vehicles and that he reversed so that he could comply with deputies orders to open his door. In that case, county lawyers thought they had a strong case. The Sheriffs Department had determined that the shooting was within policy. But jurors awarded nearly $8.8 million to Montalvos family. The county later reached a settlement for $8.85 million which included attorney fees to avoid spending more money on an appeal. The financial burden is shared by cities that contract with the Sheriffs Department for patrol services. In the last fiscal year, those cities contributed $12.7 million toward the $50.9 million paid out in total. Their insurance carriers forked over an additional $19.4 million. Marcel Rodarte, executive director of the California Contract Cities Assn., said he has seen signs that the sheriff is cracking down on deputy misconduct and hopes McDonnells actions will help reduce legal payouts. Still, he said, he is concerned that the surcharge that cities pay on their contracts with the Sheriffs Department to cover litigation costs has climbed steadily from 4% to 10%. At the same time, he said, cities have had to raise the deductible they pay in individual lawsuits from $1 million to $3 million in order to keep insurance costs down. Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said that the costs are out of this world and that the county should pay more because the Sheriffs Department is a county agency. The county does the training, supervises these individuals and hires them, he said, so they should be responsible. To read the article in Spanish, click here Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report. richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes ALSO Why some of the most controversial police shootings arent on video Police arrests are plummeting across California, fueling alarm and questions Hate crimes in Los Angeles rose in 2016, many against LGBTQ people, study finds A gunman who fired on Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies and then barricaded himself in a Covina residence was taken into custody Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The incident began when deputies responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 16700 block of East Cypress Street about 9:50 a.m. and the gunman opened fire on them, said Dep. Lisa Jansen, a spokeswoman for the sheriffs department. The deputies were not injured. The unidentified suspect then fled the scene and barricaded himself at a nearby residence in the 4600 block of Roxburgh Avenue, authorities said. No hostages were taken. Advertisement Surrounding homes in the neighborhood were evacuated. A Los Angeles County Sheriffs SWAT team and a crisis negotiating team were dispatched to the scene, authorities said. The gunman safely emerged from the residence at 1:15 p.m. and was arrested, authorities said. The neighborhood is in an unincorporated area patrolled by the Sheriffs Department. maya.lau@latimes.com UPDATES: 2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about the suspects arrest. 12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with new information regarding the suspects movements. This article was originally posted at 11:35 a.m. An oil company is floating tentative plans to shut down a drilling site next to a Los Angeles school and replace it with affordable housing. The 4th Avenue site in Arlington Heights has been the focus of neighborhood activists, who worry that idle wells there could eventually deteriorate and leak chemicals into the air or groundwater. Residents have also demanded city action on alleged violations under the facilitys previous owner. Now City Council President Herb Wesson says a new operator, Sentinel Peak Resources, has been talking with his office about closing the site and cleaning it up. No official plan has been drafted and details are scant, but Wesson said he was unbelievably excited about the idea, arguing it could pave the way to convert other local drilling sites. We are going to close that site and build affordable housing, Wesson said, asserting that the company, not the city, would cover the costs of cleaning it up. This is an unbelievable win for a very active community. Advertisement Sentinel Peak Resources, which took over the roughly 1.1-acre site in December, now believes that affordable housing is the best beneficial use for the land, said Christine Halley, the companys environmental health and safety director. Its more compatible with the surrounding land use, Halley said. Remaking the site could be expensive. Plugging wells properly can cost an average of $100,000 to $150,000 per well and soil remediation can cost $10 to $20 per cubic foot, according to the Southern District of the state Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources. More than a dozen wells are arranged in a L shape on the site. State regulators also caution against building over wells, warning that even a properly plugged well can leak in the future. If someone is going to build on top of these sites, theyd better do their homework to mitigate the risks of methane accumulating inside of homes, said Seth Shonkoff, executive director of the energy science and policy institute PSE Healthy Energy. Wesson said he would not move forward with any project that placed residents at risk. Halley said it was premature to say how soon the site might be closed or when construction might begin. And she and Wesson also said it was too early to say what assistance if any the city might eventually offer to facilitate the project. Neighborhood leaders said they were interested in closing and re-purposing the site, but are awaiting more details. They stressed that regardless of any plans, they still want the city to pursue their concerns about violations at the site, which Sentinel Peak Resources has so far brushed off. Change is welcome, said Jeff Camp, president of the United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council, which represents the area. But there are laws and regulations in place for a reason and to flout them only sets a precedent. Years after oil and gas production stopped at the 4th Avenue site, the neighborhood group became worried that leaving wells idle indefinitely could lead to environmental hazards and increase the risk that taxpayers would foot the bill for a cleanup. It prodded the Fire Department to exercise a rarely used code to demand that idle wells be either restarted or plugged. Last year, instead of plugging them, Freeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas said it had revived the wells. Community members then questioned whether the company was genuinely resuming natural gas production at the site or simply trying to avoid the cost of plugging the dormant wells. They also argued that the company had violated the law when it converted some wells so they could be used for gas production. In January, the citys petroleum administrator weighed in, finding that the well conversions appear to have violated the municipal code and that the converted wells were still considered to be idle under city and state rules. Freeport-McMoRan declined to comment on the alleged violations and referred questions to Sentinel Peak Resources. The planning department has repeatedly asked the new company to submit paperwork that would start the process of reviewing whether the 4th Avenue site is in compliance with city requirements. Sentinel Peak Resources has resisted those demands, saying they are unwarranted and arguing that the wells had not been physically altered in a way that would require city approval. Planning officials say they are moving forward with a hearing despite its refusals. Michael Salman, a West Adams resident who spearheaded efforts to plug the 4th Avenue wells, said he was troubled that Sentinel Peak Resources has been bucking city requests. He questioned whether the company had suggested plugging the wells in order to derail the planning department review or to use the wells as a bargaining chip for other city concessions. Well site operators should not be allowed to evade regulatory authority simply by refusing to comply or by making vague gestures toward possible resolutions, Salman said. Halley said that because plans to shut down the 4th Avenue site are not yet certain, Sentinel Peak Resources needed to keep its options open and respond to the allegations. Wesson said he didnt think the budding plans would affect the review of the site and that he was committed to making sure that business entities have to play by the rules. L.A. has an opportunity to fix the planning mistakes of the past, Wesson argued. If the city was being built from scratch, he said, no one would build homes or schools next to drilling sites. Maybe this will lead the way, Wesson said. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @LATimesEmily Los Angeles County Sheriffs detectives are investigating the fatal stabbing of a woman in her Santa Clarita residence Saturday night and have detained the victims live-in girlfriend for questioning, authorities said. Sheriffs deputies received a call from the victims mother at about 5:45 p.m. saying that the suspect was at her Burbank residence and had told her shed assaulted her partner after a verbal altercation, according to a statement from the sheriffs department. Detectives forced their way into the victims residence in the 18700 block of Vista Del Canon in Santa Clarita where they discovered a woman with at least one stab wound, authorities said. The woman, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Local law enforcement officers responded to the mothers residence in Burbank where they detained the suspect, authorities said. The woman remains in custody and the investigation is continuing, said Sheriffs Sgt. Aura Sierra. The suspects name has not been released. Anyone with information about the incident can contact the departments homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous may contact LA Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477); or by using the P3 Tips mobile app on a smartphone; or by visiting lacrimestoppers.org. maya.lau@latimes.com A new bill introduced in Congress this month would prohibit immigration officers from wearing any clothing bearing the word police, which some officials complain is deceiving and only serves to escalate tensions in their communities as the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement. The bill, authored by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-New York) and would apply to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, comes at a time when officials and immigrant rights advocates in Los Angeles are urging ICE agents to stop identifying themselves as police in their search for people living in the country illegally. In February, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Atty. Mike Feuer and Council President Herb Wesson co-signed a letter to the directors of ICE and the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of ICE to urge in the strongest possible terms that ICE immediately cease this practice in our city. The letter was copied to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. Advertisement The letter noted that the citys immigrant communities are living in heightened fear of deportation and detention, and that such practices only discourage people from reporting crimes. Police Chief Charlie Beck has also gone to significant lengths to distance the L.A. Police Departments work from that of the immigration enforcement agency. ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice issued a statement at the time saying ICE agents can, as a standard practice.initially identify themselves as police during an encounter because it is the universally recognized term for law enforcement and our personnel routinely interact with individuals from around the world. In the often dangerous law enforcement arena agents identifying themselves as law enforcement could be a life-or-death issue, the statement added. There is nothing illegal about ICE agents simply identifying themselves as police officers while standing outside someones front door. However, without a warrant, they cannot force their way into someones home; instead, they must receive consent from an adult to enter. Feuer said that the citys letter did not argue that the practice is illegal. At this point, this is a request grounded on the public safety implications of misrepresentation as police, Feuer said at the time. There is no question that in the city of Los Angeles, the word police means LAPD, he said. In a statement on her Web page this week, Velazquez noted that there were images and video circulating of ICE agents identifying themselves as police while conducting raids. Ive heard firsthand from families who fear reporting crime or engaging with the police due to the potential of getting caught up with immigration agents, Velazquez said. This only makes our communities less safe. Her bill is endorsed by more than a dozen Democrats in the House, including Reps. Juan Vargas (D-California) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Illinois). It is also supported by numerous advocacy groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Service Employees International Union, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Central American Legal Assistance. carlos.lozano@latimes.com doug.smith@latimes.com ALSO Los Angeles County D.A.'s office sees a big drop in the number of public corruption prosecutions Five suspects sought after man is shot near Venice Beach boardwalk North Hollywood High team wins national cybersecurity competition The owners of a company that provided workers for luxury hotels including the Hotel Del Coronado have pleaded guilty in a nearly $7-million insurance fraud and tax evasion scheme, according to the San Diego County district attorneys office. Prosecutors described the case, which involved the owners of Irvine-based Good Neighbor Services, as the largest fraud case of its kind in San Diego County history. Hyok Steven Kwon and Woo Stephanie Kwon, who are married, were accused of working with a group of accomplices to hide the existence of at least 800 housekeeping and janitorial workers, so they could avoid paying millions in workers compensation insurance rates and payroll taxes. Advertisement Last month, Steven Kwon pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to felony charges related to fraud and employment tax evasion, and was sentenced to eight years in state prison. His wife pleaded guilty to similar charges in December and agreed to a six-year, eight-month sentence. She spent time in jail and is now serving the remainder of her term under mandatory supervision by probation department authorities. As part of her plea agreement, Stephanie Kwon surrendered $398,000 in cashiers checks, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeanie Williams, a prosecutor in the insurance fraud division. The money from the checks, as well as proceeds from the sale of a commercial building in Orange County, will go toward the more than $6.3 million the defendants owe the government in restitution. So far, Stephanie Kwon has paid a little more than $1.2 million, Williams said. The Kwons were among a group of people indicted by a grand jury in 2015 in connection with the fraud scheme. Seven others, including the Kwons son and daughter, have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from felonies to infractions. Some of them are expected to be sentenced Aug. 22. These defendants lied on the backs of their employees who were cleaning rooms in some of the most prestigious hotels in San Diego and California, Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis said in December 2015, when the indictments were announced. In addition to the Hotel Del Coronado, the Kwons company provided employees to other luxury hotels including Loews Coronado, La Costa Resort and Spa, the Grand Del Mar, LAuberge Del Mar, the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, and the Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains. Investigators have said there was no indication the hotel owners and operators knew of any fraud. When cheaters scam insurance companies, and lie their way out of paying premium taxes, ordinary citizens end up footing the bill, Dumanis said at a news conference. According to the district attorneys office and the California Department of Insurance, the Kwons used an elaborate scheme involving at least a dozen shell companies to defraud insurance providers and the state. The couple misrepresented the number of people they employed, and the size of their payroll, in order to reduce their insurance and tax obligations. By cheating the state, the Kwons gained an unfair advantage over other businesses that provided employees to hotels, the prosecutor explained. Businesses that legitimately paid taxes and insurance costs lost out on lucrative bids, and sometimes had to cut staff as a result. Everybody suffers, Williams said. State and local authorities were first made aware of a problem when they were notified by a statewide watchdog organization that works to abolish illegal and unfair business practices in the janitorial industry. One of Good Neighbor Services competitors notified the organization, called Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, in 2010 that the Kwons might be engaged in illegal activity. Employees told investigators that they were paid with checks that carried the names of other businesses, even though they wore uniforms with the Good Neighbor Services logo and identified the Kwons as the owners. They also said they did not receive overtime pay or workers compensation benefits when they were injured on the job. Many feared retaliation if they reported their injuries. While the case moved through the court system, investigators identified other suspects linked to the fraud scheme, bringing the total losses to more than $6.6 million, Williams said. A separate criminal case was filed, and the Kwons were listed as co-defendants along with several others. Charges filed against Stephanie Kwon in the new case were dismissed in December as a result of her guilty pleas. Her husband pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from the new case on March 14. Other defendants are expected to be arraigned in San Diego Superior Court at the end of this month. Littlefield writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com The dates with death continue to loom over Arkansas. Gov. Asa Hutchinson is moving ahead with the states plan to execute several men in an 11-day window this month, even as a federal court has granted a temporary reprieve to one of the condemned. The states parole board this week recommended that Hutchinson commute the death sentence of Jason McGehee, who had been among the eight men scheduled to die between April 17 and 27, to life in prison without parole. But before Hutchinson could announce a decision, a federal judge ruled that McGehees execution should be put on hold for at least 30 days. In an effort to act before the states supply of midazolam, an anesthetic used in the lethal injection cocktail, expires at the end of the month, Hutchinson set the execution dates of McGehee along with the seven other men during the final two weeks of April. Now, with the ruling by the federal judge, McGehees reprieve expands into May and past the expiration date of the drug. The parole board did not recommend that the sentences of any of the other men be commuted. Advertisement Were pleased. Its an appropriate decision, John C. Williams, an assistant federal public defender representing McGehee, said Saturday. McGehee has been on death row since 1997. In 1996, McGehee, 40, along with two other men, kidnapped and killed John Melbourne Jr., 15, in Boone County, about 150 miles north of Little Rock. Prosecutors said he was the leader, and McGehee was the only one of the group sentenced to death. This month, Josh Hendrix, Melbournes younger brother, urged the parole board not to spare McGehees life. When you have a dog that attacks a child, you put the dog down, Hendrix said. I feel this man is an animal and he should be treated the way he did my brother. Even with McGehees life spared for the moment, no state has executed seven people in such a short span since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. The closest was Texas, which executed eight men in May and June 1997, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment. Opponents of the death penalty have assailed the executions as cruel and unusual punishment and have said that the likelihood of a botched executions in which inmates take a long time to die increases with so many in such a short time span. Hutchinson, who has said the executions are necessary in order to bring justice to the victims families, has faced strong pushback. Members of the Arkansas ACLU and the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty have held vigils outside his Little Rock mansion and urged people to sign petitions calling on the governor to halt the executions. This many executions just creates a huge, huge risk for a botched execution, which will lead to suffering, said Furonda Brasfield, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Its truly unheard of for a state to this. Brasfield, whose group is planning protests this month at Cummins Unit, the site of the lethal injection chamber, said the executions are placing a cloud over the state. Arkansas image will hurt because of these events, she said. In a recent op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, titled Bloody Arkansas, columnist Paul Greenberg suggested that Hutchinson serve as a witness to the executions. Arkansas law requires that at least six citizens who dont know the victim or the condemned witness each execution, but the state has had trouble finding as many as 48 volunteers. Even as Hutchinson has indicated the executions will move forward, the Supreme Court at the last minute could intervene a rare move by a court that tilts conservative. Among the most recent stays by the Supreme Court came in November, when it granted a reprieve to Tommy Arthur in Alabama. Arthur was convicted of killing a man in 1982, but has maintained his innocence. The men scheduled to die among the 34 on death row in Arkansas are Don Davis, Stacey Johnson, Jack Jones, Ledell Lee, Bruce Ward, Kenneth Williams and Marcel Williams. Arkansas has not executed a person since 2005, when it put to death Eric Nance. While each of those men have sought reprieves, Jones recently expressed a desire to proceed with his execution April 24. He was convicted for the 1995 robbery, rape and murder of 34-year-old Mary Phillips and the attempted murder of her daughter, Lacy. Jones decided not to appear in person before the Arkansas parole board to ask for clemency, but instead asked his attorney to read from a letter he had written to Phillips family. I am so very, very sorry, Jones attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, read. I havent wanted clemency ever. I have no interest in it. kurtis.lee@latimes.com Twitter: @kurtisalee ALSO Arkansas prepares to execute 8 men in 11 days: Justice, or an assembly line of death? Here are the men who are set to be executed in 11 days in Arkansas In some ways, the most remarkable thing about President Trumps decision to fire missiles at Syria last week was how oddly traditional he made it sound. As he explained his reasons for military action, our normally unorthodox president borrowed a well-worn list of justifications from his predecessors: United Nations resolutions, international norms, compassion for civilians (in this case, beautiful babies), even the proposition that America stands for justice. It was as if the Donald Trump who ran as an America First isolationist had suddenly morphed, once confronted with real-life choices, into an old-fashioned internationalist. For the record: This column originally cited incorrect dates for President Obamas warning to Syria against using chemical weapons. Obama drew a red line against chemical weapons in 2012 and backed down from enforcing it in 2013. This could have been a declaration [from] John F. Kennedy, or either of the Bushes, or most other presidents since World War II, said James F. Jeffrey, a former adviser to George W. Bush. Advertisement No wonder it was a head-snapping moment for many Trump acolytes. Those who wanted us meddling in the Middle East voted for other candidates, complained Ann Coulter, the conservative provocateur. Trumps actions were every bit as traditional as his words. The very limited attack (59 missiles, one airbase, a warning in advance) was a very familiar form of American power: a punitive strike, aimed at restoring the red line against chemical weapons that President Obama drew in 2012 but never enforced. If theres a broader message here for other potential adversaries, from Iran and North Korea to China and Russia, its not entirely clear. It was a sign that Trump doesnt share Obamas fear that almost any use of force is a step onto a slippery slope, leading to a quagmire. And it was a good idea at least if it succeeds in persuading Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop using chemical weapons. As with all such strikes, though, it came with a built-in dilemma: What if Assad doesnt comply? If Syria uses chemical weapons again, does the United States attack again, or escalate or back down? To improve their chance of success, Trump aides emphasized how limited their goal is: solely to deter more use of banned warheads, not to seek the end of the Assad regime. What explains Trumps pivot? The president ordered a big shift in U.S. policy, he said, partly because he saw heart-rending pictures of the victims on television. I will tell you, that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me -- big impact, he told reporters last week. That was a horrible, horrible thing. And Ive been watching it. Despite his apparent horror, however, he still doesnt have a clear policy on the countrys future. In the space of the past week, one of his top aides said the United States was no longer focused on whether Assad remains in power; another said Assads departure is still a major goal. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is heading to Moscow this week to seek Russian help negotiating a political solution to Syrias civil war. But except for that one 59-missile salvo, Tillerson doesnt appear to have any more leverage than his predecessor, John F. Kerry, who spent months asking fruitlessly for a deal. Its also reasonable to wonder whether Trumps new concern for U.N. resolutions reflects a genuine conversion for a politician who spent years deriding international institutions, or was merely a useful set of talking points as he tried to make a sale. As Harvards Jack Goldsmith pointed out in the blog Lawfare, the terms Trump used to justify the airstrike were remarkably similar to those in the legal rationale drafted by the Obama administration in 2013, when it was preparing for a similar strike. So if theres a broader message here for other potential adversaries, from Iran and North Korea to China and Russia, its not entirely clear. Will they be more impressed by Trumps willingness to use force or by the careful limits he imposed? Will they be struck most by his resolve -- or by how whimsical the decision seemed to be? What the president needs to do now is follow his traditional airstrike with some traditional diplomacy. He needs to send well-briefed officials around the world to explain to other countries what he means. The Trump administration hasnt done much of that either because it isnt sure what its aims are, or because it hasnt filled dozens of important diplomatic jobs, or both. Until it does, Trump has a problem. He may think ambiguity and unpredictability are virtues, but they tempt other leaders, like Assad, to keep testing him until they find out what his real limits are. doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Twitter: @DoyleMcManus Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook Neil M. Gorsuch joins the Supreme Court just in time to cast potentially significant votes in cases that pit religious liberty against gay rights, test limits on funding for church schools and challenge Californias restrictions on carrying a concealed gun in public. Such issues arise either in appeals filed by conservative groups that have been pending before the justices for weeks or in cases to be heard later this month. Gorsuchs votes in those matters may give an early sign of whether the courts conservatives with their 5-4 majority restored by his confirmation will pursue an activist agenda. Advertisement The cases include a Colorado bakers claim that he deserves a faith-based exemption from the states anti-discrimination law after he refused to design a wedding cake for a gay couple. The justices have been considering his appeal behind closed doors since December, but have taken no action. The delay may mean one of the justices has been writing a dissent from the majoritys refusal to hear the appeal, or perhaps that the conservatives have been awaiting the ninth justice. Gorsuch is set to be sworn in Monday morning, and when the justices meet in their next private conference on Thursday morning, the new justice will be there. If the court agrees to take up the issue, I think Justice Gorsuch would be with us, said Jeremy Tedesco, a lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Arizona-based group that appealed on behalf of the Masterpiece Cakeshop and its owner, Jack Phillips. Meanwhile, gun-rights advocates are challenging a California law that requires gun owners to show good cause before they are issued a permit to carry a concealed gun in public. County sheriffs enforce this policy, and in San Diego, Los Angeles and other urban counties, permits are rarely granted. In San Diego, for example, officials have taken the position that simply fearing for ones personal safety is not enough to demonstrate good cause. Gun-rights lawyers have sued, contending this policy violates the 2nd Amendment and its implied right to self-defense. But last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld San Diegos refusal to grant concealed carry permits and ruled the 2nd Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public. In January, Paul Clement, the former U.S. solicitor general under President George W. Bush, filed an appeal in Peruta vs. California, arguing that millions of ordinary law-abiding citizens are being denied their rights to carry guns for self-defense. The justices are set to reconsider that appeal on Thursday. It takes four votes to grant an appeal and decide the case. This could be the most important 2nd Amendment case since D.C. vs. Heller, said UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, referring to the 2008 ruling that for the first time upheld an individuals right to have a handgun. Since then, the court has not said the right extends beyond the home and out into the public, he said. Meanwhile, on April 19, the court will hear arguments in a long pending religious-rights challenge to state bans on the funding of church schools. About three-fourths of states have constitutions that prohibit spending taxpayer money directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion, as Missouris Constitution puts it. Advocates of school choice say these laws stand in the way of public funding for religious schools. In January 2016, shortly before Justice Antonin Scalia died, the court voted to hear a Missouri case that challenged these funding bans as reflecting unconstitutional discrimination against religion. The dispute looks minor at first glance. The Trinity Lutheran Church operates a daycare and preschool center in Columbia, Mo., and it applied to a state program that donates old tires used for rubberizing playgrounds. Other nonprofits could obtain the tires, but Missouri officials turned down Trinitys application because of the states ban on funding for churches. Lawyers for the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Arizona group representing the Colorado baker, sued on behalf of Trinity, contending that the states funding ban conflicted with the 1st Amendments protection for the free exercise of religion. Despite granting the appeal, the justices did not schedule the case for argument last year after Scalias death. And this year, they kept it off the schedule until late April, the final arguments for this term. That led many to assume the justices knew they were split 4-4 on this issue and needed a ninth justice to break the tie. The Trinity case could mark a major shift in public funding for religious schools. During the 1970s, the high court frowned on tax funds flowing to religious schools on the grounds this aid violated the 1st Amendments ban on an establishment of religion. Since then, the court has slowly backed away from what was formerly described as the wall of separation between church and state. In 2002, the justices upheld a states policy of giving money vouchers to parents to pay for tuition at private and parochial schools. The 5-4 opinion stressed that this money went to parents, not directly to religious schools. But Justice Clarence Thomas, joined then by Justices Scalia and Anthony M. Kennedy, said the court should go further and strike down the state bans on funding religious schools. He said these so-called Blaine amendments were born of bigotry against Catholics in the late 19th century. The name refers to Rep. James Blaine, a House speaker and unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate who had sponsored a constitutional amendment to forbid public funding of religious schools. His amendment died in the Senate, but it was adopted by many states. The theme of anti-Catholic bias is echoed in the Trinity case. The Blaine amendments are vestiges of 19th century bigotry, not some high-minded statement about church-state relations, said Richard Komer, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice, a libertarian group that promotes school choice and has urged the court to strike down the state funding bans. Among those arguing in defense of Missouri are lawyers for the ACLU and other liberal groups. They say the U.S. Constitution has never been read to require public funding for a church. The Missouri Constitution reflects a tradition of not supporting churches and religions that dates back to the founding generation, said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLUs Program on Freedom of Religion. The church is asking the court for the first time to force state taxpayers to give direct grants to houses of worship. But Stanford law professor Michael McConnell, a former federal judge who served with Gorsuch, said the court may want to make clear that the government may not discriminate against religious entities. States need not offer subsidies to private schools, he said, or in this case, donate scrap tires to nonprofit organizations. But once they do so, he contended, they may not exclude a church-run daycare center. This involves a singling out a religious entity for disfavorable treatment, he said. Gorsuch took a pro-religion position as a federal appeals court judge in Denver. In the Hobby Lobby case, he voted in dissent for giving a religious exemption to a Christian family business that refused to pay for certain contraceptives for its employees. And he dissented twice when the appeals court ruled against a countys official display of the Ten Commandments and a states program for erecting crosses along the highway to honor fallen state troopers. Though the high court may opt to bypass the cases of the Colorado baker and California gun laws, the justices are expected to issue a written ruling in the Trinity case before leaving on their summer recess. david.savage@latimes.com Twitter: DavidGSavage ALSO Many of Californias House Democrats say Trump should have asked them before he bombed Syria Senate confirms Neil Gorsuch, Trumps Supreme Court nominee In history-making showdown, Senate GOP breaks Democratic filibuster of Trumps Supreme Court pick Two years ago, the city of Palmdale settled a lawsuit alleging that its system of electing all four council members by citywide votes was rigged against Latinos and other minorities. In addition to a $4.5-million payout, the city agreed to scrap its at large voting system and create four separate council districts, including two with Latino majorities. The result? The city had one appointed Latino council member before the rules change. It still has just one, though that member was elected. Advertisement Facing the threat of similar lawsuits under the California Voting Rights Act, several dozen cities across the state have switched from citywide elections in which all voters choose everyone on the council, to district elections in which geographically divided groups of voters each elect their own representative. And more are preparing to switch. But those efforts have so far failed to deliver a surge of Latino political representation inside Californias city halls. Of the 22 cities that have made the move to district elections since June, only seven saw an overall gain in Latino council members, according to an analysis by GrassrootsLab, a consulting firm that specializes in local government politics. The results underscore the challenges Latinos face in gaining representation in local government even in communities, such as Palmdale, where they make up a majority of the population. A number of factors likely contributed to the low numbers, including historically low turnout by Latino voters and a lack of candidates with the means to run, experts said. Also, even in cities with large Latino populations, some residents cant vote because they are too young, are here illegally or are not citizens. The threat of legal action has forced cities to switch to council districts, but in some cases the move hasnt resulted in more minority representation because the city already is well-integrated and drawing districts where minorities predominate is difficult. Among the cities that made the switch from at large citywide voting are the Central Valley city of Visalia, which moved to district elections last year after Latino residents filed a lawsuit. They noted that only one Latino had ever been elected to the five-member council even though Latinos account for 46% of the population. Even after the switch, though, not a single Latino was elected to the council last November and none even ran for the two districts that were up for grabs, according to the Grassroots study. . These are not encouraging results, said Robb Korinke, who helps run GrassrootsLab and is a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official. Of course, simply changing to district elections under threat of legal action doesnt guarantee that Latinos will be elected. For that to happen, there must voter registration, strong candidates and robust participation by the electorate. The push to carve cities into districts started almost 15 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which was intended to increase opportunities for Latinos and other minorities to elect a representative of their choice. Advocates argued that citywide elections for all council seats can dilute the political power of voters from underrepresented groups. The law allows legal action against a local government if an attorney or resident can show an underrepresented minority has voted as a group for certain candidates, and those candidates didnt win because voters citywide chose a different one. It applies to city councils, school districts and other government bodies with elected representatives. Californias biggest cities including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco held elections by district before the advent of the Voting Rights Act. But among Californias 482 cities, only 59 hold district elections, according to a report released in December by the government watchdog group California Common Cause. Nine of those 59 had switched to district elections after the passage of the 2002 law until last year, when nearly two dozen suddenly made the change. At least 14 more are considering switching over the next two years and most of them are facing threats of a lawsuit if they dont. Eric Dunn, an attorney for the high desert city of Hesperia, said the main driver for Hesperias switch to district elections was the legal threat. No local government that holds citywide elections has ever won a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit, according to the League of California Cities. Thats tipped the scales for many cities, Dunn said. As the city attorney youre in a position where you have to tell your client that your odds of winning are zero. Hesperia, which is nearly 50% Latino, currently has an all-white City Council. The citys first district elections are not scheduled until 2018. Dunn said, however, that Hesperia is so well-integrated it would be difficult to create a Latino council district that doesnt resemble a Rorschach inkblot test which would likely run afoul of federal voting rights law. Hesperia began the process of moving to district elections after getting warning letters from two separate attorneys within a month. The first arrived in December 2015 from Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman, the lead attorney in the successful lawsuit against Palmdale. The letter alleged Hesperias citywide voting system weakened the political influence of Latinos, and it advised the city to change to district elections. Shenkman estimates that hes filed roughly 10 Voting Rights Act lawsuits. He said he couldnt remember how many warning letters he has sent to local governments, but this year alone he sent letters to Oceanside, San Marcos, Vista, Cathedral City and Fremont. Some city officials complain that lawyers see the voting rights cases as a way to collect large attorneys fees. As Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford put it: I didnt think the lawsuit was about anything except making money. But Shenkman countered that, saying he worked for years on the Palmdale case, where he won the $4.5-million settlement, even though he wasnt sure hed ever see a penny from it. We did very well on the Palmdale case. But people who criticized us dont realize the enormous risk that we took, Shenkman said. Former state Sen. Richard Polanco, a Democrat who authored the Voting Rights Act, said the law included a provision for legal fee reimbursement in successful lawsuits because lawmakers believed it was better to have local governments pay millions in settlements than rob minority groups of fair representation. But state lawmakers last year moved to protect cities from massive legal bills and to give them time to take steps to avoid lawsuits. The new law allows cities 135 days to switch to district elections through the ordinance process after its been warned it could be in violation of the Voting Rights Act. It also puts a $30,000 limit on the amount cities must reimburse attorneys or other groups that challenge their election system, so long as no lawsuit is filed against the city. Douglas Johnson of National Demographics Corp., which has advised dozens of cities in voting rights cases, argues Latinos have made the most gains in cities where the switch to district elections was driven more by grassroots efforts than the threat of lawsuits. There are ... cases where a lawyer blasts out letters to 20 different jurisdictions to generate a lawsuit and make money. In those jurisdictions, theres no candidate, no campaign organization, Johnson said. The most important factor is having a good candidate who has a base of supporters and knows how to run an effective, energetic campaign. Once you have that, districts make it easier for a candidate to win. Thomas Saenz, head of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, argues that the sluggish increase in minority representatives isnt necessarily a failure. The law was not just designed to elect minorities to local government, Saenz said, but also to increase geographical diversity on the councils and prevent one part of town, typically the wealthier neighborhoods, from having too much influence. Latino voters get to elect a candidate of their choice. Thats not always a Latino candidate, Saenz said. Maybe a non-Latino candidate is the choice of the community for whatever reason. Saenzs organization has taken legal action against a handful of cities with citywide voting systems, including Bellflower and Placentia. As a result, voters in November approved ballot measures to switch to district elections. But he says his group only sues or threatens to sue when it can show that a Latino-majority district can be created in those cities. That was the argument Jose Moreno made when he challenged the system in Anaheim. He had been trounced in a citywide run for the City Council in 2014 even though he did very well in heavily Latino neighborhoods. Latinos make up more than half of Anaheims population, but they account for about 35% of eligible voters. Latino political activists had been pushing for Anaheim to switch to district elections since the early 1990s, when the City Council rejected the idea. The switch finally came after Moreno, a former school board member, joined other Latino leaders and sued. Last November, Moreno walked away with a victory. Its about giving a community a voice, said Moreno, chair of the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies at Cal State Long Beach. With Morenos victory, the number of Latinos on the six-member Anaheim council doubled from one to two. phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon Updates on California politics ALSO Palmdale officials settle lawsuit, agree to voting by district Plan for voting districts and publicly elected mayor wins big in Costa Mesa In narrow election, downtown votes against creating neighborhood council for skid row UPDATES: 8:20 p.m.: Updated to note that the previous Palmdale Latino council member was appointed and the current member was elected. This story was originally published at 3 a.m. In 2011, after Francisco Carrillo Jr. had spent 20 years in prison for a fatal drive-by shooting in Los Angeles County that he didnt commit, his conviction was overturned. News reports pointed in large part to the reliability of the witnesses all of whom eventually recanted their identification of Carrillo, who was 16 at the time of the killing and had consistently maintained his innocence, or were deemed to have been unable to properly see the shooter. Carrillos experience is one of 2,000 such cases in the National Registry of Exonerations, an online database of wrongful convictions that have been overturned dating to 1989. The registry is now being housed at UC Irvine, where it will become a resource for faculty and students studying the criminal justice system. UCI was selected because of its concentration of faculty in the area of wrongful convictions. This university can really provide muscle to what is a still-developing group of cases, said Maurice Possley, senior researcher for the registry, which was created in 2012 as a joint project between the University of Michigan Law School and Northwestern Universitys Center on Wrongful Convictions. I tend to think this database can be one of the most influential factors for reform and change in the criminal justice system in many years. The purpose of the registry, explained Possley, is to collect data on the causes of wrongful convictions which typically include mistaken witness identification, false confession, official misconduct, false or misleading forensic evidence, false accusation and inadequate legal defense in order to prevent them in the future. Such a large bank of empirical data, he explained, offers support to researchers, activists and legislators who are seeking change to the criminal justice system. A March analysis of the registrys data, for example, found that African Americans make up a majority of innocent defendants wrongfully convicted of crimes and later exonerated. Innocent black defendants are about seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent whites, the report found, and murder exonerations with black defendants were 22% more likely to include police misconduct. While the registry has more than 2,000 cases on file, Possley said this number is only scratching the surface of the total number of wrongful convictions, given the registrys own strict criteria of exoneration and the difficulty in finding these cases. We dont know how many cases there are, he said. We dont know how representational it is of the system. But the more we look, the more we find. Simon Cole, director of the registry and UC Irvines Newkirk Center for Science and Society, said the registry is being used for research across the university, from the law school to literary journalism. In addition, Cole and Possley are teaching an undergraduate course, Miscarriages of Justice, which involves showing students how to use the registry. Ive taught that class for a long time, and before we used the registry I would get the response, I didnt know any of this stuff. I didnt know that our justice system had these issues. I thought it worked perfectly, said Cole. I was always surprised at the number of students for whom this was totally new to them. Added Possley, a former journalist who lives in Laguna Beach: It gives them an appreciation of the work that goes into undoing a wrongful conviction. Its part of the fabric of the criminal justice system that you dont normally get exposed to. Carrillo, who now serves on the registry board, said the database helps people like him understand that they are not alone. Its a place where you can go to realize your case isnt unique, he said. For those who need the extra layer of research, its great that its there, versus, Just take my word for it that Im innocent. But perhaps even more important, said Carrillo, who received a settlement of millions last July, is its potential for educating the public our jury pool. In wrongful convictions, the jury at some point was misled, either by false testimony or bad evidence, he said. Its the unspoken piece that the jurors the public are the ones who are ultimately used to convict someone unjustly because they were misled. When youre selected, youre officially deputized to be part of the system, and the jury cant take the nonchalant position of, The professionals know what theyre doing, were just here. No, youre a key part of this. You have to think about it, and if you dont ask, if you dont speak up if theres a doubt, someones life could be ruined. Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil is a contributor to Times Community News. Citing a severe shortage of mental health services in Orange County, Santa Ana officials are considering turning much of their mostly vacant city jail into a mental health treatment center. Here in Orange County, we have a crisis with mental illness, said Councilwoman Michele Martinez in proposing the change during a recent City Council meeting. The discussion came up when consultants were hired to study options for re-purposing the jail. The facility no longer houses the vast majority of people arrested by city police because county jails hold them at no expense to the city. And the City Council has prompted a quick phase-out of the jails contract to house federal immigration detainees, leaving more than 350 empty beds and costing the city millions in lost revenue. Martinez said the number of mental health treatment beds in the county dropped from 1,217 in 1995 to 481 today in a county with a total population of 3.1 million. The drop has been attributed by the county Health Care Agency to public and private insurance companies cutting their coverage for psychiatric hospitals. Not just here in Orange County, but across the United States, we have looked at mental illness as a crime, Martinez said. It is not a crime to be mentally ill. A mental health center makes the most sense for the city jails future use, she said, adding that the sheriff of Cook County, Ill., has implemented a really great model for this. The idea has gained traction among three of Martinezs colleagues. Council members Sal Tinajero, Vicente Sarmiento and David Benavides have agreed they want a mental health facility to be among the options considered. Tinajero, in particular, argued that treating underlying issues like mental illness reduces crime and improves public safety. Any changes to the jails use would require four council members votes. A decision isnt expected until after the consultant, Vanir Construction Management, finishes its study and reports back to the council, in August at the earliest. The jail has 512 beds, but it isnt used to detain the vast majority of local arrestees because the county Sheriffs Department jails them nearby at no cost to the city. Only two local arrestees were in the city jail as of Wednesday morning, according to Police Chief Carlos Rojas. Instead, Santa Ana has been renting out jail beds to state and federal agencies for their detainees. But less than a third of the jails capacity is now being used, after the City Council phased out the jails largest tenant, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. As of Wednesday morning, the jail had 151 inmates and 361 empty beds, according to Rojas. One idea floated by Sarmiento is to keep some of the jails beds for a smaller holding facility for local arrestees, like those in Anaheim and other cities, while using much of the rest of the facility for services like mental health treatment. The other three council members Mayor Miguel Pulido and councilmen Jose Solorio and Juan Villegas have tried, unsuccessfully, to revive the ICE contract, pointing to the loss of millions of dollars in revenue and the likelihood of immigration detainees being transferred to jails hours away from families and lawyers. They didnt indicate much support for the mental health proposal. Pulido said he wants the city to try to emulate the early days of the jail back in the 1990s, when it was full of inmates and made money for the city. I think the level of occupancy at the jail, thats the main problem, Pulido said. We have more staff than prisoners. But if its not feasible to increase the inmate population, he said the city could go with Martinezs mental health proposal. The jail was planned during a crime wave in the 1990s, and when cities were charged large booking fees to keep inmates at county jails. But those fees are no longer charged to Santa Ana, and the jail hasnt been used to house local arrestees since 1999, according to city staff. Solorio didnt say he supported an overall mental health facility. But he said he wants the consultant to look at the feasibility of having the jail provide rehabilitation programs for people getting out of jail, including mental health and drug treatment. Funding will be a critical question for any alternative use of the jail. It currently costs about $20 million per year to run, including staff and bond payments for its construction. Much of that cost was previously covered by the ICE contract. James Kendrick, a longtime Santa Ana resident and former parks commissioner, supports the jail and questioned how the city will make up for losing $7 million per year from the ICE contract. But Tinajero said the county has a ton of money ready to go, for any organization that is willing to take on this task. The Health Care Agency spends more than $200 million per year on mental health services, though Tinajero didnt say how much is available for new programs. Meanwhile, health activists expressed concern that the consultant chosen by the city would recommend only options that increase the number of jail inmates. Vanir was hired to manage construction of new jails in Riverside and San Diego counties in recent years, and its jail reuse study for Los Angeles County only recommended jail expansion, according to activists from the Building Healthy Communities coalition. The coalition has been pushing the city to shift its spending priorities, after a study it commissioned found the city focused more spending on arresting youth than developing them through libraries, mentorship, job skills and other initiatives. Vanir is based in Sacramento and run by Doreen C. Dominguez. Martinez said she knows Dominguez and that shes a good human being who has hired young people from Santa Ana at her organization. Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and Resilience OC noted city staff removed several parts of the jail reuse study after Vanir was chosen as the winning bidder. Among the deletions were requirements that the study include alternatives to detention and that it review conditions in the jail. In response, Sarmiento had the review of jail conditions put back in. He and other council members emphasized they want a wide variety of proposals from Vanir that are not limited to incarceration. The council ended up voting 5 to 0 to award the consulting contract to Vanir, with Tinajero absent and Pulido abstaining. The mayor said he abstained because he was on track to potentially work with Vanir years ago in his capacity as an engineer. This story was reported by Voice of OC, a nonprofit investigative newsroom, as part of a publishing agreement with TimesOC. Reporter Nick Gerda can be contacted at ngerda@voiceofoc.org. This story was reported by Voice of OC, a nonprofit investigative newsroom, as part of a publishing agreement with TimesOC. Reporter Nick Gerda can be contacted at ngerda@voiceofoc.org. In March, Felicia Nilson took a road trip with some friends to spend five days in Arizona and New Mexico. They stayed in Santa Fe, N.M., for three days and spent two days in Sedona, Ariz. On a rainy walk through red-rock country to the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, the Burbank resident took this photo with an iPhone 6SE. In the center is Bell Rock, and to the left is the imposing Courthouse Butte. Nilson, who endured rain and hail on this jaunt, said she loved all the colors displayed on the photo -- from the green of the cactus and the rust red, almost burgundy soil to the little bit of blue peeking through the overcast sky. Advertisement This photo is featured in Your Scene in the L.A. Times Sunday Travel section. To have your photos considered for Your Scene, email them to yourscene-travel@latimes.com or share them on our Flickr page. ALSO Art galleries, angels and red rocks -- where else but in Sedona, Ariz.? A weekend escape to Carefree, Ariz., is just that A weekend escape to Tucson, that Arizona outpost with a culinary heart and an artsy soul The California Bucket List: Your daily guide to the best adventures and experiences in the Golden State travel@latimes.com @latimestravel Egypts Health Ministry says an explosion at a church in the coastal city of Alexandria has killed 11 people and wounded at least 35 others. It appeared to be the second attack targeting Egypts Coptic Christians, after a bomb in a church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta killed 26 people and wounded more than 70. Church bombing north of Egypts capital kills at least 26 Advertisement The ministry said the explosion went off at Saint Marks Church in Alexandria, where Pope Tawadros II had earlier celebrated Palm Sunday. Egypts Interior Ministry says the blast was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm the entrance before being stopped by police. The ministry said three policemen were among those killed in Sundays attack, without providing an overall toll. The Islamic State group has claimed the bombing, as well as one in Tanta that occurred earlier Sunday. The bombings killed at least 37 people and wounded around 100. The claim was published by the militant groups Aamaq news agency. It provided no further details. The extremists have claimed previous attacks against Egypts Coptic minority, and had recently vowed to step up attacks against Christians, whom they view as an ally of the West in a war against Islam. An Islamic State affiliate based in the Sinai Peninsula claimed an attack on a Cairo church in December that killed around 30 people, and vowed more attacks on Christians. ALSO Israels conservatives face tough lesson: Trumps policies may not be so different from Obamas approach U.S. missile strike in Syria dashes hope of improving ties with Russia In Venezuela power play, another opposition leader is sidelined by dubious accusations UPDATES: 6:30 a.m.: This article was updated with details about the cause of the blast. 6:10 a.m.: This article was updated with the Islamic States claim of the attack. This article was originally published at 5:20 a.m. A Lebanese-registered ship hijacked off the coast of war-torn Somalia has been freed, says a shipping expert. The pirates who boarded the ship Saturday abandoned it Sunday before naval forces rescued the ship, Mohamed Abdirahman, former director of Puntlands marine forces, told the Associated Press. The pirates were unable to take the crew hostage because they locked themselves in a safe room, said Abdirahman. No pirates were arrested and international naval forces are now escorting the ship, he said. Advertisement The ship hijacked off the coast of war-torn Yemen is a cargo vessel owned by a Lebanon-registered company, a United Nations agency confirmed Sunday. The hijacking was the latest in a resurgence of piracy in the waters off Somalia and Yemen, one of the worlds crucial sea trade routes. The OS 35, which can carry nonliquid cargoes like grain or iron ore, is registered by Oldstone Cargo Ltd., which lists its business address in Tripoli, Lebanon, said the International Maritime Organization. The OS 35 is Oldstones only ship registered with the U.N. Oldstone could not be immediately reached for comment. The pirates managed to board the ship Saturday evening near Yemens Socotra Island despite resistance from the crew, said Somali pirate Bile Hussein. Somali pirates in recent weeks have hijacked at least two vessels with foreign crews in the waters off Somalia and Yemen, marking a return of the threat after five years. In March, Somali pirates hijacked a Comoros-flagged oil tanker, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012. They later released the vessel and its Sri Lankan crew without conditions. Pirates later seized a fishing trawler, which Somali authorities warned could be used for further piracy. Earlier this month, Somali pirates seized a small boat and its 11 Indian crew members as the vessel passed through the narrow channel between Socotra Island and Somalias coast. Piracy off Somalias coast was once a serious threat to the global shipping industry. It has lessened in recent years after an international effort to patrol near the country, whose weak central government has been trying to assert itself after a quarter-century of conflict. In December, NATO ended its anti-piracy mission off Somalias waters. But frustrations have been rising among Somali fishermen, including former pirates, at what they say are foreign fishermen illegally fishing in local waters. MORE WORLD NEWS In Venezuela power play, another opposition leader is sidelined by dubious accusations Church bombing north of Egypts capital kills at least 25 Israels conservatives face tough lesson: Trumps policies may not be so different from Obamas approach When Donald Trump was elected president in November, euphoric Israeli right-wing politicians saw it as a green light to annex parts of the West Bank and declare an end to the idea of a Palestinian state. But since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed recently to rein in expansion of settlements in the West Bank at the request of the U.S., many of the same politicians are wondering if the Trump administration may turn out to be disturbingly similar, in their eyes at least, to the Obama administration. This unusual president is basically prescribing the same-old same-old with an inevitable failure at the end, said Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesman for the Israeli settlements in the West Bank city of Hebron. It underwhelms. Advertisement During the election campaign, Trump won an enthusiastic following on the Israeli right by pledging to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and appointing an ambassador, bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, who is a patron of the settlement of Beit El, next door to the West Bank city of Ramallah. Trumps remark during a Feb. 15 news conference with Netanyahu in which the president appeared to back away from the United States long-standing commitment to a two-state solution for peace between Israelis and Palestinians further stoked expectations among conservative politicians for a break with the past. Some conservatives hoped the administration would give Israel carte blanche for expansion in the occupied West Bank, which Palestinians claim as the site of a future state. Instead of offering free rein in the West Bank, however, Trump envoy Jason Greenblatt has met with Netanyahu to talk about scaling back settlement expansion. Though neither side announced a formal agreement, Netanyahu informed Israeli ministers that he had decided to set limits on new construction in deference to the wishes of the new administration. Standing next to Jordans King Abdullah II at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he was working very, very hard to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Limitations on Israeli settlement growth have been used as carrots by previous U.S. administrations to restart peace negotiations. Many Israeli conservatives acknowledged that its too early to determine how Trump administration policies will play out over time, and that ultimately he may lean further right than his predecessors, but its not too early to worry. In a tweet last week, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of the pro-settler Jewish Home party, complained that Israel had missed a strategic opportunity in meetings with Trump and his representatives to push to annex parts of the West Bank and block the establishment of a Palestinian state. Bennett shied away from criticizing Trump, but accused Netanyahu of being too passive in talks with the U.S. administration and focusing on tactical maneuvering rather than pushing a paradigm shift in talks with Trump. Bennett, a rival to Netanyahu for leadership of Israels right wing, said in the tweet that the prime minister should formally retract a policy speech at Bar-Ilan University in 2009 in which he endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state. Fleisher, the spokesman for the Hebron settlers, also said Netanyahu was more to blame than Trump for a less aggressive approach than what the far right expected. Despite the deflated expectations among some conservatives, Israel recently approved building the first new settlement deep in the West Bank since the 1990s a potential milestone for the settler movement. The move generated international condemnation, including statements of concern from the United Nations and the European Union. The groups, as well as Palestinians, said the new settlement would not help peace efforts. All Israeli settlements are illegal and we are not going to accept any formula that aims at legitimizing the presence of Israeli colonies on occupied Palestinian land, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement. Palestinians and much of the international community consider all Israeli building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. The United Nations, the U.S. and European countries have warned that settlement expansion was endangering prospects for peace through a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinian officials are demanding a full settlement freeze as a precondition to entering negotiations. Nabil Shaath, an advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said the new president is unpredictable and may produce something worthwhile. In an interview Monday with the pro-settler radio station Arutz 7, Jewish Home party parliament member Shuli Mualem said she had hoped Israels government would embark on a building campaign throughout the West Bank rather than agreeing to limitations. Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council, said in a phone interview that the friction experienced with the Obama administration had passed, but that theres been a change in tone in Trump since he entered office. The settler leader acknowledged that expectations by some for a free hand in the West Bank were unrealistic. Its also too early to say where the new administrations policies would lead, he said. America has its own interests, and we cant expect to get everything that we want, he said. Time will tell whether this new administration keeps up with expectations. Mitnick is a special correspondent. @joshmitnick ALSO Everything President Trump has tweeted (and what it was about) Trump administration could upend decades of U.S. policy on Israel and Palestinians White House backs away from two-state solution in Israeli-Palestinian conflict It is just an ID card, sky blue and gently creased, but it is Mohammad Siddiques greatest source of shame. The indignity arises not from its routine details his name, date of birth, photo, thumbprint but from what it omits. Unlike documents held by citizens of Myanmar, there is no mention of Siddiques race or religion. To him it is an identity card that erases his identity. Siddique, 25, is a Rohingya Muslim, a stateless minority of more than 1 million people who live in apartheid-like conditions in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation of 53 million previously known as Burma. Advertisement Stripped of their citizenship by the countrys former military rulers, many are effectively trapped in villages and internment camps without the right to travel, work or marry freely within the country where they were born. After a half-century of military rule, human rights activists and Myanmars international allies hoped that Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi would loosen the restrictions when her civilian government took office a year ago. But she has refused to restore citizenship to the Rohingya or recognize them as an ethnic group a sign of the armys enduring influence as well as the deep antipathy that many Myanmar Buddhists, including leaders of Suu Kyis own party, feel toward Muslims. In a limited step, Suu Kyi has adopted a plan to issue the Rohingya ID cards that acknowledge they are residents and start a process to consider their citizenship claims, with no assurances. They just want to kick us out of this country. Mohammad Siddique, a Rohingya Muslim in Myanmar But many Rohingya oppose the cards, saying the omission of ethnicity is part of a continuing effort to eradicate any record of their existence here. This government doesnt want to accept us as citizens of Myanmar, Siddique said at his home in U Yin Thar, a Rohingya village of tidy wooden shacks outside the coastal town of Sittwe. As a downpour lashed the tin roofs, children scurried barefoot through muddy lanes and Siddiques voice grew faint. They just want to kick us out of this country, he said. The ID push comes as the United Nations Human Rights Council prepares to investigate reports that the Myanmar army indiscriminately killed, raped and abused Rohingya civilians during a crackdown that began last October in northern Rakhine state, 60 miles from Sittwe. Trust has been eroded for decades between the Rohingya and the government, said Matthew Smith, co-founder of Fortify Rights, an advocacy group in Southeast Asia. Its lunacy to think that soldiers could commit atrocity crimes with impunity on Monday and have civilians happily cooperate with the [ID] scheme on Tuesday. There is no meaningful difference between the previous and current regimes on this issue, he said. Myanmar has long viewed the Rohingya who share physical, cultural and linguistic similarities with South Asian ethnic groups as foreigners from neighboring Bangladesh, even though many families have lived here for generations. In 1982, the army enacted a law that dialed back full citizenship to include only members of 135 national races that purportedly existed in Burma before British colonialists invaded in 1824. The Rohingya were not included. Under the law, the best they could hope for was naturalization and a limited set of rights granted through a verification process that has proved slow and opaque. Youd be hard-pressed to find anywhere on the planet that privileges particular ethnicities the way Myanmar does, said Ronan Lee, a researcher at Australias Deakin University who has studied the Rohingya. In 2014, when the former government introduced the ID cards, it ordered the Rohingya to identify themselves as Bengali, a label they oppose. Last year, Suu Kyi relaunched the effort, but tried to skirt the issue of ethnicity by eliminating race and religion from the document. By early February, officials said they had issued 6,202 cards in western Myanmars Rakhine state, home to most of the Rohingya population. Rohingya leaders say many of those were the result of coercion. This is all that remains of Abdul Shafis Myanmar citizenship card, which was nullified by a 1982 law that stripped the rights of Rohingya Muslims. (Shashank Bengali / Los Angeles Times) Siddique said he was tricked into accepting the card as a condition of his release last month from jail. He had served 17 months for violating travel restrictions that have been strictly enforced since clashes erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012 and the government confined more than 120,000 Rohingya to swampy displacement camps at the edge of Sittwe. Unable to work or study freely, thousands have attempted to escape on overcrowded fishing boats bound for Thailand and Malaysia. In October 2015, Siddique took his chances by slipping into the back of a car headed south toward the city of Yangon, but was quickly intercepted by police and arrested. The day before he was freed, he was brought to a room where a prison guard took his picture and told him to sign and leave a thumbprint on one side of what Siddique thought was a prisoner release form. When he folded the card over, his heart fell. Identity Card for National Verification was printed in bold letters. At home, he reluctantly showed his family the document, holding it by the edges, as if it were soiled. Although officials said the card would give him freedom of movement, police at the checkpoint that seals off his village wouldnt let him leave. Why did you take it? his mother asked. He told her he had no choice, that guards had kicked him with their boots and called him kalar, a slur for dark-skinned. I worry that the card will be used to persecute him, said his aunt, Zurah Khatu. Siddique was born in the same village as his father, who once worked for the army. No one in the family has held a job since 2015, when authorities bowed to the demands of Buddhist nationalists and revoked the temporary IDs that had allowed the Rohingya one of their last basic rights: to vote. Unlike other controversial provisions enacted under military rule such as blocking Suu Kyi from the presidency because she had a foreign spouse, or reserving one-quarter of parliamentary seats for the military there is little support in Myanmar for changing the citizenship law. With Buddhist nationalists and extremist monks fanning anti-Muslim sentiment, Suu Kyi has remained largely silent on the Rohingya question. U Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyis party, said the government supported expanding citizenship criteria to a point. We want to see citizens, not ethnic groups, he said. But there is no such ethnic group as the Rohingya in our history. Even Suu Kyis modest step has triggered protests in Rakhine state among hard-line Buddhists who complain that making Rohingya eligible for citizenship risks Islamizing the country even though its more than 90% Buddhist. The government should be conscious of the security of the country, said U Aung Htay, leader of a Buddhist civil society group in Sittwe. He pointed to the deaths of nine police officers in northern Rakhine last October at the hands of alleged Rohingya militants, a series of attacks that prompted the army crackdown. If that kind of attack happens again, people will suffer, he said. And you can assume the Bengali people are responsible. Rohingya say that even if they accepted the new ID, many would have little chance of meeting the laws onerous requirements for regaining citizenship, including conclusive evidence of lineage in Myanmar. In the Maw Thi Nya displacement camp outside Sittwe, 63-year-old Abdul Shafi held out his battered old citizenship card nullified by the 1982 law that he rescued from the 2012 clashes. Shafi said officials had visited the camp multiple times in recent months to promote the new card, and he worried the government would use their refusal as a pretext to expel Rohingya from the country. As a group of men around him nodded vigorously, he remained defiant. We will not take this card, he said. Even if they kill us, we will not accept it. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia. MORE WORLD NEWS Syrian ally Iran blasts U.S. missile strikes as dangerous, destructive and a violation of international law India banned a movie about four women because it was lady-oriented. It plays in L.A. this week An extremist Hindu leader rises in India, along with hopes for a controversial temple Matt Dunne & Associates RICS SCSI conducted 4 land auctions last week in the Gandon Inn, Emo. Lot 1, a farmhouse on 2 acres, at Ballynakill, Walsh Island, Co. Offaly was sold prior to auction. This was bought as part of a large farm which he sold six months ago and the new owner didnt need the house. The selling price far exceeded the reserve. Lot 2 was a bungalow on 39 acres at Ballymorris, Portarlington, Co. Laois. This Executor sale was being sold on behalf of the representatives of the late Tommy McDonnell Esquire. A fragmented farm, in 7 lots situated on the Portlaoise Road, just outside Portarlington Town. Interest in the land was phenomenal, says Matt Dunne as the small lots of a few acres suited everyones pocket. There was 4 bidders for every field and then to the surprise of the Auctioneer one party expressed an interest in buying the entire. This was eventually how it panned out, and the farm was knocked down under the hammer for 552,000. Taking into account that the house on 1.5 acres was making 180,000 the remaining 37.5 acres sold for 10,000 per acre. The beneficiaries of the estate were delighted with the outcome and Matt Dunne has a list of 20 cash buyers looking for small parcels of land around Portarlington. Lot 3 was 73 acres at Clonavoe, Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly. This was mixed quality land situated close to the bog on the Offaly Kildare border. The reserve on the entire was 350,000. On the day the farm was offered for sale in two lots, a separate 8 acre field was bid to 50,000 and the adjacent 65 acres was bid to 300,000. Two bidders then contested the entire before it was knocked down to a local entrepreneurial farmer, Mr. Nicky ONeill, for 365,000 which represents 5,000 per acre. Lot 4, a thatched house on 39 acres Killellery, Geashill, Co. Offaly. There was never any interest in the entire, says Matt Dunne, so it was offered in three lots. Lot A, thatched house on 4 acres had a reserve of 99,000. Two parties competitively bid before it was knocked down at 110,000 to a Polish businessman. Lot B, comprised of 13 acres of good grassland. This holding was put on the market at 65,000 and then the frenzy began between a local butcher and a local farmer, before it was knocked down at 95,000 to the smiling Victualler. Lot C, 22 acres of mixed land had a reserve of 115,000 and was eventually sold to an adjoining farmer for 130,000 or 6,000 per acre. The vendor, Mr. Martin Langton, was delighted with the overall selling price of 335,000. Land is still a very safe haven in which to invest your money, says Matt Dunne and the auction method of sale has proven yet again to be the most successful option. Should you require a free valuation or your farm or land then why not contact the experts info@mattdunne.ie or 057 86 23349 Since June 23rd last year, theres been a lot of talk and speculation about what the departure of the UK from the European Union will mean; both for Ireland and the EU as a whole. It has now been confirmed that on Wednesday 29 March, British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which will mark the beginning of the formal process of the UKs departure. Firstly, its important to stress that the UK will not be leaving the EU immediately. In fact, this process will take at least two years. In the meantime, there will be no changes to our relationship with the UK, and your rights will remain the same. Irish people can travel easily to Britain, live there, work there and in some cases, vote there. That will not change any time in the next two years, and we will be doing our utmost in the negotiation process to ensure that this doesnt happen at all. The first thing that will happen is that there will be complex and sometimes very difficult negotiations, in which Ireland will be part of the team of 27 countries staying in the EU. Ireland is prepared for this in fact, we have been preparing for these possible negotiations since before the UK had their vote. We have Ministers who know the business of Europe, many of whom have been working at the European table with their colleagues for a long time. We have a team of diplomats and officials with extensive experience in complex international negotiations focused on getting the best outcome possible. Through the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit, which I co-hosted with the Taoiseach, over 1,200 representatives of a broad range of industries, sectors and civic society groups met in over 16 events in four months and discussed their concerns about Brexit with Government Ministers and Government officials. This process has helped the Government to deepen and expand our negotiation priorities. Ireland has made our priorities for these Brexit negotiations very clear. We want to protect our economy, especially sectors such as agrifood that are heavily reliant on the UK for their business. For us to do this, we need the closest possible trading relationship with the UK, something that a number of other EU countries also want. We want to maintain our Common Travel Area with the UK and the invisible border with the North. We want to protect the peace process and ensure all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement are fully respected. We also want the future of the EU to work best for its citizens and the European economy. These priorities have been made very clear to every other EU member state, and to the British as well. Both the EU chief negotiator and the British PM have openly acknowledged that they want to solve the issue of the border on the island of Ireland while protecting the gains of the peace process, and that this must be a key part of whatever deal is negotiated. The Taoiseach has made our case to all of his fellow European leaders, as well as to the British Prime Minister Theresa May, and the Minister for European Affairs, Dara Murphy has also been very active. For my own part, since the referendum last year, I have spoken with every EU Foreign Minister and undertaken over 70 engagements across the capitals of Europe. I have also raised our issues beyond the EUs borders, in Washington, Tokyo and elsewhere: now more than ever we need to reach out to our international partners to let them know that Ireland is ready for the challenges of Brexit. The message that were getting back from Europe is that the Irish-specific issues are indeed understood, and that our partners are sympathetic especially in relation to the border and the protection of the Peace Process. It will take a while for the UK to actually leave the EU. Once the UK leaves the EU, ironing out its future relationship with the Union could take even longer. This will bring changes, but not all of them will be for the worse. There are also some real opportunities for Ireland as the only English-speaking country in the EU, with the fastest growing economy in the EU in 2016, and as the European HQ of so many multinational firms. The negotiating teams are ready. The Government has its priorities set. Information that helps people to understand what is going on is being and will continue to be made available. This wont be easy. But we have overcome challenges before, and we will do it again with Brexit. Minister Charlie Flanagan and Minister Marcella Corcoran Kennedy will jointly host an open public meeting on Brexit on Monday 10th April, in Portlaoise Heritage Hotel at 8pm. Speakers will include representatives from both the Agricultural and Business sectors; the meeting will be followed by a Q & A session afterwards. All are welcome to attend. For more information on the Governments preparations for Brexit, see www.merrionstreet.ie/brexit. For information on your rights in relation to Brexit, do check out www.citizensinformation.ie/brexit. Charlie Flanagan Some 200 Irish Prison Service staff have clocked up more than 134,000 in mobile phone bills over the past five years. Official figures also show that the total cost from 2012 to 2016 was more than 670,000 and 2015 was the most expensive year at 155,331. The average annual total bill is 134,504. The total bill mobile phone costs (including monthly usage bills and handsets) from 2012 are as follows: Year Cost 2012 107,766 2013 125,556 2014 147,317 2015 155,331 2016 136,522 2017 (Year to date) 14,700 The data was supplied to Tommy Broughan TD in the Dail aby Tanaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald Frances Fitzgerald. He asked about the number of Irish Prison Service personnel provided with mobile telephones; the cost of same in each of the years 2012 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if she would make a statement on the matter. In her written reply, the Tanaiste said that the Irish Prison Service currently has a tender with Vodafone for the supply of mobile phones to Irish Prison Service staff for 'official business use'. She said this contract was awarded after a 'competitive tender'. She added that 'an approved business case' must be submitted by the staff member for approval by Irish Prison Service ICT Division before a mobile phone is assigned to a member of staff. "I am advised by the Irish Prison service that 217 staff members currently have an official mobile phone for business purposes," she said. Ireland's biggest prison complex is located in Portlaoise and the Irish Prison Service HQ is located in Longford. 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. The Toyota C-HR is a subcompact crossover SUV, which is a true statement, but also impressively manages to include three of the buzzwords which have infected the motoring world in the recent past namely 'compact', 'crossover' and 'SUV'. In reality, that means that height-wise its somewhere between a regular car and a Qashqai. It has, vaguely speaking, a sports-jeep-like design language. Its called an urban cruiser, and thats really whats going on here. Its a city car for people who like the idea of a city car but who would prefer if a city car was tiny. Its a stylish looking mid-sized hatch back that gets, by virtue of a hybrid engine, good miles to the gallon. READ MORE: The Toyota Avensis is made for the 'real world' There is homogeneity across this modern world. Entire populations are concentrated (everywhere in Ireland) in urban spaces. And numerous urban spaces are joined together by motorways. What we like to call a country boreen is becoming a thing of the past in reality, or at least in the general consciousness of the marketing director of your average car manufacturer. Anyway, like all car companies, Toyota has realised that the modern car needs to perform well in city streets and on motorways. Unlike most other car companies, Toyota are essentially being upfront about that and Ive a suspicion that that is a good strategy. But what does it mean when it comes down to the brass tacks of driving the thing? Well, the one that I drove recently at the Crossings in Naas was a 1.8 litre petrol engine with automatic hybrid, delivering nice and at claimed 74mpg. Its also available in manual with a 1.2 litre petrol engine (a respectable 47.8mpg). All wheel drive is also available. READ MORE: Kildare car review: the Jaguar x-factor Ill be straight up with you, Ive done big miles in automatics and Ive never gotten to a point where I felt the driving experience was as direct as that in a car with a manual engine. So much of the nuance and predictability is lost, I feel. But then, Ill be the first to say that if youre going to spend time sitting in traffic, then a hybrid automatic is the one to have, rather than having to go up and down through the gears all the time. But back to the CR-H, there was a bit of noticeable poke. Its sturdy and set on bends and cruises along nicely at motorway speeds without complaint. It was comfortable and high tech inside, with displays showing you, for instance, the power management system and all the other bits and pieces you get on these central consoles these days (including rear reversing cameras etc). The interior materials were quality and subtle. The space in the back seat was fine, without being enormous, and the boot was ample also its Ford Focus/Qashqai territory all-round. Prices range, roughly speaking from the 27k to 33k mark, depending on the version you get or extras. Available at the Crossings in Naas. Call 045 897589 or visit www.crossings.ie After 20 years of travelling the world, Manchan Magan is heading to The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton this Easter Saturday, April 15. This latest adventure for the writer and film maker will see him venture out of his self made hovel in the oak woods of Westmeath to join the Holey Soles Walking Club in their ascent of Ben Bulben on Easter Saturday. He will spend the evening talking about his travels at the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton, to the hill walkers, their friends and anyone else who would like to join them. The event at the Glens Centre, part of the North Leitrim Hill Walking Festival, will be a great opportunity to be transported to exotic locations and entertained by Magan. His pre Ben Bulben adventures include his years running an organic farm/hostel on the Ecuador/Peru border when both countries were at war; his time as a hermit in a cowshed in the Himalayas; getting rabies in the Amazon; working in a cannabis commune in Canada; going without food for a week in the Congo; living on a remote primal screaming commune in Columbia; driving for 6-months overland across Africa, and filming with remote tribes in Africa, China, India and South America for TG4 and the Travel Channel. Admission fee is 5. For details of the Walking Festival see Facebook - The Holey Soles Hill Walking Club or call (087) 6470902. Tim Farron has written for the Guardian about why he has decided to support the US action in Syria on Friday morning. There are caveats, though: However, we disagree with the way in which he conducted it unilaterally, without allies, outside of a wider strategy. Trump saw a wrong and wanted to react, no doubt in large part to differentiate himself from Barack Obama. But taking matters into his own hands without thinking of the consequences, without a wider plan, without considering what next, exposes both his naivety about how the world works and his potential to create instability on an international scale. So, how should the UK respond now? Trump has made it clear that this was a one-off, which Michael Fallon has echoed, and we should welcome that. This wasnt about intervention in Syria. The purpose was twofold: to send the strongest possible signal of condemnation of Assads actions, and to ensure he is much less likely to be able to act in that way again. The Syrian regime and their Russian allies may be acting outraged on their respective state television channels, but they have been sent a message they will surely not now ignore. That does not mean the war in Syria is going to stop any time soon. Millions of Syrians still live in fear, under siege, as refugees scattered throughout the region and throughout the world. International diplomacy hasnt gone anywhere, and all the while Isis still thrives in Syria and will continue to while the war is continuing. The UK now has two jobs. The first is civilian protection and that means proper consideration of protected humanitarian zones. No-fly zones are complicated, and any coalition that creates them must be ultimately willing to shoot a plane out of the sky, an action with inevitable consequences. Further commitment from the international community to protect civilians could force Russia to question its support of Assad. The second is what will end this once and for all: diplomacy. With our allies, we must kickstart the international process again. There are many occasions at the moment when the UK Government makes me ashamed to be British. Two examples this week show what Tim Farron described on Question Time the other night as Cruel Britannia. The first is the removal of Personal Independence Payments from people suffering serious psychological distress. Matt described powerfully here what that would mean for him. When outdoors I can become so distressed by events and this can trigger an episode of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms. Symptoms include flash backs to an event that has caused much psychological harm and distress, visual hallucinations of the event that makes me feel that I am in another time and place, reliving the event as though it is really happening at that moment, becoming completely unaware of immediate surroundings. Coming out of one of these episodes is extremely distressing, confusing and disorientating and leaves me full of fear. My entire thought process is filled only with getting home and getting safe. I am no longer capable of following the route because my brain and thought process will not quieten down enough to think. I can only liken it to a petrified dog that will run off at full speed ahead, unaware of dangers / hazards / roads, petrified of people. All you can think of is getting home to the safety of your bed and cowering. The situation has caused me to put myself and others in danger whilst in this panicked state of mind. There are many things that can act as a trigger for me, It might be the way someone looks reminds me of person from my past, It can be a certain smell that acts as a trigger, it might be something I hear. I spend most of my life avoiding triggers. These are obviously easier to control within the safety of my own home, but impossible when I am outdoors. The second example is the removal of benefits to cover third or subsequent children. In itself this is utterly wrong in principle. Benefit should be payable according to need. Children are suffering now because their families are now significantly worse off. The idea that large families should be penalised is so wrong. Are we really saying that if someone finds themselves as a single parent and they have four children, that the state should only provide help with two of them? What are the others supposed to do? It brings back the sort of attitude from Victorian times when the state would provide a parent with help with child support for a couple of weeks before taking the children off the parent and putting them in the workhouse. The idea that the poor are in some way culpable and should be punished is not something any liberal should accept. The Government has, however, decided that tax credits and benefits can be paid out if the mother was raped. In order to claim these, she has to fill out an 8 page form and get it countersigned by a professional. How degrading and humiliating is that? And what must that be like for the family as a whole? No woman should ever have to prove rape to the satisfaction of a civil servant in order to be able to feed her children. What gets me is that someone has had to sit at a desk and draw up this form. Its had to be approved by various people and nobody has actually done the decent thing and pulled it. Has anyone actually put themselves in the position of someone who has to sit down and complete it and go and then disclose things, perhaps for the first time, to someone who can countersign it? Has anyone thought of the distress that entails? Its little wonder that so many womens charities have said that they refuse to enable this. The answer is simply to rescind the appalling two child cap. If you are one of a family of three or more, or if you have three or more children, imagine what could or might happen if you suddenly found yourself without the means to support them. Even if benefits were claimable for all of them, the amount you would get is nowhere near sufficient. There is no justification for the increase in poverty, restriction of life chances and misery that it will cause. All credit has to go to SNP MP Alison Thewliss who has led the campaign against this, with support from Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens. She spent months trying to pin down ministers on the practical implementation of this policy. She has made sure that its been an issue that the media takes seriously. Lets hope that the public, now that they can see the reality of the rape clause, will now demand its repeal. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Back in the day, Liberal Democrat peer Olly Grender worked for Shelter. Her passion to help people with housing matters has never left her and she continues to campaign on a range of housing issues. The pressure that she put on the Government resulted in their decision to end lettings fees for tenants. We reported that this was going to happen last November but the Government launched its consultation on Friday. Olly introduced a Private Memberss Bill in the Lords last year which would have outlawed these fees. Five days after the debate, the Government announced the measure. Olly explained why it was so important to protect tenants from these charges in her speech proposing her bill: Shelters research shows that average letting fees are 355 per move, with one in seven people paying 500. On rare occasions, renters have been forced to pay fees of 900 or more to a letting agent, simply for the privilege of moving into a home. Reference checks, credit checks, administration fees, inventory feesthe list goes on. Invariably, the fees charged are extortionate compared to the cost actually incurred by the agent and they are not necessary. Furthermore, any cost actually incurred should be covered by the lettings agents clientthe landlordnot by the tenant. Far too often these high up-front costs are proving a barrier to tenants, who simply cannot afford to move. This week Radio 4 broadcast a documentary, presented by Sarah Montague, called After Cathy, 50 years on from Ken Loachs Cathy Come Home. It featured the audio diaries of three homeless people over the course of a year. One of them, Zaranot her real name from London, a teacher and mum of a three year-old and an 11 year-old, had lived in the same private rented home for six years when her landlord put up her rent. She could not afford to move to cheaper accommodation because she could not afford the up-front costs of moving. This teacher is now homeless and has been living in emergency accommodation with her children for a yeara teacher. Does anyone in this Chamber really believe that this teacher, who could not afford the up-front costs to move to cheaper accommodation, would have been helped by a nice clear and transparent breakdown of the additional costs of the credit check, the inventory check, the administration charge and the cleaning costs, on a nice large poster in the lettings agencys office that complied fully with the Consumer Rights Act, with clear guidance about who she could complain to if the fees were not sufficiently transparent? Does anyone genuinely believe that at that critical moment when she could not afford the up-front costs to move somewhere cheaper, transparency would have made the difference? It would not. In response to the consultation being launched on Friday, Olly said: Too many renters are being ripped off by unfair letting fees and left behind by our broken housing market. A total ban on all tenant fees must be brought in as soon as possible, including renewal and exit fees, to avoid agents getting around the ban by the back door. The only fair system is where landlords pay the fee, to stop agents double-charging. The Government must not bow to pressure from letting agents who are lobbying hard to protect their profits. They have had time to improve voluntarily but they have failed to act. Unscrupulous letting agents must clean up or close down. Its important that the letting agents dont win the day, here. You have until 2 June to respond to the consultation. I wouldnt put it past the Government to renege on their plans, so lets make sure that the balance of the argument in the consultation is against the unfair exploitation of vulnerable tenants. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings THE LATE Ryan Cusack had a huge future as a jockey but his legacy will help improve future prospects of countless Limerick people. The talented young Murroe man was taken from his loving family in a tragic farm accident at just 17. A fundraiser in memory of her son was suggested to Martina over a year ago because he was so well-liked. She decided to organise a dinner dance on his 21st to celebrate Ryans life and help cope with the landmark birthday. It was held in the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell on February 25 as Ryan would have turned 21 at midnight. Ryan attended the Dyslexic Support Centre from first to sixth class so Martina chose what is now the Limerick Dyslexic Action Centre to support. They came up with a theme, pink socks and sunglasses - Ryan always wore shades and at his debs he tucked the pants inside the socks to win a bet. The socks were a sign of his personality and sense of humour. He danced the night away with them on show, said Martina. There was a big equestrian influence at the fundraiser. All his rosettes, helmets and JP McManus silks were on display and they even organised sponsored spacehopper pony races. The Cusacks hoped to raise around 6,500 but beat that figure by a distance and a cheque for 10,800 has been handed over to Tina Conway, director of Limerick Dyslexic Action Centre. We would like to take this opportunity to thank most sincerely all our sponsors, spot prize donors and pony owners, for your very generous donations to the pink socks and sunglasses dinner dance held in memory of Ryan Cusack on his 21st birthday and especially to our family and friends who joined us. Your contribution is greatly appreciated and has made a significant impact on our fundraising efforts, we gratefully acknowledge your support. Our event at the Castle Oaks was a great success. With your help we have been able to raise 10,800 for the Limerick Dyslexic Action Centre. It is a non-profit making organisation that supports students of all levels and adults with dyslexia and associated conditions. They also support parents and teachers who may need help in dealing with these students, said Martina. Apr 9, 2017, 10 AM The musical notes in this postmark represent the melody line for The Entertainer, a ragtime composition by Scott Joplin. The postmark commemorates the musician and the St. Louis Stamp Expo. Postmark Pursit By Michael Baadke Most biographies of ragtime musician and composer Scott Joplin agree that the location and date of his birth are uncertain. It is known he was born in 1867 or 1868, most likely in either Texas or Arkansas. He died some 50 years later in New York City, on April 1, 1917. A postmark from St. Louis, Mo., commemorates the well-known composer in association with the March 31-April 2 St. Louis Stamp Expo. The composer of The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, the opera Treemonisha, and many other works lived in Missouri around the turn of the century, first in Sedalia and later in St. Louis. It was during this time that he wrote and published some of his most famous ragtime compositions. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter The musical notation in the postmark is a transcription of the familiar melody line of The Entertainer, a classic piano rag by Joplin from 1902. The song experienced a phenomenal revival after composer Marvin Hamlisch adapted it as the theme for The Sting, the 1973 George Roy Hill film starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Joplin was honored on a 20 stamp in the Black Heritage commemorative series issued June 9, 1983 (Scott 2044). A forever stamp honoring Paul Newman was issued Sept. 18, 2015 (5020). To obtain this postmark, address your request to: SCOTT JOPLIN ANNIVERSARY Station, Gateway Retail District, 1720 Market St., Room 2033, St. Louis, MO 63155-9998, March 31-April 2. The following postmarks are also available: THE ROARING 20s Station, Postmaster, 101 North Ave. D, Cross Plains, TX 76443-9998, March 31. (Fedora, cane, necklace.) VIRGIN ISLANDS CAPITAL GROUNDS Station, c/o Puerto Rico Stamps Office, 585 Ave. FD Roosevelt, Suite 223, San Juan, PR 00936-9681, March 31. (Virgin Islands, large 100 with banner.) GULFPORT, MS Station, Postmaster, 363 Courthouse Road, Gulfport, MS 39507-9998, March 31-April 1. (Neck and headstock of six-string guitar extending from circular datestamp, Mississippi Statehood.) 9th ANNUAL MILES FOR MUTTS Station, Postmaster, 405 Maple Ave., Burlington, NC 27215-9998, April 8. (Motorcyclist, resting dog.) DANEPEX Station, Postmaster, Box 7990, Madison, WI 53707-7990, April 9. (Airplane approaching Paris skyline with Eiffel Tower, other landmarks, 90th Anniversary of Lindberghs Trans-Atlantic Flight.) USS ANNAPOLIS SSN-760 25th ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, 100 Plaza Court, Groton, CT 06340-9998, April 11. (Ships insignia including USS Annapolis SSN 760, fish, tridents, dome; Submarine Service insignia showing submarine flanked by dolphins.) The following postmarks have been granted 30-day extensions: BOSTON, MA Station, Retail Manager, 25 Dorchester Ave., Room 4009, Boston, MA 02205-0002, March 14. (Two views of jet in flight, Lufthansa First Flight, Airbus A350-900 Boston-Munich, with circular datestamp.) TEBALA Station, Postmaster, 105 Landmark Drive, Winnebago, IL 61088-9998, March 15. (Shriners fez with wings, Tebala Air Squadron, 1970-2017.) CIPEX 59 Station, Postmaster, 400 N. A St., Richmond, IN 47374-9998, March 17-18. (Airplane pulling banner with message.) SAINT LOUIS GATEWAY ARCH Station, Retail Specialist, 1720 Market St., Room 2033, St. Louis, MO 63155-9998, March 21. (Large arch, waves representing river.) BRANT 178 YEARS ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, 10778 Brant Angola Road, Brant, NY 14027-9998, March 25. (Large graphic text, rustic high wheel hand plow.) Instructions for requesting postmarks Linns subscribers can see complete instructions for requesting postmarks here. Apr 9, 2017, 4 AM The United Nations event souvenir sheet for the recent stamp exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, includes stamps in three currencies showing a koala, kangaroo, and emu, respectively. By Denise McCarty Animals of Australia are pictured on three stamps in a new souvenir sheet from the United Nations Postal Administration. The UNPA issued this event souvenir sheet March 30, the opening day of the Melbourne 2017 FIAP (Federation of Inter-Asian Philately) stamp exhibition. Also called the 34th Asian international stamp exhibition, this show ran through April 2 in Melbourne, Australia. The stamps in the sheet are denominated in three currencies: United States dollars for the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; Swiss francs for the post office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and euros for the post office at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Two of the stamps show photographs of Australian marsupials, the koala on the $1.15 stamp, and a kangaroo on the 2fr stamp. The 1.70 stamp depicts an emu, Australias largest bird and the second largest bird in the world. Emus can reach a little more than 6 feet in height, while ostriches can grow as tall as 9 feet. The selvage of the sheet features a photograph of one of Australias most famous natural landmarks, Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. This sandstone monolith rises more than 1,100 feet above the surrounding plain. The selvage also includes a stylized map of Australia, the emblems of the exhibition and the United Nations, and an inscription about the show. Lindsey Thoeng of the United Nations designed the sheet. The UNPA reports that it was printed in a quantity of 25,000 sheets. This is the third event souvenir sheet from UNPA with three stamps in three different currencies. The first two were issued in 2016 for the 32nd and 33rd Asian international stamp exhibitions held Aug. 10-15 in Bangkok, Thailand, and Dec. 2-6 in Nanning, China. For ordering information, visit the UN's stamp website; email UNPA; telephone 800-234-8672; fax 212-963-9854; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900. In 1998, Lee Strobel, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a graduate of Yale Law School, published "The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus." Strobel had formerly been an atheist and was compelled by his wife's conversion to evangelical Christianity to refute the key Christian claims about Jesus. Paramount among these was the historicity of Jesus' resurrection, but other claims included the belief in Jesus as the literal Son of God and the accuracy of the New Testament writings. Strobel, however, was unable to refute these claims to his satisfaction, and he then converted to Christianity as well. His book became one of the bestselling works of Christian apologetic (that is, a defense of the reasonableness and accuracy of Christianity) of all time. This Friday, April 7, a motion picture adaptation of "The Case for Christ" is being released. The movie attempts to make a compelling case for historicity of Jesus' resurrection. As one character says to Strobel early in the movie, "If the resurrection of Jesus didn't happen, it's [i.e., the Christian faith] a house of cards." As a religious studies professor specializing in the New Testament and early Christianity, I hold that Strobel's book and the movie adaptation have not proven the historicity of Jesus' resurrection for several reasons. Are all of Strobel's arguments relevant? The movie claims that its central focus is on the evidence for the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. Several of its arguments, however, are not directly relevant to this issue. For instance, Strobel makes much of the fact that there are over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence, far more than any other ancient writings. He does this in order to argue that we can be quite sure that the original forms of the New Testament writings have been transmitted accurately. While this number of manuscripts sounds very impressive, most of these are relatively late, in many cases from the 10th century or later. Fewer than 10 papyrus manuscripts from the second century exist, and many of these are very fragmentary. I would certainly agree that these early manuscripts provide us with a fairly good idea of what the original form of the New Testament writings might have looked like. Yet even if these second-century copies are accurate, all we then have are first-century writings that claim Jesus was raised from the dead. That in no way proves the historicity of the resurrection. What do the New Testament writings prove? One key argument in the movie comes from the New Testament writing known as First Corinthians, written by the Apostle Paul to a group of Christians in Corinth to address controversies that had arisen in their community. Paul is thought to have written this letter around the year 52, about 20 years after Jesus' death. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul gives a list of people to whom the risen Jesus appeared. These witnesses to the resurrected Jesus include the Apostle Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and, most intriguingly, a group of more than 500 people at the same time. Many scholars believe that Paul here is quoting from a much earlier Christian creed, which perhaps originated only a few years after Jesus' death. This passage helps to demonstrate that the belief that Jesus was raised from the dead originated extremely early in the history of Christianity. Indeed, many New Testament scholars would not dispute that some of Jesus' followers believed they had seen him alive only weeks or months after his death. For example, Bart Ehrman, a prominent New Testament scholar who is outspoken about his agnosticism, states: "What is certain is that the earliest followers of Jesus believed that Jesus had come back to life, in the body, and that this was a body that had real bodily characteristics: It could be seen and touched, and it had a voice that could be heard." This does not, however, in any way prove that Jesus was resurrected. It is not unusual for people to see loved ones who have died: In a study of nearly 20,000 people, 13 percent (opens in new tab) reported seeing the dead. There are a range of explanations for this phenomenon, running the gamut from the physical and emotional exhaustion caused by the death of a loved one all the way to the belief that some aspects of human personality are capable of surviving bodily death. In other words, the sightings of the risen Jesus are not nearly as unique as Strobel would suggest. A miracle or not? But what of the 500 people who saw the risen Jesus at the same time? First of all, biblical scholars have no idea what event Paul is referring to here. Some have suggested that it is a reference to the "day of Pentecost" (Acts 2:1), when the Holy Spirit gave the Christian community in Jerusalem a supernatural ability to speak in languages that were unknown to them. But one leading scholar has suggested that this event was added to the list of resurrection appearances by Paul, and that its origins are uncertain. Second, even if Paul is reporting accurately, it is no different from large groups of people claiming to see an apparition of the Virgin Mary or a UFO. Although the precise mechanisms for such group hallucinations remain uncertain, I very much doubt that Strobel would regard all such instances as factual. Strobel also argues that the resurrection is the best explanation for the fact that Jesus' tomb was empty on Easter morning. Some scholars would question how early the empty tomb story is. There is significant evidence that the Romans did not typically remove victims from crosses after death. Therefore, it is possible that a belief in Jesus' resurrection emerged first, and that the empty tomb story originated only when early critics of Christianity doubted the veracity of this claim. But even if we assume that the tomb really was empty that morning, what is there to prove that it was a miracle and not that Christ's body was moved for uncertain reasons? Miracles are, by definition, extremely improbable events, and I see no reason to assume that one has taken place when other explanations are far more plausible. Who are the experts? Apart from all of these other weaknesses in Strobel's presentation, I believe that Strobel has made no real effort to bring in a diversity of scholarly views. In the movie, Strobel crisscrosses the country, interviewing scholars and other professionals about the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. The movie does not explain how Strobel chose which experts to interview, but in his book he characterizes them as "leading scholars and authorities who have impeccable academic credentials." Yet the two biblical scholars who feature in the movie, Gary Habermas and William Lane Craig, both teach at institutions (Liberty University and Biola University, respectively) that require their faculty to sign statements affirming that they believe the Bible is inspired by God and is free of any contradictions, historical inaccuracies or moral failings. For example, the Liberty University faculty application requires assent to the following statement: "We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are written true revelation of God; it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters." The overwhelming majority of professional biblical scholars teaching in the United States and elsewhere are not required to sign such statements of faith. Many of the other scholars he interviews in his book have similar affiliations. Strobel has thus drawn from a quite narrow range of scholars that are not representative of the field as a whole. (I estimate there are somewhere around 10,000 professional biblical scholars globally.) In an email reply to my question about whether most professional biblical scholars would find his arguments for the historicity of Jesus' resurrection to be persuasive, Strobel said, As you know, there are plenty of credentialed scholars who would agree that the evidence for the resurrection is sufficient to establish its historicity. Moreover, Dr. Gary Habermas has built a persuasive "minimal facts" case for the resurrection that only uses evidence that virtually all scholars would concede. In the end, though, each person must reach his or her own verdict in the case for Christ. Many things influence how someone views the evidence including, for instance, whether he or she has an anti-supernatural bias." No compelling evidence In response to Strobel, I would say that if he had asked scholars teaching at public universities, private colleges and universities (many of which have a religious affiliation) or denominational seminaries, he would get a much different verdict on the historicity of the resurrection. Christian apologists frequently say that the main reason that secular scholars don't affirm the historicity of the resurrection is because they have an "anti-supernatural bias," just as Strobel does in the quote above. In his characterization, secular scholars simply refuse to believe that miracles can happen, and that stance means that they will never accept the historicity of the resurrection, no matter how much evidence is provided. Yet apologists like Gary Habermas, I argue, are just as anti-supernaturalist when it comes to miraculous claims outside of the beginnings of Christianity, such as those involving later Catholic saints or miracles from non-Christian religious traditions. I have very little doubt that some of Jesus' followers believed that they had seen him alive after his death. Yet the world is full of such extraordinary claims, and "The Case for Christ" has provided, in my evaluation, no truly compelling evidence to prove the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. Brent Landau, Lecturer in Religious Studies, University of Texas at Austin This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Photos of a mountain lion's corpse are shocking residents of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. The enormous cougar stalked the region, eventually killing livestock near a family home in Cimarron County, just north of the Texas border. According to Oklahoma wildlife officials, the cougar killed three sheep and dragged two of their bodies toward a wire mesh fence, which it was unable to traverse and left without the bodies. CHOMP: Alligator season kicks off in Harris County The next day, the mountain lion returned to feed on one of the three sheep, roughly 100 feet from the family's front door. When a family member went outside to observe, the lion was spooked and took off, only to return yet again this time with wildlife officials waiting. The mountain lion was killed, pictures were taken of the corpse, and a forensic examination did in fact conclude the cougar was the killer of the three sheep. RANKED: The biggest fish caught off the Texas coast according to Texas Parks and Wildlife "This big cat's behavior demonstrated that it was a confirmed threat to livestock and a potential threat to people," explained a news release by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conversation. "While most wild animals are wary of human contact, this big cat was exhibiting predatory behavior very near a house." Click through to see a survival guide on Texas most dangerous animals, including mountain lions. Texas A&M International University will observe one of the oldest traditions in academia on Thursday, April 13 when it hosts its Investiture Ceremony for Pablo Arenaz, the universitys sixth president. The Investiture Ceremony, themed Going Beyond, will take place in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a light reception and greeting celebration. The Investiture Ceremony harkens back to English universities and is thought to be an adaptation of the dignified ceremonies heralding knighthood. The word investiture comes from the Latin phrase for dress in robe, investitura. Today, utilized in academic circles, it denotes the ceremony accorded to recognize the individual who will don the University's insignia and regalia, figuratively and realistically leading the university forward. The ceremony will multiple academic traditions and protocols. An academic procession heralds delegates from other colleges and universities and members of TAMIUs faculty. To select musical interludes, a processional is followed by an invocation, greetings from several University and community groups, and presentation of the symbols of office. This will be followed by a presidential address, the singing of the Alma Mater, a benediction, and a celebratory recessional. The ceremony incorporates academic symbols including academic regalia, the University Mace and the University Medallion. TAMIU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Tom Mitchell, said the event is historically significant in the life of a University. The investiture of a president stands as one of the most significant events in the life of a university. Since its founding in 1970 to its identity today as Texas A&M International University, this university has been guided by five presidents, each leaving an indelible mark on the history of the university and the communities we serve. The ceremony installs the leader, our president, who will take us forward, Dr. Mitchell explained. Arenaz presidency was affirmed by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in November 2016. He holds his Ph.D. in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University and an M.S. in biology from the University of Nevada at Reno (UNR). His B.S. in education was also earned at UNR. He conducted postdoctoral research at Temple Universitys School of Medicine, Fels Research Institute. His academic appointments have included assistant, associate and full professor of biology. Prior to joining TAMIU as provost in 2008, Dr. Arenaz served as vice provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Other UTEP posts included vice provost, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and associate dean for the Colleges of Science and Engineering. His special UTEP appointments included program director for the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program, Alliance for Minority Participation and Border Biomedical Research Center. He has been active in securing research grants in excess of $35 million from the Carnegie Corporation of America, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, among others. The author or co-author of 25-plus publications and over 115 abstracts, his research interests have been tightly focused on cell cycle regulation of DNA repair gene expression, with particular interest in the observable physical characteristics associated with the so-called mutator phenotype and its relationship to cancer. He is fascinated by the ever-growing intersections between science and business, and is personally committed to encouraging students of all ages to broaden their STEM experience and take on research opportunities no matter their chosen higher education degree journey. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Arenaz family traces their ancestry to the Basque Country of northern Spain. He has been married to Norma Arenaz for 29 years. The couple has four children: Jonathan, Cristina, Rebekah and Pablo III. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It was the perfect carefree Saturday - a day to blow bubbles, grab a beer or lick an ice pop before Houston's zaniest tradition began rolling downtown on the sunniest of afternoons. It started with Mayor Sylvester Turner waving from a jet car and got weirder from there. A silvery Batmobile rolled by, soon followed by a skeleton riding a bright red space shuttle. Thousands of eager onlookers expected nothing less from the annual Art Car parade, now in its 30th year. They crammed the streets around Hermann Square to catch glimpses of 250 elaborate vehicles decorated to show a scene, carry a message or simply thrill the audience. The parade, sponsored by the The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, started in 1988 with only 40 cars. It has since grown to attract artists from 23 states, as well as Canada and Mexico. "It started out so small, so fragile, so out of left field," said Marilyn Oshman, the Orange Center's founder. "There's something about the ethos of this city that appeals to free action and energy that is constantly being reinvented somewhere." Most of this year's entries were designed by Houston residents, but many traveled hundreds of miles to join the procession. An Arizona man drove the decked-out "Nevada Truck," and the Zen-themed "Namaskar" came straight from California. Cheech Marin, best known as part of the hippie standup comedy duo Cheech & Chong, served as this year's grand marshal. An avid Chicano art collector, he rode in a 1959 custom-painted Cadillac convertible during his first appearance at the parade. Chelsea Schneider, who recently moved to Houston from Austin, grabbed the last autographed copy of Marin's new memoir at the merchandise stand before manning the sidelines as an event helper for St. Arnold's Brewing Company. She smiled at the parade's authentic quirkiness, different than the sort of spectacle she'd expect to see in the state capital. "It's not a forced kind of weird," she said. Further down the sidewalk, Carole Billingsley held a koozie-swathed beer in one hand and a purple bubble wand in the other. She preferred the old parade route along Allen Parkway, but she nonetheless staked out a spot on the sidelines as she has for the last 20 years. "I like being with my friends, blowing bubbles and waving to the cars," she said. Her friend Sheila Turkiewicz cheered for a rolling tribute to Picasso, Van Gogh and other giants of the art world. The car, created by students at Lake Jackson Intermediate, was one of dozens entered by local schools. "The art cars make me happy," she said. "I like that they get the kids involved." Sophie Fuller especially appreciated an old van carrying a model of the Houston skyline, a miniature replica of the buildings towering above. She discovered the parade three years ago and has since returned to see people from all parts of Houston converge. "I like that it brings everyone together," she said. "We're so spread out." Tom Langland and his wife raised their cameras as each car passed, eager to promote the event on their website, "RV Texas Y'all." They were especially excited to see an RV from California appear for the first time. "We're seeing people come from all over," said Langland, who has watched the show grow since his childhood. At last, the Californian RV rolled by, bearing a mosaic of shiny tiles and row of chalkboards where someone, apparently, had been forced to write lines. In small white letters, they bore a tongue-in-cheek promise: "I will not paint or glue things to my RV." It was a father-daughter day for Tim and Amanda DeBord, a chance to celebrate Amanda's move to Houston from New Orleans. She now lives with her dad, a longtime fan of the parade who was eager to share the tradition with his daughter. "It's not at all what I was expecting," she said. "It's really fun." On March 21, Rhiannon Reyes made her way to Austin with COPS/Metro Alliance and other organizations from throughout Texas. She was there to ask our state senators for their support in the continued funding of a vital program that has made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Texans seeking a better life: the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education Fund, or ACE. ACE is a competitive grant for innovative workforce job training strategies across the state. In San Antonio, ACE funds collaborations among employers, education partners and Project Quest. Quest is a jobs-driven nonprofit that has helped nearly 7,000 San Antonio residents achieve higher levels of education and training, leading to higher wages. This type of workforce development is essential to continuing the growth of our regions economy. The ACE Fund has opened the door for thousands of Texans to realize their potential and the potential of Texas businesses. Reyes is one of those Texans. Divorced while pregnant, she moved in with her parents at age 31. Not seeing a future raising a child on a waitress salary, she enrolled in the nursing program at San Antonio College. With the help of quest and ACE funding, she graduated from the program and was certified as a registered nurse. She continued her education, receiving her Bachelor of Science in nursing, and now earns close to $70,000 a year. She purchased her first home in 2014, drives a new car, and now has time to volunteer at her church and be a member of the PTA. Her story was so impressive, Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, joined the delegation in advocating for the ACE Fund on the steps of the state Capitol and publicly declared his support for their efforts. Stories like the one that Reyes shared with legislators is proof that ACE is vital to Texans in their search for a better life. ACE is also good for Texas business. Before employers open their doors, they must know whether they can staff the nurses, physical therapists, lab techs, welders, radiography techs, HVAC installers and aircraft mechanics needed to succeed in their industry. Through the ACE program, veterans are being trained to re-enter the civilian workforce in careers far removed from their military occupation. Single mothers are gaining higher wages to take care of their children. Nontraditional students, such as Reyes, are leaving low-wage jobs and contributing to the overall growth of the Texas economy. Without the workforce training programs such as Quest supported by ACE, employers would be hard-pressed to staff their businesses and may consider importing workers from outside the Lone Star State or worse, not opening their doors in Texas at all. The funding for this education and training produces enormous benefits in family stability, neighborhood rejuvenation and positive education outcomes. In fact, in San Antonio alone, every $1 invested in Quest yields a return on investment of $17 after five years. Year after year, Quest and associated programs around the state have ensured extensive training and support for students, with the sole purpose of strengthening our economy. The impact of Quest and ACE is reflected in fewer people relying on government assistance. The year Reyes graduated, participants in Quest saw an annual increase in salary from $9,365 to $42,097. This is consistent with years before and since. Texas must continue to fund the programs that drive our economy and provide an opportunity to those who work hard to build a better life. People like Rhiannon Reyes, RN, BSN. Don Beeler is the retired CEO of Christus Santa Rosa Health System. As the worlds second-largest automaker, Toyota maintains operations around the globe and employs nearly 350,000 people. Over a third (135,900) of Toyotas global employment is in its U.S. facilities. The Center for Automotive Research, or CAR, recently completed an analysis of Toyotas economic contribution to the U.S. economy, as well as the economies of 19 individual states including Texas. The study demonstrates a decadeslong commitment from Toyota to produce vehicles, employ workers, and contribute to the tax base of both the country as a whole and the many states where the automaker has a presence. Toyotas presence and history in Texas is an excellent illustration of how the companys U.S. activities benefit individual states and communities. Toyota directly employs 5,230 workers in its Texas facilities, which include an assembly plant (2,623), Toyota Logistical Services (93), Toyota Financial Services (108), Toyota Motors Headquarters (406) and Gulf States Toyota Distributors (2,000). In addition, 101 Toyota dealerships directly employ 9,000 people. Overall investment by Toyota throughout its Texas facilities totals $5.1 billion. The centerpiece of Toyotas presence in Texas is Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc. in San Antonio. The plant produces the Tundra and Tacoma pickups, and in 2015, it produced over 232,000 trucks. Additionally, Toyota is investing $1 billion in Plano for a new North American headquarters and relocation of employees to North Texas. The 100-acre campus will eventually be home to 4,000 people. Toyotas presence in Texas also supports numerous additional jobs throughout the state. In addition to its 14,230 direct employees in Texas, Toyota supports 12,600 jobs at automotive suppliers. Combined with supported spinoff jobs in other industries, Toyota is estimated to support 50,000 jobs in Texas. This economic activity results in an annual financial contribution of nearly $1.5 billion to the states economy via disposable personal income. Toyotas positive impact on Texas is not limited to its employment and financial contributions. The company has long been a leader in environmental sustainability as applied to both its products and the manufacturing facilities that produce them. In Texas, the San Antonio plant is committed to conserving energy through recent boiler efficiency improvements, an LED light replacement program, and solar panel installation that has led to natural gas and energy savings. Additionally, the plant achieved a zero-landfill goal in 2015 and continues to recycle materials such as metal and plastic, along with cans and bottles. It also uses all recycled water for production processes and irrigation. On an international level, Toyota produced vehicles, such as the Mirai, that use advanced technologies to reduce the environmental impact of driving. The Mirai was named 2016 World Green Car at the New York International Auto Show. In addition, Toyotas execution as a leader in manufacturing efficiency raises the bar for suppliers. Its supplier development efforts teach companies to perform at world-class levels, benefiting organizations within and outside of the Toyota supply chain. To date, Toyota has donated over $700 million to nonprofit organizations in the United States including $69 million in 2015. That same year, Toyota reported over $3.2 million in philanthropic activity in Texas. The positive impact Toyotas operations have had on the people and the economy of the state of Texas serves as a perfect illustration of the companys commitment to supporting American jobs and the U.S. economy. CARs full study, Contribution of Toyota Motor North America to the Economies of Nineteen States and the United States in 2015, may be found on the CAR website at www.cargroup.org. Jay S. Baron is president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. The nonprofit Center for Automotive Research has performed detailed studies of the contribution of the automotive industry and its value chain in the U.S. economy for more than 35 years. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has slammed the decision of Minister Mary Mitchell OConnor to deny a Dail debate on the Canada-EU Comprehensive and Economic Free Trade Agreement (CETA). He said the decision shows contempt for democracy and that ratification of CETA in Ireland requires a referendum. Matt Carthy said: I have made repeated calls on Minister Mitchell OConnor to come forward with a clear timeline for a debate and vote on CETA in the Dail as well as a referendum on the issue. Her failure to do so shows a complete disregard for the Irish Constitution, the justice system, as well as contempt for the Dail, the Seanad - which last year rejected CETA - and above all the people. Provisional application of the trade agreement commenced on February 15, 2017, and soon 95% of the agreement will in force, despite the fact that the Dail has not debated it. Almost all CETAs provisions, save those on the establishment of a multilateral Permanent Investment Court, will be soon be in operation. At no point in the CETA negotiation process did Minister Mitchell O'Connor or the Irish Government explain how they intended to address these sovereignty issues leaving us in danger of violating our own Constitution. At no point either did they address the deep concerns voiced by the Seanad last year. France, Belgium and Bulgaria have all said they will put the deal before their Constitutional Courts. The sheer arrogance of the Minister and the Government in refusing a Dail debate is an absolute disgrace and a denial of democracy. There is no support in Ireland for an unaccountable international court with the powers to call Irish laws into question. It is impossible for Ireland to ratify CETA so long as it contravenes the Irish Constitution. A referendum is required on this deal or we risk setting a dangerous precedent for our courts. I have unsuccessfully sought a meeting with the Minister to discuss these matters in detail. "I want to commend my party colleague Maurice Quinlivan TD for raising this matter in the Dail and for pursuing the Minister on it. This sheer arrogance of Mary Mitchell OConnor and the Fine Gael Government in refusing a Dail debate a matter of serious consequence for workers, farmers and citizens, is an absolute disgrace. The government must reverse this decision which completely flies in the face of democratic procedures. You may also be interested in reading: Longford/Westmeath TDs meet with opponents of CETA deal Agriculture Minister, Michael Creed, has confirmed in a letter to Mairead McGuinness MEP that membership of the Monitoring Committee for Irelands Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014 to 2020 for the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) is currently under consideration. The Minister also confirmed that a decision on extra funding for Areas of Natural Constraints (ANCs) is not yet complete and awaits an analysis of technical data for the design of a new ANC scheme with new eligible lands designated. I very much welcome that the Minister has these issues under active consideration in his Department, Ms McGuinness said. These farmers have particular concerns because they operate in areas with the most severe biophysical constraints. Ms McGuinness added, "The Minister pointed out that the 2018 scheme will involve the design of a new scheme with new eligible lands designated using a set list of biophysical criteria and new rates of payment. He confirmed that an additional 25m is available for the scheme next year and that this money could be used to provide degressive payments to those farmers who no longer qualify under the new criteria. "This is a contentious issue as many farmers in very difficult areas believe that additional funding should be targeted to meet their needs." A decision on any required additional funding is not expected until the ANC re-designation process is complete and there is a clearer picture of the results of the process. On the question of using any unspent money from the Rural Development Programme to provide additional money for the ANC scheme, the Minister said he is committed to drawing down the total 2.19 billion, bringing the total spend under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 to some 4 billion over the lifetime of the programme. The review of the ANCs is a major issue for thousands of farmers and there is pressure from those farmers in the most disadvantaged regions for higher payments, given that the areas in which they farm are difficult and have limited options and low incomes, McGuinness concluded. You may also wish to read: Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association ANC campaign gains traction Chairman, Granard Municipal District, Cllr PJ Reilly (FF) has welcomed the recent announcement by Irish Water that it is to replace the waterline between Cara Junction and Aughnagarron. The local area representative in north Longford told the Leader that the line has been in a very poor state for the last number of years, and insisted that he has been making representations to the public utility on a regular basis in respect of the matter. There has been a large number of bursts and it has caused inconvenience and problems with water pressure to households and to farmers with livestock, added Cllr Reilly. This work is now due to commence during the summer months when the children at Aughnagarron National School are on holidays. Cllr Reilly went on to say that while road surface works in the area were also necessary, these would not be carried out until the water matters were dealt with first. However, he confirmed the work would be done upon completion of the water works. When all of the works necessary are carried out, it will make life much easier for the people living in the locality, a delighted Cllr Reilly concluded. The Uqba bin Nafi Battalion, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrebs (AQIM) branch in Tunisia, has claimed an attack today on Tunisian soldiers in the Mount Ouargha region of Kef Governorate. The jihadist statement said that on April 6 its forces detonated an IED on Tunisian troops patrolling the area, which lies close to the borders with Algeria. The blast left two soldiers wounded, according to Uqbas statement. The IED assault was confirmed by local media, however, Tunisian authorities downplayed the incident by saying only one soldier was wounded with non-life threatening injuries. This IED attack only just a week after a similar incident in the Mount Chaambi region of Kasserine Governorate. That strike followed a similar pattern in that it was also targeting Tunisian soldiers patrolling in the area. The March 26 blast left one Tunisian soldier wounded according to the jihadists, which was later confirmed in the media. Uqba bin Nafi has claimed several assaults in the area for over two years. In Dec. 2014, the jihadist group claimed two attacks on Tunisian forces in the Mount Chaambi region, posting photos from the raids days later. Just two months later, it took credit for killing four soldiers in an operation in Kasserine. In August of 2015, it killed a customs agent in Bouchebka. In the initial claim of responsibility released for the Aug. 24 strike, the jihadist group said that it ambushed a number of customs agents, killing a group of them. It also said that it took three weapons, identified as Steyr AUGs in photos released from the attack. In August 2016, it claimed a deadly ambush in the Mount Sammama area of Kasserine Governorate. That assault left three Tunisian soldiers dead and seven others wounded. A month earlier, the jihadist group claimed targeting the military with two landmines, killing one soldier in the Mount Sammama area. That claim marked the first attack since March 2016. In that strike, Tunisian border guards were targeted in another assault in Bouchebka near the border with Algeria. Its most deadly ambush on the Tunisian military happened in the Mount Chaambi region in July 2014, an incident that left 15 soldiers dead and 20 others wounded. While Tunisia has been relatively stable, it faces a residual jihadist threat. This is largely from the Uqba bin Nafi battalion, which continues to target Tunisian security forces. However, Tunisia also faces a threat from the Islamic State. In 2015, the small North African country saw a spate of attacks claimed by that jihadist group. This includes the terrorist attack on the Bardo Museum, an ambush on a popular beach just three months later, and then a suicide bombing in the capital Tunis in November. In March 2016, the Islamic State also claimed an assault on the Tunisian town of Ben Gardane near the border with Libya. All four strikes left a total of 93 people dead and over one hundred wounded. Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Dozens of worshippers were killed or wounded when bombs were detonated at two Egyptian churches earlier today. The Islamic States Amaq News Agency quickly claimed credit for the attacks, saying that a covert cell had struck churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria. The first bomb was detonated at Saint George church in Tanta and the second at Saint Marks Cathedral in Alexandria. Pope Tawadros II, who heads the Coptic Orthodox Church, was reportedly in attendance at Saint Marks either shortly before or after the jihadists struck. Initial casualty reports say that at least 37 people were killed and approximately 100 others injured, according to the Associated Press (AP). Most of the casualties were reported at the Saint George church. The Islamic States men bombed another Coptic church in Cairo on Dec. 11, 2016. At least 25 people died as a result. The Islamic State has repeatedly threatened Coptic Christians in Egypt and Libya. In late March, the Islamic States Wilayah Sinai (or Sinai province) released a video (The Light of Sharia) advertising its implementation of harsh sharia law in the areas under its control. The production opened with a mans arm being positioned for amputation, presumably because he committed some minor offense, such as theft. The jihadists boasted of the fact that they were cracking down on cigarettes and alcohol, both of which are prohibited in the so-called caliphates lands. In The Light of Sharia, Wilayah Sinai blasted the Muslim Brotherhood, which ruled for a short period of time in Egypt following President Hosni Mubaraks ouster. The Egyptian military subsequently deposed Mohamed Morsi and the Brotherhood. Abu Bakr al Baghdadis loyalists used the video to criticize Morsis friendly relations with Pope Tawadros II and the Copts. For example, one short scene in the video features the two sharing warm words. A screen shot is included below: The Islamic States predecessor, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), had a history of targeting Christian churches. On Oct. 31, 2010, the ISI massacred dozens of Christians during a hostage situation at the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad. The jihadists claimed that Copts had kidnapped Muslim women and forced them to convert to Christianity, thereby portraying the operation as a form of revenge. However, the ISIs claims were not substantiated. Upon guidance issued by the Ministry of War in the Islamic State of Iraq in support for our downtrodden Muslim sisters that are held captive in the Muslim land of Egypt and after accurate planning and selection, an angry group of righteous jihadists attacked a filthy den of polytheism, according to a statement that was released shortly after the killings. This den has been frequently used by the Christians of Iraq to fight Islam and support those who are fighting it. With the grace of God, the group was able to hold captive all those in the den and take over all its entrances. Adam Gadahn, who was part of al Qaedas media arm at the time and subsequently killed in a drone strike, complained in correspondence that the ISIs attack in Baghdad had complicated his efforts to woo Christians away from their belief. In a letter written in Jan. 2011, Gadahn argued that Catholics were upset with the Vatican after a series of scandals. He planned to capitalize on this discontent by issuing a call to Islam directed at Catholics. Gadahn also claimed that the ISIs stated reason for the bombing was nonsensical, as the church in Baghdad is Catholic, yet they claimed Copts in Egypt had wronged Muslims. The Catholics and Copts are different Christian factions, Gadahn wrote, and have no historical ties. Gadahn argued that al Qaedas senior leadership should declare the cutoff of its organizational ties with the ISI for a number of reasons. However, Bin Laden and Zawahiri didnt take this advice. It wasnt until early 2014, after the ISI spread into Syria and disobeyed Zawahiris orders, that al Qaedas general command disowned the group. And other al Qaeda-linked parties have justified or plotted against Christian targets in the past. The attacks against Christian churches kept coming. On New Years Day 2011, jihadists detonated a bomb outside a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt. More than 20 Christians were killed and roughly 100 others wounded. The Islamic State has also targeted Copts in Libya. In Feb. 2015, the Islamic States arm released a video depicting the mass execution of 21 Christians, saying the slaughter was carried out to avenge the kidnapping of Muslim women by the Egyptian Coptic Church. It was the same reason given for the massacre in Baghdad several years prior. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. The Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), al Qaedas group in West Africa, claimed a deadly ambush on French troops yesterday. The assault, which occurred throughout the day, left one French soldier killed and two others wounded. It has also claimed the shelling of a French military base. The French Ministry of Defense released a statement on April 6 detailing the events near the small town of Douna close to the border with Burkina Faso. The statement said that French troops based in Gao were conducting operations near the border with Burkina Faso to restrict the freedom of action of terrorist armed groups and to affirm the presence of the Malian and Burkinabe security forces. However, on Wednesday 5 April 2017, around 16:30 local time (18:30 Paris), a light armored vehicle (LAV) engaged in this operation was attacked by an explosive device. The IED blast left two French soldiers wounded. Later that day, French engineers were deployed to the area to secure any additional explosives. As this was occurring, the soldiers were ambushed with small arms fire. The secondary attack left one of the French engineers dead, the ninth French soldier to be killed in Operation Barkhane. JNIMs statement largely coincides with the French statement. The jihadists said that an IED destroyed a French armored vehicle, while its forces ambushed French troops near the area later that day. However, the jihadist statement inflates the numbers of French troops killed and wounded. The attack coincides with a large-scale Malian-Burkinabe-French security operation near the borders with Mali. Burkinabe authorities have stated that the operation is to clear Burkina Fasos northern Soum Province, specifically the Fhero forest, of Ansaroul Islam, another jihadist group. According to Nord Sud Journal, between 150 to 200 members of Ansaroul Islam are based in the forest. The jihadist group has used the forest as a staging ground for attacks in both Mali and Burkina Faso. Ansaroul Islam is allegedly led by an ally of Amadou Kouffa, the leader of Ansar Dines Katibat Macina. The French publication RFI has alleged that Kouffa radicalized Ansaroul Islams leader, Malam Ibrahim Dicko, in northern Burkina Faso. In posts made on its Facebook page, Ansaroul Islam confirmed that Dicko has met with Kouffa. Jeune Afrique has reported that Dicko initially tried to link up with jihadist groups in northern Mali in 2013, but was arrested by French forces in Tessalit and then subsequently released in 2015. Additionally, based on operations conducted by both it and JNIM, it is likely that Ansaroul Islam is also part of Al Qaedas new entity in West Africa. In northern Mali, JNIM also claimed launching several Grad rockets into the Amachach base near the town of Tessalit in the Kidal Region. The Amachach base has long been a target for jihadists in Mali, including both Grad rockets and IEDs placed outside of the base. Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Culture / Art Republik Apr 09, 2017 | By Nadya Wang When Tamae Iwasaki and Eitaro Ogawa had to move out of their spacious Seletar home nearly a decade ago, they were reluctant to consider a HDB flat, which appeared cookie-cutter and unimaginative. But that changed when they visited a friends personalised home, one of 118 featured in the book HDB Homes of Singapore. At close to 700 pages, the tome is a collaborative labour of love. A meeting with Tomohisa Miyauchi, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapores department of architecture in 2013 led to the project that has spanned four years. This has included efforts to raise funds to print the book, such as a campaign on crowdfunding website Indiegogo, and from the National Heritage Board. Underscoring the significance of these housing units to the cityscape and to the community, works by Singapore artists featuring HDB flats appear at the beginning of the book. In The Path Out, Yeo Tze Yang paints his path from his HDB flat to the outside world. Lim Shu Nings embroidered soft sculptures Same Same But Different looks at HDB flats as literal building blocks of the nation. Other artists are ampulets, Chang Shian Wei, Hong Sek Chern, Hu Qiren, Lim Shu Ning, HEY KUMO, and Samantha Agung Tio. The stars of the book are the individual homes presented in short pictorial stories. These are arranged in the order the team visited the homes. To expect the book to showcase the best of interior design would be missing the point. Each entry is a glimpse into the private life of the homeowners. Instead of contrived perfection, the photographs capture real life, with unmade beds, cluttered tables, dusty corners and childrens toys on the floor. These relatable realities of daily life are unabashedly, appreciatively portrayed. On home visits, Miyauchi was in charge of taking photographs, while Iwasaki and Ogawa would talk to the homeowners to find out more about them and their homes. Speaking to the couple in their comfortable and quirky HDB flat at Bukit Panjang their daughters drawings are on the wall and the dining table is made from a door they noted that for some entries, the viewer is left to imagine what the homeowners look like, while in others, they are seen in the photographs as visual reminders that it is people who turn an apartment into a home. The succinct introductions, made up of observations and musings to contextualise each entry, are penned by the couple in English and Japanese, and translated into Chinese as well. These thumbnail paragraphs range from the whimsical to the wistful. In the entry titled Pink is the Colour, it reads: This flat is rented by two young women. The owner of the pink room is passionate about fashion and her repertoire has no bounds. Her exquisite fashion never fails to surprise us. Another, titled 40 years, is set in a different tone: A flat that has been kept in its original state for more than forty years. Such flats are very rare. We do not know when this flat will be demolished. It follows a couples life stage from marriage to raising a family to seeing children grown up. Ambitious in its scope, the book deftly delivers the message that beneath the tidy, uniformed facade of HDB apartment blocks is diversity and individuality to be discovered and celebrated. It is a fascinating, eclectic collection of peoples lives and how they have built and shaped their homes based on their unique lifestyles and preferences. The project has taken on a life of its own and extended beyond the book. Photographs from the book formed the centrepiece in 81 illuminated lanterns at the Singapore Pavilion, titled Space to Imagine, Room for Everyone at Venice Biennales International Architecture Exhibition last year. It was co-curated by Miyauchi, along with Wong Yunn Chi and Teo Yee Chin. When the book was launched at National Design Centre in early March as part of Singapore Design Week, visitors were able to view some of these exhibits at the centres gallery space. All in all, the book is a treasure trove that is a pleasure to flip through, and it is also a timely record of how far HDB flats have come in the 50-odd years since Singapore embraced urban living. More importantly, it is a celebration of the creativity of the people who live in these spaces and make them all their own. HDB Homes of Singapore can be purchased from Kinokuniya, Super Mama, BooksActually and Kapok at National Design Centre at $53.50 (inclusive of GST). This article 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. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > We stand Reduced to what Pathetic Lows! MUSINGS As an Indian Muslim Im sitting not just apprehensive but very upset. I dont feel Im living in a democracy, as Hindutva forces have begun ruling this land. Camouflages are off. Stark realities stare. Henceforth, I should get used to living in a Hindu Rashtra, to be ruled by pracharaks and maha-pracharks, their dictates unleashed on me on a daily basis. Humiliating me, throttling my very spirit, diluting my identity. Nah, I cannot revolt; otherwise there is the danger of getting lynched by private senas that these Hindutva creatures have raisedHindu Yuva Yahini, Durga Vahini, Shiv Sena and many more such outfits. My roots are in Uttar Pradesh and though Im residing hundreds of kilometres away from my place of birth, I cant break those emotional bonds. And as news-reports are coming in of the latest round of barbaric tactics unleashed on the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh, I see a very dismal future. Survival is at stake. There will be only two options left for the Muslims: to get killed or to kill their very identity. In fact, for the last few days Ive been feeling low and somewhat depressed. Not sure what the future holds out for the largest minority community of the country, which has anyway been reduced to a second or third class positioning; but this latest onslaught has been a bit too much to handle. The last nail in the coffin! Mind you, nobody has any answers to any of the queries doing the rounds save this one remedy: the secular Hindu has to stand up and raise his voice at whats been going on. If this country is to saved from the Hindutva goons, then the secular parties and the majority community have to come together under a joint banner. Otherwise we are doomed! Nostalgia tightens its hold as I sit keying in. I have spent my childhood and growing years in and around the Avadhi belt. Those were carefree years, though I was well aware that I belonged to a disadvantaged community. No, nobody whispered this into my ear but I could more than sense the divides-cum-disparities, making it somewhat apparent that we were from the minority segment. And as a school kid Id over-heard my maternal grandfather detail atrocities unleashed by the cops of the Provincial Armad Constabulary/PAC during rioting in a Avadhi village. He had seen for himself how the cops unleashed terror on the unarmed Muslim population of that village. To this day those details lie tucked with me. And to this day I shudder whenever I hear the very word riots or rioting... Call it destiny that in the following years I have seen hundreds of horrifying happenings in the Kashmir Valley and I have made it a point to report each one of them. Let it be known what we are doing to our hapless masses; provoking them to revolt and cry out. I dont know what fate awaits Uttar Pradesh. Maybe the new rulers will try their utmost to provoke or hound or kill or damage psyches. Maybe Uttar Pradesh stands bifurcated or trifurcated. This would suit the Hindutva brigades. For one, distractions will be heaped together with bogus development theories. Also, those divisions will ensure that many more Hindutva elements will have to be placed on the rulers seats. Dont bother about the dents on the State exchequer. Deceit-laden explanations will provide ample cover, as was done during the demone-tisation campaign. And going by reports which have begun trickling in, the newly appointed Ministers bungalows in Lucknow are getting adorned and readied according to Hindutva dictates. And going by previous reports that police stations of Gujarat look more like Hindu temples than sarkari police stations, the same could be happening to police stations of this State. Also, schools and colleges will be greatly affected by this Hindutva wavetext will be intruded into, facts will be fiddled with, twisted theories will find their way into every-day teaching. Look whats been happening in the schools of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. Educational institutions are in the grip of the Hindutva elements, which will carry imprints for generations to come. And in the backdrop of these upheavals, not a day passes without disasters taking place. News just coming in is of three Nigerian brothers brutally assaulted in Uttar Pradeshs Greater Noida. In these recent years, the only power that holds sway is muscle power. Unleashed on a daily basis. Imagine, there was that blissful period in our very recent history where poets of the likes of Ali Sardar Jafri and Sahir Ludhianvi wrote verse after verse in solidarity with leaders from far-away lands: these lines of Ali Sardar Jafri written in the 1960s relay much bonding between Indians and AfricansThis African, my brother /Picks flowers, in forest after forest/ My brother, whose feet are red /Red as roses..... Or these lines of Sahir Ludhianvi written when Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of Congo, and who was also a staunch anti-imperialist, was deposed from office and then murdered Tyranny has no caste, no community, no status nor dignity/Tyranny is simply tyranny, from its beginning to its end /Blood however is blood, it becomes a hundred things /Shapes that cannot be obliterated /Flames that can never be extinguished /Chants that can never be suppressed. But look where we stand reduced to. Such pathetic lows that even our very existence seems to be in the grip and control of the political mafia. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > If gangsters have taken over the education industry, all talk of (...) IMPRESSIONS Education in India is in tatters because of horrendous corruption. This is making the country wobble like a skyscraper detached from its foundations. The authorities ignore the crisis because they are themselves either the destroyers or protectors of the destroyers. Frauds and scoundrels have been having such a field day that it is difficult to imagine the country rising to its potential in the foreseeable future. So much for our glorified development. How can there be any kind of development when examination papers are routinely leaked, copying becomes a cottage industry as in Bihar, admissions are based on bribes and colleges and examiners are, to a large extent, fake? Cheats have invaded even the Army. In Mumbai recently question papers of the Army recruitment examinations, supplied by insiders, were made available to aspirants at Rs 2-to-5 lakh per head. Forged domicile certificates were also on sale if a candidate wanted to appear in another examination centre. Investigators said the racket had been going on for two yearswhich means battalion-size numbers of unworthy recruits might already be wearing Army uniforms. How many unworthy recruits who got fake medical degrees from fake medical colleges must be there in our hospitals? The Medical Council of India, the supreme controlling authority, was dissolved in 2010 because of corruption. President Ketan Desai was arrested. But the influential Desai remains active while the government announcement of creating a new controlling body remains on paper. Remember the biggest scandal of them all was the Madhya Pradesh Governments Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal, tasked with conducting eligibility tests for medical colleges and government jobs. It was manipulated for so long that thousands of unqualified people became doctors and government servants. So powerful were the manipulators that, after the story broke in 2013, at least 48 people were killed, mostly witnesses, and a journalist who had started investigating the story! Were the guilty punished? Are the Vyapam examinations clean today? Keep guessing. We all know the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, ICSE, is the prized class X examination conducted by more than 2000 schools in the country. But the Intermediate Council of Schooling Education is also ICSE. Their website offers not only Class X pass but also degrees from MBBS to BL, from B.Sc to B.Com. The police busted the racket in 2014. The racket reconstituted itself in different formats. Kerala is currently scandalised by private colleges not only fleecing students but also beating them up as routine practice. A law university had shed its original backers and become a family-controlled business with the chief organisers daughter becoming the principal. Women students, unable to tolerate the Principals highhandedness and caste insults, launched an agitation that attracted massive public support. The Principal was forced to resign. But the support extended by the ruling Communist leaders to the colleges owning family casts doubts on whether the widely-detested Principal is really gone or is only having a holiday. A student committed suicide in another private college. Students went on strike saying it was murder. They said the college had a special torture room where any student who raised questions about the colleges affairs was given appropriate treatment. The Chairman of the college was arrested and bailed out. Two others charged with torture are at large. Again, the government is on the side of the college which ensures that inquiries are getting nowhere. All this in a State once reputed for its high level of education and its model colleges. In Vellore last month, the Chairman of the GGR College of Engieering, G.G. Ravi, was hacked to death by a gang armed with sickles. Apparently Ravis family had a long-running war with a known rowdy, Mahalingam. In September 2015 Mahalingam had tried to kill Ravi, but Ravi escaped while his sons chased Mahalingam and stoned him to death. The gang finally took its revengewhich is all fine, but what have people of this kind got to do with colleges of engineering and stuff? Plenty. Gangsters have turned to education because tens of thousands of youngsters are out there seeking jobs. They are easy prey. Education of some quality is the foundation without which no country can progress. If education at the government and private levels is taken over by racketeers and torturers and killers, all patronised by corrupt politicians and civil servants, what hope is there for the country? Human history, said H.G.Wells, becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. Not much of a race for us, is it? Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Twentyfive Years of Independence of Central Asian States: Painful (...) by R.G. Gidadhubli and Sanjay D. Deshpande All the five Central Asian States (CAS), namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have celebrated the 25th anniversary of their sovereignty and independence after the break-up of the former Soviet Union. In this context the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to three CAS on February 27 and 28, 2017 was significant as it also marked the 25th anniversary of Moscows diplomatic relations and by that he wanted to showcase Russias interest to strengthen political ties with the CAS. In quick succession of this event was the visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev on March 7 and 8, 2017 to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, for the meeting of the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union that was formed in 2015, the objective of which is to enhance multilateral trade and economic relations since Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are members along with Russia, Armenia and Belorussia. Thus Putin has shrewdly demonstrated Russias geo-political and geo-economic interest in the CAS which are its southern underbelly. Looking back, the CAS were the last to declare their independence since they were least interested in the break-up of the former Soviet Union in 1991. This was because they were beneficiaries of being part of the Soviet Union for over 70 years in terms of political stability being part of the superpower and social and economic development such as high rate of literacy and education, good health care, increase in life expectancy, full employment and so on as compared to other countries in the Middle East and Central Asian region. Hence it is worthwhile to make an overview of the major trends in developments in these CAS after independence. Firstly, the CAS have made some achieve-ments in terms of political stability throughout this period of quarter-century with perhaps different intensities and slightly different ideological manners. The political leadership, elites and experts of all these states have been describing this first stage of independent development as transition period from the former communist system to political demo-cracy and market economy. However, the objective of achieving this transition has not been fully realised even as the process has been difficult and painful. Political democratic institutions are partly in place because in contrast to a single Communist Party that prevailed in the past, there are political parties listed in these countries though many of them are not effective. In fact autocracy prevails in most of the CAS. Moreover, as opined by some analysts, the Kyrgyz Republic has made better progress as compared to the rest. This is because the elected President can be in power for only one term in Kyrgyzstan while that is not the case in other four CAS. There is a contrasting situation between Kyrgyzstan as compared to the rest of the CAS which is also evident from the fact that the former President of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiev, was sent-enced in absentia to life in prison after being convicted by a court in Kyrgyzstan of involvement in the killing of almost 100 protesters during the 2010 uprising against him. He is now in exile in Belarus. The President of Kazakhstan, Nazarbaev, has been in power for the last over 25 years. Islam Karimov in Uzbekistan and Saparmurad Niazov of Turkmenistan managed to remain in power as Presidents for several terms till their death. Thus many analysts opine that the prevailing political systems of the CAS are far from democratic. Moreover, they are grounded on the nurtured cult of personality of the Presidents (with the exception of Kyrgyzstan). This is partly because, as opined by some analysts, having inherited the Soviet tradition of ruling, these regimes foundations are well described as the Asiatic mode of production. This peculiarity of the domestic political process is complemented with the preoccupation of the regimes, elites, and societies superimposed with the feeling of ethnicity and nationalism. Secondly, security issues have become important for the CAS. All the CAS are Islamic states and they follow moderate Islam. A few hundreds of youth, who are attracted to radical Islam, are punished by the governments for joining the ISIS. In fact security was under serious threat when the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) was very active during the 1990s. But this was controlled by effective policy decisions under the leadership of Islam Karimov. Ethnic differences have prevailed among the CAS but these are partly under control except the Andijan event that resulted in the death of hundreds of people about 20 years back. It is important to note that the CAS, except Turkmenistan, are also members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) which assumes significance for dealing with security issues. Hence by offering support for the CAS on matters relating to security, Moscow has been able to maintain and strengthen its influence in this region. Thus it was not surprising that on February 28, 2017 during his visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin asserted that the Russian defence air base has been playing a key role for ensuring security and stability in the region. At the same time to ensure sole control in the region, Russia managed to get terminated the only American military base in the area.Moreover, being members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the CAS have reasons to feel doubly confident of their security being ensured by Moscow and Peking. Thirdly, the Great Game is being replayed in Central Asia by major global powers. For Russia, Central Asia is its southern underbelly and hence Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to sustain and expand its political and economic interest in the region. For the USA and West European powers, the break-up of the USSR and independence of the CAS was highly welcome and assumed importance to contain the influence of Russia by enhancing their own presence with investment and eying on the energy resources of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. In this regard during the last over two decades, the West has partly succeeded by laying pipelines linking the energy-rich Caspian region with Turkey and Europe. The Great Game has become even more complex and significant with the entry of China, which has emerged as a crucial player in Central Asia during the last over a decade, with huge investment and tapping energy and mineral resources for mutual benefit and development. In fact linking Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan through pipelines apart from investment in other sectors of economy have radically improved the interest of the CAS towards China. From the perspective of its own national interest, Uzbekistan has been swinging between Moscow and Washington, while Turkmenistan has remained neutral. Fourthly, the CAS are part of macro-economic region and hence intra-regional cooperation was expected. In the 1990s the CAS along with Turkey and Pakistan formed the Economic Co-operation Organisation (ECO) that had limited achievement. As compared to that, the CAS along with Russia and Belarus formed the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) in 2001 on the basis of a customs union which showed better results. In 2002 the Presidents of four CAS, except Turkmenistan, signed the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CACO) focusing on regional infrastructural development, sharing of river waters and security, which indicated serious efforts being made by them from time to time. It needs to be noted that Central Asia being a semi-arid region, water plays a critical role for agricultural development. But intra-regional differences among the CAS emerged from time to time on issues of sharing of Syr Darya and Amu Darya river waters between upstream states, namely, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and downstream states, namely, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, even as they have been under control by the leadership of the CAS. Fifthly, energy-rich and mineral-rich Kazakhstan, being the largest country in Central Asia, has made substantial development in the economic sphere and is better off among the CAS. In contrast, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, being the smallest among the CAS and relatively less endowed with energy and mineral resources, have been the worst affected after the Soviet break-up resulting in large scale unemployment of the youth, millions of whom are forced to migrate to Russia for work. Thankfully their remittances largely support their families at home and partly their economies. Energy-rich Turkmenistan, being over-dependent on energy exports, having not too cordial and consistent relations with Iran and Russia, has been badly affected due to the decline in oil prices and has been hoping to be bailed out by China. Uzbekistan followed its own model of development of state control over the economy that prevented a crisis in the 1990s and sustained a moderate growth. Thus the CAS have managed to demonstrate considerable achievements in the economic, political and social transformation that need to be appreciated. This is evident from the fact that they occupy middle position in the world countries ranking, according to the UNDP Human Development Indexes for 186 countries: Kazakhstan 56, Kyrgyzstan 117, Tajikistan 127, Turkmenistan 106, Uzbekistan 109. (For comparison: China 90, Thailand 93, Malaysia 62, Indonesia 110.) As opined by some analysts, the death of the first President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, in September 2016 symbolised the completion of the transition period and the beginning of the new breakthrough in regional affairs. After his death Shavkat Mirziyoev proclaimed the Central Asian region a priority in the foreign policy of Uzbekistan. After his election in December 2016, he has already initiated impressive and far-reaching innovations in the system of governance, entrepreneurship, combating corruption, protection of human interests and in some other spheres. Whether these measures will create an Uzbek miracle is yet to be seen. In Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukha-mmedov was sworn in for a third seven-year term as Turkmenistans President on February 17, 2017. He has declared his intention of strengthening ties with the CAS and undertaking reform measures to improve the economy. It is highly appreciable that the 76-year-old President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who is the last communist-era leader still holding power in this former Soviet republic, proposed amending the Constitution to give the government Ministers more power and responsibilities over the management of social and economic development; this was approved by the parliament on March 6, 2017. Lastly, Indias political relations with all the CAS are close, cordial and consistent. This is evident from the exchange of visits of heads states during the last over two decades. But trade and economic ties are far from satisfactory partly due to lack of geographical contiguity, which need to be enhanced by the leadership of India and those of the CAS for promoting closer South Asia and Central Asia cooperation. In this context it needs to be mentioned that during the short visit of the Prime Minister of India to Turkmenistan in 2016 the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline was proposed for supplying oil and natural gas to India; this is ambitious under the prevailing conditions in the region. Dr R.G. Gidadhubli is a former Director, Centre for Central Eurasian Studies, University of Mumbai. Dr Sanjay D. Deshpande is the Director, Centre for Central Eurasian Studies University of Mumbai. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Revision of Indus Water Treaty? Islamabad has asked the World Bank to honour the Indus Water Treaty executed between India and Pakistan in 1960. This is in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis remark that India is free to use the water which flows into the sea. This is not correct because, according to the Treaty, India cannot use more than 20 percent of the Indus water. The World Bank spent many years to persuade New Delhi and Islamabad to reach an agreement. I recall that after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Martial Law Administrator General Mohammad Ayub travelled in the same car, and Mian Iftakharuddin suggested if they could sign an agreement on Kashmir in the same spirit, both remained silent. Iftakharuddin was then the top Muslim League leader who had joined it after being a Congressman for many years. According to the Treaty, India could draw water from the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej while Pakistan from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. Even though both counties felt that they could utilise the water which was flowing through their country, they refrained from doing so because of the Treaty. In fact, the Indus Water Treaty is an example before the world that it held the ground even when the two countries went to war. Modis off-the-cuff remark has created conster-nation in Pakistan, forcing it to appeal to the World Bank to fulfil its obligation relating to the Treaty. In a letter to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said the Treaty did not provide for a situation wherein a party can pause the perfor-mance of its obligations and this attitude of the World Bank would prejudice Pakistans interests and rights under the Treaty. I think that the fear of Pakistan is exaggerated. The country does not want any alteration in the Treaty. In its reaction, the World Bank has said that it has paused its arbitration in the water dispute between India and Pakistan, saying it is doing so to protect the Indus Water Treaty. India would take no unilateral step to stop the water going unused into the Arabian Sea. However, there is a case where the two countries should sit and hammer out another Treaty because the old one is outdated. Then it was thought that the water given to Rajasthan would be utilised by the rest of the country because the State, part of the desert, would not be able to do so. But this has turned out to be wrong. The State has utilised the water allotted to it and wants more. When Prime Minister Modi wants to have good relations with Pakistan and has wished his counterpart Nawaz Sharif on this birthday, he should not take any step which would harm Pakistan. There were enough provocations from Islamabadlike the attacks on Pathankot and Uri that killed many civiliansto act unilaterally. Even otherwise, it is in the interest of both countries that peace should prevail in the region. Both would benefit. Kashmir is the problem which divides the two countries. Representatives of both countries should sit across the table and sort it out. Nawaz Sharif unnecessarily harangued on the Pakistan television networks that Kashmir belonged to Pakistan and there would be no peace in the region until it became part of his country. This irresponsible statement, coming as it does from a countrys Prime Minister, has affected the tourist season in the Valley still further. So much so that even Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader, joined a procession to appeal to the tourists to return to the Valley. Both he and Yasin Malik, who wants the Valley to be independent, were part of the procession. They were particular that the message should reach New Delhi so that it takes steps to see that the tourists return to Kashmir. The separatists in the Valley do not realise that the tourists flocked to the Valley as if they were visiting part of India. The demand of independence or the threat of disturbance has scared them. They have picked up some other hill resorts in India which may not be as beautiful as the Valley but compares favourably with it. They would wait and see whether peace had really returned before drawing up their itinerary for the next year. It is in the interest of Kashmiris not to disturb the status quo until they can have something better. This is possible if the three parties, India, Pakistan and the people in Kashmir, come together for a dialogue. New Delhi is not prepared for that because Islamabad has gone back on its promise not to allow its territory to be used by terrorists. This was also agreed upon when Pakistan was under General Musharrafs rule. He went to Agra and almost signed an agreement with Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee, until news had leaked that Indias then Information Minister, Sushma Swaraj, had changed the draft agreement omitting Kashmir from the text. Since then the two countries have stayed distant. Mushraffs misadventure at Kargil only aggravated the matter further. It must be said to the credit of Vajpayee that he took a bus to Lahore. I was sitting behind him when he showed me New Delhis telegram which said that several Hindus had been killed near Jammu. He said he did not know how the country would react about his trip to Lahore but he was determined to pick up the thread with Nawaz Sharif. The rest is history. The Indus Water Treaty can be replaced with another treaty but the consent of Pakistan is necessary. When it has not been willing to allow getting electricity from the run of the river it is difficult to imagine that it would agree to the use of rivers in the Indus system even though water from them is pouring into the Arabian Sea without being used for either irrigation or hydroelectric projects. There is a tendency in Pakistan to link everything with Kashmir, which is a complicated problem and it would take many years to solve. The revision of the Indus Water Treaty, which can satisfy both the countries, would add to the peace prospects. Let the Treaty be discussed separately. The rest can follow. The only point to be taken into account is how the two countries can come closer to each other. The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Imbibing Nationalism or Neo-Colonialism? by K. Narayana As per news reports, the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, has invited university teachers from all over the country in order to hold a seminar on Parting with Colonial WaysImbibing Nationalism. The RSS and its off-shoot organisations had never raised a finger against British colonialism and remained aloof from the freedom struggle. They had in fact actively collaborated with the British authorities to sabotage the struggle for freedom. None of their founders was a part of freedom struggle at any time. The people of this country wonder whether in the name of imbibing nationalism, the Sanghis want to force their brand of Hindutva nationalism down the throats of the countrys vast majority, who do not subscribe to their ideology, or in the name of parting with colonial ways make them to swallow the bitter pills of neo-colonialism. Though it is intended to be an open seminar, the Sanghis would indulge in a lot of shadow-work, as they cannot tolerate criticism and dissent. The participants will be carefully selected and any potential trouble-makers will be carefully kept away. As it is characteristic of the RSS, only those that meekly comply with their instructions will be allowed to participate. In the name of patriotism and nationalism, the intention of the Sanghis is to propagate intolerance, suppression of freedom of expression, rationalism, and, above all, democratic and secular values. Their ultimate desire is to establish a Hindu Rashtra, which will be a lone Hindu nation on this planet. This is nothing but jumping up to grab the moon. As per the Arsha Dharma and Manu Shastra, only upper-caste Hindus qualify to be legitimate Hindus. Neither the Dalits, tribals and backward classes nor the minorities, who together form more than 90 per cent of the countrys population, can be accorded the status of Hindus, according to their philosophy. Imposing by force the will and culture of a tiny minority on the whole of the population can only lead to escalation of social tensions. Will Muslims of this country, who constitute 17 per cent of the population, or even the Sikh community, who constitute a majority in our armed forces, accept a Hindu Rashtra? Would North-Eastern States give consent to a Hindu Rashtra as most of their citizens are Christians? What sort of nationalism do the Sanghis want to preach? Those that spew hatred on the minorities, Dalits and tribals cannot be patriots by any stretch of imagination. And killing the intellectuals, such as Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabolkar, Kalburgi, and silencing opposing views by threats and intimidation is now projected a nationalism! What an irony! Anyone who raises his voice against the Hindutva forces is branded as a Pakistani agent and asked to leave the country. At this rate, most of the citizens of this country would qualify to be anti-nationals and only those that spew hatred, violence against minorities and Dalits would be true patriots and nationalists! What type of patriotism or nationalism does the RSS chief want the teachers to teach the youth of this country? The Hindu Mahasabha is constr-ucting temples to honour Nathuram Vinayak Godse who murdered Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation. And what does this drama of parting ways with colonialism mean? This government is on a no-holds-barred race to kill the public sector and hand over the countrys economy to the MNCs. Even the nations defence industries are now being handed over to American companies. In the name of digital economy, for every transaction, we have to pay a commission to foreign net-brokers. Is this parting of ways with colonialism or forcing a new colonialism on this countrys populace? Our country is increa-singly being tied down by international finance capital and our banks have lost their independent role in regulating the economy. As it is, world capitalism is being plunged into systemic crises and by losing our economic independence, we would become increasingly vulnerable to economic upheavals. Wealth is being drained out of our country and is landing up in the coffers of the MNCs and international banks. The BJP Government, contrary to their stated aims of curbing black money, are hand-in-glove with the super rich, who loot this country and stash their ill-gotten wealth abroad. How can anybody believe their credentials, when they want the teachers to teach about parting ways with colonialism, while the reality is quite the opposite of their stated intentions? The Sangh Parivar has floated one nationalist organisation called the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. That organisation has given a call to boycott foreign goods. But as soon as the BJP came to power for the first time at the Centre, it comfortably made Enron Accord. Why is Narendra Modi conspicuously silent on the Strategic Partnership Accord and Nuclear Power Accord made by Manmohan Singh? Perhaps he wants to prove to his American masters that he is more faithful than the previous government. Our economic policies are neo-colonial and that leads to colonialism. Foreign direct investments in defence, financial sector, railways, retail trade, etc. are gateways for transnational corporations to enter and devastate our economy. We cannot forget how the British entered into our country through the East India Company with trade in tea and coffee. Wallmart of the USA and Metro of Germany and many super-malls are symbols of neo-colonialism. The countries of Latin America had gone through a similar process of neo-colonialism and now their economies are completely devastated and they are yet to recover from the ruins of their respective economies. The BJP may argue that colonialism will not be allowed in our country. In todays changed world, political and military control of any country by a foreign power comes with great cost, as witnessed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. But neo-colonialism enables the capitalist core, controlled by the MNCs, to rob any country at will, what with compliant regimes such as the Modi Government ever eager to do their bidding. Hence the fight against foreign direct investments is a fight against neo-colonialism and in turn that is a fight against colonialism. The real fight against the FDI is nationalism and that is true patriotism. As far as patriotism goes, loving all the people of this country, irrespective of their race, caste or religion, is the only true patriotism. Respecting our diversity is the best guarantee of a united India. Dr K. Narayana is the National Secretary, CPI. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Indias Sovereignty Have We Lost It? This article was written before the results of the five State Assembly elections came out and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was elected the Chief Minister of Goa thus resigning from the Union Cabinet. UPA-1 and UPA-2 PM Dr Manmohan Singh staked his kursi on concluding two strategic agreements with the USA: The New Framework Agreement for US-India Defence Relationship between the US Secretary of Defense and the Indian Defence Minister, on June 28, 2005; and The US-India Joint Agreement, signed by US President George W. Bush and Indias Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh, on July 18, 2005. The strategic agreements included civil nuclear co-operation, the Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture (KIA), and closer military ties. However, in India, public and media attention was focussed on the 123 Agreement pertaining to nuclear power, which was vociferously opposed in Parliament. There were problems within the USA too for having signed a 123 Agreement with India, which was not a signatory to the NPT. In order to overcome the alarm at home, a legislation titled Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 came into force in the USA on January 3, 2006. Though this legislation was not binding on India, its stated India-specificity caused alarm in India, because even though the USA had signed 123 Agreements with other countries very similar to that signed with India, there was no country-specific US legislation that laid down strategic conditionalities like the Hyde Act did. The Hyde Act, albeit concerning nuclear energy cooperation, widens the 123 Agreement subject to India having a foreign policy congruent with that of the USA. [Note 1 for relevant text] The nuclear agreement was the Trojan horse for defence arrangements to further the USAs strategic interests. In September 2010, Admiral Willard, the US PACOM Commander, visited India and proposed expanding the existing defence engagement of co-operation and inter-operability between the US and Indian militaries to a much richer dialogue including the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Communications Inter-operability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), to go beyond bilateral exercises and sale of military hardware. The United States Government now projects what it calls three foundational agreementsCISMAO, LSA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The NDA-2 Government is reported to have signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)an updated version of LSAwithout tabling it in Parliament. It reportedly enables the USA to use Indian seaports and Army and Air Force airports for refuelling, revictualling, deployment and actual warfare, and as rest and recoupment staging camps for US soldiers injured in the USAs military adventures. Even though RM Parrikar says that LEMOA does not allow stationing US troops and logistics on Indian territory, the USA has made its own rules in Section 1292: Enhancing defense and security cooperation with India, of the National Defence Authorisation (NDA) Act 2017. [Note 2 for relevant text] The NDA Act text spells out several aspects of cooperation, but those specifically relating to Indias foreign policy are to recognise Indias status as a major defense partner of the United States and continue to enhance defense and security cooperation with India in order to advance United States interests in the South Asia and greater Indo-Asia-Pacific regions. Thus, it is clear that India is a mere tool, a political pawn in the big power game of a declining power, and an abettor of the USAs foreign policy, its small-minded politicians thrilled at being named as the USAs major defense partner. The USA clearly intends to use India as a base for its China pivot, and Indias tilt towards the USA and Israel (and therefore the USAs four eyes UK-Canada-Australia-New Zealand camp) is shown by the appreciation of the Israeli envoy, Daniel Carmon, of India abstaining from votes critical of Tel Aviv at the United Nations since 2015. [Grateful for shift in Indias position, says Israel envoy, The Hindu, Bangalore; January 1, 2017, p. 10] India, which traditionally voted in the UN fora in favour of justice for Palestinians, has shown a shift away from justice, drawing appreciation from Israel. This shift away from the principles of justice is clearly because of the NDA-2 Governments hate for Muslims (in this case Palestinians). But more significantly, it shows a lurch of Indias foreign policy towards congruence with that of the USA, an abject acceptance of playing chela to a guru with dubious credentials. True, this was started by PM Dr Manmohan Singh, but PM Narendra Modi is pushing it with vigour and outstanding oratory. It is apt to recall that during an interview by Karan Thapar, when asked what was the difference between the UPA and NDA, Mr Arun Shourie said words to the effect that NDA equals UPA scaled-up plus cow. Dr Manmohan Singh mortgaged Indias sovereignty and Mr Narendra Modi has taken a second mortgage on it. Indias Neighbours Pakistan has always been hostile to India, but Indias shift towards the USA has strengthened the China-Pakistan bond to Indias disadvantage. Recall that after Pakistan responded to Indias post-Uri surgical strike with more attacks, with amazing ignorance some NDA-2 politicians bravely spoke of retaliation by abrogating the Indus water treaty and stopping Indus water so that Pakistan would suffer. Chinas quiet threat that it could stop Brahmaputra water into India killed the brave words. Indeed, precisely because the post-Uri surgical strike was followed by brave we-dun-it declarations of having put an end to Pakistans terror attacks, there has been unprecedented loss of Indian soldiers killed by Pakistan-sponsored attacks. And now Pakistan is carrying out joint military exercises with Russia, drawing clear battle-lines. A Pakistani Generals cheeky invitation to India to join in the China-Pakistan economic corridor shows the disdain with which it treats India. No doubt the Pakistani Army knows that the Indian Army is gradually but surely being emasculated by its own politician-bureaucrat nexus which has heaped humiliation on it. More brave words by clueless politicians of Indias capability and willingness to carry out a nuclear strike on Pakistan, have only served to heighten tension. After a terror raid on an Army camp in Indias North-East, the Indian Army pursued the terrorists and eliminated them. But a NDA-2 Minister boasted that the Army had killed the terrorists after hot pursuit across the border into Myanmar. This was an inexcusable faux pas in diplomatic relations with Myanmar. Today, Myanmar is cosying up with China militarily and economically. When Nepal had an internal problem with its Madeshi population regarding its draft Constitution, Indias NDA-2 Government orchestrated a blockade of essential commodities into Nepal, causing immense suffering among the Nepali population. Now we read that Nepals Army is carrying out joint military exercises with China. In short, India is being outmanoeuvred mainly because of a combination of its own diplomatic ineptness and its falling into bed with the USA as its subordinate partner. The NDA in the USAs NDA Act could well be mistaken for National Democratic Alliance! Indias Sovereignty Indias strength in the international arena, and especially in the South Asia region, is predicated upon its diplomatic competence and its military capability. When the first is apparently being handled almost solely by PM Modi, and the second is being weakened by neglecting its weapons, ammunition and equipment supplies combined with an (albeit unintended) assault on the morale of its soldiers, one wonders how and whether Indias sovereignty will survive. Notes Note 1. The following are quotes from the Hyde Act: It is the sense of Congress that ... (6) it is in the interest of the United States to enter into an agreement for nuclear cooperation arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 of U.S.C 2153) with a country that has never been a State Party to the NPT if ... (B) the country has a functioning and uninterrupted democratic system of government, has a foreign policy that is congruent to that of the United States, and is working with the United States on key foreign policy initiatives related to non-proliferation. The Hyde Act also states in Section 103, Statements of Policy, The following shall be the policies with respect to South Asia: ... (4) Secure Indias full and active participation in United States efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability and the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel, and the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction. [Emphases added] Note 2. USAs National Defense Authorisation (NDA) Act 2017. SEC. 1292. Enhancing defense and security cooperation with India. (a) Actions.[[<> (2) REPORT.Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State shall jointly submit to the congressional defense committees and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on how the United States is supporting its defense relationship with India in relation to the actions described in paragraph (1). (b) Bilateral Coordination.To enhance cooperation and encourage military-to-military engagement between the United States and India, the Secretary of Defense should take appropriate actions to ensure that exchanges between senior military officers and senior civilian defense officials of the United States Government and the Government of India (1) are at a level appropriate to enhance engagement between the militaries of the two countries for threat analysis, military doctrine, force planning, mutual security interests, logistical support, intelligence, tactics, techniques and procedures, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief; (2) include exchanges of general and flag officers between the two countries; (3) enhance cooperative military operations, including maritime security, counter-piracy, counter-terror cooperation, and domain awareness, in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region; (4) accelerate the development of combined military planning for missions such as those identified in subsection (a)(1)(C) or in paragraph (1) of this subsection, or other missions in the national security interests of both countries; and (5) solicit and recognize actions and efforts by India that would allow the United States to treat India as a major defense partner. (c) Assessment required. (1) IN GENERAL.The Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State shall jointly, on an ongoing basis, conduct an assessment of the extent to which India possesses capabilities to support and carry out military operations of mutual interest to the United States and India, including an assessment of the defense export control regulations and policies that need appropriate modification, in recognition of Indias capabilities and its status as a major defense partner. (2) USE OF ASSESSMENT.The President shall ensure that the assessment described in paragraph (1) is used, consistent with United States conventional arms transfer policy, to inform the review by the United States of requests to export defense articles, defense services, or related technology to India under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), and to inform any regulatory and policy adjustments that may be appropriate. Major General S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, retired as Additional DG Discipline & Vigilance in Army HQ AGs Branch. He is a member of the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM) and Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). With over 540 published papers in national and international journals and seminars, his area of interest is strategic and development-related issues. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > The 2017 Namasudra History Congress, Kolkata The first ever Namasudra History Congress, held on February 18-19, 2017 at Calcutta, was a novel event for the academic and cultural calendar of the Bengalis. Attended by Nama-sudra scholars, researchers, educationists and activists from various parts of India, the Congress attracted participants from Bangladesh too. The Namasudra Thinkers and Activists Forum organised the two-day symposium. Their objectives and purposes were outlined by Dr Atul Krishna Biswas, a retied IAS and former Vice-Chancellor, B.R. Ambedkar Bihar Uni-versity, Muzaffarpur in his keynote address. The Forum was fully conscious that the pioneering initiative might invite characteristic ridicules and invectives from mainstream historians, scholars and academicians. But the organisers believe that history of all margina-lised communities must receive attention for documentation. This, however, cannot be the job left to conventional scholars because of the narrow perspective dictated by the conflicting nature of their caste interest and dominance. Hence the organisers want all underprivileged people to document their own history. The keynote address, in this perspective, pointed out that the mainstream historians and chroniclers by studied apathy and negligence shied away to document the role the populous Namasudras played in the social, political and cultural spheres in Bengal. Past experience demonstrated that many misrepresentations were made in history in the socio-political context of Bengali Hindus. These should have spoken for themselves. They erred and did injustice by assuming the role of the the heaven-born historiographers of the masses.1 Dominant interests and forces in historiographical docu-mentation tended to ignore, if not suppress, distort and sweep under the carpet the struggles for self-development of the Namasudras in the colonial era in the main. Their attitude to the low-caste status overshadowed their perception in faithful documents of socio-religious-political developments in the country. Namasudras and Pods were Pionerers of Christopher Columbus The keynote address made startling disclosures that the Namasudras and Pods, the two Bengali untouchable castes, discovered the Khulna and Noakhali districts long before Columbus discovered America. Dr Biswas cited sources in support of his contention. As the deltaic area which is now Khulna district rose out of the sea, the first persons to penetrate its swampy forests were undoubtedly the pre-Aryan hunters and fishers who alone could find a livelihood to their tastes in its jungles and rivers. These tribes are now represented by the Pods and Namasudras who form the bulk of the non-Mohammedan population of the district. The term Namasudra is an euphemism for the detested Chandals who were held in lowest estimation of all the aboriginal tribes of Bengal by the invading Aryans. [.......] Both are dark- skinned, hardy races engaged in hunting and fishing and were particularly fit for the pioneering work of bringing the inhospitable jungles under cultivation.2 The Sundarbans, now a great UN heritage site, was discovered long before Columbus, whose maritime venture was liberally patro-nised by Queen Isabella. The Queen of Spain gave Columbus an annual grant of 12,000 maravedis (gold coin of 3.8 grams each) and part of newly conquered lands.3 By the way, Pods were described as half-brothers of Namasudras in the colonial documents. Youngest among all the districts in the Ganges delta, Noakhali has really no ancient history. Some 3000 years ago the district became fit for human habitation. The men who first settled in it and reclaimed the jungles were the progenitors of the present Namasudras or Chandals, a Lohitik or Mongoloid race...., who, according to Mr ODonnel entered Bengal from the north-east before the Koches, or they may be represented by the Jugis, now the principal Hindu caste of the district, though Dr Buchanan thought they must have come from Western India with the Pal Rajas.4 This historical fact too failed to provoke academic curiosity of the mainstream historians of India and therefore is lost. It is not in their interest to document in history any event of pride of the people the Aryans conquered and subjugated. This called for the need and justification for the organisers to hold the first ever Namasudra History Conference. Chandals Pioneer of Peaceful, Non-violent Noncooperation Movement The credit for organising the ever first general strike goes to the Chandals of Faridpur, Backarganj and Jessore in East Bengal in 1872-73. They waged a sustained movement for raising and bettering their social status, dignity and equal treatment in the eye of law. Their strike affected deeply the upper-caste Hindus and Muslims aggregating a staggering 5.5 million population in those districts. An inquiry conducted by the Superintendent of Police, Faridpur disclosed that the Chandals were treated a little better than beasts by the Hindus. The economy in the nineteenth-century Bengal was predominantly agricultural. The strikers, therefore, brought life to a standstill. The reason, as explained, was that [......] the Chandals are not only agriculturists, but they are also boatmen, porters, carpenters, potters, and fishermen; on them devolve all the occupation and trades practiced by other castes in more settled tracts. The women of the poorer Chandals likewise attend hauts or bazaars for buying and selling purposes, on which account they have been despised by Hindus of the higher caste, who consider them only little better than beasts; the touch of a Chandal being defilement, renders it necessary for the man touched to wash away the contamination by bathing. The word Chandal is also used as an abuse and when applied to any one, expresses the degree of contempt and scorn in which he is held.5 The district of Faridpur became the theatre of the strike, which began in a village neigh-bouring Amgram, Backarganj in 1872. The District Magistrate, W.S. Wells, who also conducted a personal inquiry, reported that The Mohammedans and Hindus all complained that no a Chandal would work for them......They said that their living depended upon their field being cultivated, and that all were now fallow, with no prospect of the plough being ever used on them. They said that they were utterly unable to cultivate their fields themselves and were dependent on the Chandals, who appear to be the the helots of these parts, at least the poorer ones.6 The Police Chief of Faridpur district, W.L. Owen, noted in his report that the boats are built and manned by Chandals; those belonging to other castes would cease to ply and trade paralysed. Agricultural and domestic tools of iron would not be repaired; and in fact all relations of life between the Chandals and other castes would be completely deranged, enmity would spring up between them and eventuate in breaches of the peace. Arson are not unlikely, nor are murders and dacoity as retaliatory measures.7 The Magistrate, on the other hand, had underlined the impact that [.......] a large body of Hindus and Mohammedans came up to complain to me of ruinous effects to them arising out of the action of the Chandals .....the fields remained untilled, the houses unthatched, and not a Chandal in the service of Hindu or Mohammedan or a Chandal woman in any market....8 The repercussion of the strike by Chandals was all-pervading and paralysed everyone, Hindu or Muslim, in the focus areas. The Chandals, when in jails as prisoners, were exclusively compelled to perform conser-vancy services. This was against their caste norms or tradition. On representation of the Hindus, the Government of Bengal was pleased to exempt the upper-caste Hindu and Muslim prisoners from the liability of conservancy services in jails. Making a direct reference to Chandal prisoners being forced to perform conservancy services in jails, the Magistrate reported that I need not observe that it is a decided hardship to force the Chandals in jails to do duty as mehtars and sweepers for which their position in society and caste in no way renders them liable and I have referred this matter in my last reports on census. The Chandals, as I have before stated in several reports, are an industrious and honest class and are very seldom in criminal courts; perhaps they know too well the consequence of going to jail, and they are doubtless an oppressed and ill-used people.9 (Italicised by this writer) Sekhar Bandyopadhyay holds that Their first open attempt to rework the relations of power in the local society thus ended in a failure.10 This view seems to be the result of a poor appreciation of the facts and circumstances that triggered the strike. He did not take into account the order his Excellency the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal issued on the subject to bring an end to the strike in adopting his above view. Sir George Campbells order mandated that .........the Chandals should not in future be forced to do this work, but that any of them who choose to do it when its comparatively easy nature is pointed out, may be allowed to do it.11 Was this order of the Lieutenant Governor wilfully disobeyed? This is a moot question in the context. Such an apprehension sounds highly plausible. Thirtyfive years after Sir George Campbells aforementioned order to end the disgraceful practice of forcing the Chandal prisoners to perform conservancy services in the jails of Bengal, a resolution about raising the Namasudras in society and expressing indignation at their being made to do Methars job in the jails......... was adopted under the chairmanship of Rabindranath Tagore by the Bengal Provincial Congress in 1908 at Pabna.12 Bandyopadhyays assertion unmistakably underlines that the jail authorities had treated the order of the Lieutenant Governor with scant respect, if not malice, an extraordinary aberration for the British bureaucracy perhaps without parallel. How did this happen? Why and how did this practice continued in the teeth of the order of the highest authority of the province? Who violated the order and continued to harness the Chandals as methars in demeaning jobs in jails? A second instance of this kind in British rule, I dare say, is rarest to cite. The upper-caste attitude to the Chandal was best exemplified by a carping opinion Dr B.N. Basu, MD, and Jail Superintendent of Faridpur, recorded. He was consulted by the District Magistrate, having regard for his long working experience of over 15 years, to understand how the Chandals came to be exclusively engaged for conservancy services in jails. In reply he asserted, inter alia that .....a Chandal has no recognised stature in native society, and consequently he can lose none, whereas others similarly employed would forfeit whatever position they may affect or possess, and permanent degradation and excommunication would invariably follow.13 We have little doubt, Dr Basu was one of the highly accomplished professionals with Western education, knowledge and skill. Did his malefic outlook befit the renaissance which Bengal is euphoric of? Most of the prominent heroes of the era were not only alive then but they were also at the pinnacle of their glory in accomplishment. Nonetheless they failed to bring about any modernising influence on the Hindu mind and attitude of the society at large towards, and parti-cularly for the underprivileged. The abomination of the upper castes for the Chandal as little better than beast was reinforced by an accomplished medical professional. The renaissance ignomi-niously surrendered to caste prejudices as the Hindu attitude to the low castes marked a diabolical setback. This was the underbelly of the overrated Bengali Renaissance. The Chandals were victims of illiteracy and ignorance and the prison authorities took advantage of their helplessness. The orders of the Lieutenant Governor were perhaps not brought to the notice of the victim of the vicious practice in jails. The jail authorities had reposed blind faith in the lower ranks of officers packed with Hindus, largely, if not entirely. So they violated the Lieutenant Governors orders with impunity ever after! The Chandals, we must not overlook, were successful in conveying their objective to the target group against whom their strike was directed. They had brought total disruption in the life of the people but the Hindus were uncom-promising to amend their socio-religious attitude towards the strikers. It was the failure of the Hindus to take a relook at their own unbending opposition to the Chandal. Every mass movement, we may note, launched by M.K. Gandhi, an antagonist of the British rule, had, by and large, received a sympathetic response from the authorities. The Bengali Hindus, in truth, did not have the magnanimity the alien rulers displayed towards Gandhi and the Indians at large. Unsung Chandal Heroes of Pathbreaking Strike Illiterate Bandyopadhyay failed to note that the Chandal strike was described by a high officialA. Abercrombie, Commissioner of Dacca Divisionas a novel state of affairs. The word boycott was yet unknown in English vocabulary. Boycott got into the English language in 1880seven years after the Chandal strike. More than two decades later Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy published The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894) that had deeply influenced Gandhi in forming his philosophy of nonviolence and peace. At the time of the Chandal movement in 1872-73 Gandhi was about three-to-four years old. The agitating Chandals, therefore, eminently and justifiably merited the credit for contributing to the philosophy of non-violent, non-cooperation and peaceful movement that deeply impacted the human civilisation. Ray [Rai] Chand Mundle [Mandal], Nilmoni Biswas, Sibu Dhali, Ram Chandra Bugsha, Bhajon Bala and Charon Sapah motivated and guided the community to rise in peaceful, nonviolent and noncooperation revolt for social dignity and equality though they are unsung and unknown.14 Historians are blind to note and document their unique accomplishment. Namasudra and the Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi Movement 1905-11 The partition of Bengal (1905) by Lord Curzon led the educated, urban and professional Bengali upper classes to drum up an agitation deman-ding its revocation. Boycott of foreign goods formed part of the agenda of the agitationists. Tall claims of success of the agitation were made. The movement was virtually a Hindu affair. In rural areas the landlords, mostly Hindus, and their servants, went berserk against the tenants. They were pressurised to boycott foreign goods leading to bad blood and violence. Most anti-partition meetings were held in the Hindu temple premises which, ipso facto, were out of bounds to the vast masses of untouchable and depressed classes because of caste-feeling. The Nama-sudras stood aloof from it ab initio. One instance may be cited. Historian and former editor of The Times, London, Valentine Chirol, observed that the Brahmans carried out political propaganda amongst the Namasudras in Jessore and Faridpur districts of Eastern Bengal. They offered inducement to them in order to stimulate their nationalism that the Brahmans would relax the rigour of caste in favour of those who took the swadeshi vow and it is stated that several villages where they succeeded in making a large number of converts, the Brahman agitators marked their approval by condescending to have their twice-born heads shaved by the village barberan act, however trivial it may seem to us, constituted an absolutely revolutionary breach with a 3000 year past.15 What a profound generosity towards the Namasudras! The movement leaders had invoked the destructive powers of goddess Kali to strike and instil terror in the minds of the people. Printers and compositors in printing presses of the Government of India and Bengal Secretariat in September-October 1905 launched a strike. They were terrorised into joining it by divine threats. Two notices were posted on the day of strike at the Bengal Secretariat Press. One notice began with the invocation Hail MotherJai Maa Kaliand gave a warning that any man who failed to attend a meeting of the compositors of the Government of India press would be under the curse of having killed a thousand Brahmans. The other leaflet interdicted the use of foreign articles, directed that ten handbills of the same tenor were distributed by the reader, and that otherwise he would draw on his head the curse of 100,000 Brahmans.16 The stature of the Brahman as a terror factor was enhanced to create a psychosis of fear and trauma with a view to compelling printers into joining the anti-partition movement and against the use of foreign goods under pretension for swadeshism. Any claim of success of the swadeshi move-ment was outright debatable, if not laughable, in view of considerable increase in imports of most foreign goods includinghold thy breathliquors through the Calcutta Port. Exports of raw jute, on the one hand, dramatically declined but exports of finished jute goods, on the other, registered a marked rise. The Muslims and low and untouchable castes, including Namasudras, of East Bengal were jute-growers who suffered terribly. The golden fibre, as jute was known, was the most important cash crop for them. The blessed upper social strata guiding the agitation were most unsympathetic to the masses in general. So, their victims did not join such agitation directed against the government. At this juncture Sir Surendra Nath Banerjea, a prominent swadeshi leader, earnestly urged Guru Chand Thakur, the Namasudra social reformer and religious leader of Faridpur, to join their agitation with thousands of his followers. In reply he wrote to Banerjea that the Namasudras were poor who purchased cheap imported clothes and salt. They did not afford to buy luxurious foreign goods consumed by the upper castes. The same upper castes, he also underlined, denied social privileges and political rights to the untouchables. Therefore the Nama-sudra guru told the rashtraguru, as Banerjea was known in certain circles, that the upper- caste Hindus better learn to fraternise the low- caste untouchable masses. Sugar imports rose by 106 per cent; spices by 34 per cent; swollen goods by 38 per cent; and liquors by 30 per cent between 1905-06 and 1911-12. Raw jute exports crashed by 43 per cent while 36 per cent increase in the exports of jute goods was registered during the corresponding period. 17 Jute cultivators suffered extensive losses because of the swadeshi movement but the capitalists, including bankers, manufac-turers, exporters, transporters and traders, gained out of the insensitivity and insolence of the agitators. Rabindranath Tagore bemoaned that the cloth mill-owners of Bombay and Gujarat took fullest advantage of the boycott of imported foreign clothes and made exorbitant profits! There are many who consider swade-shism was patriotism. With these protagonists of swadeshi around, did our farmers, culti-vators, tenants need enemies to harm them? The Hindu zamindars enhanced rent and oppressed their Muslim and low-caste ryots, besides levying many invidious abwabs or salami. Rabindranath Tagore had attended the Annual Namasudra Conference at Comilla district in East Bengal in February 1926. This occurred 12 years after the poet was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. The poet attended the meeting of the untouchables 12 years after the Swedish Academy Prize. For a despised community to secure participation of Asias first Nobel Prize winner in their conference was a proof of spectacular organising achievement. The poet did not attend any other caste conference. The media blatantly censored the poets speech in the conference, attended by Namasudra representatives including women from all over East Bengal. While at Dhaka he had addressed the students at Johnathan Inter College and observed that by discrimination against the Namasudras the Hindus rendered themselves weak and vulnerable. The All-Bengal Namasudra Association had submitted a memorandum to the Indian Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon as the Chairman in 1928. Their memorandum taunted the upper-caste leaders as the heaven-born leaders of the masses who, according to them, should desist themselves from speaking for them. The upper-caste Hindus, because of the conflicting nature of interest of castes, were not fit to articulate their interests and causes. The All-Bengal Namasudra Association and All-Bengal Depressed Classes Association jointly gave oral evidence to the Simon Commission at Calcutta in 1929 while the Hindu leaders were protesting against the Commission because it did not have any Indian member. The All-Bengal Depressed Classes Association, on the other hand, pointed out that untouchable patients for treatment were not allowed admission in the Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta. Hindu orthodoxy in Bengal or in Poona stood on the same footing. In 1896 when plague broke out in Poona, a Hindu Plague Hospital was established by leading Hindus including Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The rules of admission precluded admission and treatment of low-caste patients in the Hindu Plague Hospital! Namasudras humbled the Hindu Vanity by Dr Ambedkars Election to Constituent Assembly The election to the Constituent Assembly for drafting the Constitution for independent India was held in 1946. Dr B.R. Ambedkar was not nominated by the Bombay Provincial Congress Party as a candidate for election to the Constituent Assembly. The Congress had declared an all-out war against him. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had articulated the position of the Congress in brutal frankness: apart from the doors, even the windows of the Constituent Assembly are closed for Dr Ambedkar. Let us see how he enters into the Constituent Assembly. A faceless Namasudra lawyer, Jogendra Nath Mandal, invited Dr Ambedkar to contest the election from the Jessore-Khulna constituency and accepted fearlessly the daunting challenge. Largest numbers of votersfour Namasudra, two Rajbanshi and one tribal MLAreturned him from Bengal creating history.18 Dr Ambedkar had humiliated Gandhi in the Round Table Conference. His advocacy for a separate electorate for the untouchables was adopted by the British Prime Minister, Ramsay Macdonald, who granted the Communal Award with separate electorates for the lower castes besides Muslims and Sikhs. Gandhi opposed it and went to fast unto death to blackmail the indefatigable leader. This conclusively signified his defeat. The multitudinous Namasudras of Bengal steadfastly rallied behind Dr Ambedkar all through his negotiations in the Round Table Conferences in London and against the Poona Pact. His powerful writings, based on painstaking research on the Hindu caste, religion, scriptures, philosophy, epics etc., left the Hindus deeply defenceless and angry to shape the attitude of the Indian National Congress against him. Opposition against the election of Ambedkar to the Constituent Assembly in 1946 was the manifestation of their cumulative anger. The Namasudras effortlessly foiled and frustrated them although history did not acknowledge the extraordinary feat of the untouchables. Pakistan and Homeland for Bengali Muslims: A Fallout of Hindu Hatred, Discrimination and Persecution of the Untouchables Finally, the keynote highlighted the grave dangers and repercussion of the persistent hatred, discrimination, injustice, deprivation and dehumanisation of any section of people by a minuscule and privileged minority. A homeland for the Bengali Muslim was born out of the Hindu hatred against the followers of their own faith in 1947. The truth documented by the Census report in 1901 merits our attention. Then the Namasudra aggregated at 18,61,000 and the Pods nearly half a million; but the full strength of the two castes was concealed by large numbers of them being converted to Islam. There were ten-and-a-half million Muslims in the Dacca and Chittagong Divisions and the great majority of these were the descendants of converts from the rank of these two (Namasudra and Pod) castes. There were many converts of the same origin in the northern districts of the Presidency Division. It would probably be safe to say that at least nine millions of the Muhammadans of Bengal Proper belong to this stock.19 In 1872 Bengal, with 1,81,00,438, was a Hindu-majority province when Muslims were 1,76,09,135. The next decadal census saw Muslims returned at 1,83,94,426, in excess of Hindus by 3,23,130 souls. They marched ahead of the Hindus census after census. In 1947, the Hindus were 2,50,57,024 as against Muslims who numbered 3,30,05,434. In seven decades between 1872 and 1941 Bengali Muslims grew by 87.4 per cent and Hindus by 38.4 per cent. But between 1901 and 1941 while the Hindus recorded a rise of 24.3 per cent, the Bengali Muslims registered 13.2 per cent growth. With 13.2 per cent increase, the descendants of converted Namasudras and Pods to Islam in those four decades contributed 11,88,000 souls to the Bengali Muslims. So, in 1941 their descendants totalled at 90,00,000 +11,88,000=1,01,88,000. With the descendants of the converted Namasudras and Pods numbering 1,01,88,000 in 1941 subtracted from the Bengali Muslim population, their number in East Bengal would have dwindled to 2,28,17,434. The conversion of Namasudras and Pods in East Bengala direct result of upper-caste persecution, discrimination, injustice and hatredwas solely responsible for the Muslims gaining majority. Jinnah, without numerical superiority, would, therefore, have no ground for demanding a Muslim homeland in Bengal. The malicious treatment and persecution of the untouchables and underprivileged by a powerful section invited curse for India as a whole, a lesson the Bengali bhadralok did not learn even in an era euphorically described as renaissance! They blamed others for which they are solely responsible. Their ultimate gameplan, however, succeeded. West Bengal, the inferior, moth-eaten part of erstwhile Bengal, had seen bhadralok at the helm of ruling affairs since 1947. They blame everyone but themselves under the sun for partition only for a cover for deception. Footnotes 1. This is in paraphrase of a reference to the Memorandum submitted by All-Bengal Namasudra Association to the Simon Commission in 1929. 2. Final Report of The Khulna Settlement 1920-1926, by L. R. Faucus, ICS, Settlement Officer, Bengal Secretariat Press, Calcutta, para 58. The colonial bureaucracy considered Pod as the half brother of the Namasudra. 3. Durant, Will, The Story of Civilisation, Vol. VI, The Reformation. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1957. ISBN 0-671-61050-3. p. 260. 4. Websters, J. E., ICS, Eastern Bengal & Assam District Gazetteers, Noakhali, The Pioneer Press, Allahabad, 1911, p. 14. 5. Letter no. 66 dated Bhanga, the 18th March 1873 from W. L. Owen, District Superintendent to the District Magistrate of Faridpur. 6. W.S. Wells, District Magistrate, Faridpur, letter No. 340 Khalia Khal, April 8, 1873 to the Commissioner, Dacca Division. 7. Letter no. 66 dated Bhanga, March 18, 1873 from W. L. Owen, District Superintendent to the District Magistrate of Fureedpore. 8. Letter no. 340, dated Khalia Khal, April 8, 1873 from W.S. Wells, Magistrate of Faridpur to A. Abercrombie, Commissioner, Dacca Division. 9. W. S. Wells, Faridpur District Magistrates letter bearing no. 272 dated March 19, 1873 to Commissioner, Dacca Division. 10. Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar, Caste Protest and Identity in Colonial India: The Namasudras of Bengal 1872-1947 (second edition), OUP, 2011, p. 35. 11. Letter no. 523T dated June 7, 1873 of Judicial De-partment, Government of Bengal. 12. Resolution No. 15, Bengal Provincial Conference 1908, pp. 55-56. 13. Dr B. N. Bose, MD, letter no. 106 dated Faridpur, the April 19, 1873 to W. S. Wells, District Magistrate of Faridpur. 14. Faridpur SPs letter no. 66 dated March 18, 1873 para 12, p. 18. 15. Sir Valentine Chirol, The Indian Unrest, Macmilan & Co., London, 1910, p. 102. 16. The Administration of Bengal under Sir Andrew Fraser, 1903-1908, Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 25-26. 17. Biswas, A. K., Paradox of Anti-Partition Agitation and Swadeshi Movement, Social Scientist, Vol. 23, No. 4/6 (April-June, 1995, Delhi, pp. 38-57. 18. Biswas, A. K., Ambedkars Odyssey to the Constituent Assembly of India through Bengal, Mainstream, Vol LV, No 1, New Delhi, December 24, 2016 Annual 2016. 19. Census of India 1901, vol. VI, p. 396. The author, a retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor, B.R. Ambedkar University, Muzaffarpur (Bihar), can be reached at biswasatulk[at]gmail.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Danger Signal from Bombay From N.C.s Writings The time has come when we have to seriously ask ourselves if we are really serious about preserving in one piece this Republic of India. Many in our country think that to talk about disintegration of the Indian Union is just a fantasy with an over-dose of panic. They cant take it that we may have taken the road to Bosnia. Three months ago, this impression was wide-spread. It cant happen herewas the average Indian reaction when the mighty USSR fell apart without a whimper, and when Yugoslavias break-up brought a lot of blood and tears. Today, particularly after December 6 at Ayodhya, has come out a fearsome calamity in its hideous manifestation in Bombay in the wake of Ayodhya. It has not really died down: the embers are hot and a flare-up can take place any day, any time. The issue that projected itself at Ayodhya and then at Bombay is not just a Hindu-Muslim conflict. This has now taken the form of a direct assault on the authority of the Indian Union itself. One wonders if the leaders, who indulged in the histrionics at Ayodhya on December 6, realised the implication of what they were doing. What happened at Ayodhya on December 6 was not just a squabble for demolishing a Masjid to make room for a Mandirhowever offensive such a move might be in a democratic order. More than the mosque-temple dispute was the outrageous assault on both the executive and the judicial authority of the Republic of India. To gain a full view of the matter, taking into account all the serious implications of the swift destruction of the Babri Masjid, one cannot ignore how this has subverted the authority of the state power in the Indian Union. The Prime Minister had solemnly assured Parliament and reiterated it in his address to the nation on August 15 that the mosque would be protected pending its settlement by negotiation or the due process of law. The Supreme Court of India, through meticulous examination of all aspects of the dispute, extracted from the Government of Uttar Pradesh the categoric assurance that the mosque would be protected in the face of the huge assembly of people scheduled there on that day. By their swift operation razing the entire mosque, the authors of the operation not only accentuated the Hindu-Muslim tension with all its frightening consequences as was witnessed in the days immediately following December 6, but struck a direct blow at the authority of the Indian state since they by their action repudiated the solemn assurance of the chief executive of the Republic as also defied the mandate of the Apex Court of the Indian Union. At that point of time, the overwhelming public concern was about the serious outburst of communal violence in many parts of the country. The damage to the fabric of the Republic was yet to be gauged. It was only when Bombay was once again engulfed in a vicious outbreak of violence a month afterwards, in the second week of January, that one could realise how the December 6 demolition had debilitated the authority of the Indian state. It is to be admitted that the ghastly face of the mayhem in Bombay has not been adequately exposed to the rest of the country. It was no ordinary communal riot. The mob violence was part of a pre-arranged design. It was accom-panied by the systematic killing of the Muslim population with extraordinary precision. Muslim houses were specially marked out, their occupants butchered and their belongings destroyed. Even after the mob violence subsided, as late as last week when this writer visited the city, an entire bustee was attacked with clinical precision. The operation was conducted by powerful arc lamps fixed on the neighbouring high-rise buildings. And from those buildings, fire-balls were thrown into the bustee at night, and when the bustee dwellers rushed out into the street, they were fired upon by the police for having violated the curfew. The fire brigade could not operate as its path was blocked by the gang whom the police would not touch. It was only the spontaneous intervention by some of the courageous neigh-bours that could get the Army to appear after a considerable lapse of time. The storm-troopers of this brand of uninhibited fascism belong to the Shiv Sena, with its Fuehrer, Bal Thackeray, spitting venom against the Muslim community as also against all non-Maharash-trians working in Bombay. Extortion money is collected systematically from householders and shopkeepers, whoever come under the Shiv Sena spotlight. He brags about his hideous exploits in international press, while his actions and utterances are not only provocative but are calculatedly meant to terrorise the citizens of this country and are openly defiant of all laws. Shiv Sena notices in front of ration shops warn that no Muslim must be served the ration quota. In some of the factories, Muslim workers are finding it difficult to go back and rejoin work. Thousands of terror-stricken citizens have fled this metropolis, the hub of the nations commerce and finance. A quick estimate of the total cost of Bombays riots prepared by the Tata Services indicates that the loss of gross value of output of goods and services would be Rs 1250 crores, loss to trading business Rs 1000 crores, loss of exports Rs 2000 crores, loss of tax revenue for the government Rs 150 crores and loss of properties worth about Rs 4000 crores. Tentatively thus the Bombay riots have already cost over Rs 8000 crores. Going round the city and meeting a wide cross-section of its citizens from the corporate world to the activists at the grassroots, intrepid media- persons and senior executives of the advertisement world, professionals and educationists and retired government servants and ex-service officers, and trade unionists, one got the same story that the government in Bombay has virtually surrendered to the Shiv Sena, taking no measures to curb its nefarious activities with the police heavily saturated with the Shiv Sena supporters. Ministers from the Centre have been paying widely publicised visits to the hapless city, the Prime Minister himself paid a flying visit. But none is ready to halt the Shiv Sena, not to speak of punishing it. At the other end, the Sangh Parivar has virtually surrendered the leadership of their combined alliance to the Shiv Sena, reminding one about Bhindranwala bagging the Akali leadership. There could be no better climate for putting Bal Thackeray in his place, and prevent the Shiv Senas unfettered mischief. Today Bombay has witnessed a groundswell of spontaneous activity of citizens from all sections in society to save the city. Relief and rehabilitation work have been taken up in full swing. Protecting the minorities, organising vigilance against Shiv Sena depreda-tionsall these have stirred the conscience of this great city. The affluent and the impoverished have been stirred in a manner never seen before. There are no chicken hearts except in the government. More than the citizenry of Bombay it is the government, both in the State and at the Centre, who appear to have been scared and browbeaten by Bal Thackerays hoodlum gangs. If this monstrous phenomenon is permitted to roam around unfettered by the constraints of law, then that will be the beginning of the end of the Republic. (Mainstream, February 13, 1993) Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Supreme Court Should Decide Ayodhya Case No Scope for Mutual (...) The suggestion of the Chief Justice of India to even act as a mediator in the pending Babri Masjid demolition case, showed his concern but it was a little odd considering that it came at the instance of an inter-meddler, and without the parties involved being before the Court that is why it caused amongst the parties a certain concern. In my view, the Babri Masjid demolition case is not a matter for compromise. This case raises the deep concern regarding our Constitution which clearly says India is a secular republic. I was in Geneva attending a UN Human Rights Commission meeting when I was told of the horrible news that came on TV that the Babri Masjid had been demolished and saw the gory spectacle of the BJP hoodlums climbing on to the Masjid and breaking it down. The BJP Governments Chief Minister Kalyan Singhs assurance to the Supreme Court, that he will take all steps to prevent it, was belied. The Supreme Court, by a majority, just accepted his apology instead of sending him to jail for contempt of court. But this was nothing compared to the ominous conspiracy of the Congress Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao, who suddenly became inaccessible to senior journalists, his Home Secretary and even his colleagues. I am also ashamed to admit the unworthy role of complicity of the judiciary which, in spite of the injunction having given since 1949 against the public not to enter the area, did not proceed against those who perpetrated the acteven the higher judiciary did not intervenerather turned a blind eye to it. This was the time when the magnitude of the danger should have been appreciated by all the parties but was not. The battle for secularism should have been joined with a singular determination of nipping in the bud the cancer of communalism. But nothing was done. I then made a public statement observing: Immediately the government should have announced December 6 as a National Repentance Day when the people will fast and pray for unity and welfare of all the communities. But the non-BJP parties analysed the situation as merely one of law and order and thus acquiesced in this dastardly act. Whatever the past history, all the parties let the matter go to the Allahabad High court to give a decision. The High Court has given a decision with which both parties are aggrieved. The BJP is still insisting that it would build a temple at the site where the Masjid undoubtedly stood for over 500 years. Muslims cannot obviously agree to a shameful compromise on the sanctity of the Masjid. The matter is already before the Supreme Courtit cannot run away from giving a decision which may not make everyone happy. But then it is its constitutional duty and it has no other alternative. I cannot foretell the Supreme Court decision. But if past precedents are to prevail, then the case in favour of the Muslims is invincible. I say this on the precedence of the Masjid Shahidganj case, Lahore, (now in Pakistan) decided by the Privy Council in 1940. The Supreme Court need not decide on merits whether the Babri Masjid had been in existence where the Ram Temple existed or not because that is of no consequence as it is not relevant to the decision of the case. This is because even if it was, there is no denying that the Babri Masjid has been in existence for 500 years. Now it is obvious to the meanest intelligence that it is impossible to prove that the birthplace of Lord Ram was under the Masjidit may be a matter of faith, genuine or contrived or otherwise, but that is no proof, nor can it ever be put forward as a legal ground to take away the land from the mosque. If the finding is that the Masjid was not built on Rams birthplace, then the Muslims will get the land back and should be free to use it in any way, including the rebuilding of the mosque. Alternatively even if it is held that there was a temple on the land of the Babri Masjid, even with this finding the suit by the VHP/RSS has to be dismissed. Admittedly, the Babri Masjid had been in existence for over 500 years till it was demolished by the goons of the VHP/RSS in 1992. Legally speaking, even then the Sangh Parivar would have no right even if a temple had been demolished to build the Babri Masjid. I say this in view of the precedent of the case of Masjid Shahidganj in Lahore decided by the Privy Council in 1940. In that case there was admittedly a mosque existing since 1722 AD. But by 1762, the building came under Sikh rule and was used as a gurdwara. It was only in 1935 that a suit was filed claiming that the building was a mosque and should be returned to the Muslims. The Privy Council, while observing that their Lordship have every sympathy with a religious sentiment which would ascribe sanctity and inviolability to a place of worship, they cannot under the Limitation Act accept the contention that such a building cannot be possessed adversely, went on to hold: The property now in question having been possessed by Sikhs adversely to the waqf and to all interests thereunder for more than 12 years, the right of the mutawali (caretaker) to possession for the purposes of the waqf came to an end under the Limitation Act. On the same parity of reasoning even if a temple existed prior to the building of the Masjid 500 years ago, the suit by the Hindu outfits like Nirmal Akhara/VHP/BJP etc. has to fail. There is another reason why in such a situation the suit will fail: because in common law, even a rightful heir, if he kills his ancestor, forfeits his right of inheritance. In the Masjid case too there was a murder most foul and hence the murderer cannot be allowed to take the benefit of his own dastardly deeds, whatever the factual position may be. Of course it is the privilege of the Chief Justice of India to constitute the Bench. One may, however, respectfully submit that it would be more reassuring if a Bench of seven or nine judges was to hear the appeal. The author, a retired Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, was the Chairperson of the Prime Ministers high-level Committee on the Status of Muslims and the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing. A former President of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), he is a tireless champion of human rights. He can be contacted at e-mail: rsachar1[at]vsnl.net / rsachar23 [at]bol.net.in Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Most Ominous EDITORIAL On April 3, that is, last Monday, chiefs of missions of 43 African countries based in India sharply reacted to the brutal assaults on four Nigerian students at a Greater Noida mall sometime back and charac-terised such an attackone in a series of similar incidentsas xenophobic and racial in nature while lamenting that the Government of India took no known, sufficient and visible deterrent action. The External Affairs Minister, herself a highly conscious personality sensitive to such a strong statement, did try to assauge the feelings of the African envoys but the sense of urgency from other Ministers, and most notably the PM, to placate the heads of missions and expain to them the steps the government was taking to tackle the problem was completely missing. This would only reinforce the African alienation from India in the coming days. As has been correctly pointed out by an eminent Indian historian, The strong and entirely justified rebuke from the African heads of mission in New Delhi is a wake-up call to all Indians, the aam aadmi in the streets or the khas aadmi in his ministerial bungalow. But do the persons in power in the Capital that is, those who matter in the Union Cabinetthink that way? One would venture to say that a Nehru or an Indira or a Vajpayee would have definietly expressed concern over the African envoys views and done whatever was possible to bring the perpetrators of the violence to book. But perhaps it is too much to expect that from Narendra Modi and his closest associates running the Central administration. Meanwhile, the situation in UP, where the BJP won a landslide victory in the recently held Assembly elections and elected Yogi Adityanath, one of the most divisive symbols of the Hindutva brigade, as the State CM, is turning from bad to worse. Belatedly the State Government did waive loans of Rs 36,359 crores taken by about 94 lakh small and marginal farmers, a promise the BJP made before the polls. But side by side the cow vigilante groups and anti-Romeo squads are causing havoc as they have been allowed to do whatever they want to. Taking a cue from the happenings in UP only yesterday the so-called gau rakshaks killed a 55-year-old dairy farmer, named Pehlu Khan, who was lynched to death in the Behror area of Alwar in Rajasthan, after branding him a cattle smuggler which he was not. And today Yogi Adityanath openly endorsed the call for a Hindu Rashtra, saying there was nothing wrong with that concept if it served the interests of the people and nation. One increasingly gets the feeling that the country is changing beyond recognition at least as far as social relations among communities are concerned. The latest developments in UP as well as other North Indian States under BJP rule are bringing that out in bold relief with every passing day. Most ominous indeed. April 6 S.C. MARTINSVILLE Stigma can hurt those recovering from substance use issues. Education can be a helpful step in removing that stigma, according to Lisa Smith, program manager of the Community Recovery Program (CRP). The CRP assists individuals who are motivated to secure employment, are drug and alcohol free and who need support in various areas that will lead them to become productive members of the community. CRP will host documentary screenings at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday at New College Institute, King Hall, located at 30 Franklin St. in Martinsville. The documentary, called Anonymous People, is about the 23.5 million Americans who live in long-term recovery from alcohol and other addictions. It tells stories of addiction recovery advocates who decided to come out of the shadows. The director of the McShin Foundation, Virginias leading peer-to-peer recovery community organization, will attend the screening, according to Smith. I want the community to know that people do recover from opioid, crack cocaine, alcoholism and all types of substance use issues, Smith said. One of the best ways to get people to heal is to see other people in recovery. They say, Tomorrow, that will be me. Smith is a cancer survivor. She said seeing and learning from others in the community with the same type of cancer she had brought her much joy during her recovery. They are working, taking care of their families, doing what they used to do and more, Smith said of other cancer survivors. Seeing them kept me encouraged. And its the same with addiction. People in long-term recovery can be a source of hope and inspiration for those in active addiction or early recovery. Smith added that shedding a light on the issues of substance use in Martinsville and Henry County will have a positive effect on the community. We have a terrible opioid addiction problem in our community these people cant keep dying, Smith said. We cant act like nothing is happening. We have to educate our community about addiction and recovery. Over the past six months, CRP has provided services to 48 individuals. Out of those served, 30 participants have gotten jobs at various locations throughout the community. As of March, no relapses have occurred and 16 individuals have completed the program. A total of 31 participants are now enrolled in the program. Although CRPs focus is for its participants to maintain sobriety and obtain employment, they come to CRP with multiple needs and barriers that can include unaddressed mental health issues and/or family issues. All issues must be addressed for the individual to be successful at maintaining sobriety, sustaining employment and leading productive lives. With a small and focused staff, CRP can provide intensive services to all participants. Staff members include Smith, John Luther and Tonya Ingram, employment specialists and case managers, peer support specialist Mike Blevins and Jane Brown, office assistant. In addition to serving those in active addiction and early recovery, Smith said they have what she calls graduates who have been more than a year out of the program who still contact CRP to get advice and assistance. Just because you dont see us on a regular basis, were still here to provide support and guidance to you, Smith said. Its wonderful when we have graduates come through the door and theyre able to interact with our participants. Smith also is planning to organize another CRP outreach event at T.R.A.S.H. Ministries, located at 4355 Virginia Ave. in Collinsville, on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. This event will include cardboard testimonies from current and past participants of CRP. T.R.A.S.H. Ministries Pastor Mike Price said he was happy to partner with CRP for the benefit of his congregation and the entire community. Our whole ministry is built on the concept that the ones that are hurting are the ones that need our help the most, Price said. My heart goes out to those in the community on drugs, alcohol and everything else. Were supposed to be the people reaching out to them. Referrals to CRP can be faxed to (276) 638-0439, mailed to CRP offices at 705A Starling Ave. or 24 Clay St. in Martinsville and emailed to jbrown@piedmontcsb.org. CRP is a program of Piedmont Community Services and funded in part by the Commonwealth of Virginia and a grant from the Harvest Foundation. Its partners include the Workforce Center, where CRP spends one day a week, and the Franklin Center, located at 50 Claiborne Ave. in Rocky Mount. To find out more, visit http://www.drugfreemhc.org/community-recovery or call (276) 638-0438. COLLINSVILLE-The fiscal year 2017/2018 Henry County budget was a difficult puzzle to assemble, according to county administrator Tim Hall, but it successfully supports the countys three most important pillars: education, law enforcement/public safety and economic development. This budget addresses law enforcement/public safety with the new jail facility, it addresses education with the full funding of the superintendents request, and by fully funding the EDC and Patrick Henry Community College, two of our partners in economic development, it fully (supports) them, Hall said. If we are serious about our three pillars moving forward, this budget positively impacts all three of those. On Tuesday, Hall presented the proposed budget to the Henry County Board of Supervisors, and on Thursday, he went through each element of the budget during a workshop session. The workshop session gave the supervisors an opportunity to request changes to the budget prior to a public hearing scheduled for April 17, but the supervisors did not request any changes. As previously reported in the Martinsville Bulletin, the budget totals $141,290,609, a 5.1 percent increase over the current year budget. It includes some increases to tax rates, including a real estate tax rate increase from 48.8 cents per $100 of assessed value to 55.5 cents per $100, and a personal property tax rate and machinery and tools tax rate increase from $1.48 per $100 to $1.55 per $100. It also proposes abolishing county vehicle decals next year and instead folding a $20.75 Vehicle License Fee into the personal property bills of county residents beginning in 2018. On Thursday, Hall told the board that these tax adjustments should generate an estimated $2,263,000 in additional revenue for the county. County staff recommends that those funds be allocated in three ways, Hall said. $1,750,000 of the new revenue should be set aside in a special Jail Project Fund to go toward engineering, construction and annual financing charges for the new Henry County Jail, Hall said. $422,119 should go toward the Henry County School system to fully match Superintendent Dr. Jared Cottons request for FY 2018. Finally, Hall said, $90,881 should go toward a variety of line items, including additional funding for specific outside agencies. Of the 25 outside entities recommended for funding, three would receive increased funding in the new budget. The Martinsville-Henry County Health Department would receive $315,000, an increase of $10,000 over the previous year but less than its request of $338,790. The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation would receive its full request of $500,000, which would put it back to the same funding level provided in the early days of the organization. Finally, Hall said, Patrick Henry Community College would receive $59,442, a $2,831 increase over its current level of funding. The Piedmont Virginia Dental Health Foundation, which has received county funding in the past, did not get their request in by the deadline, Hall said. While the organization does great work in the community, he said, the county made several attempts to contact the dental health foundation and ask if they planned to submit a funding request, yet the request came one month past deadline. Hall said he is hesitant for the county to set the precedent that the budget deadlines do not matter, because its difficult to assemble the budget without all the pieces in place. As it stands, Hall said, while this budget was not the worst to put together since it did not include any cut positions it was the most difficult to put together, due to its many moving parts. One large expense the county currently is facing, Hall said, underlines the need for the new county jail: The high cost of outsourcing inmates to other localities. We budgeted $75,000 for housing of inmates outside of our community in the current year budget, he said. We had $50,000 budgeted in our contingency. We went over $300,000, and were not even close to the end of the fiscal year. We budgeted $400,000 for next year, and I really hope thats enough. Im not sure it is. But that drives home the need for a new jail. Not only will we not have to outsource inmates, but until we fill up the beds, we can bring inmates from other localities and generate in some revenue to offset the additional operational costs. A public hearing regarding the budget is scheduled for Monday, April 17th at 7 p.m. in the Summerlin meeting room at the Henry County Administration Building. A Western Montana business is crossing continents to create cultural connections. In March, Lake Missoula Tea Company https://lakemissoulateacompany.com Botanical Lead Christina Bovinette returned from a nearly month-long trip to Colombia in search of quality tea in a place ruled by coffee. Colombias average annual coffee production of 11.5 million bags is the third total highest in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam. But a small, organic farm is pushing back on the coffee culture and thats just part of what attracted the Lake Missoula Tea Company to visit the farm. By Ariana Lake MTN News http://www.kbzk.com/story/35103571/lake-missoula-tea-company-creates-international-connections Oregon has never seen times quite like these. Unemployment is the lowest on record. Wages are rising at a 4 percent annual clip. The state is enjoying an unprecedented housing boom, and even lagging rural areas are adding jobs at a steady pace. For Oregons budget, though, its still not enough. Not nearly enough. The state faces a $1.6 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget cycle, and even if the economy stays healthy the gap is likely to grow again the next time Oregon tries to balance the books. So whats gone wrong? By Mike Rogoway | The Oregonian/OregonLive Full Story: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2017/04/oregons_economy_soars_yet_stat.html#incart_river_home_pop The owners of the first craft brewery for downtown Marion said they have launched a GoFundMe page so that the local community can feel involved in their new venture. Jason Snyder and Emily Causey are the owners of Mica Town Brewing, which is planned to open later this year or early 2018 in downtown Marion. Their craft brewery will be located in the building on Brown Drive behind the building which houses the Crooked Door Coffee House and Sun Kissed Tanning. And last week, Snyder and Causey announced that Mica Town Brewing has started a GoFundMe page. They began the effort now because April is North Carolina Beer Month. Friday was also National Beer Day. Snyder and Causey said on Friday to The McDowell News that the GoFundMe page is more about getting community investment for their business. It was an idea we came up with, said Causey. We want it to be a community effort. Its a way to get folks involved. It can be seen at https://www.gofundme.com/micatownbrewing or you can go to GoFundMe and search for Marion, N.C. What happens when two WNC beer nerds, whose retirement plan is to open a brewery, end up in a city twenty miles from the closest brewing establishment? reads their page. They get a wild haired idea to turn their retirement dreams into a reality several decades early! Armed with extensive homebrewing knowledge, determination, and the support of a thirsty community, Mica Town Brewing is soon to be up and running. Their goal is to raise $20,000. Snyder and Causey said their craft brewery will open even if they are not able to raise the $20,000. Were still going to open if we dont meet that goal, said Causey. Whatever money is raised will go toward the renovation of the building and purchasing equipment, said Snyder. This project started with a lot of ambition but not much in the way of capital resources, reads their page. Weve been working for the past six months to research our options and have finally gotten to the point where this project is going to happen. All that being said, wed like to raise funds from our community to show our lenders that the people of Marion and McDowell County are supportive of local business and all around awesome. If plans line up, and funding is secured, we hope to be up and running by the beginning of 2018. Our mission is to house a brewery that constructs quality beer, while promoting community development. A focus on our patrons will ensure our future business growth, and the future of the independent craft brewer movement. We also know from our visits to other breweries in North Carolina and the southeast, that local craft breweries can revive communities, create good jobs, and bring people closer together, and who isnt all about that?! Snyder and Causey said the most popular reward level so far is the $100 level. This amount gets folks into their Mug Club, which is limited to 150 people. All members of the Mug Club will get their own half-liter German stoneware Mica Town Brewing beer mug. The owner of that mug will have two options. Youll be assigned your very own mug number and well clean, store, and serve your beer in your mug, forever and ever, reads the GoFundMe page. If over the course of time, your mug is broken we will do our best to replace it while supplies last. Or Mica Town Brewery will mail the mug to the Mug Club member and that person can drink out of it anytime he or she pleases. The ability to join this club ends when 150 mugs have been reserved or when the GoFundMe campaign is over, reads the page. Other levels of giving come with different awards and benefits. So this is about you, and we want you to play an active role! reads their GoFundMe page. Contribute to this campaign and become part of history in the making, be a founding supporter of McDowell Countys first brewery. As of Friday, their GoFundMe effort had raised $1,500. That money was raised by 14 people in just three days. So excited for you! Can't wait to visit next time we're in WNC. My parents will be happy to drive down the mountain from Burnsville too. We are proud to support your dreams! reads a comment from Shelby and Matt Harasty, who donated $200. Snyder said he hopes to start his brewery around the end of this year or early 2018. He has applied for a federal permit and it will take around six months for it to be approved. After that, I can start brewing, he said. In a previous interview, Snyder said he is working on several types of craft beer, including a brown ale made with sweet potatoes and an IPA using carrots. On Friday, he said Mica Town will be a four-barrel brewhouse. It will have seating both downstairs and upstairs in the Brown Drive building. Over the years, that building has seen a lot of uses. In the late 1980s, it was the home of MACA and there was once a dramatic colorful mural on its outside wall. The building later became an FM radio station and after that, a tax preparation office. He said the name for his craft brewery comes from his background in geology and mining. This is a tribute to all of the mining heritage in western North Carolina, said Snyder. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Randeep Hooda, who has been sporting a fierce, strong, bearded look for a long time has been busy shooting for his upcoming film Battle Of Saragarhi. Known for his amazing acting skills, there is no doubt that he will do full justice to this movie as well. Recently, he was spotted in his avatar from the movie, wearing a khaki uniform and a turban. Needless to say, the dashing actor has nailed the look. BREAKING: First Look of @RandeepHooda from the movie on the epic Battle of Saragarhi revealed at @capt_amarinder's book launch! pic.twitter.com/7vzNVo9l3G Harjinder S Kukreja (@SinghLions) April 8, 2017 After his look from the movie started going viral, Randeep re-tweeted it on his handle as well. Boleeeeeeeeeeee so nihal ... saaaatsriakaaaalaaaa !!! ? https://t.co/Zd8RS9Lw3H Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) April 8, 2017 The movie will trace the story of Havildar Ishar Singh, who led 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs (now called the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment) in a battle against the Afghan tribesmen in 1897. The film is being produced by Karan Johar. We are already excited to see Ranveer nail the role to perfection. You might be using condoms to have safe sex, but for 65-year-old Orestes Estevez, condoms are the source of fermenting home-made fine quality tropical fruit wines. Though it sounds really bizarre, but if you travel to the Cuban city of Havana, you will be astonished to come across this winery where condoms are slipped over each neck of glass jugs filled with raisins, banana, beets, grapes, ginger and hibiscus. Estevez and his family has been making wine for more than a decade now and the successful journey of his winery speaks for the triumph of this unusual fermentation method. Facebook/ CGTN Africa He opened his El Canal winery in the year 2000 in Cuba and today he along with his wife, son and an assistant ferment over 300 jugs containing five gallons of wine. This winery with its quirky antic has definitely become the talking point for the entire neighbourhood of El Cerro and the people seem to be in love with the various flavours of wine infused with tropical fruits and vegetables. As reported by The Times Of India, Estevez said Putting a condom on a bottle is just like with a man. He further added, It stands up, the wine is ready, and then the process is completed. Is it just us or you too imagined something nasty after reading the last line? Facebook/ CGTN Africa Having said that, no matter how gross it sounds but watching the top of hundreds of bottles being covered with condoms is one hell of a sight. So how exactly does this process work? Well, when the mix of fruits start fermenting and produce gases, the condoms inflate. Once the fermentation is over, they stop inflating and fall which means the wine is now ready. This entire process takes nearly 30 to 45 days. Estevezs wine bottles are sold for consumption in homes and restaurants and on an average nearly 50 bottles are sold each day for 10 Cuban pesos each. Clearly, this oddball concept has won Cubans hearts and looking at how inexpensive this method looks like, we wonder how successful it can be in India. Source: The Times Of India Shocked at the deadly bombing attack that took place at the Coptic church of St. George, in the city of Tanta, Egypt, we unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms. Such instances of barbaric, blind violence will not impinge on the tolerant and multi-faith nature of Egyptian society. Greece stands at the side of its friend Egypt and addresses its deep condolences to the victims loved ones, the Egyptian people and their government. car fire April 9 2017.jpg A photo provided by Jessica Webster shows a car fire on April 9, 2017, on westbound M-14 before Dixboro Road in Superior Township. (Courtesy of Jessica Webster) SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, MI - A vehicle fire blocked a portion of westbound M-14 on the morning of Sunday, April 9 in Superior Township. The fire, reported at 11:42 a.m. Sunday, blocked all lanes of westbound before Dixboro Road and after M-153, exit 10, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Further information on the incident was not immediately available. bestfriendseye.jpg A pieced entitled "Best Friends Eye" by Dedrianna Goretcki, a senior at Pinconning High School and the winner of U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee's 2016 Congressional Art Competition for students of Michigan's Fifth District. (Courtesy | Dan Kildee) Aspiring high school artists have the chance for their work to go up for one year on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee has announced the 2017 Congressional Art Competition, with all high school students, grades 9-12, living in Michigan's 5th District eligible to participate. The 5th District encompasses an area from Iosco County on the northern boundary to Genesee County on the southern end and includes Flint, Bay City, Saginaw, Vassar, Standish, and Tawas City. This year's winner will receive an invite to attend a ribbon cutting and winner's reception in the nation's Capital and their artwork displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel to the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from other congressional districts in the country. "The competition provides an opportunity for student's across the country to showcase their artistic expression and bring their talent to the nation's capital," Kildee said. "Our community is diverse and creative, and it's important to provide opportunities for young people to express themselves." The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of children in each district across the country. More than 650,000 students have taken part in the competition since its inception. Dedrianna Goretcki, a senior at Pinconning Area High School, won the 2016 competition with a mixed media portrait entitled "Best Friends Eye," while Ashlee Stimson of Swartz Creek came out on top in 2015. Works may include paintings (acrylic, oil, and watercolor), drawings (pastels, colored pencil, charcoal, ink, pencil, and markers), collages, prints (lithograph, silkscreen, and block prints), mixed media, computer-generated art, as well as photography. Entries must be original in concept, design, and execution, per the contest rules. Artwork submitted for the competition must be two-dimensional and no longer than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide and four inches deep, including the frame. Each piece must weight no more than 15 pounds and include a student information and release form on its backside. Artwork must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Monday, May 1, 2017 to be eligible and can be dropped off at Kildee's district office at 111 S. Saginaw St., #3B, in Flint. The student information and release form can be found online here. Students may also contact Kildee's office by phone at 810-238-8627 to schedule a time for entries to be delivered to staff during mobile office hours in Bay, Saginaw, Arenac or Iosco Counties. For more information on the contest, including contest guidelines, visit http://dankildee.house.gov/services/art-competition. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A man who allegedly assaulted and kidnapped a woman was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police. The Grand Rapids Police Department continues to investigate the incident, which began after officers responded to the 600 block of Delaware Street SE at approximately 6:21 p.m. Saturday, April 8. According to a release, police were advised that a man was seen forcing a woman into a vehicle against her will. During the incident, another woman approached the victim and was assaulted by the man before he fled with the victim in the vehicle. The investigation led police to an address on the 1000 block of Merrifeild Street SE, where officers attempted to make contact with the suspect after midnight. Following a three hour standoff, the 49-year-old suspect walked out of the residence and was taken into custody without incident. The 25-year-old victim was located at the residence and was interviewed. The results of the investigation will be presented to the Kent County Prosecutor's Office for review on Monday. Members of the GRPD's South Service Area Patrol Unit, Major Case Team, and Special Response Team were all involved in the incident. The Department's Major Case Team continues to investigate this incident. Anyone having additional information is requested to call (616) 456-3400 or Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345. Silent Observer may also be contacted confidentially at www.silentobserver.org. WYOMING, MI -- A West Michigan congressman criticized earlier this year for not holding in-person meetings with constituents is planning his third such event for next week. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, announced he will hold a town hall-style meeting with constituents Tuesday, April 11, in Wyoming. The event begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will be hosted in the auditorium of Godwin Heights High School, located at 50 35th St. SW in Wyoming. Monday night's event is open only to residents of the 2nd congressional district, according to a press release from Huizenga's office. The release also states that signs will not be permitted in the auditorium. Those who would like to display signs may do so outside the school prior to the event, it states. Town halls, where elected officials meet directly with a large group of residents, have received increased attention this year as groups opposing Donald Trump's presidency use them as a forum to express their discontent with the new administration. Huizenga drew criticism early in 2017 for not holding such events for constituents. More than once, protesters appeared outside the congressman's local office in Grandville and demanded he host in-person town halls. Since that time, Huizenga has met directly with constituents twice, once at a town hall on Feb. 25 in Baldwin and again during a March 6 town hall in Grand Haven. In addition to the in-person events, Huizenga also offers periodic "telephone town halls"open to residents of his district and occasionally offers a similar virtual experience through live video on his Facebook page. To participate in future telephone town halls and receive updates from the congressman's office, constituents may sign up using the "Stay in Touch" form on Huizenga's website. Relected in November to a fourth term in Congress, Huizenga represents Michigan's 2nd congressional district. The district includes portions of Allegan, Kent and Mason counties and the entirety of Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon and Ottawa counties. A map of the district is available here. The government is holding talks with the US administration over the H1-B visa issue and also working with the industries, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today. "On H-1B visa (concerns), the government is in close touch with those industries which have a stake and which need to be assisted during this transitional phase. We are doing that and are constantly in touch with those industries," Sitharaman said during an interactive session with Young Ficci Ladies Organisation (YFLO) Hyderabad Committee members here. The Commerce and the Foreign secretaries went to the US and had initial talks. The 2018 H1-B visa details have been issued and there is no change in US position and the numbers remain largely the same, she said. From among those who get visas and send people to the US, India still is the largest which needs to be kept in mind, the Minister added. She said the government is working with Nasscom and also the IT industry and taking their inputs. "The industry also acknowledges that while we are going to the US there are lot of US companies coming to India and are investing for the past several years and many of them are expanding. As much as we are worried about our people going, they are worried about investments coming to India. "It may be in our case talking only about H1-B and for them it's question of do we have enough protection in India for our investments?" Sitharaman said. To a query on the goods and services tax (GST), she said, it is a happy occasion that the GST Bill got passed in the Parliament with everybody's support. "The point is we had to make the beginning somewhere and you can't wait for that perfect GST. The core issues are will we have one taxation? Now we are talking about indirect taxation. Will we have that one indirect taxation in this country?" she asked. She also wondered whether GST rates should be so wide ranging just because each state decides to have a different rate of taxation. To another query, she said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on 'Make in India' is aimed at filling the gap in manufacturing in the country. Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath takes the oath as the new Chief Minister of Indias most populous state of Uttar Pradesh during a swearing-in ceremony in Lucknow, India, March 19, 2017. REUTERS/Pawan Kumar - RTX31PLH Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today met BJP President Amit Shah and the two leaders are believed to have discussed the state's political and governance issues. In the national capital to attend a government event, he deliberated with Shah over a host of issues concerning the state. Sources said a big administrative reshuffle in UP is on the cards as the BJP government seeks to implement its development agenda and fulfil promises made in its election manifesto. Uttar Pradesh is central to the saffron party's plans for 2019 Lok Sabha election and it believes that it needs to push developmental schemes in the largely backward state if it is to maintain its dominance there. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka June 6, 2015. Modi arrived in Dhaka for a two-day state visit to Bangladesh. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman Bangladesh today welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to ensuring the "early solution" to Teesta water issue. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment during the joint statement of the two leaders is very important. He (Modi) says an early solution to the issue (Teesta water) 'can and will' be found. This is a new policy statement accepted by Bangladesh," Bangladesh foreign secretary Shahidul Haque said in a media interaction here. On Saturday, on the Teesta water issue, Modi said the pact is important for Indo-Bangla relationship and expressed hope that the West Bengal chief minister will eventually support it. "I am very happy that the chief minister of West Bengal is my honoured guest today. I know that her feelings for Bangladesh are as warm as my own. I assure you and the people of Bangladesh of our commitment and continuing efforts," he said, adding he "firmly" believes that an early solution to the issue "can and will" be found. Haque said during the interaction between Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India has said that water resources should be a "uniting factor" between the two countries. Speaking on the additional assistance of USD 500 million by India specially to help its military procurement, he said Bangladesh is not bound to buy arms from India. Haque said, the defence partnership between the two countries includes annual consultations between defence forces, training and capacity building cooperation. India and Bangladesh today signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear but the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement remained elusive. After holding comprehensive talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Modi announced a new concessional Line of Credit of USD 4.5 billion for the neighbouring country and an additional assistance of USD 500 million to help its military procurement. Navies of India and China today rescued a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden after it was hijacked by Somali pirates, in a well-coordinated operation which came in the midst of strain in ties between the two countries over a range of sticky issues. After getting a distress call about the attack by pirates on the cargo vessel OS 35 last night with 19 Filipino crew members, the Indian Navy sent its two frontline warships, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, while the Chinese Navy also moved in its missile frigate Yulin. The two Indian ships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. The merchant ship was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to port city of Aden in Yemen and following the attack, the crew had locked themselves in the 'citadel', a safe room inside the vessel, according to the Indian Navy. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the 178-metre-long merchant ship registered in Pacific island of Tuvalu. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also returned compliment to their Chinese counterparts. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well-coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to declared JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UN. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from Dubai office of the UK's Maritime Trade Organisation which acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," said the navy spokesperson. The operation to rescue the ship and free those on board was accomplished at dawn today. The Captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, said Sharma. The European Union Naval Force said it is working with "counter-piracy partners" to investigate the incident. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Trump administration has tightened controls over new H-1B visa applicants. It is expected to hike fees, limited rights to work for H4 visa holders, and hiked salaries, thus making it difficult for employers to hire cheap foreign labor instead of hiring locally. The new rules will impact businesses and careers of many IT professionals who were relying on the current H-1B season which opened Monday. Indian IT stocks are expected to fall further even as US President Donald Trump is expected to legislate further on skilled immigration control, which will impact the tech industry. This comes even as a Democrat Senator Zoe Lofgren has tabled a bill - called The High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017 which will raise minimum the salary of an H-1B worker to USD 130,000 from the USD 60,000 prescribed earlier. All actions are likely to impact stocks of Indian IT and BPO companies which have till now thrived upon exporting IT workers from India on work visas for offshoring projects. Lawsuits by US corporations over USCIS are expected on grounds of business disruption. Here are ten things to know about H-1B visa and how the new rules could strangulate work related immigration to the US. : H-1B is a non-immigrant visa granted by the US government that allows employers based in the US to employ foreign workers. The initial duration of stay is three years. It can be extended upto six years. For such a visa, an employer must offer a job and apply for employees H-1Bvisa petition with the US Immigration Department. An approved petition becomes a work permit. It allows the employee to obtain a visa stamp and work in the US for that company alone.Each year on April 1, a fresh cap for H-1B visa applications is opened by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment authorisations are granted on October 1. Applicant can legally apply for the allotment of H-1B visa earliest on the first weekday in April. USCIS publishes a memo when enough cap-subject applications have been received, indicating the closure of application season. The applications are randomly selected. Thus it is often referred to as the H-1B lottery. A: The filing fee for H-1B petition is paid by the employer/H1 Sponsor. The fee ranges from USD 1570 to USD 3075. All petitioners have to pay a base filing fee of USD 325 plus a USD 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time employees and USD 1,500 for employers with 26 or more employees. A USD 500 fee is also to be submitted if the request is to change an employer. A: The H-1B quota has a statutory cap of 65,000 visas for each year. There is special master degree quota of 20,000 known as master cap reserved just for masters degree holders from US universities. In 2016, there were 236,000 applications for just 65,000 available visas. A: There is no quota for any country but out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them. A: Mumbai based TCS and Bangalore based Wipro, and Infosys are among the major users of H-1B visas. In the year 2015, out of eight biggest H-1B employers all were Indian firms that include Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Accenture. HCL, MindTree and Wipro. Indian IT companies with roots in India took about 21,750 visas of the total 65,000 cap in 2014. Big US employers of H-1B include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, Accenture, Syntel, Apple etc. A: In 2014, about 86% of H-1B visas were issued to hire IT professionals from India. Indian IT industry earns about USD 160 billion in sales each year. Exports count about USD 108 billion and about 65 percent of the revenues comes from US based clients. For offshoring projects, IT companies send cheap Indian labour overseas and migration of a project is done which can take about 6-18 months. For such migration of work, long term work visas become essential. A: Spouses of H-1B holders can live in the US on an H4 visa. However an H4 holder wasn't allowed to work in US until 2015. For this reason, an H4 visa was often referred to as a Prisoner Visa. Because the work permit is based on the spouses H-1B visa, the H-4 spouse can work as long as the H-1B visa is valid. The new H-1B bill is likely to restrict H4 work rights. A: If you're educated outside the US in a degree which is unrelated to computer science or programming, entry on an H-1B visa becomes difficult. The new rules also prefer that the applicant should be educated in the US on an associated bachelor's degree in computer sciences. The new rules also imply that diploma level software programmers are likely to be barred from entry on an H-1B visa from this season onward. A: The new legislation will force IT companies such as Infosys, TCS, MindTree, Infosys to hire more in the US and not renew existing visas of employees. Some are likely to setup bases in nearby Canada and Mexico. While the new rules are likely to stay till Trump administration lasts, it will significantly alter the path of globalization and outsourcing businesses. While India is likely to gain a lot of offshore talent back in the country, it is likely to erode some profit margins for such companies. With lesser globalisation, IT companies would be forced to execute projects from US shores till the laws becomes relaxed again in new regimen. Expect more automation as a result. It could also slow the growth of innovation in the US if American companies cannot find enough skilled local talent to fill those jobs. Expect more offshoring of R&D centres of American companies to India or its nearby destinations such as Canada, as a result. (Data Source: USCIS, Immihelp, Govtrack) By-elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with Madhya Pradesh witnessed violence on Sunday. While at least five people were killed and over 40 injured in clashes between protesters and security forces during polling for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, stone pelting and clashes were reported from Ater Assembly seat in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. In Kashmir, sources told CNN-News18 that security forces fired at protesters who were trying to disrupt voting in at least eight booths across the Valley. At several other booths, protesters were pushed back without resorting to firing. At least six polling booths were abandoned by security forces and polling staff due to hostile environment. The violence led to an abysmally low voter turnout of 3.12 percent till 11 am. Reacting to reports of violence, National Conference leader and former CM Omar Abdullah said, People want to go and vote but the environment is such that people are not stepping out. The State has failed to provide conducive atmosphere for voting. Mehbooba Mufti is responsible for this. There is mismanagement in government, he added. Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh stone pelting and firing along with alleged booth capturing was reported in Ater Assembly seat in Bhind district. Congress alleged that its candidate was attacked by the BJP workers and gunshots were fired at him. The Election Commission officials, however, said there was a dispute between the agents of the Congress and the BJP. State Congress chief Arun Yadav, at a press conference, alleged that, "Seeing its imminent defeat, the BJP has been desperately trying to capture booths." Read more. A worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rides his bicycle past the party's campaign billboard featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside their party headquarters in New Delhi, India, February 10, 2015. The billboard reads: "One India, Best India". To match Insight INDIA-MODI/ REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/File Photo - RTX2E3HK In remarks that could trigger another controversy over the Ram Mandir issue, a BJP MLA in Telangana has threatened to behead those opposing the temple construction in Ayodhya town of Uttar Pradesh. During a public rally, Hyderabad MLA Raja Singh said: Those who warn against building a Ram temple in Ayodhyawe welcome it. Let these traitors raise their heads so we can behead them. Singhs comment came after an All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader warned of dire consequences if Ram Mandir was built in Ayodhya. The Supreme Court, which is hearing the Ayodhya land dispute case, had recently said that the issue should be resolved through talks. A firefighter pauses as he walks through the St. Paul's Chapel cemetery on the morning of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly At least 21 people were killed and 50 others injured today in a powerful explosion inside a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta. Sources said that the explosion took place inside the Mar Gerges Coptic Church. The primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday, the sources said. No official statement has been released. State media put the death toll at 15. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feastcommemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million. 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, Some of Pennsylvania's largest counties are working to help voters fix mail-in ballots that have fatal flaws such as incorrect dates or lack of signatures on the envelopes used to send them in. Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As a series both artistic and religious, the Stations of the Cross are a dramatic and poignant depiction of Jesus Christ on the day of crucifixion. Viewers see Jesus, Mary and Simon of Cyrene endure the Passion across 14 separate pieces. But Stan Jacobs opted to tell the story in a different, even simpler way. His interpretation would also heighten the messages effect. I based it on human hands. They are the great unifying factor here, he said. To me, it was more expressive to emphasize that. In his 14 stations, Jacobs sculpted closeups of hands that draw in the viewer more and provoke contemplation. The bronze sculptures were hung recently at Christ Church Anglican in time for Holy Week, which begins today, as well as in perpetual display at the church. God has inspired sculptor Stan Jacobs to create a striking set of Stations of the Cross for the people of Christ Church, Rev. Henry L. Pendergrass said in the exhibits accompanying catalog. For more than two years, Pendergrass had the idea of the church displaying the Stations. After discussions between Pendergrass and Jacobs, the artist began work on the 14 pieces in August 2016. In the catalog, he mentioned how the idea of focusing on the hands came to be. Jacobs explained: When we pray (for) comfort and healing for others, what do we do? We lay our hands on them. The reassuring touch of our hands connects us with one another. Perhaps second only to the face, hands express deep care and love, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He began with sketches that led to using hand models for his reliefs. Jacobs had his wife, Carole, model, as well as friends and even staff from the church. His work routine was relegated to two to three hours a day, three days a week. He occassionally would work weekends. In total, though, each piece took about 10 hours to complete. Despite cuts and calloused fingers, he pushed to have them done by December. When Im in the zone, I was rolling, he said. But there was still the day-to-day. When he wasnt at work on the Stations, Jacobs was likely found at Midland College teaching art history. He describes himself as semi-retired, although he likes to keep busy, and he also teaches at the Kids College summer program at MC. Hell always keep a sketch pad handy for his caricature work, as well. While he and Pendergrass agreed to have Jacobs use his interpretation, the artist would donate his time and work to the church. He also spends time volunteering at area agencies such as Casa de Amigos and is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. But he was also on a time frame. Using the Shidoni Foundry in New Mexico, his clay reliefs became molds for the bronze stations that are 9 inches by 12 inches each in size. The pieces made their way back to Christ Church in mid-March. It all worked out that they got here in time, Jacobs said. As an artist, Jacobs work on the Stations were fulfilling for his creative sense, but they also had a profound experience on him. Since August, he kept a journal of the experience that detailed not only the particulars of completing his work, but also the emotional side to it all. I usually keep one but hadnt thought about it for this. I discovered that this project deepened my relationship with Christ. This provided such a spiritual experience for me, he said. The feedback hes received has also been rewarding. Ive been flabbergasted. Some people seem to be truly moved by them, he said. I would have done this anyway, but to have such a loving response from them was a great feeling. Jacobs also encourages viewers to touch the Stations, which is apropos given his focus to the hands. The dedication of the pieces were announced at last Sundays services. The pieces will be part of the churchs interior but will ultimately become the centerpiece of the courtyard when the church expands. View Jacobs Stations of the Cross at Christ Church Anglican, 5501 N. Midkiff Road. We are collating signatures to petition ... United States Democratic Senator Bill Nelson returned to Florida during his Easter recess from Capitol Hill. One of his stops was the Sun n Fun International Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland. There he talked to educators about the future of the space program, and his goal of making sure NASA is equipped to go to Mars. He also visited the new hangar being built for the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, who are moving from the MacDill Air Force base to the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in May. Senator Nelson also shared with reporters his views on Syria. He said he was glad President Donald Trump ordered air strikes in Syria and said it shouldve been done a long time ago. "This was a good opportunity to let Mr. Assad, the president of Syria know if he continues to use chemical weapons, we will hit him and hit him hard. My recommendation is if he does it again, we ought to knock out his entire air force," said Nelson. He said he supports removing President Assad altogether. "Somebody who has killed a half a million people in his own country, that is gassing children and seeing them suffer as we've seen so visibly on these photographs and film. I think Assad has to go, Nelson said. Some members of Nelsons political party criticized the president for not consulting Congress first. So President Trump doing this, finally waking up to the atrocities in Syria is a good thing but he should not have done this without coming to Congress, said Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va. Nelson said he felt President Trump acted appropriately. On a quick strike like this where the element of surprise is absolutely necessary, the President has that authority, Nelson explained. He believes Congress should give President Trump the power to do more in Syria. "Before we left yesterday, Congress should've stayed in session in this Easter recess and gone through the debate and passed, and I think the votes are there, to pass an authorization to conduct a war if that's what it takes to solve the Syrian situation, Nelson said. Midlands influence in the energy industry continues to expand globally. Independently owned Wildcat Oil Tools has announced the formation of its international arm, Wildcat International, with plans beginning this summer to provide rental tools, equipment and services in South America. The move comes at the request of several of the companys customers, said Aron Marquez, Wildcats president. Were so fortunate and blessed to have a strong, loyal customer base, he said. We had several customers who have done exploratory wells off Colombia and asked us to do the same services we provide here but offshore. In response, the company has put together what he called the best engineering team in the world to design proprietary tools to adapt to different depths and long laterals. Were working with our customers to design tools and find avenues to make drilling and completing wells more efficient. More from Oil Report Ares Management announces Development Capital Resources, partners with Endeavor The company has already received inquiries about working in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, Marquez said. Our team will evaluate where we want to go and focus on that expansion and do everything correctly. Its amazing, being an independently owned company. Each new opportunity opens the door to hiring more people, he said. Duane Samford has been hired as president for Wildcat International, and Marquez cited Samfords 36 years experience, including positions with Smith International and Schlumberger and work in international markets. Marquez also praised the addition of Rick Strange as the new companys general counsel. Rick is an incredible asset, sitting in on the negotiations, making sure every t is crossed and every i dotted and working with the management team to make sure were in compliance on everything. The team will focus on technology for downhole tools, remediation and wellbore enlargement, Marquez said. He stressed that those tools will have applications in the Permian Basin as well as offshore and in international waters. Even during the recent downturn, when companies were laying off staff, Wildcat was bucking the trend by hiring because so much talent was coming available, he said. Being independently owned offers stability and enjoys a low turnover rate, he said. I was Employee No. 1, Marquez said. We like to promote from within and encourage our employees to grow. That motivates them to stay. We have a great mixture of people who have been in the industry 30 to 40 years and a lot of young new engineers. The company recently built a $5 million facility in Odessa and has locations in Carlsbad, New Mexico, two in Oklahoma and one in Pennsylvania. Wildcat International will be headquartered in Houston. Even so, Marquez insists the company will remain Permian Basin-focused. Its amazing. We were just in Colombia last week in Cartegena and Bogota and there were people there from Midland, from Odessa, from Hobbs. Theres a lot of skill sets and talent (in the Permian Basin) that the whole world looks upon, Marquez said. Wildcats product lines include BOPs, reverse units, power swivels, open-hole and cased-hole fishing equipment, flow back, foam and nitrogen units, tubulars, whipstocks, inspection services and wellsite consulting services. The first ever male CoverGirl cover model James Charles is getting national attention again after tweeting Thursday that he fears an upcoming class trip to South Africa would expose him to the ebola virus. He has since apologized. "I can't believe we're going to Africa today omg what if we get Ebola. James we're fine we could've gotten it at chipotle last year...," he wrote. West Texas National Bank names executive vice president Mark D. McKinney has been promoted to executive vice president of West Texas National Bank. He joined the bank in 2009 as a senior vice president in the energy and commercial lending area and in 2011 became the banks chief credit officer. He has helped build the Bank's lending processes, policies and procedures across all disciplines. McKinneys 40 years of banking experience includes two years at the OCC as a National Bank Examiner and 38 years with both community and national, in scope, banks in various senior lending and management roles. New executive vice president named at Lone Star State Bank Garth Wright has been named executive vice president of Lone Star State Bank in Dinero Plaza, 1004 N. Big Spring St. Wright has been in the banking business for 35 years, all of it in Midland. He most recently was with a community bank located primarily in West Texas, establishing its first Midland branch in 2002. He served as that banks market president in 2008 until he joined Lone Star State Bank. He began his career with Midland National Bank. AimBank acquires two branches David Shipman, Midland Market president of AimBank, has announced the completed acquisition of the Muleshoe State Bank with locations in Muleshoe and Farwell. Shipman said the two new branches will complement the banks existing footprint in West Texas. AimBank serves 18 locations in the Panhandle, South Plains, Permian Basin and Big Country regions of Texas with locations in Midland, Odessa, Abilene, Amarillo, Farwell, Levelland, Littlefield, Lubbock, Miami, Muleshoe, Pampa, Plains, Shamrock, Snyder and Wolfforth. Van Pearcy recognized by Barrons Midlander Van Pearcy, branch manager and financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services, was recently named to Barrons Top 1,200 Financial Advisors and also the Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors (FT 400) lists for 2017. This is the third consecutive year that Pearcy has been named to the Barrons Top 1,200 Financial Advisors list, and the FT 400 has included him four of the five years the list has been produced. Pearcy and his team of 11 experienced professionals manage more than $1.5 billion in client assets and offer critical planning services in the areas of asset allocation, retirement income/accumulation planning, estate issues, asset protection through insurance, trust services, and other complex wealth solutions. Saulsbury Industries earns national safety award ODESSA Saulsbury Industries has received the National Safety Excellence Pinnacle Award from Associated Builders and Contractors. The 2016 National Safety Excellence Award winners were selected from ABC member firms that achieved Diamond, Platinum and Gold status in ABCs Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP). During the selection process, national safety winners were judged on self-evaluation scores, lost workday case rates, total recordable incident rates, leading indicator use, process and program innovations and video interviews conducted by members of ABCs National Environment, Health and Safety Committee. With Baker Hughes expected to soon become a subsidiary of General Electric, no one is coming out better than Martin Craighead, Baker Hughes chairman and chief executive. Craighead is slated to receive a golden parachute totaling $41 million, which is more than 40 percent higher than his anticipated $29 million payout if Halliburton had successfully acquired Baker Hughes. After Halliburtons attempted takeover fell apart last year, GE swooped in and worked out a deal. The merger of Houston-based Baker Hughes and GE Oil & Gas is expected to close by the middle of this year. Two women were groped 20 minutes and two blocks apart on a road at Stanford University, police said Sunday. In the first instance, reported around 10:40 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of Escondido Road on the east side of campus, a woman said she was walking when a man approached and groped her, according to the Stanford University Department of Public Safety. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate From the scrawny 14-year-old local kid struggling to carry a Sousaphone to the drum player from the Maryland-based United States Naval Academy, musicians of all ages and abilities from across the country will be performing at San Antonios Fiesta celebration this year. Some of these people have never been to San Antonio, some come from these little towns, and others have performed in the Macys or Mardi Gras parade, said Bonnie Carrisal, director of the Flambeau Parade. For all of them, theres a chance to experience between 700,000 to 750,000 people along the parade route. Its such an impact once you turn the corner and you see this big crowd. Thirty-nine bands will make up the nighttime Flambeau Parade, Carrisal said. Some of them overlap with the more than 30 high school bands that are also expected to perform at the Battle of Flowers Band Festival on April 27. Its a really cool thing. I mean to hear 5,000 instruments at once is pretty awesome, said John Bloodsworth, a spokesperson for the Battle of Flowers. Sixteen high school bands will participate in the Battle of Flowers parade from 12:20 to 4 p.m. on April 28. Nine of them were selected to be in the parade within a parade, each getting a float representing a different world heritage site, in honor of San Antonios missions recently being designated as one. The Battle of Flowers Association pays for these 20-foot-long floats, Bloodsworth said. That way, San Antonio residents and students can recognize that our missions are really world class, along with the Taj Mahal and Paris and Venice and the pyramids of Egypt all of these incredible places weve heard of in our lives, said Susan Altgelt, chair of the Battle of Flowers Parade. While that parade wont bring any out-of-state bands, it will bring some top-notch bands: The Fightin Aggie Band from Texas A&M University will lead the parade, and United States Air Force Band of the West and U.S. Army North band will perform, Altgelt said, in addition to bands from the University of the Incarnate Words band and high schools from nearby towns. For Flambeau, Carrisal said the St. John Paul II band from Corpus Christi will lead the vanguard starting at 7:05 p.m. and the main parade will be led by Longhorn Band from the University of Texas at Austin at 7:31 p.m. (yes, those exact times, she said) on April 29. MacArthur High School, the oldest high school in North East ISD , will be performing in Flambeau for the first time after years of marching in the Battle of Flowers Parade. I think its pretty unique that the students are able to participate in a San Antonio-specific event like this and be able to realize that this is not something that people all over the country get to participate in, said Evan Berry, band director at MacArthur High School. He said MacArthur students have been practicing for Fiesta since the fall. The students will be illuminated in blue lights, he said, in honor of MacArthurs colors and for Flambeaus theme this year: city of lights and celebrations. High school bands from as far away as Schofield, Wisconsin, and Northport, Alabama, will be performing in the Flambeau Parade, as well as the St. Marys All-Brass Band from St. Marys, Ohio. Berry said apart from the lights and the opportunity to do something new, hes also just looking forward to being in a Fiesta parade thats later in the night and not so sweltering hot. For Battle of Flowers, he said they usually line up volunteers along the parade route to hand off water bottles as the band comes through. I think its important that the bands, because of their historical significance in being a part of parades, continue that tradition and leave our mark, if you will, on those parades, Berry said. Were just continuing to promote the positive teaching thats taking place and reminding the community that music is still very much an important part of our schools. sfosterfrau@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Why does Trader Joe's boxed macaroni and cheese taste like Annie's? Probably because the well-known name brand makes the product for the national supermarket chainat least according to rumors. Trader Joe's doesn't have a factory where it makes its own products, and instead sources them from well-known brands and sells them under the Trader Joe's sub-brands at a discount. The privately held grocery chain based in Monrovia, Calif., closely guards this information and is notoriously secretive about its relationships because it wants its customers to develop loyalty to its own brand. The big brands don't want consumers to have this information because Trader Joe's sells their products at discounted prices. If you were Frito-Lay, you wouldn't want people to know they can buy the same bag of Stacy's pita chips for a couple dollars less at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's can keep its prices down because it doesn't spend big marketing dollars on advertising beyond its own Fearless Flyer, nor does it have a complex coupon program. And buying directly from the manufacturers keeps costs low. Consumers are often making guesses about Trader Joe's brand relationships based on packaging, ingredient lists and taste. Is Gordon Biersch making Trader Joe's beer? Is Strauss Family Creamery providing the European Style Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt? Is Trader Joe's buying its canned tomatoes from Muir Glenn? We reached out to Trader Joe's to answer these questions and they never got back to us. We also spoke with a few of the big brands and all told us they couldn't discuss this matter with the media. Double Rainbow supposedly makes some of the Trader Joe's ice cream and so we called the company to ask if this was the case and a woman who refused to provide her name said, "I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. You have to run a taste test. That's what I would suggest." And so that's what we did. We decided to investigate 11 of those rumored relationships and closely examined ingredient labels and conducted our own taste tests. We also looked at pricing at the big brand purchased at Whole Foods and the similar (or exactly the same) product at TJ's. You'll find the results above, and we hope you'll share some of your own assumptions about Trader Joe's products in the comments. Together, we might be able to figure this out. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Most victims of sexual assault, harassment, stalking or other sexual misconduct at University of Texas campuses keep it to themselves, a system-wide survey shows. Chances are, they didnt tell a soul. Across UTs academic universities, 72 percent of victims didnt tell anyone about the incident before taking the survey. Of the 28 percent that did, only 8 percent chose to tell someone at the institution, and 4 percent told police. That says something. It says were not doing our job as a community, said Cpl. Maranda Tupper, of University of Texas at San Antonio police department. We need everyone to embrace that we have resources here, we will believe them, and that its not OK. At UTSA, only 25 percent of victims said they had told someone of their experience, and of those, 10 percent told someone at UTSA and 2 percent informed local police. The Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments report, what the UT System is calling the most in-depth survey of sexual assault and misconduct ever undertaken by an institution in the United States, is part of a $1.7 million mission led by UT System Chancellor William McRaven to learn more about sexual misconduct occurring on UT campuses. More than 28,000 students participated in the study about 14 percent of the student population system-wide. If we want to understand and continuously improve our campus culture in order to facilitate student success, then we have to be open and honest about our students experiences beyond the classroom, no matter how uncomfortable it is, McRaven said in a statement. National studies have documented that students who are victims of sexual assault or harassment experience severe emotional hardship, often influencing their academics and social life. Tupper, who works with survivors of sexual assault at UTSA, said these traumatic incidents can consume the survivor. It shatters dreams, she said. It can totally derail you from the plan you have and where you thought youd be in five years. At UTSA, 3,385 students, or 13.8 percent of those invited to participate, took the survey. Of the participants, 9 percent of female undergraduates reported that they experienced rape, second only to UT Austin, which had a striking 15 percent reporting that they had been raped. Across all UT academic institutions, 10 percent of female undergraduates said they were raped and 4 percent of male undergraduates said they were raped. Six percent of students overall (male and female, undergraduate and graduate) reported being raped since attending UTSA and 10 percent reported being sexually touched against their will. Around 90 percent of incidences of physical violence and unwanted sexual contact were found to occur off-campus. The majority of both victims and perpetrators reported being under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the incident though overall, perpetrators were more likely to be under the influence than their victims. The numbers are lower than the national average. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 11 percent of students overall and 23.1 percent of female undergraduates experienced sexual assault nationwide in 2015. Reports made to campus police are increasing, but there are still significantly fewer reports than were seen in the survey. System-wide, 27 reports of rape were made to campus police in 2016 and only three were determined to be unfounded. Thats the highest number in at least five years, though its unclear whether thats because more students are reporting rape or more are experiencing it, officials said. While these numbers are unacceptable to local university officials, they also said it was an expected outcome. We werent necessarily surprised by the results, said Melissa Hernandez, associate director of UTSAs counseling services. They seem to be consistent with what is being reported across the country. So it just sort of validated some of the things we were already identifying as areas of need for our students. Several bills have been filed in the state legislature seeking to address the issue of rape on college campuses. Some follow on the heels of a sexual assault scandal at Baylor University that resulted in the ousting of multiple university officials, including its president, Ken Starr. UTSA continues to conduct programming to spread awareness on this issue. Last week, UTSA celebrated National Call to Action Day by setting up booths in a three-hour fair to raise awareness about sexual assault on college campuses. Numerous student groups set up stalls that directed students to resources they can use should they be former or future victims of sexual misconduct and asking students to sign the national bystander intervention pledge, Its On Us. We have programs in place we need more programs. We have outreach we need more outreach, said Tupper. Because no one should have to do this alone. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A dispute over a lawnmower led to an East Side fracas with flying fists, bricks, and at least one bullet fired, police said Saturday. Officers were called to a vacant lot in the 800 block of South Mittman St. at about 4:40 p.m. to find a 31-year-old man shot through both legs. The man was transported to San Antonio Military Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery. The shooting, according to SAPD Sgt. David Renn, started as a multiple-person dispute over a lawnmower. A group of men regularly use the vacant lot to repair lawnmowers and other appliances for area residents, Renn said. When a second group of men allegedly showed up to claim one of the appliances Saturday, something went wrong. Were still trying to figure out what happened, but someone wasnt happy, Renn explained. So an argument starts, and fists come out. Things escalated quickly from there, he continued. Someone got a brick, and started (using that) in the fight, Renn said. So, someone on the other side left, got a gun, came back and shot someone on the other side through both legs. It was not immediately clear whose side the gunman was on, or the approximate size of both groups, according to investigators. Police still had multiple people in custody for questioning, but believe each side was about 2-3 people large. The gunman, Renn added, ran off and is still at large. Both parties are saying the other side started it, Renn added. While police werent able to disclose any additional information about the nature of the argument, one nearby resident was able to shed some light on how quickly it escalated. Rafa Gutierrez, 38, said he lives about a block from the vacant lot and was walking nearby during the rumble. I didnt hear much, but I saw some movement and I heard one guy just yelling, You wont do it, you wont do it, Gutierrez said. So I guess the guy left, came back with a gun, and he did do it. jgerlach@express-news.net Photo by Robin Jerstad/Special to the Express-News Image via John C. on Yelp This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) A battle over the phrase "damn good tacos" is headed to federal court in Colorado. The Austin, Texas-based franchise Torchy's Tacos says that a Fort Collins restaurant called Dam Good Tacos infringed on its trademarked catchphrase. Torchy's registered its "Damn Good Tacos" tagline with the U.S Patent and Trademark office in 2008, about two years after the Colorado operation launched. The Colorado taco seller uses a different spelling of the same phrase. Torchy's sent a cease and desist letter to Dam Good Tacos in November and offered financial assistance with a name change. The Colorado taco restaurant declined. Torchy's tells The Coloradoan newspaper that the company was left with no choice but to file suit. An owner of the Colorado taco restaurant declined to comment on the trademark case. ___ Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com Can you imagine if state lawmakers wanted to tax private schools to balance the public school budget? Texans would be outraged by such an absurd proposal. This outrageous scheme is precisely what some lawmakers want to do with nursing homes. They want to tax private-pay nursing homes to pay for Medicaid nursing homes. The plan is in Texas Senate Bill 1130, known as the granny tax. It could tax Texas private-pay nursing homes $120 million a year. Organizations serving both Medicaid and private-pay residents disagree that the state should tax one group of elderly to pay for the care of another. An Express-News editorial focused on how the bill will fill the state budget shortfall in Medicaid, describing it as an elegant solution to Medicaid problems in Texas. We fail to see its elegance. The paper does admit a hitch to the bill. The hitch would cost an average private-pay nursing home approximately $500,000 per year. Far from elegant, SB 1130 is simply an unfair tax. Supporters of the legislation suggest it would not tax the elderly already paying for their own care, but would instead be the burden of the organization taking care of them that those patients would not see a tax increase. But lets be realistic. No business can absorb an average tax increase of $500,000 without passing it to consumers. Whether SB 1130 falls on consumers or businesses, it places a heavy financial weight on those paying for their own care. This proposal is based on a plan Missouri implemented more than 20 years ago. But Missouris quality ratings are nearly the same as Texas, raising a fundamental problem more money does not necessarily equate with better quality. We must emphasize that SB 1130 would generate more than $800 million, with no legislative oversight on how it is spent. A recent Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Senator Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, brought this issue to light. Instead of strengthening legislative accountability, the bill would pass the responsibility of making Medicaid payments to a private corporation controlled by the nursing home industry. We see that as a potential opening for Medicaid fraud. The legislative authors argue that the tax is justified since it benefits the majority of Texas nursing home residents in Medicaid facilities. Private-pay facilities, representing a smaller percentage of nursing homes, should accept the tax as part of a broader social obligation. If you arent sure how you feel about that argument, then ask yourself this question about public and private schools. Should private schools have a duty to pay for the budget gap in Texas public schools? We all know that taxing private-pay residents and caregivers is an unfair way to balance the state Medicaid budget. Texas Medicaid is underfunded, but all Texans should carry that responsibility. Quality measures and tranparency should guide Medicaid providers. Higher quality nursing homes and increased staffing levels should receive higher payments. Distinguishing better care through our payment system is one way to eliminate nursing homes that consistently underperform. Instead of more taxes, lets focus on improving quality in Texas nursing homes. As Texans, we are confident that Gov. Greg Abbott will fulfill his promise when he said in his State of the State address that the only good tax is a dead tax. Abbott delivered this message precisely against legislative trickery like SB 1130. We trust that lawmakers will send this tax bill to the legislative graveyard. George Linial is president and CEO of LeadingAge Texas, which represents about 250 providers of aging services and senior housing who serve both Medicaid and private-pay residents. All rape kits are not created equal. There are multiple vendors. Some law enforcement agencies buy them off the shelf. Some of the larger departments have manufacturers customize them for their specific needs. Nancy Downing, an associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Nursing and one of the newest members to the Texas Forensic Science Commission is pushing to standardize rape kits in Texas. Appointed to the commission in November by Gov. Greg Abbott, she is concerned about the way the evidence from the sexual assault kits are being handled at different crime labs. Crime labs have their own favored analysis and their favorite process and even the nurses have disagreement about which types of evidence to collect, Downing told Austin television KXAN. Standardizing the rape kits would reduce the chance of contamination and make for a faster and more efficient process, she said. Up until 2013, rape victims in rural areas had to drive hours to reach an emergency room that had a staff trained in basic forensic evidence collection. A state law requires all emergency rooms to have someone available to collect evidence when there is a sexual assault. DNA evidence is an invaluable law enforcement tool. While all emergency rooms must have medical personnel on staff to collect rape kit evidence, the level of training of those individuals varies and that alone is reason enough to adopt a standardized rape kit for use across the state. Many of the rape kits off the shelf include vials for blood, envelopes for hair samples and evidence containers that can be huge. In Bexar County, the rape kits have been modified so they dont take up so much storage space. They also dont include envelopes for hair samples or vials for blood because broken vials can contaminate other evidence and hair samples can be collected later if needed. Collecting and testing of rape kits is not cheap; it can run $500 to $1,000. The state has spent almost $11 million in the last decade tackling a backlog of 10,500 untested rape kits. As of November there were 4,167 untested rape kits and the state is considering appropriating another $4.2 million to address the problem. It is encouraging to see the forensic commission looking to improve on the process for the collection of that valuable evidence. Re: More OReilly Factor advertisers flee, Business, Wednesday: I have been a subscriber to your newspaper for over 70 years. You always put sexual harassment stories on the first or second page, but you chose to bury Bill OReillys story on the last page of the Business section, among the Legal Notices. Why? Doris Ebner, Boerne Bravo, professor Re: Writing in a time of great editors, Rafael Ralph Castillo, Another View, Tuesday: Professor Castillo has done it again. The distinguished professor and author lavished readers with a column that flows with the eloquence and elegance of an aristocratic conversation spoken at the Downton Abbey dinner table. Our community and his students are the benefactors of professor Castillos luminous literary style and sophisticated prose. Lord Grantham would approve. Diane Lerma The nucular option Re: Nuclear option likely on Gorsuch, front page, Tuesday: Press and pundits mirthfully mocked President George W. Bushs mangled pronunciation of nuclear, noting he articulated the word as nucular. How delightful to read the headline announcing the Senate likely implementing the nucular option to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. One can only imagine George and Laura drinking their morning coffee, with ole George chuckling over the Senate going nucular to elevate the eminently qualified jurist to higher office. The country will be better for it, nucular though it may be. Greg Nussel Disastrous bill The bathroom bill requiring transgender persons to use the bathroom of their birth gender, which has passed through our state Senate and is headed to the House, is disastrous legislation for the following reasons: There have been no negative incidents of transgender people using the bathroom of their choice. The enormous negative financial impact if this bill passes would mean cancellation of major sporting events such as the Final Four next year, along with many conventions. We are looking at a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in the short term and billions in the long term. Imagine the amount of violence and bullying we will have if transgender people are forced to use the bathroom of their birth identity. North Carolina has already seen the financial impact of its bathroom bill. With all the issues facing our state, this bill has no value and tremendous impact, costing revenue, jobs and creating a negative image of our great state. I urge you to contact your state representatives and tell them to vote no on this very irresponsible bill. Henry Feldman The army general who is going for the Presidency in 2018 also participated in the countrys latest coup, it has emerged. The Malian general and former government minister has resigned his post to stand in the countrys presidential elections in July 2018, sources close to the officer said Sunday. Moussa Sinko Coulibaly is the second person to declare his candidacy, after Kalifa Sanogo, the mayor of Malis second-largest city, Sikasso, who announced his bid in July. They are hoping to unseat President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has not yet said if he will seek a second five-year term, though he is widely expected to do so. In his letter of resignation, obtained by AFP, Coulibaly said he wanted to contribute in another manner to find solutions to the political, economic, educational, cultural and social challenges facing our country. He was a member of the army forces which toppled Malis government in a coup in 2012, which ushered in a wave of violence by Islamist extremists that were halted only after an intervention by French forces in January 2013. The country returned to democracy the following August when Keita was elected president. Coulibaly was a minister of territorial administration in the transition government, a post he kept for several months in Keitas cabinet. He has a degree from Frances prestigious Saint-Cyr military academy and has several key supporters, according to his entourage, in particular in the military. Malis government has postponed regional and municipal elections in recent months over security concerns, as it has struggled to implement a 2015 peace deal with former Touareg rebels, with the state still absent from vast swathes of its northern territory. Last week the government said regional elections scheduled for December 17 would now be held in April, a move which drew the ire of several groups which signed the 2015 accord. But Keita, in an interview with Jeune Afrique (Young Africa) magazine published Sunday, said the presidential vote would not be pushed back for security reasons. Tensions remain high, however, with a top municipal official in the central city of Djougani shot and killed by armed men outside his home overnight Saturday, local sources told AFP. Breaking News via Email TV presenter Tinashe Mugabe can continue with his programme, The DNA Show, after the High Court ruled that medical bodies which banned it overstepped their powers. The Health Professions Authority of Zimbabwe (HPAZ) and Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Council of Zimbabwe (MLCSCZ) stepped in to stop the shows over concerns about the credibility of paternity test results revealed by Mugabe. Mugabes company, Global DNA, has no DNA lab and was found to be merely a sample collection site which, allegedly, forwards the same to facilities with DNA testing capability. On Wednesday, Justice Joseph Mafusire said because Mugabe and Global DNA were not medical professionals or bodies, they did not fall under the regulation of HPAZ and MLCSCZ. It may well be that Mugabes activities require proper regulation, Justice Mafusire said. But if there should exist some other law providing for such regulation, it has not been pointed out to the court. The two medical bodies simply exercised powers that the Act does not give them. Mugabe appealed to the High Court last year after HPAZ and MLCSCZ banned his TV show on the basis that he was not qualified to issue paternity test results. The two bodies had cancelled Global DNAs registration certificate as a health institution for non-compliance. Mugabe sought a High Court declaratur that his company was not a medical facility, and as such the two had no powers to interfere with his operations. Justice Mafusire agreed, finding that Mugabe and Global DNA did not have to register with HPAZ and MLCSCZ in the first place. The judge ordered: In the result, the following orders are hereby granted: The applicant is not a health institution as defined by the Health Professions Act Chapter 27:19; the applicant does not fall under the control of the respondents in terms of the Act aforesaid; the suspension of the applicants operations by the respondents in September 2021 is hereby set aside and the respondents shall pay the costs of suit jointly and severally, the one paying the other to be absolved. HPAZ and MLCSCZ argued in court that the DNA company was a health institution within the meaning of the Act, and was required to register. ZimLive Breaking News via Email By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in Asia and is currently researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as scribbles occasional travel pieces for The National. Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) formally announced it would delay implementation of the fiduciary rule previously promulgated in 2016 and due otherwise to come into effect on Monday, April 10 until June 9. By that date, the DOL may elect to implement the rule as written, revise it, or torpedo it entirely. What is the fiduciary rule and why does it matter? Permit me to quote from my February post on this topic: [On February 3], Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum on Fiduciary Duty Rule, in which he directed the Department of Labor (DoL) to conduct an examination of the a new fiduciary rule, due to come into effect on April 10. This rule would impose a basic fiduciary duty standard on investment advisors, requiring them to act in a clients best interest. The fiduciary rule replaces the previous suitability standard, which consumer advocates have criticised for allowing investment advisors to provide conflicted advice, motivated by fees. This suitability standard imposes costs estimated at $17 billion annually on investors and depresses investment returns on retirement savings by a percentage point. Brokerages and insurance companies rely heavily on commission-based compensation. What Is the Impact of the DOL Action? The latest delay does not necessarily spell the death knell for some form of the rule. As I noted in my February post relying on reporting in The Wall Street Journal, Procedures for complying with such a complicated framework are not developed overnight, and many investment advisers had already taken steps to conform theirs to the new framework that was slated to come into effect in April. Further reporting from Saturdays Wall Street Journal, New Retirement Rule Is Delayed, but Not Its Impact further expands on this point, describing steps already undertaken by many investment advisers to comply with the rule as promulgated, under the assumption that the rule would be implemented according to the original schedule. When Trump issued his February memo, many measures were either in place, or in the process of being implemented, and these are not easily reversed: The rule would have required brokers who oversee $3 trillion in tax-advantaged retirement savings to act in their clients best interest. That is a stricter standard than many brokerages were using. After the rule was unveiled in April 2016, some brokerages moved clients from commission-based accounts that could run afoul of the rule to fee-only accounts. Among firms that disclosed their plans after the fiduciary rule was announced, Merrill Lynch Bank of America Corp.s wealth-management unitand J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. say they are still moving most clients to fee-based accounts. A J.P. Morgan spokesman said the bank would push back its deadline to track the Labor Departments actions. Other brokerages including Morgan Stanley and Edward Jones have said they would keep some previously announced changes, such as lower commission charges and some sales restrictions. Other industry groups including the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Personal financial Advisors supported adoption of the new fiduciary rule. Its well and widely understood that the 1974 Employment Retirement Security Act (ERISA) framework is long overdue for an overhaul (and indeed, the latest reform efforts date to 2010). Will the Rule Survive? Despite the steps such firms have already taken, the current consensus is that the rule as promulgated will not survive and will at least in some respects be watered down before it becomes effective, especially with respect to the legal liability provisions. Allow me to quote from a Forbes piece from last week, Under Trump, The Future Of Fiduciary Rule Is Uncertain As DOL Delays Rule: So where does the delay leave the future of the rule? The short answer is no one knows yet. Uncertainty remains king today. It is possible that the current rule that is set to go live on June 9, 2017, still survives. However, very few people expect the rule that was passed back in 2016 to ever see the light of day. Either the rule will be repealed completely, or the ability to qualify for an exemption to the rule will be significantly loosened, allowing more financial advisors to avoid compliance. Given the compliance steps already undertaken, Im less certain than is Forbes that the fiduciary rule will be completely gutted. Yet even if a weakened version of the rule survives, its legal liability provisions which allow consumers to sue investment advisers and the financial firms with which consumers hold their retirement accounts for breach of the new fiduciary standards will almost certainly be scaled back. Republicans control the executive branch and Congress, and they are extremely unlikely to allow any significant expansion in the ability of private actors to sue to enforce this or for that matter any other rule that would expand corporate legal liability to proceed. Recall further that congressional Republicans are intent on further weakening the already-listing class action litigation framework, as Russ and Pam Martens reported in March in Republicans Plan a Coup Today in the House, Gutting Established Class Action Law. (This is a longstanding trend. One significant step was taken in President George W. Bushs 2005 Class Action Fairness Act which I should point out, was passed with the assistance of some Democrats, including the vote of a certain junior Senator from the state of Illinois. But what had a far greater impact on class action litigation than this statutory change was a series of business-friendly legal decisions that have seriously constrained the ability of plaintiffs to recover significant punitive damages citing constitutional grounds. Sadly, I dont expect the newest Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to do anything that might arrest, let alone reverse, this trend.) I should mention two other areas of uncertainty. First, as I mentioned in my February post, litigation challenging the fiduciary rule as promulgated in April 2016 is pending. I wont hazard a guess as to how these suits could proceed, except to say any of them could upset the apple cart effectively preempting what the DOL would be able to do. And second, the 2010 DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Competitiveness act authorizes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue its own new fiduciary standards which would extend beyond the narrow area of retirement accounts to cover brokerage accounts more generally. The agency has yet to act on this authority. The SEC is unlikely to forge ahead on this issue at this point, since with only two of five sitting commissioners in place, agency activity is effectively stymied. That is particularly so on the issue of expanding fiduciary standards for brokers, as acting chairman Michael Piwowar has denounced the DOLs existing rule, and would be extremely unlikely to support any expansive SEC rule-making in this area (and even if the SEC were to proceed, it would take a minimum of years rather than weeks to develop new rules in this area.) Bottom Line So, for the moment, it looks like the DOL efforts on the fiduciary rule will remain the only game in town and well need to wait until June, to see what the agency decides to do next. Anger generated by the continued imposition of a one way traffic system on Ardfinnan Bridge will take to the streets on Saturday. The community are up in arms over the chaos caused by the one way system that has existed for eighteen months and are opposed to Tipperary County Council plans to make the one way system permanent. Hundreds of people attended a public meeting in the village last Friday night demanding that the bridge be repaired and returned to a two way traffic system with an independent pedestrian walk way provided. They expressed their frustration and decided to take their protest to the streets. In advance of that protest at 2pm on Saturday, a crucial meeting will take place this Friday between County Council officials, county councillors and TDs to discuss the issue. Deputy Mattie McGrath said he had brought Minister Shane Ross to inspect the bridge and he allocated 800,000, more than what the council wanted. This one way system has caused nothing only bedlam. We want the bridge back the way it was as a two way system. This is about a bridge in Ardfinnan and we are at the hands of County Council officials in Nenagh. They don't give a damm about Ardfinnan said Deputy McGrath. People have just had enough. This has gone on way too long and people cannot take any more of it. said community Council member Aidan McNamara . The County Council have behaved despicably on this issue, let it drag on and on. We want our bridge back the way it was. We don't want traffic lights or a footpath on the bridge which is what the council are proposing. We want it back the way it was with two way traffic, insisted Mr McNamara. The Community Council member said that the one way system on the bridge has been a nightmare for the village. It has been absolutely crazy. We had a funeral in the village recently and it was chaotic. It has caused severe disruptions for the public, the school and local business said Mr McNamara. The one way system is causing severe disruption to the business of Brett Brothers Ltd . The company which operates a retail feed, fertiliser and seed business beside the bridge and use its Ardfinnan branch as the principal harvest intake point for County Tipperary, have appealed for the bridge to be restored to a two way system. The company has called on the authorities to provide a two way system as the one way system created serious back up traffic and long delays . The company said one way was not satisfactory and it posed major problems when grain traffic is at a peak from July to September when 1,600 loads will be moving in and out of the branch. The company said the one way system imposed a significant inefficiency on their operations ands the company dreaded the prospect of operating under a one way system in the future. Chairperson of the ICMSAs Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, Pat Rohan, has stated that Tipperary farmers on designated land, including Hen Harrier areas, are being treated with contempt by the Government and its agencies. He says they are shifting responsibility from one Department to the other with farmers land effectively sterilised and useless and the farmers concerned are losing money on a daily basis as a consequence. Speaking after this weeks meeting of the Designated Areas Monitoring Committee, Mr Rohan said the Government and its agencies seem to have settled on a policy that involves designating land while totally ignoring the rights of the individual landowner and then failing miserably to properly compensate the landowners for the losses resulting from the severe restrictions that they, the Government, have put in place. The Government could forever avoid the stark choice this policy involved, he said, they must either address landowners concerns equitably and fairly or they must lift the designation. Thousands of farmers in every county in Ireland have found their farms designated for a variety of reasons that could include birds, raised bogs, pearl mussels and been subjected to a series of ongoing broken promises and empty assurances from the National Parks and Wildlife Services and Government Ministers. For example, over two years ago, the approximately 4500 farmers affected by a Hen Harrier designation were led to believe that the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan would deliver fairness for them after a prolonged period of confusion and arbitrary designation but then this initiative, in turn, became bogged down in ongoing delays and inaction. Farmers on designated land are subject to many severe restrictions on their farming activities - including an effective ban on afforestation. The net effect is that potential to earn an income from this land has been effectively wiped out coupled with the fact that the land is completely devalued as a result of the designation with many normal farm practices effectively banned. The farmers concerned are being treated with contempt - there is no other word for it, said Mr Rohan. The top award for script writing at the Irish Film and Television Awards has gone to Ballymacarbry man James Phelan. James won for the funny and clever script he wrote for the mini-series 'Wrecking the Rising' - a look at what happens when three history enthusiasts from 2016 find themselves transported back to the heart of the action in the Easter Rising in Dublin 1916. It was aired as part of the 1916 commemorations last year to critical and popular acclaim, and starred actor Peter Coonan, of Love Hate. James also wrote the script for the hit RTE drama from earlier this year 'Striking Out.' The star of that series, actress Amy Huberman, won the best actress in a lead role in a drama IFTA for her role. The IFTA Awards took place in the Mansion House in Dublin last night, Saturday, April 8. You can see highlights on RTE One this Tuesday at 10.15pm. Irish drama A Date for Mad Mary starring Seana Kerslake picked up two awards with The Siege of Jadotville taking home triple trophies. The Best Film Award went to A Date for Mad Mary, OA star Paddy Gibson took the Rising Star Award, and Oscar Nominees Ruth Negga and Consolata Boyle were both award recipients. This is not James's first IFTA nomination, he was nominated before for the first season of Galway Races. The Nationalist chatted to James Phelan a few weeks ago and he told us about this pride in his recent successes and his plans for the future - including a short film he will be making in his home county. He says IFTA have always been supportive of him. A determined Cork woman is on a mission to discover her Tipperary roots. Rose ODriscoll began piecing together a family tree a few years ago, but postponed its completion due to work commitments abroad. Now she has returned to Ireland for closure, resuming the reins of concluding a book on her Premier County family history and heritage. Rose, who was raised in Watergrasshill, Co. Cork, says her grandmother Margaret OMahony (nee Ryan) died in the 1990s. She was the daughter of James and Mary Ryan of Currana, Bansha, who both died in the 1960s. The couple also had a son called Michael Ryan, who also passed away in the 1990s, Rose tells the Nationalist. Rose's grandmother Margaret OMahony (nee Ryan). There may be people living in Bansha or did at some point who may have known my family, she continues. I want to speak to anyone who remembers the Ryans in Bansha or who has any connection to the extended family. Rose's great grandparents James and Mary Ryan of Currana, Bansha. I would like to get this project completed this year as I have the majority of the information unfolded already. It's just a matter of completing the dots further down the generation, she adds. Rose's great grandfather James Ryan. Rose can be contacted on 087-3901073. Clonmel World Music is back with a great show on Thursday, 13th April in Raheen House Hotel, Clonmel. They are delighted to welcome back The Henry Girls, from Donegal, who last played Clonmel World Music back in 2011. The Henry Girls have just released a new 13 track album, Far Beyond The Stars, and are currently on tour in Germany, Holland and the UK to promote the new album. After that they will be on a Spring tour around Ireland and Clonmel World Music are delighted to host the Tipperary launch of the new album. The Henry Girls are three sisters- Karen, Lorna and Joleen, and between them they play Harp, Accordian, Fiddle, Ukelele, Tin Whistle and Keyboard as well as beautiful harmony singing that only sisters can achieve. They are also joined by a Double Bass player on this album launch tour. In their own music, they have a unique rootsy sound which blends their native traditional Irish folk music with hints of americana, bluegrass and blues. They are renowned for their fine close harmonies and musical arrangements, and have been likened to such great musical acts as Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Dixie Chicks and The Be Good Tanyas. They write songs that are tuneful, catchy, and warm. Their repertoire is scattered with old and new and their style reflects many influences and tast There will be a special guest for the Clonmel show. Cian Smith is an Uileann piper from Ballymacarbery, in County Waterford. He is 12 years old and is a rising star in the trad world. He has played his pipes on the Late Late Show and has toured in America as well as winning numerous a Doors for the gig will open at 8.00pm. Cian Smith will play at 8.45, and The Henry Girls will take to the stage at 9pm prompt. Tickets for this great gig are on sale now, at only 15, and are available in Marians Bookshop. OConnell St. Clonmel , or from Gerry Lawless on 086 3389619.es. Sunday, April 09, 2017 by: Earl Garcia Tags: early puberty , pesticide , puberty This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author (Natural News) Environmental exposure to common pesticides speeds up the onset of puberty in boys, a new study found. Researchers at the Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China found that a class of pesticide called pyrethroid accounted for more than 30% of pesticide use around the world. Pyrethroids are commonly used both indoors and outdoors to kill mosquitoes and other bugs. The chemical is also sprayed on crops. Residential use and food intake were associated with pyrethroid in humans. Lead researcher Dr. Jing Liu said residues of this pesticide are most commonly found in milk, baby food, and vegetables. The chemical is a known endocrine-disruptor that affects the bodys hormones. Pyrethroid exposure in humans can be detected in urine as a metabolite, or molecule, called 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). For the study, researchers examined 463 Chinese boys ages nine to 16 years, and found that each 10% increase in 3-PBA was tied to a 4% increase in the levels of luteinizing hormones and follicle-stimulating hormones in participants. Both hormones are responsible for stimulating testosterone production in males. According to the study, higher urinary 3-PBA levels increased the odds of early puberty by 73 to 110%. We recognize pyrethroids as a new environmental contributor to the observed trend toward earlier sexual maturity in boys. This is the first study to provide evidence that environmental exposure to pyrethroidsis associated with measurable effects on male pubertal development. Given the growing use of pyrethroid insecticides, we must prudently assess these chemicals for their risks to childrens health, said Dr. Jing Liu, the studys lead researcher. Early puberty onset was associated with a host of adverse health conditions in adulthood such as certain types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and behavioral illnesses. The findings were presented at the Endocrine Societys 99th annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Study links early puberty to various health conditions Early onset puberty was associated with a plethora of illnesses in a 2015 study. Researchers from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge pooled data from the U.K. Biobank and found that early puberty in both boys and girls may raise the odds of various diseases such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease. Early puberty was also associated with an increased risk of other adverse medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, glaucoma, and psoriasis. The condition was also tied to elevated risk of depression in both men and women, and premature menopause in women. Furthermore, researchers found that participants who had the earliest onset of puberty had higher odds of developing diseases later in life compared with those who had later onsets. These participants were also at a 50% increased risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and poor overall health. Up until now, the link between early puberty and risk of disease has been blamed on weight and obesity, but our findings suggest that men and women of a normal weight who go through puberty relatively early or late may also carry these risks. Though a study of this kind cannot distinguish between cause and effect, other evidence does point to a causal link between puberty and certain diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, said lead author Dr. Felix Day. We are continuing to work to understand how puberty timing impacts later health and how this information may be used alongside efforts to support healthy lifestyle changes and prevent disease. It is important to note that the increase in disease risk attributable to puberty timing is still relatively modest and represents one of many factors that contribute to the overall risk of developing disease, said senior investigator Dr. John Perry. The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports. Sources: DailyMail.co.uk ScienceDaily.com Yahoo.com MRC.ac.uk Oakland firefighters rescued a man this afternoon after he became stuck in a tree he was trimming. A fire dispatcher said firefighters responded to 3220 Louise Street around 4:30 p.m. on reports of a man stuck in a tree 40 feet off the ground. A California Highway Patrol helicopter was called in to assist firefighters in safely removing the man from the tree, according to fire officials. He eventually was brought down on a ladder. Further information about how the man became stuck in tree or if there were any injuries was unavailable. Demonstrators held a rally on Saturday in Boston proudly proclaiming their beliefs that the United States should not get involved with Syrian affairs. Many of the people gathering at Boston Common were a part of the Syrian American Forum, a group of Syrian-Americans that aims to facilitate better relations between the two countries. Demonstrators waved flags and held signs that read, hands off Syria. We dont want Syria to be another Iraq again. Look what happened in Iraq, said demonstrator Salam Alam. The rally comes just days after President Donald Trumps approval of air strikes on a Syrian base following a chemical attack. President Trump places the blame for the attack on President of Syria Bashar Al-Assad. Assad claims it was terrorism and members of the Syrian American Forum agree. Why would anyone go and use chemical weapons against their own people? It doesnt make any sense to us, said Syrian American Forum member Ayad Salloum. Massachusetts lawmakers have a different opinion. Congressman Seth Moulton called the Presidents initial air strike on Syria the right thing to do. However, he believes It is Congress responsibility to authorities any additional use of military force in the future. We also need to have a debate about a new authorization for the use of military force, Moulton said. Both President Obama and President Trump are now operating under the post 9/11 authorization for the use of military force, which I think is outdated. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey says the focus should be on developing a comprehensive plan on dealing with the developing situation in Syria. Donald Trump must open negotiations immediately with Russia. They are the key party in insuring that the chemicals are removed. They are the key party insuring that a cease fire would be implemented, Markey says. Markey also added that President Trumps new found concern for the Syrian children being killed should be replaced by a concern for refugees living in those same streets. A Massachusetts resident, who attends college in Vermont, is recalling the chaos of the deadly attack in Stockholm, Sweden, last week. Julia Wood, of Arlington, is an Economics major at the University of Vermont. She is studying abroad this semester at Stockholm University. Wood says she was waiting for a friend in a store a few doors away on Friday when the stolen beer truck was driven into the upscale Ahlens department store at about 3 p.m. "There was the loudest crash came and I thought at first it was a display in the store that had fallen down but nothing had happened and people started panicking and talking in Swedish." Four people were killed in the crash and 15 others were injured. For the next hour, Wood and her friend huddled in the back of the store until they decided to walk the four miles back to their school. "Even after walking home, we couldn't believe that had happened because a terrorist attack isn't the first thing you think of," Wood recalled. Although it was a close call for Wood, she said she still feels Sweden is the safest to place to be in Europe. "I think I feel the same before all this happened. I still felt even safer walking at home at night here than I do at home and I live in a pretty safe community in Arlington." Massachusetts State Police are investigating two separate crashes, one of them fatal, that happened about a mile apart on Saturday night on Interstate 95 in Boxford. Authorities said they received numerous 911 calls just before 10 p.m. reporting that two vehicles were allegedly racing on the southbound side of the highway. Moments later, additional 911 calls reported a serious multi-vehicle crash on the northbound side at exit 53. From the initial reports that came in we knew it was a serious scene, said Boxford Fire Deputy Chief Michael Madden. When troopers arrived, an initial investigation indicated that a BMW convertible, driven by 38-year-old Michael Espinola of Peabody, was traveling at a high rate of speed and had crossed into oncoming traffic, striking an Acura MDX and a Honda Civic. Espinola was transported to Beverly Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The operator of the Acura, a 64-year-old man, and his passenger, a 64-year-old woman, both of North Hampton, New Hampshire, as well as the driver of the Honda, a 43-year-old Georgetown woman and her 12-year-old female passenger, were all transported to Beverly Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Essex County District Attorneys office is assisting with the investigation. A separate crash happened just down the highway at exit 52 a short time later. A car slammed into a tractor trailer which sent her car spinning off into the woods. The driver, a woman in her 30s, later struck a tree. She was trapped inside the car and firefighters had to use the jaws of life to free her, Chief Madden explained. She was rushed by helicopter the hospital with injuries considered to be life-threatening. The Boxford Fire Department is reminding drivers to obey the speed limit and drive carefully in light of these two serious accidents. One week after a husband and wife were found dead inside their suburban Chicago home, police say a suspect is in custody in connection with the "heinous" crime. Roger Scoby, 40, of Schaumburg, confessed to the crime that left Berwyn couple Ira and Tommie Moore dead, authorities announced Friday. Seventy-year-old Tommie Moore and 67-year-old Ira Moore were found dead in on their kitchen floor last Friday morning, according to authorities. Both had been shot and Tommie Moore had also been stabbed multiple times, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Police said investigators initially thought the couple may have died in a homicide-suicide, but the medical examiner's office said autopsies determined both were homicides. That's when authorities say an investigation led them to Scoby, who was taken into custody with the help of the United State's Marshal's Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. "He's known to them," said acting Chief Michael Cimaglia. "He's been at their home before. He's helped them out in the past." Police allege evidence was recovered from Scoby's apartment and from his vehicle, including two guns, one of which they claim belonged to the Moore's and was used in the murder. "A lot of physical evidence brought us our attention to the suspect on this one," said Det. Tom Tate, the lead investigator on the case. "Further investigation and interviews led us even closer." Scoby was charged with two counts of murder Friday and is expected to appear in bond court Saturday. In a statement, police say Ira Moore was a Vietnam Veteran. He and his wife had been married more than 20 years. "This was a very heinous crime against of two of our elderly people - residents - citizens in this town," Cimaglia said. "It was just awful." One person was shot and another assaulted outside of a bar in Hamden early Sunday morning, according to Hamden police. According to Hamden police, around 2:20 a.m. a fight started inside Slyce Pizza Bar, 141 Arch St., and escalated into the parking lot where one victim, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the back. Police say after the victim was shot, he drove himself about three blocks to Pine Rock Road and then called 9-1-1. His car was last seen sitting in the middle of the roadway, outside of Southern Connecticut State University. The car has several bullet holes in one side. Police believe the victim will survive his injuries. A second victim, a 28-year-old male, was assaulted, police said. It is possible the second victim was also struck by a car, though the exact circumstances are still under investigation. Police did not elaborate on the relationship, if any, between the victims. This is not the first time the bar has come under police scrutiny. In September 2016, Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra sent a letter to the Department of Consumer Protection urging the liquor commission not to extend Slyce Pizza Bars liquor license. At the time, more than 200 residents signed a petition agreeing with the chief. The petition and letter followed a April 2016 murder in the back parking lot of the pizza restaurant. This most recent incident is under investigation by the The Hamden Police Department Detective Division and Crime Scene Unit. Anyone with information should contact police at 203-230-4040. Connecticut State Police seized over two pounds of marijuana and arrested an East Hartford man during a traffic stop Friday evening. Karriem Holness, 34, faces charges of possession of marijuana and illegal sale of a controlled substance. Police said they pulled over Holness on Market Street in Hartford, near Interstate 84, around 5:10 p.m. Friday because troopers spotted him talking on a cell phone. During the stop they discovered that Holness did not have a valid license, and that there were narcotics inside the car. Police found 2.2 pounds of marijuana during a search of the car. Holness was arrested and later released after posting a $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 25. What to Know Sirens sounded between 11:42 p.m. and 1:20a.m. Cause is a hack believed to be from the Dallas area Sirens may sound again as system is brought back online The late night sounding of emergency warning sirens in the city of Dallas, Texas, was due to a hacker being able to access and repeatedly activate the system, Dallas city officials say. On Sunday Syed said in an email that engineers have been running silent test on the emergency warning system over the past 24 hours. The city expects to resume regular monthly testing in May. Outdoor warning sirens sounded in Dallas overnight Friday, causing alarm despite no severe weather or other active emergency in the area. The sirens were first heard at about 11:45 p.m., and sounded on and off intermittently across the city. "All 156 sirens in the city were activated last night," Dallas public information officer Sana Syed said. "It does appear at this time that it was a hack. We do believe that it was from the Dallas area." Someone was able to gain access to the system and activate the sirens, city officials said. [[418729243,C]] I was concerned because it was dark, and we didnt know if it was something we were driving into or walking into, Dart bus driver Billy Summers said. He was driving his route 466 through Oak Cliff and south Dallas when the sirens began to sound. Most of the people on the bus were concerned about what it was. I was too. I knew the weather wasnt bad, and it couldnt have been a test because it was going on for so long. I told my passengers not to panic, Summers said. Within the first 15 minutes of the sirens going off, emergency dispatchers received around 800 calls, and the longest wait time was six minutes, according to the citys public information officer. "From 11:30 [p.m.] to 3 a.m. we had around 4,400 calls come into the 911 call center. Just to give you a frame of reference, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. we normally get about half of that, Syed said. The system was finally shut down around 1:20 a.m. "First, we apologize to all of the citizens," Director of the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management Rocky Vaz said. "We did our very best. We shut down the system as quickly as possible, and now we have pinpointed one area where they were able to get into our system and activate the sirens." Officials originally said they expected to have the emergency sirens operational by Sunday or Monday. A tweet from Syed's official public Twitter account late Saturday said that the "outdoor warning system is now operational" and that "[m]ore safeguards [were] being put in place" this weekend. Her tweet indicated that more information would be available Sunday. The Trump administration opened a new military front Thursday when it ordered dozens of cruise missiles against a Syrian air base, adding to a growing list of recent U.S. military forays. A look at where the United States has fought in the 21st century: AFGHANISTAN After al-Qaida attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. led an invasion of Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban. Though the U.S. and NATO formally ended their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, the war now in its 16th year drags on. Some 8,400 American troops are deployed in Afghanistan, where they train the country's military and perform counterterrorism operations. IRAQ Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein. Bush's successor, President Barack Obama, pulled U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2011 after failing to reach an agreement with Baghdad to leave a residual U.S. force behind. But the U.S. sent troops back three years later after the Islamic State group, a successor to al-Qaida in Iraq, seized Iraqi territory and sought to declare an Islamic caliphate. DRONE WARS Under Obama, the U.S. dramatically increased the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, to launch counterterrorism strikes without the need for a large U.S. military presence on the ground. The CIA and Defense Department have launched strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya, some of them covert. Intense criticism from civil liberties advocates led Obama to create legal parameters for drone use that he hoped future presidents would respect. At least 117 civilians were killed from 2009 to 2016 by drone strikes outside of traditional warzones, the U.S. intelligence community has said. Other estimates place the toll higher. LIBYA The U.S. and European allies launched an air campaign in Libya in 2011, aiming to prevent atrocities by strongman Moammar Gadhafi against Arab Spring-inspired opponents. The bombing campaign toppled Gadhafi, but Libya slid into chaos and infighting. The Islamic State group later gained a foothold. The U.S. has continued to carry out airstrikes in Libya that Washington says has diminished the number of IS extremists operating there. ISIS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA After IS captured a wide swath of Iraq and Syria in 2014, Obama announced the U.S. could target the group "wherever they are." The U.S. started sending small numbers of military advisers to help Iraq's weakened military fight ISIS. The number has crept up to around 7,500 U.S. troops. IS has lost much of its former territory. In Syria, the U.S. has conducted airstrikes against ISIS since 2014. More recently, the U.S. has dispatched growing numbers of special operations forces to assist Kurdish and Arab forces fighting ISIS. Roughly 500 U.S. fighters are in Syria, plus additional, "temporary" forces that rotate through. SYRIA Even while fighting ISIS in Syria, the U.S. has avoided wading into Syria's civil war by directly confronting Syrian President Bashar Assad until now. On Thursday night, U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at an air base in response to a chemical weapons attack blamed on Assad's forces. The strikes mark the first direct U.S. attack on Syria's government, which has waged a six-year civil war against opposition groups. It also puts the U.S. into a de facto proxy battle with Russia's military, which is on the ground in Syria and has propped up Assad. Swedes questioned their country's welcoming immigration policies with pride and pain on Sunday after learning that an asylum-seeker from Uzbekistan was allegedly behind the truck rampage that killed four people, Stockholm's deadliest extremist attack in years. The Swedish capital was slowly, but resolutely, regaining its normal rhythm as details about the 39-year-old suspect in the attack emerged. Police said he had been ordered to leave Sweden in December because his request for a residence permit was rejected six months earlier. Instead, he allegedly went underground, eluding authorities' attempts to track down and deport him until a hijacked beer truck raced down a pedestrian street and rammed into an upscale department store on Friday. "It makes me frustrated," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told Swedish news agency TT on Sunday. The suspect, who has been detained on suspicion of terrorist offenses, was known known for having "been sympathetic to extremist organizations," Jonas Hysing of Sweden's national police said. A second person was arrested on the same potential charge Sunday, and four others were being held by police. None of them have been identified. Security officials in neighboring Norway, where a 17-year-old asylum-seeker from Russia was detained early Sunday in connection with an explosive device found near a busy subway station, spoke of the alarming potential for a copycat effect. Norwegian's security agency said it wasn't clear if the teen planned to carry out an attack with the primitive homemade device police defused without any injuries. Agency head Benedicte Bjornland said it was likely the youth had been inspired by recent attacks in Stockholm, France, Germany, Britain and Russia. "The attacks demonstrate how easy such attacks can be carried out, and prove to others that it is possible to make something similar," Bjornland said. Sweden has long been known for its open-door policy toward migrants and refugees. But after the Scandinavian country of 10 million took in a record 163,000 refugees in 2015 the highest per-capita rate in Europe the government has tried to be more selective about which newcomers it allows to stay. Swedish police said Sunday they had received roughly 12,500 referrals from the Swedish Migration Board of people who, like the suspect in the truck attack, had overstayed their welcome. The suspect eluded authorities by giving police a wrong address after his residency request was rejected in June 2016, said Hysing, the operative head of the attack investigation. "The efforts to locate (these people) is both time-consuming and resource-intensive," he said. National Coordinator Against Violent Extremism Anna Carlstedt, who used to lead the Red Cross in Sweden, said Friday's attack and the background of the suspect posed "difficult questions." "Do we somehow need a more repressive policy?" Carlstedt said. "I think it is very important now not to rush into something, to see how we can safeguard this open society and still be able to protect ourselves." The range of mixed emotions fear and fraternity, anger and openness, also surfaced at memorial services and rallies held in Stockholm on Sunday to honor the attack victims. Lars Holm, a 73-year-old Stockholm resident was visibly upset, after attending a service at Stockholm Cathedral. "If people who are here seeking asylum and treat us like this, it is not good," Holm said. "So now we have to have more security in our society, but still we don't like to live in bunkers." Addressing tens of thousands of people rallying in bright sunshine on the downtown Sergelstorg square, organizer Rickard Sjoberg noted that many in the crowd probably were from out of town. "But today, were all Stockholmers," he said to huge applause. The four victims killed included a British man, a Belgian woman and two Swedes, authorities in those countries said. Their identities were not released by Swedish officials. The British government named the Briton as Chris Bevington, an executive at Swedish music-streaming service Spotify. In Brussels, the Belga news agency said the Belgian woman had been reported missing before she was identified by her identity papers and later by DNA testing. As of Sunday, 10 of the 15 people wounded remained hospitalized, including one child. Stockholm county spokesman Patrik Soderberg said four of the 10 were considered "seriously" injured and the remaining six, including the child, were slightly injured. One of the wounded, an 83-year-old Romanian woman who was begging on the city's pedestrian Drottninggatan shopping street when the attack took place, said she was "surprised" that passers-by helped her. "I thought everyone would run past me and save themselves," Papusa Ciuraru, whose foot was crushed by a boulder displaced by the speeding truck, told the Expressen daily. The lion-shaped boulders on Drottninggatan are meant as roadblocks and have been put up in several European capitals after a truck attack last year killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin. Police and Sweden's intelligence have questioned some 500 people as part of the investigation, a senior police officer said. Sweden's SAPO security police said it was working to find "any abettor or network involved in the attack." The department store that was rammed by the truck apologized Sunday for an announcement that it would reopen two days after the deadly attack to sell damaged goods at a "reduced price." The Ahlens store described it as "a bad decision" on its Facebook page, saying its motivation "was born out of the idea of standing up for transparency and not allowing evil forces take control of our lives." The store said it would reopen Monday "without any damaged goods." Maryland lawmakers have approved a measure tightening state ethics laws. Gov. Larry Hogan, who proposed the bill, praised the legislature on Saturday for working in a bipartisan fashion. The Republican governor says he looks forward to signing the bill. The measure increases financial disclosure requirements for state elected officials, state public officials and lobbyists. It also expands the definition of a conflict of interest. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Democrat, added a provision Friday to increase the penalty for bribery to up to $10,000 in fines and 12 years in prison. The change came on the same day federal officials announced a wire fraud charge against Sen. Nathaniel Oaks of Baltimore for allegedly accepting illegal payments in exchange for using his position to benefit someone on business matters. Department of Justice records showed Maryland authorities are not taking advantage of federal funding under a nationwide initiative to help states address backlogs of untested rape kits. The Baltimore Sun reported records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed only Baltimore County applied for federal funding under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, and its request was rejected. The newspaper reported Maryland has 3,700 untested kits, but many police agencies said they haven't applied for funds, because they do not consider their untested kits to be a backlog. Among the reasons police said testing was unnecessary were that the suspect's identity was already known, investigators believed the accusation to be false, or the victim chose not to participate in a prosecution. What to Know Pamela Butler was 47 when she vanished from her home in Northwest D.C. in February 2009. Her ex-boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, was arrested Saturday and charged with her murder. The acting D.C. police chief praised the cold case unit for making the arrest after eight long years. Eight years after Pamela Butler disappeared without a trace, police sources say Butler's ex-boyfriend has been charged with killing her. Jose Rodriguez-Cruz was taken into custody late Friday in Arlington, Virginia. He faces a first-degree murder charge and is due in court Monday. The Environmental Protection Agency analyst was last seen Feb. 12, 2009, outside her home on Fourth Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. She was 47 when she disappeared. Butler's family has spent every day waiting for closure. "Wondering, not knowing every day. Is this going to be the day? This going to be the day? Never," said Thelma Butler, Pamela Butler's mother. The family had Pamela Butler declared legally dead in August, after she had been missing for more than seven years. Derrick Butler, her brother, said her family wanted to settle her affairs and is accepting that she is gone. The declaration allowed police to pursue murder charges when they made an arrest in the case. Surveillance cameras at Butler's home captured video of Rodriguez-Cruz entering and exiting in the days following her disappearance. It was not like Butler to vanish, her family said at the time. She had many routines and kept in close contact with her mother and sister. On Saturday, family members said they always thought Rodriguez-Cruz was tied to Pamela Butler's disappearance. "At least we know that we got the person that did it at this point. Doesn't make it any better for us, but it helps. And we know it's still a long road to go to finish this case, but we got there," Derrick Butler said. Acting D.C. police chief Peter Newsham praised the cold case unit for the arrest. "It was a fresh set of eyes on this case," Newsham said. "It is our belief this is a domestic violence case, but we can't get into it at this time." D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the Butler family's persistence and dedication also helped in the case. "They have been focused on keeping Pamela's story in everybody's attention," Bowser said. The chief said Rodriguez-Cruz waived extradition from Virginia and is in the custody of the Metropolitan Police Department. He will be held until he appears in court to face the charges. Thousands marched through downtown towards City Hall Sunday as part of the Dallas Mega March. Most streets closed for the march have reopened as participants have gathered at city hall to hear from various speakers, including Martin Luther King III. While Dallas police said an attendance estimate wouldn't be given until after the event had ended, the crowd appeared noticeably smaller than the last march in 2006. Police said the march was peaceful, and there were no immediate reports of arrests or other incidents. A few counter-protesters were on hand for the march, and at least one held a flag supporting President Donald Trump. VIDEO: Several Pres Trump supporters on one side, 'no borders, no nations' people on the other #dallasmegamarch2017 pic.twitter.com/5VZE18yKnU Homa Bash (@HomaBashWEWS) April 9, 2017 Organizers of the Dallas Mega March held a news conference in Oak Cliff Friday to discuss plans for Sunday's march for immigration reform and racial equality. The organizers of the march said they are, "calling for real immigration reform and an end to aggressive deportation efforts that have separated families, targeted DACA students and left our communities in fear. We are calling for an end to executive orders that have discriminated against our Muslim brothers and sisters based on their faith. We are calling for an end to hate crimes and hate speech that have increased since the election, and we want to join together and send a message that hate has no place in our nation." "The 2017 Dallas Mega March is centered on the themes of family, unity and empowerment. Participants are asked to carry American flags and wear red, white and blue in solidarity," organizers said. NBC 5 spoke with Martin Luther King III about the message he wanted to share with people at the Dallas Mega March. A number of politicians, celebrities and activists are expected to speak at the event including Martin Luther King III, actors Danny Glover and Jamie Foxx, Texas Congressmen Marc Veasey, Beto O'Rourke and Joaquin Castro, and a host of others. A comprehensive list can be found here. Dallas Police/Google/NBC 5 News Weve been, for almost two months, planning with the Dallas Police Department to make sure that our security concerns are addressed. We want to make sure we have a peaceful, non-violent march thats positive, said organizer Domingo Garcia. Garcia said Friday there will be approximately 1,000 officers from Dallas Police Department and Dallas County Sheriffs Office on hand. Garcia also said they have spoken with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and they have been assured ICE will not be at or near the march on Sunday. Sunday's march started at the Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Ross Avenue and Pearl Street and moved westbound to N. Griffin Street. It then proceeded southbound on Griffin Street to eastbound Young Street. The march ended at City Hall Plaza, where a rally was held. Final preparations are being made ahead of the Dallas Mega March on Sunday in downtown Dallas. The gunman responsible for the shooting inside of a gym in Florida that left one person dead and another in critical condition has Massachusetts ties. Officials say the shooter, Abeku Wilson, opened fire inside the Equinox gym in Coral Gables, Florida around 1 p.m. on Saturday. Witnesses describe a chaotic scene inside the Village of Merrick Park where the gym is located. You never imagine you can be in one meter from one of those, said one witness. We thought there was just a shooter, shooting people randomly, so it was the most horrific experience we ever had, another witness commented According to police the suspect walked into the gym and shot his former manager along with another trainer. The trainer was left in critical condition, but the manager died. Shortly after, Wilson shot and killed himself. Former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff identified the manager at the gym as Janine Ackerman and Mario Hortis as the trainer. Wilson was raised in Boston before he moved to South Florida to go to college. It is unclear how long he lived in Boston. Two high school students in Massachusetts are facing animal cruelty charges after mutilating a mouse and posting pictures of it online. The two teenagers purchased a mouse from Petco then posted graphic images of themselves mutilating the animal on a plate, Ludlow Police Sergeant Daniel Valadas told WWLP-TV. When students started sharing the photos on social media, police got involved. Sergeant Valadas spoke with officials from Ludlow High School and started to investigate. Its shocking to see students, young people involved in that type of activity, outside of the lab setting and no real reason to do something like that to an animal that you just purchased said Sergeant Valadas. Its our duty to bring this forward to court, and were going to do so. If convicted, the 17-year-old female and 18-year-old Ludlow teenagers could face up to 7 years in prison in addition to a fine of up to $5,000. Ludlow police plan to file a criminal summons in Palmer District Court on Monday. Imagine it being nearly midnight and the emergency warning sirens start wailing and continue to scream for about an hour and a half. Thats what happened in Dallas on Friday at 11:42 p.m. The citys 156 emergency sirens blasted out warnings and continued to wail until 1:17 a.m. on Saturday. Dallas officials claim the siren warning system was hacked, and it was one of the largest breaches of an emergency siren system. + Also on Network World: The day the 911 network stood still + At first, a city spokesperson blamed the blaring sirens on a system malfunction. The 1.6 million people in the city were asked to stop calling 911 because there was no emergency. The normal wait time for a 911 call in Dallas is reportedly 10 seconds, but at one point the 911 system was so clogged with calls that the wait time stretched to six minutes. The Dallas FBI attempted to calm people down by tweeting that the emergency sirens were malfunctioning and there was neither severe weather nor an active emergency. Yet since it wasnt storming, some people mistook the blaring sirens as a warning sign of a bomb or something, a missile, according to Sana Syed, the city's public information officer. She told The New York Times, I can understand the concern and noted the recent airstrikes in Syria. Dallas fire dispatch crews had to manually shut down the sirens radio system and repeaters. Dallass Office of Emergency Management engineers worked through the night to determine what triggered the sirens. They decided to blame a hacker. We can state at this time that the city's siren system was hacked Friday night, Syed said in a press statement. For security reasons, we cannot discuss the details of how this was done, but we do believe that the hack came from the Dallas area. We have notified the FCC for assistance in identifying the source of this hack. We are putting in safeguards to ensure this type of hack does not happen again. She added, Every time we thought we had turned it off, the sirens would sound again, because whoever was hacking us was continuously hacking us. City Emergency Management Director Rocky Vaz told Reuters, The sirens went through 15 cycles of a 90-second activation before they were shut down. He added, This is a very, very rare event and cited industry experts as saying the hack was among the largest ever to affect emergency sirens. Where the hackers got in While city officials dont know who hacked the system, Vaz added that officials have a good deal of confidence that this was someone outside our system. According to NBC News, Vaz claimed, We have now pinpointed it to one area where we think they were able to get into our system and activate all the sirens, and put that into a mode where they sent signals for it to be activated over 60 times. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called the hack an attack on our emergency notification system. We will work to identify and prosecute those responsible. Mayor Rawlings added, This is yet another serious example of the need for us to upgrade and better safeguard our citys technology infrastructure. Its a costly proposition, which is why every dollar of taxpayer money must be spent with critical needs such as this in mind. Making the necessary improvements is imperative for the safety of our citizens. Dallas News reported that the system is being safeguarded from another hack, but it is expected to be restored Sunday or Mondayin time for thunderstorms that are expected to begin rolling through the area early next week. Lets hope there isnt a tornado or other severe weather before the system is reactivatedand that people won't blow off the sirens the next time they start screaming. Newbury man takes on challenge to raise funds for charity A 70-year-old Newbury man who has battled Parkinsons disease for six years is to pull on his walking boots to raise money for charity. Peter Sidell, who lives in Oxford Road, Donnington, will be joined by his wife Ali to tackle a 6.5-mile hike around Welford Park on Sunday to raise cash for the Parkinsons UK charity. It will be the second time Mr Sidell has taken on the challenge. Last year his walk around the park the location of the TV series The Great British Bake Off raised 1,670. During his walk, Mr Sidell and others will cross the River Lambourn, see the historic building and explore woodland before crossing the fields and taking in the countryside views. Mr Sidell said: The time and the date I was diagnosed was a life-changing moment that I and my family have learned to live with ever since. We try to stay positive and active and exercise as much as possible. We like walking as a family and are looking forward to taking part in the Walk for Parkinsons again to raise as much money as possible for the charity. I support Parkinsons UK because I want a cure, or at least to find some drugs to help fight the condition. Mr Sidell is a member of the Newbury Parkinsons UK group, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Thursday next week. To celebrate, there will be a free afternoon tea party with guest speakers at Park House School in Newbury as part of Parkinsons Awareness Week. Entry fee is 10 for adults and 5 for under 16s. The funds raised by Walk for Parkinsons Welford Park will help Parkinsons UK to provide support and information for people affected by Parkinsons and to help find better treatments, and ultimately a cure. By IANS NEW DELHI: A complaint was filed against Arjun Rampal for allegedly assaulting a man in a club here on early Sunday, the city police said. But the actor claims the news is "untrue". Arjun tweeted on Sunday: "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Man! Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone. Untrue. Fake news." The incident occurred at Club Privee in a complex at Ashoka Road around 3.30 a.m. on Sunday. According to the complaint, Arjun got infuriated over a photographer trying to click his photos. He allegedly snatched the camera and threw it, which then hit Shobhit, the complainant, on his head and injured him. "(Arjun) Rampal allegedly attacked a man with camera. An investigation is being done," Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Verma told IANS. According to the police, the CCTV footage of the club is being investigated. "I do not know why he threw the camera. I have lodged a police complaint but no action has been taken so far," said Shobhit. In his tweet, Arjun termed it as a "fake news" NEW DELHI: A complaint was filed against Arjun Rampal for allegedly assaulting a man in a club here on early Sunday, the city police said. But the actor claims the news is "untrue". Arjun tweeted on Sunday: "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Man! Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone. Untrue. Fake news." The incident occurred at Club Privee in a complex at Ashoka Road around 3.30 a.m. on Sunday. According to the complaint, Arjun got infuriated over a photographer trying to click his photos. He allegedly snatched the camera and threw it, which then hit Shobhit, the complainant, on his head and injured him. "(Arjun) Rampal allegedly attacked a man with camera. An investigation is being done," Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Verma told IANS. According to the police, the CCTV footage of the club is being investigated. "I do not know why he threw the camera. I have lodged a police complaint but no action has been taken so far," said Shobhit. In his tweet, Arjun termed it as a "fake news" Akhila Krishnamurthy By In 2015, Chicago-based contemporary dancer Shirley Mordine became curious about the role of ageing dancers in a society that often focused on the youth. This curiosity then became the starting point of an exploration in differences and tensions between generations, cultures, environmental and climatic changes for the artist, who is also the founder of Mordine & Co Dance Theatre.In a sense, the Collisions project started then, she says, sitting at Spaces in Chennai, a practice and performance arena housed within the beautiful home of late contemporary dancer and choreographer Chandralekha.Shirley landed in Chennai from the United States two weeks ago, with the intent to explore and deliberate on the original idea of the Collisions project with two other artistsBharatanatyam dancer Hema Rajagopalan, who is founder of Natya Dance Theatre in Chicago, and Mumbai-based Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo. This is a collision of cultures through three different sources of art practice, Shirley adds. The project also explores generations as Hema, Astad and I have long legacies and bodies of work in our respective forms. And each one of us will bring a new professional dancer to join us in this project. In the last week of March, at Spaces in Chennai, a group of dancersboth classical and contemporaryas well as practitioners of theatre and movement, engaged in an evening of exploration, movement and conversations with the three famous dancers. Three days later, the three artists and their very talented dancers, again showcased excerpts of the idea of how Collisions as a work could bloom into, at Atelier in Delhi. Having spent four decades creating and performing Bharatanatyam, Rajagopalan and Mordine have collaborated several times in the past. Yet, this work, Hema believes, is one-of-a-kind because its the first time that they will work with Deboo.From a collaboration point of view, Rajagopalan and Mordine believe that Deboo will provide another layer to the collaboration that will allow them to go deeper. What is interesting is also the points of intersection and convergence. Deboo and Mordine work in contemporary forms but with a different lineage; Rajagopalan and Deboo are both Indians with a similar cultural context. This an opportunity for Shirley to soak in Indian culture. We hope that the immersion will churn out some thoughts and we will be able to create some new movements, says Hema. They all will meet again in August in Chicago to experience the process of three art forms coming together. Hema says, I feel that whenever I work with another genre or style of dance or artist, my own art and my perspective of my own work expands and evolves. From the creation point of view, for the artists, it is an opportunity to be inspired by each other, and the possibility of a meaningful engagement that could change and enrich their direction. Shirley says, Id also like to reiterate the importance of the historical perspective that Bharatanatyam brings to this project. American contemporary choreography has a much shorter history and a different historical perspective as compared to Bharatanatyam. For audiences, Collisions is an idea and work worth reflecting upon. Its very relevant in todays context as diverse people, culturally, generationally and geographically intersect so often, says Hema. In 2015, Chicago-based contemporary dancer Shirley Mordine became curious about the role of ageing dancers in a society that often focused on the youth. This curiosity then became the starting point of an exploration in differences and tensions between generations, cultures, environmental and climatic changes for the artist, who is also the founder of Mordine & Co Dance Theatre.In a sense, the Collisions project started then, she says, sitting at Spaces in Chennai, a practice and performance arena housed within the beautiful home of late contemporary dancer and choreographer Chandralekha.Shirley landed in Chennai from the United States two weeks ago, with the intent to explore and deliberate on the original idea of the Collisions project with two other artistsBharatanatyam dancer Hema Rajagopalan, who is founder of Natya Dance Theatre in Chicago, and Mumbai-based Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo. This is a collision of cultures through three different sources of art practice, Shirley adds. The project also explores generations as Hema, Astad and I have long legacies and bodies of work in our respective forms. And each one of us will bring a new professional dancer to join us in this project. In the last week of March, at Spaces in Chennai, a group of dancersboth classical and contemporaryas well as practitioners of theatre and movement, engaged in an evening of exploration, movement and conversations with the three famous dancers. Three days later, the three artists and their very talented dancers, again showcased excerpts of the idea of how Collisions as a work could bloom into, at Atelier in Delhi. Having spent four decades creating and performing Bharatanatyam, Rajagopalan and Mordine have collaborated several times in the past. Yet, this work, Hema believes, is one-of-a-kind because its the first time that they will work with Deboo.From a collaboration point of view, Rajagopalan and Mordine believe that Deboo will provide another layer to the collaboration that will allow them to go deeper. What is interesting is also the points of intersection and convergence. Deboo and Mordine work in contemporary forms but with a different lineage; Rajagopalan and Deboo are both Indians with a similar cultural context. This an opportunity for Shirley to soak in Indian culture. We hope that the immersion will churn out some thoughts and we will be able to create some new movements, says Hema. They all will meet again in August in Chicago to experience the process of three art forms coming together. Hema says, I feel that whenever I work with another genre or style of dance or artist, my own art and my perspective of my own work expands and evolves. From the creation point of view, for the artists, it is an opportunity to be inspired by each other, and the possibility of a meaningful engagement that could change and enrich their direction. Shirley says, Id also like to reiterate the importance of the historical perspective that Bharatanatyam brings to this project. American contemporary choreography has a much shorter history and a different historical perspective as compared to Bharatanatyam. For audiences, Collisions is an idea and work worth reflecting upon. Its very relevant in todays context as diverse people, culturally, generationally and geographically intersect so often, says Hema. Sunita Raghu By In February, Irish Walsamma tied the knot at his fiancee Hithas ancestral home in Perambra, Kozhikode, Kerala, sans any fanfare. A tree-planting was followed by a traditional lunch. Last year in December in Thane, Maharashtra, on the occasion of her sons wedding, animal lover Prabha had a stall with a dozen stray puppies being given away for adoption. Another stall at the venue displayed Indian plant species, mostly medicinal. For every Gali Janardhan Reddy, who spent millions to get his daughter wed, there are scores of young, educated individuals in the country who have begun to welcome simple and intimate weddings, spurning the glamour and hullabaloo of the big fat Indian wedding. While the institution of marriage is still held sacrosanct, the mindless spending that goes on in the name of marriage, and the need to appear lavish and extravagant are being questioned and challenged by unmarried and to-be married youngsters. According to a recent online survey conducted by Tata Capital, the personal finance company that watches for trends in spending habits, over two-thirds of the 2,500 respondents preferred a simple or intimate wedding with an average 74 per cent wanting to spend less than `10 lakh. Another finding states that youngsters are increasingly financing their own weddings, perhaps giving them greater autonomy over how they might want to conduct it. Recently, Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan set the cat among the pigeons when she moved a Private Members Bill in Parliament that sought to curtail the lavishness of Indian weddings. The bill among other things sought to limit expenses to `5 lakh each for the brides and grooms families. The `1 lakh crore wedding industry may not have felt amused, although the bill will most likely come to naught on account of legal issues and the infringement on the personal affairs of citizens. Sunish P Surendran But individuals across the country are already setting the tone for simple, no-frills wedding. Take for instance the 30-something Hyderabad-based couple Sashi Kiran Tikka and his wife, Poornima Deepika, who solemnised their wedding at a simple ceremony in June last year by spending just `10,000. A few close friends and both our parents were invited. We got married at a small hall in a restaurant in Madhapur and it was a two-hour affair, recalls Sashi. The simple marriage was prompted by the desire to create a corpus using the money that they might have spent on a conventional wedding and use the interest accruing on it to feed needy children every year on their wedding anniversary. Sashi, a filmmaker who is in the process of directing his first feature film, met Poornima, a software engineer, through a marriage portal. The common ground for us was our both being vegans. Our ideology of causing no harm to any being connected us instantly. We are also firm believers of zero wastage of food, explains Sashi. The couple will identify needy children and provide them one meal on their wedding anniversary every year. We plan to eventually build it as a trust that will feed children even in our absence, beams Sashi. The couple is also keen on adopting children and promoting the idea of veganism. Couples are not only sure about how they want to celebrate their big day, they are also financing their own weddings. Says wedding planner Rekha Rangaraj, who is a partner at Sumyog, one of the leading wedding planners in Chennai: Many of these youngsters from middle class families study abroad, start working there and often end up choosing their own life partners. Prabhas son Karthik and daughter-in-law Swathi with guests and their pets Being exposed to a global landscape, they do not want to do what their parents can afford or fancy. Their ideas are inspired from Pinterest and Google images, and they have a pretty good idea of what they want. Also, they are careful spenders and mind exactly where their money is going. While austerity has begun to crown many a wedding, green weddings are also getting the thumbs-up. The idea is to cause as less harm to the environment as possible. Sriram, one of the directors at Haritham Events, another Chennai-based wedding planning firm, shares details of the many green weddings they have organised. Our clients are in total agreement with the eco-friendly practices that we recommend. We pick resorts that recycle water; we have used mud pots, banana and palm leaves for plates, copper tumblers in place of plastic and paper cups. We use LED and low power-consuming electrical equipment, which reduce 50-60 per cent load on electricity. In the case of a beach wedding, we gave out handmade fans created from bamboo/cloth. After pooling relevant addresses together, we also arranged common transport for the guests. When Irish decided to become an environmental crusader, all his dreams for a big lavish wedding melted away. He realised that many of the luxuries were being drawn at the cost of nature. So he and his bride Hitha kept the ceremony simple, even abstaining from buying new clothes for the occasion. The guests, of course, had their hands full planting trees! Societal pressure, says Irish, forces people to opt for lavish weddings. If you dont send off your daughter with much gold on her, it means you dont have any savings. It becomes the talk of the town. I was lucky to find parents-in-law who were willing to resist such pressure, he says. N B Nirmals son Manoj with wife Madhu Much before the words big and fat came to be prefixed to Indian weddings, Kannada poet, critic and thinker Kuvempu had chosen to create a distinct model to promote simple low-cost marriages, He called it Mantra which were codified into a book. The MM wedding disallows dowry and recognises marriages across castes and religions, with expenses being kept to a minimal. Prashanth Hulukodu and his bride Manjula Masthikatte had an MM wedding in Shimoga, Karnataka, just a day before demonetisation was announced on November 8 last year. Recalls Prashanth, Our marriage was devoid of any rituals or priest, as we read from the book Mantra Mangalya. We had rented out a small space and around 200 people had come to attend. Manjula elaborates, A purohit-like person read out from the book, and we followed. Together as husband and wife we took oaths. The book basically lays down the guidelines to be followed by both husband and wife. Their parents wanted them to have a lavish wedding. But we begged off as we did not believe in the umpteen rituals, the photo sessions and the unnecessary expenses that accompany such weddings, Manjula recalls. According to Prashanth, MM weddings have become extremely popular these days. The blatant display of wealth and unnecessary spending via marriages have made people socially-conscious and have prompted them to use marriage as an occasion to give back to society. Cultural impresario Soorya Krishnamoorthy, the founder-director of the SOORYA Stage and Film Society, based in Thiruvananthapuram, opted for a simple marriage for his Civil Services Academy trainee daughter Sita when she told him she wanted to marry and settle down. Soorya says only payasam (kheer) and unniyappam (a sweet) would be served to the guests at the wedding that will take place in May. There would be no drinks, no show of gold, cars or even a decorated mandapam. The money, instead, would be spent on educating financially-backward engineering students. I have always shied away from pompous events where wealth is flaunted. Normally at weddings, there is so much wastage of food with thousands of guests arriving and many leaving with one complaint or the other. If you keep a wedding simple, you can prevent all this. I just want my daughter and son-in-law to receive the innocent blessings of the people, says Soorya. The wedding, to be held at his ancestral home, will be solemnised in the presence of his daughters guru Pir Mohammed; foster mother and eminent Kerala poetess Sugathakumari; noted filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan; and three other members of Sooryas family. Sita shares her fathers idea of philanthropy. Harithams Sriram recounts a recent incident, where a couple fed an entire village during their wedding. We managed the wedding in a village called Kelur in Tamil Nadu where there were around 250 families. We were told to invite everyone in the village and that no one need to cook food at their home. The wedding was a four-day event and the villagers made the most of it, he says. Similarly when entrepreneur Surabhi Hodigere got married to Hemant Gaule, deputy dean at Indian School of Communication and Reputation in Gurugram, hundreds of children were invited to dance, eat, drink and make merry on their big day. Just a day before the wedding, Surabhi made an announcement on Facebook inviting lesser-privileged children and requested her friends to do the same, besides contacting two NGOs. Guests were urged to get gifts for the children. Says Surabhi, Our friends got goodies like toys, clothes; organised activities like musical shows, mehendi workshops, dance, face painting, origami and games for the children. We had a traditional marriage ceremony in the morning with friends and family, followed by a reception where our guests were those children. She adds, I contacted Bengaluru-based Samarthanam Trust, which works with differently-abled children and Nele Foundation that works with abandoned children. It was important that they participated in our joy on the big day. Surabhis gesture had many contacting her to replicate what she did during her wedding. When Chennai-based environmentalist and social worker N B Nirmals son Manoj got married a few years ago, it was a unique event. Given Nirmals environmental activism, a green wedding was hardly a surprise. But when guests came across a painting exhibition by disabled persons, it was a novel experience. Recalls the 70-plus Nirmal, I was once invited to a painting exhibition by differently-abled people and later when I asked them how it went off, they said that they were in the minus. So I thought why not invite them to exhibit their work during an occasion when there would be an audience ready at hand. The guests were urged to visit the exhibition before they came to wish the couple. Not only did the exhibition net a tidy sum, the differently-abled children were part of a music band and a prominent sweet-maker gave them clothes as well as food. It was a win-win all the way. If you give someone a flower bouquet, they will remember you for that moment, but if you give a person a potted plant, he will remember you as long as the plant is there, says Nirmal, whose wish was to sow seeds of change and his sons wedding presented him an opportunity. A wedding might give some a good excuse to flaunt their money but many are also using it as an occasion to highlight their interests and passions. Animal lover and activist Prabha made the most of her son Karthiks wedding in Thane when she tied up with an NGO, which volunteered to bring a dozen stray puppies to the venue and put them up for adoption. Says Prabha, I have been an animal activist all my life. I regularly sterilise stray dogs, medicate them when necessary and I thought this was a good occasion to spread awareness about them. I also wanted to sensitise people about the need not to bring foreign breeds here as they are not used to the local climate and suffer. When people want a dog, they just go and buy one instead of adopting one of the many Indian dogs (strays) that are looking for a home. We had some 500 guests and I thought we could create interest regarding the dogs. Similarly, animal rights and vegan activist Anand Siva, who works as principal consultant with Gain Theory, part of the British multinational advertising and public relations company WPP, was firm that his daughters wedding would be vegan. My entire family has been vegan for many years. Its a lifestyle and a commitment. Even when we have guests, we dont serve anything non-vegetarian. There was no way we would have changed it for the wedding, says Anand. Eventually, his son-in-law and the latters parents converted to veganism after realising its merit. Besides, it was also an organic, eco-friendly wedding. We held the wedding outdoors, away from air-conditioning. The resort in Kolhapur we had chosen recycles 70 per cent of its water and is solar-powered. It was a plastic-free wedding. We wanted to maintain a reasonably fair carbon footprint, says Anand. Being animal lovers themselves, guests were allowed to bring their pets and they had the run of the place. The guests had resigned themselves to a solemn affair but we did not compromise on anything. There was payasam, dahi vada, ice cream on the menu. The 300-odd guests witnessed a cruelty-free wedding while we earned the love of animals, he says. So does it mean goodbye to the big fat Indian wedding? I dont think so. However, in case of big-budget weddings, the credo of less is more has crept in. There is simplicity and elegance though it does not necessarily translate into low budgets. Personally, I dont think there is anything like a simple wedding. In the case of NRI weddings, the guests, many of them foreigners, who come from all over, are given the big fat Indian wedding experience, shares wedding-planner Rangaraj. It appears that couples nowadays are joining in holy matrimony in ways that would have once seemed unimaginable. With inputs from Sangeeta Bora, Rajitha S, Princy Alexander and Sujitha J The `500-cr Affair Karnataka politician and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy hosted one of Indias biggest and fattest weddings in November last year, when his daughter Brahmani tied the knot with Rajiv Reddy, son of the Hyderabad-based businessman Vikram Deva Reddy. The wedding was touted to be a `500-crore affair, with the invite alone costing `5 crore and up to 50,000 guests in attendance. The brides red Kanjeepuram half-saree reportedly cost `17 crore and the diamond jewellery she donned was worth `90 crore. In February, Irish Walsamma tied the knot at his fiancee Hithas ancestral home in Perambra, Kozhikode, Kerala, sans any fanfare. A tree-planting was followed by a traditional lunch. Last year in December in Thane, Maharashtra, on the occasion of her sons wedding, animal lover Prabha had a stall with a dozen stray puppies being given away for adoption. Another stall at the venue displayed Indian plant species, mostly medicinal. For every Gali Janardhan Reddy, who spent millions to get his daughter wed, there are scores of young, educated individuals in the country who have begun to welcome simple and intimate weddings, spurning the glamour and hullabaloo of the big fat Indian wedding. While the institution of marriage is still held sacrosanct, the mindless spending that goes on in the name of marriage, and the need to appear lavish and extravagant are being questioned and challenged by unmarried and to-be married youngsters. According to a recent online survey conducted by Tata Capital, the personal finance company that watches for trends in spending habits, over two-thirds of the 2,500 respondents preferred a simple or intimate wedding with an average 74 per cent wanting to spend less than `10 lakh. Another finding states that youngsters are increasingly financing their own weddings, perhaps giving them greater autonomy over how they might want to conduct it. Recently, Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan set the cat among the pigeons when she moved a Private Members Bill in Parliament that sought to curtail the lavishness of Indian weddings. The bill among other things sought to limit expenses to `5 lakh each for the brides and grooms families. The `1 lakh crore wedding industry may not have felt amused, although the bill will most likely come to naught on account of legal issues and the infringement on the personal affairs of citizens. Sunish P Surendran But individuals across the country are already setting the tone for simple, no-frills wedding. Take for instance the 30-something Hyderabad-based couple Sashi Kiran Tikka and his wife, Poornima Deepika, who solemnised their wedding at a simple ceremony in June last year by spending just `10,000. A few close friends and both our parents were invited. We got married at a small hall in a restaurant in Madhapur and it was a two-hour affair, recalls Sashi. The simple marriage was prompted by the desire to create a corpus using the money that they might have spent on a conventional wedding and use the interest accruing on it to feed needy children every year on their wedding anniversary. Sashi, a filmmaker who is in the process of directing his first feature film, met Poornima, a software engineer, through a marriage portal. The common ground for us was our both being vegans. Our ideology of causing no harm to any being connected us instantly. We are also firm believers of zero wastage of food, explains Sashi. The couple will identify needy children and provide them one meal on their wedding anniversary every year. We plan to eventually build it as a trust that will feed children even in our absence, beams Sashi. The couple is also keen on adopting children and promoting the idea of veganism. Couples are not only sure about how they want to celebrate their big day, they are also financing their own weddings. Says wedding planner Rekha Rangaraj, who is a partner at Sumyog, one of the leading wedding planners in Chennai: Many of these youngsters from middle class families study abroad, start working there and often end up choosing their own life partners. Prabhas son Karthik and daughter-in-law Swathi with guests and their pets Being exposed to a global landscape, they do not want to do what their parents can afford or fancy. Their ideas are inspired from Pinterest and Google images, and they have a pretty good idea of what they want. Also, they are careful spenders and mind exactly where their money is going. While austerity has begun to crown many a wedding, green weddings are also getting the thumbs-up. The idea is to cause as less harm to the environment as possible. Sriram, one of the directors at Haritham Events, another Chennai-based wedding planning firm, shares details of the many green weddings they have organised. Our clients are in total agreement with the eco-friendly practices that we recommend. We pick resorts that recycle water; we have used mud pots, banana and palm leaves for plates, copper tumblers in place of plastic and paper cups. We use LED and low power-consuming electrical equipment, which reduce 50-60 per cent load on electricity. In the case of a beach wedding, we gave out handmade fans created from bamboo/cloth. After pooling relevant addresses together, we also arranged common transport for the guests. When Irish decided to become an environmental crusader, all his dreams for a big lavish wedding melted away. He realised that many of the luxuries were being drawn at the cost of nature. So he and his bride Hitha kept the ceremony simple, even abstaining from buying new clothes for the occasion. The guests, of course, had their hands full planting trees! Societal pressure, says Irish, forces people to opt for lavish weddings. If you dont send off your daughter with much gold on her, it means you dont have any savings. It becomes the talk of the town. I was lucky to find parents-in-law who were willing to resist such pressure, he says. N B Nirmals son Manoj with wife Madhu Much before the words big and fat came to be prefixed to Indian weddings, Kannada poet, critic and thinker Kuvempu had chosen to create a distinct model to promote simple low-cost marriages, He called it Mantra which were codified into a book. The MM wedding disallows dowry and recognises marriages across castes and religions, with expenses being kept to a minimal. Prashanth Hulukodu and his bride Manjula Masthikatte had an MM wedding in Shimoga, Karnataka, just a day before demonetisation was announced on November 8 last year. Recalls Prashanth, Our marriage was devoid of any rituals or priest, as we read from the book Mantra Mangalya. We had rented out a small space and around 200 people had come to attend. Manjula elaborates, A purohit-like person read out from the book, and we followed. Together as husband and wife we took oaths. The book basically lays down the guidelines to be followed by both husband and wife. Their parents wanted them to have a lavish wedding. But we begged off as we did not believe in the umpteen rituals, the photo sessions and the unnecessary expenses that accompany such weddings, Manjula recalls. According to Prashanth, MM weddings have become extremely popular these days. The blatant display of wealth and unnecessary spending via marriages have made people socially-conscious and have prompted them to use marriage as an occasion to give back to society. Cultural impresario Soorya Krishnamoorthy, the founder-director of the SOORYA Stage and Film Society, based in Thiruvananthapuram, opted for a simple marriage for his Civil Services Academy trainee daughter Sita when she told him she wanted to marry and settle down. Soorya says only payasam (kheer) and unniyappam (a sweet) would be served to the guests at the wedding that will take place in May. There would be no drinks, no show of gold, cars or even a decorated mandapam. The money, instead, would be spent on educating financially-backward engineering students. I have always shied away from pompous events where wealth is flaunted. Normally at weddings, there is so much wastage of food with thousands of guests arriving and many leaving with one complaint or the other. If you keep a wedding simple, you can prevent all this. I just want my daughter and son-in-law to receive the innocent blessings of the people, says Soorya. The wedding, to be held at his ancestral home, will be solemnised in the presence of his daughters guru Pir Mohammed; foster mother and eminent Kerala poetess Sugathakumari; noted filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan; and three other members of Sooryas family. Sita shares her fathers idea of philanthropy. Harithams Sriram recounts a recent incident, where a couple fed an entire village during their wedding. We managed the wedding in a village called Kelur in Tamil Nadu where there were around 250 families. We were told to invite everyone in the village and that no one need to cook food at their home. The wedding was a four-day event and the villagers made the most of it, he says. Similarly when entrepreneur Surabhi Hodigere got married to Hemant Gaule, deputy dean at Indian School of Communication and Reputation in Gurugram, hundreds of children were invited to dance, eat, drink and make merry on their big day. Just a day before the wedding, Surabhi made an announcement on Facebook inviting lesser-privileged children and requested her friends to do the same, besides contacting two NGOs. Guests were urged to get gifts for the children. Says Surabhi, Our friends got goodies like toys, clothes; organised activities like musical shows, mehendi workshops, dance, face painting, origami and games for the children. We had a traditional marriage ceremony in the morning with friends and family, followed by a reception where our guests were those children. She adds, I contacted Bengaluru-based Samarthanam Trust, which works with differently-abled children and Nele Foundation that works with abandoned children. It was important that they participated in our joy on the big day. Surabhis gesture had many contacting her to replicate what she did during her wedding. When Chennai-based environmentalist and social worker N B Nirmals son Manoj got married a few years ago, it was a unique event. Given Nirmals environmental activism, a green wedding was hardly a surprise. But when guests came across a painting exhibition by disabled persons, it was a novel experience. Recalls the 70-plus Nirmal, I was once invited to a painting exhibition by differently-abled people and later when I asked them how it went off, they said that they were in the minus. So I thought why not invite them to exhibit their work during an occasion when there would be an audience ready at hand. The guests were urged to visit the exhibition before they came to wish the couple. Not only did the exhibition net a tidy sum, the differently-abled children were part of a music band and a prominent sweet-maker gave them clothes as well as food. It was a win-win all the way. If you give someone a flower bouquet, they will remember you for that moment, but if you give a person a potted plant, he will remember you as long as the plant is there, says Nirmal, whose wish was to sow seeds of change and his sons wedding presented him an opportunity. A wedding might give some a good excuse to flaunt their money but many are also using it as an occasion to highlight their interests and passions. Animal lover and activist Prabha made the most of her son Karthiks wedding in Thane when she tied up with an NGO, which volunteered to bring a dozen stray puppies to the venue and put them up for adoption. Says Prabha, I have been an animal activist all my life. I regularly sterilise stray dogs, medicate them when necessary and I thought this was a good occasion to spread awareness about them. I also wanted to sensitise people about the need not to bring foreign breeds here as they are not used to the local climate and suffer. When people want a dog, they just go and buy one instead of adopting one of the many Indian dogs (strays) that are looking for a home. We had some 500 guests and I thought we could create interest regarding the dogs. Similarly, animal rights and vegan activist Anand Siva, who works as principal consultant with Gain Theory, part of the British multinational advertising and public relations company WPP, was firm that his daughters wedding would be vegan. My entire family has been vegan for many years. Its a lifestyle and a commitment. Even when we have guests, we dont serve anything non-vegetarian. There was no way we would have changed it for the wedding, says Anand. Eventually, his son-in-law and the latters parents converted to veganism after realising its merit. Besides, it was also an organic, eco-friendly wedding. We held the wedding outdoors, away from air-conditioning. The resort in Kolhapur we had chosen recycles 70 per cent of its water and is solar-powered. It was a plastic-free wedding. We wanted to maintain a reasonably fair carbon footprint, says Anand. Being animal lovers themselves, guests were allowed to bring their pets and they had the run of the place. The guests had resigned themselves to a solemn affair but we did not compromise on anything. There was payasam, dahi vada, ice cream on the menu. The 300-odd guests witnessed a cruelty-free wedding while we earned the love of animals, he says. So does it mean goodbye to the big fat Indian wedding? I dont think so. However, in case of big-budget weddings, the credo of less is more has crept in. There is simplicity and elegance though it does not necessarily translate into low budgets. Personally, I dont think there is anything like a simple wedding. In the case of NRI weddings, the guests, many of them foreigners, who come from all over, are given the big fat Indian wedding experience, shares wedding-planner Rangaraj. It appears that couples nowadays are joining in holy matrimony in ways that would have once seemed unimaginable. With inputs from Sangeeta Bora, Rajitha S, Princy Alexander and Sujitha J The `500-cr Affair Karnataka politician and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy hosted one of Indias biggest and fattest weddings in November last year, when his daughter Brahmani tied the knot with Rajiv Reddy, son of the Hyderabad-based businessman Vikram Deva Reddy. The wedding was touted to be a `500-crore affair, with the invite alone costing `5 crore and up to 50,000 guests in attendance. The brides red Kanjeepuram half-saree reportedly cost `17 crore and the diamond jewellery she donned was worth `90 crore. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: By now, it is clear that the Aditya Nath Yogi governments over-emphasis on cleanliness with discipline was not just the rhetoric of a newly anointed government. The realisation has a far-reaching impact. Government offices have become cleaner, attendance in offices has gone up and with babus in a hurry to reach office on time, the peak hour on city arteries has advanced at least by 60 minutes from 10.00 am to 9.00 am or even before. Even a peon cant escape the prying eyes of his officer. As soon as Sevak Ram took out a pouch of paan masala from his pocket, he got a dressing down by his officer who reminded him of the ban and dared him not to falter again. The man could have thrown it on secretariat premises as has been the practice but he forced it back into his pocket. Moreover, those who have switched over to chewing gums and toffies cautiously keep the wrappers in their pockets to be thrown later. Thanks to the swachhta shapath (pledge of cleaniliness). Time culture was next on the agenda. With ministers, as per the CMs directives, reaching office at sharp 9:30 in the morning, leave no excuse for bureaucrats. They too have no choice but to follow suit. The secretariat parking slot was already full. Saab log aa chuke hain. Bade sahab aur chhote babu log sabhi ab time par aa jaate hain, (everyone has come. All officers come on time now), the guard at the main gate says. I reach office before 9:30 since I have to ensure the cleanliness in and around my office premises, says Minister of State Upendra Tiwari. Ministers both senior and junior are following the oath of swachhata and reaching offices on time. The riverfront project will ensure a clean, green riverbank and will span for 12km across in Lucknow. The new found alacrity among officials has percolated to the traffic department as well. Encroachments and snarls on roads suddenly appear less messy. On Friday, traffic cops collected Rs 1.5 lakh as penalty for wrongly parked vehicles on a single stretch in Hazratganj. In all 270 vehicles were booked within a few hours. It was historic, admits a senior cop. Much on the lines of the Central government, Yogis government is making biometric attendance an order in office. The pretext of remaining elusive in the name of lunch or spending time at tea stalls no longer comes in handy. Now the out time and in time has to be entered on a register, says a lower division clerk in secretariat. Attendance has gone up after the CMs call to bureaucrats to slog for 18-20 hours a day. No official file can now be carried home. On the law and order front, the change is palpable. Anti-Romeo squads are quite a success and the sense of fear among girls is dissipating gradually. I am now confident about my safety. Even the stalkers and eve-teasers have become cautious, says Aruna, a second year grad student of a famed Lucknow university. If the administration is able to sustain this alacrity, law and order is bound to improve, says Manish Shukla of Lucknow University. Even the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has come out in support of the drive. A Bench of Justice AP Sahi and Sanjai Harkauli upheld the State governments action of activating police circles against romeos. The constitution of anti-romeo squads are totally lawful and constitutional, the judges said in an order passed on a PIL filed against anti-romeo squads. However, there are collateral damages. Citys love bird nests like Janeshwar Mishra Park, Lohia Park, Residency and several other spots in the old city now wear a deserted look. Meanwhile, the crackdown on meat traders threatened the famed Awadhi-Mughlai food culture of Lucknow. Initially it seemed like the sophistication associated with Awadhi cuisine culture was going to be the biggest victim of the new governance. A city which still emits the secular flavour of its rich Awadhi culture intricately woven around a strong socio-political fabric, was apparently heading for a humongous change which was bound to affect all aspects of life. The city known for its non-vegetarian delicacies the world over went virtually meatless for a fortnight when meat sellers called a strike in support of a crackdown on slaughterhouses. Iconic joints like Tundays, Kareems and Mubeens remained shut for days together probably for the first time in the history of their existence. Not only this, foodies had a changed taste of chicken kababs instead of buffalo meat offered by them. With government teachers being threatened with FIRs for taking private tuitions and being advised to follow a dress code, government schools uniform may also be in for a change. For a city so accustomed to its own pace, the changes are so sudden and fast that the Nawab that resides in every Lucknow resident could be heard crooning: Yogi ji dheere dheere... LUCKNOW: By now, it is clear that the Aditya Nath Yogi governments over-emphasis on cleanliness with discipline was not just the rhetoric of a newly anointed government. The realisation has a far-reaching impact. Government offices have become cleaner, attendance in offices has gone up and with babus in a hurry to reach office on time, the peak hour on city arteries has advanced at least by 60 minutes from 10.00 am to 9.00 am or even before. Even a peon cant escape the prying eyes of his officer. As soon as Sevak Ram took out a pouch of paan masala from his pocket, he got a dressing down by his officer who reminded him of the ban and dared him not to falter again. The man could have thrown it on secretariat premises as has been the practice but he forced it back into his pocket. Moreover, those who have switched over to chewing gums and toffies cautiously keep the wrappers in their pockets to be thrown later. Thanks to the swachhta shapath (pledge of cleaniliness). Time culture was next on the agenda. With ministers, as per the CMs directives, reaching office at sharp 9:30 in the morning, leave no excuse for bureaucrats. They too have no choice but to follow suit. The secretariat parking slot was already full. Saab log aa chuke hain. Bade sahab aur chhote babu log sabhi ab time par aa jaate hain, (everyone has come. All officers come on time now), the guard at the main gate says. I reach office before 9:30 since I have to ensure the cleanliness in and around my office premises, says Minister of State Upendra Tiwari. Ministers both senior and junior are following the oath of swachhata and reaching offices on time. The riverfront project will ensure a clean, green riverbank and will span for 12km across in Lucknow.The new found alacrity among officials has percolated to the traffic department as well. Encroachments and snarls on roads suddenly appear less messy. On Friday, traffic cops collected Rs 1.5 lakh as penalty for wrongly parked vehicles on a single stretch in Hazratganj. In all 270 vehicles were booked within a few hours. It was historic, admits a senior cop. Much on the lines of the Central government, Yogis government is making biometric attendance an order in office. The pretext of remaining elusive in the name of lunch or spending time at tea stalls no longer comes in handy. Now the out time and in time has to be entered on a register, says a lower division clerk in secretariat. Attendance has gone up after the CMs call to bureaucrats to slog for 18-20 hours a day. No official file can now be carried home. On the law and order front, the change is palpable. Anti-Romeo squads are quite a success and the sense of fear among girls is dissipating gradually. I am now confident about my safety. Even the stalkers and eve-teasers have become cautious, says Aruna, a second year grad student of a famed Lucknow university. If the administration is able to sustain this alacrity, law and order is bound to improve, says Manish Shukla of Lucknow University. Even the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has come out in support of the drive. A Bench of Justice AP Sahi and Sanjai Harkauli upheld the State governments action of activating police circles against romeos. The constitution of anti-romeo squads are totally lawful and constitutional, the judges said in an order passed on a PIL filed against anti-romeo squads. However, there are collateral damages. Citys love bird nests like Janeshwar Mishra Park, Lohia Park, Residency and several other spots in the old city now wear a deserted look. Meanwhile, the crackdown on meat traders threatened the famed Awadhi-Mughlai food culture of Lucknow. Initially it seemed like the sophistication associated with Awadhi cuisine culture was going to be the biggest victim of the new governance. A city which still emits the secular flavour of its rich Awadhi culture intricately woven around a strong socio-political fabric, was apparently heading for a humongous change which was bound to affect all aspects of life. The city known for its non-vegetarian delicacies the world over went virtually meatless for a fortnight when meat sellers called a strike in support of a crackdown on slaughterhouses. Iconic joints like Tundays, Kareems and Mubeens remained shut for days together probably for the first time in the history of their existence. Not only this, foodies had a changed taste of chicken kababs instead of buffalo meat offered by them. With government teachers being threatened with FIRs for taking private tuitions and being advised to follow a dress code, government schools uniform may also be in for a change. For a city so accustomed to its own pace, the changes are so sudden and fast that the Nawab that resides in every Lucknow resident could be heard crooning: Yogi ji dheere dheere... By PTI JAIPUR: Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria today said that those people intercepted by cow vigilantes in Alwar, where a Muslim man was lynched, did not carry transit permit. "The report we have received from police reveals that the transporters did not have requisite transit permit," he told PTI. Sixteen people were allegedly illegally transporting 36 animals in six pick-up vans. They were on their way to Haryana from Jaipur when the vigilantes stopped two of the vehicles in Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi National Highway and thrashed five persons on Saturday. They were admitted to a nearby hospital where 55-year-old Pehlu Khan died on Monday night. Denying claims of Pehlu Khan's kin that he had valid purchase documents but was falsely accused of smuggling cows, Kataria said permission from sub-divisional officer is required to transport bovines. #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 So far, four persons have been arrested in the case. The Alwar SP has transferred the investigation into the case to Circle Officer Behror Parmal Singh. SHO of Behror police station, Ramesh Chand was earlier probing it. The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Centre and the Rajasthan government over the incident. JAIPUR: Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria today said that those people intercepted by cow vigilantes in Alwar, where a Muslim man was lynched, did not carry transit permit. "The report we have received from police reveals that the transporters did not have requisite transit permit," he told PTI. Sixteen people were allegedly illegally transporting 36 animals in six pick-up vans. They were on their way to Haryana from Jaipur when the vigilantes stopped two of the vehicles in Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi National Highway and thrashed five persons on Saturday. They were admitted to a nearby hospital where 55-year-old Pehlu Khan died on Monday night. Denying claims of Pehlu Khan's kin that he had valid purchase documents but was falsely accused of smuggling cows, Kataria said permission from sub-divisional officer is required to transport bovines. #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 So far, four persons have been arrested in the case. The Alwar SP has transferred the investigation into the case to Circle Officer Behror Parmal Singh. SHO of Behror police station, Ramesh Chand was earlier probing it. The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Centre and the Rajasthan government over the incident. By Online Desk A sample of the skin-lightening cream Fair & Lovely has been found to be "substandard" by Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration because of an excess count of microbes, said a report. The brand owned by FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is a household name in India, due mainly to the cream's ultra-low price tag and the widely accepted preference for fair skin in the country. Maharashtra's FDA said test results showed the sample had a total microbial count of 3,37,532.10 'colony forming units' per gram and yeast and mould count of 2,94,196.3 CFU per gram, the Indian Express reported on Sunday. The limit allowed for the two measures is 1,000 CFU per gram and 100 CFU per gram, respectively. FDA commissioner Harshdeep Kamble told the newspaper that the tested sample, which was picked up from a store in Mumbai's Bhoiwada lane, will be compared with a controlled sample kept by the company. The FDA had asked the company for a controlled sample, the newspaper quoted him saying. If the sample is originally from Fair & Lovely, the authority would take action against the company, he said. Personal care products like Fair & Lovely contribute to about one-third of Hindustan Unilever's sales. The company, however, told the newspaper it has not received any request for a sample from the FDA. A sample of the skin-lightening cream Fair & Lovely has been found to be "substandard" by Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration because of an excess count of microbes, said a report. The brand owned by FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is a household name in India, due mainly to the cream's ultra-low price tag and the widely accepted preference for fair skin in the country. Maharashtra's FDA said test results showed the sample had a total microbial count of 3,37,532.10 'colony forming units' per gram and yeast and mould count of 2,94,196.3 CFU per gram, the Indian Express reported on Sunday. The limit allowed for the two measures is 1,000 CFU per gram and 100 CFU per gram, respectively. FDA commissioner Harshdeep Kamble told the newspaper that the tested sample, which was picked up from a store in Mumbai's Bhoiwada lane, will be compared with a controlled sample kept by the company. The FDA had asked the company for a controlled sample, the newspaper quoted him saying. If the sample is originally from Fair & Lovely, the authority would take action against the company, he said. Personal care products like Fair & Lovely contribute to about one-third of Hindustan Unilever's sales. The company, however, told the newspaper it has not received any request for a sample from the FDA. By PTI VARNASI: Robbers looted jewellery allegedly worth crores of rupees from a jewellery shop in a busy Thatheri Bazar here, police said today. The incident occurred at around 4:30 PM, when two impostors posing as customers visited the jewellery shop, Chowk police station official said. They asked a worker to show him gold chains and suddenly four more robbers armed with guns and knives entered the shop and held the workers hostage, and snatched their mobile phones too, police said. The robbers even broke the CCTV cameras and took away the hard-disc. They filled all the costly jewels in their bags and then fled, police said. The shop belonged to two brothers - Prahlad Agarwal and Sanjay Agarwal. The shop owners claimed that jewellery worth Rs 5-10 crores were looted. However, police refused to comment on the figure saying it would be clear only after investigation. Senior police officials, including IG Zone N Ravindra, SSP Nitin Tiwari along with sleuths of STF, Crime branch and even the forensic team reached the crime spot and began the investigation, police said. Irate jewellers also held protest by blocking the main road and demanded arrest of the robbers. VARNASI: Robbers looted jewellery allegedly worth crores of rupees from a jewellery shop in a busy Thatheri Bazar here, police said today. The incident occurred at around 4:30 PM, when two impostors posing as customers visited the jewellery shop, Chowk police station official said. They asked a worker to show him gold chains and suddenly four more robbers armed with guns and knives entered the shop and held the workers hostage, and snatched their mobile phones too, police said. The robbers even broke the CCTV cameras and took away the hard-disc. They filled all the costly jewels in their bags and then fled, police said. The shop belonged to two brothers - Prahlad Agarwal and Sanjay Agarwal. The shop owners claimed that jewellery worth Rs 5-10 crores were looted. However, police refused to comment on the figure saying it would be clear only after investigation. Senior police officials, including IG Zone N Ravindra, SSP Nitin Tiwari along with sleuths of STF, Crime branch and even the forensic team reached the crime spot and began the investigation, police said. Irate jewellers also held protest by blocking the main road and demanded arrest of the robbers. By Express News Service BHOPAL: The bypoll in Bandhavgarh and Ater Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh took place amid sporadic incidents of violence in Ater on Sunday. According to sources of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bhopal, while 67.16 percent voting was reported in Bandhavgarh seat of Umaria district, 58.42% voting was reported in Ater constituency of Bhind district. While voting in Ater was more than the 57.77% votes received in 2013, it was less than the 59.07% votes reported in 2008. In Bandhavgarh, Sunday's 67.16% votes was less than the 73% votes in 2008 and 2013. In both Bandhavgarh and Ater, men outnumbered women voters throughout the day. According to MP chief election officer (CEO) Saleena Singh, scattered incidents of violence were reported in Ater, while polling was peaceful in Bandhavgarh. All 288 poll booths in Ater were bracketed as sensitive, while the same was done to only 46 of 264 poll booths in Bandhavgarh. In Ater particularly, ten companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed, along with five companies of State Police Special Armed Force (SAF). Two more SAF companies from Datia and Morena were pressed into action on Sunday, said Singh. She said violent clashes were reported between BJP and Congress supporters outside two polling booths at Sankari village in Ater. The clashes erupted after Ater Congress candidate Hemant Katare entered the polling booths and stayed there for a while. This led to protests by BJP supporters, which ensued by clashes between both groups outside the booths. Some vehicles were damaged in the violence which was quelled after police fired in the air to disperse both groups, Saleena Singh said. Singh also said with Hemant Katare alleging threat to security after the clashes, his security was enhanced with two protective security officers (PSOs) and four armed guards, and was taken to safe place. CEO Singh added that the firing between the two groups was reported a kilometre away from another polling booth in Ater, but all complaints of booth capturing and bogus voting by both parties were false. While Singh denied that the Congress candidate was attacked by BJP men outside a polling booth in Sankari, Congress State president Arun Yadav handed over a detailed complaint to the Saleena Singh in Bhopal, alleging a well planned attack on the party candidate in Ater by ruling BJP men. In the complaint also faxed to the ECI in Delhi, the MP Congress chief alleged that 19 criminals from Itarasi in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh captured a polling booth in Kanawar of Ater constituency. "We've demanded a repoll in over 40 polling booths where the BJP men captured booths with active support of local administration and police," alleged Yadav. Meanwhile, a delegation of ruling BJP led by Huzur MLA and State party vice president Rameshwar Sharma met with the MP CEO in Bhopal and alleged booth capturing by Congress supporters at 10 places in Ater. Saleena Singh, however, maintained no booth capturing or bogus voting was reported anywhere in Bandhavgarh or Ater. While the bypoll in Bandhavgarh was necessitated after its BJP legislator and State cabinet minister Gyan Singh won the Lok Sabha by-election from Shahdol in November 2016. Singh's son Shivnarayan Singh contested Sunday's bypoll from Bandhavgarh on a BJP ticket. The bypoll in Ater assembly seat was necessitated after the death of its sitting MLA and leader of opposition in State Assembly Satyadeo Katare on October 2016. His son Hemant Katare was the Congress candidate against BJP's Arvind Bhadoria in Ater. BHOPAL: The bypoll in Bandhavgarh and Ater Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh took place amid sporadic incidents of violence in Ater on Sunday. According to sources of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bhopal, while 67.16 percent voting was reported in Bandhavgarh seat of Umaria district, 58.42% voting was reported in Ater constituency of Bhind district. While voting in Ater was more than the 57.77% votes received in 2013, it was less than the 59.07% votes reported in 2008. In Bandhavgarh, Sunday's 67.16% votes was less than the 73% votes in 2008 and 2013. In both Bandhavgarh and Ater, men outnumbered women voters throughout the day. According to MP chief election officer (CEO) Saleena Singh, scattered incidents of violence were reported in Ater, while polling was peaceful in Bandhavgarh. All 288 poll booths in Ater were bracketed as sensitive, while the same was done to only 46 of 264 poll booths in Bandhavgarh. In Ater particularly, ten companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed, along with five companies of State Police Special Armed Force (SAF). Two more SAF companies from Datia and Morena were pressed into action on Sunday, said Singh. She said violent clashes were reported between BJP and Congress supporters outside two polling booths at Sankari village in Ater. The clashes erupted after Ater Congress candidate Hemant Katare entered the polling booths and stayed there for a while. This led to protests by BJP supporters, which ensued by clashes between both groups outside the booths. Some vehicles were damaged in the violence which was quelled after police fired in the air to disperse both groups, Saleena Singh said. Singh also said with Hemant Katare alleging threat to security after the clashes, his security was enhanced with two protective security officers (PSOs) and four armed guards, and was taken to safe place. CEO Singh added that the firing between the two groups was reported a kilometre away from another polling booth in Ater, but all complaints of booth capturing and bogus voting by both parties were false. While Singh denied that the Congress candidate was attacked by BJP men outside a polling booth in Sankari, Congress State president Arun Yadav handed over a detailed complaint to the Saleena Singh in Bhopal, alleging a well planned attack on the party candidate in Ater by ruling BJP men. In the complaint also faxed to the ECI in Delhi, the MP Congress chief alleged that 19 criminals from Itarasi in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh captured a polling booth in Kanawar of Ater constituency. "We've demanded a repoll in over 40 polling booths where the BJP men captured booths with active support of local administration and police," alleged Yadav. Meanwhile, a delegation of ruling BJP led by Huzur MLA and State party vice president Rameshwar Sharma met with the MP CEO in Bhopal and alleged booth capturing by Congress supporters at 10 places in Ater. Saleena Singh, however, maintained no booth capturing or bogus voting was reported anywhere in Bandhavgarh or Ater. While the bypoll in Bandhavgarh was necessitated after its BJP legislator and State cabinet minister Gyan Singh won the Lok Sabha by-election from Shahdol in November 2016. Singh's son Shivnarayan Singh contested Sunday's bypoll from Bandhavgarh on a BJP ticket. The bypoll in Ater assembly seat was necessitated after the death of its sitting MLA and leader of opposition in State Assembly Satyadeo Katare on October 2016. His son Hemant Katare was the Congress candidate against BJP's Arvind Bhadoria in Ater. Sreeram Sundar Chaulia By US President Donald Trumps spur-of-the-moment decision to attack a Syrian government airbase on April 7 threatens to prolong an intractable armed conflict that has dragged on for six years. By targeting a key military installation of the Syrian state with 59 Tomahawk missiles, Trump has breathed life back into a failing insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and muddled the US core purpose of eliminating the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups. One reason for Americas past failure to definitively trounce the IS and its ilk has been confusion of motives. Under the Barack Obama administration, there used to be two ill-matched goals of American policy. On the one hand, Washington wanted to oust the Shia Assad from power for losing his moral legitimacy by alienating the Sunni majority of Syria through brutal repression. On the other, Obama swore to degrade and ultimately destroy the IS and related terror organisations that had chosen Syria as their main base for a holy war. Until 2015, the US and its allies like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait armed Sunni rebels and jihadists to force Assad to cede control over most of Syria. The result was a weakened Syrian government unable to prevent the IS and al-Qaeda affiliates from establishing de facto states in vast tracts of ungoverned territory. If not for Russia and Iran pumping in emergency weaponry and troops to prop up Assad, there were occasions when he was on the verge of losing every inch left in his rump state. Having first carved out an enabling space for jihadists and anti-regime guerrillas, the US and its allies then started aerial bombing to keep the IS under check from September 2014. This self-contradictory American behaviour produced a stalemate, with neither Assad and his backers Russia and Iran, nor the rebels or terrorists succeeding in consolidating power over the whole country. It was a bloody balance in which the Syrian state and its adversaries kept on fighting and killing relentlessly to expand their respective zones of influence. Sceptics who grew tired of the war suspected that the hidden objective of the US and its allies in the Middle East was to keep Syria burning and maintain its division into multiple fiefdoms without any one side gaining the upper hand. Trump entered this warped scenario in January 2017 with a fresh mind and promised to go after the IS and its kin as his sole focus. His aides pronounced that since Assad had entrenched himself with Russian and Iranian support, Washington was going to accept him as a political reality and halt the quixotic Obama-era quest for his removal. Simultaneously, the US sent strong signals to Russia for joining hands against the scourge of IS. By jettisoning regime change in Syria and working to accommodate Russian concerns, Trump positioned himself in his initial months in office as a hard-nosed practitioner of realpolitik who would train all his guns on the jihadi menace. But just as it seemed that a new configuration was emerging with the US, Russia, Iran and the Syrian state cooperating against IS and al-Qaeda, a controversial chemical attack occurred in the rebel-held Idlib Governorate of northern Syria. Within 63 hours of that grave incident, whose timing exudes an air of unresolved mystery, Trump upended his outlook and suddenly declared in emotional tones that he will not tolerate babies being gassed allegedly by Assads air force. The US president, who had previously shown zero commitment to human rights and costly military action abroad, plunged into the Syrian war by frontally attacking Assad and challenging Russia and Iran. This unexpected volte-face by an instinctive Trump has emboldened the plethora of anti-Assad rebels and terrorists who had been on the back foot since Russia had intervened in the conflict in 2015. Their pleas for greater US military assistance and involvement against Assad have finally been heard by the US administration, which avowed after the missile strikes that no peace is possible in Syria until Assad is overthrown. US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has restated the moribund Obama formula that defeating IS and dethroning Assad are both top priorities for the US from now on. Left unanswered is the old dilemma of what will fill the vacuum if Assad is forcibly ejected. The ambiguity suits al-Qaeda and the IS, whose holy warriors are lurking on the edges of government-held territory and waiting for a chance to invade the Shia heartland if Assad is toppled or on the ropes. Symbolic American missile attacks on regime military assets and warnings to Russia to stay clear are music to the ears of jihadists. A tragic French phrase fits the current situation aptly: plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose (the more that things change, the more they remain the same). Enraged by the US attack on the Syrian airbase, where Russia had stationed personnel and weaponry, Moscow has suspended coordination mechanisms with Washington that had hitherto helped to deconflict the two sides. Russia is also enhancing deployment of hi-tech anti-missile systems to safeguard Syrian government military bases from future US attacks. These countermeasures will have the effect of slowing down the US-led coalitions assault on IS strongholds and give the terrorists room to regroup and defend themselves better. The US proclamation that it is prepared to do more to deter Assads alleged chemical attacks introduces supreme uncertainty and reduces chances of a US-Russia rapprochement. And if these two powers remain at loggerheads, the war in Syria will never cease. Trumps impulsive bid to don the mantle of a humanitarian interventionist to save Syrian babies could thus end up costing even more innocent Syrian lives. The author is Professor and Dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs Email: schaulia@jgu.edu.in US President Donald Trumps spur-of-the-moment decision to attack a Syrian government airbase on April 7 threatens to prolong an intractable armed conflict that has dragged on for six years. By targeting a key military installation of the Syrian state with 59 Tomahawk missiles, Trump has breathed life back into a failing insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and muddled the US core purpose of eliminating the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups. One reason for Americas past failure to definitively trounce the IS and its ilk has been confusion of motives. Under the Barack Obama administration, there used to be two ill-matched goals of American policy. On the one hand, Washington wanted to oust the Shia Assad from power for losing his moral legitimacy by alienating the Sunni majority of Syria through brutal repression. On the other, Obama swore to degrade and ultimately destroy the IS and related terror organisations that had chosen Syria as their main base for a holy war. Until 2015, the US and its allies like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait armed Sunni rebels and jihadists to force Assad to cede control over most of Syria. The result was a weakened Syrian government unable to prevent the IS and al-Qaeda affiliates from establishing de facto states in vast tracts of ungoverned territory. If not for Russia and Iran pumping in emergency weaponry and troops to prop up Assad, there were occasions when he was on the verge of losing every inch left in his rump state. Having first carved out an enabling space for jihadists and anti-regime guerrillas, the US and its allies then started aerial bombing to keep the IS under check from September 2014. This self-contradictory American behaviour produced a stalemate, with neither Assad and his backers Russia and Iran, nor the rebels or terrorists succeeding in consolidating power over the whole country. It was a bloody balance in which the Syrian state and its adversaries kept on fighting and killing relentlessly to expand their respective zones of influence. Sceptics who grew tired of the war suspected that the hidden objective of the US and its allies in the Middle East was to keep Syria burning and maintain its division into multiple fiefdoms without any one side gaining the upper hand. Trump entered this warped scenario in January 2017 with a fresh mind and promised to go after the IS and its kin as his sole focus. His aides pronounced that since Assad had entrenched himself with Russian and Iranian support, Washington was going to accept him as a political reality and halt the quixotic Obama-era quest for his removal. Simultaneously, the US sent strong signals to Russia for joining hands against the scourge of IS. By jettisoning regime change in Syria and working to accommodate Russian concerns, Trump positioned himself in his initial months in office as a hard-nosed practitioner of realpolitik who would train all his guns on the jihadi menace. But just as it seemed that a new configuration was emerging with the US, Russia, Iran and the Syrian state cooperating against IS and al-Qaeda, a controversial chemical attack occurred in the rebel-held Idlib Governorate of northern Syria. Within 63 hours of that grave incident, whose timing exudes an air of unresolved mystery, Trump upended his outlook and suddenly declared in emotional tones that he will not tolerate babies being gassed allegedly by Assads air force. The US president, who had previously shown zero commitment to human rights and costly military action abroad, plunged into the Syrian war by frontally attacking Assad and challenging Russia and Iran. This unexpected volte-face by an instinctive Trump has emboldened the plethora of anti-Assad rebels and terrorists who had been on the back foot since Russia had intervened in the conflict in 2015. Their pleas for greater US military assistance and involvement against Assad have finally been heard by the US administration, which avowed after the missile strikes that no peace is possible in Syria until Assad is overthrown. US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has restated the moribund Obama formula that defeating IS and dethroning Assad are both top priorities for the US from now on. Left unanswered is the old dilemma of what will fill the vacuum if Assad is forcibly ejected. The ambiguity suits al-Qaeda and the IS, whose holy warriors are lurking on the edges of government-held territory and waiting for a chance to invade the Shia heartland if Assad is toppled or on the ropes. Symbolic American missile attacks on regime military assets and warnings to Russia to stay clear are music to the ears of jihadists. A tragic French phrase fits the current situation aptly: plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose (the more that things change, the more they remain the same). Enraged by the US attack on the Syrian airbase, where Russia had stationed personnel and weaponry, Moscow has suspended coordination mechanisms with Washington that had hitherto helped to deconflict the two sides. Russia is also enhancing deployment of hi-tech anti-missile systems to safeguard Syrian government military bases from future US attacks. These countermeasures will have the effect of slowing down the US-led coalitions assault on IS strongholds and give the terrorists room to regroup and defend themselves better. The US proclamation that it is prepared to do more to deter Assads alleged chemical attacks introduces supreme uncertainty and reduces chances of a US-Russia rapprochement. And if these two powers remain at loggerheads, the war in Syria will never cease. Trumps impulsive bid to don the mantle of a humanitarian interventionist to save Syrian babies could thus end up costing even more innocent Syrian lives. The author is Professor and Dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs Email: schaulia@jgu.edu.in T J S George By Fact No. 1: Donations by companies to political parties is the biggest contributor to corruption in India. All parties acknowledge this. Fact No. 2: Elimination of corruption has been a top priority with the BJP government. After the currency demonetisation, government leaders even claimed that black money and corruption had been virtually stamped out. Fact No. 3: The Finance Bill rushed through Parliament two weeks ago made nonsense of the Governments stated positions. It actually legalised unlimited donations by companies, that too, anonymously. Fact No. 4: Brazenness characterised the Governments move to promote the interests of the ruling party. If new rules also promoted corruption and black money, so be it, seemed to be the official stance. Consider the audacity on display. Companies were allowed to contribute to parties 7.5 per cent of their average net profits of the previous three years. The Finance Bill abolished that limit. A company can now contribute any amount of money to political parties regardless of whether its own balance sheet shows profit or loss. Ominously, they do not have to disclose to whom they have given the funds. Thus, the new policy position boils down to: Unlimited and anonymous. So much for the policy of transparency the Government swears by. This is in addition to the electoral bonds idea introduced in the budget earlier. The Finance Minister claims that this system will bring in clean money. How can it be clean when neither the donor company nor the favoured party has to declare the transaction? In fact, the legally permitted secrecy makes it a profound boost to crony capitalism. The power of business houses to influence policies has always been a feature of our democracy. Now it can be exercised without even the vexatious paraphernalia that Niira Radia had to organise for her clients. If things were clean, then what was the need to introduce the Finance Bill with non-money amendments in violation of parliamentary convention? Those amendments should normally have gone through Rajya Sabha voting as well. But the BJP does not have a majority in the Upper House, so the short cut of money bill with non-money amendments was resorted to. The opposition objected to the irregularity and walked out, and clauses that would alter the character of Indian democracy were passed by voice vote. Corporate donations to political parties always help the party in power more than others. The Association of Democratic Reforms reported that in 2015 the BJP had received contributions totalling Rs 437.35 crore, more than twice the aggregate declared by the Congress, the NCP, the CPI and the CPM put together. Donations received by all political parties that year showed a 151 per cent increase over the previous year. As much as 94 per cent of the donations declared by the BJP came from corporates. These figures point to developments not anticipated either by the Constitution makers, or indeed by the voters. The Finance Bill 2017 altered as many as 40 existing laws. One example should suffice to highlight the scary potential of the changes. Under the new amendments, an Income Tax official can now raid your house or office, carry out a search and seize things without giving any reason. This is reminiscent of the powers that Indira Gandhi acquired under the Emergency. Just as she did, the authorities today can legally intimidate political opponents and subjugate critics. A perilous future awaits those who try to exercise the rights they imagine they have in a democracy. The picture gets grimmer with the controversy that has arisen over voting machine malfunctioning. People like Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal have zero credibility. When they complained about machine tampering, it was dismissed as the cry of the loser. Subsequently, however, official tests found that the machines could indeed record votes in favour of one party whichever button was pressed. Following the demo in Bhind under the supervision of the Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh, three government officials including the district collector had been transferred. The state government resisted the transfers. Only the dumb will fail to understand the implications of these disturbing developmentsof money flowing anonymously to the coffers of a party, of laws getting amended conveniently, of self-opinionated voting machines. We may be witnessing the historical spectacle of a people governed by one of the worlds most enlightened constitutions electing through constitutionally prescribed channels the same party for ever and ever, Amen. Fact No. 1: Donations by companies to political parties is the biggest contributor to corruption in India. All parties acknowledge this. Fact No. 2: Elimination of corruption has been a top priority with the BJP government. After the currency demonetisation, government leaders even claimed that black money and corruption had been virtually stamped out. Fact No. 3: The Finance Bill rushed through Parliament two weeks ago made nonsense of the Governments stated positions. It actually legalised unlimited donations by companies, that too, anonymously. Fact No. 4: Brazenness characterised the Governments move to promote the interests of the ruling party. If new rules also promoted corruption and black money, so be it, seemed to be the official stance. Consider the audacity on display. Companies were allowed to contribute to parties 7.5 per cent of their average net profits of the previous three years. The Finance Bill abolished that limit. A company can now contribute any amount of money to political parties regardless of whether its own balance sheet shows profit or loss. Ominously, they do not have to disclose to whom they have given the funds. Thus, the new policy position boils down to: Unlimited and anonymous. So much for the policy of transparency the Government swears by. This is in addition to the electoral bonds idea introduced in the budget earlier. The Finance Minister claims that this system will bring in clean money. How can it be clean when neither the donor company nor the favoured party has to declare the transaction? In fact, the legally permitted secrecy makes it a profound boost to crony capitalism. The power of business houses to influence policies has always been a feature of our democracy. Now it can be exercised without even the vexatious paraphernalia that Niira Radia had to organise for her clients. If things were clean, then what was the need to introduce the Finance Bill with non-money amendments in violation of parliamentary convention? Those amendments should normally have gone through Rajya Sabha voting as well. But the BJP does not have a majority in the Upper House, so the short cut of money bill with non-money amendments was resorted to. The opposition objected to the irregularity and walked out, and clauses that would alter the character of Indian democracy were passed by voice vote. Corporate donations to political parties always help the party in power more than others. The Association of Democratic Reforms reported that in 2015 the BJP had received contributions totalling Rs 437.35 crore, more than twice the aggregate declared by the Congress, the NCP, the CPI and the CPM put together. Donations received by all political parties that year showed a 151 per cent increase over the previous year. As much as 94 per cent of the donations declared by the BJP came from corporates. These figures point to developments not anticipated either by the Constitution makers, or indeed by the voters. The Finance Bill 2017 altered as many as 40 existing laws. One example should suffice to highlight the scary potential of the changes. Under the new amendments, an Income Tax official can now raid your house or office, carry out a search and seize things without giving any reason. This is reminiscent of the powers that Indira Gandhi acquired under the Emergency. Just as she did, the authorities today can legally intimidate political opponents and subjugate critics. A perilous future awaits those who try to exercise the rights they imagine they have in a democracy. The picture gets grimmer with the controversy that has arisen over voting machine malfunctioning. People like Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal have zero credibility. When they complained about machine tampering, it was dismissed as the cry of the loser. Subsequently, however, official tests found that the machines could indeed record votes in favour of one party whichever button was pressed. Following the demo in Bhind under the supervision of the Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh, three government officials including the district collector had been transferred. The state government resisted the transfers. Only the dumb will fail to understand the implications of these disturbing developmentsof money flowing anonymously to the coffers of a party, of laws getting amended conveniently, of self-opinionated voting machines. We may be witnessing the historical spectacle of a people governed by one of the worlds most enlightened constitutions electing through constitutionally prescribed channels the same party for ever and ever, Amen. Prabhu Chawla By They should have paid more attention to the proverb right at the beginning. But they refused to stand united and, so, divided they fell and got bruised, if not battered. Now, after the last Assembly elections, with political extinction staring them in the face, some Opposition leaders are trying to regroup and put together at least a symbolic challenge to a seemingly unstoppable-Modi machine. Truth be told, there is no leader who can even pretend to be an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in popularity and power at the moment. The geographical and ideological boundaries of the Modi-baiters dont extend beyond the walls of the offices they occupy. But politics is an unpredictable game of impossibilities and dreams. And they say theres victory where theres unity. Which is probably why Rahul Gandhi, Congress President-in-waiting, has suddenly become accessible to those with whom he has rarely exchanged pleasantries in his 13 years of parliamentary politics. Last week, he invited Communist leaders to his office for coffee and discussed the possibility of forging an alliance against the NDA government in Parliament. Its time, you see, to choose the new President. Both the machinery and mathematics of elections are stacked in favour of the ruling dispensation. And Modi is keeping his choice of candidate close to his chest. He can afford to: he enjoys a legitimate monopoly over every administrative and political decision, and his political power exceeds that of even Indira Gandhi, who could make even a lamp-post win, they said. However, if the entire non-BJP political spectrum puts its resources together, it can perhaps bruise the Himalayan halo of the Prime Minister and set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. For, remember, despite enjoying a brute majority at the Centre and states, even India Gandhi couldnt ensure an unopposed win for her candidate. In 1969, her candidate VV Giri defeated the official Congress candidate N Sanjiva Reddy. But in 1977, Gandhi (now in the opposition) couldnt find a credible candidate to fight Reddy who was eventually elected unopposed. While Modi maintains a royal silence, the entire opposition has begun hunting for a credible Presidential candidate. Before the assembly elections, Modi was expected to go in for a consensus and force a hardcore Hindutva personality as his choice. But Modi hasnt started consultations even within his own party so far, leave alone with any known or unknown foes. A few weeks ago, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was considered to be the consensus choice as he was also honoured with Indias second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. Pawar has strong credentials as a member of the Rajya Sabha and as former president of the Janata Dal (U). But after his unprecedented electoral gains in UP and elsewhere, Modi is unlikely to accept anyone from the opposition ranks as the next president. Nevertheless, structured and informal parleys on the matter have already begun in Lutyens Delhi. The idea among the Opposition leaders is to bring together some 35 political parties which have more than a 50 per cent share of the Electoral College. Since none of them enjoys a pan-India image or visibility, premium has been put on integrity, seniority and social background of a potential contestant. While Pawar appears to still be in the forefront, the Opposition is also toying with the idea of asking President Pranab Mukherjee to run for a second term. By all indications, he is unlikely to agree, unless requested to do so by both sides. Another powerful contender could be Vice-President Hamid Ansari who was pushed by the Left parties in 2012. He enjoys a scholarly and secular image in India and abroad. But since he has never been involved in electoral politics, it wont be easy to persuade him to get into a controversy at this stage of his unblemished career as an academic and diplomat. If the choice falls on a political leader, Sharad Yadav is the most credible and acceptable personality. Not only does he enjoy a clean reputation, his backward background, coupled with his socialist ideology, makes him the most politically-acceptable claimant for the position. Of the 12 Presidents since Independence, only Zail Singh belonged to the backward community. India has had three Muslims, a Sikh, a Dalit and one woman as President so far. With backward politics dominating the political narrative, Yadav could be a strong uniting force. He would also be acceptable to the Left and other regional parties. The Congress might also promote Meira Kumar, former Lok Sabha speaker and a Dalit. In 2012, the NDA chose former speaker PA Sangma, a former Lok Sabha speaker and a Christian from the North-East, to fight Mukherjee but he lost badly as a large number of NDA allies chose to vote for Mukherjee. The latter got 7.13 lakh votes, or 69.3 per cent. The story is different this time. The numbers are heavily loaded in favour of an NDA nominee. Of the 10.99 lakh-member electoral college, NDA has over 47 per cent votes (including that of the Shiv Sena), barely three per cent less than the majority needed to win in the first round. The credit for the BJPs highly comfortable position goes to Uttar Pradesh, whose Assembly accounts for 7.6 per cent votes. By winning about 80 per cent seats, the party has added around 4 per cent to its tally. Moreover, the value of the UP Assembly seat is highest at 208. While the BJPs tally in the Electoral College is 4,33,182, the figure touches 5,24,088 if all the allies are added. Plus, it wont be difficult for Modi to garner extra votes from weaker parties like the AIADMK or the BJD. As he believes in breaking records, he may push for an uncontested election by breaking the opposition ranks or ensuring the victory by a huge margin by polling over 75 per cent votes. His detractors will aim at minimising political authority of the Prime Minister by maximising their unity and arithmetic. Only outcome will determine the fate, futility, future and face of those aspiring to throw a spanner in the Modi mill. They should have paid more attention to the proverb right at the beginning. But they refused to stand united and, so, divided they fell and got bruised, if not battered. Now, after the last Assembly elections, with political extinction staring them in the face, some Opposition leaders are trying to regroup and put together at least a symbolic challenge to a seemingly unstoppable-Modi machine. Truth be told, there is no leader who can even pretend to be an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in popularity and power at the moment. The geographical and ideological boundaries of the Modi-baiters dont extend beyond the walls of the offices they occupy. But politics is an unpredictable game of impossibilities and dreams. And they say theres victory where theres unity. Which is probably why Rahul Gandhi, Congress President-in-waiting, has suddenly become accessible to those with whom he has rarely exchanged pleasantries in his 13 years of parliamentary politics. Last week, he invited Communist leaders to his office for coffee and discussed the possibility of forging an alliance against the NDA government in Parliament. Its time, you see, to choose the new President. Both the machinery and mathematics of elections are stacked in favour of the ruling dispensation. And Modi is keeping his choice of candidate close to his chest. He can afford to: he enjoys a legitimate monopoly over every administrative and political decision, and his political power exceeds that of even Indira Gandhi, who could make even a lamp-post win, they said. However, if the entire non-BJP political spectrum puts its resources together, it can perhaps bruise the Himalayan halo of the Prime Minister and set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. For, remember, despite enjoying a brute majority at the Centre and states, even India Gandhi couldnt ensure an unopposed win for her candidate. In 1969, her candidate VV Giri defeated the official Congress candidate N Sanjiva Reddy. But in 1977, Gandhi (now in the opposition) couldnt find a credible candidate to fight Reddy who was eventually elected unopposed. While Modi maintains a royal silence, the entire opposition has begun hunting for a credible Presidential candidate. Before the assembly elections, Modi was expected to go in for a consensus and force a hardcore Hindutva personality as his choice. But Modi hasnt started consultations even within his own party so far, leave alone with any known or unknown foes. A few weeks ago, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was considered to be the consensus choice as he was also honoured with Indias second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. Pawar has strong credentials as a member of the Rajya Sabha and as former president of the Janata Dal (U). But after his unprecedented electoral gains in UP and elsewhere, Modi is unlikely to accept anyone from the opposition ranks as the next president. Nevertheless, structured and informal parleys on the matter have already begun in Lutyens Delhi. The idea among the Opposition leaders is to bring together some 35 political parties which have more than a 50 per cent share of the Electoral College. Since none of them enjoys a pan-India image or visibility, premium has been put on integrity, seniority and social background of a potential contestant. While Pawar appears to still be in the forefront, the Opposition is also toying with the idea of asking President Pranab Mukherjee to run for a second term. By all indications, he is unlikely to agree, unless requested to do so by both sides. Another powerful contender could be Vice-President Hamid Ansari who was pushed by the Left parties in 2012. He enjoys a scholarly and secular image in India and abroad. But since he has never been involved in electoral politics, it wont be easy to persuade him to get into a controversy at this stage of his unblemished career as an academic and diplomat. If the choice falls on a political leader, Sharad Yadav is the most credible and acceptable personality. Not only does he enjoy a clean reputation, his backward background, coupled with his socialist ideology, makes him the most politically-acceptable claimant for the position. Of the 12 Presidents since Independence, only Zail Singh belonged to the backward community. India has had three Muslims, a Sikh, a Dalit and one woman as President so far. With backward politics dominating the political narrative, Yadav could be a strong uniting force. He would also be acceptable to the Left and other regional parties. The Congress might also promote Meira Kumar, former Lok Sabha speaker and a Dalit. In 2012, the NDA chose former speaker PA Sangma, a former Lok Sabha speaker and a Christian from the North-East, to fight Mukherjee but he lost badly as a large number of NDA allies chose to vote for Mukherjee. The latter got 7.13 lakh votes, or 69.3 per cent. The story is different this time. The numbers are heavily loaded in favour of an NDA nominee. Of the 10.99 lakh-member electoral college, NDA has over 47 per cent votes (including that of the Shiv Sena), barely three per cent less than the majority needed to win in the first round. The credit for the BJPs highly comfortable position goes to Uttar Pradesh, whose Assembly accounts for 7.6 per cent votes. By winning about 80 per cent seats, the party has added around 4 per cent to its tally. Moreover, the value of the UP Assembly seat is highest at 208. While the BJPs tally in the Electoral College is 4,33,182, the figure touches 5,24,088 if all the allies are added. Plus, it wont be difficult for Modi to garner extra votes from weaker parties like the AIADMK or the BJD. As he believes in breaking records, he may push for an uncontested election by breaking the opposition ranks or ensuring the victory by a huge margin by polling over 75 per cent votes. His detractors will aim at minimising political authority of the Prime Minister by maximising their unity and arithmetic. Only outcome will determine the fate, futility, future and face of those aspiring to throw a spanner in the Modi mill. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Stung by the Hyderabad High Court verdict in the Ayesha Meera murder case, the State police have gone back to the drawing room to scrutinise point by point, loopholes in the prosecution pointed out by the two-member bench, which acquitted main accused, P Satyam Babu, and even directed the State government to take action against officials involved in the investigation for allegedly manipulating evidence. The court, in its 82-page judgement, wondered how could Satyam Babu who is just 5ft 5 inches tall sneak into the hostel, where Ayesha was asleep on the ill-fated day in Dec, 2007. It pointed out that for him to sneak in, he had to scale the compound wall first, climb atop a toilet in the compound and then, from its rooftop fly across a distance of about eight ft and latch on to the parapet wall of the first floor of the hostel, which is about 6.5 ft high. It felt an ordinary man of Satyam Babus height and build could not have possibly pulled it off as it requires supermans effort. Screen grabs of Ibrahimpatnam inspector D Chavan scaling a compound wall, climbing on to the top of a toilet and from its rooftop jumping onto the first floor of Ayesha Meeras hostel with surprising ease Top officials of the police department, who are studying the verdict by comparing it with the judgement delivered by the Mahila Court in 2010, deputed an inspector rank officer to go to the hostel building in Ibrahimpatnam and check whether one could actually pull it off. Ibrahimpatnam inspector D Chavan, sources told Express, accordingly went to the building and easily climbed atop the washroom and from there, to the first floor. The sources said if the inspector, aged around 50, could pull it off, it would not have been difficult for a young Satyam Babu at all. The inspectors effort was videographed and circulated on social media. It hardly took a minute for the inspector to reach the first floor. The prosecution had argued in the court that Satyam Babu went to the second floor with an intention to rape a girl. After seeing Ayesha Meera sleeping in her room, he feared she could raise an alarm if he tried to outrage her modesty and through the same way, he came out of the hostel, picked up a chutney pounder from a nearby house and again went to the first floor and from there, to second floor. Then he entered her room and clobbered her to death with the chutney pounder. Later he dragged her to the toilet which was about 60 ft away from her room where he allegedly raped her. He then escaped, after throwing the chutney pounder into the bushes. The idea of making an inspector climb the walls came up when top officials of the police department. including intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao, CID chief Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and Vijayawada Police commissioner Gautam Sawang, reportedly discussed the judgement recently. Though the government has not taken any decision on whether it should go in for an appeal against the high court judgement or reopen the case, the police are trying to build a strong case to present it to the government seeking a decision in favour of appeal. Sources said the police are very confident of proving that Satyam Babu is indeed the culprit and are blaming the prosecution for not arguing the case effectively despite having clinching evidence against him. The officials, with the help of lawyers, are trying to plug the loopholes in the prosecutions case. Sources said the police are also examining the high courts observation that absence of injuries on the private parts of the victim indicated no rape was committed at all. The police officials say if rape took place after death, there would obviously be no injuries. VIJAYAWADA: Stung by the Hyderabad High Court verdict in the Ayesha Meera murder case, the State police have gone back to the drawing room to scrutinise point by point, loopholes in the prosecution pointed out by the two-member bench, which acquitted main accused, P Satyam Babu, and even directed the State government to take action against officials involved in the investigation for allegedly manipulating evidence. The court, in its 82-page judgement, wondered how could Satyam Babu who is just 5ft 5 inches tall sneak into the hostel, where Ayesha was asleep on the ill-fated day in Dec, 2007. It pointed out that for him to sneak in, he had to scale the compound wall first, climb atop a toilet in the compound and then, from its rooftop fly across a distance of about eight ft and latch on to the parapet wall of the first floor of the hostel, which is about 6.5 ft high. It felt an ordinary man of Satyam Babus height and build could not have possibly pulled it off as it requires supermans effort. Screen grabs of Ibrahimpatnam inspector D Chavan scaling a compound wall, climbing on to the top of a toilet and from its rooftop jumping onto the first floor of Ayesha Meeras hostel with surprising ease Top officials of the police department, who are studying the verdict by comparing it with the judgement delivered by the Mahila Court in 2010, deputed an inspector rank officer to go to the hostel building in Ibrahimpatnam and check whether one could actually pull it off. Ibrahimpatnam inspector D Chavan, sources told Express, accordingly went to the building and easily climbed atop the washroom and from there, to the first floor. The sources said if the inspector, aged around 50, could pull it off, it would not have been difficult for a young Satyam Babu at all. The inspectors effort was videographed and circulated on social media. It hardly took a minute for the inspector to reach the first floor. The prosecution had argued in the court that Satyam Babu went to the second floor with an intention to rape a girl. After seeing Ayesha Meera sleeping in her room, he feared she could raise an alarm if he tried to outrage her modesty and through the same way, he came out of the hostel, picked up a chutney pounder from a nearby house and again went to the first floor and from there, to second floor. Then he entered her room and clobbered her to death with the chutney pounder. Later he dragged her to the toilet which was about 60 ft away from her room where he allegedly raped her. He then escaped, after throwing the chutney pounder into the bushes. The idea of making an inspector climb the walls came up when top officials of the police department. including intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao, CID chief Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and Vijayawada Police commissioner Gautam Sawang, reportedly discussed the judgement recently. Though the government has not taken any decision on whether it should go in for an appeal against the high court judgement or reopen the case, the police are trying to build a strong case to present it to the government seeking a decision in favour of appeal. Sources said the police are very confident of proving that Satyam Babu is indeed the culprit and are blaming the prosecution for not arguing the case effectively despite having clinching evidence against him. The officials, with the help of lawyers, are trying to plug the loopholes in the prosecutions case. Sources said the police are also examining the high courts observation that absence of injuries on the private parts of the victim indicated no rape was committed at all. The police officials say if rape took place after death, there would obviously be no injuries. By Express News Service BHATKAL: In a joint operation, the railway police and the civil police of Bhatkal town arrested a man with banned notes worth `18 lakh at the Bhatkal railway station on Friday night. According to the police, the arrested has been identified as Mohiddin Abdulla of Manjeshwar town in Kerala. The recovered notes were of `500 and `1,000 denominations. The arrested was said to be bringing the banned notes from Goa to Majeshwar in Netravati train. Based on a tip-off that a person is carrying banned notes, the Bhatkal railway police passed the information to the town police. Both of them formed their own teams and waited at the station till late night to catch him red-handed. During interrogation, the accused is said to have informed the police that he was bringing the notes to his hometown in Kerala. The police said after a preliminarily investigation, they are yet to find out any details of the money trail. BHATKAL: In a joint operation, the railway police and the civil police of Bhatkal town arrested a man with banned notes worth `18 lakh at the Bhatkal railway station on Friday night. According to the police, the arrested has been identified as Mohiddin Abdulla of Manjeshwar town in Kerala. The recovered notes were of `500 and `1,000 denominations. The arrested was said to be bringing the banned notes from Goa to Majeshwar in Netravati train. Based on a tip-off that a person is carrying banned notes, the Bhatkal railway police passed the information to the town police. Both of them formed their own teams and waited at the station till late night to catch him red-handed. During interrogation, the accused is said to have informed the police that he was bringing the notes to his hometown in Kerala. The police said after a preliminarily investigation, they are yet to find out any details of the money trail. By Express News Service KOZHIKODE : CPM politburo member and senior leader Prakash Karat has asked the CPI leadership not to forget the party was not part of the Opposition. Some leaders, who are part of the LDF, should remember that they are not leaders of Opposition. We are discussing the matter with the CPI leadership both at the state and Centre, Karat told reporters at the CPM district committee office here on Saturday. Asked about the stance of the State Government in the Jishnu Pranoy case, he said: the State Government is doing whatever should be done. Some more things are to be done. Those things, will be done. The government has done nothing wrong. On the allegations that Sangh Parivar agenda is being implemented through the police, the CPM leader said: its not our partys practice to decide or discuss who should be in certain positions in the police force. Thats for the government to decide. Karat came down heavily on the Union Government for relaxing norms for corporate funding of political parties. The funding with regard to proportion of profit was previously limited to 7.5 per cent. The limit has been removed. The BJP is the only party which benefits from the amendment. The amendment was passed bypassing the Rajya Sabha which was undemocratic, he said.Karat said Yogi Adityanath at the helm in UP would lead to growth of cow vigilantes. KOZHIKODE : CPM politburo member and senior leader Prakash Karat has asked the CPI leadership not to forget the party was not part of the Opposition. Some leaders, who are part of the LDF, should remember that they are not leaders of Opposition. We are discussing the matter with the CPI leadership both at the state and Centre, Karat told reporters at the CPM district committee office here on Saturday. Asked about the stance of the State Government in the Jishnu Pranoy case, he said: the State Government is doing whatever should be done. Some more things are to be done. Those things, will be done. The government has done nothing wrong. On the allegations that Sangh Parivar agenda is being implemented through the police, the CPM leader said: its not our partys practice to decide or discuss who should be in certain positions in the police force. Thats for the government to decide. Karat came down heavily on the Union Government for relaxing norms for corporate funding of political parties. The funding with regard to proportion of profit was previously limited to 7.5 per cent. The limit has been removed. The BJP is the only party which benefits from the amendment. The amendment was passed bypassing the Rajya Sabha which was undemocratic, he said.Karat said Yogi Adityanath at the helm in UP would lead to growth of cow vigilantes. By Express News Service BHUBANESHWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday at the Inter-State Council meeting in New Delhi reiterated the State government's demand to constitute a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Addressing the 11th meeting of the standing committee of the Inter-State Council at New Delhi, Naveen Patnaik demanded that all ongoing construction in the Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh be stopped to protect the livelihood of the people of Odisha. Expressing concerns over the implementation of inter-state water projects including Polavaram, Naveen Patnaik said the Centre has not adopted fair play while declaring it a national project. He urged the Centre to discontinue the Polavaram project. Patnaik also alleged unfair principles while assigning the task of taking decisions on contentious issues between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to project functionary. The chief minister highlighted how low telecom connectivity including lower bandwidth, low financial inclusion and a low bank credit remain major concerns for Odisha. He said 28 percent of the villages in the State do not have any mobile coverage while 70 per cent of the gram panchayats does not have a bank branch. Stating that the Credit-GSDP ratio at 24.75 per cent is abysmally low, he impressed upon the Centre to address these critical deficiencies urgently so that Odisha can achieve the goal of digital India and balanced economic and social development. The chief minister informed the committee that his government has assured to provide land and partly finance several railway projects to connect hinterland Maoist-affected areas. He requested the Centre to support these projects with adequate funds for the proposed Malkangiri-Jeypore and Jeypore-Nabarangpur rail projects. CM Patnaik demanded that the Centre should provide adequate funds for ordinary repair and periodical renewal of national highways passing through Odisha, many of which are in a state of despair. Naveen Patnaik said the Centres demand for reimbursement of deployment costs of central armed police forces (CAPF) for countering Naxalite activities is totally unjustified as Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is a national challenge. He requested the Centre to ensure equitable distribution of funds, logistic support and deployment of central forces and bear the expenditure of their deployment. Opposing the decision taken at the GST council meeting to use proceeds of the clean environment cess for the GST compensation fund meant for all States, Patnaik said it is disadvantageous to coal bearing States like Odisha which bear the burden of environmental degeneration and rehabilitation costs. He requested the Centre to earmark 60 per cent of the cess for the coal bearing States. BHUBANESHWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday at the Inter-State Council meeting in New Delhi reiterated the State government's demand to constitute a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Addressing the 11th meeting of the standing committee of the Inter-State Council at New Delhi, Naveen Patnaik demanded that all ongoing construction in the Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh be stopped to protect the livelihood of the people of Odisha. Expressing concerns over the implementation of inter-state water projects including Polavaram, Naveen Patnaik said the Centre has not adopted fair play while declaring it a national project. He urged the Centre to discontinue the Polavaram project. Patnaik also alleged unfair principles while assigning the task of taking decisions on contentious issues between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to project functionary. The chief minister highlighted how low telecom connectivity including lower bandwidth, low financial inclusion and a low bank credit remain major concerns for Odisha. He said 28 percent of the villages in the State do not have any mobile coverage while 70 per cent of the gram panchayats does not have a bank branch. Stating that the Credit-GSDP ratio at 24.75 per cent is abysmally low, he impressed upon the Centre to address these critical deficiencies urgently so that Odisha can achieve the goal of digital India and balanced economic and social development. The chief minister informed the committee that his government has assured to provide land and partly finance several railway projects to connect hinterland Maoist-affected areas. He requested the Centre to support these projects with adequate funds for the proposed Malkangiri-Jeypore and Jeypore-Nabarangpur rail projects. CM Patnaik demanded that the Centre should provide adequate funds for ordinary repair and periodical renewal of national highways passing through Odisha, many of which are in a state of despair. Naveen Patnaik said the Centres demand for reimbursement of deployment costs of central armed police forces (CAPF) for countering Naxalite activities is totally unjustified as Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is a national challenge. He requested the Centre to ensure equitable distribution of funds, logistic support and deployment of central forces and bear the expenditure of their deployment. Opposing the decision taken at the GST council meeting to use proceeds of the clean environment cess for the GST compensation fund meant for all States, Patnaik said it is disadvantageous to coal bearing States like Odisha which bear the burden of environmental degeneration and rehabilitation costs. He requested the Centre to earmark 60 per cent of the cess for the coal bearing States. Sruthi R Mallya By Express News Service COIMBATORE: From ice cream to gourmet cuisine around the world, vanilla rules the roost. There is very little Western cooking, and, increasingly, Indian too, that gets by without this much-favoured spice. What if you were told that the vanilla essence sitting in your kitchen cupboard was not made from real beans? Would you believe it if you were told that the relatively cheaper imitation and synthetic vanilla extract has nearly wiped out the domestic market of the organic variety in the country? Well, thats the truth. Tessy Joseph, an organic vanilla farmer near Udumalpet, says the business is like the lottery. A good demand for the product and certain awareness of the trade could bring in good rates to match the investment and cost of labour, she explains. Last year, green vanilla bean was being sold for as low as `140 per kilo. Now, according to Tessa, the price of green vanilla beans is around `3,000-4,500 per kilo, while dried and processed beans are sold for `20,000-25,000, depending on the quality and length of the beans. Disease-free vines also fetch a decent price. This rise is price is attributed to the natural calamity that hit the largest vanilla producer in the world, Madagascar. The Sava region, which produces half of the worlds vanilla, was one of those badly hit by the Cyclone Enawo in March, 2017. With predictions of bad harvests in the island nation, India is up for competition in the global vanilla market. Lesser availability of the product has pushed the prices up too. R Mahendran, a vanilla enthusiast and entrepreneur in Pollachi, explains, Price of vanilla in the international markets has gone over $600 per kilo. The price in India has matches the trend too. However, when Madagascar recovers from the calamity, the prices are bound to fall again. Just as it happened after the good export period of 2005-2008. Madagascar saw one of the deadliest cyclones in the South-West Indian Ocean that hit a major part of its vanilla crops. This subsequently led to the rise in price of vanilla beans. Indian vanilla farmers, mainly those in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (along the Western Ghats) enjoyed a few good years of trade, producing as much as 2,000 tonnes of beans per year. However, after trade picked up in Madagascar, Indias production fell to as low as 150 tonnes a year. With this new rise in demand for the product, production has once again increased to 400 tonnes. Mahendran explains that the lack of buyers dissuaded farmers from cultivating vanilla through the lean years. Buyers bought vanilla beans primarily for export. When Madagascar beans hit the market again, the demand from our farmers plummeted, he points out. Awareness about the harmful effects of the synthetic vanilla can help the domestic market move towards the organic one, says Mahendran. Our industries have primarily been using synthetic vanilla; hence, there is no demand for the real one in the domestic market. We should create awareness about the health benefits of using original vanilla than the synthetic ones which are created from petrochemicals, he cautions. A coal-tar derivative or a by-product of the paper industry are some of the popular alternatives for natural vanilla in your imitation essence. Needless to say, they are not ingredients you would want in your food. Besides, lack of awareness of the labour-intensive cultivation and little expertise in its processing, which is akin to wine making, are also reasons we rely on exports to bring in the business, adds Mahendran. Thats is why he started his own processing plant - to provide the alternative, organic vanilla, for the masses. COIMBATORE: From ice cream to gourmet cuisine around the world, vanilla rules the roost. There is very little Western cooking, and, increasingly, Indian too, that gets by without this much-favoured spice. What if you were told that the vanilla essence sitting in your kitchen cupboard was not made from real beans? Would you believe it if you were told that the relatively cheaper imitation and synthetic vanilla extract has nearly wiped out the domestic market of the organic variety in the country? Well, thats the truth. Tessy Joseph, an organic vanilla farmer near Udumalpet, says the business is like the lottery. A good demand for the product and certain awareness of the trade could bring in good rates to match the investment and cost of labour, she explains. Last year, green vanilla bean was being sold for as low as `140 per kilo. Now, according to Tessa, the price of green vanilla beans is around `3,000-4,500 per kilo, while dried and processed beans are sold for `20,000-25,000, depending on the quality and length of the beans. Disease-free vines also fetch a decent price. This rise is price is attributed to the natural calamity that hit the largest vanilla producer in the world, Madagascar. The Sava region, which produces half of the worlds vanilla, was one of those badly hit by the Cyclone Enawo in March, 2017. With predictions of bad harvests in the island nation, India is up for competition in the global vanilla market. Lesser availability of the product has pushed the prices up too. R Mahendran, a vanilla enthusiast and entrepreneur in Pollachi, explains, Price of vanilla in the international markets has gone over $600 per kilo. The price in India has matches the trend too. However, when Madagascar recovers from the calamity, the prices are bound to fall again. Just as it happened after the good export period of 2005-2008. Madagascar saw one of the deadliest cyclones in the South-West Indian Ocean that hit a major part of its vanilla crops. This subsequently led to the rise in price of vanilla beans. Indian vanilla farmers, mainly those in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (along the Western Ghats) enjoyed a few good years of trade, producing as much as 2,000 tonnes of beans per year. However, after trade picked up in Madagascar, Indias production fell to as low as 150 tonnes a year. With this new rise in demand for the product, production has once again increased to 400 tonnes. Mahendran explains that the lack of buyers dissuaded farmers from cultivating vanilla through the lean years. Buyers bought vanilla beans primarily for export. When Madagascar beans hit the market again, the demand from our farmers plummeted, he points out. Awareness about the harmful effects of the synthetic vanilla can help the domestic market move towards the organic one, says Mahendran. Our industries have primarily been using synthetic vanilla; hence, there is no demand for the real one in the domestic market. We should create awareness about the health benefits of using original vanilla than the synthetic ones which are created from petrochemicals, he cautions. A coal-tar derivative or a by-product of the paper industry are some of the popular alternatives for natural vanilla in your imitation essence. Needless to say, they are not ingredients you would want in your food. Besides, lack of awareness of the labour-intensive cultivation and little expertise in its processing, which is akin to wine making, are also reasons we rely on exports to bring in the business, adds Mahendran. Thats is why he started his own processing plant - to provide the alternative, organic vanilla, for the masses. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: At a time when Bangladeshs Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on a four-day visit to India, Bandaru Dattatreya, union minister of labour, has termed Bangladeshi immigrants as a threat to the country. Dattatreya was speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of Pragna Bharathi in Hyderabad on Saturday. Speaking at the event, he said, Nationalism is the only solution for the problems of the people. Various union ministers, scientists and vice chancellors of Osmania and Andhra university were in attendance. A former member of Pragna Bharathi, Nirmala Sitaraman, Union minister of state for industry and commerce said, It was almost a taboo to discuss issues which were closer to our ideology, we have come far from that. Addressing the crowd, she said, Its time to intensify the propagation of Pragna Bharathis ideology. Also speaking at the event, Union minister for human resource development Prakash Javadekar said: A sustainable way of prosperity comes through innovation. We are starting with a global research interactive network to bring back the brains India has lost. We have floated a higher education finance agency, `2,000 crore has been allotted for this. In the next three years we want to create world-class labs and universities, 10 in public sector and 10 in private sector. The aim is to ensure the patents filed by the researches are registered in India. The event also saw the launch of the book Truth Trumping: Bharath on freedom road by Padma Shri awardee TH Chowdry. Speaking during the book release, Chowdry termed JNU a Marxist Madrassa. HYDERABAD: At a time when Bangladeshs Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on a four-day visit to India, Bandaru Dattatreya, union minister of labour, has termed Bangladeshi immigrants as a threat to the country. Dattatreya was speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of Pragna Bharathi in Hyderabad on Saturday. Speaking at the event, he said, Nationalism is the only solution for the problems of the people. Various union ministers, scientists and vice chancellors of Osmania and Andhra university were in attendance. A former member of Pragna Bharathi, Nirmala Sitaraman, Union minister of state for industry and commerce said, It was almost a taboo to discuss issues which were closer to our ideology, we have come far from that. Addressing the crowd, she said, Its time to intensify the propagation of Pragna Bharathis ideology. Also speaking at the event, Union minister for human resource development Prakash Javadekar said: A sustainable way of prosperity comes through innovation. We are starting with a global research interactive network to bring back the brains India has lost. We have floated a higher education finance agency, `2,000 crore has been allotted for this. In the next three years we want to create world-class labs and universities, 10 in public sector and 10 in private sector. The aim is to ensure the patents filed by the researches are registered in India. The event also saw the launch of the book Truth Trumping: Bharath on freedom road by Padma Shri awardee TH Chowdry. Speaking during the book release, Chowdry termed JNU a Marxist Madrassa. Rakesh k singh By NEW DELHI: The multi-faceted extremist threat in India is on the rise. And, the worry is not confined to increasing number of misguided youths but of those who are travelling to the so-called Islamic stateSyria and Iraqto wage Jihad. The swelling number of radicalised youths making Hijrah and those under the watch of security forces show that despite recent rout in Mosul, IS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has retained certain traction among growing breed of alienated youths. While 23 radicals had travelled to Syria and Iraq in 2015, the figure for 2016 has gone up to 70. In 2015, around 200 youths were under watch for their suspicious online links with IS. However, the number of those under the watch for pro-IS leanings increased to 450 in 2016. Multiple new Salafi outfits such as Niche of Truth (Kerala), Peace Educational Foundation (Kerala), Jamiat ul Muflihaat (Hyderabad), Discover Islam Education Trust (Bengaluru), Tauheed Educational Trust (Bihar), Islamic Research and Dawah Centre (Mumbai), Islamic information Centre (Mumbai) have emerged during the last few years, which have provided direct access to indoctrination materials. Cadres of radically inclined Popular Front of India, Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamat and Kerala Nadwathul Mujahideen factions are increasing in numbers significantly besides the increase in preacher Zakir Naiks followers. Others are also getting motivated by reading material available online. In the North, affiliates of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Wahadat-e-Islami are engaged in radicalisation in a major way. While Wahabi vectors have had an established presence in India even prior to Independence, there has been an unequivocal growth in the numbers and geographical spread during the last few decades. For example, the Facebook page of Dr Zakir Naik even today has 1.56 crore likes. Another example is the immense growth in the membership of Kerala Nadwatahul Mujahideen factions whose combined strength has grown from about 25,200 in 1993 to 65,200 till date. In the last decade, the membership of Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamat has increased from 20,000 to one lakh. Another radically inclined outfit PFI has grown from a cadre strength of about 45,000 during 2009 to over 1,20,000. The Rukun strength of Jamat-e-Islami Hind has increased from 6,158 in 2008 to 8,753 in 2016, according to an Intelligence dossier on radicalisation. In addition, Salafi Dawah platforms have been established in several parts of the country. SIMI affiliates are vocal in espousal of jehad and Khilafa urging Muslim youths to emulate the valour of iconic Muslim warriors. To compound the problem, radical clerics are involved in espousal of jehad and even offering GaibanaNamaaz-e-Janaza for Osama bin Laden and Afzal Guru. Growth of Wahabism-Salafism undermines Indian Islam which is based on Sufi-Barelvi practices that so far have been the most-effective counter to radicalization, the dossier said. The Intelligence Bureau has also prepared a structured responsecounter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation strategyconsultation with the states to deal with the threat. NEW DELHI: The multi-faceted extremist threat in India is on the rise. And, the worry is not confined to increasing number of misguided youths but of those who are travelling to the so-called Islamic stateSyria and Iraqto wage Jihad. The swelling number of radicalised youths making Hijrah and those under the watch of security forces show that despite recent rout in Mosul, IS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has retained certain traction among growing breed of alienated youths. While 23 radicals had travelled to Syria and Iraq in 2015, the figure for 2016 has gone up to 70. In 2015, around 200 youths were under watch for their suspicious online links with IS. However, the number of those under the watch for pro-IS leanings increased to 450 in 2016. Multiple new Salafi outfits such as Niche of Truth (Kerala), Peace Educational Foundation (Kerala), Jamiat ul Muflihaat (Hyderabad), Discover Islam Education Trust (Bengaluru), Tauheed Educational Trust (Bihar), Islamic Research and Dawah Centre (Mumbai), Islamic information Centre (Mumbai) have emerged during the last few years, which have provided direct access to indoctrination materials. Cadres of radically inclined Popular Front of India, Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamat and Kerala Nadwathul Mujahideen factions are increasing in numbers significantly besides the increase in preacher Zakir Naiks followers. Others are also getting motivated by reading material available online. In the North, affiliates of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Wahadat-e-Islami are engaged in radicalisation in a major way. While Wahabi vectors have had an established presence in India even prior to Independence, there has been an unequivocal growth in the numbers and geographical spread during the last few decades. For example, the Facebook page of Dr Zakir Naik even today has 1.56 crore likes. Another example is the immense growth in the membership of Kerala Nadwatahul Mujahideen factions whose combined strength has grown from about 25,200 in 1993 to 65,200 till date. In the last decade, the membership of Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamat has increased from 20,000 to one lakh. Another radically inclined outfit PFI has grown from a cadre strength of about 45,000 during 2009 to over 1,20,000. The Rukun strength of Jamat-e-Islami Hind has increased from 6,158 in 2008 to 8,753 in 2016, according to an Intelligence dossier on radicalisation. In addition, Salafi Dawah platforms have been established in several parts of the country. SIMI affiliates are vocal in espousal of jehad and Khilafa urging Muslim youths to emulate the valour of iconic Muslim warriors. To compound the problem, radical clerics are involved in espousal of jehad and even offering GaibanaNamaaz-e-Janaza for Osama bin Laden and Afzal Guru. Growth of Wahabism-Salafism undermines Indian Islam which is based on Sufi-Barelvi practices that so far have been the most-effective counter to radicalization, the dossier said. The Intelligence Bureau has also prepared a structured responsecounter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation strategyconsultation with the states to deal with the threat. Rakesh K Singh By NEW DELHI: Tens of millions of dollars as charity flowing into the country under jealously guarded web of deception to mask real motive have triggered panic in the Intelligence Community that is monitoring vulnerabilities and threats stemming from foreign sources. Accumulated evidence, painstaking examination of background and intelligence reports on funding patterns show Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) turning into sleeper cellsworking and plotting against the governmentin potential collusion with the foreign powers, reveals a classified Intelligence dossier. Providing examples of these new formidable apparatus, the dossier has flagged the tricky roles played by voluntary organisations such as IKV Pax Christi (Netherlands), Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Compassion International (USA) in taking circuitous route for funding local NGOs in a bid to create and run sleeper cells for future onslaught against the government. The intelligence dossier, which has deciphered the clandestine relationship between financiers and these cells, has revealed the primary activities range from creating social tensions, making efforts for regime change and dragging down countrys economic growth. The Intelligence dossier provides basis for security nightmare from western NGOs, which are focusing on seven critical areashuman rights, violence against women, religious freedom, human trafficking, climate change, Dalit and tribal rightsthat could seriously damage Indian interests and frustrate the governments development politics. The dossier highlighted attempts by CIVICUS, a US-based international alliance of NGOs, to push at least five Indian NGOs to take up civic issues more aggressively. These NGOs drafted multiple reports based on the same set of facts, giving reference of each others research papers and documents. In India, notably, a document prepared by the US Army had declared that USAID had been able to gain oversight and authority over the NGOs whom it funded for performing certain functions, states the dossier. Under the guise of noble causes, a few others seek to pressure India at the international level to manipulate New Delhis stand on multi-lateral issues like climate change to malign the countrys reputation. Counter-terrorism expert Dr Rituraj Mate said NGOs in India work in only those sectors that have huge budgetary provisions in the US State Department, which clearly means such organisations are working for American interests. Indias Intelligence Community has noted it is not a coincidence that NGOs covertly plotting regime change and stirring civic unrest in various countries were incorporated and controlled in one countryUSAand working closely with the State Department. NGOs are legalised over-ground sleeper cells facilitating the logistics management activities such as recruitment, fund management and asset management. Interestingly, most of the NGOs are working in areas where Naxal activities are at peak, he said. Intelligence officials believe the otherwise reputed NGOs working for avowed noble causes become ready instruments in the hands of such foreign policy interventions aimed at achieving the undeclared objectives. The nefarious design is well-timed to inflict maximum damage. The dossier highlights that some NGOs chose to strike with human rights violation by Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to foreign countries. There were specific examples to prove that just before Modis visit to certain countries, a few of these NGOs had tried to influence the engagement between sovereign powers by their motivated reports on these issues. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) had written a letter to the European Union (EU) on alleged rights violations in India just one day prior to the visit of PM Narendra Modi to EU-India Summit 2016. The unprecedented focus received by Nirbhayas incident in international fora appeared to be a part of this motivated campaign. It was highlighted that the subject of religious freedom has been pushed to the centrestage in a bid to exploit it as a negotiation tool in the hands of Western countries. In this context, in February 2016, a few US senators had urged Modi to foster inclusive values in the society and follow international obligations on the rights of religious minorities. Of late, a new area that has been brought to the fore internationally is that of the rights of SC community, which had hitherto been confined to the Indian subcontinent, a senior Intelligence official said. Attempts have been made by certain foreign organisations like International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in creating non-tariff barriers in the labour-intensive textile and garment industry of South India so as to render the Indian industry hostage to artificially constructed ethical standards. The Global Slavery Index was created by international lobbyists with a view to be quoted by the Head of US Foreign Relations Committee just before PMs visit to the US with intention of embarrassing India at an international platform. The Intelligence Bureau has advised the state police agencies to be alert for potential damage that can be inflicted if the activities of the NGOs inimical to national interests are not monitored properly in this context. NEW DELHI: Tens of millions of dollars as charity flowing into the country under jealously guarded web of deception to mask real motive have triggered panic in the Intelligence Community that is monitoring vulnerabilities and threats stemming from foreign sources. Accumulated evidence, painstaking examination of background and intelligence reports on funding patterns show Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) turning into sleeper cellsworking and plotting against the governmentin potential collusion with the foreign powers, reveals a classified Intelligence dossier. Providing examples of these new formidable apparatus, the dossier has flagged the tricky roles played by voluntary organisations such as IKV Pax Christi (Netherlands), Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Compassion International (USA) in taking circuitous route for funding local NGOs in a bid to create and run sleeper cells for future onslaught against the government. The intelligence dossier, which has deciphered the clandestine relationship between financiers and these cells, has revealed the primary activities range from creating social tensions, making efforts for regime change and dragging down countrys economic growth. The Intelligence dossier provides basis for security nightmare from western NGOs, which are focusing on seven critical areashuman rights, violence against women, religious freedom, human trafficking, climate change, Dalit and tribal rightsthat could seriously damage Indian interests and frustrate the governments development politics. The dossier highlighted attempts by CIVICUS, a US-based international alliance of NGOs, to push at least five Indian NGOs to take up civic issues more aggressively. These NGOs drafted multiple reports based on the same set of facts, giving reference of each others research papers and documents. In India, notably, a document prepared by the US Army had declared that USAID had been able to gain oversight and authority over the NGOs whom it funded for performing certain functions, states the dossier. Under the guise of noble causes, a few others seek to pressure India at the international level to manipulate New Delhis stand on multi-lateral issues like climate change to malign the countrys reputation. Counter-terrorism expert Dr Rituraj Mate said NGOs in India work in only those sectors that have huge budgetary provisions in the US State Department, which clearly means such organisations are working for American interests. Indias Intelligence Community has noted it is not a coincidence that NGOs covertly plotting regime change and stirring civic unrest in various countries were incorporated and controlled in one countryUSAand working closely with the State Department. NGOs are legalised over-ground sleeper cells facilitating the logistics management activities such as recruitment, fund management and asset management. Interestingly, most of the NGOs are working in areas where Naxal activities are at peak, he said. Intelligence officials believe the otherwise reputed NGOs working for avowed noble causes become ready instruments in the hands of such foreign policy interventions aimed at achieving the undeclared objectives. The nefarious design is well-timed to inflict maximum damage. The dossier highlights that some NGOs chose to strike with human rights violation by Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to foreign countries. There were specific examples to prove that just before Modis visit to certain countries, a few of these NGOs had tried to influence the engagement between sovereign powers by their motivated reports on these issues. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) had written a letter to the European Union (EU) on alleged rights violations in India just one day prior to the visit of PM Narendra Modi to EU-India Summit 2016. The unprecedented focus received by Nirbhayas incident in international fora appeared to be a part of this motivated campaign. It was highlighted that the subject of religious freedom has been pushed to the centrestage in a bid to exploit it as a negotiation tool in the hands of Western countries. In this context, in February 2016, a few US senators had urged Modi to foster inclusive values in the society and follow international obligations on the rights of religious minorities. Of late, a new area that has been brought to the fore internationally is that of the rights of SC community, which had hitherto been confined to the Indian subcontinent, a senior Intelligence official said. Attempts have been made by certain foreign organisations like International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in creating non-tariff barriers in the labour-intensive textile and garment industry of South India so as to render the Indian industry hostage to artificially constructed ethical standards. The Global Slavery Index was created by international lobbyists with a view to be quoted by the Head of US Foreign Relations Committee just before PMs visit to the US with intention of embarrassing India at an international platform. The Intelligence Bureau has advised the state police agencies to be alert for potential damage that can be inflicted if the activities of the NGOs inimical to national interests are not monitored properly in this context. Kanu Sarda By NEW DELHI: For every day that the Supreme Court works, some 20 trees are felled to provide paper for documenting its proceedings, including petitions, case histories, orders and annexures carrying related information. Thankfully, this will not be the case six months from now, when the apex court is expected to go completely paperless. Last month, Chief Justice of India J S Khehar during a hearing assured the counsels that the Supreme Court will go paperless in next six months and according to sources, the work of completely digitising the apex court is going on in full swing and after that bulky paper books will be a thing of the past. This will help save over 4,500 trees per year from being axed. Work on digitising court records is already progressing in the lower courts, which means that thousands of trees are being saved from going down at another level as well. Though e-filing system was introduced in the Supreme Court in 2006, it failed to take off as only a negligible number of litigants and lawyers opted to use electronic filing. On an average, nearly 500 petitions or annexures are filed in the apex court and each petition is over 400 pages as different copies need to be taken for the benefit of all parties. Or if its an old case, the main petition alone, annexed with all previous orders, would run into 400 pages. A tree produces 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets of A4 size but in the judiciary the size of the paper used is A3, which is a little longer and one ream is 500 pages. The Supreme Court thus consumes 19 trees a day to have 1,61,000 pages as petitions filed, which works out to 114 trees per week. If the court opens for four weeks, then it comes to 456 trees per month. So, in a span of 10 months, excluding the two-month recess, the court will have used 4,560 trees approximately. Once the digitisation work is complete, the apex court would electronically collect the records of trial courts and high courts and there would be no need for case records to be filed afresh. Those wanting to move the top court would only have to briefly put in writing the grounds on which they challenge an order. By adopting e-filing, every case will be scrutinised to identify the filing defects, if any, and will be immediately communicated by a registry to Advocate-on-Record, or the litigant by an e-mail, secured with the required security features. All counter affidavits and additional documents too can be filed in in the same manner in due course. NEW DELHI: For every day that the Supreme Court works, some 20 trees are felled to provide paper for documenting its proceedings, including petitions, case histories, orders and annexures carrying related information. Thankfully, this will not be the case six months from now, when the apex court is expected to go completely paperless. Last month, Chief Justice of India J S Khehar during a hearing assured the counsels that the Supreme Court will go paperless in next six months and according to sources, the work of completely digitising the apex court is going on in full swing and after that bulky paper books will be a thing of the past. This will help save over 4,500 trees per year from being axed. Work on digitising court records is already progressing in the lower courts, which means that thousands of trees are being saved from going down at another level as well. Though e-filing system was introduced in the Supreme Court in 2006, it failed to take off as only a negligible number of litigants and lawyers opted to use electronic filing. On an average, nearly 500 petitions or annexures are filed in the apex court and each petition is over 400 pages as different copies need to be taken for the benefit of all parties. Or if its an old case, the main petition alone, annexed with all previous orders, would run into 400 pages. A tree produces 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets of A4 size but in the judiciary the size of the paper used is A3, which is a little longer and one ream is 500 pages. The Supreme Court thus consumes 19 trees a day to have 1,61,000 pages as petitions filed, which works out to 114 trees per week. If the court opens for four weeks, then it comes to 456 trees per month. So, in a span of 10 months, excluding the two-month recess, the court will have used 4,560 trees approximately. Once the digitisation work is complete, the apex court would electronically collect the records of trial courts and high courts and there would be no need for case records to be filed afresh. Those wanting to move the top court would only have to briefly put in writing the grounds on which they challenge an order. By adopting e-filing, every case will be scrutinised to identify the filing defects, if any, and will be immediately communicated by a registry to Advocate-on-Record, or the litigant by an e-mail, secured with the required security features. All counter affidavits and additional documents too can be filed in in the same manner in due course. Pradip R Sagar By NEW DELHI: Indian Armys hot pursuit in the jungles of Indo-Myanmar border last year and then the September 29 surgical strikes on terror launch-pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir could have been more lethal, if Special Forces commandoes were given required support from its helicopter fleet. In the absence of a secure and reliable air-ground communication system, the Army has not been able to utilise its helicopter fleet for anti-terror operations or surgical strike-type scenarios. These startling observations came out after a review of the Armys lethality during surgical strike-type operations. According to an internal note prepared by the Armys Directorate of Aviation for improving communication between helicopters and ground troops, it was noted that due to air mobility of the helicopter, the communication is extremely unreliable and unsecure. The Army has a fleet of nearly 500 helicopters, including light utility Cheetah and Chetak, and the newly-inducted Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. Surgical operations like infiltration or exfiltration of Special Forces teams from enemy territory, induction of pathfinder teams into a territory and casualty evacuation operations require the pilot to be aware of the exact location of own troops. But armys biggest worry is its communication system that has failed to support its ground troops in any anti-terror operations. Army jawans in action An Army report states that helicopters operate in very high frequency or ultra high frequency bands, and ground troops also operate on very high frequency band. Air-ground communication is extremely difficult on high frequency band, as the band spectrum is preoccupied with air-to-air communication, the report states, adding that if air-ground communication is further added to it, it will lead to congestion which will be detrimental to flying operations. During recent cross-border actions, copters were used to ferry troops to a certain distance and then they entered enemy territories on foot. Poor air-ground communication has also led to chances of pilots inadvertently crossing over to enemy side. A few years ago, an Indian Cheetah helicopter strayed into Pakistani territory. The chopper was forced to land there and Pakistan air forces fighter jets and crew were detained. Citing the US Armys air-ground communication during the second Gulf war in Iraq as the most effective display of such operations, Indian Army maintained that to enable real-time cohesion between air and ground forces, there is a need to establish effective communications between them. The army maintains that achieving secure air-ground communication is a challenge faced by most armies of the world. It stated that the Commanders on board should know the exact location of their troops when within range. In copter operations, it is an absolute essential, as they are required to land in close proximity of the ground forces in fluid battle field situations. And a pilot needs communication with the support troops on ground to cater to any last-minute change of landing site. Present technique is more suited for fighter operations rather than helicopter operations. To enable real time cohesion between air and ground forces, there is a need to establish effective communication between them, the army states. NEW DELHI: Indian Armys hot pursuit in the jungles of Indo-Myanmar border last year and then the September 29 surgical strikes on terror launch-pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir could have been more lethal, if Special Forces commandoes were given required support from its helicopter fleet. In the absence of a secure and reliable air-ground communication system, the Army has not been able to utilise its helicopter fleet for anti-terror operations or surgical strike-type scenarios. These startling observations came out after a review of the Armys lethality during surgical strike-type operations. According to an internal note prepared by the Armys Directorate of Aviation for improving communication between helicopters and ground troops, it was noted that due to air mobility of the helicopter, the communication is extremely unreliable and unsecure. The Army has a fleet of nearly 500 helicopters, including light utility Cheetah and Chetak, and the newly-inducted Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. Surgical operations like infiltration or exfiltration of Special Forces teams from enemy territory, induction of pathfinder teams into a territory and casualty evacuation operations require the pilot to be aware of the exact location of own troops. But armys biggest worry is its communication system that has failed to support its ground troops in any anti-terror operations. Army jawans in actionAn Army report states that helicopters operate in very high frequency or ultra high frequency bands, and ground troops also operate on very high frequency band. Air-ground communication is extremely difficult on high frequency band, as the band spectrum is preoccupied with air-to-air communication, the report states, adding that if air-ground communication is further added to it, it will lead to congestion which will be detrimental to flying operations. During recent cross-border actions, copters were used to ferry troops to a certain distance and then they entered enemy territories on foot. Poor air-ground communication has also led to chances of pilots inadvertently crossing over to enemy side. A few years ago, an Indian Cheetah helicopter strayed into Pakistani territory. The chopper was forced to land there and Pakistan air forces fighter jets and crew were detained. Citing the US Armys air-ground communication during the second Gulf war in Iraq as the most effective display of such operations, Indian Army maintained that to enable real-time cohesion between air and ground forces, there is a need to establish effective communications between them. The army maintains that achieving secure air-ground communication is a challenge faced by most armies of the world. It stated that the Commanders on board should know the exact location of their troops when within range. In copter operations, it is an absolute essential, as they are required to land in close proximity of the ground forces in fluid battle field situations. And a pilot needs communication with the support troops on ground to cater to any last-minute change of landing site. Present technique is more suited for fighter operations rather than helicopter operations. To enable real time cohesion between air and ground forces, there is a need to establish effective communication between them, the army states. Hyderabad: DRI seized banned tablets in courier parcel Hyderabad, (Andhra Pradesh) , Apr. 8 : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday recovered methaqualone tablets worth Rs 9.20 lakh in a courier parcel from Kuwait. (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915426 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/andhra-pradesh-news.php (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915426 173O212O198O32) A total of 2,300 contraband tablets, weighing 860 grams, were seized.Additional Director General, M. K. Singh stated that on getting specific information that certain cargo booked by courier to Kuwait contains contraband material, a team of officers of DRI, Hyderabad Zonal Unit immediately visited the courier company and collected the said cargo.DRI official said, "This cargo was packed in a carton, which was found to be containing six jeans pants and one half pant. On detailed examination of the cargo, the officers found tablets concealed in the waistband part of the pants.""On removing the stitches, the tablets were found and they tested positive for Methaqualone," he added.Further investigation in the case is in progress. Former govts in UP has done nothing for farmers: BJP Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Apr.8 : While praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for their concern towards the farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Srikant Sharma on Saturday took a jibe at former Samajwadi Party government for not doing anything for the farmers. (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915427 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915427 173O212O198O32) "Uttar Pradesh's ex-Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati's government's work has remained only on computer. They themselves are anti-farmer and are anti-people. The work of opposition is to oppose Chief Minister Adityanath's work," he said."Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi are making efforts to make farmers self-reliant. Former government has wasted the sugarcane industry and mills. Those mills which were already closed were sold," he added.He also assured that Chief Minister Adityanath has also ordered the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) institution and the state's institute will also buy potatoes from the farmers and the government will buy potatoes at Rs. 487 per quintal."Even in the Kisan Mandi Committee, there is grave corruption. There have been scams till now. From June 15, all the Mandi committees should be crater-free. If there is any delay, then the responsible and the people will be tax-free," he added. Former Pak president Zardari's close aide goes missing Hyderabad (Sindh) [Pakistan], Apr 8 : Former Pakistani president and Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's close associate Ghulam Qadir Marri, has gone missing along with his driver and two other people. (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915427 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915427 173O212O198O32) According to Dawn News, Marri's brother, Ismail, confirmed late on Friday that the vehicle of his brother was found abandoned near the Jamshoro thermal power house in the evening."My brother was returning from Naudero," he said.The three others who have gone missing with Marri have been identified as Khan Mohammad Mangi, said to be a secretary of his, Sajjad Arain and driver Mehboob Khaskheli.Marri looks after agriculture lands and related matter of top PPP leaders.It is the third such high profile case in Sindh. A few days back Ashfaq Leghari, said to be working for the Omni group's Dubai office, went missing on the Super Highway.A couple of days back Nawab Leghari, a former advisor in the Sindh government, was also abducted by unidentified people in Islamabad. Family of Vikram Juryal mourns death in Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur (Punjab) , Apr. 8 : The family of Vikram Juryal have mourned his death in his hometown in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district two days after he was shot dead by two armed masked robbers in Washington State. (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915428 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/punjab-news.php (Posted on 08 April 2017, 1667915428 173O212O198O32) Juryal, 26, was working in a store at the AM-PM Gas Station in Washington's Yakima City, when two armed masked men robbed the gas station and shot him on Thursday night.Arun Singh, Vikram's elder brother told ANI, "He went to United States a month back and was working as a clerk at the Gas station.Arun further said that they have appealed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj through Twitter to return Vikram's body to India.External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj condoled the "tragic death" after she was informed about the incident by the victim's brother through Twitter.The Village Tehsildar Pragat Singh appealed to the Deputy Commissioner of Hoshiarpur to make arrangements to get Vikram's body back. Sorry, that page not found! Please visit our Home Page for latest updates Teesta is the lifeline of North Bengal, says Mamata Kolkata (West Bengal) , Apr. 9 : Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's talks on river Teesta, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday expressed displeasure, asserting that Teesta is the lifeline of North Bengal which can't be taken away. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915429 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915429 173O212O198O32) "There is very little water in Teesta River, it is our lifeline, the lifeline of North Bengal," Banerjee said.Mamata further stated that other trans-national rivers could be diverted to attend to Bangladesh's water needs."Your problem is water, not Teesta. I am willing to look at any alternate proposal to address your issues. What we can do is that there are many other rivers in the area (India-Bangladesh), we can use water from them," said Banerjee.Yesterday, Prime Minister Hasina said India's support would help resolve all issues, including Teesta, expeditiously. Meanwhile, no pact on the sharing of water of the river Teesta was signed between the two nations.On this, Prime Minister Modi further said, "I am very happy that the Chief Minister of West Bengal is my guest today. Her feeling for Bangladesh is as warm as my own. I assure you and the people of Bangladesh of our continuing efforts on Teesta. It's only my government and your government that can and will find an early solution to Teesta water sharing issue."The Teesta River runs through both Bengal and Bangladesh and if a treaty is signed it would allowed for equal share of water.Bangladesh has welcomed Prime Minister Modi's commitment to ensuring the early solution to Teesta water issue.India and Bangladesh yesterday signed 22 pacts in key sectors including, defence and civil nuclear. Retd. Pak Army officer goes missing in Nepal Islamabad [Pakistan], Apr 9 : A retired Pakistan Army officer has gone missing while visiting Nepal for a job interview. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915429 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915429 173O212O198O32) The officer, identified as retired Lt Col Mohammad Habib, has been untraceable since Thursday (April 6) from the Nepalese town of Lumbini soon after his arrival there, reports the Dawn.Colonel Habib's family reported his disappearance to the Foreign Office after not being able to contact him."We wrote to the Nepalese foreign ministry about the missing Pakistani national on Friday, but we have yet to hear back from them," said Pakistani charge d'affaires in Kathmandu Javed Imrani.The Colonel, who reportedly retired in October 2014 and belonged to artillery, was currently employed with a private firm in Pakistan and had posted his CV online in search of employment. Iranian navy ships arrive in Pak for training visit Karachi [Pakistan], Apr 9 : Two Iranian navy ships, Naghdi and Tonb, arrived in Pakistan on Saturday on a goodwill and training visit. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915430 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915430 173O212O198O32) The visit is aimed at strengthening mutual collaboration and enhancing interoperability between the two navies through tabletop discussions and exercise at sea, reports the Dawn.At the end of the visit, 'passage exercise' will be conducted at sea to enhance interoperability between the two sides.The ships were received by Pakistan Navy officials and Iranian diplomats.After the creation of Pakistan 1947, Iran was the first country to internationally recognise its sovereign status. Currently, both countries are economic partners.Since 2000, relations between the two states have been relatively normalised, and economical and military collaboration has strengthened the relationship. Both countries are founding members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).Iran has also expressed an interest joining the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Indian, Chinese Navy come to rescue of hijacked ship in Gulf of Aden New Delhi , Apr. 9 : The Indian Navy on Sunday assisted the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in sanitising a ship hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915431 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915431 173O212O198O32) According to sources in the Indian Navy, INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai assisted the Chinese PLA in rescuing the bulk carrier.The Indian Navy provided communication and air support to the PLA's naval division which entered the ship to sanitise it. The ship has been declared safe, sources in the Indian Navy said.The Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier (OS 35) was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to Aden when it was attacked.Immediately after receiving an SOS from the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted two of its warships, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, in the direction of the bulk carrier."A distress call was received from a foreign merchant vessel MV OS 35 (Tuvalu registered vessel), which was attacked and boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden late night on April 8. Indian Navy ships Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya proceeding on deployment to the Mediterranean and passing through the Gulf of Aden, responded to the call and rapidly closed the merchant vessel by the early hours of April 9," the Indian Navy said in a statement."The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board, as per standard operating procedure," the statement added. Australian PM Turnbull arrives in New Delhi New Delhi , Apr. 9 : Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrived in New Delhi for a four-day visit today. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915434 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915434 173O212O198O32) This is Turnbull's first visit to India. He will be accorded with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.Later, there will be delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turnbull.On Tuesday, Turnbull will visit Mumbai where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table.Cooperation in renewable energy, clean coal and bio-fuels will be high on agenda during his visit. A number of MoUs and agreements are also to be firmed up in the areas of security, environment, sports, science and technology and health.Turnbull and Prime Minister Modi have had substantive meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 in Antalya in 2015 and in Hangzhou in 2016. Budgam clashes: Death toll rises to seven, Hurriyat calls for shutdown Srinagar , Apr. 9 : With another civilian succumbing to injuries, the death toll in the brutal Budgam clashes has gone up to seven. (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915435 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 09 April 2017, 1667915435 173O212O198O32) The civilians were killed during clashes with security forces in various areas of central Kashmir's Budgam district.The Srinagar Parliamentary constituency witnessed lowest voter turnout for the by-polls in the wake of the clashes.Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives during today's polling and said that peaceful means and non violence are the only way ahead for getting the state out of the present difficulties.Sporadic violent clashes occurred at around four dozen places in various areas in Srinagar and Budgam districts.Srinagar Parliamentary constituency comprises of 15 assembly segments in three central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal.Meanwhile, the Hurriyat has called for a shutdown in the Valley in the wake of the death of civilians. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Catch it early. Those are watchwords in the battle against a host of illnesses, from heart disease to cancer to Type 2 diabetes. Early detection gives physicians a chance to minimize damage, to insert a stent and keep blood flowing to the heart, to remove a tumor before one becomes many, to urge crucial lifestyle changes: lose weight, eat better, exercise. But can the strategy work for Alzheimer's disease? Scientists are starting to think it might. The Harvard Aging Brain Study, a National Institute on Aging-backed project now in its seventh year, has shown that amyloid beta, the protein thought to cause Alzheimer's, accumulates in the brain a decade or more before symptoms occur. That finding has given new hope to researchers struggling to move beyond a rash of high-profile Alzheimer's failures in clinical drug trials. In February, just three months after Eli Lilly & Co. announced a trial failure, drug maker Merck & Co. halted a study. Several additional drugs are still in trials, but researchers are reconsidering their approach and wondering whether the problem is in trying to reverse, rather than prevent, dementia "I think we've failed in 11 phase 3 trials, which is not a good track record," said Reisa Sperling, a neurology professor at Harvard Medical School, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and co-director of the Harvard Aging Brain Study at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). "From a clinical point of view, it's a dismal failure." Now, the "catch it early" idea is being put to the test in a new study called A4, or Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease, led by Sperling and the University of Southern California's Paul Aisen. Researchers will try an anti-amyloid drug on people who show no signs of cognitive decline, but who do have abnormally high levels of amyloid beta in their brains. "I think this is a tremendously important trial," said Aisen. "It's the first trial in a population we refer to as 'preclinical Alzheimer's disease.' We believe this is identifying an early stage of the disease, not just 'at risk' [patients].... If we wait for people to have symptoms, there's already substantial neuro-degeneration." Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, killing about 94,000 people annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 5 million Americans are living with the disease, a figure expected to climb to 13.5 million by 2050, according to a report by the Alzheimer's Association. Costs of care are projected to rise from $226 billion in 2015 to $1.1 trillion by 2050, with Medicare and Medicaid paying 70 percent. Developing a treatment to delay Alzheimer's onset by just five years by 2025 could save an estimated $935 billion over the following 10 years, the report says. In recent decades, researchers have worked out what many believe is the step-by-step process through which Alzheimer's does its work. Amyloid beta, a naturally occurring protein whose normal function in the brain remains unclear, builds to unhealthy levels. The amyloid beta forms plaques, which in turn lead to tangles of a protein called tau inside nerve cells, killing them. This triggers inflammation, a natural infection-fighting response, which in this case makes things worse. A4 is screening 5,000 cognitively normal candidates, age 65 to 85, with the goal of enrolling about 1,150 who have elevated amyloid beta levels. The trial will test Eli Lilly's solanezumab, an anti-amyloid antibody that was proved safe, though judged ineffective, in patients with mild dementia due to Alzheimer's. The antibody targets soluble forms of the protein, not the plaques themselves. Though solanezumab has been tried in Alzheimer's patients without success, the data from that trial held indications of positive trends, said Sperling. The A4 study -- being conducted at 67 sites in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Australia -- has already enrolled 875 people and is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly, and several philanthropic organizations. Much of the launch work -- signing up participants and managing data -- is being conducted by the Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute at USC's Keck School of Medicine. The A4 study rests on a foundation laid by the Harvard Aging Brain Study, which began in 2009 and is headed by Sperling and Keith Johnson, a professor of radiology at HMS and MGH. The study, which has funding to run through 2019, images the brains of 60- to 90-year-olds to follow changes over time. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today By early 2013, it was clear that patients who started out with higher amyloid levels -- even those who were cognitively normal -- had a much faster rate of decline in cognitive ability, four to five times that of patients with normal levels of the protein, Sperling said. Those findings pointed to a far earlier beginning of the disease than scientists had grasped and led to the "catch it early" approach of A4. Sperling worries, however, that even the A4 design might be intervening too late, and that, though subjects are cognitively normal, their high amyloid levels mark a cascade ending in dementia a drug won't halt. And that isn't her only worry. Though the amyloid-tau-inflammation scenario has gained wide support, skeptics remain. In fact, there are enough exceptions in the Harvard Aging Brain Study to give Sperling pause: cases of people with high levels of amyloid beta who don't experience cognitive decline and others with lower levels who nonetheless progress rapidly. "I think there's still a lot of questions," she said. "We can still only account for 50 percent -- on a good day -- of the variance of what happens to people cognitively. I do worry, what if we're completely on the wrong track? What if it's all circumstantial? What if there's some giant X-factor we've missed?" Dorene Rentz, an associate professor of neurology at HMS and the Brigham and co-director, with Sperling, of the hospital's Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, is also working on the A4 study. For Rentz open questions in Alzheimer's include the relative roles of amyloid beta and tau. Though removing amyloid beta has been a major thrust of drug development, it could be that tau, which forms the tangles within neurons, has to be removed to see a clinical effect. And no tau-removing compounds have been developed. "But the argument in the community is we have to start somewhere," Rentz said. "All we've done is fail." The inflammation associated with the disease -- part of the process of clearing amyloid and tau proteins from the brain, but itself destructive to tissue -- amounts to another unanswered question, Sperling said. It's possible that inflammation has to be reduced or avoided entirely to avoid cognitive damage. Another possibility is that Alzheimer's is part of an underlying problem, an inability to handle waste proteins and, as Sperling put it, "empty the body's protein garbage can." Potentially pointing to a broader problem is the fact that other neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's, are also related to abnormal protein accumulation. Despite these questions, Sperling, Aisen, and Rentz agree that there's a sense of hope in the Alzheimer's community, a feeling that progress in several areas has put science on the verge of a breakthrough. "I am very hopeful about the field in general," Aisen said. "There's a number of promising therapies. I believe we're going to be successful and I believe dramatically successful. This is an enormous world health problem and a major problem in this country's health." Should A4 fail, Sperling has a plan for trying to catch the disease earlier still. While A4 is targeting cognitively normal patients with high amyloid levels, she's designing A3, which would test interventions on people age 60 -- or even 50 -- who are cognitively normal and whose amyloid levels have yet to rise. "A3 is trying to get closer to primary prevention, pushing the envelope," Sperling said. For Sperling and Rentz, Alzheimer's is not just a clinical problem, but also a personal one. Rentz's husband has the disease and is currently participating in a drug trial, and Sperling's career sprang from her grandfather's Alzheimer's, which became apparent when she was applying to medical school. Her father, who was a chemistry professor at Lehigh University, was diagnosed with the disease six years ago and died last year. "I naively thought I could do something before it affected other members of my family," Sperling said. "I hope my kids don't have to take care of me that way and, hopefully, my grandchildren won't even know what Alzheimer's is." Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/harvard-researchers-plot-early-attack-against-alzheimers/ New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English defended his love of pizza topped with tinned spaghetti and pineapple on Friday after the recipe sent fans of the Italian treat into an outraged frenzy. English posted pictures of his unorthodox tastes on Facebook this week, saying he prepared the dish for his family. The Internet melted down faster than buffalo mozzarella as purists poured online scorn on his spaghetti speciality. "Why on earth would you promote such garbage? Would you serve this stuff to your international guests??," one user posted. Another said: "Sorry Bill, any man who puts spaghetti on a pizza is not fit to run my country, you cannot count on my vote come election time." Even US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel got in on the act, urging New Zealanders "impeach that man immediately!". "That is so offensive. That is an act of war. I think he just declared war on Italy, and maybe Hawaii too," Kimmel told his audience. Italy's embassy in Wellington declared a vendetta, or blood feud, over the desecration, tweeting a picture of New Zealand's beloved pavlova dessert covered with salami. "Vendetta for PM's pizza with tinned spaghetti and pineapple," it said. English was unfazed by the criticism, saying his recipe may have cooked up strong opinions but plenty of people were on his side. "Everywhere I go now I meet people who put spaghetti and pineapple on their pizza," he told NewstalkZB. "They come up to me spontaneously when I'm walking through the airport and tell me." The culinary kerfuffle comes after Iceland President Gudni Johannesson revealed in February that he hated pineapple topping on pizzas and would ban it if he could. English was unaware of that controversy but admitted he had been puzzled recently about how many times he had been asked whether he liked pineapple on pizzas. "We answered the question, the nation was clearly interested, but they'll probably move on pretty quickly now," he said. P S Krishnan was the Secretary, Ministry of Welfare in 1990 when VP Singh government implemented the Mandal Commission Report seeking to provide 27% reservations to socially and educationally backward classes. The decision was taken on the note prepared by Mr. Krishnan, who is considered one of the few authoritative voices on social justice with over seven decades of experience under his belt. He continues to engage on issues related to SC, ST and Socially and Educationally Backward Classed. On the eve of the Lok Sabha taking up the bill for further discussion and passage, in this detailed interview to Sumit Pande, Mr Krishnan attempts to decode the Constitutional Amendment Bill introduced in Parliament by the government earlier this week to give constitutional status to National Commission for the Backward Classes or NCBC. Analysis and views in this interview are personal and should not be read as a statement or communication on behalf of government. Question: How do you interpret the insertion of article 342(A) in the constitution for declaring any caste socially and Educationally Backward? Answer: The bill introduced in LS on the birth anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ramji has got its good and welcome aspects, and some aspects which also raise questions and anxieties. Ariticle 342(A) provides, as in the case of SCs, that there will be a Presidential list issued first in consultation with the governor of the state and any subsequent change in the list can be made only by parliamentary law. This will bring more transparency to the entire process. But it also raises a question on what happens to the existing list. For example, what will happen to the Central list of backward classes for each state which is applicable for reservations in jobs, seats in central education institutions and for proving other welfare measures? Parallel to this. there is a state BC list of each state, applicable for reservations in state educational institutions and jobs. In most of states, the two lists are identical or nearly identical. There are a few differences between the central and the state list, especially in the case of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. So the question is, what happens to the existing list. That should have been clarified so that there is no anxiety for the backward classes. It should be clarified that till such time the Constitution Amendment is enacted and lists are notified by the president under article 342 A( 1), the existing list shall remain in force and members of SEdBCs in the existing list will continue to get the benefits of reservations and other social justice measures as at present without interruption. Question: Why is there a parallel Central and State OBC list in existence unlike the SC/ST list which is uniform for both state and the centre? Answer: The first Backward Classes Commission that is Kaka Kalekar Commission was set up 1953 gave its report in 1955. The then central government in 1961 said centre will not make a list of backward classes and the states can have their own list if they choose. The argument was that the five year plans were already undertaken will mainly benefit the backward classes and hence no such list was required. This proved to be erroneous because it was subsequently proved that gap between SEdBC on one end and socially advanced castes on the other continues to be was very wide in every parameter of development and welfare, with SCs and STs at the bottom and SEdBCs far below the socially advanced castes. This dichotomy did not exist in the case of SC and ST thanks to Baba Saheb Ambedkar and distinguished administrative and demographic scholars especially Mr Hutton who in 1931 census listed SC on the criteria of caste subjected to un-touchability which was brought into effect by Government of India Act 1935 with the drawing up of state wise central SC list. This was continued in the Constitution of India following which the 1951 Presidential Orders scheduling SCs and STs were issued. So there was single list for SCs and STs issued by the centre, state wise, which could be amended only by an act of parliament. This dichotomy in SEdBC list is sought to be removed in this bill, but whether the states will agree to it is the question. The states will have to be taken into confidence and shown that no injustice will be done to backward classes in any way. Question: Does the bill give more transparency in the inclusion of a particular community in the BC list? Answer: State governments are exposed to muscular pressures of communities which are not socially backward to force their way into the SEdBC list. The centre is also not free from that pressure, but the centre is less vulnerable to pressure. There has been one instances in the past, for example in the run up to the 2014 elections the then central government with an eye on electoral considerations included a particular community in the BC list despite advice to the contrary by the NCBC. The decision was later struck down by the Supreme Court on challenge by existing genuine SEdBCs in the list. In the case of a few states there are more such examples. The stipulation in article 342a(2) that any inclusion or exclusion after the prez notification of this, can be made only by parliament by law imparts greater transparency to the process. It is more difficult to get a wrong or arbitrary decision to the parliament which is always open to public gaze scrutiny than through an executive order. Questions: Does this mean there will be only one Central List of SEdBCs if the bill is passed? Does this mean only the centre will have powers to include or exclude anyone from the state list? Answer: To my understanding, there will be only one central list for each state. Just like that SC and ST. The list is state-wise but issued by the President. But state governments will have the opportunity to ensure that genuine socially backward castes continue to find place in the presidential list in the process of consultation with the governor prescribed by article 342 B (1). So long as there is not effort to bring any socially advanced caste in the SEdBC list, there can be no difference between the central and state governments. There will be no separate state list. If this bill goes through there will be a central list for each state as in the case of SC and ST. Question: So if this bill goes through, any state government if its wants to include or exclude any caste will have to take the parliamentary route? Answer: If this bill goes through, inclusion or exclusion of any caste subsequent to the intial prez notification can be done only by an act of parliament as in the case of SC and ST. In the case of SCs the criteria is un-touchability. In the case of STs, the community must be shown to be a tribe which suffers from isolation and remoteness in vulnerable conditions. This has to be proved anthropologically. This is ensured by the long established process of referring every proposal for inclusion in the SC and ST list to the RGI who has an experienced anthropological wing. Then the government moves a bill in parliament. Question: So in the current scheme of things if a state government seeks to provide reservations to a community in the state SEdBC list, what is the process? Answer: In the current scheme of things, this community must file an application in the state commission for the backward classes with evidence to show that it is a socially backward community. The advice of the state commission is ordinarily binding on the state government. For inclusion in the central list, request has to be made to the NCBC whose advice is ordinarily binding on the central government. The correct meaning the term socially and educationally backeward is generally not understood. Social backward is not concept that can be measured in arithmetical and statistical term. There can not be quantifiable data of social backwardness. Social backwardness is a social fact indicating the position of a caste in the traditional social system of India called the Indian caste system in which certain caste are considered to be low. Often castes which are considered to be low are linked to a traditional occupation which is also considered low. It does not mean that everyone in the castes does that occupation. ; it means that that particular community is linked to that particular occupation and those who are engaged in that occupation belong to that caste. Often the caste name is derived from their occupation. For example, Nai, Lohar, Julaha ect. So if a community wants to be included in the state list, it must make a representation before the state government. Then it must be transparently established whether that community is socially and educationally backward, and in the case of employment whether it is inadequately represented in services of the state. If these questions are answered in the affirmative, then the state BC commission makes a recommendation to the state government which is ordinarily binding on the state government on the basis of the apex court Mandal Commission Judgement of 1992. In the present scheme of things, if a community wants to be included in the central list, then this representation has to be made to NCBC at whose advice ordinarily binding on the central government. This is the current position on including a caste in the state or the central list. Question: How will the new commission be different from its earlier avatar? Answer: The bill has recognised that BCs also need development in addition to reservations. There are provision in the bill for development of SEdBCs and the new NCBCs role in the development process. But I wish the wording of the provisions were clearer as were recommended by NCBC in 2000. The new NCBC is a given role of addressing the grievances of SEdBCs. These are important plus points in the bill. It is also a plus point that article 338 B (1) makes it clear that it is a commission for SEdBCs though I would have preferred this to be mentioned in the name of the commission itself. Also, the other aspect is what is the process of inclusion and exclusion of a community in the BC list under the constitutional amendment. The Mandal case judgement of the Supreme Court wanted an expert body in the nature of a commission or a tribunal to advice the government on this aspect. In the light of this NCBC act provided that the chairman should be a former judge so that the commission can adhere to a judicial approach; and member secretary should be a former secretary level officer of the government of India, one member should be a social scientist, And two persons with special knowledge of the socially backward classes. This feature of expert body, as directed by the Supreme Court, is not provided for in the composition of the NCBC Bill. The composition should reflect this feature of an expert body as mandated by the SC and also developmental process expertise required by the developmental role. The task entrusted to the commission in article 338B(5) does not include this advisory role for the commission. Along with this the SC mandated condition that its advice shall ordinarily be binding on government is also missing. Article 338B (5) is also silent on the SC mandate on periodic revision of the SEdBC list in consultation with the NCBC. The Composition of the government does not reflect what is required to make and expert body. In this respect the deviations from the SC directions on the Madal case judgement need to be corrected. The present bill only says one chairperson, one vice chairperson, one secretary and three other members; it has been mechanically repeated for what is said for SC and ST Commissions. Whereas in the case of SEdBC an expert body is required for finding and advising whether a caste which makes a list for inclusion fulfils the criteria of social and educational backwardness and inadequacy of representation or not. And on that basis whether it should be included in the list or not so that there is no arbitrariness or electoral considerations entering into decision regarding inclusion or exclusion of castes in the BC list. INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai assist the Chinese PLA in sanitising a ship hijacked in the Gulf of Aden: Navy Sources ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 Provided the communication and air support to the PLA Navy which entered the ship to clear it. The ship has been rendered safe:Navy Sources ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 The Indian and Chinese navies came to the rescue of a merchant ship which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday night.A security source working at the Puntland Marine Police Force said the vessel, known as OS35, was operating under the flag of Tuvalu.The Indian Navy deployed two warships after getting a distress call from the hijacked ship. The Chinese Navy also came to the help of the ship, while the Indian Navy provided air cover. The PLA deployed 18 of its personnel to sanitise the ship, a senior navy official said here.Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said industry sources had confirmed the hijacking.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website it had received a notification on Saturday from a vessel in an area in the Gulf of Aden that was under attack and may have been boarded.The hijacking comes days after pirates hijacked an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai.Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker in March, the first such seizure of a vessel since 2012, but released it after a clash with the marine force in Puntland.Ship owners 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.At its peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages.Their actions cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau.(With agency inputs) Guwahati: The Assam government on Sunday announced a draft population policy which suggested denial of government jobs to people with more than two children and making education up to university level free for all girls in the state. "This is a draft population policy. We have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference here. Any person getting a job after meeting this condition will have to maintain it till end of his service, he added. "For employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and others government benefits, this two-children norm will be applicable. Besides, all elections such as panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the state election commission will also have this norm for candidates," Sarma said. Sarma, who is also the Education minister, said the policy also aims to give free education to all girls up to university level. "We want to make all facilities free, including fees, transportation, books and mess dues in hostels. This step is also likely to arrest the school dropout rate," he added. Sarma further said the proposed population policy will seek to debate on increasing the legal age of marriage from 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. If anybody has child marriage then he will be ineligible for government job, the minister said. The policy will also seek stringent laws to prevent violence and sexual abuse of women, he added. "Besides, a proposal for providing incentives is also included for poor persons, who take care of their elderly parents. The policy will also care for the adolescents. We will work for public awareness and reach out through religious leaders, NGOs, parliamentarians and media in this regard," Sarma said. The policy proposes to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre, he added. The minister also said he will consider including a provision for giving 50 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and elections. "Till July, we will seek public suggestions. Then it will go to the Assembly for debate and adopting a resolution. We have to go step by step and we are in no hurry. This is the long-term thing that BJP had promised in the Vision Document," Sarma said. Service rules of 48 departments will have to be amended for adopting the proposed policy, he said, adding it will take at least three years and he will be happy if the policy takes the final shape by next Assembly polls in 2021. "We want to move from primarily a medical-led policy to a socially responsible policy. We want to have a behavioural change and there will be policy incentives. Assam's current population is 3.12 crore as per 2011 Census and it increased by one crore from 2001," Sarma said. Later on Friday, Bajrang Dal convenor Keshav Nayak filed a police complaint that this programme was "aimed at converting innocent Hindus.Iit was being held daringly in public, where cash would be offered to the converts. As such, it hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindus." He asked that the organisers be arrested and suitable legal action be taken. Police officials did not want to be drawn into the controversy but merely said they did not ask anyone to cancel any event. "If there are allegations of visa violation, we will verify. But if there are no non-Christians attending it, where is the issue of conversion? That too an event inside the premises of their own auditorium of a local church," said a senior police officer. A Christian prayer meeting was cancelled in the country's IT capital Bengaluru on Saturday after complaints were lodged that this could facilitate forced conversions in the city which was to host two American preachers for this event.The cancellation came just about 12 hours before the prayer meeting was to be held. Nearly 1,000 people were expected to attend the meetings spread over Saturday and Sunday. It was cancelled in the wake of protests lodged by Hindutva groups like the Bajrang Dal. A similar prayer meeting was cancelled in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh, after the Hindu Yuva Vahini, founded by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleged forced conversions (allegations that were later proven wrong) in the meeting that saw barely 150 people participating.In Bengaluru, the first complaint was filed on Friday afternoon by one Girish Bhardwaj, who wrote to the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office a police wing that tracks foreigners visiting Karnataka that two American evangelists were in India for religious conversion, in violation of their visa norms."The two foreigners had applied for Indian visa only to attend religious campaigns. Clearly, they are misleading the Indian Consulate," he alleged.That the programme was hastily cancelled was evident when News18 spoke to one of the organisers. "We have always held retreats and services at this church. This event, too, was only for our church parishioners. We don't know why questions are being raised about permission. We are not converting anyone, only Christians are attending this," said a puzzled prayer coordinator.Interestingly, the programme actually charged participants Rs 100 if they wanted to attend it and the posters did not make any claims of giving anyone money or gifts.The programme themed Power and Reality of the Kingdom was to be held in a church in east Bengaluru. Comments on social media by the two preachers who posted pictures of their visit to a place in interior Maharashtra where over 8,000 people are said to have attended were objected to by Hindutva activists. Srinagar: Internet services in three districts falling under the Srinagar parliamentary constituency that go to the polls on Sunday will be shut down as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours. Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, which form part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, will have no internet connection amid reports that Pakistan-based groups were engaged in spreading disinformation, official sources said. They said the ban would be removed immediately after polling ends in the Lok Sabha seat for which National Conference president Farooq Abdullah was having a virtual direct contest with ruling PDP's Nazir Khan. Stone-pelting incidents were reported from various parts of Budgam and Ganderbal area in which two police personnel were injured. Crowds indulged in stone pelting in Chadoora, Beerwah, main town Budgam and Pandich and Wakoora in Ganderbal, official sources said, adding one CRPF constable was injured in Budgam and at Wakoora in Ganderbal. Abdullah has pitched the bypoll as a test of the integrity of the people in ridding the state of the opportunistic and unjust PDP-BJP alliance. The former Union Minister said the bypoll was not a fight between NC and PDP but between the people of Kashmir and those who want to rule the state from Nagpur (RSS headquarters) and New Delhi. (With PTI inputs) "I don't know why Arjun Rampal threw the camera at me," Shobhit told CNN-News18. He further alleged inaction on the part of the police and hotel staff, saying "police are not cooperating at all. Delhi get ready for an epic night at #prive The set is ready and we gonna make it very special. #prive #tonight #tunes #parrrtyyyyyy. A post shared by Arjun (@rampal72) on Apr 8, 2017 at 2:07am PDT New Delhi: A complaint of assault has been filed against actor Arjun Rampal for allegedly thrashing a fan at a nightclub in Connaught Place early on Saturday.The fan, Shobhit, was reportedly trying to click a picture of Rampal, who was playing DJ at the club, when the actor allegedly grabbed the camera and threw it at the complainant, injuring him.According to the police, Shobhit did not suffer any serious injuries.Shobhit's friend, who reportedly witnessed the incident, said Rampal hurled the camera at Shobhit's forehead. "My friend was dancing. Arjun Rampal hurled the camera at my friend's forehead and injured him," he said.On Saturday, Rampal shared a selfie on Instagram and wrote, "Delhi get ready for an epic night at #prive The set is ready and we gonna make it very special. #prive #tonight #tunes #parrrtyyyyyy." Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan?Man!!Where do people make this news up from?Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) April 9, 2017 Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal has denied the allegations of assaulting a fan at a nightclub in Delhi.The actor, who was in the capital Saturday night, took to Twitter and clarified that he didn't assault anyone."Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan?Man!!Where do people make this news up from?Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews," he wrote.On Sunday morning, a complaint was filed against the actor for allegedly thrashing a fan, who was trying to click Rampal's picture when he was playing the DJ.Shobhit, the complainant, had claimed that Rampal hurled the camera on his forehead and even alleged inaction on the part of the police and hotel staff.According to Delhi police, Rampal threw a camera flashlight in the crowd but it hit Shobhit instead."He threw a camera flashlight in the crowd hoping that someone will catch it. But it hit a man named Shobhit, aged between 25-30, in his head. He didn't sustain any grievous injuries but in the medical examination that was carried out, it has been found that it is a lacerated wound," said a senior police officer."He has given a complaint but we are legally examining it. As of now, no FIR has been registered against the actor," the officer added.(With inputs from PTI) Srinagar: An abysmally low 6.5 per cent polling was recorded in the bypoll for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat from where Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister Farooq Abdullah is contesting. Amid large scale violence, which claimed the lives of seven civilians, the prestigious seat recorded a turnout at 6.5 per cent, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Shantanu told journalists. He said more than 100 security personnel were also injured in the violence. When asked as to how many polling stations he expected repoll to be ordered, the officer said it could be anywhere between 50 and 100 booths or maybe more. Shantanu said Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in south Kashmir, where bypoll is scheduled for April 12, would pose a "bigger challenge". Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's younger brother Tasaduq Mufti is making his electoral debut from Anantnag. Thackeray welcomed Gaikwad warmly at Shiv Sena Bhavan after the Osmanabad Lok Sabha member reached Mumbai by Rajdhani Express. But what transpired at their meeting was not known. While Air India demanded an apology from the MP, Gaikwad stuck to his ground and said he was prepared to apologize only to Parliament. The Sena stood solidly behind him. : A day after Air India lifted its ban, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad reached Mumbai by train and called on party President Uddhav Thackeray.As the two met, all private airlines too lifted their unprecedented fortnight long flying ban on Gaikwad after the March 23 fracas on a Pune-Delhi Air India flight.The issue snowballed into a major controversy between the two NDA allies -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena -- and rocked Parliament.He reiterated he was not at fault and alleged that the Air India official he allegedly assaulted was "mad" and had at least half a dozen complaints of rowdy behaviour against him in the company.Gaikwad also claimed that seven times tickets were booked in his name but he was unaware who did it.Gaikwad is likely to resume flying from next week. Reacting to the expose, Union minister Pon Radharakrishnan said: This is not good for the democracy. People are prepared to get money for their votes. They think it is their right to get money for their vote. I feel postponing the election is the only remedy. The EC should ban the candidates involved. Just two days before the all-crucial bypoll in RK Nagar, a seat which was held by the late J Jayalalithaa, CNN-News18 has exposed attempts by netas to bribe voters, who seem only too happy to oblige.CNN-News18 went undercover to speak to the voters who said they have received Rs 4,000 per vote from the hat symbol people and a few alleged the DMK, too, was distributing money. Another section of voters is upset at having missed out, so they are skipping work today and waiting at home for netas with cash to come calling.Heres a transcript of the conversation with voters:We were told they are distributing money and that there is a car in this area.It's too hot now. They will distribute in the evening.What time in the evening?Many people go to work during the day. They (party agents) know what time people return home. So they will come later.Have you received money?The second candidate didn't give. They said they won't give.Who gave you money?Hat symbol peopleHow much did they give?Rs 4,000Who is coming now?The same guys are giving people who haven't received yet. The DMK is next.How much is the DKM giving?I don't know. They haven't started distributing here.OPS?No. Only hat has given Rs 4,000. I have collected it for my granddaughter and grandson. And daughter. They are now giving it to people who haven't got yet. After they finish, the DMK will start distributing.What about OPS?No one has come. They will come after 4pm. You come see thennear the temple.Yes. Come near the temple around 4pm.Which temple?Yes. Come around 4pm, you'll see everything.While undercover, CNN-News18 also sat in on a meeting between agents who distributed the money and residents who complained that they didnt get enoughThat woman is coming and asking me. They're saying they'll create a ruckus.There was a man who claimed to be very close to the candidate. He came at 5 am complaining that only Rs 1000 was given. We came to know that his own son had cheated. I told him that his son had received the money.You are aware of the workers from Tambaram, right? Any shortcomings or complaints about their distribution work?No.Any complaints with our work?No. no. Only some people are complaining.: Theyll keep saying that they didn't get though they got. One man brought his mother's voter id and asked if it (money) was available.I haven't moved from here. I have a vote.Whose fault is that? The Election Commission, corporation rolls have been the same for 15 years.See, if you had got a slip, you wouldn't have missed out.Hey, its not her fault. Its the official's fault.Given such blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct, reports had earlier said that the Election Commission was considering cancelling the April 12 vote. The poll panel, however, denied the reports.Six ministers from the Sasikala camp of the AIADMK allegedly distributed cash to the tune of Rs 89 crore to voters. Earlier this week, the O Panneerselvam faction released a video showing people, allegedly belonging to the Sasikala camp, distributing money.Rubbishing the charges, AIADMK leader CR Saraswathi said: It is not true at all. No one can be seen clearly in the video.Pro-Panneerselvam leader C Ponnaiyan reiterated allegations that the Sasikala camp was bribing voters. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday strongly pitched for an all-India law against cow slaughter and asked the vigilante groups to obey the law while espousing the cause of protecting the animal."We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country," he said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir.The RSS chief said the work of cow protection should be continued by obeying the law."Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause and the law must be obeyed," he said.Bhagwats statement come amid uproar over the lynching of Pehlu Khan, a 55-year-old dairy farmer, in Rajasthans Alwar district. At least four people have been arrested so far and the police are looking for 10 more alleged cow vigilantes.The incident, which comes two years a similar mob lynching in Dadri town of Uttar Pradesh, also found an echo in the Supreme Court which took note of a plea demanding ban on cow vigilante groups in five BJP-ruled states and Karnataka where the Congress is in power.The issue also led to uproar in Parliament where the Congress demanded an apology from Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for denying the lynching. Naqvi later said heOn April 3, alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar stopped a truck carrying cows from a cattle fair and thrashed its occupants on April 3 leading to the death of Pehlu Khan.Such incidents have been reported in past from Maharashtra when on August 21, 2016, a group allegedly chased two trucks carrying bullocks and tried to intercept them without informing the police.In Uttar Pradesh, 'gau rakshaks' on August 10, 2016 had allegedly thrashed four persons whom they suspected to be "cow thieves" near Jiroli village in Aligarh district.(With PTI inputs) Bhopal: Stray incidents of violence were reported in the bypoll underway at Madhya Pradesh's Ater Assembly seat with the Congress alleging that its candidate was attacked by the BJP workers and gunshots were fired at him. The Election Commission officials, however, said there was a dispute between the agents of the Congress and the BJP. Meanwhile, the polling in Bandhavgarh (ST) Assembly seat bypoll in Umaria district was progressing smoothly without any untoward incident being reported. Amid incidents of violence, polling is also underway for the bypoll to Ater Assembly seat in Bhind district. State Congress chief Arun Yadav, at a press conference, alleged that, "Seeing its imminent defeat, the BJP has been desperately trying to capture booths." "The BJP workers attacked the Congress candidate from Ater, Hemant Katare. Gunshots were fired at him at a booth in Sankri village. The vehicles of mediapersons were also damaged," he claimed. Yadav also alleged that the BJP was using the administration to affect the electoral process. "At least 40 booth agents were detained by the administration last night. Nearly 35 of them were released late last night when the Congress complained to the Election Commission," he said. The MP Congress Chief further alleged that the ruling party was trying to capture at least 40-45 booths in Ater constituency. However, the Election Commission's state PRO said there was a dispute between agents at Sankri booth in Ater constituency. "There was a dispute between agents of the Congress and the BJP. The district Collector and Superintendent of Police informed that Congress candidate reached at Sankri booth of the constituency. This created the dispute," the PRO said. He said the polling was continuing there in a peaceful manner. "Police fired in the air to control the situation," the state chief electoral officer said at a press conference. Meanwhile, around 25 per cent polling was recorded till 11 AM in Ater. In Bandhavgarh, there was around 25.7 per cent polling till 11 AM, an official said. In Ater, the Congress has fielded Hemant Katare, son of former Leader of Opposition Satyadev Katare, whose death necessitated the bypoll. From BJP, former MLA Arvind Singh Bhadoria is contesting the bypoll. The bypoll in Bandhavgarh seat was necessitated as its MLA Gyan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha in November last year. The main contest in Bandhavgarh (ST) seat is between the BJP's Shivnarayan Singh, son of Gyan Singh, and Savitri Singh of the Congress. The counting of votes will take place on April 13. Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday denied reports that he was joining the BJP. In a Facebook post, he said: "In view of the number of] people asking, let me repeat that my convictions are a matter of record and they do not match those of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)". "For 40+years I have spoken and written in defence of a pluralist India with equal rights for all its citizens and communities," Tharoor, also a former UN diplomat, said. "On this, no compromise. Rumours of my joining BJP have been floated periodically with no basis whatsoever. I deny them categorically and without qualification," he said. The Congress MP's clarification comes in the backdrop of a statement by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan that four Congress leaders, including Tharoor, planned to join the BJP. Balakrishnan had said there are reports that four Congress leaders from Kerala are joining the BJP and that KPCC president M M Hassan had said that one of them was Tharoor. However, Hassan denied having made any such remarks when contacted. "When media persons asked me whether the reports about four Congress leaders joining the BJP has come to his notice, I said there is no such thing," Hassan told PTI. "There are no fortune seekers in Kerala like S M Krishna and Jaffer Sharif," the KPCC president said. Tharoor campaigned for the Congress-led UDF candidate for the April 12 bypoll in Malappuram, Hassan said. "When I asked him about such reports, he (Tharoor) told me that it was apropaganda by the BJP," Hassan added. Gandhinagar: A day after CJI J S Khehar said political parties must be held accountable for poll promises, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the parties should treat their manifestos like "Bhagwad Geeta". "Political parties should treat their manifestos as Bhagwad Geeta. It should be treated as a holy book. You need to do things that you promise," he said while addressing a function organised by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India (CREDAI) at Mahatma Mandir here. Naidu was here to attend the 'CREDAI National Investiture Ceremony -2017'. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries of the real estate sector were also present at the event. "I agree with our CJI's views on pre-poll promises. Some political parties make irresponsible statements during polls. At the end of the day, parties will have to seek votes from people based on their performance in every five years. That check is already there," he said. "People always have an option to keep a check on political parties by voting for only those who fulfill their promises," Naidu said. The Chief Justice of India (CJI), J S Khehar, had yesterday said, "Now a days manifestos have become a mere piece of paper, for this political parties have to be made accountable." Talking to reporters at the Ahmedabad airport, ahead of his address here, Naidu said the government would not mind if a law is enacted to ensure implementation of poll manifestos. "We are OK if some law is enacted in this regard. Otherwise, people always have a chance to chose parties based on their performance after every five years," he said. The Union Minister also opined that general elections along with assembly and local body polls should be held simultaneously. "It would be better for the people if we hold general, assembly and local body polls simultaneously. Today, we have to hold such elections every month or two months or in a year. These polls just keep coming. Holding polls simultaneously will help us in focusing on our work," said Naidu. On Triple Talaq, he urged the members of the Muslim community to come forward to abolish this system and to give justice to their women. "Though Triple Talaq is not allowed, there are people who are doing injustice to Muslim women. Just like Hindu society has abolished social evils of child marriage, dowry and Sati, Muslims need to come forward and engage in deliberations to put an end to Triple Talaq," Naidu said. During the event, CREDAI president Jaxay Shah launched 375 affordable housing projects with an investment of over Rs 70,000 crores. "These projects are spread across India and involve development of over 8.60 crore square feet of land and over 20.60 crore sq ft of construction to build more than 2.37 lakh houses of affordable category," Shah said. New Delhi: By-elections in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar Lok Sabha seat turned bloody on Sunday after large-scale clashes between protesters and security forces led to the death of eight people and injured more than 100 security personnel. The prestigious seat, from where Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister Farooq Abdullah is contesting, also recorded an abysmally low voter turnout of 6.5%. J & K Chief Electoral Officer Shantanu told journalists that he expected repoll to be ordered on somewhere between 50 and 100 booths or maybe more, adding that Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in south Kashmir, where bypoll is scheduled for April 12, would pose a "bigger challenge". In Kashmir, sources told CNN-News18 that security forces fired at protesters who were trying to disrupt voting in at least eight booths across the Valley. At several other booths, protesters were pushed back without resorting to firing. At least six polling booths were abandoned by security forces and polling staff due to hostile environment. The violence led to an abysmally low voter turnout of 3.12 percent till 11 am. Reacting to reports of violence, National Conference leader and former CM Omar Abdullah said, People want to go and vote but the environment is such that people are not stepping out. The State has failed to provide conducive atmosphere for voting. Mehbooba Mufti is responsible for this. There is mismanagement in government, he added. Violence Mars Madhya Pradesh Bypolls Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, stone pelting and firing, along with alleged booth capturing, were reported in Ater Assembly seat in Bhind district. Congress alleged that its candidate was attacked by the BJP workers and gunshots were fired at him. The Election Commission officials, however, said there was a dispute between the agents of the Congress and the BJP. State Congress chief Arun Yadav, at a press conference, alleged that, "Seeing its imminent defeat, the BJP has been desperately trying to capture booths." "The BJP workers attacked the Congress candidate from Ater, Hemant Katare. Gunshots were fired at him at a booth in Sankri village. The vehicles of mediapersons were also damaged," he claimed. Yadav also alleged that the BJP was using the administration to affect the electoral process, saying that at least 40 booth agents were detained by the administration. Nearly 35 of them were released after Congress complained to the Election Commission, he said. The Election Commission's state PRO denied the allegation and said the violence was due to a dispute between agents at Sankri booth in Ater constituency. "There was a dispute between agents of the Congress and the BJP. The district Collector and Superintendent of Police informed that Congress candidate reached at Sankri booth of the constituency. This created the dispute," the PRO said. "Police fired in the air to control the situation," he added. (With inputs from PTI & Mufti Islah in Srinagar) Home News Politics Was Sheila Dikshit's Blue-eyed Boy. Ask Her Son What Happened: Maken Cairo: At least 45 people were killed and nearly 120 others injured in powerful blasts triggered by ISIS in two churches packed with worshipers celebrating Palm Sunday in Egypt's Tanta and Alexandria cities, the deadliest attacks on the minority Coptic Christians in recent years. The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, killing 27 people and injuring 78, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Security sources said the primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday. However, others said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The explosion targeted the front rows in the church hall. Among those killed is Samuel George, the head of Tanta Court. Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district, police said. Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel said at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed while 41 others injured in Alexandria's suicide attack. The latest figure puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on churches on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. "Islamic State squads carried out the attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria," said the group's propaganda news agency 'Amaq' on its social media accounts. In a statement, the Interior ministry said a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church in Alexandria, but the security forces stopped him. A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said. It said Pope Tawadros II was inside the cathedral leading Palm Sunday Mass, but he was not harmed in the attack. However, Egypt's Coptic church said Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had left the church just before the blast. Saint Mark's Cathedral is the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, security forces have dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta city. The mosque, which includes a Sufi shrine, is considered the second most important mosque in city, Al-Ahram Arabic reported. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi condemned the attack and said such terrorist acts will not terrify Egyptians. He also phoned Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences. He ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. The president called for a National Defence Council meeting in response to the attack. The National Defence Council is made up of the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the minister of defence and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, and is chaired by the president. Egypt also announced three days of mourning. Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, strongly condemned the attacks, calling it an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement. Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb stressed Al-Azhar's solidarity with the Egyptian Church in the wake of attacks. The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers." "The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement. The explosion comes weeks before the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an ISIS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists Tehran: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called Bashar al-Assad to reaffirm his support for the Syrian leader in the wake of a US missile strike, Rouhani's office said Sunday. "The nation of Iran will remain alongside the Syrian nation in fighting terrorism and safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity," Rouhani said in the call last evening, according to a statement on the presidency website. He said Western allegations that Assad's regime was behind a chemical weapons attack last week were "baseless" and suggested it was carried out by rebel groups to influence global public opinion. "Terrorists must not be allowed to use such weapons to accuse others and pave the way for actions that are contrary to international law," said Rouhani. Assad said the US missile strikes on a Syrian air base, launched in response to the chemical weapons attack, only made him more determined. "The United States failed to achieve its goal with this aggression, which was to raise the morale of the terrorist groups it supports after the victories achieved by the Syrian army," Assad told Rouhani, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. "The Syrian people and army are determined to crush terrorism in every part of Syrian territory." Iran and Russia have been the key backers of Assad and refer to all Syrian opposition groups as "terrorists". "Greater coordination between Iran, Syria and Russia can be very effective in the fight against terrorism. Those who think that by supporting terrorists, they can change Syria's future in their interest, are absolutely wrong," Rouhani said. Beirut: An air strike killed 18 civilians including five children in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. The monitoring group updated its earlier death toll of 15 for the strike on Urum al-Joz, saying three more people had died of serious injuries. It said the strike was believed to have been carried out by Russian planes, which operate in support of the Syrian government. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Idlib province is controlled by a rebel alliance that includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and is regularly targeted by both the Syrian government and its Russian ally. Earlier this week, a suspected chemical attack hit the town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib, killing at least 87 civilians, including 31 children. Much of the international community accused Assad's government of responsibility for that attack, though Damascus involved responsibility. The Khan Sheikhun strike prompted Washington to take its first direct military action against Assad's government, with missile strikes against a central air base on Friday morning. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations. Palm Beach: The United States is vowing to keep up the pressure on Syria after the intense nighttime wave of missile strikes from US ships, despite the prospect of escalating Russian ill will that could further inflame one of the world's most vexing conflicts. Standing firm, the Trump administration on Friday signaled new sanctions would soon follow the missile attack, and the Pentagon was even probing whether Russia itself was involved in the chemical weapons assault that compelled President Donald Trump to action. The attack against a Syrian air base was the first US assault against the government of President Bashar Assad. Much of the international community rallied behind Trump's decision to fire the cruise missiles in reaction to this week's chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of men, women and children in Syria. But a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the strikes dealt "a significant blow" to relations between Moscow and Washington. A key test of whether the relationship can be salvaged comes next week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson becomes the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Russia. Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the US missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with the Assad government and has been implicated in many of the attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule, though Moscow adamantly denies such claims. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top US priority in the region hasn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson also had planned to visit Russia this coming week, but decided Saturday to cancel the trip because of the fast moving events in Syria. Johnson, who condemned Moscow's continued defense of Assad, said Tillerson will be able to give a "clear and coordinated message to the Russians." At the United Nations on Friday, Russia's deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, strongly criticized what he called the US "flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression" whose "consequences for regional and international security could be extremely serious." He called the Assad government a main force against terrorism and said it deserved the presumption of innocence in the chemical weapons attack. The US ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said the world is waiting for the Russian government "to act responsibly in Syria" and "to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar Assad." Trump spoke by telephone Friday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who reaffirmed strong support for the military strike and thanked the US president for his "courageous" action, according to statements issued Saturday by the White House and the official Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia, one of the most vehement opponents of Assad, said the missile barrage was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it." The Turkish foreign minister, whose country is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition, said the US missile strikes were not enough. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday that the US intervention was only "cosmetic" unless it removes Assad from power. He said the most ideal process would be a political solution that leads to a transitional government. In Florida with the president, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said additional economic sanctions on Syria were being prepared. Thursday night's strikes some 60 cruise missiles fired from two ships in the Mediterranean were the culmination of a rapid, three-day transformation for Trump, who has long opposed deeper US involvement in Syria's civil war. Advisers said he was outraged by heartbreaking images of young children who were among the dozens killed in the chemical attack. The decision undercut another campaign promise for Trump: his pledge to try to warm relations with Moscow. After months of allegations of ties between his election campaign and the Kremlin the subject of current congressional and FBI investigations Trump has found himself clashing with Putin. On Friday, senior US military officials were looking more closely at possible Russian involvement in the poison attack. Officials said a drone belonging to either Russia or Syria was seen hovering over the site after the assault earlier this week. The drone returned late in the day as citizens were going to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shortly afterward, officials say the hospital was targeted. The officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive matter, said they believe the hospital attack may have been an effort to cover up evidence of the earlier assault. White House officials caution that Trump is not preparing to plunge the US deeper into Syria. Spokesman Sean Spicer said the missile attack sent a clear message to Assad, but he avoided explicitly calling for the Syrian to leave office. In a letter to Congress on Saturday, Trump said he "acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations" and as commander in chief and chief executive. He said the US "will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests." Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Florida resort, tweeted a brief explanation Saturday of why the military didn't strike the runways in its bombardment of the Syrian air field, writing, "they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)!" With different behaviors and symptoms tied to screen time, many experts differ on how they regard childrens use of technology in their profession. Julie Strunk, associate professor at the James Madison University School of Nursing, said the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against screen time for children younger than 2 years old, not including live video chatting. For children ages 2 to 5, the organization recommends one hour or less of television or technology time per day, preferably with adult interaction. I think that if parents use sound education programs on iPads or cellphones or computers and theyre interacting with the child, I think that can be very positive, she said. It really depends on whether or not the parent or teacher is interacting. Strunk said she agrees with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, though she said scientific literature is all over the place regarding screen time and many studies focus on devices as accessibility tools for children with disabilities. I think people are really just starting to look at this issue and starting to do research on it, she said. Personally, I would probably say that it has an impact negatively. If used properly, its fine. She said pediatricians and nurses should be able to give guidance to parents regarding technology use and offer recommendations. In a perfect world, a parent could sit with a child while theyre watching the show and interact, she said. Most parents dont have the time or wherewithal [to do that]. Joseph Conley, a psychologist practicing in Lynchburg, said academic material he reviewed about Electronic Screen Syndrome, which credits screen time with creating mental health issues, didnt take into account the potential for children studied having ADHD already. He said reported ESS symptoms are hallmarks of children with ADHD. I suspect you have a select population of kids with ADHD who, no matter what it is they do, they have problems, he said. Without linking screen time to behavioral issues, Conley said the physical effects already are evident eye strain, posture issues and periods of inactivity. Conley said his perception of the impacts of screen time is skewed since many of his clientele are families whose children already seem to have behavioral issues. The presenting problem is their behavior, he said. In the process of [parents] giving a history, I frequently hear that not only is the kid playing a lot of computer games but that they get furious and break things when they dont win. Thats what kind of sets them apart from these other kids. Melody Ailsworth, pediatrician with Richeson Drive Pediatrics in Lynchburg, said she puts more stock in the detrimental claims of ESS. She believes social media is an outlet for children with anxiety and leads to a lack of social skill development. While devices can be appropriate when used as learning tools, Ailsworth said children will be at a disadvantage if parents think its going to babysit them, especially since they cant self-regulate screen time. Kids are not time sensitive until theyre mature. Up until then you have to be their timer for them, she said. One of the biggest drawbacks to increasing media consumption is the time it takes away from a childs interaction with their peers, said Frank Selden, clinical psychologist for Centra at the Piedmont Psychiatric Center. During a critical period of growth, he said screen time can impact development in focus, concentration and communication skills. While many people find or foster friendships online, Selden said computer communication shouldnt take the place of healthy interpersonal connections. What I have seen as a trend as technology has improved that has gradually taken over more what had been lay interaction with their peer group, he said. Selden said the part of the brain impacted by screen time deals with regulation, reward and addiction which can result in children becoming addicted to things such as video games. An addiction like that can really get in the way of true parenting time, he said. As many school systems aim to provide every student with a computing device, Selden said screen time can add up quickly between educational and leisure time. Developmentally, I think the approach to take is to look at it from the other end, which is to maximize the healthy developmental experiences, such as creative and cooperative activities in a childs free time, he said. Trying to increase that then naturally limits the amount of screen time kids have. Efforts by congressional Republicans, led by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed. Gauging from the reactions of top Republicans President Trumps Im moving on and Speaker Ryans Obamacare is the law of the land for the foreseeable future it sounds as if theyre done, despite more than five dozen votes from 2011 onward to repeal the ACA while Barack Obama was in the White House. So where do we go from here? Our advice to lawmakers, especially Virginias congressional delegation, is simple and based on how politics used to work in this country, before Washington became so polarized: Come together, in a bipartisan manner, and fix the areas of the law that need fixing, that need tweaking. A major reason the Trump/Ryan effort at repeal fell apart was the refusal of the Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives to accept anything less than the erasure of the ACAs core tenet of essential services all health care policies were required to cover. Services such as coverage of treatment for mental illness and substance addiction; outpatient, emergency care and hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; and preventive services such as yearly physicals and cancer screenings. The Freedom Caucus members were also opposed to the ACAs requirement that pre-existing conditions not be used to deny coverage, that children up to age 26 could remain on their parents policies and that policy rates be designed based on age cohorts, not disease cohorts all elements of the ACA the public has come to appreciate in the last several months. Moderate Republicans in the House stood as solidly in favor of keeping the essential services requirement intact as the tea party members of the Freedom Caucus who wanted to remove it. The reasoning of moderates such as Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania was simple: Millions of Americans, including thousands of their own constituents, finally had medical coverage that actually provided medical benefits rather than policies that were little more than catastrophic coverage policies that still had sky-high deductibles. The Congressional Budget Office, Congress independent fiscal analysis agency, conducted an in-depth study of the Trump/Ryan proposal, and its conclusions gave moderate and non-tea party Republicans pause. The CBO predicted the legislation, if passed, would result in 14 million Americans who now have have coverage because of the ACA would lose it over the course of the next year, with that number rising to at least 24 million at the outer limits of the CBOs 10-year analysis window. Also, the CBOs analysts said the overall savings for the federal government wouldnt be as large as hoped for, partly because of the medical costs of the millions of people who would lose coverage. As a result, the savings in the federal budget would only be short term as costs would rise the further out from repeal the timeline was extended. Are there problems with the ACA that need to be addressed to make it a better program? Absolutely! But is the program imploding as some opponents claim? No. But as with any major piece of legislation, problems arise during implementation that should be addressed. When the Supreme Court upheld the ACA overall but ruled states could not be required to extend Medicaid to people earning 138 percent of the federal poverty wage, a major leg of the law was removed. Ideally, Congress would have gone back to address the issue, but opponents of the ACA were in control of the House and decided to take no action; thus the lack of Medicaid expansion in almost half of the states festered for years. The exchanges themselves have experienced problems over the last six years as some major insurers have exited some markets, leaving only one provider available in several areas. Aetna, for example, pulled out of 11 state exchanges last year, saying it was losing money in the arrangement earlier this year, though, a federal judge found the company did so in an effort to force federal regulators to approve its $37 billion merger with Humana, which was ultimately blocked on antitrust grounds. Gallup, in a recent survey, found that a majority of Americans now view the ACA, or Obamacare, favorably. The numbers have risen dramatically this year as repeal efforts heated up and people realized their ACA exchange policies and Obamacare were one and the same. People previously unable to see a doctor or who had to use hospital emergency departments for their primary care are getting primary care in record numbers, and the percentage of Americans without health coverage is at historic lows. So, again, to Congress both Democrats and Republicans come together in bipartisanship to make the ACA better. The American people deserve and expect no less of you. Waiting for the Bus, a teens tale It has been nominated for the CODE Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, a young adult writing prize. Last week Sunday Newsday spoke with Allen-Agostini, also a poet and journalist, to discuss her nomination and her work. At times while thinking, Allen-Agostini, 43, closed her eyes tightly, likely in concentration. She explained the novella is geared towards readers between the ages of 14 to 19 though, like her, many adults also read young adult novels. She said the themes make it suitable for black, African-American and Afro-Caribbean children in and outside of the Caribbean, but stresses it is primarily for girls. The protagonist is a girl in her mid-teens and growing up somewhere that looks like San Fernando. She is bright, though not a particularly good student, and begins to be depressed. Overwhelmed by depression she attempts suicide and in response her mother decides to send her to Canada by an aunt, who is a lesbian in a relationship. In Canada, the protagonist is treated for her illness but still suffers from panic attacks. Allen-Agostini explains the character comes to terms with her illness and how to live within her skin and also makes sense of the family she finds herself in, after having no previous knowledge about LGBT people and their community. The spark of the novella came from a story she heard a long time ago about a girl whose family sent her away to Canada to recover from depression. Allen-Agostini also visited Edmonton as part of a feminist exchange programme and lived with a lesbian couple and also worked at a LGBT community centre. On the storys main theme, she said in cases of attempted suicide by adolescents, families are ashamed and the issue is not dealt with well, and is even ignored. She lamented that adolescent depression and mental health disorders are often overlooked and left untreated. Not because parents bad but because a lot of parents dont understand how it manifests in young people. You have this child who sour, dont want to go nowhere, dont talk to nobody. And that can be depression. She continued: And you have this situation going on with a young person and you dont understand it and you just tell them snap out of it but they cant because they might be actually depressed. So its under-diagnosed, its under-treated and its taboo. Allen-Agostini hoped that through her story, young people would be aware that they are not alone but there are resources to help them. She feels strongly about the issue as a mother of a 23-year-old and a 17-year-old, and as a person who has suffered with depression and anxiety. Her previous works are the young adult science fiction novel The Chalice Project (2008), a co-editor and contributor to the crime anthology Trinidad Noir (2008) as well as a collection of poetry, Swallowing the Sky (2015). Allen-Agostini said she likes young people and enjoys spending time with them, and this was shy she was drawn to stories about them. I think they are cool, interesting, and they have a nice fresh way of looking at the world. She also enjoys science fiction and fantasy as well as watching childrens films. Im just childish, she said laughing. She also said it was easy for her to get into the young voice for her work. In 2009, she founded The Allen Prize for Young Writers, a local NGO. Its aim is to improve writing in TT by giving prizes, seminars and workshops to teen writers, and publishing their works. It ran from September 2010 to 2015, but is now on hiatus pending changes to its administrative and funding structure. Returning to Waiting on the Bus, Allen-Agostini expressed hope that people will primarily enjoy it. It is a really beautiful book. I like the writing in it (which) can be at times quite lyrical. She also hoped it will help people to think more closely about how they judge others, and how looking within family relationships for affirmation can be destructive. Think more closely about who people are and what they really need. Allen-Agostini first wrote the story in 2007. She had taken the manuscript to a publisher but they felt it was too short while she felt the novella length was acceptable in the young adult genre. She took back her manuscript and parted amicably with the publisher. Last year, when the word length of the Burt Award prize was reduced, she decided to update and submit the novella which had been laying about. Allen-Agostini said she was quite pleased to be short-listed for the Burt Award which is not only lucrative but ensures that copies of the book are sold. Thats the real prize. She recalled The Chalice Project received good reviews but distribution was a problem, adding that in Caribbean it is difficult and expensive to have books distributed from island and island. The assistance of the Burt Award, she said, goes a long way to ensure the books are available and noted that through the award the writer will be put in touch with a publisher. Asked about authors she liked, she cited Trinidad-born Samuel Selvon, one of the most formative Caribbean voices I have read as well as American novelists Harper Lee and Alice Walker. She also cited two of her mentors, Trinidad-born, British writer Monique Roffey and Trinidadian writer Wayne Brown. Her advice to writers? Write. But also read. But write. Correction: On April 2, Sunday Newsday reported Trinidadian author Kevin Jared Hosein was nominated for the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature for his novel, The Repenters. He is nominated for the manuscript, The Beast of Kukuyo. The error is regretted. Alaska is Known for Having Some of the Most Hazardous Flying Conditions in the Country NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2017 / The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a new report giving more insight into what caused the 2015 crash of a sightseeing plane near Ketchikan, Alaska. According to the story covering the report's release, the plane crashed into a rock face, killing everyone on board, including the pilot and eight passengers, who were tourists from a nearby cruise ship. Report Says Disengaged Warning System and Pilot's Decisions Led to Crash The story goes on to state that many of the pilot's peers and co-workers claim he was highly experienced and had a reputation for safety. The president of the company that owned the plane told the NTSB that the pilot had, at various times, canceled flights due to bad weather, and had even declined to fly in conditions other pilots didn't hesitate to take on. However, some of the individuals interviewed claimed the pilot sometimes opted to fly in high winds, and that his plane's floats had been known to strike trees during flight - a sign he might have taken unreasonable risks. On the day of the crash, logbooks show the pilot had already made two flights and was on his third when he chose to take a route that took the plane through a "narrows" between two mountain peaks. Reports also state that the plane involved in the crash had a terrain avoidance warning system with an "inhibit" switch that could be flipped to turn the system off in areas where the terrain made the system send alerts too frequently. Investigators at the crash site found that the switch was off and that the plane's warning system had been disabled, meaning the pilot would not have received alerts about flying too close to dangerous terrain. NYC Airline Accident Lawyer Discusses the Hazards of Flying in Alaska New York City airline accident lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter states, "Alaska is known for having some of the most hazardous flying conditions in the country. High winds, extreme weather, and mountainous terrain make flying treacherous. Residents of Alaska are also forced to fly more often than people in other states, as the highway system is much less developed due to low population numbers and extreme weather conditions." Story continues The NTSB report also revealed that one of the individuals required to approve all flight plans for the company whose plane was involved in the crash didn't have any actual aviation experience. This is why it's critical to thoroughly investigate any aviation sightseeing operation you encounter before boarding a flight. Don't take it for granted that the company will act in your best interests. If you have been injured in a plane crash, or you have lost a loved one in an aviation accident, act quickly to protect your rights. Contact a New York City airline accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your case. Sources: 1. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2017/03/21/ntsb-documents-offer-new-detail-in-southeast-alaska-plane-crash-that-killed-9/ 2. https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=59608&CFID=1013068&CFTOKEN=ad738a2d5fb3c687-705DF9BD-C037-AAB7-2C30D7C011CB7FD6 3. http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/08/flying_alaska Media Contact: Jonathan C. Reiter Aviation accident lawyer. T: 866-324-9211. Source: http://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/04/04/airline-accident-lawyer-discusses-ntsb-report-alaska-airplane-crash/ SOURCE: Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC via Submit Press Release 123 Pitch Lake springs poetry EVEN before we see it, we learn of it. It is endless, we are told. The largest asphalt lake on the planet, its pitch goes all over the world. Some say it has been used to pave the road in front of Buckingham Palace; others the tarmac at La Guardia Airport in New York. What better symbol was available to me when the time came to title my third book of poems, a book that places Trinidad at the rim of a bristling world? Everybody in Trinidad learns about the Pitch Lake in school. But few Trinis actually set foot on its strange surface; see its swathes of tar, water and mud; bathe among the lilies in its sulphur ponds; witness its effulgent discharges. Somehow we dont need to. We have an idea of it in our mind, just as things we have never experienced can inhabit us powerfully. Locals might take the lake for granted, but not tourists. Ambitious estimates place total visits at 20,000 annually. While tar-like deposits can also be found in Venezuela, Indonesia, Canada and the US, the Pitch Lake is the only source of commercially viable asphalt. As unglamorous as it is, it is perhaps one of our finest exports, up there with Angostura Bitters. It is important when we speak about economic diversification. No continent has been left untouched. Trinidad Lake Asphalt Limited has dealings with the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Suriname, Germany, Nigeria, India, Japan. Its output has reached the copper mines of Chile, the asphalt roofing industry of South Africa, and the bridges of Hong Kong. The biggest demand is in China. Will the pitch really last forever? The official line is that the lake is not inexhaustible, though it sure comes close. The asphalt company estimates that at the current rate of mining it will last another 400 years. It has been around even longer. VS Naipauls The Loss of El Dorado describes Sir Walter Raleighs encounter with it in the 16th century. Raleigh wrote about pitch that, riseth out of the ground in little springs or fountaynes with many springs of water and in and among them fresh water fishe. Its hard not to feel this place has a connection to something ancient and infinite. Every now and again a tree, perfectly preserved, rises at its centre as if straight from the past. The skeletal remains of animals, too, come to the surface: pitch lakes are death traps. Over the hundreds of years the lake has been used, the texture of the pitch has remained exactly the same. Quantity surveys are conducted from time to time and, despite regular mining, the lakes residue is often slightly more than what analysis suggests it should be. Either something is going wrong with the accounts at Lake Asphalt or something else is astir. The tar is not the only remarkable thing about the lake. This place is incredibly noxious yet it is host to a dazzling array of life beneath its surface. A 2011 study describes, an active microbial community of archaea and bacteria, many of them novel strains. One study from 2011 describes a fungus that lives on nothing but asphalt. Imagine it: a microscopic monster, literally fuelled by oil. According to scientists, these creatures illustrate what life on other planets might look like under similar conditions. The Pitch Lake resembles the surface of Titan, Saturns largest moon. It should be no surprise that the closet thing to ET on this planet resides in Trinidad and Tobagos melting pot. Everybody wants to be here! The implications are profound. If the function of life as contended by cosmologist Sean Carroll is to hydrogenate carbon dioxide, then the lake presents us with some of the most primordial beings we have ever discovered. Its organisms straddle the boundary between rock and man. None of this is to say Ive tackled any of this explicitly in my book of poems. As I was writing Pitch Lake, I was mindful of Alfred Mendess 1934 novel of the same name. In that astonishing book, the lake is mentioned just once by the narrator. No character speaks of it. No part of the story involves it. Yet it haunts the novel. Its materiality only emerges by the books devastating ending, and even then it remains a figment: it is an all-powerful curse. I opted to keep the lake just out of sight and, in this way, let readers see it in their own minds; make it more seductive, more dangerous. We are certainly living in dangerous times. Perhaps Rimbauds systematised disorganisation is now required. How long did it take to write this book? The answer depends on how you define writing and writers. Does writing happen when a pen is put to paper? Or is a writer someone who lives life, who absorbs all that happens to her, who synthesises and analyses and lets ideas and experiences lay fallow? In one instance the process of writing took four years, in the other instance it took a lifetime. And do we judge writers by individual pieces of writing? Is the process of assemblage not also a part of writing? A book of poems is a different beast from a poem. A book allows the poet to curate spaces between the poems, to explore ideas inside the collections ecology in a way that looks inward as well as outward. I like the idea of the Pitch Lake as a symbol of language, of sexuality, of society, as well as of the mysteries of life. Somehow the lake is real in our shared imagination. But just as no person will ever experience the pleasures of sea-bathing in the exact same way, so too life and this lake. Today, we can confidently say the lake was created by the process of subduction, when the Caribbean continental plate was forced under another plate over thousands of years. But before any of us knew anything, the Amerindians had their own stories about the origins of piche. They perceived it not as a geological phenomenon, but as a link to the source of life: the gods. One of legend involves Callifaria, who fled her tribe to be with to her lover, Kasaka, a prince of the rival Cumana tribe. Her father, Callisuna, attacked Kasakas tribe, kidnapped his daughter, and forced her to return home, tied to a horse. The winged Arawak god, Pimlontas, was so angry that he sunk the village under pitch. But one story was not enough for this lake. Another story relates to the Chima Indians, who lived in La Brea. After winning a battle, the Chimas celebrated by feasting on hummingbirds, forgetting that hummingbirds were the spirits of their ancestors. As punishment, the winged god opened up the earth and summoned the Pitch Lake to consume the village. This has always been an angry, dangerous place. A place where justice is done on behalf of ancestors and queer lovers. A fantasy space where creatures sink deep into the earth and then rise again, centuries later, in full flight. Pitch Lake by Andre Bagoo is published by Peepal Tree Press. It will be launched at this months NGC Bocas Lit Fest on April 27. Dis-is-Ability sells big-time The exhibition was held at Horizons Art Gallery in St James from March 21 - 25 and featured 35-year-old Jon Williams, who has Down syndrome, poor mental health, and early-onset Alzheimers. Jons mother, Arlene, said she introduced her son to painting as a form of therapy two years ago after he had a psychotic breakdown. It did not matter to her whether or not any of his exhibited paintings were sold because the point was to let people see what he was doing, and to make people aware that people with mental illnesses have abilities. It shows the fact that there is ability regardless of what is perceived as a disability. I think the fact that Jon has been able to produce this work is a clear indication that, in some instances there may be people who we may write off because we see them as disabled, and we think they are not able to produce. But Jons work is proof that this is not so. If one person goes away from the exhibition thinking, Let me give this person a space to see what they could do, thats enough. However, by the end of the exhibition, public awareness was built and 43 of 44 paintings, with prices from ranging from $1,350 to $2,500, were sold. Arlene said because of the media promotion prior to the start of the exhibition, friends and strangers acknowledged and encouraged Jon in his art. This type of change wont come as a wave but as a gentle ripple. I like to think that Jon has thrown a pebble into the pond, lets watch for the ripples. If one person with intellectual disabilities or mental illness is now encouraged or allowed to stretch themselves, then weve succeeded. In addition, she said the recognition allowed Jons sense of self to grow, and he became increasingly excited leading up to the exhibition , which she described as exciting, overwhelming at times, and exhausting. I didnt know what to expect, and I was blown away.The place was filled to capacity for the duration of the event. People were outside waiting for people inside to leave. Jon was talking to people, taking pictures with people, mingling. As his mother, it warmed my heart. I watched him, this young man who had struggled mightily sometimes just to function, moving easily through this appreciative throng. Many of our friends and family members came that night and there was much physical and verbal appreciation of Jon and his work. Arlene said 21 pieces were sold on opening night and by the last day of the exhibition only one piece remained. Part of the paintings proceeds will go to the Down Syndrome Family Network and the remainder will go towards caring for Jon. While she would not say no to another exhibition of his work, she stressed that he paints as a means of expressing emotions and desires he may not be able to otherwise express, rather than for exhibition. Therefore much depends on his health and level of interest as she would not push him to produce art work. Young: Men, the weaker sex He was speaking yesterday at the launch of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago Reach Mentorship Programme held at Queens Hall, St Anns. He said that with an apparent attack on women, men need to step forward not only to protect but also to support. He told the nine girls participating in the month-long programme to have faith in themselves. He said that it was undeniable that women face more difficulties than men. Young, also Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, told the gathering that he looks forward to working with women and he personally tries to be the equal of women. We men are the weaker sex, he added. The mentorship programme is in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts. Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, in her remarks, said told the girls they may feel that they cannot reach where they want to go or do not even think about it. She shared a story of a girl who was taller than her friends, a big horse, who was a high achiever but felt inadequate and not sure of herself. She revealed that this girl was her. She said, Nobody could believe how that could cut away at your self esteem and how you could feel as if you dont measure up. Little things can affect us. And in this life there are so many things that eat away at us as people. We dont feel we measure up. And that can keep us back. That can make us think we can never achieve. She thanked AFETT for having the programme and said she thought it important that the ministry partner with them. She said that many people want to do things but not willing to put their time, money and energy where their mouth is. She also reported that the ministry will also be having a male mentorship programme. This is what is going to change our young people. She said that with 25 per cent of the population under the age of 18 they will not be able to reach all of the hundreds of thousands but they can reach some. She added that while saying that young people are the future of the nation is clich? if the young people do not produce who will be the parents of the future generation. At age 15 I never thought about parenthood. At age 22, I was a parent, she said. Returning to the programme she said that the mentors, who have pledged their time, effort and energy, will help the girls express what is inside of them and can give you a key to unlock your future. She said when the administration took office Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had made a call for volunteerism and AFETT has done that. AFETT president Tricia Leid reported that they previously had the initiative in the Gasparillo, Santa Cruz and Palo Seco community centres and thanked Young for welcoming them into his constituency. She said mentorship provides opportunities for girls to be leaders in the communities, to extend learning outside the classroom and to change them from girls into independ West: No politics in PCA Speaking on Friday during a community outreach meeting in Sangre Grande, West made it clear that the PCA was an independent, non-political organisation. We operate independently. It is only the President (Anthony Carmona) that can revoke my appointment and that of the other members. We feel very secure in our positions, he said in response to a question during the open forum. West said since his appointment in November 2014, there has never been any political interference in the operations of the PCA. Earlier, in opening remarks, West, an anti-money laundering specialist attorney, told the gathering at the North-Eastern Community Centre that there has been an increasing number of complaints against police officers in the Eastern Division between within the past few years. He said between 2014 and 2016, there has been a three-fold increase in the number of fatal shootings by police officers in the Eastern Division. West added there also has been a three-fold increase in non-fatal shootings in the Division. So, as a PCA, we want to bring down the number of fatal shootings by police officers because at the end of the day that is what is important when dealing with the issue of serious crime, he said. In the same breath, West also commended the work of Senior Superintendent Garth Nelson and the police officers in the division which is said to have recorded the highest criminal detection rate in the country Nelson said last week that out of the 37 murders in the division last year, 10 resulted in prosecutions. He attributed the divisions success to the work of officers and citizens In an attempt to extend its reach to citizens, West also announced that the PCA will be going high-tech through the purchase a new App within the next three months. Persons will be able to download the App for free and fill our complaints and send it to the PCA, he said. West, who showed slides of alleged police brutality within recent months, said people also will be able to take videos of infraction involving police and send it as an attachment to the PCA. West also said there were gaps in the existing PCA legislation, which, he feels, must be urgently amended to provide greater efficiency. For example, he said there must be mechanisms in place to allow PCA investigators to be on th scene of an incident within two to three hours of it occurring. West said PCA investigators also should be empowered to intercept firearms at a scene as well as recommend that victims who are likely to be threatened be placed in a witness protection programme. Saying there was a backlog of more than 1,000 cases pending before the PCA, West said attempts were being made to reduce the case load. He said a new team has been established to deal with current matters. So, we have been trying in different ways to make it efficient without compromising our integrity, West added. The PCA director revealed that between January and March, the PCA has received some 67 police- related complaints, from the various police divisions, 11 of which were fatal shootings and four, non-fatal. Tough times leads people to church Speaking to Sunday Newsday, Rochard said there generally has been an increase in attendance at church services throughout the archdiocese during Lent - a trend he predicts is likely to continue during Holy Week into the long Easter weekend. We have had great turnouts. I am on the Mount (St Benedict) and we have had packed congregations, he said. Rochard, who last served as parish priest of the Church of the Assumption, Maraval, regarded the increase in attendance as a good sign. He attributed the trend to the recession. I presume it is because things are not so good in the country where people now have to turn to prayers. Easter has its own clientele but even with Lent there was a bigger turnout that we have found. The development comes at a time when the local Catholic church may very well be in transition in the wake of the resignation of Joseph Harris, 75, as Archbishop, last month. Pope Francis is yet to respond officially to the archbishops resignation. Rochard said since the beginning of Lent in March, priests throughout the archdiocese have been taking head counts of people attending services and we are now waiting on the results of that to hear what the story is to show much of an increase we had. Rochard, who has been a priest for some 47 years, lamented the trend of people turning to the church only in times of crisis. Because things are troubling in the country with the crime and recession, people losing work, they are more conscious. So, if I have a job, I am holding on to it as long as possible, he said. The social climate makes people to pay closer attention to God and prayers because when they are too comfortable, they forget. When they too comfortable, they forget. They get numb they get numb. So, the increase in attendance is a good sign. Crisis brings people to a deeper consciousness of what should be. New MATT president: We wont be a union He was speaking yesterday following the biennial MATT elections held at the TSTT booth, Queens Park Oval, Port-of-Spain. Asked by the media whether he would consider changing MATT to become a union Ramesar, a CCN TV6 producer and broadcast journalist, said he believes that would be counterproductive. Other new executive members also pointed out that some members of the media already have a representative trade union. The election was held simultaneously in Tobago and San Fernando via video conferencing. In Tobago TV6 reporter Elizabeth Williams called for the executive to have more meetings in Tobago, adding that this has been a problem in previous years. A similar call for decentralisation from Port-of-Spain to South and Central was also made by a San Fernando MATT member. Ramesar in response promised that the second executive meeting would be held in Tobago and to also have meetings in South and Central. He also thanked the previous executive, led by Francesca Hawkins, for stabilising the ship. Both Ramesar and newly elected vice president Joel Julien were elected unopposed. Julien, a Guardian senior reporter, told the media that he was disheartened that he was unopposed but was glad that the previous executive had reached out to Tobago; Patricia Nicholson, a CNMG news producer and reporter and one of two new floor members, is from Tobago. A seven member executive was elected yesterday and will serve for a two year term. Tom Brady Just Became First NFL Player to Do This BUENOS AIRES, April 7 (Reuters) - Argentina and Colombia have agreed to eliminate taxes on a limited number of car imports, officials from Colombia and Argentina said at a news conference on Friday. Tariff-free car exports from Argentina to Colombia will be up to 12,500 vehicles in the first year and gradually rise to up to 42,000 by the fourth year of the agreement when they would be worth some $700 million, Argentina's Secretary of Trade Miguel Braun said. "The quota will keep rising until it reaches 42,000 in the fourth year and will stay there," he said. Colombia would also be able to export autos to Argentina though Colombian production is limited, the officials said. (Reporting by Maximilian Heath Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Marguerita Choy) North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Trump ordered against an air base in Syria, reports the AP. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The airstrikes were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country's long civil war. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent US military attack on Syria is an action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," the report said, adding that the North's "tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force as its pivot" will foil any aggression by the US. "We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the US evermore reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force," it said. The US Pacific Command directed the USS Carl Vinson carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula after departing Singapore on Saturday, reports the AP. Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since Jan. 5, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea. On Saturday, Trump and South Korea's leader, acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. (A recent North Korea propaganda clip showed the USS Carl Vinson in flames.) "It was April Fools Day, so I thought he was playing a joke," says Jerry Kimball. Alas, no joke: Kimball was fined $190 for allowing his pet snake to slither freely in a South Dakota park, what an animal control officer called "animals running at large." Kimball tells the Argus Leader that the officer suggested he use a leash to restrain the reptile. "He was literally asking me to put a rope around my snake," Kimball said. "I was like, 'Dude, no.' I was dumbfounded." Kimball was approached by the officer after a woman complained that his Fire Bee Ball Python was roaming freely at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, notes the AP. Animal Control Supervisor Julie DeJong said a city ordinance requires all pets to be leashed or restrained in public. She said pet snakes can be held or kept in a container to comply. "If it's in public and it's not on a leash, it's at large. The ordinance doesn't really distinguish between animals," she said. DeJong added that snake lovers should be more sensitive to the aversion many people feel toward the animal. While non-venomous snakes are legal to own, not all park visitors will welcome a python in a park. But Kimball said he considers it his mission to rid the public's fear of snakes. "That's my purpose in life: To let people know that snakes aren't killers," he said. "What better way to give back than to help people understand these misunderstood creatures?" Kimball said he plans to fight the ticket in court. (Read more snakes stories.) The gunman who shot and killed two managers at a Florida gym before turning the gun on himself had just been fired from the fitness center for workplace violence, police said Sunday. The Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement Sunday that 33-year-old Abeku Wilson of Miami was let go from his job as a fitness trainer at the Equinox gym in Coral Gables on Saturday "due to work place violence and was escorted off the premises," the AP reports. Shortly after his dismissal, Wilson returned to the gym armed with a handgun and fired multiple shots at both managers before shooting himself to death. Police said the managers were deliberately targeted and that the shooting was not random. Equinox issued an email statement Sunday saying that it is "deeply saddened" by the deaths of the two employees, 35-year-old Janine Ackerman of Miami and 42-year-old Marios Hortis of Miami Beach. Ackerman was general manager of the gym; Hortis was fitness manager. Marc Sarnoff, who previously trained with Wilson for two years, saw him at the gym before Saturday's shooting and noticed something was wrong. Wilson typically was "very buttoned up, very proper, very appropriate," Sarnoff said in a phone interview. But on Saturday, Wilson physically bumped into Sarnoff and his current trainer. The usually adept Wilson seemed noticeably off-kilter. "He wasn't clean-shaven ... and he seemed to be slurring his words," said Sarnoff. "He said, 'I'm sorry I'm just off balance this morning'." The shooting happened about 1pm at the upscale Shops at Merrick Park. Shoppers, diners at mall restaurants and people in workout gear ran to safety or took cover after reports of gunfire. (Read more shooting stories.) A 17-year-old asylum-seeker from Russia was arrested Sunday in connection with an explosive device found near a busy subway station in Norway's capital that police defused before it detonated, authorities said. The youth was detained on suspicion of handling explosives, but investigators do not know if he planned to carry out an attack with the homemade device, Signe Aaling, chief prosecutor for Norway's PST security service, said. Aaling described the explosive as "a primitive improvised explosive device with limited damage potential," the AP reports. "PST is now working on finding his intentions and find out whether others are involved," she said. The explosive was found on the street just outside the Groenland subway station Saturday night. The youth was not identified, but security service head Benedicte Bjornland said Norwegian intelligence was aware of him. He is an asylum-seeker from Russia who arrived in Norway with his family in 2010, Bjornland said. Bjornland also alleged that the youth was part of "extreme Islamism" circles in Norway. He was arrested based on a tip from the public, Bjornland said without elaborating. "It is likely that that attacks in France, German, Great Britain, Russia and Sweden can create a copycat effect in Norway with people with Islamic sympathies," Bjornland said, listing the locations of extremist attacks that have devastated Europe in the last year. (The suspect in the recent attack in Sweden was a failed asylum-seeker from Uzbekistan.) As the Khulna-Kolkata trial train chugged in at West Bengal's Petrapole station, 90-year-old Kumudi Hazra's eyes turned moist. She nostalgically remembered the early days of her marriage life when she would take the train to visit her parents in Khulna. Kolkata : As the Khulna-Kolkata trial train chugged in at West Bengal's Petrapole station, 90-year-old Kumudi Hazra's eyes turned moist. She nostalgically remembered the early days of her marriage life when she would take the train to visit her parents in Khulna. Hazra settled down in Jayantipur village of North 24 Parganas district here after her marriage in the early 1940s. "I am so happy today seeing this train. After marriage, I came here from my ancestral house at Khulna. I used to visit my parents by taking the train. Today, I am flooded with memories of those trips," Hazra told IANS. She was simultaneously happy and sad on seeing the new train - called Maitree Express II. Happy, that people now will no more undergo the pain which she underwent at not being able to visit her ancestral house for 40 years and sad, that at her age, "I won't be able to make the trip". Regular passenger services were in place connecting Sealdah to Khulna and Jessore, much before an international border came up in 1947 when India was partitioned and Pakistan came into being. Passenger train services between the two countries were suspended after the 1965 India-Pakistan war, when the territory now known as Bangladesh comprised was East Pakistan. East Pakistan later became independent Bangladesh in 1971. Also nostalgic was Bharat Debnath, nephew of Hazari Debnath, who had worked at Petrapole railway crossing as a gateman. "My uncle worked here as a gateman at the crossing. I came here to see the Khulna-Kolkata train. I have heard a lot of stories about this train." There were euphoric scenes in the border villages much before the train reached Petrapole. People stood on either side of the railway track since morning just to see the train. As the train passed them, people waved, and clapped. "I was cooking at home. When I heard the hooters I rushed to see the train," said Champa Biswas, a housewife. Recalling his childhood, 87-year-old Achintya Banik said after the Partition, train services were there but many of the villagers were unable to avail it as they did not have passports at that time. "We are originally from Bangladesh. Before partition, I came here with my family because my father worked here and later settled down. We would go to Bangladesh regularly by train before partition. Now we can do the same, it is a dream come true for me," Banik told IANS. Panchanan Roy was elated at the prospect of commuting becoming easier because of the train service. "During my childhood, I used to come here because one of our relatives stayed at Naraharipur village, about two kilometres from here. We settled here after 1971. We go to Bangladesh now but through roads. It takes huge time for custom and immigration clearance," he said, adding the facility will help him to travel to his ancestral house more frequently. The Bangladeshi delegates who came by the train were also overwhelmed with emotion. "There might be an international border between the two Bengals, but culture and the social bonding between the Bengalis living on either side of the border is still as warm as it used to be. We need to focus on connecting cities of two Bengals," said Alam Gir Alam, Additional Deputy Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. Locals were also upbeat as the train would make the export-imports business more seamless. "Majority of locals are involved with exports and import. We take working visas and people from either side need to cross the border. But it takes hours to get clearance. Railway connection will give a new avenue," local trader Raju Saha told IANS. However, amid all the excitement and enthusiasm, stark reality also dawned on some of the villagers. For them, getting a local train from Petrapole to Kolkata was more important than the Maitree Express. "Passport holders will only be able to board the Khulna-Kolkata train. We do not have any direct communication from here to Kolkata. We go to Bongaon by autorickshaws. But the auto service stops after 8 p.m. We will be more than happy if a local train service starts from here to Kolkata," said Rinki Maity, a student of Bongaon's Dinabandhu College. Railway officials said they were aware about the local demand, but the tracks needed to be electrified. "We zre planning to send a proposal to the centre for electrification of the lines here. It will be sent soon," Basudev Panda, Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah told IANS. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Snow this morning will give way to partly cloudy conditions this afternoon. High 23F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 13F. Winds light and variable. bill o'reilly Fox News' parent company, 21st Century Fox, is going to open an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against Bill O'Reilly, attorney Lisa Bloom told CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday. The investigation comes after Bloom and her client, Wendy Walsh, called Fox's workplace misconduct hotline, and placed an official complaint against O'Reilly on Wednesday. A recording of the call was also uploaded to YouTube. "Today, @DrWendyWalsh and I officially called in her sexual harassment complaint against O'Reilly to FoxNews hotline," Bloom tweeted on Wednesday. "Fox News and O'Reilly have said no one has complained about him on their complaint line. That is no longer true. We have the proof." Today, @DrWendyWalsh and I officially called in her sexual harassment complaint against O'Reilly to FoxNews hotline. https://t.co/sV72pMnbBb Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 5, 2017 Walsh was a regular guest on The O'Reilly Factor and was reportedly offered a paid contributor position at the network. After she refused an invitation to go to O'Reilly's hotel suite in 2013, a New York Times investigation found, he did not follow through on securing her a job at Fox News. Walsh is one of several women who have made claims of sexual harassment against O'Reilly. He and Fox News paid out $13 million in settlements to five women who had previously accused the host of harassment, according to the Times. The women's allegations, which the Times found date back to 2002, included complaints of verbal abuse, lewd comments, unwanted advances, and phone calls "in which it sounded as if Mr. O'Reilly was masturbating, according to documents and interviews." Story continues Attorneys of Fox News told Bloom they would investigate Walsh's complaint against O'Reilly after she placed a call to the hotline, Bloom told CNN's Brian Stelter. "I'm told that they are taking it seriously, and they are going to do the investigation that's legally required of them," she said. O'Reilly has denied that there is any merit to the allegations against him. He hired crisis communications expert Mark Fabiani, who released a statement to the Times on behalf of his client. "Just like other prominent and controversial people, I'm vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity," the statement said. "In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline. "But most importantly, I'm 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," it continued. The statement also suggested that O'Reilly is a target of harassment claims because of his prominence and the revenue he rakes in for the network helming the top-rated cable news show in the country. His lawyer said in a separate statement that they are now considering legal action to defend O'Reilly's reputation. Despite his denials, O'Reilly and the network have taken a PR hit since the allegations emerged 60 companies have now pulled their advertisements from O'Reilly's time slot. Fox News has been engulfed by a flurry of negative headlines in recent days, with allegations also surfacing from contributor Julie Roginsky, who became the latest woman to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes. Ailes was ousted from the network last summer after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. NOW WATCH: Former State Department official: Evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia would create a 'constitutional crisis' More From Business Insider New Delhi: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari began the campaign for the April 23 MCD polls with a Vijay Vikas Yatra from Vasant Vihar at New Delhi. Tiwari, who was accompanied by MP Meenakshi Lekhi, took part in road shows in different wards under R K Puram, Malviya Nagar, Kasturba Nagar and Greater Kailash assembly constituencies and addressed a public gathering in Sawal Nagar, besides conducting public contact programmes. Addressing the public meeting, he said that both AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken were frustrated due to the support and goodwill of people for the BJP and hence, they were indulging in misleading publicity. ALSO READ: Delhi MCD Polls: 40 per cent of the total 4,605 nominations rejected in scrutiny Although Kejriwal is himself involved in corruption and administrative irregularities, he is misleading the people about providing free services again. The Congress party which pushed Delhi into anarchy by supporting Kejriwal in 2013 is also trying to mislead the people by promising unrealistic schemes. READ: BJP announces first list of candidates for MCD polls The people of Delhi now fully understand the political realities and will reject Kejriwal-Maken and elect the BJP for all-round development of Delhi, Tiwari was quoted in a release. New Delhi: Actor Arjun Rampal has been accused of assaulting a photographer at a five-star hotel and the camera man has already filed a complaint with Delhi police on Sunday. The complainant, Shobhit, claimed that the incident happened at around 3.30 AM on Sunday when Rampal was being clicked by a photographer and the actor allegedly grabbed his camera and threw it, hitting him. According to Delhi Police, the incident happened last night when the actor was playing as a DJ at the nightclub in Hotel Shangri-la. "He threw a camera flashlight in the crowd hoping that someone will catch it. But it hit a man named Shobhit, aged between 25-30, in his head. He didn't sustain any grievous injuries but in the medical examination that was carried out, it has been found that it is a lacerated wound, a senior police officer told PTI. "He has given a complaint but we are legally examining it. As of now, no FIR has been registered against the actor. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh and Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar along with Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju will launch Bharat Ke Veer web portal and mobile application on Sunday evening. It is being designed to allow donors 'contribute with ease the families of martyrs who lost their lives while performing their duty, an official said. "This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of IndiaBSE -1.13 %. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another account," an official statement said. A committee comprising of eminent personalities and senior government officials will manage the Bharat Ke Veer. What is Bharat Ke Veer? Bharat Ke Veer, an initiative taken by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar will help people to extend financial support to the kin of martyrs directly. The actor had proposed this idea via video on Twitter ahead of the Republic Day. The government gave a nod to his proposal on April 1, 2017. This web portal and mobile app will help people to donate a maximum amount of Rs. 15 Lakhs to the verified account(s). Akshay Kumar is renowned for his patriotism and recently he had donated Rs. 9 Lakhs each to the families of 12 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bangladesh on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment to ensuring the early solution to Teesta water issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modis comment during the joint statement of the two leaders is very important. He (Modi) says an early solution to the issue (Teesta water) can and will be found. This is a new policy statement accepted by Bangladesh, Bangladesh foreign secretary Shahidul Haque said in a media interaction in New Delhi. Earlier in the day, on the Teesta water issue, Modi said the pact is important for Indo-Bangla relationship and expressed hope that the West Bengal chief minister will eventually support it. Read | Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's gifts to India: Silk pyjamas for Prez Mukherjee, sandesh for Modi, Rajshahi for Swaraj I am very happy that the chief minister of West Bengal is my honoured guest today. I know that her feelings for Bangladesh are as warm as my own. I assure you and the people of Bangladesh of our commitment and continuing efforts, he said, adding he firmly believes that an early solution to the issue can and will be found. Haque said during the interaction between Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India has said that water resources should be a uniting factor between the two countries. Speaking on the additional assistance of USD 500 million by India specially to help its military procurement, he said Bangladesh is not bound to buy arms from India. Read | India, Bangladesh sign 22 MoUs, PM Modi assures Sheikh Hasina of early solution to Teesta water sharing issue Haque said, the defence partnership between the two countries includes annual consultations between defence forces, training and capacity building cooperation. India and Bangladesh on Saturday signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear but the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement remained elusive. After holding comprehensive talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Modi announced a new concessional Line of Credit of USD 4.5 billion for the neighbouring country and an additional assistance of USD 500 million to help its military procurement. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: An incident of dacoity has been reported in Patna-Rajdhani Express near Buxar district of Bihar on Sunday Morning. As per information, the dacoits thrashed the passengers before fleeing away with valuables. The railway police have been informed about the incident following which the officials have launched a probe. As per latest informationA RPF personnel part of the escort team have been suspended for negligence of duty. Patna Rajdhani train dacoity: RPF personnel part of the escort team have been suspended for negligence of duty a ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 During the incident, three people have been injured and they have filed a police complaint. Patna Rajdhani train dacoity: Three people injured in the incident. Victims file complaint pic.twitter.com/1AUuLLmUpY a ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that the central government is making all out efforts to ensure that families of troops killed in the line of duty receive a compensation of not less than Rs one crore. Singh declared this after inaugurating a new government website, along with actor Akshay Kumar, that will allow commonpeople to make monetary donations to families of paramilitary troops killed in action, with an upper limit of Rs 15 lakh to a single family. "It has been our constant effort to ensure that a family of a martyr who is killed in action does not get a compensation amount less than a crore...I have said that I am even ready to spread my hands and seek funds from my countrymen in this regard," Singh said during the ceremony which also marked the annual 'Valour Day' event of the CRPF. He added some state governments also provide such funds to families of slain troops but still some "gap" remains and their effort is to fill up these. The Minister added the country will remain indebted to its soldiers forever and that their welfare is his "top priority" by saying: "hum aapka ehsaan kabhi nahi utaar payenge" as he lauded the men and women of paramilitary forces deployed for operations in some of the most difficult and hard areas in the country. As per present compensation norms, the family of a slain soldier of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like CRPF, BSF,ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles gets about Rs 50-60 lakh and the "gap" the Minister talked about ranges between Rs40-50 lakh before they get the Rs one crore compensation. The website, www.bharatkeveer.gov.in, is a step in this direction and has been launched after Akshay Kumar met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi about 2.5 months back with aproposal in this regard. The 'khiladi' Kumar said his idea of getting a website made was to engage the entire 125 crore population of the country with the personnel in uniform so that anyone couldcontribute and feel proud by helping the families of such troops. Calling himself the "son of an army man" and not an actorin the event, Kumar said he hit upon the idea when he saw a documentary where it was described that terror elements motivate people to join them and undertake violence in lieu of promise of "good money" to their families. Rajnath complimented Kumar for winning the national award for best actor recently and called him 'action Kumar' for doing heroic deeds in not only his films but also in sociallife too. Talking high about the sense of duty of the CAPF personnel, Singh said these troops always help and save thelives of even those who pelt stones on them in the Kashmirvalley. "I am sure the situation in Kashmir will improve," hesaid. The Minister added there has been a dip of about 45-50 per cent in violent incidents in the Left Wing Extremism-hit areas and about 70-75 per cent in the insurgency affected areas of the North East. The new website inaugurated on Sunday provides details ofCAPFs personnel killed in the last over an year with theirname, age, incident where they made the supreme sacrifice, thename of dependent family members. Any amount of payment up to Rs 15 lakh can be made either through a debit/credit card ornet banking facility by the donor. The portal is powered by country's largest lending bankSBI and will be maintained by the National Informatics Centre(NIC). The contributor will also be acknowledged about his orher donation by an auto-generated website certificate issuedunder the seal of the Home Ministry. Kumar had recently donated Rs 9 lakh each to the familiesof 12 CRPF personnel who were killed in a Naxal ambush inChhattisgarh's Sukma on March 11. Few days later, badminton player and Olympic bronzemedallist Saina Nehwal had made a similar contribution anddonated Rs 50,000 each to these families of the CRPF men. The CAPFs are not only deployed for guarding Indian borders but they also render a variety of internal security tasks including tackling the Naxal menace in Left Wing Extremism-hit states. In case someone wants to make a donation of more than Rs15 lakh, they can also deposit in the corpus created in this regard by logging on to the website, an official said. During the event, the Home Minister also decoratedgallantry medal winners of the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) and gave away special mementos to two veteran CAPFsoldiers, 93-year-old Head Constable Baljit Singh who took onthe Chinese forces in 1959 at Hot Springs in Ladakh and BSFCommandant B S Tyagi for his brave exploits in 1971 Indo-Pakwar in Assam's Killa Para. He also praised CRPF Commandant Chetan Cheeta whorecently recuperated from a near death condition and was inhospital for close to two months after he was hit by 9 bulletsduring an operation in the Kashmir valley. Singh said a bullet can hit a soldier physically, but nobullet can defeat the courage and motivation of a soldier. The about 3-lakh personnel strong CRPF remembers itsmartyrs by observing 'Valour Day' on April 9 every year. The history of the Day dates back to the the interveningnight of 8-9 April (1965), when 3,500 men of 51st InfantryBrigade of Pakistan stealthily launched simultaneous assaulton the Sardar and Tak Posts in the Rann of Kutch in Gujaratunder an operation code named "Desert Hawk". The fight lasted 12 hours during which the enemy madethree attempts to overrun the post but was repulsed with heavycasualties by some dare-devil action by the CRPF men, taskedto secure the post. The retaliation by the CRPF men saw the numerically andarmament superior Pakistan retreating the areas and leavingbehind 34 bodies of their soldiers including two officers. Four Pakistani soldiers were taken as hostages while six CRPF men made the supreme sacrifice and the post was saved. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: To prevent floating of rumours by anti-national elements, internet services in three districts falling under the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency which are going to polls on Sunday have been shut down from midnight as a precautionary measure. Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, which form part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, will have no Internet connections amid reports that Pakistan-based groups were engaged in spreading disinformation on the eve of polls, official sources said. They said the ban would be removed immediately after polling ends in the Lok Sabha seat for which National Conference president Farooq Abdullah was having a virtual direct contest with ruling PDP's Nazir Khan. Read more: Srinagar LS bypoll: 1,500 hyper-sensitive polling stations, Farooq Abdullah in fray; militants try to scare voters Stone-pelting incidents were reported from various parts of Budgam and Ganderbal area in which two police personnel were injured. Crowds indulged in stone pelting in Chadoora, Beerwah, main town Budgam and Pandich and Wakoora in Ganderbal, official sources said, adding one CRPF constable was injured in Budgam and at Wakoora in Ganderbal. Police was making all attempts to prevent mob from growing bigger and bigger and at places it had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse the mob. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: At least five persons were killed and several others injured as security forces opened fire on rampaging mobs in various parts of this Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday, as the violence marred polling which saw an abysmally low 5.52 per cent turnout till 1400 hours. Army was called out to help security forces control a rampaging mob which pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the Srinagar constituency. Live | Bypolls across India: Voting begins in 10 assembly constituencies in 8 states, Srinagar Lok Sabha seat Here are the live updates: #6:24 PM:Six civilian deaths during poll violence, more than 100 security personnel injured: CEO #6:14 PM: Total 6.5% voting recorded in Srinagar bypolls #6:00 PM: Rajouri Garden bypoll witnesses poor turnout of 35 per cent till 3 PM #12:50 PM: Budgam Protesters-Security forces clash: Death toll rises to three #12:25 PM: Been a politician for 20 years, never saw such a bad situation for elections & campaigning. Failure of State Govt,Centre and EC: Omar Abdullah # 12:23 PM: Elections should have been peaceful today, this govt has failed in giving a peaceful atmosphere for people to come & vote: Farooq Abdullah # 12:20 PM: Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah cast their vote for Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll #11:28 AM: Budgam(J&K): After Dalwan Pakerpora and Nasrullahpora, now clashes between Protesters and Security forces in Chadoora.4 injured # 11:05 AM: One dead in clashes between protesters and Security personnel near polling station in Budgam's Dalwan Pakerpora # 10: 43 AM: Clashes erupts between Security forces and locals in Srinagar, two injured # 10:20 AM: Miscreants hurled Petrol bombs on polling booths. # 09:11 AM: Stone-pelting incidents reported in Srinagar bypolls Sporadic incidents of stone-pelting were on Sunday reported in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency where voting for the bypoll is underway, police said. Miscreants started pelting stones on polling booths in some areas of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency this morning, a police official said. (Read full story here) Jammu & Kashmir: Voting underway for Ganderbal Lok Sabha bypoll pic.twitter.com/pYRThlJqyU ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 # 8:07 AM: Internet services in Srinagar have been shut down ahead of by-polls #7:05 AM: Voting Begins for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat # 7:00 AM: Security tightened in Srinagar ahead of voting Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked a building housing a polling booth, officials said, adding the security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two later succumbed to injuries. Those killed were identified as 20-year -old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad Rather, they said, adding both died of bullet wounds. In another incident, security forces opened fire to quell a stone-pelting mob in Ratxuna Beerwah area, leaving one Nissar Ahmed dead. The fourth person, identified as Shabir Ahmed, was killed in firing by security personnel at the Daulatpura in Chadoora assembly segment of Budgam district. A youth, Adil Farooq, succumbed to multiple pellet injuries in the Magam town, about 20 kms from here. The officials said the BSF, deployed for security of the polling stations, fired live rounds as they were not provided with pellet guns. Suggested Read | Srinagar bypoll: Internet services halted in Lok Sabha seat Security force personnel were forced to abandon two polling stations in Chadoora area as they came under heavy stone-pelting by mobs, the officials said. Violence marred polling in some other parts of the Srinagar parliamentary seat as stone pelting incidents were reported from over two dozen other places across the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal which constitute the Srinagar constituency, they said. The voter turnout was very low till 1400 hours with only 5.52 per cent of the 12.61 lakh electorate exercising their franchise, the officials said. Large number of voters in many areas chose to give polling a miss, even in places like Ichgam, Maloora and Budgam which have traditionally seen high turnout. Opposition National Conference leaders including its President and candidate, Farooq Abdullah, and his son Omar attacked the Mehbooba Mufti-led J&K government for having completely failed to ensure smooth conduct of the polls. In Chenar area of Ganderbal district, one Mohammed Ramzan Rather and his wife and other villagers faced the wrath of angry protestors when they were on their way to vote. He was rushed to Kangan district hospital with a bleeding head. The nearby locality of Wakura wore a deserted look after crowds pelted stones at security forces in the morning, as securitymen fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protestors. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Seems like UP CM Yogi Adityanaths advice to maintain law and order in the state has not been taken seriously by his own party workers and leaders. In an incident of hooliganism, BJP leader Sanjay Tyagi on Saturday assaulted Police in Meerut after his son was stopped and asked to remove hooter from his car. According to the reports, Ankit Tyagi, the Son of BJP leader Sanjay Tyagi along with his friends was going in his car with hooter on. A Police inspector stopped his car and tried to remove the hooter, on which he threatened the inspector of getting suspended within 24 hours. Read More: Mob attacks police team carrying out raids on illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh Police tried to arrest him but Ankit called his father Sanjay Singh. Sanjay with few others arrived on the spot and started assaulting Police inspector and tried to pull his son from Police van. However, Police arrested his Son and took him to the police station. After the news of his arrest spread in the town, some other local BJP leaders recand workers collected in front of Police station and started shouting slogans. Finally, under pressure, Police officials have to release Ankit. The entire incident was recorded on camera. #WATCH Tussle between BJP leader Sanjay Tyagi & Police in Meerut after his son was stopped for tinted windows on his car. pic.twitter.com/NU3PtdqdEX ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Gandhinagar : A day after CJI J S Khehar said political parties must be held accountable for poll promises, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the parties should treat their manifestos like Bhagwad Geeta. Political parties should treat their manifestos as Bhagwad Geeta. It should be treated as a holy book. You need to do things that you promise, he said while addressing a function organised by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Naidu was in Gandhinagar to attend the CREDAI National Investiture Ceremony -2017. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries of the real estate sector were also present at the event. Also Read: Delhi CM Kejriwal must come clean on Shunglu report findings, says Venkaiah Naidu I agree with our CJIs views on pre-poll promises. Some political parties make irresponsible statements during polls. At the end of the day, parties will have to seek votes from people based on their performance in every five years. That check is already there, he said. People always have an option to keep a check on political parties by voting for only those who fulfill their promises, Naidu said. The Chief Justice of India (CJI), J S Khehar, had on Satruday said, Now a days manifestos have become a mere piece of paper, for this political parties have to be made accountable. Talking to reporters at the Ahmedabad airport, ahead of his address here, Naidu said the government would not mind if a law is enacted to ensure implementation of poll manifestos. We are OK if some law is enacted in this regard. Otherwise, people always have a chance to chose parties based on their performance after every five years, he said. The Union Minister also opined that general elections along with assembly and local body polls should be held simultaneously. It would be better for the people if we hold general, assembly and local body polls simultaneously. Today, we have to hold such elections every month or two months or in a year. These polls just keep coming. Holding polls simultaneously will help us in focusing on our work, said Naidu. On Triple Talaq, he urged the members of the Muslim community to come forward to abolish this system and to give justice to their women. Though Triple Talaq is not allowed, there are people who are doing injustice to Muslim women. Just like Hindu society has abolished social evils of child marriage, dowry and Sati, Muslims need to come forward and engage in deliberations to put an end to Triple Talaq, Naidu said. During the event, CREDAI president Jaxay Shah launched 375 affordable housing projects with an investment of over Rs 70,000 crores. These projects are spread across India and involve development of over 8.60 crore square feet of land and over 20.60 crore sq ft of construction to build more than 2.37 lakh houses of affordable category, Shah said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Fessenheim nuclear plant, whose scheduled closure was officially announced by France on Sunday, has been a long-running source of friction with Germany and a campaign target by green groups (AFP Photo/SEBASTIEN BOZON) (AFP/File) Paris (AFP) - The French government on Sunday published a decree for closing the country's oldest nuclear plant, fulfilling a campaign-trail pledge made by President Francois Hollande who is now in the final weeks of office. The decree, gazetted in the Official Journal which publishes government decisions, sets down the conditions for closing a nuclear plant at Fessenheim, a plant in eastern France on the border with southwestern Germany. Fessenheim will cease operations when a new reactor, currently being built at Flamanville on the Normandy coast, "enters service," the decree said. France's nuclear plant operator EDF last month said the Flamanville reactor -- a project that has run into deep problems -- will begin operations in 2019. The closure of the twin-reactor plant at Fessenheim is part of a plan to slash France's dependence on atomic energy. Hollande, who leaves office next month, vowed during campaigning in the 2012 election to close the facility as part of a promise to reduce the share of nuclear in the energy mix from 75 percent to 50 percent and boost the share of renewables. Fessenheim, in operation since 1977, is located on a seismic fault line about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the French city of Strasbourg and about 25 kms southwest of the German city of Freiburg. Its closure has been a campaign target by French, German and Swiss environmentalists for years, as well as an enduring source of friction with Germany. - 'Now it's done' - France's minister for ecology and energy, Segolene Royal, on Friday had said that the decree would be implemented to meet the 2012 campaign promise. "The decree on #Fessenheim closure has been signed and published this morning," Royal tweeted on Sunday. "It was promised, now it's been done." The conservative opposition has opposed the energy programme, arguing that France's nuclear industry is a guarantor of the country's energy independence and a source of cheap electricity. Story continues The French trade unions have also weighed in on the question of Fessenheim, fearing the closure of the plant will lead to the loss of around 2,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, The new European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) reactor, being built at Flamanville alongside two existing reactors, is a novel third-generation design touted as the world's biggest and advanced nuclear reactor. But the project, along with another EPR contract in Finland, has been plagued by delays and technical problems. Construction of the reactor began in December 2007, with an operational start initially scheduled for the end of 2012. Costs have tripled to 10.5 billion euros ($11.1 billion). On March 16, EDF announced that it had begun the test phase of the Flamanville EPR, and this would run until the end of 2018. The reactor will be hooked up to the national grid in the second quarter of 2019, it said. Two EPR reactors are scheduled to be built at Hinkley Point in southwestern Britain under a Chinese-backed deal announced last year. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday urged the citizens to support less cash mission of the central government. India has a long way to go to become a cash less society. Presently, we remain primarily a cash-based economy with about 95 per cent of the personal consumption and 86 per cent of all transactions being in cash, President Pranab said at the 100th Mega Draw of Lot for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana. It is necessary to reduce cash in circulation and impart greater urgency to promoting secure digital payment methods to ensure greater transparency, he added. Mukherjee took the moment to praise government for its bold initiatives and promoting the culture of digital payment in the country. ALSO READ | Ministers asked to submit 5 achievements benefitting people as Modi govt turns 3 He termed the Aadhaar card initiative as a watershed event in the development story of India and added that India is on cusp of a digital revolution. On the occasion, President Pranab Mukherjee picked up the lucky winners from the 100th draw of lots under digital payments promotion schemes at Rashtrapati Bhavan here. He congratulated the six winners-three consumers and three merchants-of Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said the possibility of ISIS involvement in Kashmir is a serious issue and the country must take the help of the United States and Israel to eliminate it. The possibility of ISIS involvement in Kashmir is the serious issue that we need to deal with iron hand. They have reportedly said that Hindustan (India) is our incomplete history. This outfit has launched its propaganda in Kashmir (and) that we need to eliminate (it). We must take the help of United States and Israel. The US has the advanced weapons and Israel has intelligence. With the involvement of ISIS in Kashmir, this is no more a problem between merely India and Pakistan, Swamy said. The Rajya Sabha member was here to release the special edition of monthly magazine Hindi Vivek. Also Read: Ayodhya dispute: Supreme Court refuses early hearing on Subramanian Swamy's plea He suggested that one crore retired army-men should be given permission to settle down in the Valley with all necessary assistance to bring normalcy there. The BJP leader also emphasised that imposing Presidents rule is necessary to solve the Kashmir issue. I dont think that until and unless (Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister) Mehbooba (Mufti) is there, she would be in position to take hard stance to find permanent solution. She may be having some limitations. Therefore, I think that imposing the Presidents rule is also necessary and the Army be given six months to deal with the anti-social elements, Swamy said. Swamy also reiterated that India needs to strengthen its stand over the Kashmir issue and hoped that the Narendra Modi government would take every possible step to recover each inch of the land of Kashmir even Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The way people of the Jammu and Kashmir came out and took part in the last election, despite separatists making all possible attempt to thwart the democratic process in the Valley, it indicates that people want peace, prosperity and development, he added. He also said in order to give China a befitting reply, we must strengthen our relations with Afghanistan and Iran, and our government is going ahead in right direction. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Patiala: A 19-year-old man died in a road accident in Australia two days ago and his family has sought External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs help in bringing his body for the last rites in Patiala. Vishal Mahant had died after being hit by a truck in Australias Melbourne city on Friday. Mahants family friend Pardeep Singh said Vishals family, through tweets, has sought the Union ministers help in bringing the body. Also Read | Sweden terror attack: All Indian embassy officials safe, emergency numbers issued Vishal had gone to Australia two-and-half-year ago on student visa, and was working at a relatives store. Meanwhile, former Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur visited the family of Vishal here and expressed her condolences to the bereaved family. She also assured all help in bring the body. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New York: Former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's head was so severely destroyed during the raid at his Abbottabad compound in Pakistan that it had to be pressed back together for identification, a former Navy SEAL has claimed. Ex-Navy SEAL team shooter Robert O'Neill has reasserted his claim that he alone pumped three bullets into Osama, killing the architect of the 9/11 attacks, in a new book. In 'The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Bin Laden', the former Navy SEAL Team 6 shooter lays out the details of what went down that night inside the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the New York Daily News reported. While controversy still swirls around O'Neill's version of the May 2, 2011, raid, much of it centers on his breaking the Special Ops code of silence. O'Neill, in his book, makes the gruesome claim that Osama's head was so severely destroyed by his gunfire that it had to be pressed back together for identification photographs. Read | Osama bin Laden was worried over Islamic State tactics, 'aging' al Qaeda: CIA documents In O'Neill's version, he was trailing five or six other SEALs climbing the stairs to the compound's second floor when Osama's son Khalid appeared on the half-landing with an AK-47. The agents were able to lure Khalid from where he was hiding behind a banister by calling to him in Arabic, saying: 'Khalid, come here.' He shouted in response: 'What?' and emerged from his hiding spot, and was immediately shot in the face, the report said. Once upstairs, the men spread out to search the rooms. In the compound with Osama were three of his four wives and 17 children. O'Neill kept his hand on the point man's shoulder. The two were alone on the stairway, convinced that whoever was on the third floor was strapping on a suicide vest for an explosive last stand. Read | Hamza bin Laden, son of slain terrorist Osama bin Laden designated as a global terrorist by US O'Neill recounts that finally he decided to take action. He squeezed the point man's shoulder, the signal to charge and then burst past the curtain. The point man tackled two screaming women to the floor. Bin Laden stood near the bed, his hands on the shoulders of the woman in front of him. She was later identified as Amal, the youngest of his four wives, the report said. "In less than a second, I aimed above the woman's right shoulder and pulled the trigger twice," O'Neill writes. "Bin Laden's head split open, and he dropped. I put another bullet in his head. Insurance," he writes. According to O'Neill, the other members of the team rushed into the room only after he placed a 2-year-old boy found covering in a corner alongside Osama's widow on the bed. A harrowing 90-minute flight returned the squadron to camp in Afghanistan. O'Neill's book comes five years after "No Easy Day," fellow SEAL Mark Bissonnette's account of the operation. He agreed to surrender the USD 6.8 million in proceeds from the book for his use of classified information and violation of a non-disclosure deal. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lahore: On Sunday Pakistan Rangers and intelligence agencies launched a joint operation against wanted terrorists in the Punjab province, killing five militants in agun-battle in which a soldier also died. On intelligence reports that some terrorists and their facilitators were holed up in a hideout in Chhera Thal, in the border belt of Dera Gazi Khan, a joint operation was launched this morning, Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. "Five terrorists have been killed so far and two apprehended in the ongoing operation. Soldier Kamran of Pakistan Rangers was also killed while another soldier Haroon sustained injuries and was shifted to combined military hospital in Multan by army helicopter," it said. The ISPR said the operation was underway to flush out terrorists who were involved in heinous crimes, including murder of policemen. Also Read : Pakistan Army violates ceasefire along LoC in Jammu & Kashmir, India retaliates "Some 35 FIRs were registered against the terrorists invarious police stations," it said. Cherra Khal is a small border town some 350 km from Lahore. "It is a tribal area of Punjab where the writ of the government/law enforcement agencies is non-existent and the hardened criminals had developed safe havens there," the ISPR said. Yesterday police in Lahore shot dead 10 terrorists of the Jamat-ul-Ahrar and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were involved in a suicide attack on policemen in Lahore last Februray in which 15 people including six police men were killed. Jamat-ul-Ahrar had claimed the responsibility of the attack. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Yangon: The UNICEF has called on Aung San Suu Kyi-led Myanmar government to release Rohingya children detained as part of a sweeping military campaign in Rakhine state. More than 600 people were arrested in an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the north of the restive state. The operation was launched after deadly attacks by militants on police posts in October. Rohingya escapees in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 70,000 have fled, gave UN investigators accounts of beatings, torture and food deprivation inside the jails. Minors are among those detained. UNICEF's deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said he had given the country's de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi details of around a dozen youngsters being held in Buthidaung prison. "There are some children that are detained in prison, so those are the cases that we're raising," he told AFP late on Saturday at the end of a brief trip to Myanmar. "Any child that's detained is an issue for us." Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi and Myanmar's army chief both recognised "that there's an issue here" but made no firm committment for their release, he added. Read | Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi accused of failing to protect Myanmars Rohingya Muslims Government spokesperson Zaw Htay declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Sunday. The UN Human Rights Council has agreed to send a mission to Myanmar to probe allegations that troops and police raped, killed and tortured Rohingya in their months-long campaign. Myanmar has rejected the accounts collected by UN investigators in the Bangladesh refugee camps, who said the crimes could amount to ethnic cleansing. "I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening," Suu Kyi said in an interview with the BBC last week. Myanmar's police and the military have both launched separate probes to investigate the deaths of at least eight people in custody in northern Rakhine. UN rights envoy for Myanmar Yanghee Lee said some 450 people were being held in Buthidaung prison when she visited in January, most without access to lawyers or their families. Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of more than one million Rohingya, who are vilified as illegal "Bengali" immigrants and forced to live in apartheid-like conditions even though many have lived in the country for generations. A group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has claimed the October attacks, which it said were intended to defend the rights of the persecuted minority after years of worsening conditions. Forsyth said there was a growing recognition among both Myanmar's civilian government and army that depriving Rohingya children of opportunities had bred militancy. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. * Tsipras says tough decisions in Malta open way for debt relief * Calls on party lawmakers to support measures (Adds quotes, background) By Renee Maltezou and George Georgiopoulos ATHENS, April 9 (Reuters) - Greece will implement additional austerity measures agreed with its official creditors on condition of further debt relief that will enable the country to be included in the ECB's bond buying scheme, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday. Athens struck a deal with its international creditors at Friday's meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Malta on key elements of a reform package that could unlock bailout funds for the country to help it repay maturing debt in July. "Medium-term debt relief measures, able to include us in (the ECB's) quantitative easing, and a fiscal path that will not be unattainable, is the condition for us to implement the measures we decided," Tsipras told his leftist Syriza party's central committee. Athens agreed to take measures that will cut government spending on pensions by 1.0 percent of economic output in 2019, a year after its current 86 billion euro bailout programme expires. It also committed to tax reforms in 2020 to generate additional revenue equal to another 1 percent of gross domestic product, mainly by lowering the current income tax exemption threshold. To make the deal more palatable for Greece the lenders agreed that if budget savings targets are exceeded, Athens will be allowed to implement relief measures to boost the economy. "What was decided in Malta ... renders the horizon for the country's exit from supervision visible," Tsipras said, in a bid to drum up support for the difficult measures his lawmakers will need to legislate. "After Malta, the road opens for specifying measures on debt relief. This will send a clear message that the crisis is behind us," he said. Greece is aiming for a budget surplus before debt servicing outlays of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2018, a level it will have to maintain thereafter over the "medium term". Story continues There is no agreement yet on what exactly "medium term" means as euro zone ministers did not discuss this during Friday's meeting. Tsipras said the compromise reached in Malta would enable his government to also legislate relief measures to tackle poverty, unemployment and build a "social state". "I am certain that the difficult decisions we took ... are ones that in a few years, when we look back at the crucial dilemmas we faced, we will be sure we did the right thing," Tsipras said. (Writing by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Stephen Powell) U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, is among a group of senators backing a bill that would prevent immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and religious institutions. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland Securitys existing policies and expands on those policies to ensure that immigrants are able to access education, criminal justice, and social services without fear of deportation. Enforcement could only occur with prior approval and under emergency circumstances. By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi, seen as pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's main challenger in a May 19 election, is a close ally of Iran's supreme leader and despises the West. The hardline faction in Tehran appears to have reached consensus on the candidacy of the 57-year-old cleric, hoping to avoid splitting the vote of those avid for what they see as a revival of the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Raisi is a mid-ranking figure in the hierarchy of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim clergy but has been a senior official for decades in the judiciary which enforces clerical control of the country. The former prosecutor-general may struggle for recognition among voters, though analysts say Raisi, thanks to the support he enjoys from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could pose a real challenge to Rouhani's bid for a second term. "His candidacy comes as a surprise and he definitely poses a challenge, a big one, to Rouhani," said Hossein Rassam, a former Iran adviser to Britain's Foreign Office. "Chances are even greater now that we will be having a two-round election in Iran, with a very polarised second round." Rouhani was elected four years ago in a landslide, avoiding a run-off by securing more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, on promises to reduce Iran's international isolation and bring more freedoms at home. No other candidate won more than 17 percent of the vote. But this time around Rouhani could face a tougher challenge, if a single hardliner like Raisi unifies conservatives against him and forces a second round. Rouhani's signature achievement, a deal with world powers to curb Iran's nuclear programme in return for lifting financial sanctions, has yet to bring the broadbased economic benefits that the government says are coming. Some supporters also say they are disheartened by the slow pace of domestic change. Raisi has tapped into hardline criticism of Rouhani's record, saying the president bet too strongly on rapprochement with enemies and did too little at home to improve the economy. Story continues "Our problems are not something to be resolved by Americans and Westerners," Raisi said in September. "They have not resolved a single problem of any country. They have brought nothing but misery to other nations." Raisi announced his intention to run on Sunday. In a statement published on Iranian news agencies he said the first step to resolving Iran's economic problems was a change of leadership, asking voters to support a "competent and knowledgeable" government under his command. RELIGIOUS WEALTH Khamenei appointed Raisi in 2016 as the custodian of Astan Qods Razavi, an organisation in charge of a multi-billion-dollar religious foundation that manages donations to the country's holiest shrine in the northern city of Mashhad. The religious conglomerate, whose economic arm lists 36 subsidiary companies and institutes on its website, owns mines, textile factories, a pharmaceutical plant and even a major oil and gas firm. Even before the revolution, "those who led this endowment were very close to the head of state, to the supreme power of the country," a former senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Raisi has lots of power." Insiders said Khamenei, who outranks the elected president in Iran's system, had approved Raisi's candidacy. Raisi resigned last week from the election supervision board, a position which would not have allowed him to run in elections. "Without Khamenei's approval, Raisi could not resign from his current position to run for the presidency," said a senior official, who asked not to be named. "He is a very strong rival for Rouhani." IN DARK CORRIDORS Raisi's bid for the presidency alarms some reformists because of his long service in Iran's hardline judiciary. He was deputy prosecutor of Tehran in 1988 at a time when thousands of political prisoners were executed. A 28-year-old audio tape surfaced last summer of a meeting between Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, a founder of the revolution who was then deputy supreme leader, and the judiciary officials in charge of the executions, including Raisi. In the recording, Montazeri, who would later become Iran's most influential internal proponent of reform, said the executions included "pregnant women and 15-year-old girls" and were the "biggest crimes committed by the Islamic Republic". The son of Montazeri was arrested and sentenced to jail for release of the tape. Raisi prosecuted his case. Raisi was deputy head of judiciary for ten years, before being appointed in 2014 as Iran's prosecutor-general. "Raisi knows his way in the dark corridors of Iranian politics very well. But he is more used to grilling politicians in the comfortable shade of the judiciary than standing in the blazing sun of public eye," said Rassam, the former Iran adviser to Britain. Some Iranian politicians believe Raisi is being groomed to succeed Khamenei, the 77-year-old supreme leader who has been in power since 1989, and the presidency is just a first step. "Raisi is in Khamenei's circle of trust. He has been one of Khamenei's students and his thoughts are very close to the Supreme Leader's," reformist former lawmaker Jamileh Kadivar told Reuters. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Tom Finn in Doha, Yeganeh Torbati in Washnigton DC; Editing by Peter Graff) New documentary series from Zacapa Rum: 'The Art of Slow,' discovers that taking time to reconnect is the best way to succeed at the cutting edge of gastronomy LONDON, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - When you think of the professional kitchen, you think of the roaring grill, the bark of the chefs' orders and the rising smoke. It is no wonder that this is widely considered to be one of the busiest environments on the planet. How do the chefs at the cutting edge of culinary creativity find their inspiration among all the kitchen noise? (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486830/Zacapa_TAOS_Madrid.jpg ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486831/Zacapa_TAOS_Milan.jpg ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486832/Zacapa_TAOS_Rossi.jpg ) A brand new short documentary series, 'The Art of Slow,' from the world's leading super deluxe rum, Zacapa, sets out to uncover exactly this and explore the stories of chefs who are pushing the creative boundaries of gastronomy. Kamilla Seidler, recently named Best Female Chef in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2016, takes time-out of her award-winning restaurant, Gustu in Bolivia (owned by Noma co-founder Claus Meyer) and journeys to Italy, Spain, United States and Mexico to spend time with, and be inspired by, four leading chefs who are redefining the gastronomic world. Putting ingredients and techniques aside, Kamilla looks beyond the kitchen in order to understand what separates these culinary disrupters from those around them. While savouring a glass of Zacapa with each of the chefs, she explores what inspires them, their creative processes and their 'a-ha!' moments when they reconnect with what is around them. Kamilla meets: Diego Guerrero ( Madrid, Spain ) - the two Michelin star Chef at DSTAgE Madrid ( ) - the two Michelin star Chef at DSTAgE Madrid Guillermo Gonzalez Beristain ( Mexico ) - Chef at Pangea, Monterrey and winner of the Chefs' Choice Award in Latin America's 50 Best restaurants 2016 ( ) - Chef at Pangea, and winner of the Chefs' Choice Award in 50 Best restaurants 2016 Diego Rossi ( Italy ) - Head chef at Trippa, Milan (awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand), he previously worked in Antiche Contrade, Cuneo, earning it a Michelin star ( ) - Head chef at Trippa, (awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand), he previously worked in Antiche Contrade, Cuneo, earning it a Michelin star Cesar Zapata ( USA ) - Chef at Phuc Yea! And previously at The Federal, Miami . Although they come from the four corners of the globe, they all share a passion for ingredients, making their clientele happy through pleasurable gastronomic experiences and embracing what Zacapa calls 'The Art of Slow' - a philosophy that recognises the best things can't be rushed. It encourages taking time out to reconnect, to go fishing for inspiration and foraging for innovative ideas and celebrates the inspiration that is found along the way. Kamilla discovers that each of these chefs leaves the kitchen at the end of a long shift and takes time to decompress and rediscover, through a host of different activities - Cesar cycles, Diego finds solace in his native Italian countryside, Guillermo heads to the mountains and Diego Guerrero unwinds with music. Diego Guerrero muses: "If you are cooking all the time you can't see any further than that - your mind is closed and you have no external influences to inspire you. I have learnt that it's really important to leave the kitchen, to disconnect, so that you can go back to it again. I pushed this philosophy to the limit a few years ago, we had our first Michelin Star in 2007 but we recognised that in order to improve we needed to leave the restaurant, seek inspiration and start again from scratch. We launched DSTAgE and two years later we had another two stars." Kamilla added: "I think it is very important - in fact it is extremely necessary - to take some time to yourself - to calm down, to think about other things outside of the kitchen, to enjoy what you are doing, to take things slowly. I believe that taking time to learn from others is fundamental, it's a gift in gastronomy that you can always keep learning but you need to search for inspiration, to look for influences, to see and to taste new things. "That's why I loved taking part in this culinary exploration - I learnt so much from these four revered chefs, how they each embrace the Art of Slow philosophy in their own way - relaxing and breathing and enjoying everything instead of thinking about what they're going to do in five minutes, and now I'll take it back with me, renewed and refreshed, to my kitchen." Montserrat De Rojas, Global Brand Director, Zacapa, said: "We love how these five leading chefs - who are at the very forefront of creative gastronomy - have brought The Art of Slow to life both inside and outside their kitchens. Zacapa's Art of Slow philosophy celebrates the magic that happens when you take the time to create genuinely meaningful and pleasurable experiences including great food and drinks. "For Zacapa, time matters more than anything, it is a focus throughout every stage of how we craft the luxury liquid. From taking the time to select the finest virgin sugar cane, to hand crafting a Mayan 'petate' band which adorns each bottle, to our unique maturing process: 'Sistema Solera*,' right up to taking the time to sip, savour and enjoy the luxury rum. Every element of the journey has been carefully chosen and the time taken to produce a deep and complex flavour like no other. Together with these esteemed chefs, we are inviting people to sit down and savour a sip of Zacapa and a great conversation, to embrace the Art of Slow." The four-episode Art of Slow series will be available to watch from today at https://www.youtube.com/user/RonZacapaOfficial or visit http://www.zacaparum.com. *Aged using an adapted Spanish sherry maturing process, 'Sistema Solera' enables rums of varying ages and personalities to be carefully blended by the Master Blender. Old and new rums are carefully combined and matured in a series of casks previously used to store American whiskeys, delicate Sherries and Pedro Ximenez wines, which give a depth of flavor. A high altitude and constant average temperature of 14C allows the liquids to retain distinctive deep, rich qualities. Enjoy Zacapa responsibly. Visit http://www.DRINKiQ.com. SOURCE Zapaca GREECE, N.Y. -- Two female teenagers in Upstate New York will have to appear in court after a fight on their school bus that included a blast of pepper spray. Officers responded to a 911 call about a fight on the bus Friday morning and arrested a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, according to police in Greece, a suburb of Rochester. The teens had been arguing when one of them spit on the other. Then the second teenager retaliated by spraying pepper spray in the other one's face. Both students were cited for harassment. The student who used pepper spray was charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of a noxious substance. Police didn't release the names of the students, who received appearance tickets and were released to their parents. By GMM 9 April 2017 - 17:03 Red Bulls drivers admit it will take time for the team to get close to the top two teams in 2017. If the pecking order was unclear after Melbourne, the 1.5 second gap from the new Red Bull to the much-faster Mercedes and Ferrari is now fairly obvious in China. But the biggest worry is that Red Bull does not really know what the problem is, with a lack of both grip and Renault engine power both obvious. "Were not going to make this up overnight," Max Verstappen said in Shanghai. And Daniel Ricciardo, best of the rest behind the two Mercedes and Ferraris in qualifying, agreed: "We need a few really good upgrades. "I feel better in the car and it was easier to set up, but Im still too slow. "The balance is good and I can attack, but in the end we are missing 1.5 seconds. "I said in Melbourne that we need more rear grip, but Im afraid that here were also missing front grip. We can no longer say that its the setup at most there are two more tenths there. "Were missing much more than that," said the Australian. Verstappen continued: "We have no balance between slow and fast corners, we need more grip, and we lack power. "This is not a job from one race to another. And it will be difficult to catch up because the others are moving forwards too with these new rules." So Ricciardo agrees that Bahrain will also be a tough weekend for Red Bull. "Bahrain is only in a week and theres not much going on between here and there," he said. And Verstappen warned: "In 2016 we didnt start perfectly, but we did know what to do." Red Bulls situation has surprised the entire paddock, and not just because part-time designer Adrian Newey is a renowned expert at making the most of new rules. "They invented these rules," Mercedes Toto Wolff is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport, "so it is a surprise to us that they are so far away." The All Progressives Congress has denied reports that the Minister for Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, led a protest to its headquarters on... The All Progressives Congress has denied reports that the Minister for Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, led a protest to its headquarters on Thursday.The party said, on Saturday, that Thursdays visit by Taraba State APC members led by Mrs. Alhassan was made to request the allocation of federal projects in the northeast state, and to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Taraba indigenes into his government.Mrs. Alhassan was earlier reported by the media as saying that Mr. Buhari and the APC had abandoned party members from the state.See the full statement.The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to media reports on Thursdays courtesy visit on the Partys National Leadership by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Jummai Alhassan who led a delegation of Taraba APC leaders to the National Secretariat of the Party in Abuja.For the records, the widely-covered courtesy visit was not a protest as reported in some sections of the media.The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs briefed the Partys leadership on developments and activities of the Taraba APC, post 2015 governorship election in which the Minister contested as the Partys governorship candidate.The Minister also used the opportunity to convey to the Partys National Leadership the request of the Taraba APC delegation particularly on citing of federal projects in Taraba State and appointment of qualified Taraba State APC members into yet-to-be occupied appointive positions in the President Muhammabu Buhari led APC administration.At the meeting, the Honorable Minister thanked the President for key appointments made from Taraba State including hers, Ambassador, Director General of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) amongst others.The Partys leadership promised to consider the request made by the Taraba APC delegation and consult with relevant stakeholders in the Party and government.The APC remain proud of the Honourable Minister for leaving more than a few indelible cracks in the glass ceiling as our candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Taraba State. She remains strong evidence that APC is the only Party willing to give women a real chance.SIGNED:Bolaji AbdullahiNational Publicity SecretaryAll Progressives Congress (APC) Putin and Trump Gary Gindler is a frequent guest on Davidzon Radio in Brooklyn, New York. He's a political commentator on a station likened to a Russian-language version of Rush Limbaugh. And so it was on a spring day in 2014 that Gindler, in his deep Russian voice, started talking about Vladimir Putin and called the leader a "nano-Fuhrer." His distrust and distaste for Russia's president is shared by many in the community. Gindler immigrated to New York from Ukraine in 1995, a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union. His family didn't have much money and faced persecution as Jews. Today, Gindler abhors policies that to him look like socialism in the US while also hating post-Soviet Putin, who he says suppresses political opposition. Despite all that, Gindler is now a big supporter of a man who often praises Putin and whose campaign has been accused of colluding with the Russian leader: President Donald Trump. "One of them is a democratically elected president with all checks and balances upon him," Gindler said of Trump. "Another one is a dictator with unrestricted power over his not citizens subjects." In this way Gindler is not unique. During the last election, many of the 800,000 Russian speakers in the US embraced Trump out of disgust for the socialist values that made them flee the Soviet republics. Particularly among the generation of immigrants who came to the US in the 1980s and '90s, the tendency to decry Putin's policies as undemocratic while heralding Trump for his "revolutionary" promises persists. In the April primary, Trump earned 84% of the Republican vote in Brighton Beach, an enclave of Russian-Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn nicknamed "Little Odessa." Gindler dismisses allegations that Putin's Russia helped Trump win. He believes Russia was rooting for Trump but didn't do anything nefarious. It was Trump's promise to crack down on immigration from Muslim countries, decrease taxes, and repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act that motivated Gindler to support the Republican. Story continues "You shouldn't talk to any Russian-speaking person here in the West and expect any positive words about Putin," said Gindler, a registered independent voter who cast his ballot for Trump in November. Trump's approval ratings have been sinking in the rest of the population, but among Russian-Americans, support for Trump is still largely going strong even as his administration faces ongoing intense scrutiny over allegations of collaboration with members of the Putin administration. Gary Gindler (Russian Americans) Samuel Kliger, director of Russian Jewish Community Affairs at the American Jewish Community, said "many are quite satisfied" with Trump's performance and feel it is the Democrats in office who are preventing him from moving the country forward. Even though both Putin and Trump are conservatives who have waged attacks against the media and have been compared for their "thirst for power" by prominent Russian-American journalists, many of the Russian-speaking Americans who voted for Trump think that the two have nothing in common. Evgeny Finkel, a political-science professor at the Columbia College of Arts and Sciences, said many of the immigrants who came to the US in the 1980s and '90s embrace Republican values of personal and economic freedom because they wanted to escape "anything that smacks of socialism." Putin, he said, still reminds many of the Soviet ideologies, partly because of the government's culture of cronyism and repression of dissenters. Conflicting views Support for Trump and a hatred of Putin "can go together because support of Trump in this population is not driven by love of Russia and not even driven so much by Trumps foreign policy," said Finkel, adding that certain Russian-speaking communities voted Republican for years before Trump came along as a presidential candidate. But as prominent Russian-American journalist Julia Ioffe wrote on her Facebook page, many of the same people who fled anti-Semitism in the former Soviet republics supported a candidate who built his platform on rhetoric and plans many see as discriminatory, such as promises to create Muslim registry. Whether such views from Russian immigrants are contradictory or not, Jonas Kaplan, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, said it is not uncommon for people to hold conflicting political beliefs, sometimes unconsciously. Even when confronted with contradictory evidence about a candidate, most people will choose to ignore or reconcile views that challenge their worldview rather than grapple with the possibility that they may be wrong. When people feel very identified with their political party, its very difficult to change your mind because that means changing your relationships with people," said Kaplan, adding that many people build a strong sense of community around politically like-minded people. When you have small groups of people with similar beliefs, fitting in often matters more than being right. Loyalty to freedom As such, a continuing loyalty to Trump can continue to move in tandem with a deep dislike for Putin among certain members of the Russian-American community. In fact, many now feel unfairly discriminated against as some assume they're pro-Putin. Its an incorrect assumption that because they are Russian and because they voted for Trump, they also support Putin," said Kliger, who believes that many older people voted for Trump because they "wanted some changes for themselves and for the country" rather than out of support for Russia. Zoya Conover (Russian Americans) Of course not all Russian immigrants are anti-Putin. Zoya Conover, an art consultant who moved to Atlanta from Moscow in 1999, called both presidents "hardworking" and said that Trump might now have the chance to do for the US what Putin has done for Russia since taking power in 1999. He wants Russia for Russians," she said. Putin helped quell middle-class discontent, she said, and created a stronger sense of Russian identity since taking power. She wants to see a stronger alliance between the two countries. But even as bills aimed to curb protesting are introduced across the US, the more common view among Russian-Americans is that Putin and Trump are opposites. People who got freedom here will never tolerate what is going on over there, said Gindler. NOW WATCH: People on Twitter are mocking Trump for pretending to drive a big rig truck More From Business Insider The Bring Back Our Girls group (#BBOG) believes federal governments enthusiasm for the rescue of the Chibok girls left in the custody o... The Bring Back Our Girls group (#BBOG) believes federal governments enthusiasm for the rescue of the Chibok girls left in the custody of the terror sect, Boko Haram, is on the wane.The group claims the government is even trying to shut it up, and gets irritated at the mention of the girls abduction, these days.Spokesperson for #BBOG Aisha Yesufu said in a statement at the weekend ahead of the third anniversary of the abduction of the over 250 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, that government must wake up to its constitutional duty of getting the remaining girls back home.She said, Today is Day 1089 since schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Chibok were abducted in their school by terrorists; 57 escaped, 24 returned, 195 of them remain missing. It is Day 674 of their captivity under President Muhammadu Buharis watch. It is Day 1074 of our movements daily advocacy demanding that the Federal Government discharges its constitutional duty and rescue the abducted girls from terrorist captivity.In another seven days it will be three years since the tragic events of that night. Tragically, 195 of our young women whose only sin was their quest for knowledge are left by their government to remain in terrorist enclave.We are utterly disappointed at the Government of Nigerias abysmal handling of this historical tragedy and are at a loss at the obvious emotional disconnect and insincerity that have defined the actions and words of the President and his government on this matter. None of the commitments made by the government concerning the rescue of our Chibok Girls has been followed through.It said it will hold the government accountable as we remain undeterred in our demand. And asked, What reason can the Federal Government have for never providing progress reports on the status of its rescue operation for our girls? Except for cursory remarks made by the Minister of Information in January. Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused some church leaders in the country of not only encouraging corruption but also celebrating p... He said this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday at the 2017 Convention Lecture of Victory Life Bible Church International, while speaking on the theme, The role of the church in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.He stated that the fight against corruption must start within the church.The former president called for a spiritual approach in tackling corruption, tasking the church to rescue the nation from its grip.He said, The church needs to clear its Augean stables. The temple of God must be the cleanest to restore the holiness of the church. Our present-day money changers and merchants must be chased out of the church. The pulpit must be used to teach and preach righteous and honest living. To preach that one can acquire wealth without labour is not only deceitful, but also a call to corruption.We must be careful in believing and celebrating every testimony of miraculous blessing, otherwise we end up celebrating corruption. The behaviour of some of our men of God leaves much to be desired. They not only celebrate but venerate those whose sources of wealth are questionable. They accept gifts (offerings) from just anybody without asking questions, giving the impression that anything is acceptable in the house of God.Obasanjo further noted that legislations alone were not enough in curbing the menace, pointing out that various administrations had tried in vain to make the country corruption-free through enactment of laws and enforcement of integrity systems.He said, Legislations alone are not enough as they are often breached by those who make them and those who should implement them. Our main problems are moral, ethical, attitudinal failure and disorientation. The church is an institution that provides the moral and ethical standards for us as believers. Man alone cannot get rid of corruption from the world; he needs the assistance of God.He thus called on Christian leaders to sanitise the church for effective anti-graft crusade.But in a swift reaction, a former Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Bishop Sunday Ola Makinde, on Saturday, challenged Obasanjo to mention the corrupt Christian leaders in Nigeria.While absolving leaders of orthodox churches of corrupt practices or condoning corrupt members, he stated that politicians often patronised other churches whose heads he described as vision seers.Makinde said, I will not say yes or no (to what he said) that religious leaders are to be blamed or share part of the blame for corruption in Nigeria. I dont think when these corrupt politicians give gifts to church leaders, they will ever tell us the source of their money; either they took it from the security vote or from a contract scam or from any other means. They will not!Again, religious leaders are in categories. We in the Catholic and orthodox churches dont prophesy that someone will win (an election); that we have seen the vision. They will not even come near us. We are not prophets; we dont prophesy. They prefer to go to those who will prophesy that they will win, even when they will not win.The Church has always been the conscience of the nation. Those who fought vehemently against June 12 (1993 Presidential election annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida) were religious leaders who stood upright more than any other. Let them (politicians) now come out and name the religious leaders who took money from them and we will rebuke them (religious leaders) and praise them when we have to.When asked if it was a challenge to Obasanjo to name names, the retired Prelate replied, I know Obasanjo; he would have named them. I worked with him for eight years in Abuja. He would mention names. I trust him for that.He added, They are passing the buck and shifting blame when they dont know where to shift the blame again. How many of us in the Catholic and orthodox churches are living beyond our means? Even if they are buying jets, I dont think it is from politicians.Makinde also cautioned the ex-president against making general statements on Christianity and corruption.None of us in the Methodist Church has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. None! We have to make statements that are discriminative and not collective or general.The Christian Association of Nigeria in a statement on Saturday said it would not react to the statement credited to the former president because it was his personal opinion which they said was guaranteed by the constitution.The CAN President, Rev. Olasupo Ayokunle, in a statement by his media assistant, Adebayo Oladiji, however, said the statement credited to Obasanjo may not be totally correct.He said in the statement added, As someone who had ruled the country twice, he has access to a bank of information which we may not have. But with due respect, if it is true that his representative said the church in Nigeria is corrupt, that may not be totally correct.As Christians, we are not to be conformed to this corrupt world, but we are to model our lives after Christ.The church leadership represented by the Christian Association of Nigeria is doing its best in its vision and mission to sanitise the body of Christ.In a related development, a former President of the CAN, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has described leaders who cannot protect their people as total failures.Okogie stated this on Saturday through a statement titled, We Live in Clear and Present Danger. on Saturday, on the spate of insecurity in the country.The former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos lamented that almost 60 years after independence and 70 years after the establishment of Nigerias premier University of Ibadan, the country still had to rely on medical tourism.In a veiled reference to President Muhammadu Buhari who spent 49 days in the United Kingdom for medical tourism, the outspoken cleric asked how many poor Nigerians could afford to spend one day in a foreign hospital and how many could afford to be away from their work for three months.When shall we cease to make our country a laughing stock in the comity of nations? We cannot reasonably dictate to people where they are to seek medical attention. But we Nigerians have the capacity to run good hospitals. All we just need is a leadership that enables, not one that disables, he said.Okogie stated that the humiliation of Nigerians was unending because the leaders have made a hobby of dereliction of duty. According to him, they receive the perks of office in a land where workers have gone unpaid for months.He said, Yet, for all the money spent in maintaining them in government and it is a huge fraction of our countrys annual budget government does not serve the Nigerians, the public servant does not serve the public.Does the life of the Nigerian have any value? If it does, can it be truly said that Nigerians appreciate the value of life? The questions are meant for all of us. We all have to take responsibility for protection of life and property in this country, he added.When asked by one of our correspondents to react to Obasanjos speech, the cleric, Obasanjo is also guilty of what he is saying. He is part of those he is referring to. The probe panel set up by the Federal Government to ascertain the details of the poisonous acid in two soft drinks produced by the Nigeria... The probe panel set up by the Federal Government to ascertain the details of the poisonous acid in two soft drinks produced by the Nigerian Bottling Company will make public its findings this week.The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, disclosed this to our correspondent in Abuja.He said, By next week (this week) we will get the update. Just be patient with us because we are looking at other issues beyond Benzoic acid. We expect that by next week (this week), the panel will make public its findingsThe public presentation of the panels report would be coming after the directive by the government that all bottling companies in Nigeria should start inserting advisory warnings on all products to safeguard the health of citizens and consumers.The governments action was sequel to a recent judgment of a Lagos High Court on the case filed by Fijabi Holdings and another plaintiff against Nigerian Bottling Company and the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (joined as a nominal party). In 1941 during the course of the Second World War, the most famous alumna of my old school Harrow and the Prime Minister of Great Britain,... In 1941 during the course of the Second World War, the most famous alumna of my old school Harrow and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Sir Winston Churchill, said the following words to General Bernard Montgomery, who was also known as the Spartan General, the hero of the Battle of Alamein, the Commander of the famous British Desert Rats and the Field Marshall of the British Armed Forces. He said,Monty, never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, neverin nothing, great or small, large or pettynever give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.These are powerful and inspiring words from one of the greatest leaders that the world has ever known.Today I share those words and sentiments with every Nigerian who yearns for freedom from the bondage of ethnic slavery and religious bigotry and who believes that the only way forward is to restructure or redefine Nigeria.Those of us that have these noble aspirations will never yield to force and we will never yield to the apparantly overwhelming might of the enemy. Like Shakespeares Macbeth we shall be bold, bloody and resolute and if necessary we shall fight until the flesh be hacked from our bones.No matter what comes our way we shall be encouraged, we shall walk tall, we shall stand firm and we shall stand strong.This is because our cause is just and even though our enemies may have today, we know that tomorrow belongs to us. Again even though the night may be dark, we know that joy comes in the morning!Whatever the powers that be in Empire Nigeria throw our way we shall not bow and we shall not be cowed.Like our Lord and Saviour and Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of the Living God once did on the cross two thousand years ago, for the glory that lies ahead, we shall take their taunts and insults, bear their horrendous persecution, endure their malevolence and wickedness and despise the shame.We shall stand our ground, hold our heads up high, fight a good fight and, by the grace of the Living God, in the end, we shall prevail.We draw strength from the fact that we are not alone in this struggle. Others that have also suffered injustice and the most brutal form of subjugation and repression from their oppressors have similar hopes and aspirations as ours.Consider the nation of Scotland. Her people are yearning to have another referendum on whether or not to leave the United Kingdom in 2018.When Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party, announced their intention I did not hear Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, throw insults and threats at her or accuse her of treason.I did not hear the French government or the French Ambassador to the UK telling the Scots that they would never be allowed to have their way and that they should perish the thought of Scottish independence.Yet when it comes to the affairs of Nigeria it appears that everyone feels that they can tell us what to do.For example Denys Gauer, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, recently said that those that were agitating for Biafra were indulging in an exercise in futility and that they would never achieve their dream or ambition. What a sad testimony and sorry tale this is.It appears that the man knows little about the deep resolve of those who are fighting for their freedom and frankly he needs to learn a thing or two about the history of his own country before he pontificates to us about ours.His unsolicited counsel is both misguided and inappropiate and we completely reject it.The French people, since the days of the Great Revolution of 1789 and bold leaders and reformere like Maximilien Robespierre, Jean-Paul Marat and years later, the greatest of them all, Napolean Bonaparte, have always prided themselves on being the friends of the subjugated and the deprived.They have always been the champions of liberty and freedom. They have always resisted oppression and tyranny. They must not stop now.To make matters worse Paul Arkwright, the British Ambassador to Nigeria, threw his hat into the ring as well and said that the United Kingdom would not allow Nigeria to break up.Such ill-conceived pomposity, self-serving clap trap and what the great writer and historian David Icke describes as the arrogance of ignorance has no place in the post-colonial world.Simply put Arkwright, and all other Englanders that think like him, ought to remind himself that Nigeria is no longer a British colony.In any case given the consequences of Brexit and the strong agitation for Scottish, Welsh and even Northern Irish independence it appears to me that the British Ambassador would do better by trying to ensure that the United Kingdom itself remains together rather than attempt to tell us what we will be or not be allowed to do in Nigeria.He would also do well to remember that the days of Rule Brittania are long over, that the Great has been taken out of Britain and that the evil amalglamation and unworkable contraption that his forefathers forced on us in 1914 is fast unravelling as a consequence of the hideous atrocities, sheer cruelty and sociopathic meglomania of those that they imposed on us as our internal colonial masters.The bottom line is that the destiny of this nation will be determined by the people of Nigeria and no-one else.Whether the Ambassador of France, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom or anyone else likes it or not the world is fast changing.The philosophy, ethos and culture of ethnic nationalism is gaining ground and pride of place. Nothing terrifies the hegemonists, the internal colonial masters and the born to rule conquerors in Nigeria more than this because Yoruba, Igbo and Ijaw nationalism coupled with the quest for southern and Middle Belt emancipation is their worse nightmare.The glorious march of ethnic nationalism, the desire to break the yoke of internal colonialism, slavery and bondage, the agitation for self-determination and the quest for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria or, failing that, the establishment of new and independent nation states to replace her is at an all-time high.And so is the determination of the various ethnic groups and nationalities to resist oppression, subjugation and tyranny and defend and protect the interests of their people.If anyone doubts that they should speak with the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), the Oodua Liberation Movement (OLM), the Oodua Nationalist Coalition(ONAC), the Movement For The Actualisation Of The Sovereign State Of Biafa (MASSOB), the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the Middle Belt Youth Forum (MBYF), the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), the Ombatse Militia Group (OMG), the Tiv Cultural and Development Association (TCDA), the Berom Militias, the Tiv Militias, the Zaar militias, the Jukun militias, the Ngas Militias, the Nigerian Christian Falange (NCF), the Sons of Gideon (SG) and numerous other groups that are not only well-motivated, well- organised and well-equipped but also highly focused and committed to their cause and ready to defend the interests of their people no matter the price that may have to be paid.I sincerely hope and pray that it never happens because I deplore violence and I am a man if peace but if push ever comes to shove and there is a showdown, the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies, the Fulani militias and herdsmen and Boko Haram will have a very hard time containing the fury and power of any or all of these groups.I say this because it is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts but rather the size of the fight in the dog! (TO BE CONTINUED). Germany has deported to Nigeria an alleged Islamic extremist, an ISIS suspect, deemed dangerous by authorities. He is a German citizen, ... Germany has deported to Nigeria an alleged Islamic extremist, an ISIS suspect, deemed dangerous by authorities. He is a German citizen, not Nigerian.The German news agency, dpa, reports that the 22-year-old man, who was born in Germany and who had not committed a crime, arrived in Lagos Thursday.The unidentified man was one of two detained in February in Goettingen during an investigation of suspected attack plans. His partner is a 27-year-old Algerian. Both of them lived with their parents in Gottingen.When the two men were picked up, investigators found two weapons, at least one of them a firearm that had been altered to fire live ammunition.Also found were ammunition, flags of the Islamic State group and a machete.The man deported to Nigeria is banned from entering Germany for life.Following attacks by Islamic extremists last year, German authorities vowed to step up deportations of foreigners deemed to be threats.The two men, according to www.dw.com, were arrested after being under surveillance for some time.After their arrest, the German interior ministry requested their expulsion after classifying them as a threat to national security.Their deportation has no precedence in German history.We are sending a clear warning to all fanatics nationwide that we will not give them a centimeter of space to carry out their despicable plans, said Lower Saxonys Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) following the court ruling authorising the deportationThey will face the full force of the law regardless of whether they were born here or not, he added.In the case of the Algerian, the court made his deportation conditional on assurances from the Algerian government that he would not be tortured or subjected to any inhuman treatment. Scientists have discovered that hair whitening may be an indication of increased risk of damage to arteries supplying blood to the heart. Scientists have discovered that hair whitening may be an indication of increased risk of damage to arteries supplying blood to the heart.According to the researchers from Cairo university, Egypt, some of the biological mechanisms that cause coronary artery disease are also responsible for making hair grey.These include impaired DNA repair, oxidative stress, inflammation, hormonal changes and the halting of cell growth.Irini Samuel, cardiologist at Cairo University in Egypt, said: Atherosclerosis (artery disease) and hair greying occur through similar biological pathways and the incidence of both increases with age.Our findings suggest that, irrespective of chronological age, hair greying indicates biological age and could be a warning sign of increased cardiovascular risk.Researchers studied 545 adult men who underwent computed tomography (CT) scans for suspected coronary artery disease, which affects the blood vessels bringing oxygen and nutrients to the heart.Participants were divided into sub-groups according to the state of their arteries and hair colour.Greying levels were graded using a hair whitening score that ranged from one (pure black) to five (pure white).Each participants level of hair greying was determined by two independent observers.Results showed that a hair-whitening score of three or more was associated with a significant increased risk of coronary artery disease.Patients with damaged arteries had higher greying scores than those whose arteries were healthy.Hair whitening turned out to be an independent predictor of narrowing and hardening of the coronary arteries along with high blood pressure and abnormal blood fat levels.Further research is needed, in co-ordination with dermatologists, to learn more about the causative genetic and possible avoidable environmental factors that determine hair whitening, researchers said.A larger study including men and women is required to confirm the association between hair greying and cardiovascular disease in patients without other known cardiovascular risk factors.If our findings are confirmed, standardisation of the scoring system for evaluation of hair greying could be used as a predictor for coronary artery disease.The research was presented at EuroPrevent 2017, the annual meeting of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, in Malaga, Spain. The allocation of 45 percent of pilgrims going for the 2017 hajj to Flynas, a Saudi Arabian airline, may cost Nigeria $68 million. The allocation of 45 percent of pilgrims going for the 2017 hajj to Flynas, a Saudi Arabian airline, may cost Nigeria $68 million.On a yearly basis, Muslims across the world converge on Saudi Arabi for hajj, a spiritual exercise.At least 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims are expected to perform hajj this year, and each of them is expected to pay a minimum of N1.5 million for flight ticket, accommodation, and other expenses.A source privy to the deal between NAHCON and Flynas said the transfer of 45 percent pilgrims is a big minus for Nigeria.Instead of encouraging our indigenous airliners, NAHCON has ended up favouring a foreign airline, the source told TheCable.Its time for the federal government to come to the aide of indigenous airliners before it is too late.This decision will affect airlines which pay tax to the Nigerian government. Can Saudi Arabia put the interest of Nigeria above its own? This is, to say the least, discouraging.When contacted, Adamu Abdullahi, spokesman of NAHCON, absolved the agency of any blame, saying Saudi authorities compelled countries participating in hajj to cede 50 percent of their pilgrims to Flynas.He said NAHCON would always put the interest of Nigeria first in anything it does.The policy was introduced by the Saudi authorities, he said.The Saudi authorities imposed Flynas on countries participating in hajj operation, and according to the policy each country must allocate 50 per cent of its total pilgrims to Flynas.NAHCON chairman insisted that it should not be 50/50, and because of the good relationship between Nigeria and Saudi, we were allowed to allocate 45 percent instead of 50 percent.Unlike Nigeria, Niger Republic and Senegal had to allocate all their pilgrims to Flynas because Kabo air that usually operates in the two countries was denied a chance for being a foreign airline, and to be honest with you, Nigeria is not going to lose $68million as claimed by the service providers. Jide Idris, Lagos state commissioner for health, has dismissed the reports of two deaths from cerebrospinal meningitis in the state. Jide Idris, Lagos state commissioner for health, has dismissed the reports of two deaths from cerebrospinal meningitis in the state.On Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) had released statistics which claimed that the disease killed two people in the state.The statistics also indicated that three cases were recorded in Lagos so far.Adeola Salako, director, public affairs in the state ministry of health, quoted Idris as saying the report was false and capable of causing undue panic.The report is untrue and does not represent the reality of the situation in Lagos state as at today, Idris was quoted to have said.For the avoidance of doubt, there are two main types of meningitis.The epidemic prone meningitis, which is referred to as cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), is caused by a bacteria called neisseria meningitides.Its occurrence is seasonal or cyclical, depending on the level of herd immunity and climatic conditions.The second type of meningitis is non-epidemic meningitis, which is usually caused by a virus or other bacteria, but not by neisseria meningitides.The non-epidemic meningitis occurs without any seasonal pattern or periodicity.Idris said sometime in March, a disease surveillance notification officer in the Lagos Island local government, reported nine suspected cases of meningitis from Massey Street Children Hospital with two deaths.He said, however, that none of these was confirmed as due to CSM.Although, all the nine cases presented with clinical features of meningitis at that hospital, laboratory tests proved that they were either due to Haemophilus influenza or Streptococcus pneumoniae and not Neisseria meningitides, he said.The ministry was also notified last week of a three-year-old boy, presenting clinically as meningitis at a registered private facility in Lagos, but the laboratory investigations did not confirm CSM.The blood culture yielded no growth but the urine culture yielded Klebsiella and not meningococcus; the patient is already responding to treatment.None of these cases, presented with a history of recent travel to any area with an outbreak of meningitis and neither were visits from such areas recorded with the aforementioned cases.Idris urged the public to observe a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene as a preventive measure against the outbreak of the disease.He said such hygiene measures should include washing of hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly.Also, avoid direct contact with the discharges from an infected person and covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, he said.It is strongly advised that people should avoid overcrowding in living quarters, provide cross ventilation in sleeping and work-rooms and other places where many people come together.People should get vaccinated with CSM vaccine when they travel to areas where meningitis outbreaks have been reported.Idris appealed to the people to support the efforts of government to prevent the spread of the epidemic to the state.Such support, he said should include reporting suspected cases to the nearest public health facility. T the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have saved a 33 year-old N... T the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have saved a 33 year-old Nigerian travelling to SoekarnoHatta International Airport Jakarta, Indonesia with narcotics.The suspect who claimed to be an Ivorian was arrested while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Indonesia with a Cote dIvoire International passport bearing the name Grou Bi Clauvis.After he tested positive for narcotic ingestion, 89 wraps of narcotics found to be methamphetamine weighing 1.205kg was recovered from him.NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba said that preliminary investigation conducted by the Agency revealed that the suspect hails from Anambra State with the name Umeme Lotachukwu Fabian.He attended Boys Secondary School, Onitsha where he graduated in 2007. After his secondary education, he started selling clothes at Onitsha main market before he travelled to India in search of greener pastures in 2013 and returned to the country in 2015.He also had an identity card claiming he is from Abidjan.Umeme while under observation at the airport excreted 89 wraps of narcotics that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.205kg.In his statement, the suspect said that he was offered $5,000 to smuggle drugs to Indonesia. I am the only son of my parents. I wanted to invest the money in my clothes business and also commence preparation for my marriage in a bid to settle down in life. Umeme stated.He also stated that he was not aware that drug trafficking attracted capital punishment in Indonesia.NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd.) while expressing satisfaction with the arrest promised to investigate the identity falsification by the suspect.This is a very dangerous development as the suspect could have been consigned to the gallows under a false identity.Abdallah warned that those contemplating drug trafficking must endeavour to avoid acts of criminality and have respect for the sanctity of their lives.The NDLEA boss promised to carry out detailed investigation on identity falsification and drug trafficking stressing that success against transnational organised criminal gangs demand effective collaboration with stakeholders.Drug cartels can be very daring in their manipulation but we are poised to counter their devices. The agency shall carry out a comprehensive investigation into this case in collaboration with relevant stakeholders Abdallah stated.The suspect will soon be charged to court. About 295 Nigerian students undergoing specialised courses in maritime in Romania say they are in distress. They are under the threat o... About 295 Nigerian students undergoing specialised courses in maritime in Romania say they are in distress.They are under the threat of losing their studentship and deported back to Nigeria on the grounds of non-payment of school fees. The students, studying maritime navigation and maritime engineering at Constanta Maritime University, Romania under the Nigeria Seafearers Development Programme, are being sponsored by the Nigeria Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA). 128 of the students are in their third year in the university while the rest are in final year.Our school fees and welfare payment have been due since October 2016 as it marked the beginning of a new session, the students said in a save-our-soul (SOS) message to newsmen. Currently, the Romania Immigration is concerned about the lack of funds to cater for our basic needs as students which include accommodation, feeding, utilities, textbooks/ educational materials and other logistics which they interpret as living below the required standard as international students, and if this issue is not addressed immediately, we may be expelled from the school and deported back to Nigeria.With this, the vision of boosting manpower in the maritime sector in Nigeria will be defeated. Most of the students have been ejected from their apartments, thus making them homeless. Going to school has been suspended because we cant attend lectures on empty stomach and no money for transportation anymore, the students wrote.They pleaded with NIMASA, the Federal Ministry of Transport, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly to help them out of their predicament. Meanwhile, it was learnt, at the weekend, that payments to the students by NIMASA had been delayed by the lack of approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance.The students said: We were opportune to play host to the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Peterside Dakuku, and the Senate Committee on Maritime on the 9th of November 2016 during their fact-finding visit to Romania. We used the opportunity to plead with the DG to consider remitting our school fees and welfare allowance to avoid what happened earlier last year as the delay and threat of possible expulsion and deportation were a reoccurring decimal since 2015.In his response to our plea, he assured that he had initiated all payments and what was left was for the money to reflect in the schools account. Since they left here, we have been patiently waiting for the money to reflect and it usually takes three working days, but in this case that has not come to reality. Presently, we are in a very unfortunate situation here since the Immigration Service of Romania has become knowledgeable of the fact that our bank accounts are reading far below the limits expected of foreign students studying in Romania.Right now, some of us have been evicted by our landlords. We are made to walk in shame and this is disgraceful to our identities as Nigerians and to the image of our country. Responding on the matter, a source at NIMASA blamed the students plight on lack of approval to remit the fees by the CBN and the Ministry of Finance.The source said, Truly for like a year now, NIMASA has been unable to meet its obligations to our students in Romania. The payment delay was not intentional but because the CBN and Ministry of Finance blocked our accounts. So we could not meet the obligations. Luckily, on Thursday, the CBN and the Ministry of Finance gave approval and we have since commenced payments into the accounts of the students in Romania and I am sure by now they would have started receiving the money. While several countries have admonished the US' missile strike against Syria's airfield on Thursday, there has also been an overwhelming response in support of President Donald Trump's answer against the Syrian government's use of nerve agents that killed more than 80 people earlier this week. So far, countries like the UK, Germany, France, and Turkey, have expressed their support for the strikes, while others, such as Russia and Iran, have called the attacks "far-fetched" and "dangerous." Here are the nations that have supported, opposed, or remained neutral to Trump's strike on Syria's airfield, according to The New York Times' report: Syria bombing reaction map NOW WATCH: ADMIRAL McRAVEN: Attacking Syria was 'the exact right thing to do' More From Business Insider Ahmad Gumi, prominent Islamic scholar, says only Muslims can fight terrorism effectively. Ahmad Gumi, prominent Islamic scholar, says only Muslims can fight terrorism effectively. Speaking at the Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations in Kaduna on Saturday, Gumi said it was unfortunate that Christians misinterpreted the move of the federal government to enlist Nigeria in the coalition of Islamic nations fighting terrorism.The centre was founded by Idowu Fearon, secretary-general of the Global Anglican Communion, in 2004 when he was the archbishop of the Kaduna diocese of the Anglican Church.Gumi said mutual suspicion between the two religious groups had denied the country the opportunity to benefit from other countries.Saudi Arabia, which is the heart of Islam, wanted a coalition of Muslim state to fight terrorism Terrorism destroys Muslims more than any other people. This terrorism was mentioned 1,400 years before it happened, he said.The prophet said before the end of time, you will find youths claiming to be Muslims using the Quran to kill people. It was even mentioned in Islamic books that terrorism would come.Fighting terrorism, I am telling you, can only be effectively be done by Muslims themselves. So, when you see Muslims coming together to fight terrorism, and you you hear Christians voices saying Nigeria should not join this force because it means we are Islamising Nigeria, this is wrong!Gumi said Muslims ought to come together to combat terrorism but the lack of cooperation from Christians had become a big setback.We need the Muslims to come together to fight this terrorism, but we dont get the cooperation of our Christian citizens because of lack of understanding of what Islam is all about,he said.We want the Christians to open up their mind allow Muslims to fight terrorism.This coalition which Saudi Arabia is trying to put together is to fight extremism and fanaticism. Also, Saudi Arabia is aware that the poverty in the region is one of the contributory factors, therefore they want to come in, build schools, hospitals, lift up the economic status of the nation.But we found that in Nigeria, we dont have our Christian brothers assisting us Muslims can eradicate terrorism.I am happy that a centre like this was created, it will promote the relationship between Christians and Muslims.Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, who was the special guest at the occasion, urged graduates of the institution to use their knowledge to advance the cause of peace and harmony.My message to all the graduating students today is that you should use your knowledge to advance the course of peace and harmony, he said.Let us all resolve to strengthen a constituency of religious people that are truly religious and strongly committed to upholding the right of every citizen, celebrating our diversity and upholding peace and harmony in our state.Your job will not be easy, people in this state, prefer extremist to those that search for common ground. You will be more popular when you adopt extremists stand, but your training and education should help you search for common grounds in our two religions. There is a lot in common.He commended the founder of the centre, expressing its importance in the promotion of interfaith relations.We thank the secretary-general of the Global Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Idowu- Fearon for promoting peace and harmony in our state for the decades he served as the arch bishop of the Anglican Church in Kaduna and the legacies he has left behind for improving relations between the two major religions, he said.The work being done by the Kaduna Centre for Muslim-Christian Relations is an important intervention in promoting interfaith relations. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has claimed that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Zaki Ahmed has been ordered by the Inspector ... Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has claimed that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Zaki Ahmed has been ordered by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to kill him.Wike made the claim during an interview with PUNCH. He (the CP) told me he is going to do a professional work and I told him, You, a professional work? You cant be independent and cant do a professional work. The inspector general of police has given him instructions on what to do. The inspector general has told him he must cage the Rivers State governor. He shouldnt come and tell me he wants to do any professional work. Who is he to say that?,'' Wike said.''Before he was posted here, he was told what to do. They dont post people based on competence but loyalty; someone who will do their bidding. Do you know that we are the only state that has had about nine commissioners of police in just two years?When he (the CP) was going to be sent, there were about three of them that were called, and interviewed. They said they were going to kill me. They took this one who said he would be diplomatic about it. We know. This police commissioner has an agenda; I cant be deceived. Im not saying he should go; let him stay. He has been given an assignment to kill me. No problem. No man dies two times. Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, has described Ali Modu Sheriff, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a viru... Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, has described Ali Modu Sheriff, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a virus that has infected the party, saying God will cure him permanently.Fayose said this in a statement reacting to walk-out of Sheriff on former president Goodluck Jonathan at a stakeholders meeting on Thursday.Sheriff had said Jonathan did not accord him respect.But Fayose said if Sheriff could not sit with Jonathan, party members should have nothing to do with him.Expressing regrets for the role he played in the emergence of Sheriff, Fayose said it was now obvious that he was working with the enemies of the PDP.From what Ali Modu Sheriff did at the meeting, it should now be clear to all well-meaning Nigerians that he is not acting on his own, he said in a statement.He is an agent of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and by extension an enemy of democracy in Nigeria. The man Ali Modu Sheriff is an impostor, an impossible character, agent of darkness, an APC-sent to destroy our party.If he cannot sit with the leader of our party, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, I am also telling him that we in the PDP are also not interested in holding any discussion with him. He is a virus that has infected the PDP and by the grace of God, he will be cured permanently.Fayose alleged that Obasanjo used Sheriff to destroy the the All Peoples Party (APP) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but that the attempt to destroy PDP would be the last of Sheriffs series.He grew up the black leg of every organisation. His flirting with Obasanjo/PDP destroyed the All Peoples Party (APP) and ANPP. He is at again but this will be the last of the series. He is a serial plotter, he said.I regret my association with him, I regret bringing him forth. I will not work with him again, he betrays confidence and does not represent peace and hope. I will not be part of any meeting with such a dirty desperado.Our country will not end up in a one party system which I imagine is the reason his business is thriving with the APC. Two female suicide bombers were blown up yesterday on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after worshippers thwarted th... Two female suicide bombers were blown up yesterday on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after worshippers thwarted their attempt to attack a mosque.Dozens of worshippers had gathered for the early morning prayers at the Juddumuri Village mosque close to the Federal High Court when the two female bombers walked in.Security conscious worshippers spotted them and quickly intercepted the merchants of death.In the ensuing struggle, one of the suicide bombers detonated her Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which killed her and her accomplice.Five worshippers were injured.Spokesman for the State Police Command, Victor Isuku, a deputy superintendent (DSP) confirmed the development in a statement and said: At about 0520hrs, today, (yesterday) two female suicide bombers with IED strapped to their bodies attempted to enter a mosque at Juddumuri village, after Federal High Court.They were intercepted and prevented by the Muslim worshippers. In the process, one of them detonated her vest, killing both of them and injuring five others. The injured were rushed to Specialist Hospital, while the remains of the suicide bombers were equally evacuated by SEMA.The police said the second IED was later detonated by the commands EOD team at the scene, the statement added. OCEAN CITY -- The 4th annual Mr. Mature America Pageant had a special buzz about it as people began filing into the Ocean City Music Pier Saturday night. Just hours after being the grand marshal of the city's Doo Dah Parade, television personality Regis Philbin took the stage as the emcee for a pageant that celebrates men 55 and older. Ten contestants from the area put their talent, humor, and wisdom on the line to capture a crown like no other in the United Sates. Vying for the title were: Matthew Allen, a 64-year-old singer from Newtown, Pa., whose brother was an astronaut on three space shuttle missions Jack Byrne, an 88-year-old comedian from Cherry Hill and Ocean City Gregg Clayton, a 58-year-old guitarist and singer from Somers Point, who performed "The Purple People Eater" William Andrew Dowling, a 65-year-old Christopher Walken fan from Ventnor, who read his poetry Frank Formica, a 65-year-old third-generation owner of the famed Atlantic City bakery and an Atlantic County freeholder, who sang and played guitar Jay Keally, a 58-year-old from Ocean City, who told the crowd a story dressed in an elf outfit Rich LaLena, a 60-year-old singer from Berlin who has served as the "town crier" for the N.J. League of Municipalities James Rago, a 69-year-old comedian from Linwood Joseph Stefano, an 85-year-old saxophonist from Ocean City Tom Troncone, a 64-year-old singer from Pennsauken Allen was crowed Mr. Mature America 2017. "I was surprised," said Allen, minutes after being crowned. "I thought I would do OK, but I was very pleasantly surprised." The pageant opened with the contestants dancing side by side to "Macho Man" by the Village People. The talent portion of the competition followed. Some dressed in costume, as did Keally, who donned an elf outfit complete with Santa's list. For his talent, Allen sang a Sonny and Cher song dressed as both Sonny, on one side of his head, and Cher on the other. During the poise and onstage interview, the contestants sat face to face with Philbin as he asked questions about their life. Allen thought that the best thing about the pageant was having Philbin involved. "To have a sit-down interview like that was meaningful," Allen said. Judging the pageant were Miss New Jersey Brenna Weick, Jack McDade, who was Dick Clark's first musical guest on "American Bandstand" in 1956, and QVC on-air host Bethanie Lori. This pageant is a way to "pay tribute to older men," said Allen. "Though they are older, they are still very active and still very young at heart." "I feel incredibly good about the whole thing," he added. Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @photogthawk. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAPE MAY -- A baby seal found stranded Saturday on the beach in Cape May was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. The seal was found on a stretch of beach that is part of the Coast Guard's training facility. The Coast Guard, in a Facebook post, credited the Marine Mammal Stranding Center for assisting in the effort to help the seal pup. The Coast Guard also teamed with the center last month to rescue a stranded dolphin and take it five miles out to sea after it was found on a beach in Stone Harbor. The non-profit Marine Mammal Stranding Center, based in Brigantine, has been particularly busy of late. The center rehabilitated a harp seal rescued in Maryland and released into the ocean Monday at the Gateway National Recreation Area. The center has aided nearly 3,500 marine mammals and sea turtles since 1975. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. TRENTON -- None of Piscataway Township's teachers took a sick day last year, faculty at one Sussex County school were absent for nearly half of the year, and teachers at another school showed up only 10 percent of the time. Those unlikely scenarios all played out last school year, at least according to data released in the state's school report cards. New Jersey for the first time last week released statistics for how often teachers and support staff miss school, showing that the vast majority of teachers are in the classroom more than 90 percent of the time. But the faculty attendance rates, released amid a national push to judge schools on more than just test scores, also include a series of implausible statistics and misleading mistakes, school officials say. Among them: 69 schools reported a 100 percent attendance rate, meaning no teachers or academic support staff took a single sick day last school year. Some entire school districts, including Piscataway, said none of their teachers used sick days. Eight schools reported faculty attendance rates between 2 and 11 percent 110 schools, including every school in Newark, the state's largest school district, either failed to send data or somehow reported that teachers never showed up at all. Use the lookup tool at the bottom of the story to see what your school reported. The mishaps come as New Jersey is collecting and publishing an increasing amount of school data sought by parents and education groups, and the state Department of Education is preparing to comply with a new federal law that requires schools to find new ways to rate schools. Beginning next school year, New Jersey plans to base as much as 15 percent of a school's federal rating on chronic absenteeism among students, another statistic that is self reported by schools. Several districts said they were unaware of the errors in teacher attendance data until contacted by NJ Advance Media. Despite the zeros in the report for Newark Public Schools, most schools had faculty attendance rates above 90 percent, said Paul Nedeau, a district spokesperson. "We're trying to get to the bottom of that," Nedeau said of the error. In Bergen County, River Edge Superintendent Tova Ben-Dov said the 10 percent attendance rate reported for Cherry Hill School was "ridiculous, obviously a mistake." "There is a huge problem," added Craig Hutcheson, superintendent in Hampton Township, where the district inadvertently submitted a 54 percent attendance rate for an elementary school. As much as Piscataway would love a perfectly healthy teaching staff, its 100 percent attendance claim was a clerical mistake, public information officer Judy Palermo said. "The person who entered the data misread the question," Palermo said. "Just an error on our part." The faculty attendance statistics were one of the datasets most requested by education groups, prompting the state to publish it for the first time in this year's School Performance Reports, Department of Education spokesman David Saenz said. Though the state collects and publishes dozens of data points for the reports, it does not analyze the data, he said. "School Performance Reports are designed to be conversation starters by informing parents, educators and communities about how well a school is performing and preparing its students for college and careers," Saenz said. "If the public thinks that the data submitted by the district is questionable, they should reach out to the district and to have a conversation about that data." The faculty attendance data covers teachers and certificated support staff but does not include administrators. Sick days are supposed to count against a school's attendance rate but other approved absences, such as professional days, personal days, staff training days, bereavement days or jury duty, are not, according to the state. New Jersey teachers are usually guaranteed at least 10 sick days, said Steve Baker, spokesman for the state's largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association. The majority of the missed time reflected in the new faculty attendance data is likely related to illness, he said. "The worst thing anybody can do to a student or educator is go to school when they are sick and create a bigger problem," Baker said. "You are not being a hero if you go to work when you are sick." Teacher attendance data should help communities better understand the climate in their schools, including teacher morale, said Rosie Grant, executive director of the Paterson Education Fund. The organization pushed for the release of the data in hopes that seeing problem areas among teachers could also help schools address chronic absenteeism among students, she said. Staff writer Carla Astudillo contributed to this report Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- Hundreds of people gathered in Liberty State Park on Saturday morning in memory of police officers who have died in the line of duty. The Jersey City Police Department Detective Benevolent Association sponsored its annual "Walk to Remember" event to raise money for the Fallen Officers Fund. Last year 144 police officers around the country died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Those deaths included three men who died from 9/11 related illnesses and two New Jersey State Troopers involved in car crashes. Participants held posters with the names of fallen officers during the walk, with many wearing black and blue attire. Money raised from the event will go towards sending flowers to families of fallen officers after their deaths. The Fallen Officers Fund was created after the 2009 death of Jersey City Police Det. Marc DiNardo. "There is no greater sacrifice one can make than to lay down his or her life to protect our fellow citizens" JCPD DBA President Detective Ed Dolan said. "Our focus is to provide emotional and financial support to the surviving family members." Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. HOLLAND TWP. - An accident involving a Honda Accord, GMC Yukon XL and a Hyundai Elantra closed Route 519 on Saturday. The accident happened just before 11 a.m. at Route 519 and Bellis Road. Route 519 was closed between Hawks Schoolhouse and Dennis road until 12:25 p.m. All three vehicles were traveling north on Route 519, according to those at the scene. Responding to the crash was the Holland Township Police Department, Milford Rescue Squad and Holland Township Fire Department and Fire Police. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for an impartial probe of this weeks suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria and warned that U.S. missile strikes in response risked escalating extremism in the region. Washington accused the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the attack and on Friday launched cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase that the Pentagon said was involved. We are asking for an impartial international fact-finding body to be set up... to find out where these chemical weapons came from, Irans Rouhani said in a speech on Saturday. Tehran is Syrian President Bashar al-Assads main regional ally and has provided military and economic support for his fight against rebel groups and Islamic State militants. Trumps Appetite for Risk Spells Trouble for U.S. National Security While the Syrian opposition applauded the U.S. cruise missile attack on the airbase near Homs, it said it should not be a one-off and was not enough on its own to stop government warplanes from hitting rebel-held areas. However, in a tweet about the missile strikes, Rouhani said: I call on the world to reject such policies, which bring only destruction and danger to the region and the globe. U.S. aggression against Shayrat (airbase) strengthens regional extremism and terror, and global lawlessness and instability, and must be condemned, Rouhani said. Syria Airstrikes Instantly Added Nearly $5 Billion to Missile-Makers Stock Value The heads of the general staffs of Iran and Russia, a close ally of Assad, spoke by telephone on Saturday and condemned the U.S. strikes as blatant aggression ... aimed at slowing a trend of victories by Syrias army and its allies and boosting the terrorists morale, Irans state news agency IRNA said. Irans Mohammad Baqeri and Russias Valery Gerasimov stressed that the two countries would continue their cooperation with the Syrian government until the full defeat of the terrorists and their backers in the country, IRNA added. Story continues North Korea weighed in on Saturday, calling the U.S. strikes an unforgivable act of aggression that showed its own decision to develop nuclear weapons was the right choice a million times over. Diplomatically isolated North Korea considers Syria a key ally. U.S. Military Officials Are Looking Into Whether Russia Participated In Syria Chemical Attack Russia had said on Friday that the U.S. attack could have extremely serious consequences, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the U.S. strikes were one step away from a clash with Russias military. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to visit Moscow next week, and the Russian Foreign Ministry has said it expected him to explain Washingtons stance in light of the U.S. missile strikes on Syria. Russias defense ministry said on Saturday the United States had not provided any evidence of the presence of chemical weapons on the airbase it had attacked. A mission of professional experts should be sent to the airbase to obtain objective evidence, Interfax cited Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministrys spokesman, as saying. How the Women of Congress Are Responding to the Syrian Airstrikes U.S. officials informed Russian forces ahead of the missile strikes on and avoided hitting Russian personnel. Satellite imagery suggests the base that was attacked houses Russian special forces and helicopters, part of Kremlin efforts to help Assad fight Islamic State and other militant groups. Britains foreign minister Boris Johnson had been due to visit Moscow on Monday but said on Saturday that he had canceled his trip after developments in Syria. My priority is now to continue contact with the U.S. and others in the run-up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April to build coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process, Johnson said. This article was originally published on FORTUNE.com Those searching for a career in behavioral health should look no farther than CPC Behavioral Healthcare Inc., a nonprofit organization that been providing mental health services to Monmouth County residents for almost 60 years. CPC Behavioral Healthcare provides services that focus on creating healthy lives for adults and children. The organization offers evidence-based treatment for adults and children with serious mental health diagnoses, substance abuse problems and co-occurring disorders. Outpatient group therapy, individual treatment and family treatment are available. Additionally, patients can see both a physician and a therapist at CPC Behavioral Healthcare, according to Donna Coyle, LCSW, LCADC, senior division director of Outpatient Services. CPC Behavioral Health also provides special education and physical health services at locations in Freehold, Red Bank and Aberdeen; "and, in Morganville, the High Point School, which is a therapeutic school, for elementary and high school students who are sent from more than 60 districts across the state who have behavioral and learning disabilities that cannot be addressed in the public school setting," according to Coyle. Donna Coyle, LCSW, LCADC, senior division director of Outpatient Services, CPC Behavioral Healthcare. CPC Behavioral Healthcare employs a diverse staff with varying backgrounds and perspectives, all trained to provide care with compassion. They hire bachelor's-level case manager positions as well as licensed professional counselors (LPC) and licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) as therapists, supervisors and program managers. CPC Behavioral Health also offers career opportunities for administrative support staff, including clerical, billing and accounting. "There's always room to grow, whether you want to make a lateral move from one program to another or whether it's for career advancement," said Coyle, who has worked and thrived at CPC Behavioral Health for 10 years, starting as team leader and working her way up to become a senior division director. Coyle asserted that at CPC Behavioral Health, no staff member is "stuck in a position" or blocked from moving to a new program because the individual is excelling in his or her current program. CPC Behavioral Healthcare has been designated as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center as part of a two-year federal pilot program under the Excellence in Mental Health Act. Across the United States, 24 states applied to be a part of this program and New Jersey was one of eight states chosen to receive the federally funded grant. Within New Jersey, seven agencies were chosen to be a part of the grant; among them, CPC Behavioral Healthcare. As a result, many open positions will become available for this program, including psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses (APN), case managers and therapists. Staff at CPC Behavioral Health are offered a competitive compensation and benefits package that includes life insurance; comprehensive medical plans of varying tiers; dental and vision coverage; a tax-deferred annuity plan (403B); discounts on child care, fitness and wellness; generous paid time off, including vacation, sick and personal time; and flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care. The flexible spending account is money taken out pre-tax for medical needs that can be paid for through a debit card. This money can be used for all health needs, including doctor copays and pharmacy prescriptions, up to $2,500. The dependent care flexible spending is up to $5,000 pre-tax money that can be used for children in day care, camp or private schools. Coyle said that Vera Sansone, LCSW, president and chief executive officer of CPC Behavioral Healthcare, "really fosters a culture of collaboration and support that I believe trickles down to all of the staff," Coyle said. "A lot of the executive team at CPC have the mentality that you have to like where you work, so we foster a culture where people feel supported, they're proud of the work that they do with clients, they're proud to work at CPC." CPC Behavioral Health is an equal opportunity employer, hiring without concern of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical handicap, religion, marital status, national origin, amnesty or status as a covered veteran, according to its website. Interested in applying to work at CPC Behavioral Health? Call the human resources department at (732) 935-2245 or visit the applicant website to view open positions and apply directly at https://cpcbehavioralhealthcare.e3applicants.com. For more advice on the job market, click here. Life between Trump and Putin is about to get complicated after US airstrike, ex-Defense Secretary Cohen says President Donald Trump 's attack on a Syrian air base has signaled a shift in his once-cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin , former Defense Secretary William Cohen told CNBC on Friday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Wednesday, a week after the U.S. military fired 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syria military air base in response to Tuesday's deadly chemical weapons attack allegedly carried out by Bashar Assad's military on a rebel-held area. The Syrian strike "sets the tone," Cohen, a Republican who served under former President Bill Clinton , said on " Squawk Box ." "Life between us is going to be somewhat different." After Thursday's U.S. missile strikes, Tillerson said Russia had failed to carry out the 2013 agreement to secure Syrian chemical weapons. He said Moscow was either complicit or incompetent in its ability to uphold that deal. Russia said the U.S. strikes against Assad's government violated international law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin believed the U.S. attacks on Syria showed aggression against a sovereign state. Cohen said one strike against Assad's government is not a strategy, but a tactic. He also said Tillerson needs more staff support at the State Department, where many top spots are still unfilled. "We need to get the State Department really beefed up so that Secretary Tillerson can have his full team to give all the options to the president as he moves forward," Cohen said. "It won't be just military, it has to be economic." More From CNBC In this file photo, Lance Madison is arrested by Louisiana State Police and NOPD SWAT teams Sept. 4, 2005, on the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans East. Police unsuccessfully tried to frame Mr. Madison after officers shot to death his brother Ronald and James Brissette and wounded four other innocent bystanders on the bridge.(ALEX BRANDON) OMAHA The parent company of The Daily Nonpareil and The Omaha World-Herald announced last Monday it eliminated 289 jobs across the country, including 108 vacant positions. BH Media Group, based in Omaha, is reducing costs because of declining advertising and circulation revenue. BH Media is the newspaper division of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. It now employs 4,450 people. Terry Kroeger, president and chief executive, said in a memo to BH Media employees that some of the companys 31 newspapers are reducing other expenses, including the number of pages they print. None of the job cuts were at The Nonpareil or The World-Herald, although a few Omaha-based BH Media positions were eliminated. Kroeger said in an interview that he told Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett last week about the cutbacks but said the decisions were made completely locally. Buffetts opinion wasnt sought or offered. Kroeger said BH Media still considers buying newspapers that come up for sale, as it has in recent years under Berkshire ownership. Berkshire formed BH Media when it purchased a group of newspapers in 2012, shortly after acquiring The World-Herald. In the memo, Kroeger said that without cost reductions, some BH Media operations would not be profitable. And, like it or not, profitable news organizations are necessary to practice exceptional journalism, he said, adding: While these actions are sad for all of us as colleagues, they are necessary to sustain the vital role our publications play in their respective communities. Kroeger said the company is experiencing a critical moment as print newspapers have suffered from the growing popularity of the digital environment. Regional and national advertisers are being hurt by online retailers, he said, causing them to reduce their print advertising. Kroeger said BH Media newspapers are the leaders in their markets and are investing in digital publishing to create as many connections as possible with our readers, non-readers, advertisers, non-advertisers and all consumers. Newspapers owned by BH Media include the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Roanoke Times in Virginia; the Tulsa World in Oklahoma; the Greensboro News & Record and the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina; and Nebraska newspapers in York, North Platte, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Grand Island. The Richmond paper said it laid off 33 employees, including 13 in the newsroom, and is leaving other positions unfilled. Other changes in the paper will be announced later this week. The Greensboro paper said it cut 36 staff positions and would consolidate its paper into two sections on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays; merge its Sunday news into one section; and drop the daily TV list, bridge column and horoscope. And the Tulsa World said it eliminated 28 staff positions in news, advertising, finance, circulation and corporate services. Figures on BH Media in Berkshires 2016 annual report show that the 31 daily papers weekday circulation was down 6.9 percent from a year earlier to a combined 674,000 copies. In southwest Iowa, BH Media owns four weekly publications in addition to The Nonpareil: the Clarinda Herald-Journal, the Denison Bulletin Review, Harrison County-based Twiner-Herald and the Shenandoah Valley News. Lifesaving actions, years of service and dedication to duty were a few of the things rewarded during the 2017 Council Bluffs Police Department Awards Banquet Thursday at New Horizon Presbyterian Church. The department held a separate awards event this year to preserve the solemn atmosphere of its annual memorial service. Aaron Kozisek, a 5 1/2-year veteran of the department, was recognized as Officer of the Year. When he was recommended for the award, Kozisek was assigned to the overnight shift, where he was very active in his district, according to information from the department. He has accepted a position with the Traffic Unit on afternoon shift. He is also a field training officer, driving instructor, standardized field sobriety test instructor and advanced accident investigator and is also bicycle certified. He is described as always professional and truly hard working. Cassandra Salter, a 5 1/2-year veteran of the department, was named Civilian of the Year. Salter, an Identification Technician, has worked on overnight shift her entire career. She has a bachelor degree from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska, in criminal justice and a Masters of Forensic Science in investigative sciences from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Her other qualifications include being a certified crime scene analyst through the International Association of Identification, a marijuana identification analyst and more than 600 hours of crime scene-related areas. She was described as being a true asset to the shift with positive effect on the entire shift due to her hard work. Detective John Huey was presented a Letter of Commendation for his professionalism and his quick response to an emergency situation during the week of Jan. 22. Huey was off duty and working out at Planet Fitness when a 45-year-old man went into cardiac arrest while walking on one of the treadmills, the letter stated. While an off-duty officer from the Omaha Police Department started CPR, Huey retrieved an automatic external defibrillator from behind the counter. He quickly attached the pads to the victim and shocked his heart into rhythm. Without the CPR and shock, the event most likely would have been fatal. Medics arrived and were able to give the patient some medication, which kept him in a rhythm that was sustainable. The patient was eventually transferred to Bergan Mercy Medical Center, where a pacemaker/defibrillator was implanted. Officers Mark Archibald and Jacob Wilson were given a Letter of Commendation for their lifesaving work in a different situation on May 24, 2016. The two were dispatched that day to assist medics with an overdose case, the letter stated. They performed CPR on the victim until Council Bluffs Fire Department medics arrived. The victim was stabilized and transported to the hospital. The medical staff said, the only reason the victim was still alive was due to the actions of the officers on call. Officers Travis Jarzynka and Ty Boldra received a Letter of Commendation for their quick actions and selfless thinking on Oct. 3, 2016, the letter stated. The officers were off duty when they saw a bicyclist fall over just off the South Expressway. Without hesitation, Jarzynka pulled over to offer assistance. As he was doing so, Boldra, returning to the station after a day of K-9 training, saw his colleague rendering aid. After they assessed the patient as having a cardiac event, the AED was retrieved from Officer Boldras cruiser. As they were hooking up the AED, an off-duty Council Bluffs Fire Department medic stopped, and it was determined that CPR was needed, not a shock. Shortly thereafter, medics arrived and transported the patient to the hospital. On Oct. 7, 2016, the patient was released from the hospital. Sgt. Robert Christensen, commander, accepted a Letter of Commendation on behalf of the Council Bluffs Police Department Honor Guard Unit. The letter expressed the departments sincere gratitude for the members dedication and professionalism displayed throughout the year and especially during the week of May 18, 2016, when Lt. Ben Roth passed away. On May 18, 2016, our Department lost one of our own, Lt. Ben Roth, after a lengthy battle with cancer, the letter stated. As part of the request of the family, the members of the CBPD Honor Guard were asked to set aside personal feelings and complete a task that not every officer can or is willing to do. This is a special bunch of guys, Christensen said as he accepted the award. They never turn down a request. Police Chief Tim Carmody noted that the unit has traveled to Dallas, Kansas and Des Moines to perform rites at police funerals. The traffic unit also received a Letter of Commendation for fulfilling Roths familys request for a full police funeral, including escorting Roth and the processional to the cemetery, the letter stated. The members of the CBPD Traffic Unit were asked to set aside personal wishes to attend the funeral and complete a task that not every officer is willing to do. In the process of performing the many duties required, the entire Unit performed above and beyond the call of duty, carrying forth the professionalism that represented this Department with honor. For the fifth year in a row, Council Bluffs has been honored as a Pacesetter for its work in eliminating literacy barriers faced by children from low-income families. The community was recognized by the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for exemplary work in reporting measurable progress in school readiness, summer learning and overall grade-level reading. We are delighted to receive this prestigious honor for our community, which represents all the outstanding efforts the schools, partnering organizations and individuals have done to date, Nancy Schulze, the director of the local Raise Me to Read Campaign, said in a press release. Our partnerships and coalition building have allowed us to further expand the good work of the school districts and other professionals working with our most at-risk children so they have tools to close the educational achievement gap, Schulze said. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 80 percent of children nationally from low-income families in fourth-grade are failing to read proficiently, compared with 49 percent of their more affluent peers. Studies show that a child who cant read proficiently is likely to fall behind in school. Schulze said roughly 31 percent of third-grade children in Pottawattamie County are not reading proficiently. As part of an effort to address the issue of low proficiency numbers in the state, the Iowa Legislature implemented a requirement that children not reading at grade-level by the end of third grade must either complete an intensive summer reading program or repeat the grade, unless they meet certain exceptions. The research says that between birth and third grade children learn to read, after third grade they read to learn, so if you cant read proficiently youre going to have more struggles understanding anything else you do because almost every subject depends on reading, said Martha Bruckner, superintendent for the Council Bluffs Community School District. The district currently offers a number of initiatives to help boost third-grade reading proficiency numbers, including working with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. I believe the involvement of the school district was truly a high point because were always working on the three efforts anyway, Bruckner said. The school district is still highly involved and will continue to be involved, but its even more effective to have this be a community-wide effort that the school supports rather than a school effort that the community supports. From spring 2014 to spring 2016, the school district saw a 10 percent increase in the number of children meeting kindergarten-readiness criteria, from 82 percent to 92 percent. Second-graders improving their reading proficiency levels over the summer also increased from 7.7 percent in 2015 to 12.5 percent in 2016. An increase was also found in the ratio of third-grade students reading at the proficient level on the Formative Assessment System for Teachers, or FAST, which provides a spot-check on students reading ability. Those scores improved from 28.7 percent in 2014 to 44.4 percent in 2016. While the Council Bluffs Community School District continues to play an important role in helping the community get on track when it comes to fostering literacy among its youth, various integrated community efforts are also helping to promote early literacy. Most recently, the campaign partnered with Heartland Family Services Iowa Family Works, a residential substance abuse and mental health program, to offer resources that encourage families to read aloud together. Last week, more than 70 books were donated to the organization to start a lending library to help encourage children and parents within the program read more. We want them to be encouraged to seek out different books to read to their children, Schulze said. Its important for those women to feel empowered and for them to understand how important they are because, often times, they dont know how impactful they can be. Lisa Schaben, Iowa Family Works program director, said they wanted to implement the Raise Me to Read Campaign into the program to help children expand their vocabulary and brain development by reading with a parent. Reading the book allows them to work on their imagination and language without it being as intense as some of the other treatments they do with their parents in the program, Schaben said. In Pottawattamie County, the Raise Me to Read Campaign is supported by 42 organizations including the Iowa West Foundation and United Way of the Midlands. Across Iowa, the communities of Ames, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, Dyersvile and Quad Cities were also named as Pacesetters. The communities receiving the award will be formally honored in June at the campaigns 2017 Funder Huddle during Grade-Level Reading Week in Denver. We are very proud of Council Bluffs and the numerous organizations and individuals behind the community for joining forces and working tirelessly to uplift children and families. They remind us that we are seeing great progress and real results all across the country, said Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. CRESCENT A bridge north of town scheduled to close Monday for replacement drew sharp criticism from residents during a town hall meeting Friday evening. Members of the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors met with residents to hear and hopefully address their concerns. Many said they were caught completely unaware of the closure, but County Engineer John Rasmussen said public notices had been featured in local media for months. The bridge, located on Old Lincoln Highway over Simon Run Creek is functionally obsolete, and needs to be replaced. There were public meetings and notices in the press, Rasmussen said. Residents responded no one had come to the local businesses to tell owners that the traffic through town could be greatly diminished which could cripple their livelihoods. Youre going to kill the town for summer 2017, said Deborah Petersen, an attorney from Council Bluffs who spoke on behalf of Mt. Crescent Ski Area owner Korby Fleischer. Rasmussen explained the bridge is one of many county road projects being worked on. The bid, won by Dixon Construction of Correctionville, was approved for $1.3 million which the federal government will pay 80 percent of. The remaining 20 percent will be paid for by Iowa road-use taxes. No one from Dixon was at the meeting. The design of the bridge and road near it is flawed Rasmussen said, meaning dirt and power poles need to be refigured. That means playing along with MidAmerican Energys schedule. Should the project be pushed back, its not certain when the electrical work could be rescheduled, he added. The current finish date is June 12. However, weather could play a factor in speeding up or hindering work. Members of the audience and Supervisor Justin Schultz asked Rasmussen if more funds could be allocated to make Dixon work overtime to speed up construction. Rasmussen said it was possible. People were also concerned about the safety of the detour route, which is a gravel road. Rasmussen said the road can be treated to help with dust and loose gravel. Joan Hester of Honey Creek said she has lived in the area affected by the closure for 63 years. What if I have a fire, or I need an ambulance out there? she said. These people deserve to have a way in and out of this place. Schultz said the matter will be back on the agenda for the board Tuesday. He said they are working on updating the website and social media to inform residents what is going on. I admit, we dropped the ball on this and accept responsibility, Schultz said. Safety is our priority and the bridge needs to happen. But we need to minimize the impact on residents. OAKLAND Let freedom rock. Thats the impression one can get at Chautauqua Park in Oakland. The park is home to the 82-ton Pottawattamie County Freedom Rock. Painting on the rock was recently completed. Pottawattamie County joins 54 other Iowa counties having its own patriotic rock, according to members of Oaklands Friday Coffee Ladies, who oversaw the project. Its one of the largest rocks in one of the largest counties, said member Doris Bane, who visited the rock on Friday with three other members to enjoy coffee together. Its been two years since the rock was hauled to Oakland on a moving truck from a rock quarry near Macedonia. Painter Ray Bubba Sorensen was so busy painting similar rocks elsewhere that Pottawattamie County couldnt fit into his schedule until about a month ago. It took Sorensen 10 days to paint the rock, which included having a tent placed over it with heaters inside to escape the chilly temperatures, said Hazel Harvey, a member of the Coffee Ladies. Sorensen completed his work two weeks ago. The rock features a huge American flag on top with a bald eagle on one side. The other side features paintings of four deceased veterans with ties to Pottawattamie County. The four honored veterans are: Sgt. Brent Maher of Honey Creek, who died while serving in Afghanistan. Arnold Jacobsen, born in Walnut, served as commanding officer of the Marine Corps supply depots during World War II. Frank Everestt, born in Council Bluffs, served as commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and commander of the Tactical Air Command. John McCain, Jr., born in Council Bluffs, who became an admiral in the U.S. Navy serving in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. His son is Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. On the bottom of the rock, Sorensen painted a simmering hot cup of coffee in honor of the Coffee Ladies. Those members who came to the rock on Friday were Bane, Harvey, Joyce Clark and Martha Ruehle. Weve had nothing but positive public response, Bane said. Several benches have been ordered for installation around the rock to finish the overall look. Dedication ceremonies are planned on the Fourth of July, Bane said. Donations are welcome for the continued maintenance of the rock, she added. Donations may be sent to: Freedom Rock Fund, 39503 Honeysuckle Road, Oakland, IA 51560-4207. Missouri Valley native Charles L. Smith is clearly an example of the possibility of a small-town, southwest Iowa boy growing up and becoming a player on the world stage. In February, Smith, the former chief judge of Iowas Fourth Judicial District, was one of 19 judges and the only American appointed to the roster of international judges of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers by the head of the European Union Rule of Law Mission, also called EULEX, in Kosovo. Along with Smith, the other judges selected to serve with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers represent the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Canada and Belgium. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which meets at The Hague in the Netherlands, has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law. The Specialist Chambers are attached to each level of the court system in Kosovo: Basic Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. They will function according to relevant Kosovo laws as well as customary international law and international human rights law. Smith, born and raised in Missouri Valley, graduated from Missouri Valley High School in 1964. He enrolled at Creighton University in Omaha where he majored in political science and philosophy. After his junior year, and without an undergraduate degree, he was accepted for enrollment in the Creighton Law School, graduating with his law degree in 1970. Following his graduation from law school, Smith returned to his home town to practice law, eventually becoming a partner in the firm of Tamisiea, Tamisiea and Smith, a position he held until 1989. He also served as Harrison County Attorney from 1972 to 1974. In late 1989, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad selected Smith to fill an opening on the bench of the Fourth Judicial District, and he assumed the judgeship in early 1990. He was advanced to the position of chief judge of the Fourth Judicial District by the Iowa Supreme Court in 1996, a position he held until his retirement from the district court in 2010. Within five days of his retirement from the district court, Smith, having been seconded by the United States Department of State to the EULEX Mission, left for Kosovo where he worked from 2010 through 2012 and again in 2013. The mission was a deployment of some 3,200 European Union police and judicial personnel. That total included about 1,950 international personnel and 1,250 local police and judicial officers. In addition to EU members, third parties Turkey, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and the United States took part and supported the mission. The goal was to bring modern transparent and trustworthy judicial, prosecutorial and police practices to Kosovo, which had declared its independence from Serbia following the 1999-2000 war. In 2010, Smith served as a trial judge in the District of Mitrovice where he presided over many trials of criminal acts including murder, rape, human and drug trafficking and war crimes. During his 10 months in Motrovicca, he heard 25 serious cases. Smith was also a member of the Supreme Court of Kosovo periodically between 2011 and 2013, as well as serving as mentor and advisor to the president of the Kosovo Supreme Court and advisor to the chair of the Kosovo Judicial Council. He was selected as vice president deputy chief judge of the international judges unit based in Kosovos capitol city of Pristina, a position he held from October 2010 to January 2012. In late 2012, he was selected and served as president chief judge of the 50 international judges and 100 staff members, a position he held for one year. While serving in Kosovo, Smith conceived, planned, coordinated and presided at a national training session for Kosovo and international judges on the subject of sentencing and sentencing disparity. In 2013, he also conceived, planned, coordinated and presided at the first-ever joint symposium of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Kosovo to address conflicts of law. Smith served as special advisor to the working groups in the Brussels negotiations between the Kosovo and Serbian governments on establishment of courts and prosecution in the normalization of relations in post-war Kosovo. Smith returned to Council Bluffs in December 2013 and worked in arbitration and mediation until being named as a judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers at The Hague in February. Since the appointment, hes spent time at The Hague with his fellow judges developing rules of criminal procedure and rules of evidence. He will likely not return to The Hague until the end of the year as he anticipates it will take that long for indictments to be filed by the prosecutor. Smith expects it will take at least four years for the Kosovo Specialist Chambers to complete its work. Im honored, Smith said of his selection to serve on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. Even though the allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity may be disturbing, Im looking forward to being a part of the process of deciding these important cases. ATLANTIC As the years marched on, the surviving veterans of the Civil War rejoined their fallen comrades, each post dwindling down to its final members. At the Sam Rice Post in Atlantic, Adnah David Bullock became the last surviving Union veteran before his death. On Friday, his memory was honored at his grave in Atlantic by the Department of Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. One by one, they slipped away, no others to be called, said Dan Krock of Cambridge, who was quoting former Grand Army of the Republic Department Commander James Martin. Martin was the last Civil War veteran in Iowa to die in 1949. Bluford Scarlett was the last Confederate veteran to die in Cass County in 1935. Krock was one of the speakers at the ceremony, which was attended by several members in full Union army uniforms and rifles. A stiff, cool breeze billowed the flags as Krock recounted the life of Bullock, occasionally stopping to play recordings of era songs like Tenting on the Old Campground, which was popular with Union soldiers. Bullocks story could represent any of the 167 known Civil War veterans buried here in Atlantic, or the 100 others in other cemeteries across the county, Krock said. Bullock was born April 10, 1846, in Sherburne, New York. Monday would be his 171th birthday. The second of eight children, he and his older brother, Miles, went to live with their grandfather, Simeon Bullock on a farm at age 13. After his mother died weeks after giving birth to her eighth child, his father remarried. Bullock enlisted in the Army in 1864 as a private in Battery A, 1st New York Light Artillery, employed in Pennsylvania on the borders to prevent raids. He was discharged at the end of the war, June 28, 1865. He returned home and eventually moved to Waukee and operated a hardware store. He met Ella Fuller, of Palermo, New York, and they married a short four months later. She was 17, he was 27. Their only child, Wayne, was born in 1878. They moved to Wiota, then Anita. Bullock became a member of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1896 at the Meade Post in Anita. After 64 years of marriage, Ella died June 15, 1936, at age 82. Afterward, Bullock moved to Atlantic to live with his son and daughter-in-law. Of the 80 men that were once part of the Anita GAR post, he was the last. He joined the Sam Rice Post 6 in Atlantic, becoming one of four members, before he became the last there, as well. The lines had grown thinner, and the tramp of the columns were with ever lessening tread, the gaps in the picket lines grew wider every day, Krock said. Bullock died in 1941 at age 95. Neighboring his grave are the tombstones of his wife and relatives. Krock said while the war may seem like an ancient memory, the veterans and others were just regular people. The war. We cant imagine what it was actually like to be there, he said. We want to keep the memory alive. On Friday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, the final act in a partisan battle that started with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. And since Scalia died, the Senate has mishandled the replacement process. The vote was 54-45 on Friday. The victory gives President Donald Trumps 49-year-old nominee a lifetime spot on the court. The final confirmation vote came after Senate Republicans rewrote the chambers rules, voting to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold on Supreme Court nominees. The change allowed the Senate to proceed to the final vote with a simple majority. With that move, dubbed the nuclear option, Republicans ensured the ruling party in the Senate will always have the final say on a Supreme Court pick. By many accounts, Gorsuch is qualified to sit on the highest court. The judge is a veteran of the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Denver whose rulings, the Associated Press notes, make him an intellectual heir to Scalia. It could prove to be more conservative than Scalia. The AP reported that Democrats denounced the GOPs use of the nuclear option to put Gorsuch on the court, calling it an epic power grab that would further corrode politics in Congress, the courts and the United States. Many Republicans bemoaned reaching that point, too, but they blamed Democrats for pushing them to pull the trigger. Senate Democrats possibly misplayed their hand in filibustering the nomination. A Republican president replacing Scalia with a similarly conservative justice was expected and doesnt change the balance of power on the court. But in blocking the nomination and pushing Republicans to either ask Trump for another nominee which wasnt going to happen or invoke the nuclear option, Democrats find themselves in a precarious position: if any of the courts liberal justices retire or die in the next two years, theyll have no chance of blocking whatever nominee Trump puts forward. And if the party doesnt take back the Senate in 2018 a tough task itll be longer than that before they have any influence on the court. The AP noted that Trump predicted to reporters aboard Air Force One that there could be as many as four Supreme Court vacancies for him to fill during his administration. On Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley passed along a rumor that at least one justice could step down within the year. Gorsuch is expected to be sworn in Monday, in time for the final cases of the term. A point well make again, possibly for the last time: Merrick Garlands nomination should have been debated by the Senate. Absent a skeleton in his closet being discovered, Garland should have been the new Supreme Court justice, not Gorsuch. President Barack Obama nominated the Garland, the long-tenured chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in March 2016 to replace Scalia. Grassley, chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, blocked a committee vote on the nomination and the debate on Garland never reached the Senate floor. Republican leaders said they wanted voters to decide on the court seat in the November election. Of course, there was an election before that, when in 2012 voters chose another four years of Obama. As the presiding president, the nomination was his to make. The election year argument just doesnt hold water. On Wednesday, Grassley again pointed to comments by then-Sen. Joe Biden late in the term of President George H.W. Bush and Sen. Chuck Schumer late in the in second term of President George W. Bush about waiting on Supreme Court nominees until after an election should a vacancy occur in an election year. In neither case was there a vacancy on the court. Both Biden and Schumer were wrong, and if theyd followed through on those comments in practical application they wouldve been wrong to do so. And, as weve said here more than once, Grassley was wrong. So were those who followed his lead. Conservationists are trying to increase the number of vulnerable one-horned rhinos, which are prized by wildlife poachers (AFP Photo/PRAKASH MATHEMA) Poachers have shot dead a one-horned rhinoceros at a national wildlife park in Nepal, officials said Sunday, spotlighting the threat faced by the rare animals. Officials on Saturday found the male rhino with its horn gouged out in Chitwan National Park, the country's biggest rhino conservation area. "We performed a post-mortem and found that it had been hit by a bullet on its head," the park's spokesman Nurendra Aryal told AFP. Aryal said a team had been set up to investigate the incident and security had been tightened at the district borders. In September last year a rhino died weeks after poachers shot it in the same park, the first of the rare animals to be killed in the country in over two years. Thousands of one-horned rhinos once roamed the plains of Nepal, but their numbers have plunged over the past century due to poaching and human encroachment on their habitat. The population decline was particularly dramatic during Nepal's 1996-2006 civil war, when soldiers on anti-poaching duties were redeployed to fight the Maoist guerrilla insurgency. But the country has since made rapid progress in combating the poachers who kill the animals for their prized horns, drawing praise from conservation groups and activists. The horns fetch huge prices in some Asian countries where they are used for medicines and jewellery. Nepal is home to about 645 rhinos, out of which about 600 live in Chitwan National Park. The park is in the process of relocating five rhinos to another conservation area in far-west Nepal to boost their population. Shant Raj Jnawali, a rhino expert at WWF, said the latest death highlighted the vulnerability of the animals despite anti-poaching efforts from the community, park wardens and army. "We hope that the investigation will help us devise new strategies to strengthen protection for these animals," Jnawali said. Rhino poaching carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and a 100,000-rupee ($1,000) fine. I had lunch with a local archer recently and he posed a great question for this time of year. He has been hunting turkeys the past couple of weeks and always saw quite a few until the weather changed. When the weather front moved in Monday and we got a little rain, he said that he had not seen as many birds, particularly gobblers. His question: How does wind and ran affect turkeys? It is an excellent question and one that probably many other hunters ask themselves. Here is what I have seen and experienced in my almost 30-something years of hunting turkeys. When the issue is rain, figure out what kind of rain you will be getting for the day. Will it be a downpour or a light rain that is forecast to be done by the afternoon? Not all rainy days affect turkeys the same way. Rain can actually help your hunting efforts. I often saw turkeys move out of the timber and into the open as a rain shower was tapering off. I used to think it was due to the turkeys wanting to get out in the sun so they could dry off. Then one day I was in a position to watch a band of turkeys move along during a light rain. I noticed that it looked like they were feeding. As they got closer I could see various bugs jumping around in front of the advancing birds. The turkeys were gorging on the bugs, and I saw an occasional turkey with a night crawler. I realized the rain made the bugs come out of hiding. Log that bit of knowledge away. I dont stay home on a day when theres a light rain. A drizzly morning and heavy clouds can cause toms to gobble more and for a longer period into the day. This can give you a better chance to figure out where a gobbler is and let you make a plan for a stalk or a better position to be in on a future hunt. On those days when theres a light rain, drizzle or very heavy fog, get out in the field and start listening. When the sun does pop out, toms tend to gobble hard to make up for lost time. I find this to be especially true after a big, but short duration, thunderstorm. Ive also noticed that loud thunder can cause toms to sound off and gobble back. If you are faced with a steady rain, especially a cold one, toms tend to be quiet. Toms and hens sit on their roosts longer. I will usually stay in camp until it looks like the rain it letting up, then I hustle to an area with open fields, edges, like pastures or short alfalfa fields. Turkeys are like us and generally dont like to get wet so after a rain they will move out into open areas so that their feathers arent rubbing against wet leaves and grass and they can stay dry. They also like open areas because this is where the sun will shine brightest and they will get into the sun to dry their feathers. Hunting just ahead of a storm can be productive, too. Turkeys can feel a thunderstorm coming and they instinctively know to feed, sometimes heavily. I think it is because they dont know how long the story will last and they dont want to go hungry. Rain can create a couple of other problems. Box calls and slate calls dont work well when they get wet. You need to protect your calls and keep them dry by putting them in a zip-lock bag. When you do get your call out to use, dont let them brush against wet clothing, vegetation or be dripped on from overhanging branches. If you intend to take a picture of your gobbler, wait until it dries. A wet turkey looks like a drowned ratnot very picturesque. It may seem a little stupid, but if you can get it home and use a hair dryer on it, the bird will look a lot better in your pictures! Wind can make your hunting very tough. Youve probably noticed that you cant hear gobblers on windy days. They probably have trouble hearing your calls, too. Wind also makes a lot of noise in the timber with branches rubbing together and leaves fluttering about. This type of noise will mask the approach of a predator and turkeys know that instinctively, so they head for more open country where their eyes can better see predators. On days like this I look for windbreaks from trees or hills. Turkeys will congregate in these areas. These open, yet sheltered spots will be where turkeys want to go for feeding, loafing or strutting. Cold weather is probably harder on the hunter than the turkey. They are quite capable of handling snow and cold. During a blizzard they will hunker down in tight cover, like cedar trees and thick shelterbelts. Find open areas when the sun does come out, because the turkey will sun and warm themselves in these spots. One of my most memorable hunts was one that occurred immediately after a blizzard. My hunting partners thought I was nuts for wanting to drive through a blizzard to get to camp, but I knew the toms would be out and strutting hard as soon as the storm was over. The blizzard ended during the night and the next day dawned sunny and warm. Ultimately I shot one of the biggest toms I have ever seen on that trip. Dont give up on turkey hunting because of cold or snow. A final note on calls and calling use a call that has a higher pitch. I think that a call with a higher pitch, or high frequency, can be heard better at distances in the wind. Turkeys have good hearing and can pinpoint where a sound is coming from up to a mile away, so use a call that they can hear better. Remember, the youth shotgun turkey season opened April 8. The regular shotgun season will open Saturday. Both the archery and shotgun season run until May 31. Good luck on all your turkey hunting adventures this spring. The Lincoln County Commissioners will reconvene in Farnam after their regular meeting on Monday. A public hearing at 2 p.m. in the Farnam Senior Center, 214 Main St., will garner feedback on a petition to form a proposed Farnam Cemetery District in Dawson, Frontier and Lincoln counties. The proposed district would continue financing maintenance costs of local cemeteries for residents whose family and friends are buried in the three counties. Proposals may be submitted for excluding land from or including land in the proposed cemetery district. The public hearing will be held before the Board of Commissioners for the three counties and action will be considered, according to Nebraska State Statute. Before the meeting in Farnam, the board will conduct its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Lincoln County Courthouse. The board will discuss an interlocal agreement with McPherson County for purchasing supplies and material and sharing equipment. Also on the agenda is setting a date to accept bids for Lincoln County card access control system. The Lincoln County Board of Equalization will convene at 9:15 a.m. to discuss two real estate value appeals. Though he never went to college, Don Paull served as the president of National Plumbing Contractors and traveled the world for his trade. Kimberly Krull earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in microbiology and science before teaching. She ultimately became one of a small number of female college presidents in Kansas. As a college student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jay Wilkinson once owned a delivery business on campus. He now serves as the CEO of a business that pays its employees to volunteer one day each month. All three graduated from North Platte High School and were honored as the 2017 distinguished alumni. As Wilkinson and Krull toured NPHS on Friday with Paulls family he died in 2003 and was honored posthumously they remembered their glory days, reflected on accomplishments and told how they got here. Paull graduated NPHS in 1942 and moved to California to work as a swim instructor and a first-class shipfitter in the United States Navy. We liked it so much, we stayed, his wife Barbara said during the tour Friday. Paull became a second-generation journeyman plumber at 21 and a master plumber at 28. He ultimately served as president of the National Plumbing Heating Contractors, and traveled to Russia and China with People to People one of only 25 U.S. plumbing contractors to do so. Years before the couple owned Don Paull Plumbing and Heating in San Diego, Barbara and Don met while attending North Platte Public Schools at age 12, their son Tom said. Don retired in 1987. On Fridays tour, Dons son Ben complimented the industrial arts classes at NPHS, a contrast from schools he has seen in California where you live and die by state standards. In nominating his father, Ben hoped to encourage the students who will take paths that differ from a four-year college. You can go into a trade and be very successful, he said, adding that Don learned his trade through activities and on-the-job training. Kids here who arent college-bound can do that. Tom, Ben and Barbara drove from California to accept the award. They visit North Platte at least once a year. We love North Platte, Ben said. North Platte is our roots. Kimberly Krull graduated from NPHS in 1973 and earned a bachelors of science in microbiology and a masters of science at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I started out in high school with the idea that I was going to go to medical school, Krull said. So I really went the science route. Science instead led to forensics, then education, and she now serves as president at Butler Community College in Eldorado, Kansas. Krull worked in crime labs for the Nebraska State Patrol as well as in Iowa. After moving to Curtis with her family, she found a teaching position at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. She also taught at Mid-Plains Community College. It didnt take me long to realize I loved what I was doing, she said. Krull found herself advancing, both to administrative roles and in her education. She received another masters degree in education community counseling at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and later, her doctorate in human resource studies-community college leadership at Colorado State University. Before taking her current position in 2013, Krull served as vice-president for academic affairs at Cloud County Community College. Krull noticed very few women in her position her predecessor at Butler Community College was one of three college presidents in Kansas, and still remains a friend and mentor, she said. Still, Krull doesnt recall much pushback. Men and women in leadership roles encouraged and mentored Krull over the years. I remember growing up in a house where my mom and dad said I could be anything I wanted. Jay Wilkinson graduated from NPHS in 1983. By the time he graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln five years later, he had begun eight businesses, like Golden Toes Delivery Service, which contracted with nine restaurants. That was one of my favorites, Wilkinson said. Now, hes the CEO of Firespring, Nebraskas first certified B. Corporation. The certification means the business leaves a positive impact on its employees, environment, community and society. While in college, Wilkinson also started the Campus Connection magazine, which would later be distributed to 350 college campuses and land him a job in New York City. Wilkinson lived there for four years before selling the magazine. He later started a successful print shop, which eventually took on web design and landed a contract with the Backstreet Boys. The company became what is known as Firespring today, a marketing company for nonprofit organizations based in Lincoln. Employees at Firespring are required to volunteer on the clock for eight hours a month, and the company has donated more than $1 million to non-profits. Wilkinson attributes his ethical approach to his father Gil, a North Platte businessman, and to a leadership camp he attended as a teenager. Wilkinson now says the leadership camp changed his life. I realized its not all about me, he said. Its about what I can do to help others. 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 postsecondary 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. The Omaha World-Herald LONDON Britain's aim of forging a new deal with the European Union in two years may be unrealistic, and the government must set out the economic implications of failure, a powerful group of lawmakers said Tuesday. Britain wants to strike a sweeping free-trade agreement with the bloc, but Prime Minister Theresa May says leaving without a deal would be better than accepting a bad settlement. Parliament's Exiting the EU Committee said that assertion is not based on evidence. The committee said Tuesday that "the government should conduct a thorough assessment of the economic, legal and other implications of leaving the EU without a deal in place." German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said failing to seal a deal would hurt both Britain and the bloc but Britain would suffer more. "My personal opinion is that the burden for the Brits is higher than for the Europeans," he said after meeting British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London. Gabriel said he was optimistic the two sides could strike a good deal, though he cautioned that it would not bring Britain the same benefits as the EU membership it is relinquishing. "No one should be left with the impression that the advantages of membership of the European Union can be used by people who are not members of the European Union," Gabriel said. May triggered Article 50 of the EU's key treaty last week, starting a two-year countdown to Brexit. U.K. officials hope they can work out divorce terms in that time frame and agree on a new relationship between Britain and the 27-nation bloc. In its report, the Exiting the EU Committee said "it is not yet evident" that the British government's two-year timescale is realistic. May said she believes details of "the future arrangements, the future relationship, (the) future partnership between us and the European Union" can be sealed within two years. Debi Baughman is the Branch Training Director at Horizon Bank and sits on the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board What was your first job as a teenager? It was a summer job at Cuttys Campground in LaPorte. I worked in the general store and snack shop. The campground had a customer base of seasonal campers who were there for the entire summer; we also had weekly visitors. I worked with three other high school students. We worked hard, but also laughed and had a good time together. What were your specific duties? I assisted customers in finding various items, ran the cash register in the general store, prepared food in the snack shop and washed dishes. What were your hours and how much did you earn? I worked 20 to 30 hours a week. I made minimum wage, which was $2.30 an hour. Fifty percent of my earnings went into my savings account, and I used the remaining 50 percent for gas and spending money usually clothes. Did you enjoy the work? I loved the job. I liked the front-line interaction with customers. I also liked the variety of tasks that I performed. It was a very fast-paced job, so I never got bored from just sitting or looking for something to do. Did the campground job help you discover what you were good at? Yes. I discovered that I was comfortable greeting and talking with people. Before the term came into use, I also learned to multitask. I discovered that flexibility and adaptability were important in meeting the different needs of our customers. In my current role, the ability to connect with people is a very important attribute. Training provides support to employees in a variety of ways throughout their entire career. Building a relationship and supporting the personal and professional development of employees is foundational in their career. What advice do you have for a young person thinking about that first job? Be dependable, and always report to work on time. Learn as much as you can about the various functions within the organization, and always say yes to the opportunity to expand your knowledge. Fully engage yourself in the learning process of the job. You will build skills you can use your entire life. What advice do you have for employers that hire youth? Provide clear expectations and close supervision for the first few weeks. This will help the student become comfortable in performing the work assignment. Encourage youth to ask questions if they need clarification in performing any task you ask them to do. BILLINGS, Mont. Government inspections of railroads that haul volatile crude oil across the United States have uncovered almost 24,000 safety defects, including problems similar to those blamed in derailments that triggered massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia, Montana and elsewhere, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The safety defects were discovered during targeted federal inspections 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 Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people. Federal regulators said the inspections resulted in 1,118 violation recommendations, prompting railroads to become more responsive to concerns raised by track inspectors and to improve safety. Problems identified by federal inspectors included: worn rails and other equipment; bolts meant to hold tracks in place that were broken, loose or missing; and cracks in steel bars joining sections of track. They also noted failures by railroads to quickly fix problems identified through inspections. Such issues are common across the nation's 140,000-mile freight rail network. But they've received heightened attention after rail shipments of crude oil increased and the number of major derailments spiked following a surge in domestic energy production. A violation recommendation occurs when an inspector finds something serious enough to warrant a potential penalty, or a railroad fails to address a defect that's been found. Federal officials declined to say how many penalties had been issued under the crude-by-rail inspection program. A former senior official at the Federal Railroad Administration, Steven Ditmeyer, reviewed the inspection data obtained by the AP. He said it reinforces the need for railroads to stay on top of regular maintenance for their sprawling networks of track. Many of the defects found by inspectors posed serious safety issues, Ditmeyer said, adding that it can be difficult for railroads to know when a seemingly small problem will result in a derailment. "All of this is a call for continued vigilance," said Ditmeyer, who 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. These statistics give a good indication of the track quality, but most (defects) won't cause a derailment." Some safety gaps found by inspectors bear similarities to the circumstances surrounding prior accidents. In Lynchburg, Virginia, cracks in the track that went unrepaired led to a CSX Transportation oil train coming off the rails and exploding along the James River in 2014. In Culbertson, Montana, a 2015 accident that spilled 27,000 gallons of oil from a BNSF Railway train was blamed on defective or missing fasteners used to hold the tracks in place. And in Mosier, Oregon, broken rail bolts were blamed in a Union Pacific oil train derailment and fire last year. The rail industry views safety defects as warnings from regulators that action is necessary, said Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek. She said violations are a better indicator of safety problems because not all defects pose an immediate risk. Hundreds of the violation recommendations on oil train routes were "paperwork-related," Kahanek said, such as railroads not providing required forms to government inspectors. Sue Hills, of Valparaiso, had what she calls a "God moment" almost 30 years after she stopped regularly going to her Catholic church. "I went to a Mass with my parents who had come in from out of town," she said. They went to St. Paul in Valparaiso, where Hills had attended the Catholic school up to eighth grade and had married. She had fallen away in her early 20s. She felt the church was too much about instilling the fear of God in her. So she was surprised to hear St. Paul was sponsoring a program to encourage Catholics like her to return. "They were talking about how Catholics can always come home. My mom handed me the flier, and I said I would investigate it," Hills said. It became her homecoming. "I found there had been changes in the teachings of the church that encouraged me to come back. Now it's the forgiveness of God," she said. St. Paul is one of the parishes in the Gary Diocese home to 186,420 Catholics in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Starke County offering a returning Catholics program. Debbie Bosak, the diocese director of communications, said, "What the (Catholic) Church tries to do is not to shame people, but to let them know they are always welcome back in the Church and that we miss them." The reasons for their departure are varied. Bosak said, "It can be a situation where they suffered at the hands of a clergy, not necessarily sexual abuse, but they felt hurt or didn't get the spiritual attention they needed. "Some people get lazy. Catholics believe you should go to Mass to worship God on Sundays, so if you miss that first time, you feel guilty. You miss the second Sunday and it's a little easier and the next thing you know, you are sitting on the couch every Sunday morning," she said. Bosak said she has worked with more than 150 returning Catholics over the years. "I ran it like a support group and our message was that if your heart is telling you to explore this again, just come in and we will answer questions, try to heal the hurts and help find your way back into the church you were born in." The Rev. Michael Hoffman, an associate pastor of St. Paul active in the returning program, said many Catholics who divorce believe the church doesn't want them back. "A divorced person isn't kicked out, but when they remarry, that is when the problem comes in. Our program explains what it takes to get your marriage validated. Sometimes it's only a little bit of paperwork," Hoffman said. Mark Gray, a senior research associate and polling director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, said there are 74.2 million self-identified Catholics in the U.S. "who may go to Mass on Christmas and Easter. "An additional 30.1 million were raised Catholics, considered themselves Catholic at some point, but have fallen away," Gray said. CARA estimates the number of children in Catholic elementary and high schools and church-based religious training classes have fallen in the last 50 years as have baptisms, marriages and mass attendance. Bosak said many of those national trends are reflected locally. She said there are fewer Catholic schools than 50 years ago, but attendance has taken an upward trend recently since Indiana's school choice voucher program has made a Catholic education more affordable. She said baptisms and Catholic marriage are down locally as well because current generations are more secular in outlook. Catholic funerals remain up over the same period, according to CARA. Finding and coaxing these Catholics through the church door presents a marketing dilemma. Hoffman said, "A couple of years ago, we had about 500 yard signs out inviting Catholics home in the Valparaiso. We picked up some good leads." He said it is hard to measure the program's success since more people return without going through the formal meetings. "People come back silently. We only find out after they register or come back to the sacrament," he said. Bosak said, "The two times of the years you are most likely to reach fallen away Catholics are Christmas and Easter." Betty Slago Shepard said she was baptized as an infant at St. Paul and for much of her childhood, remembers going to church with her family every Sunday and holy day. "When I got older I decided I didn't believe in any organized religion. I didn't practice any faith at all for about 30 years," she said. She said the untimely death of a couple of close friends made her think about her own mortality. She said she was in that mindset one Easter when she went to her parents home for dinner. "On my place setting was an invitation to Welcoming Catholics Home at St. Paul's Church. They said I might want to think about it." She said she went to a group meeting, but with an attitude. "I was feeling there better be some changes, some values. We would talk in the meetings about what kept us away. They were very good at explaining away my concerns. "About the third meeting into it, I decided that If I'm really going to do this, I should become part of the community and go to Mass and participate. I didn't remember all the prayers, but for the most part it was familiar. "I got to the point where I felt I had to make up for lost time," she said. She has taught religious education, a church leadership retreat and taking part in the returning Catholics program. "Its hard to get people to open up, but when they know I was in their shoes, it makes it that much easier. "I did a lot of things that would help me help other people. The whole experience has given me a greater sense of peace, value in my life," she said. "This is what I had been missing." Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy (Adds suspects name and that he was asylum seeker) By Simon Johnson, Niklas Pollard and Rebecka Roos STOCKHOLM, April 9 (Reuters) - An Uzbek man suspected of ramming a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people, had expressed sympathy for Islamic State and was wanted for failing to comply with a deportation order, Swedish police said on Sunday. Two sources who had worked with the suspect, Rakhmat Akilov, independently identified him to Reuters from images distributed by police as the manhunt got underway on Friday. Two police spokespersons declined to confirm his identity as did the suspect's court-appointed lawyer. Thousands gathered in the spring sunshine near the site of Friday's attack to show support for those killed or injured when a hijacked beer delivery truck hurtled down a busy shopping street before crashing into a store and catching fire. The Uzbek man was arrested several hours later. "The suspect had expressed sympathy for extremist organisations, among them IS," Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, told a news conference, using an acronym for the ultra-hardline militant group. Two of those killed were Swedes, one was a British citizen and the other from Belgium, Hysing said of the attack, which echoes the earlier use of vehicles as deadly weapons in Nice, Berlin and London. Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State, but there has been no such claim yet for the Stockholm assault. The suspect, aged 39 and from the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, applied for permanent residence in Sweden in 2014. However, his bid was rejected and he was wanted for disregarding a deportation order, Hysing said. Security Police spokesman Simon Bynert said the suspect had been involved in an asylum process in Sweden, but that the security police had not been part of it. Police had been looking for him since Sweden's Migration Agency in December gave him four weeks to leave, but security services had not viewed him as a militant threat. Story continues Sweden's prosecution authority said a second person had been arrested on suspicion of having committed a terrorist offence through murder, but police said they were more convinced than ever that the Uzbek man was the driver of the truck. Another five people were being held for questioning after raids and police said they had conducted about 500 interviews. Police across the Nordic region went on heightened alert after the attack and in neighbouring Norway police set off a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like device" in central Oslo on Sunday and took a suspect into custody. FLOWERS AND DEFIANCE Although nine of the 15 people injured remained in hospital, two in intensive care, Stockholm began to return to normal on Sunday with the removal of police barricades along the Drottninggatan street where the attack took place. Hundreds of flower bouquets covered steps leading down to the square next to where the truck ploughed into the Ahlens department store, with more piled up under boarded-up windows. Only yards from the scene, thousands of people gathered in the Sergels Torg square in a show of unity as heavily armed police stood guard and a police helicopter hovered overhead. "I want to show I'm not afraid to go out," Eva Udd, a 55-year-old nurse who had joined the demonstration with a friend, said. "I usually never go to things like this, but this just felt so very important." Husam Kranda, a Libyan living in Sweden for the past five years and now working as translator, was among the multi-ethnic gathering which underlined Stockholm's cosmopolitan inhabitants. "We believe it's our duty to come here and show our support for the Swedish society," he said. "I know it's a difficult time, there is a lot going on within Swedish society and internationally. But today is not about that, it's about showing support for our neighbours and our beloved ones." He was joined by his wife from Uzbekistan, Irana Mamedova. "I really feel ashamed that man, because this country give him everything, this country give him peace," she said of the Uzbek suspect. "He is a monster." Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, addressing a Social Democratic party conference in the western city of Gothenburg, said Sweden would never be broken by acts of terror. "We will hunt down these murderers with the full power of Sweden's democracy. There will be no compromises," he said. Sweden, a nation of 10 million inhabitants, has long taken pride in its tolerant liberal society and been among the world's most welcoming nations to immigrants. But some Swedes are having second thoughts after more than 160,000 people, many from Syria, applied for asylum in 2015. The Ahlens store cancelled a planned half-price sale of smoke-damaged goods and apologised after a storm of protest on social media that this would be disrespectful to the victims. (Additional reporting by Johan Ahlander, Johan Sennero, Johannes Hellstrom, Helena Soderpalm, Olof Swahnberg and Daniel Dickson, and Temis Tormo and Philip O'Connor for Reuters TV in Stockholm, and Julia Fioretti in Brussels; writing by Simon Johnson, Alister Doyle and Niklas Pollard; editing by Mark Heinrich/Alexander Smith/Susan Thomas) INDIANAPOLIS State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, wants Gary residents to have more say in decisions made by the state-appointed emergency manager poised to take over operations of the financially distressed Gary Community School Corp. Senate Bill 567, approved 77-19 Thursday by the Indiana House, allows the mayor and School Board to appoint representatives to a four-person fiscal management board that the emergency manager must occasionally consult, but is not obligated to follow its recommendations. That's a far cry from Melton's original proposal to aid Gary schools that would have kept academics under the authority of the elected trustees, and given financial control to an emergency manager chosen and overseen by the School Board, mayor and state superintendent of public instruction. Melton believes that without similar local input, a state-appointed emergency manager won't have a complete understanding of Gary, its children and the needs of its school district before making significant decisions with long-term ramifications. "We definitely want folks to be familiar with the community, be familiar with our situation and how to handle it," Melton said. "It will shorten the learning curve." He's hoping as the legislation is hammered into final form by a House-Senate conference committee over the next two weeks he can persuade lawmakers the emergency manager would benefit from having to listen to more Gary voices. One way to do that, Melton said, would be to require the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board to appoint an emergency manager who lives in Gary, or at least Lake County, so long as one can be found. "It's such an urgent issue that we need someone that's able to get in and get to work as soon as possible," Melton said. Last week, state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, proposed the Republican-controlled House adopt that exact requirement as it was considering revisions to Senate Bill 567. Brown's amendment was rejected, 63-29, on a party-line vote. However, Brown did succeed in mandating the emergency manager provide notice to the mayor before selling any school corporation assets in an effort to reduce the district's approximately $8 million annual operating deficit and $100 million debt burden. Aside from that limitation, the legislation would sideline the elected School Board and empower the emergency manager to act unilaterally to reduce district expenses and alter its academic program with an overriding goal of achieving a balanced budget. A chief financial officer and a chief academic officer selected by the emergency manager, along with the district's superintendent, would help decide what cuts to make. But only the Distressed Unit Appeals Board would have the authority to override a decision made by the emergency manager. Melton said given the state's inability, so far, to pull up the A-F ratings of most of the individual schools it has taken over academically, including Gary's Roosevelt College and Career Academy, he's not confident that a state academic and financial takeover will fare any better. "I know there have been some improvements in a lot of the schools in terms of the climate, the culture, test scores and things of that nature," Melton said. "I don't think the state should be in the business of taking over entire school districts." Nevertheless, Melton acknowledged that he believes the primary sponsors of the Gary takeover legislation state Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, and state Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville "want the best for the children and the community." "We all have different perspectives on how we get there," Melton said. INDIANAPOLIS An Illinois-based veterans advocacy group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Indiana's ban on political robocalls, arguing that free speech should outweigh privacy rights. Patriotic Veterans Inc. is appealing a 7th Circuit Court ruling that said Indiana has a legitimate interest in blocking unwanted, automatically dialed phone calls, the Indianapolis Star reported. The nonprofit says the more important principle of First Amendments rights is at stake. "Our patriotic veterans did not fight in the rice paddies of Vietnam or the bone-chilling cold of Korea to protect Indiana citizens' right to be protected from 'annoyance,'" said a statement from its national chairman, Jim Nalepa. Patriotic Veterans president Paul Caprio says the group places automated calls in 35 states. The calls are meant to influence public policy on issues "that matter to veterans and other voters." State law, particularly the Automatic Dialing Machine Statute, bars prerecorded telephone calls that contain political messages. Former Attorney General Greg Zoeller took a hard-line stance on phone privacy in Indiana, where the topic of robocalls is contentious. Three exceptions to the ban in Indiana include messages from school districts to students, parents or employees; messages to subscribers with whom the caller has a current business or personal relationship; and messages advising employees of work schedules. The newspaper reported that the challenge to the law dates to 2010, when the group filed suit over the restrictions. HAMMOND Joe Garza wanted to do something nice for his neighbors and with a lot of help a new ramp was installed for Denise and Bill Engle. The Engles were using basically a makeshift ramp which was not safe and the neighbors noticed, so Garza wanted to do something and went to Home Depot to buy materials. He talked with Tom Pimentel, assistant manager at Home Depot and Pimentel got in touch with Jeff Hall. Hall is project manager for Chicago UAW/Ford Community Service Team. Once that service team got involved the Engles had a new ramp within two days. "Our team learned of their need for a ramp through Tom Pimentel," Hall said. "Joe had witnessed Bill and Denise struggling to roll Bill's wheelchair down a very steep homemade ramp and Joe knew it was dangerous. Tom knew our team could help." Hall said the team has built many ramps in and around Northwest Indiana but they could not believe the response they got this time from all the neighbors. "While working on the ramp several neighbors stopped by to thank us for helping Bill and Denise," Hall said. "I am very touched by the love and support this neighborhood has for each other and the strong sense of community with the help from the building inspector's office and the local Home Depot. "I am so appreciative of the team that built the ramp," Garza said. "I don't know much about construction but I was worried about my neighbors. So glad it was done professionally." Hall could not stress enough how high the level of appreciation was by the neighborhood and Denise and Bill Engle. The service team's mission is to be able to give back to the communities that people work and live in. Their goal is to empower people with disabilities to maintain an independent lifestyle, become more self-sufficient with greater mobility. MUNSTER Emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye and first responders need to assess the situation quickly. When those emergencies involve someone of any age with special needs, the situation can become even more critical. The Munster Police Department recently launched a new Special Needs & Disability Awareness Program to help change that. Residents with family members who have been diagnosed with any type of mental, emotional or physical disability are encouraged to enroll in the program by filling out a one-page form. That form is available at the departments records window, 1001 Ridge Road, during regular daytime business hours, Monday through Friday. Residents also can download a form at www.munster.org/police, said Community Policing Officer James Ghrist, who oversees the program with Lt. Ed Strbjak. The enrollment form will provide space for you to note the disability or special need, as well as any additional instructions that might assist any public safety personnel such as police, fire, or emergency medical technicians who either encounter that individual on the street or who are responding to your residence, Ghrist said. Information from that form is entered into the police departments non-public emergency services database and creates an alert screen to notify the 911 dispatcher, Ghrist said. The dispatcher then relays that information to responding police officers, firefighters and/or EMTs, he said. Emergencies could involve a fire in a home where someone uses oxygen or a child with a developmental disability such as autism or an adult with dementia wandering away from home. A person experiencing hearing loss may not to understanding first responders instructions, and those who are nonverbal would not respond to questions, Strbjak said. With information about the person, we can fully respond to the situation, now and in the future, he noted. This program is a way to serve the community because there are safety issues for children and adults. Program gets positive feedback Munster Police Chief Steve Scheckel said comments about the program have been positive. If we can help just one of our residents, it is a success, Scheckel said, adding that he hopes this program spreads to other municipalities on both sides of the state line. Communities work better when they work together, said Scheckel. Griffith Police Cmdr. Keith Martin agreed. This information can be attached right to the 911 system. Then, say the person is involved in an accident with his aunt in another town, that information is available in that jurisdiction, Martin said. Its a fantastic idea. Scheckel said this special needs awareness program dovetails with the Munster Police Departments senior citizen welfare check program, also administered by Ghrist and Strbjak. This program will allow senior citizens who are enrolled to be placed onto a list to be contacted during extreme weather conditions (cold, heat, disasters, etc.), power outages, or other related types of incidents, Ghrist said. Those residents are contacted by VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service), records department personnel or other members of the police department by phone. If the individual does not answer the phone, individuals who have been listed as emergency contacts by the resident will be called, and an officer may be dispatched to perform a welfare check of the residence if necessary, Ghrist said. Enrollment forms for the senior citizen welfare check program are also available at the police department records window or can be downloaded from www.munster.org/police, he said. Authorized relatives can sign up residents for the program, and officers on patrol will be encouraged to assist residents with signing up if they feel that they can be assisted through the program, Ghrist said. Senior citizens who reside alone or who have no relatives residing nearby are strongly encouraged to participate in this program, he said. However, any senior citizen is welcome if they wish to be contacted during extreme weather events. "You don't make a commitment you cannot live up to." This recent statement from Lake County Councilman David Hamm sounds like a no-brainer, marrying conventional logic with straightforward values of right and wrong. Unfortunately, it was necessary to bring this logic to bear to fight a very illogical proposal by another Lake County councilman. The Lake County Council is wise to distance itself from Councilman Jamal Washington's threat to sponsor a resolution allowing the county and other municipalities to reduce previous funding commitments to commuter rail expansion. Washington has been a vocal critic of the commuter rail projects since pleading guilty in late 2016 to battering his wife. It's a convenient distraction endearing him with a vocal minority of critics, who would rather see the Region wallow in stagnation rather than experience the economic growth and development commuter rail expansion can bring. We heard very little about Washington's stance on the train before his personal controversy. In fact, Washington's signature is one of four from County Council members who approved the 2015 ordinance establishing Lake County's Commuter Rail Extension and Improvement Fund, where county commuter rail contributions are placed. Washington told us he's had more time to review the train expansion proposals since that ordinance was approved, and he doesn't believe it would benefit residents in his district, which encompasses much of Gary and Merrillville. It's short-sighted thinking. Improving public transit opportunities for existing and future residents is an incredible marketing tool for growing the entire Region's population. On Thursday, Washington wisely noted he was setting aside, at least for now, his plan to allow local train funding reductions. He should lose the notion entirely. The Indiana House already has passed a bill that would capture any previously committed train expansion revenues from local government income taxes. It's a clear warning shot over the bows of Merrillville, whose town council already voted to renege on and reduce commuter rail funding, and Gary, which is considering a resolution to take a similar detour from its contractual obligations. We thank Hamm for reminding Washington, fellow council members and other Region leaders that unringing the bell on contractual funding commitments is bad precedent and even worse government. Hamm noted Thursday that Washington lacks a majority of pledged council votes to push through a funding-reduction resolution. The council would be wise to keep it that way and move on to other pressing issues of public policy. Now we know. Credible evidence of abuse of power has surfaced that Susan Rice, Barack Obama's national security adviser, misused her office to, in effect, spy on the Trump staff before and after the 2016 election. Could it be that the whole Russian/Trump collusion narrative is just another Democrat red herring used to mask the Democratic Party's own illicit tactics used to impugn its political opponents? I'm sure the Democrats will feign outrage at being exposed and will continue to obstruct and obfuscate the truth. But Trump is yet again being vindicated. The main stream media, now relegated to the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, will continue to parse words (i.e. wiretapping vs. surveillance) to confuse the American public, but the truth will out. This whole mess is a blatant example of the political swamp that Donald J. Trump promises to drain. Gary Ziolkowski, Crown Point PALM BEACH, Fla. The United States is vowing to keep up the pressure on Syria after the intense nighttime wave of missile strikes from U.S. ships, despite the prospect of escalating Russian ill will that could further inflame one of the world's most vexing conflicts. Standing firm, the Trump administration on Friday signaled new sanctions would soon follow the missile attack, and the Pentagon was even probing whether Russia itself was involved in the chemical weapons assault that compelled President Donald Trump to action. The attack against a Syrian air base was the first U.S. assault against the government of President Bashar Assad. Much of the international community rallied behind Trump's decision to fire the cruise missiles in reaction to this week's chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of men, women and children in Syria. But a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the strikes dealt "a significant blow" to relations between Moscow and Washington. A key test of whether the relationship can be salvaged comes next week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson becomes the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Russia. Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with the Assad government and has been implicated in many of the attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule, though Moscow adamantly denies such claims. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hasn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson also had planned to visit Russia this coming week, but decided Saturday to cancel the trip because of the fast moving events in Syria. Johnson, who condemned Moscow's continued defense of Assad, said Tillerson will be able to give a "clear and coordinated message to the Russians." At the United Nations on Friday, Russia's deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, strongly criticized what he called the U.S. "flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression" whose "consequences for regional and international security could be extremely serious." He called the Assad government a main force against terrorism and said it deserved the presumption of innocence in the chemical weapons attack. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said the world is waiting for the Russian government "to act responsibly in Syria" and "to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar Assad." Trump spoke by telephone Friday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who reaffirmed strong support for the military strike and thanked the U.S. president for his "courageous" action, according to statements issued Saturday by the White House and the official Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia, one of the most vehement opponents of Assad, said the missile barrage was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it." The Turkish foreign minister, whose country is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition, said the U.S. missile strikes were not enough. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday that the U.S. intervention was only "cosmetic" unless it removes Assad from power. He said the most ideal process would be a political solution that leads to a transitional government. In Florida with the president, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said additional economic sanctions on Syria were being prepared. Thursday night's strikes some 60 cruise missiles fired from two ships in the Mediterranean were the culmination of a rapid, three-day transformation for Trump, who has long opposed deeper U.S. involvement in Syria's civil war. Advisers said he was outraged by heartbreaking images of young children who were among the dozens killed in the chemical attack. The decision undercut another campaign promise for Trump: his pledge to try to warm relations with Moscow. After months of allegations of ties between his election campaign and the Kremlin the subject of current congressional and FBI investigations Trump has found himself clashing with Putin. On Friday, senior U.S. military officials were looking more closely at possible Russian involvement in the poison attack. Officials said a drone belonging to either Russia or Syria was seen hovering over the site after the assault earlier this week. The drone returned late in the day as citizens were going to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shortly afterward, officials say the hospital was targeted. The officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive matter, said they believe the hospital attack may have been an effort to cover up evidence of the earlier assault. White House officials caution that Trump is not preparing to plunge the U.S. deeper into Syria. Spokesman Sean Spicer said the missile attack sent a clear message to Assad, but he avoided explicitly calling for the Syrian to leave office. In a letter to Congress on Saturday, Trump said he "acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations" and as commander in chief and chief executive. He said the U.S. "will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests." Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Florida resort, tweeted a brief explanation Saturday of why the military didn't strike the runways in its bombardment of the Syrian air field, writing, "they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)!" ___ Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Vivian Salama in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC New Yorkers observing Palm Sunday are reacting after bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshippers were celebrating the holy day as well. NY1's Natalie Duddridge filed the following report. Worshippers at the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George in Dyker Heights came to celebrate Palm Sunday, but their prayers were focused on the dozens killed and wounded after two Coptic churches in Egypt were attacked. "During the mass they were praying and they said, 'Pray for those who gave their life this morning,''" one worshipper said, in tears. "I felt bad because it's been happening every other week nowadays." The blasts were at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday, killing at least 43 people and wounding about 100 in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. The blasts came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit the Arab world's most populous country, which has been beset by extremist violence against its minority Christians. In the first attack, a bomb went off inside St. George's Church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78, officials said. A few hours later, a suicide bomber rushed toward St. Mark's Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, killing at least 16 people and wounding 41, the Interior Ministry said. "I was very, very upset. Everybody was upset because the Christians, they didn't anything to anybody, actually," one man said outside the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George. "We are very peaceful. This is our holiday." Worshippers in Brooklyn said they are worried about family members in Egypt, many of whom have close ties to the church communities affected. "I called my family and everybody's fine, but we do have friends here from Tanta and we didn't get to see them yet," one woman said outside the Dyker Heights church. "We're going to ask them how they feel about it, if their families are all right. We have a lot of people from Alexandria, too." Pope Francis was already set to travel to Egypt in the next few weeks. He spoke against the violence at a Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican. "I pray for the dead and the wounded. I am close to the families and to the entire community," Pope Francis said in a statement. "God convert the hearts of the people who spread terror, violence, and death, and also the heart of those produce and traffic weapons." President Trump also tweeted about the attacks, which he says the U.S. strongly condemns. The state budget is one step away from becoming final after the State Assembly voted on it Saturday. Lawmakers reached a deal late Friday night. The deadline for the $153 billion budget was midnight April 1. The State Senate is expected to vote Sunday night. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said most items on his wish list were folded into the deal, including a plan for free college tuition at state schools. One notable item was left out, however, an extension for mayoral control of schools. Another major sticking point was whether to raise the age of criminal liability from 16 to 18. The Republican-controlled State Senate was against the measure, but lawmakers were able to reach an agreement. As part of this year's deal, Cuomo has the option to reopen the budget later this year if some proposed federal cuts go through. The federal budget is due in October. Khalid al Falih Saudi Arabia Oil prices spiked after the United States launched 59 cruise missiles at Shayrat airfield in Syria and nearby military infrastructure controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in response to a chemical attack that killed at least 80 people in the northwestern part of the country on Monday. Both West Texas Intermediate crude, the US domestic benchmark, and Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed to one-month highs in overnight trade. The oil price spike happened even though there is no significant short-term supply disruption, given that Syria's oil production had already mostly gone offline amid the ongoing conflict, which has wreaked havoc on the country's economy. But if the crisis intensifies, there could be consequences for other major oil players like Russia and Iran. "The upshot is that whilst increased tensions in the Middle East could support the prices of oil and gold in the short term, we expect fundamentals to reassert themselves as the main driver of prices over the remainder of the year," Thomas Pugh, commodities economist at Capital Economics, wrote. "As such, the jump in the prices of oil indicates that investors are concerned about the potential for the conflict to escalate to major producers nearby," he wrote. "Indeed, the big fear [among investors] seems to be that this military strikes suggests that President Trump could be taking a more interventionist approach to the region." Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, argued in a note to clients that although there are no major short-term production outage risks, there remain a couple longer-term questions to keep an eye in relation to energy markets. First, could new strains between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council states emerge, which could then derail future cooperation on oil policy? Second, could the US strikes upend the dynamics of Iran's upcoming presidential elections? Story continues On the first question, Russia has so far been able to maintain support for Assad and warm relations with Iran while cooperating on energy policy with GGC countries, including Saudi Arabia. Most recently, Russia joined in on the OPEC production cut. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself came out in favor of coordinating with the cartel back in October amid the continued corrosiveness of lower oil prices. Reuters later reported that Putin played a "crucial role" as an intermediary between Iran and Saudi Arabia to get the OPEC deal done in November. "Therefore, Syria was not an intractable obstacle for Moscow in working with key Sunni states. However, it will be important to watch whether Syria does emerge as something of a deal breaker in the wake of the conflict's altered dynamics," according to Croft. As for the second point, regarding Iran's elections, Croft wrote (emphasis ours): "The conventional wisdom to date was that President Rouhani would be able to secure a second term with the implicit support of the Supreme Leader despite the rising criticism of the nuclear deal from the conservative quarters and growing public disenchantment with the more modest economic dividend from the deal due to residual sanctions. A key question now is whether Khamenei decides to tip the scales in favor of a more hardline candidate in light of Iran's strong support for Assad, most notably the weapons and manpower provided by the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force to the Syrian strongman. The nuclear deal and the sanctions relief that enabled the return of Iranian oil exports would certainly be imperiled if Rouhani were defeated by a candidate with more hawkish/anti-American credentials." Croft added that if the strike on Syria proves to be a one-off event and there are no serious efforts to put Assad out of power, then neither a conflict with Russia or a shift in Iranian politics is likely to transpire, and implications for oil should then remain relatively muted. "However, given that President Trump had previously signaled deep disdain for humanitarian interventions and the Middle Eastern military engagements, we are now in uncharted waters and we think that many of our earlier prevailing assumptions about the implications of the conflict in Syria may be upended," she added. WTI crude is up by 0.9% at $52.15 per barrel, while Brent crude is up by 0.6% at $55.20 as of 1:42 p.m. ET. NOW WATCH: 7 mega-billionaires who made a fortune last year More From Business Insider SACRAMENTO Years ago, I was riding an Amtrak train from Virginia to New Jersey and was chatting with a couple from California, who were stunned at how rapidly the train went from one state to another. One can drive from southern Maine to North Carolina and pass through a dozen states plus the District of Columbia in roughly the same distance as going from San Diego to Crescent City, California. Consider, too, that Californias approximately 39 million population equals the total combined population of the nations 22 smallest states. I can regale you with geographic trivia, but the closer you look, the harder it is to fathom why talks of breaking up California are not taken more seriously. California is too large in size and population to be governed fairly. Note the word fairly. Theres plenty of debate about whether California is governed properly. I think not, but I cover the State Capitol and listen closely to the zaniness. I own a historic home that would have been flushed down the Feather River like detritus circling a toilet bowl, had the Oroville emergency spillway collapsed. Californias leaders lavish public employees with benefits and build silly bullet trains, yet cant maintain basic infrastructure. And then they strong-arm us into raising taxes, yet again. But, ultimately, the properly question is a matter of political philosophy. Most liberal Democrats I know are happy with the way California is managed, and with the priorities that emanate from Sacramento. And why not? They control every state constitutional office and have supermajorities in the Legislature. Thats where fairness comes in. People who live outside the metropolitan areas are always overruled in the Capitol. They have no effective representation, no way to govern according to local values. In late March, two leaders of the Brexit movement the successful, underdog referendum to extricate Great Britain from the European Union were in Huntington Beach to receive an award from the American Association of Political Consultants. While there, they touted the latest plan to chop up California into two or more independent states. This is Version 2.0 of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tim Drapers previous plan to create Six Californias. Ive read dismissive and even mocking media coverage of Drapers idea. Its ridiculous, some say, even though there have been dozens of efforts to break up California since the beginning of the state. The eastern borders were largely arbitrary and designed basically by committee at a constitutional convention. But the imprimatur of two Brexit ringleaders, party leader Nigel Farage and financier Arron Banks has put the issue back in the news, given that their British effort was once deemed too silly to contemplate. They beat the odds, so why cant we? While in Orange County, they met with former Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh, who has said the break-up idea would improve democratic representation. Hes right. They were well received when they spoke to local groups about Brexit and the possibility of partitioning California. There have been myriad ideas to address our representation problem. Ive written occasionally about San Diego-area businessman John Cox and his efforts to qualify a statewide initiative that would vastly expand the size of the Legislature. It sounds unwieldy to elect 8,000 Assembly members, which is why his Citizen Legislature plan still needs revamping. But the general idea makes sense. In California, we have one Assembly member for every 483,000 residents. Thats the worst ratio in the country. In New Hampshire, which has the best ratio, there are approximately 3,200 residents for every member of the statehouse. What are your chances of influencing or even reaching your legislator or even his or her staffers in California? In a state as big as ours, only the big guys the political parties, labor unions and other special interests matter. Breaking up one mega-state into multiple reasonably sized states, where people with like-minded interests can better govern themselves, is a great idea that gives voters more power. If that wont happen, then we at least need more representative districts. I carefully analyzed the Six Californias proposal, and found it would have created a competitive situation in the three more conservative states. The liberal states around Los Angeles, San Jose and Sacramento would have remained liberal bastions, but at least officials would be closer to home and more accountable. I dismiss the Calexit idea, however, because it would make California its own nation. I cant imagine living without the protections of the U.S. Constitution (or whats left of it). It wont happen. Plus, its reportedly advocated by a man with Russian ties. But theres no reason we cant give new boundaries to old states. If Rhode Island not much larger than Orange County can have two senators and a Capitol, why cant there be several states formerly known as California? Thanks to Farage, Banks, Draper and Baugh for helping us revisit a vital question. Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute. He was a Register editorial writer from 1998-2009. Write to him at sgreenhut@rstreet.org. AUGUSTA, Ga. Jordan Spieth continued to turn Augusta National into his home court Saturday, even though he tripped over a few loose boards on Thursday. The 2015 Masters champ shot 75 on Thursday with a quadruple-bogey nine on the 15th hole. Since then Spieth is 8-under-par at the Masters and his 4-under-par on 68 thrust him into a tie for third place, two strokes behind leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. This will be a new experience, coming from behind to try to win this, Spieth said. If anything I think it will free me up a little bit. Spieth has hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation each of the past two days and has had only one 3-putt green. He has finished second, first and second in his three previous Masters and is 29 under par in 15 rounds here. Spieth also called upon a legend when he sized up his second shot on the par-5 13th, out of the pine straw. He was 230 yards away from the pin. He and caddie Michael Greller analyzed the risks and rewards, and Spieth finally asked, What would Arnie do? He swatted a 4-iron onto the green and almost eagled. I have good vibes in that situation, he said. GOING FOR THE CUP The low amateur in the Masters gets a silver cup and Stewart Hagestad is drawing a bead on it. Hagestad shot a 2-over-par 74 Saturday and is at 5-over-par. The only other amateur in the field is Curtis Luck, four strokes behind Hagestad. Beyond that, Hagestad leads the entire Masters field in closest proximity to the hole on his approach shots. His approaches land 34 feet, 4 inches from the hole, on average. The USC alum works in New York as a financial analyst, and he had his usual varied cheering section on the grounds Saturday. A good number of his fans were wearing pink shirts, as was Hagestad. He got some applause for using a driver out of the pine straw on the par-5 13th, after he sprayed his drive. He wound up with a par on that hole. Asked about the two houses that the Hagestad party is renting this week, he said, Im supposed to be in the quieter one, so Ive been going to bed. I dont know what goes on after that. Weve got about 30-35 people there. After that second driver on that hole Ive probably won a few more friends. TRADITION CONTINUES As hard as it is to believe, no one has broke 70 for all four rounds at the Masters. That hex continued early this week, with no one shooting in the 60s both Thursday and Friday. NUMBERS GAME Rickie Fowler has gained 3.778 strokes putting against the field. Russell Henley (2.010) is the only other player above two..Justin Thomas has hit 42 of 54 greens in regulation, to lead the field. Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia will be in the final group today, teeing off at 11:45 PDT.The stroke average Saturday was 72.491, much lower than the first two days.The field has hit 59 p SAN FRANCISCO Ramon Regalado was starving and sick with malaria when he slipped away from his Japanese captors during the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines, escaping a brutal trudge through steamy jungle that killed hundreds of Americans and thousands of Filipinos who fought for the U.S. during World War II. On Saturday, the former wartime machine-gun operator joined a dwindling band of veterans of the war in San Franciscos Presidio to honor the soldiers who died on the march and those who made it to a prisoner of war camp only to die there. They commemorated the mostly Filipino soldiers who held off Japanese forces in the Philippines for three months without supplies of food or ammunition before a U.S. Army major general surrendered 75,000 troops to Japan on April 9, 1942. Few Americans are aware of the Filipinos who were starving as they relentlessly fended off the more powerful and well-supplied Japanese forces, said Cecilia Gaerlan, executive director of the Berkeley, California-based Bataan Legacy Historical Society organizing the event at the former military fort. Despite fighting without any air support and without any reinforcement, they disrupted the timetable of the Imperial Japanese army, she said. That was their major role, to perform a delaying action. And they did that beyond expectations. More than 250,000 Filipino soldiers served in World War II, when the Philippines were a U.S. territory. But after the war ended, President Harry Truman signed laws that stripped away promises of benefits and citizenship for Filipino veterans. Only recently have they won back some concessions and acknowledgment, including the nations highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. The veterans also received lump-sum payments as part of the 2009 stimulus law. An estimated 18,000 Filipino veterans of World War II are still alive and living in the U.S. Tens of thousands of Filipino and U.S. troops were forced on the 65-mile (105-kilometer) march and Gaerlan said as many as 650 Americans and 10,000 Filipinos died in stifling heat and at the hands of Japanese soldiers who shot, bayoneted or beat soldiers who fell or stopped for water. More than 80 percent of those forced on the march were Filipino. After they arrived at a prison camp set up at Camp ODonnell, she said, an additional 1,600 Americans and 20,000 Filipinos died from dysentery, starvation and disease. Gaerlan grew up knowing that her father, Luis Gaerlan, Jr., had been in a wartime march in which a lot of people had died. But he rarely spoke about it or he would re-enact it with rat-a-tat-tat sound effects for the guns that made her laugh. She started researching the march in 2011 and tried to elicit more details from her father. He broke down crying telling her that some men were so desperate that they killed themselves. Others wrote goodbye letters to their relatives during the march. And he said he was starting to write his farewell letter, because a lot of men did that, and I asked him, Well, were you going to take your own life? she said. And he didnt answer. Gaerlans father died in 2014 at age 94. She successfully lobbied California last year to mandate teaching details of the battle and march in high schools. She also collects march veterans stories before they die, including the memories of 99-year-old Regalado, who lives in the San Francisco suburb of El Cerrito. When the war broke out, Regalado was a member of the Philippine Scouts, a military branch of the U.S. Army for Filipino soldiers. He and two other soldiers were assigned to feed horses during the march and slipped away when guards were not watching them, Regalado said. A farmer took in the three, even though the penalty for doing so was death. All were sick with malaria. Only Regalado survived. He went on to join a guerrilla resistance movement against the Japanese and moved in 1950 to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for the U.S. military. Regalado credits his survival and long life to his high morale. While being cared for by the farmer, he recalls telling himself: Im not going to die. SAN FRANCISCO A storm that battered Northern California, endangering homes and leaving thousands in the dark, dumped only a drizzle of rain in the south and was beginning to roll out of state Saturday. A Pacific Ocean cold front generally dropped an inch of rain or less in the north beginning Friday night. San Francisco got around a fifth of an inch. Southern California generally saw only fractions of an inch. No significant flooding or other problems were reported. Showers and isolated thunderstorms were possible through Saturday in the north followed by dry weather. Although another storm could hit Sacramento again on Sunday, it was expected to be weaker and produce only a few showers, the National Weather Service reported. However, the Sierra Nevada could see some rain and up to 6 inches of new snow down to around 4,000 feet with up to 12 inches likely near passes, the weather service predicted. Winds gusting to 45 mph were expected through Saturday night along the Central Coast and southern deserts, canyons and mountains. Rain began sweeping into the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, softening soil already saturated by months of previous storms. Residents of at least six homes in Oakland were forced to evacuate following a landslide. Nobody was hurt, but three of the endangered homes were red-tagged Friday, meaning they were unsafe to live in. Diane Henderson told KGO-TV that mud and water flooded into her house. Came down and I guess came through my back bedroom and bathroom and down through the hallway and then all through the patio, Henderson said. Its burst through and started coming down really fast. Gusty winds capsized a 112-foot barge in the bay before dawn Friday. Authorities were concerned it might release up to 4,000 gallons (15,141 liters) of fuel and oil, but crews managed to close a leaking fuel vent, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. It was unclear how much diesel fuel leaked. Crews set up a containment boom around the barge. The shoreline didnt appear to have been affected, U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Sarah Wilson told the paper. The winds also downed trees and power lines, leaving more than 40,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers in the Bay Area without power until it was restored Friday. KABUL, Afghanistan Last year, the U.S. military spent more than $100 million to rebuild the Afghan armys 215th Corps, which is battling resurgent Taliban militants in the southern province of Helmand. Soldiers were to be recruited and trained, and armed with new equipment. A new commander, trumpeted as visionary and clean of corruption, was appointed to rebuild and reform the unit, which was a shambles just a year after taking charge of security in Helmand from the U.S.-led NATO coalition. Casualties were at a record high, the leadership was corrupt, and many of the soldiers existed only on paper. But as winter set in, it became clear that the plan had not worked. Over the course of the year, the Taliban gained more territory; the militants now largely control seven of 14 districts in Helmand and contest another five, according to local officials. Casualties among government forces in the province broke records again. And that new, clean commander? He was arrested on charges of stealing food and fuel intended for his beleaguered soldiers. With large swaths of the Afghan countryside under Taliban control and several cities threatened, U.S. and NATO leaders are growing frustrated with the slow pace of security reforms that they see as necessary to battle the insurgency. A major problem is the rampant corruption of the Afghan security leadership, which is profiting from the chaos even as soldiers die in record numbers. Most of that work was rapidly undone, because of corruption and inept leadership, says Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, in charge of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan, referring to efforts to reform the 215th. When they went into the winter cycle, the 215th Corps was pretty low and we said we are not going to do this again. The commander of U.S. and NATO forces here, Gen. John W. Nicholson, has likened the reform of Afghan forces to building an airplane while in flight. Fighting, which used to slow in the winter and pick up again in the spring, is now a constant, preventing the military from being able to regroup. This years fighting comes as the countrys coalition government remains stagnated by infighting and struggling to deal with the realities on the battlefield. There is also a breakdown of the regional consensus over the U.S. mission here. Russia and Iran, in addition to Pakistan, are increasingly accused of fostering ties with the Taliban and hedging their own bets. The American military has tried for 15 years to help Afghanistan build a professional army, said Karl W. Eikenberry, a retired American general who commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan and later was the U.S. ambassador to Kabul. It has always assumed that its own goal of defeating the insurgency is shared by Afghan army leaders. But, he added, this is often not so. Eikenberry said that for many Afghan commanders, the Taliban were just one concern in an uncertain political and economic environment. Others are ensuring the welfare of his family and supporters, staying aligned with political patrons, and avoiding combat so as to preserve his unit, which is a source of revenue, he said, referring to commanders in general. Some improvements have been made to varying degrees across the country over the winter, the U.S. military acknowledges; some security officials have been stripped of duties and put under investigation. Kaiser said Afghan forces had been at about 10 percent to 20 percent higher readiness. He cited the Afghan special forces, who while stretched by heavy fighting last year met a goal of keeping roughly one-third of the force fighting, one-third resting and one-third retraining. In Helmand, the new army corps commander insisted on the continued training of his battalions even as fighting raged in a key district, he said. The leadership of the air force was replaced wholesale. But, from interviews with about two dozen security officials across the country, it is clear that of the improvements that Nicholson said were urgently needed in several vital areas leadership, retraining struggling units and combating corruption little has been achieved on the ground. Western officials said that in the first three months of the year, Afghan forces were almost entirely on the defensive. In a clear indication of concern, Nicholson has asked the White House to send thousands of additional U.S. troops to help the roughly 10,000-strong coalition force that remains on the ground. In the eastern province of Nangarhar, the district governor of Bati Kot said the pressure of fighting over the winter months was such that training was impossible. In northern Sar-i-Pul province, the commander of a police battalion said his forces had no time to regroup and prepare for the next fighting season because they had been on standby 24/7 all winter. This year, we did not send anyone for retraining, said Haji Ghalib Mujahid, the district governor of Bati Kot. We are engaged in fighting each hour, during day and night. Officials say President Ashraf Ghani is increasingly aware that his military commanders have been lying to him on the state of their units and on the adoption of changes charted in Kabul. But there is also skepticism among Western and Afghan officials about just how committed he is to keeping the security overhaul free from patronage politics. After prodding by coalition leaders, a board appointed by the president was supposed to purge corrupt and incompetent security leaders during the winter and create a system of merit-based promotions. The winter is over, and that work has yet to begin. Even though the military reform has been far from satisfactory, the support keeps coming. According to Kaiser, the United States has since October provided about 900 new Humvees, new weapons sufficient for about 14 battalions, fuel for a fleet of more than 100,000 vehicles, winter clothing for 25 percent of the Afghan army and the police, and three-quarters of a years supply of ammunition. I can give you everything all day, but it doesnt mean anything if you have poor leadership taking it away from you, Kaiser said. Coalition leaders have had to resort to drastic measures to jolt their Afghan partners into action. Last year, Kaisers team pulled the fuel contract from the Afghan Defense and Interior Affairs Ministries, which adds up to about $250 million, because it could not trust the agencies with that much money. Then, to get Afghan leaders to update their systems with biometrics of soldiers to ensure there were no ghost soldiers on the payroll, they held back pay for tens of thousands of army soldiers funded by the United States. The pressure tactics appeared to work: The army increased the number of its properly enrolled soldiers by 20,000 over just two months. It was a shock to the system, but I had to, Kaiser said. One reason for the leadership problems is a widening gap between soldiers and commanders. One senior Afghan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly express his concerns, described what he called a caste-based system within the ranks. At the top, he said, is a class of often incompetent generals, many of them from the Communist or the civil war period who had strong political ties. The soldiers are treated as an untouchable class, dying at an average of close to 20 a day. The leaders show little concern for their men, the Afghan official said, a view that is widely held by Western officials. We hear story after story of commanders who steal the fuel, sell it to the Taliban, who take the weapons we you pay for and sell it to the Taliban, John Sopko, the U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan, said in a recent speech. The irony of it is, the terrorists are at the end of our supply chain. In the interview, Kaiser, whose son is an Army lieutenant, clearly felt frustrated by the lack of empathy shown by Afghan leaders for their soldiers. I wish every Afghan leader could have a son or a daughter out in the checkpoint, the general said. And I wish everyone would ask one question before they went to bed at night does my son or daughter have what they need to fight tonight and win? California may never secede, or divide into different states, but it has effectively split into entities that could not be more different. On one side is the much-celebrated, post-industrial, coastal California, beneficiary of both the Tech Boom 2.0 and a relentlessly inflating property market. The other California, located in the states interior, is still tied to basic industries like homebuilding, manufacturing, energy and agriculture. It is populated largely by working- and middle-class people who, overall, earn roughly half that of those on the coast. Over the past decade or two, interior California has lost virtually all influence, as Silicon Valley and Bay Area progressives have come to dominate both state politics and state policy. We dont have seats at the table, laments Richard Chapman, president and CEO of the Kern Economic Development Corporation. We are a flyover state within a state. Virtually all the polices now embraced by Sacramento from water and energy regulations to the embrace of sanctuary status and a $15-an-hour minimum wage come right out of San Francisco central casting. Little consideration is given to the needs of the interior, and little respect is given to their economies. San Francisco, for example, recently decided to not pump oil from land owned by the city in Kern County, although one wonders what the new rich in that region use to fill the tanks of their BMWs. Californias enlightened green policies help boost energy prices 50 percent above those of neighboring states, which makes a bigger difference in the less temperate interior, where many face longer commutes than workers in more compact coastal areas. The new Bantustans Fresno, Bakersfield, Ontario and San Bernardino are rapidly becoming the Bantustans the impoverished areas designed for Africans under the racist South African regime in Californias geographic apartheid. Poverty rates in the Central Valley and Inland Empire reach over a third of the population, well above the share in the Bay Area. By some estimates, rural California counties suffer the highest unemployment rate in the country; six of the 10 metropolitan areas in the country with the highest percentage of jobless are located in the central and eastern parts of the state. The interior counties from San Bernardino to Merced also suffer the worst health conditions in the state. Related Articles Urgent passage of gas tax hike shows governors political skill Gas tax hike recalls Gray Davis Focus: Heres how big Californias economy really is This disparity has worsened in recent years. Until the 2008 housing crash, the interior counties served, as the Kern EDCs Chapman puts it, as an incubator for mobility. These areas were places that Californians of modest means, and companies no longer able to afford coastal prices, could get a second shot. But state policies, notably those tied to Gov. Jerry Browns climate jihad, suggests Inland Empire economist John Husing, have placed California at war with blue-collar industries like homebuilding, energy, agriculture and manufacturing. These kinds of jobs are critical for regions where almost half the workforce has a high school education or less. Why the interior matters In legislating against the interior, the state is trying to counter the national trend evident in the most recent census numbers that shows people seeking less dense, more affordable areas. Both millennial and immigrant populations are growing rapidly in these regions. Between 2000 and 2013, the Inland region experienced a 91 percent jump in its population with bachelors degrees or higher, a far more rapid increase than either Orange or Los Angeles counties. By curtailing new housing supply, California is systematically shutting off this aspirational migration. Chapman University forecaster James Doti notes that, in large part due to regulation, Inland Empire housing prices have jumped 80 percent since 2009 almost twice the rate for Orange County. Doti links this rapid rise to helping slow the areas once buoyant job growth in half over the past two years. Population growth has also slowed, particularly in comparison to a decade ago. Weighed down by coastal-imposed regulations, the interior is losing its allure for relocating firms. Many firms fleeing regulation, high taxes and housing costs used to head inland. Now, many are migrating to Nevada, Texas, Arizona and other states. Many of the projects we saw years ago have surfaced in Phoenix, lamented Mary Jane Ohlasso, assistant executive officer for San Bernardino County, in an interview. The whole way California has grown has been hopelessly terminated, she told me. Over time, however, constraining the interior will backfire on the coastal enclaves. In recent weeks, coastal technology and professional service providers have raised a growing alarm about attracting and retaining thirtysomething skilled workers. Some have even suggested that new transportation infrastructure for example, a tunnel between Corona and south Orange County could provide an alternative for family-aged workers who cannot afford a residence closer to the coast. Others, to keep key employees, are purposely setting up offices in places like San Antonio for workers entering their thirties. If this crisis of the interior is not addressed, the prognosis for California will be ever-growing class and race bifurcation and an ever-rising demand for welfare and other subsidies for those unable to pay for housing. California needs, in reasonable and sustainable ways, to keep open its regions of opportunity, not to seek to close them off to future generations. Joel Kotkin is the R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange and executive director of the Houston-based Center for Opportunity Urbanism (www.opportunityurbanism.org). chris nagel inmoji By the time Chris Nagle enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst as an undergraduate, his vision had already started to fade. "Going to college, I knew my sight wasn't getting any better, any time soon," Nagle says. So rather than going into law, or anthropology, or anything else that might require a lot of reading, Nagle chose to study computer science. As a lifelong fan of puzzles and riddles, he saw programming as a way to put his creative problem-solving skills to the test. For him, coding happens more in the mind than it does on the keyboard. "To me, it's much more of a detail-oriented process," says Nagle. After college, Nagle worked for tech firms like e-mail marketing company Constant Contact before landing in his present job as a Senior Software Engineer with Inmoji a Boston-area startup that creates custom messaging app stickers for brands. In addition to his day job, Nagle also volunteers with Blind New World, working with students and companies to help remove some of the stigma around hiring people with visual disabilities. Nagle calls it the "fear of the unknown," and it's something he's working to fight. Working At work, Nagle's setup is pretty much like everyone else's: He uses the same Mac and the same software as the rest of his colleagues in Inmoji's small engineering team. Nagle says the biggest immediate difference is that he keeps his monitor at an angle closer to his eyes and makes good use of Apple's accessibility features. Inmoji CTO Jarrod McLean praises Nagle's ability to get "the large overall mental picture" of the systems underpinning the company's software. And in customer meetings, McLean says, Nagle has the whole presentation memorized, to the point where nobody notices he's not reading from notes or consulting his slides. Nagle is, by all accounts, very good at his job, and McLean and the rest of Inmoji respect him for it. Which, is the key to the message he's trying to get across: "It's about the respect." Story continues Respect Nagle tells the story of a recent staff meeting of the nonprofit Institute for Community Inclusion, where he volunteers. At that meeting, he found that the agenda was printed in font so small that he couldn't read it. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony of an organization for the visually impaired that didn't consider the needs of the visually impaired. (They've since fixed it after he pointed it out, he says.) "Even the people who are focused on it can't do it right," Nagle says. inmoji Nagle's point: Don't stress too much over doing things right or saying the wrong thing. When he's at the office, it's "more about respect," he says the recognition that he earned his spot at the company, the same as everybody else, thanks to his skills. Even jokes and teasing are okay with Nagle, he says, as long as nobody forgets that fundamental respect. "Hopefully the parallels to blind and visually impaired people in the workplace, to women and other minorities in tech are self-evident," Nagle says. Nagle knows what it's like to feel a certain degree of paranoia that your coworkers only think you're there to meet a diversity quota. The best way to keep your workplace from falling prey to that paranoia, says Nagle, is empathy. Because, Nagle says, if you show everybody their due respect, "you can help remove those feelings of unjustness." NOW WATCH: The intriguing way people who are color-blind see the world and how it can be incredibly confusing More From Business Insider ST. LOUIS Family, friends and fans paid their final respects to the rock n roll legend Chuck Berry on Sunday, celebrating the life and career of a man who inspired countless guitarists and bands. The celebration began with a public viewing at The Pageant, a music club in Berrys hometown of St. Louis where he often played. Hundreds of fans filed past Berry, whose beloved cherry-red Gibson guitar was bolted to the inside of his coffins lid. I am here because Chuck Berry meant a lot to anybody who grew up on rock n roll, said Wendy Mason, who drove in from Kansas City, Kansas, for the visitation. The music will live on forever. Another fan, Nick Hair, brought his guitar with him from Nashville, Tenn., so he could play Berrys Johnny B. Goode while waiting in line outside. After the public viewing, family and friends packed the club for a private funeral service and celebration of Berry, who inspired generations of musicians, from humble garage bands up to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The service was expected to include live music, and the Rev. Alex I. Peterson told the gathering they would be celebrating Berrys life in rock n roll style. Former President Bill Clinton sent a letter that was read at the funeral by U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay because Berry played at both of Clintons presidential inaugurations. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Clinton called Berry one of Americas greatest rock and roll pioneers. He captivated audiences around the world, Bill Clinton wrote. His music spoke to the hopes and dreams we all had in common. Me and Hillary grew up listening to him. Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss wasnt scheduled to speak but someone urged him to take the podium. Simmons said Berry had a tremendous influence on him as a musician, and he worked to break down racial barriers through his music. Paul McCartney and Little Richard both sent notes of condolences. At the end of the funeral, a brass band played St. Louis Blues while Berrys casket was carried out. When Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards spoke about Berry at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fames 1986 induction ceremony Berry was the first person inducted from that inaugural class he said Berry was the one who started it all. That sentiment was echoed Sunday by David Lettermans former band leader, Paul Shaffer, who spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch outside the club. Anyone who plays rock n roll was inspired by him, Shaffer said. Berrys standard repertoire included about three-dozen songs, including Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen and Roll Over Beethoven. His songs have been covered by country, pop and rock artists such as AC/DC and Buck Owens, and his riffs live on in countless songs. The head of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Greg Harris, said anybody whos picked up a guitar has been influenced by him. Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music. He was singing good lyrics, and intelligent lyrics, in the 50s when people were singing, Oh, baby, I love you so,' John Lennon once observed. Everything I wrote about wasnt about me, but about the people listening, Berry once said. Is a rally to end child poverty in California the leading edge of a new campaign to change Proposition 13 and raise property taxes? A close look suggests it may be. An emailed invitation to the rally in Los Angeles today promised guest speakers including Rep. John Lewis, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, author of Assembly Bill 1520, the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Act. That was also the title of a proposed statewide ballot initiative in 2016. The measure would have opened a hole in Proposition 13 with a tax surcharge of up to 1 percent on properties with assessed values over $3 million. It was withdrawn when backers decided the November ballot was too crowded. Sure enough, the invitation from the group calling itself End Child Poverty in California had a copyright notice indicating the group was actually GRACE, sponsor of last years initiative to change Proposition 13. GRACE (an acronym for Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) is a ministry of the Daughters of Charity, an order of Catholic nuns that owned six charity hospitals in Southern California until they were sold under financial pressure in 2015. The bill introduced by Burke doesnt have a word in it about changing Proposition 13. AB1520 doesnt explain where the state will find the money for the list of anti-poverty programs it proposes. Its just a framework. We can see whos about to be framed. If the bill passes, it will be easy for proponents to argue that the state must comply with the law that calls for spending on anti-poverty programs. Higher property taxes will likely be the target. And the people who seek to protect Proposition 13 will be going up against nuns. However, theyre not all nuns. The co-founder of GRACE is Conway Collis, formerly a member of the tax-governing Board of Equalization and a one-time adviser to U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston. Collis was the founding executive director of the principal fundraising arm of the U.S. Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, according to his bio on the GRACE website. Collis worked for the Daughters of Charity Health System from 2005 to 2012 and helped to secure government funds for the hospitals. He co-founded GRACE with the Daughters of Charity, and in 2014 they hired an opinion research firm to determine the views of California voters on the subject of child poverty and the potential programs and services to address it. The opinion pollsters found that 76 percent of likely voters thought the number of children living in poverty is a very serious problem, 78 percent agreed there is at least some need for additional funding to address it, and the tax that would have the strongest support was a surcharge on properties valued over $3 million. This became the proposed Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty ballot initiative, which Collis estimated would raise $7.7 billion, almost all of it from commercial properties. And thats why the GRACE plan wont end poverty. Collis researchers also found that 62 percent of likely voters thought the lack of good-paying jobs was a very serious problem. But raising property taxes on businesses isnt the way to create them. Its more likely to result in fewer jobs and higher prices, making poverty worse, not better. If Proposition 13s cap on property tax increases is ever breached, heaven help us all. Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. Reach her at Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter: @Susan_Shelley. Dave Hunsaker and James Meyer at Lee & Associates in Orange assisted CPI Ventures in the expansion of its paving and asphalt operations via a 1031 tax deferred exchange that involved two industrial properties valued at $5.65 million. CPI Ventures, or Champion Paving, sold a 1-acre industrial yard at 1426 S. Allec St. in Anaheim, seen here, for $2.55 million and bought a 14,500-square-foot industrial building with a 1.6-acre yard at 1175 N. Van Horne Way in Anaheim for $3.1 million. (Courtesy of Lee & Associates) Bryan Miller at Lee & Associates in Orange has closed the $2.7 million sale of 27171 Burbank in Foothill Ranch, which was bought by SDNS Management. (Courtesy of Lee & Associates, Orange) Pat Delaney and Frank Mejia at Lee & Associates in Orange have brokered the sale of 1510 S. Lewis in Anaheim. The industrial building sold for $1,925,000 to Rex L. Hodges. (Courtesy of Lee & Associated, Orange) Newport Beach-based Community Development Partners has broken ground on Rocky Hill Veterans Housing at 582 Rocky Hill Road in Vacaville. As one of the only new affordable developments targeting veterans in Solano County, this $21-million project will provide housing for chronically homeless veterans and low-income veterans and families. (Courtesy of Community Development Partners) Six Points Management bought a 28,078-square-foot industrial building on 1.36 acres at 2211 S. Susan St. in Santa Ana, CA from Jangie LLC for $5.2 million. Six Points intends to increase the vertical warehouse clearance of the building by performing a aroof lifta as part of its building renovation. Chris Coyte, principal and president of Lee & Associatesa Newport Beach office, represented the seller. The buyer was represented by Andrea Martin of Keller Williams. (Courtesy of Lee & Associates, Newport Beach) Lee & Associates in Orange has closed a deal for an office building at 12449 Putnam St. in Whittier. It sold for $1,920,000 to 1515 West and was brokered by Christopher Destino and Jeff Gahagan. Courtesy of Lee & Associates, Orange) Dave Hunsaker and James Meyer at Lee & Associates in Orange assisted CPI Ventures in the expansion of its paving and asphalt operations via a 1031 tax deferred exchange that involved two industrial properties valued at $5.65 million. CPI Ventures, or Champion Paving, sold a 1-acre industrial yard at 1426 S. Allec St. in Anaheim for $2.55 million and bought a 14,500-square-foot industrial building with a 1.6-acre yard at 1175 N. Van Horne Way in Anaheim, seen here, for $3.1 million. (Courtesy of Lee & Associates) Michael Hungerford has joined the Mason-McDuffie Mortgage team on Balboa Island as a loan officer. Adam Altamirano has joined the Mason-McDuffie Mortgage team on Balboa Island as a sales manager. Henry Genie has joined the Mason-McDuffie Mortgage team on Balboa Island as a senior loan officer. Orange County professionals in commercial real estate gathered March 29 at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa to celebrate their peers at the sixth annual CREW Orange County SPIRE Awards. (Courtesy of CREW-OC) Patricia Whitaker with Innovative Housing Opportunities was honored at the annual SPIRE awards as the top woman in commercial real estate. Orange Countya??s top professionals in commercial real estate gathered March 29 at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa to celebrate their peers at the sixth annual CREW Orange County SPIRE Awards. (Courtesy of CREW-OC) Lee & Associates Orange office has completed several sales totaling some 135,500 square feet throughout Southern California. The total value of the sales is roughly $18 million. Sale transactions include: 12449 Putnam St. in Whittier: office building; $1,920,000; sold to 1515 West by Christopher Destino & Jeff Gahagan 800 W. Commonwealth in Anaheim: industrial building; $1,065,000; sold to Harkushi by Jeff Gahagan 732 E. Chapman Ave. in Orange, office space; $320,000; sold to Eduardo Correa by Marshal Vogt & Jaimeson Hearne 11072 Via El Mercado in Los Alamitos: industrial building; $1,717,455; sold to Neubauer Electric by David Tabata & Aryan Gharib 27171 Burbank in Foothill Ranch: industrial building; $2,770,000; sold to SDNS Management by Bryan Miller 4745 Bryson St. in Anaheim: industrial building; $2,537,000; sold to Plehn Family by Scott Seal. 460 Meats Ave. in Orange: industrial building; $1,718,100; sold to Terry Householder by David Williams 1510 S. Lewis in Anaheim: industrial building; $1,925,000; sold to Rex L. Hodges by Pat Delaney & Frank Mejia 340 N. Orange Ave. in Brea: 10,890 square feet of land sold for $391,000 on behalf of city of Brea; repped by John Son and Bob Sattler 8181 Electric Ave. in Stanton; 43,560 square feet of land sold for $1,205,000 to Kindness Capital Management by Aryan Gharib 14771 Plaza Drive in Tustin: office space for $323,000; sold to Barry & Yvonne Wachter by Marshal Vogt & Jaimeson Hearne 164 Liberty Ave. in Anaheim: industrial building; $2,220,000; sold to Hadley Towing by Christopher Destino Also at Lee & Associates Orange, Dave Hunsaker and James Meyer assisted CPI Ventures in the expansion of its paving and asphalt operations via a 1031 tax deferred exchange that involved two industrial properties valued at $5.65 million. CPI Ventures, or Champion Paving, sold a 1-acre industrial yard at 1426 S. Allec St. in Anaheim for $2.55 million and bought a 14,500-square-foot industrial building with a 1.6-acre yard at 1175 N. Van Horne Way in Anaheim for $3.1 million. Capital Investment Group, represented by Luke Hudson of Lee & Associates Orange, bought the Allec Street property, which will be used as a second location for its towing business. Bayer/Erickson Partnership, represented by Wally Courtney of Paul Kott Realtors, sold the Van Horne property. Six Points Management bought a 28,078-square-foot industrial building on 1.36 acres at 2211 S. Susan St. in Santa Ana, CA from Jangie LLC for $5.2 million. Six Points intends to increase the vertical warehouse clearance of the building by performing a roof lift as part of its building renovation. Chris Coyte, principal and president of Lee & Associates Newport Beach office, represented the seller. The buyer was represented by Andrea Martin of Keller Williams. New housing Newport Beach-based Community Development Partners has broken ground on Rocky Hill Veterans Housing at 582 Rocky Hill Road in Vacaville. As one of the only new affordable developments targeting veterans in Solano County, this $21-million project will provide housing for chronically homeless veterans and low-income veterans and families. Rocky Hill will consist of 39 permanent rental homes for people earning 15-60 percent of the area median income. Twenty-nine units will be reserved for veterans, with the remainder having a veteran preference. Eleven of the veterans units will have project-based VASH vouchers, a program that combines HUD Sec-8 rental assistance with Veterans Administration case management services. The projects structural system is comprised of modified steel shipping containers and is scheduled for completion in December. Mergers and acquisitions Newport Beach-based Alliant has acquired SES Insurance Brokerage Services in Santa Ana. 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 acquisition were not disclosed. Milestones Irvine-based Ware Malcomb is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The firm was founded as Ware & Malcomb Architects Inc. by Bill Ware and Bill Malcomb in 1972. Through the 1980s, the company focused on commercial office, industrial, corporate office and tenant improvement projects. Armstrong assumed the role of CEO in 1992 with past-president Jim Williams, and together they expanded the firm to seven offices. The firm now has 22 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Panama. Reata Oakbrook Village, a 289-unit luxury apartment community in Laguna Hills, has reached 95 percent occupancy less than a year after opening in April 2016. People in real estate The Mason-McDuffie Mortgage team on Balboa Island has added three mortgage officers, including Adam Altamirano, sales manager; Henry Genie, senior loan officer; and Michael Hungerford, as a loan officer. SPIRE awards Orange County professionals in commercial real estate gathered March 29 at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa to celebrate their peers at the sixth annual CREW Orange County SPIRE Awards. Lindsay Parton, president of DJM Capital, gave this years keynote address, which emphasized the importance of creating unique retail experiences for customers. CREW-OC received 90 SPIRE nominations, recognizing the people and projects that shaped Orange Countys commercial real estate landscape over the past year. Award categories included new construction, building renovations, tenant improvements, leasing, sales, lending, women in commercial real estate, and philanthropy. Winners included: Patricia Whitaker, Innovative Housing Opportunities, honored as the top woman in commercial real estate; Chapman University for new construction for its work on the Musco Center of the Performing Arts; Lincoln Property Co. for building renovations for its TRADE Marketplace & Food Hall in Irvine; Hendy for superior tenant improvements for its Kawasaki Motor Sports project; Cushman & Wakefield for leasing for its Autogravity project Cushman & Wakefield for sales on its Savi Tech Center project Buchanan Street Partners for lending on its Summerhouse Huntington Beach project Snyder Langston Team, Snyder Langston B.R.I.D.G.E. Program for philanthropy "Only 25 more days until my sex reassignment operation!" Marsha Morgan, 54, announces to applause at a TG Rainbow transgender support group at Santa Ana's Church of the Foothills. The organization's leader Michelle Evans, center, recalls the day her longtime next-door neighbor put her home on the market 24 hours after Evans' own sex change operation. "Being transgender is the most understood issue in the universe," Evans says. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) "This feels correct," Marsha Morgan, 54, says through tears on seeing her reflection. She purchased the lace dress at a plus-size Irvine boutique shop and lamented that her flip flops didn't go with it. Fortunately the San Clemente resident had chunky black heels in her truck so she wore the outfit to chorus practice afterwards. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, turns heads along Huntington Beach Pier after an intense feminization hair removal session. She had to build up courage the first time she went out in public as a woman. The 6-foot-2 Morgan saw a bunch of teenage boys about to give her a hard time so she walked "right down the center like a bowling ball" to beat them to the punch. It worked. Spending time on the boardwalk is one of the San Clemente resident's favorite things to do. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, says for many this feminization hair removal process is painful enough to decide against having sex reassignment surgery. The San Clemente resident prepares for her upcoming sex change operation at Flash Electrolysis in Lake Forest. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Judi Treble of Costa Mesa wanted to support friends, Michelle Evans and her wife Cherie Rabideau, as well as learn about transgender issues. Church of the Foothills in Santa Ana is all inclusive, right down to its restrooms, and opens its space to the TG Rainbow support group every 3rd Fri. of the month, even on holidays like St. Patrick's Day. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, from left, wants someone whose "compassionate." TG Rainbow organizer Michelle Evans struggled for years with her identity and underwent a sex reassignment operation in 2006. She's married to Cherie Rabideau. Those closest to Evans advised her not to tell her dad of her gender identity, but she could no longer keep it a secret. Her father responded with empathy telling her it must have been so difficulty for her. They attend a TG Rainbow support group at Santa Ana's Church of the Foothills. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan of San Clemente, second from left, swaps transgender stories with TG Rainbow supporters at Santa Ana's Church of the Foothills. She'll be one of two guests of honor at an upcoming "Weenie Roast" gender confirmation surgery celebration, with close friends, two weeks before her sex change operation. During this private pre-op phase she's eating healthy and getting an extra hour of sleep a day. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) The journey from Marshall to Marsha has been lined with blood, sweat and tears. Marsha Morgan affectionately calls electrologist Judy Morgan a "tranny torturer." At times the pain has been so great that Marsha has kicked and screamed. They meet weekly to remove hair from Marsha's face, genitals and chest before the San Clemente bus driver's April sex reassignment surgery. Lake Forest's Flash Electrolysis is popular within the transgender community. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, of San Clemente is a standout from head to toe. Morgan wears transgender rainbow tennis shoes during a TCLA rehearsal of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars in West Hollywood. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan warms up her vocal cords during a TCLA rehearsal of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars in West Hollywood. The exuberant Morgan fought not to sing bass too loudly. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, has whiskers and hair removed from her butterfly-tattooed chest at Flash Electrolysis in Lake Forest. She wrote to her friend who recently underwent a sex change operation, "In a few short days, I will be emerging from my own cocoon, spreading my wings, and joining my fellow butterflies in the sky." (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Marsha Morgan, 54, has whiskers and hair removed from her butterfly-tattooed chest at Flash Electrolysis in Lake Forest. She wrote to her friend who recently underwent a sex change operation, "In a few short days, I will be emerging from my own cocoon, spreading my wings, and joining my fellow butterflies in the sky." (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) "My experiences, both masculine and feminine, make me the person I am today. That's why I'm not ashamed to use the term transgender woman," Marsha Morgan, 54, says. She grew up with guns and practices at On Target Indoor Shooting Range, Mission Viejo. She'll undergo sex reassignment on April 10 to become Kaiser Permanente's first Southern California transgender patient. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG) Editors note: This is the third in an occasional series. Read Part 1 and Part 2 Marsha Morgan picks out three small furry stuffed animals, five pink tulips, a bottle of pink Chandon, chocolate wrapped in pink foil and a balloon announcing, Its a girl! She carefully arranges the collection on a small round table in her best friends hospital room. But unlike other rooms at the hospital with similar displays, this is not for a baby girl. This celebration is for Tessa Kelley, an adult who in eight hours will return from surgery without the male equipment shes carried since she was born. With Morgans own sex reassignment surgery Monday, April 10, at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center, the Navy veteran quietly shares she hopes she receives the same kind of support. It will be the hospitals first foray into such a life-changing operation. But Morgan, a former sonar technician on a fast attack submarine in the Persian Gulf, exudes the kind of confidence one only gains after decades of deep inner struggle and knowing you are about to transform into the person you always knew you were. Six-foot-3, bald with a large colorful red rose tattooed on her skull and by her own admission built like a linebacker, Morgan, now 54 years old, tried to become the man she never was most of her life. She tried out for the swim team in high school, helped her dad in his asphalt business, worked as a Disneyland Jungle Cruise skipper, married a woman, helped raise a stepdaughter. But a few years ago, Morgan finally came out with the truth: she was transgender and had made the decision to become a woman in every way possible, including making love. Its very much like jumping off a high dive, says the San Clemente resident. Once you jump, you better be ready to get wet because if you dont swim, youre going to drown. There are no re-dos, no go-overs, no go-backs, says the school bus driver, named employee of the year in 2005 by the Capistrano Unified School District. With an estimated 1.6 million transgender people in the United States, Morgan and her BFF arent alone in facing a decision most humans never face and many dont understand. LIVING IN THE WRONG BODY After driving back to Orange County following the long weekend with Kelley in Arizona, Morgan confesses she cried like a baby when I first saw her results. The experience of staying with Kelley before, during and after her surgery only steeled Morgans two-year resolve to have surgery. Ive studied everything I can study; Ive read everything I can read; Ive looked at photos. Im going to look down, she says with pride and anticipation, and see entirely female equipment. Morgan makes it clear she appreciates whatever support she gets. Still, having a transgender friend at the hospital on Monday is critical. Transgender people understand what youre feeling, what youve gone through, she offers. Even spouses arent able to understand what its like being transgender. You realize youre living in the wrong body. UNDERSTANDING TRANSGENDER ISSUES At a recent support group called TG Rainbow at Church of the Foothills in Santa Ana, a dozen people discuss everything from hormone treatments to President Donald Trumps decision to stop allowing public school students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. One woman is here to learn more about her transgender child, another person is here to encourage tolerance. But most sitting in a square of chairs and couches are transgender people who are here to talk, to learn and to better understand both their own journey and the journey of others in the room. Michelle Evans, president of Mach 25 Media in Lake Forest, dismisses chatter that transgender students would ever abuse bathroom rights. When we go to the bathroom, she says, pushing back long gray her, its because we need to go to the bathroom. Evans shares she was scared when she first told friends and family she was a woman and was having sex reassignment surgery. But her parents and friends were supportive. Dont sell your friends short, Evans advises. My Dad said, My God, what a hell you must have lived. But for many people considering physical changes, such decisions remain closely guarded secrets until they become impossible to hide. Rebecca Chang is in her 20s and started hormone therapy eight months ago. Her mother knows about the treatment. But its possible her father, now in his 70s, will never know. Changs parents live in Taiwan and she agrees with mom that dad will never be able to deal with calling his former son Rebecca. She explains her culture expects sons to get married, sire children, take over family businesses. Coming out transgender in her homeland would, she says, build walls of guilt and shame. I want to do everything I can to help, Chang explains, and if that means ignorance is bliss thats OK. MILES OF SMILES Morgan has had several years of hormone treatments, worked at changing her baritone to a more feminine octave, endured painful electrolysis even on her genitals. She also is aware that while surgeries are far more safe than they were decades ago, sex reassignment operations carry risk. At the support group, the mother with a transgender son acknowledges things went wrong and her child became very ill. Kelleys surgeon in Arizona, Dr. Ellie Ley, was Dr. Eleazar Ley until she realized that what was missing in her life was living the correct gender. Still, Ley is careful not to bring up her own medical history when treating patients. Once surgery is confirmed, however, Ley reassures patients by mentioning her own background. Instead of sex reassignment surgery, Kellys physician calls the operation gender confirmation. Kelley shares she agrees with the term and tells me, Ive been all smiles since the surgery. For Morgan, the procedure will include reforming male genitals to look and function like female genitalia. For some people, those images send shudders. One doctor, Evans confides, called me an abomination. TRANSGENDER SURGERY But times are changing and science and understanding are advancing. One young man at the support group says his generation doesnt care about someone being transgender or having surgery. Debbie Bennett, a woman who calls herself a transgender ally since the 1970s, shares that when a friend had gender confirmation surgery a neighbor who was an Orange County Sheriffs deputy was the first person who came to her defense. The deputy went so far as to visit the transgender patient at the hospital. Evans speaks for the group when she points out transgender people are as varied as the general population including when it comes to making decisions about their bodies. Some people cant tolerate hormones, others want them, Evans says. Some people dont want surgery. Some people want it. Evans adds, Thats what completes them. For Morgan, life will change dramatically in the next 48 hours. But in other ways, nothing will change. She will still ride her motorcycle. She will still fire guns at the target range. She will still have her military service medals on the wall. She will still enjoy the eggs scrambled with spinach, cheese and mushroom at Adeles Restaurant. And she will still have her pink duvet on her bed. Its not about whats down between our legs, Evans reminds the support group. Its whats between our ears. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is approaching the end of his first 100 days in office without having signed a single major bill into law. Trumps drive to repeal and replace the Obama-era health law ran aground in the House in spite of Republican opposition to the overhaul. It was the first time in recent memory that a newly elected presidents initial big proposal had imploded so spectacularly. The confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court stands as the only major victory for Republicans so far. Congress left Friday for a two-week spring break. Looking ahead, prospects for health care are at best dicey, while other initiatives such as a tax overhaul, infrastructure spending and carrying out Trumps unpopular proposal for spending cuts arent ready for prime time yet. In the first 70 or so days I havent seen much in the way of Capitol Hill success for Trump, said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo. Theyve had a big, colossal failure with their so-called health care repeal. So I dont think its been much of a success. From the view of Republicans, Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said: If we want to have durable, sustainable reforms in this country, whether tax reform, health care or anything else, it will need to be done on a bipartisan basis. Everybody knows that. The presidents victories have been limited chiefly to rolling back about a dozen regulations issued by President Barack Obama, which Republicans say will relieve businesses from the burdens of compliance costs. The measures, which cant be blocked by Democrats, have repealed regulations on coal mining near creeks and streams, and limiting methane emissions from oil wells on federal lands. We believe that, so far, that benefit to the economy is over $10 billion, said top White House lobbyist Marc Short, though he added that those benefits would be spread out over 20 years. Other repealed regulations involve hunting regulations in Alaska, allowing states to drug test people seeking unemployment benefits, and potentially allowing internet providers to sell the browsing habits of their customers. Beyond those measures are a handful of others, including a routine NASA authorization bill and legislation to make permanent a program that encourages private sector technology experts to temporarily join federal agencies to lend their expertise. None of these accomplishments has gotten much attention amid blaring headlines on investigations into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, the meltdown in the GOP-controlled House over health care and repeated reports of Trump missteps and White House infighting. Obviously, (health care repeal) is pretty hard to do, and if the House is able to send something over to us, well take it up and it will be hard here as well, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters on Friday. Whats more, the legislative terrain is only going to get more difficult. Trump and GOP leaders face an enormous test at the end of the month, when Congress returns to confront an April 28 deadline to avert a government shutdown. At issue is a barrelful of leftover spending bills totaling more than $1 trillion, as well as the $33 billion Trump requested in emergency money for the Pentagon and border security. GOP leaders assume that Democratic votes will be needed to pass the measure certainly through the Senate and probably through the House. Negotiations are ongoing but could prove tricky since Democrats oppose Trumps wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and argue that domestic programs should get additional money if the Pentagon does. Trump insisted throughout the presidential campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall. Now, the administration has asked U.S. taxpayers to finance it. And within weeks, House and Senate GOP leaders wont be able to schedule any more filibuster-proof bills to repeal Obama regulations, leaving the Senates legislative schedule in flux. When Congress returns at the end of the month, the focus will return to health care, though hard feelings among House Republicans and reports of discord between House GOP leaders and top White House officials have dampened hopes. And a promised effort to overhaul the governments loophole-ridden tax code has gotten off to a slow start. Despite the administrations fits and starts, Trumps allies remain upbeat. Government funding is the next critical hurdle. Health care is still going to be on the table, and Im confident well get that done. But then were going to move right into one of the critical issues, which is tax reform, said Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y. Well get it done. Were going to learn a lot from the health care situation. What's wrong with the American way of parenting? Pretty much everything, according to an outpouring of child-rearing wisdom from our compatriots abroad. We're a nation of helicoptering sanctimommies blinded by flashcards and Pinterest projects and in desperate need of help. The 2012 best-seller "Bringing Up Bebe" touted the "wisdom of French parenting," such as serving kids multi-course meals and letting them curse with an age-appropriate word. Then it was all about "The Danish Way of Parenting," which promised to show us "what the happiest people in the world know about raising confident, capable kids." (In short, get cozy and don't yell.) Now, apparently, it's time to go Dutch. In their new book, "The Happiest Kids in the World," two expat moms want to share what they've discovered about the Netherlands: "Childhood over here consists of lots of freedom, plenty of play and little academic stress. As a result, Dutch kids are pleasant to be around." Moreover, co-authors Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison add, "a UNICEF report rated Dutch children the happiest in the world." Take that, Denmark! Acosta, an American, and Hutchison, a Brit, are both married to Dutch men; each couple is raising two children in the Netherlands. The authors have come to embrace the Dutch lifestyle, largely because of how the culture and government policies help create laid-back parents and self-assured children. By compiling expert interviews and sharing (and, at times, oversharing) their personal stories, the duo promises to reveal "what it is that the Dutch know and their British and American counterparts have forgotten or overlooked." Early on, "The Happiest Kids in the World" introduces readers to the Dutch expression "Rust, Regelmaat en Reinheid." The idea is that babies need these three R's ("rest, regularity and cleanliness"). And to make sure they get them, the government's consultatiebureau which monitors kids' growth and development hands out a parent instruction manual. Some key takeaways: Give babies a predictable routine, limit outings to just once a day and prevent outside distractions, such as TV. Staying home and doing the exact same thing all the time and not even getting to binge-watch "Scandal"? That sounds like a total snooze. Because that's the point, Acosta and Hutchison explain. According to a study that compared child-rearing practices in the United States and the Netherlands, Dutch 6-month-olds slept two hours more each day than their American counterparts. Plus, the authors add, "the idea of the parent-infant 'sleep struggle,' ubiquitous among both Americans and the British, was not an issue for the Dutch." Digging deeper into this magic, a Dutch pediatrician offers an intriguing view on rest. He describes a common scenario: Your child wakes up with a fever at the crack of dawn, you need to get to work, and everyone in the family is on edge. How about instead, "you decide to take a sick day and go with the flow"? The baby "will be much calmer," the doctor says. "You can just pick up your child, take her into bed with you and stay relaxed until her temperature goes down. If the mother is stressed, the child will be stressed, and that will make matters worse." True enough, but what if you're out of sick leave and can't take the day off? Such concerns just aren't very Dutch. As Acosta and Hutchison point out, nearly half of the country's population works part-time, and even people in full-time jobs are at the office only 36 hours per week. A telling anecdote comes from the American professors behind that two-hour sleep-gap study. When they were collecting data in the Netherlands, they realized they needed a few extra interviews with Dutch families. But their Dutch research assistants refused to help them with any additional tasks: They had no more time allotted for work. It's this work-life balance that seems more responsible for the country's happiness than any specific parenting technique. It's how men are able to schedule a regular papadag (or "daddy day") to spend quality time with their kids. It's why it's not a struggle to get the entire family together for both breakfast and dinner. It's what allows for relaxed, extended vacations. After a few chapters, it becomes clear that it's not really moms and dads who need to adopt "the Dutch way." The conclusion (titled "Let's Start a Revolution") lays much of the responsibility on "the state itself." Want to instill Dutch-style independence? Build a vast network of safe bike lanes. Wish kids were less anxious about grades? Overhaul the school system to make it less competitive. Reading this, American parents should probably just acknowledge that we will not be raising Dutch children no matter how many cargo bicycles we own unless we move to the Netherlands. But Acosta and Hutchison won't let us off the hook entirely. There are tip boxes with bullet-pointed suggestions such as "set ground rules" and "praise good behavior." There's a collection of low-key Dutch birthday party ideas, including "a snow party." This involves waiting until it snows and then having a party. For breakfast, they endorse the Dutch tradition of serving toast "piled high" with butter and chocolate sprinkles. It all sounds quite quaint as the authors describe it, "a childhood from black-and-white photographs." And perhaps therein is the key to our obsession with this genre: a yearning for simplicity. Add to that a dash of insecurity and guilt. Has modern American life somehow erased our parental instincts? Is our ignorance harming our children? My husband and I didn't need a book to stir up such thoughts. When we moved from Washington to Florence, Italy, in the summer of 2015 with our 5-month-old, we had never considered our parenting style particularly American whatever that means until our plane landed. Then, mamma mia! We bristled at the parade of random strangers tickling our daughter's feet. She apparently never wore enough clothes one woman reprimanded us for not having her in a scarf in August. Our new pediatrician deemed her 8 p.m. bedtime way too early and suggested introducing solid food in the form of a veggie soup sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Slurping her delicious leftovers, it was hard not to wonder whether I had been doing this parenting thing all wrong. I was beginning to toy with the idea of investing in a baby scarf collection when I struck up a conversation with a Norwegian mom at my daughter's day care. She complained that kids in Italy don't get to nap outside, which is standard practice in Norway, even in the snow. (Acosta and Hutchison report that some Dutch day-care centers are following this trend and are installing "special insulated outdoor cribs.") What dawned on me in that moment and what any reader will learn after country-hopping through enough of these books is that there's an entire planet's worth of parenting wisdom. Following all of it would be like trying to hunt down every stray Lego in the house impossible, and perhaps foolish. Of course there's still value in learning about how things work in other countries. For instance, I'm now a believer in that multi-course meal trick from "Bringing Up Bebe": Serve cut-up fruit first at breakfast, and do the same with veggies for lunch and dinner. The healthy stuff ends up getting eaten instead of pushed aside. "The Danish Way of Parenting" has me practicing my ability to "reframe," which is apparently what Danes do whenever dealing with anything negative. (Like their weather.) The idea is to face the facts but give them the most optimistic spin possible. My Italian experience has taught me that although baby scarves may not be necessary particularly in a Mediterranean climate they're kind of adorable. And from "The Happiest Kids in the World," I've picked up a Dutch mantra: "Doe maar gewoon dan doe je al gek genoeg." In other words, Acosta and Hutchison explain, "Just act normal, that's crazy enough," or "Calm down." For American parents reading too many of these books, that may be the most important advice of all. *** Vicky Hallett, a former Washington Post reporter, is a freelance writer in Florence, Italy. LINCOLN Another inmate uprising at a Nebraska prison has two key state lawmakers considering whether to resurrect a special legislative committee to investigate the recent disturbances, as well as lingering problems with overcrowded cells and high staff turnover. State Sens. Bob Krist of Omaha and Laura Ebke of Crete both said Saturday the states troubled prison system is struggling to show progress and, meanwhile, is confronted with an increase in inmate disturbances. Every time it feels like theyre starting to dig out, something happens, said Ebke, who chairs the Legislatures Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Krist, who has served on multiple committees that dealt with state prison woes, said State Corrections Director Scott Frakes seems to be doing the right things, but while hes doing that, Rome is burning. And thats concerning. In response, a spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts said lawmakers should focus on fully funding the budget requests for corrections, not on another investigation. The Department of Corrections needs our support to further its reforms, said spokesman Taylor Gage. Now is not the time for more micromanagement. The two state senators spoke a day after 16 inmates assaulted three prison staff members and started fires at the State Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln, the states most overcrowded prison facility. It took almost two hours for corrections officers, along with Lincoln Fire and Rescue and the Nebraska State Patrol, to retake control of a 39-inmate housing unit. Prison officials said the affected unit houses people with multiple adult felony incarcerations, who have violated parole, and who typically are violent, aggressive and-or predatory. State Corrections spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said it was too early to assess the cost of the damage, but said the affected housing unit was expected to be cleaned up and usable by Saturday night. Friday marked the third prison melee in the past six weeks. Two inmates were killed during a riot on March 2 at the Tecumseh State Prison after corrections officers were assaulted and had to abandon part of a medium/maximum-security housing unit. On March 15, four officers were injured at the same housing unit. No arrests have been made in connection with the March 2 slayings, nor for the killings of two inmates during a riot on Mothers Day 2015 at Tecumseh. Despite efforts to increase the use of parole, reform prison sentences and house some inmates in county jails, overcrowding of all state prisons has risen slightly in recent weeks to 160 percent of designed capacity. The 5,243 inmates are nearly 2,000 more than the states 10 prisons were designed to hold. The Diagnostic and Evaluation Center on Saturday held nearly three times as many inmates (473) as its designed capacity (160). Krist said overcrowding, and high levels of security staff turnover and job vacancies, all affect the departments ability to provide rehabilitation programs and keep staff and inmates safe. The Legislature formed a special legislative committee in 2014 to look at overcrowding, mistaken sentence calculations and use of solitary confinement. But it was disbanded at the end of last year. Ebke, who chaired the committee, said she wants more specifics on what a new investigative panel hopes to discover before resurrecting it. I told Scott Frakes recently that Im not sure he doesnt have the worst job in the state right now, the senator said of the Corrections Department director. He has a department, which for a long time was really sort of ignored. Hes really behind the eight ball in a lot of ways. The two senators were among four lawmakers who signed a letter Friday urging the budget-writing Appropriations Committee to stick with its recommendation to pare back a request to fund more corrections officers. Ebke and Krist said it made no sense for the state to fund 96 additional corrections officer positions when the department has about 148 officer slots that are vacant now. The two lawmakers said it made more sense to provide merit or longevity raises for corrections officers, something that officers have sought for years to improve retention of experienced staff. The Appropriations Committee last week decided to cut in half the request to hire 48 corrections officers in each of the next two years, citing budget problems and the high number of current vacancies. Ricketts has said he was greatly disturbed by the cut, given that improving corrections is a high priority of his administration and that lawmakers have been saying theyll give the agency everything it needs to solve its problems. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump's national security adviser on Sunday left open the possibility of additional U.S. military action against Syria following last week's missile strike but indicated that the United States was not seeking to act unilaterally to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. In his first televised interview, H.R. McMaster pointed to dual U.S. goals of defeating the Islamic State group and removing Assad. But he suggested that Trump was seeking a global political response for regime change from U.S. allies as well as Russia, which he said needed to reevaluate its support of Syria. "It's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime," McMaster said. "Now, we are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves, ... 'Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population?'" After last Tuesday's chemical attack in Syria, Trump said his attitude toward Assad "has changed very much" and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said "steps are underway" to organize a coalition to remove him from power. But as lawmakers called on Trump to consult with Congress on any future military strikes and a longer-term strategy on Syria, Trump administration officials sent mixed signals on the scope of U.S. involvement. While Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, described regime change in Syria as a U.S. priority and inevitable, Tillerson suggested that last week's American airstrikes in retaliation for the chemical attack hadn't really changed U.S. priorities toward ousting Assad. Pressed to clarify, McMaster said the goals of fighting IS and ousting Syria's president were somewhat "simultaneous" and that the objective of the missile strike was to send a "strong political message to Assad." He did not rule out additional strikes if Assad continued to engage in atrocities against rebel forces with either chemical or conventional weapons. "We are prepared to do more," he said. "The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interest of the American people." Reluctant to put significant troops on the ground in Syria, the U.S. for years has struggled to prevent Assad from strengthening his hold on power. U.S.-backed rebels groups have long pleaded for more U.S. intervention and complained that Washington has only fought the Islamic State group. So Trump's decision to launch the strikes which President Barack Obama declined to do after a 2013 chemical attack has raised optimism among rebels that Trump will more directly confront Assad. Several lawmakers said Sunday that decision shouldn't entirely be up to Trump. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, praised Trump's initial missile strike for sending a message to Assad, Russia, Iran and North Korea that "there's a new administration in charge." But he said Trump now needed to work with Congress to set a future course. "Congress needs to work with the president to try and deal with this long-term strategy, lack of strategy, really, in Syria," he said. "We haven't had one for six years during the Obama administration, and 400,000 civilians have died and millions of people have been displaced internally and externally in Europe and elsewhere." Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed. "What we saw was a reaction to the use of chemical weapons, something I think many of us supported," he said. "But what we did not see is a coherent policy on how we're going to deal with the civil war and also deal with ISIS." Still, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he believed that Trump didn't need to consult with Congress. "I think the president has authorization to use force," he said. "Assad signed the chemical weapons treaty ban. There's an agreement with him not to use chemical weapons." Their comments came as Tillerson was making the Trump administration's first official trip this week to Russia, a staunch Assad ally. In interviews broadcast Sunday, Tillerson said defeating the Islamic State group remains the top focus. Once that threat "has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria," he said. "We're hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions" between the Assad government and various rebel groups. The hope, he said, is that "we can navigate a political outcome in which the Syrian people, in fact, will determine Bashar al-Assad's fate and his legitimacy." Haley said "getting Assad out is not the only priority" and that countering Iran's influence in Syria was another. Still, Haley said the U.S. didn't see a peaceful future Syria with Assad in power. McMaster, Cornyn and Cardin spoke on "Fox News Sunday," Tillerson appeared on ABC's "This Week" and CBS' "Face the Nation," Haley and Graham were on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Haley also appeared on CNN's "State of the Union." WASHINGTON Every day, travelers climb aboard trains and planes in rural Nebraska and Iowa with an important assist from Uncle Sam. In fact, millions of federal dollars flow into the states to support rural air and train service that would otherwise likely disappear. But those subsidies are under renewed assault, with President Donald Trump proposing their elimination in his budget blueprint. Essential Air Service helps pay for planes flying in and out of seven Nebraska and four Iowa communities. The loss of those subsidies would hit Scottsbluffs Western Nebraska Regional Airport hard, said airport director Darwin Skelton. It would be devastating, Skelton said. Any of these small communities youve just killed them, because so many businesses rely on airline service. Critics say Essential Air Service is a waste of money, supporting flights that arent particularly necessary or in some cases even desired often serving areas where few people live and where residents can simply drive to a larger airport. Trump echoed those criticisms in his budget proposal, noting that the nearly 40-year-old program was intended to be temporary transitional support in the wake of the 1978 airline deregulation. EAS flights are not full and have high subsidy costs per passenger, according to the budget proposal. Several EAS-eligible communities are relatively close to major airports, and communities that have EAS could be served by other existing modes of transportation. Trumps budget blueprint also targets Amtraks long-distance services, which it says have long been inefficient and are responsible for the vast majority of Amtrak operating losses. This would allow Amtrak to focus on better managing its state-supported and Northeast corridor train services, according to the proposal. The air service programs elimination is projected to save $175 million in federal appropriations per year. Thats what the taxpayer contributes to the program on top of funding from the collection of overflight fees paid by foreign airlines. Those amounted to $108 million in 2015. Its not the first time EAS, which covers more than 170 airports nationwide, has come under assault. Seeing it land in Trumps cross hairs might come as a surprise, however, given that many of the areas affected voted for Trump by wide margins in November. He needs to remember who elected him and it was rural America that really went out and voted and got things going for him, Skelton said. And the first thing, he goes after rural America to cut the EAS? As for the level of usage, Skelton said his own airports 400 boardings a month represent an improvement but still arent where they need to be. The per-passenger subsidy at the airport is $242, according to the most recent data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Service is now provided by the carrier PenAir. Skelton said that many passengers may have felt burned by the previous carrier, Great Lakes, which had to cancel flights at times because of a shortage of pilots. And others would just rather drive to Denver, he said, even if that takes longer. Some people dont seem to put a value on their time, Skelton said. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., said presidents always put their budgets into the starkest of terms and then Congress has to deal with reality. And he said the wholesale elimination of programs such as EAS and long-range Amtrak service isnt going to fly. The California Zephyr operates daily from Chicago to San Francisco with stops along the way in Iowa and Nebraska. Combined boardings and alightings on that line in 2016 were 55,157 in Nebraska and 54,763 in Iowa. That line has stops in Creston, Iowa, and Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Holdrege and McCook in Nebraska. Cutting rural air and train service doesnt sit well with Fortenberry, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. I think an intercontinental passenger railway is important to our country, Fortenberry said. So I always will vote against that. That is not me being parochial. It is actually saying I think its important for America. Well have the same conversation in terms of Essential Air Service. Or else youre going to just have major hubs and thats it, and again that harms rural America. But there are other members of Congress who have been gunning for Essential Air Service for years, and watchdog groups opposed to those subsidies are expected to keep up the pressure. The utterly unessential Essential Air Service doesnt stand up well to scrutiny, said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. Ellis said many of the EAS routes would be serviced better and cheaper through bus service to the closest hub. This nearly 40-year relic of deregulation should be eliminated, Ellis said. But I guarantee it will be a fight. Indeed, even conservative lawmakers who talk about the need to keep a tight grip on the federal purse strings have stood up for the program as an appropriate use of taxpayer money to support the countrys transportation networks. Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Adrian Smith, both Nebraska Republicans, have been outspoken in their defense of the subsidies. Of course Essential Air Service is vital for our rural communities in Nebraska to keep us connected, Fischer said. I can assure you that Congressman Smith and I will continue to be strong proponents of maintaining that Essential Air Service. Mike Olson, Grand Islands airport director, said the goal has always been to get off the subsidies, and the per-passenger subsidy at the Grand Island airport has fallen to $24, according to the latest FAA figures. The airport finished with just over 69,000 boardings last year, Olson said. Boardings at the airport include both its twice daily service to Dallas, which is subsidized, and the twice-weekly service to Las Vegas and Phoenix, which is not subsidized. Hes hoping for a similar performance this year, although its hard to tell how a couple of developments will play out. On one hand, the airport lost its service to Orlando, Florida, in January, but the flights to Dallas have been upgraded to planes with more seating. Were trending the right way, Olson said. The Trump administration is aiming to take a tougher approach to international trade. But the administration would do well to pause and learn the lessons from its failure thus far on the health care issue. The lessons: Dont make unrealistic promises about what can be accomplished. Acknowledge the major complexities that have to be addressed. Craft policies likely to work in the real world. These lessons apply directly to trade issues. Business leaders and agricultural groups, including in the Midlands, are offering common-sense warnings about the harm inflicted if our country gets so aggressive that it ignites trade wars with our major trading partners. The possibility of reduced access to foreign markets is probably the biggest risk we have in the farm economy right now, Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, told The World-Herald last week. About a third of U.S. farm income comes from overseas sales. Consider the example of Mexico. It ranks as the No. 1 importer of U.S. corn and No. 2 for U.S. soybeans. It buys more U.S. beef than all but three other nations. Nebraska sold $1.4 billion worth of merchandise to Mexico in 2016, up from $900 million in 2007. The states ag-products sales to Mexico last year totaled $632 million, up from $481 million in 2007. Iowas figures: $2.3 billion in total merchandise sales to Mexico in 2016, up from $1.5 billion in 2007. Ag exports of $881 million last year, compared with $523 million in 2007. U.S. ag leaders are expressing concern that Mexico is exploring its options for shifting some of its corn purchases from our country to Brazil and Argentina. Concern isnt confined to U.S. agriculture. Mexico provides manufacturing inputs vital to U.S. industry, especially the car sector, connected through complex supply chains. Meanwhile, in Asia, countries are pursuing bilateral trade talks among themselves, seeking to lower trade barriers. Japan is about to reduce its tariffs on Australian beef, for example, while U.S. beef still faces much higher barriers. The Trump administration says it will analyze trading relationships with each of our major economic partners and then negotiate or threaten actions in pursuit of a fairer relationship. In doing so, the administration needs to learn lessons from the health care issue. Be practical. Be realistic. To do otherwise risks major failure. Jeff Lusk can give lots of advice to ensure a successful turkey season. His two biggest pearls of wisdom? Be safe and scout ahead. Make sure where you plan on hunting they actually have turkeys there, said Lusk, the upland game program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The spring shotgun season starts next Saturday. Some turkey fans have already been afield. Archery season started March 25 and the youth session on Saturday. The majority of hunters will head out next week, and Lusk said they can use the next few days to prepare. Scout the area, make sure to get permission if its on private land, polish your equipment and practice calling. Thats Kristine Fischers favorite part. She called in five turkeys last week while hunting in timber about 25 minutes south of Omaha in the Ashland area. She used her bow to kill the biggest, a tom with a 10-inch beard and 114-inch spurs. Its one of my favorite things to do, she said. I just like the satisfaction that comes along with calling in the bird. Not to mention having meat in her freezer. Fischer is starting month five of a yearlong challenge in which she doesnt buy meat from the grocery store. She loves wild turkey, and she has duck, Canada geese and deer tucked away, too. Turkey hunters dont have to go far to enjoy the same success as Fischer. Based on October survey data, central to southwest Nebraska and the northern part of the Panhandle hold the biggest number of turkeys. But theyve been killed in every county. Last year, around 20,000 birds were harvested. This time of year, the love-hungry males will be displaying in open areas close to cover. Places near grain stubble or spilled grain might be a good spot. But Lusk reminds hunters that baiting is illegal in Nebraska. You can find them anywhere there is roosting habitat, Lusk said. Thats anywhere with abundant trees. Sun helps, too, no matter how cool the temperature. Lusk said the birds probably wont be as active on rainy, cold and cloudy days. A high wind drowns out their calls, so Lusk said they wont even bother. They tend to do like we do, he said. If its a rainy day, they like to stay in bed. A new technique that Lusk is discouraging is one in which hunters are clipping the tail fan of a turkey to the front of their shotguns. It allows hunters to sneak up on the toms. Its also dangerous. If there are other hunters in the area, it can also get you shot, he said. They might see the tail fan and just shoot as if you were a turkey. He also reminds hunters with an electronic permit to immediately cancel the permit after harvesting a turkey, so that Game and Parks can keep track of the sex of the bird and time of the kill. Fake:It is not compulsory for you to deposit 18 per cent of your income in Compulsory Deposit Scheme After TN IT raids, 12 more AIADMK (Amma) leaders under scanner India oi-Vicky By Vicky Following the report submitted by the IT department in connection with the raids that it conducted in Tamil Nadu, 12 AIADMK (Amma) ministers and MLAs are likely to come under the scanner. The ruling party's ministers and MLAs in Tamil Nadu are being watched by the IT department after last week's raids, sources informed OneIndia. During the raids conducted several incriminating documents had been seized. The names of several more ministers and MLAs were found as per the documents that are currently in the possession of the IT department. Sources said that complaints are being filed against several ministers and MLAs following the raids. The IT department will conduct another raid. However it would first wait for the Election Commission of India to take a decision whether the R K Nagar by-elections scheduled for April 12 will be countermanded or not. IT department officials recovered documents and other material which showed that at least Rs 85 crore had been pumped into the elections. While health minister Vijay Bhaskar's house had been raided, IT department officials say that this was just a tip of the ice-berg. More raids are in the offing, the official also informed. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 9:22 [IST] Have come to my own home, Piyush Goyal says after having lunch at Dalit's home in Karnataka BJP calls for judicial probe into lunches at Kejriwal residence India pti-PTI New Delhi, April 9: The BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into two luncheons at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence last year which allegedly cost the exchequer around Rs 11 lakh, a charge denied by the ruling AAP. Leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had "conspired" with the principal secretary finance to suppress the truth in the matter. "BJP wants the Lt Governor to order a judicial inquiry which is conducted in a time-bound manner. Action should be taken against ministers and officials involved. The details of the menu should also be disclosed," he said at a press conference. Sisodia's claim that he had never cleared the files relating to the payment also did not cut ice with the BJP. The lunch was hosted and food was consumed, so AAP's clarification makes no sense, Gupta said. Sisodia on Saturday had claimed, "the so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 per plate was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved those. The files have been with the then L-G Najeeb Jung's office for the past six months. It seems the L-G's office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP." BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit out at Kejriwal over the observations of the Shunglu panel report. "The report has clearly pointed out that Kejriwal's relative Nikunj Agarwal was appointed as OSD to Health Minister Satyendar Jain violating all norms. The question is why was it done," Patra said and offered his own theory which had no mention in the Shunglu report. PTI China spreading wrong information about my Arunachal trip says Dalai Lama India oi-Madhuri Tibetian spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Saturday accused China of spreading wrong information about his trip on Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is normal for Beijing to give political colour to his spiritual visits. He further said that Chinese people are fed wrong information about my visit to Arunachal Pradesh. "I wish one Chinese official would accompany me while I'm visiting here, what I'm doing, what I'm saying. They should know the reality," the Dalai Lama said. On whether his visit to Tawang, a place Beijing claims to be its own, will affect India-China ties , Dalai Lama said,"We will have to wait and see. But it is normal for China to give political colour to my spiritual visits." The Dalai Lama who addressed devotees at the Tawang monastery said that his visit to Tawang and other parts of India's northeast was purely religious in nature. He called Tawang his first home in India as it was his first halt when he escaped from Tibet in 1959. "Only time will tell. Let us wait and see,'' said the Dalai Lama, who will be in Tawang until Monday despite Chinese protests over his visit. OneIndia News (with PTI inputs) What PM spoke with the students during his ride on Pune Metro Metro trains, hospitals might be hit with power supply due to coal shortage: Delhi govt Noida Metro: Aqua Line stations to play Music for travellers waiting for the train from today Delhi: Rs 15.75 crore in demonetised currency seized by DRI India pti-PTI New Delhi, April 9: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Sunday seized Rs 15.75 crore in demonetised notes near the Jhandewalan metro station in New Delhi. The seizure of banned Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes took place at a residential premises near the metro station. Acting on intelligence, DRI sleuths raided the premises and recovered specified bank notes of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations with a face value of Rs 15.75 crore, a senior DRI official said. Delhi: DRI recovered Rs. 15.75 cores in old currency notes of 1000 & 500 from premises near Jhandewalan metro station, investigation on pic.twitter.com/TvJm5e02m1 ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 Ten people have been arrested in the case by the DRI, he said. The accused are businessmen dealing in real estate, jewellery and trading among others, the official said. Under section 7 of the newly-enacted Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, whoever is found in possession of the defunct notes contravenes shall be punished with a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 or five times the amount of the face value of the specified bank notes involved in the contravention, whichever is higher. In this case, the total amount of fine may go up to Rs 78.75 crore. PTI Election commission decides to call off R K Nagar bypolls, official statement awaited India oi-Anusha Chennai, April 9: The election commission of India has decided to call off the bypolls in R K Nagar assembly constituency. While reports suggested that the bypoll in Jayalalithaa's constituency stands cancelled, an official statement or order is likely to be put out by the election commission on Monday. Following the raids on AIADMK leaders including Tamil Nadu Health minister Vijaya Bhaskar and consecutive seizures suggesting that money was distributed to voters in the constituency, the election commission has decided to countermand the bypolls scheduled to take place on April 12. The income tax raids are said to have been a result of multiple complaints of money distribution to the election commission. The election commission has asked Vijaya Bhaskar, actor turned politician Sarath Kumar and the vice chancellor of MGR University to appear in person. Summons were issued to all three following raids by the income tax department. A few documents said to have been seized from Vijaya Bhaskar's residence in Friday's raid is said to contain details of money allotted to each leader to be distributed to voters in the R K Nagar constituency. While the speculation is rife that the election would be countermanded, an official statement from the election commission is awaited. OneIndia News IT dept to file complaint against TN health minister Vijaybhaskar India oi-Vicky By Vicky Abuse of money power and assaulting CISF jawan are two points mentioned in the report of the Central Board of Direct Taxes which conducted a raid in Tamil Nadu ahead of the R K Nagar by-elections. In the report by the CBDT, it is mentioned that the Health Minister of Tamil Nadu, Vijaybhaskar had pushed a CISF jawan before speaking with reporters. As per the norms, no person can enter or leave the premises when a search is on. However Vijaybhaskar went out of his home and spoke with the media. When he was told not to, he pushed a CISF jawan, the report submitted to the Election Commission of India says. The report also states that an IT official was treated very badly during the raid conducted last week. There were raids in at least 30 places after allegations of money being pumped into the R K Nagar by-election was received. Now it has been decided that a criminal complaint will be filed against the minister for the manner in which he treated the IT official and CISF jawan. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 8:48 [IST] No comment on Pranab Mukherjee book before reading it: Former Union Minister After controversial excerpt, Pranab Mukherjees family feuds over his memoirs PM Modi did not discuss demonetisation: Pranab Mukherjee in memoir Pranab memoirs: PM Modi must speak more often in Parliament Mahavir Jayanti: President, PM greet nation India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, April 9: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. "Greetings to all my fellow countrymen in India and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti," Mukherjee tweeted. He said: "Bhagwan Mahavira's philosophy of ahimsa, truth, compassion and non-violence are of increasing relevance in today's world." The President urged the people to "imbibe his teaching of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct" in uniting and building a "society free from violence, terrorism and exploitation". Modi tweeted: "Greetings on Mahavir Jayanti. We recall the noble teachings of Lord Mahavir, which continue to guide generations." Mahavir, born in Bihar in 599 BC, was the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara, spiritual teacher. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 12:10 [IST] 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 'Will resign as MLA if proven wrong': Defiant Jarkiholi defends 'Hindu' remark even as Cong slams him Narayan Rane: Bal Thackeray recognised my true potential India ians-IANS By Ians English Mumbai, April 9: Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday paid glowing tributes to Shiv Sena's founder, the late Bal Thackeray, saying only he had recognised my true potential and reposed complete faith in him. Rane said: "Whatever I am today is only because of Balasaheb Thackeray... He reposed complete faith in me, which no other leader will ever do... It matters little now which party I belong to, since for me his stature will remain unchanged." He was speaking at a function here on the eve of his 65th birthday on Monday (April 10). Recalling his close association with the late Sena supremo, Rane said that at one stage, he (Rane) aspired to be the powerful Mayor of Mumbai, the richest civic body in the country, but Thackeray had other plans. The Sena supremo instead gave him a ticket for the assembly elections, which kickstarted his political career, culminating in the coveted job of Chief Minister in 1999 during the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government, followed by Leader of Opposition and other major responsibilities. "The Narayan Rane visible today to the whole of Maharashtra is because of Balasaheb only. Otherwise, this humble worker from the Konkan region would never have come into the limelight," Rane said, crediting the late Sena chief for his meteoric political ascent. "I have always done whatever I feel is right, without getting scared of anyone since I do it honestly. Just as I used to speak out plainly before Balasaheb, I do the same with (Congress President) Sonia Gandhi and (Vice President) Rahul Gandhi," he added. In July 2005, Rane quit the Shiv Sena following major political differences and subsequently joined the Congress where he has been long considered a Chief Minister-in-waiting. Taking a swipe at his critics amid media speculation of his political moves, Rane said that more than me, it is the media which appears more concerned about where I am going or not. This was amid recent reports that Rane has reportedly invited BJP President Amit Shah for his grand 65th birthday celebrations scheduled in Mumbai on Monday. Sunday's pre-birthday bash was attended by senior leaders from various parties, including Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP, former Union Minister and Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde of the Congress, and former state Minister Jayant Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party. IANS Nitin Gadkari: Aggressive manoeuvering helped in Goa govt formation India ians-IANS By Ians English Panaji, April 9: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the BJP did not do anything illegal to form a government in Goa, but also revealed some of the behind-the-scenes aggressive manoeuvering, which enabled the party, which was short of majority, to clinch power. At a rally here to felicitate Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who gave up his role as Defence Minister to return to state politics and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah for coming to power in four of the five states where assembly elections were held, he also said that the real architect of the coalition government formation process was Amit Shah. Gadkari explained how Shah worked the phone to good effect with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and key members of the BJP's highest decision-making body, the party's parliamentary board, which triggered a series of developments which led to the BJP eventually cobbling together a coalition government in the coastal state. One of the obstacles, he said, was the reluctance of two Independent MLAs, whose cooperation was required to reach the majority mark of 21. To counter this, he revealed that a message was sent across to their camp that ministerial berths were being allotted to others. "They had delayed. The Independent MLAs did not come. I said make others ministers," he said, adding that once the Independent MLAs got the message, they themselves called and expressed willingness to join the BJP camp. While the Congress won 17 seats in the state assembly polls, the BJP had won 13 out of 40 seats. But swift decision-making led to the BJP eventually forming a government in Goa, with the support of three MLAs each from two regional parties -- Goa Forward and the Maharashtrwadi Gomantak Party -- and two Independent MLAs. On the Congress' allegation that Constitutional provisions were violated by the BJP in the race for government formation, he said: "We did not do anything wrong. In the history of India, in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly elections, those who have the majority are invited to form government." Gadkari, who was administered the responsibility to oversee the government formation process by Shah, also credited the BJP chief as the real architect of the victory. "My mood was that we may not form government, so we should give up. But he called me to his home and told me to go to Goa and that a government should be formed under any condition," he said. IANS No deadline for introduction of Sharia banking in India, says RBI India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 9: No deadline has been set for introduction of Sharia or interest-free banking in India, the Reserve Bank of India has said. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. The RBI had earlier proposed opening of "Islamic window" in conventional banks for gradual introduction of Sharia- compliant banking. Responding to an RTI application, the RBI said it has not taken any step to introduce Islamic window in banks for gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant interest-free banking in India. "RBI has not set any deadline for introduction of interest-free banking," the central bank said in response to the RTI query filed by PTI. However, on the instruction of the central government, an Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) set up in RBI has examined the legal, technical and regulatory issues for introducing interest-free banking in India and has submitted its report to the government, it said. The RBI had in February last year sent a copy of the IDG to the Finance Ministry. "In our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner," the central bank had told the Ministry in a letter. In late 2008, a committee on Financial Sector Reforms, headed by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, had stressed on the need for a closer look at the issue of interest-free banking in the country. "Certain faiths prohibit the use of financial instruments that pay interest. The non-availability of interest-free banking products results in some Indians, including those in the economically disadvantaged strata of society, not being able to access banking products and services due to reasons of faith," the committee had said. PTI Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage Police nab two naxals in Chhattisgarh India oi-PTI Raipur, April 9: A joint team of Central Reserve Police Force and district force under Jangla police station limits on Saturday arrested two naxals from Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. They were identified as Ichami Boti (36) and Laxman (28). Acting on a tip off about the movement of these ultras, security forces launched an operation on April 7 night towards Nafrapara, Kotrapara, Jaigur and Kondorli villages, around 450km from the state capital Raipur, to trace them, he said. On sensing that security forces were on their trail, the two attempted to escape were nabbed, he added. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 15:39 [IST] No comment on Pranab Mukherjee book before reading it: Former Union Minister Pranab Mukherjee seeks support of citizens in making India cashless society India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, April 9: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday urged the people to support the government's mission to make India a cashless society. "I urge all citizens to extend their unstinted support to the mission of a less cash India. All efforts of the government will achieve their end only if people were to adopt them proactively," the President said. Mukherjee was speaking on the occasion of the 100th mega draw of lots for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at Rashtrapati Bhavan here. "India has a long way to go to become a cashless society. Presently, we remain primarily a cash-based economy with about 95 per cent of the personal consumption and 86 per cent of all transactions being in cash," President Mukherjee said. Appreciating the government initiatives, he said: "It is necessary to reduce cash in circulation and impart greater urgency to promoting secure digital payment methods to ensure greater transparency." Calling the Aadhaar card a watershed event in the development story of India, President Mukherjee said: "Aadhaar enabled payment system has made digital payments possible for even those section of the population who may not have mobile phones." "Launch of BHIM has demystified the digital payments and brought it within the grasp of every citizen," he said while discussing the new modes of digital payments which are being developed for making payments easier. He complimented the government for the initiatives, for promoting the culture of digital payment in the country. The government launched the Lucky Grahak Yojana for consumers and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana for merchants on December 25, 2016, in order to promote and encourage digital transactions. These schemes are being implemented by the National Payment Corporation of India. The Lucky Grahak Yojana rewards Rs 1,000 daily to 15,000 customers undertaking digital transactions. Weekly prizes up to Rs 1 lakh for consumers and Rs 50,000 for merchants are given. As on March 30, 2017, 13.5 lakh consumers and 79,519 merchants have received prizes under these schemes. IANS Pranab Mukherjee to address Satyagrah centenary event in Patna India oi-PTI New Delhi/Patna, April 9: President Pranab Mukherjee will attend Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagrah's centenary celebrations later this month in Patna, where a host of events have been lined up to mark 100 years of the historic movement. The Bihar government will kick off the year-long commemorative celebrations on Monday, as it was on April 10, 1917 that Gandhi set foot in the state for the first time. A two-day seminar on the life of Gandhi and other social issues would be the first in the series of events that kick off on Monday. "100 glorious years of Gandhi's iconic Satyagrah movement is being marked through a number of events in various parts of Bihar and the President is slated to attend a function in Patna on April 17," an official said. Incidentally, Mukherjee had inaugurated the year-long centenary celebrations of the Patna High Court on April 18, 2015. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the celebrations, which will later spread to West Champaran and East Champaran erstwhile unified Champaran district and Muzaffarpur, among other places. "The President will only be attending the function in Patna for a day. He may visit the Patna Sahib gurudwara," the source said. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 13:34 [IST] 'Shaurya Diwas': Rajnath Singh says J&K entered new era of peace & prosperity after Article 370 abrogation Pak committing atrocities against people in PoK, will have to bear consequences: Rajnath Singh India's defence a notch higher with launch of 75 vital BRO projects in 6 states and 2 UTs, including J&K Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh says Jainism can be antidote to terrorism India pti-PTI New Delhi, April 9: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the path of Jainism can be an antidote to terrorism, the biggest challenge facing the world, as it completely rejects violence which is the foundation of terrorism. Non-violence is the path as well the goal of the Jainism, he said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir while noting that this makes the faith relevant in these times when terrorism is affecting the entire world. The Home Minister also expressed his disagreement with the view that Jainism, whose followers have been granted the status of a minority in India, is distinct from Hinduism. He said while non-violence is a subject in Hinduism, Jainism has dwelled deeply into it and done a PhD. He did not think that it is separate from Hinduism, he said. The faith's followers may be few in number but their belief is strong, he said, holding that its core principles are scientific. Singh said Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Maurya empire, followed Jainism and was the first king to unite the nation. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also spoke on the occasion and urged people to follow the path shown by Lord Mahavir. Several other BJP leaders, including Union minister Kalraj Mishra, also addressed the event. PTI Rajnath Singh says time to rise above sectarian interests India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, April 9: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said all stakeholders should rise above sectarian interests to focus on the larger picture of national development. Rajnath Singh made the observation while chairing the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council in New Delhi. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the meeting. Besides, ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan represented their states at the meeting. The Home Minister said all the stakeholders share a common desire to take the nation forward and prosperity can come only when there is peace and stability, a release said. He said India is a nation characterised by unity in diversity, and hence it is important that trust and cordiality form the bedrock for centre-state cooperation. The Standing Committee examined various recommendations of the Punchhi Commission contained in Volume 2 and 3, the release said. The Punchhi Commission was notified in 2005, and it submitted its report in 2010. It made recommendations which are contained in seven volumes. The Volume 2 of the report is related to provisions of the constitution that are concerned with important aspects of Constitutional governance such as role of Governors, deployment of central forces, federal balance of power, ensuring better coordination between central government and states and other important issues of centre-state relations. The recommendations in Volume 3 of the Punchhi Commission report are related to centre-state financial relations and cover the subjects of fiscal transfers to states, Goods and Services Tax and Centre-state fiscal relations. "The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-state relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. The recommendations of the Standing Committee finalised at this meeting will be placed before the Inter-State Council," the release said. It said that the remaining volumes of the Punchhi Commission recommendations would be taken up in subsequent meetings of the Standing Committee along with the implications of the recent developments in terms of the GST Act, the 14th Finance Commission Report and formation of NITI AAYOG and rationalisation of Centrally sponsored schemes. The recommendations of Punchhi Commission pertain to history of centre-state relations in India; constitutional governance and management of centre-state relations; centre-state financial relations; local self-governments and decentralised governance; internal security, criminal justice and centre-state co-operation; environment, natural resources and infrastructure; and socio-economic development, public policy and good governance. IANS Saying 'talaq' three times will not lead to divorce, says Vice-President's wife India oi-IANS By Ians English Aligarh, April 8: Amid the ongoing nationwide debate over triple talaq, Salma Ansari, the wife of Vice President Hamid Ansari, said on Saturday that just saying 'talaq' thrice does not amount to a divorce. "There can be no talaq just because someone says 'talaq, talaq, talaq' three times," she said, and also urged Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics for their views on Islam. "Whatever maulanas said you think it's true. You read the Quran in Arabic but never read its translations. Women should read the Quran, contemplate, gain knowledge what the Shariat says and not just follow anyone blindly," she told reporters here after participating in a programme at Chacha Nehru Madarsa run by Aligarh's Al Noor charitable society. Triple talaq - a controversial Muslim practice in the subcontinent - has been challenged in the Supreme Court. It is an Islamic practice where a man can divorce his wife by saying "talaq," the Arabic word for divorce, three times. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 10:47 [IST] Somali pirates hijack ship: Indian Navy to the rescue India oi-Madhuri The Indian and Chinese Navies came together to protect a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden which had come under attack from pirates overnight. Indian Navy warships INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai were the first to respond to assist the Chinese PLA in sanitising a ship hijacked by the somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The crew had taken cover of the bulk carrier and took to the secured location. The ship has been rendered safe. The hijacking comes days after pirates hijacked an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai. The Chinese Navy has thanked their Indian counterparts for the anti-piracy mission. The Chinese, Italian and Pakistani Navies which were also operating in the area also responded. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, April 9, 2017, 11:30 [IST] Suresh Prabhu says electrification of rail lines will be fast tracked India pti-PTI Panaji, April 9: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday said electrification of rail lines will be fast-tracked and doubled in the next five years. He said the railways reached a new record this year in terms of electrification, laying of new lines, track-doubling work and fitting of bio toilets. "The number of bio toilets installed in trains in the last one year matches the figure of the past six years," he told a gathering after launching various infrastructure-related initiatives of Konkan Railway in Maharashtra and Karnataka. "The Railways has electrified 48 per cent of the country's tracks and aims to double the same in the next five years. Only broad-gauge lines will be covered under conversion drive. When Railways converts narrow and metre-gauge track into broad gauge ones, they will be electrified too. "The drive will reduce the use of diesel, cut down cost, protect environment and help in smooth movement of rail traffic," the Minister said. Prabhu said the government is also focusing on track- doubling work. "In the last two-and-a-half years, we have sanctioned 12,500 km of track-doubling work. In the last 75 years, we covered only 15,000 km." The project will reduce congestion, end train delays, improve safety and ensure fast move of passengers and freight," he said. The minister said the number of trains running on Konkan Railway route would be doubled in the few years. "Konkan Railway has been witnessing a significant change in the last few years. The Konkan Railway services have completed 25 years. In the next few years, the number of trains on the route would be doubled," said Prabhu. "We are working on digitalising the entire Railway network. We are launching enterprise resource planning programme under which more than Rs 10,000 crore would be invested," he said. "The digitalisation drive will bring huge improvement in operations, reduce inefficiency and also reduce cost," the minister added. PTI Another propaganda busted, but will the anti-Hindu rhetoric in the West end We want all-India law banning cow slaughter, says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat India oi-PTI New Delhi, April 9: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today advocated a nation-wide law against cow slaughter, calling it a "vice" that must be removed, but condemned violence by cow protection groups as it "defames" the cause. He also pitched for stepping-up of cow protection efforts by bringing more people in the drive while "completely obeying the law and the Constitution". His remarks at an event to observe the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir came against the backdrop of the lynching of a Muslim man by cow vigilantes in Alwar in BJP-ruled Rajasthan that sparked protests from opposition parties and put the saffron party on the defensive. "Nothing should be done while protecting cows that hurts the belief of some people. Nothing should be done that is violent. It only defames the efforts of cow protectors... The work of cow conservation should be carried out while completely obeying the law and the Constitution," Bhagwat said. He said many states where RSS functionaries, a reference to BJP leaders with RSS background, have been in power have enacted such a law and expressed confidence that other governments will follow suit by dealing with local "complexities". "Our wish is that there should be a law against cow slaughter across India," he said. In several northeastern states, including some where BJP is in power, cow slaughter is not banned while beef is consumed widely in states like Kerala and West Bengal where the party is working to emerge as a strong political force. The RSS chief suggested that enactment of such a law everywhere will take time due to the complexities of politics. If there is a law, it will be for promoting non-violence not violence, he said, noting, "There cannot be a law that says you do violence. It is impossible." "I am confident that wherever RSS workers are in power, they will deal with local complexities and work in that direction," he said. Cow protection should be promoted in such a way that it wins over more and more people to the cause and brings praise for those doing it, Bhagwat said. Non-violent efforts will only help change the law accordingly, he said. Whether there is a law or not if the society's behaviour changes, cow slaughter will stop, he said. Bhagwat said as a veterinary doctor he is aware of a 'desi' cow's utility, including the usefulness of its urine and dung, and claimed that even scientific bodies have come to accept this. Underlining that non-violence was an essential part to Mahavir's teachings, he said these can unite a society that has people of different faiths and behaviour. PTI In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi This Diwali, UP CM Yogi asks govt employees to celebrate festival with needy, deprived families Modernisation of police force helped in controlling crime in UP: CM Yogi Yogi govt orders demotion of DySP to inspector for taking bribes in rape case Yogi Adityanath meets Amit Shah, Narendra Modi India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, April 9: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah in New Delhi and discussed party and administrative issues. Adityanath, who participated in the Inter-State Council's standing committee meet in New Delhi, also held talks with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. In his half-hour-long meeting with Shah, Adityanath is said to have discussed several key issues including the names of probables to head the party's state unit, in place of Keshav Prasad Maurya who is now also Deputy Chief Minister. Party sources told IANS that both Shah and Adityanath discussed about an administrative reshuffle in UP. Adityanath later met Modi. IANS Yogi Adityanath seeks more funds for development of Bundelkhand, Purvanchal India pti-PTI New Delhi, April 9: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought more funds from the Centre for the development of his state's backward regions like Bundelkhand and Purvanchal. Addressing a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council, the Chief Minister said all states should get more funds for various development activities. Sources said Adityanath urged the central government to provide more funds for the development of Purvanchal, a region comprising parts of eastern UP and western Bihar, and Bundelkhand, a region infamous for droughts which the state shares with Madhya Pradesh. The Chief Minister spoke in presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting. Adityanath's remarks came days after his announcement of loan waiver to state's 2.1 crore small and marginal farmers totaling Rs 36,359 crore. The meeting discussed on Centre-State relations, Centre-State relations on Finance as recommended by the M M Punchhi Commission. The recommendations in Volume III of the Punchhi Commission report are related to Centre-State financial relations and cover the subjects of fiscal transfers to states, the Goods and Services Tax and the Centre-State fiscal relations. The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-State relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. This was for the first time the new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister spoke at a meeting which was attended by central ministers and chief ministers of states. Apart from Jaitley, Singh and Adityanath, the meeting was attended by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, besides his Tripura and Chhattisgarh counterparts Manik Sarkar and Raman Singh. Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, who are also members of the Council, did not attend the meeting and sent their representatives. PTI 45 dead, 119 injured in Egypt church bombing, IS claims responsibility International oi-Madhuri At least 45 people were killed and around 119 Palm Sunday worshippers were injured in an bomb blast on Sunday in a church located in north of Cairo. The first explosion, which left 27 dead and 78 injured, ripped through a Palm Sunday service at Mar Girgis (St. George's) Coptic church in Tanta, a city located 120 km from Cairo, EFE news reported. The explosive device was planted under a seat in the church and was detonated in the main prayer hall. A short time later, a suicide bomb attack outside Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria killed 16 and injured 41 people, according to a Health Ministry statement. In a brief statement released through official news agency Amaq, the Islamic State claimed that the attack had been launched by a security unit belonging to the Islamic State. Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail condemned the attacks on private television channel On TV, adding that the government was determined to end terrorism in the country. "This is an impious terrorist act, but we will eradicate terrorism from Egypt and we are determined to put an end to terrorist groups," EFE news quoted Ismail as saying. Copts, who make up around 15 per cent of Egypt's population, were celebrating Palm Sunday, which marks the start of the Holy Week for Christians. This attack comes 20 days before the visit of Pope Francis, who is set to travel to Egypt on April 28. The Pope condemned the attack and publicly prayed for converting the hearts of those who sow terror, violence and death. The pontiff was addressing the faithful during the traditional Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City when he was notified of the attack. He offered his condolences to the victims' families, to those injured and to all Egyptians. Over the past few years, Egypt is struggling to combat a terrorist wave that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group as terrorist organisation. The terror attacks, mostly claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the IS, has recently been targeting Egypt's Christian minority and a previous church blast in Cairo in December 2016 left at least 28 worshippers dead, mostly women and children. Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's "anti-terror war" declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's ouster. (With agency inputs) OneIndia News Britain has no real influence internationally: Russia International ians-IANS By Ians English Moscow, April 9: Russia on Sunday said the cancellation of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's visit to Moscow demonstrates London's lack of understanding of knowledge of events in Syria. "Judging by the statement made by Boris Johnson, he now has different priorities, namely discussions with G7 counterparts of the situation in Syria and Russian support for Bashar al Assad," TASS News cited a ministry statement as saying. Johnson on Saturday called off a visit to Moscow in the wake of the Syrian chemical weapons attack". He was set to travel on Monday. Johnson said Britain called on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a "political settlement in Syria". According to Russia, the cancellation of the visit was "evident of the fundamental misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of the events in Syria, Russia's efforts to settle that crisis, and the general objectives of diplomacy". "The decision proves doubts about added value from negotiations with the UK, as it remains in the shade of its strategic partners,the ministry said. Britain has fully supported the US for its response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib province of Syria that left nearly 80 civilians dead. The US on April 6 unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase that played a key role in conducting the toxic gas attack. The US as well as Britain blame Russia for being incompetent in stopping the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow as planned after the G7 meeting in Italy on April 10-11. Johnson's visit, for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, would have been the first visit by a UK Foreign Secretary in more than five years. The government was "quick to blindly follow every order from the Trump White House", he said. IANS Bihar assembly elections 2020: Heres how you can cast your vote using the EVM and VVPAT Kashmir by poll violence takes eight lives, several injured India ians-IANS By Ians English Srinagar, April 9: At least eight persons were killed on Sunday when security forces opened fire to disperse protesters in central Kashmir's Budgam district where byelection for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat is being held. Two protestors died in firing at Dalwan village in the Charar-e-Sharif assembly segment of Budgam, and one each died in Beerwah and Wathura areas of the district. The security forces opened fire after a mob attacked the polling station at Dalwan village and reportedly damaged the EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. "Security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," a police official said. A mob torched a bus and also damaged the EVMs at a polling station in Beerwah as also elsewhere in Budgam district, the police official said. The voting turnout was a poor five per cent till noon after polling started at 7.00 a.m in Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts that fall within the parliamentary constiuency. At least 261,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar-Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Nine candidates, including National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, are in the fray. The by-poll from the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency is being held because the seat fall vacant after the then sitting member Tariq Karra resigned during the unrest of 2016. IANS North Korea condemns US missile attack on Syria International oi-IANS By Ians English Pyongyang, April 9: North Korea on Sunday condemned the US bombing in Syria as an "absolutely unacceptable aggression" against a sovereign state and said this justifies Pyongyang's further military development. "The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it," a statement from North Korean Foreign Ministry statement said. North Korea, regards Syria as an ally, was not surprised that this US military attack was a "warning to us" and that it was another example that "we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions". "The reality is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice," the statement said. The US on April 6 night unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase in Syria in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad regime that left dozens of civilians dead. The cruise missile attack, which took place when Trump was dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida, was not only a warning for Syria but also for China to pressure North Korea to end its provocation, a White House source told The Washington Post on Saturday. IANS Zia accuses Hasina of selling out Bangladesh to India to stay in power International pti-PTI Dhaka, April 9: Bangladesh's opposition leader Khaleda Zia has accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of selling out the country to India to translate into reality her dream of staying in power for life, hours after New Delhi and Dhaka signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence. "Hasina dreams of remaining in power for life. She has done many things for this. She kept nothing for the country, sold everything," Zia, former prime minister and the chief of main opposition outside parliament Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a party programme last night. Zia's comments came hours after Hasina, who is in India on a four-day visit, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed signing of 22 pacts in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear. Though the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement remained elusive, Modi conveyed his government's commitment for an early solution. "It seems that she (Hasina) will sell the rest of the country... (but) the world history says no one could get away after selling a country," she said. After holding comprehensive talks with Hasina, Modi announced a new concessional Line of Credit of USD 4.5 billion for the neighbouring country and an additional assistance of USD 500 million to help its military procurement. Zia, 71, and Hasina, 69, are known as the 'Battling Begums' for their bitter rivalry that has poisoned Bangladeshi politics for nearly three decades. Earlier on Saturday, BNP termed signing of the defence deal an extreme betrayal with people and the country with the party's spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claiming that the development will expose Bangladesh's security system to India. "Our security and existence is now at stake following signing of the MoUs," the BNP spokesman said. Ruling party Awami League's general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader urged BNP not to make any comment without knowing details of the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between India and Bangladesh. "There is nothing in the deals which could be concealed as it is the age of technology," the Minister said. Meanwhile, political analysts said BNP took the opportunity to make visible its presence in the political arena as its boycott of the 2014 elections largely eroded the moral of the party activists and supporters, even losing a chance of becoming a strong main opposition in Parliament. Hasina last month accused BNP of pursuing a double- policy on India after it expressed negative speculations over possible deals to be signed during her India visit. "It was Khaleda Zia who gave an undertaking of selling gas to India and came to power in 2001 (sacrificing Bangladesh's interest)... So anti-Indian words do not match in their mouth," Hasina had told a function of her Awami League. In the past, Hasina has criticised Zia for repeatedly seeking time from court appearance in graft cases, saying Zia lacked the courage to face courts as she was guilty deep down. Graft charges have been brought against Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case which accuses her of embezzling 31.5 million Bangladeshi Taka (USD 4 lakh). PTI 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 07 Nov 2022 Tensions on the Korean peninsula have reached a new and historic high. For the first time ever, both the North and South have fired.. Rumble 11 Apr 2022 Hundreds lined the streets of Antigua on Sunday for the traditional Catholic procession that marked the beginning of the Holy Week.. Haaretz 13 Nov 2021 The U.S. hid a possible war crime in which 64 women and children were killed, according to a report by the New York Times Vienna Calling: ViGE 2017 Launches with a Blast Published April 9, 2017 by Lee R Organisers in Vienna were thankful to fuse the wonders of Vienna with the future of Central European iGaming. Two weeks clear of the closing of the doors at the inaugural Vienna International Gaming Expo ViGE, the thrilled organizers are enthusiastically extending their thanks to all exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and delegates who attended ViGE 2017 March 20-22 at Austria Center Vienna. Much to Be Thankful For Organised by EEG Events, the three-day expo successfully united land and online-based gambling professionals to focus on Central Europe. Exhibition Floor The massive exhibition floor offered delegates an open networking area with sumptuous on-site catering and palate-cleaning beers sponsored by Lotto Hero in one of the beer capitals of the world. Day One Highlights Day One of ViGE examined recent regulatory topics in Central Europe with emphasis on the challenges operators, suppliers and affiliates face in regulated market conditions common to Central European jurisdictions, with legal experts updating attendees on the current status of the online gambling markets of Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany and the recently regulated Czech Republic. Another Day 1 highlight was an exciting IMGL Masterclass special panel covering the risks and challenges faced by affiliates, operators and platforms working in regulated markets. First Day Speakers Keynote speakers providing regulatory briefings on Day 1 included Dr. Arthur Stadler of the Austrian Association for Betting and Gaming; Mag. Claus Retschitzegger of the Austrian Association for Betting and Gaming/CEO at Bet-at-home); and Hrvoje Vincetic of Casino Adriatic. Legendary Network Evening At night an unforgettable Networking Party sponsored by Prague Gaming Summit overflowed with great music and libations supporting interaction among attendees in a more informal atmosphere at a local Vienna hotspot. Day 2: Responsible Gaming Day 2 of ViGE 2017 kicked into gear with conversations on the most recent developments regarding the implementation of Responsible Gambling and Innovations projects in the industry. Challenges to Projects The discussion later saw Responsible Gambling project experts and leaders identify industry challenges on the horizon, with keynote speakers including Roman Nesshold of the Austria Institute of Gambling and Addiction; Dan Iliovici of Rombet; Malcolm Bruce of Gambling Integrity; and Pieter Remmers of Assissa. AI Series Expert AI panels on Virtual Reality VR and Big Data in DFS were joined by AI luminaries such as recently appointed BtoBet CEO Kostandina Zafirovska; Lotto Hero Lottery software designer Angelo Dalli of Bit8; and Valery Bollier of Oulala Games. Day 3: Regulation Day 3 was dedicated to all things Austria in focusing on the regulatory climate in Austria. Forecast With post-event data indicating a high level of engagement and learning on the part of all attendees, the ViGE conference looks prepared to guide effective integration in Central Europe for years to come, and next years event should definitely be even better. 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. April is recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Sexual assault happens every day in our communities, schools and workplaces. It is important that people be educated on what constitutes sexual assault, and that there is help for victims of sexual violence. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette stressed the continued need for support and justice for victims of sexual assault. We must continue to shine light on the crime of sexual assault during the month of April and beyond, Schuette said in a statement released Thursday. Together we can change the culture and help put a stop to sexual violence and assault. By educating ourselves and those around us on ways to prevent it and speak up if we see something that should not be happening then together we can make a difference. Schuette offered these facts about what sexual assault is, and how often it occurs. Sexual assault is any type of forced or coerced sexual contact or behavior that happens without consent. Sexual assault includes rape and attempted rape, child molestation, and sexual harassment or threats. Sexual violence happens to people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, abilities, professions, incomes and ethnicities. It is common to think sexual assault only affects women, but it can affect men and women of all ages. About 85 percent of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows a friend, acquaintance or partner. One out of four women and one out of 10 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. 79 percent of female victims of rape report that they were first raped before age 25. 28 percent of male victims of rape report that they were first raped at age 10 or younger. Michigan victims of sexual violence are encouraged to call the national sexual assault hotline toll-free, 800-656-HOPE. All calls are confidential, and will be answered by a local counseling center affiliated with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. To the editor: Has anyone in our district ever wondered why insurance companies were pulling out of states? For over 15 months we were forced fed that the ACA (Obamacare) was exploding while all we were provided was a box laced with ribbons crafted in the darkness. Refer to www.salon.com How Republicans Quietly Sabotaged Obamacare before Trump became President. A little noticed health care provision slipped into a giant spending law by introducing a spider web by placing insurance companies on unstable, uncertainties is the promise of the President Obamas signature health law. At some point, Americans need to know the truth from all those who represent themselves as lawmakers to include the Trump administration. Going forward hopefully, citizens now realize the new health care bill would have dismantled health care for all. Sadly, President Trump continues attributing the failure of the ACA to President Obama when we the people were never told the government didnt reimburse those insurance companies as agreed. KITTY-LEIGH MIDDLETON Midland A new legislative session kicked off in January, and once again, theres talk in Lansing about reforming auto insurance in Michigan. This is a perennial issue: Since 2001, legislators have introduced 340 bills about auto insurance regulations, according to MichiganVotes.org. But like drivers in the Indy 500, lawmakers keep going around in circles without getting anywhere. This pattern needs to stop and policymakers should fix the problem. The interest in reforming auto insurance stems from a well-known fact: Michiganders have the regrettable privilege of paying some of the highest premiums in the country. According to research from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the average annual premium in Michigan was $1,351 in 2014, second only to New Jersey and Louisiana and 37 percent more than the national average. Bad drivers arent to blame for Michigans abnormally high auto insurance premiums. After all, Michiganders can navigate the most miserable conditions, thanks to our winter wonderland. When a snowflake falls in Atlanta, on the other hand, there are ditches full of cars and highways are backed up for miles. What is to blame, however, are Michigans unique auto insurance laws. The states no-fault approach is similar to that of just 11 other states, and no other state forces all drivers to buy unlimited personal injury protection. Michigans current auto insurance system was created in 1973, and a solid case can be made that it has been, by and large, a failed experiment. For instance, the no-fault system which gives insurance benefits to anyone injured in an auto accident regardless of who was to blame was meant to reduce litigation. Since the law guarantees insurance benefits for all accident victims, the theory goes, there should be fewer lawsuits, reducing costs for both insurance companies and the courts. Thats not whats happened in practice. Michigan still allows an accident victim to sue an at-fault driver if a certain threshold for injuries is met. The Michigan Supreme Court has interpreted the law in a way that lowers this threshold effectively undoing what no-fault set out to achieve. The result is that Michigan drivers pay a hefty premium for no-fault protection but dont really benefit from it. Not surprisingly, Michigan ranks as one of the most litigious states in the nation, according to the Pacific Research Institute. The failed no-fault system is only half the problem. Requiring insurers to provide unlimited PIP is even more problematic. Its easy to figure out how this approach contributes to astronomical insurance premiums, why its rife with abuse and why no other state uses it. With no limit on what insurers must cover, anyone injured in an auto accident can seek and afford the most expensive treatment possible. Whats worse: While private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid have fee schedules that limit what medical providers can charge, there are no schedules for what they can charge for services they provide to accident victims. Thats why its common for hospitals to charge auto insurers significantly more than they charge medical insurers or Medicaid and Medicare for exactly the same service. The generous benefits available through Michigans unlimited PIP system, as might be expected, attract those who see an opportunity for profit. For instance, unlimited PIP covers paying a caregiver to serve accident victims in their own homes. There are very few limitations on who can provide this care and, again, there is no fee schedule. As a result, family members of accident victims can and do bill auto insurers for 24 hours of care each day at hourly rates as high as $30. That works out to be a nice six-figure salary. While it is unlikely that this is the norm for those providing home-based care, the opportunity for abuse is clear. Considering these problems with Michigans auto insurance system, one might wonder why nothing has changed. After all, each lawmaker has thousands of constituents who are harmed by these steep premiums. The answer to this riddle is what economists call concentrated benefits and diffuse costs. The status quo provides concentrated benefits to medical providers, attorneys and accident victims, and they will spend significant resources lobbying the Legislature to protect these benefits. The costs, meanwhile, are diffuse, paid by drivers all across the state. Diverse and unorganized, drivers voices are easily drowned out by the loud, coordinated and well-funded voices of those who defend the status quo. Its time to admit that our no-fault auto insurance system has largely failed. As a result of court rulings, it has strayed from its original purpose and its promised benefits have not materialized. For the sake of Michigan drivers, policymakersneed to overhaul it and make our state competitive again. Matt Coffey is a lawyer at the Fordney and Coffey law firm and a lecturer at Central Michigan University. Michael Van Beek is the director of research at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. For the past two years, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) have been engaged in a seemingly endless fight over gate space at Love Field, the closest airport to downtown Dallas. The dispute has been making its way through the court system slowly, but it could still be years from being resolved. Last year, a potential solution appeared when Alaska Air (NYSE: ALK) acquired Virgin America, which is the only other commercial airline at Love Field, whereas Alaska Airlines flies to nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). It seemed plausible that Alaska would consolidate its Dallas-area operations at DFW, the region's main airport. However, Alaska Air recently slammed the door on that possibility, as a high-ranking executive revealed that the company has no plans to abandon Love Field. Southwest and Delta spar over gate space The long-running dispute between Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines stems from an arcane federal law that was originally designed to protect DFW from competition. In its current form, this law restricts Love Field to having just 20 gates -- whereas DFW has 165. Southwest Airlines has controlled 16 of those gates for many years. In 2015, it subleased two more from United Continental, which decided to stop flying to Love Field. Southwest wanted those gates so as to increase its Love Field schedule to 180 daily departures. That goal requires operating an ambitious 10 flights per day at each gate. However, Delta Air Lines had been using one of those gates under a short-term lease for its five daily flights to Atlanta. Delta refused to leave, while Southwest said there was no room for it to stay. This situation is what precipitated the ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Virgin America has held on to the other two gates. After some recent schedule cuts, Virgin America has just 13 daily departures at Love Field, compared with an original plan that called for operating up to 20 daily departures there. Furthermore, these flights never lived up to Virgin America's expectations from a financial perspective. Alaska Air doesn't want to leave It wouldn't be crazy for Alaska Air to give up on Love Field based on this shaky track record. Doing so would potentially allow Southwest Airlines to keep its 18 gates while enabling Delta to take over the current Virgin America gates and add flights at Love Field, which it has wanted to do for several years. However, in a recent interview with Bloomberg, Alaska Air President Ben Minicucci said: "We're keeping both for sure. We love Love Field." However, he acknowledged that the company might change its route offerings at Love Field. Given that Alaska is staying at Love Field, it will probably want to start flying to Seattle and Portland, its two largest hubs. At some point, it could also add additional flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles and perhaps start service to San Diego, another California city where it has been steadily growing. By contrast, Virgin America's routes from Love Field to Las Vegas, New York's LaGuardia Airport, and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport could be on the chopping block. Alaska Airlines and Virgin America don't have a particularly strong presence in any of these cities. Virgin America has had a particularly tough time getting reasonable fares on the route to Washington, D.C. Furthermore, takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport and Reagan Airport are very valuable, so if the routes to Love Field aren't working, Alaska ought to find a better use for those slots. The battle goes on Flights to Love Field could be a key weapon for Alaska Air as it pursues its goal of becoming the premier airline for people on the West Coast. With more flights between Dallas and major West Coast cities on tap, it's unlikely that Alaska will ever be able to accommodate Delta at its two Love Field gates. That means Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines will keep slugging it out in court for the foreseeable future. The outcome will determine whether Southwest must continue to make room for Delta at Love Field. 10 stocks we like better than Alaska Air Group 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 Alaska Air Group 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 NOEL LUCERO has been named development director for Habitat for Humanity of McLean County. She previously was vice president of operations at United Way of McLean County. WISH BONE CANINE RESCUE of Bloomington has named Lost & Found Pets of Bloomington/Normal as winner of its first award recognizing unwavering commitment and dedication to reuniting lost pet companions with their families. Lost & Found was founded by Natalie Whalen and Lisa Craig in July 2014. More than 2,800 missing pets have been returned to their owners since the group began. JASON PASLEY of Marcfirst of Bloomington-Normal has been named Direct Support Professional of the Year for Illinois by the American Network of Community Options and Resources. The award recognizes exemplary work in furthering community inclusion and full participation for people living with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS has enhanced broadband service available to an additional 7,000 households in Illinois. The program helps previously unserved households. BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS Tire Operations Off-The-Road Tire Plant, Bloomington, has won an improvement award. The award, for excellence and improvements in worker health and safety, was given by the Rubber Manufacturers Associations Safety and Health Improvement Program. ERIC HOSS will present Career Development: Leveraging Mentoring during the April 11 meeting of Project Management Institutes Central Illinois chapter. The meeting is from 5 to 7:15 p.m. at Double Tree by Hilton, 10 Brickyard Drive, Bloomington. 'Behind the Badge' event set Tuesday NORMAL "Behind the Badge," an opportunity for the public to meet with police and prosecutors to learn about police procedures and approaches, will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Horton Field House, 180 N. Adelaide St., Normal. The free event is sponsored by local law enforcement and the Minority and Police Partnership. Participating agencies include Illinois State University Police, Bloomington Police, Normal Police, McLean County Sheriffs Department and the McLean County States Attorney office. Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said attendees can "interact with local law enforcement to gain a better understanding of the work police officers do and the situations they encounter on a daily basis." Children's activities are included. This past week marked the 100th anniversary of the American entry into World War I, though for the other main combatants the unprecedented slaughter was nearing its third year. On May 7, 1917, a month and a day after the U.S. declared war on Germany, four brothers from the large Burger family entered the Bloomington recruiting station and enlisted in the U.S. Army. The four, Lloyd, age 27; Claude, 24; Ollie, 22; and Dewey, 18, were sons of Isaac and Mary (Clem) Burger. The family lived not far from the Village of McLean in southwestern McLean County. Dewey Burger was killed in France, while Lloyd, Claude and Ollie all made it safely home. Remarkably, there were several other families in McLean County with four sons in uniform during the war. In Bloomington, there were at least four such families, including the Garbes of West Walnut Street, with sons Edward, Herman, Charles and Arthur; and the Watkins of East Chestnut Street, with sons Ferre, Warren, Paul and Harold. All eight survived. Madison and Marietta Busby of Chenoa, though, had five sons in the service, which is believed the most in McLean County. Two Busby boys Robert with the 108th Ammunition Train and Richard with the signal corps saw their fair share of action overseas, though both survived. Others, including Dewey Burger, were not so fortunate. Burger had three sisters and was the youngest of eight brothers (Arch, Thomas, Isaac and Richard were the four who did not jointly enlist). Several days after signing up to fight, Dewey, Lloyd, Claude and Ollie were sent to Jefferson Barracks south of St. Louis. From there Dewey trained in El Paso, Texas (likely Fort Bliss), and after three weeks was sent to New York City to board a troop ship. He arrived in France Jun. 28, a mere month-and-a-half after his enlistment. Burger served with Co. E, 16th Infantry, 1st Division, and was killed in action at Soissons, France, on Jul. 19, 1918, though the details of his death are few. He was buried in a nearby marked grave. The abattoir of the Western Front churned out several hundred thousand American casualties the dead, dying, wounded and missing and given the resultant bureaucratic chaos, the War Department did not inform Isaac and Mary Burger of their sons death until Aug. 10. Dewey wrote often from the front lines, and so his parents were not aware that they were receiving letters from a dead son. His final letter, dated July 9, 10 days before his death, arrived at the Burger home on Aug. 8, two days before they learned the awful news. Dewey Burger was not forgotten, and today the American Legion post in McLean carries his name. In late February 1920, 2 years after the Armistice marking the wars end, veterans from the Village of McLean and Mount Hope and Funks Grove townships began organizing an American Legion post that would soon take the formal name of Burger-Benedict Post 573. Ernest Benedict, the posts other namesake, enlisted May 9, 1917, two days after the Burger brothers. Dewey and Earnest were first cousins, their mothers being sisters. Benedict was sent to France that September, and served as a corporal in the 23rd Infantry. He also frequently wrote his parents, George and Alice (Clem) Benedict. The Pantagraph reprinted one of his letters on Jun. 17, 1918. I have been at the front for quite awhile, Ernest wrote. Am sure doing my bit for Uncle Sam and all. Will not stop till it is all over, though I would like to see my loved ones. Dont worry, mother, about me, for I will be home some sweet day. He was killed in early July, several weeks after the letter appeared in this newspaper, during the buildup to the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. More than 170 servicemen from McLean County died in the World War (as WWI was known before WWII). Many local American Legion posts assumed the names of young men killed in action during World War I. Anchors post 164, for example, was named for Erwin Martensen; Bellflowers post 202 for Earl Grant; Bloomingtons post 56 for Louis E. Davis; Colfax post 653 for Bernard Francis Davis and Albert Kerber; and LeRoys post 79 for Ruel Neal. Although more than 116,000 Americans were killed in the war, that total as horrifying as it is pales in comparison to the losses suffered by the British and those fighting for king and country. Three English families, the Smiths, the Souls and the Beecheys, had five sons killed in the war. And a rural Australian couple, Frederick and Maggie Smith, lost six of their seven sons. During World War II, the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, and the four Borgstrom brothers from Thatcher, Utah, led to the implementation of a Sole Survivor Policy. This Department of Defense Directive protects someone from the draft or combat duty if theyve lost a family member to military service. In the spring of 1921, Dewey Burgers remains were exhumed and brought back to the states on a transatlantic steamer. He was one of tens of thousands of American dead returned home in the years after the war. On May 19, he was laid to rest one final time at McLean Cemetery, located west of the Village of McLean. Two months later, Ernest Benedicts remains likewise returned home, and on Jul. 24, he too was reinterred at McLean Cemetery. Benedicts pallbearers included Lloyd, Claude and Ollie Burger. According to the official history of McLean County in World War I, the Dec. 1, 1917, opening of the Mount Hope Township Hall in downtown McLean presented one of the most memorable scenes of the entire home front effort. The highpoint of the civic gathering was the presentation of service flags by the Rev. Edgar D. Jones of First Christian Church, Bloomington. Local families received a flag if they had someone serving in the military, with the number of stars on the flag representing the number of family members in uniform. During the presentation eyes of men and women all over the house brimmed with tears, and sobs were even audible, reported The Pantagraph. When flags bearing two stars and then three stars were shown the applause grew in volume, and when Rev. Mr. Jones silently held up one bearing four stars (for the Burgers) the crowd was divided into those who cheered and those who wept. BLOOMINGTON The chance of fire fatalities likely dropped in the Twin Cities Saturday after volunteers went door to door installing free smoke detectors. The American Red Cross partnered with Bloomington and Normal fire departments, Home Sweet Home Ministries and OBrien Mitsubishi to supply 64 volunteers with the tools needed to install 200 smoke detectors. Volunteers met at Second Presbyterian Church to hear instructions from organizers, grab a list of addresses and a bag of tools. One fire fatality is tragic, said Julie Learned, disaster program manager for Red Cross. To help save lives and raise awareness decreases the chance of fatalities. Volunteers also helped homeowners arrange a personalized fire escape route and prepare for hazardous weather. Its a sigh of relief when we get to a house and everyone is out because an alarm was installed, said Stuart Blade, Bloomington Fire Department spokesman. Blade told volunteers to give tips to homeowners like keeping doors closed to hold back flames and installing detectors closer to bedrooms than kitchens. Some Bloomington-Normal residents set appointments requesting free installation. In high-risk neighborhoods, volunteers knocked on doors to offer the service. Jan Klee of Bloomington, William Hamann of Normal and J. Balmer of Bloomington work in the same chapter of Cornbelt Ambucs and the group completes service events several times a year. When someone reached out for volunteers for this event, we all raised our hands. Its something we wanted to do to help, said Klee. A large group of Illinois State University students from the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity gave up their Saturday afternoon to serve the community. ISU students Josh Corrigan of Carol Stream, Noah Dillon of Joliet and Ryan Rambo of Joliet drove to Paula Leggs house in Normal to update her smoke detectors. Its nice to make a difference, especially knowing it could save a life, said Rambo. The trio of students were greeted at Leggs front door by her squirming pug dog, Angel. I dont have the money for upgrades like this so when I saw it was being offered for free, I just felt it would be best for my well-being and my dogs, said Legg. Im so grateful. Internet privacy is among the latest hot-button debates, in part, because of the rollback of Obama-era privacy protections that were supposed to take place later this year. That got the attention of some Illinois lawmakers who are looking to implement internet safeguards at the state level, including one that would allow people to find out what companies like Google and Facebook have collected on them and which third parties they share it with. We think that is a good idea. Most people don't understand how a lot of this works, but just about everyone recoils at the thought of their privacy being invaded. With the internet, it is happening more and more frequently. Surveillance of one kind or another has become the business model of the internet. Last fall, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that if internet service providers want to collect and sell personal information, like your browsing history, they needed to get your permission first that is, ask you to "opt-in" to their data-sharing programs. But the GOP-led Congress voted to revoke the opt-in provision and President Trump signed the resolution last week. Supporters of protections like Illinois is considering a House committee has endorsed the measure say they are needed because of what is going on in D.C. The federal regulations would place restrictions on what companies such as Comcast and Verizon can do with information, including user search histories, but not websites. Privacy advocates say the move sends a clear signal that it's up to individual states to step into this "right to know" debate and try to correct it. Not surprisingly, the tech industry is largely against the proposed requirements, saying they would burden companies with an unnecessary layer of regulation and compliance costs, while stifling innovation. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce argues the proposal treats basic information such as names, addresses and phone numbers as "highly sensitive," unfairly extending requirements to other businesses like restaurants that offer online ordering services. But supporters point to overwhelming support the proposal has generated. The House committee received notices from more than 1,000 people and organizations in support of the bill mostly from private individuals. Only 32 were submitted in opposition. It's no surprise that the American Civil Liberties Union's Illinois chapter is backing the bill, telling the Associated Press that such legislation is needed to address the now "razor-thin" division between government and private entities that can sell data to federal agencies. In the end, maybe this ship has sailed. Maybe there is no good way to protect our basic privacy because the internet has become such a pervasive part of our everyday lives. But efforts like the one in Illinois is worth it, if for no other reason than to initiate a dialogue over our threatened right to privacy. CLINTON Firefighters from about 15 Central Illinois departments took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train on a dozen vacant buildings Saturday, which were recently purchased to clear the way for a gas station on the city's east side. Each of the firefighters signed up to train in up to three different techniques, taught by some of the most experienced instructors in the region. Danny Ballenger, a volunteer Clinton firefighter who was recently promoted to lieutenant, took part in the vent entry search session, a training on how to rescue someone trapped in a burning building by entering through a window away from the fire. I've studied this before, but this was the first time to actually practice it, said Ballenger, who earned an associate degree in fire science from Richland Community College. Ballenger, who was training with about 75 other firefighters on a sunny, breezy day, said it was a unique, enjoyable experience to work alongside members of other departments. He joined the Clinton department two years ago, following in the footsteps of his father, Dan Ballenger, one of the driving forces behind the training day. I just enjoy being able to serve the community I grew up in and give something back, the younger Ballenger said. Other techniques taught during the day included hose advancement, roof ventilation, coordinated search and water supply for city and rural areas. The Decatur Fire Technical Rescue Team was out in full force, practicing structural collapse prevention and technical rescue. The team placed supports on the side of a house, designed to prevent the house from shifting when inner supports are failing. The shores we build for a structure we hand-tighten. We don't want to move the building, said Decatur Fire Capt. Mike Bishop. But we shore up a trench with pressure, to prevent its collapse. Firefighters said it was especially useful to work on houses built long ago some more than a century old because much of the housing in Clinton, Decatur and elsewhere was constructed in the same era. Attacking fires in houses with thick lath-and-plaster walls and ceilings presents different challenges from those that were built more recently. These are the bread and butter of Clinton, Illinois, said Blake West, one of the three full-time engineers on the city's department. The whole east side was built in this way, when Clinton was booming and the railroad came through here. West, the chief organizer of the training event, said a fortunate circumstance which provided realistic scenarios was that some of the homeowners left behind many of their belongings, after selling out to the oil company. We're going into a completely furnished house, West said. Any other house would be completely empty. These houses are like they just went out to church. West is secretary-treasurer of MABAS 46, the mutual fire aid association composed of 25 departments in Macon, DeWitt and Piatt counties. When West realized that the association never had a training session together with all its departments, he saw it as a red flag regarding the insurance ratings in the area, which help determine fire insurance rates for homeowners. This is going to ultimately improve the ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating for all 25 districts, West said. To bring the training event to fruition, West worked with Dan Ballenger, who serves as Clinton's public safety commissioner as well as a city council member. Ballenger, who works as a supervisor with an oil equipment company, proceeded to arrange with Meyer Oil Co. and Utterback Real Estate, in order to put the entire block to good use, before the buildings are razed. When West contacted him with the idea of using the 12 buildings on the block for training, Ballenger said, Go for it, Ballenger recalled. Smoke machines were used to simulate fire conditions. Legal restrictions prohibit firefighters from burning down buildings within city limits for training purposes, although they may burn down structures in some rural areas. Ballenger said the training with all the MABAS fire departments at the same place is unique, but the departments routinely work together to fight fires. At 10 p.m. last night we were called in to mutual aid to a fully involved fire in Wapella Fire District, northwest of Clinton, Ballenger said, adding it occurred in an abandoned house. At 3 to 4 a.m. we were called to an oil spill. Then we were here at 8 for this. This is what we do. We all work together; we all need each other. This month the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Samsung that reveals a dramatically reinvented Phablet concept that on paper is one of the most advanced smartphone patent filings that I've seen from the company to date. Either Samsung engineers are dreaming up a storm or Samsung has something very radical in the making. The form factor offers a large retractable display that scrolls back into the base of the device so that it could easily fit a user's pocket or a small purse. In addition, the radical design doesn't use a traditional OLED display but rather some kind of display that requires two projectors to present its content. In one version of this design, Samsung describes a display that could generate 3D holographic imagery emanating from the screen that doesn't require special glasses. The invention also describes a different kind of 3D touch where the user at times doesn't actually have to touch the screen to operate it. If Samsung is able to bring this interesting device to market sooner rather than later, then they could have the competition scrambling to match it. This is certainly one of the most interesting Samsung patents I've read to date, even though it sounds more fantasy than reality. In this invention, Samsung reinvents the phablet that they were first to bring to market. This next-gen phablet focuses on a scrollable smartphone design that will have a large screen when users need it but could be dramatically reduced when not in use. The filing states that users will be able to manually or "automatically" collapse the display as noted in the patent figures below. If you're interesting in learning more about this invention, read our full Patently Mobile report here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Patna: Development Commissioner and the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) Chairperson Anand Kishore, at a self-congratulatory function in Patna on Saturday, honored a number of BSEB officials, employees, journalists, and media photographers for doing 'excellent work' in the recently-concluded matric and inter exams in Bihar. Among the award recipients were Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Agrawal, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj, Board Secretary Anup Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary Vijay Kumar Himanshu, and Mohammed Salauddin. Referring to the recent scandals surrounding the BSEB including massing cheating in some exams, Kishore said that in the last nine months, all efforts had been made to weed out corrupt practices in the Board and implement policies that would not only deter such scandals but would also help restore the image of the Board. "People would be able to see the result of these changes that we have made in the last nine months or so," he said. Kishore, realizing education had taken some serious beatings in the Nitish administration despite contradictory claims by the Chief Minister, talked about physical changes in the Board including recent appointments of officials, new examination centers in all nine blocks, and digitization of documents in the Board office. He also highlighted the new online application facility for TET exams that he said would help candidates immensely in future. Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Patna on Saturday observed the birth anniversary of King Ashoka at a function held at Vidyapati Bhawan in the presence of National Kushwaha Council Chairperson Suraj Nandan Kushwaha and other party leaders. "King Ashoka had envisioned a unified India. Though he was a skilled warrior who never lost a battle, his wars were to provide justice to all. It was he who set the bar high in education, administration, and social justice. He especially paid special attention to education by setting up places of high learning like Nalanda, Takshila, and Vikramshila universities," said state party President Nityanand Rai. In a caste-ridden state where nearly all mythical and historical heroes and characters have been hijacked by politicians and assigned a caste - in most cases without any credible or empirical evidence, for political gains, Kushwahas in Bihar, in 2015, with the support of the BJP, declared Kind Ashoka as belonging to the Kushwaha caste before any other caste leader could stake claim on the king who ruled India between 268 BC and 232 BC. Rai assured the Kushwaha community that the BJP was solidly behind them while former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to King Ashoka saying just like the ancient emperor, Prime Minister Modi was dealing with Pakistan and China in a reasonable and smart way and the world was singing paean of the BJP leader. After the customary lip service to the king, it was time to bring politics. "Bihar today is unlike the Bihar of King Ashoka time. Crime is reaching new heights and corruption has seeped into every government department," said Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. Former BJP state President Mangal Pandey praised his party for giving the 'due respect' to the Kushwaha community while Suraj Nandan Kushwaha, returning the favor, describe Narendra Modi as the 'biggest nationalist leader' of all time. Sushil Kumar Modi, then turning his attention towards the alleged 'Soil and Mall Scam' involving Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav and his eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav, said that he was not going to withdraw his charges against the RJD's first family despite being threatened by Yadav's two sons and other goons. "This scam is much bigger than all other scams under Lalu and Rabri regimes including the fodder scam in which Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted by a CBI court. They are trying to intimidate me to withdraw my allegations but I am not going to buckle under the pressure and will go to any court to get to the bottom of this scandal," Modi said. Talk about an entrepreneur! Tara Biscan of Rialto is a business-savvy girl. She is a 12-year-old fabric designer with a passion for colorful pens, markers and sophisticated design. Thanks to her familys love for travel, Tara has been able to visit Italy and France, as well as Japan, Australia and throughout the U.S. She collects pens in every place she visits and has amassed a colorful collection of hundreds of them, using her designs for a range of custom clothing and lifestyle products. A portion of the proceeds is donated to Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization that helps provide clean and safe drinking water in developing countries. Taras mother, Petra Lo, who has a PhD in chemical engineering from Australia and an MBA in entrepreneurship from UCLA, is an artist and also an entrepreneur. You might say its in the DNA. Most of her money goes to the water charity, Petra said. Weve just started, so we will see how much we can raise its something were really excited about. For her nonprofit of choice, Tara was inspired by Charity: Water founder Scott Harrison and wants to contribute to their commitment of bringing clean water to others something we take for granted. Taras designs known as Taraly are mostly on yoga pants and leggings (also capris and skirts). Pants are custom-made to order from her designed fabric, which is durable 82 percent polyester and 18 percent spandex. Tara, who has taken art classes from her mom, experiments with different colors, blending techniques and combining solid geometric shapes with free-flowing colorful details and floral motifs. I really like drawing and coloring, and its cool to see it on clothing, Tara said. All the designs are hand-drawn and colored by Tara. Products are made to order and all products are hand-cut and sewn in California prices start at $40. She has even dabbled in lifestyle products with her designs throw pillows, iPhone cases, bags. But for now, Tara is focusing on selling yoga pants. This is her first time doing online sales and its challenging, according to Petra. Selling comes naturally to Tara and her sisters. They tried a lot of little businesses. When the girls were younger, they would bake brownies and corn muffins, taking them door-to-door to neighbors homes. Then they sold products such as LED dog collars, organic coconut oil and ceramics. It was good for them, Petra says. They learned about rejection and didnt take it personally, but mostly people were polite. Sometimes, if they were told no, they were okay, they would negotiate and turn it into a maybe. If people didnt have cash, the girls could take credit cards. It was fun for them for an adult, it would be harder to take, Petra said. But Tara isnt all businesswoman. Shes like other sixth-graders and likes to play outside with her friends and her two younger sisters, Lana and Clover. She watches endless Youtube videos, her mother says, and avoids cleaning her room for as long as her parents let her. She also has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is a straight-A student. Her favorite subject is math and someday hopes to have a career using mathematics. But art is her joy. From the time she was tiny, Tara loved to draw. By third grade, she won first place with her painting of a peacock in the Pencil, Pen and Brush competition in Colton. And she loves to make her homework colorful, too, her mother says. The lessons learned by Tara and her sisters are valuable. Petra talks about a disconnect. The school system is really good but there is a disconnect between what the kids learn at school and what they can do, I wanted them to get an appreciation for how to earn money and how to contribute to society by creating, so I tried to get them to figure things out. At first, they said lets just buy it, but Petra tried to make them do it themselves. Now, the girls say, oh we can do that or we can make that. Of course, we are with them all the time and if they hear a no, the girls are polite and say, ok, have a nice day. Sounds like this lesson encompasses communication studies, human relations, economics, finance, marketing, ethnic studies, and creative thinking. I think Petras on to something here. About 1,000 seniors from 21 area high schools are set to learn about career and technical education programs at Riverside City College on Tuesday, April 18. The colleges inaugural We are CTE at RCC-Senior Day will highlight its 80 certificate and degree programs in 11 industry sectors. Students can meet faculty, discuss programs and learn about tuition assistance and enrollment procedures. Featured programs include administration of justice crime scene investigation, sign language interpreting, film and television, nursing, welding, culinary, heating and air conditioning, cosmetology, business, computer information systems, applied digital media, automotive and photography. Participating school districts include Alvord, Corona-Norco, Jurupa, Moreno Valley, Riverside and Colton. For information about the event, contact Elaine Wilson at 951-222-8131 or Elaine.Wilson@rcc.edu; or Lorena Franco at 951-222-8506 or Lorena.Franco@rcc.edu. Stephen Wall A young boy sunk up to his shoulders in mud was rescued Saturday evening at a popular Chino park. A group of children were playing in or near Prado Regional Parks lake which had been drained for maintenance when the mishap happened about 6:30 p.m., said Chino Valley Fire District spokesperson Massiel Ladron De Guevara. Chino Valley firefighters helped park rangers pull the boy out of the muck, De Guevara said. The boy was evaluated and released to his parents with no apparent injuries, she said. RIVERSIDE >> Councilman Mike Gardner was on his way to the fourth annual Walk to End Homelessness event at Fairmount Park when he passed people living under a bridge. He later saw a homeless woman using a parkway as a restroom. It reminded him how easy it is to take for granted amenities such as a warm bed or a working toilet, he told the hundreds gathered at the event early Saturday morning. Thats why were here, he said. Theres so many people in our city and in our region that dont have that. The goal of the walk was to raise awareness of wellness programs offered in the city, Gardner said. The walk also raises funds for programs that help people who are homeless transition into stable housing. RELATED: Once homeless, Riverside trumpeter lands jazz band gig This year, more than 400 people had pre-registered for the event, exceeding last years attendance of just-under 400 people, said Riversides Development Director, Emilio Ramirez. Another 100 people typically register on the day of the walk, he said. Last years event raised more than $30,000, and Ramirez estimates this years walk will bring in about $40,000. The Rev. John Conrad, of All Saints Episcopal Church in Riverside, was at Saturdays walk in hopes of spurring more action from those in the religious community. The homeless are the easiest to forget, said Conrad, who just self-published a book, To the Least of These, that examines Christians response to homelessness. RELATED: How to house homeless? Riverside looks to Santa Ana Riverside spends a combined $1.1 million on homeless services, drawing from the citys general fund, as well as funds from Riverside County and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ramirez said. Conrad said he would prefer the city increase its funding for homeless services, especially with the November passage of Measure Z, which raises the citys sales tax 1 percentage point. Officials have indicated that the $48 million that the new measure is expected to generate would be used for public safety and basic services. Ramirez said the budget engagement committee has met but those funds have not yet been appropriated. On Saturday, shortly after 8 a.m., Walk to End Homelessness participants began the 2-mile trek around the park. Among them was Chino resident Jill Tucker and her dog, Stills, a long-haired Chihuahua/poodle mix. Tucker said the duo love to do charity walks and was at the same park two weeks ago for another fundraiser. We come to this park all of the time and thats one of the reasons why we wanted to help out, Tucker said. We see homeless people here all the time. Riverside resident Patricia Morgan, also with All-Saints Episcopal Church, has participated in all the previous walks. The cause needs publicity, she said, prior to the walk. These are people who are disenfranchised, they dont vote and they need our help. An Upland man died Friday night, April 7, after the motorcycle he was riding collided with another vehicle in Ontario. American Medical Response paramedics found the motorcyclist, Brian Richard Jimenez, 30, unresponsive at Haven Avenue and Jurupa Street near Ontario International Airport in Ontario about 8:30 p.m. Friday, according to a San Bernardino County coroners news release. He had reportedly collided with another vehicle there. Jimenez was taken to Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Ontario, where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 9:02 p.m., the news release states. Ontario police are investigating the collision. They shared stories of surviving enemy gunfire and nearly starving in faraway places while fighting for their country. But Tom Mitchell and Tom Price didnt get a heros welcome when they returned from Vietnam. My wife handed me my baby boy when I got home, and someone screamed Baby killer! said Mitchell, 70, who served as a captain in the Army Special Forces, known as the Green Berets. Mitchell and Price told their war tales to a group of Norco High School students Friday, April 7 as part of an event to honor veterans. About 30, including many who served in Vietnam, answered questions during social studies and language arts classes. The idea for the event came after Corona-Norco Unified School District trustee John Zickefoose told Norco High administrators about a similar military tribute held annually at El Cerrito Middle School in Corona. Norco High was a logical choice given Norco is home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Patriotism is alive because of you, district Superintendent Michael Lin told veterans in the gym before the classroom visits. He said its important that students learn from a variety of sources, including veterans firsthand accounts. Junior ROTC students honored fallen soldiers with a POW and MIA remembrance ceremony before veterans were escorted to classrooms. Joe DeNunzio, who celebrated his 100th birthday last month and served in World War II and Korea, received a standing ovation when he was introduced to the crowd. Later, the Norco resident told 12th-grade government students about fighting on several islands in the Pacific after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The generation that changed the world did it all, DeNunzio told students. Thats why it was the greatest generation. Kylie Covington, 18, was fascinated when DeNunzio talked about being on an aircraft carrier surrounded by enemy submarines. I think its amazing hearing all the history and learning he went through all that, said Covington, whose dad served in the Marines. Noah Cascio,17, said DeNunzios passion was inspirational. I want to join the military because of people like him, Cascio said. Price, 70, served in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, one of the largest military campaigns of the war. He repaired trucks and went on convoys delivering food and ammunition to troops in the field. Asked his most memorable moment of the war, he recalled when the enemy got into a large ammunition dump and set off explosives so loud that they caused him to fly several feet off the ground. We were behind some big metal buildings, and there was a big plume of smoke, metal and fire, said Price, a Norco resident. Fifteen or 20 minutes later, shrapnel started coming down. We were scurrying around trying to avoid getting hit. Mitchells job was training the indigenous people of the Vietnamese Highlands to fight against the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. They were wearing loin cloths and carrying crossbows, said Mitchell, who lives in the Lake Mathews area of Riverside County. We gave them guns, clothes, and turned them into soldiers. Mitchell said food became scarce during monsoons when roads became impassable. For two weeks we ate white rice, mackerel and tomato sauce, he said. Price has unpleasant memories of coming home after the war. He said no one would hire him when he wrote on job applications that he was a veteran. It is a shameful to have to lie about having served your country to get a job, he told students. Price and Mitchell said the positives of military service far outweigh the negatives. They encouraged students to enlist. Prices advice was simple: Stay alert, stay alive, listen, and do what they tell you. If you do that, youll get along just fine in the service. The Rambo Forces, a vigilante group of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the Volta region has taken a serious swipe at the Minister for National Security Mr. Kan Dapaah, over what they describe as his unprofessional approach to dealing with the Delta Force issue. The force said the minister has "weak" appreciation of what was happening in the party and therefore, does not deserve to serve in the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo. They are livid and disappointed that Mr. Kan Dapaah still remains at post even when it is obvious he has contributed immensely to the escalation of the situation in Kumasi. According to them, the actions and utterance of the minister is a clear indication that the various security forces in the party across the country have no recognition in the party "and that we have suffered for this victory for the party for nothing." The Rambo Forces claim they were very instrumental in preventing many Togolese and other neighboring countries from taking part in Ghana's elections last year, which saw the electoral fortunes of the then ruling NDC take a nosedive paving way for the NPP to improve in the region. They have therefore warned to withdraw their vigilante activities, especially on the borderlines "because this Kan Dapaah has opened our eyes to see that we are not part of the ruling party." "What we can say is he and his family should come and man the various borders in the region and prevent the Togolese from entering the country to register when another voters' registration exercise commences. We will never be part of such dangerous ventures again and Kan Dapaah and his families should take our role," the group stated. According to them, they cannot continue to risk their lives when their sacrifices are not appreciated. To them, it is sad that the party has deserted them "too fast at a time that we seriously need them." 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 An evangelist associated with the church of Pentecost Prophet Kofi Amponsah has descended heavily on the leadership of the church over their stands on prophesies. According to the leader of House of Ezra Prayer Centre, the recent past and present leadership of the church are too skeptical of prophesies. He also accused the leadership of the church of being interested in money than the welfare of their members. Addressing his congregation in a video gone viral, a visibly angry Prophet Amponsah invoked curses on the leadership of the church, saying they will face paralysis until they begin to think right about prophesies. The leadership of the church is sick, they are weak. No wonder Apostle Ntumi (former chairman) is in a wheel chair after his service, Apostle Opoku Onyinah (current chairman) will also be in a wheel chair if they dont change. There were prophesies before they became leaders of the church, now they claim they dont believe in prophesies; that is nonsenseall the church asks about money, they keep asking about the tithes and how small it was, they have no gift, none of them can preach as I do. I am warning them they must change. The church of Pentecost came from the heavens, he said. Meanwhile, the church has in a statement warned its members to stay away from the preacher and his prayer camp. The Church of Pentecost has with immediate effect severed all ties with Kofi Amponsah, the leader of House of Ezra Prayer Centre at Aboaso, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The Church has, therefore, cautioned its teeming members, officers, serving and retired ministers to stop patronising any prayer meeting organised by the man and his prayer centre, or do so at their own risk, the statement said. It added: It was also observed that he had unwarrantedly and distastefully made pronouncements against the Assemblies of God Church, as a result of some recent deaths in the church which are of serious concerns. These negative developments, the leadership of the Church believes, have the potential of straining the cordial relations between The Church of Pentecost and other sister churches. Source: starrfm 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 Vice President of policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil says the activities of pro-NPP vigilante groups, if not controlled by the party, will erode its goodwill. He said the actions of the thugs do not only destabilize the security of the country, but bring to question the NPPs stance on rule of law and its readiness to fight crime. Speaking on Joy FM's news analysis programme Newfile on Saturday, Mr Bentil who is also a private legal practitioner said this is taking a lot of moral high ground from the NPP. If this doesnt stop, this will be the beginning of the end of the NPP. The activities of pro-NPP vigilante groups Invincible Forces and Delta Forces have caused a lot of outrage in the country. Since the NPP won power in the 2016 general elections, these groups have been on rampage seizing public institutions, beating up members of the opposition National Democratic Congress and sacking officials appointed by the previous government from their posts. In a recent incident, members of the Delta Force stormed the offices of the Security Cordinator in the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi, forcing him out of office and subsequently invaded a court hearing to free the suspects arrested for the earlier raid. The double attack on the security apparatus and the judiciary have incensed many. Although these actions have been condemned by some members of the party, Mr Bentil believes an attack on a court is frightening and unacceptable. The court is the final bulwark of our democracy, if we start attacking courts, we are all going to be subjects to the rule of the jungle. Mr Bentil said the NPPs attempt to juxtapose the behaviour of the hooligans to that of the Montie 3, is disappointing. For him, no matter how hard the party tries to justify it, the lesson is that whether you toast it, fry it or boil it, or bake it, there is no way of making it look good. Judges are people we call My Lord, we give them titles that we ordinarily give God Even the presidents actions are subject to the review of a judge so the last thing you do is to attack a court, he added. Police response Mr Bentil described the response of the police during the incident at court as disastrous. He said the police had enough time to call for back up before the incident because the thugs went to the court early and started the disturbances before their case was called. It has become apparent that for about an hour before the proceedings the Delta Forces had already besieged the court and started disrupting proceedings of cases that were called before theirs. Their failure to take a proactive step for Mr Bentil, is worrying. Regardless of what happened, the police should have known that this kind of situation required more men. Even if they made a mistake in arranging the resources they needed in the beginning, you had all this time, so was there no kind of monitoring of the situation. I worry that you have a situation where people mass up break into a courtthat catastrophic failure of the police should be watched and some people must answer questions. This should not happen again, he said. Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr who was also a panel on the show said the thugs should be prosecuted. He said there is no way the 13 people, if evidence provides sufficient indication that they were wrong, should be allowed to walk. Deal with them according to law, he said, adding that there should be an additional charge for escaping and those who invaded the court should be punished. He described the behaviour of the thugs as the highest form of contempt. He said this issue should not be swept under the carpet because It is about time that now we see evidence of how the prosecutions ended and I pray that we have custodial sentence. Source: myjoyonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video National Security Minister, Mr. Kan Dapaah has denied reports suggesting that he insulted a colleague member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong over attacks by the Delta Force. According to Mr. Kan Dapaah, the stories making rounds are fabricated and are intended at damaging his hard earned reputation. Mr. Kan Dapaah has been quoted in earlier reports to have asked the Assin Central legislator to shut up because he is naive about matters of national security. The minister in reaction to this report, says in as much as many may disagree with his approach to dealing with issues of national security, he never uttered any words of insult because his focus has and remains ensuring that the citizenry abides by the rule of law despite their political affiliations. Some members of pro NPP vigilante group, Delta Force on Thursday stormed a courthouse in the Ashanti Region and set free 13 of their members who were standing trial for heckling and 'throwing out' the Ashanti Regional security co-ordinator from his office. The act has been largely condemned by Ghanaians the world over with many calling for the disbandment of the pro-NPP vigilante group. Mr. Kan Dapaah as a Minister in charge of the nation's security has also called for arrest of the culprits. The situation has led to seeming agitations within the NPP as some defend members of the Delta Forces while others call for the strict application of the rule of law. Source: Ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A bomb blast at a church in Tanta, a town north of Cairo, has killed at least 21 and injured more than 60 during a Palm Sunday mass. The explosion targeted the Mar Girgis Coptic Church just before 10am local time. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days on the Coptic calendar. Provincial governor Ahmad Deif told local news that the bomb went off inside the church: Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up. Several hours later, a second explosion struck near Saint Marks Church in Alexandria, a city on Egypts coast. Local media is currently reporting the death toll as 11, with 21 wounded. These are the latest attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt. Copts make up about 10 per cent of the Egyptian population, and have been regularly targeted in the past. Timothy Kaldas of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy told Al Jazeera that the attacks seemed intended to sow discord among sectarian groups: It is alarming to see a specific religious group being targeted, which is going to rattle the Coptic community and many Egyptians in general. Pope Francis, who is due to visit Egypt in just a few weeks, has condemned the attacks. Source: Al Jazeera / Daily Telegraph / 9NEWS. Image: Anadolu Agency / Getty. Melbourne residents have been warned to brace for severe weather and try to stay indoors, with damaging winds and possible flash flooding predicted to hit the city in the afternoon and early evening. The State Emergency Service has warned that wind gusts across metropolitan areas of the city are expected to hit up to 100km/h and may not ease until 9pm. SES State Duty Officer Brad Dalgielsh has warned that: Associated with those winds we are expecting thunderstorms, and with those thunderstorms we might see some hail and rainfall, and with that also is the potential for flash flooding. With that as well we are anticipating we may see significant numbers of power outages. You (artists impression) Isolated rainfalls of up to 75mm are expected in some parts of Melbourne, with the eastern suburbs likely to be the most heavily affected. BOM has also warned that residents in Falls Creek, Kyneton, Ballarat, Geelong and Bacchus Marsh can expect heavy rainfall throughout the afternoon an evening. A severe weather warning for damaging winds and heavy rainfall has been issued for parts of the state, and the SES has advised residents to: Move vehicles under cover or away from trees; Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony; Keep clear of fallen power lines; Dont walk, ride or drive through flood water; Keep clear of creeks and storm drains; Be aware that in fire-affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks; Be alert that in areas recently affected by fires, heavy rainfall increases the potential for landslides and debris across roads; Up-to-date warnings will be available at bom.gov.au. Stay safe and dry, everyone. Source: ABC News / Bureau of Meteorology. Photo: Robert Cianflone / Getty. Police in Norway say that they have a suspect in custody after the discovery of a suspicious bomb-like device in the nations capital city of Oslo. An update on the official Oslo Police Twitter account said: We have cordoned off a large area when we have found a bomb-like object. Well be back with more. Law enforcement officials have since confirmed that they have control of a person with a status of a suspect. Politiet har stengt Grnland mellom Brugata og Grnlands torg. Politiet har hjelmer. Ingen vet noen ting. pic.twitter.com/aXrR2JyuVz Mads Wam Schneider (@Madsws) April 8, 2017 Speaking to media, a police representative said: It seems like this device only has potential for causing limited damage were now awaiting further necessary investigations. The discovery of this device comes a day after a deadly attack in Stockholm, Sweden, in which a truck was driven into shoppers in a busy pedestrian area, killing four and injuring 15. Source: Telegraph. Photo: MADSWS / Twitter. For the past few months, The Weeknd and his adorable new bae Selena Gomez have been tiptoeing around the relationship that were almost 100% sure theyre having. Theyre been spotted out together in various local trees, with sources confirming that they were seen K-I-S-S-I-N-G, and they even took a romantic trip to Italy together. This weekend, they took a big step up, making it Instagram official, which is about as serious as you can get in terms of announcing to the world that you are having grown-up cuddles and making sexy times. They were at a party in the Hollywood Hills, hosted by The Weeknd himself for Canadian rapper Belly, and they uploaded a shot of themselves canoodling. You might say they couldnt keep their hands off each-other. A post shared by The Weeknd (@theweeknd) on Apr 8, 2017 at 1:27am PDT Other guests at the party included Drake, French Montana, Big Sean, Ashlee Simpson, Evan Ross, and Amber Rose. As far as were aware none of them were seen kissing and cuddling in the tented backyard. The Weeknds ex Bella Hadid unfollowed Selena on Instagram when rumours of the new relationship first began to circulate, and has now unfollowed him as well. Bella is currently keeping busy posting #sponcon on her own Instagram account, like this baffling endorsement for Postmates and devilled eggs? You do you, Bella. Source: People. Photo: Noam Galai / Kevin Mazur / Getty. Xi Jinping,Rex Tillerson In this April 6, 2017, photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, walks with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) WASHINGTON -- Criticized for his low-profile diplomacy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with a leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. And, he's set for an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. Since taking office in February, the former Exxon Mobil CEO has admittedly shunned the spotlight and the press. Yet, Tillerson was surprisingly visible during last week's announcement of the response to the gruesome chemical attack, fielding questions from reporters on and off camera, and then captured in an official White House photo seated next to President Donald Trump as they heard the result of the 59 cruise missiles that struck a Syrian military base. Tillerson was a prominent fixture during the most important foreign policy period in Trump's young presidency: a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that coincided with the strikes against Syria. He was by Trump's side during his meetings with Xi and spoke publicly multiple times to address both issues. It was Tillerson who delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had "failed" to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement," he said. On Sunday, he made his first network television interview appearances. In one interview, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Bashar Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule -- something Moscow adamantly denies. Tillerson said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hadn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. Then he headed to Europe to gather with the foreign ministers of the other major industrialized nations before venturing on eastward to become the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Moscow -- and possibly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The criticism from the foreign policy establishment's left and right that has dogged his tenure is dying down. Tillerson had faced questions about whether he understood that his new position meant he was now the face of the United States to the world, that he had to answer no longer to a small group of top shareholders but to more than 320 million Americans. The secretary of state must be "the spokesman for American foreign policy," said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official during George W. Bush's presidency. "This is the administration's first crisis but it won't be their last by a long shot, so he's going to have to get used to this." Joining Trump at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Tillerson was supposed to focus on the informal summit with Xi. Instead, he was thrust to the forefront after photos of the bodies piled in heaps in Idlib, Syria, dramatically altered the agenda. Only a week earlier, Tillerson had alarmed U.S. allies by indicating the U.S. was no longer interested in pushing for Assad's removal from power. In the hours leading up to Trump's decision to order the strikes, Tillerson was among the most forward-leaning of Trump's top aides in suggesting the U.S. would deliver an "appropriate response." He challenged Russia publicly in a way Trump appeared scrupulously to avoid and said of Assad early Thursday: "It would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people." After the cruise missiles crashed down in Syria, Tillerson was calm and commanding in a question-and-answer session with journalists. Cohen, a conservative critic of Trump's foreign policy who has chided Tillerson for his reticence, said he saw Tillerson growing into the job. "I suspect you'll see more of him as he grows more comfortable in dealing with the press and in his relationship with the president and the administration's national security team," Cohen said. The challenge will be greater in Russia's capital this week. Tillerson is arriving at a fragile point in U.S.-Russia relations, where he will have to confront the Kremlin's anger over the missile strikes in Syria along with suspicion at home that Moscow may have been complicit in the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack. Senior U.S. military officials have said they are looking into whether Russia provided drone surveillance and helped Syrian forces try to cover up what they'd done. Beyond Syria are disputes over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Tillerson carries to Moscow the weight of FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election. The Trump campaign's possible ties to the presumed Russian meddlers are also under scrutiny. "This is going to be Tillerson's biggest test to date," said Julianne Smith, a National Security Council and Defense Department official under President Barack Obama. "He's been getting poor reviews across the national security establishment, tons of questions about whether he has the intellect, the stamina, the courage to really take this position and fly with it and really soar." The events of the past several days seem to have stanched such questions, and his increasingly public persona seems to reflect a greater confidence. When he goes to Russia, keeping a low profile would likely be impossible, even if it were his goal. Donald Trump, King Abdullah II President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by Jordan's King Abdullah II, center, speaks at a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (Andrew Harnik) By Charlie Gerow We're now more than three quarters of the way through "The First 100 Days" of the Trump administration. Republican strategist Charlie Gerow (PennLive file) "The first 100 days" has been the mantra of the media for nearly a century. They use it as an artificial yardstick to measure every action and inaction of a new president at the time when his powers are presumably at their zenith; during the "honeymoon period." Just about every media outlet has some daily feature on the president's activities and agenda wrapped about the 100 day theme. At the beginning of his short-lived presidency, John F. Kennedy said, "This will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finalized in the first one thousand days, nor in the lifetime of this administration, nor perhaps in our lifetime on this planet." JFK set the expectation bar low. He made the delivery level high. At the end of his first 100 days he enjoyed the support of three quarters of Americans. President Donald Trump set the expectation bar very high. Last October, at a campaign stop in Gettysburg, he outlined a very ambitious set of initiatives he said he'd get done in his first 100 days. Foremost among those pledges was a promise to appoint judges "who will uphold the Constitution." Judge Neil Gorsuch, destined to be one of nation's great jurists, was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court last week. The rest of the Trump agenda has been largely accomplished by executive actions and orders thus far. He's unraveled much of the patchwork created by the pen of President Barack Obama, who routinely chose to end-run Congress through executive action. Trump's first major legislative initiative, the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, was stillborn. In the abstract, that might not be a big deal. Congresses have routinely acted less and less on behalf of presidential initiatives in the early days of their presidencies. Franklin Roosevelt got more than 75 bills through Congress. But Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all got less than a dozen. In the real world of American politics, it's cause for concern, especially since this is the time to light up the scoreboard with victories. The "honeymoon period" is when Administrations historically have accumulated vital political capital by scoring big wins. Trump won the presidency based largely on a single word: change. That meant that he was going to have serious opposition from multiple "establishment" constituencies deeply embedded in the status quo he sought to change. "Great works have great enemies," one of the Protestant Divines once observed. Confronting those enemies, including those in the national media intent on undermining and even delegitimatizing his presidency with a clear, coherent and consistent message is the key to success. Unfortunately there have been too many instances of internal squabbling, poor expectation setting and distractions and diversions from their core message. Today President Trump's approval rating is below 40% and trending in the wrong direction. The difficulty the Trump administration has had in delivering a winning message to the American people during his first 75 days is best illustrated by the ongoing Twitter wars. Trump correctly insists that his use of Twitter got him where he is. But using Twitter isn't the issue. How it's used now is. Trump became president by effectively using Twitter to gain "free" (earned) media at a time when a crowded field of GOP candidates all fought over precious seconds of air time. He accelerated its effectiveness in the fall campaign by causing Hillary Clinton to focus more on his early morning tweets than on her own message. He needed to be edgy and free-wheeling in order to keep the attention he got from the media. It energized his base and propelled his campaign. Donald Trump no longer needs that. Every word, every action, every nuanced suggestion is now gathered, distributed, dissected and reiterated by every media outlet. Every word matters. Markets move and armies march on a single word uttered by the President of the United States. The tweets highlight the message discipline that's often lacking. This isn't a suggestion that he stop Tweeting; that would be senseless. However, if his Tweets were routinely reviewed and edited by senior staff to assure that they focus a central theme of the day or week, he'd be a lot better off. Allowing them to become a distraction is dangerous. Three keys for the Trump message in the remaining days of his first 100 are: CLARITY: The message needs to be simple and clear. They need to tell the American people, what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how it is going to make their lives better. To be more clear, the message needs to be more defined and focused. COHESIVENESS: There's been a dizzying number of "outreach" events by the Trump team, none of them tied together by a unifying theme. Citizens not in Washington-world can't possibly take in so much so fast. They're being hit with lots of messages, but none really get through. The Administration needs to sell more by weight than by volume. CONSISTENCY: Once a simple message is defined and tied to a larger theme, it's vital that the president and key spokespeople "stay on message." Distractions into personality disputes or veering into the thought of the moment diffuse the power of the core message and dilute its effectiveness in both winning legislative fights and the hearts and minds of voters. The sand is mostly at the bottom of the hourglass for the First 100 Days. The first 1,000 days offer the Trump administration the opportunity for a message course correction and the chance to get all those wins we were promised. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 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. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print By Alison Frankel and Dustin Volz NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) An attempt by U.S. authorities to identify an anonymous critic of President Donald Trump on Twitter has set off alarm bells among Democratic and Republican lawmakers and civil liberties advocates fearful of a crackdown on dissent. Twitter Inc on Friday succeeded in beating back a demand for records about a Twitter account called ALT Immigration (@ALT_uscis), which pokes fun at Trumps immigration policies and appears to be run by one or more federal employees. The U.S. government withdrew an administrative summons that customs agents had sent the company in March demanding the records. But the government backed away only after Twitter filed a federal lawsuit accusing it of violating the First Amendments protection of free speech. Customs agents could still continue the investigation using some other methods, civil liberties attorneys said. Although authorities retreated, the case has laid bare the broad power of the U.S. government to demand information from technology companies, sometimes with no oversight from the courts and often with built-in secrecy provisions that prevent the public from knowing what the government is seeking. The summons that Twitter received came from agents who investigate corruption and misconduct within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Even after it was withdrawn, some lawmakers had questions about the agencys actions. CBP must ensure that any properly authorized investigation does not disregard the rights to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, two Republican U.S. senators, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Mike Lee of Utah, wrote in a letter on Friday to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. The senators asked whether the agency would ever ask a private company to divulge private records about a customer based solely on non-criminal speech. Senate Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon called for an investigation of whether customs agents had violated a law by retaliating against an internal critic. The Department of Homeland Security plans to respond directly to the senators, an official said on Friday. FORMIDABLE RANGE There are two primary ways the U.S. government can obtain information from internet companies without a judges approval using a law known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, according to experts in privacy law. Agencies with enforcement power, such as the Internal Revenue Service, can issue administrative subpoenas demanding user records. Prosecutors can also ask grand juries investigating a crime to issue a subpoena. An aggressive agency, for example, might demand information about a Twitter account that used an agency logo on the grounds that it is deceptive, said Georgetown University law professor Paul Ohm. Similarly, a prosecutor could ask a grand jury to issue a subpoena based on the idea that a federal employee, suspected of criticizing the administration anonymously, was misusing government resources. It doesnt take a brilliant legal mind to think of hypotheticals, Ohm said. Further, such subpoenas are usually kept secret, making them more difficult to challenge. Some other government tools, such as a national security letter, are intended to be used for narrow purposes related to counter-terrorism investigations. But they do not require judicial approval either, instead relying on internal safeguards. Challenging such demands is difficult and often requires deep pockets, attorneys familiar with such orders said. Its important to keep in mind how formidable the governments range of investigatory powers is, said Andrew Crocker, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for digital rights. In the case of ALT Immigration, Twitter said it was not bound to keep the summons a secret, and the company informed the account holder of the government demand. That person then found legal representation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Esha Bhandari, the ACLU staff attorney representing the dissident, said she thinks the speed with which the government withdrew its summons less than a day after Twitter sued means the customs agents will cease investigating, but she cannot be sure. Its impossible to predict, of course, but Im hopeful that this really is a recognition that people have the ability to speak online including in ways that are critical of the government, Bhandari said. The Department of Homeland Security has not said what its plans are for the investigation. After Trumps inauguration in January, anonymous Twitter feeds that borrowed the names and logos of more than a dozen U.S. government agencies appeared to challenge the presidents views on climate change and other issues. They called themselves alt accounts. Twitter has declined to say if it has received any other government demands to reveal such anti-Trump critics. (Reporting by Alison Frankel in New York and Dustin Volz in Washington; Writing by David Ingram in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Bill Rigby) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print During an interview on Meet The Press, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) turned the tables on Trump and warned Republicans that they should be helping the middle class and rebuilding America instead of spending more money on the war in the Middle East. Video: Sen. Sanders said, All that Im saying here is that weve got to be clear about what our goals are and not do it unilaterally, and understand. Also, may I say that when we have a collapsing middle class and 28 million people without health insurance, and an infrastructure that needs a trillion dollars of repair, that maybe we dont want to throw trillions of dollars more into perpetual, unending warfare in the Middle East. Bernie Sanders showed America the difference between a real deal public servant who cares about the middle class and a pretender. During a 2011 CNN interview, Trump called the war in Iraq a waste of money and lives: Fast forward to 2017, and as president, Donald Trump is wasting millions of dollars and ending innocent lives with a pointless missile strike in Syria. Trump ran on keeping America out of wars and fixing Americas infrastructure. So far, he has spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on the war in the Middle East than he has on infrastructure. Sen. Sanders used an attack line on Trump that Democrats are going to repeat in 2018. Trump has done the opposite of what he promised. Bernie Sanders delivered an attack on this presidents hypocrisy that will perfectly fit in a 30-second ad. Sanders showed why Trump is going to be a gigantic anchor around the necks of the Republican Party in 2018 and beyond. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Alec Baldwins latest turn as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live featured a brilliantly clever reflection of the truth about those who voted for Donald Trump. No matter how much Trump hurts them, his voters still support him. Video: As Baldwins Trump was speaking to his supporters in Kentucky, he was told that a supporter on Obamacare had to drive 90 minutes to see a doctor and his premiums were high. Trumps answer was to get rid of the mans health care. A Trump supporter who complained that his wife wouldnt move because she was participating in a federal opioid rehab program, was greeted with a presidential solution of getting rid of the program. A woman who worked two minimum wage jobs and had an underwater mortgage was told by the president that he was going to abolish the minimum wage and take away her house. All of Trumps solutions would harm his supporters, but each one of them continued to voice their support for the president. Political scientists have studied for decades why some people vote against their self-interest. Many supporters of President Trump are a textbook example of a riddle that both academics and Democrats have tried to solve. Many Trump voters continue to support the president, even though his policies are harming them. The message behind the comedy was that Trump isnt going to help these people, but due to blind partisanship, these folks arent going to leave Trumps side. It is folly for some on the left to think that they can flip Trumps die hard supporters by talking about economic policies. Many of these people will never vote for a Democrat because they arent making their decisions based on rational self-interest or policy. Alec Baldwin was his usual dead on self with his Trump impression, but this SNL Trump sketch was different from many others because the president wasnt portrayed as an in over his head buffoon. In this parody, Trump knows exactly what he is doing, and it doesnt matter to his supporters that all of his solutions are bad for them. The Saturday Night Live sketch was a smart commentary on both Donald Trump and the blind partisanship that keeps his supporters with him, no matter how low this goes. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print During an interview on ABCs This Week, Trump Sec. of State Rex Tillerson admitted that the US missile strike on Syria wasnt intended to damage Assad because the Trump administration is actually working with Assad to defeat ISIS, so the US missile strike was an empty charade. Video: Transcript via ABCs This Week: STEPHANOPOULOS: On Thursday night, President Trump called on all civilized nations to end the slaughter in Syria and you said the United States has begun to organize a coalition to remove Assad, so in the wake of Thursdays strike, can you explain the United States strategy to remove Assad? TILLERSON: Well, George, I think our strategy in Syria, as you know, our priority is first the defeat of ISIS, remove them from access to the Khalifade (phonetic) because thats where the threat to the homeland and to so many other homelands of our coalition partners is emanating from. Once we can eliminate the battle against ISIS, conclude that and it is going quite well, then we hope to turn our attention to cease fire agreements between the regime and opposition forces. In that regard, we are hopeful that we can work with Russia and use their influence to achieve areas of stabilization throughout Syria and create the conditions for a political process through Geneva in which we can engage all of the parties on the way forward and it is through that political process that we believe the Syrian people will awfully be able to decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad. STEPHANOPOULOS: But is that political process is that diplomatic process now going to require greater military force to increase your leverage. Youve seen Senators McCain and Graham call for taking out the Syrian air force, call for creating safe zones in Syria. TILLERSON: Well as you know George the situation in Syria relative to the battlefield is quite complex because there are multiple engagements under way. As I said, we have the war to defeat ISIS in which many of those battle plans are being coordinated between the US, its coalition agreements, Turkey, some of the Syrian opposition and others and it is being coordinated somewhat with the Syrian regime and the Russian forces to put pressure on ISIS to eliminate them. Tillerson was asked about removing Assad, and he gave an answer that could have been written by Putin. The Trump administration is working with Assad on combating ISIS. They never had any intention of taking action that would damage Assad. The missile strike was a charade. It was intended to make Trump look strong while accomplishing nothing. The idea that a brutal dictator like Assad will ever voluntarily step aside and allow free and fair elections is a fantasy, and the Trump administration knows that it is never going to happen. The American people were duped a president who has no Middle Eastern policy and seems more than happy to bow down to Putin. The Syria missile strike was an empty gimmick carried out by a puppet president who believes that the American people are too stupid or distracted to see through his fiction. The McDowell County Courthouse in Welch, W.Va., is seen in this file photo. Mayor Reba Honacker filed a lawsuit in February against five of the largest U.S. painkiller distributors. She wants them to answer for profiting from the region's opioid epidemic. File/Associated Press/S.M. Christman Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category. South Carolina shorelines could feel the effects of Subtropical Storm Nicole as early as Nov. 8 with high surf. Charleston Harbor is under a tropical storm watch, which means it could see coastal flooding and inundation within 48 hours. Read moreCharleston coastline under tropical storm warning as Subtropical Storm Nicole strengthens It looks like South Carolinas first early voting general election went off really well, with more than 600,000 casting votes early, mostly in person but some by absentee ballot. That blows away pre-Election Day voting from any year except 2020, when nearly a million voters took advantage of Read moreEditorial: It's your last chance to cast your vote. We help make sure you don't blow it. To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Lee Ching-yu (), wife of human rights and democracy advocate Lee Ming-che () who has been detained in China since March 19, said Sunday night she will not accept blackmail from anyone and she called on Beijing to understand her good will and self- restraint. ST. CLOUD A message of love and understanding was spread last week in the kid's section at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud. Author Tammy Wilson and artist Jill Dubbledee Kuhn signed copies of "Through My Eyes" and read from the book. The story follows a Somali girl who comes to St. Cloud as a refugee. Along the way, she experiences culture shock, biases and stereotyping. Nor does she know how she fits into her new hometown. Wilson was inspired by the experiences of students who attend Discovery Community School, where she is principal. She found Dubbledee Kuhn to illustrate the book. The book was released about a year ago and has been well received. Wilson is already planning two more to complete the trilogy, following the characters into high school and adulthood. She printed 1,000 copies of the book and sold out in months. She hopes the next one to be out this summer. "This has taken me on this journey. Right now I'm out speaking at schools, and empowering my students as well," Wilson said. ADVERTISEMENT She's getting interest from outside Central Minnesota. It's even on the reading list of a children's literature class at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. "She's doing this book for all the right reasons," Dubbledee Kuhn said. "To spread that message of giving a voice to the Somali population, having people understand what it is to be a refugee and how again, all of us as human beings, want the same things. We want love. We want to belong. We want to be accepted." The book has made an impact on people, especially in Wilson's position as principal at Discovery Community School. She is in a position to be that cultural mediator for Somali and non-Somali students and families. She knows that we all miss out on something if we don't push past that fear to meet people who are different from us. "There's comments from staff, but it depends on the chapter of the book," Wilson said. For example, in one chapter a boy has to go to the back of the line for lunch because he budged. But back in the refugee camps, if he didn't, he might not get any food. A lunch monitor said that opened her eyes and helped her understand why some kids were behaving the way they were. "Others have said I read your book and it really helped me understand," Wilson said. "And it's beyond understanding, it's compassion." "That's ultimately what our purpose on Earth is as humans," Dubbledee Kuhn said. "To spread love and compassion," Wilson said. "And that's the theme of this book." ADVERTISEMENT In that vein, Wilson started a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to help people suffering from hunger and famine in Somalia. She hopes to raise $100,000. Wilson also plans to travel to Somalia this summer, so she can understand more about the culture. Wilson's new book is called "Rise Above Fear." As Dubbledee Kuhn said, the opposite of love is note hate. It's fear. Wilson's new book includes real-life incidents, such as the Orlando shooting in June 2016 and the knife incident at Crossroads Center Mall in September 2016. "There's real-life events happening, and with these characters too. So it's very real," Wilson said. "The message of this is be authentic to yourself. Speak your truth, not what society thinks you should be." "It's internal fear. ... like not know what to say so you pullback. It's fear of judgment," Wilson said. "But it's fear on both sides." "It's a lot easier to fear than it is to love," Dubbledee Kuhn said. "We need to educate people on how not to generalize," Wilson said. "And how to get to know each other as individuals. Writing slightly in advance of the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court this past Friday, I referred to the weak sisters among the GOP Senators who came through in the event. I also paid tribute to Senator McConnells long game in keeping Justice Scalias seat open and in overcoming the Democratic filibuster. The Weekly Standards Fred Barnes now gives us an early look behind the showdown in How Mitch McConnell won the battle to confirm Judge Gorsuch. Barness reporing suggests that failure was an option. Barnes identifies three weak sisters (including Senator Corker) among the GOP Senators. Senator Schumer played a weak hand, but he tried to make a real cool hand out of nothing. According to Barnes, he didnt lose for lack of trying. Here Senator McConnell speaks: When I interviewed McConnell shortly after Gorsuch was confirmed, he wanted to talk before I asked a question. He had plenty to say. Its rare there are things you can say you did on your own. One was his snap decision to bar the Senate from taking up a Supreme Court nomination until a new president took office. Only the majority leader could do this. It is the most consequential decision I ever made, McConnell said. And it turned out the open seat was an electoral asset for Trump. Voters didnt like him or Hillary Clinton. But once filling the seat became the principal issue, Trump had the advantage. Everyone knew she would dump Garland, a moderate, for someone further to the left. We didnt know if the president would be a conservative or not, McConnell said. However, he had promised to pick a nominee from a list of 20 conservative jurists. (McConnell had advocated such a list.) This reassured conservatives. The result: he got 90 percent of the Republican vote and won. McConnell gave Trump credit for nominating the single best circuit court judge in the country. It made my job easier. He described the job as getting all my frogs in the wheelbarrow. On cloture, the nuclear option, and confirmation, he got all 52 frogs. Whole thing here and more of note in the related Politico article Inside the failed secret mission to save the filibuster. Great Britain has controlled Gibraltar since 1713, but Spain wants it back. Seizing on Brexit as an excuse, the Spanish government has started exerting pressure on the Rock. For example, it is imposing Schwengen controls at the border, where 10,000 Spaniards commute every day: But Gibraltar has no intention of giving in. Gibraltar has a new mayor; the Gibraltar Chronicle reports: New mayor Kaiane Lopez broke records yesterday as both Gibraltars youngest and the first Miss World to be a mayor. *** Yesterday outgoing Mayor Adolfo Canepa passed on the mayoral medallion to Mrs Lopez at an Investiture Ceremony held at the City Hall, marking the start of her tenure. The Chronicle hails Ms. Lopez as The most beautiful Mayor in the world. That is a pretty safe bet: Ms. Lopez is a patriotic Brit. Asked about Gibraltars future, she replied: I am proud to be British. Gibraltar is British and always will be. Why would we ever want to change our flag? Newspaper references to Gibraltars Mayor as a former Miss World rang a bell. Sure enough, she won an upset victory in 2009, and we covered it here. Sadly, however, we have moved data bases since 2009, and the photos that accompanied the post didnt make the trip. I wrote at the time: In a mild upset, Kaiane Aldorino, Miss Gibraltar, won the Miss World pageant last night. Of course, in the world of pageantry, upsets are mild by definition, since favorites generally dont win. This years betting favorite, Miss Puerto Rico, didnt make the top 16 last night. Moreover, as winner of the Beach Beauty competition, Miss Gibraltar should have been considered one of the favorites. This is Miss Gibraltar in her Beach Beauty days: Video of Miss Aldorino winning the Miss World title also survives: I have often noted that, for whatever reason, most pageant contestants are blessed with better judgment and more good sense thanfor examplethe average politician. Ms. Aldorino/Lopez (she has married in the meantime) fits that mold. Congratulations to her, and may Gibraltar always be British! Heres one more: How nervous are Irans rulers, sponsors of the Assad regime, about President Trumps missile strike on Syria? This nervous: Irans semi-official FARS news service headlines, Swedish Medical Associations [sic] Says White Helmets Murdered Kids for Fake Gas Attack Videos. President Trump is now threatening to take America into a war against Syria, Iran and even Russia, a war he says is justified by evidence he has received from the Syrian White Helmets. Ridiculous. President Trump has made no such threat. We will prove beyond any doubt that this is a Deep State organization, a melding of CIA, al Qaeda and Britains intelligence services. We now have slam dunk proof that Trump and the fake news MSM are and always have been in lockstep, playing us all. Heh. Who knew the deep state includes al Qaeda? The Iranians are hysterical. Google itself is involved, at war with this group and others, censoring them from their search engines. The information here will be new to Americans. Huh? This is never explained. The White Helmets, supposedly an independent NGO, receives up to $100m from the CIA and UK Foreign Office, dark project funding. Murdering children is their stock and trade as we will prove. Sharing headquarters with Turkish Intelligence in Gaziantep, Turkey, this organization is far more death squad than civil defense. Swedish Doctors For Human Rights (swedhr.org) analysed videos, the rescue after an alleged attack by Syrian government forces. The doctors found that the videos were counterfeit, where even Arabic stage directions were overheard, and that the alleged Rescue in actuality is a murder. On first analysis, it looked as though the doctors working on the child assumed he was already dead. The Iranians theory is that those dead children in widely-seen photos and videos had been alive, and werent gassed by Assads forces, but were murdered for political reasons: Swedish Doctors For Human Rights (swedhr.org) analysed videos, the rescue after an alleged attack by Syrian government forces. The doctors found that the videos were counterfeit, where even Arabic stage directions were overheard, and that the alleged Rescue in actuality is a murder. On first analysis, it looked as though the doctors working on the child assumed he was already dead. More: However, after broader investigation, our team ascertained that the boy was unconscious from an overdose of opiates. The video shows the child receiving injections in his chest, perhaps in the area of the heart and was eventually killed while a clearly fake adrenaline injection was administered. This was a murder. There is much more, but you get the drift. After eight years of treating Barack Obama likeI cant say it, this is a family sitethe mullahs are hysterical over President Trumps assertion of American interests and values. FARS News, the regimes more or less official news outlet, talks of little else. Here are FARSs current headlines: * Emergency Protests across US Demand Hands off Syria * Swedish Medical Associations Says White Helmets Murdered Kids for Fake Gas Attack Videos * Syrian Army Chief Visits Airbase Hit by US Missiles before Resumption of Operation * Anti-War Group Protests against US Strike in Syria * Russia: US Fails to Prove Existence of Chemical Weapons at Syrian Airfield * Top Iranian, Russian Security Officials Discuss US Missile Strike on Syria * Hezbollah Condemns US Blatant, Foolish Attack on Syria * Russian Ground Force to Take Part in Anti-Terrorism Operation in Syrias Hama * Blustering Toward Armageddon: How Trump Is Upsetting China While Antagonizing Russia * Top Iranian, Russian Security Officials Discuss US Missile Strike on Syria * Arab Analyst: US Attack against Syria Not to Topple Assad * Syrian Fighter Jets Restart Combat Flights over Terrorists Centers from Shayrat Airbase in Homs Do you think President Trump has gotten the mullahs attention? Do you think they realize they arent dealing with a willing dupe like Barack Obama? That is how it looks to me. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, says the Nigerian governments foreign exchange policy robs non-oil exports of profitability. Muda Yussuf, Director-General, LCCI, made this known in a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday. Mr. Yussuf noted that the governments policy has led to sharp practices and corruption in the export documentation process. According to him, the chamber had received several complaints from exporters, about the adverse effects of the current forex policy on the export business. The LCCI boss noted that, The policy hurts and demotivates exporters as it denies them the natural advantage of increased profitability, which a weak currency offers. Mr. Yussuf argued that although currency depreciation makes exports cheaper as it improves profitability for exporters, the reverse has been case for Nigerian exporters as the forex policy restricts access to export proceeds. The banks are, by the current regulation, the custodians of the export proceeds, which they convert to local currency for exporters at the official rate, he argued. Given the free market premium of about 35 per cent, the policy represents a major disincentive to the export business. Yet, the export sector development is one of the major planks of the economic diversification programme of the present administration. This policy regime resulted in a decline in the official declaration of export proceeds. It has also led to sharp practices and corruption in export documentation processes, he said. He added that the development does not augur well for the economy and is not consistent with the objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, as launched by the Muhammadu Buhari-led government. This is also a major shortcoming of the current forex policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he added. Mr. Yussuf, however, urged the Nigerian apex bank and Mr. Buharis Economic Management Team to urgently review the policy and allow exporters free access to their export proceeds. The banks should not impose conversion rates on themall forms of restrictions to forex inflows should be removed so that the supply side of the forex market can be positively impacted and the current pressure on the forex market reduced, he said. This will complement the recent efforts of the CBN to ease the pressure on the forex market, strengthen the naira exchange rate, bolster foreign reserves and boost investors confidence, the LCCI boss added. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Director General of the National Population Commission, Ghaji Bello, says the National Population Census will hold in 2018 if necessary logistics are provided. Mr. Bello also said the proposed 2018 census will cost an estimated N272 billion. Mr. Bello, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in New York on Sunday, said that the exercise should have been conducted in 2016 in line with international practice. If we are given all the resources that we need today, we may need possibly the first quarter of next year before we can do proper census. Because there are quite a number of processes that have to be undertaken as part of the preparatory activities between now and the actual census phase itself. And that would be sometimes in the first quarter of 2018 and thereabout. Ordinarily, it ought to have a cycle of its own and that cycle should be five years or 10 years. We should have conducted the last census in 2016 but for a variety of reasons outside the control of the population commission, we were unable to do it. One, in 2015, there was a general election; because of the preparations towards the general election, that in a way affected our ability to be mobilised to move with full gear for the 2016. Secondly, once the election was concluded and there was a new government in place, that government also has to get its foot on ground before it can move forward. But no sooner had it started to settle down than there was the issue of recession, collapse of the oil in the international market and with a variety of other reasons again, it just didnt happen. To meet the UN 10-year benchmark, Mr.Bello said the commission was working for a constitutional amendment that would allow for scheduled conduct of the census. He added that the conduct of the census under the present administration would give the exercise a deserved National and International credibility and reliability. We are of the firm belief that if it is conducted under this government, that there will be a lot of international credibility for the exercise. This is given the persona of the president that is there presently. And then people take advantage of climes and environment and chances and there are times when everything works in your favour. We believe firmly in the National Population Commission that census conducted under President Muhammadu Buhari would go a long way in actually achieving the credibility that we want. The director-general explained that Nigeria would take advantage of technology in the next population census through the use of biometrics. That will put to rest, the issue as to whether people are counting donkeys or fishes or horses or cows or trees. Of the estimated N272 billion, Mr. Bello said the Federal Government was expected to fund the exercise by only 51 per cent while the international donor community would fund the remaining 49 per cent. The submission we have made to the Federal Government is in the region of N272 billion. But the good thing is that that the N272 billion is not for one single year. It is spread along a four-year tenure. Theres pre-census activities, that is the preparation; the actual census proper itself and the post-census enumeration activities. So maybe you are looking at an average of maybe N40 billion in the first year, another N100 billion during the actual census itself and then the balance during the last year. But the beauty again is that not all the resources are normally provided by the government of the federation. The international community does come in and supporters like EU, USAID; from the previous record that we have, the ratio is 51 to 49 per cent. The 51 per cent is provided by the Federal Government while the 49 per cent is provided by the international donor community. Therefore, it is something that once government makes a proclamation, then it means that the country is ready and the international community will come and support the government, he said. Mr. Bello also said there was the need for the government to leverage on the international community to help with the necessary assistance, adding that this would go a long way in defraying the cost. Normally, there is no country that does census on its own and more so, it is a very capital-intensive activity. Funding is important because we have to demarcate. There is an exercise that is called Enumeration Area Demarcation which is supposed to be the foundation or the building block of census. And that is supposed to be carried out in every hamlet, every village, every local government, every household and then the entire nation. That is normally a costly exercise, very expensive. And of course, up till now we have only been able to do 74 local governments out of 774. It means we have done only 10 per cent. So, for us to be able to do the remaining 700 local governments, it means there is a lot of work to do. Essentially, we are on track; we have the capacity in-house but again there are quite a number of things, unless you are funded, you wont be able to move forward, Mr. Bello said. According to him, the census will enable the government to have correct data about its citizens in order to aid proper planning. That planning means you are going to optimise in terms of your allocation of resources to those sectors that really need that intervention. Census has implication for trade, for manufacturing and for security because we will have the biometrics of every Nigerian. Then it means making life easy for security outfits like the police, EFCC, ICPC and the military because you can monitor even the scene of crime from the data that you have collected. So, serious countries actually collect data and it is the data that they use in order to govern their society, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has called for the intervention of the West-African bloc, ECOWAS, to stop the incessant clashes between herdsmen and local farming communities in several states across Nigeria. Mr. Ganduje said ECOWAS should be allowed to come up with an enduring solution to the incessant clashes between Fulani pastoralists and farming communities in the West Africa, especially in Nigeria, where thousands have been killed in such clashes in states like Benue, Taraba, and Kaduna. The Northern State governors recently said most of the attacks involving herdsmen in northern Nigeria where by migrant herdsmen that were from neighbouring countries like Niger and Chad. You will find a herdsman from a West African country moving about with a herd of cattle of 1,000 which narrow cattle routes cannot contain. Hence the need to trespass farms in search of fodder, which often led to very dangerous disputes, Mr. Ganduje said. Speaking while receiving the national executive members of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, at the Government House in Kano on Saturday, the governor stated that since the herdsmen were itinerant, the best way out of their problem was a collective sub- regional solution. He argued that the herdsmen must change their lifestyles by settling in one location, to facilitate education and socialisation, as well as adopting value-added means of cattle breeding. He said studies have shown that the nomadic way of living is not the best. Mr. Ganduje, who lamented that many grazing reserves have been converted to farms and other uses, announced that his administration has concluded plans to establish Fulani model villages, with basic infrastructure, to enable the herdsmen settle in one place and concentrate on modern animal husbandry. The governor, who recalled that his government also trained 72 young Fulani herders on a Train the Trainer animal insemination course in Turkey, said it would be impossible to for the trainees to teach local herders if they do not have permanent settlements. He disclosed that plans are in the offing for the establishment of a dairy market in the state as part of strategies to add value to the dairy value chain, while a dam and grazing reserve would be provided in Falgore forest to facilitate the establishment of a Fulani permanent base within the area. He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for initiating the Pastoral Resolve (PARE), a non-governmental organisation focused on solving the perennial conflict between farmers and pastoralists, even before he became president, noting that his administration has demonstrated a resolve to end clashes between farmers and herdsmen, which is considered a threat to national security. In his speech, the National President of MACBAN, Muhammadu Zuru, urged government to pay more attention to sensitising pastoralists and farmers on the need to shun violence. He also asked governments at all levels to focus on nomadic education. He commended the Kano State government for setting the pace in providing a permanent model settlement for nomadic herdsmen and for its determined war against cattle rustling, urging other states to emulate. Also speaking, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Muhammad Abubakar, restated his ministrys commitment to improve the economic condition of the herdsmen, stressing the need for them to consider cattle breeding as a vocation and not a tradition. The federal government had on Friday said it would demarcate 6,000km of cattle route across the country in 2017. The National Coordinator, Grazing Stock Routes, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmud Bello, said, We are going to provide 6,000 kilometres of cattle routes across the country; we are going to open the primary routes first, while the state and local governments are expected to launch the secondary routes. Share this: Twitter Facebook A former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, has narrated how the Nigerian government under former President Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly plotted to kill him while he was in detention for over eight years. Mr. Bamaiyi, a retired lieutenant general, was detained in October 1999 and charged for the attempted murder of the late publisher of the Guardian newspaper and former Internal Affairs Minister, Alex Ibru. He was discharged and acquitted in April 2008. In his book, Vindication of a General, Mr. Bamaiyi alleged that the Obasanjo administration was not satisfied with his arrest and detention based on trumped up charges that were orchestrated by some individuals in the military, but made efforts to eliminate him. While I was in prison, efforts were made to ensure I did not come out alive, Mr. Bamaiyi said in the 252-page book launched in Abuja a fortnight ago. A clear case was an attempt to kill me with a lethal injection while I was admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). A friend from Abuja called to advise me not to accept any injections. He had been present when it was decided, and money was made available to give me a lethal injection. I took the advice and never had any injection while in LUTH. The former army chief also alleged that efforts were made by the office of Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, to ensure he died in prison as all professional advice and recommendations of specialists were rejected. He said, After thorough examination of my ailment, LUTH recommended my going abroad for treatment, and the presiding Judge Oyewole gave a court order for me to travel. The DPP did not obey this court order but subjected me to further tests at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and sent one of their staff to see how I was examined. Their results were the same as those of LUTH. The DPP, with wicked intentions, refused this report, and I had to be taken to a private diagnostic centre, Redmed, for another test and examination, where it was clearly stated that no centre in Nigeria could diagnose my ailment. Mr. Bamaiyi explained that the DPP was left with no option but to allow him proceed for treatment at the Welcare Hospital in Dubai. He stated that he provided funds for flight tickets, medical treatment, and accommodation for his wife and the consultant who took him to Dubai where he was hospitalised for five months before returning to Nigeria. The former army chief said when he returned to Nigeria, it was clear to him that the other accused, namely James Danbaba, J.B. Yakubu, Hamza Al-Mustapha and Rabo Lawal were not ready for trial. He said as a result of the development he advised his counsel to pursue a separation for his trial which the other accused overwhelmingly opposed. WHY I WAS ARRESTED Mr. Bamaiyi claimed he was detained because the then Obasanjo administration feared he would overthrow it. As soon as Obasanjo took over, General Abubakar and some of his people told Obasanjo that if I were left free, I would overthrow General Obasanjos government. This did not surprise me because, while we were in service, General Abubakar set up a secret investigation of certain people during the Abacha rule. I had not been told, although some soldiers in the army, like Sgt. Rogers, were invited for investigation. When I had to replace my security officer, I asked Capt. Najaja to replace Capt. Bature, who was assigned to the USA. General Abubakar said Najaja was being investigated. He realised his mistake and kept quiet. I did not bother myself about the investigation because I knew I was not in any way involved in any criminal acts. I am aware that General Abacha drew the attention of his security chiefs because we complained that we were not providing security to Nigerians. The former army chief said Mr. Abubakars committee completed its assignment and gave clean bills to all those questioned. He said when Mr. Obasanjo took over, some big shots of the Peoples Democratic Party decided that, based on the report, he (Bamaiyi) had control of the army and should be arrested. The government looked for avenues to arrest me, he said. They started by checking Army account to see if I had stolen money. They spoke to the Director of Army Finance and Accounts (DAFA), Maj. Gen. Omosehi, who told them he had never worked with an officer who believed in accountability like I did. They felt disappointed. The government wanted to take my personal house at Asokoro. The NSA, General Gusau, talked to Mr. Daboul, a friend of mine who had built the house for me. He told Gen. Gusau of our agreement that I would pay for the house over ten years. This saved my house. Mr. Bamaiyi said when everything to nail him failed, the Obasanjo administration decided to revisit their investigation. According to him, Messrs. J.B. Yakubu and Najaja were forced under duress to implicate him and that gave the government the opportunity to start looking for him. The army chief, who said he shunned all entreaties from many people to run away from the country, said in October 1999, Mr. Gusau told his (Bamaiyi) younger brother, Danladi Bamaiyi, that he (Gusau) wanted to see him (Ishaya Bamaiyi). He stated, When I got to Abuja, I went to see General Gusau. He told me an investigation was on and that Commissioner of Police, Danbaba, said I had authorised him to issue a weapon with which Mr. Alex Ibru was shot. I asked him, as COAS, would I need any weapon from the police. I told him I did not know anything about it and did not believe Danbaba would have said that. He directed me to go and think about it and see him on 13 October 1999. I told him I had nothing to think about. General Gusau told me I was under arrest and directed Comd Brigade of Guards, Brig. Gen. Alex Mshelbwala, to take me to a place prepared to detain me, which turned out to be my guest house while I was COAS inside Fort IBB. Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to speak with Mr. Gusau failed as he was said to have travelled out of the country. Neither former president Olusegun Obasanjo nor Mr. Abubakar has publicly reacted to the claims in Mr. Bamaiyis book. Share this: Twitter Facebook Former President Goodluck Jonathan probably received as much as $200 million to approve the controversial $1.3 billion sale of OPL 245 oil field, Italian prosecutors said in court documents. The documents, which were extracts of a thorough investigation by Italian authorities into the deal, also confirmed that Shell and ENI knew a good chunk of the $1.3 billion would be disbursed as kickbacks to Nigerian politicians, yet went ahead with the deal. The findings were obtained by BuzzFeed and Italian business newspaper, Il Sole 24 Ore. BuzzFeed released its own version earlier today. The prosecutors quoted Ednan Agaev, a Russian middleman who helped negotiate the transfer of the oil block to Shell and Eni, as saying that Dan Etete, the former Petroleum Minister at the heart of the oil scandal, said he intended to dole out as much as $400 million in bribes if the deal went through. If Mr. Etete actually paid out such an amount in bribes to Nigerian officials, Agaev stated that he would think President Goodluck Jonathan got at least $200 million of this money, BuzzFeed quoted an excerpt of FBI submissions to Italian authorities as saying. The revelations were made when the FBI interviewed Mr. Agaev, whom prosecutors also said met with Mr. Jonathan on more than one occasion in Nigeria during the OPL 245 negotiations. Mr. Agaev, who was Mr. Etetes representative in the negotiation, said the convicted former petroleum minister told him of the $400 million bribe to Nigerian politicians when he approached him for his payment. When FBI detectives asked Mr. Agaev about payment of his commission, he stated that he went to Etete and told him to pay him the $65,000,000 fee. Agaev stated that Etete said, I cant pay you, I have to pay Adoke [Mohammed Bello Adoke, then Nigerias attorney general] $400 million and all the other people in the Senate and the National assembly. The Russian also repeated the claim in a follow-up interview with Italian prosecutors, led by Fabio De Pasquale in Milan. I said that if its true, that he paid, he had to pay 400 million, I assume that at least 200 went to Goodluck (Jonathan). I heard from Chief (Etete), he claims that he had to pay 400 million, so, if this is true, if he paid 400 million, then most probably the President, as the biggest boss, took at least the half of it, BuzzFeed wrote, quoting documents prepared by Italian prosecutors. The findings, which included internal emails and phone conversations of Shells officials and agents, also revealed how Mr. Etetes wife allegedly stated that her husband was getting only a part of the total sum paid by Shell. The rest goes in paying people off, BuzzFeed reported. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr. Etete, who alongside Mr. Adoke has since been charged by the EFCC for his role in the scandal, told a British Court that only $250 million of the $801 million he received from the Malabu payment was his. Others are believed to have been shared to politically exposed persons including Messrs. Adoke and Jonathan. The findings reported on Sunday are the latest revelations about the controversial deal, which was struck in 2011. The $1.3 billion was paid by Shell and Eni into a Nigerian government account in London, with $1.1 billion transferred in addition to an earlier $201 million earlier paid by Shell to the Nigerian government. About $801 million of the money was then transferred from the Nigerian government account into Malabu accounts controlled by Mr. Etete. JONATHAN, ADOKE MAINTAIN INNOCENCE Despite the fact that their names have repeatedly featured in different investigations across many jurisdictions, Messrs. Jonathan and Adoke have denied any wrongdoing. Instead, they said they helped Nigeria wave huge losses that the country would have otherwise suffered had the deal not been signed at the time. Mr. Jonathans spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, could not be reached for comments about the latest revelations Sunday morning. But he exonerated the former president in a January 10 statement about the Malabu oil deal. We wish to make it clear that former President Jonathan was not accused, indicted or charged for corruptly collecting any monies as kickbacks or bribes from ENI by the Italian authorities or any other law enforcement body the world over, the statement said. Mr. Adoke had repeatedly stated that he didnt do anything wrong in allowing the Nigerian government to proceed with the controversial deal as the Attorney-General of the Federation. Last month, Mr. Adoke accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of being used by political interests, after the anti-graft agency slammed charges of corruption and money laundering against him in connection with the OPL 245 scandal. Mr. Adoke, who served as AGF from 2010 to 2015, said successive administrations from President Olusegun Obasanjo had signed on to the agreement and the Jonathan administration merely implemented it. But Mr. Obasanjo had since distanced himself from the deal in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, warning Mr. Adoke to desist from dragging his name into the Malabu oil mess. MORE REVELATIONS In yet another revelation, Mr. Etete, at a 2010 meeting with Guy Colegate and John Copleston, two former British intelligence officers hired by Shell to help handle Mr. Etete during the negotiations, said Mr. Jonathan had written to him about the presidents willingness to see the deal through. Etete claims he has and has shown (though not copied) a letter from President reiterating Malabus 100pc equity/contract award, an email from Mr. Colegate stated. This letter clearly an attempt to deliver significant revenues to GLJ [Jonathan] as part of any transaction. Shell officials said Mr. Jonathan worked as a lesson teacher to Mr. Etetes children when he was Petroleum Minister from mid to late 1990s. MI6 officials said the deal was about personal gain and politics for Mr. Jonathan. The documents also revealed that Shell officials knew Mr. Etete was an ex-convict who intended to distribute the payment of the Malabu oil deal to politicians, but transacted with him, anyway. At some point, the officials tried to exploit Mr. Etetes criminal record to get a better deal for Shell. In response to a 2007 note saying that a French court had just sentenced Mr. Etete to a jail term and a $440,000 fine for money laundering, a Shell general counsel forwarded the message to executive board members: Gentlemen, I thought the attached would be of interest to you, he wrote. We are considering how to turn this development to our advantage. Guy Outen, an executive vice president at Shell, replied: makes it a bit difficult for the Govt and us to progress though, BuzzFeed reported. The details confirm a REMIUM TIMES report that Shell and ENI knew they were dealing with Mr. Etete, and that a good chunk of their payment will go to Malabu Oil and Gas, partly-owned by the former petroleum minister. NO BASIS FOR PROSECUTION SHELL, ENI In their response to BuzzFeed and Il Sore 24 Ore, Shell and ENI said the authorities had no grounds to prosecute them. Based on our review of the Prosecutor of Milans file and all of the information and facts available to Shell, we do not believe that there is a basis to prosecute Shell. Furthermore, we are not aware of any evidence to support a case against any former or current Shell employee. If the evidence ultimately proves that improper payments were made by Malabu or others to then current government officials in exchange for improper conduct relating to the 2011 settlement of the long-standing legal disputes, it is Shells position that none of those payments were made with its knowledge, authorization or on its behalf, Shell said. In its response, ENI also gave a similar response. Neither ENI nor Shell paid any monies other than as contemplated and recorded by the Block Resolution Agreement and did not pay to Malabu, to Chief Dan Etete or to any public officer. ENI is not involved in any investigation in The Netherlands The payments made by ENI and Shell to the Nigerian government for title to OPL 245 were made to an escrow account with an international bank held by the Federal Government of Nigeria pursuant to the Block 245 Resolution Agreement. Neither ENI nor Shell paid any monies other than as contemplated and recorded by the Block Resolution Agreement and did not pay to Malabu, to Chief Dan Etete or to any public officer, it said. But Italian prosecutors said late last year they had enough grounds to charge Shell, Agip-Eni, and their executives alongside other Nigerians involved in the controversial deal for fraud in Milan. Late last year, they filed charges against Mr. Etete, Mr. Agaev and the following individuals: DescaJzi Claudio, the CEO of Eni; his predecessor, Paolo Scaroni; Roberto Casula, Armanna Vincenzo, Antonio Pagano, Luigi Bisignani and Falcioni Gianfranco. BuzzFeed quoted Mr. De Pasquale as stating in court filings that it was reasonable to describe the Malabu oil deal as anomalous or suspicious as it reasonably appear to be connected to contexts of bribery. A Milan court will decide if the matter will go on trial later this month, PREMIUM TIMES understands. In separate charges filed late 2016, the EFCC accused Mr. Adoke and Mr. Etete of defrauding Nigeria in the OPL 245 deal. The Department of Petroleum Resources said last December that Mr. Adoke and other officials of the Jonathan administration who participated in the concession of the lucrative oil field to Shell and Agip-Eni did not follow due process. The Nigerian parliament is also conducting a new round of inquiry into the controversies surrounding the OPL 245 since its lease was first awarded in 1998. Mr. Adoke has maintained his innocence and pledged to make himself available for trial. But he is yet to show up for interrogation, and the EFCC is seeking a court order to arrest him. Share this: Twitter Facebook No fewer than five police officers and two soldiers, including an army captain were killed by suspected militants early Sunday morning in Ikorodu area of Lagos. Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria that the bodies of the victims had been removed. The slain captain was simply identified as Muhammad. There has been no official confirmation of the killings yet. NAN gathered that the existing presence of the Joint Task Force called Operation Awatse did not deter the militants from operating in the area they were driven away from about a year ago by members of the same task force. NAN also gathered that the militants had struck at Woodland Estate close to Ishawo Creeks and engaged the security personnel, soldiers and the police, in a gun duel. At the end of the gun duel, five policemen and two soldiers were reportedly gunned down by the militants, the source told NAN. It was unclear if there were any casualties on the part of the militants, although security forces were said to have reinforced and stormed the area for reconnaissance and possible counter-action. When contacted, the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said he was still gathering information on the matter adding that a statement would soon be issued. Also, the spokesperson of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Olaolu Daudu, said that a statement would be released on the incident later. NAN recalled that on March 13, 2017, it reported the return of the militants to the area. Residents said they lived in palpable fear. The militants, whose stocks in trade are kidnapping and oil theft, were chased out of the area in August 2016 by the Task Force, after several bloody clashes in the community. Scores of people were killed during the clashes between militants and residents of Isawo community before the joint military task force was deployed in the area. Mr. Famous-Cole told NAN in March that the command was re-strategising the security arrangements in the state, including Ikorodu area. He said more police patrol teams would be deployed in the area, and urged residents to provide useful information on the activities of the hoodlums. The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Fergusson Bobai, told NAN: I dont have any report yet to suggest that militants are back in those areas. But Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has approved the return of swamp buggies to open up the creeks in those areas to enable the security forces carry out in-depth patrols. The swamp buggy is a motor vehicle used to traverse swampy terrain. Buggies are able to move about on dry land, shallow mud, sand, shallow water and deep mud. The Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, on August 4, 2016 visited Isawo creeks and was briefed about the activities of the militants. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The armed officials of the Lagos State Task Force who returned to Otodo gbame, a waterfront community in the Lekki area, on Sunday to begin fresh demolition of structures and shanties shot and killed one resident, PREMIUM TIMES can report. The resident, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, was shot in the neck and died before medical help could reach him. Two others one of them shot in the chest are in critical conditions at the Lagos Island General Hospital, witnesses said. The latest demolition came just three weeks after a wave of demolition, despite a subsisting court order, rendered an estimated 5,000 people homeless. The demolition drew a lot criticisms from human rights groups, including Amnesty International, who condemned the action. But the Lagos State government had defended its actions, five days later, saying the demolition was done to keep the waterfront free from environmentally injurious and unsanitary habitation few months after it was consumed by fire and rendered uninhabitable. Sundays demolition began at about 5.30 a.m. and, like the previous actions, was without a prior notice to the inhabitants of the community, said Megan Chapman, co-founder of Justice Empowerment Initiatives, an organisation that has worked extensively in Otodogbame community. Despite the fact that we have a court order and have also commenced contempt of court proceedings against the state government at the Lagos State High Court, they are still in Otodogbame now, what they have done is they have started shooting guns, chasing people onto the water, and one by one setting each house on fire using kerosene, Ms. Chapman told PREMIUM TIMES. They said they were on order from Ambode and the Commissioner for Environment. One of our people heard the OC shout that the whole place has to burn down. Ms. Chapman said after the March 17 demolition, about 150 houses were left in the community and those who had nowhere to go had to put up make-shift structures Now, everyone has been chased onto water, they are in their boats, thats where everyone is now. Because of the rainfall, the burning is going slowly, it rained last night and again today. They are still continuing the demolition and burning, theres no mercy, and Im sure by the end of today theres going to be no more Otodogbame. Amnesty International described Sundays demolition of Otodogbame community as a clear violation of rights. Govt of Lagos is currently using violence in displacing the already traumatised residents of #OtodoGbame. This is clear violation of rights Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 9, 2017 After defying court order and using brutal force and thugs several times at #OtodoGbame now the world watches bloody use of force again. Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 9, 2017 #OtodoGbame has nothing to do with development. It is all about land grabbing: from the poor to rich property tycoons.Poverty is not a crime Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 9, 2017 Images and videos of todays bloody attack on #OtodoGbame are testimony of the disdain of Lagos govt to human rights. @followlasg Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 9, 2017 Residents of #OtodoGbame experienced gross injustice and brutal violations that cost them lives. Is it a crime to be poor in #Nigeria? Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 9, 2017 Lagos State Government officials did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments about Sundays demolition. Habib Haruna, Governor Akinwunmi Ambodes Chief Press Secretary, said enquiries about the incident should be directed to the Commissioner of Environment, Samuel Adejare, and his Ministry of Information counterpart, Steve Ayorinde. Messrs. Adejare and Ayorinde did not respond to calls and text messages to their respective phone lines. The Lagos State Police Command said they heard about the incident, but did not have enough information to issue a statement. Olarinde Famous-Cole, the police spokesperson, promised to revert with credible information as soon as possible. Weve heard that something like that is going on, Mr. Famous-Cole told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone. But we cant release any information for now. We will inform you as soon as we have credible details about the development. Share this: Twitter Facebook The boss of one of the worlds biggest corporations was placed under secret surveillance as part of a pan-European corruption investigation into the way the firm paid $1.3 billion for an oil block in Nigeria, explosive documents leaked to Finance Uncovered reveal. The leak includes a recording of a wiretapped telephone conversation between Shells chief executive, Ben van Beurden, and his then chief financial officer, Simon Henry, in the immediate aftermath of a raid by Dutch financial police on the corporations headquarters in The Hague. In the 14-minute tape, Mr. van Beurden is heard discussing the raid earlier that day in which thousands of documents relating to a deal it struck in Nigeria were seized a deal currently being investigated over allegations that $1.1 billion knowingly flowed to a convicted money launderer. Mr. Van Beurden is heard on the intercept warning Henry not to volunteer any information that is not requested if approached by the police and discussing the ramifications for the companys share price. And in one extraordinary passage, he bemoans loosepub talk by two former MI6 operatives the company had employed to gather intelligence in Nigeria and who had speculated which politicians might get payoffs if Shell secured a deal. The conversation took place in February last year when Dutch authorities raided Shells HQ after a request from counterparts in Italy. Italy and the Netherlands are investigating the $1.3 billion purchase of the Nigerian oil block OPL 245 by Shell and Italian oil major Eni in 2011. The Italian case centres on allegations that Shell and ENI knowingly paid $1.1-billion to a former Nigerian petroleum minister for OPL 245, a concession he had improperly awarded to himself while in office. Most of the money allegedly flowed as kickbacks to Nigerian government ministers and Eni executives. The intercept is understood to form part of the Italian prosecutors case against Shell, which is now being prosecuted together with Eni in Milan. The Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is pursuing a separate prosecution in Abuja against Shell, Eni and others. As part of the Italian legal process, the evidence that the prosecutor intends to use has been shared with the implicated parties ahead of a court hearing on April 20 to confirm the charges. Shell and Eni strongly deny any wrongdoing, and there is no suggestion that Mr. van Beurden, who only became CEO in 2014, played any part in the deal. Both companies insist they have cooperated fully with the authorities. The February 2016 raid came at a sensitive time for the Shell CEO. Two days earlier, Shell had finalised a merger with BG Group. Touted as a legacy-defining moment for Mr. van Beurden, who earns more than $20 million a year, it turned Shell into the worlds biggest producer of liquefied natural gas. The evening of the raid, February 17, Mr. van Beurden phoned chief financial officer Simon Henry to discuss what police might have discovered, and how Shell could limit the fall-out. At the outset of the conversation, he tells Mr. Henry he is stepping out of the room so he cant be overheard by the family nanny unaware of the police eavesdroppers and a far wider audience. They then discuss the raid and which of their offices had been examined. Mr. Van Beurden then refers to an ongoing internal investigation led by Shells own legal chief. When Mr. Henry asks for an update on that, the CEO replies: I dont think they have found anything that was clearly incriminating or that sort of suggested that we were colluding or doing anything inappropriate. He adds: But there was apparently some loose chatter between people from the [OPL 245] team, particularly the people that we hired from MI6 who, er, must have said things like, Well, yeah, you know, I wonder who gets a pay-off here and whatever, so its unhelpful email exchanges. Its, its I havent seen them but apparently they were judged to be, you know, just pub talk in emails which was stupid. But nevertheless its there. Finance Uncovered believes these are Guy Colegate and John Coplestone, who worked for Shell as senior business adviser and strategic investment adviser respectively. According to documents seen by Finance Uncovered, they had been instrumental in gathering the intelligence that helped Shell to acquire the much-prized oil block, OPL 245, a field that increased Shells proven oil reserves by a third. In the wiretap, Messrs. Van Beurden and Henry then agreed about the need to inform the UK Serious Fraud Office and the US Department of Justice about the raid, especially because the OPL 245 deal happened at a time we were of course under deferred prosecution agreement, so, we should have maybe at the time been a more open with the DoJ [US Department of Justice] than we now find we have been. With all eyes on Shells share price following the BG Group merger, both men expressed their reluctance to disclose all but the most limited information to shareholders via the US Securities and Exchange Commission. As Mr. van Beurden put it, the last thing you want of course is some sort of request to issue a stock exchange release when there is nothing to be said other than we are being asked to provide information. Finally, Mr. van Beurden rang off with a friendly reminder to Mr. Henry, who planned to go in to the office the following morning despite the ongoing police operation: You probably know this, [but] dont volunteer any information that is not requested. In response to questions posed to Shell, Messrs. van Beurden and Henry, a spokesperson said: Given this matter is currently under investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on specifics. However, based on our review of the Prosecutor of Milans file and all of the information and facts available to Shell, we do not believe that there is a basis to prosecute Shell. Furthermore, we are not aware of any evidence to support a case against any former or current Shell employee. If the evidence ultimately proves that improper payments were made by Malabu or others to then current government officials in exchange for improper conduct relating to the 2011 settlement of the long-standing legal disputes, it is Shells position that none of those payments were made with its knowledge, authorization or on its behalf. We are taking this matter seriously and are fully co-operating with the relevant authorities. This includes when appropriate having shared the key findings of an investigation led by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, an independent international law firm. We have also accurately reported on the OPL 245 settlement in our annual reports. Shell attaches the greatest importance to business integrity. Its one of our core values and is a central tenet of the Business Principles that govern the way we do business. He added: We notified the US and UK authorities of the visit to Shells office by the Dutch Prosecutor, and we subsequently shared with them the findings of our internal investigation. John Copleston and Guy Colegate could not be reached for comment. OPL BACKGROUND Until a prosecutor in Milan launched an investigation in 2014, few outside the oil industry had heard of OPL 245. But it is estimated to contain 9.3 billion barrels of oil, enough to power Africa for seven years. It also contains vast gas reserves and was eyed by companies from China and Russia for years. But out of all the majors, Shell, which has a long history in Nigeria and can count on powerful contacts right to the top of the Abuja government, was most determined to secure the drilling rights. In 1998, Nigerias then oil minister, Dan Etete, had awarded the licence to a front company, Malabu Oil and Gas, in which it later emerged he held a significant stake. After a new president came to power, Malabu lost its rights as they were reassigned to Shell. Later, the position reversed and Shell began legal proceedings against Nigeria. In 2007, Mr. Etete, by then out of Nigerian politics, was convicted in a Paris court for his part in a separate money laundering scandal. The conviction was upheld on appeal in 2009. Undeterred, Shell, which had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on initial testing in the OPL 25 waters, joined forces with Italys Eni. Negotiations were conducted with Mr. Etete and his advisers in luxury hotels in Europe and Nigeria. In 2010, as Shell continued to negotiate the acquisition of OPL 245 with Mr. Etete, Goodluck Jonathan, his close ally, became Nigerias president. In documents seen by Finance Uncovered, a deal was almost reached in October 2010 in which Shell and Eni would pay Malabu directly. But this was scuppered by the threat of a legal challenge from a third party in Nigeria. With Shell receiving intelligence that Mr. Jonathan was keen to see a deal finalised ahead of presidential elections, further negotiations took place on how to avoid any direct payment to Malabu. In April 2011, Mr. Etete and the oil giants agreed a fee of $1.3 billion. Under the terms, Shell and Eni were to make payments only to the Nigerian government. The thinking behind this arrangement, memorably described by one fixer as a condom between the buyer and seller, was that at no point would Shell or Eni make direct payments to Malabu or Etete, by now officially recognised as a criminal. Instead Eni paid $1.1bn direct into the Nigerian governments escrow account with JP Morgan in London, while Shell settled the $210m signature fee with Nigeria. By August 2011, the bulk of the $1.1bn was transferred from the ownership of the people of Nigeria to Mr. Etete and his alleged conspirators. Where all of it ended up will probably never be known tens of millions were used to buy a private jet and armoured cadillacs in the US. It is also alleged millions were paid to Nigerian government officials and fixers, including Goodluck Jonathan himself who denies the allegation. The Italian court case, which is due to start on April 20, may shed more light on the affair. PUB TALK, OR DEAL TALK? Finance Uncovered believes the loose chatter and just pub talk mentioned by Shell CEO Ben van Beurden in his wiretapped phone conversation refer to emails sent and received by John Copleston and Guy Colgate. The pair have been described by the public prosecutor in Milan as former MI6 officers employed by Shell. They were key figures in Shells attempt to secure the OPL 245 rights from Dan Etete and Malabu. From October 2009 onwards, they met with Mr. Etete or his advisers and fed intelligence back to senior Shell managers. In Shell internal documents seen by Finance Uncovered, the duo told their superiors that money was likely to flow to President Goodluck Jonathan and other powerful figures. This intelligence also made its way into briefings supplied to Shells top executives. After Mr. Jonathan became acting president of Nigeria, Mr. Colegate emailed a senior Shell executive in The Hague on March 9 2010 to brief him on a meeting he had just had with a source in Paris. He said Mr. Etete can smell the money and that others in the mix might not let him walk away from a deal at this stage. The following day, Mr. Colegates email was forwarded to then-Shell CEO Peter Voser. On July 15 2010, Mr. Colegate had a long meeting with a source in Paris, and then briefed Mr. Copleston and Peter Robinson, Shells then vice-president for Commercial in Africa. According to the email, the source, seemingly an Etete intermediary, claimed President Jonathan had confirmed Etetes right to the oil block. Mr. Copleston wrote this move is clearly an attempt to deliver significant revenues to GLJ [Goodluck Jonathan] as part of any transaction. He added that the clear driver is to get cash into the system ASAP, and that, for Jonathan and his oil minister, this is about personal gain and politics. On August 23 2010, Mr. Robinson prepared briefing notes for his boss, Shell then head of exploration Malcolm Brinded, ahead of his meeting with his Eni counterpart. The briefing note, informed by his intelligence on the ground, said: In country view [from Nigeria] is that the President is motivated to see 245 closed quickly driven by expectations about the proceeds that Malabu will receive and political contributions that will flow as a consequence reinforces need for a solution quickly. In another briefing document written in the late stages of the negotiations, Mr. Brinded briefed Simon Henry and Mr. Voser about the transaction structure to say: Eni will pay on behalf of itself and SNEPCo [a Shell subsidiary], an amount of $1.09bln. This will be used by the FGN [Federal Government of Nigeria] to settle all claims from Malabu. Shell, Eni, and Mr. Jonathan deny any wrongdoing. Etete did not respond to requests for comment. Simon Taylor, director of campaign group Global Witness, which has spent several years investigating the deal, said: This is one of the worst corruption scandals the oil industry has ever seen. Todays new evidence shows senior executives at the worlds fifth biggest company knowingly entered into a corrupt deal with that deprived the Nigerian people of $1.1billion. To put that in context, the deal is worth more than Nigerias entire health budget for 2016. Messrs. Robinson, Brinded and Voser all of whom have since left Shell could not be reached for comment. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, said the command was working with sister security agencies to arrest the suspected militants that killed four police officers, an army captain and a civilian on Sunday. Mr. Owoseni made the promise in a statement on Sunday while responding to the killings by militants in Isawo area of Ikorodu in Lagos state. His statement, the first by any top security official clarified earlier reports that two soldiers and five police officers were killed. The commissioner said that the officers were killed while trying to rescue some people abducted by the unidentified gunmen. At about 1a.m of today Sunday April 9, the Police received distress call that a group of militants/kidnappers had entered Owutu-Isawo in Ikorodu through the thick swampy forest surrounding the area. They were reported to have kidnapped some residents. In response, the Police and the Army immediately mobilised personnel to the area, where the kidnapped victims were rescued. Sadly, however, five out of the gallant, brave and patriotic officers lost their lives during the rescue operation. One of them is a Nigerian Army Captain, while the remaining four are policemen. One of the residents in the area also died. We pray that the God Almighty reward their loyalty to the nation with paradise and grant their souls peaceful rest. We also pray that God gives their respective families the courage to bear the loss, Mr. Owoseni said. The Command will like to assure the public that with synergy from sister security agencies, the criminal elements involved in this dastardly act shall be apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law. We will continue to rely on the good people of Lagos State for useful information and their partnership, he said. The commissioner said that the officers were killed while trying to rescue some people abducted by the unidentified gunmen, stressing that one army Captain and a civilian were among the six persons killed. Share this: Twitter Facebook Following a string of court rulings against high-profile corruption cases last week, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt a revolutionary approach to his governments fight against corruption by referring high-level official corruption cases to the International Criminal Court for investigation and possible prosecution. The organisation said, As a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the government should also consider drawing from the expertise, experience, and international best practices of the court to complement the mandates and powers of our anti-corruption agencies and judiciary to successfully and satisfactorily investigate, prosecute and hear high-profile corruption cases. In a statement dated April 9 and signed by SERAP deputy director, Timothy Adewale, the organisation said that, The latest setbacks in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases show the need for effective enforcement measures to weed out, expose, and punish grand corruption in the country. Referring large-scale corruption cases to the International Criminal Court would in the short-medium term improve deterrence, and at the minimum demonstrate a symbolic commitment to confront grand corruption head on. According to the organisation, Referral to the ICC should be considered as a stop-gap measure, and as part of an all-embracing strategy that would inevitably require a fundamental reform of the criminal justice system and the strengthening and empowerment of the countrys anticorruption agencies. The statement read in part: SERAP argues that corruption by high-ranking officials and their families and associates is an international crime, especially given the sheer amounts of national wealth involved, and the devastating effects of such plundering, including political instability, weak rule of law, and destruction of the countrys economy. Without effective investigation and prosecution of high-ranking public officials charged with corruption, and a judiciary that is willing and able to satisfactorily play its own interpretative role, this governments fight against corruption may sadly turn out to be all motion and no movement, and this will eventually undermine the legitimacy of the anticorruption efforts. SERAP believes that radical and more robust criminal enforcement measures are necessary to appreciably improve anti-corruption efforts, including by equipping, empowering and providing opportunities for training and re-training of those charged with the investigation and prosecution of large-scale corruption so that they can fearlessly, impartially, efficiently and energetically enforce anti-corruption laws and ensure justice for the countless victims of corruption in the country. It should not be the case that only petty offenders are successfully prosecuted while high profile corrupt officers escape punishment and justice. Prosecuting the small fry and leaving the big fish to go unpunished would send a particularly damaging message about the governments commitment to end large-scale official corruption, legitimize offenders impunity, and clearly violate the underlying legal and moral assumptions that a government will treat all persons equally, fairly, and with respect. Effectively prosecuting high-ranking officials would help to persuade foreign jurisdictions keeping stolen public funds, and facilitate international cooperation and assistance that may lead to the recovery of such assets. Efforts must also be intensified to apply stronger preventive measures to ensure that Nigerians are informed of the dangers of corruption. By ensuring that the Nigerian public views grand corruption with a human face, the public may be more likely to build a united front and demand change from their leaders, which, in turn, would gradually strengthen Nigerias political will to end the problem. This is the surest way to help keep Nigeria fair, just, stable and prosperous. As the situation in the country has shown, corruption is costly to good governance, human rights and national development, and leads to erosion of confidence in good governance, rule of law and economic stability. SERAP argues that grand corruption in the country violates fundamental human values, and the values protected by international human rights law, as well as negates the doctrine of fiduciary relations that obligate public officers to faithfully perform the duties of their office, and to preserve state property. It would be recalled that last week, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order unfreezing the account of a former First Lady, Patience Jonathan. The EFCC had in November 2016 filed an application before the court seeking an order freezing the account. The commission had contended that the funds were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime. The account is said to harbour the sum of $5.8 million. Also, Justice Abulazeez Anka of a Federal High Court in Lagos vacated a freeze order on the account of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, after initially ordering a temporary forfeiture of N75 million found in his Guarantee Trust Bank account. Further, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday felicitated with Africas richest man and philanthropist, Aliko Dangote, on his 60th birthday. President Buhari joins the business world, Dangotes friends and family in congratulating the Forbes rated richest African and black man for his patriotism and kind heartedness in always making sacrifices to safeguard the health of the nation, most remarkably the polio and Ebola interventions, the presidents spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said in a statement. The President believes the global business mogul remains a shining example of the virtues of choosing entrepreneurship from an early age, treading the path of diligence, perseverance and continuous learning to build some of the worlds largest manufacturing and distribution companies, with household names in Nigeria and beyond. As Dangote clocks 60, President Buhari commends the humility, simplicity and cosmopolitan outlook of the entrepreneur who defies ethnic and religious persuasions in extending support to the poor and vulnerable, providing employment opportunities without discrimination, while inspiring and mentoring young Nigerians to greatness. The president acknowledged Mr. Dangotes role in bolstering the economy through continuous engagement and counseling of governments on best practices in promoting the ease of doing business. He prays that the almighty God will grant Dangote more wisdom, good health and longer life to serve his country and humanity, Mr. Adesina said. Also, a former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, also congratulated Mr. Dangote who clocks 60 on April 10, describing him as an inspiration to many people. In a letter to Mr. Dangote personally signed by him, Mr. Tinubu commended the business mogul for his boldness and bravery in taking the business risks he took, which he said have now paid off. The All Progressives congress chieftain said Mr. Dangote has broken all business barriers and is now helping to industrialise Africa, with the operations of his Dangote Group in 17 African countries and beyond. In the letter dated April 9, 2017 and released in a statement by his Media Office, Mr. Tinubu said: Your life has been an inspiration to many. From a lowly background, you rose to the top by dint of hard work and perseverance. The boldness and bravery you demonstrated in taking the business risks you took have paid off. You have shown that with resilience, we can always convert risks and challenges to opportunities. Today, you are that African man that has broken all barriers. With operations in over 17 African countries including Nigeria, the awesome Dangote Group you established is helping to industrialise Africa. You have made people and made lives a lot better through the employment opportunities you have created and your other humanitarian activities. I wish you many more years in life. I pray that Allah grants all you need to continue to impact the lives of many more people. Share this: Twitter Facebook Leading downstream oil company, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, on Saturday commissioned a berthing terminal Dantata Jetty, which has capacity to berth vessels of 80,000 120,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. The record-breaking facility, consider by downstream players as the first of its kind in any port in Africa, will save Nigeria millions of dollars spent annually by marketers of petroleum products to hire daughter vessels to lift products from mother vessels to the depots. The facility allows mother vessels to berth directly at the new jetty. Speaking Saturday during the commissioning ceremony in Lagos, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, praised MRS for the facility, which he described as the largest in Africa. Mr. Kachikwu said what impressed him most was the Information Technology (IT) deployed in the facility, which allows the use of computers to monitor the loadings of every drop of petroleum product. He said with the computerisation scheme in the facility, the chairman of the company can monitor the loadings from anywhere in the world. Mr. Kachikwu challenged NNPC Downstream, as leader in the downstream sector, to adopt similar computerisation scheme to reduce losses in its operations. That is fantastic; it is important that we get the NNPC to align with this strategy to reduce losses, Mr. Kachikwu added. Mr. Kachikwu further recalled that it was a year ago that he raised concern that the expenses being incurred by the NNPC in transferring products from mother vessels to daughter vessels was becoming unsustainable. Sayyu (chairman of MRS Oil) heard this and took the decision on this facility, he said. Mr. Kachikwu commended MRS, saying its acquisition of Chevron Oil has transformed the company from a small company to a big global company. He said the federal government has the responsibility to improve the ease of doing business to ensure the success of businesses like MRS Oil. Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola said MRS Oil deserved commendation not only for the size, the capacity the audacity really of what MRS has done but also because it was done by a Nigerian company. According to him, the most important investor in any economy are the local investors because they will not run away, no matter how tough it is. Mr. Fashola said the present administration realised this and had remained committed to supporting local investors such as MRS and others. Congratulations also that this investment has come to maturity at a most auspicious time barely a week after Mr. President launched the economic recovery programme and one of the priority actions in that programme out of the 60 interventions is strengthening our capacity towards self-sufficiency in energy supply, Mr. Fashola said. Mr. Fashola pledged to electrify the corridor and build transmission lines because the area is an important investment corridor and that behind it is tourism. In his speech, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, said the federal government was committed to improving the countrys global ranking in the ease of doing business to attract investors. According to him, Nigeria should not think that her environment is unique in terms of doing business because investors, including local ones, have other choices. We live in a world where we are part of the global community. Nigerians should not think that their environment is unique in attracting business because investors have other destinations. So, we must improve our global ranking, Mr. Enelamah said. The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, described the jetty as a great feat in maritime acquisition in Nigeria. We are here today to celebrate a great feat in maritime acquisition, Mr. Peterside said. I have been challenged that the Cabotage Act is not working but this jetty has proved that it is working. I want to take advantage of this opportunity to encourage other investors to invest in the maritime sector because the current government is working on the ease of doing business. In her remarks, the companys Group Executive Director in charge of Trading and Supply, Amina Maina, traced the history of MRS from its inception in 1995 and to where it is today. Ms. Maina praised the workforce for its dedication and sacrifices to get the company to its present state, saying the dream would not have been realised without their loyalty and contributions. Also in his welcome address, the Chairman of the company, Sayyu Dantata, noted that the jetty would save the country the expenses incurred in Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer, as well as demurrage, which he estimated at over $200 million yearly. According to him, before the construction of the jetty, the company could only bring small vessels of 10,000 30,000 metric tonnes capacity to berth and discharge products at the depot. Mr. Sayyu said with the completion of the jetty, a vessel of 60,000MT capacity was already at the facility, adding that the capacity is equivalent to six vessels of 10,000MT tones each. We have gone out to the sea 34 metres, he said. We save costs for the country in terms of STS (ship-to-ship) transfer. This vessel is equivalent to six vessels of 10,000MT each and it shows that Nigerians can do great things. For the first time in Africa, 60,000MT vessel berth today and it has never happened anywhere in Africa. What we normally use to do operations is between 10,000MT and 30,000MT. The Speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara, was represented by Victor Nwokolo, Chairman House Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, while Senator Abdullai Yahaya represented the Chairman Senate Committee on Downstream, Kabiru Marafa, at the well attended ceremony. Share this: Twitter Facebook Some unidentified gunmen on Sunday abducted Gabriel Odu-Orji, the Cross River Commissioner for Water Resources at Effionawan street in Mayne Avenue area of Calabar South. A witness, James Ibri, told the News Agency of Nigeria that five gunmen came in a blue Audi car and picked Mr. Odu-Orji away as he stepped down to eat in a restaurant. Mr. Ibri said the gunmen dropped their car and ordered the Commissioner into his Prado Jeep and drove away with him. At around 12 noon today, I was in front of one restaurant waiting for a friend when the Commissioner for Water Resources stepped down and was approaching the restaurant. Before he could get into the restaurant, some five well-armed men came in a blue Audi, parked their car by the road side and ordered the Commissioner into his car and drove away. Those guys were kidnappers because they wore mask to hide their faces, he said. Irene Ugbo, the State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to NAN in a telephone interview. We have received a complaint about the abduction of the Commissioner for Water Resources. He was kidnapped and taken away in his Prado Jeep today. We have deployed our men from the command and those from the intelligence department to all routes in the state with a view to releasing him. As we speak, all check points are thoroughly manned by our men to ensure that he is released safely, Mr. Ugbo said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday said that his government never plotted to kill former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, as claimed by Mr. Bamaiyi in his book. Mr. Obasanjo said this while playing host to members of the Correspondents Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun Chapter, at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta. The former president explained that his administration only asked Mr. Bamaiyi to answer to those that he was alleged to have killed, saying that the decision was legitimate. That I wanted to kill him? What of the people he killed? My government did not plot to kill him. My government asked him to answer to those that were alleged to have been killed by him and that is legitimate. That if there is an allegation that you have done something, that you have committed a crime, then you are arrested, you should answer and that is all. Who the hell is he that I would want to kill him? Kill him for what? To achieve what? No! There were allegations, the police and the law enforcement agencies decided to look into the allegations. They invited him and they asked him to answer as a result of what was found, so they charged him to court. So, its now up to him, the investigators as I said, the prosecutors and the judiciary. Thats all, Mr. Obasanjo said. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Bamaiyi had recently alleged that his incarceration for more than eight years was punishment for opposing the choice of Mr. Obasanjo as successor to former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar. The allegation was contained in his book, Vindication of A General which was unveiled last weekend in Abuja. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr. Bamaiyi, a retired lieutenant general, also claimed in the book that the incarceration was to keep him away for fear that he would overthrow the Obasanjo government. He wrote that as soon as Mr. Obasanjo took over, Mr. Abubakar, a retired general, and some of his people told Mr. Obasanjo that if he [Bamaiyi] was left free, he would overthrow the government. On plot to kill him, he said the government had planned the use of a lethal injection. While I was in prison, efforts were made to ensure I did not come out alive, Mr. Bamaiyi said in the 252-page book launched in Abuja. A clear case was an attempt to kill me with a lethal injection while I was admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). A friend from Abuja called to advise me not to accept any injections. He had been present when it was decided, and money was made available to give me a lethal injection. I took the advice and never had any injection while in LUTH. Speaking on corruption, Mr. Obasanjo said investigation must be proper, thorough and undertaken with all seriousness. I was reading today when the President (Muhammadu Buhari) said the EFCC should stop losing cases. They lose cases for a number of reasons. One, they engage more of outside lawyers. I believe that they need staunch, `ogbologbo lawyers inside that will do the work. If I am a lawyer and I want the opponent to win a case, what I will file will be `wishy washy. And if I file a `wishy washy case, the opponent will see the loophole and he will get out of it. I believe that it is important. Secondly, thorough investigation is very important. Now, investigation must be thorough, it must be proper and it must be really taken seriously. Third, our judges must be committed in fighting corruption. They must be committed to fighting corruption. Because if the investigation is very sound and you have `ogbologbo lawyer to handle the case, if you have Salamigate, you know what the answer will be. So, it is a line: investigation, prosecution and the judiciary. If there is weakness along this line, chances are that corruption cases will continue to be lost, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Borno Government said on Sunday that it plans to evacuate 78,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back home from Cameroon. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the affected IDPs fled to Cameroon at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state. The IDPs had a week ago urged the state government to facilitate their return home or they will trek back to Nigeria. Ahmad Satome, Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, told journalists in Maiduguri that government plans to shelter the returnees in four temporary satellite camps. The issue of the 78,000 Nigerian IDPs is purely a repatriation process, it is just to get them across the Cameroonian border back home. Once they are back we will get them transported to transit camps in Kumshe, Gulumba, Ngoshe and Kirawa where they will feed for a week or thereabout, so they can stabilize before asking them where they want to go, he said. Mr. Satome said that IDPs without any place to go would be kept in the camps while those who wanted to return home would be transported home. IDPs without homes or those whose communities are unsafe will be kept in the camps while those who want to return home will be transported home. But for those who wished to remain in Cameroon they will be allowed to stay in accordance with the Geneva Convention, he said. Mr. Satome said government was focused on ensuring early return of all IDPs back to their communities especially those in areas liberated by the military. It is true that government is resolute in ensuring all IDPs return home in a dignified manner in accordance to the Kampala convention. But sometimes, a lot of uncertainties come in, he said. He said the continued rescue of persons by the military from terrorist enclaves had created new IDPs requiring attention. The intense pressure by the military on Boko Haram enclaves have led to rescue of new IDPs requiring care. This means that they have to be kept in camps for care and other humanitarian services, he said. Mr. Satome said however that government was resolute in moving IDPs who were interested in going back to camps close to their homes. I think it is unwise to keep 2,000 IDPs from Ngala in Maiduguri when you have about 200,000 others in Ngala town. I think that the best thing is to move those willing to camps in their respective areas from where they can gradually move home, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Some residents of Calabar have expressed worry over the lack of pipe borne water in the city in recent months, saying that they have resorted to boreholes as an alternative. The residents expressed their concern over the situation in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in the Cross River capital on Sunday. They told NAN that they were more worried about the health implications of drinking water from boreholes now dug indiscriminately in all the nooks and crannies of the city. They called on the Cross River Water Board Limited to restore the supply of pipe borne water in the city without delay. Elizabeth Archibong, who owns a restaurant in the city, said the prolonged pipe borne water scarcity in Calabar was worrisome, describing it as strange. She said: For over 10 years now, Calabar has not witnessed water scarcity for such a long period and it appears nothing is being done to about it. Now I had to employ someone to fetch water for me from boreholes to be able to run my business. Essien Udoh, a retired civil servant residing in parliamentary area of the city, said that taps in the area had been dry for over two months now. It is well over two months that we had pipe borne water last and it is a terrible situation. We have not experienced this kind of situation in Calabar for quite a long time now, he said. Mr. Udoh said most of the residents had now been compelled to fetch water from private boreholes but expressed fears over the safety of water from such a source. According to Edem Ekpenyong, sinking of private boreholes has become the order of the day in Calabar. Calabar has actually changed. Some people now sink boreholes anyhow in their premises. Everywhere you turn to now you see people carrying jerry cans in search of water. This is not the Calabar that we were used to, he said. But when contacted on the development, Emmanuel Orok, the Director in charge of Public Relations in the state water board, attributed the situation to lack of power supply. Mr. Orok said the blackout had been on in the last four months. Some of the problem we have are natural, but we have started pumping water and very soon the situation will normalise, he added. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Governor Nyesom Wike has at least 221 police personnel in his security detail, including his aide de camp and chief security officer, the police said on Sunday. The police released the details when they pushed back against claims by the governor that the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State had been directed to kill him. This police commissioner has an agendahe has been given an assignment to kill me. No problem. No man dies two times, Mr. Wike said in an interview with The Punch on Sunday. The police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement on Sunday that Mr. Wikes claims were un-gubernatorial, un-executive, malicious and capable of misleading and causing disaffection between the Nigeria Police Force and the good people of Rivers State. Mr. Moshood, a chief superintendent of police, said the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, places a premium on the security of lives and property in Rivers State, including those of Mr. Wike. To this end, the police provided Mr. Wike with 221 of their personnel as protection for the governor alone he said. The squadron is more than the strength of some police area command formations in some states of Nigeria, Mr. Moshood said. He gave a breakdown of Mr. Wikes police detachment as follows: i. 1 ADC (SPO) ii. 1 CSO (SPO) iii. 1 Unit Commander (Special Protection Unit) SPO iv. 1 Unit Commander (Counter Terrorism Unit) SPO v. 1 Escort Commander (SPO) vi. 1 Camp Commander (SPO) vii. 1 Admin officer (SPO) to administer the police personnel viii. Fifty-Four (54) Inspectors of Police ix. One Hundred and Thirty-Six (136) police sergeants x. Twenty Four (24) police corporals. The police said the statement by the governor that the state has had nine commissioners of police within the last two years was false. Three (3) Commissioners of Police have served in Rivers State since the inception of the administration of the Inspector General of Police. The first Commissioner of Police was redeployed to a higher duty post when he was promoted to the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police, while the second died after a brief illness on admission at an Indian Hospital. The third is the current Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Moshood said. Officials in Rivers State repeated but could not substantiate Mr. Wikes allegations when PREMIUM TIMES informed them of polices rebuttal Sunday afternoon. Austin Tam-George, Rivers State Commissioner for Information, told PREMIUM TIMES nine commissioners had been posted to the state within the last two years, but provided no evidence to support this assertion. I am not in a position to provide names of the nine commissioners now, Mr. Tam-George said. This is because they change them so frequently that sometimes before we know their names, theyre already gone. He, however, said Mr. Wike spoke in the context of several alleged assassination attempts on his life within the last one year. Governor Wikes statement is supported by the fact that he has survived five assassination attempts in 11 months, Mr. Tam-George said. The commissioner said his principals back and forth with the police has a political undertone. The APC government declared war on the government and people of Rivers State, soon after the party lost the governorship litigation at the Supreme Court in 2016, Mr. Wike said. A spokesperson for Rivers State chapter of the APC could not be reached for comments Sunday afternoon. But the police urged Nigerians to disregard the allegations from the Rivers State Government, adding that the police will not be deterred in their responsibilities to Nigerians. Share this: Twitter Facebook The immediate past governor of Ebonyi, Martin Elechi, on Sunday decamped to the All Progressive Congress, APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Mr. Elechi, a two-time governor of Ebonyi, registered for the APC at his country home in Echialike, Ikwo Local Government Area, in front of national party leaders. The party leaders were in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, for a thanksgiving church service for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari from his ill-health, after which they moved to Ikwo. According to Mr. Elechi, he decided to join APC due to his love for Mr. Buhari and the current state of the PDP occasioned by its protracted crisis. I knew Buhari 49 years ago when I started the movement for the creation of Ebonyi as he intervened during my arrest with nine other comrades, by officers of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO). I was interrogated while standing for nine hours and he as the Brigade Major in Abakaliki at that time, ordered our immediate release. I thank God for his health as he had favoured the people of Abakaliki and will triumph in his onerous task of rescuing the country from misrule. He is the person Nigerians are waiting for as the Boko Haram and corruption issues could have been indescribable if God had not brought him to power, he said. The former governor said that he was proud of the PDP due to the democratic ideals of its founding fathers, but its present leaders have truncated the ideal. I was elected governor on two occasions under its platform as it used to be the pride of Africa, but was suddenly ravaged by self-inflicted crises and afflictions. In 1983 when I was the Secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Anambra, the budget for the national elections in Anambra and Imo, now South East zone, was N170,000. In 2015, however, the budget for my impeachment was N3 billion and this was followed by the distortion and malpractice recorded in the primaries and congresses to elect the PDP candidates. Those who were heavily bribed and intimidated with oaths were elected to participate as delegates as court injunctions were illegally secured to perpetrate these acts Armed security men surrounded peoples homes during the elections, ballot boxes were snatched and all forms of impunity perpetrated, he said. He described the APC as the alternative for Ebonyi people and the Igbo race and thanked the party for offering him and his supporters, a political platform to identify with. Three years ago, I would have attacked anyone who said Ebonyi belongs to APC, but currently, me identify with PDPGod forbid, he said. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, thanked Mr. Elechi for the decision and noted that President Buhari will be pleased to receive the news. What you did today will never be forgotten in the history of the state as we all should support President Buhari to actualise all his objectives for Nigeria. The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Mr. Elechi was the leader of the campaign team when Mr. Onu contested Ebonyi governorship in 1999, on the platform of All Peoples Party (APP). On Sunday, Kashim Imam, a chieftain of the ruling party, called on the Igbos to identify with the APC. Emma Enukwu, the APC South East Zonal Vice Chairman, noted that he was in the state on the orders of the National Chairman, John Oyegun, to ensure that Mr. Elechi registers with the party. NAN reports that APC national, zonal and state leaders attended the thanksgiving service and Elechis declaration. The declaration was preceded by a thanksgiving church service at the St. Theresas Catholic Church, Abakaliki, to thank God for President Buharis recovery from ill-health. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Government of Osun under Governor Rauf Aregbesola has laid a foundation for youth in the state to face the challenges of the new world. This was the summary of the speech by the spokesperson to the governor, Semiu Okanlawon, while delivering a keynote address at the 1st conference organised by the Iwoland Youth Conference, at See Bee Hotel and Event Centre, Iwo at the weekend. He said Mr. Aregbesola, having realised the critical place of youth in any society, could not but address the glaring problem of unemployment and others which face millions of them through carefully formulated policies. Mr. Okanlawon said the policies and programmes of the state are targeted mostly at the younger generation, saying the feats had earned the state much commendations. He said most of the governments interventions were designed to reawaken the dormant energy in the youth by building necessary capacity to harness their potential. He said with the pioneering efforts of Mr. Aregbesola in Osun on youth advancements, the Aregbesola government has inadvertently motivated youth in Osun and elsewhere to critically examine the youth advancement contents of political parties and candidates seeking elective positions before they support them. He said youth, for their own good, must realise they have attained a state where they can jointly decide to vote against candidates and parties with no clear-cut policies for the advancement of the youth. He said it is gratifying to note that the Federal Government is implementing youth programmes that were inspired by initiatives in the state. Mr. Okanlawon said, Today, the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is implementing some specific programs targeted at youth and ensuring that as bad as the global economy gets, strategic initiatives are put in place to cushion what could have been a totally hopeless situation. The former government tried with programmes such as SURE-P and YouWIN schemes. We are not happy that youths have complained that those schemes, rather than alleviate the problems of the youths and bring them hope, brought them more pains and disillusionment. I am certain that this was why it took the Federal Government a much longer time to ensure proper birth and implementation of the on-going N-Power Scheme which is a purely youth advancement program in Nigeria of today. Mr. Aregbesolas aide said his boss realised early enough that acute unemployment was a major cause of the scourge of kidnapping, insurgency and armed robbery rampant in various parts of Nigeria. Who are the major foot soldiers of the Boko Haram scourge in the northern part of Nigeria? Youths! Who are the brains behind the series of kidnapping in the South-East? The youths! Who are the bombers and vandals of the nations oil rich South-South where the bulk of our national resources come from? The youths! Who are the people behind growing cases of armed robbery in the South-West part of Nigeria? The youths. Now, back home in our state and particularly in my home town, Iwo, who are the faces we associate with the growing cases of cult groups that clash incessantly and create fears in our once peaceful, harmonious city? The youths of course! he noted He said through programmes such as the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, Osun Rural Agricultural Enterprises Programme, and others, the state has been able to provide opportunities. I am glad to say here today that what was condemned as unbefitting jobs by some people who, however, never proffered any alternative, ended up providing the Osun youths the opportunities to exhibit their courage, doggedness and creativity. The over 40,000 beneficiaries of that scheme that we have had never remained the same again as from that point, found some other positive, more rewarding engagements, that have provided them the much-needed chance to find their paths. Mr. Okanlawon said, however, that youth must recognise the opportunities that are open to them especially in this information technology driven world adding that their parents never had the opportunities that are open to them in this ICT-driven world of today. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Lagos State Government on Sunday commiserated with the families of the police officers and soldiers who lost their lives in the Ishawo area of Ikorodu after an ambush unleashed on them by militants. The officers were killed after successfully rescuing kidnapped victims kept in the riverine area by the militants. In a reaction issued on Sunday by the States Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, the government described the incident as unfortunate but insisted that it would only strengthen its resolve to root crime and criminalities out of the State. The statement said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was deeply touched and condoled with the families and loved ones of the departed officers. The Governor, however, assures the Police and general public of his support and commitment to rid the State of every form of militancy, kidnappings, and illegal waterfront shanties that harbour criminals, Mr. Ayorinde said. Specifically, the state government stressed that the unfortunate incident in Ishawo had further reinforced its resolve to go after criminal elements and their collaborators who are using coastal areas and illegal waterfront settlements as havens or escape routes to perpetrate evil and criminal activities. It added that that every perpetrator directly or remotely linked to the Ishawo dastardly act would be brought to justice in the shortest possible time. We wish to solicit the understanding and support of the public on the need to rid our waterways of illegal shanties that are not only an eyesore to our collective decency but have become a fertile ground for breeding illicit and illegal activities that constitute danger to the security and wellbeing of the larger public, the government said. Share this: Twitter Facebook It may not be the most typical dinner when you look and see children in frog masks and the dinner host wearing a pharaohs crown, but it works for the Weis family (at least once a year). The family gets together to hold a themed Seder the first night of Passover every year. They are not alone. The South Jersey Jewish community and its families all find their own specific ways to celebrate the feast, which this year begins at sundown Monday and ends April 18. The Weis family adopts themes that change each year. The 10 Plagues, Egypt and Israel and Crossing the Red Sea are a few of the themes in recent memory. The themed dinners began 15 years ago. The point was to make the Seder interactive for the kids. Its always a very interesting Seder, and its a great challenge to come up with ideas, said Rabbi David Weis, 61, of Northfield. David is the show runner for the familys annual dinner one that can last close to three hours, including the actual dinner and the readings that take place. Thats a long time for a meal, and the children need to stay entertained, Weis said. He will stay engaged with the younger relatives and make sure to award kids with prizes when they ask and answer questions during the reading. Its rife with opportunity to create engaging conversations. It just so happens that theyre in costume while they do it. One year the theme was Resistance: The First Step to Redemption, for which Weis daughter Rebecca dressed as Helen Keller and Weis went as Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara. The point was to stand up and discuss how your character stood up against immoral authority. Weis is happy the tradition continues. Thats what Passover is about. (The stories) are not about the past but a story using the past to inform the future. Its a call to action, Weis said. Ben Sobel has his own new traditions for the Jewish holiday. Growing up in what he described as a conservative or modern Jewish family, Sobel and his wife, Tanya, decided they wanted to give their children an orthodox Jewish upbringing. The family contacted Young Israel of Margate, and as Sobel and his family opened the doors, they heard Rabbi Yaacov Yankey Orimland say to the crowd, Lets rock and roll with God! Now, each week since joining Young Israel, the family leaves its home in Egg Harbor Township and stays at an apartment next to the Young Israel synagogue to celebrate Shabbat every Friday night and Saturday. They will stay at the apartment again this Monday for Passover and will enjoy their Seder at the synagogue with others in the community. Its something that Sobel and his family have come to love. Its a community. Its something we missed out on in my life, Sobel said of his secular Jewish childhood. He expects a good amount of dancing and eating as he, his wife and three sons spend time with the community that welcomed them with open arms. I cant even tell you how much of a miracle it is, Sobel said. 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. NORTHFIELD Anglers headed to Birch Grove Park on Saturday to participate in opening day for trout fishing in New Jersey. For Sam Gallagher, 50, of Egg Harbor Township, its a familiar family outing. He has been coming to this park to fish for trout since he was 5. On Saturday, he dropped a line in with his 13-year-old son, Kevin. Nothing has changed. Its still the original Birch Grove Park from back in the day, he said. The fishing here is excellent. The parks ponds are among 14 locations in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and southern Ocean counties where the state has stocked hatchery-raised trout. The Division of Fish and Wildlife released 390 rainbow trout Wednesday at Birch Grove. But Dwight Barmore, 73, of Linwood, wasnt seeing any of those fish Saturday afternoon. I had a little bite, but he couldnt even take the whole worm, Barmore said. I havent seen anybody catching any fish. Charlie Murray, 14, of Northfield, said he hadnt reeled in any trout after about an hour of fishing. However, both said they were glad to be at the park on a sunny, if somewhat windy, day. Its a beautiful day to be out, Barmore said. Its just fun, Murray said. Its nice to have trout season open. Gallagher said he and his son caught 45 trout last year. He hoped to hook a few Saturday, but he said trout normally are settling in on opening day, having just been released into new waters. Last year was pretty good. Well see if this year is any better, Gallagher said. Its a perfect opening day. The state Department of Environmental Protection estimated earlier in the week that 100,000 fishermen would drop a line in on opening day across the state. The Trump administration is launching a campaign against the heroin and pain-pill epidemic, which causes a staggering 52,000 overdose deaths a year. And two weeks ago, New Yorks Mayor Bill De Blasio announced stepped up efforts to halt the scourge. Will they succeed? Only if they break with the conventional wisdom that labels addiction a disease. Thats how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was selected to head the national campaign, describes addiction. Its not that simple. To save lives and get better results for the $50 billion-plus in tax dollars already spent yearly on this problem, the politically correct myths about addiction need a clear-headed reassessment. Myth 1: Drug addiction is a chronic illness like Parkinsons. Actually, addiction is a learned behavior for coping with stress, whether its economic hopelessness or family problems. It can be unlearned, says Harvard professor Gene Heyman, adding, addicts can choose to stop using drugs. They do it once the penalties of excessive use become overwhelming, such as seeing their spouse walk out or losing custody of their children. The decision to quit is more important than what kind of treatment is available, Heyman finds, and many addicts quit without any treatment. Similarly, Columbia professor Carl Hart finds no evidence that addiction is a disease of the brain like Huntingtons or Parkinsons. The diseased brain model diminishes the individuals capacity to choose whether or not to use drugs. Some people have a predisposition to addiction, but they can decide not to touch drugs. Unlike deciding not to get Parkinsons disease. Myth 2: Drug addicts cant stay clean. Criminal justice innovators are proving thats not entirely true. In special drug courts throughout the nation, defendants get the option to stay clean to avoid jail time. Ordering defendants to remain drug-free would be irrational if they couldnt do it. Some succeed. And the payoff for them is huge. Nationwide, 75 percent of drug court graduates remain arrest-free for at least two years. But never mind the data. A Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer recently argued that her client, who tested positive for drugs while on probation, has a constitutional right to stay out of jail because of her addiction disorder. That enabling mentality will lead to more users and overdose deaths. Myth 3: Dont hurt drug addicts feelings it might discourage them from seeking treatment. But heroin use has become more prevalent across all ages, races, genders, income brackets and regions, according to Columbia Universitys Silvia Martins. The most tragic result is the soaring number of babies born to drug-addicted mothers up 300 percent since 2000. Hospitals recruit volunteers to cuddle the newborns while they are going through painful withdrawal. Sometimes the moms feel stigmatized, one volunteer said. They feel the nurses are judging them. Perhaps thats not so bad. Christie says addiction isnt a moral issue, but as a society we have to send a message that trying drugs is a wrong turn, especially for women who are pregnant. Myth 4: The more treatment the better. Thats what the treatment industry will tell you. Its a $35-billion-a-year industry, with ever more drug-related deaths to show for it. Investors are eagerly putting up money for more rehab centers. Call it the drug treatment gold rush. Families exhaust their savings sending a loved one for treatment, though the success rate is estimated to be a dismal 30 percent. And taxpayers foot the bill for Medicaid-eligible addicts to check into these facilities repeatedly. But until an addict decides to quit, more rehab beds alone wont solve the problem. Under the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion, newly released convicts gained drug treatment coverage for the first time. But few took advantage of it. According to a 2016 Surgeon Generals Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health, the largest reason that addicts dont seek treatment is that theyre not ready to stop using. In the end, its more about a decision than a disease. Thats the part pandering politicians wont tell you. Betsy McCaughey is chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Paid family leave was strongly resisted by business when New Jersey became the second state to offer it in 2009. Even though workers self-funded their benefit with another payroll tax, companies feared the disruption from staff taking up to six weeks (on top of any vacation and sick days). We liked the idea but urged a delay, as the economy had just collapsed and businesses were struggling. A year later, we noted the fears werent justified. The numbers of N.J. workers taking paid family leave were reasonable 155,000 in the five years to 2014, for example and state vetting was fairly stringent, rejecting more than a tenth of claims (most beyond the laws scope, some probably attempted scams). Families have found paid leave a big help when they need to miss work to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or an immediate relative who is sick. New Jerseys program has given working families something still relatively rare in the nation. As of last year, just 14 percent of U.S. civilian workers had access to paid family leave, the federal National Compensation Survey found. The U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act allowed workers to take unpaid leave without losing their jobs. About half of Americans think the federal government should require employers to pay their employees at least partially when they take family leave, while the other half think employers should decide whether to provide paid leave, the Pew Research Center said in March. Just a third think paid leave should be a priority for federal lawmakers putting the issue low on a list of 21 issues surveyed. Given the success of the New Jersey program and its rarity (only three states currently offer paid family leave), leaving it alone to continue working well would seem like the best course. But the sponsor of the original law, Senate President Steve Sweeney, is back with a proposal to double the weeks of paid leave to 12. NJBIZ says the only compelling reason for the proposal is to boost Sweeneys and fellow Democrats chances in the November election. The amount paid during the leave also would be boosted, from two-thirds to 80 percent of weekly earnings. That would help low-wage workers, but since the benefits cap remains at about half of average state wages (currently $677 a week), anyone earning $44,000 a year or more wouldnt see an increase in leave pay. Sweeney says the payroll tax on workers wouldnt be increased because the method of calculating their rate of contribution would be changed and diversions of program funds to other state spending would be prohibited. Maybe, but were not convinced workers wouldnt wind up paying more. The proposal also assumes that since businesses largely have handled six weeks of leave that 12 would be no problem. Thats not necessarily so, and given New Jerseys worst-in-the-nation business-tax climate, adding to the burden on businesses seems unwise. We suspect that since they already have a nation-leading paid family leave program, most workers would give a higher priority to cutting state spending and the taxes they pay. But thats hardly ever considered, even in an election year. CALGARY, April 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific today commemorated the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the ultimate sacrifice made by more than 3,500 Canadians in a military victory that many consider a defining moment in the history of the country. CP put the resources of its entire globe-spanning freight and travel system at the disposal of the British Empire and allies at the outset of the war, contributing not only tracks and trains, but its ships, yards, shops, hotels, telegraph lines and above all else its people. Some 11,340 CP employees enlisted with a stunning 1,116 railroaders losing their lives and another 20 percent wounded before the end of the war. "I salute the thousands of Canadians and CP railroaders who served then and the many men and women of CP who serve their country still," said CP President and CEO Keith Creel. "Many Canadians paid a terrible price for this historic victory at Vimy, and I am humbled and honoured to be part of a company that has contributed so much to protecting the people and values we all hold so dear." During the war, two CP employees received the Victoria Cross the highest award in the United Kingdom for gallantry "in the face of the enemy," and 385 others were decorated for valor and distinguished service. As part of its effort, CP also organized the first battalion of Canadian Overseas Railway Construction Corps (CORCC) to build and run railways through Europe during the war. To learn more about CP's contributions to Canada's war efforts, please click here. About Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. SOURCE Canadian Pacific Related Links http://www.cpr.ca 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, April 5 : 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. Damascus, April 7 : The US fired 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian airbase in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack which killed civilians, drawing angry responses from Syria and its key ally Russia. The US action on Thursday night killed six Syrian soldiers and nine civilians besides causing huge damage at the Shairat military base in Homs province in central Syria, news reports said. Syria termed the missile barrage an "American aggression" and held consultations with Russia and Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes were an "aggression against a sovereign state" and violated "international norms". The Kremlin warned it would hamper Washington's ties with Russia. Within hours, Russia suspended a deal with the US to prevent mid-air collisions over Syria. "The Russian side suspends the memorandum on preventing incidents and ensuring flights safety during operations in Syria signed with the US," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Moscow also urged the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the Syrian situation. This was the first direct military action President Donald Trump has unleashed against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since he took power in January and represents a dramatic escalation in the US military campaign in the volatile region. Speaking to the media at Florida, the President said Damascus had "ignored the urging of the UN Security Council". Washington has blamed the Syrian military for the toxic attack of Tuesday in which over 70 persons died in Khan Shaykun town of n Idlib province. Damascus called the allegation a "lie". Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the army struck an arms depot of the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the target contained chemical materials that terrorists had brought from Iraq. The Syrian airbase hit by the US missiles was used in the war against the Islamic State and played a key role in liberating the ancient city of Palmyra from the jehadist group. The Russian Defence Ministry said only 23 of the 59 cruise missiles fired from US warships hit the target. The US said it notified both Russia and Turkey before the missile strike. "US military planners took precautions to minimise risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield," a US statement said, hinting a Russian military presence at the Shairat base. Russia said it expected the UN Security Council to condemn the US strikes, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Victor Ozerov, the chairman of Russian Federation Council's Committee on Defence and Security, said on Friday that the US strike in Syria was "an act of aggression" against a UN member. He said it would "undermine the efforts in the fight against terrorism" in Syria and that cooperation between the US and Russia may be "shut down". In the US, Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said there were "no current plans for additional strikes". Istanbul, April 9 : Turkey's political parties held mass rallies on Saturday, a week ahead of a referendum on whether to shift to the presidential system. The "yes" campaign led by the ruling Justice and Development Party and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gathered in Istanbul's Yenikapi Square for its biggest rally so far, with the participation of nearly one million people, Xinhua news agency reported. "Is Istanbul ready to say 'yes' on April 16?" the president asked the crowd. Erdogan argued that a "yes" vote will contribute to the Turkish struggle against the Islamic State terrorist group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terror organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union. He vowed that Turkey would fight terrorism in a more effective way under the presidential system. The president also argued that voting "yes" would be the best answer to the country's struggle against Fethullah Gulen, a US-based preacher blamed by the Turkish government for orchestrating a failed coup in July last year. He called for three million Turkish voters living abroad to cast their votes, saying the upcoming referendum will be a breakthrough in Turkey's history. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, appeared at a rally in the northern city of Trabzon. He reiterated his party's argument that the constitutional amendments would restrict the powers of parliament. "If you say 'yes,' you will give the whole authorisation to one person," Kilicdaroglu warned. "So that without any justification, the president will be able to abolish the parliament." Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party also held a rally in Istanbul, calling for a "no" vote in the plebiscite for the sake of peace. The party's 13 lawmakers, including its co-chairs, are in prison over their alleged links to PKK. Damascus, April 9 : A suicide bombing rocked a refugee camp inside the Syrian territories near the Jordanian borders on Saturday, activities said. The explosion, believed to have been caused by a car bomb, rattled the Rukban camp located in the far Syrian desert on the borders with Jordan, leaving many people wounded, Xinhua quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying. The London-based watchdog said unidentified warplanes flew over the area after the blast. Meanwhile, the Observatory said clashes erupted between the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and other rebel groups in the Tanf area close to the Rukban camp. Other activists said five were killed by the explosion, which is believed to have been carried out by IS to target rival rebel groups in the camp. Damascus, April 9 : At least 15 civilians were killed on Saturday by US-led airstrikes that targeted areas in the northern province of Raqqa, a monitor group reported. Four children and a woman were killed by the airstrikes that targeted the town of Haideh in the western countryside of Raqqa, Xinhua quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying. Tens of civilians were been killed by the airstrikes of the US-led anti-terror coalition. Last month, a US-led airstrike targeted a school housing displaced people in the town of Mansura in Raqqa countryside, killing 33 people, the Observatory said. Pyongyang, April 9 : North Korea on Sunday condemned the US bombing in Syria as an "absolutely unacceptable aggression" against a sovereign state and said this justifies Pyongyang's further military development. "The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it," EFE news cited a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement as saying. The statement said that North Korea, which regards Syria as an ally, was not surprised that this US military attack was a "warning to us" and that it was another example that "we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions". "The reality is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice," the statement said. The US on April 6 night unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase in Syria in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad regime that left dozens of civilians dead. The cruise missile attack, which took place when Trump was dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida, was not only a warning for Syria but also for China to pressure North Korea to end its provocation, a White House source told The Washington Post on Saturday. Mumbai, April 9 : Barely a week after an Indian dhow with 11 crew members was hijacked by Somali pirates, Indian and Chinese navies joined hands to save a Tuvalu-flagged container ship with 19 Filipino crew members from a pirate attack late on Saturday night in the Gulf of Aden, an official said here on Sunday. Responding to an alert from UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the Indian Navy deployed its warships INS Mumbai, INS Trishul, INS Aditya and INS Tarkash which were on a mission to the Mediterranean, to help the 21,000-ton bulk cargo carrier, named 'MV OS-35', sailing from Port Klang in Malaysia to Port of Aden, in Yemen. Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with his crew members, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard, as per stand operating procedures. An Indian Navy helicopter taking off from INS Mumbai carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitize" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, an 18-member Peoples Liberation Army Chinese Navy team from its warship PLA-CNS Yulin boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover for the massive 171-metre long X 28 metres wide, 18-year-old bulk carrier. The Chinese team carried out a full search of the ship along with the crew and ascertained the pirates had escaped under cover of darkness after their hijack attempt was foiled due to timely rescue operations mounted by international maritime forces in the vicinity. The captain of the Tuvalu-flagged ship expressed his gratitude to the Indian Navy, while both Indian Navy and the Chinese Navy thanked each other for the successful joint high seas operation on the critical maritime corridor. Earlier on April 3, a Dhow from Mumbai, 'Al Kausar' said to be carrying a cargo of edible items and dry foodstuffs which was proceeding from Dubai to Yemen's Al Mukala Port, was hijacked. Washington, April 9 : The US has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its strike force towards waters near North Korea, as a show of force against the military provocations of the Kim Jong-un regime. Pentagon sources on Saturday told CNN that US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. has ordered the Nimitz-class supercarrier and all its support ships towards the Korean peninsula. The USS Carl Vinson -- controlled by the US Third Fleet in the Pacific ocean -- suspended a scheduled visit to Australia and after leaving Singapore turned towards the Korean peninsula. It was already deployed to the peninsula a month ago to participate in the annual military exercises with South Korea. Defence sources said the deployment was in response to the new military developments in North Korea, which recently carried out several medium-range ballistic missile tests and test-fired new missile engines. It is not uncommon for the US to deploy a nuclear powered aircraft carrier to areas as a sign of strength during a crisis. The strike group's change of route comes just after US President Donald Trump met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida to discuss the need to stop the military advancements of Pyongyang. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump and Xi agreed on the "urgency of the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme" and agreed to work together to resolve the issue "peacefully". Earlier this year, China called on both North Korea and the US to tone down tension on the Korean peninsula -- North Korea by suspending its nuclear weapons programme and the US by stopping military exercises with South Korea that inflame Pyongyang. Trump days before meeting Xi warned that the US was prepared to act unilaterally to stop North Korea's nuclear advances should China be unwilling to use its leverage over Pyongyang. The nuclear-powered, 97,000-ton Vinson, one of 10 active US aircraft carriers, has more than 60 aircraft and about 5,000 personnel. It is based in San Diego. Guwahati, April 9 : Voting was underway at a brisk pace on Sunday in the by-election to the Assam assembly from the Dhemaji constituency, officials said. People in large numbers queued up at the polling stations well before voting started at 7 a.m. "Polling is going on smoothly and 43.5 percent have voted by 1.00 p.m. from across 273 polling booths," Dhemaji Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati said. She said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) machines were used in polls for the first time in the state. Of the 2,19,751 voters, 1,07,241 are females. Adequate security forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair poll, Korati said, adding 20 polling stations have been marked as "very sensitive" and 141 others as "sensitive". The by-poll was necessitated following the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pradan Baruah as member of Parliament from the Lakhimpur constituency after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from his parliamentary seat. Five candidates are in the fray but the main contest is likely to take place between ruling BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu and Congress party nominee Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates are Communist Party of India-Marxist's Jadu Hazarika, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist's Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. Dhaka, April 9 : Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said there was no legal bar to execute the death penalty on militant leader Mufti Hannan as President Abdul Hamid has rejected the clemency plea, a media reported. "The Kashimpur Jail authorities have started the preparation, Mufti Hannan will be executed anytime," the Home Minister said while talking to media at his secretariat office here, the Dhaka Tribune reported. "There's no threat of militant attack centring the execution of the militant leader," he added in reply to a query. On March 21, the Supreme Court's Appellate Division released the full text of its verdict confirming the death penalties of Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) leader Mufti Hannan and his two aides. The culprits were sentenced to death for the assassination attempt on Anwar Choudhury, the then British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, during his visit to Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in Sylhet city on May 21, 2004. The attack killed three persons and severely injured Anwar. On December 23, 2008, a Sylhet court sentenced the trio to death and two others to lifetime imprisonment for their roles in the attack. The High Court upheld the sentences in February 2016. Hannan was also sentenced to death for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombing, in which 10 persons were killed. The HujiB militant group was formed in 1992 and claims to have carried out at least 14 attacks, killing more than 100 people in the pursuit of "establishing Shariah law in Bangladesh". Cairo, April 9 : At least 21 persons were killed and 59 injured in an explosion at a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian city of Tanta during a service to celebrate Palm Sunday, the Health Ministry said. An explosive device was planted under the front seat of the St George Mar Girgis Church pews where it detonated in the main prayer hall, a security source said. The toll was likely to increase as many of the injured were in critical condition, the Health Ministry said. "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry tweeted. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. According to CNN, social media video showed crowds gathered outside the church shortly after the attack. Eyewitnesses said the explosion destroyed a wall. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said the military hospitals were receiving the wounded. At least 26 ambulances were deployed at the church, about 120 km north of Cairo, Xinhua news agency quoted Magdy Awad, the head of Ambulance Authority, as saying. The security forces intensified their presence around other churches, the country's Interior Ministry said. No group or individual had yet claimed responsibility of the attack. Coptic Christians make up to 10 per cent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011, the Copts have been facing persecution and discrimination. Dozens have been killed in sectarian clashes. In December 2016, an attack at a Coptic church in Cairo killed 25 people. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," rights group Amnesty International reported in March. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Cairo this month, where he will meet various religious leaders, including the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Cairo, April 9 : At least 28 people were killed and 90 others were injured in two separate bomb blasts in Egypt on Sunday, officials said. At least six persons were killed and 31 others were injured in a suicide bombing near a Coptic church in Egypt's Alexandria city which followed an explosion inside the Mar Girgis (St. George's) Church in Tanta city that left at least 22 persons dead, Xinhua news agency cited the Ministry of Health. In the first blast, which left 59 others injured, an explosive device was planted under the front seat of the St George Mar Girgis Church pews where it detonated in the main prayer hall, a security source said. The toll was likely to increase as many of the injured were in critical condition, the Health Ministry said. "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry tweeted. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. According to CNN, social media video showed crowds gathered outside the church shortly after the attack. Eyewitnesses said the explosion destroyed a wall. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said the military hospitals were receiving the wounded. At least 26 ambulances were deployed at the church, about 120 km north of Cairo, Xinhua news agency quoted Magdy Awad, the head of Ambulance Authority, as saying. The security forces intensified their presence around other churches, the country's Interior Ministry said. No group or individual had yet claimed responsibility of the attack. Coptic Christians make up to 10 per cent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011, the Copts have been facing persecution and discrimination. Dozens have been killed in sectarian clashes. In December 2016, an attack at a Coptic church in Cairo killed 25 people. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," rights group Amnesty International reported in March. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Cairo this month, where he will meet various religious leaders, including the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Hyderabad, April 9 : Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) restricted Gujarat Lions (GL) to 135/7 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Sunday. Dwyane Smith (37), Dinesh Karthik (30) and Jason Roy (31) were the major contributors to the Gujarat cause. For Hyderabad, leg-spinner Rashid Khan scalped three wickets while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets. Veteran pacer Ashish Nehra chipped in with one wicket. Put in to bat, Gujarat openers Roy (31) and Brendon McCullum (5) gave a steady start as both batsmen scored 35 runs in five overs. But soon, change in bowling did the trick for the hosts, as McCullum, who was struggling at the crease, was trapped leg before wicket by leggie Rashid Khan. Rashid bowled a googly, which McCullum tried to sweep but missed the ball completely and the ball went on to hit his pads. In the next over, Roy, who slammed five boundaries in his 21-ball knock, was the next batsmen to go back to the pavilion. Medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent packing in-form Roy to give the hosts a crucial wicket. He was caught by Shikhar Dhawan at the midwicket. Skipper Suresh Raina (5) Aaron Finch (3) also failed to step up to the occasion as both were adjudged leg before wicket off Rashid in back to back overs. With Gujarat tottering at 57/4 in nine overs, wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (30) and Dwyane Smith (37) played the sensible innings by rotating the strike and punishing the bad balls. Karthik and Smith built 56-run partnership for the fifth wicket to steady the fort before Smith ran out of patience and decided to take on Bhuvneshwar. The seamer bowled a slower delivery and the West Indian failed to pick it. As a result, he was caught at the deep mid-wicket by Vijay Shankar. With half of their side back to the pavilion, now all eyes were on Karthik, who was playing brilliantly at the middle. But Nehra broke Gujarat's hopes as he dismissed Karthik soon after Smith. Nehra delivered a short ball and Karthik went across the stumps to try a scoop shot but failed. He got a nick which was comfortably taken by wicketkeeper Naman Ojha. Dhawal Kulkarni (1) was run out by Rashid in the same over. With two overs remaining and Gujarat reeling at 117/7, the lower-order only managed to add 18 runs. Basil Thampi scored 13 runs and Gujarat Lions totalled 135/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Bengaluru, April 9 : Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran produced contrasting results in their respective reverse singles matches as India completed a 4-1 win over Uzbekistan in their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I second round tie here on Sunday. Ramkumar Ramanathan beat Sanjar Fayziev in straight sets in the first reverse singles to hand India a 4-0 lead in the tie. Ramanathan won 6-3, 6-2 against his 22-year-old Uzbek opponent in a match which lasted for around an hour. Later in the day, Temur Ismailov defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran 7-5, 6-3 in around 70 minutes to clinch a consolation win for the visitors. India have now qualified for the Davis World Group Play-off which they will play at home in September. The Indians had already won the five-match tie when Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji defeated Farrukh Dustov and Sanjar Fayziev 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in the doubles match on Saturday to hand them an unassailable 3-0 lead. Ramanathan and Prajnesh had won their respective singles matches to give India a 2-0 lead on the opening day of the tie on Friday. Ramkumar had defeated Ismailov 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 in the opening match of the tie before Prajnesh enjoyed an excellent Davis Cup debut with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Fayziev. Ramanathan enjoyed an excellent start to Sunday's contest against Fayziev when he broke the Uzbek's serve in the second game of the opening set. Fayziev had conceded the first two points through unforced errors before an excellent return of serve by Ramanathan handed him three break points. Fayziev saved one break point with a big first serve followed by excellent placement before reducing the gap to 30/40 with a couple of excellent placements. The Indian however, won the next point to earn the break and take a 2-0 lead in the first set. Ramanathan then held his serve at love to go 3-0 up. Fayziev had a chance to earn a break of his own in the fifth game when he put pressure on Ramanathan's serve. But the Indian did well to utilise his powerful serves and some superb forehand returns to hold serve. The issue went with the serve before Ramanathan went on to win the first set in 37 minutes. Ramanathan enjoyed a strong start to the second set as well, breaking his opponent in the very first game. The next five games went with the serve before some excellent returns by Ramanathan and a few unforced errors by Fayziev earned the Indian his second break of the set. The Chennai lad then held serve with ease to wrap up the second set and the match. Guwahati, April 9 : Voting in the assembly by-election in Assam's Dhemaji constituency passed off peacefully on Sunday, with 66.97 per cent of the electorate casting vote, an election official said. "The overall voter turnout for the by-election to the Dhemaji assembly constituency recorded was 66.97 per cent," Dhemaji Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati told IANS over phone. The by-election was necessitated after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pradan Baruah contested and won as Member of Parliament from the Lakhimpur constituency that Sarbananda Sonowal vacated after winning the Majuli assembly seat. Sonowal was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Assam on May 24 last year. Korati said polling started at 7 a.m. and ended at 4.30 p.m. No untoward incident was reported, barring a technical glitch in one Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which was immediately replaced. She said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were used in polls for the first time in the state. Adequate security forces had been deployed to ensure free and fair poll, Korati said, adding that 20 polling stations had been marked as "very sensitive" and 141 others as "sensitive". Men and women in large numbers queued up in front of the 273 polling stations well before voting began at 7 a.m. despite a spell of heavy rain, Korati said. The total electorate in the constituency is 2,19,751. Five candidates were in the fray but the main contest was between ruling BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu and Congress party nominee Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates were Communist Party of India-Marxist's Jadu Hazarika, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist's Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. In the 126-members Assam Assembly, the BJP has 60 members, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 14 and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) 12. The opposition Congress has 26 members, All India United Democratic Front 13 and there is one Independent. The Counting of votes will be held on April 13. Guwahati, April 9 : Voting in the Assam assembly by-election in Dhemaji constituency passed off peacefully on Sunday, with 66.97 per cent of the total 2,19,751 voters casting their votes, an election official said. "The overall voter turnout for the by-election in the Dhemaji assembly constituency was 66.97 per cent," Dhemaji Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati told IANS over the phone. The by-election was necessitated as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pradan Baruah contested and won the byelection to the Lok Sabha from the Lakhimpur constituency. Sarbananda Sonowal vacated the seat after winning from the Majuli assembly constituency on becoming the Chief Minister. Sonowal was sworn in as first BJP Chief Minister of Assam on May 24. Korati said polling started at 7 a.m. and ended at 4.00 p.m. No untoward incident was reported, barring a technical glitch on one Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which was immediately replaced. She said the VVPAT machines were used in polls for the first time in the state. Adequate security forces were deployed to ensure free and fair poll, Korati said, adding 20 polling stations were marked as "very sensitive" and 141 others as "sensitive". Men and women in large numbers queued up at the 273 polling stations well before voting began at 7.00 a.m. despite a spell of heavy rain, Korati said. Five candidates are in the fray but the main contest is likely to take place between ruling BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu and Congress nominee Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates are Communist Party of India-Marxist's Jadu Hazarika, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist's Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. In the 126-member Assam assembly, the BJP has 60 members, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 14 and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) 12. The opposition Congress has 26 members, All India United Democratic Front 13 and one Independent. The counting of votes will be held on April 13. Mumbai, April 10 : Mumbai Indians pulled off a thrilling four-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to continue their dominance over their rivals at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday. Chasing 179 for victory, Mumbai -- who have now won 14 times in their 19 meetings with KKR -- were always up against it losing wickets at regular intervals. At one point the hosts were reeling at A119 for 5 when Hardik Pandya joined Nitish Rana in the middle. Needing 60 runs off the last 24 balls, Rana went from strength to strength, going from 29 off 23 at one stage to 50 off 28.A Hardik at the other end, smacked the winning runs in his much-needed 11-ball 29 cameo in which he hit three fours and two sixes. Rana's well paced essay which turned the match on its head after KKR had managed to shave off half of Mumbai batting for a modest score, was laced with five boundaries and three over-boundaries. The pair stitched together a 41-run stand for the sixth wicket. KKR suffered due to poor bowling at the death from New Zealander Trent Boult (3.5/47) and Ankit Rajpoot (3/37) as the duo went for 19 runs each in the 17th and 18h over respectively. In the last over, Mumbai needed 11 runs and they reached the target with one ball to spare. Mumbai got off to a flying start as their openers Parthiv Patel (30, 27b; 3x4, 1x6) and Jos Buttler joined hands for a 65-run association for the first wicket. Patel, who has the third-worst average in the IPL for anyone to have opened in the at least 20 innings, looked to be settling down as the Gujarat Ranji Trophy winning captain slog-swept chinaman Kuldeep Yadav for a huge six over wide long-on before the left-arm spinner got the back of the 32-year old. Parthiv looked to sweep down the leg side again coming across his stumps with the ball straightening from off stump towards middle for a simple leg before wicket decision. Buttler, who was looking good for his 28 (22b 1x4 2x6), followed suit in the next over, Ankit Rajpoot removing the England wicketkeeper who played across the line getting LBW in the process. Skipper Rohit Sharma (2), who raised a few eyebrows by sending Rana ahead of him at No.3, lasted just six balls before Sunil Narine brought about the third leg before wicket of the innings. In came Krunal Pandya, who starred with the ball (3/24), with his team in a spot of bother losing three wickets for just nine runs. Together Krunal and Rana added 23 runs in good time for the fourth wicket but KKR dealt the hosts another timely blow. Rajpoot was in the thick of things again, managing to get a thin edge off Krunal who tried to work the ball fine down the leg side with keeper Robin Uthappa pouching a regulation catch. At 97/4, Keiron Pollard had a job to do when he joined Rana in the middle. The big-hitting West Indian though failed to conjure up any magic as KKR bowlers Kuldeep, Chris Woakes and Narine bottled up the pair towards the end of their essay. Trying to up the ante, Pollard went for a heave but could manage as far as substitute Rishi Dhawan at third man. There was no stopping Rana though. In the 18th over, the Delhi lad made Boult leak 19 runs with Hardik Pandya also joining the party. There seemed to be no respite for Rajpoot as well before the Kanpur medium pacer sent the dangerous Rana back in the hut as the latter tried to make room for himself but holed in to Narine at point. In the end of the over, Rajpoot conceded 19 as well leaving Boult to defend 11 runs in the last over, which he eventually couldn't. Earlier, a rampaging Manish Pandey led with an unbeaten 81, as KKR overcame mid-innings hiccups to post a challenging 178/7. Latest updates on IPL 2020 ApartunityBridge offers corporate housing companies a comprehensive solution to automatically connect and distribute their apartment inventory from their Oscar system through a robust channel manager provided by Travelline, Inc. 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Christopher Couture, Vice President chris(at)softwareanswers(dot)com The convention has a faculty of 70 of the worlds top artists on its stages, and faculty members will also paint outdoors, instructing others and working with them on their paintings. Close to 1,000 artists will gather in San Diego April 24-28 at the Sheraton Marina Hotel for the Plein Air Convention & Expo. This a gathering of outdoor painters, commonly referred to as plein air painters, based on the French term "en plein air," which has come to mean painting outdoors. The artists will paint together each day and will break the worlds record for the most plein air painters painting simultaneously in one place at one time. The earlier worlds record was broken at last years event in Tucson, when there were 900 painters. San Diego will be the home of the new world record, with about 950-1,000 painters. Painting locations include Balboa Park, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Cabrillo National Monument, and Point Loma. Painters will attend indoor painting instruction sessions each day, via four different stages focused on water media, pastel, oil painting, and urban sketching. The convention has a faculty of 70 of the worlds top artists on its stages, and faculty members will also paint outdoors, instructing others and working with them on their paintings. An art show featuring the faculty and many of the attendees will be held on April 26 and 27 at the Sheraton Marina; the show and sale is open to the public from the hours of 8 am to 9 pm. The show will feature plein air and studio paintings from over 150 different artists. An Expo Hall of art supplies is also a big part of the event. It contains 35 booths selling art supplies, paints, canvas, easels, lighting, frames, and other art-related materials. The Expo Hall is open to the public on April 26 and 27 from 8am to 4 pm. Though the convention is sold out, local artists wishing to attend should check at the registration desk in case a seat has opened up. More can be learned at http://www.pleinairconvention.com. Press Note: Press entry can be arranged for photos and video. The building was rebricked about five years ago at a cost of about $4.3-million when it was discovered there was no vapour barrier, Ms. Erwin said. The most useful suggestion that I can offer, given the situation you describe, is to continue to seek the advice of a lawyer in private practice to determine the course of action that will best serve your needs. If this is not financially possible, you may wish to consult with the legal aid office closest to you to determine whether you qualify for help. For what purpose? If the owner confesses in an affidavit that the house had problem and the Judges still gives them a pass on it just what purpose would it serve. Did the Inmates get any legal help in their case? Im guessing not, another great miscarriage of justice and the victims end up with a lifelong injury. In our case we would have won if the defendants had to represent themselves but due to the length of the exposure small claims would have been giving them a gift rather than making them pay fair compensation. I laughed when the Law society suggested I hire a Lawyer to handle my complaint about another Lawyer and I feel just the same about your advice, Basically it is less that useless. I was actually in touch with the ones that did the studies; and no surprise when they stood by their conclusion that overcrowding was the sole cause of all the excessive anger rather than mold being involved. When I asked what other studies showed that overcrowding resulted in the same conditions they did not reply at all which can only mean no studies support that conclusion or all prison would be affect by the same anger issues. Since it was not the Province that arranged the studies it would then have to be connected with the Federal Government being the ones who commissioned the study while making sure the mold and sewer defects remained the same. In terms of studies of long term exposure to low levels of exposure to mold none have gone on for longer than 1 year as longer would have been classified as torture. The text below shows the Provincial Government did not commission the studies and they went on a lot longer than 1 year. 20 years the study went on and you are ring to promote that the inmates werent being used (illegally) as lab rats to find out the effects of exposure to mold and then let back into the community where the same anger issues would have continued and nobody connected with that has ever been charged. Wow is all I can say to that miscarriage of justice. That and the community is being used in the very same way considering the bogus cleanup recommendation promoted by Health Canad which is a Federal Government entity rater than being a Provincial one so your claim it is not your department is a misleading one if not an outright fabrication rather than lack of knowledge about the issues. Try running that report past an expert like Jack Flasher and see if you get the same conclusion you have arrived at. I can assure you it will be just the opposite, Paul Okalik responds to scathing corrections report - North - CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/paul-okalik-responds-to-scathing-c... (in part) Paul Okalik responds to scathing corrections report 'We're making progress as we speak,' says Justice Minister Okalik CBC News Posted: Mar 11, 2015 9:36 AM CT Last Updated: Mar 12, 2015 11:36 AM CT Nunavut's justice minister has responded to a scathing report released yesterday by the Auditor General of Canada, who stated that the territory's largest jail Iqaluit's Baffin Correctional Centre puts the safety of security of inmates and staff at risk. Okalik who also served as the justice minister while premier of Nunavut from 1999 to 2008, says that he agreed with "a lot" of the auditor general's recommendations. "A lot of them, we're doing now," he says, specifically referencing a recommended requirement for fire exercises and noting that the government has implemented quarterly exercises since the auditor general's last visit. "I think it's in line with what we're trying to accomplish, which is to ensure a safe and secure environment for all involved, and make sure our facilities serve our purpose." The report noted that the Nunavut government has been aware of the problems with Baffin Correctional Centre without fixing them for almost 20 years, and that the government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to study the issues. In 2009, Okalik moved a successful motion to scrap a request for $300,000 to study a potential replacement for Baffin Correctional Centre. At the time, he stated that a community learning centre was a higher priority. "We were in process of opening two new facilities at the time," he says. "And I wanted to see more progress being made on other fronts, like better programming. "I was never opposed to a facility that would bring us up-to-date. I was opposed to another study, on a study, on top of a study. I think we're past that point, and we're actually making progress. I note your complaint about the judge involved in your case. As you may be aware, there are several safeguards in place to ensure that the Canadian judiciary remains fully independent from the executive and legislative branches of government. These include the judicial complaints and discipline process managed by the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC). Actually what I noticed is that Justice John Little got free legal help while I got zero assistance and told I would have to pay for my own investigation. If that isnt the very declination of crooked nothing is. Not totally unexpected but it was still an avenue that had to be explored, same with my e-mail to your department and I have to say it fits the same format as the CJC and the Law Society. The CJC is an independent body established by Parliament to deal with complaints regarding superior court judges. Pursuant to sections 6369 of the Judges Act , it alone is tasked with investigating complaints about the conduct of federally appointed judges. In the ordinary course, it is expected that the CJC will consider and dispose of such complaints pursuant to their publicly established procedure, which includes an assessment of whether a matter warrants the establishment of a formal inquiry. As Minister of Justice, my involvement in complaints against members of the judiciary only begins once the CJC has determined that a matter is serious enough to warrant an inquiry. My case was about exposure for 14 years and the amount claimed was in excess of $8M for the both of us. What would be considered to be serious if that isnt. Like I have mentioned it is a protection racket as can easily be determined by the text I got back from them which basically said I would never get a judgment against him, no matter what. Thats pretty clear to me I recognize that you are dissatisfied with the CJCs disposition of your complaint. However, to ensure respect for the fundamental principle of judicial independence, it would not be appropriate for me to intervene with the CJC on your behalf, nor, as a matter of law, would it be possible for me to do so. What I am dissatisfied with is the protection slumlords are given when they are clearly in the wrong. That the CJC turned down my complaint is fully in line with what the Lawyers (for the insurance company) and the Judge were discussing options when that avenue was closed to me. While I note your concerns, I have every confidence in the CJCs capacity to deal effectively and appropriately with all matters that fall within its statutory mandate. Really?? I wopuld bet an independent investigation would show that most (if not all) complaints lodged by a member of the Public is rejected under the same theme. Lawyers for the crooked Judges and zero assistance for the victim I regret that this office cannot help you in the way you had perhaps hoped, but I wish you well in resolving your concerns. Somehow I dont believe that and you are quite happy that another Judge justice. (the long delay in the reply certainly shows that it was very unimportant to you and your office,BTW when Queens Bench Judges are appointed by the Government that does not make them independent or impartial, it makes the Judges one of the employed. I still have a few options open Respectfully, Business owner, Our newly elected president Donald Trump is our nation builder for white America. You all know that, we want out country back on the right track. We need to get rid of Muslims, Indians and all immigrants. Specially, we dont want business run by refugees and immigrant any more. We are ready to wake up some of our great state including North Carolina and we will take care of the country. Immigrants and refugee are taking our job, doing our business and leaving us standard. So, you are not allowed to do business any more. We know you are one and many of other immigrant doing business here. This is our warning. Leave the business and go back where you came from. If you dont follow this warning then we are not responsible for the torture starting now. God Bless America, White America and so I give you: NBC Charlotte acquired the note, which reads (spelling errors are the authors):NBC Charlotte states that police describe the man as black, 5-foot-8 and about 200 pounds with a short afro and goatee.He is accused of not only leaving the note but setting the victims store on fire and smashing its windows as well.The store owner, whose name is Kamal Dhimel, is reportedly scared for his life because of the letter and fire, which the FBI is investigating. 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 Who Knew? A Guide to 7.62 Ammo. Many aspects of guns, ammunition, accessories, and other related topics engender strong and passionate opinions often outsized to any rational, objective assessment of the issues at hand. Take the 7.62x39mm round, for instance. Some people seem to think that its the most amazing thing ever invented, a one-shot man stopper that can pass through 10 layers of concrete, the heart of a legendary weapon system that never stops functioning whether covered in mud or dipped in concrete. Others seem to think that its the spawn of the devil, an overhyped, inaccurate, blooping mortar round thatll turn you into a Bernie-loving Communist just by looking at it. Cut away all the hoopla and internet bravado, and youll find that the 7.62x39mm is a solid intermediate rifle round thats proven to be very effective for its intended purpose. As a fighting cartridge with an appropriate projectile, its shown to deliver great penetration and good terminal performance within close to medium range. For sure, its ballistics wouldnt be your first choice for long range, but as youll see in our testing, its not an inherently inaccurate round, as some may believe. Designed at the tail end of World War II, the 7.62x39mm cartridge was optimized for self-loading rifles. The case is highly tapered, contributing to easier feeding and extraction, but also resulting in the extremely curved and very distinctive AK magazines known the world over. The first Soviet military production 7.62x39mm cartridge was designated the M43, specd out with a 123-grain steel core and copper-plated boat tail bullet along with a Berdan-primed steel case. Most of the domestically manufactured commercial ammo in this guide use brass cases and Boxer primers, while the former Eastern Bloc churns out pallet after pallet of steel-cased and Berdan-primed ammo. To help mitigate corrosion, steel cases and jackets feature some sort of coating or treatment, such as lacquer, polymer, or zinc. We asked renowned AK builder Jim Fuller about steel cases. He said, AKs are designed for steel cases; they run best. The AKs extractor is wide and designed to pull steel cases. The round can take a beating in the action. Still, I dont usually see problems with brass cases in 7.62x39mm AKs, though brass can get ripped up in 5.56mm AKs or out-of-spec chambers. Regarding primers: Boxer primers are the standard here in the states the primer has a cup and anvil, while the pocket in the case has one hole in the center, making it easy to reload. Berdan primers dont incorporate an anvil; its in the case instead with two flash holes. The difficulty of removing Berdan primers and lack of support in the reloading marketplace makes reloading them much more challenging most U.S. shooters dont seem to bother trying. Without further ado, please peruse the following pages highlighting 23 different 7.62x39mm loads. Please note that MSRPs are shown, but street pricing is often much lower. In addition, some manufacturers dont institute list prices, so those with asterisks are estimated. Theres everything from cheap FMJ hoser ammo to state-of-the-art defensive ammo. In particular, take note that we achieved some impressive accuracy with a cartridge that many believe is inherently inaccurate. Thats not the case, as shown by sub-MOA and MOA groups from some offerings as well as some surprisingly good results from some cheap imported ammo. Please do check out the sidebar on testing procedures and keep in mind that the accuracy results shown here are from our particular test rig, and your mileage may vary. Even so, our group sizes ranged from 0.87 MOA at the very best to 4.1 MOA at very worst. Average group size went from 1.09 to 3.20 MOA. And the smallest group size for each product went from 0.87 to 2.23 MOA. Pretty damn good for a so-called inaccurate Commie round. Who knew? Corrosive Surplus Ammo This article focuses on commercial ammo, but many folks have stocked up on imported surplus ammo. Supplies have dried up with importation having been halted, but you may still have opportunities to purchase surplus ammo. Theyre typically steel cased with corrosive Berdan primers. Corrosive primers contain chemicals that leave salts behind after being ignited. Salt attracts water, and anyone whos spent any time near the ocean can tell you what saltwater does to metals. Therefore, if you use ammo with corrosive primers, you need to be diligent about cleaning your weapon after sending rounds downrange how soon afterward depends on your climate. In extremely humid conditions, corrosion has been known to start right after a range session. In very dry areas, youll have more leeway. In either case, salts from corrosive primers can scatter throughout your weapon, so you need to be thorough. Normal cleaning regimens arent always sufficient. In fact, hot soapy water is a very effective cleaning method, readily removing the salts. Of course, water is a source of corrosion itself, so carefully dry and lubricate your gun afterward. Compressed air is convenient; some like to spray WD-40 or similar. Testing Equipment and Protocol We strived to do as much fair and consistent testing as possible within the amount of ammo and time we had available. For one product, we only had a single 20-round box to provide for both the chronograph and accuracy testing. To be consistent across all the products in this guide, we settled on five rounds for the chronograph and three five-shot groups (reporting the best, worst, and average maximum spread center-to-center). Before even hitting the range, we weighed 10 rounds from the same box of each product on a Mettler laboratory scale. It was recently calibrated and is accurate to one hundredth of a gram. We present the average, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and extreme spread of these measurements to give you a sense of the consistency. We also note in the product specs which bullets attract a magnet due to steel in their jackets some ranges and competitions prohibit use of such bullets. Muzzle velocity is affected by environmental conditions, so we did all our chronograph work in a single session. Monitoring weather conditions with a Kestrel 5700 Elite Weather Meter, the temperature rose from 78 to 80 degrees from the beginning to the end of the session. Humidity stayed constant at 39 percent, barometric pressure was 27.43 in-hg, and our elevation was 2,374 feet. We used a MagnetoSpeed V3 ballistic chronograph, which was awesome. With 23 loads to test, we had a lot of work to do while trying to minimize weather changes. We strapped the MagnetoSpeed to the barrel, plugged in the control unit, and it reliably captured every single shot, writing the data to an SD card. Its so convenient we could have easily done accuracy testing at the same time, but with it attached directly to the barrel we wanted totally clean results for the groups. As with the weights, we present all the statistics for you to assess the relative consistency. MagnetoSpeed V3 Chrono $380.99 brownells.com Kestrel Meter w/Applied Ballistics $699.99brownells.com For accuracy testing, we broke out a CZ 527 bolt-action rifle. Featuring a micro-Mauser action, its available in a variety of configurations and calibers, including a 7.62x39mm magazine-fed carbine with an 18.5-inch 1:9.5 cold hammer forged barrel that we used. The CZ also has a single set trigger, which essentially became a hair trigger once set. We made use of that and topped the gun with a Nightforce Competition 15-55x52mm monster of a scope. To make it easy to measure distances through the reticle, we ran it at 40x. CZ 527 7.6239 $673.60 guns.com Winchester 7.6239 Ammo $35.99 sportsmans.com We shot from a concrete bench at targets at 100 meters (109 yards), utilizing Bullseye Camera Systems AmmoCam Long Range Edition to keep eyes on the targets. At that distance, we were hardly stretching its transmission capabilities, but it worked perfectly. Placed downrange, a plastic ammo can houses the camera, transmitter, and battery pack. Back at the shooters position, a receiver/wireless access point with another battery pack allows you to connect with an iPad or other device and view the targets. The app allows you to save shot sequences, highlighting a new impact by switching before and after images. This was a cool feature, but it takes time and with the huge amount of shooting facing us we abandoned that idea and just used the camera to observe. The battery life is rated at 12 hours sure enough after six-hour range sessions, the status lights showed 50 percent. During the accuracy sessions, we again monitored environmental conditions with the Kestrel. The temperature varied from 64 to 70 degrees, humidity from 61 to 69 percent, and barometric pressure from 27.53 to 27.58 in-hg. Winds ranged from around 1 to 5 mph at half to three-quarters value. Kestrels have a sterling reputation as weather meters, and the 5700 Elite adds to that with built-in ballistics and Bluetooth. We look forward to shaking out these new features in more depth. Readers should note that CZ states the following: Built to CIP specifications, our 7.6239 chambers are ideal for shooting steel-cased surplus ammo. Designed to shoot 0.311 bullets, some American brass ammo may not perform as well as the imported steel-cased variety because of SAAMI brass dimensions and varying bullet diameters. Indeed, some of the imported steel-cased ammo did much better than we would have expected, and some domestic ammo did worse. Please keep in mind that the accuracy results shown in this article are from this particular rifle. As you know, ammo will perform differently from rifle to rifle, so take these results for what they are. Chronograph Mean Min Max Std Dev ES Double Tap 150 JSP 19,69.2 1,945 1,990 16.559 45 Double Tap Lead free 123 Barnes TSX (lead free) 2,067.2 2,042 2,084 15.643 42 PMC Bronze 123 FMJ 2,248 2,224 2,276 21.494 52 Double Tap Rifle Defense 123 2,254.6 2,211 2,272 25.026 61 Winchester Best Value white box Q3174 123 FMJ 2,326 2,291 2,354 25.189 63 Sellier & Bellot 123 FMJ 2,346.6 2,321 2,391 27.898 70 Hornady 8078 123 SST 2,351.2 2,329 2,371 17.326 42 Federal Power-shok 123 Soft point 2,356.8 2,340 2,372 13.627 32 Corbon DPX Rifle 123 DPX (lead free, solid copper) 2,358.2 2,342 2,378 15.691 36 Winchester Power-point X76239 123 2,375.2 2,360 2,393 13.368 33 Red Army Standard 122 FMJ 2,412.8 2,391 2,430 16.947 39 Tula 122 FMJ 2,431 2,413 2,459 21.059 46 Red Army Standard 122 HP 2,432.2 2,406 2,466 25.946 60 Federal Fusion 123 Fusion 2,432.4 2,418 2,454 13.390 36 Wolf Polyformance 123 HP 2,439.4 2,421 2,448 11.327 27 Wolf Polyformance 123 FMJ 2,446.2 2,426 2,476 20.425 50 Barnaul Brown Bear AP762HP 123 Bimetal HP 2,448.6 2,434 2,469 12.896 35 Wolf Performance 122 HP 2,449.4 2,401 2,487 36.535 86 G2 Research Rip out 124 Trident 2,456.8 2,442 2,472 13.461 30 Barnaul Silver Bear A762HPN 123 Bimetal HP 2,463.2 2,439 2,475 14.584 36 Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works 122 FMJ 2,476.8 2,435 2,543 41.794 108 Prvi Partizan 123 PSP 2,521.4 2,503 2,537 12.973 34 Prvi Partizan 123 FMJ 2,554.8 2,541 2,563 9.121 22 Weight Mean Min Max Std Dev ES Hornady 8078 123 SST 16.126 16.07 16.16 0.0299 0.09 Wolf Polyformance 123 HP 16.235 16.19 16.31 0.0412 0.12 Red Army Standard 122 FMJ 16.289 16.19 16.41 0.0705 0.22 Wolf Polyformance 123 FMJ 16.298 16.21 16.37 0.0557 0.16 Wolf Performance 122 HP 16.307 16.24 16.36 0.0356 0.12 Barnaul Brown Bear AP762HP 123 Bimetal HP 16.309 16.19 16.37 0.0574 0.18 Barnaul Silver Bear A762HPN 123 Bimetal HP 16.312 16.23 16.39 0.0399 0.16 Tula 122 FMJ 16.313 16.22 16.43 0.0604 0.21 Red Army Standard 122 HP 16.347 16.19 16.54 0.1069 0.35 Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works 122 FMJ 16.355 16.22 16.45 0.0798 0.23 Sellier & Bellot 123 FMJ 17.158 17.03 17.21 0.0505 0.18 Prvi Partizan 123 FMJ 17.477 17.39 17.53 0.0440 0.14 Federal Power-shok 123 Soft point 17.487 17.44 17.55 0.0323 0.11 Federal Fusion 123 Fusion 17.505 17.43 17.56 0.0450 0.13 Prvi Partizan 123 PSP 17.543 17.45 17.63 0.0552 0.18 PMC Bronze 123 FMJ 17.601 17.54 17.65 0.0390 0.11 G2 Research Rip out 124 Trident 17.647 17.57 17.82 0.0759 0.25 Double Tap Lead free 123 Barnes TSX (lead free) 17.71 17.63 17.78 0.0414 0.15 Double Tap Rifle Defense 123 17.79 17.69 17.86 0.0609 0.17 Winchester Best Value white box Q3174 123 FMJ 17.862 17.74 18.01 0.0826 0.27 Winchester Power-point X76239 123 17.887 17.79 17.94 0.0430 0.15 Corbon DPX Rifle 123 DPX (lead free, solid copper) 17.925 17.71 18.24 0.1498 0.53 Double Tap 150 JSP 19.382 19.28 19.51 0.0630 0.23 Groups; Max Spread CTC (MOA) Smallest Largest Average SD Federal Power-shok 123 Soft point 0.872 1.896 1.359 0.514 Double Tap 150 JSP 1.024 1.256 1.127 0.118 Sellier & Bellot 123 FMJ 1.033 1.142 1.092 0.055 G2 Research Rip out 124 Trident 1.108 2.128 1.529 0.533 PMC Bronze 123 FMJ 1.192 2.583 2.147 0.642 Barnaul Brown Bear AP762HP 123 Bimetal HP 1.272 1.676 1.473 0.202 Winchester Power-point X76239 123 1.296 2.590 2.091 0.696 Hornady 8078 123 SST 1.319 1.378 1.342 0.031 Prvi Partizan 123 PSP 1.368 2.560 1.965 0.536 Corbon DPX Rifle 123 DPX (lead free, solid copper) 1.388 3.860 2.623 1.236 Barnaul Silver Bear A762HPN 123 Bimetal HP 1.623 1.845 1.739 0.111 Red Army Standard 122 HP 1.670 2.536 2.168 0.447 Wolf Polyformance 123 FMJ 1.740 2.375 2.068 0.318 Double Tap Lead free 123 Barnes TSX (lead free) 1.781 2.195 1.972 0.209 Red Army Standard 122 FMJ 1.804 2.872 2.186 0.478 Wolf Polyformance 123 HP 1.878 3.190 2.559 0.657 Federal Fusion 123 Fusion 1.915 2.543 2.132 0.356 Winchester Best Value white box Q3174 123 FMJ 1.937 3.986 3.201 1.106 Tula 122 FMJ 1.970 2.078 2.026 0.054 Wolf Performance 122 HP 1.977 4.107 2.801 1.144 Double Tap Rifle Defense 123 2.134 3.560 2.802 0.626 Prvi Partizan 123 FMJ 2.157 3.137 2.546 0.443 Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works 122 FMJ 2.229 2.784 2.548 0.287 Bear Ammunition Company Brown Bear Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain HP (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.181 inches MSRP / Price per round: $7.60 (20 rounds) / $0.38 URL: www.bearammo.com Notes: Through the Bear Ammunition Company, Barnaul offers a family of products with the Bear moniker Brown Bear, Silver Bear, and Golden Bear. The Barnaul Cartridge Plant has a long and storied history dating back to Emperor Alexander II in the 19th century. It was one of the first cartridge plants in St. Petersburg, supplying products to the Russian Army during World War I. With the German siege on the city during the following world war, the plant was moved to Barnaul and produced about half of Russias ammo during the war. And theyve kept going ever since. Brown Bear ammo is steel-cased and polymer-coated. It performed well in our testing, displaying excellent consistency on the chronograph (though average on weight) and surprisingly good accuracy in the CZ 527, at a very economical price. Its 1.27 to 1.68 MOA groups were the smallest of the imported steel-case offerings by a good margin. Bear Ammunition Company Silver Bear Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain HP (yes) Case: Steel (Zinc plated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.178 inches MSRP / Price per round: $8.72 (20 rounds) / $0.44 URL: www.bearammo.com Notes: The next step up from Brown Bear, Silver Bear ammo has zinc-coated steel cases. In turn, Golden Bear (not tested) features brass-plated steel cases. In our testing, Silver Bear didnt group quite as well as its little brother (with its smallest at 1.62 MOA), but was very consistent on weight. Muzzle velocity consistency was above average. It was also a pretty hot round, with an average muzzle velocity of 2,463 fps. Corbon DPX Rifle Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain lead-free solid copper (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.178 inches MSRP / Price per round: $42.92 (20 rounds) / $2.15 URL: www.corbon.com Notes: Corbons a family owned business known for its defensive loads. Hailing from South Dakota, theyve been making ammo for over 30 years. The DPX bullet is designed to perform well after penetrating a heavy barrier, maintaining 100 percent of its weight due to its homogeneous solid copper construction. Yet while it punches through hard barriers, Corbon states that it only penetrates 11 to 18 inches in ballistic gelatin, ideal for tactical applications. Its best group out of our CZ 527 was good at 1.39 MOA, but the average opened up to among the largest in this article. Consistency on the chrono was good, but on the lab scale was the least. We should note that Jim Fuller cited Corbon as one of his favorite loads for performance and accuracy in his builds. Double Tap Barnes TSX Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain Barnes TSX (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.182 inches MSRP / Price per round: $39.95 (20 rounds) / $2 URL: www.doubletapammo.net Notes: Doubletap Ammunition has been manufacturing ammo since 2002 and is known for producing a wide variety of loads and calibers. Indeed, they sent us three varieties to test (two shown here). Barnes TSX is one of our favorite hunting bullets, delivering deadly results with its all-copper construction. However, it may have also suffered a bit from the CZs chambering (see testing sidebar), with accuracy that was just average in our testing; the smallest group was 1.78 MOA. Consistency on the scale was good and on the chronograph above average. It was also the slowest 123-grain load, at 2,067 fps. (WEB EXTRA) Double Tap JSP Bullet (Magnet?): 150-grain Speer JSP (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.176 inches MSRP / Price per round: $32.95 (20 rounds) / $1.65 URL: www.doubletapammo.net Notes: Our CZ 527 really liked Doubletaps heavy 150-grain Speer jacketed soft points. Designed primarily as a hunting load, this round posted excellent accuracy and consistent group sizes, hovering just a bit over 1 MOA. Its smallest group was the second best in this guide. The 150s were less consistent on weight and muzzle velocity, but you cant argue with the superb results. Double Tap Rifle Defense Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain Rifle Defense (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.185 inches MSRP / Price per round: $32.95 (20 rounds) / $1.65 URL: www.doubletapammo.net Notes: Doubletaps Rifle Defense ammo didnt fare as well in our testing as its brethren, with accuracy results near the bottom of the pack and below average consistency in muzzle velocity and weight. Still, the Rifle Defense projectiles are designed to provide good expansion for personal defense and small to medium game, and 2 to 3 MOA will certainly get the job done. Federal Fusion Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain Fusion (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.185 inches MSRP / Price per round: $31.95 (20 rounds) / $1.60 URL: www.federalpremium.com Notes: Federals been an American institution since the 1920s, and we tested two of their three offerings in this COMBLOC caliber. Their Fusion line is designed to provide affordable hunting loads, in particular for deer. Amongst the pack, the Fusion was average in accuracy (the smallest group was 1.92 MOA) and consistency of weight, good in muzzle velocity consistency. Federal Power-Shok Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain soft point (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.190 inches MSRP / Price per round: $32.95 (20 rounds) / $1.65 URL: www.federalpremium.com Notes: Federals Power-shok offering has a soft point bullet designed for hunting. And hunt you shall, as this ammo boasted the smallest group in our testing, at an impressive 0.87 MOA. Other groups opened up more, but the average size was still among the best. Consistency of weight ranked second best and of muzzle velocity was above average. G2 Research Trident Bullet (Magnet?): 124-grain Trident (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.178 inches MSRP / Price per round: $56.99 (20 rounds) / $2.85 URL: www.g2rammo.com Notes: G2 Research is a relatively new ammunition company making waves with its unique projectiles for defensive ammo. Their premium Trident rifle ammo features solid copper bullets designed for good penetration and maximum expansion through light or heavy clothing, opening into three nasty petals. In our testing, it was on the hot side with a muzzle velocity of 2,457 fps with good consistency, while measured weight was much less consistent. Accuracy was very good, with a best group of 1.11 MOA and an average of 1.53 MOA. Hornady 8078 Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain SST (no) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.185 inches MSRP / Price per round: $47.25 (50 rounds) / $0.95 URL: www.hornady.com Notes: Hornadys been manufacturing ammunition since 1949, and now has more than 300 employees and more than 108,000 square feet of production facilities. Its one of the few American companies manufacturing steel-cased ammo, and its polymer-tipped SST (Super Shock Tip) loads have an excellent reputation. Its accuracy in the CZ was good, though others were better, but notably it had the most consistent group sizes by quite a bit, with a narrow range from 1.32 to 1.38 MOA (also contributing to a third place finish in average group size). Showing Hornadys manufacturing prowess, the extreme spread of measured weight was just 0.09 grams across 10 rounds, the best of this bunch. PMC Bronze Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain FMJ (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: Korea Overall Length: 2.186 inches MSRP / Price per round: $19.95* (20 rounds) / $1 URL: www.brownells.com Notes: Hailing from Korea, PMCs manufacturing process is completely vertically integrated, meaning every component is produced in-house, even the brass. Bronze is PMCs line of range ammo for recreation, target shooting, and competition. Tested accuracy was good, with an excellent best group of 1.19 MOA, though average group size was middle-of-the-pack. As weve seen before with PMCs .223 loads, muzzle velocity was low, the second slowest of the 122- and 123-grain rounds. Consistency on the chronograph was also below average, while it was very good on the scale. Prvi Partizan FMJ Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain FMJ (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: Serbia Overall Length: 2.181 inches MSRP / Price per round: $9.95 (20 rounds) / $0.50 URL: www.prvipartizan.com Notes: Situated in Serbia, Prvi Partizan has been producing ammunition since 1928, supplying militaries, hunters, and sportsmen. We tested two of their three 7.62x39mm offerings, and they were the hottest in this guide, the FMJ with the highest muzzle velocity at 2,555 fps. It was also the most consistent on the chronograph, with a standard deviation of just 9.1. However, its accuracy in the CZ 527 didnt shine amongst the products here, though still perfectly serviceable at 2 to 3 MOA. Prvi Partizan PSP Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain PSP (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: Serbia Overall Length: 2.190 inches MSRP / Price per round: $10.95 (20 rounds) / $0.55 URL: www.prvipartizan.com Notes: Prvi Partizans soft point was the second hottest load here and also posted excellent consistency on the chronograph. Its weight measurements were less so, while accuracy results were above average. Its best group was 1.37 MOA and average group size was 1.96 MOA. Red Army Standard FMJ Bullet (Magnet?): 122-grain FMJ (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.187 inches MSRP / Price per round: $5.40 (20 rounds) / $0.27 URL: www.redarmystandard.com Notes: Launched by Century International Arms several years ago, Red Army Standard imports a variety of COMBLOC cartridges with attractive pricing. Its FMJ turned in groups that were a tad below average (1.8 MOA at best), while the standard deviation on chronograph was average; on weight, less so. Red Army Standard HP Bullet (Magnet?): 122-grain HP (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.146 inches MSRP / Price per round: $5.40 (20 rounds) / $0.27 URL: www.redarmystandard.com Notes: Red Army Standards hollowpoint round delivered better group sizes (smallest at 1.67 MOA) than the FMJ, coming in roughly mid-pack. Muzzle velocity consistency was average, but weight consistency was next to last. Still, a solid and affordable round. Sellier & Bellot V332242U Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain FMJ (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: Czech Republic Overall Length: 2.19 inches MSRP / Price per round: $14.95* (20 rounds) / $0.75 URL: www.sellierbellot.us Notes: Sellier & Bellot is the elder statesman in this group, having produced ammunition since 1825. Perhaps its the shared provenance of the Czech Republic the S&B ammo performed wonderfully in the CZ 527, with the third most consistent group sizes and third smallest group at just over 1 MOA. Consistency on the chronograph was good, while consistency of weight was average. Tulammo UL076240 Bullet (Magnet?): 122-grain FMJ (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.191 inches MSRP / Price per round: $9.95* (40 rounds) / $0.25 URL: www.tulammousa.com Notes: Almost as old as Sellier & Bellot, Tula Cartridge Works has been in business since 1880 when it was founded by Emperor Alexander II. Tula makes a wide selection of 7.62x39mm ammo, in various bullet weights and types. This particular load was the second most consistent on group sizes (1.97 to 2.08 MOA), though the best group was larger than most others here. Consistency on muzzle velocity and weight were below average. At an estimated MSRP of a quarter per round, Tulas the cheapest in this guide. Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works FMJ Bullet (Magnet?): 122-grain FMJ (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.190 inches MSRP / Price per round: $5.99* (20 rounds) / $0.30 URL: n/a Notes: While Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works is no longer in business, we had a bunch of this ammo and figured wed test it in case readers had some stocked away, too. Similar in construction to the other Russian-manufactured ammo, this UCW load turned in the worst accuracy and consistency of muzzle velocity, and placed near the bottom on consistency of weight. Its muzzle velocity of 2,477 was among the fastest. Winchester Super-X Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain Power-Point (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.185 inches MSRP / Price per round: $30* (20 rounds) / $1.50 URL: www.winchester.com Notes: Winchester is another storied name in America, founded in 1866 and synonymous with the Gun that Won the West. We tested two of their 7.62x39mm offerings, including this hunting load with Power-point bullets. Its smallest group was good, at 1.3 MOA, though there was a large variation to the largest. Consistency on the chronograph was good and on the scale, it was above average. (WEB EXTRA) Winchester Value Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain FMJ (no) Case: Brass Primer: Boxer Origin: USA Overall Length: 2.163 inches MSRP / Price per round: $18* (20 rounds) / $0.90 URL: www.winchester.com Notes: Many a shooter has looked to so-called Winchester White Box for affordable range ammo. While its impossible to beat the pricing of imported steel-case ammo, Winchesters value offering is well priced for domestic production. It didnt do as well in the CZ 527 compared to the others, placing toward the bottom in accuracy and consistency. Wolf Performance Ammunition Polyperformance Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain FMJ (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.184 inches MSRP / Price per round: $5.99* (20 rounds) / $0.30 URL: www.aimsurplus.com Notes: Wolfs current production Polyformance FMJ load turned in reasonable mid-pack accuracy, with the smallest group at 1.74 MOA, and average consistency on weight. All of Wolfs loads were relatively hot, with muzzle velocities exceeding 2,400 fps. Consistency on the chronograph readings were a little below average, though. Wolf Performance Ammunition Polyperformance Bullet (Magnet?): 123-grain HP (yes) Case: Steel (polymer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.181 inches MSRP / Price per round: $5.99* (20 rounds) / $0.30 URL: www.aimsurplus.com Notes: Another Wolf variant in this guide is their Polyformance 123-grain hollow-point. Its accuracy in our testing was below average (with the smallest at 1.88 MOA), but its consistency on weight was good and the standard deviation on its muzzle velocity measurements was the second best. Its hard to complain at this price point. (WEB EXTRA) Wolf Performance Ammunition Performance Bullet (Magnet?): 122-grain HP (yes) Case: Steel (lacquer coated) Primer: Berdan (non-corrosive) Origin: Russia Overall Length: 2.182 inches MSRP / Price per round: not in current production URL: www.aimsurplus.com Notes: For many shooters, when they think about imported Russian ammo, Wolf comes to mind. Over the years, Wolf has made a name for itself selling a metric ton of affordable steel-cased imported ammo. This particular variant isnt current production, but we wanted to see how it did, as it represents a lacquer-coated cartridge versus the polymer coatings on most of the other steel-cased ammo here. Its accuracy ranked near the bottom, both in group size and standard deviation. Same with chronograph readings, while consistency of weight was near the top, in third place. Note the sealant around the bullet and primer; many prize lacquer sealed ammo for its corrosion resistance. Tank fanatic Nick Mead, 55, believes the gold bars were looted by Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait during the Gulf WarA TANK fanatic got a new model in a 30,000 trade-in and found more than 2million of gold bullion hidden in the fuel tank.Nick Mead, 55, discovered the five gold bars in the Russian T54/69 while restoring it to add to his collection of 150 military vehicles. Copy/paste America as the Last Man Standing Claim: Text reproduces speech delivered by Dutch politician Geert Wilders on the scenario of "America as the Last Man Standing." Geert Wilders is a Member of the Dutch Parliament. In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: "Who lost Europe ?" Here is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom the Netherlands , at the Four Seasons in New York , introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem .. Dear friends, Thank you very much for inviting me. I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. First, I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe . Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem . The Europe you know is changing. You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration. All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe . These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe , street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city. There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe . With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule. Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam , Marseille and Malmo in Sweden . In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities. In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims. Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear 'whore, whore'. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin. In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin . The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity. In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels , because he was drinking during the Ramadan. Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya , Israel ... I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization. A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now.. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century. Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France .. One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks.. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. And this is how we give them respect. We have Muslim official state holidays. The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey . Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. I call the perpetrators 'settlers'. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers. Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored. The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad. Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies. Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam 'the most retrograde force in the world', and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. The public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel .. First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz; second because it is a democracy, and third because Israel is our first line of defense. This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines , Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan , Lebanon , and Aceh in Indonesia . Israel is simply in the way. The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War. The war against Israel is not a war against Israel . It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel , Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming. Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel , they can get everything. So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or 'racists'. In my country, the Netherlands , 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat. Yet there is a greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome , Athens and Jerusalem .... Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe , American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe 's children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so. We have to take the necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from destroying the free world that we know. Please take the time to read and understand what is written here, Please send it to every free person that you know, it is so very important. "I am just grateful to be alive". This is how Alok Madasani, an Indian engineer who was critically injured in a "hate crime" incident in Kansas city in which his colleague Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed by a white American, described the chilling episode. Madasani, 32, continues to wrestle with why he and his friend ended up at the Austins Bar and Grill that night in Kansas City, Missouri where Adam Purinton opened fire on them after hurling racial slurs "terrorist" and "get out of my country". "I still don't want to believe what's happening. Words can't describe how much I am missing Srinivas. It is hard to overcome losing your best friend in front of your eyes and just the fact that it could have been both of us," Madasani said about his friend Kuchibhotla. Both worked for global positioning system maker Garmin in Olathe in Kansas state. "Physically I am doing much better, due to the friends and colleagues at Garmin, but long way to go from a mental strength standpoint, I still get flashes of what happened that night and feel sad that the person who took the bullet for me, Srinu, is no more. "His office space at Garmin was right next to my office and it is hard not to think about him, our memories together for last nine years will stay that way forever. I am focusing more on work and spend more time with my family, but it is not the same," he said. "I am just grateful to be alive," he said. "Coming back to work has been a blessing as I am surrounded by wonderful people here at Garmin and I could not have asked for more," he added. Madasani said he was trying to be strong for the sake of his family and wife who is pregnant with their first baby. "What gives me strength every day is to see the community standing together, making me believe that one act will not divide us," Madasani said. "It was the malice intent of one person that took away a great human being but at the same time I am surrounded by amazing individuals who strengthen my belief in this community and what it stands for," he said. Madasani said he has received personal letters from all around the country and the world, asking him to stay strong. The Kansas State government has declared March 16 as Indian-American Day in memory of Srinivas and response has been amazing, he said. "We all wish the shooting never happened but I really want and request all to look at the positive side of how the community got together during these difficult times and once again proved that whatever form hatred takes, love will overcome it," he added. He requested everyone to continue being an active member of the wonderful community. "Spread love and kindness, take time to share the culture, learn other cultures at the same time and most importantly let's coexist," Madasani said. "If there is one thing that this situation has taught me, it is to be positive. It is easy to be positive when everything is going your way but I want to stay positive now and set an example for myself and anyone who is looking towards me for inspiration. "If anything, I want people to remember Srinivas as a person who till his last breath helped people, rather than a victim of a senseless crime. I am here because of him," Madasani said. Local and federal authorities are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime. Putinton was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Judge ordered Purinton back to court on May 9 for a second appearance. He is being held on a $2 million bond. IMAGE: Alok Madasani with his wife during the candlelight vigil for Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe, Kansas. Photograph: Reuters Navies of India and China on Sunday rescued a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden after it was hijacked by Somali pirates, in a well-coordinated operation which came in the midst of strain in ties between the two countries over a range of sticky issues. IMAGE: INS Mumbai and the cargo vessel, MV OS 35 in the Gulf of Aden. Photographs: India Navy After getting a distress call about the attack by pirates on the cargo vessel OS 35 on Saturday night with 19 Filipino crew members, the Indian Navy sent its two frontline warships, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, while the Chinese Navy also moved in its missile frigate Yulin. The two Indian ships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. The merchant ship was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to port city of Aden in Yemen and following the attack, the crew had locked themselves in the 'citadel', a safe room inside the vessel, according to the Indian Navy. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the 178-metre-long merchant ship registered in Pacific island of Tuvalu. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also returned compliment to their Chinese counterparts. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. IMAGE: The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UK's Maritime Trade Organisation that keeps a vigil on movement of the ships in the region. The well-coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to declared Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the United Nations. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from Dubai office of the United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Organisation which acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. IMAGE: Indian warship INS Mumbai, a guided missile destroyer immediately responded to the alert. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," said the navy spokesperson. The operation to rescue the ship and free those on board was accomplished at dawn on Sunday. The Captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, said Sharma. The European Union Naval Force said it is working with "counter-piracy partners" to investigate the incident. Eight people were killed in firing by security forces as unprecedented election-day violence marred the bypoll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on Sunday which saw the voter turnout plunge to an all-time low of 7.14 per cent. IMAGE: A charred polling staff bus following an attack by a group of protesters at Nowgam during voting for Srinagar bypoll. Photographs: Umar Ganie Rampaging mobs took to streets in scores of places across the Lok Sabha constituency straddling Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists. "The tentative voter turnout for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is 6.5 per cent," Jammu and Kashmirs Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told reporters at the conclusion of polling. However, the revised figure issued later in the evening put the voter turnout at 7.14 per cent of the 12.61 lakh electorate. The seat had recorded 26 per cent polling in the 2014 general elections. In the 1989 election, National Conferences Mohammad Shafi Bhat had won the seat uncontested. The previous lowest turnout in the prestigious seat was 11.93 per cent in 1999 when Omar Abdullah had defeated Mehbooba Mufti in a straight contest. The state's former chief minister and National Conference stalwart Farooq Abdullah, who had lost the seat in the 2014 election, is locked in a straight fight with ruling People's Democratic Partys Nazir Ahmad Khan even though there are seven other candidates in the fray. IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard at a polling booth during byelection to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. "There were more than 200 incidents of violence in the constituency, mostly in Budgam district, which included stone-pelting, petrol bomb attacks, setting ablaze of a polling station, some vehicles and attempt to burn two other polling stations," Shantmanu said. "It was not a good day as you know. Six lives were lost in these incidents of violence... 17 civilians were injured, while over 100 paramilitary and police personnel also sustained injuries," he said. Shortly after the press conference, two people were reported killed in Chadoora area of Budgam district and Barsoo in Ganderbal district in firing by security forces, taking the death toll to eight. The CEO said a decision on repoll in violence-hit areas will be taken after examining the diaries of presiding officers. "I cannot tell you exactly how many polling stations will go to repolls...it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. It is a wild guess," he said. While two people each were killed Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief and Beerwah areas of Budgam district, two more deaths were reported from Chadoora area of the same district and another in Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. Another person was killed in Barsoo in Ganderbal district. Almost 70 per cent of the polling booths in Budgam district were abandoned by the polling staff due to the spate of violent protests in several areas, officials said. IMAGE: An injured youth is being taken to hospital in Srinagar. Army was called out to help security forces quell a rampaging mob which threw stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the constituency. Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked a building housing a polling booth, officials said, adding the security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two, 20- year-old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad Rather, succumbed to bullet wounds. In another incident, security forces opened fire to quell a stone-pelting mob in Ratxuna Beerwah area, leaving one Nissar Ahmed dead. At the Daulatpura in Chadoora assembly segment of Budgam district, one person, identified as Shabir Ahmed, was killed in firing by security personnel. A youth, Adil Farooq, succumbed to multiple pellet injuries in the Magam town, about 20 kms from Srinagar. One Aqib Wani was shot dead as police opened fire on a crowd of protestors in the Beerwah area in the afternoon. National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said in his 20 year political career he had never seen such a bad enviroment for elections. "I am talking about having fought my first election in 1998 at the peak of militancy. Even then the enviroment for campaigning and voting was not as bad as it is today. That may itself tell you just how mismanaged this state is under Mehbooba Mufti," he said. IMAGE: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah with his son Omar Abdullah after casting their vote. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen his kind of violence in elections in Kashmir. "5PM- polling booths close for an election that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons," Omar tweeted. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed distress over the civilian killings, saying she was pained that most of them were teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues. "I am distressed to know that many of those killed were young or teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues," Mehbooba said in an official statement. The chief minister said she has consistently held that peaceful means and not violence are the only way ahead in getting state out of the present difficulties. Meanwhile, separatists have called for a two-day shutdown against the killing of civilians in firing by security forces, saying it was the only way for them to express solidarity with the families of those killed and the cause for which they laid down their lives. IMAGE: Kashmiri women stand in a queue to cast their votes. "We know hartal would not affect government policy towards us but it is the only option to express our collective grief," separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement. Internet services will remain suspended in the entire Kashmir valley till conclusion of the by-poll for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat on April 12, official sources said. Internet services in three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, which the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency straddles, were shut down last midnight as a precautionary measure to prevent floating of rumours by anti-national elements. There were reports that Pakistan-based groups were engaged in spreading "disinformation" on the eve of polls, official sources said. Though the ban was to be lifted immediately after Sunday's polling, the authorities decided to extend it across all districts of the valley till conclusion of the polling in Anantnag. Vice President Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari has said that uttering 'talaq' thrice does not amount to divorce and asked Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics. Salma Ansari's views on triple talaq come at a time when there is a nationwide debate on the practice and the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims challenged in the Supreme Court. "Triple talaq is not an issue. There can be no 'talaq' (divorce) just because someone utters talaq, talaq, talaq," she told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Aligarh on Saturday. Salma said women can find an answer to their questions in the Quran itself. If you've read the Quran then you can find the solution there itself. There is no such rule in Quran. They have just made it up. There is no such thing. You read the Quran in Arabic and don't read the translation. You accept whatever the Maulana (clerics) or the Mulla says. You must read the Quran, read Hadis. Just see what Rasool had said," she said in reply to a question on the practice of triple talaq. Women must have the courage to read the Quran by themselves and introspect what's written in it and gain knowledge about it, she said, emphasising that women should not blindly follow anyone. Women can be easily misguided if they don't read the Quran, she said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board had recently told the Supreme Court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. The board had also said that the validity of Mohammedan Law, founded essentially on the Holy Quran and sources based on it, cannot be tested on the particular provisions of the Constitution. The Centre had on October 7 last year opposed in the Supreme Court the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy among Muslims and favoured a relook on grounds like gender equality and secularism. The ministry of law and justice, in its affidavit, had referred to constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court. he apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of the question whether Muslim women faced gender discrimination in the event of divorce or due to other marriages of their husband. Image used for representation purposes only A United States aircraft carrier-led strike group is headed toward the Western Pacific Ocean near the Korean Peninsula, CNN quoted a US defence official as confirming the same. Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of US Pacific Command, directed the USS Carl Vinson strike group to sail north to the Western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, Pacific Command announced. The official said that the move of the Vinson strike group is in response to recent North Korean provocations. The strike group includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson, a carrier air wing, two guided-missile destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser. "US Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific," said Commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," he was quoted as saying by news agencies. It is not uncommon for aircraft carriers to operate in that area and the United States regularly deploys military assets, such as aircraft, to the region as a show of force. The Vinson was in South Korea last month for military exercises. Earlier this week, North Korea launched a Scud extended-range missile, which US officials said exploded in flight. US intelligence officials say Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States. With inputs from agencies. Representative image. A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Hyderabad has stoked a controversy with his remarks that the heads of "traitors" opposing construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will be chopped off. T Raja Singh, who represents Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, is heard saying this in a video where he is addressing a gathering as part of Ram Navmi celebrations held on April 5. Asked about his remarks, Singh on Sunday said he can give his life for the sake of Ram temple and "even take the life of traitors who oppose the building of Ram temple". "We will not allow the people who believe in destroying this nation to stay in this country. It is our pledge to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and we will abide by it. We can give our life for Ram temple and even take the life of traitors who oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said. The Congress hit out at the BJP, saying its "mask" has fallen off and alleged that there "is intimidation of the minorities" under its rule. The BJP, however, sought to douse the controversy asserting that the Ram temple can be built only with consensus. Party leader Shaina NC said that the prime minister has made it clear that there is no space in a free and elected democratic society for people who choose to be the so-called moral custodians of society. She indicated that if needed, action can be taken against the MLA. "We are a disciplined cadre, and if we feel there is need to pull up somebody, I am sure the person concerned will have to bear the brunt," she said. However, the Congress was unimpressed as its spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that the BJP cannot wash off its hands by calling those making inflammatory statements as fringe elements. "The truth is that there is no fringe anymore. These are mainstream elected BJP leaders either in parliament or the assembly.... This is a political strategy. This is a manifestation of the most ugliest form of politics. "What is happening in Alwar, what happened in Dadri, you can see the kind of reactions happening all over the place here the BJP is currently in government, there is intimidation of the minorities. "I think this is the most crude form of majoritarian politics and let me assure you, the PM will not say a word, not even condemn it," he added. He was referring to the lynching of a Muslim man on suspicion that he had stored beef in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in 2015, and the recent fatal attack on another man from the community by cow vigilantes. In the video, the MLA purportedly says, "The day is not far... the dream of every Hindu of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Recently, a video came on WhatsApp from Uttar Pradesh and someone was saying if Ram Mandir is built in Ayodhya they will create 'tehelka' (chaos) in entire country. We welcome this. In fact, we were waiting for this day for the past several years so that when you traitors raise your heads, we will behead you. "Nobody has guts to stop construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," the legislator said. "A grand Ram Mandir will be definitely built in Ayodhya. I challenge that whosoever tries to stop building a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I will deal with such traitor," said Singh who had made certain controversial remarks in the past as well. Voting on Tuesday? Check here to get the information you need Insurgents have killed at least 13 Afghan security forces in separate attacks, Afghan officials have said. Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the governor of the northern Balkh Province, said on April 9 that a roadside bomb killed nine Afghan troops and wounded several more late on April 8 in the Chimtal district during an operation against the Taliban. He said five insurgents were killed and dozens wounded. In a separate incident also on April 8, militants with the extremist group Islamic State (IS) attacked the Darzab district headquarters in the neighboring Jowzjan Province, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. Four Afghan reinforcements, including a unit commander, were killed in an ambush as they raced to the scene of the clashes, he said. The attacks come amid Afghanistan's spring fighting season, when warmer weather brings increased operations by both militants and government forces. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in 2014. The U.S. military said earlier a U.S. soldier was killed in Afghanistan while conducting a mission against an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) militant group. The soldier was a member of U.S. Special Operations Forces helping Afghan forces battle IS militants in Nangarhar Province, the U.S. said. Based on reporting by AP and dpa The U.S. military says a soldier was killed in Afghanistan while conducting a mission against an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) militant group. A spokesman, U.S. Navy Captain Bill Salvin, wrote on Twitter on April 8 that the soldier was killed in an operation in Nangarhar Province against "ISIS-Khorasan," a provincial IS affiliate that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Salvin told Reuters news agency the soldier was a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Further information was not immediately available. The offshoot of the mostly Sunni militant group has been blamed for carrying out several attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslims. The IS affiliate is mainly based in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar Province, U.S. officials said. U.S. officials have said they believe the group has only 700 fighters, although Afghan officials put the number at about 1,500. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters 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 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. With the dreaded annual Taliban spring offensive expected to start in earnest any day now, there are many nervous people on both sides of the Central Asia-Afghan border. The situation in northern Afghanistan is already more alarming and far more confusing than it was in the spring of 2016. Adding to the anxiety, the Taliban recently published a map showing what they claim is territory in Afghanistan where they have influence, and while the Taliban is known to exaggerate its situation, some believe this map is fairly accurate and this site explains the color key. To attempt to shed some light on the murky state of affairs along the Central Asia-Afghan border, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel, to discuss which groups are present in northern Afghanistan and the extent of their influence, or control in the region. Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From New Jersey, Bill Roggio, the editor of Long War Journal, who was earlier embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan, joined the Majlis. From Prague, we were happy to welcome back Amin Mudaqiq, the director of RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, who has great knowledge of events in Afghanistan. And I've been following the situation in Afghanistan for a while so I jumped in with comments of my own. First, the Taliban map that showed areas the group says it controls and areas that are contested to varying degrees. Tahir broke that down, reminding us that there are more than 400 districts in Afghanistan and the Taliban claims to have 34 districts under its control, says 167 others are contested, and has a significant presence in 52 more districts. Roggio said much of the map corresponds with what he has been seeing. "I think it was pretty accurate as far as the security situation in areas we could see the reason I find it credible is not because it matches with the information that I currently have, but there are large areas of Afghanistan where they're saying, 'Look, we don't control any [of this] territory.'" Mudaqiq agreed the Taliban has spread its influence across northern Afghanistan since spring 2016 but cautioned that "if control means to hold it [territory] as well, then the Taliban's claims are really exaggerated; but if control means the presence, yes, the Taliban have a presence in almost 50 percent of the country and even 60 percent in the east and south [of Afghanistan]." And Mudaqiq said even with that estimate, "they [the Taliban] are there as long as there is no Afghan or coalition, ISAF, or NATO forces there." IS Presence, At Least In Name The Taliban is not the only militant group present in northern Afghanistan. Mudaqiq said one of the big reasons for the deterioration in the security situation in northern Afghanistan is "the increasing presence of Daesh [the Islamic State militant group]." Mudaqiq recalled that earlier this year militants set fire to Sufi shrines in the Darzab district of Jowzjan Province, which borders Turkmenistan. "People in Darzab who were arrested by Daesh, and they [later] escaped, they claim that Daesh has a big presence there," he said. And Roggio pointed out there are fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in northern Afghanistan, but on which side they are fighting is still unclear. "A large segment of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015, so the group split and it's debatable how much joined the Islamic State and how much stayed loyal to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban," he said. Mudaqiq noted that even among those claiming to be from IS there are divisions within Afghanistan, and that neither is like the IS groups in Syria and Iraq. "We have two kinds of Daesh, which are very different from each other. We have Daesh in [the eastern province of] Nangarhar, which is mostly made up of the Pakistani Taliban who lost control in their own area [of Pakistan]," he said. "On the other hand, you have Daesh or IS in northern Afghanistan who are only using the name of Daesh to survive." Outside Actors There is also the question of who outside of Afghanistan is helping whom. U.S. military commanders and Afghan officials have recently expressed concerns about Russia's connections to the Taliban, which may even include arming the militants, an accusation Russia denies. Roggio said, "What I think is happening here is the Russians are reading the tea leaves in Afghanistan and they've determined that the U.S. and NATO is losing this war and that the Taliban are going to have a presence." Roggio explained that if this is true, Russia is playing a dangerous game. "The Taliban are allied with numerous jihadist groups including Al-Qaeda, which has a far more significant presence when you put together Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as the satellite jihadist groups that are operating with the Taliban [and] these groups have been a threat to the Russians in the form of the Caucasus Emirate," he said. An influential former Afghan mujahedin commander from the days of the Soviet occupation, Mohammad Ismail Khan, in early March accused Turkmenistan of aiding militants in northwestern Afghanistan, a charge Turkmen authorities quickly denied. But Mudaqiq said, "Turkmenistan has a kind of history in dealing with extremist groups, in dealing with the Taliban, just to save and protect their own boundary," and he recalled that when the Taliban took over most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s the Turkmen Consulate in Herat Province, which borders Turkmenistan, continued to function. Mudaqiq said that last year "some of the members of the National Assembly were complaining in Faryab [Province] and Jowzjan [Province] that some of the Taliban injured were also taken to Turkmenistan and they were treated there." The situation is likely to become even more violent and confused in the coming months. The Majlis discussed this and other issues, including comments from Mudaqiq about reports of militants "freely moving between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan through Tajikistan." You can listen to the full discussion here: Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. Norwegian authorities say they have detained a young Russian citizen after a "bomb-like" device was found in central Oslo. Norway's terrorism alert level was raised following the discovery of the device and the arrest of the suspect, the chief of national intelligence agency, Benedicte Bjornland, said on April 9. "It's not clear whether the 17-year-old young man intended to commit a terrorist attack," Bjornland added. The teenager arrived in Norway in 2010 with his family, which applied for asylum. His lawyer, Aase Karine Sigmond, said her client denied any wrongdoing. Officers cordoned off a large part of Oslo's Gronland area late on April 8, before the bomb squad detonated the suspect device. Authorities said the "bomb-like" device was capable of causing only limited damage. The incident came after an April 7 truck attack left four people dead and 15 injured in Stockholm, Sweden. A 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan is the main suspect in that attack. Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa Russian officials say at least 50 people have been injured, some seriously, in the crash of a commuter train and a long-distance train traveling between Moscow and the city of Brest. Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov told the state-run TASS news agency on April 9 that 12 people were hospitalized, six in "grave" condition, in the crash that occurred on April 8 near Gerasima Kurina street in western Moscow. Video of the crash scene showed that a least four carriages had derailed. Casualty figures differed from various sources, with some reports saying at least 38 others were treated at the scene for more minor injuries.The injury total has increased steadily since early reports said four people had been hurt. An official said 455 passengers were aboard the long-distance train when the accident occurred and that at least four of the crew were among the injured. Some 170 rescue workers have been sent to the site. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been made aware of the crash and was following the situation. TASS said railway services in the area were suspended until at least April 9. State-backed television channel RT showed a video it said was taken by a woman on the train just prior to and during the crash, showing her talking calmly before the carriage shakes and the lights go out. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on April 9 that at least two of its citizens were injured in the crash. TASS reported that commuter railway services, which were suspended after the accident, were restored early on April 9. "Commuter train service has been restored," it quoted the Emergency Situations Ministry as saying. "The first train will shortly resume travel along the railroad section where a passenger train and commuter train collided." With reporting by TASS, dpa, and RT The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 35 people have been killed in two separate air strikes in Syria -- with forces on the opposing side of the country's civil war suspected in each attack. The Observatory said on April 9 that at least 18 people were killed in an air strike by unidentified warplanes in Syrias rebel-held Idlib Province, near the site of a suspected chemical attack carried out by government forces. The planes responsible for the air strike were not immediately identified, but the attack came four days after the suspected chemical-weapons attack was blamed on Syrian government forces. Syria has denied carrying out the chemical attack. Syrian forces and their Russian allies have targeted rebel-held Idlib Province in the past. The Observatory said at least five children died in the April 8 air strike and that the toll was likely to rise. Civil-defense officials put the number at 19 people killed and 22 wounded. Meanwhile, the Observatory on April 8 said suspected U.S.-led coalition warplanes hit an Internet cafe in the IS-held village of Hneida on the outskirts of Raqqa, the de facto IS capital, killing at least 17 and injuring 12. A U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, is preparing to launch an attack on Raqqa, the last major IS stronghold in Syria, and is in the process of encircling the city. IS fighters, who captured wide swathes of territory in 2014 in Syria and Iraq, are being pushed back on multiple fronts, including in northern Syria. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 300,000 people since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with antigovernment demonstrations. The United States and Turkey support rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while Russia and Iran back Assad. IS fighters, opposed by both sides, have also entered the fight. With reporting by dpa and AP British Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has blamed Russia for "every civilian death" in last week's "barbaric" chemical attack on a town in Syria that killed dozens of men, women, and children. Writing in the Sunday Times, Fallon said the Kremlin was responsible "by proxy" as the "principal backer" of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He described the gas attack as a war crime that happened under Russia's watch. "In the past few years, they have had every opportunity to pull levers and stop this civil war. Russia must show the resolve necessary to bring this regime to heel," Fallon wrote. It comes after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had canceled a visit to Moscow scheduled to take place on April 10, citing developments in Syria, where an alleged chemical weapons attack prompted the United States to launch missile strikes. "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally," Johnson said in a statement issued on April 8. "My priority is now to continue contact with the United States and others in the run-up to the G7 meeting on April 10-11 -- to build coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process," the statement said. Johnson added, "We deplore Russia's continued defense of the Assad regime even after the chemical-weapons attack on innocent civilians." Johnson called on Russia, a key Assad ally, "to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized Johnson's decision, saying it showed a lack of understanding of events in Syria. The Russian ministry said the cancellation "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues." The British have "no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining 'in the shadow' of their strategic partners," it added. Western countries have blamed Assad's armed forces for the airborne attack dispersing what appeared to be a nerve agent on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, killing more than 86 people. Syria's government has denied responsibility. The United States struck a Syrian air base with dozens of cruise missiles early on April 7 in response to the alleged attack. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and the BBC When Richmond Symphony Music Director Steven Smith planned this weekends Masterworks program more than a year ago, he couldnt have anticipated the past weeks violence in Syria and Sweden. But, with the world being what it is, and with the coming of Holy Week and Passover, he could count on music that evokes war and peace, loss and redemption, sounding timely. The programs main selection, the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace), for two vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, is a musically eventful setting of sections of the Catholic Mass, three poems that Walt Whitman wrote during the American Civil War, lines from a speech delivered by the British parliamentarian John Bright during the Crimean War, and a sequence of biblical texts. Begun during World War I when Vaughan Williams served as an ambulance driver on the Western Front and completed in the mid-1930s, Dona nobis pacem is a soulful, at times vividly turbulent contemplation of war and its toll on humanity. The composers pastoral style of long-limbed, hymnlike melodies is run through a brassy and percussive gauntlet, sounding by turns ominous, mournful, triumphant and ultimately both resigned and hopeful. Saturdays performance was paced by the stentorian yet lyrical vocalizations of bass-baritone Kevin Deas, notably in Whitmans Reconciliation, the choruss finely detailed treatment of the elaborate closing biblical sequence and the orchestra and chorus at full tilt in Whitmans Beat! beat! drums. Soprano Michelle Areyzaga brought restrained passion, and welcome gradations of expression, in her role as a lone, pleading voice in recurring recitations of the Dona nobis pacem chant. The long central section, set to a third Whitman poem, Dirge for Two Veterans, is the most challenging part of the piece, both for performers and listeners, because it is relentlessly somber and focused on a text that must be projected by massed voices. The chorus singing from the back of the Carpenter Theatre stage was darkly expressive but verbally indistinct. Choral sound also was disappointingly recessed relative to that of the orchestra during much of Anton Bruckners celebratory setting of Psalm 150 (Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary), which also featured Areyzaga in a short but potent vocal cameo. Franz Schuberts Unfinished Symphony in B minor (long known as No. 8, nowadays designated No. 7) served as a substantial overture to the choral works. Smith and the orchestra delivered a solidly middle-of-the-road, romantically inflected reading of this familiar music. The symphonys low strings and horns set a suitably dark, rich tone, and were seconded ably in the solos of oboist Shawn Welk and clarinetist David Lemelin. Two men were killed in a shooting at the Midlothian Village apartments in South Richmond on Saturday night. Richmond police identified one of the victims as Terrell D. Thomas, 20, of the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike. Police were called about 7:30 p.m. Saturday to the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike. Arriving officers found two adult males in an apartment with apparent gunshot wounds. Both men died at the scene. Police said the name of the unidentified victim would be released when it becomes available. There were many individuals in the area when this incident occurred, Major Crimes Lt. Cynthia Hayes said. We urge anyone who has information to reach out to us. Any tip can help us make an arrest and possibly prevent this individual from taking another life. We want the person responsible for taking the lives of these two men off the street as soon as possible. Anyone with information is asked to call Major Crimes Detective K. Hughes at (804) 646-3917 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com. *** Meanwhile, Richmond police were investigating a Sunday shooting that left three people injured in the citys Mosby Court neighborhood. Police responded to a call that came in about 1:30 p.m. for a shooting in the 1600 block of Littlepage Street. Officers responding to the scene found three males who had been shot. One victims injuries were initially considered life-threatening but later downgraded to non-life-threatening. The injuries to the other two victims were not considered life-threatening. VIRGINIA BEACH In the months since Hurricane Matthew, Dawn Sawyer has watched her 9-year-old, Sam, bite his nails down to nubs. She had never seen him do that before. As Sam remembers it, he slept right through the storm. He knows the water was high that night, but he only worried about a swaying tree outside his bedroom window. Dawn recalls it differently. Sam woke up in the middle of the night when she did. They could hear yelling in their Windsor Woods neighborhood, and when they looked outside, they saw bobbing flashlights from people trying to wade out of their flooded homes. The Sawyers stayed inside without power for a day before walking to a friends house. When they returned, Dawn noticed Sam seemed nervous. He doesnt spend as much time downstairs, where the floor is still concrete and the smell of water damage and mold lingers. And Dawn knows Sam has been waking up in the middle of the night to check on his mom and dad, as he did that a few years ago when she had cancer. Six months after Hurricane Matthew swept through the area, destroying homes and upending lives, the Sawyers are one family among hundreds still trying to scrape together some shreds of normalcy. Many live in one of the hardest-hit areas, Windsor Woods. About 1,400 properties flooded in the storm, 250 of them in that neighborhood. Residents have criticized the city for its slow and limited response, angry that the rebuilding process has dragged on. In a recent interview, Deputy City Manager Steve Cover said officials responded as fast as they could but are limited in what they can give homeowners to help. The city, he said, has funneled millions of dollars into recovery efforts by replacing city property, helping displaced residents and committing money to fix drainage problems. But many people are falling short of what they need to finish all the renovations and get their lives back on track. And many think the city should help them with that. The Sawyers house had flooding on the bottom floor. Dawn and her husband, Chris, are still dealing with the insurance and mortgage paperwork to finish the repairs. The carpet has been ripped up and some of the walls replaced, but the family cant find a contractor that will work within the requirements of their mortgage company to finish the job. Sam doesnt mind much that his house isnt totally fixed yet. Compared with some of his friends, he said, he was lucky. Most of his neighbors and friends are back home now. For a few months, the street was eerily empty. It was really weird, he said. No one else was around. It was pretty much a ghost town. Before Hurricane Matthew, Michelle Michaelian helped organize aid trips to far-flung locales for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. When most people think of mission trips to help to rebuild storm-ravaged communities, they probably envision Guatemala or Haiti, or maybe post-Hurricane Katrina Louisiana, she said. But then devastation came to her doorstep. This is home for me. When youre in this kind of work and it happens here, this is our disaster, said Michaelian, who had a day job as an office manager at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Before long, shed swapped her day job for a mission in Hampton Roads, putting in 70-hour weeks to keep a steady stream of Methodist volunteers flowing into the area. They joined the nonprofits and religious charities that rushed to fill the gap once federal aid dried up. Linda Reynolds was due for retirement in January, but after Hurricane Matthew, she has put it off several times. Everything has changed in our life, she said. Im not so sure Im going to be able to retire. She and her husband, Curtis, wanted to spend some time in the home they own in West Virginia and go to California to see Curtis family. But even casual traveling might be out of the budget now, she said. Curtis has always fixed things around the house, but this is his biggest project yet. He spends most of his days in their Windsor Woods ranch home ripping up flooring, tearing out walls and cleaning water damage. The Reynolds have put tens of thousands of dollars into their home. Still, about $50,000 worth of work needs to be done, Linda estimated. The biggest thing is that, once we get the house together, is if its going to be able to sell, she said. Welcome to half a house, David Crawford announced as he walked into his home of 31 years. With no floors and walls torn down to the studs, the house on Forest Trail in the Bow Creek area looks like its being built from scratch. Only one bathroom door still hangs inside, showing how far the flood waters rose 18 inches. The demolition has been a family affair, with Crawford tearing out carpeting and drywall with his sons, siblings and in-laws. Since October theyve filled five dumpsters with trash and three storage units with salvaged materials. The family lost two cars. Furniture will have to be replaced, including kitchen appliances and the couch where Crawford huddled with his wife, son and dogs to avoid the rising waters. Crawfords wifes wedding dress, stored in a chest on the floor, was ruined. Crawford had flood insurance, and after a month, an insurance adjuster finally arrived from Florida. As he went back and forth with Crawford, the family waited in a house without interior walls or floors. This winter, Crawford bought a trailer secondhand just to have a warm place to eat and sleep while the house was waiting to be overhauled. Its parked on the front lawn, next to the dumpster. Contractors have only just started rewiring the electrical system and installing a new fireplace and AC unit. In the kitchen, at a stove that stands alone, Crawford stirred pasta into boiling water and said he hopes the family will be able to move back into the house by the end of April. Andrew Goddard watched his sons blood flowing freely from the four gunshot wounds he suffered after a student at Virginia Tech opened fire on campus 10 years ago. Soon, the white hospital bedsheet was soaked red. I sat there thinking, What is this going to make me do? said Goddard, who lives in Henrico County. I want to offer something in exchange for asking for him to live. Colin Goddard survived. Thirty-two other victims did not. Im paying that now, Andrew Goddard said. If I just sat back and said, Oh, we were lucky. Weve still got our kid, and lets get on, I would feel like I wasnt being fair to someone in the future. Andrew Goddard is now the legislative director for the Virginia Center for Public Safety and spends much of his time urging the General Assembly to enact gun restrictions. He is one of many who were motivated to pursue change after the violence and sorrow of April 16, 2007. Its human nature, when something awful happens, you want to try and stop it from happening again, Goddard said. The people youre working for arent the ones who have been shot; theyre the ones who havent yet been shot. Colin, his son, was a senior policy advocate for Everytown for Gun Safety before returning to school at the University of Maryland to seek an MBA. The Rev. Alexander Evans, who at the time was the pastor of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church and was chaplain to the Blacksburg Police Department, found his calling helping law enforcement cope with trauma. Cops needed more care than they were getting, he said he realized after the Tech shootings. Andrew Goddard first visited the General Assembly not to lobby for limitations on guns but to see if lawmakers would enact any of the recommendations from a panel that then-Gov. Tim Kaine convened to investigate the shootings. In 2008, I went to the General Assembly because of Virginia Tech, he said. In 2009, 10, 11 and years on, I went because of what I heard at the assembly. Three major issues rose out of the recommendations: breakdowns in the mental health system, school policy and accessibility of guns. The mental health issues seemed to stem from finances. He tried to help there; he was appointed to the board for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. But the overstressed, overworked, chronically underfunded system continued to be all those things, Goddard said. Several families of the 32 who were killed at Virginia Tech latched onto issues with the schools policy. Joe Samaha, father of shooting victim Reema Samaha, led efforts to increase school safety as board president of the VTV Family Outreach Foundation. Goddard and some of the families of the 17 who were wounded including Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily was injured worked toward gun safety. They lobby for mandatory background checks for all gun purchases, harsher penalties for straw purchases and mandatory reporting of stolen firearms, among other measures. But with little success advancing gun restrictions, Goddard said he does not think the state has learned from the tragedy. We didnt learn anything, he said. The lessons were out there to be learned, but you cant say that we did. Unless you do something with that demonstrate that we learned it we havent learned. *** Alex Evans was the chaplain for Blacksburg police 10 years ago. He accompanied the police chief as he notified the 32 families that their loved ones, mostly students at Virginia Tech, had been killed. The role with police put me in the middle of it and has led to continuing ministry since then, said Evans, who now preaches at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond. They see the worst of it. They have images of the smoke in the room. The blood. The scene. These are tough guys, but this is immediately terrible. This whole building is just filled with wounded and deceased, and theyre kids. Thats going to keep you up at night. Thats going to make you question whether you should be a cop. So he started a nonprofit, the Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program, which holds three-day seminars for officers who have been through trauma. The program has held 13 seminars so far and reached about 400 officers, including about 100 who worked April 16, 2007, in Blacksburg. We spend three days with them trying to get them back to normalcy, back to work, back to wholeness, he said. A whole lot of them were greatly helped by being able to come to a table with only police, many of whom were also touched by the shootings at Tech, and say, Yeah, Im glad Im not the only one struggling and How do you get through this? Some officers suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares, much like members of the military who have returned from war. Evans left Blacksburg for Richmond in December 2008. It wasnt an easy decision, he said, but he has continued his outreach with law enforcement and has expanded it statewide. I cant believe its 10 years. Its still really fresh in many ways. Obviously, a lot has changed in 10 years. Im not there anymore, and yet my heart is there in a lot of ways, he said. You dont want to forget. Were all shaped by this. You cant change it, but we hope to keep moving toward wholeness and goodness. As bad as it was, we want to find good ways to respond. By Ed Rogers There is a competitive, aggressive appetite among reporters and news outlets to move the Trump-Russia story no matter how remote or inconsistent the nexus might be. The media are straining to draw inferences any time they can make Trump and Russia appear in the same paragraph. Tuesday, the media tried to turn stories about Carter Page and Erik Prince into two more logs on the supposed fire of the Trump-Russia non-scandal. But, in fact, these reports have no connection to or evidence of wrongdoing by the president, his staff, or his campaign. First, the Trump teams naming of Carter Page, who nobody in Washington had ever even heard of until last year, as a foreign policy adviser was a mistake the campaign made at a time when it was desperate for names. And even though every reporter knows that, they embellish Pages role as if to rub it in. Describing Page as an adviser to Trump is dishonest. But even if Page had been close to Trump, there still wouldnt be a legitimate story. This weeks reports say that Page shared portions of his college lectures, which included nothing more than publicly available information, to a junior attache at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. Its not at all uncommon for so-called spies to engage in lame conversations with nobodies just to submit a report. Another media fixation concerns The Washington Posts reporting that Erik Prince was part of an effort that sought to establish a communications back channel between the United States and Russia. And considering the volume of secondary coverage that story received, one might think this revelation is a smoking gun that shows Trump was somehow in Putins pocket. But it isnt. I know Erik Prince. And if the president were to ever need a back channel, pretty much anywhere, Erik Prince would be a good guy to call. He is reliable, selfless, and a true patriot. The notion that he might want to advance U.S. interests is a good thing. What is the issue with an American ally like the United Arab Emirates and a seasoned leader like Erik Prince trying to send the message that Russia should behave? *** All this breathless reporting is taking place while some in the media have proudly affirmed, as if it is a badge of honor, to actively suppress the Susan Rice unmasking story. On Monday night, CNNs Don Lemon told his audience that he would not aid and abet the people who are trying to misinform you, the American people, by creating a diversion. Can a story with these essential facts be considered a diversion? No way. And comically, CNNs chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto tweeted that according to a source close to Susan Rice, The idea that Ambassador Rice improperly sought the identities of Americans is false. Wow, breaking news. The unmasking story has legs, though the president didnt help by telling the New York Times that he thought Rice had committed a crime. (Reports suggest Rice, the national security adviser to President Obama, improperly unmasked Americans associated with Trump who were recorded during surveillance of foreign officials.) Tuesday, a letter signed by Reps. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Chris Collins, R-N.Y., was sent to leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees, arguing that Rice should be called to testify before Congress as her behavior appears negligent at best and criminal at worst. Still, the media will contrive stories they think add to the Trump-Russia connection. That a back-channel meeting may have occurred in the Seychelles in January before the inauguration is interesting, and perhaps even sexy in a James Bond sort of a way, but its completely irrelevant to and inconsistent with the notion that Trump is somehow in collusion with the Russian government. And all Carter Page did was meet with a Russian in 2013. Four years ago, who thought Donald Trump would be president? The two stories arent evidence of anything, even if the presidents critics would like for you to think otherwise. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. BLACKSBURG A pair of Virginia Tech students won their fifth startup pitch competition this week, taking home another oversized check as they continue to develop a new type of bicycle helmet capable of fitting inside a water bottle. With their most recent win at Virginia Techs Union Innovation Challenge on Thursday, Park & Diamond brought its winnings total above $50,000. The startups helmet is designed to be stylish, even to the point of being indistinguishable from an average knit hat. But hidden under the fabric is a series of hard, protective plates. The headwear is still flexible, so it can be folded up for easy storage. Startup co-founders David Hall and Jordan Klein say they hope to encourage more helmet usage by inventing a product thats convenient enough for every rider to carry around, and stylish enough that theyll actually be willing to put it on. The duo admits a flexible helmet can sound counterintuitive, but they say early experiments show their product protects riders heads just as well as traditional helmets if not better. Theyve been working on the startup for about two years while also carrying full class loads. Its been a hectic time, but they say its paid off as they have been able to build a business plan, marketing strategy and a few working prototypes. They hope to launch the product in 2018, with a $90 price tag. It doesnt really feel like work because we enjoy it so much, Klein said. Im not going to say that I like driving home at four in the morning seven nights in a row but I dont hate it. The engineering students first came together in 2015 after Halls sister was involved in a bicycle wreck at the intersection of Park Avenue and Diamond Street in Philadelphia. She wasnt wearing a helmet at the time, and ended up spending four months in a coma. Hall and Klein became determined to invent something that would improve bicycle safety. They considered everything from crash avoidance systems to some sort of airbag. But they just kept coming back to the one piece of safety technology every rider already knows about, but too many choose not to use: the helmet. Hall and Klein have been executing on the idea ever since, winning pitch competitions to fund the nascent business. They work out of a small office inside the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, a space they also won through a pitch competition. Derick Maggard, who organized Thursdays competition through Virginia Techs Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said Park & Diamond was exactly the kind of startup his judges were hoping would win their $7,500 grand prize. The entrepreneurs have been pushing the idea along for years, getting closer and closer to solving a major problem. Any type of financial award to teams like this at the earliest stages is incredibly impactful, Maggard said. It makes the difference between prototyping and not prototyping, between being able to go to market and not being able to go to market. And it gives them the inspiration and belief that they can do this. Three Republican candidates have filed to run for the District C Montgomery County Board of Supervisors seat to succeed partymate Gary Creed, who is not running for re-election. The candidates who have announced plans to run for his seat are retired Virginia state trooper Steve Fijalkowski, realtor Zach Milton and truck dealership manager Carl East. The county Republican party has scheduled a May 20 primary at the County Government Center in Christiansburg to decide its District C nominee. Creed, who has served on the board since 2002, couldnt be reached for comment on this story. Creed announced late last year that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. He raised the possibility of not serving out the remainder of his term, but ultimately stayed on. Other supervisor seats up for grabs are District A currently held by Democrat Annette Perkins and Republican Todd Kings District D. In District C, Fijalkowski, a Shawsville resident, said he feels his experience in law enforcement has prepared him to begin tackling board of supervisor matters. He spent 25 years as a trooper and retired in 2007. He then worked for a Virginia Department of Transportation contracting firm before eventually becoming a consultant with the same firm. During the time I was a trooper, I wasnt permitted to run for this particular office because of the fact it would be a conflict of interest with the sheriffs office, Fijalkowski said. When I heard Gary Creed was going to be leaving, I thought this would be a good opportunity. Milton said he feels the board needs some younger and fresher blood. Hes also the grandson of former longtime supervisor, the late Joe Stewart. Milton, who lives between Shawsville and Christiansburg, said hed like to raise the profile of his district more. He also said some bank closures and an abandoned motel in downtown Shawsville are issues that he would like to improve. Id like to see us become more recognizable in the county, he said before later adding that the county needs to continue maintaining and upgrading its school infrastructure. Montgomery County is kind of a victim of its own success. We are expanding faster than our school system can keep up with. East, of Elliston, and the service manager at Highway Motors Inc., said he brings a strong work ethic built by his experience in the trucking industry. I want to have a strong voice for District C, East said. I want somebody thats wiling to be able to go in, take up the calls and fight the good fight. In District A, Perkins, a longtime board member whose first term began in 1998, has said she plans to run for another term. Perkins is being challenged for the Democratic nomination by financial planner and former mechanical engineer Sara Bohn. Bohn, who lives just outside Blacksburg town limits, said she wants to tackle local education, business and environmental issues. She said one of her goals is making sure teachers are not underpaid. I think its time for new leadership, Bohn said. I have been waiting for Annette to retire for the last three cycles, and I expected her to retire this time. The more I found out about what our District A need are, I said Ok, this makes sense now and I want to do it. Perkins couldnt be reached for comment for this story. The county Democratic Party has scheduled a primary on June 10 at the County Government Center to decide its District A nominee. King, a Republican, who couldnt be reached for comment for this story, plans to seek re-election, but is so far unopposed. The county A, C and D district school board seats will also be on the ballot this year. Incumbent District D board member Jamie Bond plans to seek re-election. Though previously considering leaving the board, recent talks of future projects within the Christiansburg school strand led to a change of heart, said Bond during the boards meeting Tuesday night. She said thats made her realize that maybe my works not done, so I am running, Bond said. In March, the county Board of Supervisors voted against advertising a 2-cent tax rate hike meant to speed new school construction, which prompted county schools Superintendent Mark Miear to suggest looking at alternatives to new buildings for the Christiansburg schools slated to be replaced. With Bonds announcement each of the three members with expiring terms have declared their intentions. School board chair Gunin Kiran said she would run again to represent District A in December, while board member Joey Lyons of District C announced in January he would not seek re-election. According to the Montgomery County registrars office, no other candidate has yet filed for the upcoming school board elections. The deadline to file the paperwork, as well as the 125 signatures needed to run, is June 13. Staff writer Travis Williams contributed to this story. Donald Trumps national security team (NSC) is in process of scrapping Barack Obamas plan to withdraw from the Middle East. But it accepts two lessons learned from the Bush and Obama experiences: First, large combat troops will not change the regions political/strategic landscape; and second, a small, specialized military presence is essential to prevent Russia and Iran from dominating the Persian Gulf region and the Arab countries to the west. Hundreds of Special Forces were sent to northern Iraq last year to support Iraqi troops battling to oust ISIS from its stronghold at Mosul. Others recently joined Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters in their drive to dislodge ISIS from its capital, Raqqa. To the south in Yemen, U.S. aircraft and Special Forces are ready to support Saudi and UAE (United Arab Emirates) fighters battling Iran-backed Houthi insurgents and restore a pro-west government to power. The NSC has persuaded the president that Iran is the major threat to U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, among them Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and also Yemen and potentially Egypt. Iran expects to install an allied government in Iraq, when U.S. forces eventually leave. Russias 2015 intervention in Syria greatly increases its influence in the Near East, and Vladimir Putin recently hosted a visit by Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, to highlight their collaboration. Many Americans question why Trump is sending more troops to the Middle East when Barack Obama, supported by public opinion, decided that the U.S. had no vital national interests in the region that warranted keeping troops there. He also rejected a plan to send several thousand troops into northern Syria to carve out a safe zone for refugees. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior officials favored the idea. Has public opinion now shifted on the Middle East? Probably not, bit the political/strategic climate there surely has. That reality convinced not only Trumps NSC team, but also prominent Democrats to believe the United States should not abandon its responsibilities in the region. But what are these responsibilities? Are they vital national interests that require U.S. forces? Proponents argue that if America doesnt stay engaged in the Middle East, Iran and Russia will exercise political and economic domination in the region. In this view, Iran would subvert Arab governments in the Gulf States and eventually force regime change in Saudi Arabia. Yemen is part of this scenario. To the west, Vladimir Putins Russia would consolidate its stake in Syria by adding troops and air power to shore up Basher al-Assad and extend its influence to neighboring Lebanon. Those who believe the United States no longer has a vital stake in the Middle East think Trump should not be adding forces and should instead withdraw its troops and rely on diplomacy and economic sanctions. Their argument is that America is now not dependent on Persian Gulf oil and doesnt need the Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain to protect its flow. They think the oil-rich Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have autocratic governments that couldnt survive without American arms and security guarantees. As for Russia, they argue that Moscow should deal with Syrias ongoing civil war and take the lead in fighting ISIS in Syria. Proponents of withdrawal overlook the crucial importance of Israel and Turkey in Americas long-term strategic interests. Few believe that Israel, faced with an Iran moving to incorporate Persian Gulf countries into its sphere of influence, would not take military action against Iran. This could be dangerous and costly for Israel, but its government would view this as its survival interest. It might calculate that Washington would be forced to join if Iran retaliates against Israel. Another key factor is Turkey, a NATO ally with the strongest military in the Middle East. If Washington decides not to stay involved militarily in the region, Ankaras current leadership would likely make its peace with Moscow and deny Washington use of key bases in Turkey. Trumps major reason for increasing U.S. involvement in the Middle East is this: to ensure that Russia and Iran will not decide the future of the Middle East without full U.S. participation. Well soon know how many additional Special Forces will be needed to achieve that objective. Nuechterlein is a political scientist and author who lives near Charlottesville. E-mail him at nuechtd@cstone.net Saudia Airlines on April 6 launched regular direct flights from Jeddah to Port Sudan in Sudan. Port Sudan marks the carriers second new route for 2017. The first flight between two cities is carried on an A320 aircraft with a capacity of 132 seats. The plane landed Port Sudan International Airport at 16.20 local time and welcomed with a water cannon salute followed by a reception at the airport. The first flight between Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Sudan was started with the first flight of Saudi Airlines from Jeddah to Port Sudan in 1947 with 27 passengers and one weekly flight. Today, Saudi Airlines flies 16 weekly flights from Sudans capital; Khartoum to Jeddah and 10 weekly flights from Khartoum to Riyadh, and according to the operational results, more than 562 thousand guests traveled between the Kingdom and Khartoum during the year 2016 and the carrier is expected to carry 712 thousand passengers in 2017. Business News Norway Police Neutralize Explosive Device Arrest Suspect | RobinsPost News & Noticias Norway Police Arrest Suspected ... "We had no reason to suspect him of being anything else than what he said he was." The man was arrested on Monday, Moe said, declining to say whether a specific ... 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Read More OSLO, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Norway police arrested a Russian man at the airport in the arctic town of Tromsoe and charged him with flying a drone, they said on Saturday, marking the second such ... Read More OSLO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Norwegian police on Monday arrested ... suspect was involved in a research group that worked with Norwegian government agencies on "hybrid threats" linked to "Arctic ... Read More Police in Norway have arrested a Russian man at the airport in the Arctic town of Troms and charged him with flying a drone, they have said, marking the second such arrest in one week. Read More OSLO Norway police arrested a Russian man at the airport in the arctic town of Tromsoe and charged him with flying a drone, they said on Saturday, marking the second such arrest in one week. We ... Read More Business News Australia Resource Export Earnings To Rise To Record A 215 Million Government | RobinsPost News & Noticias Business News has updated its listing of WAs biggest resources ... government is any guide, it is close to finally getting under way. The governments Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF ... Read More Experts say Australia could create a $30 billion industry by converting its world-leading lithium sector into a battery processing powerhouse. Read More The new government ... million) for Southeast Asia. Australias economic plight has been worsened by months of rain that has flooded much of the countrys southeast, hurting farm export ... Read More Australian retailers recorded a ninth straight month of increased sales in September, indicating the nations cashed-up households are so far coping with rising interest rates and accelerating ... Read More The Albanese government is set to provide $600,000 to the program with the aim to eliminate single-use plastics on Australian beaches. Sky News Australia discussed the issue with Boomerang ... Read More THE Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) said the countrys earnings ... annual total export value. For next year, the Department of Trade and Industry said the government ... Read More Revenues of $3.6 billion, up 4% year-over-yearNet Income of $164 million; Adjusted EBITDA of $372 millionDiluted Earnings per Share of $1.17, or ... Read More Range Resources Corp. (RRC) on Monday reported third-quarter net income of $373.1 million. On a per-share ... But theres a big of good news. Try 1 month for $1 ... Read More Range Resources Corp. (RRC) on Monday reported third-quarter net income of $373.1 million. On a per-share basis, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company said it had profit of $1.49. Earnings ... Read More Business News Somalia S New Army Chief Survives Car Bomb That Kills 13 | RobinsPost News & Noticias A powerful car bomb ... al-Shabab. Somali army spokesperson General Abdullahi Ali Anod on Tuesday reported that government forces and local fighters are completing preparations for new operations ... Read More MOGADISHU A car bomb and shooting ... Jubbaland regions administrators who work from the hotel. Mohamed Nasi Guled , Jubbalands deputy chief of police, said on Somali National Television ... Read More The new police boss will take over from slain Banadir police chief Farhan Qarole, who died last month in a bomb ... in Somalia [ATMIS] is fighting against Al-Shabaab in central and southern Somalia. 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 MOGADISHU A car laden with explosives rammed into the gate of a hotel in center of Somalias port city of Kismayu ... Please try again Three new beauty products we tried this week. Read More U.S. forces coordinating ... who had been attacking Somali National Army forces around Buulobarde, Somalia, about 135 miles from Mogadishu, according to a news release from U.S. Africa Command. Read More Most army bases are usually the target. Just like in the recent battles, the situation was salvaged by armed local militia who joined the fight. Fundamentally, it's the local militia who were first to ... Read More U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia, about 218 km north-northwest of Mogadishu ... Read More Somalia Car Bomb, Shooting Hits Kismayu Hotel ... an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the gate of the port city's Tawakal Hotel. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group said it had ... 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 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 Economy News Post Brexit Trade Deal With India Worth Extra 2 Billion To British Economy | RobinsPost News & Noticias The prospect of an agreement with the US, once put forward as the greatest post-Brexit prize, has all but vanished, while Suella Braverman complicated a pending deal with India by lashing out at ... Read More Mumbai, the beating heart of Indias booming economy. The UK is exporting ... not be any new formal deadlines set for the post-Brexit trade deal. Boris Johnson first promised a trade deal ... Read More Post-Brexit, one of the big prizes in UK trade talks ... on a rushed deal that they might regret. "India certainly might do well to be cautious about striking a pact with a British government ... Read More Home Secretary Suella Bravermans claim that Indian migrants are the largest group who overstay their welcome in the UK could derail Britains post-Brexit trade deal with New Delhi. Read More In 2021, India was Scotch whiskys 8th largest export market by value worth ... Brexit Britain when the economy is on a downward spiral and the government in constant turmoil, the Indo-UK trade ... Read More Ministers called on the government to 'produce a document' explaining the national, regional and sectoral effect of new trade agreements. Read More India's space economy is likely to be worth nearly ... turnover of USD 4.6 billion by 2025, followed by ground segment at USD 4 billion, satellite manufacturing at USD 3.2 billion and launch ... Read More The launch services segment was pegged at USD 600 million in 2020 Indias space economy is likely to be worth nearly USD 13 billion by 2025, with the satellite launch services segment set to ... Read More Health News It S Not Like Other States High Cost Alaska Sits In The Eye Of Health Reform Storm | RobinsPost News & Noticias State taxes in Alaska are the lowest in the U.S. Marathon Petroleum did not reply to emailed ... Those and other costs mean Speer is giving away gas at these high prices when someone makes a ... Read More The virus causes cold-like symptoms in most people but can have more severe effects on children and the elderly. Read More Its the first time in over three decades that overall inflation accelerated at a faster rate than medical costs. It might not last long. Just like gas, groceries and used cars, the cost of ... Read More The Alaska Department of Health Weekly COVID-19 and Influenza Update has been updated with data from the week of October 23 October 29, 2022 and can be viewed here. Key Findings: COVID-19 ... Read More In their sixth annual meeting to mull over the cost of medicine, the state's top healthcare ... do not see this crowding out effect of more and more of their paychecks or their revenue going to health ... Read More Kaiser Family Foundation survey reports average cost for an employer-provided health increased just 1% this year. Read More Iowa candidates for the U.S. House and Senate say health care issues are a priority but they differ on policies such as expansion of Medicare. Read More (News 4 & Fox 11) A doctor's visit may get more expensive next year and, like the cost of gas, food, and other ... cost may not go up as much as you think. The Silver State Health Insurance ... Read More Politics News Australia Moves Closer To Free Trade Talks With European Union | RobinsPost News & Noticias We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can ... Read More Dalliances with distant and divergent America, India, and Australia have ... of the UK-EU trade expected to be lost. European integration, scale and proximity made free trade and free movement ... Read More The UK and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have formally launched talks on a free trade deal, against a backdrop of political ... the GCC and the European Union. Read More BRUSSELS The European Union on Friday moved one step closer to establishing a cap ... a big step," he told CNBC. The political support from all 27 heads of state means that, in the coming ... Read More Unsuccessfully so as of recent in Australia. A recent attempt to rush through a workplace agreement and pay deal has been stalled by the Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Shop Distributive ... Read More Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile Kishida will make the first visit to Australia by a Japanese ... signed in 2007, Kyodo News reported this week. Read More Subscribe to Zero on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Long accused of being a laggard on climate action, Australia in September passed its first binding emissions reductions target ... Read More German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democratic Party are considering a push to revive talks on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the US, Der Spiegel reported. Read More Germany on Thursday hosted a meeting with representatives of the European Union and several European ... the people who flee to us from war and political persecution," German Interior Minister ... Read More To round up everything thats going on, the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast crew tries to rank the electoral significance of some of the biggest stories in the news right now. They also ask ... Read More Potus News Trump Only Time Will Tell On Improving Us China Trade | RobinsPost News & Noticias A speech by EU Council head Charles Michel scheduled to be broadcast at the opening of a major Chinese trade fair was abruptly cancelled due to wrangling over censorship, diplomats told AFP Tuesday. Read More Science News California S Drought Is Over But The Rest Of The World S Water Problems Are Just Beginning | RobinsPost News & Noticias Theyre creating another set of problems. Everts said it makes no sense for water agencies ... covers breaking news in California with a focus on wildfires, drought and climate change. Originally ... Read More Cloud seeding research proves the practice can increase snowpack by 3-10%, but can't be seen as a drought cure yet ... Read More 8-year-old 'Lawnbuster' helps his community conserve water 03:44 SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- The past three years have been the driest on record in California ... s giving back to his community one drought ... Read More Federal water supplies in the California city of Coalinga could be all used up by the end of 2022 due to pressure from drought conditions, and it could push the city's budget to the brink. Read More Officials with the California Department of Water ... drought has made much of Californias landscape more vulnerable to wildfires. Some climate scientists believe the latest drought isnt ... Read More Californias ... drought, our water triples and quadruples in price. I It costs you four times as much and youre still trying to put it on a crop that youre competing with the rest of the ... Read More A drought-stricken small town in Central California says it is set to run out of water in a matter of ... 2,000 percent and everything's just fine.' Concerns over that kind of 'drought ... Read More Water rights can be there as a tool to be able to manage supplies through not just a drought ... Northern California, theres a similar conflict underway in Southern California over how ... Read More is also beset by drought, threatening its ability to supply farmers and cities around the U.S. West. State officials say they expect Californias water supply to decline by 10% over the next two ... Read More The water supply for Coalinga (population: 17,252) will dry up in two months. The city's only water source is an aqueduct managed by the federal government. With California in a drought ... Read More You can subscribe to Grists weekly newsletter here. Reports of low water ... over the last few years have made it seem like hydropower is becoming less reliable. Last summer, officials in ... Read More Travel News Travel With The D To Cuba | RobinsPost News & Noticias Since President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would ease diplomatic relations with Cuba, the number of people looking to travel to the ... and even before the news, American interest ... Read More David Goodhue/dgoodhue@miamiherald.com Two high-ranking Biden administration officials will travel to Havana ... She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from City, University of London. Her work has won awards ... Read More IT'S like a tune from a vinyl record being played all over again but for Cuba, the lyrics that call for an end to the over-60-year blockade by the United States must continue to be heard. The ... Read More And, in future, travellers will have to decide between travel to Cuba or easy access to America. But is there confusion over the date of travel? Yes. The US State Department insists that the ... Read More Id certainly recommend booking ahead of time! Before renting on Airbnb became a popular way to travel, Cuba did it first. Called casas particulares, these private homes have long ... Read More Old Havana is one of the BEST spots in Cuba. Written by a local, our ultimate Old Havana Cuba guide shows how to explore this neighborhood. Read More After raising controversy by hiring hundreds of Cuban doctors, Mexicos president appeared ready Friday to anger critics again by announcing plans to buy crushed rock ballast for a tourist train ... Read More Gay couples have begun to get married in Cuba under the countrys new Family Code. It came into effect at the beginning of October after a vote in September, which ... Read More "The Black Alliance for Peace along with this coalition calls for the immediate end of the blockade, but further than that, calls for the demilitarization of the whole hemisphere," says writer and ... Read More Brides Lisset Diaz Vallejo, left, and Liusba Grajales travel in a taxi to the notar office to get married in Santa Clara, Cuba, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. The couple, who ... Read More A new study by travel money specialist FairFX found that ... compared with six months earlier. Cuba is a destination worth dodging at the moment, as the pound is down 16 per cent on the Cuban ... Read More There are few places in the world that wholly match your pre-trip daydreams of them but Cuba most certainly will ... valid for 30 days travel. Read More Travel News Travel Sights Of Wonder Draw Visitors To Georgia S Cumberland Island | RobinsPost News & Noticias Looking for weekend family getaways in Georgia that everyone can enjoy? It can sometimes be difficult to find things that will entertain children in different age ranges, but dont worry there are ... Read More LOVE Island star Georgia Steel made sure ... It is all about balance - I travel a lot with my job so I love trying cuisines in different places - Im definitely a foodie. Read More The fall shoulder season is arguably the best time of the year to travel Here s a list of three places that are perfect to visit as the pages of the calendar turn and the weather becomes crisper ... Read More Taking to Instagram, Georgia pulled down the waistband on her trousers to draw attention to her tiny ... It comes as Georgia and Love Island's Tasha Ghouri were reportedly 'inseparable' best ... Read More Autumn is traditionally a time that falls between peak and off-peak seasons for travel when summer tourism crowds dwindle, and theres a respite between the rush of warm weather travel and wi ... Read More The pool deck and Perfect Storm waterslides on the Wonder. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean International's Wonder of the Seas is a behemoth of a ship. It measures 210 ... Read More Editor's Note Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations ... a growing number of amazing places to eat, and some of the best nightlife in ... Read More Visitors came to Hong Kong mainly for overnight stopover, family visits, business trips or other essential travel needs. Cumulatively, Hong Kong recorded about 250,000 visitors from January to ... Read More When you are planning a getaway it can be pretty hard to stay up to date with all of the latest offers and experiences out there. Luckily for you, weve picked out the most exciting travel ... Read More The Dominican Republic's Margaritaville Island ... applicable for travel happening between Nov. 1 and Jan. 2, 2024. The Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana is part of the Karisma Hotels ... Read More Whats the Future of Travel - The Link Between Sustainability & Profitability. Its panel will include Ivan Esklidsen, Panamas Minister of Tourism; Pierfrancesco Vago, executive ... Read More Celebrating the cruise lines Italian heritage, specialty restaurant Sabatinis Italian Trattoria has been delighting millions of Princess Cruises guests with real Italian tastes since it first debuted aboard Grand Princess in 1998. Nearly 20 years later, Princess Cruises today unveiled a fleetwide enhancement to its signature restaurant in collaboration with acclaimed Italian Chef Angelo Auriana. Introducing a fresh new design and menu featuring antipasti and handmade pasta dishes from Chef Auriana, as well as family recipes curated from Italian Princess executive chefs across the fleet, the transformed Sabatinis Italian Trattoria debuts aboard Caribbean Princess following a multi-million-dollar drydock. Recognized as one of the Best Specialty Restaurants at Sea, the Sabatini locations on Caribbean Princess and Grand Princess will offer the new inspired menu this April, with the newly refreshed menu coming across the fleet in the coming months. Chef Auriana, Executive Chef and partner at the authentic Italian restaurants, The Factory Kitchen and Officine BRERA, in Los Angeles, is inspired by fresh Northern Italian flavors and childhood roots from his hometown of Bergamo. Chef Auriana relies on using old world grains like buckwheat and durum that gives semolina the signature pale yellow color and high-protein strength necessary to hold the shape of house made pasta. Non-traditional ingredientslike mint and marjoramare also infused to showcase Chef Aurianas contemporary flair. Offerings include: Picagge - marjoram-infused long pasta, white prawns, clams, artichoke pesto, ligurian olive oil Tortelloni - mint-speckled pasta, roasted lamb, pecorino crosta nera, cacio e pepe sauce, broccoli rabe Pappardelle - wide ribbon pasta, celeriac, nebbiolo-braised beef cheek Risotto - vialone nano rice, beets dolce latte, gorgonzola, pistachios Torchietti - whole wheat pasta, foraged mushrooms, rosemary oil In my hometown of Bergamo, Italy, I was born with an appreciation for the beautiful flavors of Northern Italy that I love to incorporate into my cooking, said Chef Auriana. Now Im pleased to share that appreciation through delicious new Sabatinis menu items made fresh daily and served exclusively onboard Princess. More Princess chefs hail from Italy than any other country and their family favorite recipes are featured on the new menu, including: Roman Seafood al Cartoccio - grouper, shrimp, black mussels, scallops, potato, artichoke Porchetta - rolled pork belly toscana, fennel seeds, potatoes, spinach, roasted tomato Breaded Veal Vallet marjoram roasted potatoes & artichokes, sun-dried tomato, provolone The re-envisioned Sabatinis Italian Trattoria features a new interior design that reinforces the fresh dining experiences that await guests. A contemporary look reflects the innovative efforts of the Princess culinary staff, while rustic touches serve as a reminder of the traditional Italian specialties that always have been a Sabatinis hallmark. A superb all Italian wine menu, iconic Italian cocktails, and Limoncello liqueurs are available to complement the menu. A $25 per person cover charge includes a four-course dinner, plus dessert. Sabatinis Italian Trattoria will soon feature pasta making classes for guests, with more details coming soon. Travel News Travel Oregon Vortex May Be State S Weirdest Spot | RobinsPost News & Noticias Travel Oregon partnered with the states nine federally recognized tribes to create the Travel Guide to Oregon Indian Country. The guide features descriptions and locations of tribal ... Read More With nearly a month left until the November election, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is joining local leaders Tuesday to discuss security surrounding the states vote-by-mail system and to condemn ... Read More Regardless of Vortex on the Wabashs fate, Gibbens envisions a time when high-school students will create and work on community projects. I foresee a time that schools will give students a ... Read More Five years of college, three years as Oregon States starting right tackle, a degree in hand, earned him the right to move on. Yet after reflection following the Beavers LA Bowl loss to Utah ... Read More This week in travel: some of the destinations in Asia with the most strict Covid policies are finally reopening, an annual ranking of the world's coolest neighborhoods provides inspiration for ... Read More Editor's Note Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations ... the No. 1 designation has not gone to a spot in New York City or London. Read More With prices that high, it's a good idea to protect your wallet in the event of an unforeseen event or emergency. That's when travel insurance ... traveler information (state, country, citizenship ... Read More The insurance company will then review it and determine if it's approved ... and may give you financial peace of mind, as well as allow for safe and healthy travel," the agency says. The State ... Read More Gulbransons touchdown pass was completed with a great catch by West Salem graduate Anthony Gould, who went up and grabbed it in the end zone for a 17-yard score. Oregon States offense was ... Read More Musgrave suffered a knee injury during the final minute of Oregon States 35-32 win over Fresno State on Sept. 11. Musgrave has not played since, and OSU coach Jonathan Smith told The Oregonian ... Read More With a 4th-and-8 situation in Stanford territory, and a chance for Stanford to ice the game, Oregon State's Ben Gulbranson found Silas Bolden in the corner of the end zone for the score. Read More Editor's Note Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations ... Although it may seem like the pandemic is so last year, there are still ... Read More Us News Sons Of Guns Reality Tv Star Will Hayden Convicted Of Raping Two Girls In Louisiana Faces Life In Prison | RobinsPost News & Noticias LOUIS The family of murdered St. Louis reality TV star Andre ... that his life meant so little to you is hard to understand, Ross said. Norman was convicted by jury of two counts of murder ... Read More A Duson man will spend life in prison after he ... request Brown be sent to the Louisiana State Penitentiary as quickly as possible. Brown, now 32, was accused of raping the girl in 2019 in ... Read More A fired Spokane, Washington, police officer convicted of raping two women while on duty has been sentenced to 14 years to life in prison. Nathan Nash, 38, was sentenced Thursday, KREM-TV reported. Read More A man said to have been considered a father figure to a young girl has been convicted of sexually assaulting her in two counties ... victim. He faces 65 years to life in prison at his ... Read More A former Spokane police officer convicted of raping two women while ... is headed to prison, multiple news outlets reported. Nathan Nash, 39, was sentenced to 14 years to life in prison on ... Read More LOUIS (AP) Relatives confronted the man who fatally shot a former star of the St. Louis-based reality TV show Welcome ... for the charges was life in prison, but the prosecution and defense ... Read More were not life threatening, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said. There could have been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men, Leeper said at a news conference Monday. William Hale ... Read More Two men are in custody in connection with a mass shooting at a Louisiana fraternity house that ... indicated that nine people sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, though that number ... Read More A man who fatally shot a former star of the St. Louis-based reality TV show Welcome to Sweetie Pies has been sentenced to 32 years in prison ... he was convicted last month of two counts ... Read More Us News Cops In Wisconsin Manhunt Plan To Keep Close Eye On Churches Places Of Worship | RobinsPost News & Noticias Six people died in an apartment fire that ignited early Friday morning in Wisconsin ... the Hartland Police Department said in a news conference. First responders were met with a large ... Read More Six members of a Wisconsin family found dead after an apartment ... appeared to have died by suicide, Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko told reporters. Misko said investigators also found evidence ... Read More "The family was successfully located in Wisconsin." Days earlier, Fremont police issued a release and held a news conference asking the public for information about the family's whereabouts. Read More Officials say a woman thought by police to have been killed by her husband along with her four children who were found dead after a fire at their Wisconsin apartment ... Read More The ASP is currently undergoing medical examination and will be allowed to join his family as soon as he is confirmed fit by the police medical doctor. Like us on Facebook to see similar ... Read More Hartland police said at a news conference. Several people have died in a deadly fire at a Hartland, Wisconsin, apartment building, Oct. 21, 2022. An "active criminal investigation" is now underway ... Read More The Rev. Aaron Strong of Grace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ... parked cars at about 9 a.m., the Milwaukee Police Department said in a news release. Strong, 40, was taken to a hospital ... Read More That was true in the 19th century when the police were first organized as a civil ... thrust into civilian life without an opportunity to plan, anticipate the future, or heal. Read More Police say the six people found dead after an apartment fire in a southern Wisconsin village last week ... 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events ... Read More At least six people were taken to the hospital and two people died following a crash and vehicle fire in Wisconsin Wednesday morning. As of the time this story was published, local news outlets ... Read More World News U S Soldier Killed Fighting The Islamic State In Afghanistan | RobinsPost News & Noticias An American aid worker was gunned down in Baghdad on Monday, officials said. Millennium Relief and Development Services, a Texas-based international aid group, confirmed in a statement that one of its ... Read More We didnt get these individuals out as we promised, and now its coming home to roost, said Michael Mulroy, a retired CIA officer who served in Afghanistan, adding that ... Read More Afghan special forces soldiers who fought alongside American troops and fled to Iran after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal are being recruited by the Russian military to fight in Ukraine. Read More Afghan special forces soldiers who were trained by the U.S. and fled after the U.S. withdrawal are being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine. Read More The Russian recruitment follows months of warnings from U.S. soldiers who fought with Afghan special forces that the Taliban was intent on killing them. Read More KABUL, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Taliban security forces killed six Islamic State ... called on Afghanistan's Taliban government to release five people the U.N. says were detained during a news ... Read More An American citizen who was hired by the U.S. military to be a translator in Afghanistan ... killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 Afghan civilians. The criminal complaint did not name the two Islamic ... Read More U.S. officials are not saying whether Russia is reaching out to former Afghan commandos and offering them money to fight in Ukraine. Read More BOSASO, Somalia (Reuters) -The U ... killed dozens of people, including officials and soldiers. Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected by lawmakers in May, has promised to take the ... Read More NABLUS, West Bank (AP) Israeli forces raided a stronghold of an armed group in the occupied West Banks ... soldier and several attempted attacks, the army said. The five men killed in ... Read More Over the past seven years, 280 military retirees have sought federal authorization to work for the United Arab Emirates far more than for any other country. Read More World News Topics Mexico Growing Less Pessimistic About Trump Presidency | RobinsPost News & Noticias Mexico had been willing to receive only migrants from some Central American countries expelled from the U.S. The Biden administration is expanding an authority used during the Trump administration ... Read More Mexico President Says Discussed Migration, Security and Development With Biden MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he discussed migration ... Read More Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador holds a news conference ... South American fans bite their nails over World Cup chances - and inflation, article with gallery Macro Matters ... Read More Former President Donald Trump will have to decide how to handle ... is doing very badly A laughing stock all over the World?" He has not yet said what his formal response will be. Read More Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador holds a news conference, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Romero MEXICO CITY, Oct 18 (Reuters ... Read More The committees members, seven Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans ... former President Harry Truman after he was out of office. He ultimately did not comply. Fox News' Chad Pergram ... Read More Billionaire investor Thomas Barrack testified Monday that his friend Donald Trump's presidency was "disastrous" for his business. Barrack made the comment while testifying in his own criminal ... Read More Four past presidents received such demands. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill unanimously voted on Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump ... Read More Outlooks grew more pessimistic amidst growing concerns about weakening demand ... Democrats with the midterm elections looming in less than three weeks. Recent polls have shown the economy ... Read More 24 (UPI) --After blossoming throughout the weekend into a strong Category 3 hurricane, Roslyn made landfall in Mexico ... World News // 1 day ago U.S. sanctions Haitian Senate president for ... Read More Mexico national soccer team fan Hector Chavez, also known as Caramelo, poses with a replica of the World Cup trophy in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Read More Mexico national soccer team fans pose with a replica of the World Cup trophy in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The World Cup tour kicked off in May in Dubai and ... Read More Diyarbakir, which is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey, welcomes Radisson Blu hotel brand. The latest Turkish addition to the Radisson Blu family brings a new standard of excellence to Diyarbakir. With a prime location in the citys new business district, Radisson Blu Hotel Diyarbakir brings an upper-upscale, stylish hospitality experience to Diyarbakir. Situated on the banks of the Tigris River, the city of Diyarbakir has recently enjoyed significant expansion, thanks to quickly growing industry and business opportunities. Diyarbakir acts as a regional headquarters for several national companies and is the second most important industrial city in this region of Turkey. All 167 guest rooms and suites have a warm, contemporary design and include free, high-speed WiFi. Theres also a choice of rooms to suit every traveler, from Standard, Family and Superior Rooms, or for more spacious accommodation, a range of suites with stunning panoramic views are available. The signature 155-square-meter Presidential Suite adds a more decadent touch and provides the opportunity to relax in style while at Radisson Blu Hotel Diyarbakir. The hotel is conveniently located in the citys business district Kayapnar. The citys airport is just 6 kilometers away. Mark Willis, Area Vice President, Middle East & Turkey, The Rezidor Hotel Group said, Convenience is at the heart of this hotel. The hotel has a first-class location, with easy access by rail or road, and is the closest hotel to the airport. We believe the accessibility factor, combined with the appeal of an iconic international hotel brand, will drive strong demand from domestic and international travelers. The hotels Hevsel Restaurant delivers a fusion of global and regional flavors to offer guests a unique dining experience. The restaurant also serves up the Radisson Blus signature Super Breakfast with an abundant choice of breakfast options providing a healthy start to the day. The City Cafe & Bar offers drinks and light bites, and guests can take in the great views of the city from the bars rooftop terrace. The spa and treatment rooms provide guests with a chance to unwind. The hotel also has a fitness center and indoor pool. The flexible meeting and events space provides the ideal venue for all occasions. The spacious Mezopotamya Ballroom can host conferences for over 500 guests or private social functions. The five meeting rooms covering 784m, located on the mezzanine floor, provide the space to host recreational get-togethers or more formal business meetings. Mustafa Eryilmaz, General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel, Diyarbakir, says, The Radisson Blu Hotel, Diyarbakir is delighted to open its doors and we look forward to delivering the greatest of international upper upscale hospitality experience to our guests. The hotel is a welcome addition to the city of Diyarbakir. Its accessibility to Istanbul, Ankara, Kayseri, Sivas and Malatya means we are truly gearing towards building one of the largest footprints in upper upscale hospitality across Turkey. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered military hospitals to treat the injured. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. security forces had searched the church and surrounding areas for additional explosive devices. A visit of Pope Francis is scheduled to Egypt in weeks. The pontiff is to visit the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the grand imam of Al Azhar. Many ISIS claimed attacks in recent months targeted Christians in the country. Christians are about 10 percent of Egypts population, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Jihadists and Islamists accuse them of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem. UPDATE: After the first attack, at St Georges Church in Tanta, where 26 were killed and at least 70 injured, a suicide bomb attack occurred outside Saint Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria: 11 killed and 35 injured. In Alexandria, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that police assigned to St. Marks stopped a terrorist with an explosive belt from breaking into the church. Along with civilians, a policeman, a policewoman and other police staff were killed. Coptic Church Pope Tawadros II was inside the Church when the blast happened. He was not injured. Both attacks were claimed by ISIS using Amaq news agency. After President Donald Trump welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Washington and stressed his support for Cairo, a meeting Saturday between Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and a US congressional delegation led by US Rep. Darrell Issa addressed Egypts counterterrorism efforts and adopting a strategy to fight terror and encourage religious tolerance and acceptance of others. Of all the vacations you'll ever take, your honeymoon is probably the most anticipated and ambitious. Whether you're planning a luxurious beach stay or a nature-filled adventure, newlyweds look to experience that once-in-a-lifetime escape. To help newlyweds plan the perfect trip Booking.com compiled a list of unique and romantic honeymoon destinations that are sure to fit every newlyweds' criteria. All of these destinations are approved by Booking.com's 'young couple' customers, 95% of whom recommended them to other travelers. 1. Udaipur, India Udaipur is often said to be Indias most romantic city. Right at its heart lies the glassy blue surface of Lake Pichola, a man-made lake that gives the city an ethereal and peaceful presence. Perched on either side of the lake are two grand and beguiling structures, Lake Palace on one side and City Palace on the other. Take a romantic boat trip across the lake and admire the beamingly bright saris of the women washing clothes on the ghats. Then enjoy a rooftop dinner with a backdrop of glittering lights reflected on the water. 2. Barichara, Colombia A captivatingly little town in northeastern Colombia, Barichara is cherished as a historical relic. Guests travel all over to experience the peaceful town and admire the well preserved Spanish colonial architecture. Hilly, cobbled streets are lined with trees and flowers, while the buildings feature terracotta roofs and whitewashed walls. Dont miss the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception blending into the warm-colored landscape in all its splendor. 3. Palm Cove, Australia A peaceful alternative to the well-known Port Douglas, Palm Cove is blissfully romantic. Pick a secluded spot on the long, white sandy beach and watch the sun set over the calm waters with the sounds of the rainforest behind you. For honeymooners willing to venture out of their paradise cocoon, visiting the nearby Great Barrier Reef is an experience you will never forget. 4. Akaroa, New Zealand This little sheltered harbor town on the Banks Peninsula is a fine example of the kind of breathtaking rugged scenery New Zealand is known for. In contrast to its dramatic volcanic surroundings, the town itself has a sleepy and distinctly Gallic feel thanks to its history as a 19th century French settlement. Spend the day swimming with dolphins and relax at night on the rustic wooden pier while you take in the sweeping views and serenity of honeymoon-worthy destination. 5. Collioure, France Collioure, France is an inspiring and romantic provincial fishing village that has inspired the likes of artists like Henri Matisse. Rolling hills of vineyards slope down to this charming town sitting on a tiny bay. Complete with a waterfront castle and church, this town is perfect for lovers. Enjoy romantic strolls along the pebbly beach and through the local market to pick up some fresh baked goods and produce. 6. Delft, Holland The historic, town of Delft is astonishingly picturesque. Known as the hometown of Dutch painter, Vermeer and for its own distinctive blue and white porcelain, its ideal for a tranquil and romantic city break. Stroll through its intimate and infinitely attractive, leafy canals and stroll over charming old stone bridges. 7. Monsaraz, Portugal The hilltop village of Monsaraz has spectacular panoramic views out over the Alentejo region. Good food is a staple in this town, so expect many delicious, rustic meals with some of the areas abundant fine wines. Pack a picnic and enjoy while gazing out over the olive groves, vineyards and rolling green hills. 8. Trebon, Czech Republic An enchanting town of Renaissance and Baroque houses in South Bohemia, its surprising that Trebon isnt on the international tourist radar. An area of great natural beauty, the landscape is perfect for romantic walks, dotted with lakes and wetlands that are home to a variety of flora and fauna. The towns castle provides a fairytale setting, along with the cobbled main square lined with pastel-coloured houses boasting Baroque facades. Suspected suicide bombers struck two Egyptian churches on Palm Sunday, killing more than 40 people, according to reports. Islamic State reportedly claimed the attacks on the St. George church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta and St. Mark's cathedral in Alexandria. At least 27 people were killed in the Tanta bombing. In Alexandria, at least 16 were killed in an attack on the seat of the Coptic Orthodox church there. The bombings come less than a week after the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met the U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, where he was praised for his efforts to fight terrorism. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Argentina is the second largest country in South America and the home of the tango, some of the worlds best beef and reputable with producer of fine wines. There are many more reasons to plan a trip to Argentina but today we would like to share with you two new reasons that make it more attractive. First, Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, famous with its award-winning low-cost long-haul flights will launch flights to the South American country. And second, Argentinian government announced some incentives for all international tourists. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will establish a unit in Argentina with 10 Boeing 737 narrow-body jets by the end of this year and expects to transport between 2 million and 3.5 million people in its first full year of operations in the country. The carrier has applied for an air-operating certificate from authorities in the South American country and is now seeking rights to serve domestic routes there. The network would link up with planned flights to Buenos Aires from cities such as London, Paris, Barcelona, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm using Boeing 787 wide-bodies. Norwegian Air formed an operating company at the beginning of 2017 to found a network in Argentina after earlier extending its discount model from European short-haul flights into North Atlantic operations. Argentina's domestic airline industry is currently dominated by state-owned Aerolineas Argentinas SA [AERA.UL] and Chilean Latam Airlines Group SA. Long-haul bus routes connecting the country's major cities and tourist destinations remain a popular form of travel. Since taking office a year ago, Argentine President Mauricio Macri has pledged to attract international investment to boost the economy and improve the country's transportation infrastructure, including airports. In September, the government said it would invest US $1.39 billion to modernize the country's airports in part to boost passenger capacity. Additionally, the government of Argentina announced on January 2nd that all international tourists planning a visit to the South American nation will receive a direct and automatic reimbursement of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from their hotel and lodging stays across the country. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has handed over a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to the team of "Begum Jaan", backed by Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. The Vidya Balan-starrer, mostly shot in the state, will also be made tax free in Jharkhand, said an official on Sunday. "Mahesh Bhatt met Chief Minister Raghubar along with Vidya Balan. Chief Minister has directed officials to make the movie tax free in the state," an official told IANS. The official said that the Chief Minister offered Vidya to become brand ambassador of Jharkhand, and Vidya accepted the offer. A large part of the film's shooting took place in Jharkhand. As per the state's film policy, the Chief Minister handed over a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to the team. Bhatt, Vidya and other team members are here to promote the movie. Two policemen were killed in a gunfight with Maoists in Jharkhand's Simdega district on Sunday morning, the state police said. According to the police, Bano police station in-charge Vidyapati Singh and constable Tarun Burali were killed in the gunfight with the Maoists. The police were patrolling when the Maoists began firing on them, officials said. Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand. A 19-year-old German tourist was robbed and injured in a blade attack here by a rickshaw puller and his accomplice, who were both arrested within a day after the crime, police said on Saturday. The youth is being treated at a hospital. The incident took place around 11.30 p.m. on Friday in north Delhi's Kotwali area when Benjamin Scolt hired a rickshaw near Chandni Chowk metro station to go to a bus terminal to catch a bus for Amritsar, a police official said. He said the rickshaw puller took a wrong route, convincing Scolt it was a short cut, picked up his accomplice on way and robbed Rs 8,000 cash and a mobile from him after attacking him with a blade. The attackers identified as Rizwan and Raj Kishore, in their 30s, were arrested from their hideouts in east Delhi's Brahampuri. The German youth informed police that he hired the rickshaw around 10.30 p.m. but had doubts about the rickshaw puller who continued to take him along for over 45 minutes before reaching an isolated place where he was attacked and robbed. Police said that the rickshaw puller took a detour near Geeta colony flyover claiming that it was a short cut. "The rickshaw puller stopped midway to pick up a man informing Scot that he was his friend. He then took the rickshaw towards Yamuna Khadar under the flyover where they tried to snatch the foreigner's valuables. The youth resisted after which the rickshaw puller attacked him with a blade. "The victim managed to free himself and reached the flyover where two people crossing the area in their car helped him, informed police and took him to the hospital," another police official said. The officer said that a police team recovered the victim's bag and his passport from the spot but the attackers till then managed to escape from there. The tourist was taken to the nearby Hedgewar Hospital where he is being treated. The German Embassy was notified. A police officer who refused to be named said the attackers were arrested after the questioning of more than 50 persons in the area. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had sought a report on the attack and asked the Delhi government to provide best medical treatment to the German, congratulated Delhi Police for their fast action in nabbing the accused. The voting for the parliamentary by-elections in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Gandarbal officially started at 7 a.m. but very few voters came out to exercise their democratic right. In Srinagar, a very little voter turnout was seen in Amira Kadal, Batmaloo, Sonawar, Eidgah, Habba Kadal assembly segments in the morning. The authorities said the process was expected to pick up as the day warms up. In Gandarbal district, no voter turned up at the Haran, Bamloora and Dudrhana polling stations. In Kangan segment, very few voters were seen at the polling station. No queues of voters were seen in the Chadoora assembly segment. Some voters came out to the polling station in the Beerwah assembly segment of Budgam district. Separatists have called for a boycott of these polls. More than 200 companies of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 25 companies of police have been deployed throughout Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, where the 15 assembly segments comprising the constituency are located. A total of 1,261,397 voters are eligible to exercise democratic right for which 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Ruling Peoples Democratic Party candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan is challenged by former Chief minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. Although there are nine candidates in the fray, the contest is mainly between Khan and Abdullah who is the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress. The voting in the parliamentary by-poll would end at 5 p.m. and the counting of votes would take place on April 15. Authorities have suspended all internet services in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Gandarbal where voting is scheduled on Sunday for the parliamentary by-elections. Both mobile internet and fixed line broadband connectivity were suspended in the three poll-bound districts which constitute Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency. The authorities refused to confirm the suspension of the internet connectivity on record. Sources told IANS that the suspension has been enforced to prevent separatists and rumour mongers from disrupting the polls. The voting in the parliamentary by-poll would begin at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. A total of 1,261,397 voters are eligible to exercise democratic right for which 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to secure the poll staff and polling stations. Ruling Peoples Democratic Party candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan is challenged by former Chief minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. Although there are nine candidates in the fray, the contest is mainly between Khan and Abdullah who is the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress. Three people were killed when security forces opened fire on mobs attacking polling stations and poll personnel in Budgam district where by-election for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat is being held on Sunday. While two died in firing at Dalwan village of Charar-e-Sharif assembly segment in Budgam, another died in Beerwah in the same district. The security forces' firing came after a violent mob attacked the polling station at Dalwan village and damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. "Security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," police said here. Mobs also torched a bus and damaged EVMs at a polling station in Beerwah and elsewhere in Budgam, police said. The voting turnout was a poor 5 per cent till noon after polling started at 7 a.m in Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts. At least 2,61,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar-Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Nine candidates, including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, are in the fray for the seat. Close to 82 per cent votes were cast in the Kanthi Dakshin assembly by-poll in West Bengal on Sunday. "As per reports received, close to 82 per cent polling has been reported till 6 p.m. But the figure will go up, as we are yet to receive reports from all the parts," a source in the state Chief Electoral Officer's. Polling was peaceful, police said. The ruling Trinamool Congress nominated former Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya as the party candidate for the constituency in East Midnapore district. The seat had fallen vacant after the party's sitting legislator Dibyendu Adhikari was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tamluk seat in a by-poll last year. Bhattacharya had lost from Dum Dum (North) in last year's assembly polls. Over 2.07 lakh voters, including around one lakh women and one belonging to the third gender, were eligible to choose their representative from among five candidates The Left Front nominated Uttam Pradhan of the Communist Party of India (CPI), while Sourindramohan Jana and Nabakumar Chanda were contesting on BJP and Congress tickets respectively. There are 258 polling stations. Six companies of central forces, and around a thousand state police personnel were deployed to ensure free and fair polls. A retired college professor, his wife, daughter and a relative were found dead at their home here in Kerala, police said on Sunday. While three bodies were found in a charred condition, another mutilated body was found wrapped in a bag in their home, located a stone's throw away from the residences of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and eight of his cabinet colleagues. The son of the couple, Kedal Jaison, 30, who resides in Australia and was here since some time is reportedly missing. Police are treating him as a suspect. The deceased were identified as Professor Raj Thankam, his wife Jean Padma -- a retired medical superintendent of the General hospital here, their daughter Carol -- a medical student, and aunt Lalitha. Police said the neighbours on late Saturday night saw smoke coming from the house and the fire brigade was alerted. It was only after the fire fighters came and doused the fire that they discovered the bodies. Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham, who visited the crime spot, told media that the bodies were in a decomposed state and it was surmised that they were killed three-to-four days ago. The post-mortem would have to be done at the spot by forensic experts, he added. A relative of the family told media that Jaison had informed them that his parents have all gone for a tour and would not be back for a week. Meanwhile, the police said they had received information that someone was seen running away from the house on Saturday night and they believe that it was Jaison. The Crime Branch of the Odisha Police has begun an investigation into an incidence of communal violence last week in Bhadrak town where the curfew was reimposed till Monday morning. The prohibitory orders in the town were initially relaxed from 8 to 11 a.m. on Sunday. The hours were extended until 12 noon to facilitate people to purchase essential commodities. The curfew was reimposed later and will remain in force till 7 a.m. on Monday, said a police officer. Around 35 platoons of police forces have been deployed across the town to avoid any untoward incident. Chief Minister Patnaik said two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) would be sent to Bhadrak. Patnaik, who attended the Inter-State Council Standing Committee meeting in New Delhi, said that he discussed the Bhadrak issue with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and he has assured the state two companies of the RAF would be sent. Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has begun the probe into the alleged offensive remarks on Hindu deities on social media that led to unrest in the town on Thursday and Friday. "The crime branch probe has started into the alleged offensive remarks and rumours on social media. The Crime Branch cyber cell is investigating the WhatsApp data. The group admins have been asked for providing the data," told Crime Branch Special Director General B.K. Sharma. He also said stringent action would be taken against the persons behind it. On Saturday, the police detained 35 people in connection with the clashes. At least eight civilians were killed and scores injured in firing by security forces as mobs tried to attack some polling stations in Srinagar parliamentary constituency that on Sunday recorded a poor seven per cent voting in a by-poll-the lowest in the state in three decades, officials said. As the day began with small queues of voters outside polling booths, slogan shouting mobs attacked polling stations in Budgam, damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising their franchise. Security forces tried to disperse the crowds with warning shots initially and opened fire at them when they didn't relent, a police officer said. Seven persons were killed at three places of Budgam district and one in Ganderbal, where protestors clashed with security forces. "The security forces opened fire to protect the polling staff," the officer said, alleging that mobs tried to storm many polling stations and destroy EVMs. The seven per cent voter turnout is the lowest in 27 years in the state. The constituency had in the 2014 general elections recorded 26 per cent turn out. The by-poll was the first after the 2016 unrest, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July last. Over 100 people were killed in five months of the unrest -- the worst in six years of the troubled valley. "It was an unfortunate day. Over 100 security personnel were injured. The turnout was 7.09 per cent," Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told media persons. He also said that re-polling will be held at 100 polling stations that witnessed early closure due to violence. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was the worst poll-related violence he had seen in his 20 years of political career. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen this level of violence in elections in Kashmir," Abdullah tweeted. Abdullah hit out at the state government over the violence and accused Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of failing to provide a conducive atmosphere for voting. "Mehbooba Mufti is responsible for this situation. There is mismanagement," he said. Security was stepped up after separatists extended shutdown call till April 12 -- election day in south Kashmir, the authorities also decided to suspend the internet services and postphoned the university examinations scheduled. The stakes were high for opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and ruling Peoples Democratic Party's Nazir Ahmed Khan who were the main contestants in the constituency. In all, nine candidates were in the fray. A record 80 per cent turnout in bypolls to Karnataka's Gundlupet and 76 per cent in Nanjangud (reserved) assembly constituencies on Sunday. "About 80 per cent of voters exercised franchise in Gundlupet and 76 per cent in Nanjangud by 5 p.m. The percentatge is likely to go up, as many voters were in queues in some booths when poll timing ended officially at 5 p.m.," state Chief Electoral Officer A.K. Jha told reporters here. In the April 2013 assembly elections, polling percentatge in Gundlupet was also a record 87.05 and in Nanjungud, it was 77.59. Barring stray incidents like voting being held up due to glitches in the EVMs in some booths and poll boycott in a village in the Nanjangud segment, the bye-polls were peaceful in both the segments amid tight security. Though the polling process began at 7 a.m., voting only gathered momentum during the day and turned brisk after 3 p.m. despite the weather being hot and humid. A 94-year-old woman died at her home on return from a pooling booth after casting her vote at Hangala village in the Nanjangud segment, said police. In another incident, about 700 voters boycotted polling in protest against lack of basic amenities in their village (Mahadevanagara) in Nanjangud. "The electorate were not willing to exercise their franchise in protest. Some of them, however, went to a polling booth later and voted," said Jha. The bye-poll for Nanjangud (Scheduled Caste) in Myusuru district has been necessitated by the resignation of former Congress lawmaker and Revenue Minister Srinviasa Prasad, who is re-contesting on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. The ruling Congress has fielded K. Keshavamurthy, who lost to Prasad in the 2013 assembly elections as a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) nominee. Ten more candidates, including Independents are also in the fray. Keshavamurthy was seen casting vote sporting the party symbol on a shawl he was wearing, which is a violation of the model code of conduct, as he was within 100 metres radius of the polling booth. The bye-poll for Gundlupet in the adjacent Chamarajanagar district has been caused due to the death of Congress lawmaker and Cooperation Minister H.S. Mahadeva Prasad on January 2. The ruling party has fielded his widow Geetha against C.S. Niranjan Kumar of the opposition BJP. Seven more are also in the fray. The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) has not contested in the bye-polls, ostensibly for the reason that the next assembly elections are a year away in April 2018. Nanjangud has 2,00,498 voters and 236 polling stations while Gundlupet has 2,00,821 electorate and 250 polling booths. Vote count is on April 13. Over 77 per cent polling was registered for the Dholpur Assembly by-poll in Rajasthan on Sunday, an official said. "Till 6 p.m. tentatively around 77.26 percent of the 1.91 lakh voters had cast their votes," a state election department official told It was slightly lower than the over 80 percent reported in the 2013 state assembly elections. The polling started at 7 a.m. across 231 polling stations, and continued till 6 p.m. Enthusiasm among voters was high and since early morning voters were seen queuing up in front of polling booths. Young and first time voters were particularly excited to cast their votes. Dushyant Singh, Member of Parliament and son of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, and his wife Niharika Singh also cast their votes. Security was tight and 67 polling stations were identified as critical where extra security arrangements were made. "Polling went on peacefully," said a district administration official. There were some issues of EVMs not working properly but it was rectified soon. The by-poll for Dholpur Assembly seat was necessitated after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Banwari Lal Kushavah was disqualified after he was convicted in a murder case last year. The counting will take place on April 13 when the fate of 15 candidates will be decided. The main contest is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's Shobha Rani Kushavah, wife of the convicted BSP leader, and Congress party's Banwari Lal Sharma, a former minister. The by-election is a prestige issue for both the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and this can be gauged from the fact that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje herself, state president of the BJP Ashok Parnami and her cabinet colleagues, have spent days in the constituency to woo voters. Similar was the case with the Congress whose senior leaders, including state president Sachin Pilot, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and leader of opposition in the state assembly Rameshwar Dudi, campaigned extensively in the constituency to garner votes for their candidate. In the 2013 assembly elections, the Congress suffered one of its worst defeats in the history of the state, winning only 21 of the 200 assembly seats. The BJP swept the polls, winning 163 seats. The BJP presently has a strength of 160 and Congress 24 in the House Find out final information before heading to the polls Tuesday As the 2022 midterm election day is finally upon us, here's where Saline County citizens can find out where to vote. Dear Editor, Why do the Police driving and escorting the Head of State feel it necessary to drive at such high speed, in the middle of the road, tooting at drivers to move off the road practically running other traffic off the road? It is absolutely dangerous to the general public as they seem to come out of nowhere to unsuspecting drivers (and pedestrians) who have to quickly pull off the road. No disrespect to the HOS but this is so unnecessary. The road is wide enough to accommodate all traffic so there is no need for this reckless and dangerous driving. The Police should set the example and ensure the safety of all including His Highness by driving according to the speed limit and with consideration for other road users and pedestrians. The other issue is that its like anyone who is not anybody is escorted by Police with lights flashing etc. Two days ago morning at the check in are at the airport, they escorted some people who came for a justice or court meeting and they did the same thing. When they got to the departure terminal area, there were cars there in front of passengers for the flight. The Police got the loudspeaker and told them to move their cars! These people were just delegates for a meeting that was held here maybe Judges (so what!). The point is that the Police should not be above the law they should be enforcing. Alice Prominent New Zealand-based Samoan lawyer, Leuluaialii Olinda Woodroffe, has written to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, to raise her concerns about the outbreak of typhoid fever among the Samoan community in Auckland, New Zealand. She has urged Tuilaepa to act immediately to avoid the outbreak reaching epidemic proportion in Samoa like it did with the Spanish flu. The letter, dated 6 April 2017, follows the death of a Samoan woman in Auckland from the typhoid. The Sunday Samoan understands a number of Samoans are among the people confirmed with typhoid. This is cause for alarm, according to Leuluaialii who had personally called Tuilaepa to speak to him about the issue. I confirm that my call to you as Prime Minister of Samoa is to make you aware of the possibility of an outbreak of Typhoid in Samoa, as there is an outbreak in New Zealand and the 15 victims of the outbreak are all Samoans in Auckland, Leuluaialii wrote. The lawyer said that the Samoan woman who died had typhoid infection and other health issues. The family were never told that the deceased woman had typhoid until the media release was issued after the funeral." I am seriously concerned about a possible outbreak of typhoid amongst Samoans including Samoans in Samoa who may have come to New Zealand to attend the funeral and returned without knowing that they are infected." Even if no one came from Samoa, we have people travelling to and from New Zealand to Samoa, and some Samoans who are now infected may bring the disease to Samoa. Leuluaialii accused the Auckland Regional Public Health Service Clinic of being negligent. In my view, there has been a clear negligent act by the Auckland Regional Public Health Service Clinic in not letting the members of the family of the woman who died; and in not letting members of the church that she had her funeral service at; and in not informing the public to be vigilant and take extra care, because there is now an outbreak of typhoid, which is serious. We can deal with this issue later." Suffice to say, however, that my call is to alert you of a possible outbreak of typhoid in Samoa, and invite you to alert and inform people of Samoa and the medical profession in Samoa to be on alert, to be vigilant and seek help immediately to prevent the spread of this serious disease in Samoa." Prevention is better that cure. We do not wish to see an outbreak, as Samoa experienced in the past with the Spanish flu. Leuluaialii said she would also write to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Bill English, to express the same concerns. On Friday, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, assured that there is no outbreak of typhoid in Samoa. Leausa also confirmed the Ministry of Health has not had any official communication with Health officials in New Zealand. The only information we have gathered is from the New Zealand media where it states that one Samoan woman has died in a Auckland hospital due to typhoid, he said. No details were given but from what the Auckland public health officials are saying through the media is that they feel it is a local (Auckland) outbreak. Leausa said they have written to the New Zealand IHR Focal Point for details on the deceased woman, but they have yet to receive any information. We havent seen any reports on the deceased travel history or any documentation of her travel to Samoa before we can link it to contracting typhoid while here in Samoa." Even now we dont have a name to start off with." So we need more facts before we can comment whether she got the disease while travelling to Samoa or to another place. So far, Leausa said there is no formal warning for Samoa on the outbreak in New Zealand. But they will inform us as usual if they know the index case is from Samoa. Leausa also used the opportunity to advise Samoan people travelling to New Zealand especially to the affected areas where the outbreak has occurred to be alert. Those who have been treated were from Mt Roskill, Manurewa and Blockhouse Bay, at this stage." We are not sure of the scope of the outbreak so extra precaution should be exercised when travelling to these affected areas." Basic hand washing, good personal hygiene, drinking clean and safe water is the best prevention and protection. Mailelani has come up with a new product development strategy for their branded coconut oil. Mailelani Samoa is internationally known for its unique original organic coconut oil skincare that comes with a refreshing scent. Last week they revealed a new development. Sylvie Salanoa, one of the owners for Mailelani Samoa, said they have come up with a solution to avoid the coconut oil becoming hard like butter when the weather is too cold. All these years we hear customers say, I love coconut oil but its annoying because it goes hard, she says. Twenty-three degrees is not that cold, its still warm but now we are going into the dry season, you know how its getting cooler and in the morning, the bottles are all like that." All these years, the oil can be annoying for people when that happens so what weve been wanting for many years is to have a bottle where you can put a spoon inside to make it easier to use the oil and so finally after all those years, we were able to make a bottle." Its our own bottle with the name Mailelani. The idea is that clients can put any standard spoon in the bottle. " Its a new shape. You know because Mailelani products are in shops everywhere in Samoa, we thought its good that we say officially, so that when people go in shops they understand because they are used in seeing the old bottles and now its going to be this type." The fun thing about it is we changed the shape because coconut oil solidifies below 23 degrees, it goes hard like butter." So the idea is this, if you are in overseas or live up the mountain, you can take a spoon, any standard spoon and you can spoon the oil from inside the bottle and that makes people happy because now they can still use their oil." This needs to come out because we feel sorry for the people; they always say that the oil solidifies." Until now, they have to put it under the hot water; some people put it in the microwave." Sylvie said that Mailelani Samoa is the first to offer this solution to this problem. Its a problem anywhere in the world." Its very particular with coconut oil so the other special thing is; the spoon is made by Loto Taumafai." They were really happy to cooperate with us." And thats one of the things Mailelani Samoa is known for, making use of Samoas resources to create their products. This is the first and nobody has done it before." Mailelani try to make things that are from here, made in Samoa, made by the people in Samoa and we try to import as less as possible but because this is a product for international standards so of course there are no bottle factories in Samoa." So only the things we cannot find in Samoa that we bring it." People asked why dont you do this and do that but its because we want to use what we have here so usually its very simple." The oil comes from Savaii and we designed the bottle. You cant buy the bottles like these." The factory made it just made it for us so they cant sell it to somebody else because theres our name underneath." These are all simple products but we try to make it here so thats why the spoon." Sylvie Salanoa went on to say that this new development wont affect the price for the coconut oil. It would not affect the price." The whole idea is for people to know that there is a solution now to the problem; to give a solution to the client to use the oil without being annoyed with it." A lot of people are using the Mailelani oil so its good to let people know about the new change. A solution where you can scoop your oil if it becomes hard." So theres a spoon for that, so its up to people if they want to buy one or not." Two students have made history by being the first Samoan youth to be awarded prestigious fellowships by the Sir Peter Blake Trust in New Zealand to take part in the Sir Peter Blake Youth EnviroLeader Forum (YELF) in New Zealand this month. Both students are columnists for the Samoa Observers weekly Newspapers in Education feature. They will represent Samoa at the week-long forum to be held in Auckland from 18-24 April. The programme is fully funded and is run in partnership with the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment. Quenjule Slaven, 15, is a student at Saint Marys College. She is the founder of an after-school reading/maths programme for child vendors who do not attend school for financial reasons. I am so excited and over the moon. I feel very honoured and blessed to be selected for YELF. Thank you so much for such a great opportunity for my country and I hope to learn as much as I can to help others especially the youth in Samoa to be advocates in climate change. I am also looking forward to participating in field trips and exploring New Zealand, which is such a beautiful country and meeting other kids my age and making new friends she said. Jorim-Paul, 16, is a student at Fa-atuatua Christian College. He is the Head Boy of his school and helps teach under-privileged children how to read. Jorim-Paul founded a group called the Envirobassadors where he and his peers go around rural villages picking up trash. Jorim-Paul has also been involved in clean-ups throughout Samoa. I am so happy that I have been selected for the conference. This is a conference that I really wanted to attend. I am most looking forward to seeing and learning about New Zealands native plant and animal life and how they are surviving in a growing, modern city he said . Slaven and Phillips will join a group of 60 high school students from New Zealand and the Pacific who are represented by Niue, Cook Islands and Samoa and will come together to learn about our ocean environment. Conservation International (CI) through the Ocean Health Index Programme, supported the call for applicants from Samoa, in partnership with the Samoa Observer Newspapers in Education feature. We received some very strong applications from our students in Samoa, and it was very exciting to see so much interest from our young people. This is the first year that Samoa has been part of YELF and we were proud to support this process to ensure high calibre representation from here, said Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Oceans Manager for C.I. Samoa. The focus of this years forum is oceans; with an emphasis on marine pollution, ocean biodiversity, marine protected areas and ocean health. Students will leave YELF equipped with the skills, knowledge and a strong network of young environmental leaders ready to create change across New Zealand and the Pacific. The delegates will be challenged to develop leadership skills and strategies to address environmental issues within their schools and communities, as well as having fun and making life-long friends and connections. Sir Peter Blake Trust CEO, Shelley Campbell, says the programme is a transformative week for the students YELF brings together students from all over the country for a week long experiential learning opportunity. Its amazing to see how much they develop in one week and this is just the beginning of their journey with us. They arrive with a passion for the environment and leave with skills, knowledge and confidence to lead change in their communities. Our ultimate hope is that in time these young people step up to make changes. The health of our oceans are complex issues and we need to start upskilling our young people now. They are the ones who will ultimately address them, says Campbell. Over the week the students will have the opportunity to be involved in range of activities, including: Learning about marine conservation at Goat Island the Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland Developing leadership and teamwork skills for two days with the Royal NZ Navy Taking part in a microplastics lab looking at facewash and the effects on the environment Media workshop with leading media and science communicators Visiting Orakei Marae to learn about Kaitiakitanga, including iwi sustainability initiatives and guardianship of oceans Visiting Rotoroa Island to learn about biodiversity, habitat and marine animals During the week the students will hear from Sir Peter Blake Trust alumni, Ministry for the Environment staff, local and national politicians, subject experts, scientists and community leaders. YELF students are eligible to be part of the Young Blake Expedition voyages to the Kermadec or Sub-Antarctic Islands. If someone is in need, lend them a helping hand. Do not wait for a thank you. This is precisely what happened when a Good Samaritan couple from Australia, who wished to remain anonymous, came to the Samoa Observer with gifts of food, supplies of utensils and tarpaulins in response to a Village Voice story, which featured Tiatia Reupena of Faleasiu. When the Village Voice visited Tiatia Reupenas family, her husband was trying covering up the other side of the house with thatches. To be honest, with the state of the house we have, wed rather live in anyones kitchen with the roof covered than living here, she said. I dont know when this rain is going to stop because the longer it rains the more problems we have here at our home. The floor of the fale is not cemented. Cardboards are used as mats. The utensils are very basic. We have no money at all to build a better house, she said. This moved the anonymous couple who said they felt the need to help once they read the story. Im from Faleasiu and weve been following a lot of stories that you guys do, she says. So when I saw that it was someone from my own village and area, I showed it to my husband and we wanted to do something. The Australia-based couple were here to see their families and despite how busy they were, they still managed to find the time to do a lot of shopping for Tiatia and her family. So we come home every year and so for us, we were like whats the point of coming? she asked. We come to see our families and also putting back into the Samoan community so instead of holidays anywhere else, we come home. When we saw the photo we were like, we got to do something. We need to do something. The anonymous couple donated, hoping this would help this family with what they need. Petelo Mika Reupena, Mrs. Reupena husband was still working on the house when the Samoa Observer Team arrived with the donation. When presented with all the gifts from the anonymous couple, Petelo was just speechless, smiling away. Petelo was overwhelmed and he appreciated everything that was given. On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the amazing couple who has shown love to us and donating so much more than we deserve. When asked about where Mrs. Reupena was, he said she went with the children to get some food. Thank you so much and God bless. It began yesterday with Palm Sunday that recognizes Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem leading up to His Resurrection this Sunday. It is observed in many Christian churches as a time to commemorate and enact the suffering and death of Jesus through various observances and services. Samoa is no exception and at many churches yesterday, children and youth groups, old and young were seen acting Jesus final entry to Jerusalem while waving palm branches during morning services with shouts of Hosanna! At the Congregational Christian Church at Nofoalii, their Sunday School echoed Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord while heading inside the chapel with praises and choral voices announcing the arrival of Jesus. A father-of-two from Faleasiu, Fesolai Paulo told the Samoa Observer that helping the children to understand the meaning of this season, is a must. Raising our kids to follow Jesus Christ must come first from us; the parents, he said. For parents are the first teachers. As a father, it is such a blessing to have the opportunity to raise my children and take them to Sunday School for them to grow in wisdom and learn God's word. Im happy to see them carrying their palms to church this morning knowing that they have to commemorate what Jesus did for everyone on the cross. He went on to say that As parents we must also understand that when we raise our children, they must see us consistently putting Christ first in everything we do. Not only that, but to pass on a spiritual heritage that your kids can pass on to their kids, for Jesus is the only one that died to save us from our sins. We all know the end of the story; He is the only Way, Truth and Life. What is important for us to remember is what happened and why, and it's our sin that put him on the cross. At the village of Leauvaa, young and old were seen and heard walking from the other side of the village towards the chapel while singing in remembrance of Jesus entry to Jerusalem. A number of bidders are said to have expressed interest in leasing the abandoned Desico Samoa factory at Vaitele. This was confirmed by a senior officer of the National Provident Fund (N.P.F.) of Samoa in an interview with the Samoa Observer last week. Yes there are numbers who have shown interest and we are now working on our report because this has to go through the Board before further action, the official said. The advertisement for the factory property went out on the 24th last month. The advertisement read: VAITELE PROPERTY FOR LEASE Factory Building on circa 1 & acre property and the building Space is circa 23,439 sq.ft. All machinery cleared. It was in 2005 that the government first opened the multi million tala facility at Vaitele. At the time, the then Minister of Finance, Misa Telefoni said the production plant leased by Desico Samoa from the N.P.F. was an investment for contributors and the coconut industry. But last year, when a former Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, Papalii Panoa was asked about the wasted millions that had gone into the deserted production plant, he said the project was done out of good intentions. The project was based on a feasibility study done by a local consultant group and the World Bank, he said. He also claimed that some of the millions N.P.F. invested, could be recovered by the sale of the three acres of land and buildings. However since the opening 12 years ago, there has been a string of failed business ventures at the ill-fated property. As for the machines used by Paradise Coconut Oil Ltd, it is not clear if they were subsequently sold in order to recoup at least some of the 3.7 million tala investment from the N.P.F, but it was reported that they were removed from the property last year. They included storage tanks and processing machines and were taken to a shed belonging to Papalii. One of the workers at the time, claimed the machines were dusty but they were still functional. Papalii told the Samoa Observer at the time that the owner of Paradise Coconut Oil Ltd, Tupuola Afa Lesa had contacted him to ask if he could simply store the machines. In an interview with the present Minister of Finance Sili Epa Tuioti last week, he appeared to caution and even criticise decisions made by N.P.F. He said, It is important that the N.P.F. be quite diligent in their decision-making in deciding who to lend to. You know Desico Samoa is understood to be an N.P.F. owned company, so the question really, is, should N.P.F. be in the business of operating or making investments and things that it doesnt have the skills and the expertise to manage? Obviously I think whether its the Development Bank or N.P.F. we should not be spending money on those projects unless were absolutely sure that theres no risk, and that we will be able to get that money back and that it will generate profits that will enable us again to make sure that our contributors to the Fund will receive benefits for that investment. Its important for the fund to ensure that it undertakes a very robust risk analysis, whatever the project is that they want to be part of. Obviously they want to make sure and decide whether based on that due diligence, (whether they) just lend the money to somebody whos going to run that business on the clear understanding that business is going to make money and will be able to do it, and only participate or be part of the ownership of the company. If they are absolutely sure, thats going to add value to the government, its the government thats going to be doing well, to be profitable. Not only that theyll get their money back, but that they will also get money on their equity so the dividend will help our people. So they need to be very selective if there are people in the private sector who can do it, (then) allow them to do it while N.P.F. should back off. As part of its community engagement last week, the Samoa Returnees at Vailima partnered up with the private sector to provide a fun day for Aoga Fiamalamalama pupils. The Top Cuts Barber 684 was on hand to give free haircuts while refreshments were prepared by Scoops Ice Cream and Delights. The 28 students, teachers and parents also got a chance to relax, watch movies and enjoy refreshments before their end of term activities. It was also a great opportunity for the students to explore an outside world away from classroom. Vernon Mackenzie, Manager of Samoa Returnees said that this outreach was for them to give back to the community in this case, Aoga Fiamalamalama We wanted the kids with special needs to feel special and to look handsome and beautiful for their prize giving on Friday before they take a break from this year first term and the upcoming Easter holidays. This is our way of saluting the amazing work of Aoga Fiamalamalama and their beautiful staff. This has been done before, but our members wanted to give back to the community. We are humbled and honored to have them visit us, entertain us with their songs and dances and fellowship with our staff and returnee members. Sese Patu, a teacher of Fiamalamalama thanked the Returnees for the opportunity for the students to visit spending their time away from school even if it wass just for one day. On behalf of our principal, staff and the students we want to extend our sincere gratitude to the Samoa Returnees for this great opportunity not only for the students but for us their teachers as well. This is so different from every day as we spend all our time inside the classrooms but this is a well worth visit for us all. The students enjoyed what they have been doing and we hope this initiative will continue in the future for the students to learn new things away from school. Four children aged from 13 15 have suffered physical and sexual abuse in the homes and at school, as reported to the Samoa Victim Support Group in a period of one week. Three of the four children are now under court Protection Orders and as minors, SVSG has to apply for court protection on their behalf. SVSG has become their voice. For the physically abused children, severe injuries were sustained. For the sisters who were sexually abused from within their homes, the injuries run deeper, and are a cause of great concern. Three of the children are now under SVSGs shelter care including the two sisters. Counseling is provided while the case is with the Police. In all four cases, it was not the children who reported the matter to S.V.S.G. simply because they were afraid, but those outside of the family who showed that they cared. There was a principal who chose not to turn a blind eye to visible signs of abuse on one of his students; a Church Minister who saw injuries on a child being abused by not just one, but three teachers from a College; and an S.V.S.G. village representative was suspicious of the change he noticed in two young girls, once so vibrant and full of life, yet now withdrawn and lost. Strangers became the voice for these abused children when they referred the cases to S.V.S.G. for assistance. As the voice of the voiceless, S.V.S.G. has to heard against all the noise and pressure to hide what happened to these children as it refers all the cases to Police and further to the Court when applying for Protection Orders. And S.V.S.G. would not have been able to become the voice of the abused children without the members of community who made that initial call. Thank you for being responsible citizens. SVSG President therefore appeals to members of the public to work together with us in protecting our children. Please, we are just a phone call away. Our 24-hour Help Line is free. Call 800-7874 or our office phone on 25392. Siliniu Lina Chang There is fresh reason to hope that San Diego really can solve its homeless crisis, arresting the moral and political decline that has made us a national disgrace. Having emerged from their silos in business, government and philanthropy, some of the women and men who run the city are gearing up. To be clear, most of the progress so far amounts to talk; lots of great meetings, a few pretty renderings. But thats OK, right? In a democracy, talk is the essential wellspring of action. Advertisement Try telling that to Juanita Broughman, who over 22 years as a resident of San Diegos East Village half of them homeless has become an expert witness to personal catastrophe. Theres got to be a remedy, somethings got to be done, she said Thursday, lecturing from her scooter with all the passion and fluency of a tent city Huey Long. This is like the Great Depression. Broughman is one of the lucky ones. For the last 11 years she has lived in a subsidized apartment under the care of Father Joes Villages, a nonprofit that houses 1,800 people on a given day. Less fortunate was the 81-year-old man who said he was wounded in Korea. After a gentle security guard interrupted a sidewalk nap near the entrance to Father Joes, the old man told me hed been living outside for more than a year. He declined to give his name, explaining that he didnt want to bring shame to his family. Across the street, Sandra Carel sat in a wheelchair. Our conversation wandered in ways that left me impossibly behind, yet I did gather that she was permanently disabled and on a waiting list for housing. Carel was crystal clear about one thing: I dont want to live on the street. Yet thats generally where shes been for three years, off and on. To our great shame, she had plenty of company. Over the last decade, as major cities like Houston have reduced their homeless populations by 75 percent or more, San Diego Countys unsheltered count soared by 58 percent to 4,658 people, according to the latest federal data. Make no mistake, these people are suffering. Homeless deaths have doubled since 2014, with 117 dying without dignity last year on our streets, canyons and parks. The cause is simple. Other cities build and buy modest apartment units, and then hand over keys and offer services to their most vulnerable, disabled people. San Diego has effectively done the opposite. Over the last six years, officials have allowed 10,000 units of its cheapest housing to disappear in violation of city law bulldozed for condos or converted to boutique hotels. For perspective, the citys housing commission has helped fund construction of just 615 new apartments dedicated for the homeless since 2005. Such failures have left San Diego in a deep hole. However, with public outrage building, our leaders may be getting tired of digging. Last week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer proposed to raise hotel taxes, through a November ballot initiative that would guarantee funding for the homeless, expand the convention center and maintain roads. Meanwhile, the citys Housing Our Heroes program of landlord incentives has put 630 homeless veterans (using mostly federal Department of Veterans Affairs funds) into apartments over the last year, and rent vouchers into the hands of 320 more. Its a proven strategy that has worked cheaply and efficiently in other cities. The next step is expanding this beyond veterans, said Stacie Spector, the mayors special adviser on homelessness, who is also pushing to expand a family reunification program and beef up a regional data sharing system. A week earlier, Father Joes unveiled a grand plan to raise $531 million in public and private funding to build and buy 2,000 units for the homeless in five years. Roughly a third would rise downtown as new construction, and the rest from renovating old motels throughout the city. The project faces competition for funding, neighborhood opposition and donor fatigue. Still, advocates now have a bold campaign by a major nonprofit to rally behind. Yet its the private, quiet efforts that could ultimately deliver the fundamental change that San Diego needs. In one prominent example, Peter Seidler, managing partner of the San Diego Padres, and hard-charging businessman Dan Shea have organized executives, academics and philanthropists into a loose network that seems to be steadily expanding its reach. Their short-term goal is finding locations for emergency beds to reverse recent losses. In the longer run, they want to understand and improve the entire private-public ecosystem that serves the homeless. This couldnt be more ambitious. Im optimistic that the homeless problem in San Diego is going to peak and only get better from here, Seidler said last week. There will always be homeless people, but I do believe the city will be best-in-class and getting better in all the significant areas. Theyve enlisted retired accountants to crack the books of county and city government to identify the myriad sources and destinations of state, federal and local funds. They are talking to all three major universities about forming institutes, curricula and internships to train future leaders of key nonprofits and government agencies. In the private equity world, you can dramatically improve outcomes by recruiting top talent, overhauling corporate governance and adopting the best ideas of competitors. Why should caring for the homeless be any different? We have to break this into a thousand pieces and find people who are passionate about every piece and hopefully champion some successes, Shea said last week. To that end, the group is holding private symposiums of experts and decision-makers hosted by the University of San Diego with the support of its president, Jim Harris. Students and faculty of USDs Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate are hatching a project to evaluate property throughout the county for potential to house the homeless. Another goal is to increase philanthropy, in part by better measuring results so the generous can know their dollars are really helping people. Solving the crisis will require both kinds of leadership you see in business and government. Politicians, against all their instincts, must measure their efforts against hard numbers we will house X people by Y date instead of merely boosting funding here, adding staff there, and holding a press conference. Similarly, the private sector will fail if it doesnt respect the public process. You cant jam a homeless project into a community without plenty of conversation. And both kinds of leadership muscle will be required to move the bureaucracies built up over years inside the local institutions that brought us this crisis. One telling example involves San Diegos vacant, former central library, which is among several large locations being evaluated for emergency beds. By way of preface, the search enjoys the full support of Faulconer, the mayor, and Ron Roberts, the citys representative on the county board of supervisors. Over the course of several weeks this winter, city staff came up with four distinct stories about why homeless people couldnt be temporarily housed at the old library. Officials variously said it wasnt insured, lacked sprinklers and had asbestos, impediments that governments fix or waive all the time. But the topper was an alleged shortcoming of load-bearing floors, in a building that held tons of books for decades. The library is still empty. Such creativity in rejecting solutions returns me to the basic point so eloquently espoused by Broughman, the formerly homeless woman who worries about her fellows in blighted East Village. There has to be a cure. Where are these people going to go when this is all redeveloped? she said, waving her hand toward the luxury apartment towers rising above a sea of misery. Dont just tell people whats wrong with them, give them dignity. Its easy to wonder whats wrong with the homeless. But the real question has always been this: Whats wrong with San Diego? Now a few leaders of conscience and courage, inside and outside of government, are asking hard questions, and seeking answers. Business dan.mcswain@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1280 Twitter: @McSwainUT ISLAMABAD, Pakistan says that Russia-sponsored international talks on Afghanistan must involve the United States for bringing peace to the war-riven country, because Washington is the biggest stakeholder there. Moscow plans to host this week (April 14) a new expanded round of multi-nation consultations it has recently launched with the stated goals of developing a regional approach for promoting Afghan security and a government-led national reconciliation with the Taliban. But the U.S. administration has already refused to take part in the conference, questioning Russian intentions and motives. Speaking to a local television station before the Moscow talks, the Pakistani prime ministers foreign policy aide, Tariq Fatemi, stopped short of admitting the absence of Washington will not allow the multi-nation process to achieve its mission. They [U.S] have their troops present [in Afghanistan], they have invested one trillion dollars there, they are the biggest stakeholder, they have lost hundreds of their soldiers, so they have their interests there, Fatemi explained. While Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, China, India were represented in the last round of talks in Moscow earlier this year, former Soviet Central Asian states have been invited for the first time to attend the April 14 conference. We hope and desire that when any such peace initiative will enter into a next stage, America will have to be made part of it, Fatemi told Aaj TV when asked whether the Russian-initiated process could bring peace to Afghanistan without Washington. Pakistan believes Russia is "positively" using its influence with the Taliban to encourage them to join peace talks and Islamabad is supportive of any such efforts, Fatemi insisted. Russia has told us its major concerns are that if civil war conditions are there in Afghanistan, it can become a center for terrorist organizations like Islamic State, or Daesh, who will then try to infiltrate into bordering Central Asian states, the Pakistani official explained. The Taliban's attacks on rival IS fighters in a bid to prevent them from establishing a foothold in the country apparently encouraged Russia to support the insurgent group. But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on April again warned Moscow against maintaining contacts with the Taliban. "Anyone who thinks they can help themselves by helping the enemy of their enemy is mistaken. Anyone who thinks that they can differentiate between good and bad terrorism is mistaken," Ghani said. Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Ghani acknowledged Russia is also threatened by terrorism and sympathized with victims of recent terrorist attack in that country. We have an intense dialogue with all our interlocutors because a stable Afghanistan is to everybodys benefit and unstable Afghanistan hurts everyone, Ghani said when asked whether Kabul plans to attend Moscow talks on April 14. He added he wants Afghanistan as a center of cooperation in all efforts aimed at stabilizing his country. The Russian foreign ministry, while regretting Washingtons refusal to attend the coming talks, had also underscored the United States is an important player in settling the Afghan conflict. So [the United States] joining the peacekeeping efforts of the countries of the region would help to reinforce the message to the Afghan armed opposition regarding the need to stop armed resistance and to start talks, it maintained. Meanwhile, Fatemi said Pakistan has also stepped up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with Afghanistan and is seeking implementation of a proposed mechanism the two sides agreed to in talks last months that were mediated by Britain. The mechanism, he explained, would allow establishment of a channel of communication at different levels between Islamabad and Kabul to help remove any misunderstanding and deal with any terrorist incident on either side of their shared border. Talks [between the two countries] at the Army level and at different other levels are currently underway, and at a final stage, if needed, foreign ministers of the two countries will also engage in frequent meetings, Fatemi said. Afghanistan and Pakistan each deny allegations they harbor and support anti-state militants engaged in terrorist attacks on their respective soils. Tensions have lately risen because of Islamabads unilateral border security measures to prevent terrorist infiltration. Kabul disputes portions of the 2,600-kilometer border between the two countries and is opposed to fencing them, saying it will further add to problems facing divided families. -- Written by Ayaz Gul for Voice Of America The La Jolla mansion where the late David Copley hosted lavish benefits and holiday soirees for San Diegos glitterati has been listed for $7.95 million, real estate records show. Nicknamed Foxhole, the property is among a handful of Copley homes that have hit the market as part of the settlement of his estate. Copley, former editor and publisher of The San Diego Union-Tribune, died of a heart attack in November at age 60. Assets including homes, cars, artwork and household items -- valued at an unknown amount -- have gradually hit the market since his death. Advertisement The Foxhole home, on Virginia Way and Ivanhoe Avenue, is the latest asset for sale. The property was initially a small home when Copley purchased it in the 1970s. It eventually expanded into a roughly 15,300-square-foot mansion after Copley bought and worked in neighboring lots, public records show. It was dubbed Foxhole, inspired by Foxhill, the name of his mothers La Jolla mansion on Country Club Drive. Related: Copley homes, cars to be sold Like Copley, Foxhole made regular appearances in the Union-Tribunes society columns. The house was the site of the former newspaper magnates annual holiday bash. In 1987, he transformed Foxhole into a club for a night, replete with piano tunes, cocktail tables and a dance floor. Among the Whos Who of that evening were Audrey Geisel, widow of Dr. Seuss creator Ted Geisel, and Joan Kroc, the wife of McDonalds CEO Ray Kroc. The four-lot property has seven bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and three half-baths, the listing says. Other features include: high ceilings, chandeliers, fireplaces, a veranda party room and pool courtyard. At least one of eight Copley homes involved in the settlement of his estate has been sold so far, real estate listings show. Copleys vacation retreat in Borrego Springs went for $712,500, below the asking price of $750,000. Five of the properties have been listed with a total asking price of nearly $20 million, based on listing information. Foxhill, the La Jolla estate that belonged to Copleys mother, is expected to hit the market soon. Email me: lily.leung@utsandiego.com | Tweet me: @LilyShumLeung. | Facebook me. | Subscribe to this blog. CITY COUNCILS CARLSBAD The Carlsbad City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive, when it will hold a hearing on a resolution to deny permits for a 20-unit timeshare condominium project at 4509 Adams St.; and hear an update from the founders of Bio, Tech and Beyond, the organization behind the citys life sciences incubator. The council will also consider a resolution authorizing a pilot program to provide peak season lifeguard services and enhanced law enforcement on the citys north beach, costing no more than $300,000. Advertisement DEL MAR The Del Mar City Council will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Monday at Suite 100 at 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd., to hear presentations from regional organizations such as SANDAG and the San Diego County Water Authority, as well as council liaisons to local and regional committees and organizations. ENCINITAS The Encinitas City Council has canceled its regularly scheduled meeting for Wednesday. OCEANSIDE Community workshop April 17 on accessory dwelling units The Oceanside Planning Division will host a community workshop at 6 p.m. April 17 at the Civic Center Library, 330 N. Coast Highway, to share preliminary recommendations and gather public input on revisions to the citys Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance in response to new state regulations. The new legislation reduces regulatory barriers, streamlines approval, and expands capacity of the units to address housing demand and affordability. Contact Associate Planner Rob Dmohowski at (760) 435-3563 or rdmohowski@ci.oceanside.ca.us. SAN MARCOS The San Marcos City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive, when it will consider announcing vacancies on the Youth Commission and the Budget Review Committee, and a resolution for a special assessment for weed control at a property in the 1400 block of Pine Heights Way. The council will then meet in closed session to discuss potential litigation. SOLANA BEACH The Solana Beach City Council is scheduled to meet in closed session at 5 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers, 635 S. Highway 101, to discuss labor negotiations and litigation. In open session at 6 p.m., the council will consider a request for a general plan amendment and rezone to change the designation of a vacant property at 640 N. Highway 101 to open space/preserve; and a request to raise the fees for the summer day camp program. VISTA The Vista City Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Council Chambers, 200 Civic Center Drive, when it will hold public hearings on by-district elections; Community Development Block Grants; amendments to the design guidelines for multi-family development; and a proposal for a 2.75 percent credit card service fee for eligible transactions. SCHOOL DISTRICTS BONSALL The Bonsall Unified School District board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Bonsall Community Center, 31505 Old River Road. VALLEY CENTER The Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District board will meet in special session at 5 p.m. Wednesdayat the district office, 28751 Cole Grade Road. VISTA The Vista Unified School District board is scheduled to meet in special session at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Board Room, 1234 Arcadia Ave., followed by regular session at 6 p.m. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com With summer approaching and a lease soon expiring, the battle over who will control prime charter space at Oceansides harbor could be headed for a final showdown. Helgrens Sportfishing has leased a city-owned dock and office building at the harbor for 39 years, but could be forced out or asked to share the location with a new rival the Oceanside Sea Center when Helgrens lease expires May 5. Both sides are now asking their supporters to write letters, call city officials, and plan to attend an upcoming council meeting to lobby for control of the site. Advertisement We need a show of force, said Joe Cacciola, head of the Sea Center partnership, at a meeting of the 550-member of the Oceanside Senior Anglers club. Meanwhile, a petition on the Helgrens website had 384 signatures as of Thursday in support of renewing the lease that the family-run business has had since 1978. The controversy began last year when the city issued a request for proposals for the harbor space, hoping to generate new competition. The Sea Center a partnership of Cacciola, captain of Sea Star Charters; San Diego-based Chubasco Sportfishing; and the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research submitted a plan to combine fishing charters with educational programs, eco-tours and ocean research. City staffers liked the idea, and the Sea Center was chosen to begin negotiations. Soon after, however, the city reneged on the exclusive offer to the Sea Center, and instead proposed a compromise in which the Cacciola-led partnership shares space with Helgrens. Now nobodys happy. Hes trying to steal our business, said Amber Duff, landing manager for Helgrens. We are willing to share the building and the costs equally. He (Cacciola) is demanding the whole thing. City officials are still trying to work out an agreement, City Manager Michelle Skaggs Lawrence said Wednesday in an emailed response to questions. City staff and the City Attorneys Office have been negotiating with Helgrens and with Oceanside Sea Center and their attorneys since receiving direction from the Harbor Board in September to attempt to accommodate both parties at the harbor, Lawrence said. (The City Council also serves as the Harbor Board.) There have been several proposals and counter-proposals exchanged over that time period, with the understanding that final approval of terms on behalf of the Harbor District lies with the Harbor Board, she said. The latest options will be presented to the Harbor Board before the current lease expires, Lawrence said. Duff said that the initial exclusive offer to Sea Center violated the citys contract with Helgrens, and that the city was forced to withdraw its offer. The city admitted they made a mistake, that they had not read the lease, Duff said Like Helgrens, Cacciola is a long-time fixture at the Oceanside harbor. He subleased dock space from Helgrens from the 1980s until Dec. 31 when lost the lease in the settlement of a multi-year legal dispute over dock fees and other issues. Now Cacciola leases space for his fishing charters from the city at the former Coast Guard dock near the mouth of the harbor. Cacciola has been feuding with Helgrens since at least 1997, when the City Council declined to let him move to his own dock space to compete with Helgrens. Cacciola said last week he just wants the city to stick with its original offer last year to lease his partnership the entire building and dock space. It was an open and fair process, he said. The city gave us exclusive rights to negotiate the lease. Cacciola and Duff both said city officials have declined to disclose to them details its proposed compromise before a report is prepared for the City Council, acting as the Harbor Board. The city has offered an extension of the existing lease, Duff said, but thats unacceptable because the proposed extension requires Helgrens to waive its right of renewal. We would lose our ability to protect ourselves, she said. We want to continue working. An earlier version of the Oceanside Sea Center was proposed in the 1990s, when the Pfleger Institute asked to build a $10 million research center and aquarium as part of the citys proposed $20 million expansion of the harbor. In anticipation of the project, the city approved Pflegers temporary aquarium at the harbor in 1997, and it was installed near the former Coast Guard dock. The institute conducted research on giant seabass, squid and other ocean species there for a time, but the lease eventually expired and today the area is used for storage. Pflegers larger plan was blocked by the California Coastal Coastal Commission because the plan included using part of the beach for parking. The citys harbor expansion was scaled back, but proceeded with fewer boat ramps and less parking. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Oceanside Sea Star Capt. Joe Cacciola was a previous employee of Helgrens Sportfishing and that Helgrens evicted him in a dispute over unpaid rent. Cacciola leased dock space from Helgrens and, after a settlement was reached in a legal battle between the two companies, Cacciola vacated the space when Helgrens declined to renew his lease. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl CITY COUNCILS DEL MAR The Del Mar City Council met Monday in closed session to discuss property negotiations and litigation. In open session, the council held two public hearings, rescheduled from March 6, on shoreline protection work to be done at 2928 Camino Del Mar, which was approved with modifications. The second hearing, about shoreline protection work to be done at 2938 Sandy Lane, was continued. The Camino del Mar Streetscape Plan was discussed and staff was directed to bring the councils suggestions and comments into a master plan covering work from Ninth to 15th streets. A feasibility study for a city police department was presented. The proposal could save the city money and improve public safety, so the council will schedule a workshop for more public input. Advertisement ESCONDIDO The Escondido City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss labor and property negotiations, litigation and personnel. In open session, the council voted 4-1 to oppose SB 54, which would restrict the ability of California law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal, civil and criminal immigration law enforcement agencies. The council also reviewed its draft 2017-2018 City Council Action Plan and discussed ways to accomplish goals of economic development, public safety, fiscal management and community improvement. OCEANSIDE The Oceanside City Council met for a public workshop Tuesday on marijuana legislation, and voted to extend a ban on nonmedical commercial cannabis businesses. It also banned shops from selling recreational marijuana when a new state law takes effect next year. The council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss labor and property negotiations, and litigation. In open session, the council approved amended plans for a recycled water treatment plant; accepted $200,000 in grant funds from the California Coastal Commission to update the Land Use Plan; and updated city parking lot fees, regulations and restrictions, including setting meter fees at $1.50 per hour. The council also set public hearings for the 2017-18 annual renewals of the citys 11 landscape maintenance assessment districts for 6 p.m. May 17. POWAY The Poway City Council met in special session Tuesday to discuss labor negotiations. In regular session, the council reopened a public hearing postponed from March 21 on a waiver from having to underground utilities at 13737 Temple St., which was approved. The council also heard and approved a report on the citys water fund, which included moving energy savings from the purchase of solar power to the water fund, and reimbursing the water fund for water used at city facilities at the raw-water cost. The council also held a workshop on its Poway Road Corridor Study and made suggestions on building heights, parking and varied architectural styles. Another workshop will be scheduled. VISTA The Vista City Council held special meetings Monday and Tuesday to interview candidates for city boards, commissions and committees. Another meeting is being scheduled for further interviews. SCHOOL DISTRICTS CARDIFF The Cardiff School District board met Thursday and heard a report on the California Dashboard, and an update on the strategic plan for 2017-2020. The board approved revisions to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee bylaws, and heard a report on implementation of its bond issue. DEL MAR The Del Mar Union School District board met in special session Monday for a governance workshop reviewing the boards roles and responsibilities, and reviewing and revising board protocols. ESCONDIDO The Escondido Union School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss personnel and litigation. In regular session, the board approved the job description for a Positive Behavior Intervention Support Specialist, and approved applying for project funding for Central and Orange Glen elementary schools, Mission Middle School, Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Quantum Academy. The board also approved new and/or revised policies on the Local Control and Accountability Plan, Admissions, Suicide Prevention and the school calendar. You Make Escondido Shine awards were presented to Wyatt Dollard, Calramon Mabalot, Karson Wright and Dakota Eckburg of Reidy Creek Elementary, and Victoria Mondragon, Giselle Lozada Mancilla and Nancy Telles of Lincoln Elementary. FALLBROOK The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board met in closed session Monday to discuss student discipline and personnel. In open session, the board agreed to add two preschool teachers and four preschool assistants to the Mike Choate Early Childhood Education Center. The Fallbrook Union High School District board met March 27 and heard reports on the academic decathlon results (the team placed fourth); on the English Language Arts program; and on Options-Based Responses (run, hide or fight) training for teachers and staff during an emergency situation, such as a campus shooter. RAMONA The Ramona Unified School District board met in special session March 28 to review the Local Control and Accountability Plan goals and results. SAN DIEGUITO The San Dieguito Union High School District board met Thursday for a workshop on student achievement and state accountability reporting. In closed session, the board discussed student discipline and personnel. In regular session, the board awarded contracts for various services and construction and maintenance work. After a hearing, the board approved a contract with OpTerra Energy Services for energy-related improvements to district facilities, to be paid with Mello-Roos funds. SAN PASQUAL The San Pasqual Union School District board met in closed session Tuesday to discuss litigation and personnel. In open session, the board approved the San Pasqual Education Teacher Associations request to open negotiations for the 2017-2018 school year. The board also received updates on the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and on the solar energy program. SOLANA BEACH The Solana Beach School District board met in special session Tuesday to certify the bond election and then to authorize issuing Series A bonds. The board also approved various contracts and bids for work at the districts schools. An item regarding approval of a soil and special inspection service contract with SCST Inc. at Earl Warren Middle School was pulled from the agenda. VALLECITOS/RAINBOW The Vallecitos School District board met Tuesday to discuss staff reports and enrichment programs. Superintendent David Jones reported that the district is working with the San Diego County Office of Education to find a company to install solar panels. The project should be completed by December 2017. Staff and parent volunteers are still needed to join volunteers from North Coast Church for a Weekend of Service to paint the school from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. April 29-30, with donated paint and supplies. In closed session, the board discussed litigation. VALLEY CENTER The Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District board met Thursday in closed session to discuss litigation, personnel and labor negotiations. In open session, the board approved district goals and objectives for 2017-18; updates to the Governance Handbook for 2017-18; and first and second readings of revised board policies. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com Theres spring yard cleaning, and then theres spring yard cleaning Coronado-style. Nothing quite sharpens the attention and the pruning shears like the knowledge that judges are coming around to grade the shrubbery. Come around they do, every year at this time, as the island community celebrates its longest-running tradition, the annual flower show, which dates to 1922. It opened Saturday and continues Sunday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in Spreckels Park. Advertisement Like flower shows everywhere, this one awards ribbons in more than a dozen categories, including roses, cacti, bonsai, orchids, herbs, cut flowers, tabletop designs and photography, and it draws hundreds of entries. When the tent flaps opened Saturday afternoon, people moved quickly to the various tables to see how their prized specimens had fared. Out came the cellphone cameras. But what makes this one different is its Community Landscapes division, and in particular the section known as Home Fronts. Every year, about 10 days before the flower show opens, volunteer judges walk the neighborhoods and appraise every yard. Yes, every single yard in Coronado. They hand out ribbons for first, second, third and honorable mention, prizes that the recipients often display in their front windows. First means a blue ribbon, and thats what everyone covets. Well, almost everyone. People either love Home Fronts or they hate it, said Leslie Crawford, former chair of the show. Its a way for people to show pride in the community. But not everybody wants to be judged. Betty Hostert enjoys a Memorial Day Rose on display at the Coronado Flower Show on Saturday. (Eduardo Contreras/U-T) Sara Stillman was just fine with the red ribbon (second place) her yard received. I totally understand, she said, because her lawn wasnt at its best when the judges arrived. I was going to put out a sign that said Brown is the new green, Stillman joked. She grew up in Coronado, went away to Boston, reached her limit of snow after four winters, and came back. She teaches fourth grade in La Jolla now, teaches kids who are just about the age she was when she first won a prize at the flower show. It was for miniature arrangements in the youth division. Shes pretty sure her parents still have the blue ribbon somewhere at their house. Julia Elassaad isnt as sentimental about prizes or at least her 15-year-old son isnt. They received an honorable mention for their front yard this year and he told her, Dont even put it in the window, Mom. Theyd done better in previous years. This time, she tidied up the window boxes, put out a couple of flags, but not all her flowers are blooming yet. That wasnt a problem at Spreckels Park, inside the flower show, which bills itself as the largest of its kind tented in the nation. The roses, in particular, were showing off their many colors. All the rain that fell this winter was good for roses, and their fragrance filled the tent. Show organizers know after these many years that people who come to the Coronado event close to 4,000 were expected this weekend want to smell the roses, so they made sure the fragrant ones are out front, easily reachable by eager noses. The judges, all of them certified after taking classes and passing tests, worked in groups. Youre looking for plants that are really well-grown, really healthy, and really well-staged, said Michael Buckner, a Point Loma resident who judged the cacti and succulents. It took his group about three hours to evaluate more than 100 entries, their discussions sometimes punctuated by good-natured disagreements. I cant vote for something that has an invasive plant in it, one judge said as the group looked at an arrangement of succulents. Theres no rule against invasive plants, another judge said. Well, there should be, the first one said. Among the days big winners was Rita Perwich. Her name might be familiar to Union-Tribune readers for the column she writes about roses. Several of hers captured ribbons, including one floribunda that got five all by itself. This after her front yard on 10th Street won a blue ribbon and was best of show runner-up in the Home Fronts contest. She did her spring cleaning, and then she cleaned up. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com San Diego Musical Theatres fast-paced First Date is an energetic ride, thanks to a strong-voiced and talented cast thats all dressed up and ready to roll. But sometimes it seems as if theyre in an old used car. Thats not to say this musical comedy nimbly directed by San Diego native J. Scott Lapp doesnt have plenty of songs and a lot of crowd-tickling one-liners. Its just a little short on originality. The show, first produced in Seattle, ran on Broadway for six months in 2013-14. Part of its used-car feel has to do with how quickly the internet has transformed dating in just a few years. Advertisement Theres no mention of Tinder; the only online dating service named is match.com. In First Date, theres a song about the World Wide Web who says that anymore? which covers Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in one lively number. Those references dont mask the fact that the basic premise of two people on a pre-arranged blind date seems a bit antiquated. In First Date, Aaron (Joshua David Cavanaugh) and Casey (Cassandra Nuss) meet for the first time at a New York restaurant-bar. Their rendezvous has been set up by Aarons co-worker, who is married to Caseys sister, Lauren (Lauren King Thompson). The conversations between these two strangers range from uncomfortable to amicable. They are frequently interrupted by the pairs alter egos. The first, Lauren, admonishes Casey for sabotaging opportunities to win over this good guy. Aarons womanizing best friend, Gabe (Zackary Scot Wolfe), offers such gems of wisdom as: Talk about (your) ex; you dont get sex. The multi-level set was created by Stephen Gifford. It nicely accommodates the different scenes, whether spotlighting single character or the entire cast of seven. The actors, who are on stage for most of the play, are uniformly outstanding. All possess excellent comic timing and vocal prowess. As Aaron and Casey, Cavanaugh and Nuss seamlessly move from awkward moments to times that their characters click. Each of them performs their respective ballads with emotion and skill. The five supporting cast members smoothly morph from one character to another, with simple props and body language. Thompson plays Lauren and three other characters, keeping each clearly distinct from the other. Later in the play, she and Nuss shine when their arguments give way to an actual conversation. Wolfe infuses Gabe with wicked glee. Jonathan Sangster is Caseys gay best friend, Reggie. Despite being stuck with a cliched role, Sangster elicited lots of laughs from the opening-night audience. John Massey, as the bartender and waiter, delivers his many one-line zingers effortlessly and with verve. Lindsay Joan is appropriately over-the-top playing sultry Ashley, who left poor Aaron at the altar. One of the better scenes in First Date gives Cavanaugh a chance to break away from his nerdy character, after Casey encourages Aaron to banish Ashleys ghost. The choreography in this scene by Allison Spratt Pearce is especially well-done. The music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner vary from standards and pop to rock and hip-hop. But they dont sound that different from each other when squeezed into a homogenized musical-comedy box. Despite such shortcomings and the scripts predictability, SDMTs gifted cast ably outperforms its own vehicle. First Date When: 7:30 p.m., Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through May 7. Where: San Diego Musical Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter. Tickets: $35-$60 (discounts available) Phone: (858) 560-5740 Online: sdmt.org San Diego Theater On Now Video: Bruce Springsteen's solo trip to Broadway On Now Video: Inside the rehearsal room of SDMT's Damn Yankees! 2:22 On Now Video: La Jolla Playhouse-bred shows earn key Tony nominations 3:05 On Now Video: Broadway moment has arrived for La Jolla Playhouse's 'Come From Away 0:33 On Now Video: Lamb's Players Presents "An American Christmas" 2016 1:21 On Now Old Globe's 'Grinch' ready to rumble again 0:52 On Now Little Miss Sunshine at La Jolla Playhouse On Now Working the Magic On Now San Diego Repertory Theatre presents "Federal Jazz Project" On Now An American Christmas Wood is a freelance writer. About half an hour after sunrise last Tuesday, an American satellite tracked two Syrian jets wheeling over the town of Khan Shaykhun. Those aircraft dropped four canisters. Ten minutes later came the first reports that civilians were dying from what appeared to be sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent. Many of the people who survived the initial bombardment were taken to a nearby field hospital which was hit two hours later with bombs dropped from jets. Advertisement By the end of the day, Arabic-language media said up to 86 had died and more than 500 were wounded. A third of the victims were children. It was the worst chemical-weapons massacre in Syria since 2013, when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured the United Nations that his regime had surrendered its stockpiles of lethal munitions. American satellite images provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune tracked the chemical attacks to Shayrat Airfield, home to both Syrian fighter-bombers and, nearby, the helicopters and crews of their Russian allies. Sixty-three hours after the first Khan Shaykhun civilians jerked, flopped and twisted to death in agony, Shayrat was on fire, pounded by 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by a pair of U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers sailing off the coast of the island of Crete. American battle damage assessments indicated fuel tanks, munition stores and an estimated 20 fixed-wing planes were destroyed at the air field, but the 10,000-foot runway was barely damaged. The Russian barracks and choppers there werent touched at all. The U.S. missiles also avoided Syrian warehouses that American planners suspected held chemical weapons. President Donald Trump defended the strikes as a measured response designed to deter Assad from using banned chemical weapons again. Some critics lampooned the American attack because it failed to destroy the entire airport. In fact, a pair of Syrian jets that survived the blasts took off the next day. Why did the White House choose to leave the runway alone? Why use Tomahawks and not far more powerful, concrete-cracking cluster bombs and BLU-67 runway crushers that would have been dropped by the U.S. Air Force? Why not at least scramble Navy strike jets and radar-spoofing planes from the super aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush lingering in the Persian Gulf? On Saturday, the president summed up what military experts have long known about the capabilities of the $1.4 million Tomahawk cruise missile: Its great for shredding the skins of airplanes on the tarmac, blowing up anti-aircraft batteries and radar systems or igniting petroleum tanks. But its wasted on asphalt. The reason you dont generally hit runways is that they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)! Trump tweeted. What he didnt spell out is that the 59 Tomahawks solved a lot of other problems, too. With this type of mission, the White House didnt need to get flyover permission from neighboring nations. Planes bounding from the Bush or bases in Turkey, Kuwait and Iraq would have required advance clearance to keep allies happy. And the missile strategy kept American pilots totally out of harms way. The choice by the U.S. to deploy sea-borne Tomahawk cruise missiles was likely to diminish the risk of ... aircraft encountering the still-formidable air-defense assets of the Syrian Armed Forces, said Reed Foster, a defense analyst with the giant IHS Markit security, aerospace, technology and maritime consulting company based in London. Syrias military strength is bolstered by more-capable Russian S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, which could have posed a threat to U.S. manned strike aircraft already conducting missions in Syria against the Islamic State. That made the Tomahawk strikes a low-risk but also potentially low-reward option. Foster said the attack failed to significantly diminish the ability of the Assad regime to conduct further chemical weapon attacks because other Syrian bases werent hit. Dr. Pawan Grover, a Houston anesthesiologist who has served on humanitarian missions overseas, said it was wise for American planners to avoid bombarding the suspected sarin storage site, too. If you have sarin thats already mixed together and is sitting in a container, if the bomb drops directly on the container, it will incinerate. If its not direct and, say, the projectile causes a leak, then it can be mixed. And if it spreads over a wide area at ground level, you could get thousands of people affected, Grover said. Navy Capt. Kurt Sellerberg, a surface warfare expert who directs the Coronado-based Distributed Lethality Task Force, said a key reason for giving the mission to the destroyers Ross and Porter stemmed from their ability to steam quickly to a global hot spot and smack the enemy from hundreds of miles away using crews that train constantly on launching Tomahawks. The folks on the Ross and Porter were there at the right time because by design, theyre forward-deployed. The ability to transition from whatever they were doing and accomplish these missions says a lot about the value of surface ships, said Sellerberg, former commander of the destroyer Preble. Although usually stationed in Rota, Spain, under oversight of the U.S. European Command, the warships steamed eastward to Crete and were handed over quickly to the U.S. Central Command for the strikes on Syria. Because Tomahawks are so precise, theyre the perfect weapon to use if the president wants to minimize casualties, Sellerberg added. Theres a lot of confidence that were going to get to the target and were going to provide the right level of influence in these attacks, said Sellerberg, who was in the flotilla that launched the first Tomahawk missiles against Al-Qaeda and Taliban camps in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Although one Tomahawk veered into the sea and another had its launch aborted, Sellerberg said the Shayrat raid appeared to be a military success. The trickier problem is ensuring that the tactical and operational might of the Navys surface warships translates into a strategy that prods Assad to never use chemical weapons again, said Christine Wormuth, who served as President Barack Obamas undersecretary of defense for policy. Now a senior adviser at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., she pointed out that while many readers will concentrate on the missile strike, a smart strategist uses all elements of American power to meet foreign-policy goals, including economic, diplomatic and espionage assets. Whether this was the start of a broader effort by the United States to be involved militarily in resolving the conflict, I think remains to be seen, said Wormuth, who generally supports Trumps decision to launch the Tomahawks. Its a very, very difficult and thorny problem. My advice would be to think very hard about the second, third and fourth steps, not just the immediate steps, she added. And I think a lot of the things that made this conflict so difficult during the Obama administration are still true today in the Trump administration. We have Russia and Iran backing the Assad regime, arguably with more at stake in their national interests than we have. Russia is now there on the ground and in force, which makes it even more complicated because it raises the risks of potential escalation with a nuclear power. Iranian and allied Hezbollah forces in Syria wont abandon Assad, Wormuth said, and Russia likely would risk more because Moscow wants to hold onto its toehold in the Mediterranean the port of Tartus. Anti-Assad militias have been decimated during the past year by Syrian forces backed by Russian air and naval power, and many of the stronger armed groups are filled with jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State. Wormuth said Russia and Syria have entwined their anti-aircraft and anti-missile shields, with Moscow vowing to send more of the sophisticated systems to aid Damascus. She also believes the United States public diplomacy has taken a hit because of Trumps proposals to slash the State Department budget and block entry to refugees from the Middle East. The decision to give up chemical weapons belongs to Assad. But Wormuth said Trump now must decide whether hes willing to go to Congress to develop a longer and more detailed Syria strategy, one that could put many more American troops at risk in that war-torn country. 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 The owners of a company that provided workers for luxury hotels including the Hotel Del Coronado have pleaded guilty in a nearly $7 million insurance fraud and tax evasion scheme, according to the District Attorneys Office. Prosecutors described the case, which involved the owners of Irvine-based Good Neighbor Services, as the largest fraud case of its kind in San Diego County history. Married couple Hyok Steven Kwon and Woo Stephanie Kwon were accused of working with a group of accomplices to hide the existence of at least 800 housekeeping and janitorial workers, so they could avoid paying millions in workers compensation insurance rates and payroll taxes. Advertisement Last month, Steven Kwon pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to felony charges related to fraud and employment tax evasion, and was sentenced to eight years in state prison. His wife pleaded guilty to similar charges in December and agreed to a six-year, eight-month sentence. She spent time in jail and is now serving the remainder of her term under mandatory supervision by Probation Department authorities. As part of her plea agreement, Stephanie Kwon surrendered $398,000 in cashiers checks, said Deputy District Attorney Jeanie Williams, a prosecutor in the insurance fraud division. The money from the checks, as well as proceeds from the sale of a commercial building in Orange County, will go toward the more than $6.3 million the defendants owe the government in restitution. So far, Stephanie Kwon has paid a little more than $1.2 million, Williams said. The Kwons were among a group of people indicted by a grand jury in 2015 in connection with the fraud scheme. Seven others, including the Kwons son and daughter, have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from felonies to infractions. Some of them are expected to be sentenced Aug. 22. These defendants lied on the backs of their employees who were cleaning rooms in some of the most prestigious hotels in San Diego and California, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said in December 2015, when the indictments were announced. In addition to the Hotel Del Coronado, the Kwons company provided employees to other luxury hotels including Loews Coronado, La Costa Resort and Spa, the Grand Del Mar, LAuberge Del Mar, The Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, and the Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains. Investigators have said there was no indication the hotel owners and operators knew of any fraud. When cheaters scam insurance companies, and lie their way out of paying premium taxes, ordinary citizens end up footing the bill, Dumanis said at a news conference. According to the District Attorneys Office and the California Department of Insurance, the Kwons used an elaborate scheme involving at least a dozen shell companies to defraud insurance providers and the state. The couple misrepresented the number of people they employed, and the size of their payroll, in order to reduce their insurance and tax obligations. By cheating the state, the Kwons gained an unfair advantage over other businesses that provided employees to hotels, the prosecutor explained. Businesses that legitimately paid taxes and insurance costs lost out on lucrative bids, and sometimes had to cut staff as a result. Everybody suffers, Williams said. State and local authorities were first made aware of a problem when they were notified by a statewide watchdog organization that works to abolish illegal and unfair business practices in the janitorial industry. One of Good Neighbor Services competitors notified the organization, called Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, in 2010 that the Kwons might be engaged in illegal activity. Employees told investigators that they were paid with checks that carried the names of other businesses, even though they wore uniforms with the Good Neighbor Services logo and identified the Kwons as the owners. They also said they did not receive overtime pay or workers compensation benefits when they were injured on the job. Many feared retaliation if they reported their injuries. While the case moved through the court system, investigators identified other suspects linked to the fraud scheme, bringing the total losses to more than $6.6 million, Williams said. A separate criminal case was filed, and the Kwons were listed as co-defendants along with several others. Charges filed against Stephanie Kwon in the new case were dismissed in December as a result of her guilty pleas. Her husband pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from the new case on March 14. Other defendants are expected to be arraigned in San Diego Superior Court at the end of this month. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield Seventy-five years ago this month, San Diego Countys Japanese residents were forced to leave their homes, jobs and friends. The Segawa family of San Ysidro also left behind 40 acres of spinach, string beans and beets. What would happen to their crops? Advertisement Dont worry, they were told. Were going to leave the farm just the way it is, said Robert May, a friend. The May family kept this promise, one of many instances of kindness shown by non-Japanese, or hakujin. Large or small, these acts defied anti-Japanese sentiment in the tense days after Japans sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. That hostility and suspicion prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelts Executive Order 9066, which forced about 120,000 men, women and children of Japanese ancestry into internment camps. Where Washington saw potential traitors, though, some San Diegans saw friends and colleagues in need. We usually hear about people who took advantage of the Japanese, said Linda Canada, archivist for the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego. But there were people in the background who really tried to help out. These good neighbors included a librarian, a lawyer, a mortician, a cannery owner, ranchers and the sons of P.E. May, a tractor dealer with strong ties to local farmers. On Wednesday, April 8, 1942, Kazuki and Misuye Segawa and their 10 children assembled at the Santa Fe Depot. With about 1,150 other local Japanese, they boarded a train to the Santa Anita horse racing track near Los Angeles, their first stop in what would be more than two years in exile. Each person was allowed to bring no more than a single piece of luggage. We left a fairly new car, recalled Ben Segawa, now 86 and living in Bonita. And a fairly new truck and a new tractor. P.E. May had just sold that tractor to the Segawas, and the dealers sons promised to keep it in fine running condition. But what about the crops? About a year passed, Ben Segawa recalled. And they sent my father a whole bunch of money from the vegetables they had raised and sold. Guardian angels World War II devastated the local Japanese community. In downtown San Diego, an enclave of Japanese restaurants and shops vanished. Homes and businesses were bought by non-Japanese at fire sale prices. Other properties were vandalized; still more were seized when taxes went unpaid. A lot of times when the family returned from the camps, said San Diegos Sharon Asakawa, they were told they had no recourse. There were San Diegans, though, who went out of their way to help their neighbors. Collecting accounts of wartime life, Canada learned of anecdotes about noble hakujin. They were stories I had never heard before, she said. When I started looking, I kept finding more. The tales often had unexpected narrative arcs, moving from crisis to compassion. Consider the aftermath of the Jan. 19, 1943, fire that raced through a vacant Buddhist temple on Market Street. Believed to be the work of an arsonist, the blaze destroyed personal belongings stored there by internees. Urns containing the ashes of departed loved ones survived the fire but needed a new home. Benbough Mortuary took the urns, Canada said, and kept them until the end of the war. Or consider the actions of Velma Hetlund, Akira and Masako Shimas neighbor. Hetlund arranged to have power of attorney over the Shimas accounts, paid their bills, maintained their house and even shipped a clothes closet to baby Hisae Shima in the Gila River, Ariz., camp. Hakujin made gestures small at Paul Eckes ranch in Encinitas, Japanese stored goods and tools in a barn and large. Wade Ambrose, for instance, took action when a local fisherman was threatened with deportation. Owner of Westgate Sea Products, whose cannery produced Breast O Chicken tuna, Ambrose appealed to his political contacts in Washington. As a result, Motosuke Tsuida was sent to an internment camp instead of Japan. After the war ended and we got back to San Diego, we got in touch with Mr. Ambrose, said Mas Tsuida, Motosukes son. Both my dad and I were able to go back to fishing. The Asakawas, who farmed in Linda Vista and ran Balboa Parks tea house, found a similar guardian angel in Harvey Atherton. Atherton started out as the familys lawyer, Canada said, and then became a real friend. Besides being a prominent downtown attorney, Atherton was Mr. Scouting, former president of the San Diego County Boy Scouts Council. Appealing to the organizations regional headquarters in Los Angeles, Atherton helped establish Boy Scout troops at the Santa Anita racetrack and various internment camps. He also oversaw the familys finances, updating Moto Asakawa with letters of news and encouragement. If there is anything I can do at any time to assist you, he wrote, let me know. After leaving the camps, the Asakawas lived in Ohio before returning to San Diego in 1949. While Balboa Parks tea house was no more, the Asakawas opened a nursery on their Linda Vista land. Because of Mr. Athertons integrity, said Sharon Asakawa, Moto Asakawas daughter-in-law, the Asakawas were able to reclaim the property. Cherished deliveries Preserving property was one thing. Preserving a sense of self-worth could be just as challenging. Japanese-American children, suddenly uprooted and sent to camps in lonely corners of the West, were baffled. Why do you have to go? Ben Segawas eighth grade classmates asked. I dont know, he replied. After Santa Anita, the family was sent to Poston, Ariz., where the 12 Segawas squeezed into four rooms in wooden barracks. Gaps in the green boards meant the rooms were invaded by dust, ants and scorpions. The furnishings were spartan, Bens father wrote to a friend, especially the thin beds. Robert May loaded our truck and somehow got into Poston, Ben Segawa said. We got our beds and they were quite a bit better than what the government gave us. Those in the camp who knew us were envious. Deliveries of letters and books were also cherished reminders of the normal lives that had been interrupted and might one day be resumed. These emotions are vividly displayed in the wartime correspondence of Clara Breed, San Diegos city librarian, which was collected in Joanne Oppenheims 2006 book, Dear Miss Breed. Dear Miss Breed, Hisako Watanabe wrote on Jan. 7, 1943, I was overjoyed to hear from you and that lovely book you sent me. Thank you very much. When I saw the books it left me speechless with gladness and I cannot find words to express my feelings... By 1944, the internment camps were starting to empty out. Some internees including four Segawa brothers were drafted or volunteered for military service. College and careers took native San Diegans to other parts of the country. Still, many returned home. Entering Southwest High School in fall 1944 as a 10th-grader, Ben Segawa was greeted as an old friend. I got a great reception, he said. All these kids knew me. We had played together. In time, this chapter of American history would be considered a national disgrace. The internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry was a great injustice, President George H.W. Bush said in 1991, and it will never be repeated. Yet some hear echoes of this painful episode in a new executive order, this one aimed at barring refugees from six primarily Muslim nations. In both cases, people were targeted not because of their own actions, but because of the actions of people who looked like them. We have an internal sense of right and wrong, Canada said. Whats happened to people today and what happened to people 75 years ago wasnt right. Rather than focus on grievances, though, the Rev. Kenji Kikuchi was eager to give thanks. The pastor of San Diegos Japanese Congregational Church, Kikuchi held an open house on March 10, 1946, almost seven months after Japans surrender. The reason? To show the Japanese peoples appreciation to Americans in helping with their return here, Kikuchi said. The founder of a successful electronics company and a proud gadgets geek, Rep. Darrell Issa built a reputation as not only one of the few Republicans with a keen interest in protecting online privacy, but a go-to member of Congress when it came to the topic. Through legislation and the soapbox, and by using his office and off-the-beaten-path forums to discuss internet regulations at a granular level with some of the most interested people, he laid out a vision for an internet where people can freely share their ideas, have equal access to information, and where their personal information is kept private. But Issa and other Republicans are under fire from pro-digital privacy organizations after they voted for a bill that lets internet service providers continue to sell or give away information on the web sites that their customers visit though ISPs dont typically have access to information about what their customers do on these websites such as purchases they make. Some of those groups had long lauded Issa for his stands. Advertisement (The above paragraph was revised for clarity on 4/10/17) Supporters of the bill say some businesses like Facebook and Google already are allowed to share such browser history and that would continue, adding that this measure would level the playing field for internet service providers. In a legislative career where he honed bills to keep private online data in the hands of its individual owners, this one Issa vote, in a sense, short-circuited with digital privacy advocates. Were disappointed that Rep. Issa voted to weaken privacy protections, said Ernesto Falcon, legislative counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights organization. The party line vote in Congress was a case of lawmakers putting the interests of cable and phone companies ahead of the privacy interests of Americans, The group previously commended the Vista Republican for pressing for answers about the prosecution of a cyber activist who committed suicide, his efforts to determine the impact international trade deals would have on intellectual property rights, and especially his opposition to legislation that would weaken online privacy at the expense of free speech. The legislation Issa and others supported rescinds Obama-era Federal Communications Commission regulations that had not yet taken effect. The rules would have prohibited internet providers from selling personal browser information without the customers permission, requiring customers to opt-in before their data could be shared. Calvin Moore, Issas spokesman, said the bills consequences for privacy were misunderstood by opponents. And so aside from this having less than zero actual impact on your privacy, it was rolling back a rule that unfairly favored some companies over others and amounted to a huge power grab by the FCC to regulate companies they didnt even have jurisdiction over until (former commission Chairman) Tom Wheeler unilaterally decided to call the internet a utility and seize that authority for himself, he said in an email. Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press Action Fund, a pro-internet privacy organization, had a different view. Apparently they see no problem with cable and phone companies snooping on your private medical and financial information, your religious activities or your sex life, he said. His group maintains the Declaration of Internet Freedom that Issa has signed. The bill cleared the House 215-205 on March 28 on a near party line vote, and passed the Senate 50-48 the week before. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Monday. Cable and telecommunications companies supported the measure and argued that the FCC regulations put them at competitive disadvantage to companies that are regulated by more permissive Federal Trade Commission policies. Those policies allowed companies like Facebook and Google to share information. Todays Congressional action to repeal the FCCs misguided rules marks an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently to all internet companies, said the trade group NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, after the legislation passed the Senate. The industry organization represents internet service providers, including Cox Communications, Inc. The telecommunications industry gave Issas 2016 campaign $144,800, and $542,343 through the nine-term congressmans career, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks political contributions. Issa is the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, a body that has some impact on the telecom industry, but the Communications and Technology Subcommittee in the House Energy and Commerce Committee plays a much larger role. Issa received more from the industry in the 2016 cycle than all but 13 other representatives, including two who are from California. The telcomm contributions are a small sliver in comparison to what Issa has received from constituents and from from individual donors who believe in his work in Congress, including many who back him for his support of digital privacy issues, spokesman Moore said. While telecommunications companies contended the bill would create consistent regulations across different parts of the industry, privacy advocates and consumer rights groups worried that people who go online, either through a computer or smart phone or tablet, could lost control of their private data. It is extremely disappointing that Congress is sacrificing the privacy rights of Americans in the interest of protecting the profits of major internet companies including Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. The ACLU has supported internet and online privacy policies Issa championed. Issas vote isnt a retreat from his past efforts to keep peoples digital information private, Moore, said. The bill he supported doesnt have the type of impact opponents portrayed, and rolls back government overreach and creates a consistent regulations across internet-related industries. The Congressman become known as one of the fiercest and most outspoken defenders of individual privacy and thats something thats never changing, Moore said. Over the last five years Issa built a name for himself by trying to empower people to keep their online information private, and for net neutrality, a concept where internet service providers provide access to all online content, regardless of the origin, and without favoring one type source over the other. Issa penned op-ed columns where he urged his lawmaker colleagues to keep peoples online personal information private, and was the first member of Congress to sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom, where he affirmed he would Protect privacy and defend everyones ability to control how their data and devices are used. He received widespread praise for writing the first draft of the Digital Citizens Bill of Rights, a document that, among other provisions, says people have a right to privacy on the internet. Four years ago, when Reddit was a much more obscure forum, Issa used it to introduce the Internet American Moratorium Act, or IAMA (a reference to a hodgepodge of other acronyms I Am A and Ask Me Anything). He also put some of his internet-related legislation online in a way to crowdsource possible amendments from people who were willing to dive into the nuances of public policy. And last year he campaigned for re-election on his work keeping personal information out of the hands of hackers. I am proud to serve on the bipartisan Encryption Working Group where my colleagues and I are busy crafting policies to help U.S. companies can make secure technologies protect our privacy in a digital age, Issas campaign website says. Concerns about the bill were overblown or misunderstood, Moore said. It didnt change what internet service could already do with private information. Theres no one in Congress who has been as staunch of an advocate for digital privacy as Congressman Issa, Moore said. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 A cyclist who wasnt wearing a helmet suffered critical injuries when she crashed on a steep hill in La Jolla Saturday, San Diego police said. The 55-year-old woman was riding downhill on La Jolla Boulevard west of Prospect Street about 11:10 a.m. She lost control of the bike and crashed head-first as she approached the bottom of the hill, police said. She was hospitalized with life-threatening head injuries as well as a fractured hip, cuts and scrapes, police said. Like so many in the community he serves, El Cajon police Officer Louie Michael was once a refugee. He was 5 years old when his parents woke him up in the middle of the night to flee Baghdad in the midst of the Gulf War in 1991. I can tell you it wasnt easy, Michael said. Youre leaving your home. Youre leaving everything behind. Advertisement For about three years, Michael and his family lived in a Turkish refugee camp before immigrating to the United States. His disrupted childhood would prove useful in his profession. In his nine years as an officer, he has helped to build trust and understanding between the El Cajon Police Department and the large Middle Eastern population in the region. Fluent in Arabic and Aramaic, Michael helps translate for police, creates public service ads in those languages and assists with investigations involving members of the refugee and immigrant community. A community relations officer, Michael also provides training to educate officers about Middle Eastern culture and gives presentations, at places like churches and mosques, to teach immigrants about U.S. law enforcement. His efforts began well before President Donald Trump took office and sought to enforce stricter immigration policies, restricting U.S. entry to some refugees. For Michael, its been part of the job from day one. His work, he said, is a way to give back to the country that embraced him with open arms and allowed him to build a life he chose. This country gave me an opportunity that most countries wouldnt have, he said. Michael decided to veer from the immigrant tradition of running a shop, restaurant or business in El Cajon. Instead, he chose to become an officer an unpredictable move for someone from a country often regarded as lawless. His influence came from a neighbor who lived two doors down: Officer Mark Barber, now a homicide investigator. I was really intrigued seeing how he was figured like a hero in the community because he was there to protect and serve, Michael said. Its a concept that can be particularly difficult for immigrants from the Middle East to grasp. The unrest in their war-torn countries often leads to distrust, or even fear, of law enforcement. They dont understand what law enforcement (in the U.S.) stands for, he said. They think its just about taking people to jail. All they see is the uniform. It obviously brings back memories of what they remember in their homelands. Its why he values community outreach. The more officers become part of the community, the easier it is to build a sense of trust, Michael said. In working with newly arrived immigrants, time also is a factor. Michael said it takes a while for them to feel like they are part of the community, sometimes years after their arrival to the U.S. After five years, they are allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship. For many, only then do they feel that this country is their home, he said. Last month, Michaels efforts to connect police and the Middle Eastern community in El Cajon earned him a recognition by the Anti-Defamation League in Los Angeles. He was one of three people to receive the Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate. Michael, however, doesnt see his accomplishments as award-worthy. Im just doing my job, he said. To me, any little impact that I can make in anyones life means a lot. That really is the reward for me, he said. Michael, who is married and has two young boys, said he wants his story to inspire people who are in the same situation he was in when he first arrived to the U.S. One day, if you put your mind and heart into something, this country will let that happen you can make it happen, he said. The hardest part was getting here, and youre here now, Michael said. You start a new chapter in your life, and you move on. If I can do it, you can do it. Police spokesman Lt. Rob Ransweiler said Michael exemplifies what the El Cajon Police Department hopes to bring out in its officers. What he represents is the community, the lieutenant said. Breaking News Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez About 75 protesters briefly blocked streets in downtown El Cajon while marching on City Hall to call for the dismissal of the policeman who killed an unarmed man in September. Alfred Olango, a 38-year-old Ugandan refugee, was shot Sept. 27 when officers responded to a call that Olango was in emotional distress and a threat to himself. The march started at the El Cajon taco shop where Officer Richard Gonsalves shot Olango. Olango took what police describe as a shooters stance when he pulled a metal object from his pocket and pointed it at the officer. Advertisement Gonsalves fired four shots, while another officer fired his Taser. The object turned out to be a vaping device. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis found that Gonsalves was justified in the shooting because the investigation showed he reasonably feared for his life. The incident attracted national attention, and protesters took to the streets. Olangos father, sister, wife and children have since sued police in connection with the death. On Saturday, protesters carrying signs and waving Black Panther Party flags asked why Gonsalves is still on the force particularly after it became known that he was demoted following a lawsuit by a female officer against him and the city alleging sexual harassment. The D.A. says she cant do anything about it, said Shane Harris, president of the National Action Network San Diego and a protest organizer. But Chief (of Police Jeff) Davis can. And Mayor (Bill) Wells can, Harris said through a bullhorn in front of police headquarters. He added that Saturdays event was planned because there was a reported sense that protest over Olangos death had calmed down. We aint going to be quiet, Harris continued. Every day were going to make them miserable until they do it. El Cajon police placed Gonsalves on administrative leave during the investigation. Harris said its his understanding that the officer is back at work in a desk job. El Cajon police did not respond to inquiries Saturday about the officers status. El Cajon police dispatched squad cars to direct traffic around the marchers, and told the protesters to stay on one side of the road to allow cars to pass. Protesters said they plan to march again in July to mark Olangos birthday. Harris said hes asked the state attorney general to launch a special investigation of the shooting. 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 arm of the Democratic Party in charge of winning control of Congress is moving senior staffers from Washington, D.C., to Orange County in hopes of flipping Republican-held House seats out west during the 2018 midterm elections. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is aiming to defeat seven California Republicans who represent congressional districts where Hillary Clinton beat President Donald Trump including a cluster of seats in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The committee will send staffers in charge of overseeing House races in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington to work out of an Irvine office in an effort to make inroads in Republican strongholds that have traditionally been sure bets for the GOP. Advertisement Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, the chairman of the committee, said the move was made to be as close to the voters and the campaigns as possible. Democrats are on offense across the map including in districts that have not seen a serious challenge in a long time, if ever and many of those targeted seats are in California, he said in a statement. Moving out west is one of the improvements that were making at the DCCC in order to maximize gains in the midterms. Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University in Orange who writes about politics in the region, said the move could have an impact on challengers as they build their campaigns for 2018. The news that Clinton beat Trump in Orange County turned heads nationally, Smoller said, and emboldened Democrats to expand the map of winnable seats into the area, where the Republican Partys grip has loosened. Democrats in Washington, D.C., do things based on cold thinking and based on numbers, he said. I think [the staffing move] will register particularity with local activists that these are serious races and there is a real chance to turn things around. Updates on California politics An office in Irvine puts staffers and party resources in close proximity to a cluster of Republican-held seats that Democrats are targeting. With the primary 14 months away, GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher whose district includes the coastal cities of Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach is already facing attacks and debate challenges from one of his four declared opponents over his friendly stance with Russia. Three different Democrats announced that they would challenge two-term Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine), who represents an inland district including Villa Park and Mission Viejo. Two challengers are UC Irvine professors and one, Katie Porter, already has the endorsement of her former Harvard Law School professor, liberal favorite Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Two challengers are running against Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, whose district includes San Clemente in Orange County and continues south along the coast to Oceanside and Encinitas in San Diego County. Democrats targeted Issa, an early Trump supporter, relatively late in the 2016 election cycle and gave him a run for his money: The eight-term incumbent eked out a victory against political newcomer Doug Applegate with 50.3% of the vote. About 130 miles to the north, at least two Democrats are going after Lancaster Republican Rep. Steve Knight in north Los Angeles County. Democrats have gained a narrow lead among registered voters there in recent years. The DCCCs political director for the western United States will be located in the Irvine office along with staffers tasked with helping campaigns raise money, research candidates and coordinate digital operations. They will also organize volunteers and workers in the field. DCCC spokesman Tyler Law said the committee hasnt had a full-time senior staffer stationed out west since the 2000 election cycle. The committee also has to protect vulnerable incumbent Democrats including Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove, who represents a swing district outside Sacramento, and freshman Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) as well as two incumbents in Nevada. Democrats are also targeting two seats in Washington state. But Darry Sragow, a veteran campaign consultant who helped Democrats regain control of the state Assembly in 1996, said putting an office in Orange County wont help the cause if the committee doesnt find good candidates and a good strategy. Where the operation is really doesnt matter: Its about looking at voting patterns and figuring out if some of these seats can become Democratic, he said. More than anything, Sragow said, the committee will need to find a way to deal with the political micro-climates unique to California. The political landscape of California is littered with bodies of operatives from other places who thought they could come in here and achieve amazing results and they never do because they dont understand the place, he said. The committees new western political director, Kyle Layman, has experience in Southern California politics, having managed Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) to a much talked about upset win over Republican congresswoman Mary Bono Mack in 2012. Smoller said the staffing move to California also has the benefit of showing potential donors and supporters, including a newly energized base that has been protesting several GOP members of Congress, that Democrats are being aggressive as 2018 approaches. They are trying to convince people that they can win, he said. javier.panzar@latimes.com Twitter: @jpanzar ALSO: How did Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a protege of Reagan, become Putins favorite congressman? How much money is your vote worth? Heres what California House candidates spent in 2016 Scandals, surprise squeakers and the Trump effect: What worked and what flopped in Californias five most expensive House races Updates on California politics In one of the biggest legislative victories of his storied political career, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed through an ambitious plan last week that will increase gas taxes and vehicle fees to raise $52 billion over the next decade for the repair of Californias system of crumbling roads, highways and bridges. But the win didnt come cheaply Brown and legislative dealers promised nearly $1 billion for the pet projects of lawmakers who had been sitting on the fence before they were persuaded to vote for the bill. The funding arrangements, as Brown called them, helped the governor and legislators break a two-year Sacramento stalemate on transportation funding. Advertisement Some legislators said the horse-trading taints the legislative process, but Brown defended the deals as justified, a moderate investment compared with the payoff of a bill that will generate $5.2 billion annually in the first 10 years for road repairs, and billions more in future years. I dont think Ive ever seen anything as big as this particular transportation bill, Brown told reporters after the vote late Thursday night. So I would say some of the arrangements that were entailed in this process, they may look large, but relative to $52 billion, its all pretty modest. Republican leaders said the deals were unseemly and set a bad precedent. Democrats just gave us the largest gas tax increase in state history a deal so bad they needed $1 billion in pork to buy the votes to pass it, said Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley. California deserves better. The bill, approved by two-thirds votes of the Senate and Assembly on Thursday, raises the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon, boosts diesel taxes and creates a new annual fee when cars and trucks are registered. Similar proposals have languished for years, but Brown and legislative leaders set a quick-turn April 6 deadline for action, hoping to pressure a compromise before the Legislatures spring break ahead of big debates to come in 2017 on the state budget and hundreds of bills. The side deals, which still require legislative approval, showed up in two changes to the budget bill language, with most of it made public at 4 a.m. on the day of the vote. The biggest concession made was a $500-million budget allocation for pet projects helping the districts of state Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), both of whom held out support for the bill until the day before the vote. Cannellas vote proved critical. Although Democrats enjoy a supermajority in both houses, Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) voted against the bill, citing opposition from his constituents and a concern that the bill could have been better crafted, leaving it one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. The night before the vote, Cannella was called to a meeting with Brown, Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) at the governors mansion. There, the leaders agreed to provide $400 million in transportation funds through 2027 for the extension of the Altamont Corridor Express, a commuter rail line between the Bay Area and Central Valley. The project would extend the line from Lathrop to Ceres and Merced inside Cannellas district. The ACE train is a big deal for me. Its important for my district, Cannella said before the vote. The budget trailer bill was also amended to include $100 million from the State Highway Account through 2023 for a parkway project at the UC Merced campus. Cannella said the conversation at the governors mansion was a long one, ending at 10 p.m. He prevailed. I got the things I asked for, so apparently I made the most compelling case, he said. It was very hard to get. Brown said the deals struck with lawmakers helped the state achieve the larger goal of fixing its roads and bridges. Look, everybody here has needs and they have problems, the governor said. Everyone I look [at] here has to face the voters. They want to face them with the best foot forward and we want to help them do that. Updates from Sacramento The author of the gas tax bill, state Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), downplayed the accommodation made for Cannella. Hes getting something specifically earmarked in a way where he can feel comfortable to vote for it, Beall said. In the real way of looking at transit funding, its still is a system where everybody gets their fair share. The money, the governor said, would be well spent. Sometimes these bills that take all these different arrangements and compromises help the very people that we came here to serve, Brown said. The $100-million parkway request for UC Merced would help connect the campus to the 99 Freeway. That side deal gave Gray cover to vote for an unpopular tax increase. I can go home straight-faced and say to people: This is tough. Weve got to dig deeper. Nobody likes diesel and gas taxes. But this is a tangible, real benefit that I can point to, Gray said. He acknowledged that other members might not receive the same infusion of dollars in their districts. Its a fair point, although I would make the argument [that] weve historically been underserved. And theyve historically been overserved, he said, noting specifically Los Angeles large share of transportation dollars. The new budget language also provides $427 million for transportation projects in Riverside County. The areas representative, Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), held off supporting the bill until the last day. Roth and Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) said the extra money was necessary to guarantee that the county was no longer neglected when it came time to distribute road repair dollars. Roth felt Riverside County has not received its fair share of transportation funds in the past. The governor and top legislators spent pre-dawn hours on Thursday and most of the afternoon of the vote trying to coax Cervantes. She ended up voting yes immediately as the Assembly vote roll was opened. For too long, Sacramento has failed to provide Inland Southern California with the resources we deserve, the two lawmakers said in a joint statement after the vote. Though this was a difficult vote, the cost of our region not getting its fair share is too high. The allocation offered by the governor includes $180 million for construction of a connector between State Route 91 and Interstate 15 North and $84.4 million for a bridge to take McKinley Street over busy railroad tracks in Riverside. The two legislators said they also secured a commitment from Brown to support a bill of Roths that would provide $18 million to the cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar to reimburse them for vehicle license fee revenue they lost through a change in law on newly incorporated cities. Brown had vetoed previous bills to provide bailout funds for the cities. Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), also a holdout vote until the end, said she was able to convince Democratic leaders that something was needed to mitigate pollution from trucks that serve warehouses, including those in her district. The budget trailer bill was amended at the last minute to include $50 million from the state Air Resources Board, much of it for grants that warehouses could compete for to provide heavy-duty vehicles that have zero or near-zero emissions. She said an emissions reduction program already exists at a Fontana warehouse in her district and added that she also represents areas with massive warehouses in Ontario and Chino. For me this is all about mitigation and air quality and how do we make sure in this deal that we are not further polluting the air, not only in the Inland Empire but also in the ports, Long Beach and Oakland, Leyva said. Shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, just minutes after the gas-tax bill passed the Assembly with no votes to spare, Brown was clearly excited as he stood in front of his Capitol office to talk to reporters about the victory many pundits predicted would elude him. Asked about the side deals that got him the votes, Brown voiced no regrets. You could get a train going to the Central Valley? Does anyone want trains more than me? No, Brown said. You could get projects and parks in some of the poorest neighborhoods in California? Hallelujah! patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com melanie.mason@latimes.com john.myers@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99, @melmason and @johnmyers ALSO You want to have a screwed up state? If not, then vote to raise taxes, Brown says Gov. Brown faces skeptical Assembly Democrats as he pitches transportation plan Updates from Sacramento Regarding Paper should focus on the Rice controversy (April 5): Far from a cover-up, the U-T is exercising sound journalistic judgment in keeping the Susan Rice story in proper perspective; i.e. treating it like the nonstory that it is and focusing on the dramatic personae pumping it full of hot air. The Eli Lake Bloomberg story, cited as the smoking gun, actually states that the alleged unmasking was likely legal, and at any rate does not support the administrations claims of surveillance. The Wall Street Journal concurred in this conclusion. Speaking to Slate, the former NSA director, Michael Hayden, said unmasking requests by high-ranking security officials are, Absolutely lawful. Even somewhat routine. Consider also that the originator of the story is Mike Cernovich, whose claim to fame so far is the outlandish (and dangerous) pizza-gate conspiracy theory. While the Susan Rice story legitimately begs the question about the scope of government surveillance generally, the allegations that Rice did something illegal, or even unprecedented, is fake news and deserves to be treated as such. Advertisement Joseph S. Carmellino San Diego Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Ramona Chamber of Commerce will host SBA Day & Lenders Fair on Wednesday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the event will be in the Ramona Womans Club building at 524 Main St. A complimentary lunch will be provided. Presentations will include California Small Business Permits and Taxes, Legal Aspects of Being in Business, an overview of the new I-9 form and filing procedures, Cyber Security Tips, USDA Programs and Loans, How SBA Resource Partners May Help You Succeed in Your Business, and How Local Lenders May Help Finance Your Business. If you have just started a new business or planning a start-up, this seminar will be a huge benefit, said Sally Westbrook, Ramona chamber president. The cost to attend is free and registration is required. Get a jump on other new businesses by attending and getting valuable information. Registration is at 4-19_ramona_sba_day.eventbrite.com/. Newspapers always are trying to engage readers, whether its to read stories in print or online, pore over photos, watch videos, write letters to the editor or join a conversation through website comments or social media. Last week reader interaction surged after an invitation to send in photos of all the flora blooming across the county from the first wet winter in years. The idea came about after a few stories we wrote on wildflowers did extremely well online, said environmental reporter Joshua Emerson Smith. It was even more clear that people were very excited about the super bloom after a massive weekend traffic jam in Anza-Borrego. Advertisement We thought wed enlist the enthusiasm of our readers to share their experiences, but we had no idea that wed get such an overwhelming response. Within hours of posting the solicit online, we started receiving photos. Within a week, we had thousands of pictures. The request appeared on the U-Ts website as well as in print. It asked people to email their photos to Smith so they can be displayed and indeed they did. It was hard to keep track of my other work emails amid the flood of responses, Smith said. It was gratifying to know that we had tapped into something that our readers so deeply cared about. Some of the photos appear today in the Local section. Others appear in a photo gallery at https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/readerwildflower Meeting coverage decisions Government reporters covering meetings regularly must decide which speakers to include in their stories to reflect the goings-on for readers. San Diego City Hall reporter David Garrick covered a large town-hall style meeting March 20 in Golden Hall on how to reduce homelessness in the city. It was arranged by San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole. Several hundred attended, and it lasted four hours. His story ran in print on the front page March 21. In capturing the flavor of the meeting, Garrick wrote this:Residents at the forum praised some of the proposals, but also raised some concerns. Some said it was a waste of taxpayer money to spend so much addressing homelessness, while others said the city should focus less on adding shelter beds and more on creating jobs so fewer people will be homeless. Others complained that the city harasses homeless people, including arresting many. And one speaker said San Diego wouldnt have a homelessness problem if the federal government cracked down on illegal immigration. The last sentence prompted a response on Twitter by a reader. The comment criticized the story for including the statement because it was made by just one person, and the reader said the illegal immigration statement is false. I asked government editor Michael Smolens, who edited the story, what he thought of the criticism. Lets put this into perspective, Smolens said. Were talking about one line in the middle of a story that was nearly 40 inches long. Thats all we thought the comment, which was paraphrased, warranted. Its certainly worth debate whether keeping that line in the story was appropriate, but lets not lose sight of that. Save that one line, the article focused entirely on what might be considered mainstream proposed solutions of homelessness some new, some old and its causes over the hourslong hearing, Smolens said. Part of what we attempt to do is give the full scope and flavor of a hearing or event, including even the minor aspects that may have little or no legitimacy in the minds of most people. The real issue, to me, is how you play those in the story. A passing mention is called for, but not leading the story with that outlier view. Before writing his story, David Garrick briefed me on the gist of the hearing and mentioned the commenter who blamed illegal immigration. David asked whether we should include it. I said, yes, briefly, for the above reasons. Rarely, maybe never, would a reporter focus on some off-the-grid comment made at a meeting. Most of the time, the reporter would not reference it at all. In this case, I agree with including the statement. It appeared briefly in the context of showing readers that a variety of thoughts were presented at the meeting. adrian.vore@sduniontribune.com For Indian leader and Sycuan tribal elder Anna Prieto Sandoval, her greatest triumph was also the source of one of her greatest regrets. As the driving force in steering the Sycuan Indian band into gaming and a more prosperous life on the Dehesa Valley reservation, she was able to bring needed resources to her fellow tribal members. The lifestyle changes, however, were more drastic than she anticipated and she lamented that affluence had eroded Indian culture and traditions. Mrs. Sandoval died of complications from diabetes Oct. 28 at her home on the Sycuan reservation. She was 76. Advertisement When she became chairwoman of the Sycuan tribe in 1972, the small, tight-knit group was poor and living in substandard housing. Under her leadership, the tribe opened the Sycuan Bingo Palace in 1983 and the thriving bingo hall was replaced by a vast casino in 1990. Casino cash built a needed clinic, a new church, a fire station and houses for tribe families. A pioneering Indian leader at the beginning of the gaming movement, Mrs. Sandoval had to work hard to convince the tribal council that bingo was a good idea. She later said it took years of persistence and yards of paperwork to open the bingo hall. Anna was ahead of her time, said Anthony Pico, former chairman of the Viejas tribe. She was a very bold person but also very sensitive. He said Mrs. Sandovals boldness and vision led to improved conditions for many. She was able to establish gaming (at Sycuan) and other tribes followed her example. Because of her, we enjoy a better life. Mrs. Sandoval also championed unity and open dialogue among the tribes, Pico said. Anna was very outgoing and inclusive. She was very well respected throughout Southern California and the Kumeyaay nation, She was a true warrior. She followed in the footsteps of her ancestors, he said. Sycuan chairman Daniel Tucker said Mrs. Sandoval, who was chairwoman for 20 years, was a mentor who fought for tribal sovereignty and tribal government gaming. She taught me to be diligent and a hard worker and she was fair, Tucker said. Im where I am today because of her. Family and tradition were always important to her, said those who knew her. She made sure we followed all the traditions, Tucker said, including the annual graveyard cleaning and Day of the Dead ceremonies. In a 1994 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Mrs. Sandoval recalled days on the East County reservation before it was home to one of the nations most successful Indian gaming operations. Those times were giving, taking and sharing, which we dont have today, she said. If somebodys roof leaked, everybody helped each other. She said she never dreamed the reservation would be a little Vegas. Mrs. Sandoval said she regretted that the reservations youth dont experience hardship because everything is handed to them. You see 18-year-old kids with brand new homes, brand new cars I guess its good in a way, but when you lose your traditions, you dont know who you are, what you are. All you know is whats mine. Karen Vigneault, a member of the Santa Ysabel tribe, said Mrs. Sandoval was a generous mentor who worked to preserve their culture. She helped me when I had a lot of questions about our culture, Vigneault said. Mrs. Sandoval was inducted into the San Diego County Womens Hall of Fame for helping her community become self-sufficient by bringing jobs, health care and housing to the reservation. She was born May 14, 1934, at the Sycuan reservation. Her mother, Ada Prieto, was also born on the reservation. English was her second language and she attended Dehesa Elementary and Grossmont High schools. She married in 1953 and later divorced. Mrs. Sandoval is survived by three sons, Joseph, Raymond and Orlando; a brother, George Prieto; 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by two daughters, Marquette Riberas and Cheryl Haywood. A traditional Kumeyaay clothes burning was held Oct. 31. An all-night wake will start at 5 p.m. Friday at the reservation. A mass will be held at 10 a.m. at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, followed by burial at the Sycuan cemetery and a gathering at the Sycuan Recreation Center. The owners of a company that provides janitorial and housekeeping services to luxury hotels across Southern California have been indicted in a $7 million insurance fraud and tax evasion scheme that lasted nearly a decade, prosecutors said Monday. Hyok Steven Kwon and Woo Stephanie Kwon, a married couple who owned Irvine-based Good Neighbor Services, are accused of working with six accomplices to hide the existence of at least 800 of hotel workers and avoid paying more than $3.6 million in workers compensation insurance rates and more than $3.3 million in payroll taxes. Advertisement District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, appearing at a downtown news conference with state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, called it the largest ever insurance premium fraud case in San Diego history. These defendants lied on the backs of their employees who were cleaning rooms in some of the most prestigious hotels in San Diego and in California... , Dumanis said. If workers got hurt on the job, they were threatened with being fired. Among the hotels were the Hotel Del Coronado, Loews Coronado, La Costa Resort and Spa, the Grand Del Mar, LAuberge Del Mar, The Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains. Prosecutors said there has been no indication throughout the lengthy investigation that the hotel owners and operators were aware of any fraud. Make no mistake, insurance fraud is not a victimless crime, Dumanis said. When cheaters scam insurance companies, and lie their way out of paying premium taxes, ordinary citizens end up footing the bill. During the course of the investigation, employees said they were paid with checks that carried the names of other businesses, even though they wore uniforms with the Good Neighbor Services logo and identified the Kwons as the owners, according to the District Attorneys Office. The employees also said they did not receive overtime pay or workers compensation benefits when they were injured on the job, and they feared retaliation if they reported their injuries. One employee reported that she had to repeatedly ask for medical attention for her injury. When she was finally sent to a doctor, she found out later the Kwons sent her to a dentist rather than a physician, Dumanis said. Jones, the insurance commissioner, said the investigation revealed that the Kwons used an elaborate scheme involving 12 shell companies to defraud insurance providers and the state. He said the couple misrepresented the number of people they employed, as well as the size of their payroll, in order to reduce their insurance and tax obligations. The Kwons treated hundreds of their hotel workers like chattel, Jones said. (Their employees) are entitled to have workers compensation insurance paid for by the Kwons to cover their injuries and medical treatment for injuries sustained on the job. State and local authorities first became aware of a problem when they were notified by the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a statewide watchdog organization that works to abolish illegal and unfair business practices in the janitorial industry. Lilia Garcia, the watchdog groups executive director, said one of Good Neighbor Services competitors first notified the organization of possible illegal conduct in 2010 and referred the group to several workers who complained about the defendants conduct. The Kwons face 11 counts of workers compensation premium fraud, 18 counts of payroll tax evasion and one count of extortion. If convicted, they face up to 31 years in prison. Steven Kwon, 62, was booked into San Diego County jail Friday, according to online jail records. He pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon in San Diego Superior Court and was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail. Kwons lawyer asked to revisit the issue of bail at a hearing now scheduled for Jan. 4. As of Monday afternoon, Stephanie Kwon, 59, was in custody in Orange County, prosecutors said. She is expected to be arraigned in San Diego sometime later, possibly next week. Calls to Good Neighbor Services Corp.s offices in San Diego and Irvine were not returned Monday. Six co-defendants face similar charges in San Diego Superior Court, although prosecutors have not said specifically what their roles were in the fraud scheme were. They are expected to be arraigned Jan. 5. The co-defendants are Melquiades Brizuela Jr, Manuel Rodriguez, Veronica Lucas Cuin, Aimee Sunmyung Kwon, Daniel Kwon and Hyun Bung Chae, according to the District Attorneys Office. Just across the lagoon, just outside the mainland fishing village of Sarteneja, is an amazing AMAZING place. Its called Wildtracks. Started in 1990 by Zoe and Paul Walker down a long muddy road into the wilderness they went from fostering one manatee to running a large conservation, research and education program with a huge mission. Belize has a tendency to give you as much as you can handle and soon after, it pushes the limitsagain and again. These guys are doing absolutely jaw-dropping work. See Izzy a spider monkey who was shot by poachers One manatee turned into a manatee rehabilitation center the only one of its kind in the country and then a monkey rehabilitation center (when in 2010, the facility that was doing this closed) as they help to end the illegal pet trade and practice in Belize. They now care for and work with manatees, monkeys and host scores of long-term volunteers to take on this monumental task. See Hope the smallest manatee ever found washed up into someones yard during last Augusts Hurricane Earl Its an absolutely amazing operation. Because of the animals sensitivities and the ultimate goal of release into the wild, Wildtracks is not open to the public. But I was able to visit with some visiting veterinarians in the summer of 2014. Since 2010, Wildtracks has taken in 107 monkeys and successfully released 49. Many which have their own babies. They currently have 53 monkeys in rehab and 5 manatees. Now my friends and I have a chance to go back. And we wanted to bring something to help BABY FORMULA! And Im hoping you wouldnt mind helping. Heres my plan. We found out which type of formula that the babies drink. Enfamil 1 only. In the gold can. It is about $28bzd a can here and sold at many local stores. Here it is in towns Super Buy. I put together this graphic Wildtracks and the many volunteers are providing the love and carethe least we can do is send them milk! BABY MONKEYS! Fact: Only monsters dont like baby monkeys and manatees. So here is the plan. To bring the babies a shipment of milk from San Pedro (and from San Pedro & Belize lovers). Starting Monday, there will be signs at many stores around town where you can buy the formula. Buy a can and drop it off at our Drop Off Spots. Right now they are: The Baker, about 1 mile south of San Pedro town and the bar at The Truck Stop about 1 mile north of town. There will be a Sharpie for you. Write a message to the monkeys on the top of the can (or decorate it!) mine might look like this. I might even add some fun stickers. Surely monkeys like stickers. And on April 25, Ill take the Thunderbolt water taxi over to Sarteneja, stay at Fernandos Seaside Guest House and then head over to WILDTRACKS WITH ALL THE FORMULA. Ill deliver the milk, highlighting all the great messages you sent in the blog and social media (unless you are a secretive, Greta Garbo type anonymous donor) and let everyone know exactly WHO is going to be enjoying this care package. You can read about Little Bean found covered in ants! So lets do it! Im super excited to visit and even more excited to help bring food for these babies. And if you are not in Belize and would like to help, you can send me money ($25bzd is the cheapest Ive seen it on the island) on Paypal ([email protected]) WITH YOUR MESSAGE! Dont forget your name and your message. Ill turn the money into formula and write your message on the can for the monkeys. LOOK FOR THESE SIGNS AROUND TOWN TOMORROW! Ill let you know EXACTLY where they will be. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News Red Hot Foods/Santa Paula Salsa Mfg. Co. was honored as Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce for its fiery devotion to the community at the March 1 Celebrate Santa Paula/Citizen of the Year Awards banquet. Held at the Community Center, the sold out crowd at the annual celebration enjoyed an evening of paying tribute to individuals and businesses that make a difference for Santa Paula. Cathy Hicks presented the award to Burma and Butch Baselice, the former recovering from surgery she had just days before who was delivered to the event in a wheelchair from Vista Cove where she is recovering. Hicks said, One of the first things I noticed about Burma and Butch is as a volunteer Im usually at everyones door asking for different things. I was at their door asking for product and they asked me to help them so now I volunteer for them. The couple Do marvelous things for the community. They have so many different lines of sauces and salsas, they generously share with a plethora of fundraisers. They are just wonderful, wonderful people. Anyone that needs anything they always help, they really deserve this award, said Hicks. Burma introduced members of the company team on hand for the awards and noted, They hold us together. Were very fortunate to live in Santa Paula. When I moved here in 1975, Butch said, I would go to The Mill to buy chickenfeed every Saturday and talk to the farmers. If I hadnt moved here what would I have now? The Santa Paula community, he added, is like no other. SPUSD: Board has at times heated discussion over district finances By Peggy Kelly Members of the Santa Paula Unified School District Board had an at times heated discussion at a special meeting held February 21 to examine and gauge district finances. Last year the district adopted a $63.4-million General Fund budget for Fiscal-Year 2016-2017. The General Fund pays salaries and benefits, buys books and supplies and takes care of services and other operating expenses. Its a very important meeting, Superintendent Alfonso Gamino told the board as the district, like others in the state, have to deal with less onetime funding and more expenditures. Assistant Superintendent of Finance Donna Rose gave the board members the budget calendar and noted the up and downs of outside funding. Were now going back to lower revenues, slower growth, and funding, such as Proposition 98, not as robust. The Department of Finance has more positive views but overall funding seems to be on the downswing. And that also applies to the SPUSD: Rose told the board there is an anticipated funding gap that will be confirmed, or preferably disproved, later this year. The projected $1.3 million shortfall in revenue is especially sensitive as other costs are rising, including PERS retirement benefits increasing for classified employees. Overall, said Rose at the conclusion of her report, Its not the most positive news The board heard other news regarding personnel and declining enrollments that will likely cause the creation of more combination classes on elementary school campuses. After about an hour of discussion and comments Board Member Derek Luna said it was time to focus on the negatives and gauge what is not working at all. He said the report from the districts Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP) Committee which describes how districts intend to meet annual goals for all pupils, with specific activities to address state and local priorities identified pursuant to law noted that in several categories more effective communication was needed including for parents. I saw that multiple times in here, its not working, which Luna said is costing the district $120,000 in LCAP funds. Is that the entire salary? Luna asked. Rose said the amount covers salary, plus benefits and PERS. Luna gave several examples where more communication was needed and said, Personally, I was at a wedding two weeks ago, where he spoke to officials with other school districts who said they do not have PIOs. They both recommended we do not have a PIO, specifically if there are no specifics about duties and responsibilities. I think Luna said of the position, its a waste of public funds. Board Member Michelle Kolbeck questioned why the district doesnt have one calendar with all school activities listed rather than nine schools separately. Many times I would call the school, to determine activities. Thats our problem, our own people, have trouble with it, so Kolbeck asked how parents could be expected to garner information Luna said he would rather support students rather than with present communications costing the district $120,000 annually. The reason we did was because we needed to sell our schools, tell everybody what is good about our schools, said Board Member Christina Tina Urias. I think our PIO Is doing that. Santa Paula has gotten a bad rap in the past and a lot of good things are going on in the schoolsthat is why five of us agreed to hire, a Public Information Officer. Urias said the online calendar would be fixed and noted Ive seen our own PIO at various events. Luna agreed that the district could use good publicity but the cost is still too high. Im not talking about increasing Facebook pages, he noted but rather strong community relations. Board Member Pam Thompson said overall in Southern California, SPUSD is At the head of the curve with having a community officer on board Board President Kelsey Stewart said a PIO helps schools on different levels. Overall, Kolbeck expressed some dissatisfaction with the discussion so far about the district and its finances. We really dont have any way of measuring, we put all this funding here, as a list, But theres still not a column that says this helps 500 students, to show end results. Funding is supposed to help as many students as possible, and without such information, said Kolbeck, I think were missing the boat By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News Another former employee of Santa Clara Waste Water-Green Compass has pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the 2014 explosions and fire at the facility located west of Santa Paula, including illegally moving hazardous materials to a location in a residential/commercial area of the city. According to court records, David Joseph Wirsing, 45, appeared before Judge Patricia Murphy on March 2 and entered his plea to felony conspiracy. Wirsing is the third defendant indicted in the case who has pleaded guilty. Mark Avila and Brock Gus Baker pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2015, to four counts including failure to warn of serious concealed danger, repeated violation of labor safety standards and interference with enforcement. Avila and Baker are scheduled to appear in court for sentencing June 23. Wirsing, a former manager for the company, was indicted by a Grand Jury in August 2015 with eight other company officials and the business entities on criminal counts stemming from the November 18, 2014, explosions and fire at the wastewater treatment facility, located at 815 Mission Rock Road. Three Santa Paula Firefighters the first on the scene of the approximately 3:45 a.m. call were seriously injured by exposure to toxic chemicals, more than 1,000 gallons that exploded out the back of a vacuum truck. Several others at the scene were also seriously injured. Two SPPF Firefighters have since taken medical retirements. During the incident the material, which never has been positively identified, spontaneously combusted sending up flames and fumes and preventing testing by nervous labs. In all, about 50 people were taken to or arrived at area hospitals with symptoms of exposure that even affected caregivers; a one-mile radius was evacuated later reduced to half-a-mile and an organic farms crop was declared a $1 million loss. Those with businesses or homes in the immediate area were allowed to return, but cautioned about further potential danger, days later. For months, an emergency response RV Tent City comprised of county, state and federal officials and investigators, was set up in the north parking lot of Kmart. Multiple charges that resulted from the initial incident included 71 counts of multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including endangering the public, conspiracy to commit a crime, handling hazardous waste with a reckless disregard for human life, disposal of hazardous waste, committing violations causing injuries and other charges. According to the charges, Wirsing and other Santa Clara Waste Water officials negotiated a lease for an off-site storage yard off the south end of Palm Avenue in Santa Paula in July 2014, where chemicals from the facility were illegally transported and stored. One of the counts Wirsing pleaded guilty to March 2 was felony conspiracy to impede the enforcement of a Certified Unified Program Agency official, the Ventura County Environmental Health Agency which just weeks before the November 2014 explosions and fire had inspected the facility. Wirsing also admitted to overt acts in the count, which includes charges related to the transfer of hazardous chemicals from Mission Rock Road to the Palm Avenue storage yard; he also admitted exchanging text messages with another SCWW employee about the actions. Santa Paula News Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! wrote Dr. Seuss. Blanchard Elementary School students were in for a treat when Santa Paula Police Chief Steve McLean read a Dr. Seuss book to celebrate the birthdate of the most famous of childrens authors. McLean also gave the students some safety tips. Seuss books were read across the nation on March 2, the actual birthdate of Theodor Seuss Geisel, an American writer, cartoonist, animator, book publisher, and artist best known for authoring his array of childrens books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. Born in 1904, Seuss died September 24, 1991 in La Jolla. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News A dramatic midday pursuit through the historic Downtown turned heads following a shooting on East Main Street, an incident that resulted in the arrest of two men involved in a love triangle. According to Santa Paula Police Sgt. Cody Madison, officers responded to the March 20 incident about 1:07 p.m. to the report of shots fired to the rear of a business in the 600 block of East Main Street. While speaking to witnesses, officers observed a grey sedan exiting a business at a high rate of speed with, noted Madison, Complete disregard to public safety. An officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle as it traveled eastbound on Main Street but the driver of the vehicle would not pull over. Madison said a pursuit was initiated that included SPPD patrol cars and a motorcycle officer and the driver finally yielded and stopped at the intersection of 10th and Main streets. The driver, Xavier Servin, 19, of Santa Paula, was taken into custody without further incident. During the pursuit witnesses reported a subject, who matched the description of the subject who fled from the rear of the business on Main Street, was attempting to hide behind houses also in the 600 block of E. Main Street. That subject, later identified as 21-year-old Emiliano Castillo, of Santa Paula, was taken into custody without incident. Madison said a search of the area where Castillo was reported to be was conducted and a loaded 9mm pistol was recovered. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News The City Council Monday agreed to process the revised development agreement linked to a lawsuit by the Santa Paula Conservancy and San Buenaventura Conservancy over the Hardison House property. City Councilman John Procter, whose family once owned and occupied the property, recused himself from the issue that had been a closed session item preceding the regular meeting. The lawsuit against Williams Homes and the city was filed last year stemming from the council agreed upon development of the historic property located at 1226 Ojai Road, a parcel visible to passersby on Highway 150. The council agreed at the March 20 meeting to process the revised application according to City Attorney John Cotti. The revised development agreement for the Hardison Farmstead notes that several buildings will be removed from the tract boundary and largely left in its current configuration. The development project will be reduced from 40 single-family dwellings to 36 new units. The barn on the property, a strong point of contention with project opponents, will not be moved closer to the historic ranch house as originally approved but rather be left in place as will the caretakers quarters and garage, although latter two will be repositioned on new foundations. Developer Williams Homes must also submit a landscape plan that maintains historic and period appropriate elements of the 19-plus-acre property, which once held orchards. The Victorian style ranch home was built in 1884 for Wallace L. Hardison and his family. Remembered primarily for being a co-founder of both the Union Oil and the Limoneira companies he also was part owner of a Peruvian gold mine and at one time the owner and publisher of the now defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner newspaper. During public comment Sheryl Hamlin said the city could have avoided a lot of angst if there had been stronger policy and study done on the development while it was in the planning stages. What we did get out of this was something wonderful, citizen involvement, specifically by Amber Mickelson whom Hamlin said crafted a trove of history and information on the property and its former occupant. Mickelson had cared for Robert Procter before his death when the family decision was made to sell the property. By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News An energy project that could compete with the proposed Calpine peaker plant will be the focus of a meeting Tuesday. Representatives of ZGlobal/Western Grid Development, LLC, a power engineering and energy company based in Folsom, made an appearance in October before the Planning Commission to unveil a proposed battery energy storage facility planned for North 13th Street. The March 28 community meeting to discuss the utility scale battery storage project will be held at the Community Center, 530 W. Main St. at 7 p.m. Spanish speaking translation will be available. The project requires a Conditional Use Permit, which means it must be approved by the Planning Commission presented with a concept review in October and the City Council. Western Grid would like to engage the community in a discussion of the characteristics of the project and seeks input from community members, noted a company statement. Battery Energy Storage is transforming the global energy landscape; it can help make renewable energy sources more reliable and is critical to an efficient, clean and cost-effective energy grid. Energy storage technology is used to convert electricity into a form of stored energy, which then converts that stored energy back to electricity when there is a need for power. Energy storage helps integrate intermittent renewable resources, such as solar power, wind, and hydroelectricity, and provides power when it is needed for consumption. This allows power to be stored during low consumption times, and released during times of high demand, effectively stabilizing the local grid and reducing the risk of outages. The 5 MW battery system, immediately adjacent to the SoCal Edison Wakefield substation, would be charged by solar panels located at the project site. The project presented to the Planning Commission included 15 energy storage modules up to 53-feet long, constructed away from 13th Street. The secured property would be fenced and landscaped; there would be an office for a scant crew as needed. If constructed the project described by applicants as green energy is eligible to fulfill Edisons local capacity requirements, as would the proposed, controversial Calpine Mission Rock Road Energy Project. Proposed SP battery energy storage system addressed at meeting By Peggy Kelly Several dozen Santa Paulans attended a meeting Tuesday evening regarding the proposed battery energy storage system targeted for 13th Street. Held at the Community Center, the meeting attracted residents and those with an eye on the environment, as well as representatives of ZGlobal/Western Grid Development, LLC, a power engineering and energy company based in Folsom. Pedro Nava, the companys public relations consultant, led the session explaining the proposed project. The project requires a Conditional Use Permit, which means it must be approved by the Planning Commission presented with a concept review in October and the City Council. The 5 MW battery system immediately adjacent to the SoCal Edison Wakefield substation would be charged by solar panels located at the project site. The project presented to the Planning Commission included 20 energy storage modules up to 53-feet long, constructed away from 13th Street. The secured property would be fenced and landscaped; there would be an office for a scant crew as needed. If constructed the project described by applicants as green energy is eligible to fulfill Edisons local capacity requirements, as would the proposed, and highly controversial, Calpine Mission Rock Road Energy Project. Nava said Santa Paula has always demonstrated a very active involvement in community. You have something special in Santa Paula, including a long rich history. Residents level of engagement is unrivaledbecause of that the city looks and feels the way it does, including the lack of overhead wiring on Main Street a conscious decision that showed those in the past were looking towards the future. Z-Global, he noted, has a long history also of working with the community and making contributions. Ziad Alaywan of ZGlobal-Western Grid Development spoke about why the project is proposed to be located in the city noting the 1.5-acre parcels proximity to the electrical substation. We did a 30 megawatt about five times larger than this, its been operating for about six months, in El Centro, a facility that Alaywan said is highly efficient. Purchasing the property from a friend of a friend he noted was A good deal for both of us. Alaywan, an electrical engineer, said his company employs 50 people at two locations. Nava explained the workings of the facility as well as an over-generation of solar that caused the state to request that utilities invest $2 billion in battery storage technology. Were not burning petroleum, using natural gas or relying on nuclear power but rather solar generated power that is stored in batteries for use as needed. Connections to the Wakefield substation from the 53-foot-long containers would be underground and after construction was completed there would very little traffic at the site. Its another source of local energy at no cost to the city and city taxpayers, and Nava said local contractors and labor would be used. The facility would not generate pollution, noise or use large amounts of water, unlike other generators such as peaker plants. Samsung SDI produces the prismatic cell batteries and each container would have its own state of the art Novec fire suppression system. The city has the CEQA document available for a 30-day review and comment period. During the question and answer period a variety of questions were asked including heat generation very minimal was the answer as well as the anticipated lifespan of the facility, estimated by a Samsung representative at about 20 years. In addition, a Samsung representative, said the highly engineered, specialized batteries would be taken back by Samsung to be recycled or repurposed for other applications. There is an incredible difference between the batteries in a mobile phone and these, with the batteries used for the project at the other end of the spectrum from those Lithium batteries used in cell phones. Such batteries including those for Hoverboards have been in the news because of fires. The batteries to be used in the project are not sealed in an aluminum pouch common to consumer uses, but rather are a laser sealed aluminum can that becomes a useless brick in the case of problems. Ken Chapman asked if the company would be receiving subsidies from the state, noting, Its their program Alaywan said, There is no subsidy, it is completely private. The companys revenue, he noted is for standby power, ready to fulfill emergency needs or when extra power is needed. When power is needed, Then we have to perform and produce to the distribution center, which pushes back energy coming to Santa Paula from someplace else. Thank you for providing a clean, green energy project in Santa Paula, said Laura Flores Espinosa, the citys former vice mayor, who said the agreement should note that Santa Paula should be supplied first when needed before energy is sent to Montecito. She said the barbed wire topping on the fence planned for the facility should be hidden. We have a lot of pride in our community, and Espinosa suggested, To make it more esthetically pleasing perhaps you would consider a public art project. This is a new game here, maybe we should acknowledge that, connect that with the pride of our community. She also urged that any contract include a caveat for facility removal noting that such a dismantling clause would avoid the issue of blight common to Latino communities left with the cleanup Under questioning company representatives noted the value of the property improvements would be up to $20 million that would bring more revenue to the city in property taxes and that the city should benefit from the purchase of the equipment. Others asked for details on fire danger and the Novec system as well as a detailed description of the system. The risk at the site would be from high voltage. Alaywan said if built, the Santa Paula facility would be the sixth in Southern California. Another question centered on finances: Weve done the math, said Alaywan. The cost for this is a fixed cost, with low overhead, no human cost. You can predetermine the cost for the next 20 years, you dont have variable costs that fluctuate. One attendee suggested a representative of SoCal Edison should have been present and asked if there has been incidents at the El Centro facility. There have been some power efficiency issues said Alaywan. Other company representatives who answered questions or offered comment included Matthew Nelson and Jamie Nichole Nagel. Chris Stabenfeldt, AICP of ECORP is the lead environmental manager for the project. Africa is the largest continent in terms of cocoa production. Nearly about 70 percent of world's cocoa is produced there. It is very much possible that every time a human bites a chocolate bar, it contains cocoa produced by this country. Africa requires carving more than 325,000 acres of new farmland every year from the forests. According to Stanford news, a Stanford study has been done regarding the agricultural expansion in Africa. The study shows that how the demand for commodity crops such as cocoa from international market is affecting sub-Saharan Africa's tropical forests. The study and its findings were published in Environmental Research letter. The study suggests the reason for policymakers that the decisions regarding deforestation can be tailored around. Elsa Ordway, who is a graduate student of Stanford's School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, is the lead author of the study. "We are starting to better understand issues related to large-scale agricultural expansion in the tropics such as Africa," she stated. Science Daily reported that Africa has the opportunity for taking lessons from other regions that applies preventive policies. As per the study, the policies can reduce the local region poverty issues and forest conservation can be incentivized. This will be better than the global deforestation that has partnered agricultural expansion in other regions. As the agricultural production in Africa has an increase in the rate of production globally, it is expected to increase more than 10 percent by the year 2025. The Sub-Saharan African continent has huge numbers of cheap lands and labors, which would attract the multinational companies for expanding further. The deforestation rates in Africa are not more than South America or Southeast Asia but still, the continent has lost an area of intact forest since the year 2000, which is about the size of Iceland. Meanwhile, the findings of the study could inform all the so-called "zero deforestation commitments" which are made by numbers of multinational companies helping the countries stick to their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Third District Court of Appeals in Sacramento, California gave environmentalists another victory after it ruled the constitutionality of requiring polluting companies that exceed their limits to buy credits. California's business sector also argued that the conduct of the auction was never authorized under the program. The cap and trade program of the state sets limits on the amount of pollution that companies can release. The Air Resources Board administers the auctions where firms can purchase carbon emission credits.The program aims to reduce pollution in the atmosphere by providing financial incentives. The California Chamber of Commerce, however, questioned the auction of carbon emission credits and asserted that this constitutes illegal taxation. The court's decision is expected to have significant implications for the state and the environmentalists' goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even before the court's ruling, Governor Jerry Brown already launched a campaign to extend the cap and trade program beyond 2020. California's greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by four percent from the time the program was launched in 2013 to 2015. California's cap and trade program are seen as the most ambitious effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to ABC News. The court's ruling favoring the auction is not expected to deter further challenges to the program. However, it could again increase the demand for pollution permits, which provided millions of dollars annually to the state's coffers. The Court's ruling hopefully settled the contention of the California Chamber of Commerce that the auction is unauthorized taxation, according to the National Law Review As the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said, the auction fees are more like regulatory fees but not taxes at all. The court said there is actually no tax imposition because companies are not forced to buy the credits. And in case they bought the credits, these can be sold or traded. The seesaw court battle between Huawei and Samsung continues across the US and China. Huawei gained favorable ruling against the tech giant Samsung in an IP infringement case filed in China. The court also orders Samsung to pay $11.6 million in damages. Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics have been tangling with each other across two countries. The first move came from Huawei when it filed lawsuits in the US and China for allegations of smartphone patent infringements in May last year. Samsung responded by taking their case in a Chinese court and sued Huawei for IP infringement. The Huawei case specifically enumerated 20 different models and derivatives of Samsung smartphones that allegedly breached IP. Among the accessories to the case are two Chinese companies. Huawei alleged that these companies sold Samsung products, according to a Reuters report. After a grueling and legally grinding proceedings, the Quanzhou Intermediary Court orders the five respondents, including Samsung, to pay Huawei of the IP damage. Meanwhile, sources revealed that part of the case is iconic Samsung products and recent hit products like the Samsung Galaxy S7. Huawei sought compensation from a total of 30 million Samsung products. Come to think of it, the $11.6 million compensation is just a tip of the iceberg since Samsung allegedly raked $12.7 billion from its sales. The bulk of this sales came from the Galaxy S7. In a related development, Huawei took a hit in the UK after a separate case was filed by Unwired Planet. Ironically, the case stemmed from accusations that Huawei stepped into a global license of Unwired Planet. The company claims that this license was bought from Ericsson in 2013, according to the Global Telecoms Business. Huawei was ordered to pay up to a maximum of 0.6 percent of its handset sales to Unwired Planet. Huawei refused to comment on details until they can evaluate the court decision. However, the company assured that they will submit to the court rulings. A total of $336m will be invested, divided into two phases: $136m for the first phase and $200m for phase two. The port wil be located in Puntland an autonomous state within Somalia, which has been wracked civil conflict since the early 1990's. President of Puntland, H.E. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and the chairman of Ports, Customs & Freezone Corporation (PCFC), Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem signed the agreement at a ceremony in Dubai in the presence of senior Government officials and representatives of PCFC. Work on the project will involve building a 450m quay and a five hectare back up area, dredging to a depth of 12m with reclamation work using dredge spoil. There will also be major investment in an IT and terminal operating system, mobile harbour cranes and container handling equipment. President of Puntland, H.E. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, said: Infrastructure development is a priority for the government of Puntland as it underpins the efforts of taking this country forward. This concession agreement of expanding the Bosasso port is a major achievement for my government and for the people of Puntland PCFC chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: The Port of Bosaso is a unique opportunity to enter into a multi-purpose port that is transitioning to containerisation in a country that is growing strongly as it enters a period of sustained peace. It fits ideally into P&O Ports mandate to invest in multipurpose ports in emerging markets, employing local people and developing skills. In return, the state of Puntland will benefit from an internationally recognised port operator contributing to its economic growth and trade potential. The Port of Bosaso is located in Puntland State of Somalia, 2,000 km north of Mogadishu. The deal comes as Somalia is struggling to get to grips with a number of new piracy attacks causing concerns in the shipping industry of a resurgence in the scourge which reached critical levels between 2008 and 2012. Three hijackings have taken place in the last month. Press Release April 9, 2017 SENATOR SONNY ANGARA'S LENTEN MESSAGE As we observe Lent, let us all join hands as one nation in renewing and strengthening our Christian faith. Let us take a break from our worldly preoccupation and meditate on the sacrifices and tremendous physical torture our Lord Jesus Christ has endured to liberate us from the slavery of sins. I am likewise making an appeal to our leaders and co-workers in government for a week-long political ceasefire. This is a time for all of us, especially those in public service, to rise above differences and release ourselves from political bickering, feud, conflict, quarrel, and other unfriendly actions that only divide our people and our country. The Lenten season is an opportunity for us to give genuine forgiveness to those who have hurt us, as Jesus Himself prayed to the Father to forgive those who have caused Him sufferings. Let us rejoice and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ by greeting peace with one another and let us all pray for unity as true and faithful children of God the Father and believer of our Lord Jesus Christ. My family and I wish everyone a safe travel wherever they go, either to visit relatives in the provinces, join pilgrimages, or have their long-overdue vacations. I call on our officials in the transportation offices of the government, as well our police and traffic personnel, to man our roads and highways to ensure the safety of our motorists and readily assist them in case of troubles and emergencies. Press Release April 9, 2017 Bam lauds BIR memo for micro businesses Sen. Bam Aquino lauded the latest memorandum by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), announcing that taxpayers covered by the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) may file their income tax returns (ITR) without paying taxes. "Nagpapasalamat tayo sa BIR sa paglalabas ng nasabing memorandum na nagbigay linaw sa mga isyu at problemang bumabalot sa BMBE," said Sen. Bam. "Ngayon, mas madali na para sa ating maliliit na negosyante na mag-file ng income tax dahil sa tulong ng panuntunang ito na inilabas ng BIR," added Sen. Bam. In a memorandum dated April 5, 2017, BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay ordered all regional directors, revenue district officers and other concerned officials to accept tax returns filed by taxpayers claiming to be covered by BMBE, whether tax are paid or not. However, the BIR said the tax returns will be subjected to post audit/verification and compliance with Section 3 of Department Order No. 17-04 or guidelines implementing the registration of BMBE and availment of tax incentives under Republic Act 9718 or BMBE Act of 2002. Sen. Bam also advised micro-businesses to secure certification from the 470-plus Negosyo Centers all over the country. Sen. Bam is the principal author and sponsor of the Republic Act No. 10644 or the Go Negosyo Act, the first of his 17 law in the 16th Congress. "I wish to remind BIR that under the Go Negosyo Act, the sole authority to issue BMBE certificates is with the Negosyo Centers," said Sen. Bam. As additional help to micro businesses, Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 169 or the Small Business Tax Reform Act, which seeks to provide small businesses with lower income tax rate, a simplified process in filing of taxes and other privileges to stimulate their growth. Under the measure, all small businesses shall be exempt from payment of income tax for the first three years of its operation from date of establishment and will be subjected to lower income tax rates thereafter. Small businesses earning less than P300,000 will be exempted from income tax while those with income ranging P300,000 up to P10,000,000 will be subjected to a 10-percent income tax rate. The measure also pushes for simpler bookkeeping, a special lane and assistance desk for MSEs, exemption from tax audit, annual filing of returns, and payment in installment. Sen. Bam stressed the need for simpler taxation, saying the Philippines placed 126th out of 189 economies in Ease of Paying Taxes in a joint study by PWC and the World Bank - Paying Taxes 2016. ARLINGTON, Texas Theres a chance the As might adjust their rotation after one time through. No. 5 starter Raul Alcantara performed poorly in his first start Friday, allowing eight runs in two innings. The rookie right-hander gave up two homers, including a grand slam by Nomar Mazara. Long man Jesse Hahn, who was Oaklands No. 3 starter the first half of the 2015 season, took over and worked six strong innings, hitting 97 mph with his fastball and allowing two runs. The team has a day off at Kansas City on Tuesday, and manager Bob Melvin said that will factor into his decision. With the extra day, the As could skip Alcantara or push him back to allow him to work on some issues. Well see, Melvin said. It starts with having an off day. Were still looking at some things. Melvin said that with Hahn likely to be off the next three days, Daniel Coulombe and Frankie Montas are capable of throwing multiple innings. Should the As need a long man before Hahn is back, its possible Alcantara, who threw 58 pitches to Hahns 78, could do so soon. Chapman injury: Matt Chapman, one of the As top prospects, left Triple-A Nashvilles game Friday with a wrist injury suffered on a checked swing. He was re-evaluated Saturday, according to As director of player development Keith Lieppman, who described the injury as a tweaked wrist. The As announced Saturday evening that Chapman was diagnosed with a wrist sprain. Chapman, 23, missed much of the 2015 season with a wrist injury. The third baseman was off to a slow start, with six strikeouts in seven at-bats. Gray plans: Pitcher Sonny Gray is being brought along slowly as he returns from a lat strain. Gray will throw a somewhat extended bullpen session Monday, according to Melvin. After that, Gray would probably throw to hitters later in the week. The As still expect Gray back in late April. Chris Bassitt, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, will throw to hitters at Class A Stockton on Sunday. Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. On deck Sunday at Rangers 12:05 p.m. NBCSCA Manaea (0-0) vs. Perez (0-1) Monday at Royals 1:15 p.m. MLB Net Cotton (0-1) vs. Kennedy (0-1) Tuesday Off Leading off Plouffe out sick: Trevor Plouffe was a late scratch Saturday with an illness, so Mark Canha was designated hitter and Ryon Healy moved to third. Plouffe is batting .158. My timing is just a little in-between, he said. Its early. I dont think anyones worried. Susan Slusser Chris Carlson/Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas - Sonny Gray is still being brought along slowly as he returns from a lat strain. Grays next time on the mound will be another bullpen session, somewhat extended bullpen, according to manager Bob Melvin. Gray will throw the bullpen session Monday in Kansas City, and after that, hed likely throw to hitters later in the week should everything continue to go well. Owners of nearly 2,000 apartment buildings in San Francisco have done nothing to bring their properties up to current seismic safety standards, despite an approaching deadline and possible fines if the mandatory work is not completed. With five months to go before a Sept. 15 deadline to pull permits for the work, owners of nearly 52 percent of tier three buildings wood-frame structures of between five and 15 units have yet to submit permit applications. Thats the first step in the process needed to comply with the citys 2013 mandatory soft-story law, which targets buildings susceptible to collapse in an earthquake. Out of 3,526 buildings in the category, 1,693 have filed for permits, while 1,834 have not, said Department of Building Inspection Director Tom Hui. Hui said he is surprised at how many property owners have ignored the call to bring their buildings into compliance, given the monthly mailed notices and publicity around the program. They have had plenty of time to respond, Hui said. Its for public safety. We just want them to comply and protect themselves, the tenant and the public. Earthquakes are not predictable one could happen this afternoon. The tier three buildings represent the third phase in the citys effort to shore up wood-frame buildings that house more than 110,000 residents. While the buildings are spread across the city, they are most common in Chinatown, the Marina, North Beach, the Mission, the Castro and the Western Addition neighborhoods. The soft-story law targets wood-frame buildings where the first story is substantially weaker and more flexible than the stories above because of a lack of walls or frames at the street level. The program started with just six institutional and educational buildings, which all came into compliance. The next phase focused on 509 buildings with more than 15 units, of which 95 percent are in the process of doing upgrades. Tier three includes the buildings between five and 15 units, and the final tier, due next year, includes 913 structures with a ground-floor commercial use. The September deadline is setting off a frantic dash among property owners, according to John Pollard of SF Garage Co., who said many landlords are just waking up to the fact that time is running out. While tier three owners have to submit their permit application by Sept. 15, they have an additional two years to complete the work. Pollards company offers soft-story retrofits. A guy called today with five buildings, and a lady called yesterday with four, Pollard said. We have seven engineers who are doing nothing but these soft-story permits. Pollard said that the number of tier three properties that still have not filed for permits does not bode well. There are not enough engineering firms in the entire state of California to do 1,800 buildings in five or six months, Pollard said. It sounds like tier three is egregiously behind. The cost of reinforcing an old wooden apartment building varies, but can range between $100,000 and $1 million, depending on condition and location. Mark Barbagelata, owner of Seismic Retrofitters, puts the cost at between $30 and $50 a square foot so roughly between $300,000 and $500,000 for a typical 12-unit, 10,000-square-foot building with spacious flats. Over the past year, Barbagelatas office has become a revolving door of landlords with questions about bolts, clips, foundation footings, steel frames and shear walls all of which are used to shore up properties against earthquakes. Its kind of a mad scramble out there, he said. A lot of panicking people. Janan New, executive director of the San Francisco Apartment Association, which works on behalf of landlords, blamed some of the lack of compliance on sticker shock. What we are hearing from members is the bids are coming in a lot higher than they originally had anticipated, New said. For some of the smaller landlords, its become a big financial burden. The fact that only a limited number of construction groups specialize in soft-story work is also a problem, she said. We dont have enough vendors, and that is driving costs up, too, she said. For some landlords, the soft-story program offers the potential of income gains along with the retrofit pain. A 2015 law passed by the Board of Supervisors allows property owners doing soft-story retrofits to add new housing units by converting ground-floor or basement spaces into units. So far, applications have been filed to add 344 accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, through the program. Pollard estimates that 75 percent of the soft-story projects he is doing include new units. Dawn Ma of Q-Architecture said many of her clients regard the soft-story program as a hassle rather than an improvement. But those who look into the ADUs have been pleasantly surprised. She has a client who is adding six units to a four-unit building on Page Street. We were able to maximize every nook and cranny. While the Department of Building Inspection has made it clear it doesnt see the soft-story program as a profit center, those who choose to ignore it could eventually pay in both public embarrassment and fines. After Sept. 15, tier three property owners who havent submitted plans will get a big placard stating Earthquake Warning slapped on the side of their buildings. If the property owners continue to ignore the warnings, they will be summoned to a hearing to explain why. After that, the city will start fining the property owner for code violations, a lien could be placed on the property, and the case could be referred to the city attorney for legal action. 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. A 2009 report from Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety, a city panel charged with improving earthquake safety, found that buildings with no retrofitting are projected to have a 1-in-4 collapse rate during a serious quake, while those with minimum retrofitting have a 1-in-30 chance of falling down. Given the stakes, Hui, the building inspection director, encouraged tenants of soft-story buildings to lean on their landlords to meet the retrofit deadline. A lot of people want to see us penalize landlords, but we just want them to comply, Hui said. We dont want to make money from this. Just do the job. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen 1,834 Tier three buildings whose owners have not filed permits. $100,000 to $1 million Range in cost to reinforce a wooden apartment building. $30 to $50 Retrofitters fee per square foot. PLACERVILLE, El Dorado County Leaning back in his chair, his gold sheriffs badge glinting in a shaft of light, John DAgostini thought for a second about what he would do if Sacramento legislators imposed San Francisco-style sanctuary laws to protect people living across the state illegally. His dilemma is part of the complex immigration debate in California, where a bill passed last week by the state Senate would restrict cooperation with U.S. immigration agents everywhere, including not only liberal strongholds but bastions of conservatism like El Dorado County. To DAgostini, the proposed law, SB54, is tantamount to coddling criminals, and that doesnt wash in the historic Gold Rush towns and foothill hamlets he serves. He said he would simply refuse to go along. Im going to follow federal law on this issue, said the sheriff from his office in Placerville, the county seat so closely associated with frontier justice that it was once known as Hangtown. Its concerning because its going to put me crosswise with state law. The lawman has quite a few backers in the regions former mining towns people like George Turnboo, the owner of Georges Truck & Auto Repair in the town of El Dorado and a frequent candidate for local office. He said the sheriff should be allowed to help pick out the bad apples in the community for deportation, like President Trump says the country should do. I have a lot of immigrants who are really good friends of mine, but a lot of them voted for Trump because they believe in doing the right thing which is to immigrate legally, said Turnboo, 63. The problem is when immigrants commit horrible crimes and they release them into our community. Thats wrong. SB54, which still must be passed by the Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, would bar local law enforcement officers from enforcing immigration laws, including arresting and detaining people because theyre in the country without documentation. They couldnt take part in federal investigations centered on immigration violations, either. Sheriffs who run jails would have to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though a late amendment to the bill would allow them to notify ICE before certain serious or violent felons are released. DAgostini said his deputies have never gone out looking to make immigration arrests anyway, and he isnt planning a crackdown. The law, he said, would mostly impact a handful of inmates who might be released every year from the El Dorado County Jail. To him, the point isnt the numbers, but that no politician should be able to tell local law enforcement officers to withhold information about criminal activity from federal authorities. I believe its not lawful, DAgostini said. The largely conservative county, which stretches from the growing Sacramento suburb of El Dorado Hills through the touristy Mother Lode region and into South Lake Tahoe along the route of the old Pony Express, gave Trump 52.6 percent of the votes in November, compared with 38.9 for Hillary Clinton. Its one of several counties that may resist the sanctuary state bill, which was written by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, and squarely places California on a collision course with the White House. De Leon said Trumps policies have caused so much fear in immigrant communities that people are afraid to report or testify about crimes, which hurts public safety, and even to take their children to school. State Sen. Scott Wiener, the San Francisco Democrat who co-wrote the bill, said DAgostini is entitled to oppose it but is obliged to follow it if it passes. The purpose of this bill is to make it very clear to our immigrant communities that interacting with law enforcement in California is not the same as interacting with immigration authorities, Wiener said. But Vern Pierson, the El Dorado County district attorney, said the laws restriction on most communication with immigration agents is dangerous. There is no doubt we have a number of people in this country illegally who have committed crimes, he said, and those are the people SB54 seeks to protect. Michael Macor/The Chronicle El Dorado County is nearly 80 percent white, while Latinos make up about 13 percent of the population. Many immigrants, some without legal status, work in vineyards and apple orchards in the hills around Placerville, where farmers are conflicted about immigration policy. When you have confusion and over-the-top rhetoric, peoples perceptions can be tied to fear, and its already difficult enough to find skilled labor without making all the immigrants scared, said Paul Bush, 50, co-owner with his wife, Maggie, of the 85-acre Madrona Vineyards in the hillside community of Camino. Ben Butler, the 55-year-old owner and chef at Bene Ristorante Italiano in downtown Placerville, said he too relies on authorized immigrant workers. Then again, he said, he understands the need for immigration authorities to deport people who commit crimes. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. I struggle finding dishwashers, said Butler, who, clad in his white chefs smock, was greeting people outside his restaurant during lunch one recent day. Its a necessity to have immigrants, as long as there is a way to weed out the criminals. Many county residents believe farm laborers should be left alone, and DAgostini said he has no intention of going out to the vineyards, orchards or restaurants searching for people to bust. He said he is only concerned about those who commit crimes. Mike Williams, a Vietnam War veteran who was selling hot dogs in the town of El Dorado to raise money for homeless vets, was one of several locals who brought up Kathryn Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who was shot and killed in 2015 on San Franciscos Embarcadero. The suspected gunman, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, was freed from jail weeks earlier by the San Francisco Sheriffs Department, which rejected federal requests to turn him over for his sixth deportation under the citys sanctuary laws. Theres something demented about that, said Williams, 65. I wonder how Gov. Brown would feel if his wife or kids were killed by an illegal alien? Supporters of sanctuary laws say incidents like the Steinle slaying are extremely rare, and shouldnt be used to stir fear of immigrants who are in the country illegally. Studies over the last few decades have concluded there is either no correlation between immigration and crime, or a negative relationship. If the bill passes, DAgostini foresees a showdown between Sacramento and the Trump administration, which has threatened to cut off Department of Justice grants to places with sanctuary policies. I think its inevitable they are going to be at odds, he said. The counties that defy SB54, he said, will be the test bed for that case law, and I feel very confident federal law will prevail. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite Rallies and protests are a part of political life in the Bay Area. Heres a roundup of whats happening. Monday Immigrant rights hearing: The Immigrants Rights Commission will hold a special hearing on the impact of federal policies on immigrants. The event is open to the public and is from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, Hearing Room 416, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place in San Francisco. For information, call (415) 580-2360. Comedy: Benefit performance at the Punch Line Comedy Club for Naral Pro-Choice America, an organization that supports abortion rights, access to birth control and paid parental leave. Tickets are $20. The event is at 7:30 p.m. at 444 Battery St. in San Francisco. For tickets: http://bit.ly/NARALPunchLine. Thursday Sign-making event: Construct signs for the April 22 March for Science in San Francisco. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Public Library of Science, 1160 Battery St. in San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2nYqXr4. Education discussion: The Lamorinda Democratic Club hosts a conversation on how federal funding will affect public education. The event is at 7 p.m. at the Lafayette Library and Community Center, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd. For information: www.ldclub.org. April 15 Tax march: Protesters will march to demand that President Trump release his tax returns. A San Francisco march will start at 1 p.m. at 11th and Market streets. For information: http://bit.ly/2m5xWOA. In San Jose, a march is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information: http://bit.ly/2nSMxO7. Pro-Trump rally: The event is to promote free speech. Noon to 4 p.m. in Berkeley. Details are being confirmed. For information: www.facebook.com/events/185364111955870/?active_tab=discussion. Anti-Trump rally: A family-friendly event where attendees will use their bodies to spell out an enormous challenge to President Trump. The exact message has not been decided. The event begins at 10:30 a.m., and attendees are asked to meet 300 yards south of the Cliff House Restaurant, 1090 Point Lobos Ave. in San Francisco. For information: www.facebook.com/events/214702565673803. April 19 ACLU event: The League of Women Voters hosts a discussion with Jay Laefer of the American Civil Liberties Union on safeguarding the rights of our entire community. The event is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Woodside Road United Methodist Church, 2000 Woodside Road in Redwood City. Conversation on Trump resistance: A new event series hosted by The Chronicle called Chronicle Chats. This event, The Future of the Left: Can the Trump Resistance Grow Beyond Protest, will be led by columnist David Talbot and will feature a senior adviser of the Bernie Sanders campaign and other experts and leaders. The event is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. Tickets available: https://info.sfchronicle.com/chroniclechats. April 22 Town hall: Hosted by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, at 10 a.m. at the gymnasium of Canada College, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd. in Woodside. Science march: Marches marking Earth Day. In San Francisco, a march begins at 11 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza, Embarcadero Center at Market and Steuart streets, and ends at Civic Center Plaza. For information: http://bit.ly/2nAcLkN. In San Jose, a march will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details to be confirmed. For information: http://bit.ly/2oV8oSu. In Walnut Creek, a march is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will start at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive. In Hayward, a march is from 10 a.m. to noon and begins at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, 4901 Breakwater Ave. For information: http://bit.ly/2n7oonY. April 23 Sexual assault conversation: Loosid Projects, Planned Parenthood and Bay Area Women Against Rape host a discussion called Locker Room Talk: Confronting Sexual Violence in the Age of Trump. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. at 507 55th St. in Oakland. Tickets are $10 at the door. For information, email info@loosidity.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival began its 50th year of celebrations in San Franciscos Japantown Saturday a little wet, but undeterred. Though morning rain delayed setting up for many vendors and community groups at the annual celebration of Japanese culture, some festivalgoers had been long camped out for one of the events most anticipated happenings. Ive been in line for the Hello Kitty Cafe truck since 8:30 this morning with my umbrella, said Rochelle Martinez of Daly City, who was first in line. Im here with an online meet-up group of other Kitty fans, Ive been a big fan since 1979. The line for the truck reached halfway down Post Street by 9:30 a.m. as die-hard fans of the Sanrio character waited for their chance to buy Kitty merchandise and special food treats, including macarons and petits fours emblazoned with the characters likeness. The truck has been a regular feature at the festival for the past three years. The festival is geographically centered around the Japan Center at 1737 Post St. and closes blocks on Post, Webster and Sutter to traffic. By 10:00 a.m. the rain had mostly dissipated and some of the 200,000 expected visitors to the festival in the next two weeks began to fill the streets. Some came in traditional Japanese kimonos, others, like Dan Solace of San Francisco and Audrey Lynn of San Jose, embraced the festivals reputation for costume-play (cosplay) and dressed as anime and comic characters. Im Venom Pool: Thats a combination of a Venom and Deadpool costume, Solace explained, adjusting his red mask. Lynn was dressed in rabbit ears and a pinafore dress as Black Rabbit, a character from a Japanese anime. Kelly Tran of Hayward and Miu Liu of Oakland embraced Japanese Harajuku subculture fashion and wore girlish sweet Lolita costumes, which even included fake candy accessories in their hair. As always, the food booths, serving Japanese favorites ranging from teriyaki to udon, were among the festivals busiest destinations. We werent going to let a little rain get in our way, Said Brian Lew of San Francisco, who was managing the Mochi Waffles booth, which benefits San Franciscos Re:Acts Ministries. Were doing it for the kids we support. Since our waffles are vegan and gluten-free, we usually do very well. Away from the food bazaar, the Japanese skill game Kendama, in which a player juggles a ball on a string between three cups and a spike on the same stick, attracted its own crowd as some of the 90 competitors in the festivals Sakura Classic demonstrated their techniques. The sport has been around for about 100 years, said Jake Wiens, a professional Kendama player from Oakland. This is my third time as part of this competition. Its a really great event, and we get a lot of support from the Japanese consul general to make it happen. We literally have players as young as 8 years old from all over the Bay Area that have discovered it. 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. The festival began in 1968 and is considered one of most prominent celebrations of Asian culture on the West Coast. The festivals website says its mission serves to cultivate the continued alliance between Japan and United States using culture as its bridge. Last year it rained on opening day too, but like today, the sun eventually came out, said Akira Ichioka of the Japanese consul generals office in San Francisco. Its an event that isnt just about Japan, its also about the Americans who want to learn about Japanese culture. San Francisco isnt just excited about Japan during this festival, this is a city where people come out all year round. Were not just thinking about the next 50 years of this festival, were thinking about the next 50 to 100 years. Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TonyBravoSF Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival: Sunday and next Saturday and Sunday surrounding the Japan Center Mall, 1737 Post St. The festivals parade will begin at 1 p.m. next Sunday at City Hall and conclude in Japantown. A 26-year-old woman who lives aboard a boat in the Sausalito Yacht Harbor is missing, prompting police to seek the publics help finding her. Ashley Wells vanished between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. March 30 after she was spotted paddling an orange kayak south of a channel off Turney Street toward her home, said Sgt. Steve Veveiros, a Sausalito Police Department spokesman. Wells, who split her time between Sausalito and her native Missouri, lived on a boat at Pier A of the harbor, where she worked as a boat hand, Veveiros said. Her employer reported her missing April 2 after sending her several unanswered texts and reaching out to another friend who hadnt heard from her, Veveiros said. All of her belongings, including her phone, were found on the boat where she lives, police said. She was not believed to be wearing a life vest, said Veveiros, adding that foul play was not suspected. Sausalito police notified Wells family in Missouri, Veveiros said. The familys obviously very sad and distraught and want answers but we dont have any, he said. The ocean in the bay can be unpredictable. 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. Wells is 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 130 pounds and has blonde hair and hazel eyes, authorities said. There was no active boat search for Wells due to a lack of leads. Police ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call (415) 289-4170. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno In an ironic twist, East Bay state Sen. Steve Glazers no vote on the governors mega-transportation tax may have paved the way for the biggest commuter line the Bay Area has seen since BART. Heres the story. Gov. Jerry Bown and legislative leaders needed a two-thirds majority in both houses for the $52 billion tax and fee plan to pass. Glazers refusal to go along with fellow Democrats meant that the governor needed to get a yes vote from a Republican. In this case, the Republican was Anthony Cannella of Ceres in Stanislaus County. Cannella asked Brown for $400 million to extend the 86-mile-long Altamont Commuter Express, or ACE, rail line, which runs from San Jose to Stockton, another 72 miles to Ceres and Merced in the Central Valley. And he got it. Meanwhile, in October, Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty and a group of Central Valley politicos got $2.2 million from the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission to get the ball rolling on extending BART to Livermore and hooking it up to the ACE line a move designed to take traffic off Interstate 580. The 580 corridor is one of the most unhealthy in the region from an air quality and congestion standpoint, Haggerty said. Also, making a connection between BART and ACE allows people the opportunity to go from good-paying jobs in the Bay Area to more affordable housing in the Central Valley. And while some at BART are skeptical of the plan to connect the systems and the huge cost that could entail history shows that even the most ambitious and controversial transportation projects can take on a life of their own in the Bay Area, as evidenced by the states troubled high-speed rail project and San Franciscos trainless Transbay Transit Center. So far what we are seeing is a little piece here, a little piece there and there is the prospect of a bigger whole if they are all connected, said MTC spokesman Randy Rentschler. But that may not happen for some time. Matier & Ross/San Francisco Chronicle staff photo On the waterfront: With the Golden State Warriors booted down to Mission Bay, their original arena site at Piers 30-32 has landed something almost as massive: the 46,154-ton container ship Horizon Spirit. The 900-foot-long cargo ship has been moored at the base of the Bay Bridge since before Christmas, marring the million-dollar bay views from the neighboring high-rise towers that have sprung up on the land side of the Embarcadero. In some ways, it would be preferable to have the Warriors arena ... versus a series of ugly freighters, said neighbor James Pennington, whose complaints to City Hall have been met with dead silence. Rafael Porras, who manages Reds Java House, the burger-and-beer joint on the northwest corner of the piers, says the looming presence of the Horizon Spirit has been the most hotly debated topic since the election of Donald Trump. Mostly, he said, customers just want to know: Where is the view? And do we get a discount? San Francisco Port spokeswoman Renee Dunn Martin said the Horizon Spirit is part of a fleet owned by the Pasha Hawaii Shipping Line, the same outfit that in August signed a 15-year lease at Pier 80 for an auto import-export operation. Under a separate deal, Pasha Hawaii was granted permission to park the Horizon Spirit at Piers 30-32 until it was ready to put the vessel back into service. It is expected to leave April 19, Dunn Martin said, and by the time it leaves port we will have received around $100,000 in dockage fees. Martin said shes not aware of plans to dock other freighters long term at the piers. But she quickly added that first and foremost, we are a port, so we feel ships are welcome here. Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle 2017 Odd man out: Democrats in the state Senate had one last piece of business before exiting the Capitol Thursday night a special, behind-closed-doors meeting to beat up on fellow Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda for not voting for the controversial road repair bills. They chewed his ass off, said one person who was there. Glazer had committed the unpardonable sin of breaking ranks and voting no on hiking both the state gas tax and the vehicle license fee to raise $5 billion a year to fix the states long-neglected roads and bridges. Glazer, however, appeared unmoved and stood by his call for the package to include a ban on BART strikes, something the governor was unwilling to consider. I had a host of concerns, including the hundreds of millions that we are spending on high-speed rail, Glazer said, adding that the calls and emails coming into my office were running 2 to 1 against raising taxes. Glazer appears ready for whatever retribution may be in store for him when lawmakers return after spring break, be it a broom closet for an office or future bills being stalled in committee. On the other hand, potholes in his district will still be fixed and without him having to anger constituents by voting to raise their taxes. And, in the end, that may not be a bad deal for Glazer. 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 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Theres a war in the White House. Jared Kushner is now the go-to guy on many matters foreign and domestic. His wife President Trumps daughter, Ivanka is there, too. Meanwhile, Steve Bannon has found better things to do than to sit in on National Security Council meetings. Theres an Amber Alert out for Rex Tillerson. Kellyanne Conway was spotted in the left-field bleachers recently, with Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani. The shakeup shouldnt come as a shock. When you dont have a team to begin with, you make one up on the run. John F. Kennedy went to the White House with his Harvard posse. George H.W. Bush inherited Ronald Reagans crew. Barack Obama had the Chicago crowd. Trump had no one when he walked into the Oval Office, so were watching The Apprentice play out in real life. Or maybe All in the Family. U.S. Supreme Court justices should never be approved with a simple majority vote of the Senate. Theyre lifetime appointments, so its incumbent on every senator to know that the court is getting the best person available. Not just the best academically, but the best with judgment. Clearly, Neil Gorsuch came up short. Hooray for those Democrats who tried to stop him. Gov. Jerry Brown was in fine form the other night at the California State Museum during a dinner fundraiser for the Maddy Institute at Cal State Fresno, named for the late, great Republican legislator Ken Maddy. When I introduced Brown, I went through the list of offices he has held, starting with the community college board in Los Angeles in the 1960s, then on to secretary of state, governor, Oakland mayor, state attorney general, then governor again. Christ, this guys never had a real job, I blurted out. Jerry is always equal to any jest. He took the stage and promptly said, What Willie Brown didnt tell you is that I was also state Democratic Party chair, although Im not necessarily committed to any one party. He also reminded everyone that he once ran for U.S. Senate and was a presidential candidate three times. And I still may have a presidential run in my body, he said. Breakfast at Credo on Friday had Mayors Ed Lee of San Francisco and Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, and state Democratic Party Chairman John Burton, together to raise money for the re-election of Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York. About 100 people poured into Clint Reillys bistro for the occasion. De Blasio was impressive. And he walked away with his pockets bulging full of campaign contributions. It looks as though the soon-to-be-former Oakland Raiders will be looking for a place to play the 2019 season before their Las Vegas palace is ready. They might even be looking for a temporary home before that, if the Coliseum Authority wriggles out of its contract to house the lame-duck team for the next two seasons. Maybe the new Raiders should be like the Harlem Globetrotters and just play away games until Vegas is ready. Either that or cut a deal with the Giants, 49ers or Stanford to use their stadiums. I know San Francisco, Santa Clara and Palo Alto arent exactly Raider country. But then, neither is Oakland not anymore. 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. Movie time: I went to a preview of Norman, the new Richard Gere movie about the life of a political fixer in the world of Jewish New York. It was like a Woody Allen movie without the laughs. Geres makeup had him looking like former District Attorney Terence Hallinan. Its mandatory seeing for all political junkies. Ghost in the Shell, a Scarlett Johansson vehicle, is a bold mix of science fiction and social commentary. Johansson plays a cop whos completely rebuilt except for her brain. The rest of her is synthetic, kind of like some of the women I dated in my younger years. The plot line is a bit difficult to follow, but Johannson makes it all watchable. But the highlight came even before the sneak previews, when I walked up to the cashier and asked for the senior discount ticket. Are you sure youre old enough to qualify? the clerk said, giving me the once over. I was so flattered, I bought the guy a Coke. Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com Munchery, a San Francisco startup that cooks and delivers meals to hundreds of thousands of customers in a handful of cities, has begged its cooks to bring down the cost of the ingredients, according to current and former employees. That often meant no organic chicken. No wild salmon. Nathaniel Faggioli, the companys chief operating officer and a former Goldman Sachs banker, has pushed employees to find ways to improve its margins as it tries to attract another round of financing, according to the people. Meanwhile, line cooks in San Francisco, its flagship market, stayed up until 2 a.m. assembling Vietnamese caramel chicken, roasted half game hen and beef pho, said the current and former employees. Yet some of that food consistently gets thrown in the trash or donated, they said. Munchery spokeswoman Marcy Simon denied that cooks stayed that late and also denied that any prepared food gets thrown away. She acknowledged Munchery made more food than it sold. From September 2014 to July 2016, the San Francisco area kitchen (now in South San Francisco) made about 653,400 dishes (an entree or a side) that never got sold, according to an internal financial document and interviews with ex-employees, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal. Thats an average of 16 percent of the food the kitchen was producing. The value of that waste exceeded $1.9 million, based on Muncherys $2.96 average per dish food cost over that period, according to the document. Former and current employees said the startup was overproducing food in other kitchens and beyond that time period. Executives said there is nothing alarming about the waste. Overproduction is a fact of life in the food business. Neither restaurants nor online food providers can predict exactly how much food will be ordered each day, Simon wrote in an email. We measure ourselves on limiting overproduction to a small percentage of overall sales. Munchery said its San Francisco kitchen is profitable. Munchery, which said on Monday that it had appointed James Beriker as CEO, has few peers to compare it to; not many venture-backed startups are trying to both cook and deliver meals. But no matter how you calculate it, the amount of food that Munchery wastes is high, experts said. Most restaurants waste 4 to 10 percent, said Dana Gunders, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council who studies food waste. Its also significant in terms of straight financials, she said. Since it started making deliveries in 2010, Munchery promised to upend the industry. A lot of companies have tried and failed to grind out a profit delivering food, but Munchery executives had something novel to offer. Unlike GrubHub or DoorDash, it wasnt delivering food from restaurants, and unlike Blue Apron or Plated, it wasnt mailing customers a box of ingredients and a recipe. Its cooks make meals in four giant kitchens in different states, and the startup delivers them in several cities. Two other companies, Sprig and Maple, also make and deliver food, but have raised far less money. Tri Tran, Muncherys co-founder and outgoing CEO, grew up in Vietnam, with barely enough to eat, eventually moving to the U.S. with his family when he was 11. His powerful story has helped to propel Muncherys brand, as has the companys outspoken investor, Shervin Pishevar. Muncherys two main investors are Pishevars Sherpa Capital and Menlo Ventures. The startup raised $85 million in May 2015 at a valuation between $250 million and $275 million. Pishevar and Tran declined to comment for this story. Lately, Munchery has experienced tumult. In addition to food waste, the company has lost money in other ways, particularly through aggressive marketing campaigns. It has been struggling to raise more capital. The startup may end up tapping existing investors for more funds, a person familiar with the matter said. It has raised about $120 million in total, a lot more than many food delivery startups. The challenges it has faced illustrate how eager venture capitalists have been to find a company that can make and deliver food profitably but how hard it is to do that. At least three top executives have left in the last year. Executives knew they were producing a lot of meals that would go to waste, but told their staff to cook substantially more food than the company anticipated it would sell, according to current and former employees. Some former employees said overproduction had helped to convince them that they should leave. Pascal Rigo, Muncherys former chief customer experience officer who left in April, said costly marketing and a lack of transparency around customer turnover troubled him. It was very difficult to be part of a company that I felt some members of the executive team were not telling the entire story to employees or investors, he said. During the last week of June, Munchery sold 39,870 dishes cooked in its San Francisco kitchens, according to the internal document. It was a pretty typical week, the document shows, and about 14 percent of those entrees and sides did not go to customers. Munchery board member Jeff Housenbold said he wasnt aware of the waste. I actually dont have great visibility into how many meals go unsold, he said. Some of the excess food was taken home by delivery drivers and kitchen staff; some was thrown away; some was donated to charity, according to former employees. They said they were told to continue overproducing to ensure that the startup had enough food in case a marketing campaign increased sales. Spokeswoman Simon denied that any of the meals were thrown away. She said that during the past few months, excess food in San Francisco has been donated to two charities, City Impact and FoodRev, and that previously it had been donated to Food Runners, another charity. Christian Huang, the executive director of City Impact, confirmed that Munchery sent them some of their food. FoodRevs executive director did not respond to a request for comment. Mary Risley, founder and executive director of Food Runners, said she hadnt heard from Munchery in over a year. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes In early 2015, Munchery needed to raise a new round of financing. Its executives prepared a slideshow for investors. One slides headline declares that Munchery would reach $2 billion of revenue by 2019 without raising any more money: Note: This plan assumes that the $60 million Series C will be our last financing round. Growth in 2017 and beyond supported by cash flow of our business. Munchery has since tried to raise more money, people familiar with the matter said. Muncherys internal financial document highlights the way the company has relied on marketing to boost revenue, but bringing in consumers through steep discounts doesnt always make for a sustainable customer base. Between September 2014 and July 2016, Muncherys best week in terms of revenue out of the San Francisco kitchen came during the second week of May 2015, when the company generated $598,700, according to the document. Later that month, Munchery announced that Menlo Ventures would lead an investment of $85 million. Almost immediately, San Franciscos revenue began to flag. Several weeks that summer, San Francisco revenue dipped below $400,000. The kitchens revenue was shrinking, not soaring. Former employees said thats because Munchery had cut back on its marketing spending after the financing round. According to Simon, Marketing budget decisions have nothing to do with the timing of fundraising rounds. As recently as June, weekly revenue in the San Francisco kitchen was $510,800. The document does not provide revenue for other kitchens. Simon said the companys San Francisco revenue has grown 12 percent since July. The financials show that Munchery was having a hard time hanging onto customers, said Evan Rawley, a professor at Columbia Business School. Its not that hard to get a customer if you give them enough discounts, you hit them with enough advertising, he said. Eric Newcomer is a Bloomberg writer. Email: enewcomer@bloomberg.net The bills keep piling up for Wells Fargo as it grapples with a scandal where employees signed up customers for millions of accounts they never asked for. Theres $110 million to settle a class-action lawsuit, on top of $185 million in fines to regulators. The company has made amends in other ways, firing CEO John Stumpf, adding two independent directors to the board and slashing executive bonuses. The question is whether these moves are enough to suck out the poison that has infected the bank. Joe Cotchett doesnt think so. The Burlingame trial lawyer filed a suit last fall in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of shareholders to force executives and directors to give back bonuses and fees to the company. He also wants directors to personally compensate shareholders for the money the bank used to pay fines to regulators. This case is one more example seeking to hold officers and directors of the bank accountable for their conduct and not blame the managers who were simply told what to do, Cotchett told me. This month, Cotchett will file documents contesting Wells Fargos motion to dismiss the case. Hes not surprised by the banks defense, which has been to plead ignorance on behalf of the top brass. We are now seeing this defense more and more, that the officers did not know anything and are throwing the lower employees under the bus, all in the name of profit, he said. For the most part, Wells Fargos see-no-evil leadership, the people who failed to prevent the fraud in the first place (and arguably profited from it), are still in charge. Should investors and customers trust these leaders to change an entrenched sales culture that was instrumental to the banks success but also produced behavior like the fraudulent accounts? You cant really separate the two. And we keep finding new problems. Wells Fargo reportedly fired at least two dozen employees in its credit card processing business after an internal probe found that some workers falsely reported customers sales. A Wells Fargo spokesman declined to comment for this article. He referred me to the companys proxy statement, which lists the actions it took to improve corporate governance, including a fraud investigation led by Stephen Sanger, a member of the board since 2003 who was named chairman in October. Wells Fargo plans to release the results this month before the banks annual meeting. If history serves as any guide, Cotchett probably wont get everything he wants, if anything at all. The scant research on the subject suggests that these shareholder derivative suits, in which a shareholder brings a suit on behalf of the company against another party, typically an executive or other insider, produce, at best, only modest victories for investors. Indeed, most dont even reach a jury. And any legal action can distract the company, making it less focused on innovation and more risk-averse. But Cotchetts lawsuit, one of many Wells Fargo is facing from shareholders, customers and former employees, is based on sound principle. Though Wells Fargo only recently admitted to the fraud, the bank has been dogged by allegations of unethical sales practices since it merged with Norwest in 1998. Current Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan has been with the company for nearly 30 years, hardly the kind of outside change agent you would think the bank would need to truly change itself. What have these guys been doing all these years? said Clifford Rossi, a former chief risk officer at Citigroups consumer lending unit who now teaches finance at the University of Maryland. Banks are awash with compliance departments. How come no one detected this? Should Cotchetts suit succeed, the remedies could act as an effective deterrent against future bad behavior by targeting the pocketbooks of its top leaders, Rossi said. If you want to fix the problem permanently, you need to target the root source, he said. Often with banks, you have too much carrot and not enough stick. As it stands, shareholders are the ones who ultimately get punished since the money Wells Fargo used to pay the fines and settle lawsuits comes from investors own pockets, said Kathleen Hanley, a former deputy chief economist of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shareholders, of course, have benefited from Wells Fargos sales growth. But executives and directors might be more motivated to stop fraud if their own money is at risk. Wells Fargo did take the somewhat rare step of taking back about $41 million in stock awards from Stumpf. But that was just a paper loss, since the stock was unvested. What about money out of executives pockets? Shareholder lawsuits are just one way investors can hold executives accountable, said Hanley, now a professor of finance at Lehigh University College of Business and Economics. They can vote out directors and withhold support for executive compensation. Though such say on pay votes are nonbinding, companies in recent years have changed executive pay in response to negative votes, she said. And Wells Fargo certainly has suffered enormous damage to its reputation, Hanley said. But is this enough to effect real change? Shareholders, including institutional players like CalPERS, have not proved to be particularly good at policing the company. Despite the publicity over the frauds, we still dont really know much about them particularly how far up knowledge of them went. Cotchetts lawsuit offers shareholders perhaps one of the best chances to not only uncover the truth but to hold the right people accountable. And thats something no fine or settlement can accomplish on its own. Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee Bill Hutchinson / Bill Hutchinson / One man was killed and another wounded early Sunday in two unrelated shootings at opposite ends of Oakland, police said. A man was shot to death in East Oakland around 5:45 a.m. Sunday inside an apartment on the 1000 block of 66th Avenue, according to the Oakland Police Department. Early in the morning, Good Eggs Bayview headquarters feels like a strange hybrid of an Amazon.com warehouse and the Marin Farmers Market. There are buckets of farm-fresh lilacs and heads of perky lettuce, bagels just delivered from Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen and packages of RoliRoti chicken. Each product bears a bar code that workers scan while loading boxes that will soon be transported to homes around the Bay Area. By offering online delivery of hand-selected produce within a day or two of harvest, not to mention still-warm loaves of Tartine bread, Good Eggs was set to take the world by storm when it began in 2013, until a too-rapid expansion led to a crash and layoffs in 2015. Now, the San Francisco company is staging a comeback. It has added more everyday items and same-day delivery, and this month it will begin selling dinner kits, the only online grocer to do so. Good Eggs is a quintessential Bay Area mashup of artisan fare and food technology, of Salinas Valley and Silicon Valley, but it realized that it had to be more than a Candy Land for foodies to survive. Its new tack is designed to build a larger core audience, not only of specialist food lovers, but also everyday grocery shoppers. We were leading solely on values, said Bentley Hall, who was brought on as CEO in late 2015 after the company suddenly closed its New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans locations and laid off 140 employees, while keeping its Bay Area operation and deliveries going. You dont convert on values. You convert on convenience. Online grocery delivery is one of the countrys leading food businesses, with 52 million active users, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. The industry could grow to as much as $100 billion, or 20 percent of grocery sales, by 2025, according to a recent report from Nielsen and Food Marketing Institute. But with national grocery delivery behemoths like AmazonFresh and San Franciscos Instacart which just raised $400 million in funding able to deliver almost anything on demand, its unclear whether Good Eggs unique mix is the future of dinner or a niche subset of the industry. How do we essentially reinvent your food system for good? For us, that means having groceries, having easy weeknight dinners the meal kit is part of that and having alcohol, said Hall. The latter (at least wine to start) will be available for delivery later this spring. After Hall came on board, the company improved efficiency and order accuracy enough to become profitable and add same-day delivery. It discovered that its core customer was not the single, tech-savvy gourmand they had envisioned, but rather, a environmentally conscious mother of young kids who needs Annies mac n cheese, bananas and milk along with her Swanton Berry Farm artichokes and pasture-raised eggs. Scrolling through the Good Eggs site is a bit like wandering the farmers market. Shoppers have to go without the free samples and scent of fresh strawberries, but its still a food fantasy writ large. There are sun-drenched photos of La Palma tortillas set against subway tiles, spears of fat purple asparagus on a wood board, a beckoning cone of fresh ricotta cheese from Bellwether Farms garnished with thyme. Not being able to hand-select fresh items is the top barrier to online grocery shopping, the NPD Groups research found. Good Eggs tries to overcome customers fussiness with its focus on produce quality. Working directly with many local farms, it delivers the majority of its produce within 24 hours of harvest, unlike grocery stores standard farm-to-shelf delay of days or weeks, according to head of produce Benjamin Hartman. Cutting into an end-of-season Pink Lady apple that Hidden Star Orchards had just delivered, Hartman said he learned his apple spidey sense while working at San Franciscos Bi-Rite Market for over a decade. He said his produce team tastes and checks the quality of produce as it comes in, and again as its sorted and packed. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle On average, 85 percent of Good Eggs inventory is local, Hall said, whereas the national grocery standard is in the single digits. Thats different in the Bay Area, where interest in local products is so high. Northern California Whole Foods, one of Good Eggs main competitors, on average carries 20 percent local inventory, a Whole Foods Market spokesperson said. Upon checkout, though, the price of a Good Eggs order can add up. The lowest price for fresh bacon is $12 a pound, and organic bananas currently cost $1.60 a pound versus 99 cents a pound at Whole Foods from the delivery service Instacart. Other basics, like milk and sliced bread, are comparably priced on both sites. Customer Sheryl Friesz, a tech consultant who works from her Telegraph Hill home, does the bulk of her grocery shopping online because she prefers to spend her time on her business and personal relationships. Its a return on my investment, she said. Friesz previously ordered groceries through Instacart, but said the deliveries started getting sloppy. She now shops at Good Eggs, where she likes its relationship-based aspects, like how the website tells the story of each farm and producer. Farmer Janet Nagamine of Hikari Farms, a Watsonville farm that specializes in Japanese greens and cucumbers, also appreciates that aspect when she drops off deliveries at least once a week. Whoever buys our stuff appreciates what we put into it to make it that good, she said. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle A test version of Good Eggs new dinner kits used less packaging than those of competitors that, for example, put a single clove of garlic in a labeled wrapper. The kits utilize products already on the site, such as vacuum-packed Marys chicken thighs or a bunch of green garlic. Some ingredients are prepped, like pea shoot pesto, while others need a quick chop or time in the oven. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Hall said they can produce the kits at lower cost than other companies because they already buy ingredients at scale. Coming in bundles of three kits serving three, they cost $7.77 per meal, less than Blue Aprons base per-meal price of $8.74, or $9.99 for the all-organic Sun Basket. But questions remain whether Good Eggs can grow and compete, and how well such a Bay Area concept can translate to other cities. For one, it doesnt use independent contractors for delivery, only salaried employees. This summer, it attracted $15 million in new funding, which caused industry insiders to speculate whether it would, once again, look to new markets. Will we expand in the future? Sure. Will we expand at the same pace, spread out all over the country? No, we wont, said Hall, with a hint of defensiveness. He did say the company eventually plans to expand on the West Coast to other urban markets with access to year-round produce. How much will people be willing to pay to get the farmers market experience at home in this era of undercutting and instant gratification? Consumers in general are expecting a lot from the delivery experience, said Lenore Estrada of Three Babes Bakeshop, one of Good Eggs initial vendors. These days, she often scrambles to have her pies ready for on-demand restaurant delivery services like Uber Eats and Yelp Eat24. Because venture-backed businesses have been able to offer a lot of stuff immediately at an artificially low price, the customer is expecting to get anything they want, she said. I think its created an unrealistic expectation of whats feasible. Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan Its one of those eerie historical coincidences that youd rather not dwell on too much. President Trump launches a barrage of Tomahawk missiles into the Syrian powder keg on April 6 exactly 100 years after President Woodrow Wilson won congressional approval to plunge America into World War I, the European bloodbath that set the stage for so many of the next centurys nightmares. Trump campaigned as a leader who would rebuild our run-down country instead of embroiling it in more war. But he just spent more than $93 million to hurl 59 Tomahawks at a Syrian airfield, soon after announcing major federal cuts for transportation projects, bridges and other public infrastructure in dire need of repair and modernization. And by unleashing his aerial fury on the ruthless, Russian-backed regime of Bashar Assad, Trump put at risk the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops now in Syria or on their way, whom Assad has denounced as invaders. Trump and his advisers might have conceived of the air strike as a safe and clean show of symbolic toughness, but military violence has a way of following its own expansive course. The Free Syrian Army, one of the rebel factions locked in endless war with Assad, has already announced it fears retaliation from the Damascus regime and has declared, U.S. responsibility is still big and does not end with this operation. It never ends. The other day, I was driving my car when Bruce Springsteens Born in the U.S.A. came blasting out of the radio. Back in the 1980s, the song was embraced by President Ronald Reagans flag-waving crowd, who ignorantly misread it as a fist-pumping celebration of American supremacy. Those who actually listened to the lyrics knew the truth: The song was a bitter requiem for a beaten-down and bled-dry America. Listening again to this mournful masterpiece the other day, I started choking back tears. Over three decades later, it carries more emotional weight than ever. The United States has never been fully at peace in my lifetime and I was born when Harry S. Truman was president. This forever war escalated as my young sons watched wide-eyed while the World Trade Center turned to dust. The U.S. retaliated by launching a shock and awe offensive at a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 and posed no threat to us. When will they start bombing us? my 8-year-old asked me. He instinctively understood that even great imperial powers must at some point pay their dues and are not immune from the consequences of their mighty actions. And so here we go again, once more into the inferno while the young men and women who fight these endless wars return home to a wasteland of cutbacks, layoffs and addiction. Come back home to the refinery/Hiring man said Son if it was up to me/Went down to see the V.A. man/He said, Son, dont you understand. Born in the U.S.A. Trump decided last week that he was outraged by the gassing of civilians including beautiful babies in a rebel-held Syrian town. Where was this heartfelt humanitarianism when he shut the door on Syrian refugees, including children? In addition to its hypocrisy, Trumps military reaction seemed weirdly impulsive, considering his earlier tolerance of Assads reign of terror. But there was method to his hair-trigger response. The display of military firepower instantly turned Trump from Vladimir Putin-puppet to bold commander-in-chief in the eyes of his leading Washington critics, including the Tweedledee-Tweedledum saber rattlers John McCain and Lindsey Graham, whose blood always stirs to the roar of a cannon. On Friday, McCain eagerly told CNNs Wolf Blitzer that he hoped the air strike was only the beginning of Trumps belligerence. Hillary Clinton also emerged as a Trump cheerleader, paving the way for his military outburst hours before the missile attack by calling for the U.S. to take out (Assads) airfields. When it comes to wreaking havoc in the Middle East, theres long been a neat, bipartisan synchronicity in imperial Washington. Gone is Donald Trump the deal maker. Now we see the emergence of a Caesar with a crown of orange. Or perhaps tipping off the Russians to our incoming hardware while Putin feigned shock and outrage was all part of the deal. Its politically useful for both authoritarian leaders to be seen as antagonists rather than as partners in crime. 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. Trumps wag-the-dog missile attack was straight out of the strongman playbook. When you get in deep political trouble at home, its time to fire up the rockets red glare. The presidents outrage is strategically selective. When he, not Assad, kills civilians, all is forgiven. Trump began his own presidency by ordering a disastrous Navy SEAL raid on a remote Yemen village that left several civilians dead, including children, as well as a Navy commando. Thousands of civilians have died in the U.S.-led onslaught against the Iraqi city Mosul that has raged off and on since 2014, including scores killed in a March 17 air strike. But this never-ending flow of collateral death in the Middle East and Horn of Africa is simply seen as an inevitable, if regrettable, part of the flexing of American power. Little has changed since the long, grinding Vietnam War that Springsteen sang about, except our soldiers are now being sent to kill brown-skinned people instead of the yellow man. When these warriors return, they are honored for their service, but it all rings hollow. Vietnam veterans were allegedly spat on when they came home, but, in my experience, the antiwar movement was more likely to embrace them and care for them. Nowadays there is no peace movement, except for the scattered and brave efforts of groups like Code Pink. Fifty years ago this month, Martin Luther King Jr. warned that our deeply militarized and violent nation was approaching spiritual death. His fiery antiwar sermon at Riverside Church in New York came after he saw pictures of Vietnamese children who had been horribly wounded and maimed by U.S. napalm bombs. The April 4, 1967, speech shocked the political and media establishments, which showered him with criticism. But he was on a flaming trajectory of truth-telling during the last year of his life and refused to retreat. Before he was cut down on the balcony of a Memphis motel a year later, on April 4, 1968, King was scheduled to deliver a sermon at a local church. He titled his final oration, Why America May Go to Hell. Many among us now fear thats become our fate. San Francisco Chronicle columnist David Talbot appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email: dtalbot@sfchronicle.com What is Russias relationship with Syria? Russia has had important client relationships which are different from alliances ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Typically, Russia is in neighboring regions such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Georgia) and the Donbass (eastern Ukraine), but it does have military bases in Syria and, specifically, very close ties with the Assad family. The Russians have claimed that their military action in Syria is antiterrorist, but the fact that theyre fighting Bashar Assads enemies rather than the Islamic State suggests that Russia is not exactly concerned about genuine terrorism. One of their key interests is to keep Syria as a foothold in the Middle East for military and financial reasons, as well as causing trouble for the West. If the Assad regime fell, then Russia would be kicked out of the region after everything they have done to support Assad. The Spanish government last week confiscated $735 million in property it says was laundered by the Assad family. If youre in Russia and you see headlines about confiscating laundered money from Syria, you get a little nervous. Theres also a certain philosophical investment in supporting fellow dictators; you dont want to see another authoritarian toppled by his own people. It sets a bad example. Was Russia monitoring Assads chemical weapon stockpile? Are the chemical attacks a failure of monitoring or a collusion with an enemy in a very, very complicated battle zone? After the brokered agreement in 2013 to remove Assads chemical weapons stockpile, in a sense Russia has been the guarantor of the agreement. Theres no one else there to enforce it. So in that way they bear some responsibility, even if not directly or legally. Did they know that all weapons had not been taken out or, possibly, that new ones have been developed since then? We cant say for sure. Russias position all along has been: We cant do anything about Syria, theyre a sovereign country. But its hard to believe that Assad would undertake something like this, which he knew would cause a huge international incident, without having talked to the Russians. The Shayrat Air Base that was used to drop chemical weapons in Idlib province also houses a Russian attack helicopter unit. Its hard to imagine the Russians based there knew nothing about the attack, and thats really the clearest case to be made for Russian involvement. It beggars belief that no one knew what Assad was going to do. Even the U.S. called Russia to warn them before launching the retaliatory strike. What should we expect from Russia, from Putin, now? Russias own inaction in response to the chemical attack is not encouraging; the Russians suggestion that it was a hoax is even less so. The hashtag #syriahoax, which has picked up steam on American alt-right Twitter, originated in Russia. This may be an opportunity to whip up jingoistic fervor for the regime domestically, now that the Ukraine situation is no longer uppermost in the mind of the Russian public. However, its telling that (Prime Minister Dmitry) Medvedev is the one offering public criticism, rather than (President Vladimir) Putin: Theyre hedging their bets. Medvedev is not doing well domestically after a string of journalistic investigations into his personal wealth. Should he say something that Putin needs to walk back, privately or publicly, they have given themselves room to do so. That sets him up as a trial balloon to float their response, and gives Putin the ability to remain the primary interlocutor for the one country, to him, that truly matters: the United States. In terms of military escalation, its entirely possible that this will be a one-off. I dont necessarily foresee a big conflagration. Remember, after Turkey shot down a Russian plane, there was a big flare-up, and now theyre the best of friends again. They could simply make a lot of noise and then allow the whole thing to be forgotten. Russia is actively engaged in a number of places around the world, and its fair to say that theyre not being a helpful partner in supporting international peace. But Syria may not be their main focus. This also comes in the context of what weve been noticing for the past year: major meddling in democracies. What are they doing in France and Germany right now? France, far more than the U.S., has had a solid anti-Assad position. (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel is the one leading the coalition of sanctions against Russia. A lot of people think Putin is rather happy with the Syrian refugee crisis because it destabilizes the position of the centrist liberal democrats in Europe and bolsters the far right and far left. If the flow of Syrian refugees continues to increase, then it weakens Merkel especially. The U.S. response going forward, of course, will matter. Apart from humanitarian issues, to quote James Baker, The U.S. doesnt have a dog in this fight. Remember that it wasnt until things got truly genocidal in the former Yugoslavia that the United States intervened. So its a bit early to say that the U.S. is embroiled in a new Middle East quagmire. Toomas Ilves is the former president of Estonia and currently a visiting fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He responded to questions from The Chronicle. There was much to celebrate, but nearly everyone at the Magic Theatres 50th Anniversary Gala was mostly just happy that the San Francisco theater company has lasted this long. Midsize nonprofit theater companies, even ones that produce Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, rarely survive half a century. Its pretty rare for a theater to stick around for 50 years, and to do it with integrity is even rarer, said playwright and performer Taylor Mac, one of the people honored at the gala. If 50 years of an evolving culture, city and arts landscape couldnt break the Magic Theatre, a surprise rainstorm certainly wouldnt dampen its party. Over 150 guests donned statement scarves and trench coats to help Magic toast past Artistic Directors Larry Eilenberg, Mame Hunt and Chris Smith, and current Artistic Director Loretta Greco, and celebrate the many accomplishments of playwrights Mac, Paula Vogel and Sam Shepard. Several of Shepards early, career-making plays premiered at Magic. Up until the last minute, one of the nights honorees was racing through the Minnesota Street Project art and event space checking nametags and table settings. Greco wore a beautiful black gown and weathered Ugg boots as she scrambled to finish final details, and then asked Managing Director Jaimie Mayer to help her strap on some stilettos. Even at a gala, there is little glamour in keeping a groundbreaking theater company alive. Its a miracle were here, exhaled Greco, correctly accessorized and ready to schmooze. Were pretty fierce on a very thin budget. Magic operates in Fort Mason with a $1.7 million budget, which is uniquely small considering the scope of the companys imprint on the theater world. Best known for new works, Magic regards itself as a playwrights theater, a place where the worlds best new voices can experiment and challenge the art form. Its hip and gritty and sexy and cool, Mayer gushed. Its been so fun digging into the 50-year history of Magic and looking at the shoulders were standing on. One pair of those shoulders couldnt make it to San Francisco for the gala. Sam Shepard sent longtime friend and collaborator Ed Harris in his stead. In a fedora and scarf, the Academy Award-nominated actor wandered in without fanfare and was soon nursing a bottle of beer. Ive only done two shows here, said Harris, one of which was Shepards 1983 play, Fool for Love. They were special times in my life. The Magic holds a big place in my heart. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Silent-auction items lined one wall of the ultra-modern event space and a ring-toss game encouraged $25 donations for a chance to win a bottle of booze. There were lots of opportunities to donate, from a card game (again, for more booze) to a live auction that included tickets to Hamilton. Mayer hoped the night would raise $200,000 for the companys general fund. One of the sentiments that echoed during the night was that Magic has never sold out, never given in to the easy money of well-known, guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Its risk-taking is a point of pride. The work is as good as its ever been, said board Chairman John Marx, but how do you get people to sit down and pay attention to something for longer than 30 social media seconds? Thats the struggle now. Its a calling. This theater has a calling, said Hunt. And when you take up that call as artists, you never put it down even when you cant make payroll. Its a very holy thing. Following a lively sit-down dinner and video montage detailing the legacy and future of the company, the crowd was treated to a charming original theater piece called, The 50 Years of Magic in 5-ish Minutes. Three actors climbed the back wall of rustic wooden steps that ran the width of the room, and serenaded guests with a Magic Theatre history lesson, drinking game, and series of inside jokes that were so beautifully delivered, even the bartenders laughed. The real highlight of the night was two actors performing their version of a song from Macs play twice, because the first time, the up-and-coming playwright was in the restroom. Next, both Mac and Harris spoke in honor of the occasion, the latter reading a heartfelt handwritten message from Shepard. All of this star-studded excitement was a tough act to follow; so tough in fact, that the nights live auctioneer had trouble getting the crowds attention for some fundraising. It was then that Ed Harris did the most Ed Harris thing ever, and got up from his chair, stood next to the auctioneer, calmly took the microphone, and without a hint of humor, told everyone to shut up for a minute and be respectful. Everyone shut up. Then, and not just because Ed Harris told them to, they raised a lot of money for the Magic Theatre. Beth Spotswood is a Bay Area freelance writer. The gunman who shot and killed two managers at a Florida gym before turning the gun on himself had just been fired from the fitness center for workplace violence, police said Sunday. The Miami-Dade Police Department said 33-year-old Abeku Wilson of Miami was terminated from his job as a fitness trainer at the Equinox gym in Coral Gables on Saturday due to workplace violence and was escorted off the premises. HONOLULU Sean Smith and his husband paid more than $20,000 for a fertility procedure when they decided to have a child using a surrogate mother. They did not know at the time that if they were a heterosexual couple, they might have saved that money. Now, Smith and other members of Hawaiis lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are lobbying for equal access to the financial help that married heterosexual couples enjoy under state law. They are pushing legislation that would require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization for more couples, including making Hawaii the first state to require the coverage for surrogates, which would help male same-sex couples who must use a surrogate. Now that marriage equality is the law of the land and is accepted, now lets turn to family building, and lets figure out how we fix all these inequities that exist, said Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve, a national organization that advocates for access to fertility treatments. Hawaii is one of eight states that require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization, a costly procedure where a doctor retrieves eggs from a woman, combines them with sperm from a man and then implants an embryo into a womans uterus. But Hawaiis mandate applies only to married heterosexual couples because it covers the medical intervention only if a woman uses sperm from her spouse, leaving the LGBT community and single women behind. I would be going into the office and pulling out my credit card, and other people are probably just walking out and insurance is picking up the tab, Smith said. We had to borrow money, refinance a second mortgage, and Im sure there are people who dont even explore the option because the expenses are too great. The measure pending in the Legislature removes requirements that the egg and sperm come from a married couple and includes surrogates among the people to be covered. No other state has included surrogates in their laws, Collura said. The proposal passed the state Senate and is up for a vote in the House this week. Cathy Bussewitz is an Associated Press writer. This article first appeared on KCRA An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing Sunday morning at the Modesto City-County Airport after a fire sparked in the cargo area, the Modesto Fire Department said. The plane landed safely at 6:50 a.m. No injuries were reported, and all 62 people onboard were safely moved to the terminal. There was no active fire on the plane when it landed, but its fire extinguishing system had been activated, according to the Modesto Fire Department. The plane departed Sacramento Sunday morning and was headed to San Diego. No other details have been released. This article first appeared on KCRA DES MOINES Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday he had productive meetings with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during this weeks trip to Washington, D.C. However, he doesnt expect a hearing on his confirmation to be the next U.S. ambassador to China to take place until next month at the earliest. Branstad said he met with committee chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and ranking member, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., as well as other committee members and Iowa Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and he plans a return trip the last week in April after the two-week Easter recess. At that time, hell meet with more members of the committee who will consider his appointment by President Donald Trump to be Americas top diplomat in China. I had a lot of good meetings with senators, Branstad said Friday during his first public event since his trip. He said he has completed the paperwork phase of the process and now he is learning as much as I can about the China issues, and there are many. The governor said he also met with Sonny Perdue, Trumps secretary of agriculture nominee, who has cleared the committee process but awaits Senate confirmation pending an April 24 vote. Its getting kind of frustrating, I think, for a lot of people. This process has been very slow, Branstad said of this years Senate action. Theyve now just confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and that took up a significant amount of time. But this has been the most, I guess, disruptive process that weve ever seen in terms of appointments. Confirmations usually dont take nearly this long. But, unfortunately, I think the Democrats have decided that theyre going to just basically attack everybody. I hope that by the time I get there that will have worn out and that wont be case, he said. They ask tough questions and there are a number of issues. But Im hopeful that I can generate bipartisan support. Time will tell, he added. Grassley said he expects Branstads confirmation to go well. Hes personable, professional and has the proven leadership and policy skills to serve in such an important diplomatic position. As members of the Foreign Relations Committee get to know him, theyll appreciate his trustworthiness, his work ethic and his ability to get the job done for the United States as he has for Iowa for a record number of years, Grassley added. Ernst said Branstad would make an excellent ambassador and hopes the Senate moves him through the confirmation process as soon as possible. Our relationship with China is very important from agricultural trade to national security so I look forward to the Senate moving on his nomination soon, she said. CLARION | The Wright County Sheriffs Office has charged Steven Nelson, 61, of Clarion, with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse following an incident Friday night. Authorities received a report that two minor females had been at a rural Goldfield property with Nelson. Both reported they were assaulted. Following the execution of a search warrant, Nelson was arrested Saturday morning and placed in the Wright County Jail where he was held on a $10,000 cash or surety bond for the two Class C felony charges. Nelson was released Saturday afternoon on his own recognizance after an initial appearance with the magistrate. Assisting the Sheriffs Office with the investigation is the Wright County Attorneys Office, Eagle Grove Police Department and the Wright County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). FOREST CITY | The Iowa State Patrol responded to a fatal vehicle accident Saturday in rural Winnebago County. At 4:13 p.m. a state trooper was called to the scene of an accident south of 350th Street on 100th Avenue, west of Forest City and north of Crystal Lake. According to the incident report, a 2016 Polaris Ranger a utility task vehicle rolled while turning onto 100th Avenue from a private driveway, ejecting the driver. Two people were injured, one fatally. Names have not been released pending notification of family. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, Crystal Lake Fire and Rescue, Forest City EMS and Mercy Air-Med assisted at the scene. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) has spent the past year unsuccessfully digging out of a growing heap of political trouble related to an alleged affair with a former top aide and allegations that he used public resources to carry it out and cover it up. Now, the governor is faced with the possibility that he could lose his job, go to jail - or both. On Saturday, more than a year after news of the affair broke wide open, the Alabama Supreme Court approved impeachment proceedings in the GOP-controlled state House against the governor. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider his impeachment Monday, based in part on a 3,000-page report the committee's lawyer released Friday that included such scandalous details as "security personnel reported seeing [top aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason] leaving the office with her hair tousled and her clothing in disarray," text messages between the two, allegations the governor threatened to fire or even arrest his wife's staffers for talking about the affair. The full state House could vote on impeachment in another week. Impeachment isn't the only battle Bentley is facing in the affair fall out. On Wednesday, a state ethics commission found probable cause that the governor broke laws with regard to the alleged affair, like allegedly using campaign funds to cover her legal fees. The Alabama Ethics Commission suggested four potential felony charges against Bentley for the Montgomery County district attorney to consider. As he has from day one of this whole saga, Bentley remains defiant. He told reporters in Alabama on Friday: "I do not plan to resign. I have done nothing illegal. If the people want to know if I misused state resources, the answer is simply no. I have not." But developments these past few days mean Bentley faces some serious consequences for what has, until now, been mostly an eyebrow-raising saga. As Leada Gore, political reporter for AL.com, the largest statewide news organization in Alabama, told The Fix last year: "It's got every part of a scandal you could want." Here are some of the highlights on how we got to this moment and what could happen next: - March 22, 2016: This whole thing broke open. It appeared to start when Bentley fired the state's top cop. That same day, the top cop told AL.com that Bentley had been having an affair with one of his top advisers. In 2014, the fired cop said, Bentley was at a business conference when he apparently dropped his phone. A law enforcement official just so happened to see on the dropped phone a text message of a sexual nature from the governor's married chief adviser, Mason. Bentley, whose wife of 50 years had recently and abruptly filed for divorce, denied any wrongdoing. - March 23, 2016: A sexually explicit phone call between Bentley and a woman he calls "Rebekah" made its way to the media. (Side note: Could have seen that one coming.) The recording was made by his wife, Dianne Bentley, who was trying to ascertain the nature of Bentley's relationship with his top adviser. In the recording, you can hear Bentley talk about putting his hands on her breasts and saying: - - - "Baby, let me know what I am going to do when I start locking the door. If we are going to do what we did the other day, we are going to have to start locking the door." "You know I just, I worry about sometimes I love so you much. I worry about loving you so much." - - - - March 24, 2016: Bentley says this to defend himself: "I love many members of my staff, in fact, all the members of my staff. Do I love some more than others, absolutely." "Wow," I wrote in response. "You know you're in trouble when you say what Bentley just said." Mason resigned from her job. - March 31, 2016: A state accustomed to scandal is officially embarrassed. That's what AL.com's Gore tells The Fix in a must-read interview running down the whole saga: "Everybody's talking about this. This is an embarrassment to the state. I hear that a lot - that he's embarrassed us. And that takes a lot. We have a high tolerance." The rest of March 2016: Republican lawmakers drop Bentley like a hot plate that they accidentally picked up after it had been sitting on the sidewalk at high noon in an Alabama August. Some called for an investigation into whether he used state property to carry out the alleged affair; others wanted to start impeachment proceedings. Republicans had little to lose and a lot to gain in ditching Bentley. As I reported at the time: - - - Republicans are pretty much the only game in town in this deep-red state, so it's not like a Democrat could sweep in and take the governorship when or if Bentley steps down or is recalled. Plus, Republicans have a pretty deep bench they can pull from to replace him. - April 4, 2016: At an unrelated visit to a jail, Bentley publicly asks God to forgive him - but he doesn't say for what, exactly. - April 6, 2016: Alabama GOP lawmakers take the first step to impeach their governor. Bentley is defiant. - February: Longtime Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) is confirmed as President Donald Trump's attorney general, and Bentley gets to pick his replacement. He chooses the state's attorney general, Luther Strange, who was considering investigating Bentley for the whole affair saga. - March 7: Alabama lawmakers in the House Judiciary Committee split 6-6 in a vote on whether to continue investigating whether Bentley used state resources to conduct his alleged affair. They didn't split on partisan lines, but rather, half the committee voted to hold off because it wanted to see what the state attorney general's office was investigating. - Wednesday: The Alabama Ethics Commission said it's possible Bentley broke state laws. The commission didn't provide many details, only to say he may have made an illegal loan to his campaign to cover legal fees for Mason. Through an attorney, Bentley denied any wrongdoing. "The battle goes on," his attorney told the Associated Press. - Friday: A district court blocked impeachment proceedings against Bentley in the state House, agreeing with the governor's legal staff that the proceedings were unfair and did not give the governor enough time to respond to the accusations. - Friday: The House Judiciary Committee's attorney released a 3,000-page report on the affair that claimed Bentley created an atmosphere of intimidation to keep his affair secret: - - - "Gov. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation." - - - - Saturday: The state Supreme Court overturned the district court's block on impeachment proceedings. They will continue as the court looks at the full matter of whether they are being conducted fairly. - Monday: The House Judiciary Committee will begin impeachment hearings and could pass it to the full state House in a week. If Bentley is impeached by the House, he'll have to step down while the state Senate considers the impeachment. (c) 2017, The Washington Post Sen. Lindsay Graham is calling for as many as 6,000 more U.S. troops to fight the Islamic State group. The South Carolina Republican also wants additional penalties imposed on Russia for what he calls Moscow's "aiding and abetting" of Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) in the use of chemical weapons and for Russian meddling in the 2016 American election. James Tensuan/Special To The Chronicle Heavy rains are bringing an end to the California drought, and spring wildflowers are showing their appreciation in brilliant profusions not seen for several years. Rainbow-colored spike-stemmed lupine, dazzling orange poppies, magenta-blossomed western redbuds the living tapestry is gorgeously woven. Here are two ways to enjoy them in Lake County. Hike Clear Lake State Park: In February, park officials closed the trails and campgrounds here due to flooding. But now many trails have reopened, and an explosion of flowers drenches the landscape. The Dorn Trail is a popular walk for experienced to moderate hikers; it starts out steep, then zigzags in a gentler climb, looping through the woods and meadows on a 2-mile trail up and down a ridgetop. Clear Lake State Park, 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, (707) 279-2267, www.parks.ca.gov If you approach Lake County from the north on Highway 20 and you should, if winding mountain roads make you twitchy the first lake you come to is Upper Blue Lake. Known together with Lower Blue Lake to the south simply as Blue Lakes, they are a tiny fraction of the size of Clear Lake, and its easy to sail by without giving them any notice. But they have a culture and geology all their own, along with the devotion of families who have been visiting through several generations. Pulling off the road, you discover how narrow the lakes are. Snaking along the depths of Cold Creek Canyon, formed by the convergence of steep, densely wooded pine mountains, they stretch for about 2 miles, reaching 650 feet at their widest. You can almost skip a rock across the narrows, which divides Upper Blue Lake into two sections. Clear Lake, with which Blue Lakes have been joined at some points in their geological history, is fed by runoff, but Blue Lakes are fed by underground springs. Their unique ecosystem keeps the water cool and clear year round, even when Clear Lake is battling algae and other aquatic weeds. A ban on motorboats helps to keep Blue Lakes pristine, though electric pontoon boats and yachts, kayaks, paddle boats and of course inflatable tubes are popular. James Tensuan/Special To The Chronicle The scenic alpine lakes immediately captured Maryann and Peter Schmid, a Bay Area couple who were ready to retire from their successful automotive business. We discovered the beauty and the magic of Blue Lakes that reminded us of the Swiss lakes and mountains in Europe, Maryann says. Instead of retiring, they bought the empty, boarded-up Lodge at Blue Lakes in 2003 and reopened it a year later, despite having no hotel experience and warnings from other longtime lake resort owners that they would never succeed. After the original 1870s lodge twice burned down, the current property was built during the big-band era of the late 1930s and early 40s at the south end of Upper Blue Lake. Its recent history was a succession of new owners and subsequent bankruptcies. We have traveled all over the world, but have never seen a property with a lake that was crystal clear and possessed ... the intimacy of the rooms to the water, Maryann says. It was the setting that beckoned us. That was 14 years ago. She credits her husbands characteristic Swiss diligence and precision with their success in bringing the lodge back to life. They renovated all 20 rooms, converted the huge restaurant into an event center and built up an armada of electric boats. Most recently, the Schmids converted the former front office and owners quarters into new luxury suites. Each room is different; some have fireplaces, some have Jacuzzis, some have four-poster beds or kitchenettes. All have soothing, contemporary color schemes. Breakfast and one hours boat rental are included; a swimming pool, barbecue grill and fishing dock are available to guests. Fishing always has been Blue Lakes mainstay. The unique conditions support an abundance of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. The lakes are also stocked with trout. Fishing aficionados and their families have traditionally stayed in the cabins and campsites at resorts around Upper Blue Lake: Pine Acres, also at the south end but on the west side; the Narrows, midway up the lake on the west side; and Le Trianon, at the north end (closed in winter). The renovated lodge offers the type of accommodations fueling a resurgence of Lake Countys tourism. Travelers familiar with Clear Lake should keep a few things in mind when visiting Blue Lakes. Because the lakes are surrounded by high mountain slopes, morning comes late and evening falls early. The only sandy beaches are on private resort properties, though a little exploring will take you to some of the rope swings that can be found around the lakes shore. The nearest town is Upper Lake, and the 8-mile drive is a small price to pay for the excellent fare at the Blue Wing Saloon or the prime rib special at Running Creek Casino. You can go wine-tasting in Upper Lake at the Wine Studio, which has a changing selection of Lake County wines and hosts food and wine pairings and artists receptions. But for stays of more than a night or two, it would be wise to stock up on snacks (or groceries, for a kitchen unit). And this tip, from Liou Chao, assistant manager at the Lodge at Blue Lakes: Trout love garlic. They cant get enough of the stuff, and the lodge has Russian visitors from San Francisco who prepare their own concoction for their stays at the lodge several times a year. But you dont have to. Most of the anglers at Blue Lakes swear by white PowerBait, which is full of the stinking rose. Christine Delsol is a freelance writer. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com. If you go The Lodge at Blue Lakes: 5135 W. Highway 20, Upper Lake. (707) 275-2181, www.thelodgeatbluelakes.com. From $99. The Narrows Lodge Resort: 5690 Blue Lakes Road, Upper Lake. (707) 275-2718, www.thenarrowsresort.com. Rooms from $60 per night. Pine Acres Resort: 5328 Blue Lakes Road, Upper Lake. (707) 275-2811, www.bluelakepineacres.com. Cabins from $125, day use $10 per person. Le Trianon Resort: 5845 W. Highway 20, Upper Lake. (707) 275-2262, www.letrianon.com (closed November through March). Cabins $90, day pass $10 adult/$5 child. Blue Wing Saloon: Tallman Hotel, 9550 Main St., Upper Lake. (707) 275-2244, www.tallmanhotel.com/restaurant. Dinner entrees $11-$28. Lake County Wine Studio: 9505 Main St. No. 1 (corner of First Street), Upper Lake. (707) 275-8030, www.lakecountywinestudio.com. 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Saturday to Monday, 1-8 p.m. Friday. Running Creek Casino: 635 E. Highway 20, Upper Lake. (707) 262-5500, www.runningcreekcasino.com. Wild Creek Restaurant prime rib special $9.95. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIRUT Residents of the Syrian town devastated by a chemical weapons attack said warplanes had returned to bomb them Saturday, despite a U.S. missile barrage and warnings of possible further response. At least 86 people in the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun were killed Tuesday in a chemical attack that left hundreds choking, gripped by spasms or foaming at the mouth. Eyewitnesses and a monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that fresh attacks on the area now a virtual ghost town had killed one woman and wounded several other people. Photographs from the site showed a pair of green slippers, abandoned by a blood-spattered doorway. Residents cowered in bedrooms and basements throughout Saturday, underscoring the apparently unchanged threat they faced from the Syrian governments arsenal of rockets, barrel bombs and other weapons that have resulted in a majority of the conflicts half-million dead. In retaliation for Tuesdays chemical assault, President Trump ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airfield housing a jet fleet responsible for extensive bombing across northern Syria. The missile barrage is the first direct military action the United States has taken against Syrian President Bashar Assads government in the six-year-long conflict. Although Trump warned of possible further intervention, the Pentagon has said no other strikes against government targets are in current plans. In a letter to Congress on Saturday, Trump said he acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as commander in chief and chief executive. U.S. officials had predicted that the missile strike would result in a major shift in Assads calculus, but the U.S. attack appeared to be symbolic in reality. Within 24 hours of the strike, monitoring groups reported that warplanes were again taking off from the bombed Shayrat air base, this time to attack Islamic State positions. There were also reports of Syrian government and Russian air strikes across the provinces of Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib and Daraa, all killing civilians. But there were no reports of further use of chemical weapons. The American strikes did nothing for us. They can still commit massacres at any time, said Majed Khattab, speaking by phone from Khan Sheikhoun. No one here can sleep properly. People are really afraid. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described Trumps decision to retaliate as welcome but not enough. If this intervention is limited only to an air base, if it does not continue and if we dont remove the regime from heading Syria, then this would remain a cosmetic intervention, he said. A longtime backer of Syrias armed opposition, Turkey is now overseeing a stuttering peace process in the Kazakh capital, Astana, that it hopes will hasten an end to the war. Syrias government has denied carrying out any chemical attack, and Russias Defense Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian air strike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory. Elsewhere in the region, a leading Iraqi Shiite cleric and militia leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, called on Assad to step down and save Syria before its too late. President Bashar al-Assad should resign and leave power for the love of Syria, allowing the dear people of Syria to avoid war and the scourge of terrorism, he said. Although some of Iraqs Shiite militias that are more directly linked to Iran have fought in support of Assad in Syria, Sadrs Peace Brigades have not, and the cleric promotes himself as a nationalist. In his statement, he also criticized U.S. and Russian intervention in the country. I call for a military retreat from Syria by everyone, he said. They are the only ones who have the right to decide their fate. In a sign of the continuing diplomatic fallout from the chemical attack and the U.S. response, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced Saturday that he had canceled a planned visit to Moscow. Johnson was to fly to Moscow on Monday to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in what would have been the first such meeting since 2012. But Johnson said in a statement that developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally. We deplore Russias continued defense of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians, Johnson said. Britain has been supportive of last weeks U.S. air strike against a Syrian air base but has said it has no plans to join the United States in any future attacks on Syrian government targets. Meanwhile, Russia and Iran, Assads most influential supporters, have rallied around him. Russia condemned the U.S. missile strike and suspended an agreement that would minimize the risk of in-flight incidents between Russian and U.S. military aircraft over Syria. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Saturday for the formation of an international fact-finding committee that must not be headed by Americans. Rouhani said neutral countries should come and assess to make it clear where the chemical weapons came from. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a global watchdog, said Thursday that it had initiated contact with the Syrian government and that it is investigating the attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Louisa Loveluck and Zakaria Zakaria are Washington Post writers. MASON CITY | Privatized Medicaid is costing Iowa more money while not delivering the care that was promised, according to State Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City. "We are being short-changed on the way services are being delivered," said Ragan during a listening post she and State Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, held Saturday in Mason City. They took questions on a variety of topics, including health care. Ragan said the state recently agreed to give more money to all three managed care companies being paid to administer Medicaid since it became privatized in Iowa a year ago. The three companies have reported severe losses in operating costs. Ragan said AmeriHealth Caritas, one of the three companies being paid by the state to administer Medicaid, has put many people at risk including the disabled by announcing the Mercy Health Network will no longer be part of its provider network if the company can't negotiate a new contract by July 1. Steckman and Ragan also addressed Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield's recent decision to stop selling individual health plans in Iowa at the end of the year. Ragan said a lot of people, including those who have not had health insurance in a long time, signed up "in good faith" for the plan Wellmark offered through the Affordable Care Act. She said not everyone with a Wellmark individual plan will be affected, including those who signed up five years ago or more. Wellmark's actions also will not affect those on group insurance plans. Steckman and Ragan also addressed education during the listening post. Steckman said education funding is "our economic growth" because when a company considers locating in a community, the quality of the local schools is one of the key factors. However, the 1.1 percent increase in state aid for K-12 schools the state legislature approved this year barely pays their bills, forcing them to cut programs and lay off staff, she said. TANTA, Egypt Bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshipers were celebrating Palm Sunday, killing at least 44 people and wounding about 100 in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. The blasts came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit the Arab worlds most populous country, which has been beset by extremist violence against its minority Christians. Late Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for a three-month state of emergency. According to Egypts constitution, parliament must vote in favor of such a declaration a virtual certainty because it is packed with supporters of the president. In the first attack, a bomb went off inside St. Georges Church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78, officials said. A few hours later, a suicide bomber rushed toward St. Marks Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, killing at least 17 people and wounding 48, the Interior Ministry said. CCTV images broadcast on Egyptian channels showed a man in a blue pullover approach the main gate to St. Marks but being turned away and directed toward a metal detector. The man then passes a female police officer chatting to another woman, and enters a metal detector before an explosion engulfs the area. Pope Tawadros II had held Palm Sunday services at the cathedral, but his aides said he escaped unharmed. The Islamic State group claimed the attacks via its Aamaq news agency, after having recently warned that it would step up violence against Egypts Christians. President Trump tweeted that he is so sad to hear of the terrorist attack against the U.S. ally but added that he has great confidence that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will handle the situation properly. The two leaders met at the White House last Monday. The bombings added to fears that Islamic extremists who have long been battling security forces in the Sinai Peninsula are shifting their focus to civilians. An Islamic State affiliate claimed a December suicide bombing at a Cairo church that killed about 30 people, as well as a string of killings in the northern Sinai that caused hundreds of Christians to flee. Hamza Hendawi is an Associated Press writer. 1 Philippines quakes: Back-to-back earthquakes cracked small buildings and blocked roads with minor landslides Saturday in a resort province south of Manila where jittery tourists left and patients were evacuated from a hospital amid aftershocks. Officials said a temblor with a magnitude of 5.6 struck near Mabini town in Batangas province, followed shortly by a 6.0-magnitude quake, prompting many people to rush out of homes and beach resorts. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Hundreds of villagers fled their homes to higher ground, fearing a tsunami, although government seismologists did not declare any such threat. The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. 2 Capsized ferry: A ferry overturned in Myanmars Ayeyarwaddy delta, killing 20 people and leaving more than a dozen missing, police said. Thirty people were rescued after the ferry capsized in the Ngawun river Friday night, police said. About 66 people were on the ferry, which capsized after colliding with a boat carrying gravel. The ferry was going from Pathein to Yakhinekone village. ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images STOCKHOLM Swedish police said Sunday that the man suspected of plowing a stolen truck into a crowd of people in Stockholms busiest shopping area was a failed asylum-seeker who was supposed to be deported last year but could not be located. The 39-year-old Uzbek man, who has not been named, was rejected for asylum in June and was sought for deportation last summer. But he went into hiding, and in February, police issued a notice seeking clues to his whereabouts, said Stockholm police official Jan Evensson. The LIC Flea and Food kicked off its fifth outdoor season on Saturday afternoon, and the lot on 46th Avenue over near Gantry Plaza was filled with happy kids, sunny vibes, very good dogs, and at least a half dozen new vendors adding some first-rate sweet and savory options to what has become a pleasantly chill version of the Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg model. Among the notable edible rookies at this year's LIC Flea and Food: Rare Bird baked goods, with serious sweets like a monster-sized, fudgy Chocolate Caramel Brownie and a delicious Dulce de Leche eclair filled with about three pints of sticky milk caramel goodness. baked goods, with serious sweets like a monster-sized, fudgy Chocolate Caramel Brownie and a delicious Dulce de Leche eclair filled with about three pints of sticky milk caramel goodness. Grilled French toast sandwiches at Stuf'd , including a zippy Buffalo Chicken version with maple-infused hot sauce and chunks of blue cheese. , including a zippy Buffalo Chicken version with maple-infused hot sauce and chunks of blue cheese. Miss Holly's Smokehouse , serving all-beef meatballs, a barbecue pork sandwich, and a nice plate of smoked chicken covered in barbecue and Carolina mustard sauce, with broccoli slaw and a hunk of corn bread. , serving all-beef meatballs, a barbecue pork sandwich, and a nice plate of smoked chicken covered in barbecue and Carolina mustard sauce, with broccoli slaw and a hunk of corn bread. Crepes and waffles made on-the-spot at Enzo le Beau (get anything with the homemade dark chocolate and/or raspberry coulits). (get anything with the homemade dark chocolate and/or raspberry coulits). Jen Bakes Shortbread for packaged cookies-to-go, all of which are as wonderfully buttery as you would hope. There are plenty of returning crowd favorites as well, including Hank's Juicy Beef, the meaty delights at Butcher Bar, Oconomoni's Japanese vegetable pancakes, and, my favorite, the sublimely gloppy quesadillas at What's the 'Dillaz. On the shopping side of things, there are the expected clothing tents (the Queens Pride line at Dutch Kills Klotheing is a pick hit), as well as jewelry and home decor. One newcomer called Magnetic Images was attracting a lot of interest, selling hundreds of different fridge magnets featuring classic and brand new album covers, memes, and random silliness. There's also beer at LIC Flea and Food in a seating area hard by Newton's Creek, where DJ Johnny Seriuss played a fun mix of family-friendly bangers. LIC Flea and Food is located at 5-25 46th Avenue at the corner of Fifth Street, and is now open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 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 Emergency services have been called back to Canberra Hospital after another incident, although no evacuations have been required this time. Earlier this week, 60 patients were evacuated and surgeries were cancelled after a fire at the hospital's electrical switchroom on Wednesday night. The Canberra hospital, Garran. Credit:Karleen Minney Firefighters were called back to the hospital on Sunday morning for an unrelated incident. "A power supply room has been isolated following a smell of gas being detected in the area," the Emergency Services Agency said in a statement. I have bad news and worse for advocates of micro-economic reform. First, the jig is up. There'll be few if any further major reforms. Second, the backlash against mounting wreckage from failed reforms is about to begin. Since the reform push has degenerated into little more than business rent-seeking let's cut tax on business and increase it on consumers; let's push the legislated balance of power in industrial relations further in favour of employers it's neither surprising nor regrettable that voters have called a halt. Micro reform has lost all credibility with voters. Most oppose company tax cuts for big business, cuts in penalty rates and a freeze on the minimum wage. Neither side of politics will pursue these "reforms" with any enthusiasm. Economic rationalists will blame all this on irrational populism, but if they were more honest with themselves they'd admit the economic case for bizonomic reforms what's good for business must be good for the economy is debatable and often unconvincing. Australians are the second-wealthiest people in the world. But when it comes to clothes shopping our tastes are cheaper and more masculine than you might expect. "The money is where everyone can shop," said retail veteran Gary Novis. Tarocash wants some cash Mr Novis is the long-time boss of Retail Apparel Group, which owns menswear brands Tarocash, yd., Connor and Johnny Bigg, as well as women's workout retailer Rockwear. Shoppers spend an average $51 in Tarocash, $44 in yd., and $31 in Connor. At "big and tall" menswear brand Johnny Bigg the average sales price is $56, while at "athleisure" brand Rockwear it is $32. As the base for global miner Rio Tinto's most profitable mines, Australia received the bulk of the group's tax and royalty payments over the past year, even as the miner remains locked in dispute with the local tax office over tax shifting abroad. Across the group, Rio paid $US4 billion ($5.3 billion) in taxes and royalties in 2016, of which $US2.9 billion was paid in Australia, with Canberra and the West Australia government the largest beneficiaries. The federal government received $US1.4 billion, with Western Australia pocketing $US1.1 billion in royalties and taxes, followed by Queensland, which received $US184 million. Overall, the tax bill declined 12 per cent in 2016 from the year before, it said. When people think of a lawyer, they often have an image of someone who represents the rich and powerful. However, Australia has an army of lawyers who work on low wages to protect the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Many work for one of Australia's 190 non-profit community legal centres, which federal Attorney-General George Brandis announced will receive a 30 per cent funding cut from July 1 this year. One of these centres, the Kingsford Legal Centre (KLC), is based at the University of NSW. People come to the centre or one of its outreach clinics because they cannot afford a private lawyer or access legal aid. They need help with the law, but this is usually just one of many problems, such as mental illness, addiction, domestic violence or poverty. Community legal centres across Australia help more than 215,000 people each year, preventing legal problems cascading into something much more serious. Credit:AFR For example, KLC represented two single parents who moved from welfare to work at a cleaning company. Three months in, they queried their rate of pay and asked why they were not allowed to take breaks. They were immediately dismissed, and faced a future back on welfare. They came to KLC, which stood up for their workplace rights. The women were compensated and received letters of reference to help them gain new employment. Another client was an older Aboriginal woman living in public housing. She received the disability support pension because of mental illness and physical conditions, and had difficulty reading. She signed a lengthy contract with a telecommunications company after being told that she could afford this on her pension. Instead, she was sent a new smartphone and tablet and a monthly bill well beyond her means. When she could not pay, she was hit with a charge of more than $3000. KLC represented the woman, and the provider agreed to waive the entire amount she owed. It was with mixed feelings that on Thursday evening I chugged along (my Barina going at about the speed of a country steam railway train of the 1950s) to the public meeting on high speed trains. The Spanish company Talgo would love to run its swish, state of the art trains (it calls them "train sets") between Canberra and Sydney. The trains would take only two hours to beetle between the two cities. At the moment trains take a philosophical four hours and longer. Once upon a time train travel used to be a leisurely, time-to-read-a-book, time-to-flirt-with-an-attractive-stranger mode of travel. Credit:Eddie Jim On Thursday evening at the ANU's University House the Talgo people staged a tantalising presentation about what Talgo would like to do. At the moment, as MC and Talgo enthusiast Professor Clive Williams deplored, we have the "scandalous" situation that the Canberra to Sydney train takes as long as it took in the olden days of 1983. We'd think it weird, the professor thought, if in 2017 we were still driving 1983's motor cars. Thursday's event filled a room at University House with more than 100 of us. We were almost all mature-age men, almost all of us with the words "railways enthusiast/railways geek" stamped (figuratively) on our foreheads. After the presentation audience members nattered knowledgably about "lateral accelerations", about "tilt angles" and "signal spacings" and "interoperability". "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 My father wrote those words above his signature in my autograph book when I was a kid. People collect selfies now not autographs, and share messages and tweets not proverbs, but I find myself thinking about those words more and more often as I watch the national debate unfold on Q&A each week. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's opponents are battered and bruised by the constant attacks on Islam. Last week I was reminded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus when he was asked about the reaction of Muslims to the words and cancelled visit of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. "If a large number of Muslims are angry with her, there's something missing in her tone, in her voice, in her way presenting the case How to make it happen in the way you get across your views Nobody is against the freedom of speech, but that gives you a responsibility." I'm not a Muslim or even a man of faith so I don't know what it's like to listen to people attack my religion. I don't know what's it like to have people produce petitions or videos asking me to stay away. I certainly don't oppose freedom of speech and neither did our panel, which alongside Yunus included one of Australia's most respected journalists, two rising stars from opposing sides of politics and the former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. For the people of Syria, the international community's failure to resolve their crisis has been tragic. For America and the world, that failure should have clarified thinking about how to deal with that cauldron of sectarian malevolence. Not that you'd know it from the euphoria over Donald Trump's decision to launch strikes against the Assad regime. The conventional wisdom from world leaders to editorial writers to neo-conservatives and liberal hawks has praised the President's response to Bashar al-Assad's alleged chemical weapons attack last week. But some cautionary lessons should have emerged from the six-year civil war that has cost 400,000 lives, displaced millions and created a refugee crisis. If we continue to ignore these lessons, we are in danger of making a bad situation worse. Here are three of them. First lesson: be wary of the injunction "Don't just stand there; do something". "While this is beneficial to property owners," the report said of the demand introduced by migration, "it increases costs and thereby reduces the living standards for those entering the property market." But even if reducing the migrant would reduce demand for housing, Reserve Bank chief Philip Lowe has called immigration a source of national strength. "To give that advantage up just so that we can take some pressure off housing prices, I find kind of problematic," he said last year. However, the pressure does remain and a recent NSW government forecast found Sydney will require 726,000 new dwellings by 2036 to keep up with growth. Boosting the economy The Productivity Commission found new migrants boost economic growth through consumption and the supply of labor, particularly jobs that struggle to get filled otherwise. The valuable increase to gross domestic product has been a crucial ingredient in Australia's 25 years of unbroken economic growth and continues to mask other vulnerabilities in the economy. At an aggregate level, recent immigrants had a negligible impact on wages, employment and participation of the existing labour force. Groaning infrastructure "We do not have the infrastructure capacity to support today's population, far less the population of the future." That is what the former secretary of the Treasury Ken Henry told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in February amid ongoing frustration about Australian roads and public transport. "On the basis of official projections of Australia's population growth, our governments could be calling tenders for the design of a brand new city for two million people every five years" he said. Both Mr Henry and the Governor of the Reserve Bank Philip Lowe agree: these are growing pains that we are not prepared for. "This imbalance is compounded by insufficient investment in the transport infrastructure needed to support our growing population," Dr Lowe told a meeting of the Reserve Bank governors this week. The Committee for Economic Development of Australia has questioned "whether the current settlement patterns of migrants, predominantly into Sydney and Melbourne, can continue indefinitely with these figures." Environmental pressure The more people you have, the more pressure is placed on the natural environment. This means that more work is required to protect it, particularly in urban areas. In Sydney, more than 70 green spaces - the "green grid" considered a crucial part of a liveable city - have been identified as under threat from the booming population. Australia's largest city will pack in another 2.1 million people over the next two decades. The gravitation of of migrants to urban areas, alongside the natural population growth in these areas, means that effective urban planning and environmental regulations are required to preserve local ecosystems, open spaces, clean air and clean water and minimise the impacts of waste and garbage. An ageing society It is one way to sell a migration boom, who is going to pay the taxes to look after an ageing population? On this the Productivity Commission is clear: "By increasing the proportion of people in the workforce, immigration can reduce the impacts of population ageing," it found. Accordingly, the government places an emphasis on skilled migrants with an age limit of 50. Last year, these migrants accounted for 128,550 of the 190,000-strong migration program while 57,000 came to join family. But this "demographic dividend" does not offer a panacea, it delays rather than eliminates population ageing. Based on the current rate of migration, Australia will still have 25 per cent of the population aged over 65 by 2060 when the population hits 42 million. The figure is set to become far worse if the the intake is cut, as has been speculated, putting generations at risk of billions of dollars in higher health care costs and the burden of the aged pension. Anti-immigrant sentiment There has always been a segment of Australian society opposed to immigration and hostile towards people seen as different. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says last week's chemical weapons attack has "hardened" Australia's view that Bashar al-Assad cannot be part of the long-term solution in war-torn Syria. Ms Bishop has also warned the government is concerned about the threat of terrorist attacks targeting Easter celebrations, in the wake of the bombings on Coptic Christian churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday. Islamic State claimed responsibly for the attacks, which have so far killed 43 people. After maintaining for years that Mr Assad should be phased out of power once Syria is stabilised, the Turnbull government has joined the United States in turning up the heat on the regime and its global backer Russia, following last week's chemical weapons attack. Australia and other allies have expressed support for the Trump administration's surprise response, a missile strike against a Syrian military airbase said to be involved in the attack. "Our position has always been that Assad has no long-term position as leader but when Russia came in and backed Syria, we needed to work with Russia and Iran and others who are supporting the Assad regime to transition him out of the leadership," Ms Bishop told Sky News on Monday morning. The Turnbull government has sought to allay fears it will cut taxpayer-subsidised sick leave for living organ donors from the federal budget. The Department of Health has been emailing prospective donors in recent days saying funding for the Leave for Living Organ Donors program which pays kidney and liver donors up to nine weeks' leave at the minimum wage, or about $6000 will cease on June 30. Health Minister Greg Hunt has criticised Bill Shorten for suggesting the government had bought the AMA's silence. Credit:Jesse Marlow The letters tell donors that if they want the subsidy they have to undergo surgery before July and lodge their claims by September. The letters have stakeholders worried that the successful four-year-old program - started by Labor but extended by the Coalition in 2015 - will be cut as part of new Health Minister Greg Hunt's savings drive. Australia must provide better incomes and opportunities for the working class if it is to avoid the same anti-trade backlash that helped sweep Donald Trump into the White House, a Labor frontbencher has warned. Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment Jason Clare said increasing the number of people finishing high school, super-charging the number of people studying science, technology, engineering and maths, boosting exports and improving housing affordability are also key to reversing the rising tide of protectionist, anti-globalisation sentiment. Shadow Trade Minister Jason Clare with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In a speech to be delivered to the American Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Mr Clare outlined why Australia needs to take urgent action to restore public faith in free trade and open markets. The US President drew much of his support from angry, frustrated and resentful anti-trade voters who felt the system was rigged against them. Malcolm Turnbull has rejected claims that he has interfered with domestic politics in Papua New Guinea by visiting Port Morseby on the eve of national elections and praising Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Mr Turnbull was asked by local media to respond to claims that he has given an endorsement to Mr O'Neill's re-election campaign just before writs are issued for the election. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Former Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta has bitterly attacked the timing of the visit, Mr Turnbull's first to PNG as prime minister, saying he has placed himself in a "dangerous position", especially "with the prospect of a new government just around the corner". But Mr Turnbull dismissed the complaint, saying the timing of his visit was "entirely unrelated" to any domestic political events in PNG. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will fly to India on Monday to try to capitalise on Australia's fastest-growing education market after it plunged last decade following a series of racially motivated attacks. The number of Indian students studying in Australia has more than tripled since its low in 2011 and Indian students now contribute more than $2.3 billion to the Australian economy through the higher education, vocational education and school sectors. Members of the Indian student community protest at the lack of action after violent attacks on international students in 2009. Credit:Angela Wylie But the numbers have not always been so strong. Between 2008 and 2010 a wave of 152 assaults against Indian students hit the community, culminating in Indian media accusing Victorian Police of acting like the Ku Klux Clan for being unwilling to investigate race as a motivating factor in the stabbing murder of a student, and India's influential Economic Times headlining "Australia, land of racism". Asylum seekers on Manus Island who are suing the Turnbull government for false imprisonment will be able to watch the proceedings live from Papua New Guinea, following a landmark ruling by the Victorian Supreme Court. Lawyers representing the asylum seekers say it is the first time Australian court proceedings will be steamed live overseas. Asylum seekers at the Manus Island detention centre. Credit:Andrew Meares They say the case, to begin in May and run for six or seven months, will be the largest and most forensic public examination of events and conditions at the Manus Island detention centre. In the ruling, handed down on Friday, Justice Michael McDonald found that it was appropriate to make the live streaming order to ensure that justice was done in the proceeding. Sterile. Clinical. Cold. Unwelcoming. There are a few ways to describe the experience of giving evidence to a parliamentary committee. None of them make it sound like an environment in which vulnerable people might feel safe sharing some of their most harrowing experiences and greatest fears. But members of a new federal parliamentary inquiry examining how the family law system can better support people who have experienced domestic violence are determined to change that. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on Russia to bring Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad "into line" but a senior US official has signalled the Trump administration now favours regime change in the war-torn nation. After last week's deadly chemical weapons attack and the retaliatory US missile strike, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says there can be no peace in Syria until Mr Assad is ousted. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has struck a new tone on terrorism. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," she told CNN. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." Hundreds of the Prime Minister's public servants could be moved from Canberra to Australia's red centre, under a plan proposed by Regional Development Australia. The development organisation wants large numbers of bureaucrats from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet who are working on "closing the gap" of indigenous disadvantage to be closer to the people they are trying to help. Not Canberra Avenue: hundreds of Canberra public servants should be on the road to Alice Springs, says Regional Development Australia. Credit:Lee Atkinson But the proponents of the move could face stiff resistance trying to convince PM&C's city slickers to make a 2500 kilometre trek to a town like Alice. PM&C's indigenous affairs bosses refused in 2014 to move 9 kilometres down the road to unfashionable Woden in Canberra's south where most of the rank-and-file works, with the top brass preferring to remain in the public service's dress circle in leafy Barton. A Muslim leader whose group planned to rally 5000 protesters outside a talk by anti-Islam activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the basis that she "condones violence and radicalises people" has previously met with a radical sheikh who promoted suicide bombing. On Monday Ms Ali, a Somalian-born activist and refugee, cancelled her planned speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand, citing a "number of reasons including security concerns" and a "succession of organisational lapses" by event organisers. She had been due to appear in Sydney on Saturday night. The NSW government has been instructing transport officials to ignore public transport alternatives to motorway projects, according to explosive internal documents obtained by Fairfax Media. The revelation emerges in a memo prepared within Transport for NSW into potential rail improvements between Sydney and Wollongong a project that could compete for funds with the proposed F6 motorway from the WestConnex interchange at St Peters to Waterfall. But the document also suggests that the government has excised the development of public transport alternatives to other major toll-road projects. These include the Western Harbour Tunnel project, which is to be an extension of WestConnex, and the Beaches Link tunnel that is to extend that road to the northern beaches. The memo prepared within Transport for NSW says a new rail tunnel and freight line could cut the time taken for commuters to travel from Wollongong to Central from 90 minutes to about 60 minutes for as much as $10 billion less than the cost of the toll road. Opposition leader Luke Foley has declared there is "a mood for change" in NSW after large swings against the government in byelections in the blue ribbon Liberal seats of North Shore and Manly and a swing towards Labor in Gosford. In Manly, there was a 24.7 per cent primary vote swing against Liberal candidate James Griffin, while in North Shore the primary vote swing against Liberal candidate Felicity Wilson was 15.4 per cent. Premier Gladys Berejiklian (centre) congratulates North Shore and Manly candidates Felicity Wilson and James Griffin following Saturday's by-elections. Credit:James Alcock Labor held onto Gosford following the retirement of Kathy Smith due to health reasons, with an eleven per cent primary vote swing towards its candidate Liesl Tesch. Asked on Sunday what message the government will take from the results, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said "the community has given us their trust but they expect us to listen to their concerns. One of two teenage boys allegedly involved in a terrifying crime spree, including the fatal stabbing of a service station attendant, was on bail at the time having previously been charged with a violent sexual assault with a weapon. The 15- and 16-year-old youths appeared in a Sydney court on Sunday charged with murder, robbery, wound with intent, carjacking and aggravated break and enter with intent following a spate of offences on Thursday night and Friday morning in Queanbeyan, near the ACT border. The older boy is also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was already on bail for aggravated sexual assault with a weapon and is due to face trial later this year. Officers from the Joint Counter-Terrorism Taskforce are investigating if the most recent incidents are terror-related. Neither boy has been charged with any terrorism related offence. Land and Power. Update: An April 13, 2017 statement from Linda Schatz: "I want to call to your attention that I do not work for Hanapohaku LLC who owns the Sharks Cove project. I have removed them as a client several weeks ago due to their activities on the site that I do not condone." Developer proposes expanded uses of Pupukea property Star-Adv April 8, 2017 (excerpts with additional information in parenthesis) A North Shore property owner that has racked up city fines for unpermitted construction and food truck operations is proposing to redevelop the site with more retail use after withdrawing a smaller development plan a year ago in the face of community opposition. Development firm Hanapohaku LLC wants to build several one- and two-story retail buildings, space for eight food trucks and covered parking in a new bid to redevelop the 2.7-acre property across from Sharks Cove in Pupukea. Hanapohaku, led by Andrew Yani and Lawrence Cully McCully Judd III, also intends to connect the envisioned complex to the parking lot of an adjacent Foodland store for shared use. (Here is where the Star-Adv omits any reference to Hanapohaku Project Manager Linda Schatz, also known as Mrs Brian Schatz. Fortunately you are reading Hawaii Free Press, so this key detail is front and center.) Retail space in the proposed complex totals 27,500 square feet, more than the neighboring 23,000-square-foot Foodland. A sketch of the plan identifies possible tenants as a couple of restaurants, a pharmacy (or head shop), an urgent-care clinic (or medicated marijuana dispensary), a copy and delivery shop, a yoga studio (or massage parlor), a child care service, a gallery, a surf shop and other retail. Its not a resort retail play, he said. (Know them by what they deny.) Some residents, however, are skeptical about Hanapohakus intentions, given what it has done since buying the property in 2014 for $5.5 million. The trust has really been broken, said Joe Wilson, a member of the Sharks Cove Coalition, formed to monitor Hanapohakus effort. Hanapohaku has received five city violation notices over the past four years for unpermitted work, including construction of decks, plumbing, fencing and paving. In January the city Department of Planning and Permitting notified Hanapohaku that commercial activities on the site must cease and that structures including food trucks, tables, benches, decks, fences, temporary bathrooms, septic tanks, shipping containers and parking must be removed because no special management area permit exists for them. One pertains to a deck and plumbing, for which Hanapohaku has incurred $32,500 in fines. The other is for the illegal commercial uses that have drawn $12,000 in fines that continue to grow by $500 a day. DPP has referred the violation over illegal uses to city attorneys. Wilson said Sharks Cove Coalition members are wary of Hanapohaku because of how it tried to obtain permits for a smaller redevelopment plan in 2015. The prior plan sought to add six 600-square-foot retail cottages, a restroom and several independent wastewater treatment systems. Because the site comprises three subdivided parcels, Hanapohaku applied to DPP for three separate minor special management area permits that govern areas close to the ocean to control shoreline and marine environment impacts. Minor SMA permits are supposed to be for projects that cost no more than $500,000. Projects above this threshold require a major SMA permit that involves more stringent review, a public hearing and possibly an environmental assessment or more thorough environmental impact study. Hanapohaku submitted construction estimates of $445,000, $484,000 and $498,000 for its three permits, which were submitted seven months apart, and DPP granted them. But area environmental watchdogs mobilized to contest the citys approval. State Sen. Gil Riviere wrote to DPPs director in January 2016 asking that the approvals be reconsidered. It is indisputable that the developer is building one unified project across these three parcels, Riviere wrote. As such, the project segmentation circumvents the spirit and the letter of Coastal Zone Management and the City and County of Honolulu SMA rules, and it clearly violates (state environmental law).. If Hanapohaku can obtain necessary permits, it anticipates construction could start in 2019 and be done in 2020. SA: Sharks Cove plan must regain trust (April 13--still no mention of Schatz.) read Developer proposes expanded uses of Pupukea property * * * * * Linda Schatz LinkedIn: Schatz Collaborative LLC (SC) provides real estate development services to landowners and investors. SC has experience in for sale residential, apartments, and retail for ground up new construction and rehab projects. SC's past experience also includes master planned communities in both urban infill and greenfield sites with a major focus on entitlement issues, site plan design, and product development. SC is currently involved with several projects, including a mid-rise apartment project in the heart of Honolulu, a community shopping center, and a small-scale affordable housing project all located in Hawaii. SC has found a niche in servicing mainland United States and offshore investors and developers that want to enter Hawaii's high barrier-to-entry real estate development market. BREG: Schatz Collaborative LLC Not in Good Standing * * * * * Flashback January 26, 2017 Mrs Brian Schatz is Project Manager for Illegal North Shore Commercial Activities HNN: A permitting dispute is intensifying on Oahu's North Shore, where city officials have issued a third notice of violation for a controversial commercial development near Sharks Cove. The city's Department of Planning and Permitting has ordered Hanapohaku LLC to immediately remove several illegal structures, including food trucks, eating areas and temporary toilets. The landowner reportedly apologized to the community last April for developing the three lots, totaling nearly three acres, without the proper permits. But little has changed since then. "Since that point, we've seen increased commercial activity and increased violations on the property," said Maxx Phillips, managing director for Malama Pupukea-Waimea. "We haven't seen their promise come to full fruition," Company officials maintain that they've been taking steps to address the concerns. "There actually has been a dialing back," said Linda Schatz, (aka Mrs. Brian Schatz) project manager for Hanapohaku LLC. "They actually had gotten rid of a couple of tenants during that period, and they've dialed back some of the built items that were not permitted." (Hanapohaku sole Member is YANI,ANDREW D, co-founder of Bonterra which went out of business last year.) PDF: Notice of Violation read Schatz Crime Family Flashback, 2014: Linda Schatz, wife of U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, joins Forest City Hawaii as development manager It is a legal quandary for those who care about animal welfare: how far can they go to expose the criminal mistreatment of animals? The tricky balance is about to be tested in a very unusual way, as an upper house MP has been interviewed by police in relation to possible criminal offences over an incident where he used a drone to film over a NSW piggery. Mark Pearson at home with his chickens. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers Mark Pearson MLC from the Animal Justice Party said he organised a drone pilot to join him at the site of the southern hemisphere's biggest piggery and abattoir, at Corowa on the NSW-Victorian border, in December 2015. The footage that resulted did not show any animal cruelty, and Mr Pearson is adamant he did not break any laws that day. A major review has been ordered into how Queensland emergency services responded to Tropical Cyclone Debbie, as Rockhampton started to clean-up on Sunday. The Fitzroy River continued to recede, with floodwaters registered at 7.85 metres high in the afternoon after reaching 8.9 metres on Friday morning. Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said the review was to ensure the state government had learnt lessons from Tropical Cyclone Debbie. "Queensland is at the forefront of disaster management in Australia, and through reviews such as this, I want to heighten the strength and effectiveness of our arrangements even further," he said in a statement. A manhunt is underway for four suspects after shots were fired at a Gold Coast house party in the early hours of Sunday morning. Just after 1am, police were called to the address on Renfrew Drive in Highland Park, after residents heard gunshots nearby. Investigations indicate four people arrived at the party in a car, described as a Ford Focus or similar, with one person then walking to the backyard of the property and firing three shots, believed to be from a shotgun. Police believe the suspects in the car were turned away from the party earlier. It has been a horrific week for 17-year-old Queensland boy Shanon Heidemann his father's body was found after being washed away in floodwaters, while his mother and brother were killed in a car crash that also left his sister fighting for life in hospital. It all started on Tuesday, April 4, when the car carrying the teenager's mother, 39-year-old Jane Towers, 12-year-old brother Jayjay and 14-year-old sister Khloe Heidemann was involved in a collision with a truck on the Princes Highway at Berry, south of Sydney along the New South Wales coast. Shanon's mother and brother were killed, while his sister was left in an induced coma in hospital. Ms Towers' sister-in-law Belinda Hartigan, who lives in Wagga Wagga, said the family was on their way down to Narooma to see the children's grandmother when the accident happened. Ms Hartigan said David Heidemann, Shanon's father, and Ms Towers were separated, with the Queensland teenager opting to stay with his father in Mondure. "You have to feel really, really strongly about this path because it is super hard but every industry is hard," he says. "The problem with the cuisine is that it is paid very poorly early on. In German the world passion is called Leidenschaft and the translation of Leidenschaft really means enjoy suffering. If you are really passionate about it then it means you are willing to suffer for it, otherwise it is just a hobby." Chefs from the winning restaurants pose at The World's 50 Best Restaurants at the Melbourne Exhibition Building in Carlton. Credit:Paul Jeffers Building a team It wasn't a smooth journey to the number one spot for Humm with Eleven Madison Park struggling to attract diners in its early days and sometimes opening for only 10 bookings. Humm kept his head down and worked hard to build a strong team in the kitchen. Heston (right) with top chefs (from left) Ben Shewry, Joan Roca, Massimo Bottura and Daniel Humm before the World's 50 Best awards in Melbourne. Credit:Chris Hopkins "I don't even care if they have cooked before or where they have worked but I want to get to know the person," he says. "Cooking is not brain surgery. I can teach anything, it's not that hard if it's the right person." Humm says the ongoing challenge is trying to keep staff motivated. Swiss-born Daniel Humm in the kitchen of his restaurant Eleven Madison Park. Credit:Francesco Tonelli If you are really passionate about it then it means you are willing to suffer for it, otherwise it is just a hobby. Chef Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Square. "You have to be creative," he says. "You have to think about 'Why do people want to work with us?' If people work with us we want to give them an education. We have a culture of leading but learning. I spend as much time thinking about how to motivate the team as I think about what to put on the plate." Remuneration is also part of the package. Daniel Humm's menu has included foie gras terrines with fleur de sel and red cabbage puree on a white background. Credit:Francesco Tonelli "We are in the process of figuring out how to pay cooks more because the wages for cooks in New York hasn't changed that much over the past few years but life has gotten a lot more expensive," he says. Focusing on service Humm is known in the industry for his humble demeanour and his advice to young chefs is "don't have an ego". This has been key to Humm's success according to chef Ben Shewry whose restaurant, Attica, was awarded best restaurant in Australasia at the World's 50 Best Restaurant event. "Daniel Humm has an ability to put his ego aside and allow the service to be as big a part as the food," Shewry says. "Chefs tend to think everything is about us. A more modest man like Daniel has enabled his restaurant to grow to the size it is at." Shewry says Eleven Madison Park has some of the finest service he's ever encountered in a restaurant in the world. "It comes down to the way the staff make you feel when you are there," he says. "It is a very warm place against perhaps the slightly harsher backdrop at times of New York City. It's like finding shelter in a storm. It's a very genuine feeling. It speaks to me with the connection and the desire to look after a person." World class food Shewry describes Eleven Madison Park as "a very impressive package". "It's world-class food, wines and a beautiful dining room on Madison Park." Humm draws on his classical training before reinventing and reinterpreting those techniques for dishes like his celery root in pig's bladder. "You have got to be a student of cuisine," he says. "You have to know the rules before you can start breaking them." Humm is constantly reinventing the menu at Eleven Madison Park and looks to art and his surrounds in New York for stimulus. "I have every cookbook there is," he says. "Today my inspiration comes from other places." Commercial appeal Humm is pragmatic about the business of being a chef. "You are not cooking for yourself you are cooking for your guests," he says. "You need to have a full restaurant to be eventually successful. If you have an empty restaurant you are never going to be a famous chef." An empty restaurant is not likely to be a problem for Humm anytime soon. Eleven Madison Park is already one of the hardest restaurants in the world to get into and it's just got a whole lot harder. When Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca topped the World's 50 Best Restaurant List in 2013 its website received 12 million hits and three extra employees were hired to deal with booking requests. Ken Burgin of Profitable Hospitality predicts Eleven Madison Park will experience a "tidal wave" of bookings for its tasting menu which costs $US225 ($300) a person. "All these people who normally wouldn't come to visit come with sky-high expectations and dying to find out why it shouldn't be number one," he says. "It's a case of managing those expectations." Humm and Guidara are already looking to accommodate those people who can't get in with the expansion of the Eleven Madison Park brand through their NoMad restaurant in New York and an upcoming chain of casual restaurants. The marketing machine Amidst the hype, the World's 50 Best Restaurants list has its detractors. The list is compiled by a panel of more than 1000 chefs, food writers and other experts from around the world but the catch is that these academy chairs must have eaten at the restaurant they voted for in the 18 months. With last year's World's 50 Best Restaurants event held in New York, Humm has reaped the benefit of being able to showcase his skills to so many of the chairs. "People are a little cynical," says Burgin. "But the selection process is a bit opaque. You need to have a very good marketing machine to support you." Police have released an image of a man who is fighting for his life after being mown down and left for dead in a hit and run in Melbourne's west on Saturday night. A passerby found the 37-year-old man on Anderson Road in Albion near Ridley Street shortly after 11pm. The Albion man had been hit by a north-bound sedan which then fled the scene. His distraught family have released the image in the hope somebody who saw something will contact police. A woman rescued from floodwater by SES crews has told media of the "frightening" moment she couldn't get out of the car. Michelle Ludeman was on her way home in Ocean Grove just before midnight when her car became trapped in floodwater. "I was hyperventilating, crying," she told Channel Seven. "I just wanted out of the car and I couldn't get out of the car. I couldn't open the doors. Frightening"Panicking, she called her father and triple zero. Her father, Neville, arrived first, wading through chest-deep floodwater to drag his daughter to safety."I'm 75 years old but I wasn't giving a stuff about that," he said. "I wanted to get my daughter out of the car." Three out of five of Victoria's electricity distributors and two out of three of its gas distributors would be controlled by a single Hong Kong-based infrastructure business under a $7.4 billion takeover proposal being considered by the Turnbull government. Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison is expected to make a decision within the next two weeks on whether to allow Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI) to acquire DUET Group. The proposed takeover, being closely scrutinised by the federal government's new Critical Infrastructure Centre, has raised concerns in business, strategic and political circles about the ownership of infrastructure regarded as critical. In January, Mr Morrison and Attorney-General George Brandis released a joint statement saying Australia's national critical infrastructure "is more exposed than ever to sabotage, espionage and coercion", with increased privatisation, outsourcing and offshoring, and rising foreign investment. Two people died and three were injured after a car rolled and struck a tree in Woori Yallock on Sunday. Police said it was believed the 4WD was travelling on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road just after 2.30pm when the accident happened. Two people died when a car rolled at Woori Yallock. Credit:Rob Gunstone Two passengers travelling in the back seat of the car died at the scene. Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said a woman aged in her 20s, believed to also have been sitting in the rear of vehicle, was flown to The Alfred hospital where she remains in a critical but stable condition. Lisa Scaffidi has launched a scathing attack on Premier Mark McGowan and the Department of Local Government, after it was found the City of Perth Lord Mayor used her position improperly in May last year. Ms Scaffidi has come under fire in the last week after the Local Government Standards panel found she had used her position to carry out an eleventh-hour no-confidence motion against her deputy James Limnios, despite sending out an email to councillors about the proper process days before. Deputy Perth Lord Mayor James Limnios and Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, in happier times. On Saturday evening the Lord Mayor took to Facebook to air her grievances, and she took aim at Local Government Minister David Templeman and Premier Mark McGowan. "This is a very sad situation... given how tirelessly and passionately I have committed to the role," she said. Names and faces The following individuals have completed a 16-hour ServSafe manager's certification class offered by Lewis and Clark Public Health. The class trains workers in how to store, prepare, and serve food to the public safely. Jewel Paige, Raul Redona, and Lody Sooter, Apple Rehab Cooney; Chris Romero, Atomic Cafe; Trisha Ryan, The Dirty Dozen Donuts; James Mabius, Great Ape Crepes Mobile; Ashlie Nettleton, Hub Coffee; Jauquene Cutstherope, Karmadillos; Chad Jones, LaPa Grill; Albert Wipf, Milford Hutterite Colony; Chris Grose, Shannon Lanius, and Theresa Nelson, Mountain Ranch House; Jessica Teaford, Qdoba Mexican Eats; Carolyn Gibson and Alan Michaud, Real Food Market and Deli; Aung Myint, Safeway Sushi Bar; and Rachel Conn, Saigon Alley. Awards and honors Credit union recognized Rocky Mountain Credit Union was recently honored with two Diamond Awards, recognizing outstanding marketing and business development achievements in the credit union industry. The awards were presented by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Marketing & Business Development Council at its 24th annual conference March 29-April 1 in San Antonio, Texas. The council is a national network comprised of over 1,200 credit union marketing and business development professionals. RMCU won the Membership Marketing and Direct Mail categories for its entries, entitled GEAR Loans and Visa 5.99 percent Balance Transfer. GEAR Loans are a product that RMCU created to specifically target members who enjoy Montanas outdoor lifestyle. The 5.99 percent Visa Balance Transfer Campaign was offered in 2016 to help members and non-members transfer high interest credit card balances to credit cards at RMCU. For more information on the Diamond Awards or to view the entire list of winners, go to www.cunacouncils.org/awards. For more information about RMCU visit www.rmcu.net . News and notes St. Peters to host community forum Interested in the future direction of St. Peter's? The public is invited to attend meeting to hear an update about St. Peter's Hospital 2017-2019 strategic priorities. The feature presentation will be on St. Peters participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), the nations largest-ever program to improve primary care. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in St. Peters Education Center. Presenters include St. Peters Board Chairman Mark Taylor, Interim President and CEO Dr. Fred Olson, and family medicine physician Dr. Andy Gilbert. Those attending the forum should use St. Peters Main Entrance off of Winne Avenue. For more information, visit www.stpetes.org or call 447-2520. *** Library to dedicate solar project The Lewis & Clark Library has completed the solar array installation project that began in 2015. The solar array will provide clean, renewable energy for the Library for many years. This project is one of the Librarys Green Energy initiatives, which included replacing the old roof and the addition of solar energy. A public reception to celebrate the success of the solar project will be held on Wednesday, April 12, from 5-7 p.m. with an official dedication ceremony taking place at 6. Lewis & Clark Library Foundation President Sonia Gavin; Library Director John Finn; representatives from the Sleeping Giant Citizens Council; and other elected officials will be on hand to make remarks and officially dedicate the solar project. The library lobby will house an educational kiosk displaying in real-time, what kind of energy savings and carbon reduction the solar array is providing. For more information on the re-roofing project or the solar project, visit the Librarys website at lclibrary.org or contact Director John Finn at jfinn@lclibrary.org or 447-1690 ext 117. *** Guidelines The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred, but we can also use regular photos; we dont guarantee return of these). Email your information to irstaff@helenair.com. There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit. The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday. Hungarians held one of the biggest demonstrations yet against Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, calling for the rejection of legislation on universities that has drawn rebukes from the US, Germany and some of the world's top schools. About 60,000 people attended the rally in central Budapest, Index news website cited organisers as saying. More than 40,000 people had indicated on the organisers' Facebook page that they may do so -- a large crowd for Hungary's almost 10 million inhabitants, who have rarely turned out in force to protest against Orban's policies. Demonstrators are seeking to dissuade President Janos Ader from signing into law an order that would shut down Central European University, the Budapest-based school founded by investor and philanthropist George Soros. Orban has ignored earlier street protests and criticism from the opposition and a number of Hungary's European Union and NATO allies, over the law. While the government denies the legislation is targeted at CEU, Orban regularly blames Hungarian-born Soros, who also funds organisations that seek to promote human rights and government transparency, for trying to undermine him. The guided missile destroyer USS Porter launches a Tomahawk missile as the US blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles. Credit:US Navy The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, made this explicit over the past few days, saying on Friday: "We are prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary. It is time for all civilised nations to stop the horrors that are taking place in Syria and demand a political solution." The broader the administration's goals in Syria, the more prone it will be to pressure to escalate there. Already, some regional allies that have long dreamed of dragging the United States into a war with Assad, such as Turkey, have described the April 6 strikes as "insufficient" and called for more forceful action. And congressional hawks, such as Senator John McCain and Senator Marco Rubio are urging Trump to follow up on Thursday's strikes by providing Syrian opposition groups with more weapons, imposing a no-fly zone, and conducting further airstrikes in order to pressure Russia and Assad to agree to a political settlement. The aftermath: A plane burned as a result of the US missile attack on an air base in Syria. Credit:Sputnik Meanwhile, the Syrian air force has already resumed bombing the north-western town of Khan Sheikhoun the very same area the regime gassed last week. And as Assad continues to kill civilians, with or without chemical munitions, the calls for deeper US involvement aimed at ousting Assad will mount. Why US-Russia war is possible If the United States goes down this road, the prospects of a military confrontation with Moscow are real. The US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Credit:AP A few thousand Russian military personnel are distributed across Syria's key military bases. Moscow has also placed some of the world's most sophisticated air defence systems in Syria, and Russian planes police Syrian skies. So an extensive US campaign aimed at coercing Assad by targeting Syrian air bases and command-and-control facilities would run big risks of killing Russian troops on the ground. The same holds for a no-fly zone, which would likely require targeting Syrian and Russian air defences and could lead to air-to-air incidents between Russian and US jets. Under any of these circumstances, the prospect of spiralling conflict is enhanced by Moscow's decision to suspend the "deconfliction" channel between the Russian and US militaries. US President Donald Trump receives a briefing on the Syria military strike from his National Security team at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Credit:AP Compounding matters, in an effort to generate counter-leverage, Russia and the Assad regime are likely to respond to further US strikes or a no-fly zone by re-orienting their integrated air defence network toward US and coalition aircraft engaged in fighting the Islamic State, or by attacking opposition areas in northern Syria where nearly 1,000 US troops are currently on the ground. This could derail the counter-Islamic State campaign at the very moment when Islamic State's capital, Raqqa, is under assault by US-backed forces. And it could put the lives of American service members in jeopardy. There are also significant escalation risks even if the Trump administration doesn't go down this path and sticks to the narrower stated objective of deterring further chemical attacks. A rally opposing the US missile strikes in Syria in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has one of America's largest Syrian populations. Credit:AP According to news reports, before Thursday's strikes, Trump was briefed on a number of options to retaliate against Assad. One option was to launch "saturation strikes" aimed at dozens of Syrian airfields and facilities, with the goal of destroying Assad's ability to use his air force to carry out further chemical attacks. (This option was similar to the one reportedly contemplated by then-President Barack Obama in 2013.) At the urging of Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Trump rejected this option in favour of cruise missile strikes against a single air base. This option was reportedly viewed as proportional and much less likely to kill Russian soldiers. (Although around 100 Russian troops were reportedly stationed at Shayrat, the administration warned Moscow ahead of time, and the missiles struck the portion of the airfield away from Russian barracks.) Islamic State fighters in Raqqa, Syria. In other words, Trump chose a limited strike package precisely because he and his advisers understood the grave risks if the United States attacked a broader set of targets. But therein lies a major dilemma for Trump moving forward. Successful deterrence requires a credible threat to hit Assad's forces again and again if the regime continues to use chemical weapons or commits other transgressions. Yet Trump, having already rejected a larger military response out of apparent recognition of the dangers, may find it difficult to credibly signal he is willing to deploy this very option in response to further actions by Assad down the line. In this context, the danger of miscalculation is real. The Syrian dictator (perhaps prodded by Russia or Iran) may attempt to test Trump again, hoping to prove the president is a "paper tiger." And Trump, having invested his personal credibility in standing firm, may find himself psychologically or politically compelled to respond, despite the very real risks that it could result in a direct military clash with Russia. Before Tillerson arrives in Moscow for meetings on Wednesday, the administration needs a clear plan to avoid stepping on this slippery slope. It starts with Trump and his team being much more precise and consistent about what US objectives are. Is the goal solely to deter more chemical attacks, or are they trying to end the Syrian conflict? If the latter, will the administration insist on Assad's departure, or are they open to other possible formulas that de-escalate the war and defuse power away from Damascus but keep Assad in power? On Sunday, administration officials seemed to suggest all of the above. Haley insisted on CNN, "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime." Tillerson, however, warned against regime change during an ABC This Week interview, and told CBS's Face the Nation, that the Trump administration would seek to end Syria's civil war through the creation of cease-fire zones and the resumption of a political process, saying Assad and Russia would have to participate in that solution. Contributing to this uncertainty, Tillerson also said that the United States would not focus on initiatives to stabilise Syria until after the threat of the Islamic State has been "reduced or eliminated." Whatever the administration decides, their approach must blend credible military signalling with risk mitigation steps (like finding a way to reactivate the US-Russia military channel). And the administration's military actions must be backed by a diplomatic strategy that takes advantage of the leverage created by last Thursday's strikes without overplaying Washington's hand. Given Russia's vital interests in Syria, Moscow is not likely to respond positively to US ultimatums and maximalist positions. If the administration does not find a way to give the Kremlin a face-saving way out, conflict is much more likely than accommodation. As the afterglow and applause of the missile strikes fade, finding a way to advance American interests in Syria while avoiding a war with Russia is the urgent task at hand. After all, sinking into a Syrian quagmire would be bad enough. World War III would be far worse. Loading Colin H. Kahl is associate professor in the security studies program at Georgetown University's school of foreign service. He served as Vice-President Joe Biden's national security adviser. Madrid: A Russian computer programmer, Pyotr Levashov, has been arrested in the Spanish city of Barcelona, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Madrid said on Sunday. It was unclear why Levashov was arrested. The embassy spokesman declined to give details for his arrest, and Spanish police and the interior ministry were not available for comment on Sunday. Russian television station RT reported that Levashov was arrested under a US international arrest warrant and was suspected of being involved in hacking attacks linked to alleged interference in last year's US election. Peter Carr, a spokesman for the US Justice Department's criminal division, said: "The US case remains under seal, so we have no information to provide at this time." Council of Advice to ratify instruction issued by Kingdom Council to establish Integrity Chamber, The HAGUE:--- The Kingdom Council imposed an instruction on St. Maarten to establish an integrity chamber, however, that instruction still has to be ratified by the Council of State. On Friday when the agenda was debated in the presence of St. Maartens Prime Minister William Marlin and Minister of Finance Richard Gibson. The Kingdom Council received an advice from Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk. The proposal states that the Integrity Chamber will have advisory functions. Based on several integrity reports conducted on St. Maarten it shows suspicion of integrity violations and has compelling recommendations to the government of St. Maarten how to handle this. If necessary the integrity chamber will report violations if there are any offenses. In addition, the Integrity Chamber advises the government of St. Maarten integrity. The Integrity Chamber is appointed by the National Council of Ministers and reports thereto. The content of the various reports on the integrity issues in St. Maarten shows that corruption, bribery, and nepotism are in all walks of life occurs, even in the political administration. Earlier there was agreement on St. Maarten where an integrity chamber was established and quartermaster was appointed, however, the agreement signed between St. Maarten and the Netherlands was overturned by the Constitutional Court on St. Maarten because it infringes on the rights to peoples privacy. While the Prime Minister of St. Maarten made clear that he does not support corruption and integrity breaches, the Netherlands will not be allowed to force its will on St. Maarten based on an agreement that was annulled by the courts. Click here to read the latest development on Friday's meeting on the Instruction Plasterk proposed to the Kingdom Council After Jerry Bojanowski, 64, retired from his position as a system architect with General Motors in April, he knew he wanted to do something to keep busy. A longtime home chef who enjoyed sharing recipes with his family, Bojanowski (or... New Portage Manor may go at current site or near Clay Township Park Since December 2021, when the planning for a new Portage Manor facility began, the county has paid at least $163,000 to two Fort Wayne firms. While many studies are focused on the detrimental effects of high energy UV sunlight, it is also an important source of energy that can drive the formation of biomolecules relevant to life. High energy, ultraviolet radiation from the sun is a known to hazard to life, yet the energy provided by our star has played an important role as the essential driver of life on Earth. Before life began, radiation from the sun was the primary source of energy on our planet, just as it is today. In this oxygen-poor, prebiotic world, solar energy may have provided the jolt to transform simple organic molecules into more complex ones, which were used as the building blocks of biology and life. A new paper by two University of Colorado at Boulder authors considers how this might have happened through a review of existing literature on the topic. [Brewing Life On Earth - Violent Sun, Weak Shielding May Have Contributed (Video)] "We're looking at examples in the literature and from our own lab where sunlight has been used to build complex molecules from simple, prebiotically-available starting materials," said lead author Rebecca Rapf, a doctoral candidate in physical chemistry. The paper, "Sunlight as an energetic driver in the synthesis of molecules necessary for life," co-authored by her advisor, Veronica Vaida, recently appeared in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. Rapf's work is supported by a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship as well as funds from NASA's Habitable Worlds Program. The lack of oxygen in the early atmosphere means that more high-energy ultraviolet radiation from the sun would have reached the surface of the prebiotic Earth than today, where it is filtered by ozone. Even though this component of sunlight can be destructive to certain biomolecules, the energy provided could still be useful to early life chemistry, Rapf said. Even if you destroy a molecule, it is broken into smaller, very reactive chunks that readily undergo additional reactions, recombining to form larger high-energy molecules. In particular, the researchers were intrigued by a group of oxygen-laden acids called oxoacids. An example is pyruvic acid, which is at the center of key metabolic pathways in life today. When dissolved in water and illuminated with ultraviolet light, pyruvic acid is known to react to make larger molecules, with higher yields under the oxygen-limited conditions that would be found on the early Earth. Sunlight is the largest energy source on both the modern and early Earth, fueling most of todays life and likely aiding in the development of larger, more complex molecules necessary for primitive life. Pictured is the Earth as seen from the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA) Pyruvic acid is only one of a class of molecules that react in the same way to form these larger species. Another molecule in this class, 2-oxooctanoic acid, is particularly interesting because it is an example of a simple lipid. 2-oxooctanoic acid was likely "prebiotically relevant," Rapf added, meaning it could be useful to the chemistry that eventually led to life. In an earlier study on 2-oxooctanoic acid, Rapf and Vaida found that exposing it to light forms a more complex molecule, dihexyltartaric acid. This is noteworthy because the new molecule has two alkyl chains, meaning it more closely resembles the lipids that are in modern cells, which also have two tails. This light-driven process, discovered in the Vaida lab, is one of only a few ways to make double-tailed lipids from simple, single-tailed molecules under prebiotic conditions. Studying the effect of the sun's radiation can help scientists understand the effect of sunlight on extrasolar planets. (Image credit: NASA) "We're using sunlight as a way of building bigger molecules, but in order to be useful to the development of biology any molecules you build have to be stable enough to exist in the environment," added Rapf. In the case of 2-oxooctanoic acid, the product, dihexyltartaric acid, does not absorb the same UV light and therefore, is protected from undergoing further photochemistry (chemical reactions as a result of sunlight). These double-tailed lipids also spontaneously assemble into membrane-enclosed compartments, resembling simple protocells that are necessary to the evolution of life. The researchers are hunting for other molecules that could be activated by starlight and generate biologically-relevant compounds in a broader astrobiological context. This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. Follow Space.com @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson poses with NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, right, and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Kimbrough will hand off command of the International Space Station to Whitson on April 9, when she will become the first woman to command the station twice. This morning (April 9), NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will become the first woman to twice command the International Space Station, taking command before three space fliers return to Earth. You can watch both events live here at Space.com. Whitson became the first female space station commander during Expedition 16 in 2008, and she will step back into that role today at 10:40 a.m. EDT (1440 GMT) during a change-of-command ceremony. In between, there has been one other female space station commander, Sunita Williams. Whitson will take over from NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who is about to depart the station. You can watch the ceremony live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV. You can also tune in tomorrow, April 10, at 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 GMT) to watch Kimbrough and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko bid farewell to the space station crew and close the hatch to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will take them back to Earth. At 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT), the Soyuz spacecraft will undock from the station, and at 6:27 a.m. EDT (1027 GMT), the Russian craft will perform a de-orbit burn and finally land in Kazakhstan at 7:20 a.m. EDT (1120 GMT). The trio will leave Whitson in charge, with two other crewmembers: French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy. NASA recently extended Whitson's stay on the station by three months. Now, she will be there to welcome incoming crewmembers Jack Fischer, of NASA, and Fyodor Yurchikhin, from Russia, when they arrive April 20, and will leave with them in September. Besides being the first woman to command the space station and the first woman to do so twice, Whitson has broken a number of other records: She's the oldest woman to go to space. She's spent the most cumulative time spacewalking of any female astronaut, and soon she will also beat Jeff Williams' record for the most time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut of any gender. Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. COLORADO SPRINGS Despite current low levels of solar activity, space weather experts warned April 5 that the sun could still produce powerful and unpredictable storms that could disrupt activities in space and on the earth. A panel during the 33rd Space Symposium here said that, despite the development of new space-based sensors to monitor solar activity, predicting when powerful storms could strike remains difficult. "The current solar cycle is the weakest we've observed," said Scott McIntosh, director of the High Altitude Observatory and associate director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "Cycle 25, or at least the initial traces of it that we expect to see in the next decade, may be even half the amplitude of that." [The Worst Solar Storms of All Time] He warned, though, that low overall activity doesn't correlate with reduced risks of powerful storms. "While that may mean fewer [coronal mass ejections] and flares, in a backward sense that actually appears to be increasing the probability of a major storm," he said. "We often don't talk about the solar cycle anymore because it's a little bit misleading," said William Murtagh, program coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center. "Some expect that the maximum of activities in the 11-year cycle is when we should see things, and then the minimum we let our guard down and have nothing to worry about. That is not the case." Solar storms powerful blasts of magnetized plasma that escape the sun's atmosphere have the potential to damage spacecraft in orbit, distort navigation signals and impact terrestrial infrastructure such as power grids. Researchers are concerned that recognizable solar patterns have not yet led to the ability to predict when solar storms are going to occur. Former President Barack Obama issued an executive order on space weather in October 2016, calling on the United States to prepare as a country for space weather events. The Senate Commerce Committee approved a space weather research bill Jan. 24 focused on increasing space weather research and preparedness. NOAA also gained new solar observing tools through instruments on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16 satellites, launched in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Stephen Volz, the assistant administrator for NOAA Satellite and Information Services, said that COSMIC-2A, a GPS radio occultation constellation expected to launch in 2018, will also aid solar research. COSMIC-2A is designed primarily for collecting data on terrestrial weather, but will be able to measure disturbances in the upper atmosphere coming from solar activity. Too many variables McIntosh said solar scientists are beginning find connections between global waves within the sun's interior and storm-inducing coronal mass ejections. But little is understood regarding how to build on this potential link, he said. "From a research domain we don't know when the sun is going to erupt," he said. "That's the trillion dollar question. We also don't know how severe that eruption will be. Many of these things are informed guesswork. Will there be a flare? Will there be a coronal mass ejection? Will the two come hand-in-hand? We don't know." McIntosh likened geomagnetic bursts to a "space hurricane," adding that, like its terrestrial counterpart, the impact site, strength and time of arrival are all critical details. Finding the polarization of the storm a detail more specific to space weather is more difficult, he said. Murtagh, who recently completed a two-year assignment as assistant director for the space weather, energy, and environment division of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said OSTP has been working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to protect U.S. infrastructure from geomagnetic storms. If a large space storm does occur, like the Carrington Event in 1859 that set telegraph equipment ablaze, the U.S. will need to have the ability to respond and recover, he said. "You could say we are just one major catastrophe from a fully funded program," Volz said, prompting laughter at what was only partially a joke. "I'm very much concerned with space weather," said McIntosh. "Space weather, as far as I can see from a research perspective, is a series of coin flips. What level of coin flipping is acceptable?" This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. Guelmim (South of Morocco) 8 April 2017 (SPS) - The Sahrawi Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the city of Guelmim, South of Morocco, reported that the family of the Sahrawi political prisoner, Secretary-General of the Committee, Abdel-Khaliq al-Markhi, informed that their son was isolated Friday in a clinic by the Bouzkarn prison administration, without knowing the real motives of this action. The Committee warned against the consequences of causing harm to the physical and mental integrity of Sahrawi political Prisoner Abdel-Khaliq al-Markhi, who continues the battle of the unlimited hunger strike for the seventh day. It called upon organizations and bodies concerned with the defense of human rights to exert pressure on the Moroccan state to comply with his legitimate demands to return his official documents (passport and driving license), which had been confiscated by the Moroccan intelligence services. (SPS) 062/090/TRA Brussels, 9 April 2017 (SPS) - The achievement in 2015 of major projects funded by the European Union (EU) as part of humanitarian aid to Sahrawi refugees in the five camps near Tindouf has entailed, in 2016, a downward revision of this aid, which nevertheless remains in line with humanitarian principles, affirmed European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides. "In 2016, the envelope has been reduced to 9 million, mainly due to the fact that the cycle of significant investments has been achieved, notably the warehouses and the systems of water which had been finalized in 2015", he explained in his response to the MEP Enrique Guerrero Salom, who was worried about the consequences of the "drastic reduction" of the European aid for the benefit of the Saharawi refugees. However, Commissioner Stylianides assured that EU assistance to Saharawi refugees meets the requirements of the Forgotten Crisis Assessment (FCA) tool, which allows the definition of the level of humanitarian aid and qualitative assessment carried out by the Commission's humanitarian experts. The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) service has developed a framework for assessing and analyzing the specific needs of each country and each crisis. This framework provides the factual basis for prioritizing needs, allocating funds, and developing Humanitarian Assistance Implementation Plans (HIP). "In order to promote a more strategic regional approach, since 2016, the Humanitarian Assistance Implementation Plan (HIP) includes all countries of North Africa (except Egypt) and does not focus exclusively on the Sahrawi crisis," he said, assuring that this new approach of the EU" does not affect the level of funding allocated to the Saharawi crisis". According to the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, the EU has allocated over 220 million in humanitarian aid to this crisis. "From 2012 to 2015, EU support has been stable at 10 million euros a year, about 40% of the total international funding devoted to this crisis," he added. In a written question to the European Commission, MEP Enrique Guerrero Salom affirmed that the downward revision of EU humanitarian aid to Sahrawi refugees has led to "a major shortfall" in the supplies needed to satisfy the basic needs of thousands of refugees who reside in the five camps. According to Enrique Guerrero Salom, the lack of analysis and evaluation to identify the needs of the Saharawi refugees and the downward revision of the number of refugees needing assistance has led to this "drastic reduction" of the mount of the aid. (SPS) 062/090/TRA Brussels, 9 April 2017 (SPS) - According to the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Service (ECHO), total EU funding for humanitarian aid to Sahrawi refugees was only 9 million in 2016, compared to 10 million in the past. However, the European Commission has described the situation of these refugees as a "forgotten crisis" because of the limited funds allocated to them by the international community. In 2016, the situation of the Saharawi refugees continues to be regarded as a serious forgotten crisis, affirmed European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides, in his response to MEP Enrique Guerrero Salom. Sahrawi refugees, who live in 5 different camps in the Tindouf region, have limited access to external resources and international aid remains essential to their survival. They depend largely on international aid in all domains and the food aid is one of the most crucial components. The long-term dependence of Sahrawi refugees on humanitarian aid, the forgotten aspect of this crisis and the fatigue of donors often result in repeated breaks in supplies, leading to an unstable humanitarian situation. In this context, the member of European Parliament urged the European Commission to explain its turnaround and the reasons why it did not pay any more attention to this humanitarian crisis of the Saharawi refugees. "Could the Commission explain why, while many elemnts have remained unchanged, the Sahrawi refugee crisis went from a serious crisis forgotten in 2011 to the only one of its kind in 2014, then declassed at the seventh position on the list of forgotten crises in 2016?" he asked. Another important factor, namely the safety of humanitarian teams, concerned MEP Salom who urged the European executive to commit to continue, in the next three years, the funding of the security system put in place in 2012, jointly by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for the Development and the ECHO service of the Commission. The EU presents itself as one of the main donors of humanitarian aid to the Sahrawis. Between 1993 and 2016, the European Commission allocated 222 million in humanitarian aid to this crisis, specified ECHO. Of the 9 million invested by the European Commission in 2016 in improving the living conditions of Saharawi refugees, food aid remains an important component of this funding: more than 5 million have been allocated to the United Nations World Food Program and Oxfam to ensure the food supply of these refugees. (SPS) 062/090/TRA A gender-blind version of Romeo and Juliet is coming to Londons Greenwich Theatre from April 18 to April 22. The Merely Theatre company has created a version of the famous Shakespeare play where Romeo can be played by a long-haired woman and Juliet can sport stubble on stage. They cite the importance of telling a compelling story above the need for a gender distinction. Director Scott Ellis explains: Shakespeare wrote so few lines for women, around 16 per cent of lines are spoken by female characters. That was fine back then, but nowadays we need to keep up our modern standards. It started two years ago, when the company was too short on female actors. They showed a couple of plays where male characters were played by women. The move was well received by audiences and the company decided to go on with it. The actors of the show talk to the Evening Standard Ellis is now pleased to consider his company 100 per cent gender-blind giving him a 50/50 employment rate of men and women. The company itself has since been cut down to 10 actors: five men and five women. The producers of Merely Theatre cast for one male and one female role and the actors alternate characters at each performance. Ellis adds: We try to think of feminine and masculine rather than male and female. Some of the female actors may bring more feminine qualities." He continued: "for a specific character they may have to shift those for a character that has more masculine qualities. But we dont say play it as a man. The company is touring all around the UK but will be in Londons Greenwich Theatre between 18 - 22 April. T his was the scene after police officers raided a suspected cannabis farm in north London and found a "rainforest" inside. A room crammed full with large cannabis plants with overhead lighting and fans greeted officers at the address on a busy high street in Finsbury Park. Police took to Twitter to share images of what they dubbed Finsbury Parks own Amazon rainforest. Finsbury Park police first posted a video of officers breaking into the address on Stroud Green Road, which had metal shutters pulled down. 'Amazon rainforest': the raid was carried out on Stroud Green Road / Finsbury Park Police They said: The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed we executed a drugs warrant yesterday, enlisting the help of our method of entry colleagues. They then added: Inside the address we found #finsburypark's own Amazon rainforest! It's taken some time but now all of the drugs have been seized. A police spokesman told the Standard that a man had been arrested in connection with the raid. They said: Yesterday morning a warrant was executed on Stroud Green Road. This resulted in a large amount of cannabis plants being seized and to the arrest of one male. Cannabis is a Class B drug, with supply and production of it punishable by prison sentences of up to 14 years and unlimited fines. A teenage boy was stabbed in the face during a fight in south London. The victim, in his mid-teens, is feared to have suffered life-changing facial injuries in the attack between Vauxhall and Stockwell on Saturday night. He also suffered stab wounds to his torso, police said. The boy was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service after police were called to Bolney Street at about 10.20pm. The Mets gang crime unit, Trident, is investigating and there have been no arrests. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or via Twitter @MetCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. T he Met's gang crime unit has launched an investigation after a gun was allegedly fired at two people on mopeds near a south London park. Scotland Yard said the suspects were also on mopeds when shots were fired near Thornton Heath recreation ground. Terrified witnesses said a weapon was discharged at the end of Winterbourne Road at about 4.30pm on Friday. A Met Police spokesman said: "Officers attended and found evidence of a shotgun discharge at the end of Winterbourne Road near the recreation ground. At this stage police have not found, nor been informed of, any injured parties." There have been no arrests. Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8785 8580, or via 101, or by tweeting @MetCC. Alternatively they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111. O ne of Londons most prestigious schools has begun confiscating games consoles from pupils homes in a bid to improve behaviour. King Solomon Academy, in Marylebone, has taken away PlayStations, Xboxes and mobile phones with the parents consent. Headmaster Max Haimendorf said parents have come into the school to hand over certain items for confiscation. He told the Sunday Times: "What has happened more than once is that the parent has come into the school and said, 'I do not want my child using this. I want you to keep it until they are better behaved. Mr Haimendorf added: Where specific children have said, 'I have been up late playing PlayStation' or 'up late on the internet', there definitely have been circumstances where [they] have been clearly exhausted in classrooms. In 2015 the academy achieved the best GCSE results for a non-selective school in England. Its radical measure was praised by a former headmaster of Harrow School, Barnaby Lenon, in a new book published this month. In Much Promise, Mr Lenon describes seeing a pile of games consoles in the corner of the deputy heads office at King Solomon Academy. Having worked in a boarding school most of my life, I was always confiscating games consoles if boys were spending too much time misusing them and not doing their homework, or staying up late to play games and getting too little sleep," he told the Sunday Times. "I have come across schools in which boys have stayed up all night to play games like Call of Duty across time zones. Parents need to be helped by schools to set limits on children's use of these devices." "That is why it is great when schools like KSA make it easier for parents to enforce mutually agreed policies." P olice are searching for a schoolgirl who was last seen boarding a Tube train in central London. Paulina Miller, 14, has not been seen since Wednesday evening. The teenager, from Ealing, was spotted boarding a southbound Bakerloo Line train at Piccadilly Circus at about 7pm, police said. A spokesman added: "Paulina is described as white, around 5ft 4in tall, of slim build with blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair. It is not known what she may now been wearing. "Officers are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare." UPDATE: Police later confirmed Paulina was found safe and well. Anyone with information should call Ealing police via 101 or Missing People on 116000. P olice secured an explosive device found in a busy street in the Norwegian capital of Oslo amid tensions after last weeks terror attack in Sweden. Officials said the bomb-like device was confirmed as an explosive but said there had been no injuries after the find in the city centre. A suspect was arrested but authorities would not provide further details. The device was found on the street just outside the Groenland underground station and police removed people from bars and restaurants. "Every restaurant was being closed," said Malin Myrvold, 23, who witnessed the scene from a fourth-storey window. "You could see cops in heavy armour going in every store and restaurant. "We were trying to see what was going on. The police were screaming at us to get back inside and stay where we were." Norway was put on high alert after neighbouring Sweden suffered a truck attack in the capital Stockholm that killed four people and injured 15. The suspect in Friday's attack, a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan, has been arrested. It was unclear whether he was also a Swedish citizen or resident or even how long he had been in the country. The Norwegian incident happened less than a mile from the government buildings that were damaged in a deadly bomb attack carried out by right wing extremist Anders Breivik in 2011. That bomb and a subsequent gun massacre killed a total of 77 people. T his is the first picture of a "talented and compassionate" British father who was killed in the Stockholm terror attack. Chris Bevington, 41, had been living and working in the Swedish capital for the last 10 years before he died when a lorry mowed down pedestrians in a busy shopping district there on Friday. A statement from his father John Bevington said: "We are all devastated by the untimely and tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris. "A wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many. The family requests absolute privacy at this incredibly difficult time to mourn his passing in peace." The aftermath of the attack in Stockholm / TT News Agency/Press Association Mr Bevington lived in Stockholm with his family and worked as a director with music streaming service Spotify. Spotify founder Daniel Ek told of his shock that his colleague had died in a "senseless attack". In a statement posted online he said: "Chris has been a member of our band for over five years. "He has had a great impact on not just the business but on everyone who had the privilege to know and work with him. "There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this. "Whilst this terrible news is sinking in, our primary focus is on supporting the family and loved ones of Chris in any way we possibly can. "I am as deeply saddened and upset as all of you that something like this could happen in Sweden. Briton among those killed in Stockholm terror attack "The only light in this deeply tragic moment is the outpouring of love, compassion and solidarity that we have seen from everyone. "And that was exactly the kind of person Chris was as well. We will greatly miss you Chris. Rest in peace my friend." It comes as police revealed the suspected terrorist who drove into a department store in the heart of the Swedish capital was an asylum seeker who had his application rejected. The 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan was known to security services and remains in custody. He was sympathetic to extremist groups and had been sought by authorities for deportation, according to police. Sweden truck crash - In pictures 1 /20 Sweden truck crash - In pictures Terror: People flee the scene of the crash in Stockholm Emergency servies work at the scene where a truck crashed into the Ahlens department store at Drottninggatan in central Stockholm Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Rex The smoking truck was shown embedded in the shopping centre TT News Agency/Andreas Schyman/via Reuters Ambulance in a street near the site were a truck was driven into a crowd in central Stockholm Per Haljestam/Reuters Police are treating the incident as a terror attack Jessica Gow/TT News Agency via Reuters Witnesses were shown sobbing near the Ahlens department store Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Emergency services treated people at the scene Rex Special police forces work at the crash site Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images People walk away fro the scene after a truck crashed into a department store injuring several people in central Stockholm, Sweden Noella Johansson TT News Agency via AP The scene of an incident in Drottninggatan, a street in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden Arash Pendari/PA The truck left a trail of devastation in its wake TT News Agency/Andreas Schyman/via Reuters People were killed when a truck crashed into department store Ahlens on Drottninggatan, in central Stockholm Reuters The area around the shopping precinct was locked off TT News Agency/Noella Johansson/via Reuters Police officers work at the scene Noella Johansson/AFP/Getty Images A Swedish police spokesman told a press conference: "All four deceased are now identified and family to the deceased are notified. "There are two Swedish citizens among the deceased and there are two foreign citizens among the deceased and the countries' embassies are being contacted as we speak." A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We now know that a British man was killed during the attack in Stockholm. "We are supporting his family in Sweden and in the UK. Our thoughts are with them and all those affected at this terrible time. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Sweden as they deal with this tragedy." The man arrested remains officers prime suspect for the attack, which saw a hijacked lorry plough into the front of a shop in the pedestrian thoroughfare of Drottninggatan. Four people were killed in the horrific assault and 10, including a child, remain in hospital. Two are in intensive care. Swedish borders have been tightened at the request of the countrys Prime Minister Stefan Lofven who call the incident a terrorist attack. U p to 25 people have been killed in an explosion during a Palm Sunday service at a church in northern Egypt. The blast struck St George's Coptic church, which was apparently packed with worshippers, in the city of Tanta in the Nile Delta. Another 60 have been injured in the attack, state television reported. The cause of the explosion is not yet known but Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants in recent years. Video and pictures of what appears to show the horrifying aftermath as crowds gather around dead bodies have emerged online. The blast struck St George's Coptic church, which was apparently packed with worshippers, in the city of Tanta in the Nile Delta / AP Eyewitnesses to Sunday's blast described a scene of carnage. One witness said: "There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe. I saw the intestines of those injured and legs severed entirely from their bodies." "There was blood all over the floor and body parts scattered," said a Christian woman who was inside the church. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail are set to visit the site on Sunday and Sisi has ordered an emergency national defence council meeting, state news reported. The incident comes as Coptic worshippers gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday - the Sunday before Easter that marks the start of Holy Week for Christians. Some 25 people died when a bomb exploded at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo during a service in December last year. Hundreds of Christians have fled the country's Sinai Peninsula following killings in the area. Pope Francis is set to visit Egypt later in April. R ussia is responsible for "every civilian death" in Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons attack on his own people, the Defence Secretary has said. Sir Michael Fallon said Vladimir Putin's Kremlin was to blame "by proxy" because it was the Syrian president's "principal backer". His comments came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson pulled out of a Moscow visit hours before he was due to fly. Some 87 people, including children, are believed to have been killed in a suspected sarin nerve agent strike on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Russia criticism: Sir Michael Fallon / PA US president Donald Trump ordered a strike by 59 cruise missiles on the base he said launched the attack in America's first direct attack against the Syrian government. Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir Michael said Russia must be part of the solution to ending the "needless suffering" of Syrian civilians. "But Assad's principal backer is Russia. By proxy Russia is responsible for every civilian death last week," he said. The alleged war crimes by tyrant Bashar Assads forces claimed the lives of civilians and children / Reuters "If Russia wants to be absolved of responsibility for future attacks, Vladimir Putin needs to enforce commitments, to dismantle Assad's chemical weapons arsenal for good, and to get fully engaged with the UN peacekeeping progress." He also reiterated his support of Mr Trump's cruise missile strike in the early hours of Friday, UK time. "By sending Tomahawk missiles to attack the airfield, aeroplanes and equipment believed to be involved, it has sent a strong signal to the Syrian regime to think twice before using gas in the future," he wrote. But there must now be a long-term solution to the civil war in which Assad must no longer be president, he added. US missile airstrike on Syria - CCTV Images 1 /10 US missile airstrike on Syria - CCTV Images Russian drone footage appears to show the aftermath of an air strike on Syria Sky News The unverified footage was posted on YouTube Sky News Three soldiers and two civilians were killed in the strike Sky News The British Government have backed the strike Sky News Footage showed the aftermath of the missile strike on weapons bunkers Sky News The footage was allegedly released by Russia's Ministry of Defence Sky News Shocking images have been shared on social media Sky News The air strike was given the green light by US president Donald Trump Sky News "Someone who uses barrel bombs and chemicals to kill his own people simply cannot be the future leader of Syria," he said. Mr Johnson is to spearhead demands for Russia to withdraw its forces from Syria when he meets G7 leaders in Italy next week. He said the UK continues to "deplore" Moscow's defence of Assad's regime as he pulled out of talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. But the cancellation, which came after discussions with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, led to him being criticised as "Washington's poodle". Mr Tillerson will go ahead with his visit to Russia to "deliver that clear and co-ordinated" message to Moscow, which continues to deny Syrian forces used chemical weapons last week. C abin crew on a passenger jet landed with an extra person on board as they helped deliver a baby girl at 42,000ft. Passengers also assisted after a woman went into labour soon after take-off on a flight from Conakry in Guinea to Istanbul. The baby, named Kadiju, was taken to hospital along with her mother when the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 landed in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou. Both are now reportedly in good health since the unusual mid-air birth. Cabin crew and passengers assisted with the birth on the flight between Conakry and Istanbul / Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines said in a statement: "The cabin crew noticed that a woman passenger named Nafi Diaby, [who was] 28 weeks into her pregnancy, was suffering childbirth pains. "They promptly responded to assist her childbirth during the flight." It added: After the smooth landing of Boeing B737-900 type aircraft to the Ouagadougou Airport, the mother Nafi Diaby and her newborn baby girl were taken to the hospital in order to be kept under observation for a while. Expectant mothers are allowed by most airlines to travel until they are 36 weeks pregnant. A signed letter from a doctor is required from 28 weeks onwards that confirms the expected date of birth. TORRINGTON, Wyo. Dates for public forums with the six final Eastern Wyoming College presidential candidates have been announced. Students and interested residents in each community are encouraged to attend. From the 70 applications that were received, 12 were selected as semi-finalists. Ten semi-finalist Skype interviews conducted, as two candidates had removed themselves from consideration. The field was then narrowed to six finalists. Each candidate will spend one day on the main Torrington campus and half a day on the Douglas campus. The April dates of their campus visits follow. The candidates are: Darrell L. Wilkes, Ph.D., Hawk Springs, Wyo.; Doug Zalesky, Ph.D., Laramie, Wyo.; Lesley Travers, Ph.D., Casper, Wyo.; Andrew Long, M.S., McCook, Neb.; Kelly B. McCalla, M.A., Austin, Minn.; D. Ryan Carstens, Ed.D., Spokane, Wash. Dates of the open forums follows. All forums will be held at the same time and place. Wilkes April 10, 1:30-2:45 p.m., Auditorium, Torrington Campus; April 11, 11 a.m.-Noon, Multi-Purpose Room, Douglas Campus Zalesky April 12-13; Travers April 18-19; Long April 20-21; McCalla April 24-25; Carstens April 27-April 28. Detailed information on each finalist will be released prior to their scheduled open forum. The forums are free and open to the public and input from these events will be solicited. All are welcome to attend. For more information about the presidential search, contact the college at 307-532-8303. Dr. Xin Qiao will join the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center May 1 as water and irrigation management specialist. Qiaos appointment was announced by Dr. Jack Whittier, Research and Extension Director at the Panhandle Center. He will replace Amir Haghverdi, who left for a position in California in 2015. Qiao will be responsible for finding new methods and improving existing methods of irrigation to help irrigators manage and conserve limited water in the unique cropping systems in western Nebraska. A key element will be to develop adaptive management practices that producers could utilize to respond to environmental, crop and soil conditions to improve water management and meet regulatory goals. His assignment will be 50 percent research and 50 percent extension. As part of a multidisciplinary team at the Panhandle Center, Qiao will partner with other UNL faculty and various organizations, agencies and advisory groups. Whittier stated, We are excited to have Xin join our team here at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center. The irrigation position has essentially been vacant for five years since the passing of Dean Yonts. Filling this position brings our faculty back to full strength. We are thrilled to have our team of specialists back together to address cropping issues in the Panhandle for the benefit of the agriculture industry, which is so important to the local economy. I believe it also demonstrates the commitment of University of Nebraska administration in Lincoln to the needs of western Nebraska. Qiao stated, There are a lot of advanced concepts and technologies available for irrigation management. My research goal will be exploring and developing advanced technologies such as sensor-based irrigation, modeling, and remote sensing to improve water use efficiency of current cropping systems. On the extension side, I am excited to learn systems that are already used in Nebraska and tailor these technologies to local needs, he said. I believe research and extension should support each other, while research provides scientific basis and extension activities drive the need for research. I look forward to working with local farmers, stakeholders, as well as fellow scientists to better manage water resources in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Xin received his bachelor of science degree in 2009 from South China University of Technology in water and wastewater engineering. He then moved to Clemson University for his masters and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural and environmental engineering. He completed his Ph.D. in 2015 and is currently finishing a post-doctoral program, also at Clemson. Xin has been located at the off-campus Edisto Research and Education Center at Blackville, S.C., for his Ph.D. and post-doctoral training. Whittier adds, My first objective, as director, when Xin arrives will be to get him connected with growers, agricultural support industries and organizations in the Panhandle. We will also visit county extension offices where Xin can become familiar with our team of fine extension educators in the Panhandle. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. grain farmers are voicing their support and appreciation for trade with Mexico, a message U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Chairman and Maryland farmer Chip Councell carried with him when he traveled to meet with Mexican buyers in March. If you look at the logistics of Mexico, no other country can replace it as a customer for U.S. grain, Councell said this week to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting about the mission. The logistics by rail, truck and boat give the United States such a huge advantage. USGC Chairman Chip Councell and President and CEO Tom Sleight traveled to Mexico to talk directly with customers about trade relations. Councell and USGC President and CEO Tom Sleight, accompanied by USGC Mexico Director Ryan LeGrand and Assistant Director Heidi Bringenberg, offered reassurance about U.S. grain producers dedication to customers in Mexico, who in turn expressed serious concerns about the state of trade relations between the two countries. Quite honestly, they are a little bit confused and they are pretty upset, Councell said. They have always depended on the United States to be a reliable supplier of quality grain at competitive prices, and they are in question about that now from the noise they are hearing. Councell described the plan B Mexican buyers are considering, referring to the growing examinations of sourcing options from Brazil and Argentina. The U.S. and Mexican agriculture industries are increasingly integrated, thanks in large part to favorable geographical and logistical advantages built since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect. Mexico is now the largest market for U.S. corn, with 13.3 million metric tons (523.6 million bushels) of imports in 2015/2016, as well as the top buyer of U.S. barley in 2015/2016 with 116,000 metric tons (5.33 million bushels) of malted barley imports. Mexico is also the second largest customer for U.S. DDGS and U.S. sorghum, with 2015/2016 imports of 1.9 million metric tons and 424,000 metric tons (16.7 million bushels), respectively. Councell said the Council is emphasizing the importance of this top market by working with its sister organizations - including the National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, United Sorghum Checkoff Program and National Barley Growers Association - to share this story in Washington and by bringing Mexican importers and feed millers to the United States to talk with farmers, U.S. government officials and others. I think it is extremely important that our friends in Mexico know that U.S. producers are advocating for agriculture, Councell said. USGC has been working in Mexico for over 35 years to help them build their industry, and it is too important to ignore. A piece of land that has little use will soon be repurposed to give dog owners a place to exercise their pets. Gering City Engineer Paul Snarr was approached about siting a dog park in the city. He put the group in contact with the citys Recreation Committee. Members of the Common Grounds Dog Park Committee said that while Scottsbluff has a dog park, its only about an acre in size. Plus, it has a gravel surface. Their proposal for the Monument Dog Park is on the southwest corner of U Street and Five Rocks Road. It will be about five acres and will take advantage of the native grasses growing there. I think a dog park would be a great use for the land, Snarr said. The city landfill used to be there, so the land cant be used for a lot of things. It would be a convenient location for the city and dog owners. Amber Schilz, member of the Common Grounds Dog Park Committee, said the Recreation Committee was supportive of the idea of using vacant space to create a beautiful park. As part of the groups master plan, they collected hundreds of signatures from people who would support a dog park in Gering. The group also reached out to other communities for best practices advice on how to work with city governments to create dog parks. Weve made ourselves visible in the community at numerous public events, Schilz said. Weve received lots of positive feedback from people who are excited about this project. The five-acre Monument Dog Park will be divided into three areas: one for timid dogs, one for small dogs, and a larger free play area where dogs can run free. With a view of the Scotts Bluff National Monument, the dog park will connect with the Monument Valley Pathway system for people who are out walking their dogs and want to make a stop at the park. The group has applied for a number of grants to help finance the $80,000 project. About $50,000 is needed to start the first phase. It would include fencing, parking lot materials, shelters, trees, water, electricity and signage. Schilz said that ideally, they would like to break ground by summer. The second phase of the project would go toward more trees and landscaping, a handicap accessible path around the park, and a water feature or splash pad for the dogs. Dog parks are becoming more and more popular in recent years, especially in urban areas. Schilz said that when she and her husband moved here two years ago, one of the first amenities she looked for online was a dog park. I think this dog park will also be great for tourism, she said. More people are traveling with their dogs and are looking for places where they can enjoy the outdoors together. The Common Grounds Dog Park Committee is currently talking with local businesses about supporting the project. They also encourage the public to help make the park a reality. For more information, contact Schilz at amberfan17@gmail.com. Just past the town of Minatare and down a county road is a farm where there are many different kinds of fibers that are not sold anywhere else. The yarns are sold through the business, Red Barn Wool Station and More. Business employees started processing their own wool at the business in January. Boyes has been in Minatare for about 10 years. The business was started in Loveland, Colorado, where it was located for 10 years. We moved up here on the farm and decided to carry on with it, Boyes said. Jewel Brunmeier, wool processor at Red Barn Wool Station and More, worked for Boyes for 10 years in Colorado, and recently decided she wanted to take on processing for Red Barn Wool Station. Brunmeier said to process the wool takes about two days for a fleece. She said when she gets behind it can take a while longer. I take it from raw, skirted fleeces and handwash, pick it and I run it through a big carding machine, Brunmeier said. The result is roving wool which is what spinners use. The wool can be dyed between the washing and the picking. Brunmeier said wools have to be washed multiple times because of all the lanolin in it, which needs to be washed off. Brunmeier said llama and alpaca fiber takes less time to process because they are slick fibers. They felt, but not as well as a wool if you were doing a hand-felting project, Brunmeier said. She said there are a few different variations in sheep wool, depending on the type of sheep. There are dual breed sheeps, meat breed sheeps and wool breed sheeps. There are many different hand-spun yarns at the shop and they have done all types of dyeing techniques with the yarn. Boyes said the prices at the shop are comparable to any other of type of fiber business. If someone is looking for something specific, Brunmeier and Boyes would do their best to make it for them. Theres not many places where you can go and have your own yarn designed if you had something specific in mind, Boyes said. Brunmeier said that is what is nice about a small mill versus a big mill. On hand at the store are certain types of yarn colors and types for knitting, crocheting or any other type of fiber arts project. They also have created blends of fiber and every type of yarn at the store has been processed through their mill. Boyes said they try to make sure there is enough yarn for whatever garment or project that somebody might be working on. There are also llamas at the farm, where all of their llama yarn comes from. The business has had probably a dozen customers since they have started in January, according to Brunmeier. They have seen customers in Wyoming down to Oshkosh and eastern Nebraska. A lady from Oklahoma who was a customer in the past recently brought up to 40 fleeces to be processed. People might be shearing their sheep now and might not know there is a local place they can take their wool. Boyes said from time to time, they find people who have small herds of sheep or other animals with fiber but they dont know what to do with the wool or where to get it processed. We would be glad to teach them, Boyes said. Boyes said there will be skirting demonstrations, hand-spinning demonstrations and other types of classes at the shop. Expansion into other areas like needle felting is something they would be interested in, too. We do one-on-one classes instead of trying to set up classes at a specific time, Boyes said. If someone wants to learn something, we will set it up with them. Once a month, they have a group that gathers to spin, knit or do other fiber arts projects. The shop is open 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. Boyes said to call beforehand as it is a working farm and they may be out of the red barn. Boyes can be reached at 308-225- 4900. In last weeks Star-Herald, we published Sen. Steve Erdmans column on Why the KXL will be good for Nebraska. He attempts to answer some questions we posed to the 33 senators who signed a letter to the Public Service Commission asking for their approval of the KXL. We had accused the senators of possibly not doing all their homework that is so critical to a major long-lasting decision like this one. Erdman did a lot of research in a short amount of time and for that I give him credit. Obviously, we will never agree on the KXL which he wants so badly. Seldom do people agree with everything a politician proposes. But I do feel I need to point out a few things. After our initial questions were posed to the 33 eager senators, a voter wrote all of them asking for answers. When I last communicated with this voter, Erdman was they only one to respond. The voter shared Erdmans email with me and I was shocked to what was in it. After correctly stating there are thousands of miles of pipeline in Nebraska, Erdmans email says, It appears that the activist groups and the news media are solely concerned about one particular pipeline, the Keystone XL pipeline, which runs above ground. Above ground! Are you kidding me? Steve Erdman, who had just signed a letter asking for the approval of this risky foreign pipeline actually thinks it runs above ground? How many hundreds if not thousands of county roads would this have to go over? How many rivers, streams, creeks, and interstate highways would this have to go over? This is absurd. Erdman's email goes on, The Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission (NOGCC) has informed me that if oil ever leaked into the aquifer, it would pose no threat to the water in the aquifer because the oil would float on top of the water in the aquifer. Well, one thing we have learned from the NOGCC over the last few years, if fracking wastewater is any indication, is that they will say and do anything to promote the very industry they have been selected to regulate. Erdmans column last week says:Last year the Canadian government produced a study which showed that diluted Bitumen (DilBit) floats. So, even if the oil ever reached the water table of the Ogallala Aquifer, we now know that it would float on top of the aquifer. With all due respect to Sen. Erdman, he and the NOGCC are wrong. Our federal government commissioned two mandatory studies on DilBit; one to study the corrosiveness of DilBit on steel pipes and the other to study the differences between crude oil and DilBit. The corrosive study came back that there is no difference between crude and DilBit on pipeline corrosion. But, the other study goes to great lengths to say the biggest difference between crude oil and DilBit, is that DilBit sinks! One only has to look at the 2010 million gallon spill into Michigans Kalamazoo River to see that. It sinks and is still not completely removed after seven years and over a billion dollar clean up. So, dont believe anyone when they tell you DilBit floats. It does for a short while, but then sinks rapidly. Another issue I have with Erdmans homework is to his reference of the Platte Pipeline, which transports oil from west to east in Nebraska. Erdman says, The Platte pipeline has been in existence since 1953 and has never had a spill. This is incorrect. In 1981, the pipeline ruptured and 350,000 gallons of oil flowed into the Platte River, contaminating 68 miles of the river. The pipeline owner was found liable and was fined, according to the McCook Gazette. Had that pipe been carrying DilBit, the Platte may still be contaminated as is the Kalamazoo. So while Sen. Erdman and I will never agree on the KXL, it is important that the facts are out there correctly so you can decide for yourself. I, unlike Erdman, do not believe we should extend the power of eminent domain to foreign corporations for private gain. I do not believe Nebraska benefits substantially from a Canadian pipeline running though our state. I do not believe that even minimal risk to the aquifer and our rivers is acceptable when the payback is so small. And I do not want to see the day come when like in the Yellowstone River when the pipeline ruptured several years ago, or the Michigan spill, the largest inland spill in the United States, or the Mayflower, Arkansas, spill right through a neighborhood, when the corporate executives all release practically the same statement, We regret this incident happened. Safety has always been our number one concern. Blah, blah, blah Then it will be too late. Every time I write these KXL articles, I am reminded of an 1800s geographer, Edwin James, who said of this land we call Nebraska, it is almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course, uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence. Then we discovered the life-giving Ogallala Aquifer, which as we know has turned the Great American Desert into the Breadbasket of the World. It is our responsibility to ensure it is here for all future Nebraskans and that gambling with its future by running toxic pipelines over it, thinking there will never be an accident is naive. DECATUR If youve been watching television lately, theres a good chance youve seen Gov. Bruce Rauner on screen with a roll of duct tape and a message of blame for Democrats. Thats because more than $95,115 worth of TV ads have been purchased in the television market that includes Decatur, part of a statewide ad campaign that Rauner says is unconnected to his 2018 gubernatorial hopes. The ads represent a fraction of more than $1 million worth of TV time that has been purchased by an arm of the Republican Governors Association, the Chicago Sun-Times reported March 30. Records show that the organization, called State Solutions, purchased 15- and 30-second ads featuring Rauner in the Chicago, Champaign-Springfield, Rockford, Quad-Cities and Peoria-Bloomington markets. In the ads, Rauner brandishes a roll of duct tape and likens it to Democrats solutions for the state budget impasse. Higher taxes, more spending, no real reforms, he said. After decades of ignoring problems, its time someone fixes them. He then touts plans to freeze property taxes, cap spending, create jobs and set term limits for state politicians. Rauner and Democrats have been at odds for 21 months, with each side blaming the other for their inability to pass a budget that spans a full fiscal year. The Illinois House on Thursday voted to tap $817 million to temporarily relieve struggling universities and human services. The ads began airing March 28 and are slated to continue at least through next week on WAND in Decatur and WCIA in Champaign, according to Federal Communications Commission documents obtained by the Herald & Review. Those documents describe the ads as non-candidate advertising focusing on the issue of Illinois governmental and fiscal reform, meaning the expenditures are not required to be reported to the states election board. The ads direct viewers to FixIllinois.com. Rauner, who took office in 2015, has denied that the television spots were campaign ads. Theyre meant to tell Illinois residents about the regulatory and structural changes he believes are necessary for the states economic health, Rauner said. Really, were just trying to communicate with the people of Illinois about whats going on and what were trying to work to change to make things better so we have a better future in Illinois, he said Thursday morning while making a stop in Decatur. Voters arent likely to make that distinction, said Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Theyre tired of campaign ads and political messaging from both sides, and Brune believes theyre ready for the finger-pointing in Springfield to stop. Its really important that both sides come to the table ready to negotiate and compromise, she said. It doesnt seem like thats the attitude at the moment. After an exhausting presidential election, many residents are apt to tune out political ads as soon as they appear, said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He said the TV spots likely wont do much to improve Rauners polling numbers or shift the policy debate. The distinction between governing and campaigning seems to get blurrier and blurrier and this is another indication of that, he said. But, in addition to reiterating his message and appealing to his base of supporters, Redfield said the ads deliver an important message to Democrats considering their 2018 prospects. Part of it has nothing to do with the reaction of the average citizen, Redfield said. Hes doing it because he can do it and theyre trying to show that theyre in a position of strength vis-a-vis the Democrats. Several Democrats have already announced they plan to seek the partys nomination in the March primary election, nomination in the March gubernatorial primary, including state Sen. Daniel Biss, Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, billionaire J.B. Pritzker and businessman Chris Kennedy, who is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Local lawmakers were puzzled by the advertisements. State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said she was "speechless" when told how much money was spent on them. She said at a time when places like Webster-Cantrell Hall and Richland Community College are struggling due to a lack of money from the state, it was outrageous for so much to be spent on television ads on behalf of Rauner. I feel (Rauner) needs to stop campaigning the election is well over a year away and present a budget us lawmakers can come together and vote on, Scherer said. When reached Friday afternoon, state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said his main focus was on working to get a budget passed in the General Assembly before the end of May and that he did not think the advertisements would have much effect in the Capitol. He added that he had no real opinions on the money being spent or whether they qualified as campaign ads. (Rauner) has got the money to run the ads, if he wants to run them, he can, Mitchell said. He has a perspective, and hes trying to get that point of view out. Along with a Tweet on Monday criticizing the advertisement, state Sen. Andy Manar said on Friday that the ads struck him as completely out of touch with the issues facing Illinois. Its as if he went to Mars to film these things because they come from a completely different reality than what we are facing every single day in Springfield in order to come to a compromise on a budget, said Manar, D-Bunker Hill. They come from a completely different world. While he said the advertisements would not affect him or his push to pass a budget this spring, Manar said rhetoric such as this hinders the ability to negotiate bipartisan deals. 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. KINLOCH Kinloch firefighters say they wont show up for work until the district board is overhauled. Assistant Fire Chief Tim Rhodus said 19 volunteer firefighters went on strike Saturday because they say they have been disregarded by board leadership. The entire district, all of its members, have just taken a leave of absence today as a strike against the administration and their blatant disregard, lack of respect and racial discrimination for the firefighters. There is no one to run the firetruck and service the residents and will not be until some changes are made, Rhodus said. The Kinloch Fire Protection District works with the Ferguson, Berkeley and Northeast Fire & Ambulance fire districts. Interim fire chief Willie Pryor, who was just appointed Wednesday, said those departments will serve Kinloch until the strike is resolved. He said he told firefighters to attend the next board meeting Thursday to tell leaders their grievances. The newly formed three-member district board has one elected member and two appointed members. Pryor said he hoped issues would be resolved: Having the truck out of service is not an option, he said of the all-volunteer district. Former mayor Darren Small, who had been fire chief, and his wife, Jayna Small, were charged with wire fraud in March in connection to an alleged theft of thousands of dollars from the district. An East St. Louis man has been charged in connection with the double homicide that occurred April 1 at a beauty salon at Ninth Street and St. Louis Avenue in East St. Louis. The St. Clair County states attorneys office charged Ike Larry Jr., 23, with two counts of first degree murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the deaths of Andre D. Chapman and Wilbert Hall Jr., according to the Belleville News-Democrat. East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Hubbard said Larry was arrested Thursday. He said the motive was robbery and drug-related. St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye, who was on the scene the night of the shooting, said an autopsy showed Hall died from a gunshot to the chest. Chapman was also shot in the chest, Dye said. Halls grandmother, Pauline Graves, said she was elated that a suspect had been caught. I am so happy that they got them people who did this to my grandson. I know it wont bring him back, but hopefully they will keep him behind bars so he wont be able to do something like this to somebody elses child, Graves said. St. Clair County Circuit Judge Julie Katz set Larrys bond at $1.5 million. The case was jointly investigated by East St. Louis and agents with Illinois State Police. A 12-year-old who police say was abducted by a man she met online has been found safe in the Wentzville area. The girl had last been getting into a silver 2015 Nissan Versa on Saturday night in a Missouri suburb of Kansas City, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. Police said the girl met William L. Dela Cruz, 22, online and was last seen getting in his car in Blue Springs, Mo., at 11:21 p.m., authorities said. Blue Springs straddles Interstate 70, and authorities had said Dela Cruz could be taking the girl east toward Maryland. Authorities said the girl was found safe about 2:15 p.m. Sunday in the Wentzville area. Dela Cruz was taken into custody, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. An Amber Alert issued Sunday has been canceled. Other details were not immediately available. CLINTON Firefighters from about 15 Central Illinois departments took advantage of a rare opportunity to train on a dozen vacant buildings, which were recently purchased to clear the way for a gas station on Clinton's east side. Each of the firefighters signed up to train in up to three techniques, taught by some of the most experienced instructors in the region. Danny Ballenger, a volunteer Clinton firefighter who was recently promoted to lieutenant, took part in the vent entry search session, a training on how to rescue someone trapped in a burning building by entering through a window away from the fire. I've studied this before, but this was the first time to actually practice it, said Ballenger, who earned an associate degree in fire science from Richland Community College. Ballenger, who was training with about 75 other firefighters on a sunny, breezy day, said it was a unique, enjoyable experience to work alongside members of other departments, including Argenta and South Wheatland. He joined the Clinton department two years ago, following in the footsteps of his father, Dan Ballenger, one of the driving forces behind the training day. I just enjoy being able to serve the community I grew up in and give something back, the younger Ballenger said. Other techniques taught during the day included hose advancement, roof ventilation, coordinated search and water supply for city and rural areas. The Decatur Fire Technical Rescue Team was out in full force, practicing structural collapse prevention and technical rescue. The team placed supports on the side of a house, designed to prevent the house from shifting when inner supports are failing. The shores we build for a structure we hand-tighten. We don't want to move the building, said Decatur Capt. Mike Bishop. But we shore up a trench with pressure, to prevent its collapse. Firefighters said it was especially useful to work on houses built long ago some more than a century old because much of the housing in Clinton, Decatur and elsewhere was constructed in the same era. Attacking fires in houses with thick lath-and-plaster walls and ceilings presents different challenges from those that were built more recently. These are the bread and butter of Clinton, Illinois, said Blake West, one of the three full-time engineers on the city's department. The whole east side was built in this way, when Clinton was booming and the railroad came through here. West, the chief organizer of the training event, said a fortunate circumstance that provided realistic scenarios was that some of the homeowners left behind many of their belongings, after selling out to the oil company. We're going into a completely furnished house, West said. Any other house would be completely empty. These houses are like they just went out to church. West is secretary-treasurer of MABAS 46, the mutual fire aid association composed of 25 departments in Macon, DeWitt and Piatt counties. When West realized that the association never had a training session together with all its departments, he saw it as a red flag regarding the insurance ratings in the area, which help determine fire insurance rates for homeowners. This is going to ultimately improve the ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating for all 25 districts, West said. To bring the training event to fruition, West worked with Dan Ballenger, who serves as Clinton's public safety commissioner as well as a city council member. Ballenger, whose day job is a supervisor with an oil equipment company, proceeded to arrange with Meyer Oil Co. and Utterback Real Estate, to put the entire block to good use, before the buildings are razed. When West contacted him with the idea of using the 12 buildings on the block for training, Ballenger said, Go for it, Ballenger said. Invitations were sent out to all the fire departments in the association, from Macon to Wapella, south to north, Hammond to Illiopolis, east to west. Smoke machines were used to simulate fire conditions. Legal restrictions prohibit firefighters from burning down buildings within city limits for training purposes, although they may burn down structures in some rural areas. Ballenger said the training with all the MAPAS fire departments at the same place is unique, but the departments routinely work together to fight fires. At 10 p.m. last night we were called in to mutual aid to a fully involved fire in Wapella Fire District, northwest of Clinton, Ballenger said, adding it occurred in an abandoned house. At 3 to 4 a.m. we were called to an oil spill. Then we were here at 8 for this. This is what we do. We all work together; we all need each other. The tragedy of human trafficking cant be measured in numbers. Missouri reported 135 cases last year, nearly double the previous year. Though the number is small, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawleys plan to target human traffickers using new regulations under the states consumer protection laws is worthwhile. No threat is too great and no tactic unworthy in an effort to prevent heinous criminals from trading in human beings. Trafficking victims are typically women, and often teens, who become modern-day slaves, forced or coerced into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. They may be children, runaways or immigrants who have been abducted, threatened or deceived by criminals who exploit them. Human trade is a demand-driven business. Traffickers have historically encountered little risk or deterrence in choosing where to set up shop. Hawleys plan puts them on notice that Missouri is not the place to do it. In announcing the initiative Monday, Hawley said existing laws that bar human trafficking can be difficult to enforce and rely heavily on victim cooperation, which is often difficult to obtain. He said enforcement will be easier through consumer protection laws that go after businesses fronting for trafficking operations and individuals who force victims into labor or prostitution. A new anti-trafficking unit within the attorney generals office, assisted by local prosecutors in criminal cases involving trafficking offenders, will enforce the law. The new regulations also make debt bondage illegal and create new penalties for trafficking. Hawleys plan establishes a hotline to report suspected trafficking and builds a coalition of businesses to fight and help fund anti-trafficking efforts. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center says trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry, fueled by demand for cheap labor, services and commercial sex. An estimated 20.9 million victims are trafficked worldwide, with 1.5 million of them in North America, Europe and other developed nations. Hawley said human trafficking is the third largest criminal industry in the world and the fastest growing. He added that it happens in communities across Missouri every day. Katie Rhoades, a victim who appeared with Hawley, said she was one of the lucky ones who escaped her traffickers, but that most women are unable to do that. Rhoades said she was trafficked from Oregon to California as a teen and got out with help from a family physician. She created a nonprofit in St. Louis, Healing Action, aimed at ending sexual exploitation. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, a congressional anti-trafficking activist, said the St. Louis region is among the top 20 areas in the country for sex trafficking and that Hawleys plans are invaluable steps in ending this evil practice. In most instances, Republican Hawley opposes regulations. That he supports using them to combat this awful enterprise is a wise, though unexpected, use of his bully pulpit. So Mizzou is closing more residence halls this fall, due to a decline in enrollment (University of Missouri to temporarily close more dorms, April 5). This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Take a look at the names of some of the dorms at Mizzou: Responsibility, Discovery, Respect and Excellence. Where do you live? Oh, I live in Respect Hall. I live in Excellence. Those cringe-worthy names are something you would expect to see (and do, in fact, see) as street signs in local elementary school hallways. Universities are for young adults, not children. When professors and administrators coddle, infantilize and promote victimhood in young adults (and act like children themselves), an economic backlash from disgusted parents and prospective students is the predictable result. Those ridiculous and ironic dorm names are merely a symptom of a much bigger problem on many college campuses that has been going on for decades and is now finally out in the open. After the debacle at Mizzou in 2015, parents and incoming students are showing what they think of the administrations response by closing their wallets and going elsewhere. Rebekah Matt Crestwood Each Saturday and Sunday well post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review , just our brief verdict on a single cigar of buy, hold, or sell. Introduced in 2014, Joya Red represented a new profile for Joya de Nicaragua, and a move away from the longer Joya de Nicaragua branding in favor of just Joya. The Nicaraguan Habano wrapper has a nice shine that looks good with the gold and red band. Flavor-wise, its tasty with toasty wood, cappuccino, and just a touch of pepper. Joya de Nicaragua has always been known for full-bodied Nicaraguan puros, but Ive always felt their versatility was demonstrated by the mild Cabinetta series. Joya Red continues to show off that versatility with tasty medium-bodied flavors at a fair price. Verdict = Buy. Patrick S photo credit: Stogie Guys Security forces thwarted terrorist attack near Pak-Afghan border in the wee hours of Sunday. At least two terrorists were arrested during the operation, the security forces also recovered 80 kilograms of explosives. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing of the Pakistan Army, Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad to eliminate the residual and latent threat of terrorism in the country continues with full force nationwide. Security forces carried out an operation in Quetta on actionable intelligence and foiled the terrorist attack. Two terrorists were arrested, while the security forces also recovered explosives, said ISPR The terrorists hid 80 kilograms of explosives on a car, added ISPR. According to initial investigation, the car was rigged with explosives in Kandahar, Afghanistan, said ISPR Former President Pervez Musharraf has said that the whole nation has eyed on Panama case, adding that the country is in the hands of corrupt and incompetent rulers and he is making a 23-party coalition for next elections, while he said that he will lead the grand alliance by coming to Pakistan. While addressing the Workers Convention through video link in Peshawar, All Pakistan Muslim League Chairman Pervez Musharraf said that there were record development projects completed in KPK during his regime, while he said that he is forming a 23-political parties alliance to end the rule of those using public resources. Former President Musharraf said that the country was heading towards development rapidly during his regime, but the countrys development is declining rapidly due to corrupt and incompetent rulers. Currently the whole nation has eyed on Panama case. APML Chairman Pervez Musharraf said that looters are returning in Sindh, who are being welcomed with the flowers. Pakistan Rangers Punjab conducted a special intelligence-based operation in Dera Ghazi Khan early Sunday morning in which five terrorists were killed, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. A special Intelligence-Based Operation under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was launched in the Chhera Thal area, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The exchange of fire martyred Rangers sepoy Kamran and injured Deputy Superintendent Rangers Haroon who was shifted to Multans Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for medical assistance, ISPR said. The statement added that the operation is still in progress. The killed terrorists were include in terrorism, murder and attempt to murder incidents. Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal has said on Sunday that they are demanding water for Karachi residents while remaining in law and constitution. Talking to media outside Karachi press club on the fourth day of protest, Kamal asserted that their sit-in will continue till the restoration of rights. He lashed out at Sindh government and said that the water lines have been destroyed intentionally so that the authorities illegal hydrants can function. Criticizng Sindh CM, Kamal said that it is not them who are remembering Altaf Hussain but he. PSP chief declared that they will go to the leaders homes if they have to for the rights of people. Kamal pronounced that along with others they are also awaiting Panama decision. The Bay of Plentys largest tertiary provider, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, has announced the appointment of its new senior leadership team. Toi Ohomai Chief Executive Dr Leon Fourie says each member of the team has been chosen for their passion, their rich experience and their strong people focus, along with their specialised skillset. Individually, they are exceptional business people and leaders; collectively they will lead the charge to inspire Toi Ohomai to innovate and grow in meeting the expectations and goals of our region, he says Leon. Toi Ohomai Council chairperson Cathy Cooney is pleased with the calibre of the new appointments. With the depth and breadth of skills and knowledge of the new Senior Leadership Team I am highly confident Toi Ohomai is in the best position possible and Im excited for what the future has in store for us all. The new team will take up the positions over a three month period with the full team being in place by the end of June. A fifth executive director position is currently being explored and is likely to be in place by the end of July. The Senior Leadership Team Executive Dean: Teaching Learning & Research Dr Amanda Torr (PhD, MPharm) is an experienced executive-level leader with a broad and deep understanding of the tertiary education sector, both in New Zealand and Australia. Her career has spanned roles as diverse as Academic Director at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Director Higher Education at Polytechnic West (Australia), Management Adviser to the Ministry of Health (Royal Government of Cambodia/WHO) and CEO Secretariat for the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission. She is a skilled leader in the development and implementation of strategic institutional plans and developments. Executive Director: Corporate Services Anthony Robertson (MBA, ACA) is an experienced executive manager and leader with a career spanning senior appointments in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Anthony is a chartered accountant with recent roles including Director Corporate Services at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Chief Financial Officer at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, and Vice Principal Corporate Services at Gower College Swansea (UK). He has a passion for sustainability and a reputation as someone who likes to push the boundaries of conservative business intelligence norms. Executive Director: People Engagement & Capability Keri-Anne Tane (BBS) (Ngati Rangiteaorere and Te Rarawa) has had a solid career in human resources, most recently as the General Manager People, Culture & Safety at Scion (NZ Forestry Research Institute). She has extensive commercial experience working with the likes of Unilever Australia, Boise Office Solutions (now OfficeMax) and Fletcher Challenge Steel & Wire. Throughout her career she has forged a path as a strongly people-orientated, values based leader. Executive Director: Student Engagement & Experience Patrick Brus (BSc) has more than 20 years of senior management experience with an in-depth understanding of how to develop clear business strategy and build successful teams. His previous appointments span a multitude of industries including Comvita, WINTEC and Fonterra. He has spent many years at the top table in various companies and is excited to be returning to the education sector, an area he is particularly passionate about. A powerlifting vegan with an interest in mudflat hydrodynamics has won this years Stella Frances Scholarship awarded by Waikato Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. Hamilton local Nicola Lovett was presented with the $5000 scholarship by chair Alan Livingston last month. Originally hailing from the UK, Nicola is currently studying a Masters of Science degree at Waikato University with an earth science major. My research involves studying the hydrodynamics in the Firth of Thames estuaryand how that affects the sediment dynamics, particularly the effects of turbulence on sediment movement in vegetated areas. Nicola already has a degree in archaeology and prehistory, and has also previously had the opportunity to excavate a Bronze Age burial site in Greece. I came back to university after being a foster parent. I chose to do science because I wanted to be a scientist after working with Met Office scientists in the UK. In her spare time, Nicola does powerlifting and is hoping to compete eventually. DOC and the regional council jointly sponsor this scholarship for students in the final year of a masters degree at the university. Bay of Plenty exporters are invited to share their successes with the rest of New Zealand in entering the 2017 Bay of Plenty Export Awards. ExportNZ is wanting to hear how exporters have triumphed over adversity to build a successful business within the Bay of Plenty region. New Zealand is a trading nation and our exporters are vital to New Zealands economy, says Regional Manager of ExportNZ Auckland, Waikato & Bay of Plenty, Catherine Lye. And recent global events indicate a move to more protectionist global economies. "Which is why these awards are crucial as we need to recognise the role of exporters in our country, celebrate their stories and journey so far, and learn how theyve overcome highs and lows to succeed in the world of exporting, says Catherine. "The very nature of exporting means these operators often have a more significant presence offshore, than onshore, and the awards are an excellent way we can share their success stories, along with the challenges they need to overcome." For the year ended June 2016 exports of goods and services accounted for 28 per cent (NZ$70.9 billion) of New Zealands GDP. The goal is to build this to 40 per cent by 2025. ExportNZ Bay of Plenty has been running the awards since 1990 as part of its mission to champion the value of exporting for New Zealand and New Zealanders. Entries for the awards are open now and close on Friday May 5. 2017 Bay of Plenty ExportNZ award categories: - You Travel Emerging Exporter of the Year Award (for those companies new to exporting) - Beca Export Achievement Award (to recognise an individuals or teams outstanding contribution to a company) - Page Macrae Engineering Innovation in Export Award (for those companies doing things smarter) - New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Service to Export Award (recognises an individuals altruistic contribution to the Bay of Plenty export community) - Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Exporter of the Year Award (for those companies who have been in the export game a while) The 2017 awards will be presented at a Carnival themed event on Friday June 23 at ASB Baypark, Mount Maunganui. It all started as an idea to help the children in Syria. When Robyn Whalley saw the news of the recent gas attack in that war zone, all she wanted to do was help. Since she runs an afterschool programme, she thought her kids could write letters to the children in Syria. Unfortunately, the Red Cross said they have no way of delivering such mail. Then the news of the flooding in Edgecumbe broke, and Robyn saw there was a way to help out closer to home. I told the Red Cross we could do some meals, but they said they had no way of storing them. Baking would be great, though. So I rang a few neighbours and friends who seemed quite enthusiastic. Thus, Robyn set about recruiting people from around Omokoroa for baking duties. She also scored some banana boxes from the local supermarket to help transport the goods. Meanwhile, a friend who goes to choir passed the message on at singing practice on Thursday night, bringing yet more bakers on board. Now, all the finished baking is converging on the Omokoroa Settlers Hall this afternoon, ready to be shipped out on Monday. My husband Kelvin is taking it over to his work tonight, at Omokoroa General Carriers. Hell shrink wrap it on to a pallet so its ready to go tomorrow. She thinks the crisis in our own backyard has really tapped in to a need for people to do something. Im just astounded at how readily people have taken it on. The thing about baking is that its not a huge thing, but provides moral support. Kelvin and I lost our property in the recession in 2008 and the thing that meant the most to us is the moral support that you get from people, in ways like this. "Even little things like this give you the energy to carry on. For the past two years, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) have been engaged in a seemingly endless fight over gate space at Love Field, the closest airport to downtown Dallas. The dispute has been making its way through the court system slowly, but it could still be years from being resolved. Last year, a potential solution appeared when Alaska Air (NYSE: ALK) acquired Virgin America, which is the only other commercial airline at Love Field, whereas Alaska Airlines flies to nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). It seemed plausible that Alaska would consolidate its Dallas-area operations at DFW, the region's main airport. However, Alaska Air recently slammed the door on that possibility, as a high-ranking executive revealed that the company has no plans to abandon Love Field. Southwest and Delta spar over gate space The long-running dispute between Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines stems from an arcane federal law that was originally designed to protect DFW from competition. In its current form, this law restricts Love Field to having just 20 gates -- whereas DFW has 165. Southwest Airlines has controlled 16 of those gates for many years. In 2015, it subleased two more from United Continental, which decided to stop flying to Love Field. Southwest wanted those gates so as to increase its Love Field schedule to 180 daily departures. That goal requires operating an ambitious 10 flights per day at each gate. However, Delta Air Lines had been using one of those gates under a short-term lease for its five daily flights to Atlanta. Delta refused to leave, while Southwest said there was no room for it to stay. This situation is what precipitated the ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Virgin America has held on to the other two gates. After some recent schedule cuts, Virgin America has just 13 daily departures at Love Field, compared with an original plan that called for operating up to 20 daily departures there. Furthermore, these flights never lived up to Virgin America's expectations from a financial perspective. Alaska Air doesn't want to leave It wouldn't be crazy for Alaska Air to give up on Love Field based on this shaky track record. Doing so would potentially allow Southwest Airlines to keep its 18 gates while enabling Delta to take over the current Virgin America gates and add flights at Love Field, which it has wanted to do for several years. However, in a recent interview with Bloomberg, Alaska Air President Ben Minicucci said: "We're keeping both for sure. We love Love Field." However, he acknowledged that the company might change its route offerings at Love Field. Given that Alaska is staying at Love Field, it will probably want to start flying to Seattle and Portland, its two largest hubs. At some point, it could also add additional flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles and perhaps start service to San Diego, another California city where it has been steadily growing. By contrast, Virgin America's routes from Love Field to Las Vegas, New York's LaGuardia Airport, and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport could be on the chopping block. Alaska Airlines and Virgin America don't have a particularly strong presence in any of these cities. Virgin America has had a particularly tough time getting reasonable fares on the route to Washington, D.C. Furthermore, takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport and Reagan Airport are very valuable, so if the routes to Love Field aren't working, Alaska ought to find a better use for those slots. The battle goes on Flights to Love Field could be a key weapon for Alaska Air as it pursues its goal of becoming the premier airline for people on the West Coast. With more flights between Dallas and major West Coast cities on tap, it's unlikely that Alaska will ever be able to accommodate Delta at its two Love Field gates. That means Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines will keep slugging it out in court for the foreseeable future. The outcome will determine whether Southwest must continue to make room for Delta at Love Field. 10 stocks we like better than Alaska Air Group 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 Alaska Air Group 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 Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This tiny electric jet startup thinks it can reinvent regional air travel Flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles can be a huge pain in the ass. You can expect to spend over $200 on your plane ticket, plus another five hours of traveling door-to-door thanks to traffic, security, and other headaches. This is the type of hassle-rich trip --- short but overly expensive and overly complicated --- that a new startup called Zunum Aero is aiming to reinvent. The Verge Uber said to use "sophisticated" software to defraud drivers, passengers Uber has devised a "clever and sophisticated" scheme in which it manipulates navigation data used to determine "upfront" rider fare prices while secretly short-changing the driver, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit against the ride-hailing app. When a rider uses Uber's app to hail a ride, the fare the app immediately shows to the passenger is based on a slower and longer route compared to the one displayed to the driver. Ars Technica New malware intentionally bricks IoT devices A new malware strain called BrickerBot is bricking Internet of Things (IoT) devices around the world by corrupting their storage capability and reconfiguring kernel parameters. Detected via honeypot servers maintained by cyber-security firm Radware, the first attacks started on March 20 and continued ever since, targeting only Linux BusyBox-based IoT devices. Bleeping Computer Hacker archetypes There's a book about martial arts called On the Warrior's Path that tries to understand the differing psychologies of martial artists through the lens of half a dozen archetypes - Seeker, Ronin, Tribal Warrior, and others. I have not yet read the book, but my friend and regular A&D commenter Susan Sons reports having found it very effective for motivating young and newbie martial artists. "It gave them their first glimpse of what they were trying to become,"... So, Susan had the idea that it might be a good idea to develop a parallel gallery of hacker archetypes to help motivate newbies. Eric Raymond Here's how playing on Wi-fi hurts your game When it comes to gaming, any serious aficionado will tell you that a wired connection is best. Let me rephrase that to be clear: you would have to pry a diehard gamers wired connection from the grasp of their cold, dead hand. Capiche? There are obvious advantages that an Ethernet connection offers to a gaming PC directly wired to the router beyond the satisfying click of plugging the CAT 5e cable into the Ethernet port, including the avoidance of wireless interference, and a high level of security. PC Gamer The strange, timeless appeal of early 3D platformers If you were a freelance video game journalist in the mid-1990s there was one genre that you learned to both love - and massively detest. That polarising genre was the character-based 3D platformer. There were, of course, brilliant, perhaps even legendary examples. Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo-Kazooie - these games were warm, energetic and colourful, simultaneously referencing the glorious history of platform games and the wondrous new possibilities of real-time polygon rendering. Eurogamer The four flavors of automated license plate reader technology Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) may be the most common mass surveillance technology in use by local law enforcement around the country---but they're not always used in the same way. Typically, ALPR systems are comprised of high-speed cameras connected to computers that photograph every license plate that passes. The photo is converted to letters and numbers, which are attached to a time and location stamp, then uploaded to a central server. The EFF Italy court blocks Uber services in Italy, citing unfair competition A court blocked the use of smart phone apps for Uber cars UBER.UL in Italy on Friday, ruling that they constituted unfair competition. The court said Uber could not use its Black, Lux, Suv, X , XL, Select and Van phone applications nor could it promote or advertise its services in Italy, a court document showed. The court ruled in favour of a suit filed by Italy's major traditional taxi associations. Reuters Samsung ditches digital camera business Samsung Electronics has recently stopped producing and selling digital cameras, hinting at the Korean tech giant's departure from the waning market, industry sources said on April 7. "We no longer produce and sell digital cameras," said a Samsung official on condition of anonymity. "But we will create a new camera product category to continue the business." The Korea Herald File format posters It's not uncommon for hackers to have a particular delectation for unusual interior decoration. Maybe it's a Nixie tube clock, or a vacuum fluorescent display reading out the latest tweets from a favorite chatbot. If this sounds like your living room already, perhaps you'd like some of these file format posters to adorn your walls. Hackaday/Github Marc Andreessen: "Take the Ego out of Ideas" When Marc Andreessen wants to think about deep issues like the state of the economy and technological change, he mentally spars with the likes of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Larry Page --- the people he says are the most audacious people who have worked in Silicon Valley. "I have a little simulation of Peter Thiel. He lives on my shoulder right here. I argue with him all day long." Stanford EpicGear's Morpha X modular gaming mouse reviewed TR gerbils may not have heard of EpicGear, a division of Golden Emperor International Limited (better known as GEiL). On top of its various memory offerings, the company sells a full range of gaming gear under that EpicGear brand, including keyboards, mice, and headsets. I've got both a keyboard and a mouse from the EG crew in the workshop right now. I'll be looking at the keyboard soon, but today we're talking about the Morpha X modular gaming mouse. The Tech Report OS/2 2.0 at 25 Twenty-five years ago, on March 31st, 1992, IBM released OS/2 2.0, the first mass-market 32-bit PC operating system. The road to OS/2 2.0 was quite long and winding, and the OS was a proud member of the vaporware club (just like, say, Windows NT or Windows 95). OS2 Museum Fuck you and die: An oral history of something awful 1999 was a bad time to be in the website business. The dot-com bust was hurtling toward the internet with the speed and certitude of the Chicxulub asteroid. Five trillion dollars were about to evaporate, caught in a constellation of collapsing venture capital-backed stars like Pets.com---Amazon if Amazon only sold cat food---and Broadcast.com, which was just radio on the internet. Motherboard.Vice Google says its AI chips smoke CPUs, GPUs in performance tests Four years ago, Google was faced with a conundrum: if all its users hit its voice recognition services for three minutes a day, the company would need to double the number of data centers just to handle all of the requests to the machine learning system powering those services. PCWorld Dallas residents were in for a rude awakening - quite literally - early Saturday morning thanks to what city officials are calling nefarious activity courtesy of a hacker. Rocky Vaz, the director of Dallas' Office of Emergency Management, said that all 156 of the city's emergency warning sirens were activated shortly before midnight on Friday. Officials initially though a malfunction was to blame but as the activity spilled into early Saturday morning, it became clear that such was not the case. As The Verge highlights, the sirens were activated in 90-second cycles a total of 15 times before workers pulled the plug on the system. Vaz said the team investigating the matter eventually found a vulnerability used by the attackers to infiltrate the system and sound the alarms. The warning system was back online and functional by Saturday night, city officials revealed on Twitter. While Vaz conceded that identifying the attacker(s) will be like finding a needle in a haystack, Mayor Mike Rawlings affirmed that authorities will find and prosecute the party or parties responsible. Annoyance aside, the hack shed negative light on the city's 911 call system which was overloaded with calls during the activity. The Dallas Morning News reports that more than 4,400 calls were placed to 911 between 11:30 p.m. and 3 a.m. which is twice the number of calls usually received between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. By now, most people have probably heard of OnePlus, makers of fairly inexpensive smartphones loaded with top-tier specs. They offer much of the features found on pricier handsets at a lower price a combo that seriously undercuts the competition. It's no secret that the company has been successful so far, despite not reaching quite the level of Apple or Samsung in the broad smartphone market. Treat it like the tiny but beloved independent film studio pumping out charming films amid Marvel and other Hollywood heavyweights. To phrase it better, OnePlus sort of has a cult following, and a loyal one at that. So what's next for these followers? Why Is It Called OnePlus 5? Well, what's next is the OnePlus 5, reports are saying. As you may have noticed, the name skips past "4" and jumps into "5" as its new naming scheme, which is odd considering that the company's recent smartphone release was the OnePlus 3T. Rumors say that the jump from 3T to 5 is because of a Chinese belief that the number 4 is bad luck. But forget about the name a new set of leaks from Chinese publication PCPop suggests that the OnePlus 5 will be a stunner in terms of specs. OnePlus 5 Rumored Specs Right off the bat, leaks suggest that the OnePlus 5 will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which, if true, will make the phone parallel to the Samsung Galaxy S8, which is also equipped with the same chip. Further under the hood will be 8 GB of RAM, which is unprecedented in the history of smartphones. At most, the best phones come with 6 GB maximum, much like the OnePlus 3T. But such a move wouldn't be too surprising, as OnePlus has been wont to come out with unprecedented RAM configurations in the past. Case in point: releasing the OnePlus 3T in a smartphone market dominated by devices with only 4 GB of RAM at most. Keep in mind, however, that 8 GB is still a staggering figure for a smartphone, and unless OnePlus is venturing into something truly power/memory-intensive such as an advanced virtual reality platform of some sort, then it's hard to imagine why 8 GB would be necessary for a phone. Beyond the specs, it's also worth noting that the leaks suggest the OnePlus 5 will have a much more sleeker frame in addition to an improved display. It's hard to say whether OnePlus is also jumping aboard the near bezel-less smartphone trend as exemplified by both the Galaxy S8 and the G6, but it would make sense if it did, as the direction of smartphone design seems to be heading there. To top it all off, the leaks also suggest that the OnePlus 5 will sport dual cameras, also another smartphone trend of late. Dual cameras, for the uninitiated, are useful for a number of things, but chiefly, they're there to help the user take better and more dynamic photos, since the other camera would often sport a wide angle lens. Rumor has it that the OnePlus 5's dual camera setup will be vertical instead of horizontal as found on most phones. Why exactly this is remains to be determined. Of course, all rumors and purported leaks must be taken with a grain of salt, as these may end up not being true at all. OnePlus 5 Release Date OnePlus hasn't given out a proper unveiling date for the smartphone yet, let alone a release date. It's expected to arrive on the second half of 2017, however, which makes sense. If the phone is released by November, it would mark exactly one year since the OnePlus 3T was rolled out, and a year in the smartphone industry is wide enough of a gap. What features do you expect to see on the OnePlus 5? Speculate away on the comments section below! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL launched last year are among the hottest smartphones on the market, but anticipation is already building up for the next-generation Pixel 2 lineup. Google is already working on the new generation of Pixel smartphones and it accidentally revealed their code names recently, fueling speculation about what to expect. To recap, Google hardware boss Rick Osterloh confirmed at the Mobile World Congress 2017 earlier this year that a Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are in tow for a 2017 release. Osterloh noted that both upcoming Pixel 2 handsets would hit the premium segment of the smartphone market. Google Pixel 2 Smartphones And Code Names More recently, news surfaced that the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are code-named "Walleye" and "Muskie," while a separate report also hinted at a potential third Google smartphone that may or may not be part of the 2017 Pixel lineup. This third Google smartphone is purportedly code-named "Taimen." Android Police spotted the "Muskie," "Walleye" and "Taimen" code names on the Android Open Source Project gerrit thanks to Google's Treehugger automated update bot, further indicating that three smartphones are in the works for the Google Pixel 2 lineup. Google's Fishy Device Code Names While there's little else to go on at this point, these code names do offer some clues as to what to expect. For some reason Google has a strange inclination toward fishy code names - just like Android iterations are named after sweets, Nexus and now Pixel iterations are code-named after fish. As a reminder, the 4.7-inch Nexus 4 from 2012 was code-named Mako, the 5-inch Nexus 5 from 2013 was Hammerhead, the 6-inch Nexus 6 from 2014 was Shamu, in 2015 the 5.2-inch Nexus 5X was Bullhead, and the 5.7-inch Nexus 6P was Angler, while in 2016 we had the 5.1-inch Google Pixel as Sailfish and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL as Marlin. The sizes of the fish referenced in the code names offered clues regarding the size of the devices, and going by that logic, we can get an idea of what to expect from the upcoming Pixel 2 family of smartphones. A walleye typically weighs about 241 pounds, a muskie is roughly 38 pounds, while a taimen tips the scales at 220 pounds. With this in mind, the walleye Pixel 2 could be the smallest of the bunch, the muskie Pixel 2 XL could be slightly larger, while the taimen model could be the largest one, perhaps launching as a tablet rather than a smartphone. On that note, "Taimen" could be referring to a new Nexus 7/Pixel tablet. Google Pixel 2 OEM Google signed a two-year agreement with HTC for Pixel smartphones. HTC already delivered the Google Pixel and Pixel XL in 2016, and should provide the new Pixel 2 handsets this year. Recent rumors also indicated that Google is already looking ahead toward the 2018 lineup and a number of manufacturers, including HTC, LG and others, are racing for the chance to make the Pixel 3. Until then, however, the 2017 Pixel 2 smartphones will come from HTC. Google Pixel 2 Rumored Specs Lastly, there's a great deal of interest for the specs the Pixel 2 lineup might bring to the table. While not many details are available at this point, the Pixel 2 series is expected to boast notable improvements over the previous generation and that should translate to some beastly offerings. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL already launched as powerful flagships with a slew of neat specs and features, albeit their conventional design was deemed rather boring and uninspiring. The Pixel 2 could sport a more attractive design, especially since the sleek Galaxy S8 series smartphones have raised the bar with their bezel-free displays and premium overall design. Some rumors also indicated that Google might switch to OLED for the Pixel 2, opting for a large display that would cover most of the front panel. Since the Pixels don't have physical home buttons anyway, a large, OLED and bezel-free display for the Pixel 2 would make sense. The upcoming Pixel 2 smartphones are also expected to be water-resistant for extra durability. The current Pixel and Pixel XL don't come with water and dust resistance, but their successors should make up for it. Other rumored specs for the Pixel 2 series include 128 GB and 256 GB native storage configurations, 6 GB of RAM, 10nm Snapdragon 835 processors, and Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. The purported specs are still in the rumor state at this point and a lot could change until the smartphones are ready to hit the market, but one thing's for sure: The Google Pixel 2 devices will be premium all around and will compete at the high end of the smartphone market. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Recent unfortunate events involving a 25-year-old American citizen and her Airbnb host, who reportedly canceled her reservation at the last minute simply for being Asian American, has led to the host being banned from Airbnb. Last Minute Cancellation Law student, Dyne Suh, and her companions were reportedly on the way to their Airbnb reservation in Big Bear Lake just east of Los Angeles. However, Suh states that they were only three minutes away from the mountain cabin in Running Springs, California when they were told that the reservation has been canceled. Shocked at the host's sudden hostility toward her, especially since they have had previous decent contact, Suh told her that she had screenshots of their exchange and that she would post them on Facebook. However, this did not faze the host as indicated by her replies that many would deem racist. "One word says it all. Asian," the host reportedly replied via text. The conversation continued as the host remained firm on the decision, and used further strong language to describe her displeasure, and even saying: "It's why we have trump." It was then that Suh took screenshots of the conversation and posted them on Facebook, though the problem had just gotten worse because of a winter storm at the time, making it difficult for the group to travel back. Fortunately, a KTLA 5 News van was also in the vicinity to cover the winter storm, and one of the station's reporters interviewed an emotional Suh who recounted the events and tearfully stated that she is an American citizen. She also expressed her dismay regarding the treatment that she received simply for being Asian American. The events happened in the middle of February but were only reported this week by NBC Los Angeles and KTLS 5 News. The host has since been banned from renting out her property via Airbnb. Racial Bias In Airbnb? Due to the incidences of alleged discrimination among Airbnb hosts, a team from Harvard conducted a study in 2015 where the team sent out queries on Airbnb using a variety of white and black sounding names. Results revealed that white-sounding names got accepted 50 percent of the time, while black-sounding names were accepted 42 percent of the time. Further, queries from black-sounding names received discriminatory replies from nearly every kind of hosts. Researchers stress that this difference does not necessarily mean that Airbnb hosts are racists or discriminatory, but that the lack of anonymity in Airbnb gives its users the ability to act on any hidden biases that they may have. While the researchers did not take Hispanic and Asian names into account, the recent events could contribute to their current results. However, perhaps the question to be answered isn't whether companies like Airbnb provides a platform where racial bias, intended or not, is exercised, but why this problem still persists in this day and age, and how it can be solved. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Addressing the concerns over rising drug-resistant bacteria, restaurant chain KFC announced that it will be moving to 100 percent antibiotic-free chicken from 2018. With this, KFC will be joining many other chicken restaurant chains that already announced the end of antibiotic-laced chicken for their food products. Farm animals are given antibiotics by farmers to ensure their faster growth and make them disease free. However, it creates health hazards for consumers. KFC Calls Antibiotic Retreat A Milestone In the words of Kevin Hochman, president of the U.S division of KFC, the chain's move is a "major milestone" and would increase the supply of bone-in chicken without antibiotics. "We're constantly working to meet the changing preferences of our customers, while ensuring we deliver on the value they expect from KFC. Offering chicken raised without medically important antibiotics is the next step in that journey," said Hochman. He said the company is collaborating with more than 2,000 farms for the change. Selling an average 65 million buckets of chicken annually, KFC claimed a third of its suppliers have already shifted to processes to supply chicken with fewer antibiotics. McDonald's and Chick-fil-A are other notable players who announced similar decisions. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 42 percent of the U.S. chicken industry has now committed to reducing the use of antibiotics. It is expected KFC's move will have a spillover effect and more companies will join the fray. Health Issues From Antibiotic-Laced Chicken The change implies innovations in the menu of KFC. Antibiotic-laced chicken will be out from both boneless as well on-the-bone chicken. The use of antibiotics in farm animals has transformed into a health concern with the increase of drug-resistant bacteria and threat of hazardous infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "We share the public's concern about...antimicrobial resistance," reiterated Hochman. However, no price increase is in sight from the efforts to end the sourcing of antibiotic chicken. The cost escalation will be nominal and will be borne by the company Hochman noted that chicken growers will be tasked with raising more chickens to meet KFC's size demands and stipulations sans antibiotics. For KFC, the antibiotic renunciation is also a part of an image makeover in what it calls as "re-Colonelization" linked with the memory of its iconic founder Col. Harland Sanders. KFC also said it will be phasing out artificial colors and flavors from the core menu by the end of 2018 and will offer 100 percent dye-free food by the end of this year. However, drinks and third-party products will be out of this reform at the moment. KFC Aims For Image Makeover Vijay Sukumar, chief food innovation officer for KFC U.S., said the elimination of medically important antibiotics from the chicken served in KFC outlets in the United States will keep the health and well-being of the flocks in mind. The parent company of KFC, Yum! Brands, has been pushing sustainable sourcing and food production with its Good Antimicrobial Stewardship initiatives. Other quick-service chains that made similar pledges include Chipotle, McDonald's, Burger King, Panera and Wendy's. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A 7-year-old girl who lost her hair from Alopecia celebrated "Crazy Hair Day" at school with an idea worthy of the name. The girl wore an impressive design on her bald head, and all her classmates were astonished. In January 2017, Gianessa Wride of Salem, Utah, started to lose her hair. Her mother, Danielle Wride, first noticed a bald spot on Gianessa's right side of the head. After that, the hair around the kid's temples started to thin as well. Crazy Hair Day For Utah Girl Suffering From Alopecia Very concerned about the discovery, Wride tried to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. However, before Gianessa could reach a doctor's appointment, almost all of her hair had fallen out. Extremely upset, the girl's mother ended up cutting off the remaining bits. The girl didn't understand what was going to happen to her, at first. Her mother was very supportive of Gianessa's condition. Wride explained to the girl that no hair doesn't mean you can't be stylish. "Some people have blonde hair or black hair; some have curly hair, straight hair, short hair, long hair. She just doesn't have any hair. And she is still fabulous!" said Wride. Then came March 28, the day Gianessa's school celebrates Crazy Hair Day. First, her mother was concerned about the pressure that would come with this day. Then, she decided to prepare something amazing for her kid. "I knew I wanted to do something fun for her," added Wride. Taking her job very seriously, Wride went to Walmart in search for inspiration. There she found a pack of jeweled scrapbooking stickers and thought that a colorful idea with fun designs could make her kid stand out. She came home with the stickers and decorated Gianessa's head with a beautiful colorful design. The idea wasn't just a hit. Some kids at Gianessa's school complimented her on how cool she looked, and even expressed a serious desire to look like that, too. Some other kids even said that they wanted to shave their heads to embrace that cool look themselves. The girl's mother is afraid that Gianessa's condition may have been triggered by stress. The kid witnessed her grandmother passing away, and also went through two different family moves across the country. Alopecia, An Autoimmune Condition Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where the immune system, which is primarily designed to protect the body from foreign invaders, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. This condition can lead to hair loss on the head and everywhere on the body. Some scientists have theorized that this condition can also be caused by extreme stress. "Acute emotional stress may precipitate alopecia areata by activation of overexpressed type 2 beta [corticotropin-releasing hormone] receptors around the hair follicles leading to intense local inflammation," notes one of the studies. However, the condition remains primarily genetic, and researchers haven't found a cure at the moment. "Although there is neither a cure for alopecia areata nor drugs approved for its treatment, some people find that medications approved for other purposes can help hair grow back, at least temporarily," notes the National Institute of Arthritis and Muscoskeletal and Skin Diseases. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Local health officials on the Hawaiian island of Maui are concerned about the potential spread of rat lungworm, an infection caused by a rare parasitic worm Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Symptoms Of Rat Lungworm Infection The parasite can live in the body for months and cause permanent damage as it can invade the brain and its membrane. Symptoms of infection include sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, bad headache, and vomiting, which can start more than six weeks after the worm was ingested. Those who catch the infection by eating contaminated fruits and vegetables and raw or undercooked snails may develop meningitis. The infection can be fatal in some cases. "If you could imagine, it's like having a slow-moving bullet go through your brain," said epidemiologist Sarah Park, of the Hawaii department of health."There's no rhyme or reason why it's going to hang out in this part of the brain or that part of the brain." Snails And Slugs Can Pass The Parasite To Humans The parasite thrives in the blood vessels of rats' lung but their larvae can be expelled in the droppings and then get eaten by slugs, snails, and other animals that can pass the young parasitic worms to humans. Increase In Number Of Cases At least six cases of the parasitic infection have been reported in Hawaii over the past three months, a significant increase from only two cases that were reported over the previous decade. Difficult To Diagnose And Treat The disease has no treatment and can be difficult to diagnose because no blood test is available to confirm infection. Infectious disease specialist Constantine Tsigrelis, of the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, said that treatment is complicated since the anti-parasitic drug that can kill the worm can also injure the patient's brain or nervous system. Giving this to patients can, therefore, worsen their condition. Factors Behind Spread Of Parasite Globalization and climate change appear to contribute to the spread of the parasite and the disease. The first known case of rat lungworm was identified in Taiwan in 1944. Over the past years, the parasite has spread to other parts of the globe including the United States. Just like a number of other pathogens, the parasite is believed to have been brought and spread by rats in cargo ships. "So it's a worm infection introduced into North America through globalization," said Peter Hotez, the National School of Tropical Medicine dean at Baylor College of Medicine. "Some suggest that it's due to snails or slugs in the ship ballasts-ships coming from Asia and going through the Panama Canal." The brain-invading parasite is prevalent in tropical regions such as Southeast Asia and tropical Pacific islands but its geographical distribution has expanded in recent years. Experts fear that this could be one of the consequences of climate change as a warming world has been known to contribute to the spread of a range of diseases such as the mosquito-borne Zika virus. "Most new infections seem to be caused by pathogens already present in the environment, which have been brought out of obscurity, or given selective advantage, by changing ecological or social conditions," reads a 2004 World Health Organization report. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Venezuelan leader urged the countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to reactivate their mechanisms of coordinated action. | Read More And a UN resolution adopted in 23 December 2015 promotes multilateral agreements for "the consideration of existing and potential threats in the field of information security, as well as possible strategies to address the threats emerging in this field." In 2010, the UK started classing cyber attacks from other states, organised crime and terrorists as a "Tier One" threat to national security, alongside international terrorism, military crisis between nations and natural disasters. And in 2011, the White House published the Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, which as the Tallinn Manual points out, "designates cyberspace as an operational domain". With all these different resolutions, agreements, unions and lack thereof where does the law lie? And how useful is a document such as the Tallinn Manual? "If the world was composed of nothing but the USA and Europe I would say the Tallinn Manual would be a very defining manual," says Martin Libicki, professor, researcher and author with the Rand Corporation. "But I don't think the United States has much to worry about from Europe and we have a great deal to worry about from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, etc." Studying US behaviour, establishing 'norms' Naturally, these countries have as much to worry about from the USA. Libicki says to understand what the USA would and wouldn't use in cyber warfare, it's more helpful to examine US behaviour than international law. "As a general rule if you do something in cyberspace that looks like the sort of thing you could do with kinetic weapons, it will be treated as though you have done it with kinetic weapons," he says. "If I used a cyberattack to do a wholesale takedown of your power infrastructure, you're going to treat it as if I've dropped bombs on your power infrastructure. So people know not to do that unless they really want to take a large number of chances." "The United States' decision-making process does take international law into account," Libicki explains. "But the US flexibility on interpreting this international law is quite serious. For instance, in the first version of the Tallinn Manual, it wasn't even clear that Stuxnet was a violation of international law. "That was probably the clearest example of one country using a cyber attack to destroy things in another country. And it's such a clear-cut example that was nevertheless carried out by countries that believe in international law that leaves a lot of room." There has been considerable discussion about the establishing of "norms" on cyber warfare from nation-states. These could loosely be defined as expectations for states to abide by. According to the UN Group of Governmental Experts: "Norms do not seek to limit or prohibit action that is otherwise consistent with international law. Norms reflect the expectations of the international community, set standards for responsible state behaviour and allow the international community to assess the activities and intentions of states. Norms can help to prevent conflict in the ICT environment and contribute to its peaceful use to enable the full realisation of ICTs to increase global social and economic development." Where there has been successful cooperation is the 2015 agreement between China and the USA, effectively establishing an agreement not to carry out cyber espionage against commercial companies for competitive purposes. Libicki believes this to be the best example of an international norm at work but it was achieved largely through other pressures applied by the USA. "We indicted several members of the People's Liberation Army and were mounting a credible threat of sanctions against China," says Libicki. "So it wasn't a bunch of guys getting around the table negotiating norms, so much as 'we have a strong national interest in this and we're going to twist your arm until you sign on the dotted line'." Nevertheless, Libicki believes this was the first meaningful international norm on cyber that included a signatory of a rival power. He argues that the first established 'norm' in general could be considered the Budapest Convention, which attempted to harmonise the policing of cybercrime across friendly nations. But even here, things don't always run smoothly: the USA sought to have Gary McKinnon extradited, for instance, and more recently legal battles have raged about the information stored on Microsoft's servers in Ireland , with the USA so far unable to gain access. How serious is the cyber threat? A distinction worth making is with attacks outright committed by nation states and the use of state-sponsored groups. Russia has faced accusations lately of allowing hackers to commit cyber crime within its borders, with officers in the intelligence agency the FSB combing the data for useful information. This again muddies the waters because by allowing hacking groups to operate, intelligence agencies themselves have a degree of deniability when it comes to attribution. In mid-2015, the US Office of Personnel Management disclosed an enormous data breach that could have affected as many as 21.5 million people. The breach saw attackers steal extremely sensitive information including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, names, and full addresses, from what was the largest database of US government personnel. None of that information is yet to appear anywhere online, leading officials to suspect the involvement of a foreign government some fingers were pointed at China and speculation that the motive could be for blackmail purposes at a later date. Earlier this year, Ciaran Martin, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said that the threat from cyber attacks had increased, including those that threatened "national security". Chancellor Philip Hammond said at the time that the NCSC had been blocking as many as 200 potential attacks every day. Of course, just as Britain is subject to these attacks, it is also shoring up its own offensive capabilities. In an unprecedented speech late last year Hammond boasted that Britain would invest in its own cyber offensive capabilities. A recent tranche of documents released by Wikileaks called Vault 7 detailed the extent of the CIA's cyber operations and the agency's ability to crack into the most-used operating systems in the world. This followed the earlier NSA and GCHQ leaks from Edward Snowden which exposed the creation of a worldwide surveillance dragnet led by the USA and Britain. And documents released by Wikileaks alleged that the USA was also engaging in cyber espionage against friendly nations, with claims that it had tapped the German chancellerey for decades Attribution A serious problem with navigating cyber attacks is attribution. "Unlike with bullets or missiles where you can see where they've been fired from, the same doesn't apply to cyber weapons," says Jarno Niemela, senior security researcher at F-Secure. "The problem with cyber weapons is the difficulty of attribution." "There are many cases where we know it's Russia but we don't have concrete proof we still don't have concrete proof and even if we did have concrete proof, Russia says it didn't do it." To illustrate the difficulties of attribution, Niemala says that F-Secure once discovered a command line used by an attacker that was completely new a Google search of the code turned up nothing, which is unusual because hackers are prone to copy-pasting instructions. F-Secure then checked Chinese search engine Baidu and there were a lot of hits. "This kind of indicates the attacker had been from China, but then again, this guy might have been smart enough to use Baidu to assemble the attack, in the hope of leading us to think it was from China," he says. One case in point is the Sony hack, allegedly perpetrated by North Korea as Rand's Martin Libicki notes, the US made an enormous song and dance out of this attack "but in fact North Korea has done far more damaging hacks to a treaty ally of the United States and we've done nothing that treaty ally is of course South Korea." "On the one hand you could say these attacks are violations of international law but on the other hand how serious it is depends on your estimate of what a big deal the next guy's going to make." Speaking with Techworld late last year, the ex-CTO of the CIA, Bob Flores, said that it's "always reasonable to cast doubt on assertions". "Assertions are one thing, and proof is something else entirely," he said at the time. "Just as it's very easy to exploit things that are out there today, it's also very easy to spoof it's very easy for me to launch an attack that makes it look like I'm from North Korea." "And so you can look at a bunch of things and say, well, the preponderance of evidence says 'this is coming from North Korea' OK, but that's not proof. Whether it's North Korea or the Russian Business Network or China or whoever, it doesn't really matter." "Modern warfare has changed" We are watching the evolution of cyber war policy unfold in real time. So far, much of the international diplomacy seems to be occurring on a case-by-case basis. Rick McElroy, security adviser for Carbon Black, believes that getting countries around a negotiating table to hash out the rules of play would be a "hard slog" globally. But, he says, an international body like the UN would be a good place to start building some clarity around cyber warfare. "We're really at a point from a nation-state actor perspective where we need to have a discussion," McElroy says. "What is a cyber weapon? When does a cyber attack become a physical attack that involves life, and infrastructure, and money? What is the definition of that? "I was a United States Marine and we love the Geneva Convention it protects us as soldiers in someone else's country from being tortured, and that's a great thing. There's no cyber equivalent to that. Even the precursor of what cyber war is depends on the country you're talking to." "Given the recent set of events, I think you'll see a lot more nations get together on this. I don't think the US is going to be leading that charge in fact I think we'll be a little detrimental to the process right now." What would it take to get countries working towards laying the foundations for some kind of agreement? McElroy doesn't paint a rosy picture of the future: "I don't think the people that could propose the legislation understand the actual issues, so they're probably a little misinformed about what would actually work in action," he says. "I think we could follow a model like we did with the Geneva Convention the problem with that is that was a result of horrific actions that had occurred. "We decided as a species we were going to stop being in that business because it's awful. I don't know that there's been the cyber equivalent of that yet. "Modern warfare has changed. The precursor to any modern warfare is cyber war. Look at anybody's playbook and the US wrote it, everybody else has just adopted it how much of this is intelligence gathering to do physical attacks? How much of it is intelligence gathering to get the upper hand on the other nation? "My gut tells me this isn't getting done in five years, I don't know if it's getting done in 10. And it's going to take a massive event to do it." The dumpster fire in progress at the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging can spread across Louisiana unless Louisiana leaders finally reform the elderly affairs system. Baton Rouge's COA serves as the worst-case scenario of what can happen without good safeguards against inefficiency and ethical lapses among public servants. Over the past two decades, scandal has shadowed this agencys operation, which receives a mix of public and private funds to provide services to the elderly. Ostensibly, each Council on Aging is regulated by federal law and overseen by state and local governments. The state charters one per parish. Controversy keeps flaring over the Baton Rouge COA and its executive director, Tasha Clark-Amar. Since she assumed her post in 2011, Amar has followed the agencys past practice of running a deficit, aggravated by spending more than half the council's money on administrative expenses. According to 2013 data, it also had significantly higher average unit expenditures in two of four major service areas, with one about average and the others data not reported. Despite that undistinguished record, last year a new state law began diverting car rental tax receipts to the agency. Parish voters also approved, starting next year, a 2.25-mil property tax dedication that requires no Metro Council annual review an almost unprecedented arrangement nationally that more than doubles its annual budget. Worse, a pending legislative audit looks poised to confirm that the agency engaged in illegal campaign practices to help pass the tax. To top it all off, Amar has become embroiled in an dispute over the estate of a former agency client who recently died. Amar was tapped to manage the estate in the client's will, and she stood to receive in trustee payments over 20 years almost 40 percent of the estate's assumed $314,000 value, which legal experts call extraordinarily generous and ethically problematic. The deceaseds family has presented credible evidence that the will drawn up involved coercion of a person perhaps not mentally sound. In the wake of public outcry about the arrangement, Amar said she wanted to withdraw from the arrangement. Last week, a judge removed her from managing the estate. Such problems shouldn't surprise anyone given the way the state organizes aging services delivery. A 2014 legislative audit revealed a decentralized, duplicative system that scarcely coordinates services or tries to use the best management and fiscal practices. Any supervision of these agencies that does occur comes mainly from local governments, leaving lots of room for abuse in parishes with relaxed oversight. Governors may change, but not the Governors Office of Elderly Affairs indifference, if not defensiveness, regarding ways to do better. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards appointee to lead it, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal staff holdover Karen Ryder, has expressed no special concern over the ongoing turmoil in Baton Rouge perhaps because officials who ally themselves with Edwards have provided vocal public backing of Amar and the agency. That hasnt stopped GOP state Rep. Steve Carter from introducing HB 199 for the upcoming 2017 regular legislative session. It would remake the EBR COA governing board with an eye toward advancing greater accountability and fiscal and ethical transparency. Carter and his colleagues should be more ambitious. Rather than treat the symptom, they should address the disease by changing an agency culture that doesn't do enough to discourage waste,, empire-building, and wide disparities of service for clients. Legislation making COAs report to a handful of Area Agencies on Aging (many COAs individually act as separate AAAs), mandating financial and ethical training for COA board members, improving the funds distribution formula (but keeping the $100,000 cap) that especially helps rural parishes, and eliminating service provision done elsewhere (such as through Medicaids Community Choice waiver program) would do for a start. Continued benign neglect only invites further trouble. Jeff Sadow is an associate professor of political science at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, where he teaches Louisiana government. He is author of a blog about Louisiana politics, www.between-lines.com, where links to information in this column may be found. When the Louisiana Legislature is in session, he writes about legislation in it at www.laleglog.com. Follow him on Twitter, @jsadowadvocate or email jeffsadowtheadvocate@yahoo.com. His views do not necessarily express those of his employer. The loud cries and chants of hundreds of pro-refugee activists who crowded Civic Square fell silent as former asylum seeker Jamila Ahmadi spoke of her treacherous journey from Afghanistan to Australia. An unrelenting wave of discrimination, persecution and torture drove Ms Ahmadi's family to flee Kabul more than a decade ago, sparking a journey of "dark memories and painful wounds" in search of a peaceful life. Protesters at the rally organised by the Canberra Refugee Action Committee. Credit:Ricky Robinson They travelled from Pakistan to Indonesia to board a wooden fishing boat packed with more than 180 other refugees. The vessel was eventually picked up by an Australian navy ship. Her family's relief at arriving in Darwin was short-lived after they were taken to Woomera detention centre. It seems like a long time since CBD last saw a travel itinerary and costings for the overseas adventures of our top corporate cop, Greg Medcraft. He finishes his extended term as ASIC's chairman in November this year and stood down as chairman of the board of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) last year and CBD was worried he was going out with a whimper, not a bang. His expenses for the December half year were so modest by previous standards. For the entire six months, his bill didn't even hit $18,000 for trips to Hong Kong and Singapore. In the first six months of 2014 he spent $82,653.15 representing the interests of Australian taxpayers abroad, which was paltry compared to the previous year when he spent $246,490.99 on official travel from January to November. But not to worry, his travel itinerary for the current half year reveals a return to form. 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. It's not usual for sitting or former MPs, let alone prime ministers, to travel the world being rude about the policies of other countries. Nonetheless the former Danish PM, Helle Thorning-Schmidt gave it a good run on Q&A recently. Surprising, since her time in office will not be written up as the most glorious years of Danish government. I thought taking a selfie at Mandela's memorial with David Cameron and Barack Obama was on the low side of tacky but maybe that's just me. The photo is not being released because she says it's not a great shot. It's reassuring to know that if she looked great in the photo it would be released. We are assured by her remarks that it was just a bit of fun. This is, of course, why we attend memorial services. Former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on Q&A on Monday. Credit:ABC Q&A Condescension is a bad thing. No one I know and like enjoys talking down to others. There's another side to it that gets little attention, namely, that you think you are superior. Her remarks on Q&A to the effect that Australia was not "taking its place in the world" in regards to humanitarian aid, and, particularly "we kind of miss you. We miss Australia" was a pearler. The "we" is some sort of club to which she sees herself as belonging and which she needs to point out we do not. Poor us. No doubt the people at Save The Children, which she now heads, have turned their minds to whether sticking sticks in the eyes of governments is a successful ploy on their part. That may be why there was a subsequent opinion piece that sought to repeat the criticism of us but make it appear softer by mentioning how well we'd done in the past ... thanks for that! The piece was an opportunity for her to remind us how much she understood because she had been a prime minister. Bewildering contradiction in world affairs Letters and articles have pleaded for something to be done about the despicable use of chemical weapons against defenceless Syrian civilians. Yet when Trump responded to punish the regime responsible for the outrage, the left-wing anti-US response is quick to emerge. But if we take Trump at his word that he responded in disgust at Assad's use of chemical weapons, how do we square that with Trump's ban on refugees from the long-running Syrian conflict seeking asylum in the US? Thomas Hogg, East Melbourne Making the war industry great again Some $US59 million of American taxpayers' money spent on "making America great again". At least now we know how "He who must not be named" wants to achieve that goal: more jobs in the war industry. Rene van Zuijlen, Coburg THE FORUM Knee-jerk reaction A few things are now certain. The unrequited love affair betwixt Donald and Vladimir Putin is now formally over. The other is that Donald Trump is most definitely "a knee jerk" kind of guy, as if we needed more proof. The old two-up term of "come in spinner" comes to mind. This isolated chemical attack, albeit horrific, raised the question: Who and why? What does a tyrant like al-Assad hope to gain? Not quite literally, but "five minutes" after the US acceptance of the status quo in Syria, one horrific TV report has resulted in a 180 per cent shift in US foreign policy. I believe our worst fears may come to pass. Keith Brown, Southbank Curious oxymoron The editorial ("US strike justified and humanitarian", 8/4) endorsed the US attack on the Assad regime's air base with a curious oxymoron: "humanitarian strike". This is not a concept known to international law. The missile attack may be a valid retributive action, but a humanitarian act it is not. Your editorial goes on to hope the "fall of Dr Assad" will "end the wretched tragedy in Syria". The unexplained conundrum is how to construct the former so it leads to the latter. The number of protagonists and proxies in the conflict makes this unmanageable. Alexander Marks, Abbotsford Endless tragedy Is the human species terminally stupid? Since when has dropping bombs ever solved a problem? Worse, it is an act of supreme cowardice. The real heroes are the people like the doctors, nurses, the families and parents who have to endure Assad's carnage. And then only to be sacrificed to appease Trump's domestic supporters. Tragic beyond imagining. Maggie Morgan, Northcote Clear mixed message Trump has sent a clear message to Bashar al-Assad stop using chemical weapons to kill and maim your citizens; go back to using conventional weapons. Tony O'Brien, South Melbourne Destroying progress Watch one TV channel and see how society has progressed the understanding of the wonders of the universe; switch channels and witness society's progress in destroying itself. Henry Herzog, St Kilda East System doesn't work Thank you, James Rowe, for your gutsy article ("I found a safe space and beat heroin", 7/4), which touched some very raw nerves. We lost our 36-year-old son Paul in the middle of 2016 to a heroin overdose. He suffered from schizophrenia and had only been discharged a few weeks after a very long stay in hospital. According to the police his body failed to cope with the "normal" heroin dose he self-administered after such a long absence from prohibited recreational drugs. We understand he procured the heroin from the Richmond area to deal with his acute sense of "being lost and alone!" Surely, anything reasonable has to be better than this including "a medically supervised injecting centre, staffed by medical and social service professionals". Rev Ron Townsend, McKinnon Acceptance is the key Dr Rowe's experience with heroin use while maintaining a successful academic career helpfully counters the "junkie" stereotype. His family's ultimate acceptance of his drug use was no doubt an important part of enabling his recovery. I think it is equally important to stop using such terminology as "beating" or "winning the battle" against drugs. Such vocabulary carries with it great stigma, making addicts feel like they are failures, and creating the perception among families and friends that their loved one is simply not trying hard enough. This creates further mental trauma for users. What we need is more understanding and acceptance of drug users: for a father to hug his son, tell him he is 100 per cent worthy and that he will support him whether or not he continues to use drugs. Elisa Curry, Surrey Hills Panic card unhelpful Wendy Squires (Forum, 1/4) recently had a terrifying interaction with the local "psychotic ice addict", Terry, or The Thing (also known as somebody's son). Based on this one interaction, Squires concluded that "the apocalypse is real" with "ice addicts roaming the streets". Despite talk of an epidemic in Australia, methamphetamine use has remained stable since 2007, with about 2 per cent using yearly. However, people are now more likely to use regularly, to use the crystal form of methamphetamine (ice), and to smoke the drug, delivering a fast and more addictive high. While most people who try meth do so recreationally, heavier users experience the brunt of meth-related harms, which can include dependence, medical problems and psychotic symptoms. These are compounded by lack of accessible publicly funded evidence-based treatment options. Lost in the talk of "once humans" is that people addicted to methamphetamine have a diagnosable, treatable mental illness. Would it be considered appropriate to use dehumanising, stigmatising language to refer to people with a physical illness? Generating panic does nothing to help those suffering from addiction or protect society from drug-related problems. Gillinder Bedi, Columbia University, New York City, and Professor Patrick McGorry, University of Melbourne Overwork a killer As a junior doctor I am troubled by both the number of doctors taking their own lives and the ensuing discourse. The focus seems to be on awareness, access to mental health services and the vulnerability of the types of people who pursue medicine. The elephant in the room is the intensity and hours of work expected of junior doctors. My friends and colleagues are no strangers to 10-hour shifts with no break and pulling back-to-back 70-hour weeks. We are all aware of mental illness and the much-touted employee assistance programs but how is one to squeeze a quick counselling session into a non-stop 13.5-hour shift when one's colleagues are just as overstretched? In this era of oversupply of medical graduates it is tragic that young doctors work themselves into their graves while Australia stands around wondering if they have ever heard of depression before. Name and address withheld Death an indictment I cannot claim to be a saint when it comes to embracing our Indigenous fellow Australians. But I despair that when they come to us and put their faith in us, as did the Wanambi family with their 11-year-old daughter Gabby, we let them down and so badly. Gabby's poor treatment lead to her death from septicaemia, after initially suffering a rolled ankle. It matters not that it was a "remote" Northern Territory bush hospital; it matters more that a supposedly responsible doctor wasn't responsible or caring enough to go and treat her. Was Gabby not important enough? Bart Mavric, Moonlight Flat Grown up, really? Interesting. She is a 28-year-old who is (in her own words) "smart, hard-working and extremely well-educated", hogs the spotlight and foists her opinions on others at every opportunity and, being an outspoken right-winger, almost certainly has no sympathy for anyone less fortunate than herself ("The Young and the Righteous", Good Weekend, 8/4) and yet still lives at home with mummy and daddy. John Howes, Rowville Complicit in warming It was a timely reminder to coal proponents to be careful what they ask for. The Adani coal mine was granted unlimited water rights by the Queensland government. The next day, an unlimited water supply was delivered to the Bowen Basin next door by Cyclone Debbie. It caused Glencore, BMA and other coal mining companies to declare force majeure for "unforseen circumstances". The companies have reneged on their coal export contracts because flood damage to rail lines halted port deliveries. However, such circumstances were entirely foreseen by the rest of us. The coal companies have willingly contributed to such extreme weather by the mining and burning of coal in the Bowen Basin. Such "innocent bystander" denials do nothing to prevent more of the same. Mark Carter, North Melbourne Between a rock ... The Adani mine will provide about 4800 jobs averaged over construction and operations if you believe Adani, or 1464 net jobs if you believe an expert (The Age, 6/4). Let's assume a mean of 3132 jobs. Here is an alternative. Get 3132 workers to stack rocks and then unstack them and pay them the average weekly wage of $1164. The wages bill would cost about $190million annually. Crazy idea? Yet the federal government is prepared to pay more towards the Adani mine and its railway line than our rock stackers would cost over five years, while the state Labor government is to give Adani whatever it wants of Queensland. The financial return in both cases is negligible. But the rock-stacking jobs would not wreck the Great Artesian Basin, the livelihood of Queensland's farmers or the 50,000-strong tourist industry alongside the Great Barrier Reef. And planet Earth and insurers might breathe a little easier. India won't care because it will be following China's lead in renewable energy developments. Which is the crazy idea? Geoff Payne, Mornington AND ANOTHER THING ... The economy Now we target the "cash in hand" odd jobs people. For heaven's sake, don't attack multinationals. Geoff Wigg, Surrey Hills Call it what it is the underpayment of employees equals theft. Les Aisen, Elsternwick Does having a family/discretionary trust give you the discretion to avoid paying tax? Les Anderson, Woodend It's time discretionary trusts became a lot more transparent and a lot less discreet. Ian Maddison, Parkdale Politicians who use trusts and negative gearing declare their conflict of interest and exclude themselves from policy formulation on these matters, right? Don Gillies, Canterbury Australian real estate is a safe investment in an unstable world. So be prepared for even higher house prices. John Groom, Bentleigh How high must house prices reach before Turnbull and Morrison concede that negative gearing is a driving factor? Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick America Now that Donald Trump has done a Maggie Thatcher, watch his domestic stocks rise. Pete Steedman, Heidelberg Trump has been in office just three months. Result? War. Damien Peters, Brighton The world's deadliest and most prolific organisation for mass terror strikes yet again. Peter O'Keefe, Collingwood US to Syria: Don't bomb innocent children. That's our job. Tim Hartnett, Margaret River, WA If a nation bombs another country, surely it should be willing to accept the resulting refugees. Susan Munday, Bentleigh East Does Turnbull want a khaki election? Malcolm McDonald, Burwood Anne Hathaway is currently promoting her movie, Colossal, about how an alcoholic writer appears to have something in common with a Godzilla-like monster over the other side of the world. The movie is being lauded for its portrayal of toxic masculinity, and as a metaphor for the subconscious rage of a woman, with critics calling it clever and subversive. All of which is interesting when you consider what's happening on this press tour to Hathaway. She's being asked about how it felt to be hated a few years ago. You may remember the flak she copped for her Oscar-hosting, the flak she copped for her Oscar acceptance speech. In summary, does Hathaway have an explanation for the Hathahate of 2013? In an interview with Jezebel last week, she offered a five-star response to such hate; a thoughtful, candid explanation, complete with book reference. I was just reading Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview at lunch, and she said, I'm going to paraphrase it right now, "I don't try to change other peopleit's so much easier to change yourself." How the world feels about me has nothing to do with me. How other people treat me has nothing to do with me. But if anything that anybody said resonated with me as something I'd like to work on for myself, I took it in like that. And to that extent, I feel like I got to shortcut a lot of my growth. To that extent, even though I wouldn't have chosen to go through it, I still found a way to be grateful to it. Recently, a friend from my old life in glossy magazines called me out of the blue. She was in Melbourne for the weekend and wanted to catch up, and as I was having some girlfriends over for a drink I invited her to join us. I knew what to expect when my friend arrived but didn't quite know how to warn my new friends, or even if I should. So, when she walked in the door, I sat back and took in everyone's expressions. And they were priceless. How do I find my daring fashion sense once more. Credit:Stocksy You see my Sydney friend is super glamorous, as in her shoes cost the same as most of my local mates' cars. As a fashionista by occupation, she is designer from sunglasses to sling-backs and carries the cachet of someone who just stepped off the Clooneys' private jet. Her physical appearance is perfection. Poreless and line-free skin that looks like it has been polished by silk-mittened angels caress the sharp angles of her fine feline cheekbones. Long (fake) eyelashes frame her clear blue eyes and her plump lips are adorned with tasteful lipstick that doesn't run into a road-map of crevices like other women of our age (okay, like mine does). An overwhelming majority of voters support the establishment of a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption, a nationwide poll has revealed. A total of 80 per cent of respondents either strongly supported or supported the establishment of a federal corruption-fighting body, according to a poll commissioned by the Australia Institute, a Canberra-based independent think tank. There is overwhelming support for a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption. Credit:Peter Braig Of the 1420 people polled, only eight per cent were either strongly opposed or opposed to a federal corruption watchdog. And should such a body be established, 78 per cent of people wanted the hearings to be held in public. An in-principle agreement over a new mega-cruise ship terminal at the mouth of the Brisbane River had been reached, the state government announced on Sunday, paving the way for a detailed business case to go ahead. The new terminal, which first came to light in October 2015, would be privately built. A concept design for Brisbane's planned mega-cruise ship terminal. The existing $750 million Hamilton Portside cruise ship terminal opened in August 2006, but two years later the need for a larger capacity facility was already being voiced. The inability of Portside Hamilton, upstream from the Gateway Bridges, to accommodate larger vessels has seen larger ships dock at container yards at Fisherman Islands. A Queensland aged care worker will face court on Monday after allegedly assaulting two fellow staff members on Sunday afternoon. The 55-year-old employee of Cardwell Care, in far north Queensland, entered the facility about 5pm while off duty before allegedly attacking the female nurses, 63 and 49. An employee at Cardwell Care has been charged with assault. The older woman suffered bruises on her neck and behind her ear and the other woman's ear was injured. A police spokesman alleged the man had been trying to access documentation when the nurses asked him what he was doing and told him to stop because he was not on duty. Calombaris flanked by fellow MasterChef judges Gary Mehigan (left) and Matt Preston. Mr McDonagh confirmed the Fair Work Ombudsman had received a complaint regarding underpayment as early as 2015. "Let me be clear, that was one team member for one restaurant. Fairfax Media is aware of one chef at Hellenic Republic in Brunswick who was underpaid almost $100,000. Credit:Rebecca Hallas "We understand there were notices from Fair Work at that time, but part of the modern award is the need to fulfil a reconciliation, and that is what we did when I came in," Mr McDonagh said. Staff were told in an email that by the end of last week more than 30 former workers had been paid the money they were owed. Calombaris fuelled a national debate in 2012 about the viability of penalty rates. Credit:Simon Schluter MasterChef star Calombaris has said he was devastated by "discrepancies with the payroll process". "I am so sorry we have messed up and let you down on a fundamental, which is to ensure our people are paid what they are entitled to," he said in an email to staff on April 3. Illustration: Matt Golding Last week, as a carefully crafted public relations campaign was rolled out, Made Establishment's board of directors said half of the impacted staff had received a higher base salary than they should have. The company said it would not seek to recoup any salary overpayments. But several company insiders have branded the claims of overpayment as "misleading" and "bullshit". "Those who got more than the award were either expected to work enormous hours, or got more because they were good or took on more responsibility," a former waiter said. "For them to say we can keep it [the money], as if it's some kind of gesture of goodwill, is total bullshit." A former staff member at Hellenic Republic said some chefs regularly worked up to 80 hours a week. "It is an industry-wide problem, where people are expected to work longer hours and not get paid. Chefs get the brunt of the bad treatment, and the number of hours worked are almost considered a badge of honour," the woman said. Fairfax Media is aware of one chef at Hellenic Republic in Brunswick who was underpaid almost $100,000, while another was owed $44,000. According to Made Establishment, the average reimbursement to staff was about $16,000. Another former employee said she intended to pursue a wages claim against Made Establishment. More than 50 former staff from Calombaris' stable of restaurants are understood to have applied for compensation since news early last week of the payroll problems. "From my perspective, I find it very hard to believe it was accidental," she said. "I just don't know how you miss something like that. In my position, I dealt with payroll all the time. They seemed really switched on. The funny thing was, we all had timesheets, but our payslips never reflected those timesheets. I have checked again today and there are no overtime hours on them." ACTU president Ged Kearney said underpayment on this scale was so widespread across the hospitality and retail sectors that it had become a business model for many employers. "If the allegations against Mr Calombaris prove correct, then he has profited from the exploitation of some of the most insecure workers in Australia while spending millions on Toorak real estate. "His track record as an employer is also tarnished by his public opposition to penalty rates," Ms Kearney said. In 2012, Calombaris fuelled a national debate about the viability of penalty rates, when he complained that some of his restaurants were unprofitable on a Sunday because he was required to pay staff up to $40 an hour. "The problem is that wages on public holidays and weekends greatly exceed the opportunity for profit. The Collegers and the Oppidians of Eton College take part in the Wall Game, one of the school's oldest traditions, in 2007. Credit:Getty Images While there the children learned to consider themselves a people apart. They learned a necessary detachment, the English stiff upper lip, and "snobbery, fine delineations of caste and wealth helped to develop the acutely tuned sense that enables the British to collect themselves in their tribes and classes and exclude those not like themselves," writes journalist (ex Ashdown and Eton) Alex Renton. They learned a strange Victorian-era-relic creed of sportsmanship, manliness, decency, and emotional suppression, a mindset where one must "smile while I was being thrashed, though the blood surged like hammer strokes through my temples, to eat whatever was chucked at me and to go without, to admire without envy athlete, caps, the XI, prize-winners and prefects". Author Alex Renton at Ashdown House prep school in England. As Rev T L Papillon put it a century ago, an English public school graduate might emerge "disgracefully ignorant of useful knowledge" but in possession of "something beyond all price a manly straightforward character, a scorn for lying and meanness, habits of obedience and command and fearless courage. Thus equipped he goes out into the world and bears a man's part in subduing the earth, ruling its wild folk and building up the Empire." Last week Renton published a new book: Stiff Upper Lip Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class. First day at boarding school: Author Alex Renton at Ashdown House prep school in England, when he was eight years old. It emerged from the torrent of stories he received after writing an article three years ago in the Observer about his own physical and emotional abuse at Ashdown. "Hundreds and hundreds of emails, they still come in three years later," he says. "They led me to realise this phenomenon as in any child care institution was hugely prevalent, that the fact of putting children quite young into institutions where they would be without hugs and love was and had been a magnet for men who want to prey on children, and had been since the 19th century, and this had been tolerated by our class." Author Alex Renton: "Cruelty and bullying, by children and adults, was a function of the system." Credit:Caroline Irby Two weeks ago he had the "fantastic experience" of sitting in a courtroom in Brighton watching his science teacher from his final year at prep school hear what he had done to his pupils, then be sentenced to 12 years' prison. The story was overshadowed by the Westminster terror attack which meant the Sun didn't get to run its planned headline, "Queen's nephew taught by paedophile". Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class, by Alex Renton. But it wasn't just the criminal abuse that Renton wanted to explore and expose. "Neglect is an abuse and often more damaging than violence," he says. "The children of abuse who seem to have suffered long through their lives and never really adapted or been happy were the ones who never got over being separated from their parents so early." Renton writes vividly of the feeling of abandonment and betrayal as an eight-year-old in a boarding prep school. He found many others who shared his feelings. "I never felt safe again," said one ex-boarder. Older boys were deputised to administer savage beatings for minor transgressions the squeak of a bedspring after dark. "I remember lying with the pillow hard over my face to stifle the snuffles of homesickness, while also lying still as stone in order to keep the rusty old bed quiet," Renton wrote. He realises now that cruelty was not an accident. It was an intended part of the product. "Cruelty and bullying, by children and adults, was a function of the system: not a disciplinary practice but an ingredient in the magic of that unique education." An entire class, briefly one of the most powerful the world has known, decided that its children needed to suffer to become useful citizens. "By the end of the 19th century, failure to expose a boy to the regime of hard knocks was deemed to risk producing a morally inept adult unable to take his place in the team that ruled society and the Empire. "The use of fear and violence to ensure discipline became as much a part of the spell as freezing dormitories and disgusting food all good for shaping the man to be." Some products of the system are in denial or just deny it was a bad system. Sam Kiley, foreign affairs editor at Sky News and former Eastbourne College pupil, argues public schools were a fantastic factory for "tough cookies" who could run Britain's Empire. "It was built to create people you could send at 19 to run huge chunks of the outside world," he says. "This is not an excuse for abuse but it is an explanation as to why it is really necessary to toughen up the privileged." A governor-tutored, coddled rich kid was not going to cut it for Britain in the South Sudan, he says. "Yes the levels of abuse, the bullying, the horror leaves a lot of very damaged people but I actually escaped from an unhappy home life into a public school environment that I sought out. "I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a bunch of people who have been really otherwise wet farts and spoiled and 'beasting' them. And that's how we built an Empire and it's still the backbone of a great deal of what goes on in this country. "George Orwell went to Eton. It does not produce drones or boring people. It has produced people who have been very badly bent out of shape by abuse. But it is also a system that takes the privileged and makes them capable of leading people who are very much underprivileged." Renton, though, has little time for this theory. "You become a leader when you emerge from this schools because of training and connections, not abuse," he says. But Kiley is far from public schools' only cheerleader. The public schools have benefited from more than a century of what Renton calls propaganda incredibly popular fiction from Tom Brown's School Days in 1847, via Kipling's Stalky, Billy Bunter, St Trinian's right up to Harry Potter. "From the architecture of Hogwarts to the ethos of the child wizards Harry Potter owes much to to Hughes' Rugby School (home of Tom Brown) in the 1830s," Renton writes. The fiction often includes recognisable abuse, but like pupils in the real world, chooses to romanticise it, find it funny, or a challenge to be overcome through friendships, japes and scrapes emerging a self-reliant and responsible prefect. In reality, Renton writes, prep schools and public schools "normalised misery". It was never to be admitted to, unless buried under a code of irony and in-jokes. "I asked one Old Etonian, the writer John Julius Norwich, for memories that summed up the spirit of the public school. He came back with this: 'A boy committed suicide and the housemaster summoned the whole house and asked if anybody could suggest a reason. (One boy) put up his hand and said 'Could it have been the food, sir?' "There is a perfection in this awful story Humour at its driest marches alongside the stiffest of upper lips." Of course there were those who didn't buy into the code, the "sports-weeds and reject-prefects became film-makers, journalists, campaigners and centre-left politicians with a skeptical view of regulation, tradition and hierarchy," Renton wrote. It was a club though, just a different one. And they often sent their own children back to the schools they had rebelled against. On the teaching side, Renton writes that "This was an industry with a culture of employing paedophiles and sadists." "There are many accounts of beatings at Eton and other public schools the practice was often stunningly brutal," Renton wrote. Sexual bullying was as common as bullying itself. George Monbiot wrote of his prep school in the 1970s that "sexual assault was a feature of prep school life as innate as fried bread and British bulldogs". Many of those who wrote to Renton reported rapes of boys by older pupils, and abuse by teachers. When he compared notes with another reporter, they figured that every public school in the country had harboured criminal sexual abusers among the teaching staff. Renton recalls a maths teacher would rummage in his shorts, offering sweets for silence. He complained to his mother but the headmaster's wife persuaded her not to make a formal complaint. "My mother now feels that she was bullied into silence." So have things changed? Writes Renton: "For wealthy Britain and for increasing numbers of foreign parents, the system works: it provides entry to jobs, universities and influential networks as it always did." "The statistics on the schooling of those who rule judges, politicians, senior officers in the military, bank directors, journalists show that the private schools fill those seats just as they always did." However costs have tripled (also, a child genuinely needs to be an above-average pupil, the days of Eton existing to "deal with the rich and thick", as Samuel Beckett put it, are over). There are half as many boarders as there were in the 1960s peak. But the system as a whole is booming. It's become one of Britain's great export industries. Britain's ordinary professional class is priced out, replaced by the children of the super-rich from Russia, Africa and China. A third of boarders are foreigners. Harrow, Repton, Marlborough and others have franchise schools from Kuala Lumpur to Kazakhstan. There are half a dozen British public schools in the UAE alone. As for what goes on at them, Renton writes that "a lot has changed, but not everything". Beirut: Residents of the Syrian town devastated by a chemical weapons attack last week said warplanes had returned to bomb them on Saturday, despite a US missile barrage and warnings of possible further response. At least 86 people in the north-western town of Khan Sheikhoun were killed last Tuesday in a chemical attack that left hundreds choking, gripped by spasms or foaming at the mouth. Eyewitnesses and a monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that fresh attacks on the area - now a virtual ghost town - had killed one woman and wounded several other people. Residents cowered in bedrooms and basements throughout Saturday, underscoring the apparently unchanged threat they faced from the Syrian government's arsenal of rockets, barrel bombs and other weapons that have resulted in a majority of the conflict's half-million dead. In retaliation for Tuesday's chemical assault, President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian air base housing a jet fleet responsible for extensive bombing across northern Syria. Washington: A US navy strike group will be moving towards the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean Peninsula as a show of force as concerns grow about North Korea's advancing weapons program. Earlier this month North Korea tested a liquid-fuelled Scud missile which travelled only a fraction of its range. The strike group, called Carl Vinson, includes the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and will make its way from Singapore toward the Korean Peninsula, according to a naval official, who was not authorised to speak to the media and requested anonymity. "We feel the increased presence is necessary," the official said, citing North Korea's concerning behaviour. It is ironic that at a time when so many young Australians are finding it so hard to break into the property market, commentators are finding it so hard to break out of discussing it. This week we saw three notable pieces of information. First, the CoreLogic home value index showed further rises in property prices across the country in the month to March 31. Year-on-year, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart had double-digit percentage gains. Melbourne was up 15.9% and Sydney a staggering 18.9%. And although prices have come down a little in the volatile Perth and Darwin markets, the numbers triggered further concern from regulators. In keeping the cash rate steady at 1.5%, RBA governor Philip Lowe made the following observation is the formal announcement: Growth in household borrowing, largely to purchase housing, continues to outpace growth in household income. By reinforcing strong lending standards, the recently announced supervisory measures should help address the risks associated with high and rising levels of indebtedness. 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 stgelopment. But it was comments made outside the official script that were the most revealing. The governor specifically tied prices to taxation arrangements and noted: For many people, the high debt levels and low wage growth are a sobering combination. Yup: negative gearing plus inadequate supply plus low wage growth equals financial distress. Prudential regulation The Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) announced it wanted to see the proportion of interest-only loans fall from the current strikingly-high level of 40% of new loans, down to 30%. Thats fine, but three concerning things come quickly to mind: it treats the symptom not the cause of risky lending; it may be too late; and targets like this tend to lead to gaming. On the latter point, how much principal repayment qualifies? What about a loan with a 200-year maturity is that interest only or not? You can bet the smart folks at the big banks are on the case figuring out how they can comply with the letter of the regulation but not necessarily the spirit. Meanwhile, building approvals rose strongly in February, up 8.3%. This came mostly from NSW and Queensland, which were up 19.6% and 33.7%, respectively. These numbers reveal how volatile approvals are, and hence how little of a long-term supply trend they represent. The numbers were also driven largely by apartment approvals, which are particularly lumpy. Moreover, if these dont sell well off-the-plan perhaps because of interest-only loans drying up then stgelopers can quickly find themselves in trouble. Much as I would like to read these figures as a positive supply response, its hard not to be worried. Governments arent helping So while the RBA keeps cautioning market participants, governments are doing very little, or things that are explicitly unhelpful. It was reported this week that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian favours extending the first home owner grant from new properties to existing properties in the June state budget. The premier has said previously that increasing supply is important (she is correct on that), but now seems to be undoing that by goosing demand. That is the worst idea ever. Period. It just drives up prices and throws away precious government funds. As economist Saul Eslake has put it: All [FHOGs] do is increase the price of housing by that amount. Theres almost 50 years of evidence to show that when you give cash to would-be home buyers the price of the housing they buy goes up by at least that amount. The people who get it think that its helping them the government says heres a slab of cash, and thats popular, but it does nothing. Meanwhile, we wait with anticipation the housing affordability package in the Commonwealth budget on May 9. No shortage of dumb ideas have already been floated including letting people dip into their superannuation to buy a property. Lets hope that economics trumps politics just this once. Negative gearing needs to be reformed, and supply needs to be boosted. Housing affordability, financial stability and economic inequality are all riding on it. >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter Richard Holden, Professor of Economics and PLuS Alliance Fellow, UNSW. This first appeared on The Conversation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/04/2017 (2039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The world religions class at Green Valley School has no final exam but it does have a final assignment. Students are required, at a minimum, to attend at least one service at a faith group different than their own. Have you heard the one about the Grunthal student that walks into the Buddhist temple? Actually, theres no punch line. In fact, its more of a regular occurrence than you might think and all as a result of some inquisitive GVS students from almost a decade ago. GRANT BURR | THE CARILLON Green Valley School teacher Michael Zwaagstra is helping lead the development of a new world religions course, soon to made available as an elective course of study at high schools across the province, that is based in part on a course Zwaagstra has taught in Grunthal for a number of years. I have enough of them that go to certain places often enough where I know that at the Buddhist temple I have students that go there and the first thing people there say is, Oh, youre from that class in Grunthal, said teacher Michael Zwaagstra. In 2008, Zwaagstra was in the midst of teaching a Grade 10 American history course when it touched on the history of the Mormon church. Zwaagstra said the group of students became very interested with the particular topic of Mormonism. We can talk about it a little bit more but I cant focus too much on it because this is a broader American history class, he recalled telling them. The students werent to be easily deterred and asked if he would ever consider teaching a course in which students could learn about different religions. Zwaagstra, who will tell you he always loves a good debate, was convinced. That same day, Zwaagstra says he pitched the idea of a world religions course to then-principal Rick Ardies, who challenged him to create a proposal. A few approvals later and the course was added to a multitude of school-initiated courses approved by the province for instruction at individual schools. In 2010, Zwaagstra welcomed his first batch of students into the Grade 12 course, including many familiar faces. That was the year those Grade 10 students, who really wanted a course like this, were in Grade 12, he said. Its a popular pick for a course if you are in Grade 12 at Green Valley School. Twenty-four students took the course that first year. Today, Zwaagstra said its fairly typical for 45-50 students to take the course-a large percentage of the schools entire Grade 12 program. Some come in with strong religious convictions, some dont, some are still thinking, some are undecidedoverwhelmingly the reason they come in is that they are interested in the topic, he said. Though a community like Grunthal might be viewed as a predominantly Christian community, Zwaagstra said there has been huge support from parents for students learning about different religions. The point of the course is not to make students change their perspectives, absolutely not, said Zwaagstra. These other ideas are out there. Should we know what they are? Yes, we should know what they are. Thats not a statement on should we change what our views are. Thats up to people themselves whether their views are going to change or not or move in another direction. Im not here to make people think differently. Im here to help them think. Now, hes helping to turn instruction on world religions into a potential elective course for every public high school in the province. Zwaagstra, along with two other teachers who have offered similar courses at their own schools, have worked at the behest of the education department since 2015 to develop resources, choosing a textbook and developing a provincial curriculum document tentatively titled, A World of Religions: A Canadian Perspective. The provinces interest in offering such a course, mirrored the interests of his own students. Manitoba is becoming an increasingly diverse province, said Zwaagstra, explaining the provincial governments rationale. We have many people immigrating here from other parts of the world that have different religious perspectives and it makes sense for students to have a better understanding of where people are coming from. In many cases students dont know anything about what other people believe. Zwaagstra and his two teaching colleagues on the planning committee are currently piloting the new course in their classrooms this year. By this fall, he hopes the course will be ready to be offered more broadly. For the Grunthal teacher, that has meant a few tweaks to his original course but instruction remains largely the same, including the popular guest speaker component. Its one thing to learn about, lets say Hinduism, from a textbook but its another thing entirely, once theyve got some of the background, to have a Hindu priest come in and answer their questions-that catches their interest, he said. Buddhists, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses and more find themselves at the front of Zwaagstras classroom sharing about their faith and answering questions from students. The point of this is to find out what people actually believe and we dont find that out when we try to sugarcoat everything and play down any possible difference. The point here is to actually hear what people think because, at some point, youre probably going to encounter people that have different views than yourself, so lets learn how we deal with that. For example, he referenced the first impressions students when a Muslim woman entered the class wearing her hijab. Many students havent, or dont realize theyve talked to a Muslim before, and after a little bitafter she pulls out her iPhone, they realize shes really a lot like us, he said. Shes not this person thats way out there, she lives in Winnipeg and shops at the same places we shop. A lot of that is just breaking down some of those ideas and making sure students have accurate information. Presenting factual information, from the perspective of believers, is a large focus of the courses instruction. If youre going to talk about what someone believes and what they think, make sure you actually know what they believe and what they think, he said. Zwaagstra said he hopes students leave the course with greater critical thinking skills and greater comfort interacting with people of different faiths and religions. It shouldnt be intimidating to have a conversation with someone, just because they are in a different faith. You should be able to sit down with someone who thinks differently than you and have an honest discussionknowing that there are really nice, friendly people in these different faith perspectives that you can be friends with, get along with and live beside. As a top-ranking Mexican police official, Ivan Reyes Arzate was a right-hand man for U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials in Mexico. They shared intelligence, and asked Reyes to help them with surveillance missions against Mexicos top cartels. But what they didnt realize, until it was too late, was that Reyes was one of many cops on the drug lords payroll, according to a complaint filed in federal court. All the mission information they gave him was supposedly quickly funneled, over BBM, to the very subjects of their investigations, and Reyess betrayal allegedly even got one informant tortured and killed. Reyes was accused of leaking that information and more in a federal criminal complaint unsealed in Illinois this week, where he is charged with conspiracy to corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding. He is accused of helping the El Chapo-linked Beltran Leyva cartel, among others, though his alleged treachery carries a sentence of just five years in prison. Reyes was the highest-ranking member of one of the Mexican federal polices Sensitive Investigation Units, according to the complaint. The SIUs were authorized by Congress 20 years ago, and meant to screen, identify, and train foreign personnel to work alongside the DEA, according to the Justice Department website. They operate in countries across the world, but the hallmark of the program is the extensive screening process that members go through. "[T]he vetting of an SIU member should include at a minimum a background check, a urinalysis test, and a polygraph examination. Applicants must pass these three tests before they can become part of an SIU, it reads. Additionally, SIU members must submit to and pass periodic urinalysis tests and polygraph examinations throughout their tenure as an SIU participant." Reyes, for instance, allegedly told one of the U.S. governments confidential informants that hed been trained at a government facility in Virginia. Yet even these safeguards sometimes fall short. Some senior level [Mexican federal police] supervisory personnel have been exempted from the polygraph screening, according to the complaint. And it may have meant a grisly end for one of the governments informants, and a leak within the Mexican police for more than half a decade. At a 2009 meeting in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Reyes, two police buddies, and a coterie of drug lords met to discuss why the traffickers cocaine was getting seized, according to the complaint. Arturo Beltran Leyva, one of the worlds most notorious drug kingpins who would die later that year, supposedly suspected a mole. One of the police officials then pulled out a photograph of a U.S. government informant and some American documents. Reyes and his cronies discussed that individuals work on behalf of the U.S. with cartel leaders, according to the complaint. Specifically, according to [a confidential source], Reyes explained that [the informant] had been arrested in a DEA case in Miami and began cooperating immediately thereafter, including by providing DEA with information to facilitate the seizure of maritime shipments of cocaine from Colombia to the [Beltran-Leyva Organizations] control in Mexico, the complaint said. Arturo Beltran Leyva ordered Mario Pineda Villa to kidnap, torture, and kill the informant in front of Reyes, according to the complaint. The three cops at the meeting then allegedly split a $3 million reward for their information about the mole. (Mario Pineda Villa, the alleged murderer, was also found dead later in 2009.) But Reyess alleged breach of trust wasnt suspected until 2016, when a Blackberry message intercept caught a person codenamed Ayala telling a drug lord that he was at the center of a DEA investigation. Ayala told the drug lord to throw out electronics to evade detection. Get rid of all [devices], the Ayala figure advised, and sent the drug lord a picture of him under surveillance. They know you are here and they want to see who you hang out with." Soon, the DEA began to suspect Reyes was Ayala. The content of [Ayalas] communications mirrored communications that Reyes had with DEA agents, the complaint said. Reyes had been asked to help surveil the target of the investigation just a day before. Communications by cartel bigwig Angel Dominguez Ramirez, Jr. identified the cartels law enforcement source as Ivan, the same as Reyess first name, and the Ayala pin was often active in the same locations as Reyess work phone, according to the complaint. But Reyess high life as a top-cop and an allegedly top-earning cartel agent came to an abrupt halt this year. On February 2, the DEA and the Department of Justice interviewed Reyes in the American embassy in Mexico City. In the interview, Reyes supposedly admitted to meeting with cartels, but denied leaking photos or other investigation-related intelligence. He was indicted February 10th. The complaint was unsealed last week, shortly after the head of Mexicos federal police confirmed an internal leak. When the agent realized he was under investigation by authorities not only from our country but also from the United States, he decided to voluntarily turn himself into the Chicago police, Manelich Castilla Craviotto said. Our suspicions were confirmed by this. At first, exercisers at the upscale fitness center thought the bangs came from two weights being slammed togetherthe not-infrequent result of some overzealous gym rat maxing out a deadlift, perhaps. Then the bangs continued. Five gunshots, Ovi Viera told the Miami Herald. It was too loud for it to have been a weight dropping. Within two seconds, people just started running out. The bangs came from a handgun, reportedly brandished by Abeku Wilson, 33, who was until Saturday morning a trainer at an Equinox in the tony Miami suburb of Coral Gables. The reported targets: two of Wilsons former coworkers at the fitness center, general manager Janine Ackerman and fitness manager Marios Hortis. As Wilson, clad in the black-on-black uniform of the gyms top-flight trainers, opened fire hours after his reported firing, gymgoers fled the Equinox for the safety of the upscale mall in which the gym is located, some clad in nothing more than towels. I was confusedI saw men with towels around their waists, Lauren DeCanio, a college student who works in a yoga boutique in the mall, told the Miami Herald. Then a man reached out and grabbed my arm, rather forcefully, and said you cant go there; there has been a shooting. As alarms blared and police flooded the mall in search of the shooter, employees and customers were told to shelter in place. But by the time police had arrived, the shootings were over. Wilson reportedly took his own life. We can confirm that an incident occurred at our club in Coral Gables, Florida, Equinox told the Daily Beast in a statement released by the company. We are working with all of the relevant authorities as they investigate the situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy. Out of respect for them and our entire Equinox family, we will refrain from commenting further until it is appropriate to do so. Ackerman and Hortis were transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, both in critical condition, and later succombed to their injuries. "Our love, prayers and condolences are with both families during this terrible time," Equinox told the Daily Beast in a statement following the deaths of Ackerman and Hortis. "The collective Equinox community will always keep Janine and Marios in our hearts. Former trainees of Wilsons told the Miami Herald that the aspiring model was a nice guy, quiet not a crazy guy. There was a dance class of 40 people if he wanted to do that, the former customer said. This was personal. A statement from Detective Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department provided to the Daily Beast asserted that the violence was targeted. The preliminary investigation reveals that this shooting involves a dispute between an ex-employee and fitness center staff, Zabaleta said. The investigation also reveals that both victims were targeted and that this was not an act of random violence. In his biography on the modeling site Model Mayhem, Wilson is described as God-fearing, outgoing, charismatic, versatile, ambitious, kind hearted, and has a youthful and loving sense of humor. He has a positive attitude and appreciates and enjoys the simple things in life. PARISNow theres a pause. There always is after the United States sets out to teach an explosive lesson to some entrepreneur of terror in the Middle East. Weeks pass, or monthseven years after a bombing raid or cruise missile attack, before the retaliation comes. It's usually at a time and place where its not expected. Most often it is carried out by operatives who have no clear ties to their sponsors. We saw that pattern with Gaddafi, we saw it with Saddam, and we have seen it now for almost five decades with the Assad regime. Theres an old adage that revenge is a dish best served cold, and nobody understands that better than the Assad family. Their dynasty has relied on spies and terror organizations to keep them in power since 1971. Its founder, Hafez Assad, was famous for his ruthless patience, like a serpent resting comfortably on its coils just waiting to strike. And now there are growing concerns among Western counterterror analysts that his son Bashar will respond to the American cruise missile attack ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump with a terror plot somewhere outside the borders of Syria. Assad certainly has the means and the connections. In addition to his own intelligence services and clients, the coalition that sustains him includes Iran and its Lebanese extension Hezbollah, which is a seasoned militia, a political party, and one of the most well-organized and disciplined terror organizations on the planet. Some security analysts worry that Iranian agents will attack American forces in the region. Hundreds of U.S. personnel are now on the ground in Syria, thousands in Iraq. All are in harm's way. But any link to Hezbollah and Iran probably would be too incriminating. The more effective play for Assad would be to encourage and perhaps facilitate a major attack, most likely in Europe, by the so-called Islamic State. ISIS may be Assads putative enemy, but it has served his interests repeatedly, as Pulitzer Prize-winner Roy Gutman documented in a series of articles for The Daily Beast. Assad first tried to ingratiate himself with Western leaders by portraying the national uprising against him in 2011 as a terrorist-led revolt. When that failed, he released jailed Islamic extremists whod fought against U.S. troops in Iraq, then staged phony attacks on government facilities, which he blamed on terrorists. Far from fighting ISIS, Assad looked the other way when it set up a state-within-a-state with its capital in Raqqa, and then left it to the U.S. and others to try to take the battle to the Islamic extremists. In reaction to the U.S. attack, Assad "could, at a minimum, keep for himself intelligence [about ISIS] that he has, or let Daesh [ISIS] people move out of Syria," says Claude Moniquet, a Belgian authority on Islamic State operations in Europe. "Or he could even use people that his service controls to organize things. This would be typical and 'good' Middle Eastern 'non-conventional warfared,' as we saw in Lebanon for 30 years." Hafez and Bashar Assad used patience and terror to reduce that neighboring country to the condition of a vassal state, as Nadette De Visser and I have written in some detail. Among the attacks Hafez facilitated: two massive bombings of the American embassy in two different locations, the first of which virtually wiped out the CIA station, and the enormous suicide truck bomb that destroyed the U.S. Marine Battalion Landing Team barracks in 1983, killing 241 American service personnel. In 2005, after Lebanon's billionaire Prime Minister Rafik Hariri fell out with Bashar Assad, Hariri was blown up along with 21 other people in the heart of Beirut. The Syrians claimed an obscure Sunni jihadist group carried out the suicide bombing. Assad said he was "100 percent innocent," of course. Then, over the years, four senior Syrian officials who might have implicated Assad directly were killed under mysterious circumstances. One "committed suicide" in his office under more than questionable circumstances. Another, Assad's brother-in-law, was blown up in a high-security compound, supposedly by the Syrian opposition. Another spy chief was reported killed fighting rebels in 2013. And one appears to have died after a savage beating by another intelligence chief in 2015. An international tribunal in the Hague has indicted five people in the Hariri murder case. In fact all of them are connected to the Shiite organization Hezbollah. None of them is in custody. They are protected from the court by Assad, but probably not from Assad himself. So that's who we're dealing with. As Moniquet put it, all this is "typical" of the Assads: revenge by proxies, followed by assigning blame to supposed enemies, and then the murder of potential witnesses. Yet the emotional, instinctive reactions of the Trump administration are such that if there were a major ISIS attack in the United States, or even one in Europe, suddenly all those cross-hairs focused on Bashar Assad would shift again to ISIS. And Assad knows it. * * * To the uninitiated, all of these intrigues within intrigues begin to sound like T. S. Eliots wilderness of mirrors, so I asked French scholar Gilles Kepel to walk me through it. Kepel, who is on an ISIS hit list and has 24-hour police protection, has been researching and documenting the rise of jihadist movements since the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Fluent in Arabic and several other languages, he likes to explore the doublethink and triplethink of the Middle Easts terrorist organizations, and the sociological, economic, and political trends that have brought so many of the Muslims of Europe into a dangerous state of permanent confrontation with the societies around them. His recent book, Terror in France, was a best seller in his home country and is just about to be published in English in the United States. I asked him about the impact on terrorism of the attacks in Syria. There were two attacks: the first was the Syrian attack, he said: the use of the nerve agent sarin in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing scores of people including the beautiful babies whose deaths appear to have moved President Trump to action, and certainly moved much of the international community to outrage. The Trump administration has strongly suggested there may have been Russian complicity in the attack, or, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson put it, Moscow was simply incompetent to stop it. We dont know exactly whether it was Assad acting on his own in order to twist the arm of his Russian patrons in some fashion, or whether this was something done in cooperation with the Russians, said Kepel. But the result was the second attack, by the United States on a Syrian airfield, which suddenly boosted the image of Trump in the West. He was seen as erratic, suddenly he looked like someone with balls. Now the Assad regime looks like a monster, and will be happy if it can deflect attention to ISIS, said Kepel. He noted that after the horrendous November 13, 2015, attack in Paris by an ISIS commando that killed 130 people, French President Francois Hollande and other officials who had spent years lambasting Assad and calling for his removal suddenly decided that, yes, perhaps, Assad was less worse than ISIS. So, said Kepel, we can expect that this is the right time for an ISIS strike, maybe with the help of some obscure intelligence groups. Assad needs extra ISIS vilification. The Russians, too, might benefit from an ISIS attack in France. The country is in the final weeks of a presidential race that could decide the future not only of the nation, but of the European Union and NATO, two institutions Russian President Vladimir Putin would happily see destroyed. The most dynamic French contender, the far-right Marine Le Pen, wants to withdraw or downgrade French participation in both. Parroting the Russian line, as she is wont to do, Le Pen said on Friday, Im a little surprised, because Trump has said many times he didnt intend to make the United States the worlds policeman, and thats exactly what he did yesterday. Is it too much to ask that we see the results of an international investigation before carrying out this kind of strike? Closing in behind Le Pen in third place in the polls is former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who is also famously friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and one of whose books going into this campaign was Defeating Islamic Totalitarianism, which shows undisguised hostility toward many of Frances millions of Muslims. Both candidates talk tough, and after a terror attack the public is receptive to such posturing. But ISIS strategists believe the recruiters of the so-called Islamic State would benefit if either Fillon or Le Pen were elected. As Kepel has pointed out many times, al Qaeda and ISIS want to alienate and isolate Europes Muslims from the culture around them, then call them to arms. If there is good news, says Kepel, it is that the French secret services have caught up with the challenge posed by the jihadists, taking seriously the jihadists' hopes of inciting civil war, moving in on the networks, finding ways to break into their encrypted communications, and arresting people preemptively. The French intelligence services and police have been tremendously efficient over the last several months, Kepel told me. The net result, according to Kepel, is that ISIS has stepped up its efforts to stage attacks in other European capitals, most notably with truck and car attacks in Berlin, and in London and Stockholm, although the question of direct coordination with ISIS in the latter two cases remains murky. The fact that none of the many attacks plotted in France has been carried out successfully is extraordinary, said Kepel, but theres also a strong feeling that the danger is growing. Will Assad get his revenge for the Trump attack through ISIS? Will the Russians turn a blind eye? These questions are unanswerable, but they are being asked in many circles here in Europe, where the sense of vulnerability is high. There is a lot of fear now, said Kepel. If there is a major new ISIS attack outside Syria, should Assad be held accountable? That may be the most crucial question of all. The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman. That famous Malcolm X quote found new life via Beyonces memorable sampling of the speech on her acclaimed 2016 album Lemonade. That album was largely an expression of the pain and triumph found in black womanhood, a beautifully creative signpost for what we should see evidence of every day. I witness the brilliance of black women constantly: from scholarly critique to unbridled creativity. Ive also witnessed the brutal way we use words to subjugate and spiritually crush black women. I thought about that repeatedly after a Twitter controversy from earlier this week. Rapper French Montana attacked a black woman on Twitter after shed tweeted dismissively about him. The fact that French Montana thinks anyone cares about him, she tweeted. Her words werent directed at the rapper, he wasnt @-ed in her tweet. She was just one of several people whod tweeted something anti-French Montana. But for whatever reason, the rapper decided to lash out viciously at this particular tweet. U musty crusty dusty rusty ass hoe, Montana tweeted in response. With them nappy ass poetic justice braids take your cum drinking Dick banging ass somewhere n be humble. Montanas offensively over-the-top response to a lukewarm tweet was just the latest in a string of incidents over the past couple of months involving celebrities publicly disparaging black women. The incidents reflect a specific sort of racism. One of the most notable came when controversial Fox News personality Bill OReilly appeared on the talk show Fox and Friends in March and was asked about Rep. Maxine Waters recent speech lambasting Donald Trump. We fight against this president and we point out how dangerous he is, Waters said on the floor of Congress. Were fighting for democracy. Were fighting for America. Were saying to those who say theyre patriotic, but they turn a blind eye to the destruction he is about to cause to this country. You are not nearly as patriotic as we are. When asked for his thoughts, OReilly decided to mock Rep. Waters hair. I didnt hear a word she said, OReilly said as the shows co-hosts sat laughing. I was looking at the James Brown wig. Fox and Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt interjected, You cant go after a womans looks. I think shes very attractive. Rep. Waters scoffed at OReillys disrespectful joke. I am a strong black woman, she tweeted after the moment began making media rounds. I cannot be intimidated, and Im not going anywhere #BlackWomenAtWork. After being roundly criticized, OReilly apologized. As I have said many times, I respect Congresswoman Maxine Waters for being sincere in her beliefs, OReilly said in a statement. I said that again today on Fox & Friends calling her old school. Unfortunately, I also made a jest about her hair which was dumb. I apologize. And there were other recent controversies in a similar vein. Comedian George Lopez lashed out at a biracial woman in the audience at his show in Arizona back in February. There are only two rules in the Latino family, Lopez joked. Dont marry somebody black and dont park in front of our house. A woman appeared to give Lopez the middle finger in response to his joke, which enraged the comedian. Im talking, bitch! Lopez shouted. You paid to see a show, sit your ass down. You cant take a joke, youre in the wrong motherfucking place. Sit your ass down or get the fuck out of here. Lopez kept railing at the woman as the crowd applauded. Ill give you two choices: Shut the fuck up or get the fuck out. I tell you what, Ill make the choice for you. Get the fuck out of here. Ill make the choice for you, bye. You cant take a joke youre in the wrong motherfucking place. Bye. Four seats just opened up front. I observed all of these incidents and thought about how they all featured non-black men attacking black women in the same ways that black women have been berated for years: for being ugly, for their hair, for being loud. I thought about how often I see black women being attacked on social media with these exact same kinds of insults. Its sadly common for a woman to be hit with insults about her appearance; but black women have been historically mocked and marginalized for physical traits specific to black womanhood, and theyve been routinely vilified for perceived negative behaviors that are fairly universal. Thats simply misogyny and racism. And no one can pretend that these sorts of attacks only come from non-black men. From the radio to my social media timeline, I see variations of contempt for black women all-too-regularly. And sometimes it hits closer to home than I like to face. There have been times when I know Ive talked over or talked down to black women who were more accomplished, more astute and obviously more patient than I. Its something that I didnt want to believe applied to me, but reflecting on some of the worst social media exchanges Ive had over the years, more than a few happened because I was felt obligated to correct a black woman on her own perspectiveor because I refused to take what she was saying seriously. As I sat down to write this, prepared to wag a sanctimonious finger at French Montana, I had to look at myself. And I also had to think about how many conversations Ive had with male friends who felt theyd been emasculated just because they were publicly criticized or reprimanded by a black woman. How often are we the enablers, or worse, endorsers of what others have doneand continue to doto black women? After a social media backlash and justified criticism, French Montana tried to explain the situation and offered that, despite calling a black woman nappy headed, he has no issue with black women. My son is black, and I was born in africa I lived there for 13 years, he tweeted. I aint no punching bag, and I dont discriminate! dont come for me. My mother is african queen and I was married to a beautiful black queen. All I did was defend myself if I affended anybody I apologize, he continued, before adding, But this is a perfect example of even when u defending yourself and minding your Business social media would drag your name thru the mud. Calling a black woman a queen when you apologize doesnt mean muchwould you call her a bitch if she doesnt accept your apology? Asking for a friend. Its interesting what we perceive as an attack and even more interesting how we respond to one. In this case, Montana lashed out at someone who didnt even antagonize him directly. And he ignored countless men who undoubtedly would have shown up in a Twitter search for his namewhich it appears French was doing. But French didnt utter a word in response to those men, while this black woman got verbally blasted with both barrels for what was a fairly lightweight dismissal. The fact that I saw so many men come to Frenchs defense confirms that so many build their masculinity on asserting dominance over women. And any perceived insult is a threat to that dominance and should be snuffed out with a ruthless intensity. Of course, none of these observations are new or news. Black women have been scholarly examining toxic masculinity for decades. And rapper misogyny has been thinkpieced ad nauseum at this pointthat misogyny is a reflection of some of the more dysfunctional aspects of American culture, and those aspects are a lot more prevalent in our society than we often want to believe. Bill OReilly and George Lopez arent rappers, but they showed just as much contempt for black women as French Montana has. Offering empty apologies for offending someone only suggests that you feel guilty for having made people feel bad; it doesnt mean youve learned or grown in any way. You cant really see her as a queen if you refuse to accept her as your peer. Kompot, a popular cafe on Odessas central pedestrian avenue was crowded on a recent night. Two middle-aged Americans at the corner table tried to communicate with two glamorous young Ukrainian girls. The men with saggy skin and round bellies looked desperate, struggling to make the weekend plans with a few emotional gestures and simple English words. The two girls at their table looked 18-year-old or younger, while their dates could be older than their fathers. On these spring days Ukraines Black Sea resort of Odessa is full of Western men. English, Italian, Arabic and French can be heard around her graceful cafes and restaurantsthe romance hunters are chasing slim, big-eyed, tall Ukrainian beauties with shiny long hair. Marina Kuguk glanced at the couples in the corner and then continued to talk with her client, a Ukrainian woman looking for a foreign husband. Kuguk is the head of The Melody of Love, one of Odessas many marriage agencies helping women to find a ticket to a more comfortable life. The professional suitor explained to her client that there was no need to hurry, that there plenty of romantic foreigners in Odessa these days. Our male clients, some in their late 50s or mid 60s, look for Slavic women, preferably models, like Melania; and girls want to find their Trumps, the marriage agent, a tall woman fit to be a model herself, told The Daily Beast. This week Europe opened its doors for Ukraine: a majority of European Parliament members voted to cancel visa requirements for Ukrainian visitors. Odessa, Ukraines booming center of sex tourism and bride trade, drank and cheered to the melting borders with the West. However, not many Ukrainian women can afford fulfilling their dreams and traveling around the world. The three year long conflict with pro-Russian rebels in the countrys eastern regions has created humanitarian and economic crises left hundreds of thousands broke. Odessa alone received up to 30,000 IDPs, internally displaced persons, who are all looking for jobs or some way to make living in the Black Sea resort of Odessa. Our ladies dream of living a luxury life abroad, like Nikolayenko, a famous model who married a billionairebut that Cinderellas story makes our job much more difficult, the wedding agency expert Kuguk explained. Odessas famous Cinderella was a top model Olexandra Nikolayenko. Journalists referred to her as to President Donald Trumps best Ukrainian friend, and young Ukrainian models dreamt to have her fate. On the day of the U.S. presidential elections, the 35-year old blond Nikolayenko was photographed next to the newly elected President Donald Trump alongside Nikolayenkos husband, 82-year-old billionaire Phil Ruffin. The photograph went viral on Ukrainian news websites: the model in a tight white dress revealing her fit figure as she and her husband Ruffin spent the election night at the Republican Partys HQ. The couple raised glasses with Trump and Trumps wife Melania to his victory. The two ex-models, Melania Trump and Nikoayenko, have reportedly been good girlfriends for more than a decade. Nikolayenkos beauty career began when a 15-year-old schoolgirl came with her father, an army officer to Odessas oldest model agency, Savrox Models. The director of the agency and Nikolayenkos teacher Tatiana Savchenko told The Daily Beast how proud she was to be with her student and see the young model first win Miss Odessa, then Miss Ukraine-2001, and then go on to shine among top beauties at Miss American Dream and Miss Universe beauty contests. I introduced my student Nikolayenko to her future husband, Donald Trumps longtime partner Phil Ruffin and in a few years they got married, Savchenko told The Daily Beast in an interview on Monday. In 2008 Nikolayenko Ruffin had a glamorous wedding at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort and Savchenko, who Nikolayenko once called her God Mother, attended the party. Her 26-year-old student married a 72-year-old billionaire Ruffin, who is worth $2.6 billion, according to Forbes. Trump was the grooms best man, smiling and friendly with Melania at his sidewe all had so much fun and danced all night, Savchenko recalled the wedding party that took place. Ruffin, who last month had dinner with Trump at the White House, admitted that as single men, the two friends had been on double dates together in Florida. Both ended up marrying models who were decades younger than them. Nikolayenkos friends in Odessa pointed out that in spite of the age differenceRuffin was 47 years older than his Ukrainian wifethe couple had two children and lived happily in that desired-by-many luxurious lifestyle. Was Ukrainian Cinderella helping her country and its people suffering from crises? Nikolayenkos teacher, the manager of the respected model agency sighed. Many people, reporters have tried to build a bridge or find out more hot news about Trump from me or Oleksandra, Savchenko told The Daily Beast. But that door is closed, both Oleksandra and Ruffin are extremely careful and closed from all contactsthat is what I try to explain to all TV crews bothering me, Savchenko said. To Ukrainian poor, to young and pretty women displaced by war, Nikolayenkos story sounds like a fairy tail. It is true that Odessa is crowded with stunning beauties but unfortunately, many of young girls look for easy ways, a rich foreign husband able to pave their way to happier future, a newly appointed Ukrainian presidential adviser Maria Gaidar told The Daily Beast in a recent interview. According to Ukraines Demography and Social Research Institute, average salaries in the country dropped down to $194 a month last year. Many of Ukrainian young women are broke and desperate these days. Foreign men hunting for wives in Odessa, complain that all women see is their wallets and that it is hard to build a romantic relationship under such financial pressure. Some women join the thriving sex business; in the evenings young women offer their service on Arnautskaya Street for $11-30 per hour or work at more expensive sex clubs in downtown of Odessa. Yelena Gerasimova from Luhansk despised the idea of prostitution, she did not have time to date foreign men, either. But when her darkest day came and her mother fell deadly ill, 27-year-old Gerasimova, an IDP from Luhanks, cut off her long blond pony-tail and went to sell it to a saloon of natural hair, for extentions. Nikolayenkos story sounds too unrealistic, Gerasimova toldThe Daily Beast. I do not dream about an American billionaire, I dream of my mother recovering soon. In the waning months of the Obama administration, just as the White House began confronting Russia over its election interference, a mysterious hacker group called the Shadow Brokers appeared, and started causing big problems for U.S. intelligence agencies. The hackers had gotten ahold of secret NSA hacking tools, and they were periodically releasing portions of the cache for the world to see. Eight days before Donald Trumps swearing-in, the hackers announced their retirement, bolstering suspicions that the Shadow Brokers were part of the Kremlins sophisticated hacking apparatus. They havent been heard from since. Until now. On Saturday, the Shadow Brokers blazed back to life to release another tranche of NSA files. This time theyve abandoned their former pretext of being mercenary hackers looking to make a buck. In a lengthy open letter to Donald Trump, the Shadow Brokers explain that theyve returned to protest the US missile strike against a Syrian airbase Thursday an action that marked Trumps first significant move directly opposing the will of Russian president Vladimir Putin. And they warn the president that he will face consequences if he doesnt revert back to his former policy of leaving Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a Putin ally, alone. Respectfully, what the fuck are you doing?, the hackers cautioned Trump. "Is appearing you are abandoning your base, the movement, and the peoples who getting you elected. To security experts watching the group, the Shadow Brokers resurgence now leaves little doubt that Putin is pulling their strings. Its almost certainly the Russian government, says Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec. Whether theyre directly Russian government or controlled by the Russians, all evidence points there. The Shadow Brokers first appeared last August with an announcement that they were selling the hacking tools used by a sophisticated computer-intrusion operation known as the Equation Group. It was a remarkable assertion, because the Equation Group was generally understood to be part of the NSAs elite Tailored Access Operations program and is virtually never detected, much less penetrated. To back up their claim, the Shadow Brokers published two files of about 260 megabytes each: eqgrp_free_file and eqgrp-auction-file. The free file contained a huge cache of specialized NSA malware, including dozens of backdoor programs and 10 exploits, two of them targeting previously unknown security holes in Cisco routersa basic building block of the internet. The leak electrified the computer security world, and sent Cisco and other companies scrambling to fix the security holes and lock out the NSA. The second file, eqgrp-auction-file, was encrypted. Nobody could open it. Portraying themselves as mercenaries out to make a buck, the Shadow Brokers said theyd sell the password to the highest bidder, with a buy-it-now price of 1 million bitcoins -- about $600 million at the time. The ludicrous price tag was one reason experts dismissed the auction as pure theater, crafted to give the Kremlin a fig leaf of deniability while still sending a message to the US to back off. Few thought that the NSAs toolkit was stolen by non-governmental hackers. The Shadow Brokers went on to release more NSA secrets in time with the public thrusts and parries between the Obama administration and the Russian government. On Dec. 15th, Obama announced to NPR that the U.S. would retaliate for the election hackswe need to take action. On the 16th, the Shadow Brokers published a tweetstorm of screenshots showing off more of its unreleased NSA files. Throughout it all, though, the password to the auction file stayed a secret, hanging over the NSA like the Sword of Damocles. Last January, in Obamas final week as president, the Shadow Brokers announced their retirement, dumping a batch of Windows NSA code as a final fuck you. In an online interview with the Daily Beast at the time, the Shadow Brokers insisted that they were just out to make a buck, and had no interest in government affairs or political causes. Douchebags uses causes for trying to get laid, they wrote. TheShadowBrokers is getting plenty laid, no need for cause douchbaggery. Leaving that to those straight men who looking, acting like gay men, thinking its called hipsters. TheShadowBrokers will not dump passwords, they vowed. TheShadowbrokers will not make all shit free. If theshadowbrokers lose then all peoples lose. Now theyve released the password anyway, and in their public letter theyve mostly abandoned any claim of being independent, profit-oriented hackers -- though they still say they arent working for Russia. If theshadowbrokers being Russian dont you think wed be in all those U.S. government reports on Russian hacking? they wrote. The security community is still poring over the newly-decrypted file, but so far the contents are largely uninteresting compared to the earlier NSA dumps. So far the stuff in there isnt earth shattering, says Williams. Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, shares the sentiment, but he thinks the U.S. may be embarrassed by some information in the documents, such as lists of machines the NSA has hacked. Trump reversed a long-held hands-off policy with respect to Syria on Thursday when the U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian government air base in response to a chemical weapon attack that killed over 80 people, including 20 children. Trump told reporters that he was moved by footage of the children suffering and dying. The Russian government considers Syria an ally, and immediately condemned the US response. Despite their disappointment with Trumps policy reversal on Syria (they also complain about Steve Bannons ejection from the National Security Council), the Shadow Brokers are offering to help Trump by hacking other politicians, singling out John McCain as an enemy of the Constitution of the United States because he pushed for the missile attack. TheShadowBrokers is sure if we unmasking, Senator McCain, Magog [Armageddon] itself might come out, many defense contractors, Saudi Princes. (McCains office didnt respond to inquiries Saturday). At the same time, the Shadow Brokers warn Trump, at length, that hell face public ridicule if he continues to displease them. Do you be remembering when you were sitting there at the Obama Press Party and they were all laughing at you?, they write. Do you be remembering when you touring the country and all those peoples believed in you and supported you? You were those peoples hope. How do you be thinking it will be feeling when those people turn on you? Will they be laughing at you, hating you, and mocking you too? Another piece of advice addresses the controversy still swirling around Trump over the circumstances of his election. The Shadow Brokers suggest Trump stop denying that the Kremlin helped him win the presidency. Celebrate it, they write. Louis C.K. has a history of delivering controversial Saturday Night Live monologues. In 2015, an extended bit about pedophiles "From their point of view, it must be amazing, for them to risk so much led to an expected backlash on social media. Having told us how he really feels about lying sack of shit Donald Trump during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this week, there wasnt much left to say about the 45th president of the United States when C.K. took the stage at Studio 8H for the fourth time. Instead of going political, C.K. opened on Saturday night with a joke about racist chicken. Why did the chicken cross the road? he asked. Because there is a black guy walking behind him. And he was nervous. He was new to the city, this chicken, and he was like, I feel like he is following me. But then he thought if I cross the road, then if he crosses the road, hes definitely following me. So he crosses the road. And the black guy went home, he's just living his life. And the chicken is like, Im such a racist. By the way, this joke is not racist, C.K. insisted. Don't be afraid. This is not a racist joke. The chicken was racist. After a few more animal-centric jokes, including one about wanting a pet goat so that he could have a trash can that I can make love to, C.K. closed out his nearly 10-minute set with a long bit about how he feels entitled to certain things as a white man when he stays in fancy hotels. He told a story about staying in a hotel and calling the front desk to complain that he hadnt received his laundry back in less than 24 hours as promised, like it's in the Constitution that you get your laundry. When they told him they didnt have it, he said he got really mad and said, Listen, maam, first of all, you can hear in my voice that Im white. And by the way, I'll defend that right now, C.K. said as the audience began to groan. Because look, it's wrong that white people get preferential treatment. It's wrong. But as long as they do, what's going on at this hotel? I'm supposed to get the best because I'm white, which is awful and wrong, but where is it right now? As it turned out, after he had gotten the manager on the phone and demanded a white investigation into the whereabouts of his laundry, C.K. realized that he never gave the laundry to the hotel in the first place. And just like that, without actually uttering the words white privilege, he explained everything you need to know about it. It was the summer of 1941 and a British astrologer named Louis de Wohl was becoming wildly popular among Americans with his increasingly accurate predictions in his stargazer column, Stars Foretell. As de Wohls reader numbers escalated to meteoric heights, real world consequences ensued. In August 1941, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted its long-standing ban against astrologers and aired an exclusive interview with the man being heralded as The Modern Nostradamus. Just a few weeks later, for the first time in U.S. history, an astrologer was filmed for a U.S. newsreel, the TV news of the day. Pathe News released the newsreels seminal plunge into prophecy with a nation-wide audience of 39,000,000 sitting as judge jury and witness, declared a press release issued by de Wohls manager. Except it was a facade; it was all fake news. De Wohls newspaper column was part of an elaborate black propaganda campaign to organize American public opinion in favor of Britain, and to ultimately get the U.S. to enter the war. In reality, de Wohl worked for British Intelligence (MI5). His so-called manager was none other than the legendary spymaster Sir William Stephenson, a man whom Winston Churchill famously called Intrepid. The average American had no idea. War was raging across Europe and in de Wohls syndicated astrology column emphasis was always on the Nazi threat. Hitlers chief jackal is moving into the house of violence, he predicted, Seer Sees Plot to Kill Hitler. Then, in June 1941, one of de Wohls more detailed predictions seemed to come true. A strong collaborator of Hitler who is neither German nor a Nazi will go violently insane, he foretold. He will be in South or Central America, probably near the Caribbean Sea. Three days later, U.S. newswires proclaimed that the Vichy High Commissioner of the French West Indies, Admiral Georges Robert, had gone insane and had to be restrained by staff. The New York Post reported that newspaper editors across America besieged de Wohl with requests for exclusive stories. The astrologer possessed a mysterious ability to know the unknowable, and millions of Americans wanted to know more. The way it worked behind the facade was masterful. The British spy agency first fed information to de Wohl, which he would write up in his column. In turn, MI5 would then feed the bogus information to the U.S. press. Unable to fact-check details with the Third Reich, the American press would report the news as real, which it was not. For example, the Vichy High Commissioner of the French West Indies never went insane. According to the CIAs Office of the Historian, de Wohls handler was working directly with U.S. spy chief Colonel William Donovan to coordinate and oversee U.S. intelligence collection and analysis efforts. This was before the Office of Strategic Servicesprecursor to the CIAeven existed. The goal of the black propaganda campaign was simple: British intelligence agents believed that England needed assistance from the American war machine in Europe in order to beat back the Nazis. De Wohls phony predictions were intended to help sway public opinion away from the prevailing U.S. isolationist views of the day. The ruse was effective. In one declassified memo, William Stephenson wrote of de Wohl, An ever-growing audience [is] becoming convinced of his supernatural powers. Using its citizens fascination with the supernatural was a concept borrowed from the Nazis. In Germany, numerous high-ranking Nazis were obsessed with the supernatural, including astrology, map-dowsing, and other forms of divination. As Reichsfuhrer-SS, Heinrich Himmler had created a vast Nazi science academy called Das Ahnenerbe; one branch, the Survey of the so-called Occult Sciences (Uberprufung der Sogenannten Geheimwissenschaften) conducted research on extrasensory perception (ESP), astrology, map dowsing, spirit channeling, and other forms of divination. Ahnenerbe scientists were dispatched around the world to excavate prehistoric sites attached to mystical and supernatural ideas. From Istanbul to Iraq, they searched the globe for lost lands like Atlantis and fabled items like the Holy Grail and the Lance of Destinythe spear said to have pierced Christ in the ribs as he hung on the Cross. On Himmlers orders, SS officers scoured Germanys occupied territories, raiding libraries of the occult and looting artifacts related to magic. Entire museum collections of mystical texts in Poland, Ukraine, and Crimea were crated up for Ahnenerbe possession. Among the items said to be most-coveted by Himmler were artifacts of ancient Germanic magic that had miraculously survived three centuries of witch-hunts. The artifacts were carefully maintained; some were discovered by U.S. intelligence agents after the war. Himmler was not alone in his obsession with the occult. SS-Brigadefuhrer Walter Schellenberg, head of the Nazis foreign intelligence service, saw its usage for propaganda. Astrology is a vehicle for the propagation of political concepts, he told Himmlers personal astrologer, Wilhelm Wulff. And Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess, Hitlers obsessively loyal second-in-command, betrayed Hitler and defected to England on the advice of an astrologer. Ironically, Hitler himself loathed supernatural ideas. What nonsense! the Fuhrer told Albert Speer, as recounted in Inside the Third Reich. Here we have at last reached an age that has left all mysticism behind it, and now [numerous Nazis] want to start that all over again! We might just as well have stayed with the church. When Hess betrayed Hitler, the Fuhrer finally had his reason to ban all things supernatural. After declaring Hess legally insane, Hitler enforced Special Action Hess, which included the mass arrest of more than 600 astrologers, fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, faith healers, and other German practitioners of the supernatural or the occult. Artifacts of divination, including tarot cards, scrying mirrors, and crystal balls, were confiscated, as were entire libraries of mystical texts. Enter Louis de Wohl. Just three months after the FCC made its historic exception for de Wohlpermitting him, an astrologer, to appear on U.S. radio wavesthe Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. declared war on Japan, and Hitler declared war on the United States. America had entered World War II, and British intelligence summoned de Wohl home to England. For the next few years, de Wohl was used by the Allies as part of an astrology-based, black propaganda campaign, this time inside Nazi Germany. Under the direction of master propagandist Sefton Delmer, de Wohl wrote seemingly authentic astrology charts that predicted the demise of certain Nazi admirals and generals, and stated that Hitler would be betrayed by his inner circle. These fake star charts and horoscopes were included in near-perfect replicas of a German astrological magazine, banned as part of Action Hess and called Zenit, to be smuggled into Germany for underground distribution. The idea was to make it look as if Zenit was being secretly published in Germany by German occultists working in defiance of the Nazi astrology ban. Instead, the counterfeit magazines were seized by the Gestapo in the port city of Stettin. The plan derailed. But lo and behold, more than one of de Wohls predictions came true. Numerous Nazi generals experienced their downfall, Hitler was betrayed by his inner circle, and Germany lost the war. There were additional real-world consequences as well. After the war, members of an elite U.S. scientific intelligence effort called Operation Alsos came across one half of the surviving collection of Himmlers Ahnenerbe documents and artifacts; the Soviets came across the other half. As the Cold War set in, each side wondered what the other side had discovered, and if perhaps their side got the short end of the stick. This set off a decades-long psychic arms race between the U.S. and the USSR, with each side trying to outdo the other side in top-secret research into mystical subjects, including extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, map-dowsing, and other forms of divination. The programs continue across the Defense Department today, re-branded under the rubric of advanced technology. They bear names like Anomalous Cognition and Advanced Perceptual Competence and are staffed by neurobiologists, information technologists, and computer engineers. At the Office of Naval Research (ONR), scientists are exploring phenomena having to do with premonition and intuition. We have to understand what gives rise to this so-called sixth sense, says Dr. Peter Squire, a program officer in ONRs Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism department. If the researchers understand the process, there may be ways to accelerate itand possibly spread the powers of intuition throughout military units. At least one old adage is true: history repeats itself. Annie Jacobsen is a journalist and author who writes about war, weapons, U.S. national security and secrets. Her most recent book, The Pentagons Brain, was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist in history. Her new book, Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Governments Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis, was published in March. Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Notes on Madison and other states of mind (elections edition): Union vs. identity politics: For a city keen on identity politics and ostensibly working to close the schools racial achievement gap, Madison School Board candidate Ali Muldrow had a lot to offer. She is black and involved in the LGBT community, has two young children and was endorsed by a good chunk of the liberal power structure, including the county Democratic Party, Progressive Dane, The Capital Times and a range of local and state office-holders and social justice activists. What she didnt have, though, is the backing of the Madison teachers union. That went to the winner of Seat 6 in Tuesdays election, Kate Toews. Toews is white but, unlike Muldrow, is not as open to charter schools, did not appear to endorse vouchers (and then retract that apparent endorsement) and does not send her school-age daughter to a private school. I went back 16 years looking for the times Madison elected School Board members who lacked Madison Teachers Inc. backing in contested elections. Fourteen of 19 elections were won by the MTI-backed candidates during that time, and only one candidate who lacked MTIs endorsement has won in the last 10 years. That one was Mary Burke, in her first run in 2012. She spent $128,631 of her own money to beat her union-backed opponent for a position that, at the time, paid $4,200 a year. Discriminatory system: Muldrow also didnt get any help from the goofy way Madison elects its School Board members at large, but by numbered seats not connected to specific geographic areas of the city. The system causes situations like the one on Tuesday, when there were three people on the ballot for two seats, but one of them, Nicki Vander Meulen, was basically assured of winning because her opponent had dropped out. Running at large like Monona Grove may allow for greater focus on running for School Board rather than against each other, Muldrow said, but she was also gracious in defeat, saying she believed Toews and Vander Meulen will do incredible work in the interest of our young people. Burke said there are pros and cons to the current system and to electing members from smaller areas, but that since I have been on the board, I have been happy overall with the qualifications of the people (who) have served on the board. As such, I would not make it a top priority to change the election system. What Burke and probably lots of other school officials dont get or dont care about is that elections are not about getting candidates into office whom those in power believe are good candidates. They are about letting voters, not the election system, decide who gets elected. Voters who decided both Toews and Muldrow were better than Vander Meulen couldnt express that decision with their votes. As Muldrow said: Changing the current electoral system is something we as community may want to explore long term as (it) may further empower the voters of our community. Mo for mayor? When youre a smart, capable and ambitious Madison City Council member who, perhaps more importantly, wins re-election by a wide margin, might have set a fundraising record, represents a diverse area of the city and serves with a mayor most of the council seems not to like very much, the next obvious question is: When are you running for mayor? Maurice Mo Cheeks walloped his opponent Tuesday with 84 percent of the vote. He raised some $17,000 to win a job that pays about $13,000 a year and involves representing the 10th District, which goes all the way from the exclusive and white Nakoma neighborhood to the racially diverse and economically challenged Allied Drive area. If thats given Cheeks ideas about seeking the support of the entire city when the mayors office comes up for election in 2019, hes not telling me; he didnt respond to requests for comment. Holtz isnt Trump, nor Evers Clinton: Wisconsin voters proved their penchant for fickleness again on Tuesday. This is a state that elected one of the more partisan Republican U.S. senators in Ron Johnson in 2010, then elected one of the more partisan Democratic U.S. senators in Tammy Baldwin in 2012, then re-elected Johnson last year. It also voted for an ostensibly conservative, majorly ethically challenged guy for president in Donald Trump last November, but couldnt muster more than 30 percent support for an ostensibly conservative, less-ethically challenged Lowell Holtz for state superintendent of public instruction. Incumbent and Democratic-backed Tony Evers won a third term. Holtz got caught trying to arrange a patronage job for himself preprimary, and faced questions about using a public email account for campaign- related activities. But he sure wasnt retweeting white supremacists or caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women. Of course, Holtz didnt get to run against Hillary Clinton, either. In the opening moments of comedian T.J. Millers new series The Gorburger Show, a stereotypically Japanese talk show is interrupted by an enormous monster who appears in a bolt of lightning before violently murdering several cast and crew members. Gorburger takes a seat behind the desk and declares, This is my show now! First developed as a web series for Funny or Die more than five years ago, The Gorburger Show finally makes its television debut on Comedy Central this Sunday night at midnight. The easily excitable Miller, who voices the character and remotely controls its movements but does not physically inhabit the puppet is very excited for the world to see his creation. Miller likes to call Gorburger his passion project. While Jerry Seinfeld had Seinfeld and Louis C.K. has Louie, he has a show about an insane alien who just wants his own talk show. The Gorburger Show may be all Miller really wants to talk about right now, but its far from the only project on his plate. He recently finished a multi-episode arc as himself on his friend Pete Holmes Crashing, a show he says he respects, but doesnt find particularly funny. This month, he returns as Erlich Bachman for the fourth season of Silicon Valley, also on HBO. And next year, he will have a major role in Steven Spielbergs highly-anticipated sci-fi thriller Ready Player One. When I catch Miller by phone, he is taking a break from yet another production, the new disaster film Underwater with Kristen Stewart in New Orleans, to headline the stand-up comedy portion of the Whatever Festival in Houston, which is the most hipster name for anything ever, he says. Below is an edited and condensed version of our conversation. Its been a long road to get The Gorburger Show on Comedy Central. Jesus, has it. I started off as a Warner Brothers/Funny or Die-produced talk show. And then it went to HBO for a pilot. HBO is so amazing that they released it and Comedy Central picked it up as a series. And yeah, its been a passion project. Im not really an actor, but when you look at all these people like Aziz Ansari with Master of None, like [Pete Holmes] Crashing, like all that stuff, this is my kind of personal show. So instead of doing T.J. Miller trying to be a funny ad salesman and I love Petes show, but Petes making Petes show. This is my kind of show. Because Ive always wanted to be a talk show host, every comedian looks to that, but I never wanted to be one as myself. I think the way that I talk to people and the way I interact with people skews their perception of the situation. So its like if you go on Seth Meyers or Jimmy Fallon or James Corden you know what youre expecting, you know what youre going to get. And it would be the same thing if it were T.J. Millers talk show. But Gorburger is this excited alien. He loves American pop culture, and doesnt understand why humans are afraid of dying. Hes monstrous and has bloodlust. And yet at the same time feels strongly that Usher is the best dancer alive. Its a very strange version [of a talk show], but there couldnt be a better representation of the T.J. Miller passion project. And a big part of it is that I got very lucky with The Director Brothers and Miller Davis and Nick Vatterott being the writers. Its the best team Ive ever worked with. Has your experience being a guest on some of those late-night shows informed The Gorburger Show at all? Every time Im on a talk show, Im anxious for it to go well, right? Gorburger doesnt really know how to host a talk show. He just loves that idea. So my biggest thing is I want to guests to be comfortable and then for them, after about 30 seconds to a minute and a half, forget that theyre talking to a puppet and feel like theyre talking to an actual entity, which everyone does. Moby kind of put it best when he said, I couldnt believe it when it was over, because I had gotten into the idea that Gorburger was a real thing. And my response was, well he is. Is there a guest that has surprised you in their willingness to play along? We love Danny Brown. Hes one of the tip-top. I couldnt believe that Jack Black did the show, but hes just so game. And then Larry King! How the fuck did we get Larry King on? Everybody sort of has their own reaction, but the fact that they get into it shows a lot about them. And youre also doing field pieces as Gorburger. Is that something that youre going to be doing more of and what have those been like to do? Well, those are the most fun. Unfortunately, HBO kind of owns the pilot. And we had gone to the Magic Castle and done a field piece where Gorburger goes to investigate whether magic is real. And it blows his fucking mind and he cant deal with it. He doesnt understand that its a trick. Comedy Central, a network that I love, really said field pieces should be a big part of the show. We want to see him out and in the world. So we want to do that. Our dream is to take him and film in Japan. And I dont know what he would do, because he doesnt speak Japanese, but hes become so accustomed and loves the people who work with him at the studio that he didnt kill so I just think he would be ecstatic to be there but unable to communicate with anyone. And that to me is very, very funny. So you mentioned that you wouldnt want to play yourself on a Crashing-type show, but you do play yourself on Crashing. How close is the T.J. Miller that we see on Crashing to you? Yet again Pete Holmes has foiled my plan. [Laughs] I love that people love Crashing. When I saw the first episode that I was in, its not really my thing. I watch it and I respect it, but it doesnt make me laugh really. Youre not really supposed to say that about a show that youre on. Or that your friend made. But I think that it might be that it was so raw, what happened to Pete. It was so fucked up, so strange, out of the blue. It really sent a shockwave through the Chicago [comedy] scene. So I dont know, I dont find any of it really that funny. But as far as me representing myself, unfortunatelyand my wife will attest to thisthats pretty much me with a cheaper chain. I think the way that Pete is representing me is his own viewpoint, but I was the guy who was there being like, just fucking be a grateful nihilist. Lets fucking go crazy, throw yourself into the work. And youll find stand-up to be much more rewarding than some fucking bitch who didnt appreciate you. I like the line that Pete has said is something you really said to him, which is that comedians are like preachers, but better because were not lying. Does that pretty much correspond with your views? I think that one way or another comedians are like the new philosophers. Even pop philosophy, pop psychology, who are those books being read by? But comedians have these huge audiences now. Especially in a post-meaning, post-religious society, which has just been hammered by a golden Donald Trump nail into the coffin of how human beings used to deal with the human condition. I think thats why were seeing a huge spike in the consumption of comedy. Im a bit afraid that this overabundance of media is an opiate indulgence for a lot of people. Which I respect. I mean, you should spend your time however the fuck you want to. But lets put it this way. When somebody wants to take a picture, I offer a handshake or a hug or at least an experience. And then I tell them, stop recording your life and just live it. Seems like good advice. I mean, shit, I find myself going, Wait, stay where you are, let me grab a picture. And [my wife] Kate is like, why are you not living your own philosophy? But thats the dichotomy of being a philosopher without a system. The nihilist, the Nietzschean apostle kind of has to break his own rules, and doesnt live by any standards except the ones that present themselves and restrict themselves from adhering to any sort of system or moral value compass. Now youre really getting into it, you fucking lunatic, Matt! Dont get me too deep in this rabbit hole. Well, the technology discussion at least leads us to Silicon Valley. That show, to me, feels like its only gotten funnier as its gone on. What has the experience been like for you working on that show for four years now? I love it. I love that its a lightning strike. And its a comedy that people are really excited about. I feel absolutely embarrassed to admit that being on a television series that looks like its going to exist in perpetuity until Mike Judge and Alec Berg want to end it Im embarrassed to say that its easy to slip into autopilot if youre playing a character for years. Whereas with Underwater, which Im filming right now in New Orleans, I have to get my shit together and be that fucking person and then its over at the end of May. The movies made, its done, I move on to the next thing. Ive always been, as a kid, I was enamored with cinema, as a lot of us are. I know its the platinum age of television, but I dont know, when Atlanta and Transparent are winning comedy Golden Globes, like The Martian or something, Im lucky to be on a show that is a comedy thats actually comedic. But Gorburger is the only episodic thing I really want to do and I would love eventually to do it live. Right now, were in a situation where I think episodic is very interesting, theyve been doing great things with it, but ultimately dont we all want a beautiful, hilarious story? Tthats what you get when you buy a ticket to a movie. And now you got to work with Steven Spielberg [on Ready Player One]. I mean, Jesus, how much weirder could it be? Hes like the Sultan of Hollywood. Its almost as if he said, Bring him to me. Ill judge for myself if this talent is truly real. And so, I went out there and they kept reiterating that they wrote the part for me. But a lot of it was just watching. You just watch Steven Spielberg work. You act in his film, but theres nothing negative. If theres a note, its, Thats good, but do a little bit more of this. And then the second you do it right, hes like, Print it! Lets print that one, that was perfect. Alright, lets do one more for safety. And then hell say, lets do one thats just for you. So hes really only looking for three takes and he gets them quickly and he trusts his cast and hes just the most its not approachable, its not grounded hes the most unassuming man. You dont see him look at you and have any other judgement except for, Im excited to see what we can do together. Collaboration is at the forefront of everything. Ego and self-indulgence is not even present. Its amazing. Yeah, youve doing more and more high-profile film roles. Is there a desire for you to be more than comic relief? I dont want to do anything except for comedy. Im not really interested in taking a dramatic turn. You know, Dreamworks bought this movie that Im going to write. Eventually, Im going to just start writing and being in my own movies. It just depends what size they are and right now Dreamworks thinks they can be studio size. And I love that. Because my whole philosophical mission statement is, get people laughing as much time on screen and then hopefully even in China where there are suicide nets, even at work at a job that they hate, theyre going, That fucking guy with the weird hair, he was so funny screaming in Transformers. I love commercial arts. I love Warhol. I love Nietzsche and what he tried to do, but failed. I find all that stuff really engaging and I think its really snobby and pretentious of any of these fucking people who are like, Ugh, that has mass appeal, I hate it. You know, go fuck yourself. You have your niche options. People say, Why are you doing The Emoji Movie? Because you like Silicon Valley. This isnt for you. Im working for more than just the people who get to say whats cool and whats not. And Im working very fucking hard. My CV speaks for itself in that I feel very strongly about creating comedy for the American public. Donald Trump may be a wartime president now , but that doesnt mean Saturday Night Live is taking it any easier on him. Appearing before a crowd of his supporters in Boone County, Kentucky, Alec Baldwins Trump was quick to remind them how good his week had been. I had an amazing week, folks. I met with leaders from China, Egypt and Jordan. Gorsuch was confirmed, the media is saying nice things about me and no one is talking about Russia. Wow, what a difference 59 Tomahawk missiles can make. I know how hard it is out there for you. Things have changed so much since I was growing up. For example, a lot of poverty is white now. Is that crazy? Trump added. But as much as he tried to keep the discussion to his bombing raid in Syria, the Kentucky voters kept wanting to talk about things like jobs and Obamacare. God, I love coal. You guys have suffered terribly, worse than anyone and as president I promise I am going to do everything I can to make sure you people work in coal for the rest of your lives, Trump said. And your kids will work in coal and your grandkids and it's going to be incredible. In Trump's America, men work in two places: coal mines and Goldman Sachs, the president added, before blaming House Speaker Paul Ryan for failing to fix the health care system and randomly calling for Susan Rice to be jailed . I dont know who that is, one man said in response. One after the next, however, the Trump voters said they were sticking by their president. That's why I came here, he told them. You stand by me no matter what. Its like you found a finger in your chili, but you still eat the chili because you told everyone how much you love chili. It's tremendous. The term black comedy can be a bit of a left-handed compliment, a warning as if to say, what you will experience here wont actually make you laugh, but its twisted and ironic, off-kilter, and not strictly serious like drama tends to be. We have anecdotes, for instance, of Kafka laughing his ass off as he wrote The Metamorphosis, but if we see a dude in a cafe reading that book and chuckling along, we invariably think hes doing it for show, as if this will woo a hipster boy or girl or two scattered around. Bruce Robinsons film Withnail and I, which premiered thirty years ago on April 10, gets the black comedy tag as if by a fait accompli, like the label is woven into the very bylaws of any discussion you might have about the film. It involves two struggling actors/housemates, Richard E. Grants Withnail, and the I of the titleplayed by Paul McGannand billed as Marwood in Robinsons screenplay, though no one says his name aloud in the picture. Its a film about friendship, from the ceiling to the baseboards, one might say; that is, the top portions and those at the bottom, and how we come together in life with people we must come together with for a while, whom we must eventually depart from. Thats sobering and certainly un-riotous, which is interesting, as this is as riotous a film, verbally, as a Marx Brothers picture is visually. Some might call the plot threadbare: its 1969, Withnail and Marwood live in London in a flat where rodents scurry about a kitchen that is sure to make you feel better about your owneven if youre a squatter. Withnail cons his gay uncle Monty into letting them use his cottage in the country, where, in Withnails words, they go on holiday by mistake, sans food or any means to procure any. They see dastardly intentions in the eyes of everyone and everything they encounter, from a poacher to a randy bull who wants to get past a hapless Marwood and make its way down the paddock hill to do its business with some cows. Withnail talks in a faux-Shakespearean manner. When a prowler is suspected outside the cottage, after Withnail has taken to Marwoods bed and footsteps are heard in the house, his solution to his friend is offer yourself to him. We all know this kind of guyand, certainly, who he is looking out for. Hes the hilarious friend you tolerate, partially because people so in need of looking out for themselvesor who think they areare the ones we need to look out for if theyre our friend. Just as we necessarily put up with a lot from them. It helps, of course, to have another friend or two in common, so you can discuss your rakehell buddy with, but thats part of Marwoods difficulties in Withnail and I. Withnail regularly demands his booze, the finest wines in all the world, claims there is no drug and drink admixture he cant easily handleand then handle double that amountwhich means that even when he is drinking lighter fluid, falling to the ground, and vomiting on his friends shoes, hes a talker. But he talks so well that even if a listeners ears might have otherwise fallen off and ran, in this context theyre drawn to this figure. The figure in this case doesnt know it, really, but he certainly hopes for it, for a very simple reason: Hes lonely. Like most of us. Which makes him talk more. Which makes Marwood try to stick around more, hard as that is turning out to be. The trip to the countrysidewhich looks like something straight out of the verse of John Clareis soundtracked with Jimi Hendrixs All Along the Watchtower as Withnail explains a device he has that will stock the untainted urine of babies, so that one can fool a copper after being pulled over for drunken driving. Whats intriguing is that the Hendrix music is slightly slowed down, just as Hendrixs performance of Voodoo Child (Slight Return) will be on the way back from the disastrous holiday, which concludes with Uncle Monty showing up in the middle of the night to try and bed Marwood, whom Withnail had told his uncle was a toilet trader. After all, without the promise of gay sex, there was no way to underwrite the trip. Those slightly-slowed-down Hendrix tunes do something with our conception of time, positing how it can be stretched or compacted in our memory, in proportion to our depths of feeling regarding a given event. A chicken has been killed, a bull reined in, eels bartered for, fish hunted with a shotgun, a gay uncle rebuffed, a shot fired in the night, but the films focus has not veered from the dynamic between these two actor friends. Not for us as viewers, not for them in the context of their own bond. Friendship in perpetual close proximity can be suffocating, and friendship also can have a shelf life. Most things in life, no matter how wonderful, have a shelf life. Thats life and that, in part, is why it can be a bear, and why its always about what is next and what could be next, though we so often think and feel that its about what has happened and what cannot happen again, though we wish it would. Withnail is figuring all of this out, his zaniness and misadventures and ridiculous pronouncements and his florid ejaculations being but simulacra of an internal holding pattern, an outpouring of fear that life needs to be gotten on with. His career near thirty is going nowhere, his mother hangs up on him, his agent cant get him a part and does the same. Things, in short, are not working. Upon their return to London, to a flat where their drug dealer friend Danny and his buddy Presuming Ed have taken up residence, Marwood learns that hes been cast for a lead part. A note from the landlord turns up: theyve been thrown out for unpaid rent. The old gang is being broken up, and if it wasnt plain before, its clear now that the trip to the country was like a honeymoon in reverse, but one necessary for a parting that simply had to come. This is perhaps the most endlessly quotable of all funny films, even as it repeatedly cracks the human heart. If youre a fifteen-year-old who loves his or her locker room humor, boy howdy are you in for a treat if you dont know this picture. You can dazzle your friends with lines from it. If youve loved and lost and not been able to kick clear of the past, its a work to drink in as you knock back a few ales, maybe before resolving to do less of that come the next day, and try something else. Thats how the duo leaves us and each other, with Withnail walking Marwood in the rain to the train station, carrying an umbrella and a bottle of wine to toast his friend, which is, in effect, a toast to someone leaving him behind to fend for himself. Outside the gates of the London Zoo, as a couple of wolves gather on the other side of the fence, Withnail turns his face upward to the rain falling down, and delivers a version of Hamlets What a piece of work man is monologue, which, of course, was spoken to two friendsRosencrantz and Guildensternwho certainly stayed together too long. The wolves look on, as do we, before Withnail turns his back to the camera, and walks away. There isnt much in this world we can do alone, including moving on. Friendship, ideally, binds, but it can also unbind, so something else in the future might better do so with another something else. And if you want people to see what that is like, you probably should make them laugh while you do it. Hence, Withnail and I, a film about friendship that is also a friend. Friday morning, Turkish Airlines had a surprise passenger mid-flight. According to NBC News , the cabin crew of the Boeing 737 delivered a baby girl during a flight from Conarky, Guinea to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The mother, Nafi Diaby,was 28-weeks pregnant and had been complaining about labor pains throughout the flight. When the flight crew saw Diaby in distress, they came to her aide and helped deliver baby girl Kadiju. After Kadiju was born, the flight team posed for photos with their new passengerand they are precious. Turkish Airlines announced the delivery on Twitter saying, Welcome on board Princess! Turkish Airlines policy of travelling while pregnant reads, Passengers who have not yet entered their 28th week of pregnancy are able to travel without a doctors note. Passengers expecting 1 child and who are between the start of the 28th and end of the 35th week of pregnancy are able to travel with a doctors note containing the statement There is no particular reason for the patient not to fly. Upon arrival to the Burkina Faso capital the mother and daughter were taken to the hospital. The airline said both were healthy and doing well. In 70 CE, at the end of a lengthy siege, Roman soldiers stormed the city of Jerusalem, looting and burning as they went. Despite possible efforts of then-general, later-emperor, Titus, to spare the Temple itself, his troops set fire to the most holy site in Judaism and it was utterly destroyed. But many of the treasures contained in the Temple did not perish in the conflagration. A golden candelabrum, of a sort that, according to later tradition, had miraculously burned for seven nights during the Maccabean revolt, was not destroyed. It and the other gold and silver temple vessels were seized by the Romans and transported to Rome. But they have subsequently vanished. Its one of historys greatest mysteries: whatever happened to the priceless artifacts from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem? Following the destruction of the temple, the precious gold Temple treasuresthe trumpets, the fire pans used for burning incense, the table of the shewbread, and the candelabrumwere taken back to the capital of the empire. Americas three Baby Boomer PresidentsBill Clinton, George W. Bush and Donald Trumpwere born within ten weeks of one another during the summer of 1946. As different as the men are, as different their backgrounds, the symmetry is striking. Their lives serve as paradigms for so much that transpired over the course of the American Century, separately and in concert. This is especially true when observing their relationships to and with the military, and the great war of their generation. Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam, weve all been there, Michael Herr wrote in his 1977 book, Dispatches. While perhaps figuratively accurate, none of the three Baby Boomer presidents served there, despite coming of age during the height of the war. Not having a veteran of a major conflict later be elected commander-in-chief proved a first in American history, no small feat for a country spawned in armed revolution. This is not an anomaly, nor a coincidence. Nor is it a matter of a bygone past. Its our present, too, and likely our future. Its an indicator of how much our nation is still mired in that conflict and the debates that raged around it, and hard evidence of how our contemporary nation really feels about military service, beyond the parades and star-spangled ceremony. I. Then Bushs and Clintons fathers served in World War II while Fred Trump built military barracks. The three men were born into a country of postwar hope and ambitions. The GI Bill, the interstate highway system, the suburbs, rock and roll, etceterafor children growing up in that era, everything was possible as never before. Including dying in an atomic blast. The GNP more than doubled from $212 billion in 1945 to $503 billion in 1960, a staggering surge, though there were already signs that Americas newfound affluence would lead to unintended consequences. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith forewarned a lack of national investment in education in 1958s The Affluent Society, arguing, Here, in an atmosphere of private opulence and public squalor, the private goods have full sway. Still, the American Dream resonated, with all its grand mythology, whether the son of an Arkansas nurse, a Texas oilman, or a New York real-estate developer. Then came Vietnam, a place and war that would divide America in a way unseen since the Civil War. Vietnam was a terribly important thing for this country, the writer Robert Stone said in an interview. Its like a wound covered with scar tissue, or like a foreign body, a piece of shrapnel that the organism has built up a protective wall around, but it is embedded in our history; it is embedded in our definition of who we are. We will never get it out of there. There were plenty of reasons for a young person not to go to Vietnam, but for those who did, whether as draftees or volunteers (though the term volunteer deserves parsing, given the politics and intricacies of the draft) they returned to a society much unlike the one thatd wrought them. The odyssey of returning from combat has been messy and complex since ancient Greece, and these service-members were doing it alone, piecemeal. The easy labels at home seemed readymade, one of which veteran and writer Robert Timberg described as the wild-eyed, unpredictable, short-fused, violence-prone, ticking time bomb. Insertions into popular culture of that caricature and others soon followed, where they remain fixed and entrenched. Though still in their twenties then, Baby Boomersvets, protestors and the apathetic alikehad found the political stage thatd last them all their lives. The players sometimes changed, as did the backdrops and scenery. But the inherent conflicts about country, duty and justice never would. Clinton received student deferments during the war, helping organize protests while at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard, a position that kept him stateside for the duration of his six years in uniform. Trump also received student deferments and later a medical deferment for heel spurs. The war certainly helped shape our future presidents worldviews in different ways. Their actions during the war would also affect their future political campaigns. When Saigon fell in 1975, it was official: America had lost its first armed conflict. The hopes and ambitions of 1946 mustve felt a world away. Americans see history as a straight line, journalist Frances FitzGerald wrote in her 1973 book on the war, Fire in the Lake. And themselves standing at the cutting edge as representatives for all mankind. Not any more. II. Then & Now After Vietnam, Clinton, Bush and Trump all married and started families, as well as their careers. The first was a law school professor with his eye on becoming Arkansas attorney general. The second founded a small oil company in Texas while considering the political trail blazed by his prominent father. And the third was already a known landlord in New York, famous for his flamboyance and bartering, infamous for a suit brought by the Department of Justice charging anti-black bias. Vietnam lingered in the American consciousness, but it was all still too close, and oh so raw. The hallmarks that would come to define our cultural interpretation of the warmovies like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, books like The Things They Carried were years away. Allegories like Star Wars and M*A*S*H and The Forever War became substitutes, oblique reckonings while time attempted to mend, and distort, the collective memory. Meanwhile, Vietnam vets were fighting more than stereotypes in their transitions homeeducation and jobs serve as the bedrock for any generation of veterans, and organizations like the VFW and the American Legion were shunning the new influx. The VVAVietnam Veterans of Americawould form as a response. In the late 1970s and 80s, Baby Boomers entered the political arena. Veterans like Gray Davis, Al Gore, Bob Kerrey, John Kerry, John McCain, Larry Pressler, Tom Ridge, Jim Webb and others became state officials and assistant cabinet secretaries, then governors and congressmen. Upwards of 60 percent of Congress had military backgrounds at that time, many World War II and Korea veterans. It seemed natural, inevitable, that a Vietnam veteran would someday assume the highest office in the land. It was American tradition. Few could anticipate what some in politics now refer to as a bamboo ceilingan aversion against electing President a combat veteran of Vietnam. Bob Kerrey in 1992. Bob Dornan in 1996. Gore in 2000. Bob Smith in 2000. McCain in 2000 and 2008. John Kerry in 2004. Wesley Clark in 2004. Webb in 2016. All ran for President of the United States and lost. Some got closer than others, Gore, Kerry and McCain, most notably. For their efforts, Kerry and McCain had their distinguished combat records smeared during campaigns: the former in the notorious Swiftboating campaign, the latter by Karl Roves whisper operation involving false rumors about McCains mental stability. Gore mostly avoided these types of attacks, though dismissive jokes about his service as a military journalist were prevalent enough. In his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope, then-Senator Barack Obamawhod become our nations first post-Boomer Presidentmade the case that America never moved past the dorm-room arguments of the 1960s. I sometimes felt as if I were watching the psychodrama of the Baby Boom generationa tale rooted in old grudges and revenge plots hatched on a handful of college campuses long agoplayed out on the national stage, Obama wrote about the political battles from his own youth. The arguments werent just in dorms, my mom, Deborah Scott Gallagher, recently told me in a phone conversation. A retired attorney, her formative years were during the tumult of the late 60s, and she protested the war during collegeno easy decision for a daughter of a Navy admiral and a staunch Baptist Navy wife. Those conversations, those arguments, were happening at most every kitchen table, too, my mom continued. The peers of the McCains and Kerrys who hadnt gone to Vietnam were making their own way through politics, though the wars reach still managed to grip them. In 1992, Clintons Vietnam deferments proved a front-page story, conjuring up then-recent memories of Vice President Dan Quayles National Guard stink. The kitchen-table arguments from the 60s had reached the national stage. During the run-up to the New Hampshire primary, with Clintons poll numbers tumbling, his advisor James Carvillea Marine veteranconvinced the campaign to release a 1969 letter Clinton had written an ROTC commander that outlined his opposition to the war and his decision to try his chances with the draft. Carville reasoned that there were enough voters out there who would commiserate with the young Clintons choice, a gamble on many things, including a changed electorate. It worked, likely saving Clintons presidential ambitions in the process. It also established solid proof that honorable military service wasnt the criterion in American politics that itd once been. Four years later, Clinton handily defeated Bob Dole, a decorated World War II hero. And in 2000 and 2004, Bushs stateside National Guard time only sort of mattered, remembered now mostly for the Killian documents controversy that facilitated Dan Rathers early retirement from CBS. In 2016, Trumps heel spurs were just another sideshow in a campaign full of them. Trump praised the military, but also bragged about not serving, slandered McCain and other POWs, and got into an ugly back-and-forth with a Gold Star family. And he won. Whatd once been sacred territory in American politics is now anything but. III. Then, Now & Tomorrow The presence or absence of a war record seemed to matter a great deal for a long time, Jeffrey Toobin wrote in 2012 for The New Yorker, in an article about the ObamaMitt Romney contest, the first presidential election since the 1940s to not include a military veteran. Now it doesnt. Little has changed in the years since. Jim Webb, the only 2016 presidential candidate in either primary whod served in combat, garnered much mockery when he answered a question about a past adversary he was proud of making, doing so with a smile: Id have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, Webb said. But hes not around right now to talk to. Anyone whos spent a day in uniform identified that as dark gallows humor pervasive (and probably necessary) in military culture. It was received as anything but in most corners. For better or worse, that sort of talk isnt something many Americans today recognize. What comes next? On one hand, weve been a nation at war for 16 years running. On the other, due to the all-volunteer force, those battles have been waged by a small fragment of our societyone-half of 1 percent of our population serves in todays military. Through it all, Vietnam looms, a large shadow stapled to the heels of our history. Iraq was compared to Vietnam before the war there even beganprescient, perhaps, or a self-fulfilling prophecy, or maybe both. Afghanistan is The Forever War, a term with its origins in the allegorical Vietnam novel but also employed without any irony in 2017. History does not repeat itself, Mark Twain mayve quipped, but it does rhyme. Whether due to the inherent politicization of the wars we fought in or something else, my generation of vets is already intrinsically partisan, with right-leaning and left-leaning nonprofits and advocacy groups dotting the landscape like molehills. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have pierced the halls of Congress, though their politics and worldviews can differ widely. Democrats Senator Tammy Duckworth and Congressman Seth Moulton, for example, are both Iraq veterans, something they share with Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Joni Ernst. The place of their proving grounds might well be where the similarities end, though. Listening to the discussion about the Iran nuclear deal, for one, revealed that the hawkish Cotton took away lessons from combat much different than those of his colleagues across the aisle. Will an Iraq or Afghanistan war veteran someday be commander in chief? Perhaps, though Im personally dubious. Weve entered a new phase in our nations relations to military service. Further, we understand better than ever in 2017 that the narratives of popular culture deeply affect and intersect with political narratives. Hence a president best known from reality television. The narratives of who a veteran is in contemporary America havent changed all that much since Vietnam, even if the pomp surrounding what a veteran is has. If a Global War on Terror veteran does someday lead the White House, itll be in spite of their time in uniform, not assisted by it. Meanwhile, the Vietnam generation has become silver-haired elder statesmen, watching over a country trying desperately not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It now seems unlikelythough not impossiblethat any vet of their era is elected President. Does that matter? How could it not? Yet McCains almost single-handedly holding back Congress from authorizing torture in military interrogations. Kerrys combat tour certainly shaped his time and decisions as Secretary of State. Vietnam continues to affect and influence Americas leaders, vets or otherwise. Maybe it always will. Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam, weve all been there. Even if our presidents havent. About 150 to 160 officers from south-central Wisconsin and beyond are involved in a manhunt for a Janesville felon who authorities say stole guns, threatened public officials, and wrote a 161-page anti-government manifesto that he sent to President Donald Trump. We are continuing the search that weve been doing. Were looking at rural areas. Were looking at county parks. Were looking at places where someone could hunker down and camp, Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden said Sunday. Rock County Sheriffs Office Commander Troy Knudson said since the search began Thursday for Joseph Jakubowski, 32, law enforcement has received 320 tips and leads. As of 9 p.m. Sunday, Jakubowski remained at large, the Rock County Sheriff Department said. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jakubowskis arrest. Jakubowski is a suspect in a gun shop break-in and theft in Janesville Tuesday evening. Authorities say he also made suggestions about attacking several targets, including schools. Knudson said police have been in contact with a number of people who may have known Jakubowski or people who have reported sightings of him. Jakubowski is described as 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair. Investigators said he is currently unemployed. His last known employment was a seasonal job at Best Buy over the holidays, Knudson said. Spoden said the Sheriffs Office has had some tips that have panned out, but others show a community on edge, in one case mistaking target practice in a rural area of the county as suspicious gunfire. Also, law enforcement received a suspicious circumstance report near St. Marys Church, on East Wall Street in Janesville, where a man was reported placing weapons into the trunk of a vehicle, Knudson said. Police, supported by tactical resources, responded and made contact with a resident who lived near there. The resident explained that he was preparing to go target shooting. A tactical team searched his home and his story was verified. So theres a certain amount of people wanting to help out but they are not necessarily tips that we can use, Spoden said. Police patrols near places of worship were stepped up Sunday because Janesville police said Jakubowski expressed anti-religious views in his manifesto. However, there were no specific threats to any particular church or religious group, police said. The Rock County Sheriffs Office said it appears the only church to close Sunday was Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sun Prairie, where it was reported that someone who looked like Jakubowski came in Thursday and asked unusual questions. The questions included inquiries about practices of turning people away from services, Sun Prairie police Lt. Brian Teasdale said. On Sunday, Teasdale said the man was not Jakubowski, adding the Sun Prairie Police Department asks that all citizens remain alert of their surroundings. Spoden said the Sheriffs Office is under the assumption that Jakubowski is still in the area, but hasnt ruled out that he may have fled somewhere else, which is why they have sought federal help. Besides the Rock County Sheriffs Office and the Janesville Police Department, the FBI is involved, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Secret Service. The state Department of Criminal Investigations is providing security, Spoden said. Citizens, grocery stores, restaurants and a fire department have all donated food to the investigating officers, he said. People out in the public have approached me to say, Thank you for what you are doing. We know you are going to get him, Spoden said. Its really good on the morale for the officers to get some appreciation. Knudson said sign companies in Rock, Dane and Walworth counties have donated their services, getting Jakubowskis picture up on signs and billboards. It increases the visibility and hopefully increases the chances of him being spotted and being able to bring this thing to a quick resolution, he said. Dear President Donald Trump, Letting the public see your recent tax returns would be not only in the best interest of the country, but also is in your own interest. With millions of us filing our own tax returns this month, there is no better time for release of your returns than now. We understand you want to allow an audit by the Internal Revenue Service to be completed before you release your tax information. Your business sense probably along with your attorneys and accountants is telling you to avoid subjecting your tax information to double-jeopardy scrutiny by the public and IRS. But you are no longer primarily Donald Trump, business executive. You are Donald Trump, president of the United States. You remain the only president to withhold his tax returns from public review since Richard Nixon opened his returns in 1973. Furthermore, other presidents have made their tax returns public despite undergoing annual audits required of all presidents while in office. It is important for us, as a nation, to have your tax information so we can evaluate what if any business relationships you may have had that pose potential conflicts of interest, especially connections with Russia, accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election. We also deserve to know what sorts of tax breaks you have received so that we can better evaluate the tax reform legislation you are developing and what if any personal gain or loss you might suffer from that reform. It is important for you to reveal your tax information because a president needs the publics confidence and support. Because of serious questions about your associates links to Russian businesses and to Russian officials as well as concerns about your personal stake in tax reform, you are facing skepticism that threatens your ability to get things done. You lost your first attempt to repeal ObamaCare. Your tax reform is already under attack. Your public approval ratings are low. A contributing factor is the cloud of suspicion around you from continuing to withhold your tax information. We have your 2005 tax return, leaked to a reporter. There were no red flags. But your 2005 return, perhaps deliberately leaked for a political purpose, is not enough to put concerns to rest. We need more recent returns to properly answer our questions. You do not need to reveal your entire return. Your 1040 form will offer access to your sources of income to help us discover any suspicious business relationships. Your Schedule A will show us your itemized deductions so we can understand which tax breaks affect you personally. Your opponents are sure to use information from your returns for political grandstanding. But most of us are capable of sifting through the partisan sensationalism to find the issues of national interest. Release your returns, Mr. President. For 20 weeks, MaKenna Kotrla has spent a lot of time with her turkey hen, a large white bird named Turkey Dumplin'. The College Station High School sophomore, has shown diligent care -- feeding the animal constantly and treating the bird's "peck wounds." All that work paid off for Kotrla when she and Turkey Dumplin' won reserve grand champion -- or overall second place -- in market turkey rearing at the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show. Kotrla was one of hundreds of area children who competed at the show, with 230 taking their animals, products and artwork to auction on Saturday. Kotrla, who has been in 4-H since she was 7, sold Turkey Dumplin' to a three-company group on Saturday for $1,750 -- much more than what she thought she would receive. The money she earned will be put toward future turkey feed, as well as to her future Texas A&M tuition after she graduates high school. Raising turkeys is something that brings the teen joy, and is an activity she will continue through college. "It gives me a really good sense of responsibility," she said. "I love that I can take something and raise it to become something wonderful." And what made her think of naming her bird after a dish Grandma might have made? "We give the turkeys names of food so that we don't get attached to them," the teen said with a laugh. "The No. 1 rule of 4-H is don't get attached to your animals." In the Brazos County Expo's main arena, stationed in a small cage next to Kotrla's turkey, Ellie Hague, 13, a seventh-grader from A&M Consolidated Middle School, handled her six Californian rabbits. Each large rabbit sported soft white fur and long black ears, and would rest comfortably in their breeder's arms when picked up. Hague has been raising rabbits since she was in third grade, and this year, she hit the big prize, as her six bunnies were named grand champions in the rabbit division. "A lot of [winning] is luck," she said. "It depends on what the judge likes. A lot of it is size -- you won't find a four-pound rabbit as grand champion." Like Kotrla with her turkey, Hague regularly feeds her rabbits at specified times. She cleans them, and additionally works to breed them based on genetic traits. "A lot of it is in the [male] and what he looks like," she said. "In the male, you'll find the better genes." Last year, Hague placed high and sold her rabbits for $1,200. This year the bunnies sold for $2,500, purchased by Cavender's Boot City and Douglas E. Tractor. All the money Hague makes will go into savings, she said, and will be spent on college tuition and an investment in a car when she becomes old enough to drive. Some money will also be allocated to future care for the rabbits. "My grandma and my mom had rabbits when I was little," she said. "My grandma raised rabbits for my cousin, so I always grew up around them. It was exciting for me, and when I was old enough I loved that I could be in 4-H." While many youths showed livestock, rabbits and birds, others sold items they had crafted by hand. Madeline Chilek, 14, an eighth-grader at Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan, won reserve grand champion in the intermediate division of woodworking. With help from her father, the young teen fashioned a large swing bench out of cedar -- a project that took months. "I started competing in 4-H at 8 years old," Chilek said. "I've done it every year now. My dad will tell me how to do things and guide me along. Over the years he's taught me how to use each tool, so I know what I need now, and if I don't quite know how to use something he'll help me." Chilek has never taken a woodshop class, but instead learns from her father. One of her favorite aspects of woodworking is the bonding time she spends with her dad. "It teaches me a lot that some other kids don't know about," she said. "I can make something myself, not just buy it from the furniture store. It makes me proud, and is also something I can work on with Dad -- it's our project." Each year the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show is hosted at the Brazos County Expo, with hundreds of philanthropic buyers and sponsors wishing to use their money to benefit children and teenagers willing to work hard and create or raise something. This year's show was dedicated to Livestock Show leader and 4-H promoter Ann Wilder. A proposed bill in the state legislature could change how bond is set for those accused of crimes, prompting debate amongst key players in the local criminal justice system on how reform could affect the county. Senate Bill 1338 would mandate a release decision within 48 hours of a defendant's arrest and would require pretrial detention teams to use a risk-assessment evaluation before making a bond decision. The bill, which is pending in committee, was written by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and aims to allow more defendants to be released on a personal recognizance (PR) bond. "In theory, there will be fewer people in jail due to economic status," said Edward Spillane III, presiding judge for the College Station Municipal Court. Spillane said the proposed legislation likely will increase the number of inmates who are given PR bonds, meaning they will not need to pay a money bond to get out of jail but instead must show up to their court date on their own recognizance. An increase in PR bonds also would give indigent defendants more money to hire an attorney, since they won't need to spend money paying a bond to get out of jail before their trial. "We're doing away with bail being part of the punishment," Whitmire told The Texas Tribune in March. "You should not be held in jail 'cause you can't afford to get out. You sure as hell shouldn't plead guilty to something you didn't do, and I don't want families to have to continue to get payday lender loans or car title loans to get someone out." Whitmire has teamed up with Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, to carry an identical version of the bill in the Texas House. Larance Coleman, Whitmire's policy director, wrote in an email that the bill's aim is "to grant pretrial release to low-risk defendants who are unable to post a bond and grant authority for the judges to deny high-risk dangerous offenders." The bill is supported by the Texas Judicial Council and the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court of Criminal Appeals; it is opposed by the Professional Bondsmen of Texas. A 2015 report from the U.S. Department of Justice found that 95 percent of the growth in the overall jail inmate population since 2000 resulted from an increase in unconvicted inmates awaiting trial. Taxpayers pick up the tab for those who remain in jail while they await trial; a 2010 NPR report estimated that pretrial detention cost taxpayers $9 billion nationwide over the course of that year. Justices of the peace set around 90 percent of the bonds in Brazos County, according to Tommy Munoz, District 2's justice of the peace. Munoz said he considers recommendations from the district attorney and county attorneys when he sets bail. He said he's open to seeing the pretrial assessment before he sets bail but is concerned about where the county will get the money from to hire the teams responsible for scoring the tests. Munoz said he's also worried about people getting out of jail on bond and committing new crimes. He said he thinks bonds could be set higher, not lower. "The primary consideration to me is the safety and well-being of the community," he said. A new study from the Texas A&M University Public Policy Research Institute, or PPRI, that compared bond systems in Travis and Tarrant counties, which use a risk and financial assessment, respectively to set bail. The study showed those who remain in jail, unable to post bond, are often less likely to harm the public than the inmates who post bail. When a money bond was required for a defendant's release, 24 percent more defendants who stand little chance of harming the public remained in jail. Moreover, the rate of new offending in the study was 22 percent higher in the system where risk assessment was not used in the release decision; 1.5 times more of the offenses committed by people on money bond were violent crimes. However, that same study showed that the money bond system did a better job of ensuring defendants showed up for court. Bond forfeiture rates were 34 percent lower under the financial-assessment system than the risk-based one. Dottie Carmichael, a research scientist with PPRI, said the study's results also suggested that a risk-based assessment system such as the one proposed in SB 1338 would cost more initially, but would, over time, save the county money. "The person is just sitting in jail, at the taxpayer's expense," Carmichael said. A risk-based assessment, she added, "more than offset [its] costs." Carmichael also said that the risk-based assessment system helped judges to more accurately make bond decisions based on the defendant's likely risk to the community, assuaging the concerns of judges such as Munoz who worry about an increase in PR bonds leading to higher crime rates. According to data released to The Eagle by Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk, there were 630 inmates in the Brazos County jail as of March 28, 41 of whom had been in custody for less than a week, meaning they had not had a trial and are as of yet unconvicted for the crimes for which they were arrested; 264 of those inmates had been in the jail for more than a week and not been to trial or reached a plea deal, 72 of whom were being held on blue warrants, meaning they were ineligible for bail. Seven of those in the jail are being held on charges that are Class C misdemeanors -- accused of low-level offenses such as public intoxication or possession of drug paraphernalia -- while 11 are being held on murder charges. Of the seven being held on Class C misdemeanors, five were not "laying out" a fine -- meaning those two were not eligible to be released on bail -- the longest of whom had been in the county jail for about two weeks. Mark Maltsberger, a defense attorney in Bryan, said more people would be in jail if defendants didn't submit guilty pleas for crimes they didn't commit. "Their options are to stay in jail until they get a trial date, which could be a couple months, or they can enter a guilty plea," said Maltsberger. "We're subverting the Constitution with the policy procedure that is in place at this time," he said. Kirk said he's worried whether the bill will require an "unfunded mandate," where counties would be responsible for hiring staff for pretrial detention teams without state funding. Carmichael suggested the county probation department could be responsible for the teams, given that probation and bond supervision are loosely related aspects of criminal justice. "We would have to have some money," said Debbie Batten, deputy director of the Brazos County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, or CSCD. If the county didn't get state funds, she added, that would take money away from CSCD's existing budget, "I would hate to take away from the services we provide defendants on probation," Batten said. Coleman wrote in an email that the state is developing an automatic online risk assessment tool and does not anticipate counties having to hire any additional personnel. The pretrial detention teams, Coleman wrote, would cost "nothing" since "existing personnel" could take up the responsibilities. The state's legislative budget board released a fiscal note on the bill April 2, estimating it would cost $950,000 of the 2018 fiscal year to develop the assessment, and $190,000 each year after that for maintenance and operation. The Office of Court Administration noted that the bill might increase a county's costs of pretrial processing and supervision, but anticipated those costs will be offset by reductions resulting from jail costs and bail failure processing costs resulting from bond forfeitures and new charges. As for which offices will be responsible for the pretrial teams, Coleman wrote in an email that it "will be up to the local county, their commissioners court and judges." Aside from the bill's impact on county offices, an increase in personal bonds would likely affect the revenue of the county's bondsmen. "It would affect us as a bail bondsman company by reducing the amount of bonds we would write," said Gage Gandy, owner of a bail bond office in Bryan. Bondsmen require pretrial defendants to pay a percentage of their bond to secure their release, but the bondsmen front the majority of the cost. If a person has a $100,000 bail, a bondsman might require $1,000 as payment, which the bondsman keeps when the defendant shows up for trial, earning them a $1,000 profit. Gandy said his office tries to create "a sphere of influence" with those who get out of jail -- sending them text messages and requiring co-signers -- to ensure they show up for their trials. Calling the bill a "Pell grant for alleged criminals," Gandy said SB 1338 would be "a financial burden on our county. We'd have to hire, train, and fund a pretrial release office." Gandy said the bill removes the financial incentive for defendants to show up to court for their trials, putting the county at risk of losing "millions" if defendants skip their court dates. "We relieve the taxpayers of dollars. We pay that [if they don't show up,]" he said. Ken W. Good, a member of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas' board of directors, told The Texas Tribune he did not believe the bill was "good public policy." "I think [the bill] turns discretion of the judges right on its head," Good said. Bondsmen and bondswomen haven't created the problem, Good said. "It's illogical to say bondsmen make easy money, and there's people sitting in jail that can get out but that bondsmen aren't willing to bail them out," he said. "This is not a bondsman problem. This is a crime problem. And his proposed fix won't address the problem." The Texas Tribune contributed to this report. Texas A&M University capped off National Public Health Week celebrations with the idea that something as simple as a half-mile walk in Downtown Bryan can go a long way toward improving health. The City of Bryan, in coordination with Texas A&M and community organizations, has posted signage in Downtown Bryan that marks half-mile, mile and 1.5-mile pathways in an effort to promote convenient exercise. As part of National Public Health Week, which takes place the first week of April every year, representatives from the Texas A&M school attended First Friday in Downtown Bryan to give away prizes and promote the marked paths. "Everybody knows that exercise is important for them," said Jay Maddock, dean of the Texas A&M Public School of Health. "But what they don't understand a lot of times is that the way we build our communities, it really affects how much physical activity people get." Standing outside the Carnegie Library in Downtown Bryan on Friday evening, Erin Schneider, chair of the NPHW planning committee, said the marked pathways in Bryan shows how easy it is to get in 30 minutes of daily exercise. "You can do that while enjoying all the shops and music of Downtown Bryan," she said. "We're trying to get through the stigma that you have to be in a gym to get exercise." Infrastructure such as this in the community plays a bigger role in reducing obesity than people may think, Schneider said. Around 26 percent of adults in Brazos County are obese, and around 30 percent of adults in the surrounding Brazos Valley are overweight, according to the Texas A&M Center for Community Health Development's 2016 Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment Report. Across Texas, 28 percent of adults are obese, according to the report, while 34 percent are obese across the U.S., The causes of this obesity can be looked at in levels, says Schneider. "They make their own decisions on how to eat and how they exercise and how they sleep -- that's a huge factor that people don't account for in their health," she said. "But the situation they are in or the health status they are in can't be placed on the individual." She said other factors include how much the people in an individual's life eat or encourage exercise and whether an individual's neighborhood has sidewalks or streetlights. "There's a big stigma or a blame put on individuals for the health that they are in," she said. "So the biggest message we can try to convey is, granted, there is some level of responsibility for their health, but it goes beyond that because it is influenced by their family, friends, the community, the policy in place, the neighborhood infrastructure." The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week. This exercise doesn't have to be done all at once, said Sara Mendez, one of the Brazos County Health Department representatives who joined with Texas A&M representatives on Friday in Downtown Bryan. "Even if you just do 10 minutes at a time up to 30 to 45 minutes a day so that you are still getting that physical activity you need," Mendez said. "For one, it helps with obesity. It [also] helps with chronic disease, and people just feel better when they are out exercising." December 29, 1920 - April 1, 2017 William George "Bill" Patton, of Rathdrum, Idaho passed away April 1, 2017. Private family services are planned for a later date. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Tom and Erma Patton, Bill graduated high school and attended a few years at Texas A&I College, now named Texas A&M Kingsville. When World War II started he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Master Technical Sergeant. He married Lucy Watson in December 1946, and earned his Electrical Engineering degree from Texas A&M in 1948. He and Lucy moved to Houston where he worked for Houston Lighting and Power Co., retiring from there June, 1985. They moved to College Station in 1992 and enjoyed retirement with friends. After the death of Lucy, his wife of over 63 years, he moved to North Idaho to be close to his son. With multiple daily visits by his son Mike, and the excellent care from the staff at Generations Assisted Living, Bill lived a happy and contented life. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lucy; and brother, Bruce Patton. Survivors include his two children, Mike and Betty; his grandchildren, Kyle, Lark, Tommy and wife, Alyx; and great-granddaughter, Kylie. Identifying solutions to adequately pay for the care of the more than 60,000 aged and disabled residents covered by Medicaid in Texas' more than 1,200 nursing facilities is critical. Nursing facilities caring for Medicaid residents are underfunded by $20 every day for every Medicaid resident they care for. That fact is undisputed. If we are going to have a discussion on finding a funding solution for the Medicaid shortfall, let's at least make it an honest one. The nursing home industry has worked tirelessly with both Republican and Democratic leadership to craft such a solution that does not cost the State of Texas one dime. The result is SB 1130 and HB 2766 filed in the Texas Legislature, both with bipartisan support. These mirror bills propose a provider based assessment to address the gap between the actual cost of care of a Medicaid resident and the current reimbursement established by the state of Texas. These bills do so without adding any cost to the state's budget. Funds would be used by the state to obtain additional federal matching funds to improve current Medicaid rates. This is not Medicaid expansion. We are not adding people to Medicaid, only supplementing the funding. This is a mechanism similarly used by 43 other states and the District of Columbia to assist in the funding of current Medicaid recipients, without adding to the Medicaid roster. Opponents of this solution, however, loudly claim the proposed solution "would tax 30,000 private pay nursing home residents" and label it a "granny tax." But there's a problem here. The facts do not support either contention. First of all, there are not 30,000 nursing home residents who pay with private funds in Texas. There are approximately 92,000 nursing home residents in Texas, of which about 70 percent of which rely almost exclusively on Medicaid while another 15 percent have care needs that are eligible for coverage under Medicare. There are also residents on Hospice, insurance and VA benefits. Clearly, the number of private pay residents is probably less than half of what the opponents to SB 1130 and HB 2766 claim. In fact, my company currently cares for a little more than 1,600 residents in our 17 Texas facilities. Only 141 pay with private funds Secondly, and more importantly, there is no such thing as a "granny tax." That is a made up term by those opposed to funding Medicaid nursing care adequately. It is a term used to drum up fear and anger. The reality is the bill protects our frail, elderly and disabled from being taxed. It specifically states, "a facility may not list the reinvestment allowance as a separate charge on a resident's billing statement or otherwise directly or indirectly attempt to charge the reinvestment allowance to a resident." Simply put, neither "granny" nor "grandpa" can be assessed a "tax" under this legislation. Any assertion differently is a disingenuous attempt intentionally to misrepresent the legislation. There is no "granny tax." Most opponents of SB 1130 and HB 2766 provide care for few or no-Medicaid residents. They say they "prefer solutions that are paid for by the state budget" and have everyone pay for it. There are no additional funds available in this legislative session from which to create such a solution, however. Thus it was incumbent on the nursing industry to craft its own solution, which those of us who have chosen to care for all residents, not just those that can afford to pay privately, have done. With an average current Medicaid rate that is roughly $20 a day less than the average private pay rate, the economics of having low or no-Medicaid residents makes sense. What about the rest of the long term care population? That leaves thousands of Medicaid-dependent Texans without adequate funding for their care. These Texans served our country, were teachers, farmers and just regular hard-working Texans. They, too, deserve the best care, regardless if it is funded by Medicaid. More than 90 percent of the facilities in Texas have made the commitment to care for those who can neither care for themselves any longer nor pay for it privately. On their behalf and for those aged and frail Texans who rely on Medicaid, let's not allow Medicaid policy to be dictated by those who do not participate in the program or accept very few Medicaid residents. The issue of caring for the elderly in Texas is too important simply blur with misinformation and untruths. Let have an honest debate about how to pay for care delivery for the elderly in Texas. I'm quite certain aged, frail and disabled have earned that right. The bottom line is that we have a significant funding problem in caring for the most sick and frail in Texas. And facts do matter. Ron Payne is president/CEO of Southwest LTC, and board chair of the Texas Health Care Association. What issue do Iowa voters most often say is critical? You might be surprised NORWALK One teacher will participate in a ceremonial dance retreat in Hawaii to incorporate self-awareness and social-emotional learning into a teen wellness program. Another will visit sites in Colombia to enhance Spanish literacy skills for classes taught to both native-Spanish-speaking and English-as-a-second-language students. Two others will tour American Colonial period slavery sites to gain insight into the conditions and experiences of enslaved Africans in different colonies. In all, 17 Norwalk Public Schools teachers were chosen to partake in a variety of professional learning activities this summer as a part of the 2017 Fund for Teachers program. All of the teachers will receive grants from a partnership between the Dalio Foundation, Norwalk Public Schools and Fund for Teachers which will allow them to collectively visit more than a half-dozen countries, spanning Central America to Italy to Alaska. The programs goal is to have Norwalk teachers return with new insights, connections, and tools to benefit their students. Norwalks teachers are part of a larger group of 210 instructors from across the state taking part in this years fellowship program. A total of 145 professional learning projects were awarded funding this year, allowing teachers from 123 schools in 60 districts to participate in summer learning in 48 countries. Norwalks 2017 Fund for Teachers Fellows and their respective projects, according to a statement put forth by the organizations, are: Elizabeth Amaral of Nathan Hale Middle School and Donna Reeves of West Rocks Middle School will participate in a Spanish language immersion program in Puerto Rico. Joseph Giandurco of Ponus Ridge Middle School will attend the Lego Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University. Maja Hodzic of Norwalk High School will use digital-storytelling to document a personal refugee experience as a teenage girl during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s. Deborah Kopple of Norwalk High School will participate in a ceremonial dance retreat in Kauai, Hawaii. Jeanne Kahn of Rowayton Elementary School will immerse herself in Spanish in Spain. Renee Lukaniec of Fox Run Elementary School will explore the Huron-Wendat Nation residing on the Wendake Reservation in Quebec, Canada. Geneva Mayne of Fox Run Elementary School will attend the Summer Vocology Institute at the National Center for Voice and Speech in Salt Lake City. Samuel McVey of Nathan Hale Middle School will visit schools and cultural sites in Colombia. Melissa ODonnell of Brien McMahon High School will research the correlation between cultural capital and literacy rates in Central America. Melissa Petropoulos of Rowayton Elementary School and James Petropoulos of West Rocks Middle School will tour American Colonial period slavery sites. Kaitlyn Prescott of Brien McMahon High School will embark on a literary journey around Ireland. Merle Rumble of Fox Run Elementary School will tour civil rights sites and museums across the South. Samantha Verboven of Wolfpit Elementary School will engage with Alaska's Native American population and observe their culture of storytelling. Demetria Walters, of Columbus Magnet Elementary School will attend the 24th annual Intensive Spanish Summer Institute at Lake Tahoe Community College. Whitney LokDeFino of Center for Global Studies will study the history of cultural interaction between Italy and China through a trip through Italian cities closely identified with Sino-Italian history, and then participate in a creativity workshop in New York City. Steven Adamowski, superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools, expressed gratitude for the teachers opportunities and the positive impact they could bring to the district. These highly motivated educators have been granted an extraordinary opportunity to design their own professional growth, Adamowski said in a statement. Previous Norwalk fellows have returned to the classroom energized by their travels and ready to share what they learned, and Im confident that our 2017 FFT Fellows will have the same experience. Last year, 21 Norwalk teachers were selected and awarded more than $75,000 in grants. This year represents the third in a row the Dalio Foundation has supported the grants for Norwalk teachers. KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz CENTRAL CITY The late Junior Nelson was always good at building things. In 1949, he helped build a grain elevator in Hordville. For many years, he taught diesel mechanics, heavy equipment and industrial welding. And during World War II, he helped build an atomic bomb. The Hordville native, who passed away in 2014, worked on the Los Alamos project that spawned the nuclear weapons used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Nelson was part of the team that worked in Los Alamos, N.M., on the secret project. A member of the U.S. Army, he served in the explosives division. In the fall of 1945, Nelson received a thank-you letter from nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory. The research and development were part of the Manhattan Project. In New Mexico, Nelson helped assemble explosives at a location called S Site, one of several work camps in the mountains near Los Alamos. He was in charge of developing the mechanism that blew up the bomb, said Grand Island insurance agent Douglas Hahn, whos part of a family that was close to Nelson. In 1946, Nelson witnessed two nuclear explosions as part of Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. He was part of the Radiological Safety Section of Joint Task Force One, which measured the radiation produced by the explosions. Nelson later recalled the sight of a yellow mushroom cloud. It reminded me of a butterscotch sundae with whipped cream around the edges, he told the Omaha World-Herald when he was 78. Elvert Theodore Junior Nelson, born on a farm south of Hordville, graduated from Hordville High School in 1943. In addition to agricultural work, he worked at the Grand Island ordnance plant for about six weeks. After Nelson enlisted, government representatives came to Hordville to check into his background. You have to be of high character to do the kind of work for which he was chosen, Hahn said. Nelson, who lived to be 87, never married. He was survived by three nephews and three nieces. One nephew lives in Seward. Two nephews and one niece live in Lincoln. Nelson spent lots of time with D.L. Shorty Hahn and his wife, Irene, who live in Central City. Shorty Hahn and Nelson got to know each other in 1949, building the concrete Hordville elevator. Shorty Hahn, 89, says Nelson was a soft-spoken man with a tremendous memory and a high IQ. He was a great storyteller. He was really a bright guy mechanically, says Shortys son, Douglas. When it came to mechanics, he was a genius, really, he said. Nelson liked to hunt and fish. He reloaded shells and enjoyed collecting guns. He often visited the Hahn familys cabin north of Hordville. Junior was a mighty fine guy. I wish you could have met him. He was part of our family, Irene Hahn said. Nelson, who was honorably discharged from the Army on Nov. 8, 1946, later served in the Marines. His military service ended Nov. 2, 1951. For more than 20 years, he was an instructor at Southeast Community College in Milford. He worked in the diesel department, teaching diesel mechanics, heavy equipment and industrial welding. He retired in 1988. In the letter from Oppenheimer, sent Oct. 1, 1945, the physicist acknowledged Nelsons contribution to the work of the Los Alamos Bomb Project. Your group leader has asked me to commend you for your work in the Explosives Division of this project, Oppenheimer wrote. The superior manner in which you executed assignments in an entirely new field of employment even though some were distasteful and dangerous has been responsible in a large measure for the success of this project. We regret that a description of your precise job and details of your personal accomplishments must remain a secret of the U.S. Government, Oppenheimer continued. However, this in itself is an indication of the importance of your contribution to the project. On Sept. 1, 1946, Col. Stafford Warren of the Navy Departments Joint Task Force One sent Sgt. Nelson a letter. I wish to express my appreciation for the valuable services you rendered as a member of the Radiological Safety Section of Joint Task Force One. Although we were facing an unknown situation, the initiative and flexibility of each individual member of the section permitted completion of Operation Crossroads without a single case of injury from radiation, and at the same time accumulated a wealth of scientific data. Your devotion to duty made an important contribution to the successful accomplishment of our mission. Writing to Nelsons heirs, Shorty Hahn said, Junior led a very simple life, but a fulfilled one. He had nothing to prove to anyone. Nelsons headstone in Hordville mentions his integral contribution to the Los Alamos Bomb Project that ended World War II. Its that time of year when farmers are starting to apply burndown herbicide applications, making their first passes through the field with tillage equipment, and getting their planters ready. For many farmers who implement no-till, you might see henbit in the field. This winter annual weed emerges in the fall, overwinters, and blooms early to mid-April. Henbit is characterized by square stems, leaves that wrap circularly around the stem, and produces purple flowers. Henbit is actually quite beneficial for bees when they forage for nectar in the spring. However, with the Zika virus outbreak last year, many bees were accidently killed when insecticides were applied for management. The concern for bees in this part of the country is when farmers have henbit in the field and dont manage it before planting. Many farmers use insecticide seed treatments. If bees are out foraging henbit while a farmer is planting insecticide-treated seed, dust particles from that insecticide could potentially land on the bees while foraging. A number of bees are already on the endangered species list due to insecticide use for mosquitos last year. Farmers are urged to do their best to protect bees and help avoid adding more bees to the endangered species list. If you have henbit in your field and know that you will be using an insecticide seed treatment, try to burndown that henbit prior to planting. This will reduce the number of bees foraging in the field and could avoid harmful insecticide exposure. Beneficial insects, soil health A brief meeting for folks interested in beneficial insects and soil health is set for Friday, April 14, at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to noon. Presenters include: -- Julie Peterson, who will discuss pest control with beneficial insects. -- Tony Adesemoye, covering biological management of crop diseases. -- Keynote speaker Jon Lundgren from the ECDYSIS Foundation and Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota. There will also be a question/answer session and a panel discussion with speakers and farmers. There is no fee for attending this event, but RSVP is required. Please RSVP to Julie Peterson at (308) 696-6740 if you are interested in attending or want more information. Wheat update Since spring is officially here in Nebraska, we are hoping to get plenty of rain to make up for the dry, mild winter. If we get plenty of rain in the next month or two, wheat producers will need to get out and scout regularly for diseases. A few important diseases to look out for include stripe rust, fungal leaf spots like tan spot and Septoria leaf blotch, and powdery mildew. Warm temperatures last fall allowed for stripe rust to develop early in some wheat fields. Therefore, with the mild winter we just had, its possible that some rust spores may have overwintered and could infect the crop yet this spring. Stripe rust is ordinarily aggressive on certain varieties. While the pustules might develop in that characteristic stripe in older wheat, that is not always the case in young wheat plants. Look for those yellow-orange pustules to determine if stripe rust is a problem in your fields this spring. If you planted into wheat stubble in the fall, scout for tan spot or Septoria leaf blotch. These spots start on the lower leaves near the old wheat stubble and will show brown spots with yellow halos. Another disease to scout for in the lower leaves is powdery mildew, which is characterized by white, cottony-like growth or spots on the leaf surface. It can be found on the lower leaves first, due to higher humidity levels in the lower canopy. If you notice any of these diseases in your wheat fields, check out UNL Extensions CropWatch article from March 24. Sarah Schlund is the Dawson County Extension educator in crops and water, and serves Dawson, Buffalo and Hall counties. Contact her at (308) 324-5501 or by email at sschlund2@unl.edu or sarah.schlund@unl.edu. Palmer amaranth is a nightmare of a weed, causing yield losses up to 80 percent in severely infested soybean fields. It scoffs at farmers attempts at control, having evolved resistance to six classes of herbicides since its discovery in the United States 100 years ago. Closer to home, glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth has been discovered in south-central Nebraska. And now, scientists have discovered it has two new tricks up its sleeve. About a year ago, a group of researchers discovered Palmer is resistant to the herbicide class known as PPO-inhibitors, due to a mutation known as the glycine 210 deletion on the PPX2 gene. We were using a quick test that we originally developed for waterhemp to determine PPO-resistance based on that mutation, said University of Illinois molecular weed scientist Patrick Tranel. A lot of times, the test worked. But people were bringing in samples that they were fairly confident were resistant, and the mutation wasnt showing up. We started to suspect there was another mechanism out there. Palmer amaranth is a C4 dioecious species (separate male and female plants) native to the southwestern United States. Palmer amaranths aggressive growth habit, extended period of seedling emergence, high water use efficiency, and prolific seed production make it the most problematic weed in agronomic cropping systems in the United States. The University of Nebraska reports that the increased adoption of reduced tillage practices, continuous reliance on single mode-of-action post-emergence herbicides such as glyphosate, and decreased use of soil-applied residual herbicides have favored herbicide selection pressure in Palmer amaranth. In Nebraska, Palmer amaranth populations resistant to 5-enol-pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS)-inhibitor, and multiple resistance to photosystem (PS) II- and hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibitors have been confirmed. Glyphosate is the most widely used agricultural pesticide globally, and glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth populations have been reported in 26 states due to the continuous and repeated use of glyphosate for weed control. In Nebraska, glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth had previously been confirmed in the southwest. According to UNL, in 2016 control failure of a Palmer amaranth population following sequential glyphosate applications was observed in a growers field under glyphosate-resistant corn-soybean rotation in Thayer County in south-central Nebraska. Palmer amaranth seeds were collected from that field and greenhouse dose response studies were conducted to confirm its suspected resistance to glyphosate and to determine the level of resistance. The evolution of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth in south-central Nebraska, according to UNL, is of great concern because glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide and would not be effective in controlling this weed. In the University of Illinois research, weed scientist Tranel and his colleagues decided to sequence the PPX2 gene in plants from Tennessee and Arkansas to see if they could find additional mutations. Sure enough, they found not one, but two, located on the R98 region of the gene. Almost all of the PPO-resistant plants we tested had either the glycine 210 deletion or one of the two new R98 mutations, Tranel said. None of the mutations were found in the sensitive plants we tested. Furthermore, some of the resistant plants had both the glycine 210 deletion and one of the new R98 mutations. Tranel said it is too early to say what that could mean for those plants. In fact, he said, there is a lot left to learn about this resistance mechanism. After 41 years in the county assessors office, Hall County Assessor and Register of Deeds Jan Pelland has decided to call it a career. Pelland said her decision to retire stemmed from her husbands health declining in recent years. She said his health has been in decline and that he has had back and memory problems. It just got to the point where it was decided he needs to be my No. 1 priority and we need to move to a warmer climate that would be conductive to him not being in so much pain all the time, Pelland said. I need to be with him on a more regular basis, rather than leaving him alone all the time. Pelland announced her decision to retire, effective the week of Dec. 18, at the Hall County Board of Supervisors at its meeting last Tuesday. Pelland said her decision to retire was a difficult one, but that she knew when she ran for re-election that she would not run for another term in 2018. Pelland said she and her husband, Rick, plan to move to Arizona for the warmer climate. She added this will be a hard pill to swallow due to her children and grandchildren all living in Nebraska. Pellands first day in the Hall County Assessors office was Oct. 1, 1976. She said for many years, her mother ran the countys photo department, where she would take photos of deeds with the Register of Deeds office. Pelland said over the years, she helped her mom in the office and got to the point where she was trained enough to work in the office. At that time, everybodys motor vehicle (registrations) would came due in January and February. They hired on extra staff in the fall to hand type all of those registrations, Pelland said. I actually came down to the county and talked with then county assessor Raymond Hessel and asked him if he needed help typing registrations and he said he would. But Pelland and her now-ex-husband decided they were going to buy a house, which meant she needed to work full time. As a result, she went to Hessels office to turn the job down, but he ended up offering her a full-time job. He says, Would you consider working full-time for me? I said, Yes, and he asked me when I could start. Pelland said. I told him Id be available and he asked me to start the next day and I started with the county assessors office. Pelland was appointed as a deputy assessor on Oct. 1, 1978. After spending some time in the position, she left for year due to some in-house issues. But she later returned to the office but this time as the Hall County Assessor. I had not planned on running for the position, Pelland said. But towards the end of the year, I started getting phone calls from different people that I come to know through working in the office, asking me if I was going to run for election. I indicated that I had not thought about it. After receiving support from the public and people in the county assessors office, Pelland ultimately decided to run for Hall County Assessor. In the primary, she beat the incumbent county assessor by only 92 votes. She later won the general election by 92 percent. Pelland took office in January 1991 where she has remained ever since. In May 2014, Pelland added Hall County Register of Deeds to her title after the office merged with the county assessors office. Pelland said her favorite thing about her job as the Hall County Assessor and Register of Deeds has been working with figures and valuations. She said she loves making things balance and doing the statistical work on that. Doris Mason, a former Hall County Treasurer and longtime friend of Pellands, said she worked with Pelland for 40 years. She said she and Pelland both started off as clerks and were deputies together in the treasurer and assessors office, respectively, prior to both being elected officials. We worked our way into a friendship. During these years, we had to work together and we could always discuss situations in a professional manner, Mason said. When we became (elected) officials, if I didnt understand something or if I didnt understand something, wed explain it to each other and we could discuss it in a very professional manner. Jan was always willing to explain to me when I had a question. Mason added Pelland is a very smart lady and is very knowledgeable and conscientious about her duties. Shes done an excellent job for Hall County, she said. I think she goes over and beyond. She does a lot of hands-on work. Hall County Supervisor Gary Quandt agreed with Mason, calling Pelland a dedicated Hall County official. Ive gone to the Hall County Board of Supervisors many evenings and Ive seen Jan working done there late into the evenings and shes been there early in the mornings before employees get to work, he said. Shes done a great job for Hall County and our people. Its going to be hard to replace her. Quandt also praised Pelland for giving the county board adequate time to be able to find her replacement. Board chairwoman Pam Lancaster said at the county board meeting last Tuesday that she and Pelland agreed to come back to the county board in 30 days with a time line 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. Quite frankly as we worked through this, I think that if we can identify the person 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 be appointing an assessor and register of deeds to serve for the remainder of her term. She said last Tuesday that there are two people in her office who wish to step forward, take the test and be considered to replace her once she retires. Pelland said the one thing she will be remembered for is her ability to treat everyone fairly. It doesnt matter if someone lives in a $30,000 house or a $300,000 house, Ive always tried to treat them the same because that $30,000 is just as important to that person as that $300,000 is to that person, she said. Nebraska Mission of Mercy is comprised of many layers of volunteers who have given their time and talent to help others who arent able to afford dental care. There are the professionals dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and dental students and then there are the hundreds of other volunteers. Some people help with crowd control and registrations; others translate for patients who dont speak English; and still others help prepare and serve food. Our job is to take care of all of the other volunteers, said Teresa Anderson, director of the Central District Health Department. Anderson helps to coordinate the volunteer effort, registering the volunteers and assigning them tasks during the two-day event. More than 400 non-professional volunteers help each day of the event. The volunteers start arriving at 4 a.m., well before the doors open at 5 a.m. During the two-day event, more than 1,000 people will come to Fonner Park for the free dental clinic. Because it is first to come, first serve, the line forms early and some people even camp out overnight. CDHD coordinated the volunteers when the event previously took place in Grand Island in 2006 and 2011. The call for volunteers goes out weeks ahead of the free clinic, but walk-ins are welcome, as are patients who return to help out after being served. Sometimes when our patients get done they want to volunteer, and we give them a t-shirt and theyll help escort a patient or something, Anderson said. They are so grateful. They want to do something. For example, one patient when he was through stayed on as a volunteer to help translate. In 2006, the first year Nebraska Mission of Mercy was in Grand Island, Anderson said it was a bit of a guess as to how to organize the free dental clinic. That was when they decided to do a little creative cooking. We created what we call the Mission of Mercy cookbook, which has directions, instructions, recipes, if you will, on how everything will go successfully, she said. We refer back to that. That cookbook made it to the national level as a Mission of Mercy cookbook. They take it and build on it and when it comes around back to us, we look at what went well, what they change and then we implement those changes. One of the volunteers at the event was Judy Ahlschwede. She participated in the first Nebraska Mission of Mercy held in Grand Island in 2006. I have always had a passion for helping people, she said. I love that it makes a difference, not only with the patients but all the people who work together. Everybody helps everybody else out. Everybody just works together to serve the people we are serving in the best way possible. Ryan King of the Central Nebraska Health Department was also on hand to help coordinate the volunteers. These volunteers have been tremendous, King said. They came early and worked hard. They have stayed for their shift. It has been good. You couldnt do this without the volunteers. He said every year that Nebraska Mission of Mercy has been held in Grand Island, volunteers have turned out in droves. Some of the Grand Island and area volunteers are so passionate about the mission that they will travel at their own expense to Nebraska Missions of Mercy in other communities. We had another individual in our waiting area this morning who brought her brother, King said. She was a dental hygienist and asked what she could do. I brought her back to a chair and she started to work. People are really stepping up for this. King said the people of Grand Island have a strong heart and a compassionate need to serve their community. That is Grand Island for you, King said. Anything we get involved with people will step up in this community to help out. We have seen it every year that we have done this. Kenn Plebanek of Chicago, Ill., who works for an insurance company that insures the event and some of the dentists who volunteer there, also volunteered his time. Im really big into volunteering and I have been promoting us going out to these events to actually see the benefit of the work done, he said. This is the third one that I have done around the country. Plebanek said the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center is a perfect venue to hold the clinic. He has been helping to make sure that the patients get to their assigned stations for their needed dental work. One of the observations Plebanek has made is the volunteer work being done by the oral surgeons doing the tooth extractions. They are doing a Herculean task as they were here until 6:30 p.m. last night (Friday) and we passed through about 200 people for oral surgery, he said. In the two other national Mission of Mercy events at which he volunteered, there were about 40 extractions during the two-day events. Grand Island has seen many more. I just brought a woman back here who had 16 teeth pulled, Plebanek said. The clinic also offers dentures, but ran out in the first 20 minutes of the clinic. The clinic is hoping to find more funding so future clinics can offer patients the opportunity to get false teeth, which can cost thousands of dollars. The clinic can also be very emotional for people, especially those having tooth extractions or those who have a general fear of going to a dentist. For Plebanek and the other volunteers, compassion is an essential ingredient when helping those in need, especially for those where personal trauma can be part of the process. There are a lot of tears going on, he said. There are a lot of emotions. A lot of people are very, very nervous. They have seen people walking out with bloody bandages because they have had their teeth pulled. Some of them are in a lot of pain, but getting a tooth pulled will be better for them in the long-run than the short-term discomfort they will go through. Plebanek was impressed by the cooperation among the professional and non-professional volunteers. Many of these dentists are not from the area, he said. Some of them are from other parts of the state or from different states. But they all know the need is here. They come back to the ones that are well put on and this one is very well put on. Brock Riedel is a student from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has volunteered at a number of Mission of Mercy clinics. That volunteer work has been a strong motivator for him to pursue a career in dentistry. I been volunteering at these type of events for the last three or four years in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, Riedel said. It is always nice seeing the gratification from the patients who come in. I just saw a couple of children hugging their hygienist because she was a great provider for them. One of the interpreters who volunteered for the event was Simara Rodriguez of Grand Island. Im helping people who dont speak English by translating for them to the doctor, Rodriguez said, who signed up as a volunteer for both days from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. She didnt have to volunteer for two 12-hour shifts, but I just like to help people. But being an interpreter isnt without its ups and downs. While Rodriguez is from Mexico and had to learn English as a second language. Many immigrants from Latin America speak Spanish, but native dialects can make the interpreters job difficult. It is one of the barriers that we have, Rodriguez said. I try to help as much as I can. Along with the language barrier, there are also cultural barriers like the questionnaire, Rodriguez said. Sometimes they want to know why there are so many questions especially after they have answered a lot of questions already. The culture is sometimes hard for them to understand. Anderson is grateful for the efforts of all those who donated their time to the clinic. We live in a wonderful community where people step up in times of need, she said. This whole thing is amazing in what can be done. Four evenings a week, the Lincoln Elementary School gym is filled with activity. That energy is not produced just by the women in the ZumbaChicas class. Their 10 children are busy in the corner, bouncing balls and having fun in an area cordoned off by cones. One mother brings a baby in a stroller, which adds to the family atmosphere. The main focus of the Zumba class, though, is instructor Alma Rawlings. The 16 women in the class watch her closely to make sure they imitate her every move. Rhythmic dance music makes the exercise more fun for everyone involved. The ZumbaChicas class is held at no cost to anyone involved. Rawlings and the other instructor, Nancy Vazquez, are not paid for their efforts. Everyone is invited to take part in the class, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 6:15 p.m. Monday and Fridays. Although theyre working hard, the women are in a good mood. You can feel the energy. Its a really happy group in here, Rawlings said. A better appearance isnt the goal. A desire for health, both her own and those of the participants, is why Rawlings leads the class. Cecilia Castillo, whos been part of ZumbaChicas for three years, said the exercise has reduced her blood pressure and boosted her health overall. Rawlings said Zumba also helps cholesterol levels and people who are at risk of getting diabetes. Maria Noriega has been coming for two years, with weight loss as her goal. Three women Rachael Kellogg, Stormy Van Natta and Sophia Montanez attended ZumbaChicas class for the first time March 30. Kellogg and Van Natta said they will definitely return, because the class is fun and a good workout. Montanez expressed reservations about coming back. She going to, whether she wants to or not, Kellogg said. Before coming to Zumba, one woman had a problem with depression. Shes much better now, Rawlings said. Rawlings likes to talk with the other women before and after class. They talk about everything food, clothes, kids. I have a really good bond with my group, she said. ZumbaChicas has no age restrictions. If you want to join, just show up. Except for the boys playing in the corner, the class is all female. If men want to be part of the class, they can. But they will be put in the front row, Rawlings said. Zumba is not a spectator sport. Rawlings, 44, has been teaching ZumbaChicas for five years. The sessions started at the YWCA and moved to Howard Elementary before arriving at Lincoln. Rawlings is sometimes assisted by her sister, Belkin Gonzalez. Both women work as interpreters. Gonzalez works at the Hall County Courthouse. Rawlings works for the Hall County public defender, as well as local lawyers and the Mid-Plains Center for Behavioral Healthcare Services. Her husband, Terry, owns Heartland Cable Systems. Rawlings also leads a Zumba class on Monday mornings at the north YMCA. Rawlings came to the U.S. from Guatemala when she was 19. Shes been in the U.S. for 24 years, 17 of them in Nebraska. She doesnt see herself ever leaving Nebraska. Nebraska has been good to me, she said. Seven years ago, Rawlings mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Shes still alive today. But at the same time, doctors found a cyst on Rawlings right breast. Rawlings was told theres a 90 percent chance she will get breast cancer. So a desire to stay healthy is behind her leading the exercise classes. She also wants to see other people stay healthy. The free Zumba classes are meant to help the community, she said. After exercise, people just feel good, she said. Rawlings also loves to dance. Some of the boys in the corner, such as 7-year-old Sergio Reyes, sometimes join their mothers and sisters in the Zumba lines. But other boys, such as 6-year-old Jordan Rivera, are not interested in dancing. I just want to play, he said. What to do in Pennsylvania if you made an error on your mail-in ballot Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anick Jesdanun (Associated Press) New York, United States Sun, April 9, 2017 13:14 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde84e72e 2 Science & Tech fact-checking,fake-news,Google,#Google,search-engine Free Google will expand the use of "fact check" tags in its search results the tech industry's latest effort to combat false and misleading news stories. People who search for a topic in Google's main search engine or the Google News section will see a conclusion such as "mostly true" or "false" next to stories that have been fact checked. Google has been working with more than 100 news organizations and fact-checking groups, including The Associated Press, the BBC and NPR. Their conclusions will appear in search results as long as they meet certain formatting criteria for automation. Google said only a few of those organizations, including PolitiFact and Snopes.com, have already met those requirements; The Washington Post also says it complies. Google said it expects the ranks of compliant organizations to grow following Friday's announcement. Not all news stories will be fact checked. Multiple organizations may reach different conclusions; Google will show those separately. Still unanswered is whether these fact-check analyses will sway people who are already prone to believe false reports because they confirm preconceived notions. Read also: Facebook launches resource to help spot misleading news Glenn Kessler, who writes "The Fact Checker" column at The Washington Post, said in an email that Google's efforts should at least "make it easier for people around the world to obtain information that counters the spin by politicians and political advocacy groups, as well as purveyors of 'fake news.'" He added that "over time, I expect that people increasingly will want to read a fact-check on a controversial issue or statement, even if the report conflicts with their political leanings." Google started offering fact check tags in the U.S. and the U.K. in October and expanded the program to a handful of other countries in the subsequent months. Now the program is open to the rest of the world and to all languages. False news and misinformation, often masquerading as trustworthy news that spreads on social media, has gained attention since the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Google's announcement comes a day after Facebook launched a resource to help users spot false news and misleading information that spreads on its service. The resource is basically a notification that pops up for a few days. Clicking on it takes people to tips and other information on how to spot false news and what to do about it. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post) Sat, April 8 2017 Movies about women that are directed by women always offer interesting perspectives and angles. Male directors, no matter how hard they try, can never accomplish the same level of engagement and depth when they talk about women in their movies. They often end up stereotyping women, and with patriarchy and machismo embedded within them as men, who could blame them? 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 Kevindra P. Soemantri (The Jakarta Post) Melbourne Sat, April 8 2017 The annual Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Award brings in maestros in the culinary world for the Grammies of Gastronomy award night. The grand Royal Exhibition Building in the heart of Melbourne, Australia, was luminous with magenta lighting on Wednesday evening. 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 TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eric Talmadge (Associated Press) Pyongyang, North Korea Sun, April 9, 2017 North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried Sunday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports. The airstrikes, announced shortly after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up dinner at a two-day summit in Florida last week, were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country's long civil war. "Some forces are loud-mouthed that the recent U.S. military attack on Syria is an action of warning us but we are not frightened by it," the report said, adding that the North's "tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force as its pivot" will foil any aggression by the U.S. "We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the U.S. evermore reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force," it said. North Korea has long claimed that the United States is preparing to conduct similar precision strikes against its territory or even launch an all-out invasion. It claims its nuclear weapons are a necessary deterrent to the U.S. military threat. Washington denies it has any intention of invading the North. Tensions have been even higher than usual over the past few weeks because annual war games between the U.S. and South Korean militaries are underway. The exercises this year are the biggest ever and have included stealth fighter training and other maneuvers that are particularly sensitive to North Korea. For its part, the North test-launched a ballistic missile just ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting and has been rumored to be preparing for a possible nuclear test. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty. North Korea considers Syria an ally. But unlike Syria, experts warn that North Korea has a means of striking back if provoked. Along with its rapidly advancing nuclear and long-range missile capabilities, the North has its artillery and short-range missiles trained on Seoul, the capital of U.S. ally South Korea and a city of more than 10 million people. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya Sun, April 9, 2017 14:37 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde851078 1 National ISIS,terrorism,terrorist-group,TerroristSuspect,Juanda-International-Airport,Juanda-International-Airport-Surabaya,JAD Free The National Polices counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, arrested an Indonesian citizen allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS) movement at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday. The man, identified only as MNU, is from Pasuruan, East Java, and was arrested after arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We have increased security [in East Java], especially in the most vulnerable areas, East Java Police spokesperson Frans Barung Mangera said on Saturday as quoted by tribunnews.com. Densus 88 have arrested several alleged terrorists since Friday in several areas in East Java. On Friday, three people allegedly affiliated with Jemaah Anshorut Daulah (JAD) were arrested in Lamongan, East Java. One of them, Zaenal Anshari, is the current JAD leader. JAD is an umbrella organization on the US State Department "terrorist" list that is estimated to have drawn hundreds of IS sympathizers in Indonesia. Also on Saturday, the police shot dead six alleged terrorists in Tuban, East Java, after a failed drive-by shooting targeted police officers in East Java. (hol) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 9, 2017 16:52 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde85497f 1 National Jokowi,religion,politics,secularism Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has clarified his statement about not mixing politics with religion, which generated a negative reaction from several Muslim organizations who accused him of promoting secularism. The President took time to explain his previous statement during a visit to the Kholifatulloh Singo Ludiro Islamic boarding school in Sukoharjo regency, Central Java, on Saturday. Dont misunderstand my statement. It is impossible not to connect politics with religion, the President said. He also added that religion would always be a very important factor in politics, since every form of politics must be based on honesty and morality, things that were taught by every religion. Thats what connects religion and politics, Jokowi said. Religion and politics must walk side-by-side, the President added. However, he warned that religion must not be used as a political commodity. Previously, during a working visit to Barus in Central Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, last month, Jokowi said religion and politics should be separated as mixing them together could be dangerous for national unity. The statement received criticism from several conservative Muslim organizations. The Indonesian Ulema Council criticized the President for making the statement, saying that the statement promoted liberal values that should not be applied in a religious country like Indonesia. (hol/rin) Topics : Jokowi religion politics secularism Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 9, 2017 14:51 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde852634 1 City crime,shooting Free The police have found several pieces of evidence linked to a shooting that occurred on Saturday evening on Jl. Haji Mali in Cengkareng, West Jakarta. A PLN engineering school student was shot by unknown assailants yesterday evening in Cengkareng. The shooting was spotted by a nearby police officer at 6 p.m. The West Jakarta Police criminal detective unit chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi Adnan, said police officers found a revolver handgun and a letter-T key, a device commonly used by thieves to steal motorcycles. From looking at the evidence, we believe the suspects are violent motorcycle thieves, Andi said on Saturday, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com. According to a police report, police officers were still investigating the case by analyzing the crime scene and looking for nearby CCTVs that potentially recorded the incident. The victim has received treatment at a general hospital in Cengkareng. (kkk) Topics : crime shooting Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 9, 2017 17:25 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde85a520 4 National bomb-joke,bali,Airport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport Free Security personnel at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali apprehended a woman after she allegedly joked about having a bomb in her luggage. Central Kalimantan native Titis AB, 28, was stopped from boarding a Wings Airlines plane to Malang, East Java, when she made the joke to airline staff at the departure gate, Bali Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengky Widjaja said. She said she was carrying a bomb. Security officers took her to a room for questioning, Hengky said on Saturday as reported by newsportal tribunnews.com. During questioning, Titis said she made the claim in jest. The airport security released her after she signed a statement not to repeat the offense. (hol) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru Mon, April 10 2017 After months of investigation, police in Bengkalis regency, Riau, have arrested a fisherman identified by the initials EK for allegedly masterminding the smuggling of 40 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 150,000 ecstasy pills worth around Rp 80 billion (US$ 6 million) from Malaysia. EK, suspected of being a member of an international drug syndicate, was arrested by a joint team from the narcotics detective units of the Bengkalis Police and Riau Police at his home in Jangkang village, Bantan district, Bengkalis, on Saturday, Bengkalis Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hadi Wicaksono said. He has long been on the polices most-wanted list on suspicion of being a big cross-country drug dealer, he said on Sunday. 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 Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, April 10 2017 The government is seeking Chinese loans for the construction of four major dams worth Rp 4.5 trillion (US$337.4 million), a move that might strengthen economic ties between the two countries. China has been involved in the construction of a high-speed railway, worth more than $5 billion, connecting Jakarta and Bandung in West Java. Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the government was inviting Chinese investors to cooperate in the development of the four dams, namely Pelosika Dam in Southeast Sulawesi, Rokan Kiri Dam in Riau, Jenelata Dam in South Sulawesi and Riam Kiwa Dam in South Kalimantan. I have also asked for support from the Water Resources Ministry of China, Basuki said recently after his meeting with visiting Chinese Water Resources Minister Chen Lei in Jakarta. 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 Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur Mon, April 10 2017 Malaysia is putting high hopes on the planned unified halal certification with Indonesia, the country with the worlds largest Muslim population, in a bid to strengthen halal trade relations between the two countries. At present, Indonesia only directly accepts Malaysian halal certificates for industrial goods, such as palm oil. However, Malaysian end-user products must undergo various tests to obtain another halal certificate from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and halal logo from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) before being marketed in Indonesia. 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 Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, April 10 2017 Over the past 17 years, television journalist Najwa Shihabs life has mostly revolved around her career but since last year, she has taken up a new role that she loves. Television journalist Najwa Shihab takes her role as the Indonesian Republic National Librarys duta baca, an ambassador with a mission to improve reading habits and interests among Indonesians, seriously. 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 Sun, April 9, 2017 13:22 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde84e86b 1 News Airport,#airport,soekarno-hatta-airport,Angkasa-Pura-II,remain-overnight,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free Director of Angkasa Pura 2 Muhammad Awaluddin uses a unique trick to encourage airlines to remain overnight (RON) outside the Soekarno-Hatta Airport. These airlines are promised incentives to RON at 12 other airports under Angkasa Pura 2 management but outside Cengkareng. The regulation is enforced to reduce density in the airports parking space. Currently there are 149 airplanes that RON every night at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. This results in a parking space that is densely packed and authorities are facing problems in managing airplanes landing on the aprons, Awaluddin explained. According to Awaluddin, there will be cash-based and non-cash-based incentives. Airlines will not be required to pay parking fees and landing fees in airports outside Soetta (Soekarno-Hatta). Parking the plane in Soetta means paying a fee. If airlines RON in airports other than Soetta but still under the AP-2 management, they dont have to pay the RON fee, he said. Non-cash incentives, according to Awaluddin, include advertising that is free of charge in indoor and outdoor media spots that belong to AP-2. A number of spots will be given for free to airlines intending to promote their new routes. We encourage airlines to move their airplanes by remaining overnight in AP-2 airports outside Soetta that have lighter traffic, he said. [By creating new routes] airlines will be challenged to attract passengers, and we will help with their promotions by providing media spots at the airports. (Read also: Soekarno-Hatta declared Worlds Most Improved Airport) He admitted that the move would reduce the Soetta airports income due to a decrease in parked airplanes and landings there, while the new airports would allow for free landing and parking. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has his own marketing paradox theory, which says that the more freebies given, the more income there will be. We will make [RON] free of charge, and this will provide more opportunities [for airlines]. More passengers will be able to access more airports. The aviation ecosystem will be alive and we can capitalize from the new passengers distributed via these AP-2 airports, Arief Yahya said. He analogized the situation to the Google search engine, which provides a free service to the customers but what does it get in return? Customer data. Google has peoples data; who they are, what they like, when and how they use the search engine, the minister said. Arief Yahya also applauded Muhammad Awaluddin for encouraging airlines to move more as more movement would impact goods and services, which would create new opportunities. To encourage airlines to RON in other areas of Indonesia means the airlines will carry out promotions to transport more passengers from new areas to other areas. Domestic tourism will be alive; there will be more visitors to tourist destinations, which will result in a more developed tourism industry, the minister elaborated. (asw) The following are airports under the management of PT Angkasa Pura 2 (AP-2) in West Indonesia. (Read also: Soekarno-Hatta airport train to start operating in July) Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Halim Perdanakusuma Airport Husein Sastranegara Airport Kuala Namu International Airport, replacing Polonia International Airport Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport Minangkabau Airport Supadio Airport Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport Sultan Thaha Airport Radin Inten II Airport Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport Silangit Airport Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, April 9, 2017 09:52 2039 a291276806121264c0bd211cde84a974 1 News tourism,#tourism,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,sustainable,travel,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia Free Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has continued to push for sustainable tourism on a global level. In the General Sustainable Tourism Observatory Monitoring Coordination Meeting in Lombok on April 6, all strategic stakeholders met in Lombok with the mission of garnering the worlds attention to Indonesias sustainable tourism. There are three elements in Sustainable Tourism Development: Cultural, Economic and Environmental (CEE). Up to now, only the cultural aspect has been examined, with the economic and environmental factors not yet touched on. This time the three elements must be synchronized so that tourism development does not only eliminate only poverty, but becomes the largest contributor of foreign exchange for the nation, Arief said. He also said tourism would be the largest contributor of foreign exchange by 2019, beating oil and gas, coals and crude palm oil (CPO). Indonesia has been doing well in Sustainable Tourism Development. We sit in second place, after China, said the minister, who has been known to use the acronym ECE in place of CEE in order to prioritize the environment. Among the attendees at the coordination meeting were I Gede Ardika, head of the Sustainable Tourism Development Acceleration Task Force and Frans Teguh, Tourism Ministry Infrastructure and Ecosystem Development assistant deputy. Heads of tourism from various provinces also attended the meeting, including Lalu M. Faozal from West Nusa Tenggara and those from Sleman. Heads of tourism representing various regencies were also among the attendees, including those from Samosir regency, West Lombok regency, Pangandaran regency and Denpasar. (Read also: Indonesian Tourism Ministry promotes diving at Tokyo Marine Diving Fair) The meeting was also attended by a tourism association in Lombok as well as scholars represented by Prof. M. Baiquni (MCSTO UGM), Vinky Rahman (MCSTO USU), Muhammad Ari Perdana (MCSTO ITB), Dr. Akhmad Saufi (MCSTO Unram) and Putu Dana Pariawan Salain (MCSTO Udayana University). The Tourism Destination and Industry Development deputy, Dadang Rizki Ratman, said, The meeting aimed to strengthen the synergy and solidify the Tourism Pentahelix (scholars, businesspeople, community, government and media) in achieving Indonesia Incorporated. I Gede Ardika added, We will monitor the progress, making our work plans and recommending follow-ups. Well share management knowledge on indicators and strategic issues regarding sustainable tourism practices. To accelerate Sustainable Tourism Development in Indonesia, the tourism ministry has already launched the Monitoring Center for Sustainable Tourism Observatories, a method used to help improve the quality of destinations. In 2017, the ministry established five monitoring centers, the first one being the University of North Sumatra (USU) Monitoring Center, which encompasses the Samosir regency. This was followed by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Monitoring Center with Pangandaran regency as its focus of observation. Gajah Mada University (UGM) Monitoring Center observes Sleman regency, Udayana University (Unud) Monitoring Center observes Denpasar and Mataram University (Unram) Monitoring Center observes West Lombok regency. (Read also: Mangrove tourism abundant in Semarang) Out of the five monitoring centers, three (ITB, UGM and Unram) have been recognized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The monitoring centers are organized within the Wonderful Indonesia Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatory (WINSTO), which is part of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatory (INSTO). Frans Teguh said, So far, the three [monitoring centers] have communicated and given updates and progressed on strategic issues implementation regarding sustainable tourism to the UNWTO in Madrid. The next step would be [to create] concrete programs and solutions from every party involved to increase the quality of the destinations, which have been observed by these monitoring centers. This is an effort from the Tourism Ministry to push the development of sustainable tourism in Indonesia. The standards we have are global standards, and they adhere to the sustainable tourism principles of the UNWTO. The long-term development is supported ecologically and is feasible in terms of economy and fair in terms of social ethics to the community. This is also an effort to invite international tourists to Indonesia, which targets to reach 15 million tourists this year and 20 million tourists by 2019, he said. (asw) Facebook has introduced a new educational tool to help users spot fake news stories posted to the social networking site. From Friday, a new prompt started to appear at the top of the apps News Feed entitled How to spot false news, offering users tips and advice on how to recognise fake news stories and prevent them from spreading. (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Facebook says it has worked in consultation with news literacy and fact-checking organisations, including Full Fact in the UK, to create the new guidance. (Facebook) Users will be told to check the web address of a site posting a story, investigating the source and to look for other reports on the same topic as part of the new list of tips. Adam Mosseri, the social networks News Feed boss, said: We know people want to see accurate information on Facebook and so do we. False news is harmful to our community, it makes the world less informed, and it erodes trust. Its not a new phenomenon, and all of us tech companies, media companies, newsrooms, teachers have a responsibility to do our part in addressing it. (Lauren Hurley/PA) Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg defended the platform following the US election in November when it was claimed by some that the presence of fake news stories surrounding Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could have influenced some voters. Of all the content on Facebook, more than 99% of what people see is authentic. Only a very small amount is fake news and hoaxes, he said. That said, we dont want any hoaxes on Facebook. Our goal is to show people the content they will find most meaningful, and people want accurate news. (Yui Mok/PA) We have already launched work enabling our community to flag hoaxes and fake news, and there is more we can do here. Facebook also said it is working on disrupting economic incentives around the spread of fake news. The social network said it was taking steps to make it more difficult for those posting fake news stories to purchase adverts on Facebooks platform. Being one of the youngest in my year, I was only 17 when I finished school. I decided to take advantage of being a year younger than my peers and take a year off to work and travel before university. Of course, while I say that my age was the main reason for taking a gap-year, I admit that this was merely an excuse to satiate my travel addiction. I spent the first five months of this year working full time as a waitress in a hotel. I wont lie; scrolling down my news feed during breaks to see endless pictures of my school friends partying at university was not exactly fun. However, after five and a half months of travelling Southeast Asia, I can conclude that every gruelling hour of waitressing was worth it. I began my travels on the island of Koh Samui, where I spent two months teaching English to the local children. While this experience was very rewarding, and I still miss the wonderful children whose ability to pick up the English language was astonishing, I also became aware of the disadvantages of choosing so-called voluntourism programmes. I will not deny that this volunteering group is a force of good in this community; during my stay, we were regularly thanked by locals for teaching their children. However, there were times when I could see that the company was so dependent on volunteer payments that it was forced to put volunteer satisfaction above community needs. While I stayed on this island, I lived in a volunteer house with people similar to my age and older. We worked during the week and had weekends free to do what we liked. Here are the top things I would recommend to do while in Koh Samui: 1. Bask in the sun at Thong Takhian Beach, also known as Silver Beach. 2. Visit Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park - kayak, walk and swim through this archipelago of islands. Although this is an expensive trip, the experience is worthwhile and it's only a short distance from Koh Samui. 3. Wat Plai Laem - a collection of grand, intricately decorated temples which are situated over a gorgeous green lake. 4. Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai) - do not miss the enormous Buddha statue which towers over the surrounding area. 5. Get lost in Lamai's large nightmarket - make sure to try some of the incredible food sold at the stalls, from classic pad thai to waffles! I will always remember Koh Samui for its compassionate people and its gorgeous sunsets, which must be witnessed with a cold Thai beer in hand; I definitely had some of my most rewarding experiences on this island and leaving those children broke my heart. This was an incredible opportunity and I left wanting to do so much more I flew on towards Vietnam and faced my first major travel disaster; somehow I hadnt technically checked in when I connected in Bangkok. I stood at the desk, staring longingly at the plane outside which was bound for Hanoi, begging the man at the desk to let me board. I will forever be indebted to him for letting me on the plane despite regulations. I was headed for Hanoi and, though I didnt know it at the time, one of the best months of my life. I spent the first week in an amazing hostel: Hanoi Backpackers Hostel on Ma May. When staying in hostels, do not worry about starting up conversations with the people around you; I have never met anyone in a hostel unwilling to chat and share their travel stories. This experience gave me the confidence boost I needed to talk to new people in freshers week of university. After a week in Hanoi, I spent a month travelling down the country with a group of people similar to my age and we fell in love with Vietnam together. Our travels began in the city of Hanoi, where we first experienced Vietnams thriving urban scene. At first, this bustling city may seem confusing so I would advise taking a walking tour (free from many of the hostels!) to get your bearings. At the city centre is the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, which is worth a visit, although try to save this for a sunny day - I visited in misty March but, to be honest, the mist only added to the mystical atmosphere. Almost every street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is bursting with colour, from the lanterns, spices and propaganda posters being sold from the shops lining the streets to the multi-coloured motorbikes which rush by every few minutes. Make sure to try a Banh Mi a baguette filled with a multitude of ingredients depending on your tastes. These Vietnamese baguettes are a result of French colonisation and are typically filled with various meats, pate, meat floss, cheese and a multitude of vegetables. Following Hanoi, we travelled north to Sapa, which is known for its spectacular treks up and down the rice terraces which lie in the shadows of the larger mountains. After this, we took a boat trip around Halong Bay, a beautiful collection of islands in north Vietnam which must not be missed. After Sapa, we travelled back to Hanoi before boarding an overnight train to Hue. A trip to Vietnam is not complete until you have travelled on one of these trains, which cram passengers into little beds, four to a cabin; kind of like the Hogwarts Express but with views of rural South East Asia! The views from these trains are gorgeous and surprisingly comfortable, although many of my friends would argue against this. When visiting Hue, our next stop in Vietnam, I would recommend taking bikes to the surrounding villages to visit some local markets and Thanh Toan Bridge. Make sure to visit some of Hues most interesting historical sites, including the magnificent Tomb of Minh Mang and the Citadel. After this, we took a bus to Hoi An, which is one of my favourite places in the world. Lanterns line almost every street and at night the whole city glows with colour. Riverside markets take place regularly and Hoi Ans famous tailors can make any item of clothing imaginable at reasonable prices. While you are here, why not try out a cooking class or two? We then visited Mui Ne, a very quiet area of Vietnam but worth it for a sand dune surfing experience! We concluded our trip in Ho Chi Minh City (previously known as Saigon), another of Vietnams bustling cities. Do your research and visit some of the many markets which take place here; Ho Chi Minh is a great city to get lost in. From Ho Chi Minh city there are many day trips to take so explore your ticket options available through hostels, hotels and local companies. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a must: climb through the tiny tunnels and learn about the war techniques used by the Vietnamese against the US. For a calming end to your adventure, take a boat trip along the Mekong River. I took a month to visit friends and family in Australia, which was a nice little relaxing break from hostel life in Asia. I then travelled from Sydney to the Malaysian Perehentian Islands for my final month of travelling. I spent two weeks volunteering with Ecoteer, which runs sustainable, collaborative, community projects. We ran various classes at the local school, raised awareness about environmental issues and, in our spare evenings, we played volleyball on an adjacent beach before heading to a local bar; an idyllic life. I concluded my year with three weeks on a neighbouring island. I spent my daytime completing scuba diving courses and my evenings patrolling the beaches for poachers as part of a turtle conservation project. I spent my nights here lying on the beach waiting for turtles to lay, gazing up at the clear milky way arching across the sky and chatting with other volunteers. This was the perfect ending to a wonderful five months and so, to conclude, here are my top tips for travelling in the year before university. 1. Just do it! Take a break from reality for a bit and see the world! 2. Earn every moment it does you (and your CV) some good to experience full-time work and it feels amazing to know that you have earned every moment on your travels. 3. Do your research look for the best volunteer programmes, the most exciting hostels and the top things to do Tripadvisor is life. 4. Eat everything! Pretty much all that you try will be delicious yes, even those salty skewered mealworms on Khao San Road! 5. Take a break sometimes travelling for extended periods of time is exhilarating but exhausting, so dont feel guilty for having some Netflix time at the hostel. Enjoy your travels. When people ask me about my time in Kenya, their first question is but did you do a safari? If, like my travelling partners and I, you are on a budget, it might not seem like safari is an option. But fear not, there is so much more to Kenya than the Maasai Mara National Reserve; places and activities that wont break the bank and will stay with you forever. My top two recommendations when travelling to Kenya are the loud, exciting nights out in Nairobi city centre, and the peaceful explorations in Naivasha. When I travelled to Kenya, I was based at the Kenyatta University campus on the Super Highway just outside of Nairobi city centre. Luckily, this meant just on our doorstep was a huge matatu stop. Matatus are small, noisy, colourful and crazy vehicles which shuttle hundreds of thousands of Kenyans to and from Nairobi every day. They are an efficient and cheap way to get back and forth to the city for those special nights out. Hitting Nairobi at night is like being hit in the face with a wall of noise. Pumping Nigerian Afrobeats in the bars, the tinkling of calmer R 'n' B tunes in small shops and restaurants; groups of people young and old laughing and gossiping in the street. A night out in Nairobi is like nothing else in the world. Many of the best and cheapest places to go are around the Central Business District (CBD) including one of my personal favourites, Club Tribeka. It has multiple floors with a different genre of music on each, an outside balcony area and a VIP lounge too. It's in the middle of a bunch of other clubs and is easily accessible by matatu, with beers going for around 250ksh (approximately 1.90). It also has a downstairs restaurant area serving some of the best grilled meat and chicken wings in town. Every time I visited Tribeka the crowd was mature, but sure knew how to have a good time. To escape the rush of Nairobi life, my friends and I travelled to a small market town called Naivasha in Nakuru County. It boasts beautiful green landscapes; fields full of tea, fruit trees, and palm, and Lake Naivasha which is home to fish, tropical birds and hippos. It doesn't take long in a matatu from Nairobi to get to Naivasha and costs as little as a fiver. While you're there check out Hell's Gate National Park and take a boat safari through Lake Naivasha. Start off early in the morning for the boat safari so youll be able to take everything in without fighting with other tourists for a boat. I would recommend any time between 9am and 11am so you can soak up the warm morning rays and see the hippos out for a swim while it's still cool. During the trip you can see flamingos, birds of prey, antelope, wilderbeast, hippos, and maybe even a giraffe if you're lucky. You might also pass the locals collecting their nets, brimming with beautiful fish for their morning brekkie. There are many places to do the boat safari in Naivasha, particularly at the lake-side lodges like Simba Lodge and Sopa Lodge. The trip is worth the money, but be weary that different companies will charge different prices so you could be paying anywhere between 30-50 per boat. If there's a group of you to all fit in one boat, splitting the cost makes it an ideal budget experience. Later on in the afternoon head over to Hells Gate National Park, which is across the other side of Naivasha in a rockier, hilly environment. The park asks for small entry fee (around 3) and a few hundred shillings for bike hire. You have so many options in the Park, but my recommendation would be to cycle all the way through to the Ranger's Post where local Maasai men can give you a tour to see a gorge with hot water springs, areas that were filmed for the movie Tomb Raider, and that rock which inspired that iconic scene in the Lion King! The trip is 8km each way and is definitely hard work on the hire bikes, so if you want to take it easier there are stops along the way through the park with benches and even climbing walls. Ether option you choose, you'll sleep like a baby afterwards. So if you're travelling to Kenya any time soon, make sure to have a night out in Nairobi and then a peaceful day in Naivasha. Trust me, you won't regret it. 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. 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"Working with him gave me a lot of confidence as an actor and it taught me a lot as far as my craft of filmmaking is concerned," she added. Raviza will soon make her Bollywood debut with Srijit Mukherji's directorial Begum Jaan. "When Mukesh showed my short film to Srijit during selection for Begum Jaan, I was selected immediately without much effort," she said. Talking about working with actress Vidya Balan in the film, Raviza said, "Working with Vidya was very special. This is my first film and working with Vidya in my first movie was a privilege for me as an actor." "Vidya is not just an amazing and a powerful actress, but at the same time she is so humble and sweet that I connected with her on a different level altogether." In the film, the budding actress plays Lata. "She is a Rajasthani widow who ends up working in Begum Jaan's brothel. It is the gritty story of sex workers set in the Independence era who fight for their own rights," Raviza said. Her thoughts on nepotism in the film industry? She said: "Nepotism does exist in the industry, but as an actor you can't crib about it all the time. If an actor really knows how to act and is versatile enough, then nobody can throw them out" Begum Jaan has Vidya playing the lead character of a brothel house owner. It is the Hindi remake of the 2015 Bengali film Rajkahini. Begum Jaan will release on April 14. Actor-Filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has cleared the air about his fight with actor Aditya Roy Kapur with a selfie of the duo, which Farhan posted on Twitter. Few days back, there were strong rumours about Farhan and Aditya having a fallout because of Adityas ex and Farhans rumoured present girlfriend Shraddha Kapoor. Farhan and Aditya looked happy in the picture and the filmmakers caption was an answer to everyone's curiosity. And that, as they say, is that.. RIP rumours. #lastnight #chilltimes,the tweet read. The Rock-on actor separated from his wife Adhuna Akhtar after 16 years and has been rumoured to be dating Shraddha Kapoor. However, none of them have confirmed dating each other. The shoot of Anees Bazmee's Mubarakan has been wrapped up in London, with veteran actor Anil Kapoor bidding goodbye to the team on an emotional note. Anil shared a photograph on Twitter on Saturday and captioned it: "It's a wrap! Saying goodbye to the Mubarakan family and this gorgeous city is like saying goodbye to family and home." The movie, slated to release on July 28, also features Anil's nephew Arjun Kapoor. Mubarakan had a 50-day shoot schedule in London, and some happy memories of the shoot found their way on social media courtesy the cast and crew. The entire team even had a pre-wrap party. The film will feature Arjun in a double role as Charan Singh and Karan Singh, while Anil essays his uncle Kartar Singh. Apart from them, the film also stars Athiya Shetty and Ileana D'Cruz. Athiya will be seen in the role of a simple Punjabi girl in the movie, produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions with Ashwin Varde and Murad Khetani's Cine 1 Studios. A recent report released by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers reflected a sharp decline in students applications from India, with undergraduate applications falling by 26 per cent and that for graduate programmes by 15 per cent. This comes in the light of strict immigration policies announced by the Donald Trump administration, limiting international students from exploring gateways to work in the country after their studies. A similar situation has hit the United Kingdom, thanks to its constant tightening of the immigration policies barring a large number of students from even staying back in the country after their education. The United States and the United Kingdom have been the two most popular education hubs for study abroad aspirants. While they continue to be among the first in the list of any student, reports suggests foreign education aspirants are increasingly exploring new destinations to fulfil their dreams, mainly because of these countries liberal visa policies. Additionally, quality education and an already set-up community of Indians make these countries the new destinations for Indian students. 1. Canada: The second most sought after destination in North America after the USA, Canada hosts the fifth largest contingent of international students in the world. Interestingly, Indians form the second biggest international students community in Canada, with the number steadily rising over the years. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada(CIC), currently, there are over 50,000 international students in Canada. Need more reason to start applying? Canada boasts some of the best universities in Business, Engineering, Hospitality and Animation among others. Universities like Toronto University, University of British Columbia, Alberta rank among the top 100 universities in the world. While academic benefit is one area, Canadas liberal work permit programme allows international students to stay back and work in the country for a period equivalent to length of their programmes. In fact, after a few years of work experience, students can apply for citizenship under the express entry system. 2. Germany: Thanks to its highly subsidised tuition fee, Germany has gained quite a lot of popularity in recent times. Germany has abolished tuition fees the largest chunk in terms of expenses related to studying abroad for bachelors and consecutive masters degree programmes in its public universities. The country has also expanded the reach of English language programmes, thus taking off the language barrier hurdle in its classrooms. It does not come as a surprise that Germanys steadily rising international students community has crossed 3,40,000(ICEF monitor). And just like in Canada, Indian students (13,500) constitute the second largest international students community. In addition,Germany has also eased its work permit programme to accommodate more international students in its work system. Students have the option of applying for Residence Permit which allows them to stay back in the country for 18 months even without a job. While Engineering tops the list of subjects pursued by foreign students in the country, many students also opt for Mathematics and Computer Science. 3. Australia: While cases of racism might have pulled down Australia from the radar of expectant international students from India, Australia has bounced back in recent times, thanks to a liberal work after study programme. Interestingly, many international students, especially, from India join the short-term vocational training colleges and apply for post-study work visa through the graduate work stream, which allows students to stay back and work for 18 months. It is, however, applicable to only to those candidates whose qualifications ensure jobs listed on the Skilled Occupation List of Australia. Students pursuing the full-time two year programmes can however take the post study work visa route, which allows them to stay back for two to four years. According to the Australian Governments international students data, the country, currently, hosts more than 3,80,000 international students, of which, over 40,000 are Indians. Besides, vocational programmes, Australia is popular for its business management and engineering programmes. 4. New Zealand: A country famous for its Private training Establishments or PTEs, New Zealands liberal work visa policy and the Pathways visa scheme has helped rake in a lot of international students in the last few years. The Pathways visa allows students to stay in the country for up to five years and pursue maximum of three courses within that time. Like in most of the above mentioned countries, here too, Indians students form the second biggest international students community with over 20,000 of its 50,000 international students going from India. Around eight universities from New Zealand are listed among the top 500 universities in the world by Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking with business management and Engineering being the most sought after subjects. 4. Singapore: Singapore is being increasingly reckoned as an education hub, especially, for management and technology aspirants from India. One of the biggest benefit of pursuing studies in Singapore, is that majority of the international students receive some kind of grant, either from the university or the government. One of the most famous grants, The Ministry of Education grant, helps subsidise up to 80 per centTop study destinations beyond USA, UK of the students tuition fee. What more? The grant requires that international students stay back and work in the country for three years after the completion of their programmes. Two most popular universities National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) rank among the top 50 universities in the World. The CBI on Sunday registered cases against a Chandigarh-based company and three of its directors for cheating a bank in Punjab of over Rs.1,300 crore, officials said. The Central Bureau of Investigation also registered cases against a Jabalpur-based company and four of its directors for siphoning off nearly Rs.44 crore from a Madhya Pradesh bank. The CBI booked Kudos Chemie Ltd, Chandigarh, and its directors Jitendra Singh, Kabir Sodhi and Gurmeet Sodhi under several offences including criminal conspiracy and cheating. The case was registered following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank (PNB) that the directors along with several unknown persons siphoned off Rs.1,301 crore from the bank by availing credit facilities using false and fabricated documents. The Jabalpur based Jagdamba AMW Automotive Ltd. and Pushpendra Singh, Yogendra Singh, Shailendra Singh, and Pratima Singh were booked for allegedly defrauding the Canara Bank of Rs.43.77 crore by availing credit facilities through forged documents. Probing the matter, the CBI conducted searches in Chandigarh and Mohali in Punjab and Jabalpur and Reva in Madhya Pradesh. All cash payments of over Rs.2 lakh for paying loans and credit card bills during the 50-day period post demonetisation will have to be disclosed in the new one-page Income Tax return form. The tax department a few days back notified new Income Tax Return (ITR) forms for filing of returns for the Assessment Year 2017-18 (financial year 2016-17). Besides providing for declaring income, exemption claimed and tax paid, the forms have a new column providing for declaration for any deposit of over Rs.2 lakh in bank accounts made during November 9 and December 30, 2016 after the old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes were demonetised. This column is also to be used for declaring cash payments in excess of Rs.2 lakh for repayment of any loan or settlement of credit card bills during this 50-day period, a senior official told PTI here. "The column is an attempt to match the cash deposits made post demonetisation with the annual income," he said. While all credit cards are linked to permanent account number (PAN) of the holder, almost all loans by scheduled banks are also provided on furnishing of PAN. The tax department will collate the data it has of cash payments made in excess of Rs.2 lakh with the returns filed. "We want to see if the income profile matches with the cash payments made," he said. The move comes amid concerns of unaccounted cash or black money being used to settle bills after credit cards were used to make heavy purchases. It could also be that black money could have been used to repay loans. Post-demonetisation, the government had provided a 50-day window beginning November 9, 2016 to deposit the junked notes in bank accounts. For those with unaccounted cash, it gave them one last opportunity to come clean by depositing 50 per cent of it as tax and parking another 25 per cent in a zero- interest bearing deposit for four years. The changes made in ITR are an attempt to catch tax evaders, the official said. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had last week told PTI that the new column of cash deposits made during November 9, 2016 and December 30, 2016 was a one-time feature in the ITR and would not be there in the ITR from next year onwards. The ITR, he had said, would evolve or change every year depending on the need. While coming out with new ITRs, the CBDT had also rationalised them and cut down the number of forms to seven from earlier nine. While all taxpayers will have to now mandatorily link Aadhaar with their PAN cards, ITR1 (Sahaj) form has been shortened from 7 page to 1 page to enable filing of returns by people with income up to Rs.50 lakh by July 31. ITR2 is to be filed by individuals and HUFs who do not have income from business or profession and ITR3 is filed by individuals and HUFs having income from a proprietary business or profession. Also ITR 2 and ITR 3 also have a Schedule AL which require assessees to declare their assets and liabilities at the end of the fiscal. ITR4 (Sugam) is filed by those individuals who have opted for income calculation under presumptive income from business and profession. The by-election to Dhemaji legislative constituency in Assam began this morning where a straight contest is on between BJP's Ranoj Pegu and Congress' Babul Sonowal. The by-poll was necessitated to the constituency following the election of earlier BJP MLA Pradan Baruah as MP from Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal left his parliamentary seat. The polling has begun at 7 AM. Everything is going smoothly as of now and we hope that maximum number of people will take part in this exercise, Dhemaji LAC Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati told PTI. The counting will take place on April 13, said Korati, who is also the Deputy Commissioner of Dhemaji district. A total of five candidates are trying their fortune in this poll with the main contest likely to take place between BJP's Ranoj Pegu and Congress' Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates are CPI(M)'s Jadu Hazarika, SUCI(C)'s Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. The constituency has a total of 2,19,751 voters, of which 1,12,510 are male and 1,07,241 are females. The elections are being held at 273 booths and authorities have earmarked 20 as very sensitive polling stations, while 141 are sensitive. Two policemen were killed in a gunfight with Maoists in Jharkhand's Simdega district on Sunday morning, the state police said. According to the police, Bano police station in-charge Vidyapati Singh and constable Tarun Burali were killed in the gunfight with the Maoists. The police were patrolling when the Maoists began firing on them, officials said. Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand. The Assam government on Sunday announced a draft population policy which suggested denial of government jobs to people with more than two children and making education up to university level free for all girls in the state. "This is a draft population policy. We have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference. Any person getting a job after meeting this condition will have to maintain it till end of his service, he added. "For employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and others government benefits, this two-children norm will be applicable. Besides, all elections such as panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the state election commission will also have this norm for candidates," Sarma said. Sarma, who is also the Education minister, said the policy also aims to give free education to all girls up to university level. "We want to make all facilities free, including fees, transportation, books and mess dues in hostels. This step is also likely to arrest the school dropout rate," he added. Sarma further said the proposed population policy will seek to debate on increasing the legal age of marriage from 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. If anybody has child marriage then he will be ineligible for government job, the minister said. The policy will also seek stringent laws to prevent violence and sexual abuse of women, he added. "Besides, a proposal for providing incentives is also included for poor persons, who take care of their elderly parents. The policy will also care for the adolescents. We will work for public awareness and reach out through religious leaders, NGOs, parliamentarians and media in this regard," Sarma said. The policy proposes to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre, he added. The minister also said he will consider including a provision for giving 50 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and elections. "Till July, we will seek public suggestions. Then it will go to the Assembly for debate and adopting a resolution. We have to go step by step and we are in no hurry. This is the long-term thing that BJP had promised in the Vision Document," Sarma said. Service rules of 48 departments will have to be amended for adopting the proposed policy, he said, adding it will take at least three years and he will be happy if the policy takes the final shape by next Assembly polls in 2021. "We want to move from primarily a medical-led policy to a socially responsible policy. We want to have a behavioural change and there will be policy incentives. Assam's current population is 3.12 crore as per 2011 Census and it increased by one crore from 2001," Sarma said. A massive blaze in the parking lot of Raipur railway station on Sunday left over 200 two-wheelers burnt to cinder. The fire broke out in the parking lot at 11 am on Sunday and swept through the area where the two-wheelers were parked. Railway SP Parul Mathur told reporters that 220 two-wheelers were burnt. "The moment we learnt of the fire, the Raipur Rail Mandal Divisional Railway Manager Rahul Gautam, the Raipur city SSP Vijay Agrawal and other officials reached the spot," said Mathur who too went to the incident site. She said the cause of the fire has not been yet ascertained. However, eyewitnesses said a heap of rubbish was being burnt in the parking lot, which could have led to the blaze. The embers from the fire first ignited a motorcycle nearby, and suddenly all the two-wheelers lined there went up in flames. Officials said the parking attendant could be hauled up for dereliction of duty. According to the Government Railway Police, the fire service was informed, but the fire tenders arrived after 45 minutes, by which time the fire had turned into a huge blaze. Over six fire tenders were requisitioned to douse the fire. Voting for the bypolls to the prestigious Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency of Kashmir began Sunday amid tight security, with nine candidates including National Conference President Farooq Abdullah in the fray. More than 1,500 polling stations have been set up for nearly 12.61 lakh electorate. Polling began at 7 am and will end at 5 in the evening. All the polling stations have been declared as either sensitive or hyper-sensitive keeping in mind threats from various militant outfits and separatist groups, including the Hurriyat Conference. The seat fell vacant following resignation of PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra, both from the Lower House of Parliament and his party, in protest against the atrocities on people during the agitation in the summer last year in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Abdullah, who is the candidate of his party and the Congress jointly, will take on the ruling PDP's candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan in a virtual direct contest. Abdullah tasted his first electoral defeat in his over 35-year-long political career when he lost to Karra in 2014 general elections. Karra, who has since joined the Congress, is now supporting the National Conference president in the bypolls. Khan, on the other hand, joined the PDP after quitting the Congress in February and was announced the candidate by the ruling party for the bypolls. Voter turnout in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 polls was 26 per cent, slightly better than 25.55 per cent recorded in 2009 elections. Some protesters were injured when security forces on Sunday fired at demonstrating mobs at three places in central Budgam district of the Kashmir Valley. The protesters damaged EVMs and prevented voters from exercising franchise in Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat bypoll. Mobs torched a bus and damaged EVMs at some polling stations in Badgam, police said. "Security forces fired at anti-poll mobs resulting in injuries to some protesters," a police official said here. Voting in the bypoll was low during the first three hours after polling started at 7 a.m. Till 10 a.m., 4,403 votes were polled in Ganderbal district, 4,283 were polled in Srinagar district while 7,177 were polled in Budgam district. At least 2,61,397 voters are eligible to cast vote in the Srinagar/Budgam seat where 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Hundreds of river activists on Sunday evening held a march to demand action against polluters who have "killed" the Yamuna river. Carrying placards with catchy slogans, the rallyists marched from the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor to the Etmauddaula view point park, raising slogans against the "murderers of Yamuna" which has now been declared a living entity by the Uttarakhand High Court. River Connect Campaign activists said the state and the union governments should pressure the Haryana government to release water as directed by the National Green Tribunal. "Water in the river is necessary to ensure the safety of historical monuments like the Taj Mahal and Etmauddaula and for Agra's water needs, the state government should immediately work on a barrage project so that there is water behind the Taj Mahal," said Devashish Bhattacharya. The visual pollution in the vicinity of the monuments has to be controlled if tourism is to be promoted, added Ranjan Sharma, another activist. Shravan Kumar Singh of the Rivers of the World Foundation said "successive governments have done nothing to save our rivers. Thousands of crores of rupees have been squandered away without discernible improvement in the sad state of the rivers". River Yamuna should be recognised as a heritage entity to restore its past glory, said activist Prashant Pachauri. Concerned over declining prices of pulses produced domestically due to cheap imports, an RSS- affiliated body on Sunday urged the government to impose a 30 per cent import duty on them to help safeguard farmers' interests. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch has asked her to step in while fearing that the country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. It said unless the government imposes customs duty on pulses, the situation may turn worse and farmers would be disinclined to produce more pulses domestically, due to poor productivity and low prices. Manch national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan told Sitharaman that her Ministry has exempted import of pulses from paying the 10 per cent imports duty which has led to large-scale imports at lower prices. Mahajan said the custom duty exemption notification on pulses expired on March 31 and urged the government not to issue a fresh notification for continuing with the exemption. I take this opportunity to urge you to kindly not pronounce any such notification of exemption from duty, after lapse of this notification. There after kindly impose at least 30 percent duty to safeguard the interest of the farmers and for the food security of the nation, he said. The Manch said the exemption of pulses from import duty, done to support domestic supplies and keep prices of pulses low for consumers, does not have relevance now as domestic prices of the commodity have come down. It said it is unfortunate that due to zero duty import of pulse traders have flooded the market with yellow peas. The Manch said this is bound to kill traditional pulses market for ever for hotel and restaurant industry, the biggest consumer of pulse. According to the RSS body, though the government tried to procure pulses from farmers at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), not all farmers could get the benefit of support prices. As a result, zero duty import of pulses has killed the farmers' income in pulses, Mahajan said, adding that traders are selling imported pulses at comparatively lower prices in the market and pulses are being sold below the MSP announced by the government. The country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. This is not a prudent approach, he said. The Manch co-convener said the erstwhile USSR suffered due to lack of domestic food supplies and India needs to encourage domestic production of pulses and oil seeds for its food security. Further, he said, importers have created huge processing and warehousing facilities near major ports like refined oil companies. Seven people, including a woman, were killed and several others injured when security forces opened fire on unruly mobs that attacked polling booths and election staff with petrol bombs and stones at various places as the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency went to bypolls on Sunday amid the call for election boycott given by separatists. Army was called out to assist the civil authorities in maintaining peace as miscreants mobbed polling booths in Ganderbal, the home segment of the Abdullah clan. Polling staff abandoned polling booths at several places because of violent incidents. Stone pelting mobs went around polling booths and at some places damaged the voting machines. Security forces exercised restraint but were left with no option but to open fire when unruly mobs attacked polling booths with petrol bombs to scare away the voters and the polling staff. Three persons died in the Dilwan village of Charar-e-Sharif area of Budgam district where they attacked polling staff immediately after voting began in the morning. Those killed have been identified as Farzaan Rathar (15), Mohammab Abbas (20), Nissar Ahmad, Shabir Ahmad, Adil Farooq and Aqib Wani. The mob damaged electronic voting machines (EVMs) to stop polling. Mobs torched a bus and also damaged EVMs at Beerwah. Most polling booths were deserted and only 3.12 per cent voting was recorded in the first four hours till 11 am. It further improved to 4.98 per cent in the noon at 1 pm. The lowest 169 votes were polled in the first three hours in the Eidgah assembly segment of the Srinagar district. The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat has 12.61 lakh voters. The impact of the poll boycott call of the hardliner separatists led by Syed Alishah Geelani was visible right in the morning when polling started. Stone pelters turned out in large numbers to create scare among the electorate. Just 73784 votes out of a total of 12.61 lakh were polled till 3 pm when two hours were left for polling to end. The lowest polling percentage of 0.51 was recorded in Eidgah segment followed by 0.66 in Chadoora. 1.90 per cent polling was recorded at Charar-e-Sharief and 2.20 per cent in Hazratbal. The highest polling percentage of 19.65 was recorded in Kangan till 3 pm and 11 per cent in Beerwah assembly segment. The stakes are high for the political stalwart and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah who is supported by the Congress and Nazir Khan of the ruling PDP though there are seven other candidates in the fray. Byelection is being held as the seat fell vacant following resignation of PDP MP Tariq Hameed Karra to protest against the failure of the state government to properly handle the situation following the killing of terrorist leader Burhan Wani. All 1,500 polling stations in the constituency have been declared hyper-sensitive or sensitive and security forces deployed in strength to protect the polling booths. The Budgam district witnessed widespread violence as stone pelters had field day in Hafroo Batpora, Gooripora, Dardpora, Soibugh, Hayatpora, Chadoora and several other places. The authorities suspended mobile and internet services in the Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts to prevent people from spreading rumours. Farooq Abdullah accompanied by his son Omar Abdullah and other family members cast their votes in the afternoon. Omar Abdullah said during his 20 years in politics he had never seen a worst election than this one. Farooq Abdullah expressed disappointment over the violence and said the government has failed to provide a peaceful election. One person was killed and five others were injured in clashes between security forces and protesters as polling for by-election to the Srinagar parliamentary constituency began here, leading to abysmally low voting in many parts. The BSF opened fire in Pakharpora near Charar-e-Sharif area to quell stone-pelting protesters in which at least one person was killed and five injured. Violent incidents were reported particularly from the central district of Budgam where miscreants pelted stones on polling booths this morning, a police official said. The violence affected the overall voting percentage which was in some booths was even below 1 per cent in the first two hours. Kangan and Ganderbal reported only two persons polled in the district. Two polling stations had to be abandoned because of heavy stone pelting in the Charar-e-Sharif area. Unconfirmed reports said the condition of two of those injured is critical. The official said stone-pelting incidents were also reported from Ganderbal districts of central Kashmir which are part of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency where polling began at 7 AM. Meanwhile, normal life was affected in the three poll-bound districts of the Valley due to a strike called by separatist groups, who have asked people to stay away from the election process. Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal were shut, while public transport was off the roads, the official said. He, however, said that few private cars were seen plying in these areas. The government has declared a holiday for today in these three districts. The "once-upon-a-time" and "happily-ever-after" fairytales that children and young adults are heavily fed on while growing up have often reinstated patriarchal notions and gender stereotypes: the princess is almost always "slender, fair, and delicate" and forever awaits her prince charming. A trickle of new animated films are attempting to change this narrative in today's politically correct and gender-neutral times. Walt Disney Animation Studio's Moana, which hit the screens in 2016, is one such story. Moana is a feisty young girl who, despite her father's best efforts, embarks on a daring mission to save her people on her island. She meets the once-powerful demigod Maui, who, after casting doubts on her ability to be on such a risky adventure, finally guides her in her quest. Moana is unlike the other Disney princesses. She does not wait for someone else, much less a "prince charming", to rescue her when she is faced with monsters in the ocean. She does all the slaying and the voyaging by herself. Frozen, yet another Walt Disney production, was again female-centric and was a blockbuster hit when it was released in 2013. A story of two sisters, this tale hands over the rescue operation to the young Ana, who is determined to bring back her elder sister, Elsa, from her self-imposed exile after she set off an unending winter because of mishandling her magical powers. What takes the cake, though, is the answer to the quintessential question: What is the act of true love that will save the dying princess? No, not a "true love's kiss". The story leads the young audience and the rest like us to push the boundary of "true love" beyond what may exist between a man and a woman in a romantic relationship. But what difference does that make, do you ask? It's just fiction! "Any movie that's relatable impacts children," says author Vani Mahesh who has recently written an Indian mythology-based comic book for the famous Amar Chitra Katha publisher. "When a girl watches another girl being fearless, it naturally evokes the same emotions in her. Autobiographical movies, like Dangal, probably have an even higher impact because kids can see their icons in action." Clinical psychologist Debasmita Phukan agreed, saying that gender stereotypes begin to be acquired by the age of five. "By the time a child reaches adolescence, what society considers 'appropriate' or 'inappropriate' with respect to a certain gender is well understood," she said. In a fast-evolving society where children have ready information at the click of a button, 32-year-old Anushree Vaidya carefully chooses the TV and movie content her three-year-old daughter is exposed to. "I don't want my daughter to be caged within stereotypes that a girl must be fair and demure. I want her to grow up as a strong individual, and since at this age it's usually cartoons that they idolise, I choose our movie content accordingly," the young mom said. It's pertinent to point here that it's not just young girls who get influenced by gender stereotyping through stories be it through movies or books. Boys are equally impacted. "When a patriarchal society leads a child to believe that girls are helpless and demure, and boys are 'manly' only if they are bulky and get into fights, stories like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White only reinforce these stereotypes, thereby perpetuating patriarchy," Debasmita added. "And patriarchy is dehumanising and discriminating to men too," said feminist activist, poet and author, Kamla Bhasin. "Boys are discouraged from crying from an early age tears are seen as a sign of weakness and are made to believe that they are protectors of women, as a result of which their emotional intelligence can be left deeply wanting. In some cases this can lead to difficulty in accepting rejection and deep-seated frustration." There has, however, been some change in mindsets which is reflected in the movies that are being made now. If one were to trace Walt Disney's movies, the early Disney princesses were the typical damsels-in-distress, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White who could not get themselves out of their own problems. As feminism rose in America, Disney reinvented its princess with The Little Mermaid in the 1980s rebellious and ambitious, who married her true love. Then came Pocahontas who stood for herself, and Mulan who fought off an entire army to save her country. Similarly, in a society which considers cooking and dancing to be essentially feminine actions, Ratatuoille and Happy Feet welcomed the thought that passion does not have a gender and that it's ok to be different. A Whatsapp video doing the rounds recently showed a young mother being pulled into an "intervention" by Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. "It's 2017," the trio said, "Don't you think it's time you stop reading such stories to your child these stories have just been lazy misinterpretations and propaganda by male writers." Then what do I read to my child, asks the mother. "Tell her real stories, of real-life heroes like Madam Curie and Kalpana Chawla." The video was a fictional set-up, but the suggestions? Take your pick. The Modi government, ahead of its third anniversary in power, has asked all ministers to submit their five major achievements that have benefitted people, including key reforms and comparative data reflecting the progress made since the BJP took office. In a letter sent out this week, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked all ministers to submit the data and observations to him. It will be compiled in a booklet that the government plans to publish before May 26, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge three years ago. A copy of the letter was obtained by PTI. In his letter, Naidu asked the ministers to send him "a three-page note in bullet form only". It said the note should cover five aspects: * Five major achievements of the ministry concerned which have benefitted the people or appreciated by the people. * Key performance indicators of the ministry * Comparative data/statistics of flagship schemes of the ministry which signifies what was the position in 2014 and now in 2017. For example, how many LPG connections were there in 2014 and what is the number now in 2017. * Three reforms brought by the ministry- process, policy, functioning, programmes, etc; and * Two top success stories in one paragraph each. In an earlier letter dated March 21, Naidu urged the ministers and senior BJP leaders to communicate with the people on the positive changes that have been brought about by the Modi-led NDA government. Asserting that the mood of the nation is clearly in "favour of the BJP and PM Modi", Naidu said, "We all take pride in being a member of Team Modi, whose relentless pursuit to turn around the fortunes of millions of people, hitherto neglected by successive governments, is bearing visible fruits." " We must prepare concrete action plan and be ready with facts, figures, data to propagate the government's achievements in a big way," he said. According to the letter, the government has made a list of ministers who would prepare note on specific sectoral topics assigned to them. Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar has been asked to prepare a note on the highlights of the prime minister's tour abroad, major outcomes from those tours and increased investment flows from foreign countries. Similarly, MPs Swapan Dasgupta and Chandan Mitra have been assigned to compile a note on intellectual discourse and counter any possible negative narrative on topics like less than promised employment generation, so-called threats to freedom of expression among others. Australian Prime Minister Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrived here on Sunday on a four-day state visit to India. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent charge) Rajiv Pratap Rudy and senior Indian and Australian officials. Turnbull, who is on his first visit to India, will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Later he will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by signing of agreements between the countries in areas like security, environment, sports, science and technology and health. However, a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) will not be signed during this visit. But India is likely to raise during the talks the issue of security of Indians in Australia in the wake of recent attacks on some of them. On Tuesday, Turnbull will visit Mumbai where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday offered prayers at the shrine of Khwaja Mouinuddin Chisti in Ajmer. "She along with a few members of her delegation arrived at the dargah around 11 am and spent 30 minutes in the premises," Khadim Kamaluddin Chisti said. "She wished for peace and prosperity in her country as well as good bilateral relations with India," the Khadim said. Laying a chaadar over the mazaar, Hasina performed her 'ziyarat' with the help of Khadim Kamaluddin Chisti. The dargah committee welcomed the Bangladesh Prime Minister at Buland Darwaja. Dedicated to Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti, the 13th century Sufi saint, the dargah is one of the most important pilgrimage centres for people from all faiths. Millions team in to Ajmer to offer prayers here every year from different parts of the world. Unprecedented security arrangements were put in place at the dargah sharif here for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit. Dargah was also vacated before she reached Ajmer, 140 km from Jaipur. The main bazaar near the dargah was closed. Earlier, Hasina reached Jaipur on Sunday morning from where she with other members left for Ajmer in a helicopter, officials said. With Pakistan playing spoilsport in economic integration of South Asia, India and Bangladesh have called for intensifying sub-regional cooperation among other SAARC countries in the areas of power, water resources, trade, transit and connectivity for their mutual benefit. In this context, the two countries noted the progress made by the Joint Working Group (JWG) on sub-regional cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIM), a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina said late Saturday. They welcomed the decision reached among India, Bangladesh and Bhutan for cooperation in the field of hydroelectric power and hailed the development as a new paradigm for sub-regional cooperation. The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepen regional cooperation to maximise the mutuality of interests and to ensure equitable share of mutual benefits in all areas, including trade, transport and energy. They recognised the importance of various regional/sub-regional cooperative/collaborative initiatives to improve the lives and livelihoods of all the people across the two countries. Modi and Hasina noted with satisfaction that India, Bangladesh and several other South Asian countries had decided to participate in the South Asia Satellite Project, which offers application of space technology for development of the region, including disaster management, the joint statement said. Of late, all SAARC nations have been feeling that Pakistan has been scuttling all attempts aimed at economic prosperity of the region because of its perennial hostility towards India. Keeping this mind, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the Maldives have all shown their eagerness to participate in sub-regional economic projects with India acting as the initiator. The joint statement said Modi and Hasina welcomed the fact that a trilateral MoU between Bangladesh, Bhutan and India for cooperation in the field of hydroelectric power had been worked out and noted that it would be signed at an occasion when leaders of all three countries would be present together. Hasina requested Modi for facilitation of cross-border power sector cooperation with Nepal. Bangladesh, which has been facing power shortage, wants to purchase power directly from Nepal. For that purpose, it wants India's support for the transmission line. The joint statement also suggested that India proposed to set up Special Economic Zones (SEZs) at certain places in Bangladesh. Modi expressed appreciation to Hasina for assigning an area of 1005 acres at Mirsarai for setting up an Indian SEZ. The two leaders expressed optimism that these SEZs would encourage Indian businessmen to bring in more investment to Bangladesh. The two PMs noted the current level of bilateral trade between the countries and agreed that it has potential for growth. In this regard, they emphasised the need to remove all trade barriers, including removal of port restrictions to facilitate trade between the countries. Indian and Chinese navies joined hands to save a Tuvalu-flagged container ship with 19 Filipino crew members which was attacked by pirates late on Saturday night in the Gulf of Aden, an official said on Sunday. Responding to an alert from UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the Indian Navy deployed its warships INS Mumbai, INS Trishul, INS Aditya and INS Tarkash which were on a mission to the Mediterranean, to help the 21,000-ton bulk cargo carrier sailing from Kelang Port in Malaysia to Port of Aden. Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with the crew, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard. An Indian Navy helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitize" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, a Chinese naval team boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover. They carried out a full search of the vessel and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship under cover of darkness after their attempt to hijack the vessel was foiled. Authorities have suspended all internet services in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Gandarbal where voting is scheduled on Sunday for the parliamentary by-elections. Both mobile internet and fixed line broadband connectivity were suspended in the three poll-bound districts which constitute Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency. The authorities refused to confirm the suspension of the internet connectivity on record. Sources told IANS that the suspension has been enforced to prevent separatists and rumour mongers from disrupting the polls. The voting in the parliamentary by-poll would begin at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. A total of 1,261,397 voters are eligible to exercise democratic right for which 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to secure the poll staff and polling stations. Ruling Peoples Democratic Party candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan is challenged by former Chief minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. Although there are nine candidates in the fray, the contest is mainly between Khan and Abdullah who is the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of running a 'dictatorship', alleging that it was misusing state power to 'torture' political opponents. The minister told reporters that the police in the state was acting under the pressure of politicians as evident by the "fake cases" launched against his party leaders for carrying arms. "In this state, the government is running a dictatorship," Rijiju said. "The state administration has filed fake cases against party leaders. They didn't carry unlicensed guns. Trishuls and swords are traditional and symbolic weapons. It is the religious right of the people. This is an instance of misuse of power by the Trinamool Congress government," he said. Rijiju, who was asked by reporters about cases lodged against the BJP leaders for carrying arms during Ram Navami procession, described the development as "very unfortunate". Speaking at a party meet here in Birbhum district, Rijiju said that the police was being "misused" by the TMC government to "torture common people and political opponents". An FIR was lodged against West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and other BJP leaders for taking out a rally with swords on the occasion of Ram Navami last Wednesday. Rijiju also accused the TMC government of not being 'sincere' in implementing the central government's welfare policies at a time when the chief minister accused the Centre of curtailing funds for central schemes. "I have come here to see how the central government's welfare policies are being implemented. What I found is that the state government is not at all sincere to run the welfare schemes," he said. Meanwhile, the Birbhum district police has refused to give permission to the BJP to hold a rally on April 11 on the occasion of "Bir Hanuman Jayanti". The district administration rejected the petition filed by the BJP's district unit on March 31. Today the organisers of the rally handed over a memorandum in this regard to the minister. The customs department has unearthed a new modus operandi of sending demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes abroad by courier in a bid to get them converted later. After these high denomination notes were taken out of circulation by the government in November last, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were given a longer window till June 30 to get them exchanged, whereas citizens who were in the country at that time were allowed to deposit the old notes till December 30, 2016. Customs officials have registered a few cases, where demonetised banknotes were sent abroad by courier, and seized over Rs 1 lakh in such notes, a senior official said today. People were found trying to send the old notes abroad by falsely declaring them as articles such as books, he said. The aim could be to take help of their relatives or friends abroad to get the old notes exchanged with the new ones, the official said. In two cases, couriers were booked from Punjab for Australia and the content inside them were declared as book. The customs official, who are keeping an eye on outbound parcels at foreign post office here, found them having demonetised notes. Similar consignments were booked for Korea and the United Arab Emirates containing the defunct notes. In all, over Rs 1 lakh in old currency notes were seized from these couriers, he said. Such cases have also been registered at foreign post offices located across the country, the official said. After scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, the government had permitted people to deposit them in banks up to December 30, 2016. The RBI has allowed Indian citizens, who were abroad during November-December 2016, to exchange the scrapped notes up to March 31 and NRIs up to June 30. This facility is available at RBI offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Nagpur only. NRIs coming to India are required to come through Red Channel disclosing to the Customs authorities at the airport the amount of the demonetised notes and secure a certificate to be tendered at the RBI at the time of exchange. Over 2,000 fresh accounts were opened in a Bareilly branch of State Bank of India post-demonetisation till December 31 to allegedly channelise black money in which at least Rs 8 crore were deposited in old notes, a CBI probe has found. The CBI has now registered an FIR against unknown bank officials and unknown persons for criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption. Based on source information, the CBI had carried out a surprise check in the Civil Lines branch of State Bank of India in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on January 2. During the operation, the CBI detected that a huge amount of cash was deposited in the bank after November 8 last year, when the notes ban was announced, in newly-opened accounts and the dormant accounts which had been activated. The CBI had found that 2,441 new accounts were opened by bank officials between November 8 and December 31. Out of these accounts, 667 were savings accounts, 53 were current, 94 were Jan Dhan accounts, 50 PPF, 1,518 FD, 13 festival accounts, two senior citizen accounts and one government account. The probe found that there were 794 instances at the bank when cash of over Rs 1 lakh and more was deposited. In certain cases huge cash deposits were also made but the sources refused to disclose the amount. These accounts were opened by bank officials allegedly in connivance with private persons which enabled deposits of huge cash and currency conversion without keeping proper records. It is observed that 267 dormant accounts have been activated after declaration of demonetisation by the bank officials in connivance with private persons in order to facilitate the deposit of old currency notes, the FIR said. It said in order to cover up the alleged misdeeds of the officials, complete teller reports, details of receipt of old currency notes and its exchange with new currency notes was not maintained by them, though it was the responsibility of the concerned branch to maintain the teller reports. The CBI alleged that vault register and other records maintained by cash department of the branch containing details of inward and outward movement of notes was made casually and a lot of alterations were made in a number of pages. By the acts of commission and omission, the bank officials in connivance with private persons have conspired to defeat the purpose of demonetisation and facilitated exchange of black money and deposit of bank accounts without maintaining proper records, it alleged. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday waded into the ongoing debate on cow slaughter and demanded nationwide legal ban on it. We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country, Bhagwat said at an event here to mark the birth of Lord Mahavir. "Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause, law must be obeyed, he said. Bhagwat's statement contradicts that of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, who had earlier said that they will ensure that people get to eat beef if the BJP comes to power in Northeastern states. Nagaland BJP chief Visasolie Lounghu was reported having said that any ban on cow slaughter on the lines of Uttar Pradesh will not take place if the BJP comes to power in the state. At another instance, N Sreeprakash, the BJP candidate for the Malappuram (Kerala) by poll, ensured voters that they will be supplied good quality of beef if he is voted to power. The issue of cow slaughter has been at the forefront of political discourse in the country ever since the BJP was voted to power at the Center in 2014 and more so with Yogi Adityanath assuming the post of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh last month. As soon as Adityanath assumed power in Uttar Pradesh, he asked the officers to take action against illegal slaughter houses in the state. Following it, there has been large-scale crackdown on slaughter houses across the state. Gujarat recently passed an amendment to make punishment for cow slaughter stringent. The law now makes cow slaughtering punishable by life term and anyone carrying beef with a punishment of at least seven years. All India Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul Muslimeen cheif Asaduddin Owaisi had earlier, commenting on the policy of Beef Ban and the BJP, had said to the the Statesman, The BJP uses cow as a symbol to polarise masses, its hypocrisy on cow slaughtering could be understood when it says that it will allow people to eat beef in NE states and put a blanket ban on it in Northern India." Bhagwat's statement comes at a time when there is uproar in the country over thrashing of Pehlu Khan who was beaten to death in Rajasthan Alwar district by cow vigilante groups. The government faced opposition in Parliament with the Congress alleging that there has been a complete constitutional breakdown in the BJP-ruled state of Rajasthan. She earned the epithet of Bollywood's "jubilee girl" with her string of hits in the Hindi film industry's golden era. But living that stardom in today's paparazzi-driven times is something the enigmatic Asha Parekh doesn't fancy at all. In an interview with over phone from her seven-storey high penthouse in Mumbai, the 74-year-old spoke about her autobiography Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl, her friends, on being single, her take on film censorship, on lobbying for a government honour, and on the life of film stars today. "I feel it was a nice time when I was part of the golden era. I wouldn't like to be there today because there's too much of media, paparazzi, stress and too much of too many things. Today, there's so much that the stars go through." The hectic life that stars face, and the rush to self-promotion that they compete for, is something she doesn't find attractive. "They have to do promotions, they have to do so many things. It's too much on them. I wouldn't have been able to handle stardom in today's times," said the veteran actress, talking about times when "self-publicity was not as rampant". Having featured in as many as 20 silver and golden jubilee hits in the 1960s and 1970s, the actress had become the blue-eyed-girl for filmmakers and for the audience with her emotive eyes, effortless acting and graceful dancing. She worked as a child actress, before making her big Bollywood foray with the 1959 Shammi Kapoor starrer Dil Deke Dekho", helmed by Nasir Hussain who later cast her in multiple films including Teesri Manzil, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon and Caravan. During her prime, Asha worked with directors like Shakti Samanta, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand and leading actors like Dharmendra, Joy Mukherjee, Jeetendra, Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Shammi, but chose to bow out from the screen in the mid-1990s. Was it a premature decision? "It's just that I was getting mother's roles, bhabhi's roles, which I was not interested in doing. I gave it up. Where are the roles for ladies of our age? Where do they have movies which are based on them? Men have been lucky. Mr Amitabh Bachchan has been very lucky. He gets many author-backed roles to perform, so it's good," said Asha, who even directed the TV series Kora Kagaz and more. Does she wish to wield the megaphone again? "Hahaha Let's see, I am not very keen to do anything now. I am feeling very lazy, so I want to laze around and be on my own," said the septuagenarian, agreeing that considering she started young in the film industry, she deserves to rest. She dismissed with a laugh when asked about Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's remark that she lobbied for the Padma Bhushan, and climbed 12 floors to meet him. "How could it be? When I can't climb seven floors to my house, how can I climb 12 floors with a bad back? It's impossible," Asha said. Why would he claim so then? "I don't know You should ask Nitin Gadkari," she remarked in a jiffy. Interestingly, Asha Parekh has not been all about glamour. She took on significant roles behind the scenes of the male-dominated film industry. She was the first woman to be appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998-2001, a stint as President of CINTAA (Cine and TV Artists Association) and she continues to work for the welfare of film industry workers. Asha, in fact, had attracted a backlash for censor body's decisions regarding Zakhm and Elizabeth and was sometimes even referred to as "dictator" and "Hitler". The hullabaloo over film censorship continues to date. What's her opinion now? "I feel the censor board should be there, and even if people make a hue and cry about it, I feel censorship is very necessary. We need censorship because we may not be talking about films with big star casts But what about the B and C grade films which come? They are horrible and they have to be censored. That nobody discusses about," said the actress, who strongly feels censorship on what to watch must begin at home. While she believes guidelines must be revised to suit the current times, she doesn't think the censor body must be "too moderate because then filmmakers take too much liberty". Asha keeps herself busy with work related to her hospital, her dance academy and the Film Industry Welfare Trust. She doesn't dance any more, but enjoys watching dancers perform. In her free time, she catches up with her school friends and friends from the industry like Helen and Waheeda Rehman who she says have always been there for her, even at the time when she was dealing with depression. Asha never got married. Doesn't she miss companionship at this stage of her life? "Companionship is always there, darling. Your friends are always there and you don't miss out on anything else." Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl is an autobiography written with film critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, and published by Om Books International. It will be launched by superstar Salman Khan in Mumbai on April 10. The divorce proceedings between Britain and the European Union have barely begun and there is already talk of going to war with Spain. Madrid has been persistently seeking to retake the Rock of Gibraltar located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, ceded to Britain as part of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Home to about 30,000 people, Gibraltarians last year voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. At the same time, they want to remain part of Britain. The draft Brexit negotiation guidelines drawn up by the European Council has identified the future of Gibraltar as one of its 26 core principles. After the United Kingdom leaves the union, no agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without the agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom, it said. That clause has potentially put Britain and Spain on a collision course over the future of Gibraltar. British Prime Minister Theresa May has assured Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo that the UK remained steadfastly committed to support Gibraltar, its people and its economy. We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar will pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely democratically expressed wishes, she said. The six-page letter of Theresa May to the European Councils president, Donald Tusk, laying down her governments priorities in the next two years does not mention Gibraltar. Inclusion of Gibraltar as one of the core issues by the European Council has the approval of the 26 remaining members of the EU. The people of Gibraltar cannot have the cake and eat it too. Thirty-five years ago last week, another Conservative Prime Minister of the UK, Margaret Thatcher, did not hesitate to send a task force to defend another Spanish-speaking relic of the colonial era half way across the globe, Falklands. Mrs May is expected to show the same courage by her party seniors Michael Fallon, Britains Defence Secretary, has said that Gibraltar was going to be protected all the way because the sovereignty cannot be changed without the agreement of the people. Chief Minister Picardo made it abundantly clear to Madrid, Brussels and every other capital of the EU that Gibraltar was not going to be a bargaining chip in these negotiations. Gibraltar belongs to the Gibraltarians and we want to stay British, he said. Gibraltar is not the only flash point in the Brexit negotiations. Ireland poses another kind of problem. By the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, security check-posts along the 500-kilometre border between Ireland and Northern Ireland have been virtually eliminated. People, goods and services now move back and forth freely without any let or hindrance. Once the United Kingdom leaves the EU, such free movement between the two Irelands will cease. Mrs May promised to find a creative solution to the problem. EU experts maintain restoration of a hard border is inevitable given the importance of immigration and security controls. Brexit, with all the problems confronting Britain, may well not be worth the effort. The super specialty hospital of the Vaishnodevi shrine near Katra will soon introduce robotic surgery. This will be the first such facility in any hospital in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision was taken on Sunday in an effort to augment non-invasive microendoscopic surgery which is an advanced technique in ensuring bloodless surgery and quick recovery of the patient. Governor NN Vohra, who is the chairman of the shrine board, and the super specialty hospital, visited it along with doctor Devi Shetty, chairman of the Narayana Sciences, Bengaluru, and reviewed the functioning of the hospital. Considering the pressing medical care needs of the state, it was decided to set up a PET-CT scanner before December this year. This facility will, interalia, help in early diagnoses of cancer. The other new facilities planned to be put in place in the hospital this year include renal, liver and cardiac transplant, bone marrow transplant, neuro-rehabilitation and augmentation of the existing facilities of endoscopic ultrasound, electrophysiology, plastic and cosmetic surgery. It was also decided that free registration of patients for OPD treatment at the hospital will continue up to 31 August, free OPD will continue up to 31 December 2017, and there will be a discount of 10 per cent on dialysis and sale of medicine in the OPD pharmacy. Director SS Rajamouli's social media account on Twitter garnered three million followers on Sunday. The Baahubali series helmer has thanked fans for treating him as their family member. "Three million hearts You loved me, praised me, supported me, criticised me, helped me, enlightened me, treated me as your family. Thank you," the 43-year-old tweeted on Sunday. In another tweet, he posted: "For those who like, for those who dislike. Please be who you areI will be who I am." He is also "very excited" for the Tamil audio release of his forthcoming film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The first part Baahubali: The Beginning was also re-released in Hindi on April 7 by filmmaker Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. The second part in the franchise will hit the screens on April 28. At least 21 persons were killed and 59 injured in an explosion at a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian city of Tanta during a service to celebrate Palm Sunday, the Health Ministry said. An explosive device was planted under the front seat of the St George Mar Girgis Church pews where it detonated in the main prayer hall, a security source said. The toll was likely to increase as many of the injured were in critical condition, the Health Ministry said. "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry tweeted. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. According to CNN, social media video showed crowds gathered outside the church shortly after the attack. Eyewitnesses said the explosion destroyed a wall. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said the military hospitals were receiving the wounded. At least 26 ambulances were deployed at the church, about 120 km north of Cairo, Xinhua news agency quoted Magdy Awad, the head of Ambulance Authority, as saying. The security forces intensified their presence around other churches, the country's Interior Ministry said. No group or individual had yet claimed responsibility of the attack. Coptic Christians make up to 10 per cent of Egypt's population. They have largely coexisted peacefully with the majority-Muslim public for centuries. Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011, the Copts have been facing persecution and discrimination. Dozens have been killed in sectarian clashes. In December 2016, an attack at a Coptic church in Cairo killed 25 people. "Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted," rights group Amnesty International reported in March. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Cairo this month, where he will meet various religious leaders, including the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. China's official think-tanks countered the Dalai Lama's assertion that the Chinese Government cannot decide about his successor, saying the next highest monk of Tibetan Buddhism must have the endorsement of Beijing. "The government of the People's Republic of China has proclaimed the power to approve the naming of 'high' reincarnations in Tibet, based on a precedent set by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty," said Wang Dehua, Co-Director, Centre for South Asia Studies, Tongji University in Shanghai. "In my opinion it's ridiculous for the Dalai Lama to say he changed the centuries-old tradition, because the tradition was already changed in 1959. The central government will definitely support the Dalai Lama's successor if he or she is selected according to Chinese laws and historical rules, and the Tibetan people's will," he said. Speaking in Tawang, close to the Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama yesterday said the Chinese government cannot decide who will be the next Dalai Lama. "Beijing's bid to name my successor to undermine the Tibetans' cause is 'nonsense'," he said. "As early as 1969, I had said the Tibetan people will decide if this very institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not. If this institution is no longer relevant, it should stop," said the Dalai Lama, who had fled Tibet back in 1959 to take refuge in Tawang. "Nobody knows who or where the next Dalai Lama will be born or come from. Some indication (about his reincarnation) might come at the time of my death, but now there is no such indication," he said, asserting that China has no role in selecting his successor. The Chinese government is yet to react to his comments made from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of Southern Tibet. Shen Dingli, Vice Dean, Institute of American Studies, Fudan University, too said the Dalai Lama has been saying that the tradition of Dalai Lama could end when he passes away. However, his successor has to have China's approval, he said. Since he left Tibet in 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama who turned 81 this year has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor. Considering the political and spiritual influence the Dalai Lamas' had over Tibetans for centuries, China is keen to pick up the successor to the current Dalai Lama to firm up its hold over Tibet, which it kept under tight political, military and administrative control after it took over the area in 1951. China is apprehensive that the Dalai Lama may pick up a successor from Tawang from where the sixth Dalai Lama hailed. While firmly opposing his visit to the Tawang in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular with a diplomatic protest to India for permitting it, China is watching warily about any moves by the Dalai Lama to pick up his successor from there. Statements by local legislators and officials from Tawang that it was the wish of the people that the next Dalai Lama should come from there also caused consternation in China. "According to traditional practice it only happens after death of the Dalai. It is well known that the title of Dalai Lama, which was originally an academic title conferred by a Mongolian emperor under the rule of the (Chinese emperor) Ming government (1368-1644), became a political and religious title after it was recognised by the Qing government (1644-1911)," Wang said. "Since then, the selection of the Dalai Lama has to be supervised and recognised by the central government in order to achieve legitimacy," he said. Commenting on Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu's remarks that "an independent Tibet, not China, is India's true northern neighbour, he said it's against India's Long standing policy and will damage our bilateral relations. Ahead of Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang, a scholar of China's state-run Tibetology Research Centre had said that the Dalai Lama's successor should come from native place in Qinghai, adjacent to Tibet Autonomous Region. Lian Xiangmin, Director of contemporary research of the centre, told media that Dalai Lama's successor should be from his native town in Tibet and he should renounce separatism and accept Tibet and Taiwan as integral part of China. Dalai Lama was born in Taktser village, Amdo of Qinghai province and picked up for the high spiritual post when he was a eight-year-old boy as part of reincarnation principle followed under Tibetan religious customs. "On one hand the Dalai Lama says he will live up to 113 years on the other hand he talks about succession issue himself," Lin said. "So far there have been 14 Dalai Lamas who have been produced in China. We hope that the present Dalai Lama will live for 113 years old. But if a succession is indeed needed we hope the new one will be produced according to the historical conventions in a traditional way," he said. Outlining conditions for political rapprochement, Lin said the Chinese government has stipulated that the Dalai Lama must give up his pursuit of Tibet independence, stop separatist activities, recognise Tibet and Taiwan as part of China. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday said there is no political solution to the conflict in Syria until President Bashar al-Assad is out of power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley told CNN in an interview airing on Sunday. The Indian-origin diplomat's remarks came days after the US on April 6 unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase in a retaliating for the Assad-led government's alleged chemical weapons attack that killed nearly 80 persons in Idlib province. Haley on Friday told a special session of the UN Security Council that the US was "prepared to do more" in Syria and that it was Washington's "vital national interest" to stop the use and spread of chemical weapons. According to Haley, the Assad regime has committed atrocities on innocent Syrian civilians multiple times. "It just if you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." Syrian Deputy UN Ambassador Mounzer Mounzer denied the country's use of chemical weapons, stating at the UN session that Syria "would never use such weapons in any of its operations against armed terrorist groups". Haley reiterated her statements about further actions in Syria in her interview to the CNN. "If he needs to do more, he will do more," Haley said when asked if Trump would order more strikes. "So, really, now what happens depends on how everyone responds to what happened in Syria, and make sure that we start moving towards a political solution, and we start finding peace in that area." Haley said she thought a regime change would occur because "all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria". Haley noted that ousting Assad was not the US's only priority. "So, there's multiple priorities," she said. "It's getting Assad out is not the only priority. And so what we're trying to do is obviously defeat the IS. Secondly, we don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there." "Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out, and then, finally, move towards a political solution, because at the end of the day, this is a complicated situation." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday about the situation in Syria, a longtime Russian ally. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called the US strike "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law". A number of prominent British television journalists from the BBC and Sky News are reportedly on an Islamic State hit-list. A website of the dreaded terrorist group is encouraging lone-wolf attacks on newsreaders alongside the location of their offices, the 'Daily Star' reported. The newspaper said it has contacted police to alert them about the website and counter-terrorism officers are now looking into the case. The Islamic State website posts instructed followers to target BBC and Sky newsreaders and posted the location of their offices, the daily said. Terror bosses went on to instruct fanatics to attack popular tourist attractions. They include Downing Street, Big Ben and, chillingly, Westminster, the scene of last months terror attack, it adds. Further posts reportedly provided a list of names of British MPs, police stations, government buildings, Army bases, shopping centres and airports. The terrifying lists were posted on an offshoot of a well-known terrorism website, the newspaper claims. The website had pictures of alleged victims of a coalition bombing in Mosul, Iraq, with the message: By Allah! We will not forget! Even after some time we will never forget!. Security expert Will Geddes told said that public figures commenting on Islamic State should take security seriously. He said: Anyone potentially in the public eye talking about IS needs to be reasonably concerned about their safety. Lists like this provide a paint-by-numbers approach to terrorism. Its about giving supporters ideas on who or what to target. The UK's security forces are encouraging any online suspected terror-related information to be reported at the government of UK's website. The UN children's agency UNICEF has called on Myanmar's government to release Rohingya children detained as part of a sweeping military campaign in Rakhine state. More than 600 people were arrested in an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the north of the restive state. The operation was launched after deadly attacks by militants on police posts in October. Rohingya escapees in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 70,000 have fled, gave UN investigators accounts of beatings, torture and food deprivation inside the jails. Minors are among those detained. UNICEF's deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said he had given the country's de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi details of around a dozen youngsters being held in Buthidaung prison. "There are some children that are detained in prison, so those are the cases that we're raising," he told AFP late on Saturday at the end of a brief trip to Myanmar. "Any child that's detained is an issue for us." Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi and Myanmar's army chief both recognised "that there's an issue here" but made no firm committment for their release, he added. Government spokesman Zaw Htay declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Sunday. The UN Human Rights Council has agreed to send a mission to Myanmar to probe allegations that troops and police raped, killed and tortured Rohingya in their months-long campaign. Myanmar has rejected the accounts collected by UN investigators in the Bangladesh refugee camps, who said the crimes could amount to ethnic cleansing. "I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening," Suu Kyi said in an interview with the BBC last week. Myanmar's police and the military have both launched separate probes to investigate the deaths of at least eight people in custody in northern Rakhine. UN rights envoy for Myanmar Yanghee Lee said some 450 people were being held in Buthidaung prison when she visited in January, most without access to lawyers or their families. Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of more than one million Rohingya, who are vilified as illegal "Bengali" immigrants and forced to live in apartheid-like conditions even though many have lived in the country for generations. A group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has claimed the October attacks, which it said were intended to defend the rights of the persecuted minority after years of worsening conditions. Forsyth said there was a growing recognition among both Myanmar's civilian government and army that depriving Rohingya children of opportunities had bred militancy. Government investigators looking into how Google pays its employees have accused the tech giant of shortchanging women doing similar work to men. A US Department of Labour official disclosed the agency's allegations during a Friday court hearing in San Francisco. "We found systemic compensation disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce," Janette Wipper, a Labour Department regional director, testified, according to a report published by The Guardian. Google said it vehemently disagreed with the charges, which the Mountain View, California, company said it hadn't heard until Wipper's court appearance. "Every year, we do a comprehensive and robust analysis of pay across genders and we have found no gender pay gap," Google said in its statement. Google and other technology companies have been trying to improve hiring practices that have historically doled out most of their technical jobs to white and Asian men. Their efforts to strike a better balance have been mostly unsuccessful so far. For instance, only 19 per cent of Google's technology jobs are held by women. Overall, nearly one-third of Google's more than 70,000 workers are women. The Labour Department's probe evolved from a lawsuit filed in January seeking to bar Google doing business with the federal government unless the company complied with an audit of its employee-compensation records. Google has said it has turned over some of the requested records, but withheld other information that it believes would invade its workers' privacy. While Google and its peers have been disclosing embarrassing sexual and racial imbalances in their workforces for the past few years, the technology industry so far has kept its compensation practices a closely guarded secret. The Labour Department is now scrutinising Silicon Valley for patterns of pay and hiring discrimination under its powers to vet companies that bid for lucrative government contracts. Earlier this year, the Labour Department also sued Oracle, alleging that the business software maker routinely pays white male workers more than their female and non-white counterparts for comparable jobs. The United States is vowing to keep up the pressure on Syria after the intense night time wave of missile strikes from US ships, despite the prospect of escalating Russian ill will that could further inflame one of the world's most vexing conflicts. Standing firm, the Trump administration on April 7 signaled new sanctions would soon follow the missile attack, and the Pentagon was even probing whether Russia itself was involved in the chemical weapons assault that compelled President Donald Trump to action. The attack against a Syrian air base was the first US assault against the government of President Bashar Assad. Much of the international community rallied behind Trump's decision to fire the cruise missiles in reaction to this week's chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of men, women and children in Syria. But a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the strikes dealt a significant blow to relations between Moscow and Washington. A key test of whether the relationship can be salvaged comes next week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson becomes the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Russia. Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the US missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with the Assad government and has been implicated in many of the attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule, though Moscow adamantly denies such claims. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top US priority in the region hasn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson also had planned to visit Russia this coming week, but decided on April 8 to cancel the trip because of the fast moving events in Syria. Johnson, who condemned Moscow's continued defense of Assad, said Tillerson will be able to give a clear and coordinated message to the Russians. At the United Nations on April 7, Russia's deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, strongly criticised what he called the US flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression whose consequences for regional and international security could be extremely serious. He called the Assad government a main force against terrorism and said it deserved the presumption of innocence in the chemical weapons attack. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the world is waiting for the Russian government to act responsibly in Syria and to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar Assad. 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. President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday urged the people to support the government's mission to make India a cashless society. "I urge all citizens to extend their unstinted support to the mission of a less cash India. All efforts of the government will achieve their end only if people were to adopt them proactively," the President said. Mukherjee was speaking on the occasion of the 100th mega draw of lots for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at Rashtrapati Bhavan here. "India has a long way to go to become a cashless society. Presently, we remain primarily a cash-based economy with about 95 per cent of the personal consumption and 86 per cent of all transactions being in cash," President Mukherjee said. Appreciating the government initiatives, he said: "It is necessary to reduce cash in circulation and impart greater urgency to promoting secure digital payment methods to ensure greater transparency." Calling the Aadhaar card a watershed event in the development story of India, President Mukherjee said: "Aadhaar enabled payment system has made digital payments possible for even those section of the population who may not have mobile phones." "Launch of BHIM has demystified the digital payments and brought it within the grasp of every citizen," he said while discussing the new modes of digital payments which are being developed for making payments easier. He complimented the government for the initiatives, for promoting the culture of digital payment in the country. The government launched the Lucky Grahak Yojana for consumers and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana for merchants on December 25, 2016, in order to promote and encourage digital transactions. These schemes are being implemented by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The Lucky Grahak Yojana rewards Rs 1,000 daily to 15,000 customers undertaking digital transactions. Weekly prizes up to Rs 1 lakh for consumers and Rs 50,000 for merchants are given. As on March 30, 2017, 13.5 lakh consumers and 79,519 merchants have received prizes under these schemes. Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal has been accused of attacking a youth in a five-star hotel in New Delhi. As per information, the actor, who was playing the DJ at the hotel, was peeved when a photographer tried to click his pictures. He then snatched his camera and threw it on the floor. Amid the ruckus, the camera hit a youth, named Shobit, on the dance floor, who got badly injured. Following the incident, the injured youth filed a complaint against the Rock On! star. I went for a Saturday night party. Arjun Rampal was playing the DJ console. He suddenly threw a camera towards the audience, which hit me, Shobit said. I dont know why he threw the camera. The incident took place at around 3.30 am. I have complained, but the police have not taken any action. No FIR has been registered till now, he added. The Delhi Police has started investigation in the case. Commuters on Chennais arterial Anna Salai aka Mount Road witnessed a horror when a Metropolitian Transport Corporation bus and a car suddenly got trapped in a giant crater. The MTC bus and the Honda City car had a narrow escape when a portion of Anna Salai, which plies at least one lakh vehicles a day, caved in near the US Consulate on Sunday afternoon. According to eyewitnesses, the crater was formed suddenly, when the MTC bus number 25G, proceeding from Anna Square near the Marina beach to Vadapalani, stopped at the bus station near the Church Park school and the passengers were alighting from the bus. The car was plying through the road, while all of a sudden the road started caving in. The passengers were rescued by the Metro rail workers and contractors. Traffic was immediately diverted from the affected area to ensure smooth flow of vehicles. The road was immediately cordoned off by the city traffic police. The bus and the car were lifted using crane that was deployed by the Chennai Metro Rail officials. As per sources in the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd, road caving was the impact of the tunnel boring machine which was drilling beneath the Anna Salai. The drilling has been going on for last few days near the accident spot. This is the second such incident in the last ten days. The soil had actually loosened due to tunnelling work in the stretch for Metro Rail. The work has been temporarily suspended," said a senior metro official. The size of the sink hole is wearing from 0-5 metre wide, 0-10 metre length and 0-2metre depth, according to official sources in the metro rail department. The phase 1 of the Chennai Metro Rail comprises 48 km underground tracks out of which work for 46 km has been completed. The tunnelling work for around two kilometre distance on the Anna Salai is remaining in the stretch between Thousand Lights mosque and DMS. Sunday's incident is actually due to the existing loose soil pocket along the tunnelling alignment where the tunnel boring machine is under operation. The road caved in though the Chennai Metro Rail has a strict instrumentation and monitoring of settlement/deflection. The monitoring point has been installed throughout the tunnel alignment at 10m interval. Continuous reading is taken every six hour interval to cross check any development in the ongoing tunnelling work. Though the last reading was taken around 2 pm, just minutes before the incident, the contractors and the metro rail workers did not find any settlement. Inspection and restoration work of the affected area is in full swing and the road is likely to open to traffic by Monday morning. The metro rail work has been going on since 2009 in Anna Salai. Over 61 percent polling has been reported on Sunday in the Ater assembly byelection in Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh amidst heavy violence and firing at two places, election commission sources said. Since the beginning of voting in the morning, the Congress had been complaining of booth-capturing by BJP candidate. Out of some 300 polling booths, over 280 had been declared as sensitive by election officials. Earlier, the collector and the SP of the district were transferred by Election Commission for alleged negligence in poll duty. Congress had complained to Election Commission that EVM machines were rigged. The Ater assembly seat got vacant after the death of Congress MLA and leader of opposition Satyadev Katare last year. His son Hemant Katare is contesting against BJP candidate Arvind Singh Bhadoria. In Umaria district in eastern Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh assembly constituency is also voting to elect new MLA as the existing BJP leader, Gyam Singh, was elected to Loksabha in Shahdol Loksabha polls in November last year. Gyan Singh currently holds dual charge of minister and Lok Sabha member. Over 62 percent polling is reported in Bandhvagarh. Congress state president Arun Yadav in a complaint to state election officials alleged that over two dozen polling booths had been captured by the BJP with the help of local administration and para military forces. Earlier in the day, Congress candidate Hemant Katare was attacked by a mob when he was entering Sankri polling booth where he alleged rigging of EVMs. BJP too has complained to election officials of booth capturing by Congress workers. In Ater, Election Commission, for the first time, is using a paper trail for the EVMknown as Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT. This trail became controversial after the buttons reportedly generated only BJP symbol. Election commission, however, in an inquiry has found that allegation of Congress was false. Seven people were killed in various incidents of violence during bypolls for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency on Sunday, which recorded an abysmally low turnout of 6.5 per cent. The low turnout is seen as a rebuke to mainstream politics in Kashmir by angry voters. The lead contenders vying for the constituency are Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Nazir Ahmed of the People Democratic Party. The NC and the Congress have forged an alliance against the PDP for the bypolls in Srinagar and Anantnag that goes to polls on April 12. The Srinagar constituency comprises districts of Srinagar, Budgam, and Ganderbal. Six killings happened in Budgam district that witnessed high violence since the start of the day. One death was reported from Magam town. Anticipating violence, the government had suspended internet services across Kashmir from midnight on Saturday. That, however, had little impact in controlling violence as the news of killings and violence spread. Violence erupted soon after polling started in the morning. There were reports of protesters clashing with security forces deployed in and around the polling stations. In Budgam district, several booths were attacked and one booth was torched. The rampaging mobs also destroyed several Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The Election Commission had mobilised additional 40,000 security personnel to augment the security for a peaceful election. However, scores of frenzied youth mobbed polling stations and clashed with forces manning them resulting the killing of six youth in various parts of Buidgam. On April 3, three youth were killed at Chadoora in Budgam during an encounter in which a lone militant was killed. According to J&K Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu, there were more than 20 incidents of violence in which six people were killed and 17 were injured. One hundred security force personnel were injured in clashes with protesters in Srinagar constituency, particularly in Budgam, he said. The protesters also torched SRTC and private vehicles. There were more than 200 attacks of stone pelting and petrol bombs attacks. One polling booth was set ablaze. He said, out of the 12.61 lakh voters, only 80,000 turned up to vote. Last time, the constituency had recorded a turnout of 26 per cent, he said. When asked why the elections were not postponed in view of the recent summer uprising, Shantmanu said the decision was taken by the Election Commission of India. He agreed that Anantnag would be a major challenge after what has happened in Srinagar constituency. In Anantnag, the PDP has fielded Mufti Tassaduq Hussian against Congress G.A. Mir who was supported by the NC. Anantnag has emerged as the hotbed of the renewed separatist sentiment after the killing of Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani and two of his associates on July 8, 2016. The separatist Hurriyat Conference has called for a two-day strike against the civilian killings on Sunday. The possibility of restoration of internet is unlikely before April 12 when bypolls will be held in Anantnag. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday called for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. "We have been striving to protect the cow. Sampoorna Bharatvarsh me gauvansh hatya band ho, ye hamari ichchha hai (We wish the killing of cows and its progeny should be banned in the entire country)," Bhagwat said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir here. He said it was for the government to make laws to this effect. "Wherever in the state governments we have dedicated swayamsevaks, those state governments have brought in laws. But our desire is that the law should be for the entire country," he added. While several states in India have banned cow slaughter through stringent laws, many others including north-eastern states, West Bengal, Kerala and even BJP-ruled Goa, put no legal restrictions on consuming beef. Bhagwat said that enactment of such a law every where will take time due to the complexities of politics, and expressed confidence that other state governments will find out a way (to ban cow slaughter) by dealing with local "complexities". Bhagwat said any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause, but added that those making efforts to save the cows should continue to do so. Any violence in the name of cow protection defames the cause, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday. "The law must be obeyed," he said. His statements come in the background of the horrific lynching incident in Alwar, where a Muslim man was murdered, allegedly by gau rakshaks. Five men were beaten up and their vehicle was vandalised by vigilantes over suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan. The incident took place on April 1. A Muslim man succumbed to his injuries three days after the incident. Earlier, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Katariya, while condemning the incident, said that a case has been registered against the smugglers as well as the cow vigilantes. (With inputs from PTI, IANS) The grand blueprint that BJPs central leadership had scripted for West Bengal suffered a jolt on Sunday, when Union minister Vijay Sampla was greeted with violence between two factions in the BJP in the district. Sampla, BJP state president in Punjab and minster of state for social justice in Narendra Modi government, was in Birbhum to talk to party workers and leaders. But two factionsone belonging to party district president Ananda Mukherjee and other which has sworn allegiance to former district president Doodh Kumar Mondalstarted fighting against each others. The camp opposing Mukherjee demanded that the union minister listen to all BJP workers, not selectively. When their demands were not met, they attacked the workers of their own party with lathis. Clashes ensued and situation turned so tense. The union ministers security whisked him away to a nearby hotel. After an hour, the situation reached normalcy when Sampla intervened and agreed to listened to every one. It was the misunderstanding which has been resolved, said Ananda Mukherjee, BJP district president. The party organisers are steeling themselves to prevent such clashes in the coming days, when senior leaders like Rajnath Singh or Ravishankar Prasad would arrive in the state. We will chalk out a strategy. The party is growing in Bengal. So there are many opinions. Its good sign, said a general secretary of the party in Kolkata. The United States is vowing to keep up the pressure on Syria after the intense nighttime wave of missile strikes from U.S. ships, despite the prospect of escalating Russian ill will that could further inflame one of the worlds most vexing conflicts. Standing firm, the Trump administration on Friday signaled new sanctions would soon follow the missile attack, and the Pentagon was even probing whether Russia itself was involved in the chemical weapons assault that compelled President Donald Trump to action. The attack against a Syrian air base was the first U.S. assault against the government of President Bashar Assad. Much of the international community rallied behind Trumps decision to fire the cruise missiles in reaction to this weeks chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of men, women and children in Syria. But a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the strikes dealt a significant blow to relations between Moscow and Washington. A key test of whether the relationship can be salvaged comes next week when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson becomes the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Russia. Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with the Assad government and has been implicated in many of the attacks against Syrians opposed to Assads rule, though Moscow adamantly denies such claims. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS Face the Nation, Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hasnt changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson also had planned to visit Russia this coming week, but decided Saturday to cancel the trip because of the fast moving events in Syria. Johnson, who condemned Moscows continued defense of Assad, said Tillerson will be able to give a clear and coordinated message to the Russians. At the United Nations on Friday, Russias deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, strongly criticized what he called the U.S. flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression whose consequences for regional and international security could be extremely serious. He called the Assad government a main force against terrorism and said it deserved the presumption of innocence in the chemical weapons attack. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said the world is waiting for the Russian government to act responsibly in Syria and to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar Assad. Trump spoke by telephone Friday with Saudi Arabias King Salman, who reaffirmed strong support for the military strike and thanked the U.S. president for his courageous action, according to statements issued Saturday by the White House and the official Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia, one of the most vehement opponents of Assad, said the missile barrage was the right response to the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it. The Turkish foreign minister, whose country is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition, said the U.S. missile strikes were not enough. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday that the U.S. intervention was only cosmetic unless it removes Assad from power. He said the most ideal process would be a political solution that leads to a transitional government. In Florida with the president, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said additional economic sanctions on Syria were being prepared. Thursday nights strikes some 60 cruise missiles fired from two ships in the Mediterranean were the culmination of a rapid, three-day transformation for Trump, who has long opposed deeper U.S. involvement in Syrias civil war. Advisers said he was outraged by heartbreaking images of young children who were among the dozens killed in the chemical attack. The decision undercut another campaign promise for Trump: his pledge to try to warm relations with Moscow. After months of allegations of ties between his election campaign and the Kremlin the subject of current congressional and FBI investigations Trump has found himself clashing with Putin. On Friday, senior U.S. military officials were looking more closely at possible Russian involvement in the poison attack. Officials said a drone belonging to either Russia or Syria was seen hovering over the site after the assault earlier this week. The drone returned late in the day as citizens were going to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shortly afterward, officials say the hospital was targeted. The officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive matter, said they believe the hospital attack may have been an effort to cover up evidence of the earlier assault. White House officials caution that Trump is not preparing to plunge the U.S. deeper into Syria. Spokesman Sean Spicer said the missile attack sent a clear message to Assad, but he avoided explicitly calling for the Syrian to leave office. In a letter to Congress on Saturday, Trump said he acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as commander in chief and chief executive. He said the U.S. will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests. Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Florida resort, tweeted a brief explanation Saturday of why the military didnt strike the runways in its bombardment of the Syrian air field, writing, they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)! (AP) Hillary Clinton says President Donald Trumps reasoning for ordering airstrikes against Syria conflicts with his attempt to ban Syrian refugees from entering the United States. Speaking Friday in Houston, the former secretary of state says she hopes the Trump administration will follow Thursdays strike on a Syrian air base with a broader strategy. Trump ordered the strike Thursday night in response to a deadly chemical attack U.S. officials have blamed on the Syrian military. Clinton adds that the U.S. could not in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies and in the next, close Americas doors to them. A federal judge has stayed Trumps executive order to suspend admissions of immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, and halt the U.S. refugee program. (AP) President Donald Trumps White House has been sharply divided by the rivalry between his powerful son-in-law with unfettered access to the president and the ideologue behind Trumps populist rise. Senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon, arguably the two most influential voices in the West Wing, have clashed repeatedly in recent weeks over strategy to pass health care legislation, the fallout of the bogged-down immigration bans and, most recently, whether to intervene in the Syrian civil war. Although the White House is rife with rumors of a staff shake-up, Trumps young administration is pushing back against reports of a pending West Wing overhaul fueled by squabbling among top aides. Spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement Friday that the narrative of a dysfunctional administration on the verge of a makeover is a completely false story driven by people who want to distract from the success taking place in this administration. As evidence of that success, Walters noted the Senates confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Trumps recent meetings with foreign leaders and the U.S. missile strikes in Syria. The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the presidents aggressive agenda forward, she said. Still, the administration has been plagued by the public airing of infighting, with high-profile aides visibly jockeying for position. Trump himself is increasingly frustrated by the leaks and stories of infighting that that keep flowing out of the West Wing and ordered Bannon and Kushner to set aside their growing feud. Trump on Thursday told the two men to meet with chief of staff Reince Priebus at the presidents lush Mar-a-Lago estate the following day, according to a senior administration official not authorized to speak publicly about a private conversation. The two men proceeded to air their respective grievances and said they would try to work together better. The tension between them has mounted for weeks. Bannon, the former head of the conservative news outlet Breitbart, powered Trumps populist campaign message. But some see his role as declining. This past week, Trump removed him from the National Security Council, reversing his decision to give Bannon access to the groups high-level meetings. Kushner, who played a major role in the presidential campaign, is heading an effort to overhaul the federal government and has traveled to Iraq with the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. Kushner is allied with a group of aides who view themselves as more moderate forces, including economic adviser Gary Cohn, the former president of the Goldman Sachs investment bank. Cohns ascendance has been a flashpoint for West Wing tensions. Cohn, Kushner and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser, have been labeled the White Houses Democrats by Bannons allies, and the two sides have taken turns slinging anonymous arrows at each other in the press. Bannons side blames Kushner and his allies for trying to moderate Trump and move him away from some of his populist campaign promises. But Bannon has taken the brunt of the blame for the stalled travel bans and for the health care fallout; on that issue, Bannon wanted to force a vote to take names of Republicans disloyal to Trump. Trump initially went along with the way the ban was rolled out, but he has since grown angry that Bannon did not craft the executive order so it could stand up in court, according to a person familiar with the presidents thinking who was not permitted to publicly discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity. Speculation has been rampant about chief of staff Reince Priebus, who has faced questions about his staying power since he started the job. That scrutiny intensified with the collapse of the House GOP health care overhaul, a major embarrassment for Trump. Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, at the forefront in the early weeks of the administration, has been less visible after a series of misstatements. She was one of only a few senior aides not present this week when Trump met with the Chinese president at Trumps Florida estate. Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend and the head of NewsMax, said Trump thrives on internal debate but does not like when people are leaking or criticizing to the outside. On whether Trump will make changes, Ruddy said he wasnt privy to internal discussion but noted, Donald Trump has a history of ignoring what everyone says or thinks and keeping people he likes for a long period of time. Nearing its first 100 days, Trumps presidency has been filled with personnel woes and limited policy victories. Installing his choice to the Supreme Court was a success, but his travel ban remains tied up in the courts. The House GOP health care bill failed spectacularly on its first attempt, and he is still dogged by questions about Russian connections. (AP) By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times THE OBLIGATION OF VIEWING OURSELVES The Gemorah in Psachim (116b) informs us that, in each generation, we are obligated to view ourselves as if we actually left Mitzrayim. Indeed, in Michtav MeEliyahu, Rav Dessler writes that since time does not progress linearly, but rather travels in a carousel like circle, the 15th of Nissan of the year 2448 is actually the very same 15th of Nissan of our own year now. This is one of our obligations on the night of Pesach. This being the case, that halachically we must view ourselves as actually leaving Mitzrayim, in our minds eye we should envision and picture the escape. Lets give it a try. Before us, standing at the waters edge about to enter it, stands Nachshon Ben Aminadav. Behind us, on a chariot, Pharoah is leading his hordes of well-trained soldiers. They are rapidly catching up. Yes, it is Pharoah the short, obnoxious leader of the Egyptians that dared to present himself as a god. But who exactly was he? What was his name? What do we know about him? THE SEFER HAYASHAR In the 77th chapter of a work called Sefer HaYashar, which was first printed in Venice in 1525, there are details as to what his name was, and more about who he may have been. [Alter Bergmann published a more recent edition of it in Tel Aviv]. The author of this Sefer HaYashar is anonymous, and there seems to be a debate as to whether it was written in the times of the Tannaim or is a much later compilation. So, what do we know about Pharoah according to the Sefer HaYashar? Well, apparently he took the throne at the age of twenty. His father, Melol, was sick for the last ten years of his life, but had reigned for 94 years. His name was Adikam Ahuz. In Egyptian, according to the Sefer HaYashar, Ahuz means short, and short he was. He was an Ammah and one half, exceedingly ugly, and had a beard down to his feet. [One perhaps could best picture him as one of the seven dwarfs a la Snow White, but with a crown instead of a nightcap]. The Sefer HaYashar states that his reign started in the 206th year of Israels going down to Mitzrayim, so he reigned for four years. It seems, by the way, from the Sefer HaYashar, that only his advisors and confidants appended the pejorative Ahuz apelation to his name [the modern equivalent of shorty]. His subjects called him Adikam. IS IT RELIABLE? Is the Sefer HaYashar reliable? Good question. Looking through the work, we do find some interesting tidbits of information that do not seem to have other parallels in our extant Midrashic ouevre. For example, Tzipporah, Moshe Rabbeinus wife is described as being on par with the Imahos, Sara, Rivkah, Rochel and Leah. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zl does use the work in his Chumash, and there are many parallels in other Midrashim and Gemorahs. Lets assume that it is reliable. Lets now ask another question. Secular historians have all the Pharoahs named. What is the secular name of Pharoah? It is possible to accept the secular name and the surrounding history as accurate without necessarily having to accept the secular chronology as accurate. If we follow the standard dating, of when the old Pharoah (Basyas father) died and a new Pharoah arose (See Shmos 2:23) which occurred in 2444, this gives us the figure of 1316 BCE. The Pharoah at that time was called Horemheb, according to secular historians. The name of one of the cities that Klal Yisroel built was Ramses (See Shmos 1:11). It might be tempting to accept Ramses II as the Pharoah. But his secular dating is much later 1134 BCE. Nonetheless, the thesis presented earlier might be acceptable that there was some sort of a mix-up in their dating, somehow. If we follow the 166 year discrepancy (or 163 years according to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan) then the Pharoah is Thutmose III, who, according to the secular calculation, reigned from 1490-1436 BCE. THE PEPI POSSIBILITY There is another possibility (which was also mentioned in a Jewish Action a number of years ago.) It seems that there was a Pharoah known as Phiops II or Pepi, who is mentioned by Manetho, an Egyptian priest from Heliopolis. Manetho compiled an Egyptian history under the patronage of Ptolemy I, entitled Aegyptika. It was written in Greek and finished c.271 BCE. It is now only extant in translation and is available to us in Josephus. According to Manetho, Pepi ruled from age six to age one hundred. Manethos datings have been questioned by historians who claim that there was political gain for the Egyptian priest in extending the lengths. However, the account has been verified through an Egyptian papyrus discovered in 1822 and called the Turin Royal Canon. (See Alan Gardiner, Royal Canon of Turin. Griffith Institute, 1959) [Parenthetically, The Turin papyrus dates to Ramses II and mentions the names of all Egyptian rulers preceded by the register of the gods who ruled over Egypt before the Pharaonic era. It was discovered in Thebes by an Italian traveler named Bernardino Drovetti. Eventually it was donated to the Museo Egizio by the king of Sardinia.] There is another advantage to this approach, since the Ipuwer papyrus is now remarkably on mark. The Dialogue of Ipuwer is an ancient Egyptian poem preserved in a single papyrus, Leiden Papyrus I 344. It is now housed in the National Archeological Museum in Leiden, Netherlands. In general there is a debate as to whether Ipuwer was just being figurative or descriptive. For more information see Stephen Quirke, Egyptian Literature 1800BC: Questions and Readings (London 2004). But the parallels to Yetzias Mitzrayim, as seen below, are remarkable. 2:5-6 Plague is throughout the land. Blood is everywhere. 2:10 The river is blood. 2:10 Men shrink from tasting human beings, and thirst after water 3:10-13 That is our water! That is our happiness! What shall we do in respect thereof? All is ruin. 7:20 all the waters of the river were turned to blood. 7:21 there was blood thoughout all the land of Egypt and the river stank. 7:24 And all the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 2:10 Forsooth, gates, columns and walls are consumed by fire. 10:3-6 Lower Egypt weeps The entire palace is without its revenues. To it belong [by right] wheat and barley, geese and fish 6:3 Forsooth, grain has perished on every side. 5:12 Forsooth, that has perished which was yesterday seen. The land is left over to its weariness like the cutting of flax. 3:2 Gold and lapis lazuli, silver and malachite, carnelian and bronze are fastened on the neck of female slaves. 4:3 (5:6) Forsooth, the children of princes are dashed against the walls. 6:12 Forsooth, the children of princes are cast out in the streets. 2:13 He who places his brother in the ground is everywhere. 3:14 It is groaning throughout the land, mingled with lamentations. There is also one more tidbit. According to the Seforno, the term Tzefardaya means crocodilesnot frogs. The Ipuwer papyrus mentions crocodiles coming out of the Nile left and right on a path of destruction. The halacha of envisioning us being there is not just theoretical. It involves physical action as well. The Rambam writes (Hilchos Chometz UhMatzah 7:6) based upon the verse in Dvarim 5, And you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitzrayim as follows: In other words, as if you yourself were a slave and you left to freedom and you were redeemed. The juxtaposition of this Rambam with the next halacha gives us remarkable insight. The Rambam writes, Therefore when a person eats and drinks on this night he must lean in the manner of free men. In other words, it seems that the obligation of leaning is a manifestation of this biblical obligation of imagining and visioning that it was actually us. So this Pesach let us go through the extra effort of picturing it with even more detail. A short, unattractive Pharoah named Adikam Ahuz chasing us in a chariot. The author can be reached at [email protected] Police during the night of motzei Shabbos arrived at a number of homes to make arrests to prevent Har Habayis activists from bringing a Korban Pesach ahead of Yomtov. Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir decried the actions of police, who he accuses of preventing Freedom of Worship, which is a blow to the democratic character of the nation, adding in this case, persons were arrests simply for wishing to fulfill a mitzvah in the Torah. A police spokesman released a statement to the media explaining the department will not permit Jewish or Arab extremists from disturbing the peace and they are standing ready to act as required from preventing such activities from occurring. The statement adds that in this case, persons were arrested after the courts issues orders distancing persons from Har Habayis and Jerusalems Old City when clearly, they planned to create a disturbance. Five minors were arrested and at the time of this report, one of them, 14-years-old, refused to sign an order agreeing to distance himself from the Old City and Har Habayis. Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) After about 21 months in the Ukraine, the couple arrested for carrying drugs in their suitcase by Ukrainian authorities was released ahead of Pesach. Pinchas and Chani Willer have been released from jail following renewed efforts to obtain their release over recent weeks. The story began when Pinchas life was threatened as he was held in a building in Switzerland by a band of youths who were hired to terrorize them. He eventually agreed to their threats and traveled to Ukraine where he was promised a job. Later, he and his wife decided they want to return home to Israel. The two, who married and left their children back in Israel wished to reunite with them. They were prevented from returning however as drugs were planted in their suitcase and they were arrested at the airport. They were arrested. Their lawyer insisted they are not drug dealers and they were released on bail with severe restrictions, including prohibition on leaving the Ukraine. The two were left without means and they were assisted by Chabad shluchim. A number of months ago, Israel Police became involved and the individuals responsible for setting them up were arrested in Israel, Switzerland and in Ukraine. An indictment was handed down a few weeks ago against a Gerrer chossid involved, a young man who ostensibly ran the entire array of threats against the two. Ukrainian officials were informed of the indictment and this led to their release. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani affirmed his support for Syrian President Bashar Assads government on Sunday, following last weeks U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base. In a phone call with Assad, Rouhani called the strike on Friday a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Assad accused the U.S. of trying to boost the morale of terror groups in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout Syrias six-year civil war. It has organized several Shiite militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Assads government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. The U.S. says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied in an interview on CBSs Face the Nation that the strikes signaled an overhaul of American policy, saying its priority remained to defeat Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The strike was the first time American forces targeted a Syrian government installation in the course of the war. U.S. Treasury officials say they are preparing sanctions in response to the chemical weapons attack, though the Syrian government is already buried under U.S. sanctions. Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow later this week. Moscow has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government and has defended it against claims of chemical weapons use in front of the U.N. Security Council. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday played down concerns of a rift with Russia over Ankaras support for the strike, saying Turkey was committed to the cease-fire mechanisms it has developed with Russia for Syria. Turkey provides military support to some of Syrias opposition forces. But he said Turkey could not remain silent to the Syrian governments chemical weapons use, and insisted Moscow work with Ankara to establish a transitional government in Damascus. We want to continue our efforts with Russia in the Astana process in terms of measures to increase trust and establish a cease-fire, he told reporters in Antalya, according to the Anadolu state news agency. In the days after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Turkey provided the Syrian Civil Defense search and rescue outfit with 50 protective kits for responding to chemical attacks, and trained them in their use, Anadolu said. (AP) On the rim of a volcano with a clear view of the U.S. Embassy, landscapers are applying the final touches to a mysterious new Russian compound. Behind the concrete walls and barbed wire, a visitor can see red-and-blue buildings, manicured lawns, antennas and globe-shaped devices. The Nicaraguan government says its simply a tracking site of the Russian version of a GPS satellite system. But is it also an intelligence base intended to surveil the Americans? I have no idea, said a woman who works for the Nicaraguan telecom agency stationed at the site. They are Russian, and they speak Russian, and they carry around Russian apparatuses. Three decades after this tiny Central American nation became the prize in a Cold War battle with Washington, Russia is once again planting its flag in Nicaragua. Over the past two years, the Russian government has added muscle to its security partnership here, selling tanks and weapons, sending troops, and building facilities intended to train Central American forces to fight drug trafficking. The Russian surge appears to be part of the Kremlins expansionist foreign policy. In other parts of the world, President Vladimir Putins administration has deployed fighter planes to help Syrias war-battered government and stepped up peace efforts in Afghanistan, in addition to annexing the Crimean Peninsula and supporting separatists in Ukraine. Clearly theres been a lot of activity, and its on the uptick now, said a senior U.S. official familiar with Central American affairs, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation. As the Beltway world untangles the Trump camps links to Moscow, American officials are also puzzling over Russian intentions in its obscure former stomping ground. Current and former U.S. officials suspect that the new Russian facilities could have dual use capabilities, particularly for electronic espionage aimed at the United States. Security analysts see the military moves in Central America as a possible rebuttal to the increased U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe, showing that Russia can also strut in the United States back yard. American officials say they are not yet alarmed by the growing Russia presence. But they are vigilant. The State Department named a staffer from its Russia desk to become the desk officer in charge of Nicaragua, in part because of her prior experience. Some American diplomats dispatched to Nicaragua have Russian-language skills and experience in Moscow. Nicaraguas presidents office, the foreign and defense ministries, and the police all refused to address questions for this report. The Russian Embassy in Managua also failed to respond to several queries. Spy games and Washington-Moscow power struggles are old hat for Nicaragua, a country the size of Alabama with a rich Cold War history. The Soviet Union and Cuba provided soldiers and funding to help the government of Daniel Ortega and his leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front after they overthrew the U.S.-backed dictator Anastazio Somoza in 1979. The CIA jumped in to back rebels known as the contras fighting the Sandinistas in a war that killed tens of thousands. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought an end to such Cold War conflicts. But in the past decade, and particularly under Putins rule, Russia has sought a bigger world footprint. In Latin America, Russia has sold billions of dollars in weapons to Venezuela. Russian helicopters are used by militaries in Peru, Argentina and Ecuador. While U.S. and Chinese trade in Latin America is far larger, Russia has intensified economic ties with several countries, including Mexico and Brazil. When Ortega was reelected in 2006, after 16 years out of power, Nicaragua once again became a Russian friend in the region. The new relationship initially had a civilian focus, with Russia donating wheat and sorghum to Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Russia gave hundreds of boxy buses to Ortegas government and is building a factory to manufacture vaccines. The economic cooperation was a facade, said Roberto Orozco, executive director of the Center for Investigation and Strategic Analysis, a think tank in Managua. What the Russians really wanted is an active military presence. In the past few years, the partnership has been militarized. In 2015, Nicaraguas parliament, dominated by the Sandinistas, passed a resolution allowing Russian warships to dock in Nicaraguan ports, following earlier agreements to permit patrolling in coastal waters. Russia began supplying armored personnel carriers, aircraft and mobile rocket launchers. It provided 50 T-72 tanks to Nicaragua, which Ortega paraded through Managua, generating criticism from the public. The countrys military leaders already had an affinity with Russia, having used Soviet-supplied equipment fighting the contras and received training in the Soviet Union. While Venezuela has nearly collapsed economically and Cuba has improved relations with the United States, Ortegas government has emerged as Russias most stable ideological ally in the hemisphere. The most fruitful political relationship that Russia has, and where its made its greatest advances, has been Nicaragua, said Evan Ellis, a professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College. He and two U.S. customs officials were expelled from Nicaragua last year, with the government saying it should have been notified of their presence. Nicaraguan security experts estimate that Russia has about 250 military personnel in the country. Jacinto Suarez, president of the Nicaraguan parliaments foreign affairs committee, and an ally of Ortegas, said in an interview that the relationship with Russia is the natural outgrowth of the ties the countries developed in the 1980s. He dismissed those worrying about nonexistent military threats. Look at the commotion with the Russian tanks, Suarez said. And nothing happened. They said that war was coming when those tanks arrived. Current and former U.S. officials have a variety of theories about Putins intentions in Latin America. Some consider Russias military actions a response to the Obama administration sending more U.S. troops and weapons to NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Others worry that Russia could be pursuing ambitious spy goals, such as intercepting Internet traffic in the ARCOS 1 fiber-optic cable that runs from Miami down the Caribbean coast of Central America. Speculation is rife that the new Russian satellite site on the lip of the Laguna de Nejapa crater will be a spy facility, even though Nicaraguan officials have said it will be used for GLONASS, Russias equivalent of GPS. Juan Gonzalez, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs during the Obama administration, said he had generally been skeptical about theories that Iran, China and Russia were posing a security threat with their increased activities in Latin America. But he has changed his mind over the past couple of years because of Russias activities in Nicaragua and neighboring El Salvador. (The Salvadoran foreign minister visited Moscow last month to discuss trade and investment deals.) The United States and countries of the region should be concerned, Gonzalez said. Nicaragua offers a beachhead for Russia to expand its intel capabilities and election meddling close to the United States. Hugo Torres Jimenez, a retired Nicaraguan brigadier general and a member of the opposition, said Ortega was encouraging the Russia ties because he has an obsession with the international spotlight, and he sees in Putins government the reincarnation of the old Communist Party. The Russian buildup in Nicaragua has coincided with deteriorating relations between Washington and Managua. Last summer, Nicaraguas supreme court and electoral council, both seen as loyal to Ortega, blocked the leading opposition candidate from participating in the November presidential election and forced opposition lawmakers out of the National Assembly. Ortega cruised to victory, winning a third straight term, in an election the State Department described as flawed and undemocratic. House legislation known as the Nica Act was reintroduced this week, an attempt to block funding for Nicaragua from international institutions unless the Ortega government makes democratic reforms. Last year, the Obama administration quietly pressured the Inter-American Development Bank to postpone a $65 million loan to Nicaragua to show displeasure with the election, according to a former U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Russian presence has generated mixed reactions among Nicaraguan citizens. Some consider Moscow a long-standing ally. Others worry that the Nicaraguan government could use the new Russian equipment to spy on its domestic critics. Nelson Perez, a 53-year-old bus driver, wished that Nicaragua had just received a better brand of bus than the Russian-made KAvZ he was maneuvering through Managua traffic. Theyre not good for this climate; they overheat, Perez said. He complained about the narrow passageway, the rattling mirrors, the leaky roof and windows. These are not comfortable. In the upscale neighborhood of Las Colinas, a gleaming four-story Russian-built counternarcotics center appears nearly completed. A security guard at an apartment building next door doubted any good would come from it. They say its an anti-drug mission, but who knows, he said. Poor people have not received any benefit from Russia. (c) 2017, The Washington Post Joshua Partlow Banks could face a fresh multi-billion pound hit to their profits under a planned crackdown on overdraft charges. The Financial Conduct Authority is aiming to take action to impose limits on overdraft fees and other high-cost credit. Last week the FCA unveiled plans to force banks to cut interest charges on credit cards particularly for those borrowers having the greatest difficulty repaying their debts. The FCA is aiming to take action to impose limits on overdraft fees and other high-cost credit This weekend FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey told The Mail on Sunday that the next steps could involve curbs on overdraft costs which would have an even more far-reaching effect on bank profits. Bailey added: If you look across the board at these interventions, they will cause downward pressure on bank margins. Banks make almost 9 billion every year from personal current accounts, including overdraft fees and payment processing charges. No estimates have yet been made of the potential costs of a fresh crackdown on bank charges, but an FCA spokesman said steps to target overdraft fees and other high-cost credit cover a much wider area than the credit card moves. The regulator is considering taking action to cut fees charged to customers who go overdrawn without approval and to ensure they are given clearer warnings of imminent charges. Rising consumer borrowing is a growing concern of both the FCA and the Bank of England The plans are part of a broad offensive aimed at preventing banks from profiteering at the expense of those who get into trouble with debt. Rising consumer borrowing is a growing concern of both the FCA and the Bank of England. Consumer credit is soaring by more than 10 per cent a year. At the same time the rate at which people are saving has slumped to its lowest since the eve of the financial crisis in 2008. The crackdowns follow research by the regulator showing that banks make the vast bulk of their profits from borrowers in difficulty. Theymake almost five times as much in fees from credit card customers in serious arrears as they do from those with no problems. Last weeks measures included a requirement to introduce repayment plans for those who do not repay credit card debts for long periods, as well as scrapping interest for those with the worst problems. Bailey said the FCA was also watchful that the industry might seek to get around last weeks measures on persistent credit card debt. We will be watching very carefully. Once you put returns under pressure you expect some reaction, he said. It is also looking to introduce consistent standards for consumer credit applications later this year. What we are generally worried about is that there isnt a consistent enough approach. The quality of credit assessment is pretty variable. Its a highly segmented market, he said. The furniture company founded by the Queens nephew David Linley has hailed 2016 as an extremely strong year that yielded record sales and a return to profit. The Linley firm says that it enjoyed a transformational 12 months, with its fastest growth coming in overseas sales. Linley, who became the second Earl of Snowdon on the death of his photographer father earlier this year, set up his company in 1985, making bespoke furniture, interiors, luxury gifts and accessories. Record: David Linley has hailed 2016 as an extremely strong year The firm has been expanding into the yachting and automotive markets and recently opened a new London store in Piccadilly and revamped its flagship store in Belgravia. Accounts just filed show sales jumped from 6.9 million to 13.5 million while a loss of 1.9 million turned into a profit of 337,000. Directors said they were focused on delivering a compelling proposition to high net worth individuals. The company is majority-owned by Malaysian businessman David Chuas firm Overture Investments. Deliver us, oh Lord, from the fury of the Northmen! So went the reputed prayer of Dark Age monks fearful of murderous Viking raids. It may soon become a phrase heard in boardrooms up and down the land. Norways vast sovereign wealth fund has weighed into the long-running row over excessive boardroom pay and I, for one, welcome its arrival. Crucially, the intervention of the Norwegian state fund is focused not entirely on the sheer amounts that some executives are paid, but the opaque and complex payment plans that underlie them. The message of the Norwegians? Keep it simple. Norwegian fund wants these complex schemes replaced with something that is still long-term The funds intervention is also welcome because of its great size. Managing almost a trillion dollars worth of investments, its clout as a shareholder in hundreds of companies is not to be trifled with. It holds around 45 billion worth of UK shares including holdings in most of our largest companies from banks to insurers and retailers and house builders. But the real value lies in its very direct message: scrap complex long-term incentive plans. Executive pay has for too long been so opaque under these schemes that even seasoned observers find it hard to disentangle exactly what executives targets are and, more importantly, whether they are the right targets to most benefit other shareholders. The more complicated schemes also make it easier for boards to game the system by tweaking one or other complex target measure to deliver a big payout for executives without necessarily creating long-term benefit for the company and its other shareholders. The Norwegian fund wants these complex schemes replaced with something that is still long-term but far more straightforward rewarding executives with shares in the company they must hold for at least five or, perhaps, even ten years, even if they leave. This simple system would mean executives would be forced to think about whether their leadership was creating genuine long-term value. A cap on maximum pay agreed by shareholders, and which need not be uncompetitive, would also stop unpleasant surprises. Too often shareholders see the report on their chief executives pay and exclaim: How much?! A simple cap would avoid such shocks and the damage they can do to trust and confidence. Controversial businessman and Labour Party donor Chai Patel has held talks over a possible bid to buy half of Bupas care home estate for up to 450 million. A deal to buy the 150 sites would transform Patels existing business, HC-One, into Britains biggest care homes operator. Patel, former chief executive of the upmarket mental health care provider The Priory Group, has appointed investment bank Gleacher Shacklock to advise him. Chai Patel has held talks over a bid to buy half of Bupas care home business But other unnamed bidders are said to be also vying for the sites, which Bupa has been trying to sell since late last year. The estate represents about half of Bupas care homes business and includes 15,000 staff, but not the Bupa brand. City sources said the 150 care homes could fetch between 300 million and 450 million. The potential bid comes as the care homes sector faces huge financial pressures. According to the health think tank the Kings Fund, spending by local authorities on social care has fallen by 9 per cent in real terms between 2009-10 and 2014-15. Care home operators have been warning that the increase in the minimum wage has put unbearable pressure on the industry. City sources said HC-One needs to raise a substantial amount of capital to finance the takeover and has been talking to several unconventional lenders, such as hedge funds, as several of Britains traditional banks have shied away from backing the deal. City sources said the 150 care homes could fetch between 300 million and 450 million Patel, who became embroiled in the cash-for-peerages scandal in 2005, created HC-One in 2011 when it took over a third of Southern Crosss homes after that company collapsed under its debt pile. Since then, HC-One has been on a major acquisition spree, gobbling up as many care homes and companies as possible. In 2014, HC-One was sold to a group of private equity firms for 477 million. That deal netted the HC-One management team, including Patel and its directors, around 30 million. Reports last year suggested HC-One was saddled with about 250 million of debt and was looking to carry out a sale and leaseback deal on the some properties to reduce its borrowings. Fears are growing that if HC-One takes on even more unconventional debt to finance the purchase of the Bupa portfolio it could leave the group susceptible to a financial crisis similar to the one that beset Southern Cross. However, Henry Elphick, chief executive of healthcare intelligence company Laing Buisson, said: HC-One is a very credible operator. Its the best performing large care provider in the country and has demonstrated a strong track record by turning around the Southern Cross portfolio. Bupa and HC-One both declined to comment. Rail supremo Charles Horton, who is in charge of the strike-stricken Southern network, pocketed half a million pounds last year, despite the franchise making a multi-million pound loss, having to apologise for its poor service and being voted Britains worst train company. Southerns parent company Govia Thameslink Railway reported a 15.3 million loss in its latest accounts. As highest-paid director in the GTR accounts, Horton was paid 478,000 while accounts filed by the old Southern group show he received another 17,000 bringing his total remuneration to 495,000. Southern commuters battle through another strike day while its supremo rakes in a fortune GTR said: As a matter of policy we do not discuss the remuneration of any of our employees. The group, which runs passenger services on the Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express routes, is ultimately owned by FTSE 250 company Go-Ahead Group. The business was merged into a single operation by the Department for Transport in July 2015 when it combined the troubled Southern and Gatwick Express with GTRs other franchises, Great Northern and Thameslink. Southern passengers have been hit by a year-long succession of strikes by staff, the latest taking place yesterday. Most action has been prompted by plans for driver-only operated trains. Earlier this year Southern was voted Britains worst train company in the National Rail Passenger Survey. GTR, the UKs largest rail franchise by passenger numbers, revenue, trains and staff, recorded a pre-tax loss of 15.3 million on sales of 1.1 billion in the year to July 2, 2016. A company spokeswoman confirmed the loss, saying: Since it started, GTR has not contributed to the Groups profits. Palm oil has a dreadful reputation, with its production often devastating rain forests and threatening the habitat of orang-utans. DekelOil aims to be different. Most criticism is levelled at producers in Indonesia and Malaysia, where orang-utans live. Dekel operates in West Africas Ivory Coast. And many plantation owners are accused of mistreating local farmers. Dekel works with them to improve living standards. Controversial: Palm oil has a dreadful reputation, with its production often devastating rain forests Midas last looked at the company in December 2015, when the shares were 1.175p. In June 2016, a one-for-ten share consolidation programme was launched. Shareholders received one new share in place of every ten held. Had that been in place in 2015, the price would have been 11.75p. Today it is 7.5 per cent higher at 12.65p. The price has yo-yoed recently but the future bodes well for both the firm and its shareholders. Last year was tough for the sector. The price of crude palm oil was at its lowest in more than a decade, and Nigerias currency plunged, cutting demand for imports. This hit Dekel, as it sells most of its oil in West Africa. By contrast, 2017 has begun on a much brighter note for the industry, and Dekel has undertaken a number of measures to strengthen its business and boost production. Last year, despite tough circumstances, Dekels sales rose by 12 per cent to just over 12 million (10 million). The company reports in euros because the Ivory Coasts currency is pegged to the euro. Wildlife concern: Palm oil production can threaten the habitat of orangutans The firm also raised production by 9 per cent to 39,000 tons and should deliver even higher production increases this year. Analysts forecast production will hit 45,000 tons in 2017, rising again in 2018. Higher prices and higher production bode well. In 2016, the average palm oil price was 565 a ton. Today, its nearer 718 a ton and is expected to remain above 700 a ton at least until the end of the year. The firm underwent a financial restructuring last year buying out a minority partner, refinancing bank debt on better terms and paying a maiden dividend. The exercise simplified finances and encouraged big investors. Dekel is expected to release first quarter production and revenue figures this week, and these should make for encouraging reading.Profit for 2016 will be revealed in late April or early May, and analysts expect 2.6 million with a 0.17p dividend. In 2017, profits are expected to soar to 6.5 million, boosted by increased production and higher prices. Further strong growth is pencilled in for 2018 too, with rising dividend payments. Dekel is run differently from most palm oil producers. Less than 10 per cent of its output comes from its own estate. The rest comes from local smallholders. It owns a nursery, where it grows palm seedlings. Small trees are then sold to local farmers to plant and nurture. They then sell the bunches of fruit back to Dekel, which turns them into crude palm oil in a modern mill. This provides a secure livelihood for thousands of smallholders, and Dekel has furnished the local village with a school, medical centre and fresh water. The project even caught the attention of the World Bank, which now subsidises smallholders to buy seedlings from Dekel, boosting production. Dekels mill has the capacity to produce more than 65,000 tons of oil a year, and there is room for growth on the current plantation. But boss Lincoln Moore is ambitious, and plans a second plantation, again near the economic capital Abidjan, and a third in Ghana. Palm oil is a basic cooking oil in West Africa and elsewhere. But it is also used in foods, from mayonnaise to biscuits, as well as in soap, lipstick and cleaning products. Demand in Dekels core market of West Africa is growing as living standards rise. Ivory Coasts economy alone is growing at 9 per cent a year, boosting local appetite. Midas verdict: Agricultural firms are never risk-free and palm oil prices can be volatile. But Dekel has a sound business plan and payment of a dividend highlights confidence in the future. Existing investors should hold. Adventurous punters should pick up a few shares at 12.625p. Centre of attention: Shaftesbury is the landlord for Carnaby Street CHINA SALE Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee has spent 500m on shares in London landlord Shaftesbury ahead of a possible takeover bid. The tycoon now owns 20 per cent of the business, which is the landlord for Carnaby Street, Chinatown and much of Soho. TECH DEBT Troubled microchip maker Imagination is facing growing concerns over a 19m loan due next June. The debt is secured against its 55m headquarters in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. Imagination shares plunged more than 60 per cent earlier this month after Apple announced it would be ending a 65m-a-year contract. GREEK BAILOUT Greece is seeking to avoid another debt crisis after caving in to its creditors over further spending cuts. Bailout talks will resume this week following a pause as Athens and the EU rowed about the need for more austerity. Reforms have now been agreed which will unlock fresh funds so the nation can pay off 5.1bn of borrowing in July. TWITTER VOTE Social media giant Twitter has called on investors to reject plans to transform it into a co-operative. A group of investors came up with the proposal amid mounting losses, with shares almost half their float price. A vote is due at its AGM next month. CO-OP WOES US hedge funds which saved the Co-op Bank expect to get back just 5p for every 1 they invested if it is sold this year. The lender is seeking a new owner amid fears it is seriously low on cash. Married couples are more likely to divorce than switch banks. But sometimes events outside a customers control make them reassess their choice of financial partner. The mounting doubts over the independent future of the Co-operative Bank proved the last straw for me and my husband. We have finally ended our 22-year relationship with the bank. Despite rumours that a well-funded competitor, Virgin Money, is preparing a bid for the Co-op Bank, we are happy to have moved. Values: Many joined the bank because of its ethical stance If Virgin or another rival snaps it up, that might improve the Co-ops poor customer service and deliver much-needed financial stability. But there are now better current accounts on offer that score higher on the ethical values that attracted me and my husband Paul to the bank in the first place. We will leave 1.4 million current account holders to make their own decision about the troubled business, which reported a 477 million annual loss last month and was put up for sale in February. It is also under intense scrutiny by the Bank of England, with plans in place in case it fails. The 145-year-old bank maintains that it is very much business as usual for customers, whom it describes as very loyal. It is even trying to attract new ones with a 110 payment to those who transfer their current account to the bank using the seven-day Current Account Switching Service. The last straw why we decided to leave after 22 years In the end it was not the crystal meth scandal, the hedge fund takeover, nor its well-publicised financial difficulties that prompted us to switch our 22-year-old current account away from the Co-operative Bank. It was the banks deteriorating customer service. My husband Paul Bigmore, 40, and I joined the Co-op for its values. The account offered us no interest or perks but ethical banking was key. But mounting concerns over security and service proved the last straw. Rosie and Paul switched away from the Co-op Bank to a Nationwide account Last month Pauls new credit card failed to turn up. The bank told him it had been lost in the post. But as well as blocking the card, we were unable to access our account via the internet for several days. Paul was told it was a security issue so our account had been blocked. But we could still access our bank on our phones. The bank later admitted the problems were an issue with its systems. A spokesman said: We are looking to address this particular technical issue on our online banking system to prevent this happening in the future. I have just switched our account to Nationwide Building Society which offers 5 per cent interest on in-credit balances up to 2,500 in the first year. Also, it gives 100 cash to switch and it has a higher ethical score than the Co-op. Only when I contacted the Co-op about writing this article did it tell me it could have moved us to a free Everyday Rewards current account offering perks. For us, too little much too late. But despite these reassurances, some experts believe that more customers will be heading for the door. Charlotte Nelson at financial data company Moneyfacts says: The banks uncertain future may well be the catalyst for customers to see if there are better bank deals out there. Many joined the bank because of its ethical stance. It still claims strong values, but this is harder for customers to believe since profit-driven hedge funds took a majority stake in October 2013. That followed the discovery of a 1.5 billion black hole in the banks finances and revelations in The Mail on Sunday about the lifestyle of its then chairman, Reverend Paul Flowers, who was seen buying crystal meth and other drugs. Until 2013, the bank was owned by the Co-operative Group. But last week the group valued its remaining 20 per cent stake in the bank at zero in its accounts for 2016 in what it called prudential accounting. Is it ethical? Move Your Money says the change of ownership raises questions over its ethical label. A spokesman for the bank says its ethical values, which include not providing banking services to oppressive regimes or tax evaders, remain as strong as ever. But Move Your Money, a website that scores banks and building societies on their ethics, says the change of ownership raises questions over its ethical label. Move Your Money give Co-op Bank 51 per cent for ethics, compared with 64 per cent for Nationwide Building Society, and 98 per cent for smaller building societies such as Darlington, Ipswich and Loughborough. Ecology Building Society is top of the list with a score of 100, while the highest scoring bank is Triodos at 92 per cent. Rebecca OConnor writes the ethical finance blog Good With Money. She says: Luckily, there are plenty of other organisations proving profit can go hand-in-hand with ethical principles. Nationwide is a good all-rounder and while not explicitly describing itself as ethical, it ticks most boxes. She also recommends Triodos, which is set to launch its first UK current account shortly. How to switch The easiest way to transfer a bank account is under the Current Account Switching Service. This promises to move existing direct debits and incoming payments in seven working days. The easiest way to transfer a bank account is under the Current Account Switching Service Under the services guarantee, customers who incur any charges as a result of the process, such as overdraft fees, will be refunded. Payments will be redirected from the old to the new account for 36 months and cheques will also be redirected. Most high street banks have signed up to the service. Many even offer a golden hello to customers who use it. For example, M&S Bank offers up to 170 on an Marks & Spencer gift card, while First Direct pays 100 in cash. Consider other benefits Customer service, in-credit interest and low overdraft fees should be part of any switching decision. Some banks allow you to switch your overdraft as long as you meet their eligibility criteria. Kevin Mountford says consumers should take advantage of the easier switching experience Figures published last week by Bacs, which runs the switching service, show that customers can save an average 116 a year by moving accounts. Kevin Mountford at comparison website MoneySupermarket says: If customers fail to take advantage of the easier switching experience, it plays right into the hands of the big banks, which should be doing more to retain our custom. Co-op customers who are concerned about the safety of savings should check all their money is protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Up to 85,000 is covered if a bank goes bust. However, in the case of the Co-op this total includes any money held with Britannia and Smile, which are brands owned by the bank. Charlotte Nelson of Moneyfacts says: If you do move any money out of the bank, beware of any withdrawal penalties. And if you want to move a cash Isa, do it by filling in a transfer form so you do not lose your tax-free shelter. A.D. writes: I live on a council estate and recently discovered that we are on a soakaway for surface water drainage and not the national drains that are the general rule. Yet we have been charged for years for drains we do not have. I emailed Anglian Water and received a 265 refund. I contacted Suffolk County Council and found that all of our estate is on the soakaway. I asked Anglian Water to backdate my claim to when I moved into my property in Kesgrave, Ipswich, but they say three years is the maximum. Anglian says it has no access to title deeds, so it relies on customers to appeal if they think they have been overcharged You must be the most popular man on your estate, except perhaps with Anglian Water. You told both your neighbours about the soakaway and they reclaimed 321 and 365 respectively. That leaves around 400 more homes with a potential claim. What I found hard to believe was that Anglian Water was charging hundreds of families hundreds of pounds for a service it did not provide. Yet this is exactly what has happened. The firm said: If a property is solely connected to a soakaway, the owner is entitled to a reduction. If the property was built up to the year 2000 the way to confirm this is by looking at the deeds. Anglian says it has no access to title deeds, so it relies on customers to appeal if they think they have been overcharged. But how many people particularly council tenants actually have their property title deeds, or know what to look for? This is like getting to the supermarket checkout and being charged for Champagne you never bought, only to be told that everyone is charged unless they protest. You might think that the watchdog Ofwat would be up in arms about this. Not so. It only expected water companies to grant refunds for the current year, which makes three years of backdated refunds look generous. Also, Ofwat only expects companies to monitor properties built since 2001. Anyone who lives in an older property is expected to know about soakaways, do their own research and lodge an appeal. Andy White, senior policy manager at the Consumer Council for Water, told me: All sewerage companies now offer rebates that go beyond the current financial year after we challenged those that did not do so. Anglian Water told me: When the surface water rebate was introduced, our regulator Ofwat agreed it would not be cost-effective for us to investigate and survey the many millions of properties we serve to obtain individual connection details. Paying the bills: Halifax should have just transfered the cash As a result of your appeal, the company says it has contacted other residents in your area. But this is clearly a national issue and not a problem that involves just one company and one council estate. I do wonder how much money the water companies nationally are raking in by charging real money for a fictitious service. L.A. writes: I went online to use my Halifax debit card to pay off my Marks & Spencer credit card. The screen flashed a message saying the transaction had not gone through. I tried again and got the same message. I then rang M&S and was told both 1,283 payments had gone through. What happened next was almost as bad. Halifax clawed back one of the payments, but M&S also refunded the money, leaving you still owing the original 1,283. Halifax said it would take the matter up with M&S but this could take 45 days to sort out. Then you received your next statement from M&S, which of course showed the 1,283 debt. You spoke to Halifax again, and were told M&S would have to apply for a fresh payment. But M&S told you Halifax should just transfer the cash. Nobody seemed to accept that all you wanted to do was pay your bill. I asked both companies to investigate. Your card payment has now gone through, and M&S told me: We have spoken to Mrs A and credited her account with an additional 100 by way of an apology. Halifax said: We have apologised for the difficulty Mrs A experienced, and arranged a payment of 150 for any inconvenience. So, your bill is paid, and you are 250 up. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. The snacks-by-post business Graze is very lucky, with so much uncertainty around Brexit, that half of its revenues come from the US, says chief executive Anthony Fletcher. But he is concerned at the prospect of the firm, based in London, losing access to skilled staff from abroad. He says: Its a worry. Its very hard to plan a Brexit strategy. It is a period of greater uncertainty if youre looking to export full stop. Worry: Anthony Fletcher says Brexit uncertainty is making it difficult to plan Were very lucky nearly half our revenues come from America, which means some of our numbers go up and some of them go down. If we were a business more focused on Britain this would be quite a difficult thing to negotiate, with foreign exchange moving around and ingredient prices moving. I have low expectations of there being any clarity soon. Politicians seem to be moving very fast but not really signalling or consulting heavily on what might be coming. London is emerging as this real entrepreneurial hub which is creating businesses such as Asos and Just Eat the next breed of British success stories. Theyre filled with specialists, talent drawn from around the world. Widespread: Half of Graze's revenues comes from the US He says Graze is a tech firm, using technology to not only optimise its mail order system, but to refine its products. I like to hire people who can do the job, he says. British is the largest contingent but we have many from across Europe, some with very specialist skills, people with PhDs in specific types of mathematics. They ask me whats going to happen. Some have moved their families to the UK more than a decade ago. What can I advise? All I can say is its very uncertain, but youre a key employee. A staggering 45 per cent of small business owners expect to outlive their retirement funds, according to new research. The authors of the report claimed owners of small and medium-sized enterprises have unrealistic pension expectations and could be sitting on a retirement time bomb. It found that 42 per cent of SME-owners do not anticipate retiring until they are 70 or older, or are not planning to retire at all. Worrying: 45% of small business owners expect to outlive their retirement funds More than half expect a pension pot of less than 500,000 to fund their entire retirement and 45 per cent fear their retirement funds will run out. Controversially, the report says there is potential for some SME-owners to use their pensions to help fund their businesses but warns that far more education is needed for them to make the right decisions. Former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann told the Mail on Sunday that those who put their pension into their business would be doubling their risk of a poor old age. The study titled Pensions and Small Business: Ticking Time Bomb or Hidden Treasure was carried out by the business group Forum of Private Business and pension specialists Clifton Asset Management, using survey results from YouGov and the Forum. It found that while 59 per cent of SME-owners expect to sell their business to help finance their retirement, 38 per cent would consider using their pensions now as a business funding source. Peter Seed, business funding specialist and head of PDS Accountancy, said: Owners often see their businesses as pensions and dont realise how their pensions can actively contribute to growing their business in a very efficient manner. With the right advice, they can actually use their own pension pots as a self-funding tool with a much lower effective financing rate than most providers. The Forums Ian Cass said: There is a resource there that businesses could and should be using. They could take some of that pot and invest it really wisely and increase the value of the business. Adam Tavener, founder of Clifton Asset Management, said: A know-ledge-based approach is essential to drive good decisions for SME owners to make the most of their pensions and fulfil their business and retirement expectations. Former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann said those who put their pension into their business would be doubling their risk of a poor old age You have nearly half of all those surveyed already admitting their pension pot isnt enough to retire on. Were talking about living on a wing and a prayer here. Tavener says that if there are 5 million SMEs then there are 2.5 million individuals or families hitting Skid Row in the next 15 years. To me, thats a problem. Altmann said: I find it worrying that small business owners are being encouraged to use their pension to fund their business this is bound to entail greater risks. She said if a pension is invested in assets unrelated to the owners business, then if the SME runs into trouble, at least the owner should have a pension to fall back on. Altmann added: As this research shows, small business owners usually have less pension savings than they would need for a comfortable retirement and may be relying on selling their business to see them through their later years. If their business and pension are interdependent, they are more exposed to problems of failure and could end up losing everything. The best investment advice would normally be to diversify your risks, rather than doubling up. MBABANE Teachers are supposed to be role models to the pupils they teach at schools but same cannot be said about some teachers in the country as they are accused of disrespecting their profession through absenteeism, absconding and insubordination. This emanates from the fact that the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) is demanding action on the rise of cases of the aforesaid antics. The TSC has already written a letter to the Regional Education Officers (REOs) around the country regarding the matter. Absenteeism is the habit of not being at school or work when you should be for no good reason. Abscondment is when one suddenly leaves a place of work without permission, while Insubordination is when one shows an uruly behavior towards superiors. In a letter dated March 7, 2017 written by the TSCs Executive Secretary Mduduzi Nkambule which Times SUNDAY has seen, he highlighted the commissions concerns over the alarming rate of the above cited unprofessional acts. The commission notes with concern that absenteeism, abscondment and insubordination cases are on the rise. The commission, therefore, requests your office to forward such cases so that they are urgently dealt with for the smooth operation of the Teaching Service. It is emphasised that abscondment, absenteeism and insubordination bring the school to a state of anarchy and your office is therefore urged to give such matters the urgency they deserve so as to curb such conduct, reads the letter. Wellington Mdluli, Lubombo REO confirmed receipt of the said letter. He explained that the letter was meant for his office to engage with the affected schools. He also confirmed that there were cases that involved the three subjects. We do engage schools over these through workshops, however, in some cases you find that there are inaccurate cases of absenteeism because when we investigate, at times, we discover that, in actual fact, that particular case had a teacher who eventually produced a sick sheet. We normally rely on information from head teachers hence I cannot boldly say the Lubombo region has a lot of cases than the other regions, Mdluli said. Macanjana Motsa, Schools Manger in the Ministry of Education and Training, said the matter needed a comment from the Teaching Service Commission. She however, confirmed that she had a lot of cases of absenteeism in her office. She explained that for her to make a charge, she relied on information from the REOs. MBABANE - The Swazi Government prefers to earn E4 from a property investment instead of a possible E2 520 000 on a monthly basis. This is due to the fact that the Swazi government has so far failed to repossess the E50 million investment from Tuntex Group as per their agreement. Government leased land to Tuntex for 50 years and the latter is paying a nominal fee of E50 per year which is equivalent to E4 per month. The land is more than six hectares in size. A square metre charges E40 for rental at Matsapha Industrial site and E80 in the Central Business District (CBD). To rent a one room house around Matsapha is around E500 a month while at Mobeni Flats its around E2 300. Currently, there is a dispute between Tuntex and the Swazi government. The agreement was that Tuntex would return the land to the Swazi government after the 50 years, inclusive of any structures that may have been set up. On the flipside, Tuntex is declining to follow the initial agreement and wants government to reconsider. The reason why government wants to cancel the deal with Tuntex is that the latter experienced economic challenges, 38 years into the lease agreement and wanted to enter into business with another company to save the situation, which was to sell the business to Logico. The background of the matter is that in the 1990s, Tuntex was encouraged by the Taiwanese Government to invest in the kingdom of Swaziland. In 1996 and 1999, Tuntex Textile (PTY) Company Ltd and Tuntex Garment (PTY) Company Ltd, respectively, entered into a 50-year lease agreement (for the land in which Tuntex is built), with the government of Swaziland, in order to invest and establish a business to create job opportunities to Swazis. According to the 50-year agreement, and among other components of the lease, Tuntex undertook to hand over the factory and premises to government, on a 12-month notice. Otherwise, the lease may be renewed for such further period as may be agreed upon by the two parties, reads the agreement in part. Te-Shengp Yang, Chairman of Tuntex Group, has prepared the document as an appeal to government. The document was also endorsed by Anthony Geldard, on behalf of Logico. Part of the document states that in the year 2012, an unexpected challenge surfaced and it led to cessation of manufacturing and operations. This was due to overseas buyers suddenly stopping the placing of orders for goods from Swaziland as they could not be entitled to the benefits they had expected. For more than three years, we were not getting any orders and maintaining the factories cost us about E276 200 (US$20 000) per month, which is spent to cater for security, lighting, light maintenance, keeping and paying local and expert staff, said Yang. Heres what to know in Beaver County this Election Day If youre a registered voter in Beaver County planning to vote in person today, heres what you need to know. Albany If you want to see the most visible regional impact of the final state budget deal, pull out your cell phone in mid-July and request a ride from Uber or Lyft. The establishment of a regulatory framework to allow the operation of such ride-hailing apps upstate and on Long Island after years of service in New York City and much of the rest of the nation was tucked into the 343-page piece of legislation that resolved the most contentious issues in this year's budget talks between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders. Although referred to as a revenue bill and better known on the Assembly floor as the "Big Ugly," the measure covered everything from Cuomo's college affordability plan for middle-class students and reforms to the workers compensation system to changes in the way police handle video interrogations. "The bottom line is it's a tremendous compromise. I'm glad we stuck it out," said Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany. Ride-hailing will be allowed in the new regions within 90 days after the final passage of the bill, which the Democrat-controlled Assembly approved Saturday. The Republican-led state Senate, which left the Capitol on Wednesday with the budget talks still at impasse, is expected to return Sunday afternoon to take up the remaining bills. Uber, which has waged a long and expensive lobbying effort to push for the legislation, was ecstatic. "Hey, New York your Uber is arriving this summer!" the company said in a release. "... We can't wait to bring reliable, affordable transportation options to the entire state this summer." "It is a critical economic development tool that has been missing," said Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, D-Cohoes, who represents five of the Capital Region's cities where ride-hailing is expected to be popular. "It will be something that will be used in downtown urban areas. It will be appealing to young urban professionals," said Matt Baumgartner, owner of Bombers Burrito Bar, Wolff's Biergarten and The Olde English Pub. McDonald said the ride-hailing measure also should see people opting to call for a ride instead of driving while intoxicated. Less noticeable than ride-hailing but significant to the Capital Region, the budget also allows for the long-awaited reprivatization of the New York Racing Association, which has been under state control for almost five years in the wake of a series of financial and ethical scandals. NYRA holds the state franchise to operate the Saratoga Race Course, Aqueduct and Belmont. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, said she was very pleased to "see the reprivatization happen." There are fiscal strings attached for NYRA, although they aren't quite as constricting as those Cuomo had originally proposed. The main constraint centers on the subsidies the tracks receive from video lottery terminal profits. The state's Franchise Oversight Board, the financial watchdog that monitors NYRA, can impound those monies but that would happen only if the association experiences losses for two years in a row that could have been avoided by making policy changes. The oversight board can also hold back money if NYRA "deviates materially" from its own financial plan. NYRA would have six months to get back on the plan before money could be held back. Cuomo is empowered to name NYRA's next board chair from among its members to serve a three-year term. He will also be able to name two board members, a power also given to the leaders of the Senate and Assembly. Woerner said the reprivatization sets the path for NYRA to achieve success in the future. Woerner said the change for NYRA will benefit the Capital Region's racing industry. The budget also allows for the use of the "design-build" process in several notable regional construction projects. Labor unions are wary of the system, which allows the state to obtain a single contract to cover both design and construction phases of a given building. The list of eight projects specified in the revenue bill includes the new State Police forensics lab planned to be built at the Harriman State Office Campus, and a new Life Sciences Laboratory that has not yet been sited but will be built in the Capital Region. Design-build will also guide work at several Olympic Regional Development Authority resorts, including Gore, Whiteface and Belleayre, as well as the extensive work on a new regional visitors center at the former Frontier Town property in North Hudson, Essex County. The Capital Region's county executives will be among those empowered to call together all local governments for the purpose of assembling shared-services plans designed to reduce property taxes. The process must involve at least three public meetings, and the plans must be submitted to county legislators by Aug. 1. Counties that achieve real savings from their approved plans can apply for state matching funds. The agreement represents a paring back of Cuomo's original proposal, which would have required putting the plans before the county's voters as opposed to their representatives. Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, R-Schaghticoke, lambasted the proposal as a classic unfunded mandate. "This is like an Abbott & Costello routine," he said during the floor debate. An earlier piece of budget legislation that has already passed both chambers hands the City of Albany $12.5 million in additional state aid a sum that Mayor Kathy Sheehan said was needed to close a looming budget gap. Sheehan, a Democrat who's seeking re-election this fall, wants to see a state aid increase annually to achieve what she describes as equality for the state's capital city relative to what other upstate cities receive. Previous boosts to Albany from the state have come in the form of "spin-ups," or advances on future state payments to cover the lost property taxes represented by the construction of the Empire State Plaza. Appropriate to such a large and diverse piece of legislation, Saturday's debate in the Assembly was long and often passionate. At one point midway through the day, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Majority Leader Joe Morelle called a break to ask Democrats to tone down their criticism of the governor in floor speeches a request that followed Assemblyman James Skoufis' scathing attack on the college affordability plan as an insufficient half-loaf that wouldn't do enough to dent the crisis of student debt. Rick Karlin and Kenneth C. Crowe II contributed. cseiler@timesunion.com 518-454-5619 @CaseySeiler This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOP 5 LARGE COMPANIES (out of 9 participants with 400 or more employees in the region) New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Founded: 1972 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 449 What they do: This criminal justice support agency providing training to law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals and coordinating juvenile justice policy. Website: criminaljustice.ny.gov Stewart's Shops Founded: 1950 HQ: Saratoga Springs Capital Region employees: 521 What they do: This employee- and family-owned convenience store chain has shops located in 31 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont. Website: stewartsshops.com Questar III Boces Founded: 1977 HQ: Castleton Capital Region employees: 463 What they do: This educational organization provides more than 275 instructional and administrative services to 23 school districts in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties and innovative learning programs for students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Website: questar.org New York Independent System Operator Founded: 2000 HQ: Rensselaer Capital Region employees: 543 What they do: This non-profit is responsible for the reliable operation of New York's nearly 11,000 miles of high-voltage electricity transmission. Website: nyiso.com Excelsior College Founded: 1971 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 556 What they do: Founded as Regents College in 1971 and chartered as a private, nonprofit institution in 1998, the college was renamed Excelsior College in 2001. The college is an accredited, recognized leader in removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. It is also the largest educator of registered nurses in the world. Website: excelsior.edu TOP 20 MIDSIZE COMPANIES (out of 34 participants with 99-399 employees in the region) Auto/Mate Dealership Systems HQ: Albany Year founded: 1985 Number of employees: 147 in Capital Region; 165 nationwide What they do: Provide auto dealership management software for more than 900 dealers nationwide. Website: automate.com Keller Williams Founded: 19 HQ: Latham, Delmar, Saratoga Springs Capital Region employees: 236 What they do: This residential real estate company works with buyers, sellers and investors throughout the greater Capital Region. Website: kwcapitaldistrictny.yourkwoffice.com CAP COM Federal Credit Union HQ: Colonie Year founded: 1953 Capital Region employees: 317 in 10 Capital Region locations. What they do: The member-owned financial institution focuses on superior service, convenient products and competitive rates that aim to help members save money. It has 90,000 members and more than $1 billion in assets. Website: capcomfcu.org Pioneer Bank Founded: 1889 HQ: Colonie Number of employees: 239 at 21 Capital Region locations What they do: This community bank is committed to integrity, respect and a sincere concern for their employees, customers, and community. Website: pioneerbanking.com Autotask Corp Founded: 2001 HQ: East Greenbush Capital Region employees: 159 What they do: Provide IT business management software. Website: www.autotask.com Four Winds Saratoga Founded: 1986 HQ: Saratoga Springs Number of employees: 318 What they do: Provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment services for children, adolescents and adults. Website: fourwindshospital.com Greenman-Pedersen Inc Capital Region HQ: Colonie Year founded: 1966 Number of employees: 233 at two Capital Region sites; 1,400 nationwide What they do: Consulting engineering, providing design and construction services, offering highway and bridge design, construction inspection, structural engineering, traffic engineering, transportation planning, land development and protective coatings. Website: gpinet.com Community Health Center of St. Mary's Healthcare and Nathan Littauer Hospital Founded: 1985 HQ: Johnstown Capital Region employees: 163 What they do: Provide home heath care to clients across 16,000 square miles in Fulton, Montgomery, Herkimer, Hamilton, Saratoga, Schoharie, and Warren counties. Website: www.chchomecare.org GCOM Software, Inc Founded: 2005 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 99 What they do: Custom software development and consulting. Website: gcomsoft.com Vicarious Visions Founded: 1994 Capital Region HQ: Menands Capital Region employees: 163 What they do: Develop video games. Hits include Spider-Man for Game Boy Color, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for Game Boy Advance and Guitar Hero. Website: vvisions.com Bast Hatfield Construction, LLC Founded: 1977 HQ: Clifton Park Capital Region employees: 165 What they do: Full service general contracting and construction management, with projects ranging in size from a few thousand dollars up to $20 million plus, and an average yearly volume of $75 to $85 million. Website: basthatfield.com Healthcare Association of New York State Founded: 1925 HQ: Rensselaer Capital Region employees: 140 What they do: Advocate on behalf of 500 not-for-profit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and other health care organizations. Website: hanys.org Center for Internet Security Founded: 2000 HQ: East Greenbush Number of employees: 114 in Capital Region; 120 nationally What they do: This nonprofit harnesses the power of a global IT community to safeguard private and public organizations against cyber threats. Website: cisecurity.org Albany Gastroenterology Consultants, PLLC Founded: 1995 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 103 What they do: This sub-specialty medical practice proves hepatic and digestive disease care to patients. Website: albanygi.com US Foods Founded: 1993 Capital Region HQ: Clifton Park Capital Region employees: 312 What they do: Distribute food products to restaurants, health care and hospitality facilities, government operations and educational institutions. They offer more than 350,000 national brand products and their own high-quality private label items ranging from meats to produce to frozen foods. Website: usfoods.com Main Care Energy Founded: 1930 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 119 What they do: Home energy sales and service, providing propane, fuel oil, natural gas, heating and cooling needs 24-hours a day. Website: maincareenergy.com The United Group of Companies Founded: 1972 HQ: Troy Capital Region employees: 164 What they do: Real estate development, specializing in all phases development, financing, construction, and management. Website: ugoc.com NYS Office of Child and Family Services Human Services Call Center Founded: 2013 HQ: Schenectady Capital Region employees: 136 What they do: Provide telephone customer service on behalf of 10 New York state agencies, fielding an average of 4,000 calls daily about everything from applying for college tuition assistance to becoming a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Website: ocfs.ny.gov Fulton-Montgomery Community College Founded: 1963 HQ: Johnstown Capital Region employees: 162 What they do: Provide more than 2,800 students with more than 40 degree and certificate opportunities. The college is a member of NJCAA Division III sports, provides on campus student housing, meal plans, has 31 student activity clubs and participates in more than 100 transfer agreements with 100 other higher education institutions. Website: fmcc.edu Keeler Motor Car Company Founded: 1967 HQ: Latham Capital Region employees: 290 What they do: This auto dealer sells and services new, used and certified pre-owned Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter, smart, BMW, MINI and Honda vehicles. Website: keeler.com TOP 25 SMALL COMPANIES (out of 35 participants with 98 or fewer employees in the region) Jahnel Group Inc. Founded: 2003 HQ: Schenectady Capital Region employees: 37 What they do: Custom software design, development and consulting. Website: jahnelgroup.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Blake, Realtors HQ: Albany Year founded: 1922 Number of employees: 35 at 9 Capital Region locations What they do: This full service real estate company offers residential, commercial and luxury real estate. Website: berkshirehathawayhs.com Huff 'N Puff/Renewal by Andersen of Eastern NY HQ: Rotterdam Year founded: 1973 Capital Region employees: 83 What they do: This family-owned home improvement company specializes in window and door replacement, and gutter installation. Website: huffnpuffinc.com Northwestern Mutual - Capital Region Founded: 2009 Capital Region HQ: Colonie Capital Region employees: 56 at 10 location What they do: Offer financial products and services such as life and disability income insurance, education funding alternatives, retirement solutions, estate and business analysis. Website: capitalregion-ny.nm.com The Chazen Companies Founded: 1947 HQ: Troy and Queensbury Capital Region employees: 65 What they do: This employee owned consulting engineering firm focuses on engineering, land surveying, planning, environmental services and code services. Website: chazencompanies.com Teal, Becker and Chiaramonte, CPAs Founded: 1971 HQ: Albany Employees: 81 What they do: Accounting, auditing, tax and advisory services. Website: tbccpa.com Marvin and Company, P.C. Founded: 1923 HQ: Colonie and Queensbury Employees: 54 What they do: Accounting, auditing and tax services. Website: marvincpa.com GTM Payroll Services Inc. Founded: 1991 HQ: Clifton Park Employees: 60 What they do: Payroll, human resource and insurance services Website: gtm.com Hinman Straub PC Founded: 1932 HQ: Albany Employees: 62 What they do: Law firm providing individual, institutional and corporate clients with comprehensive legal and government relations services. Website: hinmanstraub.com Carter Conboy Founded: 1920 HQ: Albany Employees: 62 What they do: Law firm providing litigation and transactional assistance in diverse practice areas. Website: carterconboy.com Creighton Manning Engineering, LLP Founded: 1965 HQ: Albany Employees: 60 What they do: Full-service civil engineering - highway and bridge design services, traffic engineering, civil engineering, site design, landscape architecture, surveying and construction inspection services. Website: cmellp.com Computer Professionals Internationals Founded: 2007 HQ: Schenectady Employees: 50 What they do: Custom software development and consulting. Website: comproinc.com Transitional Services Association Inc. Founded: 1978 HQ: Saratoga Springs Capital Region employees: 89 What they do: Provides residential support services and care management to adults and children struggling with mental illnesses and addictions. Website: tsa-inc.org O'Connell and Aronowitz, P.C. Founded: 1925 HQ: Albany Employees: 67 What they do: Broad service law firm with offices in Albany, Latham, Saratoga Springs, Plattsburgh and New York City. Website: oalaw.com DWM Inc Founded: 1997 HQ : Latham Capital Region employees: 61 What they do: Facilities maintenance, construction and renovation, water filtration, emergency services Website: dwminc.com The Bonadio Group Founded: 1978 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 87 What they do: This Top 40 certified public accounting firm provides integrated resources to clients large or small. Website: bonadio.com Don Brown Bus Sales, Inc. Founded: 1973 HQ: Johnstown Capital Region employees: 63 What they do: Sales and service of new and pre-owned buses and vans. Website: buscrazy.net Graybar Electric Company, Inc. Founded: 1869 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 38 What they do: Distribute high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, specializing in related supply chain management and logistics services, with more than 250 North American distribution facilities. Website: graybar.com Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C Founded: 1961 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 43 What they do: Full service engineering, specializing in transportation engineering, water supply, wastewater management, solid waste management, land planning and site design, and environmental and facilities engineering for municipal, industrial and institutional clients. Website: bartonandloguidice.com Monolith Solar Associates, LLC Founded: 2009 HQ: Rensselaer Capital Region employees: 61 What they do: Solar power sales and installation. Website: monolithsolar.com InfoEd Global Founded: 1991 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 72 What they do: Provide software to support electronic research administration at research institutions, universities, and corporations. Website: infoedglobal.com Hudson River Community Credit Union Founded: 1954 HQ: Corinth Capital Region employees: 78 at six locations What they do: Originally founded by employees of International Paper Company, today HRCCU is a state-chartered community credit union. Anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or a business or legal entity, such as churches, associations, within Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Rensselaer counties or the towns of Cohoes, Watervliet or Green Island and their immediate families are eligible to join. Website: hrccu.org Repeat Business Systems Founded: 1986 HQ: Albany Employees: 43 What they do: Office technology and IT services, including hardware, software, IT consulting and network management. Website: repeatbusinesssystems.com Early Childhood Education Center Founded: 1973 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 59 at four locations What they do: The not-for-profit preschool program for young children with disabilities and their families provides services for approximately 175 children and families in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties. Website: ececny.org Sano-Rubin Construction Services, LLC Founded: 1912 HQ: Albany Capital Region employees: 48 What they do: Construction services, with 105 years of experience providing construction management, design-build and general contracting for an array of building projects. Website: sanorubin.com Beirut Residents of the Syrian town devastated by a chemical weapons attack Tuesday said warplanes had returned to bomb them Saturday, despite a U.S. missile barrage and warnings of possible further response. At least 87 people in the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun were killed Tuesday in a chemical attack that left hundreds choking, fitting or foaming at the mouth. Eyewitnesses and a monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that fresh attacks on the area now a virtual ghost town had killed one woman and wounded several others. Photographs from the site showed a pair of green slippers, abandoned by a blood-spattered doorway. Residents cowered in bedrooms and basements throughout Saturday, underscoring the unchanged threat they faced from the Syrian government's arsenal of rockets, barrel bombs and other weapons that have resulted in a majority of the conflict's half-million dead. In retaliation for Tuesday's chemical assault, President Donald Trump ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airfield housing a jet fleet responsible for extensive bombing across northern Syria. The missile barrage is the first direct military action the United States has taken against Syrian President Bashar Assad's government in the six-year-long conflict. Although Trump warned of possible further intervention, the Pentagon has said no other strikes against government targets are in current plans. Although American officials predicted that the strikes would result in a major shift of Assad's calculus, they appeared to be symbolic in practice. Within 24 hours of the attack, monitoring groups reported that jets were taking off from the bombed Shayrat air base once again, this time to bomb Islamic State positions. There were also reports of Syrian government and Russian airstrikes across the provinces of Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib and Daraa, all killing civilians. However, there were no reports of further use of chemical weapons. "The American strikes did nothing for us. They can still commit massacres at anytime," said Majed Khattab, speaking by phone from Khan Sheikhoun. "No one here can sleep properly, people are really afraid." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described Trump's decision to retaliate as welcome, but not enough. "If this intervention is limited only to an air base, if it does not continue and if we don't remove the regime from heading Syria, then this would remain a cosmetic intervention," he said. A longtime backer of Syria's armed opposition, Turkey is now overseeing a stuttering peace process in the Kazakh capital, Astana, that it hopes will hasten an end to the war. Elsewhere in the region, a leading Iraqi Shiite cleric and militia leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, called on Assad to step down and "save Syria before it's too late." Albany A state investigation into Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel E. Abelove's handling of a 2016 fatal police shooting is examining whether he committed official misconduct or obstruction when he rushed the case before a grand jury less than a week after the incident, according to people briefed on the investigation. Legal observers said the unprecedented probe by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office took a significant step last month when Abelove's mobile phone was seized by investigators who confronted him with a search warrant as he arrived at his office on the morning of March 16. Court security cameras captured the tense moments when Abelove carefully read the warrant while surrounded by state law enforcement officials who eventually took the phone from his hand. "A search warrant on a cellphone, that's a pretty big deal. The investigation has really gotten to a whole new stage here," said Bennett Gershman, a Pace University law professor and former prosecutor. "They have to have probable cause at least to believe that a crime was committed." That crime, Gershman said, could hinge on Abelove's decision to put the case into a grand jury after the attorney general's office sent him a letter saying they were examining the case under the authority of a governor's executive order. Abelove has publicly criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2015 executive order giving Schneiderman the authority to intervene in cases in which unarmed civilians are killed by police. Abelove's attorney, John W. Bailey, has asked a judge to review the search warrant application, which is not publicly filed, to determine whether the attorney general's investigation led by two former Troy police officers is biased or there were valid reasons to seize the phone of a district attorney. Bailey has also questioned why state Supreme Court Justice Richard McNally, a former Rensselaer County district attorney who defeated Abelove in Abelove's first run for the office, signed the warrant and did not recuse himself. Days after the investigators seized Abelove's county-issued phone, Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Breslin, the region's administrative judge, signed an order transferring the case from McNally to Columbia County Judge Jonathan D. Nichols. Nichols has declined to release copies of written arguments filed by Bailey and the attorney general's office on the legality of the search warrant. Abelove has filed a request with the attorney general's office securing his right to testify before a grand jury if the investigation of his handling of the case reaches that point. He also has defended his decision to quickly put the shooting case before a grand jury that cleared Troy police Sgt. Randall French in the April 2016 killing of Edson Thevenin, 37, as he fled a DWI arrest. Troy police officials said the shooting was justified because French's legs were pinned against his cruiser by Thevenin's vehicle after a brief pursuit. A toxicology report showed Thevenin was intoxicated, according to sources close to the investigation. Two civilian witnesses told police they did not believe French was in imminent danger when he opened fire at close range. The witnesses, Keith Millington of Cohoes and Phillip E. Gross III of Troy, were interviewed by Troy police and the attorney general's investigators. Still, Abelove did not subpoena them to testify before the grand jury. French was not required to sign an immunity waiver before he testified, so he could not have been charged no matter what the panel decided. A person close to the case said Abelove made arrangements with Gross' attorney for his client to appear before the grand jury. When Gross failed to show up, Abelove did not issue a subpoena compelling his testimony. Lee Kindlon, an attorney for Millington, said his client was never asked to testify. In an interview with the attorney general's office last year, Millington said he saw Thevenin's car roll forward into French's legs after the officer opened fire, according to another person briefed on that interview. Gershman, who was a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorney's office and has authored books on prosecutorial and judicial ethics, said Abelove's decision to not subpoena the civilian witnesses is likely a focus of the attorney general's investigation. "This is serious, substantial, exculpatory evidence as to whether or not there was a (justifiable) homicide here, Gershman said. "This is the kind of evidence that must be presented to a grand jury to make an impartial determination. You can't hide this evidence; this is critical evidence." The case has also touched off an internal debate in the District Attorneys Association for the State of New York, which last month voted against supporting Abelove in a petition he filed in state Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of Cuomo's July 2015 executive order. The petition seeks a court order precluding Schneiderman's office from investigating his handling of the Thevenin shooting. "The New York state governor does not have the authority to disqualify a district attorney on the basis of a perceived conflict of interest," the petition states. Many district attorneys have criticized Cuomo's order because it supersedes their authority in cases involving fatal encounters between police and unarmed civilians. One of the issues behind the order is whether local district attorneys would handle deadly police cases with impartiality given their close ties to those law enforcement agencies. The district attorneys have privately debated whether the Thevenin shooting is the right case to mount a formal challenge of the order. On March 7, Abelove wrote an email to his fellow district attorneys pleading for their support. "Clearly, what started as an investigation into the underlying facts of the shooting incident, has evolved into an investigation into how my office handled the investigation, including the grand jury presentation," Abelove wrote. "These orders from the governor especially that which targets me personally cannot go unanswered." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. But unraveling a governor's executive order, including one he signed in February giving Schneiderman explicit authority to investigate Abelove's role in the shooting case, may be difficult. "Executive orders from the governor are presumptively constitutional and enforceable; it's not often that they are set aside on constitutional grounds," said Jay C. Carlisle II, a Pace University law professor who has testified in state and federal courts as an expert witness on New York law. "If I were a betting man, I would bet on the governor and the attorney general prevailing." Cuomo signed the order after a series of high-profile deadly encounters between police and unarmed civilians in New York and across the nation. The order gave Schneiderman authority to conduct independent investigations when, "in his opinion, there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his death." The petition filed by Abelove asserts the order is unconstitutional and the underlying reasoning was not enough to justify the extraordinary authority that Cuomo gave Schneiderman. In February, Cuomo signed a separate order that gave the attorney general specific authority to probe Abelove and to pursue charges against any person for unlawful acts "in any way connected with the incident and its subsequent investigation, including its grand jury presentation." The fatal incident began with a traffic stop. Abelove has said Thevenin ran away from French moments earlier as he was being given a field sobriety test. The officer pepper-sprayed him and ran after him. "Sgt. French attempted to pull Thevenin's keys from his ignition and was dragged a short distance along the side of Thevenin's car," the petition states. Abelove said two police cruisers chased Thevenin and boxed in his vehicle on Hoosick Street near the Collar City Bridge. Police officials said French's legs were allegedly pinned between his cruiser and Thevenin's car, and the officer fired eight shots at Thevenin, Abelove said. Police said they considered Thevenin armed because he was using his vehicle as a weapon. blyons@timesunion.com 518-454-5547 @brendan_lyonstu No doubt, many Americans and many people around the world took some satisfaction in President Donald Trump's decision Thursday to send Syrian President Bashar al Assad a message in the form of 59 cruise missiles in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed 89 civilians, including children. In the aftermath, though, we are left with all the same questions and uncertainties about Syria and several new ones. They all come down to this: Does Mr. Trump have a plan, and what is it? The president and Congress owe it to the American people the ones who will pay for yet another escalating military conflict not just with their taxes but quite possibly their husbands, wives, sons and daughters to answer those questions. They start with explaining the justification for this bombing not the gut-level desire for vengeance that naturally stirs in anyone with a heart who watched children in agony after exposure to chemical weapons. The Trump administration needs to lay out the evidence and explain just what imminent threat justified the president acting so swiftly without consulting Congress before starting the nation down the path of what may well be another full-fledged war. More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse Are we, in fact, at war with the Assad regime, with the express goal of removing it from power? Who will replace it after a six-year-old civil war? Is America again assuming the mantle of the world's police officer and Middle East nation-builder? How will this be different from Iraq, where removing a cruel tyrant destabilized a nation and a region, creating a vacuum that warlords and terrorists quickly filled? Or Afghanistan, where we have yet to see a stable government and quash a determined insurgency after more than 16 years? How will it aid, or exacerbate, the Islamist terror that all our interventions helped unleash? This, however, is a step beyond Afghanistan, Iraq, al-Qaida and ISIS. War with Syria could become a direct confrontation with Russia a clash of nuclear superpowers that humanity has wisely struggled to avoid. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. It's worth remembering that Congress in 2013 balked at giving President Barack Obama permission to launch punitive strikes on Syria after a chemical attack consistent with its sideline posture the last 16 years. It is time Congress and the president adhered to the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Resolution with the president communicating his plans to Congress, and Congress deciding within 60 days, if not sooner, whether it wants America in a war. It is not enough for this president to say he has some brilliant plan that he can't yet reveal. Not this habitual fabricator of untruths from his false assertions about Mr. Obama's birth certificate to his wild claim that millions of illegal votes were cast for his opponent to his unsupported allegation that Mr. Obama personally had him wiretapped last year. Unlike Mr. Trump's inventions, this war won't be merely in his imagination. America must know what it's getting into with this president leading the way. 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. How long should you hold on to your phone before an upgrade? For smartphones, the answer is less a matter of physical age (except when a user wants certain new phone capabilities) and more about what kind of software the phone can run and whether the latest known vulnerabilities have been patched. In this respect, the best iPhones and best Android phones differ greatly, though the gap between the two is narrowing. Mobile-device security resides in the software more so than it does in the hardware. This is because hardware changes more slowly and the kinds of attacks that have been the most prevalent in the last few years have focused on stealing money and credentials rather than exploiting hardware flaws according to senior security advisor at Sophos Canada, Chet Wisniewski. Wisniewski also said that smartphone users tend to let their phones update their software automatically, when they can. This is particularly true for iPhones but issues can arise as your smartphone gets older, especially if its an Android device. How long can you safely use an old iPhone? Apple supports its smartphones for at least five years after a model is released though it can sometimes be longer. During that time, an iPhone will get the latest versions of iOS as well as the latest patches to known vulnerabilities. This is pretty generous considering the fact that most people get a new smartphone every two to three years. For instance, if youre using an iPhone 6 (released in September 2015) it might be difficult to upgrade to iOS 14. However, you would still be able to use iOS 13 which was released in 2019. The oldest iPhone that iOS 15 can run on is the iPhone 6s from September 2015. While we were almost certain this device wouldnt be able to run iOS 15, Apple surprised us by giving the aging device (along with the original iPhone SE) another year of life. There still isnt a lot of iOS malware available and your chances of getting infected are lower than on an Android smartphone, even with an iPhone thats more than seven years old. However, its better to be safe than sorry, especially when Apple makes upgrading to the latest operating system so easy and convenient. According to Apples own figures (opens in new tab), as of January 2022, roughly 72 percent of iPhone users had upgraded to iOS 15 and were receiving periodic security updates (on devices less than five years old). It could be a case of Apple not wanting to reveal how many people are still safely using older iPhones. How long can you safely use an old Android phone? Gauging an Android phone's safe-use limits can be harder, as Android phones are not as standardized as iPhones. A couple of years ago, an Android phone wouldn't get any more security updates if it was more than three years old, and that's provided it can even get all the updates before then. After three years, you were better off getting a new phone. That's now changed. Google, Samsung and chipset maker Qualcomm in late 2020 and early 2021 all committed to providing four years of security updates for some devices. Google later upped that to five years of security updates for its Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones, although the devices, like all Pixel phones, would get only three years of Android OS updates. For Qualcomm, it means that all phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, beginning with the Snapdragon 888 that appeared on many 2021 flagships, will get four years of security updates and three Android version upgrades. Qualifying phones include the Xiaomi Mi 11, the OnePlus 9 and, well, the Samsung Galaxy S21. As for Samsung, it now guarantees four years of security updates for all Samsung Galaxy phones released in 2019 and later, beginning with the Galaxy 10 and Galaxy Note 10 series. This includes Galaxy phones that aren't using Qualcomm chipsets. Overall, the product cycle on Android phones is less consistent than on iPhones. There are hundreds of smartphone makers that use (and alter) Android. It's still less than certain, for example whether an old handset will run the latest version of the OS two years after the phone's introduction. Only Google's own Pixel devices are guaranteed to get the latest Android security updates on the day the updates are released, although the latest Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola devices are often not far behind. Google has a timeline of how long each Pixel device will get updates (opens in new tab) on its support site. For example, the current version of Android, Android 12, released in October 2021, won't run on phones that have less than 2GB of RAM. Nor is Android 12 supported on the Google Pixel 3, which was released in October 2018. However, the original Pixel, released with Android 7 Nougat in October 2016, did get Android 10 in September 2019, and its last official Android security updates in December of that year. The Pixel 2, released in October 2017, got its last official update in December 2020, but it could be updated to Android 11. (Those who bought Google's Preferred Care service plan got updates until April 2021.) Pixel 2 owners who want to keep their phones alive should check out the Lineage OS (opens in new tab) project, which ports Android updates to older devices. Samsung phones already get a bit extra Samsung's own security-update chart (opens in new tab) shows the company already gives a longer period of support than Google does, even with pre-2019 models. You might get nearly four years of updates with Samsung's older flagships. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S8, released in April 2017, is done with updates. But its Lite version, released a few months later, still gets biannual security updates as of March 2022. Both phones shipped with Android 7 Nougat and can be upgraded to Android 10. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, released in March 2018, were on Samsung's quarterly-update track as of March 2022, although they go only up to Android 10 officially. They've likely got several more months of security updates, as phones often move to the biannual-update track before going completely out of support. The oldest Samsung Galaxy phones to be on the monthly update cycle are the Galaxy 10 and Galaxy Note 10 series, both launched in the first half of 2019. Per Samsung's recent support statement, they should be good to use until the middle of 2023. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Another problem with Android devices is that older versions of the Android OS stick around for a lot longer than they should, as phone makers often ship second-tier or budget phones without the latest version of Android. Because of this, many users start from behind and fall even further back as manufacturers, carriers and users themselves fail to implement system updates. In February 2022, per Statista (opens in new tab), Android 11 was running on 37% of Android devices, Android 10 had a 24% market share, and Android 9 Pie had an 12% share. However, the current Android 12 wasn't running on enough phones to register. That's only about 60% of Android devices getting regular updates, at least in theory. Nonetheless, it's much better than what we saw in April 2017, when only a third of Android devices were running supported OS's. This leaves as many as 40% of Android devices worldwide running older versions that no longer get security updates. Those phones, hundreds of millions of them, were and are inherently unsafe to use. Google generally supports the two previous versions of Android along with the current version. So in March 2022, that meant Android versions 12, 11 and 10 were getting security updates when installed on Pixel phones and other phones whose makers supply those updates. How long can you safely use an old 'dumb' cellphone? One might actually be safer using a cellphone that predates smartphones, or a latter-day "feature" phone, instead of an out-of-date smartphone. "I quite like the idea of carrying a 'dumb' phone from the late 1990s rather than a smartphone of today," said Graham Cluley, a security analyst who has worked in the field for more than 20 years. "If all I want [the phone] to do is send text messages and make calls, chances are that it will not only have little fear of malware it will also have a lot better battery life to boot." An ancient Nokia candy-bar or flip phone, lacking a browser, would be safe from most internet-based attacks, since it would be effectively invisible to internet-connected devices. But that safety eliminates the ability to do anything on the internet as well. Alas, those old phones aren't invulnerable, because old malware never really goes away. "There is still code on old phones, and it may have been effectively abandoned and therefore unpatched," said Steve Santorelli, director of analysis and outreach for Lake Mary, Florida-based threat-intelligence firm Team Cymru. "We're still seeing newly discovered issues that have actually been around for many years, but only just discovered by researchers." The reason the old dumb phones are less vulnerable is because they're no longer attractive targets, not because of any inherent superiority. You could consider one of the newer feature phones, such as the Nokia 2720 V Flip or its adorable cousin, the Nokia 3310 (opens in new tab). Both run stripped-down variants of Android. The right way to deal with aging phones "The alternative, and arguably the better option," Santorelli said, "is to have a smartphone, but ensure it's fully patched with one of the best password managers, and a user with some awareness of threats and ways to guard against them. Two-factor authentication will also keep you out of trouble a lot of the time." In that sense, Santorelli said, patches are crucial, even for third-party apps that aren't part of the operating system. "Every mobile operating system and most applications will come out with patches all the time," he said. "Researchers find holes in software and developers fix them, hopefully, before too many hackers start to use them to compromise your system." So update those apps every time the Google Play or iOS app stores tell you to. Accept the upgrades to the latest operating-system versions when they arrive. Install and use one of the best Android antivirus apps on your Android device. (Sorry, but that doesn't exist for iOS.) And if your smartphone no longer gets OS updates or security patches, then it's time to move on. Here's the safest way to get rid of an old smartphone. Updated with new operating-system versions, phone models and statistics. This story was first published in April 2017. Read next: The EU could force Android phone makers to offer better updates, and more repair options THE FIRST PROM SEASON WEEKEND IN KANSAS CITY SHOULD SERVE AS A WARNING THAT DISASTER THREATENS FORMAL PARTY-GOERS ON THE PLAZA!!! KANSAS CITY PROM WARNING "TKC, started reading ur blog when my current events teacher suggested it to keep up with KCMO and school board issues. Appreciate the take on news that I don't see on tv. Just wanted to let you know that last night was a total disaster for me and my friends when we were threatened over and over on the plaza. All we wanted to do is take a few pictures near the (J.C. Nichols) fountain but as soon as we crossed the street we were harassed and yelled at then shoved by those who seemed like they had been hanging out there all night. I've seen you call the trend a flash mob but it's more like a gang. These aren't just kids either, a lot of the people hanging out there look like they're in their twenties to me . . . Anyway, we barely got one good shot before the girls started yelling at us and then picking on our dates. I kept a cool head and decided it was better to leave before things got worse. That only made all of these people even more angry as they started to yell and even scream our way. By the time we got to the crosswalk a couple of guys pushed my friend in the back and he fell to the ground. Luckily he wasn't hurt and I helped him up. The security guard was a black guy who was really nice and he helped us when he saw we were in trouble. All I can say is that I wish somebody would have warned me things were this bad on the plaza and that's why I'm sending the e-mail as one of your tipsters. Don't want to see anyone else go through this and wish I had better memories from my Senior prom . . ." "Steak served nearly raw, rude waitress who made us wait forever and very expensive when most of us didn't even order an entree. Do yourself a favor and skip Plaza ######## for prom." "Uber surge pricing ruined my daughter's prom -- My baby girl loves new technology and wanted to take an Uber to prom rather than going the classic route with a limousine. That seemed like a cute idea and I was glad to help her. Only an hour into the night she sent me a text worried about the tab they were running up because the price she was expected had nearly doubled halfway through her trip. What is worse than the cost of her misadventure is that she felt uncomfortable with the driver who kept staring at her and her friends and adjusting his dashboard camera to focus on them and staring at my daughter in the rear view mirror. She is afraid he is going to put video of her on YouTube for no other reason but to target her sexually. I called Uber and reported the incident and they told me the drivers have a right to record the trip for their safety and that of their passengers. I told them that my daughter did not feel safe at all in the car and that will be the last time I use their service." PROM NIGHT ON THE PLAZA IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS, COSTLY AND FEARSOME FOR THE NEWEST GENERATION OF KANSAS CITY YOUNGSTERS!!! It'sand early reviews via social media and sent to TKC warn us that the County Club Plaza might have lost its crown as the premier destination for youngsters celebrating their first night on the town.To wit . . .First and foremost, here's a note on a public safety threat . . .An e-mail message andfrom last night . . .And the hits keep on coming . . .Preliminary prom night reviews don't get much better when it comes to youngster first experiences with find dining on The Plaza . . .Here's a social media message from one of our younger "friends" who wasn't impressed with otherwise celebrated Plaza service:We're withholding the name of the restaurant out of fairness and because waiting on prom kids must be a form of torture for most servers who are just trying to make a living without babysitting middle-class brats.Finally . . . This metro dad warns us about experimenting with new tech for the prom season . . .And so . . .What have we learned form all these prom complaints from the Kansas City petite bourgeoisie?!?!While TKC (obviously) missed the prom . . . Our blog community provides this bit of Plaza testimony in order to prevent even more youthful misery and in hopes that this formal Kansas City tradition hasn't been completely ruined.You decide . . . Manos Konsolas invited the American ambassador to visit the Dodecanese islands, an invitation that was gladly accepted by Mr. Pyatt Greek main opposition New Democracy Tourism Sector head Dodecanese MP Manos Konsolas met with US Ambassador to Greece Mr. Jeffrey P. Pyatt. The meeting took place in an excellent and constructive climate of friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding. Mr. Konsolas referred extensively to the longlasting, historic relations between the two countries, and focused especially on the need for a dynamic Greek tourism promotion in the American market with particular emphasis on the cruise sector. Moreover, he invited the American ambassador to visit the Dodecanese islands, an invitation that was gladly accepted by Mr. Pyatt. In a statement after the meeting, New Democracy Tourism Sector chief noted: "Our meeting with Mr. Pyatt confirmed our common understanding on many important issues. Greece is a pole of stability in a sensitive area and seeks a close relationship and cooperation with the United States to ensure security and stability in the region based on the rules of international law. I also estimate that the time has come for a dynamic promotion of Greek tourism in the United Sates market. This requires an integrated plan with targeted policies that will not only increase the number of American tourists but also the travel receipts." 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 Two blasts targeting Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday have killed at least 40 people, officials say. At least 40 people were killed in tow explosions targeting Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday, Egyptian officials said. In Alexandria, an explosion outside St Mark's Coptic church killed 13 people. Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside and was unhurt, a BBC report said quoting state media. An earlier blast at Mar Gerges church in Tanta killed 27, while 78 others were injured, a Health Ministry spokesman announced. Twenty-two of the injured were discharged from hospital, it said. The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the explosions. The group has recently targeted Copts in Egypt. Four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed in Alexandria, the interior ministry said. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church. The first explosion in Tanta, 94 km (58 miles) north of Cairo, took place near the altar. Security forces later dismantled two explosive devices at the Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque, also in Tanta, the state-run Al-Ahram news website reports. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail phoned Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Diocese to extend condolences over the victims of the two blasts. President of Shebin el Kom primary court Counselor Sameul George was among those killed in the attack which targeted Mar Gerges Church in Tanta, said an official. Flag carrier Oman Air carried over 7.7 million passengers in 2016, a 21 per cent increase compared to the 6.4 million passengers recorded in 2015. This was highlighted in an annual report released by Oman Air, reflecting the accomplishments achieved by the company. Reviewing the annual report on behalf of the Board of Directors of Oman Air during the Extraordinary General Meeting and the 35th Ordinary General meeting in Muscat, Darwish Bin Ismail Bin Ali Al Balushi, chairman of Oman Air's Board of Directors, highlighted the achievements of 2016. They included: Fleet expanded to 47 aircraft. Increase in the seat factor up to 20% Increase in the number of passengers to 7.7 million, or 21 per cent Launch of Oman Air Flight Training Centre (OAFTC) Freight operations increased to 159,618 tonnes One million extra meals produced by Oman Air Catering Services Further fleet expansion Al Balushi said, "2016 was a year of both change and consolidation for Oman Air. Oman Air has continued its ambitious programme of expansion in 2016 with the introduction of four brand new Boeing 737-800s joining the Oman Air fleet. The carrier has operated B737s for many years and the aircraft provide the backbone of the airlines long and medium haul fleet. We have continued to upgrade our Airbus fleet. The first Airbus 330 to benefit from a comprehensive retrofit landed at Muscat International Airport from Paris in October 2016. This reflects our commitment to continue to invest in our award winning on board experience. He added that the previous A330 interiors attracted enormous international acclaim when they were first unveiled in 2009 and the new A330 interiors surpass those high standards and customers are already delighted with the results. With the addition of the new Boeing 737 800, Oman Airs fleet stands at 47. Currently Oman Airs fleet consists of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 23 Boeing 737-800, one Boeing 737-700 and four Embraer 175s. Three more Boeing 737 800s are scheduled to join the fleet and this year, Oman Air will be unveiling new B787-9 Dreamliners and revamping the existing Airbus fleet. Significant operational results The results speak for themselves. The number of available seat kilometres grew to 24.8 billion, an increase of 20 per cent. Oman Airs capacity has increased significantly over the last year recording an increase in flight movements by more than 4000 flights to nearly 51,952 flights, an increase of 9% compared with 2015. The number of round trips Oman Air offered in 2016 rose to 30,978 trips from the previous years 28,270 trips. While the fluctuating oil prices continue to affect the global economic outlook in general negatively, Oman Airs revenues have increased during 2016 to RO472 million ($1.2 billion), an increase of 1 per cent on 2015, Al Balushi said. He also said that among the developments in 2016 are: the introduction of a double daily service to London Heathrow; from five times a week, to daily flights to Paris and increased frequencies on other European routes. The other recent additions to our network include, Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, Goa, Dhaka and Mashhad. The introduction of Guangzhou, China and Najaf, Iraq were the other major milestones of 2016. We also announced the start of our second destination in the UK with the new Muscat to Manchester daily service in May 2017. Priority to man-power development Oman Air is continuing with its broad human resources strategy of appreciating the skills, abilities, commitment and contributions of all staff, regardless of their backgrounds. The company has worked hard to increase the employment of Omani nationals and now over two thirds of the workforce originates from Oman. 2016 also saw a move to put Oman Air at the forefront of pilot and cabin crew training with the launch of the Oman Air Flight Training Centre (OAFTC) in October. It is a state-of-the-art facility that is the first of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman, His Excellency Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi said. Other sectors, sustained growth Al Balushi noted that Oman Air continues to excel in other areas of the business. The amount of cargo that Oman Air handled in 2016 increased from 138,972 tonnes to approaching 159,618 tonnes. The Catering Services Division has won several new contracts including a three and a half year contract with British Airways. In the past year Oman Air Catering Services produced an extra one million meals than were originally budgeted for, increasing productivity without compromising on quality. Extensive work continues to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of every area of the business. Oman Airs engineering division is preparing to move to a much bigger facility, productivity can only increase. Contribution to the National economy As a national carrier, one of our mandates is to contribute to the economic growth of the Sultanate by creating air bridges with brotherly and friendly countries to bring tourists from abroad, which is supporting tourism, and creating business opportunities between national businessmen in Oman and abroad. The infrastructure to do this is now practically fully available; Muscats new airport is nearing completion after the opening of the new passenger terminal in Muscat, meaning that the home base for Oman Air will be state of the art, His Excellency Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi said. He added that the contribution from Oman Air, as national airline, to the economy of the Sultanate of Oman is estimated at about RO600 million ($1.5 billion). On behalf of myself, the Board of directors and the Executive Management, I would like to thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and his Government for their invaluable advice, timely encouragement and wise guidance. My colleagues on the Board and within Oman Airs management would once again like to join me in expressing our gratitude to His Majesty for his vision, his kind benevolence and his support, Al Balushi said. - TradeArabia News Service Norway will be building the world's first ship tunnel in a rocky terrain to allow ships to take a detour from the turbulent waters it will encounter by the Stad region. Called as the Stad Ship Tunnel, the 1,700-metre (5,610-ft) underpass will allow cruise ships and freight vessels to avoid the waves caused by heavy storms frequently hitting the area. The Norwegian Coastal Administration will see the construction of the tunnel in 2019 with a $313-million budget for excavation and building of the project. Project Manager Terje Andreassen told The Guardian it will blast eight million tons of rocks for the tunnel to happen. Expected completion date will be in 2023. Vessels of up to 16,000 tons can be accommodated, but those boats that measure less than 70 meters will be free. The passageway is planned to be built at the narrowest point of the Stadlandet region where the weather hits the area as much as 100 days, making the voyage more dangerous. Travel and Leisure reported the Norwegian Transportation Administration as saying, "The Stad Sea is the most exposed and most dangerous area along the coast of Norway." The spokesperson continued to say that by building the ship's tunnel, it'll lessen the chance of accidents and heighten passenger and freight security. Moreover, it'll boost economic and industrial developments in the peninsula. Upon completion, the passengers might miss sceneries of the fjords along the usual route, but contractors say the tunnel will become a tourist attraction itself. Ships will get to pass by the Moldefjorden Bay and move to the Kjdepollen within 10 minutes and not travel by any of those tempestuous waters. Travel time between Norwegian cities and towns by the area are seen to shorten because of the passageway. There have been plans to build a tunnel in Stad, but it was only now that they had financed a project. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 9 In yet another seizure, the Border Security Force today confiscated around 500 gm of high-quality heroin concealed in the Daoke border outpost area on the Indo-Pak border here. DIG, BSF, Amritsar sector, JS Oberoi, said jawans carried out a search operation near the Daoke border outpost area following some suspicion and recovered two packets of heroin (around 250 gm each) from agricultural fields ahead of the barbed fence. He said due to high wheat crop across the border fence, anti-national elements, including heroin smugglers, make every effort to sneak in contraband and other prohibited material. However, alert jawans foiled their attempt and made the recovery. Earlier, the BSF had seized 5 kg of heroin from the same border outpost on April 3. Oberai said earlier this year, the BSF seized over 64 kg of heroin, besides 1.50 kg of opium from the international border. New Delhi, April 9 The Central Bureau of Investigation carried out searches at three locations in Chandigarh and Mohali after registering a case against a company for allegedly cheating Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 1,301 crore. The agency has charged Chandigarh-based Kudos Chemie Limited and its directors Kabir Sodhi, Jitendra Singh and Gurmeet Sodhi with criminal conspiracy and cheating based on a complaint filed by the bank. The complaint stated that the accused produced fake and fabricated documents to avail credit facilities. The directors cheated the bank to the tune of Rs 1,301 crore by siphoning off funds, the bank alleged. In a separate case, the agency is also carrying out searches at three more locations in Jabalpur and Reva in Madhya Pradesh after booking a company for allegedly duping Canara Bank of Rs 43 crore. The case has been registered against Jagdamba AMW Automotive Limited and its four directors Pushpendra Singh, Yogendra Singh, Shailendra Singh and Pratima Singh for allegedly submitting fake and fabricated documents to avail credit facilities. The bank alleged that the company did not repay funds availed through credit facilities, causing a loss of Rs 43.77 crore to it. PTI Houston, April 9 "I am just grateful to be alive". This is how Alok Madasani, an Indian engineer who was critically injured in a "hate crime" incident in Kansas city in which his colleague Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed by a white American, described the chilling episode. Madasani, 32, continues to wrestle with why he and his friend ended up at the Austins Bar and Grill that night in Kansas City, Missouri where Adam Purinton opened fire on them after hurling racial slurs "terrorist" and "get out of my country". (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) "I still don't want to believe what's happening. Words can't describe how much I am missing Srinivas. It is hard to overcome losing your best friend in front of your eyes and just the fact that it could have been both of us," Madasani said about his friend Kuchibhotla. Both worked for Global Positioning System (GPS) maker Garmin in Olathe in Kansas state. "Physically I am doing much better, due to the friends and colleagues at Garmin, but long way to go from a mental strength standpoint, I still get flashes of what happened that night and feel sad that the person who took the bullet for me, Srinu, is no more. "His office space at Garmin was right next to my office and it is hard not to think about him, our memories together for last nine years will stay that way forever. I am focusing more on work and spend more time with my family, but it is not the same," he said. "I am just grateful to be alive," he said. "Coming back to work has been a blessing as I am surrounded by wonderful people here at Garmin and I could not have asked for more," he added. Madasani said he was trying to be strong for the sake of his family and wife who is pregnant with their first baby. "What gives me strength every day is to see the community standing together, making me believe that one act will not divide us," Madasani said. "It was the malice intent of one person that took away a great human being but at the same time I am surrounded by amazing individuals who strengthen my belief in this community and what it stands for," he said. Madasani said he has received personal letters from all around the country and the world, asking him to stay strong. The Kansas State government has declared March 16 as Indian-American Day in memory of Srinivas and response has been amazing, he said. "We all wish the shooting never happened but I really want and request all to look at the positive side of how the community got together during these difficult times and once again proved that whatever form hatred takes, love will overcome it," he added. He requested everyone to continue being an active member of the wonderful community. "Spread love and kindness, take time to share the culture, learn other cultures at the same time and most importantly let's coexist," Madasani said. "If there is one thing that this situation has taught me, it is to be positive. It is easy to be positive when everything is going your way but I want to stay positive now and set an example for myself and anyone who is looking towards me for inspiration. "If anything, I want people to remember Srinivas as a person who till his last breath helped people, rather than a victim of a senseless crime. I am here because of him," Madasani said. Local and federal authorities are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime. Putinton was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Judge ordered Purinton back to court on May 9 for a second appearance. He is being held on a US$ 2 million bond. PTI OFFICIAL figures maintain that just under 3,000 Sikhs were killed after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. The killings were widespread. They took place in Delhi, in other states and cities, on trains.... Members of a religious minority were targeted and those entrusted with law and order generally failed to perform their duties, some were seen actively siding with the perpetrators. This is a shameful chapter in Indian history, unfortunately far from being the only one. The word riots is too mild to describe this mass violence. It has been contended, with a degree of validity, that the killings of thousands of citizens have been sought to be airbrushed the nomenclature downplayed the scale and vehemence of violence; the number of convictions has been abysmal, and justice has not been perceived to have been done. Indeed, it was Home Minister Rajnath Singh who used the word genocide to describe the 1984 violence. The term massacre too is often used. Now the Ontario Assembly in Canada has passed a motion that calls the 1984 violence genocide. Foreign governments, regional or national, muddy their hands by dabbling into what is essentially an internal affair of India. Often such foreign intrusions are prompted by local constituency level pressures. Ontarios move has been, predictably, sharply countered by South Block, but that is posturing at best. The credibility of India as a nation remains dented. The politicians have run away with the memory ball. Yet there is no getting away from the fact that prosecution was insincere. This led to the perception that the big fish all got away. It could be argued that the Delhi violence was not very different from other such incidents that have taken place in the country from time to time. This highlights how the enormity of such mass killings is minimised and subsequently brushed under the carpet. We can ignore and rebut the foreigners' criticism, but we are yet to rest our own conscience. Vishal Joshi Tribune News Service Kaithal, April 9 A rival faction of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC ad hoc) on Sunday appointed Didar Singh Nalvi as its president. In an emergency meeting at Kaithals Neem Sahib Gurdwara, 28 executive committee members of HSGMC unanimously decided to remove Jagdish Singh Jhinda from the top post, the rival faction claimed. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) In 2014, the Haryana government had appointed 41 members in the executive panel. Chandeep Singh Khurana, HSGMCs legal cell head, said the executive committee would meet at Kaithal on May 7 to elect president, general secretary and other office-bearers. Fifteen members were present in the meeting and gave consent for Jhindas removal. Thirteen others were contacted telephonically and they unanimously wanted Nalvi to replace Jhinda, Khurana said. Though the Jhinda and Nalvi factions have their relations strained, the immediate cause of the coup is attributed to Jhindas appearance before the Akal Takht reportedly in connection with the formation of HSGMC in 2014. Jhinda, Nalvi and veteran Congress leader and former finance minister HS Chatha were ex-communicated from the Sikh panth in July 2014 after the trio failed to appear before the highest temporal seat in Amritsar. Last week, Jhinda appeared suddenly before the Akal Takht jathedar and was awarded tankha or religious punishment. A Sikh leader from Punjab and HSGMC executive committee member, Baljit Singh Daduwal convened todays meeting and proposed Jhindas removal. Since Jhinda remained involved in activities contrary to the separate gurdwara panel for Haryana, members wanted his removal. But he will continue to be a member, Daduwal told The Tribune. He said there was a need to look into Jhindas role in handling finances of the five gurdwaras under the HSGMC in Yamunanagar, Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts. Also, HSGMC account books would be audited for transparency, Daduwal said. Nalvi alleged Jhindas had secretly joined hands with the Shiromani Akali Dal to weaken the HSGMC movement. He has been exposed fully and Jhinda no longer enjoys confidence of the executive body, Nalvi claimed. However, calling todays meeting as unconstitutional, Jhinda said as he was duly appointed as HSGMC president under a law enacted by the Haryana government, he cannot be removed without a quorum. As per the HSGMC rules, Nalvi and Daduwal can be stripped of their membership as they remained irregular in the previous meetings. Both of them are working at the behest of SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal. I will soon convene a meeting of HSGMC, Jhinda said. Tribune News Service Karnal, April 9 Family of a notorious gangster who was killed in a shootout with police on Saturday has accused Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala of having him murdered and has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Gangster Surinder Goengs father Ishwar Singh on Sunday refused to allow autopsy to be conducted until a forensic expert and a magistrate are present. Geong, who had been serving a life sentence at Kaithal jail and jumped parole last year, was killed in an encounter with police on Saturday. He faced more than 30 criminal cases murder, extortion, and banditry among them and was serving jail term for having murdered a plywood dealer in Kaithal in 2006. Geong was released on parole on May 23, 2016, after he claimed he needed it to have his house in Rohtak repaired, and went missing soon after. After Geong jumped parole, Surjewala had approached Punjab and Haryana High Court for security claiming he faced a life threat. Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, April 9 The Rs 69-crore Giri water scheme has come under a scanner after a Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) team yesterday found many missing links in the quality and specifications of water pipes used by the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department. The water pipes developed leakages soon after its inauguration in 2008 during the then BJP regime. The inspection team, led by Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan, including MC engineers, found leakages but the IPH Department continued to operate this scheme by engaging three welders to plug the leakages, whose bill could run into crores for eight years, the team found. IPH contractors had used water pipes of different specifications while laying the 55-km pipeline that started from near Sainj on the Giri river in Theog. The department had used 5.9 mm to 6.7 mm thickness pipes, whereas the specifications recommended by the IPH Chief Engineer was 7.9 mm, the team revealed. From 2008 to 2016, the Giri water scheme on an average supplied nine MLD to 13 MLD water daily to the city against its installed capacity of 20 MLD. The leakages were 60 per cent mainly in the 2000 m Giri-Fagu stretch, which had been plugged by replacing the old water pipeline with a 7.9 mm pipeline, said Sanjay Chauhan. He said they were shocked to find that neither the BJP nor the Congress governments bothered to inspect the quality and specifications of the pipeline and plugged the leakages despite the citizens of Shimla were crying for water. We spent Rs 3.7 crore on replacement and now the city is getting a record 18 MLD of water, he said. In July last year, the SMC took over the 20 MLD Giri water scheme, along with Guma, Charat, Koti-Baranda, Ashwani khud and other schemes, from the IPH Department after the state government created a separate Greater Shimla Water and Sewerage (GSWS) circle under the SMC after the breakout of the jaundice. We have solved the water woes in six months as water availability in the city has increased to 39 MLD to 40 MLD daily, he added. Probe Giri scheme: Mayor to state govt The Mayor demanded that the state government should conduct an inquiry into the Giri pipeline scam, bringing culprits to book. The Giri is designed to lift 20 MLD of water by running the pumps for 16 hours daily. In the second phase, the SMC would replace the old pumps to further utilising Giris full capacity, he claimed. Our Correspondent UNA, APRIL 9 Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has said the states first pharma drug park will come up in the Nalagarh Industrial area of Solan district land for which has already been allocated. Speaking at the 11th Annual Conference of the Himachal Chapter of the Indian Medical Association last night, Agnihotri said the state produced almost 35 pc of the pharma drugs. The minister added that a drug-testing laboratory was in the final stages of completion at Baddi on which Rs 10 crore had been spent. He said the facility would strengthen the quality control management of drugs. President of the HP Chapter of the IMA, Dr Atul Mahajan, said the mandatory provision of five-year contractual service should be relaxed for doctors, who should be directly given regular appointments. The minister assured the doctors that he would forward their demands to the Chief Minister. During the two-day conference, a Continued Medical Education programme was also held, during which experts from different fields of medicine gave presentations and shared their experiences with the states medical practitioners. Later, the state IMA unit held its elections unanimously in which Dr SK Nanda was elected as the president and Dr Rakesh Agnihotri as senior vice-president. Dr GD Sharma, Dr DK Arora and Dr Inder Jeet Singh were elected as vice-presidents; Dr SK Kaushal as finance secretary and Dr Surinder Surya as press secretary, while Dr Ankit Shukla, Dr Sandeep Sharma, Dr Vishal Dogra and Dr Mohit Gupta were elected as joint secretaries. Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 9 Eight people were killed in firing by security forces as unprecedented election-day violence marred the bypoll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on Sunday which saw the voter turnout plunge to an all-time low of 7.1 per cent. Rampaging mobs took to streets in scores of places across the Lok Sabha constituency straddling Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists. "The tentative voter turnout for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is 6.5 per cent," Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told reporters at the conclusion of polling. However, the revised figure issued later in the evening put the voter turnout at 7.14 per cent of the 12.61 lakh electorate. The seat had recorded 26 per cent polling in the 2014 general elections. In the 1989 election, National Conference's Mohammad Shafi Bhat had won the seat uncontested. The previous lowest turnout in the prestigious seat was 11.93 per cent in 1999 when Omar Abdullah had defeated Mehbooba Mufti in a straight contest. The state's former chief minister and National Conference stalwart Farooq Abdullah, who had lost the seat in the 2014 election, is locked in a straight fight with ruling PDP's Nazir Ahmad Khan even though there are seven other candidates in the fray. "There were more than 200 incidents of violence in the constituency, mostly in Budgam district, which included stone-pelting, petrol bomb attacks, setting ablaze of a polling station, some vehicles and attempt to burn two other polling stations," Shantmanu said. "It was not a good day as you know. Six lives were lost in these incidents of violence... 17 civilians were injured, while over 100 paramilitary and police personnel also sustained injuries," he said. Shortly thereafter, 17-year-old Amir Manzoor was killed when security personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in the Chadoora area of the constituency. Later, another death was reported from Ganderbal, taking the death toll to eight. Meanwhile, official sources said internet services in the entire Kashmir Valley will remain suspended till the conclusion of bypoll for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat on April 12. The CEO said a decision on repoll in violence-hit areas will be taken after examining the diaries of presiding officers. "I cannot tell you exactly how many polling stations will go to repolls...it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. It is a wild guess," he said. While two people each were killed in Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief and Beerwah areas of Budgam district, two more deaths were reported from Chadoora area of the same district and another in Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. Almost 70 per cent of the polling booths in Budgam district were abandoned by the polling staff due to the spate of violent protests in several areas, officials said. Army was called out to help security forces quell a rampaging mob which threw stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the constituency. Hundreds of protesters stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked a building housing a polling booth, officials said, adding the security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two Mohammad Abbas (20) and Faizaan Ahmad Rather (15), succumbed to bullet wounds. In another incident, security forces opened fire to quell a stone-pelting mob in the Ratxuna Beerwah area, leaving one Nissar Ahmed dead. At the Daulatpura in Chadoora assembly segment of Budgam district, one person, identified as Shabir Ahmed, was killed in firing by security personnel. A youth, Adil Farooq, succumbed to multiple pellet injuries in the Magam town, about 20 km from Srinagar. One Aqib Wani was shot dead as police opened fire on a crowd of protesters in the Beerwah area in the afternoon. Former CM Farooq Abdullah, contesting from Srinagar as National Conference candidate, was among the first voters at the Model polling station at Burnhall school. His son Omar Abdullah also cast his vote amid tight security. Except for a few polling stations in Srinagar and Budgam districts, there were no queues outside the polling stations. Many voters had to wade through rainwater around the polling stations like the one at Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. Women voters, accompanying their kids, were seen in good numbers at many polling stations at many places in Srinagar and Budgam. Omar Abdullah said in his 20 year political career he had never seen such a bad environment for elections. I am talking about having fought my first election in 1998 at the peak of militancy. Even then the environment for campaigning and voting was not as bad as it is today. That may itself tell you just how mismanaged this state is under Mehbooba Mufti," he said. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen his kind of violence in elections in Kashmir. "5PM- polling booths close for an election that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons," Omar tweeted. Meanwhile, separatists have called for a two-day shutdown against the killing of civilians in firing by security forces, saying it was the only way for them to express solidarity with the families of those killed and the cause for which they laid down their lives. "We know hartal would not affect government policy towards us but it is the only option to express our collective grief," separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement. PTI/TNS Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, April 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently applauded the PDP-BJP coalition government for spending 50 per cent funds from the Rs 80,068-crore relief package effectively in a short span, but the official documents reveal a different picture. According to the official documents tabled in the Legislative Assembly during the recently concluded Budget session, an amount of Rs 1,276.8 crore has been spent so far in the last 14 months on the state sector projects. The Prime Minister had during his visit to the state on November 7, 2015, announced the whooping package which includes funds for relief and rehabilitation of the 2014 flood victims, rehabilitation of the West Pakistan refugees and Kashmiri Pandits, roads and highways, health and tourism. While addressing a function in Udhampur on April 2 after inaugurating the Chenani-Nashri tunnel, the PM lavished praise on Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her ministers for the speedy and effect implementation of the 50 per cent of the package. Ironically, official documents depict a contrasting picture as funds released by the Centre are yet to be utilised by the state government. Even the funds allocated for vital sectors like health, agriculture, horticulture and tourism have not been utilised by the state. As per the documents, of the Rs 2,000-crore package for tourism development in the state, Rs 77.5 crore has been released but not even a single penny has been spent so far. Similarly, for the construction of government tourist assets in lieu of damaged/destroyed assets, Rs 19.74 crore has been released but no money has been spent. The Union Agriculture Ministry has released Rs 47.89 crore for restoration of damaged horticulture areas and development of horticulture in J&K, but shockingly, only Rs 2.35 crore has been spent so far. The Centre has promised Rs 11,708 crore for power and new and renewable energy and Rs 4,900 crore for the health sector but the state government has failed to prepare detailed project reports for the utilisation of funds. The government has claimed that since the announcement of the economic package, many steps have been taken to implement the projects under the package. The package has been disaggregated into three categories. Money not utilised The PM recently praised CM Mehbooba Mufti for speedy and effect implementation of the 50 per cent of the Rs 80,068-crore relief package Official documents tabled in the Assembly recently depict a contrasting picture as funds released by the Centre are yet to be utilised by the state Srinagar/Anantnag, April 8 Ahead of Sundays byelection to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, miscreants stepped up attacks on polling officials and polling stations in Kashmirs Budgam district, even as the authorities decided to shut down Internet services in three districts (Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal) from midnight to prevent floating of rumours by anti-national elements. Miscreants made an attempt to set ablaze a government school building, designated as a polling station, in the Narbal area of Budgam late last night. SP Vaid, DGP, said the building was saved owing to timely police action. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) In another incident, a group of youths pelted the staff on way to a polling station in Beerwah area with stones this morning. The police chased away the stone-throwers. No one was hurt. A low-intensity blast also occurred inside the premises of a government school, designated as a polling station, in Khanyar, triggering panic in the area. It was later found that the mishandling of a tear gas canister by a security personnel led to the blast. In Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, where polling is being held on Wednesday, panic gripped Achhabal area this afternoon after gunshots reverberated near an election rally of the ruling PDP. Police sources said Civil Supplies Minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali was addressing the rally when a few gunshots were fired but nobody was injured. Later, PDP leader Peerzada Mansoor denied any such incident. Also, at Kanelwan in Bijbehara area, some youths reportedly threw stones at the cavalcade of minister Abdul Rehman Veeri. The Srinagar bypoll was necessitated following resignation by PDPs Tariq Hameed Karra last year in protest against alleged atrocities by security forces following the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani. The separatists have given a boycott call. In the fray is NC chief Farooq Abdullah. He is pitted against PDPs Nazir Ahmad Khan and seven others. TNS/PTI New Delhi, April 9 A man has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Arjun Rampal, claiming the actor has assaulted him with a camera flash at a nightclub here but the star has denied it by calling it "untrue". (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The complainant, Shobhit, claimed that the incident happened at around 3.30 AM today when Rampal was being clicked by a photographer. The actor allegedly grabbed the camera flash and threw it towards the crowd injuring Shobhit. Taking to Twitter, Rampal said he had no clue from where the news of him injuring the person came and that he has "not assaulted anyone". "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan Man! Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews," Rampal wrote. According to the Delhi Police, the incident occurred last night, when the actor was playing as a DJ at Privee nightclub located in a five-star hotel in Lutyens' Delhi. "He threw a camera flashlight in the crowd hoping that someone will catch it. But it hit a man named Shobhit, aged between 25-30, in his head. He didn't sustain any grievous injuries but in the medical examination that was carried out, it has been found that it is a lacerated wound, a senior police officer told PTI. "He has given a complaint but we are legally examining it. As of now, no FIR has been registered against the actor," the officer added. Rampal also posted an update of his arrival in the capital on Instagram hours before the party. "Delhi get ready for an epic night at #prive The set is ready and we gonna make it very special. #prive #tonight #tunes #parrrtyyyyyy." PTI KV Prasad ALL one has to do is close the eyes and listen to this professor from a foreign land speak in Hindi. Open it and it comes as a surprise that the clear diction and choice of words is of a person from Bulgaria. Meet Dr Galina Rousseva-Sokolova from Sofia, Bulgaria, whose fluent Hindi floored a select audience at an event recently in the national capital. Associate Professor in the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology in Sofia University is a Hindi scholar who developed a deep liking for the language as she drifted from pursuing history to Indian studies. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) My interest in India grew and developed, fostered by the knowledge of the language and the culture I slowly acquired. Later, I became interested in 16th and 17th century Bhakti poetry, which had the double charm of being both an old and sophisticated tradition and a living one, performed and lived through in the temples of the Braj area and elsewhere, Prof Sokolova told The Tribune. The pull of oriental studies took her to SOAS University of London and subsequently India. Yet, a perceptive change about the country came in 2010 when while working on a project in Bulgaria on the Bhakti poets in India she won the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Fellowship. It allowed her to spend time with the Hindi Department of the Banaras Hindu University. Today she feels the problem with Hindi is that more and more educated people revert to it only as a gharelu bhasha. A language loses its autonomy when it stops being functional in certain spheres, when it is not able to ensure proper communication in all aspects of life. On the one hand, thats a pity, since Hindi is such a beautiful and expressive language. On the other, those are natural, spontaneous processes and nothing much can be done, artificial interventions are useless. Having a mastery of Hindi gives her an advantage as it has allowed her to do quite a bit of travelling within India. I am a big fan of the Indian Railway, she gushes, adding most of the time she went alone and never faced any problems. I believe if you stick to some simple common sense rules of safety, India is quite safe even for a foreign woman traveller. A fortnight ago, the ICCR bestowed the Distinguished Scholars Award on her and four others. For now, she is a visiting faculty at Jindal Global University, teaching India and Europe and the history of ideas, problematics and methodology of religion studies. Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 9 Even as India and China spar over the visit of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, the navies of the two countries have coordinated on the high seas to jointly rescue a merchant ship from pirates off the coast of Aden in the Arabian Sea. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Indian Navy and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (Navy) jointly saved a bulk carrier named OS-35 which came under attack by pirates. The 178-metre ship was attacked by pirates on Saturday night in the Arabian Sea. The INS Mumbai provided air cover to the distressed merchant vessel, while the PLA Navy ship Yulin sent in a team of 18 to sanitise the merchant ship. The Commander of the INS Mumbai has reported back to the Naval headquarters here that the merchant vessel is safe, Indian Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said on Sunday. The merchant vessel is scheduled to dock at Aden India, China and Japan have been cooperating with each other to tackle piracy since 2011 and India has maintained an anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. The three countries have deployed warships independently. Their role is conducting independent anti-piracy patrols in the internationally recognised transit corridor a 480 nautical mile (approx 890 km) long area in the Gulf of Aden. The 92-km wide corridor starts at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and extends eastwards towards the Arabian Sea. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 8 While it is widely believed that 21 soldiers had made the last stand at Saragarhi in the North-West Frontier Province 120 years ago, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said there was a 22nd man in the fortress whose sacrifice had gone unnoticed. Dedicating his book, The 36th Sikhs in the Tirah Campaign 1897-98: Saragarhi and the Defence of Samana Forts, that was released here today to the 22nd man, he said the man, a non-combatant and deployed at Saragarhi as a cook, picked up a rifle after others were killed and shot four tribals. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Though his exact identity is unknown, he probably belonged to Noushera and is referred to simply as Daad. He wanted to join the Army, but was rejected on medical grounds. There is only one edifice dedicated to the battle on which his reference crops up. The Saragarhi battle, where 21 soldiers from 36 Sikh (now 4 Sikh), led by Havildar Ishar Singh, fought to the last man last round against over 8,000 Afridi tribals, is listed by UNESCO as one of the 10 greatest battles ever fought. British Parliament had risen in unison on hearing about the exploits of the soldiers, all of whom were awarded the Indian Order of Merit, then the highest decoration applicable to Indian soldiers. When they apprised their commanding officer, based in a neighbouring fort, about the situation, they were simply ordered to hold your position. When they faced the enemy, they were determined to fight to the death. The remnants of the fort and memorials still lie in Saragarhi. There are three memorials to the battle in India: at the Sikh Regimental Centre in Ramgarh, in Amritsar and one in Ferozepur, for which a regimental trust is being set up for its upkeep. A Bollywood film on the battle is also in the making. The Chief Minister said the government would set up a proper monument in Ishar Singhs village, Jhorran near Jagran, where at present his bust is installed. A discussion on the importance of the battle as well as the contemporary geo-strategic significance of the area was also held. Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore; GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh; Col of the Sikh Regiment, Lt Gen SK Jha along with a large number of serving and retired service officers and civilian dignitaries attended the function. The Governor suggested holding of a literary festival exclusively on defence issues in Chandigarh as a large number of senior and distinguished service officers were based in the city. In response, Capt Amarinder agreed that the Punjab Government would host such an event on October 27 this year, the date coinciding with Infantry Day marking the landing of troops of 1 Sikh to defend Srinagar from Pakistani raiders in 1947. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana April 8 The Punjab Police may have goofed up while issuing a notice in newspapers with pictures of suspects in high-profile murder cases. Finding his picture in the notice, which the police claimed was that of the suspect in the killing of Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad Gupta, a worried Khanna-based youth, Deepak, approached the police, pleading he was innocent. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Taken aback, the police officials hastened to inform their seniors, who reached there in no time to question the youth. The police have been struggling for clues to the murders of two Dera Sacha Sauda followers, Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad Gupta and RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja. The three cases are now with the CBI. Deepak, a resident of Billa Wali Chapri, works at a general store in Khannas Chandla Market. Accompanied by the husband of a local councillor, he reached the city police station last night, seeking removal of his picture from the notice as he had nothing to do with the murder. He is innocent. We (local residents) vouch for him, said the councillors spouse. SSP Navjot Mahal said they were looking into the matter. Later in the day, the police claimed Deepak had given a lift to one of the suspects on his Bullet bike but may have been unaware that he was aiding a criminal. Harvinder Khetal Biopics (a biographical pictures or films that tell the story of someone's life) had a fair share of spotlight at the National Awards on Friday, putting focus on life and the varied awesomeness it has on offer. 'Rustom', which fetched Akshay Kumar the Best Actor award, was inspired by the sensational real life case of a Navy officer KM Nanavati who shot his wife's paramour with his service revolver in 1959. Nanavati was later sentenced to life imprisonment. Then award for the Best Hindi Film went to 'Neerja'. It also won its lead actor Sonam Kapoor a Special Mention for her brilliant and poised portrayal of the senior flight purser who sacrifices her life while trying to save passengers from hijackers aboard a Pan Am flight in Karachi in 1986. Neerja Bhanot was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra Award, the highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy during peace time. At just 22, the Chandigarh-born girl is the youngest recipient of this award. It felt particularly good as Neerja's brother Aneesh, along with his family, is a friend. Their constant endeavour to keep Neerja's memory alive with the annual Neerja Bhanot awards is both poignant and endearing. The other biopic 'Dangal', which incidentally is the biggest hit of Bollywood, wrested the Best Supporting Actress award for Zaira Wasim. She impressed the jury with her 'dhaakad' (strong) performance as the younger Geeta Phogat, who won India's first ever gold medal in wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This brings me to the conundrum (a confusing and difficult problem or question, such as did the chicken come first or the egg): does life imitate art, or art imitate life? Art imitates lifeis the observation that a creative work was inspired by true events. Personally, the more I experience life, the more I feel that the human mind is capable of doing or conjuring up just about anything. Earlier, if somebody were to tell me that the characters of tales of twisted behaviour, conniving and murder found in novels could also be roaming amongst us, as an idealistic youngster, I would have pooh-poohed the notion. But now, no deed seems bizarre enough to be dismissed offhand. Somebody, somewhere, sometime has lived the life brought to fore in an art form. If not stranger, life is definitely on a par with fiction. And the beauty of it all is that it is not necessary that the artist/novelist/filmmaker be aware of the fact that his creation has a real-life counterpart. For example, just last week, reality and fiction blurred with the unfolding of the 'Mowgli girl' --an eight-year-old girl brought up by monkeys. A feral child (also 'wild child') is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, behaviour, or human language, leading to a variety of social, mental, and physical impairments. The 'Mowgli girl', found deep in a wildlife sanctuary of Uttar Pradesh in January, was a leaf out of Rudyard Kipling's classic novel 'Jungle Book' that describes the escapades of Mowgli, a boy brought up in the jungle by a pack of wolves. Its movie adaptation, also called 'Jungle Book', made last year by Disney was a huge success. My apprehensions of it being kid stuff were put paid to as Mowgli's adventurous escapades came alive on celluloid and kept me enthralled. Wonderstruck by its sheer technological wizardry, I thoroughly enjoyed Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear helping Mowgli confront the threatening Sher Khan the Tiger. However, the real life Mowglis and Tarzans present a disturbing picture as they find it difficult to adjust to human surroundings. This 'Mowgli girl' was spotted naked with matted hair, sharp 'claws' and tanned skin by the locals who informed the police. Preferring the wild animals, the 'rescued' child was scared of human beings and screamed loudly when anyone approached her. The monkeys too gave a tough fight to the rescuers. She is now slowly recovering in a hospital. There are many other such shocking cases of children having been raised by animals such as goats, gazelles, cats, ostriches, dogs, wolves and then how found it hard to integrate into society. Then, "Life of Pi" is Yann Martel's Booker Prize-winning tale of Indian boy Pi Patel stranded on a lifeboat for 227 days with a Bengal tiger. This 2001 novel was also adapted into a movie a couple of years ago. And, yes, this piece of art too is not without a real Pi -- Steve Callahan -who in 1982 incredibly survived 76 days on a dinghy and drifted 1,800 miles before being rescued in the Caribbean. Having faced sharks, storms, and equipment failure besides hunger and thirst, he had reached mental breaking-point. So, back to the conundrum: Do you or do you not agree with Oscar Wilde's observation that "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life"? hkhetal@gmail.com THE progress report for 1916 of the Indian womens University or Bharata Varshiya Mahila Vidyalaya, Poona, shows that steady and sure progress is being made in the work of the bold experience started by a band of earnest educationists in Poona with the active co-operation of educationists and sympathisers in other parts of India. After enlisting the help of several hundred men and educated ladies all over India, the University was started on 3rd June, 1916. The first entrance examination was held at the end of the same month. Four students presented themselves and all passed the examination, and joined the first year class of the newly formed Womens College affiliated to the University. Sub-committees have been appointed to frame syllabus, rules and regulations. A sum of Rs. 50,000 has been promised by donors and of Rs. 10,000 in annual subscriptions. Of this, the actual amount collected during the year is Rs. 30,000 after meeting the years expenses of Rs. 3,200. Tribune News service Dehradun, April 9 Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat participated in the golden jubilee celebrations of 11th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles held here yesterday evening. Congratulating the ex-servicemen on the occasion, he said he was proud that he came from an Army family. His father served in the Indian Army. He said each household in Uttarakhand was connected to the armed forces in one way or the other. He said the youth of the state aspired to serve in the armed forces and a majority of the youth were serving the nation. He wished the Garhwal Rifles good luck. He also met the ex-servicemen and their families present on the occasion. Tribune News Service Haridwar, April 9 The state government is focusing on making the state an Ayush hub with the plantation of ayurvedic herbs. This was stated by Cabinet Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat here today. The minister said through Ayush promotion, both employment opportunities as well as revenue generation, would get a major boost. We will try to provide local farmers maximum procurement price so that ayurvedic herbs production increases. The state has a large number of herbs, which are much in demand in both domestic and international markets, so we are focusing on this aspect, said Dr Harak Singh Rawat. The Forest Minister said in the coming days the Kandi-Chillarkhal-Laldhang-Kotdwar-Ramnagar road would be upgraded to national highway for which the procedure has already been started in this regard. He had earlier this week held talks with Union Roads and National Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. Assuring of increasing revenue from Raja Ji Tiger Reserve and Jim Corbett National Park, Rawat said the best of facilities would be provided to tourists and more gateways to these world-famous parks would be opened in both Garhwal and Kumaon. A delegation of the ravel transport tour association, led by BJP leader Sanjay Chopra, also met the Cabinet minister apprising him of their problems and Rawat assured them of fulfilling their genuine demands. Tribune News Service Dehradun, April 9 In a major social welfare decision, the Uttarakhand Government has ordered a strict ban on begging in and around religious places in the state and has also set up a task force for the implementation of ban. The newly formed Trivendra Singh Rawat government has issued directives to the district magistrates (DMs) of all the 13 districts in the state to ensure that there is no begging activity in and around religious places, particularly by children, in their respective districts. The government has also asked the administration to ensure strict punishment to those who are found giving alms to beggars in order to discourage the practice. The government directive comes after the recent Uttarakhand High Court directive ordering a complete ban on begging at religious places. Significantly, encouraging children towards begging will now be counted as a crime. Any individual who gives alms to children or provides money to children in lieu for doing jobs like shoe polishing or any other act that is akin to begging will be taken as unlawful act. For complying with the order, the state government has also ordered the setting up of a task force comprising officials of the Police, Labour and the Women and Child Welfare Departments. Interestingly, before the High Court orders, begging was banned only in Haridwar district, which keeps much importance from the religious point of view and has been attracting a large number of beggars for long. But now the state government has decided to take severe action and ensure that the state is made begging free. The state has been following the Uttar Pradesh Beggary Prevention Act, which terms begging as an unlawful act. But the implementation of the Act has often been found wanting and begging has continued in the state. The state has a large number of religious places starting from the Char Dham shrines to famous temples of the twin towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar. A large number of pilgrims come to these places and give alms to beggars out of faith resulting in encouragement to the practice of begging. Tribune News Service Dehradun, April 9 Two former army chiefs of Nepal, Indias former Research and Analysis Wing secretary, top Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries and several ex-defence officials from both Nepal and India will discuss Indo-Nepal defence and security issues in Dehradun on April 11 and April 12. Addressing a press conference here today, one of the hosts, Indian Council for International Cooperation Dehradun chaptor president Rajiv Berry disclosed that the two-day deliberations entitled Indo-Nepal Relations Defence and Security Issues that will take place at the Forest Research Institutes auditorium on April 11 and April 12 was being held with a joint initiative of Indian Council for International Cooperation and Nepals Neeti Anusandhan Pratishthan and would have participations of 30 delegates from Nepal and an equal number of India. Former chiefs of the Nepalese army, General Rookmangud Katuwal and General Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana, former chief of the Nepal Police Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and former chief of Nepals national investigation department Devi Ram Sharma will be prominent speakers, who will speak on issues ranging from border demarcation and management, trans-border criminal activities, trans-national infiltration and terrorism, demographic changes along the Indo-Nepal border and cyber crimes. Rajiv Berry further said on the Indian side, RSS top leader Dattatreya Hosabale, RAWs former secretary CD Sahay, former Indian Ambassador to Nepal KV Rajan, former Indian foreign secretary Shashank and scientific adviser to defence minister Dr G Satheesh Reddy will be the main speakers. Indian Council for International Cooperation Dehradun chapter vice-president DN Chandola, who was also present, said the relations between the two countries had undergone major changes in recent decades. Nepal has moved from monarchy to panchayat democracy to Constitutional democracy and this has also impacted the Indo-Nepal relations and in this emerging scenario there was a need to reassess the various aspects of the Indo-Nepal relations at political, diplomatic, economic and strategic levels and the deliberations were aimed for exactly that, Chandola observed. OKLAHOMA CITY Two Medal of Honor recipients who gave their lives to save their comrades will be inducted this year into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. Inductees are Specialist 4 Edward Allen DeVore Jr., a Henryetta native, and Staff Sgt. George Dennis Keathley, an Olney, Texas, native who lived and worked in Lawton where he graduated from high school. DeVore and Keathley were recommended for induction recently by the Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation. Later this year, the foundation will select eight more Oklahoma heroes for induction. The Oct. 21 induction ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Norman. Specialist 4 Edward Allen DeVore Jr. DeVore was killed March 17, 1968, in Vietnam. He was born June 15, 1947, in Henryetta. When he was about 4 or 5, his father, who worked at the Eagle Pitcher Smelter in Henryetta, moved the family to California, but DeVore kept in contact with his Henryetta relatives by visiting his hometown. DeVore joined the Army in 1966 in California and later was sent to Vietnam where he was assigned to Co. B, 4th battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroism during a battle March 17, 1968, near Saigon. He was a machine-gunner with Co. B when its lead element came under heavy enemy fire from automatic weapons, mines, rockets and grenades from concealed bunkers. One man was killed and three wounded. Devore raced through the enemy fire with his machine gun to establish a fire base to help the unit. After American artillery, gunships and airstrikes at the enemy positions, a squad went to retrieve fallen comrades but was hit by intense enemy automatic weapons fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, DeVore assaulted the enemy positions. He was hit in the shoulder and knocked down but jumped up and continued his assault. Despite warnings of his fellow soldiers, he continued his assault under intense hostile fire. Although mortally wounded during this advance, he continued to place highly accurate suppressive fire upon the entrenched insurgents. By drawing the enemy fire upon himself, DeVore enabled the trapped squad to rejoin the platoon in safety. Spc 4 DeVores extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in close combat were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 39th Infantry and the U.S. Army, his Medal of Honor citation states. Staff Sgt. George Dennis Keathley Keathley was killed Sept. 14, 1944, in Italy. He graduated from Cameron State School of Agriculture and Junior College (now Cameron University) in 1930 with an associates degree in agriculture. Keathley is Cameron Universitys most highly decorated alumnus. He returned to Texas and enrolled at Texas A&M in the fall of 1933 and in summer school in 1936, 1939 and 1940. Shortly after the U.S. entered World War II, Keathley joined the Army. He was assigned to the 338th Regiment of 85th Infantry Division. He was promoted to staff sergeant just before the unit went into combat. On May 30, 1944, he became a platoon leader, replacing one who was wounded. He exposed himself to enemy fire numerous times while reorganizing the platoon. He was awarded the Bronze Star with the Valor Device. Keathley earned the Medal of Honor Sept. 14, 1944, while leading soldiers in a battle that repelled a German attack at Mount Altuzzo in Northern Italy. During the battle, Keathley suffered a mortal wound from a hand grenade, but continued to fight and lead his men until the battle ended. He died shortly afterward. He is honored at Texas A&M and Cameron University. Keathley is the third Texas A&M student to be awarded the Medal of Honor. A plaque bearing his photograph and his Medal of Honor citation is on display at Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor. In 2009, Cameron University renamed its Department of Military Science the George D. Keathley Department of Military Science. The VFW Hall in Lawton also is named after Keathley. Early in her administration, Gov. Mary Fallin often talked of right-sizing state government. Right-size was recognized as generally meaning downsize. Whether by design or accident, that goal is apparently being accomplished through shrinking state revenue resulting in double-digit budget cuts to most departments and agencies. But less state government doesnt necessarily mean less government period, as towns, cities and counties are discovering. Last week, as Tulsa County officials heard budget requests for the next fiscal year, a recurring theme set them reaching for their blood pressure medication. We need money, they were told, to do something the state used to do. Counties make a logical target in tough times. Unlike the state or municipalities, counties have direct access to the most reliable of all revenue sources, the property tax, for operations. But their access is limited by the state constitution, and annual limits on growth revenue and repeal of the intangible personal property tax have narrowed the tax base to the tune of $100 million a year. Tulsa Countys valuations were stagnant from 2008 until the past year, and even then grew only 3 percent. Law enforcement, roads, courts, the district attorney, the public defender, the juvenile bureau, the chief financial officer, social services, even the Oklahoma State University Extension office related examples of how the states precarious financial situation has affected their operations. I understand the state is struggling, but the county is, too, Treasurer Dennis Semler said at one point. We cant afford to keep subsidizing the state. To be sure, Tulsa County and probably most other counties has problems of its own making. And some things, like the increasing unreliability of retail sales tax receipts, is beyond most officials control. But costs are being shifted from the state to counties and other taxing entities. The impact is difficult to measure, but Tulsa County starts with the $10 million it says is owed the jail by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The jail, and the authority that oversees the 0.25 percent county sales tax dedicated to jail operations, sued the DOC on March 31 for what it says are underpayments going back to 2012. The amount was calculated by multiplying the number of inmate days by the difference between the amount DOC reimbursed the jail ($27) for holding state prisoners and the amount county officials say it actually costs to maintain them ($55.81). The lawsuit also asks the court to make DOC pay the higher rate going forward. County officials say the DOCs low reimbursement rate contributes to successive budget failures at the Tulsa Jail, which in turn affects operations not only of the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office but ripples through all departments. Two years ago, for instance, officials took $500,000 from parks department accounts to help keep the jail going, and this year it took $200,000 from the motor pool. Similarly, the juvenile bureau says the $540,000 shortage it projects for next year is largely the result of state reimbursements that have gone down in recent years, and amount to 60 percent or less of the actual cost of housing youths in the countys 55-bed facility. The bureau hopes to make up a big share of the shortage through retirement buyouts and increasing the number of unfilled positions. District courts no longer receive operational reimbursements they once did, and the county highway department is unsure of its plans because of uncertain state funding. Last week, members of Tulsa Countys Budget Board the eight elected county officials were particularly grumpy about a doubling of their cost, to about $400,000, for the mandatory annual state audit. State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones, whose appropriations have been significantly whacked in recent years, said he is not trying to make up the difference by charging counties more. But he also said his office is now more careful about invoicing the full amount due than it used to be. When the appropriation was there, it didnt matter as much if you undercharged someone a little, Jones said. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is no longer the fastest card in the market, having been supplanted by the newly unleashed monster Titan Xp. However, a $699 4K VR-Ready GPU, as opposed to a $1,200 beast of a card, still offers excellent PC gaming performance and it does not need to be upgraded anytime soon. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a fast card with 3,854 CUDA cores, 256 less than the Titan Xp. Both cards have the same base boost clock at 1582MHz though the GTX 1080 Ti has only 11GB of DDRX5, which is 1GB shy of its supplanter. It shares the same Interface at 384-bit but the GTX 1080 Ti trails behind in bandwidth with 484GB/s or lesser by 103.7GB/s. Both has the same 250W TDP, use the same 8-pin connector and supports SLI, Hot Hardware reported. The clear verdict is in that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has been supplanted with just over a month to hold its reign as the fastest card on the market. NVIDIA has unleashed its monster GPU in preparation for AMD RX Vega, which is "just around the corner." Not much is known about AMD's Vega chips other than a few leaked slides but gamers can expect to hear more about how AMD stacks up against NVIDIA pretty soon. AMD's RX Vega will have to face-off NVIDIA's version of a full-fat GP102 processor, from which the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is based from but only in a cut-down version. As of now, the Titan Xp is only available from NVIDIA with add-in-board partners not yet ready with their own tweaked version. The hundred dollar question now is whether or not there is a need to upgrade to the current fastest card in the market. For those who have purchased the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti either in its Founders Edition or from AIB retailers, the experts say that there is no need to upgrade yet. Even the GTX 1080 will do for superb PC gaming experience, so would its tweaked version. Moreover, early gamers' reactions concur that an individual can buy a whole gaming rig for $1,200 instead of just a single card even if it is the mighty Titan Xp. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti's $699 price tag still holds weight among gaming enthusiasts requiring the best gaming performance. Moreover, it has now received MacOS support along with the GTX 10-series and of course the Titan Xp. Mac owners may now optimize using the best that NVIDIA can offer and no longer limited to the Maxwell architecture, PC World reported. Rent-A-Port Green Energy is 100 per cent owned by Rent-A-Port NV, an engineering and investment company headquartered in Belgium, specialising in the development of marine infrastructures and industrial zones. Through its shareholders, Rent-A-Port can fall back on a wealth of in-house experience in the analysis, design, construction, development and management of port, logistics and marine infrastructures, green energy as well as industrial zones worldwide. Since 2008, the company Rent-A-Port NV, a subsidiary of CFE, part of the large French Concession Group VINCI, and of the successful listed industrial group Ackermans & Van Haaren a member of the BEL 20 - the 20 largest companies of Belgium, took over all the shares of AIG, to become the major shareholder of the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone in Haiphong city, Vietnam. Rent-A-Port keeps expanding it industrial zones not only in Haiphong city, but also in Quang Ninh province, creating the Deep C industrial cluster of 3,000 hectares. Rent-A-Port Green Energys management was the driving force behind the pioneering far shore wind farm C power. This was the first time ever that wind turbines was installed so far offshore (30 kilometres). The total farm capacity was approximately 360 megawatts. Rent-A-Port Green Energy have participated in several related power green projects in Oman, Belgium. The group starts investing in green energy for the sustainable development of Vietnam. These includes projects in wind-powered water desalination in Mekong River Delta and Haiphong, pioneering in solar energy in north Vietnam, waste-to-energy modules in Dinh Vu and Uong Bi. Rent-A-Port is also looking at developing an inland waterway ports that diverts dangerous traffic on road to a safer and more ecological route by sea. In November 2016, Rent-A-Port Green Energy and Rent-A-Port Utilities, signed an MoU with the MARD on co-operation in wind-driven desalination for agricultural production in the Mekong Delta region. Accordingly, the Belgian firm and MARD will set up five demonstration wind-powered water desalination plants with the investment of $15 million, which are capable of providing fresh water for at least 200 hectares of rice fields in five locations across the Mekong Delta. Each demo plant consists of two water production units with a total combined peak capacity of 400 cubic metres per day. The salinity of the fresh water produced would be below 0.1 per cent, making it suitable for irrigation and even drinkable for the local people. We are expecting around 250 such plants to be built in the region, as a part of supporting Vietnam in improving rice production and the livelihoods of the regions farmers. We are also willing to help Vietnam identify and seek the most suitable financing source for the development of such plants in the Mekong Delta, Marc Stordiau, managing director of Rent-A-Port said at the MoU signing ceremony. What are the challenges for the manufacturing industry in Vietnam, in the context of foreign investors demanding more in the way of precision, cost saving, and quality? Vietnamese manufacturers are using a lot of out-of-date equipment and a high rate of manual labour. These disadvantages have limited product development and productivity, making it hard for made-in-Vietnam goods to compete with others. Right now, businesses that properly approach the 3D field are taking advantage of the shortened time and cost in research and development (R&D), risk, and labour, and are improving their own productivity by increasing manufacturing accuracy and quality, and lowering the cost of end-products. How have manufacturers in Vietnam embraced and adapted to 3D technology? In the last five years, 3D technology has only been involved in fields like the auto sector, technology products, and in art-related initiatives such as VR museums and sculpture. Fields with untapped applications include healthcare, the military, architecture, fashion, and consumer products. 3D technology is the core technology of the fourth industrial revolution. It has changed points of view and product thinking. It makes the productivity circle much easier, simpler, faster, more exact, and cost-focused. It also gives businesses more of a chance to join the global supply chain in all phases, such as R&D, design, moulding, testing, and manufacturing. With more than 10 years of experience in 3D, Scantech is now taking a big role in Vietnams 3D industry. Through powerful co-operations with leading 3D companies from all over the world, we are constantly increasing our utility in all fields of business, such as health, art, archaeology, the defence industry, and aviation, and in daily life. What is the marketing plan of Scantech for the next three years, including the plan to bring and adapt 3D technology to Vietnamese industry? As one of the first firms in Vietnam focused on 3D data digitisation, Scantechs growth has been continuous. From 2012, Scantech focused on building up a specialist team to implement its full comprehensive strategy. According to this strategy, in the next three years, Scantech will focus on becoming the leading company in supplying 3D equipment and services in printing, scanning, applications, and VR solutions in Vietnam, with a wide customer range including institutions, businesses, and individuals. Scantech wants to open more direct contact with partners and potential customers. Face-to-face meetings will help us know their requirements and needs better. At the Vietnam Manufacturing Expo (VME) 2017, we hope to understand more about VMEs place in the machinery, technology, and trends of the Vietnamese market. Our staff will test samples and reduce service prices by 50 per cent during the exhibition. Customers will receive more information through live demos that they can apply to their fields. The key products which Scantech will present are 3D scanning and printing systems, and 3D applications and solutions. Tao Duc Thang, deputy general director of Viettel Several years ago, network providers in Vietnam had different launching periods of 3G services. At the time, Vinaphone and MobiFone belonged to Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), and they had the advantage of being the first providers to officially launch 3G programmes. Only half a year after VNPTs 3G rollout could Viettel join the battle. However, in the 4G race, the situation has changed as four Vietnamese giants have similar launching periods. Talking to newspapers, Tao Duc Thang, deputy general director of Viettel, said that over the last six months, the firm has installed 36,000 4G base transceiver stations (BTS). This is a record number as there has been no network providers to install so many BTS in such a short time. The leader of Viettel said that the infrastructure has been installed and is ready not only for 4G, but also for 5G and 6G in the future. Viettel plans to launch 4G all over the country by the middle of April 2017. Also, Thang said that Viettel has the highest number of BTS among all mobile network operators, giving Viettel 4G high speed, capacity, and large coverage, consistency, and stability. Meanwhile, a leader of Vinaphone stated that its preparations for 4G have been basically completed. Only half as many BTS as Viettel, Vinaphones 15,000 BTS will ensure 4G coverage in key areas in all the cities of Vietnam. In particular, Danang will have about 400 BTS to serve its key events of the year, the Danang International Fireworks Festival and the APEC Summit 2017. Two other firms that have also been licensed for 4G, MobiFone and Gtel, have released little new information about their preparations. Some of their publicised news include SIM card conversion, which their competitors have already been doing for months. MobiFone said that it has installed 4,500 4G BTS. In 2017, MobiFone plans to launch an additional 8,000 4G BTS in 53 provinces. However, in the first phase, MobiFone plans to focus on big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Can Tho, and Danang. In the next phase, this network provider will extend 4G coverage to other provinces, rural and remote areas. The implementation of our 4G programme will only be successful when customers are persistently connected at high speed. For this, we have to ensure that 4G is always available. If customers can connect to 4G for only one hour a day and are left with 3G for the remaining 23 hours, that is unacceptable, Viettes Tao Duc Thang said. He said the wide coverage is to ensure high quality to serve old customers and attract new ones, especially as customers are allowed to switch operators while keeping their phone numbers. Also, he added that the Vietnamese network market has changed significantly over the last decade. In the past, network providers competed by coverage and charges, leaving little room for brands to differentiate themselves. Thus, nowadays, to increase the competitive capacity, their strategies have to change, focusing on quality. ASIA WEEKLY: U.S. President Trump sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte looks to shore up assets in the South China Sea as ASEAN continues to negotiate a code of conduct with Beijing. Myanmars leader says theres no ethnic cleansing of Rohingya, but others object. Plus, Japan tries to rekindle ties with South Korea. VOAs Steve Miller gives you a glimpse at what happened April 3-7, 2017. When Arnaud Laillou, a nutrition specialist with UNICEF, led a salt iodization study in 2014, he wanted to be sure that salt producers were not adding too much iodine. Just four years earlier, UNICEF had stopped providing iodine to salt producers at the end of a decade-long, largely successful government-run iodization program. Laillou was stunned to find that 90 percent of coarse salt and 40-50 percent of fine salt was now not iodized. And all of it was labeled as iodized. It was a real shock for us, says Laillou of the findings of the paper that was published last year in the online journal Nutrients. Serious public health problem That paper said iodine deficiency in Cambodia had become a serious public health problem just years after the issue had largely been dealt with, and warned that poorer families and rural families were worst affected. That was at odds with a study carried out three years earlier that showed salt producers were adding iodine, and that authorities were enforcing a 2003 subdecree that mandated iodization. Iodine is essential to brain development and hormonal functions. If a pregnant woman is iodine-deficient, for example, her babys brain will not develop properly. The mineral is vital for brain development in children, too, and for proper hormone functioning in all ages. Iodine is so important that the World Health Organization has described iodine-deficiency as the [worlds] single greatest preventable cause of mental retardation. Iodizing salt is widely regarded as one of the cheapest and most effective public health measures: it costs 2 cents per kilogram of salt. Children hurt most Iodine-deficiency, Laillou said, is particularly damaging for children. For example, Cambodia is investing a lot of money at the level of the Ministry of Education to improve the education of their children, he said. But having a lack of iodine in the brain, it decreases [their] IQ by 13 points. That, he points out, compares with the loss of three IQ points for a child who is not breastfed for the first six months of life. Wholesale failure In theory, adding iodine to Cambodias annual output of 80-100,000 tons of salt should be simple: close to 100 percent is produced by the SPCKK cooperative in the southern province of Kampot. SPCKK produces coarse salt, which it sells in bulk to middlemen who operate boilers that refine that into fine salt. By law, SPCKK must iodize all of its salt output. But over the years several of the iodizing machines it was given have broken down, and SPCKK has not sourced spare parts. Now it has four working machines and thats not enough. And so, as SPCKKs technical chief, Bun Narin told VOA, its workers often spray iodine by hand, a method that is at best imprecise. Large companies [outside Cambodia] use machines to monitor, whereas we are still using labor and so its not always accurate, he said. That is putting it mildly, given that Laillous research found 90 percent of the countrys coarse salt lacks any iodine. Despite that, SPCKKs output is labeled as containing the mandated amount of iodine. If boilers dont test for the concentration of iodine in the coarse salt that they buy, and if, further along the production line, salt repackagers, like 57-year-old Koy Rithiya, dont test for the concentration in the fine salt that they buy from the boilers and then add iodine where needed, the result is noniodized salt. Which is exactly what has happened. Routine testing When Rithiya set up his business in Phnom Penh 15 years ago, he didnt know he needed to add iodine; he started doing that a decade ago after being advised by UNICEF. These days he uses an electronic monitor to test the concentration of iodine in the 500 kilograms of fine salt that he repackages each day, and adds iodine where needed to meet the mandated standard of 30-60 parts per million. He doesnt yet use the monitor to test his daily output of 400 kilograms of coarse salt; instead he relies on a test that merely shows whether iodine is present or not. That test, however, does not measure the concentration. Rithiya reckons the problem of iodine-deficiency has emerged in part because some producers use expired iodine, but also because some producers combine salt with iodine without correctly balancing it. And some dont bother to use it correctly, he said. A lack of enforcement The report makes clear where the problem lies: on the production side is SPCKK, as well as some boilers and salt repackagers; on the enforcement side are the authorities for failing to ensure that producers follow the law. The irony is that by 2010, the governments program meant the health problems associated with iodine deficiency in Cambodia were largely a thing of the past. A decade earlier, nearly 1 in 5 primary school children had goiters, a condition where the thyroid in the neck swells up. Many adults did, too. By 2010, that was no longer the case. But when iodine prices tripled after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, many salt producers in Cambodia stopped buying the additive, and the authorities failed to make sure they were iodizing. The result: a re-emergent public health issue that has, to date, remained largely invisible. The situation, though bad, should start to improve. UNICEF is working with a government subcommittee to devise a certification standard for all producers, although that could take two years to implement. Ven Keahak, who heads the subcommittee on salt iodization, says the new licensing system will mean producers have to have a machine, iodine powder [in stock], a brand name, and salt with proper quality in order to get a license. Its a legal enforcement that the ministry has to conduct, he said. A lack of enforcement has been part of the problem, but Keahak would not comment on the failure of government agencies to apply the current law. He did confirm that no one has been prosecuted for failing to add iodine or for failing to monitor the system. The difficulty for concerned Cambodians is that every bag of salt carries the logo stating that it is iodized. To deal with that, the Ministry of Planning will now test all salt brands and will place advertisements in newspapers to tell people which brands they can trust. Until then, the failure to police the countrys salt output will keep damaging lives in what experts say was an entirely avoidable public health issue. 2 People attend a memorial ceremony at Sergels Torg plaza in Stockholm, near a department store where a truck drove into two days before. Four people died and fifteen were injured. Pope Francis, who is scheduled to visit Egypt later this month, decried Sunday's blast at a Coptic Church in Egypt's Nile Delta that killed 21 worshippers and wounded dozens more. At the end of his Palm Sunday Mass, the leader of the world's Roman Catholic Church said, " I pray for the dead and the victims. May the Lord convert the hearts of people who sow terror, violence and death and even the hearts of those who produce and traffic in weapons." Earlier, in his homily, Francis denounced the suffering in the world today. He said those who " . . . suffer from slave labor, from family tragedies, from diseases . . . They suffer from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike." Before the beginning of the Mass, Francis and a group of cardinals, holding elaborately braided palm fronds, walked through the crowd at Saint Peter's Square. In Jerusalem, worshippers at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher celebrated Palm Sunday by waving palm branches during the procession next to the newly restored Tomb of Jesus. The church in Jerusalem's Old City is believed to be the burial site of Jesus. Palm Sunday marks Jesus' triumphant entry in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago and the beginning of the Christian Easter Holy Week. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said it is up to the Tibetan people to decide whether the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and that China cannot decide on his successor. He said he will organize a conference to discuss the issue of the next Dalai Lama before the end of this year. The Buddhist monk spoke Saturday at a news conference during a visit to the northeast Indian town of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state, which borders China. His weeklong visit has sparked anger in Beijing, which claims a chunk of the remote Himalayan state. Question of successor The question of who will replace the 81-year-old spiritual leader has gained prominence with Beijing having asserted that its communist leaders have the right to approve the next Dalai Lama as a legacy inherited from Chinas emperors. But the Dalai Lama said Chinese officials have no role in identifying his successor because they are atheists and do not believe in the concept of religion. Thats frankly speaking quite nonsense, he said. In order to (for the) Chinese government taking responsibility for reincarnation in general, particularly me, first Chinese communists should accept theory of rebirth. The Tibetan religious leader said nobody knows where the next Dalai Lama will be born or come from. I think at the time of my death, maybe some indication come, (but) as of this moment no indication, he added. Tibetan Buddhists believe the soul of a senior lama or Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. Fate of the institution Saying that a final decision on the fate of the institution would be taken when he reaches his late 80s or 90, the Dalai Lama said he wanted to convene a meeting of senior monks this year to start a preliminary discussion on his succession. He said the continuation of the tradition depends on the people. If concerned people feel now this institution (is) no longer relevant, then this institution [will] cease, he said. He did not rule out the possibility of the next Dalai Lama being a woman. Importance of Tawang The Dalai Lamas visit to the sensitive border town of Tawang, home to a famous Buddhist monastery, is not his first. But Chinese objections have been far more strident this time with Beijing accusing New Delhi of arranging a platform for the Tibetan leader to hold anti-China and separatist activities and lodging an official protest. It has warned that the visit would hurt ties with India. The Dalai Lama and Indian officials call his weeklong Tawang stop purely religious. The Tibetan monk said he wished a Chinese official had accompanied him to know the reality. Jayadeva Ranade at New Delhis Center for China Analysis and Strategy believes the strong Chinese reaction stems from the fact that Tawang was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. The Chinese seem to be linking that with the next reincarnation and the location where the next reincarnation may be found. These are the reasons why they are getting more concerned, he said. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed Chinese uprising, resides in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala. China denounces him as a dangerous separatist. He gave a spiritual discourse to tens of thousands of devotees and is scheduled to give more in the coming days in Tawang. Security forces have clashed with Islamic extremists for the third consecutive day in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Sunday that at least two people have been killed since the clashes began. Ambulances are rushing the wounded to hospitals near the Ein el-Hilweh camp as the sounds of rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire echo from inside. Sidon's government hospital was struck by a rocket, and Lebanese authorities have closed the main highway connecting the port city to southern Lebanon. On Saturday, local Palestinian commander Subhi Abu Arab vowed to crush the followers of radical preacher Bilal Badr. The U.N. says some 55,000 people live in Ein el-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Iraqs prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down to help find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. "It is fair for Bashar al-Assad to step down to help the country avoid the menace of war and dominance of terrorists, al-Sadr said in a statement Saturday. The statement came just days after the United States launched missile strikes on a Syrian airbase in response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack that killed and injured scores of civilians. The mercurial Iraqi cleric, who on many occasions opposed the presence of Iraqi militia in Syria, said all involved parties should withdraw their military forces from Syria. He also urged Russia and the United States to stop interfering in Syria. I call on all [involved parties] to pull out their forces from Syria so that the people [of Syria] take charge of their affairs as they are the ones who have the right to determine their own destiny, the statement read. Otherwise, Syria will be in ruins and the only beneficiary will be [foreign] occupation and terrorism. In his Arabic language statement, al-Sadr, who, like many other political leaders in Iraq, has his own militia, known as the Peace Brigades, asked the Syrian president to hand over power to popular groups that could stand against terrorism. Fragmentation of Shiite bloc Al-Sadrs has close ties with Iran and has been supported by Iran to counter U.S. influence in Iraq for many years. Iran on the other hand remains a staunch supporter of Assad and his regime. The country has not immediately reacted to Al-Sadrs statement, but the clerics demand for Assads removal from power distances him from his traditional ally Iran, bringing him closer to those who are in favor of an Assad-free Syria in the future, including the U.S. and the European Union. Calling on Assad to step down is in stark contrast to the Iranian position and hardline Iraqi Shiite position that view Assad's staying in power through the lens of a regional struggle for power, Omar Al-Nidawi, a Washington-based Iraq analyst told VOA. This is further evidence of the fragmentation of Shiite political bloc. Prior to the chemical attack, U.S. officials hinted that Assad could stay in a post-war Syria. At a conference in Turkey last month, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested that putting an end to Assads presidency was no longer a U.S. condition for moving Syria out of its current crisis. The statement marked a shift in a long-held U.S. policy towards the war in Syria. But following the chemical weapons attack, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said there is no role for Assad in a future Syrian government. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley told CNN on Sunday. "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said. In the wake of the chemical attack, the European Union also last week reasserted that Assad has no future in Syria. The new Somali army chief, General Ahmed Mohamed Jimale Irfid, has survived a suicide car bomb attack that killed at least 15 people near his convoy in Mogadishu, government officials said. The blast occurred minutes after the new Defense Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed and former Army Chief General Mohamed Aden passed through the same road, security sources have confirmed to VOA. The new Somali army chief had just attended a ceremony at the Defense Ministry, where he took over command from General Aden. Most of the victims of the blast were said to be civilians who were passengers in two minibuses. The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. We do not know how to describe this tragedy, because there are just pieces of body parts, Mogadishu administration spokesman Abdifatah Omar Halane told VOA reporter Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle A senior military officials who visited the scene said the suicide bomber was driving a van that tried to ram the car into the armored vehicle carrying the army chief. The vehicle was one of several carrying government officials on the road. The suicide van was suspected and was stopped by police and was told to wait until officials pass through, says the official who did not want to be named. The suicide bomber waited, two vehicles passed, he then aimed for the third vehicle, missing it narrowly, he said. All officials arrived safely at the Presidential Palace after the explosion. The targeting of new defense officials comes just days after the Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo declared war against the terror group. Farmajo offered a 60-day amnesty to members of al-Shabab if they renounce violence. Former Somali army officer Colonel Sharif Hussein Robow says the new government leaders need to come up with a strategy to defeat al-Shabab. Former governments made similar announcements calling for war against al-Shabab, they have also offered amnesty in the same the new president did, so this is not new, Robow said. They have now made the declaration but they need to study and come up with a new way forward and seek input from people with former officials with military experience." Robow said the task ahead is not easy, given that al-Shabab is controlling many roads and large parts of the countryside. A 22,000 strong contingent of AU troops is operating in the country in an effort to help the Somali government expand its authority to the rest of the country. Pakistan says that Russia-sponsored international talks on Afghanistan must involve the United States for bringing peace to the war-riven country, because Washington is the biggest stakeholder there. Moscow plans to host this week (April 14) a new expanded round of multi-nation consultations it has recently launched with the stated goals of developing a regional approach for promoting Afghan security and a government-led national reconciliation with the Taliban. But the U.S. administration has already refused to take part in the conference, questioning Russian intentions and motives. Speaking to a local television station before the Moscow talks, the Pakistani prime ministers foreign policy aide, Tariq Fatemi, stopped short of admitting the absence of Washington will not allow the multi-nation process to achieve its mission. They [U.S] have their troops present [in Afghanistan], they have invested one trillion dollars there, they are the biggest stakeholder, they have lost hundreds of their soldiers, so they have their interests there, Fatemi explained. While Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, China, India were represented in the last round of talks in Moscow earlier this year, former Soviet Central Asian states have been invited for the first time to attend the April 14 conference. We hope and desire that when any such peace initiative will enter into a next stage, America will have to be made part of it, Fatemi told Aaj TV when asked whether the Russian-initiated process could bring peace to Afghanistan without Washington. Pakistan believes Russia is "positively" using its influence with the Taliban to encourage them to join peace talks and Islamabad is supportive of any such efforts, Fatemi insisted. Russia has told us its major concerns are that if civil war conditions are there in Afghanistan, it can become a center for terrorist organizations like Islamic State, or Daesh, who will then try to infiltrate into bordering Central Asian states, the Pakistani official explained. The Taliban's attacks on rival IS fighters in a bid to prevent them from establishing a foothold in the country apparently encouraged Russia to support the insurgent group. But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday again warned Moscow against maintaining contacts with the Taliban. "Anyone who thinks they can help themselves by helping the enemy of their enemy is mistaken. Anyone who thinks that they can differentiate between good and bad terrorism is mistaken," Ghani said. Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Ghani acknowledged Russia is also threatened by terrorism and sympathized with victims of recent terrorist attack in that country. We have an intense dialogue with all our interlocutors because a stable Afghanistan is to everybodys benefit and unstable Afghanistan hurts everyone, Ghani said when asked whether Kabul plans to attend Moscow talks on Friday. He added he wants Afghanistan as a center of cooperation in all efforts aimed at stabilizing his country. The Russian foreign ministry, while regretting Washingtons refusal to attend the coming talks, had also underscored the United States is an important player in settling the Afghan conflict. So [the United States] joining the peacekeeping efforts of the countries of the region would help to reinforce the message to the Afghan armed opposition regarding the need to stop armed resistance and to start talks, it maintained. Meanwhile, Fatemi said Pakistan has also stepped up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with Afghanistan and is seeking implementation of a proposed mechanism the two sides agreed to in talks last months that were mediated by Britain. The mechanism, he explained, would allow establishment of a channel of communication at different levels between Islamabad and Kabul to help remove any misunderstanding and deal with any terrorist incident on either side of their shared border. Talks [between the two countries] at the Army level and at different other levels are currently underway, and at a final stage, if needed, foreign ministers of the two countries will also engage in frequent meetings, Fatemi said. Afghanistan and Pakistan each deny allegations they harbor and support anti-state militants engaged in terrorist attacks on their respective soils. Tensions have lately risen because of Islamabads unilateral border security measures to prevent terrorist infiltration. Kabul disputes portions of the 2,600-kilometer border between the two countries and is opposed to fencing them, saying it will further add to problems facing divided families. Christians are celebrating Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Easter Holy Week. Priests in festive robes led a colorful Palm Sunday procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalems Old City. They were followed by pilgrims waving palm and olive branches in a fragrant cloud of incense. The celebrants marched around the ancient stone tomb where tradition says Jesus rose from the dead. Palm Sunday marks Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey 2,000 years ago. It is the beginning of Holy Week, which culminates in Easter Sunday when Christians celebrate the resurrection. Pilgrims came to the Holy City from all over the world, including Christine Barlow from the U.S. state of Utah. It is a really cool experience being in such a cultural place on such an important day," she said. "Being here just really solidifies my faith in the events that occurred, and being in the land that it happened in, it is fun. Ben Forland is from Norway. I feel blessed. I think it has to do with some kind of closeness to history. This is where things happened. So, so far it has been extremely fascinating, he said. It is a big turnout this year because the Eastern Orthodox and Western churches, which observe different calendars, are celebrating Holy Week at the same time. Visitors to the Holy Sepulcher are also getting to see something special: Jesus tomb has been renovated for the first time in 200 years. Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship by suspected Somali pirates, Indias defense ministry said Sunday. The OS 35 was reported to be under attack Saturday. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitize the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board, the defense ministry said in a statement. Subsequently ... a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. Cargo ship boarded The OS 35, which can carry nonliquid cargoes like grain or iron ore, is registered by Oldstone Cargo Ltd, which lists its business address in Tripoli, Lebanon, said the International Maritime Organization. The OS 35 is Oldstones only ship registered with the U.N. Oldstone could not be immediately reached for comment. The pirates managed to board the ship Saturday evening near Yemens Socotra Island despite resistance from the crew, Somali pirate, Bile Hussein, told The Associated Press. The armed pirates were steering it toward Somalias northern coast, said an official with the ports ministry in Somalias northeastern semiautonomous state of Puntland, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Piracy resurgence Somali pirates in recent weeks have hijacked at least two vessels with foreign crews in the waters off Somalia and Yemen, marking a return of the threat after five years. Piracy off Somalias coast was once a serious threat to the global shipping industry. It has lessened in recent years after an international effort to patrol near the country, whose weak central government has been trying to assert itself after a quarter-century of conflict. In December, NATO ended its anti-piracy mission off Somalias waters. But frustrations have been rising among Somali fishermen, including former pirates, at what they say are foreign fishermen illegally fishing in local waters. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tens of thousands of Swedes turned out in Stockholm Sunday for what they called a "lovefest" after Friday's terrorist truck attack killed four people and injured 15. A 39-year-old Uzbek believed to have extremist sympathies is under arrest for allegedly ramming a stolen truck into a crowd at the Ahlens department store. "Fear shall not reign. Terror cannot win," Mayor Karin Wanngard told a crowd estimated at 50,000. One woman held a poster reading: "We don't respond with fear, we respond with love." Friday's attack apparently had little effect on liberal Sweden's global reputation as an open and welcoming society. One participant at Sunday's rally told the Associated Press that the fact the suspect is a refugee means nothing. "This is a sick individual and has nothing to do with his refugee status. I think most Stockholmians realize that just because you are a refugee or a Muslim doesn't mean you are a terrorist." Police arrested the Uzbek-born suspect hours after the truck attack. He was known to intelligence services since last year when he disappeared before he could be deported after his application for asylum was rejected. Authorities knew he had pro-extremist sympathies. But no group has claimed responsibility for Friday's attack and no motive is known. Police say they have arrested a second person in connection with the attack, but have given no further information. Photos taken at the scene Friday showed the vehicle was a truck belonging to beer maker Spendrups, which said its truck had been hijacked earlier in the day. Witnesses say the truck drove straight into the entrance of the Ahlens Department Store on Drottninggatan, the city's biggest pedestrian street, sending shoppers screaming and running. Television footage showed smoke coming out of the store after the crash. U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing to shuffle the ranks of his top national security advisers. Trump aides confirmed Sunday that deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, who worked for three previous Republican presidents, is expected to leave Trump's staff soon, likely to be named as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore. The 65-year-old McFarland came into the White House as an aide to Trump's first national security adviser, retired Army General Michael Flynn. Trump ousted Flynn after just 24 days on the job after learning that he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence and others about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to Washington in the weeks before Trump took office in late January. Flynn's replacement, Army General H.R. McMaster, has been reshaping the National Security Council, the White House panel that advises Trump on threats to U.S. security. Dina Powell, a Wall Street financial executive, was recently named deputy national security adviser for strategy and she has been present for high-level discussions with delegations from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and China. Last week, Trump ousted his chief political strategist, Stephen Bannon, from the National Security Council, an appointment that had drawn the ire of Washington foreign policy experts, who say that only officials steeped in U.S. security concerns should be on the panel. South Korea and China say they have agreed they will take strong action against North Korea if Pyongyang conducts more nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. The top nuclear envoys from North Korea's neighbors, Kim Hong-kyun and Wu Dawei, discussed the latest developments Monday in Seoul. On Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said President Donald Trump has asked officials to give him options for removing the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea. As a U.S. Navy strike group steamed toward the Korean Peninsula to send a message to North Korea, McMaster told Fox News, "This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime. ... So the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and our allies and partners in that region." McMaster described the U.S. decision to send the Carl Vinson Strike Group to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific as "prudent." He said that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at their summit in Florida last week that Pyongyang's "provocative behavior" developing nuclear weapons was unacceptable. "Presidents before and President Trump agreed this is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the peninsula," McMaster said. A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said Monday the deployment of the Carl Vinson to the Western Pacific region was in response to the "serious situation on the Korean Peninsula." Moon Sang-gyun said it is understandable that the U.S. and South Korea are "fully preparing for possible provocations by North Korea, considering that possibilities of Pyongyang's strategic provocations, including nuclear and missile tests, are increasing." North Korea has been trying to develop a long-range missile carrying a nuclear warhead that is capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, a distance of about 8,000 kilometers. It has staged five nuclear tests so far and could be preparing a sixth. North Korea last week conducted a ballistic missile test in spite of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such launches. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, without directly naming North Korea, told ABC News, "If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken." The Carl Vinson Strike Group was making a port call in Singapore and was scheduled to sail for Australia when the U.S. Pacific Command ordered the ships to sail north instead. Third Fleet ships operate forward with a purpose: to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific, Commander Dave Benham, Director of Media Operations for the U.S. Pacific Command Third Fleet, told VOA. The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," Benham said. The strike group includes its namesake aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, as well as three guided-missile destroyers. Pyongyang's reaction Pyongyang has repeatedly defied international warnings about conducting missile launches and testing nuclear devices. On Sunday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry official was quoted on state-run media as vowing to step up the country's defenses to protect itself from airstrikes like the U.S. carried out against Syria last week. The unidentified official told the Korean Central New Agency the airstrikes were "absolutely unpardonable," and proves Pyongyang is justified in having nuclear weapons. While Trump has not set out a clear strategy for dealing with the isolated nation, he has criticized the administration of former President Barack Obama for its policy of strategic patience, in the face of North Koreas ongoing efforts to develop long-range nuclear strike capability. Trump has also called on China, North Korea's strongest ally, to take stronger action to curb those nuclear ambitions. Unilateral action? Earlier this month, Trump suggested the U.S. might take action unilaterally if China wasnt willing to do more. "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will," Trump told The Financial Times on April 2. China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they won't. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone." Tillerson said that Xi, at his summit with Trump, signaled a willingness to do more to rein in North Korea. "They have indicated that they will and I think we need to allow them time to take actions," Tillerson said of China. Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report. The U.S. government says almost 5,000 Somali nationals in the U.S. face deportation orders. "As of April 1, 2017, there were 4,801 Somali nationals with final orders of removal," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Brendan Raedy said Tuesday. "As of that same date, 237 Somali nationals have been removed to Somalia in fiscal year 2017." The statement confirmed information VOA obtained from Somalia's U.S. ambassador 10 days ago. Ambassador Ahmed Isse Awad told VOA's Somali service his embassy had learned that U.S. immigration agents were planning to deport about 4,000 Somali nationals now living in the United States. Most of them have committed crimes. "ICE continues to focus its limited enforcement resources toward individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security," Raedy said. He added, however, that any immigrant who is in the U.S. illegally is subject to deportation. "All of those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States." Most of the Somalis facing final orders of removal are not in detention centers and are unlikely to be removed in the near term because their cases are making their way through the system. ICE would not confirm any upcoming flights. "Due to operational security, I cannot confirm removal flights until they have been completed," an ICE official told VOA. Since Somalia's embassy in Washington reopened in November 2015, the ambassador said, about 170 Somali immigrants who either ran afoul of U.S. law or had their asylum applications rejected have been deported to Mogadishu, the Somali capital. Most of those previously deported had applied for but been denied political asylum in the U.S., he added. Another group of Somali applicants whose requests for asylum have been denied are now in detention centers or prisons, awaiting deportation. Fewer than 300 Somalis are scheduled to be moved out in the next couple of months, Awad told VOA, adding that his embassy was awaiting information from U.S. authorities on who the deportees were and when they would depart. ICE agents recently arrested 82 people from 26 nations during a five-day operation in and around the U.S. capital. According to a statement from ICE, 68 of those detained March 26-30 had previous criminal convictions, for crimes including armed robbery, larceny and drug offenses. All but three were arrested in the state of Virginia. One of those arrested last month, Awad said, was a 50-year-old Somali man who identified himself as second in command of Somalia's National Security Service. He had previously been deported to Somalia in 1996. "According to ICE, he came back to the U.S. in 1997 under a different name," the Somali envoy said. "In 2014, he was jailed for 11 months for forgery and drug-related crimes, and since then has committed several other felonies." U.S. immigration officials said eight of those arrested during ICE's end-of-March roundup had no known criminal records; they either had overstayed visitor visas or ignored final orders to leave the country. Some of the Somali nationals who already have been sent back to their homeland have told VOA and media outlets in Somalia they found a different and dangerous country awaiting them in East Africa. Because Somalia has lacked a strong central government for more than a quarter-century, many Western nations have refrained from forcibly returning Somali immigrants to their home country because of safety concerns. U.S. immigration policies have been tightened considerably under the administration of President Donald Trump, and such a clemency policy for Somali nationals is no longer being observed. Trump's travel order banned the issuance of visas to citizens of Somalia and five other countries. The order has been put on hold by two courts pending a review of its constitutionality. VOA national security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Eritrea has once again found itself on the wrong side of international norms as a U.N. report accused the East African country of violating an arms embargo by buying military communications equipment from North Korea. This marks the third consecutive year that Eritrea has been named by the U.N. panel monitoring sanctions on North Korea, said Hugh Griffiths, coordinator of the panel. In response, the United States moved to ban all equipment sales or interactions with Eritreas navy, under nonproliferation legislation that targets Iran, Syria and North Korea. Eritrea was one of seven African countries listed as arms-embargo violators for buying weapons, military material or receiving training from North Korea. In Eritreas case, the U.N. panel found that in July 2016 Eritrea imported 45 boxes of encrypted military radios and accessories, including GPS antennas, microphones and clone cables. The equipment was intercepted before reaching its destination. The U.N. said the equipment was sold by Glocom, which is said to be a Malaysian front company selling North Korean goods in an attempt to avoid detection. A previous report found evidence that an Eritrean government department had received military and technical support from a North Korean company named Green Pine. Marketing to Africa Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes (SIPRI) arms and military expenditure program, said North Korea aggressively markets its military goods and services to African countries. North Korea, first of all, wants to export arms because its one of the things which they can make and for which at least there is some demand, Wezeman told VOA. But it is not surprising that the demand is concentrated in countries with very limited economic resources, because what North Korea is supplying generally is not of high quality. Wezeman said most of what North Korea sells is out-of-date or refurbished Soviet-era equipment. Its not the kind of equipment which [buyers] are going to pay a lot of money for, he said. So they cannot market this stuff to anyone else except to African states and a few others. Myanmar is a country which in the past was also known to have North Korean equipment. Cuba is also one of those, but generally, these are countries which simply cannot afford too much better than that. A history of sanctions Eritreas Ministry of Information denounced the new U.S. sanctions as inexplicable and unwarranted, and said they followed a pattern established years ago. The pattern is sadly the same, a ministry statement said. Fallacious reports are first floated and illicit measures subsequently announced by the same architects who act as the plaintiff, prosecutor, and judge. Eritrea was previously accused of aiding the Somali extremist group al-Shabaab in 2009. As a result, the U.N. ordered an arms embargo, travel restrictions and a freeze on assets of military and political leaders. Another U.N. report five years later found no evidence that the Eritrean government continued to support al-Shabaab, but declined to lift sanctions. The Monitoring Group does not, however, rule out the possibility that Eritrea may be providing some assistance to elements within al-Shabaab without detection, but it is the overall assessment of the Monitoring Group that Eritrea is a marginal actor in Somalia, the U.N. group found. Matthew Bryden, chairman of Sahan Research, a Nairobi-based think tank focusing on peace and security issues in the Horn of Africa, told VOA in 2016 that the sanctions include a two-way arms embargo prohibiting Eritrea from importing or exporting weapons and supporting armed groups in the region. Although the focus was initially on al-Shabaab in Somalia, the wording of the resolution appears to have a wider significance, he said. Bryden believes that the sanctions regime has been effective to the degree that Eritrea has opened its stance, has ceased supplying al-Shabaab, has started cooperating on the issue of prisoners of war and is showing a new openness to the U.N., to the sanctions committee and to others. So theres clearly some progress, he said. The monitoring groups annual report last November said that because Eritrea received foreign support for a new military base and seaport, it violated the embargo. Eritrea has hosted security personnel from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as they conduct attacks as part of their ongoing campaign in Yemen. Eritrea feels betrayed Daniel Ogbaharya is originally from Eritrea and teaches at the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He thinks Eritreas hard-line stance toward international monitors is because of the Asmara governments feeling that it has been betrayed by the international community in the past. I believe [these are] psychological sort of reasons, and on top of that the government does not want to ... give credence or relevance to the accusations, he said. Ogbaharya added that he believes international sanctions have been imposed in a secretive and unfair manner, and that this gives Eritreas unelected leaders a valuable talking point, to argue that the world is against them. Even if you disagree with the Eritrean regime on a whole host of things, we know that sanctions actually play into the hands of authoritarian regimes, he said. Remember the governments discourse is that the whole world is against us, not just now, but ever since 1952 or before that, so it plays into that discourse. The U.S. Navy is sending a strike group toward the Korean Peninsula to bolster the U.S. presence there and send a message to North Korea, which this week conducted a ballistic missile test despite U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such launches. The Carl Vinson Strike Group was making a port call in Singapore and was scheduled to sail for Australia when U.S. Pacific Command ordered the ships to sail north instead. Third Fleet ships operate forward with a purpose: to safeguard U.S. interests in the Western Pacific, Commander Dave Benham, director of media operations for the U.S. Pacific Command Third Fleet told VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb. The No. 1 threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. The strike group includes its namesake aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, as well as three guided-missile destroyers. North Korea defies warning Pyongyang has repeatedly defied international warnings about conducting missile launches and testing nuclear devices. On Sunday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry official was quoted on state-run media as vowing to step up the country's defenses to protect itself from airstrikes like the U.S. carried out against Syria last week. The unidentified official told the Korean Central New Agency the airstrikes were absolutely unpardonable, and proves Pyongyang is justified in having nuclear weapons. This year North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Koreas founding president and celebrated annually as the Day of the Sun. While U.S. President Donald Trump has not set out a clear strategy for dealing with the isolated nation, he has criticized the past administrations U.S. policy of strategic patience, in the face of North Koreas ongoing efforts to develop long-range nuclear strike capability. Trump has also called on China, one of the few nations with strong ties to Pyongyang, to take stronger action to curb those nuclear ambitions. Earlier this month, Trump suggested the U.S. might take action unilaterally if China wasnt willing to do more. If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will, Trump told The Financial Times April 2. China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they wont. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they dont, it wont be good for anyone. US, China in agreement Trump reportedly discussed North Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two met this week in Florida. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the two leaders agreed that the issue of Pyongyangs arms buildup has reached a very serious stage, however there were no details of what action either nation might take to curtail the program. Trumps national security aides have completed a review of U.S. options to try to curb North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. These include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbor. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritizes less-risky steps and de-emphasizes direct military action. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb and Reuters contributed to this report. President Donald Trump's White House has been sharply divided by the rivalry between his powerful son-in-law with unfettered access to the president and the ideologue behind Trump's populist rise. Senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon, arguably the two most influential voices in the West Wing, have clashed repeatedly in recent weeks over strategy to pass health care legislation, the fallout of the bogged-down immigration bans and, most recently, whether to intervene in the Syrian civil war. Although the White House is rife with rumors of a staff shake-up, Trump's young administration is pushing back against reports of a pending West Wing overhaul fueled by squabbling among top aides. Spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement Friday that the narrative of a dysfunctional administration on the verge of a makeover "is a completely false story driven by people who want to distract from the success taking place in this administration." Accomplishments noted As evidence of that success, Walters noted the Senate's confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Trump's recent meetings with foreign leaders and the U.S. missile strikes in Syria. "The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the president's aggressive agenda forward," she said. Still, the administration has been plagued by the public airing of infighting, with high-profile aides visibly jockeying for position. Trump himself is increasingly frustrated by the leaks and stories of infighting that that keep flowing out of the West Wing and ordered Bannon and Kushner to set aside their growing feud. Trump on Thursday told the two men to meet with Chief of Staff Reince Priebus at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate the following day, according to a senior administration official not authorized to speak publicly about a private conversation. The two men proceeded to air their respective grievances and said they would try to work together better. The tension between them has mounted for weeks. Bannon, the former head of the conservative Breitbart news outlet, powered Trump's populist campaign message. But some see his role as declining. This past week, Trump removed him from the National Security Council, reversing his decision to give Bannon access to the group's high-level meetings. Kushner's roles Kushner, who played a major role in the presidential campaign, is heading an effort to overhaul the federal government and has traveled to Iraq with the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. Kushner is allied with a group of aides who view themselves as more moderate forces, including economic adviser Gary Cohn, the former president of the Goldman Sachs investment bank. Cohn's ascendance has been a flashpoint for West Wing tensions. Cohn, Kushner and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser, have been labeled the White House's "Democrats" by Bannon's allies, and the two sides have taken turns slinging anonymous arrows at each other in the press. Bannon's side blames Kushner and his allies for trying to moderate Trump and move him away from some of his populist campaign promises. But Bannon has taken the brunt of the blame for the stalled travel bans and for the health care fallout; on that issue, Bannon wanted to force a vote to take names of Republicans disloyal to Trump. Trump initially went along with the way the ban was rolled out, but he has since grown angry that Bannon did not craft the executive order so it could stand up in court, according to a person familiar with the president's thinking who was not permitted to publicly discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity. Speculation has been rampant about Priebus, who has faced questions about his staying power since he started the job. That scrutiny intensified with the collapse of the House GOP health care overhaul, a major embarrassment for Trump. Conway less visible Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, at the forefront in the early weeks of the administration, has been less visible after a series of misstatements. She was one of only a few senior aides not present this week when Trump met with the Chinese president at Trump's Florida estate. Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend and the head of NewsMax, said Trump thrives on internal debate but does not like "when people are leaking or criticizing to the outside." On whether Trump will make changes, Ruddy said he wasn't privy to internal discussions but noted, "Donald Trump has a history of ignoring what everyone says or thinks and keeping people he likes for a long period of time." Nearing its first 100 days, Trump's presidency has been filled with personnel woes and limited policy victories. Installing his choice to the Supreme Court was a success, but his travel ban remains tied up in the courts. The House GOP health care bill failed spectacularly on its first attempt, and he is still dogged by questions about Russian connections. The U.S. military carried out air strikes against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday. President Donald Trump has made it clear the strikes were a retaliation for Assad's suspected use of chemical weapons April 4, which left about 100 dead, including women and children. But why were the use of chemical weapons a so-called "red line" for Trump? VOA's Bill Gallo examines. Worship historian Lester Ruth will present Baylor Universitys 31st annual Northcutt Lecture at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the McLean Foyer of Meditation in Baylors Armstrong Browning Library. Ruth will present When the Music Fades: The Many Facets of Contemporary Worships Historical Development. For the past six years, Ruth has served as research professor of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He began his career at Yales Institute of Sacred Music and its divinity school in 1998. For more information about the free program, call 710-3991. Performing Arts Camp The Waco Childrens Theatre will conduct registration for its Summer Performing Arts Camp from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Lee Lockwood Library and Museum, 2801 W. Waco Drive. The camp, for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, is set for June 5-25. The camp consists of classes in acting, voice, dance and art. Campers also will audition for, rehearse and perform Disneys 101 Dalmatians Kids, Godspell Jr. and Grease. For more information, call Linda Haskett at 776-0707. Pro-Life Waco meeting Pro-Life Waco will meet from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday in the Parish Hall at St. Marys Church, 1424 Columbus Ave. The meeting will feature a screening of the documentary Hush, which explores how women are harmed by abortion, both physically and psychologically. An Italian lunch will be served starting at noon. Lunch cost is $3 for adults and is free for children. For more information, email prolifewaco@gmail.com or call John Pisciotta at 644-0407. Waco Rotary Club Rotary Club of Waco will meet at noon Monday at the Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St. Henry Kari, a Cameroon native who resides in Waco, will talk about the Waco Rotary Clubs water well project in Cameroon. Cost is $10 for a catered lunch from Georges Restaurant. For more information, call 776-2115. Free legal advice Greater Waco Legal Services will have a free legal advice clinic for low-income residents from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 305 N. 30th St. Participants receive a free 20- to 30-minute consultation with a lawyer. Appointments are not required but are strongly recommended. To schedule an appointment, call 733-2828 or email staff@greaterwacolegalservices.org. Kiwanis Seniors Kiwanis Club of Waco Seniors will accept applications through April 20 for $1,000 scholarships. Applications will be accepted from 2017 graduating seniors at Waco-area high schools. Applications are available in the counselors offices of area schools. For more information, call Sharon Griffith at 840-4743. Last week: Seattle native Don Schreiber joined the ROTC program at Washington State University. Upon graduation he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He began jet training in 1965 and wound up spending over 28 years in the military. During his first tour in Vietnam, Woodways Don Schreiber, 74, then a U.S. Air Force pilot, had his first serious incident flying an unarmed Phantom RF-4C with the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Equipped with cameras but no guns the mission was to gather evidence to refute a claim that the U.S. had bombed the Russian Embassy in Hanoi. Schreiber, then 25, flew as wingman to Col. Vernon P. Ligon Jr., commander of the squadron. The men left their home base in Thailand, with Ligon in the lead. Flying to the Red River, they came under fire as they arrived. Since they had no weapons, there was nothing to do but try and avoid danger. Suddenly, Schreiber saw the first of 12 surface-to-air missiles coming straight at them. One hit its target and exploded in Ligons tailpipe. Schreiber was on his commanders wingtip when (Ligon) just stopped in the air, he said. Im going 1,200 miles an hour and he just stopped, causing Schreiber to scream past him. Schreiber initiated a rescue mission to find Ligon, but the colonel was captured and imprisoned for nearly six years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He wouldnt be released until 1972. Instructed to land, Schreiber did so, and the moment I shut down the engines, I started shaking like hell. They had to help me out of the cockpit. That was a rough night, he said. He was sent out the next day on a mission by his new commander, who advised getting right back out. Every mission I was shot at, he said. Home, married, back in the air Returning to the States in May 1968, Schreiber was stationed at Beale Air Force Base in California, when he met Pam Driver. Six months later, they were married. Schreiber continued to advance his career. He returned to Vietnam many times through May 1975, flying three different planes, including the KC-135 refueling tanker and the U-2, a jet that could cruise at 70,000 feet, travel a range of 3,500 nautical miles and stay airborne for over eight hours. Its a tricky plane to land, Schreiber said of the U-2. It must be in perfect alignment, and it lands tailwheel first. Still, it was apparent he loved the plane. You could actually see the curve of the earth, he said. There were many more exciting times during his career, including steady promotions. He made a series of moves to different bases, intercepted a nuclear cloud when China tested a 3-megaton high-altitude bomb in 1973, and flew the SR-71 complete with a G-suit an anti-gravity garment that NASA astronauts and pilots wore to keep blood from pooling in the feet and legs. He also had numerous overflights of Cuba in the U-2. Those were always interesting and exciting missions because of the political interest, he said. Schreiber attended and completed Air War College at Maxwell AFB. He continued to expand his career with higher positions as the years went on. Among his many interesting assignments, he served as commander of U-2 Operations (Black Cat) at Osan Air Base in Korea; squad commander of a U-2 and SR-71 training unit; vice wing commander; and commander of the Air Force ROTC unit at Baylor University. He retired in 1992 from the Air Force after amassing 4,200 flight hours, 208 combat missions and more than 800 hours in combat over 28 years. He earned a Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses and 20 Air Medals. Second career at Baylor In 1993, Schreiber took a full-time job with Baylor. He retired in August 2016 as professor of management. He and Pam have been married almost 49 years. They have three daughters and 13 grandchildren. Today, Schreiber is president of the Baylor Bear Foundation. Schreiber will never forget the reaction of the public when he arrived back in the U.S. Airmen were told to wear civilian outfits to avoid confrontations. But, they were carrying military bags. Someone spat at him. I went over there facing bullets, but they were trying to denigrate my service, he said. I did what I could do. I never wanted to back down from my responsibilities. And he has no regrets. I wouldnt really change anything. I feel like I adequately served my country, he said. Charles A. Haliburton, Jr., 82, of Waco, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Visitation will be held for family and friends from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, April 13, at Lake Shore Funeral Home, 5201 Steinbeck Bend in Waco. A Celebration of Charlie's life and his faith will be held at 10 a.m., on Good Friday, April 14, at Lake Shore Funeral Home in Waco. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery, where the United States Air Force Honor Guard will render military honors. Elizabeth A. Pennington July 4, 1934 - April 6, 2017 After a long and courageous battle with COPD, Elizabeth "Betsy" Pennington passed peacefully from the arms of loved ones to the arms of Christ at Providence Hospice. Services will be 11 a.m., Monday, April 10, at the Wilkirson-Hatch Bailey Chapel, with the Rev. Wayne Williams officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., prior to the service. A private family burial at Waco Memorial Park will follow the service. Betsy was born at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas on July 4, 1934, and lived in Lorena. Betsy attended middle school at San Marcos Baptist Academy where she made lifelong friends. High School was at Tarleton and Waco High, graduating from Waco High in 1951 and attending Baylor University until her marriage to Larry in 1952. That union began a journey around the world, including 16 air bases, professional schools, and civilian assignments, while raising three wonderful children and making a home for the children along with many friends at each new challenge. Being a lifelong Methodist, Betsy would always make church connections an important part of each assignment. Betsy was the ultimate Air Force Officer wife, always being a leader within the military and civilian community, serving as President of Wives Club in Utah, Mississippi and California. After military retirement, Betsy accompanied Larry in 16 years of travel to Europe and Asia, living in Australia for a year before returning to Texas. Betsy was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Philmore Evans, Jr. and Margaret Ann (Greer) Evans. Along with hundreds of cherished friends from around the world, survivors include her husband, Col. (USAF Ret.) Lawrence Pennington; son, Edward Pennington and his wife, Debbie; daughter, Margaret Ann Wise and her husband, Cullen "Stormy" Reeves, Jr; daughter, Lori Elizabeth and her husband, Jeffrey Mathis; brother, Dr. Walter P. Evans III and his wife, Laurie; grandchildren, Lori Wise, Elizabeth Goss and husband, Christian, Dr. Alyson Vokes and husband, Dr. Colin Vokes, and Marcus Pennington and wife, Morgan; great-grandchildren, Trinity Wise, Christian Goss and Matthew Vokes and 'Peanut' Pennington by M and M to be named at birth; and several cousins and their children. Pallbearers will be Edward Pennington, Marcus Pennington, Cullen Reeves, Jeffrey Mathis, Christian Goss and Colin Vokes. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any gifts or memorials be made to The Methodist Children's Home or Meals on Wheels. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our "Tribute Wall" at www.WHBfamily.com . With many others, I mourn the passing of Simone Bauer, longtime Wacoan and matriarch of the local Bauer family, but I also find consolation in the story of her immigration to Texas. Unlike many immigrants in the 19th century, including my own grandparents, Simones family came to the United States during a dark time in world history when Adolf Hitler was in power in Germany. Simone was born in 1931 in Strasbourg, a picturesque town in northeastern France near the German border. She lived there with her wonderful parents, Henry and Martha Heyman, till 1941 when the very existence of Jewish families in Europe was threatened by the Nazis. I cant imagine the horror the Heymans faced seeing the world they knew and loved crumble as the threat of extermination of the entire Jewish population loomed. In grim realization of the threat came incredible courage and moxie. The family made the decision to flee their homeland, making arrangements to take one of the very last ships sailing to the United States from Spain. Unable to take their furniture, silver and other personal items with them, they buried any possessions in a pit in their backyard shortly before the Germans took over their home for, of all things, Nazi headquarters. After the war, the family was able to retrieve the buried remnants. Simone Heyman faced a different reality in the United States. Her native tongue was French; she knew no English. But she entered the American school system and learned English in grade school, continuing her studies. She came of age in Central Texas, graduating from Waco High School. The family settled comfortably into American life, working hard to establish a family business, H&B Packing Co., which in 1953 evolved from a sausage-making operation that Simones father began in a makeshift smokehouse behind their home. At age 19, Simone also met the love of her life, a Waco boy, Jake Bauer. They married, worked, joined the family business and lived 66 years together, welcoming three sons and a daughter into their family. One mourner recalled Jake and Simone always leaving work holding hands. One of the most uplifting parts of Simones story is that not only did she and Jake rear their family in Waco, their three sons went on to marry and have children here. The sons are all in the H&B Packing business as are some of their children, Simone and Jakes grandchildren. The strong perpetuation of any community is, at least in part, due to continuation of heritage evidenced by future generations remaining in the area where their ancestors put down roots. Waco, like so many other cities across America, has much for which to thank its immigrants through the years. Simone was active in our community, particularly in the Jewish community where, as a now-strong American woman, she became the first female president of her home synagogue, Congregation Agudath Jacob. She helped plan the centennial celebration of the synagogue in 1988. As a member of the centennial celebration committee, I remember vividly having the honor to work with the Baylor University Theatre Department to bring a special play, The Immigrant: A Hamilton County Album, to the stage under the direction of then-Baylor faculty member Deborah Mogford. The play a tribute to hard-working immigrants was written by my cousin, actor and playwright Mark Harelik. It was the touching story of another immigrant, our grandfather Haskell Harelik, and his journey in becoming a patriotic American citizen as he settled in Hamilton, Texas, just north of Waco. Interestingly, the part of my grandfather was played by a brilliant Baylor drama student named Stan Denman. Today hes chair of Baylors Department of Theatre Arts. Simone has left lifes stage but we are blessed to have known her. Were incredibly appreciative of what she and so many immigrants have brought to our Central Texas community, something worthy of remembrance at this critical point in our history. The rich tapestry of our culture is without a doubt the product not only of immigrants but American societys ready acceptance of them. Au revoir, Simone and, forever, merci beaucoup. I beg the readers patience as I put my cards on the table. Every story is, in some way, autobiography, and my story explains the passion of the thesis that follows it. Baylor University recruited me right out of graduate school. I took the courting seriously, as Baylors Philosophy Department had an excellent reputation. However, being of a certain age, mention of Waco, Texas, conjured images of a very sordid affair that shall go unnamed here. Nevertheless, when I was offered a free visit to be wined and dined, I took the opportunity to come and see some friends who worked here. As I did for each school courting me, I Googled [PLACE-NAME] hiking and biking. When the place-name was Waco, TX I thought there must be some mistake when I saw the image results. These images couldnt possibly be from Central Texas. Bluffs, hundreds of feet high, verdant river banks, stands of mountain cedar: this had to be from Colorado. But no, it was, as most readers will have guessed, the crown jewel of Waco, our beautiful Cameron Park. In preparation for my visit to Waco, I called ahead to rent a mountain bike. I started my first ride in Cameron Park from the Mouth of the Bosque parking lot when it was just a gravel cul-de-sac. Making my way up Act of Faith and Picnic, I emerged on Cameron Park Drive. Already enamored with this amazing park, I turned down the road and was soon at Circle Point. After taking in the amazing vista, I headed back to the trails but, before turning back into the woods, I saw a sign that read: Cameron Park Residential Area. Intrigued, I rode down Robin Road in amazement that one could live so close to this stunning park. I will live here, I said to myself. And, indeed, me, my wife and our four young children moved to Waco just a few months later. And after a brief stint living in the old Fort Faculty on campus, we found a home in Cameron Park and have loved living here ever since. Very recently there was a letter to the editor expressing a view of Cameron Park that does not in the least fit my extensive experience. Thomas Leath in Park deserves better (Letters, March 25) makes a series of assertions ranging from extreme exaggeration to verifiably false. My momma raised me right, so let me first say two nice things about Mr. Leaths letter: First, it is clearly motivated by a concern for Cameron Park, which I laud and share. Second, one must acknowledge, as I certainly will, that there are still obstacles to overcome in making Cameron Park the best it can be. So with due credit given, I must take grave exception to some of Mr. Leaths claims. First, Mr. Leath worries about a tourist encounter with one of the nefarious individuals perpetually hanging out there [in Cameron Park]. Perpetually? As a busy, mid-career individual with a large family, sometimes my exercise time is squeezed into early morning hours or late night hours. As an academic with a flexible schedule, I get plenty of time to be in the park mid-day throughout the week. Therefore, I am routinely in the park for hours at a time ranging from the pre-dawn hours to after midnight. I can count on one hand the number of nefarious individuals I have encountered in the last year. And 100 percent of them scurried off after a direct look from me. Second, Mr. Leath calls the park far from safe (absolutely not a safe place for children) and being used for illicit sex, drug use and a place to consume alcohol. As evidence, he says, You can easily find on any given day used condoms, pipes used for smoking various drugs and other paraphernalia scattered throughout the park. Here, he has simply gone off the rails. Whats more, it is very easy to test his thesis. As one engaged in routine trash patrol of several areas of Cameron Park, I can certainly attest that one does find the occasional condom in some specific problem parts of some specific problem parking lots. I have to question how much Mr. Leath is even in the park, because I am in it six days a week, picking up trash between one and three days a week, and condoms on the ground have become more and more rare. They certainty arent scattered throughout the park. There are three parking lots Ive found them in. And in years of routine Cameron Park cleanup, Ive only seen two or three needles and never once a crack pipe. And I must say that the one pictured in Mr. Leaths letter has clearly never been used. It looks like it was purchased hours before the picture. As for safety, especially for children, one wonders what on earth he takes the evidence for this claim to be? I am unaware of a single drug- or crime-related injury to a child in the entire history of the park! Then we come to an extremely misleading claim. It takes no more than a brief Google search, Mr. Leath claims, to bring up numerous news stories from this newspaper and other sources over the past five years that discuss serious horror stories concerning Cameron Park. The reality is that when you do a Google search on Cameron Park Waco TX Crime, you get five news stories ranging from the Trib to KXXV to the Baylor Lariat covering the same things. The top hit is a very recent KWTX article that quotes an associate of Mr. Leath saying much the same thing. Next comes a 2011 Trib piece noting the anomalous nature of two sexual assaults that occurred in the park. It notes that crime stats show the park is very safe. A follow-up Trib story notes that although the parks statistics in recent years reflect a low crime rate, the incident reinforced a dark reputation for the area, which has long been haunted by memories of crime in the 1980s. So Im beginning to wonder if Mr. Leath has ventured into the park since the 1980s. Then comes a KXXV report covering the same incidents. It again records that Police say this is statistically a safe area, with a lot of people, park rangers and officers nearby. Finally comes a 1997 Lariat article on unrelated events quoting a police official that The crime rate in Cameron Park is very, very low. And here is where we come to the real problem not just with Mr. Leath but with too many other Wacoans and not just with respect to Cameron Park. We have to decide what kind of people we are going to be. Are we going to be people who form our ideas on the basis of reason, evidence and fact or are we going to be shaped by mere legends, fear and rumor? This is the larger issue surrounding how people view Cameron Park and, indeed, America, geopolitics, etc. Mr. Leath no doubt fired off his letter with its brash claims very quickly, whereas its taken me much longer to set the record straight. Rationality is harder than fear, which is one reason why fewer people tread that path. Yet we must do better. I have seen more improvement in the day-to-day operations of Cameron Park in the last year under the leadership of parks superintendent John Rose and city parks and recreation director John Williams than in the previous five. I know they take existing issues very seriously indeed. And when private philanthropists such as real estate developer and Bicycle World owner Todd Behringer get involved, things improve even more. Besides being a resident of the Cameron Park neighborhood, I am an avid runner, cyclist and naturalist. I am on the Cameron Park trails five out of six days on average. Ill routinely go from my house to the Northern Gateway, to McLennan Community College and finish at Jacobs Ladder, circumnavigating the whole park and covering many of the internal trails. This park is my home, and the home of my family. I know it to be a safe place for me and my children. Its time for all of Waco to embrace this truth. Come see for yourself. Even though U.S. foreign policy is by now conflicted to the point of stunning inconsistency, most of us last week cheered President Trumps ordering of a retaliatory missile strike against a Syrian military airfield where a horrifying chemical attack on men, women and children was launched. One can argue Trumps motives whether he sought to reverse his sagging poll numbers or show he was no mere stooge to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his odious ally in the war-weary Mideast. Yet one can never truly know what motive beats in the hearts of men. Till we know otherwise, we must all rely on the presidents words and actions. And shortly before he ordered 59 cruise missiles upon their target in western Syria, he told reporters how images of the chemical attack on scores of civilians affected him: I will tell you, that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing. And Ive been watching it and seeing it and it doesnt get any worse than that. He also called on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria. Yet as we take some satisfaction in the presidents response, we must again wonder whether the United States has sent mixed messages to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his chief enabler, Putin. While President Obama has been lambasted for daring Assad to step over a red line in terms of similar violence and not following up, President Trump too has been guilty of such sins. As a prominent citizen, he repeatedly discouraged involvement in Syrias civil war. His statements as president even suggested that Assad and Putin could be our allies in vanquishing Islamic State terrorism a naive idea that too many of his supporters nonetheless scrambled to embrace. However appealing this scenario might seem, such a relationship now poses awkward questions. For instance, given the Russian presence at the Syrian airfield attacked, were our Russian comrades in any way involved in the chemical attack launched on civilians from that airfield? Did they in some way enable this attack? Werent they supposed to have ensured Syria destroyed its chemical weaponry? And did the United States warning the Russians of the coming missile attack allow them in turn to inform the Syrians so the latter could minimize losses in their potential to carry out further attacks? All of this is further evidence of wildly unsettled U.S. foreign policy that for the past several years was wobbly not only under Obama and the Democrats but also under Republicans such as our own Texas senator, Ted Cruz, who has flip-flopped on whether or not we should stop Syrias use of chemical weapons. Few of them have done our nation any credit in this area. This past Thursday marked the 100th anniversary of Americas entry into World War I, a contest stupefying in its origins and confounding alliances and even more bewildering in how it was all resolved, right up to battles between Woodrow Wilson and Republicans over the League of Nations. Lets learn from our history. Is ours an America First credo or have we just now reverted to yet another policy stance? Arguably its not so important our enemies always know, but it sure might help if our friends knew. Cashing out PBS In his recent letter, William Castello wrote about the pennies it costs for the government-funded programs he uses and he is spot on. When you divide the cost of the program by the population, its extremely low and you can say it is affordable. But numbers are a funny thing and they can validate or invalidate the points you want to make, so I would like to make an alternative assertion. PBS says it has 1 million viewers per month. Thats eight-tenths of 1 percent of the population watching PBS. Yet 100 percent of the population is expected to pay for it. So while Mr. Castello may think PBS is important, most Americans do not. I also believe that everyone should pay their fair share so if Mr. Castello is willing to pay $445 annually for PBS and find an additional million people to do so, then they can essentially relieve the 99 percent of Americans (including the poor and the needy) who are paying for something they do not use and in some cases cannot afford and become majority benefactors and receive a special gift from PBS for their generosity. PBS may or may not be a worthy venture, but one thing is absolute: The hardworking taxpayers should not be forced to fund it and the government should not be involved in it. Glenn Gallas, Waco American microcosm Imagine driving home to Waco from Austin on Interstate 35. Drivers ignoring speed limits. A few race cars weaving in and out of traffic lanes. One nearly sideswiping my Impala. Another few inches? Cars almost kissing the behinds of vehicles in front at 75-plus mph. Then comes Temple and road construction. Two lanes, no shoulders, concrete barriers. One small error can spawn deadly highway statistics. Inching along, unable to see anything ahead but bumper-to-bumper brake lights. Drivers finally getting close enough to see flashing red lights and an overturned travel trailer. Three lanes must become one. Left-lane vehicles flash signals to merge into the center. We in the middle lane begin to allow cars in front of us. I let a car in front of mine. A horn blows behind me. One particularly aggressive man from the left noses into the center lane and bullies the nose of his vehicle into the right lane so that the other driver either has to let the vehicle in or collide with the impatient man. The drivers horn blares. I despair of ever getting over one lane. I will be a newspaper headline, I think: Corpse of woman found in vehicle. No merging skills! A car inches alongside me and pauses. I look over and into the eyes of a young woman who smiles and allows three of us to get into the lane ahead of her. All I have time to do is wave my thanks. Are drivers on I-35 a microcosm of American society? Whatever the answer, I embrace the image of that smiling woman waving me over. My highway angel. Pamela Eggebrecht, Waco "Why does a round pizza come in a square box?" How is it that we put a man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?" "Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway." "Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?" "Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the transit lane?" Business and politics Last month it was Peter Dutton saying CEOs in general, and Alan Joyce in particular, should "stick to their knitting" rather than line their companies up behind particular social issues such as same-sex marriage. This week it was the redoubtable Eric Abetz noting, "It's disappointing that certain CEOs are trying to establish their personal PC credentials rather than being fully focused on the interests of their shareholders." Riiiiiight. To put in slightly more temperate tones a point made by my former 2UE talk-back co-host Mike Carlton on Twitter, is there a certain disconnect when mainstay Libs like them decry in such strong terms companies getting involved in politics in this manner, while still being more than eager to take the big donations that business traditionally offers the Liberal Party? What are we missing? Joke of the week Having just spent a fortnight up on his Uncle Jed's spread in northern Victoria, young Mitch is cock-a-hoop when he gets back to his home in Malvern. "Uncle Harold has everything," he tells his smiling parents at the dinner table that night. "He's got goats, chooks, sheep, pigs, bulls, cows and f---ers." "He's got what?' his parents burst out in unison. "Well, to be fair," says Mitch, "Uncle Jed called them 'eifers, but I knew what he meant." They said it "[FitzSimons] wrote a piece about Bronwyn Bishop. He alleged she hadn't completely co-operated with the audit of her accounts. He wanted to see the receipts and the chits to prove it was all OK. I thought it was very rude of him to say to Bronwyn 'show us your chits". Graham Richardson, to Missus TFF, on Today Show last Monday morning, in reference to my lead item last Sunday. "It doesn't pass the smell test." The redoubtable Alan Jones, sadly now back on air, attacks the appointment by the Berejiklian government of Mick Fuller as the new Police Commissioner. I think he probably means "pub test." "I've sent a very strong message to the insurance industry they need to treat people fairly, respectfully." Premier Gladys Berejiklian about people's complaints that flood insurance is too expensive. "The impact of fruit and vegetables on how we feel today and tomorrow, not just many years ahead, I think is really an important message." Prof Manny Noakes of the CSIRO as a new study showed that many people in Australia still don't eat enough fruit and veg. "We will stand by Gibraltar!" Michael Howard, Leader of the UK Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005, as questions arise about Brexit and the sovereignty of the rock. "The appointment of women would be revolutionary, but I would argue the Pope could do that tomorrow and that would be a catalyst for forcing ultra-conservative bishops to realise they've got no choice but to get on board." Catholics for Renewal president and former senior Australian government bureaucrat Peter Johnstone. "I'm not too worried. We've got bricks so, yeah, the house isn't going to float away. We've got enough food, enough cigarettes." Stewart Stringer calmly waiting for flood waters in Rockhampton. All good then! Why did Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the activist and Muslim apostate, cancel her Australian tour this week? The truth is mysterious, with plenty of fake news obscuring the important issue at stake: free speech specifically, how much criticism of Islam our society can tolerate, and how much criticism the critics of Islam can tolerate themselves. Ali is a former Somalian refugee and the author of a powerful 2006 memoir, Infidel, in which she detailed her experiences of female genital mutilation and forced marriage (her account of her forced marriage has since been disputed). It is a forceful polemic which argues Islam is a misogynistic religion with war at its heart. It is also a strong argument for the superiority of civil society over tribalism, and a compelling refugee story. The Turnbull government is considering new measures to encourage more migrants to settle in regional or remote areas to relieve pressure on house prices and infrastructure in Sydney and Melbourne. With one month until budget day, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says his department is working closely with the treasury and finance departments to assess the likely impact of a possible shift in the migration program. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton has been accused of conducting "an attack on free speech" by cancelling the visa of Palestinian political activist Bassem Tamimi. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen House prices rose 19 per cent in Sydney and 16 per cent in Melbourne in the year to March, locking more people out of the market. The government is believed to be looking at the NSW central coast and Goulburn as key areas that could host migrants who might otherwise settle in Sydney. Ahead of a major speech by Treasurer Scott Morrison on housing affordability - an issue which is set to be the centrepiece of his second budget - Mr Dutton said Australia's 190,000-strong annual migration intake had to be driven by Australia's national interest. "There are ways we are looking at that we might be able to provide support to people to choose a regional city, for example, if they can find work there," the minister told Sky News on Sunday. Describing housing affordability as a "whole of government effort", Mr Dutton said there were good reasons many migrants wanted to settle in the capital cities, including access to jobs and proximity to family and expat communities. But getting them to move "beyond the city limits" and directing them towards regional centres could bring many benefits, he said. "If we can encourage more of that - people moving away from capital cities - then I think that's something we can embrace. While celebrity chef George Calombaris was underpaying his own staff to the tune of $2.6million, the pint-sized foodie was making a nice earning from his other career as a fully-fledged celebrity thanks to his ongoing gig as a judge on television's Masterchef. Indeed it is estimated that Calombaris' work derived from the series nets him more than $1 million a year when you factor in his various product endorsement deals, from pizza ovens and yoghurt to coffee beans and cook books. These deals are largely a result of his appearances on Masterchef and are in addition to his hefty salary from starring on the hugely successful show. Celebrity chef George Calombaris says he is 'devastated' by the blunder. But the question must now be asked, given the amount of negative press this cock-up has received, will his reputation, and by association his earning capacity, emerge from the scandal unscathed? There is no question that Calombaris' celebrity status aided in filling more than a few seats at his portfolio of restaurants, which includes famed eateries The Press Club, Gazi and Hellenic Republic. Hell, he even got his portrait painted for the Archibald, the work among the finalists and taking out the Packing Room prize. Bayonne and Madrid: Basque militant group ETA in effect ended an armed separatist campaign after almost half a century on Saturday, leading French authorities to the sites where it says its caches of weapons, explosives and ammunition are hidden. ETA, which killed more than 850 people in its attempt to carve out an independent state in northern Spain and south-west France, declared a ceasefire in 2011 but did not give up its remaining arms. French police officers open a weapons cache in Saint Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, on April 8. Credit:AP Founded in 1959 out of anger among Basques at political and cultural repression under General Francisco Franco, ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna - Basque Country and Freedom) gained notoriety as one of Europe's most intractable separatist groups. Saturday's handover, via intermediaries, of its weapons in the French city of Bayonne will not mean the end of the group as a political entity, but will end an era of political violence in Western Europe. by Jeffrey A. Tucker This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article. A sign of strange times: 1984 by George Orwell has become a bestseller yet again. Here is a book distinguished for its dark view of the state, together with a genuine despair about what to do about it. Strangely, this view is held today by the Right, the Left, and even people who dont think of themselves as loyal to either way. The whole fiasco happening in D.C. seems insoluble, and the inevitable is already taking place today as it did under the presidents who preceded Trump: the realization that the new guy in town is not going to solve the problem. Now arrives the genuine crisis of social democracy. True, its been building for decades but with the rise of extremist parties in Europe, and the first signs of entrenched and sometimes violent political confrontations in the United States, the reality is ever more part of our lives. The times cry out for some new chapter in public life, and a complete rethinking of the relationship between the individual and the state and between society and its governing institutions. Origins of the Problem Social democracy is what we have now and what everyone loves to hate.At a speech for college students, I asked the question: who here knows the term social democracy? Two hands of more than one hundred went up. Thats sad. The short answer is that social democracy is what we have now and what everyone loves to hate. Its not constitutionalism, not liberalism, not socialism in full, and not conservatism. Its unlimited rule by self-proclaimed elites who think they know better than the rest of us how to manage our lives. By way of background, at the end of the Second World War, the intellectual and political elites in the United States rallied around the idea that ideology was dead. The classic statement summing up this view in book form came in 1960: The End of Ideology by Daniel Bell. A self-described "socialist in economics, a liberal in politics, and a conservative in culture, he said that all wild-eyed visions of politics had come to an end. They would all be replaced by a system of rule by experts that everyone will love forever. To be sure, the ultimate end-of-ideology system is freedom itself. Genuine liberalism (which probably shouldnt be classified as an ideology at all) doesnt require universal agreement on some system of public administration. It tolerates vast differences of opinion on religion, culture, behavioral norms, traditions, and personal ethics. It permits every form of speech, writing, association, and movement. Commerce, producing and trading toward living better lives, becomes the lifeblood. It only asks that people including the state not violate basic human rights. They would build a cradle-to-grave welfare state.But that is not the end of ideology that Bell and his generation tried to manufacture. What they wanted was what is today called the managerial state. Objective and scientific experts would be given power and authority to build and oversee large-scale state projects. These projects would touch on every area of life. They would build a cradle-to-grave welfare state, a regulatory apparatus to make all products and services perfect, labor law to create the perfect balance of capital and labor, huge infrastructure programs to inspire the public (highways! space! dams!), finetune macroeconomic life with Keynesian witchdoctors in charge, a foreign-policy regime that knew no limits of its power, and a central bank as the lender of last resort. What Bell and that generation proposed wasnt really the end of ideology. It was a codification of an ideology called social democracy. It wasnt socialism, communism, or fascism as such. It was a gigantically invasive state, administered by elite bureaucrats, blessed by intellectuals, and given the cover of agreement by the universal right of the vote. Surely nothing can truly be oppressive if it is takes place within the framework of democracy. A Brief Peace The whole thing turned out to be a pipe dream. Only a few years after the book appeared, ideology came roaring back with a vengeance, mostly in reaction to the ossification of public life, the draft for the Vietnam war, and the gradual diminution of economic prospects of the middle class. The student movement rose up, and gained momentum in response to the violent attempts to suppress it. Technology gave rise to new forms of freedom that were inconsistent with the static and officious structure of public administration. Political consensus fell apart, and the presidency itself supposed to be sacrosanct in the postwar period was dealt a mighty blow with the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Government no longer held the high ground. All that seemed to hold the old post-war social-democratic consensus together was the Cold War itself. Surely we should put aside our differences so long as our country faces an existential threat of Soviet communism. And that perception put off the unleashing of mass discontent until later. In a shocking and completely unexpected turn, the Cold War ended in 1989, and thus began a new attempt to impose a post-ideological age, if only to preserve what the elites had worked so hard to build. Over the last 25 years, every institution of social democracy has been discredited, on both the Right and the Left.This attempt also had its book-form definitive statement: The End of History by Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama wrote, What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government. It was Bell 2.0 and it didnt last long either. Over the last 25 years, every institution of social democracy has been discredited, on both the Right and the Left, even as the middle class began to face a grim economic reality: progress in one generation was no longer a reliable part of the American dream. The last time a government program really seemed to work well was the moon landing. After that, government just became a symbol of the worst unbearable and unworkable burden. Heavily ideological protest movements began to spring up in all corners of American public life: the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, Bernie, Trump, and whatever comes next. The Core Problem Every public intellectual today frets about the fracturing of American civic life. They wring their hands and wonder what has gone wrong. Actually, the answer is more simple than it might first appear. Every institution within this framework which grew more bloated and imperious over time turned out to be untenable in one or another sense. The experts didnt know what they were doing after all, and this realization is shared widely among the people who were supposed to be made so content by their creation. Every program fell into one of three categories of failure. Financially unsustainable . Many forms of welfare only worked because they leveraged the present against the future. The problem with that model is that the future eventually arrives. Think of Social Security. It worked so long as the few in older groups could pillage the numerous in younger groups. Eventually the demographics flipped so that the many were on the receiving end and the few were on the paying end. Now young people know that they will be paying their whole lives for what will amount to a terrible return on investment. It was the same with Medicare, Medicaid, and other forms of fake insurance instituted by government. The welfare state generally took a bad turn, becoming a way of life rather than a temporary help. Subsidy programs like housing and student loans create unsustainable bubbles that burst and cause fear and panic. Terminally Inefficient. All forms of government intervention presume a frozen world without change, and work to glue down institutions in a certain mode of operation. Public schools today operate as they did in the 1950s, despite the spectacular appearance of a new global information system that has otherwise transformed how we seek and acquire information. Antitrust regulations deal with industrial organization from years ago even as the market is moving forward; by the time the government announces its opinion, it hardly matters anymore. And you can make the same criticism of a huge number of programs: labor law, communications regulations, drug approvals and medical regulations, and so on. The costs grow and grow, while the service and results are ever worse. Morally unconscionable . The bailouts after the 2008 financial crisis were indefensible to average people of all parties. How can you justify using all the powers of the federal government to feed billions and trillions overall to well-connected elites who were the very perpetrators of the crisis? Capitalism is supposed to be about profits and losses, not private profits and socialized losses. The sheer injustice of it boggles the mind, but this only scratches the surface. How can you pillage average Americans of 40% of their income while blowing the money on programs that are either terminally inefficient, financially unsustainable, or just plain wrong? How can a government expect to administer a comprehensive spying program that violates any expectation of privacy on the part of citizens? Then there is the problem of wars lasting decades and leaving only destruction and terror guerilla armies in their wake. All of this can remain true without creating a revolutionary situation. What actually creates the tipping point in which social democracy morphs into something else? What displaces one failed paradigm with another? The answer lies with an even a deeper problem with social democracy. You can discern it from this comment by F.A. Hayek in 1939. Government by agreement is only possible provided that we do not require the government to act in fields other than those in which we can obtain true agreement." Agreement No More Exactly. All public institutions that are politically stable even if they are inefficient, offer low quality, or skirt the demands of basic morality must at the minimum presume certain levels of homogeneity of opinion (at least) in the subject population; that is to say, they presume a certain minimum level of public agreement to elicit consent. You might be able to cobble this together in small countries with homogeneous populations, but it becomes far less viable in large countries with diverse populations. Opinion diversity and big government create politically unstable institutions because majority populations begin to conflict with minority populations over the proper functions of government. Under this system, some group is always feeling used. Some group is always feeling put upon and exploited by the other. And this creates huge and growing tensions in the top two ideals of social democracy: government control and broadly available public services. Now we live in a political environment divided between friends and foes, and these are increasingly defined along lines of class, race, religion, gender identity, and language.We created a vast machinery of public institutions that presumed the presence of agreement that the elites thought they could create in the 1950s but which has long since vanished. Now we live in a political environment divided between friends and foes, and these are increasingly defined along lines of class, race, religion, gender identity, and language. In other words, if the goal of social democracy was to bring about a state of public contentedness and confidence that the elites would take care of everything, the result has been the exact opposite. More people are discontented than ever. F.A. Hayek warned us in 1944: when agreement breaks down in the face of unviable public services, strongmen come to the rescue. Indeed, Ive previous argued that the smugness of todays social democrats is entirely unwarranted. Trump won for a reason: the old order is not likely coming back. Now the social democrats face a choice: jettison their multicultural ideals and keep their beloved unitary state, or keep their liberal ideals and jettison their attachment to rule by an administrative elite. Something has to give. And it is. Dark and dangerous political movements are festering all over the Western world, built from strange ideological impulses and aspiring to new forms of command and control. Whatever comes of them, it will have little to do with the once-vaunted post-war consensus, and even less to do with liberty. Presidential advisor Steve Bannon is a dark figure straight out of Orwell but he is smart enough to see what the Left does not see. He claims to want to use the Trump years to deconstruct the administrative state. Notice that he doesnt say dismantle much less abolish; he wants to use it for different purposes, to build a new national collective under a more powerful executive. The institutions built by the paternalistic, urbane, and deeply smug social democrats are being captured by interests and values with which they profoundly disagree. They had better get used to it. This is just the beginning. The partisans of the old order can fight a hopeless battle for restoration. Or they can join the classical liberals in rallying around the only real solution to the crisis of our time: freedom itself. These are the ideological battle lines of the future, not Left vs. Right but freedom vs. all forms of government control. Jeffrey Tucker is Director of Content for the Foundation for Economic Education. He is also Chief Liberty Officer and founder of Liberty.me, Distinguished Honorary Member of Mises Brazil, research fellow at the Acton Institute, policy adviser of the Heartland Institute, founder of the CryptoCurrency Conference, member of the editorial board of the Molinari Review, an advisor to the blockchain application builder Factom, and author of five books. He has written 150 introductions to books and many thousands of articles appearing in the scholarly and popular press. Calvert City to help get letters to Santa 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. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/04/2017 (2040 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with Rainbow Stage, created some enchanted evening Friday night with its grand new venture, a staged concert version of Rodgers and Hammersteins haunting South Pacific. The co-production, directed by Donna Fletcher and featuring an all-local cast of 24 actors, marks the first such collaboration between these two venerable Winnipeg institutions that is neither concert nor musical; not an opera nor a play. In fact, rather than being squirreled away in the depths of a typical orchestra pit, the full, onstage 67-piece orchestra, superbly led by WSO resident maestro Julian Pellicano, took their pride of place and became key players ostensibly another character during the 142-minute production (including intermission), allowing the enthusiastic crowd of 1,978 to hear these wonderfully lush orchestrations in all their symphonic glory. Set on a South Pacific island during World War II, the story tells the tale of American nurse Nellie (Jillian Willems) who falls in love with French plantation owner Emile (Sam Plett), while Lt. Joe Cable (Aaron Hutton) likewise becomes smitten with Tonkinese woman Liat (Stephanie Sy), in turn, egged on by her mother Bloody Mary (Rochelle Kives). They both grapple with the perils of internalized racism after Nellie discovers Emile had previously sired children with a Polynesian woman, while Cable cannot face marrying an Asian woman against an ever-increasing drumbeat of war. In so many ways, this 68-year old chestnut that premiered on Broadway in 1949 is as timely as ever. The show is unusual in that its a leaner, meaner version of the usual types of full-bore productions staged by Rainbow each summer including its last South Pacific presented in 1997. Gone are the large-scale sets. Props are minimal, although period costumes ranging from sailor suits to rustling grass skirts are terrific. Lighting effects are evocative, including digital projections that suggest blue skies and starry, moonlit nights. Theres an overall sense of economy, with many of the original shows musical reprises, comedy shtick and incidental music simply cut. Yet this results paradoxically in greater freedom and a clearer focus on the shows narrative, propelled by RS artistic director Ray Hoggs highly effective musical staging/choreography that makes good use of the relatively limited performance area. South Pacific is known for its treasure chest of perennial show tunes, and this production delivered. Pletts swoon-worthy Some Enchanted Evening immediately enthralled, as did his later stirring One Dream in my Heart that is a song for the ages. Not to be outdone, Willems plucky hick from the sticks nurse Nellie belted out A Cockeyed Optimist, while Kives cast her own spell as she sang of mystical island Bali Hai. Kudos also to Hutton for his heart-felt Younger than Springtime sung to wide-eyed innocent Liat, with each of their scenes charmingly innocent. His mellifluous vocals that would disarm any stealth military operation soared during Youve Got to Be Carefully Taught that is at the very heart of this show. As his lyrical voice rose in intensity, his message about racism being taught rather than inborn rang loud and clear. Young Lorenzo Espina and Yasmin Reyes as Emiles adorable children added their own sweet presence during their opening duet Dites-Moi. Winnipeg Jewish Theatre artistic director Ari Weinberg, in his RS debut, had big shoes to fill as the slaphappy Stewpot, immortalized by the great Stan Lesk during the summer theatres 1997 production, but he proved his mettle with razor-sharp comedic chops. Simon Miron as Luther also danced a mean hula in full grass skirt regalia during the Thanksgiving Follies show-within-a-show. And then there are the showstoppers, with one hit seeming to ride the crest of another. The swaggering sailors/male ensemble wowed first with There is Nothin Like a Dame, matched by the female ensemble that gaily skipped and shampooed their way through Im Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair. Another highlight is the razzmatazz Honey Bun number performed during the Act II Follies. However, the maiden voyage of this good ship musical still experienced a few turbulent waves. Many of the microphone cues were late, resulting in unsettling dips caused by delayed amplification. Adam Hurtigs too quiet, and too quickly spoken dialogue as Captain Brackett often became AWOL. Prairie Voices (Geung Lee, director) added their youthful voices to the mix, although their barren risers that flanked the stage when they left their posts appeared overly utilitarian a few palm branches would have kept the tropical mystique. DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enchanted evenings Jillian Willems, as Nellie Forbush, with Simon Miron, as Luther Billis during the Thanksgiving Follies show-within-a-show. But despite some of these invariable growing pains, the home-grown show that salutes Winnipegs impressive musical theatre ranks received a rousing standing ovation by the mostly older crowd which leapt to attention with loud cheers for this latest generation of islanders. The show repeats Saturday night, 8 p.m, with a Sunday matinee, 2 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. Holly.harris@shaw.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/04/2017 (2039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. This citys early labour history is dominated by the much-studied, much-written-about Winnipeg General Strike. Thirteen years earlier, the less-known, 10-day Winnipeg Street Railway Strike shocked the city with its violence, vandalism and the sight of troops in the street. The citys formal public transportation system dates back to 1882, when the privately owned Winnipeg Street Railway Company was given a charter to operate a streetcar service. A decade later, it was sold to another private entity called the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company. The relationship between the city and streetcar company was often tense. City officials had to deal with constant complaints from the public about the frequency of cars or demands for routes to serve new streets and neighbourhoods. The company, very conscious of its bottom line, often had to be ordered by the city to make necessary service improvements. (The strained relationship lasted until the 1953, when the company was bought by the provincial government, eventually becoming Winnipeg Transit.) Employees found the company equally tough to deal with. Throughout the 1890s, for example, the work week was six days just over 11 hours per day on weekdays and almost 12 hours on Saturday. The 15 to 17 cents per hour pay rate was considered meagre even by the standards of the day. Streetcar employees finally organized in 1899, but the company refused to recognize the union. It provided small raises every couple of years, which kept employees showing up for work, but didnt address other, long-simmering issues. If there was an ally the streetcar employees could count on, it was the public. This support was seen in the December 1904 referendum on the introduction of Sunday streetcar service. People pose with an abandoned streetcar during the strike, which started on March 29, 1906. (Western Canada Pictoral Index, Robert Goodall Collection, No. 9839) Winnipeg was one of the few large cities in Canada that didnt offer seven-day streetcar service, and a strong vote in favour of the proposition was considered a foregone conclusion. Things quickly unravelled when the company refused to guarantee it wouldnt make existing employees work a seventh day in addition to their existing schedule. In the end, the vote was lost, and the daily papers unanimously agreed it was because of the public, who traded their own convenience for the well-being of the streetcar employees. However, this public show of support did not earn the employees any concessions with their employer or favours from government officials. Frustrated at the inaction over complaints about hours, pay rates and safe working conditions, the union appeared before various government committees and had face-to-face meetings with both the premier and mayor in the hopes some of these matters could be addressed through legislation. While they were given sympathetic hearings, they were told to negotiate or arbitrate with their uninterested employer. Replacement workers under police guard prepare to remove two abandoned cars from Main Street and return them to the garage on the first day of the strike. (Western Canada Pictoral Index, Robert Goodall Collection, No. 9842) Tensions peaked in early March 1906, when the company suspended a handful of streetcar employees who were active in the union. It had also added to its job applications a pledge for new recruits to sign swearing they would not join a streetcar-related union. On Thursday, March 29, at 12:30 a.m., after the last streetcar went out of service, employees met to discuss their situation. Three hours later, they had a 237 to 0 vote in favour of an immediate strike. The employees had a long list of demands. It included a 10-hour work day with a two-cent per hour raise. Drivers wanted to be able to choose routes based on seniority rather than have them assigned by the company. Recognition of the union, and a promise that in the future, disputes would be settled by arbitration, were also near the top of the list. There were a number of safety issues the men wanted addressed, ranging from providing heat inside the drivers compartment to new braking systems on the streetcars. Winnipeg Electric Railway Company officials replied in a written statement it always endeavoured to meet their men in any reasonable request. While they sounded conciliatory about most of the demands, they did not budge on the matter of a wage increase or union recognition. The company had been preparing for a possible strike all month by hiring more than 200 replacement workers from places such as Toronto and Montreal. It assured the public cars would roll later that morning, despite the strike call. At 6 a.m., streetcars began leaving the Main Street garage. A Manitoba Free Press reporter at the scene noted striking employees confined themselves to picket duty and did nothing more harmful than hoot at the men that were displacing them. Later in the morning, the picket line dissolved as the men, who had been awake since their strike meeting, went home to bed. It is a very serious fact that there are walking about the streets of Winnipeg over one hundred strangers armed with guns who are possessed of the executive powers of special constables a Free Press editorial Most of the citys streetcar routes were in service, the exceptions being suburban lines to St. Boniface and St. James. Newspapers report many passengers chose to walk to work rather than ride with the replacement workers, some sporting We Walk badges to show their support. As the morning crowds on downtown streets grew, some passing streetcars were pelted with stones, the broken glass injuring some passengers and drivers. Crowds then began to confront the cars, disabling them by unhooking them from the overhead wires and emptying them of occupants. By 11 a.m., Main Street service was at a standstill as the tracks were blocked by disabled cars. Protesters then went to other streets such as Selkirk and Notre Dame avenues to find more cars. By 1 p.m., the citys streetcar system had ground to a halt. The streetcar company reported more than a dozen of its vehicles had been vandalized. Later in the day, two disabled cars were set on fire, one on Selkirk and the other on Higgins Avenue.The most violent incidents seem to have occurred when replacement workers, with a police escort, went later in the day to tow the damaged streetcars back to the garage. They were pelted with projectiles and often confronted directly by protesters. Police had to use batons to keep them separated. A Free Press reporter noted the days protesters were a cross-section of society. The demonstrators were made up of sympathizers of all classes and reputable-looking people seemed to be taking a keen enjoyment in the disorder. Even women and children got in on the action, he wrote. The mayor appealed for calm, but on that first day did not call on the militia (members of the 90th Battalion and 13th Field Battery were on standby at Osborne Barracks), nor did he read the riot act. That afternoon, the streetcar company released a statement expressing anger about the destruction of its property and insisting the city pay for the damage. The mayor was urged to call in the militia because the citys police force demonstrated it was unable to protect its property or personnel. Friday, March 30, started off much the same as the day before. Pickets were set up, replacement workers were jeered at, and projectiles were thrown at passing cars. The streetcar company had something new up its sleeve on this second day. Though officials later denied it, the Tribune and Free Press, and weekly labour newspaper the Voice, all reported about 100 security officers from the American-based Thiel Detective Service had been hired to provide protection. The company had convinced provincial magistrate Alexander McMicken, a former Winnipeg mayor, to swear these men in as special constables, or specials. This gave them a badge and all the powers of a regular police officer. Over the lunch hour, crowds on the streets began to swell. Newspaper reports indicate 2,000 or more people jammed into a short stretch of Main Street north of city hall. Streetcars continued to pass though the crowds, some at very high speeds, narrowly missing people, and the number of projectiles thrown increased. Mayor Sharpe, who had been watching the action from the sidewalk, decided at around 1:30 p.m. it was time to read the riot act and called in the militia to disperse the crowd. Just before 3 p.m., the troops marched through Portage and Main to take up their positions at Higgins and Main. Sharpe entered the intersection street behind a shield of militia men and made a number of verbal requests for people to disperse, but to no avail. During this time, a streetcar came to a stop at the intersection behind him. People began hurling objects at it and some of the more daring spirits surrounded it and tried remove the replacement workers inside. It was at this point the mayor read the riot act. The crowd did not disperse, so Sharpe ordered the troops to prepare their bayonets. The sight caused people to scatter like leaves. He later told a Tribune reporter he would not have read the riot act had the crowd taken the least notice of what I said. There will be no bloodshed in the city of Winnipeg if I can help it. The mayor stayed on scene to observe the situation, and at 5:20 p.m., another streetcar pulled up at the intersection. One of the specials who was riding on the platform jumped off and came at the officials with his baton swinging, striking the mayor. When Sharpe informed him who he was, the response was, I do not give a damn who you are. Get the hell out of here. When Mr. Hunt, the city solicitor, tried to intervene, the club was swung at him, and a Free Press reporter in the midst of the melee noted, the language used was even more brutal. The driver of the streetcar began to pull away, and the special jumped back on board. Hunt grabbed the side handle to climb on to get the mans badge number, but he let go after being struck in the hand with a baton. A city police officer and the reporter gave chase but didnt have to go far. The car had stopped at Logan Avenue, where the same special had just clubbed an old man over the head and thrown a little girl into a pile of mud. He was arrested and put in a waiting police wagon. This was the highest-profile event involving a special because of the mayors involvement, but it wasnt the only one. The Tribune and Free Press both reported multiple incidents of specials jumping from streetcars into crowds with batons swinging. Troops from the 90th battalion and 13th field battery make their way to their post at Main Street and Higgins Avenue on March 30. (Western Canada Pictoral Index, Robert Goodall Collection, No. 9834) The reaction to the conduct of the specials was swift and angry. A Free Press editorial stated, It is a very serious fact that there are walking about the streets of Winnipeg over one hundred strangers armed with guns who are possessed of the executive powers of special constables. It referred to the men as mercenaries that the street railway rounded up from the four corners of the continent. The Tribune chided the streetcar company for not choosing arbitration to avoid the strike and accused the company of exercising brute force. It went a step further by questioning why the company existed at all: The one thing that the present strike proves beyond a shadow of a doubt is the folly of ever allowing great public utilities, such as the street railway of a city, to be controlled and operated by private corporations. The streetcar company insisted none of the men sworn in as specials was American, which would have been a violation of federal law. Instead, they were some of the replacement workers hired from Eastern Canada. It vowed any of the men involved in the violence would be suspended and returned home and it would disband the specials altogether if the citys police force could prove it could protect the companys property and personnel. The latter point was not left up to the company. The attorney general suspended McMicken as a magistrate the following day, saying he had no authority to have sworn in the men. Their status as special constables was rescinded. The violence of Thursday and Friday, something not seen on the streets of Winnipeg before, caused everyone to take a step back. The YMCA put out a call Friday night to any religious ministers willing to sit on a special committee that would attempt to mediate a solution. About 15 volunteered and spent most of the next four days shuttling between the streetcar companys offices and strikers headquarters. On Saturday, people congregated along Main Street, but it was reported most were good-natured, and any stone-throwers were easily scattered by the police. Streetcars ran empty of customers except for a few shoppers with their packages along Portage Avenue. That afternoon, the mayor asked the militia at Osborne Barracks to stand down. The streetcar company announced it would suspend evening car service to prevent violence and from overstretching police resources. The only notable violence that week came on the evening of April 5, when the company attempted to run evening streetcars again. People continued to walk, but as the week wore on, newspaper stories and letters to the editor showed the publics patience was wearing thin. A number of events around the city had to be cancelled, and some businesses were closing early because of the disruption in streetcar service. In the end, it wasnt arbitration or political leadership that ended the strike. The credit went to the ministerial committee and it chairmen, Rev. William Patrick, principal of Manitoba College, and Rev. Joseph Sparling, principal of Wesley College. They presented a proposed settlement to officials of the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company the night of Friday, April 6. It was agreed to, and the next morning, it was presented to strike officials. Most of the employees demands were met. They got their 10-hour working day, though with just a one-cent per hour increase. The controversial pledge about not joining a union was dropped, the men suspended for union activities were reinstated, and employees would be able to choose their own routes based on seniority. There was one key demand that wasnt resolved. The company refused to recognize the union, though it did agree to meet regularly with an employee delegation to discuss safety improvements. The strike committee signed the settlement, and by 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, the employees agreed to it. Streetcar service resumed two hours later. The Tribune rejoiced the termination of the strike will be seen as the triumph of common sense. The city and streetcar company learned a lesson about whose side the public was on. Another, and this time successful, vote on Sunday streetcar service was held in late June. As part of the final negotiations, the company agreed in advance no worker would be made to work seven days in a week. Christian Cassidy writes about local history on his blog, West End Dumplings. A police wagon on Main Street near Logan Avenue after the mayor read the riot act on March 30. (Western Canada Pictoral Index, Robert Goodall Collection, No. 9830) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/04/2017 (2039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Last laugh Today is the last day of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and to celebrate, Youre Welcome a free show is being staged at the West End Cultural Centre at noon. The show is described as an afternoon of ethnic comedy for new and old Canadians, and is hosted by Martha Chaves. Spring sale Spring Fling: A Craft and Vendor Thing is taking place at the Crescentwood Community Centre today from noon until 4 p.m. There will be crafters and vendors selling books, art, baking, tea, soap and woodworking, among other things. Admission is free. Swapping stories Today at Neechi Commons from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Urban Indigenous Theatre Company is hosting CommonStories, an opportunity to share and listen to traditional and contemporary stories in any medium, including improvisation, poetry, painting, sculpting, song or dance. The free event is open to people of all ages. There will also be dates in May, June and July on the second Sunday of each month. Planetarium party The Manitoba Museum is having Yuris Night at the Planetarium on Wednesday. The adult evening is complete with tunes from DJ duo the Shake, a sci-fi costume contest (the prize is a real meteorite), pizza and refreshments in the science gallery, and admission to the exhibits. General admission is $15 or $12 for members, and the night runs from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Anniversary affair On Wednesday, FortWhyte Alive is hosting the Historica Canada Heritage Minute Evening for Canada 150, screening all 86 Heritage Minutes. There will be a cash bar and fire-roasted bannock, and historical persona costumes are encouraged. Because there will be a bar, the night is for people 18 or older, and it runs from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 and must be bought in advance at fortwhyte.org. Marsh madness Oak Hammock Marsh is hosting a weekend filled with Easter activities. Starting Friday, there will be spring crafts, Bunny Bingo at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and a GPS Egg Hunt at 2 p.m. There will also be a traditional Easter egg hunt throughout the exhibits Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Oak Hammock Marsh is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and admission is $8 for adults and $6 for those between the ages of three and 17. For more information, visit oakhammockmarsh.ca. Hangar hunt The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is having an Easter egg hunt Saturday. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.; the hunt starts 10 a.m. and lasts an hour. There will also be supplies to make and decorate paper baskets to collect chocolate eggs. The museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children three to 12 years old. Chennai, Apr 9 (IBNS): The election Commission called on a meeting on sunday to discuss whether to cancel the much-hyped assembly bypoll in Chennai's RK Nagar after tax authorities allegedly unearthed a large-scale bribery scandal here. According to reports, the Sasikala faction of the AIADMK gave Rs 4,000 to every voter in the north Chennai locality. This is also home constituency of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The scandal came to fore after tax officials seized some documents during raid at state health minister Vijaya Bhaskars house on Friday. The papers, leaked to the media, purportedly show the Sasikala-led AIADMK faction paid more than Rs 89.5 crore to seven ministers. This money has been used for distribution among RK Nagar voters, reports said. The ministers were allegedly given a target of 224,145 voters to bribe. Since the release of the document, demands for cancellation of the April 12 polls were made by the rival O Panneerselvam faction of the AIADMK. A decision by the Election Commission is expected by Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/04/2017 (2039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. GOULD, Ark. Patricia Washington sees a simple calculus: if you take someones life, you better be prepared to lose your own. She believes the death penalty is just an unsurprising view in this rural town a short drive from the state prison that houses death row. Executions have come up a lot lately in conversations at Washingtons work, a tiny eatery tucked into an Exxon service station off Highway 65. As she carried trays brimming with chicken tenders, fried okra and corn nuggets one recent morning, she reflected on some of her regulars the prison guards. Theres a lot on their mind. You can see it in their eyes, Washington said. Starting the day after Easter, the state is scheduled to execute seven men in 11 days, and people in Gould and across Arkansas are wondering how so many executions will affect prison staffers and colour perceptions of this Bible Belt state. Until last week, a total of eight men were scheduled to die two each day on April 17, 20, 24 and 27. The men scheduled to die a portion of the 34 on death row in Arkansas are Don Davis, Stacey Johnson, Jack Harold Jones Jr., Ledell Lee, Bruce Ward, Kenneth Williams and Marcel Williams. On Thursday, a federal judge stayed one of the executions because a state parole board said it would recommend changing that inmates sentence to life in prison without parole. Jason McGehee was scheduled to be executed on the final day of the executions. Because state law requires the parole board to take at least 30 days before sending the recommendation to the governor, officials cannot execute him this month. The inmates sentenced to death (left to right) are: (top row) Bruce Ward, Kenneth Williams, Jack Harold Jones and Jason McGehee, and (bottom row) Ledell Lee, Marcel Williams, Don Williamson Davis and Stacey Johnson. McGehee's execution was stayed by a federal judge on Thursday. A commutation request from Kenneth Williams, also scheduled to die by lethal injection April 27, was rejected by the parole board Wednesday, as were requests by three of the other inmates scheduled to be executed. The board is expected to announce its recommendation for Jones clemency request this week. No state has executed eight people in such a short span since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Texas executed eight men in both May and June of 1997, according to the not-for-profit Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment. Arkansas hasnt put anyone to death since 2005. That year, Eric Nance, 45, having offered no final words, was pronounced dead on Nov. 28 at 9:24 p.m. at the Cummins Unit just outside Gould. Since then, court challenges and difficulties in obtaining lethal-injection drugs have stopped the killings. Bottles of the sedative midazolam at a hospital pharmacy. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday, June 23, 2016, that the state can execute eight death row inmates using its three-drug protocol, upholding a state law that keeps information about lethal injection drugs confidential. (The Associated Press) The states Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, says Arkansas must act before its supply of midazolam, an anesthetic used in the lethal injection cocktail, expires at the end of the month. Hutchinson set the execution dates in February after state Attorney General Leslie Rutledge informed him the condemned four black, four white and all convicted of murders between 1989 and 1999 had exhausted their legal challenges. In all, they killed 11 people. This action is necessary to fulfill the requirement of the law, Hutchinson said in an email. It is also important to bring closure to the victims families. Walk around Gould, a predominantly black town of 837, and its easy to find someone who has an opinion on the looming executions. The presence of two prisons, the Cummins Unit and Varner Unit, is inescapable even if the main features north of town are towering grain silos and freshly tilled rice and cotton fields, with soil so dark it appears as if theyve been covered with kilometres of coffee grounds. But off in the distance, one can see the glistening barbed wire of Cummins and Varner, which together can house nearly 3,500 inmates. At Cummins, guards on horseback patrol green gullies bordering the prison grounds as lower-level inmates, dressed in all white, guide lawn mowers and weed whackers along the impeccably manicured slopes. On a recent muggy afternoon, Mayor Essie Mae Cableton sat behind her desk at City Hall, a tiny single-level structure with barred windows and peeling paint that includes the Police Department, the fire station, a courtroom and a place for people to pay their water bill. Cableton, 75, worked as a guard for the Department of Correction for nearly two decades 10 of those years at Cummins, which houses the execution chamber. She recalled walking the prison grounds on the days of past executions. It felt, in some ways, like business as usual. But this time feels different. Its too many at one time, Cableton said. Now, Im not saying that theyre not some bad individuals. But its just too many at one time. A death chamber in Varner, Ark., with a closed-circuit television camera mounted nearby. (Danny Johnston / The Associated Press Files) Death penalty opponents say conducting so many executions in 11 days increases the likelihood of mistakes that could cause needless suffering. They also object to the use of midazolam, which they say has contributed to some botched executions in which inmates took a long time to die. Some states bar the use of midazolam. Hutchinson and Wendy Kelley, the director of the Arkansas Department of Correction, have not expressed any concerns about possible mishaps during the executions. Thats little comfort to critics. A searchlight on a guard tower is pointed at the fence of the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction, which houses the execution chamber where seven inmates are set to be executed this month. (Danny Johnston / The Associated Press Files) This is just a ghastly assembly line of death, said Rita Sklar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas. It does not comport with human decency. Sklar, along with members from the nonprofit Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, has held vigils outside the governors mansion, calling on him to halt the executions. Last month, nearly two dozen former corrections officers from around the country sent a letter to Hutchinson, urging him to consider the strain and stress eight executions will place on corrections staff. For those of us who have participated in or overseen executions, we have directly experienced the psychological challenges of the experience and its aftermath, they wrote. Others of us have witnessed this same strain in our colleagues. Arkansas law requires at least six citizens who dont know the victim or the condemned witness each execution, but the state has had trouble finding as many as 42 volunteers. Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to the Arkansas Legislature in Little Rock. (Brian Chilson / The Associated Press files) Last month, Kelley attended a Rotary Club lunch meeting in Little Rock, about 130 kilometres north of Gould, and asked a question: would anyone like to sit in on the executions? No one volunteered. A corrections spokesman said Kelleys efforts to find witnesses are continuing. Back at the Exxon station, Washingtons co-worker, Betty Petty, thought about how shed answer such a question from Kelley. Id consider it, said Petty, who lived in California for decades but recently returned to Gould to care for her ill mother. Justice is justice. I think this is justice. Washington, a lifelong Gould resident whom customers affectionately call Miss Trish, wondered whether she was serious. Would you, for real? she asked. I would consider it, Petty said with a nod. I would. Washington, with no response, turned and walked back into the kitchen. Members of the Arkansas Parole Board hear testimony from the survivors of two murder victims Friday, March 24, 2017, in Little Rock, Ark. Stacey Johnson and Ledell Lee have asked the board to recommend that Gov. Asa Hutchinson grant them mercy and commute their death sentences. Johnson and Lee are set to die April 20 amid a series of four double-executions. (Andrew DeMillo / The Associated Press files) Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has steadily declined in recent years from its peak of about 80 per cent in 1994. A Pew Research Center poll last September found 49 per cent of Americans favoured the death penalty for convicted murderers, while 42 per cent opposed it. By comparison, a University of Arkansas survey of voters in 2015 found 71 per cent of Arkansans supported the death penalty, while 19 per cent opposed it. In Gould, the issue splits some households. When asked about executions, David Day a 78-year-old retired serviceman who grew up working on a cotton farm where the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers meet cited the Old Testament. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, he said. They cant live in society anymore. But his wife, Deborah, 63, disagreed: I could never take a life or want to see someone lose their life. Im a Christian woman. The story of Kenneth Williams resonates strongly here in Lincoln County in the southeastern part of the state. Shortly after getting sentenced to life inside Cummins Unit for killing a college cheerleader in 1998, Williams managed to escape. It was a Sunday morning, and Cecil Boren was tending his yard on a farm about 3 km from Cummins where he and his wife, Genie, lived. She wasnt home when Williams broke in, stole Cecils guns and shot him to death before driving off down a gravel road in his truck. Genie, 73, still lives on the farm. On a recent afternoon, she stood in the yard, near the flowering camellia bush where her husband collapsed in a pool of blood nearly 18 years ago. Since then, one of her husbands sisters has died, and now another is in hospice care. Weve been ready a long time, Genie said. If this doesnt happen now, who knows, I may be dead without seeing justice. She plans to attend Williams execution. Los Angeles Times, with files from the Washington Post ARCADIA, Wis. Growth has been good for the city. Chuck Timm has owned Up Chucks bar on Main Street in Arcadia for nearly 15 years and has seen companies such as Ashley Furniture Industries expand and new businesses move in. That growth wouldnt be possible without the large and growing population of Hispanic and Latino residents who call the city home, he said, and who make Arcadia the vibrant community it is. I welcome it, Timm said. It means more people and businesses on Main Street. It means more people to frequent my business and others. In the past five years, the Hispanic population has almost doubled according to U.S. Census Data. Hispanic students now make up the majority of the student population of the Arcadia School District, and the U.S. Department of Justice recently required the city to offer a bilingual ballot to residents in elections due to the citys demographics. Fears are also on the rise since President Donald Trump rode a populist wave and concern over topics such as immigration in last Novembers election. Trump has promised to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities, communities that limit their cooperation with federal officials regarding those in the country illegally, as well as increasing immigration enforcement. While nearly 60 percent of the city of Arcadia voted for Trump over his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, both white and Hispanic residents have taken efforts to point out that they feel there hasnt been a culture of anti-immigrant or anti-Hispanic sentiment in the community. But that doesnt mean the Hispanic population hasnt been following the conversation on immigration closely, changing some habits and wondering what is ahead. People came here for the opportunities, Eric Mora, a 16-year-old Arcadia High School student whose family owns Donjuan Restaurant said. Now a lot of Hispanics are worried about the future. A changing city When Mora and his family moved to Arcadia from Austin, Minn., 11 years ago, he said the city was a much different place. Like many of the Hispanic and Latino families who come to Arcadia, he said his parents were looking for work and better opportunities. A decade ago, Arcadia was much smaller, Mora said, and didnt have nearly the diverse population it does now. At school, he was one of only five Hispanic students in his grade, and the city didnt boast the amenities it has now. Today Mora is one of more than 30 Hispanic students in his class and the city has expanded with new businesses, such as a Kwik Trip gas station, a McDonalds and a big-box retailer among others. The school district has added new buildings and the city has upgraded roads, street lights and civic attractions including public parks. One of the main reasons for that is the growth in population from immigrants and Latinos, he said. Everything is just growing. According to demographic data from the U.S. Census at the DPI, the growth in the Hispanic population has been rapid. Hispanic people only made up about 3 percent of the population of Arcadia in 2000; now the Hispanic population makes up more than a third of the citys residents and nearly doubled from 569 in 2010 to 975 in 2015, making up a third of Arcadia's 2,974 residents. The school district has seen an even more rapid shift, with the Hispanic population going from 9 percent of students in 2005 to nearly 53 percent last year. At the schools elementary/middle school, the population ratios flipped between 2011 and 2015 with Hispanics making up more than a third of the students six years ago and reaching nearly two-thirds of the schools population last year. These students and their families have been a blessing to the community, Superintendent Louie Ferguson said. At a practical level, the students have helped grow enrollment in the district, which has kept Arcadia from having to make cuts or eliminate programs. Instead, the district has been able to offer more opportunities to students, he said. For example, the district was able to expand its half-day 4K preschool to a whole-day program. The increased diversity among the student body has also changed the districts culture, as well as how it does business. Arcadia has had to increase the number of support staff, as well as emphasizing the ability to speak more than one language in hiring. Many of the students, especially those who are the second generation, are fluently bilingual in Spanish and English, Ferguson said, which sets them up for future careers as nurses, business owners or even coming back to the district as teachers or staff. The district has also embraced the different cultures of the Hispanic and Latino populations by doing more to celebrate the different holidays and founding an El Sol club, which works to foster leadership skills in the high schools Latino students. This has been such a huge plus to the school district, Ferguson said. The Hispanic population has been very supportive of the community and its schools. They are such a great part of the community. At Holy Family Parish, the Catholic church in Arcadia, members of the church were raising funds by selling burritos, salads and sweet treats at lunch time on March 26 to help send youth to summer camps. Both white and Hispanic residents were breaking bread together before that days noon Spanish Mass. The Rev. Sebastian Kolodziejczyk, one of two pastors at the parish, said the Catholic community has gone through several demographic changes over the decades. Arcadia used to have both a German and a Polish Catholic Church in the days when those two groups struggled to get along, he said, before combining as a result of a declining population in the faith community. The rising Hispanic population has helped turn that trend around. Kolodziejczyk said he oversees as many as six times the baptisms for Hispanic families as he does white parents, and immigrants have become an integral part of church celebrations such as the Fall Fest. More than 300 people attend the Sunday Spanish Masses, he said, and another hundred attend the Spanish Mass on Saturday evenings. The Hispanic population has more than doubled the size of the congregation, which is now so big the church couldnt host everyone at the same time. As long as we have these big jobs, more and more people will be coming here, Kolodziejczyk said. It is important for us not to be afraid of them. It has been such a good thing for us. Making their mark For many small towns in America, the past several decades have been a struggle for Main Street. Not so for Arcadia, which not only boasts a vibrant downtown but also a strong network of Hispanic family and small businesses. Taking a stroll down Main Street in Arcadia, one can see the barber shop, diners, banks and city government buildings familiar to any rural Midwest community. But those stores and buildings are complemented by more than a half-dozen Hispanic grocery stores, restaurants, a clothing boutique and even tax and legal service offices. One of the first Hispanic business owners to make their mark on Main Street was Juan Mateo, who opened the MM San Juan grocery store in 2004. Mateo, who sits on the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce board of directors, said it was always his dream to own a business and be able to work for himself. When the doors first opened, Mateo said he didnt know if he would have any sales at all. Thirteen years later, the store is still there and provides locally sourced meats, produce and Hispanic goods, such as spices, juices, sodas, flatbreads and snack foods. Local farmers, Ashley Furniture and Golden Plump have hired lots of people, he said. Latinos have got money to spend and that means the business is doing OK. Many Arcadia business owners and leaders echo Chuck Timms sentiments about the importance of the Hispanic community and its impact on the economy. Having a growing population of working-age people has helped anchor businesses such as Ashley Furniture to the community, Timm said, and one of his fears is the citys largest employer could pick up and move without that labor base. Chuck and Chris Blaschko, the second and third generation of the family-owned Blaschko Enterprises, which includes commercial printer Supreme Graphics, said having lots of jobs in the community is good for all the businesses in Arcadia, both big and small. Cole Bawek, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, said the citys diversity is a major component of Arcadias quality of life and thriving business community. All these things create a nicer community, Chris said. It takes all these things to make it attractive. Eric Moras mother, Adelina Donjuan Govea, brought the family to the U.S. 13 years ago. She operated a small grocery store in Mexico City, she said, using Eric as her translator, and more than two years ago, she was inspired to open the Donjuan restaurant and a downtown clothing boutique to show her children what the Hispanic community is capable of. The family, which also includes Erics brother Cristian Mora and father Carlos, operates the restaurant which serves a large menu of Mexican- and American-themed food items from pizza to burritos. Business has been great, he said, and his mother was proud of both businesses ability to attract a diverse crowd of patrons. I want to make a good name for the Hispanic community, Eric translated for Adelina. A lot of us have come here with a dream of doing something for the future and our children. Both Eric, a sophomore at Arcadia High School, and his older brother Cristian have plans for higher education, with Cristian currently attending Western Technical College to study marketing. Eric said he has taken accounting classes in Arcadia and has been inspired by his mother to follow in her footsteps. Being in business motivates and excites me, he said. I want to own one of my own someday. Growing worry Despite its distance from the nations capital and our southern border, Arcadia hasnt been immune to the developing national conversation over immigration policy. President Trump was elected after running a campaign that focused on promises of building a border wall to limit the number of immigrants who enter the country illegally as well as increasing enforcement actions to remove those who are already in the country. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse history professor Victor Macias-Gonzalez said it is difficult to track the undocumented immigrant population, but said estimates place the number of undocumented immigrants at between 15 to 30 percent of the Latino community. That translates into between 3,000 and 6,000 of the more than 20,000 Hispanic and Latino residents that call the tri-state area their home. The immigrant community has suffered misunderstandings in the past, he said, as residents of some communities have discriminated against them. Macias-Gonzalez recounted an incident in Sparta when the local Latino community organized a celebration for the people of the city, and instead had Immigration and Customs Enforcement called on them. Because of this history and the recent tough talk from Republicans in Washington, Macias-Gonzalez said many Latino residents in the region are experiencing growing fear, even if they are in the country legally or are U.S. citizens. Macias-Gonzalez, who is Mexican-American, said he always carries his passport with him just in case. Superintendent Ferguson, Arcadia Police Chief Diana Anderson and Trempealeau County Sheriff Richard Anderson all said their organizations dont stop people or ask for proof of citizenship when enrolling kids in school or during routine stops. Richard said the sheriffs department will notify ICE if there is an active warrant out for someone who is undocumented, while Diane said her department doesnt check the immigration status of anyone her department comes into contact with. Neither law enforcement official said they had noticed an uptick in immigration enforcement actions. Richard said ICE did stop in the county a few weeks seeking a couple of people they were actively investigating. Both also said that unlike what some people may think, ICE isnt coming into the communities and rounding up suspected immigrants. People here are treated equally, Richard said. We dont treat anybody differently because of what they look like or where they are from. Brian Westrate, chairman of the 3rd District GOP Party, which covers much of Western Wisconsin including Trempealeau County, said he could understand the fear some immigrants and Latino residents have. He was proud of the diversity the immigrant community has created in Arcadia but said those who have come here illegally and especially those who have committed crimes do have a reason to worry. There are thousands of people waiting to come to this country properly, he said, and those who are here illegally are thumbing their noses at them. He added that it boggle his mind some people could argue against removing violent criminals who are here illegally. They shouldnt be here in the first place, and some have done heinous things, he said. Westrate did temper those comments by adding that the overwhelming majority of immigrants in the region are here to better their lives, a point that was also made by many in the community. Securing our borders is important to the Republican base that elected Trump, Westrate and others said, but it wasnt a hot-button issue for Republican voters in the county. That hasnt stopped the Latino community from being worried, Eric Mora said. People are staying in their homes more, he said, as his brother Cristian has noticed fewer Latino people making trips to the larger cities in the region such as La Crosse. Theyre also being more careful with their money, sending more of it to family and loved ones back home, which has hurt some local businesses. But that hasnt stopped members of the community like his family from continuing to stand as examples of what it means to be a Latino in America. Even though they have been a part of the fabric of Arcadia for more than a decade, it still feels like they have to prove themselves in some ways to their white peers. Trump is giving Hispanics a bad name, Eric said. But Arcadia is a good example of what we can do. We give our people a good name. People here are treated equally. We dont treat anybody differently because of what they look like or where they are from. Richard Anderson, Trempealeau County sheriff A new political movement is gaining momentum all across the country. The current political climate has many answering a call for resistance against the current administration, including members of the Winona community. Indivisible, a coalition of volunteers formed to counteract the Trump agenda, is a rallying point for citizens that are looking to make the biggest impact they can in their government. This group really focuses on what an individual can realistically do. Weve really focused the efforts on the community. Indivisible member Amy Hermodson said. Its not really partisan, its all of us, where we are, doing what we can together. The defensive strategy follows much of the playbook used by TEA party activists when the legislative tables were turned under the Obama administration. Though ideology of Indivisible directly contradicts those held by the Taxed Enough Already organization, they recognized which strategies used by the TEA party worked for them. At the beginning of this year, a chapter in Winona was organized, and the committee quickly grew with members eager for engagement. Nancy Pellowski said her reasoning for becoming involved was that I would rather, in some future day, look back and say I did what I could rather than I just sat by, let it happen and ranted about it. For many, the 2016 election results were a wake-up call that invigorated a new drive toward a politically engaged population. For Indivisible member Rachel Hentges, it presented an opportunity to take a hands-on approach to the democratic process. When you mobilize in your local communities, and you empower people, and help them realize that they do have a voice and the things they care about do matter, you give them resources to explore those values that they hold true and help them realize at the core of humanity we all care about the same things, Hentges said. Its not us vs. them, were all a part of this. In an official statement released by the Winona chapter, the organization said We focus on stopping the implementation of any agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption. In order to work together to achieve this goal, we must model the values of inclusion, respect, and fairness. Another Indivisible member, Joan Francioni, said the political atmosphere feels different because before You just used to vote for who you wanted, and then it was their job. Now that Francioni is more involved in the process, she says she feels empowered. Politicians are always concerned about their re-election, and it is this avenue that Indivisible shows its members how to give their message teeth. Much of the movement is based on having the right education. Resistance Training, as it is called, reminds the public of their rights as Americans and what tools are available for making a stand. Such a session took place at Outpost Winona, where about 20 people tuned into a live Facebook feed from Harvard University historian and activist Timothy McCarthy, as he laid out a curriculum constructive dissent. The discussion brought perspective to the ideals held by the crowd, as they were reminded of their values and nonnegotiables. Based on the strategy laid out by the Indivisible Guide, the discussions were focused on objective action that could yield measurable results. The 26 page PDF is accompanied by a subheadline that reads A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. It includes methods that strengthen the ties local legislators have to their respective constituents. Actions as simple as calling a representatives office or attending city hall events have a track record of reminding politicians who they work for in Washington. In reality, thats what democracy is supposed to be, Indivisible member Jamie Harper said. Its not supposed to be a single vote, and hope those people do what theyre supposed to do in good judgement, because theyre affected by their constituents, theyre affected (by) money. Were the constituents [...] if our perspective isnt added, then weve dropped the ball. Government oversight and transparency are vital to ensuring the Peoples trust. My office oversees over $20 billion of taxpayer money spent yearly by local government in Minnesota. When we find compliance failures or financial improprieties, we must call them out. Due to the nature of the work, we are bound to ruffle feathers at times. Tension between my office and those we oversee means we are doing our job. In the last two years, however, that natural tension has escalated to political retribution. The resulting casualties have been public protection and our governments proper functioning. Counties are entrusted with billions of taxpayer dollars each year. The Minnesota Constitution intended that the People elect an auditor who would watch over these dollars on their behalf by performing audits. In 2015, the legislature took this protection from the People by passing a law allowing counties to control who audits them. Not only did the law gut a core function of the OSA, it improperly compromised a protection Constitutionally promised to the people of Minnesota. Equally troubling was how the law was passed. Tucked into a larger bill in the middle of the night on the last day of session, the audit privatization provision received no hearing in the Senate and limited hearings in the House. By the time it reached the Governor, as one part of a huge bill funding state government, the Governors only choice was to sign the bill or veto it and trigger a government shutdown. He signed the bill. As State Auditor, I swore an oath of office to uphold the Minnesota Constitution. The founders understood that when it came to the Peoples money, some will behave badly, and a strong independent office the OSA was necessary. The founders also believed in transparent lawmaking that allowed for checks and balances. The passage of the 2015 law was an affront to both these constitutional principles. After the law was signed, in order to protect the Constitution and the OSA, I brought a lawsuit asking the courts to invalidate it. Our case is in the Minnesota Court of Appeals. But the story does not end with the 2015 law. Although the most recent forecast showed the State has a $1.65 billion surplus, the Legislature, as I write this, is pushing new bills that will further cripple this Office by cutting funding and enacting provisions to keep us from doing our work. Why? Certain legislators have attacked me for asking the Judiciary to settle a legitimate Constitutional dispute. They have made it clear that they intend to punish me and make the OSA pay, literally, for challenging the law. But they are not punishing me; they are punishing Minnesotas taxpayers. The Senates proposed budget cuts all parts of the OSA by 7.5%. It goes further to cut the Audit Division the heart of the office by an additional 32%. Similarly, the House cuts several OSA divisions by 21%. Because we have to charge fees for our audits, the drastic cuts to the Audit Division do not save the State money: they only limit the amount of staff we can support and consequently the amount of audits we can perform on behalf of the people of Minnesota. These cuts are clearly punitive. The Senate bill also requires the OSA to pay the legal bills of those we have sued in our constitutional challenge to the 2015 law, regardless of who wins. Such a requirement is unheard of. Collectively, these legislative actions, if passed, further undermine the OSAs ability to audit local governments and call out improprieties. These ongoing legislative efforts run roughshod over the Constitution and muzzle the taxpayers watchdog. It is wrong and will cost Minnesota taxpayers dearly down the road. Is this what we want? Please contact your state legislators and the Governor and tell them to stop the ongoing assault on the Peoples office. JUNEAUThe Dodge County Human Services and Health Department Public Health Unit recommends that all wells be sampled for bacteria at least once a year. Spring is a good time to test wells. Wells should also be tested whenever changes in water quality or appearance are noticed. Changes in water taste, odor, color, or clarity can be obvious signs of well problems. However a well can be contaminated even if you dont notice changes. If well water changes color and smells like manure, stop using it immediately for all purposes other than flushing toilets. Contact the local DNR or health department. It is important to remember that the presence of bacteria in a well can be caused by other contaminates beside manure. Using water from a contaminated well can cause illness. Common symptoms of illness are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramps or fever. For health related questions, contact your regular health care provider, local public health at 386-3670, or the Department of Health and Family Services at 608-266-1120. For information on obtaining a water test kit contact the local public health unit at 386-3670 or Dodge County UW Extension at 386-3790. The Columbus School District Endowment Boards fundraising drive to support unique, outside-the-box enrichment activities for students is once again off and running, but this year, its on a slightly different track. Were heading in a new direction, sending out letters to everyone in the district and making a direct appeal for support, said Peter Kaland, the boards president. Funds that are raised will go toward grants that the districts teachers can apply for, to pay for enrichment activities that go above and beyond what they would normally be able to offer their kids. We want to encourage teachers to be innovative when they come up with ideas for grants that they want to apply for, said School District Endowment board member Liz ODonnell. This will be the third year that the School District Endowment has offered the grants, which generally range from $500 to $1,000. The board tries to offer grants that will fund activities in all of the districts buildings, at a variety of grade levels; but the number of grants that can be given out depends on how much money is raised. For the past two years, the School District Endowment has sponsored a color run which raised funds through pledges and donations collected by students who participated in the event. While kids had a lot of fun walking or running through the course (while being blasted with bursts of eco-friendly, plant-based powdered dye along the way), the run created some supervisory headaches for staff who were trying to ensure that everyone was safe and accounted for before, during and after the activity, Kaland said. And, organizing it was a huge undertaking that required a lot of time and effort. By going with a direct mail campaign this year, the endowment board hopes to make it easier not just for fund drive organizers, but for supporters as well. Were not asking people to buy anything, and were not competing with other groups who are already selling something, ODonnell said. Previous grants have funded things like iPads for special education classrooms at the high school, virtual reality apps for eighth graders and historical re-enactors who took fourth graders on a trip back in time. Teachers have already been notified about how and when to send in their grant applications. Winners will be announced on May 9, in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Week. Last week, the leaders of the Legislatures powerful budget committee tossed out dozens of Gov. Scott Walkers proposals including his entire transportation budget though some could be coming back as lawmakers write their own version of the states new two-year spending plan. The 83 proposals stripped out of the 2017-19 budget were identified by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau as nonfiscal policy items, which lawmakers of both parties have historically used to enact laws that might have a tougher time passing outside the cover of a sweeping biennial budget bill. The removal of many of the items infuriated conservatives already skeptical about record spending levels in Walkers $76 billion proposal, said Eric Bott, state director of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin. We already had a fight but they may have turned it into an absolute brawl, Bott said. Bott said the committee removed many substantial conservative policies, such as changing how administrative rules are reviewed, ending the prevailing wage for construction projects, eliminating certain occupational licenses and codifying a University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents policy on campus free speech. This ultimately makes getting a budget accomplished more difficult because you already had conservative senators with strong reservations about the level of spending in the budget, Bott said. Now youve pulled very strong reform policy out, which will further dissuade them from supporting the ultimate budget. In an interview, Joint Finance Committee co-chairman Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said some policy items could make their way back into the budget, either after being vetted in legislative committees or as part of the committees contentious 999 omnibus motion. The 999 motion has been controversial in recent budget cycles for including policy items late in the process the majority party can insert without individual authorship and with limited public scrutiny. In the last budget, the 999 motion included a proposal to gut the state public records law. That proposal was removed in response to a public backlash. Four years ago, the motion was introduced in the middle of the night on the last day of budget committee deliberations and passed early the next morning after hours of debate. Nygren said the unusual removal of all policy items was not intended to set a precedent for future budgets. Some of the items, such as one that would allow local governments to consolidate departments, might get a public hearing and vote in committee before being added back to the budget. If we think theyre relevant, they might be put back in, Nygren said. The fact that weve got a lot of members who dont sit on the budget committee, theres interest in finding ways for them to weigh in. Democrats and their supporters have cheered the removal of other provisions, such as a study of moving oversight for large-scale animal farms from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and making certain university student fees optional. Im really glad they did what they did, said Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, adding he would hope Republicans dont add policy items back into the budget. Its still policy if they put it back in, he said. The budget is not the best place for policy. If its a good idea, were in session. Draft a piece of legislation. Asked which policy items are priorities, Walker spokesman Tom Evenson mentioned eliminating mandatory student fees, dropping the prevailing wage on government construction projects and agency printing, mailing and publishing requirements that Walkers budget would have removed. Governor Walker included those items because he believes they are strong conservative reforms that will save taxpayer dollars, Evenson said. The governor will continue to champion these reforms, knowing that they will pay long-term dividends to Wisconsin. A rare move Its only the second time in 25 years the Joint Finance Committee has immediately removed all nonfiscal policy items from the budget, according to the fiscal bureau. Since the bureau started tracking such items in 1993, the Legislatures budget committee has always removed some policy items, with the fewest being 12 of the 58 items Walker included in 2013. Walkers 83 policy items this year were the most he has proposed and the most in a governors budget since 2001. The budget committee hasnt scrapped a portion of the governors budget since 2007, fiscal bureau director Bob Lang said. Assembly Republicans had discussed tossing out Walkers entire budget and working from scratch, a move that hadnt occurred since 1991 when Democrats controlled the Legislature and Republican Tommy Thompson was governor. Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert, a former Republican representative who as budget committee co-chairman in 2003 was the last to remove all policy items from a governors budget, said hes not surprised the Legislature is starting over on the rancorous transportation budget. That forces a partnership where theyve got to bring the governor to the table to work on it, Kaufert said. In interviews, both leaders of the Joint Finance Committee said starting over on the DOT budget was a compromise between Assembly GOP leaders, who wanted to build the entire budget from scratch, and Senate GOP leaders, who wanted to work from Walkers blueprint. Nygren said while Assembly Republicans wanted to scrap Walkers entire budget proposal, there was concern the move would result in major changes to Walkers $650 million increase in K-12 education funding a priority for the governor. Nygren said there isnt yet agreement between the Assembly and Senate on solving the transportation budgets long-term funding problems. By starting over, the budget no longer includes $500 million in new borrowing for roads, though Nygren said he expects there will be some borrowing in the final package. He also said the solution should maintain the governors support for existing projects, such as the Interstate 39/90 expansion from Madison to the state border and the Verona Road interchange in Dane County, rather than shuffling the deck of which projects get funded. Walkers budget delays some of the states anticipated major projects, such as expansions of Interstate 94 in southeast Wisconsin and the Beltline-I-39/90 interchange. Very unusual dynamics Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said the Senate remains divided among several approaches to solving the nearly $1 billion shortfall in the transportation budget. We have to have a big picture, but were not going to be able to fund the big picture in this one budget, Darling said. There has to be a plan and strategy about how were going to tackle our transportation needs. One option Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, has floated and Walker backs is to move general tax dollars into the transportation fund, though that wouldnt necessarily create a long-term solution. It also could depend on how much additional revenue is available when the fiscal bureau updates its economic forecast next month. Curt Witynski, assistant director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, said local governments are nervous that starting over on transportation will put the governors increases for local roads in jeopardy. The dynamics are very unusual right now, Witynski said. I think it ratchets up the pressure to come up with a solution. New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS): The Indian Navy on Sunday said that it received a distress call from a foreign merchant vessel MV OS 35 (Tuvalu registered vessel), which was attacked and boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on late Saturday night. Indian Navy ships Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya proceeding on deployment to the Mediterranean and passing through the Gulf of Aden, responded to the call and rapidly closed the merchant vessel by the early hours of Sunday. The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board (citadel), as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitize the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. Emboldened by Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night. Subsequently, in a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe. The Captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover. GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom. Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Publishing and Digital Marketing Solutions. The company's principal products include 230 daily print media with total paid circulation of approximately 1.9 million and Sunday circulation of 2.2 million; 249 weekly print media with total circulation of approximately 1.4 million; and 292 locally-focused websites. Its principal products also comprise 123 daily and weekly news media brands and approximately 80 magazines, and related digital platforms; sports network, as well as Reviewed.com, an affiliate marketing service; and USA TODAY NETWORK, a community events platform. The company also offers digital marketing solutions, such as online presence solutions, online advertising products, conversion software, and cloud-based software solutions. In addition, it produces niche publications that address specific local market interests, such as recreation, sports, healthcare, and real estate. Further, the company offers local market news and information, as well as advertising and subscriptions, and commercial printing and distribution services; and prints commercial materials, including flyers, business cards, and invitations. The company was formerly known as New Media Investment Group Inc. and changed its name to Gannett Co., Inc. in November 2019. Gannett Co., Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Corning Incorporated engages in display technologies, optical communications, environmental technologies, specialty materials, and life sciences businesses worldwide. The company's Display Technologies segment offers glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diodes used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablets, and handheld devices. Its Optical Communications segment provides optical fibers and cables; and hardware and equipment products, including cable assemblies, fiber optic hardware and connectors, optical components and couplers, closures, network interface devices, and other accessories. This segment also offers its products to businesses, governments, and individuals. Its Specialty Materials segment manufactures products that provide material formulations for glass, glass ceramics, crystals, precision metrology instruments, software; as well as ultra-thin and ultra-flat glass wafers, substrates, tinted sunglasses, and radiation shielding products. This segment serves various industries, including mobile consumer electronics, semiconductor equipment optics and consumables; aerospace and defense optics; radiation shielding products, sunglasses, and telecommunications components. The company's Environmental Technologies segment offers ceramic substrates and filter products for emissions control in mobile, gasoline, and diesel applications. The company's Life Sciences segment offers laboratory products comprising consumables, such as plastic vessels, liquid handling plastics, specialty surfaces, cell culture media, and serum, as well as general labware and equipment under the Corning, Falcon, Pyrex, and Axygen brands. The company was formerly known as Corning Glass Works and changed its name to Corning Incorporated in April 1989. Corning Incorporated was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Corning, New York. The following companies are subsidiares of Dover: APM Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Accelerated Production Systems, Acme Cryo Intermediate Inc., Acme Cryogenics, Acme Cryogenics Inc., Acme Elevator, Advansor A/S, Advansor Dover International (Poland) sp. z o.o., Advansor Germany GmbH, Alfred Fueling Systems Holdco Ltd., Alfred Fueling Systems Inc., Alfred Fueling Systems Intermediate Holdco Ltd., All-Flo Pump Company, Anman LLC, Anthony Equity Holdings Inc., Anthony Holdings Inc., Anthony Inc., Anthony International, Anthony International Foreign Sales Corp., Anthony International Holding Company, Anthony Mexico Holdings LLC, Anthony North Holdco Inc., Anthony Specialty Glass LLC, Anthony TemperBent GP LLC, Audax ECII Blocker Inc., Auto Glanz Solutions LLC, AvaLAN Wireless Systems Incorporated, BELVAC CR spol s r.o., BSC Filters Limited, Belanger, Belanger Inc., Belvac Middle East FZE, Belvac Production Machinery Inc., Blackmer, BlitzRotary GmbH, Blue Bite LLC, Blue Bite LLC, Butler Engineering and Marketing S.P.A., CDS Visual, CDS Visual Inc., CEP Liquidation LLC, CP Formation LLC, CPC Europe Inc., CPI Products Inc., Caldera, Canada Organization & Development LLC, Chief Automotive Technologies (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd., Chippewa Square Captive Insurance Company, Colder Products Company, Colder Products Company GmbH, Colder Products Company LTD, Cook Compression LLC, Cook Compression Limited, Cook-MFS Inc., Cryogenic Experts LLC, DD1 Inc., DDI Properties Inc., DE-STA-CO Benelux B.V., DE-STA-CO FRANCE, DE-STA-CO Shanghai Co. Ltd., DESTACO UK Limited, DFH Corporation, DFS Netherlands B.V., Datamax International Corp, De Sta Co (Asia) Company Limited, De-Sta-Co Cylinders Inc., DeStaCo Europe GmbH, Delaware Capital Formation Inc., Delaware Capital Holdings Inc., Dositec Sistemas SL, Dosmatic U.S.A. Inc., Dover (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Dover (Schweiz) Holding GmbH, Dover (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd., Dover (Shenzhen) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover (Suzhou) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover Asia Trading Private Ltd., Dover Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Dover Business Services EMEA Limited, Dover Business Services Europe S.R.L., Dover Business Services LLC, Dover Business Services Philippines Corporation, Dover CLP Formation Limited Partnership, Dover Canada Holdings ULC, Dover Canada Operations ULC, Dover Corporation Regional Headquarters, Dover DEI Services Inc., Dover Denmark Holdings ApS, Dover EMEA FZCO, Dover Energy UK Ltd, Dover Engineered Products Segment Inc., Dover Europe Inc., Dover Europe Sarl, Dover Fluids UK Ltd, Dover France Holdings, Dover France Participations, Dover France Technologies, Dover Fueling Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Fueling Solutions UK Limited, Dover Germany GmbH, Dover Global Holdings LLC, Dover Holdings de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dover Imaging & Identification Segment Inc., Dover India Pvt. Ltd., Dover Intercompany Services UK Limited, Dover International B.V., Dover International Operations Inc., Dover International Ventures Inc., Dover International ithalat ihracat ve Pazarlama Limited Sirketi, Dover Italy Holdings S.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Finance Sarl, Dover Luxembourg Participations Sarl, Dover Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Services Sarl, Dover Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Dover Overseas Ventures Inc., Dover Pumps & Process Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment UK Ltd, Dover Resources International de Mexico S. de R.L. C.V., Dover Solutions Colombia SAS, Dover Southeast Asia (Thailand) Ltd., Dover Spain Holdings S.L., Dover Switzerland Participations GmbH, Dover UK Pensions Limited, Dover WSCR Holding LLC, Dover WSCR LLC, Dover do Brasil Ltda., Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, Dresser Wayne Data Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Dresser Wayne Fuel Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ECI - IGT Holdings LLC, ECI Holding Company LLC, ECI RegO S. de R.L. de C.V, ECI RegO Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., ECII (Mexico) LLC, EOA Systems Inc., Ebs-Ray Holdings Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Industries Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Pumps Pty Ltd, Em-Tec, Engineered Controls International LLC, Espy, Ettlinger, Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, Fairbanks Environmental Limited, Fibrelite Composites Limited, Fibresec Holdings Limited, Fibresec Limited, Finder, GAL LLC, GIIER LLC, Gala Industries, Guangdong Tokheim LIYUAN Oil Industry Technology Limited Company, Highland Park Insurance Company, Hill PHOENIX Inc., Hill PHOENIX WIC LLC, Hill Phoenix Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, Hill Phoenix El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Hill Phoenix Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Honduras Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hiltap Fittings Ltd., Hydro Systems Company, Hydro Systems Europe Ltd., Industrial Motion Control LLC, Innovative Control Systems, Innovative Control Systems Inc., Inpro/Seal LLC, JK Group, JK Group S.P.A., JK Group USA Inc., K S Boca Inc., K&L Microwave DR Inc., K&L Microwave Inc., KPS (Beijing) Petroleum Equipment Trading Co Ltd., KPS Fueling Solutions Sdn. Bhd., KPS Hong Kong Holding Limited, KPS UK Limited, KS Formation Inc., KS Liquidation Inc., KSLP Liquidation L.P., Kiian Digital (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Knappco LLC, Knowles Electronics, LIQAL, LIQAL B.V., Liquip, Liquip, Liquip International Pty Limited, MAAG, MARKEM FZ SA, MARKEM-IMAJE Corporation, MIP Holdings Inc., MS Printing Solutions, MS Printing Solutions S.R.L., Maag, Maag Automatik Plastics Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Maag Gala Inc., Maag Germany GmbH, Maag Italy S.R.L., Maag Pump Systems, Maag Pump Systems (US) Inc., Maag Pump Systems AG, Maag Reduction Inc., Maag Service (Malaysia) Sdn. Bdn., Maag Service (Taiwan) Ltd., Maag Systems (Thailand) Limited, Macro Technologies LLC, Malema, Marathon Equipment Company (Delaware), Markem Imaje Center of Competencies Spain S.L.U., Markem-Imaje, Markem-Imaje (China) Co. Limited, Markem-Imaje - Unipessoal Lda, Markem-Imaje A/S, Markem-Imaje AB, Markem-Imaje AG, Markem-Imaje AS, Markem-Imaje B.V., Markem-Imaje CSAT GmbH, Markem-Imaje Co. Ltd., Markem-Imaje GmbH, Markem-Imaje Holding, Markem-Imaje Identificacao de Produtos Ltda., Markem-Imaje Inc., Markem-Imaje India Private Limited, Markem-Imaje Industries, Markem-Imaje Industries Limited, Markem-Imaje KK, Markem-Imaje LLC, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Ltd., Markem-Imaje N.V., Markem-Imaje Oy, Markem-Imaje Philippines Corporation, Markem-Imaje Pty. Ltd., Markem-Imaje S.A., Markem-Imaje S.A. de C.V., Markem-Imaje S.r.l., Markem-Imaje SAS, Markem-Imaje Sdn. Bhd., Markem-Imaje Singapore Pte. Ltd., Markem-Imaje Spain S.A., Markpoint Holding AB, Midland Manufacturing LLC, Midwest Cryogenics Inc., Mouvex, Northeast Services Inc., Northern Lights (Nevada) Inc., Northern Lights Funding LP, Northern Lights Investments LLC, Nova Controls Inc., OK International, OK International Holdings Inc., OK International Inc., OK International Ltd., OPW Engineered Systems LLC, OPW Fluid Transfer Group Europe B.V., OPW Fluid Transfer Solutions (Jiang Su) Co. Ltd., OPW Fluids Group Inc., OPW Fuel Management Systems Inc., OPW Fueling Components (SuZhou) Co. Ltd., OPW Fueling Components LLC, OPW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., OPW Slovakia s.r.o., OPW Sweden AB, Officine Meccaniche Sirio S.R.L., PDQ Manufacturing, PDQ Manufacturing Inc., PISCES by OPW Inc., PSD Codax Holdings Limited, PSD Codax Limited, PSG (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PSG (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PSG California LLC, PSG Germany GmbH, Petro Vend Sp. z o.o., Pike Machine Products Inc., Pole/Zero Acquisition Inc., Precision Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Para Postos De Combustiveis Ltda., Precision Service - Servicos De Manutencao E Instalacao De Postos De Abastecimento De Combustivel Ltda., Production Control Services, Pump Management Services Co. LLC, Quantex Arc Limited, Quantex Patents Limited, RAV France, Ravaglioli S.P.A., Reduction Engineering GmbH, RegO (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., RegO Holding GmbH, RegO Products, RegO Valve (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Rego GmbH, Revod Corporation, Revod Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Revod Sweden AB, Robohand Inc., Rosario, Rosario Handel B.V., Rotary Lift Consolidated (Haimen) Co. Ltd., SE Liquidation LLC, SWEP France, SWEP Germany GmbH, SWEP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SWEP North America Inc., SWEP Slovakia s.r.o., SWEP Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Seabiscuit Motorsports Inc., Shanghai RegO Flow Technology Company Ltd., Shine Bloom - ECI A Blocker Corp., Shine Bloom - ECI Blocker Corp., Shine Bloom - ECI S Blocker Corp., Simmons Sirvey Corporation, So. Cal. Soft-Pak, So. Cal. Soft-Pak Incorporated, Soft-Pak, Solaris Laser, Solaris Laser S.A., Somero Enterprises, Sound Solutions, Sound Solutions, Space S.R.L., Spirit, Start Italiana S.R.L., Superior Holding LLC, Superior Products LLC, Swep Energy Oy, Swep International A.B., Swep Japan K.K., Sys-Tech Solutions, Sys-Tech Solutions Inc., Systech, TQC Quantium Quality S.A. de C.V., TTSI III Inc., TWG Canada Consolidated Inc., TXHI LLC, Tartan Textile Services Inc., The Espy Corporation, The Heil Co., Tokheim, Tokheim Belgium, Tokheim China Company Limited, Tokheim GmbH, Tokheim Group, Tokheim Hengshan Technologies (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tokheim Holding B.V., Tokheim India Private Limited, Tokheim Sofitam Applications, Triton Systems, Tulsa Winch Inc., UPCO Inc., US Synthetic, Unattended Payment Solutions LLC, Unified Brands, Val TemperBent Glass L.P., Vectron Frequency Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vehicle Service Group LLC, Vehicle Service Group UK Limited, Vos Food Store Equipment Ltd., WSCR Corp., Warn Automotive LLC, Warn Industries, Waukesha Bearings, Waukesha Bearings Corporation, Waukesha Bearings Limited, Waukesha Bearings Russia LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems, Wayne Fueling Systems (Rus) Limited Liability Company, Wayne Fueling Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Wayne Fueling Systems Canada ULC, Wayne Fueling Systems Italia S.R.L., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Sweden AB, Wayne Fueling Systems UK Holdco Ltd., Wayne Industria e Comercio Ltda., WellMark, WellMark, and em-tec GmbH. Read More Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Guwahati, Apr 9 (IBNS): Security forces on Saturday apprehended a top leader of NSCN (K) from Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district, who is also wanted for attack on security personnel. Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, the Khonsa battalion of Assam Rifles undertook an operation at Laju village in Tirap district and apprehended a self styled Second Lieutenant of NSCN(K) who identified as Kijen Rongshong. Post spot interrogation, the militant admitted allegiance to NSCN(K). He further divulged that he has been part of the outfit since 2010 and had undergone training at NSCN training camp in Myanmar. Security personnel have recovered a pistol and ammunition in possession from him. "Kijen is an important senior cadre in NSCN(K) and was involved in the standoff firing incident on Jun 7, 2015 on Laju Post and had attempted a standoff on Noglo Post on August 18, 2016 which failed. He also confirmed death of three cadres in Myanmar who were injured in the ambush on Security forces in Lyangche on December 3, 2016," the Defence PRO said. The Assam Rifles battalion has been tracking the militant for past one month and on receiving specific input swiftly, launched an operation and apprehended him with a weapon and extortion notes. Security forces have been carrying out aggressive operations in the south Arunachal Pradesh and the apprehension of the senior cadre has come as a blow to the banned organization. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) 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 Police officer (illustration) By: Mason White WorldWideWeirdNews.com A group of armed robbers dressed as police officers before raiding a government office, where they stole cash from security guards, according to police in Zimbabwe. Bulawayo police said that they are looking for five men who beat up two security guards at the Luveve Housing Office, before fleeing with their cash and phones. The incident unfolded on Tuesday around 5:00 a.m. The two security guards, 31-year-old Caution Ncube and 61-year-old Elijah Khumalo, said that they were caught off guard as the five robbers were dressed in official police uniforms. All five robbers were armed with guns. The robbers first kicked Ncube, and pointed a gun at him while ordering him to lie down on the ground. They then tied his hands with shoelaces, and used television cables to tie up his legs. The robbers then searched his pockets, and took his cash and cell phone. The robbers then went to another part of the building, where they found Khumalo. The suspects hit Khumalo with a stone, which caused a cut on his head. In response, Khumalo pulled out his gun and fired at the robbers. They then fled from the scene. So far, no arrests have been made. Guwahati, Apr 9 (IBNS): Security forces have apprehended the wife of NSCN (K)'s top leader Nikki Sumi, who is also the most wanted militant declared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), from a passenger bus in Nagaland on Friday night, officials said on Sunday. Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, security personnel apprehended Shelly N Sumi wife of self styled Lt General Nikki Sumi, one of the top leader of NSCN (K), along with two other women and a boy from a passenger bus at Karong village in Nagaland when they were traveling on heading to Imphal from Dimapur. Forces recovered Rs 18.5 lakh of Indian currency and other materials in possession from them. Later they were handed over to Lamphel police. Police interrogated the nabbed women to find out information about the top NSCN (K) leader hideout. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Further Funding Mooted For Additional Wrexham to Chester Rail Improvements This article is old - Published: Sunday, Apr 9th, 2017 The Wrexham to Chester railway line could receive an additional 10m in funding to deliver additional improvements. With the 49m project to redouble a section of the Wrexham to Chester railway line entering into its final stages, the Welsh Government is examining options to increase capacity and improve flexibility on the line. An unspecified 10m transport project was first mooted for North Wales in September 2014. Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths corresponded with the Welsh Government at the time, arguing the funding could be used to make further improvements to the existing redoubling project. Having long campaigned for rail improvements in the region, Ms Griffiths has welcomed the latest developments. She said: As the 49m redoubling project nears completion, I am pleased the Welsh Government has outlined an additional 10m for the Wrexham to Chester line. Further options are being examined which will ultimately help improve services for local passengers, and I will continue to pursue this matter with the Welsh Government. In addition, the Welsh Government has funded an independent review of timetabling between Wrexham and Chester. Grant funding has also been provided to Wrexham County Borough Council looking at the possibility of developing a transport hub at Wrexham General Station. With progress also being made on the North East Wales Metro, this latest announcement, coupled with the existing projects, further demonstrates the Welsh Governments commitment to investing in our regions infrastructure. The funding was announced in a Written Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Infrastructure, Ken Skates AM, which also noted the work that has been undertaken on the Wrexham to Bidston line. After disruption last autumn caused by leaves falling on the track, Arriva Trains Wales and Network Rail have measures in place to regularly inspect the line and manage the vegetation accordingly. Last week Network Rail thanked passengers for their patience during the successful upgrade work recently carried out between Wrexham and Chester. Picture Network Rail New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS): President Pranab Mukherjee urged all citizens to extend their unstinted support to the mission of a less cash India. He stated that all efforts of the Government will achieve their end only if people were to adopt them pro-actively. The President was speaking on the occasion of the 100th mega draw of lots for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Sunday. The President said India is on the cusp of a digital revolution. More than one billion Indians have a unique identity number with a biometric identifier which is unique in its own way. Even countries which are technologically far more advanced than India with comparatively much smaller size population do not have such a system in place. The Aadhaar card initiative is a watershed event in the development story of India. The President complemented the Government on its bold initiatives for promoting the culture of digital payment in the country. He said it was in line with such bold initiatives that the Parliament made a new beginning in Financial Management through passage of Annual Budget by March 31, 2017. Following the American attack on Syrias al-Shayrat airbase, Europes governments have almost unanimously declared their support for the bombardment, which killed at least nine civilians. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union) and French President Francois Hollande gave their support to the attack in a joint statement released Friday. They declared, France and Germany will continue to seek with our partners and within the framework of the United Nations to hold President Assad accountable for his criminal acts. They cynically stated that Assad bore sole responsibility for this development. His repeated use of chemical weapons and his crimes against his own population had to be sanctioned. Britain and Poland also backed the attack. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke of an appropriate answer to a barbaric chemical weapons attack. Polish President Andrzej Duda declared that Americas military action enjoyed his full support. The civilised world was not able to sit back and accept this unbelievably barbaric act. The Polish government condemned crimes against the civilian population with all its power. The hypocrisy and ruthlessness of the European governments is breath-taking. Although the circumstances surrounding the alleged gas attack remain unclear and everything points to an imperialist provocation, they are all decisively supportingunlike during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the attack on Libya in 2011a war which violates international law and could quickly escalate into a confrontation with Iran and nuclear-armed Russia. In the process, the media and politicians are discovering their sympathy for President Donald Trump, precisely at the moment when he orders Tomahawk cruise missiles to be rained down on Syria from a warship in the Mediterranean. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who at the NATO foreign ministers meeting just a week ago clashed with his American colleague Rex Tillerson, made a statement in support of the attack during a visit to Mali. It was almost unbearable to have to see how the Security Council was incapable of responding clearly and decisively to the barbaric use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians in Syria, he said. It is reasonable that the United States has now responded with an attack against the military structures of the Assad regime, which committed this horrific war crime. Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen (CDU), who has been systematically pushing ahead with the rearming of the German army, spoke out in Berlin in favour of the US bombardment. The use of chemical weapons must not only be outlawed, it must also have consequences, she stated. She also boasted that US Defence Secretary James Mad Dog Mattis had informed her about the attack prior to its launch. The claim that the German government is concerned about preventing horrific war crimes in Syria and the Middle East is a bare-faced lie. Since late 2015, Germany has been one of the warring parties, participating in the destruction of the country with Tornado fighter jets, a warship and 1,200 soldiers. Just days ago it was revealed that the German air force supplied the coordinates for a massacre of civilians in Syria, which claimed the lives of at least 33, including women and children. Many media outlets and commentators who remained silent about the German crime and shed crocodile tears for the victims of Assads alleged gas attack are now praising Trump as a war hero. Donald Trump has joined the ranks of the presidents who have gone to war and he has returned to the Middle East, enthused Stefan Kornelius in a video message on the Suddeutsche Zeitung web site. America is back, and because of a strike that nobody expected from Donald Trump. He went on, The isolationist is no more, he is now an interventionist and a military interventionist at that. Kornelius, who has close ties to US-aligned think tanks, could hardly control his desire for regime change in Damascus. The message to Assad was Your days are numbered. America will not tolerate that you continue to be a player in this game. Europe and the Obama administration were never readyto intervene militarily. But now Trump had applied pressure, which must compel Vladimir Putin to remove his protective hand from Assad. The only criticism in the German media of the military intervention has come from the right. In an article titled Military strike for show with little impact, Die Welt stated, To really be sure that the regime does not use any more chemical weapons, Trump would have had to have given the Pentagon very different orders. US warplanes would have had to destroy the remaining chemical weapons depots or put all military airfields out of operation. It remains for now a major spectacle which cost the lives of a few Syrian soldiers at al-Shayrat and caused significant damage to facilities. Deutschlandfunk criticised Trumps 180-degree turn for being a gut reaction, without a real strategy. The attack amounted merely to a single pin prick. But what if Assad continues to provoke? This is all totally unclear. The American President cannot decide with his gut forever. Rather only on the basis of a real strategy which considers all consequences, it claimed. The ruling class understands a real strategy to mean an agreed plan for regime change in Damascus and the establishment of a Western-controlled puppet regime. The imperialist powers have been developing such plans for some time. In 2012, Germanys Foreign Ministry initiated The day after project in conjunction with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik-SWP) and sections of the Syrian opposition and drafted a vision for a post-Assad order. While for now the European governments and media are supporting the US attack on Syria, they are not doing so as disciples of American war policy, but in order to realise their own interests in the oil-rich region. Every government is attempting to expand its role in the US-led coalition so as to secure the biggest slice of the pie possible in the plundering of Syria. These developments contain great dangers for the working class. The more protracted the war in Syria becomes, the more aggressive will be the actions of the major powers. The question is not whether another attack will come, but rather when and by whom it will be launched. The United States, Germany and the European powers are escalating the intervention in the Middle East in response to the deepening crisis of capitalism. New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council here on Sunday. The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence Arun Jaitley, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath attended the meeting. The Ministers from states of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan represented these states at the meeting. Senior officers from the Union Ministries and from the state Governments also assisted the members of the Standing Committee in the discussion along with the officers from the Inter-State Council Secretariat. In his inaugural address, the Home Minister said that we share a common desire to take this nation forward and we are fully convinced that prosperity can come only when there is peace and stability. He further emphasized that India, is a nation characterized by unity in diversity, and hence it is important that trust and cordiality form the bedrock for Centre-State cooperation and we rise above narrow sectarian interests to focus on the larger picture of national development. Todays meeting was in pursuance of the decisions of the Inter-State Council meeting held on July 16, 2016. The Punchhi Commission notified in 2005, submitted its report in 2010. The recommendations of the Punchhi Commission, which are contained in seven Volumes pertain to History of Centre-State Relations in India; Constitutional Governance and Management of Centre-State Relations; Centre-State Financial Relations and Planning; Local Self-Governments and Decentralized Governance; Internal Security, Criminal Justice and Centre State Co-operation; Environment, Natural Resources & Infrastructure; and Socio-Economic Development, Public Policy and Good Governance. The various Union Ministries and all the State Governments responded to the recommendations made in the report by providing detailed comments. The comments have been analysed in the Inter-State Council Secretariat. The Standing Committee examined in detail various recommendations of the Punchhi Commission contained in Volume II & III. The Volume II of the report is related to provisions of the Constitution that are concerned with important aspects of Constitutional governance such as role of Governors, deployment of Central forces, federal balance of power, ensuring better coordination between Centre and States and other important issues of Centre-State relations. The recommendations in Volume III of the Punchhi Commission report are related to Centre-State financial relations and cover the subjects of (a) fiscal transfers to states (b) Goods and Services Tax and (c) the Centre-State fiscal relations. The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-State relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. The remaining volumes of the Punchhi Commission recommendations will be taken up in subsequent meetings of the Standing Committee along with the implications of the recent developments in terms of the GST Act, the 14th Finance Commission Report and formation of NITI AAYOG, rationalisation of Centrally sponsored schemes etc. The recommendations of the Standing Committee finalized at this meeting will be placed before the Inter-State Council. ATLANTA (AP) - The man accused of starting a fire that caused the collapse of an Atlanta interstate bridge has been indicted on an arson charge by a grand jury. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr.'s office said in a statement that Friday's indictment charges 39-year-old Basil Eleby with first-degree arson and first degree property damage. Eleby had been arrested on the same charges and jailed on a $200,000 bond. Howard's office says Eleby faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if he's convicted of the charges. Authorities say Eleby had talked about smoking crack prior to the fire that broke out last Friday under the Interstate 85 bridge in an area where the state of Georgia stores noncombustible construction materials. Eleby's attorney, Liz Markowitz, has said her client is being used as a scapegoat. CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Officials say one person is dead after shooting near upscale shopping mall in South Florida. Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department says detectives have responded to the scene of the shooting in Coral Gables that resulted in one death. Zabaleta says the location of the shooting was along South Lejeune Road at an address that appears at or near the Shops of Merrick Park, an upscale shopping mall. TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Taylor County Sheriff's Office is using social media to address rumors of a serial killer in the area. A post on their Facebook page states the Sheriff's Office has fielded dozens of calls about a serial killer in Shady Grove and the discovery of 11 bodies. The Taylor County Sheriff says the rumors are entirely untrue, saying no one is in jeopardy and no bodies have been discovered. Guwahati, Apr 9 (IBNS) : Arunachal Pradesh Governor P.B. Acharya on Sunday met the Government officers of Bhalukpong Circle at Bhalukpong, West Kameng district. Acharya said that, the government officers are the pillars of success of every programme and schemes of the government and at the same time failure also. Therefore, go extra miles and work with vision. Be agent for changing the traditional mindset of the people. "I am here as a helping hand. I want my State to shine and not to beg for its development," the Governor said. Sharing his pain on the state of affairs, the Arunachal Pradesh governor said that for Arunachal Pradesh to develop and prosper, the people of the State must focus on three Es, i.e. education, electricity and employment. He called upon the officials to join hands to make Arunachal Pradesh economically independent and vibrant. Our education system must not only academic but man making education, education with skill. Stating tourism as the potentially largest revenue earning sector, the governor advised that tourism pamphlets must be easily made available to all the visitors to the State. The concept of Home Stay must be promoted. Recalling his visit in 1968, the governor said that the whole area was covered with dense forest. He urged upon the officials to preserve the flora and fauna and plant at least ten saplings against every fell tree. Effort must be there to harness medicinal plants. He suggested the officials to avail assistance from other well-known companies and enterprises for the benefit of indigenous communities. The governor reiterated that extra effort must be there to promote Beti Bachao, Beti Parao and create awareness on Jan Dhan Yojana and other welfare schemes of the State and Central Governments. It is the responsible of every Government official and empowered individual to ensure that benefits percolates down to the targeted population. Later the governor also met the representatives of NGOs, business communities, women and students organizations, community and Panchayati Raj leaders and Self Help Groups. The governor exhorted them to be nodal agents to bring positive changes in the society and serve the people with spirit of dedication. Adopt villages and government schools and do not look upon the Government for every need of the people. Work with the spirit of humane and nationalism. Share your richness and your empowerment to reduce the gap between rich and the poor, the governor appealed. The representatives, while expressing their surprise and gratitude for the meeting, apprised the governor regarding the challenges and aspirations. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati, Apr 9 (IBNS): To check population growth, the new population policy draft of the Assam government suggested that no government jobs for people with more than two child and free education up to university level to all girls in the state. Announcing the new population policy draft on Sunday, Assam Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, any person with more than two children will not eligible for any government jobs. "We have suggested that the two-children norms will be applicable for also in employment generation schemes like giving tractors, proving homes and other government benefits. Those with more than two child, they will not eligible for all government schemes. This norms will be applicable in panchayat, municipal bodies, autonomous councils like elections also," the Assam minister said. The Assam minister further said that, any person who gets a government job after meeting the norms to have maintain it till end of his service. Himanta Biswa said that, it is a draft population policy and it aims to give free education to all girls in the state up to university level. "We have suggested to make all facilities like fees, transportation, books, hostel fees free for all girls. We are hoping that, it will be encouraged to all girls to complete their education," Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The minister also said that, the proposed policy to also push increasing the legal age of marriage of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. "The new population policy will seek stringent laws to prevent sexual abuse and violence against the women. It will also consider a provision for 50 percent reservation for women in all government jobs and elections," the minister said. The Assam minister said that, the state government will seek suggestions from the people of Assam till July next and it will go to the state assembly for debate. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, the state has witnessed a huge population growth in past a decade as almost 1 crore population increased since 2001 in the state. The Assam Finance minister further said that, after adopting the population policy in the state assembly, service rules of all government departments to be changed. "It is a reflection of BJP's vision document and we are not so hurry to implement the new policy," Sarma said. Earlier, the state finance minister had proposed the new population policy for the state in his last budget speech. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath, Image: Google Maps) YAKIMA, Wash. Yakima County sheriffs investigators are hoping a DNA test will help identify a man whose body was dumped on the Fred G. Redm The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointments committee has been criticized within the ministry for selecting a candidate for Israels ambassador to Germany on Wednesday who doesnt speak German. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The committee, headed by Director General Yuval Rotem, chose MFA Deputy Director General Jeremy Issacharoff for the prestigious role. Issacharoff was picked over eight other candidates, most of whom did speak the language of Goethe. The criticism against his appointment does not dispute that Issacharoff is a respected and professional diplomat with extensive experience in strategy. He is the most senior diplomat involved in international talks on the issue of the nuclear agreement with Iran and the sanctions imposed on the country. IsraeliGerman relations aren't at their best. (Photo: AFP) A source at the MFA said that with all due respect to Issacharoffs seniority, it ends with the second he opens his mouth, reads the newspaper or listens to the news on television. According to them, at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, in the Chancellors office, in a briefing for German journalists and in public appearances, English is just not enough. In addition, the appointment of an ambassador to Germany who doesnt speak the language comes at a time when relations between the two countries are at a low ebb. Chancellor Angela Merkel postponed her scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was planned for May. The official reason was that Merkel was focused on elections, but unofficially, it was understood as a protest against the approval of the Regulation Law. Unser Mann in Berlin: Jeremy Issacharoff (Photo: MFA) The Foreign Ministry released a statement on the matter: Ambassador Jeremy Issacharoff, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry, is one of the most senior Israeli diplomats and an expert on strategic areas that are relevant to the important relations between Israel and Germany. Language knowledge is not the only criterion for choosing an ambassador. Of course, prior to his arrival in Germany, Ambassador Issacharoff definitely intends to invest in local and language studies. The appointments committee also decided on Wednesday to appoint the deputy director general of the Asia desk, Mark Sofer, as Israels ambassador to Australia, the deputy director general of economics at the ministry, Yaffa Ben-Ari, as Israels ambassador to Japan and Dr. Eyal Propper, deputy head of the Strategic Department, as Consul General in Shanghai. (Translated and edited by J. Herzog) The IDF is increasing the amount of high-school students set to undergo week-long courses on military combat bases, and also establishing a new program for Arab teens, among them both Muslims and Christians. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Gadna, an acronym for Gdudei No'ar ("youth battalions"), is an Israeli military program that prepares young people for military service in the Israel Defense Forces. Photo: IDF At least 1,200 students from across the country are expected to experience the unique Gadna course inside an IDF combat training base by the end of the current school year. Last year, 800 students underwent the special Gadna in combat training bases, mostly between the ages of 16-17. The increase in the amount of students who can undergo this course came following a high demand by educational institutions asking to give their students a course which will better prepare them for military service. Photo: IDF The initiative has so far been even more successful than anticipated, with an additional increase planned for the next school year. The student will undergo Gadna training in combat training bases serving the Artillery Corps, Engineering Corps and Nahal Brigade, and even in Bahad 1, the IDF school for military officers, and in a restricted military area near the border with Lebanon, alongside Golani Brigade's Reconnaissance Battalion. This is a significant step up in the students' exposure to actual military experience. Photo: IDF As part of the Gadna, students watched military and artillery exercises, took part in field training, listened to combat stories by senior soldiers, shot firearms and participated in combat simulations, while being instructed by infantry commanders and Education and Youth Corps soldiers. They were accompanied throughout all this by their school teachers. The IDF made sure to focus acceptance to this special Gadna from schools in which students preferred being drafted to non-combat-oriented military service. "We're aiming to normalize this Gadna so that every military training base, like the ones used by Givati and the Paratroopers' Brigades, could host the course on a regular basis," a senior Education and Youth Corps officer told Ynet. Photo: IDF At the same time, the Education and Youth Corps is preparing to hold the first Gadna for Arab teens who are interested in military service in May. This came following a slow but steady increase in the amount of Arab teens, both Muslim and Christian, who expressed their intent to volunteer and serve in the IDF. As of today, about 350 Muslim and Christian Arabs are serving in the IDF. The first Gadna for Arab youths will be held in Education and Youth Corps's Tzalmon base in the Galilee, and will have Arab soldiers who will guide the teens through the new course. Photo: IDF It is set to be a normal Gadna, like the usual one held for Jewish students. "I don't intend for an Arab soldier to change his name to a Jewish name or anything, I just aim to preserve the multi-cultural outlook," said the officer. (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) In its strike in Syria on Thursday night, the United States conveyed a message to the world: We have red lines, and anyone who crosses them will experience the military force of the strongest power in the universe. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter This message is directed first and foremost at rebellious regimes acting against international treaties, including Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria, North Korea and Iran. This message is also directed at Russia and China, who are provoking the Americans in the Indian Ocean. The US, President Donald Trump is essentially saying, wont stand idly by while human ethics are being violated. A satellite photo released by the Pentagon of the Syrian base the US attacked on Thursday (Photo: AFP) It was a surgical strike. It included accurate cruise missiles, which are capable of hitting the window of a house but carry extremely heavy warheads, against hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) and against fueling stations and facilities, which were likely the cause of fires at the Syrian military airfield in the Homs area. The same airbase serves the Russians as well, but Trump was undeterred by that. Israel struck in the surrounding area two weeks ago, and antiaircraft missiles were fired at the Israel Air Force planes from the same area. The red line set by Trump has to do with four reasons for a violent yet proportional and focused response: The use of deadly chemical weapons (and not chlorine gas); the violation of the international treaty which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of such weapons; the violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution; and the threat to US interests. By these interests, Trump is referring to the threat to US allies in the region, led by Turkey and Israel, which may be the next target of the chemical weapons. Trump announces the US strike in Syria, Thursday night (Photo: Reuters) In order to limit the damage and keep the message focused, the US informed all parties involvedincluding Russia, apparently. Trump emphasized that he has no intention of toppling Assad, but that if American interests are threatened, Russian President Vladimir Putin will suffer too. The main message is: You cant do as you please in the Middle East. Solid intelligence I believe Russia will protest the strike, but a military response is unlikely. Its hard to imagine Putin operating directly against the US, against the Sixth Fleet destroyers that the Tomahawk missiles were fired from or against American bases in Turkey. There will be a harsh diplomatic response, but thats it. In its current situation, both economic and military, Russia cannot afford an overall conflict with the US. The military activity against the rebels in Syria may be intensified, while at the same timein order to protect his interestsPutin will restrain Assad. He will do it quietly, but with an iron fist, so that the Syrian president doesn't embarrass him once again. A Tomahawk missile fired at Syria, Thursday night (Photo: Reuters) The Russians are embarrassed anyhow by the fact that their planes are operating from the same airfield out of which the aircraft with Assads chemical weapons departed. Its safe to assume that Trump would have not attacked the base near Homs, which includes Russian presence, without receiving solid intelligence, from different sources, on the operation. The message which was conveyed in advance to the Russiansand to Israel toocame shortly before the strike, leading to losses in the Syrian army, which had no time to prepare for the attack. Assad suffered considerable damage, as this is the base which is used for attacks against Islamic State targets in eastern Syria. A mini Pearl Harbor As far as the Middle East is concerned, this is a mini Pearl Harbor. The operation is good news for Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey because the US has made it clear that it views the use of non-conventional weapons as a red line, and that if such weapons are usedit will act as if the US itself has been attacked. From left to right: Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell, White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon and Donald Trumps daughter, Ivanka, during the presidents speech (Photo: Reuters) The bad news is for Iran, which keeps testing ballistic missiles in defiance of a UN resolution. The US is now warning the Iranians with a yellow card, not just in regard to its missile tests but also in regard to its nuclear agreement with the world powers. If they thought they would be able to violate the agreement and get away with it like Assad, they will now think twice. This holds good news for Israel too, which has voiced concerns over Iranian presence in the Golan Heights. From a broader perspective, the diplomatic message is directed at China as well, which is violating treaties in the South Sea. The fact that Trump ordered the strike while hosting the Chinese president in Florida speaks for itself. In fact, anyone who has been affected by the Iranian, North Korean and even Chinese violations of world order should now take into account that the Trump-led US has red lines which must not be crossed. Former US President Barack Obama is probably asking himself right now if he should have acted differently. Obama gave up on that red line, and Assad kept massacring Syrian civilians with Russian backing. Turkey's president says it's clear that Syria's government carried out Tuesday's chemical attack in northern Syria and called on Russia to stop supporting Bashar Assad's government. In a live interview on 24 TV Saturday night, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected Syria's denial of using chemical weapons. "They say it came from the depot of a terror organization there. It has nothing to do with it," he said. "We have the radar information and we have the forensic reports. Some say Syria does not have chemical weapons. Of course it does. It's clear which planes dropped it." He said NATO has all the radar records as well. The chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun killed 87 people and prompted the US to fire 59 missiles early Friday to strike a Syrian air base. Erdogan expressed support for the US missile strike on Shayrat air base, but said it should not end there, and asked Russia to join the effort. He said, "Russia should also join this and should stop supporting Assad." A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a response to recent reports that billionaire Chaim Poju Zabludowicz gave evidence to the Israel Police on gifts he had given to the Netanyahu family. This is yet another futile attempt to arouse the the media where there is nothing, We say again: There wont be anything, because there is nothing. European Education Ministers are set to discuss the question of how to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and its lessons after all its survivors have passed away. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Twelve European ministers will participate in a special conference held on Holocaust Remembrance Day, as part of the 29th March of the Living, an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore some of the remnants of the Holocaust. Last years March of the Living (Photo: Reuters) The special conference was set in motion by the organizers of the march together with Austrian Education Minister Sonja Hammerschmid, who commented that every state and society has dark chapters in its history. Austria and the Austrian education ministry have to deal with a long history of anti-Semitism that existed even before the rise of the Nazi regime and with the contribution of many Austrians in the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust. We in Austria feel that we have learned much from the experience of other countries, such as Israel, and so are inviting other countries to learn from us, Hammerschmid added. Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett will also participate in the conference and will represent the country in the annual march. Bennett commented that in every generation a person must act as if he himself went through the Holocaust. We could no longer point at the survivors and say their Holocaust, we will have to take ownership of the horrible tragedy our people went through and instill it in the hearts of the next generations. March of the living, led by Minister Ayelet Shaked and Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a Holocaust survivor himself (Photo: Reuters) On Holocaust Remembrance Day , More than ten thousand teenagers from around the world will march silently for three kilometers from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex built during World War II. Bennett and several other education ministers who participate in the conference will also take part in the march, alongside the former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, Tel Aviv chief rabbi and Holocaust survivor, Yisrael Meir Lau; Israels Supreme Court President Miriam Naor and the IDFs Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who will lead an army delegation of senior IDF officers. (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the web portal and mobile application named aBharat ke Veera on the occasion of Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) here on Sunday. The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing donors to contribute towards the family of a braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of Next of Kin of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar was the Guest of Honour during the function. Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said that he pays heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the safety of nation. He said that each moment of lives of CRPF and CAPF personnel is a test of their courage and bravery. He said that a bullet can hit a soldier physically, but no bullet can defeat the courage and motivation of a soldier. The bravery of CRPF commandant, Chetan Cheetah is an example of it who survived 9 bullets, Rajanth Singh added. The Union Home Minister thanked Akshay Kumar for contributing his ideas to the launch of Web Portal Bharat ke Veer. He said that he is satisfied that this portal will be successful and will act as a motivation to the brave soldiers. He said that Akshay Kumar is a hero for people, but Akshay Kumars real heros are the soldiers of Paramilitary Forces. Rajnath Singh appealed to the nation to visit the web portal and contribute maximum towards the corpus. The Union Home Minister said that CRPF has a multi-dimensional role to play and he is proud of their bravery and valour. He also said that the martyrs family should get a support of minimum Rs one crore and the Government would meet the gaps, if any. He said that 45-50% decline in the LWE incidents, 75% decline in incidents in North-East and decline in terror-incidents in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three years is the contribution of the Forces. The Secretary (Home), Rajiv Mehrishi also thanked actor Akshay Kumar for conceptualizing the idea of this portal and making his contribution to the martyrs families. Speaking on the occasion, actor Akshay Kumar said that this web portal has been designed in a record time of just two and a half months. He said that it will act as a support to the families of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. He said that this will act as a platform for those who want to contribute to the families of the bravehearts, but are not aware of the channel. He thanked the Ministry of Home Affairs for working towards launching this portal The site Bharat ke Veer will be available on web portal as well as mobile application. This domain allows anyone to financially support the bravehearts of his choice or towards the Bharat Ke Veer corpus. This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of India. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another braveheart account or to the Bharat Ke Veer corpus. Bharat Ke Veer corpus would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior Government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably to the bravehearts family on need basis. On the occasion, the Home Minister awarded Police Medal for Gallantry to the CRPF personnel (including posthumously) on the occasion of Valour Day. The Valour Day is celebrated in remembrance of an act of unparalleled bravery displayed by a small contingent of CRPF personnel, pitted against a full-fledged infantry brigade of Pakistani Army, trying to overrun their post, at Sardar Post, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat on April 09, 1965. They not only defeated the Pakistani brigade but also killed 34 Pakistani soldiers and captured 4 of them alive. The CRPF successfully defended the post till the arrival of reinforcements. The saga of valour of Sardar Post is a rich source of inspiration to the officers and men of CRPF and befittingly 9th April is observed as the Valour Day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning, praised the Trump administration at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, for its decision to launch a strike in Syria following Assad's alleged chemical attack that killed hundreds, inlcuding children. "Israel fully supports the American attack on Syria. They did this for moral reasons in light of the harsh scenes from Idlib and also to make it clear that there is a price for using chemical weapons. There is an international commitment from 2013 to remove all chemical weapons from Syria. As we have seen, this commitment has yet to be fully implemented. We call on the international community to complete the work, and this is an opportunity for American-Russian cooperation in this specific area. This work needs to be completed. Israel is caring for wounded Syrians as part of a humanitarian effort. We will continue to do so." PARIS - France's interior ministry said it has expelled a Swiss Islamic preacher with extremist views to his home country. The ministry said Hani Ramadan was arrested Saturday in Colmar, in eastern France, as he was taking part in a conference, and police escorted him to the Swiss border. It said Ramadan is "known in the past to have adopted a behavior and made comments which pose a serious threat to public order on the French soil." Syrian state media says President Bashar Assad has spoken with his Iranian counterpart following last week's US missile strike on a Syrian air base. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the strike on Friday a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty and affirmed his country's support for Assad's government. Assad accused the US of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. The US says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout the six-year civil war. The Israel Police arrested seven right-wing Jewish activists to prevent their offering caprine paschal sacrifices at Jerusalems Temple Mount on Monday, the eve of the Passover holiday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The six are member of the Return to Temple Mount movement, and they have been publicly calling on the Jewish public to partake in the ritual sacrifice of goats at the Old Citys flashpoint before the festival. Every year, activists come to the gates of the Temple Mount with goats and their kids to sacrifice them, and they are usually arrested by the police. Morris (Photo: Return to Temple Mount) The Return to Temple Mount movement said that police raided the activists' homes with arrest warrants. Police also reportedly showed up at the parents' home of the head of the movement, Rafael Morris, in Beit Shemesh, but he was not there. His parents said that if the police wanted to arrest him, they would have to go to his home in the Binyamin region, which they indeed successfully did. Last week, the Jerusalem district commander, Yoram Halevi, prohibited the holding of a rehearsal of the Passover sacrifice event at the foot of the Temple Mount. At the event, they planned to slaughter sheep on an altar and then roast the lamb on coals. The organizers petitioned the High Court of Justice against Halevi and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, demanding that the police decision be canceled, but on Sunday they were rejected. (Photo: Return to Temple Mount) Itamar Ben Gvir, the prominent right-wing activist and a lawyer who is representing the detainees, commented, "Israel is losing its democratic character and it is impossible for people to be arrested early in the morning just because they want to fulfill the commandments of the Jewish religion. Morris said in response, "Its a shame that the State of Israel is operating with an iron fist against people who only want to renew one of the most important commandments in the Torah. The police will not keep us from our right to make the paschal sacrifice I trust and believe that for every activist who was arrested, dozens more will come in their place to the Temple Mount on Passover Eve with their paschal sacrifices. The Israel Police explained that they were preventing extremist groupsJewish and Arab alikefrom the Temple Mount to prevent possible provocations. (Translated and edited by J. Herzog) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers Sunday that the cabinet will approve a decision about the celebrations to mark 50 years since the liberation of Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Speaking at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister added that "We will also celebrate the liberation of Jerusalem. He described the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israels military blitzed several Arab armies, poised to attack the beleaguered state, into capitulation as "one of the greatest victories in the history of Israel." Photo: Reuters It brought us back to parts of our homeland and completely changed our strategic situation. We will mark the 50th anniversary with a series of events, he told the cabinet ministers. He opened his remarks by reaffirming Israels full support for the Trump administrations decision to launch a strike in Syria following President Bashar Assad's alleged chemical attack that killed scores of civilians, including children They did this for moral reasons in light of the harsh scenes from Idlib and also to make it clear that there is a price for using chemical weapons. Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: AP) Netanyahu also referenced an international commitment from 2013 to remove all chemical weapons from Syria, a commitment which he said has evidently yet to be fully implemented. We call on the international community to complete the work, and this is an opportunity for American-Russian cooperation in this specific area, he continued. This work needs to be completed. Israel is caring for wounded Syrians as part of a humanitarian effort. We will continue to do so. One of the main subjects on the agenda for the weekly meeting related to how Israel would respond to the recent chemical slaughter. The cabinet will consider whether to bring Syrian children to Israel for medical treatment, including children injured in the attack currently languishing in Turkish refugee camps. But the Syrian debacle is set to occupy a prominent place on the cabinet agenda for other reasons too, particularly given Interior Minister Rabbi Aryeh Deris (Shas) proposal that Israel absorb 100 Syrian orphans Nevertheless, the idea has hitherto failed to garner significant support from other ministers since the plan would entail providing residency to the refugees. Drawing his public comments to a close, the prime minister delivered his best wishes to the people of Israel and Jews across the world as they prepare to celebrate the festival of Passover. Tomorrow we will celebrate Seder night. I wish the entire Jewish people and all citizens of Israel a happy Passover. I commend the soldiers and police officers, and the men and women of the Shin Bet, Mossad and all of the security services. They are safeguarding our security and ensuring our freedom. I call on the citizens of Israel to celebrate the holiday. Go out and travel around our beautiful country. Listen to the instructions of the security forces, drive carefully and return home safely." Security forces have clashed with Islamic extremists for the third consecutive day in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Sunday that at least two people have been killed since the clashes began. Smoke rises during clashes in Ein al-Hilweh camp (Photo: AFP) Ambulances are rushing the wounded to hospitals near the Ein el-Hilweh camp as the sounds of rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire echo from inside. Sidon's government hospital was struck by a rocket, and Lebanese authorities have closed the main highway connecting the port city to southern Lebanon. On Saturday, local Palestinian commander Subhi Abu Arab vowed to crush the followers of radical preacher Bilal Badr. The UN says some 55,000 people live in Ein el-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Gaza's Hamas rulers have condemned a church bombing in Egypt's Nile Delta. In a statement Sunday, the Islamic militant group described the attack as "a crime." Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said "Hamas wishes safety, security, stability and prosperity for Egypt and its people." Not long after East and West Jerusalem were unified in the wake of Israels victory in the Six Day War, pioneering restaurateur Shraga Levy made history by opening Dolphin Yam with a Palestinian partner in the modern Arab sector of the city. Since then, the landmark restaurant has moved twiceto West Jerusalem and, for a brief stint during the Intifada years, to Tel Avivbut it has retained its status as arguably the citys premier fish and seafood restaurant. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The management reins of Dolphin Yam have now been handed over to Shragas son Moshiko, who is dedicated to maintaining the high standards of the Jerusalem institution. To this end, he has instituted a special Chefs Menu, revised yearly, which is a good place for any first-time visitor to the restaurant to start. The Chefs Menu comprises a special selection of appetizers and entrees, as well as two platters for two, one meat platter and one seafood platter. Some of the items on the Chefs Menu are based on a page of the regular menu titled The Dolphin Specials. While perusing the menu, it is worth checking out the specialty cocktail of the week. The night of our visit it was 1800 Coconut Tequila with pineapple juicean interesting, refreshing twist on a pina colada, with premium tequila instead of rum. The full bar can also mix any of the classic cocktails. A meal at Dolphin Yam starts with a delicious tradition that has won the restaurant a loyal following: nine mezze, served with the house focaccia, which resembles a loaf of round frena bread. Noteworthy among the mezzewhich are included in the price of the main courseare rich white ikra, a North African carrot salad, a seasonal avocado spread, piquant matboukha, and cubed beets. The rotating Chefs Appetizer is a daily special that will be explained by your waiter. On our evening, it was shrimp paired with goose breast smoked in-house, in a cream sauce intriguingly flavored with nutmeg. The dish tasted every bit as heavenly as it sounds. One of the Dolphin Yams signature dishes is the strawberries ceviche, served in a martini glass: exceedingly fresh diced raw sea fish, with crisp vegetables for crunch, and slices of fresh strawberry in season. The lush red berries lend a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity of the marinade, in this truly inspired version of the Latin American classic. The crab bisque is a thick, creamy red broth garnished with raw shrimp that ingeniously cooks in the warm soup at the table. The bisque, chock full of delicate crab meat, is a rare treat in this country. The daily Chefs Special is a fish entree, and ours was sea bass, scallop and shrimp in a black pepper sauce with green chili and chopped hazelnuts. The moist, flavorful fish was cooked just right, in a decadent sauce that left a pleasant tingle of heat in the mouth. The side dish was also done perfectly, small baked potatoes that emerged from the oven with light and fluffy interiors. A green salad may be substituted for the potatoes. The seafood platter for two is a real crustacean extravaganza: calamari, shrimp, blue crab, soft shell crab, scallops and mussels, in a choice of another one of Dolphin Yams ideally balanced house sauces: mustard and cream, white wine and garlic, mushrooms and cream, lemon and capers, or lemon mint. A nice change of pace is the Chefs Menu meat platter for two. While the dish features both beef and lamb, the specialty is the latter: succulent lamb chops and juicy lamb kebabs, both generously garnished with pine nuts. Dolphin Yam takes immense pride in its wine list, curated overwhelmingly from Israeli wineries, especially small boutique wineries and even wines made by individual winemakers. Moshiko will be glad to consult on wine pairings with your meal, whether from the adequate selection of wines by the glass, or from the restaurants cellar of aged wines by the bottle. In particular, the house white winea private label from the Ortal Winery in the northern Golan Heightsis a pleasant, crisp blend of Roussanne and Viognier. Desserts are not on the printed menu, but are explained in detail by the waiters. Reflecting the same creativity that characterizes all of the restaurants dishes, the vanilla ice cream sundae with cherry tomato syrup, tehina and halva is a prime example of a sweet finish that is none too heavy after a substantial meal. Half a century of success is a track record any restaurant can be proud of; and the good news is that a first experience at Dolphin Yam need not break the bank: weekday business lunchesserved until 5pmoffer main courses, seven salads, house focaccia and juice at prices that start at NIS 68. Dolphin Yam Not kosher Shimon Ben Shetah St. 9, Jerusalem Egypt's Interior Ministry says a blast at a church in Alexandria was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm the entrance before being stopped by police. The ministry said three policemen were among those killed in Sunday's attack, without providing an overall toll. The Health Ministry said 11 people were killed and another 35 were wounded. The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality is promoting a series of family-friendly events for parents whose children will not be in school during the Passover holiday, including street fairs, story hours, childrens plays, and more. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter More information and a detailed list of events are available on the Municipalitys website. Picture frame in Tel Aviv-Yafo (Photo: Avshalom Shoshani) Immediately following Passover, April 27 marks the official start of beach season in Tel Aviv. Every year, over 8.5 million people visit the citys 14km of white sandy beaches, which are popular destinations for Israelis and visitors alike. Amenities available at every beach include: sun chairs and beach umbrellas, restrooms, outdoor gyms, restaurants, ice-cream shops, and even free public Wi-Fi. Lifeguard and security services are provided during beach season. Each of Tel Avivs 13 beautiful beaches has its own distinct character. Tel Aviv's beaches (Photo: Yuval Chen) Gordon is known as a great spot for beach volleyball, and Hilton is popular with the LGBT community, as well as thrill seekers looking to wind or kite surf. Geula Beach has a more relaxed, less crowded vibe, and the religious communities often gather at Nordau Beach, which offers separate days for mens and womens swimming. At the promenade in Old Jaffa, the Municipality has joined a global trend of setting up oversized photo frames for tourists. The frame includes a spectacular view of the sea and the coastline, inviting visitors to take a unique photo to share on social media. New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condemned the attacks in Egypt. Deeply pained by the attacks in Egypt. We condemn these attacks. My thoughts are with families of the deceased and prayers with the injured, the Indian Prime Minister said. At least 36 people were killed as two blasts rocked two churches in Egypt on Sunday, media reports said. The blasts targeted Coptic Christians on Palm Sunday. While, the first blast occurred close to St George's Coptic church in Tanta and left 25 people dead. The second blast hit outside St Mark's Coptic church. It left 11 people killed, media reports said. So-called Islamic State (IS) says it is behind the explosions. The group has targeted Coptic Christians in Egypt, BBC reported. Egypt MFA Spokesman tweeted: "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday. Another obnoxious but failed attempt against all Egyptians #united_on_PalmSunday." CAIRO -- Turkey has condemned Sunday's attacks on churches in Egypt. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." Mehmet Gormez, the head of religious affairs in Turkey, "cursed" the attacks and said they are the shared problem of all humanity. "The immunity of a place of worship, no matter the religion it belongs to, cannot be violated and the bloodthirsty killing of innocent worshippers cannot ever be forgiven," Gormez said in an official statement. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also published a statement denouncing the attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, which killed at least 26 people. "We convey our condolences to the bereaved families and the whole people of Egypt," the statement said before a second attack hit an Alexandria church, killing at least 11 people. BERLIN -- Recent Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds levels seen during the Cold War, a top US and NATO military officer said, voicing concern that the distributed nature of the deployments could end up "splitting and distracting" the transatlantic alliance. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATO's Allied Joint Force Command in Naples and commands US naval forces in Europe and Africa, said Russia had clearly stepped up its naval actions in recent years although the size of its navy was smaller now than during the Cold War era. "We're seeing activity that we didn't even see when it was the Soviet Union. It's precedential activity," Howard told Reuters in an interview late on Saturday during a missile defence conference. A joint command centre made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the US strike on a Syrian air base on Friday crossed "red lines" and it would respond to any new aggression and increase its support for its ally. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on Friday from which it said a deadly chemical weapons attack had been launched earlier in the week, escalating the US role in Syria and drawing criticism from Assad's allies including Russia and Iran. Rouhani and Putin (Photo: MCT) "What America waged in aggression against Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well," read the statement. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meanwhile, blamed Russian inaction for helping fuel the chemical weapons attack it had reacted to, saying Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. Photo: EPA He said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with Assad because "every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility." Putin and Rouhani speak Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said on Sunday. Photo: MCT The two leaders also called for an objective investigation into an incident involving chemical weapons in Syria's Idlib and said they were ready to deepen cooperation to fight terrorism, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. Syrian army forces had been losing ground across the country until Russia intervened militarily in September 2015, propping up Assad and protecting its own interests in the region. Assad has also drawn heavily on foreign Shi'ite militias sponsored by Iran, led by Lebanon's Hezbollah group, for his most important gains since the Russian intervention. Photo: EPA The joint command centre also said the presence of US troops in northern Syria where Washington has hundreds of special forces soldiers helping the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to oust ISIS was "illegal" and that Washington had a long-term plan to occupy the area. The regional alliance said the US cruise missile strikes on a Syrian base which Washington said was involved in a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians would not deter their forces from "liberating" all of Syrian territory. Many Syrians opposed to Assad's rule consider Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian-backed troops as occupiers seeking to drive out mainly Sunni Syrians from the areas they live in. They hold Iran and its allies responsible for the displacement of millions outside the country. They also see Russia as a foreign occupier whose relentless aerial bombardment of rebel-held areas has led to thousands of civilian casualties. Some accuse Moscow of applying a "scorched-earth policy" that targets hospitals, schools and residential areas more than frontlines to break the resolve of the anti-Assad insurgency. In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the U.S. missile strike was a "a strategic error, and a repeat of the mistakes of the past," the state news agency IRNA reported. "The Islamic Republic has shown that.. it does not back off and its people and officials ... do not retreat in the face of threats," said Khamenei. Many Syrians opposed to Assad's rule consider Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian-backed troops as occupiers seeking to drive out mainly Sunni Syrians from the areas they live in. They hold Iran and its allies responsible for the displacement of millions outside the country. They also see Russia as a foreign occupier whose relentless aerial bombardment of rebel-held areas has led to thousands of civilian casualties. Some accuse Moscow of applying a "scorched-earth policy" that targets hospitals, schools and residential areas more than frontlines to break the resolve of the anti-Assad insurgency Iran's supreme spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed the American attack on Syria and said that "American aggression against Syria is a strategic mistake, and the Americans are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors." In a first response to the missile attack on Syria, Khamenei added that "the former American officials were the ones who created ISIS, and the current ones strengthen the organization." CAIROEgypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered military troops be deployed across the country on Sunday, his office said in a statement, after 43 people were killed in bomb attacks on two churches. "President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has ordered units from the military to immediately deploy and assist the civilian police in securing vital facilities in all provinces of the republic," his office said in a statement. Russia and Iran renewed their support for the Syrian government in a flurry of calls on Sunday, saying last week's US missile strike violated Syrian sovereignty but failed to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. In a phone call with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the strike on Friday a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Assad accused the US of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. As property prices in the southeastern capitals continue to skyrocket, an increasing number of foreign and local investors are eyeing opportunities further south. According to the latest CoreLogic Hedonic Home Value Index for March, the annual rate of capital gains moved into double-digit growth in Hobart, increasing by 10.2%. This figure aligns with the findings of Propertyology, which has tipped Hobart to become Australias best-performing capital city property market in 2017. Now it seems that Launceston and nearby towns are beginning to feel the flow-on effects of Hobarts growth. Andy Howell, property agent for NAI Harcourts, said the lease and purchase rates of property in the region were increasing. [Launceston] looks a lot more full that it did two years ago, he said. Prominent properties like the Seaport Medical Centre, Great Lakes Hotel, The Grange at Campbell Town, and Whats New in the mall, are currently listed for sale. According to Howell, a lot of interest in the commercial sector comes from foreign investors, including the Chinese. The amount of foreigners that are buying is certainly increasing, he said. Foreign investors are particularly interested in hospitality, supermarkets, and service stations which are investments that can be owned and operated, said Howell. At Campbell Town, The Grange, a national heritage-listed property, has been hailed as a unique investment opportunity. Included in the three titles of the land are a conference centre, a historic home, and surplus land. Knight Frank Tasmania agent John Blacklow has the property listed for $1.975m. The property was put on the market last Thursday, and by afternoon, was generating strong interest. It is a quality offering a magnificent property, Blacklow said. We feel it should create a strong inquiry level because that is what this quality of property deserves. Related stories: TAS Excerpt From The 2017 April Market Report House Rents On The Rise In Most Capital Cities New York, Apr 9 (Just Earth News): The United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process on Saturdaycalled for Palestinian unity amid concerns over local pay cuts. I am deeply concerned by the growing tensions in Gaza, said Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. While the Palestinian Government needs to ensure its to ensure its fiscal sustainability under increasingly difficult economic conditions, it is important that reforms or decisions to reduce expenditures are fairly distributed and made with consideration to the harsh conditions under which people in Gaza live, Mladenov noted. He urged the responsible parties to work together to find a solution and called on all factions to allow the Palestinian Government to assume its responsibility in Gaza. Calling Gaza an integral part of the future Palestinian state, Mladenov said that no efforts should be spared to bring about real national reconciliation that ends the divide. Leaders have a responsibility to avoid escalation and bridge the growing divide between Gaza and the West Bank that further fragments the Palestinian people, he added. His comments come as tens of thousands of people reportedly took to the streets in Gaza today, following 30 per cent cuts to civil servants' salaries. Photo: World Bank/Arne Hoel Source: www.justearthnews.com Dhaka: Bangladesh's Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of "selling out" the country to India to translate into reality her "dream of staying in power for life", hours after New Delhi and Dhaka signed 22 pacts in key sectors including defence. "Hasina dreams of remaining in power for life. She has done many things for this. She kept nothing for the country, sold everything," Zia, former prime minister and the chief of main opposition outside parliament Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a party programme last night. Zia's comments came hours after Hasina, who is in India on a four-day visit, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed signing of 22 pacts in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear. Though the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement remained elusive, Modi conveyed his government's commitment for an "early solution". "It seems that she (Hasina) will sell the rest of the country... (but) the world history says no one could get away after selling a country," she said. After holding comprehensive talks with Hasina, Modi announced a new concessional Line of Credit of USD 4.5 billion for the neighbouring country and an additional assistance of USD 500 million to help its military procurement. Zia, 71, and Hasina, 69, are known as the 'Battling Begums' for their bitter rivalry that has poisoned Bangladeshi politics for nearly three decades. Earlier yesterday, BNP termed signing of the defence deal an "extreme betrayal with people and the country" with the party's spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claiming that the development will expose Bangladesh's security system to India. "Our security and existence is now at stake following signing of the MoUs," the BNP spokesman said. Ruling party Awami League's general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader urged BNP not to make any comment without knowing details of the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between India and Bangladesh. "There is nothing in the deals which could be concealed as it is the age of technology," the Minister said. Meanwhile, political analysts said BNP took the opportunity to make visible its presence in the political arena as its boycott of the 2014 elections largely eroded the moral of the party activists and supporters, even losing a chance of becoming a strong main opposition in Parliament. Hasina last month accused BNP of pursuing a "double- policy" on India after it expressed negative speculations over possible deals to be signed during her India visit. "It was Khaleda Zia who gave an undertaking of selling gas to India and came to power in 2001 (sacrificing Bangladesh's interest)... So anti-Indian words do not match in their mouth," Hasina had told a function of her Awami League. In the past, Hasina has criticised Zia for repeatedly seeking time from court appearance in graft cases, saying Zia lacked the courage to face courts as she was guilty deep down. Graft charges have been brought against Zia in the Zia Charitable Trust case which accuses her of embezzling 31.5 million Bangladeshi Taka (USD 4 lakh). Guwahati: Voting in the Assam assembly by-election in Dhemaji constituency passed off peacefully on Sunday, with 66.97 per cent of the total 2,19,751 voters casting their votes, an election official said. "The overall voter turnout for the by-election in the Dhemaji assembly constituency was 66.97 per cent," Dhemaji Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati told IANS over the phone. The by-election was necessitated as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pradan Baruah contested and won the byelection to the Lok Sabha from the Lakhimpur constituency. Sarbananda Sonowal vacated the seat after winning from the Majuli assembly constituency on becoming the Chief Minister. Sonowal was sworn in as first BJP Chief Minister of Assam on May 24. Korati said polling started at 7 a.m. and ended at 4.00 p.m. No untoward incident was reported, barring a technical glitch on one Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which was immediately replaced. She said the VVPAT machines were used in polls for the first time in the state. Adequate security forces were deployed to ensure free and fair poll, Korati said, adding 20 polling stations were marked as "very sensitive" and 141 others as "sensitive". Men and women in large numbers queued up at the 273 polling stations well before voting began at 7.00 a.m. despite a spell of heavy rain, Korati said. Five candidates are in the fray but the main contest is likely to take place between ruling BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu and Congress nominee Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates are Communist Party of India-Marxist`s Jadu Hazarika, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist`s Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. In the 126-member Assam assembly, the BJP has 60 members, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 14 and the Bodoland People`s Front (BPF) 12. The opposition Congress has 26 members, All India United Democratic Front 13 and one Independent. The counting of votes will be held on April 13. Buxar (Bihar): In a shocking incident, a dacoity case on Sunday was reported in Patna-Rajdhani Express near Buxar district of Bihar. What happened actually? As per information, the dacoits had thrashed the passengers before fleeing away with valuables. Meanwhile, the railway police have been informed about the incident following which the officials have launched a probe. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel part of the escort team have been suspended for negligence on duty. FIR lodged An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee will attend Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagrah's centenary celebrations later this month in Patna, where a host of events have been lined up to mark 100 years of the historic movement. The Bihar government will tomorrow kick off the year-long commemorative celebrations, as it was on April 10, 1917 that Gandhi set foot in the state for the first time. "100 glorious years of Gandhi's iconic Satyagrah movement is being marked through a number of events in various parts of Bihar and the President is slated to attend a function in Patna on April 17," an official source told PTI. Incidentally, Mukherjee had inaugurated the year-long centenary celebrations of the Patna High Court on April 18, 2015. Patna has several landmarks and heritage trails associated with the legacy of Gandhi and his stay in the capital 100 years ago, after he had alighted from a third-class compartment at Patna railway station (then Bankipore station). Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to inaugurate the opening ceremony of the celebrations, which will later spread to West Champaran and East Champaran (erstwhile unified Champaran district) and Muzaffarpur, among other places. A two-day seminar on the life of Gandhi and other social issues would be the first in the series of events that kick off on Monday. "The President will only be attending the function in Patna for a day. He may visit the Patna Sahib gurudwara," the source said. Incidentally, Patna in January hosted grand festivities to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, with the iconic Gandhi Maidan becoming the focal point of the celebrations. The Maidan (erstwhile Patna Lawn) also is the site of the world's tallest statue of Gandhi, which was sculpted by legendary artist Ram Sutar. A whole host of other activities, from exhibitions to workshops and heritage walks, are lined up from Patna to Motihari (district headquarters of East Champaran) during this period. Gandhi came to Bihar at the invitation of indigo cultivator Raj Kumar Shukla who wanted him to take up the cause of the farmers who were forced to grow indigo by the British. A framed painting showing him alighting from a third-class compartment, put up at the Patna Junction, commemorates his first visit to Bihar's capital. An interesting incident took place that day when Shukla took him to the residence of Rajendra Prasad, a Congress leader and a lawyer who had just started practising at the Patna High Court and went on to become the first President of the country. "Shukla took Gandhi to the house of Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer, he and other indigo-growers had engaged. However,the lawyer was out of town, and judging Gandhi to be of low caste, did not allow him to draw water from the well or use the lavatory in the house," reminisces his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi in his book "Gandhi: The Man, His People and the Empire". Incidentally, an important scene in Oscar-winning biopic "Gandhi" was shot at centuries-old Patna Collectorate, near the Maidan during the 1980s. The Durch-era Record Room was dressed up as the Motihari Jail while the District Magistrate Office was used for the SDO Court scene. It was this episode and the turn of events over the next few years, including the Champaran farmers' movement that would earn 48-year-old barrister Gandhi the exalted moniker of 'Mahatma'. Chennai: A public transport bus and a car were sucked into a massive hole in Chennai as a section of the road caved-in on Sunday, which sent people scurrying to safety. The incident took place around 2 pm in Chennai's Anna Salai area when the street was bustling with people. The bus was plying on the Anna Square-Vadapalani route. Both the vehicles were later on pulled out. But thankfully, no one was injured. It is suspected that the hole may have been formed due to an excavation work nearby for a metro project. The driver first thought it was a tyre puncture but when the movement grew stronger he peeped out and saw the road caving in, TOI reported. He asked the passengers to get down immediately. And as all the passengers deboarded, the bus started to sink. A passing car also got trapped. The police then cordoned off the area and diverted the traffic. Citing Tamil Nadu Finance Minister D Jayakumar, the report said that the accident might have happened due to loose soil. Mumbai: The founders of India`s Snapdeal told employees in an email on Sunday that the e-commerce company will ensure there is no disruption to staff "as the way forward becomes clear," as speculation of a takeover swirls. The email, seen by Reuters, tacitly acknowledged that a sale of the company could be in the offing, and it sought to calm the concerns of employees at India`s No. 3 e-commerce player. Snapdeal has for weeks been at the centre of much takeover speculation, with its largest backer Japan`s Softbank, seen as keen to sell the company to its larger rival, Tiger Global-backed Flipkart. Snapdeal has so far declined to comment on sale talks and said that it remains focused on achieving profitability. But recent layoffs at the company and heightened speculation around a takeover has spooked some employees, who have begun to look for new jobs. In the e-mail, Snapdeal`s founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal said their priority was to ensure the well-being of employees amid the "speculation" surrounding the company. "We will do all that we can, and more, in working with our investors to ensure there is no disruption in employment and that there are positive professional as well as financial outcomes for the team as the way forward becomes clear," the duo said in the letter. A spokesman for Snapdeal said the message was "intended to inform the team - in an authentic way - that the founders were acutely aware and actively engaged in ensuring the well-being of the team." A Snapdeal source who had read the email said such assurances at this stage were not comforting, however, as "employees feel left in the lurch." In the e-mail, the founders said salary increments for employees, to be announced over the next two weeks, will be more than last year`s due to the "incredible progress" made by the company. Sources say Snapdeal, which last year lost the No. 2 spot in the Indian e-commerce market to Amazon, had been eyeing a public listing in two years. Employees with stock options who had been hoping for a large payout from a listing now fear their options may be worthless if the company is sold. Another source familiar with the sale discussions said a deal with Flipkart is at the structuring stage and is likely to get announced within a month. New Delhi: The UIDAI has blacklisted or suspended around 1,000 operators while FIRs have been filed against 20 individuals in the last three months for malpractices such as charging for Aadhaar enrolment. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has also slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on these erring operators besides removing them from its system. "We have received certain complaints...We have a zero tolerance policy on overcharging. We have identified about 1,000 such operators since December 2016...In the last three months, these operators have been removed from our system and we are also imposing a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on them," UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI. Removal of these operators from the system implies they would not be able to conduct enrolment for Aadhaar from anywhere in the country. UIDAI is the nodal body responsible for rolling out Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number that identifies residents based on biometrics. The authority swung into action after it received certain complaints about some of these operators charging money for enrolments -- a service that is free of charge. Some other instances relate to overcharging for updation of Aadhaar details, for which UIDAI has prescribed a rate of Rs 25, while some pertained to operators departing from the set procedures. "We got certain complaints where people were being inconvenienced and sometimes they were being asked for money...So we have appealed that they (operators) should stick to the prescribed rates," he said. In more severe cases, FIRs have been filed. "We have filed FIRs against 20 persons," Pandey said, hoping that the action by the UIDAI would be a deterrent for others trying to overcharge or not following proper processes. The suspension period varies from 6 months to 10 years depending on the severity of the offence, he added. So far, he pointed out, action has been taken against 34,000 operators since the beginning of the Aadhaar program. The Aadhaar ecosystem has four lakh certified operators and at any point of time about 40,000 such people enrol residents across the country. As per the latest update, more than 113 crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated in the country and Aadhaar authentications have crossed the 500 crore mark, while 100 crore e-KYCs have been done on the platform. New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into two luncheons at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence last year which allegedly cost the exchequer around Rs 11 lakh, a charge denied by the ruling AAP. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had "conspired" with the principal secretary finance to "suppress" the truth in the matter. "BJP wants the Lt Governor to order a judicial inquiry which is conducted in a time-bound manner. Action should be taken against ministers and officials involved. The details of the menu should also be disclosed," he said at a press conference. Sisodia's claim that he had never cleared the files relating to the payment also did not cut ice with the BJP. The lunch was hosted and food was consumed, so AAP's clarification makes "no sense", Gupta said. Yesterday, Sisodia had claimed, "The so-called food bill of Rs 13,000 per plate was sent to me by officers for clearance a year back, but I never approved those. The files have been with the then L-G Najeeb Jung's office for the past six months. It seems the L-G's office has leaked it now under pressure from the BJP." BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit out at Kejriwal over the observations of the Shunglu panel report. "The report has clearly pointed out that Kejriwal's relative Nikunj Agarwal was appointed as OSD to Health Minister Satyendar Jain violating all norms. The question is why was it done," Patra said and offered his own theory which had no mention in the Shunglu report. Mogadishu, Apr 9 (IBNS): At least 10 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu on Sunday, media reports said. The civilians were reportedly traveling on a mini-bus. Ten people mostly civilians on mini-bus were on Sunday killed and more 20 others injured after suicide car bomb attack near the Ministry of Defense in the capital Mogadishu, SONNA reported. Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab militants have claimed resposndsibility for the attack New Delhi: Upping the ante against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged splurging of public funds on lunches at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal`s residence. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also accused the AAP of misleading people about ordering a probe into the matter. "(Delhi Deputy Chief Minister) Manish Sisodia has not set any inquiry in the issue. Tell us who are conducting the inquiry. Tell us when and where was the inquiry set in the issue," Gupta told media persons here. "I want Manish Sisodia to come out in public and inform when and what the Committee was formed to look into the issue. This is a clear case of fooling people and trying to use public money for personal use," said Gupta. "We want the Delhi Lt Governor to set up a judicial inquiry into the issue," said Gupta who has alleged that the Delhi government spent several lakh rupees on two lunch parties at Kejriwal`s residence on February 11 and 12 last year hosting nearly 80 people. Ahead of the April 22 polls to the three municipal corporations in the national capital, the BJP has been gunning at the AAP over the issue and has also demanded Kejriwal`s resignation. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Kejriwal also needs to explain the appointment of his close family relative Nikunj Agarwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain`s daughter in the government in violation of government norms. New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday received a boost from President Pranab Mukherjee who passionately called on the nation to extend support to the mission of cashless India. He stated that all efforts of the Government will achieve their end only if people were to adopt them pro-actively. The President was speaking on the occasion of the 100th mega draw of lots for Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The President further notes that India is on the cusp of a digital revolution, adding that more than one billion Indians have a unique identity number with a biometric identifier which is unique in its own way. "Even countries which are technologically far more advanced than India with comparatively much smaller size population do not have such a system in place," he said. President Mukherjee also complemented the Government on its bold initiatives for promoting the culture of digital payment in the country, and said that it was in line with such bold initiatives that the Parliament made a new beginning in Financial Management through passage of Annual Budget by March 31, 2017. London: A number of prominent British television journalists from the BBC and Sky News are reportedly on an Islamic State hit-list. A website of the dreaded terrorist group is encouraging "lone-wolf" attacks on newsreaders alongside the location of their offices, the 'Daily Star' reported. The newspaper said it has contacted police to alert them about the website and counter-terrorism officers are now looking into the case. "The Islamic State website posts instructed followers to target BBC and Sky newsreaders and posted the location of their offices," the daily said. "Terror bosses went on to instruct fanatics to attack popular tourist attractions. They include Downing Street, Big Ben and, chillingly, Westminster, the scene of last month?s terror attack," it adds. Further posts reportedly provided a list of names of British MPs, police stations, government buildings, Army bases, shopping centres and airports. The "terrifying lists" were posted on an "offshoot" of a well-known terrorism website, the newspaper claims. The website had pictures of alleged victims of a coalition bombing in Mosul, Iraq, with the message: "By Allah! We will not forget! Even after some time we will never forget!". Security expert Will Geddes told said that public figures commenting on Islamic State should take security seriously. He said: "Anyone potentially in the public eye talking about IS needs to be reasonably concerned about their safety. Lists like this provide a paint-by-numbers approach to terrorism. It?s about giving supporters ideas on who or what to target." The UK's security forces are encouraging any online suspected terror-related information to be reported at gov.Uk/report-terrorism. Ahmedabad: Asserting that like the Hindu society which abolished practices like child marriage, dowry and sati, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that Muslims should mull over putting an end to the triple talaq divorce system. Naidu said it is high time that the Muslim society should introspect and have a healthy discussion on the triple talaq issue in order to give justice to their women. "Triple talaq is not allowed and everybody knows it, yet there are few people who are doing injustice with Muslim women. It`s high time that the Muslim society should witnesses change," Naidu told the media here. "Like the Hindu society changed a lot, we abolished child marriage, dowry, sati. I believe that there should be a healthy discussion in the Muslim society regarding this issue and that they should chalk out a solution," he added. The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is `cruel` and raised an issue 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 the Muslims community on May 11. Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among the Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. Meanwhile, Naidu while commenting on the Ram temple issue said the government hails the Supreme Court`s order in the regard, adding it is to be seen how amicably both sides can churn out a solution. "The Supreme Court has asked us to amicably decide over the matter. It is a very good thought, but till what extent this matter can be discussed to churn out a solution is yet to be seen," said Naidu. The apex court had earlier described Ram temple as a ``sensitive and sentimental`` issue and called for an amicable settlement of the dispute by all concerned parties. Earlier on March 21, the apex court had suggested an out-of-court settlement in the highly vexed case.The top court had set March 31 as the deadline for all parties involved to present their stance on the issue.While most of the parties including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP have welcomed the apex court`s suggestion, the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) had rejected the idea. Shimla: The lone assembly seat of Bhoranj in Himachal Pradesh went to bypoll amid tight security on Sunday. Electors across the constituency in Hamirpur district could be seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 8 a.m. "There is no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer told IANS. Five candidates, including three independents, are in the fray. The main contest is between the state-ruled Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Bhoranj constituency has been a BJP stronghold for three decades. The bypoll has been necessitated with the death of two-time former minister I.D. Dhiman, who had won six consecutive elections from this seat. His son Anil Dhiman, a doctor by profession, is in the fray from the BJP. He is pitted against Promila Devi of the Congress. The constituency has 73,485 voters including 37,843 women. New Delhi: An Air India pilot has been grounded for three months after he tested positive in the mandatory pre-flight alcohol test, minutes before operating a flight to Abu Dhabi from here. The pilot was rostered to fly the Air India Express IX 115 Delhi to Abu Dhabi flight, which was scheduled for departure from Indira Gandhi International Airport at 8:50pm yesterday. "The pilot who was on deputation with AI Express tested positive in the pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test. Since this was the first time he has failed his test he has been grounded for three months," an Air India source said. Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink, 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him or her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight. Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breathlyser test is required to be taken off flying duty and his or her licence is suspended for three months. In case of a repeat offence, the licence of the crew member is suspended for 3 years. However, despite strict provisions, DGCA sources say pilots failing the breathlyser test is a common occurrence. "We suspend anywhere between 1-4 pilots every month for this offence," a DGCA official said. As per data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in Parliament last month, this is the second-most common air safety breach committed by crew members, with violations related to breathalyser testing increasing from 49 cases in 2015 to 61 in 2016 -- a jump of 24 per cent. In fact, Air India pilots were the top violators in 2016 with the national carrier registering 24 cases, followed by Indigo with 9 cases and SpiceJet with 7 cases. Recently, a senior official of Air India, Captain AK Kathpalia, was suspended for 3 months by the DGCA for allegedly skipping the breathalyser test before a flight. He was subsequently removed from the post of Executive Director, Operations. However, he was later appointed to the post of Director (Operations) in Air India Ltd for a period of five years, in a decision taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. This move has been opposed by one of the pilot unions for "his dubious track record". New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the deadly twin Palm Sunday church bombings in Egypt, which claimed around 37 lives. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister expressed his grief over the deadly development and joined other world leaders in condemning the attack. The first blast was in the northern city of Tanta, where a powerful explosion ripped through a Palm Sunday service at St George`s Church, killing 26 people and wounding 60 others, and not long after that, at least 11 people were killed and 35 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack outside Saint Mark`s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. Pope Francis, who is scheduled to visit Cairo this month, where he will meet with various religious leaders, including the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, expressed his grief following the church attack. "To my dear brother his Holiness Pope Tawadros II, to the Coptic church and to all of the dear country Egypt, I express my deep condolences, I prayed for the dead and the wounded, I am close to the families and to the entire community. God convert the hearts of the people who spread terror, violence and dead, and also the heart of who produces and traffic weapons," the Pope said. Russia`s President Vladimir Putin also condemned the attack and offered his condolences. Today`s attack is the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt`s Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population of 92 million and has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic extremists. In December last year, 25 people were killed by a suicide bombing at Cairo`s main Coptic cathedral. The ISIS later claimed responsibility for the blast. New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said all stakeholders should rise above sectarian interests to focus on the larger picture of national development. Rajnath Singh made the observation while chairing the 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council here. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the meeting. Besides, ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan represented their states at the meeting. The Home Minister said all the stakeholders share a common desire to take the nation forward and prosperity can come only when there is peace and stability, a release said. He said India is a nation characterised by unity in diversity, and hence it is important that trust and cordiality form the bedrock for centre-state cooperation. The Standing Committee examined various recommendations of the Punchhi Commission contained in Volume 2 and 3, the release said. The Punchhi Commission was notified in 2005, and it submitted its report in 2010. It made recommendations which are contained in seven volumes The Volume 2 of the report is related to provisions of the constitution that are concerned with important aspects of Constitutional governance such as role of Governors, deployment of central forces, federal balance of power, ensuring better coordination between central government and states and other important issues of centre-state relations. The recommendations in Volume 3 of the Punchhi Commission report are related to centre-state financial relations and cover the subjects of fiscal transfers to states, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Centre-state fiscal relations. "The discussions centred around various aspects of Centre-state relations having implications for governance and flowing from Constitutional provisions. The recommendations of the Standing Committee finalised at this meeting will be placed before the Inter-State Council," the release said. It said that the remaining volumes of the Punchhi Commission recommendations would be taken up in subsequent meetings of the Standing Committee along with the implications of the recent developments in terms of the GST Act, the 14th Finance Commission Report and formation of NITI AAYOG and rationalisation of Centrally sponsored schemes. The recommendations of Punchhi Commission pertain to history of centre-state relations in India; constitutional governance and management of centre-state relations; centre-state financial relations; local self-governments and decentralised governance; internal security, criminal justice and centre-state co-operation; environment, natural resources and infrastructure; and socio-economic development, public policy and good governance. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. "Greetings to all my fellow countrymen in India and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti," Mukherjee tweeted. He said: "Bhagwan Mahavira's philosophy of ahimsa, truth, compassion and non-violence are of increasing relevance in today's world." The President urged the people to "imbibe his teaching of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct" in uniting and building a "society free from violence, terrorism and exploitation". Modi tweeted: "Greetings on Mahavir Jayanti. We recall the noble teachings of Lord Mahavir, which continue to guide generations." Mahavir, born in Bihar in 599 BC, was the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara (spiritual teacher). New Delhi: Concerned over declining prices of pulses produced domestically due to cheap imports, an RSS- affiliated body today urged the government to impose a 30 per cent import duty on them to help safeguard farmers' interests. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch has asked her to step in while fearing that the country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. It said unless the government imposes customs duty on pulses, the situation may turn worse and farmers would be disinclined to produce more pulses domestically, due to poor productivity and low prices. Manch national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan told Sitharaman that her Ministry has exempted import of pulses from paying the 10 per cent imports duty which has led to large-scale imports at lower prices. Mahajan said the custom duty exemption notification on pulses expired on March 31 and urged the government not to issue a fresh notification for continuing with the exemption. "I take this opportunity to urge you to kindly not pronounce any such notification of exemption from duty, after lapse of this notification. "There after kindly impose at least 30 percent duty to safeguard the interest of the farmers and for the food security of the nation," he said. The Manch said the exemption of pulses from import duty, done to support domestic supplies and keep prices of pulses low for consumers, does not have relevance now as domestic prices of the commodity have come down. It said it is unfortunate that due to zero duty import of pulse traders have flooded the market with yellow peas. The Manch said this is bound to kill traditional pulses market for ever for hotel and restaurant industry, the biggest consumer of pulse. According to the RSS body, though the government tried to procure pulses from farmers at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), not all farmers could get the benefit of support prices. "As a result, zero duty import of pulses has killed the farmers' income in pulses," Mahajan said, adding that traders are selling imported pulses at comparatively lower prices in the market and pulses are being sold below the MSP announced by the government. "The country's food security will be at the mercy of international markets. This is not a prudent approach," he said. The Manch co-convener said the erstwhile USSR suffered due to lack of domestic food supplies and India needs to encourage domestic production of pulses and oil seeds for its food security. Further, he said, importers have created huge processing and warehousing facilities near major ports like refined oil companies. 8 killed in Afghanistan road mishap India Blooms News Service | | #Afghanistan, #AfghanistanAttack, #AfghanistanAaccidenrt Kabul, Apr 9 (IBNS): At least eight people were killed during a mishap in Laghman province of Afghanistan on Saturday, media reports said on Sunday. New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday strongly pitched for an all-India law against cow slaughter and asked the vigilante groups to obey the law while espousing the cause of protecting the animal. "We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country," he said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir here. The RSS chief said the work of cow protection should be continued by obeying the law. "Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause and the law must be obeyed," he said. New Delhi: The Modi government, ahead of its third anniversary in power, has asked all ministers to submit their five major achievements that have benefitted people, including key reforms and comparative data reflecting the progress made since the BJP took office. In a letter sent out this week, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked all ministers to submit the data and observations to him. It will be compiled in a booklet that the government plans to publish before May 26, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge three years ago. A copy of the letter was obtained by PTI. In his letter, Naidu asked the ministers to send him "a three-page note in bullet form only". It said the note should cover five aspects: * Five major achievements of the ministry concerned which have benefitted the people or appreciated by the people. * Key performance indicators of the ministry * Comparative data/statistics of flagship schemes of the ministry which signifies what was the position in 2014 and now in 2017. For example, how many LPG connections were there in 2014 and what is the number now in 2017. * Three reforms brought by the ministry- process, policy, functioning, programmes, etc; and * Two top success stories in one paragraph each. In an earlier letter dated March 21, Naidu urged the ministers and senior BJP leaders to communicate with the people on the positive changes that have been brought about by the Modi-led NDA government. Asserting that the mood of the nation is clearly in "favour of the BJP and PM Modi", Naidu said, "We all take pride in being a member of Team Modi, whose relentless pursuit to turn around the fortunes of millions of people, hitherto neglected by successive governments, is bearing visible fruits." "... We must prepare concrete action plan and be ready with facts, figures, data to propagate the government's achievements in a big way," he said. According to the letter, the government has made a list of ministers who would prepare note on specific sectoral topics assigned to them. Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar has been asked to prepare a note on the highlights of the prime minister's tour abroad, major outcomes from those tours and increased investment flows from foreign countries. Similarly, MPs Swapan Dasgupta and Chandan Mitra have been assigned to compile a note on intellectual discourse and counter any possible negative narrative on topics like less than promised employment generation, so-called threats to freedom of expression among others. Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday inaugurated the web portal and mobile application named 'Bharat ke Veer' on the occasion of Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable donors to contribute towards the family of a braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of next of kin of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. Actor Akshay Kumar was the guest of honour for the function. Speaking on the occasion, Singh said that each moment of lives of CRPF and CAPF personnel was a test of their courage and bravery. He added that a bullet could hit a soldier physically, but no bullet could defeat the courage and motivation of a soldier. The HM gave the example of CRPF commandant, Chetan Cheetah who survived nine bullets. Singh also thanked Akshay for contributing his ideas to the launch of web portal and appealed to the nation to visit it and contribute maximum towards the corpus. At the same time, Singh maintained that the martyrs family should get a support of minimum Rs one crore and the government would meet the gaps, if any. On the other hand, speaking on the occasion, Akshay said that the web portal would act as a support to the families of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another braveheart's account or to the 'bharat ke veer' corpus. The corpus would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably to the bravehearts family on need basis. Meanwhile, the HM awarded police medal for gallantry to the CRPF personnel (including posthumously) on the occasion of valour day. (Content courtesy - PIB) Bengaluru: An estimated 76 and 78 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the bypolls to Nanjanagud and Gundlupet Assembly constituencies in Karnataka on Sunday. "The voter turnout in Nanjanagud was around 76 per cent and about 78 per cent at Gundlupet tentatively at 5 PM," the Election Commission officials said. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha had earlier told PTI that the voter turnout has been "very good" and that the elections have been by and large peaceful. The polls were necessitated in Gundulpet and Nanjanagud following the death of Cooperation Minister Mahadeva Prasad and resignation of V Srinivas Prasad as a Congress MLA after he was dropped from the ministry. Srinivas Prasad is now the BJP candidate from Nanjangud while Congress has fielded Kalale Keshavamurthy, who had contested the 2013 Assembly polls on a JD(S) ticket. In Gundlupet, the Congress has fielded Mahadeva Prasad's wife Geeta Mahadeva Prasad and the BJP, C S Niranjan Kumar as its candidate. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) has decided not to field its candidates for the by-polls and remain neutral. The stakes are high for both ruling Congress and BJP, particularly so for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as he aims to continue his grip over the party and the government ahead of next year's Assembly elections, even as he faces dissidence from the party's old guard. With both constituencies being Congress seats and in his home turf, winning the bypoll has become a prestige issue for Siddaramaiah, who had devoted the last eight days for the campaign crisscrossing both the constituencies. Counting of votes will take place on April 13. On the other hand, for Yeddyurappa too results of these polls are important to have his dominance in the ticket distribution for the next year Assembly elections. The Lingayat strongman who had camped in the two constituencies for the last 26 days for campaigning, also faces dissonance within the party over his "unilateral" style of functioning. A total of 12 candidates are in the fray in Nanjanagud constituency, which has 2,01,815 voters. In Gundlupete, nine candidates are in the fray, where there are a total of 2,00,860 voters. Along with police and home guard personnel, Karnataka State Reserve Police, District Armed Reserve and Central Armed Police Force units or platoons had been deployed for the bypolls, officials said. Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch of the Odisha Police has begun an investigation into an incidence of communal violence last week in Bhadrak town where the curfew was reimposed till Monday morning. The prohibitory orders in the town were initially relaxed from 8 to 11 am on Sunday. The hours were extended until 12 noon to facilitate people to purchase essential commodities. The curfew was reimposed later and will remain in force till 7 am on Monday, said a police officer. Around 35 platoons of police forces have been deployed across the town to avoid any untoward incident. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) would be sent to Bhadrak. Patnaik, who attended the Inter-State Council Standing Committee meeting in New Delhi, said that he discussed the Bhadrak issue with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and he has assured the state two companies of the RAF would be sent. Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has begun the probe into the alleged offensive remarks on Hindu deities on social media that led to unrest in the town on Thursday and Friday. "The crime branch probe has started into the alleged offensive remarks and rumours on social media. The Crime Branch cyber cell is investigating the WhatsApp data. The group admins have been asked for providing the data," told Crime Branch Special Director General BK Sharma. He also said stringent action would be taken against the persons behind it. On Saturday, the police detained 35 people in connection with the clashes. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal on Sunday reacted to the assault charges against him. The 44-year-old star stated all such reports to be untrue and said that he did not assault anyone. "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan?Man!!Where do people make this news up from?Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews," the 'Om Shanti Om' hunk tweeted. A complaint has been filed with Delhi Police against Arjun for allegedly assaulting a man at a nightclub in Delhi. The complainant, Shobhit, claimed that the incident happened at around 3.30 AM on Sunday when Rampal was being clicked. The actor allegedly grabbed the camera flash and threw it towards the crowd injuring Shobhit. Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan?Man!!Where do people make this news up from?Not assaulted anyone #untrue #fakenews April 9, 2017 According to the Delhi Police, the incident happened last night when the actor was playing as a DJ at Privee nightclub located in a five-star hotel in Lutyens' Delhi. "He threw a camera flashlight in the crowd hoping that someone will catch it. But it hit a man named Shobhit, aged between 25-30, in his head. He didn't sustain any grievous injuries but in the medical examination that was carried out, it has been found that it is a lacerated wound, a senior police officer said. "He has given a complaint but we are legally examining it. As of now, no FIR has been registered against the actor," the officer added. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday took to Twitter to condemn Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi's statement against cinema. In an array of tweets, the 71-year-old star also highlighted the importance of movies with strong social messages. "Humble suggestion to Smt. Maneka Gandhi. Please choose right subject at right time and after consulting right people. There are other ways of staying in the news or coming into limelight than holding movies responsible for crimes. And who would you hold responsible for corruption - movies or politicians? And what about terrorism, anti national behaviour, molestation, attacks on airline staff, rioting etc. Let's not find a scapegoat in cinema. What about movies Pink, Dangal with strong social messages," he posted on the social media. Earlier, Maneka blamed movies for the rising crime against women in the country and also urged the film fraternity to portray women in a better light. "We have very important reason why men believe they can get away or they indulge in violence against women and that is films. If you look at films,which is a way to communicate messages, you will find romance almost always starts with eve-teasing. The man and friends will surround a woman, be mean to her trip her up, show her down, abuse her, touch her inappropriately and slowly she falls in love with him," Gandhi said while speaking at Goa Fest on Friday. She said that violence against women is increasing because of the indecent representation of them in Bollywood and regional movies. "Romance in almost every film starts with eve teasing, be it Hindi or in regional films," she added. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also slammed her comments. (With ANI inputs) New Delhi: No deadline has been set for introduction of Sharia or interest-free banking in India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. The RBI had earlier proposed opening of "Islamic window" in conventional banks for gradual introduction of Sharia- compliant banking. Responding to an RTI application, the RBI said it has not taken any step to introduce Islamic window in banks for gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant interest-free banking in India. "RBI has not set any deadline for introduction of interest-free banking," the central bank said in response to the RTI query filed by PTI. However, on the instruction of the central government, an Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) set up in RBI has examined the legal, technical and regulatory issues for introducing interest-free banking in India and has submitted its report to the government, it said. The RBI had in February last year sent a copy of the IDG to the Finance Ministry. "In our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner," the central bank had told the Ministry in a letter. In late 2008, a committee on Financial Sector Reforms, headed by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, had stressed on the need for a closer look at the issue of interest-free banking in the country. "Certain faiths prohibit the use of financial instruments that pay interest. The non-availability of interest-free banking products results in some Indians, including those in the economically disadvantaged strata of society, not being able to access banking products and services due to reasons of faith," the committee had said. New Delhi: Individuals struggling to link their Permanent Account Number with Aadhaar because of differently spelt names can now simply upload a scanned copy of PAN to get the work done. Besides, the tax department is planning to introduce an option on the e-filing portal through which taxpayers can choose to link the Aadhaar without changing the name by opting for a One-Time Password (OTP), provided that the year of birth of the person matches in both documents. With the linking of PAN with Aadhaar being made mandatory, individuals can log on to e-filing website of the income tax department or NSDL but the seeding cannot happen if the name is differently spelt in the two cards -- like use of full name in PAN and initials in Aadhaar. In such cases, government has allowed a simple uploading of a scanned copy of PAN on the Aadhaar website. The tax department will start educating taxpayers from this week through media outreach on ways to link the PAN with Aadhaar, an official told PTI. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had through amendment to tax proposals in the Finance Bill of the Budget for 2017-18, had made Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns and provided for linking of PAN with Aadhaar to curb tax evasion through use of multiple PAN cards. The e-filing portal has already activated a functionality of linking PAN with Aadhaar. Over 1.08 crore assessees have already Aadhaar-linked PAN but the number is abysmally low as there are over 25 crore PAN card holders in the country, while Aadhaar has been issued to 111 crore people. As per statistics with the tax department, only 6 crore people file income tax returns at present. The official said that linking of PAN with Aadhaar should not be cumbersome for people whose registered mobile number with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is active. "In case the taxpayer is unable to link PAN with Aadhaar because of discrepancy in name, we are advising them to log in to the Aadhaar website, request for a name change and upload a scanned copy of PAN card as supported proof. This is the simplest way to update name in Aadhaar and only the registered mobile number has to be functional," the official said. This option will hold good for people who have given short forms of their name or in some cases there are some spelling errors in the name provided in Aadhaar card. However, in certain cases, there are people who have got married and changed their surname and updated the same while getting Aadhaar number, but it does not get reflected in PAN documents. In such and other name change cases, the tax department is planning to give the OTP option wherein the password would be sent to the Aadhaar-registered mobile number and the tax department, on its part, would match the year of birth of the taxpayer with the Aadhaar database. "We are also contemplating that when taxpayers with name discrepancy logs into the e-filing website for linkage, we will send OTP to the Aadhaar registered mobile number. The taxpayer can link PAN using the OTP. While generating the OTP, we will just check if the year of birth of the taxpayer in PAN card matches with the year given in the Aadhaar document," the official added. Jaipur: Over 80 percent turnout was witnessed in the polling for the Dholpur Assembly constituency where the ruling BJP is engaged in a fierce fight with opposition Congress and a dozen independent candidates. In 2013, during the state assembly elections, the voting percentage in Dholpur was 81.34 percent. "It was a peaceful election on 231 booths, which nearly 1500 polling personnel handled. Tight security arrangements were made on sensitive polling booths. Over 80 per cent voters exercised their right," Chief Electoral Officer, Ashwini Bhagat told PTI. He said that at one of the polling booths (No-163), due to some technical problem, voting had to be stopped. "We have informed the matter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and re-polling may be done on the booth," he added. For the first time voters exercised their franchise on VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines, which have been introduced in the state for the first time. Apart from BJP candidate Shobha Rani and Congress's Banwari Lal Sharma and 13 other candidates including 12 independents contested election. Sharma has won from the seat for five times while Shobha Rani is contesting in place of her husband B L Kushwah who was convicted in a murder case after which his membership was terminated. Nearly 1. 91 lakh voters were eligible to to cast their votes. Counting of votes will take place on April 13. Toronto, Apr 9 (IBNS): Employment in Canada has little changed in March (+19,000 or +0.1%), while the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 6.7% as more people searched for work, said Statistics Canada website. In the first quarter of 2017, employment gains totalled 83,000 or 0.5%. This growth is comparable to the last quarter of 2016 (+91,000 or +0.5%) and notably higher than the first quarter of 2016 (+36,000 or +0.2%), read the Statistics Canada website. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased by 276,000 (+1.5%), mostly in full-time work. Over the same period, the total number of hours worked rose 0.7%. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj,Image: Wikimedia Commons) New York: Scientists have explained why people were divided over the true colours of "the dress" that went viral in 2015, attributing the difference in perception to our assumptions about how the dress was illuminated. Millions of people were divided whether the true colours of the dress, worn by the mother of a bride at a wedding in Scotland, were gold and white or black and blue. Researchers at New York University (NYU) in the US found that those who thought that the dress was photographed in a shadow likely saw the garment as gold and white. By contrast, those who thought it was illuminated by artificial light were more likely to see it as black and blue. "The original image was overexposed, rendering the illumination source uncertain," said Pascal Wallisch from NYU. "As a result, we make assumptions about how the dress was illuminated, which affects the colours we see," said Wallisch. "Shadows are blue, so we mentally subtract the blue light in order to view the image, which then appears in bright colours - gold and white," he said. "However, artificial light tends to be yellowish, so if we see it brightened in this fashion, we factor out this colour, leaving us with a dress that we see as black and blue. "This is a basic cognitive function: to appreciate the colour on an object, the illumination source has to be taken into account, which the brain does continuously," Wallisch said. The findings, based on an online study with more than 13,000 participants, who had previously seen the dress, and were asked whether or not they believed it was in a shadow. Among those who saw it in a shadow, four out of five participants believed it to be white and gold; by contrast, only about half of participants who did not see it in a shadow saw the garment bearing these colours. Wallisch hypothesised that differing perceptions could be linked to one's exposure to daylight - quite simply, people who rise and go to bed early, and spend many of their waking hours in sunlight (ie, under a blue sky), are more likely to see the dress as white and gold than are night owls, whose world is illuminated not by the sun, but, rather, by long-wavelength artificial light. To test this, he asked participants if they go to bed early and feel best in the morning (ie, "larks") or if they like to sleep in and feel best at night ("owls"), then matched this self-identified circadian type with how they saw the dress. Consistent with the hypothesis, larks were significantly more likely to see the dress as white and gold - relative to owls - underscoring the relative effects of exposure to daylight. "This suggests that whatever kind of light one is typically exposed to influences how one perceives colour," Wallisch said. New Delhi: Astronomers have discovered explosive star birth which they claim is about 1,500 light-years away from planet Earth. Around 500 years ago, a pair of adolescent protostars had a perilously close encounter that blasted their stellar nursery apart. Using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile, astronomers have examined the widely scattered debris from this explosive event. Shortly after starting to form some 100,000 years ago, several protostars in the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 (OMC-1), a dense and active star factory about 1,500 light-years from Earth just behind the Orion Nebula, latched onto each other gravitationally and gradually drew closer. Eventually, two of these stars either grazed each other or collided, triggering a powerful eruption that launched other nearby protostars and hundreds of giant streamers of dust and gas into interstellar space at speeds greater than 150 kilometres per second. This cataclysmic interaction released as much energy as our Sun emits over the course of 10 million years. Today, the remains of this spectacular explosion are visible from Earth. "What we see in this once calm stellar nursery is a cosmic version of a 4th of July fireworks display, with giant streamers rocketing off in all directions," said John Bally from University of Colorado in the US. Groups of stars such as those in OMC-1 are born when a cloud of gas hundreds of times more massive than our Sun begins to collapse under its own gravity. In the densest regions, protostars form and begin to drift about randomly. Over time, this random motion can dampen, which allows some of the stars to fall toward a common centre of gravity, usually dominated by a particularly large protostar. If these stars draw too close to each other before they drift away into the galaxy, violent interactions can occur. According to the researchers, such explosions are expected to be relatively short lived, with the remnants like those seen by ALMA lasting only centuries. (With PTI inputs) New York: Microsoft recently modified its voice recognition feature to enable users to configure their PCs, as reported by the Verge.For years, setting up a Windows machine has gradually been getting easier thanks to Microsoft`s simplifications, latest in line being the Windows 10 Creators Update. New machines will be built with the Windows 10 Creators Update. Microsoft`s digital voice recognition assistant Cortana will guide users through the setup process. Microsoft`s digital assistant will also help Windows 10 users connect to Wi-Fi networks and sign into a Microsoft Account. Users can also configure the keyboard and setup an internet connection, just by conversing with Cortana. Additionally, users have the leverage to mute the instructions and carry on with the process manually at any point during the installation. New Delhi: Apparently, things aren't going well for the popular Indian television program 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. Now, It is being said that Navjot Singh Sidhu did not show up for the shooting of its latest episode. According to a DNA report, originally attributed to SpotboyE, the 53-year-old politician is unhappy with the current situation. After Kapil Sharma's mid-flight brawl with Sunil Grover, Sidhu is allegedly now enjoying the program. Kapil recently made headlines for misbehaving with Grover in an inebriated state. As a result, some of the most popular faces, including Grover, of the television show boycott the shoot. It is still not clear whether or not Kapil and Grover will join forces once again! Kolkata: A youth allegedly beheaded his mother with a sword apparently in an attempt to please goddess Kali in Purulia district of West Bengal, police said on Sunday. Narayan Mahato (28), a resident of Bamu village in Murshidabad district`s Barabazar area, allegedly killed his mother Phuli Mahato with a sword on Friday evening, Susanta Kumar Chatterjee, officer in-charge of Barabazar police station said. Police arrested the accused following a complaint lodged by his elder brother. Police said the accused, who was deeply involved in worship and other religious practices, confessed to having committed the crime but spoke incoherently during interrogation. "His statements were incoherent during interrogation. It is not clear why he committed the crime. He had some grudge against his mother for not getting him married and also said he was forced to choose between two mothers; one his own and the other goddess Kali," the officer said. The accused is charged with murder and has been remanded to 14 days judicial custody. "We are trying to find out the real motive behind his crime," the officer added. Cairo: At least 15 people were killed and 42 others injured on Sunday in a powerful explosion inside a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian Nile delta city of Tanta. Sources said that the explosion took place inside the Mar Gerges Coptic Church. The primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday, the sources said. No official statement has been released. State media put the death toll at 15. Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. Palm Sunday falls on Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt?s population of 85 million. Dhaka: Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said there was no legal bar to execute the death penalty on militant leader Mufti Hannan as President Abdul Hamid has rejected the clemency plea, a media reported. "The Kashimpur Jail authorities have started the preparation, Mufti Hannan will be executed anytime," the Home Minister said while talking to media at his secretariat office here, the Dhaka Tribune reported. "There's no threat of militant attack centring the execution of the militant leader," he added in reply to a query. On March 21, the Supreme Court's Appellate Division released the full text of its verdict confirming the death penalties of Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) leader Mufti Hannan and his two aides. The culprits were sentenced to death for the assassination attempt on Anwar Choudhury, the then British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, during his visit to Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in Sylhet city on May 21, 2004. The attack killed three persons and severely injured Anwar. On December 23, 2008, a Sylhet court sentenced the trio to death and two others to lifetime imprisonment for their roles in the attack. The High Court upheld the sentences in February 2016. Hannan was also sentenced to death for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombing, in which 10 persons were killed. The HujiB militant group was formed in 1992 and claims to have carried out at least 14 attacks, killing more than 100 people in the pursuit of "establishing Shariah law in Bangladesh". Tanta: Bombings at two Egyptian churches killed more than 35 people as they gathered to mark Palm Sunday, officials said, in one of the deadliest recent attacks on the country`s Coptic Christians. The attacks on the Mar Girgis church in the city of Tanta north of Cairo and Saint Mark`s Church in the coastal city of Alexandria came just weeks ahead of a visit by Pope Francis to show support for Egypt`s large Christian minority. Egyptian officials denounced the attack as an attempt to sow divisions in the country, while Francis sent his "deep condolences" to Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks but Egyptian Christians have repeatedly been targeted by jihadists including the Islamic State group. The first blast killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 70 when it hit the church in Nile Delta City of Tanta, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, according to a health ministry toll. Images broadcast by private television stations showed bloodstains smearing the whitewashed walls of the church next to shredded wooden benches. "The explosion took place in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass," General Tarek Atiya, the deputy to Egypt`s interior minister in charge of relations with the media, told AFP. The worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem.The second blast killed at least 11 people and wounded 35 at the church in Alexandria, Egypt`s second largest city, according to the health ministry. Tawadros had been attending a mass at the church but a Coptic Church official said he had left before the blast. Francis, who is due to visit Cairo on April 28-29, offered prayers for the victims. "Let us pray for the victims of the attack unfortunately carried out today," he said in an Angelus prayer. "May the Lord convert the heart of those who sow terror, violence and death and also the heart of those who make weapons and trade in them." Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt`s population of more than 92 million and who celebrate Easter next weekend, have been targeted by several attacks in recent months. Jihadists and Islamists accuse Copts of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by IS killed 29 worshippers during Sunday mass in Cairo. The bombing of the church within a compound that also holds the seat of the Coptic papacy was the deadliest attack against the minority in recent memory. A spate of jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt`s restive Sinai Peninsula, including the murder of a Copt in the city of El Arish whose house was also burned, have led some Coptic families to flee their homes. About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video in February calling for attacks on the religious minority. Reacting before the second bombing in Alexandria, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid called the attack in Tanta "a failed attempt against our unity". "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday," he tweeted.Prime Minister Sherif Ismail also condemned the attack, stressing Egypt`s determination to "eliminate terrorism". The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, an influential Sunni Muslim authority, said it aimed to "destabilise security and... the unity of Egyptians". Egypt`s Copts have endured successive attacks since Morsi`s ouster in July 2013. More than 40 churches were attacked nationwide in the two weeks after the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo on August 14, 2013, Human Rights Watch said. Amnesty International later said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged, adding that at least four people were killed. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as then army chief helped remove Morsi, has defended his security forces and accused jihadists of attacking Copts in order to divide the country. In October 2011, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed after the army charged at a protest outside the state television building in Cairo to denounce the torching of a church in southern Egypt. In May that year, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead in the working-class Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba where two churches were attacked. A few months earlier, the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church killed more than 20 people in Egypt`s second city of Alexandria on New Year`s Day. Columbia: As a US strike group led by an aircraft carrier steamed toward the Korean peninsula on Sunday, a senior official said President Donald Trump has asked to be provided with a range of options for eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat. The US naval move will certainly raise tensions in the region and comes hard on the heels of a US cruise missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea denounced Thursday`s attack as an act of "intolerable aggression" and one that justified "a million times over" the North`s push toward a credible nuclear deterrent. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted in an interviewed broadcast Sunday that the United States does not intend to try to remove the regime of Kim Jong-Un. "That is not our objective and so the whole reasons underlying the development of a nuclear program in North Korea are simply not credible," Tillerson told the ABC program "This Week." He said the United States expects China, the main ally of North Korea, to do more to rein in the regime in Pyongyang. "They have indicated that they will and I think we need to allow them time to take actions," Tillerson said. US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster insisted, however, that in the meantime it is "prudent" to send the strike group to the Korean peninsula, criticizing North Korea as a rogue, nuclear-armed nation engaged in provocative behavior. "Presidents before and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the peninsula," McMaster told Fox News. "The president has asked them to be prepared to give us a full range of options to remove that threat," he added, apparently referring to Trump`s advisers. 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. Expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth, with US intelligence officials warning that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental United States. North Korea on Wednesday fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan ahead of a US-China summit. The isolated North is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. In February, the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on US bases in the neighboring Asian country. Last August, Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometers (300 miles) towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what Kim 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. Asked if development of a long range ballistic missile would mark a red line for Trump, Tillerson said: "If we judge that they have perfected that type of delivery system, then that becomes a very serious stage of their further development."On Thursday and Friday, Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks during which he pressed Pyongyang`s key ally to help curb the North`s nuclear weapons program. Trump has threatened unilateral action against the reclusive communist state, a threat that appeared more palpable after Thursday`s strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack. The head of North American Aerospace Defense Command, which provides missile detection for the region, said Thursday she was "extremely confident" of US capability to intercept a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) bound for America from the North. Jakarta: Indonesia's police shot dead six suspected IS-linked militants in a gunfight on Java island over the weekend, a police spokesman said Sunday. Seven men drove up to a traffic police post on Saturday and fired shots at the officers. Nobody was injured but a car chase ensued. The seven men then abandoned their vehicle and fled into an agricultural area in Tuban, in East Java. "When the local police swept through the area, a gunshot was heard. A gunfight took place after and six of the men died," said national police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name. Police arrested one member of the group alive. Police claim the attackers were part of the of IS-linked Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) network, which has been blamed for a series of recent attacks in Indonesia including one in Jakarta last January. Numerous recent IS-linked plots in Indonesia have been botched or foiled, with analysts saying that many of the country's militants lack the capacity to launch serious attacks. Indonesia has suffered a series of Islamic militant attacks in the past 15 years, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. A sustained crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks but the emergence of IS has proved a potent new rallying cry for radicals. Moscow: Russia slammed London on Sunday after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow over its support for the Syrian regime, claiming Britain has "no real influence" internationally. The cancellation "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don`t have their own position on the majority of current issues," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The British have "no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining `in the shadow` of their strategic partners," it added. "We don`t believe we need dialogue with London more than (London) needs it (with us)," it said. The statement added there was a "fundamental misunderstanding or ignorance of what is happening in Syria and Russia`s efforts to resolve the crisis." Johnson announced Saturday he would not travel to Moscow next week, saying that "developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally". "My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April," he said. "We deplore Russia`s continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians." Johnson then called on Russia to do "everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." His decision came in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on Tuesday that killed at least 86 people according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally Bashar al-Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. London: British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon on Sunday accused Russia of being responsible "by proxy" for the death of 87 civilians killed last week in a suspected chemical weapons attack. "Assad's principal backer is Russia. By proxy Russia is responsible for every civilian death last week," Fallon wrote in an opinion column published in The Sunday Times. "If Russia wants to be absolved of responsibility for future attacks, Vladimir Putin needs to enforce commitments, to dismantle Assad's chemical weapons arsenal for good, and to get fully engaged with the UN peacekeeping progress," he added. Fallon reiterated Britain's position that Assad should quit. "Someone who uses barrel bombs and chemicals to kill his own people simply cannot be the future leader of Syria," he wrote. 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. His key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels. "Today we call on all parties to get back to the table and get a deal done," the British defence minister said. "That deal must lead to a representative government in which Assad will play no part". He also once again offered Britain's support to the United States for its decision on Friday to fire 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the airfield located near Homs in central Syria. The move was in response to the suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun which killed 87 people according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. "Given repeated Russian blocking in the UN security council, the US was determined to act," Fallon said, adding President Trump made "the right call by resorting to careful and narrowly focused military action". Russia has criticised the US military intervention as a "gross... Violation of international law". It also slammed the British foreign secretary's decision to cancel a scheduled visit to Russia, claiming Britain has "no real influence" internationally. Boris Johnson decided to scrap his visit to Moscow tomorrow, saying he deplored "Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime." He argued it would be best for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to deliver a "clear and coordinated message" to the Russians during his own visit to Moscow later in the week. DC: The US Navy said Saturday it had sent a carrier-led strike group to the Korean peninsula in a show of force against North Korea`s "reckless" nuclear weapons programme. The move will raise tensions in the region and comes hard on the heels of a US missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea denounced Thursday`s strike as an act of "intolerable aggression" and one that justified "a million times over" the North`s push toward a credible nuclear deterrent. "US Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific," said Commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. "The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," he told AFP, in an unusually forceful statement. Originally scheduled to make port calls in Australia, the strike group -- which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier USS Carl Vinson -- is now headed from Singapore to the Western Pacific Ocean. 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. Expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth, with US intelligence officials warning that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the continental United States. North Korea on Wednesday fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan ahead of a US-China summit. In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on US bases in the neighbouring Asian country. Last August Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres (300 miles) 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. On Thursday and Friday, US President Donald Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks during which he pressed Pyongyang`s key ally to help curb the North`s nuclear weapons program. Trump has threatened unilateral action against the hermit state, a threat that appears more palpable after Thursday`s strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack. The head of North American Aerospace Defense Command, which provides missile detection for the region, said Thursday she was "extremely confident" of US capability to intercept a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) bound for America from the North. But General Lori Robinson expressed concerns for the type of ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine that Pyongyang said it successfully tested in February. "Amidst an unprecedented pace of North Korean strategic weapons testing, our ability to provide actionable warning continues to diminish," Robinson said in written testimony to senators. The isolated North is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. Washington: The US has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its strike force towards waters near North Korea, as a show of force against the military provocations of the Kim Jong-un regime. Pentagon sources on Saturday told CNN that US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr has ordered the Nimitz-class supercarrier and all its support ships towards the Korean peninsula. The USS Carl Vinson -- controlled by the US Third Fleet in the Pacific ocean -- suspended a scheduled visit to Australia and after leaving Singapore turned towards the Korean peninsula. It was already deployed to the peninsula a month ago to participate in the annual military exercises with South Korea. Defence sources said the deployment was in response to the new military developments in North Korea, which recently carried out several medium-range ballistic missile tests and test-fired new missile engines. It is not uncommon for the US to deploy a nuclear powered aircraft carrier to areas as a sign of strength during a crisis. The strike group`s change of route comes just after US President Donald Trump met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida to discuss the need to stop the military advancements of Pyongyang. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump and Xi agreed on the "urgency of the threat of North Korea`s nuclear weapons programme" and agreed to work together to resolve the issue "peacefully". Earlier this year, China called on both North Korea and the US to tone down tension on the Korean peninsula -- North Korea by suspending its nuclear weapons programme and the US by stopping military exercises with South Korea that inflame Pyongyang. Trump days before meeting Xi warned that the US was prepared to act unilaterally to stop North Korea`s nuclear advances should China be unwilling to use its leverage over Pyongyang. The nuclear-powered, 97,000-ton Vinson, one of 10 active US aircraft carriers, has more than 60 aircraft and about 5,000 personnel. It is based in San Diego. YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. In addition to the memorandum signed on implementing 100 million USD investment program in the solar energy field as a result of Armenia-United Arab Emirates Investment Forum, three more memorandums were signed aimed at implementing hydropower and agricultural programs, the Development Foundation of Armenia told Armenpress. In particular: Hydro Corporation group of companies and Estekshaf Investment Company signed a memorandum of understating aimed at making investments in renewable energy, mainly in hydropower field. It is expected to implement large-scale and long-term programs in renewable energy field. The aim is to modernize small hydropower plants that have low productivity and heavy loan portfolio, as well as were constructed by violations of environmental norms. group of companies and signed a memorandum of understating aimed at making investments in renewable energy, mainly in hydropower field. It is expected to implement large-scale and long-term programs in renewable energy field. The aim is to modernize small hydropower plants that have low productivity and heavy loan portfolio, as well as were constructed by violations of environmental norms. Tamara Fruit CJSC and Natural Organic Healthy Food (NOHF) signed a unique agreement over supplying organic food to 5-star and higher ranking hotels in 6 Arab states. The first group of goods is expected to be exported in the first 10 days of April, 2017. and (NOHF) signed a unique agreement over supplying organic food to 5-star and higher ranking hotels in 6 Arab states. The first group of goods is expected to be exported in the first 10 days of April, 2017. Armenia-UAE Business Union and Natural Organic Healthy Food (NOHF) signed a memorandum on opening organic food processing center in Armenia. During the Investment Forum business meetings with the participation of representatives of up to 100 Armenian and Arab companies were held. A testing of Armenian products was held during which natural spring waters, organic juices, fruit drinks, fruit preserves, honey, chocolate, dried fruit, fresh fruits were presented. Mitch Wagner writes, "LiveJournal is a venerable online community that predates Facebook and even blogging. It got acquired by a Russian company a few years ago, but some of its American and British users hung on, including sf and fantasy writers and fans. Lately, I know one of my friends was scrambling to leave, but I'd been too busy to look into why." "Now I know: LiveJournal changed its terms of service to require obeying Russian law, which requires "protecting" minors from discussing "sexual deviancy" LGBTQ issues. This is evil. I agree with many political pundits that it's better to coexist with Russia than to go war, even seek common ground where possible. And I agree that much of the current hostility to Russia in Washington, D.C., is cynical politicking by people who are using Russia panic to gain advantage. But this is evil. " I probably stuck with LJ for too long, because back in the day I paid for a perpetual premium accountunlimited access and no ads: the urge to get one's money's worth out of something you've paid for is hard to resist. But the rot has finally gone too far. This Tuesday Livejournal pushed out a revision to their terms of service that emphasize the service runs under Russian law, and specifically requires compliance with Russian law on minorswhich makes any discussion of "sexual deviancy" (aka LGBT issues) illegal or at least a violation of the ToS. So I'm currently migrating my entire Livejournal presence to Dreamwidth, a service set up by some of LJ's original founders that focuses on providing a Livejournal-like set of services for creative types (and, significantly, is not subject to Russian law because it's not based in Russia). Random excuses [Charlie Stross/Antipope] One of Canada's first outdoor Indigenous art parks has a name and six pieces of art to go into it in 2018. The City of Edmonton's naming committee gave the Indigenous art park the name (INIW) River Lot 11, pronounced EE-nu River Lot 11. (INIW) means "I am of the Earth," an ode to the ancestral lands of the Cree. River Lot 11 is a nod to Joseph McDonald, a Metis settler who originally lived on the land. The park, located in Edmonton's river valley, is part of the development of the Queen Elizabeth Park plan first brought forward in 2013. It is located within Treaty no. 6 territory. "We are proud to share our lands, our history and our unique art with Edmontonian and visitors to our Treaty no. 6 territory," Treaty no. 6 Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild said in a release. "As Metis people, we are proud of our heritage and look forward to sharing our distinct culture with visitors to (INIW) River Lot 11 Indigenous art park," Metis Nation of Alberta president Audrey Poitras said. The park will display six pieces of Indigenous art, all created by Canadian Indigenous artists. The theme is "the stories of This Place," which will illustrate different perspectives on how Indigenous and Metis people connect to the land and area. "For centuries, this area has been a place of gathering, relationship building and commerce for many peoples," Edmonton's mayor Don Iveson said in the news release. "I am proud to acknowledge the traditional land this park sits on [is] within Treaty no. 6 Territory and the homeland of the Metis." As part of the federal government's Canada 150 infrastructure program, the city of Edmonton was awarded $500,000 in January. The city said in the release that money will go to support the development of the art park, along with development of a picnic area and shade shelter, lookout seating along Saskatchewan Drive and surrounding trail improvements. The park is expected to open next fall. By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.S. cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base may persuade President Bashar al-Assad to be more cautious with some of his tactics, but will not deter him and his allies from pressing a full-throttle military campaign to crush rebels. It was the first time Washington has directly targeted Assad's government in six years of civil war, and has pushed the administration of President Donald Trump into proclaiming that Washington still wants Assad removed from power. But the single volley of Tomahawk missiles was of such limited scope that it will reinforce the view held by Damascus and its allies that the United States is no more eager than before to take the sort of strong action needed to defeat him. "Assad now knows there is a red line with regard to the use of chemical weapons. But I think he also probably just sees it as a slap on the wrist," said David Lesch, professor of Middle East history at Trinity University and an author on Syria. "Assad has to recalibrate but not fundamentally change his military approach that they've been engaging in since the Russian intervention," Lesch said. "I really believe they are not feeling too bad today, if this is the extent of what the U.S. is going to do." Damascus denies carrying out the chemical attack that provoked the U.S. response. The attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-held province of Idlib near the Turkish border killed at least 87 people, 31 of them children. Assad has responded with characteristic defiance, vowing to accelerate efforts to wipe out rebels he calls terrorists. A joint command center representing his Russian, Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah allies said the U.S. attack would only cause them to redouble their support for the Syrian government. Air strikes have continued unabated since the U.S. attack on Friday. Eighteen people were reportedly killed in one strike alone in Idlib on Saturday. Though damaged, the Shayrat air base near Homs is partly operational and flights have taken off. The base was largely evacuated before the U.S. strikes, after Washington forewarned Moscow, which in turn alerted the Syrian government, according to a senior military source in the alliance fighting in support of Assad. Describing the U.S. attack as a "limited strike" that was quickly over, another senior ally of Assad in the region said toppling him did not seem to be a priority for Trump. "There is still no clear American policy on Syria," he said. Though the attack had shown Trump to be unpredictable, a third official in the pro-Assad alliance did not yet see a major shift in the U.S. approach. "Is this a strategic shift by the Americans? Do they want to get into a big problem with the Russians? I don't think there is a strategic shift." SHIFT FOR TRUMP Washington says it acted because Syrian aircraft bombed Khan Sheikhoun with sarin, a banned nerve agent that Damascus pledged to give up in 2013 after Trump's predecessor Barack Obama threatened to bomb as punishment for another alleged gas attack. Moscow and Damascus say the deaths were the result of a Syrian air strike on a depot where rebels were making chemical weapons that then leaked into the town - a claim rebels deny and Washington dismisses as beyond credibility. The attack marked a departure from the approach of Obama, who ran a large-scale air campaign in Syria against fighters from Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, but avoided direct entanglement in the parallel civil war to unseat Assad. The Obama administration provided limited support for anti-Assad rebels, but never directly struck government targets after Obama called off such strikes four years ago, at a time when Trump also said attacking Assad would be a mistake. Ahead of his election victory, Trump had attacked Obama's approach in ways that appeared to suggest he would back off of calls to remove Assad. He questioned the wisdom of backing rebels, suggested that Washington should work more closely with Russia to fight Islamic State, and noted that while he didn't like him, "Assad is killing ISIS". The first two months of Trump's presidency passed with little said about Assad's government, while extra U.S. troops arrived to help Kurdish and Arab militias in northern Syria fight against Islamic State. A few days ahead of the chemical attack, two top U.S. officials made their clearest pronouncements yet on Syria, saying Washington was not now focused on making Assad leave power and the focus was on defeating Islamic State. Some analysts believe the March 30 comments by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley emboldened Assad ahead of the Khan Sheikhoun attack. "I think they were over confident. I think they felt that they could certainly get away with it - if in fact Assad did order this - because Idlib is controlled by al Qaeda affiliates, and the Russians are striking there, and the U.S. has also struck there," said Lesch. "NO OPTION BUT VICTORY" Since the attack, Trump has struck a tough tone, saying "something should happen" with Assad, but not yet saying what that should be. Haley has made an about face on her previous remarks, saying on Saturday that Assad's removal is a priority. Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington's first priority is the defeat of Islamic State. He has also said there was no role for Assad in Syria's future. The Syrian opposition, which long accused the Obama administration of inaction, wants the U.S. attack to be the start of a more aggressive policy toward Assad. Syrian rebel groups said on Friday the U.S. "responsibility" did not end with the missile attack. "We are waiting for the American administration to reveal its complete vision for the Syrian file," said prominent opposition politician George Sabra. Assad, whose forces have been in a much stronger position since receiving military backing from Russia in 2015, continues to press his advantage in a war that has killed more than 400,000 people and driven half of Syrians from their homes. Military pressure and siege tactics have forced rebels out of numerous strongholds in recent months, including eastern Aleppo and areas near Damascus. The opposition says Assad is forcibly displacing his opponents to remote parts of Syria in deals that offer rebels safe passage out, calling it a policy of demographic change. One such agreement moved ahead on Saturday as planned. Syrian state TV said the Waer district of Homs city area would be declared "free of weapons" this month. The evacuation is taking place in phases, with Russian oversight on the ground. Several hundred more fighters left Waer on Saturday, which has been besieged for years, for northern Syria with their families. They are being taken by bus to rebel-held areas of northern Syria, accompanied by Russian forces. A Russian general interviewed by Syrian state TV said the U.S. attack would not derail implementation of the deal. Assad, in an interview before the U.S. attack, made clear that so-called local "reconciliation" agreements remain central to his strategy, along with military action. Citing recent rebel attacks in Damascus and Hama, he said there could be no "results" with opposition groups at U.N.-backed peace talks. There is no "option but victory", he said. (Writing by Tom Perry) The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has said there can be no political solution in Syria while President Bashar al-Assad is in power. "And a political solution is going to have to happen, but we know that there's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Nikki Haley told CNN's State of the Union program, in an interview to be broadcast later Sunday. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad," she said. Haley's comments come two days after she addressed the emergency meeting at the UN Security Council when she warned that the United States is prepared to take further action in Syria if required. During the meeting, Haley openly questioned Russia's role in Syria and said Russia was supposed to be responsible for removing chemical weapons from Syria. "It could be that Russia is knowingly allowing chemical weapons to remain in Syria. It could be that Russia has been incompetent in its efforts to remove the chemical weapons. Or, it could be that the Assad regime is playing the Russians for fools, telling them that there are no chemical weapons, all the while stockpiling them on their bases," Haley said. "The world is waiting for the Russian government to act responsibly in Syria. The world is waiting for Russia to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar Assad." Meanwhile, Iraq's influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called on the Syrian president to "take a historic heroic decision" and step down, to spare his country further bloodshed. Sadr, who commands a large following among the urban poor of Baghdad and the southern cities, is the first Iraqi Shia political leader to urge Assad to step down. But his call was wrapped in kind words about the Syrian president and condemnation of the U.S. strikes carried out on a Syrian airbase on Friday, in retaliation for a chemical attack on civilians in a rebel-held area of Syria. Story continues Sadr said the U.S. strikes would "drag the region to war" and could help "the expansion of Daesh," the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which controls parts of Iraq and Syria. Iraq's Shia-led governments have maintained good relations with the Syrian government throughout the six-year Syrian civil war. Sadr is the only Iraqi Shia leader to keep some distance from Iran, a main backer of Assad along with Russia. "I think it would be fair for President Bashar al-Assad to offer his resignation and step down in love for Syria, to spare it the woes of war and terrorism ...and take a historic, heroic decision before it is too late," Sadr said in a statement. U.K. blames Russia for deaths Michael Fallon, the U,K, defence secretary, wrote in the Sunday Times that Moscow has influence in Syria and surrounding region, and therefore has a responsibility to "pull levers and stop the civil war." Russia, he said, is responsible "by proxy" for the deaths of civilians in last Tuesday's chemical attack that killed 87 people in Idlib province. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile, affirmed his support for the Syrian government on Sunday. In a phone call with Assad, Rouhani called the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Assad accused the U.S. of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout the conflict. It has organized several Shia militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Assad's government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. Tillerson, Lavrov talk Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke by phone on Saturday about the situation in Syria after the U.S. strikes on a Syrian air base, the Russian ministry said in a statement. Lavrov pointed out that "an attack on a country whose government fights terrorism only plays into the hands of extremists, creates additional threats to regional and global security," the Russian ministry said. Tillerson is expected in Moscow for talks with Russian officials on Wednesday, under the twin clouds of Russia's alleged U.S. election meddling and its possible support for the Syrian regime's chemical weapons attack. He had delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had "failed" to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement," he said. On Sunday, he will make his first network television interview appearances. In one of those interviews, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule something Moscow adamantly denies. In that interview airing Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, Tillerson said Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hadn't changed and remained the defeat of ISIS. By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON (Reuters) - Hardline Shi'ite cleric Ebrahim Raisi announced on Sunday he would run in Iran's May presidential election, challenging moderate President Hassan Rouhani's economic record and his policy of detente with the West. The former prosecutor-general may struggle for recognition among voters though analysts say Raisi, thanks to the support he enjoys from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could pose a real challenge to Rouhani's bid for a second term. Raisi has faulted Iran's economic performance under Rouhani and his pursuit of detente that in 2015 yielded a landmark deal with world powers under which Tehran curbed its disputed nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. "People are asking why despite all our resources and human talents ...our country is in this situation," Raisi said in a statement published by Iranian news agencies. "The key solution to our problems is fundamental change in the executive management of the country by the will of the people, and the formation of a competent and knowledgeable government that works day and night to bring back the dignity of the people and fights poverty and corruption." Rouhani won the presidency in 2013 with the backing of mainly of young people and women. He promised to bring Iran out of its international isolation and create a freer society. But many ordinary Iranians have lost faith in him because he has not been able to improve the economy despite the lifting of sanctions in January last year under the nuclear deal. Rights campaigners also say there have been few, if any, moves to bring about greater political and cultural freedoms. Raisi, 57, heads Astan Qods Razavi, an organization in charge of a multibillion-dollar religious foundation that manages donations to Iran's holiest Shi'ite Muslim shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad. His statement said he would not use the religious and financial advantages of this post for his electoral campaign. If he wins the May 19 vote, Raisi would boost his chances of eventually succeeding Khamenei, who himself served two terms as president under the late founder of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Iranian conservatives are still trying to reach consensus on a presidential candidate, though Raisi seems well placed to become their top choice. Raisi was named on Thursday by the Popular Front of Revolutionary Forces, the conservatives' main coalition, as a potential contender in the Islamic Republic's election. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by Mark Heinrich) There were many people in chilly, war-weary London who wanted to shake Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden's hand on April 9, 1917. The first accounts of "Canada's victorious day" on Vimy Ridge filtered through the imperial war cabinet within hours of the battle and well-wishers sought out the prime minister to offer congratulations. His diary bursts with pride. "I hope that this victory is only the augury of further triumphs," he wrote. Events may have moved quickly in those day, but news moved slowly. At least when you compare it with today's lightning-speed tweets and live streams. While late editions of newspapers back in Canada carried initial dispatches, it would be weeks before people knew the horrific cost of that day 3,598 dead and another roughly 7,100 wounded. "The story has thrilled me," Borden said in a statement issued on April 10, 1917. Anxious families wait for news For anxious families back home, it would be days, even weeks, before they learned the fate of loved ones. "This is the age before the internet and information was being passed by telegram, but usually from soldiers to their families by letter," said historian Tim Cook. "You can imagine the agonizing waiting on the home front. The mothers, the fathers, the children, waiting to hear that their son, their father, their uncle was safe." The political burdens and benefits unleashed by that day extend far beyond the battlefield. Some of that legacy was carried up the ridge on Sunday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada's drive toward an independent foreign policy from Britain found strength and credibility in the aftermath of the battle. Today, there is no shortage of international crises for Trudeau to deal with, from U.S. missiles pummelling Syria to gently renegotiating NAFTA with the Trump administration. Borden's promise to wounded soldiers Unlike his predecessor Borden, Trudeau won't follow Sunday's ceremony with more than a month of visiting wounded and dying soldiers in hospitals. Story continues Casualties freshly evacuated, some them still caked in mud and bloody bandages, started arriving in Britain within hours of the battle and they kept coming. "They're in the hospitals and Borden visited them, to his credit," said Cook, author of 10 books on the Great War, including Vimy: The Battle and the Legend. "It must have been a gut-wrenching thing. He talks about visiting over 50 hospitals over a two-month period. He met these young guys. He was visibly shaken." - 100 years later: Leaders pay homage to fallen Canadian soliders Prior to the battle, Borden visited troops in the field and promised the government would take care of the wounded and the families of the fallen. Expectations created by his promises underlie the loud, politically unruly, battle over benefits with modern-day veterans. Both Trudeau's government and the Conservative one before him have fought in court with ex-soldiers from the Afghan war, who say they are not being treated the same as survivors of the First World War. So what does Vimy mean? Historians and even those who fought at Vimy have argued about its significance down the decades. The victory of 100 years ago Sunday was hailed in newspaper reports as "the beginning of the last great battles of the war," but for the Canadians it actually marked the midway point of the slaughter. Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, and the 100-Day Campaign still lay ahead. Militarily, Amiens, with the first massed use of armoured warfare, was perhaps the most significant. Canadian troops led the way with an early victory at Amiens on Aug. 8, 1918, setting in motion an end to four years of horrific trench warfare and leading to the Armistice three months later. The single Canadian corps Cook argues that Vimy only took on iconic significance in later decades, partly because it was the first time Canadians of stripes fought together as a single corps, but also because in many ways it encapsulated the memory of the entire Great War. "The country was never the same afterwards," said Cook, who added that each succeeding generation has reflected the significance of the battle in different ways. "The memory of the war and what it means to us as Canadians is not a static thing. Each generation comes back to the Great War, reappraising it through a new lens. And that changes the meaning of it over time." At the 50th anniversary, former prime minister Lester Pearson used it as a call for national unity. Ironically, Vimy set in motion one of the most divisive events in Canadian history, one that exposed fault lines that Trudeau is still required to manage to this day. Divisions over conscription Borden returned from London determined to introduce conscription, something he'd pledged not to do in 1914. He faced a furious response in Quebec and in parts of the Prairies that were already starved for manpower. "Upon my return from England on May 15, 1917, I speedily embarked upon an exceedingly stormy political sea, which was swept, from time to time, by gales of varying intensity from many quarters," Borden later wrote in his memoirs. Wilfrid Laurier, the leader of the opposition, told Borden he could not accept conscription and at one point demanded referendum. Anger eventually boiled over in deadly riots in Quebec City, where the following spring Archbishop Paul Bruchesi warned the province was "nearing a racial and religious war." The conscription bill became law on Aug. 29, 1917, but not before it divided Liberals and Conservatives in the House of Commons. The fury over conscription played out during the fall 1917 election, where the casualties of Vimy paved the way for women relatives of soldiers to vote. Mufti Abdul Hannan Its the gallows for Mufti Hannan, after the Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) leader had his pleas for presidential clemency rejected, said home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Saturday. Its the gallows for Mufti Hannan, after the Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) leader had his pleas for presidential clemency rejected, said home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Saturday. The honourable president rejected Mufti Hannans pleas for presidential clemency. We will take action according to the jail code, the minister told ProthomAlo. On 19 March, the appellate division of the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of three HuJi men, including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in a case filed for the grenade attack on the UK envoy in Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury in 2004. On 21 March, the appellate division released the full text of its verdict on the review petition of the three HuJi men challenging their death penalties. Convicted of killing in terrorist attack, the chief of Bangladeshi chapter of Harkat ul Islam, Abdul Hannan, sought presidential clemency after the apex court dismissed his plea to review death sentence, prison authorities said on Wednesday. Hannan, also known as Mufti Hannan, expressed his willingness to seek the pardon after officials read out the death warrant to the convict after the Supreme Court rejected his review against the conviction. "Hannan told us that he would file mercy petition to the president," senior jail superintendent Mizanur Rahman said as the authorities were preparing for execution of the terrorist. Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin told reporters that all preparations were taken to hang the militants. | 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! Sources: ProthomAlo, April 9, 2017; newsnextbd.com, March 23, 2017 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte is poised to seek deals that would guarantee better working conditions for overseas Filipino workers when he visits the Middle East this Holy Week, an analyst said Sunday. MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte is poised to seek deals that would guarantee better working conditions for overseas Filipino workers when he visits the Middle East this Holy Week, an analyst said Sunday. University of the Philippines Political Science Assoc. Prof. Herman Kraft said he thinks Duterte would not question death penalty laws of countries in the Middle East given that he is an advocate of the policy himself. He is actually willing to respect the laws that they actually have and if that means were talking about death penalty, this is something that he is not going to question, Kraft said in a phone interview on ANCs Dateline Philippines. Duterte will fly to 3 Middle Eastern countries in state visits to meet with the countries' leaders and the overseas Filipino workers there. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana said the President will visit Saudi Arabia from April 10 to 12, Bahrain from 12 to 14, and Qatar from 14 to 16. The trip aims to "strengthen efforts for the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of the more than 1 million of our people working in those countries, invite investors to the Philippines, and usher in progress here at home, and to forge stronger partnerships by elevating our political and economic cooperation with these countries to new heights." Duterte will also meet with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. "He will discuss with these leaders matters relevant to the welfare and dignity of the Filipinos living in their countries as well as explore avenues for economic and political cooperation." During the trip, Duterte will "explore partnerships" with these countries in tourism development, Halal food security, Islamic finance, and energy security as well as investments, according to Quintana. Just like in the Presidents previous foreign trips, Kraft thinks Duterte would most likely seek partnerships in addressing terrorism and international crime. Kraft argued that Duterte may also invite foreign businessmen to invest in the Philippines. There are about 760,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, 60,000 in Bahrain, and 250,000 in Qatar, according to Quintana. Kuwaiti woman films housemaid falling from 7th floor A woman has been detained by police in Kuwait for filming her Ethiopian maid falling from the seventh floor in an apparent suicide attempt without trying to rescue her (see video below). The Kuwaiti woman filmed her maid land on a metal awning and survive, then posted the incident on social media, Al-Seyassah newspaper reported. The 12-second video shows the maid hanging outside the building, with one hand tightly gripping the window frame, as she begged for help in an apparent last-minute change of mind. The woman holding the camera is heard telling the hanging maid: 'Oh crazy, come back.' The terrified maid is seen screaming 'hold me, hold me', just before her hand slipped and she fell down to hit the awning, which appears to soften the impact. The employer made no reaction as she continued filming. Later, paramedics rescued the maid and rushed her to hospital where she was found to have a broken arm as well as a bloody nose and ear. The criminal investigation police referred the employer to the prosecution over failing to help the victim, the newspaper reported. The reasons for the maid's attempted suicide were not revealed. The Kuwait Society for Human Rights on Friday called on the authorities to investigate the case and refer it to court. Warning: Graphic Content Gabriela urges Duterte to save OFW on death row in UAE MANILA, Philippines Women's group Gabriela on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to save Jennifer Dalquez from death row during his visit to the Middle East. "We urge him to exhaust all measures to save OFW Jennifer Dalquez from the death row in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," Gabriela said on a statement on Monday. Dalquez was placed on death row in 2015 for the murder of her employer when he attempted to rape her in 2014. The group also expressed hope that President Duterte will have enough time to visit UAE even if it is not included in his itinerary. President Duterte is scheduled to leave for the Middle East on Monday for a state visit to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, where he will meet with the heads of state as well as with the Filipino communities in those countries. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana said last week that the president's visit aims to strengthen efforts to protect the rights and promote the welfare of the Filipinos in the three countries. Gabriela filed House Resolution 829 last month, calling on President Duterte to seek executive clemency for Dalquez. Raul Dado, executive director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs said that the president is expected to appeal on the case. "There is no black and white that the president is going to take up Dalquezs case. But knowing his concern, we have prepared the legal papers in case he makes an appeal," Dado said in a statement. | 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: ABS-CBN News, April 09 2017Source: Agence France-Presse, April 3, 2017Source: philstar.com, April 10, 2017 Almaty, Kazakhstan Like many other countries, Kazakhstan has shown a tendency to equate violent acts where deadly force is used to terrorism. Kazakhstan has an article in its Criminal Code -- Article 174 to be exact -- that outlaws actions that foment social, national, tribal, racial, class, or religious hatred and actions that insult national honor or dignity or the religious feelings of citizens. The article is sufficiently vague that it has allowed broad interpretation by Kazakhstan's courts, which have on several recent occasions found journalists, bloggers, civic activists, and others guilty of violating the article. Rights groups have decried such use of Article 174 to silence government critics. A proposed major addition to the Criminal Code is being debated, and some believe this article would also be open to broad interpretation and potential abuse. Article 184-1 seeks to punish those who have caused "great harm to the vitally important interests" of Kazakhstan. Conviction on this charge could carry the death penalty. RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Azattyq, quoted Deputy Justice Minister Zauresh Baymoldina as saying the "vitally important interests" would include actions that "compromise the territorial integrity of the state, the stability of the constitutional structure, social, or political stability, [or] defensive capabilities and security." It seems to be a response to terrorism, though there are clearly other actions that would fall under this article. Proposed penalties for violators of Article 184-1 include prison terms of 15 to 25 years. Loss of citizenship is another penalty that was already recently added to the books. Kazakhstan still officially allows for the death penalty, although there has been a moratorium on its use for nearly 20 years. So far, there is only 1 specific offense under the draft article that is punishable by death: any attempt to kill the 1st president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev "with the goal of hindering his legal activities or in revenge for [his] activities." Veteran Kazakh civic activist Yevgeny Zhovtis has told Azattyq that Article 184-1 is a modern adaptation of the Soviet Criminal Code concerning "anti-Soviet" activities. He is among those who fear the article will be used to punish government opponents. "It only remains to wait a little while until 'enemies of the people' and 'undesirable elements' appear...[including] opposition figures, independent journalists, or activists," Zhovtis told Azattyq. For that reason, attorney Ayman Umarov told Azattyq that the authorities must concretely define what is "vitally important" for the country. Umarov agreed the article seemed to target terrorists. But he said, for example, large-scale embezzlement of state funds is vitally important for the state and the people. Blogger Miras Nurmukhanbetov wrote that the Criminal Code "is turning into a stick to be used against those who think differently [than the authorities]." Defining 'Terrorism' There have been very few incidents in Kazakhstan since 1991 independence that would qualify as acts of terrorism. But like many other countries, Kazakhstan has shown a tendency to equate violent acts where deadly force is used to terrorist acts. The violence in the western city of Aqtobe in early June was branded a terrorist attack. In that incident, a group of some 2 dozen mostly young men robbed a gun shop and then went on a bizarre spree where they hijacked a bus and, after first allowing all the passengers to leave, drove to a military facility and launched an ineffective attack that was quickly repelled and in which most of the attackers were killed. No extremist or terrorist group ever claimed the attackers were part of their group, although Kazakh officials explained the young men were inspired to violence after listening to Islamic extremist radio broadcasts. Another incident in Almaty in July 2016 was labeled terrorism, though it involved one ex-convict who confessed he had killed several policemen (he purportedly wanted to kill some judges but couldn't find any) out of vengeance for being put it jail. Some Kazakh citizens have gone to conflict areas such as Syria or Iraq -- not many, probably only several hundred -- enough that the Kazakh government does have a legitimate concern but possibly not so many that the Criminal Code has to be greatly overhauled to deal with the as-yet-quite-small problem of terrorism in the country. Which brings us back to Yevgeny Zhovtis's concern that a law meant to punish a specific group of individuals who represent a genuine threat will end up being used to punish people who challenge the authorities. | 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: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, April 9, 2017 By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma Beijing, Apr 8 (PTI) Three people have been arrested for stealing a pair of 400-year-old candle holders from the world famous Ming imperial tombs near the Chinese capital city. The suspects -- two people from Beijing and one from central Chinas Henan Province -- have been implicated in organised relic theft, Beijing police said. advertisement The mausoleums were built for the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The missing white marble candle holders, which were about 90 centimetres tall and weighed 200 kilogrammes each, belong in front of the mausoleum of the last Ming emperor Chongzhen. According to a police officer, the candle holders went missing in May but officials tried to cover up their theft by saying they had been sent for repairs, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The candle holders were a hot topic online last month when a visitor shared contrasting photographs of the tombs. In the newer images, two vases and an incense burner were still there but the candle holders, which were visible in older photographs, were gone, leaving only their bases. A media official with Changping government said the Ming Tombs Special Area Agency admitted on March 20 that the candle holders had gone missing. Four officials were sacked for "incompetence" on Thursday. About 40 kilometres north of downtown Beijing, the Ming Tombs were listed as UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. PTI KJV AJR AKJ AJR --- ENDS --- Rioting inmates on the roof of Colombo's Welikoda prison There could be some reprieve for prisoners on death row as well as for those serving life sentences, if the Govt. accepts the recommendations of a special Task Force (TF) appointed by the Cabinet to look into congestion in prisons. The report of the TF tabled in Parliament this week by Chief Government Whip, Parliamentary Reformss and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunatileka, proposed that, the Govt. consider commuting death sentences to life imprisonment, and consider parole for those serving life sentences according to the existing laws. "As capital punishment had not been carried out since 1976, and due to the moratorium on the death penalty, the Govt. has to consider alternative action to manage overcrowding of prisons, as life sentenced and death penalty prisoners contribute greatly to overcrowding. To date, there are a total of 1,082 persons on death row, 726 cases remain under appeal, while Life sentence prisoners total 555, with 463 cases under appeal," the report said. The TF recommended that Govt consider commutation of death penalty prisoners' sentences to life sentences. Life sentenced prisoners' sentences can be commuted according to existing provisions of law" and to make Presidential pardons available to long term prisoners who are rehabilitated and are able to re-integrate into society, and to consider a system of parole for detainees who are identified as eligible by a Parole Board. Among the key findings of major contributory factors for prison overcrowding are underutilisation of existing provisions of law, misuse of existing provisions of law and socio-economic reasons. "Based on the data collected by the Prisons Dept, the number of remand prisoners equals the number of convicted prisoners held in custody." The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or Punishment, who visited Sri Lanka last year, in his report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in March, also spoke of the appalling conditions within Sri Lankan prisons and made several recommendations. The UN official has recommended that the Govt. adopt and implement measures to significantly reduce overcrowding, including overhauling the prison system, to reduce the number of detainees and increasing prison capacities in more modern prison facilities; accelerating the judicial process and reviewing sentencing policies by introducing alternatives to incarceration (bail and electronic surveillance for pretrial defendants; non-custodial sentences for non-violent offenders and juveniles; parole and early release for the convicted) and design a criminal justice system that aims at rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders, including by creating work and education opportunities. Sri Lanka's prison population at present stands at around 17,000 (7,496 convicted prisoners, 8,351 remand prisoners and 1,143 prisoners whose cases are under appeal). | 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: The Sunday Times, April 9, 2017 Medieval: Public caning in Indonesia's Aceh province Indonesias Aceh province was allowed to implement Sharia law in 2014. Public canings like the one in the photo on the left of a man accused of adultery have been staged ever since. Now two men accused of gay sex could become the first to face a lashing. The Associated Press reports that neighbors identified the men, both in their early 20s, as a gay couple. And a disturbing video online allegedly shows the moment when a group bursts in on the two naked men in a room, blocking the door, as one man frantically calls for help on a cell phone. The men could face 100 lashes with a cane, because even though Indonesia does not criminalize homosexuality, Sharia law does. Indonesia has been lurching toward religiosity. A story last year in The New York Times warned of an impending antigay crackdown that spreads outside of Aceh. There were reports of Islamic vigilantes who searched boarding houses for gays and lesbians. The Williams Institute in March looked at the economic effects on Indonesia of its anti-LGBT culture and placed the potential loss anywhere from $900 million to $12 billion. A more precise estimate isnt possible because of the lack of data about LGBT people in the country. But discrimination penetrates into health care, employment and in everyday safety. Human Rights Watch has been warning of rising danger in Indonesia for years. Most recently, the groups sent a letter to French President Francois Hollande asking him to confront Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo during a Southeast Asian tour in March. There's no report that Hollande raised the issue. Since taking office, President Jokowis rhetorical support for human rights has yet to translate into meaningful policy initiatives to address the countrys serious rights problems, they warned. The group specifically called out attacks on LGBT people. Beginning in January 2016, high-ranking Indonesian officials made a series of vitriolic anti-LGBT pronouncements, giving rise to increased threats, intimidation, and violence against LGBT activists and individuals, primarily by Islamist militants. Jokowi has failed to adequately address the discriminatory statements and policies issued by senior government and military officials that have fueled abuses toward the countrys LGBT population. Find related content here | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com With lethal injection drugs expiring, Arkansas plans unprecedented 7 executions in 11 days Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Executions have been set for (top row, from left) Kenneth Williams, Jack Jones Jr., Marcell Williams, Bruce Earl Ward, and (bottom row, from left) Don Davis, Stacey Johnson, Jason McGehee and Ledelle Lee. Source: Mother Jones, Samantha Michaels, April 7, 2017. Samanta Michaels is the copy editor at Mother Jones.Arkansas is preparing to execute 7 death row inmates in 11 days this month before the state's deadly drugs expire, an unprecedented number of lethal injections in such a narrow window.The hurried schedule has prompted unease from the state's Republican governor, lawsuits from the condemned inmates, and criticism from an array of former corrections officials nationwide.Though the death penalty has been dormant in Arkansas - these would be the first executions there in 12 years - the lethal injections have put the state at the center of the debate about capital punishment as it becomes less common in the United States. Fewer states are putting condemned inmates to death, public support for executions is declining and authorities are struggling to find the drugs used in lethal injections amid a shortage spurred in part by drugmakers' objections to the death penalty.Advocates for capital punishment argue that the delays in Arkansas amount to justice denied for the families of the victims. Civil liberties advocates worry that the rush in Arkansas could lead to "torture and injustice," in particular because corrections officials are being tasked with executing 2 men a day.Arkansas officials blame the packed April execution schedule on the drug shortage, which has sent states scrambling for replacement chemicals and, in some cases, has caused them to contemplate other methods of execution. After the lengthy lull in executions - owing to legal challenges and the drug shortage - Arkansas state authorities say the lethal injections scheduled between April 17 and April 27 are overdue.But Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who set the dates, admitted to feeling uneasy about being caught between needing to schedule them and the looming expiration of the state's stock of midazolam, a controversial sedative that will be 1 of 3 drugs used in the lethal injections."It's not my choice," Hutchinson said at a news conference. "I would love to have those extended over a period of multiple months and years, but that's not the circumstances that I find myself in."The state's midazolam supply is set to expire at the end of April, officials say. And with no clear answer about whether the state will be able to obtain a new set of drugs, Hutchinson said he had little choice but to set the dates."It is uncertain as to whether another drug can be obtained, and the families of the victims do not need to live with continued uncertainty after decades of review," he said in a statement.Drug manufacturers are required by law to put an expiration date on drugs in the United States, and after that date they cannot guarantee the drug's effectiveness or safety. A state corrections department spokesman declined to answer questions about the state's decision to act before the expiration date.Arkansas acquired its midazolam in 2015, according to documents the state provided to The Washington Post. The drug prompted controversy after it was used in a bungled execution in Oklahoma and in lethal injections that were prolonged and included inmates gasping for breath in Ohio, Arizona and, most recently, in Alabama in December. According to the Arkansas documents, the state got its midazolam just days after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of the drug in Oklahoma's lethal injections.Citing the state's secrecy law, the Corrections Department declined to say when all the drugs expire, where they were obtained, how much they cost and how much the state has in stock. The documents also show that Arkansas obtained vecuronium bromide, a paralytic, in 2016, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart, in March, the week after Hutchinson set the execution dates.Hutchinson originally scheduled 8 executions in an 11-day span, but a judge on Thursday blocked 1 of them because the state's parole board said it would recommend commuting that inmate's sentence to life in prison without parole, a process that will extend beyond the drug expiration date.The 7 inmates still facing execution all were convicted of capital murder. All are men; 4 are black and 3 are white. They all received their sentences by the year 2000, and some of them have been on death row for a quarter-century or longer. In a recent report, the Fair Punishment Project at Harvard Law School said it found concerns with the Arkansas cases, saying that some of the inmates appear to suffer from intellectual impairment and outlining qualms about the legal representation the men have had.Executions are a rarity in Arkansas, trailing more active death-penalty states including Texas, Florida and Oklahoma. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, there have been 1,448 executions nationwide, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Arkansas has executed 27 inmates in the past 4 decades. Texas has carried out more executions - 34 - since the beginning of 2014.Arkansas also is not among the country's leaders in death-row populations. For every death row inmate in Arkansas, there are 20 in California. If the 7 executions in Arkansas are carried out, the state would eliminate 1/5 of its entire death row population.While executions in the United States have been rapidly declining - falling to 20 last year, the fewest in a quarter-century - states still hoping to carry out executions have tried to obtain drugs in the wake of a years-long shortage. European officials and companies, objecting to their chemicals being used to kill people, have spurred states to begin adapting new and untested combinations of drugs.Lethal injection remains the country's primary method of execution, but due to the shortage, states have also been looking to other methods. Utah, Tennessee and Oklahoma added or broadened their abilities to use a firing squad, electric chair or nitrogen gas, respectively. Others have sought to shroud their drug suppliers in secrecy to protect them from political or public pressure; Virginia passed such a law last year.Most executions are carried out with little public notice, but the scheduling in Arkansas has drawn remarkable national scrutiny and criticism for the executions being scheduled back-to-back on 4 days in an 11-day span."We've never seen anything close to that," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington-based nonprofit group.Dunham said his group has tracked just 10 back-to-back executions on a single day, and none since 2000, though he noted that in the 1990s, Arkansas twice executed 3 inmates in 1 day. Texas once executed 6 prisoners in a 10-day span on 2 different occasions, but the Arkansas schedule would surpass that, Dunham said."We know that the state is aware of how to do this in a more orderly and less unseemly way," Dunham said. "They've simply chosen to carry them out in 11 days because they won't be able to use their execution drug a week later."Arkansas officials have defended their execution scheduling as needed to help families find justice and closure."The victims' families have waited far too long to see justice for their loved ones," a spokesman for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R) said in a statement Thursday after one of the executions was called off. Rutledge would "respond to any and all challenges that might occur between now and the executions as the prisoners continue to use all available means to delay their lawful sentences."For some relatives of the victims, though, they have been down this road before."I won't really believe it's going to happen until it happens," said Genie Boren, whose husband Cecil Boren was shot and killed by Kenneth Williams and has been waiting more than a decade for his death sentence to be carried out.Williams, whose execution is scheduled for April 27 and is the last one this month in Arkansas, was serving a life sentence when he escaped prison by hiding in a garbage truck. He then traveled to the Boren house near Grady, about 70 miles from Little Rock, according to court summaries of his case.When Williams got there, Genie Boren was at church, but he found Cecil Boren working on his car, the court records state. Williams then shot and killed Cecil Boren, dragged his body to a bayou and took the car. Williams was captured after a car chase that killed another driver. In 2000, he was sentenced to death for killing Boren."We'd like for it to happen before all of us die ourselves," said Genie Boren, 73. "You know, you wait that many years, you're just waiting and waiting and waiting. I'm not sitting around thinking it's going to happen for sure, but this is closer than we've ever gotten."Boren said she still lives in the same house where her husband was killed, not far from where Williams is being held. While she had originally planned not to attend the execution because she did not want to see someone die, Boren said she changed her mind."I don't know if I will get anything from that," Boren said. "But you know, I live 2 miles from the prison. ... I always look over that way, because I know he's there," she said. "And once he's gone, I'll know he's gone."Attorneys for the inmates have filed challenges questioning the scheduled pace and the particular drugs used. But the rush of work is "overwhelming," said Julie Vandiver, an assistant federal public defender in Little Rock, who is representing some of the inmates."This is not the way that it should go," Vandiver said. "The end stage of litigation is very important, and when an execution warrant is signed, there are all kinds of processes that start up."She pointed to clemency petitions, which can only be contemplated after an execution date is set. She dismissed the state's argument that it has a deadline approaching, calling the deadline "manufactured" and noting that the state has gotten drugs before and can get them again.Vandiver said the schedule "creates an impossible situation for all the people involved," including the corrections officials who "are going to have to execute these people."Corrections officials have raised similar concerns. In a letter to Hutchinson last month, 2 dozen such officials pleaded with him to change the pace, warning that "performing so many executions in so little time will impose extraordinary and unnecessary stress and trauma" on the corrections officials."Even under less demanding circumstances, carrying out an execution can take a severe toll on corrections officers' wellbeing," they wrote.Jerry Givens, who signed the letter and spent 17 years as Virginia's chief executioner, said corrections officers are already under enough pressure before taking on the added weight of multiple executions."How can you expect them to do something of this magnitude? It's rough," Givens, who executed 62 people and now opposes the death penalty, said Friday. "I know the effect it can have on you when you participate in executions ... It takes a while to really come out of that."Wendy Kelley, director of corrections in Arkansas, declined an interview request. A spokesman, Solomon Graves, said Thursday that the corrections department rolled out training for the executions and that it would make counseling available to any staff members who participate in an execution.Givens and the other corrections officials also worry that the pace "will increase the chance" of a mistake. They pointed to the last state that intended to carry out 2 executions in 1 night: Oklahoma, which bungled the execution of Clayton Lockett, a convicted murderer, in 2014.Lockett grimaced, writhed and appeared to be in pain during the process, witnesses said, dying a short time after the execution was called off. In a state review, authorities wrote that the execution team placed the IV incorrectly and that officials involved described a feeling of extra stress and urgency because a second execution was scheduled for the same night.The 2nd execution was postponed, and when it was carried out in January 2015, Oklahoma officials used the wrong drug. The state has not carried out an execution since, though it came close later that year.Executions are regularly halted in the United States. In some cases, it is because a court intervenes, but executions also have been called off recently for other reasons. Oklahoma abruptly called off another execution in 2015 when state officials realized they had again obtained the wrong drug. The same year, Georgia twice called off the execution of the state's only female death row inmate, 1st because of a winter storm and then because the drugs looked "cloudy." Officials later said they determined the drugs were just too cold, and they executed her months later.Source: The Washington Post, April 8, 2017 KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2017 - 13:12 | Feature, All, World Thidalat Vongsili, the winner of Miss Laos 2011, who is known as Louknum, has made a bid to introduce Japan to her fellow countrymen via social media while dancing with high school students, taking part in a fashion show and visiting a tourist destination during a recent trip to Japan. "I think I was able to achieve my objective of sending out information about Japan via social media like Instagram," Louknum, 23, said in an interview with Kyodo News. The model and actress visited Japan from March 16 to 22 under a project by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to invite influential overseas figures to Japan and have them introduce the country via social media for better understanding abroad. "I was very happy that I was selected for the project," she said. Louknum said she posted some photos via social media, including images of her in a beautiful kimono in Takayama in central Japan, a city famous for its well-preserved traditional townscape. "With this opportunity, I hope people in Laos will better know Takayama and other places they do not know well," she said. Upon her arrival in Japan, Louknum visited Sakura Kokusai High School in Tokyo. The school briefed her about its efforts to build schools in Laos with funds raised from donations and charity bazaars. Eight schools have been built since the school started the scheme in 1996. At the school, Louknum observed dance club members practice ahead of the Laos Festival in Tokyo in May and then danced the traditional Laotian Basalop dance together with dance club members. The school and the Lao embassy in Tokyo have been jointly hosting the festival since 2007 to help people in Japan see the charm of Laos, including its culture, food and tourism. "I received a very warm welcome from the students and teachers," Louknum said. "That was (something) I had not anticipated. I was so happy that tears came to my eyes." During her stay in Japan, she also joined a fashion show in Fukuoka in western Japan. As the only model from Laos participating, she walked on a runway, wearing traditional Laotian silk clothes. "I was very glad to be selected as one of the models" for the Fukuoka Asia Collection featuring Asian brands, including local brands in Fukuoka, Louknum said. "This has provided a good opportunity for Japanese people who do not know Laos to know it." Louknum said she wants to introduce more Japanese cities which people in Laos do not know, adding that more people in Laos would be able to visit Japan if direct flights open. On the other hand, she said there is a lot of food, nature and other attractive things in Laos which Japanese people have yet to know. "I would like more and more Japanese people to visit Laos, deepening Japan's understanding," Louknum said. By Puy Kea, KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2017 - 19:41 | World, All Preah Vihear, an ancient, cliff-top temple that Cambodia and Thailand have sporadically fought over for more than a century, is proving to be a hit with Japanese tourists, who last year accounted for the largest number of foreign visitors there. Of the 23,823 foreign tourists who visited the UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016, 8,306 were Japanese, according to Cambodia's state-run Preah Vihear Authority, which runs the off-the-beaten-track temple complex. That is more than twice the figure for the Chinese, who came in second place at 3,563, followed by 2,658 French and 775 Thais -- even though Japanese ranked only seventh in the number of foreigners visiting Cambodia last year, or 191,577 out of around 5 million. Sathol Miura, president of APEX Travel Agency which provides services tailored to Japanese tourists, attributed the temple's popularity among them to their tendency to "want to go and see something which is new to them." Kim Sedara, president of Preah Vihear Authority, said Japanese tourists seem to like visiting natural and historic places that feed their sense of adventure. "Thus, Preah Vihear is fit to get their interest as it combines these sorts of things." He urged more foreign tourists to visit the "very peaceful and unique temple built on a beautiful mountain," which is a "very natural and sacred site just like a paradise." The Hindu temple, built between the mid-10th century and early 12th centuries, is situated at the top of a 525-meter escarpment that offers stunning views of Cambodia's vast, jungle-clad northern plains far below. It was occupied by Thailand from 1949 until 1962 when the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in Cambodia's favor in its sovereignty dispute with its neighbor. The temple, considered to be a masterpiece of Khmer architecture, is less known than Angkor Wat and other famed temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia's main tourism draw, partly as it was off-limits to tourists during most of Cambodia's three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998. Changing hands several times, the temple was briefly opened for tourism in 1992 but it closed after it was recaptured by the Khmer Rouge guerrillas from government forces. It reopened in 1998 after guerrillas holding it defected to the government. Back then, tourists could only reach the temple ruins from Thailand, which offers easy access, because of land mines and poor road infrastructure on the Cambodian side. The border gate with Thailand is now closed due to the border dispute that became heated in 2008, while access from the Cambodian side has greatly eased and the area has been demined. From Siem Reap, it now takes just several hours by car. Over Thai objections, Preah Vihear temple was designated as a World Heritage site in 2008. Later in that year, Cambodian and Thai troops engaged in firefights over the land around it, resulting in casualties on both sides. The last such fighting took place in 2011. In 2013, the International Court of Justice issued a fresh ruling, rejecting Thailand's claim to sovereignty over 4.6-square-kilometer zone around the temple and determining that Cambodia "has sovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory of Preah Vihear." It called on Thailand to withdraw its security forces from there. Yang Yin, 41, a police officer who has been posted at Preah Vihear for 17 years, said he is unsure how long the border issue will remain unsettled, but tourists of all nationalities are welcome to visit in the meantime. Evidently unfazed by the cross-border tensions over the temple dispute, some intrepid tourists could be seen photographing the many military bunkers dotting the road up cliff and in the vicinity of the temple. According to the Preah Vihear Authority, the number of foreign tourists visiting the temple is increasing on a yearly basis. Last year's figure of 23,823 compares with only 7,458 in 2012, one year after the latest firefights between Cambodian and Thai soldiers ceased. As the end of the Big Brother Naija show draws nearer, fans of the top five finalists have devised several (weird) means of canvassing for votes! Housemate Efe Just when we are yet to get over the latest trick where Efe's name surfaced on a bread, yet another hilarious one has gone viral. READ ALSO: Cossy threatens Pastor Ibiyeomie, gives him due date In the viral video, Legit.ng gathered that a photo of Efe was placed on a bible, and a large number of individuals stretched out their hands to the picture showering him with prayers. Legit.ng has covered the show consistently, and for more articles related to Big Brother Naija click HERE The video has stirred mixed reactions on social media. While many people continue to show support for Efe, others have heavily criticized this video. One of the major critic was controversial radio personality Daddy Freeze. He wrte on social media: "For a brainless secular show, where married men are sleeping with other women and denying their wives existence? -Held in a country where your brothers are being wasted merciless and you call upon JESUS? To answer #BBNaija -The God of Nigerian Christians must be really bored to have time to attend to this ridiculousness! -it's what to expect of a hungry third world nation where joblessness has taken over their lives! -In a country with this many issues this is what you choose to pray for?" READ ALSO: Checkout the celebrity lookalikes of the housemates Watch the video below: Efe is one of the most popular housemates as many Nigerian celebrities have decided to throw their weight behind the Warri-born, pidgin-loving housemate. One of the evicted housemates, ThinTallTony, was recently with us at Legit.ng and spoke on his game plan among other things. Source: Legit.ng Although the legal systems of England and the United States are superficially similar, they differ profoundly in their approaches to and uses of legal reasons: substantive reasons are more common than formal reasons in the United States, whereas in England the reverse is true. This distinction reflects a difference in the visions of law that prevail in the two counties. In England the law has traditionally been viewed as a system of rules; the United States favors a vision of law as an outward expression of the communitys sense of right and justice. Substantive reasons, as applied to law, are based on moral, economic, political, and other considerations. These reasons are found both in the law and outside the law, so to speak. Substantive reasons inform the content of a large part of the law: constitutions, statutes, contracts, verdicts, and the like. Consider, for example, a statute providing that no vehicles shall be taken into public parks. Suppose that no specific rationales or purposes were explicitly written into this statute, but that it was clear (from its legislative history) that the substantive purpose of the statute was to ensure quiet and safety in the park. Now suppose that a veterans group mounts a World War II jeep (in running order but without a battery) as a war memorial on a concrete slab in the park, and charges are brought against its members. Most judges in the United States would find the defendants not guilty because what they did had no adverse effect on park quiet and safety. Formal reasons are different in that they frequently prevent substantive reasons from coming into play, even when substantive reasons are explicitly incorporated into the law at hand. For example, when a document fails to comply with stipulated requirements, the court may render the document legally ineffective. A will requiring written witness may be declared null and void and therefore, unenforceable for the formal reason that the requirement was not observed. Once the legal rulethat a will is invalid for lack of proper witnessinghas been clearly established, and the legality of the rule is not in question, application of that rule precludes from consideration substantive arguments in favor of the wills validity or enforcement. Legal scholars in England and the United States have long bemused themselves with extreme examples of formal and substantive reasoning. On the one hand, formal reasoning in England has led to wooden interpretations of statutes and an unwillingness to develop the common law through judicial activism. On the other hand, freewheeling substantive reasoning in the United States has resulted in statutory interpretations so liberal that the texts of some statutes have been ignored altogether. Show Spoiler C 1. Which one of the following best describes the content of the passage as a whole? Show Spoiler E 2. It can be inferred from the passage that English judges would be likely to find the veterans group discussed in the second paragraph guilty of violating the statute because Show Spoiler E 3. From the discussion of wills in the third paragraph it can be inferred that substantive arguments as to the validity of a will might be considered under which one of the following circumstances? Show Spoiler D 4. The author of the passage makes use of all of the following in presenting the discussion of the English and the United States legal systems EXCEPT Show Spoiler A 5. Which one of the following best describes the function of the last paragraph of the passage? Show Spoiler C 6. The author of the passage suggests that in English law a substantive interpretation of a legal rule might be warranted under which one of the following circumstances? Show Spoiler A 7. According to the passage, which one of the following statements about substantive reasons is true? (A) an analysis of similarities and differences between the legal systems of England and the United States(B) a reevaluation of two legal systems with the use of examples(C) a contrast between the types of reasons embodied in the United States and England legal systems(D) an explanation of how two distinct visions of the law shaped the development of legal reasoning(E) a presentation of two types of legal reasons that shows the characteristics they have in common(A) not to do so would encourage others to act as the group did(B) not to do so would be to violate the substantive reasons underlying the law(C) the veterans failed to comply with the substantive purpose of the statute(D) the veterans failed to demonstrate that their activities had no adverse effect on the public(E) the veterans failed to comply with the stipulated requirements of the statute(A) The legal rule requiring that a will be witnessed in writing does not stipulate the format of the will.(B) The legal rule requiring that a will be witnessed stipulates that the will must be witnessed in writing by two people.(C) The legal rule requiring that a will be witnessed in writing stipulates that the witnessing must be done in the presence of a judge.(D) A judge rules that the law requires a will to be witnessed in writing regardless of extenuating circumstances(E) A judge rules that the law can be interpreted to allow for a verbal witness to a will in a case involving a medical emergency.(A) comparison and contrast(B) generalization(C) explication of term(D) a chronology of historical developments(E) a hypothetical case(A) It presents the consequences of extreme interpretations of the two types of legal reasons discussed by the author.(B) It shows how legal scholars can incorrectly use extreme examples to support their views.(C) It corrects inaccuracies in legal scholars views of the nature of the two types of legal systems.(D) It suggests how characterizations of the two types of legal reasons can become convoluted and inaccurate.(E) It presents scholars characterizations of both legal systems that are only partially correct(A) Social conditions have changed to the extent that to continue to enforce the rule would be to decide contrary to present-day social norms.(B) The composition of the legislature has changed to the extent that to enforce the rule would be contrary to the views of the majority in the present legislative assembly.(C) The legality of the rule is in question and its enforcement is open to judicial interpretation.(D) Individuals who have violated the legal rule argue that application of the rule would lead to unfair judicial interpretations.(E) Superior court judges have consistently ruled in decisions regarding the interpretation of the legal rule(A) They may be written into laws, but they may also exert an external influence on the law.(B) They must be explicitly written into the law in order to be relevant to the application of the law.(C) They are legal in nature and determine particular applications of most laws.(D) They often provide judges with specific rationales for disregarding the laws of the land.(E) They are peripheral to the law, whereas formal reasons are central to the law. ManishKM1 wrote: Hi mikemcgarry , Can we actually take the likelihood as a fact in reaching to the conclusion? Like mentioned in the argument, "recidivism rate for the convicts that Judge Brown has apologize has dropped to 15%, down from the standard 35%." is not a fact but an approximation. Can you pls help? Regards He [Judge Brown] argues that the rate of recidivism, or the likelihood that the criminal will commit another offense, is only 15% when he does so, while the average rate of recidivism in the country as a whole is above 35%. what probability really means Magoosh Test Prep Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats (1865 1939) Mike McGarryEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats (1865 1939) Signature Read More Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked ministers to submit information on aspects such as major achievements and key ministry performance indicators to him in a "three-page note in bullet form only." By India Today Web Desk: Almost three years have gone by since the Narendra Modi -led BJP government came to power in 2014, and now, the Centre has asked all ministers to submit five major achievements of theirs that have been beneficial to citizens. This include key reforms and comparative data reflecting the progress made since May 2014, when the first Modi cabinet was sworn in. advertisement In a letter sent out this week, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked all ministers to submit the data and observations to him. It will be compiled in a booklet that the government plans to publish before May 26, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge in 2014. Naidu has asked ministers to send him "a three-page note in bullet form only". The note should cover five aspects: - Five major achievements of the ministry concerned which have benefitted the people or appreciated by the people. - Key performance indicators of the ministry - Comparative data/statistics of flagship schemes of the ministry which signifies what was the position in 2014 and now in 2017. For example, how many LPG connections were there in 2014 and what is the number now in 2017. - Three reforms brought by the ministry- process, policy, functioning, programmes, etc; and - Two top success stories in one paragraph each. 'TELL PEOPLE ABOUT POSITIVE CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY OUR GOVT' Naidu had on March 21 urged ministers and senior BJP leaders to communicate with the people on the positive changes that have been brought about by the Modi-led NDA government. Asserting that the mood of the nation is clearly in "favour of the BJP and PM Modi", Naidu said in a letter: "We all take pride in being a member of Team Modi, whose relentless pursuit to turn around the fortunes of millions of people, hitherto neglected by successive governments, is bearing visible fruits." "... We must prepare concrete action plan and be ready with facts, figures, data to propagate the governments achievements in a big way," he said. According to the letter, the government has made a list of ministers who would prepare notes on specific sectoral topics assigned to them. Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar has been asked to prepare a note on the highlights of the prime ministers tour abroad, major outcomes from those tours and increased investment flows from foreign countries. advertisement Similarly, MPs Swapan Dasgupta and Chandan Mitra have been assigned to compile a note on intellectual discourse and counter any possible negative narrative on topics like less than promised employment generation, so-called threats to freedom of expression among others. (Inputs from PTI) ALSO READ | No Opposition left in the country, BJP has to stay alert to avoid complacency: Uma Bharti ALSO READ | FROM THE MAGAZINE: Assembly elections over, now for 2022 ALSO READ | Assembly election results 2017: PM Modi to emerge stronger by 2019 Lok Sabha polls WATCH VIDEO | India Today Conclave 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi presents report card --- 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 By Press Trust of India: Eds: With revised turnout figure and Mehboobas quotes Srinagar, Apr 9 (PTI) Seven people were killed in firing by security forces as unprecedented election-day violence marred the by-poll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat today which saw the voter turnout plunge to an all-time low of 7.14 per cent. Rampaging mobs took to streets in scores of places across the Lok Sabha constituency straddling Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists. advertisement "The tentative voter turnout for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is 6.5 per cent," Jammu and Kashmir?s Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told reporters at the conclusion of polling. However, the revised figure issued later in the evening put the voter turnout at 7.14 per cent of the 12.61 lakh electorate. The seat had recorded 26 per cent polling in the 2014 general elections. In the 1989 election, National Conference?s Mohammad Shafi Bhat had won the seat uncontested. The previous lowest turnout in the prestigious seat was 11.93 per cent in 1999 when Omar Abdullah had defeated Mehbooba Mufti in a straight contest. The states former chief minister and National Conference stalwart Farooq Abdullah, who had lost the seat in the 2014 election, is locked in a straight fight with ruling PDP?s Nazir Ahmad Khan even though there are seven other candidates in the fray. "There were more than 200 incidents of violence in the constituency, mostly in Budgam district, which included stone-pelting, petrol bomb attacks, setting ablaze of a polling station, some vehicles and attempt to burn two other polling stations," Shantmanu said. "It was not a good day as you know. Six lives were lost in these incidents of violence... 17 civilians were injured, while over 100 paramilitary and police personnel also sustained injuries," he said. Shortly thereafter, 17-year-old Amir Manzoor was killed when security personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Chadoora area of the constituency, taking the death toll to seven. The CEO said a decision on repoll in violence-hit areas will be taken after examining the diaries of presiding officers. "I cannot tell you exactly how many polling stations will go to repolls...it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. It is a wild guess," he said. While two people each were killed Pakherpora in Chrar-e- Sharief and Beerwah areas of Budgam district, two more deaths were reported from Chadoora area of the same district and another in Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. Almost 70 per cent of the polling booths in Budgam district were abandoned by the polling staff due to the spate of violent protests in several areas, officials said. advertisement Army was called out to help security forces quell a rampaging mob which threw stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the constituency. Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked a building housing a polling booth, officials said, adding the security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two, 20- year-old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad Rather, succumbed to bullet wounds. In another incident, security forces opened fire to quell a stone-pelting mob in Ratxuna Beerwah area, leaving one Nissar Ahmed dead. At the Daulatpura in Chadoora assembly segment of Budgam district, one person, identified as Shabir Ahmed, was killed in firing by security personnel. A youth, Adil Farooq, succumbed to multiple pellet injuries in the Magam town, about 20 kms from here. One Aqib Wani was shot dead as police opened fire on a crowd of protestors in the Beerwah area in the afternoon. advertisement National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said in his 20 year political career he had never seen such a bad enviroment for elections. "I am talking about having fought my first election in 1998 at the peak of militancy. Even then the enviroment for campaigning and voting was not as bad as it is today. That may itself tell you just how mismanaged this state is under Mehbooba Mufti," he said. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen his kind of violence in elections in Kashmir. "5PM- polling booths close for an election that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons," Omar tweeted. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed distress over the civilian killings, saying she was pained that most of them were teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues. "I am distressed to know that many of those killed were young or teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues," Mehbooba said in an official statement.. The Chief Minister said she has consistently held that peaceful means and not violence are the only way ahead in getting state out of the present difficulties. advertisement Meanwhile, separatists have called for a two-day shutdown against the killing of civilians in firing by security forces, saying it was the only way for them to express solidarity with the families of those killed and the cause for which they laid down their lives. "We know hartal would not affect government policy towards us but it is the only option to express our collective grief," separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement. PTI SSB MIJ SKL SK SK --- ENDS --- An explosion at St Georges Coptic church in Tanta killed 29 people. Hours later, a blast outside St Marks Coptic church in Alexandria left 16 dead, according to the BBC. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the explosions, the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Christian minority in the country. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ordered military deployments across Egypt. In a statement, he said the army would be sent to protect vital and important infrastructure. The government announced three days of mourning. In Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside the church targeted but was not hurt, state media reported. Four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed, the interior ministry said. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church. The first explosion in Tanta, 94km (58 miles) north of Cairo, took place near the altar of the church. It remains unclear if it was also caused by a suicide bomber. I saw pieces of body parts and broken seats. There was so much blood everywhere, some people had half of their bodies missing. The first three rows [inside the church] were destroyed, Nabil Nader, an eyewitness, said. The explosions injured at least 71 people in Tanta and 35 others in Alexandria, the health ministry said. The blasts appear to have been timed for maximum impact, as people gathered to mark Palm Sunday. It is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Egyptian security forces had been put on alert in anticipation of attacks. The attacks come weeks before an expected visit by Pope Francis intended to show support for the countrys Christian minority. He condemned the explosions. I pray for the dead and the injured, and I am close in spirit to the family members [of the victims] and to the entire community, the Pope said. The Copts and Egypt: By Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor The Copts are one of the most ancient Christian communities and the largest still left in the Middle East. But they have long felt vulnerable and marginalised. This sense of precariousness has only increased in recent years, with the rise of violent jihadism in parts of Egypt. The countrys political and Muslim religious leaders have tried to provide reassurance that they stand united with the Copts and have portrayed the recent upsurge in attacks as an attempt by extremists to sow division. But in recent months, Coptic families have been fleeing the northern Sinai after a series of murders and assaults. Their trust in the states ability and willingness to protect them will now be even more deeply shaken as bombs desecrate Palm Sunday, fulfilling a rash of recent threats by the Islamic State group to intensify their violence against Christians in Egypt. Pope Tawadros II told local TV that sinful acts will not undermine the unity and coherence of the Egyptian people in the face of terrorism. In the UK, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Angaelos, condemned the senseless and heartless brutality of the attacks. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he had great confidence that President Sisi would handle the situation properly. Violence against the religious minority has risen in recent years, especially since 2013, when the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists. Some Morsi supporters blamed Christians for supporting the overthrow. In February, IS warned of more attacks against Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypts population. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt. While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country. Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt. Mark is regarded as the first Pope of Alexandria the head of their church. This makes it one of the earliest Christian groups outside the Holy Land. The Church separated from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) in a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ. The early Church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire, and there were intermittent persecutions after Egypt became a Muslim country. Many believe that continues to this day. 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 ... American allies have praised the United States for launching airstrikes on Syrian military targets to answer a chemical weapons attack in Syria. U.S. Navy destroyers fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles early Friday at an air base in western Syria. The airstrikes came days after a chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town in the Syrian province of Idlib. The attack killed about 100 civilians, including many children. Western officials have accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using the chemical weapons. The Syrian government blames rebel fighters. The raid [on Friday] was the first time U.S. forces have directly attacked Syrian government positions. U.S. officials said the air base targeted was most likely the one used to launch the chemical attack. U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the horrible chemical attack earlier this week. He said it had crossed many, many lines and changed his mind about Assad and Syria. On Thursday, Trump talked about the U.S. airstrikes from Florida, where he has been meeting with Chinas president. Trump said he ordered the strikes to answer attacks against innocent civilians with a deadly nerve agent. "It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons." Trump added that all civilized nations should join the United States "in seeking an end to the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the goal of the U.S. military action was to make clear that these chemical weapons continue to be a violation of international norms. Many American allies voiced support for the airstrikes. They included Germany, France, Britain, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others. European Union Council President Donald Tusk said on Twitter, the U.S. strikes show needed resolve against barbaric chemical attacks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the airstrikes, a concrete step against the Assad regime's war crimes using chemical and conventional weapons. The airstrikes received support from a number of U.S. congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. However, some lawmakers expressed concern that Trump did not first seek Congressional approval before ordering the military action. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump must officially seek congressional approval if he intends to escalate the U.S. militarys involvement in Syria. She also warned against the U.S. getting involved in another open-ended war in the Middle East. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons against civilians during the countrys six-year civil war. On Friday, Assads office described the U.S. action as, reckless, irresponsible, and not based on true facts. Syrias Foreign Ministry said the airstrikes were designed to weaken the strength of the Syrian army in confronting terrorist groups. Both Russia and Iran have been strong supporters of Assads government and aided his forces in the conflict against rebel fighters. In Russia, the government condemned the U.S. military action as aggression against a sovereign state. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said the attack would result in "major damage on U.S.-Russia ties." The U.S. military said the Russian government was warned of the airstrikes before the raid. Russia has denied any part in the chemical weapons attack. A Russian spokesman blamed the incident on Syrian warplanes striking a supply of chemical weapons belonging to rebel forces. U.S. military officials said they are investigating possible Russian involvement. The officials said drone aircraft belonging to either to Russia or Syria was seen flying over the area where the chemical attack took place soon after it happened. Iran also condemned the U.S. action. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said such unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law. Iran's official news agency for parliament said Russia and Iran won't be quiet against such acts which violate interests of the region. The American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the U.S. government holds Syria responsible for the chemical attack. However, she told the Security Council on Friday that Russia and Iran both bear a "heavy responsibility" for supporting and protecting Assad. Haley noted that Russia is supposed to be a guarantor that all chemical weapons were removed from Syria under a 2013 agreement. She added that further action against Syria is possible. The United States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary. The airstrikes came after conflicting statements from the Trump administration on Syria. Just last week, U.S. officials said removing Assad from power was not a priority. During a recent visit to Turkey, Secretary Tillerson said he thought the future of Assad would "be decided by the Syrian people. But speaking to reporters Thursday, Tillerson left the door open for U.S. support for new leadership in Syria. He said he thinks this policy should focus on a political solution involving international partners to get Assad to leave power. Assads role in the future is uncertain, clearly, and with the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people. Several members of Congress have said the focus should now move to additional policy steps in Syria. One proposal is for the United States to act quickly to set up safe zones and take steps to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Another, proposed by Senator Marco Rubio, is for the U.S. to cooperate with Sunni Arab governments to discuss an "alternative" government in Syria. Rubio told the "Today Show" that Trump should seek the help of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey all of which supported the U.S. airstrikes. He said these countries can be important in getting Assad to step down and helping create a new government. I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and other sources. George Grow 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 deter v. prevent from happening slaughter v. to kill a lot of people in a violent way conventional - adj. of a kind that has been around for a long time and is considered to be usual or typical escalate - v. to become worse or to make (something) worse or more severe concrete adj. relating to something real, rather than general ideas or qualities reckless adj. doing something dangerous or carelessly unilateral adj. involving only one group or country alternative adj. a different choice or available option A montage of three images of single striatal neurons transfected with a disease-associated version of huntingtin, the protein that causes Huntington's disease. Nuclei of untransfected neurons are seen in the background (blue). The neuron in the center (yellow) contains an abnormal intracellular accumulation of huntingtin called an inclusion body (orange). Credit: Wikipedia/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license Huntington's disease is an inherited brain disorder that is uniformly fatal, but researchers at Johns Hopkins believe they have made a big discovery about how the disease progresses that could lead to a way to stop it. Their findings offer hope for a treatment to more than 30,000 Americans who have Huntington's symptoms and another 200,000 at risk of inheriting the disease. They also could help scientists better understand other fatal brain diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and a certain type of dementia, as well as help researchers learn more about normal brain aging. "We found these kind of traffic jams in cells, and if we can fix the traffic jams we can potentially provide a new avenue for treatment of neurodegenerative disease," said Jonathan Grima, a graduate student in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department of neuroscience whose research was published this week in the journal Neuron. Grima said it's not clear if a drug developed to clear these jams could stop cells from dying, and thus stop progression of Huntington's, but that is the goal. Grima works in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein, director of Hopkins' Brain Science Institute. Rothstein, who normally focuses on ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has pursued similar cell research for that disease and a drug that may offer some treatment is being investigated. He said the lab is in the early stages of working on its own drug for Huntington's. Rothstein said he expects other scientists to build on the findings about Huntington's disease in the search for a treatment. The Huntington's researchers, including scientists from other departments at Hopkins, as well as the University of Florida and the University of California, Irvine, have demonstrated how Huntington's disease disrupts normal cell activity, Rothstein said. Components of a brain cell, such as salts and proteins, need to move in and out of a cell's operations center, the nucleus, to keep it functioning properly. In people with Huntington's disease, proteins produced by the Huntington's-related gene clump together in the nucleus and can't pass through special passageways called nuclear pores - every cell has many of these pores - causing the cells to shut down and die. While scientists have known there was a Huntington's gene and knew about nuclear pores, they hadn't been closely studied in the brain. They didn't know about this clumping and clogging of the pores and breakdown in so-called nuclear transport in Huntington's sufferers, Rothstein said. The discovery was met with intense interest by Huntington's researchers. "This is very exciting research because we didn't know what mutant genes or proteins were doing in the body, and this points to new areas to target research," said George Yohrling, senior director of mission and scientific affairs at the Huntington's Disease Society of America. "Scientists, biotech companies and pharmaceutical companies could capitalize on this and maybe develop therapies for this biological process." Yohrling said there are only two treatments now for Huntington's disease, one just approved in recent weeks by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They both help ease gait and movement problems that are associated with the disease. Other drugs are used to treat depression and anxiety that also normally accompany a Huntington's diagnosis. But there is nothing to stop or slow the progression of the disease, which causes sufferers to lose the ability to reason, speak and walk over a 10- to 25-year period, according to the Huntington's Disease Society. Symptoms usually appear at age 30 to 50 and sufferers have a 50-50 chance of passing the disease on to their children. For the Huntington's research, the scientists used mice as well as human stem cells and human tissue to test their research ideas. Research findings in rodents, typically used as stand-ins for humans, frequently disappoint researchers when they try to reproduce the work in humans. But since this research also involved cells and tissue from humans, Yohrling noted, scientists are more confident in the findings. For all the optimism about the research - and Yohrling said there was plenty in the Huntington's research community - he cautioned that the work is early. It's still not clear if a drug to protect cells would ameliorate symptoms in humans, or how much or for how long it would slow or stop the disease. The Hopkins researchers and other scientists echoed those warnings. An effective treatment for Huntington's likely will require a cocktail of drugs to control symptoms and stall disease progression, said Charbel Moussa, director of the Translational Neurotherapeutics Program at Georgetown University Medical Center. That's because the disease is complex and scientist don't understand all of the affects that Huntington's has on the brain and why some areas of the brain are unaffected, he said. The new findings nonetheless give researchers a leg up in their search for effective drugs. "This significantly expands our understanding of Huntington's disease pathology, and the pathology of diseases that are similar to Huntington's disease, and even what we see in aging," Moussa said. "We're still, unfortunately, far from a cure." 2017 The Baltimore Sun Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The rand has strengthened significantly against major currencies over the past year, even when taking the weakening after the recent cabinet reshuffling into account. With a stronger currency, many consumers would expect a drastic reduction in the price of TVs in South Africa. However, the local pricing structure within the TV industry is influenced by several external factors of which the exchange rate is only one. Many manufacturers purchase forward cover to minimise the risk of the volatile rand, and the result is that they pay a higher exchange rate than the spot price. Luna Nortje, Hisense SAs Sales Executive, said the price of panels also has an influence on the price of TVs. Panel pricing is determined by supply and demand, and in recent months there were major increases in the price of panels. Esquire CEO Mahomed Cassim said this was caused by a supply shortage, thanks to one of the major manufacturers in Taiwan changing its business plan. The company is part of the Foxconn panel business, and decided it would stop selling LCD panels to multiple TV manufacturers. The decision follows the companys acquisition of Sharps TV business from Sharp Japan with the panels to be used to grow the Sharp Aquos brand. This change in the supply side has put enormous pressure on other panel manufacturers to satisfy demand. The shortage, which Cassim said is estimated to be around 10 million panels, has pushed prices up. Nortje said they only foresee a small decrease in panel pricing in the third quarter of 2017. Apart from the exchange rate and panel pricing, the market response to products is another factor which influences TV prices. We have seen a trend whereby consumers either buy down in size or down in brand, said Nortje. Entry-level brands seem to have gained traction in the market, meaning that consumers will either sacrifice quality for size or else settle for a smaller size for quality. The good news for consumers is that even with the difficult market conditions, TV prices have remained stable or have decreased. Manufacturers have been forced by the market conditions to lower prices, which results in severe margin pressure, said Nortje. This trend may change if the rand weakens further, which is a likely scenario with continued political uncertainty in South Africa and the recent downgrade by ratings agencies. By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: It's like a scene out of a sci-fi film. The bowl of white is overflowing with fumes. You can't see into the depths of the bowl. You can only make out faint outlines of four multi-coloured spheres. If the scene actually were from a film, this would be the right moment for four small aliens to jump out and start clawing at your face. But this is real life, and you're inside a restaurant, so the bowl in front of you actually holds four spoonfuls of flavoured yogurt enhanced by the science of molecular gastronomy. advertisement At A Grill Company inside Logix Mall, Noida, there are plenty of such molecular marvels to help run your imagination wild. Other than the yogurt, which comes in flavours of chocolate, green apple, strawberry and mango, there is a tiny bhalla papri which comes with a pretty dollop of dahi. Like the four spoonfuls of yogurt, the dahi too pops inside the mouth. It's all part of the restaurant's molecular chaat section, which also includes gol gappa with a variety of flavoured pani filled in test tubes. The high point of this section though, arrives in the form of a box containing liquid nitrogen. In front your own eyes, the chef drops palak patta into the cool liquid and then takes them out to create a frozen version of the palak patta chaat. One cold bite into it, and the whole brittle thing falls apart. Another frozen delicacy is the nachos chaat, which is sprinkled with liquid nitrogen-frozen sweet yogurt. On the plate, it looks like a healthy layer of snow atop a city of nachos. Also Read:Here's how Delhi and Mumbai were treated to an exclusive Michelin-starred meal On the other end of the spectrum are the grilled goodies that the restaurant offers in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The grilled mushrooms are especially soft and delectable due to the mix of spices coating them. The fish and the mutton kebabs are the right texture as well, with the fish cooked to the point that it breaks away at the right amount of pressure. There are offerings in chicken (of course) as well as soya chaap and paneer as well. If all this culinary excitement isn't enough, there is always the buffet table with its spread of rice, soup, sabzi and chicken for you to taste. The restaurant is also hosting mini-food festivals in keeping with the trends. They had an entire Navratra special table last week. Average cost for two people is Rs 1,600 + taxes. The buffet costs Rs 580 + taxes (veg) and Rs 680 + taxes (non-veg) during lunch and Rs 695 + taxes (veg) and Rs 795 + taxes (non-veg) during dinner --- ENDS --- Media: London is close to agreement with Washington on LNG supplies Aliyev in fact confirms fact of Azerbaijani aggression against sovereign territory of Armenia Toivo Klaar: Important meeting held in Washington between Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs Karabakh ombudsman: Todays occupation does not change status of Shushi Envoy briefs Kazakhstan human rights commissioner on consequences of Azerbaijan aggression against Armenia Dollar, euro continue to rise in Armenia EU partners welcome justice sector reforms in Armenia Armenia government to have academic city project development working group Rybar: Publication of Iranian film about 'skeletons' of Aliyev family is blow to positions of Aliyev family Zelenskyy to attend G20 leaders' summit Voting for midterm elections to Congress begins in U.S. Russian MFA offers Tehran and Riyadh to mediate dialogue Survey: Georgia residents say Armenia is their friend Arman Yeghoyan to Poland colleague: Armenia needs support from European platforms State Department official: American side is impressed by Armenia Police reforms Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte: I realized that this project is the right one Heads of general staffs of CSTO countries armies to discuss military cooperation development President: Climate change agenda continues to remain priority for Armenia despite challenges, security concerns Armenia discusses issue of EEU citizens' stay in country for more than 180 days Economy minister: 74% of Diaspora Armenians ready to invest in Armenia 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 Newspaper: There were serious problems in organizing Global Armenian Summit 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 Political settlement of Syrian crisis is impossible with Bashar Assad being in power, U.S. representative to UN Nikki Haley told CNN. There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime, Haley said. She said the regime change would be possible when all of the parties see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria. Haley noted that ousting Assad was not the US's only priority. The remarks came after the US attack on the Syrian Air Force base and the development of the White House's statements that the US is ready and will take additional measures to protect its national interests in the Middle East. Just a few days before the attack the White House declared that Assad's rule in Syria is a political reality that must be reckoned with. After reports of a chemical attack on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib, Trump changed his mind sharply. As a result, on the night of Friday, the United States fired cruise missiles on the airfield in Syrias Shayrat in Homs province, unsubstantially claiming that a chemical attack in Idlib was conducted from that air base. Many nations, including the United States, have refused to recognize the genocide waged against the Armenian people over a century ago, Congressman Dave Trott wrote in an op-ed published by the Armenian Weekly. The full text of the article is as follows: I have the honor of representing the most ethnically diverse congressional district in Michigan and one of the most diverse districts in the entire country. A prominent presence in our district is the strong and vibrant Armenian community in Southeast Michigan, and, in representing them, I have led Congressional efforts to ensure they always have a seat at the table in our nations capital. During my first term in Congress, I was humbled to have the opportunity to travel to Armenia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Centennial remembrance ceremony was a solemn reminder of the heartbreaking deaths of 1.5 million Armenians that began in 1915, when Ottoman authorities initiated a concerted offensive, specifically targeting the Armenian people in an attempt to exterminate them. In their coordinated campaign, the Ottoman Empire not only intended to wipe out the Armenians, but to also confiscate and destroy their Churches and artifactscompletely removing any memory of the Armenian people and their culture. Sadly, for far too long, many nations, including the United States, have refused to recognize the genocide waged against the Armenian people over a century ago. It is time for the United States to stand with the Armenian people, here and around the world, and to properly recognize this dark period of history. This month, I introduced a resolution that finally recognizes these atrocities and urges the United States government to stand in solidarity with the Armenian people to officially recognize the genocide that transpired over a hundred years ago. I have been outspoken in my support for and solidarity with the Armenian people and I will not waver. While it is so important that we recognize the horrific events of the past, it is even more critical that we recognize the threats against the Armenian people have not subsided. Today, Armenia finds itself facing a myriad of geopolitical challenges. Sharing a border with Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran, its security challenges are exacerbated by an economic blockade from Turkey and Azerbaijan and a region-wide refugee crisis. Furthermore, last April, we witnessed Azerbaijani aggression escalate in Nagorono-Karabagh (Artsakh), which led to the worst violence in the region in decades. Since my election to Congress in 2015, I have worked alongside Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and led dozens of other Members of Congress to urge the implementation of a series of proposals that would reduce aggression in the region. These proposals included calling for the removal of snipers, increasing the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors at the line of contact, and deploying a gunfire locator system to clearly identify aggressors. While these bipartisan proposals were agreed to by the State Department, Armenia and Artsakh, and the Minsk Group of mediators (France, Russia, and the United States), they have been met with continued provocations by Azerbaijan. As the new Trump Administration took shape, I was encouraged to hear Secretary of State Tillerson recognize the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict as a threat to stability in the region and U.S. national security interests, and I will support any efforts by the Administration to play a larger role in this conflict. After 8 years of disengagement from the international arena, I look forward to an America that re-establishes its prominence on the world stage, standing up for the worlds most vulnerable, holding Azerbaijan accountable for their aggression in the region, and ensuring religious minorities and their property rights are upheld in Turkey. A dealmaker at heart, I am confident that President Trump and his administration will exhaust all options to get positive results in the region. As we approach the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, it is long overdue that we not only recognize the violence waged against them in the past, but reaffirm our solidarity with the Armenian people as they continue to defend themselves and their vibrant culture in an increasingly unstable region. Russia has 'egg on their face' after Trump airstrike, says former US ambassador to Syria Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely furious after the U.S. fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in response to a chemical weapons attack, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Theodore Kattouf told CNBC on Friday. "But they have egg on their face," Kattouf, who served under the George W. Bush administration, said on " Squawk Box ." Kattouf said that Russia guaranteed in 2013 that Syria's chemical weapons arsenal would be removed or destroyed. Obviously, that did not happen "100 percent," Kattouf said. After Thursday's U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian air base, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Russia had failed to carry out the 2013 agreement to secure Syrian chemical weapons. He said Moscow was either complicit or incompetent in its ability to uphold that deal. Russia said the U.S. strikes against Bashar Assad's government violated international law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin believed the U.S. attacks on Syria showed aggression against a sovereign state. President Donald Trump ordered the attack by 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syria military air base in response to Tuesday's deadly chemical weapons attack allegedly carried out by Assad's military on a rebel-held area. Kattouf said the strikes against Assad's government sent "just the right message." James Stavridis, a retired admiral who served as NATO's supreme allied commander, told CNBC on Friday that the attack showed the U.S. is not afraid to use force. "Let's face it: Part of the audience here is not just Russia, Iran and Syria. Part of the audience is (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping)," Stavridis said on "Squawk Box." As missiles hit a Syrian air base, Trump was meeting with the Chinese president in Florida. "Perhaps it is no coincidence that the strikes get launched while President Xi is down in Mar-a-Lago. Pretty good signal that the United States intends to play hard with North Korea," Stavridis said. Story continues CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report. More From CNBC The app will enable willing donors to contribute towards the families of bravehearts of Central Armed Police Force who lay down their lives for the country. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Riding on the success of Rustom, which won him a National Award, a humbled Akshay Kumar launched "Bharat ke Veer" web portal and mobile application for real heroes of India. The application will enable willing donors to contribute towards the families of bravehearts of Central Armed Police Force who lay down their lives for the country. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of "next of kin" of the paramilitary soldier. advertisement The portal is the brainchild of Akshay Kumar, who told a packed audience in Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, how a documentary on terrorists inspired him to launch this application. He said, "The terrorist are told (by their masterminds) that their families will be taken care of if something happens to them. My own idea was why not convert the negative to positive." This app he said will get the support of 1.25 billion Indians. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh credited Akshay for mooting this idea. "While the soldiers are tested every minute of their duty, we are able to contribute much less. It will not deter me from asking people to lend a hand," he said. Singh added that a corpus of Rs one crore would be given to the families of martyrs. The site will allow anyone to financially support the braveheart of their choice towards the Bharat ke Veer corpus. This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre and powered by SBI. A donor can donate a maximum of Rs 15 lakh. He would be alerted if the amount exceeds so that he can choose to divert part of the donation to another braveheart's account. The corpus itself will be managed by a committee of eminent persons who will disburse the fund equitably to the bravehearts families. ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar donates Rs 1.08 crore to Sukma CRPF martyrs' families Website for donations to families of killed CAPF soldiers soon Akshay Kumar on National Award win for Rustom: Der aaye, durust aaye WATCH THE VIDEO: --- ENDS --- Big US corporations have identified a new strategy for managing irate investors at annual shareholder meetings: Going virtual. This year, about 250 companies are expected to convene their yearly investor tete-a-tete via audio or video, up from 155 in 2016 and just 26 in 2012, according to investors communications firm Broadridge. The set of companies forgoing the face-to-face encounters includes number-two US automaker Ford and energy giants ConocoPhillips and Duke Energy. "We take very seriously the trust that our shareholders place in our leadership team," said Bill Ford, Ford's executive chairman. "The virtual nature of this year's meeting will enable us to increase shareholder accessibility, while improving efficiency and reducing costs." Duke Energy also defended the practice, saying the format would permit chief executive Lynn Good "to answer more shareholder questions, either during the meeting or afterward through a web posting," according to a press release. But not everyone is persuaded of the nobility of intent. "What's really going on is that corporations are trying to hidefrom shareholders, from protesters, from anyone trying to hold them accountable," said Marni Halasa, founder of protest consulting firm Revolution is Sexy, who has previously criticized large banks. Duke shareholder Danielle Fugere of the non-governmental organization "As You Sow" added: "We do not believe it is in the company's interest to insulate itself from the interested public." The group has proposed a shareholder resolution to require the company to report on the public health impacts of its use of coal. Avenue for individual investors New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who oversees investments under the city's $170 billion public pension system, has declared war on virtual meetings, sending a letter to almost 20 companies demanding they go the traditional way. "It's one of the great markers of American enterprise - whether you own one share or a one million, you can speak at a company's annual meeting," Stringer said. "Except now, in this interconnected world, companies are using technological tools to whittle away at investors' rights and hide from accountability." But the companies rebut this point, with Ford saying "any pertinent questions that cannot be answered during the meeting, due to time constraints, will be answered and posted online." Virtual meetings became possible following changes in law in a number of US states, including Delaware, where many companies are based. The annual events are not usually a major occasion for the biggest shareholders, who are typically in an ongoing dialogue with corporations. But the annual meeting has traditionally offered a unique forum to the individual investor who lack the clout of large institutional investors. By going virtual, big companies can avoid sometimes pointed criticism over shareholder pay, their environmental performance or any number of controversial matters. Calpers, which oversees pension and health benefits for some 1.6 billion people in the state of California, joined smaller shareholders in decrying the trend. Calpers backs physical meeting that are accessible remote investors via technology. Some companies, like Microsoft, have employed this hybrid style. "Companies should hold shareowner meetings by remote communication (so-called 'virtual' meetings) only as a supplement to traditional in-person shareowner meetings, not as a substitute," Calpers said, adding that the technology "should facilitate the opportunity for remote attendees to participate in the meeting to the same degree as in-person attendees." 2017 AFP From the fifth-floor office of his internet startup, Kazz Watabe can see the sea bass jump in the bay as he works on his fishing website to the sound of jazz and the waves washing on the beach below. It's a scene that could be from any of the seaside startup hubs developing around the world - Seattle, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Sydney - but Watabe's Umeebe Inc. is in aging Japan, far from Tokyo, in the western port of Fukuoka. "It's not a bad idea to build your business after thinking first about what kind of environment you want to be in," said Watabe, 30, who moved to the city in late 2013 from Tokyo to develop smartphone apps and software that helps anglers find fish and share pictures of their catch. Fukuoka is the fastest-growing major city in Japan outside of the capital, which has been steadily draining talent and workers from the rest of the country for decades. This ancient port, hemmed in by mountains and as close to Shanghai as it is to Tokyo, is bucking that trend, drawing entrepreneurs like Watabe from Japan and abroad. Soichiro Takashima, elected the youngest mayor in the city's history in 2010, is leveraging its status as a national strategic special zone, cutting red tape and introducing incentives like Japan's first "startup visa," which gives giving entrepreneurs a six-month exemption from the investment and hiring requirements of a business visa. "We want to give it a try before anyone else," said Takashima, now 42. "Others will come and see how we do it. That's the fastest way to change Japan." The parallel with Seattle isn't just geographic. Takashima visited the U.S. West-Coast city in 2011 and said he was inspired to create an Asian equivalent in Japan. Key to Fukuoka's ambition to become an Asian gateway is its location. At the airport, in the heart of the city, planes queue up to fly to destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. More than 800 million people live within a three-hour flight of Fukuoka. Scrolling signs in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese guide visitors in the subway, which takes less than 10 minutes to reach the main railway station downtown from the airport. "It's pretty hard to beat this location," said Noritaka Ochiai, chief executive officer of the Fukuoka unit of LINE Corp., the South Korean-owned company that runs Japan's top smartphone messaging app, in his office next to the station. LINE Fukuoka Corp. has added more than 600 jobs since opening in November 2013. Women make up half its workers and 30 percent of management roles. About half its engineers are foreigners. "We welcome anyone who has skills, fits our culture and is interested in us," said Ochiai, 42. Koji Lin, a 35-year-old Taiwanese engineer at LINE, chose Fukuoka over Tokyo in search of a better quality of life and because it's a short flight to his home country. The city's 7.2 trillion yen ($65 billion) economy is about 7 percent of the size of Tokyo's and average office rents are 50 percent cheaper. While the capital sits in the middle of a conurbation of more than 35 million people, Fukuoka's residents are a short drive from the beach or the mountains. "I wanted to change the environment and challenge myself," said Lin, a father of two. "Fukuoka was the right size." Encouraging risk has made Fukuoka a make-or-break city. It has the highest ratio of new business starts among Japan's 21 biggest cities and the second-highest rate of ventures closing, according to the Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center. Nine out of 10 jobs are in services, compared with 71 percent nationwide. Boston-based financial services company State Street Corp. opened an operational center with about 130 people from some 20 countries in Fukuoka after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster in eastern Japan. "Keeping us only in Tokyo came with a number of risks," said Richard Fogarty, head of State Street Global Services in Japan. He said the biggest factor in choosing Fukuoka was the large pool of college graduates. The inflows have helped support Fukuoka's real-estate market while other cities are hollowing out. The office vacancy rate in Fukuoka has fallen to 4.3 percent, from about 15 percent in 2009, according to Miki Shoji Co. Fukuoka REIT Corp., listed in 2005 as the first region-specific real estate investment trust, has more than doubled its assets under management to about 173 billion yen. "Real estate is a very local business and being here gives us greater advantage in the speed, quality and quantity of information," said Takafumi Fujita, a manager at Fukuoka Realty Co., the asset manager of Fukuoka REIT. "Population growth energizes the city." Ringed by mountains and 200 kilometers across the Korea Strait from South Korea's Busan port - a three-hour trip on the "Beetle" jet-propelled hydrofoil - Fukuoka's development has been forged as much by geography as planning. The bowl of hills created a compact, commercial hub at the mouth of the snaking Naka River, with a broad lagoon that hosts one of Japan's largest passenger ports. The city's first master plan in 1961 aimed to build an industrial economy to join the factory boom that was sweeping the country. But it lost out to Kitakyushu, an hour's drive to the northeast, where steel and automakers built mills and factories on the wide estuary of Dokai Bay. Now the tables are turned. Fukuoka added about 75,000 people in the five years ended 2015, the most outside Tokyo, with the number of foreign residents rising by 22 percent. Kitakyushu lost more than 15,000 people, the most among Japan's municipalities except for towns evacuated due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Fukuoka, whose samurai warriors held off Kublai Khan's invading Mongol army in the 13th century, was picked as a national strategic special zone for jobs and business creation. Kitakyushu was selected for elderly care. "When young people do something, they have to start with niche, small things," said Kozo Yamamoto, 68, minister of regulatory reforms and regional revitalization. "Fukuoka is outperforming in that sense." Fukuoka faces a race against time to make the new economic model sustainable. The pool of youth from surrounding areas is dwindling and the city's population is forecast to peak around 2035 at about 1.6 million. While Takashima successfully lobbied the central government to cut corporate income tax for Fukuoka startups, he's aware that Japan's demographic clock means that government revenue will inevitably decline as the workforce shrinks. "Using money as an incentive is outdated, not cool and has no future," Takashima said. "Tax revenue will fall. It's more important to encourage a business friendly environment with deregulation." The backbone of Fukuoka's push to diversify the new-technology sector is Kyushu University, one of the most famous in the country and one of 13 chosen to be a gateway for more overseas students. Last year, Kyushu had over 2,000 foreign students with major research areas in medical sciences, engineering and information technology. A member of the university's startup club is Kazutaka Okuda, a 22-year-old medical student who is starting two hospital-related businesses with money he made investing in stocks. "I used to think I could only start a business in Tokyo, but now I'm thinking maybe I can do it in Fukuoka," he said. "There's no return where there's no risk. Pick your fight and bet big." Across the road from the vast, striped labyrinth of the Canal City shopping mall is an old galleried building containing The Company, an incubator where almost 200 workers from some 80 firms share facilities. One of them is venture capitalist Shota Morozumi, who runs F Ventures. "Fukuoka was calling for startups, but I saw a contradiction in terms of funding," said the 29-year-old, who used to work for a VC firm in Tokyo. He said startups need investment, not loans, which discourage risk-taking. "I'm from Fukuoka and wanted to make it work for Fukuoka." A kilometer away across the Naka River, where office workers gather in the evenings to slurp the city's famous ramen and spicy fish eggs among the restaurants and karaoke bars on Nakasu island, is the Tsutaya bookshop. Inside, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists meet at the government-backed Startup Cafe, which imparts free advice about everything from hiring to tax. Among those to take advantage of the service were Yasmine Djoudi, 29, and Thomas Pouplin, 28, the city's first recipients of the startup visa. They visited Fukuoka as graduate exchange students in 2014 from Bordeaux, France, and launched online job-matching company Ikkai Inc. in the city in 2016. "We really fell in love with the city," Djoudi said. "It really made sense to start the company here." 2017 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Big eared townsend bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) Credit: Public Domain Bad news for bats: White-nose syndrome, a disease caused by a fungus that has been killing millions of bats across the Northeast, has reached Texas. Conservationists and state and federal wildlife officials confirmed in March that the fungal infection has been detected in bats in the Texas panhandle. The encroachment onto the Southwest has hit three species - the tri-colored bat, cave myotis and Townsend's big-eared bat - the latter two of which are primarily western species who have been largely unaffected until now. "It is a turning point," said Jonah Evans, a state mammologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "It is the first time that we've detected it in bats with a primarily western distribution." White-nose syndrome was first discovered in New York in 2007, and has spread out from that epicenter in the decade since. The disease is caused by a fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or Pd, which thrives in the cold and damp environments where many bat species typically hibernate in large numbers during the winter. Infected bats typically show white noses, as well as wings, ears or tail, from the fungus. They can often be seen flying in the winter, when they're supposed to be hibernating in caves. Normally, a bat could preen off much of the invading fungus; in fact, its warm body temperature and active immune system usually fend off any invasion from the cold-loving Pd. But Northeastern bats hibernate during the frigid winter months, in cold caves that are perfect for the fungus and in large numbers that make it easy to spread. While hibernating, bats' bodies go into what's known as "torpor" to preserve precious fat reserves, lowering both their body temperature and their immune system activity. This allows the fungus to spread so much that it finally wakes the animals up, usually in the dead of winter. The weakened bat then must go looking for food in the cold, and often dies of starvation. "They're sitting ducks," said Jeremy Coleman, national white-nose syndrome coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In some caves in the Northeast, the fungus has killed off around 95 percent of the bat population, officials said. "It is truly the most devastating wildlife disease that we have to deal with right now," said Katie Gillies, director of Bat Conservation International's imperiled species program. "In North America we've never seen anything like this." (The only thing that compares, she added, is the massive die-off of frogs, toads and other amphibians, also due to a fungus.) Scientists think Pd is an invasive species whose native grounds lie in Europe and Asia. European bats appear to be resistant to the fungus; American hibernating species, which did not evolve in the presence of this threat, are not. Because this is a cold-loving species that takes advantage of hibernation periods, some scientists hoped that the fungus would remain a northeastern problem, and not make it to warmer regions. But the fungus has since spread to Mississippi and to Georgia, and even to Washington state (a jump probably enabled by a human traveler who brought it into a cave with contaminated gear, clothing or other belongings). "I think a lot of people have kind of stuck their heads in the sand hoping that it wouldn't show up in the South and hoping it wouldn't show up in the West," Gillies said. "But every single time that people hang their hat on that hope, the fungus dashes it." So scientists have still been preparing for the spread, testing bats in the northern regions of the Lone Star State - areas most likely to first see infected bats. The scientists would visit caves and rub cotton swabs across the slumbering bats' snouts, causing them to wriggle and squirm and their mouths to gape open. "They're usually a little crabby about it ... they kind of squawk at you in really cute slow motion, if you can just picture that," Gillies said of her groggy subjects. Scientists then send them to the lab for genetic analysis. This year, researchers discovered low levels of the fungus' presence in three species: the tri-colored bat, cave myotis and Townsend's big-eared bat. Except for an isolated eastern subspecies of Townsend's called the Virginia big-eared bat, the two latter species have a western distribution and previously had not been infected with the fungus. With a toehold on these two species, the infection could potentially now spread farther west. Texas is a sort of Grand Central station for bats: With 32 species, it has the highest level of bat diversity in the nation. While many bats stick to the eastern states and others stay in the West, the edges of their ranges overlap in the Lone Star State. To ecologists, this makes Texas a worrisome transfer point. They fear that southwestern and western bats will contract the fungus and carry it even farther, to species whose behaviors, movements and reactions to the disease are not well known. "We need to continue to develop a wide suite of tools that we can use for those conditions that are slightly different," Coleman said. Texas is home to the Mexican (also known as Brazilian) free-tailed bats; in the summer, the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin features the largest urban bat colony in North America. While those bats migrate during the winter instead of hibernating, and may not be susceptible to the fungus, they fly long distances and could carry it to other bat species who may be vulnerable to infection. The fungus' arrival in the Texas panhandle, then, marks a significant turning point in the fungus' advance, scientists said. Pd's spread could not only affect the rich diversity of species in North America; it could also have profound economic impacts. Many of these insectivorous bat species eat crop pests, performing vital agricultural services for farmers valued at about $1.4 billion in Texas alone. Across North America, according to a study in the journal Science, bats' agricultural contribution is estimated to be around $22.9 billion (with an estimated range of $3.7 billion to $53 billion). In a worst-case scenario - if bats such as the Brazilian free-tailed bat and others that are thought to be less susceptible do get hit hard by the disease, it could have significant implications for the economy, scientists pointed out. "That's almost like a national security concern," Evans said. "That's a massive loss if Mexican free-tailed bats are impacted. ... So we're just hopeful that some of our bats are more resilient to it." As the fungus spreads, researchers say they are trying to learn what they can and find ways to save bats or fight the disease, before it spreads deeper south and west. 2017 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A one-horn rhino in Nepal's Chitwan National Park during an operation by conservationists this month Poachers have shot dead a one-horned rhinoceros at a national wildlife park in Nepal, officials said Sunday, spotlighting the threat faced by the rare animals. Officials on Saturday found the male rhino with its horn gouged out in Chitwan National Park, the country's biggest rhino conservation area. "We performed a post-mortem and found that it had been hit by a bullet on its head," the park's spokesman Nurendra Aryal told AFP. Aryal said a team had been set up to investigate the incident and security had been tightened at the district borders. In September last year a rhino died weeks after poachers shot it in the same park, the first of the rare animals to be killed in the country in over two years. Thousands of one-horned rhinos once roamed the plains of Nepal, but their numbers have plunged over the past century due to poaching and human encroachment on their habitat. The population decline was particularly dramatic during Nepal's 1996-2006 civil war, when soldiers on anti-poaching duties were redeployed to fight the Maoist guerrilla insurgency. But the country has since made rapid progress in combating the poachers who kill the animals for their prized horns, drawing praise from conservation groups and activists. The horns fetch huge prices in some Asian countries where they are used for medicines and jewellery. Nepal is home to about 645 rhinos, out of which about 600 live in Chitwan National Park. The park is in the process of relocating five rhinos to another conservation area in far-west Nepal to boost their population. Shant Raj Jnawali, a rhino expert at WWF, said the latest death highlighted the vulnerability of the animals despite anti-poaching efforts from the community, park wardens and army. "We hope that the investigation will help us devise new strategies to strengthen protection for these animals," Jnawali said. Rhino poaching carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and a 100,000-rupee ($1,000) fine. 2017 AFP In the hills of Baja California, Michael Wall and Jim Berrian found a creature that's the stuff of nightmares 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," Wall said of its thick, fang-like structures, hairy, inch-long body and legs stretching 4 inches across. Berrian, however, described it in more flattering terms. "I think it's a really pretty spider," he said. "The head and legs are kind of a chocolate brown. The abdomen is a dull yellow. And it's kind of plain, but very striking." After confirming the spider as a new species, the researchers 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 4 million species are yet to be identified and named, Wall said. So encountering a new type of spider isn't necessarily unusual. "The odds of discovering a new species are pretty high," Wall said. "But ... generally, (most) new species discovered are itty-bitty things that people don't 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 a live specimen. Soon he and Wall found one in a nearby cave, and another in an abandoned mine shaft. Local ranchers with broad knowledge of the area's wildlife hadn't seen it before, but the researchers kept searching. They spotted more of them in the cement pit of an 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, 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, sometimes lethal venom. Cacachilensis looks like it could wield an impressive bite as well. "They're pretty meaty," Wall said. "They do have clearly visible fangs." Under rows of black eyes, the spider has hairy pincers that can deliver a venomous sting. That's how the wandering spiders, named for their habit of roaming for prey, hunt for food and defend themselves. "It's intimidating, and that can be enough for a lot of things to leave you alone, except loony-toon arachnologists," Berrian said. And, unlike its Brazilian cousin, he discovered that cacachilensis doesn't seem to be lethal. "I was bitten by one of these spiders down in Baja," he said. "It was like being poked by a cactus spine and a little mild pain, but it went away in a few hours." The spider's discovery came during a series of expeditions by researchers at the San Diego Natural History Museum to explore and catalog 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." 2017 The San Diego Union-Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Credit: George Hodan/Public Domain When it comes to cybersecurity, Americans recognize the need for strong passwords and know that public Wi-Fi hotspots aren't necessarily safe for online banking or e-commerce. But U.S. adults are not as good at recognizing email "phishing" schemes or determining if the website where they're entering credit card information is encrypted. That's according to a new Pew Research Center survey titled "What the Public Knows about Cybersecurity." It tallied responses from 1,055 adults last year about their understanding of concepts important to online safety and privacy. The results were mixed, highlighting that public awareness of online security measures remains a potential weak link in thwarting cyberthreats. "It is probably our No. 1 concern and No. 1 vulnerability," said Retired Rear Adm. Ken Slaght, head of the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence, a trade group for the region's cybersecurity industry. "These attackers keep upping their game. It has gone well beyond the jumbled, everything misspelled email." Digital security firm Gemalto recently said that 1,792 data breaches occurred worldwide in 2016, with 1.4 billion digital records compromised - up 86 percent from the prior year. Gemalto, based in The Netherlands, did not include the 1.5 billion record exposed in the Yahoo! breach because it technically occurred in 2013-2014. It was discovered last year. "One of the biggest problems is people have become numb to this," said Slaght. "We all have had our credit card hacked. You just get a new one and life goes on." The Pew Research survey asked 13 questions about cybersecurity. The median score was five correct answers. Just 20 percent answered eight questions correctly. A relatively large percentage of respondents, however, answered "not sure" to questions rather than providing the wrong answer. Participants had a good understanding of some security basic practices such as the importance of strong passwords and less knowledge of others - particularly more technical aspects of web safety such as multi-factor authentication and virtual private networks. "One of the things you see from the Pew study, as you drill down in security knowledge, the numbers really do drop off," said Stephen Cobb, security researcher for anti-virus software firm ESET. "I was disappointed that only 33 percent were aware of what the 's' in 'https' meant." It stands for secure, with website authentication and encryption of digital traffic. It is used mostly for online payments. Security researchers often suggest computer users examine the website addresses - known as the URL - as a first step before they click on a link. "You wonder if people know what a URL is," said Cobb. "Do they know how to read a URL? So there is plenty of work to be done" in terms of public awareness. Only 54 percent of respondents correctly identified a phishing attack. For cybercriminals, phishing remains a favorite trick for infecting computers with malware. Phishing schemes usually involve an email that directs users to click on a link to an infected website. Computer security software does a good job of blocking most phishing schemes, said Cobb, including many sophisticated spear phishing attacks targeting individuals with personalized information. Even so, cybersecurity technology can't yet deliver a "completely automated response to phishing," he said. "So we have to proceed with user education and with attempts to make phishing a poor career choice" by prosecuting those who do it. Other findings in the Pew survey include: -75 percent of participants identified the most secure password from a list of four options -52 percent of people knew that turning off the GPS function on smartphones does not prevent all tracking. Mobile phones can be tracked via cell towers or Wi-Fi networks. -39 percent were aware that Internet Service Providers can still see the websites their customer visit even when they're using "private browsing" on their search engines -10 percent were able to identify one example of multi-factor authentication when presented with four images of online log-in screens. 2017 The San Diego Union-Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Thousands flocked to Amsterdam from around Europe this weekend to meet their online video heroes and mingle with young fans, eager to learn how they too can become a YouTube star. They were taking part in the first VidCon Europe, an off-shoot of VidCon US set up in Anaheim, southern California, eight years ago and now a hot venue amid an online revolution. While such YouTube stars as Tyler Oakley, or Hannah Hart may not be household names to most, they have built up a huge fan base among children and young adults with their funny, often anarchic videos. Though sometimes dealing with serious issues, they are filmed mostly with a tripod or webcam from their own kitchens or living rooms. Amsterdam is VidCon's first foray out of the United States. Organisers are hoping it may become an annual event, and are also looking towards the first VidCon in Melbourne, Australia, later this year. "The European place for online video is a few years behind the US one, but it is approaching it. Every day another kid starts a channel and wants to be famous," Michael Gardner, chief operating officer, told AFP. Some 3,500 people from as far as Latvia, Serbia and Estonia trekked to Amsterdam for the three-day event, where industry figures also mixed with creators, or video producers often referred to as YouTubers, and fans. Although small compared to the 26,000 who travelled to Anaheim in 2016, organisers said it was a good debut and the crowd was three times larger than the first VidCon in the US eight years ago. "Authenticity" is the key to success for new YouTubers, Gardner said. "These online video stars, they're not on script, they're being themselves." "It's like having a real good friend, who talks to you every day." TV doesn't talk back YouTube's biggest star, PewDiePie, was absent amid a row over a few videos he posted containing anti-Semitic remarks and Nazi references. A 27-year-old Swede, real name Felix Kjellberg, he has 54.5 million online followers on the Google-owned service. He is also YouTube's top earner making roughly $14.5 million (13.6 million euros) last year through revenue-sharing and sponsorships, according to estimates from social media data firm NeoReach. Gardner said fast technological advances and expanding bandwidth meant online video was an "equal opportunity for everyone to have their voice heard, to tell their narrative." Every VidCon "I see two people come together, and they say, 'Wait, you like this? I like this too. I thought I was the only one'. And all of a sudden this bond forms." Asked if television is dead, Gardner joked: "I wish it was." Online video was more active, involving engagement between its stars and their audience such as comments, likes and dislikes, he said. "TV doesn't have those factors and in an increasingly disconnected world people are craving those elements. They're craving engagement, and TV just doesn't talk back to you." The power of nerds Many of the stars use their platforms to help advocate for gay rights, greater equality or to end the stigma of mental illness. Founded by American author John Greenwho wrote the bestselling young adult novel "Fault in our Stars"and his brother Hank Green, VidCon is a forum for self-confessed nerds. Known online as the Vlogbrothers, the two are now in their late 30s and describe their channel launched in 2007 as "raising nerdy to the power of awesome". "I want kids to value passion and excitement, and not to disguise it through irony because people will think it's lame," John Green told an audience in Amsterdam. Starry-eyed fans not only get a chance to met their favourites, but can gather in meet-ups to hang out with others who share the same interests. "I was always an oddball," confessed pink-haired British star Lizzie Dwyer, who as LDShadowlady has amassed almost three million followers, who watch her play and comment on video games such as Minecraft. "But it's great there are people on YouTube who appreciate the weirdness about me." 2017 AFP - A former governor of Ebonyi, Martin Elechi, has registered as a member of the APC - Elechi says he decided to join the APC due to his love for Buhari and the current state of the PDP occasioned by its protracted crisis - The former governor describes the APC as the alternative for Ebonyi people and the Igbo race Martin Elechi has said PDP present leaders have truncated the ideals of the party. A former governor of Ebonyi state, Martin Elechi, has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC). READ ALSO: President Buhari made Kanu a hero Uwazuruike Elechi, officially became a member APC on Sunday, April 9, after registering at his country home in Echialike, Ikwo local government area, in front of national party leaders, Punch reports. The former governor said he decided to join the APC due to his love for Buhari and the current state of the PDP occasioned by its protracted crisis. I knew Buhari 49 years ago when I started the movement for the creation of Ebonyi as he intervened during my arrest with nine other comrades, by officers of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation. I was interrogated while standing for nine hours and he as the Brigade Major in Abakaliki at that time, ordered our immediate release. I thank God for his health as he had favoured the people of Abakaliki and will triumph in his onerous task of rescuing the country from misrule. READ ALSO: Plot to kill Wike: Governor reveals who wants to assassinate him He is the person Nigerians are waiting for as the Boko Haram and corruption issues could have been indescribable if God had not brought him to power, he said. Elechi stated that he was proud of the PDP due to the democratic ideals of its founding fathers. He however, noted that its present leaders have truncated the ideals of the party. He described the APC as the alternative for Ebonyi people and the Igbo race and thanked the party for offering him and his supporters, a political platform to identify with. Elechi's defection comes few days after Senator Florence Ita-Giwa of the PDP dumped the opposition for the ruling APC. Legit.ng reported that Ita-Giwa made the crossover on Friday, April 7 in a very flamboyant ceremony. She said that she is defecting to the APC with her huge supporters from her Bakassi constituency to boost the fortunes of the party in Cross River state. In the Legit.ng video below, an APC member criticises the party for failing to uphold its campaign promises. Source: Legit.ng BJP veterans are upset with the newly appointed Bihar party chief Nityanand Rai, with some even calling him a "criminal" with questionable background. By Indo-Asian News Service: All does not seem well in the Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with some of the old-timers raising a banner of revolt against the newly-appointed President of the party's state unit. Nityanand Rai, the new state BJP chief, is the butt of anger of the party's senior leaders, who have accused him of appointing office-bearers of his choice in the recently reconstituted state executive committee, disregarding others' requests. advertisement The BJP leaders opposing the move allege that Rai chose to ignore some of the well-known faces, also considered close to senior party leaders. Beyond these allegations, in the caste-ridden politics of Bihar, anger against Nityanand Rai has an apparent caste colour. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BREWING REVOLT AGAINST STATE PARTY CHIEF: Nityanand Rai, a Yadav by caste, was selected to head the state BJP by the party's national President Amit Shah last month to counter Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and his two sons' growing popularity in the Yadav community--the most powerful among Other Backward Castes (OBC). In the past also, the BJP had played the Yadav card by appointing Nand Kishore Yadav as the state unit President during the Lalu-Rabri rule to counter-balance them. BJP's media face and former general secretary Sudhir Sharma, former Union Minister and senior party leader C P Thakur and former minister Sunil Kumar Pintoo have criticised Rai for reconstituting the committee with unknown faces as party office-bearers. Both Sharma and Thakur belong to powerful upper caste Bhumihar--a traditional supporter of the BJP, and Pintoo belongs to another prominent OBC--Bania, also a traditional supporter of the party. Sudhir Sharma, who is considered close to senior party leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who dominated the state BJP until last month, described Nityanand Rai as a "criminal" and said he had questionable background and had roots in the contract business and mafia activities. Sudhir Sharma also criticised the new state executive and list of office-bearers, saying it looked more like a "giroh of Rai" (Nityanand Rai's gang) than the executive body of a prominent political party. Sudhir Sharma, who is known to be a vocal leader, accused Nityanand Rai of being anti-Bhumihar: "He (Rai) used to say that Bhumihars are descendants of Ravanas... One can imagine his mindset". C P Thakur also said that Nityanand Rai should make changes in the new executive committee. "There is scope of change and (Nityanand) Rai should take everyone along to move ahead. His style of functioning should not ignore the old faces of the party." Sunil Kumar Pintoo, along with dozens of other BJP leaders from his own caste, on Friday staged a sit-in to protest against suspension of party MLC Lal Babu Prasad for allegedly sexually harassing a woman Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MLC in the state assembly complex last week. He also threatened to gherao party President Amit Shah during his visit to Bihar later this month. "(Nityanand) Rai has suspended Lal Babu Prasad as he belongs to the emerging Bania caste. We will not sit silent and expose Rai's dictatorial approach in the party." When contacted, Nityanand Rai refuted all allegations, saying that some people might have some differences but the BJP had emerged strong in Bihar under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and become more popular than ever before. ALSO READ: Impressed by Adityanath's development work in UP, locals want village in Bihar's Purnia renamed after him Bihar-style Mahagathbandhan can defeat BJP in 2019, says Nitish Kumar Bihar seals 7 illegal slaughterhouses following BJP's demand ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Some 70,000 people rallied in Budapest Sunday in support of a local university founded by American billionaire George Soros that is seen as a target for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's illiberal policies. The Hungarian-born Soros founded Central European University in 1991. Amendments to Hungary's higher education law approved this week could force it to close or move. The law, rushed through Parliament in less than a week, would require CEU to change its name and open a campus in the United States. It also calls for binding agreements about the university between Hungary and the United States. CEU is accredited in New York state and in Hungary and students can earn degrees valid in both countries. The university currently enrolls over 1,400 students from 108 countries. The U.S. State Department has expressed its concerns about the legislation and CEU's ability to continue operating in Hungary. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Yee will be in Budapest on Monday to meet with government officials, in part to discuss CEU. Yee is also expected to meet with authorities from the university. Protesters filling Kossuth Square outside Parliament said they want President Janos Ader to veto the legislation. It was the largest anti-government protest in years. Ader, from Orban's governing Fidesz party, was re-elected by lawmakers for a five-year term in March. "Don't sign it, Jani," the crowd chanted, using a Hungarian nickname for Ader's first name. Other chants included "A free country, a free university," ''Orban get out," ''Viktator!" and "Europe, Europe." "There are moments in the career of every politician when they have a chance to prove that they are public servants, that they are not just foot soldiers of their party but statesmen," CEU student Daniel Berg told the crowd. "The country where the government closes schools cannot succeed." Story continues After the main rally, hundreds of protesters marched to the nearby Ministry of Human Resources, which oversees education, and later to the headquarters of Orban's governing Fidesz party, located near Heroes Square. Police lines stopped the march near the party headquarters. Some people pushed up against police in riot gear but could not break through. "We don't want to resort to violence, but you can't stop us," one protester said through a megaphone. Orban's plans for an "illiberal state" contrast with Soros' "open society" ideal. Orban alleges that non-governmental organizations supported by Soros, including corruption watchdog Transparency International and rights advocate Hungarian Helsinki Committee, are "foreign agents" working against Hungarian interests. A law expected to be passed in May would force NGOs getting more than 7.2 million forints ($24,500) a year from abroad to register with authorities. The United States believes the Syrian government employed a sarin-like nerve agent in Tuesday's deadly attack in the country's northwest. Here are the key facts about sarin, which was discovered in Nazi Germany. Originally conceived as a pesticide, sarin was used by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime to gas thousands of Kurds in the northern town of Halabja in 1988. Inhaled or absorbed through the skin, the gas kills by crippling the respiratory center of the central nervous system and paralyzing the muscles around the lungs. The combination results in death by suffocation, and sarin can contaminate food or water supplies, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Images from the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun showing victims suffering convulsions, breathing problems and foaming at the mouth have shocked the world. Initial analysis on victims brought to Turkey for treatment suggests they were exposed to sarin. Symptoms of exposure to the agent include nausea and violent headaches, blurred vision, drooling, muscle convulsions, respiratory arrest and loss of consciousness, the CDC says. "Sarin is 26 times more deadly than cyanide gas. Just a pinprick-sized droplet will kill a human," according to the World Health Organization. Nerve agents are generally quick-acting and require only simple chemical techniques and inexpensive, readily available ingredients to manufacture. Inhalation of a high dose -- say 200 milligrams of sarin -- may cause death "within a couple of minutes," with no time even for symptoms to develop, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Exposure through the skin takes longer to kill and the first symptoms may not occur for half an hour, followed by a quick progression. Even when it does not kill, sarin's effects can cause permanent harm -- damaging a victim's lungs, eyes and central nervous system. Heavier than air, the gas can linger in an area for up to six hours, depending on weather conditions. The most notorious sarin attack occurred in the Kurdish city of Halabja in March 1988. As many as 5,000 people were killed and 65,000 injured when the Iraqi military attacked using a combination of chemical agents that included sarin, mustard gas and possibly VX, a nerve agent 10 times more powerful than sarin. It is thought to have been the worst-ever gas attack targeting civilians. A cult also used the odorless, paralyzing agent in two attacks in Japan in the 1990s. The Aum Supreme Truth cult released it in the Tokyo subway in March 1995, killing 13 people and injuring 6,000 others. The cult also used the nerve agent in an attack the year before in the Japanese city of Matsumoto, killing seven. The name sarin comes from the chemists who discovered it by chance: Schrader, Ambros, Ruediger et Van der Linde. The scientists had been trying to create stronger pesticides but the formula was then taken up by the Nazi military for chemical weapons. At least 15 civilians, including four children, were killed in a suspected US-led coalition airstrike on Saturday near the Islamic State group's Syrian bastion Raqa, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17 people were injured in the strike on Heneyda, and that the death toll could rise further because several of the wounded were in serious conditions. The Britain-based group said the strike was suspected to have been carried out by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Heneyda is around 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of the city of Raqa, the target of a major operation led by a Kurdish-Arab alliance of fighters and backed by the US-led coalition. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have for months been advancing towards the city in the north of the country, hoping to encircle it before launching a final assault. Its forces last month seized the Tabqa military airport from IS, and have entered the complex of the key Tabqa dam, after being airlifted behind jihadist lines by US forces. They continue to battle for the town of Tabqa, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Raqa, with clashes ongoing on Saturday, the Observatory said. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011. By Polina Nikolskaya and Hulkar Isamova ST PETERSBURG, Russia/OSH, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - The man Russian police believe was the suicide bomber who killed 14 people in a blast on the St Petersburg metro this week developed an interest in Islam and soon after travelled to Turkey, two people who know him told Reuters. The two people said they did not know for sure if the man, Akbarzhon Jalilov, went on from Turkey to neighbouring Syria. Turkey has been routinely used by radical Islamists as a route into areas of Syria controlled by the Islamic State group. If Jalilov had been in Syria, that would expose a major gap in Russia's counter-terrorism procedures, which rely heavily on identifying anyone who has been with militants in Syria and stopping them from returning to Russia, or arresting them. The metro blast happened on Monday afternoon just as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited St Petersburg. No group has claimed responsibility. But Islamic State has threatened acts of violence on Russian soil in reprisal for the Kremlin's military intervention in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Jalilov, the suspected suicide bomber, was born in 1995 and grew up in the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet Republic in Central Asia. Around 2011 he moved to St Petersburg. He worked in low-paid jobs for several years. Photographs posted on social media showed a stylishly dressed young man. His online posts offered no hint of any ties to Islamist militants. But there is a gap in Jalilov's biography from the end of 2015 until the start of this year. During that period several acquaintances said he disappeared from view. He reappeared when he visited Osh in February this year. In March he returned to St Petersburg and rented an apartment from where he set off on the day of the bombing carrying a rucksack and a bag. By speaking to several people who knew Jalilov well, Reuters has been able to piece together a picture of his life in the missing years. FINDING RELIGION According to someone from Osh who worked as a cook alongside Jalilov in a St Petersburg restaurant in 2014, he was an even-tempered young man who did not drink or use swear words. "I would have said firmly that Akbar was not capable of doing anything bad," said the source, using an abbreviation of Jalilov's name. The source asked not to be identified because he did not want the authorities to associate him with a suicide bomber. The two worked in the same outlet of the Sushi Wok restaurant chain. During the course of 2014, said the former work colleague, Jalilov developed an interest in Islam. He prayed, went to the mosque, read the Koran, and started growing a beard. But the source said he did not notice any signs of extremism. The second source, another native of Osh who also worked with Jalilov in St Petersburg, said he too was aware that Jalilov had acquired an interest in religion. But he said Jalilov never tried to push his faith onto anyone else. During 2015, said the first source, Jalilov left St Petersburg. The source said he heard from other cooks at the restaurant that before leaving, Jalilov had said he was going to Turkey. He said, according to the source, that "there are good jobs in Turkey, and things aren't working out (with work) in St Petersburg." The second source, who also did not want to be identified, told Reuters he knew from Jalilov that he went to Turkey. The source said Jalilov had travelled there in November 2015, to join his uncle who was living in the Turkish region of Antalya. Contacted by Reuters in Osh, Jalilov's uncle, Khasan Kuchkarov, told Reuters he had lived in Antalya but left in September 2015 and was unaware of Jalilov travelling there. After Jalilov's departure from St Petersburg, there was talk among his old work colleagues, and among people who knew him back in Osh, that he had gone to Syria, both of the sources said. But neither of them knew for sure if he was in Syria, they said. Officials in Russia's Investigative Committee, the state body investigating the metro bombing, and in the Federal Security Service, declined to comment on whether Jalilov travelled to Turkey or Syria. APARTMENT SUSPECTS Russian law enforcement agencies have arrested eight people on suspicion of involvement in the metro bombing. Six were detained at an apartment on Tovarishcheskii Avenue in a residential suburb of St Petersburg, and two in Moscow. In the apartment, law enforcement officers found an explosive device identical to one which, police say, Jalilov had left at a metro station before going on to blow up the carriage in another part of the subway system. The device he left, hidden inside a fire extinguisher, did not go off. At a court arraignment hearing on Friday, only one of the detainees, Ibrahibzhon Ermatov, 24, said he knew Jalilov. He said they had worked together in a Sushi Wok branch in Vsevolozhsk, a town near St Petersburg. Ermatov denied being a supporter of Islamic State. The first of the two sources who knew Jalilov said the apartment on Tovarishcheskii Street was used by some people as a temporary stopping off point for workers arriving in St Petersburg from Osh. He said new arrivals found out about the 32 square-metre apartment via friends, and there was a regular turnover of tenants. Neighbours confirmed that to Reuters. The source said he had once stayed there himself for a day before moving on to longer-term accommodation. The source said Jalilov had not stayed at the apartment, to his knowledge. He said he knew one of the apartment tenants who had been arrested, Dilmurod Muidinov, from back home in Osh. Muidinov also worked for the Sushi Wok restaurant chain. The source said Muidinov had arrived in St Petersburg a few months ago, and that he did not know Jalilov. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Svetlana Reiter and Denis Pinchuk in MOSCOW, and Olzhas Auyezov in ALMATY; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Washington's UN ambassador said that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad cannot stay in power after a suspected chemical attack that prompted the first direct US military action against his government. Nikki Haley's comments in an interview airing Sunday came as part of an apparent shift in US policy towards Assad's government after the alleged chemical attack last week on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun that killed 87 people, including many children. Images of civilians suffering the apparent effects of a gas attack, including convulsions, vomiting and foaming at the mouth, provoked international outrage and prompted US President Donald Trump to order a strike on a Syrian airbase. In the interview with CNN, Haley said peace in Syria was impossible with Assad in power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," she told the "State of the Union" programme. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said, adding that Washington was also focused on fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and ending Iranian influence. - Tillerson: IS fight top priority - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted ahead of Moscow talks on Tuesday that defeating IS in Syria remained Washington's top priority. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," he told CBS television's "Face the Nation" being broadcast later Sunday. Tillerson will also press Russia on its failure to prevent Syria using chemical weapons, he said in interviews aired Sunday. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians," he told ABC's "This Week". After years of calling for Assad's removal during former president Barack Obama's tenure, Washington appeared to be stepping back from seeking regime change in Syria in recent weeks. Before the Khan Sheikhun attack, Tillerson said Assad's fate should be decided by the Syrian people, suggesting Washington would not oppose him standing for reelection. But in the aftermath of the attack, Trump ordered the strike targeting the Shayrat air base in central Syria's Homs province with 59 Tomahawk missiles. And his administration informed Congress that it could "take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests". - Iran's Rouhani calls Assad - Syria's government has denied any involvement in Tuesday's attack on Khan Sheikhun, suspected to be the second-deadliest chemical weapons attack since the country's war began in March 2011. It killed at least 87 civilians, including 31 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor. Hundreds more suffered symptoms that the World Health Organization said were in some cases consistent with exposure to chemicals that include nerve gas. The nature of the substance used has not been confirmed, and Syria has insisted it would not and has not used chemical weapons. Assad's government signed the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to turn over its chemical armaments in 2013, after being accused of a sarin attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds of people. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then. Syria's closest allies Russia and Iran have defended Damascus against the allegations of chemical weapons use, with Moscow saying a conventional strike hit a rebel depot containing "toxic substances". Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called Assad to reaffirm his support for the Syrian leader in the wake of the US strike, Rouhani's office said on Sunday. Rouhani said allegations that Assad's regime was behind a chemical weapons attack were "baseless" and suggested it was carried out by rebel groups to influence global public opinion. Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke by telephone about "the unacceptable nature of American aggression", a statement from Moscow said. Both leaders also said they backed "an objective inquiry" into the Khan Sheikhun incident has also caused a diplomatic spat between Moscow and London. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a trip to Russia over its support for Assad, prompting Moscow's foreign ministry to say London has "no real influence". And on Sunday, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon accused Russia of being responsible "by proxy" for deaths in the suspected chemical attack. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began, and strikes have continued since the suspected chemical attack. On Saturday, one woman was killed in a suspected Russian air strike on Khan Sheikhun, the Observatory said. New strikes hit outside the town on Sunday, with no immediate reports of casualties, the monitor added. Protesters hurling rocks clashed with police firing tear gas Saturday in Venezuela's fourth demonstration in a week against President Nicolas Maduro and his government. The rally was marked by anger over a ruling from the leftist government banning opposition leader Henrique Capriles from office for 15 years. Around 4,000 people attended the demonstration. Capriles narrowly lost the 2013 presidential election that brought Maduro to power following the death of his mentor Hugo Chavez -- father of Venezuela's "socialist revolution." The government move, which the 44-year-old Capriles announced on Friday, effectively prevents him from running against Maduro in next year's general election. Saturday's violence broke out when protesters who had gathered in the east of the city changed course at Capriles's request and headed downtown toward the government ombudsman's office. The district -- home to many government offices -- is a pro-Maduro bastion and the president's supporters were holding a "cultural, sporting and recreational rally" there. National Guard police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to force protesters back. Masked demonstrators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, said AFP reporters on the scene. At least two police officers were hit by the flaming bottles. The initial tally of injuries stood at 17, according to the mayor of one of Caracas's districts. - 'Product of tyranny' - According to Capriles, the building where he carries out his political activities was "attacked with bombs" shortly after the demonstration. "What is the order of Maduro? To kill us? If something happens, you know who is responsible and what must be done!" he wrote on Twitter. Capriles was among the leaders behind mass demonstrations against Maduro earlier this week that triggered clashes with police. One protester died. "This thing that they just did to Capriles is the product of tyranny," said Adel Rincones, 61, who clutched a sign that read "Venezuela is wounded in the heart with hunger, misery, corruption, dictatorship." Others at the rally held pictures of Capriles. "People are tired of so much corruption, hunger and poverty," said Vanessa Garcia, 37, an optometry student. Protests also erupted in several other cities, including unrest-prone San Cristobal in the west, where masked gunmen reportedly set off explosions, causing demonstrators to flee. In Caracas, the violent clashes went on for about three hours before demonstrators dispersed. Intelligence Services chief Gustavo Gonzalez said some leaders of a "fascist terrorist cell" were taken into custody for fomenting Saturday's unrest. He said Capriles was a leader of this cell, but did not immediately comment on his status. At least 51 people were arrested nationwide in Saturday's protest clashes, 17 of whom were released, the NGO Criminal Justice Forum said. - 'Administrative irregularities' - State comptroller Manuel Galindo imposed the ban on Capriles due to his alleged "administrative irregularities" while serving as governor of the northern state of Miranda. Capriles said that he would appeal the decision and stay in his job as governor, which he has held since 2008. Venezuela's political crisis intensified last week when the Supreme Court issued rulings curbing the powers of the opposition-controlled legislature. The court has consistently ruled in Maduro's favor since the opposition majority took its seats in the National Assembly legislature in January 2016. It drew international criticism for last week's rulings, which seized the assembly's powers and revoked lawmakers' immunity from prosecution. - Opposition intensifies - The court reversed the rulings days later, but the opposition intensified its protests, prompting police to fire tear gas and water cannon. The opposition then came up with the idea of seeking the dismissal of the Supreme Court's justices. But the ombudsman's office blocked the move. Capriles can appeal against his sanction within two weeks to the comptroller and within six months to the Supreme Court. The collapse in prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has sapped the country's revenues. Ordinary Venezuelans are suffering from shortages of food, medicine and basic goods along with a surge in violent crime. The opposition blames Maduro for the economic crisis. He says it is due to a capitalist conspiracy backed by the United States. New protests are planned in the coming Holy Week days. Government workers will be off, on Maduro's order. One of the bigger demonstrations is expected for April 19, Venezuela's national holiday. If 2016 was the year of cyber attacks, 2017 is the year of prevention. Twelve months ago, experts were predicting an increase in the innovation and sophistication of cyber attacks and a greater breakdown in security measures on a global scale. With the Internet of Things (IoT) making the world more connected than ever and companies continuing to back-burner security issues, forecasters pointed to a perfect storm. Organizations and individuals would be more vulnerable than ever. They were right. But from the wreckage of hacks and privacy violations of 2016, some important lessons were learned and they will set the trend for the next wave of technology innovations. Managing Director of the Information Security Forum (ISF) Steve Durbin, a risk management expert, said, I think we are seeing a raised level awareness about the fact that operating in cyber brings about its own peculiaritiesI see an increasing maturity and development of the cyber crime gangs. Theyre incredibly sophisticated and well-coordinated. Were really moving into an area where you cant predict how a cyber criminal is going to come after you. From an organizational standpoint, how do you defend against that? By preparing for the unknown, organizations will have the flexibility to withstand unexpected, high impact security events. Important Cyber Security Trends Here are a few of the trends that will set the tone for 2017: Personal Autonomy Recent technology trends have revealed a shift in consumer mindset. No longer are matters of security and privacy left only in the hands of big-time service providers. In fact, the growing consensus is that they should not be there at all. Laws regarding ownership of information stored on a public cloud in most states are blurry at best, allowing for data mining and other intrusions on personal privacy. And with providers susceptible to hacks and service failures, consumers are starting to realize that the safest hands to put their personal information in are their own. Private clouds have stepped up to bat. Severin Marcombes, CEO and founder of Lima Technology, said that private cloud storage is one way to address the threat of data dependency. The technology, which has finally become user friendly for consumers, creates a private cloud on which to store personal data. The hard drive is connected to an in-home router and can be safely accessed from any approved device. Personal cloud technology allows users to access their information anytime, anywhere with complete privacy, says Marcombes. Consumers can rest assured knowing that no one is snooping on their information. Privacy is a fundamental right that we all have; personal clouds are a technology that protects that. Demand for convenient, safe, private storage has driven innovations in this technology, enabling it to emerge as one of the biggest industry trends of the year. The progression from public to personal cloud storage is a reflection of the direction security technology is moving towards autonomy and personal control. Data Privacy A major complaint of recent years has been a rise in corporate, for-profit data mining. Consumers store a considerable amount of personal information on the web through online shopping profiles, email accounts and cloud services. Common industry practice is to glean information from that data to create customer profiles, allowing companies to target consumers with more effective marketing ploys. Although some people may not take issue with online advertisements fitting more precisely to their interests, the thought that all these customer profiles exist, created from personal information not expressly shared, is disconcerting to growing numbers of people. The breakdown in company security measures will only inflame the desire for information privacy on an individual level. And technology is catching up to the need. Network protections and user-disguise technology are on the rise, allowing consumers to limit their cyber fingerprints. Information Security The world wide web is the new frontier, and what a wild west it has become. Think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that the global economy spends about $445 billion annually on cyber security costs. In 2017, the cyber security market could grow as much as $120 billion, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc. Linkedin, Chase Bank, Yahoo! and even the IRS reported hacks last year, affecting billions of consumers. Thats right, billions. Small businesses have been the first to learn from these mistakes, making the most of security technology that protects their private and business networks. Where IoT has allowed businesses to create more efficient work environments, security will allow those environs to be protected. And because of the constantly evolving and somewhat unpredictable nature of cyber crime, the only way to be prepared for the next attack is to be prepared for every attack. Security will not be sitting on the back burner in 2017. The public is aware more than ever before of how important their digital lives are, says Marcombes. Whether it is private clouds or other applications that protect user identity on the web, you can expect to see a substantial shift towards privacy this year. The careless mistakes and naive security practices of the past have created a demand for better solutions, developing already existing technologies into a new, more robust practice of personalized data ownership and protection. Environmentalist says the 200-year-old tree is destroyed, cutter claims it was the result of an accident. Font size: A - | A + With inexpert cutting of the only protected white mulberry in Slovakia, the whole tree was destroyed, according to Jan Vataha from the Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area. Cropping the big branches of the tree estimated to be 200 years old is, according to his words, illegal and has damaged the tree which is located in the village of Tibava. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement According to the law on nature and landscape protection, cutting branches is harmful to the tree. To do so, it is necessary to get the agreement of an environmentalist, Vataha explained, as quoted by the TASR newswire. No tree can possibly heal several dozen wounds, several centimetres in size, before it will be attacked by fungi that harm the wood. Moreover, the cropped tree reacts with double budding, with which it wants to replace lost leaf area needed for nourishment, Vataha said, as quoted by TASR, adding that this usually means speeding up the end of a trees life. A weakened and damaged tree is a lure for wood-harming insects and its evolutional phases, which are sped up by this process, he added for TASR. The estate with the tree belongs to a church. As explained by Jaroslav Fabian, spokesperson of the Archbishop's office in Kosice, when pruning a nearby ash tree, the cropped part fell on a neighbouring mulberry and it snapped . The administrator of the parish invited a tree expert for an expert opinion on how to treat the protected mulberry and keep its optimal grow, the spokesman added for TASR. The Department of Environment Protection of the district council in Sobrance stated that it has started the administrative procedure into the offence. The person who admitted to the act could be fined up to 33,193 euros. Pushing CEU out of Hungary would not only mean fewer smart people from abroad would pass through Budapest, but that bright Hungarian students who would otherwise study at home will now most likely seek higher education elsewhere. Font size: A - | A + Viktor Orban's current attempts to force Central European University (CEU) to close or leave Hungary are suicidal. While most of the world worries about losing educated young people to other countries, so-called brain drain, Mr Orban is now taking steps to accelerate what is already a serious negative trend in his own country. The new law passed earlier this week is modeled on Russian regulations that seek to limit the influence of foreign funded organizations on domestic affairs. As the prestigious CEU is accredited in the United States and receives funding from the liberal Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, Mr Orban and his Fidesz party view it as a nefarious force challenging their increasingly bizarre nationalist approach to politics. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Read also: Read also: Slovakia does not want Soros uni Read more Such hostility toward CEU comes despite many of the top officials in Mr Orban's current government are CEU graduates and that fact that Mr Orban himself in fact used a scholarship from Mr Soros to study in Britain back in 1989. Pushing CEU out of Hungary would not only mean fewer smart people from abroad would pass through Budapest, but that bright Hungarian students who would otherwise study at home will now most likely seek higher education elsewhere - a trend that would parallel the current exodus of educated young workers. Between 2011-2015, a period that begins a year after Mr Orban took office, the number of Hungarians emigrating from the country each year increased six fold. These people were disproportionately educated (32 percent have a university degree as compared with 19 percent of people in Hungary) and employed (91 percent of those aged 25-64 have jobs as compared to 64 percent in Hungary) as compared to the overall population. Most of have no intention of coming back. A few years ago the Hungarian Academy of Sciences surveyed Hungarians living in London and 73 percent of them said they do not plan to return to Hungary - ever. Meanwhile, another survey by the employment agency Manpower found that 45 percent of Hungarian employers say they cannot find the qualified people they need (worst in the EU) and Hungary's working-age population is projected to drop by 24 percent by 2060. CEU itself may now emigrate as regional capitals lined up to welcome the school with open arms. Vienna and Vilnius have offered to play host. Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis has suggested renovating the Prague's Invalidovna facility - a massive, beautiful former military hospital dating from the 18th century in the very hip Karlin district - to house the school. CEU has survived this sort of thing before. Back in the 1990s Vaclav Klaus used his influence to force the school out of its original home in Prague. Much less certain in the medium term is whether the Hungarian economy will survive. While Mr Orban has spend most of the past few years yelling about a migration crisis, he is busy creating one of his own. By India Today Web Desk: This year, award shows have come under the scanner. After the Filmfare Awards got flak for not nominating Akshay Kumar (Airlift) or Manoj Bajpayee (Aligarh) in the Best Actor category, the National Awards are being slammed for their decisions. Filmmaker AR Murugadoss also alleged on Twitter that the National Awards were biased this time. "Can clearly witness the influence & partiality of people in jury, it's biased," he wrote. #NationalAwardsCan clearly witness the influence & partiality of people in jury, it's biased.- A.R.Murugadoss (@ARMurugadoss) April 8, 2017 advertisement The decision to give Akshay Kumar the Best Actor for Rustom over other contenders like Aamir Khan (Dangal) and Manoj Bajpayee (Aligarh) has been questioned, with many alleging that the jury headed by Priyadarshan was biased. That the filmmaker is close to Akshay is common knowledge, and many claim that he abused his position as the head of the jury to favour the actor, who he directed in several films like Hera Pheri and Bhool Bhulaiyya. However, Priyadarshan defended the decision and told Indian Express, "Why are we insulting an actor? If he was a bad actor, how is he one of the top stars of the film industry for so many years? 38 people decided to award him and these people are sensible. Does that mean they are fools? Also, last year Mr Amitabh Bachchan got the best actor trophy (for Piku) and Ramesh Sippy was on the jury, no one questioned that. When Ajay Devgn won for Gangaajal, Prakash Jha was on the jury. That time also no one said anything." Other than Murugadoss, Aligarh director Hansal Mehta too expressed his disappointment over the list of winners. However, he clarified that the disappointment wasn't directed at anyone. He wrote on Twitter, "When I expressed my disappointment about the National Awards it was personal and not directed at anybody. I would like to believe that the jury has done its best within their understanding and framework. Aligarh was not considered worthy in that framework by the appointed juries just like Lunchbox was ignored in the year that Shahid won two national awards. I did not complain then and I am not complaining now either. I've got to respect the decision and move on." He added, "What hurts is that in some statement the chairperson who I respect and whose films I've often enjoyed says that 'While watching films we realised that a lot of Bollywood movies were themed around homosexuality. The mnovies are not really highlighting social problems. Whereas regional cinema are themed around fantastic social issues.' This statement is disturbing and sensitive. Priyadarshan sir, Aligarh did not meet the standards set by you and your jury - I accept that. But your views on homosexuality not figuring as a 'fantastic' social issue rankles."\ When I expressed disappointment about the National Awards it was personal and not directed at anybody. I would.. pic.twitter.com/1bPzeOGmKA- Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) April 8, 2017 advertisement ALSO READ | Priyadarshan's reason why Akshay won National Award over Aamir is bizarre ALSO READ | Akshay Kumar on National Award win for Rustom: Der aaye, durust aaye ALSO WATCH | Akshay Kumar wins National Award: How the actor became Sabse Bada Khiladi --- ENDS --- TIRANA, Albania (AP) Albanian police say they have arrested three people and seized some 12 metric tons (13 tons) of dried cannabis hidden in a storage building south of the capital. A statement Sunday said the drug was found in an abandoned storage building in Pagri village, Permet district, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tirana. A month ago the building had been empty when checked by police. Another person was declared at large. This year authorities have seized tens of tons of cannabis stored in remote areas, along the coast or on speed boats to be illegally smuggled to neighboring Greece and nearby Italy. Last year authorities destroyed 2.5 million cannabis plants and seized several tons in anti-smuggling efforts. apollo 11 astronaut planting flag moon nasa 371257main_Flag_full NASA Astronauts on each of NASA's six Apollo missions planted an American flag on the moon. Powerful sunlight and a lack of atmosphere to filter it have likely bleached all of the Apollo flags white. As NASA celebrates its 60th anniversary on Monday, it's possible some of the flags are also disintegrating. The photos have stood the test of time: A spacesuit-clad Apollo astronaut stands proudly next to a red-white-and-blue American flag on the moon, his national trophy telling the lonely world, "the United States was here." Unfortunately, all six flags planted from 1969 through 1972 haven't fared so well. Images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2012 do show that at least five out six flags still stand. However, scientists think decades' worth of brilliant sunlight have bleached out their emblematic colors. The result? The flags are probably completely bone-white by now, as we first learned from Gizmodo. But their condition may now be even worse than that as NASA celebrates its 60th birthday on October 1: Some of the flags are likely starting to disintegrate. Each one of the flags was made by the company Annin Flagmakers, woven out of rayon, and cost NASA $5.50 (more than $32.00 when adjusted for inflation). On the surface of Earth, such flags fade in sunlight. That's because ultraviolet light the same wavelength that causes sunburn isn't fully absorbed by our planet's atmosphere, and it excels at breaking down fibers and colors. The moon doesn't have any atmosphere to absorb sunlight, and outside of craters there is no shade. This means the flags planted by the Apollo astronauts are exposed to constant, gleaming sunlight and even more solar radiation, and for two-week stretches at a time. (One "day" on the moon lasts about 28 Earth days.) Writing in a July 2011 article for Smithsonian Air & Space magazine, lunar scientist Paul Spudis explains: Story continues "Over the course of the Apollo program, our astronauts deployed six American flags on the Moon. For forty-odd years, the flags have been exposed to the full fury of the Moon's environment alternating 14 days of searing sunlight and 100 C heat with 14 days of numbing-cold -150 C darkness. But even more damaging is the intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the pure unfiltered sunlight on the cloth (modal) from which the Apollo flags were made. Even on Earth, the colors of a cloth flag flown in bright sunlight for many years will eventually fade and need to be replaced. So it is likely that these symbols of American achievement have been rendered blank, bleached white by the UV radiation of unfiltered sunlight on the lunar surface. Some of them may even have begun to physically disintegrate under the intense flux. "America is left with no discernible space program while the Moon above us no longer flies a visible U.S. flag. How ironic." Will we return to the moon? big falcon rocket bfr spaceship bfs earth moon mission spacex 43895099105_6d7013a5df_o SpaceX Much has changed and a lot hasn't since Spudis' lament. No person has returned to the moon. However, NASA is working hard to fly astronauts into deep space by developing its ultra-powerful Space Launch System rockets. The goal is to build a "gateway" that'd reach lunar orbit around 2026, according to NASA's latest plans. The lunar space station could be then filled with astronauts. From there, the astronauts could control lunar landers and robots (perhaps to scout for water deposits that could be mined and turned into rocket fuel) and eventually use the facility as a way point to send people to and from the surface. The commercial sector is also working on grand plans to reach the moon. Tech mogul Elon Musk and his aerospace company, SpaceX, are building a giant carbon-fiber spacecraft called Big Falcon Rocket that should be capable of reaching the moon or Mars. By 2023, Musk plans to launch the company's first space tourist a Japanese billionaire named Yusaku Maezawa in one of the spaceships, along with a crew of hand-picked artists. The plan is to fly them around (but not land on) the moon. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns the rocket company Blue Origin, is eager to move industry into space and colonize the moon. sparrow israeli moon lander robot illustration spaceil SpaceILYet prior to these larger companies reaching the moon or landing any people there, smaller outfits like SpaceIL may land a robot on the surface as soon as 2019. They would not only deliver small private payloads, but also broadcast high-definition footage of their adventures back to Earth. Other companies with similar robotic plans may try to land near the site of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, or 17 and record live views of the historic sites as they look today. If that comes to pass, there may be an iconic flag in the frame and we might settle the question of what they actually look like after spending more than 45 years under the sun. Jennifer Welsh contributed reporting to a previous version of this article. This story has been updated with new information. It was originally published on April 9, 2017. NOW WATCH: SpaceX will use this capsule to slingshot two civilians around the moon See Also: BEIRUT (AP) Russia and Iran renewed their support for the Syrian government in a flurry of calls on Sunday, saying last week's U.S. missile strike violated Syrian sovereignty but failed to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. In a phone call with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the strike on Friday a "blatant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Assad accused the U.S. of trying to boost the morale of "terror groups" in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. A statement carried on the military media arm of Hezbollah condemned the American strike in much stronger language, saying it had "crossed red lines" and vowing to "reply with force" to any future aggression "in a variety of ways." The Lebanese militant group has invested thousands of fighters in the defense of Assad's government. The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard of "shared operations room" between Russia, Iran and allied forces. There was no comment from Russia or Iran about the statement. The Kremlin said in a statement Rouhani also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. "Both sides noted the inadmissibility of aggressive U.S. actions against a sovereign state in violation of international law," the statement said. "Vladimir Putin and Hasan Rouhani spoke in favor of an objective, unbiased investigation of all the circumstances of the chemical weapons incident on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib." Rouhani said the U.S. strike would not affect Iran's Syria policy, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not withdraw in the face of similar aggressions. "What the Americans did is a strategic mistake and offense. They are repeating offense of their predecessors," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. Story continues Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout Syria's six-year civil war. It has organized several Shiite militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Assad's government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. The U.S. says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied in an interview on CBS's Face the Nation that the strikes signaled an overhaul of American policy, saying its priority remained to defeat Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The strike was the first time American forces targeted a Syrian government installation in the course of the war. U.S. Treasury officials say they are preparing sanctions in response to the chemical weapons attack, though the Syrian government is already buried under U.S. and E.U. sanctions. Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow later this week. Moscow has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government and has defended it against claims of chemical weapons use in front of the U.N. Security Council. A Syrian Sukhoi jet took off from the Shayrat airbase targeted by the volley of US strikes, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel reported Sunday, saying repairs to the base began within hours of the attack. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday played down concerns of a rift with Russia over Ankara's support for the strike, saying Turkey was committed to the cease-fire mechanisms it has developed with Russia for Syria. Turkey provides military support to some of Syria's opposition forces. But he said Turkey could not "remain silent" on the Syrian government's chemical weapons use, and insisted Moscow work with Ankara to establish a transitional government in Damascus. "We want to continue our efforts with Russia in the Astana process in terms of measures to increase trust and establish a cease-fire," he told reporters in Antalya, according to the Anadolu state news agency. In the days after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Turkey provided the Syrian Civil Defense search and rescue outfit with 50 protective kits for responding to chemical attacks, and trained them in their use, Anadolu said. ___ Associated Press writers Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul, Jim Heintz in Moscow, and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report. MOSCOW (AP) Two extremist attacks in Europe during the past week have tendrils to former Soviet Central Asian republics, drawing new attention to the poverty and repressive governments that observers suggest make the region's people ripe for Islamic extremist recruiting. The man who allegedly drove a truck into a crowd in downtown Stockholm, killing four, is an Uzbekistan native said to have Islamist sympathies. The Friday attack came four days after 13 people died in Russia when a suicide bomber identified as an ethnic Uzbek from Kyrgyzstan blew himself up on a St. Petersburg subway train. How many Central Asians are active Islamist militants or sympathizers is impossible to assess, but they have been prominent in some of the past year's most gruesome extremist attacks. An Uzbek is the suspect in the New Year's Even shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39; an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz are believed to be two of the three suicide attackers who killed 45 at Istanbul's airport in June. The third airport attacker was identified as being from Russia, where Islamic violence has broken out for decades in the Chechnya separatist war, as part of a persistent insurgency in neighboring Dagestan, during the 2004 Beslan school seizure in which 334 hostages died, and underpinning an array of attacks in Moscow. On Sunday, Norwegian authorities said a 17-year-old Russian with Islamist sympathies had been arrested on suspicion of placing a bomb at a subway station in Oslo. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union a quarter-century ago, many of the new countries that emerged from its dust have been troubled by Islamic insurgencies. Just a few months after the USSR fell apart, rebels in Tajikistan, many of whom were Islamists of the strict Wahhabi sect, began what turned into a five-year civil war that killed 50,000 or more. In 1998, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan took shape, aiming to replace a dictatorial government with an Islamic caliphate. The IMU became a feared ally of al-Qaeda; many of its adherents reportedly have switched their allegiance to the Islamic State group in recent years. Story continues Authorities claimed the 2005 uprising in the Uzbek city of Andijan, in which police massacred hundreds, was inspired by the IMU. Kyrgyzstan, like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, endures widespread poverty. The per-capita GDPs in all three countries are lower than in many African countries. The more prosperous Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan appear to have comparatively low Islamist sentiment, though perhaps for different reasons. Kazakhstan is the most ethnically diverse of the Central Asian republics, and longtime President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made religious tolerance a signature issue. Turkmenistan for the past quarter-century has suffocated opposition under successive cult-of-personality regimes. Johannesburg - Born in Soweto in 1966, Andrew Tshabangu has been a photographer his whole life. Now, his extensive body of work has been curated into an exhibition, called Footprints, at the Standard Bank Gallery. In Footprints ... Tshabangu invites viewers to embark on a visual journey to various locations and moments, where he explores and documents activities of everyday life, transitions and metamorphoses of the townships, the metropolitan city and rural areas, says curator Thembinkosi Goniwe. The collaborative selection process between curator and artist took almost a year to complete. Tshabangu has always been focused on capturing uncontrived shots of the everyday life of a black person in South Africa. When I started photography, it was during the height of the violence in this country. The images that were being published in mainstream media were violent ones, he told me during an interview at the Standard Bank Gallery, surrounded by his portraits. And as somebody from the township, I knew that violence wasnt the only thing that existed in townships I didnt see myself in those images, I didnt see my people in those images. There were other, quieter moments. So, I decided to dedicate myself to capturing those quieter images. Here's a look at the exhibition: In gentle monochrome tones (Tshabangu only shoots in black and white), Footprints shows the interiors of township houses, commuters waiting for taxis, people washing clothes and Sunday church processions. Tshabangu doesnt just shoot in South Africa; he has series from Kibera in Kenya, Reunion Island, New York City and Mozambique. Story continues One particularly lovely photograph is that of a couple dancing in the middle of Central Park. The image is brazen, energetic a true moment-in-time shot. This is Central Park in New York in 1999. This is one of my favourite shots, he says. Tshabangu now spends a lot of his time mentoring young photographers in workshops. He teaches how to tell stories visually. Remember when you were young and you had pen pals? I tell my students to imagine they have a pen pal in Kenya, and they need to tell them what South Africa is like using only images. He is currently working on a project in Mozambique called Salt, which looks at the salt production there. Andrew Tshabangu: Footprints Venue: Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg Gallery open Monday to Friday: 8:30 to 16:30 Saturday: 09:00 to 16:00 Exhibition on until Saturday, 29 April. ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's coastguard said on Saturday that it had uncovered an international ring that transported large quantities of drugs from Albania to Italy using high-speed boats. The coastguard's drug-fighting unit said it had arrested five Albanians and two Greeks and seized 1.5 tonnes of unprocessed cannabis and two speedboats, estimating that the ring had made "many millions of euros". The months-long investigation, in cooperation with Italy's Guardia di Finanza, found that the ring purchased large volumes of drugs in Albania and transported then on customised high-speed vessels to the shores of Italy, the Greek coastguard said. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; editing by Alexander Smith) Iran's long exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi speaks during an interview at the Associated Press bureau in Washington, Thursday, April 6, 2017. Pahlavi is hoping for a peaceful revolution in his homeland in the age of Donald Trump. But whether Pahlavi could translate nostalgia for the Irans monarchy and its pre-Islamic Republic past remains unseen. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Iran's exiled crown prince wants a revolution. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah to rule before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has seen his profile rise in recent months following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who promises a harder line against the Shiite power. Pahlavi's calls for replacing clerical rule with a parliamentary monarchy, enshrining human rights and modernizing its state-run economy could prove palatable to both the West and Iran's Sunni Gulf neighbors, who remain suspicious of Iran's intentions amid its involvement in the wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. But the Mideast is replete with cautionary tales about Western governments putting their faith in exiles long estranged from their homelands. Whether Pahlavi can galvanize nostalgia for the age of the Peacock Throne remains unseen. "This regime is simply irreformable because the nature of it, its DNA, is such that it cannot," Pahlavi told The Associated Press. "People have given up with the idea of reform and they think there has to be fundamental change. Now, how this change can occur is the big question." Pahlavi left Iran at age 17 for military flight school in the U.S., just before his cancer-stricken father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi abandoned the throne for exile. The revolution followed, with the creation of the Islamic Republic, the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the sweeping away of the last vestiges of the American-backed monarchy. Yet the Pahlavis and the age of the monarchy have retained their mystique in Iran, even as the majority of its 80 million people weren't alive to experience it. Television period pieces have focused on their rule, including the recent state TV series "The Enigma of the Shah," the most expensive series ever produced to air in the country. While incorporating romances or mobsters into the tales, all uniformly criticize the royal court. But Pahlavi, 56, insists young Iranians increasingly look toward Iran's past. He pointed to recent demonstrations at the tomb of the pre-Islamic King Cyrus the Great, which have been claimed by a variety of anti-government forces as a sign of unrest. Under his father's secular and pro-Western rule, Iran experienced a rapid modernization program financed by oil revenues. Story continues "If you look at the legacy that was left behind by both my father and my grandfather ... it contrasts with this archaic, sort of backward, religiously rooted radical system that has been extremely repressive," Pahlavi said. Since the U.S. election, Pahlavi has given a growing number of media interviews, including with Breitbart, the far-right website once run by Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon. Pahlavi also has sent letters to the Trump administration. Gauging national sentiment toward restoring the monarchy in Iran is impossible, especially after the crackdown that followed the country's disputed 2009 election. Iranian state media routinely refer to the Pahlavi monarchy as "despotic," but there has been some reassessing of history in other quarters. A book published last year, "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Last Days of Imperial Iran," offered a revisionist view of the shah. While acknowledging the abuses of his feared SAVAK intelligence service and the corruption surrounding his rule, the book portrays him as a fatalist in an era of disappearing Mideast monarchies. "The regime has repressed discussion of the Pahlavis for so long that it has had the opposite effect of making young Iranians inside the country curious about what they don't know," said historian Andrew Scott Cooper, the book's author. "There's an interesting generational divide going on here to where young Iranians are saying to their parents and grandparents, the same people who marched against the shah and Pahlavis, 'Why did you get rid of that system and put this one in place?'" He added: "The family name still retains a lot of magic, more than ever today among Iranians. How that translates practically into support for Reza as a credible alternative leader, I just don't know." Asked how his envisioned peaceful revolution could play out in Iran, Pahlavi said it would need to begin with labor unions starting a nationwide strike. He said members of the hard-line Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary organization established to protect the clerical system, would be assured they wouldn't be "all hung and shot." Most importantly, he said Western governments need to keep their distance and not threaten military action. That's an exceedingly optimistic vision, especially considering the amount of power the Guard and other hard-liners wield in Iran's economy. It also largely ignores the concerns many in Iran have about Western meddling. Pahlavi's father took power following a 1953 coup engineered by Britain and the U.S. Pahlavi, who still resides in the U.S., said he hasn't had any "side occupation" since 1979, and has received financial support from his family and "many Iranians who have supported the cause." "My focus right now is on liberating Iran, and I will find any means that I can, without compromising the national interests and independence, with anyone who is willing to give us a hand, whether it is the U.S. or the Saudis or the Israelis or whomever it is," he said. Pahlavi said he had yet to meet with the Trump administration despite his letters. Another Iranian exile group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously paid a member of Trump's Cabinet $50,000 for giving a speech . However, the MEK's siding with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and its killing of Americans before the revolution, which the group now denies, makes it an unsuitable partner, Pahlavi said. "It's pretty much a cult-type structure," he said. For now, Pahlavi said he looks forward to meeting with Trump and his administration. But he pins his hopes on Iran's sense of history, something Cooper also acknowledged. "For many Iranians, the revolution is unfinished business," the author said. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz RFI "Kind of reminds me of myself," said Novak Djokovic of Holger Rune on the eve of their clash in the final at the Paris Masters. "Solid backhand, very good defence and just competitive, every point leaving his heart and his legs out there on the court." If Rune proceeds to obtain even a quarter of Djokovic's acquisitions on a tennis court, he will be considered a success.The teenager is on the road though after his first trophy at a Masters 1000 event considered the most coveted on the ATP circ By India Today Web Desk: It's been just a week that Diya Aur Baati Hum's sequel Tu Sooraj Main Saanjh Piyaji has started airing on STAR Plus and there are already reports of two of its actors being romantically involved. As per recent reports, actress Rhea Sharma aka Kanak and her on-screen brother Ved aka Mayank Arora share a great equation on set and are often found spending time with each other, which has resulted in rumours floating around that the duo are a couple and dating each other. advertisement Also read: Diya Aur Baati Hum sequel coming soon; 5 things to know about the new installment When The Times of India contacted Mayank, he said, "Not at all. It's barely a few months of knowing each other. I am not ready for marriage right now. I am yet to settle down in my career. Rhea is a great co-actor but so are the others." Rhea, who plays the role of Kanak also refuted the rumours and said, "Mayank is like a mentor. Someone I look up to. And I can't get into anything else other than work on the sets, right now." Also read: Kya Qusoor Hai Amla Ka to Jaat Ki Jugni: Get ready for a soapy treat as 5 new shows premiere today Considering the time people spend on the sets of their show, it's quite natural to find companionship in their co-stars. Some of the most popular couples of Indian television have met on their show's set and are still going strong. --- ENDS --- An apartment building has collapsed in Poland - killing six people and injuring four others. Officials believe a gas explosion destroyed the upper floors of the property, which had been built before the Second World War. Two children were among those who died in the blast in Swiebodzice. Dozens of firefighters with dogs have been scouring the rubble to make sure no one else is trapped, and construction experts are investigating the cause. One survivor said she had lost everything and did not know what had happened to her husband, who was lying in bed at the time of the collapse. "I was in the kitchen and suddenly it was dark and full of debris and some broken wooden planks," the woman, called Stanislawa, told a local news station. "I got on top of those planks and started calling 'Help! Help!' "Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm." Poland's Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, visited the site of the explosion on Saturday evening and talked to victims and rescue workers. The small town of Swiebodzice lies about 250 miles southwest of Poland's capital, Warsaw. Ann Overmier had it easier than some of the other wives of former prisoners of war. She met her husband, Bill Overmier, now 97, after hed been rescued from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp where hed spent three years. So she was spared the years of knowing her loved one was being caged, beaten, tortured, starved. The other wives, Overmier said, talk about nightmares theirs and their husbands. But her husband didnt suffer too much of that, or if he did he didnt talk much of it in their marriage. When the kids came, we just went on with life, she said Wednesday after a ceremony recognizing and honoring former prisoners of war like her husband. The Overmiers and about a dozen other former prisoners of war gathered at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center for the annual recognition ceremony honoring their horrific ordeals decades ago, in anticipation of the annual National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day on Sunday. Overmier said her husband, who attended the ceremony, talks about that horrible time now, especially as times change and sharing stories becomes more acceptable. They (veterans) talk more about that now, she said. They tell their stories now. And they need to, both to process them and to pass along their lessons. And Jack Fox, secretary of the states Department of Veterans Services, said they should share. The stories that you have to tell should be shared so that we can never forget, Fox told the veterans. They say war is hell, but it is especially hellish for those who are captured by enemy forces. In his keynote speech, he recalled teaching high school classes and students asking about the history of war. They would ask, Have all we ever done is fight wars? Unfortunately it has helped shape our country. And every generation is called forward to fight against people in other countries. Or their own, he said, drawing attention to the Civil War and the prisoners of war taken by the North and South. Americans did that to ourselves, he said. I hope we learned something. Those POWs in attendance were from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. And they were joined by their families, politicians and their staff and area military leaders. As each former POWs name was called, he stood or raised his hand and was applauded and offered a red carnation with a white ribbon tied around it. Your sacrifice and your familys sacrifice and pain is felt by all of us, Fox said. One father keeps the memory of his son alive with a foundation that helps high school students build a resume for the future. Rio Rancho attorney Michael E. Sanchez created the Eric Sanchez Memorial Scholarship Fund 12 years ago as a way to help at-risk children and keep his sons memory alive, he said. Sanchez, owner of Rio Ranchos Cristy Records and a local musician, has set up a section of music in the store specifically created to help fund the foundation. The store is at 1670 Rio Rancho Blvd., Suite A. Cristy Records is also home to the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame and displays pictures of many local musicians on a wall toward the back of the store. Right along a wall of fame hangs a picture of Eric Sanchez, dressed in a zoot suit, an emblem of his upbringing and Chicano roots. Eric had been in couple of car accidents and because his back was messed up, he wasnt able to finish school at Rio Rancho High, Sanchez said. Because of that, he went on to Independence High and was the student body president. Sanchez said Eric was proud of his accomplishments at Independence High and used his time at school to try and help others in need. Eric was always my little sales person, Sanchez said. We had just come out with the Red Hot album and he would put on these little shorts and turn them around and then he would go from table to table trying to sell the album to people. They thought he was so funny that it actually worked. According to Sanchez, on Sept. 20, 2004, Eric died from heart complications. He was only 24. After that, I tried to find a way to honor everything he had stood for, Sanchez said. I wanted to start a scholarship for him in his name as a way to pay it forward to other kids. Sanchez set up the foundation as a 501c3 non-profit to help young people from Independence High get a leg up in the professional world, he said. This was a way to set up something positive for kids that may be in need a break in life, Sanchez said. They can come and work for me at the law firm every summer and get paid and build a resume. Sanchez said because of the need for funding to keep the Eric Sanchez Fund alive, he has set several different ways to finance it, including the special section of records at his store. I found some people who were willing to donate records to the store and from those sales I am applying that money to help pay kids to come work for me at the law firm, Sanchez said. To date, the Eric Sanchez Foundation has helped 10 students from IHS gain a footing in the working world and build their confidence, he said. Fred De Herrera, music consultant at Cristy Records, said 90 percent of the customers coming into the store are looking for vinyl records, so the foundation section has been successful. Because the customers know that certain section exists to aid a good cause, they will look through the records exclusively to find a way to help, De Herrera said. If they dont buy from the section, they will donate to the dropbox by the cash register. The people who look through the collection dont worry about the condition of the records as much when it comes from the Eric Sanchez Foundation section, he said, because they are more than happy to help continue the good work. Even if they werent looking for that specific record, because its related to the charity, they will buy it, De Herrera said. Angela Apodaca, director/president of Cristy Records, said they ask for referrals from IHS for the placement of students in the program. A program like this for any high school student to get a leg up, I think, is a valuable program, especially being able to put working at a law firm on their resume, Apodaca said. Apodaca, who also lost a son at a young age, said the foundation is a healing way to remember the sons she and Sanchez lost so early in life. These kids may not have other outlets or other sources to turn to and we have multiple resources to offer them, Apodaca said. Nobody hires a teenager with no experience except possibly a fast food establishment, and we want to give them more than that. The Womens Work: A Celebration of Women and Creativity exhibition at the Ghostwolf Gallery in Old Town contains several outstanding artists. Sculpture is difficult to make and harder to market, so there is never a proliferation of artists who are willing to wrestle with the medium. These drawbacks did not deter Janice Trimpe, who is an excellent, imaginative and skillful sculptor who burns the rubber off the tire and scares the bird off the wire, to paraphrase Bob Dylan. Trimpe is a born-again modernist who has taken hints from Alexander Archipenko, Kathe Kollwitz, Jean/Hans Arp with a modicum of Amedeo Modigliani. Though new to New Mexico, Trimpe has had a long career as a Midwestern monumental sculptor with works in major private and museum collections, who decided to dedicate her prodigious energy to her more abstract genre consisting of small-scale, one-of-a-kind pieces. All of her skill base is revealed in Respite an almost life-size stoneware figurative composition featuring a seated woman with her head and torso resting on her raised knees. The pose is both restful and protective. The glistening white surface is the result of Trimpe using an Imron finish that one usually finds on boat hulls or high-end off-road vehicles. The overall sweep of the design echoes an art deco and Constantin Brancusi stylization without imitating either source. Her sense of humor reveals itself in Double Breasted Chicken and 69 Cent Chicken two rather risque albeit beautifully executed small works. The smiles continue with Trimpes Two Steps Backward a trinity of female figures, two of which are tumbling backward down a staircase. This bronze casting is an echo of our times as well as a stop-action animation. Trimpe is one of the best sculptors Ive seen in a while. Another skilled artist is Joan Cristy, who offers Opening Beauty a drop-dead gorgeous pencil-and-ink drawing of an opening blossom of unknown genus. The image is brimming with complex forms and highly concentrated details that make it a contemplative experience. The complexity of Opening Beauty requires viewers to slow down and focus to appreciate the skilled draftsmanship and painstaking detail. Her work is reminiscent of pre-construction design drawings by internationally renowned architect Bart Prince, who also works with organic forms. Karen Zibert wades into the fray with Help the Bees a mixed-media assemblage that pleas for the plight of our only pollinators for most food and ornamental crops. Due to the proliferation of herbicides and pesticides, our bee population is in danger of extinction in many parts of the world, including the United States. As an art piece, Ziberts offering is rich in waxy surface texture and hexagonal honeycomb details. It is as organic as its subject. Though I recognize the formal quality of Kathy Richter-Sands ceramics, I experience a cognitive dissonance with her choice of porcelain as her clay body. The issue is wall thickness. Her small vase forms titled Zen Crossing, Flow and Waves accurately describe the decorative blue line designs that accent each vessel. But porcelain is a material that demands thin, nearly transparent wall thickness to amplify the clay bodys ability to exude light and airiness. Richter-Sand creates wall thicknesses more suited for stoneware that demands durability and toughness over porcelains highly refined albeit fragile elegance. She obviously has the skill to throw any way she wants, so her choice is mysterious. Though she is not in the group exhibit, Laura Wacha has several paintings and sculptures in the main gallery. Her thoughtful work with a cartoon twist has long been a favorite of mine. In So Long Wacha depicts a departing figure who seems sad to be leaving. The sadness is amplified by a plethora of messages in bottles floating in the boats wake. Wacha is a truly intelligent artist who produces great stuff. The Ghostwolf Gallery is celebrating its first anniversary, and from the looks of this installation, it will be around for a long time. While you are in Old Town, do yourself a favor and pop over to the Albuquerque Museum and see the last two weeks of The Carved Line: Block Printing in New Mexico, a marvelous exhibition that includes selections from the internationally renowned Prints in the Desert portfolio. If you go Art review WHAT: Womens Work: A Celebration of Women and Creativity with work by Carol Bivina, Joan Christy, Jeanette Cook, Jill Cooper, Sandra Corless, Betsy Kuhn, Kristen Kurens, Margareet LaBounty, Dandra Ludescher, Kate Palmo, Rita Rachkowski, Kathy Richter-Sand, Jan Sherer, Janice Trime, Kimber Wallwork-Heineman, Ilene Weiss, Beverly Winters and Karen Zibert WHEN: Through April 15; call 246-9653 WHERE: Ghostwolf Gallery, 2043 South Plaza NW, Albuquerque HOW MUCH: Free Inside what was once a welfare office off Old Coors and Bridge SW, sits La Academia de Esperanza. The charter school is a second home to many students, who say its community feels like family. The building could easily be missed. Upon entering, one feels a sense of community and family. One that the dozen students in the after-school program called Circles helps cultivate. The program helps empower students to see beyond their experience of poverty and encourages them see beyond themselves and band together. The student club helps fulfill some of the mission of the charter school, established for students at risk, to help open students hearts and minds to lifes possibilities, while supporting their self-determination. In the coming days, the facade of La Academia de Esperanza will change as 80 portraits of students will be displayed outside the school. The exhibition is part of an international project called Inside Out. Organizers will unveil the portraits at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the school, 1401 Old Coors SW. The project for us came out of English class, says Kate Smith, who also oversees the Circles program. We wanted to get involved with this project because it was about society and sending a message. Launched in 2011, Inside Out gives students the opportunity to share their portraits and make a statement for what they stand for. It is a global platform for people to share their stories and transform messages of personal identity into works of public art. Each group action around the world is documented, archived and exhibited online. More than 260,000 people have participated in 129 countries. La Academia de Esperanza is the second New Mexico school to participate. The students worked with local photographer Rafael A. Martinez and Humans of New Mexico. Martinez began taking photos in October 2016. Martinez sent each portrait to the Inside Out project, where it was printed on a large scale and sent back to the school. Smith says she wanted the students to participate in the project because it helps humanize spaces. Everyone who drives by the school doesnt realize its a school, she says. What were doing is were taking the inside charm and placing it outside. We want the community to ask questions. We want to be here to answer them. Diego Hernandez wanted to help humanize teenagers and education. This school gets a lot of negative comments, he says. We planned it to roll out when PARCC testing was taking place. We wanted to make our own statement about it. Were more than just test scores. Hernandez says working with his peers on the project also helped open up doors to friendship. We got a chance to learn different things about each other, he says. We got to vibe with each other, and I dont think it wouldve happened without the project. The students in Circles also interviewed each person being photographed. Melissa Salas enjoyed being able to play the role of reporter. It gave me another look at the school and the students, she says. I think it was a cool experience being able to see another side. Im happy with the project. The Circles group also includes Sebastian Gutierrez, Cesar Guillen, Ricardo Santillen and Jannet Morales. Martinez says being able to tell the stories is part of what he enjoys about Humans of New Mexico. Everyone has a story, he says. Its important to capture that. Working with the students has been a great opportunity for the community to learn more about them. SAN DIEGO Retired Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz would tell his students the oft-repeated secret to good lawyering. When the law is on your side, Dershowitz would say, pound the law into the table. When the facts are on your side, pound the facts into the table. And when neither the law nor the facts are on your side, just pound the table. In attacking so-called sanctuary cities, conservatives dont have either the facts or the law on their side. So they pound the table. They oversimplify, contradict themselves and talk in circles. The issue makes them crazy, which is how they sound. Do they support states rights? It depends. California lawmakers are advancing a sanctuary state bill that would keep state and local police out of the immigration enforcement business. SB 54 which cleared the state Senate last week prohibits police from asking people about immigration status, allowing federal immigration agents to interview someone in custody, or assisting those agents in the enforcement of immigration law. Conservatives are furious. They say California has gone rogue and that it has to be reined in. Yet just a few years ago, in defending Arizonas racist immigration law, they argued in favor of states rights and commended localities for challenging the federal government. How about the independence of local police departments? Do conservatives support that? It depends. Recently, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a review of consent decrees between the Justice Department and local police departments accused of abuse. Championing the autonomy of local authorities, Sessions wrote in a staff memo: Local control and local accountability are necessary for effective local policing. It is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies. Except, it seems, when those local law enforcement agencies refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents. At that point, it is the responsibility of the federal government not just to manage the localities but to crush them. The very idea of sanctuary cities has turned conservatives into a hot mess. So theyve created an alternative reality. Imagine a scenario in which illegal immigrants flood unchecked across the Mexican border and prey on Americans at will robbing, raping, assaulting and killing. Then they flee to these sanctuaries where they live out the rest of their days without fear of federal authorities. And on the rare occasion that one of these predators winds up in the county jail, theyre coddled by local law enforcement officials. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks that local authorities hold them there so they can be questioned about their immigration status, that request is ignored and the scofflaw is released into society. Indeed, you have to imagine it. Because its not real. No matter what conservatives say, this is not whats happening all across America. If youre an illegal immigrant, there are no magical places where federal immigration statutes are null and void and where federal agents cant find, arrest and deport you. When I tell this to opponents of sanctuary cities, they change the subject and talk about how the sheriffs departments that run the jails dont cooperate with federal agents. But local police are not legally required to be errand boys for federal authorities. They may cooperate if they like, out of professional courtesy. By the way, that is something in short supply coming from the other direction. Ask any cop and theyll tell you: Federal agents are notoriously uncooperative with local police. When I tell this to conservatives, they change the subject again and accuse local police, mayors, city councils and county boards of supervisors of actually aiding and abetting the undocumented by shielding them from federal immigration agents. But thats not true either. The local authorities say they just want to see a warrant with the individuals name on it before they hand him over; of course, that means convincing a judge that the person is in the country illegally, and that takes evidence the feds usually dont have. Besides, if the federal government is truly interested in cracking down on those who aid and abet the undocumented, why not go after the people who give them money? Theyre called employers. And theyre likely to put up some resistance. When attacking so-called sanctuary cities, conservatives push arguments that dissolve like cotton candy in a rainstorm. Which explains why they cling so desperately to falsehoods and fake narratives. What else is there? Reality and truth are not so kind. E-mail: ruben@rubennavarrette.com. Copyright, The Washington Post Writers Group. CARLSBAD Wildfires blackened millions of acres of land in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southern Kansas last month. Farmers in the region have suffered massive losses of grasslands used to feed cattle, along with destroyed fences and homes. When Ira Hinkle, an oil worker in Loving, heard about the massive destruction, he thought of his grandfather who once farmed in the area. Hinkle set about collecting information from local farmers and other residents willing to donate their time and resources to help the suffering farmers affected by the fires. He connected with an organization called 2017 Panhandle Fire Relief that combats the losses by collecting donations of hay, transportation and human labor to begin the repair process. The organization, which formed in Amarillo, Texas, created a Facebook page informing people across the country how they can pitch in. The page also includes a database of information for interested donors, including contacts and locations where donations can be made. We are a group of volunteers working to help those in need as a result of the fires that have burned large sections of the Texas Panhandle and surrounding states, a statement on the page says. Hinkle estimated thousands of tons of hay had been donated to feed cattle. Our goal is to help the people that need help right now, he said. We want to get hay up there to feed the cattle that didnt die. Volunteers are also sent to help repair damaged fences and even rebuild homes destroyed by the blazes. The national effort embodies the American spirit, Hinkle said. We want to get all that we can as a country to help our neighbors, he said. Its just neighbors helping neighbors. Id do the same thing if it was here. Eddy County Commissioner James Walterscheid, who owns a farm in southern Carlsbad, said he donated 30 bales of hay to the cause. We had hay left over, he said. It wasnt a big donation but it was something. Theyre ranchers and farmers too. They say its been pretty devastating. I understand what happens in those kinds of fires. Its bad. Walterscheid said he could relate to the farmers in the areas affected by the deadly fires. When people are in need, I like to help them, he said. Its a worthy cause for fellow people in agriculture. Woods Houghton, program director at New Mexico State Universitys Eddy County Extension Office, said 10 large semi-trucks have been sent from Eddy County to the farms in need. He said many groups in the county have donated hay, along with manpower to make repairs and even heifers for repopulating cattle, and the nationwide response is indicative of the giving nature of the agriculture industry. They are agriculture people, he said of the volunteers and donors. And there are other agriculture people in trouble. Thats kind of the culture of agriculture. They see people in need or in a disaster and they have a natural response to help. Its the way the people are. Of all the nerve. An email fraudster contacts you and accuses you of doing something illegal. Its a new twist on the multifaceted phishing scam, which comes in many forms with the ultimate goal of tricking you into clicking a link that will provide entry to your computer and all its records. This new version is launched with an email that says youve been caught doing fraudulent things online, says the Better Business Bureau. It uses your name to address you personally and tells you your online activities are under surveillance. Further, this unnamed party who has been watching you has been collecting evidence that will go to the police, the caller says. One scenario accuses you of using PayPal to illegally transfer funds, the BBB says. Now that the scammers have your attention, they offer to let you review and respond to this so-called damning evidence by clicking on an attachment. This is where you should hang up if you havent already. The key to thwarting these kinds of phishing scams is to think twice about clicking on links or attachments to unfamiliar emails. Be especially wary of messages (from businesses) you have not subscribed to or companies you have never done business with in the past, the BBB says. Here are even more reasons to be suspicious when someone calls with a question, trying to get you to say yes. This rapidly circulating scam involves a caller asking you a question the most common one seems to be Can you hear me? and then recording your yes answer. Your affirmative response can then be used to authorize unwanted charges on a credit card. A Journal reader has emailed some other tricky queries making the rounds, such as: A supposed marketer tries to sell you something and then asks if you want to be placed on the companys do not call list. (Hard to say no to that kind of question, so be aware.) Your vehicle warranty is expiring. Do you want to speak to a representative? An update on IRS scams: The agency soon will start using authorized debt collectors, which could cause confusion because there are so many bogus collectors trying to rip people off. The imposters often warn people theyll go to jail unless they pay up immediately. Since 2013, more than 1.9 million people have received unsolicited calls from fake government agents, according to the inspector general for tax administration. To date, over 10,300 victims have paid more than $55 million to the imposters. The agency stopped using private collectors in 2009 after deciding its employees could do a better job. Congress passed a law in 2015, though, requiring the IRS to restart the program. Heres what to know: Taxpayers being assigned to a private firm would have had multiple contacts from the IRS in previous years and still have an unpaid tax bill, according to an IRS release. Before you get a call from a legitimate collector, you should have gotten a letter from the IRS letting you know this has happened. Then, youll get a second letter from the private company. These are the only authorized companies: CBE Group of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Conserve of Fairport, N.Y.; Performant of Livermore, Calif.; and Pioneer of Horseheads, N.Y. All payments should be made to the U.S. Treasury. If you are asked to pay anyone else, its a fraud. Private firms are not authorized to take enforcement actions against taxpayers. They will not threaten to jail you. If youre uncertain about whether you owe taxes, you can check at www.irs.gov/balancedue. Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842. By India Today Web Desk: Amid reports that Arjun Rampal assualted a man in a Delhi nightclub, the actor has denied that any such incident took place. He told ANI, "Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone." Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone: Arjun Rampal (File Pic) pic.twitter.com/PUfNjZiD7A- ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2017 advertisement A complaint of assault was filed against Arjun after he allegedly threw a camera at a man. The actor was deejaying at a nightclub at a five-star hotel, when a photographer tried to click a picture of him, and an angry Arjun snatched his camera and threw it at the crowd. The complainant, who was at the nightclub with his friends, got injured when the flying camera hit him on the head. The complainant alleged that he was thrown out by bouncers when he went to enquire about the incident. He told ANI, that the incident took place at 3.30am, and that the police were not cooperating at all. On the work front, the actor will play gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli in Ashim Ahluwalia's Daddy. The film will have Arjun essaying a real-life character on screen for the first time. (Inputs from Puneet Sharma) ALSO READ | Arjun Rampal accused of throwing camera at man in Delhi nightclub, assault complaint filed ALSO READ | Daddy teaser out: B-Town goes gaga over badass Arjun Rampal ALSO WATCH | Jackie Shroff and Arjun Rampal likely to campaign for BJP --- ENDS --- A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center indicates alarming trends in New Mexico for what it calls the black homicide victimization rate on a per capita basis, although officials concede the actual numbers are a small sample. The group said the state had 15 qualifying homicides, which ranked it third among African-Americans in the nation, with a rate of 28.48 per 100,000 or almost double the national black homicide victimization rate and nearly seven times the overall homicide rate nationwide. The center said it used unpublished data from the FBI from 2014, the most recent year for which comprehensive national data is available. Nationally, the black homicide rate that year was 16.38 per 100,000, while the overall national homicide rate was 4.19 per 100,000. State records, however, show nine homicides among African-Americans in 2014, for a rate of 18.7 black homicides per 100,000, putting the state well below the centers third-place ranking for New Mexico, according to Paul Rhien, spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Health. DOH is the states official source of cause of death. Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., advised that one should look at these rates with caution since were dealing with a very small cell size; but we should watch this statistic in future years to see if the rate changes significantly. Much larger states with much higher homicide numbers such as Illinois, New York, Maryland, and California did not make the centers top 10. Missouri and Indiana were No. 1 and 2 in the report, ahead of New Mexico. Harold Bailey, president of the Albuquerque NAACP, said New Mexicos No. 3 national raking for homicides among African-Americans is alarming. It would be a mistake to dismiss the report because the raw number 15 black homicide victims seems low by comparison to other cities, like Chicago, which have suffered soaring murder rates in black neighborhoods. Sometimes, because of our low numbers and low percentages in the state, we overlook adverse conditions in the black community, Bailey said. Certainly, poverty, unemployment, lack of education and lack of opportunity are at the root of many other social problems. In all, the center said, there were 6,095 black homicide victims in the United States in 2014. Blacks represent about 13 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for 50 percent of all homicide victims, the report said. In New Mexico, there are about 54,000 African-Americans 2.6 percent of the states total population of nearly 2.1 million. Nationally, 83 percent of black homicide victims were killed with a gun; in New Mexico, 79 percent of black victims died from gun violence, the center said. The report reveals the devastating and disproportionate impact homicide, almost always involving a gun, has on black men, boys, women, and girls in America, said Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann. These deaths devastate families and traumatize communities. The research, he said, is intended to help in public education and policy-making efforts. Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, said The Violence Policy Centers report demonstrates the acute need for more research on gun violence as a public health issue. The unconscionable block on CDC (Centers for Disease Control) gun violence research hurts all Americans, but particularly communities of color. In 2014, there were a total of 339 people shot and killed in New Mexico. Half of those deaths were suicide or accidents and the other half were homicides, Viscoli said. Since 2005, when the New Mexico black homicide rate was 5.35 per 100,000 population, the numbers have trended upward, the center said. Increasing firearm-related homicides in New Mexico and nationwide is a sad reminder that gun violence is one of the most important civil rights issues of our time, Viscoli said. The disparity in black and white gun deaths is reflective of inequities on many fronts. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal In the spring of 2015, when the state District Court in Albuquerque was under new orders to speed up prosecutions of criminal defendants, a judge dismissed charges against Michael James Lucero, who was accused of child sexual abuse, because prosecutors werent ready to go to trial. Recently, a state Court of Appeals panel ruled that state District Judge Stan Whitaker abused his discretion in dismissing the case. The case against Lucero is supposed to go back to District Court for further proceedings. But a spokesman for the Bernalillo County District Attorneys office said last week that Lucero isnt in custody to face the charges. Three days before dismissing the charges in April 2015, Whitaker released Lucero on his own recognizance. Earlier, Lucero had been held on a $100,000 cash-only bond. The release order shows only an address and a phone number for Lucero. The phone was no longer in service when the Journal tried to reach Lucero last week. He was represented by the public defenders office in 2015, but it wasnt clear from court records which defense attorney might handle his resurrected case. Luceros was among more than 750 criminal felony cases that Whitaker was juggling back then under a special Supreme Court pilot program aimed at reducing the backlog of old cases, according to a court spokesperson. Some cases dated back to 1999. Lucero, now 46, was among the newer defendants. The dismissal of his case came 14 months after Lucero was indicted on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 and one second-degree criminal sexual contact of a child under the age of 13. Whitakers dismissal was without prejudice, so prosecutors could refile the case in the future, but the Bernalillo County District Attorneys office chose to appeal the order. A spokesperson for the Bernalillo District Court told the Journal that Whitaker couldnt respond to a request for comment on the appeals court decision because the New Mexico Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits a judge from commenting on a pending case. Amendment applied Two of Judge Whitakers rulings have recently been the subject of a District Attorneys request to the state Supreme Court for guidelines regarding a new state constitutional amendment that permits judges to deny bond to defendants they consider a danger to the community. District Attorney Raul Torrez is asking that Whitaker be instructed to reconsider his recent orders that denied prosecutors attempts to keep two suspects in jail without bond called a no-bond hold. One was an armed robbery suspect accused of holding up more than 50 local businesses, and the other was a man accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend. In the child molestation prosecution, Luceros case was placed on a special track because he was indicted in February 2014. Under a special pilot case management order imposed by the state Supreme Court, criminal cases filed before July 1, 2014, were placed on the special court calendar with strict deadlines. Four Bernalillo County district judges were chosen to handle the special calendar, each assigned to an average of 750 felony cases after the order was imposed in February 2015. The Supreme Court order said judges shall impose sanctions which could include dismissal, reprimand or monetary fines if either the prosecutor or defense attorney failed to comply with any provision of the scheduling order. The Supreme Court also announced it would track judges who allowed cases to fall behind timetables. The special order stemmed from a backlog that contributed to serious crowding at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. In anticipation of the new rules, presiding Bernalillo County District Court Judge Nan Nash predicted in late 2014 that the new rules would change the way we do business. The Supreme Court modified the order last year after heavy criticism by the Albuquerque Police Department and then-DA Kari Brandenburg, who contended that the strict rules could put dangerous criminal defendants back on the streets if criminal cases were dismissed even if there was an option to refile. Errors by judge In its opinion April 3, the Appeals Court panel stated that Judge Whitaker dismissed Luceros case, based on his views that the parties were ready for trial, and in an effort to move the case along more quickly. He rescheduled Luceros criminal trial to start April 6, 2015 a full year earlier than the trial date set forth in the scheduling order, the ruling stated. During a pretrial hearing on April 3, 2015, an assistant district attorney told Whitaker that prosecutors still needed to interview a therapist and the state wasnt ready to proceed to trial. As a sanction, the district court dismissed the case, the appeals ruling stated, noting that Judge Whitaker abused his discretion in three ways. The dismissal was based on the faulty premise that the case should not be delayed further for pretrial interviews, the appeals court stated. But an existing deadline for completing witness interviews was still eight months away, in December 2015. The appeals panel noted that Whitaker had expressed his concern that the case was old and stated at one hearing were not delaying this for pretrial interviews.' Lucero was indicted on criminal charges for alleged sexual acts with a child that dated back to October 2002. The unlawful contacts continued through October 2006, according to the indictment. Pending trial, prosecutors sought orders to protect the victim and the victims relative from contact with Lucero. The judge also erred in finding that the prosecutor filling in for the assistant district attorney assigned to the case on March 31, 2015, had indicated that the prosecution was ready for trial. The appeals panel reviewed a transcript of that hearing and discovered that the substitute prosecutor told the judge he didnt know if the state was ready to proceed to trial. In addition, Judge Whitaker considered another pretrial hearing on Luceros conditions of release as a docket call, even though the docket call deadline was set for later that month, according to the ruling. The judges dismissal of the case was clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances of the case and, therefore, was an abuse of discretion, the appeals panel stated. Joe Romero struggles to speak, is confined to a wheelchair and has suffered more than 70 years from side effects of his time spent as a prisoner of war during World War II. The 96-year-old veteran raised his arm and waved Saturday when he was introduced as one of the last living survivors of the 1,800 New Mexico soldiers who were captured in the Philippines and taken as prisoners of war. Nine of the 12 men still alive attended a ceremony at Bataan Memorial Park in Albuquerque to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the start of the Bataan Death March on April 9, 1942. An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Filipinos and 600 to 650 American soldiers died during the 65-mile march, during which many were denied food and water and were killed along the route. Those who survived were forced to endure back-breaking work, malnutrition and other horrific conditions as prisoners until the war ended in September 1945. Romero, who is from Las Cruces, survived the death march, then spent most of his internment working in a lead and zinc mine in Japan. Ana Marie Gonzales, his daughter, said her father was the oldest of 10 children, and he and his brother enlisted. She said the Romero family for years didnt know if the brothers were alive. He felt the responsibility to come back and help his mother and father, she said. To me, knowing what he went through and knowing what the other ones went through, we can never complain. No matter what. Bill Overmier became a POW after he was captured on Corregidor. He helped start the ceremony Saturday by taking down the American flag and replacing it with a flag of surrender, then raising the American flag at the events conclusion. Its unbelievable how much you have to think about, the 97-year-old said. I knew him, or No, I didnt know him, but he was a part of my outfit. They went through the same damn thing I did. Overmier credited his survival to his work ethic. While growing up in Albuquerque, his father taught him how to build homes. Those skills were put to use when he was forced to work in Japanese shipyards. All you could do is day by day. You cant anticipate anything happening next week or next month. Youre going to work, he said. All you could do is live by the moment. You cant anticipate a dang thing until you started seeing airplanes coming over. The ceremony drew a crowd of hundreds. Many in attendance had relatives connected to the New Mexico National Guards 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiments, which accounted for about 1,800 of the 12,000 American soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war by the Japanese. Las Vegas, N.M., resident Wanda Hern struggles to speak because of a stroke, but she attended the event with a portrait of her father, Ed Hern, who survived the death march and imprisonment. When he was shipped off to Japan, he weighed 200 pounds. He was about 90 pounds when he returned. He died in 2015. Its important to remember these gentlemen. We try to go to as many of these events as we can, said Porfirio Perez, Herns husband. They are heroes and will always remain heroes. Gary Finley brought a picture of his father, Jack Finley, and grandfather, Jess Finley, to the ceremony. He said the two men are the only father-and-son pair of American soldiers who survived after both were taken prisoner. Before his father died, Finley took a road trip to Houston with him and recorded the conversation to preserve his fathers story. Jack Finley was on the death march for three days before he escaped, received support from Filipinos, then was part of a group that launched guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. He was recaptured a year later and spent two years as a prisoner of war in Japan. Finley recorded many of his fathers war stories so the soldiers grandchildren could listen to them. I just think about the hell these people went through, Gary Finley said. They were sacrificial lambs. They had no choice. Honoring the soldiers and listening to stories of what they went through after their capture is the reason the Bataan Death March is remembered, Steve Garcia, the chief of staff of the New Mexico National Guard, said during the ceremony. Additional ceremonies remembering the fall of Bataan will be today. One is at 10 a.m. near a monument in front of the Bataan Memorial Building in Santa Fe, and a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park in Las Cruces will be at 4 p.m. Its fading, Garcia said. And it takes us to remember. Shopping lists made with Google Assistant will be moved to the Google Home and Google Express apps starting on April 10th. Users who regularly access their shopping lists through Google Keep have been notified of this change via an in-app message. The transfer is mandatory, which means after April 10th, all of the shopping lists stored in Google Keep will be moved to the Google Home app. The shopping lists can then be accessed through Google Home and Google Express apps by tapping the list icon and also through the shopping list shortcut in the Google Assistant. All the things you can do before with shopping lists, like adding items via Google Assistant, checking items off, ordering items, and deleting items that will no longer be ordered, can still be done but now within the Google Home app. Those who already shared their shopping lists via Google Keep do not need to worry, as the lists will automatically be shared with anyone you have previously shared it with. However, they could only access the list through Google Home or Google Express apps. It is expected that there will be people who prefer to keep their shopping lists in Keep, so the search giant has suggested some workarounds. The main workaround is to create a new Google Keep list through copying the shopping list accessible in Google Home, pasting it in another Google Keep list, and deleting the original list before April 10th. By doing this workaround, you will be able to access your shopping list via Google Keep and new items will not be added to the Google Home shopping list. Its not clear how this move by Google will affect users of Google Assistant and Google Keep internationally. While Google Keep and Google Assistant are globally available, Google Express is only available within the continental United States. Google Home app, meanwhile, is clearly not as useful without the Google Home hub, which is only available in select countries. The Google support page is not clear about this matter either, as it only announces the changes in the shopping list and the workaround. In his first official visit to India, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to sign several MoUs and agreements to strengthen strategic and political ties with India. By India Today Web Desk: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will arrive in New Delhi today on a four-day visit. This is the first visit by an Australian Prime Minister to India since former PM Tony Abbott visited in September 2014. A number of MoUs and agreements in areas of security, environment, sports, science and technology and health are expected to be signed during Aussie PM's first official visit. advertisement TURNBULL TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY EDUCATION MINISTER Turnbull will be accompanied by Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham, who will be leading the high-powered delegation from education sector. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart have had substantive meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 in Antalya in 2015 and in Hangzhou in 2016. The visiting leader will be accorded with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Turnbull is scheduled to visit Mumbai on Tuesday, where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table. With inputs from ANI Also read: You bloody black Indians: Kerala man abused, assaulted at an Australian restaurant Also read: Australia: Indian priest stabbed, asked about nationality before attack Also read: High-profile Australians unite against Adani's plan to build massive coal mine --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has made new exposure on Azerbaijans corruption scandal in PACE. Armenpress reports Investigators preparing for the upcoming Milan trial of Luca Volonte, an Italian member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), say they have uncovered 2.39 million in payments to Volonte through British and offshore companies. Most of the funding came through the British company Hilux Services LLP and its account in an Estonian bank from Baktelekom MMC, a limited liability corporation in Azerbaijan. A reporter for OCCRP discovered that the Azerbaijani company is owned by a businessman with ties to that countrys first family. The payments, prosecutors allege, were made in exchange for Volontes efforts to mute the European bodys criticism of Azerbaijans human rights record. While prosecutors say they traced the 2.39 million directly to Volonte between 2012 and 2014, the indictment also notes that as much as 1 billion was funneled into the account of British Hilux Services LLP between December 2013 and December 2014, leading to suspicions that the corruption scheme could be much bigger than the Volonte case. The Milan Police and Prosecution launched a criminal case against Luca Volonte in February, 2016, who is a former MP of the Christian-Democratic Party and is the former Chairman of the EPP faction at PACE. Volonte is accused of taking a bribe of 2.4 million Euros from Azerbaijan in 2012-2013. Instead, he was being used by official Baku in the Italian Parliament and the PACE. The criminal case launched against Volonte is comprised of two parts: Bribery and money laundering. It is important to state that Volonte keeps silent and refuses to talk with the investigators. YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. During the April 7 session, the Parliament of Cyprus condemned the Armenian Genocide, calling on the international community to acknowledge the Genocide, Cyprus News Agency reports. Addressing the House of Representatives at the start of the plenary session, Speaker Demetris Syllouris said that even if more than a century have gone by since the Armenian Genocide of 24th April 1915 when Turkey applied an ethnic cleansing plan against Armenians, Turkey refuses to acknowledge the murder of one and a half million Armenians. Demetris Syllouris said the Parliament of Cyprus was among the first ones in the world and the first one in Europe to recognize and condemn in 1975 the Armenian Genocide, demanding the restoration of historical truth. AWD One of his first reviews for Drive Tribe, certainly the first we've read, is not about the latest Ferrarisupercar or lightweight Lamborghini exotic. No, it's the little Suzuki Ignis that's the focus of attention for the artist formally known as Captain Slow.May opens up about being a "starving freelance writer" and doing the press brochure for the Suzuki Liana, which later went on to become the Top Gear reasonably priced car. We think that's cool and very honest of him.Whenever Jeremy Clarkson writes a review, all he does is make fun of other people or argue that SUVs are stupid. But James is genuinely insightful.The "fart" thing comes from the name of the little Suzuki. Ignis is Latin for "fire," but there's also something called ignis fatuus, a soft light appearing in marshes from bubbling methane. Hence the connection to human flatulence.James also notes that all Suzuki interiors smell bad, something we wholeheartedly agree with. It's little wonder journalists say they are held together with glue, because that's what they smell like, especially the ones made in Hungary.Captain Slow once said that skinny tires and soft suspension are a recipe for fun. You can drive at the edge of performance, even at legal speeds, and it's there that you get to enjoy a car. Suzuki engines are really rev-happy and punch above their size, so May loves the 1.2-liter Ignis. It also costs from 9,600, so he could probably buy ten of these with the money he makes per episode and still have plenty left over.You can rid the rest of his short Ignis review here , but be warned; it's nothing like Top Gear or The Grand Tour. VHP international working president, Pravin Togadia, and Sunni Waqf Board counsel Zafaryab Jilani speak to India Today about the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. With the Supreme Court observing that the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute is better resolved through amicable talks than a court order, Ajit K. Jha posed questions, separately, to Pravin Togadia, Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president, and Sunni Waqf Board counsel Zafaryab Jilani. Q. What do you think of the Chief Justice of India's offer to mediate direct negotiations? Togadia: We welcome the initiative. This is the first time the apex court has made such a gracious offer. We must abide by its observation. advertisement Jilani: If counsels of the Muslim parties had been present when Subramanian Swamy made his plea in court, we'd have informed the CJI that an out-of-court settlement is not possible. Q. As per the Constitution, can Parliament pass legislation to build a temple on the site? PT: Yes. The BJP's absolute majority in the Lok Sabha (and soon in the Rajya Sabha) and UP assembly means it is possible and desirable to pass legislation to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. ZJ: No. Parliament can neither nullify the Supreme Court's 2011 order to maintain status quo nor the 2010 Allahabad High Court order to build a temple where the Babri Masjid stood. Right to religion is part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution and that cannot be altered by Parliament. Q. Given the BJP's political mandate, is this the right time to build the Ram temple? PT: Yes. We have entered the saffron era. ZJ: The BJP was in this position earlier as well, under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but it doesn't have the courage to violate the status quo order of the Supreme Court. Q. Has the VHP ever initiated talks over the temple's construction? PT: For any negotiation, you need two willing parties. The VHP has tried five times in the past but the other side refused to engage. ZJ: The VHP has never tried to negotiate. Talks were initiated by former PMs Chandra Shekhar and Narasimha Rao. The Babri Masjid Action Committee participated on both occasions. Q. Can the Yogi Adityanath government help? PT: The Sunni Waqf Board is part of the UP government. The chief minister can stop the board's funding and pave the way for the board to withdraw from the case. ZJ: Even if the Uttar Pradesh government prevails upon the Waqf Board, it will make no difference. Six other appeals filed by various Muslim parties are before the Supreme Court. --- ENDS --- Additional security detail for Betsy DeVos, Trump's education secretary, could cost up to $7.8 million through September, government officials said Friday, per AP. The details: After protestors blocked DeVos from entering a public high school in Washington, D.C., in February, she was put under additional security protection, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service. Past education secretaries have had security detail as well. Why it matters: The Department of Education is reportedly footing the bill through a reimbursement to the Marshals Service, AP noted. Don't forget: Trump's proposed budget plan for 2018 called for a $9 billion cut to the Education Department. Steve Bannon, the engine and soul of President Trump's hard-edged approach to his first months in office, is increasingly isolated and will be forced out unless he can adopt a more cooperative approach, a top source told me. On both style and substance, Bannon got crosswise with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who are pushing for a more competence- and results-driven focus for the West Wing. In their view, Bannon is too inclined to want to burn things down and blow things up. They want a more open process driven by the interests of the president, not ideology. A senior official said Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is "with the program" of a more inclusive style, and will stay. Insiders have been feverishly discussing possible replacements and Trump considered a change, but the official said: "Reince is staying." The latest from the "Game of Thrones," on location in Mar-a-Lago this weekend: President Trump's message to his feuding inner circle during a Thursday summit at Mar-a-Lago was blunt, according to a source with direct knowledge: "You guys are close. Knock it off. Work together." The extraordinary presidential intervention, amid war planning on Syria, was aimed at resetting a West Wing consumed with palace intrigue as Trump closes in on his administration's 100-day mark. Ignition: The stealth combat had come to a head midweek, when chief strategist Steve Bannon's departure from the National Security Council was revealed. Bannon was fed up with the incoming he was taking and so were his allies, inside and outside the White House. Bannon had sparred with economic adviser Gary Cohn (or, as Bannon's allies call him, "Globalist Gary"), and suspected the economic adviser was trying to undermine nationalists in the West Wing. A flurry of high-level leaks about Bannon supposedly threatening to resign something he said he wasn't contemplating convinced his allies that Jared Kushner, the president's adviser and son-in-law, had also turned on him. One of Bannon's closest allies commiserated: "Do you know what happened with Jared? Him and Steve had such a close relationship." Escalation: By Thursday, allies said Bannon had gone full honey badger embracing the newsroom motto of Breitbart, which he once headed: "Honey badger don't give a sh**." Bannon told associates: "I love a gunfight." Settlement: The situation had become unsustainable, and the president stepped in with the instruction to "knock it off." On Friday, there was a meeting among Priebus, Bannon, Kushner, and his wife, Ivanka Trump. The meeting was "100 percent" focused on moving the president's agenda, said one source. But the subtext was clear: The boss wanted them to make up and disarm. Although he had been considering changes on his top staff (and names of possible replacements had circulated among senior aides), they were being given the chance to fix it themselves. Bannon had fought internally against the Syrian intervention one of the most momentous decisions of Trump's young presidency and lost. On Saturday, his camp said new domestic policies are coming that reflect his worldview. But Kushner allies insist a new, less combative, more centrist Trump will still emerge. President Trump's airstrikes in Syria in response to Tuesday's chemical weapons attack will continue to have political repercussions. Here's the latest on that situation: New airstrikes on Saturday hit the same Syrian town that was targeted in the chemical weapons attack earlier in the week. President Trump sent a letter to Congress, which was delivered Saturday, justifying the strikes. "I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. The United States will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests." Charlie Cook and his team at The Cook Political Report are out with eye-popping new data that help show why Congress is frozen and why happy talk about working together to do big things, whether by optimistic centrists or by people in power who need to put points on the board, is belied by data. Data: 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index; Map: Lazaro Gamio / Axios Key trends all 20 years in the making, but hardened and in some cases accelerated by the "hyper-polarized" election of 2016 from the 20th anniversary "Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," by David Wasserman and Ally Flinn: The decline of crossover districts: Only 35 of the nation's 435 House districts went for presidential and House candidates of opposite parties, down from 108 in 1996. 23 Republican House members are from districts Hillary carried, and 12 Dems are from districts Trump carried. Only 35 of the nation's 435 House districts went for presidential and House candidates of opposite parties, down from 108 in 1996. 23 Republican House members are from districts Hillary carried, and 12 Dems are from districts Trump carried. Persistent volatility: 21 House districts that voted for Obama in '12 switched and went for Trump. 15 went Romney in '12 but Hillary last year. 21 House districts that voted for Obama in '12 switched and went for Trump. 15 went Romney in '12 but Hillary last year. The decline of swing districts: In 1997, voters in 164 of the nation's 435 House districts were relatively split by party. Now, only 72 districts are in the same range less than one-sixth of the House. In 1997, voters in 164 of the nation's 435 House districts were relatively split by party. Now, only 72 districts are in the same range less than one-sixth of the House. Amazing stat: 78% of Democratic-leaning seats got even more Democratic, and 65% of GOP-leaning seats got even more Republican. What it means: We are increasingly moving next to people who share our political views and then following and sharing like-minded news on social media when our doors are closed. This can't be fixed with better redistricting laws. See a chart from Quorum of Dem House members in the top R-trending districts, and GOP House members in the top D-trending districts. Please sign in to continue Sign in to your account or use one of these options The makers of SS Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Conclusion have released a new poster from the film, which is doing the rounds on the internet. By India Today Web Desk: Baahubali: The Conclusion is unarguably the most expected Indian film of the year. With just weeks left for the release of the film, the expectations it has among the audiences is huge. Ahead of the release of the film, the makers have released a new poster of the film, which is breaking the internet for several reasons. The poster shows a fierce Mahendra Baahubali practising for the battle against the mighty warlord Bhallala Deva. advertisement Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli, Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah and Ramya Krishna are at YMCA ground in Chennai for the grand Tamil audio launch. Several eminent personalities from Kollywood are likely to grace the event. Speaking at the press meet earlier today, actor Prabhas said that he was born in Chennai and that he'd act in a Tamil film shortly. Interestingly, director SS Rajamouli said that Baahubali 2 has more drama than its predecessor. He also said that Anushka will have more screen space in Baahubali 2. Recently, the makers re-released Baahubali: The Beginning in over 1000 screens across India. Made on a lavish budget of Rs 200 crore, Baahubali: The Conclusion has already yielded profits for the producers even before its release and reportedly raked in Rs 500 crore. Starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan, Baahubali 2 will hit the screens on April 28. ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli earns 3 million followers ALSO READ: Kaatru Veliyidai Review ALSO READ: 1971 Beyond Borders Review ALSO WATCH: Saahore Baahubali song from Baahubali 2 is out --- ENDS --- Photo: The Canadian Encyclopedia As Canadians marked the 100th anniversary of the ferocious battle fought at Vimy Ridge during World War One, B.C.'s premier on Sunday announced a $350,000 contribution for the creation of a park at the site in France. "In the early morning hours of April 9, 1917, after meticulous planning, Canadian soldiers stormed Vimy Ridge. For the first time, all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together, under the command of a Canadian," said Premier Christy Clark in a statement. "The objective was to capture strategically important high ground, and they succeeded more than they knew. The battle came to define Canada's newly independent place on the world stage." Clark said the battle came at a terrible cost to Canadians with more than 10,000 soldiers killed and wounded in horrific conditions. "British Columbia, which had the highest per capita enlistment in the young nation, eventually lost more than 6,200 throughout the war - every single one a beloved father, son, brother, or friend." The province is donating the funds to the Vimy Foundation to support the creation of a Centennial Park at the site of the battle, including the planting of 100 oak trees. "These trees are direct descendants of acorns collected following the battle, and they will be planted in a circular pattern four deep to represent the four divisions. "As we honour such great bravery and sacrifice, we should honour the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces, who risk their lives to carry on this proud tradition of service - and keep us all safe. We will never forget." By Nolan Pinto: Bengaluru is slowly but surely feeling the effects of the continuous drought in the Karnataka with many areas getting water just once in two or three days. The government has assured that it will be able to provide water until the end of May but with the summer temperatures increasing day by day, that assurance today looks unachievable. advertisement So while the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and local civic agencies struggle to provide water to the city, a few citizens have expressed concern over their lives being dependent on the vagaries of nature. A group of citizens has started a WhatsApp group called 'Bengaluru Water Warriors'. The main aim is to inform and educate citizens to avoid wasting as well as save our precious water. That group, which has now grown to almost 100 members, organised an event in Cubbon Park this morning calling all citizens to 'Join Hands to Save Water.' With the active participation of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), volunteers targeted morning walkers and educated them on various aspects of saving water. NO WATER, NO LIFE! The volunteers have challenged Bengalureans to be 'Water Kanjoos' this summer. They distributed bookmarks to walkers in Cubbon park that had five simple steps which need to be followed and then to tag their friends on Facebook to do the same. Meenakshi, an active member of Bengaluru Water Warriors tells India Today that if citizens can follow these steps, 'It will make a difference to the prevailing water crisis,' in the city today. THE WATER KANJOOS CHALLENGE The group is asking citizens to follow these steps: Check all taps, faucets & pipes for leaks & fix immediately Fix water tap aerators & save up to 30% of water Carry your own water bottle Adopt water-less car wash to clean your vehicles Save & reuse the RO purifier runoff water Anand, another member of Bengaluru Water Warriors says that the city cannot keep depending on the river Cauvery for its daily water needs and alternatives must be found at the earliest and hence they all 'came together to save and create awareness in the 198 wards of the city and most importantly to get people to participate in this.' He added that the government agencies provided full support and have also asked the group to promote this campaign. advertisement ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu farmers: How monsoon, politics and note ban brought skull protest to Jantar Mantar --- ENDS --- Bishop Angaelos: Christians In Egypt Told To 'Leave Or Die', 40 Killed In 3 Months, Prays For ISIS As Coptic Christians continue to flee for their lives from the threat of ISIS in Egypt, the head of the Coptic Church in the UK has called out the 'horrific attacks' that have claimed 40 Christians in the last three months. His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom today released a statement addressing the ongoing crisis. He said: 'In the past three months alone forty Coptic Christians have been murdered in targeted attacks in Egypt. From the terrorist bombing on St Peter's Coptic Church in Cairo that claimed the lives of twenty nine mainly women and children, to the murders of individuals across the country since, the one common denominator is that these innocent children, women and men have had their lives brutally and tragically ended for no other reason except that they are Christians. 'Incitement by terrorist groups that calls for the killing of Christians in Egypt has spiralled over the past weeks to the extent that lists of churches and individuals have now been released as desirable targets.' Attacks have escalated in recent weeks following the release of an ISIS video which incited fellow jihadists to target the 'infidel' Christian community. Hundreds have now fled from El-Arish in Sinai, Northern Egypt, and as His Grace told Christian Today yesterday, specific lists of Christian targets have been circulated among militants. 'These horrific attacks have gone largely unnoticed by the international community, but Copts continue to suffer tragic violations daily. The attacks against them are anti-Christian and religiously-motivated, demonstrated in many cases by the circulation of flyers within villages urging Christians to 'leave or die'. 'Similar events have tragically occurred far too often over the past years, and there is unfortunately little deterrent to prevent them from reoccurring.' Angaelos added: 'In our fast moving world that is filled with so much news of tragedy, war and death, it is all too easy for atrocities to become 'incidents', and for individuals suffering them to become mere statistics, very quickly pushed aside by the next item of news. 'In the eyes of the perpetrators they are a viable target, and in the eyes of the world they become a regrettable phenomenon; yet what is actually left behind is traumatised individuals, families and communities that have lost loved ones, living the reality of themselves being targeted.' The bishop highlighted the resilience of the community that has remained steadfast, and forgiving to its persecutors, despite constant opposition. He said: 'After the destruction of over 100 places of Christian ministry and worship in August of 2013, the bombing of various churches across the country in the last decade, and the targeted killing of clergy, families, women and children, purely for their Faith, the community and individuals within it remain non-violent and resilient.' Coptic Christians represent about 10 per cent of Egypt's majority Muslim population. Angaelos added that Christians have not been the only target, noting that 'scores of Egyptian civilians, soldiers and police officers have lost their lives as a result of this wave of terrorist activity'. The prelate concluded: 'we pray for those who perpetrate these crimes, that they once again become conscious of the true value of every life that appears to be dispensable in their eyes'. Christians Mourn As Death Toll From Cairo Church Bombing Rises The death toll from the Cairo church bombing has risen to 26 after an injured woman died at the weekend. The attack by militants on the church of St Peter and St Paul on December 11 killed 25 people outright and wounded 49, 23 of whom are still being treated in hospital. Three of the injured are said to be in a critical condition. According to Daily News Egypt, Audet Saleh Michael (70) had suffered injuries to her lungs and intestines and had undergone three bouts of surgery before her death. The church where the attack took place is attached to St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, seat of the Coptic Pope. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as a "martyrdom operation". ISIS said it would target "apostates" or "infidels" in Egypt or anywhere else in the world. A state funeral was held for the victims at which Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi spoke and three days of mourning were declared. The bombing sparked waves of anger across Egypt with hundreds protesting outside the cathedral in Cairo. The crowd demanded Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, the interior minister, be dismissed after a perceived security failure led to the attack. Christians are convinced attacks on them are not seriously investigated. Protesters also demonstrated outside the St Mary and St Athanasius church in Cairo's Nasr City because they were denied entry to the funeral. Egyptian Christian Gunned Down By Suspected ISIS Militants An Egyptian Christian school teacher has been gunned down on the way to work by suspected ISIS militants in Sinai, Egypt. It was the second killing of a Christian in under a week in the area. Gamal Tawfiq, 50, was shot in the head on the way to El-Samran School in el-Arish, Northern Sinai. His two killers rode by motorbike and had followed Tawfiq from his home, Associated Press reports. There has been no official claim of responsibility, but a security official said that ISIS militants in Sinai were the main suspects. Less than a week before on Sunday, militants shot and killed a local vet Bahgat Zakher, in el-Arish. In January Wael Milad, a merchant was gunned down by militants in his shop. Both men, like Tawfiq, were Coptic Christians. In a brutal killing spree in January, five Coptic Christians in Egypt were murdered, all found with their throats slashed. ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing of a Cairo church in December that killed 27 people and wounded over 40. The terrorist group called the attack a 'martyrdom operation' targeted at 'infidels' and 'apostates'. Egypt has an estimated population of nine million Christians. Mostly Orthodox Copts, they account for about 10 per cent of Egypt's population, which is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. 'For long, incidents of shooting and killing Christians were sporadic, but recently we are witnessing an increase that I think will turn into a repetitive pattern in el-Arish,' said Ishaq Ibrahim, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Egypt's Muslims Stand With Persecuted Christians, Condemn ISIS Attacks Islamic authorities in Egypt have condemned the jihadist violence that has seen Coptic Christians flee the terror of ISIS in northern Egypt. An Islamic group known as the House of Fatwa (Dar al Ifta al Misryah) has decried the recent murders of Christians by radical Muslims, Aleteia reports. In a statement released on Monday following news of another murdered Christian, the group said the targeted attacks were an attempt to destroy Egypt's unity. The House of Fatwa is chaired by the Grand Mufti of Egypt the highest official of religious law in the country. The ultra-conservative Islamic Salafi party Al-Nur also condemened the terror attacks, emphasising that ISIS' actions 'go against the teachings of Islam'. Today, Egypt's leading Muslim and Christian clerics gathered for a conference in Cairo to promote peaceful coexistence between the religious groups, according to Arab News. The 'Freedom and Citizenship' conference is organised by Sunni Islam's most prominent university, Al-Azhar. Addressing the jihadist violence across the country, Al-Azhar's head Sheikh Ahmed Tayeb said: 'Exonerating religions from terrorism no longer suffices in the face of these barbaric challenges.' Teyeb called for an end to 'the lingering mistrust and tensions between religious leaders that are no longer justified, for if there is no peace between the proponents of religions first, the proponents cannot give it to the people'. Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II emphasised that ISIS' terrorism represented a 'mistaken understanding of religion' and called for 'fighting extremist thought with enlightened thought'. Egypt is a majority Sunni Muslim country, with Christians mostly Orthodox Copts representing about 10 per cent of the population. Attacks have escalated in recent weeks following the release of an ISIS video which incited fellow jihadists to target the 'infidel' Christian community. Hundreds have now fled from El-Arish in Sinai, Northern Egypt, and as Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, told Christian Today, specific lists of Christian targets have been circulated among militants. Yesterday Angaelos noted 40 Christians have been murdered by ISIS in the last three months, with many forced to flee with the stark ultimatum: 'leave or die'. WATCH: Archbishop of Canterbury speaks to Christian Today about life, prayer and the hope of the resurrection Today the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby joined Christian Today in an exclusive interview shared on Facebook Live. He was joined by Emma Buchan of the prayer movement Thy Kingdom Come, while visiting the Christian festival Spring Harvest 2017 in Minehead, Somerset. The Archbishop began with a prayer following this morning's news of two ISIS bombings of Egyptian Coptic churches, which have killed 36 and injured over 100. He shared, alongside Buchan, about the struggles and joys of prayer, the meaning of the resurrection and explored how Christians can share their faith with their friends. The interview can be watched below. Why did Jesus ask Peter three times: 'Do you love me?' After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples and spent time with them. In one such account, we find Jesus and Peter talking to each other, having one of the most beautiful conversations in the New Testament where Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him three times. Why did Jesus ask Peter three times? As we read their conversation in John 21:15-19, we can't help but wonder why the Lord needed to ask Peter the same thing three times. The Bible tells us that God knows the content of our hearts and the words we will speak before they even reach our lips (see Psalm 139:4), so why did Christ ask Peter again and again? Some of us know that Christ reinstated Peter with that conversation. But if we look at certain Bible principles, we will understand that there are some things to learn from this conversation. Let's go over them. The act of declaring right Matthew 12:35-37 tells us that our words, even if carelessly spoken, reveal the content of our heart. Our words will either speak for us or against us. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. And an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word that men speak, they will give an account on the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." The Lord Jesus knows this, and perhaps this is one reason why He wanted to ask Peter if he loved Him. Peter's denial of the Lord was an act he "wept bitterly" for in repentance (see Luke 22:54-62), and Jesus probably wanted to remind Peter to check his heart and never do it again. Peter was to stand strong for Christ no matter what persecution will come. The act of declaring life Proverbs 18:21 also tells us one of the most important principles to remember and apply in our lives: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Christ wanted Peter to take back what he said. He denied Christ three times; he must undo it by declaring his love for Him three times as well. We must be careful with the words we speak, for they become declarations that will either bring life to us, or harm us. Our words will be used to judge us in this life and in the day of judgment. The act of declaring love for God Lastly, it is important that we declare our love for Christ publicly. Our belief in Him, love for Him, and allegiance to Him is something we must never be ashamed of for by confessing with our mouth that Christ is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we are saved (see Romans 10:9). Friends, let us not be ashamed of God. Let us not be ashamed of His love for us (see Romans 1:16). Let us continually declare His goodness in our lives. Smart & Final Stores, Inc. operates as a food retailer in the United States. It operates in two segments, Smart & Final and Smart Foodservice. The company's stores offer fresh perishables and everyday grocery items, such as produce, meat and deli, dairy and cheese, grocery, and beverage products, as well as paper and packaging, and restaurant equipment and janitorial supplies. It also provides various private label products under the First Street, Sun Harvest, Simply Value, La Romanella, Montecito, Iris, and Ambiance brands. The company sells its products to household and business customers; restaurants; caterers; and various other foodservice businesses, such as food trucks and coffee houses through vendors and suppliers. As of December 30, 2018, it operated 326 grocery and foodservice stores, including 59 Smart & Final stores, 201 Smart & Final Extra! stores, and 66 Smart Foodservice Warehouse stores located in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, as well as 15 stores in Northwestern Mexico operated through a joint venture. Smart & Final Stores, Inc. was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Commerce, California. The clashes took place earlier this week over a Facebook post that allegedly maligned Lord Ram. By India Today Web Desk: The Odisha Police Crime Branch has begun an investigation into this week's communal violence in Bhadrak even as curfew was reimposed in the city, news agency ANI reported. Curfew, which was in place until 8 am today, was relaxed for a few hours today morning but will now be imposed until 7 am Monday morning. advertisement On Saturday, police detained 35 people in connection with the clashes, which erupted over a Facebook post that allegedly disrespected Hindu gods. Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists are believed to have been involved in the clashes. The Bhadrak District Collector, LN Mishra, was also shunted out by the Naveen Patnaik Odisha government. Mishra was replaced Cuttack Municipal Commissioner Gyana Ranjan Das and several senior bureaucrats, including Odisha Home Secretary Asit Tripathy and DGP K B Singh, were sent to the city to monitor the situation. WHAT HAPPENED? Clashes erupted on Thursday, April 6, after a Facebook post that was said to have made offensive remarks about Hindu deities. News agency PTI reported that the post, which was accompanied by a picture, in question was about Lord Ram. Following the post, a group of protesters demonstrated outside a local police station, demanding immediate action those responsible for making the post. Activists from the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad allegedly took to the streets, burned tyres, set shops and police vehicles on fire, and blocked roads as they protested against the Facebook post. At least four policemen were injured as cops tried to control the situation. Prohibitory orders and curfew were finally imposed in Bhadrak in an attempt to bring peace. The Odisha DGP KB Singh yesterday said that they had identified those trying to create trouble. "We have identified the persons (trying to fan trouble). As many as 35 platoons of police force have been deployed in Bhadrak town. IG is camping in the area. We will not allow anyone to disrupt communal harmony. The situation is now under control," he said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also appealed for calm, tweeting, "I sincerely appeal to all in Bhadrak to maintain peace and harmony. I have directed stringent action against any attempt to disrupt peace. According to news agency PTI, two people have already been arrested in connection with posting the allegedly offensive material on Facebook. advertisement WATCH | Odisha: Section 144 imposed in Bhadrak after violent clash over FB post on Hindu deities --- ENDS --- Rishabh was admitted to the psychiatry unit of AIIMS for about three weeks. Patients with bipolar disorder can be irritable or have an elevated mood consistently for several days in a row or longer. By Priyanka Sharma: A trip to the City of Joy can send even a hard-boiled Delhiite on a happy high. But when 40-year-old Rishabh Kumar (name changed) told his family members in the Capital that he had spent `25 lakh within a week of stay in Kolkata and asked for a similar amount, they took him to a psychiatrist. advertisement A specialist at AIIMS told them Rishabh was suffering from bipolar disorder, which triggers mood swings that last days if not weeks at a time. Patients will be irritable or have an elevated mood consistently for several days in a row or longer. These periods are then followed with distinct periods of normal mood or depressed mood. WHAT DID RISHABH DO? Rishabh had spent `25 lakh just on his travel from Delhi to Kolkata, his hotel accommodation and generous tips of `2,000 and above each time he felt "happy and high". "It is a brain disorder that develops when depression is not treated properly," Dr Nand Kumar, professor of the psychiatry department at AIIMS, told Mail Today. "He was brought to us when his family members suspected some behavioural problems in him." Bipolar depression is the "depressive" half of bipolar disorder, also known as "manic-depressive illness". MORE ABOUT BIPOLAR DISORDER Sources say some VIPs and senior bureaucrats who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder also underwent treatment at AIIMS. The causes are not clearly understood, but both environmental and genetic factors play a role. Many genes of small effect contribute to risk. Environmental factors include a history of childhood abuse, and longterm stress. Treatment commonly includes psychotherapy, as well as medications such as mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. "Rishabh had contributed much to his business and so his family was satisfied with him," Dr Kumar said. "His state of mind was of such extreme happiness that he booked business flight tickets, stayed at top five-star hotels, boarded Mercedes taxis and gave `1,000 to 2,000 as tip to drivers, waiter and other helpers." RISHABH'S TREATMENT Rishabh was admitted to the psychiatry unit of AIIMS for about three weeks. Doctors say he is now responding well to the medicines and his condition is improving. Dr Samir Parikh, director of the mental health department at Fortis Hospital, said, "This year for World Health Day, the theme is Depression: Let's Talk. It's time people start to get open in recognising this prevalence of depression as now the leading cause of ill health and disability across the world and to eradicate the stigma. advertisement At the same time, talking about one's own feelings is also essential for our own emotional and psychological well being." In India, 1 in every 5 people over the age of 40 suffers from depression at some point, states the World Health Organization. Tripti Mishra, a PhD scholar who was in bipolar depression for many years, said: "I am working as a lecturer and placement adviser in a college. I have always shared my story with my students so that they understand there is much more in life beyond academic success. We should be aware and open to accept that depression is natural health problem and there's nothing to be shy about." Also Read: One-fourth mental illness arises due to workplace depression, suggest experts --- ENDS --- Broadband internet arrived in Dhuktan, a tribal village of 2,850 people in Maharashtra's Palghar district, 85 kilometres from Mumbai, only last year. But it's made such an impact already that most villagers now use the local kiosk to pay bills online and access e-governance applications. The village is one of seven in the state being used to pilot Project Gram Marg, the brainchild of two IIT Bombay professors, Abhay Karandikar and Sarbani Banerjee Belur. Project Gram Marg is India's first TV White Space testbed, so called because it piggybacks on unused terrestrial broadcasting spectrum frequency. It uses the 500-520 MHz spectrum unutilised by Doordarshan's terrestrial broadcast stations. This frequency is very similar to 4G, and by installing low-cost receivers and transmitters and boosting the signal into wi-fi, the engineers and scientists on the project say they have achieved "mid-mile connectivity". advertisement "Think of it as wi-fi," says Karandikar, "but one that works over longer ranges of three to four kilometres." Eventually, the project aims to link 640,000 Indian villages to broadband internet. Tests of an ATM machine in the villages too have been successful, opening up other possibilities once plugged into the internet. The project received a $125,000 boost on March 29 when it won Mozilla's Equal Rating Innovation Challenge in Brussels, beating 100 submissions from 27 other countries. "The technology will be open source, which means that it will be accessible to anyone anywhere," says Nikhil Pahwa, one of the judges and co-founder of SaveTheInternet.in (now InternetFreedom.in). But policy hurdles still stand in the way. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed delicensing V and E bands, which could be used to provide short haul wireless links, particularly for rural and semi-rural areas. If that happens, low cost 4G solutions could soon steer rural India onto the digital highway. --- ENDS --- Telefonica, Huawei and Kamstrup have successfully deployed their first project with real users data using NarrowBand IoT technology (NB-IoT). One of the leading water utilities in Chile has successfully tested connectivity management of a telemetry solution for residential water meters. Telemetry will allow clients to know their day-to-day use, will facilitate actual invoicing by avoiding estimated use, and will detect leaks and abnormal situations in the home as well as not invoiced water flows. It will also offer the water network operation teams information regarding provision to the end customers. NB-IoT is a low-power wide-area network connectivity, focussed on adapting devices to the needs of the Internet of Things market (IoT), thus enabling increased battery life, appropriate use-specific cost, wide coverage and indoor penetration. At the same time, the technology will allow for great scalability and comprehensive security. NB-IoT has been used to accelerate the creation of a service adapted to the needs of water telemetry, resolving management of the communications network of which Telefonica takes charge. The collaboration with Huawei, one of the main driving forces in support of this technology, has enabled the launch of what is the first true NB-IoT experience in Latin America. With the goal of promoting an open and participatory Internet of Things ecosystem, Telefonica has collaborated with two large companies in the sector. One is Kamstrup, which has provided the smart meters, while the other is Huawei, which has taken on the corresponding update to the NB-IoT network. Additionally, Telefonica Chiles R&D Centre, together with Huawei, was responsible for designing and planning the technical tests. This centre, a joint initiative between Telefonica and the Chilean government, specialises in developing technologies around IoT, particularly those associated with connectivity and low power networks, which are fundamental to sector development. Vicente Munoz, Chief IoT Officer at Telefonica, said: This affirms our commitment to using our network infrastructure to provide our clients with IoT solutions, as we adapt to each of our clients needs. The search is on for a new crop of agricultural entrepreneurs keen to progress their businesses to the next level. Briefing Media Agriculture and the Co-operative Food are holding the competition which invites anyone with a ground-breaking business idea for agriculture to pitch Dragons Den-style for a share of 250,000 worth of investment. New for 2017, there is also a guaranteed Briefing Media promotional package worth 5k for every finalist, as well as on-going help and business support from our esteemed judging panel. Applications close on July 7, 2017. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview and finalists will pitch to an expert panel in September. Neil Thackray, chief executive and co-founder of Briefing Media, said: Your business could be a software company, app developer or systems supplier. You could be using farm data, mapping or weather information in an innovative way. You might even have a product already launched or be in the process of prototyping. Whatever stage you are at we want to help you achieve your goals. Will Jackson, agricultural manager at The Co-operative Food, said: We are committed to supporting UK farming, and see our role as fundamental to helping embrace, nurture and develop the ideas generated. We are looking for entrepreneurs, farmers or students with a great product or concept which could help farmers. Brexit has created administrative and diplomatic uncertainty in agriculture over the issue of quotas, tariffs and the terms of its World Trade Organisation membership, Reuters has reported. In order to trade on its own after withdrawing from the European Union, the UK must draw up a document that sets out its own commitments to the WTO. Britains membership terms are currently included in those of the EU. In agriculture, it will be especially complicated for the UK to disentangle itself from the EUs WTO membership, Reuters reported, since EU imports are limited by 128 quotas. These quotas, which cover most types of fruit and vegetables, only allow a certain amount of tariff-free trade in most products and vary from country to country. Trade experts are warning that unless Britain promptly agrees what share of each EU quota it will take and what tariffs will apply to around 2,000 agricultural products, it could plunge the industry into uncertainty. Bargaining chips Britain now has two years in which to negotiate its exit having triggering Article 50 on 29 March. If an agreement is not reached by then, the UK might have to unilaterally announce its plans, which could create opposition from farm lobbies at home and overseas, according to Reuters. Some experts are also warning that a decision must be reached much earlier than the two-year cut-off to avoid trade uncertainty. "It's going to have to be in place, not the day before Brexit but a year before Brexit because exporters and importers will want to know when they're entering contracts," Alan Matthews, emeritus professor of European agriculture at Trinity College, Dublin, told Reuters. In addition, diplomats warn that quotas could be used as a bargaining chip by EU countries in the negotiating process. If a country felt Britain had damaged their interests, they could respond by entering into a trade dispute or imposing sanctions on the UK, Reuters reported. If, in the end, no new trade deal is reached with the EU, it would spark competition among EU members for access to the British market but ultimately British producers would face large tariffs for exporting to the EU. By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma Beijing, Apr 9 (PTI) Chinas official think-tanks countered the Dalai Lamas assertion that Chinese government cannot decide about his successor, saying the next highest monk of Tibetan Buddhism must have the endorsement of Beijing. "The government of the Peoples Republic of China has proclaimed the power to approve the naming of high reincarnations in Tibet, based on a precedent set by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty," said WangDehua, Co-Director, Centre for South Asia Studies, Tongji University in Shanghai. advertisement "In my opinion its ridiculous for the Dalai Lama to say he changed the centuries-old tradition, because the tradition was already changed in 1959. The central government will definitely support the Dalai Lamas successor if he or she is selected according to Chinese laws and historical rules, and the Tibetan peoples will," he told PTI here. Speaking in Tawang, close to the Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama yesterday said the Chinese government cannot decide who will be the next Dalai Lama. "Beijings bid to name my successor to undermine the Tibetans cause is nonsense," he said. "As early as 1969, I had said the Tibetan people will decide if this very institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not. If this institution is no longer relevant, it should stop," said the Dalai Lama, who had fled Tibet back in 1959 to take refuge in Tawang. "Nobody knows who or where the next Dalai Lama will be born or come from. Some indication (about his reincarnation) might come at the time of my death, but now there is no such indication," he said, asserting that China has no role in selecting his successor. The Chinese government is yet to react to his comments made from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of Southern Tibet. Shen Dingli, Vice Dean, Institute of American Studies, Fudan University, too said the Dalai Lama has been saying that the tradition of Dalai Lama could end when he passes away. However, his successor has to have Chinas approval, he said. Since he left Tibet in 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama who turned 81 this year has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor. Considering the political and spiritual influence the Dalai Lamas had over Tibetans for centuries, China is keen to pick up the successor to the current Dalai Lama to firm up its hold over Tibet, which it kept under tight political, military and administrative control after it took over the area in 1951. China is apprehensive that the Dalai Lama may pick up a successor from Tawang from where the sixth Dalai Lama hailed. advertisement While firmly opposing his visit to the Tawang in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular with a diplomatic protest to India for permitting it, China is watching warily about any moves by the Dalai Lama to pick up his successor from there. Statements by local legislators and officials from Tawang that it was the wish of the people that the next Dalai Lama should come from there also caused consternation in China. "According to traditional practice it only happens after death of the Dalai. It is well known that the title of Dalai Lama, which was originally an academic title conferred by a Mongolian emperor under the rule of the (Chinese emperor) Ming government (1368-1644), became a political and religious title after it was recognised by the Qing government (1644-1911)," Wang said. "Since then, the selection of the Dalai Lama has to be supervised and recognised by the central government in order to achieve legitimacy," he said. Commenting on Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandus remarks that "an independent Tibet, not China, is Indias true northern neighbour, he said its against Indias Long standing policy and will damage our bilateral relations. advertisement Ahead of Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang, a scholar of Chinas state-run Tibetology Research Centre had said that the Dalai Lamas successor should come from native place in Qinghai, adjacent to Tibet Autonomous Region. Lian Xiangmin, Director of contemporary research of the centre, told media that Dalai Lamas successor should be from his native town in Tibet and he should renounce separatism and accept Tibet and Taiwan as integral part of China. Dalai Lama was born in Taktser village, Amdo of Qinghai province and picked up for the high spiritual post when he was a eight-year-old boy as part of reincarnation principle followed under Tibetan religious customs. "On one hand the Dalai Lama says he will live up to 113 years on the other hand he talks about succession issue himself," Lin said. "So far there have been 14 Dalai Lamas who have been produced in China. We hope that the present Dalai Lama will live for 113 years old. But if a succession is indeed needed we hope the new one will be produced according to the historical conventions in a traditional way," he said. advertisement Outlining conditions for political rapprochement, Lin said the Chinese government has stipulated that the Dalai Lama must give up his pursuit of Tibet independence, stop separatist activities, recognise Tibet and Taiwan as part of China. PTI KJV ZH --- ENDS --- A four year old boy has died at a farm in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Police were called to the farm in the Maguiresbridge area at around 8.30pm on Thursday night (6 April) following a report of an incident involving a four year old child. Inspector Glen Latimer continued: The child was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Local PSNI will work closely with the Health and Safety Executive as they investigate the circumstances. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) said: This is devastating news and I wish to express my sympathy to the family. In the close knit farming community of Fermanagh, news of this untimely death has caused a great deal of shock. The family will be in my thoughts and prayers today and in the weeks to come, as they mourn the loss of a young life taken under such tragic circumstances. The details of the incident has not yet been confirmed, but it is being reported that the child was killed in an incident involving a JCB-type digger. In February, a three year old boy was killed after being hit by tractor on farm in Fife, Scotland. 'Make safety a priority' The farming sector has rallied around agricultural workers to be more careful and safety conscious. NFU Vice President and Farm Safety Partnership Chair Guy Smith said: We urge farmers to take some time to make safety a priority. It just might save you more time and money than you think - but more importantly keep you alive. Farmers can protect themselves by planning to keep people separate from tractors and other farm vehicles whenever possible. Following the Safe Stop procedure of hand brake on, controls in neutral, engine off and keys out is vital when working on machinery. Check, check and check again that vehicles are properly maintained. Something as simple as topping up brake fluid or repairing a load indicator light could mean the difference between life and death. As many farms are multi-purpose homes, businesses and leisure destinations, keeping a farm as safe as possible will safeguard everyones wellbeing. Lowest ever sales of livestock antibiotics recorded in UK A growing number of women in Delhi-NCR who are looking at egg donation as a means of making a few extra bucks. A willing egg donor must first take shots of drugs for nearly three weeks to suppress her natural cycle. By Ajay Kumar: In the 2012 Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Vicky Donor, all it took the titular character to become a sperm donor was a plastic cup and a porn magazine. But in the world of egg donors, the hazards are real: from nausea and kidney failure to even death. But that hasn't stopped a growing number of women in Delhi-NCR who are looking at egg donation as a means of making a few extra bucks or as a go-to option in their hour of crisis. advertisement EGG DONORS Twenty-two-year-old Archana Tiwari (name changed), a resident of Gurugram, told Mail Today that she donated eggs in the first week of March and is willing to undergo the procedure again in the future. "My husband is a labourer and we have two kids. So we needed money. Initially, I thought of becoming a surrogate mother, but then I came to know about egg donation, which was less time consuming and more financially rewarding," said Archana. "Surrogacy takes at least 15 months; compared to that egg donation was easy." Her friend, 26-year-old Rekha Goyal (name changed) went to donate eggs after her three-year-old daughter fell ill. "My husband is a tailor at a readymade garment factory in Udyog Vihar and does not earn much. There was no other way I could have arranged money for my daughter's treatment," said Rekha who came to know about egg donation through Archana. HOW DOES THE TRANSACTION HAPPEN? So how does the transaction happen? While in the West, egg donors sign a contract with the client or a hospital, here it's mostly the middleman who calls the shots and acts as a bridge between the donors and hospitals. A willing egg donor must first take shots of drugs for nearly three weeks to suppress her natural cycle. She is then injected with hormones to stimulate her ovaries. This is followed by ultrasound tests to confirm if the eggs are ready and another round of hormone injection to induce ovulation. Finally, on the donation day, a surgery is performed on the donor under anaesthesia, where a needle is used to retrieve the eggs. COMPLICATIONS OF EGG DONATION According to Diane Tober, a medical anthropologist and filmmaker who produced Perfect Donor, a documentary on how young cash-strapped women are recruited to donate eggs, up to 30 per cent of the donors experienced some form of health complication, including varying degrees of OHS, an ovarian medical condition which in extreme cases can lead to death. Some of the other related symptoms include bloating, weight gain, nausea and in severe cases, blood clots and kidney failure. advertisement RATES OF THE EGGS There are also no standardised rates for the eggs here. It's the middleman again who decides how much an egg donor will eventually get. According to sources, a hospital pays `50,000 to `60,000 to a middleman who takes his cut and hands over anywhere between `25,000 to `35,000 to the donor, depending on their negotiation skills. hich I spent on the treatment of my daughter," said Rekha. "In capital donors: Eggs catching up with the sperms the last two years, I have donated eggs seven times. My husband has no objection to it. But we have kept it a secret from our neighbours." REGIONS WITH EGG DONORS IN ABUNDANCE Kapashera in southwest Delhi, Dundahera village in Gurugram as well as nearby Sikandarpur, Manesar and Sohna are some of the areas where egg donors are in abundance. Most of these regions have a large number of factory labourers who look at egg donation as a means to supplement their income. REALITY ON GROUND OF EGG DONORS While there are guidelines that stipulate that hospitals should arrange egg donors through certified banks, the reality on the ground is something else. advertisement Sources say that in several cases the hospitals with IVF facilities themselves contact middlemen for eggs. Harish, a middleman active in Kapashera, said that after striking a deal with the hospitals, the women undergo a medical procedure for 15 days at home. "We charge hospitals to the tune of `50,000 to `60,000 for the eggs. Half of that money goes to the donors. Once a donation happens we cannot use the same donor for the next two-and-ahalf to three months to avoid health complications. The interval also helps to generate healthy eggs," said Harish. KINDS OF EGGS IN DEMAND Though recipients of eggs are not entitled to get information about the donors as per in vitro fertilisation (IVF) guidelines, according to investigations conducted by Mail Today, there is a huge demand for young women from states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in the age group of 20 to 30 years due to their fair complexion. A large number of women from Mewat, including college students, are also coming forward to donate eggs. donors who are in regular touch with me from Delhi and Gurugram," said Harish. "I keep rotating these women for egg donation to various IVF centres." advertisement It is estimated that there are 200 IVF centres in operation in and around the National Capital Region with 25 of them situated in Gurugram alone. These centres handle close to 1,000 cases per month. --- ENDS --- Supermarket suppliers have until 17 April to anonymously divulge their experiences of dealing with grocery retailers over the past year. Suppliers can complete a YouGov survey to help the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), build a picture of how retailers are treating their supply chains. The GCA, whose role it is to ensure the UKs 10 biggest grocery retailers stick to fair practice, will use the information to work out which issues need attention and to assess how effective its work has been over the past 12 months. The adjudicator has a legal duty to ensure the anonymity of any suppliers offering information. See also: Your guide to the groceries code and adjudicator The 2017 Groceries Code Adjudicator Survey is open until 17 April with the results to be presented at the GCA conference on 26 June in London. Last year, 62% of the 1,000 suppliers who responded said they had experienced issues dealing with retailers in the year before the survey, compared with 70% in 2015 and 79% in 2014. See also: Tesco to pay 129m penalty for profit overstatement The sitting adjudicator Christine Tacon, said she was working on several key issues including late payments, which was the main issue raised in last years survey. She urged suppliers to come forward so she could get problems solved. Ms Tacon has also been meeting suppliers face-to-face throughout March and April to hear any issues in person. Last year the GCA concluded its only investigation so far, into Tescos late payments to suppliers. It found Tesco was guilty of widespread payment delays to its suppliers. Haiti - News : Zapping... Court of Cassation, 32 candidates 32 candidates applied for the 6 vacant seats at the Court of Cassation. Among them are several judges of the Courts of Appeal including Max Elibert, Jean Joseph Lebrun, Marie Joceline Casimir and Jean Peres Paul... Once the registration phase is over, the Senate Commission "Justice, Security and National Defense" will begin the analysis of the submitted files and will conduct interviews with the candidates. 18 names will be retained by the Senate, who will forward the list to President Jovenel Moise, who will have to choose 6 names on this list. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20337-haiti-notice-the-senate-extends-the-deadline-for-applications.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20226-haiti-flash-the-senate-launches-a-call-for-applications.html United Nations ready to transform Minustah "In Haiti, we are ready to transform our mission so that it focuses on political support, institution building and development," said Antonio Guterres, the new UN Secretary General to the Security Council on Thursday on the review of Peacekeeping Operations in the framework of a thematic debate. France : Tribute to Toussaint Louverture On Friday, the Haitian Embassy in France paid a resounding tribute to the forerunner of Independence of Haiti, Toussaint Louverture, whose it's the 214th anniversary of his death. Floral Offering at the Pantheon by Haitian Ambassador to France Vanessa Matignon Lamothe and to the Fort de Joux in Pontarlier, by Frisnel Azor, Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Haiti in France. Public schools, fight against absenteeism This week was held a working meeting with high school principals in the West around the operation and management of high schools. The Minister Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet presented his vision for the smooth running of the education system and expressed his expectations to the directors of high schools for the revalorization of public schools. The Minister called on high school principals to play their score for better management of public schools and especially for the fight against absenteeism, which strongly affects the quality of learning and academic achievement. This is the first meeting of Minister Cadet with these agents of the education system. Restitution of the program "Kore Fanmi" Friday, Stevenson Jacques Thimoleon, the Director General of the Ministry of Planning, launched the restitution workshop on the evaluation of the Kore Fanmi program in the Southeast, organized jointly with UNICEF Haiti and others partners. Triple installation of Delegates Thursday 3 Delegates Departemenatux were installed, these are: Owell Theock Delegate of the Northwest Department, installed by the Minister of the Interior Max Rudolph Saint-Albin. The ceremony was held at the Departmental Delegation of the North-West, in Port-de-Paix. Mrs. Marie-Denise Bernadeau, Delegate of the Department of the Centre, installed by the Minister of the Interior, Max Rudolph Saint-Albin, in Mirebalais. Herby Dalencourt, Delegate of the Department of Artibonite, installed by the Minister of the Interior, Max Rudolph Saint-Albin, in Gonaives. HL/ HaitiLibre Since most of these thefts or burglaries were noticed at around the same time when scores of delivery boys came to pick up tiffins delivered the previous night, the needle of suspicion turned to the tiffin delivery boy in the area. By Ram Kinkar Singh: Just at the start of the New Year, a number of burglaries were reported from the area of Munirka in south Delhi. It was found that in most of the cases, the complainants were students who had lost laptops, mobile phones, electronic items, etc. Since most of these thefts or burglaries were noticed at around the same time when scores of delivery boys came to pick up tiffins delivered the previous night, the needle of suspicion turned to the tiffin delivery boy in the area. advertisement The cops formed a team and kept a watch on the delivery boys of the area. Later, the police noticed a delivery boy carrying a laptop, and upon enquiring, the boy tried to dodge the cops but soon it was established that he had stolen the laptop from one of the students' room. He was identified as Noor Islam alias Rahul, presently residing in Munirka and a permanent resident of Kolkata, West Bengal. He was arrested soon after. During interrogation accused Noor revealed that during early morning hours, when he used to collect empty tiffins delivered a day before, he often found the students were half asleep when the tiffins were to be picked up from inside the rooms. "Since, the students did not properly latch or lock their rooms the accused took it as an easy opportunity to steal laptops and mobile phones. The laxity of students made him a serial burglar targetting students," said Chinmoy Biswal, Additional DCP South. --- ENDS --- Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival: Together to End SolitaryDocumentary Film: Solitary: Inside Red Onion State PrisonKristi Jacobson, 2016, 82 min, USAWith unprecedented access over the course of one year, director Kristi Jacobson offers a revealing and moving portrait of life inside solitary confinement.Speaker: Dolores CanalesDolores Canales, Organizer, has become a strong and compassionate advocate and spokesperson for incarcerated peoples and their families. Dolores is a member of the National Council for Formerly Incarcerated & Incarcerated Women & Girls and was instrumental in co-founding California Families Against Solitary Confinement (CFASC), a collective of family members that rose in protest of Californias conditions of confinement in Security Housing Units (SHU). In 2013 Dolores received the Family Unity Award by Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), and in 2014 she was awarded the Soros Justice Fellowship for the Family Unity Network (FUN).Event Host: Together to End Solitary, Santa CruzCo-sponsors: ACLU-NC, Santa Cruz County Chapter; Peace and Freedom Party, Santa Cruz County; Temple Beth El; Veterans for Peace, Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange85-90% of people in CA Security Housing Units (SHUs-solitary) are people of color.From 2011-2013, the CA Prisoner Human Rights Movement carried out 3 Hunger Strikes against solitary confinement and prison abuses & for their constitutional and human rights.After the 2012 Agreement to End Hostilities across racial/ethnic and geographic lines, over 30,000 CA prisoners and 100s nationwide joined the 2013 Hunger Strike. Over 100 people were on Hunger Strike for 60 days.On Sept.1, 2015, the prisoner-led class action lawsuit Ashker V. Governor Brown successfully settled.Over 2500 people have been released from SHU to general population in CA prisons, and the Agreement to End Hostilities has greatly decreased violence among people incarcerated in CA.Now people in CA solitary units are being awakened every 30 minutes night and day.End Prison Slave LaborEND SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION TORTURE!Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition (CA), prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/Together to End Solitary (nationwide), togethertoendsolitary.org/End Solitary, Santa Cruz, https://www.facebook.com/events/1521035501270256/ Dolores Canales at Temple Beth El Social Justice Shabbat | 11.20.15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY7--GJLByY Solitary Film & Speaker Dolores Canales https://www.facebook.com/events/1861977537351962/ Reel Work Labor Film Festival - April 15-May 1, 2017 - Full schedule at reelwork.org Reddit Email 33 Shares By Mike Merryman-Lotze | (Otherwords.org) | The White House is creating new problems in Israel-Palestine, but ordinary people can start setting things right. While news swirled around health care and climate rules last month, another potentially momentous development slipped through the cracks. It was the Senates quiet confirmation of David Friedman to serve as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel. That vote threatens to create a mess of new problems in the already troubled Middle East. Friedman, a Trump appointee, strongly supports Israels settlements on Palestinian territory, which are illegal under international law, and opposes the formation of a Palestinian state. Support for a Palestinian state and opposition to Israeli settlements has been the basis of U.S. policy for years. But Friedmans appointment represents a shift. Since Trump took office, the Israeli government has approved the construction of over 6,000 new Israeli homes in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements. And in early April, Israel approved the construction of its first completely new settlement in 20 years, deep in the heart of the West Bank. palestine-israel-settlements (Photo: Flickr/ Palestine Solidarity Project) The U.S. response? Near silence. Under past administrations, we could have expected immediate condemnation. But earlier this year it took four provocative settlement announcements to elicit even a tepid U.S. response. These changes are important. For more than a decade, officials have been warning that the window of opportunity for realizing the two-state solution is closing. This begs the question: Do these changes mark the formal closure of the Middle East peace process? And, if so, what does that mean? Israels settlement policy has long stood in the way of a two-state solution. By putting Israeli homes on Palestinian land, they make it nearly impossible to draw a border between Israel and a viable future Palestinian state. In the early 1990s there were approximately 110,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and another 150,000 in East Jerusalem settlements. Today, there are over 350,000 settlers in the West Bank and more than 300,000 in East Jerusalem. In total, settlements now control over 43 percent of all West Bank land. So, what should those concerned with peace do? Simply speaking out is no longer enough. Neither is calling for a return to the established peace process, which has failed for a quarter-century now. Instead, whats needed now are actions to impose a cost on Israel for its settlement building and continued occupation. For governments, that means cutting bilateral assistance programs, modifying or ending special trade arrangements, and implementing sanctions. For individuals, it could mean boycotting and divesting from companies complicit in Israels settlement enterprise and military occupation. Its these concrete actions, not just words, that will make change. At the same time, the international community must also take time to evaluate the peace process to understand why its failed. We must ask what a new goal might look like if two states cant be achieved. What does it mean to build peace in a post-two state environment? How can equality and justice be achieved for all Palestinians and Israelis regardless of where they live? What might a peace process look like if it were based on the idea of achieving justice and equality rather than ethnic separation? Exploring these questions wont bring immediate relief to people whose land is being confiscated or who are victims of violence, but answers may open paths to change. And change is needed. Meanwhile, the status quo isnt working, and continuing down a path that has failed for nearly 25 years wont bring peace. Mike Merryman-Lotze has worked with the American Friends Service Committee as the Palestine-Israel Program Director since 2010. Distributed by OtherWords.org. Via Otherwords.org - Related video added by Juan Cole: Al Jazeera English: Palestine Music Expo aims for international attention Reddit Email 24 Shares IMEMC | On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that, if a peace agreement between Israeli and Palestinian people could be reached, Russia could acknowledge West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Russia does not officially acknowledge West Jerusalem as Israels capital, according to the PNN, and, up until Thursday, has not made any statements as to their opinion on the status of West Jerusalem. This slight shift in Russias position, rather surprisingly, comes after they condemned the Israelis decision to establish a new settlement for the Amona evacuees. The statement said that the stalling of the Middle East peace process has created conditions for unilateral moves that undermine the potential for an internationally accepted solution to the Palestinian problem, under which two states Israel and Palestine could live in peace and security with each other and with their neighbors. We reaffirm our commitment to the UN-approved principles for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, which include the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that, in this context, we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Finally, Russia said that a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians can only be reached in direct negotiations between the two. IMEMC Reddit Email 277 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday issued a broadside demanding that Russia and the United States withdraw from Syria and that strongman Bashar al-Assad resign as president. Al-Sadrs stand against al-Assad is unusual among Shiite movements. The Lebanese Shiite militia, Hizbullah, has entered Syria to battle for al-Assads survival. Iran is also strongly backing him. Other Iraqi Shiite militias, such as the League of the Righteous, have sent units to support the al-Assad regime, for instance in the battle for Aleppo. Contrary to what some allege, the Twelver Shiite groups are not very likely to be supporting al-Assad because he has an Alawite Shiite heritage. Alawites are not considered orthodox Muslims by the Twelver Shiites. Rather, there are two reasons for their support. Hizbullah and Iran need Syria to be in friendly hands if Iran is to continue to resupply Hizbullah with munitions for defense of South Lebanon from Israel. Second, al-Assad has configured himself as fighting a wave of Sunni extremism that threatens both secularists and the regions Shiites. Al-Sadr, who has long been considered quirky by other Iraqi leaders, began by calling on US President Donald J. Trump to stop going to excess in taking frivolous and thoughtless positions and decisions. He said Trumps flakiness not only damages the US but also the world community. He warned that a heavy US intervention in Syria could turn into a Vietnam-style quagmire for Washington. Nor did al-Sadr see how Trump could bombard civilians to death in Mosul and then turn around and condemn the Syrian government for its killing of civilians (admittedly by horrific gas). He also doubted that the US could accomplish anything positive in Syria. After all, he said, the Americans announced that they would help roll up ISIL in Iraq years ago, but ISIL is still there. Al-Sadr asked, Wasnt enough for Syria that all sorts of internal and external actors were interfering in the country, such that the US should now initiate a negative role there, as well? The only one harmed by that, he said, is the Syrian people. Al-Sadr added, I wouldnt rule out that Trumps decision to strike Syria will permit Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) to spread into other areas. If the US wants to play the role of peacemaker and promoter of dialogue in conflict situations, he said, it cant put off limits an honest broker role in Palestine, Burma, Bahrain, and so forth, where it sides heavily with one side against another. Al-Sadr called on all parties to withdraw militarily from Syria and for the Syrian people to take charge, since it is the only legitimate actor that can determine its own destiny. Otherwise, only terrorism and occupation will benefit. He specifically said Russia should also leave. Al-Sadr went on to say I find it fair that President Bashar al-Assad should tender his resignation and step down from power out of love for beloved Syria, so as to spare it the horrors of war and its domination by terrorists. He should give the reins of power to some popular and effective individuals who can stand against terrorism, so as to save Syrian territory as quickly as possible, so that his action can be lauded as historic and heroic, before it is too late Related video: NRT: Shia leader Moqtada al Sadr calls whole political system in Iraq corrupt For all the fuss about going clean and cashless, anonymous political funding just got easier, courtesy the Finance Act 2017. For all the fuss about going clean and cashless, anonymous political funding just got easier, courtesy the Finance Act 2017. OLD: Anonymous cash donations up to Rs 20,000 NEW: Anonymous cash donation limit cut to Rs 2,000 IMPACT Creating multiple anonymous entries of sub-Rs 2,000 is as easy as the earlier provision, given that there's still no cap on the total amount of cash donations advertisement OLD: A company may donate up to 7.5 per cent of the average of its net profits in the past three years NEW: A company may donate any amount to one or multiple political parties IMPACT Big money corporates could gain undue influence on government policy OLD: Political parties exempted from paying income tax NEW: Parties still exempt; donor companies now get exemptions on donations through electoral bonds IMPACT Companies could use political parties to launder money OLD: Companies had to disclose contributions and beneficiaries in P&L accounts NEW: Beneficiaries need not be named, but contributions can be made only through cheques, bank drafts, electronic means or electoral bonds, which can be bought from RBI-notified banks. The government will know who bought the bonds, but not to whom it was donated IMPACT More white money could potentially flow into the political system. (Though the US phased out bearer bonds in the 1980s because of their abuse by money launderers/ tax evaders.) --- ENDS --- U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Friday to work closely together to convince North Korea to curb its nuclear program as they held their first summit talks overshadowed by surprise U.S. military strikes against Syria the previous night. The two sides reached the agreement, sharing the view that the North's nuclear advancement has reached "a very serious stage," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a briefing on the outcome of the summit talks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "The two sides noted the urgency of the threat of North Korea's weapons program, reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and committed to fully implement U.N. Security Council resolutions," Tillerson said. "They agreed to increase cooperation and work with the international community to convince the DPRK to peacefully resolve the issue and abandon its illicit weapons programs," he said. Tillerson said there was "no kind of a package arrangement" on the issue. "But there's a real commitment that we work together to see if this cannot be resolved in a peaceful way. But in order for that to happen, North Korea's posture has to change before there's any basis for dialogue or discussions," he said. Trump told Xi that he welcomes any ideas China has on the issue and the U.S. would be happy to work with Beijing. But he also made it clear that the U.S. is "prepared to chart our own course if this is something China is just unable to coordinate with us." The results fall short of high expectations that Trump would press Xi hard to solve the North Korea problem as the only country that has any meaningful influence over Pyongyang. However, the talks produced progress in Trump's efforts to reduce the trade deficit with the world's No. 2 economy. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said that the two sides agreed to a "100-day plan" aimed at increasing U.S. exports to China and reducing the trade deficit with the country. Tillerson said Trump accepted Xi's invitation to visit China. The talks were almost completely overshadowed by Thursday night's U.S. missile attack on Syria. The surprise Tomahawk missile strikes, which came in response to Syria's use of deadly chemical weapons against civilians earlier this week, was seen as a powerful message to North Korea, Iran and other rogue states that Trump can take military action against them at any time. 0:15 Wie kann man aus dem Hamsterrad ausbrechen, wenn bereits alle Ideen ausgeschopft wurden? Wenn du Abwechslung suchst, dann lass dich taglich aufs neue INSPIrieren, denn Wien hat wirklich viel zu bieten. Was machen in Wien?Wer suchet der findet, so lautet ein altbekannter Spruch. Wir machen es euch noch einfacher! Bei INSPI musst du nicht suchen, sondern bekommst taglich frische, unverbrauchte Ideen auf dein Handy. Inspi ist die App, mit der du von Hand ausgewahlte Vorschlage von zufalligen... Tyman plc supplies engineered fenestration components and access solutions to the construction industry. The company designs and manufactures products that enhance the comfort, sustainability, security, safety, and aesthetics of residential homes and commercial buildings. It operates through three divisions: Tyman North America, Tyman UK & Ireland, and Tyman International. The Tyman North America division manufactures window and door hardware components, extrusions, and sealing systems. It offers single and multipoint locking systems, decorative handle trim sets, and precision rollers; operators, tie bar/locks, and hinges for casement and awning applications; and locks/keepers, integrated tilt latches, rollers, balance systems, seals, and extruded profiles for hung and sliding window applications, as well as a range of specialty access and safety products, including smoke vents, roof access hatches, floor access doors, and ladder posts. The Tyman UK & Ireland division engages in the design, development, manufacture, and distribution of decorative and security hardware and smart ware for residential doors and windows under the ERA and Fab & Fix brands. It also distributes weather seals for residential and commercial fenestration applications, as well as Giesse branded aluminum hardware; and designs and supplies architectural door hardware for commercial applications, as well as offers manufacturing solution for roof, ceiling, wall, and floor access products to the commercial construction industry. The Tyman International division provides hardware and seals to the door and window industry. This segment provides its products under the Schlegel, Giesse, and Reguitti brands. The company was formerly known as Lupus Capital plc and changed its name to Tyman plc in February 2013. Tyman plc was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Globant S.A. operates as a technology services company worldwide. It offers e-commerce, new distribution capabilities, augmented revenue management, hyper connected operation, and conversational user experience services through reinvention studios; digital lending, commercial effectiveness, finance, sustainability, regulation analytic, transformation and post-merger integration, and payment and open banking services; and game and graphic engineering, UI and UX design, game as a service, DevOps, and online services, as well as high tech tools. The company also provides smart farming, image diagnosis, healthcare interoperability, genomics data processing, telemedicine and medical device, research and development, and precision medicine services; media and entertainment, and travel and hospitality services; cloud transformation advice, building cloud environment, moving workloads to the cloud, cloud support and operation, chaos engineering, and site reliability engineering services; and data strategies, insights, data platforms, MLOps, and data as a product services. In addition, it offers agile delivery, blockchain, business and cultural hacking, conversational interface, cybersecurity, design, digital sales and marketing, enterprise applications, internet of thing, metaverse, process optimization, quality engineering, salesforce, smart venue, UI engineering, and sustainable business solutions. Further, the company provides smart underwriting, monitoring, and digital collection services; digital experience platforms; product strategy, management, and delivery services; and strategic architecture consulting, platforms evolution, and augmented composable solutions. Additionally, it operates augmented coding and testing, StarMeUp, PagoChat, ShopChat, and Walmeric platforms. The company was formerly known as IT Outsourcing S.L. and changed its name to Globant S.A. in December 2012. Globant S.A. was founded in 2003 and is based in Luxembourg. Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses in the state of Hawaii. It operates in three segments: Electric Utility, Bank, and Other. The Electric Utility segment engages in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Its renewable energy sources and potential sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, municipal waste, and other biofuels. This segment serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Bank segment operates a community bank that offers banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses, including savings and checking accounts; and loans comprising residential and commercial real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. This segment operates 42 branches, including 29 branches in Oahu, 6 branches in Maui, 4 branches in Hawaii, 2 branches in Kauai, and 1 branch in Molokai. The Other segment invests in non-regulated renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; prepaid programs and management services; commercial credit and debit payment products and solutions; and payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts. It also provides value-added products and services comprising cyber and intelligence solutions for parties to transact, as well as proprietary insights, drawing on principled use of consumer, and merchant data services. In addition, the company offers analytics, test and learn, consulting, managed services, loyalty, processing, and payment gateway solutions for e-commerce merchants. Further, it provides open banking and digital identity platforms services. The company offers payment solutions and services under the MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus. Mastercard Incorporated was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York. By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Adds details) Bhadrak (Odisha), Apr 9 (PTI) The Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF took out a flag march even as curfew was relaxed for four hours today in Bhadrak town where violence had broken out over alleged abusive remarks against Hindu deities on social media. The RAF and CRPF personnel staged the march through sensitive areas after they arrived at the arson-hit town, a senior official said. advertisement Three companies of RAF and two companies of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) have arrived to assist the police in maintaining law and order in the town, Superintendent of Police of Bhadrak, Dilip Das said. The curfew that was imposed on Friday was relaxed initially from 8 am to 11 am today and later extended till 12 noon to allow people to procure essential commodities, even as security forces kept a close vigil, he said. "People queued up at shops to purchase essential items following improvement in the overall situation in the town," police said, adding that the curfew would continue for some more time after the brief relaxation. Home Secretary Asit Tripathy, who is camping in the town along with senior officials including Director General of Police, K B Singh, said peace is returning in the area. Steps have also been taken to arrange essential commodities like milk, eggs and vegetables for people, while a control room has been opened to provide necessary assistance, he said adding that the focus is on preventing any flare up. Meanwhile, the crime branch has launched an investigation into rumours circulated through social media following directions by Chief Secretary A P Padhi. The cyber police cell would seek information from people to track miscreants spreading hate messages on social media and strict action would be taken against them, Special Director General of Police (Crime) B K Sharma said. Additional forces, including armed police, were deployed as part of efforts to restore peace in the town which witnessed violence on Thursday and Friday, the SP said, adding 36 platoons of force have been deployed in the area. As many as 43 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence which left several shops gutted and vehicles damaged, police said. Meanwhile, the Inspector-In-Charge (IIC) of Bhadrak Town police station, Jadunath Jena, was replaced by Manoj Rout. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC remained in force in nearby Dhamnagar and Basudevpur as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of violence, a police official said. advertisement He said the decision to relax the curfew for four hours was taken after reviewing the situation that showed signs of improvement with no untoward incident being reported from any part of the town since yesterday. Violence had erupted in Bhadrak town on Thursday after a group staged a demonstration near the town police station demanding immediate arrest of those involved in posting offensive remarks against Hindu deities on social media. Though the district administration clamped prohibitory orders, tension persisted and fresh violence erupted on Friday despite a peace meeting called by the administration to restore normalcy. The escalation in tension prompted the administration to impose curfew on Friday, while security men had held a flag march in the town yesterday to dispel fears. PTI COR SKN RG BSA --- ENDS --- Morgan Stanley is the 6th largest financial institution in the US. The company is ranked 61st on the Forbes Fortune 500 list and is the 39th largest bank in the world. A financial holding company, Morgan Stanley provides a full range of financial services to clients around the world. Morgan Stanley was formed in 1935 as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act. Glass-Steagall separated commercial and investment banking in a way that forced the then-largest bank J.P. Morgan & Co to split into two groups. J.P. Morgan & Co. chose to retain the commercial side of the business while partners Henry S. Morga, grandson of J.P., and Harold Stanley took the investment end. In its first year, Morgan Stanley did 24% of the IPO business and maintains a lions share of the market to this day. The original company existed and grew through acquisitions until 1987 when it merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co. The new Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover & Co existed for 14 years until 2001 when the name was shortened back to Morgan Stanley. The bank is credited in part with both beginning and ending the financial crisis of 2007/2008. The Process Driven Trading unit lost $300 million in one day due to a short-squeeze that popped the bubble in the housing market. After teetering on the brink of failure Morgan Stanley agreed to become a bank holding company regulated by the Federal Reserve, a key factor in the original decision to split from parent J.P. Morgan & Co. Ironically when given the chance, present-day J.P. Morgan refused to buy Morgan Stanley but that was for the better. Today, Morgan Stanley operates through three segments via offices in 41 countries and employs more than 75,000 people. Revenue in 2021 topped $49 billion and total assets topped $1.15 trillion. The operating segments are Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. The Institutional Securities segment is by far the largest and most profitable. It offers a range of services and products for businesses, institutions, and entities that include capital raising, strategic advisory, underwriting, advice on M&A, restructuring, and real estate. The Wealth Management segment provides brokerage and investment advisory services for individuals and employers. The services include brokerage, financial planning, company stock-plan administration, insurance, mortgage loans, lines of credit, and retirement planning. The Investment Management segment provides investment products to a range of institutions, organizations, corporations, and governments. Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells. The company operates through five segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers REVit, an automated real time stick-slip mitigation system; ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. As of December 31, 2021, the company marketed approximately 301 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the United States, Canada, and in 20 other countries worldwide; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and internationally. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. VeriFone Systems, Inc. provides payments and commerce solutions at the point of sale (POS) worldwide. It offers countertop solutions that accept payment options, including contactless, NFC, mobile wallets, and EMV; PIN pads that support credit and debit card, EBT, EMV, and other PIN-based transactions; and multilane consumer facing commerce devices. It also provides portable payment devices, including small, portable, and handheld devices that enable merchants to accept electronic payments wherever wireless connectivity is available; and mobile solutions that attach to and interface with iOS or Android based smartphones and tablets. In addition, it offers integrated electronic payment systems that combine electronic payment processing, fuel dispensing, and ECR functions, as well as secure payment systems for integration with petroleum pump controllers; unattended and self-service payment solutions designed to enable payment transactions in self-service, high-transaction volume, and public transportation environments; and network access solutions. Further, it provides installation, deployment, training, and application development and delivery solutions; project management, client education program, and consulting services; helpdesk support, equipment repair and maintenance, and software post-contract support services; and application libraries and development tools. Additionally, it offers omnichannel commerce, terminal management, and security solutions; and cloud-based managed, transaction payment, and other value added services. It sells its products directly; and through third party and channel partners. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, government organizations, and retailers; petroleum, transportation, and healthcare companies; and quick service restaurants. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc. in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California. 09.04.2017 LISTEN Dancehall artiste Stonebwoy says he will be disappointed and a bit upset if he is not crowned Artiste of the Year at this years Ghana Music Awards. The artiste believes that he has worked hard enough to win the coveted award a second time after winning it in 2015. Stonebwoy is up against Joe Mettle, E.L, Sarkodie, MzVee, and Medikal for the Artiste of the Year crown as Ghana honours its musical greats for 2016 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC). The Baafira hitmaker is hoping to make history by becoming the first Dancehal/Reggae artiste to win the Artiste of the Year award twice. Speaking on the Red Carpet prior to the awards Saturday, the Ashiaman-based artiste said, It has to go greatI deserve to win so if it does go my way, I will still appreciate the fact that I was among the nominees. It doesnt mean I [will] not keep going high and higher regardless. If he does not end up being the topmost award winner, Stonebwoy said he will be disappointed yes, a little bit upset yes but I believe that It will only get me stronger to keep pushing. This is because I know that it might have taken more than half of what I did last two years or last year to even get here this year. In spite of the outcome, the artiste, born Livingstone Etse Satekla, said he will continue to work harder and we will still represent Ghana on the global stage Apart from the Artiste of the Year, Stonebwoy has also been nominated in the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year, Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year, and Most Popular Song of the Year. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela) 09.04.2017 LISTEN Social media simply has no chill! Social media, particularly Twitter, will troll you for the smallest thing especially if you are a celebrity. Actresses Nana Ama McBrown, Zynnell Zuh, Bibi Bright and radio and television personality Berla Mundi never imagined their Red Carpet chat will get social media talking. After their brief appearance on the Ghana Music Awards red carpet, Twitter users seemed to have an issue with their colour combination. See what Twitter is saying below: Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela) 09.04.2017 LISTEN Manager of Enn Wai Dobble of the defunct Dobble hiplife group;Kojo Pope has confirmed to razzonline.com that Paa kwesi who happens to be the other half of the defunct group kept tickets for their Vodafone Ghana Music Awards(VGMAs) nomination meant for Enn Wai. The 18th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards organized by CharterHouse took place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Saturday April 8 2017. Paa Kwesi, who took the Most Popular song award for their hit song Christy on behalf of their defunct group failed to eulogize Enn Wai on stage only to be reminded by Sammy Flex of Atinka Fm/Tv which he obliged .. Paa Kwesi then took to his facebook wall and pleaded by saying that I almost forgot..Samuel Atuobi Baah..thank for that quick reminderAm human who can only make mistakes.. but thank God u gave me a guidian angel thank u SammyFlexx.#HighLifeMusic #Nulyfers #SaveThePalmTree But speaking to razzonline.com ,the manager of Enn Wai Kojo Pope delineated strenuously that,what Paa Kwesi did was intentional.He emphasized passionately that, I went to Charter house to pick up tickets meant for Enn Wai but was told me that Paa Kwesi had already come for themthey gave him four tickets which he was suppose to give Enn Wai Two of the tickectsSo i confronted him and he denied picking up the ticketsI then called charter house to inquire, but they again confirmed that Paa Kwesi had come for themIts a big Shame. He quickly added thatPaa Kwesi is the reason why Dobble is no more, he feels that he can make it without Enn Waiwe were supposed to perform at Kwahu but he abrogated the contractIts a whole lot..every body can attest that he is the cause of the break up of dobble from his shameful act today Dobble released countless hits and performed on several big stages. Some of their hit songs include Walahi Talahi, Good Mood, Adiepena, Otan Ni Aduro, 1 Click, Only U, Guerro, Spark Ma Moto, Deepest Side (Ft Shatta Wale) What Can Come Can Come (Ft Bisa Kdei) among others. They were on the path of promotingChristy when the break up happened.As solo artistes, Paa Kwasi is well noted for the song titled Nipa Dasani and Enn Wai is also noted for the song titled Give Thanks The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda has stated that the Government was on course with various sanitation initiatives that have been introduced across the country and various resources were being contracted to provide the infrastructure needed to enable the country improve its rating in the area of sanitation. Its been reported in many circles that we have done quite well in water, even though we have not reached the level of universal access for all yet, we are not doing too well in the area of sanitation, particularly wide spread open defecation in urban and rural areas, Mr. Kofi Adda explained. Progress towards the achievement of the target for sanitation (15% WHO/UNICEF JMP 2015) remains behind and thus adversely affects other SDG targets. It is for this reason that Government and WASH sector stakeholders are making concerted efforts to reverse the trend. According to the Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, there was the urgent need for enforcement of sanitation laws, but the enforcement will be preceded by the provision of infrastructure. He said the enforcement would require all Ghanaians to try and do as much they can to be each others keeper by refraining from defecating openly and indiscriminate disposal of waste. Speaking with the media in Accra on the sidelines of a stakeholders dialogue session organized by the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) Mr. Kofi Adda said there would be policy designs by Government to guide how waste was treated and disposed in the country, emphasizing that, if there was the need for more waste disposal and treatment sites that would become the policy across the entire nation. How we treat the waste by way of converting it to energy, if that is something feasible as its being proposed by many, is something that we should definitely do, Mr. Kofi Adda added. On converting waste into compost for agriculture, Mr. Adda said the government was making it a priority and would create the enabling environment for the private sector to invest in those areas. The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister said those were all the policies which encompassed that general vision the government had to improve the sanitation situation in the country. He said the government had found it necessary to address the challenges that confronted the WASH sector much effectively and that was why the government thought it was important to give focus to that effort through the creation of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and promised the governments resolve to commit more resources to water and sanitation. To give impetus to the WASH sector, Mr. Kofi Adda said the government first and foremost decided to create the institutional arrangement that were required and backed by law to create a ministry that was comparable to what existed in other countries to be able to formulate policies and design programmes of budget that would be effective in the delivery of the required WASH services. According to Mr. Adda, all the recommendations that had been made at the end of the stakeholders dialogue session organized by CONIWAS were squarely in line with the vision of the ministry and very soon, the ministry would meet with the stakeholders in the WASH sector to deliberate further and see how best those recommendations would be implemented. He commended CONIWAS for organizing the dialogue emphasizing Its just not us here alone, MPs, Ministers and staff are excited about what you are doing and this is the chance for us to ensure that we get the best results for this country. For his part, the Country Director of World Vision Ghana, Mr. Dickens Thunde, said the issues of WASH was critical to Ghana as they were to most part of the African continent. He said World Vision Ghana was particularly concerned about the sanitation situation in most parts of the country where they were operating. According to Mr. Thunde, inasmuch as WASH sector actors were working very hard at the hardware aspect of water to improve access to water, there was still an uphill puzzle in the area of sanitation that needed concerted efforts to tackle and therefore commended the government for creating a ministry that recognised sanitation in a very significant way. So my hopes are that, brand new as I am and the government is also brand new and Honorable Minister is also championing a brand new ministry, we have hope for the future, Mr. Thunde stressed. 09.04.2017 LISTEN He may have so soon forgotten that the then-Interim President John Dramani Mahama almost hermetically and exclusively campaigned for election as substantive President of the Democratic Republic of Ghana on the mantra of being the Northern Star and the best and only hope for northern-catching-up development and political equalization with the predominantly Akan South. He also claimed to be the only candidate who deserved to be massively voted for by northern-descended Ghanaian citizens. Indeed, so shamelessly and virulently ethnocentric and politically divisive that at one point during his 2012 electioneering campaign, the Gonja native even challenged the then-Candidate Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reverse ticket roles with the Mamprusi-born Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the then-Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), if the then-main opposition party wanted any northerner to cast his/her ballot for the Akan-dominated NPP. It did not seem to matter to Interim-President Mahama that the then-ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was also predominated by Ghanaians of Akan descent. And then, deviously and ironically, Mr. Mahama jetted himself down south to Cape Coast in the wake of the mysterious passing of his former boss, President John Evans Atta-Mills, and hysterically shed some crocodile tears while pleading with the Paramount Chief of Cape Coast, Osabarima Kwesi Atta, and his sub-chiefs and elders to knight him as a bona fide Fante son of the soil. And then to top off this deft orchestration of his suave and tactical exploitation of Fante sentiments against the Akyem-descended Candidate Akufo-Addo, President Mahama would pick the Cape Coast-born Mr. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, as his running-mate. Then, having effectively hoodwinked the evidently scandalously gullible Fante leadership, including both the traditional rulers of Cape Coast, the Central Regional Capital, and those among the vanguard ranks of the National Democratic Congress, Mr. Mahama would jet back to Tamale, the Northern Regional Capital, rudely thumb his nose at the Akan-Ghanaian majority and viciously and posthumously accuse his deceased benefactor and the man who made him the second most powerful politician in the land, as a pathologically disdainful man who had made him his political spare tire. He would volley the same accusation, rightly or wrongly, against former President John Agyekum-Kufuor, whom the former Rawlings Communication Minister would equally and rabidly accuse of having made the late Vice-President Aliu Mahama a presidential spare tire. This accusation, of course reached far deeper than the mere indictment of only two Akan-descended politicians. Indeed, Little Dramani would viciously attempt to proscribe the entire Akan-speaking majority population of the country. Dont waste your precious ballot on any Kabonga candidate, he would bawl from podiums in the so-called Three Northern Regions and be met with equally deafening screams and thunderous and seemingly endless rounds of applause. It goes without saying that Little Dramanis rabidly anti-Akan chauvinism and raw-edged tribalism made the Nazi racism of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler pale in gravity and significance. It would slowly be only a matter of time before the Akan-speaking Ghanaian majority would come to a healthy realization that it was well-past time to seriously look towards their own collective self-interest. Nearly every one of his major development projects, going by such invidious labels as SADA, SUBAH and GYEEDA had been geared towards the exclusive management of northern-descended Ghanaians and the development of the northern-half of the country. For good or bad, most of the capital resources of these projects would wind up in the private bank accounts and businesses owned by Mahama cronies like the Asongtaba Gang. On the critical question regarding the epic battle against the predatory and environmentally degrading activities of Galamsey, a problem that Mr. Alhassan Suhuyini, the freshman NDC-MP for Tamale-North, accuses the media of doing little to help Mr. Mahama resolve, the most logical and poignant answer that the former President had for concerned traditional rulers like the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori-Panyin, II, was to thumb his nose and call Kyebi the Galamsey capital of Ghana. Did this sound like the language of a politician poised to solving the seemingly intractable problem of Galamsey? And so wherein lies the media hypocrisy that Mr. Suhuyini would have his audiences and constituents believe is to blame for President Mahamas abject failure to reverse the negative environmental impact of Galamsey? (See The Media Is Hypocritical; Never Helped Mahama Fight Galamsey Suhuyini Ghanaweb.com 4/8/17). Indeed, when one of his so-called Presidential Staffers, Mr. Stanley Dogbe, savagely mauled a radio news reporter in the employ of the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), President Mahama pretended as if only the family dog had mistakenly had his tail stepped upon by one of the toddlers. And so the logical question to ask here is tersely as follows: Did President Mahama really care about the media, much less the Galamsey menace? If today the nations media operatives, both of those in the public and private sectors, appear to have eagerly and unreservedly thrown their full-weight behind the Akufo-Addo-led government of the New Patriotic Party in the fight against Galamsey, it is primarily because the Kyebi-descended Nana Akufo-Addo has genuinely and sincerely demonstrated that the negative impact of Galamsey is an existential threat of which, unlike his immediate predecessor, he is absolutely no stranger. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Adding new inputs and details) Bhadrak (Odisha), Apr 9 (PTI) Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF held a flag march even as curfew was relaxed for four hours today in Bhadrak town where violence had broken out over alleged abusive remarks against Hindu deities on social media. As a precautionary step, the Home Department restricted access to social media in the town and nearby areas for 48 hours from tonight to prevent spread of rumours, a senior official said. advertisement State Chief Secretary A P Padhi, who has directed the polices Crime Branch to look into rumours circulated through social media, said no rumour monger would be allowed to instigate people and escalate tension. The cyber police cell is seeking information from people to track miscreants spreading hate messages on social media and strict action would be taken against them, Special Director General of Police (Crime) B K Sharma said. Padhi said the situation in Bhadrak was under control and no untoward incident has been reported from the town since yesterday. The RAF and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel staged the flag march through sensitive areas after they arrived in Bhadrak, a senior official said. Three companies of RAF and two companies of CRPF have arrived to assist the police in maintaining law and order in the town, Bhadrak Superintendent of Police, Dilip Das said. The curfew that was imposed on Friday was relaxed initially from 8 AM to 11 AM today and later extended till 12 noon to allow people to procure essential commodities, even as security forces kept a close vigil, he said. "People queued up at shops to purchase essential items following improvement in overall situation in the town," the police said, adding the curfew would continue for some more time after the brief relaxation. State Home Secretary Asit Tripathy, who is camping in the town along with senior officials including Director General of Police, K B Singh, said peace is returning to the area. Steps have also been taken to arrange essential commodities like milk, eggs and vegetables for people, while a control room has been opened to provide necessary assistance, he said, adding the focus was on preventing any flare up. The Crime Branch, which launched an investigation into rumours circulated through social media, has registered a case in connection with the matter, senior officials said. Additional forces, including armed police, were deployed as part of efforts to restore peace in the town, which witnessed violence on Thursday and Friday, the SP said, adding 36 platoons have been deployed in the area. advertisement As many as 43 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence, which left several shops gutted and vehicles damaged, the police said. Meanwhile, Inspector-In-Charge (IIC) of Bhadrak Town police station, Jadunath Jena, was replaced by Manoj Rout. As a precautionary measure, the administration has decided to keep the educational institutions in Bhadrak closed tomorrow, a senior official said. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC remained in force in nearby Dhamnagar and Basudevpur as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of violence, a police officer said. He said the decision to relax the curfew for four hours was taken after reviewing the situation that showed signs of improvement with no untoward incident being reported from any part of the town since yesterday. Violence had erupted in Bhadrak town on Thursday after a group staged a demonstration near the Town police station demanding immediate arrest of those involved in posting offensive remarks against Hindu deities on social media. Though the district administration clamped prohibitory orders, tension persisted and fresh violence erupted on Friday despite a peace meeting called by the administration to restore normalcy. advertisement The escalation in tension prompted the administration to impose curfew on Friday, while security men had held a flag march in the town yesterday to dispel fears. PTI COR AAM SKN DKB ANB --- ENDS --- It is very sad and shocking that several days after the brazen attack on a constitutionally constituted Circuit Court in Kumasi by members of the NPP's Delta Force, the Presidency, and for that matter, the Government of Ghana is yet to issue an official statement on the matter. The loud silence of President Nana Akufo Addo on this shameful act by members of his own party can only be interpreted as a clear endorsement of the criminal act perpetuated by a group that has always proudly associated themselves with him even when he was the flagbearer of the NPP in opposition. The President himself, we are told, is an officer of the court, having practiced as a lawyer. He has for many years touted his human rights credentials, therefore Ghanaians expected that such a barbaric attack on the Judiciary, which is one of the three arms of Government, would have attracted an immediate condemnation in the strongest possible terms to send a signal to all such lawless groups in the country that his Government would not countenance such an exhibition of stone-age buffoonery. Unfortunately, as we speak, it appears the President has not found it convenient to condemn the shameful and criminal behaviour of his own party members. Could President Akufo Addos apparent silence be a result of the loud threat issued by Kennedy Agyepong, NPP MP for Assin Central, on national television - he said that if anyone in the Government dares to condemn or prosecute the Delta Force group, he (Kennedy Agyepong) would lead a demonstration against the person? Or is it because President Akufo Addo has been a DIRECT beneficiary of the criminal activities of these vigilante groups in his own party. Is this why he seems to lack the courage to publicly reprimand them for their lawless acts against innocent citizens? Or is it because these vigilante groups in the NPP draw their motivation and inspiration from his 'all die be die' chant? Is this why he cannot condemn them even when they visited their mayhem on an innocent Circuit Court Judge and traumatized her? For Gods sake, HE Nana Akufo Addo urged all Ghanaians to be citizens and not spectators or subjects. He also called on all Ghanaians to live up to their responsibilities. It is therefore important for him to live by that example so that the rest of us, the ordinary citizens, can emulate his good example. It is in this spirit of citizenship that I think his loud silence on this attack on a young and growing democracy is very worrying, especially in light of the examples of insurgency in many of our neigbouring countries and the continent as a whole. The activities of criminal gangs and vigilante groups like Boko Haram, al-Shabab, ISIS, amongst others, all started out like the Invincible Forces and Delta Forces. We were told that one of the reasons for the elephant-size appointments made by H.E. Nana Akufo Addo, especially at the Information Ministry, was to ensure quick and timeous delivery of information to the good people of Ghana. Strangely, several days after the unfortunate attack on the court, even though the video footage has gone viral on both social and traditional media (local and international), the Information Ministry, which is the official mouth piece of the Government, is yet to issue any official communication on the matter. Many Ghanaians, justifiably so, have come to the conclusion that the NPP Government firmly endorses the attack on the court by the Delta Forces. The scary thing is that, prior to attacking the court, they perpetuated a similar attack where the Ashanti Regional Coordinator was forcibly bundled out of his office in the RCC. What is particularly disturbing is that one of the members of the Delta Force reportedly told the media that they had been assured that whatever was happening was a charade and that they would be set free in the end. It is sad and disappointing that 60 years after Ghanas independence, vigilante groups like Delta Forces and Invincible Forces still exist and act as insurgents who continuously deny citizens their right to dignified lives and peace in the execution of their duties. This is NOT the Ghana that President Akufo Addos predecessors bequeathed to him under the 4th republican Constitution. Ghanaians no longer feel safe and protected. There are numerous cases of unwarranted violent assaults against innocent citizens of this country, both physically and verbally, some at the Flagstaff House and others in their private homes by these NPP vigilante groups. Many public offices have been attacked and locked up by either the NPP Invincible Forces or the Delta Forces. The recent catastrophe at the Kintampo Water Falls, which the Chief of the area and many others attribute to the forceful takeover of the management of the Water Falls is still fresh in the minds of the surviving victims and their immediate families, as well as all law-abiding citizens of this country. As the Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baaku, said - Ghana has become a Banana Republic. President Akufo Addo must break his LOUD silence on the increasing insurgency and thuggery under his watch. He must not only break his silence, he must demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that he and his Government do not find acceptable the lawlessness perpetuated by his own party members who draw their inspiration from his past utterances. Baba Musah Xiabojian @babamusah08 09.04.2017 LISTEN Dear Sir Stan, I read your recent write-up on Face Book on an ideal husband-wife relationship with great relish. You not only elucidated many facts that make marriage work, but more importantly, you made references to the Scriptures. The truth many people either dont know or are underestimating its impact is that traditional families and their values are under very serious attack by the so-called modern families. What we see in Europe and America are just the beginning of a social revolution that will eventually put the world in a comatose situation with its head down and its feet up, and humanity in total confusion. Just about a week ago, I was reading an article in Time magazine by Kate Stelnmetz titled Beyond He or She and it spoke glowingly about how Americas new generation is now redefining the meaning of gender. A growing number of young Americans are moving beyond the idea that we live in a world where sexuality and gender come in only two forms male and female. These days, they not only have lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender [LBGT] fighting for equality in law, they have recently added the queer gender group to their listing. They even argue that LGBTQ people who are able to blend in with societal values are gaining more respect. For a long while, many African countries resisted this urge to depart from the values of the traditional family, even in the face of threats by America and Europe to withdraw their economic aids to the countries in Africa which refused to recognise gay relationships. But I had my doubts. I had my doubts that at some point, judging from the way things were happening, our people could jettison the old ways of doing things and settle for the so-called modern standards. That doubt was expressed in my article published in the Modern Ghana and The Nigerian Voice Newspapers of 7 July 2015 titled In a matter of weeks: how will the pendulum swing? Today, that fear is gradually being justified. Despite the seeming stiff penalty that the Nigerian legislature stipulated for people convicted of sodomy, more and more Nigerians are getting involved in gay relationships. Remember the recent controversial case of a 49-year old man who lured a 12-year old boy and sexed him so mercilessly that he caused a great damage to the young boys anus? The boy was sent to hospital. He needed several surgeries to stitch back his anus together and in the process the boy died. The case went to court and surprisingly or not so surprisingly the criminal was given a months jail and a fine of N30,000. Now, what message was the Nigerian judiciary sending out? And if that message was wrong, what have the higher courts done about it? My dear, we are in trouble. But we will not give up hope. They can call us underdeveloped or even un-developing. They can tell us we belong to the ancient times, to the Old Testament tradition. But we know better. We know that Satan is at war with true Christians. We know that Satan even goes to Church to look for converts. Our people need deliverance. We need deliverance from copying everything the civilised countries are doing and believing they are always correct. Human beings can never be always correct. So, we need to stick to our own values. I look at all the animals God created. They come in their nature and sex only male with female. You never see a he-goat sexing another he-goat. You never see a cock sexing another cock. You never see a male cow sexing another male cow. But with man, it has become a different dimension because he has found it necessary to defile nature. In this country, I even understand there is a pop where rich men pay heavily to have sex with various types of animals. And you begin to wonder: what kind of life is that? But it is happening, in our civilised world. In all this I find that man is daring nature, daring even God. But the battle is not Gods. Its ours, the believers because He has given us authority over Satan. We inherited that authority from Jesus Christ. And we must use it to fight these dark forces that are bent on ruining our families and the family values we cherish so much. The key, Sir Stan, is prayer. A family that prays together stays together. But we must also realise that even as Satan goes to Church to look for converts, so he can also visit our families during prayers to dislodge our focus. It is a battle and the sooner all true believers put their resources together to fight this battle the better for the traditional families. Even here in England, there are traditional families of one male husband and one female wife and their children, if they have any, who have bluntly refused to give grounds. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, encouraging one another. We may not win the war as it races like a hurricane across the globe, its proponents sharing money to those who are willing to go any length to have it. The best we can do is to stand our ground and ensure that through our prayers we are able to keep our families and our traditional values intact and beyond their corruption. We must look beyond our wives and see the dark forces that are cursing or causing them to do the things they do, which they shouldnt do. Indeed, we are in trouble. The Agona Swedru Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service says the alarming nature of narcotic drugs being abused by the youth in the area was very worrisome and need to be eradicated from the society. The Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Samuel Yankey who disclosed this at the celebration of the annual West Africa Security Service Association commonly known as 'WASSA' has therefore called for all hands on deck to fight this social canker. " The general crime situation between 2015 and 2016 saw a decrease in robbery, murder, stealing, rape and defilement. However, there were slight increase in possessing and use of narcotic drugs that causes harm to the society. 8 robbery cases were recorded in 2016 as against 25 in 2015. Stealing cases also dropped from1,084 in 2015 to 761 in 2016." Chief Superintendent Samuel Yankey further stated that rape and defilement also decreased considerably from 17 and 54 in 2015 to 2 and 42 respectively in 2016 adding that cases of causing harm rose a little from 41 in 2015 to 51 in 2016. " Our major headache in the year under review was in the area of processing and the use of narcotic drugs which jumped from a single case in the whole of 2015 to 13 in 2016. Despite this challenges, the total number of criminal cases dropped in 2016. While 3,721cases were recorded in 2015, 3,490 cases were recorded in 2016 still there is much more to be done in crime combatting. To this end, taskforce has been formed to patrol the corridors of the division to bring perpetrators to book" He tasked the taskforce to execute their duty with professionalism stressing that the police service won't countenance indiscipline among its personnel in discharging their assigned duties. The Divisional Commander lauded the chiefs and people in the Divisional Command for their collaboration towards crime combating expressing the hope that such cordiality would be maintained. The proprietor of Flying Eagle Montessori School at Agona Swedru, Mr. Moro Mohammed commended the Ghana police service for providing conducive environment for potential investors and businesses. In a speech read on her behalf, the NPP Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central Constituency in the Central Region, Hon. Naana Eyiah Quansah pledged her full support to the Police Service to wall off crime related offences to boost socio economic activities of the people in their operational area. Residents of Kumasi are calling for the immediate return of COP Nathan Kofi Boakye, the immediate past Regional Commander of Ashanti Region. They have in effect sent an SOS message to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, begging him to listen to their plea and direct the IGP to once again assign COP Boakye to the region. They are very confident that it is only in Mr. Boakye that the activities of the Delta Force, a vigilante group aligned to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), will come to a halt. How can these Delta Force guys fool around when Kofi Boakye is in town? Kofi Arhin, a resident of Ahinsan told Kasapafonline.com in an interview, Friday. If Kofi Boakye is around, I dont think the Delta Force guys would have got the nerves to storm the offices of the Regional Coordinating Council to harass the Regional Security Coordinator, an Amakom based resident further told this website. In the view of the many residents interviewed, the Police capo exhibited professionalism and performed diligently to the admiration of all during his days as the Regional Police Commander. When he was here crime rate reduced drastically. He monitored closely the activities of the criminals and was able to arrest them whenever they strike. There was absolute peace here. The Preside should bring him back, a resident at Bantama who gave her name as Maame B recounted. To many of the residents, if there should be a decision to return COP Kofi Boakye to the Ashanti Region, it should be swift to save the region from the nefarious activities of the Delta Force vigilante group. Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's Copts, targets of an apparent church bombing north of Cairo on Sunday, are the Middle East's largest Christian minority and one of the oldest. Making up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 90 million, the Coptic Orthodox form the largest Christian denomination in the Muslim-majority country. Here is a recap of their history, their status today and recent attacks against them. 'Dawn of Christianity' The Copts trace their history to the dawn of Christianity, when Egypt was integrated into the Roman and later the Byzantine empire. The word "Copt" comes from the same root as the word for "Egyptian" in ancient Greek. The community's decline started with the Arab invasions of the 7th century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim. Several churches and monasteries in Egypt are built on sites Copts believe were visited by the Holy Family. The Bible says Joseph, Mary and Jesus sought refuge in Egypt after Christ's birth to escape a massacre of newborns ordered by King Harod. Copts today Copts, represented in all social classes, are present across the whole country, with the strongest concentration in central and southern Egypt. Most adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, headed since 2012 by Pope Tawadros II. A minority is divided between Coptic Catholics and various Coptic Protestant branches. Tawadros, who succeeded pope Shenuda III, was chosen by a blindfolded altar boy picking his name from a chalice, according to tradition. The Catholic Copts, who form part of the Church's eastern rite, have been headed by patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak since 2013. The Vatican says some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010. Copts are represented in all social classes across Egypt Poorly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from many posts in the justice system, universities and the police. Authorities often refuse to issue building permits for churches, arguing it would disturb the peace with their Muslim neighbours. Deadly violence Egypt's Copts have been the target of several deadly attacks since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. On January 1, 2011, more than 20 people died in the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church in Egypt's second city, Alexandria. In March the same year, 13 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Copts in Cairo's working class neighbourhood of Moqattam, where around 1,000 Christians had gathered to protest over the torching of a church. In May 2011, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead in the Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba, where two churches were attacked. That October, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed after the army charged at a protest in Cairo to denounce the torching of a church in southern Egypt. The 2013 ouster of Mubarak's elected Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi after just one year in power sparked further attacks against Christians. Pro-Morsi Islamists accused the Christian community of supporting his overthrow. They pointed to the appearance of Tawadros alongside President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on television in July 2013 as the then army chief, also surrounded by Muslim and opposition figures, announced Morsi's removal. The next month, security forces used deadly force to break up two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo. The following two weeks saw attacks against more than 40 churches across the country, according to Human Rights Watch. Amnesty International later said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged, with at least four people killed. In December last year, a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 29 worshippers during a Sunday mass in Cairo. A spate of deadly jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula in February prompted some Coptic families to flee their homes. About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video calling for attacks against the minority. Egyptian Coptic Christian men walk at a cemetery on January 6, 2013 in the historical part of Cairo Pope Francis is set to visit Cairo late this month for talks with the grand imam of the capital's famed Al-Azhar mosque and to show solidarity with Coptic Christians. Cairo (AFP) - A bomb blast at a church north of Cairo killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens who had gathered for Palm Sunday mass, officials said, in the latest apparent attack on Egypt's Coptic Christians. Some 71 people were wounded in the blast, which struck at a Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, according to a health ministry toll. Images broadcast by private television stations showed bloodstains smearing the whitewashed walls of the church next to shredded wooden benches. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem. "The explosion took place in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass," General Tarek Atiya, the deputy to Egypt's interior minister in charge of relations with the media, told AFP. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's blast. Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt's population of more than 92 million and who celebrate Easter next weekend, have been targeted by several attacks in recent months. Pope Francis is due to visit Cairo on April 28-29 to show solidarity with Egypt's Christian community. Jihadists and Islamists accuse Copts of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 29 worshippers during Sunday mass in Cairo. The bombing of the church within a compound that also holds the seat of the Coptic papacy was the deadliest attack against the minority in recent memory. A spate of jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, including the murder of a Copt in the city of El Arish whose house was also burned, have led some Coptic families to flee their homes. Egypt's Copts have been the target of several jihadist-linked attacks in recent months About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video in February calling for attacks on the religious minority. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid called Sunday's bombing "a failed attempt against our unity". "Terrorism hits Egypt again, this time on Palm Sunday," he tweeted. String of attacks Prime Minister Sherif Ismail also condemned Sunday's apparent attack, stressing Egypt's determination to "eliminate terrorism". The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, an influential Sunni Muslim authority, said Sunday's bombing aimed to "destabilise security and... the unity of Egyptians". Egypt's Copts have endured successive attacks since Morsi's ouster in July 2013. More than 40 churches were attacked nationwide in the two weeks after the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo on August 14, 2013, Human Rights Watch said. Amnesty International later said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged, adding that at least four people were killed. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as then army chief helped remove Morsi, has defended his security forces and accused jihadists of attacking Copts in order to divide the country. Egypt's Copts, who make up around a tenth of the population, have long complained of discrimination In October 2011, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed after the army charged at a protest outside the state television building in Cairo to denounce the torching of a church in southern Egypt. In May that year, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead in the working-class Cairo neighbourhood of Imbaba where two churches were attacked. A few months earlier, the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church killed more than 20 people in Egypt's second city of Alexandria on New Year's Day. Pope Francis will visit the site of the December church attack next to Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral -- the seat of Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II. Yes, I know. Backward thinking. Colonized corroded mentality. Mental slavery at its best. Pathetic Self-hating mindset. Who would say such a thing? Everyone wants a light skinned baby. Well, that is what one slave, a self-hating Zimbabwean man said on my Facebook page in response to my article on my beautiful new baby Charo. I am one of those people who does not let certain things slide, especially when it comes to my children and the things I believe in and am passionate about. I grew up fighting my own battles emotionally, and that is something I never wish for my own children. I see myself as a mother hen, if anyone dares attack my chicks, I do come out in full force and I do not hold back. Sadly among Zimbabweans, lighter skin on women is literally worshiped at the expense of darker skinned women. They call them yellow bones. Most Zimbabweans pride themselves that they are not as dark as West Africans. They see it as some sort of privilege not to be dark skinned. Lord have mercy. The self-hating black slave went on to write that, People just prefer yellow bones (lighter skin). Black bones are not loathed but society prefers yellow bones. That is just the way it is. At least he was honest enough to speak for his country and to represent the society he was raised in. The yellow bone obsession in Zimbabwe is a disturbing epidemic. Ronald Muteros disgraceful Facebook comments on my article I find it utterly disgusting that a grown man who hates himself to that extent would try to pass his slave mentality on my page attacking an innocent beautiful baby, my baby. I find it repulsive that dark skinned women are ridiculed and abused not by any other race but by self -hating black men. In Zimbabwe, lighter skinned women are put on a pedestal whilst the majority of women who are actually darker in complexion are looked down upon. What I have learned over the years is that the majority of black people are in a state of mental insanity when it comes to their skin. They are so blinded by their own evil hearts that they call good evil and can not even see their own goodness. And yet they are the first to call white people on racism. The irony of it all. The most beautiful attribute of us black people is our skin. We are black because we have skin pigment. Our melanin is our beauty. The darker the skin is, the more rich and beautiful it is. I find darker people to be more beautiful because they have that extra melanin which makes them stand out. The world has twisted the mind of black people that they do not even see what makes them beautiful. Black women are resorting to skin bleaching because of this self-hatred that comes from black men. I grew up in a society in Zimbabwe where I saw lighter skinned girls getting privileges even in schools, and very dark girls were subjected to cruel jibes and taunting. Even though I was not very dark skinned myself, and was often classed with the yellow bones, I never understood why darker people were laughed at and hated by their fellow black people. As a child, I asked my mother once that what was wrong with being dark, and she said to me that because men preferred women who are light, dark women were simply not pretty. Lighter skin is beautiful, she told me. My spirit was deeply troubled by her answer because it was a true reflection of the society I was living in. Deep inside, despite what the Zimbabwean society taught me, I looked at dark skin and saw nothing but striking beauty that could never even be compared to lighter skin (the yellow bones). The outstanding beauty of darker skin made me understand why black people had been enslaved and brainwashed to hate their own dark skin and prefer to have no skin pigment. I realized that melanin-rich skin was way more stunning and original, so the black man had to be taught to hate himself so that pale skin would be seen in society as more beautiful than melanin rich skin. Sadly in Zimbabwe, most men are still very much in this mental slavery. This is why God had to give me a dangerously handsome Ghanaian husband whose skin oozes melanin power. He has been badly abused by some self-loathing Zimabweans who feel intimidated by his melanin power. I find people with dark skin incredibly attractive and tend to have beautiful hearts too. Its very disturbing that Zimbabweans pride themselves that they are not as dark as West Africans, and tend to be very aggressive and abusive on the subject. My handsome melanin rich Boaz was subjected to abuse by some self-hating Zimbabweans over his melanin power Earlier on this year, I had my melanin rich Ghanaian sister also abused badly on Mike Tashayas Facebook wall, a Zimbabwean Facebook personality. Mike Tashaya and his followers cheered on as the Ghanaian sister was shredded to pieces for being dark skinned. Screen shot of a comment on Mike Tashayas wall where a dark skinned Ghanaian woman was called satan So in some way, I do not blame the Zimbabwean self-hating brother who felt he had to come on my Facebook page and attack my beautiful melanin goddess, Princess Charo. He was being real to the society he lives in and was raised. He was just speaking for many. When I responded to him he said I was jealous of lighter skinned women. I know right. I laughed at the irony. Why should I be jealous that someone has less skin pigment? Maybe the brother needs a little education to snap him out of his self-hatred. The jealous should actually be for the melanin rich goddesses. They ooze black power. They have rich healthy skin that doesnt quickly age. Yes, melanin does cause the skin to look younger, thats why it is even used in beauty products such as anti-wrinkle creams. Melanin protects against skin cancers. I could go on and on about the health and beauty benefits of having darker skin, so why on earth should I be jealous of the lack of it? And just to add, I do not mean this in a bad way, but the very few yellow bones I have known in my personal life have been the most evil hearted wicked women, almost like witches. No offense to those yellow bones, they know themselves. So please my Zimbabwean slave brother, do not ever bring your slave mentality near me, especially when it comes to my beautiful baby. Just because you are a slave, and live in a deep sunken place of despair, it doesnt mean we all have subscribe to such colonialism. You said, Everyone wants a light skinned baby. Well, count me out of that everyone. I dont. I consider myself to be extremely blessed with healthy children who also have the gift of beauty. Some of us know the truth, and we do not only know the truth but we see it too. We know who we are and have been set free by the truth. Anyone who looks at a beautiful melanin rich baby and doesnt see the beauty and purity is beyond vile and evil. I pray that one day Zimbabwe and other African countries as such will get out of that deep sunken place of self-hatred and embrace their rich skin in all its wonder, beauty and glory. My three girls are blessed with captivating enchanting beauty and no black slave will ever tell me otherwise. They are my melanin goddesses. And they pop that melanin like champagne. On that note I end with wishing mothers of melanin-rich goddesses a Happy Mothers Day. Those mothers who were made to feel that their babies were not pretty enough because they have beautiful rich melanin skin. I dedicate this article to you. My Melanin Poppin Princesses Ever so beautiful, bold and confident This Article first appeared on www.jeangasho.com New Delhi (AFP) - The navies of India and China carried out a joint operation Sunday to rescue a merchant ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian defence ministry said. After receiving a distress call on Saturday night, the Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who had locked himself in a strong room along with the rest of the Filipino crew. "An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel... to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board," a statement from the defence ministry said. Emboldened by the helicopter cover and on receiving the all-clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. They searched the ship and confirmed that the pirates had fled overnight. A boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship then arrived on the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the rescue operation. "It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," the statement added. The bulk carrier, OS 35, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates on Saturday night. The Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. The joint action comes amid a recent strain in ties following the Dalai Lama's visit to the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China claims as its territory. Somali pirates began staging attacks on ships in 2005, disrupting major international shipping routes and costing the global economy billions of dollars. At the peak of the piracy crisis in January 2011, 736 hostages and 32 boats were held. The Country Director of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the UN representative in Ghana, Girmay Haile is warning the surge in vigilantism in the country could pave way for some unknown external forces to destabilize Ghanas security. Mr. Haile believes Ghanas internal security could be jeopardized if the menace is not tackled decisively. His comments come in the wake of forceful takeovers by political vigilante groups affiliated to the governing New Patriotic Party. The Invincible Forces, were in action immediately the party won the 2016 elections, seizing public toilets, lorry stations, offices, cars purported to be for the state and beating up members of the National Democratic Congress. Their actions were condemned severally by the general public. Just when the lawless acts of the Invincible Forces subsided, a new group in the Ashanti Region, also affiliated to the NPP, called Delta Force emerged with acts even worse than those of the Invincible Forces. Invincible Force member attacking a security officer Members of the Force besieged the offices of the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinating Council and drove out the Regional Security Coordinator, George Agyei. They insisted that the president's appointee did nothing during the struggle to win power for the NPP. They would rather another member of the Delta Force was appointed to head security in the region. Their action triggered widespread condemnation leading to the arrest of 21 suspects and subsequent prosecution. In a shocking manifestation of lawlessness the group went to a Circuit Court in Kumasi, and freed the suspects, destroyed court properties and verbally assaulted the judge. The suspects have since turned themselves in after threats by the Inspector General of Police and the Interior Minister to hunt them down. They are facing extra charges by the prosecution, Myjoyonline.com has learnt. Discussing the matter of political vigilantism, the UN representative on HIV/AIDS said something must be done immediately to avert a potential crisis in the future. This vigilante group concept has to die soon and quickly in Ghana because these are the kind of groups that if unchecked and uncontrolled will tomorrow become bigger than the system, bigger than the security forces, bigger than the political will of the people and the party that they may try to associate themselves with. He said any vigilante group has a potential to grow, and Ghana as a beacon of democracy must resolve this problem before it degenerates. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com Tanta (Egypt) (AFP) - The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for bombing two Egyptian churches as worshippers gathered to mark Palm Sunday, killing at least 44 people in the deadliest attacks on the Coptic Christian minority in recent memory. The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks before a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for Egypt's Christian minority. The first bombing at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta city north of Cairo killed 27 people, the health ministry said. "I just felt fire grabbing my face. I pushed my brother who was sitting next to me and then I heard people saying: 'explosion'," one of the wounded told state television. Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another blast rocked Saint Mark's church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service. Seventeen people including at least four police officers were killed in that attack, which the interior ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when prevented from entering the church. The ministry said Tawadros was unharmed, and a church official said he left before the explosion. The private CBC Extra channel aired footage of the Alexandria blast, with CCTV showing what appeared to be the church entrance engulfed in a ball of flame and flying concrete moments after a security guard turned away a man. Eyewitnesses said a police officer detected the bomber before he blew himself up. At least 78 people were wounded in Tanta and 40 in Alexandria, the health ministry said. A UN Security Council statement condemned the bombings as "heinous" and "cowardly". People gather outside the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, north of Cairo, after a bomb blast struck worshippers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday on April 9, 2017 Egyptian officials denounced the violence as an attempt to sow divisions, and Francis sent his "deep condolences" to Tawadros. IS claimed its "squads" carried out both attacks, in a statement by its self-styled Amaq news agency published on social media. After the bombings, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered military deployments to guard "vital and important infrastructure", his office said. State television reported that the interior minister sacked the provincial head of security and replaced him after the attack. There were bloodstains on the floor of the church in Tanta, next to shredded wooden benches. On March 29, the Mar Girgis church's Facebook page said a "suspicious" device had been found outside the building that security services removed. "I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained," said Nabil Nader, who lives in front of the Tanta church. Worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking Jesus's triumphant entrance to Jerusalem. Pope prays for victims Francis, who is due in Cairo on April 28-29, offered prayers for the victims. "Let us pray for the victims of the attack unfortunately carried out today," he said. "May the Lord convert the heart of those who sow terror, violence and death and also the heart of those who make weapons and trade in them." Egyptians react near a church in Alexandria after a bomb blast struck worshippers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday on April 9, 2017 Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt's population of more than 92 million and who celebrate Easter next weekend, have been targeted by several attacks in recent months. Jihadists and Islamists accuse Copts of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by IS killed 29 worshippers in a Cairo church. The group later released a video threatening Egypt's Christians with more attacks. A spate of jihadist-linked attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, including the murder of a Copt in the city of El Arish whose house was also burned, led some Coptic families to flee. About 250 Christians took refuge in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya after IS released a video in February calling for attacks on the minority. US President Donald Trump led international condemnation of Sunday's attacks. "So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. US strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly," he tweeted. String of attacks Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail stressed the authorities' determination to "eliminate terrorism". The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, an influential Sunni Muslim authority, said the attacks aimed to "destabilise security and... the unity of Egyptians". Egypt's Copts have endured successive attacks since Morsi's ouster in July 2013. More than 40 churches were targeted nationwide in the two weeks after the deadly dispersal by security forces of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo on August 14 that year, Human Rights Watch said. People react at the site of a bomb blast which struck worshippers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta on April 9, 2017 Sisi, who as then army chief helped remove Morsi, has defended his security forces and accused jihadists of attacking Copts in order to divide the country. In October 2011, almost 30 people -- mostly Coptic Christians -- were killed outside the state television building in Cairo after the army charged at protesters denouncing the torching of a church in southern Egypt. A few months earlier, the unclaimed New Year's Day bombing of a Coptic church killed more than 20 people in second city Alexandria. The two wounded were Janine Ackerman, the gym's manager and Mario Hortis, a fellow trainer. By Indo-Asian News Service: One person was killed and two were injured in a mall shooting in the US state of Florida, media reports said on Saturday. The shooter, who killed himself after firing at two others, was identified as Abeku Wilson, a fitness trainer at the Coral Gables gym where he carried out the shooting, Xinhua news agency reported. The two wounded were Janine Ackerman, the gym's manager and Mario Hortis, a fellow trainer. --- ENDS --- advertisement The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive Anthony Kobina Kurentsir Sam has lashed out at the leadership and staff of the Effia-Kwesimintsim Sub-Metro for reporting to work late whilst taking French leave is a norm. The MCE discovered this while he was on a two-day inspection tour of some projects in Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly. Mr. Sam who could not hide his frustration after going through page by page of attendance books at different departments questioned even the sub metropolitan administrator Jenifer Boham, for reporting to work late herself. As administrator, look at the time you report to work? If you report at 10 and fail to even sign out each day, why wouldn't your subordinates be reporting to work at 9 and 9:30am? You have to lead by example. Mr. Sam admonished. Mr. Sam also took to the physical planning unit where similar attitude towards work was seen. Apart from questioning their reporting time, he was also dissatisfied to have discovered that, some of you leave work at any time with the excuse that you have some other things to work out, when in fact, you go behind the metro to collect monies from persons building at unauthorized areas. So you see stop work written on unauthorized projects, yet day by day the project progresses. Let this attitude not be seen are heard again. Stop pretending to be working, and let the government also stop pretending to be paying you. It's a new dawn in Sekondi Takoradi. The city is growing to become the Oil City we all want to see. We cannot be allowing unauthorized structures to spring up at any place just like that, with you who are supposed to know better fueling the wrong. He warned all staff in other offices of the assembly to observe good working attitude and observe workplace ethics. By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Kwaku Sakyi Addo has stepped down after being in the position for the past six years. He will take up a new role as the Board Chairman of the industry regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA). A statement issued by the Chamber on Sunday, April 09, 2017 said Mr. Sakyi Addo's successor will be announced in due course. The corporate communications expert who has been leading the Telecoms Chamber since 2011 as its first head, is credited with building the Chamber from nothing to its current significant position in the telecommunications industry. Kwaku Sakyi Addo ensured a proper understanding of the telecoms industry in Ghana and set the Chamber apart as an effective advocate for telecom operators. In his remarks, he said, I am very proud of the work that the Chamber has done in aligning our members around key industry initiatives, driving important advocacy programs and building an enviable industry association. I'm grateful to the Governing Council, our entire membership and, of course, the Chamber staff for their support over the last six years. The Chairperson of the Governing Council of the Chamber and CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Ms. Yolanda Cuba remarked that, Kwaku has made a significant impact during his tenure with the Chamber. He has built a strong organization focused on our industry's priorities and advocating effectively on behalf of mobile operators and infrastructure sharing companies across the country. We are naturally disappointed that Kwaku has decided to move on to a new opportunity, but we wish him every success as he takes this next exciting step in his career, said Ms. Cuba. By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana By Albert Futukpor, GNA Tamale, April 9, GNA - The rent tax and property rates contained in the new Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) have been identified as sources of high potential revenue for district assemblies to undertake numerous development projects. A case study has however shown that the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) and the Sagnarigu District Assembly (SaDA) have not been exploiting the law (rent tax and property rates) to collect enough revenue even though many properties are located within their jurisdictions. The case study conducted in October, last year, by the Centre for Budget Advocacy - Ghana (CBAG) with support from IBIS in Ghana showed that TaMA collected around GH200,000.00 whiles SaDA collected GH50,000.00 in rent tax and property rates on annual basis. The study, which was released in Tamale, said the District Assemblies Common Fund, which offered continuous source of funds for projects of district assemblies, was the reason the assemblies failed to fully exploit the rent tax and property rates to collect enough revenue. Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Director of CBAG said permanent staff of the assemblies who collected such taxes mostly underperformed knowing that their salaries were assured at the end of the month. He said those engaged on commission basis to collect such taxes performed better by collecting more. The study recommended that district assemblies put in place measures to identify property owners, locate them and assess and levy the rates on them and pursue payments. It said district assemblies must implement the policy on street naming and house numbering to make it easy to locate properties and levy them. It also urged assemblies to address the issue of lack of qualified persons to value properties to enable them levy accurate property rates to exploit the full potential of property rates. GNA Accra, April 9, GNA - The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP) is engaging beneficiaries on the social accountability process to redress grievances. The programme is aimed at ensuring greater participation and accountability of stakeholders in the project through consultations to enable the people to get the opportunity to raise issues affecting them. Nana Danquah I, a consultant at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Weija in the Greater Accra Region. He said the GAMA-SWP project funded by the World Bank was to increase access to improved sanitation and water supply in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Areas with emphasis on low income urban communities. 'It is also to strengthen management of environmental sanitation in the Greater Accra Region,' he said. He said the GAMA project would lay a foundation for a coordinated approach towards the provision of toilets and water supply services to schools and communities. Nana Danquah said the project with support from the Government had subsidised 70 per cent of the cost while residents would pay only 30 per cent per the construction of every toilet in households. He said 25 schools in the Ga South Municipality were to benefit from 18 toilet facilities. Mr Robert Ahordagbe, Presiding Member of the Assembly, urged the MLGRD to strategise to confront the environmental challenges facing the Municipality. He said that was the only way to fully engage the people in activities that would benefit them. He lauded the reduction of the cost of toilets in the households from 50 to 30 per cent to enable the people to afford the payment. Me Abdul Wahab, GAMA Project Officer of the Assembly expressed regret that out of more than 1000 households who registered only 29 had fully paid and asked the media to intensify education on the project. GNA 09.04.2017 LISTEN By Albert Futukpor, GNA Tamale, Apr 08, GNA - The Northern Region (N/R) recorded 50 murder cases and 51 armed robbery cases in 2016, an increase over the previous year's record, of 45 for murder and 41 for robbery. The Region also recorded 25 rape cases in 2016 as against 17 cases in 2015 while defilement cases dropped from 67 in 2015 to 38 in 2016. It also recorded 83 cases of causing unlawful harm in 2016 compared to 86 of such cases in 2015 while other crimes stood at 2,999 in 2016 as against 2,201 of such cases in 2015. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Patrick Adusei Sarpong, Regional Police Commander announced the figures during this year's West Africa Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA) celebrations of the Regional Command in Tamale. The event was also used as a send-off party for the former Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ken Yeboah, who is now the Ashanti Regional Police Commander. ACP Sarpong said there were also 312 road accidents in 2016 where 135 people were killed and 560 sustained injuries as against 259 road accidents in 2015 out of which 108 people were killed and 446 sustained injuries. He said the number of police personnel in the Region was inadequate compared to its high population calling on all to collaborate with the Service to deliver on its core mandate since policing was a shared responsibility. He emphasised: 'We stand to uphold high professionalism devoid of behavioural tendencies that tend to dent our hard earned image.' He, therefore, urged police personnel to be tactful and professional and work very hard to ensure law and order in the region. ACP Sarpong commended DCOP Yeboah for initiating the ongoing construction of a 160 seating capacity auditorium at the Regional Police Headquarters and fencing of the Tamale Police Barracks as well as the professional manner he discharged his duties. DCOP Yeboah, whose speech was read on his behalf, expressed gratitude to police personnel in the Region amongst other stakeholders for their support during his tenure. He urged them to offer same support to the new Commander to succeed. Mr Salifu Saeed, the Regional Minister encouraged senior officers to shepherd the young ones to uphold professionalism whilst discharging their duties. Mr Saeed commended the Police Service in the region especially the former Commander for ensuring law and order. He said government was working to address especially accommodation challenges of the Police Service to boost their morale. GNA By Albert Futukpor, GNA Nalerigu (N/R), April 9, GNA - The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has presented relief items to the Paramount Chief of Mamprugu, Nayiri Mahami Sheriga Bohagu following last week's fire that gutted his residence. The items included 50 bags of rice, 10 cartons of cooking oil, five cartons of soap, 50 pieces of polymats, 150 pieces of mosquito nets, and 20 cartons of mosquito coil. Nana Agyeman-Prempeh, Acting Director General of NADMO accompanied by Mr Salifu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister, also presented an undisclosed amount of money to the traditional ruler, being a donation from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to support in the rehabilitation works of his residence. On Friday, March 31, fire gutted Nayiri's living room and quickly spread to one of the bedrooms before it was extinguished by personnel from the Gambaga Station of the Ghana National Fire Service. The delegation also visited Saint Charles Minor Seminary Senior High School in Tamale to assess its dormitory block, which was recently gutted by fire. Items including 150 mattresses, 150 buckets, 150 blankets, 150 mosquito nets and 20 cartons of soap were presented to the school. Nana Prempeh said government would soon award the burnt dormitory block on contract for renovation. GNA The government of Rwanda has entreated Ghana to learn lessons from the ethnic cleansing which claimed the lives of millions of Rwandans in 1994. Chairman of the Rwandan Community in Ghana, Bernadin Gatete says failure by Ghana to embrace its ethnic and cultural diversity could plunge the country into similar atrocities. Between April and June 1994, over 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in a genocide by the Hutu majority. On the 6th of April there was the shooting down of a plane carrying Juvenal Habyarimana, the Rwandan president and Burundis president Cyprien Ntaryamira over Kigali, which left no survivors. It is still not clear yet who were the real perpetrators of the assassination. The killing was then triggered by a media tirade by a journalist Hassan Nzege who called for extermination of Tutsi minority groups and provided names of people to be killed. In 100 days there was mass slaughter of human beings in ways never seen before in the history of humanity. The killings had come about as a result of deep seated hatred and ethnic differences between the Hutus and Tutsis. Speaking with JOY NEWS on the occasion of the 23rd commemoration of the ethnic cleaning, Bernadin Gatete entreated the government of Ghana to strengthen laws which promotes justice and equity. "The key lesson that we thought we should share with Ghana is that we should have a common denominator as a country. We should avoid looking at each other from the things that differentiates us but rather the things that bring us together. He called on the media to be circumspect in its reportage on ethnic issues. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com The Ashanti Regional General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic (NPP) Party Sam Pyne has refuted claims that the party arranged to protect the 13 members of the vigilante group, Delta Force who were held for causing confusion at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. A member of the group Ernest Appiah Dankwa earlier told Citi News that they vandalized a Kumasi based circuit court and freed 13 of their members facing trial because their leaders failed to honour their promise. According to him, the party plotted with them to show up in court as it was only a formality because the 13 would certainly be freed. But speaking to Citi News, Sam Pyne said the claims cannot be true and that the leadership of the party in the Ashanti Region had not met any of the Delta Force members on such issue. There is no truth or whatsoever in that statement from whoever is making that assertion because the regional party has not met with this matter of them going to court. Sam Pyne said the last time we met we discussed how to talk to the members of the group for them not to misbehave again, that's all. I don't know if somebody has told them anything or whatsoever, that is their own business but as to the regional party telling them to go to court and that we have spoken to people and all that wahala is an imagination of somebody. I will be a liar if I saw they are not known by the party.These are boys who provided services for the party, provided internal security among others. We know a lot of them, but we would never ask them to do such a thing at the court, he added. Sam Pyne also explained that they party does not pay Delta Force for services they render. We don't pay them, they do mostly voluntary service. They have other means of livelihood they are engaged in. some of them are mechanics; some are into little businesses of their own, he added. By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin Accra, April 9, GNA - Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, the Chairman of JAYEE University College Governing Council, has called for government's support for partnership between industry, private and public tertiary institutions and the community. He said government could do so through the use of steering mechanism that would help raise the issues of entrepreneurship and job creation. "A new era of relationship between the public and private institutions needs to be forged, for the needs of the country to be prioritised,"he said. Prof Anamuah-Mensah made call at the eighth congregation of the JAYEE University College (JUC) held in Accra on Saturday. He said national development could not take place without the participation of the private sector, and so there was the need for both public and private institutions to be regulated in the same accreditation and quality assurance standards. "At the tertiary level, there are 202 accredited tertiary institutions, out of which 107 are privately owned. "These private institutions enroll about 20 per cent of tertiary students, a big savings for government, even with this contribution made by institutions, the participation rate is only 14 per cent, this is too low for a country with increasing youth bulge," he said. Prof Anamuah-Mensah also expressed dissatisfaction about how majority of the youth within the ages of 18-22 were not in tertiary education. He there called for effective ways in addressing the problem especially with the coming into force of the free Senior High School (SHS) where more tertiary institutional structures would be required for the first batch of the new SHS graduates for the 2020/2021 academic year. He urged the graduands to go out and positively affect society by making exploits and add to the gains of those before them. "Bring dignity and honour to your alma mater and our country Ghana, but note that your contribution to the nation will be more effective if you go about your duties with dedication, honesty and high moral standards devoid of corruption," he advised. Speaking on the theme: "The Role of the Private University in National Capacity Building', Prof Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, the President of JUC, said it would be highly appropriate for government to set up a committee to look into the predicaments of private universities and come up with best strategies to help them have the capacity to employ a number of unemployed youth. He pleaded with the University of Education Winneba (UEW) to raise its mentorship bar to support JUC. He advised the graduands to ride elegantly on the crest wave of the improved training they had acquired as the competition out there was stiff and it was often the creative and the talented that gain the upper hand. Addressing graduands, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UEW, Prof Anthony Afful-Broni, said University would continue to partner JUC for future capacity building in order to meet the expected demand for the nation's educational needs. "The University of Education, Winneba is committed to making an impact on the country's educational system and I assure you of our continued support for JAYEE University College as we nurture you to excel," he said. He appealed to Members of Parliament, companies both private and public, financial institutions, firms and Municipal District Assemblies to wholeheartedly open their doors to accept interns of JUC in their organisations to practically experience what they were taught in school as that would enable students to assiduously contribute to the growth of the nation. He however advised the graduands to be relevant to themselves and society through the nurturing and knowledge acquired over the years of their studies. Mr Emmanuel Donkoh, the Founder of JUC announced that phase one of the Cape Coast campus was ready for academic activities. He said: "The Cape Coast campus is going to be a starting point for graduate studies as well as general studies for students with D7-F9 in WASSCE results to better their grades before enrolling to the various tertiary institutions of their choice". In all a total 364 students from the 2015 and 2016 batches graduated. Out of the number, 112 were males with the remaining 252 being females. The 2015 batch was made up of 138 graduates, 51 non-graduates adding up to 189. Out of the 364 graduands, the Faculty of Business Administration graduated 194 students whilst the Faculty of Communication Science had 170 graduands. Madam Evelyn Buenor, a Business Administration student with specialisation in Human Resource Management was adjudged the overall best student. The day was also used to matriculate 179 fresh students for the 2016/2017 academic year. Out of the total number for the 10th matriculation, 102 would be reading Communication science whilst the remaining 77 would pursue Business Administration. The matricalates were led by Ms Joyce Eku Wilson Tagoe to swear the matriculation oath. GNA By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA Accra, April 9, GNA - The Ghana Youth Development Enhancement Programme (GYEDEP), a Coalition of civil society organisations has urged government to set up an umbrella body to coordinate the activities of state youth agencies. The Coalition said this would help avoid duplication of their activities at the district levels. According to the body, coordination of the activities of state agencies such as the National Youth Council (NYC), the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), the Ghana Youth Employment Development Agency (GYEDA) and the Youth Enterprise Support (YES) under one umbrella body would empower them to mobilise the youth to go into entrepreneurship and other ventures. GYDEP membership include the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), Youth Empowerment for Life, Centre for Development and Policy Advocacy, Nkonya Youth Association, National Network of Youth Groups and the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation. Mrs Theodora Williams Anti, the GYDEP Coordinator, made the appeal in Accra in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sideline of a courtesy call by the Coalition on Mr Emmanuel Asigri, NYA Chief Executive Officer. The aim of the visit was to congratulate Mr Asigri on his new appointment and to share their challenges and recommendations with the Authority. The visit also took the Coalition to the YEA, where they were received by Mr Agya Yaw Nsiah Aboagye, the Director of Research and Planning at the Agency. Mrs Anti described the group as a Coalition of youth organisations, with a mandate of monitoring youth related agencies, particularly government agencies. She said their aim was to ensure that these agencies work according to their mandate, and also ensure that corruption was limited as much as possible, whereas, resources were allocated to youth development in the country. Mrs Anti, who is also the Programme Officer of FOSDA, said the Coalition had observed that government institutions at the district levels were under resourced whilst "some are non-existent and the youth do not even know about them'. On behalf of the Coalition, Mrs Anti recommended that there was the need for agencies particularly NYA, GYEDA, YEA and YES, to come out strongly under one umbrella to mobilise the youth to help advance the youth empowerment agenda of government. Mr Asigri said the NYA remained committed to putting systems and programmes in place to foster the advancement of the country's youth, which was one of the top priorities of government. He said the Authority would collaborate with other youth agencies, to initiate programmes that would bring total transformation in the youth front. He said the transformational agenda would cover job creation in both the formal and informal sectors. Mr Asigri noted that both the NYA and the YEA had realised that they could not work effectively as independent bodies who were aiming at improving the standards of the youth, without collaboration. He said the new National Youth Authority Act, which was passed in December, 2016, gave the NYA the opportunity to share in the funds that the YEA got from communication tax. He said the Authority had considered immediate programmes in the Information and Communication Technology sector. 'We hope that as we move on as heads of these two agencies we will continue to collaborate and carry out more of the modules and activities together, and not giving it out again to private hands, where we know of the history behind what happened in the past," he said. Mr Asigri, said the Authority was committed to implement the NYA Act. He tasked the various youth organisations championing the development of the youth, to redirect their focus from advocacy to the practical things that would be able to bring them direct livelihood. Mr Stephen Mensah-Etsibah, Director of Organisation and Programmes at NYA, expressed the need to initiate programmes to support the course of the youth. He tasked the youth to invest in their own economic empowerment. GNA By Iddi Yire, GNA A German soldier was heard conspicuously saying "Heil Hitler," "Heil our leader," and "Sieg Heil, comrades," the German Defence Ministry has said. By Reuters: The Germany military's counter-intelligence agency is looking into 275 suspected right-wing extremists in its ranks, including a soldier heard saying "Heil Hitler", the Defence Ministry has told parliament in a letter seen by Reuters on Sunday. About 143 of the cases were reported last year and 53 this year, the ministry wrote in its 15-page answer, detailing incidents of soldiers performing Nazi salutes or uttering racist remarks against servicemen with migrant backgrounds. advertisement Public displays of Nazi symbols and salutes are illegal in Germany, where most people are repulsed by any degree of sympathy to the dictatorship responsible for the Holocaust. The letter noted the lax manner in which some of the most serious cases have been dealt with. 'CASE 29' One such incident is Case 29, which involved a soldier who was heard conspicuously saying "Heil Hitler," "Heil our leader" and "Sieg Heil, comrades," the ministry said. "The case was passed on to the military prosecutor and the public prosecutor's office, but neither an early dismissal nor a service ban took place," it wrote to parliament. Another case involved a soldier who used a Facebook page associated with the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) to spread racist remarks, including demanding the death sentence for "typical foreigners." Germany's Constitutional Court said in January that the NPD resembled Adolf Hitler's Nazi party but ruled against banning it because it was too weak to endanger democracy. The ministry said the soldier was "only disciplined." In a third case, a soldier was allowed to keep his weapon after he was disciplined for performing the Nazi salute while on a trip to the Latvian capital, Riga. German media reported last year that there are signs Islamists were trying to join the German armed forces to get military training with the possible goal of carrying out attacks in Germany. ALSO READ | German tennis team outraged as USA plays Nazi version of anthem ALSO READ | US court ruling could bring more Nazi-looted art lawsuits ALSO WATCH | Bacon and Sausage Factory to be Built on Site of Former Nazi Labor Camp --- ENDS --- Integrity is a rare commodity in our nation, and the world today, oftentimes, it is more rare when huge money is involved. At a time when the economic situation is Nigeria seem to be crushing the resolve of many to upright, a security man with UBA has shown great courage and integrity, an act which has brought him great fortune. Security man returns $10,000 he found at UBA, gets very huge reward Nana Udom, an Instagram user has shared the story of the security man who showed integrity by returning a lost $10,000 to its owner. Below is what became of Ibrahim, as shared by Nana Udom. READ ALSO: Buharis government, APC have become notorious in the act of misgovernance - Adeniran "For returning 10,000USD of a customer he found, Ibrahim, a security man with UBA was rewarded with the sum of $5,000 by the governor of Adamawa, $10,000 by the governor of Bauchi, the Deputy Senate president, Senator Ekwerenmadu said He will be announced at the floor of the Senate on Tuesday during plenary and will be given the sum of N5,000,000(Five Million Naira only) by the senate. Ibrahim was also given an award of Excellence by the bank and several unannounced donations, He is the young man standing next to the Deputy Senate President Ladies & Gentlemen, Integrity pays. #UBACEOAWARDS2017" Source: Legit.ng By Press Trust of India: Chhatarpur, Apr 9 (PTI) A newborn girl in Khajuraho town of Madhya Pradesh has been diagnosed with a rare medical condition with her heart beating outside the body. This rare medical condition occurs in 8 children per 10 lakh births. The baby born with the rare congenital medical condition has been shifted to AIIMS in New Delhi for treatment, an official said today. advertisement "The girl was born on April 5 at Khajuraho Health Centre in the district. She has a rare congenital medical condition called Ectopia Cordis (heart abnormally located either outside of the thorax)," Chhatarpur district hospitals civil surgeon Dr R S Tripathi told PTI. The newborns father Arvind Patel works as a security guard at a world heritage site in Khajuraho. Chhatarpur Collector Ramesh Bhandari said the girl was first referred to a hospital in Gwalior where the doctors advised that the baby be taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. "The doctors at Chhatarpur had earlier referred the newborn baby to Gwalior. The doctors in Gwalior further referred her to AIIMS, Delhi. The babys treatment would be carried out with financial assistance under the state governments Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana (CMs Child Heart Treatment Scheme)," Bhandari said. He also said that divisional commissioner and Gwalior district Collector are monitoring the case and all possible help would be extended to the family. "Two doctors were sent along with the baby, who was shifted to AIIMS New Delhi yesterday," Bhandari said. According to the Chhatarpur civil surgeon, this rare medical condition occurs in 8 children per 10 lakh births. "This is the second case of Ectopia Cordis in the district during the past one decade. The occurrence of this rare medical condition is eight per 10 lakh births. The first such case was reported in the district about five years back," Dr Tripathi said. He said that Ectopia Cordis is a congenital malformation in which the heart is abnormally located either partially or outside the thorax. It results from a failure of proper maturation of body wall formation during embryonic development. PTI COR ADU GK DV --- ENDS --- - A former president-general of Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazuruike, says the continued detention of the IPOB leader by the government has conferred a heros status on Nnamdi Kanu - Uwazuruike calls for the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu - The Aka Ikenga former president urges Nigerians to join calls for the release of Nnamdi Kanu Uwazuruike has said the celebration of Kanu as a hero and the clamour for his release from Kuje prison was born out of necessity and expediency. A former president-general of the Igbo Think Tank Tank group, known as Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazuruike, has said President Muhammadu Buhari has transformed the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from a nobody to a hero. READ ALSO: Security man returns $10,000 he found at UBA, gets very huge reward Uwazuruike who made the statement over the weekend said the continued detention of the IPOB leader by the government has conferred a heros status on Nnamdi Kanu, Daily Post reports. He said If an individual on his way to work finds a man beating his child on account of disobedience, and the child is still sighted serving the same punishment in the evening, what would the passer-by tell the father? Of course he would wade in and say: this is enough, stop it. It is enough." Who was Nnamdi Kanu before now? He was nobody. But suddenly during this detention, after various court have discharged him, he has become somebody. By governments action, it has made him an authority. Remember some years ago, leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, was arrested, just like the late NADECO leader, Chief Abraham Adesanya. But it got a stage that people shouted Leave these people alone." Legit.ng learnt that Uwazuruike also called for the immediate release of Kanu, insisting that enough is enough. The former president-general Aka Ikenga said Nnamdi Kanu is not a threat to anybody. ..You have him in prison for owing a radio station but his detention has not stopped the radio station to stop broadcasting. READ ALSO: Stephanie Otobo releases BBM chats between Apostle Suleman and herself (SEE) On why the call is being made at this time, he said: It is never too late to say the truth, even at the point of death." He called Nigerians to join other eminent persons like Prof Soludo, Prof Utomi and some governors who have called for Nnamdi Kanu to be released. "If people are charged for treason because they spoke about injustice and oppression, then they are labeled enemies of the state, then you know what kind of government that is, he said. Meanwhile, John Nnia Nwodo, the president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has alleged that the federal government is terrorising people of the South East region. Nwodo made the claim while reacting to the continuous detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu. Speaking with Vanguard, Nwodo asked why the federal government is refusing to obey court orders to release Kanu while no member of Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram is been made to face trial for their In the Legit.ng video below, Nnamdi Kanu accuses the DSS of detaining Nigerians for years without trial. Source: Legit.ng - The Borno state government plans to evacuate 78,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back home from Cameroon - The affected IDPs fled to Cameroon at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno state - The IDPs had urged the state government to facilitate their return home or they will trek back to Nigeria Borno state government plans to evacuate 78,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back home from Cameroon. The Borno Government said on Sunday that it plans to evacuate 78,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back home from Cameroon. The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports that the affected IDPs fled to Cameroon at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state. READ ALSO: Pretty lady goes missing days after she left her hostel for a party (photos) The IDPs had a week ago urged the state government to facilitate their return home or they will trek back to Nigeria. Ahmad Satome, Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) told newsmen in Maiduguri that government plans to shelter the returnees in four temporary satellite camps. The issue of the 78,000 Nigerian IDPs is purely a repatriation process, it is just to get them across the Cameroonian border back home. Once they are back we will get them transported to transit camps in Kumshe, Gulumba, Ngoshe and Kirawa where they will feed for a week or thereabout, so they can stabilize before asking them where they want to go, he said. Satome said that IDPs without any place to go would be kept in the camps while those who wanted to return home would be transported home. "IDPs without homes or those whose communities are unsafe will be kept in the camps while those who want to return home will be transported home. But for those who wished to remain in Cameroon they will be allowed to stay in accordance with the Geneva Convention, he said. Satome said government was focused on ensuring early return of all IDPs back to their communities especially those in areas liberated by the military. It is true that government is resolute in ensuring all IDPs return home in a dignified manner in accordance to the Kampala convention. But sometimes a lots of uncertainties come in, he said. Satome said that the continued rescue of persons by the military from terrorists enclaves had created new IDPs requiring attention. The intensed pressure by the military on Boko Haram enclaves have led to rescue of new IDPs requiring care. This means that they have to be kept in camps for care and other humanitarian services, he said. Satome said however that government was resolute in moving IDPs who were interested in going back to camps close to their homes. READ ALSO: Worshippers in shock as pastor dies at the altar I think it is unwise to keep 2,000 IDPs from Ngala in Maiduguri when you have about 200,000 others in Ngala town. I think that the best thing is to move those willing to camps in their respective areas from where they can gradually move home, he said. Survivors from Boko Haram attack will always remember what they went through because of the insurgents. Legit.ng visited the IDP camp near Abuja to see how children are being treated after their horrible experience. Source: Legit.ng - A Nigerian, Bayo Ogunlesi has made another milestone in the world record - He bought three foreign Airports through his private firm in six years - Ogunlesi started his firm in July 2006 A Nigerian, Bayo O. Ogunlesi has made a milestone to be one of the African entrepreneurs to have foreign airports. The airports were acquired through his private firm, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Bayo Ogunlesi Legit.ng gathered that Ogunlesi started the firm in 2006 as a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. He currently serves as Chairman and Managing Partner. READ ALSO: Security man returns $10,000 he found at UBA, gets very huge reward According to investigation, in 2006, GIP bought London City Airport. In 2009, it acquired the majority in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth 1.455 billion while he it also acquired Edinburgh Airport in 2012. Adebayo "Bayo" O. Ogunlesi, JD (born December 20, 1953) is a Nigerian-born lawyer and investment banker. Ogunlesi is currently Chairman and Managing Partner at the private equity firm, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of Global Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston before being promoted to Chief Client Officer and Executive Vice Chairman. In July 2006, Ogunlesi started a private equity firm, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. He currently serves as Chairman and Managing Partner. READ ALSO: APC, Buhari have failed Nigeria - Adeniran In 2006, GIP bought London City Airport. In 2009, GIP acquired the majority in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth 1.455 billion. The Nigerian press has given him the nickname, "The Man Who Bought Gatwick Airport. GIP also owns Edinburgh Airport, which they bought in 2012. Watch this Legit.ng video of a Nigerian complaining about the state of the country: Source: Legit.ng - President Buhari demands that the EFCC provides a detailed submission on amount of monies recovered so far since the present administration came on board in June, 2015 - Buhari issues a similar directive to the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, director general of the DSS, Lawal Daura, and the chairman of the ICPC, Ekpo Nta - While other agencies failed to meet the Friday, April 7 deadline on the directive, only the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, has complied President Buhari has asked the EFCC and other agencies to provide details of recovered loot. President Muhammadu Buhari has queried the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over loot recovered from Nigerians and organisations. READ ALSO: Federal government declares Mondays, Wednesdays as Made-in-Nigeria Dress Day The president asked the EFCC to urgently provide a detailed submission on amount of monies recovered so far by the anti-graft agency, since the present administration came on board in June, 2015. According to Vanguard, the EFCC was also asked to submit a detailed inventory of assets seized, including vehicles, jewelries and other valuables, latest by Friday April 7, 2017. A source disclosed that the president issued a similar directive to the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta. The source added that just as the EFCC was directed, the heads of these agencies of government were also asked to submit the details of recovered monies and assets in their possession latest by Friday, April 7. READ ALSO: UPDATED: Army, police battle militants, 8 security operatives killed According to the source, the directive became imperative as the government wants to place a value on the total recoveries made by the government, whose anti-graft prosecutors have been accused of being unable to secure convictions, but have been quick to announce their seizures, even temporary ones to the public. The source said: Infact in several yards across of the country where the EFCC keeps seized vehicles; Range Rovers, Jaguars, Prado jeeps, and expensive cars, we have heard reports of decay. The cars are allowed to rot, leading to massive waste. You will also recall that certificates of occupancy seized from the home of an ex-Governor were found in the market, where some EFCC officials were allegedly trying to sell them. The case is now with the police. Also at the Senate hearing for his confirmation, Magu was not able to put a figure or an estimate to the amount of monies, local and foreign currency, he has recovered so far, or provide a value to property, cars and jewelleries that have been seized. While other agencies failed to meet the deadline on the directive, the source said only the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Friday, April 7, had complied with the directive and submitted his report to the president. Meanwhile, Legit.ng has reported that Italian prosecutors said former president, Goodluck Jonathan, probably received as much as $200 million to approve the controversial $1.3 billion sale of OPL 245 oil field. The disclosure was made by Italian prosecutors in court documents which were gotten from investigation by Italian authorities into the deal. The documents also confirmed that Shell and ENI knew a good chunk of the $1.3 billion would be disbursed as kickbacks to Nigerian politicians, yet went ahead with the deal. In this Legit.ng video below, Nigerians find it hard to name any recent politician who has never been associated with corruption. Source: Legit.ng By Press Trust of India: Krishnagar (WB), Apr 9 (PTI) Though BJP leaders in West Bengal saw nothing wrong in displaying arms during a Ram Navami rally on Wednesday, Union Minister and BJP leader Rajen Gohain today differed saying he did not approve of it. Asked for his opinion on the display of swords and knives during the RSS-backed Ram Navami processions in various parts of the state on April 5, Union Minister of State for Railways Gohain told a press conference that he did not support rallies with arms. advertisement Gohain initially denied that the rallies were held with arms, but when asked if he did not consider swords as arms, he said, "It was an improper act." Defending holding of rallies with arms, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha had earlier said, "Sword and knives are not weapons. In many schools and programmes these are used for physical drills. There is nothing wrong in it." An FIR has been registered against West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on the charge of leading a rally with swords on the occasion of Ram Navami in Kharagpur. In the press conference at Ranaghat in Nadia district, Gohain said the problem relating to Teesta water sharing with Bangladesh would be solved within a few days. "It will take some time but the Teesta related problem with the West Bengal CM will get solved within a few days," he said. The long-pending Teesta water sharing agreement remained elusive primarily due to opposition to it by Banerjee who was present with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during launch of new train and bus services between the two countries yesterday. Modi expressed hope that the West Bengal chief minister would eventually support the agreement, Banerjee later met Hasina and suggested taht water of other small rivers which also flow into Bangladesh can be shared. Reminded of the TMCs allegation that the BJP was trying to make West Bengal a second Gujarat, Gohain said, "West Bengal is going to be the second Bangladesh." He, however, did not elaborate on this. Gohain, who was here to hold a closed-door party workers meeting, claimed that his party would win 80 per cent seats in the next Assembly election. On railway projects of the state, he said, "We have the target to complete the announced projects first. But the West Bengal government failed to acquire required land for many projects for which work got stopped." PTI CORR NN MD --- ENDS --- - PDP national chairmans spokesperson, Inuwa Bwala has resigned - Bwala cited personal reasons for his resignation - Bwala also noted that the recent developments in the party informed the decision to quit The crisis rocking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new twist on Sunday April 9 as Mr Inuwa Bwala who is the Special Adviser on media to the partys National Chairman, Senator Ali Sheriff, has resigned his appointment. PDP national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff and his former spokesman, Inuwa Bwala Nigerian Tribune reports that Bwala has worked as the spokesman of Sheriff since he was first elected as the national chairman of the party in February 2016. READ ALSO: Security man returns $10,000 he found at UBA, gets very huge reward Legit.ng gathered that Bwala announced his resignation from the post in a press statement issued by himself in Abuja on Sunday citing personal reasons. According to the former Borno state commissioner, recent developments informed the decision to quit. He has been recently arrested and detained in Maiduguri in connection with a murder case which he disputed as political witch-hunt. The statement said: Recent developments in the polity, especially as it affects my duties have made it imperative for me to step down as the official spokesman of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. I am stepping down for personal reasons to enable me face my personal challenges, especially my health. I wish to use this opportunity to apologize to Nigerians, especially our political leaders and professional colleagues, whose feelings I have been made to injure in explaining or defending certain positions while I was the Special Adviser on Media to Senator Sheriff. READ ALSO: Confusion in Ondo as bride fails to show up for wedding I thank the National Chairman and all those I have worked or related with since I assumed the responsibility as Sheriffs official spokesman. I also wish him the best in future endeavours. Watch this Legit.ng video of a Nigerian complaining about the state of the country: Source: Legit.ng ARTS & LEISURE An article last Sunday comparing streaming services misstated prices for the streaming service Mubi. It is $5.99 a month, not $4.99, and offered a $34.99 yearly subscription only as part of a Black Friday promotion. An article last Sunday about choral music attributed incorrectly the statement from 1571 that in the choir no more shall be used in song that shall drown any word or syllable. Robert Horne, bishop of Winchester, made the statement, not Archbishop Cranmer. BOOK REVIEW A picture caption on Feb. 26 with a review of Jonathan Swift: The Reluctant Rebel, by John Stubbs, included an erroneous date with the engraving of Swift. The engraving represents him circa 1740, not circa 1800. (Swift died in 1745.) MAGAZINE Because of an editing error, an article on March 26 about Hawaii gave an incorrect English translation of the Hawaiian word Kilauea. It is much spreading, not mush spreading. And everywhere, everywhere, bodies are in motion. The ongoing refugee crisis a hopeless euphemism to describe the greatest moral failure of our time, which has left 65.3 million people displaced and pushed Greek social services to the breaking point is inescapable in Documenta 14. Some artists here have responded poetically, including Peter Friedl, who films a stage adaptation of Kafkas Report to an Academy in which the ape narrator is played by actors and nonactors of various races, languages and ages. Other times it leads to self-righteousness or glibness, as with the wonky musical instruments made by Guillermo Galindo, a Mexican composer, incorporating tubes salvaged from a refugee camp near Kassel. And what are we to make of Glimpse, a 20-minute silent film by the Polish provocateur Artur Zmijewski that is this shows most important work, as well as its most disturbing? Its at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was shot largely in the Jungle of Calais, France, the recently destroyed camp home to 6,000 migrants. The films initial, documentary sequences of plywood shacks and pitiful tents, hopeless against the rain, are searingly accusatory. Some refugees stare down the camera; a young girl smiles, while her father looks down, abashed. But then the films tone changes: The artist enters the frame, offers a new coat to a refugee and then paints its back with a dripping white X. Later, in Paris, he shoots African migrants in close-up, turning their heads slowly to get just the pose the artist wants. His film is brave and urgent; its also shockingly discomforting, and stamps on our expectations of objectivity and respect in depicting the least fortunate. While much of the rhetoric of Documenta 14 invokes a common humanity, Glimpse proposes that even the do-gooders have motives of their own. That is a sentiment many Athenians, skeptical of the intentions of this German-born megashow, will find easy to understand. All the same, one of the central aims of modern art has been to break through societys assumptions, to imagine living as equals even if we never get there. It takes courage to get your hands dirty, even if you wash them clean later in your Airbnb. Leaving the Miller Theater at Columbia University on Saturday evening, having just heard a concert devoted to the complex yet plainly appealing music of the Austrian composer Johannes Maria Staud, I thought about art and not just because Mr. Staud has often taken visual culture as an inspiration. When many museums plan their galleries, theyve stuck with the traditional display style: densely hung, grab-bag rooms. (Like a wall of five painters to sum up Pop, alongside another wall, similarly crowded, to dispense with Minimalism.) Nothing breathes; nothing is clear. You skim along surfaces, getting a sense of an artists brand Roy Lichtenstein = comics, say, or Agnes Martin = grids but none of their substance or development. But go to Dia:Beacon, 60 miles up the Hudson from New York City, and the strategy is entirely different. Individual artists have airy galleries all to themselves, immersive environments for delving deeply into their work. Its a richer, less disorienting experience. The Miller Theaters signature, invaluable Composer Portraits series is musics Dia:Beacon, offering the chance to spend an entire evening getting to know a single living artist. You get a sense of who he (or, often, she) really is, rather than just a snapshot. During his 30 years in editing, Adam Bellow has handled some of the most controversial and notorious right-wing books of our era, including The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard J. Herrnstein, Dinesh DSouzas Illiberal Education and David Brocks The Real Anita Hill. But last fall, in the middle of one of the most acrimonious and divisive presidential elections in American history, Mr. Bellow, 60, made a surprising pivot. He left his post as editorial director of Broadside, a conservative imprint at HarperCollins, and started a new imprint at St. Martins Press, where he plans to edit authors from across the political spectrum. As a well-known neoconservative culture warrior, Mr. Bellow is an unlikely emissary for fostering bipartisan dialogue. Hes not softening his views, or renouncing the right-wing polemics hes edited over the decades, some of which continue to kick up controversy. (Last month, Mr. Murray faced violent protests when he gave a speech at Middlebury College in Vermont.) Instead, Mr. Bellow said he hoped to bring Democrats and Republicans together or at least onto the same publishing list. I saw an opportunity to get myself out of the box that I was in, he said. Both sides need to re-examine their assumptions, and I want to sponsor that process. Speaking just over a century ago about national defense at a time when he was still fervently engaged in keeping the United States out of World War I Woodrow Wilson intoned, While America contains every element of fine force and accomplishment, America does not constitute the major part of the world. It was a simple fact in 1916, and remains so, but its hard to imagine a politician much less a president stating it so baldly today. The American Experience documentary The Great War, a three-night, six-hour production beginning Monday on PBS, paints a detailed and entertaining picture of the years when America began to think of itself as the major part of the world. He added, In Trumps America, men work in two places: coal mines and Goldman Sachs. Another audience member noted his failures on health care reform, but said he didnt blame the president for being unable to get the job done. You mean Paul Ryan couldnt, Mr. Baldwin retorted, referring to the House speaker. I did everything I could. I made phone calls, I jumped into a truck and I posed for pictures. I went, Honk! Honk! But I wont give up. A third supporter said he had a wife who was addicted to painkillers. Its Susan Rice, Mr. Baldwin interjected, talking about President Obamas national security adviser. Put her in jail, right? Actually, the man answered, his wife was already in a drug rehabilitation program. Mr. Baldwin said he could relate: My wife doesnt want to move either, he said. When the supporter explained that the president still had his backing, Mr. Baldwin said, Thats why I came here. You people stand behind me, no matter what. Its like you found a finger in your chili, but you still eat the chili, because you told everyone how much you love chili. Its tremendous. The U.S.-led forces battling the Islamic State in Syria have sharply reduced airstrikes as they await a possible response from Russian and Syrian government forces to President Trumps missile strike on a Syrian base last week. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who travels to Moscow this week, said Russia had been incompetent in allowing Syria to retain chemical weapons. Our chief White House correspondent writes that Mr. Trump has demonstrated a highly improvisational and situational approach to international conflicts and meetings with world leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China. SHANGHAI Chinas anti-corruption investigators are targeting the countrys top insurance regulator, throwing doubt over an industry that has been behind a wave of blockbuster global deals but has raised concerns about financial risk in the worlds second-largest economy. The Chinese Communist Partys anti-corruption investigation agency said Sunday afternoon that the regulator, Xiang Junbo, had been placed under investigation for severe violations of discipline. In China, that language is commonly used in reference to a corruption inquiry. Mr. Xiang oversaw an industry that has gone from a cash-rich but sleepy backwater to a major player on the global deal-making scene in recent years. Chinese insurers have bought up a large number of properties, including big developments, European financial institutions and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Since last year, Chinese regulators have moved to curtail what have been widely seen as some of the insurance industrys riskier practices. Mr. Xiang himself had become a name to be noticed on Wall Street. In 2012, Mr. Xiang met with Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, and asked him to hire a young woman who he said was the daughter of a close friend. The American authorities later opened a bribery inquiry into whether the bank hired children of powerful Chinese officials to help it win lucrative business there. Amzad Hussain, PSMC vice-president, said he has now been asked to get the details from schools across Delhi. Parents are worried as students are told by government schools to get the books refurbished at their own expenses. By Arpan Rai: A week into their new academic session, students in Delhi's government schools are not only being asked to study from second-hand torn books with pages falling out, but are also staring at walls as they have no books to study from. The grim condition of some government school students is sure to give BJP and Congress an issue to target AAP ahead of the civic polls. advertisement While the Delhi government officials initially claimed to have printed and distributed textbooks of all subjects in north and east Delhi, they now said are furthering the deadline of delivering books by April 20. ACTION TAKEN SO FAR Parents and school monitoring committee(PSMC) members, appointed by Delhi government, have also been asked to collect the data on book delivery and present it in order to get redressal when they approached Deputy CM Manish Sisodia Thursday. Amzad Hussain, PSMC vice-president, said he has now been asked to get the details from schools across Delhi. "Deputy CM took it as a surprise to the fact that the government schools are not getting books," Hussain told Mail Today. PARENTS' REACTION Jyoti Mahore, parent of a class 6 student of Trilokpuri's government school, questioned the usability of already-used and worn-out books. "Why is my daughter being asked to study from a book which is already filled and has pages coming out of it? Her book has a picture of bus which resembles a truck," said Mahore. "It is difficult for us to bear the cost of getting the books repaired when our monthly income is not above `6,000. I am also told by my child that he will not go to school because he will be punished," said Jahara, another parent. The situation remains grim in the schools of south Delhi as another principal denied distribution of books in her school. "We received the book on Friday only and will distribute it on Monday," said Poonam Tandon, principal of a government school in Moti Bagh. Atishi Marlena, education advisor to Sisodia, told MAIL TODAY, "In order to ensure that parents do not have to bear the extra cost, we have asked our school principals to replace the old books with fresh sets of books which are expected to be delivered in schools between April 15 and 20." Also Read: Kejriwal blames BJP after L-G cancelled Rouse Avenue land for AAP office --- ENDS --- Rupert Murdoch has long sought to add Sky, the British satellite and news giant, to his stable of global media outlets that includes movie studios, newspapers and cable networks like Fox News. Yet after the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News that led to the ouster of Roger Ailes, its chairman, and the revelation of several settlements involving Bill OReilly and allegations of inappropriate behavior, Mr. Murdoch and 21st Century Fox now face renewed scrutiny over their plans to buy the 61 percent stake in Sky that they do not own. On Friday, European officials gave their blessing to the deal, which is worth 11.2 billion pounds, or $13.9 billion. But the battle will come to a head when a British regulator rules next month on whether the proposed deal gives Mr. Murdoch, who already controls several national newspapers, too much clout over the British media landscape. British officials also must decide if 21st Century Fox and its executives pass a fit and proper test, or judgment on whether the people who will run the merged company are fit to do so. That includes particular attention to James Murdoch, one of Mr. Murdochs sons, who is the chief executive of 21st Century Fox. Next month will be the seventh anniversary of the darkest moment in Joy Laskars life. State agents for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation raided the Atlanta home and office of Dr. Laskar, then a celebrated professor of electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was eventually fired from his tenured job and indicted by a grand jury, accused of misusing university funds and other resources to benefit his private start-up. If convicted, he faced decades in prison and a hefty fine. It all came to nothing. Last October, a judge tossed out the states case before a trial, ruling that the five-year statute of limitations had expired on the misdeeds that it had accused Dr. Laskar of committing. It was an unceremonious end to an episode that highlighted how entrepreneurial initiatives in academia can go very wrong. Dr. Laskar, who was the subject of a New York Times article in 2013, decided to speak publicly about the dismissal last week. He had previously remained silent to avoid antagonizing prosecutors, who still hold family items with sentimental value, like a laptop with the only copies of childhood photographs of Dr. Laskars three daughters and an unfinished novel by his wife. It has been devastating personally, professionally, Dr. Laskar said by phone, referring to the case against him. Its had a huge imprint on us as a family to this day. It will never go away. What is the biggest problem here? The entire murky, nontransparent and in some cases fraudulent supply chain is the problem. Its a bigger problem than just any one thing. Theres too much we dont know and we dont have validated. Ads showing up on objectionable sites, thats bad. Ads showing up to bots, through searching, thats bad. Ads that you place that dont really get measured by a third party that validates whats right thats not so good, either. Theres a number of things in the digital media supply chain even ads that arent viewable or close to viewable. What will cleaning this up do for you? What that will enable us all to do is make logical, data-based, reasonable decisions and, most importantly, spend time on whats really important, which is great creativity to drive growth. At the basis of this whole point is were not growing enough as an industry and the markets arent growing enough, so we need to spend time on products and packaging and shopping experiences and advertising to drive growth, and yet we have all this time spent in this opaque media environment. Thats the basis for why we, at least, are poking at this so hard. How have technology companies, in particular, responded? There are a lot of people that have come up to us and said thanks for calling this stuff out because weve been feeling the same way. Its a lot of players out there saying we really need to make sure that we know what were getting, because at the end of the day, its a business. All were really asking for is heres what were paying for, validate that were getting it, so we can then evaluate whether its a good deal. And if its two seconds, and it costs X, and lifts the business, well do that. We just need to know that it really was two seconds, and how much it cost and then we can do that. That moment, Mr. Colbert said, was possible only because of the live shows he had done in the previous months. Thats when it changed for us, he said. And thats when it started to feel like when you walk off the stage and say, God, what a great freaking job, that I get to do this! (He used slightly more colorful language.) Two weeks into Mr. Trumps presidency, Mr. Colbert beat Mr. Fallon for the first time. Beyond the political moment, however, Mr. Colbert said he felt more comfortable on the Ed Sullivan Theater stage than ever before. I always had to keep a certain amount of distance as the character, he said of his time at Comedy Central. I always had to be a little of a facsimile of me that they were getting obviously because I was playing somebody named me who wasnt me, but even on top of that there was a little bit more of a distance from the audience. Mr. Colbert runs out onto the stage every night these days, and high-fives audience members in the front row. A cameraman circles around him, and Mr. Colbert looks directly into the lenses and says, Hey. Mr. Licht said Mr. Colbert had started doing that on his own just about three months ago, a brief, intimate moment between the host and the viewer, watching at home, right before bed. Im so much more comfortable on my feet now, Mr. Colbert said. Im a quicker and better writer. I am more comfortable being myself in front of an audience. I like this new relationship with the audience. Amanda Lee Woodruff and Enrique Raphael Santos were married April 7 at the Mackey House, an event space in Savannah, Ga. Franklin Martinez, a friend of the couple who became a Universal Life minister for the event, officiated. The bride, 29, is the executive editor of MagnifyMoney.com, a personal-finance education website in Manhattan. She was until May 2016 a reporter for Yahoo Finance in Manhattan. She graduated from the University of Georgia. She is the daughter of Laura J. Dutton of Onalaska, Wis., and Alton R. Woodruff of Atlanta. The brides father is a freelance photographer and caterer there. Her mother retired as a project manager for AT&T, also in Atlanta. The groom, 31, works in Manhattan as an evidence technician and support staff specialist in the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. He graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase and received a masters degree in criminal justice from John Jay College. Caroline Anne Boneparth, a daughter of Heather H. Boneparth and Peter Boneparth of Kiawah Island, S.C., was married April 8 to Michael Douglas Dechert, the son of Susan Schultz Dechert of Rock Island, Ill., and Kenneth S. Dechert of Avon, Ohio. Rabbi Arnold M. Belzer led the ceremony at the River Course Clubhouse at the Kiawah Island Club, with Chaplain Patricia A. Tillman, a Lutheran minister, participating. Mrs. Dechert, 28, is a vice president in the San Francisco office of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York financial firm that invests in health care and technology companies. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received an M.B.A. from Harvard. Until 2009 the brides father was the chief executive of the Jones Apparel Group, a womens clothing and footwear company in New York, and now is based on Kiawah Island as a consultant focusing on the retail industry. Mr. Dechert, 29, works as an investment analyst in the San Francisco office of Farallon Capital Management, a global hedge fund. He graduated summa cum laude from Duke. Erin Ann Hartigan and Marc Edward Lavallee were married April 8 at the Decatur House, a historic home in Washington. The Rev. Patrick J. Conroy, a Roman Catholic chaplain of the United States House of Representatives, officiated. Ms. Hartigan, 34, is keeping her name. She works in New York, directing dining coverage for FoodNetwork.com and overseeing all of CookingChannelTV.com. She graduated from Georgetown University. She is a daughter of Laurie Kirkwood Hartigan and John F. Hartigan of Los Angeles. The brides father, who works there, is a partner in Morgan Lewis, a law firm based in Philadelphia. He also serves on the board of the Georgetown University Law Center and is the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni Association. Her mother, now retired, was a lawyer for the National Science Foundation in Washington. Mr. Lavallee, 35, an executive director at The New York Times, is also the head of Story[X], the newsrooms research and development group. Kathryn Marie Rimbey Ogletree, the daughter of Mary-Lynn Ogletree and the Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree of Guilford, Conn., was married April 8 to Benjamin Jason Story, a son of Andrea Story and Thomas Story of San Diego. The brides father, a United Methodist minister, officiated at the Prado in Balboa Park in San Diego. The couple met at Harvard, from which each received an M.B.A. Mrs. Story, 32, is the director of global television content strategy for Netflix in Los Angeles. She graduated from Yale. Her father is the Frederick Marquand professor emeritus of theological ethics and a former dean at the Yale Divinity School in New Haven. Her mother, also retired, was a pastor at the Orange Congregational Church in Orange, Conn. Mr. Story, 34, is a general manager in Los Angeles for Uber. He graduated from U.C.L.A. His mother retired as an occupational therapist in San Diego for Sharp Grossmont Hospital. His father is a land-use consultant there. The judges ruling offers the artists a chance to confront Mr. Wolkoff in court and to seek redress for painting over their work, said Jonathan Cohen, an artist who had curated the murals and helped organize the artists at 5Pointz since 2002. Mr. Cohen said he was hopeful that the suit might become a landmark case to establish street art as legitimate contributions worthy of protection. Mr. Cohen, known by his artist name Meres1, said he had hoped to photograph the art on the buildings walls and to remove much of it, because many of the murals were painted on siding panels or otherwise removable and could have filled a museum somewhere. In an interview, Mr. Wolkoff called the judges decision mind boggling because the art was never intended for anything but short-term display. The 5Pointz artists followed a street graffiti tradition of creating murals knowing full well that they would soon be painted over by other artists, he added. They call it bombing, and the next artist goes over someone elses work, he said. They painted over their own work continually, and it goes on for years. Thats the idea of graffiti. There were tens of thousands of paintings there, over the years, and theyd last for three or six or nine months. Mr. Wolkoff said he liked and respected the artists and was a fan of their work. I never thought theyd sue me they bit the hand that fed them, he said, adding that the work was, after all, spray painted on his property. He said he reminded the artists constantly that one day he would turn the building into high-rises. In February, as Eric Gonzalez, the acting Brooklyn district attorney, was getting ready to run for a four-year term, he sent out a news release hinting at how he might conduct his campaign. In the little-noticed statement, Mr. Gonzalez announced that he had joined forces with the widow of his predecessor, Ken Thompson, who died of cancer last year, to donate 20 of Mr. Thompsons suits and some of his shirts and ties to a group of inmates recently released from the citys Rikers Island prison complex. As Mr. Thompsons protege and handpicked successor, Mr. Gonzalez had left no doubt that he planned to run not only in his mentors shoes, but would toss in the rest of his wardrobe, too. Though it has barely started, the Brooklyn district attorneys race has become a very crowded contest with an odd twist: Its central figure, and the man most likely to shape its themes and contours, is no longer alive. Even at this early stage, seven candidates most of them alumni of the district attorneys office have formally declared that they are seeking the Democratic nomination in the September primary. Though each has offered a slightly different platform, all have tried in their own way to lay claim to Mr. Thompsons legacy, promising to deepen and extend the work he did to change the criminal justice system. By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Incorporating some more points) New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) While showering praise on Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today slammed another neighbour Pakistan in a veiled manner, saying it prefers "backstabbing over trust" and that its "mindset" is a roadblock to peace in the region. He made the comments as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina felicitated Indian heroes of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan and recalled their sacrifices at a special event here. advertisement He said Indias doors are always open for cooperation, but for that terrorism has to be shunned, a clear reference to Pakistan. Referring to his famous slogan "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" (eveybodys cooperation, everybodys development), Modi said it is not just restricted to India but also to the neighbouring countries as development of India is incomplete without the progress of the region. "We have extended a hand of friendship towards every country (of the region) and have invited them to be a part of our growth. Without being selfish, we have wished good for the entire region," said the Prime Minister who had invited leaders of all the SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony in 2014. "We truly think that citizens of all nations of the region progress and prosper. Our doors are open for cooperation, but for this terrorism has to be shunned," he said. Without naming Pakistan but obviously referring to it, Modi said, "There is one mindset in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The mindset whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism." India and Bangladesh are a victim of that "mindset" which encourages terrorism, he said. "The thinking, whose policymakers prefer terrorism over humanity, destruction over development, destruction over creation, backstabbing over trust, is the biggest challenge to the society and its economic development," he said. Noting that 1,661 Indian soldiers had laid down their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War, Modi said the Indian armys struggle in this cannot be forgotten. Before the function, Modi and Hasina met and posed for photographs with Major Ashok Tara of 14 Guards who had rescued the family of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from a house in Dhanmandi where they had been imprisoned by the Pakistani soldiers in 1971. Rahman was the father of Sheikh Hasina. "The Indian army never shied away from its duty and set an example by following conventions of the war. Over 90,000 Prisoners of War were released safely after the 1971 war. The humane gesture shown by India is one of the biggest events in the century. This also shows the character of the Indian army," Modi said. advertisement The Prime Minister said the genocide by Pakistan in 1971 was undertaken to wipe out an entire generation of Bangladesh and every person who was proud of the idea of Bangladesh was eliminated. "The purpose of this genocide was not just killing the innocents, but to uproot the idea of Bangladesh," he said. Speaking at the event, Hasina said, the history of Bangladesh has been written with the blood of Indian martyrs along with valiant freedom fighters of Bangladesh. "They fought together for the independence of Bangladesh. The story of their sacrifice will be remembered from generation to generation in our two countries," she said. On the occasion, Hasina also honoured Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Major Anup Singh Gahlaut, Subedhar Malkiat Singh, Havildar Sungandh Singh, Lt Samir Das and Lance Naik Mohan Chandra, who laid down their lives in the 1971 war. Modi, in turn, announced doubling of Mukti Yoddha scholarship from 10,000 in the next five years, multiple visa entry for mukti yoddha (freedom fighters of Bangladesh Liberation Movement) and medical assistance to 100 mukti yoddhas through a special scheme. PTI PR KUN AKK AKK --- ENDS --- advertisement Soft light shone upon the body of the Rev. Neil Connolly, which lay in repose under the dome of St. Marys Roman Catholic Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A procession of mourners nuns, priests, family and friends made their way up the aisle, hugging one another as they approached his open coffin, stopped and prayed, then gently touched his pristine robe as a final goodbye. Father Neil, as he preferred to be known even though he was a monsignor, spent 28 years leading St. Marys parish until he left in 2013. He died in his sleep on April 1 at the priests retirement home in the Bronx. Perhaps it was destiny that he drew his last breath in the borough where he had spent some 25 years after his ordination at St. Athanasius parish. He was 83. In both communities, Father Neil rallied his parishioners to confront their fears and often landlords and politicians and lift up their community from poverty, poor housing and ill health. He did it by encouraging them to lead, rather than defer to him. It was a trait he shared with fellow priests who came of age after the Second Vatican Council, pursuing a ministry that was equally at home in the streets organizing residents as it was in the sanctuary blessing them. What I am today is because of Father Neil, said Angel Diaz, a former pastoral assistant at St. Marys who worked closely with him on community organizing. He taught me how to understand social justice, to put the church into action. Staying within the four walls of the church was not enough. We had to go out into the community to help people understand the gospel. That Vajiralongkorn even asked for revisions is all the more surprising because as crown prince he was known for a lavish lifestyle abroad and seemed neither interested in nor suited to being as active a king as his late father, King Bhumibol, much less a challenger to the junta. The military government had also worked hard to win Vajiralongkorns favor. In 2014, while he was said to be having an affair, it set the stage for his divorce from his third wife by having her extended family arrested and sending her into internal exile. When there was talk of allowing a princess to succeed Bhumibol, the generals made public appearances with the crown prince, a tacit endorsement that smoothed his path to the throne. The Prayuth government has invoked liberally Thailands draconian lese-majeste laws against critics of the throne or the military sending a record number of ordinary citizens to jail for record-long sentences. So is Vajiralongkorn trying to redefine the monarchys relationship with the military, unexpectedly, or is he simply reasserting a few royal prerogatives so he can keep on living as he pleases? Either way, what are the implications for the prospects of democracy in Thailand? For decades, the palace has almost always aligned itself with the military, generally against politicians and democracy. The military would call the shots, and the palace would sign off. Gen. Prayuths government cleared Vajiralongkorns way to the throne, and expected him to rubber stamp its Constitution. But he didnt. He asked to change it, and in seemingly innocuous ways, which may be even more unnerving to the generals. After they assented to his changes, he chose to approve the revised draft, well ahead of the deadline, on Chakri Memorial Day, which commemorates the establishment of the current dynasty 235 years ago. The timing was no coincidence; it was a message. This monarch is going to be a player, it said. Uncertainty is the rule in Thai politics, but typically its been the doing of the generals and their guns. Now its the generals who face uncertainty, and from their traditional ally. Theres nothing more alarming for people used to wielding arbitrary power than knowing someone else with even more arbitrary power is looking over their shoulder. But theres more. Tying the promulgation of the Constitution to Chakri Day is significant is another way as well: It seems to signal that constitutions are a gift to the people from the monarchy, and that opens wide the question of what this king might do for democracy. Having spent much of the last decade abroad means that Vajiralongkorn, who is 64, has stayed clear of political entanglements in Thailand. He may not command the same respect as Bhumibol, but his relatively clean slate is another kind of asset: It gives him credibility, perhaps even leverage, with pro-democracy advocates, including supporters of the populist former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, commonly known as the red shirts. TEL AVIV More than any other Jewish text, the Passover Haggadah the book that guides participants through the Seder is a quilt sewn over generations. It is mysterious and beautiful, and often restless. It weaves together social justice (inviting the needy to join the meal), storytelling (about how our forefathers were enslaved in Egypt), ceremonial symbols (unleavened bread and a shank bone, to name just two), pedagogy (asking questions from a wise son and a wicked one), celebration (for the Exodus) and pleas for help (Pour out Your wrath upon the nations who do not know You). The Haggadah also encapsulates two competing instincts in Jews today. On one hand is the tribal-national sense of peoplehood the Exodus from Egypt represents the creation of a people, the Jewish people. On the other hand is the universalist-humanist the Hebrews emancipation from Pharaoh has become a symbol of freedom from oppression, and Let my people go a rallying cry everywhere. Because it reconciles these two threads in Jewish life, Passover is appreciated by nearly everyone in the Jewish community and more widely observed than any other holiday. In Israel, more than 90 percent of Jews celebrate Passover; in the United States, 70 percent. But this holiday can also be a moment of polarization, and the Haggadah can be a Rorschach test as Jews choose competing interpretations. A contemporary reading is often a political one. Life today is, of course, very different from what it was centuries ago when the Haggadah was assembled. So some Jews reinvent the book to suit their new needs. The socialist kibbutz movement produced hundreds of Haggadot over the years, with references to collectivist ideals and modern events like the Holocaust. In 1969, some American Jews created a freedom Haggadah in support of the African-American struggle for equality. More recently, the novelist Jonathan Safran Foer edited a stylish postmodern Haggadah, well suited, one critic wrote, to our age of distraction. Both Atomwise and Deep Genomics were participants in different years in a program called the Creative Destruction Lab. Founded in 2012 by Ajay Agrawal, a professor at the Rotman School, the lab was set up to help technology-intensive start-ups. They are typically founded by a Ph.D. scientist who has worked on an idea for five years, but has little or no business experience. In 2015, the program tilted toward A.I. start-ups, with 25 companies admitted. Last year, 50 A.I. start-ups were admitted, and this year will likely have 75, Mr. Agrawal said. The program lasts nine months, with fall and spring terms, much like a school year. The participants gather every eight weeks in Toronto for two days to make presentations, listen to advice and set goals for the next eight weeks. At every gathering, at least one and sometimes several companies are voted out. The voters are a growing group of tech entrepreneurs and investors whom Mr. Agrawal has recruited. One of the X factors in Canadas drive to develop an A.I. industry is the Trump administration. Canadian A.I. scientists say they have received a stream of inquiries from researchers in the United States, concerned about the new administrations stance on immigration and other policies. Should there be a northward migration it wouldnt the first time. Mr. Hinton settled in Canada in 1987 in part because of Americas clandestine support for the Contra guerrillas who sought to overthrow the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua. LONDON This Sunday night, the Olivier Awards will honor the best of London commercial theater. Theres a long history of Olivier-winning shows that went on to enjoy good fortune at Broadways equivalent prizes, the Tony Awards: Four years ago, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, scooped a record-setting seven Oliviers before cleaning up with five Tonys when it transferred to New York. And last year, the Tony-coronated Kinky Boots, repeated its New York best musical triumph with a London win in the same category. Does that spell likely success for the Broadway-bound productions of Groundhog Day and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, both of which are up for a slew of Oliviers on Sunday? Not necessarily. Accidents of history and matters of cultural taste also mean that some shows have mixed fortunes on either side of the Atlantic. Heres a look at eight recent shows that have had differing fates at the two awards ceremonies. The only realistic way to look at this is that it did not stick, said David Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who has written extensively about police reform and who studied the Pittsburgh experience. Discovering Section 14141 In 1991, long before cellphone videos, there was Rodney King, an unarmed black man whose beating by four Los Angeles police officers was captured in grainy television footage. The episode led to widespread public outrage and congressional hearings on how to address police misconduct. A tiny provision, known as Section 14141, was inserted into a crime bill signed into law by Mr. Clinton in 1994. The attorney general was authorized to investigate and sue to eliminate any pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct by law enforcement officers. In the Justice Department, civil rights lawyers wrestled with how, and where, to exercise their new authority. In Pittsburgh, lawyers had been collecting civilian complaints and learned that over 20 years, only one police officer had been disciplined one who had an altercation with a black man who happened to be the deputy city solicitor. In 1995, Pittsburgh had its own Rodney King Jonny Gammage, a black businessman and cousin of a lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who died of asphyxiation during a struggle with white police officers in the suburbs. Though his death did not involve the Pittsburgh police, it galvanized blacks and whites here to work together, said Tim Stevens, the president of the local chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. at the time. In March 1996, Witold Walczak, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, learned about Section 14141 while preparing a class-action suit against the Pittsburgh police. He called the Justice Department and offered up his documents, which led to the federal investigation. The city was offered the chance to avoid a federal lawsuit if it agreed to make certain changes a consent decree. This is a version of the weekly Race/Related newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up here. Natural. Curly. Straight. Processed. Silkener. Dreads. Good hair. Nappy hair. Wigs. Today were exploring the world of hair, a billion-dollar industry. For all its complexities, hair is an integral element in the New York-based artist Tasha Douges work This Land is OUR Land. We spoke with her about the piece, and the intersection between history, art, hair, and identity. (The conversation with our visual editor, Sandra Stevenson, has been lightly edited and condensed.) What inspired you to create This Land? The inspiration came from the phrase Make America Great Again. O.K., so were going to make America great When was it great? Who made it great? Who was it great for? When you answer these questions, youll have a slew of answers. When I think about this nation as a whole, it wouldnt be what it is now without the contributions of enslaved Africans. I wanted to explore how I could convey the story of slaves in a way that hasnt been done before. Without much thought, the image of the American flag came to mind. And then I thought: Oh, Im going to make the American flag with black hair. And then I wanted to replace the stars with cotton. Describe the creative process. The hair I used was synthetic braiding hair in different shades (black, dark brown, brown, gray) that I purchased online. There were times that I was exhausted, because I work 9 to 5. She was definitely a task as she is 5 feet by 3 feet. I thought to myself that I could have walked away at any given point because no one knows she is in existence, but no kept resounding in my head, because my ancestors didnt give up. And their pain was nowhere near my pain. So if Im going to pay homage to my ancestors, I need to do right by them and complete this task. I reference her, Justice, as my blessed burden to carry. When youre speaking truth that people dont want to hear, that can be burdensome. These loyalties have upended the Tea Party-versus-establishment divide, which has dominated fratricidal primary seasons since 2010 but increasingly has the air of fins on the back of a car, a quaint relic from an earlier era. With Mr. Trump in charge, the political market for purity on the right has been devalued. Because of the loyalty that the most conservative voters in our base have to Trump, theres a pull there thats scrambling the ideological lines, said Andy Sere, a Republican ad man who has been heavily engaged in the partys internecine wars. He wants wins on the board, and thats traditionally been the goal of the pragmatists. The shifting conservative fault lines are on display in the affluent and mall-dotted northern suburbs of Atlanta, which were at the front end of the Souths political realignment in the 1970s when they turned away from their Democratic roots and elected a loquacious young college professor named Newt Gingrich to Congress. The special election on April 18 has drawn substantial attention because one of the Democrats running, Jon Ossoff, has raised a remarkable $8 million, and his success in a Republican-leaning district could presage a midterm backlash against Mr. Trump. (Voters will pick from candidates of both parties on a single ballot; if no one clears 50 percent, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election.) But the way the Republican hopefuls are running is just as instructive. Even as they try to win over the sort of conservative activists dedicated enough to participate in a rare April election, the Republicans are casting themselves more as can-do pragmatists in the spirit of Mr. Trump than unwavering ideologues. At the forum and in individual interviews afterward, three of the Republicans in the 18-person field invoked some variation of Ronald Reagans maxim that it is better to get 80 percent of what you want than nothing at all. WASHINGTON Viewed one way, Judge Neil M. Gorsuchs confirmation will not do much to change the dynamics of the Supreme Court. His appointment is a one-for-one swap, a conservative replacing another conservative. But there is a more instructive way to think about what Judge Gorsuchs impact will be after he is sworn in on Monday. It is to consider how the court would have been reshaped by President Barack Obamas pick for the same seat, Judge Merrick B. Garland. The answer shows just how polarized the Supreme Court has become. The titanic struggle over who would replace Justice Antonin Scalia was nothing if not partisan, and for good reason the Supreme Court is just as divided as the rest of the nation. WASHINGTON When it came time to make his case for the judgment of history, President Barack Obama had a ready rebuttal to one of the most cutting critiques of his time in office. Although friends and foes alike faulted him for not following through on his threat to retaliate when Syria gassed its own people in 2013, Mr. Obama would counter that he had actually achieved a better result through an agreement with President Bashar al-Assad to surrender all of his chemical weapons. After last week, even former Obama aides assume that he will have to rethink that passage in his memoir. More than 80 civilians were killed in what Western analysts called a sarin attack by Syrian forces a chilling demonstration that the agreement did not succeed. In recent days, former aides have lamented what they considered one of the worst moments of the Obama presidency and privately conceded that his legacy would suffer. If the Syrian government carried out the attack and the agent was sarin, then clearly the 2013 agreement didnt succeed in its objective of eliminating Bashars C.W., or chemical weapons, said Robert Einhorn, who was the State Department special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control under Mr. Obama before the agreement. Either he didnt declare all his C.W. and kept some hidden in reserve, or he illegally produced some sarin after his stock was eliminated most likely the former. Considering the mobile phone number provided as the owner's address, a court in Haryana, in a first, summoned a respondent on instant messaging mobile application WhatsApp. By Manjeet Sehgal: Treating a mobile phone number as owner's address, a court in Haryana, first time in Indian legal history, summoned a person on instant messaging mobile application WhatsApp. And this has put the state's senior bureaucrat Dr Ashok Khemka in the limelight again. Khemka is the second most transferred officer of the state. Ashok Khemka, currently serving as the financial commissioner, while hearing a property dispute case in the court of the financial commissioner, ordered to serve the summons on Whatsapp as the person being summoned had refused to share his exact address and lives somewhere in Kathmandu, Nepal. advertisement Section 62 of the Code of Civil Procedure requires that the summons be served personally to the person by delivering or tendering to him one of the duplicates of the summons. He is also required to receive the summons but in this case the defendant had just shared his mobile number. When Dr Khemka was informed that one of the parties was not sharing his address, he ordered to summon him on WhatsApp. Satbir, Ramdiyal and Krishan Sharma are brothers who had disputed their family property located in a village in Hisar district. Revering to order V, Rule 9 (2) of the CPC which specifies that summons may be sent in such manner as the Court may direct and in Rule 9(3) any other means of transmission is provided, the court directed that a clear image of the summons notice bearing the seal of the Court shall be sent to respondent Krishan Sharma who lives in Kathmandu. The court, in addition, as per the provisions of section 20(2) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 read with Order V Rule 17 of the CPC, also directed to paste a copy of the summons on some conspicuous place in or near the joint land holding and the house in the village where Krishan Sharma resided before moving out. When India Today contacted Sharma on the phone number on which the summons was shared, the respondent said he was yet to receive the summons. "I don't know. I don't use Whatsapp. I am working here and doing a private job. It is not possible to go back. I am still on duty and don't want to speak," Krishan Sharma said. --- ENDS --- But the American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, suggested that such a process was doomed as long as Mr. Assad was in power. We know theres not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime, she said on CNN. If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, its going to be hard to see a government thats peaceful and stable with Assad. That statement stood in contrast not only to Mr. Tillersons comments but also to Ms. Haleys own remarks a week ago before Mr. Assad carried out his latest chemical weapons attack on civilians in which she insisted that his departure from office was not a diplomatic priority for the United States. Still, the overall tone of suspicion and condemnation of Russias actions in Syria indicated that Mr. Trumps top national security advisers were nudging him back to a more traditional Russia policy. During his days as the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, Mr. Tillerson received a friendship award from Mr. Putin, and he is aware of the suspicions surrounding those ties and has gone the furthest in the administration in separating himself from the Russian leader. The challenges have only multiplied in recent days. The Russians, angry about the attack on the air base, have threatened to cut off a communication line that the American and Russian militaries have used to notify each other about air operations in Syria. And the attack has forced Mr. Putin into a tighter relationship with Mr. Assad, perhaps tighter than the Russian leader wants. Ms. Haley, who, like Mr. Tillerson, is new to diplomacy, has also apparently concluded that a hard line toward Russia is the safest course. The contrast between her remarks and Mr. Trumps warm words for Mr. Putin on the campaign trail as well as his refusal to acknowledge Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election has been striking. The Trump administrations Syria policy has been difficult to parse. Mr. Tillerson, in his first television appearances since taking office, seemed to describe two different strategic objectives: halting chemical attacks and ultimately negotiating a cease-fire. But he made it clear that he had no intention of backing a military intervention that would overthrow Mr. Assad. That suggested that as long as the dictator used conventional means to kill his own people barrel bombs instead of sarin gas the United States would keep its distance. I think what the United States and our allies want to do is to enable the Syrian people to make that determination about Mr. Assads fate, Mr. Tillerson said on CBSs Face the Nation a line that was often used by his predecessor in the Obama administration, John Kerry. You know, weve seen what violent regime change looks like in Libya and the kind of chaos that can be unleashed. MOGADISHU, Somalia At least 10 people were killed in the capital of Somalia on Sunday when a suicide bomber tried to assassinate the newly installed commander of the countrys army, witnesses and officials said. The bomber tried to ram a vehicle into a convoy carrying the commander, Gen. Ahmed Mohamed Jimale, outside the defense ministry in Mogadishu, the capital, where he had just taken his oath of office, a spokesman for Somalias ministry of internal security, Abdikamil Moalim Shukri, said. General Jimale and other defense officials survived the attack, Mr. Shukri said, but 10 civilians traveling in a minibus near the generals convoy were killed. Officials accused the militant Shabab group of the attack. A Shabab suicide bomber targeted a military convoy left from the ministry of defense compound which was carrying the newly appointed Somali military chief, Mr. Shukri said, adding: No officials were hurt in the blast. All the victims were civilians. KABUL, Afghanistan An American Special Forces soldier was killed in eastern Afghanistan during a joint operation with Afghan forces against affiliates of the Islamic State, officials said on Sunday. The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar Province, Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the American forces in Afghanistan, said. The death was the first American casualty in Afghanistan from hostile fire since the beginning of the year, according to a tally kept by the website iCasualties. Last year, 13 American soldiers died in the country, 10 because of enemy fire. In total, 2,217 American soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001 and another 20,000 have been wounded, according to the Pentagon. About 8,400 American soldiers remain in Afghanistan, carrying out two missions one under NATOs mission to train and assist Afghan forces, and a second counterterrorism mission focused on Al Qaeda and affiliates of the Islamic State. The United States commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, has expressed the need for thousands more American soldiers ahead of what is expected to be a tough fighting season. BRATISLAVA, Slovakia When Simona Budinska, a 31-year-old public relations specialist, had trouble finding lactose-free products at her local grocery, she and her husband began driving across the border to Austria, where the stores were teeming with choices. But it was not the variety of products on the shelves as much as what was in them that stunned the couple. The washing powder was just much more effective, and the ketchup contained more tomatoes than the Slovak one, Ms. Budinska said. The countries of Eastern and Central Europe have long bridled at being treated like the poor cousins of the European Union family. It does not help that even after more than a dozen years in the bloc, wages remain lower, corruption persists and public services, like schools and hospitals, are far scruffier. But now that sense of resentment of being treated as second-class citizens by more prosperous neighbors is reaching even into the regions refrigerators and cupboards. With rising passion, prominent politicians and local news media have taken up the issue of whether Eastern Europeans are being sold inferior products. There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this, Mr. Ek wrote, adding, I am as deeply saddened and upset as all of you that something like this could happen in Sweden. The police have not provided any more information about the victims. A police spokesman, Kjell Lindgren, said a second person was being held on suspicion of participating in the attack. The assault, in a city known for its tolerance and openness, came after the Swedish Security Service, or Sapo, warned in March in its annual security report that a terrorist acting alone was likely to attack somewhere in the country within a year. Hans Brun, a security expert with the Swedish Defence University, said the police had worried about the possibility of such an assault. Unfortunately, this type of low-tech attack is something we have been discussing for years, he said, adding that the police, Sapo and other government agencies had long been preparing, resulting in a well-coordinated response on Friday. They put Stockholm under lockdown quite quickly, Mr. Brun said in a phone interview. They shut down the subway. They found the perpetrator quickly and, obviously, had some reliable intelligence quite early on. The danger is not only that this type of attack is hard to prevent, he said, but also that there are so many people who are willing to do it. TANTA, Egypt Rattling a country already wrestling with a faltering economy and deepening political malaise, two suicide bombings that killed 44 people at Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday raised the specter of increased sectarian bloodshed led by Islamic State militants. The attacks constituted one of the deadliest days of violence against Christians in Egypt in decades and presented a challenge to the authority of the countrys leader, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who promptly declared a three-month state of emergency. Security is the central promise of Mr. Sisi, a strongman leader who returned on Friday from a triumphant visit to the United States, where President Trump hailed him as a bulwark against Islamist violence. Mr. Trump made it clear that he was willing to overlook the record of mass detention, torture and extrajudicial killings during Mr. Sisis rule in favor of his ability to combat the Islamic State and defend minority Christians. On Sunday, Mr. Sisi found himself back on the defensive, deploying troops to protect churches across the country weeks before a planned visit by Pope Francis. Mr. Sisi rushed to assure Christians, who have traditionally been among his most vocal supporters and now fear that he cannot protect them against extremists. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) India today signed three pacts with Bangladesh in the field of nuclear energy, second such deal with a South Asian neighbour. The pact entails knowledge sharing and training of Bangladeshi personnel in the area. The first agreement is the general cooperation pact for peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The second one was signed between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of India and its Bangladeshi equal Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), which calls for exchange of technical cooperation and sharing of information in the field of nuclear safety and radiation protection. advertisement The third agreement focuses on Indo-Bangla collaboration regarding nuclear power plants in Bangladesh. "The pact also includes training of Bangladeshi personnel by our Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)," said a senior government official. Besides Bangladesh, India has signed civil nuclear deals with the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, South Korea, Mongolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan. After India and Pakistan, Bangladesh is the third South Asian nation which has plans to harness nuclear power. Russia is building two nuclear power plants in Bangladesh. PTI PR MP SRY --- ENDS --- Shooting from the hip with unerring accuracy was the Wild West according to Hollywood. As anyone who has ever fired a pistol will tell you, it is improbable, and historically the West's few gun duels were rather unremarkable. The latest hip-shooter is, of course, Donald J. Trump, whose foreign policy seems to turn on a dime -- from not interested in removing Bashar al-Assad to his having no place in a future Syria, all within a week. The U.S. has a powerful military and it is very good at breaking things, so it is no surprise that presidents are tempted to use it. It does not matter that the problem requires shrewd diplomacy and difficult negotiations; the president is making a point. Who knows what happened in Idlib, when there hasn't been time for a proper investigation. Eyewitnesses report a plane dropping a bomb which is not much to go on. But a conventional bomb does its damage through its explosive force and would show much greater physical destruction at the site than a chemical weapon using a small quantity of explosive as a means of dispersing the gas. An examination of the site could prove or disprove the Russian claim that a conventional weapon hitting a storage/manufacturing facility released organophosphates. No such analysis from anyone, least of all Mr. Trump as he shed crocodile tears for the poisoned 'babies'. Instant death from gas is clearly more humane than shrapnel. It is why you won't see any pictures from Yemen where Mr. Trump's allies are making mincemeat out of men, women and children alike, even using cluster bombs in civilian areas. That does not cross Mr. Trump's 'many lines'. The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans their use and has been ratified by a majority of the world's nations. Now we are being told this is the second time Syria has used chemical weapons. The fake news never stops and neither do leaders or their representatives. Their currency is never counterfeit ... until it's too late. In the 2013 incident, the fake news would have had us believe that Assad invited UN inspectors and then exploded a chemical weapon 10km from their hotel. It is important not to demonize Assad not only because it is unconscionable if he is innocent of these war crimes, but also because peace without him is at present unattainable. As a British MP, George Galloway, not taken in by the hysteria at the time said, "he may be bad but is he mad?" Here we are back again and it's time to repeat his question. Also one more ... the elephant-in-the- room question: WHY? 'Remember the Maine' before the Spanish-American War; the Lusitania carrying weapons despite Germany's strong warning before the First World War; the 'Gulf of Tonkin' before the Vietnam war; the 'undeniable evidence' of WMDs in Iraq; and now Syria -- an unrepentant tarnished history of varnished mendacity costing millions of lives and tens of millions of refugees in a trail of horrendous human suffering. Truth would be refreshing, but it comes at a tremendous cost. Ask some recent purveyors. Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Wonderful work! An insightful, integrative adventure into what makes humans flourish. Rob Kall shows us that we know how to do this, that most of human history was about connection and that there are ways to make it happen again. He offers real solutions and practical suggestions for taking back the world for community, connection and well-beingaway from hierarchy, exclusion, and destruction. A new handbook for the necessary revolution!" Darcia Narvaez, Professor of psychology, Notre Dame, University, author of Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "In his new book, Bottom-Up, Rob Kall's exploration of top-down and bottom-up forces in our culture, our brains, and our planet provides a deep insight into the challenges we face. He offers pathways we can use to create the changes we need to break free of the war economy and build local peace economies." Jodie Evans, cofounder of Code Pink and Chair of the Women's Media Center What's it like living next door to War-Torn Yemen? (Part 4): The Sequal 2-plus years-On: Famine & Endless War by Kevin Stoda, Salalah, Oman Several years back I felt that I needed to type out a set of documents from the silent side of the border of Yemen--namely the Dhofar region of Oman. This is the region where I live and work and which borders Yemen. However, mo there is still a buffer of many hundreds of kilometers from this region and most of the ongoing war or conflict led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These human catastrophes are mostly now being carried out largely (but not exclusively) in the far-distant Houthi held regions of Yemen. Now, again I feel a new set of documents need to be published on: What's it like living next door to War-Torn Yemen? The following is the first of this new series as yemen faces the worst famine in its history. Two factors lead me to again tackle this topic. First, the United Nations has called on all countries of the world to aid the famine victims in Yemen. The youngest of the Yemeni population are the hardest hit and are dying at an alarming rate even as bombings continue in Yemen. One recent visitor to Yemen on behalf of peace groups noted, "The U.S. is arming the Saudis, that have led to the catastrophic situation in Yemen where one child is dying every single 10 minutes." So, this story must be told and retold until Americans comprehend it. Second, President Trump appears to be expanding and accelerating the USAs involvement in the region. Just look at what he did in Syria last week. One long-time Middle East observer has noted: "The U.S. has been incinerating people for years with drone strikes, killed over 200 people in Mosul just recently." Meanwhile, he same has been going on in Yemen--first in the last months of the Obama Administration (who set an armament selling record with the Saudis) and now under the new Trump administration. In January of this year, Trump okayed an ill-thought-out and ill-carried-out mission to Yemen which led to the deaths of 13 or more children--and dozens of other family members (and this was not even a Houthi-supporting village). On recent visitor in Yemen explains, "T hat village has essentially been abandoned now, because not only--after that raid happened, not only was the entire village strafed and more than 120 livestock were killed, but the U.S. went back a month later, at the beginning of March, and bombed it for four consecutive nights, both with drone strikes and helicopter gunfire, and killed two more children and several more adults. So the last person that I spoke to who was living there, Sheikh Aziz al Ameri, he then left the village and is now living under trees several miles away." SHOCK AND AWE & WAR CRIMES OR REMAKING AL-QAEDA Such shock-and-awe tactics eventually got America no-where with Iraq in the 2004-2010 period. Such shock-and-awe tactics are similarly not likely to end this civil war in Yemen--a war that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been bungling through for over two and a half years now. Yet, with a record 700 billion dollar defense budget, Trump's administration appears ready to raise the stakes and sell the Saudis more weapons than ever in 2017. [Please, readers, put pressure on your government to stop this criminal non-sense.] Meanwhile, the USA's policy is simply to continue marching quagmire-like foreward in Yemen. For example, with the January 2017 US Marine fiasco, the USA appears dead-set (along with its KSA and UAE cohorts) on helping Al-Qaeda to gain more and more recruits in Yemen. Iona Craig reported on Democracy Now after she had visited the site of the bungled Trump Marine Attack in January of this year. Craig stated, "So, the impact on the local population, who were essentially on the same side as U.S. in the civil war in Yemen at the moment [of the misguided attack on January] --they were fighting against the Houthis, which is exactly what the U.S. has been doing over the last two years--they've not only alienated the entire local population around there, but caused to huge amount of anti-American sentiment. And now tribesmen, who were not al-Qaeda, who are not even al-Qaeda now, but were not before, but are now quite willing and wanting to fight the Americans as a result of this and a result of them killing their children and their wives." Craig disputes the claims by Trump's White House that the raid, which had left nearly 30 dead, was in any way successful in gathering intelligience. She claims this because it is not even clear that the USA marines involved even got into the houses they were shooting into. Meanwhile, weapons shipments by the USA into the Middle East are increasing greatly under Trump. Craig notes, "In Yemen, [the USA's influence] it's huge. The U.S. is the biggest exporter to Saudi Arabia, and it's big business for the U.S. But, of course, we know that the majority of civilian casualties in the war in Yemen have been caused by Saudi-led airstrikes. And the U.S. has a huge influence over this. They were--those precision-guided weapons were suspended at the end of last year, and now we're looking at a resumption of that, where the U.S. does actually have influence over Saudi Arabia--not just over Saudi Arabia, but also the continuation of this war, for the weapons that it sells to them and to the logistical support it gives to the Saudi-led coalition in the terms of refueling and in the terms of targets, as well." AUSTERITY AND LABOR-MARKET FORCES IN OMAN TODAY Here in Oman, the government continues to accept the treatment of casualties from the Yemeni civil war in its hospitals, but at the same time it is expelling many illegal workers in Oman. Among some of these workers targeted for expulsion are included Yemeni nationals, some whom have been working here for years. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Former US congressman (and presidential candidate) Ron Paul kept a placard on his desk reading "don't steal -- the government hates competition." Unfortunately for taxpayers, that competition is getting more frequent and more bold. According to US News and World Report, nearly a quarter of a million taxpayers filed affidavits claiming identity theft in 2016, while the IRS stopped nearly 800,000 more fraudulent tax returns. On April 6, Internal Revenue Service commissioner Josh Koskinen informed the US Senate that fraud-enabling information on as many as 100,000 taxpayers may have been compromised via an application allowing students applying for financial aid to import their tax data. This single breach seems to have produced more than 20,000 fraudulent tax returns, only 2/3 of which were caught ($30 million in "refunds" were sent out). How did we get here? It's a long story, starting in 1913 (with the 16th Amendment and the creation of a federal income tax, which initially applied to only a few of the richest Americans) and passing through World War Two when more and more people got hit up and government economists (including a young Milton Friedman, later an icon of the libertarian movement) came up with the idea of "withholding" tax revenues from paychecks instead of just collecting once a year. The average American worker gets robbed on a weekly basis. His or her employer, acting on behalf of the IRS, skims a portion off the top of each paycheck. In a gesture of seeming magnanimity, the gang hands some of the loot back over each year to nearly eight out of ten victims -- but only after the victims spend considerable time and/or money filling out paperwork, due by mid-April (this year, on the 18th). Is it any surprise that competing thieves would look for ways to game a trillion-dollar-plus scheme that pays out (as of 2015) $278 billion in refunds? According to the Department of the Treasury, "[a]s of May 2, 2015, the IRS reported that it identified 163,087 tax returns with more than $908.3 million claimed in fraudulent refunds and prevented the issuance of approximately $787 million (86.6 percent) in fraudulent refunds." Even if the IRS is completely correct about how many fraudulent returns were filed and how many were caught, that's a $121 million payday for the IRS's freelance counterparts. That's a drop in the bucket compared to what the IRS itself steals, but it ain't chump change. Fortunately, income tax refund fraud is an easy problem to fix. The smaller scheme depends on the bigger one. Repeal the income tax and the problem solves itself! Minus the income tax, other existing federal income taxes would fund Washington at spending levels typical of the late 1990s. I don't remember running into anyone back then who claimed that government was too small. Do you? Rudy Dent in Detroit, 2017 (Image by Linh Dinh) Details DMCA On February 18th, I was in Detroit to attend a presentation, "The War on Islam: 9/11 Revisited, Uncovered & Exposed." Sponsored by the Nation of Islam, it featured Kevin Barrett, Richard Gage and Christopher Bollyn. Prefacing, Ilia Rashad Muhammad remarked that 9/11 is more relevant than ever, since it has been used to curb the freedoms of all Americans, especially Muslims. Moreover, it has "literally impacted America, and the world, like never before." As a pretext for endless war, 9/11 hasn't just deformed this whole earth, it threatens to destroy it. Reminding us that false flags are far from unusual, Kevin Barrett cited 10 famous examples from history: Nero allegedly burning Rome; Gunpowder Plot; sinking of the USS Maine; sending of the Lusitania, a passenger ship loaded with explosives, into a war zone; Pearl Harbor; Gulf of Tonkin Incident; Israel's attack on the USS Liberty; bombing of the USS Cole; 1993 World Trade Center bombing; all the post 9-11 false flags, including Orlando, Charlie Hebdo and the ones in Paris in November of 2015, etc.; 9/11. Richard Gage patiently proved that the collapse of all three WTC buildings couldn't have been caused by fire. He paid particular attention to Building 7, which was hit by no plane and suffered almost no damage before it collapsed, at free fall speed, into its own footprint. Gage stated that nano-thermite was found in WTC dust samples, and asked why 163,000 tons of concrete pulverized in mid-air? His organization, the 2,500-strong Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, simply wants a proper investigation into what happened. Christopher Bollyn began by thanking Louis Farrakhan as "the only religious leader in our nation who has addressed the gigantic, horrendous fraud of 9/11." Then: 9/11 was carried out to kick start the War on Terror, a Zionist war agenda of aggression, terrorism and conquest which continues to this day [...] We will not have peace as a nation, or a world, if we continue to accept the deception of 9/11 [...] If the government and media are lying to us about 9/11, it means that they are controlled by the very same people who carried out 9/11 [...] Both 9/11 and the War on Terror were conceived and planned in Israel in the 1970's by Israeli military intelligence [...] The War on Terror is an Israeli stratagem, a ploy pushed by Netanyahu--since 1979--to trick the United States into waging war against Israel's enemies. All three speakers were raptly received by an audience of about two thousand, all but a dozen of them Black Muslims. Mingling afterwards, I met Rudy Dent, a retired fireman, ex cop and Vietnam vet. Flying from NYC, Dent was only in Detroit for a few hours. This mild, affable man is known for an InfoWars interview, conducted in Times Square on September 11th, 2014. It already has 2.4 million views. Dent spoke of firemen being in Building 7 "calling for additional hand lines to mop up the isolated pockets of fire." Because no skyscrapers had ever collapse due to fire, they never suspected this 52-story building would suddenly become their tomb. Explaining that fire cannot, by itself, burn hot enough to melt steel, Dent related: What we had in the World Trade Center, and I saw myself, was molten, lava-like pockets of molten steel, all right? I spent the night on the pile searching for bodies, and I saw that with my own eyes. So who are you going to believe? Are you going to believe a bunch of government bureaucrats, or my fellow brothers, which I lost 343 guys that day? And I lost Tommy O'Hagan, Bruce van Hines and Kenny Cumple, and I can never forget that. I think of that before I go to bed. I think about it first thing in the morning when I wake up, and it's in honor of them and their family that I will continue to do everything I can to make the rest of the world wake up to the fact that this was a false flag operation. In Detroit, I tagged along as Dent was driven to the airport. We talked about his life, world view and, of course, experience of 9/11. I saw the contradiction in real time, absolutely. You know, I was there in 1993. I was inside the building with the FBI. I saw the immensity of that explosion. It was surreal. I mean, it was fully intended to bring down, to topple the building. It blew a hole in the ground, through the concrete, about three stories down. You know, they waited, then they did it again. In 2001, I was there to see the third building come down, and what caught my attention were not the explosions, because I'm used to explosions. I spent two and a half years in Vietnam, so I'm used to explosions, but when I saw my fellow firefighters jump in a panic reaction to the loud noise of an explosion, which they're not used to, and they're not trained for, that's what shocked me. My fellow firefighters, they're professional guys, but for the most part, they're not combat veterans, right? I looked at the building where the explosions came from, and that's when I saw building 7 come down. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). 5 5 4 Rate It | View Ratings Linh Dinh Social Media Pages: Linh Dinh's Postcards from the End of America has just been published by Seven Stories Press. Tracking our deteriorating socialscape, he maintains a photo blog. The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors. OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help. If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) Notwithstanding the strain in ties, the navies of India and China carried out a well coordinated operation to rescue a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden which was hijacked by Somali pirates last night. After getting a distress call about the attack on the cargo vessel OS 35, Indian Navy sent warships INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash while the Chinese Navy also responded to the call for help by moving in its missile frigate Yulin. advertisement The merchant ship, with 19 Filipino crew members, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to the port city of Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the merchant ship registered in the Pacific island of Tuvalu. The two Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Chinas opposition to Indias NSG membership and Beijing blocking Indias effort to get JeM chief Masood Azhar declared as global terrorist by the UN. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked the Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also complimented the Chinese side. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from UKs Maritime Trade Organisation UKMTO that keeps a vigil on movement of the ships in the region. Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the captain of the merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night and at sunrise to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. advertisement The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. "Indian Navys helicopter cover, and on receiving the all clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," the navy spokesperson said. The captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, he said. PTI MPB AAR --- ENDS --- The Department of Defense (DOD) has not allowed an audit for more than twenty years. Does it make any sense in any way to give them another fifty four billion dollars? Ordinary citizens should consider this to be utterly bone-headed. So what does not providing an audit for twenty years mean? This is no rounding error rather eight thousand, seven hundred billion dollars of 'our' money unaccounted for. It is important to understand this is also 8.7 trillion dollars worth of military behavior carried out in the dark by a sickly bloated military that is so large and insidiously influential over our political system our weak corrupt politicians exert no meaningful oversight. Clearly, any military component of society is a sociopathic entity within that society that requires strong democratic oversight without which the illusion of democracy is just that--illusion. I can say with confidence that if you/we knew all the behavior our military is carrying out in the dark you would become deeply angry, then profoundly frightened. This dollar number is the writing on the wall; we can see the significance of this--it isn't democracy. I,m not suggesting you can do a damn thing about this but we can call it by it real name. We know that when corporations garner control, ownership really, over our politicians that is classic fascism--typically, fascism includes an ungovernable military-hello! All of us know the US military has leveled the Middle East and is still hard at work reducing the rubble to ever smaller pieces. Most of us know the Russian military is about a puny ten per-cent of the known size of the of the US military and the same is true for China. No-one and nothing can challenge the US which is the biggest dog on planet earth and despite all the deception and misdirection fed to this seriously programmed population that the 'devil (ISIS et-al) is making us do it, what you see is what the big dog wants. Isis was armed with guns run out of Benghazi (39 CIA agents there until they were evicted) and manned with disenfranchised Iraqi military for the sole purpose of augmenting the rational for the perpetual war on terror. This is all theater and we are an easy audience. A sad element of this is the horrific refugee reality their plan embodies. That this sick international crime has so harmed so many innocent souls cries out for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Ultimately, I suppose, the perpetrators are us. Further, some of us know the US military has a large presence in Africa called Africom. The Africom commander claims they have but one base in Africa but in truth Africom is crawling all over the continent. The military and our government say they are in Africa to promote American interests so God help Africa! With 8.7 trillion dollars spent in the dark over the past 20 years no one can claim to know or understand just 'how' dark and sick is our military and the powerful few who direct their activities. No sane, balanced human could countenance spending another 54 billion dollars on this profoundly devolved organization. From our Founding Fathers to Donald Trump, we have been warned about unjust and unwise wars. Here is our First Chief Justice on the subject, in Federalist #4: "... it need not be observed that there are pretended as well as just causes of war.It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting anything by it; nay, absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for the purposes and objects merely personal, such as thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families or partisans. These and a variety of other motives, which affect only the mind of the sovereign, often lead him to engage in wars not sanctified by justice or the voice and interests of his people." Among those other motives are: a means for an unpopular President to gain public support, a way to shame critics during a time of crisis, and a way of expanding Presidential power. The black film Wag the Dog explored the first of these motives, in which a fake war is invented to distract the public from a looming sex scandal just before a Presidential election. (Here is a report from the Sun.co.uk: "REPORTS have emerged that US intelligence agencies were investigating the existence of more than one sordid tape allegedly involving President-elect Donald Trump. BBC foreign correspondent Paul Wood claimed CIA sources had indicated to him last year that they had been informed of tapes in both Moscow AND St Petersburg." Here is a report from the NYDailynews 6 months ago: "The latest tale in the flood of sordid allegations against Donald Trump involves sex-and-cocaine parties supposedly hosted by the billionaire at his posh Plaza Hotel. The Daily News could not independently confirm the report, based on information from two eyewitnesses, that guests at the decadent soirees included female models as young as age 15. The story by the Daily Beast charged Trump, then wed to second wife Marla Maples, regularly threw the wild parties in lavish suites at the renowned hotel he owned from 1988-95." Here is Trump himself: "I'm automatically attracted to beautiful -- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Bush: Whatever you want. Trump: Grab 'em by the p*ssy. You can do anything." Here is the Chicago Tribune, commenting on Trump's falling approval ratings: "The only thing that could get Trump out of this slump is a war. I'm not saying that's what the president wants, but I fear it could be where we're headed. Wars have a way of pulling the country together, with everyone scrambling to line up behind our leader. Take former President George W. Bush, for example. His overall job approval rating skyrocketed 13 points to 71 percent after launching the Iraq War in 2003, according to Gallup polls. The same thing happened with his dad. President George H.W. Bush saw his job approval rating jump to 18 points to 82 percent after the start of the Persian Gulf war in 1991, Gallup found. " Professor Miller reports (from Quora): " In the second book, "The Third Reich in Power", Evans describes and cites considerable documentary evidence that this popularity was considerably less than we might think now. (Hitler had lost the Presidential election with 37% of the vote)........, with the success of each bold move without war (including the unopposed invasion of Austria) ....Hitler's popularity soared..." Der Spiegel reported: "There were still many Germans who were skeptical of Hitler when he became chancellor in 1933. But Fuhrer propaganda and military success soon turned him into an idol...... Sebastian Haffner plausibly reckoned that Hitler had succeeded by 1938 in winning the support of "the great majority of that majority who had voted against him in 1933." Indeed Haffner thought that by then Hitler had united almost the entire German people behind him, that more than 90 percent of Germans were by that time "believers in the Fuhrer." Donald Trump (Image by Renegade98) Details DMCA Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Arctic Under Attack exhibition details PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-09 10:04:41 Press Information Carpe Verbum Communications Portland, Oregon Gina Williams Publicist +1 360-606-8489 email http://www.ginamariewilliams.com Published by Gina Williams +1 360-606-8489 e-mail http://www.ginamariewilliams.com # 469 Words Portland, OregonPublicist+1 360-606-8489Gina Williams+1 360-606-8489 Brussels, Belgium: The work of renowned Italian photojournalist and conservationist Luca Bracali will be featured in a special exhibition April 10-12 at the European Parliament in Brussels.Marco Affronte, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Italy organized the exhibition with the assistance of geologist Anna Balzarini to ensure continued attention by colleagues on critical issues of climate change affecting the arctic. Affronte is with the GreensEuropean Free Alliance and studied natural sciences at the University of Bologna. European Parliament Members continue to debate environmental issues facing the arctic. Last month, members rejected an all-out arctic drilling ban, but embraced an article in the non-binding resolution to ban oil and gas exploration in icy waters. According to NASA, the Arctic has been warming about twice as fast as the global average, with sea ice has been shrinking about 40% less than its summertime levels 35 years ago.For me it is very satisfying to exhibit inside the European Parliament and I thank Marco Affronte for the opportunity to do so, said Bracali. But I am even more appreciative of his personal commitment to what I believe is a noble cause and the only tangible thing that truly belongs to all of us: our planet, which we all have the moral and civil duty to safeguard and protect. Bracali began sounding the warning call about global environmental issues and shrinking ice about 10 years ago and has been working to document and educate about fragile and susceptible arctic environments ever since, from photographing starving polar bears in Canada to documenting rapidly melting glaciers in Iceland.The exhibition will be visible April 10-12 on the third floor, ASP building D, in the heart of the Brussels Parliament. Of the 20 images to be displayed in Brussels, seven will be left as a gift by Bracali. The works may also be seen online at www.marcoaffronte.it About Luca Bracali:Renowned photojournalist, conservationist, filmmaker and explorer Luca Bracali is based in his Tuscan hometown of Pistoia, Italy. He has travelled to 138 countries, is author of 10 books and winner of 8 prizes in international photo contests.Since 2008 Bracali has been a member of Apecs (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) for his contributions about environmental issues published in the media. In 2009 he was the only reporter to reach the geographic North Pole on skis. In 2010 Bracali debuted in the world of fine-art photography and his work has been as exhibited solo exhibitions, in museums and galleries in Rome, Sofia, Kiev, Odessa, Copenaghen, Montreal and New York.A television director of Italys Rai 1 since 2011, Bracali has also published four reportages in National Geographic. The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge named the 198,616th asteroid discovered after him.Learn more about him and his work here: http://www.lucabracali.it/ and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_Bracali 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. Join us for a great event to raise funds to feed the animals of Whisper's Sanctuary! Contact 520 455-9246 ***@rrheartranch.com 520 455-9246 End --Toni Leo, Director, Whisper's Sanctuary(520) 455-9246toni@rrheartranch.com Whisper's Sanctuary will be celebrating the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) national Help A Horse Day on April 21-26 and competing for a chance to win up to $25,000 in grant prizes to assist with their efforts to protect horses. To celebrate the day, Whisper's Sanctuary will host an Open House Fundraiser on April 22, from 11am-3pm. The event will include a live band, children's art contest display, silent auction, meet the animals, plant-based food available by the Sanctuary's food trailer Sparky's Cantina, Kid's Corral, and much more!This nationwide competition is for equine rescues and sanctuaries to raise awareness about the lifesaving work they do year-round to care for at-risk horses in their community who have often been abused or neglected. Horses have been central to the ASPCA's work since its founding 150 years ago, when Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse, resulting in the first successful arrest for the mistreatment of a horse on April 26, 1866."Come on out and meet the 31 equines and other animals who reside at the Sanctuary, and help us compete for grants that will help the Sanctuary continue to help equines in need. We have great community support for this first event we have sponsored in our 12 years of operation," said Spokes-donkey Daisy, this year's Mistress of Ceremony.Whisper's Sanctuary is a lifetime home for animals in need. We occasionally rescue equines, having saved several from going to slaughter and most recently rescued wild mustangs from a failed Sanctuary in South Dakota.At Whisper's Sanctuary, 100% of donations is utilized for feed and healthcare expenses for the animals. We have no paid director, so your financial donation goes right back to help an animal. Rest assured, we are good stewards of your donations. Thank you for your support! #HelpAHorseFor more information about Whisper's Sanctuary, please visit www.rrheartranch.com North High School the only charter school listed in state's top 50 By: Summit Academy Schools SummitAcademyLogo End -- Summit Academy North High School has the highest graduation rate among charter schools in Michigan, according to new state data released last week.MLive.com parsed the data and ranked the(www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/the_50_michigan_public_schools.html)by graduation rate during the 2015-2016 school year. Summit Academy checked in at No. 17 with a graduation rate of 98.58% nearly 20% better than the state average of 79.65%.Summit Academy North is the. Additionally, it's one of just three schools in Wayne County overall."This is an extraordinary accomplishment, and a testament to the culture we've created here," said Leann Hedke, Superintendent of Summit Academy. "Our staff takes tremendous pride in fostering a learning environment that works for every one of our students, and prepares them for success both before and after graduation."If you graduate from a Summit Academy school, you're almost certainly going to have a chance to further your education. In each of the past five years, every single Summit Academy North and Summit Academy Flat Rock graduate has been accepted into college."We are universally committed to ensuring that every single one of our students not only graduates, but is accepted into college and earns a college scholarship,"said Hedke. "We have a number of programs in place to support students in these endeavors, so they have the best possible chance at reaching their respective goals."In addition to a nurturing and inclusive learning environment, Summit Academy's exemplary graduation and college acceptance rates can be attributed to factors like its comprehensive STEAM curriculum, small classroom sizes, and partnerships with companies like zSpace, a 3D Lab that empowers learning through virtual reality.The next opportunity to see why more and more families are choosing Summit Academy is theThis is the perfect opportunity to meet faculty, bond with future classmates, and learn how Summit prepares each student for college and beyond.Attendees will have a chance to tour the schools, interact with the innovative 3D Lab, ask questions, and get enrollment details.To RSVP, call 734-379-9766 or visit http://www.summitacademy.com/ VisitUs and complete the registration form.To learn more about Summit Academy, contact Superintendent Leann Hedke at lhedke@summit-academy.com. South Africa is one of those countries with massive potential but so far it has failed to maximise this. We have seen economic troubles aplenty and political problems are never too far away. The reason why many people believe South Africa has significant long-term potential is because of the growing population and the expanding economy. However, the recent downgrade of South African sovereign debt to sub- investment is a bitter blow. What next for the South African property market? Downgrade was expected In all honesty South Africa dodged a downgrade last year so the Standard & Poors downgrade to sub investment grade does not really come as a surprise. It will have a long-term impact upon the South African property market but this was already coming into play before the downgrade. In simple terms the downgrade will increase the cost of debt for the South African government which will in turn see commercial loan rates increase which will obviously impact the South African property market. The fact that the government has not been very welcoming of foreign investment in land is another issue which has not gone down very well with worldwide investors. While there may be more than enough investors within South Africa there are certain skills and experience which overseas investors can bring to the table. This recent downgrade will also see South Africa removed from the list of many investment companies because of the sub investment debt rating. Is it all in the price? The Property Buyer Show is in South Africa for the first time with an event in Cape Town. There will also be other events around South Africa over the coming years as property experts look to entice overseas and domestic investors into the property market. While the task of a property market event is to wax lyrical with positive aspects going forward, that is not so easy with South Africa. However, while sentiment will be hit in the short to medium term, as investors become accustomed to the change in debt rating, in the longer term surely South Africa will need more and more homes? There was obviously some disappointment when the downgrade was announced but like we mentioned above this was no real surprise. It will impact all areas of the economy and investment markets but it is very often darkest before the dawn. Whether now is actually the time to start putting a toe in the water and testing the market is debatable. It may take a few weeks/months for the news to filter through and the overall impact to be appreciated or as many suggest it may already be in the price? Long-term investments Investors are inclined to run for the hills when individual property markets seem to be heading downwards and struggling to survive. The fact is that South Africa will prosper in the longer term although some short-term issues may put a break on developments. Many experts believe now is the time for first time buyers and those looking to relocate to grab some exposure to the property market. There will be significant opportunities as sellers come out of the woodwork, buyers retreat to the roadside and potentially prices will adrift. A growing population, long-term economic changes and potential for a prosperous property market make South Africa immensely attractive to many long-term investors. On April 9, an estimated 33,000-40,000 voters will go to the polls to elect the next de facto president of Georgia's breakaway Republic of South Ossetia, which is recognized as an independent state only by Russia and three other countries. The vote marks the culmination of an acrimonious three-year standoff between incumbent President Leonid Tibilov, who is seeking a second term, and parliament speaker Anatoly Bibilov. The two have long espoused different approaches to the time frame for possible incorporation of the region into the Russian Federation. Tibilov, 65, a former KGB head, is widely believed to enjoy the backing of Moscow, which effectively bankrolls the region. Russia has channeled billions of rubles into rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during its brief August 2008 war with Georgia. Between 2008 and 2011, much of that money was embezzled, allegedly with the connivance of then-regional leader Eduard Kokoity. Of the nine potential candidates who declared their intention of registering for the ballot, only three finally succeeded in doing so, the third being KGB officer Alan Gagloyev. Gagloyev, 37, has been alleged to have ulterior motives in seeking office, such as furthering his own business interests. Construction-company owner Amiran Bagayev and Alan Kozonov, a doctor and member of the minority Unity of the People parliament faction, reportedly failed to submit the required number of signatures in their support. Kokoity, too, was refused registration as a candidate, on the grounds that he failed to meet the requirement -- which he himself had insisted on imposing -- that candidates must have been resident in South Ossetia for at least nine months of each of the 10 years preceding the ballot. Kokoity mobilized his supporters to protest that ruling, insisting that the Interior Ministry had deliberately falsified his residency records, but the Supreme Court upheld it, whereupon Kokoity accused Tibilov of falsifying his property declaration and demanded he step down. Tibilov condemned those protests as a deliberate bid to destabilize the situation and force a postponement of the vote. In a public address on March 30 he appealed to Kokoity, recalling his earlier "services to our people," to channel his energies into "the development of our independent state." Kokoity, however, publicly urged his supporters the same day to vote for Bibilov. On Joining Russia The primary bone of contention between Tibilov and Bibilov is whether, when, and how South Ossetia should become part of Russia. Even before the May 2014 parliamentary elections in which it garnered 20 of the 34 mandates, the One Ossetia party of which Bibilov is chairman had called for holding a referendum on the unification within the Russian Federation of South Ossetia and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania on which it borders. Bibilov has lobbied single-mindedly for such a referendum ever since. Tibilov, however, although paying lip service to the prospect of eventual unification of the divided Ossetian people, has repeatedly warned of the inevitable negative reaction by the international community should Russia seek to incorporate another disputed territory in the wake of its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Instead, he advocates the dual policy of seeking to strengthen South Ossetia's quasi-independent status while pursuing greater rapprochement with Russia. That disagreement came to a head in May 2016 when, after a shouting match in parliament, the two men agreed to postpone holding a referendum on the issue until after the 2017 presidential ballot. Contentious Campaign During the election campaign, Bibilov has switched to questioning and disparaging Tibilov's claims of having presided over a more effective campaign of reconstruction development than was achieved under Kokoity. In an interview with Kavpolit.com, Bibilov implicitly accused Tibilov of tolerating corruption and cronyism, obstructing judicial reform, and indifference to the problems of the population at large. He alleged that "the corrupt clan system" that he claims has taken root in South Ossetia constitutes the sole obstacle to the unification of South and North Ossetia. Tibilov's backers retaliated by pointing to major contradictions between Bibilov's statements as parliament speaker and his election campaign rhetoric, while Tibilov himself made the point that in the three years since his rival's party won the parliamentary elections, the legislature has not adopted a single anticorruption law. Then, in late March, Bibilov thwarted the broadcast of a televised debate between candidates by rejecting the seat in the studio allocated to him. Tibilov apparently underestimated support for Bibilov even before Kokoity came out in his support. In February and early March, it was reported that budget-sector employees were being pressured to attend a meeting in support of Tibilov's reelection. The state-controlled media have published a series of Soviet-style panegyrics by public figures extolling Tibilov. In late March, when Tibilov visited the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz, where many of the estimated 10,000 citizens of South Ossetia who fled during or since the fighting of August 2008 still live, Republic of North Ossetia head Vyacheslav Bitarov called on them to vote for Tibilov. It may have been in response to that appeal that Bibilov's campaign staff have arranged to deploy 100 election observers at each of the two polling stations in Vladikavkaz to thwart anticipated multiple voting using fake passports. Bella Pliyeva, who chairs South Ossetia's Central Election Commission, on April 6 categorically excluded the possibility of falsification at polling stations in North Ossetia, the state news agency RES reported. Still Undecided An opinion poll in mid-March quoted by Kavpolit.com registered 24 percent support for Tibiliov, 15 percent for Bibilov, and just 4 percent for Gagloyev, with over 50 percent of respondents as yet undecided whom to vote for. Russian experts predict that neither will garner the minimum 50 percent of the vote needed for an outright first-round win, and will face off in a runoff vote. Concurrently with the presidential vote, the South Ossetian electorate will also be required to participate in a referendum on whether the official designation of the Republic of South Ossetia should be modified by adding the wording State of Alania. That initiative originated with Tibilov, and is intended to serve two purposes. First, to underscore the strong ethnic and historic ties between the region and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. And second, to counter rival claims from representatives of other North Caucasus republics (primarily the Ingush and the Balkars) to be the location of the kingdom ruled by, and/or direct descendants of, the medieval Alans. According to an opinion poll quoted last week by the state news agency RES, 83 percent of respondents intend to vote in the election and 66 percent will approve the proposed new name for the region. The Georgian leadership has denounced both the presidential ballot and the referendum as illegal, and the referendum as a Russian-orchestrated provocation. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL Prosecutors say that 17 people have been detained in Moldova and Ukraine in a suspected plot to assassinate Vladimir Plahotniuc, one of Moldovas most powerful politicians. Vitalie Busuioc of the Moldovan Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime said on April 8 they had seized money and weapons, including grenade launchers, that were to be used in plot to kill Plahotniuc, a businessman who is also the head of the Democratic Party, the largest partner in Moldova's pro-European governing coalition. Eight of the suspects were arrested in Moldova, while the nine others were in Ukraine, according to Busuioc. Ion Iachimov of the Moldovan National Investigation Inspectorate said two Moldovans, one of whom is currently in Moscow, ordered the murder in exchange for $200,000. The Democratic Party said in a statement that it "firmly condemned this criminal act." Ukraine's Interior Ministry said on April 7 that the authorities had thwarted an assassination attempt against Plahotniuc. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says he has canceled a visit to Moscow scheduled to take place on April 10, citing developments in Syria, where an alleged chemical-weapons attack prompted the United States to launch missile strikes. "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally," Johnson said in a statement on April 8. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-moscow-visit "My priority is now to continue contact with the United States and others in the run-up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April -- to build coordinated international support for a cease-fire on the ground and an intensified political process," the statement said. Johnson added, "We deplore Russia's continued defense of the [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad regime even after the chemical-weapons attack on innocent civilians." He called on Russia, a key Assad ally, "to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." Western countries have blamed Assad's armed forces for the airborne attack dispersing what appeared to be a nerve agent on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, killing more than 86 people. Syria's government has denied responsibility. The United States struck a Syrian air base with dozens of cruise missiles early on April 7 in response to the alleged attack. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters The two Indian ships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. By Press Trust of India: Navies of India and China today rescued a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden after it was hijacked by Somali pirates, in a well-coordinated operation which came in the midst of strain in ties between the two countries over a range of sticky issues. After getting a distress call about the attack by pirates on the cargo vessel OS 35 last night with 19 Filipino crew members, the Indian Navy sent its two frontline warships, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, while the Chinese Navy also moved in its missile frigate Yulin. advertisement The two Indian ships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment. The merchant ship was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to port city of Aden in Yemen and following the attack, the crew had locked themselves in the citadel, a safe room inside the vessel, according to the Indian Navy. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the 178-metre-long merchant ship registered in Pacific island of Tuvalu. At the end of the operation, the Chinese Navy thanked Indian navy for its role in successful operation. The Indian Navy also returned compliment to their Chinese counterparts. "In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. The well-coordinated operation by navies of India and China comes amid strain in ties between the two Asian giants over a range of issues including the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China's opposition to India's NSG membership and Beijing blocking India's effort to declared JeM chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist by the UN. The Indian Navy had swung into action after getting a call from Dubai office of the UK's Maritime Trade Organisation which acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. PAKISTANI, ITALIAN WARSHIPS RESPOND TO CALLS FOR HELP Pakistani and Italian warships had also responded to calls for help and reached the spot. The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board. The pirates had fled from the ship after warships of India and China moved in. advertisement "Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the all clear signal that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night," said the navy spokesperson. The operation to rescue the ship and free those on board was accomplished at dawn today. The Captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, said Sharma. The European Union Naval Force said it is working with "counter-piracy partners" to investigate the incident. Also read: How Indian and Chinese navy fought pirate attack in Gulf of Aden: All you need to know --- ENDS --- 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 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. Hacker sets off 156 emergency sirens across Dallas Siren systems are meant to sound an alarm to residents of an incoming catastrophe such as a tornado but on Saturday night in Dallas, the sirens itself became a catastrophe when someone managed to hack into the system and keep them blaring for around 2 hours. All 156 sirens in the city of Dallas that are meant to be used in case of events like a tornado were triggered at 11:42 p.m. CDT on Friday. The sirens finally stopped at 1:17 a.m. CDT on Saturday when engineers had to manually shut them off. As per reports, the city engineers first had to confirm that the sirens were not triggered by an actual event. Once they confirmed it was a hack, they shut it down, but apparently, the culprit kept hacking back into the system thus making the engineers work difficult. Everytime we thought we had turned them off the sirens would sound again, because whoever was hacking us , was continuously hacking us said a spokesperson for the city Ms. Syed. As expected, the sirens sent out a wave of concern over the resident with many people taking to social media & tweeting about it. Ms. Syed also specified the concern that the residents felt considering the recent air strikes in Syria, with some people dreading that the sirens meant a bomb threat to the city. The system is still down and is expected to be working again by Saturday afternoon. Mr. Rocky Vaz, the director of the citys Office of Emergency Management said the sirens blared on a 90-second loop for 15 times before they were shut down. He also shared that they were reaching out to experts in the field for a solution to this. At this point, we can tell you with a good deal of confidence that this was somebody outside of our system that got in there and activated our sirens, he told reporters. The breach in the city of 1.6 million people was believed to have originated in the area, city spokeswoman Sana Syed said in an emailed statement. Vaz cited industry experts as saying the hack was among the largest ever to affect emergency sirens, with most breaches triggering one or two. This is a very, very rare event, he said. The hack is being investigated by the system engineers & the Federal Communications Commission has been contacted. There are no reports of Police involvement as of this moment. The city has had a few recent struggles with its emergency systems recently. Therefore it is heartening to know that the city is taking action to ensure a repeat doesnt occur. Source: Reuters Bank of America has a rich history dating back to 1800 and even earlier. It was begun by immigrants as a group of separate and unrelated banks that, over the years, merged and grew together. One such is the Bank of Italy which was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Giannini to serve Italian immigrants that were facing discrimination. He later buys out the Banca de America e de Italia (Bank of America and Italy) which was also located in San Francisco. Over the years additional mergers and changes in Federal banking legislation, as well as the boom brought on by WWI and then WWII, helped boost the bank to national prominence. Things turned sour, however, in 1998 with a major bond default that led to yet another merger, this time with Charlotte, NC-based Nations Bank to officially become the Bank of America that exists today. At the time, the merger was the largest bank merger in history and the company has only grown in the time since. Other additions to the new Bank of America include MBNA (a major credit card operator), Fleet Boston (then the US 7th largest and one of its oldest banks), and Merril Lynch, now Merril, which was added to the group in 2008 to provide an investment banking branch. Together the company dominates as one of the Big Four Banks in America. Bank of America lays claim to nearly 11% of all US deposits which ranks in line with its peer group and Bank of America Securities is listed as the worlds 3rd largest investment bank. Today, Bank of America Corporation provides banking and financial services for individuals, small businesses, institutions, corporations, and governments worldwide. The bank operates in three segments Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management, and Global Banking bringing in a combined revenue greater than $90 billion in 2022. As of 2022, Bank of America serves approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers. The bank also operates more than 16,000 ATMs and digital banking platforms with approximately 41 million active users. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking and investment products for retail clients. These range from deposit accounts to savings, credit cards, consumer loans, and IRAs. The Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and wealth management solutions including, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products. The Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans and leases for businesses of all varieties. The Global Markets segment offers market-making, clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management, derivatives, and FX exchange services. Derwent London plc owns 83 buildings in a commercial real estate portfolio predominantly in central London valued at 5.4 billion (including joint ventures) as at 30 June 2020, making it the largest London-focused real estate investment trust (REIT). Our experienced team has a long track record of creating value throughout the property cycle by regenerating our buildings via development or refurbishment, effective asset management and capital recycling. We typically acquire central London properties off-market with low capital values and modest rents in improving locations, most of which are either in the West End or the Tech Belt. We capitalise on the unique qualities of each of our properties - taking a fresh approach to the regeneration of every building with a focus on anticipating tenant requirements and an emphasis on design. Reflecting and supporting our long-term success, the business has a strong balance sheet with modest leverage, a robust income stream and flexible financing. As part of our commitment to lead the industry in mitigating climate change, in October 2019, Derwent London became the first UK REIT to sign a Green Revolving Credit Facility. At the same time, we also launched our Green Finance Framework and signed the Better Buildings Partnership's climate change commitment. The Group is a member of the 'RE100' which recognises Derwent London as an influential company, committed to 100% renewable power by purchasing renewable energy, a key step in becoming a net zero carbon business. Derwent London is one of only a few property companies worldwide to have science-based carbon targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Landmark schemes in our 5.6 million sq ft portfolio include 80 Charlotte Street W1, Brunel Building W2, White Collar Factory EC1, Angel Building EC1, 1-2 Stephen Street W1, Horseferry House SW1 and Tea Building E1. In 2019, the Group won several awards including EG Offices Company of the Year, the CoStar West End Deal of the Year for Brunel Building, Westminster Business Council's Best Achievement in Sustainability award and topped the real estate sector and was placed ninth overall in the Management Today 2019 awards for 'Britain's Most Admired Companies'. In 2013 the Company launched a voluntary Community Fund and has to date supported over 100 community projects in the West End and the Tech Belt. The Company is a public limited company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its registered office is 25 Savile Row, London, The representatives of the Centre and States are in huddle in New Delhi as part of the Inter-State Council's standing committee meet. This meeting was convened after a gap of 12 years. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: After a gap of 12 years, the standing committee of Inter-State Council (ISC) today held its first meeting in New Delhi. Some of the long standing and contentious issues including the role of Governor during political uncertainties, Centre-State relations on law and order, and financial implications in the view of over-arching role of the Centre are on the agenda of the ISC committee. advertisement Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, which saw participation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the first time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatha, who incidentally arrived 20 minutes late. Yogi Adityanath held talks with BJP president Amit Shah before attending the ISC standing committee meet. The ISC standing committee will discuss 132 of 273 recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations. Set up in 2005, the Punchhi Commission had submitted its report in 2010. Previously the Sarkaria Commission had made wide-ranging recommendations on the subject in 1988. The ISC had rejected 35 of 247 recommendations made by the Sarkaria Commission. INTER-STATE STANDING COMMITTEE MEET: THINGS TO KNOW The ISC committee will discuss the federal structure, the role, responsibility and jurisdiction of the Centre vis a vis State during major and prolonged outbreaks of communal violence, caste violence or any other social conflict leading to violence. The planning and implementation of the mega projects like the interlinking of rivers are also on agenda. The interlinking of rivers may take 15-20 years for completion and largely hinges on the support of the states. The representatives of the states and the Centre will also discuss devolution of powers and autonomy to panchayati raj institutions, fiscal relations between Centre and states as governed by the recommendation of the Finance Commission and road ahead to free inter-state trade to create an integrated domestic market. There has been demand for setting up a central law enforcement agency empowered to take up suo moto investigation of crimes having an inter-state and inter-national ramifications with serious implications on national security. The ISC committee is likely to deliberate on the subject. Bihar, Gujarat and Haryana have differed with 19 states on eligibility criteria for the post of Governor. Bihar has said that the post of Governor should be abolished. Gujarat and Haryana, on the other hand, favour the existing rules and guidelines to stay for appointment and functioning of Governor. There seems to be general consensus that politicisation of post of Governor taking place, which is unhealthy for Centre-State relations. Punjab has demanded that while appointing Governor, state government should be consulted. A controversy erupted recently over appointment of chief ministers of Goa and Manipur after the recently concluded Assembly elections. According to an internal note, accessed by India Today, the Inter-State Council is of the view that the Governor should follow the clear guidelines. The Governor should insist that the Chief Minister prove majority within a clear time-frame, which according to the internal note of the Inter-State Council should be from 5 days to 30 days. On another controversial agenda, which includes granting prosecution sanction against a member of Council of Ministers under section 197 CrPC, the Governor should follow the Supreme Court's interpretation and not be bound by advice of the Council of Ministers. This view is contested by seven states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. While UP has cited no reason for its stand, Punjab said that the Governor should not disregard the advice of the Council of Ministers. While some recommendations said that Governor's post should not be over-burdened with post of chancellor of universities drawing the post into controversy or criticism. States like Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh have no problems with the Governor holding the post of chancellor. On deployment of security forces in a state, 18 provincial representatives agreed that the central government must protect them from internal and external disturbances. The deployment of the forces should be criteria of the union government. However, states like Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have objected. While Uttar Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh cited no reason for their stand, Chhattisgarh has said that the forces should be sent only after a request from state government made. Sending forces should not be a unilateral decision with the Centre, Chhattisgarh said. Imposing President's Rule in a state is another contentious issue. Many states said that central intervention does not require invoking Article 352 and 356. They argued that the state government can continue to function without Assembly being dissolved. Uttar Pradesh and Arunachal did not agree with the suggestion while Punjab said that Article 356 of the Constitution should be scrapped. Bihar stated that law and order was a state subject and it must rest there only. On the suggestion of giving equal representation to states in the Rajya Sabha irrespective of population size, five states opposed the recommendation. Strong voices were heard from Bihar, Maharashra and Uttar Pradesh - the three most populous states of the country. Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also opposed it. --- ENDS --- Following the escalation of violence on Sunday, internet services have been suspended in the entire Kashmir Valley till Anantnag by-poll on April 12. By India Today Web Desk: As many as eight people were killed in clashes with security forces on Sunday during the by-poll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. The constituency saw an all-time low with 7.14 per cent voter turnout which is the lowest in last 30 years. Angry mobs took to streets in large numbers across the constituency including Budgam, and Ganderbal districts. The resorted to violence and arson amid boycott call by separatists. While a polling booth was set ablaze, rioters attempted to set fire to two more booths. advertisement Following the escalation of violence on Sunday, internet services have suspended in entire Kashmir Valley till Anantnag by-poll on April 12. "The tentative voter turnout for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is 7.14 per cent," Jammu and Kashmir s Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu told reporters at the conclusion of polling. While Srinagar district recorded 3.84 per cent, Ganderbal district recorded 14.71 per cent, and Budgam district recorded 8.82 per cent voting. The seat had recorded 26 per cent polling in the 2014 general elections. In the 1989 election, National Conference s Mohammad Shafi Bhat had won the seat uncontested. HISTORY OF LOW VOTER TURNOUT The previous lowest turnout in the prestigious seat was 11.93 per cent in 1999 when Omar Abdullah had defeated Mehbooba Mufti in a straight contest. The state's former chief minister and National Conference stalwart Farooq Abdullah, who had lost the seat in the 2014 election, is locked in a straight fight with ruling PDP s Nazir Ahmad Khan even though there are seven other candidates in the fray. "There were more than 200 incidents of violence in the constituency, mostly in Budgam district, which included stone-pelting, petrol bomb attacks, setting ablaze of a polling station, some vehicles and attempt to burn two other polling stations," Shantmanu said. "It was not a good day as you know. Eight lives were lost in these incidents of violence... 17 civilians were injured, while over 100 paramilitary and police personnel also sustained injuries," he said. Shortly thereafter, 17-year-old Amir Manzoor was killed when security personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Chadoora area of the constituency, taking the death toll to seven. The CEO said a decision on repoll in violence-hit areas will be taken after examining the diaries of presiding officers. "I cannot tell you exactly how many polling stations will go to repolls...it can be anywhere between 50 and 100. It is a wild guess," he said. CLASHES DISRUPT POLLS While two people each were killed Pakherpora in Chrar-e- Sharief and Beerwah areas of Budgam district, two more deaths were reported from Chadoora area of the same district and another in Magam town, which is known as the gateway to Gulmarg. advertisement Almost 70 per cent of the polling booths in Budgam district were abandoned by the polling staff due to the spate of violent protests in several areas, officials said. Army was called out to help security forces quell a rampaging mob which threw stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in the Ganderbal district of the constituency. Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked a building housing a polling booth, officials said, adding the security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob, which did not relent. Six persons were injured in the firing, of whom two, 20- year-old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad Rather, succumbed to bullet wounds. In another incident, security forces opened fire to quell a stone-pelting mob in Ratxuna Beerwah area, leaving one Nissar Ahmed dead. At the Daulatpura in Chadoora assembly segment of Budgam district, one person, identified as Shabir Ahmed, was killed in firing by security personnel. advertisement POLICE OPEN FIRE ON PROTESTORS A youth, Adil Farooq, succumbed to multiple pellet injuries in the Magam town, about 20 kms from here. One Aqib Wani was shot dead as police opened fire on a crowd of protestors in the Beerwah area in the afternoon. National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said in his 20 year political career he had never seen such a bad enviroment for elections. "I am talking about having fought my first election in 1998 at the peak of militancy. Even then the enviroment for campaigning and voting was not as bad as it is today. That may itself tell you just how mismanaged this state is under Mehbooba Mufti," he said. "Have contested six elections over 20 years and have never seen his kind of violence in elections in Kashmir. "5PM- polling booths close for an election that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons," Omar tweeted. Meanwhile, separatists have called for a two-day shutdown against the killing of civilians in firing by security forces, saying it was the only way for them to express solidarity with the families of those killed and the cause for which they laid down their lives. advertisement "We know hartal would not affect government policy towards us but it is the only option to express our collective grief," separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement. With inputs from PTI ALSO READ | Kashmir by-polls: Close shave for PDP leader after firing at election rally in Anantnag's Achabal ALSO READ | Kashmir bypolls: Most high-profile election with one of the lowest fanfare in campaigning ALSO WATCH | Battle for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat: 50 paramilitary companies deployed, internet services suspended --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Los Angeles, Apr 9 (PTI) Supermodel Kendall Jenner covered her face from paparazzi as she returned home to LA following the controversial protest-themed Pepsi commercial she starred in. The 21-year-old diva sported a leopard-print coat, a black shirt with leather pants and white sneakers as she arrived at Los Angeles International Airport after spending some time overseas for Paris Fashion Week, reported Us weekly. advertisement She placed her left hand over her face as her bodyguard escorted her to a car outside the airport. Jenners outing came just two days after the softdrink brand pulled its ad from the airwaves and issued an apology. The commercial showed Jenner ending a riot by offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Many viewers accused the company of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement. PTI SSN SSN --- ENDS --- Though there are no surviving veterans who fought at Vimy Ridge, Canadians across the country are making sure their legacy is not forgotten on the battles centennial anniversary. Those who were not among the 25,000 Canadians at the site of the battle in northern France on Sunday gathered in communities from coast to coast to remember those who risked or lost their lives in April 1917. Debbie Ginter, 26, of Steinbach, Man., travelled to Ottawas Vimy ceremony because she said she couldnt make it to the ceremony in France. She came to honour a man she never met, her great-grandfather, Frederick Fox, who fought and survived Vimy but not without first experiencing unimaginable horror. Read more: The tangled routes of our Vimy Oak Solemn ceremony commemorates 100th anniversary of pivotal Vimy Ridge battle Newly discovered photos depict unveiling of Vimy memorial Bold photo series heralded a new attitude to WWI Soldiers letters from battle front lines found in North York basement Like so many others, hed been gassed and left for dead. He was buried alive for four days before he was pulled from the mud. He would lose his right arm, but would return home to live another 41 years before dying in 1958. Ginter knelt in silence under the clear blue sky at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, framed by limp flags on a windless morning. She said more people of her generation need to remember the heroic sacrifices of those long gone. The selflessness that they had, the respect they had for each other, and just all the turmoil and the sacrifice that theyve done, everything that they lost it was all for this country that they never saw, Ginter said. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna opened a sombre one-hour remembrance at the National War Memorial under clear blue skies. The battle, she said, marked our coming of age as a country. In Toronto, dozens of people gathered at the cenotaph at Old City Hall, where wreaths were laid. Vimy was the first time where Canada really came together as a nation to accomplish something important, said 15-year-old Abe Arafat, who delivered the poem La Rose et le Reseda at the Toronto ceremony. So, although were celebrating Canada 150, its almost the 100th anniversary of the national sentiment. Nadine Grill, who works with the Vimy Foundation, an education group, said she was touched by how many people took time to commemorate the day. There arent any soldiers left from the First World War, so its really up to us as a community, as Canadians, to make sure that their stories arent lost, she said. In Edmonton, a parade of soldiers, pipers and cadets marched from the provincial legislature through downtown streets to the cenotaph at City Hall. Near the cenotaph, actors dressed in replica uniforms from the First World War portrayed actual Canadians who fought at Vimy. Greg Cardinal was dressed as Lance Cpl. Henry Northwest, a Metis soldier from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., who became one of the most accomplished snipers of the war with a record of 115 fatal shots. Cardinal, who is from the Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta, said its important to remember the contributions of indigenous soldiers, many of whom he said joined up to escape the despair of reserve life, earn steady pay or to honour the treaties by fighting for Canada. A lot of these young men would have grown up on stories of their grandfathers living on the plains, accomplishing heroic deeds, Cardinal explained as he handed out cards with Northwests photo and a brief biography. They wanted to follow that warrior ethic and keep it alive. In Halifax, cannons bellowed during a 21-gun salute at Citadel Hill, which overlooks the harbour from which hundreds of thousands of allied troops were deployed during the First World War. For thousands of those soldiers, and their families, the port of Halifax was where they took their last step on Canadian soil, host Liz Rigney told the crowd at a concert Sunday afternoon. Across the Atlantic, popular music was something that connected the families here with the troops overseas. It was something that soldiers cherished, those memories of home. In Montreal, a solemn ceremony was held at the newly inaugurated Place de Vimy a section of a west-end park that was renamed in honour of the 1917 battle. The creation of the space was announced last year after the city was criticized for stripping Vimys name from another park, which was rechristened after the late separatist premier, Jacques Parizeau. On Sunday, dozens of cadets lined the walkway to the parks cenotaph holding cross-shaped signs in remembrance of the Montreal-based military units that fought at Vimy, as dignitaries laid wreaths of red and white flowers. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAHealth Minister Jane Philpott says Ottawa will now pay for someone to travel with indigenous women who need to leave their communities to give birth a change to what she called an extremely unhelpful policy. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Philpott said she heard a cry loud and clear from indigenous health experts who were urging the federal government to allow pregnant aboriginal women to leave home with an escort. It is a major policy change for us, Philpott said. It requires significant resources in order to be able to do that, but it is absolutely a wise investment. Health Canada said Sunday that its difficult to provide a precise cost estimate for the change because it is a demand-based program but it estimates $22-million will be spent on the measure in the 2017-2018 budget year. Indigenous women without proof of a medical need to have someone escort them have long been forced to have their children alone and far from their land, language and heritage, the minister continued. There are a whole bunch of negative outcomes of that, Philpott said. What happens at birth has an impact on the rest of peoples lives for the whole family. So to have a positive, healthy birthing experience is extremely critical. Philpott said northern Manitoba doctors told her of women who were so terrified to travel alone that they would hide to avoid having their pregnancy discovered, only to present themselves at the last minute in communities ill-prepared for deliveries. Too often, the cries heard in aboriginal communities were cries of death, not birth, she added. That set me on a path to be able to return the cries of birth in communities as much as possible, she said, noting a recent $83-million budget investment for maternal and child health for First Nations and Inuit. She also noted the need to transform the delivery of health in communities, saying a number of indicators clearly show considerable gaps between health outcomes of indigenous and non-indigenous people. Philpott said recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which spent six years studying Canadas residential schools, included acknowledging the state of indigenous health and the fact its the result of decades of ill-informed government policies. Dr. Michael Kirlew, a family physician in Sioux Lookout, Ont. and Wapekeka First Nation, said he welcomes the change to Health Canadas travel policy for indigenous women, but is disappointed it took so long for the change to happen. He said the policy is not a novel thing, but rather something basic. Having a support person in pregnancy is associated with a number of positive health outcomes, he added. Im happy the change has been made, but I am shocked that in 2017 we are still talking about women and escorts and pregnancy, Kirlew said in an interview. Indigenous people needing to leave communities for end-of-life care still have to travel alone, he added. That means escorts for the end of life are still viewed as compassionate reasons to have them there, Kirlew said. Having an escort or having someone there that is basic care. Philpott conceded that it is an area where more policy work is needed. It is something that we have certainly heard about, she said. In a step-by-step process, we need to make sure we bring justice and fairness to indigenous Canadians. SHARE: A woman in her 60s is in life-threatening condition and a teenage girl is in serious condition after a stabbing in Parkdale Saturday night, police said. The incident occurred around 10:25 p.m. near Dowling Ave. and Glenavon Rd. According to paramedics, the woman in her 60s was stabbed in the torso and the teenage girl was stabbed in the neck. Both victims were taken to a trauma centre. Police said the suspect fled the scene and they are searching the area. More to come SHARE: One hundred years ago Sunday, while 15,000 Canadian infantrymen were preparing to storm Vimy Ridge, 45-year-old Torontonian Joseph Bradshaw was counting artillery shells. As a director of ordnance for the 126th Battalion, Bradshaw was one of the men in charge of protecting his fellow soldiers, shielding them with a moving curtain of explosions as they advanced towards the German machine-gun nests on the French hilltop. They were going to need a lot of shells. More than 10,000 Canadians would be killed or wounded in the four days that it took to finally wrest Vimy Ridge from the Germans in a battle many historians say helped define Canada as a country. Bradshaw survived the ordeal, but died on Dec. 25, 1919, of shrapnel wounds and mustard gas poisoning. On Saturday, Bradshaws great-grandson, 8-year-old Benjamin Farrar, carried Bradshaws two medals to Torontos Fort York to see a miniature re-enactment of the kind of fighting his great-grandfather was part of. Thats why were here today, said Bradshaws grandson, Paul Farrar, while another son, 3-year-old Elliott, played on a Canadian Forces G Wagon. Its an important day for us. He left behind a wife and four kids, Farrar said of his grandfather. Farrar, his children and their mother, Mary Clarke, joined hundreds of other Torontonians at Fort York to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Re-enactors dressed in period uniforms both Canadian and German showed off the weaponry, tactics and lifestyle of soldiers during the First World War. More at thestar.com: The tangled routes of our Vimy oak Newly discovered photos depict unveiling of Vimy memorial Trudeau arrives in France to mark 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge SHARE: After punching a string of numbers into a bolted-down, fireproof, alarm-protected safe the location of which cant be divulged for security reasons Steven Laviolette pulls out a tiny vial. Inside that vial is an even tinier dab of dark tar. The tar is purified THC, the mind-altering compound in marijuana. The street price for a gram of weed is about $10. A gram of this stuff costs about $2,000, not counting the cost of the researchers time acquiring it. Laviolette, a professor in the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Psychiatry at Western Universitys Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, studies the effects of marijuana on the brain. His lab is investigating both some of the troubling brain changes associated with THC, and also a rapidly growing avenue of research the very different and perhaps protective brain changes associated with cannabidiol, or CBD, another compound found in the plant. This week the government of Canada is expected to unveil legislation legalizing marijuana. As the country hurtles toward the end of nearly a century of prohibition on recreational pot, researchers of all stripes, from neurobiologists to clinicians to epidemiologists, say there are major gaps in our understanding of the drug. Both the scientists who study its potential therapeutic effects and those who research its risks have been frustrated by the barriers they must leap to generate knowledge that fills those gaps evidence that should be informing policy. Researchers who want to access marijuana for experiments must apply for a special exemption from Health Canada for each individual compound from the plant they hope to study, of which there are hundreds including those that have no known intoxicating effects, like CBD. If approved, they must navigate the opaque and expensive world of acquiring these compounds. And even though legalization seems certain to boost what is already one of the worlds highest national marijuana usage rates, scientists say there is not enough funding to study how the drug impacts health, behaviour and the brain especially teenage brains. Now is when we need to be doing this research, and the money is just not there, says Laviolette. If were going to be the only North American country that has full legalization, theres no reason that we shouldnt become global leaders. The members of Canadas small cannabis research community, many of whom have been collaborating in recent months to set a national research agenda, will be scrutinizing the new legislation. Really, science has been stuck for past 80 or 90 years or so, unable to do many of these tests, says M-J Milloy, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and a research scientist at the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, who studies the effects of cannabis use among people living with HIV/AIDS. Hopefully when it is legalized many of those barriers will fall away. Cannabis is a complex plant. It contains over 100 different chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. The most well studied of these is THC, the psychoactive one: it gives users the feeling of being high. CBD is another actively investigated cannabinoid, though less well understood. Cannabis also contains hundreds of other compounds belonging to several other chemical families, like terpenes, the oils that give different varieties of weed and conifers and citrus plants different aromas. Both THC and CBD have therapeutic effects. But the list of symptoms for which there is solid evidence that marijuana helps is very short. In an exhaustive report published in January by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, cannabis and compounds derived from it were deemed an effective therapy backed by conclusive or substantial evidence for only three problems: chronic pain in adults, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. The list of therapies for which there was limited, insufficient, or no evidence is much longer and includes Tourettes syndrome, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, anxiety disorders, ALS and addictions. I think at the end of the day everyone agrees that the best medical care is based in evidence. And unfortunately we just dont have enough for many conditions to guide us, says Milloy. As a researcher working with patients who have HIV, Milloy has good reason to sympathize with those who turn to cannabis for relief regardless of what the research says. The medical marijuana movement was spurred in the 1990s by AIDS patients who had little else in the way of effective, tolerable treatments. Patients in similar positions today are frustrated. Doctors are frustrated too. Lack of evidence was the dominant theme of our discussions with the medical community, reported the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, the nine-member group mandated to consult widely and offer advice to the Canadian government. Physicians object to being the access point for medical marijuana when they have scant information on its risks, benefits, proper dosages, or possible interactions with other drugs, information they would have for any other prescription drug. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) , because of the lack of scientific evidence, does not support the use of marijuana in clinical settings. Patients, doctors, and their respective advocacy groups disagree on key issues related to medical marijuana. But there is consensus on the need for more research aimed at understanding, validating and approving cannabis-based medicine, the task force found. The CMA agrees, saying it will continue to urge that Health Canada support development of rigorous research on the effects, both positive and adverse. Unfortunately, cannabis has developed a bit of a reputation as a panacea in some groups, says Milloy. We need to really test cannabis, develop good medical evidence, so people know whether or not this hope and optimism is warranted. Medical marijuana may help individuals. But recreational use of the drug could have population-wide health benefits too, if users replace other more dangerous drugs with cannabis. A curious theme emerges when interviewing scientists who study marijuana. At a certain point, some of them want to know when the media will finally address the overwhelming public health burden of alcohol. The World Health Organization ranks alcohol use as the third leading risk factor globally in lost healthy years, ahead of tobacco. One in four Canadian drinkers engages in risky alcohol use, according to Statistics Canada, and the rates are rising. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), alcohol-related problems, from health care to law enforcement to lost productivity, cost Ontario $5 billion a year. As alcohol supplies a steady current of sickness and mayhem, prescription opioids have been a skyrocketing source of overdoses and deaths. How many binge drinkers might replace alcohol with safe amounts of recreational weed if it was legal? How many sufferers of chronic pain might choose marijuana instead of highly addictive opioids, if the plant was easier to obtain? In Colorado and Washington, the two U.S. states that voted to legalize marijuana in 2012, researchers have been tracking these types of questions. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), an agency that was created by Parliament to synthesize evidence and inform policy, led delegations to both states in 2015. There are some hints from states where medical marijuana is legal that suggest patients are, in fact, choosing cannabis over opioids. The full picture is not yet clear. But in general, in both states, the CCSA delegation found that those trying to answer fundamental questions about the impacts of legalization were frustrated because they lacked data from before the changes were made for comparison. Both states devoted a portion of legal marijuana sales to research money that didnt start flowing until after sales began, when it was too late. The major take home message there, for Canada: make sure that you not only invest in research on an ongoing basis, but invest proactively in collecting baseline data, says Rebecca Jesseman, Senior Policy Advisor for the CCSA. In Canada, there are a lot of potential data sources right now, but what we need is better communication and co-ordination . . . to really pull together all the diverse pieces into a comprehensive picture. Positive health outcomes like opioid replacement arent the only changes researchers will be tracking after legalization. The obvious thing in Canada would be to monitor for things like hospital admissions for psychosis and schizophrenia, says Robin Murray, a professor of psychiatric research at Kings College London. Cannabis is very safe in the patterns most adults use it. But there is a broad, mistaken perception that the drug is completely harmless. Marijuana affects cognitive skills including memory and attention. It increases the risk of psychosis, especially with heavy use. Eight or nine per cent of all users will develop a dependence in their lifetime. But most troubling of all is the large body of evidence linking adolescent THC exposure to the risk of developing schizophrenia a risk that increases the earlier in life the drug is tried, the more heavily it is used, and the more potent the pot. The nature of that link, however, is deeply convoluted. From before the teenage years until the mid to late 20s, the human brain undergoes major remodelling: synapses are pruned, other neuronal connections are formed. This is especially true of the prefrontal cortex, which contains a high density of cannabinoid receptors, and which is particularly implicated in schizophrenia. In his laboratory at Western University, with the little vials of purified THC, Laviolette is trying to figure out whether and how cannabis might hijack adolescent brain development. In one experiment, Laviolette studied a group of rats that were either 30 or 60 days old when they arrived at the lab. Thirty days, Laviolette explains, is roughly the rat equivalent of when all those big changes are happening in the brain that correspond to whats happening in the teenage brain, while 60 days marks full maturity. Half of the rats from both age groups were treated with escalating doses of THC. The other half received a sham treatment. People with schizophrenia suffer from disturbances in social functioning and heightened anxiety, among other symptoms. A month after treatment, Laviolettes lab ran the animals through tests validated for rat-equivalent functions: hanging out with familiar and unfamiliar rats, exploring open areas, or travelling from relaxing dark boxes to stressful light-filled ones. The rats that had been exposed to THC as adolescents were significantly less socially motivated than their sober peers, spent much more time in the dark, and explored their surroundings less. But intriguingly, the rats that had been treated with THC as adults didnt exhibit the same disturbed behaviour. In most tasks, the adult rats who had been exposed to THC acted the same as those who hadnt been. Laviolette was most shocked when he examined the adolescent rats brains, looking for a particular molecule called GSK-3. In humans with schizophrenia, this molecule is significantly down-regulated: it appears less, linked to a hyperactive dopamine system. In the THC-treated rats, GSK-3 was almost absent, their dopamine systems in overdrive. These results made our jaws drop, Laviolette says, for how closely they mimicked schizophrenia. He adds that animal testing can only take us so far. We would never say a rat has schizophrenia its a human disease. But were in a weird situation where were about to legalize a drug and we have no idea what the downstream molecular signalling pathways are: what its doing in the brain. That was sort of our motivation, to really get a grip on these pathways. Understanding the basic neurobiology of cannabis has real policy implications. It could help lawmakers set a safe age limit for legal marijuana consumption or identify biomarkers for those most at risk. It could also help establish maximum THC and minimum CBD content. Other research has found that CBD may modulate the effects of THC on the brain, and that it may function as an antipsychotic treatment. Laviolette is also studying the mechanisms behind this: his research has shown that CBD produces the opposite molecular changes to THC, increasing GSK-3 and decreasing dopamine hyperactivity. Ruth Ross, a professor at University of Torontos pharmacology and toxicology department, studies the mechanisms of CBD too. While we know what receptors in the brain THC acts on, we dont understand all of CBD's targets. We do know, however, that THC content has been rising in recreational weed, while CBD drops. If you make the statement that cannabis is safe, youre then asking, well, whats safe? Is it a 50/50 combination of THC and CBD? Or high THC? And who is it safe for? says Ross. People are constantly asking me questions, and they want a definitive answer. We just cant give a definitive answer, even on age. We talk about cannabis in adolescents as potentially dangerous, but how do we make that cut-off? Why do we say 18 or 25? Those are really important questions. Ross, like Laviolette and many others, says more support is needed for this research. Targeted funding would be incredibly helpful, but of course research takes time. Were not going to have these answers instantly. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) recently announced a one year, $1 million catalyst grant to help researchers develop studies on the impact of cannabis legalization, noting many evidence gaps about the health effects of the drug and its behavioural, social, and economic implications. The federal budget also directed $9.6 million of existing funds over five years for public education and public health surveillance. Experts in the field described this as a positive step, though it doesnt help neuroscientists or other researchers. Their complaints are shared widely in the health sciences, however: CIHR grant application success rates have been a huge source of consternation for researchers of all stripes in recent years. In 2016, just 13 per cent of all applications for the two major open grant types were successful. A CIHR spokesperson said the $1 million in funding was called a catalyst grant because it is an initial first step toward contributing to a future funding program to answer key questions about the health and social impact of the legalization. Aside from the financial constraints, there are practical barriers. In January, Laviolette spent two days reapplying for his research exemptions; Health Canada says there are approximately 115 active exemptions related to cannabis. Milloy, who works with human subjects using what is still an illegal substance as a therapy, described the substantial efforts to get the permissions required, both at the university and national levels, to do this kind of research. Other cannabis researchers lamented the time they spend sourcing cannabis from private suppliers. A Health Canada-supported portal could remove that difficulty and also encourage consistency in the types of plants used in research, a problem plaguing the field that hampers the ability to draw conclusions from the research that does exist. The time people or their staff are taking to do these sorts of things is time theyre not doing science, says Milloy. The departments tasked with drafting the new cannabis legislation cant be oblivious to the calls for more research. The governments legalization task force referenced the shortcomings in our current knowledge base around cannabis and appeals for ongoing research and surveillance on page one of its report. The CCSA gathered nearly 50 experts to set a national research agenda for non-medical cannabis use, a document that concludes with the statement that Canada deserves rigorous and excellent research to inform the many health and public policy decisions before us. The cannabis research community is watching to see if the government acts on those calls. Its the waiting game, says Milloy. SHARE: A vault built into the side of a mountain in a remote Arctic island in Norway holds seeds that are key to protecting the worlds genetic crop diversity. 1. Norway built the $9-million (U.S.) Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008 to hold backup copies of seeds from gene banks around the world. The idea was sparked after researchers at Canadas gene bank, as well as the board of an international research group, wrote to Norway. And as a member of NordGen, which operates a gene bank for the Nordic countries, Norway already had a small container of seeds in an abandoned coal mine in Svalbard, installed in 1984 to test the viability of storage in permafrost at -4 C. 2. The global seed bank is on Spitsbergen Island in the Svalbard archipelago, a three-hour flight from Oslo and just outside a small town called Longyearbyen. Its fascinating to fly to Svalbard, says Grethe Helene Evjen, a senior adviser at the Norwegian agriculture and food ministry, who has been to the island many times. If you go there in wintertime at one point you just go into the dark Its like you go into a black wall. In summer, Svalbard is home to the midnight sun. 3. The entrance and top of the vault are decorated with an award-winning sculpture by Dyveke Sanne called Perpetual Repercussion Evjen says the artwork has hundreds of pieces of crystal, polished steel and LED lights, which the artist installed herself while working in temperatures of -20 C accompanied by bitter winds. The sculpture is beautiful, says Evjen. It sparkles when its dark. And even in the midnight sun you can see it. 4. Seed deposits are co-ordinated by a NordGen employee. Seeds are dried and packaged in aluminum envelopes and stored in boxes made of cardboard, plastic or sometimes as with the seeds sent by North Korea wood. The boxes arrive by air and are transported to the vault by van, where they are unloaded manually onto a cart. Its not very sophisticated, says Evjen. 5. A 100-metre tunnel leads to the vaults. Evjen says its exciting to step inside Svalbard. Its a very positive place. Its a global place. You feel that you have the whole world community when you see all the seeds there ... And still you are in this very remote place on earth. Its very special. 6. Three sets of grey steel doors open on to the vaults, which are each 10 metres wide by 30 metres long. The middle vault is the only one in use but is nearly full. Inside, boxes are stored on metal shelves and the air is cooled to -18 C, which ensures the longevity of the seeds. The other two vaults are empty. Currently, Svalbard holds 930,000 unique varieties of seeds, which are really meant as the ultimate backup because countries typically have copies already stored in another gene bank. 7. The only withdrawal made so far was in 2015 by the International Centre for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas, which operates a gene bank in war-torn Aleppo, Syria. The organization (which owns the boxes in the photo) removed the seeds to duplicate them and replenish gene banks in Lebanon and Morocco. In February, the organization sent seeds to Svalbard to replace the ones they withdrew. Surprisingly, the Syrian seed bank still exists but is an area still held by rebels. Staff havent been able to access it for eight months, although they have been receiving information on the supply of electricity to the storage rooms, says Ahmed Amri, who is with ICARDA. 8. Canada was one of the first countries to contribute to Svalbard in 2008, and in May, we will send another round of seeds, ones that have been grown since the country last deposited seeds in 2013. Canadas gene bank, in Saskatoon, grows its own crops like flax to replenish its stock. The seeds are typically not the modern ones used in agriculture but are preserved for breeding and research and to ensure theyre not lost. Some seeds date back thousands of years. More than a third of the Saskatoon collection is barley 40,000 different samples because Canada stores the worlds collection. SHARE: Canadians who died at Vimy Ridge helped shape Canada into a nation committed to peace, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War battle. Trudeau was among the dignitaries to speak at the ceremony at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in northern France, where as many as 25,000 people came to honour the Canadians who died in the fighting. The battle marked the first time all four Canadian divisions fought together side-by-side during the war, advancing together on the heavily fortified ridge. Earlier British and French attacks on the stronghold had failed to budge the defenders. Canada lost 3,600 soldiers and more than 7,000 were injured during the three-day battle. At Sundays ceremony, many people in the crowd used umbrellas to guard against the hot sun different from 100 years ago when soldiers here faced rain and sleet in battle. The ceremony was marked by performances from different singers and actors who have taken on the roles of different historic figures who were at Vimy. The area around the memorial was also lined with empty black combat boots, representing those who died. As I see the faces gathered here veterans, soldiers, caregivers, so many young people I cant help but feel a torch is being passed, Trudeau said in his speech. One hundred years later, we must say this, together. And we must believe it: Never again. The ceremony, hosted by the Canadian government, included recitations of stories from soldiers and eyewitnesses to the battle, and performances by Canadian singers such as Johnny Reid and Loreena McKennitt. Before the prime minister spoke, Gov. Gen. Johnston told the crowd that the Vimy monument symbolizes the enduring friendship between Canada and France, underscored by the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who helped liberate the country. Those spires stand for peace and for freedom, Johnston said. They stand for justice and hope. And they remind us that one cannot exist without the other. The site became a piece of Canadian territory on French soil in 1922 and is featured on the $20 bill. Prince Charles who was accompanied by his sons Prince William and Prince Harry commended Canada for its sacrifice during the war. (The Canadians) succeeded in seizing the vital high ground of Vimy a task in which many others before them had failed, Prince Charles said. However, victory came at an unbearably heavy cost. This was, and remains, the single bloodiest day in Canadian military history. Yet Canadians displayed a strength of character and commitment to one another that is still evident today. They did not waver. This was Canada at its best ... Earlier in the day, hundreds of citizens from the French city of Arras turned out in a heartfelt display of thanks to Canada and the thousands of Canadian soldiers who fought and died at nearby Vimy Ridge. Arras Mayor Frederic Leturque thanked those other countries whose soldiers participated in the battle a century ago: Australians and British, New Zealanders and South Africans. But he saved a special thanks for Canada, telling Trudeau and the hundreds of others assembled that the Canadians actions at Vimy was a turning point for the city and for all of France. Canada returns to Vimy Ridge MORE ON THESTAR.COM The tangled routes of our Vimy Oak Newly discovered photos depict unveiling of Vimy memorial Bold photo series heralded a new attitude to WWI Soldiers letters from battle front lines found in North York basement Fort York re-enactment marks 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge END With files from the Canadian Press SHARE: The man who shot and killed two managers at a Florida gym before turning the gun on himself had just been fired from the fitness centre for workplace violence, police said Sunday. The Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement Sunday that 33-year-old Abeku Wilson of Miami was let go Saturday as a fitness trainer at the Equinox gym in Coral Gables due to workplace violence and was escorted off the premises. Authorities didnt elaborate on what that violence involved. Shortly after his dismissal, Wilson returned to the gym with a handgun and fired multiple shots at both managers before fatally shooting himself. Police said the managers were deliberately targeted and that the shooting wasnt random. Equinox issued an email statement Sunday that it was deeply saddened by the deaths of the two employees, 35-year-old Janine Ackerman of Miami and 42-year-old Marios Hortis of Miami Beach. Ackerman was the gyms general manager and Hortis the fitness manager. Our love, prayers and condolences are with both families during this terrible time. The collective Equinox community will always keep Janine and Marios in our hearts, the statement said. Marc Sarnoff, who previously trained with Wilson for two years, saw him at the gym before Saturdays shooting and noticed something was wrong. Wilson typically was very buttoned up, very proper, very appropriate, Sarnoff said in a phone interview. But on Saturday, Wilson physically bumped into Sarnoff and his current trainer. The usually adept Wilson seemed noticeably off-kilter. He wasnt clean-shaven ... and he seemed to be slurring his words, said Sarnoff. He said, Im sorry, Im just off balance this morning. An Instagram account in his name is filled with shirtless, muscly photos and mentioned body building competitions that he was preparing for. In December, a posting said he had received a blue belt in martial arts. The shooting happened about 1 p.m. Saturday at the upscale Shops at Merrick Park. Shoppers, diners at mall restaurants and people in workout gear ran to safety or took cover after reports of gunfire. Five gunshots, Ovi Viera, who was in the mens locker room, told The Miami Herald. It was too loud for it to have been a weight dropping. Within two seconds, people just started running out. Wilson trained Eveliny Bastos-Klein shortly before Saturdays shooting. She told The Miami Herald that he didnt seem distracted and that she didnt notice anything unusual during their session. The mall is a few miles from the University of Miami campus. Ackerman studied on a field hockey scholarship at Florida International University. University Vice Provost Steve Moll, who taught Ackerman while she was working on a masters degree in hospitality, described her as the whole package. She was smart, she was athletic, she was charming, she was determined, he said in a phone interview. He said she was a hard worker who shined at everything she set her mind to. The New Jersey native was once chosen out of more than 1,000 students as the student leader for the prestigious South Beach Wine & Food Festival and later went to work at the Fontainebleau hotel, he added. Shed been promoted to general manager of the upscale gym in August. My initial reaction was, No, this cant be. Why would anybody want to hurt such a lovely person, he said. Friends and colleagues described Hortis as a beloved spinning instructor with a generous spirit and warm demeanour. A photo of Hortis clad in black workout clothes, sitting on a bike while leading a class has circulated online. SHARE: In the last decade, Kishori Amonkar's stage persona was, naturally, a physically reduced version of herself. Her voice would take half an hour to gradually find its stride. Her seated posture seemed to barely rise above the sur mandal (a box-like zither) whose strings she caressed to fill the spaces in her singing. She seemed to lean on its wooden frame for support, holding the box as if it were a defence against the world. Or a defiance of it. Old age is never the image we want to remember someone by, yet this image of defiance has the seeds of permanence. Kishori raged against age, admitting to worrying about it even in her 60s, when many artists touch their peak. She strove to preserve a youthful persona, with the voice of a girl. Alien as it seems, the French phrase enfant terrible fits well. advertisement She railed against what she saw as the straitjackets of tradition, prioritising emotional response over prescribed form. "When I feel I have to sing a phrase in Bhupali in this way, I can't follow Bhatkhande [a foundational text in Hindustani music's pedagogy]," she'd say. She defied good manners towards her audiences, keeping them waiting while she remained in the green room, earning a well-deserved reputation for caprice. She scolded, from her stage, listeners for chatting or lesser offences; maintaining that it was a part of her war for the respectful treatment of musicians. Kishori asserted her musical independence even while insisting that her Jaipur gharana heritage served as a base, or 'my mother'. Much of the discussion on her among rasikas is framed in this approval or disapproval of her departure from gharana lines. Depending on where you stand, she liberated or dismantled the gharana style, whose genius lies in part in its intricate binding of notes to rhythm. Into this dense pattern, Kishori's (maverick) insertion of space stands out, creating a tonal idyll where an emotive, romantic voice can roam. Kishori represents, like Bhimsen Joshi, a generation whose teachers imbibed the lessons of the originators of 20th century gharanas (like Jaipur, Kirana or Agra) but made individualistic departures. Like Bhimsen, 11 years her senior, she built a magpie's nest of influences from her many teachers. By 1970, she had emerged with the lyrical romanticism that seems to have become the mood of the times. Though more than Bhimsen, the romanticism of Pandit Jasraj and Carnatic music's Balamuralikrishna, whom she admired, come to mind. Her adoring audiences, even the musicians among them, couldn't care less: with the space she now enjoyed, she alloyed her romantic temperament to her vocal and musical rigour to create an original aesthetic. Kishori's was a remarkable voice, both as an instrument of musical production and as a metaphor for her approach to and place in Hindustani classical music. It was precise and powerful, singing fast figures with a bird-like sense of flight, with a vigour and suppleness honed by her exacting and famous mother Mogubai Kurdikar, and other gurus. It segued, in the lower octave where she often lingered, into a hauntingly aspirated breath, as if searching for some truth hidden in a still mist. There's little doubt that her interest in light music coloured her approach to her art. Her romantic gestures could, to my ears at least, descend into mawkish sentimentality, bringing an unwelcome melting of the frame of composition. At other times, it could be undirected meandering, failing to appeal even to sentiment. It was a hunt for the elusive, often frustrating listeners like me. But on a clear day, you could see a vista of emotion and raga-soaked musicianship, a profound experience that great music brings to the attuned listener. advertisement Kishori liked to use the word 'abstraction' to describe her own experience of her music. She did achieve that height, if by a more languid and uncertain route. Itu Chaudhuri is a designer and columnist --- ENDS --- BEIRUTRussia and Iran renewed their support for the Syrian government in a flurry of calls on Sunday, saying last weeks U.S. missile strike violated Syrian sovereignty but failed to boost the morale of terror groups in Syria. In a phone call with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the strike on Friday a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty, Syrian state media reported. Assad accused the U.S. of trying to boost the morale of terror groups in Syria. The government refers to all those fighting against it as terrorists. A statement carried on the military media arm of Hezbollah condemned the American strike in much stronger language, saying it had crossed red lines and vowing to reply with force to any future aggression in a variety of ways. The Lebanese militant group has invested thousands of fighters in the defence of Assads government. The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard of shared operations room between Russia, Iran and allied forces. There was no comment from Russia or Iran about the statement. The Kremlin said in a statement Rouhani also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. Both sides noted the inadmissibility of aggressive U.S. actions against a sovereign state in violation of international law, the statement said. Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani spoke in favour of an objective, unbiased investigation of all the circumstances of the chemical weapons incident on April 4 in the Syrian province of Idlib. Rouhani said the U.S. strike would not affect Irans Syria policy, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not withdraw in the face of similar aggressions. What the Americans did is a strategic mistake and offence. They are repeating offence of their predecessors, Khamenei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. Iran has provided crucial military and economic assistance to Assad throughout Syrias six-year civil war. It has organized several Shiite militias from around the Middle East to fight in support of Assads government and has sent troops and officers from its own Revolutionary Guards. The U.S. says the strike was in response to a nerve gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which has been widely blamed on government forces. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied in an interview on CBSs Face the Nation that the strikes signalled an overhaul of American policy, saying its priority remained to defeat Islamic State militants in the Middle East. The strike was the first time American forces targeted a Syrian government installation in the course of the war. U.S. Treasury officials say they are preparing sanctions in response to the chemical weapons attack, though the Syrian government is already buried under U.S. and E.U. sanctions. Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow later this week. Moscow has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government and has defended it against claims of chemical weapons use in front of the UN Security Council. A Syrian Sukhoi jet took off from the Shayrat airbase targeted by the volley of U.S. strikes, Hezbollahs al-Manar TV channel reported Sunday, saying repairs to the base began within hours of the attack. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday played down concerns of a rift with Russia over Ankaras support for the strike, saying Turkey was committed to the ceasefire mechanisms it has developed with Russia for Syria. Turkey provides military support to some of Syrias opposition forces. But he said Turkey could not remain silent on the Syrian governments chemical weapons use, and insisted Moscow work with Ankara to establish a transitional government in Damascus. We want to continue our efforts with Russia in the Astana process in terms of measures to increase trust and establish a ceasefire, he told reporters in Antalya, according to the Anadolu state news agency. In the days after the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Turkey provided the Syrian Civil Defence search and rescue outfit with 50 protective kits for responding to chemical attacks and trained them in their use, Anadolu said. Read more about: SHARE: Its an elite club that many long to join, and it never meets. With only a handful of living members at any given time, the Presidents Club often looks more like a dysfunctional family than a collection of the most powerful men in history. In the United States, former presidents retain a certain prestige after they leave the Oval Office. The Former Presidents Act, a law passed in 1958, ensures that past presidents receive a pension of $203,000 a year, an office and staff, medical insurance, lifetime Secret Service protection, and unlimited access to the most prestigious hangout in Washington the Presidential Townhouse at 716 Jackson Place, just steps from the White House. With this comes the pomp and circumstance only Americans know how to deliver. In Canada, former prime ministers are not so lucky. They are returned to civilian life with a thud. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark has shared that its not infrequent that telemarketers call him asking for Mr. R.T. Hon. However, it appears that the role of former Canadian prime ministers may be changing, for good reason. When Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009, he quickly convened a very public meeting in the Oval Office of all former living presidents. This meeting, the first of its kind, served to counter Obamas image as an outsider, and it demonstrated his willingness to listen and learn from those with experience, something that proved beneficial to him. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is similarly criticized by opponents as lacking experience, also seems to be calling on his predecessors in a way not seen in recent years in Canada. It is a smart tactical move for the prime minister. Earl Wilson, the famous American gossip columnist, accurately remarked that, the fastest way for a politician to become an elder statesman is to lose an election. In 2013, Gallup found that presidents job approval ratings are almost always more positive after they leave office than while they were in office. Like a good bottle of wine, former leaders age well or, like a bad relationship, the memories fade. Present-day leaders often find their relationship with these senior statesmen and women becomes increasingly valuable. For leaders of countries, there are no more promotions. They are no longer political opponents of someone else, no longer gunning for someone elses job. They have the top job. On top of this, partisan colours start to fade after a while. In fact, soliciting support or advice from a former leader from an opposing political party demonstrates a current leaders willingness to co-operate with the opposition, without angering his or her own partisan base. And finally, former leaders often become distinguished experts in a given field. For former U.S. vice-president Al Gore it is climate change. For former prime minister Brian Mulroney it is trade. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin has become a veritable expert on Canadas relationship with indigenous peoples. This reservoir of wisdom and experience, so rarely called upon, can be of great value to a current leaders success. There is no expert more legitimate than a well-respected and well-liked elder statesperson. Canadas former leaders are being called upon more often and are becoming increasingly relevant. On Thursday, Mulroney was on hand to brief members of the Trudeau governments cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations. Who better to brief the team? Mulroney negotiated NAFTA, has acted as an early go-between with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and has a close personal relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Notwithstanding the fact that this is a sound decision from a strategic perspective, its also a dazzling political move by Trudeau and his team. By calling on Mulroney, Trudeau appears to be a team player as someone who is willing to listen to a Conservative politician. It showcases his ability to bring people together to find solutions, and highlights how seriously he is taking the risk posed to Canadas interests by the Trump administration. Similarly, Trudeau called upon former prime minister Kim Campbell to chair his independent and non-partisan advisory board to recommend candidates for the Supreme Court of Canada. Of course, there are limits. Dont expect Trudeau and former PM Stephen Harper, or Trump and former president Bill Clinton to be buddying up any time soon. However, if the past few months have been any indication, it wont be too surprising if Canadians start to feel a bit of deja vu as prime ministers of the past pop up along the way. Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. SHARE: The history of police relations with minorities in Ontario is a tale of mistrust, missed opportunities and hollow responses that resolved little. The stalemate is on the verge of ending. A revolutionary report on police accountability by Justice Michael Tulloch could be the transformational document a generation of advocates have been waiting for. Well before groups such as Black Lives Matter took up the fight, the Black Action Defense Committee, Dudley Laws, Charles Roach, and other activists were crying out for effective police oversight. From that era to this, their core demands have not changed: accountability and transparency. More often than not, advocates were met with either a knee-jerk defence of the police or by challenges to the legitimacy of those calling for change. Equally predictable, timid politicians have responded in piecemeal fashion with a patchwork of oversight legislation that has allowed the Special Investigations Unit to operate under a cloak of secrecy and nondisclosure. Half-measures have not satisfied racialized minorities who distrust their police. When potential misconduct is hidden behind an opaque wall of nondisclosure, distrust and fear are bound to fester. Sooner or later, a major overhaul of police oversight mechanisms was inevitable. The Tulloch report comprehensive, visionary, and highly credible marks the first step toward regaining the publics confidence in our police. In signalling that his government is broadly receptive to the report, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi has sparked high expectations. The time for half-measures is long past. Justice Tullochs Independent Police Oversight Review was launched on an implicit understanding that, historically, minorities and marginalized citizens are those most likely to come into deadly contact with police. Moreover, statistics show that only 3 per cent of cases investigated by the SIU over its 25-year history resulted in criminal charges, a staggeringly low number. While the inquiry did not recommend the release of names of officers who are investigated but not criminally charged, it did urge the release of extensive evidence that is uncovered in these investigations as well as the reasons the evidence was deemed insufficient to support criminal charges. Taken as a whole, this set of recommendations would uphold the presumption of innocence while still giving the public the information and evidence it needs to assess the efficacy of the police oversight process. Naqvi has wisely agreed to release old and forthcoming SIU reports. As the aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission so recently proved, facing past failures is a prerequisite to moving forward. The province should go further down this path by following Tullochs recommendation to expand the SIUs mandate beyond crimes that result in serious injury or death. It must be empowered to investigate offences such as breach of trust, fraud, perjury, obstructing justice and systemic racism or discrimination. Another area that cries out for legislative change is the historic refusal of some police officers to participate in SIU investigations. The report recognizes that officers often fail to meet their legal obligations due to loopholes and ambiguity in current legislation surrounding their duty to co-operate instead choosing to hide behind the thin blue line. The answer is to implement Tullochs recommendation that legislation be amended to require police to immediately disclose to the SIU all evidence in their possession. Failing to co-operate would be a provincial offence that carries a potential jail sentence. The SIU should also be required to conclude investigations within 120 days; a deadline that will ensure timely justice and closure for those directly affected. Doubtless, the province will face pressure to maintain the status quo. Police unions have often shown a flair for mobilizing public fear to stall reforms. Senior ranking officers may lack the courage to put public interest ahead of internal harmony. Aligned on the other side, however, is a steadily growing opposition toward police use of force, a reality Tulloch tapped into fully. Should his report succeed where numerous others have failed, it will be in no small part due to his unique qualifications to lead such a review. Born in Jamaica, Justice Tulloch arrived in Canada to quickly discover the challenges of a being a visible minority and a new immigrant to this country. He worked as a defence lawyer and as a Crown prosecutor before being appointed as a judge. Tullochs origins, coupled with his cultural and legal experience, permit him to speaks both for, and to, members of minority groups who believe the legal system is loaded against them. This review took Tulloch to all corners of the province. He listened intently to a wide spectrum of voices, assembling a remarkable report that brings the province to the brink of true reform. It will now be up to another immigrant who also shares Tullochs experience as a visible minority Attorney General Yasir Naqvi to provide the final push forward. Daniel Brown is a criminal defence lawyer and a Toronto director with the Criminal Lawyers Association. SHARE: The clash between the holy grail of urban density and schools that anchor Toronto neighbourhoods is about to get worse. Its been at the heart of an escalating battle in North Toronto, where a 35-storey tower is soon to be erected next to John Fisher Public School, throwing families into uncertainty over whether the 500 students can safely stay put during construction or will be forced to relocate to another site six kilometres away. And its a sign of things to come. The Toronto District School Board has identified nine other schools that will soon feel the effect of adjacent or nearby highrise developments. In some cases, they already are. With those projects comes the inevitable turmoil over issues ranging from safety to traffic, noise, air quality and loss of sunlight in playgrounds and classrooms. We havent had many experiences of this historically, says John Malloy, director of education at the TDSB. But I would say were going to see these types of complex situations again. Two of the schools, Church Street Junior School near Carlton and Church Sts. and Jesse Ketchum Public School in Yorkville, are each facing the prospect of two new towers nearby. The situation at John Fisher, brewing since 2012 after several lowrise properties steps away from the century-old school changed hands, has erupted over the last five months, with public protests and irate parents storming school board meetings and accusing the TDSB of not acting soon enough to protect the safety and learning environment for students at the French immersion school. Developer KG Group is seeking a demolition permit for the summer and insists relocating students isnt necessary because safety is our No. 1 priority. The uproar has sent school board officials scrambling to devise a consistent plan for dealing with potential future conflicts over new projects and how they affect nearby schools. A strategy would include how soon to begin negotiating with developers and city officials about new applications and options for mitigating the effect on students. It would also consider staff and funding that should be allocated, questions of whether the board should be looking for financial compensation in certain circumstances, and the TDSBs role when contentious applications are appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. As a result of the John Fisher situation, weve been forced to look at this more closely, says Chris Moise, a TDSB trustee whose ward includes both Church Street Junior School and Jesse Ketchum. We need to be at the table a lot earlier so our voices are heard. Its particularly pressing at a time when soaring house prices and demand for living spaces have led to highrises sprouting up in family neighbourhoods and on ever-smaller lots. Im all for growth and this is a reality in Toronto, says real estate agent Sandi De Camargo, who has spent 20 years in the condominium business and has two children at John Fisher. But she says poor planning can undermine the very schools that are drawing people to neighbourhoods when it results in overcrowded classrooms or construction disruption. And then it doesnt make for great community living. De Camargo is among parents who, faced with the choice of sending their kids to class beside a construction site or having them bused across town, would rather pull them out of French immersion and enrol them in their English home school. The problem is the schools are full. So Gabriel, 8, and Julia, 6, have no idea where they will be in September. That dilemma prompted another unusual move by trustees last month as they faced the reality that jam-packed schools around Yonge and Eglinton couldnt possibly absorb an exodus of students from John Fisher and that many children could be forced to go out of area. In response, they passed a motion to create a transparent special placement process that would determine which students go where. It also lays the groundwork for similar situations affecting other schools as development in the city continues. As someone who chooses to live in downtown Toronto, Lyndon Morley is all in favour of bustling urban life. But he and other parents of kids at Church Street Junior School were baffled at a planning process that approved two highrise projects that will not only cast shadows on the classrooms and schoolyard, but also increase density in a neighbourhood where schools are already full. Were already talking about putting portables on a very small lot, says Morley, whose son Rowan is in Grade 3. He also worries about the bedlam of construction and what the influx of new residents will mean for local traffic and wear and tear on the school playground, which is already overrun by locals and their dogs. Those kinds of challenges are indicative of what were going to see more and more of as urban density puts pressure on both school landscapes and their ability to accommodate students in their catchment areas, says Krista Wylie, co-founder of the Fix Our Schools campaign. Schools and school boards arent really brought into the mix of approving developments, she says. As we see with how the situation at John Fisher is unfolding, its very challenging. While boards bear the brunt of the criticism, she says, they dont have the power or resources to effectively deal with this. The city and the province have the budgets, staff and power when it comes to negotiating and approving and ultimately the province controls board purse strings and the appeal process through the Ontario Municipal Board. Boards funds are tight, and participating in an OMB hearing could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, says Angelo Sangiorgio, associate director of planning and facilities with the Toronto Catholic District School Board. So boards often rely on the city to have their backs. The reality is school boards cant stop development, Sangiorgio says. The best we can do is slow it down and express our concerns. In some cases, they also make deals. Developers can make financial contributions to be used for community improvement in the areas where they build, and the city may designate some of those funds to school boards. A project near Yonge and Sheppard that affected the Catholic boards head office and high school students taking classes there led to a donation of $250,000 from the developer that was invested in a play structure for the neighbourhood at St. Edwards Catholic School. KG Group has committed $1.1 million to the Yonge-Eglinton neighbourhood of John Fisher, but none of those funds have been allocated to the school. The TDSB has come under fire in the past for deals made behind the scenes. Two years ago, two million-dollar deals involving money quietly paid to the board by developers with projects affecting local schools exposed rifts between parents, local politicians and communities. The payments $1.5 million from a firm building near the Church St. school and $1 million resulting from a development near Lord Lansdowne Junior and Senior Public School near College and Spadina drew criticism from the city and parents. According to the board, those funds were earmarked for the two schools directly affected by the developments with any remaining money going to neighbouring schools. The TDSBs Malloy says since he began his role 15 months ago, rarely a day has passed that the John Fisher issue hasnt crossed his desk. The lesson, he says, is the board has to get involved early, flag concerns and communicate clearly so that our communities understand exactly what we have responsibility for and what we dont. SHARE: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of BioLineRx (BLRX) were surging 26.73% to $1.28 on heavy trading volume late afternoon Friday as the Israeli drug developer signed a liver treatment licensing agreement with BGN Technologies and Hadasit. BGN Technologies is the technology transfer and commercialization company of Ben-Gurion University, a public research university in Israel, the company said in a statement. Hadasit is the technology transfer company of the Hadassah Medical Organization, a hospital in Israel. The license allows for the development of a novel treatment, called BL-1220, for various liver failure conditions including end-stage liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The agreement was signed as part of BioLineRx's strategic partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis (NVS). More than 7.95 million of the company's shares have changed hands so far today vs. its average volume of 323,826 shares per day. BLRX data by YCharts Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Domestic Fixed Communications Business, Mobile Communications Business, Internet Business, International Fixed Communications Business, and Others segments. The company offers local and domestic long-distance telephone, broadband access, and related services; information and communication technology and VAS services; and interconnection with its fixed-line network to other mobile and fixed-line operators. It also provides mobile; HiNet Internet, data communication, and cloud; Internet data center; and international long-distance telephone and data services. In addition, the company distributes and sells mobile handsets, data cards, electronic materials, and computing and business machinery equipment and software; designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services semiconductor testing components, printed circuit boards, and electronic components and finished products, and automatic license plate recognition software and hardware products. Further, it offers real estate development and property management; system, network, and communications integration; intelligent buildings and energy network; digital information supply and advertisement; property and liability insurance agency; family education; computing equipment installation; management consultancy; data processing; telecommunication engineering; Internet identify; and information and communication solution services. Additionally, the company provides software design services, and Internet contents production and play services; motion picture production and distribution; and energy saving solutions and international circuits, and services for electronic parts and machinery processed products. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Taipei City, Taiwan. After 52 years, the people of India and Bangladesh can now buy train tickets to travel to the other side of the border. The train services were suspended during 1965 India-Pakistan war. By India Today Web Desk: Among the 22 pacts signed between India and Bangladesh are three transport connectivity agreements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina announced a bus service between Kolkata and Dhaka via Khulna. A new passenger train service was also announced from Kolkata to Khulna. Another rail link between Birol and Radhikapur was announced for goods trains. advertisement KOLKATA-KHULNA-DHAKA ROUTE: 10 POINTS Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina flagged off the trial run of the Kolkata-Khulna train through video-conference. The train service has been named as Maitree Express-II. The Maitree Express-II will travel a total distance of about 176 km, 80 km of which is in India while the rest 96 km stretch falls in Bangladesh. The train will pass through Petrapole - the last station on the Indian side of the border - and Benapole - the first station on the Bangladesh side. (Photo: @RailMinIndia) The trial run train rolled from the Khulna railway station at 8 in the morning yesterday and entered India at around 1.40 in the afternoon. A 43-member Bangladeshi delegation was aboard the train. A regular Kolkata-Khulna train service is likely to be available from July. The two sides of erstwhile united Bengal were connected through train service before the partition of India in 1947. Train service was available from Sealdah to Khulna and Jessore. The train service was suspended during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. Bangladesh was then part of Pakistan as East Pakistan. The War of Liberation in 1971 gave birth to Bangladesh. The train service started between India and Bangladesh in 2008 when Maitree Express-I was launched. (Photo: @RailMinIndia) The trail run of Kolkata-Khulna-Dhaka bus service was also launched yesterday. Three buses were flagged off from Nabanna in Kolkata. Through Khulna route, one can now reach Dhaka from Kolkata in 13 hours. It will take seven hours to reach Khulna from Kolkata. Bus services are already operational on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Kolkata-Dhaka routes. The Kolkata-Dhaka route was launched in 1999. The Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route was opened in 2015. (Photo: @MORTHIndia) The Kolkata-Khulna-Dhaka bus will travel a distance of around 410 kilometres. It will pass through Tungipara - the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It is also the birthplace of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was born there in 1947. Buses will depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Kolkata while on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Dhaka. The regular bus service on Kolkata-Khulna-Dhaka route is likely to be available from June. The West Bengal Transport Corporation will run the service on Indian side while the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation will handle the project on the other side. (Photo: @RailMinIndia) ALSO READ | Sheikh Hasina's India visit: Why Narendra Modi must listen to Mamata over Teesta Sandesh, hilsa and saree exchange made Mamata-Hasina bond againNarendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina ink 22 pacts, Teesta negotiations to continue --- ENDS --- Bank of Hawaii Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hawaii that provides various financial products and services in Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It operates in three segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases, personal lines of credit, installment loans, small business loans and leases, and credit cards; private and international client banking, investment, credit, and trust services to individuals and families, and high-net-worth individuals; investment management; institutional investment advisory services to corporations, government entities, and foundations; and brokerage offerings, including equities, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuity products. This segment operates 54 branch locations and 307 ATMs throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, and a customer service center, as well as through online and mobile banking. The Commercial Banking segment provides corporate banking, commercial real estate loans, commercial lease financing, auto dealer financing, and deposit products. It offers commercial lending and deposit products to middle-market and large companies, and government entities; commercial real estate mortgages to investors, developers, and builders; and international banking and merchant services. The Treasury and Other segment offers corporate asset and liability management services, including interest rate risk management and foreign exchange services. Bank of Hawaii Corporation was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies worldwide. The company's Access Equipment segment provides aerial work platforms and telehandlers for use in various construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also offers rental fleet loans and leases, and floor plan and retail financing through third-party funding arrangements; towing and recovery equipment; carriers and wreckers; equipment installation services; and chassis and service parts sales. Its Defense segment provides heavy, medium, and light tactical wheeled vehicles and related services for the department of defense. The company's Fire & Emergency segment offers custom and commercial firefighting vehicles and equipment; and commercial fire apparatus and emergency vehicles, such as pumpers, aerial platform, ladder and tiller trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wild land rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicles, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also provides aircraft rescue and firefighting, snow removal, and broadcast vehicles, as well as command trucks, and military simulator shelters and trailers. Its Commercial segment offers front-and rear-discharge concrete mixers for the concrete ready-mix industry; refuse collection vehicles and related components to commercial and municipal waste haulers; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, railroad, and mining industries. Oshkosh Corporation provides its products through direct sales representatives, dealers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Trips to European countries should become cheaper and more affordable for Ukrainians. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko wrote this on his Facebook page. "We will do everything possible to make trips to Europe more affordable and cheaper for Ukrainians. We will make every effort for the low-cost airlines to come to the market so that all Ukrainian citizens could see with their own eyes the advantages of European values, which became the unifying national idea during the Revolution of Dignity and which Ukraine is confidently moving towards now," President Poroshenko noted. As reported, the European Parliament approved visa liberalization for Ukraine on April 6. ol The trio of flying officers Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh was commissioned into the air force last year. The three lady officers will have to fly close to 150 hours on the Hawk trainers. By Ajit Kumar Dubey: The first three lady officers commissioned to fly fighter aircraft in the Indian Air Force have now entered their second phase of training where they are learning the tricks of aerial combat at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. "The three lady officers have now entered their second phase of training and they are learning air to air combat and air-to-ground combat tricks on the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft at the air base," IAF officials said. advertisement The trio of flying officers Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh was commissioned into the air force last year after they had successfully completed their initial basic training at the air force academy in Telangana. MORE ABOUT THE TRIO IAF officials said the lady officers will be trained to fire armament from their planes during the third stage of training which will again be held on the Hawk trainer aircraft. The three lady officers are part of an experiment to include women officers as fighter pilots by the government and the future of women as combatants would depend on the success of these ladies in the coming times. The decision was taken by the Defence Ministry to allow women in the air force as a five year experiment in October 2015. The Navy and the Army are yet to allow women in combat as they are dealing with a lot of operational, social and logistics issues in opening avenues in war fighting for them. THINGS TO HAPPEN AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE THIRD STAGE After the completion of their third stage training at the same air base, the three officers would be deployed in operational frontline squadrons of planes such as the Su-30 and the Mirage 2000 where they would be involved in daily operations. The three lady officers will have to fly close to 150 hours on the Hawk trainers before they are allowed to graduate on the actual fighter planes. In the batch after the three ladies opted for fighter flying, none of the lady cadets in the next batch have opted for fighter stream. A few lady cadets have opted for helicopters while one or two have chosen the transport aircraft. A few lady cadets have opted for helicopters while one or two have chosen the transport aircraft. DEFENCE MINISTRY ON WOMEN IN COMBAT The defence ministry is in the process of making a comprehensive policy for the induction of women in combat and opening more avenues for them in the forces and trying to look for answers for some of the legal and social issues it may face in the future regarding them. advertisement The issues being discussed include the reaction of authorities in case of an affair between a lady officer and a jawan along with the family support system for the lady officers in case of a long deployment away from the place of posting. Defence forces are of the view that the avenues for lady officers in Army and Navy should be opened only after these issues are sorted out and the services are given the answers on how to react in a particular situation. Also Read: Not your privilege: Airman cracks IIT, Indian Air Force denies study leave on grounds of rank Petty theft lands IAF officer in trouble, gets court-martialled for stealing wallet worth Rs 531 --- ENDS --- UNICEF/UN057311/Al-Zikri SANAA, 8 April 2017 In an effort to keep Yemen polio-free, nearly 5 million children under the age of five have been vaccinated in a nationwide campaign covering all governorates in the country. The campaign was supported by a partnership between the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO launched in February 2017. Despite intensifying violence in Saada governorate, more than 369,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years were immunized against measles a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease - and over 155,000 children under the age of 5 were vaccinated against polio. Thousands of dedicated health workers, health educators, religious leaders and local council officials played a key role in mobilizing their communities to maximize the immunization campaigns reach. Thanks to their support, high-risk groups, such as internally displaced persons and refugees, have also been vaccinated. WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank, are working closely with health authorities to keep Yemen polio-free and curb the spread of measles, said Dr Nevio Zagaria, WHO Representative in Yemen. This partnership provides continuous support to national health authorities to increase vaccination coverage for vulnerable children across Yemen. Before 2006, measles was one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years old in Yemen. But several measles campaigns supported by WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank have succeeded in drastically reducing child deaths from the disease. The two year-long conflict in Yemen has all but destroyed the countrys health system, including the national immunization programme to protect all children from preventable diseases. WHO and UNICEF have provided sustained support for the programme, along with other essential health services for children, including: Delivering fuel, generators and solar-powered refrigerators to keep vaccines at a constant cool temperature, Support for transferring vaccines from national and governorate cold rooms to local health facilities and vaccination teams. Every minute, the situation of Yemens children gets worse. It is unacceptable that children in Yemen are dying of preventable diseases. This is why, together with partners, we are sparing no effort to save more lives, said Ms. Meritxell Relano, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. The World Bank is committed to investing in childrens health, which is a vital investment in the countrys future, through working with our UN partners in Yemen and strengthening the local health institutions said Ms. Sandra Bloemenkamp, World Bank Country Manager for Yemen. Immunization campaigns are critical to keep Yemen polio-free a major priority for WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank and to help minimize the risk of poliovirus being imported into the country. Vaccination is one of the safest and most cost effective health interventions to protect children from potentially fatal and debilitating diseases. ### This prospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (Met S) and premature ejaculation (PE) among men. The study included 300 consecutive male patients (53.6 y 8. 7) who attended the urology clinic (December 2013-September 2014), mostly complaining of renal/ureteric calculi. A diagnostic approach was undertaken to include demographics, clinical features and laboratory investigations of the study subjects. Both erectile function and PE were evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function (abridged form, IIEF-5) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) questionnaires, respectively. Results identified 182 (60.7%) men had Met S. Prevalence of PE was significantly higher in the subjects with Met S than the controls (35.2% vs 7.6%, p < 0.001). Patients with Met S and PE had significantly higher PEDT scores (15.4 vs 6.7), smaller waist circumference (108.3 cm vs 111.5 cm) and higher fasting blood sugar (187 mg% vs 161 mg%) than those with no PE (p < 0.001, 0.047 and 0.019, respectively). The other variables including IIEF-5 score, body mass index, serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (14.98 vs 16.8, 30.6 vs 31.5, 192.9 mg% vs 178.1 mg% and 37.4 mg% vs 36.2 mg%, respectively) did not reveal significant differences. Both systolic hypertension and erectile dysfunction (ED) had significant associations (p = 0.047 and <0.001, respectively) with PE in Met S. In conclusion, PE has a high prevalence in Met S. Patients with Met S should be questioned about PE. Both ED and systolic hypertension may be associated with PE. Prevention of Met S should be considered, and this may be of help to decrease the prevalence of PE. The aging male : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male. 2017 Feb 21 [Epub ahead of print] Nader Salama, Ahmed Eid, Ahmed Swedan, Alaa Hatem a Department of Surgery (Unit of Urology) , Taibah Faculty of Medicine , Madina , Saudi Arabia., b Department of Urology , Alexandria Faculty of Medicine , Alexandria , Egypt , and., c Department of Internal Medicine , Alexandria Faculty of Medicine , Alexandria , Egypt. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28367661 Lewis Hamilton was unheaded in a dry Chinese Grand Prix, coming home to score his third Formula 1 career Grand Chelem, after posting fastest lap, in addition to his pole position yesterday. The Mercedes was relatively untroubled during the race, with most of the action taking place behind him, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel after he broke free from the pack which included a tense battle for third late on between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, which the Dutchman just about hung on for. Kimi Raikkonen drove an angry race to fifth, complaining of engine issues and that Ferrari kept him out for too long before making a second stop, something that was vindicated by him closing in rapidly on the squabling Red Bull's late on. Valtteri Bottas had a subdued afternoon, recovering from a spin under the early safety car to come home sixth, but nearly 50 seconds down on the race winner. Team boss Toto Wolff told the Finn after the race, in no uncertain terms that a better performance is expected next week in Bahrain. The points scoring positions were rounded out by Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and the Force India team-mates of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Tricky conditions at lights out Pre-race, it was unknown whether the Intermediate's were the best tyre to start on. or whether the slick dry tyres would be the best option. Of the 20 drivers, only Sainz and Jolyon Palmer opted for slicks, a decision that seemed to go wrong immediately as the Toro Rosso bogged down at lights out and then spun at Turn 2. Further round the opening lap at Turn 10, Perez looked up the inside of Lance Stroll's Williams, and spun the Canadian into the gravel and retirement. The Virtual Safety Car was called to neutralise the race while the stricken FW40 was cleared, and many took the option to pit-in and change for slicks, as the inters were beginning to burn out. Ferrari pitted Vettel, and he dropped down to sixth, which would later prove costly as Antonio Giovinazzi once again lost control of the Sauber on the pit-straight and cannoned into the pit-wall and brought out the full safety car. Antonio Giovinazzi repeated his trick from qualifying and brought out the Safety Car. (Image Credit: Lars Baron/ Getty Images) Those who hadn't pitted, including Hamilton and Ricciardo did so, and fitted the soft and supersoft tyres respectivly. After the safety car had gone in, Verstappen, who had risen from 16th to seventh on the opening lap, lunged up the inside of a slow Ricciardo at Turn 6 and set off after Hamilton, with the gap standing around 1.8 seconds, until the Mercedes began to ease away as the track dried even more. Ricciardo then played rear-gunner for Verstappen, until Vettel decided to make a move himself, and went around the outside of Ricciardo at Turn 6 again, and banged wheels with the Australian before hunting down Verstappen. As the German began to reel in the Dutchman, hopes of a wheel-to-wheel battle between the two were dashed when Verstappen severely locked up at the Turn 14 hairpin, and was forced to pit in a couple of laps later. After this, Hamilton and Vettel eased off into the distance and were untroubled for the remainder of the Grand Prix, with both making another stop, owing to the strong pace Verstappen was showing on his fresh tyres. The gap between the two was 6.250 seconds at the flag, although Hamilton was slightly miffed how Vettel took four seconds out his lead. Attention toward the end of the race was on the battle for third, with Ricciardo trying all he could to pass his team-mate for the podium, but he couldn't make a move, which included a late lunge on the final lap at the hairpin. Verstappen, feeling the pressure, was trying to get Romain Grosjean out of the way, using blue flags, but was told he wasn't close enough. Verstappen's move for second on Ricciardo at Turn 6 would later prove crucial as it secured him a podium finish from P17. (Image Credit: Lars Baron/Getty Images) Sainz stars Star of the race, aside from offical Driver of the Day Max Verstappen, was Sainz. Despite having a power deficit to the Ferrari's and Red Bull's, Sainz was able to keep on the tails of the leading quintet after Bottas's spin, before engaging a brief duel with Fernando Alonso but the McLaren soon dropped out with a driveshaft issue. Magnussen brought the Haas home for a solid haul of points, which included moves on the Force India pair who came home behind him to make it two double-points races in a row. As DRS was not as strong as expected, drivers were forced to be more imanginative with their overtakes, and as a result, there were many organic moves, with Grosjean going around the outside of Felipe Massa at Turn 1 being just one example. Out of the points were Grosjean, Nico Hulkenberg, Palmer, Massa and Marcus Ericsson won the wooden spoon award, finishing 15th and last. Hulkenberg was given 15 seconds worth of penalties, after overtaking under the VSC for which he earned a five second penalty, before also being found guilty of overtaking under the full safety car, which saw an extra 10 seconds added to his race time. Retirements In all, there were five retirements, with Alonso being joined by McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne in retirement, with a fuel pressure problem while Danill Kvyat lost hydraullics in his Toro Rosso. Giovinazzi and Stroll were the othe two drivers not to be classified. Insurgents have killed at least 13 Afghan security forces in separate attacks, officials said Sunday, as the country struggles to contain a long-running Taliban insurgency and combat a growing threat from a local Islamic State affiliate. Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the governor of the northern Balkh province, said a roadside bomb killed nine security forces and wounded several others Saturday night in the Chimtal district, where they were waging an ongoing operation against the Taliban. He said five insurgents have been killed and dozens wounded. In a separate incident, Islamic State militants attacked the Darzab district headquarters in the neighboring Jawzjan province Saturday night, and gun battles were still underway, said Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor. We have asked for reinforcements as well as air support to battle the IS militants there, he said. Four Afghan reinforcements, including a unit commander, were killed in an ambush as they raced to the scene of the clashes, he said. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission more than two years ago and shifted to a support and counterterrorism mission. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country, and the fighting is expected to intensify as warmer weather sets in. The U.S. military had earlier said an American soldier was killed in combat in the eastern Nangarhar province. The soldier was a member of U.S. special operations forces helping Afghan forces battle IS militants in the Achin district, the statement said. The Islamic State group has a growing presence in eastern Afghanistan, where it has battled both Afghan forces and the much larger and more powerful Taliban. By Rohit Kumar Singh: Five days after maintaining a stoic silence over allegations levelled by senior BJP leader Sushil Modi over amassing benami property to the tune of Rs 950 crore in Patna, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav admitted that the two-acre land on which Bihar's biggest mall was being constructed belonged to his family. Lalu Yadav further said that his family has 50 per cent ownership in the under-construction mall. advertisement "The land on which the mall is being constructed belongs to LARA Projects LLP in which Rabri Devi, Tej Pratap and Tejaswi are shareholders. We have given the land to Meridian Construction company to construct the mall. When my family has a piece of land, will I not make commercial use of it," asked Lalu Yadav. "While 50 per cent share in the mall will be of the builder, the remaining 50 per cent will be ours," the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief said. Lalu Yadav rubbished charges that he took the two-acre land in 2005 from businessman Harsh Kochar for facilitating transferring of two hotels of the Railways to him in his capacity as Railway Minister. He said the land was purchased by his close aide Prem Gupta in 2005. In 2008, the Gupta family transferred all the company shares (the land belonged to Gupta's company) to Lalu Yadav and his family. Both Lalu Prasad Yadav and Prem Gupta, however, remained evasive on the nature of transaction which took place for this deal. "Rabri Devi purchased the shares in the company at a much higher price and later gifted the shares to her sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi. The deal was struck in accordance with the law. Why should I reveal the reason for Gupta transferring the firm to my family," asked Lalu Prasad Yadav. SUSHIL MODI's JIBE Taking a jibe at Lalu Yadav's admission of owning the land and having 50 per cent ownership in the under-construction mall, BJP leader Sushil Modi said the manner in which Lalu Prasad, son of a peon, became an owner of a property worth Rs 500 crore was phenomenal and called it a rags-to-riches story. Sushil Modi said that Lalu Prasad's admission is a clear indication of how he has converted black money into white. "It's a rags-to-riches story and I will urge filmmakers to make a film on his life on how a poor person today owns Rs 500 crore property. I demand Nitish Kumar to take action on Tejaswi and Tej Pratap, who are ministers in his government, and dismiss them from the cabinet," Sushil Modi said. ALSO READ: Will not spare Lalu, family for acquiring benami property worth Rs 950 crore: Sushil Modi advertisement Lalu Yadav says atmosphere in the country has become explosive post demonetisation Patna: Bihar govt orders probe into soil scam, seeks report ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- After a couple of days of high-profile talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a refueling stop in Alaska Friday night, using the time to meet with Alaskas governor. Alaska Governor Bill Walker welcomed Xi to Alaska in the states largest city, Anchorage. The two went on a brief sightseeing tour and spoke about Alaskas trade ties with China. ``We have tremendous potential in our oil and gas, tourism, fish, air cargo and mineral resource industries,'' Walker said in a statement issued before the meeting. Xi requested the meeting with Walker, who used the time to tout Alaskas abundant natural resources and advocate for a gas pipeline that would facilitate export to China. China bought nearly $1.2 billion worth of Alaskan goods in 2016, according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the states largest export market. Chris Hladick, the commissioner of Alaskas Commerce Department, told The Associated Press the meeting was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bomb attacks at two Coptic churches in Egypt killed at least 44 people and injured more than 100 as worshipers where marking Palm Sunday. The first blast was in the northern city of Tanta, where a powerful explosion ripped through a Palm Sunday service at St. George's Church, killing 27 people and wounding 78 others, state TV reported. The explosive device was planted under a seat in the main prayer hall, it said. In a separate incident, at least 17 people were killed and 41 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack outside St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for both blasts. In Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending mass inside the targeted church but was not hurt, state media reported. Watch: Two Coptic Churches Bombed on Palm Sunday After the bombings, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi declared a three-month state of emergency. "A series of steps will be taken, most importantly, the announcement of a state of emergency for three months after legal and constitution steps are taken," Sissi said in a speech aired on state television. The blasts appear to have been timed for maximum impact, as people gathered to mark Palm Sunday. It is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Egypts Christian minority, which makes up roughly 10 percent of the population, has increasingly been targeted by Islamist extremists. Bishop Suriel, a Coptic Christian leader in Melbourne, Australia, told VOA more needs to be done to increase security to protect Christians, as well as to combat terrorism that affects places all across the world. He said attacks like the ones Sunday do not deter Coptic Christians. "In fact after such events we find that our churches are even more full and more people are coming to pray, and we raise their hearts to God for mercy and for strength," he said. On Sunday, Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, denounced the bombings and expressed his deep condolences to Tawadros II and all of the dear Egyptian nation. Sources close to Pope Francis told Arab media he has not canceled plans to visit Egypt, later this month. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns.' He said he has "great confidence" that President Sissi will handle situation properly. A Coptic church spokesman said the head of the church, Pope Tawadros III, who was conducting Palm Sunday services inside the the Alexandria church, may have been the target of the attack. Eyewitnesses in Tanta said an explosive device detonated near the church altar as worshipers recited prayers. Victims of the blast were taken to several nearby hospitals and residents of Tanta were urged to donate blood. Dr. Amjed Abdel Raouf, Dean of the Tanta Medical College, says doctors are doing their best to care for victims of the blast: He says that more than 60 wounded people were taken to two government hospitals. He said some victims had suffered burns and others were being treated for shrapnel wounds. Egypts Mufti Shawki Alam condemned the Islamic State group for the blasts, insisting that its followers are not authentic Muslims. He called the group a criminal, terrorist group, by all measures and insisted that Egypt is at a critical point in the life of our nation and that everyone must exert more effort to put an end to extremist ideology and errant interpretations of Islam. Officials of former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration are responding to criticism of Obama for not retaliating against Syria for a previous chemical weapons attack. The officials maintain Obama proposed strikes in 2013 against Syria similar to those ordered Friday by Republican President Donald Trump but were thwarted by a Republican-controlled Congress that refused to agree with Obama's plan. The push-back to the criticism came after Trump ordered the missile strikes against Syria for another chemical weapons attack without getting congressional approval. Syria's latest chemical attack occurred Tuesday on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing 87 people, including 31 children. Trump placed part of the blame for the recent chemical attack on the former Democratic president, saying it was a "consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution." Republican lawmakers insisted that Obama should not take military action without their approval, according to former Obama administration officials. Trump also called for Obama to get congressional approval prior to any attack against Syria. "Once you put it in Congress' hand, it became clear at that time that they were not ready to assume responsibility," said former Obama Middle East adviser Dennis Ross. Former Obama national security adviser Ben Rhodes questioned on Twitter the political objectivity of Republican lawmakers and Trump. "Times change. In 13 [2013], Speaker [John Boehner] asks Obama how: "justification comports with exclusive authority of Cong [congressional] authorization." Shortly after the U.S.attack, Obama's National Security Council spokesman, Tommy Vietor, reissued Trump's 2013 tweet demanding Obama get congressional approval. "What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs congressional approval." Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he would retaliate militarily after a chemical weapons attack killed hundreds of people near Damascus. Several U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea were ready to launch a missile attack but Obama suddenly pulled back after the Republican-controlled Congress and Britain, a key ally, resisted his plan. Obama decided instead to support a Russian-backed plan that was designed to eliminate Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons. Friday's U.S. missile attack, the first U.S. military attack on the Assad regime, was a "calculated warning shot" meant to deter further Syrian use of weapons of mass destruction, said Hudson Institute political and military analyst Richard Weitz, in an interview with VOA. "The strike is also aimed to restore credibility to U.S. threats of military action that had eroded following the U.S. decision to back down from similar action in Syria in 2013," Weitz added. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Moscow on April 12, just days after the United States launched missile strikes on a Syrian airbase in response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack that killed civilians. Officials say the top U.S. diplomat will urge Russia to rethink its continued support for the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. Britains foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said on Saturday he had canceled a visit to Moscow that was scheduled for April 10. Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally, said Johnson in a statement. Secretary of State Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Wednesday, after he attends the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Italy from April 9 to 11. The State Department did not respond to VOAs inquiry on whether Tillersons Moscow trip has been changed or canceled since the U.S. military strikes. But as of Sunday, a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been removed from Tillerson's Moscow schedule. Analysts say Washington needs the diplomatic follow-up, though, after the military action. The top U.S. diplomat, known as a man of few words, had harsh comments for Russia, which Washington blamed for failing to rein in its ally, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has been simply incompetent, said Tillerson on Thursday night. He was referring to the Kremlins failure to prevent the Assad government from allegedly conducting a poison gas attack that killed scores of people in rebel-held Idlib province. In 2013, the Syrian government agreed to surrender its chemical weapons under the supervision of the Russia government. Prior to the recent gas attack, Tillerson said Assad's future would be decided by the Syrian people. After the attack, he took aim at Assads government and Russia's support for him. Experts said the U.S. military strike could complicate Tillersons diplomatic mission to Moscow, and that an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the future of Assad also is possible. For sure this means further immediate bumps in the bilateral relationship, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told VOA. He said despite the fact that the missile strikes were quite limited and Washington had warned Moscow ahead of time so that Russian soldiers would not be in danger, Moscows reaction was rather strong. Herbst, now director of the Atlantic Council's Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, said Russias decision to suspend the de-confliction mechanism, which is intended to avoid accidents, was not well considered. While de-confliction serves the interest of both U.S. and Russian, it is more important to Moscow because U.S. conventional forces are far superior and Russian forces are more at risk in case of an incident, said Herbst. The strikes undoubtedly change the tone of the conversation, given the de-confliction protocols, between Russia and the U.S. have been suspended in Syria, Michael Kofman from Center for Naval Analyses told VOA. Professor Doga Ulas Eralp of American University in Washington told VOA on Friday that Tillerson now has to scramble to broker a deal that would allow a sustainable coordination mechanism between the two countries if the U.S. is determined to escalate its military engagement in Syria. Middle East Institute scholar Daniel Serwer told VOA the military strikes shoot the Syria agenda item to the top. The key question is whether Tillerson can get something going with the Russians on a political solution in Syria, he added. Former U.S. officials say the Syrian chemical attack is a major challenge to the nascent relationship between the Trump administration and the Kremlin. It is vital that the U.S. corrects course and that the current administration moves quickly from a set of alarming and ignorant comments to having a real policy and strategy for managing and mitigating Putin's negative impacts on world peace and security, said former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer. Alexei Arbatov, director of the Center of International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, told VOAs Russian service that while the U.S. missile strike in Syria complicates U.S.-Russian relations, the reaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry thus far has been quite restrained, and it is not rejecting the possibility of agreements and cooperation with the United States. While Washington is willing to work with Moscow in areas of practical cooperation, the State Department said Secretary Tillerson will make it clear the U.S. is committed to holding Russia accountable when international norms are violated. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is suggesting if President Donald Trump needs to carry out more military strikes on Syria, he will. "He will not stop here," Ambassador Nikki Haley told CNN on Sunday. "If he needs to do more, he will." But Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave mixed signals on the priority of removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," Haley said. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad. "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said. Watch related video by VOA's Michael Bowman: But Tillerson said defeating Islamic State is still the paramount U.S. goal in Syria. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight," Tillerson told CBS's "Face the Nation." "And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," an acronym for the Islamic State group. "Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated," Tillerson said, "I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria." The top U.S. diplomat added, "We're hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions" between the Assad government and various rebel groups trying to overthrow the Damascus regime. Syria resumes airstrikes On Saturday, Syrian warplanes resumed flights from an air base targeted in Friday's U.S. cruise missile attack, according to a provincial governor who said the base was operating from what he described as "a first phase." The comments from Homs provincial Governor Talal Barazi came just hours after the Syrian government said the U.S. missile attack on the Shayrat air base had caused extensive damage. Barazi did not offer further details, and the U.S. Defense Department referred questions about conditions at the air base to the Damascus government. Monitors from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said Syrian warplanes were able to take off from the base Friday and struck rebel targets in eastern parts of the province. It was not clear whether planes from Shayrat participated in strikes Saturday that killed at least 18 civilians near the small city of Sheikhoun. That city was hit early last week by chemical weapons that U.S. authorities say were fired by Syrian warplanes, sparking an international outcry and the U.S. cruise missile retaliation three days later. Russia says that a conventional airstrike hit a rebel depot containing "toxic substances." The Observatory said the Saturday strikes may have been carried out by Russian warplanes, which began backing Syrian military operations last year. Trump: runways not primary targets Trump ordered the missile strikes on Shayrat after rescue workers said at least 100 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded in the chemical strikes at Sheikhoun. Trump later suggested on Twitter the Shayrat runways had not been the primary missile targets. He did not elaborate, other than to note that runways are easily and quickly repaired. A U.S. Navy admiral said the missile strikes had destroyed the ability of the Syrian military to launch chemical strikes from the base. Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, told Reuters U.S. forces are prepared to carry out further strikes if needed. Assad's government has repeatedly denied using chemical weaponry in its fight against rebels seeking to topple the Damascus regime. Idlib under rebel control Idlib province is largely controlled by a rebel alliance that includes al-Qaida-linked fighters who have battled to oust the Damascus government for most of the past six years. Idlib's rebel population has swelled in recent months, due largely to a series of agreements with Damascus allowing rebels safe passage to the province from other areas of the country. The province remains a primary target Syrian and Russian jet fighters. In related developments, Syria's state news agency SANA said Saturday hundreds more Syrian rebels and their families have left the last opposition-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs, under a Russia-brokered deal granting them safe passage to other areas of the country. Saturday's evacuations are the fourth set of rebel withdrawals from Homs, under the deal negotiated in early February. 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: Windows Up is a new year-round offering from Alpine Beer, which is bottled at the California brewery and the new Green Flash brewery in Virginia Beach. (Photo courtesy of Alpine Beer Co./Photo courtesy of Alpine Beer Co.) San Diegos Alpine Beer Company is revered for its hop-forward West Coast IPAs, including Pure Hoppiness, Duet and Hoppy Birthday. Its latest year-round offering, Windows Up, takes a slightly different, but no less delicious, tack. Its not a game-changer by any means: Its an aromatic IPA laced with Mosaic and Citra, two of the most popular hops in America. But where Windows Up succeeds is in the alchemy of the flavors: An initial wave of pineapple and mango is followed by grapefruit and a resiny dankness, finishing dry with just enough spicy, piney bitterness. Its all bound together by a sweet, caramel-like malt. Beer writers and judges talk about balanced beers, and this one, to me, seems especially well-made: The competing flavors of tropical fruit and resin are woven together, yin and yang, into one package, with an underlying current of malt that keeps you from noticing the 7 percent alcohol by volume. When Ive been talking to friends and co-workers about Windows Up, the word that comes up most often is solid. Its not a juicy IPA. Its not a dank hop bomb. It manages to find balance between the two, in a very enjoyable way. If you like this, you should try: Cigar City Jai Alai: A bright orange/tangerine flavor leads into rich malt and resiny bitterness. Firestone Walker Union Jack: One of the great West Coast IPAs, with plenty of citrus over a malt backbone. Triple Crossing Falcon Smash: The Richmond brewerys flagship IPA marries bright orange and citrus to a dank body. Fritz Hahn Alpine Beer Company Windows Up IPA. alpinebeerco.com. $13-$14 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles. Dear Carolyn: My husband has a tendency to mansplain. Recently, when I asked him if he had heard of any U.S. military action planned against North Korea, he began his response by telling me the leader of North Korea, the fact that they have been doing nuclear-weapon testing, who Rex Tillerson is, etc., all of which I knew already and wasnt really the answer to my question, was it? When I call him on it by commenting that he is mansplaining, he becomes angry and says he only knows one way to talk. Am I wrong to call him on this? T. T.: Depends on how you define call him on this. If it means saying to him, When you give me all that background information, I feel like Im back in kindergarten and asking that he please assume you have knowledge of geopolitical basics then it is not wrong. If instead it means using the lingo du jour to call him a patronizing sexist blowhard, then, yes, that is wrong. Not that the facts of the accusation are wrong, necessarily; he may be all of those things. Or not. I dont know. But youre supposed to be life partners: Slapping a label on him is not the most constructive way to improve that bond or to make your point. It is arguably an act of kindness to let a partner know when a habit of his risks alienating you. Thats communication couples need. If integrity permits you to add, I dont think you do it on purpose, then, even better. It helps to show youre not assuming the worst of him in raising the issue. What doesnt help is to assume that worst, to ascribe motives to him without giving him room to say otherwise. A mansplaining charge assumes he overexplains because he thinks youre ignorant, and thinks youre ignorant because youre a woman when there are other possible explanations. Right? Couldnt he just be a plodding, methodical guy? A blowhard without a cause? Consider whether he talks this way just to you, just to women, just to people he might regard as subordinate. Are his male peers and superiors subject to the same lecture format? These may seem like duh points for the person who married and lives with him, but sometimes there are things we dont see unless we make a conscious effort to look. If indeed youve thought it through, gathered evidence without bias, confirmed to your own satisfaction the presence of gendered disdain and talked to him about it using your trusty When you ___, I feel ___ phrasing, to no avail, then you need to decide whether this is a blind spot of his you can live with or a disrespect you simply cant. Hi, Carolyn: My mother-in-law is very ill and we have all been put on alert for her passing. We are preparing mentally for this. She has always said disparaging things about me, to my face and behind my back. Consequently, my in-laws have treated me as an outsider. While I am not glad for her passing and do want to be supportive of my spouse, I dont know how I will respond when I receive comments such as, Im so sorry for your loss or She was such a good mother-in-law. Im not sorry I will no longer have her in my life and she was not a good mother-in-law. Any suggestions? L. L.: Youre very kind, thank you. Generous works, too. Meaning, you acknowledge that it is kind/generous of people to offer you their condolences. . . . And that it is a very kind/generous interpretation to say she was a good mother-in-law and that her absence registers for you as a loss. The second meaning can remain strictly between us. Dear Carolyn: A friend who I have known for many years is either angry or depressed or complaining about her family. I am reaching the point where I can no longer deal with her never-ending madness and sadness and criticism. I hate to lose her friendship, but I worry about my own health. Thank you for any advice. Brokenhearted Brokenhearted: It is okay to tell a friend you arent equipped to carry the burden she asks you to bear. You can also say this without having to reach too far for the necessary compassion. Shes unhappy and youre worried about her, so you need only to tell her that truth. And: I hope youll consider talking to a therapist. If I could help you just by listening and caring, then I would have by now but if anything, youre down more often lately, not less. Expect her to reject therapy at first, or at second, or beyond. If so, be consistent: Im sorry Im not equipped to help you. If she wont hear that, then admit youre feeling caught in her undertow. Decline unwelcome invitations. Staying on as her designated listener isnt just bad for you; it enables her to postpone getting the help she apparently needs. Acquiring a visa has been the 'most difficult task', says Lilly Singh. By India Today Web Desk: Popular YouTuber Lilly Singh was due to visit India later this month. But now the chances seem stalled. The Superwoman has reportedly been facing difficulties in acquiring her Indian visa. So she took to Twitter to vent her grievances against what she called a 'disappointment'. Now that every other individual in distress is making it a point to reach out to Sushma Swaraj, Lilly too followed the same, directing a series of tweets at the foreign minister and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Love india but gotta say that the consulate of India in Toronto is literally the worst place on earth. Such a disappointment.- Lilly | #BawseBook (@IISuperwomanII) April 6, 2017 For travel to India, the consulate makes acquiring a visa the most difficult task. I hope one day @narendramodi can remedy this. It's sad.- Lilly | #BawseBook (@IISuperwomanII) April 6, 2017 .@SushmaSwaraj just a kind note to make you aware that the Consulate of India in Toronto is extremely difficult and unprofessional. ?????- Lilly | #BawseBook (@IISuperwomanII) April 6, 2017 With more documentation than ever before, I received a lesser visa than before without any explanation. But again, I'll send an email. Thx https://t.co/NOnWKhNeWv- Lilly | #BawseBook (@IISuperwomanII) April 6, 2017 advertisement Lilly also shot a video where she goes on at length about her trails at the consulate, describing the staff as 'rude and unprofessional' who yelled at her for even asking a question. Being a frequent visitor to India, she had applied for a one year visa but was only granted one for three months. Also Read: Lilly Singh to perform privately for Shah Rukh Khan and family Understanding the gravity of the situation, the foreign minister asked her to reach out to the Indian High Commissioner in Canada, Vikas Swarup. Lilly Singh - Please contact Mr @VikasSwarup Indian High Commissioner in Canada. Let me see what best can we do for you. @IISuperwomanII- Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 8, 2017 --- ENDS --- An alt-right group and a group of opponents faced off Saturday night in one of the most raucous White House demonstrations of the Trump presidency, prompted by the missile attack against Syria. The alt-right group was led by Richard B. Spencer, a white nationalist, who said the Lafayette Square rally was to urge No more Neocon wars. He said the group would oppose further military intervention in Syria. Meanwhile, another group, which organized under an antifascist heading, appeared and shouted such slogans as No Nazis, No KKK, No Fascist USA. Officers from the U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service stood between the two groups, of about two dozen each. At the end, police escorted Spencer to a taxi, but he said it was then surrounded. He said in a Twitter message that the counterdemonstrators slammed the car until the driver abandoned the vehicle. I was able to escape. Im totally unharmed. Karin Chenoweth, a former colleague at The Washington Post, has made a career of revealing why some schools succeed despite lack of funds, reputation and college-educated parents. In her latest book, she delves into the power of the master schedule, a device I have always considered a big bore. That shows how stupid I am. Chenoweth, a writer-in-residence at the Education Trust, makes me feel a bit better by admitting that she, too, at first did not understand why the principal of a high school in Prince Georges County, Md., said his complex master schedule on a wall-size whiteboard was the reason for our success. Later she realized that this was where the school was changing average students lives by making sure they were scheduled into Advanced Placement classes that had previously been reserved for top students and creating new classes to support that AP learning. The old system, Chenoweth said, sent this message: Some kids are smart, and they get to talk about great literature, wrestle with historical dilemmas, learn foreign languages, and study knotty mathematical and scientific problems; other kids are not so smart and do remedial work that never seems to remediate. That is to say, they do low-level work that never helps them access higher-level work but just keeps them busy and bored. The beginning of the solution, Chenoweth said, is to change the master schedule, a process seldom given the importance it deserves. Her incisive book, Schools That Succeed: How Educators Marshal the Power of Systems for Improvement, exposes the unseen indicators of improvement in school routines. When a new principal arrived at Artesia High School in Los Angeles County, he identified all students who had been scheduled for consumer math, pre-algebra and general math and put them into Algebra I instead. Then, Chenoweth said, he did something else essential to smart scheduling. Bumping them up to algebra would not cure their deficiencies in arithmetic, so he added math support classes to their schedules. Equity 2000, a College Board experiment at seven school districts in the 1990s, showed that putting every student into Algebra I by ninth grade at the latest produced a significant increase in the number of ninth-graders who passed Algebra I. But extra support is often crucial for any such acceleration. The most successful national effort to provide it is the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, invented by San Diego English teacher Mary Catherine Swanson to leverage the power of great tutoring. Chenoweth reveals why approaches such as AVID work so well. At Elmont Memorial High School in Nassau County, N.Y., and at Artesia High, she found that administrators did not rely on the cheaper and easier solution of having support classes after school. They knew that until students believed that extra time led to more achievement, they were reluctant to stick around after the final bell. So those schools built the support classes into the regular school day, just like AVID. They were not optional. Chenoweth also exposes some great scheduling goofs. At one elementary school, every class had 15 minutes to go to the bathroom in the morning and afternoon, thus using up half an hour a day ninety hours a year that could otherwise have been used for instruction. Not only was it a huge time waster, the master schedule assumed that all kids needed to go to the bathroom at the same time, Chenoweth writes. By the end of Chenoweths master schedule analysis, I was dizzy with the complications of how to set up classes just right. Creative scheduling, for instance, can make it possible for teachers to learn from colleagues by observing one anothers classes. But their own rooms must be covered by substitutes capable of keeping lessons moving forward. Those of us who remember our own substitute teachers know that is not so common. Next time I visit a school, I will insist on looking at the master schedule. Chenoweth has unearthed a secret of great schooling, but it takes extraordinarily ambitious, and persistent, administrators to make it work. MARYLAND Hogan-backed ethics bill passes Assembly The House of Delegates on Saturday gave final approval to a bill designed to strengthen the states ethics laws, sending the measure to Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who proposed the plan as part of his legislative agenda this year. The bill, which passed the House and Senate with unanimous support last week, will increase financial disclosure requirements and expand the definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest for public officials. Hogan applauded the legislature and its Democratic leaders, House Speaker Michael E. Busch (Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (Calvert), for working with him to enact the measure. With this legislation, we are reaffirming our promise and commitment to the accountability, transparency and fairness that the people of Maryland deserve, he said. [Nearly 1 in 3 Marylanders say corruption is problem in state government] The bills approval comes during a legislative session in which three current or former Maryland lawmakers have been charged with crimes related to bribery, and one was publicly reprimanded by the House for violating the spirit of ethics laws by taking stances on the states fledgling medical-marijuana industry without publicly making clear that he was working as a consultant for a related business. [Code word lollipop was bribe cue for state senator, investigators say] The scandals, two of which involved the Prince Georges County liquor board in addition to state lawmakers, led to several other ethics proposals this year, including legislation to overhaul the structure of the county liquor board and subject liquor inspectors, commissioners and staff members to stricter ethics rules. Josh Hicks VIRGINIA Two hurt in plane crash in Culpeper Two men were injured Saturday at the Culpeper Regional Airport when their single-engine airplane ran off the side of a runway during a landing attempt and overturned, the Virginia State Police said. Authorities said pilot Daniel Allen Haug, 56, of Culpeper, Va., and passenger John Reed Reavis Jr., 74, of Bristow, Va., were taken to hospitals. The plane was identified as a propeller-driven 1949 T6G, a low-wing two-seater. Police said the cause of the crash was not known and is under investigation. Martin Weil BLOOD DONATIONS Blood drives Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Leesburg Public Safety Center, 65 Plaza St., Leesburg; April 21, 1:30-6 p.m., James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St., Leesburg; April 26, 1:30-6:30 p.m., Foxcroft School, 22407 Foxhound Lane, Middleburg; April 29, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Sterling United Methodist Church, 304 E. Church St., Sterling, 800-733-2767. Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood. FIRST AID First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fauquier Health Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $85. Registration required. HEARING Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free. MENTAL HEALTH Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020. Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320. Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services This mental health nonprofit organization is accepting clients from ages 16 to 30 for a coordinated services program with Loudoun County to help young people with their first experience of psychosis find hope and recover. For information, call Lisa Beran at 703-388-6572 or go to prsinc.org. Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213. Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services to help residents understand mental illness and seek intervention. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid. Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their loved ones. naminorthernvirginia.org. PREGNANCY, PARENTING Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org. Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272. Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844. Breastfeeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360. For the Childrens Sake A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org. La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breastfeeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349; Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637. Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free. Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free. Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org. New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360. Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375. Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breastfeeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes. Parenting Alone group For parents of school-age children who have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org. Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438. SENIORS Chair yoga Age 55 and older. Mondays 11 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Wear comfortable clothes. Bare feet or socks are encouraged. 571-258-3400. $2 drop in. Exercise equipment Age 55 and older. Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Eye care LensCrafters staff members clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free. Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Laughing yoga for seniors Improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free. Tai chi for seniors Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month. Zumba For people 55 and older learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance.Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12. SUPPORT GROUPS Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666. Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org. Alzheimers caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800. Alzheimers caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org. Alzheimers caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov. Alzheimers caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org. Alzheimers support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520. Alzheimers support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334. Alzheimers support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org. Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com. Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv. Bereavement support Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800. Bereavement support Tuesdays through March 28, 7:30- 9 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free. Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588. Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or have metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free. Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org. Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273. Cancer support Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org. Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831. Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv. Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537. Chadd parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.novaloudoun@gmail.com. Chronic illness support Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv. Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707. Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org. Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781. Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518. Griefshare Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays through May 23 from 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church, 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15. Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free. Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540-347-5922. Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses. 540-347-5922. Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45 to 9 p.m. ,Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free. Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445. Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@ gmail.com. Lyme disease support Third Thursdays 7-9 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-341-8245 or email phillipsgeo@comcast.net. Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com. MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491. Man-to-Man Cancer Support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Call 703-858-8857 or email karen.archer@inova.org. Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060. Mens grief support Second Mondays at 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 703-568-3346. Free. Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826. Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays, September-June, 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. Call ahead to confirm. 703-771-4256. Nar-anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125. Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, call oa.org. P arkinson social Coffee and conversation. Third Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon, Tribute at One Loudoun, Welcome Center, 20618 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn. 703-378-7221 or parkinsonsocialnetwork.org. Free. Parkinson's support Open to those with Parkinson's disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851. Post-partum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required. Reach to Recovery Home visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550. Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020. Spouse loss support Sundays through April 2, 2:30-4 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. Facilitated by Liz Shaw. 540-349-5814. Free. Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720. Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850. Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org. Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com. Womens support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876. Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Womens cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850. MISCELLANEOUS Ask the Expert lecture: Coping with Sensory Processing Disorders April 17, 6-7:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, Conference Rooms A and B. 855-694-6682. Free. Brain trauma survivors brown-bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free. Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County public schools Child Find Center. 571-252-2180. Cholesterol screenings Weekdays from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35. Conversation in Ethics: Compassion Fatigue Noon-1:30 p.m. April 19, Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Panel discussion about compassion fatigue and coping mechanisms for overwhelmed caregivers. 540-316-4490 or kullej@fauquierhealth.org. Registration required. Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org. Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49. HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. Support to military members and families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org. Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents dealing with eviction, utility cut-offs, needed health care and employment. Medication and sharps collection April 22, 9 a.m.-noon, Fauquier Hospital Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free. Motor vehicle safety: AARP Smart Driver Program Monday and Wednesday 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Fauquier Health Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Must attend both days. 540-316-3588. Register. $15 AARP members, $20 nonmembers. Northern Virginia long-term care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help in resolving complaints related to long-term-care facilities. Road to Recovery Free rides to appointments for cancer patients. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free. Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting and handling an emergency. Take a lunch from home or buy one in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks. Registration required. 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org. Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489. Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595. Compiled by Sandy Mauck TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: ldliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-777-8437 Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175 Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar THURSDAY, APRIL 6 Toddlers mom says Rams was bad father Hera McLeod, the mother of Prince McLeod Rams, testified Wednesday that Joaquin S. Rams showed no interest in their newborn son and slept with her sister about two weeks after Princes birth. The prosecution then rested in the capital murder trial of Rams, who sat with his head down through much of his ex-fiancees testimony and did not testify. His lawyers have not explained why he took out life insurance policies on the newborn boy in autumn 2011. Lawyers close arguments before deciding judge The closing arguments in the Rams trial capped 11 days of testimony from 35 witnesses. More than 1,000 pages of evidence were produced, which Circuit Judge Randy I. Bellows will review this week before he decides the case without a jury. FRIDAY, APRIL 7 Smart-home model integrates Amazons Alexa Brookfield Residential has collaborated with Amazon to design the Brookfield Residential Smart House, which integrates Amazons Alexa platform with a Kensington model single-family home at the Avendale community in Bristow. Gregg Hughes, vice president of sales and marketing for Brookfield Residential, says Brookfield decided to build the smart-house model at Avendale rather than at one of the companys custom-home communities to demonstrate that smart-home technology isnt reserved for expensive houses. Base prices at Avendale range from $429,990 to $539,990. Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos also owns The Washington Post. A Maryland man was killed early Sunday when the car he was driving crashed into a tree in Prince Georges County, Maryland State Police said. Police said Cevon Mclean, 59, of Lothian, was southbound on Pennsylvania Avenue, in the area of Ritchie Marlboro Road, when the car veered off the roadway and hit the tree. Little was known about the circumstances leading up to the crash, which occurred about 1:45 a.m. Mclean was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is under investigation. A forensics team inspects the site of an explosion that took place at a Coptic church Sunday in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2017. (Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters) Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock was part of a congressional delegation visiting Egypt for discussions on counterrorism when bomb blasts rattled the nation Sunday, killing at least 43 people and injuring dozens more in attacks that targeted the countrys Coptic Christian minority. Comstock (R) joined Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) in condemning the bombings, which occurred as the delegation was in the Sinai Peninsula celebrating Palm Sunday Mass with American troops, according to a Comstock spokesman. The attacks, less than three hours apart, hit two churches filled with worshipers in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria. Tanta is 80 miles north of the capital, Cairo, where the delegation met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi on Saturday. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility in both attacks. [Explosions rock 2 Egyptian churches, killing dozens and injuring scores more] We are sickened and horrified at the attacks that occurred this morning in Egypt, targeting innocent worshipers as they gathered to celebrate one of the holiest days of the Christian faith, the joint statement read. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with all those affected by this despicable act of terrorism. The United States must continue working with our allies and partners in the international community to bring a swift end to ISIS and these continuing acts of violence across the world. The statement called Egypt one of Americas most crucial partners in the fight against the terror group. The Saturday meeting with Sissi was the first leg of a trip aimed at deepening Middle East ties in the effort to combat terrorism, the statement said. President Trump hosted Sissi at The White House last week and pledged close cooperation on the countries national security interests. Sissis visit marked a change in U.S. policy, coming after President Obama had refused to invite the Egyptian president to the White House, citing concerns over human rights violations. [Trump welcomes Egypts Sissi to White House in reversal of U.S. policy] The joint statement linked to a story in the Egyptian english-language publication Daily News Egypt, where a photo showed the delegation seated around Sissi. We will continue working together to address these threats and defeat terrorism once and for all, the statement said. The spokesman for Comstock, who represents Northern Virginia, declined to further specify the delegations whereabouts, citing security concerns. Jenna Portnoy contributed to this report. FLORIDA 1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting at gym Gunfire erupted during a dispute between a former gym employee and a manager Saturday, leaving one person dead and two others seriously wounded at an upscale shopping mall in Coral Gables, Fla., police said. The shooting at the Equinox gym shuttered the Shops at Merrick Park for the day while investigators talked to witnesses and pieced together what happened. Police did not say who opened fire, or who was wounded and who was killed. The wounded were airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center. There was no immediate word on their conditions. It appears to be an ex-employee, managerial dispute that triggered this shooting, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. A Coral Gables police officer patrolling the mall was told by a security officer shortly before 1 p.m. that shots had been fired, said chief Ed Hudak. A mall security system was activated and people in other stores and restaurants were told to remain inside or were escorted to safety. Associated Press NEBRASKA Worker injured, re set during prison riot Inmates set a housing unit ablaze during an uprising that injured a staff member at a Lincoln prison, the third such fire at a Nebraska prison in two years. A spokeswoman for the Department of Correctional Services said the staff member sustained minor injuries after he was attacked during the disturbance around 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center. No other staff or inmates were injured. Nebraska State Patrol troopers and prison emergency teams quashed the disturbance in less than two hours, authorities said. Officials have not detailed the extent of the damage to the housing unit where the fire occurred. Associated Press 2 inmates charged with killing 4 in S.C. prison: Two convicts, each serving a life sentence for killing a mother and her child, have been charged with murder in the strangulation deaths of four inmates inside a South Carolina prison. Denver Simmons and Jacob Philip lured each of the four into a cell at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia on Friday morning, then worked together to choke them, according to arrest warrants released early Saturday. The attacks took place within 30 minutes, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said in a statement Saturday. Thousands offered in case of cat doused with gasoline: Several organizations are offering thousands of dollars in reward money for information that leads to a conviction of the person responsible for dousing a cat with gasoline in Pennsylvania. Humane Society officials said the animal was tied up, doused in gasoline and placed in a plastic trash bag that was nearly crushed in a Pennsylvania garbage truck Tuesday in Reading. Two workers heard the cat making sounds inside the bag. The cat is being treated at the Humane Veterinary Hospital. Police: Boy drives car into canal with 2-year-old passenger: A Florida man let his 13-year-old son drive a car around a neighborhood with a 2-year-old passenger before the boy crashed into a canal, police said. Neither child was seriously hurt, the Fort Myers News-Press reported. The Florida Highway Patrol said the father, Martin Martinez Jr., 31, of Lehigh Acres, is charged with child neglect. Dallas emergency siren system hacked: Dallass emergency siren system was hacked overnight, resulting in the sirens sporadically sounding for about an hour and a half starting at 11:42 p.m. Friday, and forcing officials to shut down the system, they said Saturday. The person or people responsible were able to hack into a part of the system that was communicating with all 156 of the citys sirens, a city official said. From news services Mr. J? I call out into the waiting room. A short, gray-haired man in his 60s staggers toward me, bracing his back with his hands. Despite his pain, he gives me a warm smile, which I return. As I help him onto the exam-room table, he winces, squeezing my hand. Im a medical student, I begin. If you wouldnt mind, Id like to examine you before Dr. S sees you. (I am using their initials to protect the privacy of patient and doctors.) He nods. Go ahead, you can learn on me just dont break my leg! We chuckle, and then I check his vitals, review his medications and ask him about his back pain. Its been getting worse for the past couple of months, he says. Ive been under a lot of stress with my business. And theres so much else going on Ive been feeling angry a lot lately . . . . Youve been feeling angry? Why? I ask. Its the news, Mr. J says. ISIS and those Muslims. His nostrils flare; his hands clench. These Muslims think they can blow up our country! [Her story went viral. But she is not the only black doctor ignored in an airplane emergency] Heat crawls up my neck. I am a Muslim American. My parents emigrated from Pakistan nearly 30 years ago. I was born and raised in a small rural town in Western Maryland. I want to take care of them for good and send them all packing, Mr. J continues. They arent welcome here! He gives me an expectant look, waiting for me to nod in agreement. His sentiments are shared by many in the town my clinic serves. Outwardly, I dont look Muslim, as I dont wear a hijab. Because of my dark skin, Im more often mistaken for an Indian Hindu. Growing up in my predominantly white home town, I never really noticed any negativity from others about my race or religion they were just a part of who I was. On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in sixth grade. That day, instead of continuing our normal school schedule, my teacher turned on our classroom TV so that we could watch the news, live. My classmates and I stared, mesmerized, as the smoke rose from the twin towers. I was so naive, I didnt see that a small group of people had hijacked my religion, claiming it as a reason to kill thousands of innocent people. That day, my race and religion stopped being simply one part of my personal identity and became a part of my political reality as well. The tensions born that day have only intensified. Hate crimes against Muslims have surged; each time I visit my Muslim community back home, I hear another story of someones car or store being vandalized, or of death threats received in the mail. Similar stories are shared on Facebook by Muslim communities all over the United States. Some Muslims have decided to shave their beards or stop wearing a hijab, crucial parts of their identity, so that they wont be easy targets. My own mother, terrified for my safety, has made me promise to stop going on my daily morning runs alone. The fear is palpable. [American hate groups are on the rise, Southern Poverty Law Center says] Now, as I listen to Mr. J, my pen slips from my fingers and falls to the floor. He keeps talking, but I cant take in his words. I need to escape . . . to calm down and digest this shock. Excuse me a moment, I mutter, blinking back tears, and walk past him, my legs heavy. Before, when confronted with this kind of prejudice, Ive known exactly what to do: Speak up. Ive revealed my religious identity and have tried to show that Im normal, in hopes of changing the persons mind-set. Ive done this countless times. Most recently, while waiting for my cars oil change to be done, I watched an elderly woman struggling to help her grandson with his algebra homework. I should call my friend Ahmad to help me, he said. I told you to stop talking to him! his grandmother snapped. Hes Arab probably a terrorist! Calmly, I offered to help, and afterward the grandmother thanked me profusely. Heading out the door, I left a note in her hand: Just so you know, I am a Muslim. I helped you because thats what I believe in . . . helping others. We arent terrorists. Just Americans who believe in compassion and camaraderie. But this situation is different, I tell myself. This man is my patient. He needs medical help. Still, how can I deny the sting of his words? My mind races: As a medical student, where are my boundaries? Should I tell him that Im Muslim? Should I tell my attending? I decide not to share my feelings with my attending: I want to process this situation on my own. All at once, I remember Dr. A, who worked in my colleges alumni affairs department. We met at a time when I was being rejected for internships and getting threatening phone calls because of my Muslim identity. When I voiced my concerns to non-Muslim students and advisers, no one listened except for Dr. A. Instead of staying safely on the sidelines, she became the Muslim students strongest ally. She helped me to establish the colleges Muslim Cultural Center, a safe haven where we could tackle the issues that we as Muslim Americans were facing in the post-9/11 world. Few people knew what I knew: that Dr. As husband had been killed in the 9/11 attacks. Despite this horrific loss, she never faltered in her support for the Muslim students. Time and again, she chose love and acceptance over hatred and revenge. Recalling her support and generosity of spirit, I feel a surge of gratitude. A thought arises: Maybe I can act as Dr. A did. As wounded as I feel by Mr. Js harsh words, I can respond to them and him with kindness and care. In leaving the room, I reflect, I let my reactions to Mr. Js words override my duty to care for him. I dont have to let that happen I can choose to transcend the barriers that divide us. Can I do it? Well . . . let me try. Minutes later, I head back with Dr. S to complete Mr. Js exam. I remain cordial with him: I make sure that he understands his treatment instructions, help him set up his next appointment and walk him out of the office. Good luck! See you at your next visit, I say, smiling and waving goodbye. Later, sharing this experience with my trusted professors, colleagues and Muslim role models, I get conflicting responses. Some believe that I was right to remain quiet; others, that I should have spoken up. I still have many questions: What if one day I encounter a patient who directly attacks me for my Muslim identity? When Im a physician, how will I act if this happens? If a colleague or an attending disrespects my beliefs and heritage, I have my response ready. Ill be respectful, but direct: I am Muslim. But I am also a doctor. I can offer you my skills to the best of my ability, regardless of how you feel about my identify. Its your decision if youre open to working with me. I dont have all the answers but I do know, now, that I can keep my emotions from derailing my patients care. I may not have changed Mr. Js perceptions of Muslims, but I fulfilled my duties as a physician-in-training. Perhaps someday hell find out that Im Muslim. Maybe Ill have a chance to change his opinion and maybe I wont. Either way, I dont regret my decision to respond not with wounded anger but with my best attempt at compassion. Rahman is a medical student at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. This article is adapted from an essay in Pulse: Voices from the heart of medicine, where it first appeared. Read more: A doctor discovers an important question patients should be asked How one student struggles to become a good doctor American Muslim doctors feel greater scrutiny The tax department a few days back notified new Income Tax Return (ITR) forms for filing of returns for the Assessment Year 2017-18 (financial year 2016-17). By Press Trust of India: While filing your IT returns this year, all cash payments of over Rs 2 lakh for paying loans and credit card bills during the 50-day period post demonetisation will have to be disclosed in the new one-page Income Tax return form. The tax department a few days back notified new Income Tax Return (ITR) forms for filing of returns for the Assessment Year 2017-18 (financial year 2016-17). advertisement Besides providing for declaring income, exemption claimed and tax paid, the forms have a new column providing for declaration for any deposit of over Rs 2 lakh in bank accounts made during November 9 and December 30, 2016 after the old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes were demonetised. This column is also to be used for declaring cash payments in excess of Rs 2 lakh for repayment of any loan or settlement of credit card bills during this 50-day period, a senior official told PTI here. "The column is an attempt to match the cash deposits made post demonetisation with the annual income," he said. While all credit cards are linked to permanent account number (PAN) of the holder, almost all loans by scheduled banks are also provided on furnishing of PAN. The tax department will collate the data it has of cash payments made in excess of Rs 2 lakh with the returns filed. "We want to see if the income profile matches with the cash payments made," he said. The move comes amid concerns of unaccounted cash or black money being used to settle bills after credit cards were used to make heavy purchases. It could also be that black money could have been used to repay loans. Post-demonetisation, the government had provided a 50-day window beginning November 9, 2016 to deposit the junked notes in bank accounts. For those with unaccounted cash, it gave them one last opportunity to come clean by depositing 50 per cent of it as tax and parking another 25 per cent in a zero- interest bearing deposit for four years. ATTEMPT TO CATCH TAX EVADERS The changes made in ITR are an attempt to catch tax evaders, the official said. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had last week told PTI that the new column of cash deposits made during November 9, 2016 and December 30, 2016 was a one-time feature in the ITR and would not be there in the ITR from next year onwards. The ITR, he had said, would evolve or change every year depending on the need. While coming out with new ITRs, the CBDT had also rationalised them and cut down the number of forms to seven from earlier nine. advertisement While all taxpayers will have to now mandatorily link Aadhaar with their PAN cards, ITR1 (Sahaj) form has been shortened from 7 page to 1 page to enable filing of returns by people with income up to Rs 50 lakh by July 31. ITR2 is to be filed by individuals and HUFs who do not have income from business or profession and ITR3 is filed by individuals and HUFs having income from a proprietary business or profession. Also ITR 2 and ITR 3 also have a Schedule AL which require assessees to declare their assets and liabilities at the end of the fiscal. ITR4 (Sugam) is filed by those individuals who have opted for income calculation under presumptive income from business and profession. Also read: Tax officials to seek information on deposits made during demonetisation in new income tax returns --- ENDS --- The Trump administration has failed to fill crucial public health positions across the government, leaving the nation ill-prepared to face one of its greatest potential threats: a pandemic outbreak of a deadly infectious disease, according to experts in health and national security. No one knows where or when the next outbreak will occur, but health security experts say it is inevitable. Every president since Ronald Reagan has faced threats from infectious diseases, and the number of outbreaks is on the rise. Over the past three years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has monitored more than 300 outbreaks in 160 countries, tracking 37 dangerous pathogens in 2016 alone. Infectious diseases cause about 15 percent of all deaths worldwide. But after 11 weeks in office, the Trump administration has filled few of the senior positions critical to responding to an outbreak. There is no permanent director at the CDC or at the U.S. Agency for International Development. At the Department of Health and Human Services, no one has been named to fill sub-Cabinet posts for health, global affairs, or preparedness and response. Its also unclear whether the National Security Council will assume the same leadership on the issue as it did under President Barack Obama, according to public health experts. We need people in position to help steer the ship, said Steve Davis, the chief executive of PATH, a Seattle-based international health technology nonprofit working with countries to improve their ability to detect disease. We are actually very concerned. Residents of the town of Kailahun, Sierra Leone, gather along a river at dusk in August 2014. The town was deeply affected by that years Ebola outbreak. (Pete Muller/Prime for the Washington Post) In addition to leaving key posts vacant, the Trump administration has displayed little interest in the issue, health and security experts say. The White House has made few public statements about the importance of preparing for outbreaks, and it has yet to build the international relationships that are crucial for responding to global health crises. Trump also has proposed sharp cuts to government agencies working to stop deadly outbreaks at their source. The slow progress on senior-level appointments even those, such as the CDC director, that do not require Senate confirmation is hobbling Cabinet secretaries at agencies across the government. Temporary beachhead teams the White House installed are hitting the end of their appointments. The remaining civil servants have little authority to make major decisions or mobilize resources. An HHS spokeswoman declined to comment on personnel decisions. An NSC official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the administration recognizes that global health security is a national security issue and that Americas health depends on the worlds ability to detect threats wherever they occur. Trumps NSC does not have a point person for global health security as Obamas did, but global health security is part of the overall portfolio of Tom Bossert, Trumps homeland security adviser, another NSC official said. Global health experts warn that a pandemic threat could be as deadly as a nuclear attack and is much more probable. A global health crisis will go from being on no ones to-do list to being the only thing on their list, said Bill Steiger, who headed the HHS office of global health affairs during the George W. Bush administration. He spoke at a panel on pandemic preparedness in early January. He is now part of Trumps beachhead team at the State Department. Next month, the G-20 governments, which traditionally focus on finance and economics, will convene their health ministers for the first time, in part to test coordination and preparedness for a pandemic, according to German officials, who are hosting the summit in Berlin. Its not clear who will represent the United States. View Graphic What's getting cut in Trump's budget In a speech to a security conference in Munich earlier this year, billionaire Bill Gates said a pandemic threat needs to be taken as seriously as other national security issues. Imagine if I told you that somewhere in this world, theres a weapon that exists or that could emerge capable of killing tens of thousands, or millions of people, bringing economies to a standstill and throwing nations into chaos, said Gates, who has spent billions to improve health worldwide. Whether it occurs by a quirk of nature or at the hand of a terrorist, epidemiologists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year. The projected annual cost of a pandemic could reach as high as $570 billion. Last month, Trump met with Gates at the White House. After the meeting, press secretary Sean Spicer said the two had a shared commitment to finding and stopping disease outbreaks around the world. Americans are at greater risk than ever from new infectious diseases, drug-resistant infections and potential bioterrorism organisms, despite advances in medicine and technology, experts say. Not only has the total number of outbreaks increased in the past three decades, but the scale, impact and methods of transmission also have expanded because of climate change, urbanization and globalization. The outbreak of Ebola that erupted in West Africa eventually infected more than 28,000 people and killed more than 11,000. MERS has killed nearly 2,000 people in 27 countries. Health officials around the world are monitoring a strain of deadly bird flu, H7N9, that is causing Chinas largest outbreak on record, killing 40 percent of people with confirmed infections. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) Of all emerging infectious disease threats, a global influenza outbreak is everyones worst fear because it could be highly lethal and highly contagious. A particularly virulent influenza pandemic that started in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. Todays H7N9 strain poses the greatest risk of a pandemic if it evolves to spread easily from human to human, according to U.S. officials. Last month, several Democratic lawmakers wrote HHS Secretary Tom Price to raise concerns about the nations ability to respond to infectious disease threats. They also asked about the vacancies and the impact of proposed budget cuts in the event of a flu pandemic. They received no response. Our whole community is kind of ear to the ground trying to figure out any clues we can discern, said Rebecca Katz, co-director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown Universitys Medical Center. Global health security is clearly an issue that needs to be taken up by the heads of state, said one European official who declined to be identified because her government does not want to appear critical of the United States. Diseases travel fast and dont recognize borders. In todays connected world, a disease can be transported from a rural village to any major city within 36 hours. Its not just from travel of people, but birds, too, she said. Referring to Trumps proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico, she added: You cant build walls to stop birds. Global health security was a top priority for the Obama administration, which launched a partnership in early 2014 to prevent deadly outbreaks from spreading. Experts say the collaboration, known as the Global Health Security Agenda, has raised the political profile of infectious disease threats and strengthened basic public health systems in the countries least equipped to fight epidemics. In Cameroon, the government developed a new emergency operations center able to respond within 24 hours to an outbreak of a highly lethal bird flu last year, removing more than 67,000 birds that had the potential to spread the virus to humans. In 2015, it took the country eight weeks to respond to a cholera outbreak. In Mali, personnel who received epidemiology training began vaccination campaigns the day after detecting a measles outbreak last year. In addition, more than 30 countries have taken part in evaluations to assess their ability to detect and prevent outbreaks, and their report cards are made public to spur governments to take action. But the gains made so far are still fragile and require continued funding until they are strong, according to an internal CDC analysis. The Obama administration committed $1 billion to the program, which is due to end in fiscal 2019. Although it has strong support among global health officials and some Republican lawmakers, the Trump administration has yet to say whether it plans to continue funding the initiative. President Obama also brought up global health regularly in meetings with foreign leaders. Trump has said little since taking office, except for a reference in his inaugural speech about his desire to rid the earth of disease. During the Ebola outbreak, Trump tweeted that health workers should be blocked from returning to the United States, despite advice from the CDC and other experts that doing so would not protect U.S. health and would harm efforts to stop the outbreak. The administrations proposed budget is also problematic, health experts say. If approved by Congress, Trumps request for the current fiscal year would slash the entire $72 million budget for global health security at USAID. And his request for fiscal 2018 calls for a nearly 18 percent cut at HHS, which includes the CDC. The request does propose a new federal emergency fund intended to allow HHS to respond to emerging public health outbreaks. However, administration officials have provided few details. Many Republican lawmakers have criticized the requests, saying Congress is unlikely to approve such deep cuts to health agencies. You can have the best people in the world, but if youre slashing the NIH budget by 20 percent, and presumably the same thing to CDC, then I dont care how good your people are, theyre not going to be nearly as effective as they need to be, said Rep. Tom Cole, (R- Okla.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education, and related agencies. The health agencies are the front lines of defense for the American people for some pretty awful things, Cole said. If the idea of a government is to protect the United States and its people, then these people contribute as much as another wing on an F-35 [fighter jet], and actually do more to save tens of thousands of lives. Lisa Rein contributed to this story. SOMALIA Pirates reportedly nab vessel off Yemen Suspected Somali pirates have again hijacked a vessel on one of the worlds crucial trade routes, authorities said Saturday night, the latest in a string of attacks after several years of silence. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations piracy watchdog said on its website that it had received a report from a vessel under attack and possibly boarded off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen. It gave no further details. Somali pirates in recent weeks have hijacked at least two vessels with foreign crews in the waters off Somalia and Yemen, marking a return of the threat after half a decade. A source with the ports ministry in Somalias northeastern semiautonomous state of Puntland said armed pirates hijacked a ship flying under the Tuvalu flag and were steering it toward Somalias northern coast. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. A Somali pirate, Bile Hussein, said he was aware that pirates had boarded a ship near Yemens Socotra island despite resistance from the crew. The U.S. Navys 5th Fleet, which oversees regional anti-piracy efforts from Bahrain, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Associated Press VENEZUELA Police re tear gas at Capriles supporters Venezuelas government fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some of the thousands of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro who poured into the streets of Caracas amid a week-long protest movement that shows little sign of losing momentum. The demonstrations in the capital and several other cities came a day after Maduros government barred top opposition leader Henrique Capriles from running for office for 15 years. Nobody can disqualify the Venezuelan people, an emotional Capriles said from a stage Saturday as he called on protesters to march to the ombudsmans office downtown. As the sea of protesters approached the headquarters of state-run PDVSA oil company, they were met by a curtain of eye-scorching tear gas and rubber bullets. Mayhem then ensued, with riot police racing down windy streets, dodging objects thrown from tall apartment buildings as they deployed to quash the outbreak of unrest. Associated Press Police in Norway find apparent bomb: Norwegian police have found a bomb-like device in central Oslo and a suspect is in custody, the police said on their official Twitter account Saturday. A Reuters reporter at the scene said a large area had been cordoned off. It seems like this device only has potential for causing limited damage. . . . Were now awaiting further necessary investigations, the police said. Basque separatists reveal weapons caches: The Basque separatist group ETA revealed the locations of weapons dumps in France, signaling that the movement has disarmed after suspending its struggle for independence from Spain, according to international monitors. Ram Manikkalingam, head of the International Verification Committee, said the group had received information on the arms caches and passed it on immediately to French authorities. The eight caches contain 120 firearms, three tons of explosives, detonators and ammunition, El Mundo newspaper reported. Four die in bar shooting at Mexican resort area: Officials in Mexico say gunmen opened fire at a bar in the Pacific Coast resort of Ixtapa, leaving four people dead and two injured. Initial investigations indicate the shooting broke out early Saturday between members of two rival drug gangs who were at the bar. Apartment building collapse kills 6 in Poland: A pre-World War II apartment house collapsed in the town of Swiebodzice, in southwestern Poland, leaving six people dead and four injured, authorities said. According to fire officials, the two upper floors of the three-floor building might have collapsed because of a gas explosion. Construction experts were planning to investigate the cause. Malis prime minister gets the boot: Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita replaced the West African nations prime minister. Abdoulaye Idrissa Maiga previously Malis defense minister has replaced Modibo Keita, who had been prime minister since 2015, according to a decree read on state-owned television. From news services Moments after the explosion rocked her church Sunday morning, Mona Faiezs phone rang. It was her sister, checking to see if she was alive. She was unhurt; she wasnt at the church, where 27 now lay dead and scores more were injured. But alerted by the call, she rushed toward it. These were her fellow parishioners, her closest friends. What kind of human could do this, she asked, and why? Less than three hours later, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to St. Marks Cathedral in the northern city of Alexandria, killing 17 and injuring many more. The dead included three police officers who stopped the bomber from entering the site. The head of Egypts Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, was presiding over Palm Sunday Mass at the church, also packed with worshipers, but he was unharmed. By Sunday night, President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi had declared a state of emergency across the country for three months. Altogether, at least 44 people died and more than 100 were injured in the two attacks, the deadliest single day to strike Egypts Coptic Christian minority in decades. The Islamic State asserted responsibility for both bombings through the Amaq News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamist militant group. World leaders, including Pope Francis and President Trump, condemned the attacks. Here in Tanta, 80 miles north of Cairo, Faiez said she reached St. Georges Church shortly after 9.30 a.m. Her closest friend, Soliman Shaker, was a church deacon in his 60s. He was preparing for his daughters wedding in a couple of weeks. The bomb, police said, had been planted in the churchs pews. But witnesses said a suicide bomber was in the pews when he detonated his explosives. Shaker was dead. I ran to the church to find my lifelong friend shattered to pieces by the bomb, said Faiez, 61, who lives nearby. Sundays assaults threaten to further alienate the countrys Coptic Orthodox community, which makes up 10 percent of the population. For decades, Egypts Copts have felt discriminated against by the countrys Muslims, and assaults against them have intensified since the 2011 revolution part of the Arab Spring uprisings that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Christians largely supported the rise of Sissi, who came to power after the overthrow of elected Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. After taking office, Sissi launched a brutal crackdown on Islamists that was supported by many Christians. 1 of 35 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad See photos at the scenes of two explosions at Coptic churches in Egypt View Photos Bombs explode outside the St. Marks Cathedral in Alexandria and St. Georges Coptic church in Tanta during Palm Sunday mass. Caption Bombs explode outside the Saint Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria andthe Mar Girgis Coptic Church in Tanta during Palm Sunday Mass. April 10, 2017 Relatives mourn for the victims of the Palm Sunday bombings during a funeral at the Monastery of St. Mina in Alexandria, Egypt. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue. Yet anger within the Christian community toward Sissi is growing. After each attack in recent months, the government promised to safeguard Christians with improved security measures, but the assaults on the community have continued. Outside the church in Tanta on Sunday, Christian and Muslim residents denounced the government and demanded accountability. Clashes broke out when officials of the provincial government tried to enter the church. Some neighbors stood on balconies crying, and relatives and friends of the victims wore black. One man stood atop a barricade and screamed in frustration at a priest who arrived at the scene in a car. And now what, Father? the man yelled. Until when is our blood going to remain cheap? We are fed up! Do something, Father! At the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis, who plans to visit Egypt three weeks from now, denounced the bombings and expressed his deep condolences to Tawadros II and all of the dear Egyptian nation. In remarks made after celebrating Mass in St. Peters Square, the Pope asked God to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons. Trump tweeted, So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly. Sundays bombings came less than a week after Trump hosted Sissi at the White House, where both leaders reiterated their resolve to work together to fight extremist groups such as the Islamic State. In December, the Islamic State asserted responsibility for a bombing at Cairos Coptic Cathedral complex that killed at least 25 people and wounded 49. It marked a shift in the Islamic States strategy, making Christians a primary target in their campaign against the government. More recently, hundreds of Christians fled Egypts volatile Sinai Peninsula after militants aligned with the Islamic State affiliate there killed several who were attacked in their homes or in drive-by shootings. In a video, the Sinai-based affiliate warned that it would escalate attacks against the nations Christians. Over the past six years, numerous attacks on Christians have left scores dead. On Jan. 1, 2011, the Church of Saints Mark and Peter in Alexandria was bombed, killing 23 people as they left the New Years Day service. Ten months later, Egypts security forces killed 28 Christians protesting the demolition of a church, claiming the protesters first attacked them. In 2013, Christians were targeted in a spate of attacks after Morsi was ousted in a military coup. On Friday, the Catholic archbishop of Egypt, Bishop Emmanuel, told journalists at a news conference that Pope Franciss visit here was meant to send a message that Egypt was safe. The pope is scheduled to meet with Sissi and leaders of the countrys Catholic diocese. And in an effort to improve relations between Muslims and Christians, the pope is also expected to meet with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, a centuries-old mosque and university that is widely respected by Sunni Muslims. On Sunday, residents in Tanta questioned how someone was able to get a bomb into the Mass. Concerned about more attacks on Christians, local authorities appeared to have taken no chances on this holy day. Police officers were present and security appeared tight, witnesses said. It is beyond my comprehension how they could leave such a bomb inside the church, said Laurice Mikhaiel, 60, who lives across from the church. We churchgoers get inspected as we come in and out. There is always security present. Victor Fathy, 42, arrived at the church about a half-hour after the blast. He learned that his cousin, Raouf Salib, a father of two children, was among the dead. Several witnesses, he said, told him that they had seen a suicide bomber. Inside, the walls were covered with blood and every seat was shattered to pieces. He looked at the floor. There were no holes in it, he said. It was not a bomb left under the bench. For Faiez, that only raised more questions. The head of the security here told me he had seven policemen standing here to protect the church, Faiez said. What exactly were they doing? How futile! Raghavan reported from Cairo. Read more: In post-Arab Spring Egypt, Muslim attacks on Christians are rising With visit by Egypts Sissi, Trump administration signals sharp policy shift Egypts Mubarak freed from detention six years after his overthrow Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news A political cartoon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stretched out on a psychologists couch and clutching TV sets, radios and newspapers to his chest might be the best depiction of a crisis that threatened to bring down the Israeli government. The cartoon was published in the Israeli daily Haaretz just over a week ago as the prime minister tried to stop the launch of a new public broadcasting corporation that he once endorsed and even set in motion. On one level, the cartoon represented what many Israelis see as Netanyahus fantastical obsession with the media. In a deeper sense, however, it denotes what critics say appears to be his determination to weaken and ultimately control Israels small, Hebrew-language news industry. Whether railing about fake news or against a particular journalist on social media, Netanyahu makes no secret of the fact that he believes most news outlets in Israel are out to get him. Where they see unemployment, I see full employment. Where they see a ruined economy, I see a thriving economy. Where they see traffic jams, I see interchanges, trains, bridges, he reportedly said last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem in March. (Amir Cohen /REUTERS) The comments, of course, drew more political cartoons one showing him flying in a helicopter high above a horrendous traffic jam. But in the battle against the new public broadcasting corporation known in Hebrew as Kann Netanyahu appears to have won. He initially supported the creation of the new entity, which was meant to replace the antiquated Israel Broadcasting Authority. Founded by the state and funded by a public television tax, the decades-old television and radio body has, in recent years, been deemed over-budgeted, mismanaged and even corrupt. Legislation was passed three years ago laying out guidelines for the new corporation to free it of political influence and make it more transparent. Studios were set up and staff was hired and, after several delays, the new radio and television channels were to begin broadcasts April 30. But somewhere along the way, Netanyahu and his supporters started to have second thoughts. Last summer, while the prime minister also held the position of communications minister, he announced his preference for reforming the old broadcasting authority. His coalition partners were not happy. Fierce opposition came from the finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, who made a monetary argument for sticking with the original plan. Kahlon was forced to backtrack when Netanyahu threatened, once again, to force the country into elections only two years after the previous ones over a media issue. The prime minister pointed out that all those who joined his coalition had agreed to refrain from interfering with any communications issue. A compromise was reached just over a week ago: The new channel would begin broadcasting as planned, but the news department would be removed. The existing news division of the Israel Broadcasting Authority would step in until a new news department could be created. The plan is now to create two separate entities under two separate independent managements, a senior official from the prime ministers office said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. These will not be controlled by the prime minister or the government in the least. The official said Netanyahu believed that Kanns management had failed to rehire some of the most experienced journalists from the Israel Broadcasting Authority as it had been mandated to do or had relegated them to demeaning roles. This helps restore the balance, the official said. Supporters of the new corporation have denied the allegation and point out that most of the employees at Kann currently or previously worked at the Israel Broadcasting Authority. Netanyahu is doing everything in his power to liquidate the corporation because he understands that he cannot control it, said Yair Tarchitsky, chairman of Israels journalists union. The change in direction also angered the news division journalists hired by Kann, who are expected to lose their jobs, and employees of the old broadcasting authority, whose future is equally unclear. Kanns management said it could not comment at this stage, mainly because they have not yet received official notification of the changes. In addition, legal petitions against Netanyahu who was recently forced by the attorney general to relinquish control of the communications ministry and against Kahlons new plan were filed with the Supreme Court. And Israels main trade union has threatened a fully blown strike that could cripple the country unless a solution is found for those about to be made unemployed. He has caused chaos and has weakened everyone, said Danny Gutwein, a professor of social and economic history in Israel at the University of Haifa. Gutwein said that, by creating legislation to shutter the old broadcasting authority, Netanyahu set a precedent that paved the way for him to easily close Kann down, too. I dont think Netanyahu is obsessed with the media, Gutwein said. He is completely rational, he understands the power of the media, and what he did with all this shutting and opening is to create a mechanism that he can now control. It is a calculated system. Writing in the Israeli daily Yediot Aharanoth, which Netanyahu considers among his main media foes, political commentator Sima Kadmon noted that no other Israeli prime minister had succeeded so well in causing a rift and schism among his people. She said Netanyahu had managed to divide and conquer Israels media outlets on this issue. And you, Prime Minister, enjoy it. This is a blow to the most important part of democracy the news, said opposition leader Isaac Herzog. Read more Fire behind the smoke: Probe of Netanyahu has Israelis worried Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. By Indo-Asian News Service: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. "Greetings to all my fellow countrymen in India and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti," Mukherjee tweeted. He said: "Bhagwan Mahavira's philosophy of ahimsa, truth, compassion and non-violence are of increasing relevance in today's world." The President urged the people to "imbibe his teaching of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct" in uniting and building a "society free from violence, terrorism and exploitation". Greetings to all my fellow countrymen in India and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti #PresidentMukherjee- President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) April 9, 2017 Bhagwan Mahaviras philosophy of ahimsa, truth, compassion and non-violence are of increasing relevance in todays world #PresidentMukherjee- President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) April 9, 2017 Let us unite and build a society free from violence, terrorism and exploitation #PresidentMukherjee- President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) April 9, 2017 advertisement Modi tweeted: "Greetings on Mahavir Jayanti. We recall the noble teachings of Lord Mahavir, which continue to guide generations." Greetings on Mahavir Jayanti. We recall the noble teachings of Lord Mahavir, which continue to guide generations.- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2017 Mahavir, born in Bihar in 599 BC, was the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara (spiritual teacher). --- ENDS --- People lay flowers in front of a plywood plank covered with messages at the Stockholm department store where the truck attacker struck. (Markus Schreiber/AP) Swedish police said Sunday that the man suspected of plowing a stolen truck into a crowd of people in Stockholms busiest shopping area on Friday had had his residency application rejected and was supposed to be deported last year but could not be located. In a midday news conference, officials said the 39-year-old Uzbek man, who has not been publicly identified, was denied permanent residency status in June and was sought for deportation last summer. But he went into hiding, and in February police issued a notice seeking clues about his whereabouts, said Jan Evensson, a Stockholm police official. The man resurfaced Friday, when authorities say he killed four people and injured 15 others during a rampage that ended when the beer-delivery truck he is accused of steering slammed into an upscale department store in central Stockholm. The driver ran away. But police arrested a man that evening in the northern Stockholm suburbs and said his appearance matched that of a man caught earlier in the day on surveillance video. Over the weekend, authorities expressed confidence that the man they arrested was responsible for the attack. No group has asserted responsibility. But the suspect had shown an interest in Islamic State and has been sympathetic to extremist organizations, said Jonas Hysing, an official with Swedens national police. Authorities said five other people have been arrested in connection with the case, suggesting the possibility of a broader plot, though no charges have been filed. Police said that 500 people have been questioned. The revelation that the suspect in Stockholms first mass-casualty terrorist attack was an Uzbek who had sought and failed to secure residency is almost certain to inflame debate over the countrys relatively welcoming attitude toward foreigners. Speaking Sunday to his partys annual conference, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said that his government would review immigration legislation with the goal of making it easier to remove people whose applications to stay in Sweden have been rejected. There are thought to be thousands of cases of people who have stayed in Sweden despite having been told to leave. It makes me frustrated. If you are rejected, you should go home, he said. We need to improve the ability to deport people. Lofven has said that Fridays attack was an act of terrorism. Authorities did not say exactly when the suspect came to Sweden from Uzbekistan, a country known for political oppression, but they said he applied for permanent residency in 2014. During the peak of Europes refugee crisis, in 2015, Sweden accepted a record-breaking number of asylum seekers nearly 163,000 in a country where the population is fewer than 10 million. With its systems for welcoming newcomers strained to the breaking point, Sweden abruptly tightened its policies late that year. In 2016, as the number of asylum seekers dropped across the continent, Sweden accepted fewer than 30,000. Police said Sunday that of the four dead in the truck attack, two were Swedes, one was Belgian, and one was British. The British national was identified as 41-year-old Chris Bevington, who worked in Stockholm for the music streaming service Spotify. His father, John Bevington, described his son as a wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many. John Bevington said the family was devastated. One of the Swedish victims was an 11-year-old girl who was on her way home from school. Details about the other victims were not immediately available. Thousands of people rallied Sunday afternoon in central Stockholm to show solidarity with the victims. Among the injured, 10 remained in the hospital as of Sunday evening. Stockholm is one among a growing list of European cities where vehicles have been turned into deadly weapons by terrorists in the past year, including Berlin, London and Nice, France. Witte reported from London. Read more: What cities are trying to stop terrorists who use trucks as weapons Teen asylum-seeker IDd as suspect in Norway explosive case A terrorist attack in London and the all-too-familiar response Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news A U.S. Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was making its way toward the Korean Peninsula on Sunday to maintain readiness as Kim Jong Uns regime in North Korea prepared to mark key anniversaries in the coming weeks. North Korea is expected to hold a huge military parade Saturday to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, and to mark with similar fanfare the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean Peoples Army on April 25. Analysts expect the recent barrage of missile launches to continue, and activities around the countrys known nuclear test site have raised concerns that Pyongyang may be preparing for a sixth nuclear test. Over the weekend, North Korea said that it was not afraid of military strikes like those the United States launched on Syria last week, saying it could defend itself with its tremendous military muscle with a nuclear force. In this atmosphere, the Carl Vinson strike group, which includes a carrier air wing and two guided-missile destroyers, was ordered to travel to the Western Pacific. When the group left Singapore on Saturday, it was bound for Australia before receiving the new orders. [ Will North Korea fire a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland? Probably. ] The U.S. Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson Strike Group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the Western Pacific, said Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command. The number one threat in the region continues to North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilizing program of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, he said, according to the Agence France-Presse news agency. The Vinson group participated in joint drills with the South Korean military last month to prepare for a sudden change on the peninsula including the collapse of the North Korean regime or an invasion. North Korea has been testing medium-range missiles over recent months, and Kim said in January that North Korea had entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the mainland United States. In response, President Trump tweeted: It wont happen! In a 20-minute phone call Saturday, Trump told South Koreas acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, that he had in-depth discussions about North Koreas serious nuclear problems and how to respond to them during his summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, according to the South Korean leaders office. [ As North Koreas arsenal grows, experts see heightened risk of miscalculation ] (Reuters) Trumps vow to act alone if China does not rein in North Korea, combined with the U.S. presidents sudden decision to launch airstrikes on Syria, has some analysts speculating that North Korea could be next. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a visit to Seoul last month that all options are on the table, including military options. U.S. administrations have long ruled out even pinprick strikes on North Korean nuclear sites or missile targets because of the potential for catastrophic damage in South Korea. The North has conventional artillery massed on its side of the demilitarized zone that bisects the Korean Peninsula, giving it the capacity to inflict serious damage on Greater Seoul, a metropolitan area of 20 million people just 30 miles south of the DMZ. A statement from North Koreas Foreign Ministry, published Sunday, said that the attack on Syria was absolutely unpardonable as it was an undisguised act of aggression against a sovereign state. North Korea will not be frightened by the U.S. strike on Syria, according to a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The strikes showed why North Korea needed nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, the statement said. We will bolster up in every way our capability for self-defense to cope with the U.S. evermore reckless moves for a war and defend ourselves with our own force, it said. Read more: Heres how a North Korean soldier got inches from Rex Tillerson North Koreas leader is a lot of things but irrational is not one of them Defying skeptics, Kim Jong Un marks five years at the helm of North Korea Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Mary Ann Schiefelbein Audio Article Today, Mary Ann Schiefelbein is either sitting in the porch swing, drinking a cup of coffee, or being Quality Control... Mathie Richmond Audio Article Mathie Richmond, loving mother and grandmother, transcended to Gods side on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, surrounded by her family. The... Neil Gorsuch has been confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. What will his appointment mean for womens health and reproductive rights? (Photo: AP) Now that Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is here to stay for quite some time hes only 49 years old and could hold the bench for the rest of his life theres one looming question for womens health proponents: How will Gorsuchs appointment affect coming cases on womens reproductive rights? As it happens, one of the first cases Gorsuch will hear could have big implications not only on this issue, but also for any group that faces potential discrimination on the basis of the religious beliefs held by a company. The players in this case? Recycled tires and a preschool playground. What, exactly, is the link to womens health here? Its complicated. The case of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley, centers around an incident involving the churchs application for a grant from the state of Missouri to use recycled tires for the surface of a new playground for Trinitys preschool. The preschool is clearly religiously affiliated, stating in its own materials that it teaches a Christian world view including the Gospel. The preschools application ranked fifth out of 54 applications reviewed in total for Missouris Scrap Tire Program, but the state ultimately declined to award the church a grant to resurface the playground with recycled tires because doing so would have violated a provision of Missouris state constitution. The constitution makes clear that no money shall be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion. That meant no new playground for Trinity. But the church challenged the decision in federal court. Both the district and appellate courts agreed with the states decision. Now the church will argue to the Supreme Court that its exclusion from eligibility for the recycled tire grant program violates the free-exercise and free-protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. What do recycled tires have to do with reproductive rights and Justice Neil Gorsuch? A whole lot, it turns out. Its a case thats being closely watched by the National Womens Law Center, Amy Matsui, senior counsel and director of government relations, tells Yahoo Beauty. Story continues If the court allows the church to receive public funds despite Missouris constitution, it opens the door to public funds going without any safeguards to groups that might discriminate, Matsui explains. And that includes religious institutions or schools that could discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and religion. We know there have been religious employers who have fired employees for using birth control, for becoming pregnant without being married, for using assisted reproductive technologies to achieve pregnancy. If an institution that is engaged in discriminatory practices can receive public funds, we have serious concerns if there are not any safeguards or protections. Its a slippery slope, Matsui says. Further complicating the matter is Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. While serving on the 10th Circuit, Gorsuch heard the Hobby Lobby case before it reached the Supreme Court. In the case, Hobby Lobby argued that the religious beliefs of its majority shareholders meant that the company should not be forced to provide employee insurance coverage for all the forms of contraception covered under the the Affordable Care Act. In his opinion on the case, Gorsuch wrote that the ACAs mandate, and its requirement that all plans cover all forms of FDA-approved contraception, forces corporations such as Hobby Lobby to violate their religious faith by lending an impermissible degree of assistance to conduct [that] their religion teaches to be gravely wrong. Will the way [Gorsuch] ruled in Hobby Lobby under the pretext of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act give us any signs about his willingness to see that churches and religious institutions also get public funding? asks Matsui. This will be a bellwether case. One of the concerns is [Gorsuchs use] of religious freedom claims to trump antidiscrimination protections, both in the context of reproductive rights and LGBT rights, Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Reproductive Freedom Project, tells Yahoo Style. We saw in both his Hobby Lobby decision and his Little Sisters of the Poor decision a troubling disregard for women employees who would lose contraception coverage as the court ruled in favor of their employers, Amiri says of two of the cases heard by Gorsuch while on the 10th Circuit both of which ultimately reached the Supreme Court in which he sided with the religious rights of employers over the reproductive rights of employees. And more of these kinds of challenges may end up before the Supreme Court now that it has sent the Zubick v. Burwell case it heard last March back to the appellate court for ruling. The central issue of the Zubick case is whether groups already exempt from the contraception mandate including religious organizations such as the Catholic Church still have to accommodate their employees to ensure that they have access to contraception coverage as outlined in the ACA without actually providing that coverage themselves. The exception already allowed by the ACA for religious organizations is the completion of a form by the employer that allows employees to apply for contraception coverage directly with their insurance provider. But religious organizations say even this infringes on their religious liberties. Thus far, almost all the lower courts that have ruled have done so in favor of the government, saying that the current means of exemption do not violate religious beliefs, but almost all the cases are still pending. As these cases continue, they could end up again in the Supreme Court. Though its unlikely that any Zubick-related cases would be heard this term, they are certainly in the pipeline for next term, says Amiri. The concern is that [Gorsuch] has ruled in a way that is more extreme than even the majority [on the Supreme Court] in Hobby Lobby. [Justice Samuel] Alito in writing for the majority [on the Supreme Court] realized that there would be an effect on female employees if employers were allowed to take contraception coverage out of their health insurance plans, and Gorsuch did not recognize that at all in his decision. He did not pay any attention to the effect this would have on women employees, Amiri says. Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court to protest the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch. (Photo: AP) When it comes to where Gorsuch stands on abortion rights, the picture still remains unclear. Its hard to say, since he hasnt written in the past about abortion restriction cases, says Amiri, so we dont have past rulings to read to make any guess as to what he might do. But there have been serious concerns raised about his position on reproductive rights as a whole. Amiri continues, But just last June, the Supreme Court upheld that women have the fundamental right to abortion and that states cant use non-fact-based arguments to obstruct access to care. We hope this will continue regardless of this appointment. Whole Womans Health was decided in June 2016 in a 5-3 ruling. Even with Gorsuchs appointment, the balance of that decision wouldnt change. So we think that it is a strong decision and that the fundamental constitutional right to abortion has been affirmed over and over and over again. And we believe that will continue to be the base. And yet, says the National Womens Law Centers Matsui, We have always taken the view that every justice on the Supreme Court makes a difference. Its overly simplistic to say [Gorsuch] is a conservative jurist replacing a conservative jurist [Scalia]. If Judge Gorsuch is seen as being more persuasive with his colleagues than Scalia was, that has the potential to move the law in certain ways than another conservative vote may not be able to do. Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleand@YahooBeauty. President Trump and President Xi Jinping with their wives, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, at Mar-a-Lago. (Photo: AP) Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Trump at the southern White House this week (Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida) to discuss a number of issues from trade to security. If there had been any tension between the world leaders, they may have eased when Trumps granddaughter Arabella Kushner, 5, met Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, and sang for them in Mandarin. Her performance was captured and shared to Instagram by her mother: Very proud of Arabella and Joseph for their performance in honor of President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan's official visit to the United States. (welcome)! A post shared by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump) on Apr 7, 2017 at 3:52pm PDT Very proud of Arabella and Joseph for their performance in honor of President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuans official visit to the United States. (welcome)! Ivanka Trump wrote. Arabella performed the song Jasmine for the first couple of China as well as the Three Character Classic and some poetry from the Tang dynasty. This is not Arabellas first performance singing in Mandarin. In February, her mother posted to social media her singing a song celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. Arabella singing a song she learned for #ChineseNewYear. Wishing everyone an amazing year to come during these days of celebration. wrote Ivanka Trump on Twitter. Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reports that President Trump has accepted President Xis offer to visit China at an early date. The meeting happened under somewhat strained circumstances, however. As the world leaders dined, the United States was in the midst of launching airstrikes against Syria. The move was in retaliation for an alleged chemical attack by Bashar Assads government. China has historically opposed such actions and, along with Russia, has defended Assad on the world stage. After their meeting, Trump addressed the nation about the airstrikes: We ask for Gods wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world; we pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed. And we hope that as long as America stands for justice, then peace and harmony will in the end prevail, said Trump. Story continues Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and@YahooBeauty. The Romanian tourist who fell into the River Thames during March 22s terrorist attack on Britains House of Parliament has died, - bringing the total death toll of the heinous ambush to five. Andreea Cristea was taken off of life support on Thursday afternoon, police told The New York Times, after spending two weeks receiving extensive medical treatment in a London hospital. The 31-year-old architect was rescued from the cold river after the attack, where she was seen floating face-down by witnesses after a terrorist barreled his vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, the Associated Press reported. She was diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain, receiving emergency surgery. Six people, including the attacker, died in the attack. American Kurt Cochran, 54, who was on vacation with his wife; British mother-of-three Aysha Frade, 43; and retired London window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, were also killed on Westminster Bridge. Police officer Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed to death as he tried to stop the assailant from entering Parliament. Cristea was traveling wit her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz, who suffered a broken foot in the attack, the Associated Press reported. The couple were in London for Burnazs birthday. He was planning to propose to his girlfriend on the day of the attack, the Times reported. In a statement, Cristeas family and Burnaz described her as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts, the BBC reported. After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea - wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life-loving person you can imagine - was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way, they said. There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts, they continued. Thanking medical personnel for their help, Cristeas family said they would be donating all the money raised to help Cristea since the March 22 attack to charity. Story continues Burnaz, who received surgery on his foot, visited Westminster Bridge during last weeks candlelight vigils to lay a single white rose, the BBC reported. On March 222, an assailant careened a car through one of the busiest and most recognizable parts of Britains capital about 2:40 p.m. local time, hitting dozens of pedestrians before crashing into the gate outside the Palace of Westminster during Prime Ministers Questions time. The attacker then got out and fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot dead by guards. The death toll from the attack now stands at five. Prime Minister Theresa May also said that at least 40 people were injured. This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greek police have arrested two Afghan migrants living in a refugee camp for forcing two women, also camp dwellers, into prostitution. The arrests took place Saturday but were announced by the police late Sunday. The two men, in their late forties, had rented an apartment in Athens where the women from Afghanistan and Iran received clients. The men kept all the earnings. Police say the women were promised help in moving to another European Union country, in central or northern Europe, and were subjected to both physical violence and psychological coercion. Police say a third Afghan man was arrested for knifing another compatriot, on orders from the other two, for "harassing" the women. About 450 migrants and refugees live in the Malakassa camp, north of Athens. In a big, red year for Republicans, California was one of the few places in America that got even bluer in 2016. As the largest of only five states that emerged with Democrats controlling both chambers of the legislature and the governors desk, the Golden State quickly promised a wall of resistance to conservative policies coming out of Washington, D.C. And as President Donald Trump approaches his 100-day mark, Californians have beefed up vows to push back with legislation and lawsuits. The relationship hasnt been all hostile. Trump approved hundreds of millions of dollars to help California recoup from ravaging winter storms after Gov. Jerry Brown appealed for assistance. In his State of the State address earlier this year, Brown also signaled that he believes infrastructure is an area where we can all work together. But much of the action in California - where Trump began his tenure with the lowest approval rating of any president in the past 60 years - has been persistently defiant. Here are seven examples. Climate change conflict Before Trump even took office, Brown said that if the president backed down from climate change research, California will launch its own damn satellite. After Trump released a proposed budget gutting funds related to that work, Brown said he conferred with officials from other states and countries about how to fill the gap, promising a California-charged countermovement. The state has meanwhile reaffirmed its commitment to strict greenhouse gas emission regulations, as Trump has moved to roll back those back at the federal level, which may lead to a showdown in court. And California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has joined other states in threatening to sue the federal government if it delays issuing energy efficiency standards for products like ceiling fans and air conditioners. California can pressure businesses to cater to greener standards by setting them at the state level, because many companies cant afford to miss out on selling their products in the worlds sixth-largest economy. Story continues Sanctuary state (and city) showdowns On April 3, the California Senate passed a sanctuary state bill in defiance of Trumps promises to starve such jurisdictions of federal funds. The measure would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources to aid in federal immigration enforcement. The bills author, state Sen. Kevin de Leon, accused the Trump Administration of spreading fear and promoting race-based scapegoating toward immigrants, while pursuing inhuman and counter-productive mass deportations. While that measure may mean a coming legal fight between California and the Department of Justice, which has already announced that it will deny grants to sanctuary cities and states, other lawsuits have already been filed. San Francisco sued over the Trump Administrations threats to deny federal dollars to cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities, as did the county of Santa Clara. Dozens of cities, including Los Angeles and the state capital of Sacramento, have signed on to the latter suit. Protecting immigrants The same day that the state Senate passed the sanctuary state bill, those lawmakers also passed a measure that would dedicate $12 million to defending immigrants in deportation proceedings. (Though immigrants have a right to counsel in those cases, the government has long had no obligation to provide an attorney for those who are unable to afford one, as one law review article put it.) The move comes as Trump has expanded the types of immigrants being targeted for deportation and instructed agencies to more aggressively enforce immigration laws. Several other bills that would bolster immigrant protections have yet to be voted on by a full legislative chamber. Border wall boycotts The Bay Area cities of Oakland and Berkeley have both passed measures that would deny city contracts to firms that take part in building Trumps proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. San Francisco is considering a similar proposal. It goes beyond symbolic protest of the wall at the border and basically makes a statement through San Franciscos action in the marketplace that the city will not be complicit with the building of this wall in any way, says San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, the bills author. California, along with several other states, is considering another tactic that uses money as a stick: requiring public pension funds - the nations largest - to divest from any companies that help build the barrier. This is a wall of shame and we dont want any part of it, Assemblymember Phil Ting, a San Francisco-area Democrat, said in a statement about the proposal. Immigrant stories are the history of America and this is a nightmare. A poll conducted by the University of California at Berkeley found that California voters oppose the wall by a three-to-two margin. Russian interference and tax returns A bill currently in the state Assemblys committee on education would require that a California commission consider adding material on Russian interference with the 2016 United States presidential election to high school history textbooks. Another resolution passed by the state Senate, which is toothless beyond expressing the sentiment of lawmakers, calls on Congress to order a bipartisan, independent investigation into any ties Trump, his presidential campaign or his business empire might have with Russia. Both that measure and another resolution also call on the President to release his tax returns, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal foreign interests and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the interests of this nation. Protecting legal marijuana markets In an interview shortly after the election, a representative of the cannabis growers industry in California told TIME that many farmers feel safer, despite uncertainty about whether Trump might crack down on marijuana. Their reason? In 2016, voters in the state legalized recreational pot and California is now working with the industry to legitimize cannabis as a crop. For the first time in the history of my life, at least, the state government is our ally, said the California Growers Associations Hezekiah Allen. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has denounced legalizing marijuana, has sent mixed messages about how strongly the feds might go after people in states where it is legal. In the meantime, California AG Becerra has vowed to defend the will of the state. Everyone, and I mean everyone, who plays by Californias rules deserves to know: weve got your back, he said at a hearing in January. Members of Congress are also planning to reintroduce an amendment to an upcoming spending bill, named after California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, that would prohibit the Drug Enforcement Administration from using funds to interfere with legal medical marijuana markets. Grassroots movements and protests When Trumps top immigration official recently came to Sacramento, hundreds - including the citys mayor - showed up to protest the actions the President has taken on refugees and undocumented immigrants. Marchers taking to the streets to push for workers rights on Cesar Chavezs birthday in late March carried new signs this year that simply said #resiste. The momentum has been sustained since before Trump took office, as hundreds of thousands of Californians have shown up throughout the state to march for womens rights and immigrants rights and LGBT rights. Tech workers in Silicon Valley have been hosting hackathons to build apps that make it easier to appeal to members of Congress (often to oppose policies being pushed by Trump and other Republicans). And a quixotic movement to secede from the country - known as #CalExit - continues to forge ahead, with organizers hoping to have a vote on leaving the union in the next two years. Most Californians dont support a declaration of independence, though Democrats (44%) are much more likely to say they would jump ship than Republicans (15%). After all, that arguably crosses a line between resisting and giving up on the idea of a more perfect union. As state Sen. de Leon, the author of the sanctuary state bill, said to TIME in an interview for a previous story on Californias reaction to the election, We cant secede, we need to lead. This article was originally published on TIME.com Ridhima Pandey is living proof that no one's too young to fight climate change. The nine-year-old girl recently filed a legal case against the Indian government for failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions from factories, vehicles, and agriculture. The petition accuses officials of neglecting their duty to protect Indians young and old from environmental harm. "My government has failed to take steps to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing extreme climate conditions," Pandey said in a recent statement. "This will impact both me and future generations." SEE ALSO: Trump really doesn't want to face these 21 kids on climate change Pandey filed her petition with India's National Green Tribunal, a specialized court that handles environment-related cases. Her lawsuit targets the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate, as well as the Central Pollution Control Board of India. A woman stacks coal into a basket as she and others work to scavenge coal from an open-cast coal mine in Jharia, India. Image: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images Late last week, the tribunal asked both agencies to respond to Pandey's petition within two weeks. A spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they would respond as directed by the tribunal. The nine-year-old's lawsuit bears similarities to a youth-led legal effort in the United States. A group of 21 young people, ages 9 to 20, has accused the U.S. government and energy companies of violating the children's "constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property" by failing on global warming. Pandey's petition is more "evidence of a global movement of youth rising up and taking their governments to court to seek protection of their fundamental rights to a stable climate system and demand science-based climate action," Julia Olson, lead counsel in the U.S. climate lawsuit and executive director of Our Children's Trust, said in an earlier statement. The Indian flag flies on smog-enshrouded Red Fort in Delhi, India. Image: Allison joyce/Getty Images Story continues India, a nation of 1.25 billion people, is already suffering the effects of a warming climate. In recent decades, a decline in monsoon rainfalls and a rise in extreme heat waves has resulted in severe droughts, lower agricultural yields, and reduced access to fresh water. Sea level rise, melting Himalayan glaciers, and extreme rains are causing dangerous floods. "As a young person [Pandey] is part of a class that amongst all Indians is most vulnerable to changes in climate, yet are not part of the decision-making process," according to the 52-page petition. Pandey, the daughter of an environmental activist, isn't the first young person to defend India's environment through legal channels. Last year, six Indian teenagers filed a separate lawsuit over air pollution in New Delhi, India's capital city, which has the worst air quality in the country. LUCF refers to emissions stemming from land-use change and forestry. Image: World Resources Institute India is home to four of the world's 10 worst-ranked cities for air pollution. It's also the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States, although India's emissions represent only about 6 percent of the global total. In her filing, Pandey asks the tribunal to order the government to prepare a carbon budget and a national climate recovery plan. "Children in India are now aware about the issues of climate change and its impact," her attorney Rahul Choudary said in a statement. He added that Pandey "is simply asking her government to fulfill its own duty to protect the vital natural resources on which she and future generations depend on for survival." WATCH: These artists are painting with ink made from air pollution On March 27, 2017, the Lok Sabha passed the Mental Health Care Bill (MHCB). Earlier cleared by the Rajya Sabha, the bill now awaits presidential ratification to become an act, a step that seems a formality. To move beyond the headline-grabbing provision to decriminalise suicide attempts, unpacking the MHCB is perhaps an overdue exercise. There are at least three noteworthy things about the MHCB: the first to consider is how 'lean' mental health legislation should be. Traditionally, the need to regulate the process of involuntary admission-when the individual is at his/her most vulnerable, and can possibly be subjected to rights violations-has been seen to lie at the heart of mental health legislation. The MHCB takes the debate of 'leanness' completely out of the reckoning by enlarging the legislative mandate far beyond the involuntary admission process. It talks about access to care, making care available to everyone, provisioning of services, community care, and lays the responsibility of providing the care on the state. As such, it is a hugely progressive piece of legislation that goes way beyond earlier laws. advertisement The second is the way it uses the 'rights perspective' to go further and look at what the nature of care should be. One aspect of this is focusing on the autonomy of the individual by creating legal tools like the psychiatric advance directive. These are fascinating, complex legal measures-'living wills' that a person makes when s/he is well and 'competent' to determine how one should be treated (or not treated, as the case may be) if one does actually fall ill or become 'incompetent'. It's also called the Ulysses clause, from the story of the Greek hero Ulysses, who wanted to hear the song of the Sirens even though he knew it would render him incapable of rational thought. What the advance directive does is to take the bipartite contract of the story and convert it into a tripartite affair between the individual, the psychiatric service provider and the state. What it also does is attempt to reconcile the seemingly contradictory tenets of personal autonomy and the need for involuntary treatment, hoping to find a via media. While this certainly seems like a good idea, the evidence that it does what is intended, namely to prevent messy litigation or preclude the possibility of coercive treatment, is, so far, lacking. The possibility of using the participative mode of advance treatment planning, rather than the inherently combative advance directive, is a suggestion that needs to be explored. The third important feature of the MHCB is its prescriptive nature-specifying what community care and treatment modalities and procedures should be. Professional bodies take the view that this should be the subject of treatment guidelines-and not legal process-as these are liable to change. There is also the feeling that in the MHCB the rights perspective has supplanted the clinical perspective, rather than incorporating both, as it perhaps should. The MHCB is deeply influenced by the thinking of the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disability, and is a hugely ambitious and complex legal endeavour. It is also no doubt well intentioned, but what remains to be seen is how effectively it will deliver on its intentions. While the provisioning of service delivery can scarcely be argued against, the question is whether this needs to be mandated as law, which makes the state liable to provide the service, when it is, in fact, the same state that is passing the legislation. While the creation of services is desirable, is the law the best-or only-way to effect this? Is it possible that introducing a legal aspect to complex clinical or societal dialogue will be detrimental? That we are moving towards becoming a more litigious society is clear, but do we, by introducing tools such as this, actively encourage it? advertisement The author is Consultant Psychiatrist, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, Delhi --- ENDS --- 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. Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's sacked finance minister on Sunday warned in a speech disrupted by ANC members that the ruling party risks losing the next general election in 2019 unless it unites. Pravin Gordhan was speaking at a memorial service held in Durban in honour of anti-apartheid icon Ahmed Kathrada. Youth members of the ruling African National Congress booed Gordhan and disrupted his speech with song and dance. President Jacob Zuma fired Gordhan nine days ago, fuelling divisions within the ANC party which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid rule two decades ago. "If we can't unite among ourselves there is no hope for us in 2019," Pravin told hundreds of people, most of them members of the ANC youth league wearing the party's yellow T-shirts and some carrying pro-Zuma placards. "We can carry on squabbling amongst us, we will lose confidence of people from all works of life, from all over South Africa. We don't want to. We want to remain in government so that we can change South Africa." The dismissal of Gordhan saw the Fitch and Standard & Poor's agencies cut South Africa's sovereign credit rating to junk status last week. The reshuffle also heightened calls for Zuma to resign, with several senior ANC figures criticising Gordhan's removal. ANC treasurer-general, Zweli Mkhize, one of the party's top six leaders - also spoke at the memorial service held in Zuma's stronghold of the eastern KwaZulu Natal province, but his speech was drowned by pro-Zuma chants and songs. Sunday's memorial was the latest of several being held across the country in honour of Kathrada, an ANC stalwart and one of Nelson Mandela's closest colleagues in the struggle against white minority rule who died nearly two weeks ago aged 87 His funeral and other subsequent memorial services have turned into an anti-Zuma rallies with speakers drawing attention to the growing discontent within the ANC. By Ian Simpson (Reuters) - The Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that impeachment proceedings against Governor Robert Bentley can start next week, halting a court order that had blocked hearings stemming from his relationship with a former aide. Bentley, a 74-year-old Republican, has battled impeachment efforts over the last year and has defied calls from political leaders that he stand down. The 7-0 decision by the high court allows impeachment proceedings to begin in the House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee on Monday even as justices consider new filings in the case. Bentley, who is in his second term, is accused of inappropriate use of state resources. His troubles began last year when recordings surfaced of him making suggestive remarks to a former adviser, Rebekah Mason, before his wife of 50 years filed for divorce in August 2015. Bentley has denied having a physical affair with Mason, who is married. She resigned as questions about the pair's relationship began to dominate Alabama politics. In its ruling, the Supreme Court stayed a temporary restraining order issued by a circuit court judge on Friday. The order had halted the impeachment process until hearings could be held on Bentley's claim that lawmakers did not give enough time to present an adequate defense. Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Jones hailed the decision, saying in a statement, "This is a great day for the Constitution of Alabama." The Judiciary Committee will make a recommendation to the full House on whether to impeach Bentley. Ross Garber, an attorney for Bentley, said his legal team would submit briefs to the Supreme Court by 1 p.m. CDT on Monday, the deadline set by the justices. "It's disappointing to hear the Committee will plow forward while the Supreme Court is considering the case," he said in a statement. A state court on Friday had rejected Bentley's request to block the Judiciary Committee from releasing evidence about wrongdoing stemming from his relationship with Mason to be used for impeachment proceedings. The committee's report accused Bentley of ordering state law enforcement officers to track down copies of an embarrassing recording that suggested an affair with Mason. It also accused him of retaliating against an official who discovered the relationship. On Wednesday, the Alabama Ethics Commission also found that Bentley probably violated ethics and campaign finance laws. Bentley said after the ethics commission findings that he had no intention of resigning. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Richard Chang and Matthew Lewis) Alec Baldwin played two problematic, white American men on this week's Saturday Night Live. He first appeared as President Donald Trump in the show's cold open and later pulled double duty, playing both Trump and Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly in a scathing sketch addressing the sexual harassment allegations against the O'Reilly Factor host. SEE ALSO: 'SNL' captures the critical moment before Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad shoot Baldwin's O'Reilly opened the segment by promising to address "the scandal everyone's been talking about all week." "The scandal no one thought I'd have the guts to address head on," he added, "about the shocking allegations of abuse of power that have been leveled against ... the Obama administration." "I see a lot of myself in you, Bill." Image: nbc "O'Reilly" attempted to throw it over to journalist Laurie Dhue, before being told by a producer that she no longer worked at the company. "What? Did she get the check?" he murmured, before checking in with Malia Zimmerman (Cecily Strong), who, he noted, is "normally in studio, but is now reporting live via satellite from exactly 500 feet away." But the highlight of the segment came when Baldwin-as-O'Reilly introduced Baldwin-as-Trump. "Apparently several women have come forward and accused me of offering them exciting opportunities here at Fox News," O'Reilly-Baldwin said. "Beyond that, the details are a bit fuzzy, but one man was brave enough to come to my defense, a man who is unimpeachable on all female issues." At first, it was a mutual love-fest between the Baldwins, as O'Reilly-Baldwin remarked that Trump-Baldwin looked even better on TV. "I know, I do. I look fantastic and can I tell you something? I actually see a lot of myself in you, Bill," Trump-Baldwin said approvingly. O'Reilly-Baldwin then thanked the president for coming to his defense. (Earlier this week, the real POTUS told the New York Times, "I don't think Bill did anything wrong.") Story continues Trump-Baldwin said he was basing O'Reilly's innocence on "a loose hunch," before admitting, "I'm more familiar with this case than I am with, say, healthcare, but I didn't really look into it much. No, I was too busy being super presidential by bombing a bunch of shit." O'Reilly-Baldwin closed by thanking Trump-Baldwin for promoting "sexual assault awareness month," which Trump-Baldwin said was "a subject that's near and dear to my hand." O'Reilly-Baldwin also got in a plug his new book, Old School: Life in the Sane Lane. "It's about having great morals and values," O'Reilly-Baldwin said, "and it couldn't have come at a better time." WATCH: Jon Stewart Takes on Bill OReilly in Streaming Debate The Trauma of Facing Deportation Rachel Aviv | The New Yorker The next day, a doctor inserted a feeding tube through Georgis nostril. He showed no resistance, Soslan said. Nothing. Georgi was given a diagnosis of uppgivenhetssyndrom, or resignation syndrome, an illness that is said to exist only in Sweden, and only among refugees. The patients have no underlying physical or neurological disease, but they seem to have lost the will to live. The Swedish refer to them as de apatiska, the apathetic. I think it is a form of protection, this coma they are in, Hultcrantz said. They are like Snow White. They just fall away from the world. * * * The Anti-Cairo Ursula Lindsey | Places Journal The new capital of Egypt has no residents. It doesnt have a local source of water. It just lost a major developer, the Chinese state company that had agreed to build the first phase. You might say the planned city in the desert 45 kilometers east of Cairo doesnt have a reason to exist. Urban planner David Sims told the Wall Street Journal, Egypt needs a new capital like a hole in the head. Recommended: Why ISIS Declared War on Egypt's Christians What the project has going for it is a president who likes to talk big. Five million inhabitants big. An amusement park four times the size of Disneyland big. Seven hundred hospitals and clinics, 1,200 mosques and churches, 40,000 hotel rooms, 2,000 schoolsthat kind of big. Yes, and fast, too. Standing with the Emir of Dubai beside a model of the new city, in March 2015, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi declared that construction would proceed immediately. What are you talking about, ten years? He turned to his housing minister. Im serious. We dont work that way. Not ten years, not seven years. No way. * * * The Living Disappeared Bridget Huber | California Sunday Some 500 children are thought to have disappeared during the dictatorship. Some were stolen when their parents were abducted, but most were born in Argentinas torture centers. After women gave birth, they were considered as worthless as any other prisoner. In the Pozo de Banfield, the guards often made new mothers clean the makeshift maternity room right after delivery. Some postpartum women were dropped from planes into the Rio de la Platas turbid waters; others were executed and dumped into mass graves or burned in the crematoriums that operated day and night. In a final erasure, the dictatorships operatives stripped the womens babies of their identitiesmany were kept as spoils of war by people close to the regime. Others were abandoned at orphanages or sold on the black market. Story continues Recommended: Freedom Fights for Survival in Hungary * * * The Female Free Divers of Jeju Emily Cataneo | Roads & Kingdoms No ones quite sure when Jejus inhabitants first started harvesting shellfish from the ocean floor. Archaeologists have found evidence of shellfish-gathering from as far back as 300 B.C.E., while the first historical mention of divers appeared in a court document from 1460. These early haenyeo contributed to a shell trading network with China and Japan. Then, at some point in the 1600s, women started taking over the diving work. This could be because foreign wars drained Jejus men away from the island; it could be because womens earnings were exempt from the onerous taxes imposed by the Korean king in this era. No one knows for sure. But for whatever reason, the haenyeo became exclusively female, a tradition thats endured until today. * * * Britain: An Economy on the Brink Simon Head | New York Review of Books With half of British goods exports going to other nations in the EU, and with the UKs service industries, especially banking, heavily dependent upon unfettered access to the EU single market, the stakes for Britain in the forthcoming negotiations could not be higher. Even before the negotiations have begun there are multiple signs that Britain is heading for economic disasterall the more unsettling in view of the apparent lack of awareness of this threat on the part of Prime Minister Theresa May and her ministers. Recommended: UN Sources Say Syrian Rebels Not Assad Used Sarin Gas (From 2013) A crucial issue weighing on the negotiations is the future of the many global manufacturing and financial services corporations that are now located in Britain. Most of these firms are in the UK because of its membership, until now, in the European single market. Even before Britain officially gave notice of its intention to withdraw, five leading global banks with a strong presence in Londons financial districtGoldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citicorp, UBS, and HSBCannounced that they would be moving parts of their operations to countries in the EU. * * * Why Doesnt China Rein in North Korea? The Economist China has done something. It agreed to abide by the most recent round of United Nations economic sanctions on the North and in February suspended its purchases of North Korean coal for the rest of the year. Coal is the largest source of foreign exchange for the isolated country. Mr Xi is widely thought to be furious at Mr Kim, blaming him for the assassination in February of his own half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, who had close ties to China and had lived in Macau under Chinese protection. The trouble is that while Chinese policy has changed a little, American policy seems to be changing a lot. If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will, Donald Trump recently told the Financial Times. The policy of strategic patience has ended, his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said in March, adding, All options are on the table. For the Americans, the threat of a North Korean ICBM capable of hitting California is proving a game-changer. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Kevin Yao and Matthew Miller BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of China's insurance regulator is being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations, the country's top anti-graft body said on Sunday, bringing the most senior financial regulator to date into the government's fight against corruption. China's top leaders have pledged this year to address financial risks and asset bubbles. In a brief statement, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Xiang Junbo, head of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) and a member of the central bank's monetary policy committee, was suspected of "serious disciplinary violations" - a phrase that usually refers to graft. It gave no further details. Xiang's name and position has been removed from the CIRC's website, www.circ.gov.cn, although news about him remains. As head of the insurance regulator, Xiang oversaw rapid growth of the insurance industry, along with liberalization of investment rules that provided insurers greater latitude to invest more of their assets at home and overseas. China's insurance assets nearly doubled over the last three years, reaching 15.1 trillion yuan ($2.19 trillion) at the end of 2016. In February, Xiang appeared at a press conference where he vowed the insurance regulator would take more punitive action to punish short-term speculators and reduce long-term risk. Xiang said CIRC wouldn't allow the insurance industry to become "a rich man's club" or hideout for "financial crocodiles". The regulator has intensified a crackdown on risky activity by some aggressive players in the insurance sector, particularly those seen to be engaging in financial market speculation using expensive short-term funds. Xiang, 60, took control of the insurance regulator in 2011 after serving as chairman of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, one of the four biggest state banks. Xiang was previously a deputy central bank governor and vice chief at the National Audit Office. Xiang would be the most senior regulator hauled in during the anti-graft campaign since Yao Gang, a former deputy head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was put under investigation in late 2015 following a stock market crash. ANTI-GRAFT DRIVE President Xi Jinping has embarked upon a sweeping campaign against deep-rooted graft since assuming power in late 2012. His drive is tearing down once-untouchable party, military and business leaders as well as their powerful networks of relatives and allies. Authorities will combat corruption in the financial sector that is prone to risks from bad loans, bond defaults, shadow banking and Internet finance, Premier Li Keqiang said in remarks published on Sunday. "Corruption in the financial sector should be resolutely investigated and punished," Li said in a recent speech posted on the central government's website. "Individual regulators and senior company executives who have embezzled money entrusted to them or illegally colluded with financial crocodiles must be severely punished," Li said. Wang Yincheng, vice chairman of state-owned People's Insurance Group of China, was brought in for suspected corruption in February. Earlier this year, the chief risk officer of Bank Of Communications Co Ltd was expelled from his post for serious discipline violations, and a former Communist Party boss at Bank of Jiangsu Co Ltd was investigated for suspected corruption. (Editing by Michael Perry and Christopher Cushing, Larry King) By Brenda Goh and Michael Martina SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese state media on Saturday cheered the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as one that showed the world that confrontation between the two powers was not inevitable. The official China Daily newspaper said it was encouraging to see the two-day summit that ended on Friday "going as well as it could" after earlier "confusing signals" from Washington about how it was approaching the U.S.-China relationship. Trump had campaigned with strident anti-China rhetoric and had angered Beijing before taking office by talking to the president of Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own. But the two sides avoided any diplomatic gaffes at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that would have tarnished the meeting in the eyes of the protocol-conscious Chinese. China Daily said both parties appeared "equally enthusiastic about the constructive relationship they have promised to cultivate." "This may sound surreal to those preoccupied with an 'inescapable' conflict scenario between what they see as rising and incumbent powers," the newspaper wrote in an editorial. "But that Beijing and Washington have so far managed to do well in preventing conflicts shows confrontation is not inevitable." State-run Chinese tabloid Global Times said the meeting "served as an indicator that the China-U.S. relationship is still very much on course since the Trump administration took office in January" and it was likely the two nations would develop a more "pragmatic relationship." "It seems that both countries have understood the importance of how essential a smooth transition needs to be and not just for the two countries involved here but really for the entire world over," it said. Their comments were echoed by a front-page commentary in the overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, which said the meeting established the tone for the development of U.S.-China relations. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump wrote of the meeting: "goodwill and friendship was formed, but only time will tell on trade." SYRIA STRIKE The Chinese commentaries, however, made no mention of the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian government air base, which overshadowed the summit. Wang Dong, associate professor of international studies at China's elite Peking University, said the move may have had the added bonus in Trump's eyes of sending North Korea a message over its nuclear programme, but that China was unlikely to be fazed. "There are great differences between the Syria situation and the Korean peninsula situation," Wang said, noting North Korea's conventional military capability to strike back at South Korea in the event of U.S. military action. "Any use of force or pre-emptive strikes against North Korea will carry huge ramifications, which would probably lead to a drastically different outcome compared to Syria," Wang said. In the talks, Trump pressed Xi to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program and the two agreed to a 100-day plan for trade talks aimed at boosting U.S. exports and reducing the gaping U.S. trade deficit with Beijing. U.S. industry had hoped Trump would deliver a strong message to Xi behind closed doors to end what they see as discriminatory trade policies, but not do anything rash to spark a trade war. In an outcome likely to play well in China, state news agency Xinhua said U.S. and Chinese officials initiated new dialogue mechanisms on economic issues, as well as security and diplomatic issues, in what appeared to be a reimagining of the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue held under President Barack Obama. Some within U.S. industry had suggested those earlier talks yielded little substance, and urged the Trump administration to scrap them until Beijing displayed more initiative to address complaints about its industrial policies. "We would like to see more results-oriented outcomes coming out of these new dialogues and fewer laundry lists," said Beijing-based Jacob Parker, vice president of China operations at the U.S.-China Business Council, although he added that he saw the meeting as "generally positive" on commercial issues. (Reporting by Brenda Goh and Michael Martina; Editing by Richard Pullin and Bill Trott) Finding a reputable moving company requires doing some research, but the payoff can be worthwhile. Thats what Scheyda Mohammadian, a model and public relations professional from Las Vegas learned the hard way. Last fall, after searching on the web for a company to move her belongings from Las Vegas to her new home in Texas, she decided to go with the one that offered her the lowest price$1,700. After wiring a 50 percent deposit to the company and paying $450 on moving day, she discovered that her possessions had been moved only to a storage unit a few miles from her Nevada home. Then she had to pay another $450 to the company to release her belongings. Mohammadian decided to rent a truck and hire workers to get her things to Texas. But the cost came to more than $4,000. Such experiences arent all that unusual. Some moving companies quote lowball prices and then, once the move is underway, hold their customers' property hostage until they pay much more. Others demand substantial deposits and then don't show up, says Katherine Hutt, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau. To make sure you hire a reliable mover, consider taking these steps. Hire a local mover. If you hire a moving company based in your area, you'll avoid being tricked into doing business with an unscrupulous mover operating solely over the internet, says Scott Michael, president and CEO of the American Moving & Storage Association, a trade group that represents companies that handle local, interstate, and international moves. Consider visiting the company's office and checking out its equipment, he says. Get estimates. Get at least three written in-home estimates, Hutt advises. Be suspicious if an estimate is unusually low or if the moving company provides an estimate over the phone or online without sending a representative to scope out the job. It may be a sign of scam. Verify credentials. For moves between states, a mover must have a number issued by the Department of Transportation. It serves as a license that identifies commercial vehicles transporting passengers or hauling cargo in interstate commerce. If the mover you're considering is licensed, it must provide the DOT number on its website and in its advertising, says Kurt Larson, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation that oversees truck and bus safety. The mover also must have a carrier number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Story continues You can check the DOT and motor carrier numbers, one way to ensure that the company is legitimate. For in-state moves, the requirements vary by jurisdiction. In some states, intrastate movers are unregulated, Michael says. Thirty-three states require in-state movers to have a federal DOT number. Check your state for more information. Also consider using a moving company that's certified by the American Moving & Storage Association's ProMover program. It subjects movers to a background check and requires them to adhere to the association's standards. Read reviews and complaints. See what other customers are saying about the company by searching the web with the company name and such terms as "complaints" and "reviews." Find out whether the company has a report with the Better Business Bureau, which has reviews of more than 20,000 moving-related companies. Look at the letter grade the BBB has assigned the mover and read about any complaints, reviews, and government actions. You can also review the company's complaint history by using the mover search tool on the Department of Transportations website. Be wary of large deposit requirements. A moving company shouldn't require a deposit of more than 20 percent of the estimated cost of the move, Michael says. Many won't require any payment until your belongings are delivered, he explains. Put any deposits or other payments on a credit card, so you can contest the charge if there's wrongdoing. If a mover holds your possessions hostage in an effort to force you to pay more, try contacting the police, who may be willing to help, Michael says. If you have a problem with a mover, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and, for an interstate move, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If the mover is a member of the American Moving & Storage Association, file a complaint with that organization as well. Also complain to your state or local consumer protection agency. In November, after a company was accused of overcharging customers and holding their possessions hostage, the Maryland attorney general ordered it to pay fines and costs of more than half a million dollarsincluding at least $117,000 in consumer restitution. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc. The building is now the latest talk of the town, and the reason is despite being illegal building MHADA has already paid 94% cost to M/s Shirke. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: M/s Shirke Company has constructed an illegal building "Maitri" at Kalina area of Mumbai for high ranking officers without BMC permission. The building is now the latest talk of the town, and the reason is despite being illegal building MHADA has already paid 94% cost to M/s Shirke. While constructing this building, builder violated the rule and without BMC's permission constructed extra floors. This information was brought to light by RTI activist Anil Galgali. In the follow-up of this building, Galgali got shocking reply to his another RTI query that MHADA authority paid Rs 18,83,80,000 crore so far to construction firm. advertisement The Regional Auditor of MHADA Mumbai, in his reply to Anil Galgali 's query, has informed that up to 31 March 2017 the total expenditure of high income group 72 houses has been Rs 20,14,78,000 crore out of which Shirke Company has been paid Rs 18,83,80,000 crore so far. Questioning the work ethics of Mhada, Galgali said, "It is necessary for authorities to make inquiry before making the payments for such projects. This is an illegal construction and it was totally overlooked by all concern authorities. If the BMC demolishes the illegal construction, the cost of which runs into Rs crores, will it be possible to retrieve this amount from Shirke?" Few weeks back, MHADA had informed Galgali that they have issued notice to contractor Shirke and sought clarification from them within 7 days. In a shocking case of misuse of power, 29 illegal floors have been added to construct a 12 floor high-rise building in Kalina, Santacruz-East to provide houses to top bureaucrats of Maharashtra. "The building has incidentally been named 'Maitri' (Friendship), signifying the alliance between the powerful 'babus of mantralaya' and one of the biggest contractor of Maharashtra Ms. B.G. Shirke, who has been given the task of construction," said Galgali. The 84 allottees of the building include officials from CM office, Deputy CM office, MHADA, SRA, Housing, Rural Development, Urban Development, Cooperative, Revenue, Anti Corruption Bureau, Public Health, BMC, Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Women & Child welfare, Industries, Information & Technology, Police, Sales Tax and Transport. Deputy Chief Officer of Mumbai Region, Abhimanyu Kale, DCP Sunil Ramanand, Private Secretary to MOS -Housing, Kailash Pahare, Deputy Secretary (Housing) & Additional Collector Dilip Shinde are the 4 promoters of the Society. While A.M. Wajarkar, Additional Collector of SRA are the chief promoter. One of the members of 'Maitri' society said,"We did try to speak with the concern members of society, but they refused to come on record. One of the members, on the condition of anonymity, only said, "We have nothing to do with this matter as we are yet to get allotment letter from MHADA. MHADA only decides the contractor." advertisement Now the big question is this will BMC Commissioners demolish the illegal floors constructed by builder and will MHADA impose fine on builder? That needs to be seen. Also read: Mumbai: Another Aadarsh like scam in Kalina, builder constructs 9 extra floors --- ENDS --- HOUSTON (AP) After dropping two straight at the SheBelieves tournament, the U.S. women's national team rebounded with two dominant performances. Crystal Dunn had two goals for the second straight game, helping the U.S. cruise to a 5-1 win over Russia in an international friendly Sunday. "It's important for us to regroup," Dunn said. "We were all disappointed with SheBelieves results, but it's all about the journey into World Cup, so 2018 is what we are setting out for." Dunn scored in the 38th minute off a pass from Meghan Klingenberg before opening the second half with her fourth goal in the two Russian friendlies off a pass from Mallory Pugh. "She's been fantastic," U.S. coach Jill Ellis said of Dunn. "I committed to going into these games playing her central and high. ... We can play into her feet, we can play her into space. She's scoring goals, so I think she's in a really good spot leaving here." Carli Lloyd and Rose Lavelle also scored in the United States' dominant performance. The Americans had a 21-2 advantage in shots and attempted 15 corner kicks to one by Russia. "Things I liked, I thought the mobility of our front group and interplay was good," Ellis said. "I think today it took a while to get going, but once it did, I was pleased with that." Lloyd, who plays in Houston for the NWSL's Dash, opened the scoring in the 20th minute with her 97th career national team goal, converting a penalty kick inside the near post. Dunn set up the PK after being taken down in the box going for a loose ball. Lavelle followed with her first career national team goal in fourth cap in the 37th minute, taking a cross-field forward pass from Pugh on the far side for a short breakaway and scoring inside the near post. Pugh's two assists were her first multi-assist game as a member of the women's national team. "We wanted to redeem ourselves," Lavelle said. "SheBelieves didn't go the way we would have liked to. We were hungry to get back on the field and prove ourselves and get some in the back of the net." Story continues The U.S., ranked second in the world behind Germany and playing its last friendly until traveling to Sweden on June 8, also beat Russia 4-0 on Thursday at the home of MLS' FC Dallas in suburban Dallas. Overall, Ellis said she was pleased with the camp and the response from the team following the two straight losses. "Anytime you lose, the next game you're looking for a response and to see where people are at," Ellis said. "This team doesn't lose very much so people are like 'Oh.' Yes, the results are there and they make you feel good, but what answers do you get and how do you get tested? Those are important pieces for me." Russia cut the lead to 3-1 with a Nadesha Karpova penalty kick in the 42nd minute, but the Americans regained the three-goal advantage when Lloyd's header off Lavelle's corner kick went off Ksenia Kovalenko's leg for an own goal. The bunny is a main staple of Easter in many Christian homes, but how it became associated with the holiday is not widely known as there is no mention of it in the Bible. The Easter bunny has its origins in pre-Christian fertility lore and serves as symbols of abundant new life in the spring season. Below are 10 facts and myths about the magical creature who delivers baskets filled with toys and treats to well-behaved children. 1. The Easter bunny is, in fact, a hare not a rabbit, who represent fertility and rebirth. It is believed that the Easter bunny was originally a bird belonging to the goddess Eostre, but a magic turned the pet bird into a hare. Because of this, the Easter bunny continues to build a straw nest and fill it with eggs. 2. The term Easter bunny wasnt used until 1900. 3. The tradition of painting and decorating Easter eggs dates back to the 18th century. 4. Many believe the Easter bunny and eggs are derived from the pagan holiday Eostre. 5. New Yorks Easter Parade dates back to the mid-1800s and the proceeds take place on Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th Street. 6. After Easter Bunny gained popularity in the United States, the gifts grew to include candies and gifts. 7. Christians celebrate Easter as the Resurrection of Jesus. 8. Chocolate Easter bunnies gained popularity in the 1890s and also came from Germany. 9. Gifts from Easter bunny for kids include baskets filled with jellybean, chocolate eggs, stuffed chicks and other goodies. 10. Most chocolate Easter bunnies are hollow so that its easier to consume. Related Articles Tanta (Egypt) (AFP) - Coptic Christian worshippers in Egypt spoke of horrific scenes on Sunday after a bomb ripped through their church during a service, mangling bodies and destroying pews. "There was a violent explosion near the altar," Edmon Edward told AFP. "Suddenly everything became black, people flew over each other," he said. He had been attending Palm Sunday mass at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta with his brother Emil, who stood with a white bandage wrapped around his head, when the attack claimed by the Islamic State group happened. The explosion killed at least 27 people, and was followed hours later by a second bombing at a church in Alexandria, which killed 17. At the church in Tanta, icons of Christ and St George looked down on a tangle of destroyed pews and congealing blood on the floor tiles. "I head the blast, and then I saw a woman run barefoot with her face oozing blood," said a taxi driver who asked not to be identified. In hospital, a wounded witness told state television: "I just felt fire grabbing my face. I pushed my brother who was sitting next to me and then I heard people saying: 'explosion'." Nabil Nader, 65, who lives opposite the church, spoke of the attack's aftermath and said the first three rows of pews in the church were destroyed. "I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained," he said. "The father of a friend of my son was in the front row," he said, his voice breaking with anguish. "We found only his shoe." Nearby, a man held up a burned prayer book and a traditional braided palm-leaf crucifix, stained with blood. "They came to pray and they died," he said. "The victims were destroyed," said Mohammed, a nursing student helping at the hospital were the victims of the attack were taken. "Some are broken up inside. Some are completely burned," he said. - 'Oh Lord, have mercy' - Police sirens wailed incessantly around the city as ambulances ferried victims to hospital. Story continues Security forces cordoned off the church, but residents who gathered nearby were unable to hide their anger. Despite the presence of metal detectors, the bomber was apparently able to enter the building without any hindrance. "How was the bomb able to enter, while police" were outside the church, asked Nagat Assaad, holding back tears. "What are the detectors for? We don't want their protection." There were similar scenes in second city Alexandria after the attack there. Several hours after the attack, a Coptic woman expressed her anger at police blocking access to the church. "What's the use of closing the street now? You should have done it before the explosion!" she said. Dozens of Copts gathered near the scene, brandishing wooden crosses and chanting "Oh Lord, have mercy". Shards of glass littered the street and pavement outside the door where the suicide bomber activated his explosive belt. Hussein, a salesman in a shop opposite the church who witnessed the Alexandria blast, said he was "blown over by the shockwave" and fell to the ground. Egypt's Copts, who have suffered repeated deadly jihadist attacks, say they feel abandoned and discriminated against by the authorities in the predominantly Muslim country. But despite their fears, the Christians of Tanta said they are determined to defend their faith. "We're Christian and we will stay Christian," one woman said in a defiant tone. Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro insisted Sunday he was "eager" for delayed regional elections to go ahead, despite being criticized for resisting a national vote on removing him from power. The socialist leader spoke after tension in the poverty-stricken, oil-producing nation mounted this week when mass protests by his opponents sparked deadly clashes with police. Regional governorship polls were postponed indefinitely in December and municipal ones are due later this year amid a chaotic political struggle. "I am eager for elections to be convened for governors and mayors" to teach the opposition a lesson, Maduro said Sunday on his weekly television program. He said he wanted elections "so as to hand a defeat to those people very soon, so that they will stop the rioting and violence; to respond to them with votes." The next presidential election is scheduled for December 2018. The center-right opposition has demanded a referendum on removing Maduro from power, but he has resisted and negotiations have broken down. The opposition blames Maduro for an economic crisis aggravated by falling oil prices, which has caused acute shortages of food and medicine. Maduro says the crisis is the result of what he calls a US-backed capitalist conspiracy. International criticism of his government mounted in recent weeks after the Supreme Court moved to curb the powers of the opposition-majority legislature. It intensified further after state authorities on Friday said they were disqualifying senior opposition figure Henrique Capriles from holding public office. "We continue to defend the Constitution!" Capriles tweeted Sunday. "No to the self-coup!" Maduro's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez in comments to reporters on Sunday called for other Latin American powers who have criticized him to "get their noses out of Venezuela." Maduro also called Sunday for a probe into an opposition leader, David Smolansky, who compared the supposed use of a banned gas to disperse demonstrations to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. "Attention International Community," Smolansky, the mayor of a district in Caracas, tweeted. "@NicolasMaduro begins to use chemical weapons like is happening in #Syria." Maduro said on his Sunday program that the message was "one of the most dangerous things that has been done against peace and stability, keeping in mind that it is coming from a mind as twisted as the one of this mayor." New York (AFP) - Recent high-profile advertising missteps by Pepsi and skin-care company Nivea underscored anew Madison Avenue's awkward relationship with racial diversity at a time when the United States is becoming less white. PepsiCo's ill-fated "Moments" spot, featuring model Kendall Jenner, was quickly pulled with an apology after being vilified for trivializing the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Nivea also apologized and withdrew an ad for a deodorant after its "White is Purity" pitch was embraced by white supremacists. Social media had a field day with the botched campaigns, which seemed to suggest scant progress from the white male bubble of the 1960s depicted in the popular television series "Mad Men." "Between Nivea's 'white is purity' ad and Pepsi's 'Black soda matters' ad, I think it's time to open my 'Ask a Black person' consulting firm," comedian Travon Free said on Twitter. In fact, data shows a diversity deficit in a sector that both reflects and molds public sentiment. Only 4.1 percent of advertising industry employees in the country are African Americans, well below their 13.3 percent of the overall population. Latinos account for 12.3 percent of the industry, compared with 17.6 percent of the population. Nearly half of respondents among advertising employees said the industry was "terrible" or "not great" at hiring diverse professionals, with another 25 percent describing it as "mediocre," according to a survey released last September by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. The trade group's outgoing president Nancy Hill made publicly calling out "racist and misogynistic behavior" her New Years resolution for 2017. "I have realized given the current climate in our country and our industry, that doing that privately is tantamount to condoning the behavior," Hill said in a column on a marketing industry website. Story continues "Others involved need to know that this industry does not tolerate this kind of thinking and its resulting behavior any longer." Some major advertisers, such as Verizon, General Mills and Hewlett-Packard have threatened to fire firms that aren't diverse enough. - Pepsi misfires - The demise of the Pepsi spot has especially provoked intense discussion throughout the industry. The company is led by Indian-born chief executive Indra Nooyi, a vocal proponent of diversity. A poll by PR Week showed 40 percent on respondents blamed the debacle on lack of diversity or diversity of thought, while 25 percent said it reflected an overzealous approach to attracting millennials and 13 percent blaming the fact that it was made by Pepsi's in-house creative team and did not involve an outside firm. The spot follows Jenner as she is stirred from a fashion shoot by a handsome Asian cellist to join an unspecified but peaceful street protest with people of all ethnicities, including African American street dancers. The two-and-a-half minute short film culminates with Jenner handing a Pepsi to a handsome grinning police officer, a move that draws wild applause from the crowd, including from a hijab-wearing photographer who nods in agreement as she records the moment. The spot spurred instant ridicule, most witheringly from Bernice King, who posted a picture of her father, Martin Luther King, being apprehended at a civil rights march by police. "If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi," King wrote on Twitter. - History repeating? - Kelly O'Keefe, a professor of brand strategy at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the spot was shockingly heavyhanded in its constant hawking of cola. It reflected a "cloistered view of the world and distorted view of diversity," he said, adding that the spot has dominated discussion in class this week. Jake Beniflah, executive director of the Center for Multicultural Science, thought the ad was a spoof when he first saw it because of the omnipresence of the product and in its creation of "utopian" world where every race is shown. "Perhaps they thought diversity on camera was enough, but obviously it wasn't," Beniflah said. "In fact, it backfired." For Judy Davis, a marketing professor at Eastern Michigan University, the controversy stirred memories of Barbara Gardner Proctor, one of the women she profiled in her book, "Pioneering African American Women in the Advertising Business: Biographies of MAD Black WOMEN." Proctor was fired in the 1960s from a large firm when she refused to work on a campaign that showed black women clamoring in the street for a hair product. The ad was a tasteless allusion to the civil rights movement, she said. "It was the same kind of trivialization of a serious social movement and taking that to promote some brand," Davis said. "You would think in 2017 things would be different. But here we are seeing some of the same problems that were present 50 years ago, and I think that's pretty amazing." United States Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is gearing up to repeal net neutrality rules passed by the FCC under during President Barack Obamas administration, according to a report from Reuters. Chairman Pai reportedly met with trade groups representing major telecommunications companies on Tuesday to discusses his initial plans for reversing Net Neutrality. Read: Is Net Neutrality Dead? What The Internet Will Look Like Without Open Internet Rules Pai will take aim at the landmark rules put in place by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler that were designed to protect the principles of net neutrality, effectively requiring internet service providers to treat all data as equal. Net neutrality forbids blocking specific content, throttling connection speeds, and providing a favorable experience to one service while slowing another. In order to protect those tenants, the FCC under Wheeler reclassified the internet as a common carrier, allowing it to be treated like a utility. The move gave the FCC broad regulatory powers over internet service providers. That reclassification will be front and center of Pais repeal. The former Republican commissioner and current chairman of the FCC, who was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump, has expressed his belief openly that the Federal Trade Commission should be in charge of overseeing internet rules. Currently, the FTC has no ability to regulate the internet because of the common carrier classification. It is also not clear it would be able to regulate the internet activity of a company like AT&T, which still offers a common carrier servicephone linesand is considered a common carrier business, meaning it would still be under the oversight of the FCC. Read: What Is Net Neutrality? How FCC's Title II and Open Internet Rules Came To Be AT&T fought and won a lawsuit against the FTC in 2016 that found common carriers are exempt from being governed by Section Five of the FTC Act, which gives the FTC the ability to prevent corporations from using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. Story continues The rule is regularly used by the FTC for consumer protection purposes. The FTC attempted to use it against AT&T for its practice of throttling the data speeds of its customers on an unlimited data plan. The FTC challenge failed, as the courts found AT&T, as a common carrier, was outside of the FTCs jurisdiction. Chairman Pai already abandoned a previous policy of the Obama-era FCC when he chose to halt the implementation and ultimately supported the full repeal of the Broadband Consumer Privacy Rules, which prevented ISPs from collecting user data without permission. Pai believed that was the responsibility of the FTC as well. Despite the fact it is unclear, if not unlikely, that the FTC will be able to regulate telecom companies to ensure they adhere to net neutrality principles, Pai appears ready to move forward with undoing the protections. He reportedly has asked ISPs to voluntarily agree to maintain an open internet regardless if the legal framework is in place to respond if the ISPs abandon net neutrality principles. Related Articles SIDON, Lebanon (AP) Residents fled the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Sunday as clashes between security forces and radical Islamists intensified for the third day. Ambulances rushed the wounded to hospitals near the Ein el-Hilweh camp in the port city of Sidon, and Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that four people were killed since the fighting began Friday. Fighters armed with assault rifles and truck-mounted rocket-propelled grenades traded fire inside. Traces of violence spilled beyond the camp's boundaries, and Lebanon's authorities closed the highway connecting the city to southern Lebanon. Sidon's government hospital was struck by a rocket. Representatives of several of the largest Palestinian factions, including Fatah, ordered the Islamist fighter Bilal Badr and his followers to hand themselves over to the authorities or face a decisive crackdown. The camp's radical groups have regularly fallen afoul of Palestinian security forces for hiding fugitives from the Lebanese law. Per an agreement with the PLO, Lebanon's security forces are not authorized to enter the camp. Salah al-Ali, a resident of the camp, said there was damage from shelling inside the camp. "We ask from God that the situation calms down so that we can return to our homes," he said Sidon's Musally mosque, where he was taking shelter. The spokesman for the Council of Palestinian Scholars in Lebanon said the radical groups were issuing fatwas authorizing the killing of people they disagreed with. "This has led to chaos in Ein el-Hilweh," said Sheikh Mohamad al-Muwad, in his office in Sidon. "These groups do not abide by any oaths or promises." Palestinians in Lebanon are prohibited from working in professional jobs and have few legal protections in Lebanon. They are prohibited from owning property as well. The U.N. says some 55,000 people live in Ein el-Hilweh. It was established in 1948, to host Palestinians displaced by Israeli forces during the establishment of Israel. Lebanese authorities have paused construction of a concrete barrier around the camp. The year 2017 has a surprise in store if you oppose Donald Trump and his policies. So far you've probably been trying to manage a wild range of emotions: fear and panic about executive orders; disbelief as his most avid supporters buy his verifiable lies; shock with every revelation about Russiagate. SEE ALSO: Chelsea Clinton shares 4 inspiring tips for young activists in the Trump era Now here's the surprise: 2017 will be the year you learn the value of practicing kindness at least if the resistance has anything to say about it. We know what you're thinking. Only saints, kindergarten teachers, and muppets are perpetually kind. The rest of us typically struggle to get through the day without side-eyeing a stranger or laying on the car horn in rush hour traffic. But there's a good reason why kindness has become a mantra for those fighting Trump. After doing something nice for someone else, studies show we feel happier: That behavior activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure and reward. Americans fighting Trump and his agenda desperately need that kind of pick-me-up. More importantly, though, they also see generosity as a forceful expression of their resistance because it help builds a world in which compassion reigns even if the president's policies seem designed to appeal to fear, scorn, and division. This sign is showing up in front of homes across the country. Image: The Wawh Shop Make no mistake the focus on kindness isn't a way to prioritize empathy for Trump voters above all else, as some pundits controversially suggested the opposition do in the wake of the election. It's about discovering how solidarity and kindness are intertwined at the personal and institutional level, and understanding their combined potential to bring about change. "The more positive things you put out there ... the more [kindness] can replicate itself," says Jennifer Rosen Heinz, a longtime liberal organizer and activist from Madison, Wisconsin. Story continues Heinz has played an important role in making kindness a central cause for those trying to defeat Trump's agenda. Soon after the election, she spontaneously got involved in distributing a lawn sign that broadcasts a powerful message. "In this house," it reads, "we believe: Black Lives Matter / Women's Rights are Human Rights / No Human is Illegal / Science is Real / Love is Love / Kindness is Everything." The part about kindness struck Heinz. "Everyone felt so broken," she says of the gloomy weeks following the election. Focusing on acts of generosity felt like a way to channel grief into positivity. "I very much believe in the power of words and the power of gestures." Heinz didn't know the Wisconsin woman who'd written the message on a poster, but she saw a picture of her and the sign. Moved by the declarative and inspiring words, Heinz ultimately got permission to reprint the sign with a new design, set up a Facebook page ("Kindness is Everything") to help distribute it, and worked to ensure that proceeds from sales went to local and national nonprofits, including the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health and ACLU. The sign got viral attention on Pantsuit Nation, the private Facebook page that has nearly 4 million members. Now it's in neighborhoods all over America, including in Austin, Orlando, Brooklyn, and San Francisco. Some of the most moving stories to emerge from the resistance revolve around acts of kindness. In November, a few weeks after the election, a Texas man stood outside of a mosque with a sign that read: "You Belong. Stay Strong. Be Blessed. We Are One America." When a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis was vandalized in February, a campaign organized by Muslim-Americans raised more than $160,000 to repair the damage. Heinz knows from many years of activism that it can be tricky to balance outrage with kindness. For her it often means transforming anger into action rather than letting the emotion swallow her whole. At the same time, she continues to look for opportunities to lend a hand in small and large ways. In the past several months, that has included taking soup to sick friends, giving more money to GoFundMe campaigns for strangers in need, and "rage donating" to the ACLU. "The idea that I was giving to other humans in pain was a helpful feeling to me," says Heinz. How kindness makes you feel That positive emotions flow from kindness may seem intuitive, but scientists are just beginning to understand how that happens. The behavior we casually call kindness is defined as "prosociality" in scientific research. That umbrella term encompasses actions we take to help others without concern for our own personal benefit, which can be as minor as holding the door for a stranger and as life-changing as donating an organ. Some researchers once believed that coming to someone's aid was the psychological equivalent of eating vegetables an ultimately beneficial act but one that required self-control to complete because it objectively didn't seem that fun or personally rewarding. We don't have to be either/or. We can be And/Both. Love, G Image by @bymariandrew via @chescaleigh A post shared by Glennon Doyle Melton (@glennondoylemelton) on Feb 2, 2017 at 12:32pm PST Jamil Zaki, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, says that view doesn't hold up to emerging research that reveals when people are kind, they engage parts of their brain associated with instinctive behavior like drinking water and eating. It also produces activity in regions of the brain linked to reward-based decision-making, where the feel-good chemical dopamine plays an integral role. So instead of seeing generosity as a vegetable you tolerate, Zaki says it's more like chocolate, something you crave and enjoy. There is increasing evidence of a cause-and-effect link between kindness, brain chemistry and personal happiness. Lara Aknin, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Simon Fraser University, says kindness positively influences our emotional and physiological well-being. In a 2010 study, she and other researchers gave 50 college students an envelope with $10 and instructed them to share as much as they liked with students in the room who hadn't received anything. The more money students kept, the more negative emotions they felt, including shame. Aknin also took saliva samples from the students to measure their levels of the stress hormone cortisol before they received the money and after they decided what to do with it. Feelings of shame predicted a slower cortisol recovery. Meanwhile, those who gave more money away reported more positive feelings. Aknin has replicated the finding that giving more money predicts more happiness in more recent studies. There are, however, some limitations to people's goodwill. If people feel forced to do kind deeds, says Aknin, the emotional benefits are diminished or disappear altogether. People also like to see that their actions have a positive impact for others and in-person experiences seem to be much more rewarding. "Generosity tends to lead to greater happiness when it allows people to create a social connection," says Aknin. That insight is essential to understanding the role of kindness in the resistance movement against the Trump administration. Instead of claiming generosity with a smug or selfish attitude, it can become a rallying cry for building genuine solidarity with unlikely allies and communities or individuals whose lives and livelihoods are under attack. "In times like these, we can try to do whatever soothes our conscience or mind," says Zaki. "But if you look at [kindness] only in that way, it becomes something shallow ... Theres something more potentially important than feeling good as an individual, which is forming community." Why it's so hard to be kind right now If you feel too exhausted or cynical to practice kindness, you're not alone. "[I]n our culture, there are lots and lots of adrenalized people," says Frederic Luskin, director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects, referring to adrenaline, which the body releases when the brain perceives a threat to survival. "When youre dealing with fear, people dont make great decisions and [they] react emotionally." Even if kindness is instinctive, negative feelings like anxiety and panic can drown out good intentions. Research on compassion, forgiveness and meditation, however, shows that we can tame those powerful emotions. Compassion, says Luskin, helps us create goodwill toward people, even those with whom we disagree. Consistent meditation can change the way the brain responds to stress and fear. Forgiveness research even shows people can co-exist with people they once hated. "These are psychological techniques we could be using to turn down the temperature," Luskin says. Basically, the calmer our brains become even when engaged in serious, complex questions about government policies - the easier it is to practice kindness. Tag your friends and gather your people! Have you signed up for a #Huddle yet? Find out more about the second of our 10 Actions for the First 100 Days. (Link in bio.) A post shared by Women's March (@womensmarch) on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:33am PST Expecting generosity from everyone resisting Trump ignores the reality that people will suffer differently. For the undocumented immigrant fighting deportation, kindness may remain important, but so is getting legal representation. And we wouldn't demand that person calmly practice compassion or forgiveness toward Trump himself or his voters, even if those principles are a guiding force of kindness. That's where the mantra of "kindness of everything" becomes messy and, well, flawed. Critics of the left may even call it hypocritical, particularly if being kind only applies to helping those who share your ideological beliefs. At the same time, it can seem self-defeating to show goodwill to someone who isn't very interested in reciprocating it, or who endorses bigotry in words or policy. Trump voters, many of whom surely practice acts of kindness, might find unexpected allies among the opposition if they focused on those moments, even if it means rejecting some of Trump's objectionable rhetoric and actions. And yet, healing our festering political divisions requires a political and moral reckoning far beyond what individual acts of kindness can achieve. But kindness can offer something essential: an emotional boost for the weary and a powerful way to counter Trump's nasty rhetoric and divisive policies. On this long journey, those resisting Trump will need every ounce they can get. WATCH: Someone designed a jacket that doubles as a tent to help refugees in need By Karishma Kuenzang: Michelin-starred chefs Sriram Aylur and Srijith Gopinathan - the master chef at Quilon, the coastal Indian cuisine destination at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences London, and the chef at the American kitchens of Taj Campton Place, San Francisco, respectively - recently whipped up a feast in Delhi and Mumbai. The two culinary leaders, who have been honoured by the Michelin Guide, treated foodies with an exclusive gastronomic extravaganza with a fourcourse meal, accompanied by an exclusive selection of wines. The dining events were held at The Chambers, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, from March 20-22, and at Varq at Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi from March 28-30. advertisement The four-course meal comprised preparations of shell fish, lamb, dessert with rhubarb and yogurt, as well as "Cal Indian" cuisine - Californian version of Indian cuisine. Every course had more than one component, and chef Sriram explained, "The idea was to showcase what we do. Even though it's difficult to show that through just one meal, we created this sampler. We did a grilled scallop, stir fry and a lamb shank. We also visited the local market in Delhi and Mumbai and worked with some of the local produce we found." Meanwhile, chef Srijith - who picked up cooking thanks to being a part of a joint family in a village near Trivanduram - compared the food market in India and the US. He added, "The raw material we find in San Francisco is amazing because the soil is very fertile and the conditions are robust. We get everything locally, within a 100 mile radius, and we look at importing as a shame." Srijith uses a lot of Indian techniques for preparations, "I use spices not because I'm supposed to, but because it complements the dish," he explained. Also Read:This Aussie chef of MasterChef fame is loving her life in India Pointing out that Indian food is now one of the most sought after cuisines worldwide, chef Sriram said, "A lot of people in the US and Europe want to try out Indian cuisine. And a lot of talented Indian chefs have gone and done good work abroad, because of which there is a significant amount of respect for Indian chefs in the international market." Opining that though food is always something that's evolving, but in the end chefs always return to their own cuisine and roots. Chef Srijith says, "Indian cuisine is no joke, it changes every 10-15 miles! And due to globalisation, all the ingredients needed are available all over." So what's his go-to ingredient? "Coconut, because I'm Mallu!" he concludes. Adding that food in India is exciting as there are a lot of new cuisines coming in, he adds, "Indian chefs are today doing things they believe in and a lot of restaurants too are open to experimentation. In the next few years, we'll see Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru become food cities of the world. I visit India twice a year and I see that a wider range of dishes are available every time I come here." advertisement Proceeds from one of the evenings were donated to the Taj Public Services Welfare Trust, to offer assistance to the families of martyred soldiers, provide rehabilitation and vocational training to disabled and injured veterans. --- ENDS --- A Utah girl, 7, with alopecia is celebrating her baldness, thanks to a friend who gifted her a custom-made doll that also has a bald head. Read: Girl, 6, With Rare Facial Birthmark Given Doll That Looks Like Her: 'I'm Beautiful and You're Beautiful' "Its my mini-me," 7-year-old Gianessa Wride, of Salem said of her doll, in an interview with InsideEdition.com. Her mom, Daniella Wride, said her friend from nursing school had made the doll for Gianessa, and purposely left off the hair so it would look more like her. You really dont find that type of thing in stores," Wride told InsideEdition.com. "So when theres nothing really available out there like that, its really neat when someone thinks of [your daughter] that way and has brought light and joy into her life." Wride explained she noticed her daughter rapidly losing patches of her hair in January. "She was taking a shower and she needed help brushing her hair it was about halfway down her back," the mom-of-three explained. "I just noticed a lot of hair was coming out on the brush. I then noticed the bald spot on the back of her head it was about the size of a quarter." After different doctors visits and tests, the first grader was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles. While not otherwise damaging to her health, Wride said its classified as a cosmetic condition, and treatment is not usually covered by insurance. Read: Boy, 10, Spends 2 Years Growing Hair He Donated to Make Wig for Friend, 12, With Alopecia Even though Gianessas disease progressed at an alarming rate, she has started to embrace her bald head and even made headlines this week when she put her own fashionable twist on her head for crazy hair day at school. We put jewels on my head, she said. Her mom added: "She loves anything that has to do with fashion. Its sparkly, and it just fit her personality perfectly." Story continues Watch: After 11-Year-Old Boy is Teased Over His Bald Head, Principal Invites Him to Shave His Too Related Articles: Marseille (AFP) - French Communist-backed presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon drew tens of thousands of supporters to an open-air rally Sunday, underlining his surging popularity just two weeks from the unpredictable election. Polls show far-left Melenchon closing in on the frontrunners, 39-year-old centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen ahead of the April 23 first round, adding new drama to a rollercoaster campaign. After strong performances in two televised debates, several new surveys this weekend showed him climbing to third position, with 18-19 percent of voters saying they would vote for him. Speaking in Marseille, Melenchon said voters had a choice other than the extreme-right "condemning our great multi-coloured people to hate itself" and fans of the free-market that "transforms suffering, misery and abandonment into gold and money". Left-leaning news magazine L'Obs commented that "the sudden emergence of Jean-Luc Melenchon among the four candidates with around 20 percent has shattered all the predictions, (and) is sowing doubt among the favourites." Analysts say forecasting the two-stage election is even more difficult than usual, with an unusually high number of voters saying they plan to abstain or have not made up their minds. - 'Not asking you to love me' - Scandal-hit rightwinger Francois Fillon also held one of his biggest rallies so far, gathering thousands of supporters at a Paris conference hall. The ex-premier is desperate to pick up momentum after a campaign dominated by allegations he paid his wife hundreds of thousands of euros for a fake parliamentary job. "I'm not asking you to love me -- I'm asking you to support me, because it's in France's interest," he told the crowds. One former minister and Fillon ally admitted to AFP on condition of anonymity: "If he doesn't rise a few points (in the polls) this week, it's over." Story continues Le Pen meanwhile sparked criticism from Jewish groups with an interview in which she denied the French state was responsible for the wartime round-up of more than 13,000 Jews at Paris' Vel d'Hiv cycling track who were then sent to Nazi death camps. "I think that generally speaking if there are people responsible, it's those who were in power at the time. It's not France," she told LCI television. The CRIF umbrella grouping of Jewish organisations called the comments "an insult to France, which honoured itself in 1995 by recognising its responsibility in the deportation of France's Jews". Le Pen and her closest allies had hit the airwaves Sunday selling their vision of a nationalist France, unburdened by the European Union and the euro currency and tougher on crime and Islamists. Her telegenic niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen made a rare television appearance to deny reports of differences in the family, which led to speculation this week she might quit. "I'm 100 percent behind Marine Le Pen," she told BFM television, adding she planned to stand in parliamentary elections in June. - 'Nothing is decided' - Macron meanwhile detailed what his priorities would be for his first few months in office, telling the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that one of his first measures would be to pass a law setting new ethical standards for parliament. This would be followed by other legislation to cut the number of MPs by a third and to free up the labour market. Asked about a slight fall in support according to surveys, he replied: "They show exactly what I feel: that nothing is decided yet. We are entering a crucial phase." In a sign that his team are growing anxious about the impact of Melenchon, particularly among the young, supporters spread a video online set to techno music warning about the leftwinger's huge tax-and-spend plan. Melenchon's radical programme includes a new 100-billion-euro ($106-billion) stimulus plan and a reduction in the working week to 32 hours, as well as proposals to overhaul the EU and pull France out of NATO. Polls published this weekend confirmed shifting momentum following this week's final televised debate between the 11 candidates vying to lead France, with a survey for KANTAR Sofres-Onepoint even putting Melenchon a point ahead of Fillon. Le Pen and Macron are neck-and neck but both have lost ground slightly and would win 23-24 percent if the vote were held today. This would mean both qualifying for the run-off scheduled for May 7, which polls suggest Macron would win comfortably -- although analysts caution against firm predictions. Cayenne (AFP) - The movement behind more than two weeks of social unrest in French Guiana has called for a complete shutdown of the overseas territory from Monday, after a police officer was injured. Activists are protesting decades of under-investment in the French territory in South America, paralysed by a general strike which 37 unions called on March 25. Locals last week rejected an offer from Paris to inject a billion dollars of aid to the territory, home to 250,000 people, demanding $2.5 billion immediately. The protests also led to the indefinite postponement of an Arianespace rocket launch at Europe's Guiana Space Centre in Kourou. A "Collective to Get Guiana Moving," spearheading protests to improve economic development and job creation programmes, on Saturday called for a complete blockade from Monday of the territory, which relies on huge injections of public funds. Friday saw demonstrations in which one police officer was injured. One member of the collective told local radio that nobody would be able to pass the blockade after midnight on Sunday "even on foot." But the collective's call to ramp up protest has sown some division, spawning an anti-blockade Facebook group and a 1,000-signature online petition to that effect. An ongoing blockade of the port in the capital Cayenne has seen the flow of fresh produce slow to a dribble in the territory bordering Surinam and northern Brazil on the northeast coast of South America, some 7,000 kilometres (4,400 miles) from Paris. Last Tuesday's protest in Kourou escalated the tension, police using teargas as locals pressed demands for a "Marshall Plan" of French aid, along the lines of the huge US economic support given to help western Europe to recover after World War II. The Kourou space centre has become a symbol of economic disparity in Guiana and a focus for anger, given many locals have no electricity or running water and around one in four is jobless. Story continues Guiana has been administered as a French region since the end of the 18th century and was also used as a place to send convicts for forced labour between 1852 and 1946. The police officer injured Friday received a delegation from the "500 brothers against delinquency" group whose hooded members have been at the heart of the protests. "The values we share are much more important than our differences," the injured officer said, stressing his "respect" for the group, whose spokesman insisted that "the forces of law and order are not our enemies". Unicorns pranced all over Twitter Sunday as users celebrated an imaginary holiday for an imaginary creature. But some Twitter folk weren't in the mood for make-believe. After all, who needs unicorns when majestic, spear-headed animals actually exist? SEE ALSO: Beluga whale wedding picture gets a new Photoshop battle and it's glorious Case in point: the narwhal. The Arctic whale's spiral tusk can grow to more than nine feet long. It's also extremely sensitive, with up to 10 million nerve endings inside. Just watch: There's more horned creatures worth mentioning. If narwhals are the "unicorns of the sea," then rhinos are "chubby unicorns," at least according to the internet and a surprising number of T-shirt vendors. Rhinos, however, have bigger problems than sizeism. Sadly, their horns are so valuable on the black market that poachers recently broke into a French zoo to kill a 4-year-old rhino and saw off its horn. That's not to say narwhals and rhinos don't have their own arbitrary days in the spotlight. Monday, after all, is the (conspicuously timed) Narwhal Day. And every Sept. 22 is World Rhino Day. Given the dubious state of unicorns' existence in the realm of mortals, National Unicorn Day is meant as more of a cultural celebration and not so much for wildlife awareness campaign. Unicorns are Scotland's official national animal, and they first appeared on an early form of the Scottish coat of arms in the 12th century. The horned horses also appear in tapestries and designs of historic buildings across the country. WATCH: An elusive beaked whale was caught on film for the first time By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON (Reuters) - Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi, seen as pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's main challenger in a May 19 election, is a close ally of Iran's supreme leader and despises the West. The hardline faction in Tehran appears to have reached consensus on the candidacy of the 57-year-old cleric, hoping to avoid splitting the vote of those avid for what they see as a revival of the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Raisi is a mid-ranking figure in the hierarchy of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim clergy but has been a senior official for decades in the judiciary which enforces clerical control of the country. The former prosecutor-general may struggle for recognition among voters, though analysts say Raisi, thanks to the support he enjoys from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could pose a real challenge to Rouhani's bid for a second term. "His candidacy comes as a surprise and he definitely poses a challenge, a big one, to Rouhani," said Hossein Rassam, a former Iran adviser to Britain's Foreign Office. "Chances are even greater now that we will be having a two-round election in Iran, with a very polarized second round." Rouhani was elected four years ago in a landslide, avoiding a run-off by securing more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, on promises to reduce Iran's international isolation and bring more freedoms at home. No other candidate won more than 17 percent of the vote. But this time around Rouhani could face a tougher challenge, if a single hardliner like Raisi unifies conservatives against him and forces a second round. Rouhani's signature achievement, a deal with world powers to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for lifting financial sanctions, has yet to bring the broadbased economic benefits that the government says are coming. Some supporters also say they are disheartened by the slow pace of domestic change. Raisi has tapped into hardline criticism of Rouhani's record, saying the president bet too strongly on rapprochement with enemies and did too little at home to improve the economy. "Our problems are not something to be resolved by Americans and Westerners," Raisi said in September. "They have not resolved a single problem of any country. They have brought nothing but misery to other nations." Raisi announced his intention to run on Sunday. In a statement published on Iranian news agencies he said the first step to resolving Iran's economic problems was a change of leadership, asking voters to support a "competent and knowledgeable" government under his command. RELIGIOUS WEALTH Khamenei appointed Raisi in 2016 as the custodian of Astan Qods Razavi, an organization in charge of a multi-billion-dollar religious foundation that manages donations to the country's holiest shrine in the northern city of Mashhad. The religious conglomerate, whose economic arm lists 36 subsidiary companies and institutes on its website, owns mines, textile factories, a pharmaceutical plant and even a major oil and gas firm. Even before the revolution, "those who led this endowment were very close to the head of state, to the supreme power of the country," a former senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Raisi has lots of power." Insiders said Khamenei, who outranks the elected president in Iran's system, had approved Raisi's candidacy. Raisi resigned last week from the election supervision board, a position which would not have allowed him to run in elections. "Without Khamenei's approval, Raisi could not resign from his current position to run for the presidency," said a senior official, who asked not to be named. "He is a very strong rival for Rouhani." IN DARK CORRIDORS Raisi's bid for the presidency alarms some reformists because of his long service in Iran's hardline judiciary. He was deputy prosecutor of Tehran in 1988 at a time when thousands of political prisoners were executed. A 28-year-old audio tape surfaced last summer of a meeting between Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, a founder of the revolution who was then deputy supreme leader, and the judiciary officials in charge of the executions, including Raisi. In the recording, Montazeri, who would later become Iran's most influential internal proponent of reform, said the executions included "pregnant women and 15-year-old girls" and were the "biggest crimes committed by the Islamic Republic". The son of Montazeri was arrested and sentenced to jail for release of the tape. Raisi prosecuted his case. Raisi was deputy head of judiciary for ten years, before being appointed in 2014 as Iran's prosecutor-general. "Raisi knows his way in the dark corridors of Iranian politics very well. But he is more used to grilling politicians in the comfortable shade of the judiciary than standing in the blazing sun of public eye," said Rassam, the former Iran adviser to Britain. Some Iranian politicians believe Raisi is being groomed to succeed Khamenei, the 77-year-old supreme leader who has been in power since 1989, and the presidency is just a first step. "Raisi is in Khamenei's circle of trust. He has been one of Khamenei's students and his thoughts are very close to the Supreme Leader's," reformist former lawmaker Jamileh Kadivar told Reuters. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Tom Finn in Doha, Yeganeh Torbati in Washnigton DC; Editing by Peter Graff) Two high school sweethearts reunited and married each other after 64 years. Joyce Kevorkian and Jim Bowman, both 81, dated in their senior year of high school in Illinois and even went to prom together before going off to college in different states. Read: Veteran, 93, Flies to Australia to Reunite With His Wartime Girlfriend After 70 Years Apart The two grew apart and were both married to other people for more than 50 years, according to Kevorkian's granddaughter Anna Harris. Kevorkians late husband died five years ago of a massive stroke and just last year Bowmans late wife, who had Alzheimer's, died of a stroke as well. "Jim was in charge of the high school reunion so he had my grandmas address. Jim wrote her a letter and she responded saying shed like to reconnect and meet up," Harris told InsideEdition.com. The pair began talking on the phone for at least an hour a night. In December, they decided to take the plunge and get together. After decades apart, Bowman drove down from his Illinois home to see Kevorkian at the Indiana retirement center where she resides. "When he came and saw her, he said it felt like no time had passed and they had picked up where they left off," Harris said. "When I talked to her on the phone about it she was all giggly. You could just tell that her entire mindset had shifted. She was just so much happier." Bowman stayed for a week in Indiana and just a few days after his visit, Kevorkian received an unexpected phone call from him. Read: Indiana Mother Missing Since 1974 Found Alive and Well in Texas Bowman had asked Kevorkian to marry him. "My grandma told him, 'that sounds like a good idea,'" Harris said. The couple tied the knot on April 1 at Kevorkians retirement home with the theme of "two old fools." "It was just a really sweet wedding," Harris said. "The best part is just how happy they both are. Theyre both talking about what they are going to do in the future. When you watch them its like two high schoolers that just started dating. Its really nice." Story continues Watch: Stranger Gives Homeless Woman Money for Flight to Reunite with Family Related Articles: By Aditya Kalra DELHI (Reuters) - Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship by suspected Somali pirates, India's defense ministry said on Sunday. The ship, known as OS 35, was reported to be under attack on Saturday.[nL8N1HG0HD] The Indian defense ministry said four of its navy ships in the vicinity responded to a distress signal from the ship and reached the bulk carrier early on Sunday. It said that the crew had taken refuge in the ship's strong room, know as the citadel, once they learnt they were under attack in line with established safe shipping operating procedures. (For graphic on attacks by Somali pirates click here: http://tmsnrt.rs/2nZLBai) "An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise ... (to) ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board," the defense ministry said in a statement. "Subsequently ... a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation." The defense ministry said all the 19 Filipino crew of the ship were safe and the captain of the ship thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover. John Steed of aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy told Reuters the ship was sailing under navy escort to its next port. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website the pirates had used a skiff to approach the vessel. The attempted hijacking comes days after pirates seized an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai. Experts said some ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm, and that some were using a route known as the Socotra Gap, between Somalia and Socotra Island, regardless of the piracy risks, to save time and cost. At their peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages. Their actions cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau. (Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, George Obulutsa in Nairobi; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Jane Merriman) MILAN (AP) Italian engineering and construction firm Salini Impregilo is ready to make the most of the Trump administration's planned $1 trillion spending bonanza on renewing the nation's infrastructure. With its purchase last year of Lane Construction, based in Cheshire, Connecticut, the Italian firm gets a valid U.S. passport to bid on American projects. While Lane gives Salini Impregilo important inroads into American infrastructure, Salini Impregilo's expertise in hydropower and tunneling projects, as seen in the Panama Canal extension, adds new sectors. CEO Pietro Salini, who has been guiding the family-owned, publicly traded business through a period of expansion, spoke to The Associated Press before a trip to the United States to feel out U.S. President Donald Trump's plans. ___ Q. Have you seen Trump's plans and do you know where to concentrate your initial bids? A. He made the first statements. Obviously a complete plan takes time, to give a series of indications of where principally to invest. It also remains to be seen what is meant by maintenance and renovation. One of the characteristics of the United States is that it is a country that invested before others in infrastructure, and having invested before others, today its infrastructure is old. As it is also in Europe. But while Europe doesn't seem to be aware of this, the United States is feeling constrained because their economy is growing. ___ Q. Have you included the Trump spending promises in your plans? A. No, we haven't factored that in yet. But seeing the speed at which the Trump administration makes decision, I expect it very soon. Our business plan foresaw the market that existed. ___ Q. Are you bidding on the wall that Trump has pledged to build along the border with Mexico? A. Walls are not our specialty. We make bridges, more than walls. Our specialty is ways of communications: water, energy, roads. We are more involved with these things. Story continues ___ Q. When you consider bidding on projects, do you also take into consideration the ethics, if it is something good for the world? A. We reflect a lot on what we do, on what is the mission of the company. ... The mission is to realize work that is useful for people. We don't do symbolic works, or works that represent any political party or any government. We only do works that are useful for people. ___ Q. Considering Salini Impregilo's expertise with dams, have you looked at possible interventions at the Oroville Dam in California that recently threatened to collapse, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people? A. It is a very interesting market and a sector where we can bring a big added value. There are around 14,000 dams in the United States that need intervention or maintenance, because they are old. ... In the United States, everything is insured, so if a dam collapses today, imagine the damages beyond the loss of life the economic damage like houses, jobs, etcetera... Today you could think of reducing the comprehensive risk for the insurance companies and do a sort of bond to be able to intervene on these structures without spending too much money. DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday condemned as "flagrant U.S. aggression on Syria" a U.S. missile strike on a on a Syrian air base this week and criticized Gulf Arab states for supporting it, state television reported. Rouhani called on Saturday for an impartial investigation of the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria which killed at least 70 people, and he warned that the U.S. strikes in response risked escalating extremism in the region. In a phone call with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, Rouhani told him, "Allegations that Syria launched the chemical attack were just a pretext to disrupt the Syrian peace process", according to Press TV. The Syrian state news agency SANA said Assad told Rouhani the Syrian people and army were "determined to crush terrorism in every part of Syrian territory" - a reference to rebels and militants fighting his rule for six years - and thanked him for Iran's support for "the Syrian nation". In a speech on Sunday, Rouhani also criticized U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states for endorsing the U.S. missile strike. "Unfortunately, there are countries in our own region which encourage America's acts of aggression," Rouhani said in remarks carried by state television. "Your turn will come too." Saudi Arabia hailed the strike as a "courageous decision" by President Donald Trump and a Saudi ally, the United Arab Emirates echoed that support. Both countries belong to the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Syria. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Mark Heinrich) The RSS chief's statement comes amid a raging debate in the country over cow slaughter. By India Today Web Desk: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat waded into the ongoing debate over cow slaughter and beef. "We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country," Bhagwat was reported as saying by news agency PTI. "Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause, law must be obeyed," he further added. advertisement The issue of cow slaughter has been at the forefront of national politics off late, especially since the the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Days after taking office, Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath, in accordance with the BJP manifesto, directed the Uttar Pradesh government machinery to take strict action against illegal cow slaughter in the state. Gujarat, also a BJP-ruled state, recently passed an amendment to strengthen the state's ban on cow slaughter. The new law makes cow slaughter punishable by life in prison and carrying beef punishable by jail term of 7 to 10 years. At the same time, there have been at least two instances of BJP leader taking a less hardline stance on beef. Nagaland BJP chief Visasolie Lhoungu was reported to have said that a ban on cow slaughter like the one in Uttar Pradesh wouldn't take effect in the northeastern state if the BJP came to power there. N Sreeprakash, the BJP candidate for the Malappuram by-poll, promised voters he would ensure supply of good-quality beef if voted to power. ALWAR KILLING Meanwhile, a dairy farm owner was lynched to death last week in Rajasthan over false allegations that he was illegally transporting cows. Pehlu Khan, the 55-year-old man who was murdered, was with a group of men from Haryana who had come to Rajasthan to buy milch cattle. Self-proclaimed gau rakshaks however stopped them on a highway in Alwar and thrashed them. Khan later died due to his injuries at a local hospital. BHAGWAT FOR PRESIDENT? Interestingly, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments come as his name gets floated for the next president of India. The Shiv Sena raised the pitch for Bhagwat as president with party MP Sanjay Raut saying, "Even Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is of the opinion that for making India a Hindu Rashtra, Bhagwat should be made the President." Congress leader Jaffer Sharief followed the Shiv Sena's lead , writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that nobody should find fault with the idea of Mohan Bhagwat as president. The BJP, with its recent wins in state elections, is in a good position to be able to influence the final decision over the next president of India. advertisement Pranab Mukherjee is due to finish his term this year and the presidential election is expected to be held in July. ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- ISIS claims responsibility for Egyptian church attacks An Egyptian holds out torn a page from a prayer book showing a section of the Gospel of John in Arabic inside the Mar Girgis Coptic Orthodox Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, at which a bomb blast struck worshippers gathering to attend the Palm Sunday mass, on April 9, 2017. / (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images) Two Islamic State militants wearing suicide vests carried out the deadly church bombings in Egypt on Sunday that killed at least 44 people, the group said in a statement on Sunday that warned of future attacks. The Alexandria bombing was carried out by an Islamic State militant it identified as Abu Al-Baraa Al-Masri, while the Tanta church bombing was carried out by an individual it named as Abu Ishaaq Al-Masri. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr. Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli court Sunday sentenced an Arab Israeli former MP to two years in jail after he pleaded guilty to smuggling mobile phones to Palestinian prisoners, a court transcript showed. Basel Ghattas, of the Arab-dominated Joint List, resigned his seat in the Israeli parliament as part of a plea bargain reached last month in which he admitted handing the phones and SIM cards to Palestinian inmates. The prosecution dropped charges of terrorism and endangering state security for which he could have faced up to 10 years in prison. In addition to the reduced sentence of 24 months he was fined 120,000 shekels, ($33,300, 30,800 euros) according to the transcript released by the justice ministry. It said the court, in the southern city of Beersheba, also ruled that Ghattas's offence constituted what is known in Israeli law as "moral turpitude", meaning he is barred from standing for parliament for seven years after his prison term ends. His lawyers have 45 days to appeal. The court ordered the 60-year-old Christian to begin serving his sentence at Dekel prison in Beersheba on July 2, granting his request not to be jailed until the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan as he will be confined with Muslim prisoners. Israeli media have reported that 12 mobile phones were found on two separate prisoners in searches after Ghattas visited the high security Ketziot prison in December, using his parliamentary immunity to avoid being searched. One of the prisoners is serving time for kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier in 1984, the Ynet news website said. Ghattas has said his actions were motivated by "humanitarian and moral positions towards prisoners". Lawmakers of the Joint List, the third largest bloc in parliament with 13 seats, frequently clash with Israeli authorities. Arab Israelis make up some 17.5 percent of the country's population and are descended from Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of Israel in 1948. Story continues They hold Israeli citizenship but most see themselves as Palestinians. Ghattas's party, Balad, is especially critical of Israeli policies. Its three lawmakers triggered outrage among Jewish Israelis last year when they met relatives of Palestinians who authorities say were killed while carrying out attacks. Somewhere between the Republican caricature of the next justice of the Supreme Court as a folksy family guy and the Democrats demonization of him as a cold-hearted automaton, stands Neil Gorsuch. Largely unknown six months ago, Gorsuch has seen his life story, personality and professional career explored in excruciating detail since he was nominated by President Donald Trump 10 weeks ago. The portrait that emerges is more nuanced than the extremes drawn by his supporters and critics. Gorsuch is widely regarded as a warm and collegial family man, boss and jurist, loyal to his employees and kind to those of differing viewpoints. He also has been shown to be a judge who takes such a rigidly neutral approach to the law that it can lead to dispassionate rulings with sometimes brutal results. Senate Republicans Just Approved the Nuclear Option to Allow for Neil Gorsuchs Confirmation Four times during his confirmation hearings, Gorsuch invoked a breakfast table analogy, telling senators that good judges set aside what they have to eat - and their personal views - before they leave the house in the morning to apply the law and nothing else to the facts of the cases at hand. It was all part of Gorsuchs artful effort to reveal as little as possible of his own opinions. Were all human beings, Gorsuch told senators, but the judges job is to put that stuff aside and approach the law as you find it. That ability to compartmentalize, combined with Gorsuchs studious refusal to signal his thinking on contentious issues, left Democrats frustrated. For all his many visits with senators and his hours in the witness seat, Gorsuch had not revealed his core beliefs and may have, according to Democrats, a bias favoring powerful interests over ordinary people. The question for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was whether theres a beating heart and an independent streak behind Gorsuchs silver hair and smooth delivery. Republicans saw Gorsuchs disciplined and detached approach as evidence of the fair and independent mindset that the U.S. needs on its highest court. Story continues Elizabeth Warren Wants To Delay Neil Gorsuchs Confirmation Vote Because of the FBIs Russia Probe Preparing to take the oath of office Monday after a rancorous 54-45 vote in the Senate, Gorsuch soon will largely recede into the cloistered halls of the Supreme Court. He wont vanish entirely; other justices have written books, done speaking tours and interviews. But Gorsuch wont again face this kind of grilling, into everything from his views on abortion to the avid outdoorsmans favorite fishing holes. (He largely pleaded the Fifth on both.) The 49-year-old judge was happy to reminisce about his years as a student and lawyer before becoming a federal appellate judge in Denver 10 years ago. He relied on self-deprecating humor and a goodness-gosh-golly demeanor in outsize doses as he deflected the questions he didnt want to answer. I might be a little corny, he said at one point to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Oh, now were talking, Gorsuch enthused when the talk turned to fly fishing. You cant focus on the worries of the world when youre only worried about a trout. Gorsuch Willing to Limit Environmental Groups in Land Cases Gorsuchs impressive scholarly and legal credentials were on full display: Columbia, Harvard and Oxford, the latter with scenes that Gorsuch recalled were straight out of a Harry Potter movie. But Gorsuch, known for the clarity of his legal writings, traced the roots of his success back to an even earlier source, Sister Mary Rose Margaret, the nun of whom he says: She taught me how to read and she taught me how to diagram a sentence. Gorsuch, whose mother was a state legislator and then director of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Ronald Reagan, tried to play down the political elements in his background. Gorsuch stressed that when issues such as torture arose during his time in President George W. Bushs Justice Department, he acted not as a policymaker but as a speechwriter or a lawyer for a client. He did acknowledge, though, that an email he sent criticizing lawyers at big firms for representing detainees being held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was not my finest hour. Trumps Supreme Court Nominee Calls the Presidents Attacks Demoralizing Perhaps no ruling got more attention over the past 10 weeks than a case in which Gorsuch came down against a truck driver who was fired for leaving his trailer of meat on the side of an Illinois road after breaking down on a frigid night in 2009 and fearing he would freeze to death. Asked whether the mans firing wasnt absurd, Gorsuch said simply: My heart goes out to him. Its just not my job. For all that he shared, Gorsuch did his best not to telegraph where he might land on a range of topics that he could confront early in his time as a justice, even though both sides think they have a pretty good idea how he would rule. Cases about voting rights, gun control, religious rights, housing discrimination and immigration are pending before the court. The dispute over Trumps proposed ban on visitors from six majority Muslim countries could be on the way as well. Trumps Supreme Court Pick Wary of Politicians With Robes Gorsuch was careful not to offer any hints on these issues in his exchanges with committee Democrats and Republicans. Questioned about his views on the Roe v. Wade decision that established a womans right to have an abortion, Gorsuch would go no further than to voice his respect for legal precedent and say no one is looking to return us to horse and buggy days. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, spoke for many in her party when, nearing the end of two days of testimony, she told Gorsuch: It remains to be seen whether you will be a justice for all or a justice for some. This article was originally published on FORTUNE.com In case you weren't anxious enough, one of the most powerful people in the free world believes that catastrophe is just around the bend, and says sojust like everyone on HBO's Game of Thrones. But really. Steve Bannonwho already counts, on the record, Satan and Darth Vader as aspirational figuresis now speaking like a Game of Thrones character. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is a big fan of The Fourth Turning, a book and theory of American history organized around cycles of prosperity and danger, the New York Times report Sunday. SEE ALSO: Eleven from 'Stranger Things' and Arya from 'Game of Thrones' together at last "History is seasonal, and winter is coming, the book warns, as if this were an episode of Game of Thrones. It's unclear what Bannon's ideology truly is, though it's clearly some bizarro blend of economic nationalism, white nationalism, populism, isolationism, and Leninism (again: his words, not ours). Either way, his outlook can be generally categorized as frightening, and The Fourth Turning explains why. Image: amazon According to authors Neil Howe and William Strauss, a crisiskind of like the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depressionis just around the corner. Civic institutions could crumble at any moment. I dont think theres any doubt that the world is in the beginning state of a crisis that it cant avoid," Bannon told The New York Times. Bannon predicts that America will likely head to war with China and the Middle East sometime in the next ten years. For the advisor, The Fourth Turning confirms his darkest suspicions. "History is seasonal, and winter is coming, the book warns, as if this were an episode of Game of Thrones. Bannon was recently removed from the National Security Council, in a move that some see as a sign of the advisor's waning power and/or liberal wishful thinking. But like so many other Game of Thrones characters, one of which he's turning into, the ones who stay alive never stick to the bottom of the scoreboard for too long. To that end, here's hoping he doesn't get his hands on any dragons before 2020. WATCH: Stephen Colbert and 'SNL' have figured out the right way to use President Trump Mark Hamill felt a great disturbance aboard Air Force One over the weekend. It all started on April 6 when Donald "45" Trump popped into the press cabin aboard the presidential airliner to answer some questions about his missile strike in Syria. And in a truly "truth is stranger than fiction" twist, he delivered his remarks just as Darth Vader made his Rogue One debut on the monitor next to Trump's face. SEE ALSO: Trump's 'Access Hollywood' tape now an HR training tool at 21st Century Fox I can't make this stuff up. Air Force 1 was showing "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" today (AFP photo) someone stealing the plans for the Death Star today? pic.twitter.com/00Y6gHiUGn David Martosko (@dmartosko) April 6, 2017 The internet predictably chuckled at this momentous photo opp. But one Twitter hero journalist and Star Wars toy collector Brent Ashcroft went a step further on Friday: He asked Mark Hamill for a reaction. Hey @HamillHimself, what's your take on Trump watching #RogueOne while being interviewed on Air Force One?#MonitorOnRight pic.twitter.com/Fm2UqFiKZm Brent Ashcroft (@brentashcroft) April 7, 2017 The Luke Skywalker actor hasn't been shy about knocking the Trump White House. He's even taken to recording audio of himself reading Trump's more problematic tweets in the voice of the Joker, the Batman arch-nemesis whom Hamill has famously voiced in animated features and video games. He responded to Ashcroft's tweeted query with feigned confusion. "Rogue One?" Hamill asked. "I thought they were just screening Steve Bannon's home movies." #RogueOne? I thought they were just screening Steve Bannon's home movies. https://t.co/eyO4Eay59e Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) April 8, 2017 Bannon, of course, is Trump's controversial Chief Strategist and the former executive chair of "platform for the alt-right" Breitbart News. He is also, by his own admission, an admirer of those who attain power through "darkness." "Darkness is good," Bannon said in a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That's power. It only helps us when they" THR believed Bannon's use of "they" was a reference to liberals and the media "get it wrong. When they're blind to who we are and what we're doing." Sigh. Let's just go back to appreciating Hamill's tweet. WATCH: Stephen Colbert and 'SNL' have figured out the right way to use President Trump Throughout America's storied history, proms have traditionally been miserable affairs. Only the presence of someone super-famous has ultimately been able save one of these dances from its dull, predetermined fate. Luckily for students at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California Kylie Jenner stopped by to rescue their junior prom Saturday night. Jenner had agreed to be the date of Albert Ochoa, a ridiculously excited junior at the school. SEE ALSO: Teen's delightful Pixar-themed promposal hits the right note Jenner arrived along with her best friend, Jordyn Woods and immediately caused a social media panic among the teens, including endless Snapchats and caps lock tweets with multiple exclamation points. Here's an obscenely brief sampling. These teens were not trying to be cool for Kylie. God bless their earnest hearts. Kylie Jenner really just came to rio prom. pic.twitter.com/sZQflHt62B Sam Adams (@sam_adams_10) April 9, 2017 Image: snapchat If only we all had major celebrities show up to events we dread, the world would be a happier place. WATCH: Stephen Colbert and 'SNL' have figured out the right way to use President Trump Ryo Uchida | Ph.D, Nagoya University The original Japanese article was published on 11:11 October 16, 2016 Non-attendance caused by relationship with teachers There is a 16 times difference in the responses by schools and students Cause of non-attendance; No survey conducted to the student him/herself It will be the 50th year for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to disclose the Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students in which the current state of bullying, violence, non-attendance, suicides, etc. is summarized. The results are usually announced in the fall of each year and the results for FY2015 should be announced soon. Webpage on Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students This survey originally started as a survey on non-attendance in FY1966 (in those days it was called school phobia). Non-attendance is a state in which the student is absent from school or cannot attend school for more than 30 days a year, for reasons other than sickness and economic circumstances. In elementary schools and junior high schools in Japan, approximately 120 thousand children are in a state of non-attendance. In Japan, non-attendance is one of the largest educational issues along with bullying. There is one thing that concerns me in this survey on non-attendance which has been conducted for such a long time. In addition to basic figures such as the number of non-attending school children/students by elementary/junior high schools and by public/private schools and by grade, the survey makes in-depth analysis on the actual situations, such as reason why each of the school children/students became unable to attend schools and why they continue not to attend. However, when I asked the persons who have the experience of not being able to attend schools, they answered that they have never been asked the reason for not attending school for a survey. No surveys are made, yet the figures are disclosed. How is this possible? And how much of the disclosed figure is consistent with the awareness of the persons who have not been able to attend schools? Story continues Discomfort felt by those who were unable to attend schools Image: ASHINARI To start with some of the conclusions first, Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students is answered by schools. Therefore, the causes of non-attendance listed there are those that were merely judged by the schools and there is a possibility that they do not coincide with the feelings of the students. The reason why I became interested in this was triggered by the questions raised by Mr. Shikou Ishii (editor of Futoko Shimbun (Non-Attendance Newspaper)) who himself was unable to attend school. Futoko Shimbun is a newspaper published by an NPO that specially handles non-attendance and hikikomori (social recluse). Mr. Ishii says that he felt discomfort in the fact that, Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students was conducted and that the causes of non-attendance were discussed, without reflecting the views of the persons who were non-attending. He also questioned the especially low proportion of schools citing the relationship with teachers as the cause of non-attendance. There is actually a research that directly surveyed persons who were unable to attend schools (Note 1). In this research, follow-up surveys were conducted on students who were non-attending in junior high schools and inquiries were made on the situations during and after non-attendance. The result has been disclosed in July 2014 as 2006 Report on the Follow-Up Survey on Non-Attending Students (Japanese only). Here, the result of the responses on the causes of non-attendance is disclosed. There is more than one reason why we were unable to attend school Causes of non-attendance: Survey of persons who were unable to attend school Causes of non-attendance: Survey of schools How does the Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students responded by schools (hereafter, School Survey) differ from the follow-up survey responded by persons who were unable to attend school (hereafter, Student Survey)? In the Student Survey, students who were in the 3rd grade of public junior high schools as of FY2006 and who were unable to attend school, responded to the questions. Therefore, comparison should be made with the data on public junior high schools from the School Survey as of FY20062006 Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students(Japanese only). Strictly speaking, the respondents of the two surveys and the questions asked regarding the causes of non-attendance are not the same. However, in various aspects, the two data are fully comparable (Note 2). First, the overall impression to be noted is that in all of the 14 choices for the causes of non-attendance, Student Survey has a larger value than School Survey. This means that more students who were unable to attend school chose multiple answers as causes of non-attendance than schools. In the Student Survey, 2.8 choices (4,4861,604) were chosen per student and in the School Survey, 1.2 choices (115,41199,959) were chosen per student as causes of non-attendance. Roughly speaking, within the 14 choices, the students have chosen about three causes for non-attendance, whereas schools have limited their answers to one cause. From the viewpoint of the students, there are various factors and problems that lead to non-attendance. However, schools do not seem to comprehend non-attendance to stem from a number of factors. Are teachers also the cause of non-attendance? Awareness gap Awareness gap between the School Survey and the Student Survey Human relationships with parents, friends, and teachers are included in the 14 choices for the causes of non-attendance. In both surveys, human relationship with friends has the highest figure among the choices related to human relationships (Note 3). This is not hard to imagine, but what I want to highlight in this article, is instead, the awareness gap between the schools and the students. Please have a look at the graphs. First, lets take a look at the proportions that regard relationship with parents to be the cause of non-attendance. In terms of those who think that parents have impact on non-attendance, there is not such a big gap between the School Survey and the Student Survey the difference is only 1.5 times. Next, there is a 3.2 times difference in the answers that regard that relationship with friends is the cause of non-attendance. Up till here, the gap between the schools and students can be regarded to be within whether multiple causes are chosen or not. As mentioned before, persons who were unable to attend schools tend to choose multiple causes (in the Student Survey 2.8 causes, and 1.2 causes in the School Survey per student), thus in any of the causes there will be 2 to 3 times difference between the two surveys. Image: ASHINARI However, the relationship with teachers as cause of non-attendance is beyond this scope. In the School Survey, teachers as the cause of non-attendance constitute only 1.6% (smallest in all of the causes in the School Survey). In the Student Survey, however, this figure surges to 26.2%. There is a 16.3 times difference between the schools and students. This means that even if the students feel that the teachers are to blame for non-attendance, the schools do not think of it in such a way at all. I am not writing this to say that teachers are to blame for non-attendance. What is important is to be aware of the awareness gap. If the students and schools visualize completely different causes for non-attendance, it would not be possible to hold even a dialogue. Earnestly picking up childrens voices this is a task that is imposed on schools, educational administrations and all of us adults. Additional remark Part of the result of the analysis conducted as a result of the questions raised by Mr. Shikou Ishii has already been responded to Mr. Ishii. Based on the response, an article has been issued in the Futoko Shimbun.10/15 Futoko Shimbun No. 444(Japanese only) The handling of the figures is slightly different from this article in some specific points. However, basically, similar results are shown. Note 1Survey conducted by the Follow-Up Survey Research Team on Non-Attending Students established within the MEXT. Mr. Yoji Morita (Specially Appointed Professor of Naruto University of Education), who has led the Japanese educational circle through his research on bullying and non-attendance, presided the research team. Note 2All of the students who were unable to attend school are noted in the Survey on Problems Related to Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behaviors of School Children and Students. Meanwhile, the students noted in the follow-up survey are those who agreed to cooperate with the survey in 2011 (the survey was conducted in 2012) within the students who were in the 3rd grade of junior high schools unable to attend school as of FY2006. As for the causes of non-attendance, both surveys list up 14 choices and the choices have many similarities. In particular, relationships with parents/friends/teachers to which this article focuses, had many similarities in their questions, thus the two surveys were compared. Note 3The figure for Relationship with friends is: the total of Bullying and Relationship with friends excluding bullying in the School Survey; and the total of Relationship with friends and Relationship with friends and seniors in clubs and afterschool activities in the Student Survey. In addition, for the figure for Relationship with parents, reference was made to: Problems related to parent-child relationship for the School Survey; and Relationship with parents for the Student Survey. For the figure for Relationship with teachers, reference was made to: Problems related to relationship with teachers/staff for the School Survey; and Relationship with teachers for the Student Survey. WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on developments in the aftermath of the U.S. airstrikes in Syria (all times EDT): 2:35 p.m. President Donald Trump has spoken with the Japanese prime minister about the recent U.S. missile strikes in Syria as well as about North Korea. The White House says in a statement on Sunday that the leaders agreed that Syrian President Bashar Assad's "use of chemical weapons against civilians, including women and children, was abhorrent and warranted a strong response from the international community." The U.S. launched missile strikes on Syrian government installations Thursday in response to the chemical attacks. The statement says the two also agreed to continue their cooperation on regional issues, "including the threat posed by North Korea." The White House says the call took place on Saturday. ___ 11:30 a.m. Lawmakers say President Donald Trump needs to work with Congress on a "long-term" Syria strategy following last week's U.S. missile strike. The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Trump's decision was a "reaction" to Syria's use of chemical weapons. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland says the administration hasn't been clear on next steps and whether it would escalate a U.S. response if Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) continues his assault on rebel forces with conventional weapons. The Senate's No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, says Trump's move sends a strong message to rogue nations, and agrees that the U.S. needs a broader strategy. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina doesn't think so. He says Trump has the authority to launch additional strikes against Syria. ___ 10:45 a.m. President Donald Trump's national security adviser is describing U.S. goals to defeat the Islamic State group as well as oust Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) as somewhat "simultaneous." Story continues H.R. McMaster says there is no contradiction between comments by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who says IS must be defeated first, and Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who contends that getting Assad out is a priority. McMaster says "there has to be a degree of simultaneous activity as well as sequencing of the defeat of IS first." He says Trump's missile strike was meant as a "very strong signal to Assad and his sponsors" that the U.S. will not stand idly by, and that Russia should now reconsider support for the "murderous regime." McMaster spoke on "Fox News Sunday." ___ 10:30 a.m. Sen. Lindsay Graham is calling for as many as 6,000 more U.S. troops to fight the Islamic State group. The South Carolina Republican also wants additional penalties imposed on Russia for what he calls Moscow's "aiding and abetting" of Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) in the use of chemical weapons and for Russian meddling in the 2016 American election. Graham tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the additional troops would "attract more regional fighters to destroy" the militants. Graham isn't saying where the Americans would be sent. The Syrian opposition has reported that Assad's forces have begun flying again from an air base struck last week by U.S. missiles, and Graham says Assad is telling Trump "F ... you' by resuming those flights. STOCKHOLM (AP) The Latest on the attack on shoppers in Stockholm that left four people dead Friday and 15 wounded (all times local): 4:15 p.m. The mayor of Lembeek, a neighborhood in the Belgian city of Halle, says one of the four people killed Friday in the Stockholm truck attack is a 31-year-old woman who was living in his town. Dirk Pieters told the Belga news agency "I met her several times. I know very well her parents. They are very nice people who have lived in Halle for a long time." Pieters added that "I'm shocked after each attack, but when you put a face on a victim and personally know her parents, it's even worse." Britain said another Stockholm victim was Chris Bevington. He was a 41-year-old executive at the Swedish music-streaming service Spotify. Two Swedes were also killed in the attack, and 15 people were wounded. ___ 3:15 p.m. The British government has named a British man killed in the Stockholm truck attack as Chris Bevington. In a statement released through the Foreign Office, his father John Bevington said the family was "devastated by the untimely and tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris." The statement said he was "a wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many." Press Association said he was 41. In addition to Bevington, Swedish police say two Swedes and a Belgian woman died Friday when a man drove a stolen truck into shoppers in central Stockholm. Police have a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan in custody. Swedish prosecutors on Sunday arrested a second person in the case and are holding four other people. ___ 3 p.m. A spokesman for the British Foreign Office has issued a statement on the truck attack in Stockholm: "Stockholm police have confirmed that a British man was killed during the attack in Stockholm. We are supporting his family in Sweden and in the UK. Our thoughts are with them and all those affected at this terrible time. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Sweden as they deal with this tragedy." Story continues Four people were killed and 15 wounded Friday when a stolen beer truck was driven into shoppers in Stockholm. Two people have been arrested in the attack. ___ 2:15 p.m. Swedish prosecutors have arrested a second person in connection with the truck attack case in Stockholm for suspected crimes against the nation and are holding four other people. Spokeswoman Karin Rosander told The Associated Press "a person suspected of terrorist offenses by murder has been arrested" on Sunday. In all, Jan Evenssen of the Stockholm police said authorities have questioned over 500 people in the investigation so far. The four victims killed in Friday's truck attack on shoppers in the Swedish capital included a British man, a Belgian woman and two Swedes, authorities in those countries said. Their identities were not released. ___ 1:05 p.m. Police in Stockholm say the truck attack suspect from Uzbekistan was an asylum-seeker who had his application for a residence permit in Sweden rejected and was being sought by authorities for deportation. Jan Evensson of the Stockholm police told a televised news conference on Sunday that the 39-year-old suspect's request was rejected in June 2016 but police could not find him for deportation because he was not at the address he had given. Jonas Hysing of Sweden's national police says "we know he has been sympathetic to extremist organizations." Evenssen said police are holding five more people in connection with the deadly attack Friday and have questioned over 500 others. He said the four victims killed in the Stockholm attack included one person from Britain, one from Belgium and two Swedes. ___ 12:25 p.m. The Stockholm county that keeps track of those hospitalized by the truck attack says of the 15 injured, 10 remain in three hospitals in the city, including one child. Spokesman Patrik Soderberg says in a statement that four of the 10 are considered to be "seriously" injured and the remaining six, including the child, are slightly injured. Soderberg said Sunday that "an important task" for caregivers is to continue giving "long-term psychological support to those who need it" after the attack that killed four people Friday. Swedish police have arrested a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan whom they believe drove the stolen trick into shoppers in Stockholm. ___ 11:50 a.m. Belgium's foreign minister says on Twitter that a Belgian woman is among the four people killed in Stockholm on Friday by a man who rammed a stolen truck into downtown shoppers. Minister Didier Reyders says "we have unfortunately have a lost a compatriot in the Stockholm attack." The Belgian news agency Belga, quoting Reyders, says the woman had been reported missing and was first identified via her identity papers and later by DNA testing. The Swedish police say three of the four truck attack victims have been identified but none have been named. Fifteen other people were wounded in the attack, including an 83-year-old Romanian woman who was begging on the popular shopping street. ___ 11:40 a.m. One of the victims of Stockholm's truck attack, an 83-year-old Romanian woman who was begging on the city's pedestrian Drottninggatan street says she was "surprised" that by-passers helped her. Papusa Ciuraru, whose foot was crushed by a boulder displaced by the speeding truck, told the Expressen daily "I thought everyone would run past me and save themselves." Ciuraru, speaking from her bed at the Saint Goran hospital in Stockholm, said she "thought a war was going on" because "people around me were screaming." The lion-shaped boulders on Drottninggatan are meant as roadblocks and have been put up in several European capitals after another truck attack last year killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin. Ciuraru, who expects to be released Monday from the hospital, said she "tried to get up and run but got a huge rock over my leg." ___ 11 a.m. The Swedish TT news agency says Stockholm city officials are planning to move thousands of flowers at a makeshift memorial to a nearby square after an aluminum fence outside the department store threatened to collapse. The fence was put up to keep people away from the broken glass and twisted metal at the attack site, and to allow forensic experts and police to gather evidence. Four people died Friday and 15 others were wounded when an attacker rammed a stolen beer truck into shoppers in downtown Stockholm. Swedish police have arrested a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan as the main suspect in the attack. ___ 9 a.m. The Swedish department store that was rammed by a stolen beer truck, leaving four people dead and 15 injured in Stockholm, says it regrets an announcement that it would reopen two days after the deadly attack to sell damaged goods at a "reduced price." The Ahlens department store apologized "for a bad decision" in a statement on its Facebook page. It said its motivation "was born out of the idea of standing up for transparency and not allowing evil forces take control of our lives." The store said it would reopen Monday "without any damaged goods." A fire broke out Friday afternoon at the store after the truck smashed into its entrance on Stockholm's pedestrian Drottninggatan street. It was quickly put out. ___ 8 a.m. Swedish media are reporting overnight police raids to bring people in for questioning as authorities investigate the deadliest attack in Stockholm in years. Swedish police have arrested a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan and say they believe he deliberately drove a stolen beer truck Friday into shoppers in Stockholm, killing four people and wounding 15. Sweden's SAPO security police said Sunday it was working to find "any abettor or network involved in the attack." ___ Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report. By Arwa Gaballa and Ahmed Tolba TANTA,Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 44 people were killed in Egypt in bomb attacks at the cathedral of the Coptic Pope and another church on Palm Sunday, prompting anger and fear among Christians and leading to troop deployments and the declaration of a three-month state of emergency. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, which also injured more than 100 people and occurred a week before Coptic Easter, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit Egypt later this month. The assault is the latest on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants, and a challenge to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has pledged to protect them as part of his campaign against extremism. The first bombing, in Tanta, a Nile Delta city about 100 km (60 miles) north of Cairo, tore through the inside of St. George Church during its Palm Sunday service, killing at least 27 people and injuring at least 78, the Ministry of Health said. The second, a few hours later in Alexandria, hit Saint Mark's Cathedral, the historic seat of the Coptic Pope, killing 17 people, including three police officers, and injuring 48, the ministry added. Coptic Pope Tawadros had been leading the mass at Saint Mark's Cathedral at the time of the explosion but was not injured, the Interior Ministry said. "These acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people," he was later quoted as saying by state media. Islamic State said two of its fighters wearing suicide vests carried out the attacks, and it warned of more to come. "Crusaders and their apostate allies should know the bill between us and them is very big and they will pay it with rivers of blood from their children, god willing. Wait for us, for we will wait for you," the group said in a statement. In a televised speech addressing the nation, Sisi declared a three-month countrywide state of emergency, subject to parliamentary approval, and called for national unity and urged the media to refrain from coverage that could be harmful. "Deal with the issue with credibility, and responsibility and awareness," he said of the media coverage. "It's not right what I'm seeing being repeated on all of our channels, and you know this hurts Egyptians." Sisi also ordered troops be immediately deployed to assist police in securing vital facilities, a rare move for the general-turned-president, who as defense chief led the military's 2013 ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood's President Mohamed Mursi. Deflecting Western criticism that he has suppressed political opposition and human rights activists since he was elected in 2014, Sisi has sought to present himself as an indispensable bulwark against terrorism in the Middle East. "The attack...will only harden the determination (of the Egyptian people) to move forward on their trajectory to realise security, stability and comprehensive development," Sisi said in a statement. President Trump, who hosted Sisi last week in his first official visit to the U.S., expressed support for a leader he has said he plans to work more closely with on fighting Islamist militants, who Sisi identifies as an existential threat. "So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly," Trump wrote on his official Twitter account. Hundreds gathered outside the Tanta church shortly after the blast, some weeping and wearing black while inside, blown apart pews sat atop tiles soaked with blood. "There was blood all over the floor and body parts scattered," a woman who was inside the church at the time of the attack said. "There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe," another woman, Vivian Fareeg, said. "WE FEEL TARGETED" Islamic State's branch in Egypt has stepped up attacks and threats against Christians, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's 90 million people and are the biggest Christian minority in the Middle East. In February, scores of Christian families and students fled Egypt's North Sinai province after a spate of targeted killings. Those attacks followed one of the deadliest on Egypt's Christian minority, when a suicide bomber hit its largest Coptic cathedral, killing at least 25 people. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for that attack. Islamic State has waged a low-level war against soldiers and police in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for years but is now targeting Christians and broadening its reach into Egypt's mainland. That is a potential turning point in a country trying to prevent a provincial insurgency spiraling into wider sectarian bloodshed. Although Copts have faced attacks by Muslim neighbors, who have burnt their homes and churches in poor rural areas, in the past, the community has felt increasingly insecure since Islamic State spread through Iraq and Syria in 2014. "Of course we feel targeted, there was a bomb here about a week ago but it was dismantled. There's no security," said another Christian woman in Tanta in reference to an attack earlier this month near a police training center.. Wahby Lamie, one of whose nephews was killed and another injured in the Tanta blast, expressed exasperation. "How much longer are we going to be this divided? Anyone who's different from them now is an infidel, whether they're Muslim or Christian. They see them as infidels," he said. "How much longer are these people going to exist? And how much longer will security be this incompetent?" (Additional reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Mahmoud Mourad, Mohammed Abdellah, Amina Ismail, Ahmed Aboulenein, and Mostafa Hashem; Writing by Eric Knecht; editing by Larry King and Alexander Smith) A couple of days ago, your social media timelines would have been filled with the story of an 8-year-old girl found in Uttar Pradesh's Katarnia ghat forest saying she was found with a troop of monkeys, she walked on fours, and screeched like monkeys when police officials approached her. New reports deny all these. By India Today Web Desk: A little girl, just eight years old, was found near Katarniaghat forests of Uttar Pradesh's Bahriach two months ago (as per ANI) but the incident made headlines a couple of days ago after the Chief Medical Officer of the local district hospital she was admitted to, Dr DK Singh, gave statements to the press that the girl has communication issues, that she gets terrified at the sight of human beings and that it looks like she had been living with animals for quite some time. Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinesh Tripathi told PTI the same. advertisement But now the police and forest officials rubbish these media reports. Initial reports said Sub-Inspector Suresh Yadav found her during a routine patrol in Motipur range of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, that she was with a troop of monkeys when found and that she screeched at Yadav when he tried to go closer. Some reports even said she was naked when spotted, had sharp claws and tanned skin. A report in The Indian Express quotes police and forest officials as saying that the girl was found on a roadside in Bahriach and that she was mentally retarded. Forest officials said had the girl been living in the forest for a considerable time, the many cameras would have detected her presence. NEW HOME, NEW NAME A Hindustan Times report said the little girl, 10, was shifted to a shelter home for the disabled in Lucknow. The girl is said to be have been shifted to the facility -- Nirvan -- in Indira Nagar there on Saturday. The report also said that she has been given a new name - Ehsaas -- and that she was shifted on orders of the Child Welfare Committee. The same report mentions that a man from Jaunpur, Bhullar Ali, met CMO DK Singh claiming to be the father of the girl and said that he had filed a man missing complaint with the Jaunpur police on March 28, 2016. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA An Associated Press report said that the girl was believed to be 10 to 12 years old, was unable to speak and that she was unclothed when found. The Associated Press even quoted Tripathi as saying "some woodcutters found the girl roaming with a troop of monkeys." The district chief forestry officer in the Katarniaghat area told The Guardian that the girl was not found in the forest, but on a roadside, reports the Washington Post. He also said that her facial expressions and inability to communicate could be because she is disabled, "not only mentally, but also physically". || FYI || Mowgli 2.0: Girl found in UP's Katarniaghat forest eats, walks like animals || --- ENDS --- Budapest (AFP) - Hungary saw the biggest anti-government protest in three years on Sunday, as tens of thousands demonstrated against new higher education legislation seen as targeting the respected Central European University. The marchers included students and staff of the university, many wearing the blue of the CEU and some waving Hungarian, EU as well as US flags as they marched from the historic Buda castle to the parliament building in Budapest. Organisers said up to 80,000 people took part in the protest, while an AFP photographer put the number at 60,000. The English-language CEU was founded by Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros in the early 1990s, aimed at helping the region's transition from communism to democracy. The new rules, approved by parliament on Tuesday, bar institutions based outside the European Union from awarding Hungarian diplomas without an agreement between national governments. They will also be required to have a campus and faculties in their home country -- conditions not met by the CEU, which is registered in the United States. The legislation has attracted widespread criticism abroad, including from Washington, Brussels and academics. There were also street protests last Sunday and on Tuesday. The US State Department earlier this month called for the proposal to be withdrawn, while an open letter has been signed by over 900 academics around the world including 18 Nobel prize-winning economists. - 'It's frightening' - "I have no children, but the way they adopted the regulations against this university is frightening," Gabor Kis, 45, a cook, told AFP during the protest on Sunday. "If they can do that to CEU, they can do whatever they want! This has to stop!" The legislation, which still has to be signed into law by the president, does not mention the CEU by name but the university sees itself as the main target and has warned it may have to close. Critics see the move as another attack by Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Soros, whom he accuses of seeking to meddle in politics and undermine Europe by promoting immigration into Europe. Story continues Last week the government published legislation that will oblige NGOs receiving above a certain amount of foreign funding to register and stamp any publication with "foreign-funded organisation". - 'Unfair privileges' - Mirroring similar rules in Russia, this is also seen as targeting Soros's Open Society Foundation which funds civil society groups and which has also come under fire elsewhere in the region. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs denied in a blog post on Thursday that the CEU was being singled out, saying that irregularities had been found with 27 foreign higher education institutions. "It's noteworthy that all of the other institutions have accepted this modest minimal condition of university equality and fairness. Only CEU has protested because the university insists on its unfair privileges," Kovacs said. "These people at the top, they don't realise that we don't live in Russia, but in Hungary!" another protester, 23-year-old IT expert Viktor Szakal, told AFP. "We have to show strength with our numbers. I'm glad that so many people showed up. Orban understands only the rules of power, and our power comes from our numbers." Orban has said he is prepared "to negotiate with the United States" on the future of the university which has until January to conform with the new law. The CEU has 1,800 students from 100 countries and is ranked in the top 50 universities for political and international studies in the World University Rankings list. The demonstration was the biggest since 2014 when protesters opposed Orban's right-wing government over a tax on internet usage, which was later withdrawn. AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) A brief look at the third round of the Masters (all times EDT): LEADING: Justin Rose (67) and Sergio Garcia (70) were at 6-under 210. TRAILING: Rickie Fowler (71) was one shot behind, the closest he has ever been to the 54-hole lead in a major. SPIETH SHOW: Jordan Spieth (68) was two shots back and will be in the penultimate group Sunday. It's the first time in his four appearances that he has not played in the final group at the Masters. SHOT OF THE DAY: Spieth hit a 5-iron off the pine straw and over the tributary of Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th to 30 feet. He narrowly missed the eagle putt. BREAK OF THE DAY: Garcia hit a 4-iron that dove into the trench short of the 13th green, but it landed just soft enough that it stayed on the bank and allowed him to chip up to 2 feet for birdie. KEY STATISTIC: This is the fourth time Garcia has played in the final group at a major, and the first since the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie. Rose is playing in the final group at the Masters for the second time in three years. NOTEWORTHY: No one has ever made a quadruple bogey and won the Masters. Spieth made a quadruple bogey in the opening round. QUOTEWORTHY: "I know that anything can happen." Spieth. KEY TEE TIMES: Rose and Garcia, 2:45 p.m.; Fowler and Spieth, 2:35 p.m. TELEVISION: Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., CBS Sports. By Tuvan Gumrukcu REYHANLI, Turkey (Reuters) - Ahmad Mustafa fled northern Syria to Turkey four months ago, badly injuring his hand along the way. But while the free healthcare he gets as a refugee is helping him heal, Mustafa and many of the nearly 3 million Syrian migrants who have fled to Turkey are gradually losing hope for their war-ravaged homeland. "We have no hope for Syria at this stage. Russia, Iran, and the United States are all hitting us from different sides," Mustafa said, his right arm still in a sling. "Our hope is that God will change things," he said, speaking through a translator. Mustafa is part of what Ankara says is the world's largest refugee population, many of whom barely eke out a living in places like Reyhanli, a dusty border town in the southern Hatay province that teems with Syrian refugees and where some signs in shop windows are printed in both Arabic and Turkish. Ankara has also set up refugee camps on the Syrian side of the border and the Turkish Red Crescent estimates it is providing aid to around 5 million people inside Syria. But while a U.S. missile strike against a Syrian government air base this week may have kindled some optimism that Washington could step up pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, nobody in Reyhanli expects to be able to go home soon. "They are hitting us from the air, killing civilians in cities," said Samial Dude, a former truck driver from the area around rebel-held Idlib, who also now lives in Hatay. "We don't have guns. We don't even know who's bombing us, we are just being bombed. Even animals are treated as more important than Syrian people," he said. The United States fired missiles at a Syrian air base on Friday in retaliation for a chemical attack that killed 87 people, including children, in the northwest Idlib province. Both Washington and Ankara blame the Syrian government for the poison gas attack, but Damascus has denied responsibility. Six years of civil war have killed an estimated half a million people and set new standards of savagery for civilians, with half of Syria's population uprooted in the world's biggest refugee crisis. SEASONAL LABOUR In Turkey, where Ankara provides the migrants with some aid, many work as seasonal labourers on farms to survive. "I have been paying rent for six years and all my earnings go to pay it off," said Mohammad Hammadi, adding that he spends much of his time working with an aid organisation to help migrants who are even worse off than he is. President Tayyip Erdogan, long one of Assad's most vocal critics, is popular with the migrants in Hatay, who say he opened Turkey's borders to them when leaders in the Arab world did not. Erdogan has called on the West should do more to help Turkey shoulder the humanitarian burden. Turks will go to the polls on April 16 for a referendum on whether to change the constitution and give Erdogan sweeping presidential powers. Although they will not be able to vote, some Syrians migrants hope that Erdogan does secure more power. "Of course we want Erdogan to become stronger, maybe then he can help us more. Maybe then he can build homes for us here," said Gaceel al Awaad, who earns about 30 lira ($8) a day working in fields, almost all of which goes to pay rent. "We just pray to God that we can return as soon as possible. This is the only concern for Syrians in Turkey." ($1 = 3.7284 liras) (Writing by David Dolan; editing by Alexander Smith) New York (AFP) - Big US corporations have identified a new strategy for managing irate investors at annual shareholder meetings: Going virtual. This year, about 250 companies are expected to convene their yearly investor tete-a-tete via audio or video, up from 155 in 2016 and just 26 in 2012, according to investors communications firm Broadridge. The set of companies forgoing the face-to-face encounters includes number-two US automaker Ford and energy giants ConocoPhillips and Duke Energy. "We take very seriously the trust that our shareholders place in our leadership team," said Bill Ford, Ford's executive chairman. "The virtual nature of this year's meeting will enable us to increase shareholder accessibility, while improving efficiency and reducing costs." Duke Energy also defended the practice, saying the format would permit chief executive Lynn Good "to answer more shareholder questions, either during the meeting or afterward through a web posting," according to a press release. But not everyone is persuaded of the nobility of intent. "What's really going on is that corporations are trying to hide -- from shareholders, from protesters, from anyone trying to hold them accountable," said Marni Halasa, founder of protest consulting firm Revolution is Sexy, who has previously criticized large banks. Duke shareholder Danielle Fugere of the non-governmental organization "As You Sow" added: "We do not believe it is in the company's interest to insulate itself from the interested public." The group has proposed a shareholder resolution to require the company to report on the public health impacts of its use of coal. - Avenue for individual investors - New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who oversees investments under the city's $170 billion public pension system, has declared war on virtual meetings, sending a letter to almost 20 companies demanding they go the traditional way. Story continues "It's one of the great markers of American enterprise whether you own one share or a one million, you can speak at a company's annual meeting," Stringer said. "Except now, in this interconnected world, companies are using technological tools to whittle away at investors' rights and hide from accountability." But the companies rebut this point, with Ford saying "any pertinent questions that cannot be answered during the meeting, due to time constraints, will be answered and posted online." Virtual meetings became possible following changes in law in a number of US states, including Delaware, where many companies are based. The annual events are not usually a major occasion for the biggest shareholders, who are typically in an ongoing dialogue with corporations. But the annual meeting has traditionally offered a unique forum to the individual investor who lack the clout of large institutional investors. By going virtual, big companies can avoid sometimes pointed criticism over shareholder pay, their environmental performance or any number of controversial matters. Calpers, which oversees pension and health benefits for some 1.6 billion people in the state of California, joined smaller shareholders in decrying the trend. Calpers backs physical meeting that are accessible remote investors via technology. Some companies, like Microsoft, have employed this hybrid style. "Companies should hold shareowner meetings by remote communication (so-called 'virtual' meetings) only as a supplement to traditional in-person shareowner meetings, not as a substitute," Calpers said, adding that the technology "should facilitate the opportunity for remote attendees to participate in the meeting to the same degree as in-person attendees." Moscow (AFP) - Russia slammed London on Sunday after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow over its support for the Syrian regime, claiming Britain has "no real influence" internationally. The cancellation "once again confirms doubts about the added value of dialogue with the British, who don't have their own position on the majority of current issues," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The British have "no real influence on the course of international affairs, remaining 'in the shadow' of their strategic partners," it added. "We don't believe we need dialogue with London more than (London) needs it (with us)," it said. The statement added there was a "fundamental misunderstanding or ignorance of what is happening in Syria and Russia's efforts to resolve the crisis." Johnson announced Saturday he would not travel to Moscow next week, saying that "developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally". "My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April," he said. "We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians." Johnson then called on Russia to do "everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated." His decision came in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on Tuesday that killed at least 86 people according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally Bashar al-Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. Congratulations to NASA's Peggy Whitson on shattering yet another space record. At this point, though, you're starting to make us all feel bad about ourselves. On Sunday, NASA announced that Astronaut Peggy Whitson had broken yet another record for being the first woman to command the International Space Station twice. In 2008, Whitson became the first woman to command the International Space Station. SEE ALSO: This 56-year-old woman is about to break another record in space But this isn't the only record that Whitson has broken. In fact, it's almost impossible to keep track of 56-year-old Whitson's spaceflight records. Moments ago @AstroPeggy broke yet another record when she became the first woman to command the space station twice! pic.twitter.com/g4Hp9ev7kS Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) April 9, 2017 On April 5, NASA revealed that Whitson was poised to break the record for the cumulative time spent in space by an American astronaut. The standing record is 534 cumulative days in space, held by NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams. Whitson is set to cruise by that milestone on April 24. Since she's not scheduled to return to Earth until September, her cumulative time spent in space record will be difficult for future astronauts to beat. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, and NASA signed an agreement to extend Whitson's time in space by three months. While two of her male crew mates will return to Earth in June, Whitson will stay on board the station until September. Shane and Peggy on their way to their first #spacewalk tasks@astro_kimbrough et @AstroPeggy en route vers leur zone de travail pic.twitter.com/18X4atxxsP Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) March 30, 2017 Whitson also holds the record for the greatest number of spacewalks by a female astronaut. She will likely extend this record by September as well. Story continues We're all very proud of you, Peggy, and we're trying to be very cool about it. It's probably not working. WATCH: Circular runways could revolutionize how planes takeoff and land By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA's Peggy Whitson, soon to become the most experienced U.S. astronaut in terms of time spent in space, assumed command of the International Space Station on Sunday as two Russian crew members and an American prepared to fly back to Earth. For Whitson, 57, it was her second stint in charge of the $100 billion station, a multinational project overseen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian space agency Roscosmos. On April 24, Whitson will have spent more time in space than any other American astronaut, surpassing the current U.S. record of 534 days held by NASA's Jeff Williams, 59. She already held records for the most time spent in space by a woman and for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman. She will set another record at this moment," the departing U.S. commander, Shane Kimbrough, said during a Sunday change of command ceremony aired on NASA TV. "She becomes the first two-time female commander of the International Space Station." Kimbrough and Russian crewmates Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko were scheduled to wrap up a 173-day mission on Monday, with a parachute landing in Kazakhstan at 7:21 a.m. EDT (1121 GMT). Their replacements, NASAs Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, were due to arrive on April 20 at the station, which is in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. The U.S. and Russian space agencies last week agreed to extend Whitsons mission by three months to fill in as the new crew's third member. Russia is reducing its station cadre from three to two members until its new science laboratory is launched next year, the head of Roscosmos said at the U.S. Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week. Whitson flew to the station in November with Russias Oleg Novitskiy and France's Thomas Pesquet. The men were scheduled to fly back to Earth without Whitson on June 2. She was due to return to Earth in September with Fischer and Yurchikhin, having amassed a career U.S. record of more than 665 days in orbit. Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, with 878 days in orbit, is the worlds most experienced space flier. (Editing by Frank McGurty and Jonathan Oatis) By Andrea Shalal COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - The overwhelming victory of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia's presidential election on April 2 could help stabilize the country, a top U.S. and NATO military officer said. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATO's Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, told Reuters she hoped "engineered provocations" between Kosovo and Serbia in recent months would calm down now that the election was over. "Now that we're through the election, perhaps the national leaders will refocus on their own countries and govern. That's my hope," Howard, who also commands U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, said in an interview late on Saturday after an event hosted by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. Howard said the region remained an area of concern for the U.S. military and NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo after intervening in 1999 to stop Serbia's killings of ethnic Albanian civilians in a counter-insurgency campaign. She said Vucic, the outgoing prime minister, had run for president on a promise to keep the country moving on a path toward European Union accession, which also required a demonstration of economic stability. "If he's serious, then I think that is helpful for the country," Howard said. "As you meet all that criteria, I can only imagine that it's helpful for ... establishing stability and security of (Serbia)." If Vucic makes good his vow to continue moving toward EU membership, then Serbia would remain "balanced between Russian influence and the rest of southeast Europe", Howard said. Thousands of students and other protesters, who see Vucic as an autocrat, rallied in Belgrade last week to protest at his victory and what they see as a fraudulent election. Although his new post will be largely ceremonial, Vucic is expected to maintain his grip on power through his Serbian Progressive Party and to continue a balancing act between the West and Russia, a Orthodox Christian and Slavic ally. Howard said she found it astonishing how tense relations still were between Serbia and the ethnic Albanian-majority government in Kosovo nearly two decades after the war. Serbia continues to regard Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, as a renegade province. "Every time I talk to someone who's from that region, they just remind me that grievances run deep in this part of the world, that the dead get buried but the grievance does not," Howard said. "It's a very complex environment." (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Mark Heinrich) Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel remained committed to treating war wounded from Syria and reaffirmed his support for last week's US air strike in the neighbouring country. In comments at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu did not specify whether those injured in last week's suspected chemical attack in Syria would be among those treated in Israel. Israeli media reported that a proposal to do so had been met with objections from some government and security officials due to logistical difficulties, with the location far from Israeli territory. Israel has treated more than 3,000 war wounded from Syria in what it describes as a humanitarian gesture. It says it treats whoever makes it to the demarcation line between the two countries regardless of affiliation, though Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Israel of supporting "terrorists" who oppose him. A number of analysts say the policy also has a strategic goal of portraying Israel in a positive light. "Israel is caring for wounded Syrians as part of a humanitarian effort," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to do so." Netanyahu spoke again of his support for last week's US missile strike against a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province. It was Washington's first direct military action against Assad's government. Israel has sought to avoid being dragged into the six-year civil war in Syria, but acknowledges carrying out air strikes there to stop what it says are deliveries of advanced weapons to its enemy Hezbollah, which is backing the Assad regime. Reportedly, a day after Naam Shabana was released in Pakistan, it was pulled out of theatres because of its content. By India Today Web Desk: By now, we all know that Aamir Khan's Dangal will not have a Pakistan release due to their censor board's objection to scenes featuring the national flag and national anthem. Now, Taapsee Pannu and Akshay Kumar's spy thriller Naam Shabana has been stopped from playing in theatres, if a report in DNA is to be believed. advertisement Apparently, the film was released smoothly, but officials put a stop to the screening after realising that the film contains references to terrorism. Pakistan has long been accused of state-sponsored terrorism, but authorities have always denied any involvement in the same. A source close to the development was quoted as saying, "The Pakistani authorities seemed fine with the film. But a day after the film released they woke up to the fact that the theme of terrorism could reflect badly on Pakistan." Naam Shabana revolves around Shabana Khan (Taapsee) and her journey of becoming a secret agent. She is trained to eliminate any threats to the national security of the country and is involved in a mission to eliminate the largest arms supplier to terrorist groups, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. MOVIE REVIEW | NAAM SHABANA ALSO READ | Taapsee Pannu EXCLUSIVE: Proud of my relationship status and the person I'm with ALSO WATCH | What works and doesn't work in Akshay-Taapsee's spy film Naam Shabana --- ENDS --- Top Trump administration officials are warning that Russia could be held accountable for the Syrian governments chemical attacks against its own civilians with the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations accusing the Kremlin of covering up for Syrian President Bashar Assad. You saw this terrible tragedy on innocent people, a lot of them children, Nikki Haley said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. And the first reaction from Russia wasnt, How horrible. It wasnt, How could they do this? It wasnt, How did this happen? It was, Assad didnt do it, Assad didnt do it. Why was that the reaction? Haleys comments come three days after President Trump ordered an airstrike on a Syrian air base in response to last weeks suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people, including children, in Syria. Slideshow: U.S. attacks Syrian air base A spokesman for the Russian defense ministry denied Assad had anything to do with last weeks attack and demanded that the Trump administration provide proof. First of all, it cracks me up that Russia can say those things with a straight face, Haley said. I mean, truly, it is amazing that they continue to cover for Assad. And its very telling and its not putting Russia in a good light at all in the international community. Haley said the U.S. strike should have sent a signal to Moscow. This is something to let Russia know, you know what? Were not going to have you cover for this regime anymore, Haley said on NBCs Meet the Press. And were not going to allow things like this to happen to innocent people. Haley added: I think we desperately needed to send a message that, You know what? Russias not going to have your back anymore. And if they do, were going to make sure that both of you know that were not going to settle for it.' In his statement announcing the strike Thursday night, Trump did not mention Russia by name. Tonight, I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, Trump said, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. Story continues On ABCs This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he has not seen any hard evidence that connects the Russians directly to the planning or execution of last weeks chemical weapons attack. But Tillerson said its clear that Moscow has failed to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to make sure Syria got rid of its chemical weapons. Why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me, he said. I dont draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly, theyve been incompetent, and perhaps theyve just simply been outmaneuvered by the Syrians. On Friday, Haley told the U.N. Security Council that Trump was prepared to do more in Syria. She reiterated that sentiment Sunday. I was trying to give warning and notice to the members of the Security Council and the international community that he wont stop here, Haley said on CNN. If he needs to do more, he will do more. Tillerson, though, said the strike against Syria was a one-off. I think the president was very clear in his message to the American people that this strike was related solely to the most recent horrific use of chemical weapons against women, children, and as the president said, even small babies, Tillerson said. So the strike was a message to Bashar al-Assad that your multiple violations of your agreements at the U.N., your agreements under the chemical weapons charter back in 2013 that those would not go without a response in the future, and we are asking Russia to fulfill its commitment. And were asking and calling on Bashar al-Assad to cease the use of these weapons. Other than that, there is no change to our military posture. And both Haley and Tillerson seemed to differ when asked whether the Trump administration is leading the push for regime change in Syria. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government, Haley said on NBC. We have to make sure that were pushing that process. But Tillerson said regime change comes with a price. Weve seen what that looks like when you undertake a violent regime change in Libya, and the situation in Libya continues to be very chaotic, and I would argue that the life of the Libyan people has, is not all that well off today, he said on ABC. So I think we have to learn the lessons of the past and learn the lessons of what went wrong in Libya when you choose that pathway of regime change. So we know this is going to be hard work, but we think its also a process that will lead to a durable and lasting stability inside of Syria. Any time you go in and have a violent change at the top, it is very difficult to create the conditions for stability longer term. On Fox News Sunday, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trumps national security adviser, was pressed to explain the seemingly differing statements from Tillerson and Haley on regime change. What Ambassador Haley pointed out was, its very difficult to figure out how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime, McMaster said. Were not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What were saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves, Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population and using the most heinous weapons available?' A pair of Syrian jets took off from the same air base that was hit by the U.S. airstrike on Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Sen. Graham on @MeetThePress: "Heres what I think Assad is telling Trump by flying from this base: F you." https://t.co/ZXDXYwxx9q NBC News (@NBCNews) April 9, 2017 Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Assad was sending Trump a defiant signal by doing so. Heres what I think Assads telling Trump by flying from this base: F you, Graham said on Meet The Press. Graham, one of the most hawkish members of Congress, had his own message for Trump: Go after Russia through sanctions not only for interfering in our elections, but aiding and abetting the use of chemical weapons by a war criminal, Assad. Read more from Yahoo News: By Ole Petter Skonnord OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian police set off a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like device" in central Oslo early on Sunday and were holding a suspect in custody in an investigation led by security police. A Reuters reporter described a loud bang shortly after Oslo's bomb squad arrived with a remote-controlled robot once the area was cordoned off by police late on Saturday night. "The noise from the blast was louder than our explosives themselves would cause," a police spokesman said, adding that further investigation was needed to find out if the device had contained explosives. The device, about 30 cm (1 ft) across, had appeared to be capable of causing only a limited amount of damage. Forensics experts will examine fragments to figure out what it was. Police across the Nordic region have been on heightened alert after a truck ploughed into a crowd in Stockholm on Friday. Four people were killed and 15 injured in what police called an apparent terror attack. Norwegian police detained a suspect but declined to give information about his identity. Norway's police security service, PST, said in a tweet it had taken over the investigation from local police. "We're in a very early phase of the investigation," PST spokesman Martin Bernsen said. More details were likely later on Sunday, he added. Police took away cordons put up overnight in the Groenland area and residents resumed normal Sunday activities, with shops and cafes open. There was no sign of police at the site. The Groenland area, a multi-ethnic neighbourhood that is home to popular bars and restaurants, several mosques, and the city's main police station. The police station is less than a kilometre away from where the device was found. In 2011, right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik set off a car bomb in Oslo that killed eight people and destroyed Norway's government headquarters, before going on a shooting rampage that killed 69 people at nearby Utoeya island. (Additional reporting by Gwladys Fouche, writing by Terje Solsvik and Alister Doyle; Editing by Larry King) Lima (AFP) - Peru's jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori spent a day in hospital for back pain in the latest of a string of health scares before returning to prison on Sunday, media said. After 24 hours in a clinic where he had scans on his back, Fujimori, 78, returned to the police base where he is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights violations, his doctor Alejandro Aguinaga was quoted as saying by El Comercio newspaper. He said Fujimori has been having difficulty walking for several weeks due to back pain. The ex-president also continues to have stomach trouble and growths on his tongue, which has been operated on several times for cancer, Aguinaga told reporters on Saturday. Fujimori was jailed in 2007 for his role in killings by a death squad targeting supposed guerrillas in the 1990s. He was also convicted of embezzlement and bribery. He has been in and out of hospital in recent months, including in January when he also underwent tests for a back problem. He was admitted in December with a cyst on his pancreas and in September due to gastric problems and high blood pressure. In a message posted by his aides on Twitter last year, Fujimori said prison conditions were "slowly killing" him. By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis condemned a deadly blast at a church in Egypt and said at a Palm Sunday Mass that the world was suffering from wars, terrorism and "interests that are armed and ready to strike". Francis, who has not made any direct public comment on the current Middle East crisis, said the Mass as international tensions increased following the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base, which the Pentagon says was involved in a chemical weapons attack that killed 87 people. While the pope, who is due to visit Egypt April 28-29, was celebrating the Mass for tens of thousands of people, the Vatican received word of the blast that killed at least 21 people and injured 50 in a Coptic church in the Nile Delta. "I pray for the dead and the victims. May the Lord convert the hearts of people who sow terror, violence and death and even the hearts of those who produce and traffic in weapons," he said in hastily prepared comments at the end. The blast was the latest assault on a religious minority that has increasingly been targeted by Islamist militants, and there have been deep security concerns over the pope's trip. Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week that culminates on Easter Sunday, commemorates the day Christians believe Jesus entered Jerusalem and was welcomed as the messiah, only to be crucified five days later. Francis, marking the fifth Easter season of his pontificate, blessed palm and olive branches in the center of St. Peter's Square before saying Mass. "He (Jesus) is present in our many brothers and sisters who today endure sufferings like his own: they suffer from slave labor, from family tragedies, from diseases," he said. "They suffer from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike. Women and men who are cheated, violated in their dignity, discarded," he added. Before the U.S. missile strike, Francis said he was horrified by the suspected chemical weapons attack, calling it an "unacceptable massacre" of innocent civilians. Allies of the United States have expressed support for Washington's actions, calling them a proportionate response to Syrian forces' suspected use of chemical weapons. But they were denounced as illegal by Syria and its allies Russia and Iran. Palm Sunday marks the start of a hectic week for the Pope, who on Thursday he visits a prison south of Rome to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates, commemorating Jesus' gesture of humility toward his apostles the night before he died. Previous popes held the service either at the Vatican or a Rome basilica but Francis changed the tradition to stress the importance of going to the poor, the sick and the imprisoned. He has drawn ultra-traditionalist ire for including Muslims and women in a service previously limited to Catholic men. (Editing by Alexander Smith) Rocks recently shot out of volcanoes contain evidence of what Earth was like when it was still a young planet, 4.5 billion years ago. Geologists got a nice surprise when they discovered the composition of the volcanic rocks, because many believe the way material circulates within Earths solid mantle would erase that evidence over time, according to a report from the University of Maryland. But scientists from that university, who were leading a study into the rock, found leftover traces of our planets youth. kilauea-iki-crater-281131_1920 Photo: Pixabay, public domain A study in the journal Science specifically identifies the tungsten and helium found in the samples which came out of volcanoes in Hawaii, Samoa and Iceland as signatures of primordial material. The specific variants of those two elements and the amounts in which they were found, researchers say, date back to the first 60 million years of the solar systems life. Read: Watch Some Hot Tungsten Destroy These Oreos (R.I.P. Cookies) Tungsten is a metal that is known for its strength and hardness, as well as being highly dense and having a high melting point. Helium, on the other hand, is a low-density gas and one of the most abundant elements in our universe. The researchers are not yet sure how Earths mantle preserved these anomalies, the university said. But the groups results suggest that some of these rocks contain material that survived through all of Earths history and that the planets interior may not be well-mixed after all. According to the authors, one possible explanation for the ancient finding is that the volcanoes are erupting material from Earths core in order to bring these rare types of rocks to the surface. See also: A Special Lava Makes This Moon Crater Look Younger Prehistoric Climate Change Caused Three Mass Extinctions In A Row Related Articles London (AFP) - British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon on Sunday accused Russia of being "responsible" by proxy for the death of 87 civilians, including many children, killed last week in a suspected chemical weapons attack. "Assad's principal backer is Russia. By proxy Russia is responsible for every civilian death last week," Fallon wrote in an opinion column published in The Sunday Times. "If Russia wants to be absolved of responsibility for future attacks, Vladimir Putin needs to enforce commitments, to dismantle Assad's chemical weapons arsenal for good, and to get fully engaged with the UN peacekeeping progress," he added. Fallon reiterated Britain's position that Assad should quit. "Someone who uses barrel bombs and chemicals to kill his own people simply cannot be the future leader of Syria," he wrote. 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. His key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels. "Today we call on all parties to get back to the table and get a deal done," the British defence minister said. "That deal must lead to a representative government in which Assad will play no part". He also once again offered Britain's support to the United States for its decision on Friday to fire 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the airfield located near Homs in central Syria. The move was in response to the suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun which killed 87 people according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. "Given repeated Russian blocking in the UN security council, the US was determined to act," Fallon said, adding President Trump made "the right call by resorting to careful and narrowly focused military action". Russia has criticised the US military intervention as a "gross... violation of international law". Story continues It also slammed the British foreign secretary Boris Johnson's decision to cancel a scheduled visit to Russia, claiming Britain has "no real influence" internationally. Johnson decided to abandon his visit to Moscow on Monday, saying he deplored "Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime". He argued it would be best for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to deliver a "clear and coordinated message" to the Russians during his own visit to Moscow later in the week. Priti Patel, Britain's Secretary of State for international development also announced on Sunday that the country was to increase its support of medical aid in Syria in the wake of the attack. The new funding totalling 7 million ($8.6 million, 8.2 million euros) would be donated to the World Health Organization (WHO) and two undisclosed non-governmental organisations. According to the statement, the allocation was to be used to provide clean water for 500,000 people, medicines and medical supplies to over 400 clinics and hospitals, and training for more than 400 Syrian health workers. Britain donated 10.7 million to WHO in the 2016/17 financial year. As tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalated after Donald Trump ordered airstrike in Syria over a chemical attack that killed dozens, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said that peace in Syria cannot be restored unless its President Bashar al-Assad is removed from power. On Sunday, Konstantin Kosachev, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian upper house of parliament, slammed Haley for her statement. "This is a direct sabotage of the international communitys efforts to launch the process of political negotiations between the authorities and opposition. US opinion will be read by both moderate and armed opposition. They will ask, what is the point in going to Astana or Geneva [talks on Syrian settlement]," Kosachev posted on his Facebook account late Saturday. In an interview with CNN, Haley said the U.S. administration's priorities in order to end the war in Syria includes defeating the Islamic State group, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the removal of Assad. Read: Stock Market Reacts To Trumps Airstrikes On Syrian Base "We don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there," she said. Haley told the U.N. Security Council after the Syria airstrike that her country is prepared to take additional steps against Assads regime. The international community has repeatedly expressed its outrage, she said. On Tuesday, the Assad regime launched yet another chemical attack on civilians, murdering innocent men, women, and children in the most gruesome way. Assad did this because he thought he could get away with it. He thought he could get away with it because he knew Russia would have his back. That changed last night. She went on adding: "The United States took a very measured step last night. We are prepared to do more but we hope that will not be necessary. It is time for all civilized nations to stop the horrors that are taking place in Syria and demand a political solution. Story continues The U.S. fired Tomahawk missiles Thursday night into a government-controlled air base in Syria following a deadly chemical attack against civilians that left more than 100 people dead and 300 injured. Trump said the retaliation was a vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the airstrike an "aggression against a sovereign nation" and saw it as an "attempt to distract the world from civilian casualties from U.S. military action in Iraq." Related Articles Belgrade (AFP) - Serbian president-elect Aleksandar Vucic's main poll rival accused the former premier Sunday of "scandalous irregularities" in the election which handed him victory earlier this month. Centre-left candidate Sasa Jankovic, who garnered 16 percent in the April 2 first-round poll compared to 55 percent for Vucic, called for a partial recount. Thousands of demonstrators, mostly students, have gathered daily in Belgrade and other cities to protest Vucic's election, but this is the first time one of his rivals has alleged poll irregularities. Jankovic's office said a recount of 25 bags of polling cards, carried out Friday at the request of the independent candidate, showed that Vucic had been awarded 964 more votes than were actually counted. "The irregularities we found in favour (of Vucic) are scandalous," it said in a statement. Jankovic's team added that the average difference per polling station between the number of votes officially attributed to Vucic and the actual number counted was 38. "If this average figure, based on a random sample, were multiplied by the number of all the 8,396 polling stations, it would produce a sinister conclusion: Aleksandar Vucic potentially stole 319,000 votes," the statement said. Centre-right politician Vucic, a former ultranationalist turned pro-European, won in the first round by garnering more than 50 percent of votes, way ahead of the 10 other candidates. After the results were announced, Vucic, who was elected prime minister in 2014, trumpeted his "clear" victory in winning 12 percent more votes than all the other candidates combined. On Sunday he dismissed the "ridiculous mathematics" of his opponent. "When politicians in Serbia fail, with their programmes and plans, to gain the people's confidence, they resort to the most callous lies," he told a press conference. The electoral commission also rejected Jankovic's accusations, calling them "absolutely unacceptable". Story continues The commission's head Vladimir Dimitrijevic said that contested votes had been recounted and that only four irregular ballots had been identified, and these could be attributed to a "technical error". He accused "certain candidates" of peddling "absolute lies". On Saturday an estimated 10,000 protesters gathered in Belgrade. Jankovic said the crowds were unhappy with the "injustice of the autocratic regime which threatens Serbia with dictatorship". By Press Trust of India: Washington, Apr 9 (PTI) In a breakthrough, scientists have identified a new crystalline material that could replace silicon and double the efficiency of solar cells without a significant cost increase. Conventional solar cells are at most one-third efficient, a limit known to scientists as the Shockley-Queisser Limit. The new material, a crystalline structure that contains both inorganic materials (iodine and lead) and an organic material (methyl-ammonium), boosts the efficiency so that it can carry two-thirds of the energy from light without losing as much energy to heat. advertisement This material identified by researchers at Purdue University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US could double the amount of electricity produced without a significant cost increase. Enough solar energy reaches the Earth to supply all of the planets energy needs multiple times over, but capturing that energy has been difficult ? as of 2013, only about one per cent of the worlds grid electricity was produced from solar panels. Libai Huang, assistant professor of chemistry at Purdue, said the new material, called a hybrid perovskites, would create solar cells thinner than conventional silicon solar cells, and is also flexible, cheap and easy to make. The most common solar cells use silicon as a semiconductor, which can transmit only one-third of the energy because of the band gap, which is the amount of energy needed to boost an electron from a bound state to a conducting state, in which the electrons are able to move, creating electricity. Incoming photons can have more energy than the band gap, and for a very short time ? so short it is difficult to imagine ? the electrons exist with extra energy. These electrons are called "hot carriers," and in silicon they exist for only one picosecond (which is 10-12 seconds) and only travel a maximum distance of 10 nanometres. At this point the hot carrier electrons give up their energy as heat. This is one of the main reasons for the inefficiency of solar cells. Huang and her colleagues have developed a new technique that can track the range of the motion and the speed of the hot carriers by using fast lasers and microscopes. "The distance hot carriers need to migrate is at least the thickness of a solar cell, or about 200 nanometres, which this new perovskite material can achieve," Huang said. "Also these carriers can live for about 100 picoseconds, two orders of magnitude longer than silicon," he said. Kai Zhu, senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, said that these are critical factors for creating a commercial hot-carrier solar cell. "This study demonstrated that hot carriers in a standard polycrystalline perovskite thin film can travel for a distance that is similar to or longer than the film thickness required to build an efficient perovskite solar cell," he said. advertisement "This indicates that the potential for developing hot carrier perovskite solar cell is good," Zhu added. The research was published in the journal Science. PTI SAR MHN --- ENDS --- Six civilians were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir Sunday when police opened fire at protesters who stormed polling stations during a by-election for a parliamentary seat, a top officer said. State and paramilitary police fired bullets and shotgun pellets as thousands of protesters shouting slogans against Indian rule charged into voting booths in Budgam district near the main city of Srinagar. "Violent protests happened at many places in Budgam. Protesters damaged and snatched EVMs (electronic voting machines) at some places," Shantmanu, the state's chief electoral officer, told AFP. "It was not a good day for all of us. Six civilians were killed and 70 were wounded," Shantmanu, who uses only one name, told reporters. Many were grievously injured with bullets fired by police and paramilitary troops, hospital sources in Srinagar said. The electoral officer said more than 100 government personnel, including police and paramilitary officers were also injured in the clashes. In the Charare-e-Sharif area of Budgam two people were killed when the paramilitary Border Security Force fired at protesters, he said. Another person was killed in the Beerwah area of the same district when paramilitary police opened fire at a stone-throwing crowd. Three more were killed in the day-long clashes, with two of them succumbing to multiple pellet injuries from the shotguns which Indian paramilitary forces use in Kashmir for crowd control. Polling had to be halted in more than dozen places amid a call by top Kashmiri separatist leaders opposed to Indian rule to boycott the by-election. Only 6.5 percent of voters turned out to cast their ballot, Shantmanu said, 26 percent less than in the last elections held in 2014 and the lowest ever participation recorded in any election in the disputed territory. - Internet suspended - Former state chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting the Srinagar seat, slammed the government for its failure to maintain law and order. Story continues "Elections should have been peaceful. This government has failed in giving a peaceful atmosphere for people to come and vote," he told reporters. Ahead of the polling, authorities suspended internet services across the Kashmir Valley for fear of widespread protests. Police had also detained hundreds of young people and separatist activists in the run-up to the poll, sources told AFP. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the disputed territory in its entirety. Rebel groups in Indian Kashmir have for decades battled troops and police, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. Around 500,000 Indian soldiers are deployed in the region. Ahead of Sunday's polling, the Indian government had sent in 20,000 additional paramilitaries. Armed encounters between rebels and government forces have become more frequent since the killing of a popular rebel leader by security forces last July sparked widespread unrest. Police and army officials say dozens of local youths have joined the rebel ranks since then. At least 29 armed militants, mostly locals, have died fighting government forces this year. Mogadishu (AFP) - Somalia's new army chief escaped a car bombing Sunday that killed at least 10 people in a bloody response by Shabaab militants to the president's declaration of war on the group. A suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into Ahmed Mohamed Jimale's convoy near the defence ministry in Mogadishu, just days after he was named to the top army job Thursday by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. "Initial information indicates that the military chief has narrowly escaped the attack," the Shabaab said in a statement published on the website of the jihadist group's Andalus radio station, claiming responsibility for the blast. Senior army official Muktar Adan Moalim told AFP that seven civilians and three members of the security forces had been killed in the bombing. "A minibus loaded with explosives rammed a civilian bus while trying to hit the convoy of the military chief," he said. An AFP reporter saw five dead bodies and body parts scattered across the scene of the explosion after the attack around midday. Security forces blocked off the entire district around the defence ministry. Security official Ali Abdirahman confirmed that the army chief -- better known to Somalis by his nickname Irfid -- was unhurt, as were other senior military leaders who had been in the convoy. A witness, Abdirahman Isa, said the passenger bus that had been passing the scene "was completely destroyed and there were several dead bodies" which were "completely smashed and burned in the blast". The attack was the latest deadly incident in days, after a car bomb in Mogadishu left seven dead Wednesday, a landmine killed 19 Thursday and a mortar attack left three dead on Friday. While the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab have lost large swathes of territory and were forced out of Mogadishu by African Union troops in 2011, they continue to strike in the capital and countryside. - 'State of war' - Story continues Widely known by his nickname Farmajo, the president took office in February and faces a struggle to improve security in the deeply unstable Horn of Africa nation. Bomb attacks have become a regular and bloody feature of daily life in the capital since the Shabaab were forced out of Mogadishu six years ago. Farmajo had told a press conference on Thursday that he was declaring a new war on the Shabaab and offering an amnesty to militants who surrendered within 60 days. The rest, he said, would "face the consequences". "I am announcing a state of war in the country and call on the public to stand with the national army to help fight terrorists," said Farmajo. "We request you put down your arms and call on you to come out of them and join the development of your people. We promise you will get good care if you join us," he said. "We will not wait for the violent elements to continue blowing up people, we must attack them and liberate areas they are stationed." The fragile central government continues to have international backing as well as the 22,000-strong AU force. But the Shabaab have vowed to defeat Farmajo's new administration, promising a "merciless" war against him. By Abdiqani Hassan BOSSASO (Reuters) - Somali pirates are suspected of hijacking a bulk carrier ship, the head of a maritime security company said on Saturday, in the latest in a string of attacks after years of calm. A security source working at the Puntland Marine Police Force said the vessel was Tuvalu-flagged and is known as OS35. Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said industry sources had confirmed the hijacking. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said on its website it had received a notification earlier on Saturday from a vessel in an area in the Gulf of Aden that was under attack and may have been boarded. "Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise extreme caution," UKMTO said, without giving more details. The hijacking comes days after pirates hijacked an Indian dhow that was on route to Bossaso from Dubai. Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker in March, the first such seizure of a vessel since 2012, but released it after a clash with the marine force in Puntland. 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. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Graphic of attacks by Somali pirates since 2008: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fWNiCC) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> At its peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages. Their actions cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld and George Obulutsa in Nairobi; Editing by Hugh Lawson) NAIROBI After being all but stamped out by international naval forces following its late-2000s heyday, piracy has made a sudden return to the Horn of Africa. In the past month, there have been six suspected piracy incidents near Somalia, five of them successful, including three in the last week. Thats compared with zero successful attacks in 2016. Three more murky maritime incidents off the coast of Somalias Galmudug state, where suspected illegal fishing vessels paid fines that may in fact have been ransoms, suggest that piracy has rebounded on a scale even larger than previously reported. Now its in the original home of piracy, in an area they thought they cleaned up, said John Steed, a senior maritime expert at the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime. Its very disappointing. The spike in banditry on the high seas off the Horn is a blow to the decades-long battle to stem piracy there, and bad news for the international shipping industry, which transports $700 billion worth of cargo through the dangerous corridor each year. Its also a stark reminder that one of the main drivers of piracy, rampant illegal fishing that depletes local fish stocks and drives some fishermen to take up arms, remains as big a problem as ever. On Saturday, pirates reportedly boarded a Tuvalu-flagged vessel known as the OS35, which was apparently traveling through the Gulf of Aden. The hijacking came on the heels of two similar attacks last Monday, the first led by a kingpin known as Bakeyle, or Rabbit, whose men commandeered a cargo ship roughly 130 miles off the Somali coast and charted a course toward the coastal town of Hobyo, a notorious former pirate stronghold in the Galmudug state, according to Ben Lawellin, the Horn of Africa project manager for Oceans Beyond Piracy. The second attack, reported by Britains Maritime Trade Operation earlier the same day, involved suspected pirates attempting to board another ship north of Somalia near the entrance to the Red Sea, but backing off after armed guards aboard the vessel made a show of force. Story continues Those incidents followed an April 2 attack on an Indian-flagged cargo vessel near the Yemeni island of Socotra, which is more than 125 miles from the Somali coast. The hijackers, led by another Galmudug pirate leader called Afweyne Dhibic, or Big Mouth, also headed toward Hobyo with their quarry, according to Oceans Beyond Piracy. The Galmudug pirates have demanded ransom in both cases. Earlier in March, pirates hit two ships in Somalias semiautonomous Puntland region, which is north of Galmudug. Pirates under kingpin Jacfar Saciid Cabdulaahi captured the Aris 13 oil tanker, the first large merchant vessel allegedly hijacked in Somali waters since 2012. The other ship, a fishing vessel, was reportedly hijacked for use as a mothership to launch further attacks. It was brought to the Puntland town of Eyl, made famous for its pirates by the Hollywood film Captain Phillips. Both ships and crew were eventually released. The resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africas busy transport corridor comes when both anti-piracy forces and shipping companies have let down their guard. A NATO naval force pulled out of the Horn in December, citing the decline in pirate attacks, though a European Union force remains. Lawellin said that many cargo ships plying Somalias waters have also stopped taking basic precautionary measures, such as hiring armed guards on their ships and sailing at higher speeds farther from shore. As piracy declined, the use of these threat mitigation measures also declined, Lawellin said. The opportunity for pirates to hijack vessels is still present, and it appears that some still possess the capability and intent to venture out to sea in search of targets. The continued threat also reflects the fact that little has been done to address what is often cited as the root of piracy in Somalia: illegal fishing by foreign vessels, which Somali fishermen say drives them to take up arms to protect their shoreline. The international navies, which deployed to the region in 2008 amid rapidly escalating pirate attacks, have a U.N. mandate to stop hijackings, but they are not empowered to block the foreign fishing fleets that contribute to the underlying economic problem. The priority is we need the mandate of the international naval forces guarding the coast of Somalia to inspect fishing vessels, Said Jama, who until recently served as Somalias deputy fisheries minister, told Foreign Policy. We are still crying to get a U.N. resolution allowing these vessels to inspect any fishing vessels. Somali federal law forbids foreign ships from fishing within 15 miles of the coast in order to preserve fisheries for small-scale fishermen. Somali law also bans destructive fishing methods like bottom trawling, where ships drag nets or other devices along the seafloor, scooping up whatever is in their path and wrecking coastal ecosystems. But laws have failed to halt such practices in places like Puntland, where the federal government based in Mogadishu exercises little control. Jama said Yemeni and Iranian dhows with armed guards routinely enter Somali waters unimpeded and cut the nets of small fishermen in their way. Even worse, foreign ships sometimes practice high-grading keeping only the most profitable fish species while tossing the rest overboard to save cargo space, even as drought-stricken Somalis on shore face a possible famine. Pirates will not be eliminated as long as there is illegal fishing, because those people who are doing piracy consider themselves heroes defending their resources, said Hassan Warsame, the fisheries minister for the Galmudug state. In theory, Somali authorities should be intercepting illegal fishing vessels and bringing them to justice. But in areas like Galmudug, where illegal fishing is rampant, there are no maritime authorities. Instead, its local armed groups extracting fines that in some cases look suspiciously like ransom payments. Three such incidents have taken place in Galmudug this year, all of them supposedly involving the Galmudug Coast Guard. Galmudug doesnt have an official coast guard, however, raising questions about who really captured the boats and collected the money. Thats the thousand-dollar question. People keep talking about the Galmudug Coast Guard, but that doesnt exist, Steed said. Its quite often pirates fining people, finding a fishing boat, and saying theyre illegally fishing. Its not actually a coast guard. Its more former pirates. Foreigners arent the only ones to blame for the illegal fishing believed to fuel piracy. Jama said four South Korean ships have received fishing permits improperly, indicating possible corruption on the Somali side of the process. Other trawlers purchased their permits from the Puntland state government in direct violation of Somali law, which states that only the federal government can issue commercial fishing licenses. Puntlands government sold $10 million worth of fishing licenses to China late last year, despite the law, and Jama accused Puntland of selling licenses to seven Djibouti-flagged trawlers. The main issue that most of the community around the coast are telling us is that the local government is issuing licenses to these illegal fishing boats, said Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, a Somali maritime security expert and former director of Puntlands counterpiracy agency. Puntlands state minister of fisheries, Abdirahman Aw Jama Kulmiye, declined an interview request from FP. The alleged complicity of Puntland politicians in illegal fishing ventures undermines the popular Robin Hood narrative about fishermen taking up arms to defend their waters. So does the fact that two of last months hijackings occurred well over 100 miles offshore, far beyond the reach of local fishermen. Dirir said the real problem is the lack of functioning government along the coast, which allows both illegal fishing and piracy to flourish. In such a lawless environment, promises of huge ransoms, more than a desire to defend territorial waters, draw young men into the pirate game. There are people behind this to make a business, he said. When they are hiring the foot soldiers the only question they ask is can you handle an AK-47? Do you know how to swim? But if piracy is big business, its one that thrives in a market flooded with impoverished, out-of-work fishermen who make for willing recruits. Its also one thats harder to stamp out amid rampant onshore corruption fueled in part by illegal fishing. In the short term, the solution to piracys resurgence probably looks a lot like what drove it down five years ago: stepped-up naval patrols coupled with preventive measures by shipping companies. But if illegal fishing, corruption, and onshore lawlessness continue to hold sway, the pirates may just bide their time again before reviving their criminal enterprises. In the meantime, however, Somali pirates are back in business. Image credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images Madrid (AFP) - Leaders of southern EU nations will meet in Madrid on Monday in a show of unity and to back greater EU integration after Britain began the process of leaving the bloc. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the leaders of France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta will gather at El Pardo palace outside Madrid. The meeting will be a chance to "launch a message of unity and commitment to the project of European integration at a decisive moment in our history," the office of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said in a statement. "Europe must continue to work to address the issues of greatest concern to its citizens and strengthen its project of integration," the statement continued. Also on Monday's summit agenda is the issue of immigration, of particular interest to southern EU states which are on the frontline of the problem. The leaders will also discuss economic, social and defence policies. The meeting of the leaders will be the third by the group following gatherings in Athens in September and Lisbon in January. Southern European leaders have sought at past meetings to forge a common front on growing challenges, from the refugee crisis to Brexit, and to counter the influence of nations in northern Europe within the bloc. The date of the Madrid meeting was announced on March 29, the day that Britain formally began the two-year process of quitting the EU. The Syria crisis will also be discussed in Madrid, a French diplomatic source said. BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Spanish police say 1,200 Portuguese students have caused tens of thousands of euros in damages during a stay at a hotel on the country's southern coast. A local police officer in Torremolinos says officers had to intercede on several occasions over the past two days at the Hotel Pueblo Camino Real near the city of Malaga. Police say the group of about 1,200 Portuguese students between 14-17 years old caused damages to rooms and engaged in fighting. The officer says the hotel has reported damages of 50,000 euros ($53,000) to its rooms and facilities to police. The police officer spoke anonymously in line with police policy. The hotel confirmed the incident but declined to comment. Stockholm (AFP) - Thousands of people were to gather in central Stockholm on Sunday for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism, as police pursue their investigation into this week's deadly truck attack. Shocked by Friday's attack that left four dead and 15 injured -- for which a 39-year-old Uzbek man is in custody -- Stockholmers mobilised on Facebook, organising a vigil for 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) at the Sergels Torg plaza near where the truck rammed into shoppers. Sweden has been trying to get back on its feet this weekend after what authorities termed a terror attack, the motive for which was still unknown. The method, however, was similar to previous attacks using vehicles in Nice, Berlin and London, all of them claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the Stockholm attack -- the third in Europe in two weeks, coming on the heels of the car and knife assault outside London's parliament and the Saint Petersburg metro bombing. Police have not named the suspected driver of the truck, whom they arrested on Friday evening, but authorities said he was known to Sweden's intelligence service for undisclosed reasons. The man is suspected of speeding a stolen beer truck several hundred metres down the bustling pedestrian street Drottninggatan in the heart of Stockholm. The vehicle mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the busy Ahlens department store. "There is nothing to indicate that we've got the wrong man. On the contrary, the suspicions have strengthened," Swedish police chief Dan Eliasson said Saturday. He said police found a suspect device in the cab of the truck. "A technical examination is ongoing, we can't go into what it is right now... whether it's a bomb or a flammable device." Six people were taken into custody for interrogation on between Saturday and Sunday in several areas across Stockholm, police said, without adding further details. Story continues - Become 'even more open' - Ten people, including one child, are still in hospital. Four of them are in "serious condition", health authorities told AFP. Swedish police did not provide information about the identity of the victims, but Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders announced on Sunday morning that a Belgian national had been killed in the attack. An 11-year-old girl, a Swedish national, who was on her way home from school was also killed, her relatives said. In neighbouring Norway on Sunday, police said they had destroyed a suspect "bomb-like" device in the capital Oslo and made one arrest. Friday's attack in Stockholm deeply shocked the usually tranquil Scandinavian nation, which prides itself on its openness and tolerance. All day Saturday, crowds milled behind the security fences blocking off the scene of the attack, laying flowers on the ground or poking them into the fence. Several police cars parked near the scene were also covered in flowers by Swedes, who widely praised the emergency crews' speedy response to the attack. "Maybe something good will come of this," Inger Morstedt, 75, told AFP, expressing hope that her fellow Swedes would become "even more open and welcoming". "In some ways it's unreal," said 40-year-old Johan. "I've come here to honour the victims and the society in which we live." Flags flew at half-mast at public buildings across Stockholm on Saturday. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who beefed up border controls on Friday after the attack, announced a national minute of silence to be held in honour of the victims on Monday at noon (1000 GMT). "Today, all of Sweden is in mourning, but we're going to get through this together," he told reporters on Saturday after laying a bouquet outside the Ahlens department store. King Carl XVI Gustaf, who returned to Stockholm on Saturday after cutting short a visit to Brazil, also addressed the nation outside the palace. "The consideration people are showing each other shows the strength of our society," he said. "There are so many of us who want to help, many more than those who want to hurt us." Friday's attack was the second terror attack in Stockholm. In December 2010, a suicide bomber blew himself up, also on the Drottninggatan street, lightly injuring several passersby. PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) In the aftermath of President Donald Trump's surprise strikes on Syria, his allies and adversaries have searched for some broader meaning in his decision. Is Trump now a humanitarian interventionist, willing to wield American military power when foreign governments threaten their own citizens? Is he a commander in chief who once warned against intervention in Syria but is now prepared to plunge the United States deeper into the conflict? Is he turning on Russia, one of Syria's most important patrons, after months of flirting with closer U.S. ties with Moscow? Trump would say he's simply flexible, an emerging foreign policy doctrine that leaves room for evolution and uncertainty. "I don't have to have one specific way, and if the world changes, I go the same way, I don't change," Trump said Wednesday, a day after the chemical weapons attack in Syria that compelled him to order airstrikes against a government air base. "Well, I do change and I am flexible, and I'm proud of that flexibility." Allies in the Middle East and Europe who panned Trump's efforts to ban Syrian refugees from the United States cheered his decision to strike against Syrian President Bashar Assad's military after viewing images of young children killed in the chemical attacks. Yet they did so without any clear guidance from Washington on the next steps in Syria. Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the United States was willing to take more action against Assad, while White House officials cautioned that the strikes did not signal a broader shift in U.S. policy. Mark Feierstein, who served in the National Security Council under President Barack Obama, said it's difficult to glean a direction for U.S. policy from Trump's actions in Syria because Trump "is not moored to any coherent ideology or set of ideas." But for some of Trump's supporters, ideological elasticity is a virtue for a president who took office with no practical foreign policy experience. They say it gives the former real estate mogul breathing room to learn on the job and accept advice from more seasoned advisers. Story continues "I think as time goes on, every day that has passed, he more and more has understood the gravity of U.S. leadership," said GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Trump ran for office as a Republican but has few ties to the party's traditionally conservative philosophy. He often has relied on his flexibility as a way to reassure Americans that some of his more unconventional and controversial proposals were merely suggestions. Yet on some issues, he has shown a willingness to follow through. He has ordered construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and signed executive orders banning entry to the U.S. for people from some majority Muslim countries, including Syria. Those travel orders have so far been blocked by the courts. The angry reaction to the Syria strikes from some of his strongest campaign supporters showed that they expected him to fulfill promises to stay out of Syria. "Those who wanted us meddling in the Middle East voted for other candidates," Ann Coulter, the conservative commentator, wrote on Twitter. As a candidate and private citizen, Trump cast Syria's civil war as a quagmire from which the United States should steer clear. Until the chemical weapons attack, Trump mainly saw Syria as a hotbed for terrorists seeking to attack the U.S. He rarely spoke of the hundreds of thousands killed and the millions displaced during the six years of clashes between the Assad government, backed by Russia and Iran, and opposition groups. "He seems to put great score in unpredictability, and that's not such a bad thing in foreign relations if it has some kind of framework around it," said Peter Romero, a top State Department official in the Clinton administration. But Romero said that if Trump is "being erratic, then it'll have very little impact." Trump is hardly the first president to change his approach to America's role in the world. In 2011, President Barack Obama justified intervention in Libya by citing specific criteria, including the imminent slaughter of civilians. When most of the same guidelines appeared applicable in Syria, particularly after a deadly 2013 chemical weapons attack, Obama backed away from planned military strikes. "There's always a transformation that takes place from a person who wins the presidency, and then once he assumes office he necessarily sees the world from a different perspective," said Edward Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel who now directs Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. "Trump suddenly realizes he's responsible for much of the world." Another consequence of Trump's shift on Syria has been a strikingly tougher tone from his administration on Russia. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose close ties to Russia raised questions during his confirmation hearings, slammed Moscow for either being "complicit" in the chemical weapons attack or "incompetent." Corker was among those who welcomed that shift. "The beginning thinking of the administration around Russia was somewhat unsettling, but you've seen that evolve," he said. But Trump's flexibility means there are no guarantees that he's prepared to fully abandon his efforts to forge a partnership with Russia on counterterrorism, nuclear proliferation and other issues. Skeptics noted that a confrontation with Russia over Syria was well-timed for a president whose campaign is under investigation by the FBI and congressional committees for possible coordination with Moscow during the 2016 election. Also, Trump himself has yet to match the harsh criticism of Moscow that some of his advisers have levied. ___ Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Vivian Salama at http://twitter.com/vmsalama KAWERGOSK CAMP, Iraq (AP) For the millions of Syrian refugees scattered across camps and illegal settlements, the chemical attack on a town in northern Syria and subsequent U.S. strike was a rare moment when the world turned its attention to Syria, before turning away again. Some cheered the U.S. cruise missiles that hit an air base in central Syria the first U.S. strike against Syrian troops but others insist they are opposed to any U.S. intervention in their country. Few had any hopes that the apparent sudden shift in President Donald Trump's policy would end up helping their situation. "I saw him (Trump) on TV, he says he sympathizes with the kids but then he shuts them out. What kind of support is that?" asked Hamrin Mohammed, 30, a Syrian refugee from the northern Syrian town of Derik, who fled the fighting in Syria and has been living in a camp in northern Iraq for years. DRAMATIC CHANGE The military strike marked a swift reversal on Syria for Trump, who had repeatedly said the U.S. should stay out of the years-long civil war. But several refugees regarded Trump's policy shift with a certain bitterness, noting that he said he was moved to act by photos of the "beautiful babies" killed in the gas attack after working for months to bar millions of refugee children and their families from entering the United States. Trump has not spoken on whether his renewed involvement in Syria will also include a changed policy on Syrian refugees. But some refugee agencies in the United States are hoping that change is coming as well. "I suspect his thinking will evolve on this," said Linda Hartke, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. TRUMP'S CHOICE The Syrian refugees of Kawergosk in northern Iraq have been around for so long that their camp has turned into a small town. Shops of all kinds line its main street and most of the tents have been converted into small cement block houses. Story continues Many of the camp's residents welcomed the American cruise-missile attack on Syria but said that they wished America would go further and intervene to end the country's six-year civil war. "Trump has to do either this or that. Millions have been displaced, you cannot take this path and at the same time abandon them," said Hussein Bashir Ibrahim, 33, who was displaced from the town of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. He said he was in the camp for so long that he felt "more dead than alive." "The strike is good but if he's serious about wanting to help the kids he should take them in. Otherwise that shows that he has another agenda," said 25-year-old Khalat Kamal Ismail, also from Qamishli. Ismail said her sister had kidney problems that needed treatment abroad, but has been repeatedly rejected because apparently no one wanted to take in Syrian refugees anymore. "He could take a fraction (of the refugees) and still reduce their suffering," she said. THE CURRENT POLICY Trump had taken something of a hands-off approach to Syria and Syrian refugees as both a private citizen and a presidential candidate, even urging President Barack Obama in 2013 to avoid getting involved in the civil war there. As a candidate he pledged to block Muslim foreigners from coming into the United States and suggested he would try to send home thousands of Syrian refugees who had been allowed into the U.S. under the Obama administration. The first iteration of Trump's now blocked travel ban indefinitely barred all Syrian nationals from coming to the United States. The indefinite ban on Syrians was eliminated from a second version of the travel ban, which has since been put on hold by a federal court in Hawaii. Trump has also suggested at times that safe zones in and around Syria should be established to protect vulnerable populations. In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said that Syrian refugees ultimately don't want to live outside of their homeland. "And that's the focus of why the airstrike happened this time, which is to try and move that political solution, move any of these careless acts that are just meant to cause horror not on the people that they claim are ISIS, but on actually the innocent civilians that are in the area," she said. "WE DON'T WANT TO GO TO AMERICA" Around 1.2 million Syrian refugees live in Lebanon, most of them in squalid, illegal settlements that have sprouted across the country. They can hardly survive on the aid they receive, and dream not of America, but of walking across the border to Syria and returning to their homes. Ibrahim, a refugee from the Syrian town of Qusair who now lives in the Ketermeya camp in Lebanon, said Trump's action in Syria has given him a glimmer of hope. "We hope to God, after this strike, that he would set up no-fly zones in Syria and strike at other (government) air bases. Maybe then we can return home," he said. "We want him to help us return to our country, we don't want to go to America." Wafaa, 50, a refugee from Homs living in a tent in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, was much more skeptical and said she was against the U.S. strike. "He's banned us from entering America, now suddenly he likes us?" ___ Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Alicia Caldwell in Washington and Fadi Tawil in Marj, Lebanon, contributed to this report. Assam's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this is a draft population policy and that they have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs. By India Today Web Desk: A draft population policy of the Assam government has suggested that people with more than two children will be denied government jobs. The draft also said that all girls of the state will be given free education up to university. Briefing media in state capital, Assam's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this is a draft population policy and that they have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs. advertisement "This is a draft population policy. We have suggested that people having more than two children will not be eligible for any government jobs," Biswa Sarma said. He also said that anyone getting a job after meeting this condition will have to maintain it till end of his service. HERE IS WHAT ALL ASSAM'S DRAFT POPULATION POLICY SAYS: "For employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and others government benefits, this two-children norm will be applicable. Besides, all elections such as panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the state election commission will also have this norm for candidates," Sarma said. Sarma, who is also the Education minister, said the policy also aims to give free education to all girls up to university level. "We want to make all facilities free, including fees, transportation, books and mess dues in hostels. This step is also likely to arrest the school dropout rate," he added. Sarma further said the proposed population policy will seek to debate on increasing the legal age of marriage from 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. If anybody has child marriage then he will be ineligible for government job, the minister said. The policy will also seek stringent laws to prevent violence and sexual abuse of women, he added. "Besides, a proposal for providing incentives is also included for poor persons, who take care of their elderly parents. The policy will also care for the adolescents. We will work for public awareness and reach out through religious leaders, NGOs, parliamentarians and media in this regard," Sarma said. The policy proposes to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre, he added. The minister also said he will consider including a provision for giving 50 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and elections. "Till July, we will seek public suggestions. Then it will go to the Assembly for debate and adopting a resolution. We have to go step by step and we are in no hurry. This is the long-term thing that BJP had promised in the Vision Document," Sarma said. Service rules of 48 departments will have to be amended for adopting the proposed policy, he said, adding it will take at least three years and he will be happy if the policy takes the final shape by next Assembly polls in 2021. "We want to move from primarily a medical-led policy to a socially responsible policy. We want to have a behavioural change and there will be policy incentives. Assams current population is 3.12 crore as per 2011 Census and it increased by one crore from 2001," Sarma said. With inputs from PTI --- ENDS --- A teen died after falling off the roof of a Colorado school while playing a game with his friends, according to reports. Police said the boy was playing a dangerous game of "capture the flag" on the roof of Denver Academy, a private school, when he fell. One of the boy's friends told CBS that he thinks his friend tripped. "There was like a ledge, and there was a gap that you couldnt see that led to the ground. And Im pretty sure he just tripped and fell down there," said Peter Mesropov. "All I saw was just Paul lying there. And there was blood on his head and in his nose." Read: Teens Found Dead in Suspected Double Suicide a Day After Posting Smiling Selfie According to local reports, the 17-year-old boy was jumping from building to building Friday night and misjudged one of his jumps, causing him to fall two stories and hit his head. We received a phone call from the victim's friend who had reported that his friend had a fall and had hurt himself," said John White, a spokesman for Denver Police. The boy was transferred to the hospital in critical condition, and later died. Read: Teens Found Dead in Suspected Double Suicide a Day After Posting Smiling Selfie Police said they do not suspect foul play and called the death a "terrible accident." None of the boys were students at the school, according to reports. Watch: 11-Year-Old Kills Himself After Thinking Girlfriend Committed Suicide: Cops Related Articles: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday blamed Russias inaction for helping fuel a deadly poison gas attack against Syrian civilians last week, saying Moscow failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. I think the real failure here has been Russias failure to live up to its commitments under the chemical weapons agreements that were entered into in 2013, Tillerson said on ABCs This Week. The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russias part to achieve its commitment to the international community, he added. Tillerson is expected in Moscow this week for talks with Russian officials. Air Strike Kills 18 in Syrias Idlib Province He stopped short of accusing Russia of being directly involved in the planning or execution of the attack, saying he had not seen any hard evidence to suggest the nation was an accomplice to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But he said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with al-Assad because every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility. Other than that, he added, there is no change to our military posture towards Syria. Bombings at Egyptian Coptic Churches Kill 36, Injure More Than 100 Tillersons comments came just a few days after the United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase that was allegedly used in the chemical attack. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the strikes after he blamed Assad for this weeks chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack. Video depicted limp bodies and children choking while rescuers tried to wash off the poison gas. Russian state television blamed rebels and did not show footage of victims. The move immediately prompted a backlash from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said it would damage U.S.-Russian relations. This article was originally published on FORTUNE.com Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press Russia on its failure to prevent Syria's use of chemical weapons in meetings this week in Moscow, he said in interviews aired Sunday. Tillerson stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity in a suspected sarin nerve gas attack April 4 that killed at least 87 civilians in Syria's southern Idlib province. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians," Tillerson said in an interview with ABC's This Week program. Tillerson meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, just days after the United States fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in retaliation for the chemical attack. It was the first time the United States has intervened directly in the Syrian civil war against the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally al-Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. "Part of the discussions when I visit Moscow next week is to call upon Foreign Minister Lavrov and the Russian government to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me." If Syria carries out more chemical attacks, he said, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to US-Russian relations. "I do not believe that the Russians want to have worsening relationships with the US, but it's going to take a lot of discussion and a lot of dialogue to better understand what is the relationship that Russia wishes to have with the US." At the same time, Tillerson and other top US officials made clear that the US objective was limited to deterring further chemical attacks, and not the start of a campaign to oust Assad. "We're asking and calling on Bashar al-Assad to cease the use of these weapons. Other than that, there is no change to our military posture," he said. "I'm hopeful that we can have constructive talks with the Russian government, with Foreign Minister Lavrov and have Russia be supportive of a process that will lead to a stable Syria." WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. missile strikes against a Syrian air base in retaliation for a chemical weapon attack carries a message for any nation operating outside of international norms. He didn't specify North Korea, but the context was clear enough. "If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken," Tillerson told ABC's "This Week." There was little doubt the missile strikes would be seen in Pyongyang as a message. The North has long claimed that the U.S. is preparing some kind of assault against it and justifies its nuclear weapons as defensive in nature. U.S. Navy ships are a common presence in the Korean Peninsula region and serve in part as a show of force. On Saturday night, the Pentagon said a Navy carrier strike group was moving toward the western Pacific Ocean to provide more of a physical presence in the region. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, described the decision to send the carrier group as "prudent." He said Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping had agreed that North Korea's pattern of "provocative behavior" was unacceptable and the U.S. was acting accordingly. "This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime. ...So the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and our allies and partners in that region," McMaster said on "Fox News Sunday." North Korea has pledged to bolster its defenses to protect against airstrikes. The North called the U.S. action in Syria "absolutely unpardonable" and said it proves that its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports. Story continues In appearances on the Sunday news shows, Tillerson said advances in North Korea's ballistic missile program concerned the U.S. the most. Asked on ABC if development of an intercontinental missile was a "red line" for Trump, Tillerson said: "If we judge that they have perfected that type of delivery system, then that becomes a very serious stage of their further development." The missile strikes against Syria's Assad-led government took place Thursday night as President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for dinner at Trump's Florida estate. Among the topics of discussion was the vexing problem of North Korea. "I think there's a shared view and no disagreement as to how dangerous the situation has become," Tillerson said on CBS' "Face the Nation". "And I think even China is beginning to recognize that this presents a threat ... to China's interests as well." Trump and South Korea's leader, acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone on Friday, according to the White House, which said they agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. Trump has said China, with its ties to North Korea, should deal with its neighbor, but that the U.S. was prepared to act on its own if necessary. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. WASHINGTON (AP) Criticized for his low-profile diplomacy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is emerging from the shadows with a leading public role in shaping and explaining the Trump administration's missile strikes in Syria. And, he's set for an even higher-profile mission, heading to Moscow under the twin clouds of Russia's U.S. election meddling and its possible support for a Syrian chemical weapons attack. Since taking office in February, the former Exxon Mobil CEO has admittedly shunned the spotlight and the press. Yet, Tillerson was surprisingly visible during last week's announcement of the response to the gruesome chemical attack, fielding questions from reporters on and off camera, and then captured in an official White House photo seated next to President Donald Trump as they heard the result of the 59 cruise missiles that struck a Syrian military base. Tillerson was a prominent fixture during the most important foreign policy period in Trump's young presidency: a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that coincided with the strikes against Syria. He was by Trump's side during his meetings with Xi and spoke publicly multiple times to address both issues. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. It was Tillerson who delivered the Trump administration's first blistering condemnation of Russia in the hours after the strikes. Standing in a cramped conference room alongside national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Tillerson said Moscow had "failed" to live up to its obligations under a 2013 agreement to strip Syria of its chemical weapons stockpiles. "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has simply been incompetent in its ability to deliver on its end of that agreement," he said. On Sunday, he made his first network television interview appearances. In one interview, Tillerson said he sees no reason for retaliation from Russia for the U.S. missile strikes. Russia maintains a close political and military alliance with President Bashar Assad's government and has been accused of supporting its attacks against Syrians opposed to Assad's rule something Moscow adamantly denies. Story continues Tillerson said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Russians were not targeted by the strikes. He also said the top U.S. priority in the region hadn't changed and remained the defeat of Islamic State militants. Then he headed to Europe to gather with the foreign ministers of the other major industrialized nations before venturing on eastward to become the first Trump Cabinet member to visit Moscow and possibly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The criticism from the foreign policy establishment's left and right that has dogged Tillerson's tenure is dying down. Tillerson had faced questions about whether he understood that his new position meant he was now the face of the United States to the world, that he had to answer no longer to a small group of top shareholders but to more than 320 million Americans. The secretary of state must be "the spokesman for American foreign policy," said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official during George W. Bush's presidency. "This is the administration's first crisis but it won't be their last by a long shot, so he's going to have to get used to this." Joining Trump at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Tillerson was supposed to focus on the informal summit with Xi. Instead, he was thrust to the forefront after photos of the bodies piled in heaps in Idlib, Syria, dramatically altered the agenda. Only a week earlier, Tillerson had alarmed U.S. allies by indicating the U.S. was no longer interested in pushing for Assad's removal from power. In the hours leading up to Trump's decision to order the strikes, Tillerson was among the most forward-leaning of Trump's top aides in suggesting the U.S. would deliver an "appropriate response." He challenged Russia publicly in a way Trump appeared scrupulously to avoid and said of Assad early Thursday: "It would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people." After the cruise missiles crashed down in Syria, Tillerson was calm and commanding in a question-and-answer session with journalists. Cohen, a conservative critic of Trump's foreign policy who has chided Tillerson for his reticence, said he saw Tillerson growing into the job. "I suspect you'll see more of him as he grows more comfortable in dealing with the press and in his relationship with the president and the administration's national security team," Cohen said. The challenge will be greater in Russia's capital this week. Tillerson is arriving at a fragile point in U.S.-Russia relations, where he will have to confront the Kremlin's anger over the missile strikes in Syria along with suspicion at home that Moscow may have been complicit in the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack. Senior U.S. military officials have said they are looking into whether Russia provided drone surveillance and helped Syrian forces try to cover up what they'd done. "I think that there will be a lot of answers that come out of that meeting. And I think that's when the president will make his decisions," said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." Beyond Syria are disputes over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Tillerson carries to Moscow the weight of FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election. The Trump campaign's possible ties to the presumed Russian meddlers are also under scrutiny. "This is going to be Tillerson's biggest test to date," said Julianne Smith, a National Security Council and Defense Department official under President Barack Obama. When he goes to Russia, keeping a low profile would likely be impossible, even if it were his goal. ___ Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Julie Pace contributed to this report. Sidon (Lebanon) (AFP) - The toll in two days of clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon rose to five on Sunday, medics said, as local factions worked to implement a security plan. Clashes erupted in the camp late Friday as Palestinian factions participating in a joint security force begun deploying throughout the area in the southern city of Sidon. They came under fire from a local Islamic extremist group in part of the camp, prompting clashes that Lebanese and Palestinian medics said Sunday have now killed five people and wounded at least 30, mostly civilians. Among the dead were two civilians, two members of the joint Palestinian security force and one member of the extremist group, the medical sources said. The fighting has prompted security measures outside the camp, which Lebanese security forces do not enter by long-standing agreement. An adjacent highway has been cut and patients moved from the Sidon governmental hospital next to the camp. Palestinian officials in the camp called Sunday on remaining members of a group led by a local extremist to surrender with their weapons. And around noon, the intensity of the clashes decreased after earlier fighting that sent clouds of black smoke up from the camp. Ain al-Hilweh is home to multiple armed factions, and has been plagued by intermittent clashes between them as well as against smaller extremist groups. Lebanon's army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps, where security is managed by joint committees of Palestinian factions. Ain al-Hilweh is home to some 61,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 who have fled the war in Syria. HEFEI, China (AP) The flood of angry anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media was the first sign of how fiercely the suburban middle-class homeowners in this central China city opposed a planned mosque in their neighborhood. It quickly escalated into something more sinister. Soon a pig's head was buried in the ground at the future Nangang mosque, the culmination of a rally in which dozens of residents hoisted banners and circled the planned building site. Then the mosque's imam received a text message carrying a death threat: "In case someone in your family dies, I have a coffin for you and more than one, if necessary." PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) A top national security adviser to President Donald Trump is the latest official heading out in an ongoing shuffle within the National Security Council. K.T. McFarland, who is in line to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore, came into the White House as a deputy to Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Flynn was asked to resign in February amid revelations that he misled senior administration officials about his contacts with Russian government officials. McFarland's impending move was confirmed Sunday by a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement hasn't been made. PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) North Korea has vowed to bolster its defenses to protect itself against airstrikes like the ones President Donald Trump ordered against an air base in Syria. The North called the airstrikes "absolutely unpardonable" and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington's "evermore reckless moves for a war." The comments were made by a Foreign Ministry official and carried Sunday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. The report did not name the official, which is common in KCNA reports. The airstrikes, announced shortly after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up dinner at a two-day summit in Florida last week, were retaliation against Syrian President Bashar Assad for a chemical weapons attack against civilians caught up in his country's long civil war. Story continues WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon says a Navy carrier strike group is moving toward the western Pacific Ocean to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests and continued pursuit of a nuclear program have raised tensions in the region, where U.S. Navy ships are a common presence and serve in part as a show of force. On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader, Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues. The U.S. Pacific Command directed the carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, according to a Navy news release. KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) Authorities are searching for poachers who killed a rare one-horned rhinoceros over the weekend in the forests of southern Nepal and cut off the horn, officials said Sunday. Forest officer Nurendra Aryal said it was the first killing of a rhino in the Chitwan National Forest in nearly three years. Soldiers and forest rangers were scouring the forests and nearby areas for the people who shot the rhino. The dead animal was discovered on Saturday. Aryal said it was a stormy night, so forest officers did not hear a gunshot or spot the poachers enter the area. PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) A horde of foreign fun-runners took to the streets of Pyongyang on Sunday for an annual marathon that has become one of the North Korean capital's most popular tourist events. Officially called the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, the race became an instant hit with tourists looking to run in possibly the world's most exotic locale when it was opened up to amateur foreign runners in 2014. Like everything else in North Korea, the race has a political backdrop. First held in 1981, it is part of nationwide festivities leading up to the April 15 "Day of the Sun," a national holiday marking the birthday of the late Kim Il Sung, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather and the country's "eternal president." Later this week, North Korea is expected to open its doors to foreign journalists to further publicize the holiday and show a new residential area of Pyongyang with several high-rise apartment buildings. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Ramon Regalado was starving and sick with malaria when he slipped away from his Japanese captors during the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines, escaping a brutal trudge through steamy jungle that killed hundreds of Americans and thousands of Filipinos who fought for the U.S. during World War II. On Saturday, the former wartime machine-gun operator joined a dwindling band of veterans of the war in San Francisco's Presidio to honor the soldiers who died on the march and those who made it to a prisoner of war camp only to die there. They commemorated the mostly Filipino soldiers who held off Japanese forces in the Philippines for three months without supplies of food or ammunition before a U.S. SRINAGAR, India (AP) Security forces in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir opened fire Sunday on crowds of people who attacked polling stations where voting for a by-election was taking place, killing five and injuring at least a dozen, officials said. Protesters tried to snatch or damage electronic voting machines in at least a dozen places in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, said Shantmanu, Kashmir's chief electoral officer. The deaths occurred when security forces fired after clashes broke out with protesters who wanted to stop the election for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency. The seat had fallen vacant after a lawmaker resigned to protest the killing of civilians during unrest last year. NEW DELHI (AP) People across India are hailing the composure of a television news anchor who learned of her husband's death as she delivered a breaking news report on live TV. Supreet Kaur was reading the morning news bulletin for India's IBC24 channel in Chhattisgarh state on Saturday when a reporter called in a story about a fatal road crash. Although the reporter didn't name the three victims, Kaur realized her husband, Harsad Kawade, was among the dead from the details of the story. "For a moment her voice trembled, but she collected herself and carried on reading the news till the bulletin got over 10 minutes later," Ravikant Mittal, IBC24's editor-in-chief, said Sunday. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Six suspected Islamic militants killed in a standoff with police were planning to attack police officers in Indonesia's East Java province to seek revenge for the arrest of a radical leader, authorities said Sunday. The men were cornered in a village in Tuban district on Saturday after attempting to shoot a traffic police officer who was approaching them when he saw their car stopped at the roadside, said national police spokesman Rikwanto. The six refused appeals to surrender during a standoff that lasted several hours and were fatally shot by police, said Rikwanto, who goes by a single name. Stockholm (AFP) - Huge crowds gathered in Stockholm for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism on Sunday, two days after a truck attack that police believe was committed by an Uzbek jihadist sympathiser. Organisers said up to 50,000 people took part in the vigil, held after the driver of a stolen truck mowed down shoppers before slamming into the facade of the bustling Ahlens department store on Friday afternoon. The motive was not known, but the method resembled previous attacks using vehicles in Nice, Berlin and London, all of them claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. Police have only identified the suspected driver, arrested hours after the attack, as a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan. Swedish media on Sunday gave his name as Rakhmat Akilov, a construction worker and father of four. According to police, the suspect was a sympathiser of extremist groups and was facing deportation after his residency permit application was denied. He "showed sympathies for extremist organisations like IS," senior police officer Jonas Hysing told reporters. A second suspect has also been formally placed under arrest over the attack, Stockholm district court judge Helga Hullman said Sunday, revealing no information about his link to the Uzbek. Friday's attack has deeply shocked the usually tranquil Scandinavian nation, which prides itself on its openness and tolerance. "It's very important to stay strong together against anything that wants to change our society, which is based on democracy," said one participant in the vigil who gave her name only as Marianne, attending with her elderly mother. "We talk, we don't fight," she told AFP as she joined the crowds thronging the Sergels Torg plaza, a stone's throw from the scene of the attack. One woman offered flowers to police officers guarding the plaza. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "Fear shall not reign. Terror cannot win," Stockholm mayor Karin Wanngard told the crowd, saying terrorism would be defeated with "kindness and openness". Story continues Linking arms, under flags flying at half-mast, the crowd held a minute of silence for the victims. "We don't respond with fear, we respond with love," read one poster held by a woman wearing a headscarf. - Suspect 'went underground' - The Uzbek suspect had been due to be deported from Sweden after his residency application was rejected last year. The man was told last December that he had four weeks to leave the country, but in February his case was handed over to the police "since the person had gone underground," Hysing told reporters. Police apparently never found the man, whom authorities have said was known to Sweden's intelligence service for undisclosed reasons. Media reports said the man did not come across as having been radicalised. "He partied and drank," one of his friends said. The family of an 11-year-old Swedish girl have meanwhile confirmed she was one of the four people killed in the attack. The Foreign Office in London confirmed that a British man, 41-year-old Chris Bevington who was a top executive at Sweden-based music streaming company Spotify, was among the dead. The Belgian foreign ministry also said a Belgian woman had been killed. The fourth victim was a Swedish woman, according to local media. Fifteen people were injured, two of whom remained in critical condition on Sunday. Friday's attack was the second terror attack in Stockholm. In December 2010, a suicide bomber blew himself up, also on the Drottninggatan street, slightly injuring several passersby. Investigators said Sunday they had found components in a bag in the cab of the truck that could be used to make a "dangerous device". Police said they were increasingly sure the Uzbek was the driver of the lorry. Meanwhile in neighbouring Norway, the domestic intelligence agency on Sunday raised the national threat level, judging the risk of an attack was "probable" rather than "possible", notably because of the risk of a copycat assault. The announcement came after a 17-year-old Russian was arrested on suspicion of placing a homemade bomb in central Oslo, which police detonated in a controlled explosion. Arras (France) (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will lead the commemorations on Sunday for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France, considered a founding moment in his nation's history. Trudeau will be joined at the ceremony by French President Francois Hollande and Britain's Prince Charles and his sons Princes William and Harry. Around 20,000 Canadians have also made the journey to northern France to commemorate the battle which was one of the defining moments of World War I. A total of 3,600 Canadian troops were killed and 7,000 wounded in three days of fighting against German forces. "The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a turning point in the First World War and for Canada, when Canadians acted - and fought - as one," Trudeau said last month. "At Vimy Ridge, we will mark this great victory, and pay tribute to every Canadian who answered the call to serve." The battle began early on April 9, 1917 and was part of a larger British-led offensive that included Australian soldiers, known as the Battle of Arras, which was a diversionary tactic to help a major French attack further south. It was the first time that four military divisions from Canada fought together as the Canadian Corps. Crucial to the offensive was a vast warren of tunnels dug by New Zealand forces which allowed the Canadians to take the German troops by surprise. - Conflicting views of history - Many Canadians consider the victory at Vimy a significant step toward Canada's colonial emancipation from Britain, but some Canadian historians have debunked the state's official view of its significance. Michael Boire of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, said it was "pure mythology". It was neither decisive for the war's outcome "nor the most fundamental" of the battles fought by Canadians during the conflict, Boire said. Canada would gain political quasi-autonomy only in 1931. Story continues "The importance given to the Battle of Vimy is a post-war mythological construction," he said, an "invention" dating back only to 1967, the year of Canada's centennial and the battle's 50th anniversary. Tim Cook, of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, said however its importance could not be underestimated. "Many historians and writers consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness," he said. French historian Yves Le Maner said the speed of the victory was remarkable in a war otherwise characterised by long battles of attrition. "Achieving their aim in three days was exceptional and that is why it was immediately seen as a (national) victory," he told AFP. Trudeau, Hollande and Prince Charles will each give speeches and lay wreaths at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. William and Harry -- who have each served in the armed forces -- will lay a pair of boots, among thousands that will be placed at the site by Canadian and French youths to represent the Canadians killed in the battle. Vimy (France) (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country "was born here" as he led commemorations in France on Sunday for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The battle, which started on April 9, 1917, was one of the defining moments of World War I and a founding moment in Canada's history as Canadian troops fought under Canadian command for the first time. Around 20,000 Canadians made the journey to their country's memorial in northern France to mark the centenary, turning the former battlefield into a sea of the red and white of their country's flag. Speaking from the towering white structure, Trudeau spoke of the 3,598 Canadians -- "most were men in their early twenties" -- who were killed fighting to take control of the strategic eight-kilometre (five-mile) ridge. Trudeau said one of the 80,000 Canadians in the battle, 20-year-old William Bell, had written home on April 7, 1917 to praise the cake his family had sent to the trenches. Within days, he was killed fighting at Vimy. "It was through their sacrifice that Canada became an independent signatory of the Treaty of Versailles," Trudeau said, referring to the most important of the treaties that brought World War I to an end. "So in that way, Canada was born here." Trudeau was joined at the memorial by French President Francois Hollande and Britain's Prince Charles and his sons Princes William and Harry. Charles, the heir to the throne, said the Canadians succeeded where other armies had failed in seizing the high ground at Vimy. "However, victory came at an unbearably heavy cost. This was, and remains, the single bloodiest day in Canadian military history," he said. "Yet Canadians displayed a strength of character and commitment to one another that is still evident today... This was Canada at its best -- the Canadians at Vimy embodied the 'True North, Strong and Free.'" Story continues Prince William and his brother Harry laid boots on the memorial in memory of the fallen soldiers. Hollande said the links built between France and Canada were evident today "when we condemn chemical massacres committed by a criminal regime" -- a clear reference to the suspected chemical attack in rebel-held Syria this week. In an apparent reference to the French presidential election -- the first round takes place in two weeks' time, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen expected to reach the runoff -- Hollande said those who fought at Vimy "tell us that nationalism only leads to war and that fundamentalism only leads to destruction". - 'Shaking off colonial rule' - The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of a larger British-led offensive that included Australian soldiers, known as the Battle of Arras, which was a diversionary tactic to assist a major French attack further south. It was the first time that four military divisions from Canada fought together as the Canadian Corps. The crowd was the biggest for the series of centenary commemorations of World War I battles in France and five times bigger than for the commemoration of the Battle of Verdun in May last year. Among the spectators in the bright sunshine was Ken Piggott, 54, a retired army captain from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, who was wearing military uniform and a row of medals. "It was an important step in shaking off British colonial rule," he said. "For that reason, it is a huge source of pride for me." While many Canadians consider the victory at Vimy a significant step in their nation's development, some historians have debunked the state's official view of its significance. Michael Boire of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, said it was "pure mythology". It was neither decisive for the war's outcome "nor the most fundamental" of the battles fought by Canadians during the conflict, Boire said. "The importance given to the Battle of Vimy is a post-war mythological construction," he said, an "invention" dating back only to 1967, the year of Canada's centennial and the battle's 50th anniversary. But Tim Cook, of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, said its importance could not be underestimated. "Many historians and writers consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness," he said. "The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it," a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement said. By Indo-Asian News Service: North Korea on Sunday condemned the US bombing in Syria as an "absolutely unacceptable aggression" against a sovereign state and said this justifies Pyongyang's further military development. "The US missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it," EFE news cited a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement as saying. advertisement The statement said that North Korea, which regards Syria as an ally, was not surprised that this US military attack was a "warning to us" and that it was another example that "we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions". "The reality is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice," the statement said. The US on April 6 night unleashed 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shairat airbase in Syria in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad regime that left dozens of civilians dead. The cruise missile attack, which took place when Trump was dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida, was not only a warning for Syria but also for China to pressure North Korea to end its provocation, a White House source told The Washington Post on Saturday. Also Read Russia slams 'thoughtless' US strike on Syria airbase, calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting Russia warns of serious consequences from US strike in Syria --- ENDS --- (BALTIMORE) - A federal judge has approved an agreement negotiated under the Obama administration to overhaul the troubled Baltimore police force, sweeping aside objections from the Trump Justice Department. President Donald Trumps attorney general, Jeff Sessions, promptly warned that the agreement may result in a less safe city. U.S. District Judge James Bredar signed the so-called consent decree Friday, a day after a hearing to solicit comments from Baltimore residents, calling the plan comprehensive, detailed and precise. He denied a request to delay the signing to give the Trump administration more time to review the agreement. At Thursdays hearing, a Justice Department attorney expressed grave concerns about the plan, aimed at rooting out racist practices. The consent decree was negotiated during the closing days of the Obama administration after a federal investigation found rampant abuse by Baltimore police, including unlawful stops and use of excessive force against black people. The investigation was prompted by the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken during a lurching ride in the back of a police van, where he had been left unbuckled, his hands and legs shackled. Grays death touched off the worst rioting in Baltimore in decades. In a memo made public earlier this week, the Trump Justice Department signaled that it may retreat from the consent decrees that have been put in place in recent years in such cities as Cleveland; Ferguson, Missouri; Miami; and Newark, New Jersey. Sessions said in a statement Friday that the Baltimore agreement shows clear departures from many proven principles of good policing that we fear will result in more crime. The decree was negotiated during a rushed process by the previous administration and signed only days before they left office, Sessions said. While the Department of Justice continues to fully support police reform in Baltimore, I have grave concerns that some provisions of this decree will reduce the lawful powers of the police department and result in a less safe city. Story continues The Justice Department can appeal the judges decision, but it would have to show the judge made an error or abused his discretion. That would be difficult to prove, said Jonathan Smith, a civil rights attorney in the Obama Justice Department who oversaw negotiations with troubled police departments. Justice Department lawyers also could try to modify the consent decree, but the burden is high, requiring them to show there has been a substantial change in the facts or the law, Smith said. City officials, including Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, have voiced their support for the agreement. Mayor Catherine Pugh disputed the notion the decree will hurt the fight against crime. I believe that it makes Baltimore safer, she said. I think by building and training our police officers in ways to de-escalate violence, to work with our communities, to have cultural diversity training and have the right kind of tools they need to know what they can do in certain areas of our community ... I think its improved policing. The homicide rate in Baltimore immediately spiked after the riots over Grays death, leading some residents to accuse officers of taking a hands-off approach for fear of increased scrutiny. The soaring crime rate has not relented. In the first three months of 2017, the city recorded 79 homicides, compared with 56 for the same period the year before. Baltimores agreement calls for additional training for officers and discourages them from arresting people for minor offenses such as traffic infractions or loitering. It also says officers can no longer detain someone simply for being in a high-crime area. Following Grays death, the department began undertaking some reforms, including outfitting officers with body cameras and updating the use-of-force policy. Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore police union, has complained that the agreement was rushed and that the union wasnt involved enough in the negotiations. The national Fraternal Order of Police said it was disappointed by the judges decision to move forward. But Baltimore officers will endeavor to give the citizens of Baltimore the best public safety service possible given the constraints imposed upon the department by the decree, said Jim Pasco, the senior adviser to the groups president. ___ Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman contributed to this report from Washington. This article was originally published on TIME.com "It should be more easy to get out of war than into it," Oliver Ellsworth told the Philadelphia Convention on August 17, 1787. With the malignant political genius of the nuclear age, Americans have reversed that order of things. War now takes but a wave of the executive hand, but seems impossible to end. Congress authorized military action against Al Qaeda in 2001, and against the government of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2002. Hussein is long gone, and Al Qaeda may or may not still exist; legally, however, these wars grind on, the longest-running pair in American history. Thursday night, without a word to Congress or the public, the Trump Administration impulsively began a third conflict. Neither of the existing authorizations could even remotely be said to authorize Thursday's attack on Syria. We have no way of knowing whether it was a brief executive whim or the beginning of a third nightmare that will outlast the other two. Recommended: Seven Disturbing Implications of Trump's Syria Strike Here is President Trump's statement of the aims of the missile strike: "I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types." His message to Congress is pure boilerplate: I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive. I have no idea what policy in Syria would be effective in protecting that country's people from their murderous government, ending the country's murderous civil war, blocking increased influence by Iran and Russia in the Middle East, and stemming the rise of the Islamic State. I do not know which of the armed groups fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad are fighting for something like democracy and which are seeking religious or ethnic dictatorships. I can't tell you how a global superpower can affect the political and military outcome of a multi-sided civil war without itself becoming involved in ground operations and even occupationand dangerous conflict with other major powers. Story continues Wise heads in the Pentagon and the National Security Council may actually have a plan; they may know friend from foe; they may have imagined the next step, and the next, wargaming intelligent American responses in the likely event that things in Syria do not immediately fall into place. Recommended: The Donald Trump Show Is Eating Television But I don't know. No one outside the small world of national security knows. The president has not even pretended to tell us whether he has any plan at all, and if so, what it is. Indeed, from his statements on Thursday, it seems at least possible that, moved by the horrific video images of Syrian children suffocated by a gas attack, Trump simply decided to "do something" because, as he said in his statement, "No child of god should ever suffer such horror." The impulse to act without thinking would be understandable. Careful planning and clarity of purpose aren't easy in a fast-moving international situation. But the framers of the Constitution constructed a mechanism to reduce or eliminate the danger that a president would take the nation to war on a fleeting impulse. They gave the power to initiate war not to the president but to Congress. Article I 8 cl. 11 gives Congress the prerogative to "declare war." The powers surrounding that grant suggest that everything about the choice of war is a congressional power. Article II 2 cl. 1 makes the president "commander in chief of the Army and Navy ... and of the militiabut the context doesn't suggest that is the power to "command" the entire nation into war. In fact, the original wording of Article I gave Congress the entire power to "make war," with nothing given to the president. The Convention amended the words to "declare war," in order to give the president the narrow power to, in the words of Madison's Notes, "repel sudden attacks." Recommended: The Culture Wars Don't Represent America Roger Sherman of Connecticut objected that the wording gave the president too little power. He was rebuked by Eldridge Gerry of Massachusetts, Oliver Ellsworth of Massachusetts, and George Mason of Virginia, who all agreed that reposing the war choice in the executive would be dangerous. "Mr. GERRY," the Notes record, "never expected to hear, in a republic, a motion to empower the Executive alone to declare war." Though often flouted by overreaching presidents and craven Congresses, that division of power remains the law of the land. Unless the United States or its vital interests are under attack, the president must ask Congress before using military force against another country. The restriction may seem largely formalthe last time Congress actually turned down such a request was when the Senate blocked the Armed Ship Bill requested by President Woodrow Wilson in 1917. But it's not an empty formality. A president who wants to take the nation into war should be able to put the request in writing, explain it to the nation in his own words, and send diplomats and military leaders to lay out the policy behind the request, the scope of the conflict it is likely to produce, and the criteria by which the nation can measure success. The action in Syria does not respond to "a sudden attack" on the United States. Nor can the Administration even try to hide behind the Obama-era dodge that it is not sending U.S. forces into "hostilities." If that rationalization ever served, it doesn't do so here. While the renewed use of chemical weapons in Syria may be an emergency, I haven't yet heard an explanation of why the United States cannot do what any prudent power wouldfollow its own laws and international law, persuade and inform its own people, seek the assent of the United Nations Security Council, consult its allies, and set forth its war aims. In retrospect, it America's failure to intervene in Syria in 2013 was probably a historic mistake. However harshly history may judge the default of 2013, it was a failure not of one leader but of national will. It was not Barack Obama's mistake alone, but one made by the entire nation. Obama announced his plans but then asked Congress to approve themprecisely as the Constitution requires. His critics portray this requestthe one time when Obama actually refused to violate the war powers system of the Constitutionas his personal folly. But members of both his own and the opposition parties in Congress made it known that they would not back his request; many elder statesman opposed the intervention; and national polls showed a solid majority of the public opposed. After the apparent nerve gas attack last week, the current president issued a grotesquely improper official statement blaming Obama for Assad's recent crime. In 2013, however, private-citizen Trump had loudly and strenuously objected to Obama's planned intervention and demanded the president seek the approval of Congress. However harshly history may judge the default of 2013, it was a failure not of one leader but of national will. Has the nation regained its will for a prolonged, bloody, and morally ambiguous struggle in Syria? Or will the United States drop the conflict after a few loud booms? That Donald Trump has, for the moment at least, changed his mind is not only of limited constitutional relevanceit also tells us less than nothing about whether the American people understand, accept, and embrace what may be needed for the intervention to succeed. Harry S Truman was the first American president to commit to a major interventionin Koreawithout even the pretense of congressional approval. Because he had set forth no war aims, he could not resist Gen. Douglas MacArthur's pressure to blunder into war with China. Because he had not obtained Congressional assent, he found himself alone when the war turned dangerous. If Truman were here to warn Trump, would he, or would anyone in 2017 Washington, even listen? They have not listened to Madison, or Gerry, or Ellsworth, or Mason. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. In the summer of 2014, the Obama administration initiated another war of choice in the Middle East. The intervention in Iraq had two stated objectives: saving Yazidis at risk of genocide and defeating the Islamic State. At the time, I wrote a series of columns guessing that any strike assets deployed to the region would be repurposed for other missions, that the operation would last longer than officials indicated, that mission creep was an absolute certainty, and that this would all happen quietly with limited congressional interest or public scrutiny. I was soon proven correct, unfortunately though unsurprisingly. On Thursday, President Donald Trump slid further down this same intervention slope by authorizing the attack of a Syrian military airfield in Homs with 59 cruise missiles. According to a Pentagon news release, the military objective was not to harm Russian or Syrian forces, but to damage aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars. These strikes occurred without any public debate, without a single congressional hearing (and, for most members of Congress, without even notification until the missiles were launched), and were decided after two days of thinking or debate within the White House and just two meetings of virtually all the Principals Committee of the National Security Council, according to National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. To assess whether this attack worked requires first identifying the intended political objectives. Unfortunately, the messages emanating from the Trump administration on this question are already confused. Trump stated Thursday that the goal was to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. The Department of Defense statement read: The strike was intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again with the nonproliferation objective omitted. Of course, any honest observer would know that upholding international norms against the use of chemical weapons is not the actual objective of the attack. As I noted in 2013, using force unilaterally and in clear violation of international law and norms in order to uphold another international norm is a shortsighted and simply bad idea. Moreover, deterring the employment of poisonous gases hardly requires a war. In the last year for which we have complete data (2015), an estimated 97,000 people in the world (combatants and civilians) died as a direct result of armed conflicts. Maybe a few hundred of these died from chemical weapons. In a world awash with weapons and ammunition, none of the parties fighting these wars (including in Syria) needs chemical weapons, so persuading them not to use them shouldnt require a heavy military lift. Based on my conversations with people who would know, if the Washington national security community meaning Trump administration officials, members of Congress and their staff, pundits, and analysts was being honest, I suspect it endorses Thursdays strikes because it is simply fatigued by watching the suffering of civilians in Syria and war crimes committed by all sides to the conflict (although only government war crimes are ever discussed). The community feels a need to make a statement of opposition that is demonstrable and visual, to do something. As Trump put it before the missiles were launched: I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity so something should happen. The dilemma with using bombs to satisfy this humanitarian impulse is that it will not be the last kinetic something that Trump authorizes. An unnamed senior defense official said late Thursday that the attack was a one-off, but this is likely an aspirational statement rather than a policy declaration. The cinematic videos released instantly by the Pentagon of the missiles lighting up the night sky and the images of a severely damaged airfield in Homs are meant to show that a price was paid by President Bashar al-Assads air force, which has been used indiscriminately and inhumanely for over half a decade, according to several U.N. Commission of Inquiry investigations. Unfortunately, while the cruise missile strikes may make American officials and policymakers feel better about having sent a message that Assad will pay a price, the effects will be temporary. The internationalized civil war will continue. All of the external powers with keep training and arming their allies within Syria, while conducting their own airstrikes on behalf of them. The United States will, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged on Thursday night, continue its policy or [its] posture relative to [its] military activities in Syria today. Theres been no change in that status. Assad will defend his regime with more war crimes with the full backing of Russia and Iran and Trump will face the choice of perceived acquiescence or further escalation of more intensive military strikes against more and more regime assets. Such strikes will alter the battlefield calculation to the benefit of the armed opposition groups a long-time desire of Persian Gulf governments and neoconservatives on Capitol Hill which one can easily imagine will incentive them (and their external patrons) to escalate their own operations to induce regime change. Another unspoken but honest reason for endorsing these strikes within Washington is to establish U.S. credibility vis-a-vis allies and adversaries. The belief of such proponents today is that this recent use of force will compel the Iranian and North Korean governments to halt activities that the Trump administration opposes. Michael Ledeen, co-author of a book last year with disgraced former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, articulated this view most succinctly: Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business. Or, as President George H.W. Bush declared when celebrating the end of the first Gulf War: Its a proud day for America. And, by God, weve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all! Of course, if bombing one country earned the United States credibility with other countries, given the hundreds of thousands of bombs dropped (and three U.S.-led regime changes) since 9/11, America should be at maximum credibility all of the time. I have studied limited U.S. military operations such as Thursday evenings cruise missile strikes for almost 20 years. I have found that the majority of the time, they either fully or partially achieve their military objectives of destroying things and killing people. However, they rarely achieve their political objectives of deterring a foreign government or armed group from doing something, or compelling them from stopping an ongoing activity. It is unlikely that 59 cruise missiles will succeed in deterring or compelling Damascus, Moscow, Tehran, or Pyongyang from doing anything they planned to do already. When it is clear that this attempt at deterrence has failed, the question is: Then what? The time between the Syrian chemical attack and Trump response is the shortest period for debate or deliberation compared with recent U.S. retaliatory attacks. Consider that the 1986 airstrikes on Libya were 10 days after a Berlin nightclub bombing, the 1993 cruise missile attacks against the Iraqi intelligence headquarters occurred 73 days after an alleged Iraqi government plot to assassinate President George H.W. Bush while he was traveling to Kuwait, and the 1998 cruise missile attacks against Afghanistan and Sudan were conducted 13 days after East African embassy bombings. There is simply no way that the massively understaffed U.S. national security and foreign-policy apparatus has adequately thought through whats next, nor will be able to apply the attacks to a renewed and synchronized strategy for Syria. This unprecedentedly fast instance of mission creep should worry the American people and Congress (about to enjoy 17 days of well-deserved vacation) more than anything else. Photo credit: ABD DOUMANY/AFP/Getty Images Sonoyta (Mexico) (AFP) - They are not "bad hombres," as Donald Trump might say -- or any kind of hombres at all. But like the human migrants targeted by the US president, the jaguars, bighorn sheep and deer-like Sonoran pronghorns of northern Mexico have a lot to lose from his planned border wall. Such species currently roam at will back and forth across the border of Mexico and the United States in reserves specially protected by both countries' governments. Conservationists fear Trump's vow to build a wall the length of the border to keep criminals out of the United States will doom the beasts to extinction. It would stop them getting where they need to go to feed and mate. - 'Fauna crossing' - "Caution, fauna crossing," reads a sign among the cactus and wild bushes in the northeastern desert, where deer, wild cats, coyotes and wolves crisscross the frontier. The habitat spans the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona and the Pinacate and Gran Altar Desert over in the Mexican state of Sonora. The latter is certified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The reserve is divided only by a simple fence with gaps big enough for the animals to pass through. "It was designed specially so as not to hurt the animals and so they would have no problem crossing," said Miguel Angel Grageda, head of natural resources at El Pinacate. - Food and water - Rain is scarce in the parched desert, where the heat soars as high as 55 degrees Celsius (131 Fahrenheit). The animals have to trot long distances to look for water, food and shelter. They must also be mobile to keep their numbers up when drought or sickness kill off the species in certain areas. "If you just go and put a giant border wall between their habitat then you can cut movements off for some species which will prevent them from recolonizing their habitat," said Aaron Flesch, an environmental specialist at the University of Arizona. Story continues "When animals have trouble moving across the landscape to recolonize those places, the population in those places will never be restored." - Need of a mate - Gerardo Ceballos of the Ecological Institute at Mexico's National Autonomous University estimates there are only about five jaguars left on the US side. They rely on partners from the Mexican side to mate. If the animal populations were split in two and each group left to reproduce only with the limited number of mates on its side, the species would degenerate. "If we divide the population of the species in two, there will start to be crosses between related animals," said Grageda. "Later on we could have problems of inbreeding." - Resistance to wall - It is not clear when the United States will start putting up Trump's wall or how exactly its course might be plotted through protected zones such as this one. But conservationists are imagining the worst. "We don't know exactly what the results are going to be," said Flesch. "But we know they won't to be good." Ceballos said various Mexican and US non-governmental groups are preparing a challenge to the wall plan. "Over here it would require a political decision at the level of Congress" to block it, said Grageda. "We may not be able to convince Donald Trump." - Human impact - It is not just the animals who would suffer from a wall, experts say, but the whole desert ecosystem. Desert mammals break up the sun-baked ground with their hoofs so that when it does rain, the water drains underground. By tearing up the vegetation to eat it, they help spread the seeds so that desert flowers bloom anew. A wall could have "a big impact" by blocking and shifting watercourses, Ceballos said. That, and the untold impact on the soil and atmosphere, could affect humans too. "When you put up a wall, you destroy everything," he warned. Twitter has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the administration of President Donald Trump after the government withdrew its demand for the social network to reveal the identity of an anonymous user who had criticized the President. Twitter filed the lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPD), Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and CBP acting commissioner Kevin McAleenan. Read: Twitter Sues Government: Trump Admin Demanded Twitter Unmask Anonymous Critic, According To Lawsuit The lawsuit revealed that CBP had issued a summons to Twitter demanding the company reveal the identity of the user behind the account @ALT_USCIS, an anonymous account that has tweeted criticisms of the Trump administrations foreign policy and actions on immigration. Twitter refused the demand and filed the suit against the government, alleging that it was an unlawful use of government power and would have a grave chilling effect on the speech of that account in particular and on the many other alternative agency accounts that have been created to voice dissent to government policies. According to the filing for dismissal, legal counsel from the Department of Justice representing the government agencies involved in the suit contacted counsel for Twitter, to advise that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has withdrawn the summons and that the summons no longer has any force or effect. In response to the withdrawal of the summons, Twitter opted to voluntarily dismiss the case. Read: Conservation Group Sues Trump Admin For Delayed Listing Of Endangered Bees We want to thank @twitter and @aclu for standing up for the right of free anonymous speech, the operator of the @ALT_USCIS account wrote on Twitter following the dismissal. Thank you resistance for standing up for us. The American Civil Liberties Union, which expressed its support for Twitter in the suit on Thursday, tweeted that the governments withdrawal of the summons was a big victory for free speech and right to dissent. Story continues The @ALT_USCIS account first appeared on Twitter in January as part of a flood of alternative accounts that purport to be rogue versions of official government agency accounts run by government employees who oppose the current administration. Related Articles By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy strike group will be moving toward the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean peninsula as a show of force, a U.S. official told Reuters on Saturday, as concerns grow about North Korea's advancing weapons program. Earlier this month North Korea tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its range. The strike group, called Carl Vinson, includes an aircraft carrier and will make its way from Singapore toward the Korean peninsula, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity. "We feel the increased presence is necessary," the official said, citing North Korea's worrisome behavior. The news was first reported by Reuters. In a statement late Saturday, the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet said the strike group had been directed to sail north, but it did not specify the destination. The military vessels will operate in the Western Pacific rather than making previously planned port visits to Australia, it added. This year North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as "the Day of the Sun." Earlier this week U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Florida, where Trump pressed his counterpart to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program. Trump's national security aides have completed a review of U.S. options to try to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. These include economic and military measures but lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its reclusive neighbor. Although the option of pre-emptive military strikes on North Korea is not off the table, the review prioritizes less-risky steps and de-emphasizes direct military action. Trump spoke with South Korea's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday, the White House said on Saturday in a statement which did not mention the strike group. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Richard Chang) The UN children's agency UNICEF has called on Myanmar's government to release Rohingya children detained as part of a sweeping military campaign in Rakhine state. More than 600 people were arrested in an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the north of the restive state. The operation was launched after deadly attacks by militants on police posts in October. Rohingya escapees in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 70,000 have fled, gave UN investigators accounts of beatings, torture and food deprivation inside the jails. Minors are among those detained. UNICEF's deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said he had given the country's de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi details of around a dozen youngsters being held in Buthidaung prison. "There are some children that are detained in prison, so those are the cases that we're raising," he told AFP late on Saturday at the end of a brief trip to Myanmar. "Any child that's detained is an issue for us." Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi and Myanmar's army chief both recognised "that there's an issue here" but made no firm committment for their release, he added. Government spokesman Zaw Htay declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Sunday. The UN Human Rights Council has agreed to send a mission to Myanmar to probe allegations that troops and police raped, killed and tortured Rohingya in their months-long campaign. Myanmar has rejected the accounts collected by UN investigators in the Bangladesh refugee camps, who said the crimes could amount to ethnic cleansing. "I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening," Suu Kyi said in an interview with the BBC last week. Myanmar's police and the military have both launched separate probes to investigate the deaths of at least eight people in custody in northern Rakhine. UN rights envoy for Myanmar Yanghee Lee said some 450 people were being held in Buthidaung prison when she visited in January, most without access to lawyers or their families. Story continues Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of more than one million Rohingya, who are vilified as illegal "Bengali" immigrants and forced to live in apartheid-like conditions even though many have lived in the country for generations. A group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has claimed the October attacks, which it said were intended to defend the rights of the persecuted minority after years of worsening conditions. Forsyth said there was a growing recognition among both Myanmar's civilian government and army that depriving Rohingya children of opportunities had bred militancy. "The reality is if you don't address these issues particularly for these communities then it will come back to haunt them, which is partly what has happened," he said. Beirut (AFP) - Washington's UN ambassador said that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad cannot stay in power after a suspected chemical attack that prompted the first direct US military action against his government. Nikki Haley's comments in an interview airing Sunday came as part of an apparent shift in US policy towards Assad's government after the alleged chemical attack last week on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun that killed 87 people, including many children. Images of civilians suffering the apparent effects of a gas attack, including convulsions, vomiting and foaming at the mouth, provoked international outrage and prompted US President Donald Trump to order a strike on a Syrian airbase. In the interview with CNN, Haley said peace in Syria was impossible with Assad in power. "There's not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime," she told the "State of the Union" programme. "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad." "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen," she said, adding that Washington was also focused on fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and ending Iranian influence. - Tillerson: IS fight top priority - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted ahead of Moscow talks on Tuesday that defeating IS in Syria remained Washington's top priority. "It's important that we keep our priorities straight. And we believe that the first priority is the defeat of ISIS," he told CBS television's "Face the Nation" being broadcast later Sunday. Tillerson will also press Russia on its failure to prevent Syria using chemical weapons, he said in interviews aired Sunday. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all, but clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians," he told ABC's "This Week". Story continues After years of calling for Assad's removal during former president Barack Obama's tenure, Washington appeared to be stepping back from seeking regime change in Syria in recent weeks. Before the Khan Sheikhun attack, Tillerson said Assad's fate should be decided by the Syrian people, suggesting Washington would not oppose him standing for reelection. But in the aftermath of the attack, Trump ordered the strike targeting the Shayrat air base in central Syria's Homs province with 59 Tomahawk missiles. And his administration informed Congress that it could "take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests". - Iran's Rouhani calls Assad - Syria's government has denied any involvement in Tuesday's attack on Khan Sheikhun, suspected to be the second-deadliest chemical weapons attack since the country's war began in March 2011. It killed at least 87 civilians, including 31 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor. Hundreds more suffered symptoms that the World Health Organization said were in some cases consistent with exposure to chemicals that include nerve gas. The nature of the substance used has not been confirmed, and Syria has insisted it would not and has not used chemical weapons. Assad's government signed the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to turn over its chemical armaments in 2013, after being accused of a sarin attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds of people. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then. Syria's closest allies Russia and Iran have defended Damascus against the allegations of chemical weapons use, with Moscow saying a conventional strike hit a rebel depot containing "toxic substances". Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called Assad to reaffirm his support for the Syrian leader in the wake of the US strike, Rouhani's office said on Sunday. Rouhani said allegations that Assad's regime was behind a chemical weapons attack were "baseless" and suggested it was carried out by rebel groups to influence global public opinion. Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke by telephone about "the unacceptable nature of American aggression", a statement from Moscow said. Both leaders also said they backed "an objective inquiry" into the Khan Sheikhun incident has also caused a diplomatic spat between Moscow and London. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a trip to Russia over its support for Assad, prompting Moscow's foreign ministry to say London has "no real influence". And on Sunday, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon accused Russia of being responsible "by proxy" for deaths in the suspected chemical attack. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began, and strikes have continued since the suspected chemical attack. On Saturday, one woman was killed in a suspected Russian air strike on Khan Sheikhun, the Observatory said. New strikes hit outside the town on Sunday, with no immediate reports of casualties, the monitor added. Washington (AFP) - As a US strike group led by an aircraft carrier steamed toward the Korean peninsula Sunday, a senior official said President Donald Trump has asked to be provided with a range of options for eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat. The US naval move will certainly raise tensions in the region and comes hard on the heels of a US cruise missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning over its refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea denounced Thursday's attack as an act of "intolerable aggression" and one that justified "a million times over" the North's push toward a credible nuclear deterrent. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted in an interviewed broadcast Sunday that the United States does not intend to try to remove the regime of Kim Jong-Un. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. "That is not our objective and so the whole reasons underlying the development of a nuclear program in North Korea are simply not credible," Tillerson told the ABC program "This Week." He said the United States expects China, the main ally of North Korea, to do more to rein in the regime in Pyongyang. "They have indicated that they will and I think we need to allow them time to take actions," Tillerson said. US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster insisted, however, that in the meantime it is "prudent" to send the strike group to the Korean peninsula, criticizing North Korea as a rogue, nuclear-armed nation engaged in provocative behavior. "Presidents before and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the peninsula," McMaster told Fox News. "The president has asked them to be prepared to give us a full range of options to remove that threat," he added, apparently referring to Trump's advisers. 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. Story continues Expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth, with US intelligence officials warning that Pyongyang could be less than two years away from developing the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental United States. North Korea on Wednesday fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan ahead of a US-China summit. The isolated North is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. In February, the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on US bases in the neighboring Asian country. Last August, Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometers (300 miles) towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what Kim 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. Asked if development of a long range ballistic missile would mark a red line for Trump, Tillerson said: "If we judge that they have perfected that type of delivery system, then that becomes a very serious stage of their further development." - US unilateral action? - On Thursday and Friday, Trump hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks during which he pressed Pyongyang's key ally to help curb the North's nuclear weapons program. Trump has threatened unilateral action against the reclusive communist state, a threat that appeared more palpable after Thursday's strike on a Syrian airfield following an apparent chemical attack. The head of North American Aerospace Defense Command, which provides missile detection for the region, said Thursday she was "extremely confident" of US capability to intercept a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) bound for America from the North. But General Lori Robinson expressed concerns for the type of ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine that Pyongyang said it successfully tested in February. "Amidst an unprecedented pace of North Korean strategic weapons testing, our ability to provide actionable warning continues to diminish," Robinson said in written testimony to senators. And while a US unilateral strike on North Korea from a shorter range might be more militarily effective, it likely would endanger many civilians in South Korea, experts warn. By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: Like many things in life, Boxout.fm too was born out of necessity. Sahej Bakshi a.k.a. Dualist Inquiry, cofounder of the online community radio, says, "The Indian independent music scene has grown leaps and bounds in the last few years, and with the ever-growing numbers of original music and artists emerging out of India, we felt its time that our scene had its own broadcasting voice and platform." advertisement Along with fellow musician (and cofounder) Mohammed Abood a.k.a. DJ MoCity, Bakshi will showcase sounds of the underground music scene through Boxout.fm. "Initially," says Bakshi, "we will start off with 4-6 hours of daily live shows hosted by various DJs and MCs from Boxout.fm. In the weeks and months to come, we plan to expand that schedule to 10-12 hours of original programming per day, which will be archived and available online after the broadcast. If you happen to go to boxout.fm during the off-hours (night time and early morning), then you'll findreruns of that day's episodes." Coming to the sourcing of all the music, Bakshi says, "We will source music, curate DJ mixes and several other types of content from our community of independent artists and creators, and each contributor to Boxout.fm will bring his/her own flavour and expertise to what we have to offer. Boxout.fm is built on a principle of inclusion, which means that anyone who feels he/she can contribute is free to reach out to us via our website (boxout.fm) and stand a chance to get onto our broadcast schedule." Also Read: As to what triggered the idea of Boxout.fm itself, Abood reveals, "I returned to Delhi in May 2016 after a stint in Dubai and was wondering how I could contribute to the scene in India. The idea of an online radio station made a lot of sense to me given the way we consume music in this country. Outside of festivals, concerts and clubs, there is no space for people to listen to alternative music. Promoters need tools to reach people and I want to be the bridge that connects promoters to people. I want to take music outside of the nightlife life space and even if ours is a niche audience, it's worth tapping." Boxout.fm went live on April 7, 2017 following its launch party in Delhi, which featured UK producer Romare and Bakshi in his Dualist Inquiry form on the turntable. --- ENDS --- Washington (AFP) - The United States stepped up pressure Sunday on Russia to rein in the Syrian regime, warning that any further chemical attacks would be "very damaging" to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace while President Bashar al-Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump's top advisers took to Sunday television talk shows to set the stage for a diplomatic confrontation in Moscow when US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives Tuesday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It will be their first face-to-face encounter since US cruise missiles slammed into a Syrian air base early Friday Damascus time in retaliation for a suspected sarin gas attack on April 4 that killed at least 87 civilians in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun. In Tehran, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States had made a "strategic mistake," and vowed that Iran "will not leave the field... in the face of threats." And a joint operations center in Damascus that includes Iran, Russia and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants threatened reprisals. "We will react firmly to any aggression against Syria and to any infringement of red lines, whoever carries them out," it said in a statement carried on the website of Al-Watan, a newspaper close to the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, US-led coalition forces and Syrian rebels thwarted a significant Islamic State group attack on their base near the Jordanian border Saturday. The coalition said the attack on the At-Tanf Garrison, a remote outpost used by elite US and British forces, was a complex one involving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, followed by a ground assault and suicide vests by up to 30 IS fighters. - Damage to relations - Tillerson said the chemical attack was preceded by two others in March. The presence of Russian advisers at the airfield used to launch the attack raised questions about how they could not have known about Syria's chemical weapons. Story continues Tillerson stopped short of accusing the Russians of complicity. "But clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been outmaneuvered by the Syrians," he said on ABC's "This Week." "Absolutely they're complicit," said Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "Russian intelligence may not be as good as ours, but it's good enough to know the Syrians had chemical weapons, were using chemical weapons." If Syria carries out any further chemical attacks, "that is going to be clearly very damaging to US-Russian relations," Tillerson warned. "I do not believe that the Russians want to have worsening relationships with the US, but it's going to take a lot of discussion and a lot of dialogue to better understand what is the relationship that Russia wishes to have with the US." He said he would call on Russia "to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons." Moscow has sought to deflect blame from its long-time ally Assad over the incident and says Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot where "toxic substances" were being put inside bombs. The US retaliatory strike marked the first time the United States has intervened directly in the Syrian civil war against Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed regime, raising questions about Washington's next steps. - 'Enough is enough' - "This was something that needed to tell Assad, 'Enough is enough.' And this is something to let Russia know, 'You know what? We're not going to have you cover for this regime anymore,'" Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Just days before the chemical attack, Haley and Tillerson both had indicated that removing Assad from power was no longer a US priority. But Haley suggested there has been a shift in US thinking. "In no way do we look at peace happening in that area with Iranian influence," she said. "In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government." Tillerson, on the other hand, stressed that the air strike had the limited aim of deterring further use of chemical weapons. "Other than that, there is no change to our military posture," he said. While he did not rule out the future use of military force, Tillerson said the US administration was mindful of "the lessons of what went wrong in Libya when you choose that pathway of regime change." - First priority - Both Tillerson and H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, said defeating the Islamic State group remained the administration's first priority, with the strategy for stabilizing Syria a longer-term political effort that could involve Russia. "It's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation from the Assad regime," McMaster said on "Fox News Sunday." "We are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. (What) we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions," he said. "This is a great opportunity for the Russian leadership to reevaluate what they are doing." By Johan Sennero, Anna Ringstrom and Bjorn Rundstrom STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A 39-year-old Uzbek man being held in custody is the suspected driver of a hijacked beer delivery truck that ploughed into crowds in central Stockholm, killing four people and wounding 15 in an apparent terror attack, police said on Saturday. The man, previously known to Swedish intelligence services as a marginal figure with no clear links to extremist groups, is suspected of mowing down pedestrians on a busy shopping street and smashing through a store front on Friday. "Nothing indicates that we have the wrong person, on the contrary, suspicions have strengthened as the investigation has progressed," Dan Eliasson, head of Sweden's national police, told a news conference on Saturday. The man, detained on Friday night on terrorism charges after the attack in the heart of the capital, appeared to have acted alone but "we still cannot rule out that more people are involved," he said. Police raided several addresses in the Stockholm area on Saturday, according to TT news agency and tabloid Aftonbladet, but told Reuters no further arrests in connection with the attack had been made. A Reuters witness saw police wearing protective masks carrying out a search at an apartment in a southern Stockholm suburb. LAWYER MET WITH SUSPECT Court-appointed lawyer Johan Eriksson told Reuters he had met with the suspect on Saturday but declined to give further details about his client. Police did not name the detainee, but said he was from the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan and that he had seemed peripheral in intelligence reports. "We received intelligence last year, but we did not see any links to extremist circles," Sapo security police chief Anders Thornberg said. Eliasson said there were "clear similarities" to an attack last month in London in which six people died, including the assailant who drove a hired car into pedestrians on a bridge. Vehicles have also been used as weapons in Nice and Berlin in the past year in attacks claimed by Islamic State. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Sweden, which until now had been largely immune from major attacks and where many take pride in an open, democratic society. "I think it was just a matter of time, but still one doesn't think it will happen," Cecilia Hansson, a 25 year-old nurse, said. "It's still unreal when it happens this close." Police said they had found a suspicious device in the vehicle, which ended up rammed into the Ahlens department store, but said they did not yet know if it was a homemade bomb, as reported by public broadcaster SVT. Local authorities in Stockholm, where flags flew at half mast, said 10 people including a child were still being treated in hospital, with two adults in intensive care. Sweden will hold a minute's silence at midday (1000 GMT) on Monday to mourn the dead. Police said they were maintaining a heightened presence, fearing copycat attacks. FLOWERS, DEFIANCE A gaping hole in the wall of the store showed the force of the impact from the truck, which was removed overnight for examination by forensics experts, and people gathered to pay their respects and leave flowers. Ahlens said it would open part of the store on Sunday. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven visited the site and struck a defiant tone: "All of us feel anger over what has happened, I also feel the same anger, but we also need to use that anger for something constructive and go forward." "We want - and I am convinced the Swedish people also want - to live a normal life. We are an open, democratic society and that is what we will remain." Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, who broke off a trip to Brazil and quickly returned home after the attack, addressed the nation in a televised speech from his home at Stockholm's palace. "Those of us who want to help are many more than those who wish to harm us," said the monarch, wearing a dark suit and black tie. "Sweden is, has long been and will continue to be a safe and peaceful country." The attack was the latest to hit the Nordic region after shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen killed three people in 2015 and the mass attack in 2011 by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway. A failed suicide bombing in December 2010 killed an attacker only a few hundred yards from the site of Friday's incident. IMMIGRATION For decades, Sweden has been among the most generous nations to immigrants. But some Swedes are having second thoughts after more than 160,000 people, many from Syria, applied for asylum in 2015 in a nation of just 10 million. Sweden has since tightened its borders and asylum numbers have slowed to a trickle. Support for the opposition far-right Sweden Democrat party, which links worries about education, welfare costs and crime with immigration, has continued to rise. "We have warned about such incidents ... but we do not want to score any political points today," Julia Kronlid, vice chairman of the party, told Reuters. Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Nice, France, in July 2016, when a truck killed 86 people, and a truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in December that killed 12. In last month's attack in London, a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament and then stabbed a policeman to death before being killed himself. In February U.S. President Donald Trump falsely suggested there had been an immigration-related security incident in Sweden, to the bafflement of Swedes. Neutral Sweden has not fought a war in more than 200 years, but its military has taken part in U.N. peacekeeping missions in several conflict zones, including Iraq, Mali and Afghanistan. (Reporting by Stockholm newsroom; writing by Simon Johnson, Alister Doyle and Terje Solsvik; editing by Alexander Smith, Ros Russell and David Evans) JERUSALEM (AP) Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week that leads up to Easter. Crowds of faithful gathered at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved palm fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem. Clergy and worshippers took part in the procession next to the newly restored tomb of Jesus. A Greek team has just completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was entombed and resurrected. A 12th-century building sitting on 4th-century remains, the Church of the Holy Sepluchre is the only place where six Christian denominations practice their faith at the same site. Michelle Rodriguez at the premiere. (Photo: AP) Michelle Rodriguez, one of the stars of the new action thriller The Fate of the Furious, attended this weekends premiere at the Radio City Music Hall in New York on April 8. The actress was stunning in a shimmering hip-hugging silver gown and matching heels. Rodriguez completed the look with a simple pair of diamond earrings, a black clutch adorned with designs, and a silver ring to accent the entire ensemble. The front of the dress featured a plunging cleavage-baring neckline, which the 38-year-old Texas native pulled off effortlessly. For the eighth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Rodriguez reprises her role as the tough Letty Ortiz Toretto. In a recent interview with the Today Show, Rodriguez remarked on the filming process and the training she underwent to assume the role of the popular character. With filming happening in Cuba, Rodriguez shared how the experience gave her a new view of the island nation. It was nuts because Cuba got so much attention after Obama implemented some leisure loosened up some laws and stuff to allow back-and-forth entry, Rodriguez said. She added, The culture there is so amazing; when people arent obsessed with technology, you start to see a little bit more of human interaction. You see guys hugging and kissing the old ladies in the street, tons of activity in the coffee shops, people dancing, everywhere you go people socializing and looking each other in the eye when they talk. Rodriguez really makes Cuba sound appealing, doesnt she? The Fate of the Furious debuts nationwide on April 14. Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and@YahooBeauty. Facebook and Google have had a significant role in the spread of fake news, facing plenty of criticism last year after the US presidential election since fake news is believed to have had a huge impact on the result. Neither Facebook nor Google actively contributed to disseminating fake news. Seemingly motivated by financial or political gain, some people and organizations took advantage of the way Facebook and Google work and used the services to spread fake news. But both companies have promised to fight the phenomenon, separately announcing measures meant to combat that viral lies that are told online. Don't Miss: Theres only one thing keeping all these iPhone users from switching to the Galaxy S8 Google on Friday announced a new product called Fact Check that will be available in Search and News. Google itself will not verify the accuracy of reports, but the company created the Fact Check tag to identify news reports as having been fact-checked by other news publishers and fact-checking organizations. The Fact Check label will appear everywhere in Search and in News, and users will be able to spot fact-checked stories immediately, as seen in the image above. Naturally, not all news reports out there will be fact-checked. But the kind of viral stories that turn out to be fake may be fact-checked by people looking to stop the spread of misinformation. Facebook, in turn, is also looking to curb the spread of false news within its social network. The company explained that its been focusing on three areas, including the disruption of economic incentives for fake news creators to push such stories, new products to stop the spread of fake news, and helping people make more informed decisions when they see potential fake news. One of the measures meant to stop fake news is the tool in the image above, an educational project intended to help people spot fake stories. The tool will be located at the top of the News Feed for a few days in 14 countries. Additionally, Facebook promised to continue its work in all the three key areas it identified, in an effort to put a stop to fake news. Story continues Like Google, Facebook wont interfere directly, but itll try to prevent fake news from going viral by informing Facebook users how to avoid fake news, and by making it harder for fake news creators to make money off their viral stories. Facebook will also work with other partners to try to prevent fake news from going viral. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com What could have been a simple prank caused a Virgin America flight to get delayed and the next flight to be canceled. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is expected to feature a 3,200mAh battery when it releases back to the market as a refurbished model, according to the SamsungVN. The Vietnamese tech blog shared Friday, photos of the Galaxy Note 7 running the latest Android 7.0 Nougat and with a slightly lower battery capacity than the handset had when it was new to the market. Samsung has confirmed it will once again sell the Galaxy Note 7, but reports have long indicated the manufacturer might include a less powerful battery. Since the core defect on the Galaxy Note 7 was its battery, Samsung would be unable to use the old 3,500mAh batteries already in the devices for the refurbished handsets. A secondary issue with the Galaxy Note 7 was the batteries were too large to fit safely within the handset. Lower capacity batteries would also likely be smaller and have an easier fit in Galaxy Note 7 handsets. Samsung has not indicated where or when the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 models will be available; however, it is certain they will not be sold in the U.S. SamMobile also notes Samsung may have to acquire government permission to sell the Galaxy Note 7 in certain markets. During its recall and ultimate discontinuation, Galaxy Note 7 handsets were banned from several airlines across the globe. Samsung recently announced its latest Galaxy S8 smartphone, which will hit markets April 21. The manufacturer has equipped a larger Galaxy S8 Plus model with a 3,500mAh battery. While Samsung has not divulged such details, possible battery suppliers for the Galaxy S8 include Sony and LG. Prior reports indicate Samsung has decided refrain from using batteries from its own Samsung SDI brand as well as Amperex Technology Limited, which both supplied components for the Galaxy Note 7. Rumors have also started trickling in for the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, which is expected to release in late 2017. While there are several murmurs about possible features for the Galaxy Note 8, there is no word on what kind of battery the device might hold. Story continues Related Articles By Sankalp Phartiyal and Aditya Kalra MUMBAI (Reuters) - The founders of India's Snapdeal told employees in an email on Sunday that the e-commerce company will ensure there is no disruption to staff "as the way forward becomes clear," as speculation of a takeover swirls. The email, seen by Reuters, tacitly acknowledged that a sale of the company could be in the offing, and it sought to calm the concerns of employees at India's No. 3 e-commerce player. Snapdeal has for weeks been at the center of much takeover speculation, with its largest backer Japan's Softbank, seen as keen to sell the company to its larger rival, Tiger Global-backed Flipkart. Snapdeal has so far declined to comment on sale talks and said that it remains focused on achieving profitability. But recent layoffs at the company and heightened speculation around a takeover has spooked some employees, who have begun to look for new jobs. In the e-mail, Snapdeal's founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal said their priority was to ensure the well-being of employees amid the "speculation" surrounding the company. "We will do all that we can, and more, in working with our investors to ensure there is no disruption in employment and that there are positive professional as well as financial outcomes for the team as the way forward becomes clear," the duo said in the letter. A spokesman for Snapdeal said the message was "intended to inform the team - in an authentic way - that the founders were acutely aware and actively engaged in ensuring the well-being of the team." A Snapdeal source who had read the email said such assurances at this stage were not comforting, however, as "employees feel left in the lurch." In the e-mail, the founders said salary increments for employees, to be announced over the next two weeks, will be more than last year's due to the "incredible progress" made by the company. Sources say Snapdeal, which last year lost the No. 2 spot in the Indian e-commerce market to Amazon, had been eyeing a public listing in two years. Employees with stock options who had been hoping for a large payout from a listing now fear their options may be worthless if the company is sold. Another source familiar with the sale discussions said a deal with Flipkart is at the structuring stage and is likely to get announced within a month. Snapdeal, Flipkart and Softbank declined to comment on the likelihood, or timing of any deal. (Editing by Euan Rocha and Hugh Lawson) It took about two hours to completely douse the flames and bring the situation under control, but by the time fire was put under control, over 200 vehicles, some bicycles were gutted in the blaze. By Press Trust of India: Over 200 two-wheelers were today gutted after a fire broke out at an authorised parking area of Raipur Railway Station in Chhattisgarh's capital here, police said. No one was injured in the incident, police said. The fire was noticed in the vehicles stationed in a corner of the parking lot in the railway station premises at around 12 noon, SHO Government Railway Police (GRP) Raipur Rajkumar Borjha told PTI. advertisement Fire and emergency services were immediately informed and GRP and RPF (Railway Protection Force) personnel were pressed into service to evacuate parked two-wheelers, including motorcycles and mopeds, to safe places, he added. It took about two hours to completely douse the flames and bring the situation under control, he added. By the time fire was put under control, over 200 vehicles, some bicycles were gutted in the blaze. The summer heat coupled with winds and fuel spill aided spread of the fire, said police. "We are still assessing the exact number of vehicles burnt in the incident but prima facie it appears, it would be more than 200," the SHO said. Around 1,000 two-wheelers and bicycles were parked in the parking area during the time of the incident. Police personnel and rescuers evacuated more than half of the vehicles to prevent it from catching fire, he said. "No person was injured in the incident," the SHO added. The exact reason behind the fire was yet to be ascertained, the SHO said, adding, investigation was on keeping in view whether there was any mischief behind it. A case has been registered in this connection and further probe is underway, he added. --- ENDS --- In the first such incident this month, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has captured 18 Indian fishermen and three fishing boats off the coast of Gujarat. By Press Trust of India: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and seized three boats off the Gujarat coast, an official said today. Three fishing boats from Porbandar, Okha and Mangrol were seized and 18 fishermen sailing on them captured by PMSA late last night from near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) Secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI. advertisement The captured boats had set sail from the coastal town of Porbandar a few days ago, Lodhari said. This is the first such incident in April, Lodhari said, adding that in March alone, 231 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan authorities and 40 boats seized. On March 26, PMSA had apprehended over 100 Indian fishermen and seized 19 boats near IMBL. Last month, the Indian Coast Guard had captured nine Pakistani fishermen along with a fishing boat found sailing in Indian waters. ALSO READ | Pakistan arrests over 100 Indian fishermen off Gujarat coast, seizes 19 boats ALSO READ | Pakistan to release 439 Indian fishermen in two batches ALSO WATCH | Pakistan arrests over 100 Indian fishermen off Gujarat coast, seizes 19 boats --- ENDS --- Sources say the website of the NGO Sainik Welfare Organisation India (SWOIndia) is allegedly still luring people by promising lucrative land deals. A photograph of Lt Col (retd) Rakesh Rana as published on the brochure of his NGO. By Chayyanika Nigam: Kirti Chakra recipient Rakesh Rana is in jail, forcing wife Saroj to step up. The retired lieutenant colonel landed in trouble after being accused of duping 542 people with promises of prime plots through his NGO. He is lodged in a Bhubaneswar jail. Now, Delhi Police has received fresh complaints against him and his wife who is allegedly the new boss of the cheating business with retired and serving army personnel as the victims. advertisement Sources say the website (http://www.swo.co.in/) of the NGO Sainik Welfare Organisation India (SWOIndia) is allegedly still luring people by promising lucrative land deals under Giringaput Mouza in the Chandaka area of Odisha. Cops from Delhi Police's economic offences wing (EOW) are yet to act against the site despite a flurry of complaints. COMPLAINTS AGAINST RAKESH RANA Rakesh Rana was arrested in January 2016 from Delhi on the charge of duping people of over `30 crore. Based on previous complaints, Bhubaneswar cops conducted a raid in the Capital and took him in custody. Sources in the EOW told Mail Today that as many as 25 complaints have been received by them but none of them have been converted into an FIR. It was learnt that more than 30 complainants who are serving or retired army officers invested lakhs in the project and have approached police. The complainants then went to court and during a hearing this month, when Delhi Police was supposed to submit a status report, the officials were asked to register a case as soon as the preliminarily investigation is over. When contacted, a top EOW official said: "We have received the complaints and are examining them case-by-case. We hope to reach a conclusion soon." Sources close to investigation said as soon as Rana went behind bars, his wife became the NGO's director. "She also has the power of attorney in her name. Not only her, but Rakesh Rana's father-in-law has also become active and is luring the armymen to invest in the project," they said. COMPLAINANTS One of the complainants, Purushottam (31) is in the Army, said he invested around Rs 6.5 lakh in the project but later realised that he was conned. Purushottam lives in Palam Village area of Delhi. For the past few months, he has been visiting the EOW office to get the complaint converted into an FIR. Another complainant serving in the Army, requesting anonymity, said: "Delhi Police did receive my complaint against Rakesh Rana, Saroj Rana and their company, but no action has been initiated against them. advertisement Rather I am being questioned by the officials and quite often they would call me to the EOW office to submit evidences to prove the allegations." MAIL TODAY tried to contact Saroj on the phone numbers provided on the NGO's official website, but she remained unavailable. WHAT DID RAKESH RANA DO? Rana and others had floated the NGO, SWOIndia, at Dwarka in Delhi. They launched a land scheme spread over around 27 acres at Giringaput Mouza by the name Defence Intercity Vatika Association in 2011. They promised to hand over the plots to 542 defence and exdefence personnel by June 2012 with valid documents of registration, mutation and conversion. But the accused neither provided the land nor returned the deposited amount. SWO-India was promoting the Bhubaneswar project through Brookson Infrastructure Private Ltd managing director Purna Chandra Panda, who was arrested by the EOW on August 2, 2015, and the NGO's project liasoning officer Pradipta Kumar Barik was providing him assistance. Barik was also arrested by the EOW in September 2015. Also Read: Mumbai: Cops arrest kingpin Sagar Thakkar alias 'Shaggy' for duping Americans for Rs 192 crore Mumbai: LSD sourced from US, payment in Bitcoins; All you need to know about this high profile drug racket --- ENDS --- advertisement Tata Trusts has joined hands with Maneka Gandhi's NGO People for Animals to set up a multi-speciality hospital for animals at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. Ratan Tata's love of dogs is no secret. Visitors to Bombay House, headquarters of the $100 billion Tata Group, are often surprised to see stray dogs stretched out on the lobby's cool marble floor. His two German Shepherds, Tito and Tango, are said to be his closest companions. Last year, he funded the startup DogSpot.in. When one of his dogs broke its leg recently, vets in Mumbai recommended amputation. "I had to take him to the UK for treatment," Tata says. advertisement Spotting the gap in the market, Tata Trusts, of which he is chairman, has now joined hands with Maneka Gandhi's NGO People for Animals to set up a multi-speciality hospital for animals at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. Expected to be up and running in two years, the Rs 100 crore facility will be the third such in Mumbai. To be built on 9,000 sq. m., the hospital will provide orthopaedic, dental and other care to 235 animals and birds at a time. Cornell's college of veterinary medicine will provide expertise and run a veterinary science institute on site. --- ENDS --- The Election Commission is set to hold a meeting tomorrow, at a time when there are allegations that political parties are distributing cash to get votes in Chennai's poll-bound RK Nagar, J Jayalalithaa's former constituency. By India Today Web Desk: At a time when political parties vying for the RK Nagar Assembly seat face allegations that they've bribed voters, Chief Election Commissioner Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, Tamil Nadu's Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni and others are set to meet tomorrow in New Delhi There is some speculation that the polls may be postponed. In fact, the Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai said in a report that the poll panel could take an "important decision" about the by-poll in the late J Jayalalithaa's former constituency. advertisement Lakhoni and Special Chief Electoral Officer Vikram Batra have already reached Delhi. The Chief Electoral Officer has brought a report with him on the situation in Chennai. VOTERS 'BRIBED,' ELECTION SYMBOL 'MISREPRESENTED' Ahead of the April 12 polls, the Election Commission has received complaints that parties have been trying to buy voters , or are mispresenting election symbols . On Friday, the AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma - a faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam - told the poll panel it had received information that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was distributing money in RK Nagar. Meanwhile, Income Tax officials recovered over Rs 5.5 crore in cash from associates or relatives of state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar after raiding properties belonging to him and others. The raids began on Friday and ended on Saturday morning. Vijayabaskar belongs to another faction of the AIADMK - called the AIADMK Amma - led by General Secretary VK Sasikala and Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran. I-T sleuths also found "incriminating documents" and lists of voters, reportedly from RK Nagar. Reacting to news of the raids, DMK Working President MK Stalin yesterday called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, and said bribing voters was tantamount to "murdering democracy." With inputs from PTI ALSO READ | Price of one vote in by-poll bound RK Nagar constituency is Rs 4,000: I-T official ALSO READ | By-poll in Jaya's RK Nagar: Clashes break out between Panneerselvam and Dinakaran factions of AIADMK; 1 injured WATCH VIDEO: Will EC postpone RK Nagar by-poll after cash for vote report? --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, Apr 9 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal today hit out at the Centre for its reaction over a motion in a Canadian Legislative assembly on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying its stand on the issue has "reopened the wounds" of the Sikhs. SAD MP from Anandpur Sahib and party general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra said that he would raise this issue in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. advertisement Also, a delegation of SAD MPs would also register their protest with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tomorrow, he added. The Legislative assembly of Ontario had recently passed a motion describing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as "genocide" in India. The BJP-led NDA government, of which SAD is also an ally, strongly rejected the move, terming it as "misguided". "The Narendra Modi government has reopened the wounds of the Sikhs by this provocative stand," Chandumajra said in a statement here. "Rather than calling upon the Canadian government to withdraw this resolution, Parliament should pass a similar resolution to assuage the feelings of the Sikh community," he added. Chandumajra said that more than 3,000 innocent Sikh men, women and children were killed in a "designed attack" on the community members in Delhi alone from November 1 to November 3, 1984, and the victims are still waiting for justice. "Even former Prime Ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Chandra Shekhar had condemned these killings as genocide," he claimed. "The Sikh community is now shocked over the official reaction of the Modi government that is not only unfortunate but also highly condemnable," he said. The SAD MP also said, despite being a smaller community, the Sikhs were now an important part of the global community. "The Sikhs were playing effective role in some of the Canadian provinces. The Canadian authorities had taken this step (passing the motion) keeping in view the Sikh sentiments on this sensitive issue," he said. A motion by Harinder Malhi, a Liberal member of provincial parliament, read "That, in the opinion of this House...should reaffirm our commitment to the values we cherish - justice, human rights and fairness - and condemn all forms of communal violence, hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism and intolerance in India and anywhere else in the world, including the 1984 Genocide perpetrated against the Sikhs throughout India, and call on all sides to embrace truth, justice and reconciliation." PTI SUN AKA SMJ --- ENDS --- "The BJP and RSS have disposed of their poor volunteers like sacrificial goats while saving their big leaders," says Ashish Khetan, vice-chairman of the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) think-tank. He was responding to the news that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had cleared Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and RSS leader Indresh Kumar of involvement in the 2007 Ajmer dargah bombing, which left three people dead and 17 injured. The NIA filed its closure report in a special court in Jaipur on April 3; a hearing has been scheduled on April 17 for the court to respond. Before he joined the AAP, Khetan was an investigative journalist. Among his scoops was a 42-page document, purportedly the first piece of evidence of alleged RSS involvement in a series of bombings, including of the 2007 Samjhauta Express. The document was a confession by Swami Aseemanand, a suspect in the bombing of a mosque in Hyderabad in 2007, made before a judge in December 2010. Until Aseemanand's confession, many of the blasts that occurred between 2006 and 2008 were thought to be the work of Islamist terrorists. Sadhvi Pragya figured prominently in the document, and was arrested for the 2008 Malegaon bombings, in which eight died and 80 were injured. She had been a prominent leader of the ABVP, the BJP's student wing, before becoming a monk. Indresh Kumar, who once led the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS initiative to win Muslim support, was alleged to have provided the money. advertisement Aseemanand had retracted his confession in March 2011, but three years later, in an interview with The Caravan, he said that Mohan Bhagwat, the current RSS sarsanghchalak, had told him that the bombings were necessary but must not be linked to the Sangh. The RSS has dismissed Aseemanand's statements as "rubbish" and "concocted". Last month, Aseemanand was cleared of involvement in the Ajmer bombing. In acquitting him, the court said it was giving "the benefit of the doubt". Three people were convicted-Sunil Joshi, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel. The latter two, both committed 'Hindutvawadis', were given life sentences. Joshi is already dead-he was murdered in December 2007. One of his former aides said Joshi and the newly anointed UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath met a year before the Ajmer attack. The NIA also said it found Adityanath's number in a notebook that once belonged to Joshi. However, Aseemanand, in his confession, said Adityanath had not offered support to the bombers. The inability of the NIA to build cases possibly indicates a similar fate for seven other cases of Hindu terror that the UPA handed over to the current government. Rohini Salian, a former public prosecutor, even said that she had been asked to "go soft" against the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts. She was removed from the case. The truth must out, she had said at the time. But it remains shrouded in circumstantial evidence and conspiratorial murmurs. --- ENDS --- Gaikwad's brother-in-law confirmed while talking to India Today that the MP will reach New Delhi by Mumbai Rajdhani Express at 9.30 am. By Anindya Banerjee: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who was supposed to board his first flight today after the rescission of a travel ban on him earlier this week, chose to travel by train to reach New Delhi. Gaikwad's brother-in-law confirmed while talking to India Today that the MP will reach New Delhi by Mumbai Rajdhani Express at 9.30 am. advertisement He said that the Sena MP will, however, deboard the train before the New Delhi railway station (main station) to avoid the media. Gaikwad was earlier supposed to travel by AI 852, a Pune-Delhi flight. Air India sources had told India Today that its management has been asked to fly aircraft with a business class provision on this route. That followed an informal instruction from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The ministry's instruction is being seen as appeasement on the part of the government before tomorrow's crucial National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meet, where the Presidential nominee will be discussed. FIA REVOKES BAN ON GAIKWAD The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), a group of major private carriers, also revoked its ban on the MP on Saturday - a day after Air India lifted the ban. Gaikwad had been barred from flying by Air India and the FIA after he repeatedly hit an Air India staffer 25 times during an argument. On Friday, the Osmanabad MP wrote to the Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju expressing 'regret' for the incident. Following his Parliament statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered Air India to lift its fly ban on Gaikwad. ALSO READ | After Air India, private carriers too lift ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad ALSO READ | Someone trolling Ravindra Gaikwad? Shiv Sena MP says never booked the 7 tickets cancelled by airlines WATCH VIDEO | Ravindra Gaikwad has given undertaking, will not misbehave again, tweets MoS Jayant Sinha --- ENDS --- Locals say, BSF deployed for security of the polling stations, fired live rounds as they were not provided with pellet guns. By India Today Web Desk: Seven people were killed and several injured when security forces opened fire on stone-pelting mobs that stormed polling station in Budgam district in the Lok Sabha constituency today. A total of 6.5 percent voting was recorded in Srinagar Lok Sabha by-polls on Sunday. Hundreds of protestors stormed a polling station at Pakherpora in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and ransacked the building, officials said. advertisement Speaking about the violence in Kashmir, NC chief Farooq Abdullah said, 'Elections should have been peaceful today, this government has failed in giving a peaceful atmosphere for people to come and vote.' HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED Security forces fired several warning rounds to disperse the mob which did not relent. Scores of people were injured, out of whom at least seven have succumbed to their injuries. Among the seven killed, two have been identified as 20-year-old Mohammad Abbas and 15-year-old Faizaan Ahmad. Locals say, BSF deployed for security of the polling stations, fired live rounds as they were not provided with pellet guns. According to initial reports, militants also hurled petrol bomb at polling station in Budgam's Hardodalwan village. Few civilians were injured in the attack but no casualties have been reported so far. Officials say that security personnel and polling staff had to abandon two stations in Chadoora as they came under heavy stone-pelting by angry mob. Violent clashes erupted in Badran in Budgam, Chrar-e-sharief, Nasrullahpora, Chadoora and Zainakot among other areas amid voting today. Internet services remain suspended in the Valley since midnight to prevent rumour-mongering. The bypoll in Anantnag parliamentary constituency is now slated for April 12. With inputs from PTI Also read: Kashmir by-polls: Close shave for PDP leader after firing at election rally in Anantnag's Achabal Also read: Kashmir bypolls: Most high-profile election with one of the lowest fanfare in campaigning Also read: Kashmir: Husband thanks jawans who pushed ambulance carrying pregnant wife out of danger Also watch | Battle for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat: 50 paramilitary companies deployed, internet services suspended --- ENDS --- Apart from record low turnout, the constituency also witnessed one of the highest instances of violence. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The bypoll for parliamentary constituency of Srinagar has left the Centre red-faced. Apart from record low turnout, the constituency also witnessed one of the highest instances of violence. The cost too high -- 7 civilians were killed and over 100 security personnel were injured. The turnout was abysmal pegged at 7 per cent, the lowest in 30 years. advertisement Sources in MHA, however, said that they had shared security concerns with the Election Commission, with the nodal ministry looking after law and order situation also saying they felt the "ambience" was not right for the polls. However, it seems the concerns were overlooked. There has been spate of stone pelting on security forces especially during anti-terror operation. While the anger against the government seems to be spilling on the ground, the home ministry has blamed Pakistan for instigating section of stone pelters. In Srinagar, National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah is in a direct contest against Peoples' Democratic Party's Nazir Khan. Altogether, 9 candidates are in fray for the seat that fell vacant after PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra resigned in the aftermath of the protests following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani. Also read:Srinagar Lok Sabha by-poll: Lowest turnout in 3 decades with 6.5 % voting, 7 killed in clashes Kashmir by-polls: Close shave for PDP leader after firing at election rally in Anantnag's Achabal --- ENDS --- According to reports, petrol bombs were hurled at the polling booth in Budgam district. By Shuja-ul-Haq : Three people were killed in a violent clash with security personnel today in Budgam's Pakharpora area. This comes after clashes erupted in areas amid the ongoing Srinagar by-polls in Badran in Budgam, Charesharif, Nasrullahpora, Chadoora and Zainakot. In a separate incident, militants today also attacked a polling station in Jammu-Kashmir's Budgam district in Hardodalwan village. advertisement According to initial reports, petrol bombs were hurled at the booth, injuring a few civilians. Meanwhile, two people have been injured in a violent confrontation between protesters and security personnel in the Nasrullahpora area of Budgam. More details awaited. Also read: Kashmir by-polls: Close shave for PDP leader after firing at election rally in Anantnag's Achabal Also read: Kashmir: Husband thanks jawans who pushed ambulance carrying pregnant wife out of danger Also read: Kashmir bypolls: Most high-profile election with one of the lowest fanfare in campaigning Also watch | Battle for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat: 50 paramilitary companies deployed, internet services suspended --- ENDS --- The man, detained on Friday night on terrorism charges after the attack in the heart of the capital, appeared to have acted alone. By Reuters: A 39-year-old Uzbek man being held in custody is the suspected driver of a hijacked beer delivery truck that ploughed into crowds in central Stockholm, killing four people and wounding 15 in an apparent terror attack, police said on Saturday. The man, previously known to Swedish intelligence services as a marginal figure with no clear links to extremist groups, is suspected of mowing down pedestrians on a busy shopping street and smashing through a store front on Friday. advertisement "Nothing indicates that we have the wrong person, on the contrary, suspicions have strengthened as the investigation has progressed," Dan Eliasson, head of Sweden's national police, told a news conference on Saturday. The man, detained on Friday night on terrorism charges after the attack in the heart of the capital, appeared to have acted alone but "we still cannot rule out that more people are involved," he said. Police raided several addresses in the Stockholm area on Saturday, according to TT news agency and tabloid Aftonbladet, but told Reuters no further arrests in connection with the attack had been made. A Reuters witness saw police wearing protective masks carrying out a search at an apartment in a southern Stockholm suburb. LAWYER MET WITH SUSPECT Court-appointed lawyer Johan Eriksson told Reuters he had met with the suspect on Saturday but declined to give further details about his client. Police did not name the detainee, but said he was from the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan and that he had seemed peripheral in intelligence reports. "We received intelligence last year, but we did not see any links to extremist circles," Sapo security police chief Anders Thornberg said. Eliasson said there were "clear similarities" to an attack last month in London in which six people died, including the assailant who drove a hired car into pedestrians on a bridge. Vehicles have also been used as weapons in Nice and Berlin in the past year in attacks claimed by Islamic State. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Sweden, which until now had been largely immune from major attacks and where many take pride in an open, democratic society. "I think it was just a matter of time, but still one doesn't think it will happen," Cecilia Hansson, a 25 year-old nurse, said. "It's still unreal when it happens this close." Police said they had found a suspicious device in the vehicle, which ended up rammed into the Ahlens department store, but said they did not yet know if it was a homemade bomb, as reported by public broadcaster SVT. advertisement Local authorities in Stockholm, where flags flew at half mast, said 10 people including a child were still being treated in hospital, with two adults in intensive care. Sweden will hold a minute's silence at midday (1000 GMT) on Monday to mourn the dead. Police said they were maintaining a heightened presence, fearing copycat attacks. FLOWERS, DEFIANCE A gaping hole in the wall of the store showed the force of the impact from the truck, which was removed overnight for examination by forensics experts, and people gathered to pay their respects and leave flowers. Ahlens said it would open part of the store on Sunday. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven visited the site and struck a defiant tone: "All of us feel anger over what has happened, I also feel the same anger, but we also need to use that anger for something constructive and go forward." "We want - and I am convinced the Swedish people also want - to live a normal life. We are an open, democratic society and that is what we will remain." Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, who broke off a trip to Brazil and quickly returned home after the attack, addressed the nation in a televised speech from his home at Stockholm's palace. advertisement "Those of us who want to help are many more than those who wish to harm us," said the monarch, wearing a dark suit and black tie. "Sweden is, has long been and will continue to be a safe and peaceful country." The attack was the latest to hit the Nordic region after shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen killed three people in 2015 and the mass attack in 2011 by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway. A failed suicide bombing in December 2010 killed an attacker only a few hundred yards from the site of Friday's incident. IMMIGRATION For decades, Sweden has been among the most generous nations to immigrants. But some Swedes are having second thoughts after more than 160,000 people, many from Syria, applied for asylum in 2015 in a nation of just 10 million. Sweden has since tightened its borders and asylum numbers have slowed to a trickle. Support for the opposition far-right Sweden Democrat party, which links worries about education, welfare costs and crime with immigration, has continued to rise. "We have warned about such incidents ... but we do not want to score any political points today," Julia Kronlid, vice chairman of the party, told Reuters. advertisement Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Nice, France, in July 2016, when a truck killed 86 people, and a truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in December that killed 12. In last month's attack in London, a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament and then stabbed a policeman to death before being killed himself. In February U.S. President Donald Trump falsely suggested there had been an immigration-related security incident in Sweden, to the bafflement of Swedes. Neutral Sweden has not fought a war in more than 200 years, but its military has taken part in U.N. peacekeeping missions in several conflict zones, including Iraq, Mali and Afghanistan. Also Read: Stockholm truck attack: 2 people arrested after 4 die and 15 get injured Sweden: After truck drove into crowd killing 5 people in Stockholm, PM hints at attack being an act of terror Also Watch: 3 killed, several injured after truck ploughs into crowd near Indian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden --- ENDS --- Scores of people were killed in a suspected chemical attack on Tuesday in the Idlib town of Khan Sheikhoun. By Reuters: Air strikes killed at least 18 people including five children in a town in Syrian rebel-controlled Idlib province on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defence rescue service reported. The death toll from the air strikes in Urum al-Joz was expected to rise, said the Observatory, a Britain-based organisation that reports on the war using a network of sources in Syria. advertisement The Civil Defence, which operates in rebel-held areas, said on a Twitter feed that the two air raids on the town on Saturday afternoon had killed 19 and wounded 22. Scores of people were killed in a suspected chemical attack on Tuesday in the Idlib town of Khan Sheikhoun. The United States launched a cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base in response to the attack. The Syrian government has denied any responsibility. Also Read: Syria: Who is fighting who as United States rains missiles at Assad's airbase US strike: 4 soldiers dead, Syria claims airbase was being used to fight ISIS Also Watch: This video of a Syrian father with twin kids who survived chemical attack will move you --- ENDS --- White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Syria's "sponsors," Russia and Iran, were enabling President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of mass murder against his own civilians." 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. Photo: Reuters By Reuters: Trump administration officials on Sunday blamed Russian inaction for enabling a deadly poison gas attack against Syrian civilians last week as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prepared to explain to Moscow a US retaliatory missile strike. Tillerson said Syria was able to execute the attack, which killed scores of people, because Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. advertisement White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Syria's "sponsors," Russia and Iran, were enabling President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of mass murder against his own civilians." But Tillerson, who is expected to visit Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian officials, said on ABC's 'This Week' program there was "no change" to the US military posture towards Syria. "I think the real failure here has been Russia's failure to live up to its commitments under the chemical weapons agreements that were entered into in 2013," Tillerson said. "The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russia's part to achieve its commitment to the international community," he added. TRUMP BLAMED ASSAD US President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base after he blamed Assad for the chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack. Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," McMaster said the United States would take further action in Syria if necessary. "We're prepared to do more. In fact, we were prepared to do more two days ago," McMaster said. "The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interests of the American people." Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said. McMaster said Russian leaders were supporting "a murderous regime" and their actions would dictate the future of US-Russian relations. "Do they want it to be a relationship of competition and potential conflict," McMaster said. "Or do they want it to be a relationship in which we can find areas of cooperation that are in our mutual interest?" Tillerson stopped short of accusing Russia of direct involvement in planning or carrying out the attack, saying he had not seen "any hard evidence" to suggest Moscow was an accomplice to Assad. But he said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance by rethinking its alliance with Assad because "every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility." advertisement Also read: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's allies say US attack on Syria air base crosses 'red lines' Also read: North Korea condemns US bombing on Syria, calls it an 'unforgivable act of aggression' --- ENDS --- The adaptations are written and directed by renowned actor Rajat Kapoor. By India Today Web Desk: Shakespearean drama is once again making its journey from the page to the stage and the Indian audience is a witness to it. India's largest theatre festival--Shakespeare theatre festival is now presenting unique, comical adaptations of some of the Bard's leading plays--Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear and As You Like It. Written and directed by renowned actor Rajat Kapoor, the adaptations will feature some of the biggest artists of Bollywood, including Kalki Koechlin, Vinay Pathak, Cyrus Sahukar, Tillotama Shome, among others. advertisement The group has already conducted completely sold-out tours in various countries besides 10 cities in India. The Great Indian Tour will conclude their journey with a grand finale in Delhi on April 15-16, 2017. Also Read: Shakespeare's rival Marlowe is now being credited for co-writing three of his plays To be held at Siri Fort, Delhi, the show will present the following adaptations: MACBETH - WHAT IS DONE IS DONE (Saturday, 15 April, 05:00 pm) HAMLET - THE CLOWN PRINCE (Saturday, 15 April, 08:00 pm) I DON'T LIKE IT - AS YOU LIKE IT (Sunday, 09 April, 04:00 pm) NOTHING LIKE LEAR (Sunday, 09 April, 07:30 pm) --- ENDS --- A Turkish Airlines flight cabin crew helped a woman deliver a baby mid-air and are now being praised by people from across the world. By India Today Web Desk: A pregnant woman, Nafi Diaby, flying from Conarky, Guinea to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, went into labour mid-air. She was aboard a Turkish Airlines flight and the plane was 42,000 feet above the ground. The cabin crew swung into action and helped the woman deliver the baby. One of the flight attendants, Bouthayna Inanir, said, "The mother gave birth while standing, and we received help from several other passengers." advertisement Turkish Airlines shared the news both on their Facebook page and from their Twitter handle and it went viral. The Facebook post that said, "Welcome on board Princess!" got over 32,000 likes. Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew! ????????? pic.twitter.com/FFPI16Jqgt- Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) April 7, 2017 And the tweet made from their official Twitter handle has, by now, received more than 16,000 retweets. The baby girl who was named 'Kadiju', and her mother, were taken to a hospital after the flight, a Boeing 737-900, made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso. Both of them are said to be doing well. --- ENDS --- Police had booked TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar for outraging the modesty of a woman, sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and demand or request for sexual favours. By Vidya : Mumbai sessions court today gave interim protection from arrest to TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar. The MIDC police station had issued summons to him to appear before the investigating officer Padmakar Deore and give his statement. The First Information Report at MIDC police station against Arunabh was filed on March 29, weeks after a couple of women wrote on social media how Arunabh had behaved inappropriately with them at his workplace. advertisement One woman in her complaint had told the police that she was working with another production house and had only gone for a meeting where Arunabh did not just touch her but also spoke unabashedly with her. Police booked Arunabh for outraging modesty, sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and demand or request for sexual favours. MIDC police investigating officer Deore had said that after registering an FIR, the police would be gathering other circumstantial evidence and also summoning Arunabh who was nowhere to be found lately. After approaching the court, Arunabh has assured that he will be co-operating with the police. He states that the case against him is false. The Dindoshi Sessions Court ordered the police to refrain from arresting the TVF CEO as an interim relief. After the MIDC police station filed an FIR, another case was registered against Arunabh for workplace harassment by a former employee of TVF at Versova Police Station. Also Read: Arunabh Kumar row: Mumbai police to close molestation probe; TVF CEO may be given clean chit soon Woman accuses TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar of molestation, other women back the claim; start-up rubbishes allegations Also Read: Sources: TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar accused of sexual harassment to get a clean chit --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna London, Apr 9 (PTI) A number of prominent British television journalists from the BBC and Sky News are reportedly on an Islamic State hit-list. A website of the dreaded terrorist group is encouraging "lone-wolf" attacks on newsreaders alongside the location of their offices, the Daily Star reported. The newspaper said it has contacted police to alert them about the website and counter-terrorism officers are now looking into the case. advertisement "The Islamic State website posts instructed followers to target BBC and Sky newsreaders and posted the location of their offices," the daily said. "Terror bosses went on to instruct fanatics to attack popular tourist attractions. They include Downing Street, Big Ben and, chillingly, Westminster, the scene of last month?s terror attack," it adds. Further posts reportedly provided a list of names of British MPs, police stations, government buildings, Army bases, shopping centres and airports. The "terrifying lists" were posted on an "offshoot" of a well-known terrorism website, the newspaper claims. The website had pictures of alleged victims of a coalition bombing in Mosul, Iraq, with the message: "By Allah! We will not forget! Even after some time we will never forget!". Security expert Will Geddes told said that public figures commenting on Islamic State should take security seriously. He said: "Anyone potentially in the public eye talking about IS needs to be reasonably concerned about their safety. Lists like this provide a paint-by-numbers approach to terrorism. It?s about giving supporters ideas on who or what to target." The UKs security forces are encouraging any online suspected terror-related information to be reported at gov.uk/report-terrorism. PTI AK PMS --- ENDS --- A joint command centre made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today said it would respond to any new aggression. By Reuters: A joint command centre made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the US strike on a Syrian air base on Friday crossed "red lines" and it would respond to any new aggression and increase its support for its ally. The United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on Friday from which it said a deadly chemical weapons attack had been launched earlier in the week, escalating the US role in Syria and drawing criticism from Assad's allies including Russia and Iran. advertisement "What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well," said the statement published by the group on media outlet Ilam al Harbi (War Media). US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meanwhile, blamed Russian inaction for helping fuel the chemical weapons attack it had reacted to, saying Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria. He said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance against Syria by rethinking its alliance with Assad because "every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility." PUTIN, ROUHANI SPEAK Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said on Sunday. The two leaders also called for an objective investigation into an incident involving chemical weapons in Syria's Idlib and said they were ready to deepen cooperation to fight terrorism, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. Syrian army forces had been losing ground across the country until Russia intervened militarily in September 2015, propping up Assad and protecting its own interests in the region. Assad has also drawn heavily on foreign Shi'ite militias sponsored by Iran, led by Lebanon's Hezbollah group, for his most important gains since the Russian intervention. The joint command centre also said the presence of US troops in northern Syria where Washington has hundreds of special forces helping the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to oust Islamic State was "illegal" and that Washington had a long-term plan to occupy the area. The regional alliance said the US cruise missile strikes on a Syrian base which Washington said was involved in a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians would not deter their forces from "liberating" all of Syrian territory. advertisement US STRIKE A 'STRATEGIC ERROR,' SAYS IRAN'S AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US missile strike was a "a strategic error, and a repeat of the mistakes of the past," the state news agency IRNA reported. "The Islamic Republic has shown that.. it does not back off and its people and officials ... do not retreat in the face of threats," said Khamenei. Many Syrians opposed to Assad's rule consider Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian-backed troops as occupiers seeking to drive out mainly Sunni Syrians from the areas they live in. They hold Iran and its allies responsible for the displacement of millions outside the country. They also see Russia as a foreign occupier whose relentless aerial bombardment of rebel-held areas has led to thousands of civilian casualties. Some accuse Moscow of applying a "scorched-earth policy" that targets hospitals, schools and residential areas more than frontlines to break the resolve of the anti-Assad insurgency. ALSO READ | North Korea condemns US bombing on Syria, calls it an 'unforgivable act of aggression' ALSO READ | Russia warns of serious consequences from US strike in Syria WATCH VIDEO | US launched over 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Syria airbase in retaliation to chemical gas attack advertisement --- ENDS --- The two boys drowned after slipping while taking a bath at the Nauranga ghat in Bairia, Uttar Pradesh. By India Today Web Desk: Two teenagers drowned to their deaths in the Ganga, police confirmed today. The 17-year-old and 13-year-old boys drowned yesterday while taking a bath at the Nauranga ghat in Bairia, Uttar Pradesh. The duo slipped while taking their bath and could not manage to make it back to land. The bodies were fished out with the help of locals. advertisement (Inputs from PTI) ALSO WATCH | Patna: Boat capsizes in Ganga, 17 dead --- ENDS --- A famous human rights activist and lawyer in Pakistan -- Veerji Kohli -- was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case by a district and sessions court in Tharparkar. Why do Pakistanis say he was falsely charged and why are they protesting? Know here. By India Today Web Desk: Veerji Kohli is a known human rights activist in Pakistan who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2017. Named as the prime suspect in the murder of a man in an FIR that was registered at the Nagarparkar police station in Pakistan on March 10, 2011, Veerji Kohli belongs to the Pakistan People Party. advertisement The FIR also named 13 others who were allegedly involved in a land dispute with the deceased. While Veerji Kohli was sentenced to life imprisonment, twelve of the co-accused were also sentenced to a two-year imprisonment. WHO IS VEERJI KOHLI? Veerji Kohli, who lived the life of a a bonded labor as a child, rose to become a a prominent human rights activist. He works with Mehargarh and concentrates more on the issue of bonded labour and the rights of such workers. A DNA report states that Veerji Kohli helped many men, women and children escape from feudal lords of the district. Veerji Kohli, the chairman of the Berano union council of Tharparkar, fought for a Hindu girl, Kasturi Kohli, who was gang-raped in Sindh in 2010. Kohli took a strong stance against the biased attitude of Pakistani Police. The case involved feudal lords Raees Ghani Khan Khosa and Bachal Khan Khosa, both rich and powerful. Post his involvement in this particular case, Veerji Kohli was kidnapped and kept in a dungeon, but was let off after human rights activists, a few politicians, senior police officials and the media fought for him. The murder case Veerji Kohli has been sentenced for, his followers say, was falsely implicated. Raees Ghani Khan Khosa and Bachal Khan Khosa used their influence to get Veerji Kohli issue a challan under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, but media reports say that Kohli was in Hyderabad at the time. IMPLICATION OR LEGITIMATE?According to several of his Pakistani supporters, Kohli has been implicated in a murder case by the Nangarparkar police. In 2011, a man named Saleh Shoro was killed in an attack. The Shoros said that the fight was over a cow farm in Baandhi village in Pakistan, which belongs to the Kohlis. However, the Kohlis maintain that there exists no such farm in the village. In 2011, the Kohlis also filed an FIR on charges of assault and theft against 10 Shoro men, according to a Tribune report. When the investigation was carried out, his family and supporters called for an unprejudiced investigation saying that naming Veerji Kohli in the FIR is part of a greater conspiracy to inhabit the land they owned for centuries. advertisement THE STORY LANDS HERE Ashuthama, another human rights activist, had alleged that Veerji Kohli has been named in the case after a minister and some feudal lords influenced the Shoros to name Veerji Kohli as the murder suspect. The mines in Nangarparkar are rich in clay deposits and are worth billions. After landlords and profit mongers set their eyes on the land which was inhabited by Kohlis for so many years, many in the area began to discriminate them. Pakistan's Sindh Hari Porhiyat Council president Punhal Sario said, "The FIR is a sham." Punhal Sariyo has also verified Veerji Kohli's alibi. "We have handed over records of the events Veerji attended when he was in Hyderabad during the time of the incident [?] to RPO Hyderabad and DIG Mirpurkhas," according to a Tribune report. PEOPLE SUPPORT VEERJI KOHLI Hundreds of supporters of Veerji Kohli have staged sit-ins at different places. Pakistanis on Twitter have been tweeting in support of Veerji Kohli. We must create noise about the wrongful conviction of Veerji Kohli - He is a hero and the kind of man Pakistan must and should celebrate!- Sharmeen Obaid (@sharmeenochinoy) April 8, 2017 In 2010, Veerji Kohli led a campaign to get justice for a Hindu girl gang-raped in Sindh. This week he was sentenced to life in prison 1/3- Benazir Shah (@Benazir_Shah) April 8, 2017 Veerji Kohli, Bonded Labourer who became H. Rights Lawyer & UC Chairman wrongly convicted in murder case as revenge for helping rape victim pic.twitter.com/0FPbRHwYoI- M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) April 7, 2017 We must create noise about the wrongful conviction of Veerji Kohli - He is a hero and the kind of man Pakistan must and should celebrate!- Sharmeen Obaid (@sharmeenochinoy) April 8, 2017 Such a shame for Pakistan that people like Veerji Kohli are in jails rather than being cherished:( https://t.co/vpbpyDCDpH- Nawab Ali Khattak (@NawabAliKhan7) April 8, 2017 A Human Rights Defender, Veerji Kohli, is being targeted for his activism.#justiceforVeerji pic.twitter.com/wexggEBOPW- Mehergarh (@Mehergarh1) April 6, 2017 For those who don't know Veerji Kohli, watch the video. If Human Rights Defenders like him are being stopped from... https://t.co/aC4MlFP9sc- Maqbool Kurd (@kurdixh) April 5, 2017 --- ENDS --- advertisement By Press Trust of India: Hoshiarpur (Pb), Apr 8 (PTI) A pall of gloom descended on Jandwal, the native village of Vikram Jaryal, who was shot dead in US Washington state. 26-year-old Vikram was shot dead allegedly by two masked armed robbers at a convenience store of a gas station on April 6. He was working as a clerk in the store at AM-PM Gas Station in Yakima city of Washington and was behind the counter when two people in masks went in and robbed the store. advertisement He was later taken to the hospital where he died. After the tragic news of Vikrams murder reached his village here, several locals reached his house at village Jandwal on Mukerian-Pathankot national highway to console the bereaved family. They could not believe that Vikram, who had left for USA around 22 days back, was no more. Lovely Jaryal, an elder brother of the deceased, said they were three brothers and all of them were in merchant navy. Vikrams father Parshotam Singh (57) and mother Poonam Jaryal (48) years were in a state of shock. Lovely said, "The family has no demand except to perform the last rites of Vikram Jaryal with full honour and dignity." Deceased Vikram Jaryal studied up to XII standard and was having a 10-year US visa. He went to the US around 22 days ago where he got employment in a store at AM-PM Gas Station. Vikrams friend Sanjiv Kumar, who had also been residing in the US, was trying to send back his dead body to the village for cremation. "Sanjiv Kumar along with some others met the authorities at city of Yakima in Washington state of USA to get Virkams body. They assured them that after completing legal procedure, they will handover the same to them," said Lovely. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said it has received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the death of Vikram. "We are coordinating with the investigative agencies. They have got the CCTV footage and are in the process of apprehending the culprits," Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj tweeted. She said the Indian consulate in San Francisco was helping the family and following this up with the police authorities. PTI COR CHS KIS --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: From Gurdip Singh Singapore, Apr 9 (PTI) Traditionalist musicians Wadali brothers received standing ovation for bringing the magic of Sufi culture to Singapore as they performed at the Shine Auditorium on Beach Road here last night. Puranchand Wadali sang various raags and traditional northern Indian ballads with brother Pyarelal explaining their origins and how Sufi presented their versions of God in love. advertisement Though the Wadali brothers have not set up a music academy, Puranchand said he often interacts with students of higher learning andgives discourses in traditional music. "We have always shared our knowledge with students of music whenever one comes to us for learning," said the 78-year old veteran musician. "We are still very busy travelling to meet demand for concerts across northern India. Puranchand, who began singing at the tender age of three, also talked about his early collaboration with Pyarelal, now 70, for extolling ballad duets that have won the heart of millions. "Though we brothers have not gone to school, we have sung every raag across the world," Puranchand said. PTI GS SSN --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, Apr 9 (PTI) Actress Shabana Azmi has expressed optimism about the civil society movement in the country, saying India has a very robust democracy and people fight back whenever the necessity arises. "We have a very robust civil society, very robust democracy that fights back when necessary with all its strength. It thus creates space for women to negotiate for more space," Azmi told the audience during a discussion here on Friday. advertisement When asked to comment on reports of moral policing, imposition of dress code on girls, arguments against triple talaq and romeo squads, she says, "India is a country where people are living in the same place but in absolute contradictions and this encapsulates our multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society. "Similar is the position of women in this country. There are a lot of very empowered women. But again there are cases of female foeticide also in India," she says. Asserting that the whole situation was not "entirely depressing", Azmi says, "When I look at the whole picture, I am an optimist. I feel glass is half-filled not half-empty." The 66-year old actress plays one of the three female protagonists in Aparna Sens "Sonata" along with Lillete Dubey and the director-actor. Talking about women mustering the courage to fight against diktats, Aparna says, "In my second film Parama, I had referred how economic independence is important for women. And economic independence comes from literacy." PTI SUS MM JCH --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Adding MLAs remarks made today, reaction of parties) Hyderabad, Apr 9 (PTI) A local BJP MLA has stoked a controversy with his remarks that the heads of "traitors" opposing construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will be chopped off. T Raja Singh, who represents Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, is heard saying this in a video where he is addressing a gathering as part of Ram Navmi celebrations held here on April 5. advertisement Asked about his remarks, Singh today said he can give his life for the sake of Ram temple and "even take the life of traitors who oppose the building of Ram temple". "We will not allow the people who believe in destroying this nation to stay in this country. It is our pledge to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and we will abide by it. We can give our life for Ram temple and even take the life of traitors who oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya," he told PTI. The Congress hit out at the BJP, saying its "mask" has fallen off and alleged that there "is intimidation of the minorities" under its rule. The BJP, however, sought to douse the controversy asserting that the Ram temple can be built only with consensus. Party leader Shaina NC said that the Prime Minister has made it clear that there is no space in a free and elected democratic society for people who choose to be the so-called moral custodians of society. She indicated that if needed, action can be taken against the MLA. "We are a disciplined cadre, and if we feel there is need to pull up somebody, I am sure the person concerned will have to bear the brunt," she said. However, the Congress was unimpressed as its spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that the BJP cannot wash off its hands by calling those making inflammatory statements as fringe elements. "The truth is that there is no fringe anymore. These are mainstream elected BJP leaders either in parliament or the assembly.... This is a political strategy. This is a manifestation of the most ugliest form of politics. "What is happening in Alwar, what happened in Dadri, you can see the kind of reactions happening all over the place where the BJP is currently in government, there is intimidation of the minorities. "I think this is the most crude form of majoritarian politics and let me assure you, the PM will not say a word, not even condemn it," he added. He was referring to the lynching of a Muslim man on suspicion that he had stored beef in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in 2015, and the recent fatal attack on another man from the community by cow vigilantes. advertisement In the video, the MLA purportedly says, "The day is not far... the dream of every Hindu of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Recently, a video came on WhatsApp from Uttar Pradesh and someone was saying if Ram Mandir is built in Ayodhya they will create tehelka (chaos) in entire country. We welcome this. In fact, we were waiting for this day for the past several years so that when you traitors raise your heads, we will behead you. "Nobody has guts to stop construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," the legislator said. "A grand Ram Mandir will be definitely built in Ayodhya. I challenge that whosoever tries to stop building a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I will deal with such traitor," said Singh who had made certain controversial remarks in the past as well. PTI VVK NSK VAG RT --- ENDS --- An unidentified man was burnt alive in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, the stronghold of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The assailants fled the spot after committing the crime. By India Today Web Desk: While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has warned the miscreants in the state after taking over the reins of the government, but that does not seem to be a deterrent to the goons of his own stronghold in Gorakhpur. A man was burnt alive near Tenua toll plaza at Sahjnwa in Gorakhpur - the political citadel of Yogi Adityanath, who is the sitting MP from this seat. advertisement The identity of the victim has not yet been ascertained. He was found burnt in a car bearing number UP53 CJ 9938. Some reports suggest that the victim's hands and feet were tied with a rope. Some locals were reported as saying that the assailants had come in the same car to the crime spot. They tied the hands and feet of the victim, put him inside the car and set it ablaze before fleeing the spot. The locals saw the car in flames and informed police. By the time the fire tenders could arrive, the man was charred to death. Senior police officials reached the spot. Police investigation is underway. ALSO READ | Yogi fear grips Gorakhpur as UP CM plans to make maiden visit Watch Video: CM Yogi gets cracking, pays surprise visit to UP police station --- ENDS --- This was Yogi Adityanath's first Inter-State Council standing committee meet after becoming the chief minister of India's most populous state. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The Inter-State Council (ISC) standing committee that met today in the capital after a gap of 12 years saw the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath walk in at least 20 minutes late. Adityanath's meeting with BJP President Amit Shah earlier in the day is believed to have caused the delay. In the meeting, Yogi spoke for barely two minutes while discussing financial relations between state and the Centre. advertisement According to sources, the Uttar Pradesh CM demanded funds for underdeveloped regions like Purvanchal and Bundhelkhand. ON SECURITY, FUNDS AND GOVERNANCE This was Yogi Adityanath's first Inter-State Council meeting after becoming the chief minister of India's most populous state. The meet that lasted for three and half hours focused on Centre-state relation, law and order, role of governor and state governance. According to agenda circulated in the meet, Uttar Pradesh is among the seven states who object to the authority of the governor (under Section 197 CRPC) to grant prosecution sanction against a member of council of ministers. On issue of deployment of security forces, it is learnt that Uttar Pradesh sided with Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh- firmly stating that central forces should be sent to state only on request from the latter. The view of the states was that sending security forces should not be a unilateral decision of the Centre. Also read: Inter-State Council meets after 12 years over Governor's role, contentious issues Also read: Man burnt alive in Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur, unknown assailants flee spot Also read: Yogi effect in Gujarat: Now Congress promises to waive off farmers' loans --- 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. The Sarpy County Sheriff's Office said witnesses heard a man calling for help on the north side of the lake. Other witnesses said the capsized boat was near the dock, and the man went under the water but did not come back up. One hundred years ago this week, a urinal was transformed into the most influential artwork of the 20th century. Fountain didnt instantly change the world when Marcel Duchamp took the porcelain urinal, laid it on its back, signed it R. Mutt and entered it into the Society of Independent Artists 1917 exhibition in New York. But by the 1960s, Duchamps groundbreaking recontextualizing of the utilitarian object had been recognized as the precursor of much contemporary art -- you wouldnt have minimalism, conceptualism or performance art without Duchamp and Fountain. And, like it or not, traditional art -- painting, sculpture, ceramics, etc. -- now cannot help being viewed, at least to some measure, in Duchampian fashion. Why? Because Fountain was the pivotal piece that moved art from the retinal, as Duchamp called the visual appreciation of a physical object, to the cerebral. That is that art is about the idea as much or more than the object, an intellectual process that can turn everyday objects like the urinal or Duchamps earlier readymades -- a bottle rack, a rake, a bicycle wheel mounted on a stool -- into art. That happens, in part, because the artist says "this is art" and because of the context in the work, which no longer has to be a physical object, is presented. Rather than ask why, his art asks how, Duchamp scholar Paul B. Franklin told Englands The Telegraph a few years ago. Its about intellectual process. He described his art as a game between I and me -- subject and object, the initiator and the receiver. And, for Duchamp, the role of the receiver is as important as that of the creator of the work being received. The creative act is not performed by the artist alone, Duchamp once said. The spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting and thus adds his contribution to the creative act. That too changes the nature of the way in which art is viewed, at least on the intellectual level where notions of connoisseurship are less relevant than sussing out meaning and intent. And its also worth noting that everything isnt to be taken 100 percent seriously -- Duchamp was a provocateur with a sense of humor, deflating the pomposity of art that he was freeing from its traditional confines. By the way, the designation of Fountain as the most important work of the 20th century isnt mine. That said, Id wholeheartedly agree with the ranking that came from the BBC, which, in 2004, polled 500 art experts asking them to name the most influential modern art work of all time. Given that modern art developed in the late 19th century, that poll covered just over a century of work. Marilyn Diptych, a 1962 silkscreen painting by Andy Warhol, much of whose work is easily related to Duchamp, finished third. Les Demoiselles dAvignon, Pablo Picassos groundbreaking proto-cubist painting from 1907, finished second. But the most famous artist of the 20th century has to take a backseat when it comes to influence. Fountain, to steal Willem deKoonings phrase describing Jackson Pollocks painting, changed everything. And it continues to do so, a century after it was rejected from the art show that had said it would take anything submitted by an artist. A final note, if you happen to see Fountain, which in truth isnt much to look at, youre not looking at the original. The first Fountain was photographed by Alfred Steiglitz shortly after it was rejected and then lost -- mostly likely discarded -- to history. In the 1960s, when his work and philosophy was beginning to permeate the art world, Duchamp commissioned a suite of replicas. So, ironically -- and the prankster Duchamp unquestionably planned this -- the Fountain youll see in a museum isnt a factory-made industrial object but a meticulously hand-crafted art work. But they look the same -- opening up another can of is this art? worms. Or you might see a tiny version of Fountain in Boite en Valise, (box in a suitcase), a set of miniature reproductions of Duchamps works -- save his installation masterpiece Etant donne or a print of an outline of Fountain -- examples of both are in the Sheldon Museum of Art collection. Not bad for a urinal that, had Duchamp not purchased it a few days before the exhibition, would have served a far different function than forever changing art. The latest incident at the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln underscores the need for fixing a prison system that seems to keep sputtering under its current leadership, some senators and observers outside of state government say. They had already been questioning why progress of Nebraska's crowded prisons seems so elusive. Friday night's disturbance at the Lincoln prison, which included a fire and assaults on three staff members in a unit that houses violent and sometimes aggressive inmates, brought more concerns, especially in light of threatened lawsuits by ACLU of Nebraska because of crowding and conditions for inmates. "There has to be progress. We have to see progress," said Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, who has served on two corrections investigative committees the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee. Taylor Gage, spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts, said Saturday the department is continuing to make steady progress in a number of areas. ACLU of Nebraska plans an announcement as early as next week related to its promised civil rights case, Director Danielle Conrad said Saturday. "If state officials continue to fail to act and will not lead, we will," Conrad said. "We are saddened by the continuing violence and destruction in Nebraska's crisis-riddled and severely overcrowded prisons," she said. "In the final analysis, these disturbances are due to a failure in leadership by state officials." The organization renewed its call for Ricketts to exercise the authority he presently has to declare an emergency, to put public safety first and to bring the appropriate people together to develop solutions. "The time is now," she said. Gage noted Friday's incident was resolved quickly and without significant injury. Krist said Saturday the department's lack of control and safety in the prisons are not helping the state avoid action by the Department of Justice and the ACLU. There now have been three incidents in two years of inmates taking control of housing units for hours. In two of those, a total of four inmates were killed. Last year, an escape from the Lincoln Correctional Center endangered public safety for days. It may be time, he said, to attempt to suspend the rules and reinstate the Department of Corrections special investigative committee. "There's some tough questions that need to be asked and there's accountability that needs to be assigned," he said. The excuse from Ricketts and Corrections Director Scott Frakes seems to be that these inmates are bad people, he said. "We get that," Krist said. "But what can we do and who's accountable for making sure these bad people don't do harm to our corrections officers?" Last year, the number of assaults on staff causing injuries increased 57 percent over the previous year, and 141 percent over two years, according to a report by Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick. The number of inmate assaults on staff requiring urgent medical attention, such as stitches, broken bones, concussion or partial or full loss of consciousness reached 224 in 2016, compared with 143 in 2015 and 93 in 2014. Assaults without serious injuries also increased over those two years. In August, nine staff members at the Lincoln Correctional Center were assaulted at one time. Koebernick said the prison was understaffed at the time, compared to recent recommendations from a staffing analysis. Gage said the call for another oversight committee is coming from the same senators who proposed last week to cut the agency's budget request funding key reform. Ricketts and Frakes had requested additional money for staffing in the 2017-19 budget that is being wrapped up now by the Appropriations Committee and will be debated by the full Legislature in the coming weeks. Ricketts asked for about 96 new protective-services positions at a cost of about $11 million. Last week, the Appropriations Committee reduced that number after looking at a vacancy report for the department that showed 148 unfilled positions, said Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz. "In a tough budget year, it's not logical to fund positions that are not likely to be filled," Bolz said. The committee decided it was willing to fund 50 of those positions over the two years at a cost of $4.5 million. Frakes said at a news conference the next day he was disturbed by the reduction, because senators have been asking for two years for the department to tell the Legislature what it needed, and when it did, senators reduced what was requested. The governor encourages the Legislature to fully fund the corrections budget, Gage said. The Legislature's Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee last week questioning the department's request for additional staff in light of the high vacancies. The existing positions should be filled, the oversight committee said, before funding any more. It recommended diverting some of the department's appropriation to other critical needs such as merit pay to help retain current employees. Frakes told the Judiciary Committee at a recent hearing that staff could benefit from increased pay. Some received pay increases last year. At that hearing, Sen. Ernie Chambers told Frakes that when Frakes took over in 2014 he walked into a different set of circumstances in the department than he thought existed when he agreed to take the job. That was true, Frakes told him, in terms of employment issues and the depth of dysfunction within his agency. "If you could pay more money, do you think you could attract more people?" Chambers asked him. "Potentially so," Frakes told him. Frakes said the department has a reasonable and competitive starting wage. The Legislature has danced for four years with the Department of Corrections and heard all the excuses and that "things will be better on the other side of the rainbow," Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said at the hearing. Still, he had great empathy for Frakes, he said. "I think he has skills. Lots of skills. I think he has a great background. I think when he came to Nebraska he hit a set of circumstances that makes anybody who has any empathy at all for him ask, "Why does he continue on here?'" Schumacher said. Frakes is like a mechanic, who knows perfectly well what's wrong with the engine, and could fix it, but is told he cannot have a tool box, Schumacher said. The senator said there's probably only one cure for this problem. "And that's going to come by way of a federal court order," he said. That experience will be miserable, he said, and should be avoided if at all possible. Infested with termites and featuring a fresco of water damage on the sanctuary ceiling, the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Lutheran Center is due for a makeover. Next spring, the Lutheran Center plans to embark on a $6 million project to tear down its current sanctuary and fellowship hall at 535 N. 16th St. and replace it with a new building designed to raise its profile and better serve its ministry. We said if were going to spend that much money on this, we might as well tear down completely and build a better building that actually serves us better than this one does, said Jenna Olson Popp, who is coordinating the Lutheran Centers fundraising campaign. Replacing the 1950s-era building nestled on Greek Row has created opportunities for two students to think about how the project can better serve the 700-plus students who worship at the faith center affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and future students. Prime among them: How is worship better facilitated through a building design? And how can students leverage their education to serve God? Theyve been questions worth exploring, Grant Moehlenhoff told a forum of students gathered at the Lutheran Center on Wednesday. Moehlenhoff was tapped by Pastor Adam White three years ago to represent students on the design committee, and in Whites words, to explore the faith dimension of his vocation. We wanted to draw someone into the project who would be a member of the community, that cared about faith and was also working toward become an architect, White said. The senior from Overland Park, Kansas, said he viewed it as an opportunity to get practical experience to go along with his education, but what he found was much more. Im not sure I know the full answer to it yet, Moehlenhoff told the student forum. Design can create proper space for the functions of ministry, but its also the relationships created from the design. Moehlenhoff said the Lutheran Center has been the spark to so many connections for him, both professionally as he has worked alongside architect Kevin Clark of Clark Architects Collaborative, as well as personally in the friendships he's made. Last fall, a second UNL student, Devin McLean of Englewood, Colorado, joined the committee to also cut his teeth on some real-world architecture work. Like Moehlenhoff, McLean said that while he would get limited use of the new center when it opens in the fall of 2019, it has opened his eyes to "unanticipated" benefits his chosen profession can create. Being involved in this project was really a way to kind of support future generations of people here at UNL, McLean said. In designing the center, Moehlenhoff said the committee aimed to think about how the Lutheran Center could transform, along with the neighborhood around it the College of Business, the new University Health Center and Willa Cather Dining Hall, all under construction. The committee also wanted to draw more people to the building, and solve a mystery many find just by looking at it from the street. A lot of people dont know its a church," Moehlenhoff said. That will change with the new building, he said, which includes a sanctuary reoriented to the south side of the lot with a vaulted roof that looks and functions as a Lutheran church. Natural light pouring into the worship space below will create a sacred atmosphere for both worship and prayer that can also be reconfigured as needed to host a concert or a lecture. Moving through the design Wednesday night, Moehlenhoff and McLean said the church basement like most church basements will continue as a fellowship hall, kitchen and recreation space, as well as an area for Bible study. The biggest changes with the new building will come on the second story, which according to Olson Popp will become university-approved housing for a dozen students in what they're calling a living and learning community. Individual rooms connected by shared bathrooms will surround a communal kitchen, dining room and living area on the second floor, which also opens onto a terrace overlooking 16th Street. Olson Popp said the students living at the Lutheran Center will become ambassadors for the campus ministry. They will really live a life focused on faith and be a welcoming presence in this community, she said. Opening the center to students could also generate as much as $90,000 a year that will go back into building maintenance and to help with other big expenses. It helps us fund the building and not use our donors dollars for building maintenance but for ministry, Olson Popp said. The Lutheran Center has raised approximately $3.6 million of its $6 million goal, with $550,000 coming from more than 40 ELCA congregations in Nebraska. By May 1, if the Lutheran Center has raised $4 million, it will begin drawing up detailed designs for the building while continuing to solicit donations. Olson Popp said the center needs to have $5 million in pledges by Dec. 1 to go ahead with demolition of its current building after Easter services next year. The Lutheran Center plans to open its new building in the fall of 2019, the 100th anniversary of its ministry at UNL. Police formed a perimeter Saturday morning near Speedway Village to search for a suspect who stole hunting gear from a southwest Lincoln business. Capt. Bob Farber said an employee of Paul Davis Restoration was at the businesss Sixth Street warehouse when alarms were triggered at approximately 9 a.m. When police arrived, a man was spotted walking on the railroad tracks next to the building carrying hunting gear. The suspect dropped the gear and fled toward Wilderness Park, Farber said. A perimeter was formed between Pioneers Boulevard and West Calvert Street and First Street and Salt Creek, said Capt. Don Scheinost. A Nebraska State Patrol helicopter and a K-9 unit assisted in the search, police say. The perimeter was called off at 1:13 p.m. The suspect cut padlocks off storage containers behind the business, Farber said. It is not known if the suspect was inside the warehouse. The business is missing hunting decoys and other materials, although some items were recovered. Farber described the suspect as a medium-built white male in his 30s, wearing dark clothing and a hat. The suspect is not believed to be a danger to the public, Farber said. As the 2017 Legislature prepares to consider an extensive revision of Nebraska's tax structure, this week marks the 50th anniversary of the storm-tossed arrival of a state sales-income tax system. Enactment of the two taxes by the Legislature on April 12, 1967, is a hallmark moment in the state's history, the beginning of change. Fifty years ago, Gov. Norbert Tiemann and the Legislature were under the gun because state government all of a sudden had no visible means of support. Voters had wiped out a newly enacted state income tax law and simultaneously eliminated the state property tax, which was the state government's essential funding source at the time, just two months before state senators and a newly elected governor gathered in Lincoln. The income tax law fell victim to a referendum vote, and the state property tax was forbidden by a petition-driven constitutional amendment. State government suddenly and quite dramatically had no major source of revenue. Fifty years later, agriculture is in economic distress largely as a result of low commodity prices, and that has delivered a blunt blow to the state's economy, resulting in a sharp decline in revenue that had been anticipated, or projected, to support state government. The result is overwhelming political pressure for state budget austerity accompanied by a rural-driven demand for local property tax reduction through legislative action taken by the state. Property taxes today are the chief funding source for local government, including school districts. At the same time that budgets now are being squeezed, Gov. Pete Ricketts and conservative state senators are calling for phased-in reductions in the state's individual and corporate income taxes. That sets the state on course toward smaller government and a reduction in future revenue available for state activities, including the University of Nebraska. The impetus for that kind of tax change marks a 180-degree turn from one of the driving forces in shaping the tax decisions made 50 years ago. Today's proposed changes would gradually and steadily shrink state government's available revenue base and, in the process, limit government's role and ability. In 1967, Tiemann and the majority of the Legislature were determined to add a new state income tax to a proposed state sales tax over strong opposition largely centered in Omaha not only in the interest of achieving fairness and tax equity, but also to produce a larger revenue stream that would allow the state to move forward with dramatic change. That dual tax system fueled a new program of state aid to schools, creation of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, increased funding support to build a larger and higher-quality state university system, creation of a Department of Economic Development, and it was accompanied by authorized bonded indebtedness for highway construction for the first time. That was change on steroids accompanied by political peril. It was a landmark moment in the state's centennial year. Now, 50 years later, the Legislature is poised to consider fundamental change in its tax structure in Nebraska's sesquicentennial year. * * * "If you persist in your irresponsible spending and taxing, you won't have a ghost of a chance to be re-elected," L.M. Kingy of Omaha wrote Tiemann on Feb. 12, 1967. "Many of us are beginning to wonder if we supported the wrong candidate," C.W. Luder of Omaha wrote the governor on Feb. 10. "Ninety-five percent or more of my friends, acquaintances and business associates are aroused to the point of fury," John Spencer of Omaha wrote on Feb. 21. But the letters, handwritten and typed, angry and blunt, did not just come from Omaha. They poured into the governor's office from across the state. Box 31 of Tiemann's extensive gubernatorial papers housed at the Nebraska State Historical Society overflows with outrage and anger, and the addresses include Arthur, Tilden, Peru, North Platte, Fremont, Blair, Lincoln, Columbus, Gibbon, Holmesville, Ralston, Bellevue, Lynch, Kimball, Beatrice, on and on. Responding to W.D. Kipple of O'Neill on March 13, Tiemann wrote: "Your threat to vote me out of office has absolutely no impact. I did not take this job to perpetuate myself in politics but to make the hard and firm decisions that need to be made to make Nebraska progress." "I do not agree that passing such a tax law will mean the end of my political career," Tiemann wrote Rudolph Tesar of Omaha on March 22. "However, if it does," he added, "so be it." * * * The income tax portion of the proposed sales-income tax system was the major point of contention, not only within the Legislature but across the state and particularly in Omaha, where corporate leaders and the Omaha World-Herald argued for a sales tax only. This is a bill that "may cause the members of this Legislature to be the most hated people in Nebraska," Sen. Sam Klaver of Omaha warned on Feb. 21 as senators braced for nearly 100 proposed amendments following a series of Revenue Committee meetings that stretched until midnight. An effort by Sen. Henry Pedersen of Omaha on March 16 to remove the personal income tax from the bill and instead increase the proposed sales tax rate was rejected on a 33-12 vote. "We are creating a situation which can call for great unrest in our state," Sen. Clifton Batchelder of Omaha declared as legislators worked their way through 136 sections of the bill one by one. The personal income tax provision is "the one thing that seems to be the bone of contention," he said. And then, centering on the largely unspoken factor that especially concerned committed Republican conservatives like him, Batchelder warned that including an income tax provided "an opportunity to make tremendous expenditures." Three years later, in 1970, Batchelder would challenge Tiemann in the Republican gubernatorial primary election, wounding the embattled governor in advance of the general election, when Democratic nominee Jim Exon would defeat him in Tiemann's bid for re-election. During a last-ditch effort to scuttle the tax bill before its passage on April 12, Klaver told fellow senators he was offering a final opportunity "to save you from entering the dungeon of darkness, of despair, of uncertainty." The bill will be "giving the spenders a Roman holiday," he said. Sen. William Skarda of Omaha was more blunt: "You play with a skunk, you smell like a skunk." * * * Tiemann addressed concerns about increased state spending in responses to the river of letters that had been flowing into the governor's office for months. "Many legitimate state needs have gone unmet in recent years and have now become amplified to the point where immediate action is necessary," Tiemann wrote Mrs. Kenneth Harwick of Omaha on March 22. Among the "unmet needs" he mentioned: the University of Nebraska, state colleges and the state's mental and correctional institutions. "Hard decisions have to be made, some that are not popular, but have to be made if the state of Nebraska is to make sound, solid progress," Tiemann wrote Mrs. G.G. Gates Jr., of Omaha, on Jan. 11. "I have repeated the needs for educational excellence, improved welfare services, economic development," the governor wrote Harry Culbertson of McCook on March 20. And Tiemann was direct in identifying the source of the fiercest opposition. "The legislators are now under great pressure from wealthy Omaha interests to enact only a sales tax and not an income tax," he wrote Mrs. C.E. Ahlquist, a transplanted Nebraskan who had retired in San Juan, Texas, in a letter dated March 9. "The rich and powerful organizations, as you indicate, are trying to get the personal income tax law rejected," Tiemann wrote Paul Burke of Omaha. "This would allow them to toss the burden of increasing the sales tax rate on the low-income groups and this is what I have violently opposed." * * * Jim Hewitt of Lincoln was there in the governor's circle of mostly young aides and informal advisers when the new tax policy was formulated. It was a group that became known as "the Whiz Kids," many of whom first helped the man they knew as Nobby Tiemann during his election campaign. As the new tax policy was being formed, "we felt really locked-in," Hewitt, a retired Lincoln attorney, recalled during an interview over coffee. "Nobby always thought we needed to get into the 20th century," he said, and a sales-income tax system pointed the way. Clayton Yeutter, the governor's chief-of-staff who later would rise to national prominence as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. trade ambassador, was "the principal thinker," Hewitt said. And Yeutter was determined to "make sure it was a fair tax system," Hewitt said. "Nobby always was willing to listen," he said. "But he made the decisions. He called the shots." It was clear that the new tax package, especially its inclusion of an income tax, "could cost Tiemann a second term," Hewitt said, "and I think he knew that. Nobby knew from the beginning that there would be a fallout." But that balanced revenue stream "opened up possibilities" for Nebraska, Hewitt said, and they are reflected today in the progress that has built the state. * * * Tiemann addressed his determination to construct a fair tax system that would build a dependable revenue stream in his response to many of the letters that poured in. "In order to achieve tax equality, it is necessary to spread the burden as equally as possible; therefore, a combination sales-income tax must be enacted," Tiemann wrote Rudolph Tesar on March 22. "A fair tax is one that is composed of sales tax, personal income tax and corporate income tax," the governor wrote to Mr. and Mrs. William Rus of Norfolk on March 14. "If the personal income tax is eliminated, then the burden falls on the low-income people, which is absolutely unfair and I will not support this type of revenue bill." The Norfolk couple had written Tiemann: "We cast our ballots for you last November, but it hasn't taken us very long to regret that." * * * The legislative vote to enact the sales-income tax was 38-11. Nine of the 11 no votes were cast by Omaha senators. School kids from Winnebago, North Bend and Cedar Bluffs were in the balcony. Tiemann's wife, Lorna, was in the chamber and she was introduced by Sen. Jules Burbach of Crofton, who had guided the bill through the Revenue Committee. Sen. Richard Marvel of Hastings, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, expressed his personal anguish in reaching a decision before the vote was taken to enact the bill. "I sat up most of the night trying to make this decision," Marvel said. "This is probably the toughest decision I have ever made." But, Marvel said, he ultimately was convinced that the Legislature could "keep the spending under control with the tremendous tools we have." Enactment of the landmark tax bill occurred on the 1967 Legislature's 69th day in session. Debate on this year's proposal to restructure Nebraska's state income tax and diminish its revenue-producing ability will begin on April 21, the 2017 Legislature's 69th day. OMAHA The Nebraska Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review an Omaha man's claim that authorities withheld evidence that would have helped him beat a murder conviction. The state's high court made the ruling Friday in a post-conviction appeal by 45-year-old Jack Harris. Harris is serving a life sentence for the 1995 shooting death of 35-year-old Anthony Jones of Omaha. Prosecutors said Jones was killed in a plot by Harris and another man to rob him of drugs and money. Harris said in his latest appeal that a witness gave police information in 1999 that implicated the other man. Friday, the state's high court ruled the lower court must reconsider the merits of the Harris' claim. RACINE COUNTY Leaders of local libraries are pushing back against proposed federal funding cuts. The federal Institute for Museums and Library Services, which is eliminated in President Donald Trumps budget proposal, provides roughly $2.5 million for libraries in Wisconsin. That money is used for a variety of literacy, workforce development and library technology projects throughout the state, according to the Friends of the Racine Public Library. It also funds resources like the BadgerLink information database, the statewide shared e-book collection and the delivery system for statewide interlibrary loans. Its definitely a pretty significant concern for the library community right now, said Steve Ohs, administrator of the Lakeshores Library System, the regional library consortium that serves Racine and Walworth counties and is based in Rochester. In Racine, interlibrary loans accounted for 14 percent of its total circulation, while e-book checkouts were another 8 percent. The library could not afford to make up for losses through local tax dollars, said Jill Hartmann, president of the Friends of the Racine Public Library. The current system of sharing resources among libraries throughout the state is efficient and effective, which doesnt always happen with taxpayer dollars, Hartmann said. Youre getting good value for your money. The Lakeshores Library System transforms federal grant dollars each year into technology services, including equipment and network servers, Ohs said. In addition to opportunities for grant money, Burlington Library Director Joe Davies said he is worried about losing state-level support staff. This money helps make it possible for me to provide excellent service, Davies said. If that moneys not there, theres a possibility that the services Ill be able to offer wont be as good. Thats not what I want to do for my patrons or my community. It would cause the need to make a bunch of hard decisions about how services will be provided, Ohs added. Work in progress A spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan didnt comment directly on specific programs, but has noted that Congress sets actual funding levels for programs after the president submits his budget for review. Congress is widely expected to make major changes to Trumps proposal. In addition to the Institute for Museums and Library Services, Trumps spending plan cuts a wide swath of domestic programs while increasing military spending. KANSASVILLE Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave doesnt do well with needles, but as a person with blood type O-negative, he feels like its a personal responsibility to donate. O-negative blood is often referred to as universal blood, meaning it can be transfused to almost any patient in need. It makes me feel that Ive made a small but worthwhile contribution, Delagrave said, adding that he tries to donate blood three to four times a year. I feel an obligation to donate blood semi-frequently because of my universal blood. On Saturday, Delegrave and roughly 46 other people donated blood to the BloodCenter of Wisconsin at the Kansasville Fire and Rescue station located at 23730 Durand Ave. This is one of the bigger blood drives, Delagrave said. Theyre reaching, probably, a population that doesnt usually get a chance to donate blood. Racine County is organizing a blood drive for its employees on April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the courthouse located at 720 Wisconsin Ave. Any blood drive that we can do or an organization can do makes a huge difference, Delegrave said, adding that his sister had a medical issue and was in-part saved by a blood transfusion. She was fortunate to get a blood transfusion because of the donors. The blood drive on Saturday was organized by the Burlington Back 40 4-H club, which helps young people learn about leadership, citizenship and life skills. Seventeen-year-old Justin Ehrhart, a student at Waterford High School and youth president of the 4-H club, said the young people in the area helped bring out the donors. Having our blood drive here gets all the rural people that wouldnt normally donate blood, Ehrhart said. Our 47 people (who signed up) are typically ones that wouldnt got out of their way to donate. But they are (donating) because the youth from our club came up to them and asked them to donate. Ehrhart said there are about 120 young people in the 4-H club and this is the fourth year of this blood drive. BloodCenter supplies 56 hospitals Several weeks ago the BloodCenter of Wisconsin had an emergency donation appeal to stock their supply of blood. When we have the type of shortage we had a couple of weeks ago, it can become a challenging situation, said Fay Spano, director of public relations for the BloodCenter. Thankfully, the community turned out and we were able to elevate our supply to a two- to three-day level of all blood types where we like to see it. Spano said the BloodCenter needs to have 800 donors a day statewide in order to ensure it can serve the 56 hospitals to which it supplies blood. In the event of a trauma situation, where one individual may require many units of a particular blood type, we must be prepared for that and ensure our hospital partners have the needed supply, Spano said. One in three people will need a blood transfusion in their lifetime. RACINE Careers and college, community and caring: those are the cornerstones of 21st Century Preparatory School. At the 4K-8 independent public charter school, students continuously explore college and career options, take an active role in the community, and are part of a close-knit, caring academic community. 21st Century Prep, located in the former Western Publishing building at 1220 Mound Ave., was established in 2002 with a charter from the Wisconsin Board of Regents held by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. It started out as a 4K-4 grade school, then grades 5-8 were added, and now the school has 500 students enrolled. The school emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning and has two learning tracks for their middle school students: Global Leadership and Innovation, explained Arletta Tucker, the schools Executive Director. The students are given the tools they need to thrive in todays high-tech, interconnected world. Thanks to a donation from SC Johnson, every student was given a Chrome laptop, which the students use daily both in and outside the classroom for lessons and research. Career, college focus starts in kindergarten We are very mission-driven with a lot of emphasis on college and careers, even for our youngest kids, said Tucker. For example, she explained, professionals ranging from police officers to beauticians give classroom presentations, and the older students visit colleges and local businesses. The school even secured a grant that enabled seventh-graders to spend a summer working in a job internship, she said. 21st Century Prep is proud that 93 percent of students who graduate from the schoograduates from high school, she noted. That graduation rate is higher than Racines overall high school graduation rate of 78.1 percent and the states graduation rate of 88.4 percent Although the school doesnt have formal data on how many of its alumni pursue higher education, self-reported data from former students indicate that about 80 percent go to college or technical school. Community and civic focus The school also teaches its students to be good citizens of the community and the world. We think our community involvement distinguishes us, Tucker said. The kids are very much a part of the community. They do a lot of work with the city of Racine. They do speaking engagements at the City Council. We teach them how to give back to the community. We expect them to show respectful behavior not only at the school, but also in the community. Those values of community engagement and volunteerism instilled in students have staying power, Tucker explained, noting that alumni frequently come back to volunteer, whether its to move furniture or help at an event. The school also offers students the opportunity to be part of the community outside of Racine. For instance, last year students went on a field trip to Canada and New York to study the Great Lakes, raising the funds for the trip through pizza sales and other projects. Racine is great, but the world is greater, Tucker said, referring to the schools philosophy to introduce students to the world beyond Racines city limits. When asked what type of student does well at 21st Century Prep, Tucker said its the parents who are the key to their childrens success. Parents of prospective students are told that they must be committed to their childrens education and take an active role. Parents need to make sure the homework gets done and need to be a partner with us, Tucker said. If the parents just want to drop them off and not be involved, this is not the school for them. A caring community Its a two-way street with parents, she noted, because the schools staff works closely with parents to make sure they understand the expectations for their children. We have a parent resource center right in the building, Tucker said. For example, she said, parents can drop in at the resource center to learn how to use the laptops so they can help their children with homework. We want to have a true partnership with parents, Tucker said. We truly care. When we say we care, we care. In addition, an ELL navigator works closely with parents of Spanish-speaking students. The navigator visits the parents at their homes and talks to them in their native language so they understand what they need to do to help their children succeed. The school is currently accepting students. Interested parents are invited to visit the school, take a tour and fill out an application. If all the slots in a grade are filled, students can be placed on a waiting list. Looking to the future, Tucker said the school hopes to increase its enrollment to 700 students. However, there are no plans at this time to expand the school to high school. The staff wants to concentrate on its core mission of providing a quality 4K-8 education. For more information about 21st Century Preparatory, please visit the website, www.21stprepschool.org, call the school at 262-598-0026 or arrange for a tour. If you are interested in having a story in this spot contact Journal Times advertising at 262-631-1709. Our system of checks and balances ensures that no one of the three branches of the federal government becomes too powerful: Congress controls the presidents budget, the president determines appointments to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by the president. It is somewhat adversarial, and we would argue that it needs to be: We want, for example, the legislative branch to keep the executive branch in check. U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has a curious interpretation of this concept. It was Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of then-President-elect Donald Trumps transition team, who took a middle-of-the-night trip to the White House before briefing Trump on the status of his committees investigation into members of Trumps presidential campaign and transition team, some of whom now work in the White House, regarding the Trump campaigns contact with Russian officials. Checks and balances? This is equivalent to the district attorney on Law and Order going over to the suspects house and saying Here is all the evidence we have against you, and here is the strategy Im going to use at trial. As reported by the New York Times, a pair of White House officials helped provide Nunes with the intelligence reports that showed that the president and his associates were incidentally swept up in foreign surveillance by American spy agencies. After dark on March 21, the Times reported, Nunes got a call from a person he has described only as a source. The call came as he was riding across town in an Uber car, and he quickly diverted to the White House. The next day, Nunes gave a hastily arranged news conference before going to brief the president on what he had learned the night before from as it turns out White House officials. Among the people Nunes did not brief before briefing the president? U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. When you rush to tell the president before you tell your committees ranking member of the opposition party and you repeatedly dismiss the idea that you were wrong to disclose the existence of dozens of classified intelligence reports about incidental surveillance of associates of Trump you make it far too easy for others to paint your investigation as nakedly partisan, that you are eager to do the bidding of the occupant of the Oval Office, the one at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Nunes stepped down as head of the Trump campaign-Russia investigation on Thursday. He blamed left-wing activist groups for complaints lodged against him with the Office of Congressional Ethics, but that kind of finger-pointing falls flat when you say it less than a half-hour before the House Committee on Ethics says youre under investigation for possibly having made unauthorized disclosures of classified information. It is vital that the American people know what role, if any, the Russian government or its agents played in the presidential election, and if any members of the Trump campaign conspired with them. Not because we dispute the outcome of the Nov. 8 election Donald Trump won the election fairly, and we have seen nothing to suggest otherwise but because we dont want foreign nations intruding in our elections, and we want to know if American citizens, especially Americans presently working in the White House, took part in that intrusion. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue. We need an independent, nonpartisan investigation by the House of Representatives. Congressman Nunes actions left us doubting his ability to lead an independent, nonpartisan investigation, and that meant he needed to step aside. 10 vehicles booked for breaching rule The traffic police have booked only 10 public transport vehicles that are over 20 years old since the ban on use of two-decade old public vehicles in the Kathmandu Valley was enforced in March. Army ready to fight any crisis the country faces: Gen Chhetri Chief of Army Staff Gen Rajendra Chhetri has said that the Nepal Army is capable and ready to fight any crisis the country faces. Camels nose under the tent For the first time in history, Nepal Airlines (RA) (referred to by its flight code) is on a par with another Nepal based aviation company when it comes to the number of aircrafts in its fleet. CIB issues Diffusion Notice to nab TIA gold smugglers The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police has issued a Diffusion Notice against five individuals suspected of running gold smuggling racket from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday. Fire guts 10 houses, animal shelters in Banke A fire that broke out at Basantapur village in Raptisonari Village Council-7, Banke gutted at least 10 houses and animal shelters on Sunday. Hasina requests Modi to facilitate cross-border power cooperation with Nepal Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitation of the cross-border power sector cooperation with Nepal. Indian SSB encroaches on Nepali soil The Indian border security force, Sashastra Seema Bal, has allegedly encroached upon around five bighas of land at the bordering Rajapur area in Bardiya district. Judiciary should be overseen by legislature: Shashank Koirala Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashank Koirala has said that the judiciary should be brought under the purview of Parliament. Gautam Buddha Airport: Korean firm warns Chinese contractor The South Korean design and supervision consultant for Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa has called on the Chinese contactor to immediately settle the dispute with the subcontractor and expedite construction works at the site. Nepal Stock Exchange up 63.4pts Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) gained 63.4 points to close at 1,651.04 points last week. Investors were attracted by insurance shares on the back of new regulations that will force insurance companies to raise their paid up capital. New Year festival to kick off in Pokhara on Tuesday The 14th Fewa Nepali New Year Festival is kicking off in Komagane Park, Pokhara, on Tuesday. The five-day festival organised by Paschimanchal Hotel Association, an umbrella body of hotel operators of western Nepal, is expected to be attended by around 40,000 people from across the country. No decision on Ncell tax issue: PM Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the Cabinet only held discussion and no decision was taken regarding the Ncell capital gains tax (CTG) issue. North Korea missiles: US warships deployed to Korean peninsula The US military has ordered a navy strike group to move towards the Korean peninsula, amid growing concerns about North Korea's missile programme. UML chairman off to Bangkok; Oli, Deuba out of station At a time when the government is making efforts to break the deadlock in order to get the Madhesi Morcha on board the local elections, top leaders of two major partiesKP Sharma Oli and Sher Bahadur Deubahave left the Capital. Poachers kill one-horned rhino in Chitwan A one-horned rhino was killed in the Dhrubaghat area of the Chitwan National Park on Friday night in what comes as a major setback in the countrys conservation efforts, just as the park was gearing up to mark the third year of zero rhino poaching. Property worth over Rs 12 m burnt down in Jhapa fire A fire broke out at a furniture industry in Bhadrapur-8 in Jhapa early on Sunday, destroying property worth more than Rs 12 million. Ratna Park to have additional facilities Ratna Park, which for many years has been a resting place in the heart of Kathmandu, will have more facilities for visitors from the New Nepali Year. Retired Pak colonel missing from Lumbini A retired Pakistan Army officer has gone missing since three days from Lumbini while visiting Nepal for a job interview, reported Pakistani newspaper The Dawn. The new sun kings: How China came to dominate solar power Russell Abney raised two children on solar power. The 49-year-old Georgia Tech graduate worked for the last decade in Perrysburg, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo, pulling a good salary as an equipment engineer for the largest American solar-panel maker. The Profound Quest of the Young Prince Pandit Bijayaraj has enjoyed a position of power at the Durbar for many years, thanks to his alliance with Sri 3 Maharaj Jung Bahadur Rana. But a seemingly minor encounter between Bijayaraj and his pupil Crown Prince Trailokya is about to unravel everything Three Indian men killed, one injured in Hetauda road mishap Three Indian men were killed and another one injured when a truck rammed a car at Jyamire section along the Hetauda Narayanghat road stretch at 10:30 pm on Saturday. Trump accepts Xi's China invitation US President Donald Trump has accepted his counterpart Xi Jinping's invitation to make a visit to China, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Turkish cabin crew help woman give birth at 42,000ft Cabin crew on a Turkish Airlines flight celebrated the arrival of an extra passenger at 42,000ft (12,800 metres) when a woman gave birth to a baby girl. Two held on charges of raping a minor Two persons have been arrested on charges of raping a minor in Dhanusha district. Two killed, two injured as mini truck plunges in Nuwakot Two people were killed and two others injured when a mini truck met with an accident at 2:45 am on Sunday at Hyakule near Sisneri area along the Pasang Lhamu road section in Nuwakot district. UK blames Russia for Syria deaths Russia is to blame for "every civilian death" in the chemical weapons attack last week in Syria, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has claimed. Women candidates being limited to Deputy posts only Women leaders in Mechinagar of Jhapa have complained of being forced to stand for the post of deputy mayor, even though they wish to compete and be elected to the post of Mayor of the municipality. 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 As'ad's Bio As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants. No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results Since Indianas property tax caps took effect in 2009, local governments, including school districts, have had to rethink their funding sources. While this has caused headaches for some local governments, many lawmakers say the property tax caps have been beneficial for taxpayers. Heres a look back on why the caps were enacted in the first place and what lawmakers are doing to address the issues that remain eight years later. A chaotic system The states property tax caps emerged from 10 years of property tax chaos, Purdue University economist Larry DeBoer said. It started in 1998 with an Indiana Supreme Court decision that threw out the old property assessment system. The new system caused a shift in property taxes away from business properties and onto homeowners. Property owners started seeing dramatic swings in their property tax bills, he said. This unpredictability made it difficult for taxpayers to plan ahead. (Then-Gov. Mitch) Daniels administration came in and said, Were going to permanently prevent big changes in peoples tax bills. So the tax caps were put into place, and then in order to really make them permanent, they did a constitutional amendment, and we all voted that in in 2010, DeBoer said. The amendment was approved by 72 percent of voters. Impact on taxpayers and local governments So have the property tax caps been working the way they were intended? According to two local lawmakers, the answer is yes, but there are still a few kinks to work out. State Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said the caps have helped homeowners, especially senior citizens. If youre retired or on a fixed income, as those rates go up, your ability to keep up with those rates is difficult, she said. For most school districts in Indiana, the caps havent had a profound effect on funding. However, for about a third of school districts in the state, the losses have totaled millions of dollars each year. Revenue lost to the property tax caps impacts a school districts ability to pay for transportation and capital projects. While the property tax caps placed restrictions on how much local governments and school districts can collect from property tax, these entities have tools at their disposal to raise additional funds, said state Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne. School districts have the ability to raise additional funds through referenda. Property taxes that are approved by voters in a referendum are not subject to the property tax caps. Most of those are being approved by taxpayers today, and so its up to the taxpayers to impose that upon themselves through a vote, Long said. Local governments have the option to raise additional funds through raising existing taxes or imposing new taxes. While school districts dont have the ability to raise local income taxes, local governments have the option to do so. In January, the Allen County Income Tax Council met to discuss the possibility of raising the local income tax. The current rate is 1.59 percent, far below the statutory cap of 3.75 percent. Possible uses that were discussed included providing property tax relief to school districts as well as investing in economic development. The road ahead School districts ability to pay for transportation continues to be a topic of discussion for lawmakers. That is something that we continue to work on so that we can figure out a way to help schools, Long said. Eventually, well have an answer, but so far it hasnt been found. One possible solution has been proposed by Brown in a bill that would allow redevelopment commissions to provide school districts with property tax revenue from tax increment financing (TIF) districts. Heres how it would work: A redevelopment commission creates a TIF district. It takes out a bond to build infrastructure such as water, sewer, roadways and traffic lights, with the goal being able to attract businesses. Once that happens a field becomes a new shopping center, for example property values increase, as does revenue from property taxes. That revenue is used to repay the bond. Typically, local governments and school districts dont see that revenue until the bond is paid off. However, Browns Senate Bill 85 would allow redevelopment commissions to transfer this revenue directly to schools. The bill passed the Senate this year and last year, but it hasnt yet gained traction in the House. Long said that while transportation funding continues to be an issue, for the most part, the needs of school districts are being met. I think weve done a good thing with property tax caps, he said. Its a balancing act. Before, we relied too much on local property taxes. I think weve achieved the proper balance, but there are some pains with that for the schools. Brown said the issue of school funding remains top of mind for lawmakers. I think were all acutely aware that we need high school graduates, and we need high school graduates that go on to earn certificates and two- and four-year degrees, she said. We are not dismissive of the needs of our school systems, thats for sure. COLLECTIVE MADNESS Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people." RACHEL BAXENDALE | The Australian | Extract AUSTRALIAS immigration minister Peter Dutton has indicated that hundreds of asylum-seekers could be left to resettle in Papua New Guinea when the Manus Island detention centre closes at the end of October. Mr Dutton said that, under the deal struck by the Rudd government in 2013, PNG had a responsibility to settle any genuine refugees not taken by the US under a controversial agreement struck with the Obama administration. Well be withdrawing the assets from Manus Island, Mr Dutton told Sky News. We are not going to have a detention centre there for other uses. Were not going to have facilities being used or repurposed. The centre will be dismantled. KPC News Service ANGOLA The Community Coalition for Change will host an open mic night on diversity issues at the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The event is called CCC Kaleidoscope and is free and open to the public. It will be hosted by CCC member and professional storyteller Lou Ann Homan. This is an evening for stories, poems and songs that celebrate cultural diversity sponsored by CCC Kaleidoscope, Homan said. Community members are encouraged to bring poems, stories, or other pieces that speak to the broad topic of diversity. Attendees can then share these pieces with the larger group or simply listen to their neighbors contributions. These pieces can be original or something that really speaks to you. Bring your friends and neighbors. Please limit your story or essay to five minutes, Homan said. The purpose of the event is to highlight and celebrate the many types of diversity present in Steuben County. The event will end promptly at 7 p.m. This is the first in a series of events celebrating diversity. The Community Coalition for Change is a non-partisan, people-powered, grassroots organization that came about shortly after the November election. The group is powered by people that want to make a change. The group believes that change at the state and federal level must begin on the community level. The CCC is open to everyone that is interested in making a change. The groups next meeting is Saturday, April 29, at 9 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 314 W. Maumee St., Angola. Cover Art by Penelope Dullaghan Professor, Writer, Ruth Behar (photo by Gabriel Frye-Behar) Photo by Ruth Behar flyer created by David Frye Born in Havana, Cuba, Ruth Behar was five years old when she and her family moved to Queens, New York. "I grew up in the sixties and seventies in crowded rental apartments . . . My parents longed to buy a house with a front yard where my mother could plant petunias. But we were refugees and short on money. And in the back of their minds, my parents thought we'd return to Cuba someday" ( from Behar's website ). But that did not happen. Instead, Ruth grew up to become a professor of anthropology at The University of Michigan. She is also a writer of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Ruth is the first Latina to win a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant"). In this new book of fiction, Ruth returns to her childhood to create a story based on her own experience living through a challenging year of recovery. Welcome Ruth!Amelia Montes:What inspired me to write Lucky Broken Girl was the thought that, if I didn't tell the story, no one else would. The time in my life between the ages of nine and ten years old, when I spent a year in a body cast recovering from a severe fracture to my right leg, is very vivid in my memories. I'd written an essay from the perspective of the adult woman looking back, but I'd never told the story from the girl's point of view. So I just started letting Ruthie speak. She was sassy and wise and I felt like there was a life rope tying the two of us together. As I wrote, I recognized it wasn't simply my own story I had to tell, but the story of my Cuban Jewish family finding their way in New York, amid other immigrants struggling with them, and how everyone who surrounded me came together to help a child heal. Whenever I felt uncertain, I turned for literary inspiration to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks , and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros . That was how I kept going until I got to the end.Amelia Montes:I've been in academia a long time, and though I continue to love the world of ideas and scholarship, and have spent most of my career writing non-fiction, I never gave up my youthful hopes of writing fiction. I'm a daydreamer at heart and it took an enormous amount of self-discipline for me to learn to think logically and rationally so I could be accepted in academia. But once I acquired that self-discipline, I then became afraid to let it go. It wasn't easy to give myself permission to make things up, to invent what might have been, to embellish my experience with a touch of magic. Somehow, though, as I wrote Lucky Broken Girl, I began to let go of the reins. Knowing I was writing for young readers, I felt I had the freedom to use my imagination. I could create wondrous moments. And just as important, I could create heart-opening moments. I realized that writing for young readers called upon me to dig deep into the feelings of all my characters. For example, there's a mean nurse in the hospital who makes Ruthie angry and sad. I might have left it at that, but Ruthie dares to ask the nurse if she hates all children, and that's when the nurse opens up and tells her about her family woes and even apologizes, while Ruthie is so moved she feels her heart crack, "like the sugar crust on Mami's flan." I don't think I exaggerate in saying that writing from a child's point of view put me back in touch with my creativity and taught me empathy.Amelia Montes:At this moment in history, we are experiencing a very frightening rise in sexism, homophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiment. We need to counter this trend by building more bridges between individuals and communities, not by erecting walls. The cruel deportations taking place in the United States are splitting apart Latino families and destroying the hopes for a better future of countless young people. The stories of immigrants, all immigrants, need to be told and heard, so our shared humanity can stand above all the misperceptions. We need to instill, in children as well as adults, a sense of tolerance and respect for the diverse cultures that coexist in our society. Lucky Broken Girl is an immigrant story but it doesn't limit itself to just telling the Cuban immigrant story. There are several intersecting immigrant stories shown through Ruthie's friendships, with a boy from India, a girl from Belgium, a neighbor from Mexico, and a physical therapist from Puerto Rico by way of the Bronx, and her close relationship with Baba, her Polish Jewish grandmother who finds refuge on the eve of the Holocaust in Cuba and then has to uproot to the United States.All I can hope is that the world of shared understandings that I try to conjure in my book will offer a bit of hope in these dark times.Amelia Montes: LANSING, Iowa Its only been 11 months since La Crosse natives Brian Madigan and Karen Swanson opened Madigan Winery, in the hills nine miles south of Lansing. But its already won some major awards. Weve been well-received; sales are strong, Madigan said of the winery, which opened to the public in May. Last month, the winerys Red Moon Rising a dry red wine won a double gold medal in the 2017 Great American International Wine Competition. Blanc Celeste a crisp white wine that is the winerys best seller received a double gold medal at the 2016 Iowa State Fair. The six other wines that Madigan Winery has produced so far are Perry, Birdsong (2016 Iowa State Fair silver medal winner), Watershed Red, Lily Road Blue Sky Blush, Pear (2016 Iowa State Fair bronze medal winner) and Elderberry (2016 Iowa State Fair bronze medal winner). The winery at 1536 Lily Road is open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and at other times by appointment, and will expand hours this summer. The winery makes its wines in small batches. The wines are sold by the bottle and are available only at the winery, which offers free tastings. We have a marketing niche by being the exclusive outlet, Madigan said of the winery. And we can grow at the pace we want to. The winerys owners also have other jobs. Swanson lives in La Crosse, where she owns and operates The Salon at 125 N. Seventh St. Madigan lives next to the winery and has two part-time jobs in La Crosse, working for Gundersen Health System as a clinical lab technician, and for Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare with medical equipment. He also volunteers at the St. Clare Health Mission in La Crosse. Madigan and Swanson knew each other when they were growing up in La Crosse, and both attended Central High School. They began dating in 2010. Madigan Winery is on a 16-acre parcel that Madigan bought in 2002, when he wanted to create a value-added agricultural commodity and thought that would be blueberries. But subsequent soil tests showed the land wouldnt be good for growing blueberries. So Madigan, who began making wine about 15 years ago as a hobby, decided to plant grape vines instead and build a winery. So far, he and Swanson have planted four grape varieties Marechal Foch, La Crosse, Marquette and Petite Pearl on about two acres. We try to put something from our own grapes into every batch of wine, Madigan said. He also buys grapes and grape juice from others. Since they have other jobs, Madigan and Swanson built the winery during weekends over four years, before it opened last May. A more than 120-year-old granary in part of the winery was restored and serves as the tasting room. There are a few old signatures on the granarys original wood. They are names that people in the area recognize, Swanson said. Besides Madigan Winery wines, some of the items for sale in the tasting room include wine accessories, antique post cards, the works of area artists and photographers, and bird houses and bird feeders that Madigan and Swanson make from gourds. Next to the winery, Madigan and Swanson have laid the foundation for a two-story gambrel-style barn that will be completed sometime in the next five years to provide additional indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the valley where a pond and the winerys vineyard are. Outdoor seating is expected to be ready for visitors in the next week or two. Winery visitors are invited to bring picnic lunches and snacks, and enjoy the scenery. Its beautiful and private out here, with a lot of wildlife, Madigan said, such as ducks, deer, raccoons, songbirds and even coyotes. Weve had wonderful local support and patronage, Swanson said. But weve also had a steady flow of other people from other parts of the Midwest. Its a popular spot for city dwellers to escape to for their holiday, Madigan said of the Lansing area. Oris (Orie) Nelson was born June 1, 1935, in La Crosse, and graduated from Logan High School. In 1956, he married his high school sweetheart, Janet Heath and the next year enlisted in the Air Force Reserve. He was employed by AO Smith and Allis Chalmers, until he was called to active duty and deployed to Europe for Operation Stairstep in 1961, during the increased tensions when the Berlin Wall was being built. In 1964, Orie and Jan bought the Pokegama Inn resort in Chetek, Wis., where they balanced long hours and hard work between the Inn and raising two children. After four years, they moved to Greendale, Wis., and then four years later to Rockford, Ill. It was in Rockford that Orie picked up on his lifelong passion of restoring military vehicles. Starting in his two car garage with his son, Rocky, he later expanded his shop to a size more fitting of his burgeoning hobby. Over the next 40 plus years, Orie restored many vehicles and became a recognized expert in military Jeep restoration. He was a longtime member and office holder in a number of military vehicle clubs with which he attended many vehicle conventions and gatherings, and made a great number of friends the world over. After retiring from Sundstrand, Orie and Jan moved to the Kansas Prairie, but retirement was not a time for slowing down. Orie and his bride kept busy with visiting friends, car club and vehicle rallies, traveling to see their children and grandchildren, and attending the Ranger Rallies in La Crosse, all the while Orie continued his restoration passion and expansion of his network of friends. He and Jan relished the visits of their grandkids any time, but especially when they stayed with them during a number of summers. Orie also passed his love of vehicles to a number of his grandchildren by teaching them vehicle maintenance and restoration. The Nelson Ranch became a destination for many friends, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to visit and enjoy Orie & Jans company. Orie and Jan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Sept. at the ranch with many guests in attendance. Following the party Orie and Jan, accompanied by their daughter, Cam, and her fiance, Dan; visited La Crosse and Rockford where they had a wonderful time with many friends & relatives. Sadly, these events were the last time Orie would see many folks as his health began to decline and following a valiant fight. He passed away the morning of March 28, 2017. Orie is survived by his loving wife, Janet; his aunt, Millie Nelson; his brothers, Jim Nelson, Dick Nelson (Rita), and Leon Nelson; his son, Rocky Nelson (Jacqui); his daughter, Camille Nelson (and fiance Dan Block); five grandchildren, Cody Sumerix, Jennifer Sumerix, Tim Nelson, Jeff Nelson, and Matt Nelson; and one great-grandchild, Genevieve Nelson. Services are currently pending and will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite Veterans Service Organization in memory of Orie. The La Crosse Tribune and 7 Rivers Alliance want your help to salute the Rising Stars Under 40 the dynamic young entrepreneurs and leaders who are making a difference in our three-state region. Last years inaugural class of 19 Rising Stars came from big organizations and small firms, big cities and rural areas, health care and utilities, higher education, banking, law, welding and fabrication, a James Beard-nominated chef talents and backgrounds of all types. But, they shared a passion for serving others through work and public service qualities that are crucial to strengthening our region. More than 70 talented people younger than age 40 were nominated during the first year in 2016. So, were seeking your help again for our second class of Rising Stars Under 40, who well honor in October. Nominees must be younger than 40 on Aug. 1. Deadline for nominating someone is July 17. You can submit a nomination online at http://bit.ly/2nP19LC. From Rising Stars Under 40 to the La Crosse Tribune Extra Effort Awards, River Valley Media takes great pride in honoring young people who make a positive difference in our region, Publisher Mike Burns said. We look forward to working with 7 Rivers to honor a new crop of young leaders again this year. Lisa Herr, CEO of the 7 Rivers Alliance, said: The 2016 Rising Stars were a wonderful representation of emerging leaders in the 7 Rivers Region. The 19 winners, selected from the tri-state area, exemplify the diversity of talent and expertise in each business and public sector. They personify a commitment to service above self. She said more than one-third of the 19 Rising Stars of 2016 have already received a workplace promotion since receiving the award last fall. This award not only recognizes the individuals, but also the organizations and families who have supported them, she said. This award promotes individuals who, every day, go above and beyond their daily responsibilities to help others. Yet the winners expressed both surprise and humility. Eric Bashaw, director of environmental compliance at Gundersen Health System for Gundersen Health System, said being named a Rising Star last year was a total surprise. It was a huge honor not just for me, but for the people I work with. He said meeting the other Rising Stars and learning about their accomplishments in the Coulee Region was heartening. I didnt realize so many people in my age gap were doing so much, Bashaw said. It was really cool. Angela Lallemont, an attorney and partner with Price, McCluer, Plachecki & Lallemont in Winona, said being selected as a Rising Star was absolutely amazing. The article, the award, the recognition you just dont expect that. It was such an honor to be chosen. It was overwhelming. Reading the story about her nomination and selection made her pause and think: Oh, wow, Ive done all that? Lallemont said that for her and her fellow Rising Stars, I dont think were thinking of the impact that we have on others. You dont think of it in your daily work. Its eye-opening. ARCADIA Growth has been good for the city. Chuck Timm has owned Up Chucks bar on Main Street in Arcadia for nearly 15 years and has seen companies such as Ashley Furniture Industries expand and new businesses move in. That growth wouldnt be possible without the large and growing population of Hispanic and Latino residents who call the city home, he said, and who make Arcadia the vibrant community it is. I welcome it, Timm said. It means more people and businesses on Main Street. It means more people to frequent my business and others. In the past five years, the Hispanic population has almost doubled according to U.S. Census Data. Hispanic students now make up the majority of the student population of the Arcadia School District, and the U.S. Department of Justice recently required the city to offer a bilingual ballot to residents in elections due to the citys demographics. Fears are also on the rise since President Donald Trump rode a populist wave and concern over topics such as immigration in last Novembers election. Trump has promised to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities, communities that limit their cooperation with federal officials regarding those in the country illegally, as well as increasing immigration enforcement. While nearly 60 percent of the city of Arcadia voted for Trump over his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, both white and Hispanic residents have taken efforts to point out that they feel there hasnt been a culture of anti-immigrant or anti-Hispanic sentiment in the community. But that doesnt mean the Hispanic population hasnt been following the conversation on immigration closely, changing some habits and wondering what is ahead. People came here for the opportunities, Eric Mora, a 16-year-old Arcadia High School student whose family owns Donjuan Restaurant said. Now a lot of Hispanics are worried about the future. A changing city When Mora and his family moved to Arcadia from Austin, Minn., 11 years ago, he said the city was a much different place. Like many of the Hispanic and Latino families who come to Arcadia, he said his parents were looking for work and better opportunities. A decade ago, Arcadia was much smaller, Mora said, and didnt have nearly the diverse population it does now. At school, he was one of only five Hispanic students in his grade, and the city didnt boast the amenities it has now. Today Mora is one of more than 30 Hispanic students in his class, and the city has expanded with new businesses, such as a Kwik Trip gas station, a McDonalds and a big-box retailer among others. The school district has added new school buildings, and the city has upgraded roads, street lights and civic attractions including public parks. One of the main reasons for that is the growth in population from immigrants and Latinos, he said. Everything is just growing. According to demographic data from the U.S. Census at the DPI, the growth in the Hispanic population has been rapid. Hispanic people only made up about 3 percent of the population of Arcadia in 2000; now the Hispanic population makes up more than a third of the citys residents and nearly doubled from 569 in 2010 to 975 in 2015, making up a third of Arcadia's 2,974 residents. The school district has seen an even more rapid shift, with the Hispanic population going from 9 percent of students in 2005 to nearly 53 percent last year. At the schools elementary/middle school, the population ratios flipped between 2011 and 2015 with Hispanics making up more than a third of the students six years ago and reaching nearly two-thirds of the schools population last year. These students and their families have been a blessing to the community, school Superintendent Louie Ferguson said. At a practical level, the students have helped grow enrollment in the district, which has kept Arcadia from having to make cuts or eliminate programs. Instead, the district has been able to offer more opportunities to students, he said. For example, the district was able to expand its half-day 4K preschool to a whole-day program. The increased diversity among the student body has also changed the culture of the district, as well as how it does business. Arcadia has had to increase the number of support staff it has hired, as well as emphasizing the ability to speak more than one language in hiring. Many of the students, especially those who are the second generation, are fluently bilingual in Spanish and English, Ferguson said, which sets them up for future careers as nurses, business owners or even coming back to the district as teachers or staff. The district has also embraced the different cultures of the Hispanic and Latino populations by doing more to celebrate the different holidays and founding an El Sol club, which works to foster leadership skills in the high schools Latino students. This has been such a huge plus to the school district, Ferguson said. The Hispanic population has been very supportive of the community and its schools. They are such a great part of the community. At Holy Family Parish, the Catholic church in Arcadia, members of the church were raising funds by selling burritos, salads and sweet treats at lunch time on March 26 to help send youth to summer camps. Both white and Hispanic residents were breaking bread together before that days noon Spanish Mass. The Rev. Sebastian Kolodziejczyk, one of two pastors at the parish, said the Catholic community has gone through several demographic changes over the decades. Arcadia used to have both a German Catholic Church and a Polish church in the days when those two groups struggled to get along, he said, before combining as a result of a declining population in the faith community. The rising Hispanic population has helped turn that trend around. Kolodziejczyk said he oversees as many as six times the baptisms for Hispanic families as he does white parents, and immigrants have become an integral part of church celebrations such as the Fall Fest. More than 300 people attend the Sunday Spanish masses, he said, and another hundred attend the Spanish mass on Saturday evenings. The Hispanic population has more than doubled the size of the congregation, which is now so big the church couldnt host everyone at the same time. As long as we have these big jobs, more and more people will be coming here, Kolodziejczyk said. It is important for us not to be afraid of them. It has been such a good thing for us. Making their mark For many small towns in America, the last several decades have been a struggle for Main Street. Not so for Arcadia, which not only boasts a vibrant downtown but also a strong network of Hispanic family and small businesses. Taking a stroll down Main Street in Arcadia, one can see the barber shop, diners, banks and city government buildings familiar to any rural Midwest community. But those stores and buildings are complemented by more than a half-dozen Hispanic grocery stores, restaurants, a clothing boutique and even tax and legal service offices. One of the first Hispanic business owners to make their mark on Main Street was Juan Mateo, who opened the MM San Juan grocery store in 2004. Mateo, who sits on the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce board of directors, said it was always his dream to own a business and be able to work for himself. When the doors first opened, Mateo said he didnt know if he would have any sales at all. Thirteen years later, the store is still there and provides locally sourced meats, produce and Hispanic goods such as spices, juices, sodas, flatbreads and snack foods. Local farmers, Ashley Furniture and Golden Plump have hired lots of people, he said. Latinos have got money to spend and that means the business is doing OK. Many Arcadia business owners and leaders echo Chuck Timms sentiments about the importance of the Hispanic community and its impact on the economy. Having a growing population of working-age people has helped anchor businesses such as Ashley Furniture to the community, Timm said, and one of his fears is the citys largest employer could pick up and move without that labor base. Chuck and Chris Blaschko, the second and third generation of the family-owned Blaschko Enterprises, which includes commercial printer Supreme Graphics, said having lots of jobs in the community is good for all the businesses in Arcadia, both big and small. Cole Bawek, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, said the citys diversity is a major component of Arcadias quality of life and thriving business community. All these things create a nicer community, Chris said about how vibrant Arcadia is. It takes all these things to make it attractive. Eric Moras mother, Adelina Donjuan Govea, brought the family to the United States thirteen years ago. She operated a small grocery store in Mexico City, she said, using Eric as her translator, and more than two years ago she was inspired to open the Donjuan restaurant and a downtown clothing boutique to show her children what the Hispanic community is capable of. The family, which also includes Erics brother Cristian Mora and father Carlos, operates the restaurant which serves a large menu of Mexican and American themed food items from pizza to burritos. Business has been great, he said, and his mother was proud of both businesses ability to attract a diverse crowd of patrons. I want to make a good name for the Hispanic community, Eric translated for Adelina. A lot of us have come here with a dream of doing something for the future and our children. Both Eric, a sophomore at Arcadia High School, and his older brother Cristian have plans for higher education, with Cristian currently attending Western Technical College to study marketing. Eric said he has taken accounting classes in Arcadia and has been inspired by his mother to follow in her footsteps. Being in business motivates and excites me, he said. I want to own one of my own someday. Growing fear and worry Despite its distance from the nations capital and our southern border, Arcadia hasnt been immune to the developing national conversation over immigration policy. President Trump was elected after running a campaign that focused on promises of building a border wall to limit the number of immigrants who enter the country illegally as well as increasing enforcement actions to remove those who are already in the country. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse history professor Victor Macias-Gonzalez said it is difficult to track the undocumented immigrant population, but said estimates place the number of undocumented immigrants at between 15 to 30 percent of the Latino community. That translates into between 3,000 and 6,000 of the more than 20,000 Hispanic and Latino residents that call the tri-state area their home. The immigrant community has suffered misunderstandings in the past, he said, as residents of some communities have discriminated against them. Macias-Gonzalez recounted an incident in Sparta when the local Latino community organized a celebration for the people of the city, and instead had Immigration and Customs Enforcement called on them. Because of this history and the recent tough talk from Republicans in Washington, Macias-Gonzalez said many Latino residents in the region are experiencing growing fear, even if they are in the country legally or are U.S. citizens. Macias-Gonzalez, who is Mexican-American, said he always carries his passport with him just in case. Superintendent Ferguson, Arcadia Police Chief Diana Anderson and Trempealeau County Sheriff Richard Anderson all said their organizations dont stop people or ask for proof of citizenship when enrolling kids in school or during routine stops. Richard said the sheriffs department will notify ICE if there is an active warrant out for someone who is undocumented, while Diane said her department doesnt check the immigration status of anyone her department comes into contact with. Neither law enforcement official said they had noticed an uptick in immigration enforcement actions. Richard said ICE did stop in the county a few weeks seeking a couple of people they were actively investigating. Both also said that unlike what some people may think, ICE isnt coming into the communities and rounding up suspected immigrants. People here are treated equally, Richard said. We dont treat anybody differently because of what they look like or where they are from. Brian Westrate, chairman of the 3rd District GOP Party, which covers much of Western Wisconsin including Trempealeau County, said he could understand the fear some immigrants and Latino residents have. He was proud of the diversity the immigrant community has created in Arcadia but said those who have come here illegally and especially those who have committed crimes do have a reason to worry. There are thousands of people waiting to come to this country properly, he said, and those who are here illegally are thumbing their noses at them. He added that it boggle his mind some people could argue against removing violent criminals who are here illegally. They shouldnt be here in the first place and some have done heinous things, he said. Westrate did temper those comments by adding that the overwhelming majority of immigrants in the region are here to better their lives, a point that was also made by many in the community. Securing our borders is important to the Republican base that elected Trump, Westrate and others said, but it wasnt a hot-button issue for Republican voters in the county. That hasnt stopped the Latino community from being worried, Eric Mora said. People are staying in their homes more, he said, as his brother Cristian has noticed fewer Latino people making trips to the larger cities in the region such as La Crosse. Theyre also being more careful with their money, sending more of it to family and loved ones back home, which has hurt some local businesses. But that hasnt stopped members of the community like his family from continuing to stand as examples of what it means to be a Latino in America. Even though they have been a part of the fabric of Arcadia for more than a decade, it still feels like they have to prove themselves in some ways to their white peers. Trump is giving Hispanics a bad name, Eric said. But Arcadia is a good example of what we can do. We give our people a good name. TOMAH Military children deal with absent parents and constant moves. But they wouldnt trade their lives for anything. Students spoke of sacrifice and gratitude during a Thursday luncheon at Cranberry Country Lodge to honor children of military personnel. The Tomah, Sparta and New Lisbon school districts sponsored the luncheon to coincide with the Month of the Military Child in April. New Lisbon High School sophomore Holden Rydmark said being the son of a military father has taught him responsibility and self-reliance. When he leaves home, I become the man of the house not something every 16-year-old gets to hear, he said. The three school districts serve 245 military families. Tomah superintendent Cindy Zahrte said teachers and staff in her district recognize the special challenges military students face. I cant imagine the difficulty of not being able to kiss mom and dad good night because theyre deployed overseas, Zahrte said. I cant imagine the frustration of having to pick up and move once again, leaving friends behind, and I cant imagine saying good-bye to someone I love, knowing it could be six months or a year before Im with that person again. Military students, however, learn to adapt. Sparta High School junior Eve Estradas journey has taken her from North Carolina to Guam, and shell be moving again at the end of the school year. You learn that life goes on and life is great if you make it that way, she said. She is grateful for the reception she received from her Sparta classmates. The people here have really helped me assimilate, she said. I really feel like I belong in the community when people come up to me and say, I really appreciate what your dad is doing. Theres so much support for the military and people like me. Local schools benefit from military students, said Lt. Col. Shelley Joan Weiss, state commissioner for the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children. She described military children as well-traveled and resilient. One thing military children teach other children is how easy it is to come into a new group and make new friends, Weiss said. You have a very special skill and a very special talent when you come to school. New Lisbon superintendent Dennis Birr said military students learn a lot from their parents. Birrs father served in Italy during World War II. I learned a lot of my social studies listening to him, Birr said. I hope you are proud of your parents. Not everybody has the courage to do what your parents do. It was the fourth luncheon to honor military students, and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers has attended every one. Children in the military live such different lives from their peers, said Evers, who won re-election to a third term Tuesday. They have challenges that other kids dont have, but ... they rise above those challenges. It means a lot to the communities where military families serve. WASHINGTON I inherited a mess! President Trump complained at a news conference with Jordans King Abdullah II last week. For the second day in a row, he blamed the Obama administration for the 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 people. Much has been said of Trumps attempt to blame the 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. 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 pre-emptively 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. 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 last 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. 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? White House official Steve Bannon is off the National Security Council, in a reversal of what had been an eyebrow-raising decision to put the presidents top political adviser on the NSC. It is a step toward normality in a White House that has struggled with it, especially in the Oval Office. One would have thought the sweet spot for President Donald Trump would be enough policy heterodoxy to convince marginal working-class voters that hes a different kind of Republican, coupled with enough conventional behavior to take the edge off his radioactive image. Instead, after about 75 days, its been the opposite on both counts. With some exceptions (banging on companies on Twitter for outsourcing, the heavy emphasis on immigration enforcement), the substance has been conventionally Republican, while the behavior has been outlandishly Trump. The two are related. Since Trump is undisciplined, doesnt have well-formulated policy views and will change his mind based on the last person hes talked to, hes not well-suited to driving an agenda. The result could well be a Republican president with the kind of policy platform that leads people to believe the party is out of touch, presented in the most off-putting and needlessly combative way possible. Consider: If there is one issue that Trump has been consistent on for decades, it is attacking free trade. His jeremiads on trade clearly played a role in his breach of the Democrats blue wall in November. Yet, according to news reports, Trumps team is having arguments about the fundamental direction of his trade policy. How is this for priorities? The administration apparently doesnt know whether it is protectionist or not, but is utterly committed to defending every Saturday morning tweet from the president. In other words, the only thing that is an unquestioned constant is Trumps demeanor. Or to put it another way, Trumps content may be subject to change, but never his style. When all is said and done, the residue of distinctiveness of the Trump phenomenon could well be Trump himself, namely his ramshackle management, willingness to say anything and propensity for feeling slighted and hurling insults. Tellingly, the president has sunk beneath 40 percent in a couple of polls without anything major having gone wrong. The initial travel-ban rollout was a fiasco, but the policy has essentially been on hold since, blocked by the courts. The defeat of the health care bill was a blow, but it could still be revived. Otherwise, the job market is reasonably strong, and every indicator of business and consumer sentiment is pointing in the right direction. The drag on Trump has to be Trump himself. You might have thought hed have learned a lesson from the positive reaction to his selection of Neil Gorsuch a normal pick, arrived at through a normal process, who may be the biggest success of the first year and to his almost entirely conventional speech to the joint session of Congress. Instead, they represented brief wanderings onto script from an otherwise improvisational actor. Trump feels like hes still up for grabs. Will he end up accommodating the GOP establishment, going hard populist or throwing in with the New York moderates in his White House? Regardless, how he conducts himself will remain equally a problem. Perpetual warfare on all fronts doesnt mean youre winning, just that you have a lot of enemies. Counterpunching doesnt always mean youre hurting your adversary, just that you may be fighting on his terrain. Chaos doesnt mean youre draining the swamp, just that youre wasting political capital. PETER GARDINER | Noosa News NOOSA is forging closer links with Papua New Guinea highlanders thanks to a local whose world spans two rich cultures. Keith Jackson is delighted Noosa Council has given its blessing to an innovative scheme in which people from the shire will cooperate with people in Papua New Guineas Simbu Province on a range of projects. Mr Jackson, who is the publisher of the widely-read PNG Attitude blog, said the project will involve the elected members of the two governments and representatives with connections to schools, business, the arts, sporting groups, the churches and womens organisations. It is a first for Australia, will be largely conducted over the internet and have no special cost implications for the council, Mr Jackson said. As Wisconsin celebrates its state Capitol centennial this year, one of the people being honored is Oliver La Mere, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation who served as a Capitol tour guide from 1928 to 1930. A display in the rotunda recalls how he created a small museum containing traditional Ho-Chunk clothes, jewelry and ceremonial objects, and taught visiting school groups and Boy and Girl Scout troops about American Indian culture. Unfortunately, the tours died with La Mere. The state packed his artifacts into three large trunks and sent them to the Wisconsin Historical Society. But if La Meres experiment is worthy of recognition today, why not revive it? Bringing back Native American tour guides would be a fitting way to add substance to the Capitols centennial celebration. It would also be a vast improvement on how the Wisconsin state Capitol currently portrays native people as defeated and uncivilized. State capitol art and stories have long been a subject of interest to me. Minnesota, my home state, had a heated debate about the derogatory images of Native Americans and slanted depiction of history inside the Capitol building during a recent renovation. Not long ago, on a tour of the Wisconsin state Capitol, I saw grounds for similar concern. The tour included the Assembly chamber and the mural Wisconsin, which highlights the states past, present and future, through a 1917 lens. The image representing the present includes the arrival of Europeans: lumbermen, farmers and miners and their families. To the left, representing the future, is a young white woman sheltering the Lamp of Progress. To the right, representing the past, are two Indians who shade their eyes from the light, suggesting the order of things entirely passed away, according to the official Wisconsin State Capitol Guide. The natives are half naked, symbolizing a lack of civilization. Lawmakers face this image as they debate bills that affect Wisconsins native peoples: the Ho-Chunk, the Menominee, the Oneida, the Potawatomi, the Chippewa, the Mohicans, the Lac Courte Oreilles and others. Meanwhile, a governors conference room painting titled, The Closing Scene of the Winnebago War of 1827, depicts Chief Red Birds surrender to Major William Whistler. The guide book trivializes the wars cause, calling it an unfortunate misunderstanding. It was provoked by the U.S. governments failure to keep treaty agreements. Problematic capitol art is not unique to Wisconsin. The Minnesota Senates allegorical mural The Discoverers and Civilizers Led to the Source of the Mississippi shows a priest converting a half-naked native man and woman while the angels of Discovery and Civilization fly overhead. The Alabama State Capitol painting Wealth and Leisure Produce the Golden Period of Antebellum Life in Alabama, 1840-1860, shows a well-dressed white couple riding their horses while a black mammy tends to young child on the mansion porch. During the Capitols centennial, Wisconsin has a wonderful opportunity to bring new and diverse voices to the tours, including restarting native-led tours that focus on Native American culture. Mortimer Lawrence spent most of World War I taking aerial photographs high above enemy lines. One of his final shots turned out to be deadly and historic. Lawrence, a first lieutenant from Beaver Dam, was flying in a two-seat biplane above the Forest of Argonne in northeastern France along with two other planes from the 104th Aero Squadron when 16 German aircraft appeared. He and his co-pilot tried to flee but instead, on Nov. 10, 1918, they were forced to engage. We dived to increase our speed, and as we came up again I found the star performer of the enemy just above me, Lawrence, who was likely 27 or 28, told The Milwaukee Journal shortly after he arrived in New York aboard the USS Orizaba, a transport ship. He was jockeying for position to put us out of business, but I got an opening and made the most of it. He drifted just where I wanted him to go, and then I let him have the best my machine gun could deliver. He went spinning down, a hopeless wreck. The kill is believed to be the last German aircraft shot down in the war. Lawrences story may be unique, but thousands of other Wisconsinites also played instrumental roles in the Great War, which the U.S. entered 100 years ago last Thursday. Many were part of the famed 32nd Infantry Division known as the Red Arrow Division, while some never stepped foot in France. A few were shipped to far-flung posts like Siberia, and others patrolled the Atlantic near the U.S. coastline. To commemorate the contributions of the more than 122,000 men and women from the state, about 2,000 of whom were killed, and to provide a peek into the past, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison will open a yearlong exhibit on April 21 that features the stories of 20 state veterans. WWI Beyond the Trenches: Stories from the Front, will include audio recordings, photographs, letters and artifacts, and goes deeper into the war than what is on display in the museums permanent exhibit. It also will be part of the Centennial Symposium on Oct. 27 and 28 hosted by the War in Society and Culture Program at UW-Madison. The event, held at the Overture Center, Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Pyle Center, will include talks by history professors from around the country, papers, tours of the Wisconsin Historical Society and a presentation by Michael Neiberg, chair in war studies at the U.S. Army War College. Other WWI programs this year at the museum have or will include topics such as propaganda, red poppies, gas masks, airplanes and trench art. The efforts are being promoted by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, created in 2013, and the state commission that includes Michael Telzrow, director of the Veterans Museum, located on the Capitol Square. Some of them jumped out right away, Telzrow said of the Wisconsin veterans selected for the exhibit. We had to find people who had something to say. The ones who had compelling stories and had the artifacts and archival assets to support the stories. They include Helen Bulovsky, an Army nurse who worked close to the front lines. Bulovsky was born in Madison in 1895 from immigrant parents and trained at Madison General Hospital. After her graduation in October 1917 she practiced as a registered nurse before enlisting in April 1918. She was assigned to Base Hospital 22, which was formed at Knowlton Hospital in Milwaukee, and later traveled to New York with other nurses to board a ship for France. She arrived in the war zone in June and transferred to Evacuation Hospital 5 in July, a move that put her near the front. Last night they operated on sixty five, so you see we are busy, she wrote in August 1918. I have charge of several tents and it keeps me busy. There isnt much we can do for the boys here except keep their dressings clean, keep them warm, and give them hypodermics. John Chester Isermann, of Kenosha, served aboard the USS Tuscarora, a Coast Guard cutter-turned-U.S. Navy ship during the war. Isermanns diary and other artifacts were donated to the Veterans Museum from the Kenosha Public Museum and offer a detailed account of his time from 1917 to 1919 patrolling the eastern seaboard of the U.S. It included a stop in April 1918 in Cuba, where they took on fresh water and 75 tons of coal in Guantanamo Bay but also found time for rest and relaxation. All hands in Clean whites. Thermometer up to 88 in the shade, Isermann wrote. John Esch, Harvey Taube + myself went ashore exploring. Bought a few souvenirs. One of the pieces from Isermanns collection is a small box about the size a wallet. It holds a crucifix, identification in case of injury or illness and a business card-size Christmas and New Years greeting from his mother. The four-year war that began in 1914 involved 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans. Over 16 million people died in the conflict that pitted the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against Germany, Austria and Hungary. The war also was divisive in Wisconsin, home to thousands of German immigrants and Sen. Robert La Follette, one of the leading opponents of U.S. participation in the war. In addition, nine of the states 11 congressman voted against the U.S. declaration of war and socialists in Milwaukee were also outspoken. But when the call came, Wisconsin served. Some trained at Camp Douglas, while others marched and performed drills in uniform near the University Armory and Gymnasium (the Red Gym) on the UW-Madison campus. Wisconsin Historical Society photos show student rifle drill teams in the snow on Library Mall and a stunning image taken from the state Capitol grounds looking down State Street that is filled with marching student cadets about to leave Madison for Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama. The photo was taken just feet from where the Veterans Museum is now located and where the entry to the temporary WWI exhibit forces visitors to walk through a trench with seven-foot-tall wooden walls topped with sandbags and barbed-wire. There is no mud or stench, but audible thuds, replicating distant artillery fire, are designed to help create a more immersive experience. People talk about the letters (home) where they say they hear the artillery and thats how you knew you were getting close to the front, said Kevin Hampton, the museums curator of history. Youre never going to understand what it was, and no kid is ever going to understand what it was. You can just hope to capture that, and what better way to do that than to have (the veterans) tell you how muddy it was and how dirty it was and being exposed to the rain for days on end. Hopefully (visitors will) make that connection. Lawrence, the Beaver Dam pilot, did his basic training at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was trained in observation flights at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He spent two years in the Army and after the war returned to Beaver Dam, where he worked at Western Malleables Company, married Lenore Margret Williams in 1924, began raising a family and joined the local American Legion Post. Dozens of his letters addressed to his mothers home at 310 N. Center St. document his service, including a note just a few days after the end of the war. But the dangerous part is over for good, I hope. It is just a question of time now before we will be home. For most of us that time cant come too soon, wrote Lawrence, who died in 1960. Of course, France is simply wild with joy and there is nothing too good for the soldiers. I think that the Americans are the most popular of all. The Yanks have done mighty well and have really a powerful army considering the short time we have been in this. Youre never going to understand what it was, and no kid is ever going to understand what it was. You can just hope to capture that, and what better way to do that than to have (the veterans) tell you how muddy it was and how dirty it was and being exposed to the rain for days on end. Hopefully (visitors will) make that connection. Kevin Hampton, museum curator of history Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK. Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength". '606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'" The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs. Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) Youre the BEST! Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!" Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen Each year, millions of students complete their study programs at the colleges and universities across the United States. The new graduates receive an official piece of paper from their schools. This paper is known as their degree. It states what kind of program the student completed and what field they studied. But do all degrees have the same value? And do students from all schools studying the same program do the same amount of work? Do they graduate with the same knowledge and ability? These are all questions that students, parents, politicians and employers may be asking. These are hard questions to answer. But some are trying to make it easier. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has developed a system of measuring student learning. The system might change how educational performance is measured. It is called the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education, or VALUE. Terrel Rhodes is a vice president for the AAC&U. The organization studies all parts of the American higher education system. Rhodes says that, in the past, people generally believed a college degree meant that a person had a certain amount of knowledge and understanding. Historically, there was little question about the quality of the [knowledge] that the students were receiving through their areas of study, Rhodes said. But as the economy became more complex, he continued, More attention was being paid to more scientific approaches in the measurement of learning. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Education created a report on the American higher education system. The report included changes the system needed to make. It was called the Spellings Commission, named for the Secretary of Education at the time, Margaret Spellings. The report said that colleges and universities needed to make it more clear what graduates actually knew and could do beyond what their degrees said. The researchers suggested creating several measuring systems, including different standardized tests. This would make it easier to show how well individual schools educated their students. But Rhodes says there are several problems with this method. For example, a test of multiple-choice questions about a subject can measure how much a student knows about that field. But it does not show how well a student can connect that information to the real world. And, Rhodes says, it fails to show how well a student can think about problems in different ways. Also, most of the test results are not used to improve student learning. Their main purpose is to inform government officials who provide funding to schools, as well as accrediting agencies. In addition, the test results might not be correct, Rhodes says. Schools often give students the test near the end of the study programs. Students do not need to do well on these tests to graduate. And schools rarely share the results with students or professors. So students have little reason to try to do their best. It [isnt] connected to getting a job. It isnt connected to completing a course or getting a grade. And so we said there needs to be an alternative to that, Rhodes said. So, in 2008, the Association of American Colleges and Universities began working with professors across the country to create the VALUE system. The system was meant to measure the skills students would need in the professional world. These skills include critical thinking, written communication and problem solving. The creators of the VALUE system wanted to explore different parts of these skills. They did not want to not simply ask if a student knew the right answer to a given question. To measure critical thinking, for example, the VALUE system examines how well students can explain issues. It also looks at how well students use evidence to explain their thinking. The professors created a rubric -- or set of instructions -- for each part of each skill. The rubric measures from one to four. One represents the most basic ability level a college student should have in that skill; four represents the highest ability level. Schools use the rubric to examine projects and other assignments that students are working on. They do this to see how much certain skills are progressing. Since 2015, more than 42,000 representatives from more than 4,200 educational organizations have downloaded the VALUE rubrics from the internet. Rhodes says the AAC&U hopes schools share information from these assessments with professors and students. Students would then see how well their own skills are improving. And professors could make changes to their classes. Natasha Jankowski is director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. The organization examines tests and assessment in all levels of education. She says the VALUE system is a good way for schools to measure the success of their students. In the past, many schools only gave standardized tests because it was expected of them. But the VALUE system clearly explains what a graduate of a given school has the ability to do, she says. Now our students are in a position to talk about their education differently with employers, she said. Instead of referring to classes that they took, they can talk about the knowledge and skills that they have in ways that they can demonstrate. Im Phil Dierking. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do colleges and universities in your country measure student learning? How can schools do better to explain to employers what their students can do? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story accrediting - v. saying that something is good enough to be gien credit alternative - adj. offering or expressing a choice approach - v. to begin to deal with or think about assessment - n. the act of assessing something certain - adj. used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe degree - n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university grade - n. a number or letter that indicates how a student performed in a class or on a test graduate - n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university rubric - n. an explanation or a set of instructions at the beginning of a book, a test, etc. standardized - v. to change things so that they are similar and consistent and agree with rules about what is proper and acceptable An unusual, new program is becoming the norm at a technology company in Sweden. The company, called Epicenter, offers to place a microchip in its workers. It asks them for permission to inject the electronic device in the employees body. Each microchip is about the size of a grain of rice. It works like a swipe card an employee might use to enter an office building. It can open doors, operate printers, and even buy food, all with just a wave of the hand. The injections have become very popular. Epicenter even has parties for its workers who want to get microchips implanted. "The biggest benefit, I think, is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton, Chief Executive Officer of Epicenter. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys," he adds. The technology itself is not new. Some pet owners use virtual collars with microchips on dogs or other animals. Companies use microchips to follow the movement of products to buyers. Yet this technology has never before been used to follow so many people. Epicenter and a handful of other businesses are the first to use chip implants in such a large way. Convenient, but is it safe? The chip implants do raise concerns about security and privacy. They cause no harm to the employees, but the information the chips provide says a lot about their activities. They can show when and how often an employee comes to work, or what they buy. Company swipe cards or smartphones provide the same information, but the employee can easily separate themselves from that technology. This is not the case for someone with an implanted chip. "Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do and it was even for me at first," said Mesterton. In the beginning, he also had concerns. "But then on the other hand, I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart," he said. "That's a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices." Epicenter began implanting microchips in its workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have the chip. Another company, based in Belgium, also offers such implants to its employees. There are even several cases around the world where individuals have tried the technology on their own. The small implants use technology called Near Field Communication. It is the same technology thats used in contact-less credit cards or payments from a mobile device. When activated by a reader, a small amount of data moves between the two devices through electromagnetic waves. The implants are considered "passive," which means they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves. Microbiologist Ben Libberton warns that someone knowledgeable about computers could gain large amounts of information from implanted microchips. These concerns will grow as the microchips become more developed. "The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone," he says. You could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often you're working, how long you're working, if you're taking toilet breaks and things like that." Libberton said that if such information is collected, the big question is what happens to it, who uses it, and for what purpose? For now, Epicenter's employees do not seem too concerned. "People ask me; 'Are you chipped?' and I say; 'Yes, why not,'" said Fredric Kaijser, the 47-year-old chief experience officer at Epicenter. "And they all get excited about privacy issues and what that means and so forth. And for me it's just a matter of I like to try new things and just see it as more of an enabler and what that would bring into the future." The implants have become so popular that Epicenter workers hold monthly events where workers can be implanted with the chips for free. The chips are injected by Jowan Osterlund, who works for Biohax Sweden. The process lasts only a few seconds, and more often than not there is no shouting. "The next step for electronics is to move into the body," he says. Im Phil Dierking. Matti Huuhtanen reported this story for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Would you let your company implant a chip into your body? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story convenience n. a quality or situation that makes something easy or useful for someone by reducing the amount of work or time required to do something electromagnetic adj. a magnetic field that is produced by a current of electricity implant n. to place something in a person's body by means of surgery norm n. standards of proper or acceptable behavior swipe v. to pass something like a credit card, ATM card, etc. through a machine that reads information from it benefit n. a good or helpful result or effect key n. a device that is used to open a lock or start an automobile mobile n. able to move from one place to another Del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County reported a drop in gross gaming revenue in March, according to the latest monthly financial breakdown provided to the state Gaming Commission. The casino reported $12,438,616 in pre-tax revenue last month, down from $13,539,343 in February del Lago's first month of operation. Del Lago's poker tables and table games generated more gross gaming revenue in March. The casino's 77 table games reported $3,859,658 in pre-tax revenue for the month, up nearly $1.3 million over February's total of $2,597,329. Revenue from the poker tables totaled $266,808, up slightly from $263,435 in February. But the casino's largest source of revenue, the 2,001 slot machines in the Tyre gaming facility, took a hit in March. After collecting more than $10.6 million in February, slot machine pre-tax revenue fell to $8,312,150 in March. Total credits played at slot machines decreased from $122,784,139 to $111,192,736 last month, according to the financial report. Weather may have been a factor that affected the casino's revenue total. A windstorm hit the Rochester area in March and thousands in the region lost power for days. A week later, a major winter storm pounded central New York and the Finger Lakes region. Seneca County had a travel ban in place, which affected del Lago. The week of the snowstorm, del Lago reported $2,698,062 in gross gaming revenue the casino's lowest total since it opened in February. Jeff Babinski, executive vice president and general manager of del Lago Resort & Casino, recently told the The Citizen that the weather "definitely impacts business." "There was a state of emergency and tractor-trailers weren't supposed to travel on the Thruway," he said. "It's challenging when you can't get people to your place of business. It is what it is. There's nothing we can do about Mother Nature except just buckle down and hope for the best." April 9, 1937 The annual meeting of the Cato Presbyterian Church and congregation was held at the church Monday evening. W. Grant Harkness was re-elected Elder for a term of three years. George L. Babcock and George O. Fitting were re-elected trustees for a term of three years. Clifford A. Butman was elected trustee in place of Mrs. Samuel B. Wells, who was forced to resign on account of ill health. April 9, 1962 (Pictured) JAYVEE CHEER LEADERS Adding a trophy to the Mount Carmel High School display of awards was the Junior Varsity cheer leaders. They competed in the CYO tourney at Rochester last Saturday and came home with the second place award. Members of the team are: front, Mary A. Scollan, Patricia H. Cimildora, Susan M. Weaver and Sharon M. Duffy, co-captains, and Judith E. Gleason. In the second row are Anne M. Steigerwald, Margaret M. Coughlin, Linda H. Lawler, Ann M. Mulvey; and top row, Margaret A. Brennan, Patricia A. Foster, Dianne V. Renslow. April 9, 2007 April 9, 2012 All three earned Silver Medals in the National Scholastic Art program, said teacher Linda Torrey, who was honored as well. I am writing from Italy, where my wife and I are currently on sabbatical. My congregation was very generous and kind in providing me with this time to write and reflect, without the normal deadlines and responsibilities that I face as a parish minister. Obviously, I would appreciate this more if I were fluent in Italian. Then again, not being fluent in Italian piqued my sermonic ear and gave me this idea on the topic of fluency. Ill begin with the example of Benedetta, our first host, or landlady. Although she is Italian by birth, she is a professor and world-class expert on French literature. In fact, an English version of her latest book will be published later this year. One evening, after a couple hours of delightful conversation, I returned to our apartment and began thinking about how easily she moved between languages. Although English ranks no higher than third among her languages, Benedetta was perfectly fluent. It has been the same with many of the other people we have encountered in restaurants, shops, and even on a bus in a small town. Uncertain about why the bus just parked, rather than continuing along its route, my questions only yielded puzzled looks. (It was Italy, why should we expect people to understand my question in English?) So, my wife, who is fluent in French, asked if anyone spoke French. The woman behind us smiled as she could show off her French in front of her neighbors, while providing an explanation. (The woman had a friend who must have missed a connecting bus, so she told the bus driver to wait for it. This was Italy, after all.) Once, after preaching in Montreal, I had a discussion about this with a couple, who are fluent in both French and English. What they explained to me was that the key to fluency was to stop thinking or talking in translation. They simply listen to the words in one language, process without translating, and then respond in the language that I, or any other person, originally used. This was precisely how I felt when we engaged in our conversations with Benedetta. It reminded me of my own ancestors, who made their way to England and the United States, built businesses, and raised families while becoming fluent in a new language. By the time they died, they were no longer living in translation, they were fluent in a new language and culture. One could say that they were fluent in the life of their new homelands. People who are fluent in life are not parrots who merely repeat vocabulary words. They hear the nuances in our voices and communicate without any apparent effort, other than an occasional new term that they may not be familiar with. Then again, how many of us hear our children or grandchildren using terms that leave us feeling bewildered? These fluent individuals often assimilate the term quickly, and incorporate it into their vocabularies. This is why so many of the young people we have met in Italy provide us with so much hope for the future. They not only understand the words that we speak, they also understand our feelings of envy at their abilities to help us in English, and the gratitude that we express when we thank them, using their own language grazie mille," or a thousand graces that we will always be grateful for. Fluency in life is about more than words. It is a way of being in the world. I have come to see it as a new worldview. In contrast to so-called America firsters, which is a term that hearkens back to Charles Lindbergh, who was a heroic pilot but a tragic xenophobe who could not be trusted enough to fly for the United States during World War II, people who are leading us into the future with their fluency in life are showing us how much better we can be as people and as representatives of an America that will be that shining city on the hill beckoning and welcoming the worlds refugees. In this spirit, I will spend another night struggling with Italian vocabulary, but knowing how grateful I am to those helpful young people who represent the future of our world, as well as their elders, who have proven themselves to be fluent in life. TWIN FALLS Nearly every grocery store in Idaho carries Amalgamated Sugar Co.s White Satin-brand sugar. But rarely will shoppers see the White Satin label. Why? Because the grocery stores or their wholesale suppliers prefer to sell the product under their own labels, said Robert Floor, Boise-based regional sales manager for National Sugar Marketing. Customers recognize those store brands, Floor said. Selling the store-brand sugar reduces advertising costs. So when you see bags of sugar wearing the Safeway, Albertsons, WinCo, Kroger and Western Family labels, know White Satin sugar is in those bags. Walmart is the only grocery chain in Idaho that doesnt sell Amalgamateds sugar, Floor said. Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice is the only chain that sells the White Sugar label and thats the 50-pound bag. Costco Wholesales website indicates the chain sells White Satin sugar, but its not on the shelves of the Twin Falls store. Ben Swensen, one of three family members who own Swensens Markets in Twin Falls, said he remembers when Amalgamated Sugar Co.s sugar was sold under the White Satin label in most local stores. Swensen, the buyer for the business, said his stores sell White Satin sugar under the Western Family label. Swensens is a member of wholesaler Associated Food Stores, which distributes Western Family products. Eighteen other retailers in the Magic Valley are members, including Logans Market, Ridleys Family Markets and Simerlys, among others. Consumers may not realize they are eating Amalgamateds sugar in other products, said Flood, who previously worked for Amalgamated Sugar for 34 years. The sugar is a staple for the food industry and can be found in candy, baked goods and ice cream. Miami-based National Sugar Marketing was started by Amalgamated Sugar and is now owned by Amalgamated, Sucden Americas Corp. and southern Minnesota growers. Police: 147 tires scattered along southwestern Idaho road BOISE (AP) The Ada County Sheriffs Office says its investigating after someone dumped 147 used tires along a road in southwest Idaho. Officials say residents along Beacon Light Road discovered the tires Friday morning. The sheriffs office says the tires appear to have been tossed from a vehicle as they were spread out along the road rather than grouped in one area. Sheriffs office spokesman Patrick Orr says investigators are treating the discarded tires as an illegal dumping. The potential penalty is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Closure of popular Greenbelt in SW Idaho to be enforced BOISE (AP) Officials in cities in southwest Idaho say they will enforce the closure of large sections of the popular Greenbelt due to flooding from the Boise River. KBOI-TV reports that officials say they plan to mostly use educational brochures to let people know why the Greenbelt isnt safe, but citations are possible. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the river will go up to 8,500 cubic feet per second by Wednesday. Flood stage is 7,000 cubic feet per second at the spot where the river exits Boise. Its been flowing at about 8,000 cubic feet per second for several weeks. Many parts of the Greenbelt are inundated, with some areas partially washed away or in danger from falling trees that have root systems underwater. Idaho man who escaped Washington jail captured by police YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) Authorities say police have captured one of two men who escaped from the county jail in Yakima. The Yakima County Department of Corrections says police late Friday arrested 31-year-old Chad Tipton of Post Falls, Idaho, without incident in Olympia, Washington. Officials say they are still looking for 31-year-old Steven Roche, of Spokane, Washington. Both were held on charges from Kootenai County, Idaho. Douglas is accused of burglary and forgery, while Tipton is accused of assault and other charges. The Yakima County Department of Corrections says officers doing a head count 4 a.m. Tuesday discovered the two inmates missing. For a community the size of ours, its hard to comprehend, but Auburn has played a huge role in politics. A few of today's images come from the 1950s era, when Bill McKeon, the chairman of the local Democratic Party, and Judge Bob White, doing the same for the Republican Party, were so influential. Politics was most certainly not dull during those times. Photo No. 1, courtesy of Jack Madden, is in the late 1950s showing Pat and Richard Nixon arriving at the Auburn train station, opposite the Auburn prison, as they were stumping for Dwight Eisenhower for president. In later years, Nixon became our president. Photo No. 2, courtesy of Irene Murphy, shows a 1950s womens Democratic meeting: back row from left, Lib Conboy, unknown, unknown, Rose Mendzef; front row from left, Lil Dayton, Irene Murphy. Photo No. 3, courtesy of Phil Simone, shows Phil, an Auburn barber, with then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, with a security man on his right, as he campaigned at the Auburn Inn. Photo No. 4, courtesy of Frank McKay, shows Nancy Reagan, wife of President Ronald Reagan, as shes escorted in by Frank, an aide to the president. Frank is wearing a wig, made for him by Auburn barber Paul Saltarello, and on the right is Marty Coyne, president of the Ronald McDonald Organization, as they all share a laugh. Sadly, Frank died a few years ago. TWIN FALLS COUNTY FELONY SENTENCINGS Edward Ralph Kessell, 54, Osceola, Missouri; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $500 public defender, six years penitentiary, three determinate, three indeterminate, credit for time served, 365 days retained jurisdiction, sentence to run concurrently to Ada county case. Pamela Sue Lowe, 50, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $500 public defender, $100 DNA, four years penitentiary, two determinate, two indeterminate, 91 days credited, 365 days retained jurisdiction. Michelle Darlene Johnson, AKA Michelle Darlene Ballard, 41, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, five years indeterminate penitentiary, 105 days credited, sentence to run consecutively to 2015 case. Kelly Evan Admire, 21, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $1,000 fine, $500 public defender, seven years penitentiary, three determinate, four indeterminate, 25 days credited, retained jurisdiction. Possession of a controlled substance charge dismissed. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE SENTENCINGS James M. Havener, 22, Twin Falls; DUI excessive, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail 170 suspended, 10 days discretionary and six days credited for time served, 365 days drivers license suspension, 24 months probation with 12 to be supervised, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Cirilo Sebastian Hernandez, 34, Kimberly; DUI, $500 fine, $300 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 90 days jail, 88 suspended, one day credited, eight hours work detail, 90 days restricted drivers license, 12 months probation with six months to be supervised, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Stephan W. Featherston, 45, Twin Falls; DUI, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 64 days credited with the balance suspended, 12 months unsupervised probation. Clint Ryan Almaguer, 24, Buhl; Domestic battery or assault enhancement in the presence of a child, $500 fine, $400 suspended, $187.50 costs, $75 public defender, 180 days jail, six days credited with balance to be suspended, 10 days discretionary, 24 hours work detail, 90 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. DUI, $500 fine, $400 suspended, $202.50 costs, 90 days jail, six days credited with balance suspended, 10 days discretionary. Benny Ray Tucker, 28, Twin Falls; DUI second offense, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, two days credited, guilty withheld judgment, 365 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Driving without privileges, $500 fine, $400 suspended, $172.50 costs, 90 days jail, 88 suspended, guilty withheld sentence. Benny Ray Tucker, 28, Twin Falls; DUI excessive, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, credit for two days served, 10 days discretionary, 365 days restricted drivers license, 356 days interlock device, 24 months supervised probation, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. DIVORCE CIVIL PROCEEDINGS Kristin Brann v. Bradley Brann Leroy Howell v. Beverly Howell Maria Malagon Servin v. Ernesto Gonzalez Cathryn Unger v. Robert Unger Joanne Jackson v. William Jackson Russ Turnipseed v. Tina Turnipseed Mitchell Stewart v. Keri Stewart Devon Spearing v. Celene Spearing Alexander Villasenor v. Nadine Villasenor Ryan Loos v. Jennifer Loos TWIN FALLS The documentary Where We Stand follows a stay-at-home mom who became an advocate for the Ordain Women movement. The College of Southern Idahos Student Secular Alliance and Diversity Council will host a 20-minute documentary at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 195 of CSIs Hepworth building. The film screening and panel discussion are free and open to the public to attend. The Ordain Women movement is committed to working for equality and the ordination of Mormon women to the priesthood. The film also follows how the movement started as a website and became an internationally recognized activist group. Megan Jacobson, CSI Student Secular Alliance group advisor, said in a statement that she hopes the film will bring about a better understanding of the issue, which has gained significant attention, especially in predominant LDS communities. RUPERT Dozens of Minidoka County woman who dont have health insurance can receive free mammograms thanks to a $12,000 grant from the Idaho-Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen. The award will be given to Minidoka Memorial Hospitals Minidoka Countys 1st Defense against Breast Cancer program. The program allows the hospital to provide free mammograms to women who are culturally diverse or have limited English skills and dont have insurance to cover the services. The grant is part of $24,000 awarded in the Magic Valley. The organization is giving $120,000 to 16 programs in Idaho and Montana. If women dont have insurance or dont have the money for a mammogram they tend to let those needs go unmet, said Kim Vega, director of marketing and grants for the Minidoka Memorial. Other grants in south-central Idaho include Glenns Ferry Health Center, Inc., which will receive $3,000 for its Journey to Breast Health program for low-income, uninsured women for free mammograms. North Canyon Medical Center, will receive $5,000 for its Rural Care to Low to Middle Income Women program that provides free mammogram and diagnostic service to women who can not afford the services. The program aims to reduce late-stage breast cancer and promote breast health awareness. St Lukes Magic Valley Health Foundations Treasure Chest Project will receive $4,000. The program provides financial support to relieve the stress and burden of cancer treatment for patients and their families. To meet the needs of our community, this years grant slate specifically addresses screening and diagnostic services and patient assistance, said Jodi Weak, executive director for the regional Komen affiliate. Brytten Sievers, a radiologic technologist at Minidoka Memorial, said the money covers mammograms for about 55 women. Criteria to qualify include being between the ages of 35 and 49 and having no insurance. Vega said the hospital writes 25 percent of the grant to serve Hispanic or limited-English speaking women. If a woman meets the criteria and just wants a screening mammogram, she can call the hospital to set up an appointment and does not have to see her doctor first. If a woman has discovered a lump in her breast, she must first go to her doctor who will write an order for the diagnostic mammogram, which falls under a different category of service. Minidoka Memorial Radiologic Technologist Christina Masino said it is not unusual to get called back to have more images taken if some breast tissue imposes over other tissue during the screening. They shouldnt panic, she said. Its also important that women come back for a yearly check-up because the test is used to compare changes over time. The Komen Idaho-Montana Affiliate works with local health care professionals and leaders in the community to do a comprehensive community needs assessment. The profile is used to establish a local grant application and review process. Last year the Susan G. Komen Affiliates, in concert with local organizations, awarded more than $93 million in needs-based community grants. May 3, 1940 April 6, 2017 BURLEY Curtis Sheldon Russell, age 76, of Burley, died Thursday, April 6, 2017, at his home. Curtis was born May 3, 1940, to Curtis G Russell and Rovena Hilling. He was married to Barbara E Scott of Bellingham, Washington, whom he met when he was stationed at the U.S. Naval Security Group Activity Marietta, Washington. They were married until 1979. He then married MaryJo Lynn and remained married to her until her passing in 2011. Curtis joined the U.S. Navy in 1959, where he served with distinction until 1979, when he retired as a Chief Petty Officer at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. He served aboard a variety of commands including the USS Bennington (CV-20), USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37), USS Twining (DD-540) and several shore commands, NAS Whidbey Island among them. In his long career and his variety of commands he proudly called himself a tin-can sailor and always had stories of his time aboard destroyers. He enjoyed a second career working at the JR Simplot company until he retired from the security department in 2000. He was a proud member of the Disabled American Veterans, Mini-Cassia Chapter, and volunteered in a variety of roles. He coordinated and provided transportation for veterans to and from V.A. facilities in Southern Idaho, including Twin Falls, Boise, and the Mini-Cassia area. He enjoyed fishing, spending time with his grandkids, and his many dogs. He loved to travel and take road trips, although those decreased in the recent years. He is survived by eight of his children, Eva Jean, Curtis, Scott, Carey, Benjamin, Julia, Suellen and Teresa. One son preceded him in death, Sheldon Roy Russell, in 1985. MaryJo, who preceded him in death, blessed Curtis with five step-children when they married in 1982. They are Bonnie Parker, Brenda Parker (who preceded him in death), Dan Parker, Cheryl Castro, and Margo Lynn. A memorial service with military rites provided by the Mini-Cassia Veterans Organization will be held at 11 a.m. Wed., April 12, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley. President Donald Trumps decision to take limited military strikes against a Syrian military base Thursday is a potential game-changer for Syria, but only if the Trump administration follows through with a strategy to increase the pressure on Bashar Assads regime and its partners, according to the lead negotiator for the Syrian opposition. Trump said Thursday that he is calling on the international community to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, but the administration has not specified whether the strikes will be followed by a significant change in the United States Syria policy. If the Trump team treats its reaction to Assads use of chemical weapons as a one-off event, Assad, Russia and Iran will claim they stood up to Trumps aggression and then take retribution on the Syrian opposition and the Syrian people, said Riyad Hijab, a former Syrian prime minister. President Trump was able to do in two days what President [Barack] Obama could not do in six years, Hijab told me Friday morning. We call on President Trump to go even further and ground the entire Syrian Air Force, which has ruthlessly bombarded civilians with chemical weapons and explosive barrels for years with impunity. Short of that, the Syrian opposition is asking the Trump administration to use any new leverage it has to demand a nationwide ceasefire, to stop the killing of civilians by the Assad regime and press for international access to all besieged areas and the jails where Assad is holding thousands of civilians in custody. They also believe now is the time to push for a new political process to move Assad out of power. Assad saw statements from senior Trump administration officials last week referring to his remaining in power as a green light for him to escalate his attacks on civilians, according to Hijab. Now, Trump has backed up his strong words of condemnation of Assads April 4 chemical weapons attack with actions, but its only the first step. If this strike is not followed up by political, military and diplomatic pressure, it will give a chance to Assad to boast they have contained the strike and they have made an achievement, Hijab said at a pre-scheduled Friday morning event at the Atlantic Council. The Syrian military command issued a statement Friday pledging to double down on its effort to crush what it calls terrorists, which for Assad includes the Syrian opposition and even civilians. Thats why we expect an escalation against the Syrian people, Hijab said. The most important determining factor going forward is what the U.S. strategy will be. Hijab, who has been meeting with administration officials, Pentagon officials and lawmakers this week, revealed that the Syrian opposition has submitted two plans to the Trump administration for consideration. One would seek to take advantage of gains in northern Syria, won with the help of the Turkish military, to establish the safe zones that Trump has repeatedly promised. A separate plan put forth by the Syrian opposition asks for U.S. support to train and equip moderate Sunni Arab fighters in the eastern Syrian provinces of Deir al-Zour and Raqqa, to fight the Islamic State. If the U.S.-led coalition relies on the heavily Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces to take Raqqa, it will likely defeat the Islamic State but then cause a new war that will result in the rise of a new terrorist group to oppose the Kurds, the opposition contends. The good alternative is, use the people from the provinces themselves. The same applies to al-Qaida in Idlib, a province in northern Syria, Hijab said. Even after six years of war, the Syrian opposition and Syrian civilians are still crying out for the United States to lead the international charge to defend their dignity and basic rights, he said. Trump now has a new opportunity to answer their calls. The United States is leader of the free, democratic world, said Hijab, whether it wants it or not. NEW YORK Immigrant workers at a famed New York bakery who are threatened with being fired if they don't produce legal work papers defied the government outside President Donald Trump's Manhattan home on Saturday. Thirty-one employees of the Tom Cat Bakery also could be deported if they don't prove by April 21 that they're in the country legally. The mostly Spanish-speaking workers and about 100 supporters rallied outside Trump Tower to protest what they called the Trump administration's "bullying." Tom Cat managers summoned the workers one by one last month to tell them that the Department of Homeland Security was investigating the company, and they would be fired if they could not provide the documents, according to Daniel Gross, executive director of Brandworkers, a nonprofit that defends food manufacturing workers' rights. Multiple calls to the Tom Cat plant in Queens went unanswered. "It made me feel so sad, angry at the same time, because I never expected this was going to happen," said Hector Solis, 45, a native of Mexico City and a Brooklyn resident. He supports his family with work that starts at 4:30 a.m. daily. Solis had a heart attack several years ago and is afraid to lose his job along with his health insurance. Though he produced what appeared to be work documents a dozen years ago for his job, he acknowledges that he's not legally permitted to work in the U.S. "no, not really" but says he's been paying U.S. taxes for 20 years. The 31 workers are represented by the Urban Justice Center "in their struggle to remain in their jobs and inspire working people around the country to resist immigration enforcement actions," the nonprofit said in a statement released by attorney Reena Arora. She said the center is considering various legal options. The bakery employs about 180 workers in the Long Island City neighborhood, churning out artisanal bread 24 hours a day that supplies some of New York's finest restaurants and gourmet stores. A majority of Idahoans live in small rural towns where shopping local is not only the preferred option, but the only nearby option. Neighbors know neighbors and it is safe for kids to walk to school. It is quintessential, except for one thing, the shortage of doctors in these rural communities. You have probably heard the statistic that Idaho ranks 49th (per capita) for its lack of doctors in the state, and while the proposed Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine is working to fix that issue in all parts of Idaho, we really need to focus on our rural communities where there is a tremendous shortage. Thirty-five of Idahos 44 counties are defined as rural, thats nearly 80 percent and of those 35, 16 counties are classified as frontier counties. A frontier county is remote with its residents far from grocery stores, schools and health care. Designations by health experts have determined that Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas in Idaho cover more than 93-percent of the total land area and the Mental Health Professional Storage Area encompasses all of Idaho. Having ICOM will make a big impact on these tremendous needs. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare acknowledges the lack of physicians and in its 2016 Idaho Primary Health Care Needs Assessment, it says that in order to address the workforce need, a strong primary care delivery system needs to be established that eradicates the barriers beginning with a strong education system. Osteopathic schools across the nation have become a formidable force for states that are looking to remedy the lack of primary physicians. Idaho is the most populous state without a medical school of its own, for now. It is expensive to operate a medical school, so with the support of state and local leaders, ICOM has become a financially favorable option, that wont cost taxpayers. Building the school will take $120 million and be funded by private investors. In addition to that, ICOM will provide Idaho with an economic impact of more than $50 million a year once it is in full operation. Idaho students will get the first opportunity at enrollment and tuition will be less than the average private osteopathic medical or allopathic school. To help change the shortage of primary physicals in our state, ICOM will give special admission consideration to Idahoans who come from rural Idaho towns to increase the amount of physicians that want to return to their hometowns or escape the busy city and live in small quaint communities. ICOM plans to open in August 2018 to start changing the face of Idahos physician shortfall. Please encourage Gov. Otter to sign House Bill 67 to remove sales taxes on groceries, a system that hurts families. Taxing food, a basic human need, is unfair. Idaho is one of only 13 states that does so. Lets liberate Idahoans and the Tax Commission from the cumbersome sales tax on groceries with tax credits paid back months later, a system that no longer makes sense. Thats why H67 passed the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support. For Idaho to tax groceries generating paperwork to return some of these dollars to citizens later doesnt make sense. Data given to legislators revealed that a typical family of four is spending $7,600 annually for groceries, not the $6,600 estimated. Families with teenagers likely are spending even more. Most families dont receive parity with a delayed annual tax credit. These credits, available only once a year, do not keep up with cash flow for stressed Idahoans with tight monthly budgets. Steve Ackerman, a College of Western Idaho economics instructor independently testifying to the House, said, The grocery sales tax repeal would benefit Idahoans more than an income tax cut. H67 truly helps lower income earners the most having 6 percent more in your pocket when you need it is what matters. Many disadvantaged people cannot readily access the tax credits. Sen. Cliff Bayer (sponsor, R-Meridian) also confirmed that 50,000 tax returns are filed annually solely to receive grocery credits. Lets rid Idaho of this convoluted system and save the significant expense of processing 50,000 unnecessary returns. Two economists recently stated concerns about supposed burdens on merchants who will stop taxing groceries but still impose tax on sundries. Todays food stores use database systems that accommodate more complicated pricing options than a simple tax/do not tax flag. Theres ample time to get ready for system changeovers in FY2019. Another unfortunate side effect of 6 percent sales tax: Idahos border town grocers suffer because folks drive out of state to avoid paying sales tax. H67 helps small business, especially in Weiser, Parma, Moscow and Coeur dAlene. The Idaho Farmers Market Association reports that the Moscow Farmers Market alone has fostered 67 start-up businesses with an economic impact of $3.45 to $4.56 million. Ending grocery taxes will stabilize prices at local markets and decrease sellers remittance burdens. Sen. Bayer worked diligently to craft this sales tax-credit removal, including a mechanism equalizing sales tax revenue to local governments, and he delayed implementation for one year. There is zero fiscal impact in FY2018. We urge this period be used to finally enact overdue tax loophole solutions. We also question why legislators allowed S1206, the roads bill, to siphon off one percent of all sales taxes for highway fixes, an unprecedented transfer of sales revenue largely intended to fund education. Idahoans want this inequitable tax on groceries to vanish, along with the outdated credits, an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. H67 is a timely move, especially with substantial new Amazon sales taxes entering the Idaho revenue stream this month. Folks everywhere are clear that our tax system needs change. Enacting H67 is a great step for more fairness and sensible government. Twin Falls is a welcoming city. From its founding, the city has welcomed people of all kinds. At first, it was investors from the east. Then, anybody with enough moxie to head west and try to scrape together a living and a life transforming barren desert into fertile farmland. In the hundred or so years since, weve seen waves of immigrants. Basques, South Americans, and most recently, Hispanics from Central America and Mexico. That same spirit that if you have enough guts to take a chance, Twin Falls is where dreams can come true is still as vibrant as ever. Just look around the valley at the scores of small businesses and companies large and small who chose here to pursue commerce. Look at their workers and employees. Look at your neighbors. Last week, the New York Times ran a front-page story about Twin Falls that captured some of our ethos. From city politicians to developers, the refrain from locals was the same: If youre tough enough to try it here, chances are youll be rewarded. We welcome people. Competition breeds success. So why has the city been so reluctant to say it? Nearly a year ago, we urged the City Council to pass a resolution stating Twin Falls was a place that welcomed people of all kinds, colors and creeds. We felt it important for the city to stake a position as our welcoming spirit came under unprecedented attack from a handful of bigots trying to close the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center and out-of-state special interests opposed to Muslims and non-whites. Sadly, the Council did not act. Instead, it listened at meeting after meeting to some of the most despicable and misinformed accusations against refugees and others in our city. And still it did not act. In January, the Boise City Council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming it a welcoming city. Ketchum has done the same. Now its finally time for Twin Falls to act. Such a proclamation wouldnt be all that unusual. Already this month, the Council has dealt with proclamations declaring it Child Abuse Prevention Month, Volunteer Appreciation Month, National Service Recognition Day and Crime Victims Rights Week. Surely, simply stating that Twin Falls is a welcoming place would be just as benign. Its true, so it should be easy to state. The problems is, opponents are likely to see the move as a wink and a nod to refugee resettlement, an issue over which the city has no control. Resettling refugees is a federal issue. To be sure, the proclamation is being driven by the refugee issue. Dr. Mark Crandall is a Boy Scout leader whose troop recently volunteered at the refugee center. When the boys asked what more they could do, the center urged them to become vocal advocates. The boys have been happy to engage and are turning to their government. A similar statement of support (as the Boise resolution) would go a long way in our current environment to demonstrate that Twin Falls is a welcoming city, Crandall wrote in a letter to the Council. It would help show that our city is full of Good Samaritans like the boys in my Scout troop, and that we do not allow ourselves to be defined or caricatured by the alt-right media. I applaud the city council for your fairmindedness and measured response to the out-of-state anti-immigration advocates from last year. They do not represent our values as a city. Amen. Now its time for the Council to step up and be as brave as these boys. Its time to stand up and say, finally, that Twin Falls will not be defined by outside influences or small-minded locals who fail to see the diverse and pioneering spirit thats been the secret to our success for more than 100 years. Its time for this Council to make us proud. Its time to make the proclamation: Twin Falls is a welcoming city. I am writing to support the Southern Cayuga Central School budget and applaud the transparency, efficiency and stewardship of the SCCS school board, administrators and staff. I was recently taken aback by a friends account of her sons, a small farmer specializing in organic crops, hesitation to re-locate to Southern Cayuga County. As a new parent, the schools are critical in my selection of a community for my small business. I need to know that taxpayers care as much about the school as my family does, were his comments to my friend. I believe we can defend community support of our school and assure those wishing to locate in Southern Cayuga that we will continue to provide for their childrens educational future. If I were asked by a prospective business owner or family to defend my statement, I would take them to a board of education meeting. They would learn that the voter approved 2016 budget represented the lowest tax rate increase since 2005 at 1.6 percent and the second lowest tax rate in central New York. They would witness the astute questions of the school board members and the public about the proposed budget and how it meets our educational goals. They would see a budget process that assures high standards for all student outcomes are met in the most cost efficient manner. Next, I would arrange for a series of campus trips. We would attend school dramatic or musical productions and leave the auditorium amazed. We would visit the Anne Frank Tree and learn that our history and commitment to tolerance have been nationally recognized. We would listen to the agricultural issues forum team present So, what about farm labor? as they prepare for a statewide competition. We would walk the halls and comment on the high quality of student art and attend and AP College credit courses. We would watch the comfort of all our students around technology knowing that over $178,000 of Smart School Bond Act funds were used for new equipment. A stop at the guidance office would provide us with knowledge that 84 percent of our 2016 graduates went on to higher education at two- and four-year programs and that our graduation rate is 86 percent. We share these experiences with friends and listen to their accounts of why they voted to approve our school budgets for the past eight years. Elaine Meyers King Ferry Error 404 Not Found You may have mis-typed the URL. Or the page has been removed. Actually, there is nothing to see here... Click on the links below to do something, Thanks! Take Me our of here 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. New associates Lucrecia Lucas-West has joined the Respite & Homemaking Services team at Missoula Aging Services as a respite/homemaker provider. Lucas-West has more than 20 years of experience working in the caregiving field with older adults and people with disabilities, and is proficient in American sign language. Respite & Homemaking Services staff directly assist older adult clients and their families by providing needed breaks for family caregivers and assistance with housekeeping. Fred Simpson has joined Capp & Jenks, P.C. Simpson entered the practice in 1995 and focuses on litigation representing individuals and businesses regarding insurance tort defense, insurance coverage, professional liability and commercial litigation. In recent years his practice has expanded into commercial transactions and other business-related matters. He is licensed in Montana state and federal district courts, as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Effective April 1, the law firms name has changed to Capp, Jenks & Simpson, P.C. The firm will continue to focus on general litigation including insurance defense, real estate and commercial transactions, along with estate planning and probate matters. Teresa Morrison has joined Stockman Bank as assistant vice president, real estate loan officer. She will develop and service real estate loans and assist clients with their goal of becoming a homeowner or refinancing to consolidate debt, lower current monthly payments, or utilize their home as a tool for further investment in real estate. Morrison brings over 35 years of banking experience to the position, which includes loan processing, customer service and business development. Morrison is active in the community and serves as a volunteer for the Special Olympics, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Big Brother & Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and HomeWord. She will also continue her community involvement through participation in the banks ongoing donation and sponsorship activities. Her office is located at 283 W. Front St. Suite 203 and she may be reached at 258-1423. Recognition Kris Hawkins was the Top Producer for the month of March. Hawkins specializes in residential real estate. She has been licensed since 2002 and is a Broker/Owner of Properties 2000. The ERA Lambros Top Producers for the month of March were Julie Gardner for commercial; Tory Dailey, residential; Tono Lippy for the Florence office; Cheryl Smith for the Hamilton office; Jodie Hooker for the Polson office; Rod Delaney and Cora Gilmore Nelson for the Libby office. Berkshire Hathaway Montana Properties recognized the following Missoula and Seeley Lake associates for their achievements in real estate sales in 2016. Honor society: Carly Kelly, Germaine Haberman, Jennifer Clement-Schweitzer, Kathi Olson, Katie Van Dorn, Sherry Fields, Laurie Darrow, and Laurie Page. Leading edge society: Aaron Gingerelli, Emily Mackenroth, Jennifer and Beth Taylor, Joanne Petelin, Kendra Richardson, Mike Nugent, and Rhonda Hunt. President's circle: Lewis Matelich, Paulette McMannis, Matt Mellott, and Mindy Palmer. Chairman's circle gold: Mike Bryan. Chairman's circle platinum and 10 year legend: The Bryan Team (Addie Bryan, Cynthia Bryan, Gary Bryan and Julie Birgenheier). CORTEZ, Colo. Two generations ago, they were often written off as a bunch of hippies making backpacks and climbing gear for niche markets. But in recent decades, companies such as Patagonia and REI have become consumer powerhouses and political players, increasingly eager to influence decisions over public lands. A sign of that clout came this year, when the outdoor industry decided to pull its twice-yearly trade show from Salt Lake City, where it been based since 1996. The shows injected tens of millions of dollars into the Utah economy, but industry leaders decided to pull out after Gov. Gary Herbert and other Utah Republicans started lobbying President Donald Trump to roll back the Bears Ears National Monument, a 1.35-million-acre conservation area in southern Utah that Native Americans and environmentalists have championed for years. Industry leaders said they had mixed feelings about leaving Salt Lake but felt compelled to make a move after Herbert refused to reconsider his position. "Outdoor recreation is a huge economic driver in Utah and Colorado, and we felt it wasn't being respected," said Sam Mix, outdoor marketing manager for Osprey Packs, which is headquartered in southwest Colorado. "Public lands are where our customers go to recreate. Without these big wide-open spaces, we'd have no business and no reason to exist." Made up of 1,200 companies, the Outdoor Industry Association is based in Boulder, Colorado, with an outreach office in Washington, D.C. The group estimates that consumers spend about $120 billion on outdoor recreation products each year, ranging from apparel to tents, bicycles and camping gear. Since 1989, dozens of leading outdoor companies have paid into a mechanism to support public lands and environmental causes. With membership dues based on a company's annual revenues, the industry's Conservation Alliance has doled out more than $15 million in grants. Compared with oil companies and others with a commercial interest in public lands, the outdoor industry isn't much of a lobbying force. Recreational Equipment Inc. REI spent $210,000 on lobbying last year. Patagonia spent $90,000. By contrast, Exxon spent more than $11 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Yet because of its unique customer base, the industry has learned it can mobilize thousands of dedicated outdoors people through digital campaigns. Over the last three years, for instance, Patagonia alone says it has invested $1.7 million in grants and videos to promote Bears Ears, an expanse of red rock canyons, forests and Native American antiquities spread out south of Canyonlands National Park. Patagonia, a private company with roughly $800 million in annual sales, has a long history of supporting conservation causes. In recent years, Bears Ears has been its signature issue. In 2015, it produced a lavish video "Defined by the Line" that introduced many outdoors enthusiasts to this region. If you click now on the company's main website, the first image that pops up is a photo of the area's red-rock mesas, superimposed with a message, "Defend Bears Ears." Top Patagonia executives became interested in Bears Ears because of their rock-climbing employees, according to Hans Cole, whose company title is "director of environmental campaigns and advocacy." Patagonia employees, he said, brought back stories of challenging, picturesque climbing sites such as those at Indian Creek. It was only later that Patagonia learned about the cultural significance of the area, which is filled with ancient rock art and cliff dwellings considered sacred by local tribes. When Cole paid his first visit to Bears Ears in the fall of 2014, he recalls hiking to the top of Comb Ridge and "standing on the lip of this mind-blowing landscape" while meeting tribal elders worried about the future of the area. "We were at a point at Patagonia where we wanted to encourage our audience to get even more involved," said Cole, who has worked eight years at the company. "We were looking for a place where there was an overlap incredible climbing and yet a need for conservation and land protection. ... Bears Ears was it." In late December, President Barack Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate Bears Ears a national monument. In announcing the decision, the White House noted the inability of Utah's U.S. lawmakers to protect the area's artifacts and habitats through public lands legislation. Even so, the Utah delegation lashed out at what they called Obama's "midnight monument." By February, the state Legislature passed a resolution asking Trump to undo the new national monument. Herbert signed it, along with a resolution asking Trump also to rescind the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Outdoor industry officials had warned Utah leaders not to take such action. Days after Herbert signed the resolution, Outdoor Retailer announced it would move its trade shows out of Utah after its contract with Salt Lake City ended in 2018. "We've been listening to the concerns from the industry and agree that it's time to explore our options," said Marisa Nicholson, show director for the trade group. Some Utah opponents of the Bears Ears monument say they couldn't care less about the trade show's exit. Leaders of livestock and mining businesses oppose the monument, fearing that such designations will limit how and where they can earn their livelihoods in the future. "Let them go!" said Sandy Johnson, a rancher whose family has raised cattle on federal land near Bears Ears since the 1920s. "You start bending to those kind of people and you become a hostage." For Salt Lake City, though, the industry's announcement was a bombshell. According to a University of Utah economic report, nearly 32,000 people visited Salt Lake County because of Outdoor Retailer's summer show last year, spending $32 million and generating $3.1 million in local taxes. Another 21,000 visitors and $20 million in economic impact was expected from January's winter show. In addition, Outdoor Retailer had recently signed a nonbinding letter of intent to expand from two to five shows yearly. Salt Lake City and Gov. Herbert urged the industry to stay in town. But top executives at REI, the North Face and Patagonia were disappointed in Herbert's overtures during a Feb. 16 telephone call. The outdoor industry says it continues to seek a home outside Utah for the shows in 2019, with possible bids coming from Denver, Portland, Oregon, and other cities. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has directed his economic development team to ready a bid for the show if the state is invited to do so. In a recent interview with McClatchy, Herbert acknowledged the industry has "had a great run in Utah" and made a case for the trade shows staying in the state. "We have 15 million more acres of public land" than Colorado, he said. "I still hope we have opportunities to reconcile some differences and let them understand we have spent hundreds of millions of dollar on providing the best outdoor recreational opportunities in America." Industry officials say the decision is done. "Utah is a great outdoor state," said Mix, the Osprey Packs executive. But too many of the state's elected leaders "are representing a vocal, small minority the sagebrush rebellion contingent." Mix said Osprey and others in the industry would continue to support land conservation efforts in Utah, even with the trade show's departure. The industry is gearing up for whatever decision Trump might make on Bears Ears, said Corley Kenna, communications director for Patagonia. If Trump tries to rescind the monument, something the law makes no provision for, "We will use every tool available to speak out and fight it," she said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. BUTTE A proposed slag-processing plant that could initially create 50 to 60 jobs near Anaconda is moving forward, but its ultimate size and scope and a timeline are still being determined, a spokesman said this week. The Missoula-based Premier Industries wants to use 93 acres along Mill Creek Highway to build a plant that will process slag from the defunct Washoe Smelter into proppant, a material used in fracking oil and natural gas. Bob Kelly, a consultant for Premier Industries, said Monday that Premier needs to finalize its engineering plan, file for permits with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and complete other pre-site preparation tasks before it can break ground. We want to walk before we run, said Kelly, noting that the company hopes to move slowly and deliberately instead of rushing ahead. In December, Premier was granted a county lease for the Mill Creek property, 1.5 miles southwest of Highway 1, after commissioners unanimously approved the agreement. The lease is for 99 years at a rate of $100 per year with an option to purchase the property for $1. The Anaconda Leader reported last week that Rick Tabish, former principal for Premier who is now a contractor and consultant on the project through his company FX Solutions Inc., said his goal is to get the facility built by September 2017 and operating by the end of the year. Similarly, in January, Tabish told members of the Mill Creek TIFID Board, a tax increment financing district in Anaconda, that he hoped to get the plants first furnace built by June. Kelly said he couldnt speak to the September goal. That would be a little optimistic, he said, but added that it would be great if Premier could reach the milestone. When called, Tabish directed the Standard to Kelly for this story. Kelly said, in the short term, the company would like to get one to two furnaces up and running, but he couldnt provide an exact timeline of when that can happen. He added that the site is capable of supporting at least 10 furnaces, which represents an informal long-term goal. But before Premier can build anything it needs to secure permits from DEQ. We havent even submitted a DEQ application yet, said Kelly, adding that doing so at this point would be premature. Kristi Ponozzo, spokesperson at DEQ, said that, without having received a permit application and seeing the finer details of the project, its difficult to determine what permits the company might need. She said DEQ has a variety of permits, ranging from basic water- and air-quality permits, to heavy hitters like a Title V permit, which is intended for major producers of air pollutants. Title V permits are issued after a project is already in operation, she said. Ponozzo said in an email the permitting process for a Montana Air Quality Permit takes 75 to 90 days once the application is complete, adding that the public would have an opportunity to comment on the draft permit during the process. As with any construction project, time is money. But time is also a factor in the companys lease agreement with the county. The company has to secure a building permit and begin construction before Dec. 31, 2018 a task that can't happen until it gets the green light from DEQ. If the company cannot begin construction by that date, Anaconda can terminate the lease through what's known as a "callback clause" that's written into the lease agreement. A representative of the Montana Department of Transportation, meanwhile, said Premier will likely not need any major permits from that agency. Jeff Ebert, Butte District administrator for MDT, said Monday that the agency will issue an encroachment permit for the companys use of Mill Creek Highway and Highway 1, and that the company plans to conduct a majority of its activity on internal roads to be constructed at the site. We all agree (the traffic)s going to be pretty minimal, said Ebert. Ebert said that a document the company presented to MDT estimates that six trucks per day will travel between the slag and processing plant during its first week of operation. The closest slag pile is less than a mile away from the plant as the crow flies. By 2.3 years, the company estimates that 130 trucks will leave the slag pile per 24-hour period. Meanwhile, Premier held a public meeting last week in Anaconda to discuss the project. I thought it went well, said Kelly, noting that about 200 Smelter City residents attended. Kelly said the meeting gave Anaconda residents the opportunity to ask questions about the project and several inquired about when and how many jobs would become available. On Monday, Kelly said he couldnt give a long-term projection on how many jobs will ultimately result when the project is completed, but did say that, once the company gets its first two furnaces up and running, Anacondans will have access to salaried positions with benefits, starting at the high $30,000-per-year range. Were looking at 50 to 60 jobs, Kelly said, of the initial one- to two-furnace build out. In a December interview with The Montana Standard, Kelly said the plant could produce job numbers into the hundreds when built to full capacity. Kelly added that Premier is hoping to hire local people and will provide training for those who initially lack skills the positions require. MyStudentInNeed.org is a website that provides a private way for teachers and staff members of Missoula County Public Schools to ask for help for a student in need, and a way for the community to give back. If you would like to help, visit mystudentinneed.org/Missoula-MT. The number next to the school represents the current needs at that school. The needs can change every day. Click the school, find a need request and click the "Fulfill This Need" button. Complete the donor form and press the "Submit" button, or call 406-750-2542. A member of our team will contact you. When Amy Dixons body was pulled from the ice on the Clark Fork River near downtown on Dec. 21, people wanted to know how the 44-year-old from Superior died. While investigators said from the beginning they did not believe foul play was involved, determining a definitive cause and manner for Dixon's death required a request to the Montana State Crime Lab to perform a toxicology test. In unattended death investigations, a toxicology report helps a coroner by discovering any alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medications that may have been in a persons system, whether or not they contributed to the death. Dixons toxicology report was completed 35 days later near the end of January. Along with an autopsy and investigation by the Missoula Police Department, it allowed detectives to officially say her accidental death was the result of exposure and hypothermia. While several weeks may seem to some like a lot of time for a single test, Phil Kinsey said the crime labs toxicologists are exceeding the national standards for getting results back to law enforcement agencies. Kinsey is the administrator of the Montana Department of Justices Forensic Science Division, more commonly known as the crime lab. Everyone would like everything done immediately, Kinsey said. One of the things we always try to combat is perception, but we should commend (the toxicologists) for doing so well on their turnaround times. The goal of the toxicology department in postmortem cases is to complete 95 percent of its tests within 75 days. National accreditation standards ask that 90 percent of cases are completed in 60 to 90 days. According to its 2015 annual report that most recent year that statistics have been finalized the lab met that goal and had an average turnaround time of 40 days. Kinsey said in recent years the number of toxicology tests the crime lab handles has fluctuated at around 6,000 per year, which includes not only postmortem investigations but also driving under the influence, sexual assault cases, urinalysis testing for people on probation and parole, and cases involving children exposed to drugs. In January of this year, Kinsey said the average time for toxicology was 38 days, with a 95 percent being completed in 76. In February, the average fell to 28 days with a 95 percent rate of 54 days. Because of the relatively small staff in the toxicology department a supervisor, seven toxicologists, a pair of breath-alcohol specialists and a technician Kinsey said spikes in the case-clearing averages can happen because of something as simple as a vacation. Any issues with the highly specialized equipment can also cause a delay. I kind of liken them to Ferraris. They are high powered, they can do a lot of things, but when they break down they required specific work to fix them, he said. Toxicology reports for Bradley Stove and Tanya Gilliam, killed in a shooting near Lolo on Jan. 9, were both completed by the third week of February. While the deaths of Gilliam and Stover were ruled a homicide by gunshot wound by the county coroner, sheriffs office spokeswoman Brenda Bassett said, thats a medical description.The case is still being investigated and a man has been charged with two other felonies in relation to the shooting, but homicide charges havent been filed. At the start of March, the crime lab sent back toxicology results for 53-year-old Annette Buelow, who was found dead outside a Fifth Street home Jan. 24. Sgt. Travis Welsh, public information officer for the police department, said like Dixons case, Buelows death has been ruled accidental due to hypothermia. While Kinsey said a toxicology report was finished in late February, Bassett said the sheriffs office is awaiting full autopsy results before declaring a cause and manner of death for 33-year-old Christina England, found outside a Linda Vista apartment building on Jan. 19. Captain David Conway, who runs the sheriffs detective division, said Englands case remains open even though they do not suspect any type of foul play. Theres no rush on (the crime lab) and the reason is we know there is no reason to believe theres a criminal aspect in that case, he said. Montana is known for its millions of acres of preserved land, sweeping from the mountains across the badlands, and has earned the nickname the last best place. Living in the ultimate destination for sportsmen and sportswomen, most Montanans, including my daughter, whose father is an avid hunter, grew up in a gun-owning household. We value responsibility, community and hard work. As a native Montanan, Im proud to be a small-business owner contributing to our thriving community and serving up some of the best cuisine youll have around town. My restaurant, located in the Bitterroot Valley, has been open for several years. Along with some of our favorite dishes, we serve alcohol to our of-age diners. Our goal: to provide a wonderful meal and all-around great experience, in a safe environment. But all that is threatened if Gov. Bullock doesnt veto House Bill 494. This dangerous, gun lobby-backed legislation would allow restaurant customers to carry hidden, loaded guns in restaurants that serve alcohol. You dont have to be a restaurant owner to know that guns and alcohol dont mix. Alcohol intoxication increases the likelihood of violent behavior, and leads to impaired judgment. Coupled with a firearm, an everyday interaction could easily turn tragic. As a restaurant owner, this bill would directly affect my day-to-day safety as well as the security of my employees. Neither I nor my employees would know who is or is not carrying a hidden, loaded gun while they drink. Therefore, its simply mind-boggling to me that our elected leaders would send HB 494 to Bullocks desk for his signature. Somehow, the very real risks associated with HB 494 escaped our state Legislature when it passed out of the Senate. But Bullock has an opportunity to veto this dangerous legislation. He has the opportunity to stand up for us all not just those who own or work in restaurants, but for all our diners and tourists alike. Im hopeful that Bullock will continue the progress already made this legislative session on gun safety in Montana. Earlier this legislative session, Bullock vetoed House Bill 232, legislation that would have allowed people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public without a permit or any safety training - completely dismantling our concealed weapons permit system. On top of that, House Bill 385 legislation that would have forced school districts to allow full-time employees to carry hidden, loaded guns in K-12 schools, failed on a floor vote. Can you imagine having no idea if the janitors at your childs elementary school were carrying a loaded gun in the classroom, or where they stored it? Our states long history of responsible gun ownership shines bright in these wins for public safety, and mark defeats for the extremist gun lobby. Its something Im proud of, as well as being a volunteer with the Montana chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. The gun lobby may think Montana is fertile ground for its "guns everywhere, for everyone" agenda but theyre learning they could not be more off the mark. Thankfully, Bullock has repeatedly shown a lot of common sense and the necessary courage to stand up to the gun lobby. Im hopeful hell do that again by vetoing HB 494. And I welcome him to have a seat at my restaurant without a hidden, loaded gun at the next table. Together we can keep Montana the last best place. WASHINGTONImpulse control is unfashionable as well as unpresidential, but perhaps you should resist the urge to trip people who stride briskly down the sidewalk fixated on their phone screens, absorbed in texting and feeling entitled to expect others to make way. New technologies are shaping behaviors and dissolving civilities. In 2005, Lynne Truss, in her book "Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door," presciently said we were slouching into "an age of social autism" with a "Universal Eff-off Reflex." Truss foresaw an age of "hair-trigger sensitivity" and "lazy moral relativism combined with aggressive social insolence." This was 12 years before some Wellesley College professors said, last month, that inviting controversial, aka conservative, speakers to campus injures students by forcing them to "invest time and energy in rebutting the speakers' arguments." In the latest issue of The American Interest, the Hudson Institute's Carolyn Stewart, revisiting Truss' book, wonders, "What is it about social media that compels us to throw off the gloves?" Social media's "self-affirming feedback loop" encourages "expectations for a custom-made reality" and indignation about anything "that deviates from our preferences." The consequences of what Stewart calls "our growing intolerance of an unedited reality" are enumerated in Tom Nichols' new book "The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters." Our devices and social media are, he says, producing people who confuse "internet grazing" with research and this faux research with higher education, defined by a wit as "those magical seven years between high school and your first warehouse job." "It is," Nichols writes, "a new Declaration of Independence: no longer do we hold these truths to be self-evident, we hold all truths to be self-evident, even the ones that aren't true. All things are knowable and every opinion on any subject is as good as any other." In today's therapeutic culture, which seems designed to validate every opinion and feeling, there will rarely be disagreement without anger between thin-skinned people who cannot distinguish the phrase "you're wrong" from "you're stupid." Equating "critical thinking" with "relentless criticism" results in worse than the indiscriminate rejection not merely of this or that expert. Nichols says this equation produces "a Google-fueled, Wikipedia-based, blog-sodden" disdain for even the ideal of expertise. This ideal becomes an affront in a culture that "cannot endure even the slightest hint of inequality of any kind." Unfortunately, Nichols tartly notes, "specialization is necessarily exclusive." The "spreading epidemic of misinformation," nowadays known as "alternative facts," gives rise to a corollary to Gresham's Law ("bad money drives out good"): "misinformation pushes aside knowledge." Everyone with a smartphone has in his or her pocket, Nichols says, more information "than ever existed in the entire Library of Alexandria," which can produce a self-deluding veneer of erudition. Nichols recounts an old joke about a British Foreign Office official who retired after 40 years: "Every morning I went to the prime minister and assured him there would be no world war today. And I am pleased to note that in a career of 40 years, I was only wrong twice." This official deserved an A grade, like everyone else. Montanans love our outdoors. Thats been shown time and again, through multiple official studies and countless individual anecdotes. And when it comes to recreational pursuits, its a safe bet many outdoors-loving Montanans spend a fair portion of their free time hunting or fishing. A smaller but no less dedicated portion harvest wildlife in other ways, such as trapping. These pursuits have a deep history in Montana, and contribute to the continuation of shared cultural values, among them self-sufficiency, hard work and a personal connection with the natural world. But Montanans do not need to enshrine a right to hunt, fish and trap in the state Constitution. While the effort to elevate such rights to the constitutional level may be well-intended, doing so causes far more problems than it solves. Instead, Montanas legislators should focus on strengthening hunting and fishing opportunities by enhancing public access and ensuring that Fish, Wildlife and Parks has the resources it needs to enforce existing laws and protect our shared natural resources. Thompson Falls Sen. Jennifer Fielder, a Republican, is sponsoring the bill that would amend Montanas Constitution. Although the original version of Senate Bill 236 underwent significant revision in the Senate Fish and Game Committee, it still barely passed on a 6-5 vote. It then passed the Senate on a vote of 30-20. Not exactly a resounding endorsement. As amended, the legislation proposes to put a constitutional amendment before voters to protect the rights of Montana citizens to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wild fish and wildlife, and establish that public hunting, fishing, and trapping is the preferred manner of managing wild fish and wildlife. Furthermore, it would allow for necessary and proper management and conservation statutes and regulations. Interestingly, it also specifies that maintaining this right does not create a right to trespass on private property. This pared-down version is certainly better than the original, which set up all sorts of potential conflicts in state law. Unfortunately, it still sets the scene for a series of legal showdowns that could prove costly for the state and, rather than clarify and protect hunting and fishing rights, could confuse and erode them. This has already been demonstrated in several the 21-or-so other states that have included a guaranteed right to hunt or fish in their state constitutions, starting with the state of Vermont, which led the way with such language back in 1777. The next state to adopt similar language, Alabama, didnt do so until 1996 Over the ensuing years, various courts have had to untangle cases in which a states constitutional right to hunt and fish ran up against laws protecting endangered species, as well as regulations intended to allow certain species to increase in certain districts. Not surprisingly, the courts upheld such laws over the constitutional rights of the individuals. At best, these protections prevent any attempt to enact a blanket ban on hunting or fishing an unlikely scenario in Montana. At worst, they encourage new conflicts with existing laws that must be decided in the courts. So what happens when, say, Montana FWP determines that elk numbers have dropped too low in a certain hunting district, and closes it to further harvesting? Does that violate the constitutional right to hunt? Would seasonal fishing restrictions on too-warm rivers violate the right to fish? Could a fee still be collected for hunting and fishing licenses, or would such financial barriers deprive low-income Montanans of their guaranteed rights? One can only imagine the myriad ways in which current management practices and regulations could conflict with this new set of rights. The bills attempt to sidestep such problems by specifying that the state maintains the authority to regulate hunting, fishing and trapping is undermined by the inclusion of language noting that such activities are the preferred method of management and conservation. Presumably, Montanas wildlife managers would have to provide proof that such methods were not found to be preferable every time they chose a different option. So much for those beaver deceivers that have worked so well in waterways throughout Montana. Tellingly, the proposed legislation does not enjoy universal support from Montanas sporting organizations, or from the United Property Owners of Montana. It doesnt even have the support of Montana FWP. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, on the other hand, has agreed to support the amended version, along with several other influential groups, including the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and the Montana Trappers Association. Indeed, this legislation seems primarily aimed at reassuring the trapping community, which has witnessed recent attempts to restrict their particular activity. Only a few months ago, voters shot down an initiative to ban trapping on public lands. The voters spoke, and decided that trapping should continue to be allowed. Nevertheless, trappers rightly felt targeted, and are likely braced for similar challenges in the future. Here it is important to remember that Montanas Constitution already contains a right to harvest wild fish and game. Montanas voters approved this far more sensible constitutional amendment back in 2004, and furthermore, a bill to include trapping was passed in the previous legislative session and is now law. The House Judiciary Committee is currently weighing SB 236, and the bill faced its first hearing before that committee just last week. Committee members should feel comfortable tabling this bad bill. After observing the continual rhetoric of our voted-in representatives, I need to respond. I was born and raised in Montana and have seen a continuous decline of our state from blue to red. As a lifelong Democrat, I have seen the Republicans take over and destroy my sense of personal security and steel the balance of governmental process. It appears to have been bought and sold to the highest bidder. I support Rob Quist for the House of Representative vacancy, as he has proven what it takes to represent Montana. He has experienced financial and personal struggles, as many of us have endured, but he identifies with those struggles of everyday people. Unlike the multi-millionaire Greg Gianforte, a transplant from New Jersey who only wants to join his fellow billionaires and millionaire in Washington, D.C. I ask, what more do those individuals want? More money? More entitlement? End and destroy democracy so they grab and consume all of my freedoms and rights as a citizen and an Indigenous person? As a former organizer for Indian Peoples Action and Get Out the Vote, I encourage my fellow Democrats to get out and vote. As Republicans have stated, if Democrats dont vote then they will win in the end. Lets prove them wrong. Carole Meyers, Missoula In the western United States, we feel we live in a favored part of the country, with clear skies, clean water, and where we cherish our access to public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. One of the most spectacular locations on these public lands is the Lochsa River in north-central Idaho. This is home to the historic Lewis and Clark Trail near U.S. Highway 12. Just off Highway 12, about 20 miles downstream from Lolo Pass, is a pack bridge across the Lochsa River and a trail which winds near Warm Springs Creek to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. These hot springs have no commercial construction or buildings, but several naturally occurring pools of hot water. In March of 2017, a heavy rain resulted in the main pool being filled with silt or mud. I have traveled the seven-hour drive from Idaho Falls many times to stay at the Lochsa Lodge or camp along the Lochsa River and visit Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. I have met people from Europe, the United States and Canada at Jerry Johnson. This hot springs is one of the very few hot springs on public lands which is both remote, not on a public road, and easily accessible. I have seen the mile-or-so-long trail from Highway 12 to the hot springs frequented by people of all ages and capabilities. The Forest Service has prohibited the public from cleaning the silt out of the main pool and has levied a fine of $250 for anyone cleaning the pool. It is my concern the Forest Service may use this natural flood as a way to permanently close Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, in what I feel is a continuing trend to manage public lands by reducing public access. The longer the pool is left full of mud, the greater the chance the hot water will find an alternate route around the pool. I encourage those who have enjoyed the natural wonder of Jerry Johnson Hot Springs to contact the Kooskia Ranger Station and express your desire for cleaning out the silt and continuing to have this natural wonder available to the public. Vance Hawley, Idaho Falls, Idaho 1. Russia has Vladimir Putin, head of the Russian crime cartel and murderer of those who oppose him. 2. North Korea has Kim Jong Un, reality-challenged dictator-for-life, who murders anyone, especially relatives, to stay the unquestioned leader of the most abused people on Earth. 3. America has Donald Trump, the draft-dodging, tax-evading, reality-challenged voyeur/pervert who would like to murder all reporters who expose the many negative facts about him and his gang! 4. Montana should have Greg Gianforte, who bragged that he already had over $800,000 in his campaign coffers before he was even nominated for the congressional seat, but said he will not be bought by big money and special interests. That statement inspires some questions: a. Can you buy a buyer? b. Can you buy whats already been bought? c. Why drain the swamp if youre electing the Swamp Things? d. Does closing your eyes during a train wreck help? e. How "reality-challenged" are the people of Montana? Jan S. Orndorff, Missoula After countless hours and a mammoth undertaking, kathryn martins fingers are sore. Understandably, too, since the artist folded and cut 8,000 paper airplanes for her newest exhibit, showing in Flagstaff. Amazingly, shes never gotten a paper cut. The Midwest sculptor, whose name is intentionally lowercase, teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and easily communicated with the crowd that had gathered to learn about her works taking residence at the Northern Arizona University Art Museum. But for many, the installations in rock, paper, binder clips: kathryn martin assembles spoke louder than words. Visit rock, paper, binder clips: kathryn martin assembles Tuesdays through Saturdays in the NAU Art Museum through May 6. See Nau.edu/CAL/Art-Museum for visitor information. Popping off I realized its not so much about me and my past, but about me being right here and what I did for you guys, martin told the audience at the exhibitions opening in late March. In front of thousands of planes, an original installation first created in 2004, martin described her practice still shaping 12 years later. Its about the transformation of something seemingly anointed with nothing, she said of her dissection of a banal object. And with a huge leap of faith, I say, What happens if I make thousands of these lets see. Viewers shared their thoughts of the piece that juts from the gallery walls at precise angles, cutting the air with their jagged forms. The results, said one attendee, are both beautiful and disconcerting in their chaos. Some come off the wall still closed. But the way the artist cut these ensure they are open, adding to the contrast and drama of the piece that occupies one entire wall and thick strips across the gallerys two adjacent edges both a challenge and a careful decision. martin noted her strict, rule-based method. The original installation featured 5,280 airplanes one per foot in a mile but more were needed for the NAU Art Museums three walls. The Plane on Plane visitors see today came from night after night of the artist catching trashy TV and folding and cutting 100 at a time to specific angles. Theres a crazy rubric behind what looks like its chaotic and uncontrolled, she added. The day before the opening, martins periphery flooded with textured canyon walls outside Flagstaff, and she relished her perspectives shift once she stepped away. Now, the sculptor said she sees Flagstaffs environs reflected in the piece. Its just a joy to take something children love, I loved and my children love, and transform it, she added of the planes. Filled with emotion, martin described the energy in the room, the hours shes far beyond counting, and the massive show of support from her family, friends and the staff at the NAU Art Museum. Rocking out In the central gallery space, 5,000 plaster rocks stud the walls, spilling 15,000 more across the ground in journeyed lines and neat stacks mimicking Flagstaffs contoured topography, martin said of the only site-specific work. She explained its not enough to make a lot of something. I need to make a lot of something relate to where it is. To create the piece, she visited her home universitys American Geographic Society Library, where she goes often to salvage discarded maps, and studied northern Arizonas terrain. Rocks share in the powerful symbolism of paper, martin said, pointing to epicenter in the corner of the piece: Flagstaff. As an artist who thrives in control, martin eschews color as to avoid dominating the viewers focus. The exceptions are 55 gold-leafed rocks, which her children collected in their backyard and a nearby park. Each shimming jewel assumes a treasure-like quality. Jewel-like, too, the cascading binder clips of Flipback, is a labor of love for the artist, and began as a large leap of faith when she noticed one students stacked clips. Piqued by the movement, martin purchased several thousand that now play into varied landscapes. As if this is me wandering blindly into Sedona, she said of its form. I dont have the opportunity to enter it physically, and theres something about that which holds a lot of power. Again, its the banal object, but somehow we make them beautiful. In awe of the work, viewers like Susan Marie of Flagstaff, expressed gratitude for the playfulness and whimsy in the exhibit. Its an encouragement to me to step out and do more, Marie said of her own artistic process. Elated, martin replied, Thats what its about. HELENA When it comes to balancing the state budget, there are two schools of thought raise taxes and generate revenue, or cut spending and save money. With the state facing a budget shortfall, that ideological difference has become all the more prominent throughout Montanas 65th legislative session. Often, it defines party lines. In Gov. Steve Bullocks original budget proposal, he suggested a wide variety of tax increases on everything from cigarettes to medical marijuana. Perhaps most significantly, he also proposed a tax increase on Montanas top earners. But with Republicans holding majorities in both the House and Senate, not many of these ideas are likely to become public policy. Our existing governor and the candidate for governor both campaigned on no tax increases, said Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson. Yet as soon as hes off the election, our existing governor comes to us and proposes several tax increases. Hertz said the idea of tax increases generally does not sit well with Montana Republicans. We have a short-term revenue problem, and you dont fix short-term revenue problems with tax increases, Hertz said. Thats generally the Republican philosophy going forward here. Democrats disagree. No new taxes is such a reductive, easy way to avoid a conversation about the real needs in our communities, said Rep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena. Abbott said Montanans recognize the need for smart investments in their communities, and that taxes are a big part of meeting their needs. With the session in its final weeks, dozens of tax bills are still alive and being debated by lawmakers. With so many proposals, it can be difficult to understand how exactly the Legislature might affect Montanans taxes. Here, then, is a guide to all the ways taxes could change over the next two years because of the 2017 Legislature. Consumptive taxes Most of the this sessions surviving taxes fall under the category of consumptive taxes, or use taxes. These apply to goods and services. Think gas taxes, bed taxes and cigarette taxes, for instance. These are some of the most controversial proposals of the entire legislative session. We dont think its fair on the citizens of Montana, Hertz said. We need to look at efficiency in government before we need to raise any taxes. Abbott, however, said many of the proposed taxes could help reduce harmful behaviors. A proposed tax on tobacco would have raised the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1.50, which supporters argued would help prevent young Montanans from smoking in the first place. That bill was effectively killed in the House Taxation Committee last week. Surviving consumptive taxes include: House Bill 473, introduced by Rep. Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, would increase the state fuel tax by 8 cents per gallon. The bill is perhaps the most notable consumptive tax of the session, and would provide roughly $58.5 million in state special revenue for highway construction projects in 2018. The bill passed the House on a vote of 54-26, and will now move to the Senate for more debate. Senate Bill 333, introduced by Sen. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, which would tax medical marijuana sales and providers at a rate of 4 percent until June 2018, and 2 percent thereafter. The bill was roundly criticized by Republicans. Hertz called it a tax on the sick and disabled. It passed the Senate 32-18 and is now in the House. Senate Bill 251, introduced by Sen. Tom Facey, D-Missoula, would revise the lodging tax to include short-term rentals like Airbnbs, which are operated by property owners and rented for less than thirty days to visitors. It passed the Senate 31-19. Senate Bill 376, introduced by Sen. Jill Cohenour, D-Helena, would increase the tax on lodging to 3.5 percent from its original 3 percent. The funds from this increase would fund the construction of the Montana Heritage Center, a museum of Montana history originally requested as part of a broad infrastructure package proposed by Gov. Bullock. House Bill 660, introduced by Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, essentially makes the same change for the same purpose. SB 376 passed the Senate 28-22, while HB 660 passed the House 54-46. House Bill 205, introduced by Rep. Alan Redfield, R-Livingston, would institute a tax on electric vehicles, as they dont pay gas taxes like drivers of traditional vehicles. The funds generated from this fee, collected annually, would go toward funding Montana highway projects. It passed the House 58-42. Income and property taxes The most recent significant change to Montanas income tax was in 2003, when the Legislature reduced the number of tax brackets. Abbott said lawmakers at the time reduced the top tax rate from 11.9 percent to 6.9 percent, effectively putting Montanans who earn roughly $17,000 per year in the same bracket as those who earn $500,000. Several bills proposed this session would have increased the tax rate for top earners. All of those failed. It made sense to have the folks that benefitted most from that last change to the income tax system pay a little bit more, Abbott said. Top Republicans have repeatedly disagreed with that throughout the session. In January, House Appropriations Chair Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, said she opposed the idea that high-income Montanans should have to pay higher taxes. If we start taxing the job creators how will we get the high-wage jobs that we need to get to bring people up from a wage level they are now, to where we think they need to be? Ballance said. Several bills dealt with Bullocks proposal to increase the tax rate for higher income Montanans. The most significant increase would have been House Bill 330, introduced by Abbott. HB 330 missed the deadline for transmittal after being tabled by the House Taxation Committee. It would have increased the income tax rate to 8.9 percent for Montanans who earn $400,000 or more each year. While property taxes were a significant talking point in the 2015 session, this time around the discussion of that subject has been relatively quiet. One remaining bill, however, would exempt some properties from certain property taxes. Senate Bill 94, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, would allow properties whose value is significantly lower than the land they sit on to avoid paying property taxes. In order to be eligible, the land must be valued at 150 percent of the propertys value. The bill passed the Senate 33-17, and was approved by the House Taxation Committee last week. Tax credits These are essentially tax reimbursements. They are often given to individuals or businesses who engage in a certain kind of behavior, like investing in an industry or hiring a certain kind of employee. Like all things taxation, lawmakers have differing opinions on their effectiveness. Tax credits are meant to change behavior, and incentivize certain behavior, Abbott said. I think it has been hard to prove the effectiveness of that kind of tax policy, generally. Hertz disagrees. A lot of these credits that are still alive are targeted credits, where theyre encouraging expansion of business, Hertz said. As business expands, the credit will offset, and we wont see a loss in reduction to revenue at the state level. Surviving tax credit bills include: House Bill 187, introduced by Rep. Jim Hamilton, D-Bozeman, provides a tax credit for those who invest in small businesses. The credit reimburses up to 30 percent of the total investment, as long as the amount invested exceeds $50,000. The credit caps at $75,000 per year of investment, and cannot exceed $750,000 for all years of investment combined. HB 187 passed the House on a vote of 63-37, and will soon be debated on the Senate floor. House Bill 308, introduced by Rep. Casey Schreiner, D-Great Falls, would give tax credits to employers who hire apprentices. This policy was initially proposed by Gov. Bullock, who said employers that have had apprenticeship programs find that they have a committed, talented and trained workforce. The bill gives employers a credit of $1,000 for each apprentice they take on, and $2,000 if that apprentice is a military veteran. House Bill 391, introduced by Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, provides for an earned income tax credit. The federal government already provides for such a credit, but HB 391 gives an additional credit to low-income workers of 3 percent of their federal credit. The money would be issued through a tax refund. Abbott said in general, this is the only tax credit she feels is effective, calling it the most successful federal anti-poverty program. LAKE COMO The scenario was what nightmares are made of for John Crowley. The reservoir at Lake Como was full to the brim and water was already spilling over the concrete spillway. There was rain coming down on heavy snowpack and the water gushing out of the mountain was roaring down the tributaries. And if that wasnt enough to make the man charged with the operation of the earthen dam shake in his shoes, Bureau of Reclamation officials tossed in an earthquake for good measure. Suddenly, there was seepage coming through the dam and the countys emergency management team was being tested to see how quickly it could respond. We like to go a little Hollywood during these tests, said Suzanne Marinelli, the Bureau of Reclamations emergency management program coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Region. I felt a little guilty packing all of this into one exercise they all performed wonderfully. After the recent near failure of the earthen dam at Oroville, California, some folks in the Bitterroot Valley had questioned the communitys ability to respond to a sudden break in one the two larger earthen dams in Ravalli County. This past week, Bureau of Reclamation officials put those responsible for addressing a potential breach at Lake Como though their paces in a fast-paced exercise that offered opportunities to review disaster procedures associated with the dam. I was pretty much mentally exhausted when it was over, Crowley said. Any time we have this type of emergency planning exercise, it helps us to prepare. We always learn from it. The original earthen dam that creates Lake Como between Hamilton and Darby was built between 1906 and 1909. The water stored in the reservoir irrigates farms and ranches along a 72-mile ditch that winds its way along the east side of the valley. The dam is owned and operated by the Bitterroot Irrigation District. The Bureau of Reclamation serves as the agency overseeing safety measures at the dam. Last Friday, Crowley led a small group of interested federal, state and local officials on a tour of the monitoring sites the irrigation district uses to ensure the stability of the structure. Dallas and Ginny Erickson of Stevensville accompanied the group. The Ericksons have expressed concerns about the lack of an early warning system at the dam. A breach would have devastating consequences for downstream communities, especially Hamilton. *** In the early 1990s, safety modifications costing $1.8 million were added to the structure. They included building a new concrete spillway and adding thousands of yards of fill material to shore up the toe of the dam. The funding also paid for adding five large monitoring wells that are big enough for dam operators to climb down about 50 feet to measure and visually observe the ground water that runs below the dam. Irrigation users will eventually be responsible for paying for the improvements and measuring devices. Crowley said the monitoring wells are important because they would provide the first clues that something irregular was happening within the earthen structure. That warning would show up as turbidity in the water, which Crowley said would result in immediate action in isolate the problem. As a dam operator, any time you start seeing muddy water, the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, Crowley said. Fortunately, so far, turbid water has not been an issue in any of the monitoring wells. The modifications also included the installation of 19 small tubes placed along the toe of the dam that are used to track the depth of ground water levels. And finally, just downstream of the dam, two weirs were installed that offer another opportunity to check the amount of groundwater and turbidity levels. Its all about checks and balances, Crowley said. Managing the water levels in the reservoir is an annual dance between gathering the water necessary to supply downstream irrigators throughout the summer and keeping the water level low enough early in order to provide some flood control. Once the water starts going over the spillway, those are uncontrolled releases, he said. We do whatever we can to control floodwaters. As an example, the past week, Crowley made the decision to bring the reservoir down several feet because the annual snowpack is about 104 percent of normal for this time of year. We figure that we have about 70,000 acre feet of water sitting up there in the snowpack right now, he said. My lake holds 38,495 acre feet of water. I think we have an ample snowpack this year. Irrigators can expect to see water showing up at their head gates sometime between April 17 and 24. Of course, Crowleys challenge is knowing when and how fast the snowpack will melt. We try to stay one step ahead of Mother Nature,' Crowley said. Shes a hard one to predict. She can turn on you in a minute. HELENA When it comes to balancing the state budget, there are two schools of thought raise taxes and generate revenue, or cut spending and save money. With the state facing a budget shortfall, that ideological difference has become all the more prominent throughout Montanas 65th legislative session. Often, it defines party lines. In Gov. Steve Bullocks original budget proposal, he suggested a wide variety of tax increases on everything from cigarettes to medical marijuana. Perhaps most significantly, he also proposed a tax increase on Montanas top earners. But with Republicans holding majorities in both the House and Senate, not many of these ideas are likely to become public policy. Our existing governor and the candidate for governor both campaigned on no tax increases, said Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson. Yet as soon as hes off the election, our existing governor comes to us and proposes several tax increases. Hertz said the idea of tax increases generally does not sit well with Montana Republicans. We have a short-term revenue problem, and you dont fix short-term revenue problems with tax increases, Hertz said. Thats generally the Republican philosophy going forward here. Democrats disagree. No new taxes is such a reductive, easy way to avoid a conversation about the real needs in our communities, said Rep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena. Abbott said Montanans recognize the need for smart investments in their communities, and that taxes are a big part of meeting their needs. With the session in its final weeks, dozens of tax bills are still alive and being debated by lawmakers. With so many proposals, it can be difficult to understand how exactly the Legislature might affect Montanans taxes. Here, then, is a guide to all the ways taxes could change over the next two years because of the 2017 Legislature. Consumptive taxes Most of the this sessions surviving taxes fall under the category of consumptive taxes, or use taxes. These apply to goods and services. Think gas taxes, bed taxes and cigarette taxes, for instance. These are some of the most controversial proposals of the entire legislative session. We dont think its fair on the citizens of Montana, Hertz said. We need to look at efficiency in government before we need to raise any taxes. Abbott, however, said many of the proposed taxes could help reduce harmful behaviors. A proposed tax on tobacco would have raised the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1.50, which supporters argued would help prevent young Montanans from smoking in the first place. That bill was effectively killed in the House Taxation Committee last week. Surviving consumptive taxes include: House Bill 473, introduced by Rep. Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, would increase the state fuel tax by 8 cents per gallon. The bill is perhaps the most notable consumptive tax of the session, and would provide roughly $58.5 million in state special revenue for highway construction projects in 2018. The bill passed the House on a vote of 54-26, and will now move to the Senate for more debate. Senate Bill 333, introduced by Sen. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, which would tax medical marijuana sales and providers at a rate of 4 percent until June 2018, and 2 percent thereafter. The bill was roundly criticized by Republicans. Hertz called it a tax on the sick and disabled. It passed the Senate 32-18 and is now in the House. Senate Bill 251, introduced by Sen. Tom Facey, D-Missoula, would revise the lodging tax to include short-term rentals like Airbnbs, which are operated by property owners and rented for less than thirty days to visitors. It passed the Senate 31-19. Senate Bill 376, introduced by Sen. Jill Cohenour, D-Helena, would increase the tax on lodging to 3.5 percent from its original 3 percent. The funds from this increase would fund the construction of the Montana Heritage Center, a museum of Montana history originally requested as part of a broad infrastructure package proposed by Gov. Bullock. House Bill 660, introduced by Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, essentially makes the same change for the same purpose. SB 376 passed the Senate 28-22, while HB 660 passed the House 54-46. House Bill 205, introduced by Rep. Alan Redfield, R-Livingston, would institute a tax on electric vehicles, as they dont pay gas taxes like drivers of traditional vehicles. The funds generated from this fee, collected annually, would go toward funding Montana highway projects. It passed the House 58-42. Income and property taxes The most recent significant change to Montanas income tax was in 2003, when the Legislature reduced the number of tax brackets. Abbott said lawmakers at the time reduced the top tax rate from 11.9 percent to 6.9 percent, effectively putting Montanans who earn roughly $17,000 per year in the same bracket as those who earn $500,000. Several bills proposed this session would have increased the tax rate for top earners. All of those failed. It made sense to have the folks that benefitted most from that last change to the income tax system pay a little bit more, Abbott said. Top Republicans have repeatedly disagreed with that throughout the session. In January, House Appropriations Chair Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, said she opposed the idea that high-income Montanans should have to pay higher taxes. If we start taxing the job creators how will we get the high-wage jobs that we need to get to bring people up from a wage level they are now, to where we think they need to be? Ballance said. Several bills dealt with Bullocks proposal to increase the tax rate for higher income Montanans. The most significant increase would have been House Bill 330, introduced by Abbott. HB 330 missed the deadline for transmittal after being tabled by the House Taxation Committee. It would have increased the income tax rate to 8.9 percent for Montanans who earn $400,000 or more each year. While property taxes were a significant talking point in the 2015 session, this time around the discussion of that subject has been relatively quiet. One remaining bill, however, would exempt some properties from certain property taxes. Senate Bill 94, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, would allow properties whose value is significantly lower than the land they sit on to avoid paying property taxes. In order to be eligible, the land must be valued at 150 percent of the propertys value. The bill passed the Senate 33-17, and and cleared an initial vote in the House 70-30 on Monday. Tax credits These are essentially tax reimbursements. They are often given to individuals or businesses who engage in a certain kind of behavior, like investing in an industry or hiring a certain kind of employee. Like all things taxation, lawmakers have differing opinions on their effectiveness. Tax credits are meant to change behavior, and incentivize certain behavior, Abbott said. I think it has been hard to prove the effectiveness of that kind of tax policy, generally. Hertz disagrees. A lot of these credits that are still alive are targeted credits, where theyre encouraging expansion of business, Hertz said. As business expands, the credit will offset, and we wont see a loss in reduction to revenue at the state level. Surviving tax credit bills include: House Bill 187, introduced by Rep. Jim Hamilton, D-Bozeman, provides a tax credit for those who invest in small businesses. The credit reimburses up to 30 percent of the total investment, as long as the amount invested exceeds $50,000. The credit caps at $75,000 per year of investment, and cannot exceed $750,000 for all years of investment combined. HB 187 passed the House on a vote of 63-37, and passed an initial vote in the Senate 30-20 on Monday and was then sent to a Senate committee to review its impact. House Bill 308, introduced by Rep. Casey Schreiner, D-Great Falls, would give tax credits to employers who hire apprentices. This policy was initially proposed by Gov. Bullock, who said employers that have had apprenticeship programs find that they have a committed, talented and trained workforce. The bill gives employers a credit of $1,000 for each apprentice they take on, and $2,000 if that apprentice is a military veteran. House Bill 391, introduced by Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, provides for an earned income tax credit. The federal government already provides for such a credit, but HB 391 gives an additional credit to low-income workers of 3 percent of their federal credit. The money would be issued through a tax refund. Abbott said in general, this is the only tax credit she feels is effective, calling it the most successful federal anti-poverty program. Parole denied. Review (January) 2022. Obtain mental health. No early consideration. Release at this time would diminish the severity of the offense and create turmoil for the victim and community. With those words, Karen and Harry Northey of Missoula believed they wouldnt have to face the woman who killed their daughter for at least another five years. Late last week, they learned they were wrong. The state parole board decided in January that Shelley Tischler would stay behind bars after hearing testimony from the Northeys and nearly 20 others. The 62-year-old Tischler was convicted 12 years ago of killing Angela Bauer in a horrific head-on collision on the Eastside Highway near Florence while Tischler was driving drunk. Tischler had asked the board for an early release from her 70-year sentence. The board had said no and set the date for her next review for the longest period they could under the law, which is five years. On Thursday, the Northeys received an email from the Montana Department of Corrections that stated Tischler had been granted another parole hearing some time in May. This date may change, depending upon a number of factors, the email read. If you are a victim of record, you are entitled by law to participate in this hearing. The email was a complete shock for the couple. No one from the state had reached out to them earlier to let them know that a new hearing was even a possibility. My heart is beating about 3,000 miles per hour right now, Harry Northey said a few hours after the email arrived. Im so angry. We had 20 people there to testify, and now thats all for naught. All that time they took off from their lives and braved nasty, icy roads to be there. All of that doesnt matter. Northey tried to get an explanation from the board of pardons, but the only person with that information wasnt available. The Board of Pardons Executive Director Christy Cobban was out of the office Thursday and Friday and didnt return a phone message from the Ravalli Republic. People in her office said that Cobban was the only person who could comment on the decision. Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright also attempted to learn why Tischler was granted a second hearing Friday. Basically, what I learned was the attorney for Tischler filed an appeal or grievance about comments made by one of the parole board members, Fulbright said. Im not sure what they call it internally, but based on that, the board granted a new hearing. Fulbright prosecuted the case that included testimony from numerous community members who offered stories on how intoxicated Tischler was the day of the crash. Several said she ran them off the busy highway just moments before she struck Angela Bauers vehicle head-on. Its disappointing to me that the victims family has to go through this process again so soon, he said. Northey said one of the board members did mention that a family member was killed by a drunk driver. But, in his mind, that shouldnt change a thing about the boards decision. Almost everyone in Montana knows someone who has been impacted by a drunk driver, he said. The parole board is there on a volunteer basis. If they cant use their own life experiences to help guide them, what can they use? That really had no bearing on the final decision. Both Northey and Fulbright agree that Tischlers story about the accident and her inability to accept responsibility havent changed from the day of the collision that killed Bauer. My recommendation to the board was no parole, Fulbright said. Ms. Tischler was extremely dangerous to the community at the time she caused this crash. She has refused to acknowledge any responsibility at the time of the crash and has continued to display that same lack of understanding or any true remorse. She remains a danger to our community or any community. The Northeys have always been disappointed by the lack of communication the Montana Department of Corrections has provided them about Tischlers progress over the past 12 years. Thursdays impersonal email was just another example of what Northey views as a general lack of concern for the victims. It was really beyond frustrating to me, almost beyond coincidence, that I called within 10 minutes of receiving the email and the supervisor was already gone, he said. It was as if the decision was made to send out the email, and then they just left. I dont know who made the decision to grant her another hearing. I cant get that information from anyone. The people who took time to travel last winter to testify are also frustrated with the decision. They are all very upset, Northey said. I dont even know what to do with this. I feel like Don Quixote. I keep battling windmills, and then the state doesnt even respond or reply back to me. Right now, I just feel so beaten into the ground, he said. Ive been sitting in my office all afternoon. The more I think about it, the more upset I become. Everyone says I should let it go, but, you know, it wasnt their daughter who died. MISSOULA Another longtime physician and a community board member at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula have resigned, indicating they don't believe meaningful changes were made after an unprecedented no confidence vote in the hospitals administration last month. Hospital administrators say a vocal minority is disgruntled, and that fundamental shifts in the health care industry are causing upheaval nationwide. But Dr. Joseph Knapp, a cardiologist who has spent three decades at the International Heart Institute, gave his 90-day notice this past week. Things havent changed for the better after an emergency meeting of the medical staff last month, Knapp told the Missoulian. My hope in this whole thing was we would have a response from an administration that showed some understanding of major concerns by a dedicated and committed group of physicians, who pride their relationship with this community and this institution. But, honestly, that has not been forthcoming. A few days before Knapp resigned his employment from St. Pats, Alex Philp, a member of the hospitals Community Ministry Board, submitted a letter of resignation, a copy of which was obtained by the Missoulian. Philp wrote in the letter that the lack of engagement, involvement, and communication with the Board by local, regional and national-level administration regarding a wide-range of urgent issues is completely unacceptable, not accidental and violates various aspects of our governing By-laws. Philp did not respond to a phone call seeking comment, but the Missoulian independently verified the authenticity of his resignation letter. Philps resignation followed on the heels of the resignations of several other Community Ministry Board members including Dan Barz, Faye Hanson Warren and Tom Acevedo. However, since those former board members likewise did not respond to phone calls for comment, their reasons for resignation are unclear. The no confidence vote took place on March 7. Physicians at the meeting and in subsequent interviews with the Missoulian said they had grave concerns that there is a lack of local control and decision-making within the corporate structure of Providence Health and Services. On March 15, the Missoulian published a story about the vote and quoted several physicians, one of whom described a culture of fear and intimidation and a widespread fear of retaliation and retribution within the hospital. The medical staff was also concerned about a cascade of resignations of several longtime and well-respected hospital leaders, including that of Dr. Matt Maxwell, the longtime head of cardiac surgery at the International Heart Institute, and Martin Burke from the Community Ministry Board. All cited their frustration with what they perceived as the lack of local decision-making power at St. Pat's. In the aftermath of the meeting and the Missoulian story, the hospitals COO Joyce Dombrouski was given the title of chief executive, in a move that she says gives her a title that better reflects her role and her accountability. Many physicians had expressed concern over the forced resignation of hospital CEO Jeff Fee last year, which the physicians said gave St. Pats less autonomy and less decision-making control within the regional power structure of Providence Health and Services, the nations third-largest nonprofit health system. It is based in Washington state and includes 50 hospitals and more than 100,000 employees in seven states. There is always room for improvement, Dombrouski said in a Friday meeting with the Missoulian. Of course we are not perfect. But health care is fundamentally shifting. The way that health care is changing is causing unpredictability and is unsettling at many levels for hospital administrators and for physicians. But there is no doubt that our relationship (with the medical staff) is critical. Changes are difficult for all of us. Stacy Rogge, the director of communications and external affairs for Providence Western Montana, said that the March 15 Missoulian article didnt paint a full picture of how all the employees of the health system in Western Montana feel. What were not being exposed to is the quiet majority of whats going on, she said. Our clinical quality has never changed and continues with award-winning recognition. Rogge referenced multiple national awards and health care rankings that give the hospital high marks for the quality of patient care. Both Rogge and Dombrouski make it clear that they take any concerns shared by any employee very seriously, and said also that they want to make clear they are not dismissing the concerns of even what they believe to be a vocal minority. They are trying their best, they say, to take as much input from all employees as possible and make the best decisions for the future of the hospital and for the quality of care provided. The steps we have taken (since the March 7 meeting) rotates around communication, Dombrouski said. We want caregiver engagement, physician engagement. We have a good communication structure in place. There are places where we need to be better. I recently had a physician tell me he wanted to be in fewer meetings and get fewer emails. So how do you communicate internally? This is a 24/7 business, so we are reassessing how to make that better. Dr. Stan Seagraves is the medical director of the hospitalist program at St. Pats and has worked there for 28 years. He said he was satisfied with the administrations response to the March 7 meeting. I would say that we very much have the attention of our leaders in a lot of very constructive things are happening around here," he said. "Im confident that that meeting, and the momentum generated subsequently, is going to pay off. Prior to the March 7 meeting, a letter titled A Summary of Physician Concerns was circulated among the medical staff. In it, they decried a loss of local organizational autonomy and a feeling of disempowerment. Maxwell, the veteran cardiac surgeon who resigned prior to the meeting, said he left in frustration for those reasons. Knapp said his resignation this past week was in full alignment with the reasons Maxwell cited and for the reasons summarized in the physicians' letter. He made it clear that he maintain his privileges at St. Pats. However, he feels that the administrative structure of the hospital is not listening to physician concerns. This is not about Joyce in any way, shape or form, he said. This is not about any one person. This about an institutional response to a physician request that has been sadly and sorely lacking. There is an enormous amount of work that needs to occur locally and throughout the entire Providence system to get this pointed in the right direction. Knapp does not disagree with Dombrouskis assessment that the health care industry is rapidly changing. Health care, fundamentally, is a one-on-one interaction between a provider and a patient seeking assistance, he said. And everything else needs to take a secondary position to that relationship. And unfortunately, that perspective and position has to a great extent been lost, at least in my perspective, by an awful lot of people. His decision to walk away from the hospital where he spent three decades was not taken lightly, he said. Ten times in the last 15 years, the International Heart Institute has been ranked among the top 1 percent of hospitals in the country, Knapp said. The achievement did not occur by happenstance. It occurred by incredible dedication and a degree of hard work and a level of commitment that is incredibly laudable. That, unfortunately, has been tarnished. Neither Matt (Maxwell) nor I walk away from that lightly. Dombrouski said she has a lot of respect for Dr. Knapp and that he is very passionate. He feels like the response (to the medical staff emergency meeting) was inadequate, Dombrouski acknowledged. Were not trying to discount Dr. Knapp. Were not discounting passion. In fact, Im meeting with him Monday. Dombrouski said that she has a seven- or eight-page document of action steps that shes presented to the executive board at the hospital to try to respond to the physicians concerns. She said that document is "internal." We have responded to our medical staff, and were doing additional things, she said. Our physicians are very caring and want to know whats going on. We want to move ahead on the positive side of things. We have been here 144 years. Were not going anywhere. There is great care happening every day. She also said that being part of a larger system has provided the hospital stability as weve fallen on uncertain times. We are going to focus on taking care of whoever walks through our doors, she said. Thats the bottom line. If your friends or family members fall ill, you want them to seek care at St. Pats and we hope that we are doing all of the right things. Were going to continue to be better. In his resignation letter from the Community Ministry Board, where he served for six years, Alex Philp wrote that Dombrouskis title change from COO to chief executive was made without the input of the board he served on. To the best of my knowledge, neither the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors nor the full Community Ministry Board, other than Dr. (William) Bekemeyer, was engaged in any way regarding the content of (a letter from regional administrators) to the Med. Exec. Committee, Philp wrote. The Community Ministry Board doesn't perform ministerial services as the name implies, but was created to provide leadership in operational performance, strategic development and oversight. The board has delegated authority and a shared governance role in such things as quality management, medical staff issues and patient, physician and employee satisfaction. Philp said his board was simply copied on the letter. Philp also wrote that he pushed for a special meeting to assess information and engage meaningfully in our delegated and shared accountabilities." This lack of engagement, acknowledgement and simple communication speaks to one of two things: 1) gross incompetence or 2) a willful disregard for the role of the board, Philp wrote. He concluded his letter by saying that St. Pats faces key challenges in governance, leadership, communication and medical staff engagement. I have found systemic disregard for or severe diminution of the Boards role, an almost cavalier attitude when question, and an insulting, ambiguous utilization of our authority to potentially justify or condone decisions being made without our knowledge, he wrote. I have no interest in being part of our organization that behaves in this way. Now more than ever it would appear that we need to think carefully about how we will serve the needs of the poor and vulnerable, maintain an outstanding local hospital and address the strategic health needs of Western Montana. Seagraves said that he would wager that there is a meeting similar to the March 7 meeting happening among every medical staff at every hospital in the country. He said a generation ago, many doctors owned hospitals and now 40 percent of them are employed by or "owned" by a hospital. Were in a completely different world now, he said. Medical staffs everywhere are struggling with this loss of autonomy. This is a national struggle. The situation here is not worse than anywhere else. I am optimistic from the standpoint that we have gotten the attention from leaders and commitment from them to get doctors involved. The old days are gone, and everyone recognizes that its time for us to stand up and time for administrators to let us re-engage. Seagraves said that he wouldnt characterize the March 7 no confidence vote as unanimous, since no roll call was taken and not everyone voted. He also said that a title change like the one Dombrouski got is less important than how the administrators manage leadership and how much authority they have. Since that meeting, there has been a willingness on the part of the administration to meet with us to work on a complete redesign of the medical staff to address the deficiencies, he said. That points to a competent, capable leadership structure. Seagraves said he hadnt spoken to Maxwell or Knapp about their frustrations or reasons for resignation. The vast majority of docs here are busy going about their practice, he said. They see the world around them changing. They see the lack of control, which is imposed by (Providence) but is imposed by practicing health care circa 2017. Its a completely different game. The rate of change and the declination of autonomy is steepening, and thats where a lot of unhappiness among medical staffs is coming from. Seagraves said that the medical staff at St. Pats is giving great health care and its still a fabulous place to work. At the same time, the burdens that practitioners have to deal with now, versus 10 or 20 years ago, are staggering and maddening, he said. They are not necessarily burdens that improve patient care and some people have a hard time dealing with the current world order and are pushing back. The bright spot, he said, is the March 7 meeting fired up the medical staff to re-engage. Knapp, for his part, feels a tinge of sadness at having to resign with a level of unhappiness directed toward his workplace after over 30 years. Its an extraordinary business, he said. (Administrators) have to keep balance sheets going and keep the hospital above board and all the requirements. But the fundamental issue we deal with is personal interactions on a day-to-day basis by an extraordinary team of nurses and physicians. They need to be supported. And that has been sorely lacking in the recent past. Montanas two U.S. senators were split on the vote that last Friday confirmed Neil Gorsuch as the next lifetime member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Senior Sen. Jon Tester voted against the successful nominee, citing, among other things, Gorsuchs propensity to judge cases in a way that empowers corporations over individuals. Specifically Tester said he believed that Gorsuch supports the massive intrusion of corporations into our election processes, a political disaster that has allowed almost unmeasurable corporate influence since the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision was handed down. That Supreme Court decision effectively made corporations citizens and ruled that their money was Constitutional free speech. Senator Testers opposition to Gorsuch based on these concerns was consistent with the position held by 75 percent of Montanans when they voted on those very questions on a ballot issue election here in 2012. On the other hand, when Junior Sen. Steve Daines backed President Trumps nominee he made a statement from the Senate floor where, among other things, he ironically said that most importantly, the American people deserve nine members on the Supreme Court. That most important rationale rings hollow given Senator Daines shameful obstructionism over the last 380-plus days while the Supreme Court was saddled with only eight justices because of highly partisan political reasons. Perhaps Senator Daines has banked on Montanans forgetting that getting the court back up to nine members was not the most important thing to him last year as he joined that highly-partisan effort that not only denied a Judiciary Committee hearing to President Obamas nominee Merrick Garland, but also resulted in all Republican senators, including Daines, refusing to personally meet and talk with the well-qualified nominee. The refusal to even consider Merrick Garland broke the record for not acting on a nominee way back on July 26, 2016. As Daines maintained his record-setting obstructionism on Merrick Garland since that date, he has been silent about that most important issue of the American people deserving nine members on the Supreme Court. That conveniently becoming important to Senator Daines now is the kind of hypocritical flip-flop that turns people off about politicians. Senator Tester, in contrast, did not hide behind unconscionable delaying tactics like Daines did with Merrick Garland. In Montana fashion, he held a personal meeting with Gorsuch, supported Gorsuch getting a committee hearing and participated in the up-or-down confirmation vote. Testers reasons for voting against Gorsuch were clear. He was deeply concerned that dark money will continue to drown out the voices and votes of citizens (saying that) 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. Tester said, When it comes to the letter of the law, he (Gorsuch) believes corporations are people. Further, Senator Tester said that according to (one of) Judge Gorsuchs opinion(s) he believes campaign contributions deserve First Amendment (free speech) protections (adding that) Montanans know: money is not speech. Senator Tester said: I am concerned that if Judge Gorsuch is confirmed, our future will be shaped with dark money Those very issues were addressed directly in 2012 by Montana voters when, by an overwhelming 75 percent margin, they approved Initiative 166. Specifically Montana voters held that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights and that each such (state or federal) elected and appointed official (was) charged to act to prohibit corporations from making contributions to or expenditures on the campaigns of candidates or ballot issues. That peoples directive included Senator Daines and Daines vote for Gorsuch seems to violate that directive. By their 75 percent vote the people of Montana said they regarded: money as property, not speech; Constitutional rights as rights of human beings, not rights of corporations; and immense aggregation of (corporate) wealth (as) corrosive and distorting when used to advance the political interests of corporations. Senator Tester is to be commended for following the course laid out clearly at the ballot box by 75 percent of Montanans. Senator Daines, in contrast, has chosen to ignore that 75 percent, ignore their specific directives about this important issue, and has sided with President Trump, GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell and the corporate elite over the people of Montana. -- Evan Barrett, who lives in historic Uptown Butte, recently retired after 47 years at the top level of Montana economic development, government, politics and education. He is an award-winning producer of Montana history films who continues to write columns and record commentaries, and occasionally teach Montana history. My partner and my parents all suffered horrific pain as they valiantly lived with and then ultimately died of their terminal illness. Were they still alive, I believe they would join me in celebrating the recent defeat of House Bill 536 and Senate Bill 360 in the Montana Legislature. Had either bill passed and become law, we in Montana would have lost the right to make our own end-of-life choices. Fortunately, we continue to be able to request and receive medical aid-in-dying. For the fourth legislative session in a row, this right was threatened by those who presume to tell us how we should and should not die. Such a relentless assault on our freedom to make a most private, most personal health care decision is outrageous. Equally outrageous is the fact that botsroposed to charge doctors with homicide and imprison them fofr honoring the final wishes of their terminally ill patients. Our doctors are the medical experts, not the Legislature and certainly not extremist groups like Montanans Against Assisted Suicide who persist in wanting the government to invade our bedrooms and doctor offices. Enough already! Lets hope Montana legislators will not waste time and money in the future, re-arguing this matter. After eight years of debate, it should be clear that the majority of us in Montana wish to retain the right to make our own end of life choices in accordance with our own personal beliefs and values. -- Doris Fischer, Sheridan The rolling hills outside Arches National Park may be blocking Charles Latshaws cell reception, but luckily hes already received the big news. In 2014, the FSO launched a fevered search for a new music director as nine-year FSO conductor Elizabeth Schulze prepared to step down. Two years later, four finalists led concerts, and the first prospect, Latshaw and his program that began with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez Danzon No.2, proved successful. Charles has a special way of connecting with people the musicians, the audience, the staff, and the board, said FSO Board President Stan Sutherland, also noting the other conductors capabilities. This ability to connect will be very important as we work to expand the reach, accessibility and support of the FSO. We spoke with Latshaw as he wound through the desert on his way to Flagstaff, kicking off his three-year tenure with the orchestra one hed already connected with years before while still living in Ohio. DIANDRA MARKGRAF: First, welcome! What attracted you to Flagstaff, and will you live here? CHARLES LATSHAW: When I started to write my cover letter to apply [in 2014], I found that I had written a cover letter and applied for the job 10 years ago when Elizabeth Schulze had been hired Its funny how things come around that way. Im really fascinated by the city of Flagstaff. Will I move there? The answer is: not at this point. Im retaining my job as music director of the Grand Junction Symphony in Colorado Thats been the plan all along. The great thing is, from my perspective and also the board of the Grand Junction Symphony, this is the beginning of a partnership between two very similar orchestras in two very similar towns and Im really excited about that potential. DM: Grand Junction is a similar to Flagstaff in size and demographics. What are the challenges of a small city orchestra? CL: The main one artistically is were geographically isolated. In both places weve got enough musicians in town to staff a great orchestra, but when we want to do projects that are a little bit outside the norm or bring visiting artists then we have to reach pretty far out. It can lead toward repetition. I think thats our biggest challenge: to find ways to continue to expand our worldview while we occupy a place thats kind of set apart from the rest of the world. Thats not to say I want to bring in outside people to replace our locals, but its the idea of continuing to bring in new ideas. DM: In your audition concert, you said accessibility is key. How do you approach programming when it comes to Pops versus classical repertoire? CL: Its very important to me that our concert experience is welcoming and enjoyable, especially to people who dont usually come to orchestra concerts. That doesnt mean sacrificing artistic quality. Im the only musician in the family. I know my parents dont know much about orchestral music, so when Im thinking about an audiences experience at a concert, Im thinking about my parents. I try to program concerts that have a theme behind them. That way, when we sit and listen to 75, 80 minutes of instrumental music theres something that ties it together. It gives the audiences some ideas to discuss after the show. [Flagstaffs] next season, every concert is made up of music about something. Its this idea of taking a topic and exploring. My thinking is a concert doesnt always have to be serious to be good. We can blend fun music and art music and serious music and play them all at a very high level and make a concert that fits somewhere in between. DM: In the past, FSO has experimented with multimedia presentations incorporating film, photography and dance. Do you plan to bridge this connection, too? How? CL: When I was music director with the Bloomington Symphony in Indiana, we did a lot of collaborative shows. We did Dance Dance Revolution it was all music centered on dance [with Igor Stravinskys Octet.] We partnered with five different organizations all for that one program. I feel like that sort of things has great benefits for the orchestra in it exposes us to other ways of thinking. In a town like Flagstaff where there are a lot of arts organizations, its possible for some people to be very involved in arts and never know about the symphony or never attend because theyre busy attending other things. The more we collaborate, the more we serve a better part of our community. A Vietnamese man murders his wife for adultery and gets three years for the crime. The presiding judge cited Vietnamese culture as an excuse for the light sentence. Governor Bullock said a bill banning foreign laws is unnecessary. This is a spit in the face to women and LGBT's. Sharia Law makes it illegal to be an LGBT and the punishment for being so is death. Women are treated as second class citizens without rights in Sharia culture. I thought Governor Bullock ran his campaign on equality for women and LGBT's. The truth is women and LGBT's are second class citizens to Democrats if they don't fit the agenda for the day. This bill is not some kind "Muslim ban." Liberal judges have cited foreign law before and will again. Governor Bullock needs to decide if he is on the side of Americans and Montana's or just the Democrats open border policy. -- Jase Hoffman, Butte KALISPELL A Montana man convicted in 1997 of sexually assaulting two underage girls has been ordered back to prison after a judge said he violated terms of his parole. The Daily Interlake reports 58-year-old William Lester Rardon was told to return to prison by the end of last week. Rardon had served 17 years of a 37-year sentence when he was released. His parole officer said in a March hearing that Rardon had lost his job because of sexual harassment allegations and had photos on a cellphone of an infant girl. The parole officer, Shellie Stichman, testified that Rardon was a danger to the community and should be in prison. The director of a community-based sex offender treatment program, Robert Bakko, testified that Rardon hadn't been rehabilitated and needed further treatment. HELENA Though questions continue to shadow the future for a Helena transitional facility, officials say the homeless veterans who live there will not be left on the streets. One of the uncertainties for the Montana Veterans Foundation, which operates the Willis Cruse Transitional Facility that provides housing for eight men, is whether its contract will be renewed by the Department of Veteran Affairs Veterans Health Administration. Another uncertainty is whether that contract can be assumed by another organization. Both the funding and authorization to allow it to be transferred are necessary for the veterans who rely on the Willis Cruse home to continue to have housing, because the home is for sale. A reduction in the number of beds that qualify for VA reimbursement plus a requirement for 24-hour staffing seven days a week at the home are forcing the sale, according to Mike Hampson, the foundations president. The foundation is planning to sell its group home because VA revenue from eight beds isnt sufficient to pay the bills, Hampson has said. To continue to provide veteran housing locally, the foundation is talking to Spring Meadow Resources about taking over the program. Spring Meadow Resources has been in existence since the mid-1970s and provides services to people with developmental disabilities, according to its website. It currently operates six group homes and two apartment complexes while also offering day services and those for people in their homes. While much remains unresolved for local veterans who live at the Willis Cruse home, a Helena spokesman for the VA Montana Health Care System reaffirmed it would not abandon those veterans. The VA will make sure there is a long-term plan for the veterans shelter, said Mike Garcia, a public affairs officer with the VA Montana Health Care System. Those veterans are not going to be left out in the cold, he said. A transition for those veterans into other housing will be made as seamless as possible if and when the Willis Cruse home closes, Garcia said. This is the first time in 17 years that the foundation has had to re-apply for funds, Hampson said, and he noted its uncertain whether the application will be approved. No, theres no guarantee, he said. There never is with the government. Jim Bissett, Spring Meadow Resources CEO, said more discussions are needed with the foundation on the relationship between the two organizations. With the conclusion of an arrangement between Spring Meadow Resources and the foundation will come talks with the VA. This discussion would involve whether the foundations contract with the VA can be transferred to Spring Meadow Resources, Bissett explained. Who knows how all this could play out, he added. Determining need Funds for the Willis Cruse home have come primarily from the VA, Hampson said and added it is a veterans program. The foundation learned in November 2015 that the 12 beds at the its home were being reduced to eight. According to an emailed response from the VA, the reduction was based on low utilization of beds at the Willis Cruse home. The VA wrote Hampson in December 2015 to say the reduction was permanent but allowed to be phased in. As a veteran transitioned out of the home, the bed was to be left empty. The VA based its decision on occupancy from April 2015 through September of that year. An average of eight beds was occupied during that time, according to the Nov. 6, 2015, letter to Hampson from the VA. Statewide, there were 102 veterans using transitional housing such as the Willis Cruse home in fiscal year 2014, which began Sept. 30, 2013, and ended Oct 1, 2014. That number rose to 144 in the next fiscal year and remained at that level in fiscal year 2016. So far in this fiscal year, 99 veterans have been housed in transitional housing programs, according to VA data. Hampson wrote the VA on Dec. 9, 2015, to say the reduction in the number of veterans using the Willis Cruse home was due to an increase in vouchers made available to veterans in the Helena community and that veterans had a limited time to use them. He also noted the demand for beds at the home and wrote that there were six applications being vetted for future vacant beds. Housing & Urban Development/Veterans Administration Supported Housing vouchers are not limited by time and can be used by a veteran permanently as long as the veteran continues to qualify for a voucher, the VA stated in its email. The increase in vouchers has been in relation to identified permanent housing needs for homeless veterans, the email continued. In fiscal year 2014, the VA in Montana had 265 vouchers available. The number of vouchers increased in each subsequent year, and 401 were available in fiscal year 2017, although all but eight have been issued as of early April, five months before the fiscal year concludes. Transitional housing bed numbers and those provided by emergency shelters are adjusted according to usage reported by providers, the email stated. Statewide, 60 percent of the 68 beds the VA authorized at transitional facilities were used in fiscal year 2014. In the next fiscal year, 79 percent of the 55 beds were occupied, according to VA data, while fiscal year 2016 saw 70 percent of the 71 beds used. Veteran homelessness Data assembled by HUD through an annual survey of homelessness and a housing inventory count finds the estimated number of veterans who are homeless is decreasing. There were 15 percent fewer homeless veterans nationwide between 2007 and 2016, according to the data. Of the 165 homeless veterans in Montana in 2016, 92 were sheltered and 73 were unsheltered. Given the overall success of the VAs efforts in ending veteran homelessness, VA national GPD (grant per diem program) has indicated that they intend to reduce GPD transitional housing beds by 10 percent nationwide. In addition, emphasis has been placed nationwide on assisting veterans obtain permanent housing as rapidly as possible," the data says. The VAs emphasis on rapidly providing permanent housing troubles Hampson, who in his Dec. 9, 2015, letter to the VA grant per diem program said, Also, as this process is rushed, we see return clients as they are moved from our program to housing too quickly. The VA in its email said those using the vouchers receive regular case management services by VA staff who are licensed clinicians. The goal of case management is to maintain housing stability, the email stated and added that veterans must contribute 30 percent to 40 percent of their income toward their rent. On June 7, 2016, Hampson wrote the VA grant per diem program to request a reconsideration on the number of beds in hopes of seeing the number return to 12. The Willis Cruse House can offer homeless veterans a safe haven while they receive medical and mental health services in order to attain self-sufficiency and transition. We are the only facility that allows longer term stays in the Helena area for such transition, he wrote. The recent decision to reduce our beds from 12 to 8 coupled with the required increase in staffing has had a serious financial impact to our program. For the first time in 17 years of serving our veterans, we are concerned about our ability to keep our doors open. Our cost of doing business is the same whether we have eight beds or 12 beds. His letter also reminded the VA of the February 2014 fire at the Willis Cruse home that contributed to the low census of veterans staying there. The 11 veterans were relocated to another facility while the damage was repaired, Hampsons letter stated before adding that when the home reopened in October, there were three veterans in the homes care and time was needed to increase that number. Hampson challenged the reduction in beds and VA assessment that the average bed use for six months in 2015 was eight by saying that the overall average for 2015 was 10.6. The availability of vouchers was again blamed on housing veterans who would have otherwise been admitted to the Willis Cruse home. Hampsons request to reinstate the four beds available for VA reimbursement was denied roughly two weeks later. A possible future The VA sees value in transitional housing. Transitional housing provides homeless veterans with an opportunity to live in a sober living environment while they prepare for living independently, its emailed stated. Transitional housing is a valuable resource for veterans who need a more structured living environment prior to being able to live independently, especially those recently discharged from a treatment program like the Residential Rehabilitative Treatment Program at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center. In the absence of GPD (grant per diem) transitional housing, veterans in need of a more structured environment are at greater risk to return to homelessness without adequate support and services in place. If the Montana Veterans Foundation is successful in its application for continued VA funding and Spring Meadow Resources is allowed to assume that contract, the foundations future would change. While it would continue to exist, it would no longer be a bricks and mortar organization, Hampson said. The foundation would become a paper entity as Spring Meadow Resources would operate the veteran housing program, he explained. Without the housing program to administer, the foundation could solicit funds allowing it to serve a wider range of veterans such as women with children, Hampson said to contrast this possibility with the Willis Cruse home, which serves only men. The future, he added, would allow the foundation to diversify. Each spring and summer when lightning strikes in northern Arizonas ponderosa pine forests, fire managers no longer rush to suppress any flame that may be sparked. In recent years their charge has been to instead evaluate whether a naturally-caused fire could be allowed to burn for the benefit of the forest. Last year, on the Coconino National Forest alone, Forest Service crews intentionally allowed wildfire to burn across 53,000 acres. Victor Morfin, forest fuels specialist with the Coconino, said that in recent years, even early spring fire starts have been considered potential opportunities for managed, or resource objective fires. Generally, fire managers aim to keep these fires at low intensity, with less heat and flames that stay close to the ground, progress slowly and dont climb into tree canopies. But a new study from Northern Arizona Universitys Ecological Restoration Institute suggests that strategy isnt maximizing the potential for such fires to accomplish one of their major goals of restoring the forest to its historical conditions. Its actually fires that burn at moderate severity that best accomplish forest restoration goals. In short, the higher intensity flames are needed to kill enough trees to create the more open forest conditions that existed before human settlement and fire suppression, said Dave Huffman, director of research and development at ERI and one of the studys co-authors. In examining 10 sites where resource objective fires were allowed to burn on the Kaibab and Coconino national forests, the study found that areas of low burn severity met 50 percent of restoration objectives, like reduced tree density and increased canopy base height, while areas of moderate burn severity met 67 percent of restoration objectives. Despite being more effective, moderate severity burns covered just 12 percent of the fire areas studied while low severity burns covered 50 percent of the fire areas studied. What that means, Huffman said, is that if we want to use natural fire to meet restoration objectives, then at least according to the fires we studied, we would need more moderate burn severity to get there. That may mean, for example, letting a fire burn under higher temperatures or wind speeds to get more fire activity, he said. But that strategy also comes with more risk that a fire could get out of control or quickly escalate to a more intense blaze, risking firefighter safety, nearby people and infrastructure or other ecological values. Firefighters have to consider all of those factors, along with forest restoration and fuels reduction goals, Morfin said. It is a balancing act between being able to control the fire and being on that edge where we are getting desirable fire effects, he said. We don't want to have a black eye and we don't want to harm the environment, so we have to operate on that edge. Good news for firefighters is that other researchers doing work in New Mexicos Gila Mountains have shown that moderate severity fire isnt the only way to use managed fire to return the forests to a condition more in line with historical norms. Jose Iniguez, a research ecologist with the Forest Services Rocky Mountain Research Station in Flagstaff, has done studies in the Gila National Forest, where managed fire has been common practice since the 1970s. Areas that have been burned two or three times by lower intensity managed fires saw beneficial changes similar to those that experienced one moderate intensity fire, Iniguez said. And once an area has burned once, it is much easier to reintroduce fire a second time, he said. Huffman is now doing a similar study in an area on the Kaibab National Forest that has seen fire multiple times. When it comes down to it, whether a fire is low or moderate severity, the most important thing is just getting fire on the ground, Iniguez said. What managers are doing now is coming in with a first fire knowing they're not going to get it all perfect but knowing it is a step in the right direction, he said. It took us 100 years to get where we are now and to restore fire, to restore (historical) structure to these systems its going to take more than one fire. Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] 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 [] WASHINGTON Maricopa County added more people last year than any other county in the nation, but it was neighboring Pinal County that posted the fastest growth rate in the state, a beneficiary of overflow from its neighbor to the north. The Census Bureau said in a late March population report that Arizona added 113,506 people from July 2015 to July 2016, with 81,360 of those people moving to Maricopa County more than 222 per day to boost the countys population to 4.2 million. But Maricopa Countys 2 percent growth rate trailed Pinal County, which added 12,320 people for a 3 percent jump during the year, the fastest growth rate in the state. As a bedroom community for Maricopa County, where many of its residents work, growth in Pinal county is not unexpected right now, said Joe Pyritz, a spokesman for the county government. The county had an estimated 418,540 residents in July, according to the Census Bureau. We have a lot of housing that is on the more inexpensive side. With that, people will work in Maricopa County and live in Pinal County, he said. The median price of Pinal County homes listed on the real estate appraisal site Zillow is around $199,000, almost $100,000 less than the median price Zillow listed in Maricopa County. Most counties in Arizona have seen steady growth in recent years, and the latest Census report showed that trend continued last year. Only Graham, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties posted population losses in the same period. Population has been moving south and west, and we are in the Southwest, said Arizona State Demographer Jim Chang. Maricopa obviously is the largest county in Arizona, and the economic center of Arizona. It attracts the largest portion of people coming to Arizona. And Pinal has been the beneficiary of that growth as it spills over, Chang said. Not every county has been so lucky. While Pinal and Maricopa counties saw 11 percent population gains from 2010 to 2016, according to the Census, border counties Santa Cruz and Cochise lost 3 and 4.6 percent of their residents, respectively. Cochise County, home to Bisbee and Fort Huachuca, has seen its population drop to 125,770, a drop of 5,586 people over the past six years. Were not really sending up alarm bells, said Lisa Marra, a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Board of Supervisors. She said the countys biggest employer is the Armys Fort Huachuca, which has seen troop decreases over recent years, in part due to defense sequestration putting a hard cap on military spending. Chang said changes on the base are bound to be felt in the county. Its military personnel, and their families, and when we lose some of those we lose business, he said. Its a ripple effect. Marra said the county has an older demographic one in five is age 65 or older which is not conducive to population growth. The county government is working to attract younger people by trumpeting the regions good air, low crime and healthy communities. We have a lot of opportunities for growth, Marra said. Down here, in a smaller community, you can really make an impact. While Maricopa County saw the nations biggest numerical increase in residents, San Juan County, Utah, had the fastest rate of growth at around 7.6 percent. The biggest losers in the nation were Cook County, Illinois, which lost 21,324 residents, and Eureka County, Nevada, which saw its population decline by 5.43 percent over the year, according to the March 23 report from the Census. Napa County planning commissioners had little to say before approving a new Rutherford area winery that they agonized over only two months ago. Patrick Cahill on Wednesday won quick Planning Commission approval to build a 10,000-gallon-a-year winery on 20 acres at 1561 South Whitehall Lane. It will have no visitors or marketing events. Commissioners at their Feb. 15 meeting worried about the flooding in the rural South Whitehall Lane area. Although an engineering report said the winery wouldnt worsen the problem, several neighbors speaking at the meeting disagreed. The commission wanted Cahill and his neighbors to tackle the flooding problems before taking a vote on the proposed winery. That mission appears to be accomplished. On Wednesday, consultant Donna Oldford told commissioners that engineers for both parties and the county have found appropriate off-site drainage solutions, though work must be done to make them reality. Oldford represents Cahill. I am so pleased to tell you we have reached an agreement with all the neighbors, Oldford said. This is a win-win situation. No one came to the microphone to dispute her. That was enough for the commissioners. When the time came for them to make comments, they had nothing to say, except to unanimously pass the item. But they did make comments at the Feb. 15 meeting. I cant imagine a winery that would be less impactful than one with no tours, no tastings, no marketing events, a 10,000 (gallon) capacity on a 20-acre site, Commissioner Terry Scott said. I find it very difficult to vote against that. The winery building will be 6,812 square feet, with a 1,230-square-foot crush pad. Cahill told commissioners at the Feb. 15 meeting he is a Bay Area native who is part of a multigenerational family construction business and a shareholder in a retail wine operation. He lives in Seattle, but said he has had various second homes in Napa Valley since the mid-1990s. The 1561 South Whitehall Lane property includes a recently built house that real estate agents in 2015 pitched for the Silicon Valley wealthy. The San Francisco Business Times in July 2015 described the property as a $38 million Napa Valley spec home and wine estate with vineyards, though no winery. Now the winery appears to be on the way. The Napa Police are seeking the public's help identifying a man who ran out of a jewelry store wearing a nearly $7,000 gold necklace last week. Police said that the white man went into the Kay Jewelers Outlet with a pregnant white female at about 3 p.m. on April 1. The couple looked at the gold necklace and left the store, police said. About an hour later, though, the man returned to the store, asked to try the necklace on and ran out while still wearing it, police said. Anyone with any information is being asked to contact the Napa Police at 707-257-9223. When a local church realized that one of the communities they serve was having issues with trash piling up in their neighborhood, they decided to try and do something about it. That something happened on Saturday when dozens of people from Napas Hillside Christian Church headed to Woodland Apartments on Old Sonoma Road with trash bags, building materials and a dumpster in addition to food, clothing and school supplies. We just wanted to come and bless this neighborhood, said Associate Pastor Brad Louks. With that in mind, Louks recently spoke with the on-site apartment manager to see what residents needed help with. The manager, Cindy Douglass, told him that the complex had a problem with trash. When she brings in a dumpster to help clean it up, it fills up quickly, she said. Its mostly mattresses, but a lot of good furniture goes too, Douglass said. The complex has 41 units, the majority of which are occupied, many by families. Everybody heres nice, Douglass said of the mostly Latino community. Its a good neighborhood, she said, but many residents work odd hours and cant always take advantage of neighborhood clean-up days. On top of that, the fence surrounding the complex was damaged and part of it was about to fall over, said Louks. We wanted to help with that, he said. Carolyn Nelson, who was carrying one trash bag and wearing another due to the rain, was picking up makeup bottles, beer cans and other trash along the complexs perimeter. Its been the whole morning, Nelson said. Im just having a wonderful time. Nelson, a dental hygienist, has been going to Hillside Christian Church for about a decade but isnt able to participate in a lot of their volunteer activities because they fall on a work day. So, she said, when they announced this weekend project at church, she knew it was something she would be able to help with. I thought I can do that. I have a strong back (and) strong legs, she said. Giving back feels good, she said. Resident Mayra Hernandez said that she appreciates that so many people came out to help clean up their complex. She feels good because it looks more cleaner, said her son, Miguel Sosa, 8, who was translating for her. Hernandez said that the complex was messy from people littering. Now that its clean, she said, she thinks people will think twice before letting things pile up again. Its awesome, said Maria Lepiz, another resident. The churchs cleanup effort sets a good example for the children of the neighborhood and, she said, helps the environment. Even the children were excited to see the improvements being made in their complex. (Theyre) making hot dogs and making our apartments clean, said Noe Gallegos, 7. And theyre selling clothes for free. As part of their community service project, the church gave out clothing and new shoes to the children. After the cleanup, the church also provided lunch for the neighborhood and put on an Easter egg hunt. I think its because they wanted to help, said Maria Hernandez, 13. We just wanted to come and bless this neighborhood, Louks said. The residents have been super thank you for coming and the kids are running around grabbing new shoes, he said, so thats been really cool. Louks said that he anticipates helping out more in the neighborhood and heading back to repair more of the fence. President Donald Trump's decision to launch missile strikes against Syria's Al Shayrat airfield after a chemical weapons attack on civilians was an appropriate response to an act of unspeakable horror. Yet as analysts who have argued for greater U.S. military engagement to end the Syrian civil war, we find ourselves conflicted about the president's decision: We fear there is simply no plan for what comes next. To succeed beyond Thursday's limited strikes, American leaders must decide on a clear set of objectives, a realistic desired final outcome, a theory of the case for how to get there and a solid understanding of the risks. We see three potential options for how the president could move forward. The United States could pursue a limited strategy focused on one-off strikes in response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons. In that case, the strike on the air base from which last week's sarin gas attacks were launched will probably be enough. President Bashar al-Assad and his generals will get the message and stop using those types of weapons. But Trump may soon find this outcome dissatisfying. The regime will continue to terrorize civilians through airstrikes, artillery and surface-to-surface missiles against densely populated areas. It will continue to employ tactics such as starvation sieges and population transfers to tear communities apart. Pictures of dead children and "beautiful babies," as the president remarked, will continue to appear on television. And Assad's forces and their Russian allies may up the scale of attacks to humiliate Trump and demonstrate the fecklessness of American military force. Thus, the pressure may grow on the United States to respond, and it may be hard for Trump to resist. The United States may slowly start to expand its objectives and escalate the conflict, and eventually find itself in a situation similar to Libya in 2012, where a limited civilian protection mission morphed into a full-blown regime change operation. Alternatively, the administration could pursue a broader set of interests than strictly deterring chemical weapon use. These initiatives could, for instance, prioritize ending the Syrian civil war and closing the security vacuums that are the source of extremist attacks and massive refugee flows destabilizing American partners in the Middle East and Europe. To achieve these objectives, the United States would threaten to launch more missiles on Assad regime targets unless Assad and his Russian allies stopped attacking civilians in opposition held territory. The United States could target a wide array of facilities to compel Assad, such as weapons factories, major military bases, even ministries in Damascus responsible for the war effort. Using the threat of missile strikes instead of flying in manned aircraft to drop bombs is much less dangerous. The United States would not have to first destroy all of Syria's air defenses - a highly provocative step sure to result in Russian fatalities, since Russian advisers help operate many of these systems. With the Russian and regime bombardment from the air stopped, the United States would then work with moderate armed groups in opposition areas to marginalize extremists and stabilize this territory. This approach is risky. Russians are deployed throughout Syria, whether at regime bases or in a close advising role embedded with Assad's forces on the front lines of the civil war. If the U.S. military inadvertently kills a significant number of Russians, tensions between the world's two largest nuclear weapons states could skyrocket. The United States can try to warn Russia in advance of the targets it is striking, as it reportedly did with the strike this week, but the risks go up as the target lists become more expansive. Moreover, this approach requires a viable moderate armed opposition that can serve as an effective local partner on the ground. Such groups exist in southern and eastern Syria, but have become much weaker in the hotly contested northwest, where last week's chemical weapons attacks occurred. A final military option would be to pressure Assad from the south, where the United States and Jordan support a moderate coalition of armed opposition groups known as the Southern Front. In recent years, these forces have generally stabilized the areas of Syria bordering Israel and Jordan, and have fought hard against the Islamic State. But the Southern Front has also been restrained by the United States and Jordan, who have preferred a stable front near Jordan's border and have threatened to cut off military support if the alliance moved too aggressively. If the restraints came off, this moderate rebel force could soon be bearing down on Damascus, putting huge pressure on the regime. But this would require a major surge in fighting in an area that has been largely quiet the past few years. The regime would likely respond with the same scorched-earth tactics it has used elsewhere, and civilians would suffer. Moreover, the Southern Front may achieve catastrophic success and inadvertently topple Assad quickly, resulting in chaos. In that case, Jordan and Israel would feel the destabilizing effects of intensified fighting on their borders. In the end, all of these military options are useless if they cannot be translated into a political outcome. The three military options outlined above can provide the United States with leverage in negotiations with Russia, Iran, Assad, Turkey and the Gulf States - but only if Trump has a clear view of the end he is seeking. The most viable political goal is a Syria that remains whole as one nation, but with a governance model that would feature power devolved away from the central government to local actors who hold the territory in six different zones of control that currently divide the country. This idea reflects the realities on the ground and has grown in support among experts as the war has dragged on. Such an outcome would require a major diplomatic lift to mediate an arrangement between the Turks and Kurds in the North. The United States would have to come to a settlement with Russia and Iran on who retakes the territory currently held by ISIS and al-Qaida. And we would need to assure Israel and Saudi Arabia that Iranian influence in Syria will be contained. Unfortunately, it is this final and most important part of any plan for Syria - the political plan - which we are most concerned about when viewing the Trump administration's approach. We disagreed with former President Barack Obama when he insisted on too much certainty before taking any action in Syria. War does not always work that way: Sometimes, you have to take risks and jump into the breach. But when it comes to Trump, we have yet to see any indicators that he has a broader political approach in mind. Less than a week ago, his team was arguing that removing Assad is unrealistic and that, instead of focusing on the civil war in western Syria, they would prioritize the effort in the east against ISIS. The president himself spent two years campaigning on opposition to deeper U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and his team has yet to engage seriously in any of the diplomatic processes surrounding the Syrian conflict - including the intensive talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, hosted by the Russians or a major international Syria reconstruction conference held this past week in Brussels. And - most concerning of all - they have de-emphasized diplomacy, aid and reconstruction as tools of American foreign policy by calling for dramatic financial cuts for all these efforts and making clear to the international community that the United States is stepping back from coordinating these efforts. If the United States is to turn the limited tactical strikes in Syria into a real strategic gain, the Trump team will have to change its approach, and focus not only on winning the war - but on winning the peace. "She along with a few members of her delegation arrived at the dargah around 11 a.m. and spent 30 minutes in the premises," Khadim Kamaluddin Chisti told IANS. "She wished for peace and prosperity in her country as well as good bilateral relations with India," the Khadim said. Laying a chaadar over the mazaar, Hasina performed her 'ziyarat' with the help of Khadim Kamaluddin Chisti. The dargah committee welcomed the Bangladesh Prime Minister at Buland Darwaja. Dedicated to Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti, the 13th century Sufi saint, the dargah is one of the most important pilgrimage centres for people from all faiths. Millions team in to Ajmer to offer prayers here every year from different parts of the world. Unprecedented security arrangements were put in place at the dargah sharif here for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit. Dargah was also vacated before she reached Ajmer, 140 km from Jaipur. The main bazaar near the dargah was closed. Earlier, Hasina reached Jaipur on Sunday morning from where she with other members left for Ajmer in a helicopter, officials said. --IANS as/sm/vt ( 210 Words) 2017-04-09-13:24:09 (IANS) Ninety-six per cent of Indians want the Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to be passed in the ongoing parliamentary session. They also believe the move will help meet the UN mandate to reduce road accidents up to 50 per cent by 2020, said a survey on Sunday. The survey, conducted across 10 states to seek the opinion of the citizens on the pending bill, also found that 97 per cent people feel that the bill should be supported by all the parties since it is important to bring down fatalities due to road accidents, currently at 1.46 lakh annually -- the highest in the world. The survey was conducted by Consumer Voice, an organisation involved in policy making and complaints redressal. The Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016, was tabled on April 7 in the Lok Sabha. The changes in act were approved by the Union cabinet on March 31, 2017, proposing hefty penalties for various traffic offences, three-year jail terms for parents of minors caught driving and causing fatal accidents and a ten-fold increase in compensation for families of accident victims. "Every year, thousands of citizens get injured or killed on Indian roads due to poor roads and a weak road safety law in India. A tough law is needed to bring down 50 per cent of the road traffic accidents by 2020, a commitment India made by adopting the Brasilia Declaration for Road Safety," said Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer of Consumer Voice. Sanyal said the bill needs more clarity on child safety and drink driving provisions besides introduction of provision related to notorious driver punishment. "The central authority created should have powers to adjudicate matters related to road safety and transportation rather than being an advisory body," said Sanyal. The survey reported that 95 per cent people consider child safety an important aspect of the bill and approximately 98 per cent people believe that helmet wearing provisions should be included for all the two-wheelers riders, especially children. "90 per cent of the people want that alcohol testing level should be more stringent to help in preventing road accidents. Moreover, 87 per cent people expect that high penalties must be levied to enforce better road discipline," said the survey. Currently, the bill tabled in the Lok Sabha provides for stringent penalties, including jail term and fines for drunk driving, over speeding, jumping traffic light and non-wearing of seat belts and helmets. The guardians of juvenile offenders will also be deemed guilty and will be liable to pay a fine and serve imprisonment for three years. The fines pertaining to traffic offences will increase by 10 per cent annually. Terming it crucial, a team of parliamentarians who included K.T.S Tulsi and Oscar Fernandes, former Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, extended support to the survey and sought the passage of the bill in the ongoing budget session of Parliament. "We are all aware that this bill is crucial, that will be affecting lives of all the citizens, either as a motorists or pedestrians, and it should be passed without further delay," said Fernandes. --IANS rup/sm/vt ( 529 Words) 2017-04-09-14:18:07 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation also registered cases against a Jabalpur-based company and four of its directors for siphoning off nearly Rs 44 crore from a Madhya Pradesh bank. The CBI booked Kudos Chemie Ltd, Chandigarh, and its directors Jitendra Singh, Kabir Sodhi and Gurmeet Sodhi under several offences including criminal conspiracy and cheating. The case was registered following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank (PNB) that the directors along with several unknown persons siphoned off Rs 1,301 crore from the bank by availing credit facilities using false and fabricated documents. The Jabalpur based Jagdamba AMW Automotive Ltd. and Pushpendra Singh, Yogendra Singh, Shailendra Singh, and Pratima Singh were booked for allegedly defrauding the Canara Bank of Rs 43.77 crore by availing credit facilities through forged documents. Probing the matter, the CBI conducted searches in Chandigarh and Mohali in Punjab and Jabalpur and Reva in Madhya Pradesh. --IANS and/py/vt ( 191 Words) 2017-04-09-14:32:07 (IANS) Director S.S. Rajamouli's social media account on Twitter garnered three million followers on Sunday. The "Baahubali" series helmer has thanked fans for treating him as their family member. "Three million hearts... You loved me, praised me, supported me, criticised me, helped me, enlightened me, treated me as your family. Thank you," the 43-year-old tweeted on Sunday. In another tweet, he posted: "For those who like, for those who dislike. Please be who you are...I will be who I am." He is also "very excited" for the Tamil audio release of his forthcoming film "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion". The first part - "Baahubali: The Beginning" was also re-released in Hindi on April 7 by filmmaker Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. The second part in the franchise will hit the screens on April 28. -*- Shimla on brink of disaster, says Anupam Kher Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who bought a house for his mother in Shimla in March, is unhappy with the way the city is shaping up. The actor believes that the hill station is on the verge of a "possible disaster". "With construction going on, on every inch of land, Shimla is on the brink of a possible disaster if right steps are not taken immediately," Anupam tweeted on Sunday. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also reacted to the sentiment tweeted by Anupam and said that it is not just Shimla but the entire country is facing "environmental terrorism". "Sir, our entire country is suffering from this environmental terrorism, which is responsible for major natural disasters," he tweeted. On the work front, Anupam will next be seen in "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", which is scheduled to release on August 11. --IANS ks/nn/vt ( 290 Words) 2017-04-09-14:56:07 (IANS) Actress Raviza Chauhan says that debuting in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali's short film was surreal. Raviza, who comes from an Army background, got her first acting break as a sex worker in Ali's short film "India Tomorrow". "After being appreciated by Mukesh Chhabra in the NDTV's show 'Ticket to Bollywood', the next day I got a call from him saying Imtiaz Ali wants to meet me. Then Imtiaz gave me a few lines and I was sitting with him in his car." "Within a day, I was in for the project. Working with a director like Imtiaz Ali for my first break was very surreal for me," Raviza said in an interview on Saturday. "Working with him gave me a lot of confidence as an actor and it taught me a lot as far as my craft of filmmaking is concerned," she added. Raviza will soon make her Bollywood debut with Srijit Mukherji's directorial "Begum Jaan". "When Mukesh showed my short film to Srijit during selection for 'Begum Jaan', I was selected immediately without much effort," she said. Talking about working with actress Vidya Balan in the film, Raviza said, "Working with Vidya was very special. This is my first film and working with Vidya in my first movie... was a privilege for me as an actor." "Vidya is not just an amazing and a powerful actress, but at the same time she is so humble and sweet that I connected with her on a different level altogether." In the film, the budding actress plays Lata. "She is a Rajasthani widow who ends up working in Begum Jaan's brothel. It is the gritty story of sex workers set in the Independence era who fight for their own rights," Raviza said. Her thoughts on nepotism in the film industry? She said: "Nepotism does exist in the industry, but as an actor you can't crib about it all the time. If an actor really knows how to act and is versatile enough, then nobody can throw them out..." "Begum Jaan" has Vidya playing the lead character of a brothel house owner. It is the Hindi remake of the 2015 Bengali film "Rajkahini". "Begum Jaan" will release on April 14. --IANS iv/nn/vt ( 379 Words) 2017-04-09-14:58:07 (IANS) Golam Ali was admitted to the Raigunj District Hospital for a respiratory problem. "When we talked to nurses on duty, they said the hospital does not have oxygen masks. Even after I arranged for a mask, he was not attended to for a long time," Ali's son said. "I urged the nurses to attend to my father as his condition was critical. I almost begged them, but they delayed treatment," he added. The bereaved family and their sympathisers agitated on the hospital premises after Golam Ali died. Hospital Superintendent Gautam Mandol said no complaint from the patient's family had been so far received and assured that lapses, if any, on part of the staff will be investigated once the complaint is received. --IANS mgr/ssp/tsb/dg ( 161 Words) 2017-04-09-18:40:08 (IANS) A heart patient fell ill after he was given anti-rabies vaccine at a private polyclinic in West Bengal's Nadia district, the victim said on Sunday. Vidyut Sarkar, a resident of Nadia district's Chakdaha, went to CBDA polyclinic for an electocardiogram (ECG) on Saturday morning but he was administered an anti-rabies vaccine by one of the attendants there. "The doctor asked me to do an ECG as my heart condition was critical. But when I went to the clinic they injected me with an anti rabies vaccine instead. I am feeling ill and having allergic problems since the incident," Sarkar alleged. The management of the polyclinic admitted the mistake. They said the faux pas happened due to misunderstanding as the attendant apparently mixed up the names of two consecutive patients with the same last name. "There were two consecutive patients with the same last name. Sarkar entered the chamber in place of the other patient named Subir Sarkar who was supposed to be given the vaccine. He neither listened to the announcement properly nor clarified the issue before the injection was given. This was a case of misunderstanding," said the manager of the clinic. However, the clinic authority put the attendant under temporary suspension after the incident. "We accept there was a mistake from our end. The attendant should have been more careful while giving the injection. We have put him on temporary suspension since yesterday (Saturday)," the manager said. "We let the patient talk to our doctor and assured that there would be adverse no side effects of the injection. If the patient feels any discomfort he is welcome to our clinic for treatment," he added. --IANS mgr/ssp/vd ( 290 Words) 2017-04-09-19:02:08 (IANS) 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 Recalling Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's image as a Hindutva 'firebrand,' the Congress Party on Sunday said that the former should discard his 'old style' and should work towards the development of the state. Congress leader Meem Afzal said Adityanath would be at loss if he continues to do things as per his wish. The leader further said that the Hindu Yuva Vahini, being founded by the Chief Minister, are resorting to such things because it is sure that no investigation would take place against the organisation. "On the one hand there is propaganda that he is making efforts to improve Uttar Pradesh, and on the other hand his old style is also being carried forward. As the Chief Minister, he should stop that and work towards the development of Uttar Pradesh. He will be at loss if he tries to do whatever he wants to only because he now has power," Afzal told ANI. Resonating similar views, another Congress leader Pramod Tiwari called out for an investigation, saying that the truth should be revealed. "If conversion is done forcefully, then it is wrong. If such a thing was happening, then it was appropriate to stop it. But if it was stopped only because they are of other religion then it is wrong. The law should take its course and the truth should be revealed," Tiwari told ANI. The Hindu Yuva Vahini yesterday interrupted a Church prayer service alleging that religious conversion was being carried out and filed a complaint against Yohannan Adam, the pastor of the church, accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity, which was flatly denied by the latter. The service, which was being attended by more than 150 people including foreign tourists, was interrupted by the youth group who barged into the hall and created a ruckus. The tourists were let go after their passports were thoroughly checked. The Christian group denied that it was carrying out conversions and asserted that it was a simple prayer service. "The police personnel even climbed onto our holy altar and took away our bible and song books. They even questioned all those who came to attend the prayer." Pastor Adam told ANI. This is not the first such instance that has come to light, as earlier this year the Hindu Yuva Vahini had attacked the Full Gospel Church in Gorakhpur over similar allegations. The Hindu right wing has continuously and vociferously alleged that Christian missionaries are converting people through coercion. (ANI) While backing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark on Vande Mataram, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday said that the ground leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should listen to their top brass and maintain harmony in the state. Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Juhi Singh said that their party is a responsible opposition and would cooperate with their Chief Minister if he has expressed concern over the issue. "As a responsible Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has expressed his feeling that why few people don't want to sing Vande Mataram. He has nowhere expressed compulsion over singing of the song, but has only urged people to change their mentality. His own party people should listen to him and should not force others to sing it. Nor is the Chief Minister is stressing on compulsion, nor the Prime Minister. So the ground leaders of the BJP should listen to their top leaders and should try to maintain the harmony that persists in Uttar Pradesh," Singh told ANI. Yogi Adityanath yesterday said that not singing the National Anthem is a serious issue, adding that by doing so it only highlighted one's prejudice. Adityanath breaking his silence for the first time on this issue said that the people are extending this issue for no reason. "We want to see development in this country, but our issue of conflict is over not singing the National Anthem and National song. Not singing Vande Mataram shows a prejudiced mind. This is a matter of concern," Aditynath said at the book unveiling function of 'Governor's guide' here. The Chief Minister's comments come after a controversy erupted over singing Vande Mataram in the Varanasi and Meerut Municipal corporations. A week after the mayor of Meerut asked all corporators to either sing Vande Mataram or leave the country, BJP councilors at the Allahabad Nagar Nigam on Thursday demanded that a new rule be passed under which the House proceedings would start with the national song Vande Mataram and end with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana. Some councilors objected to the proposal and it led to ruckus and disruption of the proceedings of the House. Councilors in the Opposition alleged that BJP Councilors are raising this demand because of BJP coming to power in the state. Earlier in February, the Supreme Court rejected the plea filed by leader and senior Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking direction to give equal respect to the national song as given to the national anthem. Earlier, Upadhyay had filed a plea in the apex court, seeking directions to the Centre for issuing a policy to promote and propagate the national anthem, national flag and national song. The petition sought a direction to frame a national policy to promote and propagate the national anthem, national song and national flag in spirit of Article 51A. On November 30, a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, responding to the filed by Chouksey, had ordered all cinema halls to play the national anthem before the screening of a movie. However, the court later made an amendment and said there is no need to compulsorily stand up when the national anthem is sung or played as part of a film or documentary. (ANI) In Srinagar, a very little voter turnout was seen in Amira Kadal, Batmaloo, Sonawar, Eidgah, Habba Kadal assembly segments in the morning. The authorities said the process was expected to pick up as the day warms up. In Gandarbal district, no voter turned up at the Haran, Bamloora and Dudrhana polling stations. In Kangan segment, very few voters were seen at the polling station. No queues of voters were seen in the Chadoora assembly segment. Some voters came out to the polling station in the Beerwah assembly segment of Budgam district. Separatists have called for a boycott of these polls. More than 200 companies of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 25 companies of police have been deployed throughout Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, where the 15 assembly segments comprising the constituency are located. A total of 1,261,397 voters are eligible to exercise democratic right for which 1,559 polling stations have been set up. Ruling Peoples Democratic Party candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan is challenged by former Chief minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. Although there are nine candidates in the fray, the contest is mainly between Khan and Abdullah who is the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress. The voting in the parliamentary by-poll would end at 5 p.m. and the counting of votes would take place on April 15. --IANS sq/sku/ ( 271 Words) 2017-04-09-08:20:07 (IANS) Cooperation in renewable energy, clean coal and bio-fuels will be high on agenda during his visit. A number of MoUs and agreements are also to be firmed up in the areas of security, environment, sports, science and technology and health. A high-powered delegation from the education sector will also be accompanying him. This will be the first visit of Turnbull to India. However, Turnbull and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have had substantive meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 in Antalya in 2015 and in Hangzhou in 2016. The visiting leader will be accorded with a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow. Later there will be delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Modi and Turnbull. On Tuesday, Turnbull will visit Mumbai where he will attend several events, including an interaction with key business leaders and an energy round-table. (ANI) The officer-in charge of Bano Police Station and a police jawan were killed in an attack by the ultras belonging to the People' Liberation Front of India (PLFI), police sources said today. The incident took place at Bano Police Station under Mahabuang Police Station area of the district midnight last night. Police sources said the deceased have been identified as Vidyapati Singh, officer-in charge of Bano Police Station and Tarun Burali, a police jawan. While Burali died on the spot, Singh succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Police said a team of the Bano police station had gone to Mahabuang to review the arrangement in the wake of the proposed visit of Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma in the area on April 11. While on their way back last midnight, they were attacked by the PLFI ultras who opened indiscriminate firing and later fled in the darkness of the night. Simdega SP Rajeev Ranjan has confirmed the martyrdom of the duo. He said the entire area has been cordoned off and search operations launched. Additional troops have also been rushed into the area. Simdega DC Manjunath Bhajantri too confirmed the news in the wee hours today.UNI AK AD0944 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1222476.Xml Indira Gandhi had planned it well and her 'diplomatic offensive" made Independenceof Bangladesh acceptable globally, a surviving 1971 War Veteran Brigadier Onkar S Goraya has said here.A proud Indian soldier, Brig Goraya still retains an original newspaper of December 18, 1971 -- that carried the banner headline -- 'Yahya accepts Ceasefire'. In fact, the first lead story of 'Hindustan Times' carried a UNI (United News of India) filed copy -- with the first sentence reading: "Pakistan President Yahya Khan today ordered his troops to ceasefire along the western front......".Brig Goraya (Retd) of 57 Artillery, who had moved to the forward areas in Agartala during the war as part of his unit's Operation 'Nut Cracker', said, the Independence of Bangladesh was inevitable as "there was no cultural and historical affinity between West Pakistan and East Pakistan". He said Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi pursued "diplomatic offensive" very well making the global community understand India's role in the conflict between East Pakistan and West Pakistan very well."Militarily, the strategic planning at every level was very good. Right from Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and higher echelons down to Brigade commands, it was all very good planning.....The units advancements and formation and the vital artillery support....all went off very well," Brig. Goraya told UNI. "It was finally proved to the world that Mohammed Ali Jinnah's two-nation theory based on religious dividewas only a fallacy. Religion cannot unite people. People ultimately long for cultural affinity, they adore theaffinity of language," said Brig Goraya, who was in Delhi to meet the visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."Moreover, West Pakistanis were bullies. They tried to impose Urdu language. The Bengali culture was assaulted and rightly so the Bengalis revolted," he said, adding, even if 1971 was avoided -- East Pakistan would have one day come out of the West Pakistan "sooner than later". Recalling his role in the War, Brig Goraya said, "I was a Major those days and as part of our unit's deployment was in Agartala as Staff Officer to Brigade Commandant Janggi Singh Baba. We all got involved in Operation Nut Cracker. It was a fierce battle as from December 1 to 4, the enemy gave us a good fight; but then we took over and they were on run".He still has clear memories of helicopter movements braving the darkness of night and often inclement weather over River Meghna and Indian Army subsequently entering strategic locations like Brahmanbari and Bhairavbazar."It was like living through a different era. May be unthinkable in present times. Everyone wanted to contribute to the war. People of Bangladesh were very cooperative amid multiple challenges. They knew we were there to help them. They felt proud of Indian Army and BSF's role," he said.Besides the battle front, another exciting part of his involvement during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, Brig Goraya said was the "uncertainty" for sometime on whereabout of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman. "After the great victory, the new-born country was caught in the mad euphoria of rejoicing and celebrating. But there was a subtle deficiency - the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the new born baby," he said, adding, people knew that Mujibur Rahman was arrested by West Pakistani forces on March 25, 1971 and taken to West Pakistan."There were doubts, whether he would return at all," said Goraya, who has also penned a book on the 1971 War.More UNI DEVN SV 1030 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1222426.Xml According to the police, Bano police station in-charge Vidyapati Singh and constable Tarun Burali were killed in the gunfight with the Maoists. The police were patrolling when the Maoists began firing on them, officials said. Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand. --IANS ns/py/vt ( 77 Words) 2017-04-09-11:40:07 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is today visiting shrine of famous Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer but she will come back to the capital in the afternoon and attend President Pranab Mukherjee's dinner at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Ms Hasina, who is staying at Rashtrapati Bhawan itself, was expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the evening. Yesterday, she held official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which the two countries inked 22 agreements, including several in key areas of defence, nuclear energy, trade and connectivity, scaling up their already close ties.Mr Modi announced 4.5 bn line of credit for developmental projects in Bangladesh and 500 million dollar for defence purchases by the country from India.The two countries also vowed to continue to work together to combat terrorism and extremism.The Bangladesh PM will leave for home tomorrow after attending a business event at which around three dozen business to business deals were expected to be sealed.This is Ms Hasina's first official bilateral visit to India after Mr Modi came to power.UNI NAZ PY SV 1133 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1222531.Xml Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, today paid obeisance at the Dargah of famous Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and offered flowers and velvet 'chadar' at the shrine.Ms Hasina, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers, prayed for peace and prosperity of the two countries and of the region.Earlier in the morning, the Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived at Jaipur by a special aircraft and flew to Ajmer by an Air Force helicopter. She was given traditional Rajasthani welcome at the Ghooghra Helipad. She was received at the helipad by Commissioner Hanuman Sahay Meena and IG Malini Agarawal.Later, her carcade left for Ajmer. Strict security had been mounted all along the four km road to the Dargah with armed police personnel posted dotting the rout and at buildings in the vicinity of the Dargah.The Bangladesh Prime Minister was received at the Dargah by Diawan Zainul Abidin, other Khuddams of the shrine, district magistrate Gaurav Goyal and other officials. She was given a red carpet welcome at the Dargah, with the sounding of buggles. After washing hands and feet (vazu), in which she was assisted by a woman employee of the Dargah Committee, Ms Hasina proceeded to place 'chadar' at the 'mazar' of the Sufi Saint.While she was returning from Dargah, she was welcomed by its Nazim (Administrator) Col Mansoor Ali Khan.The whole Dargah was got vacated of devotes after the Namaz to ensure fool proof security for the visiting dignitary.Ms Hasina left for Delhi around 0130 hrs.UNI XC NAZ JW SNU 1429 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1222770.Xml The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and other US ships, seen in the Philippine Sea in March. Photograph: MCS 3rd Class Matt Brown/AFP/Getty Images As the US navy deployed a strike group towards the western Pacific Ocean, to provide a presence near the Korean peninsula, the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said China agreed with the Trump administration that action has to be taken regarding North Korea. Tillerson told CBSs Face the Nation, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, that when Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping met at the Mar-a-Lago resort this week, they had extensive discussions around the dangerous situation in North Korea. President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken, Tillerson said. Tillerson described a shared view and no disagreement as to how dangerous the situation has become. In view of the regional threat now posed by North Korean missile tests and nuclear ambitions, he said, the Chinese do not believe the conditions are right today to engage in discussions with the government in Pyongyang. Were hopeful, he added, that we can work together with the Chinese to change the conditions in the minds of the DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] leadership. And then, at that point, perhaps discussions may be useful. But I think theres a shared view and no disagreement as to how dangerous the situation has become. And I think even China is beginning to recognise that this presents a threat to even to Chinas interests as well. The Carl Vinson strike group, which includes an aircraft carrier, was first scheduled to make port calls in Australia but was redirected from Singapore to the western Pacific. US Pacific Command ordered the Carl Vinson strike group north as a prudent measure to maintain readiness and presence in the western Pacific, said Commander Dave Benham, spokesman at US Pacific Command. The No 1 threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, he said, in an unusually forceful statement. On Sunday, Trumps national security adviser HR McMaster told Fox News Sunday the strike group had been moved because it is prudent to do it. The news followed a Friday report by NBC that the National Security Council had included the return of nuclear weapons to South Korea in options presented to Trump for dealing with North Korea. Killing North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, was also presented as an option, NBC reported. Discussing that report on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, the Massachusetts senator Ed Markey, a Democratic member of the Senates foreign relations committee, said such moves would cause an escalation of tension that could lead to nuclear war. The US, Markey said, should work with China to establish direct talks with Kim, as the best way to tackle this boiling, bubbling cauldron. On Saturday the White House said Trump had spoken to the acting president of South Korea, Hwang Kyo-ahn. North Korea, meanwhile, called the US missile strike on Syria on Thursday night an intolerable act of aggression. After the Hindu Yuva Vahini in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district stopped a prayer at a church attended by over 100 people alleging forced conversions, Father Solomon George on Sunday called it a 'mere allegation' to harass the minority community. Father George told ANI that those actually involved in conversion should be brought to book. "These all are mere allegations, there is no evidence. If there is any evidence of conversion, the mater should be brought into the public notice to the law of the book and I think that proper action should be taken. Without any evidence if you interrupt a prayer, halt the worship, it is against the fundamental rights of the people," Father George said. "So, I think the government should take this incident as harassment to the minority community. And moreover, the Christians are very peace loving, they love his country," he added. Father George further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take cognizance of the matter and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should order an inquiry into the same. "No incident of terrorism or any anti-national activity comes from the Christians. Christians have always protected the country, will remain united and they are a very integral part of this country," he added. Earlier in the day, the Congress Party while recalling Adityanath's image as a Hindutva 'firebrand' leader said that the Chief Minister should discard his 'old style' and work towards development of the state. Congress leader Meem Afzal said Adityanath would be at loss if he continues to do things as per his wish. The leader further said the Hindu Yuva Vahini, being founded by the Chief Minister, is resorting to such tactics because it is sure that no investigation would take place against the organisation. "On the one hand, there is propaganda that he is making efforts to improve Uttar Pradesh and on the other hand his old style is also being carried forward. As the Chief Minister, he should stop that and work towards the development of Uttar Pradesh. He will be at loss if he tries to do whatever he wants to only because he now has power," Afzal told ANI. The Hindu Yuva Vahini yesterday interrupted a Church prayer service alleging that religious conversion was being carried out and filed a complaint against Yohannan Adam, the pastor of the church, accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity, which was flatly denied by the latter. The service, which was being attended by more than 150 people including foreign tourists, was interrupted by the youth group who barged into the hall and created a ruckus. The tourists were allowed to go after their passports were thoroughly checked. The Christian group denied that it was carrying out conversions and asserted that it was a simple prayer service. "The police personnel even climbed onto our holy altar and took away our bible and song books. They even questioned all those who came to attend the prayer." Pastor Adam told ANI. This is not the first such instance that has come to light, as earlier this year the Hindu Yuva Vahini had attacked the Full Gospel Church in Gorakhpur over similar allegations. The Hindu right wing has continuously and vociferously alleged that Christian missionaries are converting people through coercion. (ANI) People in large numbers queued up at the polling stations well before voting started at 7 a.m. "Polling is going on smoothly and 43.5 percent have voted by 1.00 p.m. from across 273 polling booths," Dhemaji Returning Officer Roshni Aparanji Korati said. She said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) machines were used in polls for the first time in the state. Of the 2,19,751 voters, 1,07,241 are females. Adequate security forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair poll, Korati said, adding 20 polling stations have been marked as "very sensitive" and 141 others as "sensitive". The by-poll was necessitated following the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pradan Baruah as member of Parliament from the Lakhimpur constituency after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from his parliamentary seat. Five candidates are in the fray but the main contest is likely to take place between ruling BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu and Congress party nominee Babul Sonowal. The other three candidates are Communist Party of India-Marxist's Jadu Hazarika, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist's Hem Kanta Miri and Independent Rajkumar Doley. --IANS rrk/pgh/vt ( 221 Words) 2017-04-09-14:50:07 (IANS) Diplomatic tension between India and China over Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh notwithstanding, the Navies of the two neighbouring countries today lost no time in jointly responding to a piracy attack on a foreign merchant ship at the high seas in the Gulf of Aden.According to the India Navy spokesperson, a distress call was received from a foreign merchant vessel MV OS 35 (Tuvalu registered vessel), late last night. Indian Navy ships Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya proceeding on deployment to the Mediterranean and passing through the Gulf of Aden, responded to the call and rapidly closed the merchant vessel by the early hours of 9 April.The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board (citadel), as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise, to sanitise the upper decks of the merchant ship and ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board.Emboldened by Indian Navy's helicopter cover, and on receiving the 'all clear signal' that no pirates were visible on the upper decks, some crew members gradually emerged from the strong room and carried out a search of the ship and ascertained that the pirates had fled the ship at night.Subsequently, in a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe. The Captain of the merchant vessel profusely thanked the Indian Naval ships for their response and for providing air cover, the spokesperson of the Indian Navy said.UNI NAZ JW SNU 1444 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1222779.Xml Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull is arriving here this evening on a three-day visit, his first to India, which follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his country in November.The two Prime Ministers will hold official talks tomorrow.India-Australia relations today cover a very wide canvas stretching from defence and security cooperation to environment, water management, sports, energy and education.This visit will build on the work done since the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Australia and give direction to the numerous institutional mechanisms that have been set up to carry the relationship forward.Cooperation in renewable energy, clean coal and bio-fuels will also feature during the visit.According to the External Affairs Ministry, a number of MoUs and Agreements are to be firmed up covering security, environment, sports, science & technology, health, etc.In keeping with the vast potential that both sides see in economic and commercial engagement, a high-level business delegation is also expected from Australia which has invested about US$7 billion in India.Education and skills development is a key area of India's engagement with Australia. More than attracting Indian students to Australia, this encompasses cooperation between educational institutions in both countries, joint research, tie-ups between Government and non-Government entities in India with technology centres in Australia.The extent of this bilateral engagement will be in full view during the visit with a large number of tie-ups in this sector. A high-powered delegation from the education sector will be accompanying the Australian Prime Minister during the visit, the MEA said.Prime Minister Turnbull will travel to Mumbai on April 11 to engage with leading Indian CEOs and business people. These meetings will focus on growing two-way trade and investment."India is one of Australia's most important international priorities. Our relationship has expanded dramatically since we established a Strategic Partnership in 2009, followed by two-way Prime Ministerial visits in 2014. We are taking forward an active and ambitious agenda," Australian High Commissioner to India Harider Sidhu said here.Australia and India started talks on civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2012 after the former lifted a long-standing ban on selling uranium to India.Australia has 40 per cent of the World's uranium and every year, it exports 7000 tonnes of the nuclear fuel.India will be the first country to get uranium supplies from Australia without having signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.Now that the Austrian Parliament had permitted the supply to India, the commercial companies y were already engaged in negotiations, but any deal was unlikely during the visit.UNI NAZ JW SNU 1527 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1222815.Xml Jain community today celebrated the 2,615th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th and the last Thirthankar, saviour and preacher of Jainism, in Telangana.Devout Jains took out processions in Hyderabad and it's twin city Secunderabad besides other towns in the State and offered special prayers to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti.Hundreds of Jains also thronged the historic Jain temple near Jangaon town and participated in the celebrations by offering prayers.A colourful procession participated by hundreds of men, women and children was taken out in the morning from Begum Bazar Jain Temple which culminated into a prayer meeting at Aghapura Jain temple in the city.All meat shops were closed in view of the Jayanti of Lord Mahavir who preached Ahimsa (non-violence), truthfulness and good character.UNI SMS JW SNU 1543 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1222830.Xml Jaxay Shah, the newly appointed President of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India (CREDAI) today reiterated CREDAI's pledge for realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of "Housing for All" by committing to an investment of over Rs 70,000-crore in 375 plus new affordable housing projects through its member developers under its various State and City Chapters.The "Housing for All" project was inaugurated today by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu at the Investiture Ceremony of the CREDAI's new team at Ahmedabad.The event was also attended by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Gujarat Minister for Environment and Urban Development Shankarbhai Chaudhry.These projects are spread across all over India and involve development of over 8.60 crore sq ft of land and 20.60 crore plus sq ft of construction to build a total of 237000 plus houses. The investment involved in these projects is Rs 70,000+ crores.CREDAI is in dialogue with State Bank of India (SBI), its national banking partner to create special financial package both for home loans and for construction finance. At the event Jaxay Shah presented Mr Naidu a manifesto for the term 2017-2019. The 50-page manifesto, details CREDAI's initiatives in the Skill development, Waste Management and the social agenda of CREDAI.Mr Shah said, "We are all set to embark on a journey of a 'Naya Daur' for the real estate industry against the backdrop of introduction of various policy reforms which are aimed at facilitating growth. This presents a huge opportunity not just for our members or our industry, but for the nation itself. India has a recorded shortage of 20 million homes and our endeavor is to ensure that we overcome this shortage by placing consumers at the center of all our efforts. Our 375 housing schemes will realize the dreams of millions of Indians who are waiting to own a house."CREDAI with his skilling partner PNB Housing Finance Limited (PNBHFL) has entered into a MoU for skilling of 8000 construction workers during 2017-18. CREDAI has so far trained more than 50,000 trainees in over 100 construction sites across 30 cities and aims to train 1 lakh Construction Workers in a year w.e.f 2017-18. Apart from On-site skilling at construction sites, CREDAI has also started skilling of unemployed youth by setting up off-site skill training centers in places from where labour is traditionally sourced. The first such centres have been set up in Murshidabad and Medinipur in Bengal, Nashik in Maharashtra, Vijayawada in Andhra and Bhiwadi in the NCR region. CREDAI is exploring the possibility of setting up more such centres in the states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and places like Dahod in Gujarat, and Gulbarga in Karnataka. The Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), Government of Gujarat also approved CREDAI's proposal to skill unemployed youth in construction related trades with an aim to make them employable and also to undertake on-site skill upgradation programs for construction workers in Gujarat.UNI ADP RSA SNU 1540 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1222818.Xml With the opposition chorus growing for countermanding the April 12 bypoll to R K Nagar Assembly seat, in the wake of strong allegations of distribution of moneyto the voters and the subsequent Income-Tax raids at the housesand business premises of a Minister, the Election Commission of India (ECI) today held a crucial meeting in New Delhi on theissue. With the high-voltage campaign for the high profile seat comingto a close by tomorrow evening, Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha held a meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni and Special Chief Election Commissioner for RK Nagar by-poll Vikram Bathra. While Mr Bathra left for New Delhi last evening, Mr Lakhoni went to the National capital this morning. Speculations were rife that the by-election might be cancelled following serious cash for votes allegations. It may be recalled that the ECI had cancelled the elections to Thanjavur and Aravakkurichi during the Assembly polls last yearfollowing similar complaints of bribing the voters and seizure ofhuge sums of money. Officials said that after the cash for votes scandal surfaced onSaturday following opposition complaints and IT raids at thepremises of Health Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar, the ECI called for an emergency meeting with its officials. MORE UNI GV 1645 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1222957.Xml Voicing his support for Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari's assertion on triple talaq, Abid Rasool Khan, the chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, today said that one must study Quran and understand it in the proper perspective. Stating that there is nothing wrong in what she has said, Khan said, "It is requirement of the day that we should study Quran, which is a complete way of life for human being specially for Muslims and Quran very clearly with examples and with instances show us how we should conduct ourselves in the day to day affairs, family affairs, how we conduct with neighbours, how we conduct with brothers of other community. How I be a good citizen of this country. All these are clearly explained." "And her being an iconic figure asking the Muslim women to study Quran with the translation who cannot understand Arabic is welcome. And I strongly support her statement and I also retaliate that we should study Quran in Hadis in the proper perspective understand it and if we have any doubts (then) we must talk to the elders of the community, clarify those doubts and practice and propagate it in our daily lives," he added. Talking to the media on the sidelines of a function in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, yesterday, Salma Ansari said that uttering 'talaq' thrice does not amount to divorce and asked the Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics. "If you've read the Quran then you can find the solution there itself. There is no such rule in Quran. They have just made it up. There is no such thing. You read the Quran in Arabic and don't read the translation. You accept whatever the Maulana (clerics) or the Mulla says. You must read the Quran, read Hadis. Just see what Rasool had said," she said. Asserting that women should not blindly follow anyone, she said that women must have the courage to read the Quran by themselves and introspect what's written in it and gain knowledge about it. Meanwhile, commenting on the recent talaq cases in Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh, the chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh said such incidents are extremely unfortunate. "First of all I condemn these types of acts and I strongly ask my community to stand up against these type of things and condemn it and protect the women from such whimsical ways of doing talaq which is illegal arbitrary and not as per Islamic laws," he told ANI. A 38-year-old man, identified as Mohammed Haneef, was arrested in Hyderabad earlier on Friday after he sent a postcard with 'triple talaq' to divorce his wife. The arrest took place a day after his wife lodged a complaint against him. In a similar incident in Uttar Pradesh, a woman was given triple talaq over phone on March 23. The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue 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 the Muslims community on May 11. Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among the Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. (ANI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today demanded a sharing pattern at par with North Eastern and Himalayan states. Participating in the Eleventh Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council in New Delhi today Mr Patnaik said Odisha deserves the sharing pattern at par with the North Eastern and Himalayan States as it has a high percentage of population below poverty line belonging to ST & SC. Mr Patnaik said the demand of the State is in line with the Punchhi Commission recommendation for higher Central transfers to backward States for improving their physical and human infrastructure. The chief minister urged upon the Union Government to earmark 60 per cent of the Clean Environment Cess for the coal bearing States. He said the decision taken in the GST Council meeting to use the proceeds of the Clean Environment Cess for GST Compensation Fund, meant for all States, is clearly disadvantageous to coal bearing States like Odisha which have to bear the huge burden of environmental degeneration and the cost of rehabilitation. Mr Patnaik said the demand of the central government that the left wing Extremism affected states should reimburse the cost of deployment of central Armed Police Force is totally unjustified. Expressing his concern over the demand, the chief minister said the threat of Left Wing Extremism is a national challenge and is one of the biggest internal security threats faced by the Nation. The demand of the Union Government made to the States for reimbursing the cost on account of CAPF deployment is totally unjustified, he said. Mr Patnaik urged upon the Union Government to ensure equitable distribution of funds, logistic support and deployment of Central Forces and to bear the expenditure on their deployment. The chief minister reiterated his serious concerns on the implementation of inter-state water projects, including the Polavaram project and the ongoing construction activities in the upper catchment areas of river Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh State. He said the Union Government has not adopted principles of fairplay in declaring Polavaram as a National Project and in assigning the task of taking decisions on contentious issues between the two States to a functionary of Polavaram project. Mr Patnaik urged upon the Union Government to discontinue the Polavaram project, constitute a Tribunal at the earliest to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute, and in the interim, stop all ongoing construction activities in the Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh for protecting the livelihood of the people of Odisha. Chief minister urged upon the Union government to support Railway projects for connecting hinterland Maoists affected areas including the proposed, Malkangiri-Jeypore and Jeypore-Nawarangpur Rail projects and provide adequate funds in the Union Budget for ordinary repair and periodical renewal of National Highways passing through Odisha, many of which are in a state of disrepair. UNI BD RN 1917 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-1223237.Xml "Welcoming a valued friend and partner. PM @TurnbullMalcolm arrives in New Delhi on his State Visit to India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted. This is Turnbull's first bilateral visit to India since he assumed office in September 2015. His predecessor, Tony Abbott had visited India in September 2014 and this was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia in November that year. Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Turnbull on Monday following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed. --IANS ab/vd ( 116 Words) 2017-04-09-20:14:08 (IANS) Central Oregon Coast Nature Events, Easter Egg Hunt Coming Up Published 04/08/2017 at 7:23 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Newport, Oregon) Get ready for a nice run of nature-oriented events on the central Oregon coast that will widen your eyes and your brain power. Also in the area: a nifty little Easter egg hunt for the little ones. On Thursday, April 20, the Yaquina Birders and Naturalists hosts a presentation on Herring Mass Spawning: a Local Wildlife Spectacle. This photographic representation will celebrate the mass spectacle of Pacific Herring spawning in Yaquina Bay this past March. Herring spawning events attract seals, sea lions and thousands of birds like Surf Scoter, Western Gull and more making for outstanding photographic opportunities. Herring are considered a forage fish and local birder and naturalist Wayne Hoffman will share the importance of spawning events in the context of forage fish life cycles, the ecological roles they play in the marine food web, and their conservation. It happens in the Public Meeting room of the Central Lincoln PUD. 2129 North Coast Highway. Newport, Oregon. It happens at 7 p.m. For more info, call 541-961-1307 On Saturday, April 22, the group hosts a Guided Nature Walk near Yachats, going from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. It's a botanical walk along the Cape Perpetua's Giant Spruce Trail that will be led by Sally Lockyear and Betty Bahn. Wildflowers will be blooming along the Giant Spruce Trail and birds will be singing from the trees as they prepare for the nesting season. The trail to the Giant Spruce, an Oregon Heritage Tree, is about two miles round-trip and is rated by the US Forest Service as being of "moderate" difficulty. During this stroll Betty and Sally will identify and talk about the native flowers, shrubs and trees and listen for songbirds. The group recommends wearing clothes for variable weather. Meet on the deck outside of the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center by 9 a.m. The guided walk is free and open to the public, however, a pass or $5 daily fee is required to park. For more information call 541-961-1307. For the kiddies, Saturday, April 15 is the Easter Egg Hunt By The Sea in Newport. It all takes place at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where the facility opens two hours early and hosts the event from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Not only will this event be fun for the entire family, it also supports a vital program in Lincoln County; the Homeless Education & Literacy Project (HELP). HELP is a program of Lincoln County School District designed to help homeless students overcome barriers to school attendance and academic success and relies partially on grants and donations to operate. The event price is $15 per child. Additionally, a $20 per child ticket is available which includes re-entry to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for the day. The promotional re-entry rate must be purchased prior to the event as no add-ons will be allowed day of. Ferry Slip Road , Newport, Oregon. Purchase tickets here. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour More About Newport Lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday paid glowing tributes to Shiv Sena's founder, the late Bal Thackeray, saying only he had "recognised my true potential" and "reposed complete faith" in him. Rane said: "Whatever I am today is only because of Balasaheb Thackeray... He reposed complete faith in me, which no other leader will ever do... It matters little now which party I belong to, since for me his stature will remain unchanged." He was speaking at a function here on the eve of his 65th birthday on Monday (April 10). Recalling his close association with the late Sena supremo, Rane said that at one stage, he (Rane) aspired to be the powerful Mayor of Mumbai, the richest civic body in the country, but Thackeray had other plans. The Sena supremo instead gave him a ticket for the assembly elections, which kickstarted his political career, culminating in the coveted job of Chief Minister in 1999 during the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government, followed by Leader of Opposition and other major responsibilities. "The Narayan Rane visible today to the whole of Maharashtra is because of Balasaheb only. Otherwise, this humble worker from the Konkan region would never have come into the limelight," Rane said, crediting the late Sena chief for his meteoric political ascent. "I have always done whatever I feel is right, without getting scared of anyone since I do it honestly. Just as I used to speak out plainly before Balasaheb, I do the same with (Congress President) Sonia Gandhi and (Vice President) Rahul Gandhi," he added. In July 2005, Rane quit the Shiv Sena following major political differences and subsequently joined the Congress where he has been long considered a "Chief Minister-in-waiting". Taking a swipe at his critics amid media speculation of his political moves, Rane said that "more than me, it is the media which appears more concerned about where I am going or not". This was amid recent reports that Rane has reportedly invited BJP President Amit Shah for his grand 65th birthday celebrations scheduled in Mumbai on Monday. Sunday's pre-birthday bash was attended by senior leaders from various parties, including Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP, former Union Minister and Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde of the Congress, and former state Minister Jayant Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party. --IANS qn/vd/dg ( 404 Words) 2017-04-09-20:16:08 (IANS) "In Jammu 41.6 per cent polling took place at 19 polling stations established in the district," said an official. He said 2,192 voters cast their votes in Jammu. In Udhampur, out of total 60 votes, 36 votes were polled. "The poll percentage was 60 per cent in Udhampur while one polling station was set up," said Mr Rakesh Badyal, Returning Officer. Returning Officer for Delhi S K Fotedar said, "three polling stations were set up in the national capital and the poll percentage was 30 per cent." Out of total 86 votes, only 22 votes were polled, he said. Tight security arrangements were made at the polling stations.UNI VBH ADG 2018 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1223191.Xml BJP National President Amit Shah today heaped praise on Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, saying Mr Parrikar would be remembered as the most successful Defence Minister of the country. Speaking at a felicitation programme in the city, he said, ''For whatever period Mr Parrikar has served as Defence Minister, I don't have even little hesitation that people will remember him for a long period of time as the most successful Defence Minister of the country. ''During his tenure, issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP), which could not be solved by the Congress governments during the last 45 years, was solved within a year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ''Laying foundation of Make In India and modernisation of Defence forces also happened during his tenure. The surgical strike, which established the country as a force to reckon with, also took place during his tenure. The pair of Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and Parrikar has shown to the world that we want peace with our neighbours, but we would not tolerate insult of our soldiers and violation of our borders. ''Mr Parrikar has left the post of defence minister of the country and has come here chief minister of Goa. I would like to tell you that the Prime Minister's vision of making Goa a model state will definitely be fulfilled under the leadership of Mr Parrikar. Modi ji in Delhi and Mr Parrikar in Goa will together take Goa forward,'' he added.UNI AKM RJ 2123 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1223422.Xml The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) today said that if the scheduled by-election to RK Nagar constituency in Chennai is postponed and election is conducted thereafter, cash distribution will take place double-fold. Talking to newspersons after expressing solidarity with the farmers affiliated to the Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee, who have been observing a sit-in stir for the 13th consecutive day in front of the District Collector Office here, S Thirunavukkarasar, President of TNCC, said if the election is countermanded, the same Election Commission and official machinery will conduct it some time later. Then, cash distribution will take place double-fold, he cautioned. He charged the Central Government with meting out 'step-motherly' treatment to Tamil Nadu as BJP has no political prospects in the state. ''Entire Tamil Nadu is drought-hit. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy demanded Rs 88,000 crore as drought and Vardah cyclone relief, but Centre has allotted a paltry sum to the state. With the campaign for R K Nagar by-poll nearing, the Chief Minister should pressurise the Prime Minister to allocate more funds towards drought relief,'' Mr Thirunavukkarasar alleged. He also urged all the MPs representing Tamil Nadu to stage a non-violent agitation in Parliament, demanding more fund allocation for Tamil Nadu. The Congress leader also accused the BJP-led Central government of showing keen interest only in splitting the opposition political parties and blocking their party symbols. Over the income tax raids conducted at the residence and office of Health Minister Vijayabaskar, Mr Thirunavukkarasar charged the Centre with conducting IT raids at the houses of politicians in Tamil Nadu, with an ulterior motive. "Let them take action, if any incriminating documents are seized. We have no objection. But it should not be conducted selectively. A few months earlier, the IT department conducted raids at the residence and office of the then chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao. But, no follow up action was taken," he said. He also wanted to know why the income tax raid was conducted at the residence of Sarathkumar, when no illegal cash or incriminating documents were seized. "Is the raid conducted by BJP to intimidate others and achieve its target to help others to win the RK Nagar bypoll?" he asked. UNI GSM RJ 2148 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1223446.Xml Launching the app and website 'BharatKeVeer' with Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, lauded the Government of India for making his dream come true and providing a platform for everyone to help the next of the kin of slain soldiers financially. "This website has been made exactly in two and a half months. About three months, this idea came in my mind, while watching a documentary film on terrorists, which showed how terror leaders financially support the families of the terrorist who carry out terror acts." Akshay said at the inauguration. "Everybody wants to connect to people in uniform in their pain. It was a small dream and to fulfill this dream, our government really helped us. I want to thank everybody with my folded hands. My father was in Army and I am here as his son. Thank-you everyone," he added. The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing donors to contribute towards the family of a braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of 'Next of Kin' of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. Actor Akshay Kumar was the Guest of Honour during the function. (ANI) A day after the Election Commission allotted its 200 candidates a common symbol 'Whistle', the fledgling Swaraj India party on Sunday launched a unique campaign asking the people to blow a whistle whenever they see anything wrong happening around them. The party kick-started the "Blow the Whistle" campaign with a roadshow from Nangloi to Rithala in west Delhi ahead of the April 23 local civic body polls. Swaraj India's National President Yogendra Yadav said: "Swaraj India's 'Whistle' symbol is that of a watchdog, a whistle of a watchman. This is the whistle that is blown to prevent theft and corruption... The whistle of Swaraj India will wake up the public and remove the corrupt and dishonest people from public offices." During the road show, Yadav appealed to the people of Delhi to blow the whistle whenever they see a politician making false promises, committing injustice, promoting corruption, lying or cheating people. "With the 'Blow The Whistle' campaign of Swaraj India, the people of Delhi would express their intention to not tolerate drama, jumla or ghotala anymore," Yadav said. Yadav said that when Delhi continued to languish in dirt, the political parties were busy playing the blame game. While the people of Delhi were dying due to diseases such as dengue and chikangunya, politicians were busy indulging in extravagance and corrupt politics. "Through the 'Blow The Whistle' campaign, the people of Delhi will take up the responsibility of being Delhi's referee and watchdog. This city has unfortunately witnessed heights of corruption and limits of immorality in political parties," Yadav added. The party's Chief National Spokesperson Anupam told IANS: "The Delhi government conspired to deny Swaraj India a common election symbol, the party found a new and unique way to ensure uniformity in its campaign. Now the people of Delhi will expose and dismiss the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party." Swaraj India has full faith that the country's capital, where the anti-corruption movement received unprecedented support, the city that revolted against the unfortunate Nirbhaya case, will now once again lead the country towards a new-age politics, Anupam said. --IANS sp/lok/dg ( 364 Words) 2017-04-09-22:04:07 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat today said the ongoing property dispute between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be resolved in his meeting with his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath. "I will be meeting Yogi ji tomorrow and discuss the ongoing property conflict between the two states. I am sure that we will be able to resolve this issue amicably as both of us do not believe in pending any issue for long," Mr Rawat told reporters here, on his first visit to Lucknow after becoming CM of the hill state. Mr Rawat is in the state capital to attend a private function. "The property dispute between two states is pending for many years. I am sorry to say that previous governments have done nothing to resolve this issue. This issue should not linger any more. I, along with Yogi ji, will find a solution to this issue," he said. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister is expected to meet at his official residence of 5, Kalidas Marg tomorrow morning. He is expected to leave for Dehradun in the afternoon.UNI MB RJ 2244 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1223449.Xml A 39-year-old Uzbek man being held in custody is the suspected driver of a hijacked beer delivery truck that ploughed into crowds in central Stockholm, killing four people and wounding 15 in an apparent terror attack, police said today.The man, previously known to Swedish intelligence services as a marginal figure with no clear links to extremist groups, is suspected of mowing down pedestrians on a busy shopping street and smashing through a store front yesterday."Nothing indicates that we have the wrong person, on the contrary, suspicions have strengthened as the investigation has progressed," Dan Eliasson, head of Sweden's national police, told a news conference today.The man, detained last night on terrorism charges after the attack in the heart of the capital, appeared to have acted alone but "we still cannot rule out that more people are involved," he said.Court-appointed lawyer Johan Eriksson told Reuters he had met with the suspect today but declined to give further details about his client.Police did not name the detainee, but said he was from the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan and that he had seemed peripheral in intelligence reports."We received intelligence last year, but we did not see any links to extremist circles," Sapo security police chief Anders Thornberg said.Eliasson said there were "clear similarities" to an attack last month in London in which six people died, including the assailant who drove a hired car into pedestrians on a bridge.Vehicles have also been used as weapons in Nice and Berlin in the past year in attacks claimed by Islamic State.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Sweden, which until now had been largely immune from major attacks and where many take pride in an open, democratic society."I think it was just a matter of time, but still one doesn't think it will happen," Cecilia Hansson, a 25 year-old nurse, said. "It's still unreal when it happens this close."Police said they had found a suspicious device in the vehicle, which ended up rammed into the Ahlens department store, but said they did not yet know if it was a homemade bomb, as reported by public broadcaster SVT.Local authorities in Stockholm, where flags flew at half mast, said 10 people including a child were still being treated in hospital, with two adults in intensive care.Sweden will hold a minute's silence at midday (1530 hrs IST) on Monday to mourn the dead. Police said they were maintaining a heightened presence, fearing copycat attacks.FLOWERS, DEFIANCEA gaping hole in the wall of the store showed the force of the impact from the truck, which was removed overnight for examination by forensics experts, and people gathered to pay their respects and leave flowers.Prime Minister Stefan Lofven visited the site and struck a defiant tone: "All of us feel anger over what has happened, I also feel the same anger, but we also need to use that anger for something constructive and go forward.""We want - and I am convinced the Swedish people also want - to live a normal life. We are an open, democratic society and that is what we will remain."Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, who broke off a trip to Brazil and quickly returned home after the attack, addressed the nation in a televised speech from his home at Stockholm's palace."Those of us who want to help are many more than those who wish to harm us," said the monarch, wearing a dark suit and black tie. "Sweden is, has long been and will continue to be a safe and peaceful country."The attack was the latest to hit the Nordic region after shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen killed three people in 2015 and the mass attack in 2011 by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway.A failed suicide bombing in December 2010 killed an attacker only a few hundred yards from the site of yesterday's incident.IMMIGRATIONFor decades, Sweden has been among the most generous nations to immigrants. But some Swedes are having second thoughts after more than 160,000 people, many from Syria, applied for asylum in 2015 in a nation of just 10 million.Sweden has since tightened its borders and asylum numbers have slowed to a trickle. Support for the opposition far-right Sweden Democrat party, which links worries about education, welfare costs and crime with immigration, has continued to rise."We have warned about such incidents ... but we do not want to score any political points today," Julia Kronlid, vice chairman of the party, told Reuters.Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Nice, France, in July 2016, when a truck killed 86 people, and a truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in December that killed 12.In last month's attack in London, a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Britain's parliament and then stabbed a policeman to death before being killed himself.In February U.S. President Donald Trump falsely suggested there had been an immigration-related security incident in Sweden, to the bafflement of Swedes.Neutral Sweden has not fought a war in more than 200 years, but its military has taken part in UN peacekeeping missions in several conflict zones, including Iraq, Mali and Afghanistan.REUTERS RJ PM2341 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1222385.Xml The suspect was arrested for questioning after the subject was found in Gronland in Oslo, Xinhua cited public broadcaster NRK as saying. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander, was quoted as saying. "I can not answer (if is a bomb), but it is an object that is about 30 times 30 centimetres -- that is to say there is big potential for damage, but it is of such a nature that we want the bomb group to examine it," Jorundland told NRK. --IANS sku/ ( 144 Words) 2017-04-09-03:50:07 (IANS) Though only Russian and Syrian regime aircraft have been bombing Khan Sheikhoun, it was not clear who conducted the strikes on the rebel-held Idlib province, according to the CNN. Khan Sheikhoun, was hit on Friday and Saturday as well. The development comes in less than a day after the United States bombarded Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a 'barbaric' chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime. As many as nine civilians, including four children were killed in the United States missile attack on a military airbase in central Syria on Friday. The U.S. officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis. (ANI) Norwegian police has said they carried out a controlled explosion of a "bomb-like object" found on Saturday night in central Oslo. The danger was now considered to be over, but the authorities still did not know what the object was, Xinhua quoted Svein Arild Jorundland, a police commander at the site, as saying. A suspect was detained for questioning and a large area was cordoned off after the object was found around the Gronland subway station in Oslo. "There was a police patrol who came across a man they became interested in. In connection with him, they found a box with content that police believe is suspicious," Jorundland said earlier. "I can not answer (if is a bomb), but it is an object that is about 30 times 30 centimetres -- that is to say there is big potential for damage, but it is of such a nature that we want the bomb group to examine it," Jorundland had said about the object. --IANS sku/ ( 173 Words) 2017-04-09-08:20:08 (IANS) The visit is aimed at strengthening mutual collaboration and enhancing interoperability between the two navies through tabletop discussions and exercise at sea, reports the Dawn. At the end of the visit, 'passage exercise' will be conducted at sea to enhance interoperability between the two sides. The ships were received by Pakistan Navy officials and Iranian diplomats. After the creation of Pakistan 1947, Iran was the first country to internationally recognise its sovereign status. Currently, both countries are economic partners. Since 2000, relations between the two states have been relatively normalised, and economical and military collaboration has strengthened the relationship. Both countries are founding members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Iran has also expressed an interest joining the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (ANI) Iraq's influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "take a historic heroic decision" and step down, to spare his country further bloodshed.Sadr, who commands a large following among the urban poor of Baghdad and the southern cities, is the first Iraqi Shi'ite political leader to urge Assad to step down. But his call was wrapped in kind words about the Syrian president and condemnation of the US strikes carried out on a Syrian airbase on Friday, in retaliation for a chemical attack on civilians in a rebel-held area of Syria. Sadr said the US strikes would "drag the region to war" and could help "the expansion of Daesh," the militant Islamic State group, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria.Iraq's Shi'ite-led governments have maintained good relations with the Syrian government throughout the six-year Syrian civil war. Sadr is the only Iraqi Shi'ite leader to keep some distance from Iran, a main backer of Assad along with Russia. "I think it would be fair for President Bashar al-Assad to offer his resignation and step down in love for Syria, to spare it the woes of war and terrorism ...and take a historic, heroic decision before it is too late," Sadr said in a statement.The Shi'ite-led Iraqi government issued a statement on Friday that reflected the difficult balancing act it maintains between its alliance with the United States and with Shi'ite Iran. It condemned the chemical attack, without naming Assad, calling instead for an international investigation to identify the perpetrator.The statement also criticized "the hasty interventions" that followed the chemical attack, in an apparent reference to the US strikes.A US-led coalition has been providing air and ground support to Iraqi forces battling Islamic State, allowing them to recapture most of the cities they had overrun in 2014 in Sunni areas of northern and western Iraq.REUTERS PY RAI1345 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1222722.Xml Barely a week after an Indian dhow with 11 crew members was hijacked by Somali pirates, Indian and Chinese navies joined hands to save a Tuvalu-flagged container ship with 19 Filipino crew members from a pirate attack late on Saturday night in the Gulf of Aden, an official said here on Sunday. Responding to an alert from UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the Indian Navy deployed its warships INS Mumbai, INS Trishul, INS Aditya and INS Tarkash which were on a mission to the Mediterranean, to help the 21,000-ton bulk cargo carrier, named 'MV OS-35', sailing from Port Klang in Malaysia to Port of Aden, in Yemen. Early on Sunday, the Indian naval ships managed to establish contact with the container ship's captain who, along with his crew members, had locked themselves in a strongroom onboard, as per stand operating procedures. An Indian Navy helicopter taking off from INS Mumbai carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the ship to "sanitize" the upper decks of the ship and trace the whereabouts of the pirates who could still be on board. Emboldened by the Indian Naval cover and on receiving an "all clear signal" that there was no sign of any pirate on board, the crew members gradually emerged from the strong room. Later, an 18-member Peoples Liberation Army Chinese Navy team from its warship PLA-CNS Yulin boarded the ship, while the Indian Navy helicopter provided air cover for the massive 171-metre long X 28 metres wide, 18-year-old bulk carrier. The Chinese team carried out a full search of the ship along with the crew and ascertained the pirates had escaped under cover of darkness after their hijack attempt was foiled due to timely rescue operations mounted by international maritime forces in the vicinity. The captain of the Tuvalu-flagged ship expressed his gratitude to the Indian Navy, while both Indian Navy and the Chinese Navy thanked each other for the successful joint high seas operation on the critical maritime corridor. Earlier on April 3, a Dhow from Mumbai, 'Al Kausar' said to be carrying a cargo of edible items and dry foodstuffs which was proceeding from Dubai to Yemen's Al Mukala Port, was hijacked. --IANS qn/rn ( 378 Words) 2017-04-09-14:02:12 (IANS) Trump administration officials today blamed Russian inaction for enabling a deadly poison gas attack against Syrian civilians last week as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prepared to explain to Moscow a US retaliatory missile strike.Tillerson said Syria was able to execute the attack, which killed scores of people, because Moscow had failed to carry out a 2013 agreement to secure and destroy chemical weapons in Syria.White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Syria's "sponsors," Russia and Iran, were enabling President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of mass murder against his own civilians."But Tillerson, who is expected to visit Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian officials, said on ABC's 'This Week' program there was "no change" to the US military posture towards Syria."I think the real failure here has been Russia's failure to live up to its commitments under the chemical weapons agreements that were entered into in 2013," Tillerson said."The failure related to the recent strike and the recent terrible chemical weapons attack in large measure is a failure on Russia's part to achieve its commitment to the international community," he added.US President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base after he blamed Assad for the chemical attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack.Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," McMaster said the United States would take further action in Syria if necessary."We're prepared to do more. In fact, we were prepared to do more two days ago," McMaster said. "The president will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interests of the American people."Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call that aggressive US actions against Syria were not permissible and violated international law, the Kremlin said.McMaster said Russian leaders were supporting "a murderous regime" and their actions would dictate the future of US-Russian relations."Do they want it to be a relationship of competition and potential conflict," McMaster said. "Or do they want it to be a relationship in which we can find areas of cooperation that are in our mutual interest?"Tillerson stopped short of accusing Russia of direct involvement in planning or carrying out the attack, saying he had not seen "any hard evidence" to suggest Moscow was an accomplice to Assad.But he said the United States expected Russia to take a tougher stance by rethinking its alliance with Assad because "every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility." Reuters RJ PR2219 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1223461.Xml